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Developing electrode materials for high-performance secondary batteries is one of the most effective approaches to alleviate energy and environmental crises. Nowadays, graphite anodes, which are widely used in commercial lithium-ion batteries, cannot satisfy the ever-growing energy needs of humans owing to their relatively low theoretical capacities and nearly no capacity in sodium-ion batteries. Therefore, developing new anodes with high capacity and energy density is necessary for next-generation large-scale energy systems. Red phosphorus has become an interesting topic in alkali-ion battery research and is expected to be commercially used as anode material in the next generation of secondary batteries owing to their intrinsic properties, such as their high activity, high theoretical specific capacity (2596 mA∙h∙g−1), suitable oxidation–reduction potential, highly abundant earth resources, and low cost of lithium/sodium-ion batteries. However, red phosphorus exhibits poor electrical conductivity and large volume expansion when used as electrode material, resulting in low utilization of active material, serious electrode pulverization, and poor electrode cycling stability, which seriously hindered their commercial application in next-generation rechargeable batteries. Recent studies have shown that the cycle stability and electronic conductivity of red phosphorus can be improved by rational structural design, which promotes the electrochemical performance of red phosphorus anodes. For example, reducing the material size to the nanoscale can effectively shorten the diffusion path, enhancing the ion diffusion rate while alleviating the volume expansion and pulverization of the active substance. Additionally, the size reduction changes the band energy of the red phosphorus, which can transform indirect into direct bandgap semiconductors. Besides, the external characteristics of the active materials affect the performance by reducing the internal stress generated by the phase transformation in charging and discharging cycles. By modifying the morphology and structure of red phosphorus to form porous, layer, hollow, or composite structures, the cyclability and chargeability of batteries could be optimized because the internal stress generated by the volume change of the active material can be effectively released, and the generation probability of cracks or fractures in the electrode is drastically reduced. Therefore, these strategies help alleviate electrode pulverization and promote the commercial application of red phosphorus in lithium/sodium-ion batteries. Herein, we review the recent research progress in controllable synthesis, structural design, and performance optimization mechanisms of red phosphorus-based nanocomposites. Finally, we summarize the challenges in current research on red phosphorus anode materials, propose potential solutions, and provide an outlook on the future development of red phosphorus-based anode materials in the energy storage system.

Increased human disturbances have disturbed the global ecosystem at various scales. A growing need exists for effective techniques that can be used to quantify human disturbances and detect the resulting spatial and temporal variations in ecological status. Remote sensing can be used as an effective means to detect changes in environmental quality. Consequently, this study employed multi-source remote sensing data and principal component analysis (PCA) to create a remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) and a human footprint index used to clarify the human disturbances intensity (HDI). Then, unary linear regression was used to evaluate the change trends of HDI and the RSEI; spatial autocorrelation analysis and correlation analysis were used to reveal the evolution characteristics of environmental quality and its response to human disturbances of the Urban Agglomeration in the Northern Slope of the Tianshan Mountains (UANST) from 2000 to 2020. The results show the following: (1) An RSEI is applicable to both medium- and large-scale regions and can be used to effectively quantify and reveal the environmental quality of the UANST. (2) From 2000 to 2020, the annual average RSEI of UANST was 0.29, with the environmental quality graded as poor for more than 40% of the region. Although high proportions of the UANST were ranked as having poor and fair environmental quality, the overall trend was toward increasing the areas with good and excellent grades. The spatial characteristics of environmental quality showed that the environment was generally better in the central area and poorer in the northern and southern areas. (3) From 2000 to 2020, the HDI in the majority of the UANST was low but showed an increase over time and gradually attenuated from the city center to the edge of each county. (4) A significant positive correlation was found between environmental quality and human disturbances in the cropland area in the central part of the UANST, while a significant negative correlation was found in the surrounding urban areas of cities, in counties or rural residential areas, and some areas of scattered grasslands.

Biologists have discovered a kind of weakly electric fish that identifies its prey by using active electrolocation in virtual darkness. In this study, we built an underwater active electrolocation system platform designed to investigate the biological mechanism allowing these fish to distinguish objects and determine how the amplitude information-frequency characteristic (AIFC) response are affected by the geometric characteristics of target objects in the active electrolocation system. We used a single-frequency sinusoidal signal to scan metal objects in different orientations and observed the amplitude information response variation of the disturbed detection signal. The detection frequency dead zone (DFDZ) and the frequency inflection point (FIP) were used to characterize the variation. In addition, we repeated the experiments after replacing the metal objects with objects of different materials and geometric characteristics to summarize the general laws. Our results showed that the FIP value of the detection signal was lowest when the object was detected in the orientation of its corner and highest when the object was detected in the orientation of its surface. The geometrical characteristics of metal objects in different orientations have a certain influence on the amplitude of the detection signal. Article Highlights: (1) The general law between the shape of metal probed objects, and electric field detection signal was found and summarized. (2) We used a single-frequency sinusoidal signal to scan regular metal probed objects, and it was found that the frequency inflection point (FIP) of the metal probed objects edge was the highest, whereas that of the corner was the lowest. (3) The shape of a metal object can be recognized by scanning regular metal objects with an electric field signal.

Electrochemical polymerization of aniline is one of the most promising methods to prepare polyaniline (PANI) materials. However, during this process, the electrolyte solution must be replaced after electropolymerization of a certain time because of the generation and the accumulation of the by-products, which have significant effects on the morphology, purity and properties of PANI products. Treatment and recycling of the used electrolyte solution are worthwhile to study to reduce the high treatment cost of the used electrolyte solution containing aniline and its polymerization by-products. Here, the composition of the used electrolyte solution was separated and determined by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) in the range of ultraviolet and visible (UV-Vis) light. The analysis results revealed that the used electrolyte solution consisted of aniline, p-hydroquinone (HQ), p-benzoquinone (BQ), co-oligomers of aniline and p-benzoquinone (CAB) and acid. Then, n-octanol and 2-octanone were selected as extracts to remove HQ, BQ and CAB from the used electrolyte solution. Following that, the recycled electrolyte solution was prepared by adjusting the concentration of aniline and acid of the aqueous phase, and the electrochemical polymerization process was conducted. Finally, the obtained PANI was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electrochemical methods. The experimental results clearly demonstrate that the morphology and specific capacitance of PANI produced from the recycled electrolyte solution can be recovered completely. This research paves the way for reusing the used electrolyte solution for aniline electrochemical polymerization.

Rice blast disease is a major threat to rice production worldwide, but the mechanisms underlying rice resistance to the causal agent Magnaporthe oryzae remain elusive. Therefore, we carried out a transcriptome study on rice early defense response to M. oryzae. We found that the transcriptional profiles of rice compatible and incompatible interactions with M. oryzae were mostly similar, with genes regulated more prominently in the incompatible interactions. The functional analysis showed that the genes involved in signaling and secondary metabolism were extensively up-regulated. In particular, WRKY transcription factor genes were significantly enriched among the up-regulated genes. Overexpressing one of these WRKY genes, OsWRKY47, in transgenic rice plants conferred enhanced resistance against rice blast fungus. Our results revealed the sophisticated transcriptional reprogramming of signaling and metabolic pathways during rice early response to M. oryzae and demonstrated the critical roles of WRKY transcription factors in rice blast resistance.

It has been shown that the high expression of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) in most lung cancers is related to the poor prognosis of patients, but the mechanism of pathological transformation of HE4 in lung cancer is still unclear. The current study is expected to clarify the function and mechanism of HE4 in the occurrence and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Immunoblotting evaluated HE4 expression in lung cancer cell lines and biopsies, and through analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. Frequent HE4 overexpression was demonstrated in LUAD, but not in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), indicating that HE4 can serve as a biomarker to distinguish between LUAD and LUSC. HE4 knockdown significantly inhibited cell growth, colony formation, wound healing, and invasion, and blocked the G1-phase of the cell cycle in LUAD cell lines through inactivation of the EGFR signaling downstream including PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RAF/MAPK pathways. The first-line EGFR inhibitor gefitinib and HE4 shRNA had no synergistic inhibitory effect on the growth of lung adenocarcinoma cells, while the third-line EGFR inhibitor osimertinib showed additive anti-proliferative effects. Moreover, we provided evidence that HE4 regulated EGFR expression by transcription regulation and protein interaction in LUAD. Our findings suggest that HE4 positively modulates the EGFR signaling pathway to promote growth and invasiveness in LUAD and highlight that targeting HE4 could be a novel strategy for LUAD treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel and comprehensive model for the analysis of dam deformation trends, integrating the variational mode decomposition (VMD) method, fractal theory, and the whale optimization algorithm (WOA) to re6ne the deep extreme learning machine (DELM) model. This integration allows for a meticulous denoising process through VMD, e7ectively isolating pertinent signal characteristics from noise and measurement interference. Following this, fractal theory is utilized to conduct an in-depth qualitative analysis of the denoised data, capturing intricate patterns within the deformation trends. The model further evolves with the application of WOA to optimize the DELM model, thereby facilitating an integrated approach that merges qualitative insights with quantitative analysis. The efficacy of this advanced model is demonstrated through a case study, highlighting its capability to deliver accurate and reliable predictions that are in harmony with practical engineering scenarios. This research not only o7ers a robust framework for analyzing dam deformation trends but also sets a new standard in the 6eld, providing a new solution for assessing structural integrity in hydrological engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Printed circuit board (PCB) may display diverse surface defects in manufacturing. These defects not only influence aesthetics but can also affect the performance of the PCB and potentially damage the entire board. Thus, achieving efficient and highly accurate detection of PCB surface defects is fundamental for quality control in fabrication. The rapidly advancing deep learning (DL) technology holds promising prospects for providing accurate and efficient detection methods for surface defects on PCB. To facilitate DL model training, it is imperative to compile a comprehensive dataset encompassing diverse surface defect types found on PCB at a significant scale. This work categorized PCB surface defects into 9 distinct categories based on factors such as their causes, locations, and morphologies and developed a dataset of PCB surface defect (DsPCBSD+). In DsPCBSD+, a total of 20,276 defects were annotated manually by bounding boxes on the 10,259 images. This openly accessible dataset is aimed accelerating and promoting further researches and advancements in the field of DL-based detection of PCB surface defect.

Abstract Objective To explore the safety and feasibility of using electrocardiogram (ECG)-guided tip positioning combined with ultrasound-guided placement of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) in patients with severe brain injury in a neurosurgery intensive care unit. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 400 patients who underwent PICC catheterization in a neurosurgery intensive care unit from January 2017 to January 2021. Of those, a group of 157 patients received only ultrasound-guided PICC placement. The second group (243 patients) received ECG-guided tip positioning combined with ultrasound-guided PICC placement. A logistic regression analysis was conducted on gender, arm circumference, and ECG usage based on whether the results were in place. The positioning accuracy, success rate of primary catheterization, incidence of ectopic catheters, average catheterization depth, and incidence of catheterization complications were observed. Results Logistic regression analysis showed that only ECG guidance helps to achieve accurate PICC (OD, 4.541; 95CI, 2.224–9.271; p

BackgroundRecent studies have shown that the gut microbiota (GM), immune cells, and coronary heart disease (CHD) are closely related, but the causal nature of these relationships is largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate this causal relationship and reveal the effect of GM and immune cells on the risk of developing CHD using mediated Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.MethodsFirst, we searched for data related to GM, immune cells, and CHD through published genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We filtered the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with GM and immune cells and then performed the first MR analysis to identify disease-associated intestinal bacteria and disease-associated immune cells. Subsequently, three MR analyses were conducted: from disease-associated GM to disease-associated immune cells, from disease-associated immune cells to CHD, and from disease-associated GM to CHD. Each MR analysis was conducted using inverse variance weighting (IVW), MR-Egger regression, weighted median, weighted models, and simple models.ResultsA total of six GM and 25 immune cells were found to be associated with CHD. In the MR analysis using the inverse variance weighting (IVW) method, g__Desulfovibrio.s__Desulfovibrio_piger was associated with EM DN (CD4–CD8–) %T cells (P < 0.05 and OR > 1), EM DN (CD4–CD8–) %T cells was associated with CHD (P < 0.05 and OR < 1), and g__Desulfovibrio.s__Desulfovibrio_piger was associated with CHD (P < 0.05 and OR < 1).ConclusionAn increase in the abundance of g__Desulfovibrio.s__Desulfovibrio_piger leads to an increase in the amount of EM DN (CD4–CD8–) %T cells, and an increase in the amount of EM DN (CD4–CD8–) %T cells reduces the risk of developing CHD. Our study provides some references for reducing the incidence of CHD by regulating GM and immune cells.

The emergence of high-entropy materials has inspired the exploration of novel materials in diverse technologies. In electrochemical energy storage, high-entropy design has shown advantageous impacts on battery materials such as suppressing undesired short-range order, frustrating energy landscape, decreasing volumetric change and reducing the reliance on critical metals. This comment addresses the definition and potential improper use of the term “high entropy” in the context of battery materials design, highlights the unique properties of high-entropy materials in battery applications, and outlines the remaining challenges in the synthesis, characterization, and computational modeling of high-entropy battery materials.

Benefits from the powerful local modeling capability of deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs), remote-sensing image change detection (CD) has made significant progress. In recent years, the rise of transformers has further driven improvements in global feature extraction for bitemporal remote-sensing images. Some prior efforts have tried to integrate CNN and transformer, but they suffer from the limitation of inefficiently aggregating local features and contextual information. Besides, they struggle to refine change boundaries and exhibit inferior performance in detecting multiscale and subtle changes. To tackle these interrelated problems, we propose a difference-enhanced pyramid pooling dynamic sparse attention network (DPDANet) for CD, which integrates the potential of CNN and pyramid pooling dynamic sparse attention (PDSA) mechanism. Specifically, a pretrained EfficientNetV2-S network is first used to extract multilevel local fine-grained features. Then, a global semantic enhancement network based on well-designed PDSA mechanism is proposed to extract rich global contextual information. The proposed difference enhancement module combines long short-term memory and deformable convolution to emphasize relevant and irrelevant changes, capturing precise boundary details of the changing region. A decoder is then employed for step-by-step upsampling of encoded features, with skip connections between local multiscale features and globally enhanced features. Expensive experiments on four public CD datasets demonstrate that DPDANet outperforms state-of-the-art methods by reducing missed detections and false detections and achieving more accurate boundaries of the changing area.

To promote sustainable hierarchical management, it is essential to understand the complex relationships within and underlying causes of supply–demand changes in water-related ecosystem services (WESs) across different spatial scales and landscape patterns. Consequently, the Optimal Parameters-based Geographical Detector (OPGD) and Multi-Scale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) are used to analyze the factors influencing changes in WESs supply–demand. The findings indicate that (1) at the macroscale, population size, and economic activity are the main driving factors, while at the microscale, precipitation becomes the primary factor influencing fluctuations in WESs supply–demand. (2) Furthermore, over time, the influence of social factors becomes increasingly significant. (3) The explanatory power of a single factor typically increases as it interacts with other factors. (4) Abundant precipitation helps in the generation and maintenance of WESs, but intense human activities may have negative impacts on them. Therefore, we have made significant progress in identifying and analyzing the natural and human-induced driving forces affecting changes in WESs by deeply integrating long-term multi-source remote sensing data with the OPGD and MGWR models.

Abstract Chemical short-range-order has been widely noticed to dictate the electrochemical properties of Li-excess cation-disordered rocksalt oxides, a class of cathode based on earth abundant elements for next-generation high-energy-density batteries. Existence of short-range-order is normally evidenced by a diffused intensity pattern in reciprocal space, however, derivation of local atomic arrangements of short-range-order in real space is hardly possible. Here, by a combination of aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and cluster-expansion Monte Carlo simulations, we reveal the short-range-order is a convolution of three basic types: tetrahedron, octahedron, and cube. We discover that short-range-order directly correlates with Li percolation channels, which correspondingly affects Li transport behavior. We further demonstrate that short-range-order can be effectively manipulated by anion doping or post-synthesis thermal treatment, creating new avenues for tailoring the electrochemical properties. Our results provide fundamental insights for decoding the complex relationship between local chemical ordering and properties of crystalline compounds.

Abstract Na Super Ionic Conductor (NASICON) materials are an important class of solid-state electrolytes owing to their high ionic conductivity and superior chemical and electrochemical stability. In this paper, we combine first-principles calculations, experimental synthesis and testing, and natural language-driven text-mined historical data on NASICON ionic conductivity to achieve clear insights into how chemical composition influences the Na-ion conductivity. These insights, together with a high-throughput first-principles analysis of the compositional space over which NASICONs are expected to be stable, lead to the successful synthesis and electrochemical investigation of several new NASICONs solid-state conductors. Among these, a high ionic conductivity of 1.2 mS cm−1 could be achieved at 25 °C. We find that the ionic conductivity increases with average metal size up to a certain value and that the substitution of PO4 polyanions by SiO4 also enhances the ionic conductivity. While optimal ionic conductivity is found near a Na content of 3 per formula unit, the exact optimum depends on other compositional variables. Surprisingly, the Na content enhances the ionic conductivity mostly through its effect on the activation barrier, rather than through the carrier concentration. These deconvoluted design criteria may provide guidelines for the design of optimized NASICON conductors.

Background: We aimed to investigate the clinical and dosimetric factors associated with radiation-induced rhinosinusitis, and further elucidate the optimal dose-volume constraints for nasopharyngeal cancer patients who underwent volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Methods: A retrospective review of 196 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients who underwent definitive VMAT between August 2018 and May 2021 was conducted. Both clinical and dose-volume histogram (DVH) data of NPC patients without rhinosinusitis at baseline were selected for analysis. Results: The cumulative incidence of post-RT rhinosinusitis at the 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months, and >1 year were 29.6 %, 41.3 %, 42.9 %, and 45.4 %, and 47.4 %, respectively. Nasal irrigation was negatively associated with post-RT rhinosinusitis (p 1.16 % and >1.00 %, respectively (p = 0.027 and p = 0.002). Sphenoid sinusitis was more frequent when Dmax(maxillary sinus) exceeded 69.2Gy (p = 0.005). Conclusions: Regular nasal irrigation may reduce the development of rhinosinusitis. Dose-volume constraints of V70 and Dmax to the maxillary sinus are suggested for VMAT planning. Patients exceeding these thresholds should be closely monitored and potentially offered preventative interventions within 3–6 months post-RT.

Abstract Objectives Due to the heterogeneity of PCa, the clinical indicators used for PCa can't satisfy risk prognostication and personalized treatment. It is imperative to develop novel biomarkers for prognosis prediction and therapy response in PCa. Accumulating evidence shows that non-mutational epigenetic reprogramming, independent from genomic instability and mutation, serves as a newly added hallmark in cancer progression. Methods In this study, we integrated multi-center cohorts (N > 1300) to develop a RNA 5-methylcytosine regulator-based signature, the m5C score. We performed unsupervised clustering and LASSO regression to identify novel m5C-related subtypes and calculate the m5C score. Then we assessed the role of m5C cluster and m5C score in several clinical aspects such as prognosis in various molecular subtypes, responses to chemotherapy, androgen receptor signaling inhibitor (ARSI) therapy and immunotherapy in PCa. Finally, we validated the cancer-promoting performance of ALYREF through clinical data analysis and experiments in vivo and in vitro. Results The investigation revealed that the m5C score could accurately predict the biochemical recurrence (BCR) in different subtypes (the PAM50 subtypes and immunophenotypes) and the responses to chemotherapy, ARSI therapy, and immunotherapy (PD1/PD-L1). A high m5C score indicated a poor BCR prognosis in every subtype of PCa, unfavorable responses in ARSI therapy and immunotherapy (PD1/PD-L1). Moreover, the m5C reader gene termed ALYREF, yielding the highest weighed coefficient, promoted PCa progression through in silico analysis and experimental validations (in vivo and in vitro). Conclusions The m5C signature can function in many aspects of PCa, such as the development and prognosis of the disease, and multiple therapy responses. Further, the m5C reader, ALYREF, was identified as a prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for PCa. The m5C signature could act as a brand-new tool for predicting the prognosis of patients in different molecular subtypes and patients’ therapy responses and promoting customized treatments.

Accurate measurement of the stress in steel structures is crucial for structural health monitoring. To achieve this goal, a novel technique, the laser ultrasonic technique, was used in absolute stress measurement in this study. The feasibility of this technique has been verified through theoretical analysis and finite element (FE) analysis. A stress measurement experiment in steel specimens was conducted and the relationship between ultrasonic relative wave velocity and stress was explored. The results revealed that there is a similar linear correlation between the ultrasonic relative wave velocity and absolute stress. The stress can be obtained based on ultrasonic relative wave velocity. According to the stress measurement results, it was found that the absolute error between the measured stress and theoretical stress was largest when the stress level was low, and that the measured error of stress gradually decreased with increases in the applied stress. The relative error between the measured stress and the theoretical stress was within 10% when the stress was higher than 100 MPa. This further verifies the reliability of the laser ultrasonic technique under high-stress conditions. Additionally, the impact of temperature and surface roughness on stress measurement was analyzed. The stress error in stress measurement increased similarly linearly with the increase in temperature and increased non-linearly with the increase in roughness. The corresponding compensation methods were proposed to effectively improve the accuracy of measurement.

Clarifying the spatiotemporal changes in the supply and demand of water-related ecosystem services (WESs) can provide comprehensive support information for ecological governance decisions. However, the spatial mismatch between the supply and demand of WESs is often overlooked, resulting in a lack of targeted decision-making. At the grid scale, while preserving both natural and social attributes, this study quantitatively analyzed the spatiotemporal changes in the supply and demand of WESs in the Southern River Basin from 2000 to 2020. Ecological zoning was performed based on the temporal changes in WESs supply and demand. The OPGD model was used to investigate the impacts of socio-economic and natural factors on different WESs supply factors and further explore the spatial correlation of WESs supply and demand changes in different zones. The results show that there is significant spatial heterogeneity in the changes in WESs supply and demand. Economic belts and megacities have experienced remarkable changes, with WESs supply decreasing and WESs demand increasing. WESs demand changes significantly affect WESs supply changes. The supply of WESs in all zones is influenced by WESs demand. In the high supply–low demand zone, WY has the highest explanatory power for WESs demand changes. From the high supply–middle demand zone to the low supply–middle demand zone and then to the high supply–high demand zone, the explanatory power of PE for WESs demand changes gradually increases. As WESs demand starts from the middle level, HAI gradually dominates WESs demand changes. The increase in land use changes may promote the impact of WESs demand changes on WESs supply changes. This study contributes to incorporating the supply and demand changes of WESs and their correlations into the ecological protection and restoration system, providing a new perspective and method for regional sustainable management.

Introduction Infertility is a focal issue in public health and affects human reproduction and survival. Notably, an increasing number of studies in recent decades have found that sperm DNA integrity plays a critical role in the development of healthy embryos. Among the multiple pathogenic factors of sperm DNA fragmentation, oxidative stress has proven to be predominant. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation, which has been used for the treatment of male infertility, has shown good clinical efficacy due to its oxidation resistance, but its efficacy as measured by the sperm DNA fragmentation index remains controversial. To address this issue, we will perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of coenzyme Q10 for male infertility patients with a high sperm DNA fragmentation index.Methods and analysis The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Studies and Web of Science databases will be comprehensively searched from inception to 31 December 2022 to identify relevant studies published in the English language using appropriate search strategies. The search terms will be derived from the following concepts: sperm DNA fragmentation, coenzyme Q10 and randomised controlled trials. Two review stages, that is, title and abstract screening and full-text screening, will be performed by two reviewers. The risk of bias, publication bias and evidence grade of the included studies will be assessed using a standardised protocol. Data will be used to calculate effect sizes. Heterogeneity among the studies will be evaluated graphically. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis will be performed if necessary to validate the results.Ethics and dissemination No ethical approval will be needed, as there will be no participants in this study. We will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to disseminate the findings through publication and conference presentation.PROSPERO registration number CRD42022293340.

Objective: To investigate the effect of respiratory muscle training combined with conventional rehabilitation therapy on trunk control, balance ability and activities of daily living in stroke patients. Methods: Sixty stroke patients were divided into control group and experimental group by random number table, 30 each, and received conventional rehabilitation therapy. Moreover, the experimental group underwent respiratory muscle training (RMT), for four weeks. In each patient, maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) was measured for the inspiratory muscle strength. Maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) was measured for the expiratory muscle strength. The trunk control was measured using the Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS). The Berg balance scale (BBS) was used to assess the balance function. The modified Barthel index (MBI) was used to evaluate activities of daily living. Results: There were no significant differences in MIP, MEP, TIS, BBS and MBI between the two groups before treatment. The MIP, MEP, TIS, BBS and MBI functions of the control group and the experimental group were improved after treatment, And the functional improvement of the above indicators in the experimental group after treatment was significantly higher than that of the control group. Conclusion: This study proved that RMT improved respiratory muscle strength, trunk control, balance function, and ADL in stroke patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Painting is the largest energy consumption unit in ship repair enterprises, with annual electrical energy costs amounting to millions of dollars. The energy-saving model of painting business based on artificial intelligence, Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and big data technologies has become a current research hot spot. This paper takes a cargo ship of Youlian Shipyard as an example to improve the quality of special coating construction, reduce cost and increase efficiency. In the process of special coating construction, a comprehensive analysis of equipment usage in different compartments is carried out, and a compartment energy consumption analysis model based on combined weighting and Gray Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation is proposed. The model uses factors such as energy consumption, hours, and number of devices as evaluation indicators. Based on the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, the gray correlation coefficients and comprehensive weights were weighted to obtain the final comprehensive evaluation results of each planning scheme, and then compare them to determine the optimal scheme. The results show that the grey fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model with combined weighting has better results than other models, and the evaluation results are scientific and reasonable. It has certain application value in multi-objective scheme optimization.

Sodium super ionic conductors are a class of promising energy storage materials owing to their high ionic conductivity. Here, the authors conducted high throughput calculations to understand the synthetic accessibility of NASICON-type materials and demonstrate an efficient paradigm for discovering new complex materials.

BackgroundBecause of the high incidence and poor prognoses of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), it is essential to identify cost-effective treatment options and accurate and reliable prognostic biomarkers. CDCA4 upregulation has been identified in many cancers. However, the prognostic importance of CDCA4 and its role in LUAD remain unknown.MethodsCDCA4 expression was assessed through IHC, Western blotting (WB) and RT-PCR. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) provided data from 513 patients to study the expression and prognostic relevance of CDCA4 in LUAD. This study used gene set enrichment analyses (GSEA), gene ontology and KEGG pathway analyses for elucidating potential mechanisms underpinning the function of CDCA4 in LUAD. We also investigated correlations between immune infiltration and CDCA4 expression with single specimen GSEA (ssGSEA).ResultsAccording to database analysis and identification of patient tissue samples, CDCA4 expression in tumour tissues surpassed that in normal tissues (P< 0.001). Increased CDCA4 expression was positively correlated with a higher T, N, pathologic stage and poor primary therapy outcome. In addition, the Kaplan–Meier plotter exhibited that an elevated CDCA4 expression was related to worse disease-specific survival(DSS) and overall survival (OS) (DSS HR= 5.145, 95% CI=3.413-7.758, P

Background Bronchopneumonia is a disease of the respiratory tract. It leads to other complications and endangers life and health. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) participates in the occurrence and development of bronchopneumonia. Nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) plays a key role in inflammatory diseases, but the function of NEAT1 in bronchopneumonia remains unclear. Methods RT-qPCR and Western blotting were performed to determine genes and proteins expressions. MTT was applied to test cell viability. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. RIP was used to investigate the correlation between NEAT1 and miR-155-5p. The interaction between miR-155-5p and NEAT1 or MyD88 was evaluated by the dual-luciferase reporter gene. Results NEAT1 and MyD88 were upregulated in BEAS-2B cells by LPS, while miR-155-5p was downregulated. Knockdown of NEAT1 inhibited LPS-induced BEAS-2B cells growth inhibition by inhibiting the apoptosis. In addition, NEAT1 silencing suppressed LPS-induced inflammatory responses in BEAS-2B cells via suppression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-18. Meanwhile, NEAT1 is directly bound to miR-155-5p to regulate MyD88/NF-κB axis, and overexpression of miR-155-5p increased cell proliferation and suppressed inflammatory factors expression levels and cell apoptosis. Furthermore, sh-NEAT1-induced inhibition of BEAS-2B cells injury was partially reversed by miR-155-5p inhibitor or MyD88 overexpression. Conclusion NEAT1 silencing suppressed LPS-induced BEAS-2B cells injury and inflammation by the mediation of miR-155-5p/MyD88/NF-κB axis. Thus, our study might shed new light on exploring the new strategies for the treatment of bronchopneumonia.

Lubrication and cooling performances of face gears with oil–jet lubrication are closely related to the nozzle layouts. To investigate the influence of the nozzle layouts on the lubrication performance of the face gears, a numerical analysis method based on heat-flow coupling is adopted in this study for predicting the transient temperature characteristics. First, a mathematical model of impingement depth integrating the nozzle spatial layouts, injection parameters, and geometric parameters of the given face gear is presented for determining the nozzle. Then, after accessing the friction heat, the heat-flow-coupled finite element model is built to resemble the oil–jet lubrication process and obtain the temperature field on the tooth surface. Finally, under the same nozzle layouts, the temperature distributions are compared with the oil pressure and oil volume fraction reported in previous studies. The results reveal that the nozzle layouts significantly affect lubrication performance. Specifically, the lubrication performance of the lateral layout parameter near the middle point of the tooth width is better, and there is a certain range for the longitudinal layout parameter and jet elevation angle. This study can provide a reference for further optimizing the nozzle layouts and prolonging the service life of the orthogonal face gear.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the prognostic value of the Nutritional Risk Score 2002 (NRS2002) and patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) for post-operative infections in patients with gastric cancer (GC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) who underwent curative surgery.MethodsThis prospective study included 1,493 GC patients and 879 CRC patients who underwent curative surgery at 18 hospitals in China between April 2017 and March 2020. The NRS2002 and PG-SGA were performed on the day of admission. The relationship between the nutritional status of patients before surgery and post-surgical incidence of infection was analyzed using univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses.ResultsAccording to NRS2002, the prevalence of nutritional risk was 51.1% in GC patients and 63.9% in CRC patients. According to the PG-SGA, 38.9% of GC patients and 54.2% of CRC patients had malnutrition. Approximately 4.4% of the GC patients and 9.9% of the CRC patients developed infectious complications after surgery. The univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses showed that the risk of infections was significantly higher in GC patients with a high nutritional risk score (NRS2002 ≥5) than in those with a low score (NRS2002

OBJECTIVES: To assess safety and effectiveness of symmetric and asymmetric occluders in perventricular device closure without cardiopulmonary bypass of perimembranous ventricular septal defects (pmVSDs). METHODS: The present retrospective study enrolled 581 patients who underwent perventricular device closure of pmVSDs under transoesophageal echocardiography guidance from May 2011 to April 2016, and outpatient electrocardiography and transthoracic echocardiography assessments at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, and yearly thereafter. RESULTS: The overall success rate of device implantation was 92.6% (43 surgical conversions immediately). Between patients receiving symmetric (n = 353) and asymmetric (n = 185) occluders, there were no significant differences in age, weight and defect diameter distributions; however, both before discharge and at mean 28.6 ± 21.2 (range, 1-60)-month follow-up, the symmetric group had lower rates of trivial residual shunt (5.7% vs 11.4%, P = 0.018; and 0.8% vs 5.9%, P = 0.001) and bundle branch block (0.8% vs 5.4%, P = 0.002; and 0.6% vs 3.8%, P = 0.009); and at follow-up, the asymmetric group had lower residual shunt (47.6% vs 85.0%, P = 0.020) and similar branch block (30.0% vs 33.3%, P = 1.000) disappearance rates. There were no severe complications, i.e. aortic regurgitation, malignant arrhythmias, haemolysis or device dislocation. CONCLUSIONS: Perventricular device closure of pmVSDs appears safe and effective with symmetric and asymmetric occluders. However, the lower residual shunt disappearance and higher branch block incidence rates for asymmetric occluders would favour more proactive conversion to surgical repair immediately when residual shunt is present intraoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Roads as corridors of seed or fruit spatial dispersal have major impacts on the establishment and spread of invasive species, but their precise role in population genetic variation remains poorly understood. The South American weed Mikania micrantha has spread rapidly across southern China since its introduction to the Shenzhen area in 1984. This study investigated how its genetic diversity is distributed along highways, and whether highways have acted as corridors for the rapid expansion of M. micrantha. Methods Twenty-seven roadside populations were sampled along four highways in southern China, and 787 samples were examined using 12 microsatellite markers. Variation in genetic diversity among populations was quantified and patterns of genetic differentiation were analysed. Key Results A high level of genetic diversity was found at both the species and the population levels in this self-incompatible plant (expected heterozygosity = 0·497 and 0·477, respectively; allelic richness = 2·580 and 2·521, respectively). The Wright F-statistic value among populations (0·044, P < 0·01) and the analysis of molecular variance (91 % of genetic variation residing within populations, 9 % among populations within highways and 0 % among the four highways) showed a relatively low level of genetic differentiation among populations, while the principal coordinate and cluster analyses also indicated a lack of clear geographical genetic structure among populations. The calculated Nm value of 5·5 signifies strong gene flow. Conclusions The pattern of genetic variation is consistent with facilitated dispersal along highways. The genetic admixtures among the roadside populations imply the occurrence of multiple population introductions during colonization. The long-distance dispersal of seeds associated with vehicular transportation on highways may have played important roles in shaping the genetic variation. This finding highlights the importance of highways as corridors for the spread of M. micrantha in southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integrated energy system (IES) includes various energy forms, complex operation modes, abundant control equipment and coupling links, which brings challenges to its steady-state modeling and steady-state power flow calculation. In order to obtain the steady-state characteristics of the thermal subsystem in the IES, the topological structure of the typical IES was provided; the steady-state models of the power subsystem, the thermal subsystem, the cold subsystem and the distributed energy station were established respectively, and then the hybrid power flow model was established, and the Newton-Raphson algorithm was used to solve the hybrid power flow; the influence of the key technical parameters (including the water supply temperature of the source node, the water outlet temperature of the load node, the length and diameter of the heat network pipe, and the heat load power) on the steady-state power flow of the IES was analyzed. The analysis results can support the planning, design and optimal operation of the IES.

An ideal animal model of azoospermia would be a powerful tool for the evaluation of spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) transplantation. Busulfan has been commonly used to develop such a model, but 30%–87% of mice die when administered an intraperitoneal injection of 40 mg kg−1. In the present study, hematoxylin and eosin staining, Western blot, immunofluorescence, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to test the effects of busulfan exposure in a mouse model that received two intraperitoneal injections of busulfan at a 3-h interval at different doses (20, 30, and 40 mg kg−1) on day 36 or a dose of 40 mg kg−1 at different time points (0, 9, 18, 27, 36, and 63 days). The survival rate of the mice was 100%. When the mice were treated with 40 mg kg−1 busulfan, dramatic SSC depletion occurred 18 days later and all of the germ cells were cleared by day 36. In addition, the gene expressions of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), chemokine (C-X-C Motif) ligand 12 (CXCL12), and colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) were moderately increased by day 36. A 63-day, long-term observation showed the rare restoration of endogenous germ cells in the testes, suggesting that the potential period for SSC transplantation was between day 36 and day 63. Our results demonstrate that the administration of two intraperitoneal injections of busulfan (40 mg kg−1 in total) at a 3-h interval to mice provided a nonlethal and efficient method for recipient preparation in SSC transplantation and could improve treatments for infertility and the understanding of chemotherapy-induced gonadotoxicity.

The elderly males undergo degenerative fertility and testicular endocrine function that jeopardize the reproductive health and well-being. However, the mechanisms underlying reproductive aging are unclear. Here, we tried to address this by investigating the phenotypes and transcriptomes of seven regions of the male mouse reproductive tract: the testis, efferent ductules, initial segment, caput, corpus and cauda epididymidis, and vas deferens, in adult (3 months) and aged (21 months) mice. Quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescent staining, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed for the analysis of gene expression in mice, human tissues, and semen samples. Aged male mice showed both systematic and reproductive changes, and remarkable histological changes were detected in the testis and proximal epididymis. Transcriptomes of the male reproductive tract were mapped, and a series of region-specific genes were identified and validated in mouse and/or human tissues, including Protamine 1 (Prm2), ADAM metallopeptidase domain 28 (Adam28), Ribonuclease A family member 13 (Rnase13), WAP four-disulfide core domain 13 (Wfdc13), and Wfdc9. Meanwhile, age-related transcriptome changes of different regions of the male reproductive tract were characterized. Notably, increased immune response was functionally related to the male reproductive aging, especially the T cell activation. An immune response-associated factor, phospholipase A2 group IID (Pla2g2d), was identified as a potential biomarker for reproductive aging in mice. And the PLA2G2D level in human seminal plasma surged at approximately 35 years of age. Furthermore, we highlighted Protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type C (Ptprc), Lymphocyte protein tyrosine kinase (Lck), Microtubule associated protein tau (Mapt), and Interferon induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 3 (Ifit3) as critical molecules in the aging of initial segment, caput, caput, and cauda epididymidis, respectively. This study provides an RNA-seq resource for the male reproductive system during aging in mice, and is expected to improve our understanding of male reproductive aging and infertility.

Introduction Oxidative stress is involved in the occurrence and development of multiple diseases. Acupuncture shows an excellent clinical efficacy in practical application but its mechanism remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis was aimed at assessing the effect of acupuncture on oxidative stress in animal models. Methods PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science database were retrieved for randomized controlled trials about acupuncture on oxidative stress in animal models from inception to August 2021. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted articles according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. We used the mean difference (MD)/standardized mean difference (SMD) to perform an effect size analysis and selected fixed-effect or random-effect models to pool the data, depending on a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results A total of 12 studies comprising 125 samples were included in the quantitative meta-analysis. Compared with sham acupuncture, acupuncture (manual acupuncture, electropuncture, and laser acupuncture) reduced the level of malondialdehyde (SMD, −3.03; CI, −4.40, −1.65; p < 0.00001) and increased the levels of superoxide dismutase (SMD, 3.39; CI, 1.99, 4.79; p < 0.00001), glutathione peroxidase (SMD, 2.21; CI, 1.10, 3.32; p < 0.00001), and catalase (SMD, 2.80; CI, 0.57, 5.03; p = 0.01). Conclusion This meta-analysis indicated that acupuncture can regulate oxidative stress by lowering the lipid peroxidation and activating the antioxidant enzyme system. In consideration of heterogeneity between studies, future studies should be performed by complying with strict standards and increasing sample size in animal experiments to reduce bias.

Abstract Atmospheric NH3 plays a vital role not only in the environmental ecosystem but also in atmosphere chemistry. To further understand the effects of NH3 on the formation of haze pollution in Beijing, ambient NH3 and related species were measured and simulated at high resolutions during the wintertime Air Pollution and Human Health‐Beijing (APHH‐Beijing) campaign in 2016. We found that the total NHx (gaseous NH3+particle NH4+) was mostly in excess of the SO42−‐NO3−‐NH4+‐water equilibrium system during our campaign. This NHx excess made medium aerosol acidity, with the median pH value being 3.6 and 4.5 for polluted and nonpolluted conditions, respectively, and enhanced the formation of particle phase nitrate. Our analysis suggests that NH4NO3 is the most important factor driving the increasing of aerosol water content with NO3− controlling the prior pollution stage and NH4+ the most polluted stage. Increased formation of NH4NO3 under excess NHx, especially during the nighttime, may trigger the decreasing of aerosol deliquescence relative humidity even down to less than 50% and hence lead to hygroscopic growth even under RH conditions lower than 50% and the wet aerosol particles become better medium for rapid heterogeneous reactions. A further increase of RH promotes the positive feedback “aerosol water content‐heterogeneous reactions” and ultimately leads to the formation of severe haze. Modeling results by Nested Air Quality Prediction Monitor System (NAQPMS) show the control of 20% NH3 emission may affect 5–11% of particulate matter PM2.5 formation under current emissions conditions in the North China Plain.

Introduction: Stem cell therapies represent a promising new frontier for the treatment of refractory diabetic erectile dysfunction (DED). The use of stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) is a novel strategy for cell-free stem cell therapy. We have reported that urine-derived stem cells (USCs) can improve DED; however, the therapeutic effects of EVs secreted by USCs (USC-EVs) remain unknown. Aim: To determine the therapeutic effects of USC-EVs on DED in a rat model. Methods: USC-EVs were isolated from conditioned medium by ultracentrifugation. DED was induced in male Sprague–Dawley rats via an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Sixteen DED rats were divided into phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and USC-EV groups. Eight normal rats served as the normal control group. PBS or USC-EVs were transplanted into the corpora cavernosa in the corresponding groups. Main Outcome Measure: Intracavernosal pressure (ICP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), expression of endothelial markers (CD31), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), phospho-eNOS, and neural nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) were assessed in each group. Masson’s trichrome staining was used to determine the collagen deposition and ratio of smooth muscle cells to collagen. The microRNA (miRNA) cargo of USC-EVs was characterized by high-throughput RNA sequencing. Results: Recovery of erectile function was observed in the USC-EV group, as represented by improved ICP and ICP/MAP ratio. CD31, eNOS, phospho-eNOS, and nNOS expression in the penis was significantly improved in the USC-EV group. In addition, the ratio of smooth muscle to collagen was significantly increased in the USC-EV group. RNA sequencing revealed that USC-EVs were enriched for distinct classes of miRNA (miR-21-5p, let-7 family, miR-10 family, miR-30 family, and miR-148a-3p) that promote angiogenesis. Conclusion: USC-EV transplantation can ameliorate DED in rats. Its mechanism may involve the delivery of proangiogenic miRNA.Ouyang B, Xie Y, Zhang C, et al. Extracellular Vesicles From Human Urine-Derived Stem Cells Ameliorate Erectile Dysfunction in a Diabetic Rat Model by Delivering Proangiogenic MicroRNA. Sex Med 2019;7:241–250. Key Words: Erectile Dysfunction, Sexual Dysfunction, Stem Cells, Extracellular Vesicles, Diabetes, Endothelial Dysfunction

Objectives. Urinary stem cells (USCs) have the capacity for unlimited growth and are promising tools for the investigations of cell differentiation and urinary regeneration. However, the limited life span significantly restricts their usefulness. This study is aimed at exploring the effect of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) on the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) differentiation of the dog USCs and investigating its molecular mechanism. Methods. An immortalized USCs cell line with the molecular markers and biological functions was prepared. After successfully inducing the differentiation of USCs into SMCs, the expression level of the unique key factor and its mechanisms in this process was determined through real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, or Immunofluorescence staining. Results. We found that high cell density promoted USCs differentiation SMCs, and ILK was necessary for USCs differentiation into SMCs. Knocking down ILK decreased the expression of SMCs specific-marker, while using a selective ILK agonist increased the expression of SMCs specific-marker. Furthermore, ILK regulated SMCs differentiation in part through the activation of NF-κB pathway in USCs. A NF-κB activity assay showed overexpression of ILK could significantly upregulate NF-κB p50 expression, and NF-κB p50 acts as downstream signal molecular of ILK. Conclusion. High cell density induces the differentiation of USCs into SMCs, and ILK is a key regulator of myogenesis. Furthermore, NF-κB signaling pathway might play a crucial role in this process.

To provide a basic guidance for the selection of nozzle layout, a mathematical model of the impingement depth for helical gears under oil jet lubrication is established. Furthermore, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods are adopted to validate the effectiveness and accuracy of the derived impingement model. Firstly, the distribution characteristics of the oil volume fraction and oil-gas pressure in meshing area were obtained in flow field simulation. Meanwhile, the influence of spray angle, jet velocity, and gear ratio on lubrication effect was obtained. Then, the transient temperature field of the tooth surface was simulated by the method of thermal-fluid coupling analysis, and the lowest temperature distribution and the corresponding oil jet velocity were determined. Finally, experiments on the temperature characteristics measured by an infrared thermal imager of helical gears with different nozzle parameters were carried out in a gear test rig. The simulation results of transient temperature field are in good agreement with those obtained by experiments, and it indicates that the thermal-fluid coupling analysis method is correct and feasible to predict the temperature field of the helical gear pair under oil injection jet lubrication.

The variable-length arbitrary Lagrange–Euler absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ALE-ANCF) finite element, which employs nonrational interpolating polynomials, cannot exactly describe rational cubic Bezier curves such as conic and circular curves. The rational absolute nodal coordinate formulation (RANCF) finite element, whose reference length (undeformed length) is constant, can exactly represent rational cubic Bezier curves. A new variable-length finite element called the ALE-RANCF finite element, which is capable of accurately describing rational cubic Bezier curves, is proposed and was formed by combining the desirable features of the ALE-ANCF and RANCF finite elements. To control the reference length of the ALE-RANCF element within a suitable range, element segmentation and merging schemes are proposed. It is demonstrated that the exact geometry and mechanics are maintained after the ALE-RANCF element is divided into two shorter ones, and compared with the ALE-ANCF elements, there are smaller deviations and oscillations after two ALE-RANCF elements are merged into a longer one. Numerical examples are presented, and the feasibility and advantages of the ALE-RANCF finite element are demonstrated.

Background/Aims: The age-bilirubin-international normalized ratio-creatinine (ABIC) score, which is a predictive model commonly used for alcoholic hepatitis, has not yet been studied in acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (HBV-ACLF). We aimed to investigate the predictive value of the ABIC score in patients with HBV-ACLF. Methods: This retrospective study involved 398 patients diagnosed with HBV-ACLF, who were divided into a training cohort of 305 patients and a validation cohort of 93 patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to determine risk factors for mortality. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated to estimate and compare the predictive values of different prognostic scores. Results: The ABIC score was significantly higher in the death group of the training cohort than in its survival group. Independent risk factors for mortality identified by multivariate Cox analysis included blood urea nitrogen, ABIC score, and Chronic Liver Failure Consortium Organ Failure (CLIF-C OF) score. For predicting 1- and 3-month mortality, AUC was higher for the ABIC score than for the Model for End-stage Liver Diseases (MELD) score (0.732 vs. 0.653, P < 0.05, 0.695 vs. 0.619, P < 0.05, respectively), CLIF-C OF score (0.693, P=0.353, 0.656, P=0.341, respectively), and Child-Pugh score (0.675, P=0.189, 0.656, P=0.300, Respectively). Patients with ABIC score > 9.44 had reduced 1- and 3-month survival rates. Conclusion: ABIC score is superior to MELD score in predicting short-term survival in HBV-ACLF patients. ABIC score > 9.44 predicts high short-term mortality risk in HBV-ACLF patients.

The potential application of monolayer MS2 (M = Mo, W) as thermoelectric material has been widely studied since the first report of successful fabrication. However, their performances are hindered by the considerable band gap and the large lattice thermal conductivity in the pristine 2H phase. Recent discoveries of polymorphism in MS2s provide new opportunities for materials engineering. In this work, phonon and electron transport properties of both 2H and 1T′ phases were investigated by first-principle calculations. It is found that upon the phase transition from 2H to 1T′ in MS2, the electron transport is greatly enhanced, while the lattice thermal conductivity is reduced by several times. These features lead to a significant enhancement of power factor by one order of magnitude in MoS2 and by three times in WS2. Meanwhile, the figure of merit can reach up to 0.33 for 1T′MoS2 and 0.68 for 1T′WS2 at low temperature. These findings indicate that monolayer MS2 in the 1T′ phase can be promising materials for thermoelectric devices application. Meanwhile, this work demonstrates that phase engineering techniques can bring in one important control parameter in materials design. Keywords: Phase engineering, Thermoelectric, Transition metal dichalcogenides

Faroe islanders consume marine foods contaminated with methylmercury (MeHg), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and other toxicants associated with chronic disease risks. Differential DNA methylation at specific CpG sites in cord blood may serve as a surrogate biomarker of health impacts from chemical exposures. We aimed to identify key environmental chemicals in cord blood associated with DNA methylation changes in a population with elevated exposure to chemical mixtures. We studied 72 participants of a Faroese birth cohort recruited between 1986 and 1987 and followed until adulthood. The cord blood DNA methylome was profiled using Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChips. We determined the associations of CpG site changes with concentrations of MeHg, major PCBs, other organochlorine compounds [hexachlorobenzene (HCB), p,p’-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p’-DDE) and p,p’-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane], and perfluoroalkyl substances. In a combined sex analysis, among the 16 chemicals studied, PCB congener 105 (CB-105) exposure was associated with the majority of differentially methylated CpG sites (214 out of a total of 250). In female-only analysis, only 73 CB-105 associated CpG sites were detected, 44 of which were mapped to genes in the ELAV1-associated cancer network. In males-only, methylation changes were seen for perfluorooctane sulfonate, HCB, and p,p’-DDE in 10,598, 1,238, and 1,473 CpG sites, respectively, 15% of which were enriched in cytobands of the X-chromosome associated with neurological disorders. In this multiple-pollutant and genome-wide study, we identified key epigenetic toxicants. The significant enrichment of specific X-chromosome sites in males implies potential sex-specific epigenome responses to prenatal chemical exposures.

The article reports the development of nested Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction way to detect avian metapneumovirus, a virus that infects poultry chickens. It states according to Genbank, a nucleotide sequence database, two primers were prepared. It mentions that a particular base pair was amplified from the RNA of metapneumovirus though it was negative for avian influenza virus (AIV), Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and bronchitis virus (IBV).