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Abstract: A series of cobalt blue pigments, which were synthesized based on the chemical compositions of the blue pigments in Kangxi blue and white porcelain, were investigated by Co, Mn, and Fe K‐edge and L2,3‐edge X‐ray absorption spectroscopy to determine the oxidation states and species of the elements and to discern their impact on the blue color. The results reveal that Co is bivalent and mainly located at tetrahedral sites, which is the main parameter controlling the blue color. Mn is mainly present as Mn2+, or CoxZn1‐xAl2O4 and Fe is mainly present as Fe3+. In particular, Fe3+ substitutes the Al in CoAl2O4 and occupies octahedral sites with a high Mn content. All the synthetic cobalt blue pigments can form a solid solution with various end‐members or an intermediate solution spinel. The spectroscopic determination of the oxidation states and speciation of Co, Mn, and Fe furthers understanding of the coloration of blue pigments in blue and white porcelain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundReminiscence is the act of thinking or talking about personal experiences that occurred in the past. It is a central task of old age that is essential for healthy aging, and it serves multiple functions, such as decision-making and introspection, transmitting life lessons, and bonding with others. The study of social reminiscence behavior in everyday life can be used to generate data and detect reminiscence from general conversations. ObjectiveThe aims of this original paper are to (1) preprocess coded transcripts of conversations in German of older adults with natural language processing (NLP), and (2) implement and evaluate learning strategies using different NLP features and machine learning algorithms to detect reminiscence in a corpus of transcripts. MethodsThe methods in this study comprise (1) collecting and coding of transcripts of older adults’ conversations in German, (2) preprocessing transcripts to generate NLP features (bag-of-words models, part-of-speech tags, pretrained German word embeddings), and (3) training machine learning models to detect reminiscence using random forests, support vector machines, and adaptive and extreme gradient boosting algorithms. The data set comprises 2214 transcripts, including 109 transcripts with reminiscence. Due to class imbalance in the data, we introduced three learning strategies: (1) class-weighted learning, (2) a meta-classifier consisting of a voting ensemble, and (3) data augmentation with the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) algorithm. For each learning strategy, we performed cross-validation on a random sample of the training data set of transcripts. We computed the area under the curve (AUC), the average precision (AP), precision, recall, as well as F1 score and specificity measures on the test data, for all combinations of NLP features, algorithms, and learning strategies. ResultsClass-weighted support vector machines on bag-of-words features outperformed all other classifiers (AUC=0.91, AP=0.56, precision=0.5, recall=0.45, F1=0.48, specificity=0.98), followed by support vector machines on SMOTE-augmented data and word embeddings features (AUC=0.89, AP=0.54, precision=0.35, recall=0.59, F1=0.44, specificity=0.94). For the meta-classifier strategy, adaptive and extreme gradient boosting algorithms trained on word embeddings and bag-of-words outperformed all other classifiers and NLP features; however, the performance of the meta-classifier learning strategy was lower compared to other strategies, with highly imbalanced precision-recall trade-offs. ConclusionsThis study provides evidence of the applicability of NLP and machine learning pipelines for the automated detection of reminiscence in older adults’ everyday conversations in German. The methods and findings of this study could be relevant for designing unobtrusive computer systems for the real-time detection of social reminiscence in the everyday life of older adults and classifying their functions. With further improvements, these systems could be deployed in health interventions aimed at improving older adults’ well-being by promoting self-reflection and suggesting coping strategies to be used in the case of dysfunctional reminiscence cases, which can undermine physical and mental health.

Multifunctional biomimetic nanogels based on zwitterionic poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) (pCBMA) were synthesized by inverse microemulsion free-radical polymerization. pCBMA nanogels exhibited excellent stability in 100% fetal bovine serum. Dextran labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC-dextran) was encapsulated in nanogels as a model drug. Encapsulated FITC-dextran exhibited controlled release from the pCBMA nanogel. Additionally, pCBMA nanogels carry abundant carboxylate groups as functional groups used to conjugate ligands to the nanogels for targeted drug delivery. Flow cytometry results obtained showed that pCBMA nanogels conjugated with cyclo[Arg-Gly-Asp-d-Tyr-Lys] ligands dramatically improved the nanogel uptake by primary human umbilical vein endothelium cells. Functionalizable zwitterionic pCBMA nanogels hold great potential as targeted drug-delivery vectors for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A 2D LC-QTOF/MS/MS method for the characterization of four major degradation products in metformin. • Two of the impurities were first reported in metformin. • Forced degradation studies were performed under four conditions. • The proposed fragmentation patterns of the four impurities were inferred. A two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(2D LC-QTOF/MS/MS) method was developed for the characterization of four major degradation products in metformin under acidic, basic, oxidative and 6 months accelerated conditions. A CAPCELL PAK SCX TYPE UG80 column(5 μm, 4.6 × 150 mm) was applied using 17 g/L ammonium dihydrogen phosphate adjusted to pH 3.0 by phosphoric acid as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min in the first dimension (D1), and the collected fractions further flowed to a Waters Xbridge C18 column(5 μm, 4.6 mm × 250 mm) with a mobile phase consisting of 0.1 % formic acid and acetonitrile (95:5 v/v) at the same flow rate as the second dimension(D2). Two of the impurities were never reported as the degradation of metformin, and all the four structures, as well as the proposed fragmentation patterns were inferred in this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is limited knowledge on the mediating role of different health risk behavior on the relationship between social capital, socioeconomic status (SES), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Chinese older adults. We conducted this study to (a) investigate the condition of health risk behaviors of the Chinese elderly, and (b) assess the relationship between SES, social capital, health risk behaviors, and HRQoL.Methods: A sample of 4868 adults aged 60 years and older were included in this study, from the China's Health-related Quality of Life Survey for Older Adults 2018. Participants' demographic characteristics, SES (education level, family income), health risk behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, unhealthy weight, and sleep disorder) were collected. Social capital and HRQoL were assessed by the 16-item Personal Social Capital Scale (PSCS-16) and WHOQOL-Old, respectively. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to examine the associations between variables.Results: The proportion of smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, unhealthy weight, and sleep disorder were 32.1, 36.3, 62.5, 45.7, 31.8, and 45.5%, respectively. Significant differences were observed in education level, family income, and social capital between elderly individuals with and without each of the six health risk behavior (all p-values < 0.05). Elderly individuals who reported smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, and sleep disorder had significantly lower HRQoL than those without these unhealthy behaviors (all p-values < 0.05). SEM analysis showed that SES and social capital positively associated with alcohol consumption. Social capital negatively associated with smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, and sleep disorder. SES negatively associated with smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, unhealthy weight, and sleep disorder. Smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, and sleep disorder correlated with poorer HRQoL.Conclusions: Chinese older adults demonstrated a high incidence of health risk behaviors, especially for physical inactivity (62.5%) and unhealthy dietary behavior (45.7%). Social capital and SES were correlated with the elderly's HRQoL, as well as with the health risk behaviors. Health risk behaviors played potential mediating role on the relationship between social capital, SES, and HRQoL in Chinese older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diet-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KABs) are important for building healthier dietary patterns. We conducted this study to (a) investigate diet conditions of Chinese adult residents from the perspective of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, and (b) assess the association between diet-related KABs and self-rated health.Methods: We analyzed the 2015 China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data. Individuals aged 18 years and older were included as study subjects (n = 12,814), assessing their diet-related knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and self-rated health. Comparison of diet-related KABs in urban and rural residents was conducted using chi-square test. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was adopted to examine the association between diet-related KABs and self-rated health.Results: The proportion of knowing about the Chinese Food Pagoda (CFP) or the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (DGCR) was 27.1%. 34.3% of the participants were assessed as having adequate dietary knowledge literacy. 24.3% reported a positive attitude towards healthy eating. 27.6 and 65.9% of the participants reported proactively looking for nutrition knowledge and preferring eating fruits & vegetables, respectively. Chi-square test indicated that rural people experienced poorer diet-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors than urban residents (all p-values < 0.01). Regression analysis revealed that participants who knew about CFP/DGCR (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.08-1.15), had adequate dietary knowledge literacy (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.10-1.15), held positive attitude towards healthy eating (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.09-1.19), proactively looked for nutrition knowledge (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.08-1.15), and preferred eating fruits & vegetables (OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.07-1.12) had significantly better self-rated health.Conclusions: Chinese adult residents experienced poor diet-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Rural people had significantly worse diet conditions than urban residents. Better diet-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors were associated with higher self-rated health in Chinese adult residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop and validate a model to predict the preconception risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in nulliparous women. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. A total of 1565 women in early pregnancy who underwent preconception health examinations in the Women and Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between January 2020 and June 2021 were invited to participate in a questionnaire survey. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the preconception risk factors for GDM. These factors were used to construct a model to predict GDM risk in nulliparous women. Then, the model was used to assess the preconception risk of GDM in 1060 nulliparous women. Results: Independent preconception risk factors for GDM included the following: age 35 years or greater, diastolic blood pressure 80 mm Hg or greater, fasting plasma glucose 5.1 mmol/L or greater, body mass index (BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) 24 or greater, weight gain 10 kg or greater in the year before pregnancy, age of menarche 15 years or greater, three or more previous pregnancies, daily staple food intake 300 g or greater, fondness for sweets, and family history of diabetes. BMI less than 18.5, daily physical activity duration 1 h or greater, and high‐intensity physical activity were protective factors. These factors were used to construct a model to predict GDM risk in nulliparous women, and the incidence of GDM significantly increased as the risk score increased. The area under the curve of the prediction model was 0.82 (95% confidence interval 0.80–0.85). Conclusion: The preconception GDM risk prediction model demonstrated good predictive efficacy and can be used to identify populations at high risk of GDM before pregnancy, which provides the possibility for preconception intervention. Synopsis: A preconception gestational diabetes mellitus risk prediction model for nulliparous women was constructed and demonstrated to have good predictive efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A novel Wx-B1 allele was characterized; a transposon insertion resulted in the loss of its function, which is different from the previously reported gene silencing mechanisms at the Wx-B1 locus. Abstract: The waxy protein composition of 53 Chinese wheat landraces was analyzed using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis; of these, 10 did not show the expression of Wx-A1 (four accession) or Wx-B1 (six accessions) protein. The results of molecular marker detection revealed that the Wx-B1 allele ( Wx-B1n) showed normal expression, inconsistent with the findings of SDS-PAGE for the Xiaobaipi accession. Further cloning of the 9160-bp region covering the Wx-B1 coding region and 3′-downstream region revealed that a 2178-bp transposon fragment had been inserted at 2462 bp within the tenth exon of Wx-B1n ORF, leading to the absence of Wx-B1 protein. Sequence analysis indicated that the insertion possessed the structural features of invert repeat and target repeat elements, we deduced that it was a transposon. Further PCR analysis revealed that this fragment had moved, but not copied itself, from 3B chromosome to the current location in Wx-B1n. Therefore, the reason for the inactivation of Wx-B1n was considerably different from those for the inactivation of Wx-B1b, Wx-B1k, and Wx-B1m; to our knowledge, this kind of structural mutation has never been reported in Wx-B1 alleles. This novel allele is interesting, because it was not associated with the deletion of other quality-related genes included in the 67 kb region lost with the common null allele Wx-B1b. The null Wx-B1n might be useful for investigating gene inactivation and expression as well as for enriching the genetic resource pool for the modification of the amylose/amylopectin ratio, thereby improving wheat quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crown width is one of the most important crown dimensions that influence tree growth and survival. Accurate crown width prediction is vital for forest management. However, measuring crown width is time-consuming and labor-intensive, making it necessary to construct a convenient and accurate crown width prediction model. Nowadays, machine learning technologies have already been increasingly used to accurately predict tree growth, but there is still a lack of systematic and comprehensive comparison. This paper provided a comparative analysis of various machine learning methods (i.e., the Linear Regression, the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator, the k-NearestNeighbors, the Random Forest, the Gradient Boosting Decision Tree, the Support Vector Regression, the Voting Regressor and the Multi-Layer Perceptron), simple crown width-diameter of breast height model, generalized crown width-diameter of breast height model and nonlinear mixed-effect crown width model for estimating the crown width of Larix olgensis in terms of the coefficient of determination, root mean squared error, mean absolute error, and mean absolute percentage error using hold-out validation and 10-fold cross-validation. The study showed that machine learning algorithms performed better than common nonlinear regression and nonlinear mixed-effect models. Specifically, the voting regressor and random forest algorithm yielded the highest prediction quality of crown width among the different models. In addition, from a practical point of view, the advantage of machine learning is that its implementation does not require crown width measurements. On the contrary, the calibration of the mixed-effect model requires prior information, which limits its use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-doped tin oxide shell with InSn 4 core is exergonic for CO 2 -to-formate, thus demonstrating a current density of 236 mA/cm2 and FE of 92% for formate production. • Sn-In NPs were prepared by a facile, wet-chemical method. • An InSn 4 intermetallic core and an amorphous In-doped tin oxide shell was confirmed by XRD, XPS and TEM. • Sn-In exhibit a current density of 236 mA cm−2 and a faradaic efficiency of 94% at −0.98 V towards CO 2 R to formate. • Operando XANES and Raman spectroscopy reveal that the In-doped tin oxide shell remains stable under CO 2 R condition. • DFT calculations indicate that the In-doped tin oxide results in the formation of oxygen vacancy and stabilized tin oxide. SnO 2 has been recognized as excellent catalyst towards formate production from electrochemical CO 2 reduction (CO 2 R). However, it is a great challenge to prepare SnO 2 that is stable under the working condition of CO 2 R and the active center of the SnO 2 -based catalyst towards CO 2 R has been illusive. In this work, Sn-In alloy nanoparticles display an InSn 4 intermetallic core and an amorphous In-doped tin oxide shell and a CO 2 -to-formate faradaic efficiency of 94% and a current density of 236 mA cm−2 was achieved at −0.98 V. Operando X-ray absorption and Raman spectroscopy reveal that the In-doped tin oxide shell remains stable under CO 2 R condition. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the In-doped tin oxide results in the formation of oxygen vacancy, stabilized tin oxide shell and exergonic pathway for CO 2 -to-formate, which might account for the high performance of the catalysts towards CO 2 R. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract By utilizing the convenient physical vapor deposition procedure, a simple and low-cost synthesis route is developed to fabricate high-quality orthorhombic MoO 3 crystals with single crystallinity and significant size (bigger than 10 mm × 10 mm2). A combined characterization techniques of atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy confirm the high quality of α-MoO 3 crystal from the point view of both electronic and physical structures. Compared to previous reports in literature, we demonstrate herein a rather simplified one-step approach with only the MoO 3 powder needed. In the end, corresponding electrochromic performance has also been tested which reveals high transmittance and remarkable optical properties which may broadens the potential applications of MoO 3 single crystal in nanosensors, nanoelectronics and so on. Graphical abstract PVD growth of centimeter-size MoO 3 single crystal with appealing properties. Unlabelled Image Highlights • A low-cost simplified approach is demonstrated to fabricate high-quality orthorhombic MoO 3 single crystal with significant size (10×10 mm2). • Layers with a least thickness of 0.7nm and micrometers width have been demonstrated, which is promising to facilitate veritable 2D MoO 3 sheet. • With the potential appealing application, the high performance of synthesized crystals on optical modulation and conductivity has been claimed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: On account of the potential inhibition of OATP1B1 (organic anion transporting polypeptide) by angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and the effects of SLCO1B1 (solute carrier organic anion transporter family member) polymorphism, the aim of current study is to assess the impact of ARBs on the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of repaglinide in Chinese healthy volunteers with different SLCO1B1 genotypes.Methods: The in vitro study was conducted on irbesartan, valsartan, olmesartan, and losartan by using HEK293 cells transfected with OATP1B1. Data on drug interactions between repaglinide and irbesartan from 21 healthy Chinese-Han male volunteers were collected and analyzed.Results: IC50 from in vitro study suggested irbesartan was the most potent inhibitor of OATP1B1 transporter. Clinical data from single dose of repaglinide indicated SLCO1B1 c.521 T>C polymorphism influenced the PK and PD of repaglinide in healthy Chinese-Han male volunteers. In subjects with SLCO1B1 c.521 TT genotype, irbesartan comedication increased the exposure of repaglinide. In details, the peak plasma concentration [Cmax] increased 84% (P = 0.003) and the area under the curve of plasma concentration 0-8 h [AUC0-8] increased 34% (P = 0.004), while the minimum blood glucose concentration [Cmin] decreased 33.8% (P = 0.005). No significant change was observed in repaglinide exposure in subjects with SLCO1B1 c.521 TC genotype in presence or absence of irbesartan.Conclusion: SLCO1B1 c.521 T>C polymorphism affects the PK of repaglinide in Chinese population. Irbesartan increased repaglinide exposure in subjects with SLCO1B1 c.521 TT genotype, but not SLCO1B1 c.521 TC genotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beam wander properties of coherent and partially coherent Airy beam arrays in a turbulent atmosphere are investigated. Based on the analytical results, we find that the beam wander of partially coherent Airy beam arrays is significantly reduced compared with the wander of a partially coherent Airy beam by numerical simulation. Moreover, the beam wander of a 2 × 2 partially coherent Airy beam arrays is significantly reduced compared with the wander of a 2 × 2 partially coherent Gaussian beam arrays. By using the definition of beam wander arrays factor which is used to characterize the capability of beam arrays for reducing the beam wander effect compared with a single beam, we find that the arrays factor of partially coherent Airy beam arrays is significantly less than that of partially coherent Gaussian beam arrays with the same arrays order. We also find that an artificial reduction of the initial coherence of laser arrays can be used to decrease the beam wander effect. These results indicate that the partially coherent Airy beam arrays have potential applications in long-distance free-space optical communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To efficient separate carbon dioxide from power plant flue gas, three two-dimensional (2D) metalloporphyrin (Me-TCPP) nanosheets, Zn-TCPP, Cu-TCPP, and Ni-TCPP are crosslinked with poly(ethylene) glycol (PEO) semi-interpenetrating polymer via "rubber-band" straightening effect. Dispersion-corrected periodic density functional (DFT-D2) calculation reveals that the lowest N 4 -Metalδ+···Oδ− distance (2.81 Å) and the highest binding energy (19.9 kJ mol−1) are obtained between CO 2 molecule and metalloporphyrin center (Zn–N 4), as well as the lowest O 4 -Metalδ+···Oδ− distance (4.68 Å) and the highest binding energy (18.8 kJ mol−1) on metal cluster (Zn–O 4). The 2D Zn-TCPP nanosheet with the strongest affinity toward CO 2 molecule generates Zn2+-CO 2 complex to remarkably boost CO 2 solubility in mixed matrix membrane (MMMs). Thus, 2.5 wt% Zn-TCPP nanosheet incorporated PEO-based MMMs dramatically promotes CO 2 permeability to 198 Barrers and ultrahigh CO 2 /N 2 selectivity to 81. A novel "rubber-band" straightening effect is found and verified, which is induced by abundant interfacial coordination bonds between metal ions in nanosheets and ester groups (O–C O) in PEO polymer chains, the strong Me–O–C O interaction sites hold polymer chains and lead to their regular rearrangement. Owing to the abundant PEG groups in PEGMEA macromolecule chains, incorporating 1 wt% Zn-TCPP nanosheet into crosslinked XLPEGDAcoPEGMEA polymer achieves the highest CO 2 permeability of 398 Barrers. Graphical abstract of fabrication process of crosslinked PEO-based (MMMs doped with 2D Ni-TCPP, Cu-TCPP, and Zn-TCPP nanosheets. [Display omitted] • Three 2D metalloporphyrin (Me-TCPP) nanosheets, Zn-TCPP, Cu-TCPP, and Ni-TCPP are crosslinked with PEO semi-interpenetrating polymer. • A novel "rubber-band" straightening effect is verified, induced by interfacial coordination bonds between metal ions and ester groups. • DFT calculation reveal effect between Me-TCPP nanosheet and CO 2 via N 4 –Me⋯F and O 4 –Me⋯F interaction. • 2.5 wt% Zn-TCPP nanosheet incorporated PEO-based MMMs dramatically achieve ultrahigh CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of 81. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium extraction via membrane-based technologies from salt-lake brines has become an exciting research direction. However, the lithium extraction efficiency is drastically affected by Mg2+ ions, which have similar chemical and physical properties, and separating Li+ from Mg2+ is currently the biggest obstacle. Here we designed a Li+ selective membrane, namely PIM-DB18C6-TB, by incorporating dibenzo-18-crown-6 as Li+ selective functionality and Tröger's Base units to induce free volume for Li+ transport. They combine to render the PIM-DB18C6-TB membrane satisfactory performance in separating Li+ from Mg2+ in both static diffusion and electrodialysis. The PIM-DB18C6-TB membrane demonstrates a Li+/Mg2+ selectivity of 35.80 in binary Li+/Mg2+ solutions under static diffusion and a Li+/Mg2+ selectivity of 24.35 during electrodialysis. We found the permeation rate of Li+ is almost proportional to the size of free volume elements in PIM-DB18C6-TB, while the selective Li+ transport is mainly owing to the selective and appropriate binding of Li+ to the crown ether units. The current work proposes a feasible strategy for designing highly selective membranes for Li+/Mg2+ separation. [Display omitted] • Crown ether-based backbone type Li+ selective microporous membranes are constructed via Tröger's Base polymerization. • Crown ether units act as Li + selective functionality. • Tröger's Base units introduce free volume for Li+ transport. • The membrane demonstrates a Li+/Mg2+ selectivity of 35.80 in static diffusion and 24.35 in electrodialysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • FeN 4 -doped carbon nanotubes by ball milling and pyrolysis of ZIF-8 and MIL-101. • D 2 -FeN 4 the main active site in PMS activation. • 1O 2 the major active species in the degradation of organic pollutants. • Minor contributions from •OH and SO 4 ∙ - radicals to pollutant degradation. Development of low-cost, high-performance catalysts for the effective degradation of organic dyes is of both fundamental and technological significance for environmental remediation. Herein, FeN 4 -doped carbon nanotubes exhibit a remarkable catalytic activity towards the degradation of acid orange 7 (AO7) in the presence of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). This is accounted for by the abundant well-dispersed FeN 4 sites and appropriate adsorption energy. Radical quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements suggest that singlet oxygen is the main reactive oxygen species. 57Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy measurements show that the FeN 4 moieties contain multiple spin states, and in conjunction with density functional theory calculations, confirm that FeN 4 with a low/medium spin state serves as the key sites for PMS activation and hence AO7 degradation. Results from this study highlight the critical role of spin states in FeN 4 in the generation of singlet oxygen for effective degradation of organic pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three ultramicroporous materials were incorporated into Pebax/PEGDME to fabricate MMM. • DFT calculation reveal effect of GEFSIX-2-Cu-i to CO 2 via C···F and O···H interaction. • The ultramicroporous material create unique Rubik's tube-like channels for CO 2. • 1-GEF-M exhibits optimal CO 2 permeability of 460 Barrers and CO 2 /N 2 of 57. In order to overcome "trade-off" Robeson upper bound 2008 and simultaneously increase the CO 2 permeability and selectivity of traditional poly (ethylene oxide) polymer membrane, three anion pillared hybrid ultramicroporous materials (SIFSIX-2-Cu-i, TIFSIX-2-Cu-i and GEFSIX-2-Cu-i) were incorporated into Pebax/PEGDME polymer to fabricate mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). DFT-D2 calculation revealed that the C···F distance (2.62 Å) between CO 2 molecule and pillared anion (GeF 6 2-) in GEFSIX-2-Cu-i was lower than SIFSIX-2-Cu-i and TIFSIX-2-Cu-i. The synergistic effects of C···F van der Waals (vdW) interactions and O···H hydrogen bonding interactions in GEFSIX-2-Cu-i gave a higher CO 2 binding energy (34.5 kJ/mol) than SIFSIX-2-Cu-i and TIFSIX-2-Cu-i. It was verified that GEFSIX-2-Cu-i with higher CO 2 binding energy and specific surface area exhibited higher CO 2 adsorption capacity of 5.02 mmol/g than SIFSIX-2-Cu-i and TIFSIX-2-Cu-i. These anion-pillared hybrid ultramicroporous materials with suitable porosity and surface chemistry, enabling multiple host–guest interactions, created unique Rubik's tube-like "expressway" channels for CO 2 molecule passage through the membrane. Results showed that the MMMs with 1 wt% GEFSIX-2-Cu-i nanoparticles exhibited optimal CO 2 separation performance in terms of CO 2 permeability (460 Barrers) and CO 2 /H 2 (17, an increase of 12.2%), CO 2 /CH 4 (18, an increase of 24.1%), and CO 2 /N 2 (57, an increase of 9.6%) selectivities, as compared with the pure Pebax/PEGDME membrane. As GEFSIX-2-Cu-i loading increase from 1 to 10 wt%, the overall CO 2 separation performance decrease due to the aggregation of these nanoparticles. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) experiments revealed that the fractional free volume of MMMs with 1 wt% GEFSIX-2-Cu-i nanofillers (FFV = 3.63%) was higher than those of MMMs incorporated with a higher loading (2.5–10 wt%) of GEFSIX-2-Cu-i. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• DETA-bridged Mg 2 (dobdc) crystals were first synthesized and incorporated into Matrimid matrix. • DFT calculation implied the amine group on DETA was bonded to Mg2+ sites via Mgδ+···Nδ- interaction. • Mg 2 (dobdc) and DETA-bridged Mg 2 (dobdc) crystals attain CO 2 uptake of 7.15 and 6.45 mmol/g. • DETA molecules play an important role in filling interface defect in MMMs, acting as intermediate agent. • 15-DETA-Mg-M exhibits optimal CO 2 permeability of 41.1 Barrers, 3.03 times higher than Matrimid. Diethylenetriamine (DETA)-bridged Mg 2 (dobdc) crystals were first synthesized and DETA molecule was acted as adhesion agent to stick Matrimid matrix together, fabricating the mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with superior CO 2 separation performance from the biomethane (CO 2 /CH 4) and flue gas (CO 2 /N 2). The detected CO 2 adsorption isotherms (at 298 K and 1 bar) of Mg 2 (dobdc) crystals and DETA-bridged Mg 2 (dobdc) crystals demonstrated excellent CO 2 uptake of 7.15 and 6.45 mmol/g, as well as superior separation selectivity. The XPS and FTIR spectra revealed that unsaturated Mg2+ sites in Mg 2 (dobdc) tightly grasped DETA molecule and alter the surrounding binding environment. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation implied that active amine group (–NH 2) on DETA was bonded to unsaturated Mg2+ sites through Mgδ+···Nδ- interaction with Mg-N distance of 2.22 Å and binding energy of 160.8 kJ/mol. For Mg 2 (dobdc) crystals, one CO 2 molecule was firmly attracted by unsaturated Mg2+ site via Mgδ+···Oδ- and Hδ+···Oδ- interaction with the calculated Mg-O distance of 2.32 Å and binding energy of 46.9 kJ/mol. For DETA-bridged Mg 2 (dobdc) crystals, one CO 2 molecule was simultaneously caught by unsaturated Mg2+ site of Mg 2 (dobdc) and active amine group of DETA through Mgδ+···Oδ- (distance = 4.13 Å) and Nδ-···Cδ+ (distance = 3.19 Å) interactions. DETA molecule as adhesion agent stick Mg 2 (dobdc) crystals and Matrimid matrix together to eliminate interface defects and voids in MMMs, could dramatically increase CO 2 permeability as well as the superior CO 2 /CH 4 and CO 2 /N 2 selectivity. Therefore, the CO 2 permeability of Matrimid-based MMMs incorporated with DETA-bridged Mg 2 (dobdc) crystals first increased to a peak of 41.1 Barrers and then decreased, when Mg 2 (dobdc) crystals loading increased from 2.5 wt% to 10 wt% and further to 15 wt%. This CO 2 permeability was 3.03 times higher than that (8.19 Barrers) of pristine Matrimid membrane and 17.8% higher than that (34.9 Barrers) of Matrimid-based MMMs incorporated with Mg 2 (dobdc) crystals (without DETA). Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy experiments revealed the different dispersion states of crystals in the MMMs with 15 wt% crystals, compared to the MMMs with 2.5 to 10 wt% crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermosetting polymer materials with excellent mechanical properties are highly promising in cryogenic engineering applications. However, the research on the toughening mechanism of thermosetting materials at cryogenic temperatures is always difficult. Herein, one type of high strength hyperbranched epoxy composite was successfully fabricated, and the correlation between microstructure (free volume) and mechanical properties of the HPB/epoxy composites was studied. To disclose the correlations between mechanical properties and microstructures for these composites, positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) measurements were carried out. Thereafter, better impact and compression properties were observed for composites with smaller free volume holes. Meanwhile, the impact and tensile properties of the composites are positively correlated with the free volume holes fraction at 77 K. The correlation between microstructure and mechanical properties provide valuable information for regulating the cryogenic mechanical properties of thermosetting materials in the future. [Display omitted] • One type of high strength hyperbranched epoxy composite was successfully fabricated. • The positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) measurements were carried out to detected the microstructure of hyperbranched epoxy composite. • The effect of free volume holes on mechanical properties provide valuable information for improving the cryogenic mechanical properties of epoxy resins in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To systematically summarize the published literature on the genetic variants associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)., Methods: Literature from Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase between January 1980 and September 2022 was systematically searched. Meta-analyses of the genetic variants were conducted using at least five data sources. The epidemiologic credibility of the significant associations was graded using the Venice criteria., Results: Based on literature screening, 399 eligible studies were included, comprising 381 candidate gene association, 16 genome-wide association, and 2 whole-exome sequencing studies. We identified 465 genetic variants in 173 genes in candidate gene association studies, and 25 genetic variants in 17 genes were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis identified 11 variants in 10 genes that were significantly associated with NAFLD, with cumulative epidemiological evidence of an association graded as strong for two variants in two genes ( HFE, TNF ), moderate for four variants in three genes ( TM6SF2, GCKR, and ADIPOQ ), and weak for five variants in five genes ( MBOAT7, PEMT, PNPLA3, LEPR, and MTHFR )., Conclusion: This study identified six variants in five genes that had moderate to strong evidence of an association with NAFLD, which may help understand the genetic architecture of NAFLD risk., (Copyright © 2024 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

The regulation of topological structure of covalent adaptable networks (CANs) remains a challenge for epoxy CANs. Here, we report a strategy to develop strong and tough epoxy supramolecular thermosets with rapid reprocessability and room-temperature closed-loop recyclability. These thermosets were constructed from vanillin-based hyperbranched epoxy resin (VanEHBP) through the introduction of intermolecular hydrogen bonds and dual dynamic covalent bonds, as well as the formation of intramolecular and intermolecular cavities. The supramolecular structures confer remarkable energy dissipation capability of thermosets, leading to high toughness and strength. Due to the dynamic imine exchange and reversible noncovalent crosslinks, the thermosets can be rapidly and effectively reprocessed at 120 °C within 30 s. Importantly, the thermosets can be efficiently depolymerized at room temperature, and the recovered materials retain the structural integrity and mechanical properties of the original samples. This strategy may be employed to design tough, closed-loop recyclable epoxy thermosets for practical applications., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Self-healing elastomers usually show poor mechanical properties and environmental stability, and they cannot self-report mechanical/chemical damage. Herein, an innovative design strategy is reported that combines symmetric/asymmetric chain extenders to create large yet disordered hard domains within polyurethane (PU) elastomers, enabling the integration of mechanical robustness and self-reporting and self-healing capabilities to overcome both mechanical and chemical damage. Specifically, large yet disordered hard domains were created by governing the molar contents of asymmetric fluorescent 2-(4-aminophenyl)-5-aminobenzimidazole (PABZ) and symmetric 4-aminophenyl disulfide (APDS). Such a structural feature led to a small free-volume fraction, prominent strain-induced crystallization (SIC), and high energy of dissipation, enabling the PU elastomer to display outstanding mechanical strength (60.7 MPa) and toughness (177.9 MJ m -3 ). Meanwhile, the loose stacking of disordered hard domains imposed small restriction on network chains and imparted the network with high relaxation dynamics, leading to high healing efficiency (97.8%). More importantly, the fluorescence intensity was stimulus-responsive and thus the PU elastomer could self-report mechanical/chemical damage and healing processes. The PU elastomer also showed potential application prospects in information encoding and encryption. Furthermore, selecting polydimethylsiloxane as one of the soft segments could effectively endow the PU elastomer with intrinsic hydrophobicity. Therefore, this work provides valuable guidance for designing multi-functional materials with anti-counterfeiting, self-reporting, and healing properties as well as high mechanical properties and hydrophobicity.

Objectives: To elucidate the expression levels and prognostic value of the Lipoyltransferase 2 (LIPT2) gene in a pan-cancer view., Methodology: Our study comprehensively investigated the role of LIPT2 in pan-cancer, combining bioinformatics analyses with experimental validations., Results: Analysis of LIPT2 mRNA expression across various cancers revealed a significant up-regulation in 18 tumor types and down-regulation in 8 types, indicating its diverse involvement. Prognostic assessment demonstrated a correlation between elevated LIPT2 expression and poorer outcomes in Overall Survival (OS) and Disease-Free Survival (DFS), particularly in Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (LIHC), and Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma (PCPG). Protein expression analysis in GBM, LIHC, and PCPG affirmed a consistent increase in LIPT2 levels compared to normal tissues. Examining the methylation status in GBM, LIHC, and PCPG, we found reduced promoter methylation levels in tumor samples, suggesting a potential influence on LIPT2 function. Genetic mutation analysis using cBioPortal indicated a low mutation frequency (< 2%) in LIPT2 across GBM, LIHC, and PCPG. Immune correlation analysis unveiled a positive association between LIPT2 expression and infiltration levels of immune cells in GBM, LIHC, and PCPG. Single-cell analysis illustrated LIPT2's positive correlation with functional states, including angiogenesis and inflammation. Enrichment analysis identified LIPT2-associated processes and pathways, providing insights into its potential molecular mechanisms. Drug sensitivity analysis demonstrated that elevated LIPT2 expression conferred resistance to multiple compounds, while lower expression increased sensitivity. Finally, RT-qPCR validation in HCC cell lines confirmed the heightened expression of LIPT2 compared to a control cell line, reinforcing the bioinformatics findings., Conclusion: Overall, our study highlights LIPT2 as a versatile player in cancer, influencing diverse aspects from molecular processes to clinical outcomes across different cancer types., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2024.)

Designing bifunctional low-cost photo-assisted electrocatalysts for converting solar and electric energy into hydrogen energy remains a huge challenge. Herein, a heterojunction (Fe cluster modified Co 9 S 8 loaded on carbon nanotubes, Co 9 S 8 -Fe@CNT) for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is demonstrated. Benefiting from the good electronic conductivity and spatial confinement of the carbon skeleton, as well as the electronic structure regulation of the Fe cluster, Co 9 S 8 -Fe@CNT exhibits excellent catalytic performance with a low overpotential of 150 mV for OER and 135 mV for HER at 10 mA cm -2 . Upon light irradiation, holes and electrons are generated in the valence band and conduction band of the Co 9 S 8 , respectively. Part of the charges are transferred to the interface to facilitate the catalytic reaction, while the remaining are transferred by the electrode. When working as a bifunctional catalyst for overall water splitting, the performance can reach 1.33 V at under light conditions, which is significantly better than 1.52 V in a dark environment. Theoretical calculations revealed lowered Gibbs free energy (∆G H *) of the heterojunction with the effect of Fe modification of Co 9 S 8 . This work sheds a new light in designing novel photoelectrochemical materials to convert solar and electric energy into chemical energy., (© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

MetaFormer, the abstracted architecture of Transformer, has been found to play a significant role in achieving competitive performance. In this paper, we further explore the capacity of MetaFormer, again, by migrating our focus away from the token mixer design: we introduce several baseline models under MetaFormer using the most basic or common mixers, and demonstrate their gratifying performance. We summarize our observations as follows: (1) MetaFormer ensures solid lower bound of performance. By merely adopting identity mapping as the token mixer, the MetaFormer model, termed IdentityFormer, achieves [Formula: see text]80% accuracy on ImageNet-1 K. (2) MetaFormer works well with arbitrary token mixers. When specifying the token mixer as even a random matrix to mix tokens, the resulting model RandFormer yields an accuracy of [Formula: see text]81%, outperforming IdentityFormer. Rest assured of MetaFormer's results when new token mixers are adopted. (3) MetaFormer effortlessly offers state-of-the-art results. With just conventional token mixers dated back five years ago, the models instantiated from MetaFormer already beat state of the art. (a) ConvFormer outperforms ConvNeXt. Taking the common depthwise separable convolutions as the token mixer, the model termed ConvFormer, which can be regarded as pure CNNs, outperforms the strong CNN model ConvNeXt. (b) CAFormer sets new record on ImageNet-1 K. By simply applying depthwise separable convolutions as token mixer in the bottom stages and vanilla self-attention in the top stages, the resulting model CAFormer sets a new record on ImageNet-1 K: it achieves an accuracy of 85.5% at 224 ×224 resolution, under normal supervised training without external data or distillation. In our expedition to probe MetaFormer, we also find that a new activation, StarReLU, reduces 71% FLOPs of activation compared with commonly-used GELU yet achieves better performance. Specifically, StarReLU is a variant of Squared ReLU dedicated to alleviating distribution shift. We expect StarReLU to find great potential in MetaFormer- like models alongside other neural networks. Code and models are available at https://github.com/sail-sg/metaformer.

With the mass vaccination program for COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, there has been sufficient real-world study (RWS) on the topic to summarize their safety in the total population and in immunocompromised (IC) patients who were excluded from phase 3 clinical trials. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the safety of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, with a total of 5,132,799 subjects from 122 articles. In the case of the total population vaccinated with first, second, and third doses, the pooled incidence of any adverse events (AEs) was 62.20%, 70.39%, and 58.60%; that of any local AEs was 52.03%, 47.99%, and 65.00%; that of any systemic AEs was 29.07%, 47.86%, and 32.71%. Among the immunocompromised patients, the pooled odds ratio of any AEs, any local AEs, and systemic AEs were slightly lower than or similar to those of the healthy controls at 0.60 (95% CI: 0.33-1.11), 0.19 (95% CI: 0.10-0.37), and 0.36 (95% CI: 0.25-0.54), with pooled incidences of 51.95%, 38.82%, and 31.00%, respectively. The spectrum of AEs associated with the vaccines was broad, but most AEs were transient, self-limiting, and mild to moderate. Moreover, younger adults, women, and people with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to experience AEs.