Bimetal Oxides Anchored on Carbon Nanotubes/Nanosheets as High-Efficiency and Durable Bifunctional Oxygen Catalyst for Advanced Zn-Air Battery: Experiments and DFT Calculations.

To meet increasing requirement for innovative energy storage and conversion technology, it is urgent to prepare effective, affordable, and long-term stable oxygen electrocatalysts to replace precious metal-based counterparts. Herein, a two-step pyrolysis strategy is developed for controlled synthesis of Fe2O3 and Mn3O4 anchored on carbon nanotubes/nanosheets (Fe2O3-Mn3O4-CNTs/NSs). The typical catalyst has a high half-wave potential (E1/2 = 0.87 V) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), accompanied with a smaller overpotential (η10 = 290 mV) for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), showing substantial improvement in the ORR and OER performances. As well, density functional theory calculations are performed to illustrate the catalytic mechanism, where the in situ generated Fe2O3 directly correlates to the reduced energy barrier, rather than Mn3O4. The Fe2O3-Mn3O4-CNTs/NSs-based Zn-air battery exhibits a high-power density (153 mW cm-2) and satisfyingly long durability (1650 charge/discharge cycles/550 h). This work provides a new reference for preparation of highly reversible oxygen conversion catalysts.

Brain network functional connectivity changes in long illness duration chronic schizophrenia.

Introduction: Chronic schizophrenia has a course of 5 years or more and has a widespread abnormalities in brain functional connectivity. This study aimed to find characteristic functional and structural changes in a long illness duration chronic schizophrenia (10 years or more). Methods: Thirty-six patients with a long illness duration chronic schizophrenia and 38 healthy controls were analyzed by independent component analysis of brain network functional connectivity. Correlation analysis with clinical duration was performed on six resting state networks: auditory network, default mode network, dorsal attention network, fronto-parietal network, somatomotor network, and visual network. Results: The differences in the resting state network between the two groups revealed that patients exhibited enhanced inter-network connections between default mode network and multiple brain networks, while the inter-network connections between somatomotor network, default mode network and visual network were reduced. In patients, functional connectivity of Cuneus_L was negatively correlated with illness duration. Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic curve of functional connectivity showed that changes in Thalamus_L, Rectus_L, Frontal_Mid_R, and Cerebelum_9_L may indicate a longer illness duration chronic schizophrenia. Discussion: In our study, we also confirmed that the course of disease is significantly associated with specific brain regions, and the changes in specific brain regions may indicate that chronic schizophrenia has a course of 10 years or more.

Dynamics of sensory and decisional biases in perceptual decision making: Insights from the face distortion illusion.

Bias in perceptual decision making can have both sensory and decisional origins. These distinct sources of bias are typically seen as static and stable over time. However, human behavior is dynamic and constantly adapting. Yet it remains unclear how sensory and decisional biases progress in distinct ways over time. We addressed this question by tracking the dynamics of sensory and decisional biases during a task that involves a visual illusion. Observers saw multiple pairs of peripherally presented faces that induce a strong illusion making the faces appear distorted and grotesque. The task was to judge whether one of the last two faces had true physical distortion (experimentally introduced in half of the trials). Initially, participants classified most faces as distorted as exemplified by a liberal response bias. However, over the course of the experiment, this response bias gradually disappeared even though the distortion illusion remained equally strong, as demonstrated by a separate subjective rating task without artificially distorted faces. The results suggest that the sensory bias was progressively countered by an opposite decisional bias. This transition was accompanied by an increase in reaction times and a decrease in confidence relative to a condition that does not induce the visual illusion. All results were replicated in a second experiment with inverted faces. These findings demonstrate that participants dynamically adjust their decisional bias to compensate for sensory biases, and that these two biases together determine how humans make perceptual decisions.

Central nervous system involvement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system involvement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia rarely occurs, and there is no standard therapy for central nervous system involvement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This article aims to analyze the diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system involvement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. CASE PRESENTATION: It reports two cases of central nervous system involvement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia describing the clinical course, therapy, and prognosis. Case 1 is a 67-year-old Asian male patient, he experienced complications with central nervous system involvement after developing resistance to ibrutinib, bendamustine, and rituximab (BR) chemotherapies. The central nervous system lesion was controlled with high-dose methotrexate combined with pomalidomide, but Richter transformation occurred several months later. Case 2 is a 62-year-old Asian female patient, she had central nervous system involvement at initial diagnosis, and bone marrow and central nervous system lesions were controlled by ibrutinib therapy. CONCLUSION: Central nervous system involvement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia is rare and can be diagnosed on the basis of clinical features, cerebrospinal fluid testing, and radiographic evaluation. Ibrutinib, pomalidomide, and other drugs that can cross the blood-brain barrier may be effective for treating central nervous system involvement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Introduction to nanoclusters: from theory to application.

Yi Gao, Daojian Cheng and Zhigang Wang introduce the Nanoscale Advances themed collection on Nanoclusters: from theory to application.

Spatial-temporal analysis of hepatitis E in Hainan Province, China (2013-2022): insights from four major hospitals.

Objective: Exploring the Incidence, Epidemic Trends, and Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Sporadic Hepatitis E in Hainan Province from 2013 to 2022 through four major tertiary hospitals in the Province. Methods: We collected data on confirmed cases of hepatitis E in Hainan residents admitted to the four major tertiary hospitals in Haikou City from January 2013 to December 2022. We used SPSS software to analyze the correlation between incidence rate and economy, population density and geographical location, and origin software to draw a scatter chart and SAS 9.4 software to conduct a descriptive analysis of the time trend. The distribution was analyzed using ArcMap 10.8 software (spatial autocorrelation analysis, hotspot identification, concentration, and dispersion trend analysis). SAS software was used to build an autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA) to predict the monthly number of cases in 2023 and 2024. Results: From 2013 to 2022, 1,922 patients with sporadic hepatitis E were treated in the four hospitals of Hainan Province. The highest proportion of patients (n = 555, 28.88%) were aged 50-59 years. The annual incidence of hepatitis E increased from 2013 to 2019, with a slight decrease in 2020 and 2021 and an increase in 2022. The highest number of cases was reported in Haikou, followed by Dongfang and Danzhou. We found that there was a correlation between the economy, population density, latitude, and the number of cases, with the correlation coefficient |r| value fluctuating between 0.403 and 0.421, indicating a linear correlation. At the same time, a scatter plot shows the correlation between population density and incidence from 2013 to 2022, with r2 values fluctuating between 0.5405 and 0.7116, indicating a linear correlation. Global Moran's I, calculated through spatial autocorrelation analysis, showed that each year from 2013 to 2022 all had a Moran's I value >0, indicating positive spatial autocorrelation (p < 0.01). Local Moran's I analysis revealed that from 2013 to 2022, local hotspots were mainly concentrated in the northern part of Hainan Province, with Haikou, Wenchang, Ding'an, and Chengmai being frequent hotspot regions, whereas Baoting, Qiongzhong, and Ledong were frequent cold-spot regions. Concentration and dispersion analysis indicated a clear directional pattern in the average density distribution, moving from northeast to southwest. Time-series forecast modeling showed that the forecast number of newly reported cases per month remained relatively stable in 2023 and 2024, fluctuating between 17 and 19. Conclusion: The overall incidence of hepatitis E in Hainan Province remains relatively stable. The incidence of hepatitis E in Hainan Province increased from 2013 to 2019, with a higher clustering of cases in the northeast region and a gradual spread toward the southwest over time. The ARIMA model predicted a relatively stable number of new cases each month in 2023 and 2024.

Identification of proteins related to SIS3 by iTRAQ and PRM-based comparative proteomic analysis in cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury.

Background: Cisplatin is a commonly used nephrotoxic drug and can cause acute kidney injury (AKI). In the present study, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM)-based comparative proteomics were used to analyze differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) to determine the key molecular mechanism in mice with cisplatin-induced AKI in the presence or absence of SIS3, a specific p-smad3 inhibitor, intervention. Methods: The cisplatin-induced AKI mouse model was established and treated with SIS3. We used iTRAQ to search for DEPs, PRM to verify key DEPs and combined Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) for bioinformatics analysis. We then assessed lipid deposition, malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and detected the expression of SREBF1, SCD1, CPT1A, PPARα and NDRG1 in vitro. Results: Proteomic analysis showed that the identified DEPs were mainly enriched in energy metabolism pathways, especially in lipid metabolism. When SIS3 was applied to inhibit the phosphorylation of Smad3, the expression of NDRG1 and fatty acid oxidation key proteins CPT1A and PPARα increased, the expression of lipid synthesis related proteins SREBF1 and SCD1 decreased and the production of lipid droplets, MDA and ROS decreased. Conclusion: SIS3 alleviates oxidative stress, reduces lipid accumulation and promotes fatty acid oxidation through NDRG1 in cisplatin-induced AKI. Our study provides a new candidate protein for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of fatty acid metabolism disorders in cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury.

Clostridium aquiflavi sp. nov., isolated from yellow water of Nongxiangxing baijiu in the Yibin region of China.

A Gram-stain-positive, strictly anaerobic, endospore-forming and rod-shaped (0.6-0.8×2.7-13.1 µm) bacterium, designated as 5 N-1T, was isolated from a yellow water sample collected from the manufacturing process of Nongxiangxing baijiu in the Yibin region of Sichuan, PR China. Growth occurred at 15-40 °C (optimum growth at 37 °C), at pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum growth at pH 7.0) and in NaCl concentrations of 0-1 % (w/v) and ethanol concentrations of 0-2 % (v/v). The major fatty acids in strain 5 N-1T were C16 : 0, C18 : 0 and C14 : 0. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, four unidentified aminophospholipids and one unidentified lipid. Phylogenetic analysis of its 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain 5 N-1T was most closely related to Clostridium weizhouense YB-6T (97.70 %) and Clostridium uliginosum DSM 12992T (97.56 %). The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA‒DNA hybridization values between strain 5 N-1T and the above two type strains were 80.89 and 80.05 % and 25.80 and 25.30 %, respectively, which were all below the species thresholds. The genome size of strain 5 N-1T was 3.5 Mbp and the DNA G+C content was 27.5 mol%. Based on the results of phenotypic and genotypic analyses, strain 5 N-1T represents a novel species of the genus Clostridium, for which the name Clostridium aquiflavi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Clostridium aquiflavi 5 N-1T (=CICC 24886T=JCM 35355T).

Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus influences the emergence of the Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri by regulating key cuticular proteins.

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, is the primary vector of the HLB pathogen, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). The acquisition of CLas shortens the developmental period of nymphs, accelerating the emergence into adulthood and thereby facilitating the spread of CLas. Cuticular proteins (CPs) are involved in insect emergence. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying CLas-promoted emergence in D. citri via CP mediation. Here, a total of 159 CP genes were first identified in the D. citri genome. Chromosomal location analysis revealed an uneven distribution of these CP genes across the 13 D. citri chromosomes. Proteomic analysis identified 54 differentially expressed CPs during D. citri emergence, with 14 CPs exhibiting significant differential expression after CLas acquisition. Five key genes, Dc18aa-1, Dc18aa-2, DcCPR-24, DcCPR-38 and DcCPR-58, were screened from the proteome and CLas acquisition. The silencing of these 5 genes through a modified feeding method significantly reduced the emergence rate and caused various abnormal phenotypes, indicating the crucial role that these genes play in D. citri emergence. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the role of CPs in D. citri and reveals that CLas can influence the emergence process of D. citri by regulating the expression of CPs. These key CPs may serve as potential targets for future research on controlling huanglongbing (HLB) transmission.

Bacterial load in meconium.

The spike-in plasmid method was utilized to perform an analysis on meconium and second-pass feces, yielding both relative and absolute quantitative results. With the absolute quantitative data, the abundance of bacteria in 17 meconium samples and 17 second-pass fecal samples were found to be 1.14 × 107 and 1.59 × 109 copies/g, respectively. The mode of delivery can significantly influence the alterations and compositions of gut bacteria in a newborn within 72 h.

A Novel 10-Base Pair Deletion in the First Exon of GmHY2a Promotes Hypocotyl Elongation, Induces Early Maturation, and Impairs Photosynthetic Performance in Soybean.

Plants photoreceptors perceive changes in light quality and intensity and thereby regulate plant vegetative growth and reproductive development. By screening a γ irradiation-induced mutant library of the soybean (Glycine max) cultivar "Dongsheng 7", we identified Gmeny, a mutant with elongated nodes, yellowed leaves, decreased chlorophyll contents, altered photosynthetic performance, and early maturation. An analysis of bulked DNA and RNA data sampled from a population segregating for Gmeny, using the BVF-IGV pipeline established in our laboratory, identified a 10 bp deletion in the first exon of the candidate gene Glyma.02G304700. The causative mutation was verified by a variation analysis of over 500 genes in the candidate gene region and an association analysis, performed using two populations segregating for Gmeny. Glyma.02G304700 (GmHY2a) is a homolog of AtHY2a in Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a PΦB synthase involved in the biosynthesis of phytochrome. A transcriptome analysis of Gmeny using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) revealed changes in multiple functional pathways, including photosynthesis, gibberellic acid (GA) signaling, and flowering time, which may explain the observed mutant phenotypes. Further studies on the function of GmHY2a and its homologs will help us to understand its profound regulatory effects on photosynthesis, photomorphogenesis, and flowering time.

Unleashing the potential: type I CRISPR-Cas systems in actinomycetes for genome editing.

Covering: up to the end of 2023Type I CRISPR-Cas systems are widely distributed, found in over 40% of bacteria and 80% of archaea. Among genome-sequenced actinomycetes (particularly Streptomyces spp.), 45.54% possess type I CRISPR-Cas systems. In comparison to widely used CRISPR systems like Cas9 or Cas12a, these endogenous CRISPR-Cas systems have significant advantages, including better compatibility, wide distribution, and ease of operation (since no exogenous Cas gene delivery is needed). Furthermore, type I CRISPR-Cas systems can simultaneously edit and regulate genes by adjusting the crRNA spacer length. Meanwhile, most actinomycetes are recalcitrant to genetic manipulation, hindering the discovery and engineering of natural products (NPs). The endogenous type I CRISPR-Cas systems in actinomycetes may offer a promising alternative to overcome these barriers. This review summarizes the challenges and recent advances in CRISPR-based genome engineering technologies for actinomycetes. It also presents and discusses how to establish and develop genome editing tools based on type I CRISPR-Cas systems in actinomycetes, with the aim of their future application in gene editing and the discovery of NPs in actinomycetes.

Objectively quantifying subjective phenomena: Measuring the flashed face distortion effect.

Objectively quantifying subjective phenomena like visual illusions is challenging. We address this issue in the context of the Flashed Face Distortion Effect (FFDE), where faces presented in succession appear distorted and grotesque. We first show that the traditional method of quantifying FFDE - via subjective ratings of the level of distortion - is subject to substantial biases. Motivated by this finding, we develop an objective method for quantifying FFDE by introducing two design innovations. First, we create artificially distorted faces and ask subjects to discriminate between undistorted and objectively distorted faces. Second, we employ both an illusion condition, which includes a succession of 15 face flashes, and a control condition, which includes a single face flash and does not induce an illusion. Using these innovations, we quantify the strength of the face distortion illusion by comparing the response bias for identifying distorted faces between the illusion and control conditions. We find that our method successfully quantifies the face distortion, with subjects exhibiting a more liberal response bias in the illusion condition. Finally, we apply our new method to evaluate how the face distortion illusion is modulated by face eccentricity, face inversion, the temporal frequency of the face flashes, and presence of temporal gaps between consecutive faces. Our results demonstrate the utility of our objective method in quantifying the subjective illusion of face distortion. Critically, the method is general and can be applied to other phenomena that are inherently subjective.

Identification of Factors on Blood Selenium Levels in the US Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for humans and its low or high concentration in vivo is associated with the high risk of many diseases. It is important to identify influential factors of Se status. The present study aimed to explore the association between several factors (Se intake, gender, age, race, education, body mass index (BMI), income, smoking and alcohol status) and blood Se concentration using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2020 data. Demographic characteristics, physical examination, health interviews and diets were compared among quartiles of blood Se concentration using the Rao-Scott χ2 test. Se levels were compared between the different groups of factors studied, measuring the strength of their association. A total of 6205 participants were finally included. The normal reference ranges of blood Se concentration were 142.3 (2.5th percentile) and 240.8 µg/L (97.5th percentile), respectively. The mean values of dietary Se intake, total Se intake and blood Se concentration of the participants were 111.5 µg/day, 122.7 µg/day and 188.7 µg/L, respectively, indicating they were in the normal range. Total Se intake was the most important contributor of blood Se concentration. Gender, race, education status, income, BMI, smoking and alcohol status were associated with blood Se concentration.

Diachronic evolvement from tetra-icosahedral to quasi-hexagonal close-packed bimetal clusters.

Here we report a diachronic evolvement from tetra-icosahedral Au30Ag12(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CR)24 to quasi-hcp (hexagonal close-packed) Au47Ag19(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CR)32 via a one-step reduction, in which the size/structure conversion of the two clusters is not a typical Oswald growth process, but involves interface shrinking followed by core rearrangement and surface polymerization. Au30Ag12(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CR)24 has an aesthetic Au18Ag8 kernel that is composed of four interpenetrating Au10Ag3 icosahedra, while Au47Ag19(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CR)32 has a twisted Au19 core capped by a Au12Ag19 shell that are stacked in a layer-by-layer manner with a quasi-hcp pattern. The discovery of the two clusters not only provides further evidence for icosahedral clusters with longer excited-state lifetime compared to hcp-like clusters, but also discloses a double increase in catalytic reactivity for electrocatalytic oxidation of ethanol over quasi-hcp clusters in comparison with icosahedral clusters. This work provides the rationale for reversing the bottom-up growth process to remake bimetal clusters.

Efficacy and Safety of Anti-Programmed Cell Death Protein 1/Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Antibodies Plus Chemotherapy as First-Line Treatment for NSCLC in the People's Republic of China: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: The available approved anticancer drugs for Chinese patients are relatively limited because of China's low participation rate in international clinical trials. Therefore, a focus on approved anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) drugs in China is needed. This study aims to assess the heterogeneity of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies manufactured in China (domestic PD-1/PD-L1) and overseas (imported PD-1/PD-L1) when combined with chemotherapy as the first-line treatment of NSCLC. Methods: A systematic search was performed using PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library of publications up to July 13, 2023. Meta-analysis was applied to compare the efficacy and safety profile between anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies plus chemotherapy (PD-1/PD-L1+Chemo) and chemotherapy alone using STATA software. Pooled hazard ratios for progression-free survival and overall survival, odds ratios for objective response rate, and incidence rate of grade greater than or equal to three treatment-related adverse events with 95% confidence intervals were calculated in the domestic group and imported group by a random-effects model, and the heterogeneity between the two estimates was assessed. Results: There were 14 eligible clinical studies with a total of 3951 patients involved in this analysis, including eight studies of domestic PD-1/PD-L1+Chemo and six studies of imported PD-1/PD-L1+Chemo. The study revealed that there was no significant difference between domestic and imported PD-1/PD-L1+Chemo in overall survival (p = 0.80), progression-free survival (p = 0.53), and incidence rate of grade greater than or equal to three treatment-related adverse events (p = 0.10). Nevertheless, the objective response rate of imported PD-1/PD-L1+Chemo was significantly higher than that of domestic PD-1/PD-L1+Chemo (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Domestic anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies plus chemotherapy were found to have comparable efficacy and safety to those combined with imported anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies based on current evidence.

Fluoride impairs vascular smooth muscle A7R5 cell lines via disrupting amino acids metabolism.

Given the insidious and high-fatality nature of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the emergence of fluoride as a newly identified risk factor demands serious consideration alongside traditional risk factors. While vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play a pivotal role in the progression of CVDs, the toxicological impact of fluoride on VSMCs remains largely uncharted. In this study, we constructed fluorosis model in SD rats and A7R5 aortic smooth muscle cell lines to confirm fluoride impaired VSMCs. Fluoride aggravated the pathological damage of rat aorta in vivo. Then A7R5 were exposed to fluoride with concentration ranging from 0 to 1200 µmol/L over a 24-h period, revealing a dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation and migration. The further metabolomic analysis showed alterations in metabolite profiles induced by fluoride exposure, notably decreasing organic acids and lipid molecules level. Additionally, gene network analysis underscored the frequency of fluoride's interference with amino acids metabolism, potentially impacting the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Our results also highlighted the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters pathway as a central element in VSMC impairment. Moreover, we observed a dose-dependent increase in osteopontin (OPN) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) mRNA level and a dose-dependent decrease in ABC subfamily C member 1 (ABCC1) and bestrophin 1 (BEST1) mRNA level. These findings advance our understanding of fluoride as a CVD risk factor and its influence on VSMCs and metabolic pathways, warranting further investigation into this emerging risk factor.

Complementary to Multiple Labels: A Correlation-Aware Correction Approach.

Complementary label learning (CLL) requires annotators to give irrelevant labels instead of relevant labels for instances. Currently, CLL has shown its promising performance on multi-class data by estimating a transition matrix. However, current multi-class CLL techniques cannot work well on multi-labeled data since they assume each instance is associated with one label while each multi-labeled instance is relevant to multiple labels. Here, we show theoretically how the estimated transition matrix in multi-class CLL could be distorted in multi-labeled cases as they ignore co-existing relevant labels. Moreover, theoretical findings reveal that calculating a transition matrix from label correlations in multi-labeled CLL (ML-CLL) needs multi-labeled data, while this is unavailable for ML-CLL. To solve this issue, we propose a two-step method to estimate the transition matrix from candidate labels. Specifically, we first estimate an initial transition matrix by decomposing the multi-label problem into a series of binary classification problems, then the initial transition matrix is corrected by label correlations to enforce the addition of relationships among labels. We further show that the proposal is classifier-consistent, and additionally introduce an MSE-based regularizer to alleviate the tendency of BCE loss overfitting to noises. Experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method.