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The development of low‐cost and high‐performance iron (Fe)‐based anode materials is of great significance for rechargeable aqueous batteries. Herein, a FeS@Fe foam anode with crosslinked nanoflake array structure is fabricated. Being adopted as alkaline anode, FeS@Fe foam delivers enhanced areal capacity of 31.1 mAh cm−2 (at 50 mA cm−2), which is ≈1.5 times that of the‐state‐of‐the‐art literatures. The scaled‐up tests further reveal the higher capacity (800.7 mAh) and current density (1.25 A) with the area of 25 cm2. The FeS@Fe foam anode sustains intact after 270‐day cycles, demonstrating excellent durability. The assembled FeS//NiO single battery provides a superior areal energy density of 300.7 Wh m−2 at 500 W m−2. The reaction mechanism and electrode kinetics are revealed by combining in/ex situ techniques and DFT calculations. Experimental results and in/ex situ characterizations validate that excellent structural stability and high areal capacity are attributed to effective interface regulation and improved energy storage mechanism, respectively. This work pushes the advanced Fe‐based electrode to a superior level among these available alkaline solid‐state batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present research, the accelerated test using the stepped isothermal method (SIM) was applied to characterize the long‐term compressive behavior of laminated bamboo. Generating a creep master curve using the SIM data is somewhat empirical. In particular, the selection of the end and beginning segments in the rescaling process is not standardized, which will affect the determination of virtual time. The variability of the virtual time influences the construction of master curves, thus leading to errors in predicting long‐term behavior. The difference in selecting the end and beginning segments was studied in terms of the virtual time, rescaled isothermal curves, and master curves. A 40% end segment and a 30% beginning segment were recommended to build a more accurate master curve. The generated master curves showed repeatability and matched reasonably well with the conventional creep results. It indicates that SIM is a reliable tool for the accelerated test of the long‐term behavior of laminated bamboo. In addition, isochronous stress‐creep strain curves were constructed based on the master curves at different loadings to provide evidence to determine stress levels for structural design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human brain's cerebral cortex exhibits a topographic division into higher‐order transmodal core and lower‐order unimodal periphery regions. While timescales between the core and periphery region diverge, features of their power spectra, especially scale‐free dynamics during resting‐state and their mdulation in task states, remain unclear. To answer this question, we investigated the ~1/f‐like pink noise manifestation of scale‐free dynamics in the core‐periphery topography during rest and task states applying infra‐slow inter‐trial intervals up to 1 min falling inside the BOLD's infra‐slow frequency band. The results demonstrate (1) higher resting‐state power‐law exponent (PLE) in the core compared to the periphery region; (2) significant PLE increases in task across the core and periphery regions; and (3) task‐related PLE increases likely followed the task's atypically low event rates, namely the task's periodicity (inter‐trial interval = 52–60 s; 0.016–0.019 Hz). A computational model and a replication dataset that used similar infra‐slow inter‐trial intervals provide further support for our main findings. Altogether, the results show that scale‐free dynamics differentiate core and periphery regions in the resting‐state and mediate task‐related effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymers with relatively higher thermal conductivity are in great demand for many advanced functional applications that often require thermally conductive as well as flexible materials. However, enhancing the thermal conductivity of polymers, while maintaining their mechanical properties, is still a formidable challenge. Here it is reported on the successful fabrication of polyethylene (PE)/boron nitride nanoplate (BNNP) nanocomposite films, with excellent flexibility and ultrahigh through‐plane thermal conductivity, by a uniaxially hot‐stretching process. Results from this study show that the nanocomposite films with ϕv = 6.7 vol% BNNPs, under low stretching ratio (Λ = 5), exhibit a through‐plane thermal conductivity of ≈14.54 W m−1 K−1, about 44.4 times higher than the corresponding bulk value for PE (0.32 W m−1 K−1), while also having improved the Young's modulus of elasticity. The theoretical analysis also shows that such a dramatic enhancement can be attributed to the formation of a 3D continuous network structure within the nanocomposite films. Thus, these flexible films offer possibilities as passive heat exchange matrices in various advanced applications that often require the materials with higher flexibility, lighter weight, easy/scalable processing attributes, and with a higher thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM), characterized by transient left ventricular dysfunction, was first reported in Japan in 1990. Current research suggests that TCM can be affected by conventional cardiovascular factors such as hypertension (HTN), diabetes, hyperlipidemia (HLD), and obesity. Despite the increasing interest in this disease, research on TCM remains limited. Conventional cardiovascular factors are clinically related to the outcome of TCM. We reviewed the publications published in PubMed database between January 01 2010 and January 15 2021, and summarized the most current available evidence on the correlation between TCM and the conventional cardiovascular factors. TCM patients are predominantly postmenopausal women. Men and young patients are less commonly seen, but are prone to acute adverse complications and poor prognosis. HTN is common in patients with recurrent TCM. Existing evidence suggests that obesity and chronic kidney disease are related to poor prognosis in TCM. HLD is reported to be associated with fewer complications, though current evidence is limited. Finally, the relationship between diabetes and TCM prognosis is ambivalent. Current evidence suggests conventional cardiovascular risk factors are associated with the outcome of TCM, especially with mortality and complications. More prospective studies are needed to clarify the relationship between each risk factor and the prognosis of TCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs(miRNAs) are maladjusted in multifarious malignant tumor and can be considered as both carcinogens and tumor‐inhibiting factor. In the present study, we analyzed the miRNAs expression profiles and clinical information of 481 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) through the TCGA dataset to identify the prognostic miRNAs signature. A total of 114 significantly differentially expressed miRNAs (SDEMs) were identified, consisting of 60 up‐adjusted and 54 down‐adjusted miRNAs. The Kaplan‐Meier survival method identified the prognostic function of 2 miRNAs (miR‐4652‐5p and miR‐99a‐3P). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses indicated that the 2 miRNAs were significant prognostic elements of HNSCC. Furthermore, bioinformatic analysis was conducted by means of 4 online gene predicted toolkits to recognize the target genes, and enrichment analysis was performed on the target genes by DAVID. The outcomes depicted that target genes were correlated with calcium, as well as cell proliferation, circadian entrainment, EGFR, PI3K‐Akt‐mTOR, and P53 signaling pathways. Finally, the PPI network was conducted in view of STRING database and Cytoscape. Eight hub genes were identified by CytoHubba and MCODE app, respectively, CBL, SKP1, H2AFX, HGF, POLR2F, UBE2I, VAMP2, and GNAI2 genes. As a result, we identified 2 miRNAs signatures, 8 hub genes, and significant signaling pathways for estimating the prognosis of HNSCC. In order to further explore the molecular mechanism of HNSCC occurrence and development, more comprehensive basic and clinical studies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self is the core of our mental life. Previous investigations have demonstrated a strong neural overlap between self‐related activity and resting state activity. This suggests that information about self‐relatedness is encoded in our brain's spontaneous activity. The exact neuronal mechanisms of such "rest‐self containment," however, remain unclear. The present EEG study investigated temporal measures of resting state EEG to relate them to self‐consciousness. This was obtained with the self‐consciousness scale (SCS) which measures Private, Public, and Social dimensions of self. We demonstrate positive correlations between Private self‐consciousness and three temporal measures of resting state activity: scale‐free activity as indexed by the power‐law exponent (PLE), the auto‐correlation window (ACW), and modulation index (MI). Specifically, higher PLE, longer ACW, and stronger MI were related to higher degrees of Private self‐consciousness. Finally, conducting eLORETA for spatial tomography, we found significant correlation of Private self‐consciousness with activity in cortical midline structures such as the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex and posterior cingulate cortex. These results were reinforced with a data‐driven analysis; a machine learning algorithm accurately predicted an individual as having a "high" or "low" Private self‐consciousness score based on these measures of the brain's spatiotemporal structure. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that Private self‐consciousness is related to the temporal structure of resting state activity as featured by temporal nestedness (PLE), temporal continuity (ACW), and temporal integration (MI). Our results support the hypothesis that self‐related information is temporally contained in the brain's resting state. "Rest‐self containment" can thus be featured by a temporal signature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variability quenching is a widespread neural phenomenon in which trial‐to‐trial variability (TTV) of neural activity is reduced by repeated presentations of a sensory stimulus. However, its neural mechanism and functional significance remain poorly understood. Recurrent network dynamics are suggested as a candidate mechanism of TTV, and they play a key role in consciousness. We thus asked whether the variability‐quenching phenomenon is related to the level of consciousness. We hypothesized that TTV reduction would be compromised during reduced level of consciousness by propofol anesthetics. We recorded functional magnetic resonance imaging signals of resting‐state and stimulus‐induced activities in three conditions: wakefulness, sedation, and unconsciousness (i.e., deep anesthesia). We measured the average (trial‐to‐trial mean, TTM) and variability (TTV) of auditory stimulus‐induced activity under the three conditions. We also examined another form of neural variability (temporal variability, TV), which quantifies the overall dynamic range of ongoing neural activity across time, during both the resting‐state and the task. We found that (a) TTM deceased gradually from wakefulness through sedation to anesthesia, (b) stimulus‐induced TTV reduction normally seen during wakefulness was abolished during both sedation and anesthesia, and (c) TV increased in the task state as compared to resting‐state during both wakefulness and sedation, but not anesthesia. Together, our results reveal distinct effects of propofol on the two forms of neural variability (TTV and TV). They imply that the anesthetic disrupts recurrent network dynamics, thus prevents the stabilization of cortical activity states. These findings shed new light on the temporal dynamics of neuronal variability and its alteration during anesthetic‐induced unconsciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Which temporal features that can characterize different brain states (i.e., consciousness or unconsciousness) is a fundamental question in the neuroscience of consciousness. Using resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs‐fMRI), we investigated the spatial patterns of two temporal features: the long‐range temporal correlations (LRTCs), measured by power‐law exponent (PLE), and temporal variability, measured by standard deviation (SD) during wakefulness and anesthetic‐induced unconsciousness. We found that both PLE and SD showed global reductions across the whole brain during anesthetic state comparing to wakefulness. Importantly, the relationship between PLE and SD was altered in anesthetic state, in terms of a spatial “decoupling.” This decoupling was mainly driven by a spatial pattern alteration of the PLE, rather than the SD, in the anesthetic state. Our results suggest differential physiological grounds of PLE and SD and highlight the functional importance of the topographical organization of LRTCs in maintaining an optimal spatiotemporal configuration of the neural dynamics during normal level of consciousness. The central role of the spatial distribution of LRTCs, reflecting temporo‐spatial nestedness, may support the recently introduced temporo‐spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Disorders of consciousness (DoC)-that is, unresponsive wakefulness syndrome/vegetative state and minimally conscious state-are debilitating conditions for which no reliable markers of consciousness recovery have yet been identified. Evidence points to the GABAergic system being altered in DoC, making it a potential target as such a marker. Experimental design In our preliminary study, we used [11C]Flumazenil positron emission tomography to establish global GABAA receptor binding potential values and the local-to-global (LTG) ratio of these for specific regions. These values were then compared between DoC patients and healthy controls. In addition, they were correlated with behavioral improvements for the patients between the time of scanning and 3 months later. Functional magnetic resonance imaging resting-state functional connectivity was also calculated and the same comparisons made. Principal observations lobal GABAA receptor binding was reduced in DoC, as was the LTG ratio in specifically the supragenual anterior cingulate. Both of these measures correlated with behavioral improvement after 3 months. In contrast to these measures of GABAA receptor binding, functional connectivity did not correlate with behavioral improvement. Conclusions Our preliminary findings point toward GABAA receptor binding being a marker of consciousness recovery in DoC. Hum Brain Mapp 36:3867-3877, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to investigate the roles of different resting-state networks in predicting both the actual level of consciousness and its recovery in brain injury patients.Methods: We investigated resting-state functional connectivity within different networks in patients with varying levels of consciousness: unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS; n = 56), minimally conscious state (MCS; n = 29), and patients with brain lesions but full consciousness (BL; n = 48). Considering the actual level of consciousness, we compared the strength of network connectivity among the patient groups. We then checked the presence of connections between specific regions in individual patients and calculated the frequency of this in the different patient groups. Considering the recovery of consciousness, we split the UWS group into 2 subgroups according to recovery: those who emerged from UWS (UWS-E) and those who remained in UWS (UWS-R). The above analyses were repeated on these 2 subgroups.Results: Functional connectivity strength in salience network (SN), especially connectivity between the supragenual anterior cingulate cortex (SACC) and left anterior insula (LAI), was reduced in the unconscious state (UWS) compared to the conscious state (MCS and BL). Moreover, at the individual level, SACC-LAI connectivity was more present in MCS than in UWS. Default-mode network (DMN) connectivity strength, especially between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and left lateral parietal cortex (LLPC), was reduced in UWS-R compared with UWS-E. Furthermore, PCC-LLPC connectivity was more present in UWS-E than in UWS-R.Interpretation: Our findings show that SN (SACC-LAI) connectivity correlates with behavioral signs of consciousness, whereas DMN (PCC-LLPC) connectivity instead predicts recovery of consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (fMRS) studies have shown changes in glutamate/glutamine (Glx) concentrations between resting-state and active-task conditions. However, the types of task used have been limited to sensory paradigms, and the regions from which Glx concentrations have been measured limited to sensory ones. This leaves open the question as to whether the same effect can be seen in higher-order brain regions during cognitive tasks. Cortical midline structures, especially the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), have been suggested to be involved in various such cognitive tasks. We, therefore set out to use fMRS to investigate the dynamics of Glx concentrations in the MPFC between resting-state and mental imagery task conditions. The auditory cortex was used as a control region. In addition, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to explore task-related neural activity changes. The mental imagery task consisted of imagining swimming and was applied to a large sample of healthy participants ( n = 46). The participants were all competitive swimmers, ensuring proficiency in mental-swimming. Glx concentrations in the MPFC increased during the imagery task, as compared to resting-state periods preceding and following the task. These increases mirror BOLD activity changes in the same region during the task. No changes in either Glx concentrations or BOLD activity were seen in the auditory cortex. These findings contribute to our understanding of the biochemical basis of generating or manipulating mental representations and the MPFC's role in this. Hum Brain Mapp 36:3204-3212, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The cortical midline structures seem to be involved in the modulation of different resting state networks, such as the default mode network (DMN) and salience network (SN). Alterations in these systems, in particular in the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (PACC), seem to play a central role in bipolar disorder (BD). However, the exact role of the PACC, and its functional connections to other midline regions (within and outside DMN) still remains unclear in BD. Methods: We investigated functional connectivity (FC), standard deviation (SD, as a measure of neuronal variability) and their correlation in bipolar patients ( n = 40) versus healthy controls ( n = 40), in the PACC and in its connections in different frequency bands (standard: 0.01-0.10 Hz; Slow-5: 0.01-0.027 Hz; Slow-4: 0.027-0.073 Hz). Finally, we studied the correlations between FC alterations and clinical-neuropsychological parameters and we explored whether subgroups of patients in different phases of the illness present different patterns of FC abnormalities. Results: We found in BD decreased FC (especially in Slow-5) from the PACC to other regions located predominantly in the posterior DMN (such as the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and inferior temporal gyrus) and in the SN (such as the supragenual anterior cingulate cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex). Second, we found in BD a decoupling between PACC-based FC and variability in the various target regions (without alteration in variability itself). Finally, in our subgroups explorative analysis, we found a decrease in FC between the PACC and supragenual ACC (in depressive phase) and between the PACC and PCC (in manic phase). Conclusions: These findings suggest that in BD the communication, that is, information transfer, between the different cortical midline regions within the cingulate gyrus does not seem to work properly. This may result in dysbalance between different resting state networks like the DMN and SN. A deficit in the anterior DMN-SN connectivity could lead to an abnormal shifting toward the DMN, while a deficit in the anterior DMN-posterior DMN connectivity could lead to an abnormal shifting toward the SN, resulting in excessive focusing on internal contents and reduced transition from idea to action or in excessive focusing on external contents and increased transition from idea to action, respectively, which could represent central dimensions of depression and mania. If confirmed, they could represent diagnostic markers in BD. Hum Brain Mapp 36:666-682, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies at the cellular and regional levels have pointed out the multifaceted importance of neural synchronization and temporal variance of neural activity. For example, neural synchronization and temporal variance has been shown by us to be altered in patients in the vegetative state (VS). This finding nonetheless leaves open the question of whether these abnormalities are specific to VS or rather more generally related to the absence of consciousness. The aim of our study was to investigate the changes of inter- and intra-regional neural synchronization and temporal variance of resting state activity in anesthetic-induced unconsciousness state. Applying an intra-subject design, we compared resting state activity in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) between awake versus anesthetized states in the same subjects. Replicating previous studies, we observed reduced functional connectivity within the default mode network (DMN) and thalamocortical network in the anesthetized state. Importantly, intra-regional synchronization as measured by regional homogeneity (ReHo) and temporal variance as measured by standard deviation (SD) of the BOLD signal were significantly reduced in especially the cortical midline regions, while increased in the lateral cortical areas in the anesthetized state. We further found significant frequency-dependent effects of SD in the thalamus, which showed abnormally high SD in Slow-5 (0.01-0.027 Hz) in the anesthetized state. Our results show for the first time of altered temporal variance of resting state activity in anesthesia. Combined with our findings in the vegetative state, these findings suggest a close relationship between temporal variance, neural synchronization and consciousness. Hum Brain Mapp 35:5368-5378, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have demonstrated resting-state abnormalities in midline regions in vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome and minimally conscious state patients. However, the functional implications of these resting-state abnormalities remain unclear. Recent findings in healthy subjects have revealed a close overlap between the neural substrate of self-referential processing and the resting-state activity in cortical midline regions. As such, we investigated task-related neural activity during active self-referential processing and various measures of resting-state activity in 11 patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) and 12 healthy control subjects. Overall, the results revealed that DOC patients exhibited task-specific signal changes in anterior and posterior midline regions, including the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (PACC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). However, the degree of signal change was significantly lower in DOC patients compared with that in healthy subjects. Moreover, reduced signal differentiation in the PACC predicted the degree of consciousness in DOC patients. Importantly, the same midline regions (PACC and PCC) in DOC patients also exhibited severe abnormalities in the measures of resting-state activity, that is functional connectivity and the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations. Taken together, our results provide the first evidence of neural abnormalities in both the self-referential processing and the resting state in midline regions in DOC patients. This novel finding has important implications for clinical utility and general understanding of the relationship between the self, the resting state, and consciousness. Hum Brain Mapp 35:1997-2008, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]