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Al matrix composites (AMCs) are innovative materials prepared by introducing various reinforcements into Al alloys using suitable processes. Traditional particle‐reinforced AMCs usually have high strength but poor interfacial bonding, resulting in low plasticity. Researchers are attempting to solve this problem by identifying more proper reinforcing particles. High‐entropy alloys (HEAs) with excellent mechanical properties including high strength, ductility, and wear resistance are becoming attractive candidates for the reinforcement of Al alloys. The HEAs‐reinforced AMCs (HEAs@AMCs) combine the lightweight property of Al alloys and superior mechanical properties of HEAs. In this article, a comprehensive overview is provided on the HEAs@AMCs, starting with an introduction to the properties of HEAs, followed by the design principle of HEAs for the metal matrix composites. After that, the preparation, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the HEAs@AMCs are examined. In addition, the effects of HEAs on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the HEAs@AMCs are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phthalate esters (PAEs) raised serious concerns on their health risk due to their toxicities. However, toxicities of low‐molecular‐weight PAEs, for example, dimethyl phthalates (DMPs), remained poorly investigated. In the present study, the reproductive toxicities of dimethyl (o‐)phthalate (DMOP), dimethyl (p‐)phthalate (DMPP), and dimethyl (m‐)phthalate (DMMP) were measured on Caenorhabditis elegans with mechanical exploration. Results showed that DMPP, DMOP, and DMMP commonly inhibited the total reproduction while stimulated lifespan, showing trade‐off effects. In effects on gene expressions, DMPP, DMOP, and DMMP caused different regulations on the expressions of vab‐1, ceh‐18, and gsa‐1 which are involved in oocyte growth, ovulation, and maturation. Meanwhile, they commonly downregulated those of rme‐2 and rcy‐4 that regulate germ cells and gonads and lipid metabolism in oocytes. Moreover, the effects on biochemicals that regulate reproductive processes showed alteration between stimulation and inhibition over life stages. In addition, effects at apical, biochemical, and molecular levels clearly showed the structure influences on the toxicities. Summing up, reproductive toxicities of DMPs depended on the exposure life stages and also the chemical structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of 2‐alkynylanilines with phenyliodonium bis(trifluoroacetate) (PIFA) and diaryl ditellurides was found to conveniently afford the corresponding 3‐aryltelluroindoles via oxidative cyclization/tellurolation. A plausible mechanism involving the in situ formation of the reactive ArTeOCOCF3 from the reaction of PIFA and diaryl ditellurides, and the subsequent oxidative C−N/C−Te bond formations was postulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of 18F‐FDG PET/CT for pathological response after neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy (NICT) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: The clinical data of 54 patients with ESCC who underwent two cycles of NICT followed by surgery were retrospectively analyzed. NICT consisted of PD‐1 blockade therapy combined with chemotherapy. 18F‐FDG PET/CT scans were performed before and after NICT. The pathological results after surgery were used to assess the degree of pathological response. The scan parameters of 18F‐FDG PET/CT and their changes before and after NICT were compared with the pathological response. Results: Among the 54 patients, 10 (18.5%) achieved complete pathological response (pCR) and 21 (38.9%) achieved major pathological response (MPR). The post‐NICT scan parameters and their changes were significantly associated with the pathological response. In addition, the values of the changes in the scanned parameters before and after treatment can further predict the pathological response of the patient. Conclusion: 18F‐FDG PET/CT is a useful tool to evaluate the efficacy of NICT and predict pathological response in patients with ESCC. The post‐NICT scan parameters and their changes can help identify patients who are likely to achieve pCR or MPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regarding the difficulties in the assessment of innovation and entrepreneurship teaching capability currently like biased qualitative assessment and less nonlinear quantitative assessment and insufficient assessment efficiency, an assessment model of innovation and entrepreneurship education targeted at local University students on the foundation of the Back Propagation (BP) neural network is designed. First, the contents of the questionnaire are carefully designed, on whose basis the assessment index system is built. Then, a BP neural network model is utilized for the purpose of comprehensively evaluating the collected data. Lastly, we carry out a demonstration study on innovation and entrepreneurship education, whose results reveal the students' professional knowledge and skills, participation in national competitions, and centralized entrepreneurship training camp play a key role and have a profound effect on innovation and entrepreneurship capability. The evaluation system is able to effectively assess the actual effects of innovation and entrepreneurship education, direct teachers' instructional activity, as well as motivate students to learn and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonaceous materials are considered strong candidates as anode materials for sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs), which are expected to play an indispensable role in the carbon‐neutral era. Herein, novel braided porous carbon fibres (BPCFs) are prepared using the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method. The BPCFs possess interwoven porous structures and abundant vacancies. The growth mechanism of the BPCFs can be attributed to the polycrystalline transformation of the nanoporous copper catalyst in the early stage of CVD process. Density functional theory calculations suggest that the Na+ adsorption energies of the mono‐vacancy edges of the BPCFs (−1.22 and −1.09 eV) are lower than that of an ideal graphene layer (−0.68 eV), clarifying in detail the adsorption‐dominated sodium storage mechanism. Hence, the BPCFs as an anode material present an outstanding discharge capacity of 401 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 after 500 cycles. Remarkably, this BPCFs anode, under high‐mass‐loading of 5 mg cm−2, shows excellent long‐term cycling ability with a reversible capacity of 201 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1 over 1000 cycles. This study provided a novel strategy for the development of high‐performance carbonaceous materials for SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report described that a series of 4‐chalcogenylated isoxazoles were readily synthesized from the one‐pot reaction of alkynone Z‐O‐methyloximes with (dichloroiodo)benzene (PhICl2) and diorganyl disulfides/diselenides under metal‐free conditions. The reaction process was enabled by the electrophilic organosulfenyl chloride (RSCl) or selenenyl chloride (RSeCl) species, which were generated in situ from the reaction of PhICl2 and diorganyl disulfides/diselenides. The striking feature of the approach is the in‐situ formation of the electrophilic RSCl or RSeCl species, thus markedly decreasing the total usage of electrophiles when compared with the existing methods. This method exhibited a good functional groups tolerance for both alkynone Z‐O‐methyloximes and diorganyl disulfides/diselenides and the reaction could proceed at room temperature under ambient atmosphere within a short time to afford a series of functionalized isoxazoles in moderate to excellent yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]