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Perceived self-efficacy is an integral part of a capability set that allows participants to transform design capabilities into the functioning of doing design. However, existing research investigating the change in participants’ perceived self-efficacy during a co-design process is inadequate. Therefore, this paper aims to demonstrate the changeability of participants’ perceived self-efficacy and its changing trajectory in a co-design process. The findings are extracted from a remote co-design project with older people, employing generative toolkits and culture probes, to address loneliness in later life. It has been discovered that the participants who successfully completed the co-design process experienced an increase in their perceived self-efficacy, following a U-shaped model. Furthermore, the depth of the U-shaped curve is contingent on how well the co-design process is designed to align with participants’ embodied knowledge and skills. The findings of this paper address the inadequate discussion of the change in participants’ perceived self-efficacy in co-design methodological literature. The introduced U-shaped model can equip co-design researchers and practitioners with the ability to anticipate and prepare for potential situations arising from changes in participants’ perceived self-efficacy during co-design processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hemibiotrophic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae infects a range of plant species and causes enormous economic losses. Auxin and WRKY transcription factors play crucial roles in plant responses to P. syringae, but their functional relationship in plant immunity remains unclear. Here, we characterized tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) SlWRKY75, which promotes defenses against P. syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000 by regulating plant auxin homeostasis. Overexpressing SlWRKY75 resulted in low free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels, leading to attenuated auxin signaling, decreased expansin transcript levels, upregulated expression of PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES (PRs) and NONEXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENE 1 (NPR1), and enhanced tomato defenses against Pst DC3000. RNA interference-mediated repression of SlWRKY75 increased tomato susceptibility to Pst DC3000. Yeast one-hybrid, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and luciferase activity assays suggested that SlWRKY75 directly activates the expression of GRETCHEN HAGEN 3.3 (SlGH3.3), which encodes an IAA-amido synthetase. SlGH3.3 enhanced tomato defense against Pst DC3000 by converting free IAA to the aspartic acid (Asp)-conjugated form IAA-Asp. In addition, SlWRKY75 interacted with a tomato valine-glutamine (VQ) motif-containing protein 16 (SlVQ16) in vivo and in vitro. SlVQ16 enhanced SlWRKY75-mediated transcriptional activation of SlGH3.3 and promoted tomato defense responses to Pst DC3000. Our findings illuminate a mechanism in which the SlVQ16–SlWRKY75 complex participates in tomato pathogen defense by positively regulating SlGH3.3-mediated auxin homeostasis. A WRKY transcription factor enhances tomato defense against Pseudomonas syringae by decreasing P. syringae-induced accumulation of free indole-3-acetic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infection post-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is one of the main causes of patient mortality. Fever is the most crucial clinical symptom indicating infection. However, current microbial detection methods are limited. Therefore, timely diagnosis of infectious fever and administration of antimicrobial drugs can effectively reduce patient mortality. In this study, serum samples were collected from 181 patients with HSCT with or without infection, as well as the clinical information. And more than 80 infectious-related microRNAs in the serum were selected according to the bulk RNA-seq result and detected in the 345 time-pointed serum samples by Q-PCR. Unsupervised clustering result indicates a close association between these microRNAs expression and infection occurrence. Compared to the uninfected cohort, more than 10 serum microRNAs were identified as the combined diagnostic markers in one formula constructed by the Random Forest (RF) algorithms, with a diagnostic accuracy more than 0.90. Furthermore, correlations of serum microRNAs to immune cells, inflammatory factors, pathgens, infection tissue, and prognosis were analyzed in the infection cohort. Overall, this study demonstrates that the combination of serum microRNAs detection and machine learning algorithms holds promising potential in diagnosing infectious fever after HSCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotions play an important role in human–computer interaction. Multimodal emotion recognition combines feature information from different modalities to recognize emotional states. However, in real application scenarios, data from all modalities may not always be available. Thus, in multimodal emotion recognition a big challenge is how to utilize the semantic information from available modalities to predict missing modality data. To address this issue, this study proposes a Semantic-Wise Guidance for Missing Modality Imagination Network (SWG-MMIN) consisting of three main modules, that is, the Comprehensive Modality Feature Enrichment (CMFE) module, the Semantic-Wise Fusion (SWF) module, and the Semantic-Wise Feature Guided Imagination (SWGI) module. The CMFE module addresses the issue of semantic loss in the process of integrating multimodal features by enhancing the semantic information. The SWF module performs an adaptive fusion of invariant and specific features of multimodal data. The SWGI module facilitates the missing modality data generation and enhances the robustness of joint multimodal representation. Extensive experiments are conducted on two benchmark datasets, IEMOCAP and MSP-IMPROV. The experimental results demonstrate that the SWG-MMIN model surpasses all baseline models under full modalities and uncertain missing modalities, significantly improving emotion recognition performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of a corporate style of university management in China has resulted in a context in which performance indicators are the primary means of assessing university faculty members. Most faculty members work under the 'shadow' of managerial control. Drawing on the face culture, this article delineates various complex tactics employed by Chinese university faculty and, more importantly, explores what underpins their behavioral responses. Based on a case study of a highly ranked university in China and in-depth interviews with its faculty members, this study demonstrates that most university faculty members' tactics fall into four strategic responses founded on facets of face culture. This article provides a new perspective on how responses to managerialism are motivated by face among socially admired professionals in Asian cultures and more widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cells rely heavily on the uptake of exogenous nutrients for survival, growth, and differentiation. Yet quantifying the uptake of small molecule nutrients at the single cell level is difficult. Here we present a new approach to studying the nutrient uptake in live single cells using Inverse Electron‐Demand Diels Alder (IEDDA) chemistry. We have modified carboxyfluorescein‐diacetate‐succinimidyl esters (CFSE)—a quenched fluorophore that can covalently react with proteins and is only turned on in the cytosol of a cell following esterase activity—with a tetrazine. This tetrazine serves as a second quencher for the pendant fluorophore. Upon reaction with nutrients modified with an electron‐rich or strained dienophile in an IEDDA reaction, this quenching group is destroyed, thereby enabling the probe to fluoresce. This has allowed us to monitor the uptake of a variety of dienophile‐containing nutrients in live primary immune cell populations using flow cytometry and live‐cell microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-cell RNA sequencing has achieved massive success in biological research fields. Discovering novel cell types from single-cell transcriptomics has been demonstrated to be essential in the field of biomedicine, yet is time-consuming and needs prior knowledge. With the unprecedented boom in cell atlases, auto-annotation tools have become more prevalent due to their speed, accuracy and user-friendly features. However, existing tools have mostly focused on general cell-type annotation and have not adequately addressed the challenge of discovering novel rare cell types. In this work, we introduce scNovel, a powerful deep learning-based neural network that specifically focuses on novel rare cell discovery. By testing our model on diverse datasets with different scales, protocols and degrees of imbalance, we demonstrate that scNovel significantly outperforms previous state-of-the-art novel cell detection models, reaching the most AUROC performance(the only one method whose averaged AUROC results are above 94%, up to 16.26% more comparing to the second-best method). We validate scNovel's performance on a million-scale dataset to illustrate the scalability of scNovel further. Applying scNovel on a clinical COVID-19 dataset, three potential novel subtypes of Macrophages are identified, where the COVID-related differential genes are also detected to have consistent expression patterns through deeper analysis. We believe that our proposed pipeline will be an important tool for high-throughput clinical data in a wide range of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium (Se), as one of the essential trace elements, plays an anti‐inflammatory, antioxidation, and immune‐enhancing effect in the body. In addition, Se can also improve nervous system damage induced by various factors. Earlier studies have described the important role of mitochondrial dynamic imbalance in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced nerve injury. The inositol 1,4,5‐triphosphate receptor (IP3R)/glucose‐regulated protein 75 (GRP75)/voltage‐dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) complex is considered to be the key to regulating mitochondrial dynamics. However, it is not clear whether Selenomethionine (SeMet) has any influence on the IP3R/GRP75/VDAC1 complex. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to determine whether SeMet can alleviate LPS‐induced brain damage and to elucidate the function of the IP3R/GRP75/VDAC1 complex in it. We established SeMet and/or LPS exposure models in vivo and in vitro using laying hens and primary chicken nerve cells. We noticed that SeMet reversed endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and the imbalance in mitochondrial dynamics and significantly prevented the occurrence of neuronal apoptosis. We made this finding by morphological observation of the brain tissue of laying hens and the detection of related genes such as ERS, the IP3R/GRP75/VDAC1 complex, calcium signal (Ca2+), mitochondrial dynamics, and apoptosis. Other than that, we also discovered that the IP3R/GRP75/VDAC1 complex was crucial in controlling Ca2+ transport between the endoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondrion when SeMet functions as a neuroprotective agent. In summary, our results revealed the specific mechanism by which SeMet alleviated LPS‐induced neuronal apoptosis for the first time. As a consequence, SeMet has great potential in the treatment and prevention of neurological illnesses (like neurodegenerative diseases). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although enterprises can promote dynamic capabilities by managing their innovation processes, the specific innovation processes and ways to encourage such capabilities have been under-researched. This exploratory research illuminates the relationship between dynamic capabilities and innovation processes through a case study of the largest Chinese e-commerce platform, Taobao, a vast and complex digital platform with various actors and interactions with numerous related platforms. Based on previous research, interviews with ten management personnel at Alibaba from April 2019 to August 2021, and secondary data, we found six innovation processes specific to this digital platform. Furthermore, we found that each of these innovation processes relates to specific dynamic capabilities and, therefore, a platform leader can improve its dynamic capabilities by organising its innovation processes in the digital platform ecosystem. The presented findings show important implications for strategic management and information systems by connecting dynamic capabilities and innovation management theories. In particular, our findings enable us to describe how the innovation processes management induces strong dynamic capabilities, such as environmental scanning and sensing capability, innovation capability, and integrative capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the singularity formation of a quasi-exact 1D model proposed by Hou and Li (2008 Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 61 661–97). This model is based on an approximation of the axisymmetric Navier–Stokes equations in the r direction. The solution of the 1D model can be used to construct an exact solution of the original 3D Euler and Navier–Stokes equations if the initial angular velocity, angular vorticity, and angular stream function are linear in r. This model shares many intrinsic properties similar to those of the 3D Euler and Navier–Stokes equations. It captures the competition between advection and vortex stretching as in the 1D De Gregorio (De Gregorio 1990 J. Stat. Phys. 59 1251–63; De Gregorio 1996 Math. Methods Appl. Sci. 19 1233–55) model. We show that the inviscid model with weakened advection and smooth initial data or the original 1D model with Hölder continuous data develops a self-similar blowup. We also show that the viscous model with weakened advection and smooth initial data develops a finite time blowup. To obtain sharp estimates for the nonlocal terms, we perform an exact computation for the low-frequency Fourier modes and extract damping in leading order estimates for the high-frequency modes using singularly weighted norms in the energy estimates. The analysis for the viscous case is more subtle since the viscous terms produce some instability if we just use singular weights. We establish the blowup analysis for the viscous model by carefully designing an energy norm that combines a singularly weighted energy norm and a sum of high-order Sobolev norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Impaired collateral formation is a major factor contributing to poor prognosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, the current pharmacological treatments for improving collateral formation remain unsatisfactory. The induction of endothelial autophagy and the elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) represent potential therapeutic targets for enhancing endothelial angiogenesis and facilitating collateral formation. This study investigates the potential of molybdenum disulfide nanodots (MoS2 NDs) for enhancing collateral formation and improving prognosis. Results: Our study shows that MoS2 NDs significantly enhance collateral formation in ischemic tissues of diabetic mice, improving effective blood resupply. Additionally, MoS2 NDs boost the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of endothelial cells under high glucose/hypoxia conditions in vitro. Mechanistically, the beneficial effects of MoS2 NDs on collateral formation not only depend on their known scavenging properties of ROS (H2O2, •O2-, and •OH) but also primarily involve a molecular pathway, cAMP/PKA-NR4A2, which promotes autophagy and contributes to mitigating damage in diabetic endothelial cells. Conclusions: Overall, this study investigated the specific mechanism by which MoS2 NDs mediated autophagy activation and highlighted the synergy between autophagy activation and antioxidation, thus suggesting that an economic and biocompatible nano-agent with dual therapeutic functions is highly preferable for promoting collateral formation in a diabetic context, thus, highlighting their therapeutic potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We aimed to analyze the clinical features of COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) during the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant pandemic and to reveal the risk factors for CAPA and death. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 168 CAPA patients from December 8, 2022 to January 31, 2023. 168 COVID-19 patients without secondary fungal infection during this period were matched 1:1 using propensity score matching as controls. Results: The incidence of CAPA was 3.8% (168/4421). Compared with patients without fungal infection, CAPA patients had a higher mortality (43.5% vs. 10.1%, P < 0.001). Patients in the death group (n = 73) were more likely to be admitted to ICU (91.8% vs. 26.3%, p < 0.001), had a shorter ICU length of hospitalization (10 (IQR, 6 ~ 16.5) days vs. 14 (IQR, 8 ~ 37) days, p = 0.012). Immunocompromised status (p = 0.023), NLR ≥ 5.7 (p = 0.004), CRP ≥ 50 mg/L (p = 0.043), and the number of antibiotics ≥ 3 (p < 0.001) were all risk factors for CAPA; NLR ≥ 5.7 (p = 0.009) and the number of antibiotics ≥ 3 (p = 0.018) were all independent risk factors for death. Conclusions: During the Omicron variant pandemic, CAPA increased death and ICU length of hospitalization. The risk factors of CAPA and death obtained from the study can help us further understand the disease characteristics of CAPA and better guide our clinical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C 3 N 4 shows great potential for photo (electro)catalytic hydrogen production from water splitting. Elemental doping can modulate the band structure of C 3 N 4 , thereby broadening the responsive wavelength range, and facilitating charges' separation on C 3 N 4. In this work, phosphorus was doped into C 3 N 4 (PCN) using diammonium hydrogen phosphate as a precursor. Platinum nanoparticles were further photodeposited onto the surface of PCN. With these modifications, the photocatalytic activity in hydrogen production on C 3 N 4 was increased from none to 5.9 μmol/h/g cat after phosphorus doping, and then to 312.5 μmol/h/g cat after Pt loading. Furthermore, C 3 N 4 was grown on carbon cloth, its photoelectrocatalytic activity in hydrogen production was increased from 23.98 to 356.73 mmol/h/m2 after doping with P, and further increased to 400.39 mmol/h/m2 after loading with Pt. The increase in hydrogen production rate could be attributed to the fact that doping with P elements increased the specific surface area of C 3 N 4 , exposing more active sites in C 3 N 4. And the loading of Pt nanoparticles accelerated charges' transfer and separation, thus promoting the catalytic activity. The present study shows that the modification of C 3 N 4 by doping with non-metals and loading metals plays an important role in improving the photo (electro)catalytic performance of C 3 N 4. • Pt, P co-modified C 3 N 4 has been successfully prepared. • Photoelectrocatalytic activity in H 2 production was improved to 400.39 mmol/h/m2. • The reaction mechanism of the great improvement has been explored and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing aging of the Chinese population, the issue of safeguarding the welfare of older adults has emerged in social governance. Currently, the primary strategy to address this issue is the guardianship system, which is plagued with various challenges in judicial practice. Through two consecutive and contingent studies, for the first time, this research investigated the status quo of China's guardianship disputes involving older adult wards, analysed the missing role of social workers during the civil litigation process of these disputes, and identified the subtypes of disputes to which judicial social work could contribute. In the first study, 12 members of a district court of Shanghai who have dealt with such disputes were interviewed to explore the potential roles of social workers. Findings highlight the prospects of social workers serving as assessors and conveners during court hearings, supervisors and moderators after the court hearing, and facilitators and carers throughout the litigation process. In the second study, 16 cases of guardianship disputes involving incapacitated older adult wards were extracted from this court through systematic sampling and processed with crisp‐set qualitative comparative analysis. Findings reveal the types of cases in which social workers should intervene. This article advocates for involving professionally trained social workers in China's civil court setting to safeguard incapacitated older adults' welfare further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical properties of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) can be strengthened by pre‐soaking them in silica fume cement paste, thereby improving the mechanical properties of recycled concrete. To evaluate whether treated recycled coarse aggregate (TRCA), which is obtained by pre‐soaking in silica fume cement paste, can be applied to structural elements, considering the axial compression ratio and volumetric stirrup ratio, TRCA concrete (TRAC) frame column specimens and natural aggregate concrete (NAC) column specimens were prepared. Subsequently, a cyclic loading test was conducted on the specimens. The failure mode, hysteresis loop, skeleton curve, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity of the specimens were analyzed and compared. The results showed that compared with NAC specimens, the bearing capacities of the TRAC specimens were slightly higher. The seismic behavior of the TRAC frame columns achieved performance level similar to that of the NAC structural members at low axial compression ratios. This indicates that the RCA treatment of pre‐soaking in silica fume cement paste is effective, and TRAC can be used as loading‐bearing structural concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A brand is an enterprise's market image and huge intangible assets. A brand is an enterprise's market image and huge intangible assets, and it is also a comprehensive embodiment of an enterprise's core competitiveness. Therefore, continuous improvement of brand competitiveness undoubtedly has far-reaching significance for manufacturing enterprises. Using the brand competitiveness evaluation index system and selected evaluation methods of manufacturing enterprises constructed in this article, the brand competitiveness evaluation index system and selected evaluation methods can not only study the overall brand competitiveness of the participating enterprises, but also understand the advantages and disadvantages of the brand competitiveness of the participating enterprises from different perspectives, To help and guide manufacturing enterprises to strengthen brand building in a targeted manner and continuously improve the brand competitiveness of manufacturing enterprises. The brand competitiveness evaluation of manufacturing enterprises is a classical MAGDM problems. Recently, the TODIM and VIKOR method has been used to cope with MAGDM issues. The interval neutrosophic sets (INSs) are used as a tool for characterizing uncertain information during the brand competitiveness evaluation of manufacturing enterprises. In this manuscript, the interval neutrosophic number TODIM-VIKOR (INN-TODIM-VIKOR) method is built to solve the MAGDM under INSs. In the end, a numerical case study for brand competitiveness evaluation of manufacturing enterprises is given to validate the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Riemann problem for a pressureless hydrodynamic model is solved explicitly, whose solution is either a contact-vacuum-contact wave or a delta shock wave to connect the left and right constant states. Moreover, the global perturbed Riemann solutions for this model are also constructed by investigating carefully all the presentive delta shock interaction problems when the initial condition is made up of three piecewise constant states. Finally, the stability of Riemann solutions is also proved by letting the perturbed parameter tend to zero under this specially designated small perturbation of this step-like initial condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work ethics is vital to social work education and professional development. However, traditional didactic teaching does not always translate to internalization of social work ethics, and few visual teaching tools measure the extent to which the students have truly internalized professional ethics. Using the perspective of action research, the present study introduced a progressive teaching reform to a Master of Social Work (MSW)-level social work ethics curriculum at a social work school in China. The progressive reform went through two action cycles. In the first cycle, a preliminary attempt, the instructor redesigned the course structure and applied student-generated microfilms as a final assignment. In the second cycle, educators from China and the United States collaborated in class to revise the course in response to issues raised in the first cycle and explore refined and more effective pathways to help MSW students internalize and advocate for professional ethics through filmmaking. The present study examined successes and failures throughout the reform process, providing practical lessons and evidence for social work educators interested in adopting filmmaking as an experiential teaching tool in MSW educational practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lean management and innovation capability evaluation of technological small and medium sized enterprises is a classical multi-attributes group decision-making (MAGDM). Recently, the probabilistic hesitant fuzzy sets (PHFSs) have been extended to apply in many fields. However, the existing models don't evaluate the alternative considering the psychological factors. Thus, in this paper, an extended probabilistic hesitant fuzzy grey relational analysis (PHF-GRA) method is proposed to reduce the restrictions of GRA method by combining with cumulative prospect theory (CPT), considering the psychological preference. In addition, the PHFSs assigns probability values to different degrees of hesitancy, which shows its superiority in complex environment. At the same time, the weight vectors of each attribute are calculated by the entropy values of different foreground decision elements. Then, probabilistic hesitant fuzzy GRA (PHF-GRA) model based on CPT model is constructed for MAGDM under PHFSs. Finally, a practical example study for lean management and innovation capability evaluation of technological small and medium sized enterprises is constructed to validate the proposed GRA (PHF-GRA) model based on model CPT and some comparative studies are constructed to verify the applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The authors sought to verify the use of a preoperative simulation software for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms using flow diverters (FDs) based on three-dimensional rotational angiography (3DRA) data. Methods: Based on 3DRA data, the preoperative simulation software (UKNOW) was used to simulate the deployment of virtual FDs. The length and dimensions of virtual and real devices were compared. The deployment plan recommended by the UKNOW software was preliminarily used to complete implantations in the real world. During the experiment, experienced neurointerventional experts were responsible for supervising and judging information such as the length, dimension, and deployment location of the FDs. Results: This study retrospectively analyzed the data of 29 patients who received FD treatment. There was no statistical difference between the length of the real device and the virtual device (p = 0.6). The dimensions of FDs recommended by the software were consistent with the dimensions used in 24 out of the 29 real cases. In four of the remaining five cases, neurointerventional experts found that the FD dimensions recommended by the software were superior to those were actually used. Thus, the accuracy rate for FD dimension recommendations by the UKNOW software was 96.6% (28/29). Procedures performed in five cases using deployment plans recommended by the UKNOW software all achieved good postoperative results; the deployment positions of the device were reasonable, and all devices showed good wall adherence. Conclusions: UKNOW software could accurately simulate the length and deployment position of the real FDs and provide suitable device dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoelectrochemical water splitting is an effective way to convert solar energy into hydrogen energy. In this manuscript, Pt-loaded nitrogen-deficient C 3 N 4 was firmly grown on carbon cloth as a photoanode for efficiently photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) water splitting to produce hydrogen. The PEC activity of C 3 N 4 was increased from 0 (C 3 N 4 powder) to 2.45 mmol/h/m2. The performance was further improved to 13.49 mmol/h/m2 after the loading of Pt nanoparticles. The significant improvement in PEC performance can be summarized as the following points: (a) Carbon cloth as substrate enhanced the conductivity of C 3 N 4 and further facilitated photogenerated charges' transfer, (b) enhanced optical absorption and emerged more active edges due to nitrogen defects and porous structures, (c) improved charge transfer and separation efficiency and increased specific surface area at nitrogen-deficient active sites, (d) Pt nanoparticles with local surface plasma resonance (LSPR) effect absorbed more optical electrons and enhanced the rate of electron transport. Therefore, Pt-NCN-CC exhibited great potentials as a photoanode for highly efficient hydrogen production. [Display omitted] • A method has been developed to grow g-C 3 N 4 on carbon clothes. • Photoelectrocatalytic activity in H 2 production reached 13.49 mmol/h/m2. • The enhancement has been explored along with a proposed reaction pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of COVID-19 brought a worldwide pandemic that interrupted daily life and activities. By the end of 2020, there were more than 83 million diagnosed cases and 1.8 million deaths worldwide (World Health Organization, 2020). In Wuhan, China, more than 7 million individuals were quarantined at the beginning of the pandemic. Despite the widespread impact of the pandemic, limited studies have focused on recovered COVID-19 patients' experiences. Therefore, this qualitative study was conducted to better understand the shared experiences of recovered COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, through the lens of social work practitioners working with them. A thematic analysis of 14 individual interviews resulted in three main themes: trauma, long-term perspective change, and support systems. Recovered patients commonly reported rejection, discrimination, stigma, and self-blame as a result of having had COVID-19. Although some reported receiving social support from family members, neighbors, or employers, others reported severe rejection and maltreatment. Experiences also influenced whether patients had a more positive or negative outlook toward the future. Findings call for health care practitioners and service providers to better support COVID-19 patients using a culturally sensitive, trauma-informed approach. Neighborhood-level factors and interventions are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of built-up height are a crucial aspect of urban form, enabling the characterization of urban growth patterns and the attainment of sustainable development goals. While past studies have focused on urban extent mapping, little has been done to reveal changes in vertical structures in built-up areas. In this study, we reconstructed annual urban form dynamics in Beijing, China, from 1990 to 2020, utilizing Landsat time-series data. First, we identified urban growth and renewal years using a temporal segmentation approach. Then, we reconstructed the annual dynamics of built-up heights through logical reasoning, using the reference height in 2020 and the identified changing years. We evaluated the derived dataset and analyzed the urban growth patterns (i.e., upward and outward) over the past three decades. The detected change years are reliable, with an overall accuracy of 88% (± 1 year). Meanwhile, the reconstructed built-up height data showed good agreement with surveyed results (R2: 0.92), with a root mean square error of 2.87 m and a mean absolute error of 2.07 m. Most expanded built-up areas during 1990–2020 were located at the fringe of the central city, and about 16% experiencing multiple changes. Overall, outward growth was prominent in Beijing during the first decade, while upward growth became dominant in most districts thereafter. The proposed framework provides a new way to reveal annual urban form dynamics through time series analysis, with great potential to support relevant studies such as urban climate modeling and carbon emissions studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite precipitation data downscaling is gaining importance for climatic and hydrological studies at basin scale, especially in the data-scarce mountainous regions, e.g., the Upper Indus Basin (UIB). The relationship between precipitation and environmental variables is frequently utilized to statistically data and enhance spatial resolution; the non-stationary relationship between precipitation and environmental variables has not yet been completely explored. The present work is designed to downscale TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) data from 2000 to 2017 in the UIB, using stepwise regression analysis (SRA) to filter environmental variables first and a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model to downscale the data later. As a result, monthly and annual precipitation data with a high spatial resolution (1 km × 1 km) were obtained. The study's findings showed that elevation, longitude, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and latitude, with the highest correlations with precipitation in the UIB, are the most important variables for downscaling. Environmental variable filtration followed by GWR model downscaling performed better than GWR model downscaling directly when compared with observation data. Generally, the SRA and GWR method are suitable for environmental variable filtration and TRMM data downscaling, respectively, over the complex and heterogeneous topography of the UIB. We conclude that the monthly non-stationary relationships between precipitation and variables exist and have the greatest potential to affect downscaling, which requires the most attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viral vectors play a pivotal role in the field of gene therapy, with several related drugs having already gained clinical approval from the EMA and FDA. However, numerous viral gene therapy vectors are currently undergoing pre-clinical research or participating in clinical trials. Despite advancements, the innate response remains a significant barrier impeding the clinical development of viral gene therapy. The innate immune response to viral gene therapy vectors and transgenes is still an important reason hindering its clinical development. Extensive studies have demonstrated that different DNA and RNA sensors can detect adenoviruses, adeno-associated viruses, and lentiviruses, thereby activating various innate immune pathways such as Toll-like receptor (TLR), cyclic GMP-AMP synthase–stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING), and retinoic acid-inducible gene I–mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (RLR-MAVS). This review focuses on elucidating the mechanisms underlying the innate immune response induced by three widely utilized viral vectors: adenovirus, adeno-associated virus, and lentivirus, as well as the strategies employed to circumvent innate immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Intensive systolic blood pressure lowering has cardiovascular benefits. • A post hoc analysis of the strategy of blood pressure intervention in the elderly hypertensive patients (STEP) trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of intensive systolic blood pressure lowering in hypertensive patients with different baseline glycemic status. • Baseline glycemic status did not modify the beneficial effects of intensive systolic blood pressure lowering on cardiovascular outcomes in hypertensive patients aged 60–80 years. Intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) lowering showed cardiovascular benefits in the Strategy of Blood Pressure Intervention in the Elderly Hypertensive Patients (STEP) trial. We investigated whether baseline glycemic status influences the effects of intensive SBP lowering on cardiovascular outcomes. In this post hoc analysis of the STEP trial, participants were randomly assigned to receive intensive (110 to <130 mmHg) or standard SBP treatment (130 to <150 mmHg) and categorized by baseline glycemic status into three subgroups: normoglycemia, prediabetes, and diabetes. The primary outcome was a composite of stroke, acute coronary syndrome, acute decompensated heart failure, coronary revascularization, atrial fibrillation, or death from cardiovascular causes. A competing risk proportional hazards regression model was used in the analysis. Of the 8,318 participants, 3,275, 2,769, and 2,274 had normoglycemia, prediabetes, and diabetes, respectively. Over a median follow-up of 3.33 years, intensive SBP lowering significantly reduced the risk of the primary outcome (adjusted hazard ratio 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59–0.91). The adjusted hazard ratios for the primary outcome in the normoglycemia, prediabetes, and diabetes subgroups were 0.72 (95% CI 0.49–1.04), 0.69 (95% CI 0.46–1.02), and 0.80 (95% CI 0.56–1.15), respectively. The intensive SBP lowering strategy resulted in similar effects among participants in the three subgroups (all interaction P >0.05). The sensitivity analyses showed consistent results with the main analysis. The effects of intensive SBP lowering on cardiovascular outcomes were consistent among participants with normoglycemia, prediabetes, and diabetes. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microspheres are one type of promising cell‐supporting matrices. However, the synthesis of nanofibrous and hollow microspheres as drug‐laden cell carriers is still a great challenge. Here, the nanofibrous and hollow titania nanowire (NH‐TiNW) microspheres were synthesized by in situ alkali hydrothermal treatment of hollow titania (H‐Ti) microspheres, and their microstructure, biocompatibility, and drug delivery property were evaluated. By controlling hydrothermal temperature from 80 to 120°C and hydrothermal time from 1 to 4 h, the surface of H‐Ti microspheres was controllably tailored with nanoparticles and NWs. The results showed that NH‐TiNW microspheres were spherical in morphology with a diameter of 100–200 µm, hierarchically assembled by numerous TiNWs with the diameter of 10–20 nm, and possessed a nanofibrous and hollow structure. In vitro biocompatibility evaluation showed that NH‐TiNW microspheres presented an enhanced cell attachment and proliferation compared with H‐Ti microspheres due to the presence of the nanofibrous surface. Drug delivery evaluation showed that NH‐TiNW microspheres strongly adsorbed tetracycline hydrochloride (one type of antibiotic, model drug) with a loading efficiency of 81.5% ± 1% due to the presence of the nanofibrous and hollow structure and also effectively maintained the biological efficiency of the loaded drugs to inhibit the growth of bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) provides a new platform of low‐cost and color‐saturated blue light‐emitting diodes ideal for display and solid‐state lighting applications. However, numerous established MOFs still exhibit weak deep‐blue‐light emission (<450 nm) owing to low energy/charge transfer efficiency. Here a pressure‐treated strategy to greatly enhance photoluminescence performance of deep‐blue light‐emitting Y(BTC)(H2O)6 (H3BTC: benzene‐1,3,5‐tricarboxylic acid) is reported. Pressure‐treated Y(BTC)(H2O)6 exhibits a bright emission at 409 nm with a photoluminescence quantum yield from the initial 2.8% increasing to 75.0%. The hydrogen bonding cooperativity effect increases hydrogen bond binding energy after pressure treatment and thus the planarization structure is locked. The increased electronic transition diversity and oscillator strength originating from the planarization structure are highly responsible for boosting metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer. The findings in this study provide significant insights into the underlying mechanism of the structure‐property relationship in Y(BTC)(H2O)6 and offer a promising strategy to harvest deep‐blue‐emitting MOFs materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an event-triggered mechanism for a class of multi-thread control systems is designed by the relationship between the threshold line and the Lyapunov function and an algorithm is proposed with update delays considered. In order to solve the problem of resource waste in complex systems with mismatched characteristics of the number of controllers and controlled plants, a stable multi-thread control algorithm considering the delay is designed by adopting the event-triggered mechanism. In the algorithm, the concept of a novel multi-thread control system is utilized to eliminate the need for a complex description of this class of systems. By reducing the constraints on the Lyapunov function in the traditional switching control scheme, a novel event-triggered rule is designed to save resources and ensure that the system is asymptotically stable. Furthermore, it is proved that the proposed multi-thread control algorithm based on event-triggered mechanism is feasible when the system has a non-zero update delay. Finally, the system is guaranteed to avoid the Zeno phenomenon and the proposed algorithm is investigated by simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the following generalized quasilinear Choquard equation with steep potential well - div (g 2 (u) ∇ u) + g (u) g ′ (u) | ∇ u | 2 + λ V (x) u = (I α ∗ F (u)) f (u) , x ∈ R N , where N ≥ 3 , α ∈ (0 , N) , λ > 0 is a parameter and I α is the Riesz potential. Under some appropriate assumptions on g, V(x) and f, we prove the existence of ground states and obtain the concentration behavior of the solutions when λ is large enough via variational methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has motivated social workers to reckon with and transform traditions in service delivery. The development, application, and evaluation of technology-enhanced practices have become more vital than ever. Garden on the Balcony (GOB) was an innovative internet-based social work service designed to respond rapidly to the COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing. This paper introduces the underlying perspectives and design of GOB and reports participants' reflections on the program to understand its mechanisms and implications. Interview data from GOB participants were collected 4 months after the program ended. Thematic analysis generated three major themes, suggesting that GOB had (a) promoted individual resilience and family cohesion; (b) built online and offline community bonds; and (c) cultivated a green lifestyle and spiritual reflection on life. This study demonstrates a practical example of the effective use of technology-enhanced practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited transport and migration of photoinduced charges in polymeric carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) within the planar layers remain a great challenge for achieving favorable photocatalysis. Herein, phosphorus-doped carbon quantum dots (PCDots) implanted intra-layer carbon nitride nanosheet (PCDots-C 3 N 4) photocatalyst with phosphorus-nitrogen (P –N) bridging was prepared. The 13C and 31P of nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations confirmed the formation of a P –N bridge. Additionally, implanting PCDots enlarged the π-π conjugated electronic structure and modulated the plane structure of g-C 3 N 4. The atomic-level connection by the P –N bridge dramatically extended the delocalization effect and facilitated the intramolecular charge transfer. PCDots-C 3 N 4 demonstrated efficient photodegradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) and bisphenol A (BPA) than both g-C 3 N 4 and CDots-C 3 N 4 , reaching 76% and 100%, respectively. The possible degradation pathways of TC and BPA were also discussed. This work provides an efficient strategy for rapid electron transfer to form a new paradigm for wastewater remediation. The phosphorus-doped carbon quantum dots (PCDots) implanted intra-layer carbon nitride nanosheets (PCDots-C 3 N 4) photocatalyst with phosphorus-nitrogen (P –N) bridging is prepared via facile copolymerization approach. The atomic-level connection by P –N bridge dramatically extended the delocalization effect and facilitate the intramolecular charge transfer for efficient photocatalytic aqueous pollutants by PCDots-C 3 N 4. The degradation effects of tetracycline hydrochloride and bisphenol A were 76% and 100%, respectively. [Display omitted] • The phosphorus-doped carbon quantum dots implanted carbon nitride by P –N bridge. • P –N bridge extends the delocalization effect and facilitates the charge transfer. • The degradation paths of tetracycline hydrochloride and bisphenol A are studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This retrospective study aimed to explore whether puncturing and aspirating asynchronized large follicles during long GnRH-a protocol COH impacted IVF-ET outcomes. Methods: A total of 180 patients with asynchronized follicles during long GnRH-a protocol COH were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into a puncture group, Group 1 (n = 81), and a non-puncture group, Group 2 (n = 99), according to whether puncture and aspiration were performed on the prematurely developing large follicles. The data of the selected patients were statistically analyzed to assess the effect of large follicle puncture and aspiration during ovulation induction on the final pregnancy results. In addition, we tentatively divided these 180 patients into either Group A (DF ≤ 14 mm) or Group B (DF > 14 mm) according to whether the diameter of the dominant large follicles (DF) exceeded 14 mm at the time of appearance. These two groups were then further divided into four subgroups: Subgroup A1 (DF ≤ 14 mm, patients underwent large follicle puncture), Subgroup A2 (DF ≤ 14 mm, patients did not undergo large follicle puncture), Subgroup B1 (DF > 14 mm, patients underwent large follicle puncture), and Subgroup B2 (DF > 14 mm, patients did not undergo large follicle puncture) based on whether large follicle puncture and aspiration were performed or not, aiming to compare the effects of large follicle puncture and aspiration on the clinical outcomes of patients with dominant large follicles at different time points. Results: Group 1 exhibited significantly higher oocyte maturation rate (92.3% vs. 88.9%, P = 0.009) and high-quality embryo rate (75.2% vs. 65.7%, P = 0.007) compared with Group 2. No differences were observed in the number of oocytes retrieved, 2PN fertilization rate, clinical pregnancy rate, abortion rate, and live birth rate between the two groups (P > 0.05). When the dominant large follicles' diameter was ≤ 14 mm, the final oocyte maturation rate (92.7% vs. 88.1%, P = 0.023), high-quality embryo rate (72.9% vs. 61.8%, P = 0.047) and live birth rate (54.5% vs. 31.9%, P = 0.043) of Subgroup A1 were significantly higher than those of Subgroup A2. In contrast, when the dominant large follicles' diameter was > 14 mm, no statistical difference was observed in all data. Conclusions: Large follicle puncture and aspiration in long GnRH-a protocol COH could improve the oocyte maturation rate and high-quality embryo rate in patients with asynchronized follicles. However, clinical pregnancy and live birth rates were not significantly improved. In addition, when the dominant follicles' diameter did not exceed 14 mm, large follicles puncture and aspiration significantly improved the patient's oocyte maturation rate, high-quality embryo rate and live birth rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Continuous efforts have been made to move towards maintaining the beneficial anti‐inflammatory functions of glucocorticoids (GCs) while minimizing side effects. Here, we investigated the selective glucocorticoid receptor (GR) modulator‐like properties of a plant‐derived compound caesaldekarin e (CA‐e). Experimental approach: The therapeutic efficacy of CA‐e was evaluated in several mouse models, including dextran sulfate sodium‐induced colitis, ovalbumin‐induced lung allergic inflammation, imiquimod‐induced psoriasis‐like skin inflammation and skin atrophy. The action of CA‐e targeting the GR was analysed using molecular docking, cellular thermal shift assays and microscale thermophoresis. Other methods included DNA–protein pull‐down assays and mass spectrometry. Key results: CA‐e selectively inhibited positive GC response element ((+) GRE)‐mediated direct transactivation while maintaining and even enhancing the anti‐inflammatory effects of treatment with dexamethasone. CA‐e, alone and in combination with dexamethasone, efficiently alleviated inflammation in several mouse models with milder side effects compared with dexamethasone alone. Mechanistically, CA‐e inhibited the formation of dimers by binding to the dimerization interface located in the ligand‐binding domain of GR and facilitated embryonic ectoderm development that is involved in the regulation of transcriptional repression to compete for binding to (+) GRE, eventually leading to the repression of (+) GRE‐regulated genes. In addition, CA‐e repressed NF‐κB‐dependent genes by enhancing the interaction between GR and p65. Conclusions and implications: Our results reveal that CA‐e is a novel GR modulator with strong potency to attenuate the side effects of GC therapy and can be used as a potential molecular tool for deciphering GR signalling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In non-strongly interacting co-amorphous systems, addition of a polymer, to further stabilize the co-amorphous systems, may influence the phase behavior between the components. In this study, the evolution of the composition of the amorphous phase in the ternary system carvedilol (CAR)-tryptophan (TRP)-hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) was investigated, based upon previously formed and characterized binary systems to which the third component was added (CAR − TRP + HPMC, CAR − HPMC + TRP and TRP − HPMC + CAR). Ball milling was used as the preparation method for all binary and ternary systems. The influence of the milling time on the co-amorphous systems was monitored by DSC and XRPD. Addition of HPMC reduced the miscibility of CAR with TRP due to hydrogen bond formation between CAR and polymer. These bonds became dominant for the interaction pattern. In addition, when CAR or TRP exceeded the miscibility limit in HPMC, phase separation and eventually crystallization of CAR and TRP was observed. All ternary co-amorphous systems eventually reached the same composition, albeit following different paths depending on the initially used binary system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the first review to systematically explore the scope and application of Chinese social work research ethics, this study incorporated web-crawling technology in the scoping review process and identified 18 eligible studies from 1168 publications from January 2020 to July 2021. Findings suggest that social work scholars are aware of research ethics when conducting human subjects research in the Chinese population. Yet, many failed to fully demonstrate practical considerations of internationally accepted ethical principles (e.g. respect for persons). We discuss education on research ethics, new challenges of the digital age, and considerations of Chinese culture in developing ethical protocols for social work research in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of delta shock and vacuum state for the pressureless hydrodynamic model is investigated in detail under the small disturbance of traffic pressure. Exact Riemann solutions for the perturbed system can be constructed explicitly for four different possible structures. Asymptotically, the perturbed Riemann solution involving two shocks will collapse to a single delta shock, and the perturbed Riemann solution involving two rarefaction waves will degenerate into a solution containing two contact discontinuities along with the vacuum state between them when the perturbed parameter goes to zero. It should be stressed here that the internal state in each of the two rarefaction wave-fans turns out to be the vacuum state gradually in such a limiting case, which differs obviously from the previous result that each of the two rarefaction wave-fans is compressed globally to be a single contact discontinuity. Additionally, some typical numerical results exhibiting the formation process of delta shock and vacuum state are presented to verify our theoretic results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate system anomalies and intensified human disturbances have different impacts on the hydrological cycle at different scales, chiefly leading to prominent spatio-temporal heterogeneities in precipitation distributions. It is of great significance to accurately detect the non-stationary changes of precipitation. Focusing on the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River basin which is considered as the key ecological barrier in northern China, the best probabilistic model with time-varying moments was established to fit the wet-season precipitation series from 1988 to 2017 for 38 meteorological stations. Considering four three-parameter distributions, time was used as covariate to describe the linear or nonlinear change of each parameter, and model optimization was performed by Akaike Information Criterion. Combined with conventional methods including the Trend-Free Pre-Whitening Mann–Kendall trend test and Sen's slope estimator, the non-stationary behaviors of wet-season precipitation variability were quantitatively captured. Results showed that the generalized gamma distribution performed best in fitting the wet-season precipitation series in the study area, characterized with high skewness and heavy tails. The non-stationary characteristics of the wet-season precipitation were obvious in most areas during the past 30 years, especially in the central region. The non-stationarities of wet-season precipitation manifested in a downward trend in the mean value, an increase in dispersion degree and significant changes in distribution shape with time, consequently adding the uncertainty to wet-season precipitation process and raising the risk of extreme conditions. The findings of this study provide scientific references to water resources management, drought resistance, and disaster reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge gain in the characteristics and mechanisms of drought propagation is indispensable for timely drought early warning and risk reduction over the grassland eco-region. This study focused on the Xilin River basin, which is a typical inland river basin located in the Inner Mongolia temperate steppe, China. The characteristics of meteorological and hydrological drought were assessed by applying the standardized precipitation index and standardized streamflow index. The propagation relationship between meteorological and hydrological droughts was then investigated from both static and dynamic perspectives, and the possible reasons for its temporal dynamics were discussed by considering environmental factors. Our results showed that the Xilin River basin has suffered from more serious meteorological drought than hydrological drought during the past 60 years, with a stationary evolution of meteorological drought but an overall drying trend in hydrological drought. The propagation from meteorological to hydrological droughts exhibited obvious seasonality, characterized by stronger intensity and shorter response time in the wet season. Nonstationary behaviors were identified for the temporal patterns of drought propagation time, especially showing a significant trend in April, May, and August. The dynamic changes in propagation time affected by regional forces were principally ruled by the precipitation variation positively and strongly, and they were moderately controlled by temperature, vegetation cover, and deep-layer soil moisture, with season-dependent effects. The effects of low-frequency atmospheric anomalies on drought propagation will be further investigated in future studies, which are expected to provide a better understanding of the physical mechanism of the large-scale climate forcing on local drought condition. Significance Statement: A new research approach was proposed to assess the propagation relationship between meteorological and hydrological drought from both static and dynamic perspectives, and the possible reasons for the temporal dynamics were discussed by considering environmental factors. Focusing on an inland river basin over the Inner Mongolia typical steppe, the propagation from meteorological to hydrological droughts showed obvious seasonality. Nonstationary behaviors were identified for the temporal patterns of drought propagation time, which could be explained by the regional hydrometeorological conditions. The advanced understanding of drought propagation provides a scientific base for water resources planning and drought management within a grassland region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a method for predicting the generation voltage of a solid oxide fuel cell based on the data results of a stand-alone solid oxide fuel single cell simulation model under ideal conditions, with the aim of improving the generation efficiency and extending the service life of the solid oxide fuel cell. In this paper, a modified back propagation (BP) neural network algorithm is used to improve the prediction accuracy of the solid oxide fuel cell generation voltage by using the whale algorithm to optimize the BP neural network model to improve its convergence and achieve the effect of improving the prediction accuracy. First, the characteristics of the independent solid oxide fuel cell are introduced and simulated. Second, the long short-term memory network model, linear regression network model and BP neural network are simulated and compared, and the results show that the BP neural network prediction model is more accurate and can be optimized and improved. Finally, the BP neural network is optimized and simulated using the whale algorithm, and the simulation results show that the method has better convergence and higher prediction accuracy than the traditional BP neural network prediction model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructural and textural evolution of 60% cold-rolling-deformation Er metal (purity ≥ 99.7%) during annealing were investigated by electron-backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The research results showed that the texture of the (0001) plane orientation was strengthened, but there was no apparent enhancement of the (01 1 ¯ 0) and ( 1 ¯ 2 1 ¯ 0) plane orientations with increasing the annealing temperature. The recrystallization frequency and grain sizes gradually stabilized after the annealing duration of more than 1 h at 740 °C; the annealing duration and the recrystallization frequency were fitted to the equation: y = 1   −   exp   (− 0 . 3269 x 0. 2506 ) . HAGBs were predominant, and the distribution of grain sizes was the most uniform after annealing at 740 °C × 1 h, which was the optimal annealing process of the Er metal with 60% cold-rolling deformation. However, the recrystallization was transferred to the substructure due to grain boundary migration and twining under an excessive annealing temperature and duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lanthanide metal–organic frameworks are of great interest in the development of photoluminescence (PL) materials owing to their structural tunability and intrinsic features of lanthanide elements. However, there exists some limitations arising from poor matching with metal ions, thereby exhibiting a weak ligand‐to‐metal energy transfer (LMET) process. Here we demonstrate a pressure‐treated strategy for achieving high PL performance in green‐emitting Tb(BTC)(H2O)6. The PL quantum yield of pressure‐treated sample increased from 50.6 % to 90.4 %. We found that the enhanced hydrogen bonds locked the conjugated configuration formed by two planes of carboxyl group and benzene ring, enabling the promoted intersystem crossing to effectively drive LMET. Moreover, the optimized singlet and triplet states also validated the facilitated LMET process. This work opens the opportunity of structure optimization to improve PL performance in MOFs by pressure‐treated engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lanthanide metal–organic frameworks are of great interest in the development of photoluminescence (PL) materials owing to their structural tunability and intrinsic features of lanthanide elements. However, there exists some limitations arising from poor matching with metal ions, thereby exhibiting a weak ligand‐to‐metal energy transfer (LMET) process. Here we demonstrate a pressure‐treated strategy for achieving high PL performance in green‐emitting Tb(BTC)(H2O)6. The PL quantum yield of pressure‐treated sample increased from 50.6 % to 90.4 %. We found that the enhanced hydrogen bonds locked the conjugated configuration formed by two planes of carboxyl group and benzene ring, enabling the promoted intersystem crossing to effectively drive LMET. Moreover, the optimized singlet and triplet states also validated the facilitated LMET process. This work opens the opportunity of structure optimization to improve PL performance in MOFs by pressure‐treated engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of Dugesia (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) from northern China is described on the basis of an integrative approach, involving morphology, karyology, histology, molecular distance, molecular phylogeny, and mitochondrial gene order. Here, we present the complete mitogenome of the new species Dugesia constrictiva Chen & Dong, sp. nov. This new species is mainly characterized by the presence of the following features: asymmetrical openings of the oviducts; large, cuboidal copulatory bursa; vasa deferentia opening through the ventro‐lateral wall of the seminal vesicle; laterally compressed seminal vesicle; ventrally displaced ejaculatory duct, opening at the blunt tip of the penis papilla; long duct intercalated between seminal vesicle and diaphragm; chromosome complement diploid, with 16 metacentric chromosomes; mitochondrial gene order as follows: cox1‐E‐nad6‐nad5‐S2‐D‐R‐cox3‐I‐Q‐K‐atp6‐V‐nad1‐W‐cox2‐P‐nad3‐A‐nad2‐M‐H‐F‐rrnS‐L1‐Y‐G‐S1‐rrnL‐L2‐T‐atp8‐C‐N‐cob‐nad4l‐nad4. In triclads, mitochondrial gene order is considerably conserved between freshwater planarians and land flatworms, whereas it is variable between marine planarians and both freshwater and land flatworms. The secondary structures of tRNAs are all equipped with 4 arms, excepting tRNA S1 and tRNA S2, which lack the D arm and have excessively enlarged loops. Numerous transpositions of tRNA are present between D. constrictiva and its congeners. Mitochondrial gene arrangements may form a new, additional tool for taxonomic studies. The phylogenetic tree based on analysis of the mitochondrial genome basically corroborates current classification of the higher taxa of planarian flatworms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots (CDs) have drawn considerable attention owing to their attractive photoluminescence, advantageous chemical tolerance, good biocompatibility, and so on. However, it remains challenging to tune their photoluminescence spatially and temporally due to their high photostability. Herein, a viable approach to in‐situ dialing the photoluminescence of CDs by using light in the presence of a photoacid generator (PAG, e.g., diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate) is demonstrated. Fluorescence quenching occurs upon light irradiation due to the protonation of pyridine and amino nitrogen atoms of CDs according to X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. As such, blue, green, and red color fluorescent patterns of CDs are ready to form in poly(vinyl alcohol) by light irradiation under photomask. These patterns not only show a controlled preservation time under room light, but also can be erased on demand by flood UV irradiation, which are promising for advanced anti‐counterfeiting such as shelf‐life based security and erasable encryption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fate of organic pollutants in environmental matrices can be determined by degradation and humification. The humification process represents a promising strategy to remove organic pollutants, particularly those resistant to degradation. In contrast to the well-studied degradation process, the contribution and application prospects of the humification process for organic pollutant removal has been underestimated. The recent progress in synthesizing artificial humic substances (HS) has made directed humification of recalcitrant organic pollutants possible. This review focuses on degradation and humification of organic matter, especially recalcitrant organic pollutants. Challenges in understanding the contribution, underlying mechanisms, and artificial synthesis of HS for removing organic pollutants are also critically discussed. We advocate further investigating the humification of organic pollutants in future studies. Degradation and humification synergistically determine the environmental fate of organic pollutants. In contrast to previous studies focusing on degradation processes, humification represents a promising but underestimated strategy for removing recalcitrant organic pollutants. In degradation processes, reduced organic matter is utilized as electron donors to support oxidative respiration, or as fermentation substrates to produce volatile fatty acids. By contrast, recalcitrant oxidized organic matter needs to be reduced prior to subsequent degradation. Many pathways are identified for the generation of humic substances (HS), in which microbes play key roles in providing HS precursors and in subsequent polymerization. Artificial HS synthesis open a new avenue for removing organic pollutants under controlled conditions, largely dependent on the progress in construction of new chemical bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoimmunology focuses on the intermodulation between bone and the immune system. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced bone loss models are commonly used to investigate the interface between inflammation and osteoporosis. Circulating exosomes can regulate physiological and pathological processes through exosomal microRNAs and proteins. In this study, we observed reduced osteoblast number and bone formation in LPS-induced bone loss mice (LPS mice). Levels of circulating exosomes were increased by ~ twofold in LPS mice, and the expression of exosomal miRNAs was significantly changed. miRNAs (miRNA-125b-5p, miRNA-132-3p, and miRNA-214-3p) that were reported to inhibit osteoblast activity were significantly increased in the serum exosomes and bone tissues of LPS mice. Additionally, LPS-induced increases in exosomes significantly inhibited the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distributed Gauss-Newton (DGN) optimization method performs quite efficiently and robustly for history-matching problems with multiple best matches. However, this method is not applicable for generic optimization problems, e.g., life-cycle production optimization or well location optimization. This paper introduces a generalized form of the objective functions F(x, y(x)) = f(x) with both explicit variables x and implicit variables (or simulated responses), y(x). The split in explicit and implicit variables is such that partial derivatives of F(x, y) with respect to both x and y can be computed analytically. An ensemble of quasi-Newton optimization threads is distributed among multiple high-performance-computing (HPC) cluster nodes. The simulation results generated from one optimization thread are shared with others by updating a common set of training data points, which records simulated responses of all simulation jobs. The sensitivity matrix at the current best solution of each optimization thread is approximated by the linear-interpolation method. The gradient of the objective function is then analytically computed using its partial derivatives with respect to x and y and the estimated sensitivities of y with respect to x. The Hessian is updated using the quasi-Newton formulation. A new search point for each distributed optimization thread is generated by solving a quasi-Newton trust-region subproblem (TRS) for the next iteration. The proposed distributed quasi-Newton (DQN) method is first validated on a synthetic history matching problem and its performance is found to be comparable with the DGN optimizer. Then, the DQN method is tested on a variety of optimization problems. For all test problems, the DQN method can find multiple optima of the objective function with reasonably small numbers of iterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel Si 3 N 4 -PbO 2 nanocomposite electrode was fabricated and characterized. • Si 3 N 4 -PbO 2 electrode showed extreme long accelerated life. • Si 3 N 4 -PbO 2 electrode could treat sulfathiazole and sulfonamides efficiently. • Degradation mechanism of sulfathiazole were explored by GC-MS. • Several theoretical calculations were established by VASP and Multiwfn software. To lengthen the lifetime and extend the potential commercial applications of lead dioxide electrode, herein, a novel multilayer heterojunction Ti/ SnO 2 -Sb 2 O 3 / graphene oxide/ carbon nanotube/ Si 3 N 4 -PbO 2 electrode (Si 3 N 4 -PbO 2 electrode) was fabricated by co-electrodeposition process that doping Si 3 N 4 nanoparticles in eletroplating solution. Various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), were employed to characterize the surface of the fabricated electrode. The EDS analysis confirmed the successful attachment of 5.49 %wt Si and 2.46 %wt N elements from Si 3 N 4 nanoparticles onto the PbO 2 surface, while the XRD results indicated a shift in the preferred orientation of PbO 2 grains from β(1 1 0) to β(1 0 1). The water adsorption energy and ·OH desorption energy in the electrocatalysis process were determined to be 0.71 eV and 0.241 eV through theoretical calculating. Subsequently, the Si 3 N 4 -PbO 2 electrode was employed as an anode for the electrocatalytic degradation of sulfathiazole-simulated wastewater and real sulfonamides wastewater. Under optimized conditions determined via response surface methodology (RSM), the COD degradation efficiency reached 69.37 % for sulfathiazole and 62.35 % for real sulfonamides wastewater. The final COD concentration of the real sulfonamides wastewater was reduced to 77.05 mg/L, under the national urban sewage discharge standard. Finally, the degradation mechanism and pathway of sulfathiazole has been arranged based on the electron spin resonance (ESR), cyclic voltammetry (CV), while the intermediates were detected by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) and the reactive sites of sulfathiazole were predicted by using Fukui function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]