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We present the synthesis and magneto-thermal properties of carborane-based lanthanide metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with the formula {[(Ln)3(mCB-L)4(NO3)(DMF)n]·Solv}, where Ln = Dy or Tb, characterized by dc and ac susceptibility, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) and heat capacity measurements. The MOF structure is formed by polymeric 1D chains of Ln ions with three different coordination environments (Ln1, Ln2, Ln3) running along the b-axis, linked by carborane-based linkers thus to provide a 3D structure. Static magnetic measurements reveal that these MOFs behave at low temperature as a system of S* = 1/2 Ising spins, weakly interacting ferromagnetically along the 1D polymeric chain (J*/kB = +0.45 K (+0.5 K) interaction constant estimated for Dy-MOF (Tb-MOF)) and coupled to Ln ions in adjacent chains through dipolar antiferromagnetic interactions. The Dy MOF exhibits slow relaxation of magnetization through a thermally activated process, transitioning to quantum tunneling of the magnetization at low temperatures, while both compounds exhibit field-induced relaxation through a very slow, direct process. The maximum magnetic entropy changes (-ΔSmaxm) for an applied magnetic field change of 2-0 T are 5.71 J kg-1 K-1 and 4.78 J kg-1 K-1, for Dy and Tb MOFs, respectively, while the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) peak for both occurs at T ~ 1.6 K, approximately double that for the Gd counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, wide‐color gamut perovskite light‐emitting diodes (PeLEDs) are commonly controlled through halide composition tuning. However, the formation of perovskite crystals involving different ion radii of halogens often results in structural fragility and ionic defects, leading to emission instability during operation. This study showcases a novel approach to achieving a homogeneous and low‐defect crystalline state by regulating the thermodynamic nucleation mechanism of sky‐blue perovskite, thereby enhancing emission stability. Utilizing oxygen‐plasma treatment, a highly uniform surface energy is ensured for the nickel oxide acting as a hole transport layer. This treatment not only induces homogeneous nucleation of the perovskite layer but also effectively suppresses crystal defects. Simultaneously, the uniform surface energy alleviates halide phase separation caused by Ostwald ripening. Upon optimizing the fabrication conditions for sky‐blue perovskite, the resulting PeLEDs, featuring an electroluminescent peak at 486 nm, attain a luminance of 1125.3 cd m−2 with exceptional electroluminescent stability and a T50 lifetime. Furthermore, gaining insights into the thermodynamic nucleation mechanism in mix‐halides and perovskites contributes to the advancement of research on sky‐blue PeLEDs and offers valuable perspectives for future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploitation of novel wound healing methods with real-time infection sensing and high spatiotemporal precision is highly important for human health. Pt-based metal-organic cycles/cages (MOCs) have been employed as multifunctional antibacterial agents due to their superior Pt-related therapeutic efficiency, various functional subunits and specific geometries. However, how to rationally apply these nanoscale MOCs on the macroscale with controllable therapeutic output is still challenging. Here, a centimeter-scale Pt MOC film was constructed via multistage assembly and subsequently coated on a N,N'-dimethylated dipyridinium thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole (MPT)-stained silk fabric to form a smart wound dressing for bacterial sensing and wound healing. The MPT on silk fabric could be used to monitor wound infection in real-time through the bacteria-mediated reduction of MPT to its radical form via a color change. The MPT radical also exhibited an excellent photothermal effect under 660 nm light irradiation, which could not only be applied for photothermal therapy but also induce the disassembly of the Pt MOC film suprastructure. The highly ordered Pt MOC film suprastructure exhibited high biosafety, while it also showed improved antibacterial efficiency after thermally induced disassembly. In vitro and in vivo studies revealed that the combination of the Pt MOC film and MPT-stained silk can provide real-time information on wound infection for timely treatment through noninvasive techniques. This study paves the way for bacterial sensing and wound healing with centimeter-scale metal-organic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyze the risk for genetic aberrations and pregnancy outcomes in pregnancies with isolated polyhydramnios. This was a retrospective study of singleton pregnancies complicated by isolated polyhydramnios that underwent genetic amniocentesis between 2016 and 2021. Clinical and laboratory data were collected and reviewed for these cases, including maternal demographics, prenatal sonographic findings, chromosomal microarray results, and pregnancy outcomes. A total of 94 singleton pregnancies were included. Three (3.2%) cases with chromosomal abnormalities were detected, including 2 case of trisomy 21 and 1 of 22q21.1 microdeletion. One case was diagnosed as Prader-Willi syndrome caused by maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 15. Perinatal death occurred in 1 case with severe polyhydramnios, and was retrospectively diagnosed as Bartter syndrome. Of the 90 infants survived, two were identified to have single gene disorders after birth by whole exome sequencing. We first attempted to determine the value of exome sequencing in pregnancies with isolated polyhydramnios. Our results warrant more studies to evaluate advanced genetic testing technologies used in such pregnancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smoking and high-fat diet (HFD) consumption are two modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular (CV) diseases, and individuals who are overweight or obese due to unhealthy diet are more likely to use tobacco products. In this study, we aim to investigate the combined effects of nicotine (the addictive component of all tobacco products) and HFD on CV health, which are poorly understood. C57BL/6N male mice were placed on either HFD (60 kcal% fat) or regular diet (22 kcal% fat) and exposed to air or nicotine vapor for 10-12 wk. CV function was monitored by echocardiography and radiotelemetry, with left ventricular (LV) catheterization and aortic ring vasoreactivity assays performed at end point. Mice on HFD exhibited increased heart rate and impaired parasympathetic tone, whereas nicotine exposure increased sympathetic vascular tone as evidenced by increased blood pressure (BP) response to ganglionic blockade. Although neither nicotine nor HFD alone or in combination significantly altered BP, nicotine exposure disrupted circadian BP regulation with reduced BP dipping. LV catheterization revealed that combined exposure to nicotine and HFD led to LV diastolic dysfunction with increased LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP). Moreover, combined exposure resulted in increased inhibitory phosphorylation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and greater impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilation. Finally, a small cohort of C57BL/6N females with combined exposure exhibited similar increases in LVEDP, indicating that both sexes are susceptible to the combined effect of nicotine and HFD. In summary, combined exposure to nicotine and HFD leads to greater CV harm, including both additive and new-onset CV dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To present the prenatal features and postnatal outcomes of pregnancies with fetal nemaline myopathy (NM). This was a retrospective study of nine cases with NM diagnosed by prenatal or postnatal clinical features and confirmed by genetic testing. Clinical and laboratory data were collected and reviewed for these cases, including maternal demographics, prenatal sonographic findings, exome sequencing (ES) results, and pregnancy outcomes. All of the nine cases were detected to have NM-causing variants, involving NEB gene in 2 cases, ACTA1 in 3 cases, KLHL40 in 3 cases, and TPM2 in 1 case. Almost all (8/9) had normal first-trimester ultrasound scans except one who had an increased nuchal translucency. Seven (7/9) cases had second-trimester abnormal ultrasounds with fetal akinesia and/or extremity anomalies. Two (2/9) had only third-trimester abnormal ultrasounds with fetal akinesia and polyhydramnios, with one combined with fetal growth restriction. Four pregnancies with a positive prenatal ES were terminated, while five having not receiving prenatal ES continued to term. Only one infant survived 1 year old, and four passed away within 12 months. Prenatal ultrasound can detect clues that lead to the diagnosis of NM, such as reduced or absent fetal movements, polyhydramnios and extremity anomalies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendritic cells (DCs) are a unique class of immune cells vital to the immune system, functioning as antigen-presenting cells that play a key role in launching both cellular and humoral immune responses. They are crucial in preventing infectious diseases and regulating tumor growth. DCs can be categorized based on various criteria such as phenotype, function, and tissue location, resulting in several subgroups. Generally, DCs are divided into two primary groups: plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) and conventional DCs (cDCs), which are further classified into Type I classical DCs (cDC1) and Type II classical DCs (cDC2). cDC1 cells are distinguishable by specific gene programs and associated markers, while cDC2 cells display more diversity. Moreover, there is an ongoing debate surrounding a recently identified subgroup called DC3, and whether it can be considered a distinct cell type in the maturation process of DCs remains uncertain. Most of these DC subgroups rely on the growth factor Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (FLT3L) for differentiation from a common DC precursor (CDP), guided by various cytokines. Although the general classification of DC subgroups is similar in both humans and mice, numerous phenotypic and functional variations exist within each subgroup. Therefore, comprehending these differences between DC subgroups in humans and mice holds the potential to significantly advance relevant research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown that the school-based physical activity programme entitled "11 for Health" has been effective in improving the physical fitness, well-being and overall health profile of European children. The main purpose of the present study was to examine whether the "11 for Health" programme can have a positive impact on the physical fitness of primary school pupils in China. A total of 124 primary school pupils aged 9-11 years were included in the experiment, randomly divided into the experimental group (EG, n = 62) and the control group (CG, n = 62). EG carried out three weekly 35-minute sessions of small-sided football for a total of 11 weeks. All data were analysed by a mixed ANOVA with the Student-Newman-Keuls post hoc test. The results showed greater improvements (p<0.001) in EG than CG in relation to systolic blood pressure (-2.9 vs +2.0 mmHg). Moreover, greater improvements (all p<0.05) were observed in postural balance (13 vs 0%), standing long jump (5.0 vs 0.5%), 30-metre sprint (4.1 vs 1.3%) and Yo-Yo IR1C running performance (17% vs 6%). In both EG and CG, physical activity enjoyment was observed to be higher (P<0.05) compared to the start of the intervention with increases of 3.7 and 3.9 AU respectively. In conclusion, the study revealed that the "11 for Health" programme has positive effects on aerobic and muscular fitness, and it appears to be a relevant tool in the physical activity promotion in the Chinese school system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Black-Litterman portfolios based on the predictions provided by Gaussian Process are constructed in this study. Besides the expert views generated by the Gaussian Process, an customized algorithm quantifying the confidence level of the given investor opinions is also designed, which can be inputted into the Black-Litterman framework to revise the posterior parameters estimations. Low-risk anomaly is observed from the numerical experiments through the grouping method base on stock β, demonstrating the potential irrationality for even giant companies and brands on the advanced market. Empirical analysis shows that Gaussian Process is able to model the low β stock effectively, while not feasible for stocks with high volatility. Thus, the proposed BLGPlo portfolio outperform the benchmarks in terms of cumulative excess return and Sharpe ratio. Moreover, the BLGPlo performance can be further improved by allocating higher confidence level for the Gaussian Process-derived investor opinions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

P-i-n geometry perovskite solar cells (PSCs) offer simplified fabrication, greater amenability to charge extraction layers, and low-temperature processing over n-i-p counterparts. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) can enhance the performance of p-i-n PSCs but ultrathin SAMs can be thermally unstable. We report a thermally robust hole-selective layer comprised of nickel oxide (NiOx) nanoparticle film with a surface-anchored (4-(3,11-dimethoxy-7H-dibenzo[c, g]carbazol-7-yl)butyl)phosphonic acid (MeO-4PADBC) SAM that can improve and stabilize the NiOx/perovskite interface. The energetic alignment and favorable contact and binding between NiOx/MeO-4PADBC and perovskite reduced the voltage deficit of PSCs with various perovskite compositions and led to strong interface toughening effects under thermal stress. The resulting 1.53-electron-volt devices achieved 25.6% certified power conversion efficiency and maintained >90% of their initial efficiency after continuously operating at 65 degrees Celsius for 1200 hours under 1-sun illumination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We fabricate SrRuO3/PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 heterostructures each with an in-plane tensile-strained SrRuO3 layer and investigate the effect of an applied electric field on anomalous Hall effect. The four-fold symmetry of anisotropic magnetoresistance and the nonmonotonic variation of anomalous Hall resistivity are observed. By applying positive electric field or negative electric field, the intersecting hump-like feature is suppressed or enhanced, respectively. The sign and magnitude of the anomalous Hall conductivity can be effectively controlled with an electric field under a high magnetic field. The electric-field-modulated anomalous Hall effect is associated with the magnetization rotation in SrRuO3. The experimental results are helpful in modulating the magnetization rotation in spintronic devices based on SrRuO3 heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thanks to its capability of providing seamless massive access and extended coverage, satellite communication has been envisioned as a promising complementary part of the future 6G network. Due to the large satellite-to-ground propagation loss, noise mitigation is one of the most important considerations for implementing key interface technologies on boarding a satellite, e.g., random access (RA). This paper aims at developing an effective preamble detection method with noise suppression for 5G-ntegrated satellite RA systems. Specifically, according to the satellite ephemeris and user equipment location, we first perform the pre-compensation of timing and frequency offset before preamble transmission to determine all the possible correlation peak positions in advance. By leveraging the advantage of the wavelet transform in signal-to-noise separation, we further design a novel detection framework based on wavelet denoising, which can efficiently reconstruct preamble signature from the noisy power delay profile. Simulation results validate the feasibility of the proposed method, and show that our method can achieve a notably improved detection performance under extremely low signal-to-noise ratio conditions, in comparison with the conventional one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WindRAD (Wind Radar) is a dual-frequency rotating fan-beam scatterometer instrument on the FY-3E (Fengyun-3E) satellite. Scatterometers are generally calibrated using the linear NOC (NWP Ocean Calibration) method, to control the main gain factor of the radar. While WindRad is stable, the complex geometry, the design of the instrument, and the rotating antenna make the backscatter (σ°) distributions persistently non-linear, hence NOC is insufficient. Therefore, a higher-order calibration method is proposed, called HOC. The CDF (Cumulative Distribution Function) matching technique is employed to match the CDF of measured σ°s to simulated σ°s. HOC removes the non-linearities for each incidence angle. However, it is not constructed to remove the anomalous harmonic azimuth dependencies caused by the antenna rotation. These azimuth dependencies are reduced by NOCant (NOC as a function of incidence angle and relative antenna azimuth angle). Therefore, the combination of HOC & NOCant is implemented to correct both anomalous σ° amplitude and azimuth variations. The wind retrieval performance is evaluated with NOCant, HOC, and HOC & NOCant combined. The wind statistics and the cone distance metric both show that HOC & NOCant achieves the optimal winds for C-band and Ku-band. The calibrations have been tested on two operational input data versions; HOC works well on both data versions and HOC & NOCant can achieve the optimal wind performance for both data versions. This confirms the usefulness of HOC calibration in the case of non-linear instrument gain anomalies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cyclometalated ruthenium complex (1) using 2-phenylimidazole as the C, N-ligand was successfully synthesized and used as a chromogenic sensor. The as-prepared sensor displayed a good absorption centered at 565 nm in the visible region. Due to strong hydrogen bonding, the complex demonstrated high sensitivity and selectivity to fluoride over other common anions in CH3CN solution. A large redshift from 565 to 618 nm accompanied by a solution color change from red to green was achieved. However, in CH3CN/Britton-Robinson buffer (V/V = 1: 9, pH 4.5), the competition with water resulted in no changes for fluoride. Only the presence of nitrite caused the absorption intensity between 400 and 600 nm to decrease remarkably with the solution color fading to yellow. This phenomenon could be attributed to the formation of ruthenium nitrosyl, which was then isolated and characterized by MS, FTIR and NMR spectra. Therefore, complex 1 can be used as a chromogenic chemosensor to detect fluoride in CH3CN and nitrite in an acidic aqueous system, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connexin (Cx)-forming channels play essential roles in maintaining lens homeostasis and transparency. We showed here channel-independent roles of Cx50 in cell-cell adhesion and confirmed the second extracellular (E2) domain as a critical domain for cell adhesion function. We found that cell adhesion decreased in cells expressing chimeric Cx50 in which the E2 domain was swapped with the E2 domain of either Cx43 or Cx46. In contrast, adhesion increased in cells expressing chimeric Cx43 and Cx46 with the Cx50 (E2) domain. This function is Cx channel-independent and Cx50 E2 domain-dependent cell adhesion acting in both homotypic and heterotypic manners. In addition, we generated eight site mutations of unique residues between Cx50 and the other two lens Cxs and found that mutation of any one of the residues abolished the adhesive function. Moreover, expression of adhesive-impaired mutants decreased adhesion-related proteins, N-cadherin and ß-catenin. Expression of the adhesionimpaired Cx50W188P mutant in embryonic chick lens caused enlarged extracellular spaces, distorted fiber organization, delayed nuclear condensation, and cortical cataracts. In summary, the results from both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate the importance of the adhesive function of Cx50 in the lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the existence of positive solutions for the following generalized quasilinear Schrödinger equation - div(gp(u)|∇u|p-2∇u) + gp-1(u)g′(u)|∇u|p + V(x)|u|p-2u = K(x) f (u) + Q(x)g(u)|G(u)|p*-2G(u), x ∈ RN, where N ≥ 3, 1 < p ≤ N, p* = Np/N-p, g ∈ C¹(R,R+), V(x) and K(x) are positive continuous functions and G(u) =∫u0g(t)dt. By using a change of variable, we obtain the existence of positive solutions for this problem by using the Mountain Pass Theorem. Our results generalize some existing results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PPP2R1A-related neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) is expressed with autosomal dominant inheritance and is typically caused by a pathogenic de novo PPP2R1A mutation. It is characterized by the predominant features of hypotonia, developmental delay, moderate-to-severe intellectual disability, agenesis of corpus callosum (ACC), ventriculomegaly, and dysmorphic features; however, none of these anomalies have been diagnosed prenatally. We report on the prenatal diagnosis of PPP2R1A-related NDD in two fetuses by whole exome sequencing. Fetus 1 had partial ACC and severe lateral ventriculomegaly; the pathogenic heterozygous c.544C > T (p. Arg182Trp) de novo missense variant in PPP2R1A was detected. Fetus 2 had severe enlargement of the lateral and third ventricles and macrocephaly; they showed a heterozygous likely pathogenic mutation in PPP2R1A gene (c.547C > T, p. Arg183Trp). Both variants were de novo. This was the first study to use trio WES to prenatally analyze fetuses with PPP2R1A variants. Prenatal diagnosis will not only expand the fetal phenotype of this rare genetic condition but also allow for an appropriate counseling of prospective parents regarding pregnancy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snowmelt is a natural water resource, and its distribution is essential for understanding regional climate change and hydrological cycle. In this study, using dual-polarized C-band Sentinel-1 SAR data, we propose a new wet snow detection algorithm that considers the effects of radar incidence angle, land cover types and topography for snow regions where prairie snow is the main snow cover type. We quantitatively evaluate the performance of the proposed method by optical-derived snow maps. The results show that (1) the overall accuracy of the proposed method is 80.8% (dry snow reference) and 79.0% (snow-free reference); while using a conventional threshold of -2 dB, the accuracy is 32.1% and 43.5%, respectively; (2) -2 dB can only be applied on the ratio image calculated by the snow-free reference to extract wet snow in cropland; (3) adding topographic information greatly improves the identification accuracy, especially for grassland and barren with higher topographic complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strengthening titanium alloys and mitigating their wear degradation at various temperatures is the key to industrial applications. In this study, high-performance Ti6Al4V alloy (here, Ti with 6.25 wt% Al and 4.17 wt% V) was prepared by laser solid forming (LSF). The phase and microstructure of the Ti6Al4V alloys were systematically examined, and the overall improved mechanical properties were achieved. The coefficient of friction (CoF) and wear of LSFed Ti6Al4V alloy against WC-6%Co cemented carbide using a ball-on-disc tribometer at various temperatures revealed a temperature-dependent wear mechanism. During the experiment, the CoF of LSFed Ti6Al4V would increase initially and then decrease with the increased temperature. This trend is determined by the abrasive wear dominating at a lower temperature, and it gradually changes to oxidative wear and fatigue wear under higher temperatures. LSF provides a promising way to achieve supreme mechanical and tribological properties in Ti6Al4V simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-measured points (NMPs) are one of vital problems in optical measurement. The number and location of NMPs affect the obtained surface texture parameters. Therefore, systematic studying of the NMP is meaningful in understanding the instrument performance and optimizing measurement strategies. This paper investigates the influence of measurement settings on the non-measured points ratio (NMPR) using structured illumination microscopy. It is found that using a low magnification lens, high exposure time, high dynamic range (HDR) lighting levels, and low vertical scanning interval may help reduce the NMPR. In addition, an improved approach is proposed to analyze the influence of NMP on areal surface texture parameters. The analysis indicates that the influence of NMP on some parameters cannot be ignored, especially for extreme height parameters and feature parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In sport-specific training, the velocity and movement of resistance training should match the particular movement as closely as possible to achieve optimal transfer to performance. Velocity-based resistance training (VBRT), plyometric resistance training (PRT), and passive leg press training (PLPT) are three resistance training methods that emphasize rapid contraction and have been proven to improve the rate of force development and power. The purpose of this investigation was to determine which training method is more efficient in improving rapid force, power, and performance. Methods: Stratified sampling was used to allocate 36 senior high school Taekwondo athletes to a VBRT group (n = 12), PRT group (n = 12), and PLPT group (n = 12). All training groups completed a six-week resistance training program that included three training sessions per week. Before and after the resistance training, the athletes' rapid force (50-ms rate of force development and maximal rate of force development), power (jump height and peak force), and specific performance (speed of single side kick and continuous side kick) were evaluated. Data were analyzed using paired sample t-tests to compare differences between groups. One-way ANOVA and the Scheffé's post-hoc test were used to compare the differences between the baseline and training effects. Results: After six weeks of training, the three groups showed significant training effects on rapid force (both measures), power (jump height only), and specific performance (both measures). In addition, the percentage enhancement of the maximal rate of force development under PLPT was significantly higher than that under PRT. Conclusion: All three training methods, VBRT, PRT, and PLPT, develop rapid force and power, which can be converted to specific performance. However, PLPT is a better resistance training method to increase the maximal rate of force development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryogenic mechanical loss of the mirror coatings will result in thermal noise and limit the sensitivity of the next generation laser interferometer gravitational wave detectors operated at cryogenics. Amorphous silicon nitride (aSiN) films deposited by NH3 plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (NH3-PECVD), a coating method with potential in large area uniform coatings for the next generation detectors, were found previously to have a low cryogenic mechanical loss and without loss peaks that are common in current coatings for room temperature detectors. A positive correlation between Nâ€"H bond density and cryogenic mechanical loss in the aSiN films has been observed previously, and the existence of an Nâ€"H bond-related asymmetrical two-level system was postulated to account for the cryogenic mechanical loss. In this report, we studied an NH3-free PECVD process to reduce the Nâ€"H bond concentration and hence reducing the cryogenic mechanical loss. The Nâ€"H bond density of all films deposited by the NH3-free PECVD method was reduced to below the detection limit (<1020 cmâˆ'3). The composition of the optimized film is SiN0.33H0.58 which shows the lowest extinction coefficient (1.21 Ă— 10âˆ'5 @ 1550 nm), a high refractive index (2.68 @ 1550 nm), and excessively low stress (20.8 MPa), respectively. From 10 K to 120 K, cryogenic mechanical loss of the as-deposited SiN0.33H0.58 varies from 5 Ă— 10âˆ'5 to 8 Ă— 10âˆ'5 which is two to three times lower than that of the best NH3-PECVD silicon nitride previously obtained. No distinctive cryogenic loss peak was found as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanozyme has been experiencing rapid development in biomedical applications involving biosensors, immunoassays, and antitumor agents in recent years due to its tunable catalytic performance and desirable biocompatibility. Since the first exploration of nanozyme‐based Fenton reaction for nanocatalytic therapy (NCT) against tumor, a variety of Fenton (and Fenton‐like) nanozymes, such as Fe3O4, transition metal ions (Co2+, Cu2+, and Mn2+), and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), have been proved as desirable candidates for tumor therapy, and the modulation of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is determined to be a feasible approach to improve the catalytic efficiency for in situ tumor suppression. At present, increasing studies have focused on improving the therapeutic efficiency of NCT by formulating multifunctional nanozyme‐based systems to satisfy the demand for versatile and optimized applications. Herein, updated insights into the novel strategies of 1) achieving highly effective nanocatalytic reactions, including the modification of nanocatalysts and TME‐modulating approaches, are provided and 2) the design and formulation of multifunctional nanozyme‐based systems which achieve targeted, synergistic therapy, and theranostic applications are analyzed and concluded. Concise and concentrated comments and outlooks are illuminated at the end to outline the perspectives and the remaining challenges for the next‐step explorations on further biomedical translation of NCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a three-dimensional flower-like structured Mn--Ni--Co--O ternary metal oxide is in situ grown on Ni foam through a hydrothermal synthesis and a subsequent calcination method. The asprepared Mn--Ni--Co--O sample has a novel three-dimensional microstructure, which is made up of nanorods and hexagonal nanosheets, and the nanorods are orderly arranged on the nanosheets. The flower-like structured Mn--Ni--Co--O can be used as an electrocatalyst for the electrooxidation of methanol, and it exhibits a current density of 113 mA mg-1 at 0.60 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) in 1 M KOH and 0.5 M methanol, which is much higher than that of the precursor, and the Mn--Co--O and Ni--Co--O samples. In addition, the Mn--Ni--Co--O electrocatalyst can still maintain 92.3% current density retention ratio after 3000 CV cycles, showing good long-term stability. The unique three-dimensional flower-like structure and the rich oxidation states of the metal ions in the Mn--Ni--Co--O catalyst are helpful to achieve good catalytic activity, superior stability and wonderful long-term stability. This ternary metal oxide can be a prospective electrocatalyst for direct methanol fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Further enhancing the performance and stability of inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is crucial for their commercialization. We report that the functionalization of multication and halide perovskite interfaces with an organometallic compound, ferrocenyl-bis-thiophene-2-carboxylate (FcTc2), simultaneously enhanced the efficiency and stability of inverted PSCs. The resultant devices achieved a power conversion efficiency of 25.0% and maintained >98% of their initial efficiency after continuously operating at the maximum power point for 1500 hours under simulated AM1.5 illumination. Moreover, the FcTc2-functionalized devices passed the international standards for mature photovoltaics (IEC61215:2016) and have exhibited high stability under the damp heat test (85°C and 85% relative humidity). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new coarse-grained (CG) molecular simulation technique based on the Mori-Zwanzig (MZ) formalism along with the iterative Boltzmann inversion (IBI). Non-Markovian dissipative particle dynamics (NMDPD) taking into account memory effects is derived in a pairwise interaction form from the MZ-guided generalized Langevin equation. It is based on the introduction of auxiliary variables that allow for the replacement of a non-Markovian equation with a Markovian one in a higher dimensional space. We demonstrate that the NMDPD model exploiting MZ-guided memory kernels can successfully reproduce the dynamic properties such as the mean square displacement and velocity autocorrelation function of a Lennard-Jones system, as long as the memory kernels are appropriately evaluated based on the Volterra integral equation using the force-velocity and velocityvelocity correlations. Furthermore, we find that the IBI correction of a pair CG potential significantly improves the representation of static properties characterized by a radial distribution function and pressure, while it has little influence on the dynamic processes. Our findings suggest that combining the advantages of both the MZ formalism and IBI leads to an accurate representation of both the static and dynamic properties of microscopic systems that exhibit non-Markovian behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal conductivity (κ) is one of the fundamental properties of materials for phase change memory (PCM) application, as the set/reset processes strongly depend upon heat dissipation and transport. The κ of phase change materials in both amorphous and crystalline phases should be quite small, because it determines how energy-efficient the PCM device is during programming. At a high temperature, the electronic thermal conductivity (κe) is always notable for semiconductors, which is still lacking for antimony telluride under doping in the literature as far as we know. In this paper, using density functional theory and Boltzmann transport equations, we report calculations of lattice thermal conductivity κL and electronic thermal conductivity κe of the yttrium doped antimony telluride. We show that the average value of thermal conductivity decreases from ~2.5 W m-1K-1 for Sb2Te3 to ~1.5 W m-1 K-1 for Y0.167Sb1.833Te3. This can be attributed to the reduced κL and κe, especially the κe at high temperature (near melting point). We further point out that the increased effective mass of carriers and the flat valance band edge are responsible for the decrease of κe. The reduced thermal conductivity is highly desirable for the decrease of heat dissipation and transport in PCM operations, which can increase the density of memory and reduce energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We identify by ab initio calculations a new simple cubic carbon phase in Pa3 symmetry, which has a 48-atom unit cell in all-sp³ bonding networks, thus termed SC48 carbon. It can be viewed as a crystalline form of C12 clusters or a combined structure of SC24 and BC12 carbon, but it is energetically more stable than the recently reported cubic carbon phases such as BC8, SC24, BC12, and fcc-C12. The structural stability is verified by phonon mode analysis. Electronic band and density of state calculations reveal that SC48 carbon is an insulator with a large direct band gap of 4.40 eV. Moreover, simulated x-ray diffraction patterns provide an excellent match to the distinct diffraction peaks found in milled fullerene soot. These results provide a solid foundation for further exploration of this new carbon allotrope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lanthanide supramolecular chemistry is a fast growing and intriguing research field due to the unique photophysical, magnetic, and coordination properties of lanthanide ions (LnIII). Compared with the intensively investigated mononuclear Ln-complexes, polymetallic lanthanide supramolecular assemblies offer more structural superiority and functional advantages. In recent decades, significant progress has been made in polynuclear lanthanide supramolecules, varying from structural evolution to luminescent and magnetic functional materials. This review summarizes the design principles in ligand-induced coordination-driven self-assembly of polynuclear Ln-structures and intends to offer guidance for the construction of more elegant Ln-based architectures and optimization of their functional performances. Design principles concerning the water solubility and chirality of the lanthanide-organic assemblies that are vital in extending their applications are emphasized. The strategies for improving the luminescent properties and the applications in up-conversion, host-guest chemistry, luminescent sensing, and catalysis have been summarized. Magnetic materials based on supramolecular assembled lanthanide architectures are given in an individual section and are classified based on their structural features. Challenges remaining and perspective directions in this field are also briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the study, the effects of selenium on intestinal tissue morphology, antioxidant-related genes, and intestinal flora of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) were studied. For this purpose, 180 healthy grass carps (20.0±2.0 g) were randomly divided into three groups with three replicates each: the corresponding amount of anhydrous sodium selenite was added to make experimental water solutions of different concentrations, including 0 μg/L Se4+ (control group), 200 μg/L Se4+ group and 300 μg/L Se4+ group. The experiment was carried out for 42 days. The obtained results showed that: at the end of the experiment, the 200 μg/L Se4+ adaptation can have beneficial effects on the intestinal villi height and goblet cells. The CuZnSOD and CAT genes mRNA levels of grass carp intestine were strongly upregulated in the 200ug/L Se4+ group. 200ug/L selenium could increase the expression level of the Hsp70 gene in the intestinal tract of grass carp after 42 days of adaptation. At the genus level, the most abundant sequence in the gut of Se-treated grass carp was Pseudomonas, while Aeromon, Flavobacterium, and Defluviimonas were more abundant in the control group. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that 200ug/L Se4+ selenium adaptation can positively affect gut morphology and antioxidant responses and can alter the gut microbiota structure of grass carp. The results will provide a theoretical basis for further research on the effect of selenium on aquatic animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis contributes to the majority of deaths related to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recently, the nonspecific inflammatory biomarker soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) has shown prognostic value in patients with CVD; however, it remains unclear whether suPAR participates in the disease process. In this issue of the JCI, Hindy and colleagues report on their evaluation of a multiethnic cohort of over 5,000 participants without known CVD. High suPAR levels correlated with incident CVD and atherosclerosis. Genetic analysis revealed two variants associated with the suPAR-encoding gene (PLAUR) with higher plasma suPAR levels. Notably, a mouse model with high suPAR levels possessed aortic tissue with a proinflammatory phenotype, including monocytes with enhanced chemotaxis similar to that seen in atherogenesis. These findings suggest a causal relationship between suPAR and coronary artery calcification and have clinical implications that extend to inflammatory disorders beyond CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithographically fabricated MoS2 field effect transistors suffer from several critical imperfections, including low sub-threshold swings, large turn-on gate voltages (VT), and wide device-to-device variability. The large magnitude and variability of VT stems from unclean interfaces, trapped charges in the underlying substrate, and sulfur vacancies created during the mechanical exfoliation process. In this study, we demonstrate a simple and reliable oxygen plasma treatment, which mitigates the effects of unintentional doping created by surface defect sites, such as S vacancies, and surface contamination. This plasma treatment restores charge neutrality to the MoS2 and shifts the threshold turn-on voltage towards 0 V. Out of the 10 devices measured, all exhibit a shift of the FET turn-on voltage from an average of -18 V to - 2V. The oxygen plasma treatment passivates these defects, which reduces surface scattering, causing increased mobility and improved subthreshold swing. For as-prepared devices with low mobilities (~0.01 cm²/V s), we observe up to a 190-fold increase in mobility after exposure to the oxygen plasma. Perhaps the most important aspect of this oxygen plasma treatment is that it reduces the device-to-device variability, which is a crucial factor in realizing any practical application of these devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a "charged" dissipative particle dynamics (cDPD) model for simulating mesoscopic electrokinetic phenomena governed by the stochastic Poisson-Nernst-Planck and the Navier-Stokes equations. Specifically, the transport equations of ionic species are incorporated into the DPD framework by introducing extra degrees of freedom and corresponding evolution equations associated with each DPD particle. Diffusion of ionic species driven by the ionic concentration gradient, electrostatic potential gradient, and thermal fluctuations is captured accurately via pairwise fluxes between DPD particles. The electrostatic potential is obtained by solving the Poisson equation on the moving DPD particles iteratively at each time step. For charged surfaces in bounded systems, an effective boundary treatment methodology is developed for imposing both the correct hydrodynamic and electrokinetics boundary conditions in cDPD simulations. To validate the proposed cDPD model and the corresponding boundary conditions, we first study the electrostatic structure in the vicinity of a charged solid surface, i.e., we perform cDPD simulations of the electrostatic double layer and show that our results are in good agreement with the well-known mean-field theoretical solutions. We also simulate the electrostatic structure and capacity densities between charged parallel plates in salt solutions with different salt concentrations. Moreover, we employ the proposed methodology to study the electro-osmotic and electro-osmotic/pressure-driven flows in a micro-channel. In the latter case, we simulate the dilute poly-electrolyte solution drifting by electro-osmotic flow in a micro-channel, hence demonstrating the flexibility and capability of this method in studying complex fluids with electrostatic interactions at the micro- and nano-scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct effective coarse-grained (CG) models for polymeric fluids by employing two coarsegraining strategies. The first one is a forward-coarse-graining procedure by the Mori-Zwanzig (MZ) projection while the other one applies a reverse-coarse-graining procedure, such as the iterative Boltzmann inversion (IBI) and the stochastic parametric optimization (SPO). More specifically, we perform molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of star polymer melts to provide the atomistic fields to be coarse-grained. Each molecule of a star polymer with internal degrees of freedom is coarsened into a single CG particle and the effective interactions between CG particles can be either evaluated directly from microscopic dynamics based on the MZ formalism, or obtained by the reverse methods, i.e., IBI and SPO. The forward procedure has no free parameters to tune and recovers the MD system faithfully. For the reverse procedure, we find that the parameters in CG models cannot be selected arbitrarily. If the free parameters are properly defined, the reverse CG procedure also yields an accurate effective potential. Moreover, we explain how an aggressive coarse-graining procedure introduces the many-body effect, which makes the pairwise potential invalid for the same system at densities away from the training point. From this work, general guidelines for coarse-graining of polymeric fluids can be drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• New energetic materials were prepared by efficient and scalable chemical routes. • The mechanism function of decomposition for the energetic materials were studied. • The new energetic materials exhibit promising detonation performance. • The new energetic materials show moderate sensitivity toward impact and friction. The construction and comprehensive characterization of energetic ionic salts 5-amino-3-hydrazinyl-1 H -1,2,4-triazolium diperchlorate (2) and 5-amino-3-hydrazinyl-1 H -1,2,4-triazolium 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazolate-5-one (3), which are based on 5-amino-3-hydrazinyl-1 H -1,2,4-triazole, were conducted. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were employed to explore the thermal and kinetic behaviors of the novel energetic ionic salts. An isoconversional approach and non-linear regression analysis were employed to propose accurate kinetic models for characterizing the decomposition of the energetic ionic salts based on the data from DSC and the most possible mechanism functions governing the decomposition of 2 and 3 was determined. Furthermore, experimental measurements and theoretical calculations were employed to examine diverse physicochemical characteristics, including densities, mechanical sensitivities, heat of formation as well as detonation parameters. The findings suggest that salt 2 exhibits a good detonation pressure of 37.4 GP and a satisfactory detonation velocity of 9031 m/s, exceeding RDX in terms of energy content and suggesting its potential as a viable high-energy explosive substitute for RDX. While salt 2 exhibits a slightly lower level of detonation performance than HMX, it possesses better sensitivity, which mean that salt 2 retains a considerable potential for valuable applications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anion zinc-based metal–organic framework [HDMA]2n[Zn2n(DMA)2n(1,4-BDC)3n]·2nDMF·6nH2O (1, DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide, 1,4-H2BDC = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid, DMA = dimethylamine) with open channels has been used as a luminescent sensor for Cd2+ detection, and was obtained by solvothermal synthesis and fully characterized. It shows excellent fluorescence stability in aqueous solution, which was further enhanced with a remarkable fluorescence shift upon introduction of Cd2+, while negligible effects occurred for Fe2+, Zn2+, Fe3+, Cu2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Mn2+ and Pb2+, respectively. The detection limit is 9.9 μM with a linear range between 50 and 600 μM for Cd2+. Furthermore, it can be used to detect Cd2+ in tap water and rice samples directly. Solid state 13C NMR spectra give direct evidence for the ion exchange between protonated dimethylamine and Cd2+ hydrates, which results in the increase of fluorescence and blue shift of the wavelength. The coordination of Cd2+ with the carboxyl groups of 1 in the interface of nano-channels can be also observed using IR spectra, where a structural model has been suggested in the confined channels. This may provide a new construction method for anion fluorescent MOF materials, where a confined sample has obvious influence on the detection of Cd2+. The maximum adsorption capacities are 10.36, 54.53, 103.06 and 8.78 mg g−1 for CH4, CO2, O2 and N2 at 30 bar respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise is a fundamental metrological characteristic of the instrument in surface topography measurement. Therefore, measurement noise should be thoroughly studied in practical measurement to understand instrument performance and optimize measurement strategy. This paper investigates the measurement noise at different measurement settings using structured illumination microscopy. The investigation shows that the measurement noise may scatter significantly among different measurement settings. Eliminating sample tilt, selecting low vertical scanning interval and high exposure time is helpful to reduce the measurement noise. In order to estimate the influence of noise on the measurement, an approach based on metrological characteristics is proposed. The paper provides a practical guide to understanding measurement noise in a wide range of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with neuropathic pain often experience comorbid psychiatric disorders. Cellular plasticity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is assumed to be a critical interface for pain perception and emotion. However, substantial efforts have thus far been focused on the intracellular mechanisms of plasticity rather than the extracellular alterations that might trigger and facilitate intracellular changes. Laminin, a key element of the extracellular matrix (ECM), consists of one α-, one β-, and one γ-chain and is implicated in several pathophysiological processes. Here, we showed in mice that laminin β1 (LAMB1) in the ACC was significantly downregulated upon peripheral neuropathy. Knockdown of LAMB1 in the ACC exacerbated pain sensitivity and induced anxiety and depression. Mechanistic analysis revealed that loss of LAMB1 caused actin dysregulation via interaction with integrin β1 and the subsequent Src-dependent RhoA/LIMK/cofilin pathway, leading to increased presynaptic transmitter release probability and abnormal postsynaptic spine remodeling, which in turn orchestrated the structural and functional plasticity of pyramidal neurons and eventually resulted in pain hypersensitivity and anxiodepression. This study sheds new light on the functional capability of ECM LAMB1 in modulating pain plasticity and identifies a mechanism that conveys extracellular alterations to intracellular plasticity. Moreover, we identified cingulate LAMB1/integrin β1 signaling as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of neuropathic pain and associated anxiodepression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the prognosis of fetuses with a prenatal diagnosis of micrognathia in the first trimester.Study Design: Over a 3-year period, patients with fetal micrognathia were detected at the time of nuchal translucency screening. The medical records of these pregnancies were reviewed, including maternal demographics, sonographic findings, genetic testing results and pregnancy outcomes.Results: Forty-three cases of first-trimester micrognathia were included in this study. Chromosomal abnormalities were detected in seven cases. Of the fetuses with a normal array, further investigation of monogenic disorders with whole-exome sequencing was undertaken in 13 cases. Monogenic syndromes were identified in eight cases, including six with de-novo dominant alleles and two with recessive conditions. Whole-exome sequencing was refused in 23 cases; among these, other additional anomalies were found on anatomic ultrasound in 10 cases.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that caution should be adopted when finding an apparently isolated micrognathia in early gestation, even with a normal array. A diagnosis of genetic syndrome or multiple anomalies on subsequent scans is most likely, and will affect the final prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mori-Zwanzig formalism for coarse-graining a complex dynamical system typically introduces memory effects. The Markovian assumption of delta-correlated fluctuating forces is often employed to simplify the formulation of coarse-grained (CG) models and numerical implementations. However, when the time scales of a system are not clearly separated, the memory effects become strong and the Markovian assumption becomes inaccurate. To this end, we incorporate memory effects into CG modeling by preserving non-Markovian interactions between CG variables, and the memory kernel is evaluated directly from microscopic dynamics. For a specific example, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of star polymer melts are performed while the corresponding CG system is defined by grouping many bonded atoms into single clusters. Then, the effective interactions between CG clusters as well as the memory kernel are obtained from the MD simulations. The constructed CG force field with a memory kernel leads to a non-Markovian dissipative particle dynamics (NM-DPD). Quantitative comparisons between the CG models with Markovian and non-Markovian approximations indicate that including the memory effects using NM-DPD yields similar results as the Markovian-based DPD if the system has clear time scale separation. However, for systems with small separation of time scales, NM-DPD can reproduce correct short-time properties that are related to how the system responds to high-frequency disturbances, which cannot be captured by the Markovian-based DPD model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a transport dissipative particle dynamics (tDPD) model for simulating mesoscopic problems involving advection-diffusion-reaction (ADR) processes, along with a methodology for implementation of the correct Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions in tDPD simulations. tDPD is an extension of the classic dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) framework with extra variables for describing the evolution of concentration fields. The transport of concentration is modeled by a Fickian flux and a random flux between tDPD particles, and the advection is implicitly considered by the movements of these Lagrangian particles. An analytical formula is proposed to relate the tDPD parameters to the effective diffusion coefficient. To validate the present tDPD model and the boundary conditions, we perform three tDPD simulations of one-dimensional diffusion with different boundary conditions, and the results show excellent agreement with the theoretical solutions. We also performed two-dimensional simulations of ADR systems and the tDPD simulations agree well with the results obtained by the spectral element method. Finally, we present an application of the tDPD model to the dynamic process of blood coagulation involving 25 reacting species in order to demonstrate the potential of tDPD in simulating biological dynamics at the mesoscale. We find that the tDPD solution of this comprehensive 25-species coagulation model is only twice as computationally expensive as the conventional DPD simulation of the hydrodynamics only, which is a significant advantage over available continuum solvers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of polyurethane elastomers with repair abilities and robust mechanical properties under mild conditions remain a great challenge. Numerous studies have shown that dynamic disulfide bonds are the important chemical chain unit of polyurethane with self-healing properties. Therefore, the synthesis of diols containing a disulfide bond chain unit is the key for achieving polyurethane with self-healing properties. In this study, three kinds of hydroxyl-capping diol fluorescent molecules containing disulfide were synthesized from 2,20-dithiobisbenzoic acid (DTSA) with glycol (EG), 1,4-butanediol (BDO) or 1,6-hexanediol (HDO) via esterification. The structures and properties of the synthesized aromatic disulfide diol and the derived disulfide-containing self-healing fluorescent polyurethane (SFPU) were characterized using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR and 13C NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and other techniques. The results demonstrated the successful synthesis of diols containing aromatic disulfide bonds. The self-healing rate of polyurethane elastomers, with aromatic disulfide diols introduced as hard segments, was approximately 61.50% at 20 1C. Polyurethane elastomers exhibited excellent mechanical properties and demonstrated fluorescence. These novel self-healing fluorescent polyurethane elastomers can be widely used in industries such as building, clothing, furniture, medical materials, armaments, and packaging. This research study will have some guiding significance in expanding the application of self-healing fluorescent polyurethane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The foundation ring (FR) is a steel component embedded within the concrete of a wind turbine foundation, playing a pivotal role in connecting the wind turbine tower to the foundation structure. In this paper, the FR–foundation connection is equivalent to the exposed foundation and the shallow foundation by analyzing the anchorage characteristics of the foundation ring. Based on the ABAQUS concrete damaged plasticity model, full-scale modeling of the wind turbine foundation is carried out. The influence of embedment depth, ring radius and base flange width of the foundation ring on moment capacity is simulated. Based on the observed stress distributions under ultimate loads, analytical expressions were proposed to estimate the variation law of anchorage load-bearing capacity in the ultimate load state. Compared with the numerical simulation, the average errors under different influencing factors are 8.2%, 9.6% and 10.8%, respectively. The results indicate that the base flange provided the majority of the moment capacity, though the contribution of the sidewall increased to 25–50% that of the base flange in later stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of green energetic materials is based on environmental friendliness, safety and performance improvement. It is of great significance to design and synthesize new nitrogen rich salts for a new generation of green energetic materials. In the present work, a series of 3-amino-5-hydrazinopyrazole energetic salts comprising energetic anions were synthesized and were characterized using elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Compounds 1–5 were further confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction and the sensitivities were measured by the standard BAM methods. Additionally, the structure–property relationship was elucidated from the experimental results and theoretical calculations. Energetic salts of 2 and 5 exhibited high heat of formation (5, 1160.06 kJ mol−1), high decomposition temperature (2, 172 °C; 5, 186 °C), excellent detonation performance (2, Dv, 9076 m s−1, P 34.1 GPa; 5, Dv, 8974 m s−1, P 31.9 GPa), moderate sensitivity towards outer stimuli and high nitrogen contents (2, 41.03%; 5, 63.84%). This work increases future prospects for the design of insensitive and novel high-energy green energetic material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: The influence of sedation on the endoscopic detection rate of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) early cancer (EC) and precancerous lesions, including high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN) and low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, has not been assessed. The aim of this research is to assess whether the use of sedation can help improve the detection rate of UGI EC and precancerous lesions. The second objective is to evaluate its potential influencing factors. METHODS: The study includes 432,202 patients from a multicenter database from January 2012 to July 2019. Information on endoscopic findings and histology biopsies was obtained from endoscopy quality-control system. Associations of sedation with the detection rate of EC and precancerous lesions were assessed. RESULTS: The sedation group has a higher detection rate of UGI EC and HGIN compared with the no-sedation group, whereas the detection rate of low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia was similar between the 2 groups. There were more cases examined by using staining, image enhancement, or magnifying techniques in the sedation group (P < 0.001). And, the mean observation time was also longer in the sedation group (P < 0.001). The type 0-IIb esophageal HGIN and EC cases were significantly increased in the sedation group. No significant difference was detected on lesion subtypes for gastric HGIN and EC according to the Paris classification. More gastric HGIN and EC were detected at gastric body in the sedation group (P = 0.001). DISCUSSION: Sedation may improve the endoscopic detection rate of EC and HGIN in the UGI tract probably through enhancing the use of accessary endoscopic techniques, prolonging observation time, and taking more biopsies in different locations (see Visual Abstract, Supplementary Digital Content 2, http://links.lww.com/AJG/B926). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The recent outbreak of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, PR China, was caused by a novel beta coronavirus, the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Purpose: To summarize chest computed tomography (CT) manifestations of the early stage of COVID-19 infection and provide a piece of reliable imaging evidence for initial screening and diagnosis. Material and Methods: From 10 January 2020 to 10 February 2020, we continuously observed chest CT imaging of 14 patients with clinically suspected new coronavirus infection in the two weeks after onset of symptoms. Ground-glass opacity (GGO), consolidation, reticular pattern, and ground-glass mimic nodules in each patient's chest CT image were recorded. Results: We enrolled 14 patients, of which nine patients had the infection confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Five patients were highly suspected of infection. All cases had epidemiological evidence. GGO was a dominant imaging manifestation in the initial days of infection. GGO performance accounts for 40% in 1-2 days, 90% in 3-6 days, and 85% in 7-10 days. With disease progression, consolidation appeared on follow-up CT. Consolidation performance accounts for 0% in 1-2 days, 40% in 3-6 days, and 71% in 7- 10 days. The lesions are mostly near the pleura. The number of lesions and the extent of the lesions increased as the disease progressed. Conclusion: Patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia have characteristic CT features in the initial stage of infection, which can be used as an essential supplement for nucleic acid examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classifications of tennis players have been an ongoing and interesting topic. To understand the types of players and then develop appropriate sports measurements for them has long been a research topic for sports lovers. Inspired by the phenomenological method of Edmund Husserl (1859-1938), this study attempts to analyze the essence of match players and practice players by taking the phenomenological path forged by scholars, such as Prof. I-Min Liu and Prof. Wei-Lun Lee, as the research method. Through a phenomenological description, the study shows different types of tennis players and reveals the essence of the two types of players by phenomenological suspension (epoché) and reduction. The participants in this research are domestic top-notch tennis players and coaches from New Taipei City, National Taiwan Normal University, and Chinese Taipei Tennis Association. The study attempts to take the context formed by the player's holistic experiences and horizon melting in their lives as the analysis and the materials, and then restores the subject to clear its original style of experience. The researchers found that the practice player was deeply disturbed by the three dimensions of technique, thinking, and system, and has the characteristics of mixture and uncertainty. In contrast, the match player has the basic characteristics of order, spontaneity, and subject, especially continuity and integrity. Finally, through the second reduction, the paper discovers, by the suspension of player classifications in the sports world, that players construct their own being in the sports world through the interactions between themselves and the outside world. They take winning or losing as the judgment and logic systems in the sports world. Meanwhile, through the conflict between the body and the inner world, the particular sense of space and time and body sense are formed. Also, a variety of sports experiences are formed in the dependence of vision and touch. Finally, athletes activate their feelings from the flow between themselves and their bodies, make their meanings in the back and forth between the inner and outer worlds, and form their richer and deeper sports worlds through their continuous interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate whether cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing could replace an invasive procedure in pregnancies with isolated fetal omphalocele.Study design: This was a retrospective study of all pregnancies with sonographically detected fetal omphalocele at three tertiary referral centers between 2012 and 2016. Invasive diagnostic testing was performed for genetic investigations using conventional karyotyping or chromosomal microarray. cfDNA testing was assumed to be offered to patients with isolated fetal omphalocele for screening for common aneuploidies.Results: Invasive genetic testing was performed in a total of 107 pregnancies with a fetal omphalocele. Abnormal karyotype was found in 66% (31/47) of nonisolated omphalocele cases and in 1.7% (1/60) of isolated omphalocele cases. No pathogenic copy number variations (CNVs) were detected in 59 cases with isolated omphalocele and normal karyotype. If cfDNA screening was used in cases with isolated omphalocele, the affected fetus with trisomy 18 would be detected, and no rare chromosomal aberrations or submicroscopic pathogenic CNVs would be missed.Conclusions: cfDNA testing could be recommended for prenatal genetic evaluation in pregnancies with isolated fetal omphalocele after thorough pretest counseling.Key Message: A very low percentage of aneuploidies and rare chromosomal/subchromosomal abnormalities are found in prenatal cases of isolated omphalocele. It seems that for pregnancies with isolated omphalocele, cfDNA testing represents an alternative for patients who choose to continue the pregnancies and are reluctant to undertake invasive diagnostic testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]