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Visual adaptive devices have potential to simplify circuits and algorithms in machine vision systems to adapt and perceive images with varying brightness levels, which is however limited by sluggish adaptation process. Here, the avalanche tuning as feedforward inhibition in bionic two-dimensional (2D) transistor is proposed for fast and high-frequency visual adaptation behavior with microsecond-level accurate perception, the adaptation speed is over 104 times faster than that of human retina and reported bionic sensors. As light intensity changes, the bionic transistor spontaneously switches between avalanche and photoconductive effect, varying responsivity in both magnitude and sign (from 7.6 × 104 to −1 × 103 A/W), thereby achieving ultra-fast scotopic and photopic adaptation process of 108 and 268 μs, respectively. By further combining convolutional neural networks with avalanche-tuned bionic transistor, an adaptative machine vision is achieved with remarkable microsecond-level rapid adaptation capabilities and robust image recognition with over 98% precision in both dim and bright conditions. Visual adaptive devices show promise for simplifying circuits and algorithms in machine vision systems. Here, the authors report a visual adaptive transistor with tunable avalanche effects and microsecond-level bionic vision capabilities, recognizing images in dim and bright conditions with over 98% accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monitoring of currents in the abyssal ocean is an essential foundation of deep-sea research. The state-of-the-art current meter has limitations such as the requirement of a power supply for signal transduction, low pressure resistance, and a narrow measurement range. Here, we report a fully integrated, self-powered, highly sensitive deep-sea current measurement system in which the ultra-sensitive triboelectric nanogenerator harvests ocean current energy for the self-powered sensing of tiny current motions down to 0.02 m/s. Through an unconventional magnetic coupling structure, the system withstands immense hydrostatic pressure exceeding 45 MPa. A variable-spacing structure broadens the measuring range to 0.02–6.69 m/s, which is 67% wider than that of commercial alternatives. The system successfully operates at a depth of 4531 m in the South China Sea, demonstrating the record-deep operations of triboelectric nanogenerator-based sensors in deep-sea environments. Our results show promise for sustainable ocean current monitoring with higher spatiotemporal resolution. This study shows a self-powered deep-sea current measurement system using a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that measures currents from 0.02 to 6.69 m/s and withstands over 45 MPa pressure. Successful operation at 4531 m depth in the South China Sea is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A series of new 68Ga-labeled tracers based on [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-617 were developed to augment the tumor-to-kidney ratio and reduce the activity accumulation in bladder, ultimately minimize radiation toxicity to the urinary system. Methods: We introduced quinoline group, phenylalanine and decanoic acid into different tracers to enhance their lipophilicity, strategically limiting their metabolic pathway through the urinary system. Their binding affinity onto LNCaP cells was determined through in vitro saturation assays and competition binding assays. In vivo metabolic study, PET imaging and biodistribution experiment were performed in LNCaP tumor-bearing B-NSG male mice. The most promising tracer was selected for first-in-human study. Results: Four radiotracers were synthesized with radiochemical purity (RCP) > 95% and molar activity in a range of 20.0-25.5 GBq/μmol. The binding affinities (Ki) of TWS01, TWS02 to PSMA were in the low nanomolar range (< 10 nM), while TWS03 and TWS04 exhibited binding affinities with Ki > 20 nM (59.42 nM for TWS03 and 37.14 nM for TWS04). All radiotracers exhibited high stability in vivo except [68Ga]Ga-TWS03. Micro PET/CT imaging and biodistribution analysis revealed that [68Ga]Ga-TWS02 enabled clear tumor visualization in PET images at 1.5 h post-injection, with higher tumor-to-kidney ratio (T/K, 0.93) and tumor-to-muscle ratio (T/M, 107.62) compared with [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-617 (T/K: 0.39, T/M: 15.01) and [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 (T/K: 0.15, T/M: 24.00). In first-in-human study, [68Ga]Ga-TWS02 effectively detected PCa-associated lesions including primary and metastatic lesions, with lower accumulation in urinary system, suggesting that [68Ga]Ga-TWS02 might be applied in the detection of bladder invasion, with minimized radiation toxicity to the urinary system. Conclusion: Introduction of quinoline group, phenylalanine and decanoic acid into different tracers can modulate the binding affinity and pharmacokinetics of PSMA in vivo. [68Ga]Ga-TWS02 showed high binding affinity to PSMA, excellent pharmacokinetic properties and clear imaging of PCa-associated lesions, making it a promising radiotracer for the clinical diagnosis of PCa. Moreover, TWS02 with a chelator DOTA could also label 177Lu and 225Ac, which could be used for PCa treatment without significant side effects. Trial registration: The clinical evaluation of this study was registered On October 30, 2021 at https://www.chictr.org.cn/ (No: ChiCTR2100052545). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the relationship between electronic structure and activity helps to understand the catalytic mechanism since the catalytic combustion is a redox reaction dominated by electron transfer. Herein, we regulated the electron energy and O p-band center of La-based perovskite catalysts by a facile method of changing the B-site ion (B = Co, Mn, Fe). The crystal structure, morphology, reducibility, element valence distribution, and catalytic properties of prepared catalysts were characterized. Combining with DFT calculation, it was found that the low electron energy in (110) facets of LaCoO3/SiO2 catalyst contributes to the formation of reactive oxygen species and high-valence Co3+ ions. The highest oxygen adsorption activation capacity of LaCoO3/SiO2 originates from a moderate location of the O p-band center with respect to the Fermi level. As expected, the LaCoO3/SiO2 sample shows higher n-butylamine oxidation activity than that of LaMnO3/SiO2 and LaFeO3/SiO2. This work provides different insights into understanding the activity of La-based perovskite catalysts for oxidation reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenolic root exudates (PREs) secreted by wetland plants facilitate the accumulation of iron in the rhizosphere, potentially providing the essential active iron required for the generation of enzymes that degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, thereby enhancing their biodegradation. However, the underlying mechanisms involved are yet to be elucidated. This study focuses on phenanthrene (PHE), a typical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollutant, utilizing representative PREs from wetland plants, including p-hydroxybenzoic, p-coumaric, caffeic, and ferulic acids. Using hydroponic experiments, 16S rRNA sequencing, and multiple characterization techniques, we aimed to elucidate the interaction mechanism between the accelerated degradation of PHE and the formation of rhizosphere biofilm/iron plaque influenced by PREs. Although all four types of PREs altered the biofilm composition and promoted the formation of iron plaque on the root surface, only caffeic acid, possessing a similar structure to the intermediate metabolite of PHE (catechol), could accelerate the PHE degradation rate. Caffeic acid, notable for its catechol structure, plays a significant role in enhancing PHE degradation through two main mechanisms: (a) it directly boosts PHE co-metabolism by fostering the growth of PHE-degrading bacteria, specifically Burkholderiaceae, and by facilitating the production of the key metabolic enzyme catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (C12O) and (b) it indirectly supports PHE biodegradation by promoting iron plaque formation on root surfaces, thereby enriching free iron for efficient microbial synthesis of C12O, a crucial factor in PHE decomposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edge structures, thiophene adsorption and hydrodesulfurization (HDS) mechanisms are investigated on the S-edge of triangular MoS2 nanoclusters using density functional theory. The calculated formation energies for different S coverages on the S-edge suggest that the formation of coordinative unsaturated site at the vertex and edge-I (close to the vertex) sites is preferred over the edge-II (away from the vertex) sites. The adsorption of thiophene on the top site of Mo atom mainly occurs at the edge-I, whereas bridge adsorption occurs at the edge-II. The 92% and 50% S-edge coverages involve relatively larger adsorption energies (− 0.68 and − 0.79 eV) among all the possible adsorption configurations. On the S edge with 92% S coverage, the hydrogenation route is more favorable, producing 1-butene. On the S edge with 50% S coverage, the direct desulfurization route is preferred, yielding butadiene. These findings deepen the understanding of edge structures of MoS2 nanoclusters and the corresponding HDS mechanisms for MoS2-based HDS catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts with hierarchically dispersed porosity are deemed as efficient geometry for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, catalytic performance determined by individual and interacting sites originating from structural heterogeneity is particularly elusive and yet remains to be understood. Here, an efficient hierarchically porous Fe single atom catalyst (Fe SAs-HP) is prepared with Fe atoms densely resided at micropores and mesopores. Fe SAs-HP exhibits robust ORR performance with half-wave potential of 0.94 V and turnover frequency of 5.99 e−1s−1site−1 at 0.80 V. Theoretical simulations unravel a structural heterogeneity induced optimization, where mesoporous Fe-N4 acts as real active centers as a result of long-range electron regulation by adjacent microporous sites, facilitating O2 activation and desorption of key intermediate *OH. Multilevel operando characterization results identify active Fe sites undergo a dynamic evolution from basic Fe-N4 to active Fe-N3 under working conditions. Our findings reveal the structural origin of enhanced intrinsic activity for hierarchically porous Fe-N4 sites.Here, authors report an inter-site structural heterogeneity induced effect of hierarchical single atom Fe catalysts for robust oxygen reduction. Dynamic evolutions and insights into structure-activity relationship are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal materials are widely used in the degradation of pollutants, especially for the degradation of some refractory organics in sewage. A large and growing body of researchers has investigated the relationship between the fate of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and the addition of iron-based materials during anaerobic digestion (AD) of sludge. In this article, firstly, the mechanisms by which iron-based materials affect the biodegradation of antibiotics in the process of AD are discussed. The biodegradation of antibiotics is promoted through physical and chemical reactions such as adsorption, redox, and chelation, and the improvement of microbial activity after iron-based materials is added. Secondly, the effect of iron-based materials on ARGs in AD is discussed in this article. The addition of iron-based materials can reduce the generation and spread of ARGs by altering the microbial community, affecting the proliferation of mobile genetic elements (MGEs), the synergistic effect of metal resistance genes (MRGs) and ARGs, and other pathways. Finally, the application and development prospects of iron-based materials in the biodegradation of antibiotics during AD are prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the breakdown of acceleration grid occurs, the core snubber can consume fault energy and limit the arc current. In this paper, the expression of equivalent circuit model is optimized. The value of magnetization inductance at da1/dt = 0 is analyzed and the equivalent resistance expression eddy current coefficient is revised from 2.5 to 1. The simulation model with gyrator and the high voltage short circuit experiment platform are described. The rationality of the model hypothesis is verified. Then the effectiveness of equivalent circuit model established in this paper is verified. Also, the dynamic response of the discharge circuit is obtained and the influence of system leakage inductance on the surge suppression process is analyzed. At the same time, in this paper, the distributed capacitance of the transmission line is extracted, and the structure parameters of core snubber suitable for −1MV voltage level are designed. Based on the structure design parameters of snubber, distributed capacitance values of transmission line and power supply parameters, the overall configuration scheme of passive protection components in −1MV five-stage voltage system is analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on China University of Petroleum's 70th-anniversary celebration, highlighting its contributions to the petrochemical industry and advancements in fields such as nanotechnology, catalysis, and energy. Topics covered include the university's history, research achievements, and a special issue featuring multidisciplinary research in nanoscience-related areas.

Our Moon is by far the easiest natural, extraterrestrial celestial object for us to reach, and many space agencies, in particular the China National Space Administration, have publicized plans for manned missions there. Such high-profile projects must yield commensurate scientific outputs to justify their cost to the taxpayers. An important criterion for the selection of candidate experiments is the extent to which the Moon plays an integral and irreplaceable role, as opposed to offering only marginal advantages over Earth-orbit, space-based alternatives. In this study, we propose an experiment that excels in this regard, which considers the Moon as part of the experimental apparatus. Specifically, the Moon acts as a Weber bar-style resonant mass that responds to deci-Hertz gravitational waves (GWs). GW-excited lunar vibrations can be picked up by an array of (prefabricated on Earth and easy to transport to the Moon) small laser interferometric seismometers yielding GW detection. Such a setup would plug a gap in the GW frequency range already covered by the existing or underdevelopment detectors, and it can inform us on important astrophysics topics, such as the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) or intermediate mass black holes. We provide the instrument design as well as its deployment strategy, and we also summarize relevant science cases according to the estimated viable sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalyst innovation lies at the heart of transition-metal-catalyzed reaction development. In this article, we have explored the C(sp2)—H alkenylation activity with novel spirocyclic N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-based cyclometalated ruthenium pincer catalyst system, SNRu-X. After screening catalyst and condition, a high valent Ru(IV) dioxide (X = O2) species has demonstrated superior reactivity in the catalytic alkenylation of aromatic and olefinic C-H bonds with unactivated alkenyl bromides and triflates. This reaction has achieved the easy construction of a wide range of (hetero)aromatic alkenes and dienes, in good to excellent yields with exclusive selectivity. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicate that this reaction may proceed through a single electron transfer (SET) triggered oxidative addition, by doing so, providing valuable complementary to classical alke-nylation reactions that are dependent on activated alkenyl precursors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sesame oil (SO) is a high-quality and very popular edible oil with pleasant odor and good taste, which has higher economic and nutritional value than other common vegetable oils. However, there is no effective and standardized method for detecting adulterated sesame oil, so there is an urgent need to develop a rapid and effective method for the detection of adulterated sesame oil. In this work, a strategy based on the excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy combined with multi-way chemometric methods was proposed to distinguish the plant origin of vegetable oils, identify adulterated sesame oil and quantify the level of adulteration of soybean oil (SBO) in SO. Three kinds of multi-way chemometric methods were used in this work. They are alternating trilinear decomposition coupled with partial least squares discriminant analysis (ATLD-PLS-DA), multilinear partial least squares discriminant analysis (N-PLS-DA) and unfolded partial least squares discriminant analysis (U-PLS-DA). The total recognition rates (TRRs) of plant origin of edible oils for the testing set were 79.17%, 100% and 100%, respectively, based on ATLD-PLS-DA, N-PLS-DA and U-PLS-DA model. For the identification of adulterated sesame oil, the TRRs for the testing set were 93.10%, 100% and 100%, respectively. What's more, N-PLS regression and U-PLS regression were used for predicting the adulteration amount of SBO in SO. Satisfactory prediction accuracy with RMSEV = 2.74% was obtained by U-PLS regression. Therefore, it can be concluded that EEM fluorescent fingerprint combined with multi-way chemometric methods is an effective strategy to classify the plant origin of vegetable oils, identify the adulteration of SO and quantify the level of adulteration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tokamaks are the most promising way for nuclear fusion reactors. Disruption in tokamaks is a violent event that terminates a confined plasma and causes unacceptable damage to the device. Machine learning models have been widely used to predict incoming disruptions. However, future reactors, with much higher stored energy, cannot provide enough unmitigated disruption data at high performance to train the predictor before damaging themselves. Here we apply a deep parameter-based transfer learning method in disruption prediction. We train a model on the J-TEXT tokamak and transfer it, with only 20 discharges, to EAST, which has a large difference in size, operation regime, and configuration with respect to J-TEXT. Results demonstrate that the transfer learning method reaches a similar performance to the model trained directly with EAST using about 1900 discharge. Our results suggest that the proposed method can tackle the challenge in predicting disruptions for future tokamaks like ITER with knowledge learned from existing tokamaks. Tokamak devices currently hold the technological advance to be considered the most promising approach to fusion energy, but disruption events prediction is a major challenge for larger devices. The authors show that a machine learning model trained on a smaller tokamak holds promises for transfer of knowledge of disrupting violent events prediction to another, larger tokamak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats are reservoir hosts for many zoonotic viruses. Despite this, relatively little is known about the diversity and abundance of viruses within individual bats, and hence the frequency of virus co-infection and spillover among them. We characterize the mammal-associated viruses in 149 individual bats sampled from Yunnan province, China, using an unbiased meta-transcriptomics approach. This reveals a high frequency of virus co-infection (simultaneous infection of bat individuals by multiple viral species) and spillover among the animals studied, which may in turn facilitate virus recombination and reassortment. Of note, we identify five viral species that are likely to be pathogenic to humans or livestock, based on phylogenetic relatedness to known pathogens or in vitro receptor binding assays. This includes a novel recombinant SARS-like coronavirus that is closely related to both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. In vitro assays indicate that this recombinant virus can utilize the human ACE2 receptor such that it is likely to be of increased emergence risk. Our study highlights the common occurrence of co-infection and spillover of bat viruses and their implications for virus emergence. Viral diversity and abundance in bats are incompletely understood. Here, analyzing individual bat viromes, the authors observe a high frequency of co-infection and spillover among the animals and identify viruses with the potential to infect humans or livestock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.; B. napus) is an important oil crop worldwide. However, the genetic mechanisms of B. napus adaptations to low phosphate (P) stress are largely unknown. In this study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified 68 SNPs significantly associated with seed yield (SY) under low P (LP) availability, and 7 SNPs significantly associated with phosphorus efficiency coefficient (PEC) in two trials. Among these SNPs, two, chrC07__39807169 and chrC09__14194798, were co-detected in two trials, and BnaC07.ARF9 and BnaC09.PHT1;2 were identified as candidate genes of them, respectively, by combining GWAS with quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). There were significant differences in the gene expression level of BnaC07.ARF9 and BnaC09.PHT1;2 between P-efficient and -inefficiency varieties at LP. SY_LP had a significant positive correlation with the gene expression level of both BnaC07.ARF9 and BnaC09.PHT1;2. BnaC07.ARF9 and BnaA01.PHR1 could directly bind the promoters of BnaA01.PHR1 and BnaC09.PHT1;2, respectively. Selective sweep analysis was conducted between ancient and derived B. napus, and detected 1280 putative selective signals. Within the selected region, a large number of genes related to P uptake, transport, and utilization were detected, such as purple acid phosphatase (PAP) family genes and phosphate transporter (PHT) family genes. These findings provide novel insights into the molecular targets for breeding P efficiency varieties in B. napus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controllable designing of well-defined heterojunction nanostructures provides an insightful strategy for accelerating the kinetics of the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER/OER), but such task is still challenging. Herein, we proposed a protocol of heterojunction interface editing (HIE) strategy by oxygen atoms decoration for synergistic boosting electrocatalytic HER and OER performances. A novel Co/NiCoP nanospheres (NSs) heterojunction was synthesized by crystal seed template transformation method with Ni5P4 microspheres as seeds. The effective oxygen atoms interface editing increased the oxidation state of Co atoms and prolonged the Co-P bond length of Co/NiCoP NSs heterojunction, thus the electron localization on P sites was enhanced, leading to the dramatically elevated HER and OER performances simultaneously. The as-constructed O-Co/NiCoP NSs show excellent electrocatalytic activity with 361 and 430 mV vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) to arrive high current density of 300 mAcm−2 for HER and OER in 1 M KOH as well as good stability. The proposed HIE concept could provide a new perspective on the catalyst design for energy conversion systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zirconium-based porphyrin metal organic frameworks (Zr-PMOFs) had attracted attention in the field of photocatalysis in recent years. However, the recombination of photogenerated carriers of monomer PMOF limits its performance of photocatalytic organic pollutants degradation. Metal sulfide has a suitable visible band gap, which can form a heterojunction with MOF materials to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency of MOF. Therefore, a typical metal sulfide semiconductor ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) was introduced into a Zr-MOF (MOF-525) by solvothermal method to prepare a series of ZIS/MOF-525 (ZIS/MOF-525–1, ZIS/MOF-525–2, ZIS/MOF-525–3 and ZIS/MOF-525–4) composite photocatalysts in this work. The results of characterization analysis, optical analysis and electrochemical analysis showed that the interface of ZIS/MOF-525 formed a typical type-II heterojunction, which accelerated the electron transport rate and effectively inhibited the recombination of photogenerated e− and h+ in MOF-525. The optimal removal efficiency of tetracycline (TC) by ZIS/MOF-525–3 (the mass of MOF-525 is 30 mg) reached 93.8% under 60 min visible light illumination, which was greater than that of pure MOF-525 (37.2%) and ZnIn2S4 (70.0%), and it still maintained good stability after five cycles reusing experiment. This work provides feasible insight for the preparation of novel and efficient PMOF-based photocatalysts in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit. is an important traditional Chinese medicinal herb and very sensitive to high temperatures. To gain a better understanding of flavonoid biosynthesis under heat stress in P. ternata, we performed integrated analyses of metabolome and transcriptome data. P. ternata plants were subjected to a temperature of 38 °C, and samples were collected after 10 d of treatment. A total of 502 differential accumulated metabolites and 5040 different expressed transcripts were identified, with flavonoid biosynthesis predominantly enriched. Integrated metabolomics and transcriptome analysis showed that high temperature treatment upregulated the expression of CYP73A and downregulated the expression of other genes (such as HCT, CCoAOMT, DFR1, DFR2), which might inhibit the biosynthesis of the downstream metabolome, including such metabolites as chlorogenic acid, pelargonidin, cyanidin, and (-)-epigallocatechin in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. The transcription expression levels of these genes were validated by real-time PCR. Our results provide valuable insights into flavonoid composition and accumulation patterns and the candidate genes participating in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathways under heat stress in P. ternata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is considered a feasible method for VOCs treatment by virtue of its low technical cost, high economic efficiency, and low additionally produced pollutants, which is of important social value. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) with 100% atom utilization and uniform active sites usually have high activity and high product selectivity, and promise a broad range of applications. Precise regulation of the microstructures of SACs by means of defect engineering, interface engineering, and electronic effects can further improve the catalytic performance of VOCs oxidation. In this review, we introduce the mechanisms of VOCs oxidation, and systematically summarize the recent research progress of SACs in catalytic VOCs total oxidation into CO2 and H2O, and then discuss the effects of various structural regulation strategies on the catalytic performance. Finally, we summarize the current problems yet to be solved and challenges currently faced in this field, and propose future design and research ideas for SACs in catalytic oxidation of VOCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This article aimed to summarize the outcomes of escalating immunosuppressive treatments for patients with recalcitrant noninfectious posterior scleritis (PS). Methods: Clinical records of 16 patients diagnosed with recalcitrant noninfectious PS in the Ocular Immunity and Uveitis Department of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center from September 2016 to December 2021 were reviewed. Patients were treated with escalating immunosuppressive regimen including corticosteroid, immunosuppressants (IMTs), and adalimumab (ADA). Demographic characteristics and clinical findings at each visit were recorded. The doses of prednisone were analyzed. Main outcomes were corticosteroid-sparing effects, control of inflammation, visual acuity, and safety profile. Results: Ocular pain was the most common finding (100%), followed by the T sign on the B scan (93.8%) and associated anterior scleritis (75.0%). The average initial dose of prednisone was 25.0 mg/day, and tapered to 11.3 and 5.0 mg/day at month 1 and 3, respectively, with statistical significance (p < 0.05). The median overall periods of prednisone tapering to 10, 5, and 0 mg/day were 1.0, 3.0, and 3.0 months, respectively. There were 93.8% of patients receiving prednisone ≤ 10 mg/day and 68.8% of patients off prednisone at last visit. There were 80% of patients treated with IMT and ADA off prednisone at last visit, reaching the highest percentage compared with others. A best-corrected visual acuity of 1.0 or better at last visit was achieved in 10 eyes (62.5%). The escalating treatments showed good safety profile. Conclusion: Patients of recalcitrant noninfectious PS benefited from escalating immunosuppressive treatments with favorable visual outcome, in which methotrexate, ciclosporin, and ADA were preferred with good safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the role of mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) in the risk, glucocorticoid (GC) effectiveness, and prognosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its interactions with environmental factors and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1) genetic polymorphisms. We first conducted a case–control study of 1198 subjects (595 SLE patients and 603 healthy controls). Subsequently, we followed up with patients to assess the effectiveness of GC treatment and the prognosis of SLE. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to quantify mtDNAcn. Associations were estimated using logistic regression, and prognosis analysis was performed using Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards models. Interactions on multiplicative and additive scales were also evaluated. Individuals with low mtDNAcn had an increased risk of SLE (P < 0.001). Low mtDNAcn was associated with poor GC effectiveness in patients with spicy food consumption or with arthritis (P < 0.05). mtDNAcn was significantly related to the prognosis of SLE in the drinking subgroup (P = 0.018). Furthermore, we found significant interactions between mtDNAcn and environmental factors/TRAP1 genetic polymorphisms on the risk, GC effectiveness, and prognosis of SLE. Our data suggest that low mtDNAcn is associated with an increased risk of SLE. Alteration of mtDNAcn may be associated with GC effectiveness and prognosis in certain subgroups of SLE. The interactions between mtDNAcn, environmental factors, and TRAP1 gene polymorphisms may jointly affect the risk, GC effectiveness, and prognosis of SLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Collecting fog water from the atmosphere or industrial waste gas can not only replenish water resources, but also improve the atmospheric environment. However, the efficiency of the traditional fog mesh collector is not satisfactory. Different to inefficient fog meshes, collecting droplets by corona discharge is a potential method that can effectively improve the collection efficiency of fog. This research proposes an electrostatic fog collector using multiple mesh droplet collecting electrodes with an electric field, which realizes the efficient collection of fog. The electrostatic fog collector consists of three parts: charged electrode, multiple mesh collecting electrodes and resistor divider. The influence of mesh size, the number of the mesh electrodes, and the electric field on the collecting rate are all studied experimentally. The experimental results show that the collection efficiency of the electrostatic fog collector using 5 collecting electrodes with electric field is as high as 82%. Under the action of the electric field, the power consumption of the electrostatic fog collector is only increased by 1.06 times, but the collection efficiency of each mesh droplet collecting electrode is increased by 4 ~ 5 times. In addition, the mesh size selection strategy is studied, and the optimal mesh size scheme is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in neutral media is of great practical importance for sustainable hydrogen production, but generally suffers from low activities, the cause of which has been a puzzle yet to be solved. Herein, by investigating the synergy between Ru single atoms (RuNC) and RuSex cluster compounds (RuSex) for HER using ab initio molecular dynamics, operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and operando surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy, we establish that the interfacial water governs neutral HER. The rigid interfacial water layer in neutral media would inhibit the transport of H2O*/OH* at the electrode/electrolyte interface of RuNC, but the RuSex can promote H2O*/OH* transport to increase the number of available H2O* on RuNC by disordering the interfacial water network. With the synergy of RuSex and RuNC, the resulting neutral HER performance in terms of mass-specific activity is 6.7 times higher than that of 20 wt.% Pt/C at overpotential of 100 mV. Understanding the slow kinetics of hydrogen evolution reaction in neutral media is of fundamental importance for the rational design of high-performance electrocatalysts for hydrogen energy. Here, by studying Ru single atom and RuSex cluster, the authors report how the rate of hydrogen evolution reaction activity in neutral media is governed by interfacial water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of robust coupling catalysts for accelerating electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) through the modulation of the electronic structure and local atomic configuration is critical but remains challenging. Herein, we report a facile and effective isolation-polymerization-pyrolysis (IPP) strategy for high-precision synthesis of single-atomic Mn sites coupled with Fe3C nanoparticles encapsulated in N-doped porous carbon matrixes (Mn SAs/Fe3C NPs@NPC) catalyst derived from predesigned bimetallic Fe/Mn polyphthalocyanine (FeMn-BPPc) conjugated polymer networks by solid-phase reaction approach. Benefiting from the synergistic effects between the single-atomic Mn-N4 sites and Fe3C NPs as well as the confinement effect of NPC, the Mn SAs/Fe3C NPs@NPC catalyst exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability for ORR. The assembled Zn-air battery displayed larger power density of 186 mW·cm−2 than that of Pt/C + Ir/C-based battery. It also exhibits excellent stability without obvious voltage change after 106 cycles with 36 h. Combing in-situ Raman spectra with in-situ attenuated total reflectance surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS) characterization results indicated that the Mn-N4 site as an active site for the O2 adsorption-activation process, which effectively facilitates the generation of key *OOH intermediates and *OH desorption to promote the multielectron reaction kinetics. Theoretical calculation reveals that the excellent electrocatalytic performance originates from the charge redistribution and the d orbital shift resulting from Mn-Fe bond, which buffers the activity of ORR through the electron reservoir capable of electron donation or releasing. This work paves a novel IPP strategy for constructing high-performance coupling electrocatalyst towards the ORR for energy conversion devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is considered an efficient way to convert CO2 into high-value-added chemicals, and thus is of significant social and economic value. Metal single-atomic site catalysts (SASCs) generally have excellent selectivity because of their 100% atomic utilization and uniform structure of active sites, and thus promise a broad range of applications. However, SASCs still face challenges such as low intrinsic activity and low density of active sites. Precise regulation of the microstructures of SASCs is an effective method to improve their CO2RR performance and to obtain deep reduction products. In this article, we systematically summarize the current research status of SASCs developed for highly efficient catalysis of CO2RR, discuss the various structural regulation methods for enhanced activity and selectivity of SASCs for CO2RR, and review the application of in-situ characterization technologies in the SASC-catalyzed CO2RR. We then discuss the problems yet to be solved in this area, and propose the future directions of the research on the design and application of SASCs for CO2RR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuronal activity is emerging as a driver of central and peripheral nervous system cancers. Here, we examined neuronal physiology in mouse models of the tumor predisposition syndrome Neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1), with different propensities to develop nervous system cancers. We show that central and peripheral nervous system neurons from mice with tumor-causing Nf1 gene mutations exhibit hyperexcitability and increased secretion of activity-dependent tumor-promoting paracrine factors. We discovered a neurofibroma mitogen (COL1A2) produced by peripheral neurons in an activity-regulated manner, which increases NF1-deficient Schwann cell proliferation, establishing that neurofibromas are regulated by neuronal activity. In contrast, mice with the Arg1809Cys Nf1 mutation, found in NF1 patients lacking neurofibromas or optic gliomas, do not exhibit neuronal hyperexcitability or develop these NF1-associated tumors. The hyperexcitability of tumor-prone Nf1-mutant neurons results from reduced NF1-regulated hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channel function, such that neuronal excitability, activity-regulated paracrine factor production, and tumor progression are attenuated by HCN channel activation. Collectively, these findings reveal that NF1 mutations act at the level of neurons to modify tumor predisposition by increasing neuronal excitability and activity-regulated paracrine factor production. Neuronal activity is emerging as a driver of nervous system tumors. Here, the authors show in mouse models of Neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1) that Nf1 mutations differentially drive both central and peripheral nervous system tumor growth in mice through reduced hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channel function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper "Detecting gravitational wave with an interferometric seismometer array on lunar nearside" [1] was published in SCIENCE CHINA Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy (66, 109513 (2023), doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11433-023-2179-9). Due to an oversight on our part, some errors were made in the originally published paper. We apologize for these errors and offer the corresponding explanations and corrections for the readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurons have recently emerged as essential cellular constituents of the tumour microenvironment, and their activity has been shown to increase the growth of a diverse number of solid tumours1. Although the role of neurons in tumour progression has previously been demonstrated2, the importance of neuronal activity to tumour initiation is less clear—particularly in the setting of cancer predisposition syndromes. Fifteen per cent of individuals with the neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) cancer predisposition syndrome (in which tumours arise in close association with nerves) develop low-grade neoplasms of the optic pathway (known as optic pathway gliomas (OPGs)) during early childhood3,4, raising the possibility that postnatal light-induced activity of the optic nerve drives tumour initiation. Here we use an authenticated mouse model of OPG driven by mutations in the neurofibromatosis 1 tumour suppressor gene (Nf1)5 to demonstrate that stimulation of optic nerve activity increases optic glioma growth, and that decreasing visual experience via light deprivation prevents tumour formation and maintenance. We show that the initiation of Nf1-driven OPGs (Nf1-OPGs) depends on visual experience during a developmental period in which Nf1-mutant mice are susceptible to tumorigenesis. Germline Nf1 mutation in retinal neurons results in aberrantly increased shedding of neuroligin 3 (NLGN3) within the optic nerve in response to retinal neuronal activity. Moreover, genetic Nlgn3 loss or pharmacological inhibition of NLGN3 shedding blocks the formation and progression of Nf1-OPGs. Collectively, our studies establish an obligate role for neuronal activity in the development of some types of brain tumours, elucidate a therapeutic strategy to reduce OPG incidence or mitigate tumour progression, and underscore the role of Nf1mutation-mediated dysregulation of neuronal signalling pathways in mouse models of the NF1 cancer predisposition syndrome.Mouse models of NF1-associated optic pathway glioma show that tumour initiation and growth are driven by aberrantly high levels of NLGN3 shedding in the optic nerve in response to retinal neuron activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large scale synthesis of high-efficiency bifunctional electrocatalyst based on cost-effective and earth-abundant transition metal for overall water splitting in the alkaline environment is indispensable for renewable energy conversion. In this regard, meticulous design of active sites and probing their catalytic mechanism on both cathode and anode with different reaction environment at molecular-scale are vitally necessary. Herein, a coordination environment inheriting strategy is presented for designing low-coordination Ni2+ octahedra (L-Ni-8) atomic interface at a high concentration (4.6 at.%). Advanced spectroscopic techniques and theoretical calculations reveal that the self-matching electron delocalization and localization state at L-Ni-8 atomic interface enable an ideal reaction environment at both cathode and anode. To improve the efficiency of using the self-modification reaction environment at L-Ni-8, all of the structural features, including high atom economy, mass transfer, and electron transfer, are integrated together from atomic-scale to macro-scale. At high current density of 500 mA/cm2, the samples synthesized at gram-scale can deliver low hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) overpotentials of 262 and 348 mV, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain tumors (gliomas) are heterogeneous cellular ecosystems, where non-neoplastic monocytic cells have emerged as key regulators of tumor maintenance and progression. However, relative to macrophages/microglia, comparatively less is known about the roles of neurons and T cells in glioma pathobiology. Herein, we leverage genetically engineered mouse models and human biospecimens to define the axis in which neurons, T cells, and microglia interact to govern Neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1) low-grade glioma (LGG) growth. NF1-mutant human and mouse brain neurons elaborate midkine to activate naïve CD8+ T cells to produce Ccl4, which induces microglia to produce a key LGG growth factor (Ccl5) critical for LGG stem cell survival. Importantly, increased CCL5 expression is associated with reduced survival in patients with LGG. The elucidation of the critical intercellular dependencies that constitute the LGG neuroimmune axis provides insights into the role of neurons and immune cells in controlling glioma growth, relevant to future therapeutic targeting. The role of neurons and T cells in glioma progression remains poorly understood. Here the authors show that midkine-dependent activation of a neuron-T cell-microglia axis promotes the growth of optic pathway gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The myostatin (MSTN) gene exhibits significant nucleotide sequence variations in sheep, impacting growth characteristics and muscular traits of the body. However, its influence on specific growth traits in some sheep remains to be further elucidated. This study utilized single nucleotide polymorphism sequence analysis to investigate the role of the MSTN gene in meat production performance across four sheep breeds: Charolais sheep, Australian White sheep, crossbreeds of Australian White and Small-tailed Han, and crossbreeds of Charolais and Small-tailed Han. At a SNP locus of the MSTN gene, the C2361T site was identified, with three genotypes detected: CC, CT, and TT, among which CC predominated. Gene substitution effect analysis revealed that replacing C with T could elevate the phenotypic value. Comparative analysis of data from different genotypes within the same breed highlighted the superiority of CC and TT genotypes in phenotypic values, underscoring the significance of specific genotypes in influencing key traits. Contrasting the performance of different genotypes across breeds, Charolais sheep and Charolais Han hybrids demonstrated superiority across multiple indicators, offering valuable insights for breeding new sheep varieties. Analysis of gender effects on growth characteristics indicated that ewes exhibited significantly wider chest, waist, and hip widths compared to rams, while rams displayed better skeletal growth and muscle development. Additionally, the MSTN gene also exerted certain effects on lamb growth characteristics, with the CC genotype closely associated with weight. These findings not only contribute crucial insights for sheep breeding but also pave the way for future research exploring the interaction of this gene with others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium chlamydosporum is the causal agent of stem rot in Jacaranda acutifolia. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is an endophytic bacterium that shows promising biological control activity against F. chlamydosporum. In this study, B. amyloliquefaciens was cultured in a fermentation broth, and the main antimicrobial substance in the fermentation broth was isolated using the ammonium sulfate precipitation method and purified by DEAE sepharose fast flow weak anion exchange chromatography and sephadex G-50 molecular sieve chromatography. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a single antimicrobial protein with a molecular weight of approximately 29.0 kDa. The antimicrobial protein is a strong antagonist against F. chlamydosporum, leading to mycelial deformity, unclear mycelial septa, and isolated and granulated intracellular protoplasm. The N-terminal eight-amino acid sequence, NH2-Gly-Arg-Pro-Leu-Pro-Leu-Ala-Ala, was determined using the automatic Edman degradation method. BLAST analysis indicated that the amino acid residue sequence at positions 154–161 shows 100% homology to the hypothetical protein of Chromobacterium sp. LK1. However, no known homologous antimicrobial protein was identified, indicating that we have isolated a novel antimicrobial protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Zhejiang University: Science B is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

High-efficiency water electrolysis is the key to sustainable energy. Here we report a highly active and durable RuIrOx (x ≥ 0) nano-netcage catalyst formed during electrochemical testing by in-situ etching to remove amphoteric ZnO from RuIrZnOx hollow nanobox. The dispersing-etching-holing strategy endowed the porous nano-netcage with a high exposure of active sites as well as a three-dimensional accessibility for substrate molecules, thereby drastically boosting the electrochemical surface area (ECSA). The nano-netcage catalyst achieved not only ultralow overpotentials at 10 mA cm−2 for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER; 12 mV, pH = 0; 13 mV, pH = 14), but also high-performance overall water electrolysis over a broad pH range (0 ~ 14), with a potential of mere 1.45 V (pH = 0) or 1.47 V (pH = 14) at 10 mA cm−2. With this universal applicability of our electrocatalyst, a variety of readily available electrolytes (even including waste water and sea water) could potentially be directly used for hydrogen production. Water electrolysis is considered a key reaction for future sustainable fuel generation. Here, authors report a three-dimensional RuIrOx nano-netcage catalyst that shows high activities and efficiencies for pH-universal overall water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper begins to build a theoretical framework that would enable the pharmaceutical industry to use network complexity measures as a way to identify drug targets. The variability of a betweenness measure for a network node is examined through different methods of network perturbation. Our results indicate a robustness of betweenness centrality in the identification of target genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a strategy based on coordination polymer to synthesize singleatom site Fe/N and S-codoped hierarchical porous carbon (Fe1/N,S-PC). The as-obtained Fe1/N,S-PC exhibited superior oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance with a half-wave potential (E1/2, 0.904 V vs. RHE) that was better than that of commercial Pt/C (E1/2, 0.86 V vs. RHE), single-atom site Fe/N-doped hierarchical porous carbon (Fe1/N-PC) without S-doped (E1/2, 0.85 V vs. RHE), and many other nonprecious metal catalysts in alkaline medium. Moreover, the Fe1/N,S-PC revealed high methanol tolerance and firm stability. The excellent electrocatalytic activity of Fe1/N,S-PC is attributed to the synergistic effects from the atomically dispersed porphyrin-like Fe-N4 active sites, the heteroatom codoping (N and S), and the hierarchical porous structure in the carbon materials. The calculation based on density functional theory further indicates that the catalytic performance of Fe1/N,S-PC is better than that of Fe1/N-PC owing to the sulfur doping that yielded different rate-determining steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NAC transcription factor (TF) plays a pivotal role in resisting various abiotic stresses, and it has been proved that the overexpression of NAC transcription factors (TFs) in Arabidopsis is beneficial to increase drought tolerance. However, the function of NAC genes in chrysanthemum remains unclear. Here, we conducted physiological and molecular experiments to assess the role of DgNAC1 in response to drought stress of chrysanthemum. DgNAC1-overexpressed chrysanthemum was significantly more drought-resistant than wild type (WT). Especially, the transgenic chrysanthemum presented a greater survival rates (86.42, 88.89 and 87.65%, respectively) than WT (41.98%) under drought conditions. It also showed higher leaf water potential and relative water content; lower relative electrolyte conductivity; fewer accumulations of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anion (O2−); higher activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase; and more content of proline, chlorophyll, soluble protein, soluble sugar, glutathione (GSH), glutathione disulphide (GSSG), as well as higher ratio of GSH/GSSG than those of WT during drought stress. Moreover, stress-responsive genes in transgenic chrysanthemum showed a significant up-regulation than in WT under drought stress. Therefore, all the above results suggested that DgNAC1 served as an active regulator in chrysanthemum’s responses to drought stress, and it may have a significant impact on the molecular breeding of drought-resistant plants as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of small guest molecules or ions by bottom-up hydrothermal synthesis has recently emerged as a promising new way to engineer 1T-phase MoS2 with high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity. However, the mechanism of the associated structural evolution remains elusive and controversial, leading to a lack of effective routes to prepare 1T-phase MoS2 with controlled structure and morphology, along with high purity and stability. Herein, urea is chosen as precursor of small molecules or ions to simultaneously engineer the phase (~16.4%, ~69.4%, and ~90.2% of 1T phase) and size (~98.8, ~151.6, and ~251.8 nm for the 90.2% 1T phase) of MoS2 nanosheets, which represent an ideal model system for investigating the structural evolution in these materials, as well as developing a new type of 1T-phase MoS2 arrays. Using reaction intermediate monitoring and theoretical calculations, we show that the oriented growth of 1T-phase MoS2 is controlled by ammonia-assisted assembly, recrystallization, and stabilization processes. A superior HER performance in acidic media is obtained, with an overpotential of only 76 mV required to achieve a stable current density of 10 mA·cm-2 for 15 h. This excellent performance is attributed to the unique array structure, involving well-dispersed, edge-terminated, and high-purity 1T-phase MoS2 nanosheets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Independent component analysis (ICA) is one of the most popular and valid methods to investigate the default mode network (DMN), an intrinsic network which attracts particular attention in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). However, previous studies present inconsistent results regarding the topographical organization of the DMN in aMCI. Therefore, we conducted a quantitative, voxel-wise meta-analysis of resting-state ICA studies using Seed-based d Mapping to establish the most consistent pattern of DMN functional connectivity alterations in aMCI. Twenty studies, comprising 23 independent datasets involving 535 patients and 586 healthy controls, met the inclusion criteria. Patients with aMCI exhibited reliably lower DMN functional connectivity than the healthy controls in the bilateral precuneus/posterior cingulate cortices and medial temporal lobes, which are implicated in episodic memory deficits. Moreover, an exploratory meta-regression analysis revealed that greater severity of global cognitive impairment in the patient groups was associated with stronger functional connectivity in the bilateral medial frontal cortices (including the anterior cingulate cortices), left angular gyrus, and right temporal pole extending to the middle temporal gyrus, likely reflecting a compensatory mechanism for maintaining cognitive efficiency. This meta-analysis identifies a consistent pattern of aberrant DMN functional connectivity in aMCI, which facilitates understanding of the neurobiological substrates of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Central South University is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: This study was aimed to determine the effect of the local tumor therapy on patients' prognosis in the management of metastatic rectal cancer. Methods: Patients diagnosed with metastatic rectal cancer from 2004 to 2013 were selected from the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database. Overall survival and cancer-specific survival were compared between the local treatment group and the nonlocal treatment group using Kaplan-Meier methods. Uni- and multivariate analyses were further performed to confirm or deny the results. The statistical approach of propensity score matching was conducted to avoid potential confounding factors. Results: Of 6867 patients included in this analysis, 3971 (57.8%) received local therapy to the primary tumor and 2896 (42.2%) did not receive. Both univariable and multivariable analysis showed local therapy continued to be associated with an improvement in OS (HR 0.532; 95% CI 0.503-0.563, p < 0.001 and HR 0.532; 95% CI 0.498-0.568, p < 0.001, respectively) and CSS (HR 0.527; 95% CI 0.497-0.559, p < 0.001 and HR 0.521; 95% CI 0.487-0.557, p < 0.001, respectively) in the unmatched cohorts. Further analysis showed patients underwent local tumor destruction or surgical resection had a better overall survival compared with those who did not undergo ( p < 0.001). In the matched population, patients receiving local therapy had a better OS (HR 0.427; 95% CI 0.428-0.519, p < 0.001) and CSS (HR 0.462; 95% CI 0.418-0.511, p < 0.001) compared with those who did not receive. Conclusions: Local therapy to the primary tumor may be associated with a better survival in patients with metastatic rectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]