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Abstract Background Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are heterogeneous and clonal hematological disorders. The role and mechanism of necroptosis in MDS remain poorly understood. Methods mRNA expression profiles and single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data were sourced from the GEO database. ScRNA-seq data were processed using the “Seurat” package. After cell annotation, necroptosis-related scores (NRscores) for each cell were calculated using the “UCell” package. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and their associated biological functions in NRscore-related cell populations were identified. Additionally, DEGs and necroptosis-related genes (DE-NRGs) between MDS patients and healthy controls were identified. Consensus clustering was employed to classify MDS patients into distinct subclusters based on DE-NRGs. The biological functions and immune characteristics of these classifications were analyzed. Prognostic gene signatures were determined using LASSO and SVM-RFE analyses, and a nomogram was constructed based on the prognostic gene signature. Results A total of 12 cell types were identified in MDS and healthy controls. NRscore was found to be elevated in monocytes and common lymphoid precursors (CLPs). Enrichment analysis revealed that monocytes and CLPs with high NRscore were associated with mitochondria-related and immune-related pathways. Eleven DEGs in monocytes and CLPs between MDS patients and healthy controls were identified. Additionally, 13 DE-NRGs were identified from 951 DEGs between MDS and healthy controls. MDS patients were classified into two distinct subclusters based on these 13 DE-NRGs, revealing several immune-related processes and signaling pathways. Differences in immune subpopulations between the two subclusters were observed. A necroptosis-related diagnostic gene signature (IRF9, PLA2G4A, MLKL, BAX, JAK2, and STAT3) was identified as predictive of MDS prevalence. Conclusion Necroptosis plays a role in MDS progression by inducing inflammation. A novel necroptotic gene signature has been developed to distinguish and diagnose MDS at early stages of the disease.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 85 % of all lung cancers. In NSCLC, 10–20 % of Caucasian patients and 30–50 % of Asian patients have tumors with activating mutations in the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR). A high percentage of these patients exhibit favorable responses to treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). Unfortunately, a majority of these patients develop therapeutic resistance with progression free survival lasting 9–18 months. The mechanisms that underlie the tumorigenic effects of EGFR and the ability of NSCLC to develop resistance to TKI therapies, however, are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that CHI3L1 is produced by EGFR activation of normal epithelial cells, transformed epithelial cells with wild type EGFR and cells with cancer-associated, activating EGFR mutations. We also demonstrate that CHI3L1 auto-induces itself and feeds back to stimulate EGFR and its ligands via a STAT3-dependent mechanism(s). Highly specific antibodies against CHI3L1 (anti-CHI3L1/FRG) and TKI, individually and in combination, abrogated the effects of EGFR activation on CHI3L1 and the ability of CHI3L1 to stimulate the EGFR axis. Anti-CHI3L1 also interacted with osimertinib to reverse TKI therapeutic resistance and induce tumor cell death and inhibit pulmonary metastasis while stimulating tumor suppressor genes including KEAP1. CHI3L1 is a downstream target of EGFR that feeds back to stimulate and activate the EGFR axis. Anti-CHI3L1 is an exciting potential therapeutic for EGFR mutant NSCLC, alone and in combination with osimertinib or other TKIs.

Most patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are initially at an advanced stage, and radiotherapy resistance impact the effectiveness of treatment. This study aims to investigate the effects of endocrine disruptor Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) on various biological behaviors and the radiotherapy sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells, as well as its potential mechanisms. Our findings indicate that exposure to DEHP promotes the proliferation of various cancer cells, including those from the lung, breast, pancreas, and liver, in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, DEHP exposure could influence several biological behaviors of pancreatic cancer cells in vivo and vitro. These effects include reducing cell apoptosis, causing G0/G1 phase arrest, increasing migration capacity, enhancing tumorigenicity, elevating the proportion of cancer stem cells (CSCs), and upregulating expression levels of CSCs markers such as CD133 and BMI1. DEHP exposure can also increase radiation resistance, which can be reversed by downregulating BMI1 expression. In summary our research suggests that DEHP exposure can lead to pancreatic cancer progression and radiotherapy resistance, and the mechanism may be related to the upregulation of BMI1 expression, which leads to the increase of CSCs properties.

To prepare high-performance copper-based composites, Y2O3/W multiphase reinforced copper-based composites were synthesized through mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering, and the mole ratio of W and Y2O3 was explored. It is found that the incorporation of W inhibited the growth of copper particle during ball milling, and facilitated the refinement of Y2O3. Compared to conditions without W addition, the Y2O3 particle diameter reduced from 97.96 nm to 33.4 nm when same mole W was added. Furthermore, copper grains were refined, resulting in a higher tensile strength of 305 MPa and elongation of 15.6 %. At 400 °C, the 5:5 sample exhibited a higher thermal conductivity of 299 W/(m·K). Nano-scale particles were uniformly distributed within the copper matrix, and the interaction between W and Y2O3 inhibited nanoparticle coarsening, leading to the formation of a more stable Y2WO6 phase during sintering, which is also better for the purification of the copper matrix.

AIM: To explore the brain mechanism of acupuncture for children with anisometropic amblyopia using the voxel-mirror homotopic connectivity (VMHC) analysis method of resting functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) technology based on clinical effectiveness. METHODS: Eighty children with anisometropic monocular amblyopia were randomly divided into two groups: control (40 cases, 1 case of shedding) and acupuncture (40 cases, 1 case of shedding) groups. The control group was treated with glasses, red flash, grating, and visual stimulations, with each procedure conducted for 5min per time. Based on routine treatment, the acupuncture group underwent acupuncture of “regulating qi and unblocking meridians to bright eyes”, Jingming (BL1), Cuanzhu (BL2), Guangming (GB37), Fengchi (GB20) acupoints were taken on both sides, with the needle kept for 30min each time. Both groups were treated once every other day, three times per week, for a total of 4wk. After the treatment, the overall curative effect of the two groups and the latency and amplitude changes of P100 wave of pattern visual-evoked potential were counted. At the same time, nine children with left eye amblyopia were randomly selected from the two groups and were scanned with rs-fMRI before and after treatment. The differences in the brain regions between the two groups were compared and analyzed with VMHC. RESULTS: Chi-square test showed a notable difference in the total efficiency rate between the acupuncture (94.87%) and control groups (79.49%). Regarding the P100 wave latency and amplitude, the acupuncture group had significantly shorter latency and higher amplitude of P100 wave than the control group. Moreover, the VMHC values of the bilateral temporal lobe, superior temporal gyrus, and middle temporal gyrus were notably increased in the acupuncture group after treatment. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture combined with conventional treatment can significantly improve the corrected visual acuity and optic nerve conduction in children with anisometropic amblyopia. Compared with the conventional treatment, the regulation of acupuncture on the functional activities of the relevant brain areas in the anterior cerebellum may be an effective acupuncture mechanism for anisometropic amblyopia.

The present study introduces MBSCSO, a novel optimizer derived from Sand Cat Swarm Optimization (SCSO), with the aim of addressing inherent limitations in the original SCSO algorithm. In MBSCSO, the initial implementation of the enhanced Circle chaotic mapping combined with dynamic opposition-based learning (ECM-OBL) strategy, aims to enhance the global exploration capability of algorithms in the initial stage. Additionally, a nonlinear sensitivity factor (NSF) is adopted to improve the balance between exploration and exploitation. The adaptive alert strategy (AAS), Levy flight strategy (LFS), adaptive Sinh-Cosh spiral attack strategy (ASCAS) and dynamic random search technique (DRST) are designed to enhance the overall performance and efficiency of the algorithm. Finally, the superiority of the presented MBSCSO is validated through comprehensive evaluations on 64 benchmark functions and five typical engineering problems, which clearly demonstrates that the MBSCSO algorithm consistently outperforms or achieves comparable performance to other state-of-the-art optimization approaches.

The Snow Ablation Optimizer (SAO) is a powerful metaheuristic algorithm that emulates the process of snow sublimation and melting. Despite exhibiting competitive performance compared to classical algorithms in initial research, SAO still has certain limitations, including suboptimal convergence accuracy, inadequate population diversity, and premature convergence, particularly when faced with high-dimensional complex challenges. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a refined snow ablation optimizer featuring joint opposite selection and multi-strategy fusion (JMRSAO), which integrates three enhancement strategies. Firstly, a good point set opposition-based learning (GPSOL) approach is utilized to generate a population of high-quality individuals that are evenly distributed. This helps the algorithm converge quickly towards the appropriate search space. Next, in both exploration and exploitation phases, we introduce joint opposite selection (JOS) technology to effectively retain superior individuals for future iterations. This promotes information exchange among diverse individuals and establishes a strong balance between exploring new possibilities and exploiting existing knowledge. Furthermore, we incorporate the Powell mechanism (PM) to enhance local exploration and accelerate convergence towards improved solutions. The performance of JMRSAO is evaluated by comparing it with thirteen other metaheuristic algorithms on three benchmark experiments from IEEE CEC2005, IEEE CEC2017, IEEE CEC2019, and IEEE CEC2022 as well as six engineering problems. Experimental results demonstrate that JMRSAO effectively addresses the limitations of SAO and exhibits exceptional performance in solving various complex problems while showcasing its potential as an effective problem-solving tool.

The multi-document summarization task requires the designed summarizer to generate a short text that covers the important information of original multiple documents and satisfies content diversity. To fulfill the dual requirements of coverage and diversity in multi-document summarization, this study introduces a novel method. Initially, a class tree is constructed through hierarchical clustering of documents. Subsequently, a sentence selection method based on class tree is proposed for generating a summary. Specifically, a top-down traversal is performed on the class tree, during which sentences are selected from each node based on their similarity to the centroid of the documents within the node and their dissimilarity to the centroid of documents not belonging to the node. Sentences selected from the root node reflect the commonality of all document, and sentences selected from the sub nodes reflect the distinct specificity of the respective subclasses. Experimental results on standard text summarization datasets DUC’2002, DUC’2003, and DUC’2004 demonstrate that the proposed method significantly outperforms the variant method that considers only commonality of all documents, achieving average improvements of up to 1.54 and 1.42 in ROUGE-1 and ROUGE-L scores, respectively. Additionally, the method demonstrates significant superiority over another variant method that considers only the specificity of subclasses, achieving average improvements of up to 2.16 and 2.01 in ROUGE-1 and ROUGE-L scores, respectively. Furthermore, extensive experiments on DUC’2004 and Multi-News datasets show that the proposed method outperforms lots of competitive supervised and unsupervised multi-document summarization methods and yields considerable results.

Determining the appropriate soil cadmium (Cd) criteria for vegetable production is important for ensuring that the Cd concentrations of the vegetables meet food safety standards. The soil extractable Cd criteria for vegetable production are also essential for both food safety and environmental management, especially in areas with a high natural background level. In the present study, soil total and extractable Cd criteria were derived using the approach of species sensitivity distribution integrated with soil aging and bioavailability as affected by soil properties. A dataset of 90 vegetable species planted in different soils was compiled by screening the published in literature in five bibliographic databases using designated search strings. The empirical soil–plant transfer model was applied to normalize the bioaccumulation data. After normalization, the intra-species variability was reduced by 18.3 to 84.4%. The soil Cd concentration that would protect 95% (HC5) of the species was estimated by species sensitivity distribution curves that were fitted by the Burr III function. The soil Cd criteria derived from the added approach for risk assessment were proposed as continuous criteria based on a combination of organic carbon and pH in the soil. Criteria for total Cd and EDTA-extractable Cd in the soil ranged from 0.23 to 0.61 mg kg−1 and from 0.09 to 0.25 mg kg−1, respectively. Field experimental data were used to validate the applicability and validity of these criteria. Most of the predicted HC5 values in the field experimental sites were below the 1:1 line. These results provide a scientific basis for soil Cd criteria for vegetable production that will ensure food safety.

Abstract Intrinsic metabolism shapes the immune environment associated with immune suppression and tolerance in settings such as organ transplantation and cancer. However, little is known about the metabolic activities in an immunosuppressive environment. In this study, we employed metagenomic, metabolomic, and immunological approaches to profile the early effects of the immunosuppressant drug tacrolimus, antibiotics, or both in gut lumen and circulation using a murine model. Tacrolimus induced rapid and profound alterations in metabolic activities within two days of treatment, prior to alterations in gut microbiota composition and structure. The metabolic profile and gut microbiome after seven days of treatment was distinct from that after two days of treatment, indicating continuous drug effects on both gut microbial ecosystem and host metabolism. The most affected taxonomic groups are Clostriales and Verrucomicrobiae (i.e., Akkermansia muciniphila), and the most affected metabolic pathways included a group of interconnected amino acids, bile acid conjugation, glucose homeostasis, and energy production. Highly correlated metabolic changes were observed between lumen and serum metabolism, supporting their significant interactions. Despite a small sample size, this study explored the largely uncharacterized microbial and metabolic events in an immunosuppressed environment and demonstrated that early changes in metabolic activities can have significant implications that may serve as antecedent biomarkers of immune activation or quiescence. To understand the intricate relationships among gut microbiome, metabolic activities, and immune cells in an immune suppressed environment is a prerequisite for developing strategies to monitor and optimize alloimmune responses that determine transplant outcomes.

Abstract Protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) with various acyl groups play central roles in Streptomyces. But whether these acyl groups can be further modified, and the influences of these potential modifications on bacterial physiology have not been addressed. Here in Streptomyces roseosporus with rich crotonylation, a luciferase monooxygenase LimB is identified to elaborately regulate the crotonylation level, morphological development and antibiotic production by oxidation on the crotonyl groups of an acetyl-CoA synthetase Acs. This chemical modification on crotonylation leads to Acs degradation via the protease ClpP1/2 pathway and lowered intracellular crotonyl-CoA pool. Thus, we show that acyl groups after PTMs can be further modified, herein named post-PTM modification (PPM), and LimB is a PTM modifier to control the substrate protein turnover for cell development of Streptomyces. These findings expand our understanding of the complexity of chemical modifications on proteins for physiological regulation, and also suggest that PPM would be widespread.

High temperatures and droughts are two natural disasters that cause forest fires. During climate change, the frequent occurrence of high temperatures, droughts, and their coupled effects significantly increase the forest fire risk. To reveal the seasonal and spatial differences in the coupled effects of high temperatures and droughts on forest fires, this study used the Copula method and proposed the compound extremely high-temperature and drought event index (CTDI). The results indicated that the study area was subject to frequent forest fires in spring (71.56%), and the burned areas were mainly located in forests (40.83%) and the transition zone between farmland and forests (36.91%). The probability of forest fires in summer increased with high temperatures and drought intensity, with high temperatures playing a dominant role. The highest forest fire hazard occurred in summer (>0.98). The probability of a forest fire occurring under extreme meteorological conditions in summer and fall was more than twice as high as that in the same zone under non-extreme conditions. Droughts play a significant role in the occurrence and spread of forest fires during fall. These results can provide decision-making support for forest fire warnings and fire fighting in the Northeast China forest zone.

Limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) presents a promising alternative material due to its reduced CO2 emissions and superior mechanical properties compared to traditional Portland cement (PC). This study investigates the synergistic effect of calcined coal-series kaolinite (CCK) and limestone (LS) on the hydration behavior of cement, specifically focusing on varying mass ratios. The combination of CCK and LS promotes the formation of strätlingite and carboaluminates, which enhances early-age strength development. Additionally, the inclusion of CCK facilitates the formation of carboaluminates during later stages of hydration. After 56 days of hydration, the content of carboaluminates is over 10%wt. This stimulation of secondary hydration products significantly refines the evolution of pore structure, with the harmful large pores gradually transformed into harmless medium pores and gel pores, leading to marked improvements in compressive strength from 7 to 28 days. Replacing 45% PC with CCK and LS at mass ratio of 7 to 2, the compressive strength of blends reaches 47.2 MPa at 28 days. Overall, the synergistic interaction between CCK and LS presents unique opportunities to minimize the CO2 footprint of the cement industry without compromising early and long-term performance.

Warming significantly impacts soil respiration in terrestrial ecosystems, thereby altering global carbon cycle processes. Numerous field experiments have investigated the effects of warming on soil respiration (Rs), but the results have been inconsistent due to various factors such as ecosystem type, soil warming amplitude, duration, and environmental conditions. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis of 1339 cases from 70 studies in terrestrial ecosystems to evaluate the response of Rs, heterotrophic respiration (Rh), and autotrophic respiration (Ra) to global warming. The results indicated that Rs, Rh, and Ra increased by 13.88%, 15.03%, and 19.72%, respectively, with a significant rise observed across different ecosystems. Generally, Rs increased with rising temperatures within a specific range (0–4 °C), whereas higher temperatures (>4 °C) did not significantly affect Rs. Moreover, Rs, Rh, and Ra exhibited an initial increase followed by a decrease with prolonged duration, indicating an adaptive response to climate warming. Additionally, Rs and Rh exhibit significant seasonal variations, with levels in winter being markedly higher than in summer. Furthermore, environmental factors exerted direct or indirect effects on soil respiration components. The factors’ importance for Rs was ranked as microbial biomass carbon (MBC) > mean annual temperature (MAT) > mean annual precipitation (MAP), for Rh as soil organic carbon (SOC) > MBC > MAT > MAP, and for Ra as belowground biomass (BGB) > aboveground biomass (AGB) > SOC. Future research should focus on the interactions among explanatory factors to elucidate the response mechanisms of soil respiration under global warming conditions.

Two types of Cu composites containing 3 wt% Y2O3, with and without a process control agent (PCA), were fabricated using mechanical alloying (MA) and hot isostatic pressing (HIP). The results showed that the addition of PCA effectively inhibited the growth of MA powders. This was attributed to the PCA forming a lubricating film on the MA powders, preventing adhesion between the powders. However, residual PCA after heat treatments contained C impurities, which had a significant impact on thermal conductivity. The lubricating film weakened the binding force between MA powders during sintering, resulting in poor mechanical performance. Additionally, the lubricating film slowed down the MA process by eliminating the frictional stress caused by oblique collision. Frictional stress plays a crucial role in the dissolution of Y into the Cu matrix due to the tearing of Y-rich particles and the fracture of MA powders. Therefore, it is necessary to explore an optimum PCA that can be easily removed before sintering, slow down the growth of MA powders, and avoid reducing the efficiency of the MA process during the synthesis of Cu-Y2O3 composites by mechanical alloying.

The utilization of solid waste as a resource is a beneficial approach to achieve pollution reduction and carbon reduction simultaneously. In this paper, we developed a quaternary solid waste-based cementitious materials (SWCMs) that can be used as a substitute for cement by utilizing four types of solid waste, namely ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), steel slag (SS), ammonia-soda residue (ASR) and desulfurization gypsum (DG). The performance optimization and carbon emissions of SWCMs are investigated by response surface methodology and emission factor calculations. The results showed that a second-order polynomial model can accurately predict the compressive strength of mortar specimens of SWCMs, with prediction accuracies of 96.78 % and 87.17 % for compressive strengths at 3 days and 28 days, respectively. In terms of raw materials, DG content positively correlates with the compressive strength of the mortar containing SWCMs, moreover, ratios of GGBS to ASR of less than two or more than eight are beneficial. In addition, the production process of each ton of SWCMs emits 71.51 kg CO2, which is only 10 % of the production process of ordinary Portland cement. Overall, this work elucidates the influence of raw materials on the mechanical properties of quaternary SWCMs and quantifies their carbon reduction effects as a substitute for traditional cement, advancing the investigation and application of SWCMs in the realm of low-carbon materials.

Abstract Background A Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiome provides the first line of defense against adverse genital tract health outcomes. However, there is limited understanding of the mechanisms by which the vaginal microbiome modulates protection, as prior work mostly described its composition through morphologic assessment and marker gene sequencing methods that do not capture functional information. To address this gap, we developed metagenomic community state types (mgCSTs) which use metagenomic sequences to describe and define vaginal microbiomes based on both composition and functional potential. Results MgCSTs are categories of microbiomes classified using taxonomy and the functional potential encoded in their metagenomes. MgCSTs reflect unique combinations of metagenomic subspecies (mgSs), which are assemblages of bacterial strains of the same species, within a microbiome. We demonstrate that mgCSTs are associated with demographics such as age and race, as well as vaginal pH and Gram stain assessment of vaginal smears. Importantly, these associations varied between mgCSTs predominated by the same bacterial species. A subset of mgCSTs, including three of the six predominated by Gardnerella vaginalis mgSs, as well as mgSs of L. iners, were associated with a greater likelihood of bacterial vaginosis diagnosed by Amsel clinical criteria. This L. iners mgSs, among other functional features, encoded enhanced genetic capabilities for epithelial cell attachment that could facilitate cytotoxin-mediated cell lysis. Finally, we report a mgSs and mgCST classifier for which source code is provided and may be adapted for use by the microbiome research community. Conclusions MgCSTs are a novel and easily implemented approach to reduce the dimension of complex metagenomic datasets while maintaining their functional uniqueness. MgCSTs enable the investigation of multiple strains of the same species and the functional diversity in that species. Future investigations of functional diversity may be key to unraveling the pathways by which the vaginal microbiome modulates the protection of the genital tract. Importantly, our findings support the hypothesis that functional differences between vaginal microbiomes, including those that may look compositionally similar, are critical considerations in vaginal health. Ultimately, mgCSTs may lead to novel hypotheses concerning the role of the vaginal microbiome in promoting health and disease, and identify targets for novel prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies to improve women’s genital health. Video Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic heavy metals in the environment. Atmospheric deposition has been found to be the main source of Cd pollution of soil on a large scale in China, and identification of the relationships between anthropogenic emission, atmospheric deposition, and Cd accumulation in soil is important for developing ways to mitigate Cd non-point pollution. In this study, the relationship between atmospheric emission, atmospheric deposition, and soil Cd accumulation in the Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain in China was investigated using datasets of atmospheric emission, deposition, and soil accumulation from the literatures published between 2000 and 2020. The results showed that the soil Cd accumulation rate in the study area exceeded the national average (4.0 μg kg–1 yr–1) and continued to accumulate in recent decades, although the average accumulation rate decreased from 9.45 μg kg–1 yr–1 (2000–2010 period) to 8.86 μg kg–1 yr–1 (2010–2020 period). The contribution of atmospheric deposition flux to Cd increment in the soil was in the range of 22–29%, with the atmospheric deposition flux decreasing from 0.54 mg m–2 yr–1 (2000–2010) to 0.48 mg m–2 yr–1 (2010–2020), both values being greater than the national average. Atmospheric Cd deposition and emission were highly correlated in a provincial administrative region, which is close to a ratio of 1.0. Emission factors may be in a state of dynamic change due to the influences of new Cd emission control technologies and environmental policies. As the main sources of Cd emissions, dust, and smoke emissions per ton of non-ferrous metal production decreased by 64.7% between the 2000–2010 and 2010–2020 periods. Although new environmental policies have been instigated, atmospheric emission of Cd is still excessive. It was hoped that the findings of this work would provide a scientific basis for the rational control of atmospheric emissions and Cd pollution of soil.

The two kinds of NiCr and NiCo superalloy coatings are deposited by high pressure cold sprayed (CS) technique, in this work. The emphasis is placed at the relation of formation mechanism, microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the coatings. Compared with the NiCr powder, the NiCo powder needs higher spraying parameters to form the dense coating. The NiCr coating has a higher density and a lower hardness than the NiCo coating, but both of the coatings display better mechanical properties, and thus could play a protective role on the 316L stainless steel. However, there is a difference of formation mechanism between the NiCr and NiCo because of the particle sizes and chemical properties. The deformation of NiCr coating occurs mostly in the interior of particles, and that of NiCo coating is more prominent at the boundaries between the particles. The defects formed during deposition, including twins and dislocations, are benefit for the improvement of mechanical properties of the coatings.

Alite(C3S)-Ye’elimite(C4A3$) cement is a high cementitious material that incorporates a precise proportion of ye’elimite into the ordinary Portland cement. The synthesis and hydration behavior of Alite-Ye’elimite clinker with different lime saturation factors were investigated. The clinkers were synthesized using a secondary thermal treatment process, and their compositions were characterized. The hydrated pastes were analyzed for their hydration products, pore structure, mechanical strength, and microstructure. The clinkers and hydration products were characterized using XRD, TG-DSC, SEM, and MIP analysis. The results showed that the Alite-Ye’elimite cement clinker with a lime saturation factor (KH) of 0.93, prepared through secondary heat treatment, contained 64.88% C3S and 2.06% C4A3$. At this composition, the Alite-Ye’elimite cement clinker demonstrated the highest 28-day strength. The addition of SO3 to the clinkers decreased the content of tricalcium aluminate (C3A) and the ratio of Alite/Belite (C3S/C2S), resulting in a preference for belite formation. The pore structure of the hydrated pastes was also investigated, revealing a distribution of pore sizes ranging from 0.01 to 10 μm, with two peaks on each differential distribution curve corresponding to micron and sub-micron pores. The pore volume decreased from 0.22 ± 0.03 to 0.15 ± 0.18 cm3 g−1, and the main peak of pore distribution shifted towards smaller sizes with increasing hydration time.

According to the variable toe-to-heel well spacing, combined with the dislocation theory, discrete lattice method, and finite-element-method (FEM) based fluid-solid coupling, an integrated geological-engineering method of volume fracturing for fan-shaped well pattern is proposed considering the geomechanical modeling, induced stress calculation, hydraulic fracturing simulation, and post-frac productivity evaluation. Besides, we propose the differential fracturing design for the conventional productivity-area and the potential production area for fan-shaped horizontal wells. After the fracturing of the conventional production area for H1 fan-shaped well platform, the research shows that the maximum reduction of the horizontal principal stress difference in the potential productivity-area is 0.2 MPa, which cannot cause the stress reversal, but this reduction is still conducive to the lateral propagation of hydraulic fractures. According to the optimized fracturing design, in zone-I of the potential production area, only Well 2 is fractured, with a cluster spacing of 30 m and an injection rate of 12 m3/min per stage; in zone-II, Well 2 is fractured before Well 3, with a cluster spacing of 30 m and an injection rate of 12 m3/min per stage. The swept area of the pore pressure drop in the potential production area is small, showing that the reservoir is not well developed. The hydraulic fracturing in the toe area can be improved by, for example, properly densifying the fractures and adjusting the fracture distribution, in order to enhance the swept volume and increase the reservoir utilization.

Abstract The underground coal mine production of the fully mechanized mining face exists many problems, such as poor operating environment, high accident rate and so on. Recently, the intelligent autonomous coal mining is gradually replacing the traditional mining process. The artificial intelligence technology is an active research area and is expect to identify and warn the underground abnormal conditions for intelligent longwall mining. It is inseparable from the construction of datasets, but the downhole dataset is still blank at present. This work develops an image dataset of underground longwall mining face (DsLMF+), which consists of 138004 images with annotation 6 categories of mine personnel, hydraulic support guard plate, large coal, towline, miners’ behaviour and mine safety helmet. All the labels of dataset are publicly available in YOLO format and COCO format. The availability and accuracy of the datasets were reviewed by experts in coal mine field. The dataset is open access and aims to support further research and advancement of the intelligent identification and classification of abnormal conditions for underground mining.

A nanocomposite microneedle (ZCQ/MN) patch containing copper/zinc dual-doped mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with quercetin (ZCQ) was developed as a combination therapy for androgenic alopecia (AGA). The degradable microneedle gradually dissolves after penetration into the skin and releases the ZCQ nanoparticles. ZCQ nanoparticles release quercetin (Qu), copper (Cu2+) and zinc ions (Zn2+) subcutaneously to synergistically promote hair follicle regeneration. The mechanism of promoting hair follicle regeneration mainly includes the regulation of the main pathophysiological phenomena of AGA such as inhibition of dihydrotestosterone, inhibition of inflammation, promotion of angiogenesis and activation of hair follicle stem cells by the combination of Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions and Qu. This study demonstrates that the systematic intervention targeting different pathophysiological links of AGA by the combination of organic drug and bioactive metal ions is an effective treatment strategy for hair loss, which provides a theoretical basis for development of biomaterial based anti-hair loss therapy.

ABSTRACTBifidobacterium is a widely distributed commensal bacterial genus that displays beneficial pro-homeostatic and anti-inflammatory immunomodulatory properties. Depletion or absence of Bifidobacterium in humans and model organisms is associated with autoimmune responses and impaired immune homeostasis. At the cellular level, Bifidobacterium upregulates suppressive regulatory T cells, maintains intestinal barrier function, modulates dendritic cell and macrophage activity, and dampens intestinal Th2 and Th17 programs. While there has been a large volume of literature characterizing the probiotic properties of various Bifidobacterial species, the likely multifactorial mechanisms underlying these effects remain elusive, in particular, its immune tolerogenic effect. However, recent work has shed light on Bifidobacterium surface structural polysaccharide and protein elements, as well as its metabolic products, as commensal mediators of immune homeostasis. This review aims to discuss several mechanisms Bifidobacterium utilizes for immune modulation as well as their indirect impact on the regulation of gut microbiome structure and function, from structural molecules to produced metabolites. These mechanisms are pertinent to an increasingly networked understanding of immune tolerance and homeostasis in health and disease.

Abstract Certain chemotherapeutics can induce tumor cells’ immunogenic cell death (ICD), release tumor antigens, and thereby trigger personalized antitumor immune responses. Co-delivery of adjuvants using nanocarriers could amplify the ICD-induced tumor-specific immunity achieving a synergistic chemo-immunotherapeutic effect. However, complicated preparation, low drug loading efficiency, and potential carrier-associated toxicity are the major challenges that limited its clinical applications. Herein, a carrier-free core–shell nanoparticle (MPLA-CpG-sMMP9-DOX, MCMD NPs) was constructed by facile self-assembly of spherical nucleic acids (SNA) with two adjuvants of CpG ODN and monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) as a core and doxorubicin (DOX) radially around the dual-adjuvants SNA as a shell. The results demonstrated that MCMD NPs could enhance drugs accumulation in tumors, and release DOX upon enzymatic degradation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) peptide in the tumor microenvironment (TME), which enhanced the direct-killing effect of DOX on tumor cells. The core of MPLA-CpG SNA efficiently boosted the ICD-induced antitumor immune response to further attack tumor cells. Thus, MCMD NPs achieved a synergistic therapeutic effect of chemo-immunotherapy with reduced off-target toxicity. This study provided an efficient strategy for the development of a carrier-free nano-delivery system for enhanced cancer chemo-immunotherapy.

Abstract Background The architecture of retrorectal fasciae is complex, as determined by different anatomical concepts. The aim of this study was to examine the anatomical characteristics of the inferomedial extension of the urogenital fascia (UGF) involving the pelvis to explore its relationship with the adjacent fasciae. Furthermore, we have expounded on the clinical application of UGF. Method For our study, we examined 20 adult male pelvic specimens fixed in formalin, including 2 entire pelvic specimens and 18 semipelvic specimens. Our department has performed 466 laparoscopic rectal cancer procedures since January 2020. We reviewed the surgical videos involving UGF preservation and analyzed the anatomy of the UGF. Results The bilateral hypogastric nerves ran between the visceral and parietal layers of the UGF. The visceral fascia migrated ventrally at the fourth sacral vertebra, which formed the rectosacral fascia together with the fascia propria of the rectum; the parietal layer continually extended to the pelvic diaphragm, terminating at the levator ani muscle. At the third to fourth sacral vertebra level, the two layers constituted the lateral ligaments. Conclusion The double layers of the UGF are vital structures for comprehending the posterior fascia relationship of the rectum. The upper segment between the fascia propria of the rectum and the visceral layer has no evident nerves or blood vessels and is regarded as the " holy plane” for the operation.

Abstract Scoliosis before the age of 5 years is referred to as early-onset scoliosis (EOS). While causes may vary, EOS can potentially affect respiratory function and lung development as children grow. Moreover, scoliosis can lead to thoracic insufficiency syndrome when aggravated or left untreated. Therefore, spinal thoracic deformities often require intervention in early childhood, and solving these problems requires new methods that include the means for both deformity correction and growth maintenance. Therapeutic strategies for preserving the growing spine and thorax include growth rods, vertically expandable titanium artificial ribs, MAGEC rods, braces and casts. The goals of any growth-promoting surgical strategy are to alter the natural history of cardiorespiratory development, limit the progression of underlying spondylarthrosis deformities and minimize negative changes in spondylothorax biomechanics due to the instrumental action of the implant. This review further elucidates EOS in terms of its aetiology, pathogenesis, pathology and treatment.

In this paper, the possibility of retreated lithium slag (RTLS) with a high content of alkali, sulfate and fluoride as a partial replacement for fly ash (FA) to produce autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) was investigated. The influence of the RTLS dosage on the AAC performance were examined. The composition and microstructure of hydrates as well as the microstructure of the RTLS-FA-based AAC compositions were determined by XRD, FTIR, TG-DSC and SEM. The results illustrated that the incorporation of RTLS changed the crystal structure and the microstructure of the tobermorite. With increased RTLS contents, the morphology of tobermorite was changed, and the grass-like tobermorite gradually transformed into network-like tobermorite. The newly formed tobermorite improved the mechanical performance of the AAC. Compared with the RTLS10, the content of tobermorite in the RTLS30 increased by 8.6%.

Based on social information processing theory, this research examines whether and how an employee’s proactive personality influences intrinsic and extrinsic career growth. It also examines the mediating effects of two types of proactive behaviors (voice behavior and taking charge) and the moderating effect of a leader’s proactive personality. A sample of 307 employee-leader dyads participated in this survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses, and the bootstrap procedure was used to test the indirect effects. Results show that an employee’s proactive personality has significant positive effects on both intrinsic and extrinsic career growth. The mediating effect of taking charge was confirmed, while the mediating effect of voice behavior was not. Leader proactive personality weakens the relationship between employee proactive personality and the two types of proactive behaviors. Employee proactive personality is more positively related to intrinsic and extrinsic career growth via proactive behaviors when a leader’s proactive personality is low. This study extends the literature on proactive personality, proactive behavior, and career development by examining the underlying determination, mediation, and moderation mechanisms.

Red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), is a palm tree insect pest that causes significant damage in the many countries from the Indian sub-continent and southeast Asia into date palm-growing countries of Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean Basin. This study is aimed at determining the role of a C-type lectin, RfCTL27, in the immune defense of RPW larvae. RfCTL27 is a secreted protein that possesses a QPD motif, being integral for the discrimination of Gram-negative bacteria. The abundance of RfCTL27 transcripts in the gut and fat body was significantly higher than that in other tissues. Six hours after injection of Escherichia coli, the expression level of RfCTL27 in the gut of RPW larvae was significantly elevated compared with other groups. At 12 h after injection of E. coli, the expression of RfCTL27 in fat body was dramatically induced in contrast with other treatments. More interestingly, the ability of RPW larvae to clear the pathogenic bacteria in the body cavity and gut was markedly impaired by the silencing of RfCTL27. Additionally, the expression levels of two antimicrobial peptide genes, RfCecropin in the gut and RfDefensin in fat body of RPW larvae, were significantly decreased. Taken together, these data suggested that RfCTL27 can recognize the Gram-negative bacterium and activate the expression of antimicrobial peptides to remove the invaded bacterial pathogens. This study provides a new scientific basis for improving the control efficiency of pathogenic microorganisms against red palm weevils in production practice.

IntroductionThe fierce market competition environment makes employees feel insecure at work. While it is difficult for enterprises to provide employees with a sense of security, they have to rely on employees’ innovative behavior to seek competitive advantage. Therefore, this study focuses on how employees engage in innovative behavior when they face job insecurity.MethodsUsing a variable-centered approach, this study aims to examine the mediating effects of intrinsic and impression management motivation in the relationship between quantitative and qualitative job insecurity and innovative behavior, including proactive and reactive innovative behavior. In addition, a person-centered approach is used to investigate whether it is possible to distinguish different combinations of quantitative and qualitative job insecurity, and examine the effect of these job insecurity profiles on motivation and innovative behavior. We used 503 data sets collected via the Credamo platform in China into the data analysis.ResultsThe study found that quantitative job insecurity affects proactive and reactive innovative behavior through impression management motivation and that qualitative job insecurity affects proactive and reactive innovative behavior through intrinsic and impression management motivation. In addition, three job insecurity profiles were identified: balanced high job insecurity, balanced low job insecurity, and a profile dominated by high quantitative job insecurity, all of which have significantly different effects on motivation and innovative behavior.DiscussionThis study contributes to provide new insights into the relationship between job insecurity and innovative behavior and compensate for the limitation of the traditional variable-centered approach that cannot capture heterogeneity within the workforce.

Abstract Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous molecule that has a central role in signaling pathways involved in numerous physiological processes (e.g., vasodilation, neurotransmission, inflammation, apoptosis, and tumor growth). Due to its gaseous form, NO has a short half‐life, and its physiology role is concentration dependent, often restricting its function to a target site. Providing NO from an external source is beneficial in promoting cellular functions and treatment of different pathological conditions. Hence, the multifaceted role of NO in physiology and pathology has garnered massive interest in developing strategies to deliver exogenous NO for the treatment of various regenerative and biomedical complexities. NO‐releasing platforms or donors capable of delivering NO in a controlled and sustained manner to target tissues or organs have advanced in the past few decades. This review article discusses in detail the generation of NO via the enzymatic functions of NO synthase as well as from NO donors and the multiple biological and pathological processes that NO modulates. The methods for incorporating of NO donors into diverse biomaterials including physical, chemical, or supramolecular techniques are summarized. Then, these NO‐releasing platforms are highlighted in terms of advancing treatment strategies for various medical problems.

This study presents a comparative analysis of the microstructure and performance stability of Cu-Al2O3 and Cu-Y2O3 alloy after annealing at temperatures ranging from 600 °C to 1000 °C. The evolution of grain size, nanoparticle size, and mechanical properties was investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and mechanical tests. The results indicate a more rapid degradation of yield strength and ultimate tensile strength in Cu-Y2O3 alloy after annealing at a temperature of ≥800 °C, while the mechanical properties of Cu-Al2O3 are relatively stable. The main cause of the decrease in mechanical properties is attributed to the rapid grain growth observed under annealing temperatures of ≥800 °C. Cu-Y2O3 alloy exhibited lower grain size stability, and the activation energy of grain growth was estimated to be 115 kJ/mol, which is lower than that of Cu-Al2O3 but comparable to the value reported in the literature for CuCrZr alloy. In contrast, the activation energies for coarsening of Y2O3 and Al2O3 nanoparticles were determined to be 58.9 kJ/mol and 44.1 kJ/mol, respectively. These results indicate that Y2O3 nanoparticles were found to be more stable than Al2O3 nanoparticles.

Abstract Background Klotho has both anticancer and hormone‐like functions. But the research on Klotho and cancer is mainly based on animal experiments and small‐scale clinical research, thus we explored the association between serum Klotho and cancer and cancer mortality based on the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES). Methods Participants were employed from the NHANES 2007–2016, excluding pregnant, chronic renal insufficiency, and incomplete data of cancer questionnaire and serum Klotho level. The association of serum Klotho with cancer and mortality was analyzed by weighted Logistic regression, weighted Cox regression and competitive risk model, respectively. Correlations between serum Klotho and testosterone and estradiol levels were analyzed by Spearman correlation and restricted cubic spline respectively. Results We found Klotho had an inverse effect with risk of pan‐cancer (all p 0.05). Then, stratified analysis found that people aged 60–79, female, overweight and non‐Hispanic whites or Mexican Americans were less likely to develop cancer. In addition, there was a strong nonlinear and linear positive correlation of Klotho with estradiol (p‐nonlinear = 0.0178) and testosterone only among male participants (β = −0.513, p = 0.0137), respectively. Conclusions We found an inverse association between serum Klotho and cancer, but without cancer mortality. And this effect may be partially mediated by estradiol and testosterone. Further prospective studies are needed to prove these findings.

Abstract Background Nondrug supplement strategies to improve gut health have largely focused on the effects of individual compounds to improve one aspect of gut homeostasis. However, there is no comprehensive assessment of the reproducible effects of oral, short-term, low-level colostrum supplementation on gut inflammation status that are specific to the ileum. Herein, a chicken animal model highly responsive to even mild gut inflammatory stimuli was employed to compare the outcomes of feeding a standard diet (CON) to those of CON supplemented with a centrifuge-defatted bovine colostrum (BC) or a nonfat dried milk (NFDM) control on the efficiency of nutrient use, ileal morphology, gut nitro-oxidative inflammation status, metabolites, and the composition of the microbiota. Results A repeated design, iterative multiple regression model was developed to analyze how BC affected ileal digesta-associated anti-inflammatory metabolite abundance coincident with observed changes in the ileal microbiome, mitigation of epithelial inflammation, and ileal surface morphology. An improved whole body nutrient use efficiency in the BC group (v CON and NFDM) coincided with the observed increased ileum absorptive surface and reduced epithelial cell content of tyrosine-nitrated protein (NT, biomarker of nitro-oxidative inflammatory stress). Metabolome analysis revealed that anti-inflammatory metabolites were significantly greater in abundance in BC-fed animals. BC also had a beneficial BC impact on microbiota, particularly in promoting the presence of the bacterial types associated with eubiosis and the segmented filamentous bacteria, Candidatus Arthromitus. Conclusion The data suggest that an anti-inflammatory environment in the ileum was more evident in BC than in the other feeding groups and associated with an increased content of statistically definable groups of anti-inflammatory metabolites that appear to functionally link the observed interactions between the host’s improved gut health with an observed increase in whole body nutrient use efficiency, beneficial changes in the microbiome and immunometabolism.

Abstract Background Controversies regarding the anatomical structure of Denonvilliers’ fascia and its relationship with surrounding fasciae have sparked a heated discussion, especially concerning whether Denonvilliers’ fascia is multilayered. This study aimed to expound on the anatomical structure of Denonvilliers’ fascia and its correlation with the peritoneum from the sagittal view and clarify the complex fascial relationship. Methods Our study was performed on 20 adult male pelvic specimens fixed in formalin, including 2 entire pelvic specimens and 18 semipelvic specimens. The local adjacent organs and fasciae were dissected, and Denonvilliers’ fascia was observed and removed for histological examination. Results Denonvilliers’ fascia was typically single-layered and tough. On the sagittal plane, the peritoneum constituting the peritoneal reflection and Denonvilliers’ fascia formed a “Y” shape. Denonvilliers’ fascia originated from the peritoneal reflection, extended along the ventral side of the seminal vesicles and prostate, continuing caudally; its bilateral sides closely connected to the urogenital fascia (UGF) of the pelvic wall. In addition, histology preliminarily indicated that the basal cell layers of the peritoneum and Denonvilliers’ fascia were continuous and formed a “Y” shape. Furthermore, the basal cells of the two peritonea extended to Denonvilliers’ fascia, creating a fused double-layered structure. Some tiny blood vessels or a network of such vessels extended from the peritoneum to Denonvilliers’ fascia. Conclusion Denonvilliers’ fascia, the extension of the peritoneum in the pelvic floor, appears as a single-layered “Y”-shape on the sagittal plane. Our study provides new support for the peritoneal fusion theory. Understanding the anatomical characteristics of Denonvilliers’ fascia and its relationship with the UGF is of guiding significance for inexperienced colorectal surgeons to conduct rectal cancer surgery.

Abstract The beneficial effects attributed to Bifidobacterium are largely attributed to their immunomodulatory capabilities, which are likely to be species- and even strain-specific. However, their strain-specificity in direct and indirect immune modulation remain largely uncharacterized. We have shown that B. pseudolongum UMB-MBP-01, a murine isolate strain, is capable of suppressing inflammation and reducing fibrosis in vivo. To ascertain the mechanism driving this activity and to determine if it is specific to UMB-MBP-01, we compared it to a porcine tropic strain B. pseudolongum ATCC25526 using a combination of cell culture and in vivo experimentation and comparative genomics approaches. Despite many shared features, we demonstrate that these two strains possess distinct genetic repertoires in carbohydrate assimilation, differential activation signatures and cytokine responses signatures in innate immune cells, and differential effects on lymph node morphology with unique local and systemic leukocyte distribution. Importantly, the administration of each B. pseudolongum strain resulted in major divergence in the structure, composition, and function of gut microbiota. This was accompanied by markedly different changes in intestinal transcriptional activities, suggesting strain-specific modulation of the endogenous gut microbiota as a key to immune modulatory host responses. Our study demonstrated a single probiotic strain can influence local, regional, and systemic immunity through both innate and adaptive pathways in a strain-specific manner. It highlights the importance to investigate both the endogenous gut microbiome and the intestinal responses in response to probiotic supplementation, which underpins the mechanisms through which the probiotic strains drive the strain-specific effect to impact health outcomes.

Abstract Main goal of the JUNO experiment is to determine the neutrino mass ordering using a 20 kt liquid-scintillator detector. Its key feature is an excellent energy resolution of at least 3% at 1 MeV, for which its instruments need to meet a certain quality and thus have to be fully characterized. More than 20,000 20-inch PMTs have been received and assessed by JUNO after a detailed testing program which began in 2017 and elapsed for about four years. Based on this mass characterization and a set of specific requirements, a good quality of all accepted PMTs could be ascertained. This paper presents the performed testing procedure with the designed testing systems as well as the statistical characteristics of all 20-inch PMTs intended to be used in the JUNO experiment, covering more than fifteen performance parameters including the photocathode uniformity. This constitutes the largest sample of 20-inch PMTs ever produced and studied in detail to date, i.e. 15,000 of the newly developed 20-inch MCP-PMTs from Northern Night Vision Technology Co. (NNVT) and 5000 of dynode PMTs from Hamamatsu Photonics K. K.(HPK).

The Beijing radioactive ion beam facility isotope separator on-line (BRISOL) is a radioactive ion beam facility based on a 100 MeV@200 μA proton cyclotron. The radioactive ion beams are produced by bombarding the thick target with proton beam provided by cyclotron. The mass resolving power of the BRISOL is better than 20 000. The first radioactive beams of 37K+ and 38K+ were generated at BRISOL with CaO targets in 2015, and the maximum current of the 38K+ beam is only 1×106 pps when the current of proton beam is 05 μA. The collinear laser spectroscopy experiments using 3743K+ beams will be carried out on BRISOL. The yields of 3743K+ would not be less than 1×106 pps in the experiment. In order to fulfill the requirements, it is necessary to increase the yield of radioactive ion beams. So a series of studies were carried out. The first step is the targets preparation. According to the requirements of the ISOL targets, CaO was selected as the targets material for the generation of radioactive ion beams. The CaO targets were prepared by cold pressing methods with Ca(OH)2, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and deionized water. CMC was added as a binder and poreforming agent. Those materials were mixed in proportion and were cold pressed into desired shape. The thermal treatment was performed in a graphite furnace. After sintering, the targets were porous and then loaded into the targets container. The ion source with the ability of dual ionization mode, including surface ionization mode and FEBIAD ionization mode, was applied in the study. In order to improve the surface ionization efficiency for K, a 01 mm thick rhenium metal lining was installed on the inner wall of the cathode. Then an offline experiment was conducted and the spectra of CaO targets were measured. The experimental results show that Ca+ is ionized when the cathode current is high enough. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the cathode currents for larger yield of K+. After that, an online experiment at BRISOL was carried out. The experiment results show that the 36.38,43,45.47K beams are produced successfully. The yield of 38K+ is increased to 1.12×1010 pps when the proton beam is 10 μA, the much larger yields are achieved through increasing proton intensities, optimizing both the structure of ion source and the targets working temperature. The development of CaO targets and the results of on-line experiment will be presented in this paper.

Multi-chambered structures have attracted great attention due to their ability to create multifunctional partitions in different chambers. Here, the authors prepared mesoporous silica nanoreactors with hierarchical chambers for catalytic cascades.

Metal oxide nanocrystals/mesoporous carbon composite materials are promising in the energy storage field. However, the construction of stoichiometric ternary nanocrystals‐functionalized mesoporous carbon materials remains a great challenge. Herein, the synthesis of ultradispersed and ultrasmall LiTiO2 nanocrystals/ordered mesoporous carbon composites via a chelation‐mediated multicomponent coassembly strategy is reported. In this case, the self‐assembly into ordered mesostructures and the crystallization of nanoparticle processes can be decoupled by the molecular chelate strategy where citrate ligands can effectively inhibit the hydrolysis and phase separation of metal oxide precursors and confine the crystallization into nanocrystals without aggregation. The obtained 33%‐LiTiO2–OMC composites present a high specific surface area (≈912 m2 g−1), a large pore volume (≈0.62 cm3 g−1), a uniform pore size (≈4.1 nm), and ultradispersed LiTiO2 nanocrystals (≈3 nm). When loading 60% sulfur, the composites exhibit a high reversible capacity (966 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.5C), an excellent rate capacity (700 mAh g−1 at 5C), and a long‐term cycling performance (63% retention after 1000 cycles at 5C). This method is very simple and reproducible, which paves a new way for the design and synthesis of functional mesoporous materials.

This paper investigates the structural transformation of dicalcium silicate (C2S) crystals brought about through boron doping. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted to explore the correspondence between boron content and the structure of dicalcium silicate. The results show that boron doping can stabilize β-C2S and the high-temperature phase α′H-C2S, and the structural transformation does not involve the modulation of α′L-C2S. There is a corresponding relationship between the unit cells of β-C2S and α′H-C2S, which can be transformed using a transformation matrix. The relationship between boron content and the content of different C2S structures, as well as the structural expressions for β-C2S and α′H-C2S, is determined using linear fitting and multivariable linear regression analysis.