Search

Lithological layering makes coal mechanically heterogeneous and strongly controls the pore fluid diffusivity. Localized elastic deformation and high pore pressure favor the dynamic failure of coal. The effects of lithological layering and fluid diffusivity on the nucleation of coal dynamic failure were investigated by performing undrained triaxial cyclic loading tests on fully saturated coal of lithological layers. The porous layer in coal provides the dominant sites for fluid storage. The pore fluid in the regional porous layer of coal is strongly compacted, forming high pore pressure due to undrained fluid caused by the barrier effect of the neighboring tight layer. Excited by the mechanical disturbance of periodic mining, the regional pore pressure decomposes mineral grains of the porous layer, resulting in significant radial and volumetric dilation. Moreover, asynchronous deformation occurs among different lithological layers and results in resistance at the layer interface, causing tensile cracks. Different fluid enrichment zones coalesced into a large pore overpressure zone by these tensile cracks. On the microscale, with the maximum stress level (σmax) increase from 0.7σST to 0.9σST, the primary pores' porosity of after loading increased from − 3.74 to 19.61% relative to the porosity before cyclic loading, while the porosity of secondary pores increased from 53.78 to 1573.23%, indicating that the pore fluid in the large pores is compacted more significantly. On the one hand, the high pore pressure formation in the secondary pores weakens the coal strength. On the other hand, such a porosity increase in coal enlarges the fluid storage volume and enhances the regional fluid diffusivity for more gas energy accumulation. The enlarged pore overpressure domain and the corresponding reduction in coal strength contribute to the nucleation of coal dynamic failure. Highlights: The regional pore pressure decomposes mineral grains of the porous layer. The pore overpressure causes significant radial and volumetric dilation of coal. Incongruous radial strain in different layers produces tensile crack. Tensile cracks coalesce fluid enrichment zones into a large pore overpressure zone. Pore overpressure in secondary pores weakens coal strength and enlarges porosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geological Culture Villages Towns (GCV(T)s) serve as rich repositories of geological resources, embodying significant historical and cultural values that mirror the dynamic interplay between Earth's evolution and human societies. Despite their importance, the theoretical underpinnings of GCV(T)s have not been thoroughly explored and elucidated. This study explores the relationship between geological culture and societal development, revealing the linkage between geological culture and societal advancement with the aim of promoting a harmonious coexistence between humanity and the environment. Focusing on 96 GCV(T)s in China, this study employs spatial analytical techniques such as the nearest-neighbor index, kernel density analysis, geographic connectivity, and geographic detector to scrutinize the spatial distribution patterns and identify key influencing factors. The findings reveal that (1) GCV(T)s exhibit uneven distribution, with concentrations in the Yangtze River Delta region, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and Shanxi-Gansu and Ningxia Provinces. (2) These sites tend to be situated in areas characterized by active geological formations, abundant geological relics, higher elevations, gentle topography, and ample rainfall. (3) The establishment and evolution of GCV(T)s are shaped by a complex interplay of geological heritage, natural factors, and human interventions. While the selection and spatial arrangement of these sites are predominantly influenced by geological and natural factors, the innovative development of their geological cultural heritage is driven by humanistic considerations. Overall, the distribution and evolution of GCV(T)s stem from multifaceted interactions among diverse factors. Recognizing this intricate web of influences is crucial for safeguarding geocultural diversity and formulating conservation strategies for geoheritage protection. The development of GCV(T)s transcends mere geoheritage preservation, it embodies a pivotal stride toward safeguarding the varied and multi-dimensional global geoheritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning models have been developed for various predictions in glioma; yet, they were constrained by manual segmentation, task-specific design, or a lack of biological interpretation. Herein, we aimed to develop an end-to-end multi-task deep learning (MDL) pipeline that can simultaneously predict molecular alterations and histological grade (auxiliary tasks), as well as prognosis (primary task) in gliomas. Further, we aimed to provide the biological mechanisms underlying the model's predictions. We collected multiscale data including baseline MRI images from 2776 glioma patients across two private (FAHZU and HPPH, n = 1931) and three public datasets (TCGA, n = 213; UCSF, n = 410; and EGD, n = 222). We trained and internally validated the MDL model using our private datasets, and externally validated it using the three public datasets. We used the model-predicted deep prognosis score (DPS) to stratify patients into low-DPS and high-DPS subtypes. Additionally, a radio-multiomics analysis was conducted to elucidate the biological basis of the DPS. In the external validation cohorts, the MDL model achieved average areas under the curve of 0.892–0.903, 0.710–0.894, and 0.850–0.879 for predicting IDH mutation status, 1p/19q co-deletion status, and tumor grade, respectively. Moreover, the MDL model yielded a C-index of 0.723 in the TCGA and 0.671 in the UCSF for the prediction of overall survival. The DPS exhibits significant correlations with activated oncogenic pathways, immune infiltration patterns, specific protein expression, DNA methylation, tumor mutation burden, and tumor-stroma ratio. Accordingly, our work presents an accurate and biologically meaningful tool for predicting molecular subtypes, tumor grade, and survival outcomes in gliomas, which provides personalized clinical decision-making in a global and non-invasive manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: HER2-positive breast cancer (BC) accounts for 20–30% of all BC subtypes and is linked to poor prognosis. Trastuzumab (Tz), a humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody, is a first-line treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer which faces resistance challenges. This study aimed to identify the biomarkers driving trastuzumab resistance. Methods: Differential expression analysis of genes and proteins between trastuzumab-sensitive (TS) and trastuzumab-resistant (TR) cells was conducted using RNA-seq and iTRAQ. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) were used to study their functions. The prognostic significance and protein levels of ARFIP2 and MSN were evaluated using online tools and immunohistochemistry. Sensitivity of MSN and ARFIP2 to other therapies was assessed using public pharmacogenomics databases and the R language. Results: Five genes were up-regulated, and nine genes were down-regulated in TR cells at both transcriptional and protein levels. Low ARFIP2 and high MSN expression linked to poor BC prognosis. MSN increased and ARFIP2 decreased in TR patients, correlating with shorter OS. MSN negatively impacted fulvestrant and immunotherapy sensitivity, while ARFIP2 had a positive impact. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that MSN and ARFIP2 could serve as promising biomarkers for predicting response to Tz, offering valuable insights for future research in the identification of diagnostic and therapeutic targets for BC patients with Tz resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Missed early gastric cancer (MEGC) is prevalent during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), which is the first-line recommended strategy for detecting early gastric cancer (EGC). Hence, we explored the risk factors for MEGC and different types of MEGC, based on the endoscopic resected population. Methods: This retrospective, case–control study was conducted at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital (NJDTH). We included patients who were diagnosed with EGC during screening EGD, underwent endoscopic resection, and were confirmed by postoperative pathology at the NJDTH from January 2014 to December 2021, and classified them into different types according to the different root causes of misses. Univariable, multivariable, subgroup and propensity score analyses were used to explore the risk factors for MEGC and different types of MEGC. Results: A total of 447 patients, comprising 345 with initially detected early gastric cancer (IDEGC) and 102 with MEGC, were included in this study. Larger size (≥ 1 cm) (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.27–0.74, P = 0.002) and invasion depth of submucosa (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.10–0.69, P = 0.007) were negatively associated with MEGC. Use of sedation (OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.20–0.52, P < 0.001) and longer observation time (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.37–0.96, P = 0.034) exhibited protective effect on MEGC. Conclusions: Smaller and more superficial EGC lesions are more susceptible to misdiagnosis. The use of sedation and prolonged observation time during EGD could help reduce the occurrence of MEGC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: The exploration and dissection of a set of QTLs and candidate genes for gray leaf spot disease resistance using two fully assembled parental genomes may help expedite maize resistance breeding. The fungal disease of maize known as gray leaf spot (GLS), caused by Cercospora zeae-maydis and Cercospora zeina, is a significant concern in China, Southern Africa, and the USA. Resistance to GLS is governed by multiple genes with an additive effect and is influenced by both genotype and environment. The most effective way to reduce the cost of production is to develop resistant hybrids. In this study, we utilized the IBM Syn 10 Doubled Haploid (IBM Syn10 DH) population to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with resistance to gray leaf spot (GLS) in multiple locations. Analysis of seven distinct environments revealed a total of 58 QTLs, 49 of which formed 12 discrete clusters distributed across chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 10. By comparing these findings with published research, we identified colocalized QTLs or GWAS loci within eleven clustering intervals. By integrating transcriptome data with genomic structural variations between parental individuals, we identified a total of 110 genes that exhibit both robust disparities in gene expression and structural alterations. Further analysis revealed 19 potential candidate genes encoding conserved resistance gene domains, including putative leucine-rich repeat receptors, NLP transcription factors, fucosyltransferases, and putative xyloglucan galactosyltransferases. Our results provide a valuable resource and linked loci for GLS marker resistance selection breeding in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotics Prophylaxis to prevent capsular contracture in prosthesis-based breast surgery is common in clinical practice. However, there is currently a dearth of high-quality evidence concerning the effectiveness of antibiotic usage in this field. To identify all pertinent studies prior to January 2023, a comprehensive literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Medline databases. The extracted data was then subjected to meta-analysis. Fourteen studies were retained in the analysis. According to the results, perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis did not reduce the risk of capsular contracture (RR 1.15, 95% CI 0.82–1.59, p = 0.55) or surgical-site infection (RD 0.01, 95% CI − 0.01 to 0.03, p = 0.59) compared to nonantibiotic prophylaxis. There was no statistically significant difference between extended antibiotic prophylaxis and perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in terms of preventing capsular contracture, whether calculated by patient numbers (RD 0.01, 95% CI − 0.01 to 0.02, p = 0.87) or by total procedures (RD 0.00, 95% CI − 0.00 to 0.01, p = 0.88), or controlling surgical-site infection (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.77–1.44, p = 0.27). Additionally, topical antibiotic irrigation did not decrease the risk of infection (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.34–1.08, p = 0.29) and capsular contracture, regardless of patient number (RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.27–0.63, p = 0.18) or total number of procedures (RR 1.29, 95% CI 0.73–2.28, p < 0.01). Current evidence revealed that both systemic and topical antibiotic prophylaxis may not provide benefits in preventing capsular contracture in prosthesis-based breast surgery. When the occurrence of surgical-site infections is minimized to the greatest extent, the administration of additional antibiotics for reducing capsular contracture should be carefully and judiciously considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous hydrogen ion batteries possess the advantages of sustainability, low cost, and high safety, which makes them an ideal choice for grid-level energy storage. Although some anions show strong interaction with the surface of some metal oxides, the effect of anions on the cation intercalation behavior and electrochemical activity is rarely reported. Herein, we report that anions in the electrolyte can greatly affect the electrochemical performance of anatase TiO2 in aqueous hydrogen ion batteries. The adsorption strength between the anatase TiO2 (101) surface and the anions was found to follow the order of SO42− > Cl− > NO3−. Experiments with theoretical calculations revealed that SO42− can promote the electrochemical performance of the anatase TiO2 anode for aqueous hydrogen ion batteries, while NO3− hinders the hydronium intercalation. This work can provide a new avenue for the design of high-performance aqueous batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the effectiveness and safety of combining Saccharomyces boulardii powder with triple therapy as a primary approach for eradicating H. pylori infection, a total of 144 patients who tested positive for H. pylori and diagnosed with non-ulcer dyspepsia underwent endoscopy at two national centers between June 2017 and March 2019 were included. The patients were categorized into three groups using a subsection randomization method and received initial H. pylori eradication treatments. Microbial composition, eradication rates, symptom alleviation, and adverse reactions were monitored on the 14th and 44th days post-treatment. According to PP analysis showed the eradication rates for the SRAC group was 75%, BRAC was 93.18% and RAC was 65.2%. Group BRAC exhibited a marginally higher eradication rate compared to other groups. However, patients receiving Saccharomyces boulardii treatment exhibited an overall reduction in initial dyspepsia symptoms by the end of the treatment period. When employed as a primary strategy, the combination of Saccharomyces boulardii powder with triple therapy displayed notable efficacy and smaller gastrointestinal side effects in eradicating initial H. pylori infections among non-ulcer dyspepsia patients. Moreover, this approach demonstrated advantages in alleviating symptoms, exhibited favorable tolerance, and maintained a high level of clinical safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To develop predictive nomograms of lymph vascular space invasion (LVSI) in patients with early-stage cervical cancer. Methods: We identified 403 patients with cervical cancer from the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University from January 2015 to December 2019. Patients were divided into the training set (n = 242) and the validation set (n = 161), with patients in the training set subdivided into LVSI (+) and LVSI (−) groups according to postoperative pathology. Preoperative hematologic indexes were compared between the two subgroups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the independent risk factors for LVSI, from which a nomogram was constructed using the R package. Results: LVSI (+) was present in 94 out of 242 patients in the training set, accompanied by a significant increase in the preoperative squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC), white blood cells (WBC), neutrophil (NE), platelet (PLT), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic inflammation index (SII), and tumor size (P < 0.05). Univariate analysis showed that SCC, WBC, NE, NLR, PLR, SII, and tumor size were correlated with LVSI (P < 0.05), and multivariate analysis showed that tumor size, SCC, WBC, and NLR were independent risk factors for LVSI (P < 0.05). A nomogram was correspondingly established with good performance in predicting LVSI [training: ROC-AUC = 0.845 (95% CI: 0.731–0.843) and external validation: ROC-AUC = 0.704 (95% CI: 0.683–0.835)] and high accuracy (training: C-index = 0.787; external validation: C-index = 0.759). Conclusion: The nomogram based on preoperative tumor size, SCC, WBC, and NLR had excellent accuracy and discriminative capability to assess the risk of LVSI in early-stage cervical cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional systems that simultaneously harbor superconductivity and nontrivial band topology may serve as appealing platforms for realizing topological superconductivity with promising applications in fault-tolerant quantum computing. Here, based on first-principles calculations, we show that monolayered CoN and CoP with the isovalent FeSe-like structure are stable in freestanding form, even though their known bulk phases have no resemblance to layering. The two systems are further revealed to display intrinsic band inversions due to crystal field splitting, and such orderings are preserved with the inclusion of spin-orbit coupling (SOC), which otherwise is able to open a curved band gap, yielding a non-zero Z2 topological invariant in each case. Such a mechanism of topologicalization is distinctly contrasted with that identified recently for the closely related monolayers of CoX (X = As, Sb, Bi), where the SOC plays an indispensable role in causing a nontrivial band inversion. Next, we demonstrate that, by applying equi-biaxial tensile strain, the electron-phonon coupling strength in monolayered CoN can be significantly enhanced, yielding a superconducting transition temperature (Tc) up to 7–12 K for the Coulomb pseudopotential of μ* = 0.2–0.1, while the CoP monolayer shows very low Tc even under pronounced strain. Their different superconducting behaviors can be attributed to different variations in lattice softening and electronic density of states around the Fermi level upon pressuring. Our central findings enrich the understanding of different mechanisms of band inversions and topologicalization and offer platforms for achieving the coexistence of superconductivity and nontrivial band topology based on two-dimensional systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel soft magnetic powder core (SMPC) was successfully prepared by severally coating four kinds of organic binders on the surface of FeSiCrC micrometer powder. The effects of different organic binders with the same content on the micromorphology and soft magnetic properties of SMPC were studied in this experiment. The results show that the adhesive adhesion on the surface of FeSiCrC powder can effectively fill the air gap between FeSiCrC powder, which is conducive to the forming and compaction of magnetic powder core during the pressing process. The addition of organic binder can greatly improve the comprehensive soft magnetic properties of magnetic powder core. When 2-wt% silicone resin is added, its magnetic powder core has excellent magnetic properties, such as its low core loss (Pcv: 10 mT, 1000 kHz, 103.8 mW/cm3), high quality factor (Q: 625 at the peak), and high saturation magnetization. The different binders FeSiCrC magnetic powder cores prepared in this work are expected to be widely used in power applications and electronic products. It provides a new idea for the coating of magnetic powder core with organic binders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional topological insulators hosting the quantum spin Hall effect have application potential in dissipationless electronics. To observe the quantum spin Hall effect at elevated temperatures, a wide band gap is indispensable to efficiently suppress bulk conduction. Yet, most candidate materials exhibit narrow or even negative band gaps. Here, via elegant control of van der Waals epitaxy, we have successfully grown monolayer ZrTe5 on a bilayer graphene/SiC substrate. The epitaxial ZrTe5 monolayer crystalizes in two allotrope isomers with different intralayer alignments of ZrTe3 prisms. Our scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy characterization unveils an intrinsic full band gap as large as 254 meV and one-dimensional edge states localized along the periphery of the ZrTe5 monolayer. First-principles calculations further confirm that the large band gap originates from strong spin−orbit coupling, and the edge states are topologically nontrivial. These findings thus provide a highly desirable material platform for the exploration of the high-temperature quantum spin Hall effect.Quantum spin Hall materials hold great potential for future nanoelectronics. Here, authors synthesize a potential host system — monolayer ZrTe5 — and demonstrate it possesses a band gap wide enough for potential room-temperature applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realization of higher-order multistates with mutual interstate switching in ferroelectric materials is a perpetual drive for high-density storage devices and beyond-Moore technologies. Here we demonstrate experimentally that antiferroelectric van der Waals CuInP2S6 films can be controllably stabilized into double, quadruple, and sextuple polarization states, and a system harboring polarization order of six is also reversibly tunable into order of four or two. Furthermore, for a given polarization order, mutual interstate switching can be achieved via moderate electric field modulation. First-principles studies of CuInP2S6 multilayers help to reveal that the double, quadruple, and sextuple states are attributable to the existence of respective single, double, and triple ferroelectric domains with antiferroelectric interdomain coupling and Cu ion migration. These findings offer appealing platforms for developing multistate ferroelectric devices, while the underlining mechanism is transformative to other non-volatile material systems. Materials with higher-order multistates are desired for non-Boolean high-density storage. Here the authors realized sextuple intrinsic polarization states in vdW CuInP2S6, and reversible transformation among sextuple-, quadruple-, and double-polarization orders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diurnal freeze–thaw process occurs in the Lianghekou area in winter, which will affect the construction progress and quality of the project. In this paper, the compressibility of clay experiencing the freeze–thaw (F-T) cycles under different impacting factors was investigated. A series of unidirectional F-T tests were carried out in a closed system, and the compressibility tests were carried out for the same specimens underwent F-T cycles to study the compressibility along the specimen height. The experimental results demonstrate that the initial moisture content of specimens, the cooling temperature, and the number of F-T cycles affect the compressibility of specimens. As the cooling temperature decreases, the initial moisture content or the number of F-T cycles increases, the compressive strain of the affected zone of specimens increases under the same vertical pressure, while the confined compressive modulus decreases. The variation of the compressibility for the unaffected zone is different from that for the affected zone. For the same impacting factor, the compressive strain of the affected zone is greater than that of the unaffected zone, while the confined compressive modulus of the former is less than that of the latter. The change of compressibility is mainly affected by the characteristics of cryostructure and moisture migration of the specimen after F-T. This research may provide some guidance for the engineering construction process in winter in the seasonally frozen ground region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent diagnosed cancer in men and second most prevalent cancer in women. H3K27ac alterations are more commonly than gene mutations in colorectal cancer. Most colorectal cancer genes have significant H3K27ac changes, which leads to an over-expression disorder in gene transcription. Over-expression of STEAP3 is involved in a variety of tumors, participating in the regulation of cancer cell proliferation and migration. The purpose of this work is to investigate the role of STEAP3 in the regulation of histone modification (H3K27ac) expression in colon cancer. Bioinformatic ChIP-seq, ChIP-qPCR and ATAC-seq were used to analyze the histone modification properties and gene accessibility of STEAP3. Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to evaluate relative protein and gene expression, respectively. CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to knockout STEAP3 on colon cancer cells to analyze the effect of ATF3 on STEAP3. STEAP3 was over-expressed in colon cancer and associated with higher metastases and more invasive and worse stage of colon cancer. ChIP-seq and ChIP-qPCR analyses revealed significant enrichment of H3K27ac in the STEAP3 gene. In addition, knocking down STEAP3 significantly inhibits colon cancer cell proliferation and migration and down-regulates H3K27ac expression. ChIP-seq found that ATF3 is enriched in the STEAP3 gene and CRISPR/Cas9 technology used for the deletion of the ATF3 binding site suppresses the expression of STEAP3. Over-expression of STEAP3 promotes colon cancer cell proliferation and migration. Mechanical studies have indicated that H3K27ac and ATF3 are significantly enriched in the STEAP3 gene and regulate the over-expression of STEAP3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blue phosphorene (BlueP), a theoretically proposed phosphorous allotrope with buckled honeycomb lattice, has attracted considerable interest due to its intriguing properties. Introducing chirality into BlueP can further enrich its physical and chemical properties, expanding its potential for applications. However, the synthesis of chiral BlueP remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate the growth of large-area BlueP films on Cu(111), with lateral size limited by the wafer dimensions. Importantly, we discovered that the BlueP is characterized by an ultraflat honeycomb lattice, rather than the prevailing buckled structure, and develops highly ordered spatial chirality plausibly resulting from the rotational stacking with the substrate and interface strain release, as further confirmed by the geometric phase analysis. Moreover, spectroscopic measurements reveal its intrinsic metallic nature and different characteristic quantum oscillations in the image-potential states, which can be exploited for a range of potential applications including polarization optics, spintronics, and chiral catalysis.Blue phosphorene (BlueP) is a 2D phosphorus allotrope predicted to host Dirac fermions and other interesting electronic properties. Here, the authors report the growth of large-area BlueP films with ordered chiral nanostructures on Cu(111) substrates, expanding the range of its potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution and final closure of the Neo-Tethys Ocean are one of the most important geological events that have occurred on Earth since the Mesozoic. However, the evolution of the Neo-Tethys is not well constrained, in particular whether its opening occurred in the Permian or the Triassic and whether a plume was involved with its opening or not. In this study, we present geochronological and geochemical data for mafic igneous rocks in mélanges along the Yarlung Zangbo suture zone (YZSZ) in southern Tibet to constrain the timing and mechanism of opening the Neo-Tethys Ocean. Based on field observations, the YZSZ mélanges can be divided into three segments. The western (west of Zhongba) and eastern (Sangsang-Renbu) segments are composed of ocean plate stratigraphy representing accretionary complexes that formed during subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere beneath the southern margin of the Asian continent. Mélanges in the central segment (Zhongba-eastern Saga) typically have a siliciclastic matrix, and represent Tethyan Himalayan strata that were structurally mixed with the southern margin of the Asian continent. Based on our and previously published geochemical data, the mafic rocks in the YZSZ mélanges are ocean island basalt (OIB)-like, with ages in the Late Permian-Middle Triassic, the Middle-Late Jurassic, and the Early Cretaceous, respectively. An OIB-like block with an age of ca. 253 Ma is identified from the Zhongba mélanges in the western segment, and it is the oldest OIB lithology yet identified in the YZSZ mélanges related to the evolution of the Neo-Tethys Ocean. Geochemical features indicate that this OIB-like block is distinct from typical OIBs and would be formed during continental rifting to incipient seafloor spreading. In the framework of plate divergent-convergent coupling systems and based on literature data for early Middle Triassic seamounts, radiolarian cherts, and normal mid-ocean ridge basalt-like oceanic crust, we conclude that opening of the Yarlung Zangbo Neo-Tethys Ocean would mainly occur at ~250–243 Ma in the Early Triassic, not later than the early phase of Middle Triassic. In addition, a mantle plume was not involved in opening the Yarlung Zangbo Neo-Tethys Ocean. On the other hand, we have also identified a suite of ca. 160 Ma OIB-like basaltic sills from the Bainang mélanges in the eastern segment, which is the same age as the OIB lithologies previously reported in the Zhongba mélanges. Based on the sill-like occurrence and absence of plume-related rock associations in this region, the Bainang OIB-like rocks might result from Middle-Late Jurassic continental rifting in northern Gondwana. Magmatism related to this tectonic event is preserved in both the YZSZ mélanges and Himalayan strata, but its tectonic significance requires further investigation. Based on this study of the YZSZ mélanges and the previous studies of YZSZ ophiolites, Gangdese belt igneous rocks, and sedimentary rocks, we have reconstructed the entire Wilson Cycle of the Yarlung Zangbo Neo-Tethys Ocean, mainly involving continental rifting and ocean opening, subduction initiation, ultraslow-spreading ridge-trench conversion, subduction re-initiation, and oceanic closure and initial India-Asia collision for the tectonic emplacement of ophiolites. These processes were associated not only with magmatic flare-ups and lulls in the Gangdese belt but also with two stages of ophiolite obduction. Our data therefore provide new insights into the evolution of the Yarlung Zangbo Neo-Tethys Ocean and related Tethyan geodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As a phosphorylated protein, NOLC1 is mainly located in the nucleus and is highly expressed in a variety of tumors, participating in the regulation of cell proliferation and aging. This study further investigated the role of NOLC1 in colorectal cancer tumors, aiming to provide sufficient scientific evidence for the clinical treatment of colorectal cancer. Methods: We used TCGA, GEO, TNMplot, GEPIA, and other databases to explore the expression level of NOLC1 in colorectal cancer patients, as well as the correlation between the clinical characteristics of colorectal cancer patients and their expression, and conducted the prognostic analysis. Immunohistofluorescence (IHF) staining verified the analytical results. Subsequently, KEGG and GO enrichment analysis was used to identify the potential molecular mechanism of NOLC1 promoting the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer. The influence of NOLC1 expression on the immune microenvironment of colorectal cancer patients was further investigated using the TIMER database. GDSC database analysis was used to screen out possible anti-colorectal cancer drugs against NOLC1. Finally, we demonstrated the effect of NOLC1 on the activity and migration of colorectal cancer cells by Edu Cell proliferation assay and Wound Healing assay in vitro. Results: Our results suggest that NOLC1 is overexpressed in colorectal cancer, and that overexpression of NOLC1 is associated with relevant clinical features. NOLC1, as an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients, can lead to a poor prognosis of colorectal cancer. In addition, NOLC1 may be associated with MCM10, HELLS, NOC3L, and other genes through participating in Wnt signaling pathways and jointly regulate the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer under the influence of the tumor microenvironment and many other influencing factors. Related to NOLC1: Selumetinib, Imatinib, and targeted drugs such as Lapatinib have potential value in the clinical application of colorectal cancer. NOLC1 enhances the proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer cells. Conclusions: High expression of NOLC1 as an independent prognostic factor for survival in patients with colorectal cancer. NOLC1 enhances the proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer cells. Further studies and clinical trials are needed to confirm the role of NOLC1 in the development and progression of colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of available information in location-based social networks (LBSNs) has led to information overload, making it urgent to discover users' next point-of-interest (POI). Some existing works only consider certain modal information in LBSNs and do not transform them into high-dimensional structures, which hinders the alleviation of the data sparsity problem. Moreover, many approaches rely solely on social relationships, making it difficult to recommend POIs to new users without association information. To tackle these challenges, we propose a social- and spatial–temporal-aware next point-of-Interest (SSTP) recommendation model. SSTP uses two feature encoders based on self-attention mechanism and gate recurrent unit to model users' check-in enhancement sequence hierarchically. We also design a random neighborhood sampling approach to mine user social relationships, thus alleviating the user cold start problem. Finally, we propose a geographical-aware graph attention network to learn the sensitivity of users to distance. Extensive experiments on two real-world datasets show that SSTP outperforms state-of-the-art models, improving Hit@k by 2.26–6.55 % and MAP@k by 3.49–6.55 % . Moreover, SSTP has better performance on sparse data, with an average improvement of 6.09 % on the Hit@k. The code can be downloaded at https://github.com/Rih0/sstp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capacitive deionization is a promising desalination technique to tackle with freshwater scarcity, due to its facile, energy-efficient and eco-friendly operation. Carbon materials are primary electrode materials in capacitive deionization devices; however, their practical applications are limited by the low salt adsorption capacity and poor cycling stability. Here, we report a pre-oxidized strategy to significantly improve the salt adsorption capacity and cycling lifespan of carbon clothes. By the simple pre-oxidation treatment, it creates abundant ultramicropores and a superhydrophilic surface, which lead to a high salt adsorption capacity (31.5 mg g−1 and 13 mg cm−3) in 0.01 M NaCl aqueous solution. Moreover, the surface of each carbon fiber is oxidized, combined with a high mechanical strength, resulting in a stable surface during the cycling process. The retention rate is 74% even after 5000 adsorption/desorption cycles in diluted seawater. This work provides a new avenue to the design of high-performance, low-cost, and durable electrodes for capacitive deionization applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cracking characterization of lithological layered coal disk under tensile stress is important for hydraulic fracturing in coal seam gas recovery. With digital image correlation and acoustic emission techniques, the cracking and fracture pattern of layered coal disk in Brazilian test were investigated considering different anisotropy angle between axial load and stratification plane and loading rate. The results show that both tensile and shear cracks developed in coal disk, and the crack initiation deviated from the center for most coal samples, closely related to stratification orientation, but irrespective of loading rate. The anisotropy angle in a range of 0°–45° favors the shear slip along stratification, leading to shear stick slip in both pre- and post-peak stages. However, the tensile cracks dominate in the early loading stage and then shear cracks start to be significant after the tensile cracks intersect with stratification plane. The stress state changed when the tensile cracks intersect with stratification plane, making crack deviate from the original propagation path. In addition, the tensile strength is related to the anisotropy angle. The maximum tensile strength occurs when the anisotropy angle α = 0° and the minimum tensile strength appears when the anisotropy angle α = 30°. Highlights: The anisotropy angle affects the tensile strength and failure patterns. Layer plane redirects the crack, altering pure tensile failure in Brazilian disk. Tensile cracks dominate in the early loading stage. Shear cracks appeared after the tensile cracks coalesce with weak plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiogenomics, focusing on the relationship between genomics and imaging phenotypes, has been widely applied to address tumour heterogeneity and predict immune responsiveness and progression. It is an inevitable consequence of current trends in precision medicine, as radiogenomics costs less than traditional genetic sequencing and provides access to whole-tumour information rather than limited biopsy specimens. By providing voxel-by-voxel genetic information, radiogenomics can allow tailored therapy targeting a complete, heterogeneous tumour or set of tumours. In addition to quantifying lesion characteristics, radiogenomics can also be used to distinguish benign from malignant entities, as well as patient characteristics, to better stratify patients according to disease risk, thereby enabling more precise imaging and screening. Here, we have characterised the radiogenomic application in precision medicine using a multi-omic approach. we outline the main applications of radiogenomics in diagnosis, treatment planning and evaluations in the field of oncology with the aim of developing quantitative and personalised medicine. Finally, we discuss the challenges in the field of radiogenomics and the scope and clinical applicability of these methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the unrestricted movement of humans over a wide area, it is important to understand how individuals move between non-adjacent locations in space. In this research, we introduce a nonlocal diffusion introduce for dengue, which is driven by integral operators. First, we use the semigroup theory and continuously Fréchet differentiable to demonstrate the existence, uniqueness, positivity and boundedness of the solution. Next, the global stability and uniform persistence of the system are proved by analyzing the eigenvalue problem of the nonlocal diffusion term. To achieve this, the Lyapunov function is derived and the comparison principle is applied. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to validate the results of the theorem, and it is revealed that controlling the disease's spread can be achieved by implementing measures to reduce the transmission of the virus through infected humans and mosquitoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer morbidity and mortality. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been widely reported to be implicated in cancer metastasis. This study aims to investigate the effect of circSP5 (has_circ_0057010) on liver metastasis of CRC. Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis was performed to detect gene expression. The level of proteins was measured by western blot. The migration and invasion of CRC cells were assessed by wound healing assay and transwell assay. In vivo assays were performed after the construction of the CRC xenograft model and CRC model with liver metastasis. Mechanism analyses were performed via RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA pulldown, luciferase reporter, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), and DNA pulldown assays. We found that circSP5 is significantly overexpressed in CRC with liver metastasis and its depletion suppresses the progression of CRC with liver metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, circSP5 enhances the expression of Sp5 transcription factor (SP5) via competitively sponging microRNA (miR)-1249-3p and could regulate BMP and activin membrane-bound inhibitor (BAMBI) via transcriptional activation. CircSP5 promotes the migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of CRC cells via BAMBI. In sum, circSP5 promotes liver metastasis of CRC by up-regulating SP5-mediated BAMBI transcription. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anomaly Detection in multivariate time series (MTS) plays an important role in many real-world Web services such as the Web traffic monitoring system. With abundant MTS data, exploiting the relationships among different variables, i.e., inter-variable relationships, is crucial for detecting anomalies. Recent studies have made substantial efforts to promote relationship learning from graph neural network. However, existing methods mostly neglect the distinctive characteristics of inter-variable relationships under different contexts, i.e., dynamics of inter-variable relationships. Therefore, we propose a "Hierarchical Attention Networks for Context Anomaly Detection" (HAN-CAD) model to fully exploit the inter-variable relationships and their dynamics. More concretely, we model each time series segment (context sequence) as a graph, where variables in the sequence are nodes and edges denote correlation patterns among variables. Then, the first graph attention layer is built on this graph to obtain the variable representation, which captures the relationships among different variables. Thereafter, the second attention layer outputs the sequence representation by integrating inter-variable relationships within the current context sequence. Finally, anomalies can be detected based on the reconstruction model, i.e., AutoEncoder. Extensive experiments on real-world datasets demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively detect anomalies in MTS and outperforms recent state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Although relevant for precision pharmacovigilance, there are conflicting data on whether former preterm birth is associated with QTc-Bazett prolongation in later life. Methods: To explore QTc-Bazett interval differences between former preterm and/or extremely low birth weight (ELBW) cases and term-born controls in adolescence and young adulthood, we analyzed pooled individual data after a structured search on published cohorts. To test the absence of a QTc-Bazett difference, a non-inferiority approach was applied (one-sided, upper limit of the 95% confidence interval [CI] mean QTc-Bazett difference, 5 and 10 ms). We also investigated the impact of characteristics, either perinatal or at assessment, on QTc-Bazett in the full dataset (cases and controls). Data were reported as median and range. Results: The pooled dataset contained 164 former preterm and/or ELBW (cases) and 140 controls born full-term from three studies. The median QTc-Bazett intervals were 409 (335–490) and 410 (318–480) ms in cases and controls. The mean QTc-Bazett difference was 1 ms, with an upper 95% CI of 6 ms (p > 0.05 and p < 0.01 for 5 and 10 ms, respectively). In the full dataset, females had a significantly longer QTc-Bazett than males (415 vs. 401 ms; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: QTc-Bazett intervals are not significantly different between former preterm and/or ELBW cases and term-born controls, and we rejected a potential prolongation > 10 ms in cases. When prescribing QTc-prolonging drugs, pharmacovigilance practices in this subpopulation should be similar to the general public (NCT05243537). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memristors with analog resistive switching could memorize and deal with information at the same time, similar to how biological synapses function by regulating the connection between two adjacent neurons. In this work, the memristor with ITO/amylum/Pt structure was prepared using amylum film as active layer. An electronic synaptic device is described. The current–voltage characteristics of the device under voltage pulse signal show typical behavior of artificial synaptic device. ITO/amylum/Pt devices have stable and reliable electrical characteristics at scanning bias. ITO/amylum/Pt memristor could well mimic the function and synaptic plasticity of biological synapses, such as amplitude-dependent plasticity, excitatory postsynaptic current, paired pulse facilitation, and learning, forgetting, and relearning processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online consumer product reviews have been the primary source for manufacturers and consumers to obtain consumer knowledge and product information. However, the explosion of product reviews has dramatically increased the difficulty of information extraction and selection. This paper proposes a novel feature ranking algorithm based on the Dempster-Shafer evidence theory to identify and extract the important features from online product reviews. Specifically, the study first extracts product feature and sentiment pairs, and build the bipartite weighted network based on those pairs. Then, we rank those important features by considering the impact of their feature frequency distribution and network location information. Finally, the empirical evaluation using two realistic consumer reviews datasets, the performance of our algorithm has an increment of 10–40% than TF-IDF, TextRank, and HITS benchmark in the feature identification and extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional magnets have been discovered recently as a new class of quantum matter exhibiting a broad wealth of exotic phenomena, including notably various topological excitations rooted in emergent exchange couplings between the localized magnetic moments. By analyzing the anisotropies in the single-ion magnetization and two-body exchange couplings obtained from first-principles calculations, we reveal coexistence of both giant Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction and strong anisotropic XXZ-type biquadratic coupling in a recently predicted monolayer CrMnI6 magnet. The former is induced by the spontaneous in-plane inversion symmetry breaking in the bipartite system, the latter is inherently tied to the distinct high-spin state of the Mn sublattice, while the large magnitudes of both stem from the significant spin-orbit coupling. Next, we use atomistic magnetics simulations to demonstrate the vital role of Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction in harboring topological bimeronic excitations, and show that the biquadratic coupling favors a Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless-like transition as the system reduces its temperature from the paramagnetic phase. These findings substantially enrich our understanding of the microscopic couplings in 2D magnets, with appealing application potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Microbial imbalances have been well elucidated in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), but few studies address the oral microbiota in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In view of the fact, we aimed to explore the associations of oral microbiota with these patients suffering from ESCC. Methods: In our study, a total of 109 individuals were enrolled (control = 53, ESCC = 56). We profiled the microbiota in oral swabs from individuals with control (ConT) and ESCC (ESCCT). 16S rRNA gene sequencing was applied to analyze the microbiome. The α and β diversity differences were tested by Tukey Test and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) respectively. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis was performed to assess taxonomic differences between the two groups. Results: Our results showed that the microbial richness and diversity was a slightly higher in ESCCT groups than that in ConT groups. Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, Actinobacteria and Patescibacteria were the six dominant bacteria of oral flora in the two groups. When compared with control group, increased Fusobacterioa at phylum level, Neisseriaceae at family level and Leptotrichia at genus level were detected. LEfSe analysis indicated a greater abundance of Leptotrichiaceae, Leptotrichia, Fusobacteriales, Fusobacteria and Fusobacteriota in ESCC groups. Conclusion: Our study suggests a potential association between oral microbiome dysbiosis and ESCC and provides insights on a potential screening marker for esophageal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CO2 phase state changes during the long-term interaction with coal seams. A proper understanding of the influence of different CO2 phase states in water-bearing coal seams is of great significance in evaluating the leakage risk during CO2 sequestration. The evolution of fluid flow pathways in water-bearing coal subjected to the treatment of different CO2 phase states was investigated by using X-ray computed tomography (CT) technology, fractal dimension, and three-dimensional (3D) pore-scale flow modeling. The results show that the supercritical CO2 (ScCO2) treatment reduced the coal heterogeneity by 12.69% and increased the absolute permeability by 58.75%. Conversely, only 0.71% of coal heterogeneity reduction occurred after subcritical CO2 (SubCO2) treatment, increasing the absolute permeability by 24.91%. The reduction in the tortuosity fractal dimension after ScCO2 treatment was 2.69% larger than that of SubCO2 treatment, indicating that ScCO2 treatment was more favorable for improving the transport capacity of flow pathways. The pressure field distributions in the pore network model (PNM) were determined by coal heterogeneity and influenced by the number of flow pathways. The effect of ScCO2 treatment on the size, quantity, and location of preferential flow pathways in coal is more significant than that of SubCO2 treatment. Moreover, the proportion of preferential flow pathways in ScCO2-treated coal was less than 50%, much lower than that of the throats in PNMs. In contrast, the proportion of preferential flow pathways in SubCO2-treated coal was approximately 30% higher than that in ScCO2-treated coal. The distribution of preferential flow pathways also indicated that not all pores with larger radii participated in preferential flow. Furthermore, more than 50% of the pathways in the ScCO2-treated coal did not contribute to fluid flow, and could affect the stability of the coal seam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental factors, such as drinking water and diets, play an important role in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study aimed to investigate the associations of metal elements and disinfectants in drinking water with the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and to assess whether diet influences these associations. We conducted a prospective cohort study including 22,824 participants free from IBD from the Yinzhou cohort study in the 2016–2022 period with an average follow-up of 5.24 years. The metal and disinfectant concentrations were measured in local pipeline terminal tap water samples. Cox regression models adjusted for multi-level covariates were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). During an average follow-up period of 5.24 years, 46 cases of IBD were identified. For every 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in the concentration of manganese, mercury, selenium, sulfur tetraoxide (SO4), chlorine, and nitrate nitrogen (NO3_N) were associated with a higher risk of IBD with the HRs of 1.45 (95% CI: 1.14 to 1.84), 1.51 (95% CI: 1.24–1.82), 1.29 (95% CI: 1.03–1.61), 1.52 (95% CI: 1.26–1.83), 1.26 (95% CI: 1.18–1.34), and 1.66 (95% CI: 1.32–2.09), whereas zinc and fluorine were inversely associated with IBD with the HRs of 0.42 (95% CI: 0.24 to 0.73) and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.54–0.84), respectively. Stronger associations were observed in females, higher income groups, low education groups, former drinkers, and participants who never drink tea. Diets have a moderating effect on the associations of metal and nonmetal elements with the risk of IBD. We found significant associations between exposure to metals and disinfectants and IBD. Diets regulated the associations to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microblog sentiment analysis has important applications in many fields, such as social media analysis and online product reviews. However, the traditional methods may be challenging to compute the long dependencies between them and easy to lose some semantic information due to low standardization of text and emojis in microblogs. In this paper, we propose a novel deep memory network with structural self-attention, storing long-term contextual information and extracting richer text and emojis information from microblogs, which aims to improve the performance of sentiment analysis. Specifically, the model first utilizes a bidirectional long short-term memory network to extract the semantic information in the microblogs, and considers the extraction results as the memory component of the deep memory network, storing the long dependencies and free of syntactic parser, sentiment lexicon and feature engineering. Then, we consider multi-step structural self-attention operations as the generalization and output components. Furthermore, this study also employs a penalty mechanism to the loss function to promote the diversity across different hops of attention in the model. This study conducted extensive comprehensive experiments with eight baseline methods on real datasets. Results show that our model outperforms those state-of-the-art models, which validates the effectiveness of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past fifteen years, tremendous efforts have been devoted to realizing topological superconductivity in realistic materials and systems, predominately propelled by their promising application potentials in fault-tolerant quantum information processing. In this article, we attempt to give an overview on some of the main developments in this field, focusing in particular on two-dimensional crystalline superconductors that possess either intrinsic p-wave pairing or nontrivial band topology. We first classify the three different conceptual schemes to achieve topological superconductor (TSC), enabled by real-space superconducting proximity effect, reciprocal-space superconducting proximity effect, and intrinsic TSC. Whereas the first scheme has so far been most extensively explored, the subtle difference between the other two remains to be fully substantiated. We then move on to candidate intrinsic or p-wave superconductors, including Sr2RuO4,UTe2,Pb3Bi, and graphene-based systems. For TSC systems that rely on proximity effects, the emphases are mainly on the coexistence of superconductivity and nontrivial band topology, as exemplified by transition metal dichalcogenides, cobalt pnictides, and stanene, all in monolayer or few-layer regime. The review completes with discussions on the three dominant tuning schemes of strain, gating, and ferroelectricity in acquiring one or both essential ingredients of the TSC, and optimizations of such tuning capabilities may prove to be decisive in our drive towards braiding of Majorana zero modes and demonstration of topological qubits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental protection is regarded as an important component of contemporary governmental affairs, thus partly determining people's attitude towards the performance of the authorities. The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of Internet use on the trust cost of environmental risk to government. By employing the Chinese Social Survey in 2017, this study estimates a mediating effect model to investigate the relationship between Internet use, environmental risk perception, and people's trust in government. The results reveal that Internet use has a significant and positive impact on individuals' environmental risk perception, which would further indirectly lead to a decline in their trust in government. In addition, this study suggests the effect of Internet use on the political cost of environmental risk varies depending on people's purpose of using the Internet and their attitudes toward online information. The findings address several environmental governance issues in the digital era, e.g., the effect of Internet technology on environmental risk management and people's attitudes toward the performance of the environmental protection sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the two-phase fluid flow structure transition, the two-phase fluid flow through rough rock fractures with different flow velocities, fracture surface wettability and fracture roughness was modeled with the level set method, and an advanced method for identifying the flow structure of two-phase fluids was proposed. Multiple flow structures of two-phase fluids were observed with the change of flow velocity and wall wettability, but only mist flow and long-bubble flow were observed in hydrophobic fracture. Increasing fracture contact angle gradually destabilized the flow structure of two-phase fluids, but such influence on flow structure stability weakened rapidly with the increase in fracture aperture. The fracture roughness plays a hindering role in the formation of continual gas flow channel. With the increase in fracture roughness, the proportion of annular flow decreased, making the proportion of bubble flow increase significantly. A flow structure identification method by comparing the two-phase fluid Reynolds number with the flow structure conversion boundary was proposed. To further improve the generalizability of the flow structure prediction method, the Hurst coefficient was introduced to evaluate the fracture surface roughness. Further exemplifying study shows that the inverse of the Hurst coefficient shows a linear relationship with the critical Reynolds number of the boundary equation for bubble flow. The proposed two-phase flow pattern identification template by introducing Hurst coefficient enables the prediction of the two-phase fluid flow pattern in rock fractures of different roughness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-crystalline lead halide perovskite nanowires are emerging as promising one-dimensional blocks for nanoscience and nanotechnology, and extensive studies of nano-lasers and nano-photodetectors have been reported. However, as perfect confined structures, their optical waveguide performances have not been widely paid attention to up to now. Here, we report on the such issue on single-crystalline CsPbBr3 nanowires and quantify it by near-field optical response mappings. The waveguide is verified as total internal reflection mode at the visible band (532 nm), and its far-field end-facet coupling efficiency of 89.6% and propagation loss as low as 5.9 dB/mm are measured from the nanowire with cross-sectional geometry of ∼600 nm × 300 nm. No evident bending loss exists in naturally curved nanowires, while it usually emerges in artificial-bended ones due to the wrinkled surfaces. Naturally welded nanowire networks show significant advantages in integrated waveguides over the artificial assembled ones, due to the coupled photons at the space-confined end-facet segments. Roughened surface reasoned by lattice degradation is detrimental to propagation loss, but it provides leaked channels for waveguide coupling on nanowire surface. This work studies the optical waveguide performance of perovskite nanowires with different geometries and goes a step further for integrated nanophotonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astrocyte activation is key in neurodegenerative diseases. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exhibits neuroprotective effects on astrocytes, although the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Here, we explored the effects of H2S on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced astrocyte activation and astrocyte-mediated neuroinflammation. After inducing primary astrocytes via LPS exposure, H2S levels were altered. The generation and secretion of inflammatory mediators by astrocytes and their interrelation with P-glycoprotein (P-gp), an important transporter belonging to the ABC transporter family, were assessed. Activated astrocytes showed upregulated glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) mRNA expression, and significantly increased proinflammatory factor mRNA/protein expression and release. The secretory capacity of astrocytes was reduced, with significantly decreased proinflammatory factor levels in culture supernatant after P-gp inhibitor verapamil pretreatment. The increase in the intracellular H2S level inhibited LPS-induced GFAP expression and P65 nuclear entry in astrocytes. mRNA expression and release of proinflammatory factors were reduced significantly, with no significant changes in cytoplasmic protein expression. S-sulfhydration levels increased significantly with the increased concentration of sodium hydrosulfide or S-adenosyl-l-methionine addition, with only moderate changes in astrocyte P-gp expression. H2S regulates NF-κB activation, leads to S-sulfhydration of P-gp, and inhibits the biosynthesis and secretion of proinflammatory factors by astrocytes. The regulatory effects of H2S on astrocytes may have clinical value for exploring new therapeutic strategies against neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the aim to exhibit the advantages of catalytic accelerator in enhancing the selective hydrolysis of cellulose to sugar, cellulose is hydrolyzed in low acid aqueous system with catalytic accelerator. And then sugar products are extracted and fermented by yeast. By the assistance of catalytic accelerator, cellulose conversion rate and total reducing sugar yield are 95.7% and 90.9%. And the glucose yield is as high as 73.6%. The sugar products with high glucose content can be easily extracted from cellulose hydrolysate. Low toxicity of the sugar products to yeast is found during yeast fermentation. The glucose in cellulose hydrolysate can be fully consumed after 12 h. A highly actual ethanol yield is exhibited, which is equal to the actual yield level of standard glucose solution. The important role of catalytic accelerator in aqueous hydrolytic system to produce fermentable sugar is clearly reflected. Furthermore, a simple but effective way is established to efficient utilization of cellulose as an applicable carbon source for the conversion of more value-added chemicals and materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: A triple functional additive with a trace amount (1 mM) was proposed to protect Zn anodes. The additive lowers the hydrogen evolution reaction potential, encourages the formation of an in situ solid electrolyte interphase and shields the "tip effect" Dendrite free Zn deposition and highly reversible Zn plating/stripping behaviors were realized by the triple protections Although their cost-effectiveness and intrinsic safety, aqueous zinc-ion batteries suffer from notorious side reactions including hydrogen evolution reaction, Zn corrosion and passivation, and Zn dendrite formation on the anode. Despite numerous strategies to alleviate these side reactions have been demonstrated, they can only provide limited performance improvement from a single aspect. Herein, a triple-functional additive with trace amounts, ammonium hydroxide, was demonstrated to comprehensively protect zinc anodes. The results show that the shift of electrolyte pH from 4.1 to 5.2 lowers the HER potential and encourages the in situ formation of a uniform ZHS-based solid electrolyte interphase on Zn anodes. Moreover, cationic NH4+ can preferentially adsorb on the Zn anode surface to shield the "tip effect" and homogenize the electric field. Benefitting from this comprehensive protection, dendrite-free Zn deposition and highly reversible Zn plating/stripping behaviors were realized. Besides, improved electrochemical performances can also be achieved in Zn//MnO2 full cells by taking the advantages of this triple-functional additive. This work provides a new strategy for stabilizing Zn anodes from a comprehensive perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refractory high/medium entropy nitrides (HENs/MENs) exhibit comprehensive application prospects as protective films on mechanical parts, particularly those subjected to sliding contacts at elevated temperatures. In this study, a new MEN system TiNbWN, forming a single fcc solution, is designed and its wear performance at temperatures ranging from 25 to 750 °C is explored. The wear mechanisms can be rationalized by examining the subsurface microstructural evolutions using the transmission electron microscopy as well as calculating the phase diagrams and interfacial adhesion behavior employing calculation of phase diagram (CALPHAD) and density functional theory (DFT). To be specific, increased wear losses occur in a temperature range of 25–600 °C, being predominantly caused by the thermally-induced hardness degradation; whereas at the ultimate temperature (750 °C), the wear loss is refrained due to the formation of nanocrystalline oxides (WnO3n−2, TiO2, and γTiOx), as synergistically revealed by microscopy and CALPHAD, which not only enhance the mechanical properties of the pristine nitride film, but also act as solid lubricants, reducing the interfacial adhesion. Thus, our work delineates the role of the in situ formed nanocrystalline oxides in the wear mechanism transition of TiNbWN thin films, which could shed light on the high-temperature wear behavior of refractory HEN/MEN films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]