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This paper introduces a proof of concept for a dual-band electrochromic (EC) device to modulate solar light transmission across visible and near-infrared regions selectively. EC materials based on ion insertion/extraction mechanisms also present the possibility for energy storage, widening its functionality to the supercapacitor platform. The bi-functional performance of dual-band radiation control and energy storage was achieved by exploiting two earth-abundant metal oxides that could absorb two different spectral regions when electrochemically charged. The bilayer structure was prepared using a one-step hydrothermal method, which produced Nb 2 O 5 -TiO 2 bilayer on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting glass substrates. The nano-dimensions of the active materials endorse the development of high-transparency thin film under open circuit conditions. The variations in the TiO 2 annealing temperature influence the crystallinity and surface morphology of the thin films, which influence the performance of dual-band EC energy storage. The well-optimized NT-500 sample facilitated exclusive electron-charge transport, producing excellent electrochemical performance in dual-band EC and energy storage. A large optical modulation of 80.4 % and 89.8 % at 600 nm and 800 nm (near-infrared) was achieved with an enhanced areal capacitance of 88.1 mF/cm 2 and excellent cycling stability after continuous coloring/bleaching cycles for 18,000 s. This paper presents a prototype bi-functional device based on NT-500, which showed independent control and modulation of visible and near-infrared transmittance. Notably, the device retained excellent energy storage performance alongside its advanced optical functionalities. This bilayer nanostructure capitalizes on the inherent electrochemical properties of both materials and introduces novel features that can potentially revolutionize the platform of EC-energy storage., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Soybean (Glycine max), a crucial global crop, experiences yearly yield reduction due to diseases such as anthracnose (Colletotrichum truncatum) and root rot (Fusarium spp.). The use of fungicides, which have traditionally been employed to control these phytopathogens, is now facing challenges due to the emergence of fungicide-resistant strains. Streptomyces bacillaris S8 strain S8 is previously known to produce valinomycin t through a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) pathway. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of S. bacillaris S8 against C. truncatum and Fusarium sp., assessing its efficacy against soybean pathogens. The results indicate that strain S8 effectively controlled both above-ground and underground soybean diseases, using the NRPS and NRPS-related compound, suggesting its potential as a biological control in plant-microbe interactions. These findings underscore the pivotal role of the stain S8 in fostering healthy soybean microbial communities and emphasize the significance of microbiota structure studies in unveiling potent biocontrol agents.

Background: This study evaluated the prevalence and types of intracranial lesions through dedicated imaging analysis of primary headaches in children and compared them between patients with and without migraine., Methods: This study included 190 children diagnosed with primary headache who underwent neuroimaging, including brain computed tomography (CT), CT angiography (CTA), and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All patients with primary headaches was divided into two groups, namely, the migraine and non-migraine groups, on the basis of data from electronic medical records. Clinical characteristics and imaging findings were evaluated and compared between the two groups., Results: Patients with migraine were old and had a longer period from symptom onset to diagnosis. CT was normal in 71 of 95 patients, whereas 7 of 29 patients who underwent CTA had vascular lesions; the migraine group (n = 6/20, [30%]) had higher incidence of vascular lesions than the non-migraine group (n = 1/9, [11.1%]); however, there was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.382). Furthermore, 57.5% (61/106) of children showed normal brain MRI. The most common brain MRI finding was dilated perivascular space (n = 18, [16.8%]). Most perivascular spaces were located in the basal ganglia (n = 72, [75.8%]) and were in linear patterns (n = 58, [63.0%]). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups., Conclusion: A low prevalence of significant abnormalities was found in children with primary headaches. Dilated perivascular space was the most common finding in both groups on MRI. CTA showed more vascular lesions in the migraine group than in the non-migraine group. Therefore, further evaluations are needed to reveal the relationship between vascular lesions or dilated perivascular space and pediatric primary headaches., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Global-warming-induced climate changes and socioeconomic issues increasingly stimulate reviews of renewable energy. Among energy-generation devices, solar cells are often considered as renewable sources of energy. Lately, transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are playing a significant role as back/front contact electrodes in silicon heterojunction solar cells (SHJ SCs). In particular, the optimized Sn-doped In 2 O 3 (ITO) has served as a capable TCO material to improve the efficiency of SHJ SCs, due to excellent physicochemical properties such as high transmittance, electrical conductivity, mobility, bandgap, and a low refractive index. The doped-ITO thin films had promising characteristics and helped in promoting the efficiency of SHJ SCs. Further, SHJ technology, together with an interdigitated back contact structure, achieved an outstanding efficiency of 26.7%. The present article discusses the deposition of TCO films by various techniques, parameters affecting TCO properties, characteristics of doped and undoped TCO materials, and their influence on SHJ SC efficiency, based on a review of ongoing research and development activities.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected millions of people worldwide since its emergence in 2019. Knowing the potential capacity of the virus to adapt to other species, the serological surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 infection in susceptible animals is important. Hong Kong and Seoul are two of Asia's most densely populated urban cities, where companion animals often live in close contact with humans. Sera collected from 1040 cats and 855 dogs during the early phase of the pandemic in Hong Kong and Seoul were tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using an ELISA that detects antibodies against the receptor binding domain of the viral spike protein. Positive sera were also tested for virus neutralizing antibodies using a surrogate virus neutralization (sVNT) and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Among feline sera, 4.51% and 2.54% of the samples from Korea and Hong Kong, respectively, tested ELISA positive. However, only 1.64% of the samples from Korea and 0.18% from Hong Kong tested positive by sVNT, while only 0.41% of samples from Korea tested positive by PRNT. Among canine samples, 4.94% and 6.46% from Korea and Hong Kong, respectively, tested positive by ELISA, while only 0.29% of sera from Korea were positive on sVNT and no canine sera tested positive by PRNT. These results confirm a low seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in companion animals in Korea and Hong Kong. The discordance between the RBD-ELISA and neutralization tests may indicate possible ELISA cross-reactivity with other coronaviruses, especially in canine sera.

High-precision position estimations of agricultural mobile robots (AMRs) are crucial for implementing control instructions. Although the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and real-time kinematic GNSS (RTK-GNSS) provide high-precision positioning, the AMR accuracy decreases when the signals interfere with buildings or trees. An improved position estimation algorithm based on multisensor fusion and autoencoder neural network is proposed. The multisensor, RTK-GNSS, inertial-measurement-unit, and dual-rotary-encoder data are fused with Extended Kalman filter (EKF). To optimize the EKF noise matrix, the autoencoder and radial basis function (ARBF) neural network was used for modeling the state equation noise and EKF measurement equation. A multisensor AMR test platform was constructed for static experiments to estimate the circular error probability and twice-the-distance root-mean-squared criteria. Dynamic experiments were conducted on road, grass, and field environments. To validate the robustness of the proposed algorithm, abnormal working conditions of the sensors were tested on the road. The results showed that the positioning estimation accuracy was improved compared to the RTK-GNSS in all three environments. When the RTK-GNSS signal experienced interference or rotary encoders failed, the system could still improve the position estimation accuracy. The proposed system and optimization algorithm are thus significant for improving AMR position prediction performance.

Background: Plants in nature interact with other species, among which are mutualistic microorganisms that affect plant health. The co-existence of microbial symbionts with the host contributes to host fitness in a natural context. In turn, the composition of the plant microbiota responds to the environment and the state of the host, raising the possibility that it can be engineered to benefit the plant. However, technology for engineering the structure of the plant microbiome is not yet available., Results: The loss of diversity and reduction in population density of Streptomyces globisporus SP6C4, a core microbe, was observed coincident with the aging of strawberry plants. Here, we show that glutamic acid reshapes the plant microbial community and enriches populations of Streptomyces, a functional core microbe in the strawberry anthosphere. Similarly, in the tomato rhizosphere, treatment with glutamic acid increased the population sizes of Streptomyces as well as those of Bacillaceae and Burkholderiaceae. At the same time, diseases caused by species of Botrytis and Fusarium were significantly reduced in both habitats. We suggest that glutamic acid directly modulates the composition of the microbiome community., Conclusions: Much is known about the structure of plant-associated microbial communities, but less is understood about how the community composition and complexity are controlled. Our results demonstrate that the intrinsic level of glutamic acid in planta is associated with the composition of the microbiota, which can be modulated by an external supply of a biostimulant. Video Abstract., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

We obtained ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) circular dichroism (CD) spectra of protonated L-phenylalanyl-L-alanine (L-H + PheAla) near the origin band of the S 0 -S 1 transition using cryogenic ion spectroscopy. Infrared (IR) ion-dip, IR-UV hole burning (HB) and UV-UV HB spectra showed that L-H + PheAla existed as two different conformers in a cryogenic ion trap, and they had nearly identical peptide backbones but different conformations in the Phe side chain. The UVPD CD spectra revealed that the two conformers had opposite CD signs and significantly different CD magnitudes from each other. These results demonstrate that the CD value of L-H + PheAla near the origin band is strongly influenced by the conformation of the Phe side chain.