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Chiral lead halide perovskites have captivated considerable attentions due to their distinctive attributes, such as ferroelectricity, spin‐dependent transport, and chiroptical activity. However, lead toxicity and weak circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) have cast a pall over their practical applications. Here, a series of 0D lead‐free chiral enantiomorphic hybrids, such as (R‐/S‐MBA)3In1‐xSbxCl6 (x = 0–1) is successfully developed. By optimizing the Sb3+ doping concentration to 0.55%, the resultant (R‐/S‐MBA)3In99.45%Sb0.55%Cl6 not only shows a near‐unity quantum yield but also emanates potent CPL, boasting a dissymmetry factor (glum) of 6.3 × 10–3. These efficient CPL activities are intricately tied to the presence of a twisted luminescent cluster [SbCl6]3– induced by structural chirality. The comprehensive results reveal that the emission of the chiral perovskite originated from self‐trapped excitons (STEs) of 5s2 Sb3+ ions. Moreover, (MBA)3In99.45%Sb0.55%Cl6 single crystals also exhibit bright orange emission and UV detector signals. These findings will pave the way for the further investigation in efficient CPL and detectors based on lead‐free chiral optoelectronic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report the first result of large scale and oxygen vacancy VO2 porous thin sheets assembled by a 3D interconnected nanoflake array framework, which is recorded as VOd. The as-prepared VOd was characterized by various methods and Zn2+ intercalation/deintercalation and structural decomposition mechanisms were proposed based on ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Bilayered V 2 O 5 nH 2 O xerogel constructed 2D nanopapers were synthesized. • The V 2 O 5 nH 2 O Xerogel combines oxygen defect engineering. • Oxygen defect improves Zn2+/Mg2+ insertion/extraction kinetics. Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) and aqueous magnesium ion batteries (AMIBs) offer powerful alternatives for large-scale energy storage because of their high safety and low cost. Consequently, the design of high-performance cathode materials is essential. In this paper, we present a simple strategy that combines oxygen defect (O d) engineering with a 2D-on-2D homogeneous nanopape-like bilayer V 2 O 5 nH 2 O xerogel (BL-HVO d NPS). This strategy employs O d to improve Zn2+/Mg2+insertion/extraction kinetics and reduce irreversible processes for high-performance AZIBs/AMIBs. And interlayer water molecules serve as an effective spacer to stabilize the expanded interlayer gap in BL-HVO d NPS, thereby providing extended diffusion channels for Zn2+/Mg2+ during insertion/extraction. The interlayer water molecules help shield the electrostatic interaction between Zn2+/Mg2+ and BL-HVO d NPS lattice, which improves diffusion kinetics during repeated. In addition, electrochemical characterization results indicate that the BL-HVO d NPS can effectively the surface adsorption and internal diffusion of Zn2+/Mg2+. More importantly, the successfully prepared unique 2D-on-2D homogenous nanopaper structure enhances electrolyte/electrode contact and reduces the migration/diffusion path of electrons/Zn2+ and Mg2+, thus greatly improving rate performance. As a result, the BL-HVO d NPS as AZIBs/AMIBs electrodes offer better reversible capacity of 361.8 and 162.8 mA h g−1 (at 0.2 A g−1), while displaying impressively long cycle lifes. This method provides a way to prepare advanced xerogel cathode materials for AZIBs and AMIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural organisms have evolved a series of versatile functional biomaterials and structures to cope with survival crises in their living environment, exhibiting outstanding properties such as superhydrophobicity, anisotropy, and mechanical reinforcement, which have provided abundant inspiration for the design and fabrication of next‐generation multi‐functional devices. However, the lack of available materials and limitations of traditional manufacturing methods for complex multiscale structures have hindered the progress in bio‐inspired manufacturing of functional structures. As a revolutionary emerging manufacturing technology, additive manufacturing (i.e., 3D printing) offers high design flexibility and manufacturing freedom, providing the potential for the fabrication of intricate, multiscale, hierarchical, and multi‐material structures. Herein, a comprehensive review of current 3D printing of surface/interface structures, covering the applied materials, designs, and functional applications is provided. Several bio‐inspired surface structures that have been created using 3D printing technology are highlighted and categorized based on their specific properties and applications, some properties can be applied to multiple applications. The optimized designs of these 3D‐printed bio‐inspired surfaces offer a promising prospect of low‐cost, high efficiency, and excellent performance. Finally, challenges and opportunities in field of fabricating functional surface/interface with more versatile functional material, refined structural design, and better cost‐effective are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Melanoma is a malignant skin tumor caused by melanocytes and associated with high mortality rates. This study aims to investigate the specific mechanism of ZWZ-3 in melanoma proliferation and metastasis. Methods: RNA sequencing was performed to identify the effect of ZWZ-3 on gene expression. siRNA was used to inhibit BIRC5 gene expression in the B16F10 cell line. A zebrafish tumor model was used to assess the therapeutic effect of ZWZ-3 in vivo. Mechanistic insights into the inhibition of tumor metastasis by ZWZ-3 were obtained through analysis of tumor tissue sections in mice. Results: Our findings demonstrated that ZWZ-3 suppressed melanoma cell proliferation and migration. We performed RNA sequencing in melanoma cells after the treatment with ZWZ-3 and found that Birc5, which is closely associated with tumor metastasis, was significantly down-regulated. Bioinformatics analysis and the immuno-histochemical results of tissue chips for melanoma further confirmed the high expression of BIRC5 in melanoma and its effect on disease progression. Moreover, Birc5 knock-down significantly inhibited melanoma cell proliferation and metastasis, which was correlated with the β-catenin/HIF-1α/VEGF/MMPs pathway. Additionally, ZWZ-3 significantly inhibited tumor growth in the zebrafish tumor model without any evident side effects. Histological and immuno-histochemical analyses revealed that ZWZ-3 inhibited tumor cell metastasis by down-regulating HIF-1α, VEGF, and MMP9. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that ZWZ-3 could downregulate BIRC5 and inhibit melanoma proliferation and metastasis through the β-catenin/HIF-1α/VEGF/MMPs pathway. Therefore, BIRC5 represents a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease with high incidence, diverse clinical manifestations, poor clinical efficacy, and easy recurrence. Recent studies have found that the occurrence of acne is related to metabolic factors such as insulin resistance; however, the specific mechanism of action remains unclear. This study aimed to identify significantly different metabolites and related metabolic pathways in the serum of acne vulgaris patients with or without insulin resistance. LC–MS/MS was used to analyze serum samples from patients about acne with insulin resistance (n = 51) and acne without insulin resistance (n = 69) to identify significant metabolites and metabolic pathways. In this study, 18 significant differential metabolites were screened for the first time. In the positive-ion mode, the upregulated substances were creatine, sarcosine, D-proline, uracil, Phe–Phe, L-pipecolic acid, and DL-phenylalanine; the downregulated substances were tridecanoic acid (tridecylic acid), L-lysine, cyclohexylamine, sphingomyelin (d18:1/18:0), gamma-L-Glu-epsilon-L-Lys, and 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine. In the negative-ion mode, the upregulated substance was cholesterol sulfate, and the downregulated substances were D(-)-beta-hydroxybutyric acid, myristic acid, D-galacturonic acid, and dihydrothymine. Cholesterol sulfate showed the most significant expression among all differential metabolites (VIP = 7.3411). Based on the KEGG database, necroptosis and ABC transporters were the most significantly enriched metabolic pathways in this experiment. The differential metabolites and pathways identified in this study may provide new possibilities for the clinical diagnosis and development of targeted drugs for acne patients with insulin resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Sepsis mortality and morbidity are aggravated by acute lung injury (ALI) or acute respiratory distress syndrome. Published studies have discovered that hyperoside (HYP) has an anti-inflammatory and therapeutic effect in many diseases. However, whether HYP treatment can attenuate sepsis-induced ALI is still obscure. Methods. In this study, a cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis mouse model was constructed. The mouse lungs were harvested and assessed using proteomics, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for pro-inflammatory cytokines. Human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMVECs) were induced with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for the in vitro model. Results. The results showed that HYP treatment attenuated sepsis-induced ALI through an increased survival rate, decreased inflammatory factor expression, and lung tissue apoptosis. At the same time, HYP pretreatment restored angiogenesis in CLP-induced mouse lung tissues. Proteomics detection showed that Atg13 played a vital role in HYP-mediated protection against sepsis-induced ALI. The in vitro experiment showed HYP treatment attenuated LPS-induced HLMVEC damage by regulating Atg13-mediated autophagy. Inhibiting autophagy or silencing Atg13 reversed the protective effect of HYP against sepsis-induced ALI. Conclusion. Taken together, we conclude that HYP attenuated sepsis-induced ALI by regulating autophagy and inhibiting inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hainan gibbons are among the world's most critically endangered primates, with a remaining population of only 35 individuals distributed across 5 social groups in the Bawangling Branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, China. Habitat conversion and forest fragmentation over the past 40 years have reduced their geographical distribution by 95%. In the absence of a quantitative assessment of the availability of remaining suitable habitat, it is unclear whether this species can survive to the end of this century. We used behavioral observations, ArcGIS, remote sensing, stereo optical imagery, and MaxEnt modeling to identify patterns of Hainan gibbon range use and compare changes in the distribution of suitable forest types and areas of forest fragmentation over the past 20 years (2000–2020). The results indicate that the combined range of the 5 extant Hainan gibbon groups totaled 14.89 km2. The home range of the smallest group (Group E, 3 individuals) was 1.51 km2, which likely represents the minimum home range size for this species. The remaining area of highly suitable and moderately suitable habitat totals 26.9 km2. However, habitat connectivity across the gibbon range is very low (less than 0.5), limiting the ability of Hainan gibbons to move between forest patches. The results of this study indicate that the availability of suitable habitat in Bawangling is insufficient to allow for future Hainan gibbon population growth. Therefore, immediate action must be taken to restore, reforest, and establish ecological corridors to reconnect areas of suitable habitat for these critically endangered gibbons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In the past decade, layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have attracted great attention in the field of energy storage owing to their excellent two-dimensional (2D) hydrotalcite-like structure, highly reversible redox kinetics, and adjustable composition. At the same time, nanomaterials constructed by ultrathin nanosheets have enhanced conductivity, rich electrochemical active sites and fast charge transfer channels, showing better electrochemical properties. Herein, we designed three-dimensional (3D) NiFeCo LDH vertical nanosheet arrays (denoted NiFeCo-LDH NA) assembled by the tight interconnection of 2D nanosheets using a Ni-coordinated zeolitic imidazolate framework (Ni-ZIF–L) as a sacrificial template via facile ion exchange and etching reaction processes under hydrothermal conditions. The appropriate doping ratio of iron and cobalt ions is regulated. Electrochemical tests show that the NiFeCo LDH NA-based electrode shows a high specific capacity of 1495C g−1 at 1 A g−1 and has great cycling stability (89% capacitance retention over 10,000 cycles). The assembled hybrid supercapacitor (NiFeCo LDH NA//AC) achieves a fine energy density of 34.4 W h kg−1 at a power density of 935.5 W kg−1 with good cycling stability of over a 96% retention rate (compared with the initial capacitance) and outstanding coulombic efficiency (nearly 99%) after 15,000 cycles. The constructed aqueous Zn-Ni battery (NiFeCo LDH NA//Zn) exhibits a remarkable specific capacity of 272 mA h g−1 at 3 A g−1 with a high energy density of 464.7 W h kg−1 and retains 81% of the initial specific capacity after 2000 cycles at 20 A g−1. This work not only proves that ternary LDHs can be used as good energy storage materials but also provides a new way to prepare nanomaterials with specific morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In the past decade, layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have attracted great attention in the field of energy storage owing to their excellent two-dimensional (2D) hydrotalcite-like structure, highly reversible redox kinetics, and adjustable composition. At the same time, nanomaterials constructed by ultrathin nanosheets have enhanced conductivity, rich electrochemical active sites and fast charge transfer channels, showing better electrochemical properties. Herein, we designed three-dimensional (3D) NiFeCo LDH vertical nanosheet arrays (denoted NiFeCo-LDH NA) assembled by the tight interconnection of 2D nanosheets using a Ni-coordinated zeolitic imidazolate framework (Ni-ZIF–L) as a sacrificial template via facile ion exchange and etching reaction processes under hydrothermal conditions. The appropriate doping ratio of iron and cobalt ions is regulated. Electrochemical tests show that the NiFeCo LDH NA-based electrode shows a high specific capacity of 1495C g−1 at 1 A g−1 and has great cycling stability (89% capacitance retention over 10,000 cycles). The assembled hybrid supercapacitor (NiFeCo LDH NA//AC) achieves a fine energy density of 34.4 W h kg−1 at a power density of 935.5 W kg−1 with good cycling stability of over a 96% retention rate (compared with the initial capacitance) and outstanding coulombic efficiency (nearly 99%) after 15,000 cycles. The constructed aqueous Zn-Ni battery (NiFeCo LDH NA//Zn) exhibits a remarkable specific capacity of 272 mA h g−1 at 3 A g−1 with a high energy density of 464.7 W h kg−1 and retains 81% of the initial specific capacity after 2000 cycles at 20 A g−1. This work not only proves that ternary LDHs can be used as good energy storage materials but also provides a new way to prepare nanomaterials with specific morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop an in vivo model to simulate the complex internal environment of diabetic peri‐implantitis (T2DM‐PI) model for a better understanding of peri‐implantitis in type 2 diabetic patients. Materials and methods: Maxillary first molars were extracted in Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats, and customized cone‐shaped titanium implants were installed in the extraction sites. Thereafter, implants were uncovered and customized abutments were screwed into implants. A high‐fat diet and a low‐dose injection of streptozotocin were utilized to induce T2DM. Finally, LPS was locally injected in implant sulcus to induce peri‐implantitis. Results: In the present study, T2DM‐PI model has been successfully established. Imaging analysis revealed that abundant inflammatory cells infiltrated in the soft tissue in T2DM‐PI group with concomitant excessive secretion of inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, higher expression of MMP and increased number of osteoclasts led to collagen disintegration and bone resorption in T2DM‐PI group. Conclusions: These results describe a novel rat model which stimulate T2DM‐PI in vivo, characterized by overwhelming inflammatory response and bone resorption. This model has a potential to be used for investigation of initiation, progression and interventional therapy of T2DM‐PI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in eastern China, a densely populated region with very high-level PM2.5 pollution, has attracted great concern from the public, government, and scientific community. By taking advantage of advanced statistical methods and a high-resolution PM2.5 dataset, this study explicitly investigated the spatiotemporal changes in PM2.5 in eastern China from 2001 to 2018 at multiple spatial and temporal scales and examined its links with natural and socioeconomic factors to explore their effects on PM2.5 changes. This study found that the PM2.5 concentration in most of eastern China declined recently, while most of the discernable decreasing trends occurred in the southern and western areas of the study domain, and the statistically significant increasing trends were primarily in the North China Plain. The influencing factors analysis found that, among the selected four natural and five anthropogenic factors, temperature, and population density exerted more potent effects than the other influencing factors, and all the influencing factors were found to impose complex effects on the PM2.5 concentration over space and time. Our study draws a complete picture of the changes in PM2.5 and its possible influences, which could guide future actions to mitigate PM2.5 pollution in eastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a pentacyclic triterpenoid compound, Ursolic acid (UA) broads range of biological effects. CXCL12 is a ligand for CXCR4 and CXCR7 proteins on thyroid cancer cells. Here we examined the effects of UA on the proliferation, migration and invasion of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTCs) in a dose-manner. In addition, UA can reduce the expression levels of CXCR4 and CXCR7 in PTCs. In addition to this direct anticancer pathway, studies have shown that UA can play an anticancer role by affecting the secretion of CXCL12 in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). After treated with UA, normal fibroblasts and CAFs culture medium (CM) showed differential CXCL12 expression levels. We prepared fibroblast conditioned medium according to the intervention of UA, then cultured TPC-1 and B-CPAP cells with differential CM, and detected significant differences in the proliferation, migration and invasion of cancer cells. Our findings uncovered an indirect anticancer mechanism of UA. This cancer chemopreventive properties is expected to make UA a clinically useful chemopreventive agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are widely used in street lighting, landscape lighting, liquid crystal display (LCD) backlighting, healthcare, etc. As an important part of LED lighting products, LED driver plays a vital role in maintenance costs reduction, energy saving and lifetime prolongation. In this paper, a single-stage LED driver is proposed, which is integrated by a totem-pole bridgeless power factor correction (PFC) unit and several modular LCL-T resonant rectifiers. The totem-pole bridgeless PFC unit and the LCL-T resonant rectifiers are integrated by sharing switches, which can simplify the circuit and reduce the system cost. The output current can be regulated by applying the variable inductor control. Constant duty cycle and fixed switching frequency operation can be achieved as well. The operating principle and the performance of the proposed converter are analyzed in this paper. In addition, a precise parameter design method is proposed by considering the high-order harmonics. At last, an experimental prototype is established to validate the proposed parameter design and variable inductor control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk of implant failure increases profoundly in patients with pre‐existing conditions (e.g., diabetes). Current therapies adopt a one‐sided focus on the direct antibacterial properties of biomaterials and osteogenesis stimulation. However, in this study it is demonstrated that a "chain armor" structure (Ce‐TA) that mainly targets the regulation of the local pathological microenvironment, provides a novel solution to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) by simulating superoxide dismutase and catalase and significantly improving osteointegration under diabetic conditions. Ce‐TA based on a metal phenolic network biological functional interface is successfully constructed. Ce‐TA, an ultrathin armor structure, is biocompatible and facile. Through in vitro assays it is demonstrated that Ce‐TA reshapes the diabetic microenvironment into a regenerative one in a microenvironment‐responsive manner, where Ce‐TA regulates hypoxia‐inducible factor 1α (HIF‐1α) activity by reducing the level of mitochondrial ROS, and effectively alleviates mitochondrial dysfunction and reprogrammes macrophages to a pro‐healing state. Furthermore, it is confirmed that Ce‐TA shows excellent therapeutic effects on the reducing postoperative infection and enhances osteointegration of intra‐osseous implants in diabetic rat models. The proposed strategy opens up a promising opportunity for repurposing metals with intrinsic enzyme‐like activity for the goal of enhancing the osteointegration of devices with orthopedic and dental applications among diabetic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a disubstitution strategy of metal ions and organic ligands is employed to synthesize metal–organic framework (MOF) nanosheets with a three-dimensional (3D) porous structure and a highly active metal–sulfur (M–S, M = Co and Ni) region. The obtained MOFs//Zn batteries exhibit excellent electrochemical properties and the electrochemical reaction mechanism was elucidated through a series of ex situ characterizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • IR-418, a newly designed hemicyanine-based NIR fluorescent probe, demonstrated effective targeting of melanoma cell mitochondria for NIR imaging. • IR-418′s inhibition of melanoma growth through the promotion of mitochondrial apoptosis (Bax/Bcl-2/Cleaved Caspase pathway). • IR-418 inhibited melanoma metastasis by inhibiting mitochondrial fission through the ERK/DRP1 pathway. Melanoma, a highly metastatic malignant tumour, necessitated early detection and intervention. This study focuses on a hemicyanine fluorescent probe activated by near-infrared (NIR) light for bioimaging and targeted mitochondrial action in melanoma cells. IR-418, our newly designed hemicyanine-based NIR fluorescent probe, demonstrated effective targeting of melanoma cell mitochondria for NIR imaging. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed IR-418′s inhibition of melanoma growth through the promotion of mitochondrial apoptosis (Bax/Bcl-2/Cleaved Caspase pathway). Moreover, IR-418 inhibited melanoma metastasis by inhibiting mitochondrial fission through the ERK/DRP1 pathway. Notably, IR-418 mitigated abnormal ATL and ASL elevations caused by tumours without inflicting significant organ damage, indicating its high biocompatibility. In conclusion, IR-418, a novel hemicyanine-based NIR fluorescent probe targeting the mitochondria, exhibits significant fluorescence imaging capability, anti-melanoma proliferation, anti-melanoma lung metastasis activities and high biosafety. Therefore, it has significant potential in the early diagnosis and treatment of melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PMVO-sls is conducive to electrolyte transport and ion diffusion, making it a competitive electrode material. • Interlayer PME not only acts as an effective interlayer stabilizer, but can be used as a reversible storage site for Zn2+. • PMVO-sls acts as a AZIBs cathode has an reversible capacity of 344 mA h g−1 at 0.2 A/g, and excellent cyclic stability. • PMVO-sls/2.8 M Zn (CF 3 SO 3) 2 + 0.2 M ZnSO 4 /Zn AZIBs has a higher reversible capacity and better cycle stability. Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) have become powerful substitutes for large-scale energy storage because of their high safety and low cost, so the design of high-performance cathode materials has always been a requirement. Layered V x O y is one key type of cathode materials for rechargeable AZBs. Usually, it shows two-dimensional (2D) ion diffusion mechanism through the intercalation/deintercalation of Zn2+ at edge sites, but is plagued by the inert basal planes. Here, polymelamine (PME) was successfully inserted into the layered structure of VO 2 nH 2 O and an organic–inorganic supercrystalline structure (PMVO-sls) with layered structure along the c-axis and ab plane was formed, thus providing additional ion diffusion channels and abundant active sites. The highly efficient and ultrafast 3D Zn2+ intercalation/deintercalation behaviors along both the c-axis and ab plane of VO 2 nH 2 O are realized for the first time in AZIBs. Moreover, PMVO-sls has rich oxygen vacancy (Od) which is beneficial to electrolyte transport and ion diffusion, and it is a very competitive electrode material. Experimental data and density functional theory calculation (DFT) have confirmed that the intercalation of PEM can improve the electronic conductivity of materials and explained the possibility of Zn2+ diffusion through 3D interlayer structural channels. As cathode materials for AZIBs in 3 M Zn (CF 3 SO 3) 2 , PMVO-sls exhibited an ideal reversible capacity of 344 mA h g−1 at 0.2 A g−1, and excellent cyclic stability (121 mA h g−1 retained after 4,500 cycles at 10 A g−1, a retention rate of 93%). Furthermore, in PMVO-sls/2.8 M Zn (CF 3 SO 3) 2 + 0.2 M ZnSO 4 /Zn AZIBs, PMVO-sls has a higher reversible capacity with an reversible capacity of 392.1 mA h g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 and better cyclic stability (180 mA h g−1 retained after 6,000 cycles at 10 A g−1, a retention rate of 90%). This method can provide a new way for the synthesis of high quality cathode materials for AZIBs and other metal ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GRAPH Corrected figure for original Figure S17. GRAPH Corrected figure of original Figure 2d. Safeguarding Osteointegration in Diabetic Patients: A Potent "Chain Armor" Coating for Scavenging ROS and Macrophage Reprogramming in a Microenvironment-Responsive Manner. [Extracted from the article]

Aims: The ecological roles of dinitrogen-fixing plants (N2-fixers) in the early stage of primary succession remain unclear. We aimed to examine the effects of pioneer N2-fixers on the resource status and establishment of neighboring non-N2-fixing plants (non-fixers) in a newly formed glacier floodplain, eastern Tibetan Plateau. Methods: We set up three plots in the floodplain and assessed the abundance, height, and coverage of two N2-fixing and three non-fixing species. We also collected plant and soil samples for the analyses of nutrient status and stable isotope signatures. Results: The two N2-fixing species acquired > 80% of the nitrogen (N) from N2 fixation. The cushion-forming N2-fixer Astragalus mahoshanicus increased the soil nutrient availability compared with the non-fixers and improved the microclimate beneath the cushions. Natural 15N abundance indicated significant transfer of N from A. mahoshanicus to its neighboring non-fixers. Consequently, the neighboring non-fixers were significantly higher in N concentration, above-ground to below-ground biomass ratio and height and density than the non-fixers growing alone, but more deficient in some rock-derived nutrients. The other N2-fixer Hippophae rhamnoides (in seedling stage) generally did not increase the resource availability, and its neighboring non-fixers were similar in height and lower in density than the non-fixers growing alone. Conclusions: The effects of pioneer N2-fixers on the resource status and establishment of neighboring non-fixers in the subalpine floodplain were species dependent and were related to the life history traits of the N2-fixers. A. mahoshanicus has the potential to be used in the restoration of newly exposed land in subalpine regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple output LED drivers are necessary to achieve better performance and higher reliability in street lighting, tunnel lighting and LCD background lighting applications. Based on LCL-T constant-current characteristics, a modular multiple output LED driver is proposed in this paper. The LCL-T rectifiers are connected to the same voltage bus and work like current sources. However, since there are much higher voltage harmonics in the AC square bus voltage, it is very important to quantitatively analyze how these harmonics influence the precision of the output currents. In addition, all of the switches can achieve Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) by proper design of the LCL-T network. Finally, a 200-W prototype with five channels is established with an efficiency of 92.25%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of vacant doping samples of La0.65−xCa0.35MnO3 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) were prepared by sol-gel method. XRD analysis results show that all samples are a single-phase perovskite structure; XRD refinement demonstrates that La0.50Ca0.35MnO3 is a single phase with the space group Pbnm. When x = 0.15, the variation of magnetization versus temperature in a magnetic applied field of the sample indicates that La0.5Ca0.35MnO3 is converted from a ferromagnetic phase to a paramagnetic phase. The Curie temperature (Tc) of the sample increases with the concentration of vacancy doping. The value of Tc increases from 209.5 to 242.1 K when x increases from 0 to 0.15. The Arrott plot indicates that the phase transition occurring in the sample is a secondary phase transition. When x = 0.15, the Curie temperature of the sample reaches 242.1 K; when the magnetic field variation is equal to 5 T, the maximum magnetic entropy changes (− ΔSM) of the sample become 1.77 J kg−1 K−1 and the relative cooling capacity (RCP) is 95.58 J•kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral organic‐inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) exhibit exceptional optical and chiral properties, demonstrating potential for 3D display, circularly polarized light‐emitting diodes (CP‐LEDs), and CPL switches. However, the construction of chiral OIHPs often relies on chiral building blocks, limiting chemical diversity, and possessing challenges in achieving large asymmetry factor (glum) without sacrificing photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Here, Chiral DMA4In1‐xSbxCl7 (DMA = dimethylammonium, x = 0 to 1) with superior circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) are successfully constructed based on achiral building blocks DMA+ and metal halides. By optimizing the Sb3+ content, bright white emission with a high PLQY of 69.13% is achieved, as well as near‐unity PLQY yellow emission and strong CPL signals with a glum of up to +1.40 × 10−2, exhibiting a performance comparable to state‐of‐the‐art chiral OIHPs. Combining optical characterizations and theoretical calculations reveal that these intriguing properties originate from the intrinsic chiral helical structures and a pair of perfect complementary color emissions in DMA4In1‐xSbxCl7. In addition, DMA4In1‐xSbxCl7 exhibit excellent thermal stability and mild thermal quenching in the temperature range of 300 to 420 K. These fascinating properties suggest that DMA4In1‐xSbxCl7 have significant applications in white light‐emitting diodes (WLED), 3D displays and anti‐counterfeiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of bimetallic cobalt-based MOF nanosheets were successfully prepared through simple hydrothermal progress, which shows superior performance for aqueous rechargeable cobalt-zinc batteries. [Display omitted] Aqueous rechargeable Zn-based batteries (ARZBs) have attracted increasing attention as favorable candidates for energy storage systems due to their high security, environmental friendliness, and abundance of electrode materials. At present, the most widely reported materials used in cobalt-zinc (Co-Zn) batteries are cobalt-based oxides and their derivatives, however, they still exhibit low actual capacities and unsatisfactory cycle lives. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as a new class of porous materials with high specific surface area and adjustable pore size, have attracted considerable attention in the field of energy storage. Currently, pristine MOFs have currently few applications in Co-Zn batteries, and their performance is not ideal. Herein, we report a series of two-dimensional (2D) bimetallic CoM-MOF (M = Ni, Mn, Mg and Cu) nanosheets based on trimesic acid (H 3 BTC) ligand as cathodes for alkaline Co-Zn batteries via a simple one-pot hydrothermal synthesis. Among the synthesized MOFs, the CoNi-MOF nanosheets have the best performance, exhibiting a high reversible capacity of 344 mA h g−1 and demonstrating a good cycling life with 90 % capacity retention at 20 A g−1 after 1500 cycles. The energy storage mechanism is studied through a series of ex-situ characterizations. This study is of great importance in advancing the application of 2D pristine MOFs for high-performance Co-Zn batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2) is crucial for achieving carbon neutrality and safeguarding planetary well-being. Satellite-based carbon monitoring is increasingly instrumental in studying atmospheric CO 2 changes, offering a broad spatial view. However, current research lacks a comprehensive exploration of both day-to-day variations in atmospheric CO 2 at a finer-resolution grid and its coupled relationship with particulate pollution, owing to a substantial number of missing values in satellite-retrieved CO 2 data. To address these issues, this study presents an enhanced regression-based machine learning model, reconstructing full-coverage daily atmospheric CO 2 concentrations in China from 2015 to 2020 at a 0.01° spatial resolution. Utilizing spatiotemporal high-resolution column-averaged dry-air mole fraction of CO 2 (XCO 2) data from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) as the dependent variable and multi-source environmental factors as independent variables, we achieved overall, spatial, and temporal cross-validation R2 [RMSE] results of 0.98 [0.74 ppm], 0.95 [1.15 ppm], and 0.93 [1.44 ppm], respectively. The resulting full-coverage estimates revealed significant spatial heterogeneity over time, with the highest CO 2 levels primarily in spring in the North China Plain, and the lowest in summer in northern China and autumn in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the south. National weekend averages of mean symmetrized residuals in XCO 2 surpassed weekday averages. Within megacities such as Shanghai and Wuhan, industry-intensive areas exhibited higher XCO 2 values compared to other urban areas within the same cities. Despite spatial and seasonal fluctuations, the country-average XCO 2 increased from 2015 to 2020 but has decelerated recently. A moderate correlation was observed between the spatial pattern of long-term CO 2 concentrations and particulate aerosols, viewed from the total atmospheric column perspective, with some regional discrepancies. The present modeling method advances carbon monitoring techniques, and the predictive data foster an enriched understanding of the carbon cycle, climate change, and sustainable development. • A full-coverage dataset of daily 1-km atmospheric CO 2 from 2015 to 2020 is generated. • The resulting dataset achieves high modeling accuracy (CV R2 = 0.98, RMSE = 0.74 ppm). • Atmospheric CO 2 varies significantly within and between cities, with seasonal fluctuations. • The national CO 2 increased but with spatial, seasonal, and interannual fluctuations. • Atmospheric CO 2 is correlated well with aerosol loads but varies by seasons and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the availability of numerous satellite-based machine-learning methods for supplementing air quality monitoring data, models estimating ground-level PM 2.5 concentrations have proven unsatisfactory at a daily scale during periods without PM 2.5 observations, with validated R2 values for daily estimates in the literature typically below 0.55. In this study, we introduce a novel ensemble learning-based hindcast modeling method that incorporates information on predictors in periods without PM 2.5 observations into the modeling process to enhance the reliability of daily estimates for those unmonitored historical years. Our proposed method constructs the annually varying relationship between PM 2.5 and the predictors during periods without PM 2.5 observations, differing from previous hindcast modeling procedures where the PM 2.5 -predictors relationship established was assumed to be the same between periods with and without PM 2.5 observations. Using PM 2.5 heavily polluted northern China from 2013 to 2020 as an example, our history-informed machine-learning hindcast model outperformed the state-of-the-art method by a large margin, improving the leave-one-year-out cross-validation (CV) R2 [ root-mean-square error (RMSE)] from 0.56 [34.66 μg/m3] to 0.63 [31.79 μg/m3] a daily scale, while achieving a comparable sample-based 10-fold CV R2 [(RMSE] of 0.90 [16.85 μg/m3]. In addition, incorporating satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD) into the hindcast modeling further improved the historical PM 2.5 -predictors relationship and provided more reliable estimates during periods without PM 2.5 observations, increasing the leave-one-year-out CV R2 [RMSE] from 0.61 [30.31 μg/m3] for the model without AOD to 0.65 [28.56 μg/m3]. Consequently, our proposed hindcast modeling framework enables the production of more reliable PM 2.5 estimates during periods without PM 2.5 observations and holds promise for application to other regions and air pollutants with longer predictor data compared to the response variable data. • Enhanced the reliability of satellite-based PM 2.5 estimates in years without PM 2.5 observations. • The proposed model incorporated information on predictors in those unobserved years. • The proposed method outperformed the state-of-the-art method by a large margin. • Filling AOD gaps is recommended for PM 2.5 modeling in periods without PM 2.5 observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Novel Cu/Al 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 composite catalyst was developed for the catalytic hydrogenation of levulinic acid (LA) to γ- valerolactone (GVL) in water. By increasing Al 2 O 3 content of the Cu/Al 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 composite up to 5.0 wt% resulted in a nearly 3-fold increase in activity, without loss of selectivity towards GVL. This superior catalytic activity can be attributed to the dilution of Cu by Al 2 O 3 as well as the enhanced electronic interaction between Cu and ZrO 2 compared to Cu/ZrO 2 catalyst. Reusability test for four consecutive runs showed a stable activity and selectivity, thus confirming the scope for practical application. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • The 32.3 wt% Cu/5%Al 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 exhibits nearly 3-fold better activity than 34 wt% Cu/ZrO 2. • 100% selectivity to γ-valerolactone remained over the 32.3 wt% Cu/5%Al 2 O 3 - ZrO 2. • The composite showed favor recovery and cyclic utilization properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract With China's rapid economic growth, particle pollution, especially fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), which is known to have adverse health impacts, has become an increasingly serious issue. Satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD), an important physical property of aerosol particles, can serve as a proxy for investigating particle pollution because it can provide observations with comprehensive spatial and temporal coverage compared with ground-level measurements. This study used an improved 14-year high-resolution AOD dataset to examine the spatial characteristics and temporal dynamics of the dominant pollutants in China from 2003 to 2016 using advanced statistical methods. The improved AOD dataset combines the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 3-km dark target AOD and 10-km deep blue AOD datasets, which enables a comparison of aerosol loading between eastern and western China. Pixel-based analysis indicates a significant difference between eastern and western China: high AOD values were generally observed in the east with a notable decrease, while low aerosol loadings were found in western China with no distinct change. The most particle polluted areas were the North China Plain, Hubei-Hunan region, Sichuan Basin, and Guangxi-Guangdong region in eastern China and western Qinghai and Tarim Basin in western China, with changes in the national AOD average center shifting to the northwest from 2013 to 2016. The impact factor analysis based on geographically weighted regression indicates that the effect of topography on the spatial characteristics of AOD is negative and more important in eastern China, which has low elevations. Built-up areas significantly exacerbate air pollution in the areas between eastern and western China, and there is no apparent AOD–vegetation relation dominates the country. This study thus provides a comprehensive understanding of the spatiotemporal variations of particle concentrations and can facilitate environmental management, policies to alleviate particle pollution, and health risk assessment studies. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Significant decrease in AOD was mainly occurred in eastern China from 2003 to 2016. • No distinct change was found in areas west of Heihe-Tengchong Line. • The national average center of AOD shifted to the northwest from 2003 to 2016. • The effects of landscape factors on AOD vary with different surface settings. • Topography predominates the spatial variation of aerosol loading in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single-stage high-frequency resonant ac/ac converter converts the ac-line input voltage into the high-frequency sinusoidal output voltage, which consists of two power conversion units, i.e., a power factor correction (PFC) unit and a high-frequency resonant dc/ac unit, and it can be used to derive a modular multichannel constant current LED driver. By adopting a totem-pole bridgeless PFC boost rectifier to reduce conduction losses, a single-stage bridgeless high-frequency resonant ac/ac converter is proposed in this paper. The operating principle is described, and the performance analysis is presented in detail. Moreover, the quantitative parameter design method of the main circuit is presented, which is suitable for other single-stage ac input converters, such as a single-stage PFC rectifier. Finally, a 130-W prototype has been built and tested to verify the correction of related theoretical analysis and parameter design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring long-term variations in fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) is essential for environmental management and epidemiological studies. While satellite-based statistical/machine-learning methods can be used for estimating high-resolution ground-level PM 2.5 concentration data, their applications have been hindered by limited accuracy in daily estimates during years without PM 2.5 measurements and massive missing values due to satellite retrieval data. To address these issues, we developed a new spatiotemporal high-resolution PM 2.5 hindcast modeling framework to generate the full-coverage, daily, 1-km PM 2.5 data for China for the period 2000–2020 with improved accuracy. Our modeling framework incorporated information on changes in observation variables between periods with and without monitoring data and filled gaps in PM 2.5 estimates induced by satellite data using imputed high-resolution aerosol data. Compared to previous hindcast studies, our method achieved superior overall cross-validation (CV) R2 and root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 0.90 and 12.94 μg/m3 and significantly improved the model performance in years without PM 2.5 measurements, raising the leave-one-year-out CV R2 [RMSE] to 0.83 [12.10 μg/m3] at a monthly scale (0.65 [23.29 μg/m3] at a daily scale). Our long-term PM 2.5 estimates show a sharp decline in PM 2.5 exposure in recent years, but the national exposure level in 2020 still exceeded the first annual interim target of the 2021 World Health Organization air quality guidelines. The proposed hindcast framework represents a new strategy to improve air quality hindcast modeling and can be applied to other regions with limited air quality monitoring periods. These high-quality estimates can support both long- and short-term scientific research and environmental management of PM 2.5 in China. • We present a daily 1-km prediction result of PM 2.5 concentration across China in 2000–2020. • Our method built models that vary each year during the period without PM 2.5 observations. • Our proposed method shows superior accuracy and full coverage in pre-2013 estimates. • PM 2.5 exposure in recent years declined across China, with seasonal and regional variations. • The resultant estimates can supplement PM 2.5 monitoring data and aid relevant health studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the non-stationarity and autocorrelation (with a Moran’s I index score of 0.75) of the MODIS-retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) of the Wuhan agglomeration (WHA) in Central China, using geographically weighted regression (GWR) to identify the spatial relationships between AOD and its impact factors. In addition to the socio-economic factors, i.e., GDP and population, vegetation cover, elevation, land-use density and landscape metrics are also considered. Faced with the rapid process of urbanization and the impact of land-use change on AOD, which has been confirmed in previous studies, we propose an AOD prediction method, combining a land-use change simulation model, a cellular automata and Markov chain (CA-Markov) model, and spatial relationships built by GWR to represent the spatial distribution of AOD in 2030. The results suggest that the GWR model is able to address the spatially varying relationships, with an R-squared value, corrected Akaike’s information criterion (AICc), and standard residual better than those of the ordinary least squares (OLS) model. Land-use simulation, with an accuracy of 89.76%, indicates that an increase in the built-up area and a decrease in the forest area will be the major trends of land-use change and will lead to increased AOD. The AOD simulation results indicate that the most developed areas, i.e., the cities of Wuhan and Huangshi, will be the AOD increase hot spots in the WHA. This study provides an alternative method to identify the varying spatial relationships between AOD and its impact factors. A spatial prediction method for AOD is developed from the perspective of land-use change, which will help land-use planners in decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind speed forecasting is important for high-efficiency utilization of wind energy. Correspondingly, numerous researchers have always focused on the development of reliable forecasting models of wind speed, which is often noisy, unstable and irregular. Current approaches could adapt to various wind speed data. However, many of these usually ignore the importance of the selection of the modeling sample, which often results in poor forecasting performance. In this study, a hybrid forecasting system is proposed that contains three modules: data preprocessing, data clustering, and forecasting modules. In this system, the decomposing technique is applied to reduce the influence of noise within the raw data series to obtain a more stable sequence that is conducive to extract traits from the original data. To extract the characteristic of similarity within wind speed data, a kernel-based fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm is used in data clustering module. In the forecasting module, a sample with a highly similar fluctuation pattern is selected as training dataset, and which could reduce the training requirement of model to improve the forecasting accuracy. The experimental results indicate that the developed system outperforms the discussed traditional forecasting models with respect to forecasting accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polyaniline/sulfonated graphene (PANI/SG) nanostructure was synthesized as electrode material for an asymmetric supercapacitor via a novel in situ chemical oxidative polymerization method including two oxidants. The composite’s structure and morphology were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. Furthermore, the electrochemical performances of the composite were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques in detail. In addition, we have triumphantly manufactured an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) employing activated carbon (AC) and PANI/SG as the positive and negative electrodes, respectively. The ASC possessed an extended potential window (1.4 V), a remarkable cycling property (85.9% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles), and a satisfactory average energy and power density (23 Wh/kg and 6.1 kW/kg). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of satellite-retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) data and statistical modeling provides a promising approach to estimating PM 2.5 concentrations for a large region. However, few studies have conducted high spatial resolution assessments of ground-level PM 2.5 for China at the national scale, due to the limitations of high-resolution AOD products. To generate high-resolution PM 2.5 for the entirety of mainland China, a combined 3 km AOD dataset was produced by blending the newly released 3 km-resolution Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Dark Target AOD data with the 10 km-resolution MODIS Deep Blue AOD data. Using this dataset, surface PM 2.5 measurements, and ancillary information, a space-time regression model that is an improved geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) with an interior point algorithm (IPA)-based efficient mechanism for selecting optimal parameter values, was developed to estimate a large set of daily PM 2.5 concentrations. Comparisons with the popular spatiotemporal models (daily geographically weighted regression and two-stage model) indicated that the proposed GTWR model, with an R 2 of 0.80 in cross-validation (CV), performs notably better than the two other models, which have an R 2 in CV of 0.71 and 0.72, respectively. The use of the combined 3-km high resolution AOD data was found not only to present detailed particle gradients, but also to enhance model performance (CV R 2 is only 0.32 for the non-combined AOD data). Furthermore, the GTWR's ability to predict PM 2.5 for days without PM 2.5 -AOD paired samples and to generate historical PM 2.5 estimates was demonstrated. As a result, fine-scale PM 2.5 maps over China were generated, and several PM 2.5 hotspots were identified. Therefore, it becomes possible to generate daily high-resolution PM 2.5 estimates over a large area using GTWR, due to its synergy of spatial and temporal dimensions in the data and its ability to extend the temporal coverage of PM 2.5 observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

rRNA operon (rrn) copy number is a functional trait that reflects the ecological strategies of bacteria. Here, we estimated the average rrn copy number of soil bacterial communities in postglacial ecosystems of Mount Gongga using the 16S rRNA gene sequencing data and the ancestral trait reconstruction method. We found that the community rrn copy number decreased with soil depth and ecosystem succession. More than 90 % of the variations were explained by soil pH and resource availability, indicating that this trait was under strong selection pressure of environmental factors. Thus, community rrn copy number may reveal the changes in bacterial community from the perspective of adaptive strategies, which is a complement to the taxonomic approach. • Community rRNA operon (rrn) copy number of soil bacteria decreased with soil depth and ecosystem succession. • Soil pH and resource availability explained >90 % of the variation in community rrn copy number. • Community rrn copy number revealed the changes in bacterial community from the perspective of adaptive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently released Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) Collection 6 introduced a fine scale aerosol optical depth (AOD) distribution, the 3 km product, which is expected to perform well in analyzing aerosols and identifying local air pollution, especially in the severely polluted atmosphere of China. However, few detailed evaluations of regional variations have been conducted. In this paper, we evaluate MODIS 3 km and 10 km AOD products for China against ground-based measurements and compare their performance with respect to spatial and temporal variations. The ground validations indicate that the two products are generally correlated well to ground-based observations. Spatially, the 3 km product slightly outperform the 10 km product in well-developed areas of southern China. Temporally, both products perform worse during spring and summer. Atmospheric clouds and underlying surface are two key factors that influence the accuracy and number of retrievals for both products. The comparison analysis reveals the newly introduced AOD product clearly shows good relationships with the coarse resolution retrievals in spatial and temporal variation but significant differences regarding details. The 3 km AOD product provides better aerosol gradients, more retrievals in bare areas of western China and some spikes of diurnal variation in cloudy days. Seasonal comparisons show the 3 km AOD product is higher than the 10 km product in all seasons, especially during spring and summer. Although the 3 km product for China generally performs slightly worse than the 10 km product, the added information of the MODIS 3 km AOD product shows potential for studying local aerosol characterization, and may facilitate studies of air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanobody, a single domain antibody, has been shown a great promise for immunoassay (IA) applications. To improve the panning efficiency so as to obtain a valuable nanobody, anti-carrier protein phages in a phage display library were depleted to enhance the selection of nanobodies against the herbicide atrazine by using immunomagnetic beads conjugated with bovine serum albumin (IMB-BSA). The depletion of anti-carrier protein phages from the atrazine phage display library tripled the number of atrazine positive phage clones after four rounds of panning. One of the most sensitive phage clones Nb3 selected from the IMB-BSA depleted library was used to compare the performance with the monoclonal antibody (mAb 5D9) developed from the same immunogen. The Nb3-based IA exhibited similar specificity with the mAb 5D9-based IA, but greater thermostability and organic solvent tolerance. The half-maximum inhibition concentration (IC 50) of the former was 3.5-fold greater than that of the latter (36.7 ng/mL versus 10.2 ng/mL). Because the Nb3-based IA was more robust than the mAb 5D9-based IA, the method detection limit of the two assays was 7.8 ng/mL of atrazine in river samples. The depletion strategy can increase the chance to acquire high quality nanobody and can be applicable for effective development of nanobodies against other small molecules. Schematic of the atrazine nanobody panning process and monoclonal antibody preparation process. The depletion of anti-carrier protein phages from the atrazine phage display library tripled the number of atrazine positive phage clones after four rounds of panning. [Display omitted] • Depletion of anti-carrier protein phages from the library to enhance the selection of nanobodies against atrazine. • Performance comparison between the nanobody and monoclonal antibody against the same immunogen. • Adding salts into phosphate-buffered water samples to reduce matrix interference of ELISAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating spatiotemporal variations of atmospheric aerosols is important for climate change and environmental research. Although satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieved by the MAIAC (Multiangle Implementation of Atmospheric Correct) algorithm provides a unique opportunity to represent global aerosol loading with high spatiotemporal resolution, accurate assessment of long-term aerosol loading countrywide is still challenging due to its non-random missingness. This study aimed to develop an adaptive spatiotemporal high-resolution imputation modeling framework for AOD that incorporates random forest models and multisource data (the simulated AOD, meteorological, and surface condition data) to support full-coverage long- and short-term aerosol studies in China. Aided by the time-stratified approach, the imputation model was constructed for each day, and the MAIAC AOD was used as the target variable. The proposed approach could effectively capture the massive spatiotemporal variability in a large amount of data and deliver full-coverage AODs with high accuracies at a daily timescale (i.e., overall validation R2 against ground-level AOD measurements of 0.77). We then employed the proposed approach to impute the daily MAIAC retrieved AOD towards complete coverage for China for 2003–2020. Due to the complete coverage, the spatial pattern of monthly/seasonal/yearly mean AOD imputations has better representativeness than that of original MAIAC retrievals. Comparison analysis shows that the monthly/seasonal/yearly aerosol loading over most of China tends to be underestimated by temporal aggregates of original satellite-retrieved AODs. Such underestimation is particularly severe in summer and over the North China Plain (the amount of underestimation >0.2). Consequently, our full-coverage AOD imputations can advance scientific research and environmental management by supporting national and local complete pictures of both short-term episodes and long-term trends in atmospheric aerosols. • Generated a daily 1-km AOD dataset with full coverage over 2003–2020 across China. • Designed an adaptive method to efficiently tune hyperparameters for massive data. • Imputations are well correlated with MAIAC retrieved and ground measured AODs. • Time-aggregated satellite AOD values tend to underestimate long-term aerosol loading. • Our imputations can support long−/short-term atmospheric studies across China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment; however, the understanding of this association is incomplete. We aimed to explore the relationship between fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) exposure and cognitive function using a prospective cohort of ageing adults, including 19,389 respondents in four waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, 2011–2018) linked with the historical PM 2.5 concentrations (2000–2018) in China. By extending the measurement of PM 2.5 exposure from exposure intensity (averaged PM 2.5 concentrations) to exposure duration (the number of months with higher PM 2.5 concentrations), we employed two linear models, the fixed-effect and mixed-effect linear models, to estimate the associations between PM 2.5 exposure and cognitive impairment, with adjustments for individual and regional covariates. Our findings show that the higher PM 2.5 intensity was associated with worse cognitive function, but the associations were only statistically significant in a longer exposure period (more than one year), especially in the 10-year exposure (Coefficient: −0.13; 95% Confidence Interval: −0.22, −0.04). Similar patterns were seen for fully adjusted models of PM 2.5 duration: a longer duration in PM 2.5 exposure was associated with lower cognitive scores, and the duration with higher cut-off points had stronger effects on cognitive function except for the duration at 75 μ g /m3, suggesting a possible coincidence of increasing air pollution and economic development. The stronger exposure to PM 2.5 was associated with poorer cognitive function among Chinese adults, while more work is necessary to explore the causal effect of air pollution, independent of individual and contextual background characteristics. • The measure of exposure to air pollution extends beyond exposure intensity to duration. • Both intensity and duration of exposure to PM 2.5 are associated with cognitive function. • There is a possible coincidence of increasing air pollution and economic development. • Cumulative PM 2.5 exposure might not hasten cognitive impairment across ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air quality in China, especially the concentration of particles suspended in the atmosphere, is increasingly affecting the country's climate, the health of communities and even policy-makers. Satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) data provide an alternative means of analysing fine-scale aerosol variations over the entire of China, thus overcoming the limitations of the sparse network of ground-level measurements. This study used moderate resolution imaging spectrometer data at 550 nm to investigate the variation in and factors affecting AOD over a 3-km grid for the entire of China, and five typical regions in particular. Spatial and temporal data from 2002 onwards were used. The high aerosol loadings were usually located in the economically and industrially developed areas of eastern and southern China, especially over the five typical regions, whereas the low aerosol loadings were located in the rural and less developed areas of western and northeastern China. A notable transition dominated the long-term overall trend in the AOD: an upward tendency (+0.0003) pre-2008 followed by a downward tendency (−0.0005) post-2008. The seasonally averaged AOD reached its maximum in spring (AOD of about 0.41), followed by summer (0.37), winter (0.34) and autumn (0.26). AOD was negatively associated with terrain and positively associated with socio-economic activities over the entire country, consistent with the regional correlations. However, the effect of vegetation on AOD exhibited large spatial and temporal heterogeneity, as indicated by the weak relationship between AOD and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. The multiple linear regression results indicated that of the 10 indices, elevation and population were the main factors influencing aerosol variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling is often aberrantly activated in tumor cells and required for tumor growth. The internalization of Wnt co-receptor low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6) induced by Wnt ligands is commonly thought to be critical for Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation. However, in contrast to theses previous studies, we here show that persistent excessive stimulation with a canonical Wnt ligand Wnt3a could induce a long-term decreased expression level of membrane LRP6, which prevented nuclear β-catenin accumulation and tumor cell;proliferation. Importantly, Wnt3a was robustly upregulated following serum deprivation. The upregulated Wnt3a under serum deprivation was responsible for LRP6 internalization, decreased accumulation of nuclear β-catenin, and further inhibition of tumor cell proliferation. It has well been known that insufficient blood supply during tumor development occurs frequently, causing a worsening environment for tumor growth. Therefore, these results reveal a novel inhibitory role of Wnt3a on canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling and cancer cell proliferation when there is an insufficient blood supply during tumor development, which might be a potential mechanism for tumor evasion within a worsening environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The risk for recurrence and metastasis after treatment for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) is high. Therefore, identifying efficient prognostic markers and novel therapeutic targets is urgently needed. Several long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be correlated with UCB progression. In this study, we found that the subtype-specific lncRNA MIR4435-2 host gene (MIR4435-2HG) plays a novel oncogenic role in UCB. Methods: RNA-Seq data of TCGA/BLCA were analyzed. The expression of MIR4435-2HG was measured by qRT-PCR in 16 pairs of bladder cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues. The clinical relecance of MIR4435-2HG was validated via in situ hybridization performed on an in-house cohort of 116 UCB patient samples. RNA pull-down followed by mass spectrometry was performed to identify MIR4435-2HG-binding proteins. To identify signaling pathways involved in MIR4435-2HG activity, comprehensive in vitro and in vivo studies and RNA-Seq assays were performed using UCB cells in which MIR4435-2HG expression was knocked down or exogenously overexpressed. In addition, we performed RNA immunoprecipitation and Western blot analyses to validate the identified MIR4435-2HG-binding proteins and to determine the molecular mechanisms by which MIR4435-2HG promotes UCB progression. Results: We found that MIR4435-2HG was significantly upregulated in the stromal-enriched subtype of UCB. Increased MIR4435-2HG expression was positively correlated with a high histological grade, advanced T stages, larger tumors, lymph node metastasis and a poor prognosis. In vitro experiments revealed that MIR4435-2HG expression silencing suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Inhibition of MIR4434-2HG delayed xenograft tumor growth, while MIR4435-2HG overexpression reversed the MIR4435-2HG silencing-induced inhibition of UCB tumor phenotype acquisition. Mechanistically, we found that MIR4435-2HG positively regulated the expression of a variety of cell cycle regulators, including BRCA2 and CCND1. Knocking down MIR4435-2HG increased the sensitivity of tumor cells to the VEGFR inhibitor cediranib. Furthermore, we found that MIR4435-2HG regulated mTOR signaling and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling pathways by modulating the phosphorylation of mTOR, 70S6K and 4EBP1. Finally, we confirmed that MIR4435-2HG enhances tumor metastasis through regulation of the EMT pathway. Conclusions: Our data indicate that upregulated MIR4435-2HG expression levels are significantly correlated with a poor prognosis of UCB patients. MIR4435-2HG promotes bladder cancer progression, mediates cell cycle (de)regulation and modulates mTOR signaling. MIR4435-2HG is an oncogenic lncRNA in UCB that may serve as a diagnostic and therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report presents the case of a 54-year-old woman with a collision tumour of malignant melanoma and medullary thyroid carcinoma in the thyroid. Twenty four of 25 neck lymph nodes contained metastatic melanoma, with the rest having both metastatic melanoma and medullary carcinoma. Systemic chemotherapy was administered for the malignant melanoma, and a complete response was thus obtained. However, just after having the chemotherapy, multiple lung and brain metastases emerged. The simultaneous occurrence of malignant melanoma and medullary carcinoma in the same thyroid has not been previously reported in the literature. Collision tumour of malignant melanoma and medullary carcinoma of the thyroid might imply bad prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glomerulonephritis is a key factor in leading to end-stage renal disease. Mesangial cell proliferation and macrophage infiltration are two prominent features linked in a vicious circle mechanism for glomerulonephritis progression. Herein, a novel biomimetic pH-sensitive nanomicelle (MM/HA-DXM) was constructed to synergize hyaluronic acid (HA)-activated macrophage phenotypic remodeling and dexamethasone (DXM)-mediated mesangial cell killing for precise treatment of glomerulonephritis. Owing to the camouflaged coating with endogenous macrophage membrane (MM), MM/HA-DXM could escape from RES phagocytosis and then be recruited to inflammatory glomerulus by active homing effect. Afterwards, HA-DXM nanomicelles ruptured in response to the weakly acidic glomerulonephritis microenvironment, to locally release HA and DXM. On the one hand, DXM can inhibit the abnormal proliferation of mesangial cells. On the other hand, HA transformed pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages into anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype to improve the glomerular inflammatory microenvironment. In doxorubicin-induced glomerulonephritis models, results revealed that MM/HA-DXM could specifically "homing" to inflammatory renal tissue with 4.33-fold improvement in targeting performance. In addition, in vivo pharmacodynamic results proved that after treatment with MM/HA-DXM, the proteinuria level decreased to 2.33 times, as compared with that of control group, demonstrating a superior therapeutic effect on glomerulonephritis via this collaborative two-pronged anti-inflammatory therapy strategy. [Display omitted] • MM/HA-DXM can actively "homing" to inflammatory glomerulus. • Weakly acidic microenvironment triggered dissociation of MM/HA-DXM to release DXM and HA in situ. • DXM and HA can synergistically exert glomerulonephritis treatment effect via the "two-pronged" approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Telomere is protected by its G-quadruplex, T-loop structure, telomerase, and binding protein complex. Protein POT1 (protection of telomeres 1) is one subunit of telomere binding protein complex Shelterin. POT1 acts as a regulator of telomerase-dependent telomere length, and it can help telomere to form D-loop structure to stabilize telomere. POT1 protects telomere ends from ATR-dependent DNA damage response as well. Methods: Extensive methods were used, including CD, EMSA, ITC, PCR stop assay, luciferase reporter assay, quantitative real-time PCR, Western blot, chromatin immunoprecipitation (Ch-IP), cloning, expression and purification of proteins. Results: We found a new G-rich 30-base-pair long sequence (P-pot1 G18) located from −165 to −136 base pairs upstream of the translation starting site of protein POT1. This sequence in the promoter region of pot1 gene formed G-quadruplex resulting in down-regulation of pot1 gene transcription. This G-rich sequence is close to a binding site “TCCC” for transcription factor hnRNP K (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K), and its conversion to G-quadruplex prevented the access of hnRNP K to this binding site. The binding of hnRNP K could up-regulate pot1 gene transcription. TMPyP4 (meso-tetra(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphine) has been widely used as G-quadruplex binding ligand, which stabilized the G-quadruplex in vitro and in cellulo, resulting in down-regulation of pot1 gene transcription. Conclusions: This G-quadruplex might become a potentially new drug target for antitumor agents. General significance: Our results first demonstrated that G-quadruplex formation can affect the binding of transcription factor to its nearby binding site, and thus making additional influence to gene transcription. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Traditional unsupervised classification algorithms for remote-sensing images, such ask-means (KM), have been widely used for massive data sets due to their simplicity and high efficiency. However, they do not usually take the interaction between neighbouring pixels into account, but only take individual pixels as the elements for clustering and classification. According to Tobler’s first law of geography, everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things. To make use of the spatial interaction between pixels, the cellular automata method can be employed to improve the accuracy of image classification. In cellular automata theory, the state of a cell at the next moment is determined by its current state and that of its neighbours. In traditional cellular automata methods, which are based on a standard neighbour configuration, even if the influence of neighbouring cells on the central cell is measured, the weights of these influences are the same. Hence, this article proposes an improved cellular automata method for image classification by allowing the cellular automata to diffuse in a geometrical circle, and by measuring the influence of the neighbouring cells using a fuzzy membership function. The proposed classifier was tested with typical Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and high-resolution images. The experiments reveal that the new classifier can achieve better results, in terms of overall accuracy and kappa coefficient, than cellular automata classifier based on Moore type (CAS), KM, and fuzzyc-means. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

[Display omitted] • Spatiotemporal dynamics of PM 2.5 -attributable premature mortality are analyzed. • Contribution of drivers to PM 2.5 -attributable premature mortality is decomposed. • PM 2.5 -attributable premature mortality in central China decreased in recent 6 years. • The mortality reduction is due to baseline IR but weakened by IHD and LC IR changes. • More effort on reducing PM 2.5 together with other actions are strongly recommended. Ambient PM 2.5 was reported to be related to numerous negative health outcomes, leading to adverse public health impacts in many countries such as China. Despite the apparent reduction in PM 2.5 levels over China due to its emission control policies in recent years, the health burdens were not reduced as much as expected. This calls for a comprehensive analysis to explain the reasons behind to provide a useful reference for formulating effective emission control strategies. Taking central China as an example due to its large population and high levels of PM 2.5 , this study quantified the spatiotemporal dynamics of premature mortality associated with PM 2.5 pollution in central China for each year during 2003–2018 and applied a decomposition analysis to dissect the contribution of various driving factors including ambient PM 2.5 level, demographic distribution and baseline incidence rate of four diseases related to air pollution. Results show significant spatiotemporal variations in PM 2.5 -attributed health impact in central China, including Henan, Hubei, and Hunan provinces. Five Henan cities had the largest PM 2.5 -attributable premature mortality (∼8–12 K premature mortalities), while three Hubei cities and one Hebei city had the least chronic PM 2.5 -related all-cause mortality numbers (<1 K mortalities). Throughout the study period, the PM 2.5 -caused premature mortality decreased by 54 K, in which changes in PM 2.5 levels and baseline incidence rates of stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease contributed to the positive effect, whereas demographic changes and baseline incidence rate change of ischemic heart disease and lung cancer brought a countervailing effect. Our findings suggest more dynamic and comprehensive policies and measures that take into account spatiotemporal variations of health burden for effective alleviation of the health impact of PM 2.5 pollution in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing bone tissue engineering strategies aim to achieve minimize surgical trauma, stabilize the injured area, and establish a dynamic osteogenic microenvironment. The cutting‐edge bone glue developed in this study satisfies these criteria. Inspired by the excellent adhesive properties of mussels, herein, a super osteogenic glue (L‐DPZ) that integrates poly(vinyl alcohol), L‐dopa amino acid, and zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 characterized by catechol–metal coordination is used to successfully adhere to hard tissue with a maximum adhesive strength of 10 MPa, which is much higher than those of commercial and previously reported bone glues. The stable hard tissue adhesion also enables it to adhere strongly to luxated or broken teeth, Bio‐Oss (a typical bone graft material), and splice fragments from comminuted fractures of the rabbit femur. Then, it is testified that the L‐DPZ hydrogels exhibit satisfactory biocompatibility, stable degradability, and osteogenic ability in vitro. Moreover, the ability to anchor Bio‐Oss and sustained osteogenesis of L‐DPZ result in satisfactory healing in calvarial bone defect models in rabbits, as observed by increased bone thickness and the ingrowth of new bone tissue. These results are expected to demonstrate solutions to clinical dilemmas such as comminuted bone fracture fixation, bone defect reconstruction, and teeth dislocation replantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a representative composite metal oxide belonging to a perovskite, strontium titanate (SrTiO3) possesses the merits of chemical stability, low toxicity and low cost, endowing it with significant application potentials in environmental remediation, clean energy generation and valuable chemical production from greenhouse gas conversion. However, the pure-phase SrTiO3 suffers from many fatal weaknesses, especially the wide energy bandgap and low photoexcited electron–hole pair separation efficiency, thus limiting its photocatalytic performance and large-scale applications. To address this issue, researchers have made great efforts to modify the electronic and physicochemical structure of SrTiO3. In particular, doping treatments have attracted considerable attention, but some problems still block effective doping, while impropriate doping might worsen the photocatalytic performance of SrTiO3 by introducing the photogenerated hole–electron pair recombination centres. Consequently, many challenges remain for this research topic that is undergoing an intense study. This short review presents the hot spots of appropriate doping treatments of SrTiO3 for photocatalytic performance enhancement over recent years. Different kinds of doping species are systematically discussed. The current problems that remain are summarized and analysed, and the perspectives for the rational doping of SrTiO3 are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]