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The size and structural control of particulate carriers for imaging agents and therapeutics are constant themes in designing smart delivery systems. This is motivated by the causal relationship between geometric parameters and functionalities of delivery vehicles. Here, both in vitro and in vivo, the controlling factors for cytotoxicity, photothermal, and anti‐tumor effects of biodegradable magnesium@poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid (Mg@PLGA) particulate carriers with different sizes and shell thicknesses are investigated. Mg@PLGA microspheres fabricated by microfluidic emulsification are shown to have higher Mg encapsulation efficiency, 87%, than nanospheres by ultrasonic homogenization, 50%. The photothermal and anti‐tumor effects of Mg@PLGA spheres are found to be dictated by their Mg content, irrelevant to size and structural features, as demonstrated in both in vitro cell assays and in vivo mice models. These results also provide important implications for designing and fabricating stimuli‐responsive drug delivery vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium metal anodes are ideal candidates for advanced high energy density Na metal batteries. Nevertheless, the unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), the uncontrollable dendrite growth, and low Coulombic efficiency during cycling have prevented their applications. Herein, a high‐performance Na anode is achieved by introduction of an ex situ artificial Na3P layer on the surface via a simple red phosphorus pretreatment method. The artificial SEI layer possesses high ionic conductivity and high Young's modulus, which regulates uniform deposition of ions and prevents the dendrite growth. Benefiting from these merits, the Na||Na cells with the protected layers demonstrate excellent electrochemical performance (780 h at 1.0 mA cm–2, 1.0 mAh cm–2). When assembled into a full battery with a Na3V2(PO4)3 cathode, the Na metal battery exhibits a long lifespan of 400 cycles at 15 C and a high rate capacity of ≈53.2 mAh g–1 at 30 C. In addition the red P pretreatment method can be applied to potassium metal anodes. Outstanding performance is also achieved in K||K cells with the formation of a KxPy protecting layer (550 h at 0.5 mA cm–2, 0.5 mAh cm–2). The artificial P‐derived protection approach can also be extended to solid‐state alkali metal batteries with high power density and energy density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a simple hydrothermal route coupled with a carbonization treatment, one-dimensional NiCo2S4@MnO2 heterostructures have been fabricated successfully. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurements showed that MnO2 nanoflakes uniformly wrapped around the surface of NiCo2S4 nanotubes and formed core- shell heterostructured nanotubes, which combine the advantages of both NiCo2S4 such as excellent cycle stability and MnO2 such as high capacity. Serving as a supercapacitor electrode, the NiCo2S4@MnO2 heterostructures possess a remarkable specific capacitance (1337.8 F g-1 at the current density of 2.0 A g-1) and excellent cycling stability (retaining 82% after 2000 cycles) due to the synergistic effects of NiCo2S4 and MnO2. These unique nanoarchitectures demonstrate potential applications in energy storage electrodes and may inspire researchers to continue to focus on heterostructured materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fatigue damage of composite sandwich panels is divided into two parts: the face sheet damage and the core damage. Both the two kinds of damage cause the performance degradation of panels, however only the core damage results in the ultimate failure. In this paper, a fatigue damage model of the face sheet and the core is proposed and three-point bending tests are carried out to obtain the deflection evolution curves. With the proposed model, the fatigue damage can be predicted accurately, which proves the validity of the fatigue damage model proposed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the bending fatigue tests of honeycomb sandwich panels are carried out by using an improved three-point bending test fixture, and the S-N curves at different stress ratios are obtained. Through the records of fatigue damage in the experiment, the failure mode of the honeycomb sandwich panels and the source of fatigue damage are determined. At the same time, through the calculation of the shear stress distribution on the honeycomb wall, the reasons for the difference in the failure morphology of the L-direction and W-direction sandwich panels are clarified. Besides, a life prediction method is proposed and its effectiveness in predicting the fatigue life of sandwich panels has been verified. • Complete three-point bending test of sandwich panels. • Determine the fatigue failure modes of composite sandwich panels. • Observe the growth process of fatigue damage in the core of composite sandwich panels. • Analyze differences of failure modes between L and W direction specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A model is established to calculate CERR of asymmetrical specimen. • The formula to calculate CERR for asymmetrical specimens is deduced. • CERR for delamination of specimen with asymmetric stiffness are calculated. • By comparing with previous work, a smaller dispersion is observed. • Find that inserts in crack tip may reduce CERR during crack initiation stage. The interface debonding is a major failure mode of composite structures. In this paper, the debonding behavior of the structurally asymmetric interfaces is studied, and the calculating method of the critical energy release rate of such debonding interfaces is proposed. The experimental results show that the critical energy release rate calculated in this paper is more in line with its intrinsic physical attribute of being a material constant, which proves the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and Objectives: To investigate whether chronic diseases are associated with higher COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy and explore factors that influence COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy in patients with chronic diseases. Background: Vaccine hesitancy has been acknowledged as one of the greatest hazards to public health. However, little information is available about COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy among patients with chronic diseases who may be more susceptible to COVID‐19 infection, severe disease or death. Methods: From 6 to 9 August 2021, we performed an internet‐based cross‐sectional survey with 22,954 participants (14.78% participants with chronic diseases). Propensity score matching with 1:1 nearest neighbourhood was used to reduce confounding factors between patients with chronic diseases and the general population. Using a multivariable logistic regression model, the factors impacting COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy were identified among patients with chronic diseases. Results: Both before and after propensity score matching, patients with chronic diseases had higher COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy than the general population. In addition, self‐reported poor health, multiple chronic diseases, lower sociodemographic backgrounds and lower trust in nurses and doctors were associated with COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy among patients with chronic diseases. Conclusions: Patients with chronic diseases were more hesitant about the COVID‐19 vaccine. Nurses should focus on patients with chronic diseases with poor health conditions, low socioeconomic backgrounds and low trust in the healthcare system. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Clinical nurses are recommended to not only pay more attention to the health status and sociodemographic characteristics of patients with chronic diseases but also build trust between nurses and patients by improving service levels and professional capabilities in clinical practice. Patient or Public Contribution: Patients or the public were not involved in setting the research question, the outcome measures, or the design or implementation of the study. However, all participants were invited to complete the digital informed consent and questionnaires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that avian leukosis virus (ALV) infection has inflicted massive economic losses on the poultry breeding industry in most countries, its early diagnosis remains an important measure for timely treatment and control of the disease, for which a rapid and sensitive point-of-care test is required. We established a user-friendly, economical, and rapid visualization method for ALV amplification products based on reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) combined with an immunochromatographic strip in a lateral flow device (LFD). Using the ALVp27 gene as the target, five RT-LAMP primers and one fluorescein-isothiocyanate-labeled probe were designed. After 60 min of RT-LAMP amplification at 64 °C, the products could be visualized directly using the LFD. The detection limit of this assay for ALV detection was 102 RNA copies/μL, and the sensitivity was 100 times that of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), showing high specificity and sensitivity. To verify the clinical practicality of this assay for detecting ALV, the gold standard RT-PCR method was used for comparison, and consistent results were obtained with both assays. Thus, the assay described here can be used for rapid detection of ALV in resource-limited environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an attempt to improve the predictive accuracy of the Menter shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model for adverse pressure gradient (APG) flows. The foundation of this work lies in the newly modified law of the wall and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) transport equation within the APG turbulent boundary layer. The modification of the law of the wall is achieved through a newly proposed variable λ, which is derived theoretically and calibrated using direct numerical simulation data. Based on the new law of the wall, we analyze the TKE transport equation of the SST model at APG and demonstrate that the analytical solution satisfying the law of the wall cannot achieve equilibrium in the current SST model. Further theoretical analysis reveals that this imbalance is caused by the TKE production term Pk, and the decomposition of the wall friction coefficient Cf indicates that Pk directly affects the prediction of flow separation. Based on the analysis and the new law of the wall, an additional term for Pk is suggested to correct Pk and improve the model's predictive accuracy for APG flows. Numerical validation results show that the correction leads to an increase in Pk within the APG turbulent boundary layer, resulting in more accurate predictions of Cf and the mean velocity profile in the inner layer of the turbulent boundary layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Healthy lifestyle behaviors (LBs) have been widely recommended for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite a large number of studies exploring the association between combined LBs and CVD, a notable gap exists in integration of relevant literatures. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies to analyze the correlation between combined LBs and the occurrence of CVD, as well as to estimate the risk of various health complications in individuals already diagnosed with CVD. Methods: Articles published up to February 10, 2023 were sourced through PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science. Eligible prospective cohort studies that reported the relations of combined LBs with pre-determined outcomes were included. Summary relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using either a fixed or random-effects model. Subgroup analysis, meta-regression, publication bias, and sensitivity analysis were as well performed. Results: In the general population, individuals with the healthiest combination of LBs exhibited a significant risk reduction of 58% for CVD and 55% for CVD mortality. For individuals diagnosed with CVD, adherence to the healthiest combination of LBs corresponded to a significant risk reduction of 62% for CVD recurrence and 67% for all-cause mortality, when compared to those with the least-healthy combination of LBs. In the analysis of dose-response relationship, for each increment of 1 healthy LB, there was a corresponding decrease in risk of 17% for CVD and 19% for CVD mortality within the general population. Similarly, among individuals diagnosed with CVD, each additional healthy LB was associated with a risk reduction of 27% for CVD recurrence and 27% for all-cause mortality. Conclusions: Adopting healthy LBs is associated with substantial risk reduction in CVD, CVD mortality, and adverse outcomes among individuals diagnosed with CVD. Rather than focusing solely on individual healthy LB, it is advisable to advocate for the adoption of multiple LBs for the prevention and management of CVD. Trial registration: PROSPERO: CRD42023431731. Significance: The meta-analysis examined the quantitative correlation between lifestyle behaviors (LBs) and the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD mortality in the general population, as well as adverse outcomes in CVD patients. The results suggest that healthy LBs are associated with substantial risk reduction in these 3 outcomes. Multiple LBs, instead of tackling one certain LB, should be recommended for the prevention and management of CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots@noble metal nanoparticle composites are formed by combining carbon dots and metal nanoparticles using various strategies. Carbon dots exhibit a reducing ability and function as stabilisers; consequently, metal-ion solutions can be directly reduced by them to synthesise gold, silver, and gold–silver alloy particles. Carbon dots@gold/silver/gold–silver particle composites have demonstrated the potential for several practical applications owing to their superior properties and simple preparation process. Until now, several review articles have been published to summarise fluorescent carbon dots or noble metal nanomaterials. Compared with metal-free carbon dots, carbon dots@noble metal nanoparticles have a unique morphology and structure, resulting in new physicochemical properties, which allow for sensing, bioimaging, and bacteriostasis applications. Therefore, to promote the effective development of carbon dots@noble metal nanoparticle composites, this paper primarily reviews carbon dots@gold/silver/gold–silver alloy nanoparticle composites for the first time in terms of the following aspects. (1) The synthesis strategies of carbon dots@noble metal nanoparticle composites are outlined. The principle and function of carbon dots in the synthesis strategies are examined. The advantages and disadvantages of these methods and composites are analysed. (2) The characteristics and properties of such composites are described. (3) The applications of these composite materials are summarised. Finally, the potentials and limitations of carbon dots@noble metal nanoparticle composites are discussed, thus laying the foundation for their further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effect of LSP on the fatigue life of notched specimens is studied. • Fatigue tests of LSP-treated aluminum alloys are carried out. • A life prediction method is proposed by introducing effective stress to TCD. • The effective stress is constructed by using initial and compressive stress. The effect of Laser shock peening (LSP) on the fatigue life of notched metallic specimens is studied. LSP is applied to notched specimens made of two aluminum alloys and the fatigue tests are carried out. The stress field at the notch is both measured by X-ray diffractometer and simulated through numerical methods. The highest compressive stress lies in the layer near but a little below the surface. A life prediction method is proposed by introducing the effective stress after LSP into the Theory of Critical Distances (TCD). The predicted results are in sound agreement with the test results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium–sulfur (K−S) batteries have attracted wide attention owing to their high theoretical energy density and low cost. However, the intractable shuttle effect of K polysulfides results in poor cyclability of K−S batteries, which severely limits their practical application. Herein, a bifunctional concentrated electrolyte (3 mol L−1 potassium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide in ethylene carbonate (EC)) with high ionic conductivity and low viscosity is developed to regulate the dissolution behavior of polysulfides and induce uniform K deposition. The organic groups in the cathode electrolyte interphase layer derived from EC can effectively block the polysulfide shuttle and realize a "solid–liquid–solid" reaction mechanism. The KF‐riched solid‐electrolyte interphase inhibits K dendrite growth during cycling. As a result, the achieved K−S batteries display a high reversible capacity of 654 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 after 800 cycles and a long lifespan over 2000 cycles at 1 A g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agar benzoate (AB) with different degrees of substitution (DS) was synthesized by the esterification of agar and benzoic anhydride in aqueous solution. The DS could be regulated by adjusting composition ratio, pH, and temperature. Its chemical structure was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). 13C NMR spectrum of the AB suggested the main substitution occurred at the C-6 in the d -galactopyranose. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy (Cryo-SEM) showed that the aperture of AB was larger than that of agar. The thermal performance of AB decreased slightly, but this did not affect its performance. AB showed the highest relative antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli , S. aureus and Alternaria alternata , reaching 100 % (AB 20 g/L), 100 % (AB 40 g/L) and 19.35 % (7 d incubation), respectively. Moreover, the obtained AB possessed good emulsion stability. These antibacterial AB have broad application prospects in the field of fruit and vegetable preservation. • A mild method to synthesize agar benzoate was proposed for the first time. • Agar benzoate showed higher emulsion activity and stability than agar. • Agar benzoates have strong antibacterial activity against E. coli and A. alternata. • Agar benzoates have potential application as food packaging for fruit preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucellosis is a chronic infectious disease caused by Brucella, which is characterized by inflammation of reproductive organs and fetal membranes, abortion, infertility, and local inflammatory lesions of various tissues. Due to the widespread prevalence and spread of brucellosis, it has not only caused huge losses to animal husbandry, but also brought serious impacts on human health and safety. Therefore, rapid and accurate diagnosis is of great significance for the effective control of brucellosis. Therefore, we have developed a rapid vertical flow technique (RVFT) using Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) as a marker material for the detection of brucellosis antibodies. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was purified and used to detect brucellosis antibodies to improve the sensitivity of this technique. To enhance the sensitivity of serum antibody detection, a single multifunctional compound buffer was created using whole blood as a biological sample while retaining the advantages of typical lateral flow immunoassays. After signal amplification, standard Brucella-positive serum (containing Brucella antibody at 4000 IU mL−1) could be detected in this system even at a dilution factor of 1 × 10−2. The detection limit was 40 IU mL−1, which is ten times that before signal amplification. This RVFT displayed good specificity and no cross-reactivity. This RVFT effectively avoided the false negative phenomenon of lateral flow immunoassays, was easy to operate, had a short reaction time, has good repeatability, and could elicit results that were visible to the naked eye for 2 ~ 3 min without any equipment. Since this method is very important for controlling the prevalence of brucellosis, it holds great promise for application in primary medical units and veterinary brucellosis detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photothermal therapy has attracted extensive attentions in cancer treatment due to its precise spatial-temporal controllability, minimal invasiveness, and negligible side effects. However, two major deficiencies, unsatisfactory heat conversion efficiency and limited tissue penetration depth, hugely impeded its clinical application. In this work, hollow carbon nanosphere modified with polyethylene glycol-graft-polyethylenimine (HPP) was elaborately synthesized. The synthesized HPP owns outstanding physical properties as a photothermal agent, such as uniform core-shell structure, good biocompatibility and excellent heat conversion efficiency. Upon NIR-II laser irradiation, the intracellular HPP shows excellent photothermal activity towards cancer cell killing. In addition, depending on the large internal cavity of HPP, the extended biomedical application as drug carrier was also demonstrated. In general, the synthesized HPP holds a great potential in NIR-II laser-activated cancer photothermal therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Improvement of nonlinear fatigue cumulative models considering load sequence effect. • Probabilistic model to take into account the uncertainties of load and material character. • Incorporation of load exceedance variation of fatigue load spectrum. • Verification on 2297-T87 aluminum–lithium alloy under spectrum loading. A probabilistic fatigue cumulative damage model that can be applied to the fatigue life prediction of aluminum alloy under spectrum loading is proposed in this paper. The model is constructed by a novel nonlinear cumulative damage model, the P – S – N curve, and the probabilistic load–exceedance curve. It introduces the randomness of the loading process and fatigue resistance of the material to the deterministic model. In this model, it is derived that the cumulative damage under fleet spectrum loading exhibits an approximate lognormal distribution, and a method to calculate the distribution parameters is provided. Finally, the validity of the proposed probabilistic model is verified through fatigue tests on 2297-T87 aluminum–lithium alloy specimens under random loading, demonstrating its capability to capture the probabilistic nature of the fatigue behavior of aluminum alloy effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Eu-TRLMs was synthesized by a one-step method, avoiding complex synthesis process. • TRLM-ICTS combines time-resolved technology and rapid detection of LFIA. • Excellent performance of strong specificity, high sensitivity and stability. • Detection range is wide and can accurately quantify trace FA in real samples. Folic acid (FA) is an ingredient that must be added to infant milk powder to avoid potential defects. Rapid, sensitive and reliable detection methods are needed to determined FA addition levels. Thus, this study established a microsphere immunochromatographic test strip for time-resolved luminescence detection (TRLM-ICTS) based on carboxyl-functionalized time-resolved luminescent microspheres (Eu-TRLMs) prepared by a one-step method as fluorescent markers for the immediate quantitative detection of FA in milk powder. Eu-TRLMs prepared by the one-step method showed good dispersion, high stability and strong fluorescence intensity, which is improving the sensitivity of TRLM-ICTS. In the performance evaluation of TRLM-ICTS, the detection limit was 0.487 ng mL−1, the recovery rate was 97.3–105 %, and the actual sample detection results were in line with those of UPLC-MS/MS. TRLM-ICTS has the advantages of rapid, high sensitivity and strong specificity and could as a practical quantitative detection method for the detection of FA in milk powder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although urban-rural residency has been shown to influence individual COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, the differences between urban and rural China have yet to be uncovered. This study aims to assess the current prevalence and factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in urban and rural areas and explore whether the rural versus urban residency is associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. A national, cross-sectional, online survey among Chinese urban and rural adults (≥18 years old) was conducted from 6th to August 9, 2021. A questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic factors, perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination status. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify the factors that influence COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to explore the association between urban versus rural residency and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. In total, 29,925 participants (80.56% urban participants) were recruited. Urban participants had a higher COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy than their rural counterparts (9.39% vs. 4.26%). After adjusting for potential confounders, we found that COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among females was lower than that in males in both urban (aOR = 0.78, 95% CI [0.69–0.88]) and rural areas (aOR = 0.54, 95% CI [0.39–0.75]). The lack of trust towards vaccine producers was found to be associated with vaccine hesitancy among the urban participants (aOR = 2.76, 95% CI [2.22–3.43]). The rural floating population had a lower COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy than the rural permanent residents (aOR = 0.58, 95% CI [0.42–0.80]). PSM analysis revealed a 2.38% difference in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy between urban and rural participants. Urban participants were more hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine than rural participants. Priority should be placed on boosting confidence in the healthcare system to reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among urban residents. Furthermore, we advocate for extra incentives and vaccination education for rural permanent residents. • Assessed differences in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy between urban and rural China. • The urban (vs. rural) population was more hesitant to be vaccinated. • The lower the trust in the healthcare system, the higher the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. • COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the rural permanent population needs extra attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A versatile strategy to develop shape morphing hydrogel with swelling anisotropy. • The use of single ink to create heterogeneous structures without using chemical reactions. • Excellent printability of the shape morphing hydrogel. • Ability to print out a series of simple and complex dynamic structures with high accuracy. • Relatively fast shape morphing process within just a few minutes. 4D printing of swellable/shrinkable hydrogels has been viewed as an appealing approach for fabricating dynamic structures for various biomedical applications. However, 4D printing of precise hydrogel structures is still highly challenging due to the relatively poor printability of hydrogels and high surface roughness of printed patterns, when micro extrusion-based 3D printers are used. In this study, a highly printable and shape morphing hydrogel was investigated for 4D printing by blending alginate (Alg) and methylcellulose (MC). The optimized Alg/MC hydrogel exhibited excellent rheological properties, extrudability and shape fidelity of printed structures. The printable Alg/MC hydrogel was 4D printed into a series of patterned 2D architectures which were encoded with anisotropic stiffness and swelling behaviors by strategically controlling the network density gradients vertical to the orientation of the patterned strips. By controlling the strip interspacing and angle, these 2D architectures could transform into various prescribed simple 3D morphologies (e.g., tube-curling and helix) and complex 3D morphologies (e.g., double helix and flowers) after immersion in a calcium chloride solution. This shape morphing Alg/MC hydrogel with excellent printability has high potential for 4D printing of delicate hydrogel patterns, which are increasingly needed in the tissue engineering, biomedical device and soft robotics fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale and Objectives: To evaluate the performance of deep learning (DL) in predicting different breast cancer molecular subtypes using DCE-MRI from two institutes., Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 366 breast cancer patients from two institutes, divided into training (n = 292), validation (n = 49) and testing (n = 25) sets. We first transformed the public DCE-MRI appearance to ours to alleviate small-data-size and class-imbalance issues. Second, we developed a multi-branch convolutional-neural-network (MBCNN) to perform molecular subtype prediction. Third, we assessed the MBCNN with different regions of interest (ROIs) and fusion strategies, and compared it to previous DL models. Area under the curve (AUC) and accuracy (ACC) were used to assess different models. Delong-test was used for the comparison of different groups., Results: MBCNN achieved the optimal performance under intermediate fusion and ROI size of 80 pixels with appearance transformation. It outperformed CNN and convolutional long-short-term-memory (CLSTM) in predicting luminal B, HER2-enriched and TN subtypes, but without demonstrating statistical significance except against CNN in TN subtypes, with testing AUCs of 0.8182 vs. [0.7208, 0.7922] (p=0.44, 0.80), 0.8500 vs. [0.7300, 0.8200] (p=0.36, 0.70) and 0.8900 vs. [0.7600, 0.8300] (p=0.03, 0.63), respectively. When predicting luminal A, MBCNN outperformed CNN with AUCs of 0.8571 vs. 0.7619 (p=0.08) without achieving statistical significance, and is comparable to CLSTM. For four-subtype prediction, MBCNN achieved an ACC of 0.64, better than CNN and CLSTM models with ACCs of 0.48 and 0.52, respectively., Conclusion: Developed DL model with the feature extraction and fusion of DCE-MRI from two institutes enabled preoperative prediction of breast cancer molecular subtypes with high diagnostic performance., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Fengjun Zhao reports financial support was provided by the Scientific Research Program Funded by Education Department of Shaanxi Provincial Government (22JP087) and the Key R&D Plan of Shaanxi Province (2024SF-YBXM-321). Xiaowei He reports financial support was provided by the Xi’an Science and Technology Plan (201805060ZD11CG44). If there are other authors, they 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 © 2024 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Two-dimensional (2D) periodic arrays of conductive polymers represent attractive platforms for wiring functional molecules into the integrated circuits of molecular electronics. However, the large-scale assembly of polymer periodic arrays at the molecular level faces challenges such as curling, twisting, and aggregation. Here, we assembled the periodic arrays of long-chain poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT, M w = 65 k) at the solid-liquid interface by applying an electric field, within which the charged chain segments were aligned. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging revealed that individual P3HT chains assemble into monolayers featuring face-on orientation, extended chain conformation and isolated packing, which is thermodynamically more stable than folded chains in 2D polycrystals. The assembly process is initiated with the formation of disordered clusters and progresses through voltage-dependent nucleation and growth of extended-chain arrays, wherein continuous conformational adjustments along the nucleation pathway exhibit dependence on the cluster size.

The abnormal increase of Oddi sphincter pressure and total bile duct pressure may play an important role in the formation of cholesterol stones, but the specific molecular mechanism is still unclear. This study aims to investigate it through in vitro and in vivo experiments. A mouse model of Oddi sphincter dysfunction was constructed by stone-inducing diet. We compared the two groups with PKC-α inhibitor GÖ6976 and PKC-α agonist thymeleatoxin. Oddi sphincter pressure and total bile duct pressure were measured. Biochemical analysis of total cholesterol, bile acid and bilirubin was then conducted. The histopathologic changes of bile duct were observed by HE staining and the ultrastructure of liver cells and surrounding tissues was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Through the above experiments, we found that the change of PKC-α expression may affect the formation process of gallstones. The relationship between PKC-α and ABCB11 was further verified by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Our results suggest that ABCB11 and PKC-α are co-expressed in the tubule membrane of hepatocytes and interact with each other in hepatocytes. The high cholesterol diet further enhances the activation of PKC-α and thus reduces the expression of ABCB11. The formation of cholesterol stones is associated with the down-regulation of ABCB11 expression in the tubule membrane of hepatocytes due to kinase signaling. This is the first study to demonstrate that sphincter of Oddi dysfunction induces gallstones through PKC-α inhibition of ABCB11 expression., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)