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The construction of distorted or irregular coordination polyhedrons with specific shapes and functionalities is highly challenging. Here, we demonstrate a viable strategy for attaining a severely d...

Background The subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) appears to play a central role in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). To wit, its functional interactive profile with the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been shown to be related to treatment outcomes with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment outcomes. Nevertheless, previous research on sgACC functional connectivity (FC) in MDD has yielded inconsistent results, partly due to small sample sizes and limited statistical power of prior work.Methods Here, leveraging a large multi-site sample (1660 MDD patients vs. 1341 healthy controls) from Phase II of the Depression Imaging REsearch ConsorTium (DIRECT), we systematically delineated case-control difference maps of sgACC FC and examined their clinical relevance to previously identified TMS targets. We also investigated case-control FC difference maps of left DLPFC sub-fields.Results In MDD patients we found significantly increased FC between sgACC and thalamus and reduced FC to a broad array of brain regions, including somatosensory area, occipital lobe, medial and lateral temporal lobe, and insular cortex, when global signal regression (GSR) was not implemented. Intriguingly, we found enhanced left DLPFC-sgACC FC in MDD patients when GSR was performed. We leveraged an prior independent sample to explore the possible relationship between the case-control differences regarding sgACC’s FC profiles and the treatment out comes of TMS. In sites in which open TMS treatment was administered, case-control differences in sgACC FC, with GSR, were related to clinical improvement. Next we tested whether the position of peak of the FC maps (previously identified TMS target) could be altered in MDD patients as compred with healthy controls (HC)s. We found the optimized TMS target differed in MDD patients. Several DLPFC sub-fields yielded case-control differences in whole-brain FC maps.Conclusion In summary, we reliably delineated MDD-related abnormalities of sgACC FC profiles in a large sample. GSR was essential in applying case-control difference maps to identify optimized TMS targets. Our results highlight the functional heterogeneity of the left DLPFC and of precise TMS targets therein.

The chemical structures of (a) PES and (b) SPSF.

A novel strategy to support sub-1 nm Pt nanoclusters on N and P co-doped carbon nanotubes was developed. The prepared Pt/NP-CNTs showed highly efficient HER activity and durability in acidic electrolytes, outperforming those of commercial Pt/C.

Recently, blue-emitting phosphors have attracted great interest due to their application in full-spectrum white light illumination.

Using the solid-state method, a novel optical thermometer, RbCaLa1-x(VO4)2:xEu3+ phosphor, was synthesized. Using X-ray diffraction, the phase of the RbCaLa1-x(VO4)2:xEu3+ was confirmed. The microstructure was then observed in the SEM pattern. To estimate the temperature, the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) method was used. To explain the temperature-sensing properties, the absolute (Sa) and relative (Sr) sensitivities were calculated. The maximum Sa and Sr values were then determined as 2.215% and 1.125% at 473 and 423 K, respectively. After multiple heating and cooling processes, the FIR value corresponding to each temperature stabilized. This indicated the reliability of the FIR fitting formula. Subsequently, to examine the formula's accuracy, multiple temperature points ranging from 298 to 473 K were selected. The results demonstrated that the measurement error could be controlled in ±1.1 K. The difference was considerably lesser in the high-temperature region (400–430 K), and the error was in ±0.21 K. Under UV light, the colors of the RbCaLa0.82(VO4)2:0.18Eu3+ phosphor and RbCaLa(VO4)2 matrix were somewhat different, and both considerably changed with temperature. All results showed that the Eu3+-doped RbCaLa(VO4)2 phosphor is a good candidate material as an optical temperature sensor and anti-counterfeiting coating.

One of the main challenges to the growth of early childhood education in rural China is the high teacher turnover rates. This study investigated the association between destructive leadership and turnover intention, as well as the mediating function of ego depletion and the moderating role of kindergarten affiliation, based on social exchange theory and ego depletion theory. A total of 409 Chinese rural kindergarten teachers were selected to complete a questionnaire on destructive leadership, ego depletion, and turnover intention. The results revealed that destructive leadership, ego depletion, and turnover intention were positively correlated. After controlling for age, destructive leadership was a positive predictor of turnover intention. The mediation model test revealed that ego depletion acted as a mediator between destructive leadership and turnover intention. Moreover, kindergarten affiliation mitigated the impact of destructive leadership on ego depletion. This effect is more pronounced in public kindergarten teachers compared to private kindergarten teachers. This study adds to our knowledge of the contributing factors and functioning mechanisms underlining turnover intentions among rural kindergarten teachers. It also provides new perspectives for policymakers and administrators to address rural kindergarten teacher attrition.

Recently, blue-emitting phosphors have attracted great interest due to their application in full-spectrum white light illumination. In this paper, a novel blue-emitting MgAl

In this work, heterogeneous catalytic ozonation for the treatment of bio-treated saccharin sodium production wastewater (BSSW) was comprehensively investigated with pilot- and full-scale systems, with special emphasis on the effects of Cu

Two cyan-emitting phosphors with different bandwidths were successfully synthesized through the high-temperature solid-state method in a reducing atmosphere. The crystal structures, morphologies, and luminescence properties of the as-prepared phosphors were investigated. The Rietveld refinements of the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data demonstrated the single phase of the samples, and two crystallographic sites of La3+ were observed in the crystal structure. Under the excitation of UV light, both Ba0.45Ca2.5La6(SiO4)6: 0.05 Eu2+ and Ba1.45Ca1.5La6(SiO4)6: 0.05 Eu2+ phosphors emitted cyan light due to the 4f65 d1→4f7 transitions of the Eu2+ ion. The emission spectra could be well fitted by two component Gaussian peaks corresponding to two different coordination environments of the Eu2+ ions. The temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectra show a large difference on the thermal stability between the two phosphors. The two phosphors exhibit effective absorption of near-UV light and their internal quantum efficiencies (IQEs) were calculated as 31.5% and 42.4% under 295 nm UV-light excitation. The experimental results indicate that the novel cyan phosphors might have potential applications in white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on the near-UV LED chip.

Pseudocapritermes Kemner is a termite group that constructs subterranean gallery systems in topsoil. This genus is distributed in the Oriental region and contains 18 species. Dependence on the morphological measurements of soldiers makes the taxonomy of Pseudocapritermes difficult. In this study, we compared morphological characters of soldiers and adults of P. largus and P. sowerbyi. In addition, three fulllength mitochondrial genes (COI, COII, and 16S rRNA) were sequenced from a total of eight P. largus and P. sowerbyi colonies. Morphological comparison of soldiers showed that P. largus is larger than P. sowerbyi, but there was overlap in some measurements. In adults, the morphological characters of P. largus were congruent with those of P. sowerbyi. Sequence alignments of COI, COII, and 16S rRNA revealed a high pairwise genetic identity (ranging from 99.64 to 100%) between the two species, which suggested that P. largus and P. sowerbyi are the same species. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on COII revealed that Pseudocapritermes belongs to the Termes group having soldiers with asymmetrical snapping mandibles and is more closely related to Sinocapritermes than to other Termes group genera distributed in China. Morphological similarity and genetic identity indicate that P. largus is a junior synonym of P. sowerbyi.

The search for a bona fide robustness index to quantify the system performance upon unexpected disturbances has been a continuous research effort. Previous studies have largely neglected to reflect...

The hydrophobicity of ultrafiltration membranes is the main cause of membrane fouling and reduced permeability, so it is necessary to improve the hydrophilicity and anti-fouling performance of ultrafiltration membrane materials. MoS2 nanoparticles that were modified with polydopamine (PDA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI), named MoS2-PDA-PEI, were added to fabricate a polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane (PES/MoS2-PDA-PEI) for the first time. The effects of modified MoS2 nanoparticles on membrane performance were clarified. The results indicated that the permeability, rejection, and anti-fouling capability of the hybrid PES/MoS2-PDA-PEI membrane have been improved compared with the pristine PES membrane. When the content of MoS2-PDA-PEI nanoparticles in the membrane is 0.5%, the pure water flux of the hybrid membrane reaches 364.03 L m−2 h−1, and the rejection rate of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and humic acid (HA) is 96.5% and 93.2% respectively. The flux recovery rate of HA reached 97.06%. As expected, the addition of MoS2-PDA-PEI nanoparticles promotes the formation of the porous structure and improves the hydrophilicity of the membrane, thereby improving its antifouling performance.

Background Recently, accumulating data have supported that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may contribute to tumorigenesis. LncRNA LINC00511 (LINC00511) has been proved to serve as an oncogene in several tumors. However, as a novel lncRNA, the crucial role and potential mechanism of LINC00511 in LUSC is largely unknown. Methods Here, we performed a differential gene expression analysis of the LINC00511 in LUSC using data from TCGA database. Loss-of-functional assays were used to gain further insights into the latter function of LINC00511 on the malignant phenotypes in vitro. Meanwhile, qRT-PCR, western blot, dual-luciferase reporter, and RIP assays were utilized to highlight the molecular basis of LINC00511 in LUSC. Results LINC00511 was upregulated in LUSC tissues in TCGA database compared to adjacent non-tumor counterparts, and its expression level was strongly associated with tumor stage. LINC00511 deficiency significantly suppressed LUSC cell proliferation and migration. Furthermore, mechanistic investigation demonstrated that LINC00511 accelerated LUSC progression partially through its up-regulation of TADA1 via targeting miR-150-5p. Conclusions our study highlights that LINC00511 facilitates LUSC progression via sequestering miR-150-5p and targeting TADA1, suggesting a need for development of a strategy for therapeutic targeting of LINC00511 in LUSC.

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the roles of the ratio of log(serum CA125 level)/PCI in epithelial ovarian cancer. Methods This is a retrospective study. Data were retrieved for patients with epithelial ovarian cancer who received primary debulking surgeries (PDS) between January 2014 and December 2017 in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University. The PCI and CA125 were determined retrospectively using surgical reports, histological findings, and intraoperative photographic documentation. Survival analysis and ROC curves were applied to evaluate the roles of the ratio of log(serum CA125 level)/PCI in epithelial ovarian cancer. Results A total of 69 patients were included. Of these, serous ovarian cancer and mucinous carcinoma accounted for 63.8% (n=44) and 31.9% (n=22), respectively. The remaining patients had clear cell carcinoma (2.9%, n=2) and endometrioid carcinoma ( 1.4%, n= 1). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that log(serum CA125 level)/PCI (log-rank p=0.018) were prognostic factors for OS. Cox regression analysis, otherwise, suggested that only stages were an independent factor of PFS (P=0.02, 95% CI 0.043-0.763); outcomes of cytoreductive surgery could only affect OS significantly (P=0.009, 95% CI 1.639-31.016). Binary logistic regression discovered that only log(serum CA125 level)/PCI was an independent risk factor of PDS. We further used the ROC curve to find that log(serum CA125 level)/PCI could correctly predict the resectability of PDS with AUC 0.781. Conclusion The ratio of log(CA125)/PCI that combined the tumor burden and characteristics of peritoneal carcinoma of ovarian origin can predict the resectability of PDS in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Aluminum alloys with low density and high specific strength have been widely used in marine engineering. Epoxy coatings, a simple and economical protection strategy, have been applied on alloy surfaces to prolong service life. However, a pure epoxy coating cannot provide long-term protection for metals in the marine environment. Hence, in this work, nano-alumina (nano-Al2O3) modified by polyethyleneimine (PEI) were added into epoxy coatings to enhance anticorrosion properties. Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), we found that the molecular chain of PEI was successfully grafted on the surface of nano-Al2O3, and the cross profile of coatings indicated that the modified nano-Al2O3 uniformly dispersed in the epoxy coating. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results demonstrate that the coating resistance of the modified epoxy nanocomposite coating was 10 times higher than that of the pure epoxy coating after 3 days of immersion in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. Meanwhile, the surface morphologies and EDS-mapping of substrates after EIS testing show that the substrate coated with modified epoxy nanocomposite coating had the smallest amount of corrosion products. These results show that this modified epoxy nanocomposite coating has excellent anticorrosion performance.

A human vestibular system is a group of devices in the inner ear that govern the balancing movement of the head, in which the saccule is responsible for sensing gravity accelerations. Imitating the sensing principle and structure of the Sensory Hair (SH) cell in the saccule, a Bionic Sensory Hair (BSH) was developed, and 9 BSH arrays were arranged in the bionic macular at the bottom of the spherical shell to prepare a Bionic Saccule (BS). Based on the piezoelectric equation, the electromechanical theoretical models of the BSH cantilever and BS were deduced. They were subjected to impact oscillations using an exciter, and their output charges were analyzed to check their sensing ability. The results showed that BSH could sense its bending deflection, and the BS could sense its position change in the sagittal plane and in space. They exhibited a sensitivity of 1.6104 Pc s2/m and a fast response and similar sensing principles and low resonance frequency to those of the human saccule. The BS is expected to be used in the field of robotics and clinical disease diagnosis as a part of the artificial vestibular system in the future.

Mature seeds deteriorate gradually and die eventually during long-term storage. Controlled deterioration is often used to accelerate the seed deterioration rate to assess the seed vigor and physiological quality of seed lots.Although it is well known that the process of seed deterioration produced by controlled deterioration is distinct from that caused by long-term storage, the differences in transcriptional levels have not been reported. Clarifying the mechanism of seed deterioration is critical for identifying, conserving and utilizing germplasm resources.Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) seeds were studied thoroughly using transcriptome, small RNA, and degradome sequencing after long-term storage (LS) and controlled deterioration (CD). Co-expression trend analysis identified transcripts involved in tobacco seed deterioration, while phylogenetic analysis helped to uncover comparable targets in rice (Oryza sativa L.) for further verification and utilization.In LS and CD, a total of 2,112 genes and 164 miRNAs were differentially expressed, including 20 interaction miRNA-mRNA pairs with contrasting expression. Transcriptional multiomics found that the main causes of LS were plant hormone signal transduction and protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, whereas the primary cause of CD was nucleotide excision repair dysfunction. The homeostatic balance of RNA degradation and the spliceosome occurred in both modes of seed deterioration. Additionally, co-expression trend analysis identified two coherent pairs, nta-miR160b-NtARF18 and nta-miR396c-NtMBD10, as being significant in LS and CD, respectively. For utilization, rice homologous targets OsARF18 and OsMBD707 were verified to play similar roles in LS and CD, respectively.This study demonstrated the transcriptional mechanism of tobacco and key genes in seed deterioration. And the application of key genes in rice also verified the feasibility of the multiomics method, guiding the identification of candidate genes to precisely delay seed deterioration in other species of seed research.

Being the target of negative school gossip, a form of relational aggression, has been shown to be associated with psychological and behavioral problems in youth adolescents. Based on the experience avoidance model, this study tested the association between negative school gossip and youth adolescents’ mobile phone addiction, and the serial mediation roles of anxiety and experience avoidance in this relationship. Junior high school students (N = 837; ages 12–15; 50% girls) completed the Negative School Gossip Scale, Anxiety Scale, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II), and Mobile Phone Addiction Scale in their classrooms. The results of regression-based analyses showed that after controlling for age and gender, (1) negative school gossip was significantly associated with mobile phone addiction; (2) anxiety and experience avoidance each significantly mediated this association; (3) anxiety and experience avoidance serially mediated this association. The results support the experience avoidance model and highlight emotional factors as an internal mechanism by which negative school gossip is associated with youth adolescents’ mobile phone addiction. The results also have implications for preventing and reducing youth adolescents’ mobile phone addiction.

Smaller volume/weight and higher output power/energy density are always the goals of electrochemistry energy devices. Here, a simple strategy is proposed to prepare an integrated gas diffusion electrode (GDE) with high conductivity through skin electroplating. The skin electroplating is the combination of magnetron sputtering and spatial confinement electroplating. The electroplated metal obtained by skin electroplating is uniformly, continuously, and tightly attached to the surface of carbon paper like a layer of skin. Uniform and continuous electroplating metal layer endows the integrated electrode excellent conductivity with the square resistance as low as 27 mΩ sq

Objective This study aimed to assess the protective value of adiponectin (APN) in pancreatic islet injury induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH). Methods Sixty rats were randomly divided into three groups: normal control (NC) group, CIH group, and CIH with APN supplement (CIH+APN) group. After 5 weeks of CIH exposure, we conducted oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) and insulin released test (IRT), examined and compared the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, enzymes gene expression levels of

Sulfonated polysulfone (SPSF) with different sulfonation degrees (10%, 30%, and 50%) was added to polyethersulfone (PES) to improve the separation and antifouling performance of polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes. The PES/SPSF blend ultrafiltration membrane was prepared by the non-solvent induced phase inversion method (NIPS), and the effect of sulfonation degree on the ultrafiltration performance was studied. The compatibility of SPSF and PES was calculated by the group contribution method, and confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The morphology and surface roughness of the membrane were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), the chemical composition of the membrane was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and the permeability and anti-fouling performance of the blend membrane were studied through filtration experiments. The research shows that the flux and anti-fouling performance of the blend membrane have been improved after adding SPSF. When the sulfonation degree of the SPSF is 30%, the pure water flux of the blend membrane can reach 530 L m

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a typical reactive peroxide that is widely used in food preservation but may cause serious harm to human health. Thus, a simple, efficient and accurate method for H2O2 assay is essential. In this work, a dual Eu-MOFs-based ratiometric fluorescence sensor, a logic gate-based advanced analytical method, and a dual MOFs-loaded paper microchip for visual H2O2 assay were constructed. The H2O2 sensor was response-sensitive (limit of detection: 0.14 μM) and linearly responsive in the concentration range of 0.001–1 mM (r > 0.99). Then, an advanced AND gate logic device was established to monitor H2O2 concentration. Moreover, the paper-based microchip realized the point-of-care visual H2O2 assay via ratiometric chromaticity assisted by a portable smartphone-based visual assay device. The microchip consumes only 5 μL of sample and demonstrates long-term stability for over 30 days along with response-sensitivity. Both the MOF dispersion-based ratiometric fluorescence sensor and the paper microchip realized an accurate and precise assay of H2O2 (the recovery was 88.2–105.5% and RSD < 9.3%). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a dual MOFs-based ratiometric fluorescent H2O2 sensor, an advanced logic gate-based analytical method, and a paper-based microchip for visual point-of-care H2O2 assay.

A major performance index for analyzing a stochastic transport network is the two-terminal capacity reliability Rd, defined as the probability that d units of goods can be successfully transported via stochastic arc capacities from the source to the destination. This paper presents an efficient d-minimal path method to calculate Rd based on some newly obtained results. The proposed method uses a simple method to check d-minimal path candidates and a more efficient approach to remove duplicate d-minimal paths that are the biggest obstacle in solving d-minimal paths, along with an indication of the advantage over the existing methods. Besides, sensitivity analysis is adopted to explore the most important arc whose reliability change affects the network reliability most significantly, which helps supervisor identify and enhance the critical arcs for improving the network reliability more effectively. Computational and application examples demonstrate the efficiency and utility of the method, respectively.

Disproportionate progressive collapse is a structural failure mode with low probability and high consequences. Due to this nature, progressive collapse design is usually treated as a secondary design; namely, a design check after the design for primary loadings. Various design procedures have been recommended, notably the alternate load path method through nonlinear pushdown analyses. However, most of these design procedures are iterative by nature to satisfy the design acceptable criteria. To improve the design efficiency, this study presented an innovative design technique that allows to directly determine the proper amount of reinforcement in beams and slabs of a reinforced concrete (RC) structure in order to withstand the gravitational loads under column removal scenarios. Inspired from fire-induced progressive collapse research, the proposed method employs a virtual thermal pushdown analysis, in which the temperature increase affects only the strength of reinforced steel. With carefully developed strength-temperature relationships of the rebars, the virtual thermal analysis produces a displacement-temperature curve that represents the genuine nonlinear relationship between the amount of reinforcement and structural performance (often represented by vertical displacement). This curve is then used to directly determine the amount of reinforcement at the prescribed performance target. Two beam-column sub-assemblage examples and the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building were analyzed and redesigned to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. All three examples showed that the proposal virtual thermal pushdown method can accurately determine the appropriate amount of reinforcements to meet the performance target.