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AbstractObjective: To evaluate the efficacy of graded nutrition intervention strategy in improving patients with different degrees of impaired swallowing function after stroke.Methods: According to the way of nursing, the patients were divided into two group. The main outcome measure was Kota swallowing index (WSI) score, and the secondary outcome was complications during the intervention. SF-36 scale was used to evaluate the improvement of quality of life before and intervention.Results: The WSI score in the control group was 62.34 ± 10.23 at 1 week after treatment, 70.52 ± 13.45 at 6 weeks after treatment, and 80.48 ± 9.87 at 12 weeks after treatment, while that in the intervention group was 71.45 ± 9.68 at 1 week after treatment, 75.81 ± 11.78 at 6 weeks after treatment, and 84.12 ± 14.32 at 12 weeks after treatment. The WSI scores of the intervention group were significantly higher than those of the control group (t = 5.634, P < 0.001), suggesting better swallowing function of the patients The incidence of pulmonary infection, malnutrition and gastroesophageal reflux in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in throat inflammation and dehydration between the two groups (P > 0.05). In addition, graded nutrition interventions significantly improved patients' quality of life, including dimensions of physical functioning, role physics, physical pain, and social functioning.Conclusion: Compared with conventional treatment, personalized graded nutrition intervention can significantly improve the swallowing function and reduce the pulmonary infection rate in patients with swallowing disorders after stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate organ segmentation is a fundamental step in disease-assisting diagnostic systems, and the precise segmentation of lung is crucial for subsequent lesion detection. Prior to this, lung segmentation algorithms had typically segmented the entire lung tissue. However, the trachea is also essential for diagnosing lung diseases. Challenges in lung parenchyma segmentation include the limited robustness of U-Net in acquiring contextual information and the small size of the trachea being mixed up with lung, making it difficult to identify and reconstruct the lungs. To overcome these difficulties, this paper proposes three improvements to U-Net: multiple concatenation modules to enhance the network's ability to capture context, multi-scale residual learning modules to improve the model's multi-scale learning capabilities, and an enhanced gated attention mechanism to enhance the fusion of various hierarchical features. The experimental results demonstrate that our model has achieved a significant improvement in trachea segmentation compared to existing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the popularity of mobile terminals and social media increasing, misinformation about science has increased in China. To understand the nature of the popularity of scientific rumors, we analyzed 206 typical cases released by four authoritative platforms in China from 2010 to 2020. Content analysis revealed that the majority of scientific rumors are related to health and safety (76.8%), use a visual format (61.2%), are published on social media (62.2%), and provide more than three narrative elements (78.2%). In addition, rumors from unidentified netizens' claims or homemade experiments are the most common (35.9%), followed by highly credible sources, such as expert assertions (20.9%) or scientific research results (19.4%). A further qualitative comparative analysis indicated that a combination of details and fear-mongering are significant conditions that make rumors receive significant attention. Visual presentation also plays an important role, while state media and the presence of scientific terminology have a weak effect. Plain Language Summary: With the popularity of mobile terminals and social media increasing, misinformation about science has increased in China. To understand the nature of the popularity of scientific rumors, we analyzed 206 typical cases released by four authoritative platforms in China from 2010 to 2020. Content analysis revealed that the majority of scientific rumors are related to health and safety (76.8%), use a visual format (61.2%), are published on social media (62.2%), and provide more than three narrative elements (78.2%). In addition, rumors from unidentified netizens' claims or homemade experiments are the most common (35.9%), followed by highly credible sources, such as expert assertions (20.9%) or scientific research results (19.4%). A further qualitative comparative analysis indicated that a combination of details and fear-mongering are significant conditions that make rumors receive significant attention. Visual presentation also plays an important role, while state media and the presence of scientific terminology have a weak effect. Limitations include lack of direct surveys of people's perceptions, the possibility of incomplete influencing factors, and the fact that the outcome variable is influenced by other factors over a long time span. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth and characterization of metal‐oxide thin films foster successful development of oxide‐material‐integrated thin‐film devices represented by metal‐oxide‐semiconductor field‐effect transistors (MOSFET), drawing enormous technological and scientific interest for several decades. In recent years, functional oxide heterostructures have demonstrated remarkable achievements in modern technologies and provided deeper insights into condensed‐matter physics and materials science owing to their versatile tunability and selective amplification of the functionalities. One of the most critical aspects of their physical properties is the polar perturbation stemming from the ionic framework of an oxide. By engineering and exploiting the structural, electrical, magnetic, and optical characteristics through various routes, numerous perceptive studies have clearly shown how polar perturbations advance functionalities or drive exotic physical phenomena in complex oxide heterostructures. In this review, both intrinsic (engraved by thin‐film heteroepitaxy) and extrinsic (reversibly controllable defect‐mediated disorder and polar adsorbates) elements of polar perturbations, highlighting their abilities for the development of highly tunable functional properties are summarized. Scientifically, the recent approaches of polar perturbations render one to consolidate a prospect of atomic‐level manipulation of polar order in epitaxial oxide thin films. Technologically, this review also offers useful guidelines for rational design to heterogeneously integrated oxide‐based multi‐functional devices with high performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The visual object tracking technology of remote sensing images has important applications in areas with high safety performance such as national defense, homeland security, and intelligent transportation in smart cities. However, previous research demonstrates that adversarial examples pose a significant threat to remote sensing imagery. This article first explores the impact of adversarial examples in the field of visual object tracking in remote sensing imagery. We design a classification- and regression-based loss function for the popular Siamese RPN series of visual object tracking models and use the PGD gradient-based attack method to generate adversarial examples. Additionally, we consider the temporal consistency of video frames and design an adversarial examples attack method based on momentum continuation. We evaluate our method on the remote sensing visual object tracking datasets SatSOT and VISO and the traditional datasets OTB100 and UAV123. The experimental results show that our approach can effectively reduce the performance of the tracker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cyst-peritoneal (CP) shunt is one of the most common methods for the treatment of intracranial arachnoid cysts (ACs). Infection is a common postoperative complication. We report a patient with scoliosis due to scar contracture caused by infection after CP shunt. Case description: A 12-year-old boy underwent CP shunt surgery for the left frontoparietotemporal AC when he was 2 years old. At the age of 7 years, he underwent a shunt catheter removal procedure because of the infection caused by the fistula leading from the subcutaneous tunnel to the body surface. However, contracture of the subcutaneous scar from fistula infection caused scoliosis and limited range of motion of the right arm. At the age of 12, the patient received scar lysis and his symptoms improved. Conclusion: We presented the first case of scoliosis due to scar contracture caused by infection after CP shunt. In this case, timely release of scar tissue can effectively correct scoliosis and limb movement limitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the presence of structural disorders, carrier conduction via localized hopping sites emerges in two-dimensional systems and results in a unique thermopower characteristic with T1/3 dependence. The disorders induced potential differences of hopping sites leading to energy variations along current-carrying paths. A systematic thermoelectric study is presently required in comprehending the statistical effects. Therefore, we proposed a statistical model of the Seebeck coefficient on the basis of percolation theory and hopping mechanisms. With this model, the carrier density and temperature dependences can be practically predicted. Key parameters can be extracted by calibration to molybdenum disulfide and black phosphorus experiments, providing a deeper insight into device physics. Moreover, a Mott-like analytical model is developed to investigate the parametric dependence. The thermopower deviations from the noninteracting Mott picture at high and low temperatures are analyzed. Finally, the temperature dependence on the thermoelectric figure of merit is evaluated in a variable range hopping regime. Our model is essential for a reliable prediction of the disorder induced statistical effects on thermoelectric behaviors, which guides both device optimization and material engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ni-P-PTFE gradient coatings were prepared by electroplating and electroless plating. • Gradient coatings can effectively improve the adhesion strength of the coating. • Gradient coatings have little effect on mechanical properties and wettability. • When the concentration is (25 + 50) mL/L, the gradient coatings show the best comprehensive performances. Ni-P-PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) coatings were prepared on stainless steel surfaces to enhance their anti-fouling performance. However, the coatings face the challenge of low adhesion strength due to the complex deposition conditions. To address this issue, gradient Ni-P-PTFE coatings with varying concentrations of PTFE emulsion were fabricated on stainless steels, and non-gradient Ni-P-PTFE coatings were also synthesized for comparison purposes. The surface morphology, cross-sectional morphology, and element distribution in the vertical direction were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). X-ray Diffraction (XRD) was employed to examine the microstructure of the coatings. Nanoindentation was conducted to evaluate hardness and elastic modulus, while a friction and wear tester was used to measure the coefficient of friction. A coating adhesion scratch tester was utilized for testing the adhesion strength, whereas a contact angle tester determined wetting property characteristics. The results demonstrate that an increase in PTFE emulsion content leads to a reduction in the hardness and elastic modulus of Ni-P-PTFE coatings while gradually enhancing their hydrophobicity. The overall performance of gradient coatings surpasses that of non-gradient coatings. Notably, when the PTFE concentration reaches (25 + 50) mL/L, the gradient coatings exhibit uniform particle distribution, superior friction and wear resistance, and the bonding strength is enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A surface potential based compact model for two-dimensional field effect transistors (2D-FETs) is proposed to incorporate the structural disorders induced transition behaviors among variable range hopping (VRH), nearest neighbor hopping (NNH), and band-like transport in most 2D materials. These functions coupled with effective transport energy and multiple trapping and releasing theory enable our developed model to predict the temperature and carrier density dependent current characteristics. Its validity is confirmed by the experimental results such as the metal insulator transition (MIT) in transition metal dichalcogenides and VRH-NNH transition in black phosphorus nanoribbon. Based on this model, the band-tail effects on the crossover gate voltage of MIT behavior are quantitatively investigated. It is found that the transition behavior is closely related to the distribution of the band-tail states. Furthermore, this model is implemented in Verilog-A for circuit-level prediction and evaluation of 2D-FETs to provide deeper insight into the relationship between material properties, device physics, and circuit performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significance: Fluorescent probes and mass spectrometry are the two most popular and complementary methods to quantify thiols in biological systems. In this review, we focus on the widely used and commercially available methods to detect and quantify thiols in living cells and the general approaches applied in mass spectrometry-based thiol quantification. We hope that this review can serve as a general guide for redox biologists who are interested in thiol species. Sulfur, one of the most important elements in living systems, contributes to every aspect of physiology and pathology. Thiols, including cysteine, homocysteine, glutathione, hydrogen sulfide, and hydropersulfides, are the main players in the redox biology system. Therefore, quantifying these thiol species in biological systems is one of the important steps to understand their roles in biology. Recent Advances: Fluorescent probes and mass spectrometry-based methods have been developed to detect and/or quantify thiols in biological systems. Mass spectrometry-based methods have been the gold standard for metabolite quantification in cells. Fluorescent probes can directly detect or quantify thiol species in living cells with spatial and temporal resolutions. Additionally, organelle-specific fluorescent probes have been widely developed. These two methods are complementary to each other. Critical Issues: Reliable quantification of thiol species using fluorescent probes remains challenging. Future Directions: When developing fluorescent probes, we suggest using both the fluorescent probes and mass spectrometry-based thiol quantification methods to cross-check the results. In addition, we call on chemical biologists to move beyond qualitative probes and focus on probes that can provide quantitative results in live cells. These quantitative measurements based on fluorescent probes should be validated with mass spectrometry-based methods. More importantly, chemical biologists should make their probes accessible to the biology end users. Regarding mass spectrometry-based methods, quantification of the derivatized thiol specifies should fit into the general metabolomics workflow. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 36, 354–365. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, along with mentions the efforts for achieving consensus in multilateral international negotiations. It discusses the aim of agreement as to coordinate the international efforts to keep the effects of global warming to below two degree Celsius relative to the preindustrial level and to pursue efforts to limit them.

The analog resistive switching (RS) characteristics in 2-D polycrystalline (poly-) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) field-effect transistors (FETs) enable new electronic devices capable of emulating biological synaptic behaviors. In 2-D poly-materials, grain boundary (GB)-induced trap states are of major significance to RS behaviors. However, there is still a lack of appropriate compact models that capture accurate physical mechanisms. Therefore, we developed a surface potential-based compact model, based on the theories of the GB energy barrier and space charge limited current (SCLC). By calibrating to experimental data of MoS2, the physical parameters are extracted, and the model explains the scaling behaviors of channel lengths and grain sizes. Due to the electric-field-induced defect redistribution, the energy barrier modulation at a single-GB (e.g., intersecting GB) quantitatively matches the reported experiments. Moreover, the possible SCLC-based RS behavior is also investigated. Furthermore, we have optimized the set/reset process and simulated the postsynaptic current (PSC) with a tunable potentiation (or depression) process, and then the gate voltage dependence and statistical effects on RS and PSC have been investigated. Thus, this model provides important devices physics insights of 2-D poly-materials and it guides device design, fabrication, and material engineering, to meet the requirements of the future neuromorphic computing application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the magnetic coupling behavior in all-ferromagnetic La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/SrRuO3 (LSMO/SRO) heterostructures deposited on the SrTiO3 (111) substrate, where the interface leads to an enhanced exchange field as compared to the one deposited on SrTiO3 (001). Importantly, high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals distinct interface structures of the (111) heterostructures depending on the growth sequence. The heterostructure with an SRO bottom layer shows an atomically flat and abrupt interface, while the one with an LSMO bottom layer shows a deformed interface due to the surface roughening of LSMO deposited directly on SrTiO3 (111). As a result, the heterostructure with an abrupt interface exhibits a robust antiferromagnetic coupling between LSMO and SRO, while the one with a rough interface shows negligible magnetic coupling. Our results demonstrate the key role of an abrupt interface in determining the magnetic properties of oxide heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an image encryption algorithm based on the H-fractal and dynamic self-invertible matrix is proposed. The H-fractal diffusion encryption method is firstly used in this encryption algorithm. This method crosses the pixels at both ends of the H-fractal, and it can enrich the means of pixel diffusion. The encryption algorithm we propose uses the Lorenz hyperchaotic system to generate pseudorandom sequences for pixel location scrambling and self-invertible matrix construction to scramble and diffuse images. To link the cipher image with the original image, the initial values of the Lorenz hyperchaotic system are determined using the original image, and it can enhance the security of the encryption algorithm. The security analysis shows that this algorithm is easy to implement. It has a large key space and strong key sensitivity and can effectively resist plaintext attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significance: The concentrations of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) are critical to various biochemical processes. Small-molecule fluorescent probes have been widely used to detect and/or quantify ROS/RNS in many redox biology studies and serve as an important complementary to protein-based sensors with unique applications. Recent Advances: New sensing reactions have emerged in probe development, allowing more selective and quantitative detection of ROS/RNS, especially in live cells. Improvements have been made in sensing reactions, fluorophores, and bioavailability of probe molecules. Critical Issues: In this review, we will not only summarize redox-related small-molecule fluorescent probes but also lay out the challenges of designing probes to help redox biologists independently evaluate the quality of reported small-molecule fluorescent probes, especially in the chemistry literature. We specifically highlight the advantages of reversibility in sensing reactions and its applications in ratiometric probe design for quantitative measurements in living cells. In addition, we compare the advantages and disadvantages of small-molecule probes and protein-based probes. Future Directions: The low physiological relevant concentrations of most ROS/RNS call for new sensing reactions with better selectivity, kinetics, and reversibility; fluorophores with high quantum yield, wide wavelength coverage, and Stokes shifts; and structural design with good aqueous solubility, membrane permeability, low protein interference, and organelle specificity. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 29, 518–540. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coevolution of bullying and friendship networks and the moderating effects of classroom bullying popularity norms were examined in a sample of 965 students (52.1% boys) in 22 fourth‐ and fifth‐grade classes. Longitudinal social network analysis showed that children were more likely to bully their friends' victims (bully influence effect) and to be bullied by their friends' bullies (victim influence effect); two children bullying the same child were likely to be friends (bully selection effect), and two victims bullied by the same child were likely to be friends (victim selection effect). Bullying popularity norms served as moderators, and the bully selection effect was significant weaker in the context of low bullying popularity norms. This study adds understanding of bullying as a group process and provides implications for preventing school bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nanoscale adhesive wear of graphene was studied by molecular dynamics simulation of a diamond tip sliding over a few-layer graphene sheet. We obtained the typical adhesive wear tracks with initial rupture cavity induced by adhesive interaction between the tip and graphene. The coupled interaction, between the formation of interfacial bonds and the breakage of in-plane C-C bonds, leads to the usually observed severe damage of graphene after an adhesive wear process. Moreover, the critical contact pressure for onset of adhesive wear of graphene (∼42 GPa) is much lower than that for abrasive wear (∼94 GPa), which also cannot be correctly approximated by the onset condition for initial rupture of graphene during a loading process (∼76 GPa). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive understanding of the disorder-induced transport characteristics in resistive random-access memory (RRAM) is critical for its thermal stability analysis and analog switching for the coming neuromorphic computing application. Superior to the previous transport mechanisms which are only valid within their respective ranges of temperatures, we propose a unified physics-based model that can accurately predict the transport dependence on all temperature ranges up to 300 K. By utilizing percolation theory and the Fermi Golden Rule, the probability distributions for both the tunnel junction energy barrier and gap distance based statistical resistance model are described. It is found that different programming cycles and resistance states contribute to transition behavior between various low-temperature transport mechanisms. Moreover, the model can also investigate the dependence of electrical characteristics on defect generation like radiation damage. Therefore, it quantitatively relates the thermal stability and percolation effects to the structural disorders in RRAM. The good agreement between the simulation and experimental results indicates that our physics-based model can provide an accurate prediction of temperature and disorder dependent effects in RRAMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel reversible data hiding scheme for Two-stage VQ (Vector quantization) compressed images based on SOC (Search-order coding) scheme is proposed. Two-stage VQ improves VQ by obtaining better reconstructed image and generating indices with higher correlation. The difference image, as the input of Two-stage VQ, is produced by employing the first codeword in state codebook and the current image block. The main idea of SOC method is exploiting the correlation of indices to derive better compression performance. The combination of SOC and data hiding can achieve both high compression rate and high embedding capacity. Since Two-stage VQ can achieve indices with higher correlation, this advantage is applied to enhance the data hiding performance. Moreover, the cover image can be reconstructed by the receiver without using any side information. To show the superiority of our proposed scheme, several state-of-the-art schemes designed for compression domain are cited for comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping gene expression as a quantitative trait using whole genome-sequencing and transcriptome analysis allows to discover the functional consequences of genetic variation. We developed a novel method and ultra-fast software Findr for higly accurate causal inference between gene expression traits using cis-regulatory DNA variations as causal anchors, which improves current methods by taking into consideration hidden confounders and weak regulations. Findr outperformed existing methods on the DREAM5 Systems Genetics challenge and on the prediction of microRNA and transcription factor targets in human lymphoblastoid cells, while being nearly a million times faster. Findr is publicly available at . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HER2, a ligand-free tyrosine kinase receptor of the HER family, is frequently overexpressed in breast cancer. The anti-HER2 antibody trastuzumab has shown significant clinical benefits in metastatic breast cancer. Despite the effectiveness of trastuzumab, its efficacy remains variable and often modest. Thus, there is an urgent need to improve ErbB2-targeting therapy. Here, we describe a novel anti-HER2 antibody, 7C3, which was developed using hybridoma technique. Structural analysis confirms that the epitope of this antibody is in domain II/III of HER2. Moreover, a structural conformation change was observed in HER2 in complex with 7C3. Interestingly, this novel anti-HER2 antibody exhibits efficacy in blocking HER2/EGFR heterodimerization and signaling. The results highlight the different function role of HER2 domains and the unique potential of 7C3 to inhibit the HER2/EGFR heterodimer, which may complement current anti-HER2 treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite of the effectiveness of the anti-ErbB2 humanized antibody trastuzumab, trastuzumab resistance emerges as a major and common clinical problem. Thus, circumventing trastuzumab resistance has become an urgent need. Recently, Src inhibitor saracatinib has drawn great attention for its key role in trastuzumab response. As shown in our previous study, H2-18, an anti-ErbB2 antibody, could potently induce programmed cell death (PCD) in trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer cells. Here we combined H2-18 and a Src inhibitor, saracatinib, and studied the antitumor activity of this drug combination in trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer cell lines. The results showed that H2-18 and saracatinib could synergistically inhibit cell proliferation of BT-474, SKBR-3, HCC-1954 and HCC-1419 breast cancer cell lines in vitro. H2-18 plus saracatinib could also inhibit the HCC-1954 tumor growth more effectively in vivo than each drug alone. H2-18 plus saracatinib showed a significantly more potent PCD-inducing activity compared with either H2-18 or saracatinib alone. We conclude that enhanced PCD may contribute to the superior antitumor efficacy of this combination therapy. The combination of H2-18 and SRC inhibitor has the potential to be translated into clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anti-ErbB2 humanized antibody trastuzumab was approved for ErbB2-positive metastatic gastric and gastro-esophageal junction cancer in 2010. Despite the effectiveness of trastuzumab, its efficacy remains variable and often modest. Thus, there is an urgent need to improve ErbB2-targeting therapy. Down-regulation of surface receptors induced by monoclonal antibody (mAb) contributes to its antitumor efficacy. Previous studies have demonstrated that if two anti-ErbB2 mAbs did not compete with each other for binding to ErbB2, the combination of them can enhance ErbB2 internalization. In the present study, we investigated ErbB2 internalization-inducing ability of non-competitive anti-ErbB2 mAb combinations and surprisingly found that most of the mAb combinations tested did not down-regulate ErbB2. Only 4 of 18 non-competitive mAb pairs efficiently induced ErbB2 internalization. Interestingly, although the non-competitive anti-ErbB2 mAbs trastuzumab and pertuzumab, either alone or in combination, were ineffective at inducing ErbB2 internalization, TP L , a bispecific antibody engineered from trastuzumab and pertuzumab, potently down-regulated the ErbB2 molecule. Importantly, TP L exhibited a far greater antitumor effect on ErbB2-overexpressing gastric cancer cell line than trastuzumab plus pertuzumab, suggesting that it may be a promising agent for the treatment of gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materials with AV3Sb5 (A = K, Rb, Cs) stoichiometry are recently discovered kagome superconductors with the electronic structure featuring a Dirac band, van Hove singularities, and flat bands. These systems undergo anomalous charge-density-wave transitions at T CDW ∼ 80 – 100 K, resulting in the reconstruction of the Fermi surface from the pristine phase. Although comprehensive investigations of the electronic structure via quantum oscillations (QOs) have been performed on the sister compounds CsV3Sb5 and RbV3Sb5, a detailed QO study of KV3Sb5 is so far absent. Here, we report the Shubnikov–de Haas QO study in KV3Sb5. We resolve a large number of new frequencies with the highest frequency of 2202 T (occupying ∼54% of the Brillouin zone area in the kx–ky plane). The Lifshitz-Kosevich analysis further gives relatively small cyclotron effective masses, and the angular dependence study reveals the two-dimensional nature of the frequencies with a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio. Finally, we compare the QO spectra for all three AV3Sb5 compounds collected under the same conditions, enabling us to point out the similarities and the differences across these systems. Our results fill in the gap of the QO study in KV3Sb5 and provide valuable data to understand the band structure of all three members of AV3Sb5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the magnetotransport properties of SrRuO3 thin films and heterostructures is essential for both fundamental research and practical applications. While the anomalous Hall effect has been studied extensively, the longitudinal magnetotransport (i.e. magnetoresistance) is not well understood and requires further investigation. Herein, SrRuO3/SrTiO3(001) epitaxial film is used as a model system to systematically investigate the correlation between magnetoresistance and structure symmetry. As the thickness of the SrRuO3 film increases, a structural symmetry transition from tetragonal to orthorhombic occurs. At the same time, a clear sign reversal of magnetoresistance from negative to positive, accompanied by the appearance of strong anisotropy in magnetoresistance measured along the two perpendicular in‐plane axes, is observed. These findings further suggest that the correlation between structural symmetry and magnetoresistance is mediated by the modulations in magnetic anisotropy. These results clarified the relationships between structure symmetry, magnetoresistance, and magnetic anisotropy, which can pave a feasible way for harnessing the magnetotransport properties of SrRuO3 films and using this material in oxide‐based spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Reversible data hiding is a method that not only embeds secret data but also reconstructs the original cover image without distortion after the confidential data are extracted. In this paper, we propose novel reversible data hiding scheme that can embed high capacity of secret bits and recover image after data extraction. Our proposed scheme depends on the locally adaptive coding scheme (LAC) as Chang&Nguyen’s scheme and SMVQ scheme. Experimental results show that the compression rate of our proposed scheme is 0.33bpp on average. To embed secret bits we propose the normal-hiding scheme and the over-hiding scheme which have an average embedding rate of 2.01bpi and 3.01bpi, more than that of Chang&Nguyen’s scheme (1.36bpi). The normal-hiding scheme and the over-hiding scheme also has high embedding efficiency of 0.28 and 0.36 on average, which are better than that of Chang&Kieu’s scheme (0.12), Chang&Nguyen’s scheme (0.18) and Chang&Nguyen’s scheme (0.16). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Systematic transport measurements have been performed on a series of La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 thin films with varying degrees of anisotropic strain. The strain is induced via epitaxial growth on NdGaO3(001) substrates and varied by controlling the thermal annealing time. An antiferromagnetic insulating (AFI) state, possibly associated with charge ordering, emerges upon thermal annealing. The Hall effect in these materials exhibits features that are indicative of a percolative phase transition and correlate closely with the emergence of the AFI state. In the paramagnetic phase, the Hall resistivity takes on two slopes in all samples: a decreasing negative slope with increasing temperature at low fields, which is attributed to the carrier hopping motion, and an almost temperature independent positive slope at high fields due to diffusive transport of holes. Significantly, the crossover fields of the Hall resistivity slope at different temperatures correspond to the same magnetization, which is interpreted as the critical point of a magnetic field-driven percolative phase transition. At lower temperatures near the zero-field metal–insulator transition, pronounced enhancement of the Hall coefficient with the development of the AFI state is observed. The enhancement peaks near the magnetic field-driven percolation; its magnitude correlates with the strength of the AFI state and is suppressed with the melting of the AFI state by an in-plane magnetic field. The observations resemble many features of the enhancement of the Hall coefficient in granular metal films near the composition-driven percolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trastuzumab resistance is a severe problem in the treatment of ErbB2-amplified cancer. Although trastuzumab plus pertuzumab is able to partly overcome trastuzumab resistance in ErbB2-overexpressing cancer, its antitumor efficacy remains limited. The present study investigated the antitumor activity of the combination of trastuzumab with H2-18, which is an antibody targetinsg ErbB2 domain I. Cell proliferation and inhibition experiments indicated that H2-18 and trastuzumab synergistically inhibited the proliferation of both the trastuzumab-sensitive gastric cancer cell line, NCI-N87 and the trastuzumab-resistant gastric cancer cell line, NCI-N87-TraRT. Furthermore, H2-18 plus trastuzumab inhibited the growth of NCI-N87-TraRT cells more effectively than trastuzumab plus pertuzumab, both in vitro and in vivo. Compared with trastuzumab plus pertuzumab, H2-18 plus trastuzumab had a potent ability to inhibit NCI-N87-TraRT cells to form colonies. Notably, H2-18 plus trastuzumab was more effective in inducing cell death than trastuzumab plus pertuzumab. The in vivo studies demonstrated that H2-18 plus trastuzumab effectively inhibited the growth of both NCI-N87 and NCI-N87-TraRT xenograft tumors. Further experiments revealed that in NCI-N87-TraRT cells, H2-18 plus trastuzumab was comparable to trastuzumab plus pertuzumab in the inhibition of phosphorylated (p-)HER3, p-AKT and p-ERK. However, compared with trastuzumab plus pertuzumab, H2-18 plus trastuzumab effectively activated ROS production and the phosphorylation of JNK and c-jun in NCI-N87-TraRT cells. Therefore, the superior antitumor efficacy of H2-18 plus trastuzumab over trastuzumab plus pertuzumab may be mainly attributable to the potent cell death-inducing activity. In addition, the in vitro and in vivo antitumor effect of the combination of H2-18, trastuzumab and pertuzumab were further investigated. The results revealed that H2-18 plus trastuzumab plus pertuzumab exhibited a maximal antitumor effect among all the anti-ErbB2 monoclonal antibody combinations tested. In summary, H2-18 plus trastuzumab may have potential as an effective strategy to overcome the resistance to trastuzumab in ErbB2-amplified gastric cancer cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of this study was to discern ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) linked to non-obstructive azoospermia and investigate the associated molecular mechanisms.A dataset related to azoospermia was retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and FRGs were sourced from GeneCards. Ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes (FRDEGs) were discerned. Subsequently, these genes underwent analyses encompassing Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, as well as protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks and assessments of functional similarity. Following the identification of hub genes, an exploration of immune infiltration, single-cell expression, diagnostic utility, and interactions involving hub genes, RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), transcription factors (TFs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and drugs was conducted.A total of 35 differentially expressed FRGs were discerned. These genes demonstrated enrichment in functions and pathways associated with ferroptosis. From the PPI network, eight hub genes were selected. Functional similarity analysis highlighted the potential pivotal roles of HMOX1 and GPX4 in azoospermia. Analysis of immune cell infiltration indicated a significant decrease in activated dendritic cells in the azoospermia group, with notable correlations between hub genes, particularly SAT1 and HMGCR, and immune cell infiltration. Unique expression patterns of hub genes across various cell types in the human testis were observed, with GPX4 prominently enriched in spermatid/sperm. Eight hub genes exhibited robust diagnostic value (AUC > 0.75). Lastly, a comprehensive hub gene-miRNA-TF-RBP-drug network was constructed.In summary, our investigation unveiled eight FRDEGs associated with azoospermia, which hold potential as biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of azoospermia.Method: The objective of this study was to discern ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) linked to non-obstructive azoospermia and investigate the associated molecular mechanisms.A dataset related to azoospermia was retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and FRGs were sourced from GeneCards. Ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes (FRDEGs) were discerned. Subsequently, these genes underwent analyses encompassing Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, as well as protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks and assessments of functional similarity. Following the identification of hub genes, an exploration of immune infiltration, single-cell expression, diagnostic utility, and interactions involving hub genes, RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), transcription factors (TFs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and drugs was conducted.A total of 35 differentially expressed FRGs were discerned. These genes demonstrated enrichment in functions and pathways associated with ferroptosis. From the PPI network, eight hub genes were selected. Functional similarity analysis highlighted the potential pivotal roles of HMOX1 and GPX4 in azoospermia. Analysis of immune cell infiltration indicated a significant decrease in activated dendritic cells in the azoospermia group, with notable correlations between hub genes, particularly SAT1 and HMGCR, and immune cell infiltration. Unique expression patterns of hub genes across various cell types in the human testis were observed, with GPX4 prominently enriched in spermatid/sperm. Eight hub genes exhibited robust diagnostic value (AUC > 0.75). Lastly, a comprehensive hub gene-miRNA-TF-RBP-drug network was constructed.In summary, our investigation unveiled eight FRDEGs associated with azoospermia, which hold potential as biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of azoospermia.Results: The objective of this study was to discern ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) linked to non-obstructive azoospermia and investigate the associated molecular mechanisms.A dataset related to azoospermia was retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and FRGs were sourced from GeneCards. Ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes (FRDEGs) were discerned. Subsequently, these genes underwent analyses encompassing Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, as well as protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks and assessments of functional similarity. Following the identification of hub genes, an exploration of immune infiltration, single-cell expression, diagnostic utility, and interactions involving hub genes, RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), transcription factors (TFs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and drugs was conducted.A total of 35 differentially expressed FRGs were discerned. These genes demonstrated enrichment in functions and pathways associated with ferroptosis. From the PPI network, eight hub genes were selected. Functional similarity analysis highlighted the potential pivotal roles of HMOX1 and GPX4 in azoospermia. Analysis of immune cell infiltration indicated a significant decrease in activated dendritic cells in the azoospermia group, with notable correlations between hub genes, particularly SAT1 and HMGCR, and immune cell infiltration. Unique expression patterns of hub genes across various cell types in the human testis were observed, with GPX4 prominently enriched in spermatid/sperm. Eight hub genes exhibited robust diagnostic value (AUC > 0.75). Lastly, a comprehensive hub gene-miRNA-TF-RBP-drug network was constructed.In summary, our investigation unveiled eight FRDEGs associated with azoospermia, which hold potential as biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of azoospermia.Conclusion: The objective of this study was to discern ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) linked to non-obstructive azoospermia and investigate the associated molecular mechanisms.A dataset related to azoospermia was retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and FRGs were sourced from GeneCards. Ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes (FRDEGs) were discerned. Subsequently, these genes underwent analyses encompassing Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, as well as protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks and assessments of functional similarity. Following the identification of hub genes, an exploration of immune infiltration, single-cell expression, diagnostic utility, and interactions involving hub genes, RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), transcription factors (TFs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and drugs was conducted.A total of 35 differentially expressed FRGs were discerned. These genes demonstrated enrichment in functions and pathways associated with ferroptosis. From the PPI network, eight hub genes were selected. Functional similarity analysis highlighted the potential pivotal roles of HMOX1 and GPX4 in azoospermia. Analysis of immune cell infiltration indicated a significant decrease in activated dendritic cells in the azoospermia group, with notable correlations between hub genes, particularly SAT1 and HMGCR, and immune cell infiltration. Unique expression patterns of hub genes across various cell types in the human testis were observed, with GPX4 prominently enriched in spermatid/sperm. Eight hub genes exhibited robust diagnostic value (AUC > 0.75). Lastly, a comprehensive hub gene-miRNA-TF-RBP-drug network was constructed.In summary, our investigation unveiled eight FRDEGs associated with azoospermia, which hold potential as biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of azoospermia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing a reliable control of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) is challenging but essential for the full utilization of rare‐earth iron garnets in spintronic devices. In this study, a feasible approach to enhance the PMA of ferrimagnetic thulium iron garnet (TmIG) films is presented. This approach involves precise adjustments in cation stoichiometry and epitaxial strain state. By fine‐tuning the pre‐ablation process and oxygen partial pressure during pulsed laser deposition, a series of high‐quality TmIG films can grow with variable cation stoichiometry, i.e., the Tm/Fe molar ratio. The finding reveals that cation stoichiometry plays a crucial role in determining the magnetic properties of the TmIG films. Particularly, the stoichiometric TmIG film has the strongest PMA due to the maximized magnetostriction coefficient. Combining this stoichiometry optimization and strain engineering, an unprecedented PMA strength of ≈30 kJ m−3 for TmIG is achieved. This achievement demonstrates a simple and effective method for harnessing the magnetic properties of rare‐earth iron garnet films, paving the way for their advanced applications in next‐generation spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on tissue homeostasis requiring the coordinated activity of multiple cell types for initiating and then resolving inflammation. Topics include endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress being a hallmark of inflammation and exacerbating tissue pathology across a broad range of human diseases; and initiating the active engagement of programmed cell death pathways.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiation (nCRT) followed by radical surgery is the preferred option for locally advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment. However, chemo/radio-resistance remains a main obstacle in CRC therapy. In the study, we analyzed the mRNA expression profiling of CRC patients and revealed that the aberrant expression of fibronectin type III domain containing 1 (FNDC1) was associated with disease progression and poor prognosis in CRC. FNDC1 expression was consistently increased in multiple independent cohorts of CRC. Upregulated FNDC1 in pretreated primary tumor tissues predicted a poor response to nCRT, recurrence, and poor disease-free survival in nCRT-treated CRC patients. FNDC1 overexpression accelerated CRC cell survival on 5-FU or radiation treatment both in vitro and in vivo , whereas FNDC1 inhibition sensitized CRC cells to chemoradiation. In addition, FNDC1 accelerated stem cell-like properties of CRC cells. Furthermore, tumor tissues from non-responders exhibited higher activation of PI3K/Akt signaling than those from responders. FNDC1 depletion repressed 5-FU or irradiation-induced activation of PI3K/AKT in CRC cells. More importantly, pharmacological inhibition of PI3K/Akt signaling effectively decreased the effect of FNDC1 on chemoradiation resistance. Taken together, our study reveals the potential function of FNDC1 as a biomarker to predict nCRT sensitivity in CRC and a therapeutic target in CRC treatment. • FNDC1 expression was increased in CRC patient. • Upregulated FNDC1 predicted a poor response to nCRT. • FNDC1 accelerated CRC cell survival on 5-FU or radiation treatment. • FNDC1 accelerated stem cell-like properties of CRC cells. • FNDC1 depletion repressed 5-FU or irradiation-induced PI3K/AKT activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D magnets have recently drawn enormous interest. As an air‐stable A‐type van der Waals antiferromagnet (AFM), CrSBr has attracted great attention but has also led to controversies about its large‐span ordering temperatures. Herein, a systematic study of the magnetic phase transition in single‐crystalline CrSBr with ultrahigh‐quality through surface‐sensitive X‐ray magnetic linear dichroism and X‐ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements combined with vibrating sample magnetometry for characterization of bulk magnetization is reported. The interlayer AFM order of both surface and bulk CrSBr is revealed to maintain a similar Néel temperature within the range of 132–142 K. However, the intralayer ferromagnetic (FM) order of surface CrSBr is found to sustain up to ≈238 K, 70 K higher than the value obtained from the bulk CrSBr, demonstrating a dramatically different surface and bulk Curie temperature in CrSBr. Moreover, a half‐filled t2g electronic state for Cr3+ ions with magnetic moment of ≈3 µB/Cr in CrSBr is clearly identified. These results enrich the understanding of the electronic structure and magnetism in CrSBr, providing this material as a promising building block for future spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcription control plays a crucial role in establishing a unique gene expression signature for each of the hundreds of mammalian cell types. Though gene expression data have been widely used to infer cellular regulatory networks, existing methods mainly infer correlations rather than causality. We developed statistical models and likelihood-ratio tests to infer causal gene regulatory networks using enhancer RNA (eRNA) expression information as a causal anchor and applied the framework to eRNA and transcript expression data from the FANTOM Consortium. Predicted causal targets of transcription factors (TFs) in mouse embryonic stem cells, macrophages and erythroblastic leukaemia overlapped significantly with experimentally-validated targets from ChIP-seq and perturbation data. We further improved the model by taking into account that some TFs might act in a quantitative, dosage-dependent manner, whereas others might act predominantly in a binary on/off fashion. We predicted TF targets from concerted variation of eRNA and TF and target promoter expression levels within a single cell type, as well as across multiple cell types. Importantly, TFs with high-confidence predictions were largely different between these two analyses, demonstrating that variability within a cell type is highly relevant for target prediction of cell type-specific factors. Finally, we generated a compendium of high-confidence TF targets across diverse human cell and tissue types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-delayed reservoir computing (RC) equipped with prominent superiorities such as easy training and friendly hardware implementation is identified as a high-efficient answer to complex temporal tasks, and thereby draws increasing attention. Oxygen ion-based oxide electrolyte-gated transistor (Ox-EGT) with rich ion dynamic characteristics is deemed as a promising candidate for RC. However, it is still a challenge to produce the required dynamic characteristics for RC implementation. Herein, we develop an Ox-EGT with an oxygen vacancy-electron-coupled electric-double-layer at the electrolyte/channel interface to implement time-delayed RC. Effects of oxygen vacancy concentration on the short-term plasticity are investigated, revealing the optimal concentration range of oxygen vacancies for the dynamic characteristics improvement. The underlying physical mechanism is demonstrated by TCAD simulations. Simulations using the waveform classification and handwritten-digit recognition tasks validate the good information processing ability of the Ox-EGT RC system. These results provide a promising approach to exploit Ox-EGT dynamics for large-scale and energy-efficient neuromorphic computing hardware. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying a suitable water-soluble sacrificial layer is crucial to fabricating large-scale freestanding oxide membranes, which offer attractive functionalities and integrations with advanced semiconductor technologies. Here, we introduce a water-soluble sacrificial layer, “super-tetragonal” Sr4Al2O7 (SAOT). The low-symmetric crystal structure enables a superior capability to sustain epitaxial strain, allowing for broad tunability in lattice constants. The resultant structural coherency and defect-free interface in perovskite ABO3/SAOT heterostructures effectively restrain crack formation during the water release of freestanding oxide membranes. For a variety of nonferroelectric oxide membranes, the crack-free areas can span up to a millimeter in scale. This compelling feature, combined with the inherent high water solubility, makes SAOT a versatile and feasible sacrificial layer for producing high-quality freestanding oxide membranes, thereby boosting their potential for innovative device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials offers unprecedented opportunities for spintronics and magneto‐optic devices. Combining magnetic Kerr microscopy and density functional theory calculations, the AFM‐FM transition is investigated and a surprising abnormal magneto‐optic anisotropy in vdW CrSBr associated with different magnetic phases (FM, AFM, or paramagnetic state) is discovered. This unique magneto‐optic property leads to different anisotropic optical reflectivity from different magnetic states, permitting direct imaging of the AFM Néel vector orientation and the dynamic process of the AFM‐FM transition within a magnetic field. Using Kerr microscopy, not only the domain nucleation and propagation process is imaged but also the intermediate spin‐flop state in the AFM‐FM transition is identified. The unique magneto‐optic property and clear identification of the dynamics process of the AFM‐FM phase transition in CrSBr demonstrate the promise of vdW magnetic materials for future spintronic technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic structure of constituent layers and the spin channel of propagating electrons are critical factors that affect the magnitude and sign of magnetoresistance (MR) in synthetic antiferromagnets (SAFMs), which are important for spintronic applications. However, for all‐oxide‐based SAFMs, where there is strong coupling between multiple degrees of freedom, spin transport becomes more complex and remains elusive. Here, using ultrathin half‐metallic manganite/doped ruthenate SAFMs as a model system, three sign reversals of MR are demonstrated accompanied by the crossover between underlying spin‐dependent transport mechanisms. Electron tunneling produces normal MR in the current‐perpendicular‐to‐plane (CPP) geometry at low temperatures, whereas carrier confinement causes inverse MR in the current‐in‐plane (CIP) geometry. Strikingly, CPP MR can undergo a temperature‐driven sign reversal due to resonant tunneling via localized states in the spacer. Moreover, hydrostatic pressure can modulate the interlayer exchange coupling and induce an asymmetric interfacial response to dramatically facilitate electron tunneling, driving a controllable sign reversal of CIP MR. These results provide new insights into understanding and optimization of MR in all‐oxide‐based SAFMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of a large-volume high-pressure apparatus has led to the discovery of many new materials with exceptional properties for widespread applications such as superhard materials (e.g., diamonds). However, for most conventional devices, the pressure and temperature capabilities are often limited to 6 GPa and 2300 K, which severely impedes the study of materials at extended pressures and temperatures. In this work, we present experimental optimizations of the high-pressure cell assembly for cubic press with a focus on the improvement of its temperature capability, leading to a record temperature value of ∼4050 K and largely extended pressure conditions up to ∼10 GPa with a centimeter-sized sample volume. Pressures of the new assembly at high temperatures are investigated by the melting-point method, giving rise to a series of parallel isoforce loading lines associated with thermally induced pressure. For the first time, the high-pressure melting curve of tungsten carbide is determined up to 3800 K and 8 GPa, and single-crystal refractory materials of Mo, Ta, and WC are also grown using the optimized cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The c-axis aligned crystalline indium-gallium-zinc-oxide field-effect transistor (CAAC-IGZO FET), exhibiting an extremely low off-state leakage current (~10−22 A/μm), has promised to be an ideal candidate for Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) applications. However, the instabilities leaded by the drift of the threshold voltage in various stress seriously affect the device application. To better develop high performance CAAC-IGZO FET for DRAM applications, it's essential to uncover the deep physical process of charge transport mechanism in CAAC-IGZO FET. In this work, by combining the first-principles calculations and nonradiative multiphonon theory, the charge trapping and emission properties in CAAC-IGZO FET have been systematically investigated. It is found that under positive bias stress, hydrogen interstitial in Al2O3 gate dielectric is probable effective electron trap center, which has the transition level (ε (+1/−1) = 0.52 eV) above Fermi level. But it has a high capture barrier about 1.4 eV and low capture rate. Under negative bias stress, oxygen vacancy in Al2O3 gate dielectric and CAAC-IGZO active layer are probable effective electron emission centers whose transition level ε (+2/0) distributed at −0.73~−0.98 eV and 0.69 eV below Fermi level. They have a relatively low emission barrier of about 0.5 eV and 0.25 eV and high emission rate. To overcome the instability in CAAC-IGZO FET, some approaches can be taken to control the hydrogen concentration in Al2O3 dielectric layer and the concentration of the oxygen vacancy. This work can help to understand the mechanisms of instability of CAAC-IGZO transistor caused by the charge capture/emission process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hafnium‐based binary oxides have attracted considerable attention due to their robust ferroelectricity at the nanoscale and compatibility with silicon‐based electronic technologies. To further promote the potential of Hafnium oxides for practical device applications, it is essential to effectively harness the interplay between structural symmetry, domain configuration, and ferroelectricity. Here, using Hf0.5Zr0.5O2/La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (HZO/LSMO) heterostructures as a model system, the anisotropic strain‐mediated symmetry engineering and ferroelectricity enhancement are systematically investigated. By growing the heterostructures on (110)‐oriented perovskite substrates, considerable anisotropic strain is imposed on the LSMO bottom electrodes. Such an anisotropically‐strained LSMO layer acts as a structural template and effectively tune the structural symmetry, polar/non‐polar phase ratio, and ferroelectricity of the HZO top layer. Specifically, the anisotropic tensile strain stabilizes the ferroelectric rhombohedral and orthorhombic phases, thus enhancing the remnant polarization (Pr) up to 22 µC cm−2. In contrast, the anisotropic compressive strain facilitates the formation of non‐ferroelectric tetragonal phases, leading to a suppressed Pr down to 8 µC cm−2. These findings provide a guideline for understanding and modulating the intrinsic structure‐ferroelectricity relationship of HZO through anisotropic strain‐mediated symmetry engineering, which may shed light on the development of hafnium‐oxide‐based electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verticillium wilt is a soil-borne disease, and severely limits the development of cotton production. To investigate the role of endophytic fungi on Verticillium wilt, CEF-818 (Penicillium simplicissimum), CEF-714 (Leptosphaeria sp.), CEF-642 (Talaromyces flavus.) and CEF-193 (Acremonium sp.) isolated from cotton roots were used to assess their effects against cotton wilt disease caused by a defoliating V. dahliae strain Vd080. In the greenhouse, all treatments significantly reduced disease incidence and disease index, with the control efficacy ranging from 26% (CEF-642) to 67% (CEF-818) at 25 days (d) after inoculation. In the disease nursery, compared to controls (with disease incidence of 33.8% and disease index of 31), CEF-818, CEF-193, CEF-714 and CEF-642 provided a protection effect of 69.5%, 69.2%, 54.6% and 45.7%, respectively. Especially, CEF-818 and CEF-714 still provided well protection against Verticillium wilt with 46.9% and 56.6% or 14.3% and 33.7% at the first peak of the disease in heavily infected field, respectively (in early July). These results indicated that these endophytes not only delayed but also reduced wilt symptoms on cotton. In the harvest, the available cotton bolls of plant treated with CEF-818 and CEF-714 increased to 13.1, and 12.2, respectively. And the seed cotton yield significantly increased after seed bacterization with CEF-818 (3442.04 kg/ha) compared to untreated control (3207.51 kg/ha) by 7.3%. Furtherly, CEF-818 and CET-714 treatment increased transcript levels for PAL, PPO, POD, which leads to the increase of cotton defense reactions. Our results indicate that seed treatment of cotton plants with CEF-818 and CET-714 can help in the biocontrol of V. dahliae and improve seed cotton yield in cotton fields. This study provided a better understanding of cotton-endophyte interactions which will aid in developing effective biocontrol agents for Verticillium wilt of cotton in futhre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, a core drain current model based on surface potential without any implicit functions is developed for beta-phase gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). The surface potential solution is analytically deduced by solving the Poisson equation with appropriate simplification assumptions in accumulation, partial-depletion, and full-depletion modes. Then, the drain current expression is analytically derived from the Pao–Sah integral as a function of the mobile charge density obtained from the surface potential at the source and drain terminals. In addition, nonlinear resistors in the source/drain access region are considered. It continuously predicts the characteristics of β-Ga2O3 power MOSFETs in all operation modes, including accumulation mode, partial-depletion mode, and full-depletion mode. Furthermore, the validity of the model is verified by comparing the results of the model with the numerical simulations carried out with the technology computer-aided design (TCAD) tool ATLAS Device Simulator from Silvaco. Good agreement between the proposed model and TCAD simulations is shown for β-Ga2O3 power MOSFETs with different intrinsic channel lengths, channel doping concentrations, and channel thicknesses. Ultimately, the Gummel symmetry test and the harmonic balance simulation test are performed to validate the model's robustness and convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to unique landform and lithological features of the loess gully area, the geological disasters caused by coal mining have become more complex. Moreover, the advancing direction of the working face has an important influence on the deformation of the slope on both sides of the gully. In this paper, combined with the specific conditions of a coal mine working face in western China, we use the method of particle flow numerical simulation and theoretical analysis to examine and observe the deformation, as well as characteristics of failures in the loess gully area under different mining directions of the working face. The deformation process of the gully area can be obtained by combining the numerical simulation results. According to different mining directions of the working face, the failure mode of mining in the loess gully area was divided into the back slope and along slope advancing failure modes. Through empirical evaluation, our investigation demonstrates that the bottom of the gully was damaged seriously by both along slope mining and back slope mining. Albeit the influence of coal seam excavation on the slope surface was relatively small; however, it is greater on the flat ground of the upper slope. Under the same mining conditions, the advancing direction of the working face affected the horizontal movement of the loess gully area but had less effect on the subsidence. Furthermore, we observed that the failure mode of the mining slope is highly correlated with the mining direction and relative position of the working face. The results obtained from this research can provide useful information for deformation and failure prediction, working face mining method, and geological disaster assessment in the loess gully area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase of mined-out areas and geological disasters, it is necessary to study the influence range of mining. Moreover, with the growth in the amount of data, machine learning methods are commonly used to predict the surface subsidence. The 10 mm subsidence boundary is an important indicator to determine the influence range, and FLAC3D is suitable for solving the nonlinear large deformation problems. Therefore, it can be used to explore the relationship between the influence range of the surface movement (L) and geological mining conditions. Taking working faces A and B of two mines, through the establishment of a numerical model, the relationship between L and bedrock thickness, loose layer thickness, working face mining length, and overlying rock lithology is explored by using the control variable method. Moreover, the variation law is analyzed theoretically and mechanically. The results show that L is positively correlated with the thickness, while negatively correlated with the mining length. Similarly, L shows a slight increase after the key layer becomes weak. This study provides a scientific basis for reasonable coal mining and protection of surface buildings in the mining area. Integrating machine learning into the numerical model further increases the model throughput. The findings show that machine learning models had high accuracy in predicting surface subsidence, with the random forest trees and regression models having lower time and high accuracy, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics simulation method was used to study the influence of hydrogen adsorption on the wear process of few-layer graphene. We observed that hydrogen atoms are prone to adsorb on three distinct regions around the wear cavity of graphene, and they have different influence mechanisms on the wear process of graphene. The absorbed hydrogen can promote the breaking of stretched carbon chains, or change the propagation direction of wear cavity and lead to the early failure of the graphene layer. Meanwhile, we also found that the interfacial C C bonds tend to form at the high-stress position in the contact area. The combination of these mechanisms results in a different wear behavior of graphene in hydrogen than in vacuum. [Display omitted] • Effect of hydrogen adsorption on wear of graphene was studied by MD simulation. • Hydrogen atoms are mainly adsorbed on three distinct regions around the wear cavity of graphene. • Hydrogen atoms adsorbed at different positions have different mechanisms of influence on the wear process of graphene. • The adsorbed hydrogen could change the propagation direction of the wear cavity or promote the breaking of the C C bond. • The interfacial C C bonds tend to form at the high-stress position in the contact area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neurokinin‐1 receptor (NK‐1R) antagonists are approved as treatment for chemotherapy‐associated nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. The emerging role of the substance P‐NK‐1R system in oncogenesis raises the possibility of repurposing well‐tolerated NK‐1R antagonists for cancer treatment. This study reports that human colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with high NK‐1R expression have poor survival, and NK‐1R antagonists SR140333 and aprepitant induce apoptotic cell death in CRC cells and inhibit CRC xenograft growth. This cytotoxicity induced by treatment with NK‐1R antagonists is mediated by induction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. ER stress triggers calcium release, resulting in the suppression of prosurvival extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK)‐c‐Myc signaling. Along with ER calcium release, one ER stress pathway mediated by protein kinase RNA‐like ER kinase (PERK) is specifically activated, leading to increased expression of proapoptotic C/EBP‐homologous protein (CHOP). Moreover, NK‐1R antagonists enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy by increasing the sensitivity and overcoming resistance to 5‐fluorouracil in CRC cells through the induction of sustained ER stress and the consequent suppression of ERK‐c‐Myc signaling both in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, the findings provide novel mechanistic insights into the efficacy of NK‐1R antagonists either as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapy for cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective control of magnetic anisotropy is important for developing spintronic devices. In this work, we performed a case study of stacking periods (N)-mediated reorientation of lateral magnetic anisotropy in ultrathin La0.67Ca0.33MnO3/SrRuO3 superlattices. As N increases from 1 to 15, the magnetic easy-axis switches from the orthorhombic [010] to [100]-axis. The maximum anisotropy constant of the superlattice (SL) (N = 15) reaches −1.83 × 105 erg/cm3. X-ray absorption spectroscopy and x-ray linear dichroism further suggest that the observed changes in lateral magnetic anisotropy are driven by in-plane orbital polarization. For SLs with small N, anisotropic strain-induced orbital polarization along the b-axis can result in the [010]-oriented magnetic easy axis. For SLs with large N, the dimension crossover from 2-dimension to 3-dimension could enhance the hybridization of Ru t2g and Mn d x 2 − y 2 orbitals, which can compete with the strain effect and switch the magnetic easy axis to [100]. Our results suggest a potential strategy for engineering magnetic anisotropy through the cooperation of strain engineering and interfacial orbital engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-volume cubic presses are widely used in scientific research and industrial applications. However, their pressure capability is often limited to 6 GPa, which severely restricts their applications under extended pressures. In this work, we report a newly designed hybrid cell assembly for cubic presses by embedding six WC pressure-enhancing blocks into the pyrophyllite pressure-transmitting medium, leading to profoundly increased pressure efficiency (i.e. more than 40%), hence largely extended pressure conditions up to 8–9 GPa without sacrificing sample volume. Because of the optimized design, the expensive first-stage WC anvils are effectively protected, which makes the press routinely operated up to 8–9 GPa in avoiding damage of anvils. Through optimization of heating efficiency, temperature of the new assembly can reach above 2500°C. Using this high pressure cell, we have synthesized centimetre-sized polycrystalline cubic BN bulk sample by the direct transformation of hexagonal BN at 7.7 GPa and 2000°C. Successful implementation of large-volume cubic press up to 8–9 GPa and 2500°C would provide many opportunities for the synthesis of new materials on massive scale (e.g. novel superhard compounds) and for the study of materials at extended pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]