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In this study, binderless WC ceramics with grain size of 210 nm were obtained under a high-pressure of 200 MPa at a relatively low temperature of 1550 °C. The effects of high pressure on the densification behavior and grain growth were investigated. Increasing the sintering pressure accelerated the densification rate, decreased the sintering temperature, and inhibited grain growth. HRTEM observations revealed highly stable Σ 2 grain boundaries and numerous microscopic defects (stacking faults and Lomer-Cottrell locks), with dislocation density up to 4.26×1015 m−2. High-pressure strengthening effect enhanced the hardness and wear resistance by inducing plastic deformation. The high-pressure sintered WC ceramics exhibited enhanced hardness of 32.19 GPa and excellent tribological properties. Compared with the low-pressure samples, the hardness increased by 23%, the friction coefficient reduced by 30%, and the wear resistance improved by 63%, which were mainly related to the fine-grained microstructure, stable Σ 2 grain boundaries, and high-density defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Numerous studies have affirmed a robust correlation between residual cholesterol (RC) and the occurrence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the current body of literature fails to adequately address the link between alterations in RC and the occurrence of CVD. Existing studies have focused mainly on individual RC values. Hence, the primary objective of this study is to elucidate the association between the cumulative RC (Cum-RC) and the morbidity of CVD. Methods: The changes in RC were categorized into a high-level fast-growth group (Class 1) and a low-level slow-growth group (Class 2) by K-means cluster analysis. To investigate the relationship between combined exposure to multiple lipids and CVD risk, a weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression analysis was employed. This analysis involved the calculation of weights for total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which were used to effectively elucidate the RC. Results: Among the cohort of 5,372 research participants, a considerable proportion of 45.94% consisted of males, with a median age of 58. In the three years of follow-up, 669 participants (12.45%) had CVD. Logistic regression analysis revealed that Class 2 individuals had a significantly reduced risk of developing CVD compared to Class 1. The probability of having CVD increased by 13% for every 1-unit increase in the Cum-RC according to the analysis of continuous variables. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis showed that Cum-RC and CVD risk were linearly related (P for nonlinearity = 0.679). The WQS regression results showed a nonsignificant trend toward an association between the WQS index and CVD incidence but an overall positive trend, with the greatest contribution from TC (weight = 0.652), followed by LDL (weight = 0.348). Conclusion: Cum-RC was positively and strongly related to CVD risk, suggesting that in addition to focusing on traditional lipid markers, early intervention in patients with increased RC may further reduce the incidence of CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Omega-3 has been extensively studied for its cardiovascular disease (CVD) benefits. However, the results of this evidence are inconsistent. Therefore, in this study, dietary omega-3 intake was investigated further in relation to coronary heart disease (CHD) risk among U.S. adults. Methods: We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database for people ages 20 years and older between 1999 and 2018 to conduct a cross-sectional survey. The Medical Condition Questionnaire (MCQ) was used to determine CHD status. We measured dietary omega-3 intake using two 24-hour dietary recall interviews. Multivariate logistic regression and subgroup analysis were used to explore the correlation between dietary omega-3 intake and CHD. The dose-response relationship between the two was analyzed with a restricted cubic spline (RCS). Results: 31,184 study subjects were included, of whom 1,604 (5.14%) were patients with CHD. By quintile (Q) of dietary omega-3 intake, after adjusting for all confounding factors, compared with Q1, when total dietary omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), eicosatetraenoic acid (ETA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexenoic acid (DHA) intake reached Q5, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval, CI) of CHD were 0.76 (0.60, 0.96), 0.73 (0.57, 0.94), 0.70 (0.54, 0.92), 0.66 (0.50, 0.85), 0.84 (0.69, 1.02), and 0.83 (0.64, 1.07), respectively, while EPA and DHA were not significantly associated with the disease (Trend p > 0.05). Intake of omega-3 and CHD were linearly related (P for nonlinear = 0.603). No significant interactions were found within subgroups except for the age group (P for interaction = 0.001). Sensitivity analysis and multivariate logistic regression results are generally in agreement. Conclusions: Total dietary omega-3, ALA, DPA, and ETA intake were negatively associated with CHD risk. In contrast, EPA and DHA had no significant correlation with CHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a wealth of research linking the triglyceride glucose index (TyG index) to metabolic diseases. However, little evidence links the TyG index to all-cause or CVD mortality in middle-aged and elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study analyzed data from 2998 patients with T2D who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2018. The TyG index and mortality in middle-aged and elderly T2D patients were investigated using Cox regression models. The nonlinear association between the TyG index and mortality can be understood with the help of a restricted cubic spline (RCS). During a median follow-up period of 82 months, 883 fatalities were observed from all causes and 265 from CVD. The TyG index was found to have a U-shaped relationship with all-cause and CVD mortality in T2D, with cutoffs of 8.95 and 9, respectively, according to the RCS. After controlling for other factors, an increase of 1 unit in the TyG index was related to an increase of 33% in all-cause mortality and 50% in CVD mortality when TyG was ≥ 8.95 and 9. When TyG < 8.95 and 9, with the change in the TyG index, the change in all-cause and CVD death was insignificant. Patients with T2D who are middle-aged or older, especially elderly patients, have higher TyG levels associated with increased mortality. In middle-aged and elderly patients with T2D, the TyG index may predict the probability of death from any cause and death from CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon quantum dots (CQD) are an advanced fluorescent material, which has attracted more and more attention in theoretical research and practical applications. To obtain stable CQDs with high fluorescence characteristics for detecting trace metal ions in water, nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) based fluorescent sensors were synthesized by the hydrothermal method, using citric acid and urea as source. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the synthesized N-CQDs maintained a narrow particle size distribution bellow 10 nm, and its average size was 3.07 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) indicated that abundant hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups existed on N-CQDs surface, which helped N-CQDs highly disperse in water. In addition, UV–vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence demonstrated that the N-CQDs obtained a 10.27% of quantum yield (QY) with relatively high and stable fluorescence performance. As a fluorescent sensor, the N-CQDs showed a fluorescence "ON–OFF" mechanism during the Cu2+ detection, which was induced from the electrons transition in surface functional groups. The final N-CQDs exhibited a wide linear relationship between fluorescence response and concentration of Cu2+ in range of 0.3–0.7 μM with a detection limit of 0.071 μM. Furthermore, the detection of Cu2+ in the simulating surface water (by adding interfering metal ions in purified water) and the tap water (from municipal water in Beijing) were used to verify N-CQDs practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a wealth of research linking the triglyceride glucose index (TyG index) to metabolic diseases. However, little evidence links the TyG index to all-cause or CVD mortality in middle-aged and elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study analyzed data from 2998 patients with T2D who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2018. The TyG index and mortality in middle-aged and elderly T2D patients were investigated using Cox regression models. The nonlinear association between the TyG index and mortality can be understood with the help of a restricted cubic spline (RCS). During a median follow-up period of 82 months, 883 fatalities were observed from all causes and 265 from CVD. The TyG index was found to have a U-shaped relationship with all-cause and CVD mortality in T2D, with cutoffs of 8.95 and 9, respectively, according to the RCS. After controlling for other factors, an increase of 1 unit in the TyG index was related to an increase of 33% in all-cause mortality and 50% in CVD mortality when TyG was ≥ 8.95 and 9. When TyG < 8.95 and 9, with the change in the TyG index, the change in all-cause and CVD death was insignificant. Patients with T2D who are middle-aged or older, especially elderly patients, have higher TyG levels associated with increased mortality. In middle-aged and elderly patients with T2D, the TyG index may predict the probability of death from any cause and death from CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Panax ginseng and Fructus mume (Renshen Wumei in Chinese, RW) are natural medicines with high nutritional and pharmacological value. They have been widely used together in China to treat gastrointestinal diseases, especially persistent diarrhea, but the potential mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, a diarrhea model was established in rats using a 30% aqueous extract of senna. The therapeutic effects of RW were evaluated by recording the prevalence of loose stools, the diarrhea index, and histopathological changes in colon tissue. The levels of mucins, tight junction (TJ) proteins, inflammatory cytokines, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt/nuclear factor-κB (PI3K/Akt/NF-κB) signaling pathway proteins were measured. Metagenomic sequencing was used to analyze the gut microbiota. Treatment with RW alleviated injury to the intestinal barrier in rats with diarrhea and also upregulated levels of Muc2 and TJ proteins, such as occludin, zonula occludens-1, and claudin-1. Administration of RW regulated the structure of the gut microbiota in diarrheal rats. Furthermore, RW suppressed levels of interleukin (IL), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-1, PI3K, Akt, and p-NF-κB p65 and also increased IL-4 levels. Our study indicates that P. ginseng and Fructus mume help improve the symptoms of diarrhea, possibly by alleviating the intestinal barrier injury, regulating intestinal flora composition, and inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. This nationwide, multicenter prospective observational study with a patient registry was designed to evaluate the efficacy of Fufang E'jiao Jiang (FEJ) in Chinese patients with Qi and blood deficiency syndrome (QBDS). Methods. QBDS patients were consecutively recruited from 81 investigational sites in China from July, 2019, to December, 2020. Patients who met the eligibility criteria were enrolled in a prospective registry database. Baseline characteristics and changes in scores on the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom evaluation scale for Qi and blood deficiency, the clinical global impression (CGI) scale, the fatigue scale-14 (FS-14), and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) were analyzed to determine the clinical efficacy of FEJ. Results. A total of 3,203 patients were recruited. The average remission rate (i.e., the sum of the cure rate and improvement rate) of the 20 symptoms of QBDS was 92.49% after 4 weeks of FEJ treatment, which was higher than at baseline; the rate increased to 94.69% at 8 weeks. The CGI scale revealed that the number of total remissions at 4 and 8 weeks was 3,120 (97.41%) and 415 (100%), respectively. The total FS-14 scores decreased by 1.67 ± 4.11 (p < 0.001) at 4 weeks and 1.72 ± 3.09 (p < 0.001) at 8 weeks of treatment. The PSQI scores were 6.6 ± 4.7 and 6.52 ± 3.07 at 4 and 8 weeks, respectively, which were significantly lower than the baseline scores (p < 0.001 ; p = 0.0033). Both the subhealth fatigue (SF) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) groups showed significantly improved clinical symptoms of QBDS (p < 0.01). Between-group comparisons revealed significantly greater improvements in FS-14 and PSQI scores in the SF group than in the IDA group (p < 0.05). A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that disease course, FS-14 score at baseline, and four-week FEJ doses were independent risk factors for the degree of symptom relief in QBDS patients (p < 0.05). Conclusion. In real-world settings, FEJ has a promising effect in treating QBDS and can significantly improve the severity of its symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damage to Sertoli cell junction proteins caused by inflammation can lead to male infertility. Nerve growth factor (NGF) plays an important role in reproductive and inflammatory disease; however, whether and how NGF regulates Sertoli cell function remains unclear. Here, we aimed to assess the effect of NGF on the growth of Sertoli cells isolated from the testes of dairy goats and evaluate if NGF has a protective effect on these cells. We confirmed that Sertoli cell viability, proliferation, and ATP content increased following NGF treatment. In addition, qPCR results suggested that Sertoli cell apoptosis was inhibited after NGF treatment. To investigate the protective effect of NGF on Sertoli cells under pathological inflammatory conditions, LPS was used to induce inflammatory response in Sertoli cells. Post-treatment, the entangled filamentous pseudopodia of the cells loosened and no longer spanned adjacent cells. The expression of several junction proteins (ZO-1, occludin, CX-43, β-catenin, and N-cadherin), which was down-regulated after inflammatory response induction, was restored following NGF treatment. LPS-induced changes in cytotoxicity and transepithelial electrical resistance were reversed and the intercellular connections became tighter after NGF treatment. We further demonstrated that NGF prevented the inflammatory response of Sertoli cells via the PI3K/AKT/NFκB signaling pathway, similar to the effect of the PI3K-inhibitor, LY294002, which is modified by the PI3K activator, 740Y–P. These results provide insights for devising strategies for protecting the male reproductive system and curing or preventing associated pathological conditions. • Nerve growth factor plays an important role in reproductive regulation. • Nerve growth factor can regulate the growth of sertoli cells. • Inflammation-induced damage to sertoli cells is repaired by nerve growth factor. • Nerve growth factor protects sertoli cells through the PI3K/AKT/NKκB signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by the clonal expansion and differentiation arrest of leukemic cells in peripheral blood and bone marrow. Though the treatment using cytarabine-based protocol for AML patients with t (8; 21) translocation has improved the 5-year overall survival rate, drug resistance continues to be the principal limiting factor for the cure of the disease. In addition, very few AML patients with mixed lineage leukemia gene rearrangements (MLLr) have a desirable outcome. This study evaluated the cell differentiation effect of a potent HDAC (histone deacetylase) inhibitor, I3, and its possible mechanism on the AML cells with t (8; 21) translocation or MLLr and leukemic stem-like cells (Kasumi-1, KG-1, MOLM-13, and THP-1). I3 exhibited efficient anti-proliferative activity on these cells via promoting cell differentiation, accompanied by the cell cycle exit at G0/G1. Importantly, I3 showed the properties of HDAC inhibition, as assessed by the acetylation of histones H3 and H4, which resulted in blocking the activation of the VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor)-MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signaling pathway in the Kasumi-1 cell line. These data demonstrate that I3 could be a potent chromatin-remodeling agent to surmount the differentiation block in AML patients, including those with t (8; 21) translocation or MLLr, and could be a potent and selective agent for AML treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a convention project, the relationship between the host and professional conference organizers has an important impact on the convention project promotion. However, as an important stakeholder of the convention, the role of hosts in the project is less concerned and studied. Therefore, based on theories of project governance, this paper combines the role of the convention project hosts from the perspective of the project sponsors and formulates the convention hosts' role measuring scale with the project sponsor measuring scale. Then, through content validity analysis and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the scale was optimized and nine items were finally determined. The study found that the hosts of the convention project play three roles in the convention project, the customer role, the controller role, and the supporter role, and verified through the SEM that all three roles have a positive effect on the convention project performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address an accurate detection of heavy metal ions in Baijiu production, a nitrogen-doping carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) was prepared by hydrothermal method from citric acid and urea. The as-prepared N-CQDs had an average particle size of 2.74 nm, and a large number of functional groups (amino, carbonyl group, etc.) attached on its surface, which obtained a 9.6% of quantum yield (QY) with relatively high and stable fluorescence performance. As a fluorescent sensor, the fluorescence of N-CQDs at 380 nm excitation wavelength could be quenched quantitatively by adding Cu2+, due to the dynamic quenching of electron transfer caused by the binding of amine groups and Cu2+, which showed excellent sensitivity and selectivity to Cu2+ in the range of 0.5–5 μM with a detection limit (LOD) of 0.032 μM. In addition, the N-CQDs as well as could be applied to quantitative determine alcohol content in the range of 10–80 V/V% depending on the fluorescence enhancement. Upon the experiment, the fluorescent mechanism was studied by Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, which demonstrated that solvent effect played an influential role on sensing alcohol content in Baijiu. Overall, the work provided a theoretically guide for the design of fluorescence sensors to monitor heavy metal ion in liquid drinks and sense alcohol content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we designed a new L1 2 nanoparticles-strengthened fcc-structured (Co 2 Ni 2 Cr) 85 Al 7.5 Ti 7.5 MEA. The high-density L1 2 nanoparticles with an average size of ∼57 nm are uniformly distributed in the grain with an average size of ∼37 μm. The volume fraction of L1 2 nanoparticles is up to ∼45%. The L1 2 nanoparticles can be identified as the (Ni,Co,Cr) 3 (Ti,Al) multi-component phase. Compared to the single-phase Co 2 Ni 2 Cr base alloy with a yield strength of ∼208 MPa and an ultimate tensile strength of ∼660 MPa, (Co 2 Ni 2 Cr) 85 Al 7.5 Ti 7.5 MEA possesses a much higher yield strength of ∼1125 MPa and an ultimate tensile strength of ∼1540 MPa while retaining an excellent ductility of ∼38%. The precipitation strengthening by L1 2 nanoparticles takes the largest contribution to the yield strength, and the contribution value is up to ∼712 MPa. The deformation mode is dominated by mechanical twins for Co 2 Ni 2 Cr base alloy and (Co 2 Ni 2 Cr) 85 Al 7.5 Ti 7.5 MEA, and the mechanical twins are more prevalent in the Co 2 Ni 2 Cr base alloy. • A new L1 2 nanoparticles-strengthened (Co 2 Ni 2 Cr) 85 Al 7.5 Ti 7.5 MEA is well designed. • The volume fraction of L1 2 nanoparticles with a mean size of ∼57 nm is up to ∼45%. • (Co 2 Ni 2 Cr) 85 Al 7.5 Ti 7.5 MEA has an excellent property (σ s ∼ 1125 MPa, σ b ∼ 1540 MPa, δ ∼ 38%). • L1 2 nanoparticles precipitation strengthening takes the largest contribution to strength. • The deformation mode is dominated by mechanical twins for (Co 2 Ni 2 Cr) 85 Al 7.5 Ti 7.5 MEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sulfur-functionalized SiO 2 beads for highly efficient Ag(I) sorption at pH 6. • Endothermic sorption; isotherm fitted by Temkin equation (q m ; 3 mmol Ag g−1). • Fast sorption (t eq : ≈20 min); kinetics modeled by pseudo-first order rate equation. • Strong preference for Ag(I) in multicomponent solutions and X-ray film leachate. • Remarkable metal desorption with 0.3 M HNO 3 and stable recycling. The reaction of thiocarbazide with pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-mercaptopropionate) in the presence of mesoporous silica beads allows producing a composite sorbent (PTMF-SiO 2) with high affinity for silver. The high density of both N- and S-based reactive groups (about 5 mmol g−1) explains sorption capacities as high as 3 mmol Ag g−1 at pH 6. The sorption mechanisms are correlated to the pH effect, and to FTIR and XPS spectroscopic analyses. The sorption is endothermic and spontaneous, and the sorption isotherms are successfully modeled using the Temkin equation. Uptake kinetics are fitted by the pseudo-first order rate equation: the equilibrium is reached in 20–30 min. Ultrasonic treatment allows slightly increasing both kinetics (apparent rate coefficient k 1 is almost doubled) and sorption capacities (by less than 7 %). Silver (being a soft acid) preferentially reacts with soft bases; this may explain the selective removal of Ag(I) by PTMF-SiO 2 against base metals and alkali or alkaline earth metals (in multicomponent equimolar solutions). The sorbent shows remarkable recycling stability (for at least 5 cycles): complete desorption is achieved in ≈20 min with 0.3 M HNO 3 solution and the loss in sorption does not exceed 2.5 % at the fifth recycling. Finally, the sorbent is successfully applied to silver recovery from acidic leachates of spent X-ray films (from different hospitals from Hengyang, China), as a case study. Silver is selectively recovered with high efficiency (>96 %) (together with Cu(II), to a lesser extent). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic quantum dots (QDs) have excellent optical properties, such as high fluorescence intensity, excellent photostability and tunable emission wavelength, etc., facilitating them to be used as labels and probes for bioimaging. In this study, CdSe@ZnS QDs are used as probes for Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscope (FLIM) and stimulated emission depletion (STED) nanoscopy imaging. The emission peak of CdSe@ZnS QDs centered at 526 nm with a narrow width of 19 nm and the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) was 64%. The QDs presented excellent anti-photobleaching property which can be irradiated for 400 min by STED laser with 39.8 mW. The lateral resolution of 42.0 nm is demonstrated for single QDs under STED laser (27.5 mW) irradiation. Furthermore, the CdSe@ZnS QDs were for the first time used to successfully label the lysosomes of living HeLa cells and 81.5 nm lateral resolution is obtained indicating the available super-resolution applications in living cells for inorganic QD probes. Meanwhile, Eca-109 cells labeled with the CdSe@ZnS QDs was observed with FLIM, and their fluorescence lifetime was around 3.1 ns, consistent with the in vitro value, suggesting that the QDs could act as a satisfactory probe in further FLIM-STED experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Betaine, a methyl donor, plays a crucial role in lipid metabolism. Previous studies have shown that appropriate betaine supplementation in a high-fat diet reduces triglycerides (TG) of serum and hepatopancreas in fish. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study examined whether betaine can enhance the secretion of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and sought to identify the specific mechanisms through which this enhancement occurs. A lipid accumulation model was established in gibel carp and L8824 cells using a high-fat diet and oleic acid, respectively. Different doses of betaine (1, 4, and 16 g/kg in the diet; 400 μmol in cell culture) were administered, and measurements were taken for lipid deposition, gene expression of HNF4α, MTTP, and ApoB, as well as the regulation of Mttp and Apob promoters by HNF4α. The results showed that betaine supplementation mitigated lipid droplet accumulation, TG levels, and VLDL production induced by the high-fat diet in gibel carp hepatopancreas and L8824 cells. Moreover, betaine not only increased VLDL content in the cell culture supernatant but also reversed the inhibitory effects of the high-fat diet on protein expression of MTTP, ApoB, and HNF4α in both gibel carp hepatopancreas and L8824 cells. Additionally, HNF4α exhibits transactivating activity on the promoter of Mttp in gibel carp. These findings suggest that betaine supplementation exerts its effects through the HNF4α/MTTP/ApoB pathway, promoting the assembly and secretion of VLDL and effectively reducing lipid accumulation in the hepatopancreas of farmed gibel carp fed a high-fat diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO 2 sequestration and storage in deep saline aquifers is a promising technology for mitigating the excessive concentration of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. However, accurately predicting the migration of CO 2 plumes requires complex multi-physics-based numerical simulation approaches, which are prohibitively expensive due to highly nonlinear coupled governing equations and uncertainties in heterogeneous spatial parameter distributions. To address this challenge, we developed an end-to-end deep learning workflow employing encoder–decoder architectures with residual network (ResNet) to efficiently predicts the spatial–temporal evolution of the solution CO 2 -brine ratio (R s) and gas saturation (S g) – the two essential tasks for quantifying the amount of trapped CO 2 – given heterogeneous permeability fields as input. Specifically, we introduce a general multi-task learning with consistency (MTLC) framework to simultaneously predict R s and S g. The MTLC model leverages related tasks with less computational expensive labeled datasets to improve generalization ability. In our study, predictions for multiple tasks from the same permeability realization are not independent but expected to be consistent, as the proposed framework utilizes data-driven cross-task consistency constraints to augment learning of related tasks. Our deep learning model is trained based on physical trapping mechanisms, which play a dominant role in the CO 2 migration process. The results demonstrate that the MTLC model with joint learning yields more accurate predictions and improved generalization for predicting CO 2 migration in several test cases. Furthermore, our workflow is 1 0 5 times faster than a high-fidelity physics-based numerical simulator, making it a viable alternative for field-scale applications. • A novel Multi-Task Learning with Consistency (MTLC) framework is proposed for CO 2 storage. • MTLC improves predictive accuracy by utilizing the relationship between tasks. • Comparisons demonstrate MTLC's effectiveness with limited data. • Accurately predicted the amount of CO 2 trapped by various mechanisms with MTLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The microstructure of the precursor glass and glass ceramics is studied. • The quantum yield of precursor glass and glass ceramic is measured. • The highest transparency of glass ceramics is 80% in the visible region. Abstract Tb3+/Yb3+ co-doped precursor glass was synthesized by melt quenching method, and transparent glass-ceramic was prepared by heat treatment the precursor glass. Comparing the X-ray diffraction patterns of precursor glass and glass-ceramic showed that the Na 3.6 Y 1.8 (PO 4) 3 crystals were formed after heat treatment. By the scanning electron microscopy images of glass-ceramic, the grainy crystal grains were observed dispersed in the glass matrix. The structure of precursor glass and glass-ceramic was studied by FTIR spectra and Raman spectra, indicating that phosphate group was formed in glass-ceramic. The up-conversion luminescent intensity of glass-ceramic was obviously enhanced than precursor glass. Moreover, the luminescence quantum yield of the glass-ceramic sample showed higher than precursor glass, which can be attributed to the formation of phosphate groups in glass-ceramic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tb 3+ /Yb 3+ co-doped BaO-WO 3 -SiO 2 glass ceramic is prepared by melt crystallization method. The optimum heat treatment schedule is determined on basis of differential scanning calorimetry. The crystal phase is BaWO 4 by X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystal grain sizes are examined by scanning electron microscope and crystal grain sizes increase with the increasing of heat treatment time. In the visible region, the transmittance of glass ceramic is 79%. The up-conversion fluorescence intensity increase with the increasing of heat treatment time up to 90 min and with the increasing of Yb 3+ concentration up to 0.3 mol%. The possible mechanism of up-conversion in Tb 3+ /Yb 3+ co-doped BaWO 4 glass ceramic is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential to determine the elemental composition of doped functional materials, particularly for nanometer scale semiconductors, to guide synthesis and interpret physical phenomena. This study applied laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for elemental analysis of halides in perovskite type quantum dots, i.e., CsPbX3 nanocrystals (NCs). The optimum LIBS delay time and laser energy were experimentally determined, and small quantities of CsPbX3 NCs (μg) with different Cl/Br ratios and different photoluminescence (PL) properties were measured. Coefficients to correlate weight and LIBS emission intensity ratios for Cl and Br were experimentally determined from CuBr2/CaCl2 mixtures. The measured Cl/Br weight ratios correspond to NC PL emission wavelengths and the supplied amount of PbCl2 precursor. The proposed LIBS approach showed better sensitivity and stability than electron dispersive spectroscopy. Ideal detection accuracy and precision could be realized using LIBS, requiring only trace amounts of NC samples and simple pretreatment processes, with NC integrity retained until the test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Er 3+ /Yb 3+ co-doped transparent glass ceramics containing Na 3.6 Y 1.8 (PO 4 ) 3 crystals were prepared by high-temperature melting and subsequent heat treatment the precursor glass, and their up-conversion luminescent properties were investigated. The optimum heat treatment condition of glass at 630 °C for 2 h were determined by a series of experimental results, and confirmed the existence of Na 3.6 Y 1.8 (PO 4 ) 3 crystals in glass ceramics. The up-conversion luminescence spectra of the glass ceramic samples under pulsed excitation at 980 nm revealed luminescence bands corresponding to Er 3+ ion transitions in the green ( 4 F 7/2 - 4 I 15/2 , 2 H 12/2 - 4 I 15/2 , 4 S 3/2 - 4 I 15/2 ) and red ( 4 F 9/2 - 4 I 15/2 ) spectral regions. The fluorescence spectra reaches a maximum when the molar ratio of Er 2 O 3 to Yb 2 O 3 is 1:7. Luminescence quantum yield of the samples was measured by using an integrating sphere. The transmission spectra proved that the glass ceramics sample still maintained a high transparency up to 83% in the visible region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new data-based approach to control of feature dynamics of nonlinear processes. • Process feature variables are extracted from process data using an autoencoder. • Feature dynamics are embedded in linear latent variable dynamics. • A data predictive control approach is developed using a system behaviour framework. • Dissipativity conditions implemented to deal with errors in the latent and feature variable spaces. The paper presents a new big data-based approach to control of feature dynamics of continuous nonlinear chemical/industrial processes, based on the behavioural systems theory and deep learning tools. From time-series process data, the feature dynamics of a nonlinear process are extracted using an Autoencoder (AE), a type of artificial neural network. The feature dynamics are embedded in, and can be constructed from, a linear dynamic behaviour of latent variables. The latent variable dynamic space is described by a kernel representation and linearly maps the feature variable space. A Data Predictive Control (DPC) approach is developed to optimise the feature variables by controlling the latent variable dynamics using a system behaviour framework. Behaviour-based dissipativity conditions are adopted to deal with errors that arise in the latent and feature variable spaces during neural network training. A case study is presented to illustrate the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China plays a key role in global plastic production, consumption and disposal, which arouses growing concern about microplastics (MPs) contamination in Chinese freshwater systems. However, few reviews have discussed the characteristics of MP pollution in whole freshwater systems at a national scale. In this review, we summarized the characteristics, sources and transport pathways of MPs in Chinese freshwater systems including surface water and sediment. Results showed that current research mainly focused on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and its tributaries, as well as lakes and reservoirs along the Yangtze River. Large-scale reservoirs, rivers and lakes located in densely populated areas usually showed higher abundances of MPs. The majority of MPs in Chinese surface water and sediment mainly consisted of polyethylene and polypropylene, and the most common morphologies were fibers and fragments. To identify the sources and pathways, we introduced the source-sink-pathway model, and found that sewage system, farmland and aquaculture area were the three most prevalent sinks in freshwater systems in China. The source-sink-pathway model will help to further identify the migration of MPs from sources to freshwater systems. [Display omitted] • MP abundance in surface water in China showed medium-high pollution level. • MPs contents in Chinese sediments were comparable to those in other countries. • The source–sink–pathway model of MPs in freshwater systems was constructed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

aimei Li,1,2 Mengjie Zhao,1,2 Min Dong,1,2 Feifei Si,1,2 Lu Liu,1,2 Yufeng Wang,1,2 Qiujin Qian1,21Peking University Sixth Hospital/ Institute of Mental Health, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China; 2NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China Correspondence: Qiujin Qian, Peking University Sixth Hospital/ Institute of Mental Health, No. 51 Hua Yuan Bei Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China, Email [email protected] Purpose: With the further development of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) research, more and more assessment tools related to ADHD have been used. However, there is still no measurement instrument to evaluate the compensatory behavior of ADHD in China. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Compensatory ADHD Behaviors Scale (CABS) adapted in Chinese and explore ecological characteristics in adults with ADHD using the CABS. Patients and Methods: Data were collected from a sample of 306 adults (Mage = 26.43 years, SD = 5.32; 46.08% male). The original version CABS was translated into Chinese using the forward and backward translation procedures. Participants completed the CABS and questionnaires assessing ADHD symptoms and executive function. We utilized content validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and criterion validity to test the validity. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were employed to test the reliability. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to compare ADHD subgroups based on gender, ADHD subtype, comorbidities, and medication status, while controlling for demographic variables as covariates. Results: CABS exhibited good construct validity (two factors: present-oriented and future-oriented), content validity (content validity index: 0.98), internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha coefficient: 0.85 to 0.87) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.59 to 0.88). The results of CFA showed acceptable fitness for each subscale. CABS demonstrated significant associations with inattention symptoms and plan/organizational abilities. Medicated ADHD individuals scored higher on future-oriented effectiveness subscale of CABS than non-medicated (F = 6.106, p = 0.014). Conclusion: The results indicate that the Chinese CABS exhibited good validity and reliability. It can be considered a valid tool for assessing compensatory behaviors in Chinese adults with ADHD. Further research is needed to explore the connection between medication and compensatory behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NaY(WO4)2: Er3+/Yb3+ tungsten silicate glass ceramics were successfully synthesized by melting crystallization method. The crystal pattern, glass transition temperature, and chemical composition of glass ceramics samples were analyzed by XRD, DSC, Raman, and FTIR, respectively. The morphology and location distribution of grain was observed using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The energy transfer between rare earth ion was investigated by fluorescence spectra. Moreover, the crystal structure of glass ceramics and network structure of glass was also investigated, and the effect of grain precipitation on the structure of glass ceramics was analyzed. The influence of the amount of Er3+/Yb3+ on the luminescence intensity of the glass ceramics was investigated. Under the excitation of 980 nm laser, the glass ceramics samples showed strong green light emission. The strong green light emission at 527 nm and 550 nm consisted of the 2H11/2 → 4I15/2 and 2S3/2 → 4I15/2 energy level transition of Er3+, respectively. Both of two transitions are two photon processes. When the molar ratio of Er3+/Yb3+ is 1:9, the up-conversion luminescence intensity of the glass ceramics samples is the strongest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-objective optimization (MOO), which involves more than one conflicting objective to be optimized simultaneously, is expected to provide efficient and comprehensive reservoir management (RM) solutions. The multi-objective production optimization problems are considered to be expensive due to the difficulties and cost of operations. Surrogate-assisted evolutionary algorithms (SAEAs), which has proved to be an effective way to solve expensive problems, design computationally cheap function to approximate each objective function. Meanwhile, the optimization process involves a large number of decision variables. However, building a high-quality surrogate model has become difficult due to the "curse of dimensionality". Base on characterization, an efficient multi-objective optimization framework called SA-RVEA-PCA is proposed to effectively deal with large-scale and computationally expensive simulation-based optimization problems, including three parts:1) Given a set of simulation results, a Gaussian process (GP) model based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for each objective function is trained so that the surrogate models can guide the optimization more accurately. 2) A reference vector guided evolutionary algorithm (RVEA) recently developed is employed as a multi-objective optimizer. 3) The information of uncertainty given by GP and angle-penalized penalized (APD) proposed in RVEA are used to update the surrogate models. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed algorithm is applied to a benchmark function, and two typical applications of MOO with synthetic reservoir models. Results show that the proposed method can provide more comprehensive and efficient RM with a higher convergence speed. • A new multi-objective framework is proposed based on surrogate-assisted algorithm and dimension-reduction method. • The new methodology is successfully applied to two general multi-objective production optimization problems. • The optimization results of two cases show the great performance of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is a cutaneous disease mainly characterized by keratinocyte hyperproliferation, abnormal epidermal differentiation, inflammation and angiogenesis. In this study, we aimed to report the therapeutic potential of Diosgenin on psoriasis-like models and explore the underlying mechanisms. For in vitro studies, we initially evaluated the bioeffects of Diosgenin on keratinocytes by detecting the cell viability, cell cycle and apoptosis in HaCaT cells. To mimic psoriatic conditions, we established hyperproliferative model by stimulating HaCaT cells with LPS/IL-22 and inflammatory model by LPS/TNF-α stimulation. Meanwhile, differentiation in HaCaT cells and angiogenesis in HUVECs/HMEC-1 were observed. The influence of Diosgenin on above-mentioned conditions was examined. For in vivo studies, we dosed imiquimod (IMQ) -induced mice with Diosgenin and conducted hematoxylin-eosin (HE), TUNEL assay and immunohistochemistry (IHC) to evaluate histological changes, apoptosis and the status of keratinocyte proliferation, epidermal differentiation, vascularity and cutaneous inflammatory cell infiltration respectively. Results showed that Diosgenin inhibited HaCaT cell growth through cell cycle arrest and NFκB inhibition while induced apoptosis by regulating Caspase3, Bax and Bcl-2 protein expression. After Diosgenin treatment, NFκB nuclear translocation and IL-22 receptor dependent pathways were suppressed in LPS/IL-22 induced HaCaT cells respectively. Furthermore, Diosgenin downregulated proinflammatory cytokines through TLR4/Myd88 inhibition and upregulated several differentiation markers' expression in HaCaT cells. Additionally, Diosgenin inhibited vascular formation partially by reducing the VEGF-α expression in keratinocytes. In animal studies, Diosgenin attenuated psoriatic lesions on mice accordingly. This study suggests that Diosgenin might be a promising candidate for developing anti-psoriatic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) relies on accurate prediction of the Remaining Useful Life (RUL). Data-driven RUL prediction techniques rely heavily on the representativeness of the available time-to-failure trajectories. Therefore, these methods may not perform well when applied to data from new units of a fleet that follow different operating conditions than those they were trained on. This is also known as domain shifts. Domain adaptation (DA) methods aim to address the domain shift problem by extracting domain invariant features. However, DA methods do not distinguish between the different phases of operation, such as steady states or transient phases. This can result in misalignment due to under- or over-representation of different operation phases. This paper proposes two novel DA approaches for RUL prediction based on an adversarial domain adaptation framework that considers the different phases of the operation profiles separately. The proposed methodologies align the marginal distributions of each phase of the operation profile in the source domain with its counterpart in the target domain. The effectiveness of the proposed methods is evaluated using the New Commercial Modular Aero-Propulsion System (N-CMAPSS) dataset, where sub-fleets of turbofan engines operating in one of the three different flight classes (short, medium, and long) are treated as separate domains. The experimental results show that the proposed methods improve the accuracy of RUL predictions compared to current state-of-the-art DA methods. • Two novel adversarial domain adaptation approaches for RUL prediction are proposed. • Proposed Framework adapts operation phases separately. • Evaluation on N-CMAPSS dataset on three adaptation tasks for sub-fleet alignment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence indicates that the tumor microenvironment appears to play an increasingly important role in cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. Several types of cells within the tumor stroma had distinct impacts on cancer progression, either promoting or inhibiting cancer cell growth. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a distinct type of cells that is linked to tumor development. MSCs are recognized for homing to tumor locations and promoting or inhibiting cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis and metastasis. Moreover, emerging studies suggests that MSCs are also involved in therapeutic resistance. In this review, we analyzed the existing researches and elaborate on the functions of MSCs in cancer progression and anticancer therapeutic resistance, demonstrating that MSCs may be a viable cancer therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Quick Delay Questionnaire (QDQ) is a short questionnaire designed to assess delay-related difficulties in adults. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the QDQ (C-QDQ) in Chinese adults, and explore the ecological characteristics of delay-related impulsivity in Chinese adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: Data was collected from 302 adults, including ADHD (n = 209) and healthy controls (HCs) (n = 93). All participants completed the C-QDQ. The convergent validity, internal consistency, retest reliability and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the C-QDQ were analyzed. The correlations between C-QDQ and two laboratory measures of delay-related difficulties and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), the comparison of C-QDQ scores between ADHD subgroups and HCs were also analyzed. Results: The Cronbach's α of C-QDQ was between 0.83 and 0.89. The intraclass correlation coefficient of C-QDQ was between 0.80 and 0.83. The results of CFA of C-QDQ favoured the original two-factor model (delay aversion and delay discounting). Significant positive associations were found between C-QDQ scores and BIS-11 total score and performance on the laboratory measure of delay-related difficulties. Participants with ADHD had higher C-QDQ scores than HCs, and female ADHD reported higher scores on delay discounting subscale than male. ADHD-combined type (ADHD-C) reported higher scores on delay aversion subscale than ADHD-inattention type (ADHD-I). Conclusion: The C-QDQ is a valid and reliable tool to measure delay-related responses that appears to have clinical utility. It can present the delay-related impulsivity of patients with ADHD. Compared to HCs, the level of reward-delay impulsivity was higher in ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of different astaxanthin levels on antioxidant capacity and non-specific immunity in phase V~X larvae of giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, were investigated; furthermore, the differential gene expression was compared. For this experiment, 60,000 larvae were allocated into five treatments with six replicates. Astaxanthin supplementing in steamed eggs with graded effective content as 0 (control group, A0), 50 (A50), 100 (A100), 200 (A200), 400 (A400) mg kg−1 were fed from phase V to X larvae respectively. Feeding trials lasted for 18 days. The results showed that acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), glutathione reductase (GR), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activities were declined significantly compared with the control (P < 0.05); catalase (CAT) activities decreased among treatments; lysozyme (LZM) activities both in treatments A50 and A400 was lower than the control significantly (P < 0.05), while the opposite phenomena were observed among other treatments; glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities both in treatments A200 and A400 significantly elevated than that among A0, A50, and A100 (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in cytochrome oxidase activity (CCO) among treatments except that in A100 (P > 0.05). Nineteen common differential genes were screened out by means of transcriptome analysis. This study implies that excessive addition of astaxanthin may take a negative effect on larvae development of M. rosenbergii by way of suppressing the antioxidant system and non-specific immunity function, and its possible mechanisms need to be investigated furthermore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Increasing the yellowing temperature and relative humidity can shorten the time. • The optimal yellowing process of yellow tea (YT) improved its quality. • Hydrolysis of catechins and flavonoid glycosides enhanced the sweetness of YT. • The oxidative polymerization of catechins contributed to the yellowness of YT. In this study, an optimized yellowing process for yellow tea (YT) was developed by response surface methodology. The results showed that increasing the yellowing temperature from 20 °C to 34 °C, increasing the relative humidity from 55% to 67%, and reducing the yellowing time from 48 h to 16 h, caused a 40.5% and 43.2% increase in the yellowness and sweetness of YT, respectively, and improved the consumer acceptability by 36.8%. Moreover, metabolomics was used to explore the involved mechanisms that resulted in the improved YT quality. The optimized yellowing promoted the hydrolysis of 5 gallated catechins, 6 flavonoid glycosides, theogallin and digalloylglucose, resulting in the accumulation of 5 soluble sugars and gallic acid. Meanwhile, it promoted the oxidative polymerization of catechins (e.g., theaflagallin, δ-type dehydrodicatechin and theasinensin A), but decelerated the degradation of chlorophylls. Overall, this optimized yellowing process could serve as a guide to a shorter yellowing cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of genome editing platforms has hampered efforts to study and improve forage crops that can be grown on lands not suited to other crops. Here, we established efficient Agrobacterium‐mediated clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR‐associated nuclease 9 (Cas9) genome editing in a perennial, stress‐tolerant forage grass, sheepgrass (Leymus chinensis). By screening for active single‐guide RNAs (sgRNAs), accessions that regenerate well, suitable Agrobacterium strains, and optimal culture media, and co‐expressing the morphogenic factor TaWOX5, we achieved 11% transformation and 5.83% editing efficiency in sheepgrass. Knocking out Teosinte Branched1 (TB1) significantly increased tiller number and biomass. This study opens avenues for studying gene function and breeding in sheepgrass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new scale inhibitor MA/AA/MA-β-CD/SHP was prepared from maleic anhydride, acrylic acid, sodium hypophosphite, and MA-β-CD via the method of free radical polymerization in aqueous solution. The MA-β-CD was obtained through the modification of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) with maleic anhydride (MA). Results of performance evaluation showed that the synthesized copolymer has excellent scale inhibition effect for the calcium scale, and the resistance rate of silicon scale up to 79.81%. The structure, thermal property, and morphology of the copolymer were characterized by FTIR, TGA, and SEM. From crystallization data and morphology of the scale crystals it was found that the copolymer scale inhibitor can make the crystal lattice distortion, and has a good dispersing ability after addition of the scale inhibitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a single-step and low-cost synthesis of all-inorganic cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals was developed. PbX 2 and Cs 2 CO 3 were added to a mixture containing 1-octadecene (ODE), oleic acid (OA) and oleylamine (OLA), and heated at 80–100 °C for 15–30 min in air. The resultant high-quality cube-like CsPbX 3 nanocrystals are monodisperse with dimensions of 7–15 nm, and display strong photoluminescence (PL) with a narrow, tuneable emission band of 14–43 nm and a high quantum yield (∼90%). The mechanisms of nucleation and growth were investigated by testing the effects of temperature and surface ligands (OA/OLA) on the crystal morphology and PL intensity. The high quality of the CsPbX 3 nanocrystals was further confirmed by efficient upconversion PL with high energy gain, observed here for the first time for colloidal CsPb(Br/I) 3 nanocrystals, with an energy gain higher than 430 meV that was mainly attributed to anti-stokes generation rather than the multiphoton effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lepidopteran crop pest Plutella xylostella causes severe constraints on Brassica cultivation. Here, we report a novel role for RPX1 (resistance to P. xylostella) in resistance to this pest in Arabidopsis thaliana. The rpx1‐1 mutant repels P. xylostella larvae, and feeding on the rpx1‐1 mutant severely damages the peritrophic matrix structure in the midgut of the larvae, thereby negatively affecting larval growth and pupation. This resistance results from the accumulation of defence compounds, including the homoterpene (3E)−4,8‐dimethyl‐1,3,7‐nonatriene (DMNT), due to the upregulation of PENTACYCLIC TRITERPENE SYNTHASE 1 (PEN1), which encodes a key DMNT biosynthetic enzyme. P. xylostella infestation and wounding induce RPX1 protein degradation, which may confer a rapid response to insect infestation. RPX1 inactivation and PEN1 overexpression are not associated with negative trade‐offs for plant growth but have much higher seed production than the wild‐type in the presence of P. xylostella infestation. This study offers a new strategy for plant molecular breeding against P. xylostella. Summary statement: Plutella xylostella pests show severely negative influence on plant growth and reproduction, and the identification of resistant genes is essential. This study reveals that inactivation of RPX1 confers significant resistance to the pest by enhancing PEN1 expression and accumulating the homoterpene DMNT in Arabidopsis thaliana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiotherapy is a standard-of-care treatment approach for glioblastoma (GBM) patients, but therapeutic resistance to radiotherapy remains a major challenge. Here we demonstrate that diallyl trisulfide (DATS) directly conjugates with cysteine (C) 32 and C35 (C32/35) residues of thioredoxin 1 (Trx1) through Michael addition reactions. Due to localizing in activity center of Trx1, the conjugation between DATS and C32/35 results in inhibition of Trx1 activity, therefore disturbing thioredoxin system and leading to accumulated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). High levels of Trx1 expression are correlated with poor prognosis of glioma patients. Notably, we reveal that DATS synergistically enhances irradiation (IR)-induced ROS accumulation, apoptosis, DNA damage, as well as inhibition of tumor growth of GBM cells. These findings highlight the potential benefits of DATS in sensitizing radiotherapy of GBM patients. [Display omitted] • Thioredoxin 1 (Trx1) was identified as the direct target of Diallyl trisulfide (DATS). • DATS conjugates with C32/35 residues of Trx1 through Michael addition reactions. • The conjugation of DATS with Trx1 inhibited Trx1 activity and disturbed redox balance. • DATS synergistically enhanced the radiotherapy effects of GBM cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A MOF@CNF/rGO-Vitrimer composite electrode was fabricated via a simple method. • The as-obtained supercapacitor shows a remarkable cycling stability of 97.42% after 20,000 cycles. • The introduction of Vitrimer endows the supercapacitor with shape-memory functionality. • This work provides new ideas for the customizable design of energy storage devices. With the rapid development of flexible electronic devices towards small, light, and high-performance, people's requirements for electrode materials that affect energy storage devices are also increasing. It is crucial to prepare composite electrode materials with excellent comprehensive performance through reasonable design. This study successfully prepared a novel Ni-metal-organic framework (Ni-MOF) @ cellulose nanofibers (CNF)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) -Vitrimer (MOF@CNF/rGO-V) electrode material through freeze-drying and solvent-thermal methods. In the hybrid, CNF not only prevents the stacking of rGO but also serves as a flexible substrate for loading Ni-MOF, while the porous structure of the CNF aerogel provides numerous channels for electrolyte ions to store and transport. The presence of Ni-MOF loaded on the conductive substrate contributes to a high pseudo-capacitance, ultimately yielding a composite material with a high specific capacitance (189.9 F g −1). Furthermore, when the composite was assembled into a symmetric supercapacitor device, it exhibited an energy density of 35.61 W h kg−1 at a power density of 641.07 W kg−1 and a remarkable cycling stability of up to 96.59% after experiencing 20,000 cycles. In addition, the introduction of Vitrimer successfully prevented electrode material detachment or fracture during use while maintaining excellent electrochemical and mechanical properties, imparting shape-memory functionality. The as-fabricated MOF@CNF/rGO-V composite electrode material holds significant promise and attractiveness in the field of flexible wearable electronics. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Analysis of research hotspots and trends of mycelial pellets as biocarriers. • Clarified the reason and mechanism of mycelial pellets as biocarriers. • Summarized the application in wastewater and recovery for resource and energy. • Presented the prospects and trends of mycelial pellets as biocarriers. Mycelial pellets, a new environment friendly biological carrier, have received wide attention from researchers due to porosity, stability and unique biocompatibility. In this article, the theoretical basis and mechanism of mycelial pellets as a biological carrier were analyzed from the properties of mycelial pellets and the interaction between mycelial pellets and other microorganisms. This article aims to collate and present the current application and development trend of mycelial pellets as biological carriers in wastewater treatment, resource and energy recovery, especially the symbiotic particle system formed by mycelial pellets and microalgae is an important way to break through the technical bottleneck of biodiesel recovery from wastewater. This review also analyzes the research hotspots and trends of mycelial pellets as carriers in recent years, discusses the challenges faced by this technology, and puts forward corresponding solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A negative capacitance transistor with fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) technology (NC-FDSOI) is one of the promising candidates for next-generation low-power devices. However, it suffers from the inherent negative differential resistance (NDR) effect, which is very detrimental to device and circuit designs. Aiming at overcoming this shortcoming, this paper proposes for the first time to use local Gaussian heavy doping technology (LoGHeD) in the channel near the drain side to suppress the NDR effect in the NC-FDSOI. The technical computer-aided design simulation results have validated that the output conductance (G DS) with LoGHeD, which is used to measure the NDR effect, increases compared to the conventional NC-FDSOI counterpart and approaches zero. With the increase in doping concentration, the inhibitory capability of the NDR effect shows a monotonously increasing trend. In addition, the proposed approach maintains and even enhances performances of the NC-FDSOI transistor regarding the electrical parameters, such as threshold voltage (V TH), sub-threshold swing, switching current ratio (I ON/ I OFF), and drain-induced barrier lowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Goat milk is very similar to human milk in terms of its abundant nutrients and ease of digestion. To derive greater economic benefit, farmers require more female offspring (does); however, the buck-to-doe offspring sex ratio is approximately 50%. At present, artificial insemination after the separation of X/Y sperm using flow cytometry is the primary means of controlling the sex of livestock offspring. However, flow cytometry has not been successfully utilised for the separation of X/Y sperm aimed at sexing control in dairy goats. Results: In this study, a novel, simple goat sperm sexing technology that activates the toll-like receptor 7/8 (TLR7/8), thereby inhibiting X-sperm motility, was investigated. Our results showed that the TLR7/8 coding goat X-chromosome was expressed in approximately 50% of round spermatids in the testis and sperm, as measured from cross-sections of the epididymis and ejaculate, respectively. Importantly, TLR7/8 was located at the tail of the X-sperm. Upon TLR7/8 activation, phosphorylated forms of glycogen synthase kinase α/β (GSK3 α/β) and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) were detected in the X-sperm, causing reduced mitochondrial activity, ATP levels, and sperm motility. High-motility Y-sperm segregated to the upper layer and the low-motility X-sperm, to the lower layer. Following in vitro fertilisation using the TLR7/8-activated sperm from the lower layer, 80.52 ± 6.75% of the embryos were XX females. The TLR7/8-activated sperm were subsequently used for in vivo embryo production via the superovulatory response; nine embryos were collected from the uterus of two does that conceived. Eight of these were XX embryos, and one was an XY embryo. Conclusions: Our study reveals a novel TLR7/8 signalling mechanism that affects X-sperm motility via the GSK3 α/β-hexokinase pathway; this technique could be used to facilitate the efficient production of sexed dairy goat embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tb3+/Yb3+ co-doped glass ceramics containing ZnWO 4 crystals were prepared by melting crystallization method. The effects of Tb3+ and Yb3+ doping on the crystal phase and luminescence properties of glass ceramics were studied. The XRD analysis confirmed the existence of ZnWO 4 crystals in glass ceramics, with the increase of Tb3+ doping concentration, the crystal phase changed to Na 0.5 Tb 0.5 WO 4. The effect of heat treatment time and doping concentration of Tb3+ on the luminescence performance of the glass ceramics were studied to determine the optimal doping concentration of Tb3+. When the concentration of Tb 2 O 3 is 0.1 mol%, with the increase of Yb 2 O 3 doping concentration, the crystal phase of glass ceramics changes from ZnWO 4 to Na 0.5 Yb 0.5 WO 4. The up-conversion luminescence performance of Tb3+/Yb3+ co-doped glass ceramics was studied, and the optimal doping concentration ratio between Tb 2 O 3 and Yb 2 O 3 is determined to be 1:7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, stereology and fractals were applied to identify the quantitative relation between stereology parameters, fractal dimension, and mechanical properties of Nd: YAG transparent ceramics sintered at 1750 °C for 8–50 h. Mechanical properties and microstructure of the samples were investigated by using universal testing machine, micro-hardness tester, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. When the ceramics were sintered at 1750 °C for 50 h, the compressive strength, flexural strength, and Vickers hardness reached 381.6 ± 5.2 MPa, 275.0 ± 5.5 MPa, and 1330.4 ± 18.5 MPa, respectively. Besides, the fracture toughness of ceramic samples was calculated by Vickers hardness. Micrographs of the sample surface and frequency distribution of crystal grains were analyzed by using metallographic image analyzer software. Findings suggest that compressive strength, flexural strength, and Vickers hardness linearly increase upon an increase in equivalent sphere diameter (D 3S). However, compressive strength, flexural strength, and Vickers hardness decrease as a function of specific surface area per unit volume of the grains (S V) and discrete grains (S VP) and mean free distance (λ). Perimeter and area of crystal grains were obtained by using Image-Pro Plus image analysis software. The relationship between the fractal dimension of grain boundary and mechanical properties was analyzed based on the area-perimeter (small-island) method. When the grain boundary fractal dimension is close to 1.0, the geometry of ceramic grains tends to be regular, and mechanical properties of ceramic samples increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The optimized yellowing process enhanced the sweet and floral aromas of yellow tea. • The optimized yellowing process increased the content of sweet and floral odorants. • β -Damascenone was the main odorant for sweet aroma enhancement. • β -Ionone was the main odorant for floral aroma enhancement. An optimized yellowing process for yellow tea (YT) was recently developed. The study found that the optimized yellowing process caused a significant increase in sweet and floral aromas by 31.3% and 24.0%, respectively. A total of 21 aroma-active compounds were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC-O) combined with sensomics analysis. Quantification of the 15 aroma-active compounds and calculation of odor activity values (OAVs) showed that the OAVs of sweet and floral aroma compounds increased significantly by 986.2% and 46.4%, respectively, after the optimized yellowing process. Sensory-directed aroma reconstitution and omission experiments confirmed that dimethyl sulfide, 3-methylbutanal, β -ionone, β -damascenone, geraniol, phenylacetaldehyde, and linalool were the key odorants in YT after the optimized yellowing process. Odorant addition tests further demonstrated that β -damascenone (OAV 590.4) was the main odorant for YT sweet aroma enhancement, while β -ionone (OAV 884.6) was the main odorant for YT floral aroma enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long noncoding RNA cancer susceptibility candidate 2 (CASC2) has been shown to play a crucial role in cancer cell chemoresistance. However, its function and underlying molecular mechanism in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) chemoresistance remain unknown. In this study, we used cisplatin (DDP)-resistant HCC cells to investigate CASC2 function and its underlying mechanism. The results demonstrated that CASC2 expression was significantly reduced in HCC tissues and cells, especially in DDP-resistant HCC tissues and cells. Lower CASC2 expression was strongly correlated with shorter survival times in patients with HCC. Functionally, CASC2 overexpression sensitized DDP-resistant Huh7/DDP and SMMC-7721/DDP cells to DDP. Mechanically, CASC2 improved the sensitivity of HCC cells to DDP through sponging miR-222. Taken together, these findings suggested that overexpression of CASC2 overcame DDP resistance in HCC by regulating miR-222 expression, thereby providing a potential therapeutic strategy for overcoming HCC cell chemoresistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil tillage and plastic film management practices are essential agricultural production strategies for improving crop yield. Furthermore, they can also play important roles in affecting soil quality, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and carbon footprint (CF), and the overall impacts of tillage and plastic film management on these indicators and the potential links among them are rarely assessed. A 4-year-long field experiment was performed under the winter wheat–summer peanut rotation pattern to investigate how the tillage (plow tillage and rotary tillage) and plastic film management practices (plastic film mulching and no plastic film mulching) affected the summer peanut fields' soil quality (soil carbon (C) stock, enzyme activity, and nutrients concentration), soil GHG (N 2 O and CH 4) emissions, CF components, and peanut yield. The present results showed that plow tillage management improved peanut yield and decreased seasonal cumulative soil N 2 O and CH 4 emissions and CF relative to rotary tillage management. However, the seasonal cumulative emissions of soil N 2 O and CH 4 under plastic film mulching were higher than those under no mulching. The application of plastic film mulching also increased soil TOC stock, soil enzymes (invertase, unease, and catalase) activities, and soil nutrients (microbial biomass C, microbial biomass nitrogen (N), ammonium N, and nitrate N) concentrations. The mulching-induced improvements in soil quality can promote an increase in crop productivity; thus, plastic film mulching showed increased peanut yield and decreased yield-scaled CF. In conclusion, plow tillage combined with plastic film mulching (PTM) treatment maintained higher peanut productivity and produced lower CF while generating suitable soil conditions and therefore may be a more high-yielding, eco-friendly, and sustainable development management strategy for summer peanut production. [Display omitted] • Tillage and plastic film management are crucial strategies for improving crop yield. • Plow tillage improved soil quality and reduced CF. • Plastic film mulching decreased yield-scaled CF. • Plow tillage combined with plastic film mulching produced higher yield and lower CF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Tb3+ mono-doped and Eu3+-Tb3+ co-doped transparent glass-ceramics (GCs) were fabricated via melt-quenching technique and subsequent heating. The crystal structural and luminescence properties of the samples were systematically investigated via X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmittance, excitation and emission spectra, and fluorescence lifetime, respectively. The emission spectra of Tb3+ mono-doped GCs are composed of several sharp emission lines about at 410 nm, 436 nm, 488 nm, 545 nm, 587 nm and 622 nm, respectively. Among them, when the Tb3+ mono-doped concentration is 0.7mol%, the brightest green light is generating at 545 nm due to 5D 4 →7F 5 transition of Tb3+ ions. The effective energy transfer from Tb3+ to Eu3+ was observed by fluorescence spectra and fluorescence lifetimes of Eu3+-Tb3+ co-doped GCs. In addition, the emission of Eu3+-Tb3+ co-doped GCs from light green-white-yellow can be achieved by adjusting the doping concentration of Eu3+ and Tb3+. These results indicate that Eu3+-Tb3+ co-doped GCs have potential applications in the field of white light emitting diodes (w-LEDs). Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • The Tb3+ mono-doped and Eu3+-Tb3+ co-doped glass-ceramics are prepared. • The optimum doping concentration of Tb3+ ions is 0.7mol%. • The mechanism of energy transfer from Tb3+ ions to Eu3+ ions is studied. • The energy transfer efficiency is up to 71%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is higher in patients with schizophrenia than in the general population. We aimed to investigate whether atypical antipsychotics (AAP) increase the levels of lipoprotein‐associated phospholipase A2 (Lp‐PLA2), thereby increasing the risk of CVD. The data were from inpatients aged 18–60 years with a diagnosis of schizophrenia according to ICD‐10 at the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University who underwent physical examination between 1 October 2014 and 30 September 2016. A retrospective cohort study was used to analyse the correlation between AAP, Lp‐PLA2 levels and the CVD risk (it was determined that Lp‐PLA2 values >200 ng/mL were defined as high CVD risk) in patients treated with monotherapy, olanzapine, clozapine or quetiapine. Data were collected for 452 patients with eligible schizophrenia: 163 treated with clozapine, 186 treated with olanzapine, 47 treated with quetiapine and 56 receiving no medication. Compared with the no‐medication patients, AAP administration in patients with olanzapine, clozapine or quetiapine had higher serum Lp‐PLA2 levels when age, sex, BMI and fasting glucose level were matched. AAP were significantly associated with serum Lp‐PLA2 level by Spearman's correlation coefficients. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that AAP administration was an independent factor of CVD risk when adjusted by potential confounding factors. This study is the first to confirm that AAP administration, especially clozapine and olanzapine, could increase Lp‐PLA2 levels and CVD risk, independent of drug‐induced weight gain in schizophrenia. The extent and the factors of increasing Lp‐PLA2 level and CVD risk in olanzapine, clozapine and quetiapine are discrepant. The possible effects of AAP on Lp‐PLA2 in schizophrenia patients are involved in pro‐inflammatory cytokines and hormones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]