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Transposable elements (TEs) are selfish genetic elements whose antagonistic interactions with hosts represent a common genetic conflict in eukaryotes. To resolve this conflict, hosts have widely adopted epigenetic silencing that deposits repressive marks at TEs. However, this mechanism is imperfect and fails to fully halt TE replication. Furthermore, TE epigenetic silencing can inadvertently spread repressive marks to adjacent functional sequences, a phenomenon considered a 'curse' of this conflict resolution. Here, we used forward simulations to explore how TE epigenetic silencing and its harmful side effects shape the evolutionary dynamics of TEs and their hosts. Our findings reveal that epigenetic silencing allows TEs and their hosts to stably coexist under a wide range of conditions, because the underlying molecular mechanisms give rise to copy-number dependency of the strength of TE silencing. Interestingly, contrary to intuitive expectations that TE epigenetic silencing should evolve to be as strong as possible, we found a selective benefit for modifier alleles that weaken TE silencing under biologically feasible conditions. These results reveal that the dual nature of TE epigenetic silencing, with both positive and negative effects, complicates its evolutionary trajectory and makes it challenging to determine whether TE epigenetic silencing is a 'blessing' or a 'curse'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B 0 field inhomogeneity is a long-lasting issue for Cardiac MRI (CMR) in high-field (3T and above) scanners. The inhomogeneous B 0 fields can lead to corrupted image quality, prolonged scan time, and false diagnosis. B 0 shimming is the most straightforward way to improve the B 0 homogeneity. However, today's standard cardiac shimming protocol requires manual selection of a shim volume, which often falsely includes regions with large B 0 deviation (e.g., liver, fat, and chest wall). The flawed shim field compromises the reliability of high-field CMR protocols, which significantly reduces the scan efficiency and hinders its wider clinical adoption. This study aims to develop a dual-channel deep learning model that can reliably contour the cardiac region for B 0 shim without human interaction and under variable imaging protocols. By utilizing both the magnitude and phase information, the model achieved a high segmentation accuracy in the B 0 field maps compared to the conventional single-channel methods (Dice score: 2D-mag = 0.866, 3D-mag = 0.907, and 3D-mag-phase = 0.938, all p < 0.05). Furthermore, it shows better generalizability against the common variations in MRI imaging parameters and enables significantly improved B 0 shim compared to the standard method (SD( B 0 Shim): Proposed = 15 ± 11% vs. Standard = 6 ± 12%, p < 0.05). The proposed autonomous model can boost the reliability of cardiac shimming at 3T and serve as the foundation for more reliable and efficient high-field CMR imaging in clinical routines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationships between adaptive evolution, phenotypic plasticity, and canalization remain incompletely understood. Theoretical and empirical studies have made conflicting arguments on whether adaptive evolution may enhance or oppose the plastic response. Gene regulatory traits offer excellent potential to study the relationship between plasticity and adaptation, and they can now be studied at the transcriptomic level. Here, we take advantage of three closely related pairs of natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster from contrasting thermal environments that reflect three separate instances of cold tolerance evolution. We measure the transcriptome-wide plasticity in gene expression levels and alternative splicing (intron usage) between warm and cold laboratory environments. We find that suspected adaptive changes in both gene expression and alternative splicing tend to neutralize the ancestral plastic response. Further, we investigate the hypothesis that adaptive evolution can lead to decanalization of selected gene regulatory traits. We find strong evidence that suspected adaptive gene expression (but not splicing) changes in cold-adapted populations are more vulnerable to the genetic perturbation of inbreeding than putatively neutral changes. We find some evidence that these patterns may reflect a loss of genetic canalization accompanying adaptation, although other processes including hitchhiking recessive deleterious variants may contribute as well. Our findings augment our understanding of genetic and environmental effects on gene regulation in the context of adaptive evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of industrial thallium(Tl)-containing wastewater is crucial for mitigating environmental risks and health threats associated with this toxic metal. The incorporation of Mn oxides (MnOx) into the filtration system is a promising solution for efficient Tl(I) removal. However, further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanism behind MnOx-enhanced filtration and the rules of its stable operation. In this study, limestone, a cost-effective material, was selected as the filter media. Raw water with Mn(II), Tl(I), and other pollutants was prepared after a thorough investigation of actual industrial wastewater conditions. KMnO 4 was added to induce the formation of MnO 2 on limestone surfaces, while long-term operation led to enrichment of manganese oxidizing microorganisms (MnOM). Results revealed a dual mechanism. Firstly, most Mn(II) were oxidized by KMnO 4 to form MnO 2 attaching to limestone sands, and both Tl(I) and residual Mn(II) were adsorbed onto the newly formed MnO 2. Subsequently, enzymes secreted by MnOM facilitated oxidation of remaining Mn(II), resulting in the generation of biogenic manganese oxides (BioMnOx) with numerous vacancies during long-term operation. The generated BioMnOx not only adsorbed Mn(II) and Tl(I) but also promoted their oxidation process. This approach offers an effective and sustainable method for removing both Mn(II) and Tl(I) from industrial wastewater, thereby addressing the challenges posed by thallium-contaminated effluents. [Display omitted] • Wastewater containing Tl(I) was simulated to replicate the actual conditions. • Mn(II) oxidizing microorganisms were spontaneously enriched in the filter. • Tl(I) sequestration was stimulated by both physicochemical and biochemical actions. • The filter achieved a removal rate exceeding 90% for both Mn(II) and Tl(I). • Transformation of Mn and Tl in the filter including various pathways was declared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) are an important source to discover new anti-infectious drugs. Neuraminidases (NAs) not only play a key role on human health, but also are promising targets for anti-infectious drugs. Arnebia euchroma which is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine with the effect of cooling blood and detoxifying showed potential inhibitory activities on both bacterial NA and virus NA, suggesting that the material basis of A. euchroma deserves in-depth study. To investigate the anti-infectious constituents of A. euchroma based on NA inhibition. A HPLC-DAD system incorporated an auto-sampler was used for micro-fractionation. A nanoliter liquid handler and a high sensitive multimode plate reader system were used for high throughput NA inhibition screening. Thus a high-resolution NA inhibition profiling platform was constructed. The structures of potential active components in A. euchroma obtained by the high-resolution bioassay profiling were identified by DAD and MS in parallel. Then, a target and rapid isolation of NAIs from A. euchroma was achieved under the guidance of the spectrum-effect relationship obtained above. Finally, the isolated compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods and their bioactivities were validated by in vitro assay and molecular docking. 16 potential active ingredients in A. euchroma were isolated and identified, including a new mero-monoterpenoid. The in vitro bioassay results revealed that 12 out of the 16 isolated compounds showed potent inhibitory activities on bacterial NA (IC 50 s = 1–6 μM) and five of them exhibited potent anti-microbial activities on methicillin-resistant Staphylococccus aureus (MRSA) with MICs in the range of 0.5–4 μg/mL. Furthermore, some isolated compounds showed equal or even better inhibitory activities on oseltamivir resistant viral NA than oseltamivir sensitive NA. The mechanism study in silicon revealed that these natural compounds possessed absolutely different binding modes on the bacterial and viral NAs. Our study gave a clear spectrum-effect relationship of A. euchroma , providing a scientific evidence for future study of the multi-components synergistic effect of TCMs. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Natural selection may enhance or weaken the robustness of phenotypes against genetic or environmental perturbations. However, important aspects of the relationship between adaptive evolution and canalization remain unclear. Recent work showed that the evolution of larger wing size in a high altitude natural population of Drosophila melanogaster was accompanied by decanalized wing development–‐specifically a loss of robustness to genetic perturbation. But this study did not address environmental robustness, and it compared populations that may have numerous biological differences. Here, we perform artificial selection on this same trait in D. melanogaster (larger wing length) and directly test whether this directional selection resulted in decanalization. We find that in general, size‐selected replicates show greater frequencies of wing defects than control replicates both after mutagenesis (genetic perturbation) and when subjected to high temperature stress (environmental perturbation), although the increase in defect frequency varies importantly among replicates. These results support the hypothesis that directional selection may result in the loss of both genetic and environmental robustness–offering a rare window into the relationship between adaptation and canalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microorganisms can oxidize Mn(II) to biogenic Mn oxides (BioMnOx), through enzyme-mediated processes and non-enzyme-mediated processes, which are generally considered as the source and sink of heavy metals due to highly reactive to sequestrate and oxidize heavy metals. Hence, the summary of interactions between Mn(II) oxidizing microorganisms (MnOM) and heavy metals is benefit for further work on microbial-mediated self-purification of water bodies. This review comprehensively summarizes the interactions between MnOM and heavy metals. The processes of BioMnOx production by MnOM has been firstly discussed. Moreover, the interactions between BioMnOx and various heavy metals are critically discussed. On the one hand, modes for heavy metals adsorbed on BioMnOx are summarized, such as electrostatic attraction, oxidative precipitation, ion exchange, surface complexation, and autocatalytic oxidation. On the other hand, adsorption and oxidation of representative heavy metals based on BioMnOx/Mn(II) are also discussed. Thirdly, the interactions between MnOM and heavy metals are also focused on. Finally, several perspectives which will contribute to future research are proposed. This review provides insight into the sequestration and oxidation of heavy metals mediated by Mn(II) oxidizing microorganisms. It might be helpful to understand the geochemical fate of heavy metals in the aquatic environment and the process of microbial-mediated water self-purification. [Display omitted] • The highlights of the present work are listed as follows: • Systematic review of the MnOM mediated sequestration and oxidation of heavy metals. • Mechanisms of BioMnOx formation had been introduced. • Indirect and direct interactions between heavy metals and MnOM were reviewed. • Critical factors impacting interactions between MnOM and heavy metals were raised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel out-of-autoclave (OoA) strategies for repairing carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRPs) were investigated to enable facile maintenance of components and, thus, reduce unnecessary scrappage. Oven cured GNPs/epoxy bulk and film nanocomposites were first fabricated over a range of GNPs loadings to determine their percolation threshold and Joule heating properties. Based upon these results, electrically conductive uncured nanocomposites with different GNPs loadings were then used as adhesives to repair CFRPs through Joule heat curing of the electrically conductive GNPs network embedded in the epoxy. The GNPs loading in the adhesive was found not to influence the spatial distribution of the heat generated during repair, however it did affect the heating rate. The lap shear strengths found for the CFRPs repaired by Joule heating were the same as though for CFRPs repaired using a conventional oven curing method, evidencing the effectiveness of this approach as an OoA repair method. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the coexistence of interfacial and cohesive failure mechanisms, with an increasing dominance of the cohesive as the GNPs loading increased. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known of how gene expression and its plasticity evolves as populations adapt to different environmental regimes. Expression is expected to evolve adaptively in all populations but only those populations experiencing environmental heterogeneity are expected to show adaptive evolution of plasticity. We measured the transcriptome in a cadmium-enriched diet and a salt-enriched diet for experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster that evolved for ~130 generations in one of four selective regimes: two constant regimes maintained in either cadmium or salt diets and two heterogeneous regimes that varied either temporally or spatially between the two diets. For populations evolving in constant regimes, we find a strong signature of counter-gradient evolution; the evolved expression differences between populations adapted to alternative diets is opposite to the plastic response of the ancestral population that is naïve to both diets. Based on expression patterns in the ancestral populations, we identify a set of genes for which we predict selection in heterogeneous regimes to result in increases in plasticity and we find the expected pattern. In contrast, a set of genes where we predicted reduced plasticity did not follow expectation. Nonetheless, both gene sets showed a pattern consistent with adaptive expression evolution in heterogeneous regimes, highlighting the difference between observing “optimal” plasticity and improvements in environment-specific expression. Looking across all genes, there is evidence in all regimes of differences in biased allele expression across environments (“allelic plasticity”) and this is more common among genes with plasticity in total expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel dual-drive MEMS device integrated with both a thermal actuator and an electrostatic actuator is proposed and fabricated, which realizes the convenient in-situ electro-mechanical test for nanomaterials. The drive mode can be agilely selected to analyze different mechanical properties and the accuracy of the test can be verified by self-contrast of the two driving modes. Using the nanomanipulator as the transfer method, coupled mechanical and electrical tests are carried out for TiO 2 nanowires. The measured Young's modulus of the nanowire in the two driving modes are 78.2 GPa and 85.6 GPa, and the fracture stress are 562 MPa and 584 MPa, respectively. The electron beam (e-beam) irradiation effect on electrical properties is investigated. Meanwhile, the resistance of the nanowires is determined as a variable of strain, which demonstrates the changes in resistance are the result of the loaded strains. The resistance decreases slightly after 2000 cycles of tensile, which is believed to be a delayed response brought about by electron beam irradiation. The experiment results indicate that the proposed MEMS device will facilitate the in-situ test of 1D/2D nanomaterials. [Display omitted] • A novel dual-drive MEMS device integrated both a thermal actuator and an electrostatic actuator was reported. • The drive mode can be conveniently selected. • The accuracy of the test can be verified by the two driving modes. • The coupled mechanical and electrical tests can be carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental heterogeneity helps maintain genetic variation in fitness. Therefore, one might predict that populations living in heterogeneous environments have higher adaptive potential than populations living in homogeneous environments. Such a prediction could be useful in guiding conservation priorities without requiring detailed genetic studies. However, this prediction will be true only if the additional genetic variation maintained by environmental heterogeneity can be used to respond to novel selection. Here we examine the effect of environmental heterogeneity on future adaptability using replicated experimental Drosophila melanogaster populations that had previously evolved for ~100 generations under one of four selective regimes: constant salt-enriched larvae medium, constant cadmium-enriched larvae medium, and two heterogeneous regimes that vary either temporally or spatially between the two media. Replicates of these experimental populations were subjected to a novel heat stress while being maintained in their original larval diet selection regimes. Adaptation to increased temperature was measured with respect to female productivity and male siring success after ~20 generations. For female productivity, there was evidence of adaptation overall and heterogeneous populations had a larger adaptive response than homogeneous populations. There was less evidence of adaptation overall for male siring success and no support for faster adaptation in heterogeneous populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous environments are typically expected to maintain more genetic variation in fitness within populations than homogeneous environments. However, the accuracy of this claim depends on the form of heterogeneity as well as the genetic basis of fitness traits and how similar the assay environment is to the environment of past selection. Here, we measure quantitative genetic (QG) variance for three traits important for fitness using replicated experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster evolving under four selective regimes: constant salt-enriched medium ( Salt), constant cadmium-enriched medium ( Cad), and two heterogeneous regimes that vary either temporally ( Temp) or spatially ( Spatial). As theory predicts, we found that Spatial populations tend to harbor more genetic variation than Temp populations or those maintained in a constant environment that is the same as the assay environment. Contrary to expectation, Salt populations tend to have more genetic variation than Cad populations in both assay environments. We discuss the patterns for QG variances across regimes in relation to previously reported data on genome-wide sequence diversity. For some traits, the QG patterns are similar to the diversity patterns of ecological selected SNPs, whereas the QG patterns for some other traits resembled that of neutral SNPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental heterogeneity has been hypothesized to influence levels of genetic variation but the effect of heterogeneity depends on (i) the form of heterogeneity, (ii) whether ecologically relevant or neutral loci are being considered, and (iii) the genetic basis of ecological adaptation. We surveyed genome-wide SNP diversity in replicate experimental Drosophila melanogaster populations with equal census sizes that evolved for 42 generations under one of four selection regimes: (i) salt-enriched environment (Salt), (ii) cadmium-enriched environment (Cad), (iii) temporally (Temp) or (iv) spatially (Spatial) variable environments. There was significant differentiation between all pairs of treatments but the greatest differentiation occurred between the two homogenous treatments (Cad and Salt). For sites likely under differential ecological selection (and those closely linked to them), the pattern of within-population diversity π followed the expectation from classic antagonistic selection theory: Spatial>Temp>Salt≈Cad. However, neutral diversity unlinked to selected sites followed a different pattern: Spatial>Salt≈Cad>Temp. As implicated by the latter result, measures of FST among replicate populations within treatments are consistent with differences in effective population sizes among selective regimes despite equal census sizes. Though there are clear changes in the rank order of treatments when contrasting selected and neutral sites with respect to π, the rank ordering of treatments with respect to FST appears reasonably consistent between site categories. These results demonstrate that alternative selective regimes affect within- and among-population diversity differently for different site types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Local vaccination can produce more CD103+CD8+ Trm cells. • CD103+CD8+ Trm cells with recall challenge elicit stronger immune response. • BMDCs induce CD103 phenotype in CD8+T cells by promoting TGF-β production. • DCs were highly correlated with the Trm gene signature in human cervical cancer samples. Tissue-resident memory T (Trm) cells can trigger a secondary immune response when they encounter the same antigen, playing an important role in antitumor immunity. However, whether Trm cells are protective against female genital tract tumors remain unknown. Here, we show that cervicovaginal vaccination with HPV16 E7aa 43-62 peptide/CPG-1826 can generate CD103+CD8+ Trm cells in the genital tract. These Trm cells can result in subsequent CD8+ T cell expansion and cytokine production when they encounter the same antigen. Importantly, this secondary response can control rechallenge with tumor cells. In vitro, BMDCs can promote the production of TGF-β, which induces CD103 expression in CD8+ T cells. In human cervical cancer samples, DCs were correlated with the Trm gene signature, which was positively associated with overall survival. Our results indicate that cervicovaginal Trm cells have the capacity to control tumor growth and that BMDCs may induce Trm cell generation via the TGF-β signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel scheme for a code-division multiplexing based fiber Bragg grating sensor system is theoretically analyzed and experimentally demonstrated. The results show that the proposed scheme enables an improved signal-to-noise ratio performance compared with the time-division multiplexing method and that spontaneous–spontaneous beating noise should be included in the analysis to avoid overestimation. The simple and effective setup provides a competitive approach for using fiber Bragg grating sensors in practical application systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the design of iteratively decoded bit-interleaved space-time coded modulation (BI-STCM) over fast Raylelg-fading channels with Nt transmit and Nτ receive antennas. We propose the design criterion to achieve the largest asymptotic coding gain inherited in the constellation labeling. In particular, for orthogonal space-time block codes, the labeling design criterion reduces to maximizing the (-NtNτ) th power mean of the complete set of squared Eudidean distances associated with all "error-free feedback" events in the constellation. Based on this power mean criterion, we show that the labeling optimization problem falls Into the category of quadratic assignment problems for constellations of any shape and with an arbitrary number of transmit and receive antennas. For a set of practical values of Nt and Nτ, we present optimal labeling maps for 8-PSK, 16-QAM, and 64-QAM constellations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current weakly supervised semantic segmentation methods usually generate noisy pseudo-labels. Training segmentation models with these labels tends to overfit the noise, leading to poor performance. Existing approaches often rely on iterative updates of pseudo-labels at pixel or image-level, ignoring the importance of region-level characteristics. The recently introduced Segment Anything Model (SAM) advances multiple approaches by fusing such region-level masks with noisy pseudo-labels. However, the fusion of noisy pseudo-labels using SAM is still challenging due to the lack of semantic information. To address these challenges, we propose a R egion-based O nline S elective E xamination (ROSE). To be specific, we first consolidate SAM masks in a bottom-up manner to form a unified region prior. Then, leveraging these priors, region-level visual information is aggregated through the proposed region voting strategy. Furthermore, a cross-view selective examination method effectively explores semantic consistency between different image views and performs an examination to correct noisy pseudo-labels. The experimental results show that our ROSE achieves a new state-of-the-art on the Pascal VOC and COCO datasets. Moreover, the training time of our ROSE is over 10 times faster than previous methods. • An online noise correction method for training segmentation models with noisy pseudo-labels. • A SAM-based region voting strategy for pixel-to-region aggregation. • A cross-view examination for adaptively correcting noisy pseudo-labels. • Our method achieves state-of-the-art performance on main benchmarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) plays an increasingly important role in the non-invasive diagnosis and treatment planning of gliomas. This study introduces an innovative head coil array with integrated high-order B0 shimming capabilities to enhance its clinical utility. The head coil array can effectively correct the main B0 field inhomogeneity in the brain, resulting in improved whole-brain coverage and data quality for 3D-MRSI while reducing variations in shimming across different subjects. The ultimate goal is to promote the routine clinical use of whole-brain MRSI. The spectral quality of magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) can be affected by strong magnetic field inhomogeneities, posing a challenge for 3D-MRSI's widespread clinical use with standard scanner-equipped 2nd-order shim coils. To overcome this, we designed an empirical unified shim–RF head coil (32-ch RF receive and 51-ch shim) for 3D-MRSI improvement. We compared its shimming performance and 3D-MRSI brain coverages against the standard scanner shim (2nd-order spherical harmonic (SH) shim coils) and integrated parallel reception, excitation, and shimming (iPRES) 32-ch AC/DC head coil. We also simulated a theoretical 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-order SH shim as a benchmark to assess the UNIfied shim–RF coil (UNIC) improvements. In this preliminary study, the whole-brain coverage was simulated by using B0 field maps of twenty-four healthy human subjects (n = 24). Our results demonstrated that UNIC substantially improves brain field homogeneity, reducing whole-brain frequency standard deviations by 27% compared to the standard 2nd-order scanner shim and 17% compared to the iPRES shim. Moreover, UNIC enhances whole-brain coverage of 3D-MRSI by up to 34% compared to the standard 2nd-order scanner shim and up to 13% compared to the iPRES shim. UNIC markedly increases coverage in the prefrontal cortex by 147% and 47% and in the medial temporal lobe and temporal pole by 29% and 13%, respectively, at voxel resolutions of 1.4 cc and 0.09 cc for 3D-MRSI. Furthermore, UNIC effectively reduces variations in shim quality and brain coverage among different subjects compared to scanner shim and iPRES shim. Anticipated advancements in higher-order shimming (beyond 6th order) are expected via optimized designs using dimensionality reduction methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research being done on adaptive phenotypic plasticity. It references the study "Spatially Heterogeneous Selection in Nature Favors Phentotypic Plasticity in Anuran Larvae," by J. Van Buskirk published in an issue of "Evolution." Examples of laboratory experiments which provided evidence for plasticity being adaptive are detailed. The pattern that strongly supports the idea that plasticity is adaptive is also described.

The highly toxic heavy metal thallium is widely distributed in sulfide ores and released into the environment by sulfide mining. However, the interface between the sulfide minerals and Tl(I) is unclear. In this study, the capacity for adsorption of thallium(I) by a common sulfide mineral (zinc sulfide) was investigated in aerobic and anaerobic environments, which revealed three mechanisms for adsorption on the ZnS surface (surface complexation, electrostatic action and oxidation promotion). Batch experiments indicated that the Tl(I) adsorption capacity of ZnS in an aerobic environment was approximately 9.3% higher than that in an anaerobic environment and was positively correlated with the pH. The adsorption kinetic data showed good fits with the pseudosecond-order model and the Freundlich isotherm model. The Tl(I) adsorption mechanism varied in different oxidative and pH environments. XPS, FTIR, and EDS results implied that complexation with surface hydroxyl groups was involved in the adsorption process. pH experiments and zeta analyses suggested that electrostatic attraction was also involved. Surface complexation and electrostatic attraction were the dominant mechanisms at pH values above 6. Furthermore, oxidative dissolution of ZnS and hydrolysis of Zn2+ enhanced the complexation with hydroxyl groups on the mineral surface and facilitated Tl adsorption. In this study, this interface mechanism provided new insights into thallium migration in sulfurized mineral environments in aerobic and anaerobic transition regions. [Display omitted] • The aerobic environment increased Tl adsorption on ZnS by 9.3%. • Surface complexation and electrostatic attraction play a major role in adsorption. • Oxidative dissolution promotes complexing adsorption of Tl on ZnS. • Elevated pH could strengthen both the complexation and electrostatic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birnessite has been considered as a potential thallium (Tl)-oxidizing mineral and Tl scavenger in natural and engineered systems. However, the birnessite aging that occurs during Tl sorption may severely limit the long-term effectiveness of Tl immobilization on birnessite. In this study, kinetic experiments were performed in batch coupled stirred-flow systems to investigate the effects of Tl(I) loading and pH on Tl(I) retention during short- and long-term Tl-birnessite interactions. Spectral analysis, microscopic observations, and theoretical calculations revealed a change in the Tl(I) binding mode to birnessite with time. In the short term, low levels of Tl(I) could be effectively immobilized through adsorption to birnessite vacancies. Structural disruption and vacancy occupation in birnessite resulted in the migration of adsorbed Tl(I) toward the edges of the mineral during a 24-d reaction period. Under acidic to neutral conditions, the migration of vacancy-bound Tl(I) induced sustained Tl(I) release (10–45%) from birnessite over the long-term. Under alkaline conditions, hydroxide ions contributed to the formation of Tl(I)–OH species with double edge sharing, which enhanced the binding ability (α ≈ 7 × 10−4 min−1) and stable retention of Tl(I) on birnessite. Understanding Tl(I) retention dynamics during long-term Tl-birnessite interactions elucidates the Tl cycle in Mn oxide-containing systems. [Display omitted] • Nonoxidative adsorption dominates the massive immobilization of Tl on birnessite. • 10–45% of the adsorbed Tl(I) is released under acidic and neutral environments. • Structural destruction and vacancy occupation lead to migration of adsorbed Tl(I). • TCS-Tl(I) on Mn(III)-vacancies is converted to DES-Tl(I) on edges in the reaction. • OH− enhances the Tl(I) binding ability and long-term immobilization on birnessite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Populations vary in their degree of ecological specialization. An intuitive, but often untested, hypothesis is that populations evolving under greater environmental heterogeneity will evolve to be less specialized. How important is environmental heterogeneity in explaining among‐population variation in specialization? We assessed juvenile viability of 20 Drosophila melanogaster populations evolving under one of four regimes: (1) a salt‐enriched environment, (2) a cadmium‐enriched environment, (3) a temporally varying environment, and (4) a spatially varying environment. Juvenile viability was tested in both the original selective environments and a set of novel environments. In both the original and novel environments, populations from the constant cadmium regime had the lowest average viability and the highest variance in viability across environments but populations from the other three regimes were similar. Our results suggest that variation in specialization among these populations is most simply explained as a pleiotropic by‐product of adaptation to specific environments rather than resulting from a history of exposure to environmental heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses national time-series survey data to monitor the levels and changing trends of doctoral student satisfaction with their education process. From 2012 to 2016, advising ranked highest on the satisfaction continuum, followed by scientific research training, curriculum and teaching, the financial aid system, and management and service. The latter three indicators show the most significant weaknesses, albeit with a steady upward trend, and therefore require stronger reforms and pinpointed policy implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoexcited organic chromophores appended to stable radicals can serve as qubit and/or qudit candidates for quantum information applications. 1,6,7,12‐Tetra‐(4‐tert‐butylphenoxy)‐perylene‐3,4 : 9,10‐bis(dicarboximide) (tpPDI) linked to a partially deuterated α,γ‐bisdiphenylene‐β‐phenylallyl radical (BDPA‐d16) was synthesized and characterized by time‐resolved optical and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies. Photoexcitation of tpPDI‐BDPA‐d16 results in ultrafast radical‐enhanced intersystem crossing to produce a quartet state (Q) followed by formation of a spin‐polarized doublet ground state (D0). Pulse‐EPR experiments confirmed the spin multiplicity of Q and yielded coherence times of Tm=2.1±0.1 μs and 2.8±0.2 μs for Q and D0, respectively. BDPA‐d16 eliminates the dominant 1H hyperfine couplings, resulting in a single narrow line for both the Q and D0 states, which enhances the spectral resolution needed for good qubit addressability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoexcited organic chromophores appended to stable radicals can serve as qubit and/or qudit candidates for quantum information applications. 1,6,7,12‐Tetra‐(4‐tert‐butylphenoxy)‐perylene‐3,4 : 9,10‐bis(dicarboximide) (tpPDI) linked to a partially deuterated α,γ‐bisdiphenylene‐β‐phenylallyl radical (BDPA‐d16) was synthesized and characterized by time‐resolved optical and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies. Photoexcitation of tpPDI‐BDPA‐d16 results in ultrafast radical‐enhanced intersystem crossing to produce a quartet state (Q) followed by formation of a spin‐polarized doublet ground state (D0). Pulse‐EPR experiments confirmed the spin multiplicity of Q and yielded coherence times of Tm=2.1±0.1 μs and 2.8±0.2 μs for Q and D0, respectively. BDPA‐d16 eliminates the dominant 1H hyperfine couplings, resulting in a single narrow line for both the Q and D0 states, which enhances the spectral resolution needed for good qubit addressability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of effective treatment methods for advanced cervical, and the therapeutic HPV vaccine is a promising option. The design of an efficient therapeutic vaccine is one of the main challenges. In the current study, we constructed a novel HPV nanovaccine that could effectively inhibit the progression of cervical cancer by combining nanotechnology and photodynamic therapy. This nanovaccine was constructed by linking bovine serum albumin (BSA) with the E7 antigen and then encapsulating the photosensitizer and adjuvant through disulfide bonds to form a highly biocompatible and stable structure. Due to its slow-release properties and targeted delivery to lymph nodes combined with infrared laser irradiation of photosensitizers to produce a photo-oxygen response, this vaccine could effectively induce the maturation of dendritic cells and stimulate T cell effects, thereby enhancing antitumor immunity. This prevention and treatment of tumors was experimentally demonstrated in a TC-1 cervical cancer model in C57BL/6 mice. This strategy can be applied to the design of therapeutic HPV vaccines in the future for clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The 1D/2D MnO 2 /MXene heterostructures generate built-in electric fields that greatly accelerating the ionic and electronic diffusion/transport kinetics. • The synergistic mechanism generated by 1D/2D heterostructures achieve the balance between high energy storage activity and high active substance proportion of MnO 2 /MXene flexible electrode. • The quasi-solid-state FZIBs with MnO 2 /MXene paper-like film provide high total specific capacity and stability in flexible applications. Paper-like flexible electrode plays a critical importance role in booming the development of flexible energy storage devices. One-dimensional manganese dioxide (1D MnO 2) shows immense advantage in flexible zinc-ion batteries (FZIBs) on account of renowned tunnel crystal structure and high operating voltage. However, inherent inferior electrical conductivity and sluggish reaction kinetics seriously hinder the practical application of FZIBs, resulting in unsatisfactory rate capability and cycle performance. Herein, 1D/2D MnO 2 /MXene-5 heterostructure materials were constructed by electrostatic self-assembly, which were then prepared into paper-like membrane with high energy storage active substance ratio (95.2 %) towards high capacity and ultrastable FZIBs. The built-in electric field induced by the heterostructure accelerates the electron transfer, reduces the charge transfer resistance and promotes ion diffusion, enabling the 1D/2D phase collaboration to improve the zinc ion storage of the paper-like electrode. The design achieves a high total specific capacity (based on the total cathode mass) of 314.7 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and ultrastable of 8000 cycles at 5 A g−1 with a retention of 81.1 %. Remarkably, quasi-solid-state FZIBs with MnO 2 /MXene-5 membrane can deliver an outstanding reversible capacity of 273.5 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and maintain 500 cycles at 1 A g−1 across various bending angles without decay, demonstrating excellent stability. This work provides a novel approach for the targeted design of self-standing flexible electrodes. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Maximum Tl(III) adsorption capacity of 1619.93 mg g−1 is achieved on δ-MnO 2. • Surface complexation dominates Tl(III) adsorption on Fe/Mn (hydr)oxides. • Tl(III) is bound to Fe/Mn (hydr)oxides in monodentate/tridentate complexes. • Anions inhibit Tl(III) adsorption by affecting free Tl(III) and site morphology. • Aggregation and coating of Fe/Mn (hydr)oxides with HA inhibit Tl(III) adsorption. Thallium(III) (Tl(III)) is mobile in acidic environments and under ligand complexation, posing a potential threat to the environment and human health. The adsorption of Tl(III) on manganese and iron (hydr)oxides will affect its environmental mobility and engineering removal efficiency. However, the adsorption behavior and interfacial reaction mechanism of Tl(III) remain largely unknown. This study is the first to elucidate the surface complexation mechanism of Tl(III) on Fe/Mn (hydr)oxides and to investigate the adsorption behavior of Tl(III) under the influence of typical environmental ligands. Deprotonation of surface hydroxyl groups contributes to the increase in adsorption capacity for Tl(III) (δ-MnO 2 , 1619.93 mg g−1; α-FeOOH, 48.25 mg g−1; and α-Fe 2 O 3 , 58.66 mg g−1 from Langmuir thermodynamic fitting). Surface complexation modeling reveals tridentate complexation of Tl(III) on birnessite and monodentate complexation on iron (hydr)oxides. The anionic ligand strongly inhibits the adsorption of Tl(III) (up to 16.0 %–40.0 %) by complexing with Tl(III) and occupying the adsorption sites. In addition, HA also reduces the adsorption of Tl(III) by 8.2 %–23.2 % by exacerbating the aggregation and surface coating of the adsorbent particles. New insights into the binding mechanism of Tl(III) on Fe/Mn oxides can help to guide the development of efficient Tl(III) removal adsorbents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binary sparse measurement matrices are widely used in compressed sensing (CS) due to their low computational complexity. However, binary sparse measurement matrices perform well in CS-based binary signal recovery only when the source signals are very sparse (e.g., k/ n=0.1, where k is the sparsity of the source signal, n is the length of the source signal). In this paper, we propose to construct a non-binary sparse measurement matrix to recover binary source signals which are not so sparse (e.g., k/ n=0.2) accurately with few measurements. The novel measurement matrix enables us to design a suboptimal and effective recovery algorithm by fully exploiting the structural features. Moreover, we analyze and estimate the un-recovery probability based on the tree structure to evaluate the recovery performance. The simulation results validate that non-binary sparse measurement matrices can be used to recover binary source signals which are not so sparse, the recovery performance of non-binary sparse measurement matrices is better than that of binary sparse measurement matrices in terms of the un-recovery probability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]