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We study the impact of top SiO2 interlayer thickness on the memory window (MW) of Si channel ferroelectric field-effect transistor (FeFET) with TiN/SiO2/ Hf0.5Zr0.5O2/SiOx/Si (MIFIS) gate structure. We find that the MW increases with the increasing thickness of the top SiO2 interlayer, and such an increase exhibits a two-stage linear dependence. The physical origin is the presence of the different interfacial charges trapped at the top SiO2/Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 interface. Moreover, we investigate the dependence of endurance characteristics on initial MW. We find that the endurance characteristic degrades with increasing the initial MW. Meanwhile, we study the impact of the top SiO2 interlayer thickness on the retention characteristics of the MIFIS structure. The results of retention characteristics show that the MIFIS structure with thicker top SiO2 has poorer retention characteristics. This is attributed to the de-trapping of interfacial charges trapped at the top SiO2/Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 interface and the depolarization field of the ferroelectric. By inserting a 3.4 nm SiO2 dielectric interlayer between the gate metal TiN and the ferroelectric Hf0.5Zr0.5O2, we achieve a MW of 6.3 V and retention over 10 years. Our work is helpful in the device design of FeFET.

KFeSO4F (KFSF) is considered a potential cathode due to the large capacity and low cost. However, the inferior electronic conductivity leads to poor electrochemical performance. Defect engineering can facilitate the electron/ion transfer by tuning electronic structure, thus providing favorable electrochemical performance. Herein, through the regulation of surface defect engineering in reduced graphene oxide (rGO), the Fe–C bonds were formed between KFSF and rGO. The Fe–C bonds formed work in regulating the Fe-3d orbital as well as promoting the migration ability of K ions and increasing the electronic conductivity of KFSF. Thus, the KFSF@rGO delivers a high capacity of 119.6 mAh g−1. When matched with a graphite@pitch-derived S-doped carbon anode, the full cell delivers an energy density of 250.5 Wh kg−1and a capacity retention of 81.5% after 400 cycles. This work offers a simple and valid method to develop high-performance cathodes by tuning defect sites.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of knowledge base-optimized and unoptimized large language models (LLMs) in the field of orthopedics to explore optimization strategies for the application of LLMs in specific fields. Methods: This research constructed a specialized knowledge base using clinical guidelines from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and authoritative orthopedic publications. A total of 30 orthopedic-related questions covering aspects such as anatomical knowledge, disease diagnosis, fracture classification, treatment options, and surgical techniques were input into both the knowledge base-optimized and unoptimized versions of the GPT-4, ChatGLM, and Spark LLM, with their generated responses recorded. The overall quality, accuracy, and comprehensiveness of these responses were evaluated by 3 experienced orthopedic surgeons. Results: Compared with their unoptimized LLMs, the optimized version of GPT-4 showed improvements of 15.3% in overall quality, 12.5% in accuracy, and 12.8% in comprehensiveness; ChatGLM showed improvements of 24.8%, 16.1%, and 19.6%, respectively; and Spark LLM showed improvements of 6.5%, 14.5%, and 24.7%, respectively. Conclusion: The optimization of knowledge bases significantly enhances the quality, accuracy, and comprehensiveness of the responses provided by the 3 models in the orthopedic field. Therefore, knowledge base optimization is an effective method for improving the performance of LLMs in specific fields.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), the third gasotransmitter discovered, regulates a variety of physiological functions. Whether H2S alleviates skeletal muscle ageing by regulating autophagy has not been reported. Mice were administered 150 mg/kg/day of D‐galactose (D‐gal), and C2C12 myotubes were cultured in 20 g/L D‐gal to induce ageing. Sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) was employed as an exogenous donor in the treatment group. The intracellular concentration of H2S was quantified by the 7‐azido‐4‐methylcoumarin fluorescence probe. The proteins involved in the ubiquitin‐mediated degradation of AMPKα1 were detected by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and co‐immunoprecipitation (Co‐IP). S‐sulfhydration of USP5 was tested by a biotin‐switch assay. Associated proteins were analysed by western blot. NaHS was found to effectively restore the H2S content in both ageing gastrocnemius (+91.89%, P< 0.001) and C2C12 myotubes (+27.55%, P< 0.001). In comparison to the D‐gal group, NaHS was observed to increase the mean cross‐sectional area of muscle fibres (+44.91%, P< 0.001), to decrease the collagen volume fraction of gastrocnemius (−81.32%, P= 0.001) and to reduce the β‐galactosidase‐positive area of C2C12 myotubes (−28.74%, P< 0.001). NaHS was also found to reverse the expression of muscle atrophy F box protein (MAFbx), muscle‐specific RING finger protein 1 (MuRF1), Cyclin D1 and p21 in the ageing gastrocnemius tissue (MAFbx: −31.73%, P= 0.008; MuRF1: −32.37%, P= 0.003; Cyclin D1: +45.34%, P= 0.010; p21: −25.53%, P= 0.022) and C2C12 myotubes (MAFbx: −16.38%, P< 0.001; MuRF1: −16.45%, P= 0.003; Cyclin D1: +40.23%, P< 0.001; p21: −35.85%, P= 0.026). The AMPKα1–ULK1 pathway was activated and autophagy was up‐regulated in NaHS‐treated gastrocnemius tissue (p‐AMPKα1: +61.61%, P= 0.018; AMPKα1: +30.64%, P= 0.010; p‐ULK1/ULK1: +85.87%, P= 0.005; p62: −29.07%, P< 0.001; Beclin1: +24.75%, P= 0.007; light chain 3 II/I [LC3 II/I]: +55.78%, P= 0.004) and C2C12 myotubes (p‐AMPKα1: +77.49%, P= 0.018; AMPKα1: +26.18%, P= 0.022; p‐ULK1/ULK1: +38.34%, P= 0.012; p62: −9.02%, P= 0.014; Beclin1: +13.36%, P< 0.001; LC3 II/I: +79.38%, P= 0.017; autophagy flux: +24.88%, P= 0.034) compared with the D‐gal group. The effects of NaHS on autophagy were comparable to those of acadesine and LYN‐1604, and chloroquine could reverse its effects on ageing. LC–MS/MS and Co‐IP experiments demonstrated that USP5 is a deubiquitinating enzyme of AMPKα1. Following the knockdown of USP5, the activation of AMPKα1 was decreased (p‐AMPKα1: −42.10%, P< 0.001; AMPKα1: −43.93%, P< 0.001), autophagy was inhibited (p‐ULK1/ULK1: −27.51, P= 0.001; p62: +36.00, P< 0.001; Beclin1: −22.15%, P< 0.001) and NaHS lost its ability to up‐regulate autophagy. NaHS was observed to restore the expression (gastrocnemius: +62.17%, P< 0.001; C2C12 myotubes: +37.51%, P= 0.003) and S‐sulfhydration (+53.07%, P= 0.009) of USP5 and reduce the ubiquitination of AMPKα1. H2S promotes the deubiquitination of AMPKα1 by increasing the expression and S‐sulfhydration of USP5, thereby up‐regulating autophagy and alleviating skeletal muscle ageing.

Skeletal muscle injury is one of the most common sports injuries; if not properly treated or not effective rehabilitation treatment after injury, it can be transformed into chronic cumulative injury. Curcumin, an herbal ingredient, has been found to promote skeletal muscle injury repair and regeneration. The Wnt5a pathway is related to the expression of myogenic regulatory factors, and Ca2+promotes the differentiation and fusion process of myoblasts. This study explored the effect and mechanism of curcumin on myoblast differentiation during the repair and regeneration of injured skeletal muscle and its relationship with the Wnt5a pathway and Ca2+channel. Myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells was induced with 2% horse serum, and a mouse (male, 10 weeks old) model of acute skeletal muscle injury was established using cardiotoxin (20 μL). In addition, we constructed a Wnt5a knockdown C2C12 cell model and a Wnt5a knockout mouse model. Besides, curcumin was added to the cell culture solution (80 mg/L) and fed to the mice (50 mg/kg). Fluorescence microscopy was used to determine the concentration of Ca2+. Western blot and RT‐qPCR were used to detect the protein and mRNA levels of Wnt5a, CaN, NFAT2, MyoD, Myf5, Pax7, and Myogenin. The expression levels of MyoD, Myf5, Myogenin, MHC, Desmin, and NFAT2 were detected using immunofluorescence techniques. In addition, MyoD expression was observed using immunohistochemistry, and morphological changes in mouse muscle tissue were observed using HE staining. During myoblast differentiation and muscle regeneration, Wnt5a expression was upregulated (P< 0.001) and the Wnt5a signalling pathway was activated. Wnt5a overexpression promoted the expression of MyoD, Myf5, Myogenin, MHC, and Desmin (P< 0.05), and conversely, knockdown of Wnt5a inhibited their expression (P< 0.001). The Wnt5a pathway mediated the opening of Ca2+channels, regulated the expression levels of CaN, NFAT2, MyoD, Myf5, Myogenin, MHC, and Desmin (P< 0.01) and promoted the differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts and the repair and regeneration of injured skeletal muscle. The expression of Wnt5a, CaN, NFAT2, MyoD, Myogenin, Myf5, and MHC in C2C12 myoblast was significantly increased after curcumin intervention (P< 0.05); however, their expression decreased significantly after knocking down Wnt5a on the basis of curcumin intervention (P< 0.05). Similarly, in Wnt5a knockout mice, the promotion of muscle regeneration by curcumin was significantly attenuated. Curcumin can activate the Wnt5a signalling pathway and mediate the opening of Ca2+channels to accelerate the myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells and the repair and regeneration of injured skeletal muscle.

Electrocatalytic CO2reduction serves as an effective strategy to tackle energy crises and mitigate greenhouse gas effects. The development of efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts has been a research hotspot in the field. In this study, we designed four Co-doped single-atom catalysts (Co–Nχ@C) using carbon nanotubes as carriers, these catalysts included tri- and dicoordinated N-doped carbon nanoribbons, as well as tri- and dicoordinated N-doped graphene, respectively denoted as H3(H2)-Co/CNT and 3(2)-Co/CNT. The stable configurations of these Co–Nχ@C catalysts were optimized using the PBE+D3 method. Additionally, we explored the reaction mechanisms of these catalysts for the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2into four C1 products, including CO, HCOOH, CH3OH and CH4, in detail. Upon comparing the limiting potentials (UL) across the Co–Nχ@C catalysts, the activity sequence for the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2was H2–Co/CNT > 3-Co/CNT > H3–Co/CNT > 2-Co/CNT. Meanwhile, our investigation of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with four catalysts elucidated the influence of acidic conditions on the electrocatalytic CO2reduction process. Specifically, controlling the acidity of the solution was crucial when using the H3–Co/CNT and H2–Co/CNT catalysts, while the 3-Co/CNT and 2-Co/CNT catalysts were almost unaffected by the solution’s acidity. We hope that our research will provide a theoretical foundation for designing more effective CO2reduction electrocatalysts.

CO oxidation has been studied for more than a century; however, molecular-level understanding of its activation protocol and related intermediates remains elusive. Here, we present a unified mechanistic and kinetic picture of various electronic metal–support interactions within platinum–carbon catalysts via in situ spectroscopic/kinetic analyses and multi-scale simulations. Transient kinetic analysis and molecular dynamics simulations with a reactive force field provided a quantitative description of the competition between the oxygen association and oxygen dissociation mechanisms tuned by the interfacial charge distribution and CO coverage. Steady-state isotopic transient kinetic analysis and density functional theory calculations revealed a simultaneous shift in the rate-determining step (RDS) from O2* dissociation to O* and CO* and O2* and CO* association. A de novo strategy from the interfacial charge distribution to the reaction mechanism, kinetics/thermodynamics of RDS, and, ultimately, catalytic performance was developed to quantitatively map the above CO activation mechanism with an order-of-magnitude increase in reactivity. The proposed catalytic picture and de novo strategy are expected to prompt the development of theories and methodologies for heterogeneous catalysis.

In the complex space radiation environment, space electronic devices are inevitably damaged by energetic particles, such as protons, leading to degradation of electrical performance. However, previous studies have rarely explored the effect of proton irradiation on the electrical properties of $\boldsymbol {\beta } $ -Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs), and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. This article investigates the effect of 300-MeV proton irradiation on the electrical properties of the $\boldsymbol {\beta } $ -Ga2O3 SBD. The degradation mechanisms are evaluated through current-voltage (I–V), capacitance-voltage (C–V), and deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements. After 300-MeV proton irradiation with the influence of $1\times 10^{{13}}$ p/cm2, the SBD devices show significant reduc- tion in forward current density and breakdown voltage ( ${V} _{\text {br}}$ ). The degradation is related to the decrease in carrier concentration due to the generation of body defects in the epitaxial layer caused by proton irradiation. In addition, further DLTS measurement shows that the body defects induced by 300-MeV proton irradiation are deep energy level defects, energy level ( ${E} _{C}$ – ${E} _{T}$ ) increases from 0.758 to 1.345 eV, and the defect concentration increases from $1.08\times 10^{{13}}$ cm $^{-{3}}$ to $1.51\times 10^{{13}}$ cm $^{-{3}}$ .

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in insects are short peptides that play an important role in their innate defense system. The production of AMPs is typically induced by an infection of pathogenic microorganisms, but cold stress may also cause upregulation of insect AMP genes. However, little is known about the functions of AMPs in cold stress situations and the recovery afterwards. As most important results, in this project with Lasioderma serricorne that can tolerate long storage under cold conditions, we identified and investigated four AMP genes (LsAtt1, LsAtt3, LsCec and LsDef-like). We confirmed their anti-bactericide activity in in vitro assays and in RNAi assays. The cross treatments with cold stress showed that LsDef-like was upregulated under cold stress and its silencing caused a loss of survival. In contrast, the expression of the other three AMPs did not change, and their silencing prolonged the recovery time. We believe that our cross treatments, revealing an association between immune activation and cold stress with AMPs, will increase our basic understanding of the immune system and the “cross-talk” with cold resistance.

The void-free filling of microvia through copper electronic plating in printed circuit board application relies critically on multi-component additives including suppressor, accelerator, and leveler. In this study and for the first time, we have developed a new hypotoxic additive, Polixetonium Chloride (PC), as a single component additive in copper electronic plating. Chronocoulometric measurements and finite element method computations combined with Cu electronic plating indicate that the PC can inhibit copper deposition at the mouth of microvia and improve copper deposition at the bottom of microvia by increasing local current densities. Chronopotentiometric studies and in situ FTIR spectroscopic analysis together with density functional theory calculations illustrate that Cl−behaves the anchor of PC to enhance its adsorption, and the adsorption ability of PC in microvia is gradually weakened from top to bottom, which is in favor of the electrodeposition of cupric ions at the bottom of microvia for void-free filling.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of resveratrol concentrations (0–15%w/w), pH (3–9), and heating conditions (60–90 °C, 20 min) on the physicochemical properties, complexation rate, digestive characteristics, and polyphenol release of resveratrol-wheat/rice starch complexes. It was found that resveratrol decreased the swelling power (wheat starch from 8.62 to 8.29% and rice starch from 11.04 to 10.77% at 10% resveratrol) and transparency (wheat starch from 20.9 to 20.17% and rice starch from 17.17 to 12.2% at 10% resveratrol) of the two starches, and increased the solubility of wheat starch but decreased that of rice starch. Resveratrol at 10% achieved the highest complexation efficiency with wheat/rice starch, with complexation rates of 28.02% and 24.31%, respectively. The process conditions of medium alkaline (pH 7, pH 9) or high temperature (90 °C) were also favorable for the complexation of resveratrol with starch. Resveratrol significantly limited the digestion rate of rice starch and wheat starch (P< 0.05), and when the resveratrol addition was increased from 0 to 10%, the rapidly digestible starch of resveratrol-wheat starch and resveratrol-rice starch decreased by 11.33% and 15.34%, and the resistant starch was elevated by 12.54% and 7.59%. Moreover, the resveratrol-starch complex could effectively protect resveratrol, reduce the destruction by gastric acid, and delay the release of more resveratrol into the intestine (resveratrol-rice starch prepared at 10% resveratrol and 70 °C was able to reach 42.37%). Structural analyses showed that resveratrol and starch were mainly connected through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. Overall, the results indicated that resveratrol has great prospects for regulating postprandial blood glucose levels following the consumption of starch foods and provides novel insights into the future development of functional starch foods.

Dietary exposure to aflatoxin B1(AFB1) is harmful to the health and performance of domestic animals. The hepatic cytochrome P450s (CYPs), CYP1A1 and CYP2A6, are the primary enzymes responsible for the bioactivation of AFB1to the highly toxic exo-AFB1-8,9-epoxide (AFBO) in chicks. However, the transcriptional regulation mechanism of these CYP genes in the liver of chicks in AFB1metabolism remains unknown. Dual-luciferase reporter assay, bioinformatics and site-directed mutation results indicated that specificity protein 1 (SP1) and activator protein-1 (AP-1) motifs were located in the core region −1,063/−948, −606/−541 of the CYP1A1promoter as well as −636/−595, −503/−462, −147/−1 of the CYP2A6promoter. Furthermore, overexpression and decoy oligodeoxynucleotide technologies demonstrated that SP1 and AP-1 were pivotal transcriptional activators regulating the promoter activity of CYP1A1and CYP2A6. Moreover, bioactivation of AFB1to AFBO could be increased by upregulation of CYP1A1and CYP2A6expression, which was trans-activated owing to the upregulalion of AP-1, rather than SP1, stimulated by AFB1-induced reactive oxygen species. Additionally, nano-selenium could reduce ROS, downregulate AP-1 expression and then decrease the expression of CYP1A1and CYP2A6, thus alleviating the toxicity of AFB1. In conclusion, AP-1 and SP1 played important roles in the transactivation of CYP1A1 and CYP2A6 expression and further bioactivated AFB1to AFBO in chicken liver, which could provide novel targets for the remediation of aflatoxicosis in chicks.

A copper(I)-catalyzed protocol is developed for the synthesis of various 2,3-diaroylquinolines starting from achiral ammonium salts and anthranils through [4+1+1] annulation. Using copper(I) chloride as the sole catalyst, this reaction is featured with easily available starting materials, broad substrate scope, good yields and simple reaction conditions.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can invade and cause harm to the human body through various pathways, but there is currently little research on the relationship between mixed‐PAHs exposure and periodontitis. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of mixed‐urinary PAHs exposure on periodontitis in adults in the United States. The cross‐sectional study included 2749 subjects selected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009–2014 cycles. A professional examination of the periodontal status was conducted to distinguish between periodontitis and non‐periodontitis based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/American Academy of Periodontology (CDC/AAP) case definition. Laboratory testing of urine samples was performed to obtain the levels of urinary PAHs. Pearson correlation coefficients were utilized to determine the degree of correlation between urinary PAHs, while weighted binary logistic regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were employed to evaluate the relationship between urinary PAHs and periodontitis. In a single‐exposure model, 3‐hydroxyfluorene (OH‐3F), 2‐hydroxyfluorene (OH‐2F), 1‐hydroxyphenanthrene (OH‐1Ph), and 2‐hydroxyphenanthrene and 3‐hydroxyphenanthrene (OH‐2,3Ph) were positively associated with periodontitis risk. In the mixed‐exposure model, BKMR analysis demonstrated that mixed exposure to urinary PAHs was positively associated with periodontitis, with OH‐2F being the most critical factor for the overall mixed effects (posterior inclusion probability [PIP] = 0.98). Univariate exposure–response function and univariate effects analysis revealed a positive correlation between urinary OH‐2F levels and periodontitis. The study reveals a significant positive correlation between exposure to mixed PAHs and periodontitis, with a particular emphasis on the pivotal role of OH‐2F. Mitigating PAHs in the environment may serve as a preventive measure against periodontitis and alleviate its global public health burden.

Background: Cervical spondylosis (CS) is a prevalent disorder that can have a major negative impact on quality of life. Traditional conservative treatment has limited efficacy, and electroacupuncture (EA) is a novel treatment option. We investigated the application and molecular mechanism of EA treatment in a rat model of cervical intervertebral disk degeneration (CIDD).Methods: The CIDD rat model was established, following which rats in the electroacupuncture (EA) group received EA. For overexpression of IL-22 or inhibition of JAK2-STAT3 signaling, the rats were injected intraperitoneally with recombinant IL-22 protein (p-IL-22) or the JAK2-STAT3 (Janus kinase 2—signal transducer and activator of transcription protein 3) inhibitor AG490 after model establishment. Rat nucleus pulposus (NP) cells were isolated and cultured. Cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry were used to analyze the viability and apoptosis of the NP cells. Expression of IL-22, JAK2 and STAT3 was determined using RT-qPCR. Expression of IL-22/JAK2-STAT3 pathway and apoptosis related proteins was detected by Western blotting (WB).Results: EA protected the NP tissues of CIDD rats by regulating the IL-22/JAK2-STAT3 pathway. Overexpression of IL-22 significantly promoted the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-6, IL-1β, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)3 and MMP13 compared with the EA group. WB demonstrated that the expression of IL-22, p-JAK2, p-STAT3, caspase-3 and Bax in NP cells of the EA group was significantly reduced and Bcl-2 elevated compared with the model group. EA regulated cytokines and MMP through activation of IL-22/JAK2-STAT3 signaling in CIDD rat NP cells.Conclusion: We demonstrated that EA affected apoptosis by regulating the IL-22/JAK2-STAT3 pathway in NP cells and reducing inflammatory factors in the CIDD rat model. The results extend our knowledge of the mechanisms of action underlying the effects of EA as a potential treatment approach for CS in clinical practice.

Vacancy-ordered perovskites A2M4+X6have shown potential in luminescence and photocatalytic applications, while limited research on them for solar cells exists. Previous studies have demonstrated that Cs2TiI6and Cs2TiBr6possess good stability and high optical absorption coefficients in the visible light range but have undesirable bandgap characteristics. In response to the shortcoming, we investigated the bandgap properties of Cs2TiIxBr6–xand further conducted a comprehensive analysis of the intrinsic defect properties and structural stability of Cs2TiIBr5and Cs2TiI2Br4. We find that as-yet-unsynthesized Cs2TiIBr5has a direct bandgap of 1.39 eV. Additionally, our results reveal that Cs2TiIBr5is thermodynamically stable and exhibits good defect tolerance. Notably, Cs2TiIBr5is expected to exhibit n-type conductivity with a considerable concentration of charge carriers under Ti-rich/Cs-rich/I-poor chemical potential conditions. Overall, our findings provide valuable theoretical insights that facilitate the experimental synthesis of new vacancy-ordered perovskites.

Thermoplastic polyamide elastomers (TPAEs) have received increasing attention due to their excellent mechanical, heat, and abrasion resistance properties. In this study, a series of novel and high-performance PAPXD14/1214-PTMG elastomers were synthesized using polyamide hard segments with an aromatic ring structure and polyether soft segments. The properties of PAPXD14/1214-PTMG elastomers can be regulated by changing the aromatic ring ratio and the hard segment content. Their structure, heat resistance, and mechanical properties were systematically investigated. It is found that the tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and Vicat softening temperature (VST) of PAPXD14/1214-PTMG elastomers increase with the increase of hard segment content. Meanwhile, when the content of benzene rings is 80% in the hard segment (TPAE-8:2), the elastomer shows the best comprehensive performance. The tensile strength of TPAE-8:2-61% (hard segment content is 61%) is up to 41.1 MPa, and the Young’s modulus is 111.6 MPa, which are much superior values to those of the commercial Pebax@5533 (tensile strength, 26.1 MPa; Young’s modulus, 75.2 MPa). Especially, the VST and Tmof TPAE-8:2-50% are 61.7 and 64.5 °C higher than those of Pebax@4033, respectively. This demonstrated that the as-synthesized PAPXD14/1214-PTMG elastomers have obvious advantages in mechanical properties and heat resistance, thus giving them the potential to be widely used in various industrial fields.

• A carboxylate ester-based electrolyte operating at ultra-low temperatures was designed by a cosolvent strategy for SIBs. • Ex-situ XPS and high-resolution TEM indicated the uniform, thin and robust cathode/electrolyte interface formed. • The Na||NVPOF half cells can achieve the capacity retention of 96% after 100 cycles at 0.1 C at -40 °C. With the continuous advancement of industrialization, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) need to operate in various challenging circumstances, particularly in extremely cold conditions. However, at ultra-low temperatures, the reduced ionic conductivity and sluggish Na+ migration of commonly carbonate-based electrolytes will inevitably lead to a sharp decrease in the capacity of SIBs. Herein, we design a carboxylate ester-based electrolyte with excellent ultra-low temperature performance by straightforward cosolvent strategy. Due to the low viscosity, melting point, and sufficient ionic conductivity of the designed electrolyte, the resulting Na||Na 3 V 2 (PO 4) 2 O 2 F can achieve the capacity retention of 96% (100 cycles at 0.1 C) at –40 °C and can also operate stably even at –50 °C. Besides, galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT), ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) tests are employed to analyze and confirm that the carboxylate ester-based electrolyte promotes robust and uniform cathode/electrolyte interface layer formation and accelerates ion diffusion kinetics, which collectively facilitates the better low-temperature performance. In addition, the assembled hard carbon||NVPOF full cells further prove the practicability of the carboxylate ester-based electrolyte at low-temperature, which delivers high discharge capacity of 108.4 and 73.0 mAh g–1 at –25 and –40 °C. This work affords a new avenue for designing advanced low-temperature electrolytes for SIBs. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic vision perception and processing (DVPP) is in high demand by booming edge artificial intelligence. However, existing imaging systems suffer from low efficiency or low compatibility with advanced machine vision techniques. Here, we propose a reconfigurable bipolar image sensor (RBIS) for in-sensor DVPP based on a two-dimensional WSe2/GeSe heterostructure device. Owing to the gate-tunable and reversible built-in electric field, its photoresponse shows bipolarity as being positive or negative. High-efficiency DVPP incorporating front-end RBIS and back-end CNN is then demonstrated. It shows a high recognition accuracy of over 94.9% on the derived DVS128 data set and requires much fewer neural network parameters than that without RBIS. Moreover, we demonstrate an optimized device with a vertically stacked structure and a stable nonvolatile bipolarity, which enables more efficient DVPP hardware. Our work demonstrates the potential of fabricating DVPP devices with a simple structure, high efficiency, and outputs compatible with advanced algorithms.

A better understanding of the impact of lifestyle factors on cognitive function in older adults is critical for developing intervention strategies to achieve successful aging. Moreover, older adults who fulfill the World Health Organization criteria for anemia have a significantly higher risk of developing dementia. In the current study, we aimed to assess the buffering effects of lifestyle on cognitive function in older Chinese adults through a nationally representative survey. The sample consisted of 1201 participants (mean age: 82.39 ± 12.08 years, 52.1% female) from the 2011/2012 and 2014 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to explore the relationship between changes in lifestyle factors and the rate of cognitive function changes, as well as the effects of the interaction between lifestyle factors and anemia on cognitive function changes. Increased levels of participation in leisure activities, social activities, and dietary diversity delayed cognitive decline. Persistent anemia accelerated cognitive decline, while frequent participation in leisure activities delayed cognitive decline due to anemia. The increased levels of participation in leisure activities, social activities, and dietary diversity can alleviate the cognitive decline caused by aging itself, and more frequently participation in leisure activities can also alleviate the adverse effects of anemia on cognitive function in older adults.

Artificial diets for silkworms overcome the seasonal limitations of traditional rearing methods with fresh mulberry leaves. However, the current wet artificial diets, steamed at high temperatures, are not favored by silkworms, and they are cumbersome and challenging to preserve. These conditions adversely affected the development of artificial diet-based sericulture production. In this study, we disinfected dry powder diets with radiation and added distilled water without steaming before use. Then, the nutritional value of finished diets and their impact on silkworm development was assessed. Compared with steamed diets, nonsteamed diets were more attractive to silkworms. Chemical assays showed significantly more essential nutrients for silkworms, including l-ascorbic acid, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and urease in nonsteamed diets than in steamed diets. Feeding fifth-instar silkworm larvae with nonsteamed diets significantly improved the ammonia utilization efficiency of the diet and increased the cocoon shell rate and diet/silk protein conversion efficiency by 5.9% and 13.3%, respectively. When fed with nonsteamed diets, the abundance of aerobic microorganisms in silkworm intestines increased and the abundance of pathogenic bacteria decreased. Furthermore, the vitality of the silkworm, measured by the dead worm cocoon rate, significantly improved by 16.90%. In summary, preparing sterile wet diets without high-temperature steaming effectively improved the nutritional value of the diet and enhanced silkworm growth.Graphical Abstract

Bacterial diseases could severely harm agricultural production. To develop new antibacterial agents, the secondary metabolites of a deep-sea-derived fungus Simplicillium obclavatumEIODSF 020 with antibacterial activities against plant and fish pathogens were investigated by a bioassay-guided approach, which led to the isolation of 11 new peptaibiotics, simplicpeptaibs A–K (1–11). They contain 16–19 residues, including β-alanine, tyrosine, or tyrosine O-sulfate, that were rarely present in peptaibiotics. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses (NMR, HRMS, HRMS2, and ECD) and Marfey’s method. The primary and secondary structures of novel sulfated peptaibiotic 9were reconfirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Genome sequencing of S. obclavatumEIODSF 020 allowed the detection of a gene cluster encoding two individual NRPSs (totally containing 19 modules) that was closely related to simplicpeptaib biosynthesis. Antibacterial investigations of 1–11together with the previously isolated linear and cyclic peptides from this strain suggested the antibacterial property of this fungus was attributed to the peptaibiotics and cyclic lipopeptides. Among them, compounds 4, 6, 7, and 9showed significant activity against the tobacco pathogen Ralstonia solanacearumor tilapia pathogens Streptococcus iniaeand Streptococcus agalactiae. The antibacterial activity of 6against R. solanacearumcould be enhanced by the addition of 1% NaCl. The structure–bioactivity relationship of simplicpeptaibs was discussed.

Currently, the desired research focus in energy storage technique innovation has been gradually shifted to next-generation aqueous batteries holding both high performance and sustainability. However, aqueous Zn–I2batteries have been deemed to have great sustainable potential, owing to the merits of cost-effective and eco-friendly nature. However, their commercial application is hindered by the serious shuttle effect of polyiodides during reversible operations. In this work, a Janus functional binder based on chitosan (CTS) molecules was designed and prepared; the polar terminational groups impart excellent mechanical robustness to hybrid binders; meanwhile, it can also deliver isochronous enhancement on physical adsorption and redox kinetics toward I2species. By feat of highly effective remission to shuttle effect, the CTS cell exhibits superb electrochemical storage capacities with long-term robustness, specifically, 144.1 mAh g–1, at a current density of 0.2 mA g–1after 1500 cycles. Simultaneously, the undesired self-discharging issue could be also well-addressed; the Coulombic efficiency could remain at 98.8 % after resting for 24 h. More importantly, CTS molecules endow good biodegradability and reusable properties; after iodine species were reloaded, the recycled devices could also deliver specific capacities of 73.3 mAh g–1, over 1000 cycles. This Janus binder provides a potential synchronous solution to realize high comprehensive performance with high iodine utilization and further make it possible for sustainable Zn–I2batteries.

The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is still unclear. The objective is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tDCS in improving symptoms in patients with KOA. The following electronic databases were searched for eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs): PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. The search was performed from the inception dates to April 30, 2023. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed by two independent reviewers. Standard mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for pooled data were calculated. A random‐effects model was used for the data analyses. The primary outcomes were pain and physical function. Secondary outcomes included stiffness, mobility performance, quality of life, pressure pain tolerance, and plasma levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This meta‐analysis included 13 RCTs. tDCS was significantly associated with pain decrease compared with sham tDCS (SMD = −0.62, 95% CI −0.87 to −0.37, P< 0.00001). When comparing tDCS plus other non‐tDCS with sham tDCS plus other non‐tDCS, there was no longer a significant association with pain decrease (SMD = −0.45, 95% CI −1.08 to 0.17, P= 0.16). The changes in physical function were not significantly different between the tDCS and sham tDCS groups (SMD = −0.09, 95% CI −0.56 to 0.38, P= 0.71). When comparing tDCS plus other non‐tDCS with sham tDCS plus other non‐tDCS, there was still no significant association with improvement in physical function (SMD = −0.66, 95% CI −1.63 to 0.30, P= 0.18). There was no significant difference with improvement in stiffness (SMD = −0.21, 95% CI −0.77 to 0.34, P= 0.45), mobility performance (SMD = 4.58, 95% CI −9.21 to 18.37, P= 0.51), quality of life (SMD = −7.01, 95% CI −22.61 to 8.59, P= 0.38), and pressure pain tolerance (SMD = 0.30, 95% CI −0.09 to 0.69, P= 0.13). There was a statistically significant reduction in plasma levels of BDNF (SMD = −13.57, 95% CI −24.23 to −2.92, P= 0.01). In conclusion, tDCS could significantly alleviate pain, but it might have no efficacy in physical function, stiffness, mobility performance, quality of life, and pressure pain tolerance among patients with KOA.

ABSTRACT This review summarizes the latest research progress in regard to the bond behavior of corroded reinforcing steel bar. The literature survey indicates that the previous studies mainly focus on [...]

Since sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have become increasingly commercialized in recent years, Na3V2(PO4)2O2F (NVPOF) offers promising economic potential as a cathode for SIBs because of its high operating voltage and energy density. According to reports, NVPOF performs poorly in normal commercial poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) binder systems and performs best in combination with aqueous binder. Although in line with the concept of green and sustainable development for future electrode preparation, aqueous binders are challenging to achieve high active material loadings at the electrode level, and their relatively high surface tension tends to cause the active material on the electrode sheet to crack or even peel off from the collector. Herein, a cross-linkable and easily commercial hybrid binder constructed by intermolecular hydrogen bonding (named HPP) has been developed and utilized in an NVPOF system, which enables the generation of a stable cathode electrolyte interphase on the surface of active materials. According to theoretical simulations, the HPP binder enhances electronic/ionic conductivity, which greatly lowers the energy barrier for Na+migration. Additionally, the strong hydrogen-bond interactions between the HPP binder and NVPOF effectively prevent electrolyte corrosion and transition-metal dissolution, lessen the lattice volume effect, and ensure structural stability during cycling. The HPP-based NVPOF offers considerably improved rate capability and cycling performance, benefiting from these benefits. This comprehensive binder can be extended to the development of next-generation energy storage technologies with superior performance.

Surfactants with multiple polar groups have shown promising applications, while the molecular mechanism that distinguishes them from conventional surfactants remains unclear. Herein, a novel surfactant, BETX, which contains two polar groups was designed, and the effect of intramolecular interaction on its molecular mechanism was elucidated. MD simulations, DFT calculations, and UV spectroscopy revealed that the BETX molecules fold due to p–p stacking and various other weak interactions, which enhances the binding ability of BETX to Cu2+while reducing that to Fe3+. Interestingly, the synergism of ionic xanthate groups and nonionic thionocarbamate groups enables the thionocarbamate groups to react with Cu2+in aqueous solutions. This selective synergistic behavior endowed BETX with excellent selective flotation ability for chalcopyrite, with a dosage an order of magnitude lower than that of traditional collectors. ToF-SIMS, FTIR, and XPS demonstrated that BETX interacts with chalcopyrite through the xanthate group and the deprotonated thionocarbamate group. Each N and S atom in the molecule can form chemical bonds with copper sites. Comparative assessments of Cu2+binding between unfolded bipolar surfactants with rigid structures have confirmed the reinforcing effect of folding synergism in BETX molecules. The revelation of this intramolecular folding-synergistic mechanism holds profound significance, offering crucial insights into the operational mechanisms of multipolar surfactants and facilitating precise molecular design for future advancements.

In recent decades, numerous instances of blockages have been reported in coastal nuclear power plants globally, leading to serious safety accidents such as power reduction, manual or automatic power loss, or shutdown of nuclear power units. Loss or shortage of cooling water may compromise the reliability of the cooling water system, thus threatening the operational safety of power plants and resulting in revenue reduction. This study provides a comprehensive review of the current state of cooling water system safety in coastal nuclear power plants worldwide and the common challenges they face, as well as the relevant research on cooling water system safety issues. The research overview and progress in investigation methods, outbreak mechanisms, prevention and control measures, and practical cases of blockages were summarized. Despite existing research, there are still many shortcomings regarding the pertinence, comprehensiveness and prospects of related research, and many problems urgently need to be solved. The most fundamental concern involves understanding the list of potential risks of blockages and their spatially distributed effects in surrounding waters. Furthermore, knowledge of the biological cycles and ecological habits of key organisms is essential for implementing risk prevention and control and for building a scientific and effective monitoring system.

There is a U-shaped relationship between dietary selenium (Se) ingestion and optimal sperm quality.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy and parsing ability of GPT 4.0 for Japanese medical practitioner qualification examinations in a multidimensional way to investigate its response accuracy and comprehensiveness to medical knowledge. Methods: We evaluated the performance of the GPT 4.0 on Japanese Medical Licensing Examination (JMLE) questions (2021–2023). Questions are categorized by difficulty and type, with distinctions between general and clinical parts, as well as between single-choice (MCQ1) and multiple-choice (MCQ2) questions. Difficulty levels were determined on the basis of correct rates provided by the JMLE Preparatory School. The accuracy and quality of the GPT 4.0 responses were analyzed via an improved Global Qualily Scale (GQS) scores, considering both the chosen options and the accompanying analysis. Descriptive statistics and Pearson Chi-square tests were used to examine performance across exam years, question difficulty, type, and choice. GPT 4.0 ability was evaluated via the GQS, with comparisons made via the Mann-Whitney Uor Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: The correct response rate and parsing ability of the GPT4.0 to the JMLE questions reached the qualification level (80.4%). In terms of the accuracy of the GPT4.0 response to the JMLE, we found significant differences in accuracy across both difficulty levels and option types. According to the GQS scores for the GPT 4.0 responses to all the JMLE questions, the performance of the questionnaire varied according to year and choice type. Conclusion: GTP4.0 performs well in providing basic support in medical education and medical research, but it also needs to input a large amount of medical-related data to train its model and improve the accuracy of its medical knowledge output. Further integration of ChatGPT with the medical field could open new opportunities for medicine.

Aim: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most common cause of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Remnant cholesterol has been investigated as a predictor for the progression of DN in type 1 diabetes mellitus patients, as well as the incidence of DN in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. This study aimed to evaluate the longitudinal relationship between baseline remnant cholesterol and kidney outcomes using a Chinese T2DM with biopsy-confirmed DN cohort. Methods: We included 334 patients with T2DM and biopsy-confirmed DN during 2010–2019 West China Hospital T2DM-DN cohort. Remnant cholesterol was defined by Martin-Hopkins equation. Patients were divided into four groups based on the median (IQR) remnant cholesterol concentration at the time of renal biopsy. The kidney outcome was defined as ESKD, which was defined as the need for chronic kidney replacement therapy or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) &lt; 15 mL/min/1.73 m2. The relationship between remnant cholesterol and kidney outcome was analyzed using the Kaplan‒Meier method and Cox regression analysis. Results: The mean age was 51.1 years, and 235 (70%) were men. During follow-up, a total of 121 (36.2%) patients reached ESKD. The Kaplan‒Meier analysis showed that patients in the highest quartile (quartile 4) group had lower cumulative renal survival (log-rank test, p = 0.033) and shorter median renal survival time [34.0 (26.4–41.6) vs. 55.0 (29.8–80.2) months] than patients in the lowest quartile (quartile 1) group. By univariate analysis, the high remnant cholesterol group was associated with a higher risk of progression to ESKD. Moreover, the risk of progression to ESKD in the highest quartile was still 2.857-fold (95% CI 1.305–6.257, p = 0.009) higher than that in the lowest quartile, and one-SD increase of remnant cholesterol was associated with a higher risk (HR = 1.424; 95% CI 1.075–1.886, p = 0.014) of progression to ESKD, after adjusted for confounding factors. Conclusions: High remnant cholesterol is independently associated with a higher risk of ESKD in patients with T2DM-DN, and it may be a new noninvasive marker of ESKD. Clinical relevance: Calculated remnant cholesterol has the advantages of being economical and clinically accessible. Moreover, to our knowledge, there are no longitudinal cohort studies for investigating the risk of progression of T2DM-DN to ESKD. In our study, higher remnant cholesterol was associated with a higher risk of ESKD in patients with T2DM-DN, and it may be a new noninvasive predictor of ESKD.

The Xiong'an New Area (XNA) is a nationally designated region characterized by prominent emerging trends, intensive human activities, and rapid urbanization. However there needs to be more clarity regarding the comprehensive investigation of land use management impact and climate factors on soil properties within this area. We collected 544 composite topsoil samples from this region to investigate the relationship between soil properties and land use types. We analyzed how climate factors affects soil properties using geostatistics, ArcGIS, Mantel test, structural equation modeling, and random forest regression. We observed moderate levels of total nitrogen (TN), soil organic matter (SOM), total phosphorus (TP), and total potassium (TK) content, characterized by a strong overall trend in TP and TK. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of soil water content (SWC), salt salinity (SS), and electrical conductivity (EC) displayed a patchy pattern, with high-value regions predominantly concentrated in the southern, western, and northwestern areas. Path modeling unveiled the substantial influence of mean annual relative humidity (MARH) and mean annual temperature (MAT) on SOM in farmlands and park-green lands. In contrast, mean annual precipitation (MAP), MAT, and MARH exerted notable total effects on SOM in woodlands. Significant variations in soil physicochemical characteristics were observed among different land use types, particularly notable in farmlands and inland tidal flats compared to woodlands and park-green lands. These findings highlight the complex interplay between climatic factors and urban soil organic matter levels across diverse land uses, influenced by soil total nitrogen levels.

NH3gas sensors operating at room temperature, consisting of Ag nanoparticles decorated β-AgVO3nanorods (Ag/β-AgVO3NRs), were fabricated viaa facile hydrothermal method without the need for a template. The surface characteristics and compositions of Ag/β-AgVO3NRs were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Ag nanoparticles, ranging in diameter from approximately 20 to 40 nm, were dispersed on the surface of monoclinic β-AgVO3NRs with diameters ranging from 50 to 105 nm and lengths from 0.3 to 1.3 μm. The NH3gas sensing properties of Ag/β-AgVO3NRs were studied under both dry air and humid conditions at room temperature. Comparative analysis demonstrated that the Ag/β-AgVO3NRs exhibited a strong response to NH3gas under 70% relative humidity (RH) at room temperature compared to α-AgVO3NRs. Specifically, the response of the Ag/β-AgVO3NRs to 5 ppm NH3increased by 2.25 times as the RH varied from 20% to 80% at room temperature. This enhanced response was attributed to the effects of formation of nanoheterojunctions, nano-metallic Ag activity and the conductivity of NH4+and OH−ions induced by the presence of humidity. The room temperature NH3gas sensors based on Ag/β-AgVO3NRs demonstrated strong responses to low NH3concentrations, high selectivity, good reproducibility, and long-term stability, and show promise for the development of low-power and cost-effective NH3gas sensors for practical applications even under high humidity.

Manipulation of the surface properties of the triboelectric layer has been proven to be one of the key parameters to achieve high-performance and stable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG). Herein, a pragmatic surface engineering strategy that can substantially boost the performance and stability of flexible TENG is elaborated by incorporating the zwitterionic molecule dimethylethylammoniumpropane sulfonate (NDSB) as the surface modification layer. Given that zwitterionic molecules tend to form aggregated structures, realizing ordered arrangement on the substrate surface remains challenging to date. To address this issue, in this work, a combination of multiple surface treatments and molecular manipulation strategy is proposed. Our results prove that NDSB is effective in modifying the surface properties of the dielectric layer and electrode layer, leading to a remarkable power density and specific power of 2.86 W m−2and 20.73 mW g−1for flexible TENG, respectively. In addition, due to the strong interaction between the NDSB/dielectric and NDSB/electrode, a water-resistant long-term stable flexible TENG is realized. More encouragingly, our strategy is compatible with a cost-effective dip-coating technique, and an unprecedented demonstration of batch fabrication of TENG using NDSB to functionalize the surface of the dielectric layer and electrode layer synchronously can be realized, which is advantageous for rapid and up-scalable manufacturing of TENG. We also prove that the TENG based on zwitterionic materials reveals exceptional antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli. This study represents an important step towards the development of long-term stable flexible TENG that possesses a high output performance and excellent antibacterial activity based on a facile and economical strategy, enabling TENG technology to show bright prospects in a wide variety of application domains.

The effect of membrane transporters on drug disposition, efficacy and safety is now well recognized. Since the initial publication from the International Transporter Consortium, significant progress has been made in understanding the roles and functions of transporters, as well as in the development of tools and models to assess and predict transporter-mediated activity, toxicity and drug–drug interactions (DDIs). Notable advances include an increased understanding of the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on transporter activity, the application of physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling in predicting transporter-mediated drug disposition, the identification of endogenous biomarkers to assess transporter-mediated DDIs and the determination of the cryogenic electron microscopy structures of SLC and ABC transporters. This article provides an overview of these key developments, highlighting unanswered questions, regulatory considerations and future directions.

To investigate the effects of rapeseed oil on body composition, blood glucose and lipid metabolism in people with overweight and obesity compared to other cooking oils. We searched eight databases for randomized controlled studies (including randomized crossover trials). The risk of bias for the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria were used to evaluate the quality of the outcomes. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. Sensitivity analysis was used to check the stability of the pooled results. Statistical analysis was carried out using Review Manager 5.3 software. As a result, fifteen randomized controlled studies (including six parallel studies and nine crossover studies) were included in this study. Compared to other edible oils, rapeseed oil significantly reduced low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (MD = −0.14 mmol/L, 95% CI: −0.21, −0.08, I2= 0%, P< 0.0001), apolipoprotein B (ApoB) (MD = −0.03 g/L, 95% CI: −0.05, −0.01, I2= 0%, P= 0.0003), ApoB/ApoA1 (MD = −0.02, 95% CI: −0.04, −0.00, I2= 0%, P= 0.02) and insulin (MD = −12.45 pmol/L, 95% CI: −19.61, −5.29, I2= 37%, P= 0.0007) levels, and increased fasting glucose (MD = 0.16 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.27, I2= 27%, P= 0.003) levels. However, the differences in body weight and body composition between rapeseed oil and control oils were not significant. In a word, rapeseed oil is effective in reducing LDL-C, ApoB and ApoB/ApoA1 levels in people with overweight and obesity, which is helpful in preventing and reducing the risk of atherosclerosis. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022333436.

To investigate the fracture initiation mechanisms and establish the relationship between the ductile fracture mechanism and macro stress–strain for high-strength structural steel, the mechanical response and fracture behavior of Q460C steel and its butt welds were studied via tests, numerical analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in this paper. The mechanical properties of high-strength steel (HSS) under different stress triaxialities were studied by uniaxial tensile tests on standard specimens and notched round rods. The finite element model is set up according to the characteristic length which is based on SEM observations. By combining experimental results and numerical simulations, the constitutive model and fracture prediction model were established. The relationship between the ductile fracture mechanism and the macro stress strain was obtained. The toughness parameters of the micromechanical model of Q460C steel and its welded joints were compared with those of Q345 steel and seven other types of structural steel from the United States and Japan. The results show that the characteristic length of the crack tip is the key factor affecting the accuracy of predicting fracture toughness under a large stress–strain gradient. The toughness predicted by the model is in good agreement with the traditional fracture toughness test results when taking the average value. The experimental results and finite element analysis verified the effectiveness of the VGM and SMCS micromechanical models in predicting the fracture toughness of Q460C steel and its welded joints, which can provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the anti-fracture design and application of HSS structures.

To optimize the utilization of straw resources and devise appropriate nitrogen fertilizer application strategies, this study centers on enhancing soil productivity while boosting double-season maize yield in Guangxi, ultimately aiming to foster sustainable agricultural development while pursuing yield. It was a five-year split-plot study where the main plots were straw return and traditional planting treatments, and the subscript were 0 and 250 kg ha− 1N fertilizer applications. The soil physicochemical property were determined in 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm soil depth. Furthermore, soil samples were fractionated into different size aggregates, followed by a measurement of aggregate distribution and nutrient content. Our findings revealed a distribution trend of large macro-aggregates (> 2000 μm) > small macro-aggregates (250–2000 μm) > micro-aggregates (53–250 μm), with a notably small proportion of aggregates < 0.053 μm. Specifically, 250 kg ha− 1nitrogen application under straw return (SRN250) demonstrated an enhancement in soil aggregate organic carbon (SOC) content, leading to improved soil physical attributes and stability within the 0–40 cm soil depth. Changes in aggregate total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total potassium were predominantly observed in the 0–20 cm soil depth. Furthermore, a positive correlation was established between SOC and aggregate stability. The experimental results show that the SRN250 management practice can not only increase maize yields but also enhance the soil fertility within five years. Additionally, the study highlights the crucial role of SOC content in facilitating aggregate formation and increasing large macro-aggregates distribution, indicating the importance of maintaining SOC content for soil health and sustainability.

This paper investigates the output feedback robust stabilization problem for a class of switched nonlinear fuzzy systems, in which the premise variables depend on the state variables and do not measured directly. A switched state observer is designed to obtain the estimation of the immeasurable states. By using the parallel distributed compensation (PDC) design method and the multiple Lyapunov function approach, an output feedback controller and the switching laws are developed. To obtain the feasible solutions of the control and observer gain matrixes, a novel decoupled method is proposed, and the sufficient conditions of guaranteeing the stability of the control system conditions can be transformed into some linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which can be easily solved. Two simulation examples are provided to show the effectiveness of the suggested theoretical results.

AbstractThe frequent occurrence of extreme drought events in Guangxi has caused huge losses to human beings and economy in the region for many years. For fine identification of drought evolution characteristics, this study adopted the objective identification method of regional extreme events (OITREE) to carry out the comprehensive feature identification involving multidimensional elements such as intensity, duration and area of meteorological drought events based on the daily standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) data of Guangxi from 1979 to 2018a. By comparing the evolution characteristics of drought elements identified by grid SPEI statistical analysis and OITREE, a comprehensive analysis framework for drought characteristics of multidimensional factor’s measurement is formed in this study. Specifically, the grid analysis is more convenient to identify single point drought characteristics, and the OITREE method is better at describing the overall spatiotemporal evolution of drought events. The study found that flash droughts and seasonal droughts occurred alternately and were superimposed concurrently in Guangxi, and the multidimensional spatial and temporal characteristics of these two types of droughts were significantly different. In concrete terms, the average annual frequency of flash drought events in Guangxi was 2.0–3.8, the average annual duration varied from 20 to 60 d, and the concentration point of drought events had a region-wide dispersion; while the average annual frequency of seasonal drought events in Guangxi was 0.82–1.65, the average annual duration varied from 40 to 105 d, and the concentration point of drought events had a local concentration. Furthermore, for the flash drought, seasonal drought and total drought in Guangxi, the three-dimension clustering method was introduced to realize the comprehensive intensity spatial heterogeneity clustering partition and temporal heterogeneity clustering mapping of meteorological drought in Guangxi. The research results can provide important scientific support for promoting the operational risk assessment and regulation of regional drought disasters and forecasting and warning.

In this study, we investigated a novel approach to fabricate multifunctional ionic gel sensors by using deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as replacements for water. When two distinct DESs were combined, customizable mechanical and conductive properties were created, resulting in improved performance compared with traditional hydrogel-based strain sensors. DES ionic gels possess superior mechanical properties, transparency, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial properties, making them suitable for a wide range of applications such as flexible electronics, soft robotics, and healthcare. We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the DES ionic gels, evaluating their performance under extreme temperature conditions (−70 to 80 °C), impressive optical transparency (94%), and biocompatibility. Furthermore, a series of tests were conducted to evaluate the antibacterial performance (Escherichia coli) of the DES ionic gels. Their wide strain (1–400%) and temperature (15–50 °C)-sensing ranges demonstrate the versatility and adaptability of DES ionic gels for diverse sensing requirements. The resulting DES ionic gels were successfully applied in human activity and vital sign monitoring, demonstrating their potential for biointegrated sensing devices and healthcare applications. This study offers valuable insights into the development and optimization of hydrogel sensors, particularly for applications that require environmental stability, biocompatibility, and antibacterial performance, thereby paving the way for future advancements in this field.

Heat stress induces multi-organ damage and serious physiological dysfunction in mammals, and gut bacteria may translocate to extra-intestinal tissues under heat stress pathology. However, whether gut bacteria translocate to the key metabolic organs and impair function as a result of heat stress remains unknown. Using a heat stress-induced mouse model, heat stress inhibited epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) expansion and induced lipid metabolic disorder but did not damage other organs, such as the heart, liver, spleen, or muscle. Microbial profiling analysis revealed that heat stress shifted the bacterial community in the cecum and eWAT but not in the inguinal white adipose tissue, blood, heart, liver, spleen, or muscle. Notably, gut-vascular barrier function was impaired, and the levels of some bacteria, particularly Lactobacillus, were higher in the eWAT, as confirmed by catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situhybridization (CARD-FISH) staining when mice were under heat stress. Moreover, integrated multi-omics analysis showed that the eWAT microbiota was associated with host lipid metabolism, and the expression of genes involved in the lipid metabolism in eWAT was upregulated under heat stress. A follow-up microbial supplementation study after introducing Lactobacillus plantarumto heat-stressed mice revealed that the probiotic ameliorated heat stress-induced loss of eWAT and dyslipidemia and reduced gut bacterial translocation to the eWAT by improving gut barrier function. Overall, our findings suggest that gut bacteria, particularly Lactobacillusspp., play a crucial role in heat stress-induced lipid metabolism disorder and that there is therapeutic potential for using probiotics, such as Lactobacillus plantarum.

In this work, we have comprehensively investigated the degradation behaviors and mechanism of 1.2 kV silicon carbide (SiC) metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) under repetitive surge current stress. The experimental results show that the negative drift of threshold voltage ( ${V}_{\text {th}}$ ) is related to the gate turn-off voltage and the surge current. The gate leakage current ( ${I}_{\text {gss}}$ ) increases by about one order of magnitude after the stress. The deterioration of the electrical parameters is considered to be the gate oxide degradation associated with the increase of SiC/SiO2 interface traps. By using the low-frequency noise (LFN) technique, it is demonstrated that the trap density of the device with the most severe degradation after the stress becomes 3.5 times the initial one. On the other hand, we observed that the voltage drop ( ${V}_{\text {sd}}$ ) of the body diode and on-resistance ( ${R}_{\text {ds}(\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON})}$ ) increased. It is attributed to the cumulative degradation process of package with the appearance of fatigue in the bond wire induced by the thermo-mechanical stress during the surge test. This work can serve as a valuable reference for the reliability of SiC MOSFETs.

Covert communication is capable of enhancing user privacy by protecting communication behavior. In this article, by employing overlay and underlay spectrum access modes, we investigate a covert cooperative cognitive radio (CCCR) system, where primary transmitter (PT) and secondary transmitter (ST) cooperate with each other to secretly transmit their own confidential information. Specifically, PT can initiate the transmission directly or transmit information with the aid of ST. In return, ST is able to transmit information by exploiting PT's spectrum. In our system, we assume that both PT and ST send artificial noise (AN) to confuse eavesdropper (Eve). That is to say, ST sends AN to Eve when PT initiates the transmission and PT sends AN to Eve when ST transmits information. Then, we explore Eve's detection scheme and obtain the closed-form expression of the minimum detection error probability at Eve in the two modes. We further analyze covert rate and covert outage probability (COP) of primary receiver (PR) and secondary receiver (SR) in different modes. Numerical results show that the interference power dominates the covert transmission, while the self-interference has little impact on the covert performance. Furthermore, it is observed that PR can obtain better covert performance in underlay mode, while SR can obtain better covert performance in overlay mode.

Lysosomal compartments undergo extensive remodeling during dendritic cell (DC) activation to meet the dynamic functional requirements of DCs. Instead of being regarded as stationary and digestive organelles, recent studies have increasingly appreciated the versatile roles of lysosomes in regulating key aspects of DC biology. Lysosomes actively control DC motility by linking calcium efflux to the actomyosin contraction, while enhanced DC lysosomal membrane permeability contributes to the inflammasome activation. Besides, lysosomes provide a platform for the transduction of innate immune signaling and the intricate host-pathogen interplay. Lysosomes and lysosome-associated structures are also critically engaged in antigen presentation and cross-presentation processes, which are pivotal for the induction of antigen-specific adaptive immune response. Through the current review, we emphasize that lysosome targeting strategies serve as vital DC-based immunotherapies in fighting against tumor, infectious diseases, and autoinflammatory disorders.In this study, we highlight that lysosomes undergo extensive remodeling amid the functional maturation of dendritic cells (DCs). In turn, lysosomes actively regulate the motility, inflammasome activation, and innate immune sensing of DCs. Lysosomes also mediate the intricate host-pathogen interplay, while lysosomes and lysosome-associated structures are critically engaged in antigen presentation and cross-presentation pathways, rendering lysosome-targeting an appealing strategy for DC-based immunotherapies.