Search

Migraine exhibits a substantial prevalence worldwide. The current diagnostic criteria rests exclusively on clinical characteristics without any objective and reliable means. The calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP), as a biomarker for distinguishing migraine, undergoes swift degradation, featuring a half‐life of under 10 min, which poses a significant challenge to the point‐of‐care testing of CGRP in clinical application. Here, a photonic crystal (PC)‐based biochip has been developed to detect CGRP via the fluorescence competition assay. The chip integrates the functionalities of fluorescence enhancement and hydrophilic–hydrophobic patterning enrichment, enabling rapid and sensitive detection of CGRP. After investigating the optimal enhancement distance of fluorescence near PCs, the chip allows CGRP detection using <30 μL of saliva at room temperature within 10 min. A minimum detection limit of 0.05 pg/mL is achieved. Furthermore, CGRP concentrations in the saliva of 70 subjects have been tested by PC biochips. The results exhibit strong concordance with the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), demonstrating a linear correlation coefficient of R2 of 0.97. This sensitive detection of markers within such a short duration surpasses the capacities of ELISA, which paves the way for establishing a precise diagnostic framework integrating clinical phenotypes and biomarkers for migraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium‐ion batteries (PIBs) are considered as competitive candidates for energy storage applications due to their abundant resources and low cost. K2Mn[Fe(CN)6] (KMnF) is an ideal cathode for PIBs because of its high theoretical specific energy (≈600 Wh kg−1). However, it suffers from severe Mn dissolution and complex phase transitions caused by Jahn–Teller distortion, resulting in rapid capacity decay. Here, a simple, controllable and universal "transition metal (TM2+) ion exchange" strategy is proposed to modulate the surface lattice of KMnF, not only stabilizing the structure but also maintaining its inherent high capacity. The surface Mn2+ is substituted by TM2+, including Fe2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, or Co2+, forming heterogeneous protection layer. Especially when the surface Mn2+ is modified by redox‐active Fe2+, it exhibits a capacity as high as 144 mAh g−1 and considerable energy density of 560 Wh kg−1 and a remarkable capacity retention (86% after 1,000 cycles at 50 mA g−1, and 71% after 5,000 cycles at 1,000 mA g−1, respectively). The surface‐modified KMnF cathode proved to be effective in stabilizing the structure by preventing the Mn dissolution and formation of tetragonal phase caused by Jahn–Teller distortion. This work provides a simple and universal strategy for stabilizing high‐energy Mn‐based cathode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This article handles the probability‐guaranteed state estimation problem for a class of nonlinear memristive neural networks (MNNs) by using an event‐triggered mechanism. Both time‐varying delays and incomplete measurements are considered in the MNNs dynamics. To mitigate the impact of limited communication bandwidth, a communication protocol is proposed that incorporates an encoding–decoding technique in addition to an event‐triggered scheme. The aim is to devise a state estimator that can estimate the states of MNNs, ensuring that the state estimation error falls within the required ellipsoidal area with a desired chance. We obtain sufficient conditions for the feasibility of the addressed problem, where the requested gains can be found iteratively by solving certain convex optimization problems. On the basis of the proposed framework, some issues are further presented to determine locally optimal estimator parameters according to different specifications. Finally, we utilize an illustrative numerical example to show the validity of our provided theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a game theoretic model to study the compatibility and distribution decisions of two asymmetric competing platform owners. It is found that there are two equilibrium distribution structures for the two platform firms. Then a Pareto optimality distribution structure for the two firms is discovered. We proceed to discuss the platform's compatibility decision under the equilibrium distribution structures, and find that the equilibrium compatibility decisions depend on the average royalty. We further examine the impact of firm's distribution decisions over their compatibility decisions. Finally, we discuss how retailers will benefit from platform owner's compatibility decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of the synthetic cannabinoids receptor agonists (SCRAs) has always posed a great challenge to drug testing laboratories with slight structural modifications aimed at evading drug legislation. In addition, the most prevalent synthetic cannabinoids have valine and tert‐leucine amino acid moieties where re‐arrangement of the carbon chains can result in structural isomers that are very similar to the parent synthetic cannabinoids. This makes their analysis and identification challenging, and the problem is compounded with the difficulty in purchasing reference standards quickly and a lack of literature for comparison. Therefore, in this investigation, four series of synthetic cannabinoids (AB‐PINACA, AB‐CHMINACA, MMB‐FUBINACA and 5‐fluoro‐MDMB‐PINACA) and their alkyl chain structural isomers at the amino acid moieties were synthesized and characterized using various analytical techniques—gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), gas chromatography–infrared detection (GC–IRD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to evaluate the ability of each analytical technique to differentiate the respective isomers for their identification. A total of 12 isomers were synthesized and analysed together with the four parent synthetic cannabinoids. NMR was able to differentiate between all the compounds, whereas GC–IRD was able to discern between most of the synthetic cannabinoids and their isomers. GC–MS had the least discriminating power and was not able to differentiate some of the compounds that has very similar mass spectra. The results from this work will be useful to other drug testing laboratories that are facing the identification of related synthetic cannabinoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low phenylalanine (Phe) foods are essential for the daily diet of patients with phenylketonuria (PKU). In this study, biscuits were prepared using low Phe whey protein hydrolysates (W‐LPHs). The optimum addition of W‐LPHs in biscuits was selected by comparing the texture, Maillard reaction products, antioxidant activities and sensory evaluation. The results showed that the best addition of W‐LPHs in biscuits was 15%, which contained 0.25 g/100 g of Phe and 9.10 g/100 g of protein. This study provides a new form of nutritional supplementation for PKU patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we developed a two‐step enzymatic hydrolysis method followed by activated carbon adsorption to remove phenylalanine (Phe) from whey protein. The results showed that the free rate of Phe after sequential enzymatic hydrolysis of trypsin and flavorzyme was 90.8%. After adsorption by activated carbon No. 1, the removal efficiency of Phe from the hydrolysates reached 89.79% at 2.19 mg/g protein equivalent. Therefore, low Phe protein hydrolysates (LPHs) can be used to prepare low Phe food for phenylketonuria patients who cannot metabolise Phe properly by themselves and need to maintain a low Phe diet for life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the consensus tracking problem is discussed for a class of discrete‐time nonlinear multi‐agent systems (MASs) subject to denial‐of‐service (DoS) attacks. The individual agents interact with each other via communication network whose topology is assumed to be time‐varying and strongly connected. Two techniques are employed to deal with the network‐induced complexities. On one hand, an event‐triggering scheme is adopted to regulate the data transmission among agents with the purpose of making full utilization of the limited communication resources; and on the other hand, an encryption–decryption mechanism is designed with the aim to provide compensation, thereby mitigating the DoS attack effects. It is the objective of the addressed problem to develop a distributed model‐free adaptive control law to enforce the MASs achieve desirable consensus performance. By using a specific projection algorithm in combination with a dynamic linearization method, the desired control protocol is formulated explicitly, whose effectiveness and applicability are demonstrated via an illustrative numerical example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Migraine has been demonstrated to exhibit abnormal functional connectivity of large‐scale brain networks, which is closely associated with its pathophysiology and has not yet been explored by edge functional connectivity. We used an edge‐centric approach combined with motif analysis to evaluate higher‐order communication patterns of brain networks in migraine. Methods: We investigated edge‐centric metrics in 108 interictal migraine patients and 71 healthy controls. We parcellated the brain into networks using independent component analysis. We applied edge graph construction, k‐means clustering, community overlap detection, graph‐theory‐based evaluations, and clinical correlation analysis. We conducted motif analysis to explore the interactions among regions, and a classification model to test the specificity of edge‐centric results. Results: The normalized entropy of lateral thalamus was significantly increased in migraine, which was positively correlated with the baseline headache duration, and negatively correlated with headache duration reduction following preventive medications at 3‐month follow‐up. Network‐wise entropy of the sensorimotor network was significantly elevated in migraine. The community similarity between lateral thalamus and postcentral gyrus was enhanced in migraine. Migraine patients showed overrepresented L‐shape and diverse motifs, and underrepresented forked motifs with lateral thalamus serving as the reference node. Furthermore, migraine patients presented with overrepresented L‐shape triads, where the postcentral gyrus shared different edges with the lateral thalamus. The classification model showed that entropy of the lateral thalamus had the highest discriminative power, with an area under the curve of 0.86. Interpretation: Our findings indicated an abnormal higher‐order thalamo–cortical communication pattern in migraine patients. The thalamo–cortical–somatosensory disturbance of concerted working may potentially lead to aberrant information flow and deficit pain processing of migraine. ANN NEUROL 2023;94:1168–1181 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium ion batteries using graphite anode and high‐voltage cathodes are considered to be optimizing candidates for large‐scale energy storage. However, the lack of suitable electrolytes significantly hinders the development of high‐voltage potassium ion batteries. Herein, a dilute (0.8 m) fluorinated phosphate electrolyte is proposed, which exhibits extraordinary compatibility with both graphite anode and high‐voltage cathodes. The phosphate solvent, tris(2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl) phosphate (TFP), has weak solvating ability, which not only allows the formation of robust anion‐derived solid electrolyte interphase on graphite anode but also effectively suppresses the corrosion of Al current collector at high voltage. Meanwhile, the high oxidative stability of fluorinated TFP solvent enables stable ultrahigh‐voltage (4.95 V) cycling of a potassium vanadium fluorophosphate (KVPO4F) cathode. Using TFP‐based electrolyte, the 4.9 V‐class potassium ion full cell based on graphite anode and KVPO4F cathode shows rather remarkable cycling performance with a high capacity retention of 87.2% after 200 cycles. This study provides a route to develop dilute electrolytes for high‐voltage potassium ion batteries, by utilizing solvents with both weak solvating ability and high oxidative stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study assessed the association between migraine and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the US population. Background: Previous studies have drawn different conclusions about the association between migraine and CVD mortality based on different populations; therefore, it is important to explore the relationship between migraine and CVD mortality in the US population. Methods: This prospective cohort study included 10,644 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2004. Participants who reported having severe headache or migraine were classified as having migraine. Mortality data were obtained by linkage of the cohort database to the National Death Index as of December 31, 2019. Based on the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, CVD mortality includes the following disease codes: I00–I09 (acute rheumatic fever and chronic rheumatic heart diseases), I11 (hypertensive heart disease), I13 (hypertensive heart and renal disease), I20–I25 (ischemic heart diseases), I26–I28 (pulmonary embolism and other acute pulmonary heart diseases), I29 (various cardiovascular diseases caused by different reasons), I30–I51 (other forms of heart disease), and I60–I69 (cerebrovascular diseases). Data were analyzed from October to November 2022. Results: Among 10,644 adults included in the study (mean age, 46.4 [0.3] years, 5430 men [47.4%]), 2106 (20.4%) had migraine. During a median follow‐up period of 201 months, there were 3078 all‐cause deaths and 997 CVD deaths. Compared to individuals without migraine, those with migraine had an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.30 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04–1.62; p = 0.019) for CVD mortality and 1.23 (95% CI, 1.13–1.35; p < 0.001) for all‐cause mortality. In subgroup analyses, migraine was associated with CVD mortality in participants who were women (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.06–1.93), aged < 45 years (HR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.04–2.76), non‐Hispanic White (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.09–1.86), those with a body mass index < 30 kg/m2 (HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.03–1.78), former or current smokers (HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.00–1.85), former or current alcohol drinkers (HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.03–1.72), and those without metabolic syndrome (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.01–1.71). The association between migraine and CVD mortality was robust in sensitivity analyses, after excluding participants who died within 2 years of follow‐up (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.05–1.65) or those with a history of cancer at baseline (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.01–1.62). Conclusions: Migraine was associated with a higher CVD mortality rate in the US population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers a market comprising two suppliers and one e‐commerce platform. The two competitive suppliers sell products to consumers through the platform. The platform can choose three selling modes: reseller, market, and mixed. Additionally, we consider two referral strategies—namely, exclusive and nonexclusive recommendations—and build a three‐party Stackelberg game model. Per the findings, the difference in the players' decision‐making results exhibits an essential relationship with the recommendation market's initial size. A counterintuitive result is that the product price is not affected by the commission rate in the market mode. This provides referential insights for platforms and suppliers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal–organic framework (MOF) materials are promising adsorbents for removing As(V) from sodium arsenate aqueous solutions, because of their high porosity and functional modulability. Two novel Pb(II) complexes {[Pb2(bcabsa)(μ2‐OH)]}n (Pb (bcabsa)) and {[Pb (Hbcabsa)]·(4,4′‐bpy)(H2O)}n (Pb (bcabsabpy)) (H3bcabsa = 4‐(N,N′‐bis(4‐carboxy benzyl)amino)benzene‐sulfonic acid, 4,4′‐bpy = 4,4′‐bipyridine), were hydrothermally synthesized. Pb (bcabsabpy) was characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction (SC‐XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence, powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and infrared radiation (IR) before and after the adsorption of As(V). In addition, the capacity of Pb (bcabsabpy) to remove arsenic was also investigated. The experimental results showed that Pb (bcabsabpy) had high stability within pH 4–12 and a relatively high As(V) removal rate (>90%) in the pH range of 4–10. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model, whereas the adsorption isotherm was in agreement with the Langmuir equation. Pb (bcabsabpy) had a high adsorption capacity of As(V) in an aqueous solution (Qmax of 25.51 mg g−1). The fluorescence mechanism of the H3bcabsa, Pb (bcabsa), and Pb (bcabsabpy) are assigned to π‐π*, n‐π*, and π‐π* electron transition processes, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite (HOIP) ferroelectrics with high Curie temperature (Tc), typified by the lead halide hybrid perovskite ferroelectrics, are developing rapidly owing to their maneuverable ferroelectricity at high temperatures. However, acquiring high‐Tc lead‐free HOIP ferroelectrics via rational strategy still needs development. In this study, a brand‐new program by modulating the steric confinement in a cuplike cavity to design high‐Tc bismuth‐halide ferroelectrics [H2mdap]BiX5 (H2mdap = N‐Methyl‐1,3‐Propanediamine, X = Cl (1), Br (2), I(3)) is proposed. Emphatically, the Tc enhanced dramatically from 264 K of 3 to 318 K of 2 and 377 K of 1, induced by the substitution of Br and Cl to I, accompanied with an interesting transition from second‐order phase transition (for 3) to the first‐order one (for 1 and 2). The extent of Tc increase is up to 113 K, which far outweighs that of reported Pb‐halide hybrid ferroelectrics. Structural and computational analyses elucidate that this unprecedented improvement of Tc is due to the higher phase transition energy barriers induced by modulating the steric confinement of cuplike cavity via halogen substitution. These results will provide new inspiration for designing high‐Tc lead‐free HOIP ferroelectrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve accurate control of the hydrolysis of cow milk protein, a kinetic model for the hydrolysis of milk protein by a complex enzyme composed of alcalase and neutrase was established. The kinetic model was degree of hydrolysis DH=7.299Ln1+3.545E0S0−0.0102t and the kinetic constants of k2, kd and c0 were 23.752 min−1, 3.545 min−1 and 1.495 × 10−3 g/L, respectively. The relationship between hydrolysis conditions, DH and molecular weight was further investigated and quantified, which contributes to the quality control of protein hydrolysates and also provides a theoretical basis for the control of milk protein hydrolysis by complex enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel Yb metal–organic frameworks {[Yb(L)(DMA)(H2O)]·(3H2O)}n (Yb‐MOF, H3L is 4‐(N,N′‐bis(4‐carboxylbenzyl)amino)benzenesulfonic acid) was synthesized by solvothermal reaction. Modified Yb‐MOF was prepared by the potassium permanganate method for removing the Cu(II) and As(V) from simulated wastewater. The optimal pH value of modified Yb‐MOF for Cu(II) and As(V) adsorption was 5, and the optimal dosage of adsorbent was 0.04 mg/10 ml by static adsorption test. Four isothermal adsorption models (Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich models) were fitted and analyzed. The adsorption processes of Cu(II) and As(V) were consistent with Freundlich, Langmuir, and Temkin models. The highest Cu(II) and As(V) adsorption capacity are 59.418 and 81.169 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption kinetic model and thermodynamic analysis of the modified Yb‐MOF for Cu(II) and As(V) were studied. The results showed revealed that the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic had a higher correlation association with the Cu(II) and As(V) adsorption process, indicating that chemisorption was dominant in both processes. At 298 and 308 K, the Cu(II) and As(V) adsorption by modified Yb‐MOF is spontaneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal active sites and sufficient porosity in metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) are crucial parameters determining the performances of catalysis, guest molecule adsorption, etc. Herein, through in situ introduction of Ru sites with different levels to Cu‐BTC structure together with post‐synthetic activation at 180 °C, a series of hierarchically porous CuRu‐BTC (HP‐CuRu‐BTC) MOFs were obtained. Besides, selective thermal decomposition (STD) treatment was carried out at 240 °C to further tune the hierarchical pores and metal sites, yielding rare case of metal nanoparticles (NPs)@HP‐CuRu‐BTC composites. After full characterization by XRD, N2 physisorption, SEM, ICP and XPS, these HP‐CuRu‐BTC and NPs@HP‐CuRu‐BTC samples possess high surface area (682–1199 m2 g−1), hierarchical pores and highly distributed metal sites with reduced oxidation states (Cu+ and Ru2+), indicating regulation of both metal sites and hierarchical pores. The HP‐CuRu‐BTC and NPs@HP‐CuRu‐BTC were further employed as catalysts for the heterogeneous styrene oxidation reaction under mild condition. Compared to microporous Cu‐BTC with unary metal component, HP‐CuRu‐BTC‐3 and NPs@HP‐CuRu‐BTC‐3 exhibited more than 2 times higher styrene conversion after 7 hours reaction under same condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four iron(II) carbonyl complexes, fac‐[Fe (CO)3X2(py)] (X = I−, 1 and Br−, 3), fac‐[{Fe (CO)3X2}2(bipy)] (X = I−, 2 and Br−, 4), were facilely synthesized by reacting cis‐[Fe (CO)4X2] (X = I−, Br−) with pyridine (py) and 4,4′‐dipyridine (bipy) ligands, respectively, in good yields (70%~85%). These complexes were fully characterized, and the structures of Complexes 2 and 3 were crystallographically analyzed. In dimethyl sulfoxide, they decomposed rapidly to release carbon monoxide (CO), and in methanol, they showed better stability which allowed kinetically analyzing their decomposing behaviors. The self‐decomposing in methanol fitted first‐order kinetics with a half‐time ranging from several minutes to 1 h. Our results suggested that the ligand with great conjugation (bipy) and strong electron‐donating capability (iodide) could stabilize the iron(II) carbonyl complexes. The decomposition of the iodo complexes (1 and 2) involved the production of iodine radicals. MTT (3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assessments revealed that the efficacy against human bladder carcinoma cell line (RT112) is in the following trend: 1 > 2 > 3 > 4. The relatively strong efficacy of Complexes 1 and 2 is mainly contributed to the in situ generated iodine radicals. The combination of the cytotoxicity of the in situ generated radicals with the anticancer activity of CO as reported in literatures may lead to developing novel anticancer drugs with enhanced efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing crop yield for 100 million smallholder farmers in China presents a great challenge, although opportunities exist to increase yields based on field observations. We hypothesized that efforts to improve technology transfer to smallholder farmers could increase both yield and N‐use efficiency for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in Quzhou county, China. Among 1,042 farmers surveyed in 2010−2013, average wheat yield was 7.1 Mg ha−1, but yield varied widely depending on management practices (e.g., tillage, variety, sowing date, sowing rate, fertilization) and farm characteristics (e.g., population, labor, land size). On‐farm trials confirmed that adoption of recommended management approaches, and fertilizer rates could increase yield by 7.1−19.7%. We recommended a technology package consisting of wheat varieties, sowing dates and rates, and fertilizer formulations. Local farmers were classified into three groups: those who used local farming practices (FP), received training two times per year (TP), and received training, field guidance, and help purchasing fertilizers and seeds (OTP). In 2010−2013, wheat yield in TP and OTP increased by 4.4 and 20.6% respectively, relative to FP, thereby increasing N‐use efficiency by 10.7% and improving economic profits by 20.6% relative to FP. The adoption rate of the recommended practices by OTP farmers was 83.0%, compared with 64.3 and 55.5% for TP and FP farmers, respectively. In conclusion, continuous increases in wheat yield could be achieved by optimizing local technologies and improving technology transfer for smallholder agricultural production in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new complexes [Cu(L1)2]n (1), [Mn(L1)2]n (2), [Cu(L2)2]n (3), [Mn(L2)2]n (4, HL1= 2‐(((4H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐4‐yl)imino)methyl)‐4,6‐dichlorophenol; HL2= 2‐(((4H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐4‐yl)imino)methyl)‐4,6‐dibromophenol) were synthesized by microreaction bottle method. Complexes 1 and 3 and 2 and 4 are isomorphous heterostructures having the same molecular structure. The structures of 1–4 were characterized using single X‐ray diffraction, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X‐ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis, and their potential applications were analyzed by detecting their fluorescence and electrochemical luminescence (ECL). Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that X···H (X = Br, Cl) interactions play a crucial role in stabilizing the self‐assembly process of 1–4, which show highly intense ECL in N,N‐dimethylformamide solution and high thermal stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new ionic pentanuclear FeIII cluster, namely, triethylazanium tetrakis(μ2‐5‐amino‐1,2,3,4‐tetrazolido)tetrakis(μ3‐4‐chloro‐2‐{[(1H‐tetrazol‐1‐id‐5‐yl)imino]methyl}phenolato)di‐μ3‐oxido‐pentairon(III) acetonitrile monosolvate monohydrate, (C6H16N)[Fe5(C8H4ClN5O)4(CH2N5)4O2]·CH3CN·H2O, was synthesized using microvial synthesis methods and characterized by elemental analysis, FT–IR spectroscopy, single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. Magnetic studies reveal that the complex displays dominant antiferromagnetic intracluster interactions between the FeIII ions through the μ3‐oxide bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three novel complexes, namely, penta‐μ‐acetato‐bis(μ2‐2‐{[2‐(6‐chloropyridin‐2‐yl)hydrazinylidene]methyl}‐6‐methoxyphenolato)‐μ‐formato‐tetramanganese(II), [Mn4(C13H11ClN3O2)2(C2H3O2)5.168(CHO2)0.832], 1, hexa‐μ2‐acetato‐bis(μ2‐2‐{[2‐(6‐bromopyridin‐2‐yl)hydrazinylidene]methyl}‐6‐methoxyphenolato)tetramanganese(II), [Mn4(C13H11BrN3O2)2(C2H3O2)6], 2, and catena‐poly[[μ2‐acetato‐acetatoaqua(μ2‐2‐{[2‐(6‐chloropyridin‐2‐yl)hydrazinylidene]methyl}‐6‐methoxyphenolato)dimanganese(II)]‐μ2‐acetato], [Mn2(C13H11ClN3O2)(C2H3O2)3(H2O)]n, 3, have been synthesized using solvothermal methods. Complexes 1–3 were characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Complexes 1 and 2 are tetranuclear manganese clusters, while complex 3 has a one‐dimensional network based on tetranuclear Mn4(L1)2(CH3COO)6(H2O)2 building units (L1 is 2‐{[2‐(6‐chloropyridin‐2‐yl)hydrazinylidene]methyl}‐6‐methoxyphenolate). Magnetic studies reveal that complexes 1–3 display dominant antiferromagnetic interactions between MnII ions through μ2‐O bridges. In addition, 1–3 also display favourable electrochemiluminescence (ECL) properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mountainous regions, solar radiation exhibits a strong spatial heterogeneity due to terrain shading effects. Terrain shading algorithms based on digital elevation models can be categorized into two types: area‐based and point‐specific. In this article, we evaluated two shading algorithms using designed mathematic surfaces. Theoretical shading effects over four Gauss synthetic surfaces were calculated and used to evaluate the terrain shading algorithms. We evaluated the area‐based terrain shading algorithm, Hillshade tool of ArcGIS, and the point‐specific shading algorithm from Solar Analyst (SA) in ArcGIS. Both algorithms showed shading overestimation, and Hillshade showed more accuracy with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.20%, as compared to the MAE of 1.66% of SA. The MAE of Hillshade increases exponentially as the spatial extent of the study area increases because the solar position for all locations on the surface is the same in Hillshade. Consequently, we suggest that the surface should be divided into more tiles in Hillshade when the discrepancy in the latitude of the whole surface is greater than 4°. Skyshed, which represents the horizon angle distribution in SA, is error‐prone over more complex terrain because horizon angle interpolation is problematic for such areas. We also propose a new terrain shading algorithm, with solar positions calculated using local latitude for each cell and the horizon angle calculated for every specific time interval, but without projections. The new model performs better than Hillshade and SA with an MAE of 0.55%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates an optimal investment‐reinsurance problem for an insurer who possesses inside information regarding the future realizations of the claim process and risky asset process. The insurer sells insurance contracts, has access to proportional reinsurance business, and invests in a financial market consisting of three assets: one risk‐free asset, one bond, and one stock. Here, the nominal interest rate is characterized by the Vasicek model, and the stock price is driven by Heston's stochastic volatility model. Applying the enlargement of filtration techniques, we establish the optimal control problem in which an insurer maximizes the expected power utility of the terminal wealth. By using the dynamic programming principle, the problem can be changed to four‐dimensional Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation. In addition, we adopt a deep neural network method by which the partial differential equation is converted to two backward stochastic differential equations and solved by a stochastic gradient descent‐type optimization procedure. Numerical results obtained using TensorFlow in Python and the economic behavior of the approximate optimal strategy and the approximate optimal utility of the insurer are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable isotopes of land snail fossil shell carbonates (δ13Cshell and δ18Oshell) provide the opportunity to decipher paleodietary and paleoenvironmental changes. However, the environmental meanings of δ13Cshell and δ18Oshell remain elusive especially in the monsoonal climate region. To elucidate this, δ13Cshell and δ18Oshell of the two most common land snails in China, Cathaica and Bradybaena, were analyzed in this study. Results show that Bradybaena has a wider distribution than Cathaica and provides considerable potential for use in paleoenvironmental reconstruction. In addition, δ13Cshell of Bradybaena increases with altitude and temperature, decreases with mean annual precipitation, and reflects the isotopic signal of C3 plants. In contrast, Cathaica δ13Cshell documents a C3/C4 mixing signal and exhibits only a strong altitude effect. δ18Oshell of Bradybaena decreases with mean annual precipitation in the Indian monsoon and westerlies regions but increases with mean annual temperature in the East Asian monsoon region; as a strong correlation exists between the two variables, they could thus potentially be used to reconstruct paleotemperatures. However, uncertainties should be recognized due to the complexity of the land‐snails' ecophysiological responses to environmental changes. Cathaica has slightly lower δ18Oshell than Bradybaena, which suggests that the two land snails have different ecophysiological traits, and the δ18Oshell of Cathaica follows mean annual temperature in northeast China. This study lays a ground for explaining land snail stable isotopes in paleorecord in China and reasserts the importance of different ecophysiological traits of land snails in paleoclimatic research. Key Points: Stable isotopes and snail shell‐dimension studies suggest Bradybaena and Cathaica have different ecophysiological traitsδ13Cshell is a tracer of dietary vegetation and can be used to monitor rainfall in the region dominated by C3 plantsδ18Oshell of Bradybaena rises with temperature in East Asia monsoon region but declines with rainfall in Indian monsoon and westerlies areas [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unprecedented Cu‐catalyzed direct annulation of hydrazides with N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) was developed, providing an efficient synthesis of valuable 1,3,4‐oxadiazoles. This process features the short reaction time and can be safely conducted on gram scale. The reaction also facilitated the convenient synthesis of 1,3,4‐oxadiazole‐2(3H)‐ones. Moreover, the mechanistic studies suggest that the source of CH is from the N‐methyl group of DMF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As heterogeneous immune cells, macrophages mount effective responses to various internal and external changes during disease progression. Macrophage polarization, rather than macrophage heterogenization, is often used to describe the functional differences between macrophages. While macrophage polarization partially contributes to heterogeneity, it does not completely explain the concept of macrophage heterogeneity. At the same time, there are abundant and sophisticated endogenous and exogenous substances that can affect macrophage heterogeneity. While the research on endogenous factors has been systematically reviewed, the findings on exogenous factors have not been well summarized. Hence, we reviewed the characteristics and inducing factors of heterogeneous macrophages to reveal their functional plasticity as well as their targeting manoeuvreability. In the process of constructing and analysing a network organized by disease‐related cells and molecules, paying more attention to heterogeneous macrophages as mediators of this network may help to explore a novel entry point for early prevention of and intervention in disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reversal of antiplatelet therapy is desirable in patients presenting with life-threatening bleeding or requiring urgent surgery. This study aimed to examine ticagrelor reversal using donor platelets and to explore the effects of residual ticagrelor on donor platelets.Study Design and Methods: In Cohort 1, 16 healthy subjects were treated with ticagrelor 90 mg twice daily alone or in combination with aspirin 100 mg once daily for 7 days followed by single blood sampling for preparation of platelet-rich plasma. An additional 16 healthy subjects served as controls. In Cohort 2, 16 healthy subjects were treated with ticagrelor 90 mg twice daily or clopidogrel 75 mg once daily for 7 days followed by serial blood samplings for preparation of platelet-poor plasma (PPP). An additional 16 healthy subjects served as controls.Results: In Cohort 1, inhibition of adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet aggregation (PLADP ) by ticagrelor could not be fully reversed by mixing with up to 90% control platelets, whereas inhibition of arachidonic acid-induced platelet aggregation by aspirin was fully reversed with the addition of 60% control platelets. In Cohort 2, 10% PPP obtained from ticagrelor-treated subjects reduced PLADP from 74% to 40% at 2 hours, 72% to 58% at 6 hours, and 73% to 59% at 10 hours, while 10% or 20% PPP obtained from clopidogrel-treated subjects did not inhibit PLADP .Conclusion: The antiplatelet effect of ticagrelor cannot be fully reversed by donor platelets, which could be explained by the presence of active drug. The effect of residual drug on donor platelets appears to be evident for at least 10 hours after ticagrelor ingestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium‐based coordination polymers, namely, {[Cd(HL)(L)] ⋅ HN(Et)3}n (1), [Cd2(L)2(H2O)5]n (2), [Cd(L)(phen)]n (3), [Cd(L)(2,2′‐bpy)]n (4), [Cd(L)(4,4′‐bpy)]n (5), [Cd(L)(bpp)]n (6), [Cd(L)(dpa)]n (7), {[Cd(L)(dpa)] ⋅ H2O}n (8) (H2L=4,4′‐((p‐tolylazanediyl)bis(methylene))dibenzoic acid, phen=1,10‐phenanthroline, 2,2′‐bpy=2,2′‐bipyridine, 4,4′‐bpy=4,4′‐bipyridine, bpp=1,3‐bis(4‐pyridyl)propane, dpa=bis(4‐pyridyl)amine) have been synthesized in hydro/solvothermal reactions. 1 is a 4‐connect 3D network with an eightfold interpenetrating diamond topology. The 1D ladder chain structure of 2 was composed of the dinuclear [Cd2(CO2)4] subunit bridged with two L2− ligands. 3 shows a 1D double‐chain with a channel formed by edging out the coordination water with the rigid co‐ligand phen. Polymer 4 displays a 2D lamellar structure based on superseding the coordination water molecules by the rigid chelating auxiliary ligands 2,2′‐bpy. By substituting the small molecules with a rigid bridging ligand 4,4′‐bpy, a 2D undulating structure of 5 was built. Compounds 6 and 7 exhibit a 2D layer structure with a 4‐connect (44 ⋅ 62) sql‐net. Compound 8 presents a 3D architecture with a sixfold interpenetrating diamond topology. Through our construction strategy, versatile structures from 1D–3D have been rationally designed by controlling the process condition and rigid/flexible of N‐donor spacers. Additionally, the photoluminescence, charge transfer, and electrochemical luminescence (ECL) properties of 1–8 have been demonstrated. Flexible and versatile: A flexible 4,4′‐((p‐tolylazanediyl)bis(methylene))dibenzoic acid ligand (H2L) was used to assemble Cd2+ ions and produce a series of eight coordination polymers. The polymer structures range from 1D to 3D, and can be rationally designed by controlling the reaction conditions and rigidity/flexibility of the N‐donor spacers. Moreover, the photoluminescence, charge transfer, and electrochemical luminescence (ECL) properties of the complexes are influenced by their conformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new penta‐nuclear Fe(III) cluster, [Fe5(μ3‐O)2L3(HL)(ATZ)4]⋅4H2O (1), (H2L is 2‐(((1H‐tetrazol‐5‐yl)imino)methyl)phenol, HATZ is 5‐Amino‐1H‐tetrazole) was synthesized through micro‐vial method. Complex 1 was characterized by elemental analysis, fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X‐ray single crystal diffraction, powder X‐ray diffraction (Powder XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis. Moreover, the magnetic properties and Hirshfeld surface analysis of 1 were investigated and discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Penman‐Monteith (PM) method is considered the most accurate method for estimating reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0). However, the method has obvious flaws in energy balance closure. In this study, the changing trends between latent heat flux of ET0 (LEp) and surface net radiation (Rn) in China were analyzed based on observational data from 800 meteorological stations. The results showed that the multiyear average ratio of LEp/Rn was highest in the warm temperate zone and was lowest in the subfrigid zone of the Tibetan Plateau. Correspondingly, the values of LEp/Rn in these areas were ranged from 1.138 to 0.647. At the site scale, there were 61, 178, and 170 meteorological stations with daily average LEp/Rn values >1 during three periods (from January to April, May to August, and September to December, respectively). The ratio of LEp/Rn showed an obvious surface energy imbalance, and it was extremely obvious in northern China. Meanwhile, it is found that there was also great uncertainty of the ET0, which estimated based on the calculated and measured net radiation. In general, the uncertainty of ET0 was ranged from −0.955 to 1.028 mm/day and the average value of uncertainty was 0.154 mm/day. The uncertainty also showed obviously temporal variation, which was lower during April to October, but was higher in other times. The main cause of the energy balance closure problem was the overestimation of the aerodynamic component of ET0. In view of such situation, this study suggested the two ways to estimate ET0 for different regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lower reaches of the Heihe River basin (HHLR), which is located in arid and semiarid areas of Northwest China, has experienced severe environmental deterioration in the past several decades. The ecological water conveyance project was initiated by the Chinese Government in 2000 to address this degraded ecosystem. In this paper, runoff, vegetation changes, and the relationship between runoff and vegetation in different regions were explored after the project, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), as a proxy of vegetation cover. For the entire lower reaches, NDVI and runoff exhibit an increasing trend after the project. In spatial, 44% of the vegetation-covered area is significantly increased; whereas, 37% also exhibits an insignificant increasing trend. Moreover, 15% of the vegetation-covered area shows an insignificant decreasing trend, and 5% exhibits a significant decrease. Overall, vegetation in HHLR improved after the ecological water conveyance project. The maximum time lag for NDVI along the east river and runoff from the east river, NDVI in the Ejina Oasis and runoff from the east river and the east canal, and NDVI along the west river and runoff from the west river was 4, 4, 3, and 6 years, respectively. However, runoff from last year had a significant influence on the current year's NDVI for the east river and the east canal. Meanwhile, autumn runoff shows a significant influence on the next year's NDVI, and spring runoff is important to the current year's NDVI. So we concluded that it is reasonable to convey more water into HHLR in autumn and spring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a superconvergent fitted finite volume method for a degenerate nonlinear penalized Black-Scholes equation arising in the valuation of European and American options, based on the fitting idea in Wang [IMA J Numer Anal 24 (2004), 699-720]. Unlike conventional finite volume methods in which the dual mesh points are naively chosen to be the midpoints of the subintervals of the primal mesh, we construct the dual mesh judiciously using an error representation for the flux interpolation so that both the approximate flux and solution have the second-order accuracy at the mesh points without any increase in computational costs. As the equation is degenerate, we also show that it is essential to refine the meshes locally near the degenerate point in order to maintain the second-order accuracy. Numerical results for both European and American options with constant and nonconstant coefficients will be presented to demonstrate the superconvergence of the method. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 31: 1190-1208, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method has been developed and validated for the concurrent extraction, clean-up, and analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers ( PBDEs), α-, β-, and γ-hexabromocyclododecane ( HBCD), and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in human milk and serum. Milk and serum samples were extracted using accelerated solvent extraction with acetone/hexane 1:1, v/v and liquid-liquid extraction with methyl -tert-butyl ether/hexane 1:1, v/v, respectively. The removal of co-extracted biogenic materials was achieved by gel permeation chromatography followed by sulfuric acid treatment. The fractionation of the PBDEs and HBCD/ TBBPA was performed using a Supelco LC- Si SPE cartridge. The detection of the PBDEs was then performed by GC- MS and that of the HBCDs and the TBBPA was performed using UPLC- MS/MS. The pretreatment procedure was optimized, and the characteristic ions and fragmentation of the analytes were studied by MS or MS/MS. A recovery test was performed using a matrix spiking test at concentrations of 0.05-10 ng/g. The recoveries ranged from 78.6-108.8% with RSDs equal to or lower than 14.04%. The LODs were 1.8-60 pg/g. The usefulness of the developed method was tested by the analysis of real human samples, and several brominated flame retardants in different samples were detected and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ternary blend strategy has shown great potential to improve the photovoltaic performance of organic solar cells (OSCs). Usually, adopting two acceptors with similar chemical structures shows good compatibility but limited enhancement in performance, whereas adopting two acceptors with different chemical structures always has a compositional sensitivity issue. Herein, a highly efficient ternary OSC with an enhanced fill factor (FF) and a broad compositional tolerance is demonstrated by introducing the fused‐ring acceptor IT‐M to a binary blend based on an unfused‐core acceptor HC‐PCIC and polymer donor PBDB‐TF. Detailed studies on the optical, electrical, and morphological properties of ternary blends reveal the process of charge dynamics and work mechanisms in the ternary device. It is found that the addition of IT‐M into the PBDB‐TF:HC‐PCIC binary blend not only adapts to the parallel‐like model, but also optimizes the morphology and domain sizes in the ternary blend, resulting in a reduced trap‐assisted recombination and suppressed bimolecular recombination. Consequently, open‐circuit voltage (Voc), short‐circuit current density (Jsc), and FF are synergistically enhanced, leading to an improved power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 12.34% with a high Voc of 0.88 V, an increased Jsc of 18.69 mA cm−2, and an enhanced FF of 73.82% for the ternary device with 5% IT‐M content. Moreover, the PCEs of ternary OSCs remain above 11% within an IT‐M ratio of 2.5–50%, exhibiting a broad compositional tolerance, which is rarely reported in fullerene‐free ternary OSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Accurate assessments of sodium intake in children are important for the early prevention of cardiovascular disease. There is currently no accurate simple and feasible sodium intake approach for children. This study intends to validate the accuracy of 24-hour urinary sodium excretion (UNaV) estimation in children using 3 common formulas: the Kawasaki, INTERSALT (International Cooperative Study on Salt, Other Factors, and Blood Pressure), and Tanaka formulas. Methods and Results A hospital-based child population in China was enrolled in the study and completed 24-hour urine sample collection. Concentrations of sodium, potassium, and creatinine in 24-hour urine and spot urine samples were measured. Mean difference as well as absolute and relative differences and misclassification between estimation and measurement of UNaV with 3 commonly used formulas were compared and analyzed. A total of 129 participants aged 5 to 16 years were eligible for analysis. Mean measured UNaV was 2694.9 mg/day. Mean differences between estimated and measured UNaV by the Kawasaki, INTERSALT, and Tanaka formulas were 2367.6, 26.4, and 258.8 mg/day, respectively. Proportions of relative differences of over 40% for the Kawasaki, INTERSALT, and Tanaka formulas were 79.8%, 34.9%, and 38.5%, respectively. Misclassification rates were 73.1% for Kawasaki, 69.0% for INTERSALT, and 62.4% for Tanaka at the individual level. Conclusions The results from our study do not support estimation of UNaV for children by the Kawasaki, INTERSALT, and Tanaka formulas using single spot urine samples because of the potential risk for misclassification at the individual level.