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This study explores the enhancement of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) using ammonium-enhanced vanadium oxide cathodes. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations reveal that NH4+ incorporation into V6O16 lattices significantly facilitates Zn2+ ion diffusion by reducing electrostatic interactions, acting as a structural lubricant. Subsequent experimental validation using (NH4)2V6O16 cathodes synthesized via a hydrothermal method corroborates the DFT findings, demonstrating remarkable electrochemical stability with a capacity retention of 90% after 2000 cycles at 5 A g−1. These results underscore the potential of NH4+ in improving the performance and longevity of AZIBs, providing a pathway for sustainable energy storage solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the synthesis and electrochemical evaluation of nitrogen-doped vanadium oxide (N−V2O3/C) as a cathode material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), using a hydrothermal method. Compared to undoped V2O3/C, N−V2O3/C exhibits enhanced electrical conductivity, capacity, and electrochemical kinetics, attributed to the incorporation of pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen. The initial charge–discharge cycles indicate phase transitions to amorphous vanadium oxides, enhancing conductivity. N−V2O3/C shows a high specific capacity of 168.4 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1 and remarkable reversibility, highlighted by the transient existence of intermediate species during cycling. Optimal electrochemical performance is achieved with a vanadium-to-nitrogen molar ratio of 2:3, indicating the significant impact of the nitrogen doping concentration on the material's efficiency. This work underscores the potential of N−V2O3/C as a superior cathode material for AZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using density functional theory (DFT), the density of states of NH4V3O8 (NVO) was analyzed pre- and post-oxygen defect (Od) formation. The findings revealed a reduced bandgap in NVO after Od introduction, emphasizing the role of Od in enhancing conductivity of the material, thus improving its electrochemical attributes. Through the water bath method, both NVO and its oxygen-deficient counterpart, (NH4)2V10O25·8H2O (NVOd), were synthesized as potential cathode materials for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Experimental outcomes resonated with DFT predictions, highlighting the beneficial role of oxygen defects in boosting electrical conductivity. Notably, the refined material displayed a remarkable capacity of 479.3 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, underscoring its promise for advanced energy storage solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bone fracture is a common orthopedic disease that needs over 3 months to recover. Promoting the osteogenic differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) is beneficial for fracture healing. Therefore, this research aimed to study the roles of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) KCNQ10T1 in osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Methods: BMSCs were treated with osteogenic medium and assessed by CCK-8 and flow cytometry assays. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, alizarin red staining (ARS), as well as concentration of osteoblast markers were measured to evaluate osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Western blot was employed to detect proteins; while, qRT-PCR was for mRNA levels. Additionally, targeted relationships between KCNQ10T1 and miR-19a-3p, as well as miR-19a-3p and SMAD5 were verified by dual luciferase reporter gene assay along with RNA pull-down method. Results: Upregulation of KCNQ10T1 promoted the ALP staining and ARS intensity, increased the cell viability and decreased the apoptosis rate of BMSCs. Besides, KCNQ10T1 overexpression increased the ALP, OPG, OCN and OPN protein levels. KCNQ10T1 sponges miR-19a-3p, which targets Smad5. Upregulated miR-19a-3p reversed the overexpressed KCNQ10T1-induced effects, and depletion of SMAD5 reversed the miR-19a-3p inhibitor-induced effects on osteogenic medium-treated BMSCs. Conclusions: Upregulation of KCNQ10T1 promoted osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs through miR-19a-3p/SMAD5 axis in bone fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare and probably fatal multisystemic non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). To comprehensively investigate the clinical features, genomic analysis, treatments, and prognostic factors of ECD, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 75 ECD patients and 10 mixed LCH and ECD patients in our center. The median age at diagnosis was 46 years (range, 5–70). ECD patients were older at diagnosis (p = 0.006) and had more cardiac involvement (p = 0.011) as well as vascular (p = 0.031) involvement compared to mixed LCH and ECD patients. 64.8% of ECD patients and 87.5% of mixed LCH and ECD patients carried BRAFV600E mutation. The BRAFV600E mutation correlated with a greater number of affected organs (p = 0.030) and was associated with lung involvement (p = 0.033) as well as pleural involvement (p = 0.002). The median follow-up time was 38 months (range, 1–174). The estimated 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 48.9% and 84.7%, respectively. In a multivariate analysis, right atrial pseudotumor (p = 0.013) and pancreatic involvement (p = 0.005) predicted worse OS, while pleural (p = 0.042) and central nervous system (CNS) involvement (p = 0.043) predicted worse PFS. Our study described the clinical spectrum of ECD and mixed LCH and ECD, while also revealed the prognostic value of right atrial pseudotumor and pancreatic, pleural, and CNS involvement for worse survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in driving mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) chromosomal translocations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). CircRNAs, a subclass of non-coding RNA transcripts, have been found to bind to DNA and impact various cellular processes, including oncogenesis. The discovery of circMLL(9,10) in pediatric leukemia patients has shed light on the molecular basis of MLL mutations and offers potential for transforming clinical practice in leukemia and other cancers. The article explores the implications and future prospects of circRNAs, including their potential use as biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognostic indicators, personalized therapeutic targets, and as vehicles for delivering therapeutic proteins. The integration of circRNAs into clinical practice could revolutionize disease management and improve outcomes for patients. [Extracted from the article]

Searching for an appropriate anode material with desirable electrochemical performance is crucial in the development of metal ion batteries. In this work, based on the extensive first‐principles computations, we have systemically assessed the potential of an emerging PN2 monolayer as an anode material for lithium (LIBs), sodium (NIBs) and potassium (KIBs) ion batteries. The PN2 monolayer possesses excellent thermal, dynamical and mechanical stability, and it is half‐metallic with two energy bands crossing over the Fermi level in the spin‐down channel. Moreover, the diffusion barriers of Li, Na and K atoms on the PN2 are as low as 0.11, 0.09 and 0.05 eV, showing a high ionic mobility. The storage capacities of PN2 anode are predicted to be 2725.53, 1413.24, and 908.51 mAh/g for LIBs, NIBs and KIBs. Importantly, the PN2 anode exhibits strong affinity towards metal atoms and negligible structural distortion during the whole intercalation process, which is of importance to improve the cyclability and prevent the metallic dendrite formation. All the encouraging findings demonstrate that the PN2 anode holds great promise in the high‐performance metal ion battery application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D boron nitride shows great promise in the photoelectric device, deep UV emitter and field effect transistor with good thermal stability, high mechanical robustness and chemical inertness; nonetheless, its inherently low electrical conductivity and small pore size have severely hindered the electrochemical kinetics and lead to a poor rate capability. Herein, we design a novel porous 3D−B2N2 structure by assembling the orthorhombic B2N2 monolayer into t‐C24 lattice and assesse its feasibility as the anode material of sodium(SIBs)/potassium(PIBs) ion batteries. The ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulation, Born‐Huang criteria, phonon spectrum and cohesive energy calculations confirms that the resulting 3D−B2N2 possesses excellent mechanical, thermal and dynamical stability. Different from the pristine h‐B2N2, an improved electrical conductivity is observed for 3D−B2N2 with a small band gap of 0.66 eV. Moreover, the low mass density, unique porous structure and strong adsorption energy make the 3D−B2N2 an outstanding electrode material for SIBs/PIBs with high storage capacities of 599.90 (479.92) mA h/g, low averaged open circuit voltages of 0.13 (0.27) V, low diffusion barriers of 0.04 (0.008) eV, and small volume expansions of 0.96 % (2.63 %). All the encouraging findings reveal that the 3D−B2N2 anode deserves further experimental investigation for SIBs/PIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the research on the physical composition and properties of pineapple plants is scarce, and the uncertainty of fruit picking method is the key bottleneck factor hindering the research and development of pineapple harvesting machinery. Based on the statistics of survey data from many places, this paper analyzes the fruit-stem fracture mechanism and the theoretical conditions for optimal separation through structural modeling, mechanical behavior analysis and function judgment. On this basis, the "pineapple plant fixation bench" and "fruit-stem bending separation torque test equipment" were developed, and large-size, small-size tests and random optimization tests were carried out successively. The test results showed that the larger of the stem-stalk fixation distance, the more torque and fracture starting angle required for fruit fracture would increase, and the change range was small when the stem-stalk fixation distance was within 50 mm, and the probability of brittle fracture and complete separation was very high. When the space between the fracture section and the fruit-stem connecting point is about 5mm, the range of bending moment value required for the fruit-stem fracture is 1.88 to 2.77 N·m, the range of fracture starting angle is 12.2° to 18.1°, and the angular travel range during the separation process is 82.9° to 87.5°. When the stem-stalk fixation distance is about 15 mm, it is the best fruit-stem separation condition and the breaking torque measured in the verification test is about 2.76 N·m. The fracture starting angle is about 13.8°, the maximum prediction error is 13.1%, and the elastic modulus near the fruit-stem joint ranges from 16.1 to 23.9 MPa. This conclusion can provide an important design basis for the research and development of pineapple field picking robot and harvesting equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate the construction of heterojunction arrays for boosting solar water splitting by combining in situ guided growth of heterointerfaces and energy band tuning. By directly growing an ultrathin Fe2WO6 layer on a preformed WO3 nanosheet array in full coverage, a uniform and dense array of intimately contacted WO3/Fe2WO6 heterojunction was created. The heterojunction array shows not only a largely broadened visible light absorption range but also a built-in interface polarization to accelerate hole transfer from WO3 to Fe2WO6. Meanwhile, fine-tuning to match energy levels at the heterojunction was achieved by doping WO3 with Fe (Fe-WO3), leading to improved electrical conductivity and reduced charge recombination. Photoanodes based on such heterojunction arrays have shown significantly enhanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting performance, clearly arising from the above-mentioned efforts. Furthermore, by decorating FeOOH/NiOOH cocatalysts on the heterojunction arrays in tandem, the surface water oxidation kinetics was considerably accelerated, and the resulting Fe-WO3/Fe2WO6/FeOOH/NiOOH photoanode achieved a photocurrent density of 2.78 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode. This work highlights the benefits of in situ construction of heterojunction arrays for enhancing the PEC performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our previous work, we proposed a new design method for an aberration-free x-ray refractive focusing lens based on an ideal Cartesian oval shape to solve the aberration problem in x-ray compound refractive focusing. In this paper, we propose an optimization method for this new lens. By reducing the aperture of each lens, we achieve the objective of increasing the effective aperture and improving the focusing performance of the lens. The simulation of the beam propagation method shows that the focusing performance of the optimized lenses is better in compound refractive lens shape but worse in the kinoform shape. This is different from the results obtained with the conventional kinoform lens. After further comparison, we found that this is because the step height of the kinoform lens is small when the lens aperture is very small, resulting in a strong diffraction effect that weakens the focusing performance of the lens. Further modifications to the structure of the kinoform lens are needed to improve this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are widely regarded as one of the most promising next-generation high energy density storage systems, their large-scale applications are seriously impeded by rapid capacity fading and poor Coulombic efficiency owing to the shuttling of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and irreversible discharge product Li2S. Here, by means of first principles calculations, we studied defective black phosphorene (BP) as a host material to realize high-performance Li-S batteries, including Stone Wales [SW(55-77)], single, and double vacancy [SV(5-9) and DV(5-9-5)] defects. Our results demonstrate that while BP has moderate adsorption energies towards LiPSs, the presence of defects could enhance the adsorption strength between LiPSs and BP because of increased charge transfer. Particularly, defective BP could strike a good balance between adsorption energy and integrity of LiPSs, which is beneficial to prevent the shuttling of LiPSs. Moreover, during the lithiation process, defective BP not only has narrow bandgaps but also decreases the dissociation energy of Li2S, facilitating the catalytic oxidation of Li2S back to sulfur. Therefore, it is highly desirable to fabricate defective BP to improve the reversible capacity and cycle stability of Li-S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, ceramic coatings were prepared on the surface of Al mesh using the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) method. Tribological tests and salt spray tests were employed to investigate the effect of MAO coating on the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of Al mesh. The results show that the internal dense layer of MAO coating has a protective effect on the salt spray corrosion and mass loss of Al mesh substrate at high temperature, and MAO can effectively improve the wear resistance of the aluminum mesh substrate. The prepared MAO Al mesh was treated with oil heating, and the surfaces maintain oleophilic and hydrophobic properties, which can be applied for oil–water separation. Compared with conventional oil–water separation, this method has a simple preparation process, low cost, and excellent performance. All these features make the MAO Al mesh become an ideal candidate for oil–water mixtures separation. It can have wide application prospects in oil spill cleanup, wastewater treatment, and water purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the effect of captopril on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression-like behavior in mice, and the involvement of the bradykinin-B2r signaling pathway in the process. Methods: Sixty healthy male C57BL/6J mice were assigned to control, model and high-, medium- and low-dose captopril groups and given the drug at doses of 9, 18 and 36 mg/kg, respectively. Open field and elevated cross maze tests were carried out, and escape latency in Morris water maze test was also test. The expressions of bradykinin B2R signal pathway proteins were assayed. Results: Open arm residence time and open arm entry times were significantly higher in captoprilexposed mice than in model mice, while 5-day escape latency values were significantly less in captopriltreated mice than in model group (p < 0.05). Protein expressions of B2R, bpnf and Cdc42 in captopril groups were significantly higher than those in model group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Captopril mitigates CUMS-mediated depression-like disease in mice by regulating bradykinin B2R signal pathway. Therefore, captopril may play an antidepressant role by activating the expressions of B2R, bpnf and Cdc42. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating photonics and electronics into a single chip with a variety of capabilities is attracting particular interest for achieving high‐density and high‐speed multifunctional smart optoelectronic systems. However, it remains challenging to realize this goal because of the difficulty of merging various areas of science and technology. A smart responsive integrated photoelectric organic modulator is created here, which can not only possess emission wavelength switching tunability in response to light and heat but also show good optical amplification performance and field‐effect transistor properties. By applying external stimuli on the resulting smart responsive system based on the judicious combination of conjugated polymers and photochromic molecules can enable efficient and reversible tuning of light emission between red and yellow via a controllable way through effective manipulation of energy transfer channels induced by optical and thermal stimuli. More importantly, stimuli‐responsive emission, optical amplification, and efficient carrier transport can be simultaneously integrated in a single device with optical and electrical performance comparable to those of stand‐alone devices. The results suggest an effective way to create smart integration of photonic and electronic elements in a chip with multifunctional optoelectronic characteristics for various applications such as integrated photonics, electronics, optoelectronics, and smart sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon has received great interest in the development of next-generation metal ion batteries (MIBs) due to its extremely high capacity; however, the large volume expansion during intercalation process and intrinsically low electrical conductivity has severely hindered its electrochemical performance. In this work, we theoretically report that the recently-developed BSi 4 monolayer is an appealing candidate as a flexible anode for high-performance MIBs. The BSi 4 anode exhibits high mechanical and thermal stability with inherent metallicity, which is very advantageous for the fast electronic transport during battery cycle. All metal atoms are stably deposited on the anode surface with high ion mobility. The lowest diffusion barrier is predicted to be 0.33 eV for Li, 0.22 eV for Na, and 0.17 eV for K. Remarkably, the BSi 4 anode possesses high Li/Na/K storage capacities of 1087.97, 1087.97 and 870.37 mA h/g, and low averaged open circuit voltages of 0.80, 0.52 and 0.63 V. Moreover, the BSi 4 anode could withstand a large ultimate strain of 16.72 % (20.27 %) along zigzag (armchair) direction, showing a good mechanical flexibility. [Display omitted] • A detailed investigation of BSi 4 monolayer as a MIB anode is performed. • High electrical conductivity and good mechanical flexibility are found in the BSi 4 monolayer. • The BSi 4 anode delivers a high storage capacity for Li/Na/K (1087.97, 1087.97 and 870.37 mA h/g). • The lowest Li/Na/K diffusion barriers on the BSi 4 anode are 0.33, 0.22 and 0.17 eV, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon-based 2D materials have garnered significant attention as outstanding anodes of alkali metal ion batteries (MIBs); nevertheless, the poor electrical conductivity and mechanical property have severely hindered their practical application. In this work, we conducted a detailed first principles calculation to examine a newly-developed 2D silicon-boron binary compound (named B 2 Si) as the anode of MIBs. The B 2 Si anode harbors the intrinsic metallicity and exhibits low Li/Na/K diffusion barriers of 0.26, 0.14 and 0.09 eV, which makes a great contribution to the high rate performance. The storage capacities for Li/Na/K are predicted to be 1908.57, 583.48 and 431.97 mA h/g, respectively, superior to the commercial graphite anode. Moreover, the B 2 Si anode has good mechanical property and structural flexibility, which could avoid destroying its structure on the metal ion intercalation/deintercalation process. These fascinating features render the B 2 Si monolayer an exceptional anode of MIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to high-temperature corrosion after low NOx transformation with separate over fire air (SOFA), combined arrangement of corner and wall tangential firing burners, as well as anti-tangential and deflecting air technology are studied. Numerical simulation with realizable k - ε two equation and Non-premixed combustion including probability density function model (PDF) is carefully adopted. Result conveys that application of combined arrangement can remarkably reduce the tangent circle in the furnace, lowering the probability that coal particles might strike the furnace wall. Also, lower CO and temperature near the wall would greatly decelerate the high-temperature corrosion. Further studies conclusively show that the performance has no linear relation to the angle in deviation cases. If properly arranged, combined burners layouts behave better than deviation (including anti-tangential) methods in restraint of high-temperature corrosion. All the technologies play effective roles in NOx reduction that the best-performing anti-tangential case 4 has a 50.7% drop from original case. Remission of high-temperature corrosion will have great economic and security importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textiles and apparel archaeology is an indispensable part of history and archaeology. As most unearthed textile relics are silk, soft and multi‐layered in nature, their frangibility poses enormous difficulties in their transportation, storage and exhibition. Traditional methods may not be suitable for accurately monitoring their condition under various external situations, due to the particularity of the textile relics. Herein, a smart, flexible, fabric‐based monitoring system, which integrates sensing fibers, textile technology, and traditional silkscreen conservation, is developed for the preservation and conservation of textile relics. The proposed integrated electrochemical fabric bears a high level of flexibility and diversification in structure, and furthermore can act as a protective cover to monitor external environmental impact factors such as pH value, strain, humidity, temperature, and ultraviolet light. The newly developed system can act as a daily monitoring solution to achieve real‐time and prolonged preventative control from various mechanisms of degradation, so as to ultimately support and uphold the conversation and preservation of textile relics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Electrochemical ammonia synthesis is a promising alternative technique to traditional Haber‐Bosch process, capable of converting nitrogen to ammonia at ambient conditions and can be driven by intermittent energy. However, it generally requires high overpotential for nitrogen dissociation due to the stable triple bonds of nitrogen molecules, resulting in a poor ammonia yield rate. Tailoring the electrolyte‐ion composition is a promising approach to facilitate nitrogen dissociation by optimizing the local reaction environment near the electrode toward ammonia production. In this study, the effect of anions in the electrolyte composition on electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction to ammonia is investigated. It is found that a lower onset potential for nitrogen reduction (−0.2 V vs RHE) and a higher ammonia yield rate (6.69 × 10−11 mol cm−2 s−1) are achieved in the electrolyte containing OH− anions, compared to singly charged anions of Cl− and SCN− when using an electrode made of commercial Au/C electrocatalysts. In addition, current density contributed by nitrogen reduction achieved in the high‐pH electrolyte (pH ≥ 13) shows around 3‐fold increase compared to that in low‐pH electrolyte (11 ≤ pH ≤ 12). Such performance enhancement is possibly attributed to the appearance of hydronium ions (H3O+) in high‐pH electrolyte, which facilitates nitrogen dissociation by strengthening protonation(*N2+6H3O++6e−→*+2NH3·H2O+4H2O). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aerial transportation system is a kind of nonlinear underactuated mechatronic system, which suspends the cargo beneath the rotorcraft’s fuselage and undertakes two basic missions of rotorcraft positioning and cargo swing suppression. Currently, most available methods need simplifications such as the near hovering hypothesis and dimension reduction operations, which may badly degrade the control performance when state variables get far away from the equilibrium point. In addition, integral terms, which can eliminate the steady errors, are not reflected in controller design and stability analysis processes. To tackle the aforementioned issues, this article provides a novel nonlinear control approach with an elaborately constructed integral term for aerial transportation systems, which not only achieves satisfactory antiswing and positioning performance but also reduces steady errors in practical flight. Meanwhile, the actuating constraint is taken into consideration so as to avoid saturation problems. Without linearization operations, we prove the closed-loop asymptotic stability of the equilibrium by the explicit Lyapunov-based analysis. As far as we know, this article is the first solution for controller design with the consideration of both steady errors elimination and actuating constraints. Finally, several groups of hardware experimental results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the presented control scheme. Note to Practitioners—This article is motivated by the requirement of effective control schemes for aerial transportation systems. The unexpected cargo swing motion may lead to safety accidents; thus, the dual objective of swing suppression and rotorcraft positioning is the focus of research. Nevertheless, with underactuated property, the cargo swing motion cannot be directly controlled. Up until now, at the cost of model accuracy, most existing methods utilize the simplified models in near hovering state or 2-D transverse plane to reduce the control difficulty. Accounting for the foregoing problems, this article presents a novel control scheme with improved antiswing and positioning performance. With an elaborately constructed integral term, the designed controller could improve the positioning accuracy of the rotorcraft with the guaranteed theoretical analysis. Moreover, to avoid the problem of actuator saturation, the control inputs are restricted in allowable ranges during the transportation process. All these aspects are verified by rigorous theoretical analysis and groups of hardware experiments in different conditions. In future studies, we will apply the suggested control scheme in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 12-year-old female with symptoms of chest tightness, fatigue, and abdominal distension of unknown origin. The patient was diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy characterized by biatrial and right ventricular enlargement, biventricular systolic dysfunction, and right atrial appendage aneurysm with thrombosis, along with massive fat accumulation on the surface of the heart.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive (+) classical type invasive lobular carcinoma (cILC) of the breast is extremely rare and its clinicopathologic features have not been well characterized. We compared features of HER2(+) and HER2 negative (-) cILCs. A total of 29 cases were identified from the clinical database at our institution from 2011-2019; 9 were HER2(+) cILC tumors and 20 were HER2(-) cILC tumors. The results reveal that HER2(+) cILC group had significantly increased Ki-67 expression and reduced estrogen receptor (ER) expression compared to HER2(-) cILC group (both p < 0.05). In addition, HER2(+) cILCs tended to be diagnosed at a younger age and more common in the left breast, and appeared to have a higher frequency of nodal or distant metastases. These clinicopathologic features suggest HER2(+) cILC tumors may have more aggressive behavior than their HER2(-) counterpart although both groups of tumors showed similar morphologic features. Future directions of the study: (1) To conduct a multi-institutional study with a larger case series of HER2(+) cILC to further characterize its clinicopathologic features; (2) to compare molecular profiles by next generation sequencing (NGS) assay between HER2(+) cILC and HER2(-) cILC cases to better understand tumor biology of this rare subset of HER2(+) breast cancer; and (3) to compare molecular characteristics of HER2(+) cILC and HER2(+) high grade breast cancer in conjunction with status of tumor response to anti-HER2 therapy to provide insight to management of this special type of low grade breast cancer to avoid unnecessary treatment and related toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most well-known instructional methods used to enhance Chinese character reading (CCR) is Chinese stem-deriving instruction (CSDI). In this method, CCR is taught via a group of characters (e.g., 清, 情, and 靚) that share the same stem (e.g., 青). However, the effectiveness of CSDI on the CCR of Chinese children with dyslexia remains inconsistent, and the reason may be the diverse designs of this method across studies. Thus, this study aimed to use a quasiexperiment-design study to compare the effects of various forms of CSDI based on the (in)consistency of the extending characters' sounds, their appearances, and their amount (i.e., how many of them). In total, 122 Chinese third to sixth graders with dyslexia were recruited from primary schools, and they were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (a) visuospatially controlled CSDI (n = 37; all taught characters shared the same pronunciation), (b) verbally controlled CSDI (n = 45; all taught characters shared the same structure), and (c) noncontrolled CSDI (n = 40; all taught characters selected only on the basis of their frequencies). They were tested by CCR and dictation before and after the instruction. We found that CCR was significantly improved in all three CSDI groups, whereas only the verbally controlled CSDI group showed significant improvements in dictation. Furthermore, verbally and visuospatially controlled CSDI earned the greatest benefits in decreasing the visual errors and phonetic errors in CCR and decreasing the radical errors and homophone errors in dictation. Our findings shed light on the effectiveness of CSDI in terms of diverse designs, and frontline practitioners should take our findings into consideration when using CSDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the application process of China's independently produced new aluminum alloy 211z.1 into high-end military and civilian industries, a great many holes are needed for fastening connection. However, the severe wear of the cutting edge of twist drill is an important factor that restricts the quality of hole processing and tool life. In this paper, the wear condition of the standard high-speed steel twist drill in drilling the new aluminum alloy 211z.1 is studied based on the drilling test, and the influence law of the drilling amount on the tool wear is revealed by designing a reasonable drilling test plan. The research results show that the cutting speed has a significant effect on the flank wear, and the drilling feed and the drilling height have relatively little influence on the flank wear of the tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The higher the enrichment factor, the more significant the enrichment of the differential proteins in the pathway Bioinformatics analysis of the gene expression profile of retinal pigmental epithelial cells based in single-cell RNA sequencing in myopic mice Arch Med Sci 2, February / 2021 577 tration of kynurenic acid transiently increases. Through the single-cell RNA sequencing of the RPE cells, it was found that the cells were exposed to hypoxia during the development of myopia and that hypoxia might lead to functional limitations in the RPE cells [8]. Thus, it can be inferred that RPE cells are exposed to hypoxia during myopia; as RPE cells are oxygen-consuming cells, this hypoxia may activate glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation in the cells [10-12]. [Extracted from the article]

Hazelnut is one of the most popular nuts in the world, rich in nutrients and various active substances. In this study, soluble dietary fiber (SDF) was extracted from hazelnut kernels, and its physicochemical properties and absorbability were explored. Hazelnut-SDF exhibited ideal water-holding, oil-holding and swelling capacity, and glucose, cholesterol and cholate absorbing ability. Scanning electron microscopy and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that hazelnut-SDF had typical polysaccharide structure of functional groups. The main monosaccharides were identified as arabinose, rhamnose, xylose, ribose, glucuronic acid, mannose and glucose by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. In high-fat diet rats, hazelnut-SDF could improve serum lipid parameters, inhibit lipid accumulation in liver and adipocytes, and regulate the expression level of liver lipid synthesis-related genes. It also could adjust intestinal short chain fatty acids, promote the composition and structure of intestinal microbiota, and significantly balance the abundance of Alloprevotella , Fusicatenibacter , Lactobacillus , Roseburia , Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005 , Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014 and Clostridiales. The results concluded that oral administration of hazelnut-SDF could alleviate hyperlipidemia and obesity, and might serve as a potential functional food ingredient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hazelnut is one of the most popular nuts in the world, rich in nutrients and various active substances. In this study, soluble dietary fiber (SDF) was extracted from hazelnut kernels, and its physicochemical properties and absorbability were explored. Hazelnut-SDF exhibited ideal water-holding, oil-holding and swelling capacity, and glucose, cholesterol and cholate absorbing ability. Scanning electron microscopy and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that hazelnut-SDF had typical polysaccharide structure of functional groups. The main monosaccharides were identified as arabinose, rhamnose, xylose, ribose, glucuronic acid, mannose and glucose by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. In high-fat diet rats, hazelnut-SDF could improve serum lipid parameters, inhibit lipid accumulation in liver and adipocytes, and regulate the expression level of liver lipid synthesis-related genes. It also could adjust intestinal short chain fatty acids, promote the composition and structure of intestinal microbiota, and significantly balance the abundance of Alloprevotella , Fusicatenibacter , Lactobacillus , Roseburia , Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005 , Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014 and Clostridiales. The results concluded that oral administration of hazelnut-SDF could alleviate hyperlipidemia and obesity, and might serve as a potential functional food ingredient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutaneous wound is a soft tissue injury that is difficult to heal during aging. It has been demonstrated that adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and its secreted exosomes exert crucial functions in cutaneous wound healing. The present study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of exosomes derived from ADSCs (ADSC-Exos) containing MALAT1 in wound healing. ADSCs were isolated from human normal subcutaneous adipose tissues and identified by flow cytometry analysis. Exosomes were extracted from ADSC supernatants and MALAT1 expression was determined using qRT-PCR analysis. HaCaT and HDF cells were exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for simulating the skin lesion model. Subsequently, CCK-8, flow cytometry, wound healing and transwell assays were employed to validate the role of ADSC-Exos containing MALAT1 in the skin lesion model. Besides, cells were transfected with sh-MALAT1 to verify the protective role of MALAT1 in wound healing. The binding relationship between MALAT1 and miR-124 were measured by dual-luciferase reporter assay. ADSC-Exos promoted cell proliferation, migration, and inhibited cell apoptosis of HaCaT and HDF cells impaired by H2O2. However, the depletion of MALAT1 in ADSC-Exos lose these protective effects on HaCaT and HDF cells. Moreover, miR-124 was identified to be a target of MALAT1. Furthermore, ADSC-Exos containing MALAT1 could mediate H2O2-induced wound healing by targeting miR-124 and activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway. ADSC-Exos containing MALAT1 play a positive role in cutaneous wound healing possibly via targeting miR-124 through activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which may provide novel insights into the therapeutic target for cutaneous wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the imaging and histopathological findings in a 32-year-old female who presented to the erectile dysfunction with progressively worsening abdominal pain over the past 2 months. Computed tomography abdomen and pelvis revealed bilateral ovarian teratomas, left significantly larger than right. There was associated fat stranding, mesenteric/omental stranding, and ascites worrisome for rupture versus peritoneal carcinomatosis. Histopathology confirmed a left immature teratoma (Grade 2), right mature teratoma, and peritoneal gliomatosis from possible tumor rupture before surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on high dielectric constant (8.3 × 103, 104 Hz), low dielectric loss (0.029, 104 Hz) as well as fine grain size (∼840 nm) achieved in pure CaCu 3 Ti 4 O 12 (CCTO) ceramics through a combination of sol–gel method, spark plasma sintering and annealing process. By adjusting the sintering temperature and annealing conditions, the composition variations, valence states and microstructures of CCTO ceramics are systematically studied, which provide direct clues in understanding the origin of their excellent dielectric response. Through the studies on the dielectric, impedance, modulus and conductivity properties of CCTO ceramics, a modified brick-layer model based on two interfacial polarizations originating from sub-grain boundary and grain boundary barriers is proposed to explain their dielectric behaviors. The high dielectric constant of CCTO ceramics is mainly dominated by the sub-grain contribution; and the reduced dielectric loss is attributed to the decreases of electrical conductivity and relaxation loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Y 2 O 3 -stabilized tetragonal ZrO 2 polycrystal (Y-TZP) composites with various TiC contents were successfully synthesized via a modified hydrothermal-assisted sol-gel method. Fine precursor powders can be obtained with high crystallinity, nanoscale grain size and uniform morphology. SEM images of the ceramic products show that TiC particles are distributed homogeneously in the final Y-TZP matrix, and their average grain sizes are approximately 390–670 nm and 150–230 nm for the Y-TZP and TiC phases, respectively. A higher TiC volume fraction has a negative effect on the relative density and hardness but a significant positive influence on electrical conductivity. The electrical conductivity values are increased from 115 S/m to 1.23 × 105 S/m with TiC contents varying, demonstrating that the percolation threshold is approximately as low as 11.6 vol% for the samples, which is much lower than those of previous Y-TZP/TiC ceramics. The high electrical performance is probably due to the high D (the diameters of the insulating particles)/d (the diameters of conductive particles) ratio and submicron-sized grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of high energy density materials (HEDMs) with balanced detonation energy and sensitivity is an urgent task in the current energetic material field. Here, by means of density functional theory (DFT) computations, we systematically exploited 14 cyclic nitramines in the framework of 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocane (HMX) as HEDMs. Our results demonstrate that although the -CF(NO2)2 derivatives exhibit negative heats of formations; all designed compounds have high crystal densities (1.83–2.09 g/cm3), good thermal stability (bond dissociation energy > 143 kJ/mol), and remarkable detonation performance (detonation velocities, 8.59–9.31 km/s). More importantly, compounds A1, B1, C1, and D1 exhibit lower impact sensitivity than 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20). Given these properties, it could be expected that compounds A1, B1, C1, and D1 are potential HEDM candidates with acceptable sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing highly efficient host materials to suppress the lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) shuttling and accelerate the Li 2 S conversion is essential for advanced lithium-sulfur (Li–S) batteries. In this work, based on first principles computations, we explored transition metal embedded C 2 N monolayers (M@C 2 N, M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) as host materials and catalysts for Li–S batteries. Our results show that M@C 2 N monolayers could prevent the LiPSs shuttling with strong adsorption energies towards LiPSs, due to the synergistic effect of M-S and Li–N bonds. Moreover, the presence of transition metal atoms in the C 2 N could improve its electric conductivity. On the whole lithiation process, all the adsorbed systems are still conductive, which is helpful to boost the sulfur utilization. Importantly, M@C 2 N monolayers could promote the Li 2 S decomposition and thus enhance the oxidation kinetics of Li 2 S back to sulfur. Among them, Co@C 2 N monolayer is the best host material, which possesses the largest adsorption energies with LiPSs and the lowest decomposition energy of Li 2 S. This work opens a new avenue for the development of host materials with excellent catalytic activity towards LiPSs, and also sheds light on M@C 2 N as superior cathode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural residues are among the most important and abundant biomass resources in the world. This study aimed to highlight the characterization of common agricultural residues in China. Six indicators, including biomass, cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, caloric value, and ash, were selected to evaluate agricultural residue for its potential energy utilization using grey relational analysis. The results showed that residues of grain crops, including corn (439.1 million tons, 46.6%), rice (207.1 million tons, 21.5%), and wheat (150.7 million tons, 16.0%) were the top three agricultural residues, accounting for 84.1% of total Chinese agricultural residues. Among the agricultural residue samples, rice, wheat, and corn exhibited relatively low ash content; and sugarcane, cotton, and rape residue exhibited low lignin content. Rape, corn, and hemp showed higher cellulose content; and rice, wheat, and corn exhibited higher hemicellulose content. Among the agricultural residues, hemp, corn, and sugarcane showed higher caloric value compared to other residues. According to the grey relational analysis, these combined properties have shown that corn, rice, and wheat can act as potential candidates for energy utilization. The evaluation results were essentially identical to the performance of agricultural residues. Therefore, the comprehensive evaluation of agricultural residues provides sound scientific evidence for their use in energy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic structure and lattice dynamical properties of solid methane under high pressure have been studied based on density functional theory. We identify a cubic structure with space group of I[formula]3m below 14 GPa, the Pmn21 structure in the range of 14-21 GPa, and the P21/c structure from 21 to 65 GPa. Our obtained Raman spectra of the P21/c structure agree well with the typical Raman active modes in the available experimental data. At 65 GPa, methane undergoes a phase transition from P21/c to Pnma. The structures with P21/c and Pnma symmetries are insulating, and under any pressure studied methane always remains in molecular form. For Pnma phase, the orientational ordering of CH4 molecules varies significantly at 79, 88, and 92 GPa, and by further increasing pressure the rotation of the molecules freezes and orientational ordering remains unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal nanoclusters have emerged as promising near-infrared (NIR)–emissive materials, but their room-temperature photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), especially in solution, is often low (<10%). We studied the photophysics of Au22(tBuPhC≡C)18 (Au22) and its alloy counterpart Au16Cu6(tBuPhC≡C)18 (Au16Cu6) (where tBu is tert-butyl and Ph is phenyl) and found that copper (Cu) doping suppressed the nonradiative decay (~60-fold less) and promoted intersystem crossing rate (~300-fold higher). The Au16Cu6 nanocluster exhibited >99% PLQY in deaerated solution at room temperature with an emission maximum at 720 nanometers tailing to 950 nanometers and 61% PLQY in the oxygen-saturated solution. The approach to achieve near-unity PLQY could enable the development of highly emissive metal cluster materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare highly heterogeneous histiocytosis, which can be divided into single system and multiple system disease according to site of involvement. There is a paucity of studies examining unifocal LCH in adults in the molecular era. Results: We retrospectively analysed records from 70 patients with unifocal LCH. The median age at diagnosis was 36 years (18–69). The most common organ involved was the bone (70.0%), followed by pituitary gland (7.1%). Target gene sequencing of lesion tissues was performed on 32 of the 70 patients. MAPK/PI3K pathway alterations were observed in 78.1% of the patients; the most common mutations included BRAFV600E (28.1%), MAP2K1 (18.8%) and PIK3CA (9.4%). After a median follow-up time of 39.4 months (0.7–211.8), 10 (14.3%) patients developed disease progression, of whom 4 had local recurrence, 2 progressed to single-system multifocal and 4 progressed to multiple system LCH. The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 81.9%. Univariate analysis showed that age < 30 years at diagnosis was associated with worse 3-year PFS (52.2% vs. 97.0%, p = 0.005). The 3-year overall survival was 100%. Conclusions: In our large cohort of adults with unifocal LCH, we found that prognosis of unifocal LCH in adults was very good, and age < 30 years at diagnosis was associated with increased relapse risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oculomotor behavior has been shown to be correlated with mental disorders in clinics, making it promising for disease diagnosis. Here we developed a thorough oculomotor test toolkit, involving saccade, smooth pursuit, and fixation, allowing the examination of multiple oculomotor parameters in monkey models induced by psychoactive drugs. Eye movements were recorded after daily injections of phencyclidine (PCP) (3.0 mg/kg), ketamine (0.8 mg/kg) or controlled saline in two macaque monkeys. Both drugs led to robust reduction in accuracy and increment in reaction time during high cognitive-demanding tasks. Saccades, smooth pursuit, and fixation stability were also significantly impaired. During fixation, the involuntary microsaccades exhibited increased amplitudes and were biased toward the lower visual field. Pupillary response was reduced during cognitive tasks. Both drugs also increased sensitivity to auditory cues as reflected in auditory evoked potentials (AEPs). Thus, our animal model induced by psychoactive drugs produced largely similar abnormalities to that in patients with schizophrenia. Importantly, a classifier based on dimension reduction and machine learning could reliably identify altered states induced by different drugs (PCP, ketamine and saline, accuracy = 93%). The high performance of the classifier was reserved even when data from one monkey were used for training and testing the other subject (averaged classification accuracy = 90%). Thus, despite heterogeneity in baseline oculomotor behavior between the two monkeys, our model allows data transferability across individuals, which could be beneficial for future evaluation of pharmaceutical or physical therapy validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Lateral resistance from the columns and mortise-tenon joints was isolated and obtained by experiment. • Lateral load-resisting mechanism of mortise-tenon jointed timber frames was quantified. • Characterized models were proposed for the lateral resistance from the columns and joints. • The influence of column height and diameter on the lateral load-resisting mechanism of the frames was studied. This study isolated and quantified the lateral load-resisting mechanism of mortise-tenon jointed frames in multi-story traditional heavy timber structures. By decomposing the lateral performance of the mortise-tenon jointed frames, three rocking frame specimens and a moment-resisting frame specimen were half-scaled designed. Lateral resistance from timber columns and mortise-tenon joints was directly obtained by reversed cyclic loading tests, respectively, and was compared to quantify the mechanism of the mortise-tenon jointed frames in different stories. Characterized models were proposed for the lateral resistance from the columns and joints, respectively. A model-based parametric study was further conducted to indicate the influence of the column height and diameter on the mechanism of the mortise-tenon jointed frames. Test results showed the columns dominated both in the lateral load-resisting capacity and energy dissipation capacity of the frames at small drift, and the columns still contributed over 50% of those capacities before a drift of 10% with the increase of loading amplitude. The characterized models well captured the evolution features of the load–displacement curves of the tested specimens. The parametric study indicated that by increasing 30% of the column height, the lateral load contribution of the mortise-tenon joints ranged from 60% to 90% at a drift of 12%. Moreover, a decrease of 30% in the column diameter led to a significant drop in the load-resisting capacity and deformability of the columns, making the mortise-tenon joints dominate in the lateral capacity of the frames after a drift of 8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Influences of concentration on micro structures of mixed NH 4 Cl and (NH 4) 2 SO 4 aqueous solutions are investigated by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. We deduce the reduced pair distribution function G(r) from X-ray diffraction diagrams, obtain the radial distribution function (RDF) from the molecular dynamics simulations and get the excess Raman spectroscopy from Raman spectroscopy. The results above illustrate that the formation of interaction between NH 4 + and SO 4 2− causes a characteristic peak in the X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, which can be used to prove the existence of both NH 4 + and SO 4 2− in solutions. Besides, as the mixed concentrations change, two structural turning points appear. One turning point is mixed concentrations of 23% NH 4 Cl and 10% (NH 4) 2 SO 4 , while the other one is mixed concentrations of 11% NH 4 Cl and 30% (NH 4) 2 SO 4. At these points, the old network structure and original ion contact pairs are damaged, while the new ion pairs are generated, due to the addition of mixed NH 4 Cl and (NH 4) 2 SO 4 in aqueous solutions. Furthermore, these conclusions of experimental and simulated test are completely consistent and mutually supportive. Highlights • We make a direct comparison of reduced pair distribution function and radial distribution functions. • The X-ray diffraction spectroscopy can be used to determine the existence of both NH 4 + and SO 4 2− in solutions. • NH 4 + ion in solutions behaves in a way very similar to water. • The hydrogen bond structure and original ion interactions are damaged, while new ion distances are formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The mechanical relaxation technique is applied to investigate the fundamental dynamic behavior of BiVO 4 material. A prominent internal friction peak is observed around 430 K at 1 Hz, which is actually composed of three sub-peaks (P 1 , P 2 and P 3 from low to high temperature). And the associated modulus anomalies can also be found in any of the samples. The peak P 1 with activation energy E 1 ∼ 3.20 eV is probably related to the stress-induced unequal positions of Bi3+ ions; while the main P 2 peak with E 2 = 0.91 eV is associated with a complex mechanism, which originates from the viscous motion of domain walls and the interaction of domain walls with oxygen vacancies; and the responsive P 3 peak is resulted from the ferroelastic–paraelastic phase transition, accompanied by a minimum modulus value. Based on the relaxation process and crystalline structure of BiVO 4 , the motion model of ferroelastic domain walls and transport mechanism of diffusion are suggested. Our results pave the way for better understanding the intrinsic dynamic and multifunctional properties of BiVO 4. Highlights • Pave a novel method for understanding the intrinsic dynamic properties of BiVO 4. • The kinetic behavior has been systematically analyzed under mechanical measurement. • The motion evolution of ferroelastic domains of BiVO 4 is first reported. • The mixed electric/oxide conduction mechanism of BiVO 4 has been well established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Searching conductive host materials to suppress the shuttle effect is a long-term goal in the development of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. In this work, first principles calculations were carried out to systematically investigate O-functionalized Ti 2 N (Ti 2 NO 2) and F-functionalized Ti 2 N (Ti 2 NF 2) monolayers as host materials to anchor the soluble Li 2 S x species. Our results demonstrate that both Ti 2 NO 2 and Ti 2 NF 2 not only possess moderate adsorption energies towards Li 2 S x species, but also achieve a good balance between adsorption energies and intactness of Li 2 S x species, which could avoid the dissolution of Li 2 S x species into electrolyte solvents and improve the utilization of active materials. In addition, after adsorption of S 8 and Li 2 S x species, the metallic character of Ti 2 NO 2 and Ti 2 NF 2 is still preserved, which benefits the redox reaction of Li 2 S x species. Given these exceptional properties, it is expected that Ti 2 NO 2 and Ti 2 NF 2 could be promising host materials for Li-S batteries with good cycling performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study concentrates on improving the low temperature performance of CDPF catalysts. The self-propagating high temperature combustion synthesis method was applied to synthesize a series of CeZrO 2- δ , CuCeZrO 2- δ , and MnCuCeZrO 2- δ catalysts, which were coated on DPF substrate. The performance of the catalysts was fully investigated by the soot temperature programmed combustion, which showed that these catalysts with nanometer size have a high catalytic activity of soot combustion at low temperatures. Compared with Ce 0.05 Zr 0.05 O 2- δ , Cu 0.9 Ce 0.05 Zr 0.05 O 2- δ and Mn 0.09 Cu 0.81 Ce 0.05 Zr 0.05 O 2- δ showed excellent low temperature soot oxidation activities and much higher CO 2 selectivity. BET, XRD, TEM, and XPS were employed to characterize the structural and physical-chemical properties of catalysts. The XRD results indicated that catalysts with 90% Cu possess evenly distributed crystalline grains and small particle size, which is responsible for its excellent oxidation activity by providing more active sites as well as forming good connection between the catalyst and soot. The XPS results demonstrated that the Cu x + has a significant association with the formation of NO 2 , thus promoting the soot oxidation, and that the synergetic effect between Cu x + and Mn x + contributes most to the improvement of the catalytic activity. The partial substitution with Mn could enhance the chemisorbed oxygen, which further improved NO oxidation and CO 2 selectivity. Furthermore, the soot combustion reaction mechanism was examined with in situ DRIFTS. The results exhibited that the active sites of Cu 0.9 Ce 0.05 Zr 0.05 O 2- δ and Mn 0.09 Cu 0.81 Ce 0.05 Zr 0.05 O 2- δ could generate more reactive oxygen for NO oxidation and that the uniformly dispersed Cu x + and Mn x + in Ce lattice could adsorb NO 2 to form nitrite and nitrates, which behaved as a carrier of NO 2 and transported it around the surface of soot, thus facilitating the soot combustion, especially at low temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which investigated the deposition of thin films of lithium niobate on silicon with radio frequency magnetron sputtering. Variables thought to critically affect the properties of the resulting films; Use of x-ray diffractometry using a cooper tube; Results of the Rutherford backscattering spectra.

Background: Toxoplasma gondii with widespread distribution infects over one third of human populations in the world and can cause serious life-threatening diseases especially for the immunodeficient patients in acute toxoplasmosis. As the clinical pharmaceutical drugs with severe side effects for treatment and non-ideal extant vaccines for prevention, more work starves to be done for keeping advantages in the athletics. Methods: Aluminum adjuvant and hybrid formaldehyde-killed tachyzoites of T. gondii RH and GT1 isolates were prepared to intramuscularly immunize BALB/c mice for five times at 0, 3, 7, 14 and 21 days post first injection. The triggered humoral and cellular immune responses at two weeks post the last immunization and the survival times of infected mice were examined for the hybrid immunization scheme judgement. Results: The anti-RH and anti-GT1 specific antibodies were both increased at one week prior to challenge (P < 0.05), and the survival times of immunized mice (7.33 ± 0.71 d for RH, 7.22 ± 0.97 d for GT1) against acute toxoplasmosis were significantly prolonged by the immunizations performed in the study compared to blank control (6.67 ± 0.50 d for RH, 6.33 ± 0.71 d for GT1; P < 0.05), with the higher IFN-γ, IL-2 and IL-12p70 in sera, the elevated CD3e+CD4+ T and CD3e+CD8a+ T cells, and the enhanced lymphocyte proliferation in spleen (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The hybrid killed tachyzoites with aluminum adjuvant induced humoral and cellular immune responses of mice, and offered mildly protective efficacy against acute toxoplasmosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CaCu 3 Ti 4 O 12 ceramics have been prepared by the spark plasma sintering method. Our results indicate that facile fabrication process control can lead to an obvious microstructure change, and thus modulate the nonlinear current-voltage properties such as the breakdown electric field E b (0.33–9.28 kV/cm) and nonlinear coefficient α (2.4–21.5). The SPS ceramics sintered at 900 °C for 5 min possess the largest E b and α values, which are much higher than those of previous pure CaCu 3 Ti 4 O 12 ceramics without dopants. It is suggested that the synergistic effects of enhanced barrier height, large activation energy at grain boundaries, and the evolution of microstructure lead to the superior J-E performance in present samples. These results reveal that the CaCu 3 Ti 4 O 12 material has a promising prospect in the application as a varistor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA damage kills dry-heated spores of Bacillus subtilis, but dry-heattreatment effects on spore germination and outgrowth have not been studied. This is important, since if dry-heat-killed spores germinate and undergo outgrowth, toxic proteins could be synthesized. Here, Raman spectroscopy and differential interference contrast microscopy were used to study germination and outgrowth of individual dry-heat-treated B. subtilis and Bacillus megaterium spores. The major findings in this work were as follows: (i) spores dry-heat-treated at 140°C for 20 min lost nearly all viability but retained their Ca2+-dipicolinic acid (CaDPA) depot; (ii) in most cases, dry-heat treatment increased the average times and variability of all major germination events in B. subtilis spore germination with nutrient germinants or CaDPA, and in one nutrient germination event with B. megaterium spores; (iii) B. subtilis spore germination with dodecylamine, which activates the spore CaDPA release channel, was unaffected by dry-heat treatment; (iv) these results indicate that dry-heat treatment likely damages spore proteins important in nutrient germinant recognition and cortex peptidoglycan hydrolysis, but not CaDPA release itself; and (v) analysis of single spores incubated on nutrient-rich agar showed that while dry-heat-treated spores that are dead can complete germination, they cannot proceed into outgrowth and thus not to vegetative growth. The results of this study provide new information on the effects of dry heat on bacterial spores and indicate that dry-heat sterilization regimens should produce spores that cannot outgrow and thus cannot synthesize potentially dangerous proteins. IMPORTANCE Much research has shown that high-temperature dry heat is a promising means for the inactivation of spores on medical devices and spacecraft decontamination. Dry heat is known to kill Bacillus subtilis spores by DNA damage. However, knowledge about the effects of dry-heat treatment on spore germination and outgrowth is limited, especially at the single spore level. In the current work, Raman spectroscopy and differential interference contrast microscopy were used to analyze CaDPA levels in and kinetics of nutrient- and non-nutrient germination of multiple individual dry-heat-treated B. subtilis and Bacillus megaterium spores that were largely dead. The outgrowth and subsequent cell division of these germinated but dead dryheat- treated spores were also examined. The knowledge obtained in this study will help understand the effects of dry heat on spores both on Earth and in space, and indicates that dry heat can be safely used for sterilization purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imaging spectroscopy, also known as hyperspectral imaging, has been transformed in the last four decades from being a sparse research tool into a commodity product available to a broad user community. Specially, in the last 10 years, a large number of new techniques able to take into account the special properties of hyperspectral data have been introduced for hyperspectral data processing, where hyperspectral image classification, as one of the most active topics, has drawn massive attentions. Spectral-spatial hyperspectral image classification can achieve better classification performance than its pixel-wise counterpart, since the former utilizes not only the information of spectral signature but also that from spatial domain. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview on the methods belonging to the category of spectral-spatial classification in a relatively unified context. First, we develop a concept of spatial dependency system that involves pixel dependency and label dependency, with two main factors: neighborhood covering and neighborhood importance. In terms of the way that the neighborhood information is used, the spatial dependency systems can be classified into fixed, adaptive, and global systems, which can accommodate various kinds of existing spectral-spatial methods. Based on such, the categorizations of single-dependency, bilayer-dependency, and multiple-dependency systems are further introduced. Second, we categorize the performings of existing spectral-spatial methods into four paradigms according to the different fusion stages wherein spatial information takes effect, i.e., preprocessingbased, integrated, postprocessing-based, and hybrid classifications. Then, typical methodologies are outlined. Finally, several representative spectral-spatial classification methods are applied on real-world hyperspectral data in our experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]