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A three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical microfiber bundle-based scaffold integrated with silver nanowires (AgNWs) and porous polyurethane (PU) was designed for the Joule heater via a facile dip-coating method. The interconnected micrometer-sized voids and unique hierarchical structure benefit uniform AgNWs anchored and the formation of a high-efficiency 3D conductive network. As expected, this composite exhibits a superior electrical conductivity of 1586.4 S/m and the best electrothermal conversion performance of 118.6 °C at 2.0 V compared to reported wearable Joule heaters to date. Moreover, the durable microfiber bundle–PU network provides strong mechanical properties, allowing for the stable and durable electrothermal performance of such a composite to resist twisting, bending, abrasion, and washing. Application studies show that this kind of Joule heater is suitable for a wide range of applications, such as seat heating, a heating jacket, personal thermal management, etc.

Solar desalination, a green, low-cost, and sustainable technology, offers a promising way to get clean water from seawater without relying on electricity and complex infrastructures. However, the main challenge faced in solar desalination is salt accumulation, either on the surface of or inside the solar evaporator, which can impair solar-to-vapor efficiency and even lead to the failure of the evaporator itself. While many ideas have been tried to address this ″salt accumulation″, scientists have not had a clear system for understanding what works best for the enhancement of salt-rejecting ability. Therein, for the first time, we classified the state-of-the-art salt-rejecting designs into isolation strategy (isolating the solar evaporator from brine), dilution strategy (diluting the concentrated brine), and crystallization strategy (regulating the crystallization site into a tiny area). Through the specific equations presented, we have identified key parameters for each strategy and highlighted the corresponding improvements in the solar desalination performance. This Review provides a semiquantitative perspective on salt-rejecting designs and critical parameters for enhancing the salt-rejecting ability of dilution-based, isolation-based, and crystallization-based solar evaporators. Ultimately, this knowledge can help us create reliable solar desalination solutions to provide clean water from even the saltiest sources.

Corrosion-erosion performances of Ti-6.5Al–2Zr–1Mo–1V (TA15) alloy fabricated by two laser additive manufacturing technologies, namely selective laser melting (SLM) and laser metal deposition (LMD) were investigated, and compared with those of traditional forged counterpart. Results show that SLM-ed TA15 possesses better corrosion, wear, and tribocorrosion resistances than LMD-ed and forged TA15. This is mainly attributed to the ultrafine-grain αʹ phase in the microstructure of SLM-ed sample, which improves the hardness and thereby enhances the wear and tribocorrosion resistance. Additionally, the complete αʹ phase formed in SLM-ed sample also avoids the galvanic corrosion that occurs at the α+β-type LMD-ed and forged samples.

Substantial natural chlorination processes are a growing concern in diverse terrestrial ecosystems, occurring through abiotic redox reactions or biological enzymatic reactions. Among these, exoenzymatically mediated chlorination is suggested to be an important pathway for producing organochlorines and converting chloride ions (Cl–) to reactive chlorine species (RCS) in the presence of reactive oxygen species like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). However, the role of natural enzymatic chlorination in antibacterial activity occurring in soil microenvironments remains unexplored. Here, we conceptualized that heme-containing chloroperoxidase (CPO)-catalyzed chlorination functions as a naturally occurring disinfection process in soils. Combining antimicrobial experiments and microfluidic chip-based fluorescence imaging, we showed that the enzymatic chlorination process exhibited significantly enhanced antibacterial activity against Escherichia coliand Bacillus subtiliscompared to H2O2. This enhancement was primarily attributed to in situ-formed RCS. Based on semiquantitative imaging of RCS distribution using a fluorescence probe, the effective distance of this antibacterial effect was estimated to be approximately 2 mm. Ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry analysis showed over 97% similarity between chlorine-containing formulas from CPO-catalyzed chlorination and abiotic chlorination (by sodium hypochlorite) of model dissolved organic matter, indicating a natural source of disinfection byproduct analogues. Our findings unveil a novel natural disinfection process in soils mediated by indigenous enzymes, which effectively links chlorine−carbon interactions and reactive species dynamics.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent significant stress to organisms and are known to disrupt microbial community structure and function. Nevertheless, a detailed knowledge of the soil microbial community responding to PFAS stress at the metabolism level is required. Here we integrated UPLC-HRMS-based metabolomics data with 16S rRNA and ITS amplicon data across soil samples collected adjacent to a fluoropolymer production facility to directly identify the biochemical intermediates in microbial metabolic pathways and the interactions with microbial community structure under PFAS stress. A strong correlation between metabolite and microbial diversity was observed, which demonstrated significant variations in soil metabolite profiles and microbial community structures along with the sampling locations relative to the facility. Certain key metabolites were identified in the metabolite–PFAS co-occurrence network, functioning on microbial metabolisms including lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. These results provide novel insights into the impacts of PFAS contamination on soil metabolomes and microbiomes. We suggest that soil metabolomics is an informative and useful tool that could be applied to reinforce the chemical evidence on the disruption of microbial ecological traits.

Heterostructures constructed by noble metals and two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors offer a unique charge transport path to collect hot carriers from plasmonic nanostructures and thus are promising for various plasmonic and optoelectronic devices. However, the desired charge transfer speed and efficiency of the conventional heterostructures are usually restricted by the limited interface area and inevitable interface distortion and contamination. Herein, we report the ultrafast and high-efficiency hot electron transfer by creating a novel Au@MoS2core-shell heterostructure with atomically sharp and dramatically enlarged interface. Our femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy study indicates the hot-electron injection from Au nanoparticles to MoS2in Au@MoS2is within 244 fs, compared with the 493 fs of the mechanically-transferred Au/MoS2control sample. And meanwhile, the injection efficiency is improved from 3.33% of Au/MoS2to 25.3% of our Au@MoS2. The results are further proved by Kelvin probe force microscopy and discrete dipolar approximation studies, which provide strong evidences that the improved charge transfer is attributed to the atomic-level clean and fully-encapsulated interface of the product. This study provides fundamental understanding of the intrinsic charge transfer within Au@MoS2heterostructures and thus demonstrates an intriguing material geometry for future plasmonic and optoelectronic devices.

Understanding the environmental transformation and fate of graphene oxide (GO) is critical to estimate its engineering applications and ecological risks. While there have been numerous investigations on the physicochemical stability of GO in prolonged air-exposed solution, the potential generation of reactive radicals and their impact on the structure of GO remain unexplored. In this study, using liquid-PeakForce-mode atomic force microscopy and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectroscopy, we report that prolonged exposure of GO to the solution leads to the generation of nanopores in the 2D network and may even cause the disintegration of its bulk structure into fragment molecules. These fragments can assemble themselves into films with the same height as the GO at the interface. Further mediated electrochemical analysis supports that the electron-donating active components of GO facilitate the conversion of O2to •O2–radicals on the GO surface, which are subsequently converted to H2O2, ultimately leading to the formation of •OH. We experimentally confirmed that attacks from •OH radicals can break down the C–C bond network of GO, resulting in the degradation of GO into small fragment molecules. Our findings suggest that GO can exhibit chemical instability when released into aqueous solutions for prolonged periods of time, undergoing transformation into fragment molecules through self-generated •OH radicals. This finding not only sheds light on the distinctive fate of GO-based nanomaterials but also offers a guideline for their engineering applications as advanced materials.

Plasmonic gold nanostructures are a prevalent tool in modern hypersensitive analytical techniques such as photoablation, bioimaging, and biosensing. Recent studies have shown that gold nanostructures generate transient nanobubbles through localized heating and have been found in various biomedical applications. However, the current method of plasmonic nanoparticle cavitation events has several disadvantages, specifically including small metal nanostructures (≤10 nm) which lack size control, tuneability, and tissue localization by use of ultrashort pulses (ns, ps) and high-energy lasers which can result in tissue and cellular damage. This research investigates a method to immobilize sub-10 nm AuNPs (3.5 and 5 nm) onto a chemically modified thiol-rich surface of Qβ virus-like particles. These findings demonstrate that the multivalent display of sub-10 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) caused a profound and disproportionate increase in photocavitation by upward of 5–7-fold and significantly lowered the laser fluency by 4-fold when compared to individual sub-10 nm AuNPs. Furthermore, computational modeling showed that the cooling time of QβAuNP scaffolds is significantly extended than that of individual AuNPs, proving greater control of laser fluency and nanobubble generation as seen in the experimental data. Ultimately, these findings showed how QβAuNP composites are more effective at nanobubble generation than current methods of plasmonic nanoparticle cavitation.

The interactions between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and iron (Fe) oxyhydroxide are crucial in regulating the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and elements, including the preservation of carbon in soils. The mechanisms of DOM molecular assembly on mineral surfaces have been extensively studied at the mesoscale with equilibrium experiments, yet the molecular-level evolution of the DOM–mineral interface under dynamic interaction conditions is not fully understood. Here, we designed a microfluidic reactor coupled with an online solid phase extraction (SPE)-LC-QTOF MS system to continually monitor the changes in DOM composition during flowing contact with Fe oxyhydroxide at circumneutral pH, which simulates soil minerals interacting with constant DOM input. Time-series UV–visible absorption spectra and mass spectrometry data showed that after aromatic DOM moieties were first preferentially sequestered by the pristine Fe oxyhydroxide surface, the adsorption of nonaromatic DOM molecules with greater hydrophobicity, lower acidity, and lower molecular weights (<400) from new DOM solutions was favored. This is accompanied by a transition from mineral surface chemistry-dominated adsorption to organic–organic interaction-dominated adsorption. These findings provide direct molecular-level evidence to the zonal model of DOM assembly on mineral surfaces by taking the dynamics of interfacial interactions into consideration. This study also shows that coupled microfluidics and online high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) system is a promising experimental platform for probing microscale environmental carbon dynamics by integrating in situ reactions, sample pretreatment, and automatic analysis.

3D Morphable Model (3DMM) fitting has widely benefited face analysis due to its strong 3D priori. However, previous reconstructed 3D faces suffer from degraded visual verisimilitude due to the loss of fine-grained geometry, which is attributed to insufficient ground-truth 3D shapes, unreliable training strategies and limited representation power of 3DMM. To alleviate this issue, this paper proposes a complete solution to capture the personalized shape so that the reconstructed shape looks identical to the corresponding person. Specifically, given a 2D image as the input, we virtually render the image in several calibrated views to normalize pose variations while preserving the original image geometry. A many-to-one hourglass network serves as the encode-decoder to fuse multiview features and generate vertex displacements as the fine-grained geometry. Besides, the neural network is trained by directly optimizing the visual effect, where two 3D shapes are compared by measuring the similarity between the multiview images rendered from the shapes. Finally, we propose to generate the ground-truth 3D shapes by registering RGB-D images followed by pose and shape augmentation, providing sufficient data for network training. Experiments on several challenging protocols demonstrate the superior reconstruction accuracy of our proposal on the face shape.

Improving the efficiency of coal-fired power plants has numerous benefits. The control strategy is one of the major factors affecting such efficiency. However, due to the complex and dynamic environment inside the power plants, it is hard to extract and evaluate control strategies and their cascading impact across massive sensors. Existing manual and data-driven approaches cannot well support the analysis of control strategies because these approaches are time-consuming and do not scale with the complexity of the power plant systems. Three challenges were identified: a) interactive extraction of control strategies from large-scale dynamic sensor data, b) intuitive visual representation of cascading impact among the sensors in a complex power plant system, and c) time-lag-aware analysis of the impact of control strategies on electricity generation efficiency. By collaborating with energy domain experts, we addressed these challenges with ECoalVis, a novel interactive system for experts to visually analyze the control strategies of coal-fired power plants extracted from historical sensor data. The effectiveness of the proposed system is evaluated with two usage scenarios on a real-world historical dataset and received positive feedback from experts.

Detecting digital face manipulation has attracted extensive attention due to fake media's potential risks to the public. However, recent advances have been able to reduce the forgery signals to a low magnitude. Decomposition, which reversibly decomposes an image into several constituent elements, is a promising way to highlight the hidden forgery details. In this paper, we investigate a novel 3D decomposition based method that considers a face image as the production of the interaction between 3D geometry and lighting environment. Specifically, we disentangle a face image into four graphics components including 3D shape, lighting, common texture, and identity texture, which are respectively constrained by 3D morphable model, harmonic reflectance illumination, and PCA texture model. Meanwhile, we build a fine-grained morphing network to predict 3D shapes with pixel-level accuracy to reduce the noise in the decomposed elements. Moreover, we propose a composition search strategy that enables an automatic construction of an architecture to mine forgery clues from forgery-relevant components. Extensive experiments validate that the decomposed components highlight forgery artifacts, and the searched architecture extracts discriminative forgery features. Thus, our method achieves the state-of-the-art performance.

Objectives: Few studies comparing the effects of different types of Tai Chi exercises on preventing falls in older adults. We compared the effects for finding an optimal intervention. Methods: We searched 12 databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and so on, from their inception to January 13, 2023. Randomized controlled trials incorporating different types of Tai Chi for preventing falls in older adults were included. The outcome measures were the incidence of falls and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Network meta-analysis (NMA) was conducted using Stata 15.1 based on a frequentist framework. Results: Seventeen trials were eligible, including 3470 participants and four types of Tai Chi. They were 24-form simplified Tai Chi (24-form), Yang style Tai Chi (Yang style), Sun style Tai Chi (Sun style) and Tai Chi exercise program (TCEP). In paired meta-analysis, for incidence of falls, 24-form (Relative Risk (RR) = 0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.40, 0.86]) was more efficient than the control group. For BBS outcome, 24-form (MD (mean difference) = 2.32, 95% CI [1.42, 3.22]) was better than the control group. In the NMA, the results of incidence of falls were as follows: 24-form > Yang style > Sun style > control > TCEP. The rank probability of BBS was as follows: 24-form > TCEP > Yang style > control. Conclusion: Among the four types of Tai Chi studied, the 24-form simplified Tai Chi has shown better efficacy than other types.

The impact of climate change on human social development has been a topic of research for a long time. Ceramic pipes, which are vital components of urban drainage engineering, are crucial means of managing rain hazards and floods. Exploring the historical evolution of ceramic pipes can help in better understanding the interplay between climate change and human behavior. This study examined the diameters of 86 ceramic pipes unearthed from six cultural sites in central China, including Pingliangtai, Taosi, and Erlitou, dated to 4600–3040 a BP. By combining speleothem records from the excavation sites with precipitation and temperature composite curves for China using Pearson correlation analysis, and verifying with pollen records. The results show that changes in rainfall were the main factor influencing the diameters of the ceramic pipes. This indicates that during this period, ancient people in the Central Plains of China were able to adjust the size of the ceramic pipes to regulate the water management capacity of urban water systems, thereby adapting urban development to climate change.

Liriomyza sativaeis a globally distributed quarantine pest. We isolated polymorphic microsatellite loci from transcriptomic data for this species and tested their potential application in population genetics and cross-species transferability in other Agromyzidaespecies. Of the 130 microsatellite loci selected for validation, 40 were successfully amplified, and 18 were verified as polymorphic in L. sativae. The number of alleles (Na) ranged from two to ten, with polymorphism information content (PIC) values between 0.289 and 0.818. Observed (HO) and expected (HE) heterozygosity varied from 0.250 to 0.900 and 0.314 to 0.859, respectively. Low among-population differentiation was also indicated by pairwise FST(0.032–0.045). Structure analysis and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) suggested three clusters for the 94 samples from three different locations (FZNT, SMSX, and QZYC) in Fujian Province, China. The low genetic differentiation and clear genetic structure among populations of this invasive species may result from extensive human activity. In additional, cross-species tests validated the amplification of 16, 19, 11 and 9 of 40 loci in Liriomyza huidobrensis, Liriomyza trifolii, Chromatomyia horticolaand Ophiomyia phaseoli, respectively, showed the potential application of these markers for population genetic analysis in these species.

The thermal stability of nanocages is of great research value in both fundamental studies and practical applications. In this work, by focusing on silver–gold (Ag–Au) alloyed nanocages as a model system, we demonstrate that the wall thickness of the nanocage is a critical parameter in determining its thermal stability. We systematically evaluated the thermal stabilities of Ag–Au nanocages with different wall thicknesses in the range 3.8–13 nm in both solution and solid phases. The results showed that, in both phases, nanocages with thicker walls displayed better stabilities. At sufficiently high temperatures, the nanocages were deformed to thermodynamically more stable nanostructures. The deformation processes were found to be different for nanocages with various wall thicknesses, which were carefully monitored and analyzed by electron microscopy imaging. Changes in plasmonic properties of the nanocages during heat-induced deformation processes were also investigated.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of persistent organic environmental pollutants with various toxic effects. Our previous research found that a highly reactive quinone metabolite of PCBs, namely, PCB29-pQ, causes excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and different toxic actions. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), the product of NETosis, are one of the newly discovered programmed cell deaths. Recent studies have suggested the association of NET formation with excess ROS. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of PCB29-pQ exposure on NETs and its possible molecular mechanisms. Using scanning electron microscopy, immunofluorescence microscopy, and the quantitative analysis of extracellular DNA, we found that PCB29-pQ exposure induces the formation of NETs in mouse bone marrow. Mechanistically, our results suggested that PCB29-pQ induces histone citrullination and chromatin decondensation, which are necessary processes for NET formation. Moreover, PCB29-pQ exposure increases ROS and autophagy levels, while ROS and autophagy inhibitors significantly reverse NET formation. These results indicated that PCB29-pQ-induced NET formation was mediated by the intracellular ROS level and autophagy signaling. In general, our research uncovered a toxicity mechanism of PCB29-pQ, which suggested the necessity of evaluating its immunotoxicity during the risk assessment of PCB exposure.

With growing applications of plastic products, there is a growing threat to human health. Therefore, it is important to understand their toxicological behaviors. The release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) was clarified as a new immune defense mechanism against intruders. Here, we discovered that polystyrene nanoplastics (PS NPs) induce NET formation, with involvement of reactive oxygen species, peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4), and neutrophil elastase. Moreover, overexpression of PAD4 induced by PS NPs further mediates histone citrullination and chromatin depolymerization. These results provide important information and promising strategies for safety and immunotoxicity assessment of NPs.

With the aim of exploring how digital transformation impacts enterprise development in China, this study takes Chinese A-share listed enterprises from 2007 to 2020 as the research sample and constructs a digital transformation index and an enterprise development index. The impact of digital transformation on enterprise development and its mechanisms are investigated. The empirical results show the following findings. First, digital transformation can significantly promote enterprise development. Second, the effect of digital transformation on enterprise development is stronger in enterprises located in inland regions compared to in coastal regions, and is more powerful in enterprises with high levels of development than in those lagging in development. Third, digital transformation can benefit enterprise development by alleviating financing constraints, effectively reducing business risks, and driving technological innovation. Fourth, China’s economic policy uncertainty is an important external factor weakening the role of digital transformation in driving enterprise development.

Investigating environmental processes, especially those occurring in soils, calls for innovative and multidisciplinary technologies that can provide insights at the microscale. The heterogeneity, opacity, and dynamics make the soil a “black box” where interactions and processes are elusive. Recently, microfluidics has emerged as a powerful research platform and experimental tool which can create artificial soil micromodels, enabling exploring soil processes on a chip. Micro/nanofabricated microfluidic devices can mimic some of the key features of soil with highly controlled physical and chemical microenvironments at the scale of pores, aggregates, and microbes. The combination of various techniques makes microfluidics an integrated approach for observation, reaction, analysis, and characterization. In this review, we systematically summarize the emerging applications of microfluidic soil platforms, from investigating soil interfacial processes and soil microbial processes to soil analysis and high-throughput screening. We highlight how innovative microfluidic devices are used to provide new insights into soil processes, mechanisms, and effects at the microscale, which contribute to an integrated interrogation of the soil systems across different scales. Critical discussions of the practical limitations of microfluidic soil platforms and perspectives of future research directions are summarized. We envisage that microfluidics will represent the technological advances toward microscopic, controllable, and in situ soil research.

To investigate the effect of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) combined with rehabilitation training on patients with acute cerebral infarction and motor impairment, seventy-four patients with acute cerebral infarction and hemiplegia were randomly and equally divided into two groups, the control group and the IPC treatment group. The patients in the control group received conventional drug therapy and rehabilitation training, and the patients in the treatment group received the IPC treatment in addition to the treatment given in the control group. Motor function, the primary outcome, of the two groups was evaluated by Fugl–Meyer motor function scores. The Barthel index assessment scale was used to evaluate the ability to perform activities of daily living of the two groups, as a secondary outcome. All these indicators were collected and compared before treatment and at 7 days, 14 days, and 30 days after treatment. The incidence of adverse reactions associated with treatment was also recorded. At 7, 14, and 30 days after treatment, the Fugl–Meyer scores (27.16 ± 7.37, 33.41 ± 7.16 and 38.72 ± 7.65) and Barthel scores (47.16 ± 7.37, 52.41 ± 7.16, and 56.09 ± 8.32) of the treatment group were also significantly higher than those (23.65 ± 3.11, 26.13 ± 3.25, and 28.75 ± 5.92; 44.15 ± 3.11, 46.63 ± 3.25 and 47.75 ± 4.22) of the control group (all P< 0.05). With the extension of follow-up time, both scores were higher. There were no treatment-related adverse events in either of the two groups of patients during or after treatment. In conclusion, the IPC combined with rehabilitation training can effectively improve motor function deficits, the ability to perform activities of daily living, and quality of life for patients.

Endosome capture is a major physiological barrier to the successful delivery of nanomedicine. Here, we found a strategy to deliver ultrasmall nanoparticles (<10 nm) to the cytosolic compartment of pyroptotic cells with spontaneous endosomal escape. To mimic pathological pyroptotic cells, J774A.1 macrophages were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plus nigericin (Nig) or adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to form specific gasdermin D protein-driven membrane pores at an N-terminal domain (GSDMDNterm). Through GSDMDNtermmembrane pores, both anionic and cationic nanoparticles (NPs) with diameters less than 10 nm were accessed into the cytosolic compartment of pyroptotic cells in an energy- and receptor-independent manner, while NPs larger than the size of GSDMDNtermmembrane pores failed to enter pyroptotic cells. NPs pass through GSDMDNtermmembrane pores via free diffusion and then access into the cytoplasm of pyroptotic cells in a microtubule-independent manner. Interestingly, we found that LPS-primed NPs may act as Trojan horse, deliver extracellular LPS into normal cells through endocytosis, and in turn induce GSDMDNtermmembrane pores, which facilitate further internalization of NPs. This study presented a straightforward method of distinguishing normal and pyroptotic cells through GSDMD membrane pores, implicating their potential application in monitoring the delivery of desired nanomedicines in pyroptosis-related diseases and conditions.

The accurate morphology identification of gas hydrate-bearing sediments (GHBS) has great significance in practical exploitation and subsequent resource evaluation. Previous studies have disclosed two main morphologies for gas hydrate in sediments: pore- and fracture-filling. However, the existing identification methods of gas hydrate’s morphology rarely consider their intrinsic differences in distribution characteristics. In this paper, a new method is proposed to identify the morphology of hydrate according to the scattered distribution of fracture dips for fracture-filling GHBS. Firstly, numerical simulations are performed to study the relationships between the morphology of hydrate and the sonic velocities. Considering the dip variation is within a certain range for fracture-filling hydrate, the theoretical curves show that the resulting mutation degrees between P- and S-wave velocities are inconsistent in fracture-filling GHBS, which is different from pore-filling GHBS. Then the modified estimation method for pointwise Lipschitz exponent αis introduced to capture their differences. The cross plots of Lipschitz exponent for P-wave velocity, α(Vp), and Lipschitz exponent for S-wave velocity, α(Vs), indicate that most of the dots representing pore-filling GHBS are evenly distributed near the line α(Vp)=α(Vs), while the dots representing fracture-filling GHBS are scattered outside the line α(Vp)=α(Vs). Based on these characteristics, a ratio method is put forward to differentiate the two types of hydrate. These hypotheses and methods are verified using the measured P- and S-wave velocities log data at different sites in Leg 204, Ocean Drilling Program (ODP), in the United States. Finally, the results of this new method agree closely with core data.

In this study, the key drivers of sustainability commitment, green supply chain management, big data integration and green human resource practice are explored, and the impact of these sustainable capabilities on the environmental and financial performance of banks is also elaborated. In addition, the influence of green management practices on integrating big data technology into operations is presented. As for the concept of dynamic ability, it has been used to recommend and empirically test conceptual models. Data were collected through a self-administrated survey questionnaire on 317 people working in 37 banks in six Asian countries. Research suggests that big data analytics strategies have an impact on internal processes and on the stability and financial performance of banks. Besides, it is indicated that banks are committed to proper data monitoring of their customers to complete operational efficiency and sustainability goals. Furthermore, our result proved that banks practicing Green Innovation strategies experience better environmental and economic performance because their employees are already trained in Green HR. Finally, from our study, it was found that internal and external green supply chain management practices have a positive effect on the environmental and financial performance of banks, thus ensuring that the bank of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) mitigates the environmental impact through its operations and ultimately experiences an increase in financial performance.

Objective: This study aimed at assessing mental health in patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS) and determined the effect of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) on psychological distress in patients with HFS. Methods: Ninety-five HFS patients and 95 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Symptom checklist-90 (SCL-90) scores were used to measure psychological distress in HFS patients and healthy controls. The mental health status of HFS patients was also evaluated by SCL-90, before and after the injection of BTX-A. Moreover, for those patients with abnormal mental health, efficacy outcomes after treatment with BTX-A were compared with a propensity score-matched historical cohort without BTX-A treatment. Results: The mean scores for interpersonal sensitivity, phobia, anxiety, depression, and somatization were significantly higher among HFS patients than healthy people (P&lt; 0.05). There was no significant difference between female patients and male patients in HFS group (P> 0.05). There were significant improvements in somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, and phobia scores before and after treatment (P&lt; 0.05). At 2 months, more patients experienced an improvement in psychological distress in the BTX-A group (61.29% versus 38.71%; P= 0.03). Conclusion: Patients with HFS are often accompanied by somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, and phobia. Our findings suggest that BTX-A can improve these symptoms. However, further well-designed prospective studies are warranted to validate our findings.

Semiconductor yarns with unique functional characteristics have great potential applications in next-generation electronic devices. However, scalable inorganic semiconductor yarns with excellent mechanical and electrical properties, and environmental stability have not been discovered. In this study, we explored a unique fluid-spinning strategy to obtain a series of scalable inorganic semiconductor yarns including neat and hybrid semiconductor yarns. Different from the conventional yarn spinning strategy through a mechanical motor, we utilized the fluid force from the triple-phase interface to assemble and twist inorganic nanofiber building blocks simultaneously, and eventually obtained highly oriented inorganic nanowire-based semiconductor yarns. The obtained semiconductor yarns showed an excellent flexibility (curvature exceeding 2 cm−1) and mechanical strength (tensile strength of 443 MPa) because of their highly oriented hierarchical nanostructures, which make them coiling able with highly twisted insertion. Additionally, coiled yarns were obtained by combining the host core material and functional guest sheath in a fluid-spinning process, which are flexible in deep cryogenic temperature owing to the pure inorganic building blocks (26.28% tensile strain in liquid nitrogen). In particular, inorganic yarn-based electrochromic actuators can obtain as high as 15.3% tensile stroke and 0.82 J g−1work capacity by electrochemical charge injection-associated multicolor switching.

The adverse biological and ecological consequences of plastic debris have become a serious problem worldwide. Evidences have uncovered the accumulation of nanoplastics (NPs) in organisms. In a complex biological environment, proteins are prone to adsorbed onto the NPs’ surface and form a protein corona layer, which mediates the interaction of NPs with cells. Here, we discovered the interaction of polystyrene (PS) NPs with protein fetal bovine serum (FBS) and altered cytotoxic effects. Mechanistically, prefabricated FBS protein corona mediated the relief of autophagic flux blockage, autophagosomes accumulation, and lysosomal damage in RAW264.7 cells caused by PS NPs. Using an individual fluorescent protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a corona surrogate, we demonstrated that coronal BSA remains, at least partially, on the surface of PS NPs during the initial stage of internalization and protects cell membrane from PS NPs-induced damage. However, along with the degradation of corona in lysosomes, reappearance of cytotoxicity was observed. Herein, we provided a proof of principle of the manipulation of corona on NPs’ toxicity and we expect the result will promote the further safety assessment of NPs.

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) has attracted widespread attention of late in academic and industrial circles owing to its diverse applications. Developing AIE-active materials for application in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) has become an effective method of improving device efficiency and stability. In this work, two novel luminogens (PIO-α-DMAc and PIO-β-DMAc) consisting of 9,9-dimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine and phosphoindole oxide were synthesized and systemically characterized. Their crystal structures, thermal stabilities, electronic structures, and electrochemical behaviors were studied. They showed apparent AIE properties and emitted strongly in the aggregated state. Non-doped and doped green OLEDs were fabricated using these luminogens as light-emitting layers, and exhibited high brightness, good electroluminescence efficiencies, and low turn-on voltages.

Stomal recurrence is a troublesome complication after total laryngectomy. Despite a large number of studies having been performed, there is still controversy about which risk factors are most significant for the development of stomal recurrence.

Sports fans tend to associate themselves with a successful team (BIRGing), while disassociating themselves with unsuccessful teams (CORFing). This premise was applied to social media commentary within England’s matches against Croatia and Colombia during the 2018 Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup, uncovering that English fans tended to perform Basking in Reflected Glory (BIRG) when England was leading or victorious and tended to engage in Cutting Off Reflected Failure (CORF) when England was trailing or defeated. In Method 1, team identification, national identification with England, and sentiment were significantly higher when England was leading or victorious than when they were trailing or defeated. In Method 2, machine learning generated trending graphs to detect that English fans BIRGed when they scored against Colombia; they also BIRGed more frequently during the match with Croatia, peaking several times when they scored a goal, saved a goal, or took a free kick. However, even though CORFing (i.e., lower team identification, lower national identification, and lower sentiment) occurred when the opposing team scored, English fans still BIRGed when they were finally defeated by Croatia, likely a function of the stage the game took place (World Cup semifinal), indicating that England had nonetheless succeeded in the World Cup as a whole.

White organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) are of great value in daily life. However, the organic white-emissive single molecules in OLEDs are rare. Herein, we report a group of carbazolyl derivatives containing thiophene (PhCz-S), selenophene (PhCz-Se), and tellurophene (PhCz-Te). Through modulating the chalcogen atom, the promoted intersystem crossing brings room-temperature phosphorescence. Moreover, PhCz-Se exhibits Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.30, 0.29) in OLEDs measured at 4 V, which is the first example of the single-molecule WOLEDs combined with dual emission from singlet and triplet states. Also, PhCz-Te realized WOLEDs in a single emission layer at CIE coordinates of (0.34, 0.33). The theoretical and experimental results clearly show that the adjustment of heavy atoms exerts influence on the luminescent properties, which provides a new strategy for designing single-molecule WOLEDs.

An improved understanding of the effects of gas hydrate presence on seismic attenuation is important for accurate hydrate characterization and quantification. Based on a rock‐physics model recently presented for gas hydrate‐bearing fine‐grained clay‐dominated sediments, here we establish an integrated workflow for surface seismic data from extracting seismic attenuation to estimating gas hydrate concentration (Ch) in the sediment. We apply this workflow to the high‐resolution seismic data acquired at southern Hydrate Ridge, offshore Oregon, to reveal the hydrate distribution and clarify the controlling factor of hydrate formation. We first present an adaptive‐bandwidth spectral ratio method to robustly measure attenuation. The attenuation measurements show that the presence of hydrate suppresses the attenuation of the host sediment. We then calculate Chby applying the rock‐physics model to the attenuation measurements. The estimated Chare mostly low (<5%) in Hydrate Ridge and agrees well with the in‐situ Chmeasured from core‐ or well log‐based data. Our result also suggests that the lithology and stratigraphic structures together control the distribution of gas hydrate at Hydrate Ridge, where relatively high Chis found in the region where a gas‐charged conduit exists and in an anticlinal structure overlying a strong bottom simulating reflection. Adjacent to the anticline, however, a low amount of gas hydrate appears present, possibly due to the gas migration blocked by the anticlinal structure or the lack of gas conduits. Our study offers an effective strategy for detecting and quantifying gas hydrate in fine‐grained clayey sediments through surface seismic data. Seismic attenuation represents the decay of seismic energy during the travel of seismic waves. Seismic attenuation is a crucial tool in detecting and evaluating gas hydrates. Our knowledge of the relation between seismic attenuation and how hydrate forms in sediment has been improved in these years. Here we present a workflow for seismic data in which we measure seismic attenuation using a novel method and calculate the hydrate content in clay‐rich sediment based on a rock physics model. We apply this workflow to the seismic reflection data in Hydrate Ridge, Oregon. The attenuation measurements show that gas hydrate suppresses the attenuation of host sediments. The gas hydrate amount estimated in this study agrees well with (a) seismic characteristics on the seismic profile and (b) the in‐situ measurements of core‐ or well log‐based techniques. Our results show that the gas hydrate distribution at Hydrate Ridge is mainly controlled by lithology and stratigraphic structures. This good agreement suggests that our method is able to not only extract attenuation but also obtain reliable estimation of hydrate amount using seismic data. We present a workflow from extracting attenuation to estimating gas hydrate concentration for seismic reflection dataGas hydrate presence in fine‐grained clayey sediments suppresses the seismic attenuation of host sediments at Hydrate RidgeGas hydrate distribution at Hydrate Ridge is controlled by both lithology and stratigraphic structures We present a workflow from extracting attenuation to estimating gas hydrate concentration for seismic reflection data Gas hydrate presence in fine‐grained clayey sediments suppresses the seismic attenuation of host sediments at Hydrate Ridge Gas hydrate distribution at Hydrate Ridge is controlled by both lithology and stratigraphic structures

(R)-Citronellal is a key chiral precursor of high-value chemicals, such as the best-selling flavor compound (−)-menthol; however, the conventional synthesis suffers from low yield and unsatisfactory enantioselectivity. In this study, we developed a highly atom-efficient hydrogen-borrowing cascade for the synthesis of (R)-citronellal from geraniol using alcohol dehydrogenase from Escherichia coliK12 (AdhP) and ene-reductase from Saccharomyces cerevisiaeYJM1341 (OYE2p). The key rate-limiting enzyme, AdhP, was subjected to structure-guided semirational engineering, and the triple mutant AdhP260T/284A/268P(M3) was obtained that demonstrated a 1.28-fold improvement in catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) toward geraniol. After optimization of the reaction conditions, the hydrogen-borrowing cascade system achieved the conversion of 23.14 g/L geraniol into (R)-citronellal at a conversion rate of 98.23% with 96.7% ee. This work represents an alternative approach for the biosynthesis of (R)-citronellal without sacrificing a cosubstrate or additional enzymes.

Though long recognized as synthetic precursors to other poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), most poly- and perfluoroalkyl sulfonyl halides (PASXs) cannot be directly measured and have generally received minimal attention. Inspired by the redox reaction between sulfonyl halide groups and p-toluenethiol in organic chemistry, we developed a novel nontarget analysis strategy for PASXs by intergrating derivatization and specific fragment-based liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry screening for m/z82.961 [SO2F–] and m/z95.934 [S2O2–]. By using this strategy, we discovered 11 PASXs, namely, perfluoroalkyl sulfonyl fluorides (5), polyfluoroalkyl sulfonyl fluorides (2), unsaturated perfluoroalkyl sulfonyl fluoride (1), and perfluoroalkyl sulfonyl chlorides (3) in soil samples collected from an abandoned fluorochemical manufacturing park. These average ∑PASXs concentrations were 1120 μg kg–1(range: 9.7–9860 μg kg–1), which were very likely to be the key intermediates and undesired byproducts of electrochemical fluorination processes. Spatial variation in the mass ratio of ∑PASXs to ∑PFSAs (range: 0.7–795%) also indicates their different transportation pathways. More importantly, the decline of PASXs and increase of perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (when compared to a prior study at this site) suggest the continued hydrolysis of PASXs and the relatively fast environmental transformation rates in the abandoned fluorochemical park soils. Overall, these findings demonstrated the utility of a novel nontarget analysis strategy, which may change most PASXs from inferred precursors to measured intermediates and further could be adapted for structures, distribution, and transformation studies of PFASXs in other matrices.

Host materials are indispensable for the fabrication of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with phosphorescent emitters, but high-quality host materials that can efficiently and simultaneously function in blue, green, and red phosphorescent OLEDs (PHOLEDs) are much rare. In this work, four bipolar materials are developed using carbazole and 9,9-dimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine as hole-transporting groups, pyridine as electron-transporting groups, and biphenyl and m-methylbiphenyl as π-spacers. The crystal and electronic structures indicate that these materials have highly twisted conformations, which endow them with aggregation-induced emission features, intramolecular charge transfer processes, wide energy band gaps, and high triplet energies. The carrier transport ability and energy transfer property analyses show that these materials are able to achieve balanced hole and electron transports and can serve as bipolar host materials for PHOLEDs. A series of monochromatic PHOLEDs with different phosphorescent dopants, including blue-emissive FIrpic, green-emissive Ir(ppy)2(acac), and red-emissive Ir(piq)2(acac), are fabricated by employing these four host materials. The green PHOLEDs can provide an impressive luminance of up to 230 200 cd m–2. Based on an identical host material, excellent external quantum efficiencies as high as 25.12, 24.73, and 19.71%, as well as minor efficiency roll-off, are attained for blue, green, and red PHOLEDs, respectively, clearly demonstrating the promising applications as universal bipolar host materials in PHOLEDs with monochromatic light and white light.

Organic blue luminescent materials are essential for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, high-quality blue materials that can fulfill the requirements of OLED commercialization are much rare. Herein, two novel blue luminogens, 9-(4-(2,6-di-tert-butyl-10-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)anthracen-9-yl)phenyl)-9H-carbazole and 9-(4-(2,6-di-tert-butyl-10-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)anthracen-9-yl)1,3-di(9H-carbazol-9-yl)benzene (TPE-TADC), consisting of anthracene, tetraphenylethene, and carbazole groups are successfully prepared, and their thermal, optical, electronic, and electrochemical properties are fully investigated. They exhibit prominent aggregation-induced emission property and strong blue fluorescence at ∼455 nm in neat films. Efficient nondoped OLEDs are fabricated with these blue luminogens, providing blue electroluminescence (EL) at 451 nm (CIEx,y= 0.165, 0.141) and high EL efficiencies of 6.81 cd A–1, 6.57 lm W–1, and 5.71%. By utilizing TPE-TADC as a blue emissive layer, high-performance two-color hybrid white OLEDs are achieved, furnishing modulatable light color from pure white (CIEx,y= 0.33, 0.33) to warm white (CIEx,y= 0.44, 0.46) and excellent EL efficiencies of 56.7 cd A–1, 55.2 lm W–1, and 19.2%. More importantly, these blue and white OLEDs all display ultrahigh color and efficiency stabilities at high luminance, indicating the great potential of these blue luminogens for the application in OLED displays and white illumination.

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In this study, we investigate the thermochemical stability of graphene on the GaN substrate for metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD)-based remote epitaxy. Despite excellent physical properties of GaN, making it a compelling choice for high-performance electronic and light-emitting device applications, the challenge of thermochemical decomposition of graphene on a GaN substrate at high temperatures has obstructed the achievement of remote homoepitaxy via MOCVD. Our research uncovers an unexpected stability of graphene on N-polar GaN, thereby enabling the MOCVD-based remote homoepitaxy of N-polar GaN. Our comparative analysis of N- and Ga-polar GaN substrates reveals markedly different outcomes: while a graphene/N-polar GaN substrate produces releasable microcrystals (μCs), a graphene/Ga-polar GaN substrate yields nonreleasable thin films. We attribute this discrepancy to the polarity-dependent thermochemical stability of graphene on the GaN substrate and its subsequent reaction with hydrogen. Evidence obtained from Raman spectroscopy, electron microscopic analyses, and overlayer delamination points to a pronounced thermochemical stability of graphene on N-polar GaN during MOCVD-based remote homoepitaxy. Molecular dynamics simulations, corroborated by experimental data, further substantiate that the thermochemical stability of graphene is reliant on the polarity of GaN, due to different reactions with hydrogen at high temperatures. Based on the N-polar remote homoepitaxy of μCs, the practical application of our findings was demonstrated in fabrication of flexible light-emitting diodes composed of p–n junction μCs with InGaN heterostructures.

Regional development is the trend for future urbanization, and the urban circle is a highly efficient economic spatial pattern of regional development. This study selects statistical data of urban area population, GDP, and the output value of tertiary industry for seven cities in China – Jinan, Zibo, Tai’an, Laiwu, Dezhou, Liaocheng, and Binzhou – in the Shandong provincial capital urban circle from 2005 to 2009. It uses the principles and Zipf model, rank-size rule, and Lotka logarithmic model to analyze and study the hierarchical structure of the metropolitan system and economic development of the Shandong provincial capital urban circle. Based on the above research, this paper provides references for decision-making on enhancement of the metropolitan system structure, improvement in core city primacy index, the optimal adjustment of industrial structure and the optimal allocation of essential resources.

The cuprous iodide of zinc-blende structure (γ-CuI) is a p-type semiconductor with a wide band gap of 3.1 eV. It is considered promising as the third generation of semiconductors, in applications of hole transport layer and transparent electrode due to the high hole density and carrier mobility, but its carrier transport characteristics have not yet been understood in detail. We synthesized γ-CuI nanosheets with large sizes and measured the carrier dynamics by femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy. We observed signals of defect trapping photogenerated carriers during band-edge transitions, as well the weak band filling and photoinduced absorption directly associated with defect states. The species and lifetimes of defect assisted transition are identified and quantified based on TA measurements with various excitation fluences, and the changes of spectra and kinetics of defect band filling are correlated to the trend of density of Cu and I vacancies in samples with different thicknesses, based on the observations on a single nanosheet. We extract a diffusion coefficient of ∼71 cm2s–1and derive a diffusion length longer than the sample thickness, which possibly makes a remarkable contribution to the generation of a photocurrent. Our findings are expected to offer help for harnessing the defects in γ-CuI and improving its performances in optoelectronic applications.

AbstractIn this study, a high-energy, temporally shaped picosecond ultraviolet (UV) laser running at 100 Hz is demonstrated, with its pulses boosted to 120 mJ by cascaded regenerative and double-pass amplifiers, resulting in a gain of more than 108. With precise manipulation and optimization, the amplified laser pulses were flat-top in the temporal and spatial domains to maintain high filling factors, which significantly improved the conversion efficiency of the subsequent third harmonic generation (THG). Finally, 91 mJ, 470 ps pulses were obtained at 355 nm, corresponding to a conversion efficiency as high as 76%, which, as far as we are aware of, is the highest THG efficiency for a high-repetition-rate picosecond laser. In addition, the energy stability of the UV laser is better than 1.07% (root mean square), which makes this laser an attractive source for a variety of fields including laser conditioning and micro-fabrication.

To explore whether the deqi effect affects the effectiveness of manual acupuncture for treating knee osteoarthritis by a network meta-analysis (NMA).

To reduce the seed length while maintaining the advantages of the cuboid KDP-type crystal, a long-seed KDP crystal with size $471~\text{mm}\times 480~\text{mm}\times 400~\text{mm}$is rapidly grown. With almost the same high cutting efficiency to obtain third harmonic generation oriented samples, this long-seed KDP-type crystal can be grown with a shorter seed than that of the cuboid KDP-type crystal. The full width at half maximum of the high-resolution X-ray diffraction of the (200) crystalline face is 28.8 arc seconds, indicating that the long-seed KDP crystal has good crystalline quality. In the wavelength range of 377–1022 nm, the transmittance of the long-seed KDP crystal is higher than 90%. The fluence for the 50% probability of laser-induced damage (LID) is $18.5~\text{J}/\text{cm}^{2}$(3 ns, 355 nm). Several test points survive when the laser fluence exceeds $30~\text{J}/\text{cm}^{2}$(3 ns, 355 nm), indicating the good LID performance of the long-seed KDP crystal. At present, the growth of a long-seed DKDP crystal is under way.