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Interface engineering is widely used to enhance the efficiency and stability of photodetectors (PDs). Although fluorine-containing materials are ideal for interface modification, they are seldom used at the NiOx/perovskite interface. This paper reports on the use of Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (BCF) and 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8- tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4-TCNQ)-modified NiOx HTL to achieve high-efficiency and high-stability PDs. This study shows that BCF and F4-TCNQ interact to provide better doping ability, form Lewis adducts with Pb2+, and enhance the crystallinity of their perovskites. Interaction with nickel oxide optimizes the Ni3+/Ni2+ ratio, thus improving conductivity and charge transport capability. The F4-TCNQ:BCF modification effectively reduces interface defects, improves carrier mobility, and enhances both the performance and stability of PDs in ambient air. The detector achieves a maximum EQE value of 89.4%, a dark current density of 1.51 × 10−10A cm−2, a detectivity of 6.33 × 1013 Jones, and a LDR of 133.4 dB. Additionally, the interfacially modified device maintains over 90% of its initial performance after one month of storage in ambient air. Our results highlight the importance of F4-TCNQ:BCF interface modification and provide a reference for the further research and development of perovskite devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the role of SIRT2 in regulating autophagy and its interaction with AMPK in the context of acute liver failure (ALF). This study investigated the effects of SIRT2 and AMPK on autophagy in ALF mice and TAA-induced AML12 cells. The results revealed that the liver tissue in ALF model group had a lot of inflammatory cell infiltration and hepatocytes necrosis, which were reduced by SIRT2 inhibitor AGK2. In comparison to normal group, the level of SIRT2, P62, MDA, TOS in TAA group were significantly increased, which were decreased in AGK2 treatment. Compared with normal group, the expression of P-PRKAA1, Becilin1 and LC3B-II was decreased in TAA group. However, AGK2 enhanced the expression of P-PRKAA1, Becilin1 and LC3B-II in model group. Overexpression of SIRT2 in AML12 cell resulted in decreased P-PRKAA1, Becilin1 and LC3B-II level, enhanced the level of SIRT2, P62, MDA, TOS. Overexpression of PRKAA1 in AML12 cell resulted in decreased SIRT2, TOS and MDA level and triggered more autophagy. In conclusion, the data suggested the link between AMPK and SIRT2, and reveals the important role of AMPK and SIRT2 in autophagy on acute liver failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

General, catalytic and enantioselective construction of chiral α,α-dialkyl indoles represents an important yet challenging objective to be developed. Herein we describe a cobalt catalyzed enantioselective anti-Markovnikov alkene hydroalkylation via the remote stereocontrol for the synthesis of α,α-dialkyl indoles and other N-heterocycles. This asymmetric C(sp3)−C(sp3) coupling features high flexibility in introducing a diverse set of alkyl groups at the α-position of chiral N-heterocycles. The utility of this methodology has been demonstrated by late-stage functionalization of drug molecules, asymmetric synthesis of bioactive molecules, natural products and functional materials, and identification of a class of molecules exhibiting anti-apoptosis activities in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells. Ligands play a vital role in controlling the reaction regioselectivity. Changing the ligand from bi-dentate L6 to tridentate L12 enables CoH-catalyzed Markovnikov hydroalkylation. Mechanistic studies disclose that the anti-Markovnikov hydroalkylation involves a migratory insertion process while the Markovnikov hydroalkylation involves a MHAT process. Catalytic and enantioselective construction of chiral α,α-dialkyl indoles represents an important yet challenging objective to be developed. Herein the authors describe a cobalt catalyzed enantioselective anti-Markovnikov alkene hydroalkylation via the remote stereocontrol for the synthesis of α,α-dialkyl indoles and other N-heterocycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-stage electrostatic precipitator is widely used to purify oil mist particles. However, there is limited research on the influences of relative humidity, particle deposition characteristics, and the generation of gaseous pollutants. Therefore, this paper established a numerical model of the electrostatic oil mist purifier and applied it to a two-stage electrostatic precipitator. Then the model was used to investigate the corona discharge characteristics under different relative humidity conditions in the charged zone, the particle deposition characteristics, the purification efficiency, the ozone concentration distribution, and the oil vapor concentration distribution in the collection zone. The results indicate that, with a constant temperature, the corona current decreases as relative humidity increase, and there is a quadratic relationship between relative humidity and current. The variation in relative humidity has little impact on the purification efficiency. The maximum ozone concentration occurs near the electrode line, and its concentration is influenced by the discharge current and inlet airflow velocity. The oil vapor concentration reaches its maximum value at the side plates, with a value of 19 ppb, while it reaches the minimum value at the collecting zone electrode plate, with a value of 2 ppb. The temperature is the main factor affecting the volatilization of the oil film, with higher temperatures resulting in higher oil vapor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scarcity and low spatial resolution of hyperspectral images (HSIs) have become a major problem limiting the application of the images. In recent years, spectral reconstruction (SR) has been applied to convert multispectral images (MSIs) with abundant quantities and high spatial resolution into HSIs. With the launch of several new multispectral (MS) satellites with a short repeat period, the simultaneous acquisition of images from multiple MS sensors in the same area is gradually becoming feasible. Unfortunately, existing SR methods only consider the reconstruction of the MSIs of a single sensor without considering using MSIs from different MS sensors to obtain a better construction effect through their complementary bands. However, multi-sensor SR is characterized by two problems: inconsistency in the amplitude information of real multisensor imaging and difficulty in the extraction of the complex correlations of bands from different sensors. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a multi-sensor SR framework based on a two-step approach in which the problems of amplitude inconsistency and band information extraction are solved using an ideal projection network and an ideal multi-sensor SR network, respectively. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by experiments on three datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doping with oxygen and nitrogen in graphite felt (GF) is critical for enhancing the activity of the electrode material in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB). In this paper, we present a combined approach that utilizes Fe etching and nitrogen functionalization by means of K2FeO4 and NH3 to modify the surface structure of graphite fibers. The results show that the innovative approach enhances the disordered structure of the surface carbon of GF and substantially improves the oxygen and nitrogen functionalized groups. This modified GF is completely hydrophilic, and its assembled electrode energy efficiency is 80.08% at a current density of 80 mA∙cm−2, compared with 69.87% for the pristine GF. The energy efficiency of the modified GF was maintained at 81.8% after 50 charge-discharge cycles. This can be attributed to the reduced internal resistance of these modified GF electrode as well as to the improved mass transport and charge redox exchange towards VO2+/VO2+ redox couple. The combined approach of Fe etching and nitrogen functionalization significantly enhances the electrochemical activity of the GF electrode. This improves the performance of the VRFB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-concentration oil mists can cause serious health problems to workers, which are generally mitigated by ventilation and purification systems. However, the coupling relationship between these systems is not clear. In this study, the effects of purifier outlet direction, purification air volume, installation height, and purification efficiency on indoor oil mist distribution were investigated by numerical simulation using an actual machining factory. The mitigation of oil mist in various combinations of ventilation and purification systems was also discussed. The results show that the outlet direction of the purifier has a great influence on the distribution of oil mist in the factory, and the maximum difference of oil mist concentration in the breathing zone under different orientations is 17%. The best purifier outlet direction is vertically upward. When the purifier outlet direction is upward, a larger purification air volume is beneficial for contaminant removal, and a lower purifier exhaust installation height is helpful for oil mist discharge from the bottom of the factory and reducing the concentration of oil mist in the breathing area. The oil mist concentration of purifier exhaust increases from 0 to 2 mg/m3 and the oil mist concentration in the breathing zone increases by 67%. The combined system of purification system with the roof exhaust system and displacement ventilation system has the optimal pollution removal efficiency and the lowest concentration of oil mist in the breathing zone compared to other systems. The research results can provide a reference for the design, installation, and operation of ventilation and purification systems in machining factories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Observational studies have provided evidence of a correlation between alterations in gut microbiota composition and infertility. However, concrete proof supporting the causal relationship is still lacking. We performed a Mendelian randomization study to assess whether genetically gut microbiota composition influences the risk of infertility. The genetic data pertaining to gut microbiota were obtained from a genome-wide association study meta-analysis, which was conducted among 24 cohorts (18,340 participants) from the international MiBioGen consortium. By the primary method of assessing causality, we have identified 2 family taxa, 2 genus taxa, and 1 order taxa that were linked to a low risk of male infertility, while 1 genus taxa were associated with a high risk of male infertility. Furthermore, we have discovered 6 genus taxa, 1 phylum taxa, 1 class taxa, 1 order taxa, and 1 family taxa that were associated with a low risk of female infertility, while 1 genus taxa were linked to a high risk of female infertility. This study successfully confirmed that there was a causal link between gut microbiota and infertility. The identification of these specific strains through genetic prediction offers a valuable insight for early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial robot combined with a 3D vision sensor can be flexibly applied to many measurement fields, and repeatability is one of the key performances. When the robot runs for a long period, internal heating and environmental interference are important factors to decrease the repeatability. The traditional solution is to calibrate the robot dynamically and compensate the error based on kinematic model. However, a high redundancy model will increase the measuring time and dynamic error. In this paper, a time-variant model is applied for dynamic error compensation of robot vision measurement system based on an iterative optimization method. Firstly, the initial kinematic model is constructed and calibration spheres are scanned from different poses at regular intervals. Then, the model is extended to full-redundant 42 parameters. After that, a final model with low redundancy is obtained based on a time-variant identification criterion and an iterative optimization method. Finally, the experimental results on the FANUC LR mate 200iD demonstrate that the proposed method can maintain the repeatability within 0.069 mm on an automotive sheet-metal part. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal input from the coastal urbanization and industrialization and their potential ecological risks have been a great concern in the northern South China Sea (NSCS). Our results showed that the surface sediments in the NSCS mainly include sand, silt, and sandy silt. CaO and Sr are fixed in the fine-grained biogenic calcareous debris. Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Ba, and REE are the least contaminated and mainly of felsic crustal origin, with the supply largely from the Han and Pearl River estuaries in the Eastern and Western NSCS, respectively. Enrichment in Cu-Pb–Zn might be from both natural and anthropogenic inputs, and their contamination is generally at a low-risk level. As-Cd accumulation is mainly from anthropogenic provenance related to the aerosol precipitation. The anthropogenic As-Cd contamination resulted both from the industrial/urbanized discharge along the Guangdong Eastern Coastal and the agricultural/aquafarming activities along the Moyang River Estuary-Hainan Eastern Coastal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding plant–microbe interactions could provide the basis for improved phytoremediation, microbial resource utilization, and secondary metabolite production. Rhizosphere bacterial communities are strongly influenced by abiotic factors such as soil nutrient availability and the composition of such communities exhibits differentiation under different host plants. In a deciduous broad-leaved forest in Anhui Province, eastern China, the rhizospheric bacteria of three different tree species of the Rosaceae family (Sorbus alnifolia, Cerasus serrulata, and Photinia beauverdiana) were studied, with the bacteria of the bulk soil as controls. Bacterial community composition was determined using the Illumina platform for high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. The results showed that the bacterial community composition varied between rhizospheric and bulk soils, and dominant bacterial phyla as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria were found in both soils. Information on predicted functional genes and pathways revealed significant differences between rhizospheric and bulk soil bacteria. It provided ample evidence for the different metabolic characteristics of the rhizosphere bacterial communities of the three tree species. Electrical conductivity (22.72%), total phosphorus concentration (21.89%), and urease activity (22%) were the main drivers for changes in the composition of the rhizosphere bacterial communities from the three tree species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our recent study has shown that TRIM36, a member of tripartite motif-containing (TRIM) family proteins and tumor suppressor and β-catenin may serve as a prognostic biomarker for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Here, we sought to examine functional roles of TRIM36 and β-catenin in ESCC cells. TRIM36 was overexpressed or silenced by lentivirus transduction. Cell proliferation was examined by Cell Counting Kit (CCK)-8 assay, while cell cycle distribution and cell apoptosis was assessed via flow cytometry analysis. Xenograft mouse model was applied for in vivo analysis. Overexpression of TRIM36 inhibited cell proliferation in human ESCC cells, and silencing of TRIM36 led to opposite effects. We also found that ectopic expression of TRIM36 enhanced the ratio of G0/G1 phase cells and induced apoptosis in ESCC cells. Our data further revealed that TRIM36 stimulated the ubiquitination of β-catenin, and in turn, its inactivation. Finally, we confirmed these in vitro results in a xenograft mouse model and clinical specimens post-operatively obtained from patients of ESCC. In summary, these data support that TRIM36 can effectively inhibit tumorigenesis of ESCC by repressing Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which suggest that selectively repressing this signaling pathway in ESCC may lead to development of a novel therapeutic approach for controlling this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the electrical and optical properties of 276 nm and 306 nm AlGaN-based ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) in the temperature range of 303–403 K. Capacitance–voltage measurements were performed to extract the carrier distribution in UV-LED, especially around the multi-quantum well structure. Our results showed that an additional carrier concentration peak close to the first quantum well of the p-n junction was present at elevated temperatures. Our physical simulation 276 nm LEDs revealed the cause of the concentration change to be the higher stress of the barrier layer with the temperature increase which introduced additional piezoelectric charge at the heterostructure interfaces. It is also found that the electron barrier layer (EBL) acceptor concentration decreased with the temperature, which caused a shift in the carrier concentration peak position, corresponding to higher EBL contribution to the increase of depletion width in the UV-LED. Higher temperatures lead to the increase of polarization charge at the quantum barrier/EBL interface, associated with downward bending of the conduction band of the quantum barrier, which is possibly the reason for an additional carrier concentration peak. The variation of the carrier distribution in UV-LED with temperature provides a new perspective and method to explain the UV-LED thermal droop effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Puffed-rice-based derived carbons are prepared by carbonizing precursor under 500 °C (S500) and 950 °C (S950). After X-ray diffraction and raman measurements, the S950 carbon shows sheet-like structure while swells with porous structure can be found in the S500 carbon, and the ID/IG value greatly increases from 0.87 of S500 to 1.06 of S950, indicating that more defects existing in the S950 carbon. The bandwidth for reflection loss (RL) below −10 dB of the S950 sample is enlarged to 10.3 GHz at matching thickness of 2.5 mm, however, nearly bandwidth lower 0.5 GHz can be found for the S500 carbon at the same condition. Moreover, the minimum RL value for S950 sample reaches −16.5 dB, better than that of −14.1 dB for S500 sample. Multiple reflection effects of the sheet and polarization loss caused by defect are the main factors for improving the microwave absorption performances of the S950 sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A predominant objective in wheat breeding is improving yield-related traits. The homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) transcription factor plays a significant role in plant growth and development. In this study, we cloned all homeologs of TaHDZ34, which is a member of the HD-Zip class IV transcription factor family in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Sequence polymorphism analysis showed that TaHDZ-A34, TaHDZ-B34, and TaHDZ-D34 formed five, six, and six haplotypes, respectively, and the genes were divided into two main haplotype groups. We also developed functional molecular markers. The TaHDZ34 genes were divided into eight main haplotype combinations. Association analysis and distinct population validation preliminarily indicated that TaHDZ34 genes modulate grain number per spike, effective spikelet number per spike, thousand kernel weight, and flag leaf area per plant in wheat. Hap-ABD was the most effective haplotype combination of TaHDZ34. Subcellular localization showed that TaHDZ-A34 was localized to the nucleus. The interacting proteins of TaHDZ-A34 were involved in protein synthesis/degradation, energy production and transportation, and photosynthesis. Geographic distribution and frequencies of TaHDZ34 haplotype combinations suggested that Hap-Abd and Hap-AbD were preferentially selected in Chinese wheat breeding programs. The high-yield-related haplotype combination Hap-ABD provided beneficial genetic resources for the marker-assisted selection of new wheat cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish otolith δ15N (δ15Noto) is a demonstrated source of information of dietary history for marine fish as it is available in otolith archives and sedimentary deposits unlike white muscle tissue (WMT). WMT and stomach content data are insufficient for trophic level (TL) data of past fishes which is important for the changes of marine fishery resources over long time scales. To determine the correlation between δ15Noto and fish WMT δ15N (δ15Nwmt) and the feasibility of using δ15Noto in characterizing the TLs of marine fishes, we conducted nitrogen stable isotope analysis (SIA) in the otolith and WMT of 36 marine fish species sampled from the Yellow Sea and northern East China Sea in 2011–2014. Both δ15Noto and δ15Nwmt were analyzed using an elemental analyzer coupled with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (EA-IRMS). Multiple otoliths were combined to make each otolith measurement and were analyzed as-is without a carbonate dissolution pre-processing step. δ15Noto and δ15Nwmt comparisons for species in the Yellow Sea and northern East China Sea are currently lacking and would be helpful for both regional studies and for increasing the number of species for which δ15Noto and δ15Nwmt have been compared. Additionally, to determine the relative accuracy of trophic level calculated using δ15Noto, we compared TL calculated from δ15Noto to traditional trophic level metrics calculated using δ15Nwmt. The results showed a positive and highly significant correlation (R=0.780, P<0.001) between δ15Noto and δ15Nwmt. Trophic level estimation using WMT (TLwmt) and otolith (TLoto) showed congruence in our study, which is not entirely surprising given that δ15Noto was regressed against δ15Nwmt and the resulting regression coefficient was used to convert δ15Noto to δ15Nwmt prior to calculating TLoto. This conversion was required in order to be consistent with previous δ15Nwmt-based calculations of TL for comparison. TLoto calculations resulted in TL values that were largely within 5%–10% of TL values calculated with δ15Nwmt. Our findings show that δ15Noto is a feasible technique for characterizing the TLs of marine fish and can also assist in food web and marine ecosystem studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single crystal (SC) MAPbBr3 perovskite is regarded as a promising material to fabricate high-performance photodetectors (PDs) due to its impressive optoelectronic properties and good chemical stability. Rb+ doping has been proved to be an effective method to significantly improve the optoelectronic properties of MAPbBr3 SC. However, the intrinsic effect of Rb+ on the crystal structure is still unclear. Herein, Rb-doping enhances optoelectronic performance of RbxMA(1−x)PbBr3 single crystals by lattice relaxation effect was proved. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that Rb-doping leads to lattice relaxation effect which is benefit to reduce trap density of RbxMA(1−x)PbBr3 SCs. And then a series RbxMA(1−x)PbBr3 SCs were grown. X-ray rocking curves (XRC) of RbxMA(1−x)PbBr3 SCs prove that appropriate Rb-doping concentration could reduce defect density effectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements indicate that Rb-doping enhances the atoms interaction in RbxMA(1−x)PbBr3 lattice. Single-crystal PDs were fabricated to compare the optoelectronic properties of MAPbBr3 SCs with different Rb-doping concentration, and the 2% Rb-doped RbxMA(1−x)PbBr3 PD shows the optimum performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anonymous entanglement refers to the construction of entangled channel between two parties among the quantum network, while keeping the identities of these two parties unknown to other parties. A recent work of [A. Unnikrishnan et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 240501 (2019)] proposed the first anonymous entanglement protocol in the presence of malicious parties and untrusted source. However, the correctness of the original protocol will be threatened, considering that the generated entangled channel can be destroyed by malicious parties without being detected. In this paper, we propose an improved protocol, which ensures the anonymity of the parties and the correctness of shared entanglement channel simultaneously. Furthermore, we consider the noisy measurement in the security analysis, which makes our protocol practical and rigorous. Based on the security analysis, genuine multipartite entanglement could be certified in the untrusted quantum network with our protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bipartite and multipartite entangled states are basic ingredients for constructing quantum networks and their accurate verification is crucial to the functioning of the networks, especially for untrusted networks. Here we propose a simple approach for verifying the Bell state in an untrusted network in which one party is not honest. Only local projective measurements are required for the honest party. It turns out each verification protocol is tied to a probability distribution on the Bloch sphere and its performance has an intuitive geometric meaning. This geometric picture enables us to construct the optimal and simplest verification protocols, which are also very useful to detecting entanglement in the untrusted network. Moreover, we show that our verification protocols can achieve almost the same sample efficiencies as protocols tailored to standard quantum state verification. Furthermore, we establish an intimate connection between the verification of Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger states and the verification of the Bell state. By virtue of this connection we construct the optimal protocol for verifying Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger states and for detecting genuine multipartite entanglement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring the concentration of particle pollutants is very important for industrial production control and workers' health protection. Low-cost sensors are widely used to reduce deployment costs. The outliers in the observed data of pollutant concentration can be eliminated by outlier detection algorithms. However, it is difficult to meet the actual needs of changing working conditions or scene migration in factories by building a single algorithm for specific scenarios. It is a feasible scheme to identify the changing characteristics of data and adaptively adjust the outlier detection algorithm. From the point of view of data characteristics, we creatively match typical data types with high-performance algorithms. The framework proposed in this paper provides a general process including five basic tasks and uses a modular structure to complete the outlier detection target. The actual pollutant data of the workshops are used to evaluate the performance of our framework. At last, we compare eight different strategies under this framework and analyze the contribution of each step to outlier detection from the perspective of algorithm principle. The results show that low-cost sensors following the framework can meet the outlier detection requirements in the field of pollutant monitoring, thus greatly reducing the cost of algorithm selection and data adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the complexity of catchment-scale human activities, natural factors, and stream water quality is particularly important for basin water resources management. Thorough investigations on how multiple environmental factors quantitatively and simultaneously affect water quality are limited. This study employed Spearman's correlation and ridge regression analysis (RRA) to disentangle the hydraulic geometry and land use contributions to water quality variables (WQVs). Nine and six indicators were used to describe the hydraulic geometry and land use characteristics, respectively, in the Taihu Basin. The results revealed significant correlations between the land use, hydraulic geometry, and stream water quality. Built-up land and cropland negatively impacted the stream water quality, while woodland had the opposite trend. The structure and morphological connectivity of the river network were associated with most WQVs. The hydrologic connectivity characteristics strongly influenced ammonia–nitrogen (NH3-N), permanganate index (CODMn), and dissolved oxygen (DO). Six equations that estimated the stream water quality were established through RRA. Human factors impose a greater impact on the stream water quality than natural factors in the Taihu Basin. Our findings provide quantitative insights to mitigate water pollution via reasonable management and control of the river structure and connectivity and land-use patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doping dopants are one of the most effective methods which can improve crystallinity, reduce traps, adjust bandgap width of perovskite films and obtain efficient perovskite photodetectors. Chlorine-based dopants have been reported in many literatures, yet their role still remains a mystery. In our study, a typical solution-processed organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite material CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) was synthesized as the absorption layer for photodetectors and methylammonium chloride (MACl) was selected as dopant. By tuning the incorporation ratios of MACl in the MAPbI3 precursor solutions, bandgap width and trap densities of the MAPbI3 films can be effectively reduced. The crystallinity and morphology of perovskite films were obviously improved, and the photoelectric properties of photodetectors were further enhanced. Ultimately, the optimal device was obtained when the incorporation ratio of MACl reached 1.0 wt%. External quantum efficiency (EQE) of the optimal device exhibited up to 81%, nearly 30% higher than EQE of the device without incorporation. A lower dark current density (Jd) of 8.4 × 10–8 A cm−2 at − 0.1 V bias was obtained because of low trap densities, moreover, due to the suppressed Jd, the optimal device operating at room temperature showed a specific detectivity (D*) of 2.71 × 1012 Jones and a linear dynamic range (LDR) of 104 dB, higher than the D* of 7.03 × 1011 Jones and the LDR of 91 dB of the device without incorporation, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the degradation study on AlGaN-based 265 nm ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) under a series of constant current stress. The failure mechanisms were investigated systematically by measuring the optical and electrical characteristics of the LEDs before and after aging. The variation of carrier concentration in the active region was analyzed by capacitance–voltage. Combining the extracted apparent charge distribution profiles with the simulation results of the devices before and after the stress, we found that the change of carrier concentration in the multiple quantum wells was related to the donor diffusion on the n-side. On the p-side, both the acceptor concentration of electron blocking layer (EBL) and the defects in p-GaN contact layer were also found to be under constant change. The reduction of the EBL doping concentration has contributed to an increase of the diode depletion width during the stress. The changes in the LEDs before and after stressing indicate a compensating effect occurred in the p-type EBL close to the quantum wells, which leads to the degradation of the optical power of the 265 nm UV-LEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of silicon (Si) and different types of acid rain (AR) on rice seedling roots was elucidated. The results showed different types of AR had different effects. Nitrate AR at pH 3.0 could promote the growth of rice roots, increased the dry weight, improved root phenotype, boosted H2O2 contents and increased peroxidase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activities. Sulfate AR at pH 3.0 could significantly inhibit the growth of rice roots, decreased the dry weight, root phenotype, increased H2O2 content and autioxidant enzyme activities. Sulfate-nitrate AR at pH 3.0 spraying had no significant effect on rice roots. Under different types of AR stress, the addition of exogenous Si could significantly promote the growth of rice seedling roots. This results indicated that the effects of rice root caused by AR might be due to not only the types of AR but also the content of Si in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection mission of gravitational waves in space is that the accuracy of the long-baseline intersatellite laser interferometry on the million-kilometer order needs to reach the order of 8 p m / H z . Among all noise sources that affect the interferometry accuracy, tilt-to-length (TTL) coupling noise is the second largest source of noise after shot noise. This paper focuses on studying the contribution of TTL coupling noise of the telescope system in the intersatellite scientific interferometer. By referring to the laser interferometer space antenna (LISA)'s noise budget, TTL coupling noise is required to be within ±25μm/rad (±300μrad). Therefore, this paper focuses on studying both the mechanism of TTL coupling noise due to the noise sources of the telescope and the method of suppressing the TTL noise, which can lay a foundation for noise distribution and the development of engineering prototypes in subsequent tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon (Si) has been a modulator in plants under abiotic stresses, such as acid rain. To understand how silicon made an effect on rice ( Oryza sativa L.) exposed to simulated acid rain (SAR) stress, the growth, physiologic activity, and mineral nutrient content in leaves of rice were investigated. The results showed that combined treatments with Si (1.0, 2.0, or 4.0 mM) and SAR (pH 4.0, 3.0, or 2.0) obviously improved the rice growth compared with the single treatment with SAR. Incorporation of Si into SAR treatment decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content; increased soluble protein and proline contents; promoted CAT, POD, SOD, and APX activity; and maintained the K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu content balance in leaves of rice seedlings under SAR stress. The moderate concentration of Si (2.0 mM) was better than the low and high concentration of Si (1.0 and 4.0 mM). Therefore, application of Si could be a better strategy for maintaining the crop productivity in acid rain regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen and carbon isotope ratios ( δ O and δ C) in otoliths were used to identify the stock structure of small yellow croaker, Larimichthys polyactis. Otoliths were collected from fish at five locations across the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea representing most of their distributional range and fisheries areas. The significant differences in the isotopic signatures showed that the five locations could be chemically distinguished and clearly separated, indicating stock subdivision. Correlation of δ O and δ C values suggested that population of L. polyactis could be divided into the Bohai Sea group, the southern Yellow Sea group and the central Yellow Sea group. Discriminant analysis of δ O and δ C values demonstrated a high significant difference with 85.7% classification accuracy. The spatial separation of L. polyactis indicated a complex stock structure across the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea. These results indicate that optimal fisheries management may require a comprehensive consideration on the current spatial arrangements. This study has provided further evidence that measurement of the stable isotopes ratios in otolith can be a valuable tool in the delineation of fishery management units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of riociguat after single and multiple oral doses of 1 or 2 mg three times daily (tid), and to determine the effect of smoking on riociguat pharmacokinetics in Chinese men.Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center study stratified for smokers and non-smokers, healthy Chinese men aged 18-45 years received two riociguat doses: Dose Step 1 (1 mg) then Dose Step 2 (2 mg) conducted after the safety and tolerability at Dose Step 1 was confirmed. For each step, 12 subjects received riociguat and six received placebo. A single dose was given on Day 1, followed by a 48-h pharmacokinetic profile. Multiple-dose treatment tid was then given for 6 days (Days 3-8), with a last single dose on Day 9, followed by a 72-h pharmacokinetic profile. Primary outcomes were pharmacokinetic parameters for riociguat after single and multiple dosing.Results: Thirty-six subjects (18 smokers; 18 non-smokers) were randomized and provided valid pharmacokinetic data. Riociguat and its pharmacologically active metabolite M1 (BAY 60-4552) showed nearly dose-proportional pharmacokinetics. Accumulation was minimal in smokers and approximately two-fold in non-smokers. Exposure for riociguat was decreased by ≥60% in smokers. No serious or significant adverse events occurred during the study.Conclusions: Riociguat pharmacokinetics showed dose proportionality in healthy Chinese men, as previously demonstrated in healthy white male individuals. Exposure to riociguat was substantially decreased in smokers compared with non-smokers. Riociguat was well tolerated in Chinese men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrasound causes functional disorders and structural injury to the central nervous system. However, few anti-infrasound drugs exist, and they are inefficient. Nitronyl nitroxide radicals have been reported to be good antioxidants that act as superoxide dismutase mimics and directly react with reactive oxygen species, such as ·OH, HO, and O−. Our previous research showed that the nitronyl nitroxide radical L-NNNBP has good protective effects against β-amyloid deposition and memory deficits in an AD rat model of APP/PS1. The objective of the present study was to find a new group of anti-infrasound drugs and determine the underlying pharmacological actions of nitronyl nitroxide radicals against infrasound-induced neuronal impairment in vivo. We synthesized a new stable nitronyl nitroxide radical, NRbt, and characterized its crystal structure. The results of the anti-oxidative damage effects of NRbt and the positive control drug tempol showed that they could significantly increase the SOD activity, CAT activity and GSH level and decrease the MDA level in rat hippocampi compared with infrasound exposure without pretreatment. Moreover, the ability of NRbt to regulate the activity or level of these biochemical markers was better than that of tempol. Our results showed that both NRbt and tempol significantly protected against the learning and memory impairments induced by infrasound exposure in a Morris water maze, but there were no significant differences in the path length or escape latency between the rats in the tempol group and the three NRbt groups ( P > 0.05). In addition, the infrasound-induced neuronal apoptosis in rat hippocampi was significantly suppressed by NRbt and tempol. The results demonstrated that compared with the infrasound exposure group, the expression of Bcl-2 was up-regulated and the expressions of Bax and caspase-3 were down-regulated in rats pretreated with NRbt (40 mg/kg) or tempol (40 mg/kg). These results showed that the newly synthesized nitronyl nitroxide radical, NRbt, may be an effective anti-infrasound drug because of its capacity to inhibit the oxidative damage of free radicals induced by infrasound exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The membrane disruption and pore-forming mechanism of melittin has been widely explored by experiments and computational studies. However, the precise mechanism is still enigmatic, and further study is required to turn antimicrobial peptides into future promising drugs against microbes. In this study, unbiased microsecond (µs) time scale (total 17 µs) atomistic molecular dynamics simulation were performed on multiple melittin systems in 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine membrane to capture the various events during the membrane disorder produced by melittin. We observed bent U-shaped conformations of melittin, penetrated deeply into the membrane in all simulations, and a special double U-shaped structure. However, no peptide transmembrane insertion, nor pore formation was seen, indicating that these processes occur on much longer timescales, and suggesting that many prior computational studies of melittin were not sufficiently unbiased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly (β-malic acid) (PMLA) could be used as a polymeric drug carrier due to its biological properties. In this paper, different definite molecular weights of PMLA for use as a polymer drug carrier were synthesized by adjusting monomer/initiator ratio in polymerization reaction. The yield of benzyl-β-malolactonate (MLABz, the major intermediate product in synthesis of PMLA) increased from the earlier reported 12 % to 32 %; and the anti-tumor drug 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) was attached to the PMLA ( Mw 13 kDa) backbone through a glycine linker. The conjugation efficiency and drug release characteristics of the conjugate were determined. HCPT release from PMLA-HCPT conjugates occurred at a faster rate at an acidic pH compared with neutral pH (7.4). After 16 h of incubation at pH 5.6, 6.8 and 7.4, the released HCPT was 76.8 %, 47.2 % and 18.1 %, respectively. Human colorectal cancer SW480 cells were used to investigate the cytotoxicity of PMLA-HCPT conjugates under different pHs in vitro. The cytotoxicity of conjugate was lower than that of free HCPT in physiological pH, while it was higher in the pH 6.8 buffer solution compared to pH 7.4, due to the release of free HCPT from the PMLA-HCPT conjugates by hydrolysis. It is implied that PMLA-HCPT conjugates could be used as a promising anti-tumor polymeric prodrug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In consideration of high production costs of new antimicrobial drugs, a more convenient and economical method for time-kill study is urgently required. In the present experiment, we attempted to demonstrate the feasibility of microplate method as an alternative measure of macrodilution method for time-kill study. Three conventional antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime, and levofloxacin) and two antimicrobial peptides [A-thanatin and K-S4(1-16)a] were used to determine time-kill curves against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 14990. Meanwhile, both methods were also performed with three antisense peptide nucleic acids (PNA3, PNA4, and PNA5) targeting ropD gene of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and MRSA WHO-2. In order to study the correlation between the two methods, the growth inhibition rate of PNAs, antimicrobial peptides, and antibiotics for the tested strains were evaluated. A strong agreement between the results obtained from the two methods has been demonstrated. Although microplate method required longer incubation time for a significant result than macrodilution method, the former provides a more convenient, economical, and stable way to perform time-kill test for these agents. Thus, we concluded that microplate method was an available measure for time-kill study of new antimicrobial drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a group of indices were defined regarding intensity ( P), area ( S) and central position ( λ, ϕ) of the Aleutian low (AL) in the Northern Hemisphere in winter, using seasonal and monthly mean height field at 1000-hPa. These indices were calculated over 60 winter seasons from 1948/1949 to 2007/2008 using reanalysis data. Climatic and anomalous characteristics of the AL were analyzed based on these indices and relationships between the AL, and general circulations were explored using correlations between indices P, λ, and Pacific SST, as well as Northern Hemisphere temperature and precipitation. The main results are these: (1) AL is the strongest in January, when the center shifts to the south and west of its climatological position, and it is the weakest in December when the center shifts to the north and east. (2) AL intensity ( P) is negatively correlated with its longitude ( λ): a deeper low occurs toward the east and a shallower low occurs toward the west. On a decadal scale, the AL has been persistently strong and has shifted eastward since the 1970s, but reversal signs have been observed in recent years. (3) The AL is stronger and is located toward the east during strong El Niño winters and vice versa during strong La Niña years; this tendency is particularly evident after 1975. The AL is also strongly correlated with SST in the North Pacific. It intensifies and moves eastward with negative SST anomalies, and it weakens and moves westward with positive SST anomalies. (4) Maps of significance correlation between AL intensity and Northern Hemisphere temperature and rainfall resemble the PNA teleconnection pattern in mid-latitudes in the North Pacific and across North America. The AL and the Mongolian High are two permanent atmospheric pressure systems adjacent to each other during boreal winter over the middle and high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, but their relationships with the El Niño/La Niña events and with temperature and precipitation in the Northern Hemisphere are significantly different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NOTCH1 is a regulator that functions not only in tissue development, but also in cancer pathogenesis. We hypothesized that NOTCH1 is involved in skin cancer cell migration and invasion through regulation of E-cadherin and its transcription factor, Snail. Here, using immunofluorescence and western blots, we show that NOTCH1 is upregulated in skin cancer tissue on skin. Inhibition or activation of NOTCH1 altered expression of E-cadherin and Snail in the skin cancer cell line A431. Our results suggest that this effect is through changing DNA methylation levels of the E-cadherin gene promoter. Activation and inhibition of NOTCH1 also altered the behavior of A431 cells in migration and invasion assays in vitro. Our results suggest NOTCH1 is a potential target for discovery of new drug to inhibit skin cancer metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A liquid-phase microextraction technique was developed using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry, for the extraction and determination of trace amounts of nickel in water samples. Microextraction efficiency factors, such as the type and volume of extraction and dispersive solvents, pH, extraction time, the chelating agent amount, and ionic strength, were investigated and optimized. Under optimum conditions, the calibration graph was linear in the range of 4.23-250 μg L with a detection limit of 1.27 μg L. The relative standard deviation for ten replicate measurements of 10 and 100 μg L of nickel were 3.21% and 2.55%, respectively. The proposed method was assessed through the analysis of certified reference water or recovery experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption-exchange equilibrium time and the adsorption isotherms of UO2 2+,137Cs,169Yb and HPO4 2− on modified peat have been investigated by batch experiments. The effect of pH on the adsorption-exchange percentage ( E) and the distribution coefficients ( Kd) was also examined. It was found that the adsorption-exchange of UO2 2+ and169Yb on the modified peat was described well by Freundlich isotherm, whereas the adsorption-exchange of137Cs and HPO4 2− on modified peat corresponded to a Langmuir isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacities of the modified peat for137Cs and HPO4 2− ions were 4.4 and 4.1 μg/g respectively. The optimum pH for the adsorption-exchange of UO2 2+,137Cs,169Yb and HPO4 2− on the modified peat was 7.0 at 25°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prepare-and-measure (P&M) quantum networks are the basic building blocks of quantum communication and cryptography. These networks crucially rely on non-orthogonal quantum encodings to distribute quantum correlations, thus enabling superior communication rates and information-theoretic security. Here, we present a computational toolbox that can efficiently characterise the set of input–output probability distributions for any discrete-variable P&M quantum network, assuming only the inner-product information of the quantum encodings. Our toolbox is thus highly versatile and can be used to analyse a wide range of quantum network protocols, including those that employ infinite-dimensional quantum code states. To demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of our toolbox, we use it to solve open problems in multipartite quantum distributed computing and quantum cryptography. Taken together, these findings suggest that our method may have implications for quantum network information theory and the development of new quantum technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the persistent resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to available antibiotics is associated with high infection incidence, mortality rate and treatment cost, novel antibacterial agents with innovative therapeutic targets must be developed. 3,3′-(4-Nitrobenzylidene)-bis-(4-hydroxycoumarin) (NBH), a dicoumarin derivative, was reported to exert antibacterial activity. This study investigated the underlying mechanisms of in vivo and in vitro activities of NBH against S. aureus. NBH exerted bactericidal effects against the tested S. aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis strains in vitro, with low cytotoxicity and resistance and high plasma stability. NBH also exhibited therapeutic effects in vivo on septicaemic mice. Results of molecular docking and analysis on morphological change, DNA production and polymerase inhibition suggested that DNA polymerase could be the target of NBH. These findings indicated that dicoumarin derivatives, which interfere with DNA replication, could be developed as a potential agent against S. aureus, particularly methicillin-resistant strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo has long been utilized in traditional Chinese medicine and other Asian cultures for its medicinal properties. One of the key bioactive compounds found in D. officinale is D. officinale polysaccharides (DOPs). Recent studies have indicated that the rhizosphere microbiome can influence the accumulation of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants. Our findings revealed that the bacterial phylum Bacteroidetes played a significant role in shaping the ecological stability of the rhizosphere bacteria associated with D. officinale. Additionally, Pandoraea may have the potential to enhance the production of polysaccharides in D. officinale. Overall, this research contributes to our understanding of the intricate relationship between the rhizosphere microbiome and the accumulation of bioactive compounds in D. officinale. It highlights the potential of specific bacterial taxa, such as Pandoraea, in promoting the production of polysaccharides, thus further establishing the medicinal value of this plant. Our results provide insights for further development of specific fertilizers for medicinal plants., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)