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Visible electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of singlet oxygen (1O2) from the dimeric 1Δgstate is a versatile and cost-efficient tool for sensing and imaging in various application fields such as biochemistry, pharmaceuticals, and material science. However, its implementation is hindered by weak emission and complex generation mechanisms. In this work, we enable a bright and switchable dimeric 1O2ECL through facile yet effective surface engineering strategies on a screen-printed carbon electrode in aqueous media. Specifically, we complement a stepwise potential procedure with a pre-cathodic process to switch on the anodic 1O2ECL and unravel how the in situelectrochemical pretreatments remarkably amplify the ECL intensity by modifying the surface oxygenates and promoting the 1O2-generating reactions. Additionally, ex situoxygen plasma treatment on the electrode surface, which switches off the 1O2ECL, further demonstrates the surface specificity of the 1O2ECL from another perspective. Leveraging these surface strategies, we establish a sensing capability of the 1O2ECL system with high sensitivity and selectivity toward tertiary amines. This work paves the way for translating a laboratory-scale 1O2-ECL system to portable and patternable sensing, imaging, and display applications.

Whether stem-cell-like cancer cells avert ferroptosis to mediate therapy resistance remains unclear. In this study, using a soft fibrin gel culture system, we found that tumor-repopulating cells (TRCs) with stem-cell-like cancer cell characteristics resist chemotherapy and radiotherapy by decreasing ferroptosis sensitivity. Mechanistically, through quantitative mass spectrometry and lipidomic analysis, we determined that mitochondria metabolic kinase PCK2 phosphorylates and activates ACSL4 to drive ferroptosis-associated phospholipid remodeling. TRCs downregulate the PCK2 expression to confer themselves on a structural ferroptosis-resistant state. Notably, in addition to confirming the role of PCK2-pACSL4(T679) in multiple preclinical models, we discovered that higher PCK2 and pACSL4(T679) levels are correlated with better response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy as well as lower distant metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cohorts.

This study addresses the challenge of controlling branching density and branch-type distribution in late-transition-metal-catalyzed chain walking polymerizations. We explored α-diimine Pd(II) complexes with incrementally increased ortho-aryl sterics for long-chain α-olefin (co)polymerization. Pd0–Pd3catalysts, which feature gradually increased ortho-aryl sterics and at least one small CH3substituent, exhibited similar 2,1-insertion fractions (44–50%), polymer branching densities (55–63/1000C), and melting temperatures (26–28 °C). In contrast, Pd4with bulky ortho-aryl sterics covering all sides demonstrated a significant increase in 2,1-insertion fractions up to 82%, leading to “PE-like” polymers with high melting temperatures (Tm> 111 °C). This abrupt change in polymerization behavior, termed the “steric-deficient effect”, contrasts with the gradual changes observed in similar Ni(II) systems that we reported previously. Furthermore, due to the rapid chain walking ability of Pd(II) catalysts in long-chain α-olefin (co)polymerization, these catalysts favor the production of polyolefins with higher proportions of methyl branches compared to those produced by Ni(II) catalysts. Particularly, these Pd(II) catalysts are capable of synthesizing functionalized semicrystalline copolymers by copolymerizing 1-octene with a variety of polar comonomers, thereby significantly altering the surface properties of the materials.

The sophisticated environment of chronic wounds, characterized by prolonged exudation and recurrent bacterial infections, poses significant challenges to wound recovery. Recent advancements in multifunctional wound dressings fall short of providing comprehensive, accurate, and comfortable treatment. To address these issues, a battery-free and multifunctional microfluidic Janus wound dressing (MM-JWD) capable of three functions, including exudate management, antibacterial properties, and multiple indications of wound infection detection, has been developed. During the treatment, the fully soft microfluidic Janus membrane not only demonstrated stable unidirectional fluid transport capabilities under various skin deformations for a longer period but also provided antibacterial effects through surface treatment with chitosan quaternary ammonium salts and poly(vinyl alcohol). Furthermore, integrating multiple colorimetric sensors within the Janus membrane’s microchannels and a dual-layer structure enabled simultaneous monitoring of the wound’s pH, uric acid, and temperature. The monitoring was facilitated by smartphone recognition of color changes in the sensors. In vivo and in vitro tests confirmed the exudate management, antibacterial, and sensing capabilities of the MM-JWD, proving its efficacy in monitoring and promoting the healing of wounds. Overall, this study provides a valuable method for the design of multifunctional wound dressings for chronic wound care.

Heparan sulfate (HS) is a major component of cell surface glycocalyx with extensive negative charges and plays a protective role by preventing toxins, including small molecule drugs and anticancer cationic lytic peptides (ACLPs), from cells. However, this effect may compromise the treatment efficiency of anticancer drugs. To overcome the impedance of cancer cell glycocalyx, an HS-targeting ACLP PTP-7z was designed by fusion of an ACLP and a Zn2+-binding HS-targeting peptide. Upon Zn2+ion binding, PTP-7z could self-assemble into uniform nanoparticles and show improved serum stability and reduced hemolysis, which enable it to self-deliver to tumor sites. The peptide PTP-7z showed a pH- and Zn2+ion-dependent HS-binding ability, which triggers the HS-induced in situself-assembling on the cancer cell surface in the acidic tumor microenvironment (TME). The self-assembled PTP-7z can overcome the impedance of cell glycocalyx by either disrupting cell membranes or translocating into cells through endocytosis and inducing cell apoptosis. Moreover, PTP-7z can also inhibit cancer cell migration. These results proved that HS-responsive in situself-assembling is a practical strategy to overcome the cancer cell glycocalyx barrier for ACLPs and could be extended to the design of other peptide drugs to promote their in vivoapplication.

Urban air mobility (UAM) has the potential to revolutionize our daily transportation, offering rapid and efficient deliveries of passengers and cargo between dedicated locations within and around the urban environment. Before the commercialization and adoption of this emerging transportation mode, however, aviation safety must be guaranteed, i.e., all the aircraft have to be safely separated by strategic and tactical deconfliction. Reinforcement learning has demonstrated effectiveness in the tactical deconfliction of en route commercial air traffic in simulation. However, its performance is found to be dependent on the traffic density. In this project, we propose a novel framework that combines demand capacity balancing (DCB) for strategic conflict management and reinforcement learning for tactical separation. By using DCB to precondition traffic to proper density levels, we show that reinforcement learning can achieve much better performance for tactical safety separation. Our results also indicate that this DCB preconditioning can allow target levels of safety to be met that are otherwise impossible. In addition, combining strategic DCB with reinforcement learning for tactical separation can meet these safety levels while achieving greater operational efficiency than alternative solutions.

The immunological mechanisms underlying chronic colitis are poorly understood. T follicular helper (TFH) cells are critical in helping B cells during germinal center reactions. In a T cell transfer colitis model, a lymphoid structure composed of mature dendritic cells (DCs) and TFHcells was found within T cell zones of colonic lymphoid follicles. TFHcells were required for mature DC accumulation, the formation of DC–T cell clusters and colitis development. Moreover, DCs promoted TFHcell differentiation, contributing to colitis development. A lineage-tracing analysis showed that, following migration to the lamina propria, TFHcells transdifferentiated into long-lived pathogenic TH1 cells, promoting colitis development. Our findings have therefore demonstrated the reciprocal regulation of TFHcells and DCs in colonic lymphoid follicles, which is critical in chronic colitis pathogenesis.

• An unreported nanoribbon reinforced carbon/carbon composite is produced. • Comparison of enhancing efficiency of nanoribbons and nanowires is conducted. • Nanoribbons can simultaneously enhance strength and toughness of carbon/carbon composites. • Nanoribbons show significant advantageous in deflecting cracks compared to nanowires. Incorporating one-dimensional (1D) nanofillers into carbon/carbon composites (C/Cs) can increase their mechanical strength. However, this method is ineffective in improving the fracture toughness of C/Cs because cracks can easily pass over the 1D nanofillers, resulting in a flat fracture surface. Herein, we propose a new technique to significantly improve both the strength and toughness of C/Cs by incorporating 2D ribbon-shaped nanofillers. Silicon nitride nanoribbons (SiNNRs) are assembled into a film-like structure and inserted into each layer of a carbon fiber laminate, which is then densified with a pyrocarbon matrix. Due to the large interfacial contact area between the nanoribbon and matrix, ribbon-shaped SiNNRs can efficiently arrest and deflect cracks in both two and three dimensions, exhibiting a higher reinforcement efficiency than that of slender silicon nitride nanowires (SiNNWs). Mechanical tests show that the percentage increases in fracture toughness, flexural strength, and compressive strength of C/Cs produced by SiNNRs are approximately 9.8, 1.8, and 1.25 times higher than those produced by SiNNWs at the same volume fraction of nanofillers, respectively. This study suggests that 2D ribbon-shaped nanofillers are more effective than 1D fibrous nanofillers in enhancing the strength and toughness of C/Cs. : [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Dual-tasking deficiencies are common in people with Huntington disease (HD) and contribute to reduced functional independence. To date, few studies have investigated the determinants of dual-tasking deficiencies in this population. The reliability of dual-tasking measures has also been poorly investigated in HD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of clinical determinants on dual-tasking performance and to determine the association of disease burden outcomes on dual-tasking performance in individuals with premanifest HD. Methods. Thirty-six individuals with premanifest HD and 28 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited for this study. Participants performed 3 single-task (2 cognitive and 1 motor) and 2 dual-task assessments, comprising motor (postural stability) and cognitive (simple or complex mental arithmetic) components. In addition, participants performed a comprehensive clinical battery comprising motor, cognitive, mood, and sleep assessments as well as lifestyle and disease burden measures. Results. Poorer sleep quality was associated with greater cognitive dual-task cost in individuals with premanifest HD. Compared with healthy controls, people with premanifest HD demonstrated an impaired capacity to dual task. Dual-task measures exhibited acceptable test-retest reliability in premanifest HD and healthy control groups. Conclusion. These results show that dual-tasking measures are sensitive and reliable in individuals with premanifest HD. Furthermore, poor sleep quality is associated with worse cognitive performance on dual tasks, which should be considered by rehabilitation specialists when examining and therapeutically managing dual-tasking problems in individuals with HD and other neurodegenerative populations in the future. Impact. This study adds important knowledge to the sparse literature on dual-tasking deficiencies in people with HD. When examining and therapeutically managing dual-tasking problems in this and other neurodegenerative populations, rehabilitation specialists should consider that people with premanifest HD may have an impaired capacity to dual task. Clinicians also should assess sleep quality, as poorer sleep quality is associated with worse cognitive performance on dual tasks in these individuals. Lay Summary. If you have premanifest HD and poor quality of sleep, you may pay more attention to maintaining postural stability rather than performing arithmetic calculations to reduce the risk of falling. Keywords: Dual Task Cost, Sleep Quality, Disease Burden, Introduction Deficits in dual tasking are a disabling aspect of Huntington disease (HD) that worsens as the disease advances. (1) Studies have reported dual-tasking deficiencies on counting and postural stability, [...]

The integration of electrochemistry with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy recently offers a powerful approach to understanding oxidative metabolism, detecting reactive intermediates, and predicting biological activities. This combination is particularly effective as electrochemical methods provide excellent mimics of metabolic processes, while NMR spectroscopy offers precise chemical analysis. NMR is already widely utilized in the quality control of pharmaceuticals, foods, and additives and in metabolomic studies. However, the introduction of additional and external connections into the magnet has posed challenges, leading to signal deterioration and limitations in routine measurements. Herein, we report an anti-interference compact in situ electrochemical NMR system (AICISENS). Through a wireless strategy, the compact design allows for the independent and stable operation of electrochemical NMR components with effective interference isolation. Thus, it opens an avenue toward easy integration into in situ platforms, applicable not only to laboratory settings but also to fieldwork. The operability, reliability, and versatility were validated with a series of biomimetic assessments, including measurements of microbial electrochemical systems, functional foods, and simulated drug metabolisms. The robust performance of AICISENS demonstrates its high potential as a powerful analytical tool across diverse applications.

Thermoplastic polyimides (TPIs) can meet the requirements of advanced electronic packaging such as flexible copper clad laminate (FCCL) applied under extreme conditions, attributed to their excellent thermal stability, mechanical properties, electrical insulation and chemical resistance. With the increasing demands for electronic devices, such as applications in high‐frequency communication, it is highly desirable to develop high‐performance TPI with good thermoplasticity, thermal stability, mechanical properties and dielectric properties. However, there is a trade‐off between thermoplasticity and other properties. Herein, we introduce an effective strategy to afford TPIs with good performance by copolymerization of a diamine monomer consisted of a coplanar aromatic carbazole group and a short flexible linkage methylene group. On the one hand, short flexible linkages help improve the flexibility of polymer chains and are not too much to enable small‐scale molecular motions below Tg. On the other hand, coplanar aromatic donor groups benefit to strong charge transfer complex (CTC) interaction and π‐π stacking interaction. Based on this strategy, the resultant TPI possesses good thermoplasticity with a proper Tgof 348 °C. Meanwhile, it preserves a low coefficient thermal expansion of 48 ppm K−1, low dielectric constant/dielectric loss factor of 3.27/0.0073 at 10 GHz, and tensile strength of ca. 78 MPa.

Graphical Abstract:

Due to its highest theoretical capacity and its lowest redox potential, lithium (Li) metal has been considered as the ultimate anode choice for high-energy-density rechargeable batteries. However, its commercialization is severely hindered by its poor cyclic stability and safety issues. Diverse material structure design concepts have been raised to address these failure models, wherein, hollow structure has shown great power in solving the challenges. Especially, a hollow multishelled structure (HoMS) featured with two or more shells has been proved to be more efficient to improve Li metal anode than their single-shelled counterparts. Herein, this up-to-date review summarizes the recent progress of the application of HoMS in Li metal anode, including their adoption as Li metal host, artificial solid electrolyte interphase film, electrolyte additive, solid state electrolyte, etc. HoMS offers unique advantages, such as suppressing Li dendrite growth, stabilizing electrode-electrolyte interface, and improving overall battery performance. Future research directions are outlined, emphasizing the need for multifunctional integrated smart HoMS design and large-scale fabrication of HoMS through low-cost accurate method to further advance the commercialization of Li metal batteries.

The different generations of bearing steel are designed to withstand high temperatures, quick speeds, and heavy loads and meet the requirements of aviation, aerospace, and advanced equipment production. In this study, three generation bearing systems (Si3N4/GCr15, Si3N4/M50, and Si3N4/CSS-42L) with pentaerythritol ester lubricants were selected to investigate their friction behavior and evolutionary mechanisms from room temperature to 350 °C. The results indicate that the coefficient of friction (COF) values for all three systems initially decreased and then increased as the temperature increased. The COF of Si3N4/GCr15 was not more than 0.170 when the temperature did not exceed 150 °C. Furthermore, the wear rate of Si3N4/M50 and Si3N4/CSS-42L are 2.67 × 10−4 mm3·N−1·m−1and 2.04 × 10−4 mm3·N−1·m−1at 260 °C, which are only 15.4% and 11.8% of Si3N4/GCr15. This discrepancy can be attributed to the formation of metal oxides on the worn surface of Si3N4/M50 and Si3N4/CSS-42L, and was easier to form on the worn surface of CSS-42L. Therefore, the applicable temperature range for GCr15 usually below 150 °C and for Si3N4/M50 and Si3N4/CSS-42L, it was from 150 to 260 °C. These results disclose the friction behavior and mechanism of these three generation bearing steel are different, and can be a guideline to choose proper bearing steel in future situation.

C32H48O5, orthorhombic, P212121(no. 19), a= 7.1564(10) Å, b= 17.542(3) Å, c= 23.134(4) Å, V= 2904.2(8) Å3, Z= 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0555, wRref(F2) = 0.1343, T = 273(2) K.

As pivotal structural component, steels operating at high temperatures play a vital role in promoting the development of advanced equipment technology. Enduring and efficient lubricants are critical bottleneck for the construction of high-temperature frictional subsystems. Polydiethylsiloxane oil (PDES) significantly reduces the coefficient of friction (COF) (9.80–16.74 %) and wear rate (28.95–54.59 %) in the Si3N4–8Cr4Mo4V system without sulfur and phosphorus anti-wear additives at 250 °C. With only 1 wt% PDES, there is a remarkable 28.95 % wear rate reduction in the Si3N4–8Cr4Mo4V frictional system. The enhanced lubrication performance come from the Si–O tribofilm at lower PDES concentrations (1–15 wt%). Once exceeding a PDES concentration of 30 wt%, the as-formed Si–O tribofilm transitions to a Fe–Mo compound film, exhibiting superior friction reduction and wear resistance properties.

This study aims to overcome the drawbacks associated with hydroxyapatite (HAP) dense structures after sintering, which often result in undesirable features such as large grain size, reduced porosity, high crystallinity, and low specific surface area. These characteristics hinder osseointegration and limit the clinical applicability of the material. To address these issues, a new method involving the preparation of hollow hydroxyapatite (hHAP) microspheres has been proposed. These microspheres exhibit distinctive traits including weak crystallization, high specific surface area, and increased porosity. The weak crystallization aligns more closely with early mineralization products found in the human body and animals. Moreover, the microspheres’ high specific surface area and porosity offer advantages for protein loading and facilitating osteoblast attachment. This innovative approach not only mitigates the limitations of conventional HAP structures but also holds the potential for improving the effectiveness of hydroxyapatite in biomedical applications, particularly in enhancing osseointegration. Three-dimensional printed hHAP/chitosan (CS) scaffolds with different hHAP concentration gradients were manufactured, and the physical and biological properties of each group were systematically evaluated. In vitro and in vivo experiments show that the hHAP/CS scaffold has excellent performance in bone remodeling. Furthermore, in-scaffold components, hHAP and CS were cocultured with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to explore the regulatory role of hHAP and CS in the process of bone healing and to reveal the cell-level specific regulatory network activated by hHAP. Enrichment analysis showed that hHAP can promote bone regeneration and reconstruction by recruiting calcium ions and regulating inflammatory reactions.

Networked robots can perceive their surroundings, interact with each other or humans, and make decisions to accomplish specified tasks in remote/hazardous/complex environments. Satelliteunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) networks can support such robots by providing on-demand communication services. However, under traditional open-loop communication paradigm, the network resources are usually divided into user-wise mostly-independent links, via ignoring the task-level dependency of robot collaboration. Thus, it is imperative to develop a new communication paradigm, taking into account the highlevel content and values behind, to facilitate multirobot operation. Inspired by Wiener's Cybernetics theory, this article explores a closed-loop communication paradigm for the robot-oriented satellite-UAV network. This paradigm turns to handle group-wise structured links, so as to allocate resources in a taskoriented manner. It could also exploit the mobility of robots to liberate the network from full coverage, enabling new orchestration between network serving and positive mobility control of robots. Moreover, the integration of sensing, communications, computing and control would enlarge the benefit of this new paradigm. We present a case study for joint mobile edge computing (MEC) offloading and mobility control of robots, and finally outline potential challenges and open issues.

With the increase of space activities, the safety detection of equipment in supercold environment becomes more and more important. However, the safety detection of equipment in liquid hydrogen environment is an unsolved worldwide problem. In this article, we present a new method to detect acoustic emission (AE) signals in liquid hydrogen environment, which can be used to confirm the safety and reliability of the equipment working in liquid hydrogen. First, the principle of mandrel-based fiber-optic ring (MBFOR) AE sensor and the corresponding demodulation method are introduced. Second, the effects of physical parameters, such as the length of the sensing fiber, the diameter and material of the mandrel, and the number of fiber winding layers on the sensor's sensitivity, are studied by experiment. Finally, the AE source localization accuracy test of the FOR AE detection system at low temperatures and the adaptability test of the proposed method in −252.8 °C liquid hydrogen are carried out. The results show that the proposed MBFOR sensor and the multichannel AE detection system can complete the defects detection of aerospace pressure vessel in liquid hydrogen. Certainly, it can be used for safety detection for other spacecraft equipment in harsh environments.

Cloud data centers (CDCs) have been used as the basic platforms for data storage in industrial scenarios such as smart manufacturing. However, a lack of effective data storage schemes exacerbates reading latency and replicas' inconsistency in the machine tools of smart factories. In this article, we propose a full-replicas scheme (FRS) to attain the low-latency reading and high data consistency required in smart manufacturing. First, inspired by the susceptible–infectious–recovered epidemic model, the network bandwidth usage generated by the FRS is adjusted by the targeted immunization principle. Then, the final breakout rate is derived as a function of the immunization rate, which can reduce the complexity of target immunization implementation in scale-free networks. Finally, the experimental results confirm our theoretical analysis and show that the FRS provides strong consistency with lower client-side reading latency.

Abstract: With the growing concern of environmental protection and waste recycling, recovery of high-value metal from coal fly ash (CFA) has attracted a lot of attention around the world. In our previous study, CaO was employed as an additive to react with mullite (3Al2O3·2SiO2) in CFA to produce CaO·xAl2O3, by which the extraction of alumina was strengthened tremendously. However, the dissolving mechanism of CaO·xAl2O3in alkali liquor has not yet been conducted in in-depth research, which casts a shadow for the further progress of the process. In this paper, with the aim of clarifying the alkali dissolving mechanism as well as developing an eco-friendly alumina recovery process, the effect of CaO addition on the mineralogical transformation of CFA and the dissolving behaviors of CaO·xAl2O3in alkali liquor were investigated thoroughly. The results show that the mullite in CFA can be converted to Fe-Si alloys and CaO·xAl2O3with the addition of CaO. Additionally, it is proved that the liquid/solid ratio, the alkali concentration, and the dissolving temperature would be the most critical impactors to decide the extraction rate of alumina. Under the optimal conditions, the extraction rate of alumina attained 93.8% and the CaO can be recycled for cyclic utilization in this process. Graphical Abstract:

iNKT cells – often referred as the “Swiss Army knife” of the immune system – have emerged as central players in cancer vaccine therapies. Glycolipids activating iNKT cells, such as α-galactosylceramide (αGalCer), can enhance the immune response against co-delivered cancer antigens and have been applied in the design of self-adjuvanting anti-tumor vaccines. In this context, this work focuses on the chemical synthesis of ganglioside tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs), namely GM3 and (Neu5Gc)GM3 antigens, their conjugation to αGalCer, and their formulation into liposomes as an efficient platform for their in vivodelivery. Liposomes containing GM3–αGalCer, (Neu5Gc)GM3–αGalCer, and equimolar amounts of the two conjugates have been fully characterized and their ability to activate iNKT cell has been confirmed ex vivoin mouse and human cell assays. The candidates were tested in in vivoimmunization studies, demonstrating an ability to induce both TH1 and TH2 cytokines leading to the production of all subclasses of IgG antibodies. Notably, the study also demonstrated that serum antibodies raised against the two TACAs, alone and in combination, were cross-reactive. This finding has consequences for future vaccine designs – even if a highly tumor-selective antigen is chosen, the resulting antibody response may be broader than anticipated.

Nonlinear flow characteristics of main steam regulating valves play an important role on the performance of primary frequency control in thermal power generation units. Manual testing is a traditional method to capture nonlinear flow characteristics by maintaining constant steam pressures, changing control valve openings, and observing power output changes; however, such a method disturbs normal operations of power generation units. This article proposes a new method to identify nonlinear flow characteristics of main steam regulating valves by exploiting special segments hidden in historical operating data. The special segments refer to steady-state segments with constant amplitudes and slope-response segments with large amplitude changes, both of which can be automatically extracted from historical operating data. Relationships between the special segments and a nonlinear model of flow characteristics are theoretically established, and unknown model parameters are estimated by a linear dynamic programming algorithm. These special segments can separate the nonlinear flow characteristics of regulating valves from dynamic effects of steam turbines and generators at different operating points. The necessity of such a separation is demonstrated by a comparison with the Hammerstein model identification method and the sparse identification method. The identified model can be visually verified by comparing measured outputs in the extracted special segments with simulated model outputs. Industrial case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Submarine surfacing in wave’s environments is fully three-dimensional unsteady motion and includes complex coupling with hydrodynamic force and dynamic motion of the rigid body. This paper uses in-house computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code HUST-SHIP to solve RANS equation coupled with six degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) solid body motion equations. RANS equations are solved by finite difference method and PISO algorithm. Level-set method is used to simulate the free surface flow. Computations are performed for the DARPA SUBOFF model. The structured dynamic overset grid is applied to the numerical simulation of submarine surfacing motion in calm water, transverse regular waves with different ratio of wave height over submarine length, wave length over submarine length and surfacing depth over submarine length. The asymmetric vortices in the process of submarine surfacing can be captured in this study. The existence of the vortex generated during the submarine surfacing could cause the destabilizing hydrodynamic rolling moment. Relations among maximum roll angle, surfacing velocity and wave parameters are concluded by comparison with variation trend of submarine motion attitude and velocities of surfacing in different wave conditions. Simulation results confirm that wave height and wave length lead to surfacing velocity and roll angle changes, significantly. Maximum roll angle also increases with the increase in wave height and wave length. Maximum roll angle with wave height (h/L= 0.04) can reach to 7.29°, while maximum roll angle with wave length (λ/L= 1.5) can reach to 5.79° by contrast with 0.85° in calm water. Surfacing depth has a great influence on the changes of submarine trim during surfacing. For rolling motion in the transverse wave, maximum roll angle with depth length ratio (d/L= 1.2) can reach to 2.46 times as much as that with depth length ratio (d/L= 0.6).

Continuous and in situ detection of biomarkers in biofluids (for example, sweat) can provide critical health data but is limited by biofluid accessibility. Here we report a sensor design that enables in situ detection of solid-state biomarkers ubiquitously present on human skin. We deploy an ionic–electronic bilayer hydrogel to facilitate the sequential dissolution, diffusion and electrochemical reaction of solid-state analytes. We demonstrate continuous monitoring of water-soluble analytes (for example, solid lactate) and water-insoluble analytes (for example, solid cholesterol) with ultralow detection limits of 0.51 and 0.26 nmol cm−2, respectively. Additionally, the bilayer hydrogel electrochemical interface reduces motion artefacts by a factor of three compared with conventional liquid-sensing electrochemical interfaces. In a clinical study, solid-state epidermal biomarkers measured by our stretchable wearable sensors showed a high correlation with biomarkers in human blood and dynamically correlated with physiological activities. These results present routes to universal platforms for biomarker monitoring without the need for biofluid acquisition.

We investigated theoretically and experimentally the long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs) inscribed in the tapered few-mode fiber (FMF), and successfully generated the LP11 core mode in a broad wavelength range. Simulation and experimental studies have demonstrated that the phase matching curve of the FMF-LPFG can be changed through fiber tapering, thereby moving the dispersion turning point (DTP) to the communication band. The tunable ultra-broadband mode converter can be realized based on the DTP-LPFG. We investigated the relationship between the DTP of the FMF-LPFGs and fiber diameter. The LPFGs were fabricated in the FMF with diameters of $100~\mu \text{m}$ and $90~\mu \text{m}$ , with 10-dB bandwidth of 504 nm and 450 nm, respectively. The 10-dB bandwidth of the mode converter and the corresponding wavelength range can be adjusted by changing the fiber diameter.

Objective: Bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) results in significant fibrosis in the chronic stage and elevated bladder pressure. Piezo1 is a type of mechanosensitive (MS) channel that directly responds to mechanical stimuli. To identify new targets for intervention in the treatment of BOO-induced fibrosis, this study investigated the impact of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) on Piezo1 activity and the progression of bladder fibrosis. Methods: Immunofluorescence staining was conducted to assess the protein abundance of Piezo1 in fibroblasts from obstructed rat bladders. Bladder fibroblasts were cultured under normal atmospheric conditions (0 cmH2O) or exposed to HHP (50 cmH2O or 100 cmH2O). Agonists or inhibitors of Piezo1, YAP1, and ROCK1 were used to determine the underlying mechanism. Results: The Piezo1 protein levels in fibroblasts from the obstructed bladder exhibited an elevation compared to the control group. HHP significantly promoted the expression of various pro-fibrotic factors and induced proliferation of fibroblasts. Additionally, the protein expression levels of Piezo1, YAP1, ROCK1 were elevated, and calcium influx was increased as the pressure increased. These effects were attenuated by the Piezo1 inhibitor Dooku1. The Piezo1 activator Yoda1 induced the expression of pro-fibrotic factors and the proliferation of fibroblasts, and elevated the protein levels of YAP1 and ROCK1 under normal atmospheric conditions in vitro.However, these effects could be partially inhibited by YAP1 or ROCK inhibitors. Conclusion: The study suggests that HHP may exacerbate bladder fibrosis through activating Piezo1.

Overgrazing is regarded as one of the key factors of vegetation and soil degradation in the arid and semi-arid regions of Northwest China. Grazing exclusion (GE) is one of the most common pathways used to restore degraded grasslands and to improve their ecosystem services. Nevertheless, there are still significant controversies concerning GE’s effects on grassland diversity as well as carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage. It remains poorly understood in the arid desert regions, whilst being essential for the sustainable use of grassland resources. To assess the effects of GE on community characteristics and C and N storage of desert plant community in the arid desert regions, we investigated the community structure and plant biomass, as well as C and N storage of plants and soil (0–100 cm depth) in short-term GE (three years) plots and adjacent long-term freely grazing (FG) plots in the areas of sagebrush desert in Northwest China, which are important both for spring-autumn seasonal pasture and for ecological conservation. Our findings indicated that GE was beneficial to the average height, coverage and aboveground biomass (including stems, leaves and inflorescences, and litter) of desert plant community, to the species richness and importance values of subshrubs and perennial herbs, and to the biomass C and N storage of aboveground parts (P<0.05). However, GE was not beneficial to the importance values of annual herbs, root/shoot ratio and total N concentration in the 0–5 and 5–10 cm soil layers (P<0.05). Additionally, the plant density, belowground biomass, and soil organic C concentration and C storage in the 0–100 cm soil layer could not be significantly changed by short-term GE (three years). The results suggest that, although GE was not beneficial for C sequestration in the sagebrush desert ecosystem, it is an effective strategy for improving productivity, diversity, and C and N storage of plants. As a result, GE can be used to rehabilitate degraded grasslands in the arid desert regions of Northwest China.

C50H74N2O4, orthorhombic, P1 (no. 1), a= 7.3320(3) Å, b= 11.8132(4) Å, c= 13.1604(5) Å, α= 99.1910(10)°, β= 95.039(1)°, γ= 95.8560(10)°, V= 1113.06(7) Å3, Z= 1, Rgt(F) = 0.0662, wRref(F2) = 0.1655, T = 273(2) K.

Dynamic therapies have potential in cancer treatments but have limitations in efficiency and penetration depth. Here a membrane-integrated liposome (MIL) is created to coat titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles to enhance electron transfer and increase radical production under low-dose X-ray irradiation. The exoelectrogenic Shewanella oneidensisMR-1 microorganism presents an innate capability for extracellular electron transfer (EET). An EET-mimicking photocatalytic system is created by coating the TiO2nanoparticles with the MIL, which significantly enhances superoxide anions generation under low-dose (1 Gy) X-ray activation. The c-type cytochromes-constructed electron channel in the membrane mimics electron transfer to surrounding oxygen. Moreover, the hole transport in the valence band is also observed for water oxidation to produce hydroxyl radicals. The TiO2@MIL system is demonstrated against orthotopic liver tumours in vivo.

Li-ion battery (LIB) packs have been widely used in the vehicle industry. The abnormality detection and localization of battery systems are receiving more and more attention. In this article, the spatiotemporal entropy is proposed to detect and locate thermal abnormalities of LIB packs. Based on the Karhunen–Loève (KL) decomposition, the spatial entropy and temporal entropy can be constructed from different scales, and then appropriately integrated into the comprehensive spatiotemporal entropy. The kernel density estimation is employed to derive the detection threshold of the spatiotemporal entropy, based on which the abnormality detection can be achieved. The entropy contribution function is designed for abnormality localization based on the spatial basis function (SBF) variations in different modes. The physical meaning of the spatiotemporal entropy is explained from the perspective of the system disorder degree, energy concentration, and information theory. Experiments on the LIB pack under different fault conditions demonstrate that the proposed method can timely detect and precisely locate the abnormal cells at the early stage.

Benefiting from the fusion of communication and intelligent technologies, network-enabled robots have become important to support future machine-assisted and unmanned applications. To provide high-quality services for robots in wide areas, hybrid satellite-terrestrial networks are a key technology. Through hybrid networks, computation-intensive and latency-sensitive tasks can be offloaded to mobile edge computing (MEC) servers. However, due to the mobility of mobile robots and unreliable wireless network environments, excessive local computations and frequent service migrations may significantly increase the service delay. To address this issue, this paper aims to minimize the average task completion time for MEC-based offloading initiated by satellite-terrestrial-network-enabled robots. Different from conventional mobility-aware schemes, the proposed scheme makes the offloading decision by jointly considering the mobility control of robots. A joint optimization problem of task offloading and velocity control is formulated. Using Lyapunov optimization, the original optimization is decomposed into a velocity control subproblem and a task offloading subproblem. Then, based on the Markov decision process (MDP), a dual-agent reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm is proposed. The convergence and complexity of the improved RL algorithm are theoretically analyzed, and the simulation results show that the proposed scheme can effectively reduce the offloading delay.

The complexity and diversity of pain signaling have led to obstacles for prominent treatments due to mechanisms that are not yet fully understood. Among adenosine triphosphate (ATP) receptors, P2×7 differs in many respects from P2×1-6, it plays a significant role in various inflammatory pain, but whether it plays a role in noninflammatory pain has not been widely discussed. In this study, we utilized major neuropharmacological methods to record the effects of manipulating P2×7 during nociceptive signal transmission in the thalamocingulate circuits. Our results show that regardless of the specific cell type distribution of P2×7 in the central nervous system (CNS), it participates directly in the generated nociceptive transmission, which indicates its apparent functional existence in the major pain transmission path, the thalamocingulate circuits. Activation of P2×7 may facilitate transmission velocity along the thalamocingulate projection as well as neuron firings and synaptic vesicle release in anterior cingulate cortical neurons. Targeting thalamic P2×7 affects glutamate and ATP secretion during nociceptive signal transmission.

In recent intelligent-robot-assisted surgery studies, an urgent issue is how to detect the motion of instruments and soft tissue accurately from intra-operative images. Although optical flow technology from computer vision is a powerful solution to the motion-tracking problem, it has difficulty obtaining the pixel-wise optical flow ground truth of real surgery videos for supervised learning. Thus, unsupervised learning methods are critical. However, current unsupervised methods face the challenge of heavy occlusion in the surgical scene. This paper proposes a novel unsupervised learning framework to estimate the motion from surgical images under occlusion. The framework consists of a Motion Decoupling Network to estimate the tissue and the instrument motion with different constraints. Notably, the network integrates a segmentation subnet that estimates the segmentation map of instruments in an unsupervised manner to obtain the occlusion region and improve the dual motion estimation. Additionally, a hybrid self-supervised strategy with occlusion completion is introduced to recover realistic vision clues. Extensive experiments on two surgical datasets show that the proposed method achieves accurate motion estimation for intra-operative scenes and outperforms other unsupervised methods, with a margin of 15% in accuracy. The average estimation error for tissue is less than 2.2 pixels on average for both surgical datasets.

Hydrogels have been widely applied to the water shutoff in oilfields due to their excellent three-dimensional network and thermal and physicochemical stability, and it is still a huge challenge to develop new hydrogels with simple preparation, low cost, and high mechanical performance that can meet the requirements of practical applications. Herein, we devised a simple and universal manufacturing method for regulating the hydrogen bonds between poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and cellulose nanofibers (CNF) via the water-diffusion action, thus fabricating a physically tough PVA–CNF hydrogel for the in situ water shutoff. This method allowed the polymer chains to strengthen the molecular interactions between polymers upon replacing with water (a poor solvent) to regulate the cross-linking structure, characterizing by the nano-crystallinity domains and fibrillar segments, which also accounted for the thermal stability, extraordinary elasticity, high stretchability, and toughness of PVA–CNF hydrogel. Further, the obtained PVA–CNF hydrogel exhibited superb plugging performance, that is, the breakthrough pressure gradient could reach 71.56 MPa·m–1, surpassing all currently reported gelling water shutoff agents. This water-induced in situ hydrogelation made it well suited as a water shutoff agent in oilfields and may provide a promising strategy to fabricate mechanically robust smart materials for the water shutoff projects with low cost, simple processing, and high efficiency.

LiNi00.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2(NCM811) is perceived as a promising cathode material in lithium-ion batteries for its high specific capacity and low cost. However, the catalytic surface between the cathode and electrolyte leads to intensive interfacial reactions and gas generation, ultimately causing rapid capacity fading and a great threat to the safety performance of the battery, which hinders its applications at high voltages. Herein, ethoxy(pentafluoro)cyclotriphosphazene (PFPN) as the electrolyte additive is applied to alleviate the above problems by constructing a solid electrolyte interphase on the cathode and anode. PFPN can be decomposed preferentially over basic electrolytes to shape the thin and stable interface film between the electrolyte and NCM811 cathode for restraining the production of gas and the corrosion of NCM811. The wettability of the separator can be enhanced by PFPN to promote uniform Li deposition. Also, PFPN has a flame-retardant effect due to its phosphoronitrile functional group. Moreover, the Li||Li symmetrical cells can achieve long-cycling stability with the PFPN-electrolyte (cycling performance of 800 h at 0.5 mA cm–2). Last, the capacity retention of NCM811||Li reaches 89.5% after 200 cycles at 1 C and 4.5 V.

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are an emerging type of airborne traffic under active research expected to carry cargo and passengers in the future over dense population centers. One challenge is identifying algorithms which can compactly represent and navigate the available airspace while avoiding conflict with buildings and other UAS. In this paper, we explore a decentralized method coupling a medial axis graph for global navigation through the city with local collision avoidance of buildings and other UAS to obtain collision-free efficient navigation through an urban environment. We study trade-offs of using Optimal Reciprocal Collision Avoidance (ORCA), Rapidly-exploring Random Trees (RRT and RRT*), and Fast Markov Decision Process (FastMDP) as the collision avoidance algorithms. We examine low-altitude UAS navigating through a portion of New York City dense with skyscrapers to study the effectiveness of the algorithms in a challenging environment. We show that ORCA, RRT, RRT*, and FastMDP all are fairly efficient for 2D problems, but as the problem becomes more realistic (3D, constrained motion, aware of other UAS), FastMDP provides the best overall performance among the four algorithms studied.

An in-depth analysis on the cooperativity of intermolecular interactions including hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking in 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB) crystal was studied. Two quantities, cooperativity rate and energy, were defined to evaluate the nature and strength of cooperativity in a series of clusters diverging from 1D to 3D prototypes. The origin and mechanism of the cooperative effect were settled to demonstrate that the nature of cooperativity is determined by whether the non-covalent interactions compete or promote with each other, which is manifested by the changing trend of electron transfer. There exists obvious cooperative effect in intra-layer and inter-layer structures as they own the equivalent non-covalent interactions, while anti-cooperative effect is also observed if two interactions correlate with each other. On the whole, in the process of crystal formation, the apparent cooperativity is the check and balance of the two effects, which is capable to support a global interaction among all of molecules and contribute to the stabilization of system. Based on the results, one may get a new insight to understand the relationship between non-covalent interactions and low impact sensitivity.

AbstractObjective“Subsyndromal” obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms (OCDSs) are common and cause impaired psychosocial functioning. OCDSs are better captured by dimensional models of psychopathology, as opposed to categorical diagnoses. However, such dimensional approaches require a deep understanding of the underlying neurocognitive drivers and impulsive and compulsive traits (ie, neurocognitive phenotypes) across symptoms. This study investigated inhibitory control and self-monitoring across impulsivity, compulsivity, and their interaction in individuals (n = 40) experiencing mild–moderate OCDSs.MethodsEEG recording concurrent with the stop-signal task was used to elicit event-related potentials (ERPs) indexing inhibitory control (ie, N2 and P3) and self-monitoring (ie, error-related negativity and correct-related negativity (CRN): negativity following erroneous or correct responses, respectively).ResultsDuring unsuccessful stopping, individuals high in both impulsivity and compulsivity displayed enhanced N2 amplitude, indicative of conflict between the urge to respond and need to stop (F(3, 33) = 1.48, P< .05, 95% Cl [−0.01, 0.001]). Individuals high in compulsivity and low in impulsivity showed reduced P3 amplitude, consistent with impairments in monitoring failed inhibitory control (F(3, 24) = 2.033, P< .05, 95% CI [−0.002, 0.045]). Following successful stopping, high compulsivity (independent of impulsivity) was associated with lower CRN amplitude, reflecting hypo-monitoring of correct responses (F(4, 32) = 4.76, P< .05, 95% CI [0.01, 0.02]), and with greater OCDS severity (F(3, 36) = 3.32, P< .05, 95% CI [0.03, 0.19]).ConclusionThe current findings provide evidence for differential, ERP-indexed inhibitory control and self-monitoring profiles across impulsive and compulsive phenotypes in OCDSs.

Coffee intake in a large cohort of men with prostate cancer was nominally associated with longer prostate cancer–specific survival among men with the CYP1A2−163AA (*1F/*1F) caffeine metabolism genotype.

Integrated clinicopathological and molecular analyses of Richter transformation of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma subtype (RT-DLBCL) cases remain limited. This study group included 142 patients with RT-DLBCL. Morphological evaluation and immunophenotyping, using immunohistochemistry and/or multicolour flow cytometry, were performed. The results of conventional karyotyping, fluorescence in situhybridisation analysis and mutation profiling performed using next generation sequencing were reviewed.

Melanoma is a highly malignant tumor originating from melanocytes. The 5-year survival rate of primary melanoma is 98%, whereas the survival rate of metastatic melanoma is only 10%, which can be attributed to the insensitivity to existing treatments. Fibroblasts are the primary cells in the dermis that promote melanoma metastasis; however, the molecular mechanism underlying the fibroblast–melanoma interaction is yet to be completely understood. Herein, gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) was used to construct a co-culture model for melanoma cells (A375) and fibroblasts. GelMA retains the good biological properties of collagen, which has been identified as the primary component of the melanoma tumor microenvironment. Fibroblasts were encapsulated in GelMA, whereas A375 cells were cultured on the GelMA surface, which realistically mimics the macrostructure of melanoma. A375 cells co-cultured with fibroblasts demonstrated a higher cellular proliferation rate, potentials of neoneurogenesis, overexpression of epithelial mesenchymal transition markers, and a faster migration rate compared with A375 cells cultured alone, which could be due to the cancer-associated fibroblast activation and the overexpression of transforming growth factor β1 and fibroblast growth factor-2 by fibroblasts. Overall, this study revealed the possible mechanisms of fibroblast–melanoma interaction and suggested that this co-culture model could be potentially further developed as a platform for screening chemotherapies in the future.

Current literature lacks consolidated evidence for the impact of stimulation parameters on the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in enhancing upper limb motor learning. Hence, we aim to synthesise available methodologies and results to guide future research on the usage of tDCS on upper limb motor learning, specifically in older adults and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Thirty-two studies (Healthy older adults, N= 526, M= 67.25, SD = 4.30 years; PD, N= 216, M= 66.62, SD = 6.25 years) were included in the meta-analysis. All included studies consisted of active and sham protocols. Random effect meta-analyses were conducted for (i) subjects (healthy older adults and PD); (ii) intensity (1.0, 1.5, 2 mA); (iii) electrode montage (unilateral anodal, bilateral anodal, unilateral cathodal); (iv) stimulation site (cerebellum, frontal, motor, premotor, SMA, somatosensory); (v) protocol (online, offline). Significant tDCS effect on motor learning was reported for both populations, intensity 1.0 and 2.0 mA, unilateral anodal and cathodal stimulation, stimulation site of the motor and premotor cortex, and both online and offline protocols. Regression showed no significant relationship between tDCS effects and density. The efficacy of tDCS is also not affected by the number of sessions. However, studies that reported only single session tDCS found significant negative association between duration with motor learning outcomes. Our findings suggest that different stimulation parameters enhanced upper limb motor learning in older adults and PD. Future research should combine tDCS with neuroimaging techniques to help with optimisation of the stimulation parameters, considering the type of task and population.

Characterization of filamentous fungal regulatory elements remains challenging because of time-consuming transformation technologies and limited quantitative methods. Here we established a method for quantitative assessment of filamentous fungal promoters based on flow cytometry detection of the superfolder green fluorescent protein at single-cell resolution. Using this quantitative method, we acquired a library of 93 native promoter elements from Aspergillus nidulansin a high-throughput format. The strengths of identified promoters covered a 37-fold range by flow cytometry. PzipAand PsltAwere identified as the strongest promoters, which were 2.9- and 1.5-fold higher than that of the commonly used constitutive promoter PgpdA. Thus, we applied PzipAand PsltAto activate the silent nonribosomal peptide synthetase gene Afpes1from Aspergillus fumigatusin its native host and the heterologous host A. nidulans.The metabolic products of Afpes1were identified as new cyclic tetrapeptide derivatives, namely, fumiganins A and B. Our method provides an innovative strategy for natural product discovery in fungi.

N-GQDs were successfully prepared from coal by a facile and environment-friendly oxidation, and successfully passivated Pb2+defects. Compared with the pristine cells, the photoelectric conversion efficiency is increased by 20.25%.

Acaricides that act as inhibitors of the mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase (SDHIs) provide excellent control of phytophagous mites but display limited toxicity to predatory mites and other beneficial organisms. However, the molecular mechanism of selectivity is not fully understood. Here, we first confirm that SDHI acaricides are over 10,000-fold more toxic to spider mites than predatory mites. Next, we show that differential penetration, pro-acaricide activation, or metabolism are most likely not the main reason for this selectivity. In contrast, the inhibition of AB-1 on the SDH target is approximately 200-fold more potent in spider mites compared to predatory mites, revealing strong target-site selectivity. Strikingly, a key motif associated with differential binding was identified and validated by gene editing in Drosophila. Our findings contribute to understanding the selectivity of SDHIs, which can be used for the rational design of selective acaricides in support of an integrated pest management.