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Abstract: Unsupervised clustering for datasets with severe outliers inside is a difficult task. In this approach, we propose a cluster-dependent multi-metric clustering approach which is robust to severe outliers. A dataset is modeled as clusters each contaminated by noises of cluster-dependent unknown noise level in formulating outliers of the cluster. With such a model, a multi-metric Lp-norm transformation is proposed and learnt which maps each cluster to the most Gaussian distribution by minimizing some non-Gaussianity measure. The approach is composed of two consecutive phases: multi-metric location estimation (MMLE) and multi-metric iterative chi-square cutoff (ICSC). Algorithms for MMLE and ICSC are proposed. It is proved that the MMLE algorithm searches for the solution of a multi-objective optimization problem and in fact learns a cluster-dependent multi-metric Lq-norm distance and/or a cluster-dependent multi-kernel defined in data space for each cluster. Experiments on heavy-tailed alpha-stable mixture datasets, Gaussian mixture datasets with radial and diffuse outliers added respectively, and the real Wisconsin breast cancer dataset and lung cancer dataset show that the proposed method is superior to many existent robust clustering and outlier detection methods in both clustering and outlier detection performances. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The 3D hierarchical structure of CdS/Ni-MOF inhibits the agglomeration of CdS, improve light harvesting, increase active surface area, reaction sites, promote charge transfer and separation, which greatly improves the efficiency of CO 2 conversion. However, when the CdS is overloaded and its hierarchical structure is destroyed, the heterostructure plays a major role in improving the performance. Based on the above results, we propose the preliminary mechanism of 20%-CdS/Ni-MOF photocatalytic reduction of CO 2. Firstly, under UV–Vis illumination, Ni-MOF and CdS are excited to produce electrons (e−) and holes (h+). Then, because of the tight interface contact, the e- excited by Ni-MOF could be transferred to CdS with more positive CB, and CdS as the active site could reduce CO 2 to CO more effectively. At the same time, the h+ in the VB of Ni-MOF and CdS participate in the oxidation reaction to produce O 2 and H 2 O 2 , which achieving the elimination of holes. Such charge separation and transfer of the electron-hole pairs facilitate enhanced photocatalytic activity. [Display omitted] • The 3D hierarchical heterostructure was synthesized by a simple strategy. • 20%-CdS/Ni-MOF showed excellent performance in the vapor–solid reaction system. • The hierarchical structure and heterostructure of CdS/Ni-MOF play a synergistic role. Fabricating the hierarchical heterostructure is efficient way for enhancing CO 2 conversion of semiconductor photocatalysts. Herein, a simple strategy has been employed to prepare several 3D hierarchical CdS/Ni-MOF heterostructure photocatalysts, and the selective photoreduction of CO 2 to CO under simulated sunlight in the gas–solid phase reactor. Among the prepared photocatalysts, 20%-CdS/Ni-MOF shows the best CO yield, which was 16 times and 7 times that of Ni-MOF and CdS, respectively. By controlling the morphology of the catalyst, we found that the significant improvement in photocatalytic activity can be ascribed to the synergistic effect of heterostructure in CdS/Ni-MOF and its unique hierarchical structure, which can improve the efficiency of charge transmission and provides abundant active sites, etc. Finally, the preliminary photocatalytic mechanism was discussed by in situ FTIR and liquid ultraviolet spectrophotometer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ultrasound-assisted limited enzymatic hydrolysis of high concentrated soy protein isolate. • At the same DH, ultrasound substrate pre-treatment altered hydrolysates physicochemical, antioxidants and functional properties. • Hydrophobic properties of the hydrolysates increased with the decrease of ultrasonic frequency. • At the same degree of hydrolysis, ultrasound substrate pre-treatment decelerated the degradation of molecular mass. • Changes in the physicochemical properties contributed to the alterations in the antioxidants and functional properties of the hydrolysates. The effects of power ultrasound (US) pretreatment on the preparation of soy protein isolate hydrolysate (SPIH) prepared at the same degree of hydrolysis (DH) of 12 % were measured. Cylindrical power ultrasound was modified into mono-frequency (20, 28, 35, 40, 50 kHz) ultrasonic cup coupled with an agitator to make it applicable for high density SPI (soy protein isolate) solutions (14 %, w/v). A comparative study of the alterations of the hydrolysates molecular weight, hydrophobics, antioxidants and functional properties change as well as their relation were explored. The results showed that under the same DH, ultrasound pretreatment decelerated the degradation of protein molecular mass and the decrease rate of the degradation lessened with the increase of ultrasonic frequency. Meanwhile, the pretreatments improved the hydrophobics and antioxidants properties of SPIH. Both surface hydrophobicity (H 0) and relative hydrophobicity (RH) of the pretreated groups increased with the decrease of ultrasonic frequency. Lowest frequency (20 kHz) ultrasound pretreatment had the most improved emulsifying properties and water holding capacities, although decrease in the viscosity and solubility were found. Most of these alterations were correspondence toward the change in hydrophobics properties and molecular mass. In conclusion, the frequency selection of ultrasound pretreatment is essential for the alteration of SPIH functional qualities prepared at the same DH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • High ionic conducting Li 6 P 0.925 Sb 0.075 S 5 Cl was synthesized via an Sb-doping strategy. • Li 6 P 0.925 Sb 0.075 S 5 Cl shows superior air stability and Li metal compatibility. • Li/Li 6 P 0.925 Sb 0.075 S 5 Cl/Li symmetric cells display outstanding cycling stability over 800 h. • Either pristine or air-exposed Li 6 P 0.925 Sb 0.075 S 5 Cl enables ASSLMBs with satisfying electrochemical performance. Sulfide solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) are considered as one of the most promising candidates for all-solid-state Li metal batteries (ASSLMBs) on account of their high ionic conductivity and outstanding ductility. However, the poor air stability and incompatibility with Li metal seriously obstruct their application in ASSLMBs. Herein, versatile Sb-doped Li 6 P 1−x Sb x S 5 Cl SSEs are successfully developed to tackle these issues. The synthesized Li 6 P 0.925 Sb 0.075 S 5 Cl displays an ultrahigh ionic conductivity of 3.6 × 10−3 S cm−1 at room temperature by optimizing the concentrations of dopant. Furthermore, such electrolyte exhibits remarkable structural stability and admirable hydrolysis resistance when exposed to humid air or water, owing to the formation of SbS 4 units that are thermodynamically stable to water in the Sb-doped electrolyte. Importantly, the Li 6 P 0.925 Sb 0.075 S 5 Cl SSE can induce the formation of Li-Sb alloy at the Li/SSE interface, which serves critical functions to regulate the Li+ plating/stripping behavior and decrease Li+ diffusion energy barrier across the anode interface, thus endowing an excellent long-term cyclic stability of the Li symmetric batteries (stable cycle at 0.1 mA cm−2 over 800 h) and significantly improved critical current density (1.2 mA cm−2). More encouragingly, either pristine-synthesized or air-exposed Li 6 P 0.925 Sb 0.075 S 5 Cl enables ASSLMBs with satisfying electrochemical performance at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proposed mechanism model for the electrochemical H 2 O 2 production through two-electron oxygen reduction with the O-CNTs- x as the electrocatalyst. [Display omitted] • A simple and rapid kneading oxidation strategy is suggested to the preparation of O-CNTs. • The optimized O-CNTs-7 has the best electrocatalytic performance, the H 2 O 2 selectivity is up to ∼ 90% and the high H 2 O 2 yield of 191 mM g c a t a - 1 h−1 is obtained at 0.4 V vs. RHE under alkaline electrolytes. • In situ attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy is intended for probing surface chemistry of O-CNTs-7 during oxygen reduction, its spectra show the certain relationship between potential and the adsorption behavior of *HOOH and *OOH. Electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) via two-electron pathway is a viable method to produce hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2). Here, oxidized carbon nanotubes (O-CNTs) rich in oxidized functional groups are obtained by rapid kneading oxidation within two hours. The optimal sample, O-CNTs-7, exhibits remarkable electrocatalytic performance for the H 2 O 2 production under alkaline environment. The O-CNTs-7 shows a high onset potential of 0.74 V (vs. RHE), and could delivers up to 90% selectivity for H 2 O 2 production over a wide voltage window (0.3 V to 0.7 V). In situ attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy show the certain relationship between potential and the adsorption behavior of *HOOH and *OOH, which confirm the associative two-electron pathway for O-CNTs-7. This study provides a general method to obtain highly oxidized carbon materials with abundant oxygen-containing groups towards highly efficient H 2 O 2 electrosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) and other heavy metals usually coexist in soils. Effects of coexisting heavy metals on the accumulation and transfer of Cd in field soils by wheat remain poorly understood. Here we revealed changeable effects of coexisting Pb, Zn and Cu on the Cd transfer from soils to wheat grains. Soil burdens of Cd were found to exhibit positive correlations (r = 0.459–0.946) with those of coexisting Pb, Zn and Cu (particularly Pb). Effects of three coexisting metals on to the uptake of Cd by wheat varied in the directions and/or extents with types of metals and transfer processes of Cd. Coexisting Zn inhibited the uptake of Cd by wheat grains to higher extent than Pb and Cu. Soil Zn, along with soil Cd, soil pH and soil Ca, was used to construct the predictive model of grain Cd (R 2 = 0.868). External verifications of the model on 572 datasets of large representation performed well. The predictive accuracy was about 54%, 73% and 89% for a factor of 1, 2 and 5 above and below the ideal fit, respectively. This finding has practical interest in risk assessments and remediation measures of Cd-contaminated soil sites in regional scales. [Display omitted] • Coexisting Pb stimulated the Cd uptake by wheat roots. • Coexisting Zn inhibited the Cd uptake by wheat roots. • Both root Zn and Cu inhibited the Cd uptake by wheat grains. • The predictive model of grain Cd contained coexisting heavy metal terms. • The developed model has practical interest in risk assessments and remediation measures of Cd-contaminated soil sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A CNT/MoS 2 @PPy composite was synthesized with double electron channels and high-rate lithium storage capability. [Display omitted] • MoS 2 flakes are close loaded on CNTs, and further immobilized by a outer elastic protective layer of PPy. • Double electron channels are provided by tubular CNTs and PPy coating layers. • The composite electrode maintained a highly stable electrode structure during electrochemical reactions. • CNT/MoS 2 @PPy anode material has excellent high-rate lithium storage performance. • The charge transfer characteristics are studied in detail by via various techniques. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2) has received extensive attention as a potential material for lithium-ion battery anodes, but its low electrical conductivity and poor cycle stability need to be overcome. This work uses carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to provide basic framework for the close attachment of MoS 2 flakes on it, and employs a outer elastic protective layer of polypyrrole (PPy) to further immobilize MoS 2. The combination of conductive CNTs and PPy provides efficient ionic/electronic channels for MoS 2 and helps to maintain high structure stability of the composite. The resultant CNT/MoS 2 @PPy anode exhibit a capacity of 1220 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1 and a reversible high-rate capacity of 736.9 mAh g−1 after 400 elongated cycles at 1000 mA g−1. The origin of the excellent performance in the CNT/MoS 2 @PPy composite is studied from the aspects of electrochemical reaction dynamics, electrochemical impedance and lithiation/delithiation mechanism. It is concluded that the CNT/PPy double electron channels bring reduced charge transfer resistance, accelerated Li+ diffusion and enhanced structure/performance reversibility during cycling. The composite also demonstrates capacitive-controlled process at high-rates, which further assures its excellent high-rate performance as anodes. All of the above factors are important internal reasons for the Li-storage performance of the CNT/MoS 2 @PPy composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the biphasic phenoxyethanol-citric acid (PECA) pretreatment for bamboo residues (BRs) and its corresponding effects on the enzymatic hydrolysis performance. It is found that increasing the concentration of citric acid in the pretreatment system from 2.5% to 15% greatly enhanced the delignification and xylan removal for BRs. Consequently, the enzymatic hydrolysis yield of pretreated BRs significantly enhanced, increasing from 12.4% to 58.2% and 28.0%72.4% when the concentration of citric acid was increased from 2.5% to 15.0% at 160°C and 170°C, respectively. The characterization results from cellulose crystallinity, accessibility, and hydrophobicity of pretreated bamboo residues indicated that their changes possessed a beneficial performance on the enzymatic hydrolysis yield, which could result from the synergistic removal of lignin and xylan. The Chrastil model analysis showed that pretreatment at higher conditions resulted in the pretreated BRs possessing weaker diffusion resistance for cellulase, which is attributed to its higher enzymatic hydrolysis yield., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Cheng, Zhao, Li, Liao and Huang.)

The image recognition of cancer cells plays an important role in diagnosing and treating cancer. Deep learning is suitable for classifying histopathological images and providing auxiliary technology for cancer diagnosis. The convolutional neural network is employed in the classification of histopathological images; however, the model's accuracy may decrease along with the increase in network layers. Extracting appropriate image features is helpful for image classification. In this paper, different features of histopathological images are represented by extracting features of the gray co-occurrence matrix. These features are recombined into a 16 × 16 × 3 matrix to form an artificial image. The original image and the artificial image are fused by summing the softmax output. The histopathological images are divided into the training set, validation set, and testing set. Each training dataset consists of 1500 images, while the validation dataset and test dataset each consist of 500 images. The results indicate that the effectiveness of our fusion model is demonstrated through significant improvements in accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score, with an average accuracy reaching 99.31%. This approach not only enhances the classification performance of tissue pathology images but also holds promise for advancing computer-aided diagnosis in cancer pathology., (© 2024 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.)

Objectives: A single therapeutic approach is not always successful in the treatment of herpes zoster neuralgia, and the appropriate combination of different treatments deserves further exploration. In this study, we investigated the clinical efficacy of high-voltage long-duration pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) combined with stellate ganglion block (SGB) in the acute phase of thoracic and dorsal herpes zoster neuralgia under dual guidance of ultrasound and C-arm., Methods: 79 cases of acute zoster neuralgia were grouped premised upon differing therapeutic approaches: standard voltage PRF (group S, the temperature, duration, pulse width, frequency and voltage were set to 42 °C, 300 s, 20 ms, 2 Hz, and 45 V), high-voltage long-duration PRF (group H, parameters of PRF were set to 42 °C, 900 s, 20 ms, 2 Hz, and 90 V, respectively), and high-voltage long-duration PRF combined with SGB (group C, parameter settings for PRF are the same as those for group H). The therapeutic outcomes were assessed utilizing the numeric rating scale (NRS), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), and Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAMA). The incidence of clinically significant postherpetic neuralgia post-treatment had been documented., Results: Compared to baseline, scores of NRS, PSQI, and HAMA at each time point post-treatment decreased across all groups, and the decrease was more significant in the C group than in the S group. At the later stage of treatment, the consumption of pregabalin and tramadol and the plasma levels of interleukin-6 and galectin-3 in the C group were significantly lower than those in the S group. The incidence of PHN in the C group was significantly lower than in the S group., Conclusions: The combination of high-voltage long-duration PRF combined with SGB under dual guidance of ultrasound and C-arm represents a safe, effective, environmentally friendly, and cost-efficient method for treating AZN, significantly improving sleep quality, alleviating anxiety, and reducing the risk of PHN occurrence., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: This work was supported by the Scientific Research Project Foundation of Zhenjiang First People’s Hospital (YQ2023008). No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most important economic crops in the world. By controlling the transport and distribution of photosynthetic products between cells and organs, sugar transporters are widely involved in growth and development, environmental adaptation, and microbial interactions. The present study was carried out at the genome-wide level to systematically characterize sugar transporters. As a result, 50 MST , 3 SUT , and 29 SWEET genes were identified and classified. The expression pattern of sugar transporters in pepper was analyzed by transcriptomic data. The expression properties of sugar transporters were further explored in pepper varieties with significant differences in weight, shape, and pungency. It was shown that the pepper sugar transporter genes had obvious spatiotemporal specific expression characteristics and exhibited variety-specific expression preferences. We focus on analyzing candidate genes that may be involved in fruit development and expansion. We further explore the response of pepper sugar transporters to adversity stress using a structural equation model. Finally, we found that the MST , SUT , and SWEET families are collectively involved in balancing pepper resistance to abiotic stress by coordinating the expression strengths of different family members. Our study may contribute to the functional study of pepper sugar transporter genes and create the prospect of utilizing sugar transporter gene resources to improve pepper variety.

In solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs), the inhomogeneous electrolyte-electrode interphase layer aggravates the interfacial stability, leading to discontinuous interfacial ion/charge transport and continuous degradation of the electrolyte. Herein, we constructed an anion-modulated ionic conductor (AMIC) that enables in situ construction of electrolyte/electrode interphases for high-voltage SSLMBs by exploiting conformational transitions under multiple interactions between polymer and lithium salt anions. Anions modulate the decomposition behavior of supramolecular poly (vinylene carbonate) (PVC) at the electrode interface by changing the spatial conformation of the polymer chains, which further enhances ion transport and stabilizes the interfacial morphology. In addition, the AMIC weakens the "Li + -solvation" and increases Li + vehicle sites, thereby enhancing the lithium-ion transport number (t Li + =~0.67). Consequently, Li || LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 cell maintains about 85 % capacity retention and Coulombic efficiency >99.8 % in 200 cycles at a charge cut-off voltage of 4.5 V. This study provides a new understanding of lithium salt anions regulating polymer chain segment behavior in the solid-state polymer electrolyte (SPE) and highlights the importance of the ion environment in the construction of interfacial phases and ionic conduction., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Euphorbiae Humifusae Herba (EHH) is a pivotal therapeutic agent with diverse pharmacological effects. However, a substantial gap exists in understanding its pharmacological properties and anti-tumour mechanisms. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring EHH's pharmacological properties, identifying NSCLC therapy-associated protein targets, and elucidating how EHH induces mitochondrial disruption in NSCLC cells, offering insights into novel NSCLC treatment strategies. String database was utilized to explore protein-protein interactions. Subsequently, single-cell analysis and multi-omics further unveiled the impact of EHH-targeted genes on the immune microenvironment of NSCLC, as well as their influence on immunotherapeutic responses. Finally, both in vivo and in vitro experiments elucidated the anti-tumour mechanisms of EHH, specifically through the assessment of mitochondrial ROS levels and alterations in mitochondrial membrane potential. EHH exerts its influence through engagement with a cluster of 10 genes, including the apoptotic gene CASP3. This regulatory impact on the immune milieu within NSCLC holds promise as an indicator for predicting responses to immunotherapy. Besides, EHH demonstrated the capability to induce mitochondrial ROS generation and perturbations in mitochondrial membrane potential in NSCLC cells, ultimately leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and consequent apoptosis of tumour cells. EHH induces mitochondrial disruption in NSCLC cells, leading to cell apoptosis to inhibit the progress of NSCLC., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is valued for its nutritional richness. However, pre-harvest sprouting poses a significant threat to yield and grain quality. This study aims to enhance our understanding of pre-harvest sprouting mitigation strategies, specifically through delayed sowing and avoiding rainy seasons during quinoa maturation. The overarching goal is to identify cold-resistant varieties and unravel the molecular mechanisms behind the low-temperature response of quinoa. We employed bioinformatics and genomics tools for a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of polyamines (PAs) and ethylene synthesis gene families in quinoa under low-temperature stress., Results: This involved the identification of 37 PA biosynthesis and 30 PA catabolism genes, alongside 227 ethylene synthesis. Structural and phylogenetic analyses showcased conserved patterns, and subcellular localization predictions indicated diverse cellular distributions. The results indicate that the PA metabolism of quinoa is closely linked to ethylene synthesis, with multiple genes showing an upregulation in response to cold stress. However, differential expression within gene families suggests a nuanced regulatory network., Conclusions: Overall, this study contributes valuable insights for the functional characterization of the PA metabolism and ethylene synthesis of quinoa, which emphasize their roles in plant low-temperature tolerance and providing a foundation for future research in this domain., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The surge in anthropogenic CO 2 emissions from fossil fuel dependence demands innovative solutions, such as artificial photosynthesis, to convert CO 2 into value-added products. Unraveling the CO 2 photoreduction mechanism at the molecular level is vital for developing high-performance photocatalysts. Here we show kinetic isotope effect evidence for the contested protonation pathway for CO 2 photoreduction on TiO 2 nanoparticles, which challenges the long-held assumption of electron-initiated activation. Employing isotopically labeled H 2 O/D 2 O and in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, we observe H + /D + -protonated intermediates on TiO 2 nanoparticles and capture their inverse decay kinetic isotope effect. Our findings significantly broaden our understanding of the CO 2 uptake mechanism in semiconductor photocatalysts., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Magnon polarons are novel elementary excitations possessing hybrid magnonic and phononic signatures, and are responsible for many exotic spintronic and magnonic phenomena. Despite long-term sustained experimental efforts in chasing for magnon polarons, direct spectroscopic evidence of their existence is hardly observed. Here, we report the direct observation of magnon polarons using neutron spectroscopy on a multiferroic Fe 2 Mo 3 O 8 possessing strong magnon-phonon coupling. Specifically, below the magnetic ordering temperature, a gap opens at the nominal intersection of the original magnon and phonon bands, leading to two separated magnon-polaron bands. Each of the bands undergoes mixing, interconverting and reversing between its magnonic and phononic components. We attribute the formation of magnon polarons to the strong magnon-phonon coupling induced by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Intriguingly, we find that the band-inverted magnon polarons are topologically nontrivial. These results uncover exotic elementary excitations arising from the magnon-phonon coupling, and offer a new route to topological states by considering hybridizations between different types of fundamental excitations., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Given a set of standard binary patterns and a defective pattern, the binary pattern retrieval task is to find the closest pattern to the defective one among these standard patterns. The associative-memory network of Kuramoto oscillators consisting of a Hebbian coupling term and a second-order Fourier term can be applied to this task. When the memorized patterns stored in the Hebbian coupling are mutually orthogonal, recent studies show that the network is capable of distinguishing the memorized patterns from most other patterns. However, the orthogonality usually fails in real situations. In this paper, we present a unified approach for the application of this model in pattern retrieval problems with any general set of standard patterns. By subgrouping the standard patterns and employing an orthogonal lift of each subgroup, this approach makes use of the theory in the case of mutually orthogonal memorized patterns. In particular, the error-free retrieval can be guaranteed, which requires that the retrieved pattern must coincide with one of the standard patterns. As illustrative simulations, pattern retrieval tests for partly sheltered Arabic number symbols are presented.

In this paper, a new pharmaceutical cocrystal was synthesized using apigenin (AP) and pharmaceutically acceptable conformer nicotinamide (Nico), and the drug delivery between AP-Nico pharmaceutical cocrystal and human serum albumin (HSA) in vivo was studied at atomic scale. The pharmaceutical cocrystal was characterized using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, 1 H NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and the self-assembling mechanism was explored. The dissolution and cumulative release in vitro were investigated. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulation combined with fluorescence spectroscopy was used to study the delivery mechanism of AP-Nico to HSA. The results showed that AP was pharmaceutically cocrystallized with Nico, which formed a pharmaceutical cocrystal mainly through hydrogen interaction between the -OH groups of AP and -NH 2 groups of Nico. The solubility of the AP-Nico was 3 times higher than raw AP and the cumulative release rate was 71%. The fluorescence spectroscopy results showed that the AP-Nico pharmaceutical cocrystal bind with Sudlow's site I inside the HSA molecule with hydrogen-bond interaction as the main force. The Sudlow's site I of HSA conjugated with AP-Nico explains the conformational changes of HSA in-silico. This study provided a useful reference for synthesizing flavonoid pharmaceutical cocrystal to improve solubility and exploring the interaction mechanism while understanding its delivery mechanism in vivo., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© TÜBİTAK.)

There are two types of dimensional allowance (inner and external) related to two distinct areas of occupational health and safety: those being a measure of fit of personal protective equipment (PPE) and those determining the safe and comfortable human interaction with tools and machines, e.g., the latter ones result from wearing PPE increasing the dimensions of the human body and generating limitations in the work environment. In this paper, they are taken to mean the difference between the dimensions of a bare and gloved hand (including glove construction and materials). Dimensional allowances are important in designing the work environment, e.g., machine control panels and tools. The absolute and relative maximum values of dimensional allowances determined in this study for a hand in a firefighter's protective glove for the main anthropometric data are: 16.90 mm (5.90%) for length, 12.00 mm (13.77%) for width, and 15.70 mm (7.96%) for circumference. The obtained results are useful for designers, and especially for designing keys on control panels and LCD touch displays and monitors integrated with machines.

To explore the interaction mechanism of pseudo-lignin (PL) with cellulase and its influence on cellulose hydrolysis, different PLs were extracted from pretreated bamboo holocellulose (HC) using different organic solvents. Meanwhile, the real-time interaction of PL and cellulase was analyzed using surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The results showed that the extraction effect of the tetrahydrofuran and 1, 4-dioxane/water solution on PL was more effective than the ethanol/water solution. The inhibition of PL fraction obtained from HC by acid pretreatment with higher temperature showed less effect on Avicel's enzymatic hydrolysis. SPR analysis revealed that PL formed at higher pretreatment temperature had a lower dissociation rate after adsorption with cellulase. Besides, the binding affinity of PL (160 °C) to cellulase was much greater than that of PL obtained from 180 °C, indicating PL extracted at higher temperature treated biomass is more easily dissociated from cellulase after binding., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The fetus movements play an important role in fetal well-being. With the continuous advancement of real-time scanning machines, it is feasible to observe the fetus movement in detail. The characteristics of fetal lower limb movements in prenatal examination have not been systematically investigated. This review proposes the patterns of fetal lower limb movements, the maternal influence on fetal lower limb movements, and the application of fetal lower limb movements for the diagnosis of prenatal diseases. A systematic search of literature on the lower limb movements of the fetus in uterus was performed in the databases, namely, Web of Science and Scopus. Thirty-four publications were selected. This review demonstrates that isolated fetal lower limb movements are rare and always accompanied with the movements of other body segments. Detection of the presence of fetal leg movements seems to be of no diagnostic value for fetuses with prenatal diseases. The isolated lower limb movement was statistically significant different between fetuses of low- and high-risk pregnant women. The coordinated movements of the fetal lower limbs and other parts should be considered when analyzing fetal movements in the future study., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Xiaoxue Zhao et al.)

Pd-based nanomaterials have shown great promise as promising mimic enzymes, but traditional catalysts can only expose only part of the active sites, resulting in low atomic utilization. Herein, we demonstrated that ultrathin Pd metallene with abundant accessible active sites could be served as highly efficient oxidase mimics. Due to their ultrathin porous structure, nearly all the Pd atoms of the Pd metallenezymes could be efficiently utilized during the catalytic process. By using the 3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl benzidine (TMB) as a typical chromogenic substrate, the Pd metallenezymes with excellent oxidase-like activity are successfully applied for some colorimetric-based analysis applications. Benefiting from the sensitive Pd metallene/TMB detection system, the TAC of some commercial beverages and vitamin C chewable pieces are proved to meet the description and the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was successfully detected in 0-20 U/L range, achieving a lowest detect limit of 0.41 U/L. This work provides not only one kind of novel nanozymes, but also an effective strategy to maximize the atom utilization as enzyme mimics., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Excessive accumulation of heavy metal(loid)s in agricultural environment usually originates from anthropogenic activities. Both large diversities of emission sources and complexity of plant accumulation challenge the understanding of the site-specific effects of emission sources on heavy metal(loid)s in wheat grains. Herein, both soil samples and wheat grain samples (n = 80) were collected from the farmland of Jiyuan City, China. Soil and grain burdens of heavy metal(loid)s were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and/or X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). The quotients (Q) were developed to indicate relative impacts of industrial plants and traffic to soil sites. Principal component analysis-absolute principal component scores-multivariate linear regression (PCA-APCS-MLR) analysis was conducted to reveal the source contributions to heavy metal(loid)s in grains, considering Q values, soil, and wheat grain data. Results showed that contributions of main sources and factors drastically varied with soil sites, and usually overlapped to different extents. For grain Cd and grain Pb, natural soil silicate (0.066/0.104 mg/kg) and iron-bearing minerals (- 0.044/ - 0.174 mg/kg) contributed to high extents, while metal smelting activities (0.018/0.019 mg/kg) and agronomic activities (- 0.017/ - 0.019 mg/kg) unexpectedly posed low or moderate contributions. The pH-mediated availability of soil Cd (0.035 mg/kg) and the sand-dust weather (0.028 mg/kg) also made considerable contributions to grain Cd. For grain As, both natural soil iron-bearing (- 0.048 mg/kg) and silicate minerals (- 0.013 mg/kg) made negative contributions. The results benefit to the decision-making of pollution remediation of farmland soils in the regional scales., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

To improve the enzymatic digestibility of dilute acid pretreated bamboo residue (DABR), surfactants including PEG 4000 and Tween 80 were added to prevent the non-productive adsorption between residual lignin and enzyme. At the optimal loadings (e.g., 0.2 and 0.3 g surfactant/g lignin), the enzymatic digestibility of DABR improved from 29.4% to 64.6% and 61.6% for PEG 4000 and Tween 80, respectively. Furthermore, the promoting mechanism of these surfactants on enzymatic hydrolysis was investigated by real-time surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and fluorescence spectroscopy. Results from SPR analysis showed that Tween 80 outperformed PEG 4000 in terms of dissociating the irreversible cellulase adsorption onto lignin. Fluorescence quenching mechanism revealed that PEG 4000 and Tween 80 intervened the interaction between lignin and cellulase by hydrogen bonds/Van der Waals and hydrophobic action, respectively. This work provided an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of PEG 4000 and Tween 80 on enhancing the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Photocatalytic CO 2 reduction technology is of great importance to alleviate energy crisis and environmental pollution; however, it remains a serious challenge due to the fast recombination of carriers. In this study, we report a three-dimensional structure of a ZnIn 2 S 4 /Au/CdS composite photocatalyst for the CO 2 reduction reaction, where Au nanoparticles (NPs) are evenly anchored on the surface of ZnIn 2 S 4 by photodeposition and Au NPs are wrapped around by CdS. In ZnIn 2 S 4 /Au/CdS composite photocatalysts, Au NPs act as a bridge to construct a "semiconductor-metal-semiconductor" tandem electron transfer mechanism (ZnIn 2 S 4 → Au → CdS) heterojunction, which greatly promotes the transfer of photogenerated electrons. It is worth noting that Au NPs, as a local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect excited source to generate excited-state electrons, further improve the photoreduction CO 2 activity. Under UV-vis light irradiation, the CO yield of ZnIn 2 S 4 /Au/CdS can reach 63.07 μmol·g -1 ·h -1 , which is higher than that of 6.37 μmol·g -1 ·h -1 for pure ZnIn 2 S 4 , 0.93 μmol·g -1 ·h -1 for CdS, 8.9 μmol·g -1 ·h -1 for ZnIn 2 S 4 /CdS, 31.04 μmol·g -1 ·h -1 for ZnIn 2 S 4 /Au, and 5.37 μmol·g -1 ·h -1 for CdS/Au. In addition, the ternary ZnIn 2 S 4 /Au/CdS composite photocatalyst has good cyclic stability. This study broadens the idea of designing photocatalysts with good carrier separation efficiency.

The development of the global economy in recent years, environmental problems, greenhouse effect, and so forth have been of concern for countries all over the world. The key for solving the greenhouse effect is the reduction of CO 2 . With the development of photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 , hybrid photocatalytic nanostructures composed of noble metals and plasmonic semiconductors are being widely studied. In this work, S-scheme photocatalysts with a g-C 3 N 4 /WO 3 ·H 2 O/Pd heterostructure was constructed by introducing ultrathin Pd nanosheets into the optimized 2D/2D g-C 3 N 4 /WO 3 ·H 2 O binary system. The S-scheme charge transfer generated by the matched band gap of g-C 3 N 4 and WO 3 ·H 2 O can effectually improve the electron transfer rate and the redox ability of photogenerated carriers. The introduction of Pd nanosheets can inject a large number of hot electrons into the semiconductor on the basis of the S-scheme heterojunction to participate in the reaction. The S-scheme electron transfer method is used to improve the utilization rate of thermionic electrons and achieve the effect of widening the near-infrared-light absorption area of the composite material. Moreover, the reaction was carried out in water without the addition of any sacrificial agent, which can better reflect the green environmental protection of the experiment. This investigation will promote the broad-spectrum application of new and environment-friendly thermoelectron-assisted S-scheme photocatalysts, and on this basis, the possible reaction mechanism is discussed.

The separation, transfer and recombination of charge often affect the rate of photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 . Schottky junctions can promote the rapid separation of space charge. Therefore, in this paper, Pd nanosheets were grown on the surface of DUT-67 by a hydrothermal method, and a Schottky junction was constructed between DUT-67 and Pd. Under the action of the Schottky junction, the CO yield of 0.3-Pd/DUT-67 reached 12.15 μmol/g/h, which was 17 times higher than that of DUT-67. Efficient charge transfer was demonstrated in photochemical experiments. The large specific surface area and the increased light utilization rate also contributed to the increase in the CO 2 reduction efficiency. In addition, the mechanism of Pd/DUT-67 photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 was proposed., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Defect engineering can be used as a potential tool to activate metal-organic frameworks by regulating the pore structure, electronic properties, and catalytic activity. Herein, linker defects were effectively controlled by adjusting the amount of formic acid, and UiO-67 with different CO 2 reduction capabilities was obtained. Among them, UiO-67-200 had the highest ability to selectively reduce CO 2 to CO (12.29 μmol g -1 h -1 ). On the one hand, the results based on time-resolved photoluminescence decay curves and photochemical experiments revealed that UiO-67-200 had the highest charge separation efficiency. On the other hand, the linker defects affected the band structure of UiO-67 by changing the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) based on the density functional theory and UV-vis spectra. Hence, the proper linker defects enhanced the ligand-to-metal charge transfer process by promoting the transfer of electrons between the highest occupied molecular orbital and LUMO. Additionally, in situ Fourier transform infrared spectra and 13 CO 2 labeling experiments also indicated that COOH* was an important intermediate for CO formation and that CO originated from the photoreduction of CO 2 .

It is significant to monitor respiration conveniently and in real time for people suffering from respiratory diseases. Polymer optical fibers (POFs) have the advantages of flexibility and light weight, which is highly desirable for wearable respiratory monitoring. However, in most current applications, the POFs are stitched on the textile substrates in the form of macro-bending. This method is complex to fix the bending with certain curvatures and uncomfortable compared with the POF sensors woven into the textile. In this paper, a respiratory fabric sensor based on the side luminescence and photosensitivity mechanism of POF is proposed and demonstrated. The 750µm-diameter POFs were woven into a fabric as warp and laser marking was performed at their designed positions to make them release or couple light. The spacing change between the POFs caused by the respiratory movement accordingly makes the light intensity change in the photosensitive fiber. We chose four fabric widths (10cm, 8cm, 6cm and 4cm) and four fabric weaves (plain weave, honeycomb weave, 1/3 right twill weave and 8/3 warp satin weave) to implement the full-factor experiment for exploring the measurement effect of the respiratory fabric sensor. The result is that the fabric with width of 4cm and weave of 8/3 warp satin is optimal. The calm and deep respiratory tests of the human chest and abdomen in sitting and standing posture were carried out and the test performance of the fabric sensor is almost comparable to that of the medical monitor. The proposed respiratory fabric sensor is comfortable, easily woven and high in precision, which is expected to realize industrialized scale production.

Objective: To study the residue levels of acaricides in Chinese dietary samples and dietary intakes of Chinese residents., Methods: A total of 288 mixed dietary samples from 24 provinces in the 6 th Chinese total diet study were analyzed for residue levels of acaricides by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. Additionally, based on the dietary consumption of local residents, the dietary intake of acaricides was estimated., Results: Among the tested dietary samples, the detection rates of pyridaben, spirodiclofen and propargite were 11. 8%(34/288), 8. 7%(25/288), and 6. 3%(18/288), respectively. They were mainly detected in vegetable and fruit samples. The average residue level of pyridaben in the vegetable samples was higher than that in other dietary samples with the content of 6. 26 μg/kg. The average residue level of spirodiclofen in the fruits samples was higher than that in other dietary samples with the content of 3. 92 μg/kg. The average residue level of propargite in the vegetable samples was higher than that in other dietary samples with the content of 0. 90 μg/kg. According to the dietary exposure analysis, the average dietary exposure levels of pyridaben, spirodiclofen and propargite in the general population of China were 48. 31, 1. 62 and 2. 25 ng/(kg·d), respectively. According to the dietary contribution rate, the three acaricides were mainly from vegetable samples., Conclusion: Although acaricides were detected in varying degrees in the Chinese dietary samples, the general population's health risk caused by the dietary intake in China is at a low level.

Females showed higher anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries rate on the opposite side of dominant hand compared with males during single leg landing in the backhand-side court after overhead stroke. The purpose of this study was to conduct biomechanics testing including kinematics and kinetics to provide some insights on the ACL injuries risks during single leg landing in the backhand-side court after overhead stroke between females and males. Twenty collegiate badminton players (10 females, 10 males) voluntarily participated in this study. Sagittal plane kinematic and kinetic data of the lower limb, and their ground reaction forces during the single leg landing in the backhand-side court after overhead stroke were collected. Results shown that, at the peak posterior ground reaction force (GRF) moment, the ankle dorsiflexion, knee and hip flexion angles of the female were lower than that of male. Meantime, the knee extension moment of the female was lower than that of males but the hip extension moment of the female was larger compared to males at the peak posterior GRF moment. The peak vertical and posterior GRF of female badminton players were larger than that of males. Decreased hip, knee, and ankle flexion angles at the peak posterior GRF moment and greater peak vertical and posterior GRF may expose female badminton players to the higher risk ACL injuries compared to males during single leg landing after overhead stroke in the backcourt-side. Preventative training programs designed to prevent the ACL injuries rate of female badminton players should take these factors into consideration., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The internal stress of the human foot enables efficient parametric evaluation of structural and functional impairments associated with foot deformities, such as hallux valgus (HV). However, the status of the internal stress of such a deformed foot remains insufficiently addressed due to the difficulties and limitations of experimental approaches. This study, using finite element (FE) methodology, investigated the influence of severe HV deformity on the metatarsal stress and the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint loading during balanced standing. FE models of a normal foot and a severe HV were constructed and validated. Each FE model involves 28 bones and various cartilaginous structures, ligaments, and plantar fascia, as well as encapsulated soft tissue. All the materials except for the encapsulated soft tissue were considered isotropic and linearly elastic, while the encapsulated soft tissue was set as nonlinear hyperelastic. Hexahedral elements were assigned to the solid parts of bones, cartilage, and the encapsulated soft tissue. Link elements were assigned to ligaments and plantar fascia. A plate was created for simulating ground support. A vertical force of a half-body weight was applied on the bottom of the plate for simulating balanced standing loading. The superior surfaces of the encapsulated soft tissue, distal tibia, and distal fibula were fixed. Stress distribution in the metatarsals, contact pressure, and force at the MTP joints were comparatively analysed. Compared to the normal foot, the HV foot showed higher stress concentration in the metatarsals but lower magnitude of MTP joint loading. In addition, the region with high contact pressure at the first MTP joint shifted medially in the HV foot. Knowledge of this study indicates that patients with severe HV deformity are at higher risk of metatarsal injuries and functional impairment of the MTP joints while weight bearing., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Soil contamination with heavy metals is a worldwide problem especially in China. The interrelation of soil bacterial community structure, antibiotic resistance genes, and heavy metal contamination in soil is still unclear. Here, seven agricultural areas (G1-G7) with heavy metal contamination were sampled with different distances (741 to 2556 m) to the factory. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and Shannon index were used to analyze bacterial community diversity. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the relative abundance of ARGs sul1, sul2, tetA, tetM, tetW, one mobile genetic elements (MGE) inti1. Results showed that all samples were polluted by Cadmium (Cd), and some of them were polluted by lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn). DGGE showed that the most abundant bacterial species were found in G7 with the lightest heavy metal contamination. The results of the principal component analysis and clustering analysis both showed that G7 could not be classified with other samples. The relative abundance of sul1 was correlated with Cu, Zn concentration. Gene sul2 are positively related with total phosphorus, and tetM was associated with organic matter. Total gene abundances and relative abundance of inti1 both correlated with organic matter. Redundancy analysis showed that Zn and sul2 were significantly related with bacterial community structure. Together, our results indicate a complex linkage between soil heavy metal concentration, bacterial community composition, and some global disseminated ARG abundance.

We demonstrate a novel cascaded configuration of optically injection-locked (COIL) VCSELs, which enables a wide and tailorable direct modulation bandwidth. Up to 66 GHz bandwidth is achieved using VCSELs with an original, free-running 10 GHz bandwidth. Different configurations of cascading are discussed in detail with the focus on optimizing the modulation bandwidth. We also discuss scaling capability of this technique to achieve tailorable modulation response.

We report a novel optical injection-locking configuration using a directly-modulated master VCSEL to injection-lock a slave VCSEL. We demonstrate an interesting RF modulation response for the modulated master laser. An RF gain up to 30 dB is attained for frequencies greater than a certain critical frequency f(c), which is approximatelty 10 GHz here and increases with the injection power. In addition, an RF phase change of 2 pi is achieved above f(c) by varying the wavelength detuning. The slope of phase-frequency curve represents an equivalent slow or fast light attained through the slave laser. We incorporate an amplifier model to explain this novel modulated-master injection-locked VCSEL configuration. Simulations show good qualitative agreement with the experimental results.