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The two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has been used as resistive switching (RS) material for memory due to its insulation, good thermal conductivity and excellent thermal/chemical stability. A typical h-BN based RS memory employs a metal-insulator-metal vertical structure, in which metal ions pass through the h-BN layers to realize the transition from high resistance state to low resistance state. Alternatively, just like the horizontal structure widely used in the traditional MOS capacitor based memory, the performance of in-plane h-BN memory should also be evaluated to determine its potential applications. As consequence, a horizontal structured resistive memory has been designed in this work by forming freestanding h-BN across Ag nanogap, where the two-dimensional h-BN favored in-plane transport of metal ions to emphasize the RS behavior. As a result, the memory devices showed switching slope down to 0.25 mV decâˆ'1, ON/OFF ratio up to 108, SET current down to pA and SET voltage down to 180 mV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound is commonly used in breast cancer screening and diagnosis. The use of ultrasound features to predict the subtypes of invasive breast cancer is of great clinical significance, since it facilitates a fast and early diagnosis and treatment. The correlation between breast lesion ultrasound features and the breast cancer subtypes requires further investigation. 388 patients with invasive breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed by two sonographers. The tumor size, shape, margin, echogenicity, echotexture, posterior echo attenuation microcalcification, and blood vessel density were recorded. The correlation between the tumor ER, PR, HER2, and Ki67 status, the molecular subtypes, and the ultrasound features was analyzed using the chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and multiple logistic regression. ER and PR positivity were correlated with a low histologic grade, lymph node metastasis, and smaller-sized tumors. A hyperechoic or a mixed echogenicity was rare in the tumors of all groups but was enriched in the ER and PR tumors (9.57% and 7.64%, respectively, p < 0.01). A high percentage of posterior echo attenuation was found in the Ki67 low (53.94%) and ER+ (51.28%) tumors. Furthermore, heterogeneous and microcalcifications were enriched in HER2-positive tumors. In terms of the molecular subtypes, the luminal A subtype group had the lowest lymph node positivity and the smallest primary tumor size. The luminal B subtype had the lowest percentage of hyperechoic or mixed tumors. The HER2 subtype was positively correlated with microcalcification. Finally, TNBC showed the highest percentage of hyperechoic or mixed tumors and the lowest percentage of posterior echo attenuation and microcalcification. Tumor pathologic and ultrasound features were correlated with invasive breast tumor molecular marker positivity and its molecular subtypes. • The usage of ultrasound features to predict subtypes of invasive breast cancer is of great clinical significance, as it will facilitate fast and early diagnosis and treatment • Tumor pathologic and ultrasound features correlated with invasive breast tumor molecular marker positivity and molecular subtypes • The study provide valuable resource for using ultrasound features to predict invasive breast cancer molecular subtypes and contribute to breast cancer early diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile surfactant-free route for size-control preparation of Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles in aqueous solution was reported. The feeding ratio of OH − to Co 2+ influences the conversion of Co 2+ to Co 3 O 4 crystals, and affects the crystallinity of the final Co 3 O 4 products. The size of Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles can be controlled to be 15, 18, 27 and 30 nm by simply regulating the concentration of NaOH solution through a β- Co(OH) 2 → Co 3 O 4 process. A linear relationship between Co 3 O 4 size and NaOH concentration was found. The photocatalytic property for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation and electrochemical property for supercapacitor of the Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles are size dependent. Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles in the size of 15 nm showed the highest photocatalytic efficiency of 70% in pH 3 under visible-light irradiation for 3 h, and behaved the highest specific capacitance of 177 F g −1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) Co 3 O 4 nanoclusters were fabricated with the assistance of tetrasodium ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTANa 4 ) through a one-pot wet-chemical reaction, featuring self-limiting assembly of building blocks and controlled regrowth process. The molar ratio of Co 2+ and EDTANa 4 plays a key role in building initial clusters as blocks, and the amount of NaOH effects the regrowth process. A possible formation mechanism for the Co 3 O 4 nanoclusters was proposed based on the characterization results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The designed hierarchical Co 3 O 4 nanoclusters exhibit a high specific capacitance of 221 F g −1 at a current density of 2 A g −1 in 2 mol L −1 KOH electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flowerlike hierarchical Co 3 O 4 nanostructures were prepared by wet-chemical method with the assistance of trisodium citrate (Na 3 Cit·2H 2 O) under mild conditions. The phase, structure, morphology and properties of the Co 3 O 4 nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and UV–visible spectrophotometer. Substitution-oxidation ([Co 2 (CitH −1 ) 2 ] 4− → Co(OH) 2 → Co 3 O 4 ) process was proposed for the possible evolution mechanism based on the results. Appropriate Na 3 Cit played an important role for the formation of flowerlike Co(OH) 2 intermediates and Co 3 O 4 nanostructures. The obtained flowerlike hierarchical Co 3 O 4 nanostructures exhibited remarkable enhanced visible-light photocatalytic degradations of rhodamine B (RhB) and catalytic decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An inheritance strategy for fabricating nanoparticle-assembled Co 3 O 4 rods was reported with CoC 2 O 4 ·2H 2 O rods as self-template in aqueous solution. The substitution–oxidation process (CoC 2 O 4 ·2H 2 O → Co(OH) 2 → Co 3 O 4 ) was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT–IR). The amount of NaOH, crystal characters of Co(OH) 2 intermediates and growth time of Co 3 O 4 play important roles on the formation of the nanoparticle-assembled Co 3 O 4 rods. Trace residual CoC 2 O 4 ·2H 2 O is necessary for keeping Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles in rod-shaped assembly. Comparing with the Co 3 O 4 rods obtained by calcining CoC 2 O 4 ·2H 2 O rods at high temperature, the solution synthesized nanoparticle-assembled Co 3 O 4 rods performed higher activities on photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and catalytic decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple and reliable high-performance liquid chromatography method with diode array detection (HPLC–DAD) was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of six bioactive components, rutaevine, limonin, evodiamine, rutaecarpine, N-formyldihydrorutaecarpine and dihydroevocarpine, in the traditional Chinese medicine Evodiae Fructus (Wuzhuyu in Chinese). HPLC separation was conducted on an Agilent Eclipse C18 column (4.6 × 150 mm, 5 µm) at 35°C with a mixture of mobile phase A [tetrahydrofuran–0.02% phosphoric acid (16 : 35)] and mobile phase B (acetonitrile) (gradient elution as follows: 0 min, 22% B; 23 min, 22% B; 24 min, 75% B) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min, and the DAD detection wavelength was set at 220 nm. A linear relationship within the range of investigated concentrations was observed for the six compounds, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.999. The average recovery yields of the six compounds ranged from 98.39 to 104.96%. The HPLC–DAD method was validated by its repeatability [relative standard deviation (RSD) < 2.0%] and intra-day and inter-day precision (RSD < 2.0%). The method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of the six previously mentioned components in Evodiae Fructus. It is the first report of a simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis for three classes of bioactive components in Wuzhuyu, including the indolequinazoline alkaloids, quinolone alkaloid and limonoids. Based on these results, it is suggested, for possible future revision of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, that the total contents of evodiamine and rutaecarpine are not less than 0.15% and the total contents of rutaevine and limonin are not less than 0.50%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD), one of the common clinical cancers, exhibits high morbidity and mortality, and its pathogenesis and treatment are still underdeveloped. Numerous studies have demonstrated the involvement of bile acids in tumour development, while the potential role of their metabolism in the tumor microenvironment (TME) has not been explored. A collection of 481 genes related to bile acid metabolism were obtained, and The Cancer Genome Atlas-based COAD risk model was developed using the least absolute shrinkage selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis. The Gene Expression Omnibus dataset was used to validate the results. The predictive performance of the model was verified using column line plots, principal component analysis and receiver operating characteristic curves. Then, we analysed the differences between the high- and low-risk groups from training set based on clinical characteristics, immune cell infiltration, immune-related functions, chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity and immunotherapy efficacy. Additionally, we constructed a protein–protein interaction network to screen for target genes, which were further investigated in terms of differential immune cell distribution. A total of 234 bile acids-related differentially expressed genes were obtained between normal and tumour colon tissues. Among them, 111 genes were upregulated and 123 genes were down-regulated in the tumour samples. Relying on the LASSO logistic regression algorithm, we constructed a model of bile acid risk score, comprising 12 genes: CPT2, SLCO1A2, CD36, ACOX1, CDKN2A, HADH, GABRD, LEP, TIMP1, MAT1A, SLC6A15 and PPARGC1A. This model was validated in the GEO-COAD set. Age and risk score were observed to be independent prognostic factors in patients with COAD. Genes related to bile acid metabolism in COAD were closely related to bile secretion, intestinal transport, steroid and fatty acid metabolism. Furthermore, the high-risk group was more sensitive to Oxaliplatin than the low-risk group. Finally, the three target genes screened were closely associated with immune cells. We identified a set of 12 genes (CPT2, SLCO1A2, CD36, ACOX1, CDKN2A, HADH, GABRD, LEP, TIMP1, MAT1A, SLC6A15, and PPARGC1A) associated with bile acid metabolism and developed a bile acid risk score model using LASSO regression analysis. The model demonstrated good predictive performance and was validated using an independent dataset. Our findings revealed that the bile acid risk score were independent prognostic factors in COAD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prior observational studies have identified a relationship between the composition of gut microbiota and the onset of acne. To ascertain the causal relationship underlying this association, we adopted the Mendelian randomization (MR) method, which offers a powerful approach to causal inference. Methods: Summary statistics on gut microbiota and acne were obtained from the MiBioGen and FinnGen consortium, respectively. The causal relationship was assessed using multiple methods in a two‐sample framework, including MR Egger, weighted median, inverse variance weighted (IVW), and weighted mode. Furthermore, the heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy analyses were conducted, along with the leave‐one‐out method. Results: The IVW estimation indicated that Allisonella (odds ratio [OR] = 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.18–1.70, p = 0.0002) and Bacteroides (OR = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.48–3.42, p = 0.0001) have adverse effects on acne. By contrast, Ruminococcus torques group (OR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.25–0.65, p = 0.0002) showed a beneficial effect on acne. In addition, Candidatus soleaferrea (OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.60–0.95, p = 0.0149), Eubacterium coprostanoligenes group (OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.47–0.95, p = 0.0230), Fusicatenibacter (OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.52–0.97, p = 0.02897), and Lactobacillus (OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.58–0.90, p = 0.0046) showed suggestive associations with acne. Conclusion: The present investigation suggests a causal effect of gut microbiota on acne. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD), one of the common clinical cancers, exhibits high morbidity and mortality, and its pathogenesis and treatment are still underdeveloped. Numerous studies have demonstrated the involvement of bile acids in tumour development, while the potential role of their metabolism in the tumor microenvironment (TME) has not been explored. A collection of 481 genes related to bile acid metabolism were obtained, and The Cancer Genome Atlas-based COAD risk model was developed using the least absolute shrinkage selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis. The Gene Expression Omnibus dataset was used to validate the results. The predictive performance of the model was verified using column line plots, principal component analysis and receiver operating characteristic curves. Then, we analysed the differences between the high- and low-risk groups from training set based on clinical characteristics, immune cell infiltration, immune-related functions, chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity and immunotherapy efficacy. Additionally, we constructed a protein–protein interaction network to screen for target genes, which were further investigated in terms of differential immune cell distribution. A total of 234 bile acids-related differentially expressed genes were obtained between normal and tumour colon tissues. Among them, 111 genes were upregulated and 123 genes were down-regulated in the tumour samples. Relying on the LASSO logistic regression algorithm, we constructed a model of bile acid risk score, comprising 12 genes: CPT2, SLCO1A2, CD36, ACOX1, CDKN2A, HADH, GABRD, LEP, TIMP1, MAT1A, SLC6A15 and PPARGC1A. This model was validated in the GEO-COAD set. Age and risk score were observed to be independent prognostic factors in patients with COAD. Genes related to bile acid metabolism in COAD were closely related to bile secretion, intestinal transport, steroid and fatty acid metabolism. Furthermore, the high-risk group was more sensitive to Oxaliplatin than the low-risk group. Finally, the three target genes screened were closely associated with immune cells. We identified a set of 12 genes (CPT2, SLCO1A2, CD36, ACOX1, CDKN2A, HADH, GABRD, LEP, TIMP1, MAT1A, SLC6A15, and PPARGC1A) associated with bile acid metabolism and developed a bile acid risk score model using LASSO regression analysis. The model demonstrated good predictive performance and was validated using an independent dataset. Our findings revealed that the bile acid risk score were independent prognostic factors in COAD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent one in the world among the most common malignant tumors. Numerous studies have shown that butyrate has demonstrated promise as an antitumor agent in a variety of human cancer types. However, butyrate remains understudied in CRC tumorigenesis and progression. In this study, we explored therapeutic strategies to treat CRC by examining the role of butyrate metabolism. First, from the Molecular Signature Database (MSigDB), we identified 348 butyrate metabolism-related genes (BMRGs). Next, we downloaded 473 CRC and 41 standard colorectal tissue samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and the transcriptome data of GSE39582 dataset from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Then we evaluated the expression patterns of butyrate metabolism-related genes with difference analysis in CRC. Through univariate Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis, a prognostic model was constructed based on differentially expressed BMRGs. In addition, we discovered an independent prognostic marker for CRC patients. According to the expression levels and coefficients of identified BMRGs, the risk scores of all CRC samples were calculated. Utilizing differentially expressed genes in the high- and low-risk groups, we also constructed a Protein–Protein Interaction (PPI) network to visualize the interactions between proteins. Through the results of PPI network, we screened out differentially expressed target butyrate metabolism-related genes from ten hub genes. Finally, we performed clinical correlation analysis, immune cell infiltration analysis, and mutation analysis for these target genes. One hundred and seventy three differentially expressed butyrate metabolism-related genes were screened out in all the CRC samples. The prognostic model was established with univariate Cox regression and LASSO regression analysis. CRC patients' overall survival was significantly lower in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group for both training and validation set. Among the ten hub genes identified from the PPI network, four target butyrate metabolism-related genes were identified containing FN1, SERPINE1, THBS2, and COMP, which might provide novel markers or targets for treating CRC patients. Eighteen butyrate metabolism-related genes were used to develop a risk prognostic model that could be helpful for doctors to predict CRC patients' survival rate. Using this model, it is beneficial to forecast the response of CRC patients to immunotherapy and chemotherapy, thus making it easier to custom tailor cancer chemotherapy and immunotherapy to the individual patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molybdenum trioxide ( h -MoO 3 , α -MoO 3 ·H 2 O and h -/ α -MoO 3 composites) were prepared by a simple method in aqueous solution at 90–95 °C, without using autoclave or other complex equipment. The synthetic conditions for different phases of MoO 3 were studied. The ratio of MoO 4 2− :H + and reaction temperature play important roles for the crystal phases of MoO 3 . By changing the amount of H + ions, the samples can be controlled as h -MoO 3 microrods or α -MoO 3 ·H 2 O microbelts. h -/ α -MoO 3 composites in homogeneous structure were obtained at higher temperatures. The study on the transformation process of h -MoO 3 → α -MoO 3 ·H 2 O → α -MoO 3 would be helpful in designing functional MoO 3 materials. The h -MoO 3 microrods and h -/ α -MoO 3 composites showed good photochromic behavior under sunlight irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shear wave elastography (SWE) is a potential modality that quantitatively measures the elasticity (shear wave speed [SWS]) of musculoskeletal structure. This SWS was bilaterally measured in the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO) muscle, internal oblique (IO) muscle and transversus abdominis (TrA) using SWE in 28 patients with incisional hernia and 14 healthy controls. The differences in muscle thickness for IO and TrA were significant between the two groups (p < 0.05). The SWS of RA, EO, IO and TrA was significantly higher in the incisional hernia patient group than in the healthy controls (p < 0.05). Significant differences were also observed between the upper and lower points in both groups (p < 0.05). The measurements of SWS help in evaluating the elastic properties of abdominal wall muscles, which could further aid in preparing treatment plans to improve muscle strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amino alcohol alkaloids are the active components in the lateral root of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. (Fuzi), and they have a variety of pharmacological activities. However, the chemical fingerprints of the ester alkaloids reported to date were mainly obtained from high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection, and it is difficult to obtain information about amino alcohol alkaloids in Fuzi from such chromatograms. In this paper, a comprehensive fingerprinting method was established using high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with an evaporative light‐scattering detector for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of both the amino alcohol alkaloids and ester alkaloids. A total of 42 samples of Fuzi from four production areas were analyzed by constructing high‐performance liquid chromatography fingerprints. Then, the quantitative results of the chemical fingerprints combined with chemometrics methods were employed to reveal the factors affecting the geo‐authentic Fuzi and to determine characteristic components that can be used to identify these samples. The results indicated distinct differences in the alkaloid contents among samples from the four regions; the geographical origin may be the primary factor affecting the geo‐authentic Fuzi, and 15 major components (including songorine, neoline, and hypaconitine, which were quantitatively determined) were found to be characteristic components for the discrimination of Fuzi samples from various regions. Neoline might be a critical component for identifying geo‐authentic Fuzi. This approach is convenient, reproducible and provides a promising method for the quality evaluation of Fuzi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable phase α-MoO3 nanobelts with preferred orientation were successfully evolved on transforming from metastable phase h-MoO3via an aqueous approach. H+ ions play a key role in the nuclei formation and crystal growth processes. Variation of the Mo : H+ molar ratio led to MoO3 crystals with different polymorphs. Oriented α-MoO3 nanobelts along the [001] direction were achieved under a Mo : H+ ratio of 1 : 9, which is relative to a heterogeneous nucleation process on the surface of metastable phase h-MoO3. The α-MoO3 nanobelts along the [100] direction were obtained under a Mo : H+ ratio of 1 : 10; homogeneous nucleation dominated the synthesis without the presentation of h-MoO3 microrods. The α-MoO3 nanobelts with distinguishing crystalline growth orientations exhibited different photochromic behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchical Bi based nanobundles were self-assembled via an aqueous reduction approach using hydrazine hydrate as reductive agent, and were used as photocatalysts for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light. PVP molecules were designed as inducing agent to construct the Bi based nanobundles. The as-obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), thermogravimetric–differential thermal analyzer (TG–DTA), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) to get clear information of the crystals. A possible formation mechanism for the interesting architectures was proposed in the paper. The Bi based nanobundles exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity and good cycling performance towards photodegradation of RhB under visible light. The pH-sensitive degradation can reach 96% in degradation rate after 90 min, which indicates potential applications of the Bi based nanobundles on the degradation of organic pollutants. Degradation mechanism is proposed on the combination of Bi and BiOCl crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile aqueous approach to the synthesis of metastable hexagonal tungsten oxide ( h-WO3) hierarchical nanostructures at low temperature was investigated. The spherelike h-WO3 architectures are constructed from 1D nanorods. Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) in the reaction system facilitates the quick formation of h-WO3 nuclei of the metastable phase through electrostatic interactions between protonated PVP and tungstate anions, which is in accord with the rule of kinetics favoring the formation of the metastable form. PVP also acts as a soft template for the assembly of WO3 crystallites. Oriented growth of WO3 crystallites along the [001] direction resulted in the nanorod-assembled h-WO3 architectures. The h-WO3-rich samples all exhibited good recycled visible-light photochromic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urchin-like tungsten oxide hydrate (WO3 ·H2O) hollow spheres were successfully synthesized via a self-sacrifice template method at low temperature. The effects of reaction parameters on the preparation were studied in solution. The growth mechanism was also proposed on the basis of experimental results. In addition, the acid amount and temperature have important effects on size control of the as-obtained samples. The achieved nanoarchitectures have typical diameters of 4-6 μm with nanoflakes of several nanometers at surface. Crystal structure, morphology, and composition of final nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Degradation experiments of organic contaminant were also performed on samples of hollow spheres and walnut-like structures under visible-light illumination. Hollow sphere sample exhibited better photocatalytic capability than walnut-like sample. Possible mechanism was studied for WO3 ·H2O assisted photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminant under visible light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land-use change in oases of arid zones play a significant role in the sustainable development and stability of oases. This paper presents a typical case of successful efforts to mitigate land-use change, its drivers and effects on the oasis eco-environment at Keriya Oasis in the western arid zone of China using remotely-sensed data, official statistics, and data collected by field investigation. Mathematical models were developed to quantify important elements related to land-use change, including net change and total change. The results indicate that: (1) approximately 17% of land-use types of Keriya Oasis changed between 1991 and 2002; (2) socioeconomic development, climate change, and economic polices contributed to land-use change in the oasis; (3) inappropriate human activities were the main cause of land-use change and eco-environmental degradation in the oasis; and (4) the stability of the oasis is threatened by land-use change and unexpected eco-environmental changes in the oasis and oasis-desert ecotone. The study suggests irrational human activity in arid zones, and that caution should be exercised to maintain stability and sustainable development of oases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional WO3·H2O hollow spheres with diameters of 4-6 μm are synthesized by addition of NaWO4 to an aqueous CaCl2 solution followed by addition of HCl (70 °C, 3 h). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]