Facile Synthesis of Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Heterojunctions of Glycolated Conjugated Polymer-TiO2-X for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

The utilization of the organic-inorganic hybrid photocatalysts for water splitting has gained significant attention due to their ability to combine the advantages of both materials and generate synergistic effects. However, they are still far from practical application due to the limited understanding of the interactions between these two components and the complexity of their preparation process. Herein, a facial approach by combining a glycolated conjugated polymer with a TiO2-X mesoporous sphere to prepare high-efficiency hybrid photocatalysts is presented. The functionalization of conjugated polymers with hydrophilic oligo (ethylene glycol) side chains can not only facilitate the dispersion of conjugated polymers in water but also promote the interaction with TiO2-X forming stable heterojunction nanoparticles. An apparent quantum yield of 53.3% at 365 nm and a hydrogen evolution rate of 35.7 mmol h-1 g-1 is achieved by the photocatalyst in the presence of Pt co-catalyst. Advanced photophysical studies based on femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and in situ, XPS analyses reveal the charge transfer mechanism at type II heterojunction interfaces. This work shows the promising prospect of glycolated polymers in the construction of hybrid heterojunctions for photocatalytic hydrogen production and offers a deep understanding of high photocatalytic performance by such heterojunction photocatalysts.

Association of the TyG index with prognosis in surgical intensive care patients: data from the MIMIC-IV.

BACKGROUND: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, a tool for assessing insulin resistance, is increasingly recognized for its ability to predict cardiovascular and metabolic risks. However, its relationship with trauma and surgical patient prognosis is understudied. This study investigated the correlation between the TyG index and mortality risk in surgical/trauma ICU patients to identify high-risk individuals and improve prognostic strategies. METHODS: This study identified patients requiring trauma/surgical ICU admission from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC-IV) database, and divided them into tertiles based on the TyG index. The outcomes included 28-day mortality and 180-day mortality for short-term and long-term prognosis. The associations between the TyG index and clinical outcomes in patients were elucidated using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis and RCS models. RESULTS: A total of 2103 patients were enrolled. The 28-day mortality and 180-day mortality rates reached 18% and 24%, respectively. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed that an elevated TyG index was significantly related to 28-day and 180-day mortality after covariates adjusting. An elevated TyG index was significantly associated with 28-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.37) and 180-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.24; 95% confidence interval 1.11-1.39). RCS models revealed that a progressively increasing risk of mortality was related to an elevated TyG index. According to our subgroup analysis, an elevated TyG index is associated with increased risk of 28-day and 180-day mortality in critically ill patients younger than 60 years old, as well as those with concomitant stroke or cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, in nondiabetic patients, an elevated TyG index is associated with 180-day mortality. CONCLUSION: An increasing risk of mortality was related to an elevated TyG index. In critically ill patients younger than 60 years old, as well as those with concomitant stroke or cardiovascular diseases, an elevated TyG index is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. Furthermore, in non-diabetic patients, an elevated TyG index is associated with adverse long-term prognosis.

Production of Margarine Fat Containing Medium- and Long-Chain Triacylglycerols by Enzymatic Interesterification of Peony Seed Oil, Palm Stearin and Coconut Oil Blends.

This paper reports the preparation of margarine fat using Lipozyme TL IM as a catalyst and peony seed oil (PSO), palm stearin (PS) and coconut oil (CO) as raw materials. The results indicate that there were no significant changes in fatty acid composition before or after interesterification of the oil samples. However, the total amount of medium- and long-chain triglycerides (MLCTs) increased from 2.92% to 11.38% in sample E1 after interesterification, mainly including LaLaO, LaMO, LaPM, LaOO, LaPO and LaPP. Moreover, the slip melting point (SMP) of sample E1 decreased from 45.9 °C (B1) to 33.5 °C. The solid fat content (SFC) of all the samples at 20 °C was greater than 10%, indicating that they could effectively prevent oil exudation. After interesterification, the samples exhibited a ß' crystal form and could be used to prepare functional margarine.

Prescribed Performance Fault-Tolerant Control for Synchronization of Heterogeneous Nonlinear MASs Using Reinforcement Learning.

In this article, a novel approach of prescribed performance synchronization control is developed for heterogeneous nonlinear multiagent systems (MASs) subject to unknown actuator faults. Considering that not all followers are able to access the information of the leader, a distributed auxiliary perception system is proposed to estimate the state information of the leader to guarantee that the estimation errors converge to zero within fixed time. Then, based on the estimated states, a prescribed performance fault-tolerant control (FTC) approach is proposed, which achieves the user-defined performance specifications even in the presence of system faults. Moreover, as accurate system dynamic models are perhaps hard to acquire in practical engineering, a data-based method is proposed by using the reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm to design the fault-tolerant controller, which only needs the off-policy online data and is independent of the model dynamics of followers. The stability and synchronization with the prescribed behavior are guaranteed through the Lyapunov stability theorem. Finally, simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the developed controller.

Self-Assembled BiGaSeAs Composite Superlattice-Structured Nanowire for Broad-Band Photodetection.

Photodetectors with a broad-band response range are widely used in many fields and are regarded as pivotal components of the modern miniaturized electronics industry. However, commercial broad-band photodetectors composed of traditional bulk semiconductor materials are still limited by complex preparation techniques, high costs, and a lack of mechanical strength and flexibility, which are difficult to satisfy the increasing demand for flexible and wearable optoelectronics. Therefore, researchers have been devoted to finding new strategies to obtain flexible, stable, and high-performance broad-band photodetectors. In this work, a novel self-assembled BiGaSeAs composite superlattice-structured nanowire was developed with a simple chemical vapor deposition method for easy fabrication. After the device assembling, the photodetector showed outstanding performance in terms of obvious Ion/Ioff (13.9), broad-band photoresponse (365-940 nm), excellent responsivity (1007.67 A/W), high detectivity (9.38 × 109 Jones), and rapid response (21 and 23 ms). The formation of microheterojunctions among various materials inside the nanowires also contributed to their extended broad-spectrum response and outstanding detection ability. These results indicate that the BiGaSeAs nanowires have potential applications in the field of flexible and wearable electronics.

Rational Design of Three Dimensional Hollow Heterojunctions for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Applications.

The efficiency of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution is currently limited by poor light adsorption, rapid recombination of photogenerated carriers, and ineffective surface reaction rate. Although heterojunctions with innovative morphologies and structures can strengthen built-in electric fields and maximize the separation of photogenerated charges. However, how to rational design of novel multidimensional structures to simultaneously improve the above three bottleneck problems is still a research imperative. Herein, a unique Cu2O─S@graphene oxide (GO)@Zn0.67Cd0.33S Three dimensional (3D) hollow heterostructure is designed and synthesized, which greatly extends the carrier lifetime and effectively promotes the separation of photogenerated charges. The H2 production rate reached 48.5 mmol g-1 h-1 under visible light after loading Ni2+ on the heterojunction surface, which is 97 times higher than that of pure Zn0.67Cd0.33S nanospheres. Furthermore, the H2 production rate can reach 77.3 mmol g-1 h-1 without cooling, verifying the effectiveness of the photothermal effect. Meanwhile, in situ characterization and density flooding theory calculations reveal the efficient charge transfer at the p-n 3D hollow heterojunction interface. This study not only reveals the detailed mechanism of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution in depth but also rationalizes the construction of superior 3D hollow heterojunctions, thus providing a universal strategy for the materials-by-design of high-performance heterojunctions.

Sodium, potassium intake, and all-cause mortality: confusion and new findings.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) has established recommended daily intakes for sodium and potassium. However, there is currently some controversy regarding the association between sodium intake, potassium intake, the sodium-to-potassium ratio, and overall mortality. To assess the correlations between sodium intake, potassium intake, the sodium-to-potassium ratio, and overall mortality, as well as the potential differences in sodium and potassium intake thresholds among different population groups, we analyzed data from NHANES 2003-2018. METHODS: NHANES is an observational cohort study that estimates sodium and potassium intake through one or two 24-h dietary recalls. Hazard ratios (HR) for overall mortality were calculated using multivariable adjusted Cox models accounting for sampling design. A total of 13855 out of 26288 participants were included in the final analysis. Restricted cubic spline analyses were used to examine the relationship between sodium intake, potassium intake, and overall mortality. If non-linearity was detected, we employed a recursive algorithm to calculate inflection points. RESULTS: Based on one or two 24-h dietary recalls, the sample consisted of 13,855 participants, representing a non-institutionalized population aged 40-80 years, totaling 11,348,771 person-months of mean follow-up 99.395 months. Daily sodium intake and daily potassium intake were inversely associated with all-cause mortality. Restrictive cubic spline analysis showed non-linear relationships between daily sodium intake, potassium intake, sodium-potassium ratio, and total mortality. The inflection point for daily sodium intake was 3133 mg/d, and the inflection point for daily potassium intake was 3501 mg/d, and the inflection point for daily sodium-potassium ratio intake was 1.203 mg/mg/d. In subgroup analyses, a significant interaction was found between age and high sodium intake, which was further confirmed by the smooth curves that showed a U-shaped relationship between sodium intake and all-cause mortality in the elderly population, with a inflection point of 3634 mg/d. CONCLUSION: Nonlinear associations of daily sodium intake, daily potassium intake and daily sodium-potassium ratio intake with all-cause mortality were observed in American individuals. The inflection point for daily sodium intake was 3133 mg/d. And the inflection point for daily sodium intake was 3634 mg/d in elderly population. The inflection point for daily potassium intake was 3501 mg/d. The inflection point for daily sodium-potassium ratio intake was 1.203 mg/mg/d, respectively, A healthy diet should be based on reasonable sodium intake and include an appropriate sodium-to-potassium ratio.

The Role of Cancer in the Risk of Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality: A Nationwide Prospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: Evidence on cardiovascular-related and all-cause mortality risks in a wide range of cancer survivors is scarce but needed to inform prevention and management. Methods: We performed a nationwide prospective cohort study using information from the Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States and the linked mortality follow-up files, available for public access. A propensity score-matched analysis with a 1:1 ratio was conducted to reduce the baseline differences between participants with and without cancer. The relationship between cancer status and the cardiovascular-related and all-cause mortality risk was examined using weighted Cox proportional hazards regression. Independent stratification analysis and cancer-specific analyses were also performed. Results: The study sample included 44,342 participants, aged 20-85, interviewed between 1999 and 2018. Of these, 4,149 participants had cancer. All-cause death occurred in 6,655 participants, of whom 2,053 died from cardiovascular causes. Propensity-score matching identified 4,149 matched pairs of patients. A fully adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression showed that cancer was linked to an elevated risk of cardiovascular-related and all-cause mortality both before and after propensity score matching. Stratification analysis and cancer-specific analyses confirmed robustness of results. Conclusion: Our study confirmed that cancer was strongly linked to cardiovascular-related and all-cause mortality, even after adjusting for other factors that could impact a risk, including the American Heart Association (AHA)'s Life's Simple 7 cardiovascular health score, age, sex, ethnicity, marital status, income, and education level.

Effects of heat wave on development, reproduction, and morph differentiation of Aphis glycines (Hemiptera: Aphididae).

As global warming intensifies, heat waves occur frequently in the summer and autumn in Heilongjiang Province, northeast China. The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, is an important pest of soybean in the region, which faces great survival pressure due to high temperature. In this study, A. glycines fed soybean (AgFS) and wild soybean (AgFW) were exposed to diurnal 35 °C for 7 days begin at different developmental stages, and the development, reproduction, and morph differentiation were studied. When AgFS were exposed to heat waves from the second stadium to the adult stage, they performed worse in adult lifespan and fecundity than the control. When AgFW were exposed to heat waves begin at different developmental stages, the adult lifespan and reproduction period were shortened and reproduction ability decreased. When exposed to heat waves, the adult fecundity and intrinsic rate of increase in AgFW were lower than those of AgFS. Lower proportion of males were deposited on day 13, when AgFS and AgFW were exposed to diurnal 35 °C begin at different developmental stages. The results showed that heat waves lasting for 7 days were likely to be useful in the management of A. glycines, which reduced adult reproduction ability and male differentiation proportion in the offspring and significantly affected AgFW compared to AgFS. These results are important for predicting the dynamics of A. glycines in Heilongjiang, northeast China, where the local environmental temperature is increasing and heat waves occur frequently.

Simultaneous qualitative and quantitative determination of 104 fat-soluble synthetic dyes in foods using disperse solid-phase extraction and UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS analysis.

Public exposure to synthetic dyes through foods has attracted ongoing and serious attention. Here we developed and validated a simultaneous screening and quantitation method for the analysis of fat-soluble synthetic dyes that most frequently found in foods, using C18 d-SPE clean-up and UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS on Full-MS/dd-MS2 mode. During a single run, 104 dyes including 6 pairs of isomers were distinguished based on chromatographic separation and unique product ions. The method showed satisfactory linearity (R > 0.99), recoveries (61.3 %-118.8 %), precision (<20 %) and limit of quantification (0.05-0.5 mg/kg). For 98 % of test dyes, screening detection limits ranged from 2.5 to 25 µg/kg. The validated method was successfully applied to real commercial foodstuffs revealing the presence of two selected illegal dyes in three samples.

Association between hysterectomy status and stroke risk and cause-specific and all-cause mortality: evidence from the 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Background: Prior research on women who had hysterectomies has shown mixed results on whether or not hysterectomies increased the incidence of stroke and cause-specific or all-cause mortality. Methods: Using information from the Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States, including linked mortality follow-up files available for public access, a multicycle cross-sectional design mortality linkage study was performed. Results: Conducted during the years 2005-2018, the study sample included 14,214 female participants ranging in age from 20 to 85 years. The relationship between the hysterectomy status and the risk of stroke and cause-specific and all-cause mortality was examined using a series of weighted logistic regressions and Cox proportional hazards regressions, respectively. The presence of a hysterectomy was consistently linked to an elevated risk of stroke using weighted logistic regression models. The hysterectomy status, however, consistently showed no effect on survival by adjusted weighted Cox regression analysis. Conclusion: Our study found a significant association between hysterectomy and stroke, even after adjusting for other factors that could impact risk, such as the American Heart Association (AHA)'s Life's Simple 7 cardiovascular health score and variables of age, ethnicity, marital status, income, education, and depression severity.

Stage-specific dual function: EZH2 regulates human erythropoiesis by eliciting histone and non-histone methylation.

Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is the lysine methyltransferase of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) that catalyzes H3K27 tri-methylation. Aberrant expression and loss-of-function mutations of EZH2 have been demonstrated to be tightly associated with the pathogenesis of various myeloid malignancies characterized by ineffective erythropoiesis, such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). However, the function and mechanism of EZH2 in human erythropoiesis still remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated that EZH2 regulates human erythropoiesis in a stage-specific, dual-function manner by catalyzing histone and non-histone methylation. During the early erythropoiesis, EZH2 deficiency caused cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase, which impaired cell growth and differentiation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing and RNA sequencing discovered that EZH2 knockdown caused a reduction of H3K27me3 and upregulation of cell cycle proteindependent kinase inhibitors. In contrast, EZH2 deficiency led to the generation of abnormal nuclear cells and impaired enucleation during the terminal erythropoiesis. Interestingly, EZH2 deficiency downregulated the methylation of HSP70 by directly interacting with HSP70. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that the expression of AURKB was significantly downregulated in response to EZH2 deficiency. Furthermore, treatment with an AURKB inhibitor and small hairpin RNAmediated AURKB knockdown also led to nuclear malformation and decreased enucleation efficiency. These findings strongly suggest that EZH2 regulates terminal erythropoiesis through a HSP70 methylation-AURKB axis. Our findings have implications for improved understanding of ineffective erythropoiesis with EZH2 dysfunction.

Tuning the Dual Active Sites of Functionalized UiO-66 for Selective Adsorption of Yb(III).

The recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from discharged electronic devices or mineral waste water is highly essential but still facing challenges. In this work, two amino-functionalized carboxyl-UiO-66 (UiO-66-COOH-TETA and UiO-66-(COOH)2-ED) prepared via the postmodification method were employed as the adsorbents for Yb(III) capture. The experimental results revealed their superior adsorption capacities of 161.5 and 202.6 mg/g, respectively. Meanwhile, their adsorption processes can be described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model. Effects of initial pH and temperature on adsorptions were systematically evaluated, affording an optimal operating condition (i.e., pH of 5.5-6, T of 65 °C, t of 10 h). Moreover, the fabricated materials exhibited great reusability after five adsorption-regeneration cycles. UiO-66-COOH-TETA demonstrated good separation selectivity for Yb(III) over light REEs (i.e., 3.98 of Yb/Ce, 3.51 of Yb/Nd). Based on the density functional theory calculations and characterization analysis (XPS, Zeta, mapping, and IR), the adsorption mechanisms were mainly attributed to significant electrostatic attraction and strong surface complexation between N and O sites and Yb(III).

Influence of O2 Flow Rate on the Properties of Ga2O3 Growth by RF Magnetron Sputtering.

The influence of the O2 flow rate on the properties of gallium oxide (Ga2O3) by RF magnetron sputtering was studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmittance spectra, and photoluminescence (PL) spectra have been employed to study the Ga2O3 thin films. With the increase in oxygen flow rate, both the crystal quality and luminescence intensity of the Ga2O3 samples first decrease and then enhance. All these observations suggested that the reduction in the oxygen defect density is responsible for the improvement in the crystal quality and emission intensity of the material. Our results demonstrated that high-quality Ga2O3 materials could be obtained by adjusting the oxygen flow rate.

Efficient Doping Induced by Charge Transfer at the Hetero-Interface to Enhance Photocatalytic Performance.

The construction of heterojunction photocatalysts is an effective method to improve photocatalytic efficiency since the potential gradient and built-in electron field established at the junction could enhance the efficiency of charge separation and interfacial charge transfer. Nevertheless, heterojunction photocatalysts with strong built-in electron fields remain difficult to build since the two adjacent constitutes must be satisfied with an appropriate band alignment, redox potential, and carrier concentration gradient. Here, an efficient charge transfer-induced doping strategy is proposed to enhance the heterojunction built-in electron field for stable and efficient photocatalytic performance. Carrier transfer tests show that the rectification ratio of the n-TiO2-X/n-BiOI heterojunction is significantly enhanced after being coated with graphene oxide (GO). Consequently, both the hydrogen production and photodegradation performance of the GO composite heterojunction are considerably enhanced compared with pure TiO2-X, BiOI, and n-TiO2-X/n-BiOI. This work provides a facile method to prepare heterojunction photocatalysts with a high catalytic activity.

Preparation and Application of Nanozymes with Uricase-Like Activity Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers.

Nanozymes have advantages over natural enzymes in terms of efficiency, stability, and economy. MVSM (Mixed Valence State MOF) is a nano-oxidase with uricase-like activity that may catalyze uric acid (UA) in the body into allantoin and H2 O2 to treat gout and hyperuricemia by substituting natural uricase. However, it cannot specifically identify and choose UA. To increase the selectivity and affinity of MVSM for UA, the composite material MVSM@MIP is innovatively synthesized using a new synthetic approach termed the "two-step synthesis method," which may prevent UA from being oxidized by MVSM during manufacture in this study. At the same time, this study also provides experimental proof of the effective creation of the material, the advantages of the "two-step synthesis approach," and the high selectivity and affinity of MVSM@MIP for UA. Based on these findings, the suggested technique may be used to effectively catalyze uric acid in human urine with high activity.

Tailoring abundant active-oxygen sites of Prussian blue analogues-derived adsorbents for highly efficient Yb(III) capture.

The removal of rare earth elements in mineral processing wastewater is highly desirable but still challenging. In this study, three bimetallic Prussian blue analogues (PBA) and six corresponding oxides are prepared by co-precipitation and calcination methods, and then utilized to adsorb aqueous Yb(III) solution. The results of XRD, SEM, BET, and XPS indicate the successful synthesis of all the adsorbents. Among them, three PBA-oxide samples (PBO-800) exhibit the superior adsorption capacities (˃250 mg/g). The adsorption processes of Yb(III) are in accordance with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model, simultaneously showing the spontaneous and endothermic thermodynamics. Moreover, PBO-800 can be reused after alkaline solution regeneration with less than 10% degradation after five consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles. More importantly, PBO-800 exhibits the impressive separation selectivity of Yb(III) and most light rare earth ions (e.g., 5.51 of Yb/La, 4.03 of Yb/Pr), as well as the selectivity of Yb(III) and alkali metal ions (e.g., 300.5 of Yb/Na, 256.2 of Yb/Ca). According to the characterization analysis and DFT calculation, the adsorption mechanism of Yb(III) by PBO-800 is mainly attributed to the strong interaction between the abundant active-oxygen sites and Yb(III), and the significant electrostatic attraction.

Association between socioeconomic status and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk and cause-specific and all-cause mortality: Data from the 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Background: Morbidity and mortality of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) varied according to socioeconomic status (SES), and evidence on the association between SES and ASCVD risk, and cause-specific and all-cause mortality was nevertheless lacking in large-scale or population-based studies. Methods: A multicycle cross-sectional design and mortality linkage study was conducted using data from Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States, including public use linked mortality follow-up files through December 31, 2019. Poverty income ratio (PIR) served as a SES index. A series of weighted Logistic regressions and Cox proportional hazards regressions were used to investigate the association between the SES and the risk of ASCVD and mortality, respectively. Results: The study sample was comprised of 30,040 participants aged 20-85 years old during the 2005-2018 period. Weighted Logistic regression models consistently indicated significant relationship between people experiencing poverty and increased risk of ASCVD, and linear trend tests were all statistically significant (all P for trend < 0.001). Additionally, weighted Cox regression analysis consistently demonstrated that the hazards of cause-specific and all-cause mortality increased, with the decrease of each additional income level, and trend analyses indicated similar results (all P for trend < 0.001). Conclusions: Our study confirmed that the SES was strongly linked to living with ASCVD, and cause-specific and all-cause mortality, even after adjusting for other factors that could impact risk, such as the American Heart Association (AHA)'s Life's Simple 7 cardiovascular health score and variables of age, sex, marital status, education, and depression severity.

Anomalous universal conductance as a hallmark of non-locality in a Majorana-hosted superconducting island.

The non-local feature of topological states of matter is the key for the topological protection of quantum information and enables robust non-local manipulation in quantum information. Here we propose to manifest the non-local feature of a Majorana-hosted superconducting island by measuring the temperature dependence of Coulomb blockade peak conductance in different regimes. In the low-temperature regime, we discover a coherent double Majorana-assisted teleportation (MT) process, where any independent tunneling process always involves two coherent non-local MTs; and we also find an anomalous universal scaling behavior, i.e., a crossover from a [Formula: see text] power-law to a [Formula: see text] power-law conductance behavior when energy scale increases - in stark contrast to the usual exponential suppression due to certain local transport. In the high-temperature regime, the conductance is instead proportional to the temperature inverse, indicating a non-monotonic temperature-dependence of the conductance. Both the anomalous power law and non-monotonic temperature-dependence of the conductance can be distinguished from the conductance peak in the traditional Coulomb block, and therefore, together serve as a hallmark for the non-local feature in the Majorana-hosted superconducting island.