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A bis‐urea‐functionalized ditopic subcomponent assembled with 2‐formylpyridine and FeII, resulting in a dynamic library of metal–organic assemblies: an irregular FeII4L6 structure and three FeII2L3 stereoisomers: left‐ and right‐handed helicates and a meso‐structure. This library reconfigured in response to the addition of monosaccharide derivatives, which served as guests for specific library members, and the rate of saccharide mutarotation was also enhanced by the library. The (P) enantiomer of the FeII2L3 helical structure bound β‐D‐glucose selectively over α‐D‐glucose. As a consequence, the library collapsed into the (P)‐FeII2L3 helicate following glucose addition. The α‐D‐glucose was likewise transformed into the β‐D‐anomer during equilibration and binding. Thus, β‐D‐glucose and (P)‐3 amplified each other in the product mixture, as metal–organic and saccharide libraries geared together into a single equilibrating system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bis‐urea‐functionalized ditopic subcomponent assembled with 2‐formylpyridine and FeII, resulting in a dynamic library of metal–organic assemblies: an irregular FeII4L6 structure and three FeII2L3 stereoisomers: left‐ and right‐handed helicates and a meso‐structure. This library reconfigured in response to the addition of monosaccharide derivatives, which served as guests for specific library members, and the rate of saccharide mutarotation was also enhanced by the library. The (P) enantiomer of the FeII2L3 helical structure bound β‐D‐glucose selectively over α‐D‐glucose. As a consequence, the library collapsed into the (P)‐FeII2L3 helicate following glucose addition. The α‐D‐glucose was likewise transformed into the β‐D‐anomer during equilibration and binding. Thus, β‐D‐glucose and (P)‐3 amplified each other in the product mixture, as metal–organic and saccharide libraries geared together into a single equilibrating system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate evaluation of liver steatosis is required from brain-dead donors (BDDs) with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Our purposes were to investigate expression and regulation of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression in livers from human and rat after brain death, and further evaluate its potential application. NAFLD and brain death models were established in rats. LX2 cells were cultured under hypoxia/reoxygenation. CTGF protein and mRNA levels were measured in liver samples from BDDs of human and rat by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. YAP-regulated CTGF expression was investigated in LX2 cells via YAP small interfering RNA and Verteporfin treatment. Blood CTGF level from BDDs was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. After brain death, CTGF, transforming growth factor-β and YAP were overexpressed in non-alcoholic steatotic liver, whereas CTGF was downregulated in non-steatotic liver. Time-series analysis revealed that CTGF and YAP expression was comparable, as confirmed by inhibited YAP expression in LX2 cells. CTGF level and NAFLD activity were linearly correlated. CTGF expression and regulation differ between non-steatosis and nonalcoholic steatosis livers from BDDs. CTGF may be an important factor to evaluate graft quality from BDDs with NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon possesses widespread applications in energy-related fields due to its unique properties. However, preparation of porous carbon (specific surface area > 3000 m2 g–1) with high nitrogen content (> 10 wt%) remains great challenges because of high synthesis temperature. Herein, a covalent triazine polymer was innovatively designed by cyclotrimerization of tetracyanoethylene, and used to produce the high nitrogen-doped porous carbon. The as-prepared porous carbon (HNPC-900) possesses a high nitrogen content (14.2 wt%) and large specific surface area (3210 m2 g–1). When HNPC-900 was applied as the air-cathode for zinc–air batteries, it shows a high specific capacity (797 mAh g zn –1) and stable rechargeability (more than 380 h over 960 cycles at 5 mA cm–2), outperforming the cathode composed of RuO 2 and 20 wt% Pt/C. This ingenious design provides a feasible strategy to prepare high nitrogen-doped porous carbon, giving extensive application prospects of porous carbon for catalysis and energy storage fields. [Display omitted] • Tetracyanoethylene is used for preparing a new covalent triazine polymer (CTP). • HNPC derived from CTP possesses dual-superiority in N content and porosity. • HNPC exhibits excellent bifunctional electrocatalytic performances. • HNPC shows the recyclable ability for zinc–air battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crystal and electronic structures, and magnetic properties of polycrystalline tantalum substituted manganites CaMn 1- x Ta x O 3 (x = 0.00, 0.03, 0.06, 0.09 and 0.12) were studied by x-ray diffraction, x-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) at Mn K -edge, and by magnetization measurements. Large changes of cell volume and magnetic transition temperature, in addition to shift of Mn K -edge spectra and change of shape of XANES spectra, indicate the existence of Mn3+ as well as Mn2+ species induced by the substitution of Mn4+ by Ta5+. Cell parameters and cell volume increase with increasing x because the Mn3+, Mn2+ and Ta5+ ions are larger that substituted Mn4+ ion. According to XANES results, at least the x = 0.00 sample is oxygen deficient. The negative magnetization was observed in the CaMnO 3-δ sample, and a possible explanation of the phenomenon is given considering two canted (almost antiferro)magnetic sublattices and a shielding current, associated with the itinerant e g electrons, induced by the oxygen vacancies. • Negative magnetization (NM) and divalent manganese are observed in CaMn 1−x Ta x O 3-δ. • NM caused by canted antiferromagnetic (AFM) states and e g electron shielding current. • AFM state and shielding current originate from Ta- and/or oxygen vacancy- content. • Large decrease in T C and change in shape of XANES spectra due to Mn2+ are observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Mott-Schottky heterojunction is reported to boost the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation in Fenton-like reaction through a non-radical path. The heterojunction with Co nanoparticles encapsulated by nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon (N-GC) shell was synthesized via pyrolysis of ZIF67 @ZIF8 and subsequent acidic treatment. Benefiting from Mott-Schottky effect, the electrons were transferred from Co nanoparticles to the N-GC shell, leading to the rearranged electron density on N-GC surface and improvement of the PMS activation. The PMS activation efficiency of heterojunction (86.0%) was much higher than the reference catalyst without Mott-Schottky effect (35.3%), and even comparable to Co2+ (86.2%). 85.0% of tetracycline (TC) removal efficiency was realized after only 10.0 s. Moreover, the intrinsic advantages of non-radical path were well inherited by Mott-Schottky heterojunction, including high anti-interfere property toward various anions, cations and organics, high catalytic activity in a wide pH range, low metal leaching, and high magnetic recyclability. [Display omitted] • Electrons flow from Co NPs to N-GC and arranged in Mott-Schottky heterojunction. • PMS activation efficiency is comparable to Co2+ and 85.0% of TC is removed at 10 s. • Electrons play crucial role among ROSs, and PMS activation follows non-radical path. • Mechanism of Mott-Schottky effect on enhanced degradation performance is revealed. • EP-ZIF67 @ZIF8 is high environmental adaption, wide applicable pH, low leaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the saccharification efficiency of bulrush, the supplementary of metal chlorides in pretreatment of lignocellulose had been researched. The effect of metal chloride type and dosage on the ability of deep eutectic solvent (DES ChCl: Gly) pretreatment was evaluated by composition analysis of biomass, characterization analysis [scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infra spectra, X-ray diffraction, accessibility of cellulose (Direct red dye adsorption experiment), surface area of lignin (Azure B dye adsorption experiment)], and enzymatic saccharification. One-pot pretreatment of bulrush using the AlCl 3 /ChCl:Gly (molar ratio, 1:2:0.06) with the solid liquid ratio of 1:10 (w:w), lignin (70.8%) and hemicellulose (87.7%) could be effectively removed, and the enzymatic saccharification yield could reach 90.1%, much higher than that of raw bulrush (21.4%). AlCl 3 /ChCl:Gly pretreated bulrush showed an apparent reduction in lignin surface area due to lignin removal. The correlations between the Azure B dye adsorption data and delignification [Y (delignification) = 0.29 × X (surface area of lignin) + 226.9, R2 = 0.90] and glucose yield [Y (glucose yield) = −0.31 × X (surface area of lignin) + 247.9, R2 = 0.93] were observed during the AlCl 3 /ChCl:Gly pretreatment. This constructed pretreatment system could improve the bioconversion efficiency of bulrush, which had potential application in biorefinery of lignocellulose. [Display omitted] • The effects of metal chloride-assisting ChCl: Gly pretreatment were evaluated. • AlCl 3 /ChCl:Gly could efficiently remove lignin and hemicellulose. • Enzymatic hydrolysis of bulrush was clearly enhanced by AlCl 3 /ChCl:Gly treatment. • The yield of enzymatic saccharification reached 90.1%. • A linear correlation between cellulose accessibility and glucose yield was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of short video applications such as TikTok has brought new opportunities to maximize student learning experiences in online learning environments. Meanwhile, literature that explores its potential to foster student engagement is scarce. To understand the effect of short video applications on students' learning engagement, we take Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) as an example to include user experience variables (i.e., playfulness, satisfaction, anxiety) and technology features variables (i.e., interactivity and virtual reward). Five hundred-two valid questionnaire responses were collected from Chinese undergraduates. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothesis. Overall, learning anxiety has a negative effect on learning engagement, whereas learning satisfaction has a positive effect. Virtual reward has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between interaction and anxiety. Still, it positively moderates the relationship between satisfaction and learning engagement. In addition, both years of using a mobile phone and TikTok positively influence learning engagement. Collectively, the proposed model was supported and provided empirical evidence regarding the importance of user experience and product features (such as Intelligent recommendation and virtual reward) on student engagement. Implications for theories and teaching practice and limitations were discussed. • We investigated the impacts of short video platforms (i.e., TikTok) on learning behavior. • A model to forecast students' learning engagement was tested. • Anxiety, virtual reward, and interactivity are crucial in short-video-supported learning. • Perceived playfulness and intelligent recommendation lead to satisfaction. • Our study provides insights into how short video platforms enhance the learning experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Projections indicate increasing coastal hazards in the Yellow Sea region owing to relative sea-level rise. Accordingly, regional studies of such change over the Holocene timescale could be helpful in mitigating these threats. Here, we describe the Holocene record of relative sea-level change in the Gochang-Yeonggwang area of South Korea. We compared this record with that of other sites around the coast of the Yellow Sea, including Bohai Bay (China), the Tando Estuary and Gunsan Bay (South Korea), and sites on the east coast of the South Sea and Toyo-oka Basin, Japan. The findings are based on a multi-proxy study, including lithostratigraphy combined with radiocarbon dating and analyses of grain size distribution, magnetic susceptibility, and geochemistry, which facilitated the generation of 89 paleo-sea-level points reconstructed from 28 borehole cores. The early Holocene transgression was found to start later at Gochang-Yeonggwang than at Gunsan Bay, although the distance between them is only 150 km. This result was inferred from substantial differences in sediment delivery owing to Holocene differences in river basin size, topography, and tectonic context. Before ∼7 ka, the slope and highstands from the predicted mean sea-level models at Bohai Bay, Tando Estuary, and Gochang-Yeonggwang were steeper and lower, respectively, from north to south in the Yellow Sea, approaching the slope of the glacio-eustatic sea-level curve. Therefore, the levering effect of transgression in the early Holocene decreased southward in the Yellow Sea. The slight fluctuation in mean sea-level points of the late Holocene resulted from the formation of storm deposit layers in the coastal area, erosion and redeposition in the channel, and geomorphic effects. A partial difference occurred between the relative sea levels at Gochang-Yeonggwang and Toyo-oka. Future relative sea-level research at the southernmost part of the east coast of the Yellow Sea would further improve understanding of the coastal evolution of the region. • The RSL curve slope at ∼8 ka was the steepest among the Yellow Sea east coast sites. • Highstand on RSL is lower than any other east coast site of the Yellow Sea. • Early Holocene transgression levering effect decreased southern of the Yellow Sea east coast. • RSL in the late Holocene was influenced by glacio-eustatic sea-level change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Pressure resistant, sublethal injury and viable but non-culturable cells existed during the HPP treatment. • The pressure resistant property of different species was positively correlated with the sublethal injury cell count. • The pressure resistant property of different species was negatively correlated with the VBNC cell count. • The combination of HPP with CO 2 or Nisin could reduce the formation of pressure resistant, sublethal injury and VBNC cells. This study aimed to analyze and reduce the pressure resistance (PR), sublethal injury (SLI), and viable but non-culturable (VBNC) populations during HPP. Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus , Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum were selected for evaluation of PR, SLI and VBNC cell counts and proportions during HPP. The results revealed that the bactericidal efficiency against these strains gradually improved as the processing pressure increased. However, viable bacteria could still be detected, suggesting that there may involve the presence of resistant population that difficult to be killed or revived from SLI. Further detecting the quantity and proportion of PR, SLI and VBNC bacteria found that these state of cells were present during whole HPP treatment. Additionally, the more resistant a bacterial species was to high pressure, the fewer SLI and more resuscitable VBNC (RVBNC) populations it generated, and vice versa. Therefore, correlation analysis was also employed to make the relationship between log reduction, SLI and RVBNC population ratios clearer. The results demonstrated that the log reduction was highly positive correlation with SLI population ratios, and negative correlation with RVBNC population within our detected species at 500 MPa. Furthermore, CO 2 and Nisin were employed to combined with HPP to reduce these survivors. Comparing with 233, 218, 241 and 259 MPa for HPP treatment, it took 37, 89, 135 and 229 MPa for HPP + CO 2 , and 189, 161, 199 and 292 MPa for HPP + Nisin to the first decimal reduction for E. coli , S.aureus , B. amyloliquefaciens and L. plantarum , respectively. The results indicated that HPP combined with CO 2 or Nisin could significantly reduce the quantity of PR, SLI, and RVBNC cells during HPP, and provide better bactericidal effects. In conclusion, we quantified the presence of PR, SLI, and VBNC bacteria after high pressure treatment and investigate the effectiveness of HPP combined with CO 2 or Nisin to enhance the inactivation of bacteria and reduce the occurrence of PR, SLI, and RVBNC bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel combined H 2 SO 4 -ChCl/Gly pretreatment of reed stalks was developed. • Synergistic effect of H 2 SO 4 and ChCl/Gly eliminated xylan and lignin effectively. • H 2 SO 4 -ChCl/Gly-treated reed stalk was converted to glucose in a high yield of 91.1%. • High saccharification was due to enhanced accessibility and reduced lignin surface. In this study, an efficient combination of pretreatment solvents involving Choline chloride/Glycerol (ChCl/Gly) and H 2 SO 4 was firstly developed to assess the pretreatment performance and determine optimal pretreatment conditions. The results illustrated that the H 2 SO 4 -[ChCl/Gly] combination efficiently removed lignin (52.6%) and xylan (80.5%) from the pretreated reed stalk, and subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis yielded 91.1% of glucose. Furthermore, several characterizations were conducted to examine the structural and morphological changes of the reed stalk, revealing apparently enhanced accessibility (128.4 to 522.6 mg/g), reduced lignin surface area (357.9 to 229.5 m2/g), and substantial changes on biomass surface. Based on the aforementioned study, possible mechanisms for the H 2 SO 4 -[ChCl/Gly] pretreatment of reed stalks were proposed. The comprehensive understanding of combined H 2 SO 4 -[ChCl/Gly] pretreatment system for enhancing the saccharification of the reed stalk was interpreted in this work. Overall, this novel approach could be efficiently applied to pretreat and saccharify reed stalks, empowering the biomass refining industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idiopathic pneumoperitoneum has an unknown etiology despite exploratory laparotomy. However, it may occur without definite abdominal symptoms; thus, adequate management could be in clinical dilemma. We experienced three cases of idiopathic nonsurgical pneumoperitoneum in healthy individuals during a health check-up. Their cases were not accompanied by any relevant etiology or definite abdominal symptoms. All of the three cases exhibited a benign clinical course. The three patients underwent an abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan as part of a health check-up program, which incidentally revealed free air in the right paracolic gutter without evidence of visceral perforation or inflammation. Among the three cases, two patients underwent colonoscopy before abdominal CT, whereas one patient did not. Two cases were completely asymptomatic and were observed without any treatment in the outpatient clinic. Only the third case with minimal symptoms was treated conservatively for a short time. If a small amount of free air typically located in the right paracolic gutter is detected in the absence of perforation during colonoscopy, close observation without unnecessary treatment would be sufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drought is an important factor restricting the development of agriculture. In recent years, plant growth regulators have achieved more results in improving crop stress resistance. The physiological mechanism of exogenous application of mepiquat chloride on soybean seedlings has undergone significant changes under drought stress. Methods: In order to study the effect of exogenous chlorine on the physiology of soybean under drought stress., 'Heinong 65' was used as the experimental material, 15% PEG-6000 was used to simulate drought stress and different concentrations of mepiquat chloride solution (100, 300, 500, 700 mg/L) were sprayed at the three-leaf stage of soybean growth by pot method. The dry matter accumulation, auxin (IAA), zeatin (ZA), gibberellin (GA3), abscisic acid (ABA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity of soybean were determined. Result: The results showed that the activities of antioxidant enzymes SOD, POD, CAT and APX in soybean leaves under drought stress were significantly increased by the treatment of appropriate concentration of mepiquat chloride solution. IAA, GA3 and ZA endogenous hormone levels increased, dry matter accumulation increased, root-shoot ratio and ABA endogenous hormone levels decreased significantly. It can be seen that mepiquat chloride treatment can improve the antioxidant capacity, promote the growth of soybean seedlings under drought stress and effectively alleviate the inhibition of drought stress on soybean growth and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SICM) is common complication in septic patients with a high mortality and is characterized by an abnormal inflammation response, which was precisely regulated by endogenous specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs). However, the metabolic changes of cardiac SPMs during SICM and the roles of SPMs subset in the development of SICM remain unknown. In this work, the SPMs concentration was assessed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) of SICM mice and SICM patients. The cardiac function was measured by echocardiography after the treatment of a SPMs subset, termed Resolvin D2 (RvD2). Caspase-11−/−, GSDMD−/− and double deficient (Caspase-11−/−GSDMD−/−) mice were used to clarify the mechanisms of RvD2 in SICM. We found that endogenous cardiac SPMs were disorders and RvD2 was decreased significantly and correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and β-BNP, cTnT in Lipopolysaccharide/Cecum ligation and puncture (CLP) induced SICM models. Treatment with RvD2 attenuated lethality, cardiac dysfunction and cardiomyocytes death during SICM. Mechanistically, RvD2 alleviated SICM via inhibiting Caspase-11/GSDMD-mediated cardiomyocytes pyroptosis. Finally, the plasma levels of RvD2 were also decreased and significantly correlated with IL-1β, β-BNP, cTnT and LVEF in patients with SICM. Of note, plasma RvD2 level is indicator of SICM patients from healthy controls or sepsis patients. These findings suggest that decreased cardiac RvD2 may involve in the pathogenesis of SICM. In addition, treatment with RvD2 represents a novel therapeutic strategy for SICM by inhibiting cardiomyocytes pyroptosis. [Display omitted] • Endogenous cardiac RvD2 was decreased and correlated with cardiac function in SICM. • Resolvin D2 ameliorates SICM via inhibiting Caspase-11/GSDMD dependent pyroptosis. • Plasma RvD2 level is indicator of SICM from healthy controls or sepsis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: As demand for lamb is increasing, shortening the growth cycle and increasing meat production in lambs are major concerns today. Protein and energy are the two nutrients that most directly drive meat production in animals. In lambs, however, too few applications are available through nutrient combinations. We believe it is feasible to encourage animals to improve meat production performance by regulating the simplest nutrients in feed. In this experiment, we investigated the effects of three dietary ingredients with protein-to-fat ratios on growth, slaughter performance, fat deposition and meat quality of Small-Tail Han lambs. The aim of the current research was to gain insights/provide ideas for enhancing nutrient combination effects to improve animal production performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of feed ingredients with different protein-to-fat ratios on growth, slaughter performance and meat quality of Small-Tail Han lambs. Forty-five Small-Tail Han lambs (♂) (BW = 34.00 ± 2.5 kg, age = 120 ± 9 d) were randomly divided into groups with three different experimental treatments: (1) PF 5, with the ratio of protein to fat (CP:EE) of 50 to 5; (2) PF10, CP: EE = 50:10; (3) PF20, CP: EE = 50:20. Each treatment group had 15 lambs, and each sheep was a repeat. This experiment lasted for 65 days, with feed intake recorded daily, and animals being weighed on days 0, 30, and 65. At the conclusion of the experiment, eight lambs from each group were slaughtered to assess slaughter performance and meat quality. The results showed that the average daily gain (ADG) of the three groups were 315.27, 370.15 and 319.42 g/d, respectively. The PF10 group had the highest ADG (370.15 g) (p < 0.05). Forestomach weights (1216.88 g) of the PF10 group were significantly higher than those of the other groups (p < 0.05). There were no differences (p > 0.05) in fat percentages in various parts of body among treatments. Feed conversion of the PF10 group was higher (p < 0.05) than that of PF 5 and PF 20 groups. Furthermore, the PF10 group had a higher (p > 0.05) carcass weight and slaughter rate and there were few differences between the other groups in terms of dry matter intake, meat quality, organ weight, and fat deposition (p > 0.05). The protein–energy supplement with protein-to-fat ratio, PF10 appeared to be more desirable to promote the growth and development in Small-Tail Han Lambs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, accelerated transcranial magnetic stimulation (aTMS) has been developed, which has a shortened treatment period. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and long-term maintenance effects of aTMS in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: We systematically searched online databases for aTMS studies in patients with MDD published before February 2023 and performed a meta-analysis on the extracted data. Results: Four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 10 before-and-after controlled studies were included. The findings showed that depression scores significantly decreased following the intervention (SMD = 1.80, 95% CI (1.31, 2.30), p < 0.00001). There was no significant difference in antidepressant effectiveness between aTMS and standard TMS (SMD = -0.67, 95% CI (-1.62, 0.27), p = 0.16). Depression scores at follow-up were lower than those directly after the intervention based on the depression rating scale (SMD = 0.22, 95% CI (0.06, 0.37), p = 0.006), suggesting a potential long-term maintenance effect of aTMS. Subgroup meta-analysis results indicated that different modes of aTMS may have diverse long-term effects. At the end of treatment with the accelerated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (arTMS) mode, depressive symptoms may continue to improve (SMD = 0.29, 95% CI (0.10, 0.49), I2 = 22%, p = 0.003), while the accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (aiTBS) mode only maintains posttreatment effects (SMD = 0.01, 95% CI (-0.45, 0.47), I2 = 66%, p = 0.98). Conclusions: Compared with standard TMS, aTMS can rapidly improve depressive symptoms, but there is no significant difference in efficacy. aTMS may also have long-term maintenance effects, but longer follow-up periods are needed to assess this possibility. Trial registration: This article is original and not under simultaneous consideration for publication. The study was registered on PROSPERO (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/) (number: CRD42023406590). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-binding site chemosensor, N-(3-methoxy-2-hydroxybenzylidene)-3-hydroxy-2-naphthahydrazone (H3L), with excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) behaviour was prepared and characterized. It possesses no aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics but can detect Cd2+ and Zn2+ ions selectively in the "off–on" mode based on the AIE of their complexes in the media of THF/HEPES and THF/H2O, respectively, which will provide a new strategy for target detection based on AIE. The detection limits of Zn2+ and Cd2+ were 9.85 × 10−9 M and 1.27 × 10−7 M, respectively. The aggregates of the complexes formed in the detection system were confirmed by DLS data and SEM images. The corresponding Zn2+ (1) and Cd2+ (2) complexes were prepared to investigate the response mechanism. Powder X-ray diffraction and single crystal X-ray diffraction proved that complex 1 is the species formed in the detection system. The chemosensor coordinates with the Cd2+ and Zn2+ ions in different formation and coordination modes, leading to the emission position of the aggregates at 560 and 645 nm, respectively, based on which Cd2+ ions were successfully differentiated from Zn2+ ions. Moreover, the detection of Cd2+ and Zn2+ ions was realized qualitatively via test paper and quantitatively in water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hybrid material of N -doped graphitic carbon shell-encapsulated FeCo alloy derived from metal–polyphenol network and melamine sponge is an effective electrocatalyst for ORR, OER, and HER. Exploiting low cost and durable electrocatalysts with high efficiency for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of great significance for energy conversion and storage applications. Herein, a hybrid electrocatalyst of FeCo alloy nanoparticles embedded in a porous N -doped carbon was prepared via a pyrolysis process of low-cost melamine sponge and mass-produced metal–polyphenol network. Benefting from the metal coordination of metal–polyphenol network and abundant N source of melamine sponge, the metal–N moiety and FeCo alloy nanoparticles (wtih a diameter around 50 nm) encapsulated in a N -doped graphene-like carbon layer were formed in-situ. Such intimate integration of graphene-like carbon-encapsulated FeCo alloys, metal–N active species, and porous structure is conducive to improve the catalytic activity and increase the catalytic durability in alkaline media. As a consequence, the as-prepared electrocatalyst exhibits the pronounced activity toward ORR, OER, and HER simultaneously under alkaline condition, particularly on the performances of potential, stability, and methanol tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is reported that indium-coated SiC buffer layer can be directly transferred into graphene layer during low temperature annealing, forming as indium-intercalated graphene (InG). Atomic structures of InG as well as transformation mechanism are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). InG on top of one-layered intercalated indium (called O-InG) exhibits Moiré patterns with period of 3.2 nm, and the atomic arrangement of indium atoms is detected. While, no Moiré patterns are observed on InG intercalated by two-layer of indium atoms (called T-InG). Both the two InG regions bind perfectly with the already existing epitaxial graphene (EG), exhibiting as an unbroken sheet of quasi-free-standing graphene layer. This finding provides a simple strategy and benefits to industrial fabrication of large-scale InG with regular SiC steps. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low profile circularly polarized (CP) antenna with reconfigurable polarization is designed and presented, which can radiate omnidirectional patterns that can be switched between left‐hand circularly polarized (LHCP) and right‐hand circularly polarized (RHCP). A pair of arc‐shaped complementary dipoles is acted as reconfigurable elements by bridging four pin diodes at the dipole arced arms. A meander phase shift line is employed to connected the arc dipole arms and plate cavity to adjust the phase relationship of two sources. The proposed antenna exhibits the omnidirectional radiation pattern by combining six identical elements placed in a circular array configuration. 24 p‐i‐n diodes are exploited to six elements, by manipulating the dc bias voltage across the diodes, the polarization state of the antenna can be switched. The patterns of the antenna are similar to that of a dipole, but its size is only about Φ0.87 × 0.029λ0 at 5.8 GHz. The overlapped bandwidth of measured 3‐dB axial ratio (AR) and 10‐dB return loss is 5.724‐5.87 and 5.738‐5.91 GHz for two polarization states, which are right on the target of ISM band. It can be well adapted to medical diagnosis systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solutions of 3D thermal analysis in inhomogeneous media with variable thermal source are divided into homogeneous and particular solutions by a novel boundary-type element-free method, namely virtual boundary element-free Galerkin method (VBEFGM). The homogeneous solution can be obtained by the virtual boundary element-free method (VBEFM). The virtual source function of the homogeneous solution and the unknown coefficient of the particular solution are constructed by the radial basis function interpolation (RBFI). And VBEFGM for 3D thermal analysis in inhomogeneous media with variable thermal source is real meshfree and does not require the background integral element. Its equation is obtained the Galerkin method of the weighted residual methods. The demonstration of ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL) can greatly facilitate the programming for the extraction of the coordinate information and the outer normal cosines on nodes. The calculation scheme and the specific weighted coefficients are deducted in detail for 3D thermal analysis in inhomogeneous media with variable thermal source by VBEFGM. The numerical calculational steps and flow chart are given. Three numerical examples are computed. The results are compared with other numerical methods and the exact solutions. The stability and the accuracy of the proposed method is proved by VBEFGM for 3D thermal analysis in inhomogeneous media with variable thermal source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal of this work is to develop an economical, portable, disposable, and reliable point of care paper biosensor based on visualization, which can be used to detect viruses, bacteria, and proteins. However, the sensitivity of immunochromatography test (ICT) strips based on nitrocellulose to target detection has always been a problem. Here, we use an electrospun nitrocellulose (ENC) fiber membrane instead of traditional nitrocellulose fiber membrane to construct ICT strips for early pregnancy detection. By proper selection of the diameter of the ENC fiber to adjust the pore size, porosity, and morphology of the membrane, ICT strips with low flow rate and high protein loading were obtained. Based on these properties, a convenient and sensitive method for the colorimetric determination of human chorionic gonadotropin was developed. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limit of ICT based on ENC membrane is 10 mIU mL−1 (S/N = 3), the linear detection range is 5–1000 mIU mL−1, and the linear relationship is Y = 0.0434 X − 0.0136 (R2 = 0.9802). In addition, the test strip has good specificity and stability, and will not produce false-positive results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross talk among different tissues and organs is a hotspot in metabolic research. Recent studies have revealed the regulatory roles of a number of myokines in metabolism. Here, we report that female mice lacking muscle-specific histone methylase G9a (Ehmt2Ckmm knockout [KO] or Ehmt2HSA KO) are resistant to high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis. Furthermore, we identified a significantly upregulated circulating level of musclin, a myokine, in HFD-fed Ehmt2Ckmm KO or Ehmt2HSA KO female mice. Similarly, upregulated musclin was observed in mice injected with two structurally different inhibitors for G9a methylase activity: BIX01294 and A366. Moreover, injection of recombinant full-length musclin or its functional core domain inhibited the HFD-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis in wild-type female and male mice. Mechanistically, G9a methylase activity-dependently regulated muscular musclin level by binding to its promoter, also by regulating phosphorylated-FOXO1/FOXO1 levels in vivo and in vitro. Collectively, these data suggest a critical role for G9a in the muscle-liver-fat metabolic axis, at least for female mice. Musclin may serve as a potential therapeutic candidate for obesity and associated diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross talk among different tissues and organs is a hotspot in metabolic research. Recent studies have revealed the regulatory roles of a number of myokines in metabolism. Here, we report that female mice lacking muscle-specific histone methylase G9a (Ehmt2Ckmm knockout [KO] or Ehmt2HSA KO) are resistant to high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis. Furthermore, we identified a significantly upregulated circulating level of musclin, a myokine, in HFD-fed Ehmt2Ckmm KO or Ehmt2HSA KO female mice. Similarly, upregulated musclin was observed in mice injected with two structurally different inhibitors for G9a methylase activity: BIX01294 and A366. Moreover, injection of recombinant full-length musclin or its functional core domain inhibited the HFD-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis in wild-type female and male mice. Mechanistically, G9a methylase activity-dependently regulated muscular musclin level by binding to its promoter, also by regulating phosphorylated-FOXO1/FOXO1 levels in vivo and in vitro. Collectively, these data suggest a critical role for G9a in the muscle-liver-fat metabolic axis, at least for female mice. Musclin may serve as a potential therapeutic candidate for obesity and associated diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reconfigurable, planar, and end‐fire circularly polarized (CP) antenna with wide beamwidth is presented, which exhibits the bidirectional radiation with the same sense by combining two pairs of identical CP elements placed in a back‐to‐back configuration. The design of the element includes a meandering phase delay line, which connects a printed electric dipole and a quarter‐wavelength shorted microstrip patch. Then, eight p‐i‐n diodes are employed in the two dipoles arms to realize either left‐handed CP (LHCP) or right‐handed CP (RHCP) by manipulating the DC bias voltage across p‐i‐n. The prototype is designed to operate at a center frequency of 5.8 GHz with a size of 0.61 × 0.50 × 0.029 (λ03), where λ0 is the wavelength of the center frequency. Also, its end‐fire beam is in parallel with its plane. Experimental results show that the overlapped bandwidth for 10‐dB return loss and the 3‐dB axial ratio (AR) of the bidirectional end‐fire antenna is from 5.72 to 5.89 GHz for the two CP states. The half‐power beamwidth (HPBW) in the horizontal and vertical plane are 95°/115° at the 5.8 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Poverty is characterized by a scarcity of resources and a threat of certain stereotypes. However, the effects of stereotype threat are largely dependent on various factors, both negative and positive. Few psychophysiological studies have studied the effects of poverty stereotype threats on inhibition ability in wealth and impoverished individuals. Methods: To fill this gap in the literature, this study used the event‐related potential (ERP) technique to explore the brain mechanisms associated with stereotype threat in 135 participants. Results: Behavioral results showed that the rich group (participants from higher‐income families) had better inhibition ability than the impoverished group (participants from lower‐income families), with significantly shorter reaction time and significantly greater accuracy for poverty‐related stimuli when in the nonthreat condition. Additionally, poverty stereotype threat could improve performance of the impoverished group for poverty‐related stimuli. The electrophysiological results showed significantly larger P3 mean amplitude and significantly longer P3 latency in the rich group than the impoverished group in the nonthreat condition. Although no significant between‐group differences were found in the threat condition, the results show that the effect of poverty stereotype threat varies with different income‐level persons, for both behavioral and P3 data. Conclusion: These findings suggest that impoverished people have worse inhibition abilities. Further, poverty stereotype threat has different effects on people according to their income level and could help to explain irrational consumption behaviors in people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terminal voltage is easily affected by the characteristics of loads and variations in wind speed, loads and system parameters in a stand-alone wind energy conversion system. This paper presents a terminal voltage control scheme that combines the equivalent-input-disturbance (EID) and model predictive control (MPC). The total disturbance is observed and compensated in real time by the EID. A battery energy storage system based on MPC is employed to smooth the fluctuation and imbalance in power caused by the variation in wind speed and loads, thereby solving the problem of terminal voltage flicker and instability. The appropriate terminal voltage can be obtained using the proposed scheme, which is a simple design and offers good prospects for actual applications. The simulation results demonstrate the validity of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the heart of the canonical t -structure on the perfect derived category of a strictly positive graded algebra as the module category over the quadratic dual. Applying this result we obtain examples showing new phenomena on t -structures on derived categories of finite-dimensional algebras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major infectious diseases that seriously endanger people's health. In Shandong province, the relationship between the level of economic development and TB incidence has not been studied. This study aims to provide more research basis for the government to prevent and control TB by exploring the impact of different economic factors on TB incidence.Methods: By constructing threshold regression model (TRM), we described the extent to which different economic factors contribute to TB registered incidence and differences in TB registered incidence among seventeen cities with different levels of economic development in Shandong province, China, during 2006-2017. Data were retrieved from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention.Results: Per capita medical expenditure (regression coefficient, -0.0314462; SD, 0.0079305; P > |t|, 0.000) and per capita savings (regression coefficient, 0.0001924; SD, 0.0000566; P > |t|, 0.001) passed the significance test at the level of 1%.They are the two economic indicators that have the greatest impact on TB registered incidence. Through the threshold test, we selected the per capita savings as the threshold variable. In the three stages of per capita savings (<9772.8086 China Yuan(CNY); 9772.8086-33,835.5391 CNY; >33,835.5391 CNY), rural per capita income always has a significant negative impact on the TB registered incidence (The regression coefficients are - 0.0015682, - 0.0028132 and - 0.0022253 respectively. P is 0.007,0.000 and 0.000 respectively.).In cities with good economies, TB registered incidence was 38.30% in 2006 and dropped to 25.10% by 2017. In cities with moderate economies, TB registered incidence peaked in 2008 at 43.10% and dropped to 27.1% by 2017.In poorer cities, TB registered incidence peaked in 2008 at 56.30% and dropped to 28.9% in 2017.Conclusion: We found that per capita savings and per capita medical expenditure are most closely related to the TB incidence. Therefore, relevant departments should formulate a more complete medical system and medical insurance policy to effectively solve the problem of "difficult and expensive medical treatment". In order to further reduce the TB incidence, in addition to timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment, it is more important for governments to increase investment in medicine and health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer exhibits poor prognosis and high relapse rates following chemotherapy therapeutics. Thus, this study aims to develop effective novel agents regulating the core molecular pathway of breast cancer such as Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Methods: The present study screened a novel inhibitor, called "C188", using MTT assay. The molecular formula of C188 is C21H15FN4O3 and the molecular weight is 390. Flow cytometry and Western blotting were employed to assess cell cycle arrest after treatment with C188. Wound-healing and transwell assays were applied to measure the cell migration and invasion viability. The regulatory effects of C188 on Wnt/β‑catenin signaling and localization of β‑catenin in the nucleus were investigated by Western blotting and immunofluorescence. Results: We found that C188 significantly suppressed proliferation and growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner in breast cancer cells, but not in normal breast cells. The inhibitory effect was caused by cell cycle arrest at the G1-phase which is induced by C188 treatment. Additionally, C188 dramatically inhibited cell migration of breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. The migration inhibition was attributed to the suppression of Wnt/β‑catenin signaling and localization of β‑catenin in the nucleus mediated by regulating phosphorylation of β‑catenin and its subsequent stability. Furthermore, the target genes, including Axin 2, c-JUN, and c-Myc, were downregulated due to the decrease of β‑catenin in the nucleus after exposure to C188. Conclusion: C188 treatment resulted in the downregulation of cyclin D which led to cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, and the inhibition of cell migration, indicating that C188 may be an effective novel therapeutic candidate as a potential treatment for human breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 allele is a well-known risk factor for AD and is associated with higher amyloid deposition and earlier dementia onset. However, the relationship between amyloid pathology and the most common APOE allele, ɛ3, has not been well studied.Objective: In this study, we aimed to identify the risk factors predicting amyloid PET positivity in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and APOEɛ3/ɛ3 genotypes.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of MCI patients with APOEɛ3/ɛ3 genotypes who underwent amyloid PET scanning. Demographics, neuropsychological tests, and brain MRI were obtained. We analyzed which risk factors could affect amyloid PET positivity in MCI patients with APOEɛ3/ɛ3 genotypes using logistic regression models.Results: We recruited 171 MCI patients with APOEɛ3/ɛ3 genotypes in this study. Out of 171 patients, 49 patients (28.65%) showed positive results in the amyloid PET scans. In a multivariate logistic regression model, amyloid positivity was associated with frontal atrophy (OR = 2.63, p = 0.009), and CDR-SOB scores (OR = 2.46, p = 0.013). The odds ratio for amyloid PET positivity in patients older than and equal to 75 years with both frontal atrophy and CDR-SOB scores >1.0 was 3.63.Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that frontal atrophy, high CDR-SOB scores, and old age were risk factors associated with amyloid PET positivity in MCI with APOEɛ3/ɛ3 genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial resistance has become a serious threat to human health. In particular, the gradual development of resistance to polymyxins, the last line of defense for human infections, is a major issue. Secreted proteins contribute to the interactions between bacteria and the environment. In this study, we compared the secretomes of polymyxin B-sensitive and -resistant Escherichia coli strains by data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry. In total, 87 differentially expressed secreted proteins were identified in polymyxin B-resistant E. coli compared to the sensitive strain. A GO enrichment analysis indicated that the differentially expressed proteins were involved in biological processes, including bacterial-type flagellum-dependent cell motility, ion transport, carbohydrate derivative biosynthetic process, cellular response to stimulus, organelle organization, and cell wall organization or biogenesis. The differentially expressed secreted proteins in polymyxin B-resistant bacteria were enriched for multiple pathways, suggesting that the resistance phenotype depends on complex regulatory mechanisms. A potential biomarker or drug target (YebV) was found in polymyxin B-resistant E. coli. This work clarifies the secretome changes associated with the acquisition of polymyxin resistance and may contribute to drug development. • Quantitative secretome analysis of polymyxin B-resistant E. coli was firstly reported. • Polymyxins resistance is closely related to the improvement of antioxidant capacity. • Polymyxin B-resistant E. coli highly express YebV outside the cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vary from asymptomatic virus shedding, nonspecific pharyngitis, to pneumonia with silent hypoxia and respiratory failure. Dendritic cells and macrophages are sentinel cells for innate and adaptive immunity that affect the pathogenesis of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The interplay between SARS-CoV-2 and these cell types remains unknown. We investigated infection and host responses of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) and macrophages (MDMs) infected by SARS-CoV-2. MoDCs and MDMs were permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection and protein expression but did not support productive virus replication. Importantly, SARS-CoV-2 launched an attenuated interferon response in both cell types and triggered significant proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine expression in MDMs but not moDCs. Investigations suggested that this attenuated immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in moDCs was associated with viral antagonism of STAT1 phosphorylation. These findings may explain the mild and insidious course of COVID-19 until late deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seepage of gas-liquid two-phase flow in fracture is a commonly found phenomenon in nature. To reveal the underlying mechanism and the critical condition of the chaos occurrence, a stochastic gas-liquid two-phase flow seepage model is established, and then investigated through a numerical simulation and a horizontal Hele-Shaw experiment. The numerical simulation and laboratory experiment results show that the seepage chaos of gas-liquid two-phase flow takes place when the relative saturation is in the range of gas relative saturation 44%-70%, and the occurrence probability can be expressed in polynomials. The chaos probability exceeds 80% when the relative saturation of gas is 47%-65%, and the chaos probability is 100% when the relative gas saturation is 57%-60%. It is found that the stochastic variation of gas connection cluster and the compressibility of gas lead to a remarkable change of pressure gradient of the gas-liquid flow both in magnitude and direction. Therefore, the turbulent flow is formed, the kinetic energy of fluid transport decreases gradually, and the flow is stopped at last. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a high mortality disease, the fifth most general cancer worldwide, and the second leading to cancer-related deaths, with more than 500,000 new patients diagnosed each year. First, the high expression of centromere M (CENPM) in mammary gland tissue of b-catenin transformed mice was identified. Materials and methods: In our study, we evaluated the expression of CENPM in hepatocellular carcinoma based on data obtained from an online database. Multivariate analysis showed that the expression of CENPM and M classification was an independent prognostic factor for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Results: Survival analysis showed that patients with high CENPM had a worse prognosis than patients with low CENPM (P < 0.01). A multivariate Cox regression hazard model showed that B cells, CD8+ T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells infiltrated by immune cells were statistically significant in liver cancer (P < 0.05). Using the network, the 50 most frequently changed neighbor genes of CENPM were shown, and the most common change was RAD21 (18.3%). Conclusion: Our study found that the expression of CENPM was significantly increased in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and it was related to a variety of clinical characteristics, its correlation with the level of immune infiltration and poor prognosis, so CENPM can be used as a useful prognosis for patients’ markers and HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. To identify the most effective laxative for bowel preparation in unsedated colonoscopy. Methods. Between April 2019 and April 2020, a total of 586 outpatients scheduled for unsedated colonoscopy at the First Hospital of Jilin University (Changchun, China) were randomized into one of two groups, namely, the polyethylene glycol (PEG) group or the oral sodium phosphate solution (OSP) group. The cleaning efficiency and other relevant clinical parameters were compared between the two groups. Results. Each group consisted of 293 patients. There were no significant differences in gender, body mass index, and history of abdominal surgery between the two groups. There were more cases of laxative intolerance in the PEG group than in the OSP group (7.5% vs. 0.7%, P < 0.05). After tube insertion, we found that the cleaning efficiency of OSP was better than that of PEG (P < 0.05). After cleaning, there was no significant difference in bowel cleanliness between the two groups (P > 0.05). The colonoscopic insertion time of the PEG group was significantly shorter than that of the OSP group (10.0 vs. 12.0 min, P = 0.002), and colonoscopic insertion was more difficult in the OSP group than in the PEG group (P = 0.036). The VAS score of the PEG group patients was significantly lower than that of OSP group patients (4.0 ± 1.3 vs. 5.2 ± 1.7 , P ≤ 0.001). There were no significant differences in the cecal intubation rate and the detection rate of polyps and ulcers/erosion between the two groups. Conclusion. The cleaning efficiency and tolerability of OSP were preferable to those of PEG, but there was no significant difference in bowel cleanliness after washing the colon and suctioning the fluid. Compared with patients of the OSP group, those of the PEG group required a shorter colonoscopic insertion time and reported a more comfortable experience. Therefore, for cases that are tolerant of PEG, PEG is a better choice for unsedated colonoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two two-dimensional Ni(II) or Zn(II)-based coordination polymers, namely [[Ni3(μ4-cpboda)2(μ2-H2O)2(DMF)2(H2O)2]·3DMF·2HCOOH·2H2O]n (1) and [[Zn3(μ4-cpboda)2(μ2-H2O)2(DMF)2(H2O)2]·3DMF·3HCOOH·3H2O]n (2), a three-dimensional Ni(II)-based coordination polymer, namely [[Ni3(μ3-cpboda)2(1,4-bib)5(H2O)2]·DMF]n (3), and a dinuclear Zn(II) complex, namely [Zn (μ2-Hcpboda)(2,2-bipy)(H2O)]2 (4) (H3cpboda = 3,3′-((5-carboxy-1,3-phenylene)bis(oxy))dibenzoic acid, 2,2-bipy = 2,2-bipyridine, 1,4-bib = 1,4-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzene), were successfully synthesized under solvothermal conditions and characterized via single-crystal X-ray and powder diffraction analyses, elemental analyses (EA), FT-IR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Complexes 1 and 2 show isomorphism and (3,4,6)-connected 2D sheet structures with the (32·4)2(32·83·9)2(34·4·282·94·103) topology. Complex 3 is a 4,4,7-connected 3D structure with the (42·52·62)2(46·5·614)2(54·6·8) topology. Complex 4 is only a simple dinuclear structure. Magnetization measurements disclose the weak ferromagnetic behavior between Ni(II) ions in the complexes 1 and 3. Fluorescence measurements indicate that 2 and 4 exhibit fast, sensitive, and selective luminescence quenching responses towards Cr2O72−/CrO42− in an aqueous solution. The limit of detection for Cr2O72−/CrO42− ions were estimated to be 0.51 and 0.60 ppm for 2 (0.89 and 1.03 ppm for 4), respectively, which are comparable to those reported for the CP-based fluorescent probes that can simultaneously detect Cr2O72−/CrO42− in aqueous environments. Moreover, 2 and 4 can be easily regenerated after the detection experiments, which is indicative of the excellent recyclability. All these results suggest that complexes 2 and 4 are highly selective and recyclable luminescence sensing materials for the quantitative detection of Cr2O72−/CrO42− anions in aqueous solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperbranched polymers have garnered much attention due to attractive properties and wide applications, such as drug‐controlled release, stimuli‐responsive nano‐objects, photosensitive materials and catalysts. Herein, two types of novel hyperbranched poly(ester‐enamine) (hb‐PEEa) were designed and synthesized via the spontaneous amino‐yne click reaction of A2 monomer (1, 3‐bis(4‐piperidyl)‐propane (A2a) or piperazine (A2b)) and B3 monomer (trimethylolpropanetripropiolate). According to Flory's hypothesis, gelation is an intrinsic problem in an ideal A2+B3 polymerization system. By controlling the polymerization conditions, such as monomer concentration, molar ratio and rate of addition, a non‐ideal A2+B3 polymerization system can be established to avoid gelation and to synthesize soluble hb‐PEEa. Due to abundant unreacted alkynyl groups in periphery, the hb‐PEEa can be further functionalized by different amino compounds or their derivates. The as‐prepared amphiphilic PEG‐hb‐PEEa copolymer can readily self‐assemble into micelles in water, which can be used as surfactant to stabilize Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) during reduction of NaBH4 in aqueous solution. As a demonstration, the as‐prepared PEG‐hb‐PEEa‐supported AuNPs demonstrate good dispersion in water, solvent stability and remarkable catalytic activity for reduction of nitrobenzene compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths. Over 500,000 new HCC cases are diagnosed each year. Combining advanced genomic analysis with proteomic characterization not only has great potential in the discovery of useful biomarkers but also drives the development of new diagnostic methods.Methods: This study obtained proteomic data from Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) and validated in The Cancer Proteome Atlas (TCPA) and TCGA dataset to identify HCC biomarkers and the dysfunctional of proteogenomics.Results: The CPTAC database contained data for 159 patients diagnosed with Hepatitis-B related HCC and 422 differentially expressed proteins (112 upregulated and 310 downregulated proteins). Restricting our analysis to the intersection in survival-related proteins between CPTAC and TCPA database revealed four coverage survival-related proteins including PCNA, MSH6, CDK1, and ASNS.Conclusion: This study established a novel protein signature for HCC prognosis prediction using data retrieved from online databases. However, the signatures need to be verified using independent cohorts and functional experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six two‐dimensional (2D) coordination polymers (CPs), namely, poly[{μ5‐3,3‐[(5‐carboxylato‐1,3‐phenylene)bis(oxy)]dibenzoato‐κ6O1:O1′:O3,O3′:O5:O5′}bis(N,N‐dimethylformamide‐κO)lanthanide(III)], [Ln(C21H11O8)(C3H7NO)2]n, with lanthanide/Ln = cerium/Ce for CP1, praseodymium/Pr for CP2, neodymium/Nd for CP3, samarium/Sm for CP4, europium/Eu for CP5 and gadolinium/Gd for CP6, have been prepared by solvothermal methods using the ligand 3,3′‐[(5‐carboxy‐1,3‐phenylene)bis(oxy)]dibenzoic acid (H3cpboda) in the presence of Ln(NO3)3. The complexes were characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray and powder diffraction, IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). All the structures of this family of lanthanide CPs are isomorphous with the triclinic space group P and reveal that they have the same 2D network based on binuclear LnIII units, which are further extended via interlayer C—H...π interactions into a three‐dimensional supramolecular structure. The carboxylate groups of the cpboda3− ligands link adjacent LnIII ions and form binuclear [Ln2(RCOO)4] secondary building units (SBUs), in which each binuclear LnIII SBU contains four carboxylate groups from different cpboda3− ligands. Moreover, with the increase of the rare‐earth Ln atomic radius, the dihedral angles between the aromatic rings gradually increase. Magnetically, CP6 shows weak antiferromagnetic coupling between the GdIII ions. The solid‐state luminescence properties of CP2, CP5 and CP6 were examined at ambient temperature and CP5 exhibits characteristic red emission bands derived from the Eu3+ ion (CIE 0.53, 0.31), with luminescence quantum yields of 22%. Therefore, CP5 should be regarded as a potential optical material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we have identified a novel matrix protein, named PfX, from the pearl oyster Pinctada fucada , and investigated the effects of recombinant PfX protein on calcium carbonate crystallization. The expression of PfX was spatially concentrated in the mantle tissue and gill, the former of which is responsible for the formation of shell structures. The shell notching assay showed a PfX expression response during injured shell repair and regeneration, suggesting the potential involvement of this matrix protein in shell biomineralization. Further, an in vitro crystallization assay showed that PfX could alter the CaCO 3 morphologies of both calcite and aragonite polymorphs. Correspondingly, a binding assay indicated that PfX has strong binding affinity for CaCO 3 crystals, especially aragonite. Further, the protein's calcite binding capacity increased obviously when particular crystal faces were induced. In addition, PfX conjugated with fluorescent dye cyanine-5 (cy5) was preferentially distributed on rough crystal faces instead of the smooth and common (1 0 4) faces of calcite during the crystallization. These results suggest that matrix protein PfX might regulate CaCO 3 morphology via selective binding and inhibit the growth of certain crystal faces, providing new clues for understanding biomineralization mechanisms in mollusk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The bridge influence line can reflect the structural behavior under moving vehicle loads, which is becoming a proposing tool to study the bridge behavior during service life. A high‐speed vehicle will induce dynamic effect on the bridge, which will significantly change the shape of response curve. It is essential to consider the dynamic response for the accurate identification of the bridge influence line. This paper firstly summarizes current research activities for bridge influence line identification and components of the bridge dynamic responses. A dynamic fluctuation part elimination method based on empirical mode decomposition is proposed, based on which the bridge static influence line is identified by static bridge influence line identification method. Finally, a vehicle–bridge coupling model of a simply supported beam excited by passing vehicles with three different speeds is introduced to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed identification method. The result of this study provides an effective identification method of the bridge static influence line, which can lead to a satisfactory identification results based on the dynamic responses induced by high‐speed vehicle loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Diabetes is one of the most distinct comorbidities of COVID-19. Here, we describe the clinical characteristics of and outcomes in patients with diabetes in whom COVID-19 was confirmed or clinically diagnosed (with typical features on lung imaging and symptoms) and their association with glucose-lowering or blood pressure-lowering medications.Research Design and Methods: In this retrospective study involving 904 patients with COVID-19 (136 with diabetes, mostly type 2 diabetes), clinical and laboratory characteristics were collected and compared between the group with diabetes and the group without diabetes, and between groups taking different medications. Logistic regression was used to explore risk factors associated with mortality or poor prognosis.Results: The proportion of comorbid diabetes is similar between cases of confirmed and of clinically diagnosed COVID-19. Risk factors for higher mortality of patients with diabetes and COVID-19 were older age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.09 [95% CI 1.04, 1.15] per year increase; P = 0.001) and elevated C-reactive protein (aOR 1.12 [95% CI 1.00, 1.24]; P = 0.043). Insulin usage (aOR 3.58 [95% CI 1.37, 9.35]; P = 0.009) was associated with poor prognosis. Clinical outcomes of those who use an ACE inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin II type-I receptor blocker (ARB) were comparable with those of patients who do not use ACEI/ARB among COVID-19 patients with diabetes and hypertension.Conclusions: C-reactive protein may help to identify patients with diabetes who are at greater risk of dying during hospitalization. Older patients with diabetes were prone to death related to COVID-19. Attention needs to be paid to patients with diabetes and COVID-19 who use insulin. ACEI/ARB use showed no significant impact on patients with diabetes and hypertension who have COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on experimental and theoretical results, we find that the high-index (2 2 1) facets and the low-coordinated edge sites of gold nanoparticles are more favorable for the reduction of CO 2 to CO by comparing the performance of Au colloids with Au trisoctahedron of different sizes. Electrochemical conversion of CO 2 into fuels is a promising means to solve greenhouse effect and recycle chemical energy. However, the CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) is limited by the high overpotential, slow kinetics and the accompanied side reaction of hydrogen evolution reaction. Au nanocatalysts exhibit high activity and selectivity toward the reduction of CO 2 into CO. Here, we explore the Faradaic efficiency (FE) of CO 2 RR catalyzed by 50 nm gold colloid and trisoctahedron. It is found that the maximum FE for CO formation on Au trisoctahedron reaches 88.80% at −0.6 V, which is 1.5 times as high as that on Au colloids (59.04% at −0.7 V). The particle-size effect of Au trisoctahedron has also been investigated, showing that the FE for CO decreases almost linearly to 62.13% when the particle diameter increases to 100 nm. The X-ray diffraction characterizations together with the computational hydrogen electrode (CHE) analyses reveal that the (2 2 1) facets on Au trisoctahedron are more feasible than the (1 1 1) facets on Au colloids in stabilizing the critical intermediate COOH*, which are responsible for the higher FE and lower overpotential observed on Au trisoctahedron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Sliding bearings of a bridge are important sliding elements that accommodate the bridge movement caused by temperature action and vehicle/wind load. The sliding life of sliding bearings is determined by the wear of the sliding materials in the bearing. However, the wear of sliding bearings primarily results from a large amount of cumulative sliding displacement experienced by the sliding bearing, even if the movement of the bridge under the vehicle/wind load is far less than the allowable design displacement of the sliding bearing. In general, bearing displacement is monitored using displacement gauges with a low sampling frequency, which cannot accurately capture the relatively high‐frequency displacement component caused by vehicle/wind loads. For predicting the sliding life of sliding bearings, this paper provides a mode rotation angle superposition approach to estimate cumulative sliding displacement. The estimation approach incorporates the combination of the rotation angles of bridge ends and the modal parameters of bridges. The feasibility and advantage of the estimation approach are illustrated by a numerical example; then, the influence factors of the error are analysed. Finally, sliding life prediction of sliding bearings is applied to an actual bridge using the estimation approach of cumulative sliding displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the characteristics of BRAFV600E mutation in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in Chinese coastal areas. We intended to identify noninvasive methods to determine BRAFV600E status in thyroid nodules prior to surgery. BRAFV600E mutation and the sonographic characteristics of thyroid nodules were investigated in 670 PTC patients in our hospital. We aimed to determine the relationship between BRAFV600E mutation and the clinicopathological and sonographic imaging characteristics of PTC. The mutation rate of the BRAFV600E was 78.2%. BRAFV600E mutation was significantly associated with central node (univariate analyses, P = .005; multivariate analyses, P < .001, odds ratio [OR] = 10.255) and lateral node metastases (univariate analyses, P = .001; multivariate analyses, P < .001, OR = 22). It was less frequent in PTC coexisting with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (univariate analyses, P = .016; multivariate analyses, P < .001, OR = .034). Nodules without blood flow had a significantly higher mutation rate of BRAFV600E in PTC patients (univariate analyses, P = .026). BRAFV600E mutation was significantly associated with high suspicion in the Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System 5 (univariate analyses, P = .004; multivariate analyses, P = .014, OR = 6.456). Our results strongly suggest that BRAFV600E mutation plays a potential role in lymph node metastasis (central node metastasis, OR = 10.225; lateral node metastasis, OR = 22). Some sonographic imaging features might be helpful in estimating the status of BRAFV600E preoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the continued improvement in the surgical techniques during primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA), literatures indicate that up to 10 to 20% patients are not satisfied with their outcomes. Psychological factors in this dissatisfaction are yet to be clearly identified. The aim of this study is to develop a method to assess whether the patient's current mental state is suitable enough to accept a TKA surgery. Methods: Preoperative demographic and clinical data of 532 patients who underwent TKA were prospectively obtained from January 2012 until December 2016. We recorded the scores evaluated by SF-36 questionnaire and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively. Preoperative Life Satisfaction Rating (LSR) is emphatically evaluated. Results: Poor preoperative score of LSR was a significant predictor of dissatisfaction after TKA. Patients with low LSR reported significant pain and stiffness, although there was no remarkable effect on functionality of the replaced joint. The results also showed that age and BMI were not strong predictors of satisfaction in TKA. Conclusion: Our outcomes can help clinicians evaluate whether a patient's current mental status is favorable for TKA. If patients have extreme low scores of LSR (less than 10), a psychological intervention should be recommended for better satisfaction following a TKA surgery. This would also allow surgeons to individually assess the risks and benefits of surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]