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Abstract Intracerebral hemorrhage is a lethal cerebrovascular disease, and the inevitable secondary brain injury (SBI) is responsible for serious disability and death. Perfect therapeutic goal is to minimize SBI and restore neurobehavioral functions. Recently, neuroprotection is highlighted to reduce SBI, but it still faces “Neuronal survival but impaired functions” dilemma. Herein, this work further proposes a novel combinational therapeutic strategy of neuroprotection and neurogenesis toward this goal. However, appropriate therapeutic agents are rarely reported, and their discovery and development are urgently needed. Selenium participates in various physiological/pathological processes, which is hypothesized as a potential targeting molecule. To explore this effect, this work formulates an ultra-small selenium nanodot with a seleno-amino acid derived carbon dot domain and a hydrophilic PEG layer, surprisingly finding that it increases various selenoproteins levels at perihematomal region, to not only exert multiple neuroprotective roles at acute phase but promote neurogenesis and inhibit glial scar formation at recovery phase. At a safe dose, this combinational strategy effectively prevents SBI and recovers neurobehavioral functions to a normal level. Furthermore, its molecular mechanisms are revealed to broaden application scopes in other complex diseases. Graphical abstract

Abstract Intravenous thrombolysis using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) remains the primary treatment for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, the mechanism of tPA-related hemorrhagic transformation (HT) remains poorly understood. Elevation of histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) expression was detected by nano-liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry at 1 h following tPA infusion as compared to baseline prior to tPA infusion (discovery cohort, n = 10), which was subsequently confirmed in a validation cohort (n = 157) by ELISA. Surprisingly, no elevation of HRG was detected in individuals who subsequently developed HT. During in vitro experiments, HRG reduced neutrophil NETosis, inflammatory cytokine production, and migration across the blood–brain barrier induced by tPA. In a photothrombotic murine AIS model, HRG administration ameliorated HT with delayed thrombolysis, by inhibiting neutrophil immune infiltration and downregulating pro-inflammatory signaling pathways. Neutrophil depletion or NETosis inhibition also alleviated HT, whereas HRG siRNA treatment exacerbated HT. In conclusion, fluctuations in HRG levels may reflect tPA therapy and its associated HT. The inhibitory effect of HRG on neutrophils may counteract tPA-induced immune abnormalities and HT in patients with AIS.

Abstract Constructing highways in deserts is expensive due to the difficulty of acquiring materials; utilizing aeolian sand effectively has become a problem, especially in the Xinjiang region, where the desert widely occurs. This paper aims to investigate the vibration response of a geocell-reinforced aeolian sand subgrade under traffic loading based on field tests of highways in deserts. The vibration acceleration response of geocell-reinforced aeolian sand and gravelly soil upper roadbed structures is tested. The field test results illustrate the effects of dynamic loading on geocell-reinforced aeolian sand roadbeds, and the thickness substitution ratio between geocell-reinforced aeolian sand roadbeds and conventional gravelly soil roadbeds is determined and verified based on the vibration acceleration monitoring values. The results show that the vibration response induced by the test vehicle is concentrated within the 30 Hz frequency band, and the higher the vibration frequency, the faster the vertical decay in the road. The vibration damping capacity of the reinforced aeolian sand roadbed is better than that of the gravelly soil roadbed; when replacing the gravelly soil roadbed with the reinforced aeolian sand roadbed, the substitution ratio is 0.31–0.42. It is verified that half thickness of gravel soil on roadbeds can be replaced by geocell-reinforced aeolian sand under different working conditions. The results of this study can provide reference data for the design of highway subgrades in deserts.

Abstract In recent years, sleep problems among college students have become increasingly prominent, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and their sleep quality has deteriorated dramatically, severely affecting their physical and mental health. Numerous research studies have investigated the relationship between mindfulness and sleep quality; however, it is still unclear what psychological process underlies this relationship. In the current study, college students’ bed procrastination and self-control as mediating factors in the association between mindfulness and sleep quality were investigated. Using the convenience sampling method, 763 Chinese college students (mean age = 19.48 years, SD = 2.06) were recruited to complete self-reported questionnaires that included the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Self-Control Scale, Bed Procrastination Scale, and Sleep Quality Scale. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 23.0 software. Results showed that (a) mindfulness was positively associated with sleep quality; (b) both self-control and bed procrastination mediated the relationship between mindfulness and sleep quality, and (c) self-control and bed procrastination sequentially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and sleep quality. These findings collectively suggest a potential mechanism for how mindfulness influences sleep quality, providing a therapeutic target for mindfulness-based interventions aimed at helping college students improve sleep quality.

Abstract Background Extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness is closely related to the progress of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) and the response of treatment of DCM to anti-diabetic drugs. Dapagliflozin (Dapa) has been proven to have cardio-protective efficacy for diabetes and listed as the first-line drug to treat heart failure. But the regulatory relationship between ECM stiffness and treatment efficacy of Dapa remains elusive. Materials and methods This work investigated the effect of ECM stiffness on DCM progression and Dapa efficacy using both in vivo DCM rat model and in vitro myocardial cell model with high glucose injury. First, through DCM rat models with various levels of myocardial injury and administration with Dapa treatment for four weeks, the levels of myocardial injury, myocardial oxidative stress, expressions of AT1R (a mechanical signal protein) and the stiffness of myocardial tissues were obtained. Then for mimicking the stiffness of myocardial tissues at early and late stages of DCM, we constructed cell models through culturing H9c2 myocardial cells on the polyacrylamide gels with two stiffness and exposed to a high glucose level and without/with Dapa intervention. The cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and expressions of mechanical signal sensitive proteins were obtained. Results The DCM progression is accompanied by the increased myocardial tissue stiffness, which can synergistically exacerbate myocardial cell injury with high glucose. Dapa can improve the ECM stiffness-induced DCM progression and its efficacy on DCM is more pronounced on the soft ECM, which is related to the regulation pathway of AT1R-FAK-NOX2. Besides, Dapa can inhibit the expression of the ECM-induced integrin β1, but without significant impact on piezo 1. Conclusions Our study found the regulation and effect of biomechanics in the DCM progression and on the Dapa efficacy on DCM, providing the new insights for the DCM treatment. Additionally, our work showed the better clinical prognosis of DCM under early Dapa intervention.

Abstract The mammalian SWI/SNF-like BAF complexes play critical roles during animal development and pathological conditions. Previous gene deletion studies and characterization of human gene mutations implicate that the complexes both repress and activate a large number of genes. However, the direct function of the complexes in cells remains largely unclear due to the relatively long-term nature of gene deletion or natural mutation. Here we generate a mouse line by knocking in the auxin-inducible degron tag (AID) to the Smarca4 gene, which encodes BRG1, the essential ATPase subunit of the BAF complexes. We show that the tagged BRG1 can be efficiently depleted by osTIR1 expression and auxin treatment for 6 to 10 h in CD4 + T cells, hepatocytes, and fibroblasts isolated from the knock-in mice. The acute depletion of BRG1 leads to decreases in nascent RNAs and RNA polymerase II binding at a large number of genes, which are positively correlated with the loss of BRG1. Further, these changes are correlated with diminished accessibility at DNase I Hypersensitive Sites (DHSs) and p300 binding. The acute BRG1 depletion results in three major patterns of nucleosome shifts leading to narrower nucleosome spacing surrounding transcription factor motifs and at enhancers and transcription start sites (TSSs), which are correlated with loss of BRG1, decreased chromatin accessibility and decreased nascent RNAs. Acute depletion of BRG1 severely compromises the Trichostatin A (TSA) -induced histone acetylation, suggesting a substantial interplay between the chromatin remodeling activity of BRG1 and histone acetylation. Our data suggest BRG1 mainly plays a direct positive role in chromatin accessibility, RNAPII binding, and nascent RNA production by regulating nucleosome positioning and facilitating transcription factor binding to their target sites.

Abstract As the development of well types for low permeability reservoirs shifts from vertical to highly inclined/horizontal wells, targeted studies of oil and gas reservoir damage must be conducted for such well types to improve the science and effectiveness of acidification conversion. Taking into account the formation of mud cake and the dynamic damage factors caused by drilling fluid on the reservoir during horizontal well drilling, a refined dynamic description model for nonuniform damage in horizontal wells was established. The coupled simulation accounts for the dynamical destruction of the skin factor of the reservoir and the dynamical generation of the slurry. The coupled model consists of a radial mud cake dynamic formation model, a reservoir damage radius model, a permeability distribution model, and a horizontal well inhomogeneous skin factor model. It captures the dynamic evolution of reservoir damage due to drilling fluid contamination during horizontal well drilling and provides a real‐time representation of changes in the reservoir skin factor of horizontal wells, measuring the depth and extent of radial reservoir damage. Clarifying the extent of reservoir damage and its impact in horizontal well sections can help select appropriate acidification methods, improve acid distribution processes, and ultimately improve the effectiveness of mitigating reservoir damage and increasing oil and gas well productivity.

Abstract Objectives Perioperative bleeding poses a significant issue during thoracic surgery. Tranexamic acid (TXA) is one of the most commonly used antifibrinolytic agents for surgical patients. The purpose of the current study was designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of TXA in patients undergoing thoracic surgery. Methods An extensive search of PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), Cochrane Library (trials), Embase, OVID, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP electronic databases was performed to identify studies published between the inception of these databases and March 2023. The primary outcomes included perioperative blood loss and blood transfusions. Secondary outcomes of interest included the length of stay (LOS) in hospital and the incidence of thromboembolic events. Weighted mean differences (WMDs) or odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to determine treatment effects for continuous and dichotomous variables, respectively. Results Five qualified studies including 307 thoracic surgical patients were included in the current study. Among them, 65 patients were randomly allocated to the group receiving TXA administration (the TXA group); the other 142 patients were assigned to the group not receiving TXA administration (the control group). TXA significantly reduced the quantity of hemorrhage in the postoperative period (postoperative 12h: WMD = -81.90 ml; 95% CI: -139.55 to -24.26; P = 0.005; postoperative 24h: WMD = -97.44 ml; 95% CI: -121.44 to -73.44; P< 0.00001); The intraoperative blood transfusion volume (WMD = -0.54 units; 95% CI: -1.06 to -0.03; P = 0.04); LOS in hospital (WMD = -0.6 days; 95% CI: -1.04 to -0.16; P = 0.008); And there was no postoperative thromboembolic event reported in the included studies. Conclusions The present study demonstrated that TXA significantly decreased blood loss within 12 and 24 hours postoperatively. A qualitative review did not identify elevated risks of safety outcomes such as thromboembolic events. It also suggested that TXA administration was associated with shorter LOS in hospital as compared to control. To validate this further, additional well-planned and adequately powered randomized studies are necessary.

This study explores the public perception of Chinese fansubbers in an English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) world. The analysis draws from a survey gathering both quantitative and qualitative data from 327 respondents. In an ELF world, Chinese audiences have demonstrated increasing linguistic competence in their appreciation of fansubbing, which has in turn enhanced their language acquisition. While fansubbers are often seen as amateur translators when compared with their professional counterparts, this study suggests that this distinction, already somewhat blurred within academic discourse, is of little concern to the public. In addition to their role as translators, fansubbers are perceived as cultural brokers and language educators who not only teach but also inspire a new generation of viewers to engage with foreign languages, cultures and translation. The public perception of Chinese fansubbers extends beyond translation quality to include broader and more positive attributes. The findings lead to a new understanding of the social impact of fansubbers.

Abstract Non-volatile phase-change memory devices utilize local heating to toggle between crystalline and amorphous states with distinct electrical properties. Expanding on this kind of switching to two topologically distinct phases requires controlled non-volatile switching between two crystalline phases with distinct symmetries. Here, we report the observation of reversible and non-volatile switching between two stable and closely related crystal structures, with remarkably distinct electronic structures, in the near-room-temperature van der Waals ferromagnet Fe5−δ GeTe2. We show that the switching is enabled by the ordering and disordering of Fe site vacancies that results in distinct crystalline symmetries of the two phases, which can be controlled by a thermal annealing and quenching method. The two phases are distinguished by the presence of topological nodal lines due to the preserved global inversion symmetry in the site-disordered phase, flat bands resulting from quantum destructive interference on a bipartite lattice, and broken inversion symmetry in the site-ordered phase.

Abstract Arsenic (As) detoxification in polluted soils by iron-based materials can be mediated by the endogenous soil organic matter (SOM), nevertheless the mechanisms remain unclear. Herein, endogenous SOM in a paddy soil was substantially removed to understand its roles on As immobilization by biochar-supported zero-valent iron (ZVI/BC). The results demonstrated that ZVI/BC application significantly decreased As bioavailability by 64.2% compared with the control soil under the anaerobic condition. XPS and HR-TEM suggested As immobilization by ZVI/BC mainly invoked the formation of ternary complexes (i.e., As-Fe-SOM). However, SOM depletion compromised the efficacy of ZVI/BC for As immobilization by 289.8%. This is likely because SOM depletion increased the fulvic acid and OH− contents in soils. Besides, ZVI/BC increased the proportion of As(III) in available As fraction, but SOM depletion altered the mechanisms associated with As(V) reduction. That is, As(V) reduction resulted from the reductive capacity of ZVI in the pristine soil, but the As(V)-reducing bacteria contributed greater to As(V) reduction in the SOM-depleted soil. Additionally, SOM depletion boosted the abundances of Fe(III)- and As(V)-reducing bacteria such as Bacillus and Ammoniphilus in soils, which enhanced the dissimilatory arsenate reduction. Thus, this work highlighted the importance of SOM in the remediation of As-contaminated soils by ZVI/BC. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Bamboo biochar was modified by lignin impregnation and microwave irradiation to enhance its performance for CO2 capture. The pore structure of lignin-impregnated biochar was significantly affected by the impregnation ratio. The maximum specific surface area of 377.32 m2 g−1 and micropore volume of 0.163 cm3 g−1 were observed on the biochar with an impregnation ratio of 1:20 (mass ratio of lignin to biochar). Lignin impregnation increased the CO2 adsorption capacity of biochar up to 134.46 mg g−1. Correlation analysis confirmed the crucial role of biochar’s pore structure in adsorption. The Avrami model fitted the CO2 capture curves well. The calculation of adsorption activation energy suggested that the adsorption process was dominated by physical mechanism assisted with partial chemical mechanism. Meanwhile, Langmuir isotherm analysis indicated that lignin impregnation transformed the larger pores of biochar into more uniform micropores, thereby making the adsorption process closer to monolayer adsorption. Both the high reusability (89.79–99.06%) after 10 successive cycles and the excellent CO2 selectivity in competitive adsorption confirmed that lignin-impregnated biochar is an outstanding adsorbent for CO2 capture. Graphical Abstract

Abstract The combination of a geometrically frustrated lattice, and similar energy scales between degrees of freedom endows two-dimensional Kagome metals with a rich array of quantum phases and renders them ideal for studying strong electron correlations and band topology. The Kagome metal, FeGe is a noted example of this, exhibiting A-type collinear antiferromagnetic (AFM) order at T N ≈ 400 K, then establishes a charge density wave (CDW) phase coupled with AFM ordered moment below T CDW ≈ 110 K, and finally forms a c-axis double cone AFM structure around T Canting ≈ 60 K. Here we use neutron scattering to demonstrate the presence of gapless incommensurate spin excitations associated with the double cone AFM structure of FeGe at temperatures well above T Canting and T CDW that merge into gapped commensurate spin waves from the A-type AFM order. Commensurate spin waves follow the Bose factor and fit the Heisenberg Hamiltonian, while the incommensurate spin excitations, emerging below T N where AFM order is commensurate, start to deviate from the Bose factor around T CDW, and peaks at T Canting. This is consistent with a critical scattering of a second order magnetic phase transition with decreasing temperature. By comparing these results with density functional theory calculations, we conclude that the incommensurate magnetic structure arises from the nested Fermi surfaces of itinerant electrons and the formation of a spin density wave order.

Abstract Electric field-induced second harmonic generation allows electrically controlling nonlinear light-matter interactions crucial for emerging integrated photonics applications. Despite its wide presence in materials, the figures-of-merit of electric field-induced second harmonic generation are yet to be elevated to enable novel device functionalities. Here, we show that the polar skyrmions, a topological phase spontaneously formed in PbTiO3/SrTiO3 ferroelectric superlattices, exhibit a high comprehensive electric field-induced second harmonic generation performance. The second-order nonlinear susceptibility and modulation depth, measured under non-resonant 800 nm excitation, reach ~54.2 pm V−1 and ~664% V−1, respectively, and high response bandwidth (higher than 10 MHz), wide operating temperature range (up to ~400 K) and good fatigue resistance (>1010 cycles) are also demonstrated. Through combined in-situ experiments and phase-field simulations, we establish the microscopic links between the exotic polarization configuration and field-induced transition paths of the skyrmions and their electric field-induced second harmonic generation response. Our study not only presents a highly competitive thin-film material ready for constructing on-chip devices, but opens up new avenues of utilizing topological polar structures in the fields of photonics and optoelectronics.

The heterogeneity of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) poses a barrier to effective treatment. Stratifying highly heterogeneous HCC into molecular subtypes with similar features is crucial for personalized anti-tumor therapies. Although driver genes play pivotal roles in cancer progression, their potential in HCC subtyping has been largely overlooked. This study aims to utilize driver genes to construct HCC subtype models and unravel their molecular mechanisms. Utilizing a novel computational framework, we expanded the initially identified 96 driver genes to 1192 based on mutational aspects and an additional 233 considering driver dysregulation. These genes were subsequently employed as stratification markers for further analyses. A novel multi-omics subtype classification algorithm was developed, leveraging mutation and expression data of the identified stratification genes. This algorithm successfully categorized HCC into two distinct subtypes, CLASS A and CLASS B, demonstrating significant differences in survival outcomes. Integrating multi-omics and single-cell data unveiled substantial distinctions between these subtypes regarding transcriptomics, mutations, copy number variations, and epigenomics. Moreover, our prognostic model exhibited excellent predictive performance in training and external validation cohorts. Finally, a 10-gene classification model for these subtypes identified TTK as a promising therapeutic target with robust classification capabilities. This comprehensive study provides a novel perspective on HCC stratification, offering crucial insights for a deeper understanding of its pathogenesis and the development of promising treatment strategies.

In direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation with sensor arrays, the background noise is usually modeled to be uncorrelated uniform white noise, such that the related algorithms can be greatly simplified by making use of the property of the noise covariance matrix being a diagonal matrix with identical diagonal entries. However, this model can be easily violated by the nonuniformity of sensor noise and the presence of outliers that may arise from unexpected impulsive noise. To tackle this problem, we first introduce an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) model for DOA estimation in nonuniform noise. Then, to deal with the outliers, a generalized extreme Studentized deviate (ESD) test is applied for outlier detection and trimming. Based on the trimmed data matrix, a modified EFA model, which belongs to weighted least-squares (WLS) fitting problems, is presented. Furthermore, a monotonic convergent iterative reweighted least-squares (IRLS) algorithm, called the iterative majorization approach, is introduced to solve the WLS problem. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm offers improved robustness against nonuniform noise and observation outliers over traditional algorithms.

Background: The COVID-19 outbreak has profoundly affected the psychological well-being of university students globally. Previous studies have found a positive longitudinal link between fear of COVID-19 (FoC-19) and internet addiction. However, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding COVID-19-specific predictors and underlying mechanisms of internet gaming addiction (IGA). Methods: Integrating the compensatory internet use theory and social role theory as frameworks, a three-wave longitudinal approach was used in this study to test the hypothesized model. Data spanning a duration of one year were gathered from undergraduate students in China. From 2021 to 2022, we conducted online self-report surveys in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to obtain participants’ levels of FoC-19, loneliness, depressive symptoms, and IGA. Results: FoC-19 showed a longitudinal positive relationship with IGA. The longitudinal link between FoC-19 and IGA was mediated by loneliness and depression. Gender moderated the direct effect of FoC-19 on IGA, with this effect being significant only among male students and not among their female counterparts. Conclusion: These findings advance our comprehension of the mechanisms and gender differences underlying the link between FoC-19 and IGA, and provide a novel perspective for interventions to reduce IGA.

With the widespread application of electrochemical energy storage technology, the safety issues of lithium-ion batteries have garnered significant attention. The issue of arc faults resulting from electrical failures is especially critical, as it can lead to catastrophic battery disasters. Therefore, this paper first established an arc testing platform and conducted experiments on top cover and body of prismatic lithium-ion batteries to analyze the thermoelectric characteristics between arc and battery. Under experimental conditions of 300 V and 15 A, it was found that arcs can induce thermal runaway in batteries. Subsequently, based on the experimental conditions, a mathematical model was established to induce thermal runaway in batteries through an equivalent method of arc heat source. By comparing the temperature curves of model and experiment, the RMSE of temperature at the center point of large surface was 5.09 °C (with a maximum temperature of 212 °C), indicating the accuracy of the model. This paper’s research on arc faults in battery systems revealed the evolution pattern and realized that arcs can trigger thermal runaway in batteries. The model for arc-triggered thermal runaway in batteries is highly accurate, capable of reducing the number of experiments, accelerating experimental progress, and is of significant importance for guiding the design of arc experiments about batteries.

The intricate relationships between plants and insects are essential for understanding ecological dynamics. Among these interactions, HIPVs serve as a pivotal defense mechanism. Our findings reveal the highly conserved nature of the GOX gene within the Lepidoptera order, highly expressed in the salivary glands of S. frugiperda, and its role in mediating maize’s defense responses. Notably, salivary GOX activity expression significantly decreases subsequent gene knockout. The presence of GOX in the saliva of S. frugiperda significantly modulates the emission of HIPVs during maize consumption. This research delineates that GOX selectively inhibits the emission of certain green leaf volatiles (GLVs) while concurrently enhancing the release of terpene volatiles. This study unveils a novel mechanism whereby S. frugiperda utilizes GOX proteins in OS to modulate volatile emissions from maize, offering fresh perspectives on the adaptive evolution of phytophagous insects and their interactions with their preferred host plants.