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Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging is an important tool for mapping tissue microstructure and structural connectivity non‐invasively in the in vivo human brain. Numerous diffusion signal models are proposed to quantify microstructural properties. Nonetheless, accurate estimation of model parameters is computationally expensive and impeded by image noise. Supervised deep learning‐based estimation approaches exhibit efficiency and superior performance but require additional training data and may be not generalizable. A new DIffusion Model OptimizatioN framework using physics‐informed and self‐supervised Deep learning entitled "DIMOND" is proposed to address this problem. DIMOND employs a neural network to map input image data to model parameters and optimizes the network by minimizing the difference between the input acquired data and synthetic data generated via the diffusion model parametrized by network outputs. DIMOND produces accurate diffusion tensor imaging results and is generalizable across subjects and datasets. Moreover, DIMOND outperforms conventional methods for fitting sophisticated microstructural models including the kurtosis and NODDI model. Importantly, DIMOND reduces NODDI model fitting time from hours to minutes, or seconds by leveraging transfer learning. In summary, the self‐supervised manner, high efficacy, and efficiency of DIMOND increase the practical feasibility and adoption of microstructure and connectivity mapping in clinical and neuroscientific applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interplay between bacteria and their host influences the homeostasis of the human immune microenvironment, and this reciprocal interaction also affects the process of tissue damage repair. A variety of immunomodulatory commensal bacteria reside in the body, capable of delivering membrane vesicles (MVs) to host cells to regulate the local immune microenvironment. This research revealed, for the initial time, the significant enhancement of mucosal and cutaneous wound healing by MVs secreted by the human commensal Lactobacillus reuteri (RMVs) through modulation of the inflammatory environment in wound tissue. Local administration of RMVs reduces the proportion of pro‐inflammatory macrophages in inflamed tissues and mitigates the level of local inflammation, thereby facilitating the healing of oral mucosa and cutaneous wounds. The elevated oxidative stress levels in activated pro‐inflammatory macrophages can be modulated by RMVs, resulting in phenotypic transformation of macrophages. Furthermore, 3‐hydroxypropionaldehyde present in RMVs can decrease the mitochondrial permeability of macrophages and stabilize the mitochondrial membrane potential, thereby promoting the conversion of macrophages to an anti‐inflammatory phenotype. This study pioneers the significance of commensal bacterial MVs in tissue injury repair and presents a novel concept for the repair of tissue damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the COVID‐19 pandemic, rhinovirus (RV) remained notable persistence, maintaining its presence while other seasonal respiratory viruses were largely suppressed by pandemic restrictions during national lockdowns. This research explores the epidemiological dynamics of RV infections among pediatric populations on Hainan Island, China, specifically focusing on the impact before and after the zero‐COVID policy was lifted. From January 2021 to December 2023, 19 680 samples were collected from pediatric patients hospitalized with acute lower respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) at the Hainan Maternal and Child Health Hospital. The infection of RV was detected by tNGS. RV species and subtypes were identified in 32 RV‐positive samples representing diverse time points by analyzing the VP4/VP2 partial regions. Among the 19 680 pediatric inpatients with ARTIs analyzed, 21.55% were found to be positive for RV infection, with notable peaks observed in April 2021 and November 2022. A gradual annual decline in RV infections was observed, alongside a seasonal pattern of higher prevalence during the colder months. The highest proportion of RV infections was observed in the 0–1‐year age group. Phylogenetic analysis on 32 samples indicated a trend from RV‐A to RV‐C in 2022. This observation suggests potential evolving dynamics within the RV species although further studies are needed due to the limited sample size. The research emphasizes the necessity for ongoing surveillance and targeted management, particularly for populations highly susceptible to severe illnesses caused by RV infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Advances in regeneration methods have brought us improved vascular scaffolds with small diameters (φ < 6 mm) for enhancing biological suitability that solve their propensity for causing intimal hyperplasia post‐transplantation. Methods: The correlation between the rehydration ratio of the hydrogel and its material concentration is obtained by adjusting the material ratio of the hydrogel solution. The vascular model with helical structure has been established and analyzed to verify the effect of helical microvascular structure on thrombosis formation by the fluid simulation methods. Then, the helical structure vascular has been fabricated by self‐developed 3D bioprinter, the vascular scaffolds are freeze‐dried and rehydrated in polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution. Results: The experimental results showed that the hybrid hydrogel had a qualified rehydration ratio when the content of gelatin, sodium alginate, and glycerol was 5, 6, and 3 wt%. The established flow channel model can effectively reduce thrombus deposition and improve long‐term patency ratio. After PEG solution modification, the contact angle of the inner wall of the vascular scaffold was less than 30°, showing better hydrophilic characteristics. Conclusion: In study, a small‐diameter inner wall vascular scaffold with better long‐term patency was successfully designed and prepared by wrinkling and PEG modification of the inner wall of the vascular scaffold. This study not only creates small‐diameter vascular scaffolds with helical structure that improves the surface hydrophilicity to reduce the risk of thrombosis but also rekindles confidence in the regeneration of small caliber vascular structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curcuma longa, best known for its culinary application as the main constituent of curry powder, has shown potential impact on the reproductive system. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of Curcuma longa extract (CLE) on Kidney‐Yang deficiency mice induced by hydrocortisone and the possible roles in testosterone secretion in Leydig cells. We evaluated male sexual behaviour, reproductive organ weight, testosterone levels, and histological tissue changes in hydrocortisone‐induced mice. CLE effectively reversed hydrocortisone‐induced Kidney‐Yang deficiency syndrome by improving sexual behaviour, testis and epididymis weight, testosterone levels and reducing pathological damage. Our in vitro study further indicated that CLE stimulated testosterone production via upregulating the mRNA and protein expression of steroidogenic enzymes in Leydig cells. It significantly improved H89‐inhibited protein expression of StAR and cAMP‐response element‐binding (CREB), as well as melatonin‐suppressed StAR protein expression. The data obtained from this study suggest that CLE could alleviate Kidney‐Yang deficiency symptoms and stimulate testosterone production by upregulating the steroidogenic pathway. This research identifies CLE as a potential nutraceutical option for addressing testosterone deficiency diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the deterioration of underground coal quality, hundreds of millions of tons of coal slime in China need to be treated using flotation methods every year. However, the design and selection of coal slurry flotation collectors lack theoretical guidance. In this paper, the quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) model between the molecular structure descriptors of collectors and the flotation recovery and selectivity index is established by using pure kaolinite/clean coal flotation experiments and molecular simulation techniques. Flotation results showed that the flotation recovery rate of kaolinite by collectors with larger head group size, such as DDMAC, DDP, and DTAC, is higher than that of the other collectors with smaller head group size. DDA, DDP, and DD have similar flotation capabilities for clean coal, and their selectivity was slightly better than others. The QSAR model between the molecular structure descriptor and the selectivity index was successfully constructed by combining flotation experiments and molecular simulation results. The reliability of this model has been proven through theoretical analysis and flotation experiments. The molecular simulation results indicate that all eight collectors can advertise on 001 (−) surface of kaolinite, but the final advertisement configuration is different. DDA has less coverage on the surface of kaolinite. When the collector is DDA, the concentration of water molecules near the 001 (−) surface of kaolinite is the highest, indicating that the collector DDA has the weakest effect on improving the hydrophobicity of the 001 (−) surface of kaolinite. DDMAC and DDBAC have the best facilitation to the surface hydrophobicity of kaolinite 001 (−). The research results have theoretical guidance significance for the selection and design of mineral flotation collectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) offers a novel therapeutic avenue for heart failure patients, particularly those unresponsive to cardiac resynchronization therapy within specific QRS duration ranges. This review elucidates CCM's mechanistic underpinnings, its impact on myocardial function, and utility across patient demographics. However, CCM is limited by insufficient data on mortality and hospitalization rate reductions, as well as the need for specialized device implantation skills. While prevailing research has concentrated on left ventricular effects, a knowledge gap persists for other patient subsets. Future inquiries should address combinatory treatment strategies, extended usage and the impact of atrial fibrillation on device implantation. Such expanded studies could refine therapeutic outcomes and widen the scope of beneficiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a class of metal‐organic framework, the zeolitic‐imidazole framework‐67 is constructed from bridging cobalt ions and 2‐methylimidazole. The high content of abundant active cobalt species, uniform structure, ultrahigh porosity, and large surface area show the potential for multiple catalytic applications, especially electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The design and synthetic strategies of catalyst‐based ZIF‐67 that approach the maximized catalytic performance are still challenging in further development. Herein, the current progress strategy on the structural design, synthetic route, and functionalization of electrocatalysts based on ZIF‐67 to boost the catalytic performance of OER is reviewed. Besides, the structurally designed catalyst from various fabricated strategies corresponding to enhancing catalytic activity is discussed. The emphasized review for understanding design and synthetic structure with catalytic performance could guide researchers in further developing catalyst‐based ZIF‐67 for improving the efficient electrocatalytic OER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to longitudinally investigate the correlation between choroidal morphologic and vascular parameters and postoperative visual outcome in different stages of idiopathic epiretinal membranes (iERMs). Methods: A prospective, observational, institutional case series of 102 consecutive patients diagnosed with unilateral iERMs were recruited at Peking University Third Hospital and were followed up for 12 months after surgical treatment with vitrectomy. Participants were classified into four stages according to current staging scheme. All eligible subjects underwent standardized imaging evaluation of choroidal parameters including subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), choroidal vascularity index (CVI), and choroidal capillary perfusion (CCP) at baseline and each follow‐up by enhanced depth optical coherence tomography (EDI‐OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA). Longitudinal follow‐up of choroidal parameters over 12 months was analysed, and their correlations with best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were also assessed for predictive prognostic value. Results: CVI and CCP were significantly correlated with BCVA at each follow‐up examination (all p < 0.05). However, SFCT exhibited no variation among different stages of iERMs at baseline (p = 0.981) or during follow‐up (p = 0.520). The preoperative CVI correlated with 12‐month postoperative BCVA (p < 0.001) and its predictive prognostic effect on BCVA was validated in multiple regression analysis (p = 0.006). Conclusion: CVI varied among different stages of iERM and was significantly correlated with visual outcomes after the surgery. CVI could serve as a predictive prognostic marker in iERMs, which further indicates the underlying choroid should be taken into consideration in clinical evaluation of iERMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consumption of fossil fuels has contributed to global warming and other problems. It is urgent to exploit progressive, low‐cost, and environmentally friendly energy storage devices with super high energy density. Rechargeable lithium oxygen batteries (LOBs) with a high theoretical energy density (≈11400 Wh kg−1) are one of the most promising chemical power supplies. MXenes have recently emerged in energy storage and conversion due to their superior conductivity and adjustable structural properties. Here, this paper summarizes the latest research progress in MXene‐based materials in the cathode, anode, separator and electrolyte of LOBs and emphasizes the significance of high conductivity and surface functionalization strategies in the theoretical design and experimental modulation, which promote electrode reaction kinetics and increase the cyclability of LOBs. It also summarizes the prospects and challenges of MXene‐based LOBs and proposes novel strategies to promote battery performance, inspiring the future progress of MXene‐based materials in designing high‐performance LOBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk of bias (RoB) assessments are a core element of evidence synthesis but can be time consuming and subjective. We aimed to develop a decision rule‐based algorithm for RoB assessment of seroprevalence studies. We developed the SeroTracker‐RoB algorithm. The algorithm derives seven objective and two subjective critical appraisal items from the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence studies and implements decision rules that determine study risk of bias based on the items. Decision rules were validated using the SeroTracker seroprevalence study database, which included non‐algorithmic RoB judgments from two reviewers. We quantified efficiency as the mean difference in time for the algorithmic and non‐algorithmic assessments of 80 randomly selected articles, coverage as the proportion of studies where the decision rules yielded an assessment, and reliability using intraclass correlations comparing algorithmic and non‐algorithmic assessments for 2070 articles. A set of decision rules with 61 branches was developed using responses to the nine critical appraisal items. The algorithmic approach was faster than non‐algorithmic assessment (mean reduction 2.32 min [SD 1.09] per article), classified 100% (n = 2070) of studies, and had good reliability compared to non‐algorithmic assessment (ICC 0.77, 95% CI 0.74–0.80). We built the SeroTracker‐RoB Excel Tool, which embeds this algorithm for use by other researchers. The SeroTracker‐RoB decision‐rule based algorithm was faster than non‐algorithmic assessment with complete coverage and good reliability. This algorithm enabled rapid, transparent, and reproducible RoB evaluations of seroprevalence studies and may support evidence synthesis efforts during future disease outbreaks. This decision rule‐based approach could be applied to other types of prevalence studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Internalizing and externalizing problems are the most prevalent health problems among adolescents. However, few studies have examined co‐occurring internalizing and externalizing problems from a longitudinal perspective. Methods: A total of 1051 seventh‐grade students from two junior high schools were recruited at baseline. Among them, 932 valid participants were reassessed 1 year and 2 years later. Data were analyzed using parallel‐process latent class growth analysis and multinominal logistic regression. Results: Four joint trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems were identified. Compared with the low‐risk group, adolescents in the moderate and chronic co‐occurring group had lower resilience, higher levels of insecure attachment, family conflicts, and academic pressure. Adolescents in the pure internalizing group had higher levels of family conflicts and academic pressure compared with the low‐risk group. Conclusions: Co‐occurrence of symptoms is very high in adolescents. More individualized intervention programs should be provided to these specific groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A meta‐analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of stem cells treatment in managing burn wounds. A systematic literature search up to March 2022 incorporated 24 studies reported between 2013 and 2021 including 400 animals with burn wounds at the beginning of the study; 211 were using stem cells treatment, and 189 controlled. Statistical tools like the contentious method were used within a random or fixed‐influence model to establish the mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the influence of stem cells treatment in managing burn wounds. Stem cells treatment had a significantly higher burn wound healing rate (MD, 15.18; 95% CI, 11.29‐19.07, P <.001), higher blood vessel number (MD, 12.28; 95% CI, 10.06‐14.51, P <.001), higher vascular endothelial growth factor (MD, 10.24; 95% CI, 7.19‐13.29, P <.001), lower interleukin‐1 level (MD, −98.48; 95% CI, −155.33 to −41.63, P <.001), and lower tumour necrosis factor α level (MD, −28.71; 95% CI, −46.65 to −10.76, P <.002) compared with control in animals' models with burn wounds. Stem cells treatment had a significantly higher burn wound healing rate, higher blood vessel number, higher vascular endothelial growth factor, lower interleukin‐1 level, and lower tumour necrosis factor α level compared with control in animals' models with burn wounds. Further studies are required to validate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To develop an automated image recognition software for the objective quantification of choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and choroidal thickness (CT) at different choroidal locations on images obtained from enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI‐OCT), and to validate its reliability and investigate the difference and correlation between measurements made by manual and software. Methods: A total of 390 EDI‐OCT scans, captured from 130 eligible emmetropic or myopic subjects, were categorized into four grades in terms of their accessibility to identify the choroidal‐scleral interface (CSI) and were further assessed for CT and CVI at five locations (subfoveal, nasal, temporal, superior and inferior) by the newly developed Choroidal Vascularity Index Software (CVIS) and three ophthalmologists. Choroidal parameters acquired from CVIS were evaluated for its reliability and correlation with ocular factors, in comparison to manual measurements. Distribution of difference and correlation coefficient between CVIS and manual measurements were also analysed. Results: Choroidal Vascularity Index Software (CVIS) demonstrated excellent intra‐session reliability for CT (ICC: 0.992) and CVI (ICC: 0.978) measurements, compared to the relatively lower intra‐ and inter‐observer reliability of manual measurements. Choroidal Vascularity Index Software (CVIS) and manual assessments had the highest correlation at nasal choroid (CT: r = 0.829, p < 0.001; CVI: r = 0.665, p < 0.001). Choroidal parameters identified with CVIS showed stronger correlations with axial length than manual measurements. Conclusion: This automated software, CVIS, exhibited excellent reliability compared to manual measurements, which are subject to image quality and clinical experience. With its validated clinical relevance, CVIS holds promise to serve as a flexible and robust tool in future vitreoretinal and chorioretinal studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Periodontitis is caused by the imbalance of anti-bacteria immune response and excessive inflammation whereas macrophages play an important role in inflammation. Thus, it is critical for finding efficient anti-inflammatory strategies to alleviate periodontal inflammation and prevent bone destruction. Apoptosis of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exerts immune silencing effects, however, using these effects to develop anti-inflammatory strategies remains unknown. In our study, we extracted apoptotic extracellular vesicles (ApoEVs) from bone marrow MSCs (BMMSCs) and found ApoEVs inhibited macrophages polarizing into proinflammatory condition via AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB pathway. Besides that, we also found ApoEVs inhibited adjacent osteoclast formation by suppressing the secretion of TNF-α of proinflammatory macrophages.Methods: BMMSCs derived ApoEVs were extracted by gradient centrifugation. Protein expression level and secreted cytokines of ApoEVs treated macrophages were examined by western blot and ELISA, respectively. Besides, the change of NF-κB pathway and related molecules were examined by immunofluorescence and western blot. The osteoclast formation under the different conditioned mediums from macrophages was measured by TRAP staining, MMP-9 expression, and pit assay.Results: ApoEVs were extracted from staurosporine-induced apoptotic BMMSCs and were in sphere shapes whose diameters are between 100 and 1000 nm. ApoEVs could be phagocyted by macrophages and in turn reduce the expression of COX2 in proinflammatory macrophages. Besides that, ApoEVs suppressed the secretions of TNF-α and IL-6 while elevating the secretion of IL-10 in a dose-dependent manner. Further studies revealed that ApoEVs inhibited macrophages polarizing into proinflammatory phenotypes via AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB pathway. In addition, ApoEVs inhibited osteoclasts differentiation and bone resorption measured by TRAP staining, MMP-9 expression, and pit resorption area by downregulating the secretion of TNF-α of proinflammatory macrophages.Conclusions: The results suggest that ApoEVs inhibited macrophages to skew into proinflammatory phenotypes via AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB pathway and suppress adjacent osteoclasts formation by reducing the secretion of TNF-α. Our findings shed a light on the treatment for periodontitis based on EVs therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three‐band tunable polarization‐insensitive metamaterial absorber is proposed in this paper. The unit cell of the absorber is composed of a dielectric substrate, a metal patch, and four varactor diodes welded on the top layer. A simple metal via bias network is designed to facilitate the absorption frequency tuning of the absorber. The simulation results show that when there is no bias voltage (0 V), the proposed absorber has three absorption peaks of 88%, 99.5%, and 99.8% under normal incidence at 7.27, 10.93, and 15.84 GHz, respectively. Furthermore, by adjusting the reverse bias voltage (0–19 V) of the varactor, the first absorption peak of the absorber can be tuned from 7.27 to 8.2 GHz and the second absorption peak tuned from 10.93 to 11.4 GHz. Meanwhile, the tuning range for the third absorption peak is 15.84–16.1 GHz. Furthermore, the three‐band absorption and frequency tunable characteristics of the absorber are confirmed by experimental tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key to understand relationships between structure and activity is help for rational designing high active catalytic films. In this research, a new bi‐cyclometallic ferrocene imine Pd(II)/Cu(II) catalytic monolayer supported on graphene oxide (GO@Fcl−Pd/Cu) was fabricated, which exhibited a higher activity (TOF=1.48×106 h−1) in Suzuki coupling reaction. Enhanced higher activity was related to the in situ formed Pd/ Cu2O (CuO) active centre on the surface during catalysis. Fe in ferrocene had the redox ability for making Pd0 more stability, meaning that Fe3+ was electron withdraw or donor during catalytic process, which could tune the electronic properties of the Pd and Cu in one complex and improve their electronic transferring to boost the activity. CuO/Cu2O could make Pd0 more negative and stability. Ensemble synergistic effect, including the metals, metal oxide, ligand and GO could be described as that the electron transferred from GO via ferrocene to Pd or via Cu(II) to Pd made more negative, improving the oxidative addition. Meanwhile, aryl boronic acid adsorbed on the vicinal Cu(II), Cu2O and CuO around Pd0 synergetic reaction easily with the Pd intermediate to form next intermediate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation plays a crucial role in triggering regeneration, while inadequate or chronic inflammation hinders the regenerative process, resulting in refractory wounds. Inspired by the ideal regeneration mode in lower vertebrates and the human oral mucosa, realigning dysregulated inflammation to a heightened and acute response provides a promising option for refractory wound therapy. Neutrophils play important roles in inflammation initiation and resolution. Here, a hybrid biomaterial is used to stimulate transiently heightened inflammatory responses by precise tempospatial regulation of neutrophil recruitment and apoptosis. The hybrid biomaterial (Gel@fMLP/SiO2‐FasL) is constructed by loading of formyl‐met‐leu‐phe (fMLP) and FasL‐conjugated silica nanoparticles (SiO2‐FasL) into a pH‐responsive hydrogel matrix. This composition enables burst release of fMLP to rapidly recruit neutrophils for heightened inflammation initiation. After neutrophils act to produce acids, the pH‐responsive hydrogel degrades to expose SiO2‐FasL, which induces activated neutrophils apoptosis via FasL‐Fas signaling triggering timely inflammation resolution. Apoptotic neutrophils are subsequently cleared by macrophages, and this efferocytosis activates key signalings to promote macrophage anti‐inflammatory phenotypic transformation to drive regeneration. Ultimately, Gel@fMLP/SiO2‐FasL successfully promotes tissue regeneration by manipulating inflammation in critical‐sized calvarial bone defects and diabetic cutaneous wound models. This work provides a new strategy for refractory wound therapy via inducing transiently heightened inflammatory responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present work, acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene graft copolymer (ABS) with dual roles of macromolecular β nucleating agent and organic rigid particles was introduced into isotactic polypropylene (iPP) via melt blending, and the iPP/ABS blend samples were further annealed at moderate temperature (120–140°C) for 3 h. The corresponding microstructural evolution of pure iPP and ABS‐toughened iPP upon annealing was analyzed with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in detail. The results showed that the introduction of ABS and further annealing treatment have synergistic toughening effect on iPP. For the iPP with the addition of 4 wt% ABS, the impact strength is increased by 77%. After annealing at 130°C for 3 h, the impact strength of iPP alone is 72% higher than that of its unannealed counterpart, while this value is increased remarkably by 258% for the iPP/ABS blend. The remarkably elevated impact toughness of iPP blended with ABS upon annealing could be ascribed to favorable heterogeneous nucleation effect of ABS, promoted mobility of chain segments in the amorphous region of iPP, and enhanced interfacial interaction between the iPP and ABS upon annealing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partial tin replacement of lead is expected to be an effective means to fine‐tune the bandgap of Sn–Pb alloyed lead‐halide perovskite to harvest near‐infrared light and thus further increase the efficiency of solar cells based on it, in particular for use as a bottom component cell in the tandem cell design to break through the theoretical Shockley–Queisser (S–Q) limit of the single‐junction solar cells. However, the efficiency of Sn–Pb alloyed perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is still lower than expected owing to the easy oxidation of Sn2+. Herein, a reducing agent 4‐hydrazinobenzoic acid is developed as an additive to suppress the oxidation of Sn2+ and, meanwhile, passivate surface defects. It is found that the optoelectronic performance of Sn–Pb alloyed perovskites is improved as evidenced by the mitigated trap state density and suppressed nonradiative recombination. As a result, the Sn–Pb alloyed PSC efficiency is increased to 21.09%, one of the highest for cells with this bandgap. It is expected that this method is applicable for general Sn–Pb‐based perovskite optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, it is still challenging for the blind image quality assessment (BIQA) to accurately predict quality scores of distorted images, since distorted images have rich content information and complex distortions. To solve these problems, a content perception and distortion inference network for BIQA is proposed, which divides IQA task into content perception and distortion inference processes. Since humans try to understand image content before perceiving quality scores, a content feature extractor is designed to explore content information in an image to deal with the content variation problem. To handle the distortion diversity problem, a distortion feature extractor is proposed to capture distortion features in images. Because extracted content features and distortion ones have different characteristics, attention‐based fusion blocks to fuse multi‐scale content features and distortion ones as guidance to selectively enhance important features based on calculated weight scores are proposed. With fused features, a quality prediction module is designed to regress multi‐scale features to quality scores. Experiments are performed on six public IQA datasets, including LIVE, CSIQ, TID2013, LIVEC, KonIQ‐10k, and SPAQ. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively predict quality scores for both synthetically and authentically distorted images than its peers, including the state‐of‐the‐art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many biomedical problems, data are often heterogeneous, with samples spanning multiple patient subgroups, where different subgroups may have different disease subtypes, stages, or other medical contexts. These subgroups may be related, but they are also expected to have differences with respect to the underlying biology. The heterogeneous data presents a precious opportunity to explore the heterogeneities and commonalities between related subgroups. Unfortunately, effective statistical analysis methods are still lacking. Recently, several novel methods based on integrative analysis have been proposed to tackle this challenging problem. Despite promising results, the existing studies are still limited by ignoring data contamination and making strict assumptions of linear effects of covariates on response. As such, we develop a robust nonparametric integrative analysis approach to identify heterogeneity and commonality, as well as select important covariates and estimate covariate effects. Possible data contamination is accommodated by adopting the Cauchy loss function, and a nonparametric model is built to accommodate nonlinear effects. The proposed approach is based on a sparse boosting technique. The advantages of the proposed approach are demonstrated in extensive simulations. The analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas data on glioblastoma multiforme and lung adenocarcinoma shows that the proposed approach makes biologically meaningful findings with satisfactory prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and planning of railway alignments is the dominant task in railway construction. However, it is difficult to achieve self‐learning and learning from human experience with manual as well as automated design methods. Also, many existing approaches require predefined numbers of horizontal points of intersection or vertical points of intersection as input. To address these issues, this study employs deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to optimize mountainous railway alignments with the goal of minimizing construction costs. First, in the DRL model, the state of the railway alignment optimization environment is determined, and the action and reward function of the optimization agent are defined along with the corresponding alignment constraints. Second, we integrate a recent DRL algorithm called the deep deterministic policy gradient with optional human experience to obtain the final optimized railway alignment, and the influence of human experience is demonstrated through a sensitivity analysis. Finally, this methodology is applied to a real‐world case study in a mountainous region, and the results verify that the DRL approach used here can automatically explore and optimize the railway alignment, decreasing the construction cost by 17.65% and 7.98%, compared with the manual alignment and with the results of a method based on the distance transform, respectively, while satisfying various alignment constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wideband multilayer filter with frequency tunable characteristics is proposed using active frequency selective surface (AFSS). The proposed AFSS includes three metal layers, while the top and bottom metal layers are embedded with varactors. The metal layers are separated by dielectric layers. By simultaneously adjusting the bias voltage loaded on both ends of the varactor diode, the working bandwidth of the AFSS can be continuously tuned. The operating mechanism is studied using an equivalent circuit, which is composed of an LC series resonance circuit and a parallel resonance circuit. The simulation results prove that the proposed AFSS performs wideband filtering in the frequency range of 3.55 to 4.43 GHz without a bias voltage. With a bias voltage of −19 V, the AFSS working passband is tuned to 4.43 to 5.53 GHz. Simulation and experimental results show that the AFSS has wideband filtering characteristics and good tunable performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, polythiophene (P3HT) has become a kind of typical conjugated polymer material which is suitable to use on a large scale. However, it is difficult to obtain long P3HT fibers with a highly ordered arrangement due to the entanglement of molecular chains and inherent flexibility. In this work, P3HT fibers were successfully constructed and assembled by an electric‐field‐induced technique, which can be observed directly. The orientation of the P3HT molecules was confirmed by Raman and UV absorption spectra. The excellent anisotropic sliding properties of the surface of the assembled fibers were characterized by the water contact test. This work provides an idea for the preparation of smart sensing materials and lays a foundation for the wider application of P3HT. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, elemental semiconductor Tellurium (Te) has been proven as a novel Weyl semiconductor with nontrivial Weyl fermion nature, indicating wonderful application prospect in future topological optoelectronic devices. Herein, large‐area photodetectors (PDs) of Te/Sb2Se3 and Te/C60/Sb2Se3 heterostructure are fabricated based on a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)‐grown Te film, which is theoretically equivalent to parallel‐connection circuit due to special device architecture. The constructed Te/Sb2Se3 PD exhibits high‐sensitivity and broad spectral detection region from visible (405 nm) to mid‐infrared (4500 nm) wavelengths benefited from efficient synergistic multi‐mechanism including photoconductive and photo‐thermoelectric effects, achieving outstanding performance parameters such as high peak of responsivity (Ri) of 110.8 A W−1, detectivity (D*) of 2.09 × 1013 Jones, and fast rise time about 31 ms at 808 nm, respectively. Furthermore, by depositing C60 between Te and Sb2Se3 as charge‐regulation medium, the novel binary photocurrent signal output phenomenon depending on wavelengths and optical power densities is observed in Te/C60/Sb2Se3 ternary system, for which related mechanism is also investigated combined with spectral absorption characteristics, energy‐band arrangement, and light regulation experiment. This work provides a new pathway to fabricate superior multifunctional Te‐based PD, indicating promising prospects applied to next‐generation broadband optoelectronic devices with light‐controlled logic signal recognition function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Mass‐forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (MF‐iCCAs), involving small bile ducts, bile ductules or canals of Hering, remain treated as a single entity. We aimed to examine the diversity in histology, phenotype and tumour vasculature of MF‐iCCAs. Methods and results: Based on morphology and immunophenotype, we classified MF‐iCCAs into small bile duct (SBD), cholangiolocarcinoma (CLC), ductal plate malformation (DPM) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)‐like subtypes. Genetic correlations among the histological subtypes were examined by multi‐region tumour sequencing. Vasculatures and other clinicopathological features were compared among tumour groups with various proportions of the histological subtypes in 62 MF‐iCCAs. Cases of pure SBD, CLC, DPM and HCC‐like subtypes numbered 18 (29%), seven (11.3%), none (0%) and two (3%), respectively; the remaining 35 (56.4%) cases comprised several components. Genetic alterations, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)1/2, KRAS, TP53, polybromo‐1 (PBRM1) and BRCA1‐associated protein 1 (BAP1), were shared among SBD, CLC, DPM and hepatoid components within a tumour. We uncovered distinct vascularisation mechanisms among SBD, CLC and DPM subtypes with a prominent vessel co‐option in CLC tumours. iCCA with a DPM pattern had the highest vascular densities (mean microvascular density,140/mm2; arterial vessel density, 18.3/mm2). Increased CLC component was correlated with longer overall survival time (r = 0.44, P = 0.006). Pure SBD tumours had a lower 5‐year overall survival rate compared with MF‐iCCA with CLC pattern (30.5 versus 72.4%, P = 0.011). Conclusions: MF‐iCCAs comprise four histological subtypes. Given their sharing some driver gene alterations, indicating they can have a common cell origin, SBD, CLC and DPM subtypes, however, differ in cell differentiation, histology, phenotype or tumour vasculature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Pulp regeneration brings big challenges for clinicians, and vascularization is considered as its determining factor. We previously accomplished pulp regeneration with autologous stem cells from deciduous teeth (SHED) aggregates implantation in teenager patients, however, the underlying mechanism needs to be clarified for regenerating pulp in adults. Serving as an important effector of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), exosomes have been reported to promote angiogenesis and tissue regeneration effectively. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of SHED aggregate‐derived exosomes (SA‐Exo) in the angiogenesis of pulp regeneration. Materials and Methods: We extracted exosomes from SHED aggregates and utilized them in the pulp regeneration animal model. The pro‐angiogenetic effects of SA‐Exo on SHED and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were evaluated. The related mechanisms were further investigated. Results: We firstly found that SA‐Exo significantly improved pulp tissue regeneration and angiogenesis in vivo. Next, we found that SA‐Exo promoted SHED endothelial differentiation and enhanced the angiogenic ability of HUVECs, as indicated by the in vitro tube formation assay. Mechanistically, miR‐26a, which is enriched in SA‐Exo, improved angiogenesis both in SHED and HUVECs via regulating TGF‐β/SMAD2/3 signalling. Conclusions: In summary, these data reveal that SA‐Exo shuttled miR‐26a promotes angiogenesis via TGF‐β/SMAD2/3 signalling contributing to SHED aggregate‐based pulp tissue regeneration. These novel insights into SA‐Exo may facilitate the development of new strategies for pulp regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nylon 5T is one of the bio‐based nylons, its raw material 1,5‐pentanediamine is derived from biomass resources and produced by biological methods. 1,5‐pentanediamine‐terephthalate (PDA‐TPA) is the monomeric salt for nylon 5T polymerization, and its own product quality has a significant impact on the performance of nylon 5T. PDA‐TPA was prepared by anti‐solvent crystallization in this study. It exists in two solid forms, a monohydrate [form (I)] and an anhydrous phase [form (II)]. The transition temperature of the two phases was around 65°C in the given ethanol–water binary (7:1) mixture. The characterization of monohydrate and anhydrate phases regarding structures and stabilities was carefully carried out using powder X‐ray diffraction, single crystal X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, hot‐stage microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The relationship between the molecular interactions of monohydrate and anhydrate phases under different packing architectures and their thermal behaviours was analysed and established. In addition, the relationships between the structures and thermal behaviours for the two solid forms were analysed and established. In addition, the effect of solvent on phase conversion, the relationships between the temperature and water activity, as well as the relative stability of monohydrate and anhydrate phases under different thermodynamic conditions, were investigated by solid–solid transformation and solvent‐mediated transformation experiments. It was obvious that the transition temperature of monohydrate and anhydrate phases of PDA‐TPA was significantly influenced by water activity, and the larger the value of water activity is, the higher is the transition temperature. These studies give insight into the transformation of nylon 5T monomer salt and contribute to the control of target crystal preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although silicon is considered as one of the most promising anode materials in next‐generation lithium‐ion batteries, large volumetric expansion during cycling hampers its practical application. The fabrication of silicon/carbon composites is an effective way to improve electrical conductivity and inhibit electroactive material delaminating from the current collector. Herein, a graphitic carbon‐coated porous silicon nanospheres (p‐SiNSs@C) composite is prepared through a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique by using the magnesiothermic reduction by‐product MgO as a template and catalyst. With the template of in situ generation of MgO, the p‐SiNSs@C material is obtained in a very short time. Due to the graphitic carbon shell and porous structure inside the silicon nanospheres, the obtained p‐SiNSs@C, with 8 min carbon growing time (p‐SiNSs@C‐2), deliver a high initial reversible capacity of 2220 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and respectable rate capability. Furthermore, the p‐SiNSs@C‐2//LiCoO2 Li‐ion full cell displays a high energy density of ≈409 Wh kg−1 and good cycling performance. The high performance of the p‐SiNSs@C‐2 composite can be attributed to the synergistic effect of nanoscale‐sized Si, porous structure, and stable carbon shell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]