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Coronary artery disease (CAD) causes myocardial ischemia, narrowing or occlusion of the lumen. Although great progress has been made in the treatment of CAD, the existing treatment methods do not meet the clinical needs, so it is urgent to find new treatment methods. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of action of miR‐148a‐3p in alleviating CAD by inhibiting vascular endothelial cell injury and to provide new ideas for the treatment of CAD. A cell model was constructed by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induction of vascular endothelial cells, and a CAD rat model was established by a high‐fat diet and intraperitoneal injection of posterior pituitary hormone. Relevant indices were detected by RT‐qPCR, ELISA, Western blot, MTT, and flow cytometry. The results indicate that in LPS‐induced vascular endothelial cell assays, miR‐148a‐3p inhibited the upregulation of PCSK9, thereby suppressing the NF‐κB signaling pathway and promoting vascular endothelial cell proliferation. Overexpression of PCSK9 and the addition of NF‐κB signaling pathway activator increased vascular endothelial cell apoptosis. In animal experiments, miR‐148a‐3p alleviated the symptoms of CAD rats, whereas overexpression of PCSK9 promoted apoptosis and increased atheromatous plaque area in CAD rats. In conclusion, miR‐148a‐3p inhibits the NF‐κB signaling pathway through downregulation of PCSK9, thereby protecting vascular endothelial cells and alleviating CAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Images captured in inadequate illumination or uneven brightness conditions are prone to suffer from loss of detail and reduced contrast. Self‐powered BiOI/WO3 heterojunction PDs with bidirectionally regulated ultraviolet (UV) and visible dual‐band photoresponse characteristics can help to solve the problems. By varying the growth time of BiOI nanoflakes (NFs) on WO3 nanorod arrays (NRs), different stoichiometric ratios and crystal and band structures of BiOI are achieved. The I− ions migration inside the BiOI controlled by applying a pre‐bias voltage can induce the accumulation of polarized charges at the heterojunction interface, then alter the width of the depletion region as well as the height of the interface barrier, which in turn affects the dynamics of photo‐generated carriers. Upon applying a positive (negative) pre‐bias, the self‐powered photocurrent decreases (increases) in the UV band, whereas increases (decreases) in the visible band. Based on BiOI/WO3 heterojunction PDs, a machine vision imaging system is designed, which enhances image contrast and detail in strong and weak light conditions. This system facilitates rapid feature extraction and recognition, advancing the development of intelligent, real‐time digital machine vision systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perceived age (PA) has been associated with mortality, genetic variants linked to ageing and several age‐related morbidities. However, estimating PA in large datasets is laborious and costly to generate, limiting its practical applicability. Objectives: To determine if estimating PA using deep learning‐based algorithms results in the same associations with morbidities and genetic variants as human‐estimated perceived age. Methods: Self‐supervised learning (SSL) and deep feature transfer (DFT) deep learning (DL) approaches were trained and tested on human‐estimated PAs and their corresponding frontal face images of middle‐aged to elderly Dutch participants (n = 2679) from a population‐based study in the Netherlands. We compared the DL‐estimated PAs with morbidities previously associated with human‐estimated PA as well as genetic variants in the gene MC1R; we additionally tested the PA associations with MC1R in a new validation cohort (n = 1158). Results: The DL approaches predicted PA in this population with a mean absolute error of 2.84 years (DFT) and 2.39 years (SSL). In the training–test dataset, we found the same significant (p < 0.05) associations for DL PA with osteoporosis, ARHL, cognition, COPD and cataracts and MC1R, as with human PA. We also found a similar but less significant association for SSL and DFT PAs (0.69 and 0.71 years per allele, p = 0.008 and 0.011, respectively) with MC1R variants in the validation dataset as that found with human, SSL and DFT PAs in the training–test dataset (0.79, 0.78 and 0.71 years per allele respectively; all p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Deep learning methods can automatically estimate PA from facial images with enough accuracy to replicate known links between human‐estimated perceived age and several age‐related morbidities. Furthermore, DL predicted perceived age associated with MC1R gene variants in a validation cohort. Hence, such DL PA techniques may be used instead of human estimations in perceived age studies thereby reducing time and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mass production, injection molding plays a vital role in manufacturing various parts with complex settings. As perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA) injection‐molded products are widely used in immersion system, dimensional quality needs more attention. However, there is limited research on the dimension defects of PFA injection‐molded products. This study focused on the influence of mold design and process parameters on PFA part shrinkage, using mold flow simulation and orthogonal testing separately. Several gate locations and sizes were simulated to minimize shrinkage in mold design. Displacements varied with gate locations, and shrinkage decreased with larger gate sizes. The Taguchi method analyzed process parameters' impact on shrinkage. The results indicated that the injection rate had the most significant effect on the shrinkage of tube length, while melt temperature, holding pressure, and screw speed affected the shrinkage of tubes' outside diameter. Different flow directions exhibited variance in shrinkage. Using max–min normalization, the two shrinkage values reached 0.00972, whereas the smallest value obtained in the orthogonal experiment was 0.1545 in run 3. Thus, optimizing mold design and process parameters were two effective methods to reduce shrinkage. This study reduced shrinkage and improved the quality of PFA injection molding parts for semiconductor systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemoglobins, with heme as a cofactor, are functional proteins that have extensive applications in the fields of artificial oxygen carriers and foods. Although Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an ideal host for hemoglobin synthesis, it lacks a suitable transport system to utilize additional heme for active expression of hemoglobins, resulting in the cellular aggregation and degradation of the latter. Here, an effective heme importer, heme‐responsive gene 4 (Hrg‐4), was selected from six candidates through the comparison of effects on the growth rates of Δhem1 S. cerevisiae strain and the activities of various hemoglobins when supplemented with 5 mg·L−1 exogenous heme. Additionally, to counter the instability of plasmid‐based expression and the metabolic burden introduced from overexpressing Hrg‐4, a series of hrg‐4 integrated strains were constructed and the best engineered strain with five copies of hrg‐4 was chosen. We found that this engineered strain was associated with an increased binding rate of heme in monomeric leghemoglobin and multimeric human hemoglobin (76.3% and 16.5%, respectively), as well as an enhanced expression of both hemoglobins (52.8% and 17.0%, respectively). Thus, the engineered strain with improved heme uptake can be used to efficiently synthesize other heme‐binding proteins and enzymes in S. cerevisiae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid headspace gas chromatography method has been developed for the determination of residual organic solvents in photoinitiators. Using water‐glyceryl triacetate as the solvent, the method was used to determine the residual levels of 11 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), namely, benzene, toluene, xylene, methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile, acetone, n‐hexane, dichloromethane, tetrahydrofuran, and ethyl acetate, in photoinitiators. Under the selected instrument operating conditions, all the residual solvents were completely separated. A detailed analysis was conducted on these 11 organic solvents. The mass concentrations of these solvents were linearly correlated with the chromatographic peak area, with a linear R2 is called determination coefficient R2 ≥ 0.99, and the relative standard deviation (n = 5) was less than 5.8%. The recovery rates of n‐hexane and toluene were 90.3% and 102.9%, respectively. The method exhibits good precision and accuracy, making it suitable for the rapid detection and inspection of 11 residual VOC components in photoinitiators. The practical applicability of the method was evaluated by blue applicability grade index and the score was 75.0 demonstrating its good practicality and applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how aerosols affect cloud cover is critical for reducing the large uncertainty of the aerosol‐cloud interaction (ACI). The 2014 Holuhraun effusive eruption in Iceland resulted in a significant increase in cloud drop number concentration (Nd) relative to the climatological Nd observed during periods of relatively infrequent volcanic activity. Previous studies show a significant "Twomey" effect during this eruption; however, aerosol‐induced changes in cloud fraction (Cf) appeared negligible. This leads to the question of why changes in aerosols do not cause Cf changes. To address this question, prediction models were derived to predict Cf based on Nd and meteorological parameters. These validated models allow us to investigate aerosol perturbations on Cf in various Nd scenarios by controlled meteorological conditions. Here our analysis unveiled that the increase in Nd was primarily observed under polluted conditions where Nd surpassing the threshold of 60 cm−3. After this point, cloud cover stops increasing even as Nd increases. On the contrary, the cloud cover did increase by 9.0% under conditions of clean backgrounds (Nd < 60 cm−3). Accordingly, the aerosol‐driven cloud adjustment is hidden behind the seemingly insignificant cloud cover effect in areas with large background Nd. These findings provide insights into the importance of considering background Nd and the saturation status of cloud covers in ACI studies. Plain Language Summary: In 2014, Iceland experienced a major volcanic eruption that released a significant amount of atmospheric aerosols. This event provided a unique opportunity to study how aerosols interact with clouds. During the eruption, there was a significant increase in cloud drop number concentration (Nd) in marine boundary layer clouds. We compared the Nd during the volcanic period to years of relatively infrequent volcanic activity under similar meteorological conditions. The results showed a 21.4% increase in Nd during the volcanic period. However, there was little change in the overall cloud cover. Further analysis revealed that the increase in Nd was primarily observed in scenes with Nd higher than 60 cm−3. These scenes had sufficient cloud cover to reach a saturation point, where cloud cover stops increasing even as Nd increases under fixed meteorological conditions. In contrast, under clean background conditions with lower Nd (less than 60 cm−3), the cloud cover increased by 9.0%. This study suggests that the effects of aerosol‐driven cloud adjustment are not easily observed in areas with already high background Nd. These findings emphasize the importance of considering background Nd and cloud cover saturation when studying aerosol‐cloud interactions. Key Points: The impact of aerosol perturbations on cloud fraction (Cf) was quantified with controlled meteorological conditionsMost cloud drop number concentration increases surpass the saturation point of Cf, hiding Cf's significant sensitivity to aerosolsSignificant Cf increases (∼9.0%) became apparent with aerosol perturbations before reaching Cf saturation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ageing and cell senescence of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) limited their immunomodulation properties and therapeutic application. We previously reported that nucleosome assembly protein 1‐like 2 (Nap1l2) contributes to MSCs senescence and osteogenic differentiation. Here, we sought to evaluate whether Nap1l2 impairs the immunomodulatory properties of MSCs and find a way to rescue the deficient properties. We demonstrated that metformin could rescue the impaired migration properties and T cell regulation properties of OE‐Nap1l2 BMSCs. Moreover, metformin could improve the impaired therapeutic efficacy of OE‐Nap1l2 BMSCs in the treatment of colitis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice. Mechanistically, metformin was capable of upregulating the activation of AMPK, synthesis of l‐arginine and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in OE‐Nap1l2 BMSCs, leading to an increasing level of nitric oxide. This study indicated that Nap1l2 negatively regulated the immunomodulatory properties of BMSCs and that the impaired functions could be rescued by metformin pretreatment via metabolic reprogramming. This strategy might serve as a practical therapeutic option to rescue impaired MSCs functions for further application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spike‐protein‐based pseudotyped viruses were used to evaluate vaccines during the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, they cannot be used to evaluate the envelope (E), membrane (M), and nucleocapsid (N) proteins. The first generation of virus‐like particle (VLP) pseudotyped viruses contains these four structural proteins, but their titers for wild‐type severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) are relatively low, even lower for the omicron variant, rendering them unsuitable for neutralizing antibody detection. By optimizing the spike glycoprotein signal peptide, substituting the complexed M and E proteins with SARS‐COV‐1, optimizing the N protein with specific mutations (P199L, S202R, and R203M), and truncating the packaging signal, PS9, we increased the titer of the wild‐type VLP pseudotyped virus over 100‐fold, and successfully packaged the omicron VLP pseudotyped virus. The SARS‐CoV‐2 VLP pseudotyped viruses maintained stable titers, even through 10 freeze–thaw cycles. The key neutralization assay parameters were optimized, including cell type, cell number, and viral inoculum. The assay demonstrated minimal variation in both intra‐ and interassay results, at 11.5% and 11.1%, respectively. The correlation between the VLP pseudotyped virus and the authentic virus was strong (r = 0.9). Suitable for high‐throughput detection of various mutant strains in clinical serum. In summary, we have developed a reliable neutralization assay for SARS‐CoV‐2 based on VLP pseudotyped virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) with the merits of superior security, natural abundance, and inexpensive Zn hold great promises for next‐generation energy storage. Nevertheless, the instabilities of the Zn anodes arising from the unsatisfactory dendrite growth and parasitic reactions have seriously restricted their practical application. Herein, an interfacial protection engineering approach is proposed for stabilizing Zn anode via in‐situ constructing 3D hybrid fiber networks within high elastic polyether‐type polyurethane (TPEU) and super‐ionic conductor NaTi2(PO4)3 (NTP). This 3D NTP@TPEU fiber framework demonstrates synergistic effects of enhancing Zn2+ immigration kinetics and improving the desolvation process. Subsequently, such a superior protected interface induces a highly reversible Zn (002) deposition/stripping with a dendrites‐free feature. Moreover, the NTP@TPEU/Zn displays an ultralong lifespan of over 2000 cycles with an average Coulombic efficiency (CE) of 99.5% in the half‐cell configuration. To highlight, a full battery matched with Ca‐doped VO2 on carbon cloth cathode acquires an enhanced CE as high as 99.8% and delivers good cycling stability with a capacity retention of 81.6% at 2 A g−1 over 3000 cycles. These excellent outcomes provide a distinctive perspective of designing a highly stable zinc anode for the practical application of AZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cristobalite‐type boron phosphate BPO4, an important nonlinear‐optical (NLO) crystal, exhibits nearly the largest bandgap (Eg ≈ 9.3 eV) and a significant second‐harmonic‐generation (SHG) effect (d36 ≈ 0.7 pm V−1) in the deep‐ultraviolet (DUV, < 200 nm) spectral region. However, its conventional tetrahedral framework structure tends to have low structural anisotropy, resulting in a severe deficiency of birefringence (Δn < 0.01), which fails to achieve DUV birefringent phase matching. In this work, the local anisotropy of tetrahedral structures are proposed to enlarge by constructing van der Waals (vdW) anisotropic motifs under synthetic chemical conditions, which can effectively convert unattainable extreme external forces into internal stresses in chemical bond structures. Depending on unique hierarchical vdW assemblies, enormous tetrahedral distortions can be achieved by stable in‐plane or in‐line bond matching between rigid tetrahedral primitives. First‐principles calculations demonstrate that the birefringence of 2D layered and 1D chained BPO4 achieved by vdW engineering are scaled from Δn < 0.01 to 0.07–0.13, with the shortest birefringent phase‐matched wavelengths down to DUV 189–154 nm. The finding is of seminal importance for the design of vdW NLO crystals in structural chemistry and would provide opportunities to explore unique vdW DUV NLO materials under extreme synthetic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution and sulfion (S2−) recycling are promising strategies for boosting H2 production and removing environmental pollutants. Here, a nano‐Ni‐functionalized molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheet was assembled on steel mesh (Ni‐MoS2/SM) for use in sulfide oxidation reaction‐assisted, energy‐saving H2 production. Experimental and theoretical calculation results revealed that anchoring nano‐Ni on high‐surface‐area slack MoS2 nanosheets not only optimized catalyst adsorption of polysulfides but also played an important role in promoting hydrogen evolution reaction kinetics by absorbing OHad, thereby greatly enhancing the catalytic performance toward sulfide oxidation reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction. Meanwhile, the Ni/MoS2‐based hydrogen evolution reaction + sulfide oxidation reaction system achieved nearly 100% hydrogen production efficiency and only consumed 61% less power per kWh than the oxygen evolution reaction + hydrogen evolution reaction system, which suggested our proposed Ni‐MoS2 and novel hydrogen production system are promising for sustainable energy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yeast vacuoles perform crucial cellular functions as acidic degradative organelles, storage compartments, and signaling hubs. These functions are mediated by important protein complexes, including the vacuolar-type H+-ATPase (V-ATPase), responsible for organelle acidification. To gain a more detailed understanding of vacuole function, we performed cross-linking mass spectrometry on isolated vacuoles, detecting many known as well as novel protein-protein interactions. Among these, we identified the uncharacterized TLDc-domain-containing protein Rtc5 as a novel interactor of the V-ATPase. We further analyzed the influence of Rtc5 and of Oxr1, the only other yeast TLDc-domain-containing protein, on V-ATPase function. We find that both Rtc5 and Oxr1 promote the disassembly of the vacuolar V-ATPase in vivo, counteracting the role of the RAVE complex, a V-ATPase assembly chaperone. Furthermore, Oxr1 is necessary for the retention of a Golgi-specific subunit of the V-ATPase in this compartment. Collectively, our results shed light on the in vivo roles of yeast TLDc-domain proteins as regulators of the V-ATPase, highlighting the multifaceted regulation of this crucial protein complex. Synopsis: In this work, a cross-linking mass-spectrometry map of protein-protein interactions of yeast vacuoles identifies Rtc5 as a novel interactor of the V-ATPase, a complex required for vacuole acidification. Rtc5 and its paralog Oxr1 regulate in vivo assembly of the V-ATPase complex and subcellular localization of the Golgi-specific V-ATPase isoform. A cross-linking mass-spectrometry-based interactome of yeast vacuoles reproduces known interactions with high fidelity and identifies novel interactions. The TLDc-domain-containing protein of unknown function, Rtc5, is a novel interactor of the vacuolar V-ATPase. The yeast TLDc-domain proteins Oxr1 and Rtc5 promote disassembly of the V-ATPase complex in vivo and counteract the function of the RAVE complex. Oxr1 is required for the retention of the Golgi-specific isoform of the V-ATPase subunit a (Stv1) in pre-vacuolar compartments. Cross-linking mass spectrometry of yeast vacuoles identifies many novel protein-protein interactions, among them a novel regulator of the V-ATPase complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Leucine‐rich repeat receptor‐like kinases (LRR‐RLKs) comprise the largest class of membrane‐localized receptor‐like kinases in plants. Leucine‐rich repeat receptor‐like kinases are key immune sectors contributing to pattern‐triggered immunity (PTI), but whether LRR‐RLK mediates effector‐triggered immunity (ETI) in plants remains unclear.In this study, we evaluated the function of LRR‐RLKs in regulating ETI by using a virus‐induced gene silencing (VIGS)‐based reverse genetic screening assay, and identified a LRR‐RLK named ETI‐dependent receptor‐like kinase 1 (EDK1) required for ETI triggered by the avirulence effector AVRblb2 secreted by Phytophthora infestans and its cognate receptor Rpi‐blb2. Silencing or knockout of EDK1 compromised immunity mediated by Rpi‐blb2 and the cell death triggered by recognition of AVRblb2.NLR‐required for cell death 4 (NRC4), a signaling component acts downstream of Rpi‐blb2, was identified that interacts with EDK1 using the LC–MS analysis and the interaction was further evaluated by co‐immunoprecipitation. EDK1 promotes protein accumulation of NRC4 in a kinase‐dependent manner and positively regulates resistance to P. infestans in Nicotiana benthamiana.Our study revealed that EDK1 positively regulates plant ETI through modulating accumulation of the NLR signaling component NRC4, representing a new regulatory role of the membrane‐localized LRR‐RLKs in plant immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite cells (SCs) are adult muscle stem cells responsible for muscle regeneration after acute and chronic muscle injuries. The balance between stem cell self‐renewal and differentiation determines the kinetics and efficiency of skeletal muscle regeneration. This study assessed the function of Islr in SC asymmetric division. The deletion of Islr reduced muscle regeneration in adult mice by decreasing the SC pool. Islr is pivotal for SC proliferation, and its deletion promoted the asymmetric division of SCs. A mechanistic search revealed that Islr bound to and degraded secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), which activated p‐ERK1/2 signaling required for asymmetric division. These findings demonstrate that Islr is a key regulator of SC division through the SPARC/p‐ERK1/2 signaling pathway. These data provide a basis for treating myopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: A therapeutic strategy for chronic heart failure (HF) is to lower resting heart rate (HR). Ivabradine is a well‐known HR‐lowering agent, but limited prospective data exist regarding its use in Chinese patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ivabradine in Chinese patients with chronic HF. Methods and results: This multicentre, single‐arm, prospective, observational study enrolled Chinese patients with chronic HF. The primary outcome was change from baseline in HR at 1 and 6 months, measured by pulse counting. Effectiveness was also evaluated using laboratory tests, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) clinical summary score (CSS) and overall summary score (OSS), and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class. Treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were assessed. A post hoc analysis examined the effectiveness and safety of ivabradine combined with an angiotensin receptor–neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) or beta‐blocker. A total of 1003 patients were enrolled [mean age 54.4 ± 15.0 years, 773 male (77.1%), mean baseline HR 88.5 ± 11.3 b.p.m., mean blood pressure 115.7/74.4 ± 17.2/12.3 mmHg, mean left ventricular ejection fraction 30.9 ± 7.6%, NYHA Classes III and IV in 48.8% and 22.0% of patients, respectively]. HR decreased by a mean of 12.9 and 16.1 b.p.m. after 1 and 6 months, respectively (both P < 0.001). At Month 6, improvements in the KCCQ CSS and OSS of ≥5 points were observed in 72.1% and 74.1% of patients, respectively (both P < 0.001). Left ventricular ejection fraction increased by 12.1 ± 11.6 (P < 0.001), and 66.7% of patients showed improvement in NYHA class (P < 0.001). At Month 6, the overall proportion of patients in NYHA Classes III and IV was reduced to 13.5% and 2.1%, respectively. Serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N‐terminal pro‐BNP changed by −331.9 ng/L (−1238.6, −134.0) and −1113.8 ng/L (−2202.0, −297.2), respectively (P < 0.001). HR reductions and improvements in NYHA and KCCQ scores with ivabradine were similar with and without use of ARNIs or beta‐blockers. Of 498 TEAEs in 296 patients (29.5%), 73 TEAEs in 55 patients (5.5%) were considered related to ivabradine [most frequent sinus bradycardia (n = 7) and photopsia (n = 7)]. TEAEs were reported in a similar number of patients in ARNI and beta‐blocker subgroups (21.9–35.6%). Conclusions: Ivabradine treatment reduced HR and improved cardiac function and health‐related quality of life in Chinese patients with chronic HF. Benefits were seen irrespective of whether or not patients were also taking ARNIs or beta‐blockers. Treatment was well tolerated with a similar profile to previous ivabradine studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low refresh rate liquid crystal displays have been proposed to reduce power consumption, which is already the trend. In our early low‐temperature polycrystalline silicon liquid crystal displays, low‐frequency driving caused the screen to flicker. We investigated the flicker mechanism and improvement solutions in this paper. The flicker mechanism is mainly related to thin‐film transistor leakage current, capacitive coupling effect, and cell material property. By adopting some solutions, the flicker of gray level 127 can reach‐60dB in a 20Hz 13.5‐inch 2.8K demo. These results contribute to the development of low‐power consumption displays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil amendments aiming to enhance soil quality and bolster carbon sequestration have been extensively investigated. However, the specific impacts of diverse soil amendment types on soil total organic carbon content (TOC), soil aggregate and the growth of ryegrass remain largely unexplored, particularly within the unique context of alpine grassland soils in northwest Sichuan. For this, four soil amendments (CK: no soil amendment, CM: cattle manure 2000 kg ha−1, CS: straw amendment 12,000 kg ha−1 and MS: mushroom substrate 18,000 kg ha−1) were applied to alpine grassland soils over a 2‐year duration, conducted in situ during 2017 and 2018, to investigate the influences of these soil amendments on 0–30 cm soil of TOC, total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), soil aggregation, the above‐ground biomass (DMA) and root traits of ryegrass. Compared to CK, the above‐ground biomass exhibited an average of 348.78% in MS, 287.18% in CS and 115.54% in CM, all reaching statistical significance (p <.05). In the topsoil (0–10 cm), the large soil aggregate rate (LSAR > 0.25 mm) showed a significant increase in CM, CS and MS, particularly in 2018, compared to CK. Our findings further indicated that the improvement in alpine grassland LSAR > 0.25 mm was correlated with a rise in TOC by over 69.89% and MBC by more than 27.14%. The MS treatment resulted in a significant increase in above‐ground biomass and TRL (total root length), while also increasing the levels of TN, MBC and soil aggregates (0.25 ~ 0.5 mm) within the 0–10 cm soil. A similar result of CS treatment was observed to increase the total chlorophyll content and RD (root diameter), as well as an increase in SWC and TOC levels. The TN, MBC, TOC and LSAR contributed 44.77%, 20.87%, 6.46% and 6.45% for ryegrass growth. The SEM indicated that soil amendments promote the growth of ryegrass by improving soil agglomerate and increasing MBC, TOC and TN. Our analysis revealed that ryegrass biomass production was limited by soil nutrients in the alpine grassland of northwest Sichuan. The study also highlights the potential impact of soil amendments on future management practices, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two‐dimensional (2D) material photodetectors have gained great attention as potential elements for optoelectronic applications. However, the linearity of the photoresponse is often compromised by the carrier interaction, even in 2D photodiodes. In this study, a new device concept of dual‐floating van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) photodiode is presented by employing ambipolar MoTe2 and n‐type MoS2 2D semiconductors. The presence of type II heterojunctions on both sides of channel layers effectively depletes carriers and restricts the photocarrier trapping within the channel layers. As a result, the device exhibits robust linear photoresponse under photovoltaic mode from the visible (405 nm) to near‐infrared (1600 nm) band. With the built‐in electric field of the vdWHs, a linear dynamic range of ≈100 dB, responsivity of ≈1.57 A W−1, detectivity of ≈4.28 × 1011 Jones, and response speed of ≈30 µs are achieved. The results showcase a promising device concept with excellent linearity toward fast and low‐loss detection, high‐resolution imaging, and logic optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some supramolecular polyacrylate‐based liquid crystal polymers (PLCPs) were prepared by polyacrylic acid, a liquid crystal monomer and 3,5‐pyridinedicarboxylic acid. Series of magnetic liquid crystal particles (Fe3O4@PLCPs) with core‐shell structure were prepared by modifying surface of magnetic nanoparticles Fe3O4 by the PLCPs. The Fe3O4@PLCPs showed a saturation magnetization strength above 51.17 emu/g, which is similar to pure magnetic Fe3O4, indicating good magnetism and magnetic field dependence. Series of magnetorheological fluids were fabricated by Fe3O4@PLCPs (using as dispersed phase) and silicone oil (using as carrier liquid). The effects of mesogen, magnetic particle, and the polymer matrix on magnetorheological performance and settling stability were investigated. The magnetorheological fluid based on 10% Fe3O4@PLCP‐1 showed the best performance at an applied magnetic field of 100 mT in this study. Furthermore, the magnetorheological fluids showed excellent settling stability because the density of Fe3O4@PLCPs was lower than that of Fe3O4. The Fe3O4@PLCPs‐based fluids presented certain application potential in the field of magnetic fluid due to the excellent magnetorheological effect and settling stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural birnessite‐like minerals are commonly enriched in various transition metals, such as iron (Fe). Though the fates of metals associated with birnessites during mineral transformation in aqueous conditions are thoroughly studied, we determined the Fe behaviors in Fe‐doped hexagonal turbostratic birnessites during mineral evolution in dry state at room temperature for 8 years and upon thermal treatments at temperatures ranging from 323 to 773 K, covering the temperatures in extreme environments such as wildfires. These Fe‐containing birnessites were very stable upon aging in the dry state. Upon thermal treatment, the birnessite sample with a small amount of Fe (≤2.8 wt.%) was transformed to cryptomelane at 573–673 K, while for the sample with ∼5.6 wt.% Fe, the transformation temperature increased to 673–773 K. This indicated that Fe adsorption enhanced the birnessite's thermal stability. Further, there was a linear relationship between the fraction of edge‐sharing Fe–Fe(Mn) pairs and temperature over 298–473 K. This implied the migration of Fe adsorbed on vacancies into birnessite layers and/or increased edge‐sharing of Fe around vacancies from adjacent layers during heating. The average manganese (Mn) valences in the Mn dioxides were almost constant with the increase in temperature when the layer structure was kept, but greatly increased when the tectomanganate was formed. These results provided deep insights into the mechanisms of Mn dioxide mineral transformation and the fates of associated metals under extreme conditions in terrestrial environments. Core Ideas: Birnessite structure remained stable during 8 years of dry aging.Iron (Fe) adsorption enhanced birnessite thermal stability.Heating at 298–473 K promoted the formation of edge‐sharing Fe–Fe(Mn) pairs in the birnessite structure.Fe‐doped birnessite was converted to cryptomelane after heating at 673–773 K.Average manganese valences were almost constant in birnessites but were greatly increased for cryptomelanes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ideal insulation material has long been envisioned as one that not only minimizes heat loss but also provides additional heat. This study presents a non‐woven fabric, comprising ultra‐fine fibers embedded with zirconium carbide nanoparticles (ZrC NPs), prepared via solution blow spinning (SBS) and thermal crosslinking technology. Our results suggest that the fluffily‐structured elastomer, fabricated using rigid polystyrene and flexible polyurethane, exhibits high porosity (96.96%), ultra‐light characteristics (volume density of 47.12 mg cm−3), and effective heat retention (thermal conductivity of 23.1 mW mK−1 at −40°C). Moreover, the fabric demonstrates remarkable fracture strength (206.38 kPa), high elongation at break (34.5%), and superior elasticity even after 100 compression cycles at 40% strain. Despite the fact that introducing 12% ZrC increases the thermal conductivity of the base fabric by 6%, the NPs endow the material with an excellent photothermal conversion function. Following 10 min of exposure to visible light, the surface temperature increases to 71.5°C. Given its impressive performance, this novel non‐woven fabric demonstrates significant potential for applications in the field of cold protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search for new ultraviolet (UV) or deep‐UV nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals would greatly prompt the development of laser science and technology. As the NLO performance of these crystals is mainly determined by the anionic groups, herein the (SO3CF3)− group is highlighted as a promising non‐π‐conjugated NLO‐active motif with excellent deep‐ultraviolet (DUV) transmission and good NLO properties. First‐principles studies reveal that this group possesses the largest HUMO‐LOMO gap among the (SO4)2−‐based units, as well as a relatively large NLO response. The further experiments demonstrate that the CsSO3CF3 compound containing the (SO3CF3)− motif exhibits th UV cutoff edge below 200 nm and an NLO effect ≈0.8× KH2PO4, confirming the potentials of this new motif for UV and DUV NLO applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor air pollution, which is detrimental to the human respiratory, nervous, and cardiovascular systems, is of increasing concern because considerable time is spent indoors. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop improved methods for controlling indoor air pollution. In this study, electrospinning and freeze‐drying methods are used to prepare a cellulose–silica nanofiber (C‐SNF) aerogel loaded with zeolitic imidazolate framework‐67 (ZIF‐67) for use in indoor air purification systems. The C‐SNF aerogel doped with 0.75 wt.% SiO2 nanofiber (SNF) exhibits a maximum compressive stress of 8.7 MPa, which is higher than that (6.4 MPa) of a pure cellulose aerogel. The compressive modulus of the aerogel exceeds 85% of its original value after 100 compression cycles. The C‐SNF aerogel exhibits a filtration efficiency of 99.91% against 0.3 µm salt particles at 32 L min−1, which is higher than that of the pure cellulose aerogel (51.25%). Moreover, a stable removal efficiency of 99.92% toward 2.5 µm particulate matter (PM2.5) is observed after ten cycles. Notably, the addition of ZIF‐67 to C‐SNF (ZIF‐67@C‐SNF) aerogel by in situ growth method resulted in a porosity of 92.3% and formaldehyde removal of 93.75%. The ZIF‐67@C‐SNF aerogel can be used in various applications including indoor‐air and adsorptive‐filtration masks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In allusion to the multi‐variable robust control for the turbofan engine with the large envelope, an L2−L∞$$ {L}_2-{L}_{\infty } $$ almost output regulation (AOR) problem is discussed for a class of turbofan switched systems under multi‐source disturbances and time delay. The addressed disturbances include the regulated disturbance signal, the modeled disturbance from the input channel and the energy‐bounded disturbance. First of all, a disturbance observer is constructed to estimate the unknown disturbance in the system input. Then, by combining the output regulation method and the disturbance observer‐based control (DOBC) method, a switched composite regulation controller is developed to deal with the AOR problem of the turbofan switched systems and reject the adverse effects of disturbances. Through the multiple Lyapunov function method, a set of sufficient conditions are obtained to guarantee the AOR property with the L2−L∞$$ {L}_2-{L}_{\infty } $$ performance and disturbance suppression ability. Finally, the validity of the proposed method is demonstrated by applying the composite anti‐disturbance regulator to the regulation of the speed and pressure ratio for the turbofan model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignin is the main component of lignocellulose and the largest source of aromatic substances on the earth. Biofuel and bio‐chemicals derived from lignin can reduce the use of petroleum products. Current advances in lignin catalysis conversion have facilitated many of progress, but understanding the principles of catalyst design is critical to moving the field forward. In this review, the factors affecting the catalysts (including the type of active metal, metal particle size, acidity, pore size, the nature of the oxide supports, and the synergistic effect of the metals) are systematically reviewed based on the three most commonly used supports (carbon, oxides, and zeolites) in lignin hydrogenolysis. The catalytic performance (selectivity and yield of products) is evaluated, and the emerging catalytic mechanisms are introduced to better understand the catalyst design guidelines. Finally, based on the progress of existing studies, future directions for catalyst design in the field of lignin depolymerization are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particulate matter (PM) has a significant impact on air quality, especially the PM produced by automobile exhaust and high temperature environment. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop a technology that can effectively intercept fine PM under high temperature conditions. This study reports the construction of poly(m‐phenylene isophthalamide) (PMIA) nanofiber‐reinforced polyimide aerogel (PPNFAs) filters using freeze‐drying and electrospinning for high temperature filtration. After 100 compression cycles, the maximum compressive stress of PPNFAs is reduced by only 15%. When the content of PMIA is 0.65 wt%, PPNFAs has a high porosity (97.35%), high specific surface area (8.87 m2 g−1) and highest dust holding capacity (124.8 m2 g−1). After 15 days of continuous heating test at 300°C, the filtration efficiency of PPNFAs filter for different diameter particles of impurities remained above 98%. Therefore, the PPNFAs filter prepared in this study provides a new design concept for a new generation of high temperature filters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virulence factor modulating (VFM) is a quorum sensing (QS) signal shared by and specific to Dickeya bacteria, regulating the production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) and virulence of Dickeya. High polarity and trace of VFM signal increase the difficulty of signal separation and structure identification, and thus limit the development of quorum quenching strategy to biocontrol bacterial soft rot diseases caused by Dickeya. In order to high‐throughput screen VFM quenching bacteria, a vfmE‐gfp biosensor VR2 (VFM Reporter) sensitive to VFM signal was first constructed. Subsequently, two bacterial strains with high quenching efficiency were screened out by fluorescence intensity measurement and identified as Pseudomonas chlororaphis L5 and Enterobacter asburiae L95 using multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA). L5 and L95 supernatants reduced the expression of vfm genes, and both strains also decreased the production of PCWDEs of D. zeae MS2 and significantly reduced the virulence of D. oryzae EC1 on rice seedlings, D. zeae MS2 on banana seedlings, D. dadantii 3937 on potato and D. fangzhongdai CL3 on taro. Findings in this study provide a method to high‐throughput screen VFM quenching bacteria and characterize novel functions of P. chlororaphis and E. asburiae in biocontrolling plant diseases through quenching VFM QS signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using unnatural amino acid mutagenesis, we made a mutant of CaMKII that forms a covalent linkage to Calmodulin upon illumination by UV light. Like wild‐type CaMKII, the L308BzF mutant stoichiometrically binds to Calmodulin, in a calcium‐dependent manner. Using this construct, we demonstrate that Calmodulin binding to CaMKII, even under these stochiometric conditions, does not perturb the CaMKII oligomeric state. Furthermore, we were able to achieve activation of CaMKII L308BzF by UV‐induced binding of Calmodulin, which, once established, is further insensitive to calcium depletion. In addition to the canonical auto‐inhibitory role of the regulatory segment, inter‐subunit crosslinking in the absence of CaM indicates that kinase domains and regulatory segments are substantially mobile in basal conditions. Characterization of CaMKIIL308BzF in vitro, and its expression in mammalian cells, suggests it could be a promising candidate for control of CaMKII activity in mammalian cells with light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies investigating microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides as contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in surface water sources in Kenya are reviewed. Contaminants of emerging concern are chemicals that have recently been discovered that may pose a threat to the environment, aquatic life, and human life. Microplastics in surface waters range from 1.56 to as high as 4520 particles/m3, with high concentrations recorded in coastal waters. The dominant microplastics are fibers, fragments, and films, with foams, granules, and pellets making up only a small percentage. The main source of pharmaceuticals in water sources is not wastewater‐treatment plants but rather raw untreated sewage because high concentrations are found near informal settlements with poor sewage connectivity. Antibiotics are detected in the range of the limit of quantification to 320 μg/L, with sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and ciprofloxacin being the most abundant antibiotics. The high frequency of detection is attributed to the general misuse of antibiotics in the country. A health risk assessment indicated that only ciprofloxacin and acetaminophen posed noncarcinogenic health risks in the Ndarugo River and Mombasa periurban creeks, respectively. Similarly, the detection of antiretroviral drugs, mainly lamivudine, nevirapine, and zidovudine, is associated with human immunodeficiency virus prevalence in Kenya. In the Lake Naivasha, Nairobi River, and Lake Victoria basins, frequently detected organochloride pesticides (OCPs) are methoxychlor, alachlor, endrin, dieldrin, endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate, α‐hexachlorocyclohexane (α‐HCH), γ‐HCH, and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), some of which occur above permissible concentrations. The presence of DDT in some sites translates to illegal use or historical application. The majority of individual OCPs posed no noncarcinogenic health risk, except dieldrin and aldrin which had a hazard quotient >1 in two sites. Therefore, more surveying and regular monitoring in different regions in Kenya concerning CECs is essential to determine the spatial variability and effective measures to be taken to reduce pollution. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2105–2118. © 2023 SETAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In chip manufacturing, ultraclean environment is essential during wet processes such as etching, cleaning, and other stages. The fittings used in the process require corrosion resistance, which are made of perfluoroalkoxy alkanes (PFA) by injection molding. Metallic contamination is one of the major impurities for ultraclean products. This study devotes to decreasing the metallic impurities of the parts and improving the wet processes environment. First, the preliminary experiment explored impurities distribution of the injection molds. By comparing the metallic contamination of the different molds' parts, it is shown that the impurities are evenly distributed. Subsequently, the influence of process parameters, including melt temperature, injection rate, screw speed, and holding pressure, on metallic contamination was investigated through the orthogonal experiment. The results indicate that the injection rate has the greatest impact on metallic contamination, followed by melt temperature. With process optimization, the smallest metallic contamination of 1.077 μg/m2 for pipe joints made of PFA can be achieved, which decreases by 56.3% compared with former results. This research indicates that adjusting parameters is a feasible and effective method to reduce the contamination during injection molding of ultraclean products, which provides another idea for improving the cleanliness of the environment in chip manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strengthening the interface interaction between metal and support is an efficient strategy to improve the intrinsic activity and reduce the amount of noble metal. Amorphization of support is an effective approach for enhancing the metal‐support interaction due to the numerous surface defects in amorphous structure. In this work, a Pd/a‐MnO2 electrocatalyst containing ultrafine and well‐dispersive Pd nanoparticles and amorphous MnO2 nanosheets is successfully synthesized via a simple and rapid wet chemical method. Differing from the crystal counterpart (Pd/c‐MnO2), the flexible structure of amorphous support can be more favorable to electron transfer and further enhance the metal‐support interaction. The synergism between Pd and amorphous MnO2 results in the downshift of the d‐band center, which is beneficial for the desorption of critical intermediates both in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and in ethylene glycol oxidation (EGOR). Due to the lower *.OH desorption energy of Pd/a‐MnO2 surface, the rapid dissociation of *OH from Pd facilitates the formation of H2O in ORR, thus demonstrating superior ORR performance comparable to Pt/C. For EGOR, the presence of amorphous MnO2 promotes the formation of adsorbed OH species, which accelerates the desorption of intermediate CO from Pd sites, and thus exhibits excellent EGOR activity and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuropathic pain is difficult to treat in clinical practice, and the underlying mechanisms are insufficiently elucidated. Previous studies have demonstrated that the neuronal Fc‐gamma‐receptor type I (FcγRI) of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) mediates antigen‐specific pain. However, the mechanisms of neuronal FcγRI in neuropathic pain remain to be explored. Here, it is found that the activation of FcγRI‐related signals in primary neurons induces neuropathic pain in a rat model. This work first reveals that sciatic nerve injury persistently activates neuronal FcγRI‐related signaling in the DRG, and conditional knockout (CKO) of the FcγRI‐encoding gene Fcgr1 in rat DRG neurons significantly alleviates neuropathic pain after nerve injury. C‐reactive protein (CRP) is increased in the DRG after nerve injury, and CRP protein of the DRG evokes pain by activating neuronal FcγRI‐related signals. Furthermore, microinjection of naive IgG into the DRG alleviates neuropathic pain by suppressing the activation of neuronal FcγRI. These results indicate that the activation of neuronal CRP/FcγRI‐related signaling plays an important role in the development of neuropathic pain in chronic constriction injury (CCI) rats. The findings may provide novel insights into the neuroimmune responses after peripheral nerve injury and suggest potential therapeutic targets for neuropathic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical mechanism underlying the mechanical behavior of glassy polymers has been studied over decades but remains a long‐standing issue. A consensus view achieved is that the yield, flow, and stress relaxation behaviors are due to structural relaxation in the polymer mainly caused by chain conformation transitions. This is the key physical idea behind the many existing elastic–plastic constitutive models for glassy polymers. In this paper, such a constitutive model was employed for predicting and analyzing the stress relaxation of a glassy polymer. It is found that the model works well in predicting the pre‐yield stress relaxation but significantly underestimates the post‐yield stress relaxation. As considering the chain conformation transition alone leads to a dilemma for the model to concurrently represent the yield/flow and stress relaxation behaviors, the model was extended to incorporate an additional structural relaxation mechanism assumed to originate from the dissociation of weak linkages in the chain network. The extended model succeeds in concurrently representing the yield/flow, and stress relaxation behaviors in the whole deformation region, of which the reasons were analyzed. The knowledge revealed in this paper is instructive and may shed new light on understanding the structural relaxation and mechanical behavior of glassy polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (PCECs) have been intensively studied as the technology that can be employed for power generation, energy storage, and sustainable chemical synthesis. Recently, there have been substantial advances in electrolyte and electrode materials for improving the performance of protonic ceramic fuel cells and protonic ceramic electrolyzers. However, the electrocatalytic materials development for synthesizing chemicals in PCECs has gained less attention, and there is a lack of systematic and fundamental understanding of the PCEC reactor design, reaction mechanisms, and electrode materials. This review comprehensively summarizes and critically evaluates the most up-to-date progress in employing PCECs to synthesize a wide range of chemicals, including ammonia, carbon monoxide, methane, light olefins, and aromatics. Factors that impact the conversion, selectivity, product yield, and energy efficiencies are discussed to provide new insights into designing electrochemical cells, developing electrode materials, and achieving economically viable chemical synthesis. The primary challenges associated with producing chemicals in PCECs are highlighted. Approaches to tackle these challenges are then offered, with a particular focus on deliberately designing electrode materials, aiming to achieve practically valuable product yield and energy efficiency. Finally, perspectives on the future development of PCECs for synthesizing sustainable chemicals are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a severe subtype of stroke caused by the rupturing of blood vessels in the brain. The ability to accurately assess the degree of bleeding in an SAH model is crucial for understanding the brain-damage mechanisms and developing therapeutic strategies. However, current methods are unable to monitor microbleeding owing to their limited sensitivities. Herein, a new bleeding assessment system using a bioprobe TTVP with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics is demonstrated. TTVP is a water-soluble, small-molecule probe that specifically interacts with blood. Taking advantage of its AIE characteristics, cell membranes affinity, and albumin-targeting ability, TTVP fluoresces in bleeding areas and detects the presence of blood with a high signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio. The degree of SAH bleeding in an endovascular perforation model is clearly evaluated based on the intensity of the fluorescence observed in the brain, which enables the ultrasensitive detection of mirco-bleeding in the SAH model in a manner that outperforms the current imaging strategies. This method serves as a promising tool for the sensitive analysis of the degree of bleeding in SAHs and other hemorrhagic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on polynomial dimensional decomposition (PDD), a novel method for analysing nonstationary random vibration of structures with uncertain parameters is proposed in this paper. The uncertain structural parameters are assumed to be independent random variables, with certain types of probability distributions; thus, the nonstationary random vibration responses of the structures become stochastic functions of these uncertain parameters. A dimensional decomposition and Fourier expansion were applied to calculate the statistical characteristics of the nonstationary random vibration responses of the structures. To calculate the conditional power spectral density (CPSD) and conditional standard deviation (CSD) of the nonstationary random vibration responses, CPSD and CSD were explicitly expressed using expansion coefficients and polynomial basis. Subsequently, the probability distributions of the structural responses can be effectively calculated in terms of these explicit expressions. Dimension‐reduction integration and Gauss numerical integration were applied to calculate expansion coefficients. The validity of the proposed method was verified by numerical examples, including a single‐degree‐of‐freedom system and a multi‐degree‐of‐freedom system (reinforced concrete shear wall). The results indicate that the proposed method is as accurate as Monte Carlo simulation (MCS), whereas the proposed method requires considerably smaller number of nonstationary random vibration analyses than MCS. Moreover, the nonstationary random vibration analysis of a long‐span cable‐stayed bridge demonstrates that the proposed method is feasible for quantifying the uncertainties of the nonstationary random vibration responses of complex engineering structures with uncertain parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]