160 results on '"Zhang, Guobin"'
Search Results
2. Hierachical Aerogel-Supported Cu-Sn-O x Solid Solutions for Highly Selective CO 2 Electroreduction and Zn-CO 2 Batteries.
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Wang N, Mei R, Zhang G, Chen L, Yang T, Chen Z, Lin X, and Liu Q
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The electrochemical CO
2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR) into high-value carbon compounds such as CO and HCOOH is a promising strategy for the utilization and conversion of emitted CO2 . However, the selectivity of the CO2 RR for HCOOH is typically less than 90% and operates within a narrow voltage range, which limits its practical application. Herein, we propose a novel heterostructural aerogel as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for CO2 RR to HCOOH. This catalyst consists of Cu-Sn-Ox solid solutions embedded in a reduced graphene oxide matrix (Cu-Sn-Ox /rGO). The incorporation of Cu2+ into the SnO2 matrix enhances HCOOH production by improving the adsorption of the *OCHO intermediate and inhibiting H2 evolution, as confirmed by in situ measurements and computational studies. As a result, Cu-Sn-Ox /rGO achieves a remarkable Faradaic efficiency (FE) of up to 91.4% for HCOOH and maintains high selectivity over a broad operating voltage range (-0.8 to -1.1 V). Additionally, the assembled Zn-CO2 batteries demonstrated an excellent power density of 1.14 mW/cm2 and exceptional stability for over 25 h.- Published
- 2024
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3. Realizing Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism in Molecular-Intercalated Antiferromagnet VOCl.
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Liu C, Li Z, Chen Z, Hu J, Duan H, Wang C, Feng S, Liu R, Zhang G, Cao J, Niu Y, Li Q, Li P, and Yan W
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2D van der Waals (vdW) magnets are gaining attention in fundamental physics and advanced spintronics, due to their unique dimension-dependent magnetism and potential for ultra-compact integration. However, achieving intrinsic ferromagnetism with high Curie temperature (T
C ) remains a technical challenge, including preparation and stability issues. Herein, an applicable electrochemical intercalation strategy to decouple interlayer interaction and guide charge doping in antiferromagnet VOCl, thereby inducing robust room-temperature ferromagnetism, is developed. The expanded vdW gap isolates the neighboring layers and shrinks the distance between the V-V bond, favoring the generation of ferromagnetic (FM) coupling with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Element-specific X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) directly proves the source of the ferromagnetism. Detailed experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the charge doping enhances the FM interaction by promoting the orbital hybridization between t2 g and eg . This work sheds new light on a promising way to achieve room-temperature ferromagnetism in antiferromagnets, thus addressing the critical materials demand for designing spintronic devices., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)- Published
- 2024
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4. Interfacial Charge-Transfer Excitonic Insulator in a Two-Dimensional Organic-Inorganic Superlattice.
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Liu Y, Lv H, Guo Y, Zhu H, Shang Z, Zhao Y, Lin Y, Tai X, Guo Z, Cui X, Zhao J, Yuan B, Liu Y, Zhang G, Sun Z, Wu X, Xie Y, and Wu C
- Abstract
Excitonic insulators are long-sought-after quantum materials predicted to spontaneously open a gap by the Bose condensation of bound electron-hole pairs, namely, excitons, in their ground state. Since the theoretical conjecture, extensive efforts have been devoted to pursuing excitonic insulator platforms for exploring macroscopic quantum phenomena in real materials. Reliable evidence of excitonic character has been obtained in layered chalcogenides as promising candidates. However, owing to the interference of intrinsic lattice instabilities, it is still debatable whether those features, such as the charge density wave and gap opening, are primarily driven by the excitonic effect or by the lattice transition. Herein, we develop an intercalation chemistry strategy for obtaining a novel charge-transfer excitonic insulator in organic-inorganic superlattice interfaces that serves as an ideal platform to decouple the excitonic effect from the lattice effect. In this system, we observe a narrow excitonic gap, formation of a charge density wave without periodic lattice distortion, and metal-insulator transition, providing visualized evidence of exciton condensation occurring in thermal equilibrium. Our findings identify self-assembly intercalation chemistry as a new strategy for developing novel excitonic insulators.
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- 2024
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5. Numerical Investigation of the Performance of a Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer under Various Outlet Manifold Structure Conditions.
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Zhang G and Qu Z
- Abstract
The oxygen discharge process significantly affects the electrochemical performance of a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE), which requires an optimal structure of the flow field implemented in the bipolar plate (BP) component. In this study, we numerically investigated the two-phase (liquid water and oxygen) flow in the PEMWE's channel region with different outlet manifold structures utilizing the volume of fluid (VOF) model. Then, the oxygen volume fraction at the liquid/gas diffusion layer (L/GDL) surface, i.e., the interface of the channel and L/GDL, obtained by the liquid water and oxygen flow model was incorporated into a three-dimensional (3D) PEMWE model, which made it possible to predict the influence of the outlet manifold structure on the multiple transfers inside the whole electrolyzer as well as the electrochemical performance. The results indicate that the existence of oxygen in the flow field significantly decreased the electrolyzer voltage at a fixed operation current density and deteriorated the uniform distribution of the oxygen amount, current density (corresponding to the electrochemical reaction rate) and temperature in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), indicating that the rapid oxygen removal from the flow field is preferred in the operation of the electrolyzer. Moreover, slight increases in the width of the outlet manifold were helpful in relieving the oxygen accumulation in the anode CL and, hence, improved the electrolyzer performance with more uniform distribution characteristics.
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- 2024
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6. Understanding the global subnational migration patterns driven by hydrological intrusion exposure.
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Qiao R, Gao S, Liu X, Xia L, Zhang G, Meng X, Liu Z, Wang M, Zhou S, and Wu Z
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- Humans, Socioeconomic Factors, Risk Assessment, Climate Change, Human Migration, Hydrology
- Abstract
Amid the escalating global climatic challenges, hydrological risks significantly influence human settlement patterns, underscoring the imperative for an in-depth comprehension of hydrological change's ramifications on human migration. However, predominant research has been circumscribed to the national level. The study delves into the nonlinear effects of hydrological risks on migration dynamics in 46,776 global subnational units. Meanwhile, leveraging remote sensing, we procured globally consistent metrics of hydrological intrusion exposure, offering a holistic risk assessment encompassing hazard, exposure, and vulnerability dimensions, thus complementing previous work. Here, we show that exposure is the primary migration driver, surpassing socioeconomic factors. Surrounding disparities further intensified exposure's impact. Vulnerable groups, especially the economically disadvantaged and elderly, tend to remain in high-risk areas, with the former predominantly migrating within proximate vicinities. The nonlinear analysis delineates an S-shaped trajectory for hydrological exposure, transitioning from resistance to migration and culminating in entrapment, revealing dependence on settlement resilience and adaptability., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
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- 2024
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7. CT radiomics to differentiate neuroendocrine neoplasm from adenocarcinoma in patients with a peripheral solid pulmonary nodule: a multicenter study.
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Liu X, Li H, Wang S, Yang S, Zhang G, Xu Y, Yang H, and Shan F
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Purpose: To construct and validate a computed tomography (CT) radiomics model for differentiating lung neuroendocrine neoplasm (LNEN) from lung adenocarcinoma (LADC) manifesting as a peripheral solid nodule (PSN) to aid in early clinical decision-making., Methods: A total of 445 patients with pathologically confirmed LNEN and LADC from June 2016 to July 2023 were retrospectively included from five medical centers. Those patients were split into the training set (n = 316; 158 LNEN) and external test set (n = 129; 43 LNEN), the former including the cross-validation (CV) training set and CV test set using ten-fold CV. The support vector machine (SVM) classifier was used to develop the semantic, radiomics and merged models. The diagnostic performances were evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and compared by Delong test. Preoperative neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels were collected as a clinical predictor., Results: In the training set, the AUCs of the radiomics model (0.878 [95% CI: 0.836, 0.915]) and merged model (0.884 [95% CI: 0.844, 0.919]) significantly outperformed the semantic model (0.718 [95% CI: 0.663, 0.769], p both<.001). In the external test set, the AUCs of the radiomics model (0.787 [95% CI: 0.696, 0.871]), merged model (0.807 [95%CI: 0.720, 0.889]) and semantic model (0.729 [95% CI: 0.631, 0.811]) did not exhibit statistical differences. The radiomics model outperformed NSE in sensitivity in the training set (85.3% vs 20.0%; p <.001) and external test set (88.9% vs 40.7%; p = .002)., Conclusion: The CT radiomics model could non-invasively, effectively and sensitively predict LNEN and LADC presenting as a PSN to assist in treatment strategy selection., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Liu, Li, Wang, Yang, Zhang, Xu, Yang and Shan.)
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- 2024
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8. Discovering the Order-Disorder Transition in Quinoline Intercalated Vanadium Oxide with Superior Calcium Storage via Polyhedral Distortion.
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Zhao X, Li L, Zhang G, Yi Y, Yang T, Han C, and Li B
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Calcium-ion batteries (CIBs) are considered as potential next-generation energy storage systems due to their abundant reserves and relatively low cost. However, irreversible structural changes and weak conductivity still hinder in current CIBs cathode materials. Herein, an organic molecular intercalation strategy is proposed, in which V
2 O5 regulated with quinoline, pyridine, and water molecules are studied as cathode material to provide fast ion diffusion channels, large storage host, and high conductivity for Ca ions. Among them, V2 O5 -quinoline (QVO) owns the largest interplanar spacing of 1.25 nm and the V-O chains are connected with organic molecular by hydrogen bond, which stabilizes the crystal structure. As a result, QVO exhibits a specific capacity of 168 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 and capacity retention of 80% after 500 cycles at 5 A g-1 than the other materials. Furthermore, X-Ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy results reveal a reversible order-disorder transformation mechanism of Ca2+ for QVO, which can make full use of the abundant active sites for high capacity and simultaneously achieve fast reaction kinetics for excellent rate performance. These results demonstrate that QVO is a promising cathode material for CIBs, providing more choices for the development of high-performance CIBs., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)- Published
- 2024
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9. Unraveling the resurgence of pertussis: Insights into epidemiology and global health strategies.
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Wan M, Zhang G, and Yi H
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Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest None.
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- 2024
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10. Pulmonary redox imbalance drives early fibroproliferative response in moderate/severe coronavirus disease-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome and impacts long-term lung abnormalities.
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Yang C, Tan Y, Li Z, Hu L, Chen Y, Zhu S, Hu J, Huai T, Li M, Zhang G, Rao D, Fei G, Shao M, and Ding Z
- Abstract
Background: COVID-19-associated pulmonary fibrosis remains frequent. This study aimed to investigate pulmonary redox balance in COVID-19 ARDS patients and possible relationship with pulmonary fibrosis and long-term lung abnormalities., Methods: Baseline data, chest CT fibrosis scores, N-terminal peptide of alveolar collagen III (NT-PCP-III), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were first collected and compared between SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive patients with moderate to severe ARDS (n = 65, COVID-19 ARDS) and SARS-CoV-2 RNA negative non-ARDS patients requiring mechanical ventilation (n = 63, non-ARDS). Then, correlations between fibroproliferative (NT-PCP-III and TGF-β1) and redox markers were analyzed within COVID-19 ARDS group, and comparisons between survivor and non-survivor subgroups were performed. Finally, follow-up of COVID-19 ARDS survivors was performed to analyze the relationship between pulmonary abnormalities, fibroproliferative and redox markers 3 months after discharge., Results: Compared with non-ARDS group, COVID-19 ARDS group had significantly elevated chest CT fibrosis scores (p < 0.001) and NT-PCP-III (p < 0.001), TGF-β1 (p < 0.001), GSSG (p < 0.001), and MDA (p < 0.001) concentrations on admission, while decreased SOD (p < 0.001) and GSH (p < 0.001) levels were observed in BALF. Both NT-PCP-III and TGF-β1 in BALF from COVID-19 ARDS group were directly correlated with GSSG (p < 0.001) and MDA (p < 0.001) and were inversely correlated with SOD (p < 0.001) and GSH (p < 0.001). Within COVID-19 ARDS group, non-survivors (n = 28) showed significant pulmonary fibroproliferation (p < 0.001) with more severe redox imbalance (p < 0.001) than survivors (n = 37). Furthermore, according to data from COVID-19 ARDS survivor follow-up (n = 37), radiographic residual pulmonary fibrosis and lung function impairment improved 3 months after discharge compared with discharge (p < 0.001) and were associated with early pulmonary fibroproliferation and redox imbalance (p < 0.01)., Conclusions: Pulmonary redox imbalance occurring early in COVID-19 ARDS patients drives fibroproliferative response and increases the risk of death. Long-term lung abnormalities post-COVID-19 are associated with early pulmonary fibroproliferation and redox imbalance., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
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- 2024
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11. Related factors of delirium after transsphenoidal endoscopic pituitary adenoma resection-A matched retrospective cohort study.
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Zhang S, Chen Y, Wang X, Liu J, Chen Y, and Zhang G
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- Humans, Male, Female, Retrospective Studies, Middle Aged, Adult, Risk Factors, Incidence, Aged, Cohort Studies, Neuroendoscopy adverse effects, Neuroendoscopy methods, Pituitary Neoplasms surgery, Adenoma surgery, Postoperative Complications epidemiology, Postoperative Complications etiology, Delirium etiology, Delirium epidemiology
- Abstract
Objectives: The primary aim of this study is to explore the factors associated with delirium incidence in postoperative patients who have undergone endoscopic transsphenoidal approach surgery for pituitary adenoma., Methods: The study population included patients admitted to Tianjin Huanhu Hospital's Skull Base Endoscopy Center from January to December 2022, selected through a retrospective cohort study design. The presence of perioperative delirium was evaluated using the 4 'A's Test (4AT) scale, and the final diagnosis of delirium was determined by clinicians. Statistical analysis included Propensity Score Matching (PSM), χ2 Test, and Binary Logistic Regression., Results: A total of 213 patients were included in this study, and the incidence of delirium was found to be 29.58 % (63/213). Among them, 126 patients were selected using PSM (delirium:non-delirium = 1:1), ensuring age, gender, and pathology were matched. According to the results of univariate analysis conducted on multiple variables, The binary logistic regression indicated that a history of alcoholism (OR = 6.89, [1.60-29.68], P = 0.010), preoperative optic nerve compression symptoms (OR = 4.30, [1.46-12.65], P = 0.008), operation time ≥3 h (OR = 5.50, [2.01-15.06], P = 0.001), benzodiazepines for sedation (OR = 3.94, [1.40-11.13], P = 0.010), sleep disorder (OR = 3.86, [1.40-10.66], P = 0.009), and physical restraint (OR = 4.53, [1.64-12.53], P = 0.004) as independent risk factors for postoperative delirium following pituitary adenoma surgery., Conclusions: For pituitary adenoma patients with a history of alcoholism and presenting symptoms of optic nerve compression, as well as an operation time ≥3 h, enhancing communication between healthcare providers and patients, improving perioperative sleep quality, and reducing physical restraint may help decrease the incidence of postoperative delirium., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
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- 2024
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12. Cisternostomy is not beneficial to reduce the occurrence of post-traumatic hydrocephalus in Traumatic Brain Injury.
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Liu J, Zhang S, Chen Y, Jia X, Li Z, Li A, Zhang G, and Jiang R
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- Humans, Male, Female, Middle Aged, Adult, Retrospective Studies, Decompressive Craniectomy methods, Aged, Postoperative Complications prevention & control, Postoperative Complications etiology, Postoperative Complications epidemiology, Young Adult, Glasgow Coma Scale, Brain Injuries, Traumatic surgery, Brain Injuries, Traumatic complications, Hydrocephalus surgery, Hydrocephalus etiology, Hydrocephalus prevention & control
- Abstract
Background: The Cisternostomy is a novel surgical concept in the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which can effectively drain the bloody cerebrospinal fluid from the skull base cistern, reduce the intracranial pressure, and improve the return of bone flap, but its preventive role in post-traumatic hydrocephalus (PTH) is unknow. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether Cisternostomy prevents the occurrence of PTH in patients with moderate and severe TBI., Methods: A retrospective analysis of clinical data of 86 patients with moderate and severe TBI from May 2019 to October 2021 was carried out in the Brain Trauma Center of Tianjin Huanhu Hospital. Univariate analysis was performed to examine the gender, age, preoperative Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, preoperative Rotterdam CT score, decompressive craniectomy rate, intracranial infection rate, the incidence of subdural fluid, and incidence of hydrocephalus in patients between the Cisternostomy group and the non-Cisternostomy surgery group. we also analyzed the clinical outcome indicators like GCS at discharge,6 month GOS-E and GOS-E ≥ 5 in two groups.Additionaly, the preoperative GCS score, decompressive craniectomy rate, age, and gender of patients with PTH and non hydrocephalus were compared. Further multifactorial logistic binary regression was performed to explore the risk factors for PTH. Finally, we conducted ROC curve analysis on the statistically significant results from the univariate regression analysis to predict the ability of each risk factor to cause PTH., Results: The Cisternostomy group had a lower bone flap removal rate(48.39% and 72.73%, p = 0.024)., higer GCS at discharge(11.13 ± 2.42 and 8.93 ± 3.31,p = 0.000) and better 6 month GOS-E(4.55 ± 1.26 and 3.95 ± 1.18, p = 0.029)than the non-Cisternostomy group However, there was no statistical difference in the incidence of hydrocephalus between the two groups (25.81% and 30.91%, p = 0.617). Moreover, between the hydrocephalus group and no hydrocephalus group,there were no significant differences in the incidence of gender, age, intracranial infection, and subdural fluid. While there were statistical differences in peroperative GCS score, Rotterdam CT score, decompressive craniectomy rate, intracranial infection rate, and the incidence of subdural fluid in the two groups, there was no statistical difference in the percentage of cerebral cisterns open drainage between the hydrocephalus group and no hydrocephalus group (32.00% and 37.70%, p = 0.617). Multifactorial logistic binary regression analysis results revealed that the independent risk factors for PTH were intracranial infection (OR = 18.460, 95% CI: 1.864-182.847 p = 0.013) and subdural effusion (OR = 10.557, 95% CI: 2.425-35.275 p = 0.001). Further, The ROC curve analysis showed that peroperative GCS score, Rotterdam CT score and subdural effusion had good ACU(0.785,0.730,and 0.749), with high sensitivity and specificity to predict the occurrence of PTH., Conclusions: Cisternostomy may decrease morbidities associated with removal of the bone flap and improve the clinical outcome, despite it cannot reduce the disability rate in TBI patients.Intracranial infection and subdural fluid were found to be the independent risk factors for PTH in patients with TBI,and the peroperative GCS score, Rotterdam CT score and subdural effusion had higher sensitivity and specificity to predict the occurrence of PTH. And more importantly, no correlation was observed between open drainage of the cerebral cisterns and the occurrence of PTH, indicating that Cisternostomy may not be beneficial in preventing the occurrence of PTH in patients with moderate and severe TBI., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)
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- 2024
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13. Multifield-Modulated Spintronic Terahertz Emitter Based on a Vanadium Dioxide Phase Transition.
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Zhou T, Li L, Wang Y, Zhao S, Liu M, Zhu J, Li W, Lin Z, Li J, Sun B, Huang Q, Zhang G, and Zou C
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The efficient generation and active modulation of terahertz (THz) waves are strongly required for the development of various THz applications such as THz imaging/spectroscopy and THz communication. In addition, due to the increasing degree of integration for the THz optoelectronic devices, miniaturizing the complex THz system into a compact unit is also important and necessary. Today, integrating the THz source with the modulator to develop a powerful, easy-to-adjust, and scalable or on-chip THz emitter is still a challenge. As a new type of THz emitter, a spintronic THz emitter has attracted a great deal of attention due to its advantages of high efficiency, ultrawide band, low cost, and easy integration. In this study, we have proposed a multifield-modulated spintronic THz emitter based on the VO
2 /Ni/Pt multilayer film structure with a wide band region of 0-3 THz. Because of the pronounced phase transition of the integrated VO2 layer, the fabricated THz emitter can be efficiently modulated via thermal or electric stimuli with a modulation depth of about one order of magnitude; the modulation depths under thermal stimulation and electrical stimulation were 91.8% and 97.3%, respectively. It is believed that this multifield modulated spintronic THz emitter will provide various possibilities for the integration of next-generation on-chip THz sources and THz modulators.- Published
- 2024
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14. Comparative study of the quality indices, antioxidant substances, and mineral elements in different forms of cabbage.
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Yue Z, Zhang G, Wang J, Wang J, Luo S, Zhang B, Li Z, and Liu Z
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- Plant Breeding, Flavonoids metabolism, Minerals metabolism, Antioxidants metabolism, Brassica genetics, Brassica metabolism
- Abstract
Background: As the second largest leafy vegetable, cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata) is grown globally, and the characteristics of the different varieties, forms, and colors of cabbage may differ. In this study, five analysis methods-variance analysis, correlation analysis, cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and comprehensive ranking-were used to evaluate the quality indices (soluble protein, soluble sugar, and nitrate), antioxidant content (vitamin C, polyphenols, and flavonoids), and mineral (K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn) content of 159 varieties of four forms (green spherical, green oblate, purple spherical, and green cow heart) of cabbage., Results: The results showed that there are significant differences among different forms and varieties of cabbage. Compared to the other three forms, the purple spherical cabbage had the highest flavonoid, K, Mg, Cu, Mn, and Zn content. A scatter plot of the principal component analysis showed that the purple spherical and green cow heart cabbage varieties were distributed to the same quadrant, indicating that their quality indices and mineral contents were highly consistent, while those of the green spherical and oblate varieties were irregularly distributed. Overall, the green spherical cabbage ranked first, followed by the green cow heart, green oblate, and purple spherical varieties., Conclusions: Our results provide a theoretical basis for the cultivation and high-quality breeding of cabbage., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
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- 2024
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15. Percolating Network of Anionic Vacancies in Prussian Blue: Origin of Superior Ammonium-Ion Storage Performance.
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Xiong F, Liu X, Zuo C, Zhang X, Yang T, Zhou B, Zhang G, Tan S, An Q, and Chu PK
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Emerging aqueous ammonium-ion batteries (AIBs) are considered inexpensive, highly safe, ecofriendly, and sustainable energy storage systems. Although some high-performance electrode materials have been reported for AIBs, a comprehensive understanding of the origin of the high ammonium-ion storage performance is still lacking. Herein, the percolating network of anionic vacancies is determined to be the origin of the superior ammonium-ion storage properties of the Prussian blue analogues based on ab initio molecular dynamics simulation and electrochemical kinetic analyses. Fe[Fe(CN)
6 ] with a percolating anionic vacancy network delivers an outstanding rate of 64.7 mAh g-1 at 2000 mA g-1 in addition to a capacity retention of 94.5% after 10 000 cycles. The low-strain intercalation ammonium-ion storage mechanism of highly deficient Fe Prussian blue with Fe as the redox center is revealed by in situ X-ray diffraction and ex situ X-ray absorption fine structure analysis. The results provide insights into the mechanism of ammonium-ion storage in Prussian blue analogues and guidance in the development of aqueous AIBs.- Published
- 2024
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16. Low-Potential Iodide Oxidation Enables Dual-Atom CoFe─N─C Catalysts for Ultra-Stable and High-Energy-Efficiency Zn-Air Batteries.
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Fan HS, Liang X, Ma FX, Zhang G, Liu ZQ, Zhen L, Zeng XC, and Xu CY
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The low energy efficiency and limited cycling life of rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZABs) arising from the sluggish oxygen reduction/evolution reactions (ORR/OERs) severely hinder their commercial deployment. Herein, a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-derived strategy associated with subsequent thermal fixing treatment is proposed to fabricate dual-atom CoFe─N─C nanorods (Co
1 Fe1 ─N─C NRs) containing atomically dispersed bimetallic Co/Fe sites, which can promote the energy efficiency and cyclability of ZABs simultaneously by introducing the low-potential oxidation redox reactions. Compared to the mono-metallic nanorods, Co1 Fe1 ─N─C NRs exhibit remarkable ORR performance including a positive half-wave potential of 0.933 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in alkaline electrolyte. Surprisingly, after introducing the potassium iodide (KI) additive, the oxidation overpotential of Co1 Fe1 ─N─C NRs to reach 10 mA cm-2 can be significantly reduced by 395 mV compared to the conventional destructive OER. Theoretical calculations show that the markedly decreased overpotential of iodide oxidation can be ascribed to the synergistic effects of neighboring Co─Fe diatomic sites as the unique adsorption sites. Overall, aqueous ZABs assembled with Co1 Fe1 ─N─C NRs and KI as the air-cathode catalyst and electrolyte additive, respectively, can deliver a low charging voltage of 1.76 V and ultralong cycling stability of over 230 h with a high energy efficiency of ≈68%., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)- Published
- 2024
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17. Exploring the utility of a latent variable as comprehensive inflammatory prognostic index in critically ill patients with cerebral infarction.
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Shu C, Zheng C, and Zhang G
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Objective: We introduce the comprehensive inflammatory prognostic index (CIPI), a novel prognostic tool for critically ill cerebral infarction patients, designed to meet the urgent need for timely and convenient clinical decision-making in this high-risk patient group., Methods: Using exploratory factor analysis on selected indices-neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and systemic immune inflammation index (SIII)-we derived CIPI, a latent variable capturing their combined predictive power. Data from 1,022 patients in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV database were used to develop CIPI-based survival models, with the robustness and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) performance of CIPI validated against an independent dataset of 326 patients from the MIMIC-III CareVue subset. The CIPI's predictive power for in-hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) mortality was assessed through Kaplan-Meier analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression models, and time-dependent AUC analysis. Linearity, subgroup sensitivity analyses and interaction effects with CIPI were also evaluated., Results: CIPI was an independent prognostic factor, demonstrating a statistically significant association with in-hospital and ICU mortality, when assessed as a continuous and a categorical variable. It showed a linear relationship with mortality rates and demonstrated stability across most subgroups, with no significant interactions observed. Its predictive capabilities for in-hospital and ICU mortality among critically ill cerebral infarction patients matched those of established prognostic indices in the MIMIC database., Conclusion: Our study indicates that CIPI is a reliable and effective prognostic tool for critically ill cerebral infarction patients in predicting in-hospital and ICU mortality. Its straightforward calculation, rooted in routine blood tests, enhances its practicality, promising significant utility in clinical settings., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Shu, Zheng and Zhang.)
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- 2024
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18. MFF-Net: Multiscale feature fusion semantic segmentation network for intracranial surgical instruments.
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Liu Z, Zheng L, Yang S, Zhong Z, and Zhang G
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Background: In robot-assisted surgery, automatic segmentation of surgical instrument images is crucial for surgical safety. The proposed method addresses challenges in the craniotomy environment, such as occlusion and illumination, through an efficient surgical instrument segmentation network., Methods: The network uses YOLOv8 as the target detection framework and integrates a semantic segmentation head to achieve detection and segmentation capabilities. A concatenation of multi-channel feature maps is designed to enhance model generalisation by fusing deep and shallow features. The innovative GBC2f module ensures the lightweight of the network and the ability to capture global information., Results: Experimental validation of the intracranial glioma surgical instrument dataset shows excellent performance: 94.9% MPA score, 89.9% MIoU value, and 126.6 FPS., Conclusions: According to the experimental results, the segmentation model proposed in this study has significant advantages over other state-of-the-art models. This provides a valuable reference for the further development of intelligent surgical robots., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
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- 2023
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19. InstrumentNet: An integrated model for real-time segmentation of intracranial surgical instruments.
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Liu Z, Zheng L, Gu L, Yang S, Zhong Z, and Zhang G
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- Humans, Surgical Instruments, Neural Networks, Computer, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted methods, Robotic Surgical Procedures methods
- Abstract
In robot-assisted surgery, precise surgical instrument segmentation technology can provide accurate location and pose data for surgeons, helping them perform a series of surgical operations efficiently and safely. However, there are still some interfering factors, such as surgical instruments being covered by tissue, multiple surgical instruments interlacing with each other, and instrument shaking during surgery. To better address these issues, an effective surgical instrument segmentation network called InstrumentNet is proposed, which adopts YOLOv7 as the object detection framework to achieve a real-time detection solution. Specifically, a multiscale feature fusion network is constructed, which aims to avoid problems such as feature redundancy and feature loss and enhance the generalization ability. Furthermore, an adaptive feature-weighted fusion mechanism is introduced to regulate network learning and convergence. Finally, a semantic segmentation head is introduced to integrate the detection and segmentation functions, and a multitask learning loss function is specifically designed to optimize the surgical instrument segmentation performance. The proposed segmentation model is validated on a dataset of intracranial surgical instruments provided by seven experts from Beijing Tiantan Hospital and achieved an mAP score of 93.5 %, Dice score of 82.49 %, and MIoU score of 85.48 %, demonstrating its universality and superiority. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model achieves good segmentation performance on surgical instruments compared to other advanced models and can provide a reference for developing intelligent medical robots., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None declared., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
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- 2023
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20. Silencing the CsSnRK2.11 Gene Decreases Drought Tolerance of Cucumis sativus L.
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Wang P, Wan Z, Luo S, Wei H, Zhao J, Wang G, Yu J, and Zhang G
- Subjects
- Plant Proteins metabolism, Abscisic Acid pharmacology, Abscisic Acid metabolism, Droughts, Stress, Physiological genetics, Chlorophyll metabolism, Antioxidants metabolism, Gene Expression Regulation, Plant, Drought Resistance, Cucumis sativus genetics, Cucumis sativus metabolism
- Abstract
Drought stress restricts vegetable growth, and abscisic acid plays an important role in its regulation. Sucrose non-fermenting1-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) is a key enzyme in regulating ABA signal transduction in plants, and it plays a significant role in response to multiple abiotic stresses. Our previous experiments demonstrated that the SnRK2.11 gene exhibits a significant response to drought stress in cucumbers. To further investigate the function of SnRK2.11 under drought stress, we used VIGS (virus-induced gene silencing) technology to silence this gene and conducted RNA-seq analysis. The SnRK2.11 -silencing plants displayed increased sensitivity to drought stress, which led to stunted growth and increased wilting speed. Moreover, various physiological parameters related to photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, leaf water content, chlorophyll content, and antioxidant enzyme activity were significantly reduced. The intercellular CO
2 concentration, non-photochemical burst coefficient, and malondialdehyde and proline content were significantly increased. RNA-seq analysis identified 534 differentially expressed genes (DEGs): 311 were upregulated and 223 were downregulated. GO functional annotation analysis indicated that these DEGs were significantly enriched for molecular functions related to host cells, enzyme activity, and stress responses. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis further revealed that these DEGs were significantly enriched in phytohormone signalling, MAPK signalling, and carotenoid biosynthesis pathways, all of which were associated with abscisic acid. This study used VIGS technology and transcriptome data to investigate the role of CsSnRK2.11 under drought stress, offering valuable insights into the mechanism of the SnRK2 gene in enhancing drought resistance in cucumbers.- Published
- 2023
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21. Editorial: Cutting-edge systems and materials for brain-inspired computing, adaptive bio-interfacing and smart sensing: implications for neuromorphic computing and biointegrated frameworks.
- Author
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Zhang G, Ma T, Wang B, Loke DK, and Zhang Y
- Abstract
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
- Published
- 2023
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22. Significant land cover change in China during 2001-2019: Implications for direct and indirect effects on surface ozone concentration.
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Cao J, Pan G, Zheng B, Liu Y, Zhang G, and Liu Y
- Subjects
- Environmental Monitoring methods, China, Ozone analysis, Air Pollution analysis, Air Pollutants analysis
- Abstract
China has become one of the most prominent areas of global land cover change during the past few decades. These changes can directly influence meteorological parameters thus further regulating tropospheric ozone (O
3 ) formation. Moreover, changes in biogenic emissions due to land cover variation can also have an indirect effect on O3 concentration. This study applied the Community Multiscale Air Quality model to comprehensively evaluate the impacts of significant land cover change on O3 levels in China during summertime between 2001 and 2019. The results showed that the daily maximum 8-h average O3 concentration (MDA8 O3 ) increased by 3.6-8.9 μg/m3 , 2.8-8.0 μg/m3 , 3.8-9.6 μg/m3 , -1.5-6.2 μg/m3 , and -0.6-2.5 μg/m3 in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Sichuan Basin, and Fenwei Plain, respectively, in response to land cover variation. The research identified that the direct effect was the primary factor in raising O3 levels which mainly altered O3 concentration by changing vertical import and dry deposition velocity. Moreover, land cover variation tended to decrease biogenic nitric oxide emission and increase biogenic volatile organic compounds emission on the whole, and cause an obvious increase of MDA8 O3 by 1.8-4.9 μg/m3 in Pearl River Delta due to the indirect effect. This study offered valuable insights into the impacts of land cover change on O3 levels, highlighting the need for policymakers to consider land cover variation on air pollutants concentration for devising comprehensive multi-pollutant control strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)- Published
- 2023
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23. Identifying Fe as OER Active Sites and Ultralow-Cost Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Overall Water Splitting.
- Author
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Li B, Zhao J, Wu Y, Zhang G, Wu H, Lyu F, He J, Fan J, Lu J, and Li YY
- Abstract
Electrocatalysts based on Fe and other transition metals are regarded as most promising candidates for accelerating the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), whereas whether Fe is the catalytic active site for OER is still under debate. Here, unary Fe- and binary FeNi- based catalysts, FeOOH and FeNi(OH)
x , are produced by self-reconstruction. The former is a dual-phased FeOOH, possessing abundant oxygen vacancies (VO ) and mixed-valence states, delivering the highest OER performance among all the unary iron oxides- and hydroxides- based powder catalysts reported to date, supporting Fe can be catalytically active for OER. As to binary catalyst, FeNi(OH)x is fabricated featuring 1) an equal molar content of Fe and Ni and 2) rich VO , both of which are found essential to enable abundant stabilized reactive centers (FeOOHNi) for high OER performance. Fe is found to be oxidized to 3.5+ during the *OOH process, thus, Fe is identified to be the active site in this new layered double hydroxide (LDH) structure with Fe:Ni = 1:1. Furthermore, the maximized catalytic centers enable FeNi(OH)x @NF (nickel foam) as low-cost bifunctional electrodes for overall water-splitting, delivering excellent performance comparable to commercial electrodes based on precious metals, which overcomes a major obstacle to the commercialization of bifunctional electrodes: prohibitive cost., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)- Published
- 2023
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24. CHSNet: Automatic lesion segmentation network guided by CT image features for acute cerebral hemorrhage.
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Xu B, Fan Y, Liu J, Zhang G, Wang Z, Li Z, Guo W, and Tang X
- Subjects
- Humans, Disease Progression, Neural Networks, Computer, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Cerebral Hemorrhage diagnostic imaging, Stroke diagnostic imaging
- Abstract
Stroke is a cerebrovascular disease that can lead to severe sequelae such as hemiplegia and mental retardation with a mortality rate of up to 40%. In this paper, we proposed an automatic segmentation network (CHSNet) to segment the lesions in cranial CT images based on the characteristics of acute cerebral hemorrhage images, such as high density, multi-scale, and variable location, and realized the three-dimensional (3D) visualization and localization of the cranial lesions after the segmentation was completed. To enhance the feature representation of high-density regions, and capture multi-scale and up-down information on the target location, we constructed a convolutional neural network with encoding-decoding backbone, Res-RCL module, Atrous Spatial Pyramid Pooling, and Attention Gate. We collected images of 203 patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage, constructed a dataset containing 5998 cranial CT slices, and conducted comparative and ablation experiments on the dataset to verify the effectiveness of our model. Our model achieved the best results on both test sets with different segmentation difficulties, test1: Dice = 0.918, IoU = 0.853, ASD = 0.476, RVE = 0.113; test2: Dice = 0.716, IoU = 0.604, ASD = 5.402, RVE = 1.079. Based on the segmentation results, we achieved 3D visualization and localization of hemorrhage in CT images of stroke patients. The study has important implications for clinical adjuvant diagnosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2023
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25. Comprehensive evaluation on effect of planting and breeding waste composts on the yield, nutrient utilization, and soil environment of baby cabbage.
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Qiao Y, Tie J, Wang X, Wei B, Zhang W, Liu Z, Zhang G, Lyu J, Liao W, Hu L, and Yu J
- Subjects
- Cattle, Female, Animals, Sheep, Soil chemistry, Manure, Fertilizers, Plant Breeding, Nutrients, Composting, Brassica
- Abstract
Treatment of the planting and breeding waste is becoming a big issue due to their significant quantities. Composting could be an effective alternative for planting and breeding waste management which could be used as fertilizer. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of planting and breeding waste on baby cabbage growth and soil properties, to establish a suitable agricultural cycle model for semi-arid area in central Gansu Province. The planting and breeding wastes [sheep manure (SM), tail vegetable (TV), cow manure (CM), mushroom residue (MR) and corn straw (CS)] were used as the raw materials in this study, which were designed 8 compost formulas for composting fermentation. With no fertilization (CK1) and local commercial organic fertilizer (CK2) as the control, the comprehensive evaluation of planting and breeding waste composts on the yield of baby cabbage, fertilizer utilization rate, soil physical and chemical properties and microbial diversity were studied to select the best compost formula suitable for the growth of baby cabbage. And the material flow and energy flow analysis of the circulation model established by the formula were carried out. The results showed that the biological yield and economic yield of baby cabbage, absorption and recycling utilization of total phosphorus (TP) and total potassium (TK) reached the maximum under the formula of SM: TV: MR: CS = 6:2:1:1. Compared with CK2, the formula of SM: TV: MR: CS = 6:2:1:1 significantly increased the richness of soil bacteria and beneficial bacteria Proteobacteria, and decreased the relative abundance of harmful bacteria Olpidiomycota. Principal component analysis showed the comprehensive score of SM: TV: MR: CS = 6:2:1:1 was the best organic compost formula suitable for producing high-quality and high-yield baby cabbage and improving soil environment. Therefore, this formula can be used as a reference organic fertilizer formula for field cultivation of baby cabbage., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2023
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26. Decision-making tree for surgical treatment in meningioma: a geriatric cohort study.
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Li H, Zheng D, Wang Y, Ying Y, Sui D, Lin S, Jiang Z, Huang H, and Zhang G
- Subjects
- Aged, Humans, Cohort Studies, Neoplasm Recurrence, Local surgery, Retrospective Studies, Treatment Outcome, Meningeal Neoplasms surgery, Meningioma surgery
- Abstract
Controversies persist regarding the benefits of surgery in elderly patients with meningiomas. The objective of this study was to develop decision-making scale to clarify the necessity for surgical intervention and provide clinical consultation for this special population. This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single center and included 478 elderly patients (≥ 65 years) who underwent meningioma resection. Follow-up was recorded to determine recurrence and mortality rates. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify significantly preoperative factors, and prognostic prediction models were developed with determined cutoff values for the prognostic index (PI). Model discrimination was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves based on the PI stratification, which categorized patients into low- and high-risk groups. A decision-making tree was then established based on the risk stratification from both models. Among all patients analyzed (n = 478), 62 (13.0%) experience recurrence and 47 (10.0%) died during the follow-up period. Significantly preoperative parameters from both models included advanced age, aCCI, recurrent tumor, motor cortex involvement, male sex, peritumoral edema, and tumor located in skull base (all P < 0.05). According to the classification of PI from the two models, the decision-making tree provided four recommendations that can be used for clinical consultation. Surgery is not recommended for patients assigned to the high-risk group in both models. Patients who meet the low-risk criteria in any model may undergo surgical intervention, but the final decision should depend on the surgeon's expertise., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)
- Published
- 2023
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27. Drying Acoustically Levitated Droplets as Signal-Amplifying Platforms for Ultrasensitive and Multimode Laser Sensing.
- Author
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Liu Y, Pan J, Zhang G, Zhou B, Li Z, Cheung P, Wang W, Zhu Y, Xiao S, Guo L, and Lau C
- Abstract
Ultrasensitive sensing to trace atomic and molecular analytes has gained interest for its intimate relation to industrial sectors and human lives. One of the keys to ultrasensitive sensing for many analytical techniques lies in enriching trace analytes onto well-designed substrates. However, the coffee ring effect, nonuniform distribution of analytes onto substrates, in the droplet drying process hinders the ultrasensitive and stable sensing onto the substrates. Here, we propose a substrate-free strategy to suppress the coffee ring effect, enrich analytes, and self-assemble a signal-amplifying (SA) platform for multimode laser sensing. The strategy involves acoustically levitating and drying a droplet, mixed with analytes and core-shell Au@SiO
2 nanoparticles, to self-assemble an SA platform. The SA platform with a plasmonic nanostructure can dramatically enrich analytes, enabling enormous spectroscopic signal amplification. Specifically, the SA platform can promote atomic detection (cadmium and chromium) to the 10-3 mg/L level by nanoparticle-enhanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and can promote molecule detection (rhodamine 6G) to the 10-11 mol/L level by surface-enhanced Raman scattering. All in all, the SA platform, self-assembled by acoustic levitation, can intrinsically suppress the coffee ring effect and enrich trace analytes, enabling ultrasensitive multimode laser sensing.- Published
- 2023
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28. Highly Reversible Intercalation of Calcium Ions in Layered Vanadium Compounds Enabled by Acetonitrile-Water Hybrid Electrolyte.
- Author
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Qin X, Zhao X, Zhang G, Wei Z, Li L, Wang X, Zhi C, Li H, Han C, and Li B
- Abstract
Currently, the development of calcium-ion batteries (CIBs) is still in its infancy and greatly plagued by the absence of satisfactory cathode materials and compatible electrolytes. Herein, an acetonitrile-water hybrid electrolyte is first developed in CIB chemistry, in which, the strong lubricating and shielding effect of water solvent significantly boosts the swift transport of bulky Ca
2+ , thus contributing to large capacity storage of Ca2+ in layered vanadium oxides (Ca0.25 V2 O5 · n H2 O, CVO). Meanwhile, the acetonitrile component noticeably suppresses the dissolution of vanadium species during repeated Ca2+ -ion uptake/release, endowing the CVO cathode with a robust cycle life. More importantly, spectral characterization and molecular dynamics simulation confirm that the water molecules are well stabilized by the mutual hydrogen bonding with acetonitrile molecules (O-H···N), endowing the aqueous hybrid electrolyte with high electrochemical stability. By using this aqueous hybrid electrolyte, the CVO electrode shows a high specific discharge capacity of 158.2 mAh g-1 at 0.2 A g-1 , an appealing capacity of 104.6 mAh g-1 at a high rate of 5 A g-1 , and a capacity retention of 95% after 2000 cycles at 1.0 A g-1 , which is a record-high performance for CIBs reported so far. A mechanistic study exemplifies the reversible extraction of Ca2+ from the gap of VO polyhedral layers, which are accompanied by the reversible V-O and V-V skeleton change as well as reversible variation of layer spacing. This work constitutes a major advance in developing high-performance Ca-ion batteries.- Published
- 2023
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29. Foliar Spraying of NaHS Alleviates Cucumber Salt Stress by Maintaining N + /K + Balance and Activating Salt Tolerance Signaling Pathways.
- Author
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Luo S, Liu Z, Wan Z, He X, Lv J, Yu J, and Zhang G
- Abstract
Hydrogen sulfide (H
2 S) is involved in the regulation of plant salt stress as a potential signaling molecule. This work investigated the effect of H2 S on cucumber growth, photosynthesis, antioxidation, ion balance, and other salt tolerance pathways. The plant height, stem diameter, leaf area and photosynthesis of cucumber seedlings were significantly inhibited by 50 mmol·L-1 NaCl. Moreover, NaCl treatment induced superoxide anion (O2 ·- ) and Na+ accumulation and affected the absorption of other mineral ions. On the contrary, exogenous spraying of 200 μmol·L-1 sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) maintained the growth of cucumber seedlings, increased photosynthesis, enhanced the ascorbate-glutathione cycle (AsA-GSH), and promoted the absorption of mineral ions under salt stress. Meanwhile, NaHS upregulated SOS1 , SOS2 , SOS3 , NHX1 , and AKT1 genes to maintain Na+ /K+ balance and increased the relative expression of MAPK3 , MAPK4 , MAPK6 , and MAPK9 genes to enhance salt tolerance. These positive effects of H2 S could be reversed by 150 mmol·L-1 propargylglycine (PAG, a specific inhibitor of H2 S biosynthesis). These results indicated that H2 S could mitigate salt damage in cucumber, mainly by improving photosynthesis, enhancing the AsA-GSH cycle, reducing the Na+ /K+ ratio, and inducing the SOS pathway and MAPK pathway.- Published
- 2023
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30. Continuous Photothermal and Radiative Cooling Energy Harvesting by VO 2 Smart Coatings with Switchable Broadband Infrared Emission.
- Author
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Liu M, Li X, Li L, Li L, Zhao S, Lu K, Chen K, Zhu J, Zhou T, Hu C, Lin Z, Xu C, Zhao B, Zhang G, Pei G, and Zou C
- Abstract
Extensive use of renewable and clean energy is one of the promising ways to solve energy/environmental problems and promote the sustainable development of our society. As inexhaustible energy sources, the photothermal (PT) and radiative cooling (RC) energy from the sun and outer space have recently attracted tremendous interest. However, these two kinds of energy utilization have distinctly opposite spectral properties, especially in the infrared range, making it extremely difficult to integrate these two energy harvesting modes within a fixed device for continuous energy collection. Thus, in the current study, we have proposed a spectrally self-adaptive broadband absorber/emitter (SSBA/E) based on vanadium dioxide (VO
2 ), a typical phase transition material, to achieve continuous energy harvesting via collecting solar thermal energy in PT mode during the day and obtaining cool energy in wide-band RC mode at night. Experimental results show that owing to the phase transition property of the VO2 layer, these two energy collection modes can be adaptively switched. Specifically, the VO2 -based device shows a broadband infrared emissivity modulation from 0.21 to 0.75 and low critical temperatures (58.4 and 49.2 °C) during the phase transition, leading to continuous energy harvesting with high efficiency. Due to the broadband infrared emission, the RC maximum power of the SSBA/E device was estimated to be 58 W m-2 . The proposed VO2 smart coatings are also applicable for many other applications such as thermal management of spacecraft, infrared camouflage, or adaptive optical devices.- Published
- 2023
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31. A chromosome-scale genome assembly of Artemisia argyi reveals unbiased subgenome evolution and key contributions of gene duplication to volatile terpenoid diversity.
- Author
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Chen H, Guo M, Dong S, Wu X, Zhang G, He L, Jiao Y, Chen S, Li L, and Luo H
- Subjects
- Gene Duplication, Phylogeny, Chromosomes, Terpenes, Artemisia genetics
- Abstract
Artemisia argyi Lévl. et Vant., a perennial Artemisia herb with an intense fragrance, is widely used in traditional medicine in China and many other Asian countries. Here, we present a chromosome-scale genome assembly of A. argyi comprising 3.89 Gb assembled into 17 pseudochromosomes. Phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses revealed that A. argyi underwent a recent lineage-specific whole-genome duplication (WGD) event after divergence from Artemisia annua, resulting in two subgenomes. We deciphered the diploid ancestral genome of A. argyi, and unbiased subgenome evolution was observed. The recent WGD led to a large number of duplicated genes in the A. argyi genome. Expansion of the terpene synthase (TPS) gene family through various types of gene duplication may have greatly contributed to the diversity of volatile terpenoids in A. argyi. In particular, we identified a typical germacrene D synthase gene cluster within the expanded TPS gene family. The entire biosynthetic pathways of germacrenes, (+)-borneol, and (+)-camphor were elucidated in A. argyi. In addition, partial deletion of the amorpha-4,11-diene synthase (ADS) gene and loss of function of ADS homologs may have resulted in the lack of artemisinin production in A. argyi. Our study provides new insights into the genome evolution of Artemisia and lays a foundation for further improvement of the quality of this important medicinal plant., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2023
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32. Self-Sacrificing Template Synthesis of Carbon Nanosheets Assembled Hollow Spheres with Abundant Active Fe-N 4 O 1 Moieties for Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction.
- Author
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Ma FX, Liu ZQ, Zhang G, Fan HS, Du Y, Zhen L, and Xu CY
- Abstract
Single-atom Fe-N-C (Fe
1 -N-C) materials represent the benchmarked electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, single Fe atoms in the carbon skeletons cannot be fully utilized due to the mass transfer limitation, severely restricting their intrinsic ORR properties. Herein, a self-sacrificing template strategy is developed to fabricate ultrathin nanosheets assembled Fe1 -N-C hollow microspheres (denoted as Fe1 /N-HCMs) by rational carbonization of Fe3+ chelating polydopamine coated melamine cyanuric acid complex. The shell of Fe1 /N-HCMs is constructed by ultrathin nanosheets with thickness of only 2 nm, which is supposed to be an ideal platform to isolate and fully expose single metal atoms. Benefiting from unique hierarchical hollow architecture with highly open porous structure, 2 nm-thick ultrathin nanosheet subunits and abundant Fe-N4 O1 active sites revealed by X-ray absorption fine structure analysis, the Fe1 /N-HCMs exhibit high ORR performance with a positive half-wave potential of 0.88 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode and robust stability. When served as air-cathode catalysts with ultralow loading mass of 0.25 mg cm-2 , Fe1 /N-HCMs based Zn-air batteries present a maximum power density of 187 mW cm-2 and discharge specific capacity of 806 mA h gZn -1 in primary Zn-air batteries, all exceeding those of commercial Pt/C., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)- Published
- 2023
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33. Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of BZR gene family and associated responses to abiotic stresses in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).
- Author
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Luo S, Zhang G, Zhang Z, Wan Z, Liu Z, Lv J, and Yu J
- Subjects
- Genome, Plant, Phylogeny, Brassinosteroids metabolism, Multigene Family, Hormones metabolism, Stress, Physiological genetics, Gene Expression Regulation, Plant, Plant Proteins genetics, Cucumis sativus genetics
- Abstract
Background: BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT (BZR) is a class of specific transcription factor (TFs) involved in brassinosteroid (BR) signal transduction. The regulatory mechanism of target genes mediated by BZR has become one of the key research areas in plant BR signaling networks. However, the functions of the BZR gene family in cucumber have not been well characterized., Results: In this study, six CsBZR gene family members were identified by analyzing the conserved domain of BES1 N in the cucumber genome. The size of CsBZR proteins ranges from 311 to 698 amino acids and are mostly located in the nucleus. Phylogenetic analysis divided CsBZR genes into three subgroups. The gene structure and conserved domain showed that the BZR genes domain in the same group was conserved. Cis-acting element analysis showed that cucumber BZR genes were mainly involved in hormone response, stress response and growth regulation. The qRT-PCR results also confirmed CsBZR response to hormones and abiotic stress., Conclusion: Collectively, the CsBZR gene is involved in regulating cucumber growth and development, particularly in hormone response and response to abiotic stress. These findings provide valuable information for understanding the structure and expression patterns of BZR genes., (© 2023. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2023
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34. Yield and Rhizosphere Soil Environment of Greenhouse Zucchini in Response to Different Planting and Breeding Waste Composts.
- Author
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Tie J, Qiao Y, Jin N, Gao X, Liu Y, Lyu J, Zhang G, Hu L, and Yu J
- Abstract
Composting, planting, and breeding waste for return to the field is the most crucial soil improvement method under the resource utilization of agricultural waste. However, how the vegetable yield and rhizosphere soil environment respond to different composts is still unknown. Therefore, eight formulations were designed for compost fermentation using agricultural waste [sheep manure (SM), tail vegetable (TV), cow manure (CM), mushroom residue (MR), and corn straw (CS)] without fertilizer (CK1) and local commercial organic fertilizer (CK2) as controls to study the yield and rhizosphere soil environment of greenhouse zucchini in response to different planting and breeding waste compost. Applying planting and breeding waste compost significantly increased the soil's organic matter and nutrient content. It inhibited soil acidification, which T4 (SM:TV:CS = 6:3:1) and T7 (SM:TV:MR:CS = 6:2:1:1) treatments affected significantly. Compared to CK2 treatment, T4 and T7 treatments showed a greater increase, with a significant increase of 14.69% and 11.01%, respectively. Therefore, T4, T7, and two control treatments were selected for high-throughput sequencing based on yield performance. Compared with the CK1 treatment, although multiple applications of chemical fertilizers led to a decrease in bacterial and fungal richness, planting and breeding waste compost maintained bacterial diversity and enhanced fungal diversity. Compared to CK2, the relative abundance increased in T7-treated Proteobacteria ( Sphingomonas , Pseudomonas , and Lysobacter ) and T4-treated Bacteroidetes ( Flavobacterium ) among bacteria. An increase in T4-treated Ascomycota ( Zopfiella and Fusarium ) and Basidiomycota among fungi and a decrease in T7-treated Mortierellomycota have been observed. Functional predictions of the bacterial Tax4Fun and fungal FUNGuild revealed that applying planting and breeding waste compost from the T4 treatment significantly increased the abundance of soil bacterial Metabolism of Cities, Genetic Information Processing, and Cellular Processes decreased the abundance of Pathotroph and Saprotroph-Symbiotroph fungi and increased the abundance of Saprotroph fungi. Overall, planting and breeding waste compost increased zucchini yield by improving soil fertility and microbial community structure. Among them, T4 treatment has the most significant effect, so T4 treatment can be selected as the optimized formulation of local commercial organic fertilizer. These findings have valuable implications for sustainable agricultural development.
- Published
- 2023
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35. Nitric Oxide Induced by Ammonium/Nitrate Ratio Ameliorates Low-Light Stress in Brassica pekinesis : Regulation of Photosynthesis and Root Architecture.
- Author
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Hu L, Gao X, Li Y, Lyu J, Xiao X, Zhang G, and Yu J
- Subjects
- Nitrates pharmacology, Nitric Oxide pharmacology, NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester pharmacology, Photosynthesis, Seedlings, Plant Leaves, Plant Roots, Nitrogen pharmacology, Brassica, Ammonium Compounds pharmacology
- Abstract
Low-light intensity affects plant growth and development and, finally, causes a decrease in yield and quality. There is a need for improved cropping strategies to solve the problem. We previously demonstrated that moderate ammonium:nitrate ratio (NH
4 + :NO3 - ) mitigated the adverse effect caused by low-light stress, although the mechanism behind this alleviation is unclear. The hypothesis that the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) induced by moderate NH4 + :NO3 - (10:90) involved in regulating photosynthesis and root architecture of Brassica pekinesis subjected to low-light intensity was proposed. To prove the hypothesis, a number of hydroponic experiments were conducted. The results showed that in plants exposed to low-light intensity, the exogenous donors NO (SNP) and NH4 + :NO3 - (N, 10:90) treatments significantly increased leaf area, growth range, and root fresh weight compared with nitrate treatment. However, the application of hemoglobin (Hb, NO scavenger), N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, NOS inhibitor), and sodium azide (NaN3 , NR inhibitor) in N solution remarkably decreased the leaf area, canopy spread, the biomass of shoot and root, the surface area, and volume and tips of the root. The application of N solution and exogenous SNP significantly enhanced Pn (Net photosynthetic rate) and rETR (relative electron transport rates) compared with solo nitrate. While all these effects of N and SNP on photosynthesis, such as Pn, Fv/Fm (maximum quantum yield of PSII), Y(II) (actual photosynthetic efficiency), qP (photochemical quenching), and rETR were reversed when the application of Hb, L-NAME, and NaN3 in N solution. The results also showed that the N and SNP treatments were more conducive to maintaining cell morphology, chloroplast structure, and a higher degree of grana stacking of low-light treated plants. Moreover, the application of N significantly increased the NOS and NR activities, and the NO levels in the leaves and roots of mini Chinese cabbage seedlings treated with N were significantly higher than those in nitrate-treated plants. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that NO synthesis induced by the appropriate ammonia-nitrate ratio (NH4 + :NO3 - = 10:90) was involved in the regulation of photosynthesis and root structure of Brassica pekinesis under low-light stress, effectively alleviating low-light stress and contributing to the growth of mini Chinese cabbage under low-light stress.- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
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36. Metal-Organic Framework-Based Materials in Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.
- Author
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Wu F, Wu B, Mu Y, Zhou B, Zhang G, and Zeng L
- Subjects
- Ions, Oxides, Carbon, Zinc, Metal-Organic Frameworks
- Abstract
Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising for large-scale energy storage systems due to their high safety, large capacity, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness. However, their commercialization is currently hindered by several challenging issues, including cathode degradation and zinc dendrite growth. Recently, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their derivatives have gained significant attention and are widely used in AZIBs due to their highly porous structures, large specific surface area, and ability to design frameworks for Zn
2+ shuttle. Based on preceding contributions, this review aims to generalize two design principles for MOF-based materials in AZIBs: cathode preparation and anode protection. For cathode preparation, we mainly introduce novel MOF-based electrode materials such as pure MOFs, porous carbon materials, metal oxides, and their compounds, focusing on the analysis of the specific capacity of AZIBs. For anode protection, we systematically analyze MOF-based materials used as 3D Zn architecture, solid electrolyte interfaces, novel separators, and solid-state electrolytes, highlighting the improvement in the cyclic stability of Zn anodes. Finally, we propose the future development of MOF-based materials in AZIBs. Our work can give some clues for raising the practical application level of aqueous ZIBs.- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. Exhaustive drainage versus fixed-time drainage for chronic subdural hematoma after one-burr hole craniostomy (ECHO): study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.
- Author
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Wu L, Ou Y, Zhu B, Guo X, Yu X, Xu L, Li J, Feng E, Li H, Wang X, Chen H, Sun Z, Liu Z, Yang D, Zhang H, Liu Z, Tang J, Zhao S, Zhang G, Yao J, Ma D, Sun Z, Zhou H, Liu B, and Liu W
- Subjects
- Humans, Adult, Middle Aged, Retrospective Studies, Prospective Studies, Recurrence, Drainage adverse effects, Drainage methods, Treatment Outcome, Craniotomy adverse effects, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Multicenter Studies as Topic, Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic diagnostic imaging, Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic surgery
- Abstract
Background: Chronic subdural hematomas (CSDHs) are one of the most common neurosurgical conditions. The standard surgical technique includes burr-hole craniostomy, followed by intraoperative irrigation and placement of subdural closed-system drainage. The drainage is generally removed after 48 h, which can be described as fixed-time drainage strategy. According to literature, the recurrence rate is 5-33% with this strategy. In our retrospective study, postoperative hematoma volume was found to significantly increase the risk of recurrence. Based on these results, an exhaustive drainage strategy is conducted to minimize postoperative hematoma volume and achieve a low recurrence rate and good outcomes., Methods: This is a prospective, multicenter, open-label, blinded endpoint randomized controlled trial designed to include 304 participants over the age of 18-90 years presenting with a symptomatic CSDH verified on cranial computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Participants will be randomly allocated to perform exhaustive drainage (treatment group) or fixed-time drainage (control group) after a one-burr hole craniostomy. The primary endpoint will be recurrence indicating a reoperation within 6 months., Discussion: This study will validate the effect and safety of exhaustive drainage after one-burr hole craniostomy in reducing recurrence rates and provide critical information to improve CSDH surgical management., Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04573387. Registered on October 5, 2020., (© 2023. The Author(s).)
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- 2023
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38. Structure Design for Ultrahigh Power Density Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell.
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Zhang G, Wu L, Tongsh C, Qu Z, Wu S, Xie B, Huo W, Du Q, Wang H, An L, Wang N, Xuan J, Chen W, Xi F, Wang Z, and Jiao K
- Abstract
Next-generation ultrahigh power density proton exchange membrane fuel cells rely not only on high-performance membrane electrode assembly (MEA) but also on an optimal cell structure. To this end, this work comprehensively investigates the cell performance under various structures, and it is revealed that there is unexploited performance improvement in structure design because its positive effect enhancing gas supply is often inhibited by worse proton/electron conduction. Utilizing fine channel/rib or the porous flow field is feasible to eliminate the gas diffusion layer (GDL) and hence increase the power density significantly due to the decrease of cell thickness and gas/electron transfer resistances. The cell structure combining fine channel/rib, GDL elimination and double-cell structure is believed to increase the power density from 4.4 to 6.52 kW L
-1 with the existing MEA, showing nearly equal importance with the new MEA development in achieving the target of 9.0 kW L-1 ., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)- Published
- 2023
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39. Effects of intensive blood pressure lowering on cerebral ischaemia in thrombolysed patients: insights from the ENCHANTED trial.
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Chen C, Ouyang M, Ong S, Zhang L, Zhang G, Delcourt C, Mair G, Liu L, Billot L, Li Q, Chen X, Parsons M, Broderick JP, Demchuk AM, Bath PM, Donnan GA, Levi C, Chalmers J, Lindley RI, Martins SO, Pontes-Neto OM, Venturelli PM, Olavarría V, Lavados P, Robinson TG, Wardlaw JM, Li G, Wang X, Song L, and Anderson CS
- Abstract
Background: Intensive blood pressure lowering may adversely affect evolving cerebral ischaemia. We aimed to determine whether intensive blood pressure lowering altered the size of cerebral infarction in the 2196 patients who participated in the Enhanced Control of Hypertension and Thrombolysis Stroke Study, an international randomised controlled trial of intensive (systolic target 130-140 mm Hg within 1 h; maintained for 72 h) or guideline-recommended (systolic target <180 mm Hg) blood pressure management in patients with hypertension (systolic blood pressure >150 mm Hg) after thrombolysis treatment for acute ischaemic stroke between March 3, 2012 and April 30, 2018., Methods: All available brain imaging were analysed centrally by expert readers. Log-linear regression was used to determine the effects of intensive blood pressure lowering on the size of cerebral infarction, with adjustment for potential confounders. The primary analysis pertained to follow-up computerised tomography (CT) scans done between 24 and 36 h. Sensitivity analysis were undertaken in patients with only a follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and either MRI or CT at 24-36 h, and in patients with any brain imaging done at any time during follow-up. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01422616., Findings: There were 1477 (67.3%) patients (mean age 67.7 [12.1] y; male 60%, Asian 65%) with available follow-up brain imaging for analysis, including 635 patients with a CT done at 24-36 h. Mean achieved systolic blood pressures over 1-24 h were 141 mm Hg and 149 mm Hg in the intensive group and guideline group, respectively. There was no effect of intensive blood pressure lowering on the median size (ml) of cerebral infarction on follow-up CT at 24-36 h (0.3 [IQR 0.0-16.6] in the intensive group and 0.9 [0.0-12.5] in the guideline group; log Δmean -0.17, 95% CI -0.78 to 0.43). The results were consistent in sensitivity and subgroup analyses., Interpretation: Intensive blood pressure lowering treatment to a systolic target <140 mm Hg within several hours after the onset of symptoms may not increase the size of cerebral infarction in patients who receive thrombolysis treatment for acute ischaemic stroke of mild to moderate neurological severity., Funding: National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia; UK Stroke Association; UK Dementia Research Institute; Ministry of Health and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development of Brazil; Ministry for Health, Welfare, and Family Affairs of South Korea; Takeda., Competing Interests: GM received a research grant from the UK Stroke Association, and consulting fee and honoraria from Canon Medical. JB has received consulting fees from Roche, and honoraria on the Executive Committee for TIMELESS Trial from Genentech. AMD received grants from Medtronic and Circle CVI, and has received consulting fees and honoraria from HLS Therapeutics, Hoffmann LaRoche Servier, Astra Zeneca, and Boehringer Ingelheim. He is also a member on Data Safety and Monitoring Boards (DSMB) for Philips and Lumosa, and has a role on the Canadian Stroke Consortium and Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery. PB has received research grants from the UK Stroke Association, British Heart Foundation, NIHR HTA, and NUH Charity, and honoraria for advisory board activities from DiaMedica, Phagenesis, and Roche. He is also the Chair and Co-Chair of DSMBs for ESPS-2 and AVERT-Dose, respectively, and has stock from DiaMedica. AMD has stock from Circle CVI. RIL has received grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). JC reports receiving a Program Grant the NHMRC from of Australia and is the Chair of the Steering Committee for ENCHANTED. SM has received grants from Ministry of Health PROADI SUS Hospital Moinhos de Vento, including RESILIENT Direct TNK, RESILIENT Extend IV, TRIDENT, and PROMOTE trials. She also received honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim, Medtronic, Penumbra, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Bayer, Servier, and Daiichi Sankyo, has participated on a DSMB for Johnson and Johnson's Executive Board for the Librexia clinical trial, and is the President of World Stroke Organisation and Brazilian Stroke Network. PMV has received a research grant from ANID Fondecyt Regular, Chile, and is member of the Scientific Advisors Committee to the Chilean Ministry of Sciences and Technology, for the COVID-19 vaccine national strategy. VVO has received a research grant from ANID Fondecyt Regular 1,181,333 Chile and a research grant from Boehringer Ingelheim. PL has received a research grant from ANID Fondecyt Regular, Chile, and honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim, and has a role on a DSMB for Boehringer Ingelheim and the Chilean Ministry of Health, and is the President of the Chilean Stroke Association. CSA and LS received research grants from the NHMRC, MRC, Takeda China, and Penumbra. The other authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Author(s).)
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- 2023
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40. Inducing Fe 3d Electron Delocalization and Spin-State Transition of FeN 4 Species Boosts Oxygen Reduction Reaction for Wearable Zinc-Air Battery.
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Chen S, Liang X, Hu S, Li X, Zhang G, Wang S, Ma L, Wu CL, Zhi C, and Zapien JA
- Abstract
Transition metal-nitrogen-carbon materials (M-N-Cs), particularly Fe-N-Cs, have been found to be electroactive for accelerating oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics. Although substantial efforts have been devoted to design Fe-N-Cs with increased active species content, surface area, and electronic conductivity, their performance is still far from satisfactory. Hitherto, there is limited research about regulation on the electronic spin states of Fe centers for Fe-N-Cs electrocatalysts to improve their catalytic performance. Here, we introduce Ti
3 C2 MXene with sulfur terminals to regulate the electronic configuration of FeN4 species and dramatically enhance catalytic activity toward ORR. The MXene with sulfur terminals induce the spin-state transition of FeN4 species and Fe 3d electron delocalization with d band center upshift, enabling the Fe(II) ions to bind oxygen in the end-on adsorption mode favorable to initiate the reduction of oxygen and boosting oxygen-containing groups adsorption on FeN4 species and ORR kinetics. The resulting FeN4 -Ti3 C2 Sx exhibits comparable catalytic performance to those of commercial Pt-C. The developed wearable ZABs using FeN4 -Ti3 C2 Sx also exhibit fast kinetics and excellent stability. This study confirms that regulation of the electronic structure of active species via coupling with their support can be a major contributor to enhance their catalytic activity., (© 2023. The Author(s).)- Published
- 2023
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41. Porous Flow Field for Next-Generation Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: Materials, Characterization, Design, and Challenges.
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Zhang G, Qu Z, Tao WQ, Wang X, Wu L, Wu S, Xie X, Tongsh C, Huo W, Bao Z, Jiao K, and Wang Y
- Abstract
Porous flow fields distribute fuel and oxygen for the electrochemical reactions of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells through their pore network instead of conventional flow channels. This type of flow fields has showed great promises in enhancing reactant supply, heat removal, and electrical conduction, reducing the concentration performance loss and improving operational stability for fuel cells. This review presents the research and development progress of porous flow fields with insights for next-generation PEM fuel cells of high power density (e.g., ∼9.0 kW L
-1 ). Materials, fabrication methods, fundamentals, and fuel cell performance associated with porous flow fields are discussed in depth. Major challenges are described and explained, along with several future directions, including separated gas/liquid flow configurations, integrated porous structure, full morphology modeling, data-driven methods, and artificial intelligence-assisted design/optimization.- Published
- 2023
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42. Effects of Cinobufagin on the Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of H1299 Lung Cancer Cells.
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Sun M, Huang D, Liu Y, Chen H, Yu H, Zhang G, Chen Q, Chen H, and Zhang J
- Subjects
- Humans, beta Catenin, Integrin alpha2, Cell Line, Tumor, Cell Proliferation, Cell Movement, Lung Neoplasms drug therapy, Lung Neoplasms metabolism, Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung drug therapy, Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung metabolism
- Abstract
Cinobufagin (CB), with its steroidal nucleus structure, is one of the major, biologically active components of Chan Su. Recent studies have shown that CB exerts inhibitory effects against numerous cancer cells. However, the effects of CB regarding the metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the involved mechanisms need to be further studied. The purpose of the present study aimed to report the inhibitory function of CB against proliferation and metastasis of H1299 cells. CB inhibited proliferation of H1299 lung cancer cells with an IC
50 value of 0.035±0.008 μM according to the results of MTT assays. Antiproliferative activity was also observed in colony forming cell assays. In addition, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) retention assays revealed that CB significantly inhibited the rate of DNA synthesis in H1299 cells. Moreover, results of the scratch wound healing assays and transwell migration assays displayed that CB exhibited significant inhibition against migration and invasion of H1299 cells. Furthermore, CB could concentration-dependently reduce the expression of integrin α2, β-catenin, FAK, Src, c-Myc, and STAT3 in H1299 cells. These western blotting results indicated that CB might target integrin α2, β-catenin, FAK and Src to suppress invasion and migration of NSCLC, which was consistent with the network pharmacology analysis results. Collectively, findings of the current study suggest that CB possesses promising activity against NSCLC growth and metastasis., (© 2022 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)- Published
- 2023
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43. Transient liquid phase bonding technique for ultrahigh-vacuum compatible bimorph mirrors used in soft x-ray beamlines.
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Yuan D, Liu Z, Xiong Y, Zhou Z, and Zhang G
- Abstract
Bimorph mirrors place stringent requirements on the welding technology of silicon substrates and piezoelectric ceramics to ensure their ultrahigh-vacuum compatibility. Conventional welding techniques usually require high temperature and pressure, which have a high impact on the welding substrate, while the use of organic adhesives for bonding does not guarantee their stability in ultrahigh vacuum. Here, the transient liquid phase bonding technology based on an Au-In metal system was studied to meet the requirement for ultrahigh-vacuum application. The microstructure, chemical composition, and related mechanical properties of the bonding at different welding conditions were investigated. Meanwhile, the piezo ceramics and the bond were baked at 150 °C to test the stability. The results show that a stable bonding was achieved between centimeter-scaled single crystal silicon and lead zirconate titanate ceramics at 200 °C temperature and 2.5 MPa pressure, and the piezo ceramics and the bond are not damaged by baking to 150 °C for 48 h.
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- 2023
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44. Uncovering the Carbon Emission Intensity and Reduction Potentials of the Metro Operation Phase: A Case Study in Shenzhen Megacity.
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Chen K, Zhang G, Wu H, Mao R, and Chen X
- Subjects
- Carbon Dioxide analysis, Carbon, Transportation
- Abstract
The huge energy consumption of metro operations has become a significant challenge faced by the urban public transportation sector to achieve low-carbon development. Using Shenzhen as an example, this study has made efforts to quantify the metro's energy consumption and carbon emission intensity during the operation phase by using the Life Cycle Assessment approach. Furthermore, this study evaluates the actions that can be taken to reduce energy consumption and emissions. A comparative analysis between metros and other public transportation modes has also been conducted. The results show that the annual carbon emissions from the metro's operation phase in Shenzhen city increased from 63,000 t CO
2 e in 2005 to 1.3 Mt CO2 e in 2021, and the historically accumulated carbon emissions are 9.5 Mt CO2 e. The unit operating mileage, the unit station area, and the per capita carbon emission intensity were 2.1 kg CO2 e/km, 132.5 kg CO2 e/m2 , and 0.6 kg CO2 e per capita (13th Five-Year Plan Period), respectively. By continually promoting the low-carbon operation of the subway, the cumulative carbon savings could reach 0.1 Mt CO2 e (2022-2035).- Published
- 2022
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45. Isolating Fe Atoms in N-Doped Carbon Hollow Nanorods through a ZIF-Phase-Transition Strategy for Efficient Oxygen Reduction.
- Author
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Ma FX, Liu ZQ, Zhang G, Xiong YX, Zhang MT, Zheng L, Zhen L, and Xu CY
- Abstract
Transition metal-nitrogen-carbon (TM-N-C) catalysts have been intensely investigated to tackle the sluggish oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs), but insufficient accessibility of the active sites limits their performance. Here, by using solid ZIF-L nanorods as self-sacrifice templates, a ZIF-phase-transition strategy is developed to fabricate ZIF-8 hollow nanorods with open cavities, which can be subsequently converted to atomically dispersed Fe-N-C hollow nanorods (denoted as Fe
1 -N-C HNRs) through rational carbonization and following fixation of iron atoms. The microstructure observation and X-ray absorption fine structure analysis confirm abundant Fe-N4 active sites are evenly distributed in the carbon skeleton. Thanks to the highly accessible Fe-N4 active sites provided by the highly porous and open carbon hollow architecture, the Fe1 -N-C HNRs exhibit superior ORR activity and stability in alkaline and acidic electrolytes with very positive half-wave potentials of 0.91 and 0.8 V versus RHE, respectively, both of which surpass those of commercial Pt/C. Remarkably, the dynamic current density (JK ) of Fe1 -N-C HNRs at 0.85 V versus RHE in alkaline media delivers a record value of 148 mA cm-2 , 21 times higher than that of Pt/C. The assembled Zn-air battery using Fe1 -N-C HNRs as cathode catalyst exhibits a high peak power density of 208 mW cm-2 ., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)- Published
- 2022
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46. Enhanced Pd/a-WO 3 /VO 2 Hydrogen Gas Sensor Based on VO 2 Phase Transition Layer.
- Author
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Li B, Wang Z, Zhao S, Hu C, Li L, Liu M, Zhu J, Zhou T, Zhang G, Jiang J, and Zou C
- Abstract
The utilization of clean hydrogen energy is becoming more feasible for the sustainable development of this society. Considering the safety issues in the hydrogen production, storage, and utilization, a sensitive hydrogen sensor for reliable detection is essential and highly important. Though various gas sensor devices are developed based on tin oxide, tungsten trioxide, or other oxides, the relatively high working temperature, unsatisfactory response time, and detection limitation still affect the extensive applications. In the current study, an amorphous tungsten trioxide (a-WO
3 ) layer is deposited on a phase-change vanadium dioxide film to fabricate a phase transition controlled Pd/a-WO3 /VO2 hydrogen sensor for hydrogen detection. Results show that both the response time and sensitivity of the hydrogen sensor are improved greatly if increasing the working temperature over the transition temperature of VO2 . Theoretical calculations also reveal that the charge transfer at VO2 /a-WO3 interface becomes more pronounced once the VO2 layer transforms to the metal state, which will affect the migration barrier of H atoms in a-WO3 layer and thus improve the sensor performance. The current study not only realizes a hydrogen sensor with ultrahigh performance based on VO2 layer, but also provides some clues for designing other gas sensors with phase-change material., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)- Published
- 2022
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47. Identification of the Karyopherin Superfamily in Maize and Its Functional Cues in Plant Development.
- Author
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Jin L, Zhang G, Yang G, and Dong J
- Subjects
- Humans, alpha Karyopherins genetics, beta Karyopherins metabolism, Plant Growth Regulators, Zea mays genetics, Zea mays metabolism, Karyopherins genetics, Plant Development genetics
- Abstract
Appropriate nucleo-cytoplasmic partitioning of proteins is a vital regulatory mechanism in phytohormone signaling and plant development. However, how this is achieved remains incompletely understood. The Karyopherin (KAP) superfamily is critical for separating the biological processes in the nucleus from those in the cytoplasm. The KAP superfamily is divided into Importin α (IMPα) and Importin β (IMPβ) families and includes the core components in mediating nucleocytoplasmic transport. Recent reports suggest the KAPs play crucial regulatory roles in Arabidopsis development and stress response by regulating the nucleo-cytoplasmic transport of members in hormone signaling. However, the KAP members and their associated molecular mechanisms are still poorly understood in maize. Therefore, we first identified seven IMPα and twenty-seven IMPβ genes in the maize genome and described their evolution traits and the recognition rules for substrates with nuclear localization signals (NLSs) or nuclear export signals (NESs) in plants. Next, we searched for the protein interaction partners of the ZmKAPs and selected the ones with Arabidopsis orthologs functioning in auxin biosynthesis, transport, and signaling to predict their potential function. Finally, we found that several ZmKAPs share similar expression patterns with their interacting proteins, implying their function in root development. Overall, this article focuses on the Karyopherin superfamily in maize and starts with this entry point by systematically comprehending the KAP-mediated nucleo-cytoplasmic transport process in plants, and then predicts the function of the ZmKAPs during maize development, with a perspective on a closely associated regulatory mechanism between the nucleo-cytoplasmic transport and the phytohormone network.
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- 2022
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48. Enhancement of cucumber resistance under salt stress by 2, 4-epibrassinolide lactones.
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He X, Wan Z, Jin N, Jin L, Zhang G, Lyu J, Liu Z, Luo S, and Yu J
- Abstract
This study investigated the effects of exogenous 2, 4-epibrassinolide lactone (EBR) on the growth, photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant defense system, ion homeostasis, MAPK cascade and key genes of SOS signaling pathway of cucumber seedlings under salt stress using cucumber "Xinchun 4" as the test material. The experiment was set up with four treatments: foliar spraying of distilled water (CK), 50 mmol.L
-1 NaCl (NaCl), 50 mmol.L-1 NaCl+foliar spray of 0.02 μmol.L-1 EBR (EBR+NaCl), and 50 mmol.L-1 NaCl+foliar spray of 24 μmol.L-1 Brassinazole (BRZ) (BRZ+NaCl). The results showed that EBR+NaCl treatment significantly increased plant height, above-ground fresh weight, total root length, total root surface area, average rhizome and photosynthetic pigment content compared to NaCl treatment. Meanwhile, compared with NaCl treatment, EBR+NaCl treatment significantly increased superoxide dismutase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase (SOD, CAT and APX) activities, significantly promoted the accumulation of osmoregulatory substances (soluble sugars and proline), and thus effectively reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content and relative electrical conductivity of cucumber leaves. Exogenous spraying of EBR also significantly reduced Na+ /K+ under NaCl stress, effectively alleviating the toxic effects of Na+ ions. In addition, exogenous EBR induced the up-regulated expression of CsMAPK3 , CsMAPK4 , CsMAPK6 and CsMAPK9 genes in the MAPK cascade signaling pathway and CsSOS1 , CsSOS2 and CsSOS3 genes in the SOS signaling pathway to enhance salt tolerance in cucumber under NaCl stress. Therefore, exogenous spraying EBR may effectively reduce the damage of salt stress on cucumber seedlings by improving antioxidant capacity, maintaining ion homeostasis and activating salt-tolerant related signaling pathways, which might promote the growth of cucumber seedlings and the establishment of root system morphology. This study provides a reference for EBR to improve the salt tolerance of cucumber., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 He, Wan, Jin, Jin, Zhang, Lyu, Liu, Luo and Yu.)- Published
- 2022
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49. Automatic lung tumor segmentation from CT images using improved 3D densely connected UNet.
- Author
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Zhang G, Yang Z, and Jiang S
- Subjects
- Algorithms, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted methods, Thorax, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Deep Learning, Lung Neoplasms diagnostic imaging
- Abstract
Accurate lung tumor segmentation has great significance in the treatment planning of lung cancer. However, robust lung tumor segmentation becomes challenging due to the heterogeneity of tumors and the similar visual characteristics between tumors and surrounding tissues. Hence, we developed an improved 3D dense connected UNet (I-3D DenseUNet) to segment various lung tumors from CT images. The nested dense skip connection adopted in the I-3D DenseUNet aims to contribute similar feature maps between encoder and decoder sub-networks. The dense connection used in encoder-decoder blocks also encourages feature propagation and reuse. A robust data augmentation strategy was employed to alleviate over-fitting based on a 3D thin plate spline (TPS) algorithm. We evaluated our method on 938 lung tumors from three datasets consisting of 421 tumors from the Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA), 450 malignant tumors from the Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC), and 67 tumors from the private dataset. Experiment results showed an excellent Dice similarity coefficients (DSC) of 0.8316 for the TCIA and LIDC and 0.8167 for the private dataset. The proposed method presents a strong ability in lung tumor segmentation, and it has the potential to help radiologists in lung cancer treatment planning. Framework of the proposed lung tumor segmentation method., (© 2022. International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering.)
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- 2022
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50. Alteration of default mode network: association with executive dysfunction in frontal glioma patients.
- Author
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Zhang X, Zhang G, Wang Y, Huang H, Li H, Li M, Yang C, Li M, Chen H, Jing B, and Lin S
- Abstract
Objective: Patients with frontal gliomas often experience executive dysfunction (EF-D) before surgery, and the changes in brain plasticity underlying this effect remain obscure. In this study, the authors aimed to assess whole-brain structural and functional alterations by using structural MRI and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) in frontal glioma patients with or without EF-D., Methods: Fifty-seven patients with frontal gliomas were admitted prospectively to the authors' institution and assigned to one of two groups: 1) the normal executive function (EF-N) group and 2) the EF-D group, based on patient results for the Trail Making Test, Part B and Stroop Color-Word Test, Part C. Twenty-nine baseline-matched healthy controls were also recruited. All participants underwent multimodal MRI examination. Cortical surface thickness, surface-based resting-state activity (fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation [fALFF] and regional homogeneity [ReHo]), and edge-based network functional connectivity (FC) were measured with FreeSurfer and fMRIPrep. The correlation between altered MRI parameters and executive function (EF) was assessed using Pearson correlation and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis., Results: Demographic characteristics (sex, age, and education level) and clinical characteristics (location, volume, grade of tumor, and preoperative epilepsy) were not significantly different between the groups, but the Karnofsky Performance Scale score was worse in the EF-D group. There was no significant difference in cortical surface thickness between the EF-D and EF-N groups. In both low-grade and high-grade glioma patients the fALFF value (permutation test + threshold-free cluster enhancement, p value after family-wise error correction < 0.05) and ReHo value (t-test, p < 0.001) of the left precuneus cortex in the EF-D group were greater than those in the EF-N group, which were negatively correlated with EF (p < 0.05) and enabled prediction of EF (area under the ROC curve 0.826 for fALFF and 0.855 for ReHo, p < 0.001). Compared with the EF-N group, the FCs between the default mode network (DMN) from DMN node to DMN node (DMN-DMN) and from the DMN to the central executive network (DMN-CEN) in the EF-D group were increased significantly (network-based statistics corrected p < 0.05) and negatively correlated with EF (Pearson correlation, p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Apart from local disruption, the abnormally activated DMN in the resting state is related to EF-D in frontal glioma patients. DMN activity should be considered during preoperative planning and postoperative neurorehabilitation for frontal glioma patients to preserve EF. Clinical trial registration no.: NCT03087838 (ClinicalTrials.gov).
- Published
- 2022
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