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Background Purpose Methods Results Conclusions Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic neuromuscular disorder that leads to mobility loss and life‐threatening cardiac or respiratory complications. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) envelope statistics imaging, which characterizes fat infiltration and fibrosis in muscles, has been extensively used for DMD evaluations.Notably, changes in muscle microstructures also result in acoustic attenuation, potentially serving as another crucial imaging biomarker for DMD. Expanding upon the reference frequency method (RFM), this study contributes to the field by introducing the robust RFM (RRFM) as a novel approach for ultrasound attenuation imaging in DMD.The RRFM algorithm was developed using an iterative reweighted least squares technique. We conducted standard phantom measurements with a clinical ultrasound system equipped with a linear array transducer to assess the improvement in attenuation estimation bias by RRFM. Additionally, 161 DMD patients, included in both a validation dataset (n = 130) and a testing dataset (n = 31), underwent ultrasound scanning of the gastrocnemius for RRFM‐based attenuation imaging. The diagnostic performances for ambulatory functions and discrimination between early and late ambulatory stages were evaluated and compared with those of QUS envelope statistics imaging (involving Nakagami distribution, homodyned K distribution, and entropy values) using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC).The results indicated that the RRFM method more closely matched the actual attenuation properties of the phantom, reducing measurement bias by 50% compared to conventional RFM. The AUROCs for RRFM‐based attenuation imaging, used to discriminate between early and late ambulatory stages, were 0.88 and 0.92 for the validation and testing datasets, respectively. These performances significantly surpassed those of QUS envelope statistics imaging (p < 0.05).Ultrasound attenuation imaging employing RRFM may serve as a sensitive tool for evaluating the progression of ambulatory function deterioration, offering substantial potential for the health management and follow‐up care of DMD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NASICON‐type cathode with remarkable ionic conductivity is perspective candidate for fast‐charging sodium‐ion battery. However, severely restricted by low electrical conductivity and poor interfacial kinetics, it usually delivers poor charge transfer kinetics. Different from traditional carbon compositing with high carbon contents, herein, a trace carbon incorporation tactic is proposed based on a typical NASICON‐structured Na3V2(PO4)3. First, particle‐growth process of Na3V2(PO4)3 is regulated via incorporating carbon dot, significantly reducing its particle size to shorten charge diffusion path. Second, electrical conductivity of Na3V2(PO4)3 is improved without sacrificing its high electrochemical activity due to the incorporated trace carbon content (0.76 wt.%). Third, Na3V2(PO4)3‐electrolyte interface structure is optimized by abundant functional groups from the incorporated carbon dot, enabling a thin and stable NaF‐rich CEI layer to boost interface kinetics. As a result, carbon dot endows Na3V2(PO4)3 with ultrastable cyclability up to 20 k cycles (capacity retention of 98.4%) and excellent rate capability (up to 200 C) in half cell, as well as high energy density (368.7 Wh kg−1) and fast charging property (≈110.2 s per charging with 250.8 Wh kg−1 input) in full cell. This study carves a new path for developing fast‐charging cathode, as is increasingly desired for present energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a single‐layer filtering antenna based on half‐mode patches is proposed. It consists of a main driven patch and a parasitic patch. A U‐shaped slot is first etched on the main driven patch to generate a new resonant mode and a radiation null simultaneously. Four pairs of shorting pins are introduced on the main driven patch to raise its operating frequency to near that of the U‐shaped slot, thus broadening the impedance bandwidth (IBW). Additionally, a parasitic patch is introduced near the driven patch to introduce an extra half‐TM10 mode and an extra radiation null, significantly enhancing the IBW and the upper‐edge selectivity of the antenna. A prototype was fabricated and tested for validation. It achieves a peak realized gain of 6.55 dBi and −10‐dB IBW of 8.8%, and exhibits good out‐of‐band rejection performance while maintaining a low profile of 0.017 λ0 and a compact transverse size of 0.29 λ02. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduced a terminal alkyne into the core structure of dolutegravir, resulting in the synthesis of 34 novel dolutegravir-1,2,3-triazole compounds through click chemistry. These compounds exhibited remarkable inhibitory activities against two hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, Huh7 and HepG2. Notably, compounds 5e and 5p demonstrated exceptional efficacy, particularly against Huh7 cells, with IC50 values of 2.64 and 5.42 μM. Additionally, both compounds induced apoptosis in Huh7 cells, suppressed tumor cell clone formation, and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, further promoting tumor cell apoptosis. Furthermore, compounds 5e and 5p activated the LC3 signaling pathway, inducing autophagy, and triggered the γ-H2AX signaling pathway, resulting in DNA damage in tumor cells. Compound 5e exhibited low toxicity, highlighting its potential as a promising anti-tumor drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different from the honeycomb monolayer (like graphene), the single-layer boron chalcogenide B2X3 (X = S, Se, Te) exhibits a kagome lattice. Using the first-principles calculations, the existence of sliding ferroelectricity in van der Waals kagome-B2X3 bilayers is demonstrated. The sliding ferroelectricity results from the breaking of the inversion symmetry by interlayer sliding. In addition, there are multiple stable states in a unit cell for kagome-lattice bilayers. The bandgap is found to vary with sliding distance. By choosing specific pathways, not only the out-of-plane polarization but also the in-plane polarization can be reversed by interlayer sliding. Such a simultaneous reversal for both in-plane and out-of-plane polarizations by sliding would be useful for applications in various devices. These behaviors are found in all the three configurations (X = S, Se, Te), suggesting they are the intrinsic features of such systems and may throw light on the development of future devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effectiveness of animated movies (AM) in increasing students' vocabulary and determines what students think about English language learning in Pakistan. Particularly in the education field, vocabulary is an essential factor for foreign language learning in academic achievements. This research aimed to determine whether using animated images/movies aid students in learning new vocabulary by helping them to make connections between the words they know and real-world occurrences. The research used pre-tests and post-tests to examine the impact of AM on vocabulary acquisition. Total participants (N= 64) were 12th-grade students in Lahore, Pakistan, separated into controlled and experimental groups to make a judgment. In the second semester of college, half the students (N= 32) utilized AM to acquire English vocabulary, while the control group employed the conventional technique. The results were evaluated using a t-test for an independent sample to detect significant differences between the groups. The vocabulary exam was constructed and verified as a pre and post-test. The findings revealed a statistically significant difference in receptive vocabulary, productive vocabulary, and overall score in favor of the experimental group owing to the use of (AM). It added to the growing body of information by investigating how animated videos might support EFL education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare clinical malignant syndrome, and its rarity causes a lack of pathology research. This study aims to quantitatively analyze HE‐stained pathological images (PIs), and develop a new predictive model integrating digital pathological parameters with clinical information. Methods: Ninety‐two PMP patients with complete clinic‐pathological information, were included. QuPath was used for PIs quantitative feature analysis at tissue‐, cell‐, and nucleus‐level. The correlations between overall survival (OS) and general clinicopathological characteristics, and PIs features were analyzed. A nomogram was established based on independent prognostic factors and evaluated. Results: Among the 92 PMP patients, there were 34 (37.0%) females and 58 (63.0%) males, with a median age of 57 (range: 31–76). A total of 449 HE stained images were obtained for QuPath analysis, which extracted 40 pathological parameters at three levels. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis revealed eight clinicopathological characteristics and 20 PIs features significantly associated with OS (p < 0.05). Partial least squares regression was used to screen the multicollinearity features and synthesize four new features. Multivariate survival analysis identified the following five independent prognostic factors: preoperative CA199, completeness of cytoreduction, histopathological type, component one at tissue‐level, and tumor nuclei circularity variance. A nomogram was established with internal validation C‐index 0.795 and calibration plots indicating improved prediction performance. Conclusions: The quantitative analysis of HE‐stained PIs could extract the new prognostic information on PMP. A nomogram established by five independent prognosticators is the first model integrating digital pathological information with clinical data for improved clinical outcome prediction. Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare clinical malignant syndrome, and its rarity causes the insufficiency of pathology research. This study established a prognosis nomogram prediction model based on new pathological characteristics of PMP through quantitative analysis of pathological images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conditionally replicating viruses (CRVs) are a safer option than attenuated vaccines and more effective than inactivated vaccines as they can activate the immune system, both innate and adaptive immune responses. Destabilizing domain fusion, proteolysis-targeting chimeras, and premature termination codon (PTC) read through are among the most promising strategies for CRVs. Targeted protein degradation technologies are more suitable for large-genome viruses and segmented RNA viruses. PTC read-through strategies have minimal possibility of influencing the functionality of the targeted virus and therefore may also perform well in small-genome viruses. Anticodon engineered tRNA technology makes PTC strategies more practical. Conditionally replicating viruses (CRVs) are a type of virus with one or more essential gene functions that are impaired resulting in the disruption of viral genome replication, protein synthesis, or virus particle assembly. CRVs can replicate only if the deficient essential genes are supplied. CRVs are widely used in biomedical research, particularly as vaccines. Traditionally, CRVs are generated by creating complementary cell lines that provide the impaired genes. With the development of biotechnology, novel techniques have been invented to generate CRVs, such as targeted protein degradation (TPD) technologies and premature termination codon (PTC) read-through technologies. The advantages and disadvantages of these novel technologies are discussed. Finally, we provide perspectives on what challenges need to be overcome for CRVs to reach the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new rhodium complex [Rh(cod)(TTT)2] was synthesized by [Rh(cod)Cl]2 as a precursor, and 4,4',4''-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)trianiline (TTT) as a ligand. Its structure was verified by 1H and 13C NMR. The results indicate that the complex shows high activity in phenylacetylene polymerization. It was applied to the polymerization of phenylacetylene with a yield of 45.0% and Mw = 2.26×105 at ultra-low rhodium feed ratio ([Rh.]/[M.]=1/60000). A new rhodium complex [Rh(cod)(TTT)2] was synthesized by [Rh(cod)Cl]2 as a precursor, and 4,4',4''-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)trianiline (TTT) as a ligand. It was applied to the polymerization of phenylacetylene with a yield of 45.0% and Mw = 2.26×105 at ultra-low rhodium feed ratio ([Rh.]/[M.]=1/60000 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrated a narrow‐linewidth Ho:yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) injection‐locked laser by using a 1908 nm thulium‐doped fiber laser as a pumping source to generate 2.09 μm single‐frequency pulses. A compact single‐longitudinal‐mode nonplanar ring oscillator (NPRO) based on Ho:YAG material with a beam quality factor of 1.01 at the central wavelength of 2090.91 nm was considered as the seed source. In the experiment, the pulse energy of 3.6 mJ with a pulse width of 161.6 ns from single‐frequency Ho laser was achieved at a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 100 Hz. The linewidth of the single‐frequency pulse spectrum monitored through the heterodyne method was approximately 1.9 MHz at the lowest Ho laser energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and highly aggressive tumor. Its clinical manifestations are diverse, and the symptoms are not specific. Some patients will develop paraneoplastic syndrome (PS) during the disease course. This study aims to analyze the risk factors of PS in patients with MPM and their impacts on prognosis. Methods: The clinical data of MPM patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS + HIPEC) at our center from June 2015 to May 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. MPM patients were divided into PS group and non-PS group according to the diagnostic criteria. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to explore the risk factors of PS in MPM patients, and to analyze the impact of PS on prognosis. Results: There were 146 MPM patients in this study, including 60 patients (41.1%) with PS and 86 patients (58.9%) without PS. The highest incidence of PS was thrombocytosis (33.6%), followed by neoplastic fever (9.6%). Univariate analysis revealed 8 factors (P < 0.05) with statistically significant differences between the two groups: prior surgical scores, targeted therapy history, Karnofsky performance status score, preoperative carbohydrate antigen (CA) 125 level, vascular tumor embolus, peritoneal cancer index, completeness of cytoreduction (CC) score and intraoperative ascites. Multivariate analysis identified 3 independent factors associated with PS: preoperative CA 125 level, vascular tumor embolus, and CC score. Survival analysis demonstrated that MPM patients with PS had worse prognosis, although PS was not an independent prognostic factor. Conclusions: PS is not rare in patients with MPM, and is independently associated with preoperative CA 125 level, vascular tumor embolus and CC score. PS often indicates advanced disease and poor prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the existence of the magnetic pole edge effect, the actual cogging torque of the existing segmented step skew motor does not reach the theoretical minimum. Thus, a method for suppressing cogging torque of permanent magnet synchronous motor considering the magnetic pole edge effect is proposed. The magnetic pole edge effect is creatively converted into the amplitude and phase offset of the cogging torque generated by each pole segment. On this basis, an optimization problem is constructed in which the fundamental component of cogging torque is zero and the total harmonics is minimum. The optimal magnetic pole length and skew angle parameters of each segment are obtained by solving the optimization problem quantitatively. The results can provide theoretical guidance for motor design, which can minimize the cogging torque of step skew structures. The effectiveness of the proposed method in weakening the cogging torque of the step skew motor is demonstrated by theoretical calculation, 3D finite element analysis, and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact low‐profile planar filtering antenna with an enhanced suppression level is presented in this paper. The presented antenna has a simple structure, consisting of an E‐shaped driving patch, a shorted parasitic patch, and a defected ground structure (DGS). The E‐shaped driving patch serves as an effective radiator and facilitates the filtering response. The shorted parasitic patch is horizontally arranged and coupled with the driving patch through the radiating edge. And a radiation null and an extra in‐band resonance can be generated, which would simultaneously broaden the impedance bandwidth and improve the suppression level. In addition, a DGS on the metalized ground plane is etched to introduce another radiation null, and the out‐of‐band suppression level would be significantly enhanced. The filtering antenna with a center frequency of 3 GHz was constructed and tested to verify its performance. The measured values, which indicate a bandwidth of 10% (2.85–3.15 GHz) and a peak realized gain of 5.2 dBi, are in agreement with the simulated values. The presented filtering antenna features a low profile of 0.016λ0, a compact antenna size of 0.16λ20, as well as an improved suppression level of more than 22 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, a compact circularly polarized (CP) microstrip patch filtenna designed by reusing dual‐mode substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity is proposed. The dual‐mode SIW cavity, operating at its TE120 and TE210 modes, can be used not only as the first stage resonator of the filtering network but also feeds the four microstrip patches working at their TM10 and TM01 modes. A pair of asymmetric perturbed posts is inserted in the SIW cavity to perturb the electric field distributions of TE120 and TE210 modes so as to achieve one axial ratio (AR) minima. The other AR minima is realized by sequentially exciting the four orthogonal microstrip patches via the four rectangular slots that are etched on the top surface of the SIW cavity. In addition, four metal posts penetrated the SIW cavity is employed to improve the impedance matching. For verification, a CP filtenna prototype centered at 5.13 GHz is designed, manufactured, and tested. The measured results agree well with the simulated ones, demonstrating a fractional impedance bandwidth of 6.9% (4.95–5.3 GHz), a 3 dB AR bandwidth of 4.2% (5–5.21 GHz), and a maximum boresight realized gain of 8.4 dBic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Since 2015, m‐phenylenediamines (mPD) have become a popular carbon source for the synthesis of carbonized polymer dots (CPDs). However, their exact fluorescence mechanism is still obscure. To elucidate this, inorganic acids that are carbon‐free are chosen as additives for a comparative study. It is found that the green fluorescence quantum yield (nearly 80%), photostability, and reaction yield (over 90%) can be enhanced by introduction of most of inorganic acids with moderate amount. Besides, green‐blue dual emission is observed in acid‐assisted groups. UV‐vis absorption, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering results indicate that the green fluorescence center is composed of quinoid rings, whereas the blue fluorophore contains benzenoid rings. Moreover, room‐temperature afterglow with lifetime up to 1.25 s is observed exclusively in acid‐assisted CPDs composites with urea/biuret. The blue chromophore is proposed to be the origin of the triplet level that induces the long afterglow. This work provides an in‐depth understanding on the macromolecular structures of CPDs derived from phenylenediamines, and contributes a new line of thought to the origin of phosphorescence in N‐doped carbon dots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high‐precision earthquake catalog is made from continuous waveform data recorded at 360 portable seismographs deployed for one month in the Changbaishan‐Tianchi volcanic area based on an automatic earthquake detection and location workflow. Then we investigate detailed 3‐D structures of P and S wave velocities (Vp and Vs) and Vp/Vs ratio of the crust beneath the study region. Our results reveal a high‐Vp/Vs zone accompanied with active volcanic earthquakes beneath the Tianchi caldera at ∼5 km depth, which may reflect a magma chamber. The intense seismic activities within 2 km depth beneath the Tianchi caldera from 2002 to 2005 occurred directly above the magma chamber revealed by this study, which could be related to upward migration of high‐pressure volatiles originating from the magma chamber. A potential middle‐crustal magma chamber might provide continuous magmatic materials feeding the upper‐crust magma chamber and lead to ruptures of surrounding rocks, resulting in two swarms of volcanic seismicity during the observation period. We deem that the diverse eruption styles of the Changbaishan volcano are closely associated with the multilevel structure of magma chambers in the upper and middle crust. Plain Language Summary: It is difficult for the earthquake monitoring system to identify and locate microearthquakes by using traditional seismic detection methods due to their weak signals, leading to a relatively low quantity and quality of seismic data in a study region, which cannot meet the demands of high‐resolution seismic tomography. In this study, we detect and locate microseismic events beneath the Changbaishan‐Tianchi volcanic area using 1‐month waveform data recorded at our 360 portable seismographs deployed in the volcanic area. Then we investigate high‐resolution 3‐D crustal structures of P and S wave velocities (Vp, Vs) and Vp/Vs ratio beneath the study area. Our results reveal a possible crustal magma reservoir at ∼5 km depth beneath the Tianchi caldera, which is accompanied with volcanic earthquakes during our observation period. In addition, small earthquakes occurred actively at a depth of ∼2 km during 2002–2005, which are located right above the magma reservoir. We deem that the joint effect of magma reservoirs in the upper and middle crust could explain the active volcanic seismicity and distinctive eruption behaviors of the Changbaishan volcano. Key Points: A magma chamber at ∼5 km depth beneath the Tianchi caldera of the Changbaishan volcano (CBV) is revealedThe CBV unrest during 2002–2005 was related to reactivation of the crustal magma chamberDistinctive eruption behaviors of the volcano are related to multilevel magma chambers in the crust [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NVS-ZP7-4 was identified as a novel chemical reagent targeting the zinc input protein ZIP7, which accounts for the zinc surge from the apparatus to the cytoplasm. Since zinc dysregulation is related to multiple diseases, in this study, we aimed to identify the anti-tumor effects of NVS-ZP7-4 and explore the molecular mechanisms of NVS-ZP7-4 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. We found that NVS-ZP7-4 inhibited cell viability, caused cell cycle arrest, induced apoptosis, and inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCCLM3 and Huh7 cells. We further investigated the inhibited activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway was involved in the antitumor effect of NVS-ZP7-4 in HCC. Furthermore, NVS-ZP7-4 inhibited HCC tumor growth in vivo. The present study demonstrated that NVS-ZP7-4 is a promising therapeutic target for HCC by regulating PI3K/AKT signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the recent experimental progress on the synthesization of a new type of molecule, a polyyne wire doped with the organometallic Ru (dppe) 2 fragment, which exhibits superior electronic properties to similar organic molecules reported before, we studied the electronic transport of it contacted with Au electrodes through first-principles calculations. Multiple striking negative differential resistance (NDR) behavior is observed, where the current could decrease to nearly zero. Moreover, such a phenomenon is found to be robust to the conformational change of the molecule, indicating it is the intrinsic feature of it. Further analysis shows that it is the suppression of the transmission peaks at the border of the bias window that results in the NDR. And, the suppression is resulted from the decay of the local density of states in the two-probe system, especially in the central axis of the molecule, where the states are found to originate from the p orbital of C atoms and the d orbital of Ru atoms. The multiple striking NDR behavior is achieved at the single-molecule level under low bias, showing great application potentials. These findings may throw light on the development of molecular devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with conventional magnetic ways, modulating a spin-polarized current through electrical means could greatly reduce nano-devices' energy consumption and dimensions, which emerges as a new research area in spintronics. Inspired by the experimental progress on the synthesis of helically twisted graphene, we study the electronic transport of kekulene-like helical graphene nanoribbons through first-principles calculations. By applying a gate voltage, the system can be switched between spin-unpolarized and completely spin-polarized states, realizing an electrically controlled spin filter. Moreover, a fine modulation of the spin polarization can also be achieved, where transmission with any ratio of spin-up to spin-down electrons can be obtained, beyond the traditional spin filter. The analysis shows that it is the particular transmission spectra that play a key role, where two wide peaks with opposite spins reside partially overlapped around the Fermi level. They originate from the p orbitals of the zigzag edge part in the helical structure. Since the configuration only consists of carbon atoms, the electrical control of spin polarization is realized in a pure-carbon nano-system, showing great application potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by recent progress of experimental fabrication of partial structure of the helical graphenes, we construct helical graphene nanoribbons and study the electronic structure and transport properties of them, through first-principles calculations. It is found that a metal-semiconductor transition occurs when the pitch of the configuration changes, and the whole transition process can be divided into three regimes, i.e., metallic, fast changing bandgap, and slowly changing bandgap ones. Further analysis shows that, interlayer transmission, interlayer interaction (bilayer graphenelike state) and intralayer interaction are the mechanisms behind, respectively. Moreover, such a transition and corresponding mechanisms show good robustness to the size of the helical graphene nanoribbons, suggesting great application potential. As the systems are pure-carbon and graphene-based ones, as well as an adjustable and reversible bandgap, such configurations might be quite useful in future nanodevices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We applied teleseismic tomography to investigate the 3D P-wave velocity (Vp) structure of the crust and upper mantle at depths of 50–400 km beneath the Yarlung–Tsangpo suture (YTS), by using 6164 P-wave relative travel-time residuals collected from 495 teleseismic events recorded at 20 three-component broadband seismograms. A modified multi-channel cross-correlation method was adopted to automatically calculate the relative arrival-time residuals of all teleseismic events, which significantly improved the efficiency and precision of the arrival-time data collection. Our results show that alternating low- and high-Vp anomalies are visible beneath the Himalayan and Lhasa blocks across the YTS, indicating that strong lateral heterogeneities exist beneath the study region. A significant high-Vp zone is visible beneath the southern edge of the Lhasa block at 50–100 km depths close to the YTS, which might indicate the rigid Tibetan lithosphere basement. There exists a prominent low-Vp zone beneath the Himalayan block to the south of the YTS extending to ~150 km depth, which might be associated with the fragmentation of the underthrusting Indian continental lithosphere (ICL) and induce localized upwelling of asthenospheric materials from the upper mantle. In addition, significant low-Vp anomalies were observed beneath the Yadong–Gulu rift and the Cona–Sangri rift extending to ~300 km depth, indicating that the tearing of the subducted ICL might provide pathways for the localized asthenospheric materials upwelling, which contributes to the widespread distribution of north–south trending rifts and geothermal activities in southern Tibet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hypergraph ℋ is an (n, m)-hypergraph if it contains n vertices and m hyperedges, where n ≥ 1 and m ≥ 0 are two integers. Let k be a positive integer and let L be a set of nonnegative integers. A hypergraph ℋ is k-uniform if all its hyperedges have the same size k, and ℋ is L-intersecting if the number of common vertices of every two hyperedges belongs to L. In this paper, we propose and investigate the problem of estimating the maximum k among all k-uniform L-intersecting (n, m)-hypergraphs for fixed n, m and L. We will provide some tight upper and lower bounds on k in terms of n, m and L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solubility of a direct arylation polycondensation (DArP) synthesized conjugated polymer, i.e., poly(3,6-bis(furan-2-yl)-2,5-bis(4-tetradecyloctadecyl)-pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-dione-alt-1,2-bis(3,4-difluorothien-2-yl)ethene) (PFuDPP-4FTVT), in various organic solvents was studied. The polymer is soluble in 3-methylcyclohexanone (3-MC), a green solvent from peppermint oil, besides other solvents such as anisole, cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) and o-dichlorobenzene (o-DCB), etc. Based on the Hansen solubility parameters (HSP) analysis, 3-MC is identified as a "marginal solvent" of PFuDPP-4FTVT. The morphology of the spin-coated films with 3-MC as the solvent strongly correlated with the solution preparation conditions. With a 3-MC solution aged for 3 h at 70 °C, n-channel organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) with electron mobility (μe) above 1 cm2·V−1·s−1 and current on/off ratio (Ion/Ioff) higher than 105 were fabricated by spin-coating. This is the first report on high mobility conjugated polymers for OTFTs processible with naturally occurred green solvent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Arctic ecosystems, fungi are crucial for interactions between soil and plants, the cycling of nutrients, and the transport of carbon. To date, no studies have been conducted to thoroughly examine the mycobiome and its functional role in various habitats of the High Arctic region. The aim was to unravel the mycobiome in the nine habitats (i.e., soil, lichen, vascular plant, moss, freshwater, seawater, marine sediment, dung, and marine alga) in the Ny-Ålesund Region (Svalbard, High Arctic) using a high-throughput sequencing approach. A total of 10,419 ASVs were detected. Among them, 7535 ASVs were assigned to unidentified phyla, while the remaining 2884 ASVs were assigned to 11 phyla, 33 classes, 81 orders, 151 families, 278 genera, and 261 species that were known. The distribution of the mycobiome was driven by habitat specificity, indicating that habitat filtering is a crucial factor influencing the fungal assemblages at a local scale in this High Arctic region. Six growth forms and 19 fungal guilds were found. The ecological guild (e.g., lichenized, ectomycorrhizal) and growth form (e.g., yeast, thallus photosynthetic) varied significantly among various habitats. In addition, the occurrence of 31 fungal species that are considered to be potential pathogens was determined. These results will increase our understanding of fungal diversity and its functional significance in this distinctive High Arctic area and thereby establish the groundwork for prediction about how the mycobiome will alter in various environments as a result of anticipated climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycelial ageing is associated with ROS and autophagy in Lentinula edodes. However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms between ROS and autophagy remain obscure. This study induced autophagy in L. edodes mycelia through exogenous H2O2 treatment. Results showed that 100 μM H2O2 treatment for 24 h significantly inhibited mycelial growth. H2O2 caused the depolarisation of MMP and accumulation of TUNEL-positive nuclei, which was similar to the ageing phenotype of L. edodes mycelia. Transcriptome analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were enriched in the mitophagic, autophagic, and MAPK pathways. LeAtg8 and LeHog1 were selected as hub genes. RNA and protein levels of LeATG8 increased in the H2O2-treated mycelia. Using fluorescent labelling, we observed for the first time the classic ring structure of autophagosomes in a mushroom, while 3D imaging suggested that these autophagosomes surrounded the nuclei to degrade them at specific growth stages. Phospho-LeHOG1 protein can translocate from the cytoplasm to the nucleus to regulate mycelial cells, resisting ROS-induced oxidative stress. Furthermore, LeATG8 expression was suppressed when LeHOG1 phosphorylation was inhibited. These results suggest that the LeATG8-dependent autophagy in L. edodes mycelial is closely associated with the activity or even phosphorylation of LeHOG1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We herein report the first sodium borate-squarate, namely, Na2(C4O4)(H3BO3)(H2O)4·H3BO3 (1). It has been successfully synthesized via introducing the planar π-conjugated (C4O4)2− into a borate system. Compound 1 exhibits a strong second-harmonic-generation (SHG) response (2.1 × KDP), wide transparency in the ultraviolet (UV) region and a suitable birefringence of 0.26 at 1064 nm. Theoretical calculations indicate that the synergy effect between inorganic planar π-conjugated species H3BO3 and organic moiety (C4O4)2− dominates the SHG process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To establish a Bayesian network (BN) model to predict the survival of patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). The clinicopathological data of 154 MPM patients treated with CRS + HIPEC at our hospital from April 2015 to November 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. They were randomly divided into two groups in a 7:3 ratio. Survival analysis was conducted on the training set and a BN model was established. The accuracy of the model was validated using a confusion matrix of the testing set. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve were used to evaluate the overall performance of the BN model. Survival analysis of 107 patients (69.5%) in the training set found ten factors affecting patient prognosis: age, Karnofsky performance score, surgical history, ascites volume, peritoneal cancer index, organ resections, red blood cell transfusion, pathological types, lymphatic metastasis, and Ki-67 index (all p < 0.05). The BN model was successfully established after the above factors were included, and the BN model structure was adjusted according to previous research and clinical experience. The results of confusion matrix obtained by internal validation of 47 cases in the testing set showed that the accuracy of BN model was 72.7%, and the area under ROC was 0.74. The BN model was established successfully with good overall performance and can be used as a clinical decision reference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effects of standardized fluid management (SFM) on cardiac function in patients with pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) after cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Patients with PMP who underwent CRS + HIPEC at our center were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into control and study groups according to whether SFM was applied after CRS + HIPEC. We compared the preoperative and postoperative cardiac and renal function parameters, daily fluid volume three days after CRS, and cardiovascular-related adverse events. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the indicators affecting clinical prognosis. Among the 104 patients, 42 (40.4%) were in the control group and 62 (59.6%) in the study group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the main clinicopathological characteristics, preoperative cardiac and renal function parameters, and CRS + HIPEC-related indicators. The incidences of cardiac troponin I (CTNI) > upper limit of normal (ULN), >2 × ULN, >3 × ULN, serum creatinine > ULN, and blood urea nitrogen > ULN were higher in the control group than in the study group (p < 0.05). The median daily fluid volume of the control group was higher than that of the study group 3 days after CRS (p < 0.05). Postoperative CTNI > 2 × ULN was an independent risk factor for serious circulatory adverse events. Survival analysis revealed pathological grading, completeness of cytoreduction score, and postoperative CTNI > ULN as independent prognostic factors. SFM after CRS + HIPEC in patients with PMP may reduce cardiovascular adverse events risk and improve clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by thrombotic events and/or pregnancy morbidity (≥3 recurrent early miscarriage or fetal death or a prematurity <34 weeks of gestation) with persistently positive antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs). It is reported that aPLs damage the placental tissue by binding to β2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI) on the surface of trophoblast and endothelial cells. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is considered to be beneficial in the treatment of obstetrical APS and shown to restore the aPL-inhibited invasion and differentiation of trophoblast. However, not enough evidence exists regarding the effect of HCQ on endometrial angiogenesis. The aim of our study was to assess whether HCQ has an effect on aPL-inhibited endothelial angiogenesis. Methods In this research, to explore the effect of HCQ for angiogenesis, we investigated: (1) Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) viability by CCK-8; (2) HUVECs migration by wound healing; (3) HUVEC angiogenesis by Matrigel assay in vitro; (4) mRNA expression of MMP-2 and VEGF by real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR); (5) protein expression of VEGF, MMP-2 by western blot. Results We found that HCQ treatment significantly restored the expression of aPL-inhibited VEGF and MMP-2. HCQ restored aPL-inhibited HUVEC proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis in vitro. Conclusion In conclusion, aPLs inhibit HUVECs angiogenesis, however, HCQ can restore the effect of aPL-inhibited HUVECs migration and angiogenesis in vitro, demonstrating its beneficial therapeutic role in obstetrical APS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the steam turbine cracked rotor system coupling multi-fault as an example, this paper reports systematic numerical experiments exploring two-parameter periodic complexification cascades. Specifically, we report high-resolution phase diagrams predicting and describing how the periodic sequences unfold over a quite extended range of parameter planes. Surprisingly, such diagrams reveal that the distribution of periodic sequences either agrees well with the characteristics of "eye" of chaos, or is characterized by the derived Farey sum tree and the bidirectional symmetrical Stern–Brocot sum tree. These cascades show that the frequent occurrence of transient multi-period motion is a generic feature for the large rotating machinery system with multi-fault. And the paper obtains a cluster of sequences of the Farey sum tree and the Stern–Brocot sum tree specially suitable for the large nonlinear and nonautonomous systems, which can provide a powerful reference for failure prediction and parameter matching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the ice-free area of maritime Antarctica, fungi are the essential functioning group in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Until now, no study has been conducted to comprehensively assess fungal communities in various habitats in Antarctica. We aimed to characterize fungal communities in the eleven habitats (i.e., soil, seawater, vascular plant, dung, moss, marine alga, lichen, green alga, freshwater, feather) in the Fildes Region (maritime Antarctica) using next-generation sequencing. Results: A total of 12 known phyla, 37 known classes, 85 known orders, 164 known families, 313 known genera, and 320 known species were detected. Habitat specificity rather than habitat overlap determined the composition of fungal communities, suggesting that, although fungal communities were connected by dispersal at the local scale, the environmental filter is a key factor driving fungal assemblages in the ice-free Antarctica. Furthermore, 20 fungal guilds and 6 growth forms were detected. Many significant differences in the functional guild (e.g., lichenized, algal parasite, litter saprotroph) and growth form (e.g., yeast, filamentous mycelium, thallus photosynthetic) existed among different habitat types. Conclusion: The present study reveals the high diversity of fungal communities in the eleven ice-free Antarctic habitats and elucidates the ecological traits of fungal communities in this unique ice-free area of maritime Antarctica. The findings will help advance our understanding of fungal diversity and their ecological roles with respect to habitats on a neighbourhood scale in the ice-free area of maritime Antarctica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Power performance of pneumatic motor (PM) limits its application in compressed air vehicle (CAV) as an auxiliary power. This study presents an investigation of the power system with parallel operation mode based on experiments to improve the power performance of PM. First, the test bench of PM in parallel operation mode is built. Then, a series of experiments are conducted to investigate the effect of key parameters on the power performance, economy and energy conversion efficiency of CAV. The interaction among the key parameters of the PM and the influence of them on the power performance are discussed. Subsequently, the power performance, economy and energy conversion efficiency of the PM working in single and parallel operation modes are compared. Experimental results show that the maximum power output of the PM is 979 W, and the energy conversion efficiency of PMs 1 and 2 are 6.54% and 6.80% when the PM works in parallel operation mode. The parallel operation mode of PM can improve the power performance, economy and energy conversion efficiency of CAV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The anode fabricated by the phase-inversion method allows easy fuel gas diffusion. • BaCe 0.8 Fe 0.1 Ni 0.1 O 3-δ exsolved FeNi 3 alloy particles in reducing atmospheres. • The reductivity of an atmosphere affects the ohmic resistance of GDC electrolyte. • The BCFN/Ni-GDC anode increases the cell performance in dry CH 4 and dry C 2 H 6. A phase-inversion method prepared NiO-GDC anode is coated by a novel perovskite material of BaCe 0.8 Fe 0.1 Ni 0.1 O 3-δ (BCFN) via a solution impregnation to enhance the resistance of carbon deposition of the anode for direct use of hydrocarbon fuels. After a reduction in H 2 , the anode consists of a Ni-GDC scaffold in a straight-pore structure covered by BCFN with exsolved FeNi 3 nanoparticles. With the BCFN/Ni-GDC anode, the polarization resistance of the cell is 0.034 and 0.11 Ω cm2 at 650 °C in dry H 2 and dry CH 4 , leading to a peak power density of 720 and 475 mW cm−2, respectively. This cell performs stably in dry CH 4 at 400 mA cm−2 and 650 °C for 425 h without noticeable voltage decrease and carbon deposition in the anode. In dry C 2 H 6 at 650 °C, the cell voltage decreases linearly with time by 20 % within 390 h, which is attributed to carbon deposition in the anode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report the development of new Co complexes that have cyclopropane‐based diphosphine ligands and can catalyze highly chemo‐, regio‐, and stereoselective hydroboration reactions of unsymmetrical internal alkynes. These reactions exhibited unusual regioselectivity: specifically, reactions of aryl alkyl internal alkynes showed excellent cis‐β‐addition selectivity, and reactions of dialkyl internal alkynes gave excellent cis‐α‐addition selectivity. Highly regioselective hydroboration of unsymmetrical dialkyl internal alkynes cannot be achieved by other known methods. The reactions described herein are highly synthetically useful, particularly for the stereoselective synthesis of trisubstituted alkenylborates and alkenes. Mechanistic studies indicate that a CoI−H species is a plausible active catalyst and the rigid structure of the cyclopropane skeleton of the ligands and the crowded reaction pocket were responsible for the unprecedented regioselectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report the development of new Co complexes that have cyclopropane‐based diphosphine ligands and can catalyze highly chemo‐, regio‐, and stereoselective hydroboration reactions of unsymmetrical internal alkynes. These reactions exhibited unusual regioselectivity: specifically, reactions of aryl alkyl internal alkynes showed excellent cis‐β‐addition selectivity, and reactions of dialkyl internal alkynes gave excellent cis‐α‐addition selectivity. Highly regioselective hydroboration of unsymmetrical dialkyl internal alkynes cannot be achieved by other known methods. The reactions described herein are highly synthetically useful, particularly for the stereoselective synthesis of trisubstituted alkenylborates and alkenes. Mechanistic studies indicate that a CoI−H species is a plausible active catalyst and the rigid structure of the cyclopropane skeleton of the ligands and the crowded reaction pocket were responsible for the unprecedented regioselectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the dynamic modelling and pure delayed H∞ control for a deepwater drilling riser system in the presence of the friction force of seawater and drilling discharge mud. First, by simplifying a drilling riser system as a spring-mass-damping unit with three degrees of freedom, an increment equation of the riser system subject to friction force of seawater and drilling discharge mud is established. Then, by artificially introducing a time-varying delay with given lower and upper bounds into the control channel, a pure delayed H∞ control scheme is presented to restrain the recoil responses of the riser system. Based on the Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional approach, several new sufficient conditions are derived to design the pure delayed H∞ controller. Finally, comparative simulation results are given to show the effectiveness and merits of the proposed control scheme. It is demonstrated that to mitigate recoil response of the deepwater riser in the event of emergency disconnection, the proposed pure delayed H∞ controllers are more economic than the delay-free H∞ controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loosening of the fixed interface between inactive artificial joint material and human bone seriously affects the rehabilitation of patients after artificial joint replacement. Therefore, increasing the bonding strength of the fixed interface is the key direction to prolong the service life of the joint prosthesis. In this paper, active rat bone tissue and inactive titanium alloy coated with titanium beads were used as the research objects. The growth promoting mechanism of bone tissue on the surface of titanium bead coating under fretting mechanical stimulation was explored on a self-made mechanical fretting stimulation test device. The results showed that, compared with the static control group, the interface bonding force between bone tissue and titanium bead coating improved, and the distribution range and volume of bone tissue on the surface of titanium bead coating increased. In addition, the section staining results showed that a quantity of collagen fibers and calcium salt particles were generated in bone tissue, and the proliferation and differentiation activity of chondrocytes was higher as well. This study provides an important theoretical and experimental basis for promoting the biological fixation of artificial joints through mechanical stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth's ecosystems are increasingly threatened by "hot drought," which occurs when hot air temperatures coincide with precipitation deficits, intensifying the hydrological, physiological, and ecological effects of drought by enhancing evaporative losses of soil moisture (SM) and increasing plant stress due to higher vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Drought‐induced reductions in gross primary production (GPP) exert a major influence on the terrestrial carbon sink, but the extent to which hotter and atmospherically drier conditions will amplify the effects of precipitation deficits on Earth's carbon cycle remains largely unknown. During summer and autumn 2020, the U.S. Southwest experienced one of the most intense hot droughts on record, with record‐low precipitation and record‐high air temperature and VPD across the region. Here, we use this natural experiment to evaluate the effects of hot drought on GPP and further decompose those negative GPP anomalies into their constituent meteorological and hydrological drivers. We found a 122 Tg C (>25%) reduction in GPP below the 2015–2019 mean, by far the lowest regional GPP over the Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite record. Roughly half of the estimated GPP loss was attributable to low SM (likely a combination of record‐low precipitation and warming‐enhanced evaporative depletion), but record‐breaking VPD amplified the reduction of GPP, contributing roughly 40% of the GPP anomaly. Both air temperature and VPD are very likely to continue increasing over the next century, likely leading to more frequent and intense hot droughts and substantially enhancing drought‐induced GPP reductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on design concepts and sensing strategies providing a realistic pathway in building biointegrated electronics for wireless biochemical sensing. Topics include inductor-capacitor oscillator through a pair of varactor diodes converting a change in electric potential into a modulation in capacitance; and cost of health care motivating the continued research efforts for developing personalized, precise, and preventive medicine.

A compact single‐layer wideband filtering antenna with a simple structure is presented in this letter. It consists of a rectangular driven patch, a pair of short‐circuited parasitic patches, and two pairs of rectangular slots. A short‐circuited parasitic patch is employed to capacitively load at each radiating edge of the driven patch to enhance the impedance bandwidth and facilitate filtering response. Based on this arrangement, a radiation null at the upper stopband is generated due to the effect of multipath coupling so as to improve the upper stopband frequency selectivity. Moreover, two pairs of slots are etched into the driven patch to produce an in‐band resonance and a radiation null at the lower‐band edge to further broaden the impedance bandwidth and enhance the lower stopband frequency selectivity. A prototype of the developed filtering antenna with a center frequency of 4.96 GHz is fabricated and tested for validation. The measured values are consistent with the simulated ones, indicating a wide impedance bandwidth of 16.5% (4.55–5.37 GHz), and a maximum realized gain of 6.3 dBi. Compared with the previously reported filtering antenna, the developed filtering antenna can achieve a wideband filtering response even with a low profile of 0.026λ0 and a small antenna size of 0.19λ02. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive evidence has explored the involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in osteosarcoma (OS). Limitedly, the concrete function of microRNA-18b-5p (miR-18b-5p) in OS remains unexplored and largely elusive. Here, we validated that miR-18b-5p significantly elevated in OS via analyzing the data from GEO database. The results showed that miR-18b-5p was overexpressed in human OS tissues and cell lines. The clinical evidence suggested that high level of miR-18b-5p was negatively correlated with the poor prognosis of OS. Meanwhile, miR-18b-5p upregulation facilitated the proliferation and metastasis of OS cells in vitro and in vivo. The mechanism exploration demonstrated that miR-18b-5p acted as a potential inhibitor of PHF2, a tumor suppressor gene, at post-transcriptional level. Moreover, hypoxia induced gene expression of miR-18b-5p was clarified to be transcriptionally mediated by HIF-1α. The clinicopathological analysis in samples of OS patients further supported that miR-18b-5p had a positive correlation with HIF-1α expression, and negative correlation with PHF2. Collectively, the present study uncovered a new molecular mechanism of OS tumorigenesis and development and miR-18b-5p might be a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for OS treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A granite fracture filling material (FFM) collected from a candidate high-level radioactive waste (HLRW) geological disposal was used to evaluate the sorption behavior of 90Sr. The sorption process was fitted with the Henry and Freundlich models, and the distribution coefficient (Kd) values ranged between 117.4 and 434.8 mL/g, according to the batch experimental results. Furthermore, the Kd value and sorption percentage were affected by the initial solution specific activity, pH, FFM particle size, bicarbonate ion content and solid-to-liquid ratio. This work provides important information for the geological barrier of the repository. Article highlights: A granite fracture filling material sample collected from a HLRW geological disposal. The sorption process was fitted using the isotherm models of Henry and Freundlich. The main factors affecting the sorption of 90Sr were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmentally friendly and efficient disposal methods are essential for the utilization of agricultural waste to maximize their conversion into high-value products and minimize the effect on the environment. In this study, an ultrasound-NATDES/DMSO system is engineered to transform corn straw into platform compounds. Meanwhile, relevant reaction parameters, including solvent, catalyst, heating temperature, heating time, and ultrasound, are optimized. In the NATDES (ChCl-OA-SnCl 4)/DMSO system, after 40 kHz ultrasonic treatment in the pretreatment stage, most platform compounds are obtained at 140 °C for 1 h, among which the yields of 5-HMF, furfural, pentose, hexose are respectively promoted to 27.54%, 33.64%, 95.63%, 49.45%. This study uses a low-cost and more environmentally friendly disposal method to catalyze corn straw to obtain high-value platform compounds, which would provide a novel strategy to use agricultural wastes such as corn straw. Ultrasound-Natural ternary deep eutectic solvent (ChCl-OA-SnCl 4)/DMSO catalyze the conversion of corn straw to platform compounds (OA: Oxalic acid; SnCl 4 : Stannic chloride; FF: Furfural; HMF: 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural; FA: Formic acid; LA: Levulinic acid). [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gallium Nitride high electron mobility transistor (GaN HEMT) has been considered as a potential power semiconductor device for high switching speed and high power density application since its commercialization. Compared with the traditional Si transistors, GaN HEMT has faster switching speed and lower on-off loss. As a result, it is more sensitive to the nonlinear parameters due to the fast switching speed. The subsequent voltage and current overshooting will affect the efficiency and safety of the GaN HEMT and power electronic systems. In this paper, an accurate switching transient analytical model for GaN HEMT is proposed, which considers the effects of parasitic inductances, nonlinear junction capacitances and nonlinear transconductance. The model characteristic of turn-ON process and turn-OFF process is illustrated in detail, and the equivalent circuits are derived for each switching transition. The accuracy of the proposed model can be verified by comparing the predicted switching waveform and switching loss with that of the experimental results based on the double pulse test (DPT) circuit. Compared with the conventional model, the proposed model is more accurate and matches better with the experimental results than the conventional model. Finally, this model can be used for analyzing the influences of gate resistance, nonlinear junction capacitances, and parasitic inductances on switching transient waveform and refining calculation switching loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated carbon is the most widely used electrode material in electrochemical double‐layer capacitors. The rational utilization of biomass energy waste to prepare porous carbon supercapacitor electrodes has effectively realized both the use of biomass waste and the industrial production of high‐performance supercapacitor electrodes. A simple method to employ roselle waste as the precursor of porous carbon supercapacitor electrodes is described. Electrochemical characterization confirmed that an electric double layer with high specific capacitance was formed in the system. The HCF‐3 supercapacitor electrode proved to have good cycle stability. Roselle‐based porous carbon has great potential as a low‐cost, environmentally friendly, and high‐efficiency supercapacitor electrode material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have been conducted over the last few decades to understand better the functions of IRF3 and IRF7 in antiviral immune responses. However, the precise underlying molecular mechanism of IRF1-mediated immune response remains largely unknown. Recent studies indicate that IRF1 exerts strong antiviral activities against several viral infections through diverse mechanisms, both in IFN-dependent and IFN-independent manners. Nevertheless, the efficacy and kinetics of inducing IFNs and ISGs remain unknown. Here we summarize the recent advances in IRF1 research and highlight its potential roles in initiating IFN immune responses and subsequent IRF1-triggering antiviral responses. Challenges regarding the IFN positive feedback mediated by IRF7 during infection will be discussed; this classical loop may also be mediated in part by IRF1. Therefore, we propose a revised model that may help decipher the functional roles of IRF1 in antiviral immunity. [Display omitted] • IRF1 induces both IFN production and basal level of ISGs. • IRF1 involves an interferon induction in an IRF3 and IRF7 independent manner. • IRF1 is involved in the modification of JAK1, STAT1. • IRF1 is involved in the epigenetic regulation of ISGs. • Viruses evolve to antagonize the IRF1 mediated signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viruses have evolved diverse strategies to hijack the cellular gene expression system for their replication. The poly(A) binding proteins (PABPs), a family of critical gene expression factors, are viruses’ common targets. PABPs act not only as a translation factor but also as a key factor of mRNA metabolism. During viral infections, the activities of PABPs are manipulated by various viruses, subverting the host translation machinery or evading the cellular antiviral defense mechanism. Viruses harness PABPs by modifying their stability, complex formation with other translation initiation factors, or subcellular localization to promote viral mRNAs translation while shutting off or competing with host protein synthesis. For the past decade, many studies have demonstrated the PABPs’ roles during viral infection. This review summarizes a comprehensive perspective of PABPs’ roles during viral infection and how viruses evade host antiviral defense through the manipulations of PABPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]