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AbstractHerein, we report the synthesis of a small molecule quinoline Schiff-base “turn-on” fluorescence probe L, denoted as (2-NC9H6)C(H)=N(C6H4OCH3-p), utilizing 4-aminoanisole and quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde as precursors. The synthesized probe was comprehensively characterized through EA,1H/13C NMR, FT-IR, and ESI-MS spectral analysis. In a CH3CN/H2O solution (1/1, v/v, 0.01 M PBS buffer, pH = 7.30), probe L responded to Hg(II) with high sensitivity (LOD = 2.98 × 10−7 M) and selectivity. Upon binding to Hg(II), the fluorescence of the probe shifted from being initially off to a distinct blue emission. The probe L to Hg(II) binding ratio was 1:1 and the binding constant was 1.955 × 104 M−1. The detection mechanism of Hg(II) by probe L is due to the complex formation between the metal ion and imine nitrogen (–CH = N), thus causing chelation-enhanced fluorescence. TD-DFT studies at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory further confirmed that the complexation of L and Hg(II) occurred. Finally, probe L could reversibly identify Hg(II) upon adding EDTA, thus developing a molecular logic gate. In addition, this probe was successfully used to detect Hg(II) in actual water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) exerts essential roles in early embryos, especially in the maternal‐to‐zygotic transition stage. However, the landscape and roles of RNA m6A modification during the transition between pluripotent stem cells and 2‐cell‐like (2C‐like) cells remain elusive. Here, we utilised ultralow‐input RNA m6A immunoprecipitation to depict the dynamic picture of transcriptome‐wide m6A modifications during 2C‐like transitions. We found that RNA m6A modification was preferentially enriched in zygotic genome activation (ZGA) transcripts and MERVL with high expression levels in 2C‐like cells. During the exit of the 2C‐like state, m6A facilitated the silencing of ZGA genes and MERVL. Notably, inhibition of m6A methyltransferase METTL3 and m6A reader protein IGF2BP2 is capable of significantly delaying 2C‐like state exit and expanding 2C‐like cells population. Together, our study reveals the critical roles of RNA m6A modification in the transition between 2C‐like and pluripotent states, facilitating the study of totipotency and cell fate decision in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of transformation and superposition from the Paleo-Asian Ocean to the Paleo-Pacific Ocean tectonic systems have been a critical scientific issue. However, the final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and the initial subduction time of the Paleo-Pacific Ocean, together with the conversion between them in Northeast China, still remain controversial. The Triassic granites in the Jiamusi Block are located in the key position of Northeast China, recording the conversion process of two tectonic domains. Through systematic geochronology and geochemical studies, it can provide important constraints for revealing the superposition and conversion mechanism of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and the Paleo-Pacific Ocean and the early subduction history of the Paleo-Pacific Ocean plate. In this study, the granites in Jiamusi Block were formed in the Early–Middle Triassic (250–245 Ma), characterized by high Si, rich alkali, poor Mg, and are obviously enriched in light rare earth elements and large ion lithophile elements, depleting in high field strength elements such as Nb, Ta, and Ti. They have typical characteristics of continental magmatic arc, deriving from partial melting of amphibolite facies and garnet amphibolite facies mafic lower crust. Combined with zircon Hf isotope results, zircon εHf(t) values are −6.52 to + 9.79, and the two-stage Hf model ages are 0.6–1.7 Ga, indicating that the magma should be derived from a relative younger crustal source, and some ancient materials may be added. Moreover, based on the spatial-temporal framework and Hf isotope characteristics of magmatism in Northeast China, we believe that the Jiamusi Block belonged to an exotic block. Meanwhile, combined with geochronological and geochemical data of igneous rocks on the Jiamusi Block, we suggest that the evolution of Jiamusi Block was dominated by the Paleo-Pacific Ocean rather than Paleo-Asian Ocean during the Triassic, which means the subduction of Paleo-Pacific Ocean plate initiated at least in Early Triassic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leontopodium leontopodioides (Willd.) Beauv. (L. leontopodioides.) has been used to treat lung diseases in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, a systematic analysis of its chemical components has not been reported so far. In this study, UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS and GC-MS were applied to investigate the chemical composition of the water extracts and essential oils of L. leontopodioides. UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS adopts a heating electrospray ionization source, collecting primary and secondary mass spectrometry data in positive and negative ions, respectively, and uses Compound Discoverer 3.2 software to analyze the collected raw data. As a result, a total of 39 compounds were identified from their high-resolution mass spectra in both positive and negative ionization modes, including 13 flavonoids and their glycosides, 15 phenolic acids, 4 oligosaccharides and glycosides, 4 pentacyclic triterpenoids, and 3 other compounds. Among them, 18 chemical components have not been reported in L. leontopodioides. In the GC-MS section, two common organic solvents (n-hexane and diethyl ether) were used to extract essential oils, and the mass spectra were recorded at 70 eV (electron impact) and scanned in the range of 35∼450 m/z. Compounds were identified using NIST (version 2017), and the peak area normalization method was used to calculate their relative amounts. Finally, 17 components were identified in the volatile oil extracted with n-hexane, accounting for 80.38% of the total volatile oil, including monoterpenoids, phenylpropene, fatty acids, and aliphatic hydrocarbons. In the volatile oil extracted with diethyl ether, 16 components were identified, accounting for 73.50% of the total volatile oil, including phenylpropene, aliphatic hydrocarbons, monoterpenoids, fatty acids, and esters. This study was the first to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the chemical composition of the L. leontopodioides water extract and its essential oil, and a comprehensive chemical composition spectrum was constructed, to lay a foundation for its further pharmacodynamic material basis and quality evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor cell stemness stands out as a pivotal factor driving tumor recurrence or metastasis and significantly contributes to the mortality of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Recent research has unveiled a link between immune-active cells and the induction of tumor cell stemness, ultimately leading to heightened resistance to treatment. In this study, stemness in CRC cell lines was assessed after co-culture with natural killer (NK) cells, both with and without sulfarotene administration. Furthermore, a CRC xenograft model was utilized to scrutinize the in vivo efficacy of sulfarotene in overcoming stemness induced by NK cell activation. As a result, CRC cells exhibited significant stemness after NK cell co-culture, as evidenced by the upregulation of several stemness markers associated with cancer stem cells. Moreover, these cells demonstrated remarkable resistance to commonly used chemotherapy agents for CRC, such as oxaliplatin and irinotecan. Importantly, sulfarotene effectively reversed the altered stemness of CRC cells in both in vitro and in vivo assays. In conclusion, sulfarotene emerges as a promising therapeutic strategy for overcoming colorectal cancer resistance to NK cells by effectively inhibiting stemness remodeling. This study underscores the potential of sulfarotene in augmenting NK-cell-mediated immune surveillance, proposing a novel immunotherapeutic approach against colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To investigate the effect of edaravone dexborneol (ED) on microglial polarization in rats with brain injury caused by hydraulic shock, and explore its mechanism based on Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) / nuclear factor- κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Methods 32 rats of 205 healthy male SD rats were randomly selected as sham group, the remaining 173 rats were prepared with brain injury model by hydraulic shock method, and 160 model rats were randomly divided into model group, ED (7 mg/kg) group, TAK242 (ressatovir, TLR4 inhibitor, 2 mg/ kg) group, ED (7 mg/kg) +TAK242 (2 mg/kg) group and ED (7 mg/ kg)+lipolyaccharide (LPS, TLR4 agonist, 0.4 mg/ kg) group, with 32 rats in each group. After 14 days of continuous intraperitoneal injection once a day, the nerve function, brain water content and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability were measured by modified neurological severity score (mNSS), weightlessness method or Evans blue (EB) penetration method, the brain histopathological changes was observed by HE and Nissl staining, the levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL) 1β, IL-4 and IL-10 in brain tissue were detected by ELISA, the M1 polarization phenotype (CD86/ Iba-1) and M2 polarization phenotype (CD206/ Iba-1) of microglia cells were detected by immunofluorescence double staining, the mRNA and protein expressions of TLR4, NF-κB p65, NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), aquaporin 4 (AQP4) were detected by RT-PCR or Western blot. Results Compared with the model group, the mNSS score, brain water content, BBB permeability of the rats in ED group, TAK242 group, ED+TAK242 group were significantly were decreased (P<0. 05), the pathological changes such as brain structure disorder, sparse and disordered neuronal arrangement, vacuole-like transformation, inflammatory cell infiltration, decrease in the number of Nishi bodies were significantly improved, the levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1β in brain tissue were significantly decreased, while the levels of IL-4, IL-10 were significantly increased (P <0. 05), the mRNA and protein expressions of TLR4, NF-κB p65, NLRP3, AQP4 were significantly decreased (P<0. 05). TAK242 could significantly enhance the regulatory effects of ED on nerve function, brain water content, BBB permeability, inflammatory response, microglia polarization, TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway related mRNA and protein expression of the rats with hydraulic shock brain injury (P<0.05), while LPS could significantly reverse the above regulatory effects of ED on the rats with hydraulic shock brain injury (P<0.05). Conclusion ED may promote the polarization of microglia from M1 phenotype to M2 phenotype by inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, inhibit inflammatory response and BBB permeability increasing, and thus play a protective role in brain injury caused by hydraulic shock in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compute the causality/positivity bounds on the Wilson coefficients of scalar-tensor effective field theories. Two-sided bounds are obtained by extracting IR information from UV physics via dispersion relations of scattering amplitudes, making use of the full crossing symmetry. The graviton t-channel pole is carefully treated in the numerical optimization, taking into account the constraints with fixed impact parameters. It is shown that the typical sizes of the Wilson coefficients can be estimated by simply inspecting the dispersion relations. We carve out sharp bounds on the leading coefficients, particularly, the scalar-Gauss-Bonnet couplings, and discuss how some bounds vary with the leading (∂ϕ)4 coefficient and as well as phenomenological implications of the causality bounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The direct detection of gravitational waves opens the possibility to test general relativity and its alternatives in the strong field regime. Here we focus on the test of the existence of extra dimensions. The classification of gravitational waves in metric gravity theories according to their polarizations in higher-dimensional space-time and the possible observation of these polarizations in three-dimensional subspace are discussed in this work. We also show that the difference in the response of gravitational waves in detectors with and without extra dimensions can serve as evidence for the existence of extra dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the possible parameter space of Palatini–Horndeski theory with gravitational waves in a spatially flat Universe. We develop a general method for obtaining the speed of gravitational waves in the Palatini formalism in the cosmological background and we find that if the theory satisfies the following condition: in any spatially flat cosmological background, the tensor gravitational wave speed is the speed of light c, then only S = ∫ d 4 x - g [ K (ϕ , X) - G 3 (ϕ , X) □ ~ ϕ + G 4 (ϕ) R ~ ] is left as the possible action in Palatini–Horndeski theory. We also find that when G 5 (ϕ , X) ≠ 0 , the tensor part of the connection will propagate and there are two different tensor gravitational wave speeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft polyurethane (PU) materials exhibit excellent structural stability, sound absorption and heat insulation, and they can be used to prepare multifunctional conductive composites with electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding function. On the basis of a multistep assembly strategy, our study constructed composite foams with sound absorption and EMI shielding properties by designing different functional layers and expanded the application field of PU foam. First, carbon black particles are compounded with PU foam to improve the mechanical properties and conductivity of pure foam. Then, an aluminum layer and a knitted fabric layer were introduced to construct composite foam samples with a sandwich structure, endowing the materials with excellent EMI shielding performance. The resultant composite foam material exhibits effective EMI shielding performance and good sound absorption performance, which are 58.33 dB and >0.3, respectively. Moreover, the composite foam material demonstrates high bursting strength and compression resistance, suggesting that it can be used under different conditions. The employment of the multistep assembly strategy provides PU foam with a flexible range of applications, offering an innovative approach for preparing multifunctional conductive composite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to tune the performance of acoustic metamaterials without structural modifications or complex active control circuits is a remarkable challenge. In this work, we present a square piezoelectric side-branch (PSB) pipe-type structure that consists of the piezoelectric composite sheets (PCSs) on its sidewall and propose the corresponding equivalent electroacoustic circuit model. Compared with the traditional side-branch, theoretical and numerical results show that the thickness of the PSB can be up to λ / 200 , and the tunable phase shift of the transmitted wave in the PSB pipe can achieve nearly 2 π by adjusting the capacitances that are connected to the PCSs. The experiment for a square pipe with one PCS is also given to prove the phase control ability of the PSB model. Furthermore, we show that by merely adjusting the external capacitances of the PCSs, switching the functions between the 45° extraordinary transmission and the acoustic focusing for the same incident wave can be exactly realized. Our work provides a promising potential in active controls and integration designs of acoustic metamaterials and devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) belongs to a polyurethane family that possesses an elongation much higher than 300%, despite having low mechanical strength, which can be overcome by incorporating clay-based halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) as additives to manufacture TPU/HNT nanocomposites. This paper focuses on the co-influence of HNT content and 3D printing parameters on the mechanical properties of 3D printed TPU/HNT nanocomposites in terms of tensile properties, hardness, and abrasion resistance via fused deposition modelling (FDM). The optimum factor-level combination for different responses was determined with the aid of robust statistical Taguchi design of experiments (DoEs). Material characterisation was also carried out to evaluate the surface morphology, nanofiller dispersion, chemical structure, thermal stability, and phase behaviour corresponding to the DoE results obtained. It is evidently shown that HNT level and infill density play a significant role in impacting mechanical properties of 3D-printed TPU/HNT nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), which is a well-known hemorrhagic disorder characterized by low platelet counts, has been shown to be associated with the risk of thrombosis. Thrombopoietic agents (TAs) are extensively used as second-line treatments for ITP, effectively reducing the risk of hemorrhage. However, thrombosis, a potential adverse effect of TAs, raises clinical challenges. Methods: The MEDLINE(PubMed), Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched for relevant studies, including both single-arm trials and randomized controlled trials (RCTs), without language restrictions. Results: A total of 17 RCTs comprising 2,105 patients and 29 single-arm trials comprising 3,227 patients were included. In the single-arm meta-analysis, the pooled rate of overall thrombotic events in ITP patients receiving TAs was 2.2% (95% CI 1.0% − 3.7%). In RCTs, a higher incidence of thrombosis (33/1425 vs. 4/680) and higher risk ratios (RR) of overall, arterial, and venous thrombotic events (1.73, 95% CI [0.88, 3.39], P = 0.113; RR 1.98, 95% CI [0.80, 4.92], P = 0.141; RR 1.06, 95% CI [0.46, 2.41], P = 0.895, respectively) were observed in the TAs group than in the control group, although the differences were not significant. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that hetrombopag was the only TA with no increased thrombotic risk (rate 0.3% 95% CI [0.0 − 1.5%]; RR 0.76, 95% CI [0.03, 18.41], P = 0.864) compared to eltrombopag, avatrombopag, romiplostim, and rhTPO. Subgroup analyses also revealed that ITP patients with advanced age (3.7% vs. 1.3%, P = 0.132) or with a thrombotic history (3.0% vs. 1.4%, P = 0.257), and patients who received TAs therapy for a long duration (4.7% vs. 0.1%, P < 0.001) had an increased risk of thrombosis. Conclusion: Our findings suggest ITP patients treated with TAs have a nonsignificantly higher risk of overall, arterial, and venous thrombotic events. Furthermore, hetrombopag is the recommended TA to avoid thrombophilia. Patients receiving long-term TAs, as well as elderly ITP patients or those with a history of thrombosis, face an increased thrombotic risk. In general, clinicians should consider potential thrombotic risks, address underlying risk factors, and ensure ongoing monitoring and follow-up when treating ITP patients with TAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although immunoglobulin (Ig) A vasculitis (IgAV) nephritis is a common form of secondary pediatric glomerulonephritis, there is no consensus on an appropriate therapeutic regimen for moderate-to-severe pediatric IgAV nephritis grade III or the effectiveness of aggressive immunosuppressive therapy. The objective is to evaluate the efficacy and renal outcomes of methylprednisolone pulse therapy with or without cyclophosphamide pulse therapy for grade III IgAV nephritis in children. This retrospective, single-center study included 115 children with IgAV nephritis grade III. The primary endpoint was proteinuria reduction from moderate or severe levels to a normal level. The secondary endpoint was stable renal function, that is, an increase of less than 25% from the baseline creatinine level over the 4-month follow-up period. Among 115 children with IgAV nephritis grade III, 59 received methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide double-pulse treatment; methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide double-pulses did not significantly improve proteinuria remission. Proteinuria improvement did not show any difference with or without cyclophosphamide treatment. Furthermore, methylprednisolone pulse therapy showed no benefit over steroid therapy alone. The demographic and baseline disease characteristics among the treatment groups were well-balanced. The rates of complete remission in 24-hour proteinuria excretion over the 4-month follow-up period in the methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide double-pulse, methylprednisolone plus oral prednisolone, and oral prednisolone-only groups were 91.52%, 92.31%, and 100%, respectively. Renal function remained stable in all the patients. Most patients with IgAV nephritis grade III showed a good prognosis. However, the addition of methylprednisolone and/or cyclophosphamide pulses did not offer benefits over steroid-only therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rich club is a special phenomenon in complex networks. It refers to the nodes with high degrees (i.e., rich nodes) that tend to connect with each other to form a "rich club". This phenomenon exists in many real networks, especially in social networks. However, there are also some networks not having this phenomenon, for example, in many biological networks. Thus, a natural question comes up: do these rich nodes contact with each other through an "agent"? Two rich nodes do not connect directly, but they can establish a connection by an "agent", i.e., they can connect with each other within two steps. If the rich nodes tend to connect with each other within two steps, we say that they form a "2-step rich club". The traditional rich club is then called "1-step rich club". In this paper, we aim to design one method to detect the "2-step rich club" phenomenon in real networks and check whether this new "2-step rich club" phenomenon commonly exists in real networks. We find that most networks with "1-step rich club" will also have "2-step rich club". However, there also exist few networks having "2-step rich club" structure while not having "1-step rich club" structure. In particular, either 1-step rich-club phenomenon or 2-step rich-club phenomenon exists in most social networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effect of butylphthalide combined with oxiracetam on cognitive function, intellectual recovery and serum inflammatory factors in patients with cognitive impairment after cerebral infarction. Methods: This is a Clinical comparative study. A total of 80 patients with cognitive impairment after cerebral infarction who visited Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine from January 2020 to January 2022 were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups. Patients in the control group were treated with oral oxiracetam combined with routine treatment. Patients in the study group were given butylphthalide combined with oxiracetam on the basis of routine treatment. Compare the clinical effect, cognitive function and intellectual recovery, inflammatory factor level changes, CBV, CBF, MTT and other cerebral blood flow perfusion indicators, as well as post-treatment incidence of adverse drug reactions in the two groups of patients. Results: The efficacy of the study group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p=0.03). After treatment, the levels of CBV and CBF in the study group were higher than those in the control group, the levels of TNF-α, CRP and IL-6 were significantly lower than those of the control group, while MTT was shorter than that in the control group, with statistically significant difference (p=0.00). Furthermore, there was a statistically significant difference that the MMSE score and MOCA score of the study group were higher than those of the control group (p=0.00). Conclusion: Butylphthalide combined with oxiracetam has an obvious curative effect in the treatment of patients with cognitive impairment after cerebral infarction. It is a safe and effective therapeutic option that can significantly recover cognitive function and intelligence, improve cerebral blood flow perfusion and reduce inflammatory factors, without an obvious increase in adverse reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous reports have confirmed that crude saponins (ginsenosides) in Panax ginseng have a preventive effect on chemotherapy-induced intestinal injury. However, the protective effects and possible mechanisms of ginsenoside Re (G-Re, a maker saponin in ginseng) against chemotherapy-induced intestinal damage have not been thoroughly studied. In this work, a series of experiments in vivo and in vitro on the intestinal toxicity caused by cisplatin have been designed to verify the improvement effect of G-Re, focusing on the levels of Wnt3a and β -catenin. Mice were intragastric with G-Re for 10 days, and intestinal injury was induced by intraperitoneal administration of cisplatin at a dose of 20 mg/kg. Histopathology, gastrointestinal digestive enzyme activities, inflammatory cytokines, and oxidative status were evaluated to investigate the protective effect. Furthermore, in IEC-6 cells, G-Re statistically reverses cisplatin-induced oxidative damage and cytotoxicity. The TUNEL and Hoechst 33258 staining demonstrated that G-Re possesses protective effects in cisplatin-induced apoptosis. Additionally, pretreatment with G-Re significantly alleviated the apoptosis via inhibition of over-expressions of B-associated X (Bax), as well as the caspase family members, such as caspase 3 and 9, respectively, in vivo and in vitro. Notably, western blotting results showed that G-Re treatment decreased Wnt3a, Glycogen synthase kinase 3 β (GSK- 3 β), and β -catenin expression, suggesting that nuclear accumulation of β -catenin was attenuated, thereby inhibiting the activation of GSK- 3 β -dependent Wnt/ β -catenin signaling, which was consistent with our expected results. Therefore, the above evidence suggested that G-Re may be a candidate drug for the treatment of intestinal injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing of ocean surface pressure from space is very important, and differential absorption LIDAR and differential absorption radar are only two kinds of remote sensing instruments with this potential. The differential absorption LIDAR works with the integral path mode from the spacecraft in the 400 km low-Earth orbit. The differential optical depth of the oxygen A-band is measured, and then the ocean surface pressure is obtained using a circle-iterative calculation. Performance evaluation of the differential absorption LIDAR model was based on feasibility to the advanced system parameters of the space instrument, whilst weak echo pulse energy at ocean surface yielded random errors in the surface pressure measurement. On the other hand, uncertain atmospheric temperature profiles and water vapor mixture profiles resulted in a primary systematic error in the surface pressure. The error of the surface pressure is sensitive to the jitter of the central frequency of laser emission. Under a strict implementation of the error budget, the time resolution is 6.25 s and the along-orbit distance resolution is 44 km, 625 echoes from ocean surface was cumulatively averaged. Consequently, if the jitter of the central frequency of laser emission exceeded 10 MHz, controlling the error of the surface pressure below 0.1% proved almost hopeless; further, the error could be expected to within 0.1–0.2%; however, the error limited within 0.2–0.3% is an achievable indicator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In‐depth studies of carcass characters and meat quality could provide insight both for breeding improvement and food development in pigs. Breed and gender are two main factors affected the carcass and meat altitude, which plays important roles in pork industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sex effects on carcass characteristics and meat quality traits in a novel Duroc strain pig crossbred from French line, American line and Canadian line pigs. A total of 30 pigs (15 surgical‐castrated males and 15 females) with similar birthweight (1.8 ± 0.13 kg) was used in experiment. During the experiment period, all pigs were fed same commercial diets. Overall, female pigs observed higher (p < 0.05) carcass weight, slaughter backfat, loin muscle area, loin muscle depth, carcass yield, pH on 45 min, meat histidine and essential amino acid (AA) compositions, and eicosenoic, unsaturation and free fatty acids (FA) compositions compared with meat from castrated males. Whereas, castrated males' meat showed better altitude (p < 0.05) on meat lightness, meat moisture content percentage, total umami AA and stearic acid and saturated FA compositions than those from female ones. In conclusion, the results of this study provide evidence on the sex effects on meat quality and carcass parameters in Duroc strain pigs. Furthermore, this study also give a reference on the relationship between sex and carcass and meat characteristics in Durco strain pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New energy landscape architecture is a new energy building integrated with aesthetics and art design, which can meet people's dual needs of low energy consumption and architectural aesthetics. In recent years, the development speed of new energy landscape architecture is increasing, and the design and research of new energy landscape architecture has become a hot spot. The new values, aesthetics, technology and design concepts will always stimulate and promote the urban landscape design to constantly enrich itself. Therefore, it is a new exploration direction to shape new urban landscape design through multimedia technology. Multimedia technology uses computer to process text, graphics, images, sound, animation, video and other information to establish logical relationship and human–computer interaction. The virtual reality technology in multimedia integrates the latest development achievements of computer graphics, multimedia, artificial intelligence, multi-sensor, network, parallel processing and other technologies. Multimedia technology makes the colour of the landscape form the most visual impact factors, it is easy to leave a deep impression on people, to achieve the visual effect of the landscape. Therefore, this paper studies soft multimedia assisted new energy productive landscape design based on the environmental analysis and edge-driven artificial intelligence. The designed framework is efficient through the comparison simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the influence of absorption, anisotropy and unstable layered turbulence on the channel capacity of horizontal seawater link. By developing the spectrum average coherence length of collimated beam wave in the absorptive seawater turbulence, we propose a model of the channel capacity of links with carrier Bessel-Gaussian vortex localized wave. Our model shows that the capacity of links increases with the increasing of the half-modulated pulse width of the input pulse, the rate of dissipation of kinetic energy per unit mass of fluid and the anisotropic factor of turbulence, but it decreases with the increasing of the Bessel cone angle and the dissipation rate of the mean-squared temperature. We also find that there is a maximum effective beam waist for a given receiving aperture, the channel capacity is more sensitive to salinity fluctuations than to temperature fluctuations in turbulence, and the influences of the inner scale and outer scale of turbulence on channel capacity of links in anisotropic turbulence and isotropic turbulence are different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the dimensional accuracy consisting of thickness, grip section width, full length, circularity, cylindricity and surface finish of printed polyurethane dog-bone samples based on American Society for Testing and Materials D638 type V standard, which were optimally printed by fused deposition modelling (FDM). Design/methodology/approach: The experimental approach focuses on determining main effects of printing parameters, including nozzle temperature, infill percentage, print speed and layer height on dimensional error and surface finish of the printed samples, followed by the confirmation tests to warrant the reproducibility of experimental results. Findings: This study shows that layer height has the most significant impact on dimensional accuracy and surface finish of printed samples compared to other printing parameters, whereas infill density has no significant effect on all sample dimensions. Originality/value: This paper presents a comprehensive study relating to various dimensional accuracies in terms of full length, grip section width, thickness, circularity, cylindricity and surface finish of dog-bone samples printed by FDM to improve the printability and processibility via additive manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In nature, orchid seed germination and seedling development depend on compatible mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal generalist and specificity affect the orchid distribution and rarity. Here, we investigated the specificity toward fungi in the rare D. huoshanense by mycorrhizal fungal isolation and symbiotic germination in vitro. Twenty mycorrhizal fungal strains were isolated from the roots of adult Dendrobium spp. (six and 12 strains from rare D. huoshanense and widespread D. officinale, respectively, and two strains from D. nobile and D. moniliforme, respectively) and 13 strains belong to Tulasnellaceae and seven strains belong to Serendipitaceae. Germination trials in vitro revealed that all 20 tested fungal strains can stimulate seed germination of D. huoshanense, but only nine strains (~ 50%) can support it up to the seedling stage. This finding indicates that generalistic fungi are important for early germination, but only a few can maintain a symbiosis with host in seedling stage. Thus, a shift of the microbial community from seedling to mature stage probably narrows the D. huoshanense distribution range. In addition, to further understand the relationship between the fungal capability to promote seed germination and fungal enzyme activity, we screened the laccase and pectase activity. The results showed that the two enzymes activities of fungi cannot be directly correlated with their germination-promoting activities. Understanding the host specificity degree toward fungi can help to better interpret the limited geographic distribution of D. huoshanense and provides opportunities for in situ and ex situ conservation and reintroduction programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With IT and video technologies evolving rapidly, video services with user interaction emerge, and bring about attracting experiences. The growing bandwidth and latency demands call for advanced transmission techniques which utilize wired, wireless, and 5G cellular network, and cooperate unicast, multicast, and broadcast. Free-viewpoint video, as one of the interactive video applications, can provide users with immersion of real world scenes, and shows potential to be an essential application in future digital life. However, such an application is different from other video services in aspects of computation and communication features, and existing researches are not up to the low frame latency, smooth playback, and high service scalability challenges. In this paper, we target on the above problems, and achieve ultra-low latency and stable video transmission for free-viewpoint video services by improving the performance of multiple system components accordingly. Firstly, the key performance indicator is formulated for such services, and an edge computing based video transmission schema is proposed to achieve ultra-low frame latency. Secondly, a pair of stabilization algorithms at both server and client sides based on application features are introduced to ensure stable encoded video streams before transmission, and smooth playback after that. Thirdly, a cloud-edge-client hybrid free-viewpoint service architecture is proposed, which can provide hierarchical experiences and enlarge the service scale with restricted resources. Experimental results prove the effectiveness of the proposed transmission schema and scheduling algorithms, and feasibility of the proposed service architecture is revealed by qualitative analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A one-pot, three-component difunctionalization of quinones with indoles and arylamines has been developed to synthesize indole functionalized p -iminoquinones derivatives. The approach employed AgOAc as the catalyst in the presence of 3-chlorophenylboronic acid, giving a series of indole functionalized p -iminoquinones derivatives in moderate to good yields. This catalytic approach represents a step-economic and convenient strategy for the difunctionalization of quinones. A plausible reaction pathway has been proposed based on a series of control experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A complete understanding of European pears in response to 1‐MCP would deliver high‐quality pears with a crispy‐juicy texture to consumers. 1‐MCP reduced the incidences of decay, internal browning, and scald, suppressed ethylene production rate and respiration rate, and retained high flesh firmness and peel chlorophyll content in "Concorde," "Comice," "Bosc," and "Gem" pears after 7 months of regular‐air storage plus a 5‐ or 7‐day ripening period. Additionally, high levels of total phenolics and flavonoids, DPPH, and ferric reducing antioxidant power were found in the 1‐MCP‐treated "Comice" and "Gem" pears, but not in "Concorde" or "Bosc". 1‐MCP effectively extended the storage life of "Concorde," "Bosc," and "Gem" pears to 5, 7, and 7 months, respectively, with high scores of crispness and juiciness. Conversely, a hard mouthfeel with fair juicy and flavor was found in the 1‐MCP‐treated "Comice" pears after 7 months of RA storage plus a 5‐day ripening at 20°C. Novelty impact statement: 1‐MCP retained the sensory attributes of flavor, juiciness, and crispness with low rates of disorders in "Concorde," "Bosc," and "Gem" pears over the 5, 7, and 7 months of regular‐air storage period, respectively. However, the hard mouthfeel with fair sensory attributes of juicy and flavor was obtained in 1‐MCP‐treated "Comice" pears. For consumers that prefer a ripened pear, pear industries could deliver the regular‐air‐stored "Concorde," "Comice," "Bosc," and "Gem" pears during 1–3, 1–5, 0.5–3, and 1–5 months of storage, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The subsurface tailoring manner is used for recycling graphite from spent LIBs. • Optimizing physicochemical behaviors of graphite with the help of ionic liquids. • The RG-2 anode exhibits impressive long-cycle stability and remarkable ICE. • Specific energy-storage mechanisms for different cycling stages are proposed. • The well-prepared anodes provide outstanding economic and environmental values. Captured by the economic value and environmental friendliness, the high-value recycling of spent batteries has been devoted plenty of attention. However, the regenerated graphite is still limited by large anisotropy and inferior rate abilities. Through the tailoring of low-temperature ionic liquid, the further regenerated graphite displayed rich sub-surface pores and improved crystalline degree, bringing about strong wettability and enhanced isotropy. Utilizing as lithium-storage anode, the optimized sample could deliver a capacity of 321 mAh/g after 300 loops at 1.0 C. Even at 2.0 C after 400 cycles, their capacity could also remain about 278 mAh/g. Supported by the detailed kinetic analysis, the abundant pores of sub-surface served significant roles in the enhancements of diffusion/surface-controlling behaviors. Their pre-storage advantages would be beneficial for the alleviation of voltage dropping, resulting in improved rate properties. Meanwhile, its activation energy was calculated at about 14.52 KJ mol−1, revealing its relatively small ion-diffusion energy barrier. More significantly, assisted by economic analysis, its revenue could also reach up to 5700$ t−1, with a promising recycling value. Given this, the work is expected to offer significant cooperative regeneration manners and shed light on the significant effect of sub-surface designing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of digital technology in structural change of three major industries has been widely recognized, but its influence on the internal cleanliness change of the industry has not been confirmed. Based on panel data of 36 industrial sub-sectors in China from 2002 to 2020, this paper discusses the mechanism of digital technology driving the cleanliness of industrial structure from a heterogeneity perspective. The theoretical model indicates that variations in output growth across different industries can be attributed to total factor productivity (TFP) and factor distortions, and the heterogeneous contribution of digital technology to TFP and factor distortions leads to the change of industrial structure. The empirical results show that digital technology can not only promote innovation-driven development by increasing total factor productivity, but also help factor-driven development by reducing factor distortion. Heterogeneity tests show that digital technology contributes to the cleanliness of industrial structure, and polluting industries are mainly driven by factors, while cleaning industries are mainly driven by innovation. Therefore, it is necessary to correct the application direction of digital technology in time to better empower innovative development and clean production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we undertook zircon U–Pb dating and Hf isotopic and whole-rock geochemical analysis of Mesozoic granites from the Zhalantun and Arxan areas of the Great Xing'an Range, northeastern China. Zircon U–Pb dating of four samples indicates they formed in the Early Cretaceous (ca. 140.7–130.0 Ma). Geochemically, the samples have high silica (74.00–77.29 wt.%) and total alkali (8.52–8.90 wt.%) and low CaO (0.21–0.71 wt.%), MgO (0.06–0.48 wt.%), and P2O5 (0.01–0.06 wt.%) contents and exhibit the weakly peraluminous (A/CNK = 0.98–1.06) and high-K calc-alkaline characteristics, with highly differentiated I-type granite affinities (differentiation index = 93.19–96.93). The studied granites are enriched in light rare earth and large ion lithophile elements and depleted in heavy rare earth and high field strength elements. Their zircon εHf(t) values are mainly positive (+2.49 to +11.64) and yield two-stage Hf model ages of 1023–445 Ma. The geochemical and isotopic data indicate they might have been derived from the partial melting of medium- to high-K basaltic crust material during the Mesoproterozoic to Phanerozoic. They underwent fractional crystallization in the magma evolution process, and K-feldspar and plagioclase were the major crystallization phases. Combined with the temporal–spatial migration of the Mesozoic magmatic events in the whole northeastern China, we propose that the generation of Early Cretaceous highly differentiated I-type granites in the central Great Xing'an Range was associated with the delamination effect caused by the roll-back of the Paleo-Pacific plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The G protein-coupled receptor P2RY2 protein of the purinergic receptor family is involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Naturally occurring antibodies against P2RY2 (NAbs-P2RY2) are present in human plasma, with their clinical relevance in AD unknown.Objective: To explore the alteration of NAbs-P2RY2 in AD patients and its associations with biomarkers and cognition of AD patients.Methods: The levels of naturally occurring antibodies against the four extracellular domains of P2RY2 (NAbs-P2RY2-1, NAbs-P2RY2-2, NAbs-P2RY2-3, and NAbs-P2RY2-4) were measured in the plasma of 55 AD patients, 28 non-AD dementia patients, and 70 cognitively normal participants. The correlations of autoantibody levels with cognitive scale scores, AD plasma biomarkers, and brain amyloid burden were examined.Results: NAbs-P2RY2-1, NAbs-P2RY2-3, and NAbs-P2RY2-4 were reduced in AD patients. Plasma levels of NAbs-P2RY2-2 and NAbs-P2RY2-3 levels were positively associated with cognitive and functional performances. Among these antibodies, plasma NAbs-P2RY2-2 levels were positively associated with plasma amyloid-β 42 levels. While plasma NAbs-P2RY2-3 levels were negatively associated with brain amyloid burden in AD patients.Conclusion: These findings indicate an alteration of humoral immunity against P2RY2 in AD patients. Further mechanistical investigations are needed to reveal the role of NAbs-P2RY2 in the pathogenesis of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive subtype of breast cancer that develops resistance to chemotherapy frequently. Autophagy has been reported as a pro-survival response to chemotherapeutic drugs in TNBC, and suppression of autophagy can be a strategy to overcome drug resistance. Methods: The efficacy of toosendanin (TSN) in blocking autophagy flux was measured by western blot analysis of autophagy markers, and the fluorescent imaging of RFP-GFP-LC3 probe. The co-localization of autophagosomes and lysosomes was analyzed by fluorescent imaging. Then, lysosome function was determined by measuring the lysosomal pH value and the activity of lysosomal hydrolytic proteases. For in vitro study, human triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-436 cell lines were used for evaluating the anti-proliferative effect. For in vivo study, the RFP-GFP-LC3 MDA-MB-231 xenograft nude mice received intraperitoneal injection of irinotecan (10 mg/kg), TSN (0.5 mg/kg) or a combination, and the autophagy activity and cell apoptosis were determined in tumor tissue. The degree of pathological injury of tissue was evaluated by liver index. Results: The natural autophagy inhibitor TSN, a triterpenoid extracted from Melia toosenda Sieb. et Zucc, potently inhibited late-stage autophagy in TNBC cells. This effect was achieved via elevating lysosome pH rather than blocking the fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes. We further investigated the effects of TSN on the in vitro and in vivo TNBC models, in combination with chemotherapeutic drug irinotecan (or its active metabolite 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin), a topoisomerase I inhibitor showing therapeutic potential for TNBC. The data showed that TSN blocked 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38)/irinotecan-induced protective autophagy, and significantly induced apoptosis in TNBC cells and tumor xenograft models when compared to SN-38/irinotecan alone group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concise one-pot biarylamination of quinones with arylamines was developed to synthesize N -arylamine-functionalized p -iminoquinones derivatives. The approach employed AgOAc as the catalyst and (NH4)2 S2 O8 as the oxidant in the presence of 3-chlorophenylboronic acid, giving a series of N -arylamine-functionalized p -iminoquinone derivatives in moderate to good yields whereas reaction in the absence of the 3-chlorophenylboronic acid, gave a series of N -arylamine-functionalized 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives. This catalytic approach represents a step-economic and convenient strategy for the difunctionalization of quinones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the microstructure and mechanical properties of ultra-low carbon bainitic steel (UCBS) under different cold rolling reductions. When the rolling reduction ratios were increased to 80%, the microstructure was refined, and the lath width of the bainite decreased from 601 nm to 252 nm. The ultimate tensile strength and yield strength increased from 812 MPa and 683 MPa to 1195 MPa and 1150 MPa, respectively, whereas the elongation decreased from 15.9% to 7.9%. In addition, the dislocation density increased from 8.3 × 1013 m−2 to 4.87 × 1014 m−2 and a stronger γ-fiber texture was obtained at the 80% cold rolling reduction ratio. The local stress distribution and kernel average misorientation were not uniform and became more severe with increased rolling reduction ratios. The strength increment of UCBS was primarily due to boundary strengthening and dislocation strengthening. The theoretical strength increment agreed well with the experimental measurements, which can be helpful for the design and production of UCBS for broad engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients undergoing endocrine therapy for breast cancer often suffer from poor psychosocial adaptation, low compliance with endocrine therapy and poor quality of life. However, the relationship among the three is not completely clear. The aims of this study were to investigate the status of psychosocial adaptation (PSA), medication adherence and quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer women with adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET), and to analyze the influencing factors of QOL and explore the relationship among them.Methods: 346 breast cancer women were selected who underwent endocrine therapy after surgery, and data collected by the general information questionnaire, the PSA questionnaire among breast cancer women with AET, Morisky Medication Adherence Scale and The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B). The relationship among the variables was investigated by univariate analysis, multiple stepwise regression analysis and mediating effect analysis.Results: The scores of PSA, medication adherence and QOL were slightly above the medium level. Univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in QOL among breast cancer women of AET with different types of exercise, medical payment methods, discomfort symptoms (headache, hypomnesis, arthralgia, perturbation), type of discomfort symptoms, medication adherence and PSA; Multi-factor analysis showed that PSA and medication adherence were the influential factors of QOL; mediating effect showed that medication adherence played a partial mediating role in PSA and QOL.Conclusion: The QOL of breast cancer women with AET will be directly affected by PSA. Medication compliance has a weak mediating effect in the indirect impact of PSA on the QOL. In the future, clinical nursing work should take targeted measures to improve the PSA level of patients, and effectively improve the compliance of patients with medication, so as to better improve the QOL of breast cancer women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, a large dinosaur fossil burial site was found in Pu'an Township, Yunyang, Chongqing, northeast of Sichuan Basin, which was another major discovery in the Sichuan after Dashanpu, Zigong. The fossils are enriched in the Middle Jurassic Xintiangou Formation and Shaximiao Formation. The main fossils of the Xintiangou Formation are dinosaurs, plesiosaurs, turtles, and fish. Their burial environment was on a lacustrine delta. The fauna living in the area were quickly buried by the sand carried by a river after death. At present, only dinosaur fossils have been found in the Shaximiao Formation, especially in the lower section, and a 150 m long fossil wall has been exposed. Its burial environment was a flood plain. The dinosaurs living in the area were quickly buried by a sand body spewed out by a mud volcano after their death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the epitaxial growth of antimony-based GaSb/Ga1−xInxSb/GaSb quantum wells (QWs) on the (111) plane. Different from the more common (001) heterostructures, (111) structures offer certain advantages in electronic properties, such as the existence of the strain-induced piezoelectric effect, as well as a large effective mass of hole carriers along the growth axis. In the present work, we found that high-quality QWs can be successfully grown using a GaSb buffer layer on a vicinal GaAs (111)B substrate. Due to the presence of the piezoelectric field and the surface states, hole carriers are introduced in the QW without intentional doping. Electrical transport measurements on an x = 0.1 sample at 300 mK show that the QW has a two-dimensional hole gas (2DHG) density of 6.7 × 1011 cm−2 and a mobility of 28 000 cm2/Vs. The 2DHG exhibits clear Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations and the integer quantum Hall effect under a perpendicular magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time a hybrid molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) doped with 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (γ-MPS)-modified mesoporous molecular sieve SBA-15 for target peptide recognition has been developed. Zinc acrylate and methacrylic acid were used as binary functional monomers, and ethylene dimethacrylate was used as cross-linking agent to prepare an imprinted monolith against Val-Tyr-Ala-Leu-Lys(glutarylation) (VYALKglu). The morphology of the polymers was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and 1H NMR. The SBA-15-MPS MIP showed high recovery of 87.1% and the IF of 12.9 for the enrichment of the template peptide. When the template peptide concentration ranged from 5 to 90 μg mL−1, the correlation coefficients (R2) for the calibration function obtained was better 0.999. The limit of detection (LOD, 0.30 μg mL−1) and limit of quantification (LOQ, 1.0 μg mL−1) were achieved for signal-to-noise ratios of 3:1 and 10:1, respectively. When other kinds of synthetic peptides were used as analogs, the selectivity of the SBA-15-MPS MIP was much better than the SBA-15-MPS NIP (without template peptides) with relative selectivity coefficients of 52.8-265. In contrast, little quinolones and biogenic amines are adsorbed with the SBA-15-MPS MIP. The SBA-15-MPS MIP could enrich VYALKglu from spiked histone digestion with the average recovery of 87.8% and the relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.99%. As a conclusion, doping of SBA-15 is an effective approach to the improvement of performance of molecularly imprinted monolith. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biopolymers are good carrier materials in relation to efficient release sustainability for encapsulated drugs. In particular, electrospun polymer/composite fibre membranes can offer greater benefits owing to their competitive release features as well as large specific surface areas. In this study, multiple electrospun nanofibre membrane systems were utilised including different material systems such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), and PCL/magnetic nanoparticle (MP) composites loaded with tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) as a therapeutic compound for their potential use in drug delivery applications. Such electrospun nanofibres were investigated to understand how composite constituents could tailor surface morphology for drug release control and biodegradation effect of PCL electrospun nanofibers on a long term for different drug release systems. Fibre diameter appeared to be decreased considerably with the addition of TCH drug. It was also evident that average fibre diameter was reduced when embedding MPs owing to the enhancement of solution conductivity. The encapsulation of TCH drug was found to be effective, as evidenced by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data revealed no significant change in the thermal stability of PCL with the inclusion of TCH and MPs. However, the use of TCH to PLA delayed the thermal degradation. Glass transition temperature ( T g ) and melting temperature ( T m ) of PCL were decreased with the inclusion of MPs and TCH. The degree of crystallinity ( X c ) for PCL diminished when incorporated with MPs. Additional TCH to PLA, PCL, and PCL/MP nanocomposites resulted in a moderate decrease in X c . TCH might be dispersed in an amorphous state within nanofibre membranes. Over the short-term periods, it was clearly seen that TCH release from PCL nanofibre membranes was higher as opposed to PLC/MP and PLA counterparts. On the contrary, such a drug release from PLC membranes became relatively slow owing to its high X c . Further, the mass loss results were consistent with those obtained from in vitro drug release. Overall, TCH release kinetics of PCL/TCH nanofibre membranes were better estimated by Zeng model as opposed to PLA/TCH counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the braneworld theory constructed by multi-scalar fields. The model contains a smooth and infinitely large extra dimension, allowing background fields to propagate in it. We give a de Sitter solution for the four-dimensional cosmology as a good approximation to the early universe inflation. We show that the graviton has a localizable massless mode, and a series of continuous massive modes, separated by a mass gap. There could be a normalizable massive mode, depending on the background solution. The gravitational waves of the massless mode evolve as in the four-dimensional theory, while those of the massive modes evolve very differently from the massless mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article provided a comprehensive scoping review, synthesizing existing literature on the financial distress faced by breast cancer patients. It examined the factors contributing to financial distress, the impact on patients, coping mechanisms employed, and potential alleviation methods. The goal was to organize existing evidence and highlight possible directions for future research. Methods: We followed the scoping review framework proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) to synthesize and report evidence. We searched electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library, for relevant literature. We included English articles that met the following criteria: (a) the research topic was financial distress or financial toxicity, (b) the research subjects were adult breast cancer patients, and (c) the article type was quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research. We then extracted and integrated relevant information for reporting. Results: After removing duplicates, 5459 articles were retrieved, and 43 articles were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The articles addressed four main themes related to financial distress: factors associated with financial distress, impact on breast cancer patients, coping mechanisms, and potential methods for alleviation. The impact of financial distress on patients was observed in six dimensions: financial expenses, financial resources, social-psychological reactions, support seeking, coping care, and coping lifestyle. While some studies reported potential methods for alleviation, few discussed the feasibility of these solutions. Conclusions: Breast cancer patients experience significant financial distress with multidimensional impacts. Comprehensive consideration of possible confounding factors is essential when measuring financial distress. Future research should focus on exploring and validating methods to alleviate or resolve this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multicomponent tandem reactions have become indispensable synthetic methods due to their economic advantages and efficient usage in natural products and drug synthesis. The emergence of metalated covalent organic frameworks (MCOFs) has opened up new opportunities for the advancement of multicomponent tandem reactions. In contrast to commonly used homogeneous transition metal catalysts, MCOFs possess regular porosity, high crystallinity, and rich metal chelation sites that facilitate the uniform distribution and anchoring of metals within their cavities. Thus, they show extremely high activity and have recently been widely employed as catalysts for multicomponent tandem reactions. It is timely to conduct a review of MCOFs in multicomponent tandem reactions, in order to offer guidance and assistance for the synthesis of MCOF catalysts and their application in multicomponent tandem reactions. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the design and synthesis of MCOFs, their application and progress in multicomponent tandem reactions, and the primary challenges encountered during their current development with the aim of contributing to the promotion of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

[Display omitted] • This review summaries the synthesis methods and applicable scenarios for various carbon materials. • This review elaborates on the sodium storage mechanism and interface issues for all carbon materials. • The targeted optimization strategies are discussed for all kinds of carbon materials. • The various in-situ characterizations are summarized for the SEI and structural changes of carbon materials. • The perspectives on the commercialization of carbon anode materials are proposed. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are insufficient for large-scale energy storage due to limited lithium resources. Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are considered the most promising alternative to LIBs due to their abundant resources and potential for broad industrialization. However, the rapid development of SIBs is hindered by the availability of suitable anode materials. Most reported anode materials for SIBs are either expensive or have inherent flaws, making them unsuitable for large-scale production. Carbon materials have gained significant attention due to their sample resources, low cost, and diverse structures. However, the lack of a systematic discussion on the various structural configurations of carbon materials is a challenging issue. This review comprehensively investigated the preparation processes for nearly all carbon-based materials, including graphite, soft carbon, and hard carbon. It also proposed optimization strategies by thoroughly exploring the sodium storage mechanism of various carbon materials. In addition, based on advanced in-situ characterization technology, the solid electrolyte interface and structural changes of carbon materials during the electrochemical process were summarized. A creative analysis was conducted to establish a correlation relationship between the long-range and short-range ordered structure of carbon materials and their impact on important performance metrics such as initial coulombic efficiency, capacity, rate, cycle stability, and other relevant factors. Finally, this review presented personal insights into the challenges and issues faced by carbon materials, aiming to drive the advancement of SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Wide-tailored mechanical performances of lattice structures are studied by 4D-printed shape memory programming. • The effect of the thermo-mechanical history on the mechanical performances of 4D-printed lattice structures is considered. • The relationship between structural configurations and deformation mode transitions is revealed. • The modulus and Poisson's ratio of 4D-printed lattice structures are predicted. Lattice structures are widely used due to their inherent advantages. With the development of smart devices, there is a growing demand for programmable, adjustable, and reconfigurable performances. However, a significant limitation of traditional lattice structures is that their shape, function, and performance cannot be changed after fabrication. In order to address this issue, we conducted experimental and simulated investigations on the shape memory effect, adjustable mechanical performances, and their deformation mechanism using the shape memory programming method. Two bending-dominated lattice structures, namely four curved bars lattice structure (FCBL) and sinusoidal wave horseshoe lattice structure (SWHL), were taken as examples. Results show that the deformation modes of both structures are switched from a bending-dominated mode to a stretching-dominated one after programming while exhibiting distinct bending sections. FCBL displays a 'C' shape with one bending section, whereas SWHL exhibits an 'S' shape with two bending sections. These deformation modes significantly enhance the tensile moduli by 480.9% (FCBL) and 1546% (SWHL), and change their Poisson's ratio from −0.29 to 0.25 (FCBL) and −0.31 to 0.43 (SWHL), respectively. The modulus and Poisson's ratio of FCBL and SWHL are well reproduced by the finite element modeling, providing a reference for designing the tunable mechanical performances of lattice structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile, efficient, and practical method for copper-catalyzed direct amination of maleimides and quinones with formamides in the presence of an oxidant KIO 3 has been developed. It allows a facile access to a wide range of functionalized molecules with privileged scaffolds in drugs and natural products such as maleimides and quinones. A variety of substituted 3-amino-maleimides and 2-amino-quinones were synthesized with moderate to excellent yield. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sumalarins D–G (1 – 4), four previously undescribed curvularin derivatives, along with two known related metabolites, curvularin (5) and dehydrocurvularin (6), were isolated and identified from the mangrove-derived fungus Penicillium sumatrense MA-325. Among them, sumalarin D (1) represents a unique example of curvularin derivative featuring a 5-methylfuran-2-yl-methyl group. Their structures were elucidated based on analysis of NMR and MS data as well as comparison of ECD spectra and quantum chemical calculations of NMR, and compound 1 was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compounds 1 , 2 , 5 , and 6 are active against aquatic pathogenic bacteria Vibrio alginolyticus and V. harveyi with MIC values ranging from 4 to 64 μ g/mL, while compound 6 is cytotoxic against tumor cell lines 5673, HCT 116, 786-O, and Hela with IC 50 values of 3.5, 10.6, 10.9, and 14.9 μ M, respectively. Sumalarin D (1), the first curvularin featuring a unique 5-methylfuran-2-yl-methyl group at C-4, along with three curvularin congeners, were identified from the mangrove-derived Penicillium sumatrense MA-325. [Display omitted] • Four previously undescribed curvularins were isolated from mangrove-derived Penicillium sumatrense. • Sumalarin D (1) is the first curvularin featuring a unique 5-methylfuran-2-yl-methyl group at C-4. • ECD and DP4+ calculation and X-ray diffraction were used for structure determination. • Dehydrocurvularin (6) exhibited potent cytotoxic activities against a panel of tumor cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Epstein–Barr virus DNA is a key nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) prognosis predictor. • Lactate dehydrogenase is an independent prognostic factor for NPC. • C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio also predicts NPC prognosis independently. • Incorporating serological indicators may improve the TNM staging system for NPC. Non-anatomical factors significantly affect treatment guidance and prognostic prediction in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. Here, we developed a novel survival model by combining conventional TNM staging and serological indicators. We retrospectively enrolled 10,914 eligible patients with nonmetastatic NPC over 2009–2017 and randomly divided them into training (n = 7672) and validation (n = 3242) cohorts. The new staging system was constructed based on T category, N category, and pretreatment serological markers by using recursive partitioning analysis (RPA). In multivariate Cox analysis, pretreatment cell-free Epstein–Barr virus (cfEBV) DNA levels of >2000 copies/mL [HR OS (95 % CI) = 1.78 (1.57–2.02)], elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels [HR OS (95 % CI) = 1.64 (1.41–1.92)], and C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) of >0.04 [HR OS (95 % CI) = 1.20 (1.07–1.34)] were associated with negative prognosis (all P < 0.05). Through RPA, we stratified patients into four risk groups: RPA I (n = 3209), RPA II (n = 2063), RPA III (n = 1263), and RPA IV (n = 1137), with 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of 93.2 %, 86.0 %, 80.6 %, and 71.9 % (all P < 0.001), respectively. Compared with the TNM staging system (eighth edition), RPA risk grouping demonstrated higher prognostic prediction efficacy in the training [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.661 vs. 0.631, P < 0.001] and validation (AUC = 0.687 vs. 0.654, P = 0.001) cohorts. Furthermore, our model could distinguish sensitive patients suitable for induction chemotherapy well. Our novel RPA staging model outperformed the current TNM staging system in prognostic prediction and clinical decision-making. We recommend incorporating cfEBV DNA, LDH, and CAR into the TNM staging system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen donation is the key to supercritical water upgrading of heavy oil, because it benefits light distillate production and inhibits condensation, but the mechanism is still unclear. In this work, an isotope tracing method, combined with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analyses, was used to elucidate the hydrogen donation mechanism in supercritical water upgrading of asphaltenes. In asphaltenes upgrading, it was found that the aliphatic carbon at the end of the side chain of asphaltene macromolecules could capture deuterium from supercritical heavy water via free radical reactions, and the deuteration ratio at this position was 11 %. For supercritical water upgrading of vacuum residue which is generally considered as a system of asphaltenes dissolved in maltenes, the existing maltenes enhanced hydrogen donation to asphaltenes. Further, a possible hydrogen donation pathway was proposed. This work provides an in-depth understanding of the hydrogen donation mechanism for supercritical water upgrading. [Display omitted] • Quantification of hydrogen donation of supercritical water for asphaltenes upgrading. • Hydrogen donation occurred at γ-position of side chains via free radical pathway. • Hydrogen donation increased with product polarity. • Presence of maltenes in vacuum residue promoted hydrogen donation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Loss of brain capillary pericyte is involved in the pathologies and cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The role of pericyte in early stage of AD pathogenesis remains unclear. Methods: We investigated the dynamic changes of soluble platelet-derived growth factor receptor β (sPDGFRβ) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a marker of brain pericyte injury, in transition from normal ageing to early AD in a cognitively unimpaired population aged 20 to 90 years. Association between sPDGFRβ and ATN biomarkers were analyzed. Results: In lifetime, CSF sPDGFRβ continually increased since age of 20 years, followed by the increases of phosphorylated tau-181 (P-tau181) and total tau (T-tau) at the age of 22.2 years and 31.7 years, respectively; CSF Aβ42 began to decline since the age of 39.6 years, indicating Aβ deposition. The natural trajectories of biomarkers suggest that pericyte injury is an early event during transition from normal status to AD, even earlier than Aβ deposition. In AD spectrum, CSF sPDGFRβ was elevated in preclinical stage 2 and participants with suspected non-AD pathophysiologies. Additionally, CSF sPDGFRβ was positively associated with P-tau181 and T-tau independently of Aβ42, and significantly strengthened the effects of Aβ42 on P-tau181, suggesting that pericyte injury accelerates Aβ-mediated tau hyperphosphorylation. Conclusions: Our results suggest that pericyte injury contributes to AD progression in the early stage in an Aβ-independent pathway. Recovery of pericyte function would be a target for prevention and early intervention of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]