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Different from conventional ferromagnetic methods, producing a spin-polarized current through electrical ways in spintronic devices can greatly increase operating speed, reduce power consumption, and improve device integration. Inspired by recent experimental progress on the synthesis of a heptauthrene molecule, we investigate its spin-dependent transport contacted with Au electrodes through first-principles calculations. By applying a gate voltage, the transmission can be switched between completely spin-up and spin-down polarized states, achieving an electrically controlled dual-spin filter. Furthermore, a fine tuning on the spin polarization, between 100% and − 100%, can also be realized, where the transport with any ratio of spin-up to spin-down electron quantities can be realized beyond the traditional devices. The peculiar transmission spectra and their shift are found to play crucial roles, where transmission peaks distribute on both sides of the Fermi level with opposite spin components. Such a spin-polarization modulating effect is found to be robust to the molecule-electrode contacting site, indicating it is an intrinsic feature of such systems. Moreover, the dimension of the device is at the single-molecule level, suggesting great application potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of novel synthetic methodologies to incorporate fluorine/s or fluoroalkyl group/s into the frameworks of organic molecules has become a highly prioritized research area because such modifications can tune their physiochemical and biological properties. In recent years, nucleophilic phosphine catalysis has been extensively explored to achieve this goal, and significant progress has been made. This review summarizes the methodological advancements of cycloaddition, addition and coupling reactions employing fluorinated building blocks as electrophilic and/or nucleophilic reaction partners under phosphine catalysis to construct structurally and synthetically valuable organofluorine compounds, with special emphasis on the synthetic strategies, proposed reaction mechanisms and synthetic utilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) remains challenging surgically due to its high mortality, especially in older individuals. Computed tomography (CT)-measured skeletal muscle mass is a effective predictor of the surgical outcomes in older patients with abdominal emergencies. The purpose of this study is to assess whether a low CT-measured skeletal muscle mass can provide extra value in predicting PPU mortality. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled older (aged ≥ 65 years) patients who underwent PPU surgery. Cross-sectional skeletal muscle areas and densities were measured by CT at L3 and patient-height adjusted to obtain the L3 skeletal muscle gauge (SMG). Thirty-day mortality was determined with univariate, multivariate and Kaplan–Meier analysis. Results: From 2011 to 2016, 141 older patients were included; 54.8% had sarcopenia. They were further categorized into the PULP score ≤ 7 (n=64) or PULP score > 7 group (n=82). In the former, there was no significant difference in 30-day mortality between sarcopenic (2.9%) and nonsarcopenic patients (0%; p=1.000). However, in the PULP score > 7 group, sarcopenic patients had a significantly higher 30-day mortality (25.5% vs. 3.2%, p=0.009) and serious complication rate (37.3% vs. 12.9%, p=0.017) than nonsarcopenic patients. Multivariate analysis showed that sarcopenia was an independent risk factor for 30-day mortality in patients in the PULP score > 7 group (OR: 11.05, CI: 1.03-118.7). Conclusion: CT scans can diagnose PPU and provide physiological measurements. Sarcopenia, defined as a low CT-measured SMG, provides extra value in predicting mortality in older PPU patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bayer filter color cameras are more and more widely used in the field of aerospace remote sensing, but the Bayer filter causes great degradation in image quality; therefore, obtaining a means of achieving the high-precision measurement of the modulation transfer function (MTF) of Bayer filter color cameras is an urgent problem. In order to solve this problem, this paper develops a slanted-edge method via three steps: the detection of the slanted edge, the acquisition and processing of the edge spread function (ESF), and the acquisition and processing of the line spread function (LSF). A combination of the Canny operator and Hough transform is proposed for the detection of the slanted edge, which improves the fitting accuracy and anti-interference ability of the algorithm. Further, the Canny operator is improved by constructing an adaptive filter function and introducing the Otsu method, which can more effectively smooth the image and remove its false edges. A method of processing ESF data by combining cubic spline interpolation and Savitzky–Golay (SG) filtering is proposed, which reduces the effects of noise and the non-uniform sampling of ESF on MTF. A method of LSF processing using Gaussian function fitting is proposed to further reduce the effect of noise on MTF. The improved algorithm is verified by the MTF measurement test applied to a specific type of Bayer filter color space camera. The simulation and test results show that the improved slanted-edge method discussed in this paper has greater precision and a better anti-interference ability, and it can effectively solve the difficult problem associated with MTF detection in Bayer filter color space cameras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) has good ability to identify the nature of lesions on prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, some lesions are still reported as PI-RADS 4 and 5 but are biopsy-proven benign. Herein, we aimed to summarize the reasons for the negative prostate biopsy of patients who were assessed as PI-RADS 4 and 5 by biparameter MRI. We retrospectively sorted out the prostate MRI, treatment, and follow-up results of patients who underwent a biparameter MRI examination of the prostate in The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing, China) from August 2019 to June 2021 with PI-RADS 4 and 5 but a negative biopsy. We focused on reviewing the MRI characteristics. A total of 467 patients underwent transperineal prostate biopsy. Among them, biopsy pathology of 93 cases were negative. After follow-up, 90 patients were ruled out of prostate cancer. Among the 90 cases, 40 were considered to be overestimated PI-RADS after review. A total of 22 cases were transition zone (TZ) lesions with regular appearance and clear boundaries, and 3 cases were symmetrical lesions. Among 15 cases, the TZ nodules penetrated the peripheral zone (PZ) and were mistaken for the origin of PZ. A total of 17 cases of lesions were difficult to distinguish from prostate cancer. Among them, 5 cases were granulomatous inflammation (1 case of prostate tuberculosis). A total of 33 cases were ambiguous lesions, whose performance was between PI-RADS 3 and 4. In summary, the reasons for "false-positive MRI diagnosis" included PI-RADS overestimation, ambiguous images giving higher PI-RADS, diseases that were really difficult to distinguish, and missed lesion in the initial biopsy; and the first two accounted for the most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Tumor cells with a hybrid metabolic state, in which glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) can be used, usually have a strong ability to adapt to different stress environments due to their metabolic plasticity. However, few studies on tumor cells with this phenotype have been conducted in the field of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Methods. The metabolic pathway (glycolysis, OXPHOS) related gene sets were obtained from the Molecular Signatures Database (V7.5.1). The gene expression matrix, clinical information, and mutation data were obtained by Perl programming language (5.32.0) mining, the Cancer Genome Atlas and International Cancer Genome Consortium database. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) software (4.0.3) was utilised to analyse glycolysis-related gene sets. Analysis of survival, immune infiltration, mutation, etc. was performed using the R programming language (4.1.0). Results. Eight genes that are highly associated with glycolysis and OXHPOS were used to construct the cox proportional hazards model, and risk scores were calculated based on this to predict the prognosis of clear cell RCC patients and to classify patients into risk groups. Gene Ontology, the Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes, and GSEA were analysed according to the differential genes to investigate the signal pathways related to the hybrid metabolic state. Immunoinfiltration analysis revealed that CD8+T cells, M2 macrophages, etc., had significant differences in infiltration. In addition, the analysis of mutation data showed significant differences in the number of mutations of PBRM1, SETD2, and BAP1 between groups. Cell experiments demonstrated that the DLD gene expression was abnormally high in various tumor cells and is associated with the strong migration ability of RCC. Conclusions. We successfully constructed a risk score system based on glycolysis and OXPHOS-related genes to predict the prognosis of RCC patients. Bioinformatics analysis and cell experiments also revealed the effect of the hybrid metabolic activity on the migration ability and immune activity of RCC and the possible therapeutic targets for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone injury plagues millions of patients worldwide every year, and it demands a heavy portion of expense from the public medical insurance system. At present, orthopedists think that autologous bone transplantation is the gold standard for treating large-scale bone defects. However, this method has significant limitations, which means that parts of patients cannot obtain a satisfactory prognosis. Therefore, a basic study on new therapeutic methods is urgently needed. The in-depth research on crosstalk between macrophages (Mϕs) and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) suggests that there is a close relationship between inflammation and regeneration. The in-depth understanding of the crosstalk between Mϕs and BMSCs is helpful to amplify the efficacy of stem cell-based treatment for bone injury. Only in the suitable inflammatory microenvironment can the damaged tissues containing stem cells obtain satisfactory healing outcomes. The excessive tissue inflammation and lack of stem cells make the transplantation of biomaterials necessary. We can expect that the crosstalk between Mϕs and BMSCs and biomaterials will become the mainstream to explore new methods for bone injury in the future. This review mainly summarizes the research on the crosstalk between Mϕs and BMSCs and also briefly describes the effects of biomaterials and aging on cell transplantation therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dual‐polarized wideband Fabry‐Perot (FP) antenna based on a wedge‐shaped phase correcting structure (WPCS) is proposed. The antenna adopts a wideband dual‐linear polarized slot‐coupled antenna as a primary antenna, and adopts a single‐layer FSS structure with positive reflection phase gradient characteristics as a partially reflecting surface (PRS) of the FP resonator, to optimally excite the FP cavity resonances within a wide operating band. Moreover, a small circular metal patch array is printed on the other side of the FSS unit structure. The small circular patch array effectively increases the reflection amplitude without changing the positive reflection phase gradient characteristics of the PRS, which improves the FP antenna gain. In addition, a highly graded WPCS is loaded in the resonant cavity to properly compensate the phase between different reflection paths inside the resonant cavity, which enhances the gain of the FP antenna in a wide band. Finally, the measured peak gains of the FP antenna under the excitation of Port 1 and Port 2 are 16.0 dBi and 15.89 dBi, respectively, and the gain enhancement can reach up to 3 dBi after loading the WPCS. The measured 10‐dB impedance‐matching operating bandwidth of dual‐polarized common coverage is 14.08 to 16.45 GHz (15.53%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lewis base and Brønsted base controlled chemodivergent annulations of α‐methyl substituted allenyl imide and o‐aminotrifluoroacetophenones are realized to afford highly valuable furo[3,2‐b]indol‐2‐ones and dihydroquinolines bearing a CF3‐substituted quaternary stereogenic center. The possible reaction mechanisms are proposed through deuterium labelling experiments. This work demonstrates the unprecedented dual reactivities of α‐methyl substituted allenyl imide with electrophilic−nucleophilic compounds in annulation reactions, and features chemodivergence in transforming allenyl imide through β'‐C−H functionalization via phosphine catalysis and β/γ‐bisfunctionalization via Brønsted base catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone injury plagues millions of patients worldwide every year, and it demands a heavy portion of expense from the public medical insurance system. At present, orthopedists think that autologous bone transplantation is the gold standard for treating large-scale bone defects. However, this method has significant limitations, which means that parts of patients cannot obtain a satisfactory prognosis. Therefore, a basic study on new therapeutic methods is urgently needed. The in-depth research on crosstalk between macrophages (Mϕs) and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) suggests that there is a close relationship between inflammation and regeneration. The in-depth understanding of the crosstalk between Mϕs and BMSCs is helpful to amplify the efficacy of stem cell-based treatment for bone injury. Only in the suitable inflammatory microenvironment can the damaged tissues containing stem cells obtain satisfactory healing outcomes. The excessive tissue inflammation and lack of stem cells make the transplantation of biomaterials necessary. We can expect that the crosstalk between Mϕs and BMSCs and biomaterials will become the mainstream to explore new methods for bone injury in the future. This review mainly summarizes the research on the crosstalk between Mϕs and BMSCs and also briefly describes the effects of biomaterials and aging on cell transplantation therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To increase the service life of mechanical parts under severe wear environment, composite coatings with wear resistance are required. Fe‐based/B4C composite coating is fabricated on the surface of ASTM 1045 steel by vacuum cladding and the microstructure, hardness, and wear behavior of the coating are investigated. The results show that the coating is mainly composed of the coating matrix of α‐Fe, [Fe, Ni] solid solution, and the strengthening phases of eutectic borides M2B and carboborides M23(C, B)6 with irregular block distribution. The dispersion strengthening and solution strengthening of the coating microstructures improve the overall hardness distribution of the coating, the microhardness, and macrohardness of the coating are greatly improved, which are better than that of quenched and tempered ASTM 1045 steel (QT45 steel) and NM400 steel. The results of abrasive wear test under different loads (130 N/45 N) indicate that wear scar of the coating become shorter and shallower due to the antiabrasive grinding effect of strengthening phases, and wear resistance is significantly greater than that of QT45 steel and NM400 steel. The main wear mechanisms associate with QT45 steel and NM400 steel involve plastic deformation and microcutting, whereas the coating is mainly a mix mode of plastic cutting and fatigue spalling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Laparoscopic repair is a well-accepted treatment modality for perforated peptic ulcer (PPU). However, intraoperative conversion to laparotomy is still not uncommon. We aimed to identify preoperative factors strongly associated with conversion. Methods: A retrospective review of records of all PPU patients treated between January 2011 and July 2019 was performed. Patients were divided into three groups: laparoscopic repair (LR), conversion to laparotomy (CL), and primary laparotomy (PL). Patient demographics, operative findings, and outcomes were compared between the groups. Logistic regression analyses were performed, taking conversion as the outcome. Results: Of 822 patients, there were 236, 45, and 541 in the LR, CL, and PL groups, respectively. The conversion rate was 16%. Compared with those in the LR group, patients in the CL group were older (p < 0.001), had higher PULP scores (p < 0.001), had higher ASA scores (p < 0.001) and had hypertension (p = 0.003). PULP score was the only independent risk factor for conversion. The area under the curve (AUC) for the PULP score to predict conversion was 75.3%, with a best cut-off value of ≥ 4. The operative time was shorter for PL group patients than for CL group patients with PULP scores ≥ 4. For patients with PULP scores < 4, LR group patients had a shorter length of stay than PL group patients. Conclusion: The PULP score may have utility in predicting and minimizing conversion for laparoscopic PPU repair. Laparoscopic repair is the procedure of choice for PPU patients with PULP scores < 4, while open surgery is recommended for those with PULP scores ≥ 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Docetaxel (DTX) exhibits antitumor effects against breast cancer by stabilizing microtubules and increasing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). DTX extravasation during infusion often causes skin injury. The present study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of icaritin (ICT) on DTX‐induced skin injury. Methods: The effects of ICT on the viability and apoptosis of HaCaT cells were measured by SRB assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Endogenous LC3 puncta and microtubules were determined by immunofluorescence. The number of mitochondria was measured by MitoTracker orange staining. ROS were determined by dihydroethidium staining. The expression of markers of ROS and autophagy were measured by western blotting. Chloroquine, compound D, and tamoxifen were employed as the inhibitor for autophagy and AMPK, estrogen receptors (ERs) modulator, respectively. Results: DTX inhibited the viability and decreased apoptosis of HaCaT cells, which can be rescued by ICT. ICT decreased microtubule bundles, increased the number of mitochondria, and attenuated ROS of HaCaT cells induced by DTX. ICT blocks autophagy and the autophagic flux. Compound C or tamoxifen diminished the protection effects of ICT on DTX‐treated HaCaT cells. Conclusion: ICT alleviates DTX‐induced skin injury by suppressing ROS, reducing microtubule bundles, and blocking autophagy via ERs. Our study indicated that ICT may be a potential candidate for DTX‐induced skin injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most promising materials for environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) applications, rare-earth (RE) silicates possess good high-temperature stability, coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) close to those of Si-based ceramics, low thermal conductivities, and excellent hot-corrosion resistances to water vapor and calcia-magnesia-aluminosilicate (CMAS) molten salts. With the gradual understanding on thermophysical properties of rare-earth silicates, more and more researches focus on their CMAS hot-corrosion behavior, which is strongly related to the formation of corrosion products, infiltration of CMAS glass, and the final failure caused by stress-induced microcracks. In this review, the dependences of CMAS properties and sticking behavior on the composition of CMAS are introduced. Then the CMAS hot-corrosion processes of different rare-earth silicates containing rare-earth disilicates, rare-earth monosilicates, and rare-earth oxyapatites are evaluated, as well as different corrosion reactions and potential failure mechanisms during these processes. Wherein, the formation of corrosion products and the infiltration of CMAS depend on the RE: Si ratio, species of rare-earth cations, or other additives, which lead to the research prospects to modification strategies of rare-earth silicates, including the entropy-stabilized solid-solution, the composite technology and microstructure-tailored coatings. The outlook for further investigation is also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistive random access memory (RRAM) has been demonstrated to implement multiply-and-accumulate (MAC) operations using a highly parallel analog fashion, which dramatically accelerates the convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Since CNNs require considerable converters between analog crossbars and digital peripheral circuits, recent studies map the binary neural networks (BNNs) onto RRAM and binarize the weights to {+1, −1}. However, two mainstream representations for BNN weights introduce patterns of redundant 0s and 1s when dealing with negative weights. In this work, we reduce the area of redundant 0s and 1s by proposing a BNN weight representation framework based on the novel pattern representation and a corresponding architecture. First, we spilt the weight matrix into several small matrices by clustering adjacent columns together. Second, we extract 1s' patterns, i.e., the submatrices only containing 1s, from the small weight matrix, such that each final output can be represented by the sum of several patterns. Third, we map these patterns onto RRAM crossbars, including pattern computation crossbars (PCCs) and pattern accumulation crossbars (PACs). Finally, we compare the pattern representation with two mainstream representations and adopt the more area efficient one. The evaluation results demonstrate that our framework can save over 20% of crossbar area effectively, compared with two mainstream representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the widespread use of PD‐1/PD‐L1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in the treatment of multiple malignant tumors, they were also gradually applied to advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC). Nowadays, multiple PD‐1/PD‐L1 mAbs, such as nivolumab, avelumab, and pembrolizumab, have achieved considerable efficacy in clinical trials. However, due to the primary, adaptive, and acquired resistance to these mAbs, the efficacy of this immunotherapy is not satisfactory. Theories also vary as to why the difference in efficacy occurs. The alterations of PD‐L1 expression and the interference of cellular immunity may affect the efficacy. These mechanisms demand to be revealed to achieve a sustained and complete objective response in patients with aRCC. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been proven to have synergistic mechanisms with PD‐1/PD‐L1 mAb in the treatment of aRCC, and CTLA‐4 mAb has been shown to have a non‐redundant effect with PD‐1/PD‐L1 mAb to enhance efficacy. Although combinations with targeted agents or other checkpoint mAbs have yielded enhanced clinical outcomes in multiple clinical trials nowadays, the potential of PD‐1/PD‐L1 mAbs still has a large development space. More potential mechanisms that affect the efficacy demand to be developed and transformed into the clinical treatment of aRCC to search for possible combination regimens. We elucidate these mechanisms in RCC and present existing combination therapies applied in clinical trials. This may help physicians' select treatment options for patients with refractory kidney cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) keeps growing recently. Purpose: To investigate the effects and mechanisms of naringenin (NAR) on NAFLD. Methods: High-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD rats were orally administered with NAR at 10, 30, and 90 mg/kg for 2 weeks. The serum level of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (AST), and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (ALT) was measured. The hepatic histology was detected by H&E and oil red O staining. L02 and Huh-7 cells were induced by sodium oleate to establish a NAFLD cell model. The effects of NAR on lipid accumulation were detected by oil red O staining. The glucose uptake and ATP content of 3T3-L1 adipocytes and C2C12 myotubes were measured. The expression of proteins of the AMPK signaling pathway in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and C2C12 myotubes was assessed by Western blotting. The mitochondrial biogenesis of 3T3-L1 adipocytes and C2C12 myotubes was measured by mitotracker orange staining and Western blotting. The biomarkers of autophagy were detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescence. The binding of NAR to AMPKγ1 was analyzed by molecular docking. Chloroquine and compound C were employed to block autophagic flux and AMPK, respectively. Results: NAR alleviated HFD-induced NAFLD in rats at 10, 30, and 90 mg/kg. NAR attenuated lipid accumulation in L02 and Huh-7 cells at 0.7, 2.2, 6.7, and 20 μM. NAR increased glucose uptake, decreased the ATP content, activated the CaMKKβ/AMPK/ACC pathway, and enhanced the mitochondrial biogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and C2C12 myotubes. NAR increased autophagy and promoted the initiation of autophagic flux in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and C2C12 myoblasts, while it inhibited autophagy in NAFLD rats, 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and C2C12 myotubes. Molecular docking showed that NAR binds to AMPKγ1. Compound C blocked effects of NAR on lipid accumulation and autophagy in L02 cells. Conclusion: NAR alleviates NAFLD by increasing energy expenditure and regulating autophagy via activating AMPK directly and indirectly. The direct binding of NAR and AMPKγ1 needs further validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Much attention has been focused on environmental risk factors and their roles in eczema development. In this regard, the specific eczema risk factors in Taiwan were relatively unknown. As such, this study investigated the common indoor risk factors present in Taiwanese households. Aims: To discuss the effects of several indoor risk factors on the prevalence of atopic eczema in Taiwan. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, population-based study was performed in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, using both survey investigation and fungal culturing. A total of 998 participants were enrolled in the survey, with 513 participants selected for fungal culture. Risks of atopic eczema were calculated as odds ratios for various risk factors using logistic regression. The correlation between potential risk factors and the fungal level was analyzed with linear regression. Results: Pet and house plants have an adjusted odds ratio of 1.434 (95% CL: 1.011–2.033) and 1.820 (95% CL: 1.229-2.696), respectively. Additionally, smoking was shown to possess an odds ratio of 1.461 (95% CL: 1.064-2.006). Wood wall has an adjusted odds ratio of 2.143 (95% CL: 1.235-3.658). Frequent bedroom shower use (β = 0.254) and hours of opened windows (β = 0.106) have shown significant positive associations with indoor fungal level. Conclusion: Pets, house plants, and smoking were concluded to be major risk factors for atopic eczema. Wood wall remained controversial due to its limited sample size and possible confounders. Bedroom shower and window-opening have been shown to increase mold growth, but the lack of association with eczema suggested other allergens besides mold to be the primary eczema trigger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Petasis reaction using (1S,2R)-1-amino-2-indanol as the substrate and an activator to construct α- and β-butadienyl amines in optically pure forms was realized, which are otherwise difficult to prepare. The reactions feature a metal-free nature, broad substrate scope, complete regioselectivities (γ-selectivity of pinacol homoallenyl- and isoprenylboronates), and high to excellent chirality induction (up to >20 : 1 dr). The favored nucleophilic addition across the Si-face of the imine intermediate was explained using DFT calculations of the six-membered chair-like transition state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desert-oasis ecotones are boundary areas between oases and desert ecosystems. Large efforts to control sediment and stabilize these boundaries depend on understanding sedimentary processes, especially aeolian transport and deposition. Previous studies on aeolian sediment deposition have focused primarily on a single land surface type or a single engineering approach. Few studies have considered deposition in a multi-layer oasis protective system. A complete oasis protective system consists of an outer bare sand area, a sand barrier zone, a shrub and herbaceous plant zone, and a farmland shelter zone. This study used sedimentary analysis to quantify grain-size characteristics in samples from the four land surfaces under different types of weather conditions in the Gelintan oasis of the Tengger Desert, the fourth largest desert in China. The results showed that aeolian sediment deposition decreased from the outer bare sand area through the oasis protective system and into the interior. The four land surface types showed significant differences in deposition volume (P < 0.05). Deposited sediment showed gradual decrease in dominant grain-size from sand to silt, but sediment deposited during dust weather contained a larger coarse-grained fraction. From the outer desert to the inner oasis, transport mechanisms shifted from saltation (sand) to suspension (silt and smaller) in non-dust weather. During dust weather, deposition primarily occurs from near-surface aeolian sand transport with saltation. Sediment sorting decreased from exterior to interior zones of the protective system while skewness and kurtosis showed no significant change (P < 0.05). These results can help inform strategies for stabilizing and protecting desert-oasis ecotones in this region and other localities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dual‐band stub (DBS) in a hybrid lumped and distributed configuration is presented in this paper, which comprises one lumped kernel circuit unit cell (KCUC) centered between two uniform transmission lines. Image parameter theory is imposed to extract the DBS phase and impedance bandwidth properties. An odd‐even mode resonant frequency ratio is defined, capable of determining all the DBS element values as well as regulating the DBS size and its second working bandwidth. By converting the lumped KCUC into a quasi‐lumped microstrip topology, a purely planar DBS is automatically implemented by employing the aggressive space mapping (ASM). Through the customized ASM process, the finalized DBS dimensions can be generated within just a few full‐wave simulations. The relatively high accuracy and efficiency of the ASM are affirmed by comparing its performance to those of the traditional direct optimization algorithms. As an example, a DBS with WLAN dual frequencies and extended bandwidth is designed and fabricated. The measured results agree well with the simulated results, justifying the DBS properties and its ad hoc ASM optimization technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional algorithm for compressive reconstruction has high computational complexity. In order to reduce the reconstruction time of compressive sensing, deep learning networks have proven to be an effective solution. In this paper, we have developed a single-pixel imaging system based on deep learning and designed the binary sampling Res2Net reconstruction network (Bsr2-Net) model suitable for binary matrix sampling. In the experiments, we compared the structural similarity, peak signal-to-noise ratio, and reconstruction time using different reconstruction methods. Experimental results show that the Bsr2-Net is superior to several deep learning networks recently reported and closes to the most advanced reconstruction algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unprecedented phosphine‐catalyzed [4+1] cycloadditions of allenyl imides have been discovered using various N‐based substrates including methyl ketimines, enamines, and a primary amine. These transformations provide a one‐pot access to cyclopentenoyl enamines and imines, or (chiral) γ‐lactams through two geminal C−C bond or two C−N bond formations, respectively. Several P‐based key intermediates including a 1,4‐(bis)electrophilic α,β‐unsaturated ketenyl phosphonium species have been detected by 31P NMR and HRMS analyses, which shed light on the postulated catalytic cycle. The synthetic utility of this new chemistry has been demonstrated through a gram‐scaling up of the catalytic reaction as well as regioselective hydrogenation and double condensation to form cyclopentanoyl enamines and fused pyrazole building blocks, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unprecedented phosphine‐catalyzed [4+1] cycloadditions of allenyl imides have been discovered using various N‐based substrates including methyl ketimines, enamines, and a primary amine. These transformations provide a one‐pot access to cyclopentenoyl enamines and imines, or (chiral) γ‐lactams through two geminal C−C bond or two C−N bond formations, respectively. Several P‐based key intermediates including a 1,4‐(bis)electrophilic α,β‐unsaturated ketenyl phosphonium species have been detected by 31P NMR and HRMS analyses, which shed light on the postulated catalytic cycle. The synthetic utility of this new chemistry has been demonstrated through a gram‐scaling up of the catalytic reaction as well as regioselective hydrogenation and double condensation to form cyclopentanoyl enamines and fused pyrazole building blocks, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nerve injury is a critical problem in the clinic. Nerve injury causes serious clinic issues including pain and dysfunctions for patients. The disconnection between damaged neural fibers and muscles will result in muscle atrophy in a few weeks if no treatment is applied. Moreover, scientists have discovered that nerve injury can affect the osteogenic differentiation of skeletal stem cells (SSCs) and the fracture repairing. In plastic surgery, muscle atrophy and bone fracture after nerve injury have plagued clinicians for many years. How to promote neural regeneration is the core issue of research in the recent years. Without obvious effects of traditional neurosurgical treatments, research on stem cells in the past 10 years has provided a new therapeutic strategy for us to address this problem. Adipose stem cells (ASCs) are a kind of mesenchymal stem cells that have differentiation potential in adipose tissue. In the recent years, ASCs have become the focus of regenerative medicine. They play a pivotal role in tissue regeneration engineering. As a type of stem cell, ASCs are becoming popular for neuroregenerative medicine due to their advantages and characteristics. In the various diseases of the nervous system, ASCs are gradually applied to treat the related diseases. This review article focuses on the mechanism and clinical application of ASCs in nerve regeneration as well as the related research on ASCs over the past decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind and sand control are important factors in combating desertification and protecting oases. An oasis protective system can provide these benefits, but quantitative research on protection effects has been lacking to date. This research describes an oasis protective system in the southeastern border of the Tengger Desert. The system consists of a sand barrier belt, a shrub and herbaceous plant belt, and a farmland shelter belt. The system was compared to a bare dunes area as the control zone. The study investigated wind proof effect, sediment transport, and erosion through field observations. Results showed that the roughness of the shrub and herbaceous plant belt, farmland shelter belt, and sand barrier belt were increased compared with bare dunes. The shrub and herbaceous plant belt provided the highest wind proof effect values for the same wind velocity measurement height, and the wind proof effect values for different protective belts were as follows: shrub and herbaceous plant belt > farmland shelter belt > sand barrier belt. The sand barrier belt provided effective wind and sand control at heights from 0 to 50 cm above the ground. The total sediment transport for each protective belt is as follows: bare dunes > sand barrier belt > shrub and herbaceous plant belt > farmland shelter belt. The sediment transport decreased exponentially as the height increased. In the bare dunes and protective systems, the sediment transport is mainly within 30 cm of the ground surface. The wind erosion intensity for this protective system was as follows: bare dunes > sand barrier belt > shrub and herbaceous plant belt > farmland shelter belt. This research offers quantitative evidence for how oasis protective systems can effectively intercept sand and prevent erosion in oases. The results of this study can be applied in similar regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BINOL‐derived chiral phosphoric acid (R)‐TRIP is utilized as an organocatalyst in the asymmetric isoprenylboration reaction of aldehydes, wherein hydrogen‐bond interactions play a key role in the control of enantioselectivity. A wide arrays of enantioenriched dienyl homoallyl alcohols, including two natural products (−)‐Ipsdienol and (−)‐Ipsenol, have been successfully constituted. The synthetic application to chiral isoprenylated isobenzofuranone, vinyloxirane and cyclohexene derivatives has also been disclosed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The RGB2GRAY conversion model is the most popular and classical tool for image decolorization. A recent study showed that adapting the three weighting parameters in this first-order linear model with a discrete searching solver has a great potential in its conversion ability. In this paper, we present a two-step strategy to efficiently extend the parameter searching solver to a two-order multivariance polynomial model, as a sum of three subspaces. We show that the first subspace in the two-order model is the most important and the second one can be seen as a refinement. In the first stage of our model, the gradient correlation similarity (Gcs) measure is used on the first subspace to obtain an immediate grayed image. Then, Gcs is applied again to select the optimal result from the immediate grayed image plus the second subspace-induced candidate images. Experimental results show the advantages of the proposed approach in terms of quantitative evaluation, qualitative evaluation, and algorithm complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An enyne cycloisomerization/[5+1] reaction sequence was developed to synthesize tetrahydroisoquinolinones from linear enyne-enes and CO. The first step is a gold(i)-catalyzed enyne cycloisomerization, generating six-membered-ring-fused vinylcyclopropanes. The second step is a rhodium(i)-catalyzed [5+1] reaction of vinylcyclopropanes with CO. This two-step reaction could also be carried out in one-pot without isolating the cycloisomerization product generated from the first step of this sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of macroporous CuO-ZnO-ZrO (CZZ) catalysts with different Zn/Zr ratios were successfully prepared by template method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N adsorption, reactive NO adsorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), H temperature-programmed reduction (H-TPR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The activity of the catalysts was tested for methanol synthesis from CO hydrogenation. It is found that the increase in the Zn/Zr ratio could lead to the sintering of the catalysts, destroying the macroporous structure integrity. The macroporous CZZ catalysts own lower Zn/Zr ratio, exhibiting a better morphology and activity. For comparison, the conventional nonporous CZZ catalysts were also investigated. The results show that the CZZ catalysts with macroporous structure own smaller particles, higher CO conversion, and CHOH yield. It reveals that the macroporous structure could inhibit the growth of the particle size, and the special porous structure is favorable for diffusion and penetration of CO, which could improve the catalytic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B Correction: Stem Cell Research & Therapy (2022) 13:511 b https://doi.org/10.1186/s13287-022-03199-y The original article [[1]] displayed an incorrect Funding number which has since been amended. The crosstalk between macrophages and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in bone healing. [Extracted from the article]