Search

ABSTRACT Background Objectives Materials and Methods Settings and Sample population Results Conclusions Literature searching is one of the main determinants of a systematic review (SR)'s reliability. Thus, adequate reporting of search strategy is essential for the critical appraisal of SRs and evidence‐based practice.To assess the reporting quality of search strategy among SRs in leading dental specialty journals, and to identify factors associated with quality of reporting.Six leading dental journals with the highest 5‐year impact factors in their respective specialty were included. A hand search was undertaken to identify SRs published between 2017 and 2022. Full texts were reviewed by two authors to identify eligible SRs. Reporting quality was assessed and scored using a modified 15‐item checklist based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses literature search extension (PRISMA‐S). Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were then performed.A total of 152 reviews were included and assessed.As for information sources, only ‘citation searching’ was adequately reported in most reviews 110 (72.4%). Only 23 (15.1%) of the included reviews clearly reported search strategies. Information about peer review was provided in only 10 reviews (6.6%). Only 91 (59.9%) of the included reviews documented the total records clearly. According to multivariable regression analysis, industrial funding (p = 0.012), registration (p = 0.013) and librarian involvement (p = 0.004) were significantly associated with higher reporting quality.The reporting quality of search strategy among SRs in leading dental specialty journals is suboptimal. Researchers, librarians, reviewers and journal editors in dentistry need to be familiar with the PRISMA‐S checklist, and make concerted efforts to improve the reporting of search strategy in SRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel metal–organic framework functionalized with amino and triazole moieties, namely Zn-TDA, has been synthesized. It represents the first example of a MOF-based sensor for highly selective sensing of cellobiose over other saccharides. Furthermore, Zn-TDA was used as a catalyst for the conversion of cellobiose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), achieving an excellent yield of 68.7% within 90 min under mild conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microtubule affinity-regulating kinase 2 (MARK2) contributes to establishing neuronal polarity and developing dendritic spines. Although large-scale sequencing studies have associated MARK2 variants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the clinical features and variant spectrum in affected individuals with MARK2 variants, early developmental phenotypes in mutant human neurons, and the pathogenic mechanism underlying effects on neuronal development have remained unclear. Here, we report 31 individuals with MARK2 variants and presenting with ASD, other neurodevelopmental disorders, and distinctive facial features. Loss-of-function (LoF) variants predominate (81%) in affected individuals, while computational analysis and in vitro expression assay of missense variants supported the effect of MARK2 loss. Using proband-derived and CRISPR-engineered isogenic induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), we show that MARK2 loss leads to early neuronal developmental and functional deficits, including anomalous polarity and dis-organization in neural rosettes, as well as imbalanced proliferation and differentiation in neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Mark2 +/− mice showed abnormal cortical formation and partition and ASD-like behavior. Through the use of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and lithium treatment, we link MARK2 loss to downregulation of the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway and identify lithium as a potential drug for treating MARK2 -associated ASD. [Display omitted] MARK2 plays essential roles in the central nervous system. Here, we demonstrate the association between MARK2 variants, downregulated WNT/β-catenin signaling, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through the study of individuals with ASD and Mark2 +/− mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Location-Based Services (LBSs) rapidly develop, indoor localization technology is garnering significant attention as a critical component. Smartphones have become tools for indoor localization due to their highly integrated sensors, fast-evolving computational capabilities, and widespread user adoption. With the rapid advancement of smartphones, methods for smartphone-based indoor localization have increasingly attracted attention. Although there are reviews on indoor localization, there is still a lack of systematic reviews focused on smartphone-based indoor localization methods. In particular, existing reviews have not systematically analyzed smartphone-based indoor localization methods or considered the combination of smartphone sensor data with prior knowledge of the indoor environment to enhance localization performance. In this study, through systematic retrieval and analysis, the existing research was first categorized into three types to dissect the strengths and weaknesses based on the types of data sources integrated, i.e., single sensor data sources, multi-sensor data fusion, and the combination of spatial context with sensor data. Then, four key issues are discussed and the research gaps in this field are summarized. Finally, a comprehensive conclusion is provided. This paper offers a systematic reference for research and technological applications related to smartphone-based indoor localization methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We incorporate Se into the 3D halide perovskite framework using the zwitterionic ligand: SeCYS (+NH3(CH2)2Se−), which occupies both the X− and A+ sites in the prototypical ABX3 perovskite. The new organoselenide‐halide perovskites: (SeCYS)PbX2 (X=Cl, Br) expand upon the recently discovered organosulfide‐halide perovskites. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and pair distribution function analysis reveal the average structures of the organoselenide‐halide perovskites, whereas the local lead coordination environments and their distributions were probed through solid‐state 77Se and 207Pb NMR, complemented by theoretical simulations. Density functional theory calculations illustrate that the band structures of (SeCYS)PbX2 largely resemble those of their S analogs, with similar band dispersion patterns, yet with a considerable band gap decrease. Optical absorbance measurements indeed show band gaps of 2.07 and 1.86 eV for (SeCYS)PbX2 with X=Cl and Br, respectively. We further demonstrate routes to alloying the halides (Cl, Br) and chalcogenides (S, Se) continuously tuning the band gap from 1.86 to 2.31 eV–straddling the ideal range for tandem solar cells or visible‐light photocatalysis. The comprehensive description of the average and local structures, and how they can fine‐tune the band gap and potential trap states, respectively, establishes the foundation for understanding this new perovskite family, which combines solid‐state and organo‐main‐group chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We incorporate Se into the 3D halide perovskite framework using the zwitterionic ligand: SeCYS (+NH3(CH2)2Se−), which occupies both the X− and A+ sites in the prototypical ABX3 perovskite. The new organoselenide‐halide perovskites: (SeCYS)PbX2 (X=Cl, Br) expand upon the recently discovered organosulfide‐halide perovskites. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and pair distribution function analysis reveal the average structures of the organoselenide‐halide perovskites, whereas the local lead coordination environments and their distributions were probed through solid‐state 77Se and 207Pb NMR, complemented by theoretical simulations. Density functional theory calculations illustrate that the band structures of (SeCYS)PbX2 largely resemble those of their S analogs, with similar band dispersion patterns, yet with a considerable band gap decrease. Optical absorbance measurements indeed show band gaps of 2.07 and 1.86 eV for (SeCYS)PbX2 with X=Cl and Br, respectively. We further demonstrate routes to alloying the halides (Cl, Br) and chalcogenides (S, Se) continuously tuning the band gap from 1.86 to 2.31 eV–straddling the ideal range for tandem solar cells or visible‐light photocatalysis. The comprehensive description of the average and local structures, and how they can fine‐tune the band gap and potential trap states, respectively, establishes the foundation for understanding this new perovskite family, which combines solid‐state and organo‐main‐group chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the feed industry, counterflow coolers are widely used cooling devices. The flow characteristics and pressure loss should be focused on during the design and optimization stages. Due to the complex accumulation of feed particles, it is difficult to accurately analyze the flow field behavior inside the cooler through experiments. Therefore, a detailed study was conducted with a cooler from Buhler using a simulation approach. First of all, the significant influence of the porous jump boundary of flap outlet in the simulation model on the flow field and temperature distribution was revealed. Second, limitations of the Ergun equation in estimating the drag coefficients of the porous medium and the porous jump boundary were explored. Finally, a rapid calculation model for pressure loss was established based on simulation data. Within a wide range of resistance coefficient inputs, the relative error between the model calculation and the corresponding simulation results is very small. Using this model to input a series of resistance coefficients, combined with a small number of overall pressure loss measurements for comparison, the resistance coefficient of the porous medium of the new material can be determined, solving the problem in determining this coefficient through typical measurement experiments at low flow velocity and the lack of effective estimation formulas. This research can provide practical references for improving cooling equipment and enhancing cooler efficiency, and the rapid calculation model can be extended to any fluid machinery containing porous media materials that satisfy Darcy–Forchheimer's law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing body of research on improving health behaviours through future thinking but that in improving eating behaviour remains unclear. Hence, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of time perspective manipulation in improving adult eating behaviours. Articles published from inception through 17 March 2022 were retrieved from eight databases (CINAHL, Embase, ProQuest, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, The Cochrane library, and Web of Science). Meta-analysis was conducted using random effects models with effect sizes reported in Hedges' g. Sixteen experimental studies were included, representing 1,914 participants with mean ages ranging from 20.5 to 44.1 years old and mean baseline BMI of 22.0 kg/m2 to 37.2 kg/m2. The interventions included were episodic future thinking (EFT; n = 12), message framing (n = 2), and varying inter-meal intervals (IMI; n = 2) in improving food choices, food intake and portion size. Two studies reported significant interventional effectiveness for domain-specific EFT while all studies on message framing and IMI reported significant interventional effectiveness. Message framing seemed to be more effective when both temporal distance and valence frames were manipulated. However, the pooled effect sizes of all the interventions did not result in a significant interventional effect (n = 5; g = −0.49; 95% confidence interval (CI) = −1.44, 0.47; p = 0.23; I2=87.2%). More rigorous research is needed to ascertain the effectiveness of manipulating time perspective in improving eating behaviours before such interventions are more widely used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractCompared with conventional solders, nano-silver benefits low-temperature sintering and high-temperature service, perfectly matching the high-temperature operating environment for third-generation semiconductor devices. However, the synthetic cost, complexity of the sintering process and the low connection strength limit its development. This paper describes the physical, chemical reduction and biological methods of synthesizing and compares the advantages and disadvantages of these three methods. The process parameters affecting the sintering process of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are presented in a comprehensive and in-depth manner. Present methods are also introduced to improve the quality of nano-silver joints, such as the adding enhancement, the silver nanostructured films, and a trimodal-Ag paste consisting of silver particles in three sizes: nano, submicron and micron, aiming to break the limitation of the poor quality of nano-silver joints. In addition, this paper provides the first comprehensive summary of the sintering process and sintering mechanism of nano-silver, and introduces the latest results of the study of the sintering mechanism of nano-silver by using the Molecular Dynamics Simulation (MDS) technique. At the end, the advanced applications of nano-silver are shown, thus pointing out the direction for the further development and applications of nano-silver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how monitoring influences reseller slackness. We try to answer the following: (1) How do monitoring (behavior monitoring and output monitoring affect reseller slackness? (2) What is the mechanism by which monitoring affects reseller slackness? Methodology/approach: The study proposed a theoretical framework using behavior monitoring, output monitoring, and channel conflict as the antecedents, as well as reseller slackness as a consequence. To validate the model, we collected data from resellers across multiple industries in China and analyzed data from 222 valid responses using multiple regression methods. Findings: Supplier behavior monitoring decreases reseller slackness, whereas supplier output monitoring increases it. In addition, channel conflict mediates the impact of monitoring on reseller slackness. Research implications: Based on the expectation that the partnership will grow in the long term, both partners should minimize channel conflict, and resellers need to curb their slack behavior. While output monitoring can give resellers more freedom to make decisions, this study shows that output monitoring can exacerbate inter-firm conflict and promote reseller slackness. Therefore, managers should be cautious about using output monitoring strategies for reseller slackness management. Practical implications: Our findings suggest that behavior monitoring can mitigate channel conflict and reduce reseller slackness. However, output monitoring can facilitate channel conflict, promoting reseller slackness. As a result of these findings, suppliers can better manage reseller slackness by understanding the effects of different types of monitoring. Originality/value: This study makes two contributions to existing literature. Firstly, it empirically examines the role of behavior and output monitoring on reseller slackness, thus enriching the existing literature on reseller slackness. Secondly, it further clarifies the specific pathways through which monitoring affects reseller slackness and lays the foundation for future research on managing it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the incidence and prognosis of malignancy in individuals with thrombospondin type-1 domain-containing 7A (THSD7A)-associated membranous nephropathy (MN). First, we performed a systematic literature review of prevalence of malignancy in THSD7A-associated MN. Then, we conducted a retrospective analysis of 454 patients diagnosed with MN through renal biopsy at our hospital between January 2016 and December 2020. We assessed the presence of serum anti-THSD7A antibodies and performed immunohistochemical staining of renal tissue for THSD7A. Subsequently, we followed patients with THSD7A-associated MN for a minimum of 3–5 years, collecting their clinical, pathological characteristics, and prognosis. Additionally, we conducted a literature review on patients with THSD7A-associated MN in conjunction with malignancy. We identified a total of nine articles containing comprehensive data on THSD7A-associated MN and malignancy. Among 235 patients with THSD7A-positive MN, 36 individuals had concurrent malignancies, resulting in a malignancy prevalence of 13.3% (95% CI: 8.9–17.7%). In our center, we followed up with 15 patients diagnosed with THSD7A-associated MN and observed three cases of concomitant tumors: two cases of lung adenocarcinoma and one case of small cell lung cancer with multiple metastases. The prevalence of malignancy in our cohort was 20%. Notably, we detected positive THSD7A staining in both renal and lung cancer tissues in one patient with small cell lung cancer. Patients with THSD7A-associated MN should undergo vigilant follow-up assessments, with a particular focus on actively seeking potential tumorigenic lesions to prevent misdiagnosis or oversight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great significance to design an efficient heterostructure for photocatalytic hydrogen production to solve the energy shortage and environmental crisis. In this letter, we investigate the structure, electron of interface, optical, charge transfer, and photocatalytic mechanism of three different ZnIn2S4/α-In2Se3 heterostructures by hybrid density functional calculation. It is interesting that the presence of an external electric field not only can change the bandgap but also can modulate the band alignment type. Among them, heterostructure A belongs to type II heterostructure, and heterostructure B and C belong to a Z-scheme heterostructure. Especially in heterostructure C, the electrons deposited on CBM of a ZnIn2S4 monolayer will play an important role in the hydrogen production process. Meanwhile, the small bandgap of ZnIn2S4/α-In2Se3 Z-scheme heterostructures enables it to obtain a wide light absorption range. Therefore, this study contributes to the design of a novel and potential Z-scheme heterostructure photocatalyst with broad application prospects in both electronic and optoelectronic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative visualization experiments and numerical simulations on cylindrical "alien" particles penetrating a liquid-saturated granular bed have been performed. The bed consists of mono-sized spheres. In dimensionless terms the bed is characterized by an Archimedes number, an angle of repose that represents friction, and a solids volume fraction. The conditions are such that the fluid flow generated by alien and bed particle motion is laminar. The experiments are well reproducible. The most important experimental observation is deeper penetration of the alien particle for higher liquid viscosities. The spatial resolution of the three-dimensional, time-dependent simulations is such that they resolve the flow around, and the motion of the individual particles. The flow solver is based on the lattice-Boltzmann method. To a certain extent the simulations are able to reproduce the viscosity effect observed experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioretention is a type of stormwater best management practice that can reduce stormwater runoff volume, and with appropriate design, simultaneously reduce nitrogen loads. To meet the water quality potential of bioretention systems, improved simulation models of the transport and transformations of nitrogen are needed. In this work, two versions of a three-nitrogen-pool (3P) model (3P-1 and 3P-m) are applied to simulate observed nitrogen transport through a field bioretention system. The 3P models provide predictions of net export of dissolved organic carbon, dissolved organic nitrogen, and inorganic nitrogen species. The 3P-m model has promising results: (1) relative to the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), it reduced the prediction error of percent removal of total dissolved nitrogen by up to 10.6% and reduces the scaled root-mean square error of total dissolved nitrogen loads by up to 53.0%; (2) it successfully captured the correlation between impactful environmental factors and event mean concentrations of total dissolved nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen in underdrain effluent; (3) its predictions on denitrification showed good alignment with observed isotope results; and (4) it demonstrated higher stability in simulated time series among calibration results than 3P-1. The 3P-m is expected to assist the design of bioretention system and valve control strategies by providing more accurate predictions on nitrogen removal under the impacts of soil moisture content and temperature. Future research and collaboration opportunities are also proposed in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senescence in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), triggered by excessive oxidative stress, plays a crucial role in the onset of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Recent studies underscore the importance of mitochondrial rehabilitation and quality control as key determinants in the modulation of oxidative stress and cellular senescence. MitoTEMPO, a mitochondria‐targeted antioxidant, has been shown to mitigate the heightened levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In our research, we observed that BMSCs from ovariectomized (OVX) rats displayed premature senescence, which was attributed to combined mitochondrial and lysosomal dysfunction, a condition that worsens with extended estrogen deprivation. Treatment with MitoTEMPO effectively reversed these effects, reinstating lysosomal functionality and suppressing the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt). Subsequent in vivo experiments corroborated these observations, revealing that MitoTEMPO administration in OVX rats curtailed trabecular bone loss and reduced the expression of p53, HSP60, and CLPP in the trabecular bone region of the proximal tibia. Overall, our findings suggest that MitoTEMPO holds promise as a therapeutic agent to counteract senescence in OVX‐BMSCs, offering a potential strategy for treating postmenopausal osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a great concern since 2019. Patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) may be at higher risk of COVID-19 and a more severe disease course. We examined the associations between COVID-19 and MG. Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study involved 134 patients who were diagnosed with MG from June 2020 to November 2022 and followed up until April 2023. They were divided into a COVID-19 group and non-COVID-19 group. Logistic regression analysis was used to detect factors potentially associating COVID-19 with MG. Results: Of the 134 patients with MG, 108 (80.6%) had COVID-19. A higher number of comorbidities was significantly associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 (p = 0.040). A total of 103 patients (95.4%) had mild/moderate COVID-19 symptoms, and 4 patients (3.7%) were severe/critical symptoms (including 2 deaths). Higher age (p = 0.036), use of rituximab (p = 0.037), tumors other than thymoma (p = 0.031), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (p = 0.011), more comorbidities (p = 0.002), and a higher baseline MG activities of daily living (MG-ADL) score (p = 0.006) were risk factors for severe COVID-19 symptoms. The MG-ADL score increased by ≥ 2 points in 16 (15.7%) patients. Dry cough and/or expectoration (p = 0.011), use of oral corticosteroids (p = 0.033), and use of more than one kind of immunosuppressant (p = 0.017) were associated with the increase of the post-COVID-19 MG-ADL score. Conclusion: Most patients with MG have a mild course of COVID-19. However, patients with older age, many comorbidities, a high MG-ADL score, and use of a variety of immunosuppressants during COVID-19 may be more prone to severe symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the impact of dynamic high-pressure microfluidization (DHPM) on the properties of pea albumin (PA). To achieve this objective, PA was homogenized at 0, 80, and 120 MPa. The FTIR and intrinsic fluorescence results indicated that the DHPM resulted in significantly change on secondary structures and the unfolding of the protein structure. The particle size of PA significantly decreased from 2.397 to 0.797 μm. The changes of the structure and particle size of PA had influence on functionality of PA, when compared to the natural PA, the treated PA showed improved functional properties as the solubility increased by 18.09%, the EAI increased by 24.00%, the ESI increased by 16%, the foaming properties increased by 13.00%. The treated PA was applied in Pickering emulsions, the results indicated that Pickering emulsions stabilized with PA. The Pickering emulsions with adding treated PA showed better properties than Pickering emulsions with adding natural PA. The Pickering emulsions with adding treated PA had the smaller droplet size and a better performance of the stratification stability, meanwhile, the apparent viscosity and shear stress also increased which was beneficial to the stratification stability. In conclusion, DHPM has the ability to change the structural and functional properties of PA, and promote its application in protein-based food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate cloud and shadow detection is a crucial prerequisite for optical remote sensing image analysis and application. Multi-temporal-based cloud and shadow detection methods are a preferable choice to detect clouds in complex scenes (e.g., thin clouds, broken clouds and clouds with interference from artificial surfaces with high reflectivity). However, such methods commonly require cloud-free reference images, and this may be difficult to achieve in time-series data since clouds are often prevalent and of varying spatial distribution in optical remote sensing images. Furthermore, current multi-temporal-based methods have limited feature extraction capability and rely heavily on prior assumptions. To address these issues, this paper proposes a Siamese network (Siamnet) for cloud and shadow detection based on Time-Series cloudy Images, namely TSI-Siamnet, which consists of two steps: 1) low-rank and sparse component decomposition of time-series cloudy images is conducted to construct a composite reference image to cope with dynamic changes in the cloud distribution in time-series images; 2) an extended Siamnet with optimal difference calculation module (DM) and multi-scale difference features fusion module (MDFM) is constructed to extract reliable disparity features and alleviate semantic information feature dilution during the decoder part. TSI-Siamnet was tested extensively on seven land cover types in the well-known Landsat 8 Biome dataset. Compared to six state-of-the-art methods (including four deep learning-based methods and two classical non-deep learning-based methods), TSI-Siamnet produced the best performance with an overall accuracy of 95.05% and MIoU of 84.37%. In three more challenging experiments, TSI-Siamnet showed enhanced detection of thin and broken clouds and greater anti-interference to highly reflective surfaces. TSI-Siamnet provides a novel strategy to explore comprehensively the valid information in time-series cloudy images and integrate the extracted spectral-spatial–temporal features for reliable cloud and shadow detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of interactions between chemical compounds and proteins is crucial for various applications, including drug discovery, target identification, network pharmacology, and elucidation of protein functions. Deep neural network-based approaches are becoming increasingly popular in efficiently identifying compound-protein interactions with high-throughput capabilities, narrowing down the scope of candidates for traditional labor-intensive, time-consuming and expensive experimental techniques. In this study, we proposed an end-to-end approach termed SPVec-SGCN-CPI, which utilized simplified graph convolutional network (SGCN) model with low-dimensional and continuous features generated from our previously developed model SPVec and graph topology information to predict compound-protein interactions. The SGCN technique, dividing the local neighborhood aggregation and nonlinearity layer-wise propagation steps, effectively aggregates K-order neighbor information while avoiding neighbor explosion and expediting training. The performance of the SPVec-SGCN-CPI method was assessed across three datasets and compared against four machine learning- and deep learning-based methods, as well as six state-of-the-art methods. Experimental results revealed that SPVec-SGCN-CPI outperformed all these competing methods, particularly excelling in unbalanced data scenarios. By propagating node features and topological information to the feature space, SPVec-SGCN-CPI effectively incorporates interactions between compounds and proteins, enabling the fusion of heterogeneity. Furthermore, our method scored all unlabeled data in ChEMBL, confirming the top five ranked compound-protein interactions through molecular docking and existing evidence. These findings suggest that our model can reliably uncover compound-protein interactions within unlabeled compound-protein pairs, carrying substantial implications for drug re-profiling and discovery. In summary, SPVec-SGCN demonstrates its efficacy in accurately predicting compound-protein interactions, showcasing potential to enhance target identification and streamline drug discovery processes. Scientific contributions The methodology presented in this work not only enables the comparatively accurate prediction of compound-protein interactions but also, for the first time, take sample imbalance which is very common in real world and computation efficiency into consideration simultaneously, accelerating the target identification and drug discovery process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) reflect a strategic move for scalable and sustainable energy storage. The focus on high‐entropy (HE) cathode materials, particularly layered oxides, has ignited scientific interest due to the unique characteristics and effects to tackle their shortcomings, such as inferior structural stability, sluggish reaction kinetics, severe Jahn‐Teller effects induced lattice distortion, and poor oxygen reversibility at high voltage. This review focuses on high‐entropy oxide materials, highlighting their fundamentals, design principles, and application in layered oxide cathodes for SIBs. It delves into the growth mechanism, composition‐properties correlations, and the functional roles of high‐entropy design in enhancing the performance of layered oxide cathodes. Furthermore, it furnishes a comprehensive survey of recent advancements and persisting challenges within the domain of layered high‐entropy cathode materials, as well as offers insights into potential future research directions in line with the current state of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper investigates the adaptive tracking control in a prescribed‐time for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems with a full state constraint. Firstly, in order to restrict the state constraints, the barrier Lyapunov function is employed and parameter uncertainty is handled based on linear‐in‐the‐parameters (LIP). A prescribed‐time adaptive controller is then designed by backstepping to ensure that the closed‐loop system can reach zero in a prescribed finite time under any given initial conditions. The prescribed‐time is independent of the design of the parameters. Finally, two simulation examples verify the effectiveness and usability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether the RNA, 5‐methylcytosine (m5C), is involved in the progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Materials and methods: We used least absolute shrinkage and selection operator to establish a prognostic score (PS) model based on the m5C regulator expression. Immune scores were calculated using the estimation of stromal and immune cells in malignant tumor tissues using expression data. The biological functions of the m5C regulator, NOP2/Sun RNA methyltransferase 3 (NSUN3), were thoroughly investigated in vitro and in vivo. Results: The PS model acted as efficient prognostic factors in HNSCC. The expression of NSUN3, with the maximum weight, was found to be upregulated and indicated a poor prognosis. Meanwhile, NSUN3 knockdown inhibited the tumor proliferation and growth both in vitro and in vivo. High PS status was negatively correlated with CD8+ T, γδ+ T, and M1 macrophage percentages. NSUN3 knockdown increased the infiltration of M1 macrophages but decreased the percentage of M2 macrophages. Conclusions: The PS index is a novel and promising biomarker for predicting the prognosis and immune infiltration microenvironment in HNSCC. Moreover, NSUN3 plays a key role in this process and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for HNSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Multiplexed protein imaging methods use a chosen set of markers and provide valuable information about complex tissue structure and cellular heterogeneity. However, the number of markers that can be measured in the same tissue sample is inherently limited. Results In this paper, we present an efficient method to choose a minimal predictive subset of markers that for the first time allows the prediction of full images for a much larger set of markers. We demonstrate that our approach also outperforms previous methods for predicting cell-level protein composition. Most importantly, we demonstrate that our approach can be used to select a marker set that enables prediction of a much larger set than could be measured concurrently. Availability and implementation All code and intermediate results are available in a Reproducible Research Archive at https://github.com/murphygroup/CODEXPanelOptimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Rothmund–Thomson syndrome (RTS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that has been reported in all ethnicities, with several identifiable pathogenic variants. There have been reported cases indicating that RTS may lead to low birth weight in fetuses, but specific data on the fetal period are lacking. Genetic testing for RTS II is currently carried out by identifying pathogenic variants in RECQL4. Methods: In order to determine the cause, we performed whole‐genome sequencing (WGS) analysis on the patient and his parents. Variants detected by WGS were confirmed by Sanger sequencing and examined in family members. Results: After analyzing the WGS data, we found a heterozygous nonsense mutation c.2752G>T (p.Glu918Ter) and a novel frameshift insertion mutation c.1547dupC (p.Leu517AlafsTer23) of RECQL4, which is a known pathogenic/disease‐causing variant of RTS. Further validation indicated these were compound heterozygous mutations from parents. Conclusion: Our study expands the mutational spectrum of the RECQL4 gene and enriches the phenotype spectrum of Chinese RTS patients. Our information can assist the patient's parents in making informed decisions regarding their future pregnancies. This case offers a new perspective for clinicians to consider whether to perform prenatal diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primrose syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by craniofacial dysmorphism, mental retardation, developmental delay, progressive muscle atrophy and calcification of the earlobe due to a mutation in the ZBTB20. Method: We reported a case of a Chinese boy with clinical symptoms resembling Primrose Syndrome, and performed genetic etiology analysis of the proband's family through Trio whole exome sequencing. Result: A novel missense variant c.1927T>A(p.F643I) in exon 14 of the ZBTB20 (NM_001348803) was identified in the proband. This is the first report case of primrose syndrome in China, and our case extends the variant spectrum of ZBTB20 and further strengthens the understanding of primrose syndrome. Conclusion: However, there are no formal clinical guidelines for the management of this disease, and research on treatment and prognosis remains a challenge and focus in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pediatric hydronephrosis poses distinct challenges, particularly in cases involving horseshoe kidneys (HSK). This retrospective study compares treatment outcomes between HSK and non-horseshoe kidneys (NHSK) in pediatric ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) patients. Methods: A retrospective cohort study included 35 patients with HSK and 790 patients with NHSK undergoing pyeloplasty. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative parameters were evaluated. Propensity score matching (PSM) balanced patient characteristics in the NHSK group. Results: In comparison with NHSK, HSK exhibited a higher crossing vessel incidence (51.6% vs. 5.12%, P < 0.001) and smaller preoperative anteroposterior pelvic diameter (APD). Post 6 and 12 months, NHSK maintained a larger APD, with a higher P/C ratio at 12 months. PSM retained significantly higher crossing vessel incidence in HSK (51.6 vs. 3.61%, P < 0.001). Laparoscopic pyeloplasty (LP) in HSK showed lower postoperative length of stay (LOS). Postoperative ultrasound parameters favored NHSK. In HSK and NHSK with crossing vessels, HSK demonstrated higher complications even post-PSM (38.5% vs. 0%, P = 0.039). Conclusions: The study emphasizes the importance of recognizing crossing vessels in HSK-related hydronephrosis. Surgical success, although comparable between HSK and NHSK, requires tailored approaches. This investigation contributes valuable insights to pediatric urology, emphasizing personalized management for optimal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: The electrochemical principles/mechanism of Li–S batteries and origin of the shuttle effect have been discussed. The efficient strategies have been summarized to inhibit the shuttle effect. The recent advances of inhibition of shuttle effect in Li–S batteries for all components from anode to cathode. Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are supposed to be one of the most potential next-generation batteries owing to their high theoretical capacity and low cost. Nevertheless, the shuttle effect of firm multi-step two-electron reaction between sulfur and lithium in liquid electrolyte makes the capacity much smaller than the theoretical value. Many methods were proposed for inhibiting the shuttle effect of polysulfide, improving corresponding redox kinetics and enhancing the integral performance of Li–S batteries. Here, we will comprehensively and systematically summarize the strategies for inhibiting the shuttle effect from all components of Li–S batteries. First, the electrochemical principles/mechanism and origin of the shuttle effect are described in detail. Moreover, the efficient strategies, including boosting the sulfur conversion rate of sulfur, confining sulfur or lithium polysulfides (LPS) within cathode host, confining LPS in the shield layer, and preventing LPS from contacting the anode, will be discussed to suppress the shuttle effect. Then, recent advances in inhibition of shuttle effect in cathode, electrolyte, separator, and anode with the aforementioned strategies have been summarized to direct the further design of efficient materials for Li–S batteries. Finally, we present prospects for inhibition of the LPS shuttle and potential development directions in Li–S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2RR) is a prospective but challenging method to decrease the CO2 concentration in the current atmosphere; in particular, the poor selectivity of the target product CO and large overpotentials limit its efficiency. Herein, we propose a top-down route to synthesize Bi single atoms (SAs) anchored by N-doped carbon (NCbox) nanoboxes starting from BiOCl nanoplates as the hard templates. In the CO2RR, the obtained Bi single-atom catalyst possesses remarkably-enhanced catalytic performance, achieving a maximal Faraday efficiency (FE) of 91.7% at −0.6 V, which is much higher than that of NCbox-supported Bi nanoparticles (NPs). Further investigations point out that the enhancement can be attributed to the unique coordination structure of the Bi SAs, as well as the fascinating properties of NCbox that can efficiently promote the electron transfer during the electro-catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimation of continuous motion of human joints using surface electromyography (sEMG) signals has a critical part to play in intelligent rehabilitation. Traditional methods always use sEMG signals as inputs to build regression or biomechanical models to estimate continuous joint motion variables. However, it is challenging to accurately estimate continuous joint motion in new subjects due to the non-stationarity and individual differences in sEMG signals, which greatly limits the generalisability of the method. In this paper, a continuous motion estimation model for the human knee joint with a parameter self-updating mechanism based on the fusion of particle swarm optimization (PSO) and deep belief network (DBN) is proposed. According to the original sEMG signals of different subjects, the method adaptively optimized the parameters of the DBN model and completed the optimal reconstruction of signal feature structure in high-dimensional space to achieve the optimal estimation of continuous joint motion. Extensive experiments were conducted on knee joint motions. The results suggested that the average root mean square errors (RMSEs) of the proposed method were 9.42° and 7.36°, respectively, which was better than the results obtained by common neural networks. This finding lays a foundation for the human–robot interaction (HRI) of the exoskeleton robots based on the sEMG signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variation in metabolite profiles of Haematococcus pluvialis (a type of unicellular green algal) under light stress is a key issue of study at the present. To investigate the effect of light intensity on accumulation of astaxanthin in H. pluvialis, a 26-day batch culture experiment of H. pluvialis under the light intensity levels at 73, 127, 182, 236, and 291 µmol/(m2·s) was conducted. Therefore, the optimal light intensity and the corresponding metabolic pathways of accumulation in H. pluvialis were determined. Results show that 236 µmol/(m2·s) was the optimum light intensity to induce astaxanthin accumulation, at which a maximum content of 9.01 mg/L was achieved on Day 24. A total of 132 metabolites were identified and quantified, of which 38 differential metabolites were highlighted and classified, including 3 fatty acids or intermediates, 5 amino acids or derivatives, 5 carbohydrates or intermediates, 16 nucleoside derivatives, and 9 other metabolites using LC-MS/MS technique. Subsequently, 16 statistically significant differential metabolic pathways were enriched and annotated based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis between the control and the 236 µmol/(m2·s) treatment group (P<0.05). In addition, the bioprocesses included cellular basal metabolism and signaling systems, such as carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, glycerol and derivatives metabolism, nucleotide and derivative metabolism, and inositol phosphate metabolism were activated and regulated under strong light stress conditions. Moreover, 4 hub metabolites containing D-glucose-6-phosphate, L-tyrosine, glycerol-3-phosphate, and L-glutamine were identified, based on which the associated metabolic network was constructed. The study provided a metabolomic view of astaxanthin accumulation in H. pluvialis under strong light stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exoskeletons are widely used in the field of medical rehabilitation, however imprecise exoskeleton control may lead to accidents during patient rehabilitation, so improving the control performance of exoskeletons has become crucial. Nevertheless, improving the control performance of exoskeletons is extremely difficult, the nonlinear nature of the exoskeleton model makes control particularly difficult, and external interference when the patient wears an exoskeleton can also affect the control effect. In order to solve the above problems, a method based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) and RBF neural network to optimize exoskeleton torque control is proposed to study the motion trajectory of nonlinear exoskeleton joints in this paper, and it is found that exoskeleton torque control optimized by PSO-RBFNN has faster control speed, better stability, more accurate control results and stronger anti-interference, and the optimized exoskeleton can effectively solve the problem of difficult control of nonlinear exoskeleton and the interference problem when the patient wears the exoskeleton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significant potential of flexible sensors in various fields such as human health, soft robotics, human–machine interaction, and electronic skin has garnered considerable attention. Capacitive pressure sensor is popular given their mechanical flexibility, high sensitivity, and signal stability. Enhancing the performance of capacitive sensors can be achieved through the utilization of gradient structures and high dielectric constant media. This study introduced a novel dielectric layer, employing the BaTiO3-PDMS material with a gradient micro-cones architecture (GMCA). The capacitive sensor was constructed by incorporating a dielectric layer GMCA, which was fabricated using laser engraved acrylic (PMMA) molds and flexible copper-foil/polyimide-tape electrodes. To examine its functionality, the prepared sensor was subjected to a pressure range of 0–50 KPa. Consequently, this sensor exhibited a remarkable sensitivity of up to 1.69 KPa−1 within the pressure range of 0–50 KPa, while maintaining high pressure-resolution across the entire pressure spectrum. Additionally, the pressure sensor demonstrated a rapid response time of 50 ms, low hysteresis of 0.81%, recovery time of 160 ms, and excellent cycling stability over 1000 cycles. The findings indicated that the GMCA pressure sensor, which utilized a gradient structure and BaTiO3-PDMS material, exhibited notable sensitivity and a broad linear pressure range. These results underscore the adaptability and viability of this technology, thereby facilitating enhanced flexibility in pressure sensors and fostering advancements in laser manufacturing and flexible devices for a wider array of potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression significance, predictive value, immunologic function, and biological role of transmembrane protein 158 (TMEM158) in the development of pan-cancer. To achieve this, we utilized data from multiple databases, including TCGA, GTEx, GEPIA, and TIMER, to collect gene transcriptome, patient prognosis, and tumor immune data. We evaluated the association of TMEM158 with patient prognosis, tumor mutational burden (TMB), and microsatellite instability (MSI) in pan-cancer samples. We performed immune checkpoint gene co-expression analysis and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to better understand the immunologic function of TMEM158. Our findings revealed that TMEM158 was significantly differentially expressed between most types of cancer tissues and their adjacent normal tissues and was associated with prognosis. Moreover, TMEM158 was significantly correlated with TMB, MSI, and tumor immune cell infiltration in multiple cancers. Co-expression analysis of immune checkpoint genes showed that TMEM158 was related to the expression of several common immune checkpoint genes, especially CTLA4 and LAG3. Gene enrichment analysis further revealed that TMEM158 was involved in multiple immune-related biological pathways in pan-cancer. Overall, this systematic pan-cancer analysis suggests that TMEM158 is generally highly expressed in various cancer tissues and is closely related to patient prognosis and survival across multiple cancer types. TMEM158 may serve as a significant predictor of cancer prognosis and modulate immune responses to various types of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2018, Twitter has steadily released into the public domain content discovered on the platform and believed to be associated with information operations originating from more than a dozen state-backed organizations. Leveraging this dataset, we explore inter-state coordination amongst state-backed information operations and find evidence of intentional, strategic interaction amongst thirteen different states, separate and distinct from within-state operations. We find that coordinated, inter-state information operations attract greater engagement than baseline information operations and appear to come online in service to specific aims. We explore these ideas in depth through two case studies on the coordination between Cuba and Venezuela, and between Russia and Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perovskite (BA)4[CuII(CuIInIII)0.5]Cl8 (1BA; BA+=butylammonium) allows us to study the high‐pressure structural, optical, and transport properties of a mixed‐valence 2D perovskite. Compressing 1BA reduces the onset energy of CuI/II intervalence charge transfer from 1.2 eV at ambient pressure to 0.2 eV at 21 GPa. The electronic conductivity of 1BA increases by 4 orders of magnitude upon compression to 20 GPa, when the activation energy for conduction decreases to 0.16 eV. In contrast, CuII perovskites achieve similar conductivity at ≈50 GPa. The solution‐state synthesis of these perovskites is complicated, with more undesirable side products likely from the precursor mixtures containing three different metal ions. To circumvent this problem, we demonstrate an efficient mechanochemical synthesis to expand this family of halide perovskites with complex composition by simply pulverizing together powders of 2D CuII single perovskites and CuIInIII double perovskites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perovskite (BA)4[CuII(CuIInIII)0.5]Cl8 (1BA; BA+=butylammonium) allows us to study the high‐pressure structural, optical, and transport properties of a mixed‐valence 2D perovskite. Compressing 1BA reduces the onset energy of CuI/II intervalence charge transfer from 1.2 eV at ambient pressure to 0.2 eV at 21 GPa. The electronic conductivity of 1BA increases by 4 orders of magnitude upon compression to 20 GPa, when the activation energy for conduction decreases to 0.16 eV. In contrast, CuII perovskites achieve similar conductivity at ≈50 GPa. The solution‐state synthesis of these perovskites is complicated, with more undesirable side products likely from the precursor mixtures containing three different metal ions. To circumvent this problem, we demonstrate an efficient mechanochemical synthesis to expand this family of halide perovskites with complex composition by simply pulverizing together powders of 2D CuII single perovskites and CuIInIII double perovskites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of histone H3K9 acetylation modification on gene expression and drought resistance in drought‐resistant tree species is not clear. Using the chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) method, this study obtained nine H3K9 acetylated protein‐interacting DNAs from sea buckthorn seedlings, and the ChIP sequencing result predicted about 56,591, 2217 and 5119 enriched region peaks in the control, drought and rehydration comparative groups, respectively. Gene functional analysis of differential peaks from three comparison groups revealed that 105 pathways were involved in the drought resistance process, and 474 genes were enriched in the plant hormone signaling transduction pathways. Combined ChIP‐seq and transcriptome analysis revealed that six genes related to abscisic acid synthesis and signaling pathways, 17 genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, and 15 genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis were positively regulated by H3K9 acetylation modification under drought stress. Under drought stress conditions, the content of abscisic acid and the expression of related genes were significantly up‐regulated, while the content of flavonoids and the expression of key enzymes involved in their synthesis were largely down‐regulated. Meanwhile, after exposure to histone deacetylase inhibitors (trichostatin A), the change of abscisic acid and flavonoids content and their related gene expression were slowed down under drought stress. This study will provide an important theoretical basis for understanding the regulatory mechanisms of histone acetylation modifications in sea buckthorn drought resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Compared with systemic administration methods like injection and oral administration, traditional transdermal drug delivery has the advantages of rapid onset of activity and low side effects. However, hydrophilic drugs and bioactive substances are often unsuitable for traditional transdermal drug delivery. Methods: The application of microneedles made from gelatin methylacryloyl (GelMA) has greatly expanded thepossibilities for skin transdermal drug delivery. We have reviewed the latest literatures about the dermatological application of GelMA hydrogel microneedles in recent years using Google Scholar, PubMed and Springer. Results: GelMA hydrogel microneedles exhibit huge potency in the diagnosis and treatment of skin diseases, and this technology also brings broad application prospects for subcutaneous micro‐invasive transdermal targeted drug delivery, which mainly used in skin tissue fluid collection, local substance delivery and wound healing. Conclusion: With in‐depth research on GelMA hydrogel, this technology will bring more breakthroughs and developments in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of skin diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, immune checkpoint blockade and chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy are two milestone achievements in clinical immunotherapy. However, both show limited efficacies in most solid neoplasms, which necessitates the exploration of new immunotherapeutic modalities. The failure of CAR-T and immune checkpoint blockade in several solid neoplasms is attributed to multiple factors, including low antigenicity of tumor cells, low infiltration of effector T cells, and diverse mechanisms of immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. New adoptive cell therapies have been attempted for solid neoplasms, including TCR-T, CAR-natural killer cells (CAR-NK), and CAR-macrophages (CAR-M). Compared to CAR-T, these new adoptive cell therapies have certain advantages in treating solid neoplasms. In this review, we summarized the 40-year evolution of adoptive cell therapies, then focused on the advances of TCR-T, CAR-NK, and CAR-M in solid neoplasms and discussed their potential clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catastrophic losses induced by natural disasters are receiving growing attention because of the severe increases in their magnitude and frequency. We first investigated the extreme tail behavior of flood-caused economic losses and maximum point precipitation based on the peaks-over-threshold method and point process (PP) model and its extreme tail dependence. We found that both maximum point precipitation and direct economic losses are well-modeled by the PP approach with certain tail dependence. These findings were further utilized to design a layered compensation insurance scheme using estimated value-at-risk (VaR) and conditional VaR (CVaR) among all stakeholders. To diversify the higher level of losses due to extreme precipitation, we designed a coupon paying catastrophe bond triggered by hierarchical maximum point precipitation level, based on the mild assumption on the independence between flood-caused risk and financial risk. The pricing sensitivity was quantitatively analyzed in terms of the tail risk of the flood disaster and the distortion magnitude and the market risk in Wang's transform. Our trigger process was carefully designed using a compound Poisson process, modeling both the frequency and the layered intensity of flood disasters. Lastly, regulations and practical suggestions are provided regarding the flood risk prevention and warning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Dry powder inhaler (DPI) for pulmonary delivery is currently the primary treatment for asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), an increasing number of combined DPIs (containing two or more drugs in one inhaler) have been developed to complement the effect of single DPIs. Based on our previous studies, the rheological properties can be a potential tool used to predict the in vitro lung deposition behavior of DPI formulations. However, it is unknown whether such a prediction model is suitable for combination systems. Therefore, this study aimed to verify the applicability of using powder rheological properties to predict in vitro drug deposition behavior in combined DPI formulations. Two drugs (fluticasone propionate and salmeterol xinafoate) and their combination of DPI formulations were prepared using fine lactose content (in the range of 1%-20%) as a variable. The physicochemical properties of the powder mixtures such as particle size and content uniformity were characterized. The rheological properties of the powder mixtures were measured by FT4 rheometer, the aerodynamic behavior of the DPI formulations was evaluated by a new generation impactor (NGI), and the effect of flowability and adhesion on the deposition of the fine particle fraction (FPF) was investigated by principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed that the combined DPI formulations with larger particle interaction forces have certain differences from the aerodynamic behavior of the single DPI formulations. The regularity of rheological properties affecting FPF revealed in single DPI is still applicable to combined DPI, the parameters basic flowability energy (BFE), representing flowability, and flow factor (ff), Cohesion representing adhesion, can be well linearly related to the FPF. The results of the principal component analysis showed that better flowability and suitable adhesion contributed to higher in vitro deposition of the drug in the formulation, and the contribution of adhesion (75.42%) was greater than that of flowability (24.58%). In conclusion, rheological properties is an effective tool for predicting the deposition behavior of DPI not only in single but also in combined DPIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Hormone receptor positive breast cancer is a subtype of breast cancer with relatively good prognosis, but luminal B (HER–2 negative) breast cancer has a higher risk of recurrence and metastasis. Patients with endocrine therapy resistance and chemotherapy insensitivity have poor prognosis. Androgen receptor (AR) is widely expressed in breast cancer, but there is no clear conclusion about its function and correlation with prognosis in luminal B breast cancer. Further research is needed to reveal the role of AR in luminal B (HER–2 negative) breast cancer. (2) Methods: Retrospectively analyzed patients with early–stage luminal B breast cancer. The correlation between AR and its associated indexes with long–term survival was determined. (3) Results: A total of 985 patients were included with 143 treated by neoadjuvant therapy. Of these, 83.5% of the patients had AR expression ≥65%. High AR expression was associated with good disease–free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). In the neoadjuvant population, AR/estrogen receptor (ER) > 1.06 and residual tumor Ki67 > 23% had significantly worse DFS. (4) Conclusion: Low AR (<65%) expression is associated with poor prognosis in luminal B (HER–2 negative) breast cancer patients. High AR/ER and residual tumor Ki67 were associated with poor DFS in neoadjuvant group with a cutoff value of AR/ER > 1.06 and residual tumor Ki67 > 23%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an image recognition approach using a single physical node based optical reservoir computing. Specifically, an optically injected semiconductor laser with self-delayed feedback is used as the reservoir. We perform a handwritten-digit recognition task by greatly increasing the number of virtual nodes in delayed feedback using outputs from multiple delay times. Final simulation results confirm that the recognition accuracy can reach 99% after systematically optimizing the reservoir hyperparameters. Due to its simple architecture, this scheme may provide a resource-efficient alternative approach to image recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex coacervation of soybean protein isolate and polysaccharide has been widely applied for preparing biopolymer materials like microcapsule. In this study, hydrolytic soy protein isolate (HSPI) was prepared by mild hydrolysis of soy protein isolate (SPI) with fungal protease 400 (F400). The degree of hydrolysis (DH) for the enzymatic products was controlled at 1%–5%. Emulsification, oxidation resistance, and thermal stability were used to evaluate the performances of HSPI with different DH. The results showed that the HSPI with the hydrolysis degree of 2% had the optimal property. Subsequently, the complex polymer of HSPI/SA was prepared by the coalescence reaction of HSPI and sodium alginate (SA). The turbidity curves manifested the optimal complex coacervation occurred at the ratio of 7:1 (HSPI:SA). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) presented that the reaction involved electrostatic interactions between ‐NH3+ in HSPI and ‐COO− in SA. Isothermal titration calorimetry experiments indicated that the complex coacervation reactions of HSPI and SA arose spontaneously. The microencapsulation by complex coacervation of HSPI and SA was further produced for embedding sweet orange oil. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) result revealed that the microencapsulation system of HSPI/SA had a better heat resistance than that using the SPI/SA complex polymer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pd-based catalysts consisting of single Pd atom, sub-nanometer Pd clusters, and Pd nanoparticles were successfully synthesized. • Single Pd atoms, sub-nanometer Pd clusters, and Pd nanoparticles anchored on nitrogen-doped carbon for Heck reactions were investigated. • Ensemble Pd clusters of an approximately 1.6 nm are the most reactive structures for Heck reactions. We reported a series of nitrogen-doped carbon-supported palladium (Pd) species with various sizes for the Heck reaction of iodobenzene and methyl acrylate. By precisely controlling the synthesis procedure, we have successfully synthesized a range of Pd-based catalysts, including single Pd atom, sub-nanometer Pd clusters (∼ 0.4 nm, and ∼1.6 nm), and Pd nanoparticles (∼5.8 nm and 10 nm). Remarkably, these catalysts exhibit a distinct size-dependent catalytic activity in the Heck reaction. In the case of the Heck reaction of 4‑methoxy-iodobenzene and methyl acrylate, the Pd-10 site demonstrated the highest site-specific turnover frequency (TOF), reaching 792.5 h −1. This performance is impressively 5.2 and 15.6 times superior to that of the Pd 1 site (152 h-1) and Pd-10 site (50.6 h-1), respectively. Significantly better in the Heck reactions with other aryl halides were achieved with Pd-1.6/N-C (comprising of approximately 1.6 nm-sized Pd clusters), compared to those containing 10 nm-sized nanoparticles (Pd-10/N-C) or Pd 1 /N-C. These findings suggested that Pd clusters of around 1.6 nm may serve as the potential catalytic sites for the Heck reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective strategy using d -block metal hybridization was proposed to induce electronic interaction and promote the synergistic effect, aiming to enhance the OER performance of cost-effective spinel LiMn 2 O 4. Indeed, we deployed a series of LiNi x Mn 2- x O 4 catalysts substituted with Ni, yielding the increase of Mn valence states from Mn3.5+ to Mn4+. The LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 catalyst achieved an excellent OER performance in alkaline media, with an overpotential reduction more than 320 mV at 10 mA cm−2 compared to the unsubstituted LiMn 2 O 4 , as well as the electrochemical stability. It was shown to be superior to the most reported Mn-based oxides OER electrocatalysts. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that Ni doped holes in the Mn site, leading to an increase in Mn4+, and that the shared covalent network of Ni 3 d -O 2 p -Mn 3 d optimized an easier desorption of intermediates. These results pave a new example for modulating the chemisorption strength, thus enabling activating the activity and stability of OER process for cost-effective electrocatalysts based on spinel Mn oxides. [Display omitted] • The d -block metal hybridization induced the synergistic effect in LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4. • The site-to-site electron transfer was enhanced through the Ni-O-Mn network. • The adsorption energy of intermediates was optimized, yielding the improved activity and stability towards OER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of CsSr 3 La(PO 4) 3 F: x Eu3+ phosphors (x = 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mol%) with fluorapatite-type structure was successfully accomplished through a direct solid-state reaction in this work. A systematic characterization was carried out, encompassing the crystal structure, phase composition, morphology, optical properties, and diverse applications of the samples. The crystalline structure of CsSr 3 La(PO 4) 3 F belongs to the hexagonal system with space group P 6 3 / m (176), displaying two polyhedral structures [A Ⅰ O 9 ] and [A Ⅱ O 6 F]. The band gap (E g) of the material CsSr 3 La(PO 4) 3 F is 5.823 eV. At the excitation of 393 nm, CsSr 3 La(PO 4) 3 F:30 mol%Eu3+ phosphor exhibits a primarily significant emission peak at 703 nm, referring to the 5D 0 →7F 4 transition due to a highly polarizable chemical environment and a distorted coordination polyhedron around Eu3+ ions. The concentration quenching process is attributed to the quadrupole-quadrupole interaction between Eu3+ ions, with the maximum luminescence intensity achieved at a doping content of 30 mol%. At 420 K, the emission intensity of the CsSr 3 La(PO 4) 3 F:30 mol%Eu3+ phosphor can still maintain 75.04 % of the emission intensity observed at 300 K. The value of activation energy is 0.18 eV. The maximum absolute and relative thermal sensitivities (S a and S r) for the temperature sensor can reach 5.25 × 10−4 K−1 and 7.71 % K−1, respectively. The made-up red LED is well-suited to meet the light requirements for the growth and development of plants. The fabricated white light-emitting diode (w-LED) has a relatively high color rendering index (R a) of 89 and a suitable correlated color temperature (CCT) of 4392 K. The phosphors have applications in temperature sensors, plant growth lighting, and w-LEDs. • Novel Eu3+-doped CsSr 3 La(PO 4) 3 F phosphors were synthesized. • It exhibits good thermal stability and high color purity. • It has commendable performance in temperature sensors and plant growth lighting. • The w-LEDs have high color rendering index and a suitable correlated color temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Magnesium stearate (MgSt) and lactose fines are often used as ternary components in carrier-based dry powder inhalers (DPIs) to improve fine particle fraction (FPF), but whether they act synergistically to improve aerosolization performance of DPI formulations is currently less studied. In addition, the applicability of utilizing powder rheological parameters to predict the FPF needs to be further verified. Thus, in this study, using fluticasone propionate (FP) as a model drug, effect of lactose fines addition in 0.5% MgSt containing DPI formulations on their powder and aerodynamic properties was explored. Influence of MgSt and fines mixing order on the DPIs performance was also investigated. The results showed that addition of lactose fines (1–10%) in 0.5% MgSt containing formulations could further improve flowability and enhance adhesion of the mixtures, and they could act synergistically to improve FPF. Moreover, the presence of 0.5% MgSt can greatly reduce the amount of lactose fines required to achieve the comparable FPF. The mixing order can affect distribution of MgSt on the carrier surface, with higher FPF noted when MgSt was mixed with carrier first, followed by lactose fines. A good linear relationship between powder rheological parameters such as basic flowability energy (BFE), Permeability and FPF was disclosed. In conclusion, in FP based DPIs, MgSt and lactose fines act synergistically to enhance FPF by tuning powder characteristics. Good flowability (27.39%) and strong adhesion (72.61%) contributed to the enhanced drug deposition in the lung. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Highly textured h-BN film exhibits excellent thermal conductivity. • Utilizing CMOS-compatible technique of high-power impulse magnetron sputtering. • Aligned diffusion paths for the reproducible migration of metal ions. • Fabricated neuristor with dynamic nonlinear characteristics, fading memory, reliable resistance switching. • Physical reservoirs with an image classification accuracy of 95% Significant advancements in artificial neural networks (ANNs) have driven the rapid progress of artificial intelligence and machine learning. While current feedforward neural networks primarily handle static data, recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are designed for dynamical systems. However, RNNs demand extensive training on specific tasks, limiting their scalability and affordability for edge computing. Physical reservoir computing (RC) offers an alternative approach by mapping inputs into high-dimensional states, allowing for pattern analysis within a fixed reservoir. Unlike RNNs, RC is well-suited for temporal and sequential data processing with rapid speed and low training costs. This makes RC suitable for hardware implementation across various research domains. Nonetheless, existing demonstrations of RC remain constrained to small-scale device arrays. As electronic synapse arrays aim to approach very large-scale and highly complex hardware as in the human brain, managing heat dissipation becomes a formidable challenge. In this work, we successfully developed the neuristors based on textured h-BN films, prepared using a CMOS-compatible technique, and constructed a physical RC system based on as-fabricated devices. Our approach leverages vertically aligned BN to provide aligned diffusion paths for the reproducible migration process of metal ions from the electrodes and offers a potential solution for thermal management in electronic devices. This achievement highlights the promising potential of our neuristors for future high-density and energy-efficient neuromorphic computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been argued that formative assessment (FA) improves student learning. Recent research has focused on helping teachers enhance their assessment literacy in FA in order to see the impact on learning results. Researchers are also beginning to contend that FA not only leads to improved content learning, but also helps improve students' ability in self- and co-regulated learning. In this study, a 12-week teacher continuing professional development (CPD) programme was designed and implemented for a group of five secondary school EFL teachers in China aiming at developing their formative assessment literacy. This paper zooms in on students' perceptions of and reactions to the CPD programme, offering insights into the impact of FA on the development of students' self-regulated learning (SRL). Pre- and post-CPD interviews with ten students of the five teachers were coded and analysed using Zimmerman's three-phase model of SRL. Higher frequency of mentions after the CPD and more students mentioning a code were taken as indicators of improvement over the 12-week intervention. The results show that all three phases of SRL were fostered by the CPD programme aimed at the implementation of FA. The study has implications for both formative assessment and self-regulated learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]