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Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been widely used in bearing fault diagnosis and have achieved promising results. However, due to interference from cage rotation frequency, diagnostic outcomes based on weak magnetic signals and traditional CNNs are often affected. To address this issue, this article proposes a method based on uniform phase intrinsic time-scale decomposition (UPITD). By analyzing the correlation between weak magnetic signals and cage rotation frequency in the time domain, the method effectively separates fault signals from cage rotational signals. In addition, the input size and convolution kernel size in traditional CNNs are typically designed based on empirical values, which may not be optimal. Therefore, this article determines the CNN input size based on the physical characteristics of weak magnetic signals and optimizes the convolution kernel size using the decay rate of exponential function envelopes, further improving diagnostic accuracy. Experimental results show that the proposed method, based on UPITD and CNN, achieves a fault detection accuracy of greater than or equal to 99.34% across various bearing fault types, with a standard deviation of 0.002, which is significantly superior to traditional vibration-based methods. These results demonstrate the superiority and reliability of the proposed approach in bearing fault diagnosis.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) is a DNA-binding protein that is involved in various biological functions, including DNA damage repair and transcription regulation. It plays a crucial role in cisplatin resistance. Nevertheless, the exact regulatory pathways governing PARP1 have not yet been fully elucidated. In this study, we present evidence suggesting that the hepatitis B X-interacting protein (HBXIP) may exert regulatory control over PARP1. HBXIP functions as a transcriptional coactivator and is positively associated with PARP1 expression in tissues obtained from hepatoma patients in clinical settings, and its high expression promotes cisplatin resistance in hepatoma. We discovered that the oncogene HBXIP increases the level of PARP1 m6A modification by upregulating the RNA methyltransferase WTAP, leading to the accumulation of the PARP1 protein. In this process, on the one hand, HBXIP jointly activates the transcription factor ETV5, promoting the activation of the WTAPpromoter and further facilitating the promotion of the m6A modification of PARP1 by WTAP methyltransferase, enhancing the RNA stability of PARP1. On the other hand, HBXIP can also jointly activate the transcription factor CEBPA, enhance the activity of the PARP1promoter, and promote the upregulation of PARP1 expression, ultimately leading to enhanced DNA damage repair capability and promoting cisplatin resistance in hepatoma. Notably, aspirin inhibits HBXIP, thereby reducing the expression of PARP1. Overall, our research revealed a novel mechanism for increasing PARP1 abundance, and aspirin therapy could overcome cisplatin resistance in hepatoma.

The regiocontrol in constructing benzo-fused five-membered rings by C–H cyclization remains an important challenge. We report a highly general and regioselective methodology to access such heterocycles and indenones, where under the catalysis of CoBr2/bipyridine, aryl titanates, alkynes and EX2(E = NR, S(O), RP(O), R2Si, CO, etc.) were assembled to various heterocycles and indenones in a modular manner. Unprecedented 1,2-Co/Ti heterobimetallic arylene and benzotitanole intermediates have played crucial roles in these syntheses.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is a highly contagious viral disease, which leads to severe financial losses in the breeding industry worldwide. Presently, PRV is mainly controlled using live attenuated and inactivated vaccines. However, these vaccines have an innate tendency to lose their structural conformation upon exposure to environmental and chemical stressors and cannot provide full protection against the emerging prevalent PRV variants. In this work, first, we synthesized aminated ZIF-7/8 nanoparticles (NPs), and then chemical bond-coated alginate dialdehyde (ADA, a type of dioxide alginate saccharide) on their surface viaSchiff base reaction to obtain ZIF-7/8-ADA NPs. The as-fabricated ZIF-7/8-ADA NPs exhibited high stability, monodispersity and a high loading ratio of antigen. Furthermore, the ZIF-7/8-ADA NPs showed good biocompatibility in vitroand in vivo. Using ZIF-7/8-ADA NPs as an adjuvant and inactivated PRV as a model antigen, we constructed a PR vaccine through a simple mixture. The immunity studies indicated that ZIF-7/8-ADA induced an enhancement in the Th1/Th2 immune response, which was superior to that of the commercial ISA201, alum adjuvant and ZIF-7/8. Due to the pH-sensitive release of the antigen in lysosomes, the as-prepared PR vaccine subsequently accelerated the antigen presentation and improved the immune responses in vitroand in vivo. The results of PRV challenge using mice as the model demonstrated that ZIF-7/8-ADA achieved the same preventive effect as the commercial ISA201 and was much better than the alum adjuvant, and thus can serve as a promising delivery system and adjuvant to enhance humoral and cellular responses against PRV infection.

C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) triggers the death of multiple cancers viaendoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. However, the function and regulatory mechanism of CHOP in liver cancer remain elusive. We have reported that late endosomal/lysosomal adapter, mitogen-activated protein kinase and mTOR activator 5 (LAMTOR5) suppresses apoptosis in various cancers. Here, we show that the transcriptional and posttranscriptional inactivation of CHOP mediated by LAMTOR5 accelerates liver cancer growth. Clinical bioinformatic analysis revealed that the expression of CHOP was low in liver cancer tissues and that its increased expression predicted a good prognosis. Elevated CHOP contributed to destruction of LAMTOR5-induced apoptotic suppression and proliferation. Mechanistically, LAMTOR5-recruited DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) to the CpG3 region (−559/−429) of the CHOP promoter and potentiated its hypermethylation to block its interaction with general transcription factor IIi (TFII-I), resulting in its inactivation. Moreover, LAMTOR5-enhanced miR-182/miR-769 reduced CHOP expression by targeting its 3’UTR. Notably, lenvatinib, a first-line targeted therapy for liver cancer, could target the LAMTOR5/CHOP axis to prevent liver cancer progression. Accordingly, LAMTOR5-mediated silencing of CHOP viathe regulation of ER stress-related apoptosis promotes liver cancer growth, providing a theoretical basis for the use of lenvatinib for the treatment of liver cancer.

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Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling was used to predict the human pharmacokinetics and drug–drug interaction (DDI) of GDC-2394. PBPK models were developed using in vitro and in vivo data to reflect the oral and intravenous PK profiles of mouse, rat, dog, and monkey. The learnings from preclinical PBPK models were applied to a human PBPK model for prospective human PK predictions. The prospective human PK predictions were within 3-fold of the clinical data from the first-in-human study, which was used to optimize and validate the PBPK model and subsequently used for DDI prediction. Based on the majority of PBPK modeling scenarios using the in vitro CYP3A induction data (mRNA and activity), GDC-2394 was predicted to have no-to-weak induction potential at 900 mg twice daily (BID). Calibration of the induction mRNA and activity data allowed for the convergence of DDI predictions to a narrower range. The plasma concentrations of the 4β-hydroxycholesterol (4β-HC) were measured in the multiple ascending dose study to assess the hepatic CYP3A induction risk. There was no change in plasma 4β-HC concentrations after 7 days of GDC-2394 at 900 mg BID. A dedicated DDI study found that GDC-2394 has no induction effect on midazolam in humans, which was reflected by the totality of predicted DDI scenarios. This work demonstrates the prospective utilization of PBPK for human PK and DDI prediction in early drug development of GDC-2394. PBPK modeling accompanied with CYP3A biomarkers can serve as a strategy to support clinical pharmacology development plans.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThis work presents the application of physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling for prospective human pharmacokinetic (PK) and drug–drug interaction (DDI) prediction in early drug development. The strategy taken in this report represents a framework to incorporate various approaches including calibration of in vitro induction data and consideration of CYP3A biomarkers to inform on the overall CYP3A-related DDI risk of GDC-2394.

A new type of hybrid GDM composed of polysulfone (PSF) blended with inorganic mesostructured silicon (SBA-15)-grafted-poly(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate (PSF/SBA-g-P(PEGMA)) was developed viathe non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. The introduction of hydrophilic SBA-g-P(PEGMA) manipulated the evolution of internal finger-like macrovoids and surface strip-shaped pore structures and promoted membrane surface wettability. The gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration of bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution demonstrated that the hybrid membranes exhibited enhanced stable flux and alleviated the normalized flux decline. In particular, when the addition amount of SBA-g-P(PEGMA) was 3 wt%, the stable flux was 5.5 times that of the pristine PSF membrane and the normalized flux decline rate was only 49%. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images confirmed that hydrophilic SBA-g-P(PEGMA) could facilitate the formation of a sparse BSA cake layer. In addition, the BSA filtration experiment at different hydrostatic heights implied that the incorporated SBA-g-P(PEGMA) could relieve the inhibition effect of high hydrostatic pressure on flux stabilization. The GDM filtration tests of natural water for 30 days further indicated that the hybrid membranes provided highly stable flux and high separation performance. This study suggested that the application potential of blending modification with hydrophilic functionalized mesoporous silicon is highlighted in getting through the bottleneck of the GDM system.

Emotional distress (ED), commonly characterized by symptoms of depression and/or anxiety, is prevalent in patients with cancer. Preclinical studies suggest that ED can impair antitumor immune responses, but few clinical studies have explored its relationship with response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Here we report results from cohort 1 of the prospective observational STRESS-LUNG study, which investigated the association between ED and clinical efficacy of first-line treatment of ICIs in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. ED was assessed by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale. The study included 227 patients with 111 (48.9%) exhibiting ED who presented depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≥5) and/or anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item score ≥5) symptoms at baseline. On the primary endpoint analysis, patients with baseline ED exhibited a significantly shorter median progression-free survival compared with those without ED (7.9 months versus 15.5 months, hazard ratio 1.73, 95% confidence interval 1.23 to 2.43, P= 0.002). On the secondary endpoint analysis, ED was associated with lower objective response rate (46.8% versus 62.1%, odds ratio 0.54, P= 0.022), reduced 2-year overall survival rate of 46.5% versus 64.9% (hazard ratio for death 1.82, 95% confidence interval 1.12 to 2.97, P= 0.016) and detriments in quality of life. The exploratory analysis indicated that the ED group showed elevated blood cortisol levels, which was associated with adverse survival outcomes. This study suggests that there is an association between ED and worse clinical outcomes in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treated with ICIs, highlighting the potential significance of addressing ED in cancer management. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT05477979.

Infertility is a challenging health problem that affects 8–15% of couples worldwide. Establishing pregnancy requires successful embryo implantation, but about 85% of unsuccessful pregnancies are due to embryo implantation failure or loss soon after. Factors crucial for successful implantation include invasive blastocysts, receptive endometrium, invasion of trophoblast cells, and regulation of immune tolerance at the maternal–fetal interface. Maternal–fetal crosstalk, which relies heavily on protein–protein interactions, is a critical factor in implantation that involves multiple cellular communication and molecular pathways. Glycosylation, a protein modification process, is closely related to cell growth, adhesion, transport, signal transduction, and recognition. Protein glycosylation plays a crucial role in maternal–fetal crosstalk and can be divided into N-glycosylation and O-glycosylation, which are often terminated by sialylation or fucosylation. This review article examines the role of protein glycosylation in maternal–fetal crosstalk based on two transcriptome datasets from the GEO database (GSE139087 and GSE113790) and existing research, particularly in the context of the mechanism of protein glycosylation and embryo implantation. Dysregulation of protein glycosylation can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as missed abortion and recurrent spontaneous abortion, underscoring the importance of a thorough understanding of protein glycosylation in the diagnosis and treatment of female reproductive disorders. This knowledge could have significant clinical implications, leading to the development of more effective diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for these conditions.Graphical Abstract

This paper examines the impact of digital inclusive finance (DIF) on the subsistence consumption of rural households in China. We find that rural residents in areas with well-developed DIF tend to have greater subsistence consumption. Channel analyses show that such tendencies can be explained by the income growth effectand vulnerability mitigation effectassociated with DIF. The income growth effectoccurs as the development of DIF promotes rural residents’ income. Income growth is stimulated via improved entrepreneurship to earn operational income or inducing rural-to-urban migration to earn wage income. Meanwhile, the observed vulnerability mitigation effectsuggests that DIF could reduce rural residents’ future income uncertainty by alleviating the impact of exogenous shocks. Furthermore, we apply Lasso algorithms to predict expected consumption, and find that the development of DIF is associated with a higher probability for overconsumptionin rural households. Such side effect occur mainly among individuals with weak time preferences. We conclude that, the development of DIF has merits, because doing so is beneficial to increasing rural residents’ economic resilience and building an inclusive, sustainable and prosperous society in the post-COVID-19 era.

The belt and road initiative development strategy proposed by Secretary General Xi Jinping is currently being carried out. The world economy will work more closely together, and the logistics industry will advance to higher level of development. In this paper, to help realize improved world-wide logistics, a decision-making platform based on global manufacturing was built from a survey and an analysis of the overall competitiveness of the logistics industry in terms of demand for logistics services and logistics service capabilities. The platform was found to offer good performance and meet the application requirements.

This study mainly studied the coagulation–flocculation behavior and floc properties of composite bioflocculant (PAFC-CBF) to treat low turbidity surface water. Results showed that compared with PAFC alone, PAFC-CBF could improve turbidity removal efficiency from 87.50% up to 92.14%, and effectively enhanced the removal effect of UV254and TOC. Moreover, the distribution of [Al + Fe] species in PAFC-CBF showed that the content of [Al + Fe]bwas the best when mass ratios of m(PAFC):m(CBF) = 20 and pH was 7. In addition, CBF contributed to the increased growth rate of flocs and flocs size. Moreover, PAFC-CBF formed denser and more porous flocs with higher recovery factor, which was easy to recovery and re-growth after breakage. And the coagulation–flocculation synergistic effect of PAFC-CBF was achieved by combining adsorption charge neutralization and adsorption bridging.

We investigated the influence of hydrogen (H) on the stability and mobility of small vacancy clusters in tungsten (W) using the first-principles calculations. It is found that the presence of H not only increases the binding energy of small vacancy clusters but also changes their most favorable configurations, owing to the strong attractive interaction between H and vacancies in W. Specifically, the binding energy of di-vacancy changes from negative to positive when the H atoms are introduced. These results suggest that the H addition can significantly promote the stability of small vacancy clusters in W. More importantly, although the migration energy barriers of H-vacancy (H-V) complexes are slightly higher than that of pure vacancy clusters, the activation energy required for complexes migration is always lower than that for dissociation. Therefore, contrary to the conventional view, the collaborative motion of H and small vacancy clusters is possible, because of the low migration energy barriers. Based on the energetic results obtained by first-principles calculations, the mean lifetime and mean diffusion distance of small H–V complexes at different temperatures are examined by the object kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. The small H–V complexes are found to be stable and mobile at moderate temperature, and thus may affect the co-evolution of H and vacancies. These results shed light on the important role of H on the vacancy behaviors and provide a good reference for understanding the defects evolution in W.

Background:Endometrial cancer (EC) is the leading gynecological cancer worldwide, yet current EC screening approaches are not satisfying. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the feasibility and capability of DNA methylation analysis in cervical Papanicolaou (Pap) brush samples for EC detection. Methods:We used quantitative methylation-sensitive PCR (qMS-PCR) to determine the methylation status of candidate genes in EC tissue samples, as well as cervical Pap brushes. The ability of RASSF1A and HIST1H4F to serve as diagnostic markers for EC was then examined in cervical Pap brush samples from women with endometrial lesions of varying degrees of severity. Results:Methylated RASSF1A and HIST1H4F were found in EC tissues. Further, methylation of the two genes was also observed in cervical Pap smear samples from EC patients. Methylation levels of RASSF1A and HIST1H4F increased as endometrial lesions progressed, and cervical Pap brush samples from women affected by EC exhibited significantly higher levels of methylated RASSF1A and HIST1H4F compared to noncancerous controls (P< .001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC) analyses revealed RASSF1A and HIST1H4F methylation with a combined AUC of 0.938 and 0.951 for EC/pre-EC detection in cervical Pap brush samples, respectively. Conclusion:These findings demonstrate that DNA methylation analysis in cervical Pap brush samples may be helpful for EC detection, broadening the scope of the commonly used cytological screening. Our proof-of-concept study provides new insights into the field of clinical EC diagnosis.

•The multi-field coupling model is established for rising bubbles in viscous fluids.•Under the electric field the bubble movement behavior is simulated.•Compared the performance of the phase field method with the level set method.

Seeking high-performance computing methods to solve the problem of a large amount of calculation, low calculation efficiency, and small simulation scale on the traditional single central processing unit (CPU) platform is of great value to the simulation study of micro-structure. In this study, based on the three-dimensional multi-phase-field model of KKSO coupling phase-field and solute field, the open computing language (OpenCL) + graphics processing unit (GPU) heterogeneous parallel computing technology is used to simulate the eutectoid growth of Fe-C alloy and the end growth process of pearlite under pure diffusion. The effects of initial supercooling and different diffusion coefficients on the growth morphology of lamellar pearlite were investigated. The results show that ferrite and cementite are perpendicular to the front of the solid-solid interface and are coupled and coordinated to grow, and there is no leading phase under the initial supercooling degree of 20 K. With the continuous increase of the initial supercooling degree (19 K–22 K), the morphology changes of the eutectoid layer are as follows: cementite stops growing → slice amplitude increases → regular symmetric growth → oblique growth → layer merge. With the increase of the diffusion coefficient from 3×10−13m2·s−1to 15×10−13m2·s−1, the growth rate of the microstructure of the lamellar pearlite increases linearly, and there is no obvious change in the frontal appearance of the pearlite.

ABSTRACTAniline is a toxic organic pollutant and raw material in industries. In this study, the start-up of sequencing batch reactor for treating aniline wastewater was assessed and functional microbial clusters were analyzed after enrichment of denitrifying phosphate-accumulating organisms (DNPAOs). The aniline degradation and subsequent removal of NH4+-N mainly happened in aerobic condition, and denitrification was conducted in both anaerobic and anoxic conditions. Besides aerobic phosphorus uptake, phosphorus accumulation also occurred via DNPAOs in anoxic condition utilizing nitrate as electron acceptor. The removal efficiencies of COD, NH4+-N, TN, and TP was over 91.6, 67.1, 65.0, and 79.9% respectively. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes were found to be predominant at phylum level treating aniline wastewater. Blastocatella, Ferruginibacter and Clostridium were predominant strains involved in aniline degradation and Pseudomonas was enriched in the presence of aniline. Aeromonas, Acinetobacter, and Comamonas may play key roles in nitrogen removal and phosphorus accumulation with tolerance of aniline.

A novel and efficient visible-light-induced decarboxylative cyclization/hydrogenation cascade reaction of α-oxocarboxylic acids and 2-isocyanobiaryls has been developed. Without the need of any external photosensitizer, oxidant, and reductant, this method offers a mild and green approach for the synthesis of diverse alcohols in moderate to good yields. A mechanism indicated that an electron donor–acceptor complex-driven decarboxylation, radical addition/cyclization, and in situphotochemical reduction of ketones to alcohols could be involved in the reaction.

The mycelial pellet is a microbial aggregator formed under certain conditions. Besides the ability to secrete metabolites and adsorb a large amount of pollutants, the mycelial pellet has the characteristics of high biological activity, fast sedimentation speed, and easy solid–liquid separation. The technology of the mycelial pellet has been considered to be a promising technology for biomass utilization. To date, the mycelial pellet has been extensively studied for the production of various valuable products. Applications of mycelial pellets for microalgal biomass harvesting and wastewater treatment have also received more attention in recent years. Nevertheless, there are still some difficulties in the practical application of mycelial pellet technology. This review focuses on the characteristics, formation mechanism, formation conditions, and application research of mycelial pellets. This study provides much knowledge and information on the application technology of mycelial pellets in water pollution control, microalgae biomass harvesting, and industrial fermentation production. Problems existing in the scientific research and the main development trends of mycelial pellets are presented.

Reconstruction of Quaternary environments, late Cenozoic geodynamics and evaluation of volcanic hazards, all depend on the precise delineation of eruptive stages. In recent years, laser 40Ar/39Ar dating methods have been widely used for dating young volcanic rocks, given their stable automated testing process, very low background level and high sensitivity, which meet the requirements for precise dating of young samples. This paper applied high-precision laser 40Ar/39Ar dating to the main volcanic units in the Tengchong area and obtained ages in the range of 0.025–5.1 Ma using conventional data processing methods. However, conventional dating highlighted issues related to very low radiogenic 40Ar content, accidental errors and poor data stability, which led to huge age deviations. Moreover, lacking a unified timescale, conventional methods were unable to strictly define the stages of the Tengchong volcanic eruptions, leading to ongoing controversy. In this study, we applied a Gaussian mathematical model to deal with all 378 original ages from 13 samples. An apparent age-probability diagram, consisting of three independent waveforms, have been obtained. The corresponding isochron ages of these three waveforms suggest there were three volcanic eruptive stages, namely during the Pliocene (3.78±0.04 Ma), early Middle Pleistocene (0.63 ±0.03 Ma) and late Middle Pleistocene to early Late Pleistocene (0.139±0.005 Ma). These results accurately define eruptive stages in the Tengchong area.

This study presents the preparation of a novel inorganic-biological composite flocculant, termed PAFC-CBF, which is composed of polymeric aluminum ferric chloride (PAFC) and compound bioflocculant (CBF). It was investigated under different PAFC/CBF weight ratios. The turbidity and total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency were also investigated, when PAFC-CBF was added to the surface water. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were performed to characterize PAFC-CBF. Finally, floc properties including floc strength and recoverability were investigated using Mastersizer 2000. The results of the investigation indicated that CBF was successfully embedded into PAFC, forming a novel flocculant with the characteristic structure of PAFC and CBF. Considering the flocculation efficiency and economic cost, PAFC- CBF demonstrated a superior flocculation performance at the flocculant dosage of 25 mg/L, with an optimal turbidity removal efficiency of 90.28%, and a TOC removal efficiency of 26.75%. During the flocculation process, charge neutralization, adsorption bridging and sweep mechanisms served in the main role of colloidal destabilization and aggregation.

A chain complex [Dy(L)(NO3)2CH3OH]n(1) and a dinuclear compound [Dy2(L)2(NO3)4(CH3OH)2]·2CH3OH (2) were synthesized by the assembly of a novel pyridine-N-oxide-containing ligand with dysprosium nitrate under different reaction temperatures, where two coordinating nitrates are located in para or ortho position with respect to each other around dysprosium ions. Magnetic studies indicate that the chain complex with two para-coordinating nitrates shows fast quantum tunnelling of the magnetization under zero direct-current field, while the dinuclear complex with two ortho-coordinating nitrates exhibits a thermal-activated process with an effective energy barrier of 51 K. Theoretical and magneto-structural correlation studies indicate that position change of coordinating nitrates can significantly modulate the crystal field around dysprosium ion and further lead to their different relaxation behaviors.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a novel iron oxide–zeolite system on the anaerobic digestion of cow manure and rice straw. The results showed that the cumulative methane yield during the 40 days of digestion with the supplementation of the newly formed additive reached as high as 394.38 mL/g of VSadd, which was 74.11% higher than that with the mixture of iron oxide and zeolite as the additive (226.51 mL/g of VSadd) and 372.85% higher than the control (83.05 mL/g of VSadd). The introduction of the iron oxide–zeolite system also brought a more stable pH condition, higher total VFA, and lower ammonia concentration. In terms of the substrate degradation, a better bioavailability of the lignocellulosic biomass has been obtained. The coenzyme F420 assay demonstrated a significantly strengthened methanogen activity by the addition of the iron oxide–zeolite system. Considering its high efficiency and good performance, the iron oxide–zeolite system can be extended to practical engineering application for biomethane production.

This study aimed to explore the determinants influencing training transfer and evaluate how those factors change over time among nurses who graduated from clinical nurse specialist training to provide a theoretical basis for improving the training transfer of clinical nurse specialists (CNSs).

Dispersing isolated active metal atoms onto the surface of “inert” metal nanoparticles proves to be particularly effective in improving the catalytic performance of bimetallic catalysts. In this contribution, a quantity called average segregation energy (SE) is proposed to predict with reasonable accuracy the structural stability of single-atom alloy (SAA) clusters of late transition metals. By formulating an expression for this energy on the basis of Friedel’s d-band model and under the tight-binding approximation, d-band filling is found to play a major role in determining the segregation behavior of all late transition metals. On the other hand, magnetism and electron correlation would greatly enhance the ability of 3d transition metals to segregate to the alloy surface, which can be explained by an improved model that includes both perturbations. Furthermore, by using the average SEs, the effect of geometrical strain is differentiated from the electronic and magnetic contributions, which, in contrast, may help to stabilize 3d transition metals in the core region by minimizing the lattice mismatch. Finally, we demonstrate that the size-dependent segregation preference has its origin in the size dependence of the electronic and structural properties of SAA clusters.

Density functional theory calculations have been performed to examine the different catalytic behaviors of α-Cr2O3and ZnO in propane dehydrogenation. On ZnO(101̅0), adsorption of a Lewis acid at the metal site can be strengthened with the coadsorption of a Lewis base at an adjacent oxygen site. In contrast, this Lewis acid–base interaction does not occur on Cr2O3(0001) because the Cr ions can exist in a lower oxidation state and thus withdraw electrons from the base, which limits the ability of the oxide to transfer electrons to the acid. Both creating oxygen vacancy and doping single Pt atom on ZnO(101̅0) may give rise to a weaker acid–base interaction and hence to a change in the active site. Microkinetic analysis indicates formation of oxygen vacancy has a positive and negative effect on the reactivity of α-Cr2O3and ZnO, respectively, whereas doping a Pt single atom invariably promotes the dehydrogenation reaction.

A colorimetric immunoassay is a powerful tool for detecting tumor markers, with outstanding advantages of visualization and convenience. This study designed a colorimetric immunoassay using the antibody/antigen to control the catalytic activity to be “switched on/off”. This system, where Au NPs (18.5 ± 3.9 nm) were loaded on the g-C3N4nanosheets that were fixed in a three-dimensional porous cellulose hydrogel, was used as a binding site for the antibody/antigen. After being incubated with an antibody of a cancer marker, the turned-off catalytic sites on Au NPs in Au@g-C3N4/microcrystalline cellulose hydrogels would not be “turned on” until the corresponding antigen was added. The number of the recovered Au active sites was related to the amount of the antigen added. The Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements did not detect the existence of Au–S bonds. Catalyzed by the turned-on Au NPs, 4-nitrophenol was reduced to 4-aminophenol accompanied by a color fading. The color and the absorption spectrum changes in the process were used as the colorimetric quantitative basis for immunoassays. The colorimetric immunoassay showed a linear relationship with the liver cancer marker (α-fetoprotein, AFP) in the range of 0.1–10 000 ng/mL with the detection limit of 0.46 ng/mL. In addition, 4-nitrophenol had a significant color fading when the AFP concentration exceeded the healthy human threshold. The clinical patient’s serum test results obtained from the developed colorimetric immunosensor were consistent with those obtained from the commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Furthermore, the immunosensor exhibited a good selectivity, repeatability, and stability, which demonstrated its potential for practical diagnostic application.

Streptococcus equissp. zooepidemicus(SEZ) is a pathogen associated with a wild range of animal species. Frequent outbreaks have occurred in recent years in pigs, horses, goats and dogs which is liable to infect humans. There is a lack of efficient vaccines against this disease and the occurrence of antibiotic resistance may render drug therapies ineffective. In this study, gene deletion mutant (ΔSEZ) in pathogenicity islands SeseCisland_4 was constructed. The mutant ΔSEZ had a 52-fold decrease in 50% lethal dose (LD50) and had less capacity to adhere epithelial cells. Importantly, immunization of mice with attenuated vaccine ΔSEZ at the dose of 102colony-forming units (CFU) mL−1elicited a significant humoral antibody response, with an antibody titer of 1:12 800. Therefore, 102CFU mL−1might be used as the appropriate immune dose for the attenuated vaccine ΔSEZ, which provided mice with efficient protection against virulent SEZ. In addition, the hyperimmune sera against 102CFU mL−1attenuated vaccine ΔSEZ could confer significant protection against virulent SEZ infection in the passive immunization experiment and exhibited efficient bactericidal activity in the whole blood assay. Meanwhile, no viable bacteria was detected in blood when mice were immunized with ΔSEZ at the dose of 102CFU mL−1viahypodermic injection. Thereafter, the mutant ΔSEZ at the dose of 102CFU mL−1could confer significant protection in mice and had less negative effects on host, which could be an effective attenuated vaccine candidate for the prevention of SEZ.

Healthcare professionals responsible for patients with gastrointestinal diseases need a particular level of nursing knowledge and abilities to ensure excellent care. This study aims to propose a set of core competencies for the gastroenterology nursing specialists (GNS) in China. This research integrates quantitative and qualitative research methods. Literature review, semistructured interview, and the Delphi approach were used to develop the core competency items of GNS in China. SPSS 16.0 was used to analyze the data. Finally, 28 of 30 experts participated in the study resulting in a consensual list containing 7 domains (clinical nursing practice, communication and collaboration, education and counseling, critical thinking, leadership, ethical and legal practice, and professional development), 23 aspects, and 66 competencies required for GNS. The authority coefficient (Cr) of the consensus was 0.77, and the Kendall (W) value of each level of competencies all scored above 0.5. Results of the study can serve as a foundation of work performance evaluation for GNS as well as promote nurses' professional development.

For the purpose of further exploring the effect of nonperipherally attached substituents on single-ion magnet (SIMs) performance, tetrasubstituted bis[1,8,15,22-tetrakis(3-pentyloxy)phthalocyaninato]terbium double-deckers, in both the reduced form TbH[Pc(α-OC5H11)4]2(1) and the neutral form Tb[Pc(α-OC5H11)4]2(2), were prepared. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis for 2unambiguously demonstrates the pinwheellike molecular structure with C4symmetry. Magnetic investigations of the two bis(phthalocyaninato)terbium double-deckers reveal their characteristic SIM nature. 2exhibits SIM performance superior to that of 1, as revealed by the larger energy barrier of 466 K for the former species and 431 K for the latter species due to the presence of organic radical–f (radical–Tb) interactions. The enhanced SIM performance of 2in comparison to 1actually stems from the presence of radical–f interactions and an enhanced ligand field strength. The latter positive factor is indicated by the electrostatic potential around the terbium ion on the basis of density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Exploitation of photocatalysts towards efficient organic pollutant degradation is highly desirable in the field of environmental remediation. Here, we report a rational synthesis of two-dimensional CdS@Ti3C2@TiO2nanohybrids by facile calcination and a subsequent hydrothermal process. The physico-chemical properties of CdS@Ti3C2@TiO2were investigated by a variety of characterization techniques. The effect of CdS loading on the photocatalytic performance was elucidated. When compared with Ti3C2and Ti3C2@TiO2, the optimal ternary nanostructures exhibited significantly enhanced visible light-driven (λ≥ 420 nm) degradation of sulfachloropyridazine, phenol and several typical dyes. The origin of improved photocatalytic performance mainly stems from the enhanced electron–hole separation efficiency. The charge carrier sinking function of Ti3C2in this first time pre-fabricated three-phase Z-scheme catalyst was proposed based on UV-visible spectroscopy band gap calculation, photoluminescence measurement and photoelectrochemical analysis. The electron paramagnetic resonance assay verified that both superoxide ions and hydroxyl radicals played crucial roles in the removal of contaminants.

Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 was a global public health emergency in later years (from 2020 to early 2022), and androgens have been associated with infection and prognostic outcomes. However, the relationship between low serum testosterone levels and prognostic outcomes remains inconclusive. This systematic review aimed to investigate the relationship between serum testosterone levels and prognostic outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Methods: We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science electronic databases for all literature from January 1, 2020, to September 1, 2022. In addition, we also searched literature manually. The search terms were COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), androgens, and testosterone. There were no language restrictions for retrieval. Results: Our search identified 2285 articles, resulting in a full-text analysis of 16 studies, including 12 cohort studies and four case-control studies. Low serum testosterone levels were observed to be statistically associated with a higher probability of intensive care unit (ICU) admission in seven studies. In eight studies, higher hospital mortality was associated with lower serum testosterone levels. Six studies found that low serum testosterone levels were associated with a statistically significant difference in lung function impairment. Only four studies found that among living patients, those with lower serum testosterone levels had longer hospital stays. All but one of the included studies had a low risk of bias. Conclusions: Based on available data, low serum testosterone levels are associated with higher rates of ICU admission, hospital mortality, risk of lung failure, inflammatory markers, and longer hospital stays in patients with COVID-19 compared with those having normal serum testosterone levels.

An efficient silver‐catalyzed stereoselective trans‐addition of 4‐hydroxycoumarins to haloalkynes under ambient air is described, allowing the straightforward synthesis of vinyl halides. The late‐stage nitration of the resulting products with silver nitrate proceeded with retention of configuration, affording a series of nitroalkenes in good yields. Additionally, DFT calculations were employed for mechanistic studies, and a possible mechanism for the Ag(I)‐catalyzed addition was proposed. Two silver medals: An efficient silver‐catalyzed stereoselective transaddition of 4‐hydroxycoumarins to haloalkynes afforded a number of exclusive addition products in high yields. Nitration of the addition products provided an approach to synthesize nitroalkenes. Additionally, based on the results from DFT calculations, a possible mechanism for the Ag(I)‐catalyzed addition was proposed.

The purpose of the present study was to dig into recent studies designed to characterize the impacts of 2'-deoxy-2'-β-fluoro-4'-azidocytidine (FNC) on P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). Specifically, the modulation effects of FNC on P-gp, MRP2 and BCRP protein expressions were assessed by western blot methods. 5 (and 6)-Carboxy-2',7'-dichloroflourescein (CDF) and BODIPY-prazosin were used to provide indications of alterations of MRP2 and BCRP activities. The effects of P-gp, MRP2 and BCRP on FNC were evaluated in thein situ single-pass intestinal perfusion model. The results showed that FNC at higher concentrations and with longer incubation times can upregulate the protein expression of P-gp, MRP2 and BCRP in Caco-2 cells. The upregulated proteins were also functionally active, as revealed by a lower degree of CDF and BODIPY-prazosin uptake by the cell monolayers. The intestinal absorptive coefficient (Peff) was observed to significantly increase with the inhibitors of P-gp, MRP2 and BCRP. These results suggested that FNC could modulate the expressions and functions of P-gp, MRP2 and BCRP, while P-gp, MRP2 and BCRP were involved in the efflux transport of FNC. The inductive effects of FNC on P-gp, MRP2 and BCRP suggested the possibility of FNC to contribute to the inter- and intra-individual variability of itself, as well as to alter the absorption of other drugs that may be administered concomitantly.

Environmentally friendly and low-cost catalysts are important for the rapid mineralization of organic contaminants in powerful advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). In this study, we reported N-doped graphitic biochars (N-BCs) as low-cost and efficient catalysts for peroxydisulfate (PDS) activation and the degradation of diverse organic pollutants in water treatment, including Orange G, phenol, sulfamethoxazole, and bisphenol A. The biochars at high annealing temperatures (>700 °C) presented highly graphitic nanosheets, large specific surface areas (SSAs), and rich doped nitrogen. In particular, N-BC derived at 900 °C (N-BC900) exhibited the highest degradation rate, which was 39-fold and 6.5-fold of that on N-BC400 and pristine biochar, respectively, and the N-BC900 surpassed most popular metal or nanocarbon catalysts. Different from the radical-based oxidation in N-BC400/PDS via the persistent free radicals (PFRs), singlet oxygen and nonradical pathways (surface-confined activated persulfate–carbon complexes) were discovered to dominate the oxidation processes in N-BC900/PDS. Moreover, the adsorption of organics was determined to be the key step determining reaction rate, revealing that the pre-adsorption of reactants significantly accelerated the nonradical oxidation pathway. This study not only provides robust and cheap carbonaceous materials for environmental remediation but also enables the first insight into the graphitic biochar-based nonradical catalysis.

ABSTRACTCisplatin (DDP) -based chemotherapy is a standard strategy for cervical cancer, while chemoresistance remains a huge challenge. Copper transporter protein 1 (CTR1), a copper influx transporter required for high affinity copper (probably reduced Cu I) transport into the cell, reportedly promotes a significant fraction of DDP internalization in tumor cells. In the present study, we evaluated the function of CTR1 in the cell proliferation of cervical cancer upon DDP treatment. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been regarded as essential regulators of cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, as well as chemoresistance. By using online tools, we screened for candidate miRNAs potentially regulate CTR1, among which miR-130a has been proved to promote cervical cancer cell proliferation through targeting PTEN in our previous study. In the present study, we investigated the role of miR-130a in cervical cancer chemoresistance to DDP, and confirmed the binding of miR-130a to CTR1. SOX9 also reportedly act on cancer chemoresistance. In the present study, we revealed that SOX9 inversely regulated miR-130a through direct targeting the promoter of miR-130a. Consistent with previous studies, SOX9 could affect cervical cancer chemoresistance to DDP. Taken together, we demonstrated a SOX9/miR-130a/CTR1 axis which modulated the chemoresistance of cervical cancer cell to DDP, and provided promising targets for dealing with the chemoresistance of cervical cancer.

The effects of an additive termed as iron oxide–zeolite on the process performance of anaerobic digestion for treating swine waste at mesophilic (35 °C), ambient (25 °C) and psychrophilic (15 °C) temperatures were investigated. Significantly enhanced biogas and methane yields (20.90–183.03% and 33.84–221.52%, respectively), methane content (10.73–14.26%), VFA formation and utilization, and organic matter removal (e.g., 35.79–69.02% of VS removal) demonstrated the stimulating effects of the additive. The high adsorption capacity of the additive buffered the surrounding pH and reduced the ammonia concentration by about 380.35–510.73 mg L−1, which suppressed ammonia inhibition at mesophilic temperature. The increased concentration of coenzyme F420indicated the strengthened methanogenic activity under all three temperatures. By supplementing the iron oxide–zeolite additive, net energy recoveries of the digestion processes increased by 183.04%, 33.14% and 21.80% at psychrophilic, ambient and mesophilic temperatures, respectively. The method for supplementing the iron oxide–zeolite additive is an advanced and feasible approach to achieve successful synthesis of biogas from AD by treating livestock waste, especially under ambient temperature in the winter seasons of Northern China.

The decolorization of rhodamine B (RhB) using ultrasound (US) combined with a Fenton-like process has been investigated. The effects of operating parameters such as initial dye concentration, pH, and addition of oxalic acid were studied. As expected, the rate and extent of decolorization of RhB increased with rising oxalic acid concentration, but slightly decreased with increasing dye concentration, and exhibited excellent removal efficiency in the wide pH range of 3–9. It was found that, while the degradation rate due to ultrasound alone was slow, the sonication significantly accelerated the Fenton-like reaction. It has been observed that the maximum degradation of 92.16% was obtained under optimum operating conditions of [RhB] = 5 mg L−1; [Oxalic] = 25 mM; pH = 3. The decolorization pattern obeyed first order kinetics and was used to calculate apparent rate constants for dye decolorization. Furthermore, studies in the presence of radical scavengers such as tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), isopropanol (IPA), catalase and l-His on the degradation of RhB were performed, and the results indicated that and H2O2played an important role in this system. Overall it can be said that the combined process resulted in higher extent of degradation as compared to the individual processes based on Fenton type or US irradiation.

Bulky and strong electron-donating dibutylamino groups were incorporated onto the peripheral positions of one of the two phthalocyanine ligands in the bis(phthalocyaninato) terbium complex, resulting in the isolation of heteroleptic double-decker (Pc)Tb{Pc[N(C4H9)2]8} {Pc = phthalocyaninate; Pc[N(C4H9)2]8= 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis(dibutylamino)phthalocyaninate} with the nature of an unsymmetrical molecular structure, a square-antiprismatic coordination geometry, an intensified coordination field strength, and the presence of organic radical-f interaction. As a total result of all these factors, this sandwich-type tetrapyrrole lanthanide single-ion magnet (SIM) exhibits an overall enhanced magnetic performance including a high blocking temperature (TB) of 30 K and large effective spin-reversal energy barrier of Ueff= 939 K, rendering it the best sandwich-type tetrapyrrole lanthanide SIM reported thus far.

“Configurational isomerism” is an important approach found in naturally occurring chlorophylls to modulate light harvesting function without significant structural changes; however, this feature has been seldom applied in design of antenna ligands for lanthanide (Ln) sensitization. In this work, we introduced a bioinspired approach by orientation of β-dilactone moieties on porphyrinates, namely cis-/trans-porphodilactones, to modulate the energy transfer process from the lowest triplet excited state of the ligand (T1) to the emitting level of ytterbium(III) (2F5/2, Yb*). Interestingly, near-infrared (NIR) emission of Yb(III) could be switched “on” by the cis-porphodilactone ligand, while the trans-isomer renders Yb(III) emission “off” and the ratio of quantum yields is ∼8. Analysis of the structure–photophysical properties relationship suggests that the significant emission difference is correlated to the energy gaps between T1and Yb* (1152 cm–1in the cis- vs −25 cm–1in the trans-isomer). More interestingly, due to back energy transfer (BEnT), the Yb(III) complex of cis-porphodilactone exhibits NIR emission with high thermosensitivity (4.0%°C–1in solution and 4.9%°C–1in solid state), comparable to previously reported terbium (Tb) and europium (Eu) visible emitters, in contrast to the trivial emission changes of the trans-isomer and porphyrin and porpholactone analogues. This work opens up new access to design NIR emissive Ln complexes by bioinspired modification of antenna ligands.

A new method based on the central point triangle whiten weight function and entropy-AHP is proposed to evaluate the urban green transportation planning. It combines the advantages of both gray evaluation method and entropy-AHP, and takes the first as a central model. To achieve a comprehensive evaluation of urban green transportation planning, a composite model of entropy-AHP is used to determine the weight of each evaluation index, then use the central point triangular whiten weight function to calculate the whiten clustering coefficient of each index and the integrated clustering coefficient. Compared with the original grey clustering evaluation, the method involved in this paper not only overcomes the subjectivity of traditional method in the determination of weight vector, but also improves the scientific level of the evaluation by using a combination of qualitative and quantitative system analysis. Finally, an example of green transportation planning of Suzhou Industrial Park in China is given to verify the effectiveness of the method.

An electrochemical oxidation-induced cyclization of ortho-alkyl-substituted azobenzenes has been developed. The direct electrochemical benzylic C–H functionalization with respect to azobenzenes could proceed in the absence of any catalyst or external chemical oxidant to afford a number of 2H-indazole derivatives in moderate to good yields. This protocol enables the reuse of the byproduct to the same 2H-indazoles, thus significantly reducing pollution discharge in synthetic chemistry.