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Utilization of thin Li metal is the ultimate pathway to achieving practical high‐energy‐density Li metal batteries (LMBs), but its practical implementation has been significantly impeded by formidable challenges of poor thinning processability, severe interphase instability and notorious dendritic Li growth. Here we report a practical thin (10–40 μm) Li/Mo/Li2Se with concurrently modulated interphase and mechanical properties, achieved via a scalable mechanical rolling process. The in situ generated Li2Se and Mo not only enhance the mechanical strength enabling the scalable fabrication of thin Li metal, but also promote homogeneous Li electrodeposition. Significantly, the Li/Mo/Li2Se demonstrates ultrahigh‐rate performance (15 mA cm−2) and ultralong‐lifespan cycling sustainability (2700 cycles) with exceptional anti‐pulverization capability. The Li|LiFePO4 cells show substantially prolonged cyclability over 1200 cycles with an ultralow decay rate of ~0.01 % per cycle. Moreover, the Li|LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 pouch cells deliver enhanced cycling stability even under the extremely harsh conditions of low negative‐to‐positive‐capacity (N/P) ratio of ~1.2 and lean electrolyte of ~0.95 g Ah−1, showing an exceptional energy density of 329.2 Wh kg−1. This work sheds light on facile pathway for scalable production of durable thin Li metal anode toward reliable practicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practical implementation of Li metal anode has long been hindered by the significant challenges of notorious dendritic Li growth and severe interphase instability during repeated cycling. Herein, a highly lithiophilic NiSe‐modified host has rationally been constructed to stabilize Li metal by the facile mechanical rolling strategy. The in situ configurated high‐flux Li2Se‐enriched interphase layer can facilitate the fast interfacial charge transfer, high Li plating/stripping reversibility and homogeneous Li nucleation/growth. Consequently, the achieved modified Li metal demonstrates ultrahigh rate capability (10 mA cm−2) and ultralong‐term cycling stability (6600 cycles) with dendrite‐free Li deposition. The Li|LiFePO4 (LFP) cell exhibits an extraordinarily long lifespan cycling stability over 500 cycles with an ultra‐low decay rate of only ≈0.0092% per cycle at 1 C. Furthermore, the 4.5 V high‐voltage Li|LiCoO2 pouch cell with a high areal capacity (≈1.9 mAh cm−2) still reveals an impressively prolonged cyclability over 200 cycles even under the harsh test condition of low negative‐to‐positive‐capacity (N/P) ratio of ≈3.4 and lean electrolyte of ≈5.5 µL mAh−1. This work provides a facile and scalable strategy toward a highly stable Li metal anode for reliable practical usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the mechanical and magnetic properties of magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) based on chloroprene rubber, enhanced with carbonyl iron powder (CIP) as the primary filler. Carbon black serves as the primary reinforcing filler, with multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) used as a secondary filler to strengthen the rubber matrix. The primary objective of this research is to examine the effects of the mixture of iron powder with reinforcing fillers and the interaction of these fillers with the rubber matrix on the mechanical and magnetomechanical performance of MREs. CNTs, tubular nanoscale carbon molecules, significantly enhance the tensile strength and fatigue resistance when combined with the MRE matrix. During mixing, CNTs form a network structure within the MRE matrix, promoting the dissipation of accumulated heat and reducing thermal fatigue loss. The addition of 20 parts of CNTs to the CR matrix significantly improved the tensile mechanical properties, with the 100% set elongation stress increasing by up to 260% and the magnetic responsiveness increasing by 30.6%. The addition of 10 parts of carboxylated CNTs most notably enhanced the magnetorheological effect, increasing the magnetic stress relaxation rate by 78%. These enhanced properties enable MREs to provide better vibration control and comfort in automotive suspension systems, improve energy absorption and damping effects in industrial damping systems, and enhance durability and sealing performance in sealant applications. Highlights: Carbonyl iron powder, carbon black, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were used as fillers to strengthen the chloroprene (CR) matrix magnetorheological elastomers (MREs).CNTs formed a network structure, promoting the dissipation of accumulated heat and reducing thermal fatigue loss.The tensile mechanical property of MRE with 20 parts of CNTs has been significantly improved, with an increasing magnetic responsiveness of 30.6%.Magnetorheological effect of MRE with 10 parts of CNTs has notably enhanced, with the magnetic stress relaxation rate of 78%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic hydrogen production from water splitting is an environmentally friendly and cost‐effective technology to achieve green hydrogen. In recent years, bimetallic sulfides (BMS) have been considered as promising candidates compared to monometallic sulfides due to the tunable energy band structure, higher number of active sites, and good chemical stability, resulting in high performance of photocatalytic hydrogen production. Herein, recent progress of BMS in photocatalytic hydrogen production has been addressed comprehensively. First, two commonly employed methods for synthesizing BMS with tailored morphological characteristics are discussed and compared. Then, the main functions of BMS are unraveled to aid in promoting photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance intrinsically. Detailed applications of BMS both as a single photocatalyst and in heterojunction composite systems of three typical categories with unique properties and catalytic performance are summarized, focusing on their charge transfer behaviors and hydrogen production performance. In the end, research trends and prospects of BMS‐based photocatalysts are also proposed. This review is believed to unveil new advances and features of BMS‐based nanomaterials toward practical benefits and future research for highly efficient and robust photocatalytic H2 generation catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: As a potential surrogate of carotid‐femoral pulse wave velocity, estimated pulse wave velocity (ePWV) has been confirmed to independently predict the cardiovascular events, but the association between ePWV and heart failure has not been well confirmed. Therefore, we performed this cohort study to evaluate the association between ePWV and risk of new‐onset heart failure. Methods and results: A total of 98 269 employees (mean age: 51.77 ± 12.56 years, male accounted for 79.9%) without prior heart failure who participated in the 2006–2007 health examination were selected as the observation cohort, with an average follow‐up of 13.85 ± 1.40 years. Area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) of ePWV was calculated in prediction of heart failure. The adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The category‐free net reclassification index (NRI) was calculated to evaluate the reclassification performance of cardiovascular risk models after adding ePWV. The AUC of ePWV was 0.74 in prediction of heart failure. After adjusting for the traditional cardiovascular risk factors except for age and blood pressure, the risk of new‐onset heart failure increased by 35% [hazard ratio (HR): 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.33–1.37] for each 1 m/s increase in ePWV. Subgroup analysis showed that ePWV was significantly associated with incident heart failure regardless of THE presence (HR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.31–1.36, P < 0.01) or absence (HR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.46–1.73, P < 0.01) of cardiovascular risk factors, male (HR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.31–1.36, P < 0.01) or female (HR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.38–1.51, P < 0.01), young and middle‐aged (<52 years) (HR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.41–1.58, P < 0.01), or middle‐aged and elderly (≥52 years) (HR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.21–1.26, P < 0.01). The addition of ePWV to the traditional cardiovascular risk model including age and mean arterial pressure could significantly improve the reclassification ability by 31.1% (category‐free NRI = 0.311, P < 0.01). Conclusions: ePWV was an independent predictor for new‐onset heart failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often suffer memory and cognitive impairments, and oxiracetam‐like drugs are considered to have a positive impact on these symptoms potentially. However, the efficacy and safety of L‐oxiracetam and oxiracetam in TBI patients have not been sufficiently investigated. Methods: The study adopts a multicenter, randomized, double‐blind, parallel‐group, phase 3 clinical trial design in 74 centers across 51 hospitals in China. A total of 590 TBI patients meeting criteria will be randomly allocated into three groups in a 2:2:1 ratio: L‐oxiracetam group, oxiracetam group, and placebo group. The treatment period is 14 days, with a follow‐up period of 90 days. The primary outcome measure is the change in the Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment score at 90 days after treatment. Secondary outcomes include changes in other cognitive assessments, neurological function, activities of daily living, and safety assessments. Discussion: There is no robust evidence to suggest that L‐oxiracetam and oxiracetam can enhance memory and cognitive function in patients with mild to moderate TBI. This study has the potential to answer this crucial clinical question. Trial registration: chinadrugtrials.org.cn, identifier CTR20192539; ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04205565. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dispersion curve inversion is one of the core contents of Rayleigh wave data processing. However, the dispersion curve inversion has the characteristics of multi‐parameter, multi‐extremum as well as nonlinearity. In the face of Rayleigh wave data processing under complex seismic‐geological conditions, it is difficult to reconstruct an underground structure quickly and accurately apply a single global‐searching non‐linear inversion algorithm. For this reason, we proposed a strategy to invert multi‐order mode Rayleigh wave dispersion curves by combining with grey wolf optimization (GWO) and cuckoo search (CS) algorithms. On the basis of introducing the mechanism of iterative chaotic map with infinite collapses (ICMIC) and the strategy of dimension learning–based hunting (DLH), an improved GWO was developed that was called IDGWO (ICMIC and DLH GWO). After searching the near‐optimal region through IDGWO, the CS with a variable step‐size Lévy flight search mechanism was switched adaptively to complete the final inversion. The correctness of our method was verified by the multi‐order mode dispersion curve inversion of a six‐layer high‐velocity interlayer model. Then it was further applied to the processing of real seismic datasets. The research results show that our method fully utilizes the advantages of each of the two global‐searching non‐linear algorithms after integrating IDGWO and CS, while effectively balancing the ability between global search and local exploitation, further improving the convergence speed and inversion accuracy and having good anti‐noise performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practical application of sodium (Na) metal anode has been seriously hindered by the uncontrolled Na dendrite growth and severe volume expansion inducing short battery lifespan and safety concerns. Here, highly sodiophilic and ultrafine ZnS‐modified carbon fibers have been rationally constructed as a scaffold to obviate these drawbacks. The in situ generated Na2S‐reinforced fast ion transport interphase and the effective space confinement synergistically facilitate the fast sodium ion interfacial transfer and the homogeneous and dendrite‐free Na deposition, thus enabling high‐rate and dendrite‐free Na metal anode. The modified Na metal demonstrates ultrahigh rate capability (15 mA cm−2) and ultralong cycling life (5300 cycles). Moreover, the Na|Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) cell delivers ultrahigh rate capability (80 C) and extraordinarily ultralong lifespan cycling durability (2980 cycles). The Na|NVP pouch cell also exhibits an extraordinarily ultralong‐term cycle life of over 1070 cycles with an extremely low capacity decay rate of 0.0088% per cycle at 10 C. This work provides a facile and efficient strategy to propel the Na metal anode towards practicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen energy is recognized as the most potential renewable energy in the 21st century due to the rising depletion of fossil fuels. Hydrogen refilling stations, as the infrastructure of hydrogen energy, are one of the key components of the entire hydrogen energy industry chain. Analyzing the filling process of hydrogen‐refueling stations (HRS) helps to promote the construction of HRSs. Thus, it promotes the construction of a clean, low‐carbon, safe, and efficient energy system and the high‐quality development of the hydrogen energy industry. In this article, gas cylinders with nominal working pressures of 35 and 70 MPa are filled using three different HRSs, such as single‐stage fixed station, three‐stage fixed station, and skid station. The filling end temperature, filling energy consumption, filling rate, and filling time during the filling process are compared and analyzed. In the results, it is shown that skid station has the advantages of lower filling end temperature and less energy consumption. Thus, in terms of reducing energy loss, the skid‐mounted HRSs can be promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone healing remains a major challenge in the treatment of osteoporosis. Effective strategies that simultaneously promote bone formation and inhibit bone resorption are crucial for the treatment of osteoporosis and associated bone defects. MicroRNA (miRNA)‐based approaches aim at simultaneously promoting bone formation and suppressing bone resorption and have therapeutic potential. However, the toxicity of cationic carriers and off‐target effects are two major challenges associated with miRNA delivery. This study establishes a bone‐targeting miRNA delivery system (CH6‐SNA‐26a) that integrates aggregation‐induced emission (AIE), a CH6 aptamer, and miRNAs into a single nanoplatform without any cationic carrier. In this system, an AIE molecule is coupled to miR‐26a to form a core–shell spherical nucleic acid (SNA‐26a). The CH6 aptamer is co‐assembled with the SNA to achieve specific miR‐26a delivery to the bone surface. This aptamer‐functionalized, non‐cationic miR‐26a delivery strategy (CH6‐SNA‐26a) enables both bone‐targeted delivery and high transfection efficiency, ultimately optimizing bone remodeling and calvarial bone healing in an osteoporosis mouse model while limiting adverse effects in non‐skeletal tissues. Mechanistically, the overexpression of CH6‐SNA‐26a in skeletal tissues promotes bone anabolic action by functionally targeting glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and cellular communication network 2 in osteoclasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: We aim to identify the specific CD4+ T‐cell subtype influenced by brain‐to‐CLN signaling and explore their role during the acute phase of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method: Cervical lymphadenectomy or cervical afferent lymphatic ligation was performed before TBI. Cytokine array and western blot were used to detect cytokines, while the motor function was assessed using mNss and rotarod test. CD4+ T‐cell subtypes in blood, brain, and CLNs were analyzed with Cytometry by time‐of‐flight analysis (CyTOF) or fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS). Brain edema and volume changes were measured by 9.4T MRI. Neuronal apoptosis was evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. Results: Cervical lymphadenectomy and ligation of cervical lymphatic vessels resulted in a decreased infiltration of CD4+ T cells, specifically CD11b‐positive CD4+ T cells, within the affected region. The population of CD4+CD11b+ T cells increased in ligated CLNs, accompanied by a decrease in the average fluorescence intensity of sphingosine‐1‐phosphate receptor‐1 (S1PR1) on these cells. Administration of CD4+CD11b+ T cells sorted from CLNs into the lateral ventricle reversed the attenuated neurologic deficits, brain edema, and lesion volume following cervical lymphadenectomy. Conclusion: The infiltration of CD4+CD11b+ T cells exacerbates secondary brain damage in TBI, and this process is modulated by brain‐to‐CLN signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling surface wettability and directing the flow of working fluids have crucial implications in various natural and engineering contexts. Understanding the fundamental principles of wettability and directional wetting is essential for effectively leveraging these phenomena to enhance the performance of engineering systems, such as microfluidics or heat exchangers. This comprehensive review summarizes of previous research, emphasizing recent advances by categorizing the structures and working principles associated with directional wetting surfaces. The efforts of researchers who have employed diverse strategies to manipulate the wetting behavior of liquids through both passive and active control mechanisms are highlighted. Passive directional transport surfaces require no additional energy while enabling large‐scale and continuous fluid control. Conversely, active directional wetting surfaces offer enhanced flexibility and precise control of liquid movement. Furthermore, insights into recent studies that focused on practical applications are provided and the current challenges that need to be addressed are discussed. This study serves as a guide for future research directions on the development of directional wetting surfaces and offers valuable recommendations for practical implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The induction of cardiomyocyte (CM) proliferation is a promising approach for cardiac regeneration following myocardial injury. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to regulate CM proliferation. In particular, miR‐431 expression decreases during cardiac development, according to Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) microarray data. However, whether miR‐431 regulates CM proliferation has not been thoroughly investigated. Methods: We used integrated bioinformatics analysis of GEO datasets to identify the most significantly differentially expressed miRNAs. Real‐time quantitative PCR and fluorescence in situ hybridization were performed to determine the miRNA expression patterns in hearts. Gain‐ and loss‐of‐function assays were conducted to detect the role of miRNA in CM proliferation. Additionally, we detected whether miR‐431 affected CM proliferation in a myocardial infarction model. The TargetScan, miRDB and miRWalk online databases were used to predict the potential target genes of miRNAs. Luciferase reporter assays were used to study miRNA interactions with the targeting mRNA. Results: First, we found a significant reduction in miR‐431 levels during cardiac development. Then, by overexpression and inhibition of miR‐431, we demonstrated that miR‐431 promotes CM proliferation in vitro and in vivo, as determined by immunofluorescence assays of 5‐ethynyl‐2'‐deoxyuridine (EdU), pH3, Aurora B and CM count, whereas miR‐431 inhibition suppresses CM proliferation. Then, we found that miR‐431 improved cardiac function post‐myocardial infarction. In addition, we identified FBXO32 as a direct target gene of miR‐431, with FBXO32 mRNA and protein expression being suppressed by miR‐431. FBXO32 inhibited CM proliferation. Overexpression of FBXO32 blocks the enhanced effect of miR‐431 on CM proliferation, suggesting that FBXO32 is a functional target of miR‐431 during CM proliferation. Conclusion: In summary, miR‐431 promotes CM proliferation by targeting FBXO32, providing a potential molecular target for preventing myocardial injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is hypothesized that 'hydraulic vulnerability segmentation' (the vulnerability of expendable organs is higher compared to the vulnerability of nonexpendable organs) can enhance the drought‐tolerance of trees. However, prediction of positive segmentation (leaf minus branch) did not gain undisputed support in field observations. Further, the main organs of trees (leaf/trunk/root) are vital to test the hypothesis at the individual level. Unfortunately, most verifications of the hypothesis focus on the hydraulic vulnerabilities between leaves and terminal branches of mature trees. In this study, we grew three deciduous oak (Quercus mongolica, Q. variabilis and Q. aliena) seedlings (6 months old), and measured the hydraulic vulnerabilities of leaves (by rehydration method), main stems and main roots (by bench dehydration method). The sensitivity of stomata to water potential was obtained by monitoring the stomata conductance response to drought stress. The xylem anatomy of main stem and main root was also measured. It was found that the leaves of all three oak species exhibited greater vulnerability than the main stems and main roots. The leaf‐stem segmentation was more pronounced than the stem‐root one, and the stem‐root in Q. aliena even showed a reversed segmentation. Further, we found that higher stomatal sensitivity was associated with higher P50,leaf (water potential at 50% loss of leaf hydraulic conductivity), and narrower segmentation between leaf and the most embolism‐resistant organ. Collectively, our results support the 'hydraulic vulnerability segmentation' hypothesis at the individual level, and highlight the importance of stomatal regulation in hydraulic vulnerability segmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenolic resin‐bonded Al2O3‐Al‐MgO refractories were prepared from sintered alumina and aluminum as raw materials, adding 3 wt%, 9 wt% and 15 wt% high‐purity magnesia. The green samples were treated at 200°C and heated at 1300°C and 1600°C in a nitrogen atmosphere. The results showed that the phases after heating at 1300°C were α‐Al2O3, spinel solid solution (MgAlON), Al4O4C, Al4C3 and unreacted aluminum. The phases after heating at 1600°C were α‐Al2O3, spinel solid solution (MgAlON), Al4O4C, Al4C3, (Al2OC)x(AlN)1‐x solid solution, Al8O3N6, and unreacted aluminum, with a tendency to shift from Al‐O‐C to MgAlON with increasing MgO content. MgAlON was obtained by in situ synthesis of MgO, Al2O3, Al, and N2 at 1300°C. With sufficient magnesia, the stability of Al4O4C and Al4C3 decreases at 1600°C, and AlON is formed with better stability and can be solubilized into MgAlON. That is, when magnesia was added to the phenolic resin‐bound Al2O3‐Al composite under a nitrogen atmosphere, more stabilized MgAlON was formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: The high sensitivity of the miniature mass spectrometer plays an irreplaceable role in rapid on‐site detection. However, its analysis accuracy and stability should be improved due to the influence of sample pretreatment and use environment. The present study investigates the processing effects of ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) feature enhancement methods on the determination coefficient (R2) and relative standard deviation (RSD) of caffeine mass spectrometry (MS) signals. Methods: This paper employs the EEMD method combined with polynomial curve fitting to enhance the characteristics of seven caffeine mass spectrum signals with different concentrations and 15 groups of caffeine mass spectrum signals with the same concentration, and the wavelet analysis method was used for comparative verification. The determination coefficient and RSD of the two methods were compared. Results: We found the EEMD method's capability in adaptively decomposing caffeine mass spectrum signals is better than wavelet analysis method. The determination coefficient of the EEMD enhanced feature is better than 0.999, and the RSD is better than 2%, and both are better than wavelet analysis methods. Conclusions: The feature enhancement processing using the EEMD method has significantly improved the determination coefficient and RSD of the sample curve, improving the accuracy and stability of the data and providing a new way for miniature mass spectrometer signal processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaphylaxis is a type of potentially fatal hypersensitivity reaction resulting from the activation of mast cells. Many endogenous or exogenous factors could cause this reaction. Silibinin is the main chemical component of silymarin and has been reported to have pharmacological activities. However, the anti‐allergic reaction effect of silibinin has not yet been investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of silibinin to attenuate pseudo‐allergic reactions in vivo and to investigate the underlying mechanism in vitro. In this study, calcium imaging was used to assess Ca2+ mobilization. The levels of cytokines and chemokines, released by stimulated mast cells, were measured using enzyme immunoassay kits. The activity of silibinin was evaluated in a mouse model of passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA). Western blotting was used to explore the related molecular signaling pathways. In results, silibinin markedly inhibited mast cell degranulation, calcium mobilization, and preventing the release of cytokines and chemokines in a dose‐dependent manner via the PLCγ and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Silibinin also attenuated PCA in a dose‐dependent manner. In summary, silibinin has an anti‐pseudo‐allergic pharmacological activity, which makes it a potential candidate for the development of a novel agent to arrest pseudo‐allergic reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Content‐based image retrieval (CBIR) is the problem of searching for items in an image database that are similar to the query image. Most of the existing image retrieval methods are trained based on metric learning loss functions (e.g. contrastive loss or triplet loss), however, which require the use of hard sample mining strategies (HMS) to better train the model. The HMS implies that picking out hard positive or negative samples increases the complexity of model training and requires a large amount of additional training time. To address this issue, lessons from recent work are leveraged on representation learning and a model called GS is proposed that combines the state‐of‐the‐art Generalized‐Mean (GeM) pooling and the smoothed average precision (AP). The entire network can be learned end‐to‐end by approximating the non‐differentiable AP function to a differentiable one‐without mining hard samples, only image‐level annotations. A model named GSA is also presented which achieves excellent retrieval performance jointly trained by two various loss functions. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach and demonstrate the competitive performance on a common standard image retrieval dataset (Revisited Oxford and Paris). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid‐crystal polymers are a type of representative material combining the order‐disorder transition of liquid crystals and the superior properties of polymers. The phase transition from the liquid‐crystal phase to the isotropic state of mesogens causes large, controllable, and reversible deformation of polymers; thus, liquid‐crystal polymers have emerged as one of the most valuable candidates for shape‐morphing materials. Therefore, this review will focus on the recent development of shape‐morphing liquid‐crystal polymers, including the modes of energy conversions, material design strategies and further applications. In the main, novel material design methods and a wide range of application of shape‐morphing liquid‐crystal polymers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignin separation from natural lignocellulose for the preparation of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) is often challenging owing to the recalcitrant and complex structure of lignocellulose. This paper reports a strategy for the rapid synthesis of LNPs via microwave‐assisted lignocellulose fractionation using ternary deep eutectic solvents (DESs). A novel ternary DES with strong hydrogen bonding was prepared using choline chloride, oxalic acid, and lactic acid in a 1:0.5:1 ratio. Efficient fractionation of rice straw (0.5 × 2.0 cm) (RS) was realized by the ternary DES under microwave irradiation (680 W) within only 4 min, and 63.4% of lignin could be separated from the RS to prepare LNPs with a high lignin purity (86.8%), an average particle size of 48–95 nm, and a narrow size distribution. The mechanism of lignin conversion was also investigated, which revealed that dissolved lignin aggregated into LNPs via π–π stacking interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The connection between the active components and supports in a catalyst is important for the high activity and long‐term stability during catalysis. Here, Co3O4 nanoparticles embedded in F, N‐doped graphene (Co3O4/F, N‐doped G) are synthesized by silicon‐hydrogen bond reduction. F and N atoms doped graphene interacts with Co3O4 nanoparticles to optimize oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalytic activity. The optimal Co3O4/F, N‐doped G‐2 catalyst with Co loading of 3.38 wt% shows a half‐wave potential of 0.852 V vs RHE in 0.1 M KOH solution. Furthermore, Co3O4/F, N‐doped G‐2 catalyst outputs an extremely high open circuit voltage of 1.47 V and an excellent power density of 280 mW cm−2 at current density of 450 mA cm−2 when applied to the primary Zn‐air batteries. Due to the synergetic effects from Co3O4 and supports (F, N‐doped G), Co3O4/F, N‐doped G‐2 catalyst also shows excellent stability and anti‐toxicity, and has good practical application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different pluripotent cell types have been established by capturing pluripotency in different states. Human extended pluripotent stem cells (hEPSCs), recently established by two independent studies, have the capability of differentiating into both embryonic and extraembryonic lineages, as well as forming human blastoids, showing great potential for early human development modeling and regenerative medicine. Considering that X chromosome status in female human pluripotent stem cells is dynamic and heterogeneous, and often leads to functional consequences, we characterized it in hEPSCs. We derived hEPSCs from primed human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) with defined X chromosome status (pre‐ or post‐X chromosome inactivation) using two previously published methods. We showed that hEPSCs derived using both methods had highly similar transcription profiles and X chromosome status. However, the X chromosome status of hEPSCs is largely determined by the primed hESCs from which they were derived, suggesting a lack of complete reprogramming of X chromosome during primed to extended/expanded pluripotency conversion. Furthermore, we found that the X chromosome status of hEPSCs affected their ability to differentiate into embryonic or extraembryonic lineage cells. Taken together, our work characterized the X chromosome status of hEPSCs, providing important information for the future application of hEPSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the surface and grain boundary of perovskite films there are large quantities defects, which leads to photogenerated carrier nonradiative recombination and degrades the performance of the perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Surface passivation can suppress the detrimental effects of defect and improve the performance of PSCs. Here, an organic molecule, 4-chloro- 1,8-naphthalic anhydride (ALS), is adopted to passivate the defects on the surface and grain boundary of (FAPbI3)0.95(MAPbBr3)0.05 perovskite films. The oxygen of carbonyl group in the ALS provides lone pair electron to the undercoordinated Pb2+ and passivated this defect. The ALS passivated perovskite films have lower trap state density and longer carrier lifetime. As a result, the photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of the PSCs was improved from 21.52% to 23.72%. Furthermore, the ALS passivated PSC show good stability, and it could maintain 88% of its initial efficiency after 1200 h storage in ambient atmosphere without encapsulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to optimize the human extended pluripotent stem cell (EPSC) to trophectoderm (TE)‐like cell induction with addition of EGF and improve the quality of the reconstructing blastoids. Materials and Methods: TE‐like cells were differentiated from human EPSCs. RNA‐seq data analysis was performed to compare with TE‐like cells from multiple human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and embryos. A small‐scale compound selection was performed for optimizing the TE‐like cell induction and the efficiency was characterized using TE‐lineage markers expression by immunofluorescence stanning. Blastoids were generated by using the optimized TE‐like cells and the undifferentiated human EPSCs through three‐dimensional culture system. Single‐cell RNA sequencing was performed to investigate the lineage segregation of the optimized blastoids to human blastocysts. Results: TE‐like cells derived from human EPSCs exhibited similar transcriptome with TE cells from embryos. Additionally, TE‐like cells from multiple naive hPSCs exhibited heterogeneous gene expression patterns and signalling pathways because of the incomplete silencing of naive‐specific genes and loss of imprinting. Furthermore, with the addition of EGF, TE‐like cells derived from human EPSCs enhanced the TE lineage‐related signalling pathways and exhibited more similar transcriptome to human embryos. Through resembling with undifferentiated human EPSCs, we elevated the quality and efficiency of reconstructing blastoids and separated more lineage cells with precise temporal and spatial expression, especially the PE lineage. Conclusion: Addition of EGF enhanced TE lineage differentiation and human blastoids reconstruction. The optimized blastoids could be used as a blastocyst model for simulating early embryonic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient intermolecular C−H aminohalogenation of indoles with azoles and NXS (X = F, Cl, Br, I) has been developed. This mild protocol provides a straightforward entry to structurally valuable 2‐azolyl‐3‐halogenated indoles in one single operation. In addition, this attractive route for the synthesis of polyfunctionalized indoles is of great significance due to the product's versatile reactivity for further transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pharmacological studies indicate that Astragalus (AR) has various bioactivities, including anticancer, antiaging, anti‐inflammatory, antiviral, and antioxidant activities. Flavonoids, saponins, amino acids, and polysaccharides are the main active components in AR. However, its complex chemical compositions bring certain difficulties to the analysis of this traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Therefore, there is an urgent need to establish a method for rapid classification and identification of the chemical constituents in AR. Objective: To establish a method for rapid classification and identification of the main components of flavonoids, saponins, and amino acids in AR. Methods: The samples were analysed with ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography time‐of‐flight quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC‐Q‐TOF‐MS) and data post‐processing techniques. Firstly, fragmentation information was obtained in the positive and negative ion modes. Then, to realize the rapid classification and identification of AR components, the characteristic fragmentations (CFs) and neutral losses (NLs) were compared with information described in the literature. Results: A total of 45 chemical constituents were successfully screened out, including 22 flavonoids, 13 saponins, and 10 amino acids. Conclusion: The established method realised the efficient classification and identification of flavonoids, saponins, and amino acid compounds in AR, which provided a basis for further study on AR. The study based on UPLC‐Q‐TOF‐MS combined with data post‐processing technology established a method for rapid classification and identification of the main components in Astragalus. Forty‐five chemical constituents were successfully screened out, including 22 flavonoids, 13 saponins, and 10 amino acids. The established method realized the efficient classification and identification of flavonoids, saponins, and amino acid compounds in Astragalus, which provided a basis for further study on Astragalus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its properties (stable, affordable and non‐toxic), titanium dioxide (TiO2) has a promising future as electrode material for sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs). Its Na+ insertion/deinsertion mechanism, on the other hand, results in poor electronic conductivity and sluggish ionic diffusivity, leading to rapid capacity fading. Herein, a molten salt method is employed to creat abundant carbon pores framework, being capable of supporting plentiful ultra‐fine TiO2 adhering (U‐TiO2/C). With this unique porous structure of lots of exposed active sites, the U‐TiO2/C composite provides a faster ions transport and volume expansion buffer zone during cycling. As anode for SIBs, the U‐TiO2/C manifests splendid electrochemical performance. Specifically, the U‐TiO2/C electrode delivers a high capacity of 202.7 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g−1 and 91.4 mAh g−1 at 1.0 A g−1 after 160 cycles. Even with the increased current density to 10.0 A g−1, the U‐TiO2/C electrode still performs a high capacity of 69.5 mAh g−1 after 2500 cycles. Detailed kinetic analysis has been investigated to quantificationally demonstrate that the surface pseudocapacitive storage behavior plays a dominant role in the enhanced sodium storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered V2O5 is a promising and versatile cathode for rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs), but its narrow interlayer spacing makes rapid Mg2+ diffusion difficult, resulting in poor electrochemical performance. Herein, a facile and scalable technique is established for tailoring the (001) spacing of V2O5 by in‐situ polyaniline polymerization. The intercalated polyaniline molecules operate as pillars in the V2O5 interlayer, providing plentiful storage sites as well as improved cation diffusivities of Mg ion. As expected, by using V2O5/polyaniline as the cathode (anode: Mg metal), a high specific capacity of 361 mAh g−1 with charging/discharging current density of 20 mA g−1 can be achieved for RMBs. Besides, V2O5/polyaniline electrode shows favorable rate capability with 103 mAh g−1 at 500 mA g−1 (500 cycles) and ultra long‐term cycling performance after 5000 cycles. Ex situ X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to study the magnesium storage mechanism of the V2O5/polyaniline electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A composite oxides' Co-Mn-Ce catalyst was synthesized by a coprecipitation method, and the experiment was carried out to study the effects of reaction parameters and light hydrothermal aging on propane combustion over the Co-Mn-Ce catalyst. The influence of reaction temperature, propane concentration, oxygen concentration, water vapor, and hydrothermal aging was studied during the catalytic combustion of propane. The propane conversion significantly decreased by 10% when the propane concentration increased at 300°C and then further decreased from 80% to 40% as water vapor concentration increased from 0 to 10 vol.%. In addition, water vapor also prolonged the time required to reach equilibrium. After hydrothermal treatment, the catalyst obtained the lowest oxidation capacity of propane. Furthermore, the results of in situ DRIFTs and O2 temperature programmed desorption (O2-TPD) demonstrated that there were fewer oxygen species after hydrothermal aging, and carbonates were the main intermediates formed during the catalytic oxidation of propane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient lipase‐catalyzed stereoselective transesterification reaction system was established for resolution of 1‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)ethanol (MOPE) enantiomers. A series of lipases were tested and compared. The immobilized lipase Novozym 40086 is selected as the best choice. The effects of organic solvent, acyl donor, time and temperature on substrate conversion (c), and optical purity of the remaining substrate (eeS) were investigated. Response surface methodology and central composite design were employed to evaluate the effect of some important factors and to optimize the process. Under the optimized conditions including solvent of n‐hexane, acyl donor of vinyl acetate, temperature of 35°C, substrate molar ratio of 1:6, enzyme dosage of 20 mg, and reaction time of 2.5 h, eeS of 99.87% with c of 56.71% is achieved. The use of alkane solvent and immobilized enzyme, the mild reaction conditions, and the reduced reaction time make the system promising in industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of precipitation extremes (PEs) to global warming is found to be nonlinear in Community Earth System Model version 1 (CESM1) and other global climate models (Pendergrass et al., 2019), which led to the concern that it is not accurate to approximate the response of PE to a single forcing as the difference between simulations with all forcing agents and those that exclude one specific forcing. This calls into question previous model‐based results that the sensitivity of PE with warming due to aerosol forcing is significantly larger than that due to greenhouse gases (GHGs). We reevaluate the PE sensitivity to GHGs and aerosols using available CESM1 ensemble simulations. We show that although the PE response to warming is nonlinear in CESM1, especially for the high warming projected in the twenty‐first‐century, PE sensitivity to aerosols is still significantly stronger than that due to GHGs when the comparison is made within similar warming regimes to avoid the bias induced by the nonlinear behavior. But the difference is smaller than previously estimated. We also conclude that the additivity assumption is largely valid to isolate the PE response due to aerosol forcing from the paired simulations including the "all forcing" experiment when the warming regime is small (e.g., 1°C–2°C in the next few decades when aerosol forcing is projected to decline and becomes a major source of uncertainty for model projection). Key Points: Precipitation extreme (PE) responds to a large global warming range, for example, from 0 to 5 K, in a nonlinear fashionCautions in using single forcing simulations to quantify the PE response to greenhouse gas (GHG) and aerosols, due to the nonlinearityPE response to aerosols is stronger than to GHG, but the difference is smaller than previously estimated [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An adaptive clamping method (SGD-MS) based on the radius of curvature is designed to alleviate the local optimal oscillation problem in deep neural network, which combines the radius of curvature of the objective function and the gradient descent of the optimizer. The radius of curvature is considered as the threshold to separate the momentum term or the future gradient moving average term adaptively. In addition, on this basis, we propose an accelerated version (SGD-MA), which further improves the convergence speed by using the method of aggregated momentum. Experimental results on several datasets show that the proposed methods effectively alleviate the local optimal oscillation problem and greatly improve the convergence speed and accuracy. A novel parameter updating algorithm is also provided in this paper for deep neural network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anticounterfeiting materials are used to distinguish real banknotes, products, and documents from counterfeits, fakes, or unauthorized replicas. However, conventional anticounterfeiting materials generally exhibit a single anticounterfeiting function, resulting in a low level of security. Herein, a novel anticounterfeiting nanocomposite is demonstrated with numerous prominent security features. The nanocomposite is fabricated by doping upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) in a photoresponsive azobenzene‐containing polymer (azopolymer). Because of the cis–trans photoisomerization of the azopolymer, the nanocomposite exhibits photoinduced reversible color changes suitable for anticounterfeiting applications. Additionally, the hard nanocomposite can be converted to a rubber‐like soft solid by light irradiation. Imprinted microstructures are fabricated on the photosoftened nanocomposite, which result in photonic colors. Moreover, polarization‐dependent structures are fabricated on the nanocomposite via photoinduced orientation for encryption. Importantly, UCNPs in the nanocomposite emit visible light upon excitation by near‐infrared light, enabling the observation of various anticounterfeiting structures with high contrast. An advantage of the anticounterfeiting nanocomposite is that the security features can be observed by the naked eye for quick discrimination and can be analyzed using laboratory equipment for higher accuracy. The anticounterfeiting nanocomposite is easily processed on paper, glass, and plastic, which demonstrates its potential anticounterfeiting functions for banknotes, wines, and medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical image fusion is an important technique to address the limited depth of the optical lens for a completely informative focused image. It can well improve the accuracy of diagnosis and assessment of medical problems. However, the difficulty of many traditional fusion methods in preserving all the significant features of the source images compromises the clinical accuracy of medical problems. Thus, we propose a novel medical image fusion method with a low-level feature to deal with the problem. We decompose the source images into base layers and detail layers with local binary pattern operators for obtaining low-level features. The low-level features of the base and detail layers are applied to construct weight maps by using saliency detection. The weight map optimized by fast guided filtering guides the fusion of base and detail layers to maintain the spatial consistency between the source images and their corresponding layers. The recombination of the fused base and detail layers constructs the final fused image. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method achieved a state-of-the-art performance for multifocus images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blasting is currently the most important method for rock fragmentation in metal mines. However, blast-induced ground vibration causes many negative effects, including great damage to surrounding rock masses and projects and even casualties in severe cases. Therefore, prediction of the peak particle velocity (PPV) caused by blasting plays an important role in reducing safety threats. In this paper, a genetic algorithm (GA) and an artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm were jointly used to construct a neural network model with a 4-5-1 topology to predict the PPV. For this model, the ANN parameters were optimized using the GA, and the deviating direction, horizontal distance, vertical distance, Euclidean distance, explosive type, burden, hole spacing, and maximum charge per delay were used as input information. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to extract the first four principal components from the eight input factors as the four inputs of the ANN model. The model was successfully applied to protect an underground crushing cave from blasting vibration damage by adjusting the blasting parameters. Compared with several widely used empirical equations, the GA-ANN PPV prediction model produced significantly better results, while the Ambraseys–Hedron method was the best of the empirical methods. Therefore, the improved GA-ANN model can be used to predict the PPV on site and provide a reference for the control of blasting vibration in field production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a three‐component cyclization reaction of benzimidazoles, aryl nitroalkenes and elemental sulfur has been developed. Cheap and easily available salicylic acid found to be an efficient mediator for the present transformation. This protocol provides a facile access to structurally significant imidazo[2,1‐b]thiazole skeleton from simple raw materials with a range of compatible synthetically useful functionalities. Furthermore, gram‐scale preparation of this method is effective, which enables potential applications of it in broader fields of molecule synthesis. Mechanistically, a reaction cascade involving sequential aza‐Michael addition, nucleophilic sulfuration, and deaminative aromatization was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A protocol for the synthesis of 10‐phenanthrenol from 1‐biphenyl‐2‐ylethanone bearing an electron‐withdrawing group through metal‐ and oxidant‐free C−H/C−H arylation has been established. The electrochemical intramolecular cycloaromatization avoids the use of excess amounts of chemical oxidizing agents, and provides concise and regio‐selective access to a variety of valuable 10‐phenanthrenol derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An improved loss function free of sampling procedures is proposed to improve the ill-performed classification by sample shortage. Adjustable parameters are used to expand the loss scope, minimize the weight of easily classified samples, and further substitute the sampling function, which are added to the cross-entropy loss and the SoftMax loss. Experiment results indicate that improvements in all classification performance of our loss function are shown in various network architectures and on different datasets. To summarize, compared with traditional loss functions, our improved version not only elevates classification performance but also lowers the difficulty of network training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel molecularly imprinted two‐dimensional (2‐D) photonic crystal hydrogels (MIPH) for sensitive and label‐free recognition of 2,4‐dichlorophenol (2,4‐DCP) was prepared. The 2‐D photonic crystal template was fabricated by using air‐water interface self‐assembly method. And then the template was embedded with molecularly imprinted polymer, which was synthesized with 2,4‐DCP as imprinted molecules, dimethyl sulfoxide as solvent, acrylic acid and acrylamide as functional monomers, N,N‐methylene bis acrylamide as cross‐linker, azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. The imprinted molecules were removed by 0.01 M ammonia solution. The results indicated that the 2,4‐DCP molecularly imprinted 2‐D photonic crystal hydrogels has good response and recognition ability to 2,4‐DCP. When the molar ratio of cross‐linking density of MIPH is 2.3% and the molar ratio of imprinting molecule is 5.0%, the change of Debye ring diameter is the largest. The diameter of Debye ring increased by 7.1 mm when the concentration of 2,4‐DCP changed from 0 to 1 × 10−6 M, and the particle spacing of MIPH reduced 38 nm. In addition, the diameter of the Debye ring hardly changed in the solution of analogues of 2,4‐DCP such as, phenol, 2‐chlorophenol, 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol and so on, indicating that the MIPH has highly sensitivity and specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]