Search

Polysubstituted acrylamides are ubiquitous in bioactive molecules and natural products. However, synthetic methods for the assembly of these important motifs remain underdeveloped. Herein, we report the expedient synthesis of structurally diverse and synthetically challenging polysubstituted acrylamides from readily available aromatic amines, cyclopropenones (CpOs), and aryl halides via the synergistic merging of nucleophilic phosphine-mediated amidation and palladium-catalyzed C–H arylation. The reaction is scalable, and some obtained acrylamides proved to be solid state luminogens with obvious aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties, demonstrating the synthetic potential in drug discovery and material development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abducens nerve palsy is the most common ocular motor nerve palsy, and its possible aetiologies are numerous and diverse. Primary malignancy rarely occurs in the middle ear, with most cases associated with long-standing ear discharge and peak age of presentation in the sixties. We report a rare case of a 64-year-old male who presented with right abducens nerve palsy, which led to the diagnosis of primary squamous cell carcinoma of the right middle ear, and to our knowledge, this has not been reported previously in English literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic research has been conducted on the relationship between aging and consumer fraud victimization. But few empirical studies examine the reality of judicial dispute resolution in consumer fraud against older people from the perspective of older adults and judges in China. Based on 161 court rulings, this qualitative study explores the perceptions of older adults in litigation about their experiences of being defrauded in China, alongside judges’ responses. Results reveal that common fraud patterns used by business perpetrators render older individuals more susceptible to fraud. Older plaintiffs strategically frame “old age” in litigation, potentially as a tactical maneuver, while also readily emphasizing the importance of procedural justice. Results further show that judges expressed either negative ageism or age-neutral discourse in response to fraud targeting older individuals. Findings highlight the need to enhance consumer education to prevent fraud and address ageist stereotypes among older people. Findings also highlight the need to encourage Chinese courts to consider individual case specifics, leading to fair judgments and the protection of older individuals from fraud while upholding their rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes released from infected cells are thought to play an important role in the dissemination of pathogens, as well as in host‐derived immune molecules during infection. As an intracellular pathogen, Spiroplasma eriocheiris is harmful to multiple crustaceans. However, the immune mechanism of exosomes during Spiroplasma infection has not been investigated. Here, we found exosomes derived from S. eriocheiris‐infected crabs could facilitate phagocytosis and apoptosis of hemocytes, resulting in increased crab survival and suppression of Spiroplasma intracellular replication. Proteomic analysis revealed the altered abundance of EsTetraspanin may confer resistance to S. eriocheiris, possibly by mediating hemocyte phagocytosis in Eriocheir sinensis. Specifically, knockdown of EsTetraspanin in E. sinensis increased susceptibility to S. eriocheiris infection and displayed compromised phagocytic ability, whereas overexpression of EsTetraspanin in Drosophila S2 cells inhibited S. eriocheiris infection. Further, it was confirmed that intramuscular injection of recombinant LEL domain of EsTetraspanin reduced the mortality of S. eriocheiris‐infected crabs. Blockade with anti‐EsTetraspanin serum could exacerbate S. eriocheiris invasion of hemocytes and impair hemocyte phagocytic activity. Taken together, our findings prove for the first time that exosomes modulate phagocytosis to resist pathogenic infection in invertebrates, which is proposed to be mediated by exosomal Tetraspanin, supporting the development of preventative strategies against Spiroplasma infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: The content of flavonoids could increase in A. canescens under saline conditions. Overexpression of AcCHI in transgenic A. thaliana promotes flavonoid biosynthesis, thereby functioning in the tolerance of transgenic plants to salt and osmotic stress by maintaining ROS homeostasis. Atriplex canescens is a halophytic forage shrub with excellent adaptation to saline environment. Our previous study showed that a large number of genes related to the biosynthesis of flavonoids in A. canescens were significantly up-regulated by NaCl treatments. However, it remains unclear whether flavonoids are involved in A. canescens response to salinity. In this study, we found that the accumulation of flavonoids significantly increased in either the leaves or roots of A. canescens seedling under 100 and 300 mM NaCl treatments. Correspondingly, AcCHS, AcCHI and AcF3H, which encode three key enzymes (chalcone synthases (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), and flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), respectively) of flavonoids biosynthesis, were significantly induced in the roots or leaves of A. canescens by 100 or 300 mM NaCl. Then, we generated the transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana overexpressing AcCHI and found that transgenic plants accumulated more flavonoids through enhancing the pathway of flavonoids biosynthesis. Furthermore, overexpression of AcCHI conferred salt and osmotic stress tolerance in transgenic A. thaliana. Contrasted with wild-type A. thaliana, transgenic lines grew better with greater biomass, less H2O2 content as well as lower relative plasma permeability in either salt or osmotic stress conditions. In conclusion, our results indicate that flavonoids play an important role in A. canescens response to salt stress through reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and the key enzyme gene AcCHI in flavonoids biosynthesis pathway of A. canescens has the potential to improve the stress tolerance of forages and crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chrysanthemum 'Bai Tian Xing', 'Huang Ching Chin', 'Pink Pearl', and 'NCHU-001' plants were preheated at 35℃ for 24 hours to induce heat tolerance. The recently fully expanded leaves were detached, kept in a moist Ziploc bag, and then subjected to 35, 40, 45, 47.5, 50, 52.5, 55, 60, or 65℃ for 20 minutes. After darkacclimatized at room temperature for 30 minutes, leaves were measured for Fv/Fm value with a chlorophyll fluorescence parameter. Results showed that 'Bai Tian Xing' had the highest critical (Tcrit) and midpoint temperature (Tmid). Mean Tcrit and Tmid were shown to be 47 and 50℃, respectively, and Tmid gave greater distinguishment of Fv/Fm value among cultivars. Plants of four cultivars were acclimatized at 15 to 40℃ for 3 days and 35℃ being the most effective temperature to induce a heat-tolerant response in chrysanthemum. Required inducing time to reach a stable leaf Fv/Fm value ranged from 4.6 to 11.1 hours among cultivars. All cultivars had similar required time to reach visible bud between summer and autumn crops (except NCHU-001), but all had delayed flowering in the summer crop. There is a negative linear relationship between flowering heat delay and leaf Fv/Fm value (R² = 0.93). Progenies from reciprocal crossing of 'Bai Tian Xing' × 'NCHU-001' and 'Huang Ching Chin' × 'Pink Pearl' were also subjected to treatments for Fv/Fm measurements and observed for time to flowering in the summer crop. All combinations showed negative linear relationship between time to flowering and leaf Fv/Fm value (R² = 0.70-0.87). Two plants, 109-W001Y and 109-W003Pi, showed early flowering habit and good flower performance under heat conditions were selected. All four cultivars and the two selected lines were measured for photosynthetic parameters under day/night temperatures of 35/30 or 25/20℃ in growth chambers. All cultivars and lines showed decreased net photosynthetic rate and dark respiration rate under 35/30℃ when compared with 25/20℃. Relatively higher net photosynthetic rate and lower dark respiration rate in 'Bai Tian Xing', '109-W001Y', and '109-W003Pi' under 35/30℃, when compared with the other three cultivars, might have contributed to better flowering performance in the summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) interacts with various extracellular matrix proteins in tissues. Elevated COMP levels recently linked to worse overall survival in multiple cancer types. COMP's significance in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) remains uncertain. Here we report a retrospective study to explore COMP's impact on iCCA outcomes. We collected 182 patients' iCCA tumor tissues. COMP overexpression was associated with adverse factors like R1 resection (p = 0.008), advanced T stage (p < 0.001), large duct type (p = 0.004), and poorly differentiated histology (p = 0.002). COMP overexpression correlates with poorer DFS (HR, 3.651; p = 0.001), OS (HR, 1.827; p = 0.023), LRFS (HR, 4.077; p < 0.001), and MFS (HR, 3.718; p < 0.001). High COMP expression ties to worse overall survival (p = 0.0001), DSS (p < 0.0001), LRFS (p < 0.0001), and MFS (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, COMP overexpression links to poor prognosis and pathological features in iCCA, indicating its potential as a biomarker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we construct and give a characterization of simple restricted modules over the universal central extension G ˜ of the planar Galilean conformal algebra G. As a result, we not only recover many known simple G ˜ -modules (resp. G -modules), but also construct a lot of new ones. In particular, we recover the main results in [13] and [19]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surgical site infection (SSI) following lumbar surgery can increase healthcare costs and lead to poor clinical outcome. Irrigation of wounds with saline solution is widely accepted globally and safe for nearly all kinds of surgery. However, the efficacy of different volumes of wound irrigation has not been addressed in elective spine surgery. The role and the optimal amount of intraoperative wound saline irrigation in preventing SSI in clean spinal surgery remain unclear. We aimed to investigate if insufficient intraoperative irrigation may be a risk factor for postoperative SSI. Additionally, we investigated the optimal amount of normal saline (NS) for irrigation to prevent postoperative SSI. This is a retrospective study of patients with degenerative spinal stenosis who were treated surgically. Patients were grouped according to the amount of intra-wound irrigation during surgery. We included 444 patients with degenerative lumbar spinal conditions who had undergone one to five level open spinal fusion surgeries from January 2015 through April 2020. The definition of superficial or deep SSI in this study was based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for SSI. The fusion status accessed was based on the Bridwell grading system at the final follow-up. Self-reported and clinical outcome measures include visual analog scale and Oswestry Disability Index. A total of 193 patients underwent irrigation with a bulb syringe with manual method (B group) with 2,000 mL NS; 251 patients underwent interpulse battery-powered device irrigation (P group) with >6,000 mL NS. Based on our protocolized departmental guidelines, all patients received the same preoperative preparation and standard surgical steps and postoperative care plan. Patients' demographic and surgical parameters were recorded. The main outcome measures included superficial wound infection, deep infection and overall infection. The incidence of overall SSI was 4.66% in the B group and 1.59% in the P group. The univariate analysis revealed a significant correlation with DM and irrigation amount per hour during surgery but not age, BMI, smoking, operative duration, fusion level, or blood loss. We determined the optimal irrigation amount during surgery as 1,400 mL per hour based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (sensitivity, 92.3%; specificity, 44.1%). This was statistically significant (p=.033) with an odds ratio of 9.284 (95% confidence interval 1.2–72.0). In the analysis of surgical factors, the infection group had a significantly lower irrigation amount during surgery. To summarize, patients with diabetes and those receiving less than 1,400 mL of NS/hour had a higher likelihood of developing SSI. We observed that diabetes and lower volume of intraoperative irrigation were both risk factors for postoperative SSI following degenerative lumbar spine surgery. To reduce SSI in lumbar spine surgery, intra-wound irrigation with more than 1,400 mL/h of NS was recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) interacts with various extracellular matrix proteins in tissues. Elevated COMP levels recently linked to worse overall survival in multiple cancer types. COMP's significance in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) remains uncertain. Here we report a retrospective study to explore COMP's impact on iCCA outcomes. We collected 182 patients' iCCA tumor tissues. COMP overexpression was associated with adverse factors like R1 resection (p = 0.008), advanced T stage (p < 0.001), large duct type (p = 0.004), and poorly differentiated histology (p = 0.002). COMP overexpression correlates with poorer DFS (HR, 3.651; p = 0.001), OS (HR, 1.827; p = 0.023), LRFS (HR, 4.077; p < 0.001), and MFS (HR, 3.718; p < 0.001). High COMP expression ties to worse overall survival (p = 0.0001), DSS (p < 0.0001), LRFS (p < 0.0001), and MFS (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, COMP overexpression links to poor prognosis and pathological features in iCCA, indicating its potential as a biomarker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is unclear whether obese renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients treated with targeted therapy have better survival. We conducted this meta-analysis to assess the prognostic significance of body mass index (BMI) in RCC patients treated with targeted therapy. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science by November 17, 2021. We calculated effect outcomes using random-effects and fixed-effects models. Fifteen articles were identified. We found that RCC patients treated with targeted therapy with BMI over 25 obtained better overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.58–0.82, I2 = 75.5%, p < 0.001) and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 0.71, 95%CI = 0.55–0.92, I2 = 69.7%, p = 0.006) than patients with BMI below 25. Obese (BMI over 30) patients had remarkably better OS (HR = 0.77, 95%CI = 0.70–0.85, I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.439) and PFS (HR = 0.86, 95%CI = 0.77–0.97, I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.934) than patients with BMI below 25. Overweight (BMI over 25 but below 30) patients also had better OS (HR = 0.86, 95%CI = 0.79–0.93, I2 = 17.7%, p = 0.295) and PFS (HR = 0.82, 95%CI = 0.74–0.90, I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.904) than patients with BMI below 25. When using BMI as continuous variable, patients with high BMI also obtained significantly better OS (HR = 0.92, 95%CI = 0.88–0.96, I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.806). Therefore, higher BMI was associated with greater OS and PFS in RCC patients treated with targeted therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Predicting lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with bladder urothelial carcinoma (BUC) before radical cystectomy aids clinical decision making. Here, we aimed to develop and validate a nomogram to preoperatively predict LNM in BUC patients. Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed BUC, who underwent radical cystectomy and bilateral lymphadenectomy, were retrospectively recruited from two institutions. Patients from one institution were enrolled in the primary cohort, while those from the other were enrolled in the external validation cohort. Patient demographic, pathological (using transurethral resection of the bladder tumor specimens), imaging, and laboratory data were recorded. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the independent preoperative risk factors and develop the nomogram. Internal and external validation was conducted to assess nomogram performance. Results: 522 and 215 BUC patients were enrolled in the primary and external validation cohorts, respectively. We identified tumor grade, infiltration, extravesical invasion, LNM on imaging, tumor size, and serum creatinine levels as independent preoperative risk factors, which were subsequently used to develop the nomogram. The nomogram showed a good predictive accuracy, with area under the receiver operator characteristic curve values of 0.817 and 0.825 for the primary and external validation cohorts, respectively. The corrected C-indexes, calibration curves (after 1000 bootstrap resampling), decision curve analysis results, and clinical impact curves demonstrated that the nomogram performed well in both cohorts and was highly clinically applicable. Conclusion: We developed a nomogram to preoperatively predict LNM in BUC, which was highly accurate, reliable, and clinically applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In recent years, small interfering RNA (siRNA) has been widely used in the treatment of human diseases, especially tumors, and has shown great appeal. However, the clinical application of siRNA faces several challenges. Insufficient efficacy, poor bioavailability, poor stability, and lack of responsiveness to a single therapy are the main problems affecting tumor therapy. Here, we designed a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP)-modified metal organic framework nanoplatform (named PEG-CPP33@ORI@survivin siRNA@ZIF-90, PEG-CPP33@NPs) for targeted co-delivery of oridonin (ORI), a natural anti-tumor active ingredient) and survivin siRNA in vivo. This can improve the stability and bioavailability of siRNA and the efficacy of siRNA monotherapy. The high drug-loading capacity and pH-sensitive properties of zeolite imidazolides endowed the PEG-CPP33@NPs with lysosomal escape abilities. The Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-conjugated CPP (PEG-CPP33) coating significantly improved the uptake in the PEG-CPP33@NPs in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that the co-delivery of ORI and survivin siRNA greatly enhanced the anti-tumor effect of PEG-CPP33@NPs, demonstrating the synergistic effect between ORI and survivin siRNA. In summary, the novel targeted nanobiological platform loaded with ORI and survivin siRNA presented herein showed great advantages in cancer therapy, and provides an attractive strategy for the synergistic application of chemotherapy and gene therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable lithium batteries are one of the most appropriate energy storage systems in our electrified society, as virtually all portable electronic devices and electric vehicles today rely on the chemical energy stored in them. However, sub‐zero Celsius operation, especially below −20 °C, remains a huge challenge for lithium batteries and greatly limits their application in extreme environments. Slow Li+ diffusion and charge transfer kinetics have been identified as two main origins of the poor performance of RLBs under low‐temperature conditions, both strongly associated with the liquid electrolyte that governs bulk and interfacial ion transport. In this review, we first analyze the low‐temperature kinetic behavior and failure mechanism of lithium batteries from an electrolyte standpoint. We next trace the history of low‐temperature electrolytes in the past 40 years (1983–2022), followed by a comprehensive summary of the research progress as well as introducing the state‐of‐the‐art characterization and computational methods for revealing their underlying mechanisms. Finally, we provide some perspectives on future research of low‐temperature electrolytes with particular emphasis on mechanism analysis and practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable lithium batteries are one of the most appropriate energy storage systems in our electrified society, as virtually all portable electronic devices and electric vehicles today rely on the chemical energy stored in them. However, sub‐zero Celsius operation, especially below −20 °C, remains a huge challenge for lithium batteries and greatly limits their application in extreme environments. Slow Li+ diffusion and charge transfer kinetics have been identified as two main origins of the poor performance of RLBs under low‐temperature conditions, both strongly associated with the liquid electrolyte that governs bulk and interfacial ion transport. In this review, we first analyze the low‐temperature kinetic behavior and failure mechanism of lithium batteries from an electrolyte standpoint. We next trace the history of low‐temperature electrolytes in the past 40 years (1983–2022), followed by a comprehensive summary of the research progress as well as introducing the state‐of‐the‐art characterization and computational methods for revealing their underlying mechanisms. Finally, we provide some perspectives on future research of low‐temperature electrolytes with particular emphasis on mechanism analysis and practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Predators drive prey trait diversification and promote ecological speciation. The impacts of predation are not only on the final state of antipredation traits, but also on the development of antipredation traits. Species of the dragonfly genus Leucorrhinia are distributed in both habitats dominated by predatory fish (fish lakes) and habitats dominated by predatory invertebrates (invertebrate lakes). In larval dragonflies, the spine is one of the most efficient traits deterring gape-limited fish predators. However, the spine is not useful in invertebrate lakes. In this study, we compared the developmental patterns of spines in both habitats. We constructed the scaling relationship between spine length and body size and compared the inflexion point on those curves in five species of Leucorrhinia dragonfly larvae. Here, we found that fish-lake Leucorrhinia species kept a higher spine growth rate than species from invertebrate lakes, and Leucorrhinia species from fish lakes displayed accelerated spine growth rate at larger body size compared to invertebrate-lake species. Our results highlight that development patterns, as well as the final states of antipredator traits, are essential to understanding predator–prey interactions. Predation is a major factor driving prey trait diversification and promoting ecological speciation. Consequently, antipredator traits are widely studied among prey species. However, comparative studies that examine how different predators shape the ontogenetic growth of antipredator traits are scarce. In larval dragonflies, abdominal spines are effective traits against predatory fish in fish lakes, which prefer larger prey. However, defensive spines increase mortality in habitats dominated by invertebrate predators (invertebrate lakes), which prefer smaller prey. Thus, species from fish lakes may accelerate spine growth at a later body size compared to species from invertebrate lakes when growing into the preferred prey size range of predatory fish. In this study, we constructed the allometric relationship between spine length and body size and compared the inflexion point of those growth curves in five species of Leucorrhinia dragonfly larvae. We found that fish-lake Leucorrhinia species accelerated spine growth at a larger body size than congenerics from invertebrate lakes. Further, rather than extending spine length constantly through development, fish-lake species rapidly accelerated spine growth at a larger body size. This is likely to be adaptive for avoiding invertebrate predation at an early life stage, which are also present in fish lakes, though in smaller numbers. Our results highlight that comparative studies of ontogenetic patterns in antipredator traits might be essential to develop an integrated understanding of predator–prey interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial-dependent-propagation (SDP) model with a nearby source works well to reproduce the coevolving features of both cosmic-ray (CR)-nuclei spectra and anisotropy. However, it is well known that the Sun is actually deviating from the galactic disk. This will lead to a dominating anisotropy in the direction perpendicular to the galactic disk, which is discrepant with current observations. Thus, it is necessary to further investigate the effect of the solar offset on anisotropy. In this work, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the combined studies of the solar offset, nuclei spectra, and anisotropy have been performed based on the SDP model. As a result, to reproduce CR spectra and anisotropy, the thickness of the inner halo (Z I H) needs to increase linearly with the displacement of the Sun. We also know that the PeV anisotropy could be used to estimate the value of the diffusion coefficient, thus breaking the degeneracy between the diffusion coefficient and halo thickness. Therefore, it is a good approach to constrain the halo thickness. Moreover, the anisotropy in the PeV energy region, as a new probe, might also shed new light on constraining the solar offset. It is hoped that the anisotropy of the energies from ∼TeV to PeV can be finely measured with the LHAASO experiment, leading to a better understanding of the thick halo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal nanoparticle‐based electrocatalysts are widely used in electronic devices, which serve for electrochemical reactions like oxygen reduction reaction, alcohol oxidation and CO2 reduction reaction. These catalyst‐dependent reactions are the key of the emerging clean energy systems. Catalyst design and synthesis therefore have received keen attention in past decades. We are motivated to study synthesis approaches of metal nanoparticle‐based electrocatalysts using ionic liquids (ILs), which are promising solvents for the nanoparticle preparation because of their unique physicochemical properties. In this personal account, we review our previous and present works on nanoparticle preparation in IL and utilization of the obtained nanoparticles as electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The all‐solid‐state lithium–sulfur battery is considered to be a promising energy device due to high energy density and excellent safety. However, sulfur suffers from its insulating nature and large volume changes. Employing transition‐metal sulfide cathodes is an attractive alternative. Herein, a high energy density sulfur‐rich MoS6‐based nanocomposite is designed, where MoS6 nanospheres are homogenously anchored on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by a wet‐chemical method, providing improved electronic conductivity and reduced volume changes. In addition, a nanosized Li7P3S11 electrolyte is in situ coated on the surface of MoS6‐CNT20 to realize intimate interface contact and form nanoscale electronic/ionic transportation networks. The resultant MoS6‐CNT20@15%Li7P3S11 composite shows high electronic conductivity (1.7 × 10−1 S cm−1) and ionic conductivity (6.7 × 10−4 S cm−1), which are eight and three orders of magnitude improved compared to those of MoS6. The Li/Li6PS5Cl/MoS6‐CNT20@15%Li7P3S11 battery exhibits an initial discharge capacity of 1034.32 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1. In addition, an ultrahigh reversible energy density of 1640 Wh kg−1 for the active material can be realized, which is the highest among all transition‐metal sulfide cathodes. Moreover, it shows a reversible capacity of 550.00 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 after 1000 cycles, demonstrating that the sulfur‐rich MoS6‐based nanocomposite is a promising highenergy density cathode material for next‐generation all‐solid‐state lithium batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keyphrase generation (KG) aims at condensing the content from the source text to the target concise phrases. Though many KG algorithms have been proposed, most of them are tailored into deep learning settings with various specially designed strategies and may fail in solving the bias exposure problem. Reinforcement Learning (RL), a class of control optimization techniques, are well suited to compensate for some of the limitations of deep learning methods. Nevertheless, RL methods typically suffer from four core difficulties in keyphrase generation: environment interaction and effective exploration, complex action control, reward design, and task-specific obstacle. To tackle this difficult but significant task, we present RegRL-KG, including actor-critic based-reinforcement learning control and L1 policy regularization under the first principle of minimizing the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) criterion by a sequence-to-sequence (Seq2Seq) deep learnining model, for efficient keyphrase generation. The agent utilizes an actor-critic network to control the generated probability distribution and employs L1 policy regularization to solve the bias exposure problem. Extensive experiments show that our method brings improvement in terms of the evaluation metrics on five scientific article benchmark datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study evaluated the effect of different dietary plant soot supplementation levels on the intestinal health status of American eels (Anguilla rostrata) cultured in concrete tanks. Nine concrete fish tanks were randomly divided into three groups and fed the diets with plant soot (PS) supplementation levels at 0, 3 g/kg, and 5 g/kg, respectively. After a feeding trial for 60 days, the intestinal tissues were sampled to measure health status parameters. The D-lactate level and DAO activity in the serum of the PS5 group were significantly lower than those of the PS0 group (P <0.05). Compared with the PS0 group, the villi length of the intestine in both PS3 group and PS5 group increased significantly (P<0.05). The muscular thickness of the intestine of the PS5 group was significantly higher than the PS0 group (P<0.05). The microvillus density of the intestine of the American eel was increased obviously in the PS5 group. The intestinal microbiota composition of plant soot groups was beneficially regulated with certain probiotics' higher relative abundances and some pathogenic bacteria' lower relative abundance. In conclusion, dietary 5 g/kg plant soot supplementation could benefit the intestinal health of farmed American eels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC) is the second most common malignant neoplasm of the liver. In spite of the increasing incidence worldwide, it is relatively rare in Western countries. IHCC is relatively common in Eastern and Southeastern Asia. Patients with IHCC are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, therefore, the clinical outcome is dismal. Dysregulation of urea cycle metabolic enzyme expression is found in different types of cancers. Nevertheless, a comprehensive evaluation of genes related to the urea cycle (i.e., GO:0000050) has not been conducted in IHCC. By performing a comparative analysis of gene expression profiles, we specifically examined genes associated with the urea cycle (GO:0000050) in a publicly accessible transcriptomic dataset (GSE26566). Interestingly, CPS1 was identified as the second most prominently down-regulated gene in this context. Tumor tissues of 182 IHCC patients who underwent curative-intent hepatectomy were enrolled. The expression level of CPS1 protein in our IHCC cohort was assessed by immunohistochemical study. Subsequent to that, statistical analyses were carried out to examine the expression of CPS1 in relation to various clinicopathological factors, as well as to assess its impact on survival outcomes. We noticed that lower immunoreactivity of CPS1 in IHCC was associated with tumor progression (pT status) with statistical significance (p = 0.003). CPS1 underexpression was not only negatively correlated to overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) and metastasis-free survival (MeFS) in univariate analysis but also an independent prognosticator to forecast poorer clinical outcome for all prognostic indices (OS, DFS, LRFS and MeFs) in patients with IHCC (all p ≤ 0.001). These results support that CPS1 may play a crucial role in IHCC oncogenesis and tumor progression and serve as a novel prognostic factor and a potential diagnostic and theranostic biomarker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroelectric transistors hold great potential in low consumption devices. Due to the high film quality and clean system, two dimensional organic semiconductors are widely employed to fabricate high performance organic electronic devices and explore the modulation mechanism of the molecular packing on device performance. Here, we combine the ferroelectric hafnium oxide HfZrO x and two-dimensional molecular crystal 2,9-didecyldinaphtho[2,3-b:2′,3′-f]thieno[3,2b]thiophene (C10-DNTT) with controllable layers to study the molecular layer modulation of ferroelectric organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). The contact resistance, driving current and transconductance are directly affected by the additional access resistance across the upper molecular layers at the source/drain contact region. Simultaneously, the capacitance of Schottky junction related to the molecular layer thickness could effectively adjust the gate potential acting on the organic channel, further controlling the devices' subthreshold swing and transconductance efficiency. This work would promote the development of low voltage and high performance OTFTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) is an indicator of renal function and catabolic status in human body. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and a serious threat to the vision of diabetic patients. We included 426 type 2 diabetic patients who visited the endocrinology department of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital and received an ophthalmology consultation from December 2017 to November 2018. The outcome was the probability of DR in participants. Multivariable logistics analysis was used to confirm the relationship between BUN and the probability of DR. And interaction tests were conducted to find the effects of DM duration on their association. A total of 167 of 426 patients with type 2 diabetes had DR, with a probability of 39.20%. After adjusting for potential confounders, a positive association between BUN and the probability of DR (OR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.03–1.21; P = 0.0107). And a test for interaction between DM duration and BUN on the probability of DR was significant (P = 0.0295). We suggested that in patients with type 2 diabetes, BUN was positively associated with the probability of DR and the association was influenced by DM duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A feasible modification strategy is proposed to enhance interfacial charge transfer in semiconductor microcrystals exposed to high-reactive facets for photocatalytic application. The Ag3PO4 tetrapods exposed with highly reactive {110} facets were synthesized, and then nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) were anchored on the surface of the Ag3PO4 tetrapods, constructing the nano-sized S-scheme NCQDs/Ag3PO4 heterojunction to further promote the interfacial charge transfer. Such S-scheme charge transfer behavior not only increased the efficient spatial separation of photo-generated carriers but also retained the strong-reductive electrons in the conduction band of NCQDs, which could fully harness ˙O2− to photo-catalytically degrade pollutants. Furthermore, the modification of NCQDs improved the light-harvesting ability of the composite due to the up-conversion fluorescence characteristic of NCQDs. Therefore, NCQDs/Ag3PO4 composite photocatalyst displayed outstanding photocatalytic performance for the degradation of methylene blue, which was about 3.4 times higher than that of pure Ag3PO4, and also exhibited higher stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores complex-valued inertial neural networks (CVINNs) with distributed delays (DDs). By constructing two new feedback controllers, some novel results on fixed-time stabilization (FTS) and preassigned-time stabilization (PTS) of CVINNs are established. Unlike most of the previous works, FTS and PTS obtained here are explored without dividing the original complex-valued system into two separate real valued subsystems. Eventually, to verify the effectiveness and reliability of the results of this article, we provide several numerical examples. The FTS and PTS of CVINNs are successfully implemented at T = 6, 5.5, and 5, and the settling time is not affected by system parameters and initial values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are commonly found at the centres of most massive galaxies. Measuring SMBH mass is crucial for understanding the origin and evolution of SMBHs. Traditional approaches, on the other hand, necessitate the collection of spectroscopic data, which is costly. We present an algorithm that weighs SMBHs using quasar light time series information, including colours, multiband magnitudes, and the variability of the light curves, circumventing the need for expensive spectra. We train, validate, and test neural networks that directly learn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 light curves for a sample of 38 939 spectroscopically confirmed quasars to map out the non-linear encoding between SMBH mass and multiband optical light curves. We find a 1σ scatter of 0.37 dex between the predicted SMBH mass and the fiducial virial mass estimate based on SDSS single-epoch spectra, which is comparable to the systematic uncertainty in the virial mass estimate. Our results have direct implications for more efficient applications with future observations from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Our code, AGNet , is publicly available at https://github.com/snehjp2/AGNet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apis laboriosa is the largest honeybee that lives mainly on cliff faces, with strong migratory ability. In this study, we firstly sequenced and assembled two complete mitochondrial genomes of A. laboriosa isolated from two distant locations in China (Chongqing and Shangri‐La regions). Combined with the published mitochondrial genome of A. laboriosa from Nepal, comparative genomic analyses were conducted to gain insight into the genetic diversity of giant honeybees from different geographical distributions. The mitochondrial genomes of A. laboriosa from Chongqing and Shangri‐La regions were 15,579 and 15,683 bp in length, respectively, both larger than that from Nepal with the length of 15,510 bp. Three mitochondrial genomes all harbor 37 common genes and present the same AT bias and the frequency of codon usage. However, the fragments including COX1, SSUrRNA, LSUrRNA, and the AT‐rich region of the mitochondrial genome from Shangri‐La region demonstrate distinctive insertions and deletions compared to those from Chongqing and Nepal regions. Phylogenetic trees of mitochondrial genomes show that A. laboriosa from Chongqing is most closely related to that from Nepal, rather than to Shangri‐La. Genetic distance between Shangri‐La and Chongqing or Nepal was even larger than that between the various subspecies of Apis mellifera. Overall, these results unmark that A. laboriosa in different geographical distributions can exhibit high genetic diversity at the mitochondrial genomic level, and therein, A. laboriosa from Shangri‐La may be the subspecies. All these studies will contribute to our understanding of the geographical distribution and genetic differentiation of black giant honeybee in Asian region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retrospective cohort study. To validate computed tomography (CT) radiodensity in Hounsfield units (HU) as a prognostic marker for pedicle screw loosening or cage subsidence in minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF). The retrospective study involved 198 patients treated with MI-TLIF. Screw loosening (SL), cage subsidence (CS), and fusion status were assessed by plain radiographs. The risk factors of SL and CS were identified using logistic regression. A total of 258 levels and 930 screws were analyzed. During a 2-year follow-up, 16.2% and 24.7% of patients had CS and SL respectively. The cut-off value of L1 HU for predicting SL or CS was 117. The L1 HU < 117 and BMI ≥ 25 were two independent risk factors. The risk of SL or CS was 4.1 fold in patients L1 HU < 117 and 2.6 fold in patients with BMI ≥ 25. For patients concurrently having BMI ≥ 25 and pre-op L1 HU < 117, the risk was 4.3 fold. Fusion rate and clinical outcome were comparable in patients with SL or CS. L1 HU < 117 and BMI > 25 were two independent risk factors that can be screened preoperatively for preventing SL or CS and lead to better management of patients undergoing MI-TLIF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory regulation induced by macrophage polarization is essential for cardiac repair after myocardial infarction (MI). Berberin (BBR) is an isoquinoline tetrasystemic alkaloid extracted from plants. This study analyzes the most likely mechanism of BBR in MI treatment determined via network pharmacology, showing that BBR acts mainly through inflammatory responses. Because platelets (PLTs) can be enriched in the infarcted myocardium, PLT membrane-coated polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles (BBR@PLGA@PLT NPs) are used, which show enrichment in the infarcted myocardium to deliver BBR sustainably. Compared with PLGA nanoparticles, BBR@PLGA@PLT NPs are more enriched in the infarcted myocardium and exhibit less uptake in the liver. On day three after MI, BBR@PLGA@PLT NPs administration significantly increases the number of repaired macrophages and decreases the number of inflammatory macrophages and apoptotic cells in infarcted rat myocardium. On the 28th day after MI, the BBR@PLGA@PLT group exhibits a protective effect on cardiac function, reduced cardiac collagen deposition, improved scar tissue stiffness, and an excellent angiogenesis effect. In addition, BBR@PLGA@PLT group has no significant impact on major organs either histologically or enzymologically. In summary, the therapeutic effect of BBR@PLGA@PLT NPs on MI is presented in detail from the perspective of the resolution of inflammation, and a new solution for MI treatment is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme fast charging (XFC) of high‐energy Li‐ion batteries is a key enabler of electrified transportation. While previous studies mainly focused on improving Li ion mass transport in electrodes and electrolytes, the limitations of charge transfer across electrode–electrolyte interfaces remain underexplored. Herein we unravel how charge transfer kinetics dictates the fast rechargeability of Li‐ion cells. Li ion transfer across the cathode–electrolyte interface is found to be rate‐limiting during XFC, but the charge transfer energy barrier at both the cathode and anode have to be reduced simultaneously to prevent Li plating, which is achieved through electrolyte engineering. By unlocking charge transfer limitations, 184 Wh kg−1 pouch cells demonstrate stable XFC (10‐min charge to 80 %) which is otherwise unachievable, and the lifetime of 245 Wh kg−1 21700 cells is quintupled during fast charging (25‐min charge to 80 %). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme fast charging (XFC) of high‐energy Li‐ion batteries is a key enabler of electrified transportation. While previous studies mainly focused on improving Li ion mass transport in electrodes and electrolytes, the limitations of charge transfer across electrode–electrolyte interfaces remain underexplored. Herein we unravel how charge transfer kinetics dictates the fast rechargeability of Li‐ion cells. Li ion transfer across the cathode–electrolyte interface is found to be rate‐limiting during XFC, but the charge transfer energy barrier at both the cathode and anode have to be reduced simultaneously to prevent Li plating, which is achieved through electrolyte engineering. By unlocking charge transfer limitations, 184 Wh kg−1 pouch cells demonstrate stable XFC (10‐min charge to 80 %) which is otherwise unachievable, and the lifetime of 245 Wh kg−1 21700 cells is quintupled during fast charging (25‐min charge to 80 %). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prenylated flavonol glycosides in Epimedium plants, as key medicinal components, are known to have great pharmaceutical activities for human health. Among the main prenylated flavonol glycosides, the modification mechanism of different sugar moieties is still not well understood. In the current study, a novel prenylated flavonol rhamnoside xylosyltransferase gene (EpF3R2″XylT) was cloned from E. pubescens, and the enzymatic activity of its decoding proteins was examined in vitro with different prenylated flavonol rhamnoside substrates and different 3-O-monosaccharide moieties. Furthermore, the functional and structural domains of EpF3R2″XylT were analyzed by bioinformatic approaches and 3-D protein structure remodeling. In summary, EpF3R2″XylT was shown to cluster with GGT (glycosyltransferase that glycosylates sugar moieties of glycosides) through phylogenetic analysis. In enzymatic analysis, EpF3R2″XylT was proven to transfer xylose moiety from UDP-xylose to prenylated flavonol rhamnoside at the 2″-OH position of rhamnose. The analysis of enzymatic kinetics showed that EpF3R2″XylT had the highest substrate affinity toward icariin with the lowest Km value of 75.96 ± 11.91 mM. Transient expression of EpF3R2″XylT in tobacco leaf showed functional production of EpF3R2″XylT proteins in planta. EpF3R2″XylT was preferably expressed in the leaves of E. pubescens, which is consistent with the accumulation levels of major prenylflavonol 3-O-triglycoside. The discovery of EpF3R2″XylT will provide an economical and efficient alternative way to produce prenylated flavonol trisaccharides through the biosynthetic approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a discrete-time dynamic-decoupled current controller for an LCL-equipped high-speed permanent magnet synchronous machine with only the motor currents measured. The controller is designed in the synchronous coordinate based on a complex $\boldsymbol{z}$ -domain transfer function. The main contribution of the proposed current controller is the robust dynamic decoupling performance to achieve better transient behavior. Moreover, an effective coefficient selection method is developed to acquire sufficient phase margin and gain margin, even with the system parameters varying $\boldsymbol{\pm 50\%}$. Additionally, the stable region of the LCL resonance with the proposed method is discussed. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by driving the tested motor to 100 kr/min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This meta-analysis investigated the efficacies of intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) plus intravesical chemotherapy (IVC) versus IVC alone in patients with non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), and preoperative IAC versus preoperative intravenous chemotherapy (IV) in patients with bladder cancer. We also assessed the adverse reactions (ARs) of IAC. We searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for English articles published before April 2021. The qualities of cohort studies and randomized controlled trials were analyzed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale and Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, respectively. Effect outcomes were computed by random-effects and fixed-effects models. Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata 16.0 and RevMan v5.3.0. A total of seven articles were included. The analysis revealed that IAC plus IVC significantly prolonged recurrence-free survival (RFS) (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.40–0.76, I2 = 0%) and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.37–0.97, I2 = 0%) compared with IVC alone in NMIBC patients after transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT), but had no effect on overall survival (OS), tumor recurrence interval, or tumor-specific death rate. Preoperative IAC had no significant OS benefit compared with preoperative IV in bladder cancer patients. Regarding ARs, patients treated with IAC were significantly more likely to develop grade 1–2 ARs, including nausea/vomiting (odds ratio [OR] = 26.38, 95% CI = 1.88–370.79, I2 = 78%), neutropenia (OR = 10.15, 95% CI = 3.01–34.24, I2 = 0%), hypoleukemia (OR = 5.49, 95% CI = 1.38–21.82, I2 = 26%), and increased alanine aminotransferase (OR = 12.28, 95% CI = 2.24–67.43, I2 = 0%), but there was no significant difference between grade 1–2 ARs and grade 3–4 ARs in terms of increased creatinine in patients treated with IAC. Therefore, administration of IAC plus IVC after TURBT improved RFS and PFS compared with IAC alone in patients with NMIBC. IAC was associated with mild ARs and was well tolerated by most patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The n-type Ce:ZnO (NL) grown using a hydrothermal method was deposited on a p-type boron-doped nanoleaf diamond (BDD) film to fabricate an n-Ce:ZnO NL/p-BDD heterojunction. It shows a significant enhancement in photoluminescence (PL) intensity and a more pronounced blue shift of the UV emission peak (from 385 nm to 365 nm) compared with the undoped heterojunction (n-ZnO/p-BDD). The prepared heterojunction devices demonstrate good thermal stability and excellent rectification characteristics at different temperatures. As the temperature increases, the turn-on voltage and ideal factor (n) of the device gradually decrease. The electronic transport behaviors depending on temperature of the heterojunction at different bias voltages are discussed using an equilibrium band diagram and semiconductor theoretical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent adaptable liquid crystal networks (CALCNs) are highly potential actuating materials due to their actuation properties and shape reprogrammability. Given the importance of network crosslinking state in a CALCN actuator, we sought an all‐in‐one strategy to probe and visualize its dynamic network while ensuring actuation and reprogramming. Here, tetraphenylethylene derivatives were incorporated into liquid crystal networks via the Diels–Alder (DA) reaction, acting simultaneously as reversible crosslinkers and aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) fluorescent probes. The thermally tunable fluorescence of the resulting network can correlate to and thus visualize the actuator's crosslinking status, actuation capability and temperature in real‐time and in situ, yielding an intriguing actuation limit‐alerting function. Furthermore, we verified unprecedented reprogrammability of the AIE‐type CALCNs through both associative and dissociative exchange mechanisms of DA chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent adaptable liquid crystal networks (CALCNs) are highly potential actuating materials due to their actuation properties and shape reprogrammability. Given the importance of network crosslinking state in a CALCN actuator, we sought an all‐in‐one strategy to probe and visualize its dynamic network while ensuring actuation and reprogramming. Here, tetraphenylethylene derivatives were incorporated into liquid crystal networks via the Diels–Alder (DA) reaction, acting simultaneously as reversible crosslinkers and aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) fluorescent probes. The thermally tunable fluorescence of the resulting network can correlate to and thus visualize the actuator's crosslinking status, actuation capability and temperature in real‐time and in situ, yielding an intriguing actuation limit‐alerting function. Furthermore, we verified unprecedented reprogrammability of the AIE‐type CALCNs through both associative and dissociative exchange mechanisms of DA chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we construct a class of non-weight modules over the affine-Virasoro algebra of type A 1 by taking tensor products of a finite number of irreducible modules M (λ , α , β , γ) with irreducible highest weight modules V (η , ϵ , θ). We obtain the necessary and sufficient conditions for such tensor product modules to be irreducible, and determine the necessary and sufficient conditions for such two modules to be isomorphic. We also compare these modules with other known non-weight modules, showing that these irreducible modules are new. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new C21 steroids, named 12‐O‐acetyl‐(20S)‐O‐(N‐methyl)anthraniloyl sarcostin‐5α,6β‐hexahydroxypregnane (1) and 12‐O‐acetyl‐(20S)‐O‐(N‐methyl)anthraniloyl sarcostin 3‐O‐β‐D‐cymaropyranoside (2), together with eight known compounds (3–10) were isolated from the dried whole plants of Gymnema tingens. The structures of the new compounds were established by extensive 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra with mass spectroscopy data. Compounds 1–9 were tested for glucose uptake in L6 cells, and compounds 3 and 4 showed the most potent glucose uptake activity with the enhancement by 2.98‐ and 3.36‐fold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triethylamine gas is one of the harmful volatile organic compounds for human health and the ecological environment. Therefore, in order to prevent the detrimental effects of triethylamine gas, it has greatly requirement to be accurately detected. Unfortunately, Cu2O has a low triethylamine gas response and slow recovery. Because of this, we prepared Cu2O/Ti3C2T x nanocomposites by a facile ultrasonication technique. Cu2O is uniformly dispersed on the surface and interlayers of multilayer Ti3C2T x to form a stable hybrid heterostructure. The optimized Cu2O/Ti3C2T x nanocomposite sensor’s response to 10 ppm triethylamine at room temperature is 181.6% (∣ R g- R a ∣ / R a × 100%). It is 3.5 times higher than the original Cu2O nanospheres (52.1%). Moreover, due to the characteristics of high carrier migration rate and excellent conductivity of Ti3C2T x, the response recovery rate (1062 s/74 s) of Cu2O/Ti3C2Tx composites is greatly improved than pristine Cu2O (3169 s/293 s). In addition, Cu2O/Ti3C2T x nanocomposites sensor also shows excellent repeatability, outstanding selectivity, and long-term stability. Thus, the Cu2O/Ti3C2T x nanocomposites sensor has broad application prospects for detecting triethylamine gas at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a two-stage power converter with novel control methods for pulsed load applications. The first stage is an isolated converter that transfers only average power to the second stage, which dramatically reduces the input filter size and components’ current rating. The second stage is a buck converter designed for a fast response during pulsed load transients. A flexible intermediate voltage is implemented to reduce the size of the midpoint energy storage capacitor that is responsible for compensating the instantaneous power difference between the two stages. A novel digital input feed-forward controller is proposed for the second stage to eliminate the poor line regulation issue caused by the flexible intermediate voltage. To verify the effectiveness of the two-stage power supply and the control methods, a full-scale 800 W (average)/4 kW (peak) converter prototype is built and tested. The results prove the feasibility of the proposed topology as well as control methods and demonstrate the advantages over traditional concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let g be the Witt algebra over an infinite field of prime characteristic p. In this paper, we discuss the properties of local derivations on g , and prove that every local derivation on g is a derivation. Moreover, it is shown that there exist some local derivations which are not derivations for the maximal subalgebra g 0 of g . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boolean networks introduced by Kauffman, originally intended as a prototypical model for gaining insights into gene regulatory dynamics, have become a paradigm for understanding a variety of complex systems described by binary state variables. However, there are situations, e.g., in biology, where a binary state description of the underlying dynamical system is inadequate. We propose random ternary networks and investigate the general dynamical properties associated with the ternary discretization of the variables. We find that the ternary dynamics can be either ordered or disordered with a positive Lyapunov exponent, and the boundary between them in the parameter space can be determined analytically. A dynamical event that is key to determining the boundary is the emergence of an additional fixed point for which we provide numerical verification. We also find that the nodes playing a pivotal role in shaping the system dynamics have characteristically distinct behaviors in different regions of the parameter space, and, remarkably, the boundary between these regions coincides with that separating the ordered and disordered dynamics. Overall, our framework of ternary networks significantly broadens the classical Boolean paradigm by enabling a quantitative description of richer and more complex dynamical behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This work proposes a new method for the rapid preparation of MXenes. • It takes only 3 h to etch the MAX phase by the HIUE method to obtain MXene. • Ti 3 C 2 T x etched by the method can be used as an effective nanocomposite substrate. • Ti 3 C 2 T x etched by the method show good selectivity and excellent response to NH 3. MXenes are widely studied two-dimensional materials and have been attracting increasing research attention on exploring their applications. However, the preparation for MXene materials is still cumbersome and time-consuming, significantly limiting their utilization. In this work, a high-intensity ultrasonic exfoliation (HIUE) environment is constructed for efficient preparation of the Ti 3 C 2 T x -MXene, which drastically shortens the etching time to 3 h with a yield of more than 90 % after adjusting the temperature, dosage, and ultrasonic power. The delamination of the MXene occurs during etching due to the ultrasound, which promotes the yield of few-layered MXenes of 20 % in one step after centrifuging. The characteristics of the HIUE-prepared MXenes are compared with those obtained by conventional wet etching methods. The feasibility of the proposed HIUE method is further verified by constructing MXene-based nanocomposites and exploring their gas-sensing applications. The as-prepared Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene obtained by the proposed rapid preparation method show good selectivity and an excellent response of 21.1 % to 100 ppm NH 3. In contrast, the MXene/MoS 2 nanocomposites obtained by the rapid preparation method also exhibit enhanced gas-sensing performance. Such experiments demonstrate the efficiency and the excellent potential for rapid preparation and compositing of MXene-based materials by the proposed HIUE method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel 3D lattice material with enhanced stiffness and multiple negative properties is proposed. • Analytical formulations for the thermoelastic constants of the material are derived. • The lattice material can exhibit auxeticity, negative compressibility in a direction or specific areas, as well as negative thermal expansion in a direction, certain areas, or throughout the entire volume. • These exotic properties are widely tunable, incorporating both negative and positive values, allowing for a multitude of diverse combinations. This manuscript presents a pioneering three-dimensional lattice structure that can simultaneously exhibit negative Poisson's ratio (NPR), negative compressibility (NC), and negative thermal expansion (NTE). The coexistence of the three negative indexes, whether in natural materials or in artificial structures, is extremely rare. The lattice unit cell integrates an auxetic egg-rack structure with a non-auxetic cage-like structure. Analytical expressions for the elastic constants of the unit cell are derived by using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and subsequently validated through finite element simulations. The analytical results show that the lattice exhibits not only NPR, but also NC in a direction or specific areas as well as NTE in a direction, certain areas, or even throughout the entire volume when appropriately tailored geometries and constituent materials are employed. Furthermore, parametric analysis revealed that these properties can be adjusted within a broader range, encompassing negative and positive values, enabling diverse combinations. Metamaterials that possess multiple and adjustable negative properties enable the development of multifunctional devices capable of adapting to mechanical loads, hydrostatic pressures, and temperature fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]