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Low muscle mass (LMM) can be a frequent complication in Crohn's disease (CD). We attempted to explore the effect of LMM on the efficacy of biologics in patients with CD. The retrospective cohort study included moderate-to-severe CD patients treated with infliximab or ustekinumab, and appendicitis patients as control. The skeletal muscle area (SMA) of L3 was assessed to evaluate the patients' muscle mass. After propensity score matching, the impact of LMM on drug efficacy was assessed in CD patients. A total of 269 patients with CD and 172 appendicitis patients were included. The CD group had lower skeletal muscle density and BMI, and a higher risk of developing LMM than the control group. BMI (OR = 0.48, p < 0.001) and previous use of biologics (OR = 2.94, p = 0.019) were found to be independently associated with LMM. LMM was found to be associated with a decrease in clinical response (at weeks 8–14), clinical remission (at weeks 8–14, 24–30 and 52) and biochemical remission (at week 52). At weeks 24–30 and 52, LMM was independently associated with loss of response (LOR). We found LMM could be a predictor of lower clinical remission at week 30, lower clinical remission at week 52 and a higher LOR rate at week 30 in infliximab. While in ustekinumab, LMM was associated with lower endoscopic remission at week 24, biochemical remission at week 52 and a higher LOR rate at weeks 24 and 52. The prevalence of LMM was higher in the CD group compared to the control group. For CD patients with LMM, the efficacy of infliximab and ustekinumab was relatively poor in both the short-term and long-term. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novelty is a critical characteristic of innovative scientific articles, and accurately identifying novelty can facilitate the early detection of scientific breakthroughs. However, existing methods for measuring novelty have two main limitations: (1) Metadata-based approaches, such as citation analysis, are retrospective and do not alleviate the pressures of the peer review process or enable timely tracking of scientific progress; (2) Content-based methods have not adequately addressed the inherent uncertainty between the qualitative concept of novelty and the textual representation of papers. To address these issues, we propose a practical and effective framework for m easuring the n ovelty of s cientific a rticles through i ntegrated t opic m odeling and c loud m odel, referred to as MNSA-ITMCM. In this framework, papers are represented as topic combinations, and novelty is reflected in the organic reorganization of these topics. We use the BERTopic model to generate semantically informed topics, and then apply a topic selection algorithm based on maximum marginal relevance to obtain a topic combination that balances similarity and diversity. Furthermore, we leverage the cloud model from fuzzy mathematics to quantify novelty, overcoming the uncertainty inherent in natural language expression and topic modeling to improve the accuracy of novelty measurement. To validate the effectiveness of our framework, we conducted empirical evaluations on papers from the Cell 2021 journal (biomedical domain) and the ICLR 2023 conference (computer science domain). Through correlation analysis and prediction error analysis, our framework demonstrated the ability to identify different types of novel papers and accurately predict their novelty levels. The proposed framework is applicable across diverse scientific disciplines and publication venues, benefiting researchers, librarians, science evaluation agencies, policymakers, and funding organizations by improving the efficiency and comprehensiveness of identifying novelty research. • We propose an effective framework, MNSA-ITMCM, for measuring the novelty of scientific articles. • We define novelty as the organic reorganization of topics, and use cloud model to address the conversion between them. • We validate the effectiveness of MNSA-ITMCM on real-world datasets from two different scientific domains and venues. • MNSA-ITMCM can effectively identify different types of novel papers and accurately predict their novelty levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The MeshLink framework provides a tool that supports high-quality surface structured mesh generation. • A mesh-based feature information framework (MFIF) facilitates automated data linkage between mapping relationship data and mesh data. • The surface structured mesh generation technique based on conformal mapping can reduce the difficulty of generating structured meshes on complex geometric shapes. • By introducing graph neural network into the mesh quality evaluation process, a mesh quality iterative optimization framework based on deep learning is developed. • An example of a detailed generation process for high-quality surface structured meshes is given. Generated meshes for other models are also shown. With the rapid progress in engineering simulation, there is an increasing industrial need for accurate mesh generation methods. Furthermore, the development of data-driven methods require an innovative mesh generation framework that can integrate deep learning models to facilitate automatic data linkage. This paper develops a surface structured mesh generation framework named MeshLink. This framework extends the support for mesh data and associated algorithms through the Mesh-based Feature Information Framework (MFIF). First, in order to map the model to the parametric domain, we discretize the input model using triangular meshes. To handle complex geometric shapes, we develop a structured mesh generation technique based on conformal mapping. Then, we generate the surface structured mesh of the model based on inverse mapping algorithm. The MeshLink framework overcomes the limitations of traditional mesh generation workflows by integrating deep learning models. We adopted a structured mesh evaluation model based on graph neural network, which enhance the efficiency of the framework. Finally, based on the mesh quality evaluation results, we use the corresponding mesh optimization algorithm to generate high-quality surface structure meshes. The MeshLink framework not only provides a tool that supports high-quality surface structured mesh generation, but also facilitates the storage, linking and retrieval of mesh data sources. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional reinforced concrete coupling beams are subject to severe damage after earthquakes, resulting in costly repairs or even the need for complete demolition. In order to improve the seismic resilience of coupled wall structure, a new self-centering coupling beam (SCCB) incorporating self-centering friction dampers (SCFDs) is proposed. The proposed coupling beam consists of an elastic beam segment and a fuse part. The fuse parts consist of four SCFDs arranged in a diamond shape and two chord members. The SCFD is the core component, which provides strength and stiffness to the coupling beam and reduces the residual deformation of the coupling beam. Since the damper and chord members are joined by dowels, they are easily removed and replaced after an earthquake. In addition, the SCCB can eliminate the beam elongation effect. The working principle and design methodology of the SCCB are described in detail. Cyclic loading experiments were carried out on the SCCB, and the results showed that the SCCB had good self-centering and energy dissipation capabilities. The influence of friction force and loading rates on the seismic performance of SCCB was investigated. Among all the tested specimens, the maximum residual rotation is 0.0095 rad and the minimum residual rotation is 0.0035 rad. Finally, the SCCB was tested for replacement to assess its replaceability. Experimental results show that the damaged components can be replaced by two workers within 30 min, and the seismic performance of SCCB after replacement is basically the same as before. • An innovative self-centering coupling beam incorporating self-centering friction dampers is proposed. • The effects of friction force of the damper and loading rate on the coupling beam was investigated experimentally. • Replacement tests were conducted to assess the seismic resilience of the self-centering coupling beam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An entirely new insight into constructing superhigh areal-specific-capacity LIBs. • The MoS 2 /C hybrids film facilitates superior ion/electron transport capability. • A four-film stacked electrode delivers an areal specific capacity of 7.21 mA h cm−2. • A flexible all-solid-state full cell is assembled with great Li+ storage capability. The development of flexible lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with very high areal capacity becomes extremely important in achieving precision medicine due to the limited area of the involved LIB devices. However, the improvement of areal capacity using well-known conventional strategies unavoidably engenders serious polarization and gravimetric specific capacity fading. Herein, we report an entirely new insight into constructing superhigh areal-specific-capacity LIBs by designing an electron/ion dual-conductive macroporous MoS 2 /C hybrid film. A four-film stacked electrode even with a high mass loading of ∼12.0 mg cm−2 can deliver an unprecedented high areal specific capacity of 7.21 mA h cm−2, almost double that of best material reported to date (4 mA h cm−2). Such film electrode unexpectedly shows a positive linear increase of areal specific capacity versus layer number, but no gravimetric capacity (high value of ∼600 mA h g−1) change. The electrode kinetics studies reveal that such superhigh areal-specific-capacity lithium storage is mainly attributed to excellent ion transport (10−8–10−9 cm2 s−1) and electron transfer (21.3 S cm−1) of three-dimensional macroporous MoS 2 /C hybrid film. This work demonstrates a new concept of dual-conductive film electrode for the development and application of LIBs with tailorable areal specific capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Rapid low-temperature synthesis of hollow CuS 0.55 nanoparticles has been shown. • The hollow nanostructure greatly improves electrochemically active surface area. • The rich Cu sites show strong adsorption ability to targeted OOH∗ intermediates. • An ultralow overpotential is required for water oxidation in alkaline media. Abstract Developing low-cost and binder-free Cu-based electrocatalysts for high-performance oxygen evolution reactions (OER) is of great importance to promote their practical applications. Herein, we demonstrate the low-temperature and rapid synthesis of hollow CuS 0.55 nanoparticles on a Cu foam as highly active OER electrocatalysts through an anodic oxidation electrodeposition technique. The large electrochemically active surface area and strong adsorption ability of Cu sites to targeted OOH∗ intermediates are beneficial for enhancing catalytic properties. As a consequence, the hollow CuS 0.55 nanoparticles exhibit an ultralow overpotential of 386 mV to achieve a high current density of 100 mA cm−2 in alkaline media with a very small Tafel slope of 33 mV dec−1, which is among the best reported for Cu-based electrocatalysts. The turnover frequency (TOF) is approximately 6 times higher than those of the corresponding CuS 0.57 and CuO catalysts. This work provides a simple and feasible approach that can be scaled up easily to construct low-cost and efficient Cu-based OER electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bacteria toxicity of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) can be changed during its application in water treatment but the toxicity mechanism is still not well understood, particularly under anaerobic conditions. Here, the toxicity of nZVI and its aging products towards Escherichia coli (E. coli) and the mechanisms of extracellular and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage were deeply probed in the presence and absence of oxygen in ultrapure water. Under aerobic conditions, the ROS damage primarily caused by the generation of extracellular free •OH can be a major contributor to the toxicity of nZVI to E. coli. By contrast, in anaerobic nZVI treatment system, the intracellular •OH can be quenched by benzoic acid which is a cell permeable quencher and the electron spin resonance (ESR) signals of 5,5-dimethy-1-pyrroline (DMPO)- •OH were evidently observed in system with the addition of F− which could desorb the surface •OH into solution. It indicated that the intracellular •OH adsorbed on the particle surface can also play an indispensable role in inactivating cells under anaerobic conditions. Moreover, nZVI can steeply decline the membrane potential, causing severe membrane disruption and therefore resulting in the stronger toxicity in anaerobic conditions. Furthermore, the chemical composition transformation of nZVI and generation of benign iron corrosion products (e.g., Fe 3 O 4 , γ-Fe 2 O 3 , γ-FeOOH) are mainly responsible for the reduced toxicity with the increasing aging time. These results provide insights into the extracellular and intracellular ROS damage occurred in aerobic and anaerobic nZVI treatment systems, offering more perspective to the risk assessment of nZVI application. [Display omitted] • nZVI exhibits stronger toxicity under anaerobic conditions than aerobic conditions. • Extracellular free • OH is a major contributor to the toxicity of nZVI in water with DO. • nZVI caused much more severe membrane disruption in anaerobic conditions. • Intracellular • OH also plays a role in inactivating cells under anaerobic conditions. • Generation of iron corrosion products resulted in reduced toxicity during aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silica nanoparticles have become one of the most promising nanomaterials for a vast of applications. In this work, a novel strategy for surface modification of silica nanoparticles has been developed for the first time via combination of mussel inspired chemistry and Michael addition reaction. In this procedure, thin polydopamine (PDA) films were first coated on the bare silica nanoparticles via self-polymerization of dopamine in alkaline condition. And then amino-containing polymers were introduced onto the PDA coated silica nanoparticles through Michael addition reaction, that are synthesized from free radical polymerization using poly(ethylene glycol) methyl methacrylate (PEGMA) and N -(3-aminopropyl) methacrylamide (NAPAM) as monomers and ammonium persulfate as the initiator. The successful modification of silica nanoparticles was evidenced by a series of characterization techniques. As compared with the bare silica nanoparticles, the polymers modified silica nanoparticles showed remarkable enhanced dispersibility in both aqueous and organic solution. This strategy is rather simple, effective and versatile. Therefore, it should be of specific importance for further applications of silica nanoparticles and will spark great research attention of scientists from different fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The oxygen vacancy engineered V 2 O 5 nanosheet arrays have been synthesized. • Introducing cation can adjust and stabilize the oxygen vacancy of the sample. • The highest oxygen vacancy leads to an optimal alkaline water splitting efficiency. Stabilizing oxygen vacancy for oxides-based electrocatalysts is the most challenging to achieve high-efficient overall water splitting in alkaline media. Herein, the oxygen vacancy (O V) engineered V 2 O 5 nanosheet arrays have been demonstrated as bifunctional electrocatalysts, in which cobalt ions are utilized to tailor O V content and keep steady. The maxmized O V engineering can render the valance electrons shift to higher binding energy with moderate surface chemical states, optimizing H* adsorption on vanadium center at the electrochemical interface. Consequently, a superlow overpotential of 51 mV is required to attain a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for hydrogen evolution with 24 h durable stability. The corresponding overpotential is about 277 mV for oxygen evolution. After assembling a two-electrode electrolyzer, it shows a very low voltage of 1.55 V at 10 mA cm−2. This work provides a viable cationic induced O V formation strategy for oxides-based electrocatalysts to obtain satisfied catalytic activity and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of braided structure on shape memory behaviors of 3D braided composites is critical to design the responses of the composite under external fields. Here we report the effect of axial yarn on shape memory behaviors of three-dimensional five-directional (3D5d) braided shape memory polymer composites (SMPCs) under bending. It was found that the axial yarns will improve bending stiffness and electro-thermal behaviors significantly. The thermomechanical deformation and shape memory effect of SMPCs are influenced by the braiding structural parameters. Specifically, the 3D5d SMPCs exhibits a 53.6% increase in bending recovery force and a faster shape recovery speed than those of 3D four-directional SMPCs. We found from finite element analyses (FEA) that the axial yarns positions influence the inner stress distribution and shape memory behaviors of SMPCs. The axial yarns distributed on both sides of SMPC influence the shape memory behaviors more than those of the middle layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uniformly and controllably introducing oxygen vacancy (O v ) into spinel electrocatalysts is still a great challenge for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of spinel Co 3 O 4 mesoporous nanosheets aggregation with tunable O v by a simple phosphorus (P) doping strategy. It is found that a trade-off between O v and electronic conductivity plays an important role in improving OER electrocatalytic activity. The optimized Co 3 O 4-x P 0.15 electrocatalyst delivers a current density of 20 mA cm −2 in alkaline media within a small overpotential of only 338 mV, which is much lower than the corresponding Co 3 O 4 (395 mV) and the commercial RuO 2 (368 mV) catalysts. The Tafel slope is 52 mV dec −1 and the overpotential gives negligible increase even through 8 h OER at 10 mA cm −2 . The superior OER catalytic activity is mainly attributed to the 2D mesoporous nanosheets (rich active sites) and appropriate O v (fast electrons transfer). This work provides a simple and effective strategy to control O v concentration in spinel electrocatalysts for enhancing water oxidation capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protocol to intrinsically achieve efficient oxygen evolution reaction is to maximize the catalytic activity by regulating the micro/nanostructures of electrocatalysts. Herein, we demonstrate the construction of the CoS 2 nanosheets assembled three-dimensional hierarchical microboxes by a facile solvothermal process and subsequent sulfurization, where the porous building blocks are cross-linked by numerous nanoparticles. Such attractive nanostructures facilitate sufficient exposure of electrocatalytic active sites with rapid ions transfer. The as-obtained CoS 2 microboxes exhibit excellent oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalytic performance with a small overpotential of only 308 mV in 1.0 mol L −1 KOH solution to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm −2 , which is much lower than the CoS 2 nanoparticles (336 mV) and the CoS 2 nanosheets aggregations (339 mV). The Tafel slope is as low as 41.4 mV dec −1 . Furthermore, they also show a negligible overpotential change during 8 h chronopotentiometry measurement. This present work highlights the importance of micro/nanostructure design for improving oxygen evolution reaction performance of water oxidation electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]