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Background: Epilepsy, as a chronic noncommunicable disease with recurrent seizures, may be a marker of deterioration or alteration in other underlying neurological diseases. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of epilepsy with brain function, other common brain disorders, and their underlying mechanisms. Methods: The study was based on clinical diagnostic and test data from 426,527 participants in the UK Biobank, of whom 3,251 were diagnosed with epilepsy at baseline. Multiple linear and Cox regression models were used to explore the association between epilepsy, brain function, and other brain disorders. Results: This study demonstrated consistent deleterious effects of epilepsy on cognitive and motor function and mental health. The risk of neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders was significantly elevated in the epilepsy population during the 17-year follow-up period, according to the longitudinal analysis. We also identified several brain regions associated with epilepsy, including the pallidum, hippocampus, and precentral regions. Mediation analyses revealed mediating effects of peripheral markers and proteins (e.g., GGT, HDL, ACE2, and GDF15), suggesting that liver function and lipid metabolism may be involved in the development of other brain disorders in individuals with epilepsy. Conclusions: Our study provides robust evidence of the association between epilepsy and poor brain health, underscoring the importance of early intervention for epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune‐mediated disorder characterized by immune regulation disorders and abnormal keratinocyte proliferation. Deucravacitinib (Deu), a selective oral Tyrosine Kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor, shows promise in treating psoriasis but may cause systemic side effects and fail to address persistent localized thickened lesions. Herein, a self‐locking microneedle (MN) patch with a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) inner ring loaded with Deu is developed, designed to penetrate the transdermal barriers and dissolve rapidly, downregulating the IL‐23/IL‐17 pathway and serve as the first line of defense against the spread of skin‐originated inflammation. Additionally, Calcipotriol (Cal), a vitamin D derivative, is incorporated into a methacrylated hyaluronic acid (HAMA) backing layer and outer ring that mimics occlusive administration, maintaining localized skin surface retention for prolonged anti‐proliferative therapy. The Deu@Cal MN demonstrates satisfactory adhesiveness due to swelling‐mediated mechanical interlocking via the outer ring, ensuring targeted drug release at lesion site. Besides its effectiveness in alleviating both skin inflammation and proliferation, it inhibits the differentiation of Th17 cells in the spleen, suggesting potential to reduce systemic inflammation. These findings offer a new therapeutic approach for treating psoriasis and other autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iris luojiensis Z.Y. Wang, H.W. Huang and R. Li sp. nov. from southwest China is described and illustrated. This species occurs on shrub slopes in mountainous regions of southwest China. Iris luojiensis is morphologically similar to Iris japonica Thunb., Iris calcicola Z. C. Lu, Z.P. Huang and Yan Liu and Iris wattii Baker, but easily distinguished from them by its bluish‐violet flowers, 3–6 flowering‐stem branches, leaf size, particularly the upper leaves, and by only having two to three (seldom one) flowers per bract. A phylogenetic analysis based on the complete plastid genome supports the separation of I. luojiensis from other morphologically related species. According to morphological and molecular evidence, I. luojiensis can be placed in the I. sect. Lophiris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The pathological features of immune‐mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM) are dominated by the infiltration of macrophages. We aimed to perform a histopathologic semiquantitative analysis to investigate the relationship between macrophage markers and prognosis. Methods: Semiquantitative analysis of histologic features was performed in 62 samples of IMNM. Independent risk factors were identified through univariate and multivariate regression analysis. Cluster analysis was performed using the partitioning around the medoids (PAM) method. Decision tree modeling was utilized to efficiently determine cluster labels for IMNM patients. The validity of the developmental cohort was assessed by accuracy in comparison with the validation cohort. Results: The most enriched groups in patients with IMNM were macrophages expressing CD206 and CD163. In the multivariate logistic regression model, the high density of CD163+ macrophages in perimysial connective tissue increased the risk of unfavorable prognosis (p = 0.025, OR = 1.463, 95% CI: 1.049–2.041). In cluster analysis, patients in Cluster 1, with lower CD163+ macrophage density and inflammatory burden, had a more favorable prognosis. Conversely, patients in Cluster 3, which were enriched for CD163+ macrophages in the perimysial connective tissue, had the most severe clinical features and the worst prognosis. Correlations were found between the density of CD163+ macrophages in connective tissue and symptom duration (R2 = 0.166, p < 0.001), dysphagia (p = 0.004), cardiac involvement (p = 0.021), CK (R2 = 0.067, p = 0.042), CRP (R2 = 0.117, p < 0.001), and ESR (R2 = 0.171, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The density of CD163+ macrophages in perimysial connective tissue may serve as a potential marker for the prediction of IMNM prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ileo amino acid digestion rate is an important index to evaluate amino acid digestion rate, using ileal amino acid digestibility to improve poultry feedstuff database is of great significance. The article summarizes evaluation system of amino acid utilization rate of poultry feedstock, including enzymolysis in vitro and in vivo methods such as growth test, fecal collection method, ileal amino acid digestibility, compared the research of multiple linear regression equation and artificial neural network in establishing dynamic prediction model of amino acid utilization rate of poultry. The multiple linear regression method is one of the tools for establishing dynamic prediction models, which can efficiently and quickly estimate amino acid utilization rate of feedstuff and provide reference for scientific formulation of poultry feedstuff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Noninvasive skin examination evolved rapidly in recent years, with multiphoton microscopy (MPM) and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) being used to image in‐vivo skin at high resolution. The aim of this study is to compare the imaging clarity between the two techniques and measure the thickness of the epidermis in different body sites. We also measured the degree of skin aging with noninvasive tools. Methods: Fifty‐six volunteers were evaluated and measured at three different body sites, including the cheek, volar forearm, and back. We used RCM and MPM to evaluate the clarity of each skin layer, including stratum corneum, stratum granulosum, stratum spinosum, dermo‐epidermal junction, and dermis. We measured epidermal thickness (ET) at the three body sites in individuals of different ages and genders. We assessed skin aging by the second harmonic to autofluorescence aging index of dermis (SAAID), and multiple linear regression was used to analyze the factors affecting SAAID. Results: MPM had advantages in observation of stratum granulosum, collagen fiber, and elastic fiber (p < 0.001), but RCM provided better observation in dermo‐epidermal junction layer (p < 0.001). The epidermis was thicker in the cheek area than the volar forearm and back in both RCM and MPM detection, and the average ET measured by MPM was lower than RCM. ET varied among the three body sites with significant differences (p < 0.05). ET was significantly lower at almost all sites in individuals above 40y (p < 0.05). SAAID decreased with age, and more rapidly in women. Cheeks have lower SAAID scores than other body sites. Conclusion: MPM and RCM provide noninvasive methods for imaging skin and each method has its own advantages. Epidermal thickness and SAAID correlated with age, gender, and different body sites. MPM could also assess the degree of skin aging, which could guide the clinical treatment of patients with diffferent ages and genders in the above body sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle size strongly influences the shear strength of granular materials. However, previous studies of the particle size effect have focused mainly on the macroscopic behavior of granular materials, neglecting the associated micro-mechanism. In this study, the effect of particle size on the shear strength of uncrushable granular materials in biaxial testing is investigated using the discrete element method (DEM). First, a comprehensive calibration against experimental results is conducted to obtain the DEM parameters for two types of quartz sand. Then, a series of biaxial tests are simulated on sands with parallel particle size distributions to investigate the effect of particle size on macro- and microscopic behaviors. Finally, by adopting the rolling resistance method and the clump method, irregular-shaped particles are simulated to investigate how the particle size effect will be influenced by the particle shape. Simulation results demonstrate that (1) the peak shear strength increases with particle size, whereas the residual shear strength is independent of particle size; (2) the thickness of the shear band increases with the particle size, but its ratio decreases with particle size; (3) the particle size effect can be explained by the increase of friction utilization ratio with particle size; and (4) the particle size effect is more significant in granular materials that consist of particles with higher angularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A geometric scheme for array node position calibration suitable for the 3D scenario is proposed using DOA measurements. • Compared with existing algebraic methods, the proposed approach can implement the array node position calibration with comparable calibration accuracy and much less computational burden. • Under given node angle estimation error condition, the proposed method possesses predictable performance with corresponding probabilities. Wireless acoustic sensor networks (WASNs) comprised of spatially distributed acoustic nodes have been increasingly popular in many areas such as speech enhancement, blind source separation, and audio surveillance, where node position information is generally required to implement relevant processing algorithms. In this article, we focus on the node position calibration only using direction-of-arrival (DOA) information with each node consisting of a microphone array. State-of-the-art techniques translate the position calibration into optimization of DOA-based cost functions, and have shown notable success. However, a compromise between position calibration accuracy and computational load still exists. Furthermore, none of the existing studies can offer a quantitative evaluation of calibration performance before the optimization procedure is finished. To address these problems, a geometric solution to array node position calibration is proposed using DOA measurements. For a given array node, DOAs of three sources are first utilized to construct cylinder, plane, and cone equations. Next, the two-dimensional projection of intersections among these equations is calculated using Sylvester resultant matrix. Finally, a closed-form solution of node position in three-dimensional space is established. Moreover, explicit mathematical derivation of the confidence interval analysis on the calibration results under given node angle estimation error condition is presented, indicating that the proposed method can provide predictable performance with corresponding probabilities. The Cramér-Rao bound (CRB) is further investigated. Simulation results reveal that as compared with existing methods our approach achieves comparable calibration accuracy with much less computational burden. Real-world experiments also verify its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) as noninvasive tools are gaining increasing importance in the diagnosis of inflammatory skin disorders. The purpose of our study was to calculate and compare the diagnostic accuracy of dermoscopy and RCM in common inflammatory skin diseases. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively collected clinical, dermoscopic, and RCM images of psoriasis and lichen planuscases from March 2018 to February 2021 in China‐Japan Friendship Hospital. There were 10 experts evaluated dermoscopic and RCM images independently. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predict value, and negative predictive value for each and all investigators were calculated. The diagnostic accuracy was also measured by the area under the curve (AUC) for the Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) Curves. Results: We collected 82 psoriasis and 47 lichen planus cases. Dermoscopy was more sensitive than RCM in the diagnosis of psoriasis, and overall diagnostic accuracy of dermoscopy was also higher than RCM measured by AUC (0.879 vs. 0.835, p = 0.0001). For lichen planus, RCM had higher sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and overall diagnostic accuracy than dermoscopy (AUC 0.916 vs. 0.813, p<0.0001). Conclusion: Dermoscopy and RCM play a significant role in assisting the diagnosis of psoriasis and lichens planus. These two noninvasive diagnostic tools have their own advantages and disadvantages for the evaluation of different inflammatory skin diseases, and they can be combined in clinical practice to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis of inflammatory skin diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Superficial basal cell carcinoma (SBCC) is the rare subtype of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). BCC occurs in exposed areas such as the head and face, SCBB prone to form in trunk. Due to the manifestation of erythema and desquamation, it is prone to misdiagnosed as Bowen's disease in clinica. Materials and methods: A 68‐year‐old female presented with coin‐sized erythema located on the lower abdomen for 5 years. Histopathological examination was performed, and results informed the diagnosis of SBCC. Lesions were detected by dermoscopy, reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) and multiphoton microscopy (MPM). Results: Dermoscopy revealed yellow–red background with more dendritic and linear proliferating vessels and more blue‐gray nonaggregated dots structures. RCM displayed streaming of stratum spinosum, tortuous dilated vessels, highlighted inflammatory cells, and medium refraction round and oval tumor cell masses. MPM showed epidermal cells in polar arrangement, increased cell spacing, disorganized stratum granulosum and elastic fibers are gathered in clusters. Conclusion: We described a case of SBCC detected by dermoscopy, RCM and MPM. Noninvasive imaging features may provide a potentially tools in recognition and differentiation of SBCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ∂ ̄ -dressing method is developed to study the three-component coupled Hirota (tcCH) equations. We first start from a ∂ ̄ -problem and construct a new spectral problem. Based on the recursive operator, we successfully derive the tcCH hierarchy associated with the given spectral problem. In addition, the soliton solutions of the tcCH equations are first obtained via determining the spectral transform matrix in the ∂ ̄ -problem. Finally, one-, two-, and three-soliton solutions are analyzed to discuss the dynamic phenomena of the tcCH equations. It is remarked that the interaction between solitons depends on whether the characteristic lines intersect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the Riemann–Hilbert (RH) method to study the Kundu-type nonlinear Schrödinger (Kundu–NLS) equation with a zero boundary condition in the case where the scattering coefficient has distinct arbitrary-order poles. We perform a spectral analysis of the Lax pair and consider the asymptotic property, symmetry, and analyticity of the Jost solution. Based on these results, we formulate the RH problem whose solution allows solving the considered Kundu–NLS equation. In addition, using graphic analysis, we study the characteristics of soliton solutions of some particular cases of the problem with distinct arbitrary-order poles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the Riemann–Hilbert (RH) method to study the Kundu-type nonlinear Schrödinger (Kundu–NLS) equation with a zero boundary condition in the case where the scattering coefficient has distinct arbitrary-order poles. We perform a spectral analysis of the Lax pair and consider the asymptotic property, symmetry, and analyticity of the Jost solution. Based on these results, we formulate the RH problem whose solution allows solving the considered Kundu–NLS equation. In addition, using graphic analysis, we study the characteristics of soliton solutions of some particular cases of the problem with distinct arbitrary-order poles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Our study included 208 eligible patients with unresectable or advanced HCC who received immunotherapy as first line therapy. We found that PLR < 100 was an independent factor associated with better tumor response of immunotherapy. • Patients with PLR < 100 had longer PFS than other patients, while OS showed no significant difference. In subgroup analysis, we found that PLR had better prognostic value in patients received bevacizumab plus anti-PD-1 antibody therapy. • Our data indicate baseline PLR can serve as a predictor of objective response and survival outcome to immunotherapy in patients with unresectable or advanced HCC, especially who treated with bevacizumab plus anti-PD-1 antibody. • We have provided a clinically feasible approach, since patients with advanced or unresectable HCC are unlikely to provide tumor samples, and standard-of-care blood cell counts can be easily obtained in the clinic. Lymphocyte-related factors were associated with survival outcome of different types of cancers. Nevertheless, the association between lymphocytes-related factors and tumor response of immunotherapy remains unclear. This is a retrospective study. Eligible participants included patients with unresectable or advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent immunotherapy as their first-line treatment. Radiological assessment of tumor response adhered to RECIST 1.1 and HCC-specific modified RECIST (mRECIST) criteria. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were employed to analyze clinical factors associated with tumor response. Kaplan-Meier survivial analysis were employed to compare progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) across different clinical factors. Furthermore, patients who received treatment with either a combination of bevacizumab and anti-PD-1(L1) antibody (Beva group) or tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI) and anti-PD-1 antibody (TKI group) were examined to explore the relation between clinical factors and tumor response. A total of 208 patients were enrolled in this study. The median PFS and OS were 9.84 months and 24.44 months,respectively. An independent factor associated with a more favorable tumor response to immunotherapy was identified when PLR<100. Patients with PLR<100 had longer PFS than other patients, while OS showed no significant difference. Further analysis revealed that PLR exhibited superior prognostic value in patients of the Beva group as compared to those in the TKI group. There exisits an association between PLR and tumor response as well as survival outcomes in patients receiving immunotherapy, particularly those treated with the combination of bevacizumab and anti-PD-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human milk stands as the optimal natural source of nutrition for infants, harboring a plethora of complex nutrients including water, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals, proteins, and vitamins, as well as a diverse array of bioactive molecules such as oligosaccharides and growth factors, etc. These components facilitate and safeguard the growth and development of infants. Furthermore, the composition and concentration of human milk subtly evolve across different stages of breastfeeding, adapting to the specific requirements of infants. Therefore, attaining a more precise and comprehensive understanding of human milk composition holds significant value. In this study, a succinct overview of the primary constituents of human milk and their fluctuations during various lactation periods was provided. Then, existing research is critically examined concerning the existence of free glycogen in raw human milk because previous studies indicate the presence of glycogen in human milk but do not determine whether glycogen exists in free form. Glycogen within human milk may exert influence on the growth, development, and establishment of the immune system in infants, but precise mechanisms must be determined. Elucidation of the existing form of glycogen particles in human milk will not only update our understanding of human milk composition, but will also strengthen the roles of glycogen in infant development. Through our exploration, the presence of free glycogen in human milk appears plausible. However, further experiments are needed to confirm the claim via solid evidence. • Vital components of human milk at various lactational phases are outlined. • Physiological functions of glycogen in human milk is succinctly summarized. • Presence or absence of free glycogen in human milk is critically examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor-associated macrophages of the M2 phenotype promote cancer initiation and progression. Importantly, M2 macrophage-derived exosomes play key roles in the malignancy of cancer cells. Here, we report that circTMCO3 is upregulated in ovarian cancer patients, and its high expression indicates poor survival. M2-derived exosomes promote proliferation, migration, and invasion in ovarian cancer, but these effects are abolished by knockdown of circTMCO3. Furthermore, circTMCO3 functions as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-515-5p to reduce its abundance, thus upregulating ITGA8 in ovarian cancer. miR-515-5p inhibits ovarian cancer malignancy via directly downregulating ITGA8. The decreased oncogenic activity of circTMCO3-silencing exosomes is reversed by miR-515-5p knockdown or ITGA8 overexpression. Exosomal circTMCO3 promotes ovarian cancer progression in nude mice. Thus, M2 macrophage-derived exosomes promote malignancy by delivering circTMCO3 and targeting the miR-515-5p/ITGA8 axis in ovarian cancer. Our findings not only provide mechanistic insights into ovarian cancer progression, but also suggest potential therapeutic targets. This study shows that M2 macrophage-derived exosomes promote malignancy in ovarian cancer cells by delivering circTMCO3 and targeting the miR-515-5p/ITGA8 axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the node spreading influence is of significant for information and innovation diffusion. In this paper, we argue that the spreading process should be taken into account for identifying the node spreading influence and investigate the effect of the network structure, measured by the clustering coefficient, on the performance of spreading dynamics. Firstly, we generate a series of networks with tunable clustering coefficients. Then, taking into account the spreading process, we explore the performances among the Dynamics-sensitive (DS) index and the degree, between, closeness, eigenvector indices. Comparing with the Susceptible–Infective–Removed (SIR) model, the extensive results show that, for different spreading time steps and clustering coefficients, the DS centrality outperforms the performance, τ > 0 . 97 , of degree, betweenness, closeness and eigenvector measures. Moreover, the accuracy of closeness and eigenvector centrality is similar and conducts better in networks with larger spreading rate β = 0 . 20 , τ > 0 . 93 . As the clustering coefficient increases, all the performances decrease but DS centrality with least percent of 1.16 at most under β = 0 . 10 , and Closeness with the largest percent of 9.75 under β = 0 . 05 . This work suggests that the spreading influence not only depends on the network structure, more importantly, the spreading dynamic process also affect the performance greatly, which should be taken into account simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular mechanisms behind structural alterations between fragile and stable glycogen α particles in liver are not clear yet. In this pilot study, we re-examined the diurnal alterations of glycogen structure from the perspective of liver tissue transcriptome. By comparing the structures of liver glycogen from mice at 12 am, 8 am, 12 pm, and 8 pm (light-on: 6 am; light-off: 6 pm), we re-confirmed that the liver glycogen was fragile at 12 am and 8 am and stable at 12 pm and 8 pm as previously reported. The structural differences of glycogen particles at 12 am and 12 pm were thoroughly compared via transcriptomics. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with statistical significance were identified, while expression level of the gene ppp1r3g (log 2 Fold_Change = −6.368, P -value = 2.89E−04) that encoded PPP1R3G with glycogen binding domain was most significantly changed, which provided preliminary clues to the structural alterations of glycogen α particles during the diurnal cycle. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐invasive optical examination plays a crucial role in various aspects of dermatology, such as diagnosis, management and research. Multiphoton microscopy uses a unique submicron technology to stimulate autofluorescence (AF), allowing for the observation of cellular structure, assessment of redox status and quantification of collagen fibres. This advanced imaging technique offers dermatologists novel insights into the skin's structure, positioning it as a promising 'stethoscope' for future development in the field. This review provides an overview of multiphoton microscopy's principles, technology and application in studying normal skin, tumour and inflammatory diseases, as well as collagen‐related and pigmentary diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper empirically investigates the functions of price discovery and risk transfer in crude oil and gasoline futures markets using some econometric models. And the results indicate that, first, 95.71% and 59.41% of the price discovery function is performed by futures in crude oil and gasoline markets respectively during the sample period, implying the greater contribution of the futures markets compared with that of the spot markets. Meanwhile, the gasoline futures price makes 85.71% contribution to price discovery in its interaction with crude oil futures price. Second, crude oil futures price performs the risk transfer function much better than gasoline futures price in interactions with their respective spot prices. And the risk transfer function between crude oil and gasoline futures markets is not well performed. Finally, the recent financial crisis has not significantly influenced the price discovery and risk transfer functions between crude oil and gasoline futures markets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is the main cause of retinal detachment surgery failure. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by transforming growth factor (TGF-β2) plays an important role in the development of PVR. Artesunate has been widely studied as a treatment for ophthalmic diseases because of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic and antiproliferative properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of artesunate on the TGF-β2-induced EMT in ARPE-19 cells and PVR development. We found that artesunate inhibited the proliferation and contraction of ARPE-19 cells after the EMT and the autocrine effects of TGF-β2 on ARPE-19 cells. Additionally, the levels of Smad3 and p-Smad3 were increased in clinical samples, and artesunate decreased the levels of Smad3 and p-Smad3 in ARPE-19 cells treated with TGF-β2. Artesunate also inhibited the occurrence and development of PVR in vivo. In summary, artesunate inhibits the occurrence and development of PVR by inhibiting the EMT in ARPE-19 cells. • A conformational activation of Smad signaling pathway in PVR disease. • Artesunate can decreased the activation of TGF/Smad signaling pathway. • Artesunate inhibits the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of ARPE-19 cells induced by TGF. • Artesunate can inhibits PVR progression in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial poverty alleviation is one of the most important aspects of targeted poverty alleviation. Identifying the mechanism influencing the spatial differentiation of the benefits of industrial poverty alleviation plays an essential role in optimising an industrial layout for poverty alleviation, consolidating poverty alleviation achievements, and revitalising rural industries. This study examined the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of the benefits of industrial poverty alleviation at the village level using the household data collected from Jiangjin District, Chongqing, China. The results show that the benefits of industrial poverty alleviation presented obvious spatial differentiation in the villages with the overall performance being high in the north and low in the south and decreasing from the south of the county to the north and south. Spatially, there was a significant positively correlated agglomeration effect. High‐value agglomeration areas were concentrated in the north with the characteristics of 'one centre and two subcentres'. However, low‐value and outlier agglomeration effects were not obvious, presenting sporadic distribution. Seven major factors affect industrial poverty alleviation in Jiangjin District, including average altitude and land transfer rate. The interaction between any two of the seven factors has a more significant impact than that of a single factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing the bonding strength, optimizing the microstructure and refining the properties represent effective strategies for the fabrication of heterogeneous composite plates. In this study, composite plates of Al/Mg/Al were fabricated through hard plate rolling (HPR) with a reduction in rolling ranging from 40 ​% to 80 ​%. The research primarily concentrates on the substrate in the influence of rolling dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behavior on the grain morphology evolution and mechanical properties of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets during the process. The findings indicate that at a compression amount of 60 ​%, the composite plate exhibits an ultimate tensile strength (UTS), a maximum elongation (EL) of 12.5 ​%, and improved interface bonding. Comparative analysis reveals the occurrence of DRX on the Mg side, resulting in the formation of small DRXed grains being generated. With an increase in reduction, DRX is facilitated, leading to an initial rise and subsequent decline in the proportion of DRXed grains. The proliferation of fine grains hinder dislocation movement, thereby reinforcing composite plate. Moreover, an elevation in the degree of recrystallization enhances the initiation of non-basal slip and enhances the plasticity of sheet metal. This study offers valuable scientific guidance and technical assistance for the production of forming high-quality Mg–Al composite plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the effect of particle size on the shear strength of granular materials is important for geotechnical design and construction. However, previous studies show contradicting results on the relationship between particle size and shear strength. Additionally, the effect of particle breakage on this relationship has not been fully revealed. In this study, a series of biaxial tests have been simulated with the discrete element method to explore the particle-size effect of sand considering the role of particle breakage. The sand specimens have parallel particle-size distributions. The sequential breakage model has been used to simulate particle breakage, which is a combination of replacement and cluster methods. The main conclusions of this study are: (1) the relationship of peak shear strength and particle size depends on the crushability of particles and relative density of specimens; (2) the particle size and crushability have a very slight effect on the residual shear strength; and (3) at the microscale, the relationship between shear strength and particle size is positively related to the friction utilization ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc finger-homeodomain transcription factors (ZF-HDs) are pivotal in regulating plant growth, development, and diverse stress responses. In this study, we found 8 ZF-HD genes in barley genome. Theses eight HvZF-HD genes were located on five chromosomes, and classified into ZHD and MIF subfamily. The collinearity, gene structure, conserved motif, and cis-elements of HvZF-HD genes were also analyzed. Real-time PCR results suggested that the expression of HvZF-HD4, HvZF-HD6, HvZF-HD7 and HvZF-HD8 were up-regulated after hormones (ABA, GA3 and MeJA) or PEG treatments, especially HvZF-HD6 was significantly induced. These results provide useful information of ZF-HD genes to future study aimed at barley breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel silica nanosheet coating was fabricated on a titanium (Ti) fiber substrate by electrophoretic deposition followed by annealing. Prior to the electrophoretic deposition, titania nanowire arrays were grown in-situ on the titanium wires by a hydrothermal process in alkaline solution and used as the active support for the subsequent deposition of the silica coatings. After annealing at 550 °C, the homogeneous silica nanosheets were formed on the titania nanowires coated titanium fiber. The fabricated fiber has controllable preparation reproducibility and long recycling stability. The extraction performance of the resulting coating was investigated using typical aromatic compounds as model analytes coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection. Excellent extraction selectivity and capability were demonstrated for the ultraviolet filters. Under the optimized extraction conditions for the analytes, good linearity was achieved across the concentration range from 0.02 to 400 μg·L−1 with correlation coefficients above 0.999 and limits of detection from 0.004 to 0.059 μg·L−1. Relative standard deviations below 7.3% were obtained for the determination of ultraviolet filters with the single fiber. The developed method was applied to the selective enrichment and sensitive determination of the target ultraviolet filters in real water samples with relative recoveries from 83.6% to 104%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice effective panicle is a major trait for grain yield and is affected by both the genetic tiller numbers and the early tillering vigor (ETV) traits to survive environmental adversities. The mechanism behind tiller bud formation has been well described, while the genes and the molecular mechanism underlying rice-regulating ETV traits are unclear. In this study, the candidate genes in regulating ETV traits have been sought by quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and bulk-segregation analysis by resequencing method (BSA-seq) conjoint analysis using rice backcross inbred line (BIL) populations, which were cultivated as late-season rice of double-cropping rice systems. By QTL mapping, seven QTLs were detected on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, and 9, with the logarithm of the odds (LOD) values ranging from 3.52 to 7.57 and explained 3.23% to 12.98% of the observed phenotypic variance. By BSA-seq analysis, seven QTLs on chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 9 were identified using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and insertions/deletions (InDel) index algorithm and Euclidean distance (ED) algorithm. The overlapping QTL resulting from QTL mapping and BSA-seq analysis was shown in a 1.39 Mb interval on chromosome 4. In the overlap interval, six genes, including the functional unknown genes Os04g0455650, Os04g0470901, Os04g0500600, and ethylene-insensitive 3 (Os04g0456900), sialyltransferase family domain containing protein (Os04g0506800), and ATOZI1 (Os04g0497300), showed the differential expression between ETV rice lines and late tillering vigor (LTV) rice lines and have a missense base mutation in the genomic DNA sequences of the parents. We speculate that the six genes are the candidate genes regulating the ETV trait in rice, which provides a research basis for revealing the molecular mechanism behind the ETV traits in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The correlations between genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) with comprehensive brain regions at a regional scale are still not well understood. We aim to explore whether these associations vary across different age stages. Methods: This study used large existing genome-wide association datasets to calculate polygenic risk score (PRS) for AD in two populations from the UK Biobank (N ~ 23 000) and Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (N ~ 4660) who had multimodal macrostructural and microstructural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) metrics. We used linear mixed-effect models to assess the strength of the association between AD PRS and multiple MRI metrics of regional brain structures at different stages of life. Results: Compared to those with lower PRSs, adolescents with higher PRSs had thinner cortex in the caudal anterior cingulate and supramarginal. In the middle-aged and elderly population, AD PRS had correlations with regional structure shrink primarily located in the cingulate, prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, amygdala, and striatum, whereas the brain expansion was concentrated near the occipital lobe. Furthermore, both adults and adolescents with higher PRSs exhibited widespread white matter microstructural changes, indicated by decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) or increased mean diffusivity (MD). Conclusions: In conclusion, our results suggest genetic loading for AD may influence brain structures in a highly dynamic manner, with dramatically different patterns at different ages. This age-specific change is consistent with the classical pattern of brain impairment observed in AD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycogen structure is closely associated with its physiological functions. Previous studies confirmed that liver glycogen structure had two dominant states: mainly stable during the day and largely fragile at night. However, the diurnal change of glycogen structure is impaired, with dominant fragility in diseased conditions such as diabetes mellitus and liver fibrosis. Therefore, the persistent structural fragility of glycogen particles could be a potential molecular-level pathological biomarker for early screening of certain liver diseases. However, the current method for identifying glycogen structural stability and fragility suffers from sophisticated procedures and reliance on expensive instruments, which demands developing novel methods for rapidly discriminating the two types of glycogen particles. This study applied surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to generate SERS spectra of glycogen samples, revealing distinct structural differences between fragile and stable glycogen particles. Machine learning models were then constructed to predict the structural states of unknown glycogen samples via SERS spectra, according to which the convolutional neural network (CNN) model achieved the best discrimination capacity. Taken together, the SERS technique coupled with the CNN model can identify stable and fragile liver glycogen samples, facilitating the application of glycogen structural fragility as a biomarker in diagnosing liver diseases. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Apolipoprotein A‐1 (ApoA‐1), the major apolipoprotein of high‐density lipoprotein, plays anti‐atherogenic role in cardiovascular diseases and exerts anti‐inflammation effect in various inflammatory and infectious diseases. However, the role and mechanism of ApoA‐1 in hepatic ischaemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury is unknown. Methods: In this study, we measured ApoA‐1 expression in human liver grafts after transplantation. Mice partial hepatic I/R injury model was made in ApoA‐1 knockout mice, ApoA‐1 mimetic peptide D‐4F treatment mice and corresponding control mice to examine the effect of ApoA‐1 on liver damage, inflammation response and cell death. Primary hepatocytes and macrophages were isolated for in vitro study. Results: The results showed that ApoA‐1 expression was down‐regulated in human liver grafts after transplantation and mice livers subjected to hepatic I/R injury. ApoA‐1 deficiency aggravated liver damage and inflammation response induced by hepatic I/R injury. Interestingly, we found that ApoA‐1 deficiency increased pyroptosis instead of apoptosis during acute phase of hepatic I/R injury, which mainly occurred in macrophages rather than hepatocytes. The inhibition of pyroptosis compensated for the adverse impact of ApoA‐1 deficiency. Furthermore, the up‐regulated pyroptosis process was testified to be mediated by ApoA‐1 through TLR4–NF‐κB pathway and TLR4 inhibition significantly improved hepatic I/R injury. In addition, we confirmed that D‐4F ameliorated hepatic I/R injury. Conclusions: Our study has identified the protective role of ApoA‐1 in hepatic I/R injury through inhibiting pyroptosis in macrophages via TLR4–NF‐κB pathway. The effect of ApoA‐1 may provide a novel therapeutic approach for hepatic I/R injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The diabetic tumor microenvironment was found with high glucose and HSP90 levels. • The nanoenzyme was fueled by a high-glucose microenvironment. • The nanoenzyme decreased the expression of HSP90 in tumor cells. • The nanoenzyme enhanced the CDT and mild-temperature PTT effects. Diabetes is recognized as an independent risk factor for the onset and advancement of cancer. However, there has been limited emphasis on investigating the diabetic tumor microenvironment (TME) and harnessing its inherent microenvironmental distinctions to facilitate tumor ablation. The management of cancer with diabetes is often challenging. Herein, an activatable hollow mesoporous manganese silicate (H-Mn)/indocyanine green (ICG)/glucose oxidase (GOX) nanoenzyme (H-MIG) was developed for diabetic tumor therapy. This micro-reactor consumes glucose to trigger a sequential cascade reaction to biologically amplify the antitumor effect under hyperglycemia conditions. H-Mn degrades within the TME, releasing O 2 and Mn2+. The presence of O 2 promotes GOX-induced glucose consumption, leading to the subsequent production of H 2 O 2. This glucose-fueled oxidation also provides reactants for chemodynamic therapy, as H 2 O 2 and Mn2+ in the TME subsequently undergo a Fenton-like reaction. In addition, by inhibiting the expression of the heat shock protein 90, which is highly expressed in diabetic TME, GOX enhances ICG-guided mild-temperature photothermal therapy. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the domino effect fueled by this high-glucose TME improves anticancer efficacy. By exploiting the complementary cascade reactions, this endogenous enzyme-based strategy could inspire the design of more promising advanced platforms for more efficient diabetic cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of glycogen α particles in healthy mouse liver has two states: stability and fragility. In contrast, glycogen α particles in diabetic liver present consistent fragility, which may exacerbate hyperglycemia. Currently, the molecular mechanism behind glycogen structural alteration is still unclear. In this study, we characterized the fine molecular structure of liver glycogen α particles in healthy mice under time-restricted feeding (TRF) mode during a 24-h cycle. Then, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the liver during daytime and nighttime were revealed via transcriptomics, which identified that the key downregulated DEGs were mainly related to insulin secretion in daytime. Furthermore, GO annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment found that negative regulation of the glycogen catabolic process and insulin secretion process were significantly downregulated in the daytime. Therefore, transcriptomic analyses indicated that the structural stability of glycogen α particles might be correlated with the glycogen degradation process via insulin secretion downregulation. Further molecular experiments confirmed the significant upregulation of glycogen phosphorylase (PYGL), phosphorylated PYGL (p-PYGL), and glycogen debranching enzyme (AGL) at the protein level during the daytime. Overall, we concluded that the downregulation of insulin secretion in the daytime under TRF mode facilitated glycogenolysis, contributing to the structural stability of glycogen α-particles. [Display omitted] • The content and structure of liver glycogen changes diurnally in TRF mode. • DEGs of insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis were down-regulated in the daytime. • GO and KEGG analyses show down-regulation of insulin secretion in the daytime. • PYGL, p-PYGL, and AGL levels were upregulated in the daytime. • The glycogen degradation process co-occurs with glycogen α-particle stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The diabetic tumor microenvironment was found with high glucose and HSP90 levels. • The nanoenzyme was fueled by a high-glucose microenvironment. • The nanoenzyme decreased the expression of HSP90 in tumor cells. • The nanoenzyme enhanced the CDT and mild-temperature PTT effects. Diabetes is recognized as an independent risk factor for the onset and advancement of cancer. However, there has been limited emphasis on investigating the diabetic tumor microenvironment (TME) and harnessing its inherent microenvironmental distinctions to facilitate tumor ablation. The management of cancer with diabetes is often challenging. Herein, an activatable hollow mesoporous manganese silicate (H-Mn)/indocyanine green (ICG)/glucose oxidase (GOX) nanoenzyme (H-MIG) was developed for diabetic tumor therapy. This micro-reactor consumes glucose to trigger a sequential cascade reaction to biologically amplify the antitumor effect under hyperglycemia conditions. H-Mn degrades within the TME, releasing O 2 and Mn2+. The presence of O 2 promotes GOX-induced glucose consumption, leading to the subsequent production of H 2 O 2. This glucose-fueled oxidation also provides reactants for chemodynamic therapy, as H 2 O 2 and Mn2+ in the TME subsequently undergo a Fenton-like reaction. In addition, by inhibiting the expression of the heat shock protein 90, which is highly expressed in diabetic TME, GOX enhances ICG-guided mild-temperature photothermal therapy. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the domino effect fueled by this high-glucose TME improves anticancer efficacy. By exploiting the complementary cascade reactions, this endogenous enzyme-based strategy could inspire the design of more promising advanced platforms for more efficient diabetic cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deoxymikanolide (DEO) was isolated from Mikania micrantha Bunge and identified as a novel antibacterial compound previously. However, the mode of antimicrobial mechanism of DEO was not clear but hypothesized to affect the morphology and physiology of Ralstonia solanacearum cells. In this study, we confirmed our hypothesis via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation and comprehensive physiological analyses, including electric conductivity, glycan and phosphorus metabolism, activities of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase), intrabacterial reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. We found that glycan and phosphorus metabolism, electric conductivity, intracellular ROS and MDA levels of R. solanacearum cells were significantly increased, while the activities of three antioxidant enzymes were significantly inhibited by DEO treatment. Moreover, TEM analysis showed that DEO treatment led to an early-stage of cell shrinkage, intermediate-stages of cytoplasmic damage, and a final-stage of cell disruption. Altogether, our data presented here indicate that DEO could adversely affect the physiology and morphology of R. solanacearum cells and be treated as an alternative antibacterial treatment in the future. [Display omitted] • The observation of ultrastructure indicated that the outer layer structure of tested cell was one of the main targets of DEO attack. • MIC and MBC of DEO were 62.5 and 125 mg/l, respectively. • The electric conductivity values of tested cell by DEO-treated sharply increased from 5 to 30 min. • The glycometabolism and phosphorus metabolism of tested cell by DEO-treated were obviously accelerated. • The three antioxidant enzymes (CAT, POD, and SOD) activities of tested cell by DEO-treated were significantly inhibited. • The intrabacterial ROS and MDA levels were apparently increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis of assumed natural (12 R ,13 S)-enantiomers of pyriculariol (1) and dihydropyriculariol (2), phytotoxins isolated from rice blast disease fungus, Pyricularia oryzae , was achieved using Wittig reaction or microwave-assisted Stille coupling reaction as the key step. The synthesis revealed that the natural 1 and 2 are racemates. Foliar application test on a rice leaf indicated that both the salicylaldehyde core and side chain were necessary for phytotoxic activity. The fungus is found to produce optically active phytotoxins when incubated with rotary shaker, but racemic ones when cultured using an aerated jar fermenter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Aggressive behaviour is widely exhibited by animals to acquire important resources and usually shows a dangerous or nondangerous pattern. Dangerous fighting patterns are usually characterized by fights ending with contestants being severely injured or killed. Resource value is an important nonstrategic factor influencing fighting behaviour. Studies of many species addressing nondangerous fighting behaviour have shown that when resource values change, organisms usually adjust their fighting behaviour accordingly. Only a few species show dangerous fighting patterns. Thus, few relevant studies have addressed how variation in resource value affects aggression with a dangerous fighting pattern. 2. Here, an egg parasitoid wasp, Anastatus disparis, which exhibits a dangerous fighting pattern to acquire mating opportunities, was used as an experimental model to study the adjustment of fighting behaviour resulting from a change in resource value. 3. Our results show that the female properties of body size and age affect their objective resource value and that males increased their fighting intensity for relatively large and young females. However, male mating status in A. disparis may not influence the subjective value of mate resources, and fighting intensity did not significantly differ between mated and virgin males. In addition, the number of times a male had previously mated had no significant effect. These results suggest that mating opportunities are important for both virgin and mated males, resulting in neither of them showing any adjustment in fighting for mating opportunities. 4. Generally, A. disparis males with extreme fighting patterns adjust their fighting behaviour according to the variation in resource value, which avoids the meaningless costs of injury and death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nemaline myopathy (NEM) is a congenital myopathy that typically presents with proximal muscle weakness and hypotonia. To date, 13 genes have been associated with NEM. The Kelch repeat and BTB domain‐containing protein 13 (KBTBD13) gene (KBTBD13)‐related NEM is a rarely reported condition, and not a single case has been reported in Asia. Here, we report the case of a mother and daughter in China with NEM caused by a mutation (c.1222C>T) in KBTBD13. Their shared clinical phenotype is symmetrical muscle weakness in the arms and legs with childhood onset. Muscle magnetic resonance imaging showed the unique replacement mode of muscle with fibro‐fatty tissue. Histopathological examination revealed the presence of fibers containing rod‐shaped structures in the cytoplasm or under the sarcolemma. DNA sequencing analysis detected a heterozygous mutation (c.1222C>T) in KBTBD13 in this family. A founder effect for the variant may exist in the Low Countries of Belgium and the Netherlands, and the mutation may be a hotspot mutation in Europe, as it has not been reported in Asia. Our case study expands the spectrum of KBTBD13‐related NEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing evidence confirms associations between glycogen metabolic re-wiring and the development of liver cancer. Previous studies showed that glycogen structure changes abnormally in liver diseases such as cystic fibrosis, diabetes, etc. However, few studies focus on glycogen molecular structural characteristics during liver cancer development, which is worthy of further exploration. In this study, a rat model with carcinogenic liver injury induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) was successfully constructed, and hepatic glycogen structure was characterized. Compared with glycogen structure in the healthy rat liver, glycogen chain length distribution (CLD) shifts towards a short region. In contrast, glycogen particles were mainly present in small-sized β particles in DEN-damaged carcinogenic rat liver. Comparative transcriptomic analysis revealed significant expression changes of genes and pathways involved in carcinogenic liver injury. A combination of transcriptomic analysis, RT-qPCR, and western blot showed that the two genes, Gsy1 encoding glycogen synthase and Gbe1 encoding glycogen branching enzyme, were significantly altered and might be responsible for the structural abnormality of hepatic glycogen in carcinogenic liver injury. Taken together, this study confirmed that carcinogenic liver injury led to structural abnormality of hepatic glycogen, which provided clues to the future development of novel drug targets for potential therapeutics of carcinogenic liver injury. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of light alloy in realizing the national strategy of energy saving and emission reduction and promoting the upgrading of the manufacturing industry is self-evident. Mg/Al composite laminates combine the lightweight of magnesium alloy and the plasticity and corrosion resistance of aluminum alloy. Traditional accumulative roll bonding technology relies on the advantage of introducing large deformation. Although high strength is obtained, it is often accompanied by a large loss of ductility, and there is a problem that it is difficult to balance strength and ductility. To solve this problem and optimize the process conditions, a new hard-plate accumulative roll bonding process is proposed in this paper, which is used to prepare high-performance Mg/Al composite plates, and the influence of forming temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg matrix is studied. The results show that when the forming temperature is 350 °C, the properties of composite laminates are the best, the tensile strength can reach 243 MPa, the elongation is 14.7 %, and there are a lot of tearing edges and dimples on the fracture surface. At the same time, complete recrystallization can be realized at this temperature, and the opening of non-base slip can coordinate deformation stress, promote the dislocation slip, and reduce the dislocation density, SEM images show that there are no defects such as delamination at the interface, and a firm metallurgical bonding is achieved. It provides a new approach to the forming and manufacturing of high-quality lightweight heterogeneous composite laminates. • The recrystallization process is more complete at the forming temperature of 350 °C. • The opening of non-base slip improves the plastic deformation ability of materials together. • There are no defects such as delamination at the interface, which improves the interface bonding ability. • The temperature affects the properties of the Mg/Al composite laminates in the hard plate accumulative roll bonding process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearing titanium particle‐induced osteoclastogenesis, accompanied by peri‐implant osteolysis, is the main cause of long‐term failure of hip prosthesis. Currently, medications used for the prevention and treatment of peri‐implant osteolysis show serious side effects. Therefore, development for more effective new drugs with less side effects is extremely urgent. Vaccarin is a natural flavonoid extracted from Vaccaria segetalis, with various biological functions, including antioxidantory, anti‐inflammatory, and promotion of angiogenesis. However, the putative role of vaccarin in the inhibition of titanium particle‐induced osteolysis has not been reported. In this study, it was indicated that vaccarin could effectively inhibit RANKL‐induced osteoclastogenesis, fusion of F‐actin rings, bone resorption, and expression of osteoclast marker genes in a dose‐dependent manner in vitro. Moreover, vaccarin could also inhibit RANKL‐induced osteoclastogenesis via the inhibition of NF‐κB and MAPK (p38, ERK, and JNK) signaling pathways, and inhibit the transcription of downstream transcription factors, such as c‐Fos and NFATc1. Consistent with in vitro results, this in vivo study showed that vaccarin exhibited an inhibitory effect on titanium particle‐induced osteolysis by antiosteoclastogenesis. In conclusion, vaccarin could be a promising agent for preventing and treating peri‐implant osteolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Necrosis at the distal end of random skin flaps remains a significant challenge, limiting the clinical application of these flaps in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Inhibiting ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and promoting the formation of neovascular networks are critical preventive strategies. Platelet-derived small extracellular vesicles (PL-sEV) are nanocarriers of growth factors that provide an alternative to clinically used platelet-rich plasma and platelet lysates, offering higher growth factor concentrations and lower immunogenicity. In this study, PANoptosis, a distinct form of inflammatory cell death, was fully characterized in a random skin flap model. Subcutaneous injection of PL-sEV improved ischemic skin flap survival by enhancing blood perfusion and reducing PANoptosis levels. In vitro , PL-sEV inhibited oxygen–glucose deprivation/reoxygenation-induced dysfunction in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Furthermore, PL-sEV was incorporated into a thermosensitive triblock hydrogel, creating a sprayable delivery system (PLEL@PL-sEV). Mechanistic analysis through RNA sequencing indicated that the protective effects of PL-sEV against PANoptosis likely resulted from its anti-inflammatory properties, particularly via suppression of the NF-κB signaling pathway. This novel hydrogel system demonstrated controlled release of PL-sEV and proved effective in improving skin flap transplantation outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A significant dispersion of penetration depth with Bi 0.38 Se 0.62 films versus phonon energy was found. • A dispersive plasma energy was introduced to traditional MDF model for modelling topological insulators. • Spectroscopic ellipsometry was shown to be a useful tool for characterizing the properties of the topological insulators. Abstract Optical properties evolution of Bi 1- x Se x films with different compositions were investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). A significant dispersion of penetration depth of Bi 0.38 Se 0.62 films was observed, which would lead to a varying carrier concentration with the different wavelength because of the topologically protected surface state. To describe the special properties of topological insulators, dispersive plasma energy was introduced into traditional dielectric function model. Optical properties of Bi 0.38 Se 0.62 film were acquired by this modified model and the topologically protected surface state could be represented from the dispersion properties of free carrier concentration with the smaller plasma energy versus the deeper penetration depth. We demonstrated that SE is a useful tool for characterizing the properties of the topological insulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been reported that glycogen in Escherichia coli has two structural states, that is, fragility and stability, which alters dynamically. However, molecular mechanisms behind the structural alterations are not fully understood. In this study, we focused on the potential roles of two important glycogen degradation enzymes, glycogen phosphorylase (glgP) and glycogen debranching enzyme (glgX), in glycogen structural alterations. The fine molecular structure of glycogen particles in Escherichia coli and three mutants (Δ glgP , Δ glgX and Δ glgP /Δ glgX) were examined, which showed that glycogen in E. coli Δ glgP and E. coli Δ glgP /Δ glgX were consistently fragile while being consistently stable in E. coli Δ glgX , indicating the dominant role of GP in glycogen structural stability control. In sum, our study concludes that glycogen phosphorylase is essential in glycogen structural stability, leading to molecular insights into structural assembly of glycogen particles in E. coli. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• New diiron monophosphine precursors FePR (R = F , H, and Me) were prepared and characterized. • A new family of CNT-supported diiron monophosphine hybrids CNT- f -FePR was fabricated and characterized. • Substituent effects of FePR on electrocatalytic HER behaviros of CNT- f -FePR were investigated systematically. • Electrochemical studies indicate hybrid CNT- f -FePF exhibits a better HER activity in 0.1 M H 2 SO 4. • DFT calculation reveals hybrid CNT- f -FePF has a lower Δ G H* value relative to homologues CNT- f -FePR (R = H , Me). In order to explore substituent effects of PR 3 -phosphine ligands of diiron dithiolato complexes on the catalytic performances of [FeFe]-hydrogenase mimics for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in an aqueous medium, three new diiron monophosphine complexes [{(μ -SCH 2) 2 N(C 6 H 4 CH 2 CH 2 OH)}Fe 2 (CO) 5 {P(C 6 H 4 R- 4) 3 }] (labeled as FePR ; R = F , H, and Me) were prepared and can be further linked covalently into carbon nanotube (CNT) to construct the target CNT-supported hybrids denoting as CNT- f -FePR. The molecular structures of diiron complexes FePR are well characterized through element analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and X-ray crystallography, whereas the formations of target hybrids CNT- f -FePR have been confirmed by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman and FT-IR. Notably, the electrochemical HER performances of target hybrids CNT- f -FePR (R = F , H, and Me) are studied and compared in 0.1 M H 2 SO 4 aqueous solution by means of linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Among these hybrids, the CNT- f -FePF hybrid exhibits a more efficient HER activity in an aqueous media based on their electrochemical observations that the CNT- f -FePF hybrid with F-substituted phosphine has lower applied overpotential, smaller Tafel slope, larger electrochemical active surface area, smaller charge transfer resistance, and lower hydrogen chemisorption free energy relative to its analogues CNT- f -FePH and CNT- f -FePMe with H- or Me-substituted phosphines. A new family of CNT-supported diiron monophosphine complexes denoting as CNT- f -FePR (R = F vs. H vs. Me) was constructed in order to investigate the substituent effects of diiron phosphine clusters FePR on the electrochemical HER performances of hydrogenase-inspired catalysts CNT- f -FePR in aqueous medium. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dielectric functions of direct-current-sputtered wedge-shaped ultrathin titanium (Ti) film on K9 glass were investigated in this paper. The wedge-shaped Ti thin film was deposited under the identical conditions with continuously varied thickness. Atomic force microscope revealed that the thin film surface was very smooth with the surface roughness of about 0.5 nm. The dielectric functions of the wedge-shaped films in the wavelength range of 300-1200 nm were obtained by a focused-beam ellipsometer with the beam size on the sample about 200 μm. Results show that ε, the real part of the dielectric function, is negative almost in the whole spectrum region, proving that the film at the measured area is continuous and shows metallic behavior. On the other hand, ε decreases with the increase in the film thickness, while ε, the imaginary part of the dielectric function, has the opposite variation tendency. The changing of ε with film thickness is due to the reduced electron-electron interactions and enhanced metallic behavior. While for ε, it gets larger with the increase in the film thickness, which is mainly owing to the decrease in the tensile stress in the film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The optical properties of TiO2 thin films prepared by electron beam evaporation were studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry and analyzed quantitatively using effective medium approximation theory and an effective series capacitance model. The refractive indices of TiO2 are essentially constant and approach to those of bulk TiO2 for films thicker than 40nm, but drop sharply with a decrease in thickness from 40 to 5.5nm. This phenomenon can be interpreted quantitatively by the thickness dependence of the void fraction and interfacial oxide region. The optical band gaps calculated from Tauc law increase with an increase of film thickness, and can be attributed to the contribution of disorder effect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

TiO thin films of different thickness were prepared by the Electron Beam Evaporation (EBE) method on crystal silicon. A variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometer (VASE) was used to determine the optical constants and thickness of the investigated films in the spectral range from 300 to 800 nm at incident angles of 60°, 70°, and 75°, respectively. The whole spectra have been fitted by Forouhi-Bloomer (FB) model, whose best-fit parameters reveal that both electron lifetime and band gap of TiO thin film have positive correlation to the film thickness. The refractive indices of TiO thin film increase monotonically with an increase in film thickness in the investigated spectral range. The refractive index spectra of TiO thin films have maxima at around 320 nm and the maxima exhibit a marginally blue-shift from 327.9 to 310.0 nm with an increase in film thickness. The evolution of structural disorder in the TiO thin film growth can be used to explain these phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium oxide (TiO2) thin films were prepared by electron-beam evaporation (EBE) method on crystal silicon, and were thermally treated by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) were used to analyze the crystal structure, band gap, and optical constants evolution of the investigated films. The strongest diffraction peaks in XRD patterns were found to shift to higher 2 θ angle with an increase of film thickness. The lattice spacing decreases and the average grain size increases, indicating the improvement of crystal quality by increasing film thickness. The band gap from well-fitted Forouhi-Bloomer (FB) dispersion model in VASE decreases with an increase of thickness, and one-dimensional quantum confinement effect and disorder effect have been introduced to explain this relation. The refractive indices of TiO2 thin film decrease monotonically with an increase in film thickness in the spectral range from 230 to 800 nm, which can be attributed to the contribution of compressive stress effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has led to great advances in understanding the causes of Mendelian and complex neurological diseases. Owing to the complexity of genetic diseases, the genetic factors contributing to many rare and common neurological diseases remain poorly understood. Selecting the correct genetic test based on cost-effectiveness, coverage area, and sequencing range can improve diagnosis, treatments, and prevention. Whole-exome sequencing and whole-genome sequencing are suitable methods for finding new mutations, and gene panels are suitable for exploring the roles of specific genes in neurogenetic diseases. Here, we provide an overview of the classifications, applications, advantages, and limitations of NGS in research on neurological diseases. We further provide examples of NGS-based explorations and insights of the genetic causes of neurogenetic diseases, including Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease, spinocerebellar ataxias, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis. In addition, we focus on issues related to NGS-based analyses, including interpretations of variants of uncertain significance, de novo mutations, congenital genetic diseases with complex phenotypes, and single-molecule real-time approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]