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Rechargeable lithium–oxygen (Li–O2) batteries are known for their ultrahigh theoretical energy density among chemical batteries. However, the low catalytic activity and poor stability of the cathode catalyst are the root issues limiting their practical applications. In this work, a design strategy to enhance the catalytic activity of the TiC material was devised by C surface modification. The carbon-coated core–shell TiC@C nanomaterial was designed, which combined the good electrical conductivity and low density of carbon materials with the excellent catalysis of TiC. The calculated catalytic activities of TiC (100) with and without C coating were compared by first-principles calculations, showing that the TiC (100)@C surface has a lower ORR/OER overpotential. The C layer enhances the conductivity of the TiC (100) surface significantly. This work fully demonstrates the synergistic catalysis of TiC material and C coating, which not only effectively accelerates the practical process by improving the charging and discharging kinetic rate of Li–O2batteries but also provides an efficient catalyst design strategy for other energy-catalytic industries.

IMPORTANCE: Comparisons are limited for immediate-intensive and delayed-intensive statin for secondary stroke prevention and neuroprotection in patients with acute mild ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) from atherosclerosis. OBJECTIVE: To estimate whether immediate-intensive statin therapy is safe and can lower the risk of recurrent stroke compared with delayed-intensive statin in patients with acute mild ischemic stroke or high-risk TIA from atherosclerosis. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The Intensive Statin and Antiplatelet Therapy for High-Risk Intracranial or Extracranial Atherosclerosis (INSPIRES) trial, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2 × 2 factorial, randomized clinical trial enrolled patients from September 2018 to October 2022. The trial was conducted at 222 hospitals in China. Patients aged 35 to 80 years with mild ischemic stroke or high-risk TIA of presumed atherosclerosis within 72 hours of symptom onset were assessed. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive immediate-intensive atorvastatin (80 mg daily on days 1-21; 40 mg daily on days 22-90) or 3-day delayed treatment (placebo for days 1-3, followed by placebo and atorvastatin, 40 mg daily on days 4-21, and then atorvastatin, 40 mg daily on days 22-90). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary efficacy outcome was new stroke within 90 days, and a secondary efficacy outcome was poor functional outcome. Moderate to severe bleeding was the primary safety outcome. RESULTS: A total of 11 431 patients were assessed for eligibility, and 6100 patients (median [IQR] age, 65 [57-71] years; 3915 men [64.2%]) were enrolled, with 3050 assigned to each treatment group. Within 90 days, new stroke occurred in 245 patients (8.1%) in the immediate-intensive statin group and 256 patients (8.4%) in the delayed group (hazard ratio, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.80-1.13). Poor functional outcome occurred in 299 patients (9.8%) and 348 patients (11.4%) in the immediate-intensive and delayed-intensive statin groups, respectively (odds ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.71-0.98). Moderate to severe bleeding occurred in 23 of 3050 patients (0.8%) and 17 of 3050 patients (0.6%), in the immediate-intensive and delayed-intensive statin groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Immediate-intensive statin initiated within 72 hours did not reduce the risk of stroke within 90 days and may be associated with improved functional outcomes without significant difference in moderate to severe bleeding, compared with 3-day delayed-intensive statin in Chinese patients with acute mild ischemic stroke or TIA from atherosclerosis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03635749

Aminophenyl sulfone compounds (ASCs) are widely used in various fields, such as the pharmaceutical and textile industries. ASCs and their primary acetylation products are inevitably discharged into the environment. However, the high toxicity of ASCs could be released from the deacetylation of acetylation products. Still, the occurrence and ecological risks of ASCs and their acetylation products remain largely unknown. Here, we integrated all of the existing ASCs based on the core structure, together with their potential acetylation products, to establish a database covering 1105 compounds. By combining the database with R programming, 45 ASCs, sulfonamides, and their acetylation products were identified in the influent and effluent of 19 municipal wastewater treatment plants in 4 cities of China. 13 of them were detected for the first time in the aquatic environment, and 12 acetylation products were newly identified. The cumulative concentrations of 45 compounds in the influent and effluent were in the range of 231–9.96 × 103and 26–2.70 × 103ng/L, respectively. The proportion of the unrecognized compounds accounted for 60.6% of the influent and 62.8% of the effluent. Furthermore, nearly half of the ASCs (46.7%), other sulfonamides (49.9%), and their acetylation products (46.2%) were discharged from the effluent, posing a low-to-medium risk to aquatic organisms. The results provide a guideline for future monitoring programs, particularly for sulfadiazine and dronedarone, and emphasize that the ecological risk of ASCs, sulfonamides, and their acetylation products needs to be considered in the aquatic environment.

Diamond is considered the most promising next-generation semiconductor material due to its excellent physical characteristics. It has been more than three decades since the discovery of a special structure named n-diamond. However, despite extensive efforts, its crystallographic structure and properties are still unclear. Here, we show that subdisordered structures in diamond provide an explanation for the structural feature of n-diamond. Monocrystalline diamond with subdisordered structures is synthesized via the chemical vapor deposition method. Atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy characterizations combined with the picometer-precision peak finder technology and diffraction simulations reveal that picometer-scale shifts of atoms within cells of diamond govern the subdisordered structures. First-principles calculations indicate that the bandgap of diamond decreases rapidly with increasing shifting distance, in accordance with experimental results. These findings clarify the crystallographic structure and electronic properties of n-diamond and provide new insights into the bandgap adjustment in diamond.

Soil pollution with heavy metals has become a global issue that can be addressed via immobilization through the application of biochar. In the present study, we hypothesized that biochar derived from bamboo helps mitigate the toxicity of chromium (Cr) in wheat plants grown in soil contaminated with Cr at 0, 50, 100, and 200 mg kg−1. The biochar produced was brittle, porous, and alkaline with a surface area of 46.93 m2g−1and pore size of 0.04 cm3g−1. The elemental composition of biochar was carbon (C = 77.63%), oxygen (O = 18.32%), hydrogen (H = 2.81%), calcium (N = 1.07%), and sulfur (S = 0.17%) determined through energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed the occurrence of carboxylic or phenolic, aliphatic, amide, and aromatic groups. The results of the toxicity study revealed that the interaction of various concentrations of Cr and biochar was significant for shoot and root biomass because both the parameters were sensitive to Cr at higher concentrations. For instance, Cr concentration with 50, 100, and 200 mg kg−1reduced shoot dry biomass by 30.54%, 45.45%, and 69.94%; root dry biomass by 26.40%, 43.39%, and 57.14%; carotenoid contents by 5.50%, 25.86%, and 24.92%; stomatal conductance by 23.46%, 35.60%, and 44.34%; photosynthetic rate by 12.11%, 25.59%, and 40.16%; LRWC by 7.01%, 15.12%, and 26.52%; intercellular concentration by 10.95%, 20.73%, and 35.335%. In addition, wheat growth parameters such as proline and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were increased in the presence of Cr in the range of 4.93 to 102.46% in roots, while 20 to 81.86% in shoots. Similarly, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) activities in roots were enhanced in the range of 7.26 to 84.81% and 34.63 to 93.74%, and 15.63 to 76.73% and 77.25 to 190.86% in shoots after the exposure of wheat plants to Cr at 50, 100, and 200 mg kg−1. On the other hand, catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) activities in shoots were significantly reduced upon exposure to Cr at 100 and 200 mg kg−1suggesting that it was beyond the capacity of these antioxidants to scavenge reactive species. It was noted that biochar application at 10% significantly (P< 0.05) reduced MDA, proline contents, SOD, CAT, POX, and H2O2activities in roots and shoots alleviating Cr toxicity at lower levels of treatments. Therefore, the present study concluded that strict measures should be taken for the removal of Cr from wastewater before they are discharged and used for irrigation purposes because the toxic effects of Cr were not completely alleviated at higher levels of Cr in the presence of biochar.

Breeding new and sustainable crop cultivars of high yields and desirable traits has been a major challenge for ensuring food security for the growing global human population. For polyploid crops such as wheat, introducing genetic variation from wild relatives of its subgenomes is a key strategy to improve the quality of their breeding pools. Over the past decades, considerable progress has been made in speed breeding, genome sequencing, high-throughput phenotyping and genomics-assisted breeding, which now allows us to realize whole-genome introgression from wild relatives to modern crops. Here, we present a standardized protocol to rapidly introgress the entire genome of Aegilops tauschii, the progenitor of the D subgenome of bread wheat, into elite wheat backgrounds. This protocol integrates multiple modern high-throughput technologies and includes three major phases: development of synthetic octaploid wheat, generation of hexaploid A. tauschii–wheat introgression lines (A-WIs) and homozygosis of the generated A-WIs. Our approach readily generates stable introgression lines in 2 y, thus greatly accelerating the generation of A-WIs and the introduction of desirable genes from A. tauschiito wheat cultivars. These A-WIs are valuable for wheat-breeding programs and functional gene discovery. The current protocol can be easily modified and used for introgressing the genomes of wild relatives to other polyploid crops.

The intrusion of obstacles onto railway tracks presents a significant threat to train safety, characterized by sudden and unpredictable occurrences. With China leading the world in high-speed rail mileage, ensuring railway security is paramount. The current laser monitoring technologies suffer from high false alarm rates and unreliable intrusion identification. This study addresses these issues by investigating high-resolution laser monitoring technology for railway obstacles, focusing on key parameters such as monitoring range and resolution. We propose an enhanced non-uniform laser scanning method, developing a laser monitoring system that reduces the obstacle false alarm rate to 2.00%, significantly lower than the 20% standard (TJ/GW135-2015). This rate is the best record for laser monitoring systems on China Railway. Our system operates seamlessly in all weather conditions, providing superior accuracy, resolution, and identification efficiency. It is the only 3D LiDAR system certified by the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (Certificate No. [2023] 008). Over three years, our system has been deployed at numerous points along various lines managed by the China State Railway Group, accumulating a dataset of 300,000 observations. This extensive deployment has significantly enhanced railway safety. The development and implementation of our railway laser monitoring system represent a substantial advancement in railway safety technology. Its low false alarm rate (2.00%), high accuracy (20 cm × 20 cm × 20 cm), and robust performance in diverse conditions underscore its potential for widespread adoption, promising to enhance railway safety in China and internationally.

Pipeline transportation plays a key role in energy security and economic development, and the accurate localization of leak points significantly reduces environmental pollution and economic losses. This article proposes a pipeline leak localization method based on the ensemble empirical modal decomposition algorithm with the Hilbert spectrum analysis (EEMD-HT) and the leakage-grading resolution strategy. The method classifies the pipeline leakage level by the adaptive pressure threshold and uses the acoustic signal as the basis for leak localization. At the same time, the leakage-grading resolution strategy is proposed for the leak localization problem in different leak conditions of pipelines to use the most applicable leak localization method for different leak classes. The method can improve the accuracy of the localization results, using the complementary nature of acoustic pressure signals and the high sensitivity of acoustic signals. This article uses the Hilbert spectral analysis combined with the EEMD as a noise reduction tool. First, the acoustic signal is decomposed by the EEMD to obtain a series of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) and the residual terms; then, the Hilbert spectral analysis is performed on the above components and residual terms to obtain the instantaneous energy spectrum of each component; finally, the original signal is reconstructed by analyzing the instantaneous energy change of each IMF and the residual at the signal inflection point and screening the effective components to complete the signal noise reduction. The experimental results show that the average localization error of this method is 6.75% in the small leakage condition of the short transmission pipeline and 0.34% and 0.16% in the medium condition and large leakage condition, respectively.

There is growing evidence that the transformation products of emerging contaminants in foodstuffs may pose a health risk to humans. However, the exact identities, levels, and estimated dietary intake (EDI) of neonicotinoid transformation products in crops remain poorly understood. We established an extended suspect screening strategy to investigate neonicotinoid insecticides and their transformation products in retail cowpea from 11 cities in Hainan Province, China. Forty-nine transformation products were identified in retail cowpea, of which 22–36 were found in 98.6% of the samples. Notably, 31 new transformation products were derived from new processes or a combination of different transformation processes. The mean concentrations of neonicotinoids and nine of the transformation products (with authentic standards) were in the ranges of 0.0824–5.34 and 0.0636–1.50 ng/g, respectively. The cumulative EDIs of the quantified transformation products were lower than those of parent neonicotinoids with the exception of clothianidin desmethyl, which had a ratio of 1157%. However, the coexistence of the other 40 transformation products (without authentic standards) in cowpea suggested that the exposure risk from all of the transformation products might be higher. This study demonstrated that pesticide transformation products should be considered in food chain risk assessments and included in future regulatory management.

Based on the national strategies of Healthy China and digital China, digital empowerment has become an indispensable support condition for the high-quality development of sports and health integration in communities. Its field characteristics are the popularization of human-computer interaction, the activeness of terminal response, the precise matching of supply and demand and the de-domestication of data and information. However, the reality of the field shows the dilemmas that the data and information docking between the sports and the health sectors is out of order, the professionalism of the service personnel is conforming to the old ways, and the implementation of services is alienated from the humanism. The study has come up with mitigation strategies to solve these problems: from the composition of the actors in the field of sports and health integration, the actors' positional relationship in the pattern of the one main stem with many other branches should be clarified and integrated; from the aspects of big data analysis and application skills,human-computer interaction skills of intelligent equipment and cross-border integration service skills, the professional behavioral habits of the service staff of sports and health sectors need to be upgraded and reconstructed; and from the aspects of universal sharing, increased sense of belonging and subjectivity persistence, the humanistic shaping in the process of digital empowerment should be adhered to and followed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic bacteria infections remain a major threat to humans. Oxidative stress mediated by photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown great potential in antimicrobial applications, attributing to its controllability and non-resistance. However, the hypoxic infection microenvironment severely compromises the therapeutic outcomes. Here, we designed a nanoplatform comprising the initiator of alkyl radicals(R·), 2,2′-azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane] dihydrochloride (AIPH) -loaded oxidized mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (OMCN) and then coated with a phase change material (PCM) nanoparticle for oxygen-independent PDT to combat anaerobic infections. Upon near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation, OMCN mediates the generation of heat to melt PCM, which could trigger the liberation and decomposition of AIPH to produce R· and further induce the oxidative damage to bacteria, and cooperate with optothermal effects to eradicate anaerobic bacteria. As results, the nanoplatform displays strong synergistic antibacterial behavior, effectively eliminating anaerobic Propionibacterium acnes(P. acnes) in vitro under hypoxic conditions, and successfully treating P. acnes-infected cutaneous abscess in mice models. Moreover, no distinct toxicity appears through the entire course of treatment. Collectively, this light-activated oxygen-independent PDT offers a novel approach to combat anaerobic bacteria infections.

The development of flexible crystalline materials with a bending-induced fluorescence shift (BIFS) remains a challenge. The flexible crystals with BIFS properties reported so far are mainly realized by chemical structures with a planar conformation or a special donor-π-acceptor configuration. Here, BIFS is simultaneously achieved in the straight-shaped (Cry-S) and naturally curved (Cry-NC) crystal prepared by a halogenated diaminoterephthalate derivative with a nonplanar conformation. Cry-S displays an obviously reversible red-shifted fluorescence (∼20 nm) in the bent position compared with its original (undeformed) state. In contrast to the naturally curved position (undeformed), Cry-NC similarly shows a red shift (∼16 nm) at its acutely bent position (deformed). In addition, Cry-S and Cry-NC can be reversibly bent in a wide temperature range from – 6 to 180 °C under mechanical external force. It is hoped that this work would facilitate the design of BIFS materials and their applications in the field of mechanically stimulated light sensors.

Desvenlafaxine succinate is a selective serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor for the treatment of major depressive disorder. The pharmacokinetic profile of desvenlafaxine succinate at the clinically recommended dose of 50 mg in Chinese healthy subjects has been reported rarely. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence of desvenlafaxine succinate in Chinese healthy subjects. A single‐dose, open‐label, randomized, two‐way crossover study with a 7‐day washout period was conducted. A total of 88 individuals were incorporated to show bioequivalence of a generic and a reference drug, with 48 individuals in the fasting state and 40 receiving a high‐fat diet. Finally, 46 and 38 individuals completed the fasting and the fed study, respectively. The 90% confidence intervals of the adjusted geometric mean ratios for maximum plasma concentration, area under the concentration–time curve from time zero to the last measurable concentration, and area under the concentration–time curve from time zero to infinity all fell in the bioequivalent interval of 80%–125% in both the fasting and fed states. A total of 33 adverse events were reported, and all were mild or moderate in severity. In summary, the generic and reference formulations were bioequivalent, with no observable safety differences in the fasting/fed state.

Herein, we report a blue visible-light-promoted approach for preparing a variety of α-substituted γ-ketoester derivatives through carbene insertion and the decarbonylation of enaminones and diazoesters. These reactions use readily available starting materials and transition-metal-free, eco-friendly procedures that are amenable to gram-scale synthesis and wide functional group tolerance. This methodology may be useful for constructing polysubstituted heterocycles with potential biological activity.

Planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been extensively researched as a promising photovoltaic technology, wherein the electron extraction and transfer play a crucial role in the power conversion efficiency (PCE). Here, we proposed a ligand-engineered deposition strategy based on the coordination ability of ligands (e.g., tartaric acid) to regulate TiO2film and interfacial structure. This strategy can effectively inhibit particle aggregation of TiO2film through the steric hindrance of assembled ligands. Furthermore, the decreased interfacial contact impedance and enhanced electron extraction are achieved between TiO2and perovskite, due to the smooth topography and cross-linked structure formed by tartaric acid that bonds with Ti and Pb atoms. Accordingly, an impressive PCE of 24.8% with a fill factor exceeding 0.83 is successfully obtained, which is the highest PCE among TiO2-based planar PSCs reported so far. In addition, unencapsulated PSCs can maintain ∼95% of initial efficiency upon exposure to ambient air for 2,000 h.

Herein, we describe a Pd-catalyzed [2+3] cycloaddition/cross-coupling reaction of allenyl acetates for the Z/Eselective and diastereoselective synthesis of dendralene-functionalized dihydrofurans. Remarkably, mechanistic studies show the formation of an epoxide from a carbonyl bond via cycloaddition, which is practically and mechanistically significant for the construction of other bioactive heterocyclic epoxides. This research also revealed the utility and potential of allenic esters as C2 synthons and 1,2-biselectrophiles in cycloaddition reactions.

Phenylfluorenamine-functionalized poly(N-vinylcarbazole)s as novel non-conjugated polymers could be used as dopant-free HTMs in inverted quasi-2D PSCs, achieving excellent device PCE up to 18.44% as well as negligible hysteresis and favorable long-term stability.

The role of gut microbiota in terms of host health is becoming increasingly important. In this study, the comparative effects of tea polyphenols (TPs) on weight loss and lipid metabolism on conventionalized mice (CVZ) and pseudo germ-free (PGF) mice (treated with antibiotics) were investigated. Our findings revealed that high fat (HF) diet considerably increased the body weight, total fat and upsurge lipid indices in CVZ mice but PGF mice were not sensitive to the effect of HF diet as CVZ mice. After the dietary administration of TP, body weight, perirenal fat and epididymal fat, liver weight, glucose (GLU) level, total chloestrol (TC level), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) level significantly lowered in PGF mice as compared to CVZ mice group. However, the area of fat cells and triglyceride (TG) level were significantly increased in PGF mice. In CVZ mice, TP intervention resulted in a considerable drop in the Firmicutes/Bacteroides ratio as compared to PGF mice. The intestinal flora of PGF mice was severely reduced after antibiotic treatment, while TP administration restored intestinal diversity; the abundance of Akkermansiaand Lactobacillusincreased, whereas the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae and Prevotellareduced. Overall, we can assume that PGF obese mice administered with TP have less anti-obesity effects compared to obese CVZ mice.

Image registration is a challenging NP-hard problem within the computer vision field. The differential evolutionary algorithm is a simple and efficient method to find the best among all the possible common parts of images. To improve the efficiency and accuracy of the registration, a knowledge-fusion-based differential evolution algorithm is proposed, which combines segmentation, gradient descent method, and hybrid selection strategy to enhance the exploration ability in the early stage and the exploitation ability in the later stage. The proposed algorithms have been implemented and tested with CEC2013 benchmark and real image data. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is superior to the existing algorithms in terms of solution quality, convergence speed, and solution success rate.

ABSTRACTAcute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignant tumor in children with T-cell ALL (T-ALL), accounting for approximately 15% of all cases. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of T-ALL. The present study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of action of lncRNA EBLN3P in T-ALL. We used quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) to determine the expression of lncRNA endogenous bornavirus-like nucleoprotein (EBLN3P), microRNA (miR)-655-3p, and the transcription level of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and Western blot assay to quantify the protein expression level of cleaved-caspase3, caspase3, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and MMP-9. The potential binding sites between lncRNA EBLN3P and miR-655-3p were predicted using StarBase, and the interaction was further verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay. The proliferation ability of Jurkat cells was detected using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, and their invasion and migration ability using transwell assay. Cell apoptosis was determined using flow cytometry (FCM) assay. The expression of lncRNA EBLN3P was upregulated while that of miR-655-3p was downregulated in human T-ALL cell lines and lncRNA EBLN3P negatively regulated miR-655-3p. LncRNA EBLN3P knockdown significantly inhibited proliferation, invasion, and migration of Jurkat cells and induced their apoptosis. Downregulating miR-655-3p reversed the effects of lncRNA EBLN3P knockdown on Jurkat cells. In conclusion, we confirmed for the first time that lncRNA EBLN3P is dysregulated in T-ALL cell lines, and lncRNA EBLN3P knockdown inhibited the malignant biological behaviors of T-ALL cells by up-regulating miR-655-3p.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are highly porous crystalline polymers with uniform pores and large surface areas. Combined with their modular design principle and excellent properties, COFs are an ideal candidate for separation membranes. Liquid–liquid interfacial polymerization is a well-known approach to synthesize membranes by reacting two monomers at the interface. However, volatile organic solvents are usually used, which may disturb the liquid–liquid interface and affect the COF membrane crystallinity due to solvent evaporation. Simultaneously, the domain size of the organic solvent–water interface, named the reaction zone, can hardly be regulated, and the diffusion control of monomers for favorable crystallinity is only achieved in the water phase. These drawbacks may limit the widespread applications of liquid–liquid interfacial polymerization to synthesize diverse COF membranes with different functionalities. Here, we report a facile strategy to synthesize a series of imine-linked freestanding COF membranes with different thicknesses and morphologies at tunable ionic liquid (IL)–H2O interfaces. Due to the H-bonding of the catalysts with amine monomers and the high viscosity of the ILs, the diffusion of the monomers was simultaneously controlled in water and in ILs. This resulted in the exceptionally high crystallinity of freestanding COF membranes with a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area up to 4.3 times of that synthesized at a dichloromethane–H2O interface. By varying the alkyl chain length of cations in the ILs, the interfacial region size and interfacial tension could be regulated to further improve the crystallinity of the COF membranes. As a result, the as-fabricated COF membranes exhibited ultrahigh permeance toward water and organic solvents and excellent selective rejection of dyes.