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This article discusses a case of oculogyric crisis (OGC) in a patient with Wilson's disease (WD). The patient, a 30-year-old Chinese female, presented with walking difficulties, dysarthria, and sustained upward gaze of both eyes. The article provides a detailed description of the patient's symptoms and clinical findings, including video footage of the OGC attacks. The patient was diagnosed with WD based on copper biochemical examination, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and genetic testing. The article also discusses the etiology and mechanism of OGC in WD, as well as its occurrence in other inherited metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. [Extracted from the article]

Research into automatically searching for an optimal neural network (NN) by optimisation algorithms is a significant research topic in deep learning and artificial intelligence. However, this is still challenging due to two issues: Both the hyperparameter and architecture should be optimised and the optimisation process is computationally expensive. To tackle these two issues, this paper focusses on solving the hyperparameter and architecture optimization problem for the NN and proposes a novel light‐weight scale‐adaptive fitness evaluation‐based particle swarm optimisation (SAFE‐PSO) approach. Firstly, the SAFE‐PSO algorithm considers the hyperparameters and architectures together in the optimisation problem and therefore can find their optimal combination for the globally best NN. Secondly, the computational cost can be reduced by using multi‐scale accuracy evaluation methods to evaluate candidates. Thirdly, a stagnation‐based switch strategy is proposed to adaptively switch different evaluation methods to better balance the search performance and computational cost. The SAFE‐PSO algorithm is tested on two widely used datasets: The 10‐category (i.e., CIFAR10) and the 100−category (i.e., CIFAR100). The experimental results show that SAFE‐PSO is very effective and efficient, which can not only find a promising NN automatically but also find a better NN than compared algorithms at the same computational cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In comparison with traditional inorganic electrochromic materials, organic polymers offer advantages such as fast switching speed, flexibility, lightweightness, low cost and nontoxicity, solution‐processability, and color tunability. Herein, a series of hyper‐branched copolymers are synthesized from triphenylamine and 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene with different feed ratios via iron(III) chloride (FeCl3)‐mediated oxidative polymerization. The resultant organic‐soluble polymers are easily processable and their corresponding electrochromic devices are found to be stable with limited degradation upon 2500 cycles. In addition to their facile synthesis to achieve solution‐processable polymers, studies also show that the polymers exhibit multielectrochromic properties and give rise to five colored states upon oxidative‐doping by applying an external voltage between 0 and 2.0 V, providing an interesting example of polymers with unique electrochromic switching among up to five colors, from yellow at the neutral state, to pale green, pale purple, orange, and finally gray. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarsasapogenin‐AA13(AA13), a sarsasapogenin derivative, exhibited good neuroprotective and anti‐inflammatory activities in vitro and therapeutic effects on learning and memory dysfunction in amyloid‐β‐injected mice. A sensitive UPLC–MS/MS method was developed and validated to quantitatively determine AA13 in rat plasma and was further applied to evaluate the pharmacokinetic behaviour of AA13 in rats that were administered AA13 intravenously and orally. This method was validated to exhibit excellent linearity in the concentration range of 1–1000 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantification was 1 ng/mL for AA13 in rat plasma. Intra‐day accuracy for AA13 was in the range of 90–114%, and inter‐day accuracy was in the range of 97–103 %. The relative standard deviation of intra‐day and inter‐day assay was less than 15%. After a single oral administration of AA13 at the dose of 25 mg/kg, Cmax of AA13 was 1266.4 ± 316.1 ng/mL. AUC0–48 h was 6928.5 ± 1990.1 h·ng/mL, and t1/2 was 10.2 ± 0.8 h. Under intravenous administration of AA13 at a dosage of 250 μg/kg, AUC0–48 h was 785.7 ± 103.3 h⋅ng/mL, and t1/2 was 20.8 ± 7.2 h. Based on the results, oral bioavailability (F %) of AA13 in rats at 25 mg/kg was 8.82 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder (iEDDA) reactions are an intriguing class of cycloaddition reactions that have attracted increasing attention for their application in bioorthogonal chemistry, the total synthesis of natural products, and materials science. In many cases, the application of the iEDDA reaction has been demonstrated as an innovative approach to achieve target structures. The theoretical aspects of this class of reactions are of particular interest for scientists as a means to understand the various factors, such as steric strain and electron density of the attached groups, that govern the reaction and thus to elucidate the reaction mechanism. This review aims to summarize both theoretical investigations and application-driven research work on the iEDDA reaction. First, the historical aspects and the theoretical basis of the reaction, especially recent advances in time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations, as well as catalysis strategies will be highlighted and discussed. Second, the applications of this novel reaction in the context of materials science, bioorthogonal chemistry, and total synthesis of natural products will be elaborated with selected recent examples. The challenges and opportunities of the iEDDA reaction will be highlighted to give more insight into its potential applications in many other research areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical corrosion behavior in an open system of zirconium diboride (ZrB2) was studied in hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution at room temperature. Based on analysis of the intermediate products of corrosion, a corrosion mechanism for ZrB2 is suggested. The morphology evolution of anodic ZrB2 is investigated. The density of the hexagonal-pyramid grain array is dictated by current density, and the time dictates the length of the hexagonal pyramid grains. The microstructure of the surface can be controlled by the current density, which demonstrates that the surface wettability of ZrB2 can be modified by tailoring the current density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel hard disk lubricant IDL2 was synthesised by reacting sodium 4-((2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methoxy)phenoate with hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene, followed by treatment with 1H,1H-perfluoro-3,6,9-trioxatridecan-1-ol in the presence of sodium hydride and subsequent hydrolysis using sulfuric acid. The chemical structure of IDL2 was confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), phosphorus-31 (31P) NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometer. The thermal property of IDL2 was analysed using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and it shows better thermal stability than two commercial lubricants Z-DOL and Z-Tetraol with two and four terminal hydroxy groups, respectively. IDL2 was found to have comparable hydrophobicity to commercial lubricants Z-DOL, A20H and Z-Tetraol with water contact angles in the range of 78 - 85°, revealing that IDL2 has analogous surface energy to these commercial lubricants. IDL2 exhibits comparable friction coefficient to A20H and Z-Tetraol, but much lower than Z-DOL. More interestingly, it has a much high bonding ratio when compared with commonly used commercial lubricants under the same testing conditions due to the presence of two polar hydroxy groups, which enhance the interaction between lubricant and substrate. These promising properties of IDL2 show that it would be very potential for real application as a hard disk drive lubricant. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organically modified cubic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) have attracted increasing attention in the design of novel functional hybrid materials for applications such as porous materials, liquid crystals, semiconductors, high-temperature lubricants, fuel cells, and lithium batteries. The nanosized POSS moiety can be conveniently modified on the periphery with a variety of functional groups to lead to hybrid materials with desired functions. In addition, suitable mono-functionalized POSS derivatives can be incorporated into polymers as side chains via various synthetic strategies to offer a wide class of functional polymeric materials with tunable physical properties for targeted applications. In this Focus Review, we aim to summarize the recent developments on the chemistry and applications of POSS-based molecules and polymers. Moreover, the properties as well as assembly behavior of the POSS-based functional hybrid materials will be reviewed, and the relationship of the performance of the hybrid materials with the intrinsic nature of the POSS unit will be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The room-temperature synthesis of a new two-dimensional (2D) zirconium-containing carbide, Zr3C2Tz MXene is presented. In contrast to traditional preparation of MXene, the layered ternary Zr3Al3C5 material instead of MAX phases is used as source under hydrofluoric acid treatment. The structural, mechanical, and electronic properties of the synthesized 2D carbide are investigated, combined with first-principles density functional calculations. A comparative study on the structrual stability of our obtained 2D Zr3C2Tz and Ti3C2Tz MXenes at elevated temperatures is performed. The obtained 2D Zr3C2Tz exhibits relatively better ability to maintain 2D nature and strucural integrity compared to Ti-based Mxene. The difference in structural stability under high temperature condition is explained by a theoretical investigation on binding energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The room-temperature synthesis of a new two-dimensional (2D) zirconium-containing carbide, Zr3C2Tz MXene is presented. In contrast to traditional preparation of MXene, the layered ternary Zr3Al3C5 material instead of MAX phases is used as source under hydrofluoric acid treatment. The structural, mechanical, and electronic properties of the synthesized 2D carbide are investigated, combined with first-principles density functional calculations. A comparative study on the structrual stability of our obtained 2D Zr3C2Tz and Ti3C2Tz MXenes at elevated temperatures is performed. The obtained 2D Zr3C2Tz exhibits relatively better ability to maintain 2D nature and strucural integrity compared to Ti-based Mxene. The difference in structural stability under high temperature condition is explained by a theoretical investigation on binding energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast and highly efficient intramolecular singlet exciton fission in a pentacene dimer, consisting of two covalently attached, nearly orthogonal pentacene units is reported. Fission to triplet excitons from this ground state geometry occurs within 1 ps in isolated molecules in solution and dispersed solid matrices. The process exhibits a sensitivity to environmental polarity and competes with geometric relaxation in the singlet state, while subsequent triplet decay is strongly dependent on conformational freedom. The near orthogonal arrangement of the pentacene units is unlike any structure currently proposed for efficient singlet exciton fission and may lead to new molecular design rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of dithienothiophene-based electrochromic polymers are synthesized by a Stille coupling reaction of 2,6-bis(trimethylstannyl)dithieno[3,2- b:2′,3′- d]thiophene, 2,5-dibromo-3,4-bis(dodecyloxy)thiophene, and tris(4-bromophenylamine). The resulting polymers have high molecular weights in the range of 59 200 to 81 300 g mol−1, and good solubility in common organic solvents. The polymer films are purple/red in neutral states and gradually become gray when oxidized to an intermediate state and blue when fully oxidized. Incorporation of triphenylamine into the polymer chains has resulted in a significant increase in the redox stability, which renders this a potential method to create high-performance electrochromic polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Donor-acceptor type polymers bearing diketopyrrolopyrrole and 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene units are reported. The polymers are green and exhibit very low band-gaps (1.19 eV) with strong and broad absorption (maxima of about 830 nm) in the near infrared (NIR) region in their neutral film states. The polymers display color changes between dark green and light blue with exceptional optical contrasts in the NIR regions of up to 78 and 63% as thin films and single-layer electrochromic devices, respectively. Fast switching, good stabilities as well as high coloration efficiencies (743-901 cm2 C−1) were also observed. The polymers could also be potentially used as photovoltaic material, with a power conversion efficiency of up to 1.68%. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015, 53, 1287-1295 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports a viable method for the synthesis of Ti2SC phase using iron disulfide or iron sulfide as sulfur source and a post-treatment with acid. The reaction routes to Ti2SC phases starting from two different chemical compositions of 2Ti-FeS2-2TiC and Ti-FeS-TiC were in detail explored and compared through the analysis of X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry/differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy results. Unlike the Ti-FeS-TiC composition, the reaction route from 2Ti-FeS2-2TiC composition contained an extra decomposition step in which FeS2 transformed to activated FeS and released molecular state sulfur at temperature around 500°C. The latter at this temperature could successfully trigger the reaction of Ti-S-TiC to form Ti2SC phase, which was an analogous self-propagating high-temperature synthesis with a high transient temperature. On the contrary, only trace of Ti2SC phase could be obtained at temperature as high as 1200°C from the Ti-FeS-TiC composition. The main impurity phases from these iron disulfide reactant systems were Fe and FeS, and they could be easily purified by dissolution in H2SO4 solution, which resulted in Ti2SC phase with a minor TiC phase in the final product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hymexazol (3-Hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole) as the main ingredients of HI (elicitor) was used to screen salt-tolerant species from 122 salt-tolerant rice ( Oryza sativa L.) cultivars under specific inducement. The results showed that the local species R6 is highly induce-sensitive. R6 showed salt tolerance during the whole growth period by using 1.0% NaCl solution after HI treatment. Cyclosporin A (CsA) and verapamil (VP) as P-glycoprotein (PGP) inhibitors and rifampin (RFP) as a PGP elicitor were used to treat R6. The morphological traits, structure of the root, physiological characteristics of leaf and root systems, the content of endogenous hormones indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) etc. show that CsA, VP and RFP had remarkable effects on the rice's salt tolerance. Hymexazol inducement (HI) can improve the rice's salt tolerance greatly and make it more salt-resistant. (Handling editor: Jin-Zhong Cui) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review: [61 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review: ca. 200 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The room-temperature synthesis of a new two-dimensional (2D) zirconium-containing carbide, Zr3C2Tz MXene is presented. In contrast to traditional preparation of MXene, the layered ternary Zr3Al3C5 material instead of MAX phases is used as source under hydrofluoric acid treatment. The structural, mechanical, and electronic properties of the synthesized 2D carbide are investigated, combined with first-principles density functional calculations. A comparative study on the structrual stability of our obtained 2D Zr3C2Tz and Ti3C2Tz MXenes at elevated temperatures is performed. The obtained 2D Zr3C2Tz exhibits relatively better ability to maintain 2D nature and strucural integrity compared to Ti-based Mxene. The difference in structural stability under high temperature condition is explained by a theoretical investigation on binding energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The room-temperature synthesis of a new two-dimensional (2D) zirconium-containing carbide, Zr3C2Tz MXene is presented. In contrast to traditional preparation of MXene, the layered ternary Zr3Al3C5 material instead of MAX phases is used as source under hydrofluoric acid treatment. The structural, mechanical, and electronic properties of the synthesized 2D carbide are investigated, combined with first-principles density functional calculations. A comparative study on the structrual stability of our obtained 2D Zr3C2Tz and Ti3C2Tz MXenes at elevated temperatures is performed. The obtained 2D Zr3C2Tz exhibits relatively better ability to maintain 2D nature and strucural integrity compared to Ti-based Mxene. The difference in structural stability under high temperature condition is explained by a theoretical investigation on binding energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]