Integration of a Cas12a-mediated DNAzyme actuator with efficient RNA extraction for ultrasensitive colorimetric detection of viral RNA.

Developing highly sensitive and specific on-site tests is imperative to strengthen preparedness against future emerging infectious diseases. Here, we describe the construction of a Cas12a-mediated DNAzyme actuator capable of converting the recognition of a specific DNA sequence into an amplified colorimetric signal. To address viral RNA extraction challenges for on-site applications, we developed a rapid and efficient method capable of lysing the viral particles, preserving the released viral RNA, and concentrating the viral RNA. Integration of the DNAzyme actuator with the viral RNA extraction method and loop-mediated isothermal amplification enables a streamlined colorimetric assay for highly sensitive colorimetric detection of respiratory RNA viruses in gargle and saliva. This assay can detect as few as 83 viral particles/100 µL in gargle and 166 viral particles/100 µL in saliva. The entire assay, from sample processing to visual detection, was completed within 1 h at a single controlled temperature. We validated the assay by detecting SARS-CoV-2 in 207 gargle and saliva samples, achieving a clinical sensitivity of 96.3 % and specificity of 100%. The assay is adaptable for detecting specific nucleic acid sequences in other pathogens and is suitable for resource-limited settings.

The association between humidex and tuberculosis: a two-stage modelling nationwide study in China.

BACKGROUND: Under a changing climate, the joint effects of temperature and relative humidity on tuberculosis (TB) are poorly understood. To address this research gap, we conducted a time-series study to explore the joint effects of temperature and relative humidity on TB incidence in China, considering potential modifiers. METHODS: Weekly data on TB cases and meteorological factors in 22 cities across mainland China between 2011 and 2020 were collected. The proxy indicator for the combined exposure levels of temperature and relative humidity, Humidex, was calculated. First, a quasi-Poisson regression with the distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was constructed to examine the city-specific associations between humidex and TB incidence. Second, a multivariate meta-regression model was used to pool the city-specific effect estimates, and to explore the potential effect modifiers. RESULTS: A total of 849,676 TB cases occurred in the 22 cities between 2011 and 2020. Overall, a conspicuous J-shaped relationship between humidex and TB incidence was discerned. Specifically, a decrease in humidex was positively correlated with an increased risk of TB incidence, with a maximum relative risk (RR) of 1.40 (95% CI: 1.11-1.76). The elevated RR of TB incidence associated with low humidex (5th humidex) appeared on week 3 and could persist until week 13, with a peak at approximately week 5 (RR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.05). The effects of low humidex on TB incidence vary by Natural Growth Rate (NGR) levels. CONCLUSION: A J-shaped exposure-response association existed between humidex and TB incidence in China. Humidex may act as a better predictor to forecast TB incidence compared to temperature and relative humidity alone, especially in regions with higher NGRs.

Identification of novel variations in three cases with rare inherited neuromuscular disorder.

Inherited neuromuscular disorder (IND) is a broad-spectrum, clinically diverse group of diseases that are caused due to defects in the neurosystem, muscles and related tissue. Since IND may originate from mutations in hundreds of different genes, the resulting heterogeneity of IND is a great challenge for accurate diagnosis and subsequent management. Three pediatric cases with IND were enrolled in the present study and subjected to a thorough clinical examination. Next, a genetic investigation was conducted using whole-exome sequencing (WES). The suspected variants were validated through Sanger sequencing or quantitative fluorescence PCR assay. A new missense variant of the Spastin (SPAST) gene was found and analyzed at the structural level using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. All three cases presented with respective specific clinical manifestations, which reflected the diversity of IND. WES detected the diagnostic variants in all 3 cases: A compound variation comprising collagen type VI α3 chain (COL6A3) (NM_004369; exon19):c.6322G>T(p.E1208*) and a one-copy loss of COL6A3:exon19 in Case 1, which are being reported for the first time; a de novo SPAST (NM_014946; exon8):c.1166C>A(p.T389K) variant in Case 2; and a de novo Duchenne muscular dystrophy (NM_004006; exon11):c.1150-17_1160delACTTCCTTCTTTGTCAGGGGTACATGATinsC variant in Case 3. The structural and MD analyses revealed that the detected novel SPAST: c.1166C>A(p.T389K) variant mainly altered the intramolecular hydrogen bonding status and the protein segment's secondary structure. In conclusion, the present study expanded the IND mutation spectrum. The study not only detailed the precise diagnoses of these cases but also furnished substantial grounds for informed consultations. The approach involving the genetic evaluation strategy using WES for variation screening followed by validation using appropriate methods is beneficial due to the considerable heterogeneity of IND.

Efficient electro-Fenton degradation of organic pollutants via the synergistic effect of 1O2 and •OH generated on single FeN4 sites.

The electro-Fenton with in situ generated 1O2 and •OH is a promising method for the degradation of micropollutants. However, its application is hindered by the lack of catalysts that can efficiently generate 1O2 and •OH from electrochemical oxygen reduction. Herein, N-doped stacked carbon nanosheets supported Fe single atoms (Fe-NSC) with FeN4 sites were designed for simultaneous generation of 1O2 and •OH to enhance electro-Fenton degradation. Due to the synergistic effect of 1O2 and •OH, a variety of contaminants (phenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, sulfamethoxazole, atrazine and bisphenol A) were efficiently degraded with high kinetic constants of 0.037-0.071 min-1 by the electro-Fenton with Fe-NSC as cathode (-0.6 V vs Ag/AgCl, pH 6). Moreover, the superior performance for electro-Fenton degradation was well maintained in a wide pH range from 3 to 10 even with interference of various inorganic salt ions. It was found that FeN4 sites with pyridinic N coordination were responsible for its good performance for electro-Fenton degradation. Its 1O2 yield was higher than •OH yield, and the contribution of 1O2 was more significant than •OH for pollutant degradation.

Cancer mortality risk from short-term PM2.5 exposure and temporal variations in Brazil.

Although some studies have found that short-term PM2.5 exposure is associated with lung cancer deaths, its impact on other cancer sites is unclear. To answer this research question, this time-stratified case-crossover study used individual cancer death data between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2019, extracted from the Brazilian mortality information system to quantify the associations between short-term PM2.5 exposure and cancer mortality from 25 common cancer sites. Daily PM2.5 concentration was aggregated at the municipality level as the key exposure. The study included a total of 34,516,120 individual death records, with the national daily mean PM2.5 exposure 15.3 (SD 4.3) µg/m3. For every 10-µg/m3 increase in three-day average PM2.5 exposure, the odds ratio (OR) for all-cancer mortality was 1.04 (95% CI 1.03-1.04). Apart from all-cancer deaths, PM2.5 exposure may impact cancers of oesophagus (1.04, 1.00-1.08), stomach (1.05, 1.02-1.08), colon-rectum (1.04, 1.01-1.06), lung (1.04, 1.02-1.06), breast (1.03, 1.00-1.06), prostate (1.07, 1.04-1.10), and leukaemia (1.05, 1.01-1.09). During the study period, acute PM2.5 exposure contributed to an estimated 1,917,994 cancer deaths, ranging from 0 to 6,054 cases in each municipality. Though there has been a consistent downward trend in PM2.5-related all-cancer mortality risks from 2000 to 2019, the impact remains significant, indicating the continued importance of cancer patients avoiding PM2.5 exposure. This nationwide study revealed a notable association between acute PM2.5 exposure and heightened overall and site-specific cancer mortality for the first time to our best knowledge. The findings suggest the importance of considering strategies to minimize such exposure in cancer care guidelines. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: The 20-year analysis of nationwide death records in Brazil revealed that heightened short-term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with increased cancer mortality at various sites, although this association has gradually decreased over time. Despite the declining impact, the research highlights the persistent adverse effects of PM2.5 on cancer mortality, emphasizing the importance of continued research and preventive measures to address the ongoing public health challenges posed by air pollution.

Highly Efficient Acidic Electrosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide at Industrial-Level Current Densities Promoted by Alkali Metal Cations.

Acidic H2O2 synthesis through electrocatalytic 2e- oxygen reduction presents a sustainable alternative to the energy-intensive anthraquinone oxidation technology. Nevertheless, acidic H2O2 electrosynthesis suffers from low H2O2 Faradaic efficiencies primarily due to the competing reactions of 4e- oxygen reduction to H2O and hydrogen evolution in environments with high H+ concentrations. Here, we demonstrate the significant effect of alkali metal cations, acting as competing ions with H+, in promoting acidic H2O2 electrosynthesis at industrial-level currents, resulting in an effective current densities of 50‒421 mA cm‒2 with 84‒100% Faradaic efficiency and a production rate of 856‒7842 µmol cm-2 h-1 that far exceeds the performance observed in pure acidic electrolytes or low-current electrolysis. Finite-element simulations indicate that high interfacial pH near the electrode surface formed at high currents is crucial for activating the promotional effect of K+. In situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations reveal the central role of alkali metal cations in stabilizing the key *OOH intermediate to suppress 4e- oxygen reduction through interacting with coordinated H2O.

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variants Show Attenuated Neurovirulence Compared with the Wild-Type Strain in Elderly Human Brain Spheroids.

Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron variants still causes neurological complications in elderly individuals. However, whether and how aging brains are affected by Omicron variants in terms of neuroinvasiveness and neurovirulence are unknown. Here, we utilize resected paracarcinoma brain tissue from elderly individuals to generate primary brain spheroids (BSs) for investigating the replication capability of live wild-type (WT) strain and Omicron (BA.1/BA.2), as well as the mechanisms underlying their neurobiological effects. We find that both WT and Omicron BA.1/BA.2 are able to enter BSs but weakly replicate. There is no difference between Omicron BA.1/BA.2 and WT strains in neurotropism in aging BSs. However, Omicron BA.1/BA.2 exhibits ameliorating neurological damage. Transcriptional profiling indicates that Omicron BA.1/BA.2 induces a lower neuroinflammatory response than WT strain in elderly BSs, suggesting a mechanistic explanation for their attenuated neuropathogenicity. Moreover, we find that both Omicron BA.1/BA.2 and WT strain infections disrupt neural network activity associated with neurodegenerative disorders by causing neuron degeneration and amyloid-ß deposition in elderly BSs. These results uncover Omicron-specific mechanisms and cellular immune responses associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-induced neurological complications.

Promoting CO2 Electroreduction to Ethane by Iodide-Derived Copper with the Hydrophobic Surface.

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to value-added products provides a feasible pathway for mitigating net carbon emissions and storing renewable energy. However, the low dimerization efficiency of the absorbed CO intermediate (*CO) and the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction hinder the selective electroreduction of CO2 to ethane (C2H6) with a high energy density. Here, we designed hydrophobic iodide-derived copper electrodes (I-Cu/Nafion) for reducing CO2 to C2H6. The Faradaic efficiency of C2H6 reached 23.37% at -0.7 V vs RHE over the I-Cu/Nafion electrode in an H-type cell, which was about 1.7 times higher than that of the I-Cu electrode. The hydrophobic properties of the I-Cu/Nafion electrodes led to an increase in the local CO2 concentration and stabilized the Cu+ species. In situ Raman characterizations and density functional theory calculations indicate that the enhanced performances could be ascribed to the strong *CO adsorption and decreased the formation energy of *COOH and *COCOH intermediates. This study highlights the effect of the hydrophobic surface on Cu-based catalysts in the electroreduction of CO2 and provides a promising way to adjust the selectivity of C2 products.

The impact of salinity on the cohesion process of quartz substracts: A molecular dynamics study.

The moisture with salt ions adsorbed on the mineral soil surface is crucial to the cohesion process when the media is exposed to marine or coastal environments. However, the impact of salinity on the cohesion of soils is not well studied at the nanoscale. In this study, the salinity effect was investigated by studying the wettability and capillary force of NaCl solutions on quartz substrates via a molecular dynamics-based approach. Besides, a new visualization method was proposed to measure the contact angle of liquid droplets from the aspect of nanoscale. The results indicated that salt ions can weaken the wettability of the liquid on the quartz surface and inhibit the capillary force. Compared with water, the liquid with a 10% NaCl solution can achieve a capillary force reduction of around 70%, resulting in a detrimental effect on the cohesion of soils. Overall, this study enhanced the understanding of the nanoscale salinity effect on the cohesion process and provided insights into the modification of the mechanical properties of soils from the aspect of nanoscale.

Etching of Ag nanoparticles triggered bidirectional regulation for electrochemiluminescence ratiometric immunoassay.

A highly efficient ratiometric electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunoassay was explored by bidirectionally regulating the ECL intensity of two luminophors. The immunoassay was conducted in a split-type mode consisting of an ECL detection procedure and a sandwich immunoreaction. The ECL detection was executed using a dual-disk glassy carbon electrode modified with two potential-resolved luminophors (g-C3N4-Ag and Ru-MOF-Ag nanocomposites), and the sandwich immunoreaction using glucose oxidase (GOx)-modified SiO2 nanospheres as labels was carried out in a 96-well plate. The Ag nanoparticles (NPs) acted as bifunctional units both for triggering the resonance energy transfer (RET) with g-C3N4 and for accelerating the electron transfer rate of the Ru-MOF-Ag ECL reaction. When the H2O2 catalyzed by GOx in the 96-well plate was transferred to the dual-disk glass carbon electrode, the doped Ag NPs in the two luminophors could be etched, thus destroying the RET between C3N4 and the accelerated reaction to Ru-MOF, resulting in an opposite trend in the ECL signal outputted from the dual disks. Using the ratio of the two signals for quantification, the constructed immunosensor for a model target, i.e. myoglobin, exhibited a low detection limit of 4.7 × 10-14 g/mL. The ingenious combination of ECL ratiometry, bifunctional Ag NPs, and a split-type strategy effectively reduces environmental and human errors, offering a more precise and sensitive analysis for complex samples.

Impact of Postoperative Radiotherapy on the Prognosis of Early-Stage (pT1-2N0M0) Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To identify subgroups of patients with early-stage (pT1-2N0M0) oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) who may benefit from postoperative radiotherapy (PORT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 528 patients diagnosed between October 2009 and December 2021. Clinicopathological characteristics and treatments with or without PORT were analyzed for their impact on outcomes. RESULTS: Among 528 patients who underwent radical surgery (median age, 62 years [IQR, 52-69]), 145 (27.5%) also underwent PORT. Multivariate analyses revealed that PORT was associated with improved survival outcomes, whereas moderate-to-poor differentiation, perineural infiltration (PNI), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and increasing depth of invasion (DOI) were associated with poorer survival outcomes. For patients with moderate-to-poor differentiation, the surgery + PORT group showed improved outcomes compared with the surgery-alone group. After propensity score matching, the results were as follows: overall survival (OS), 97% versus 69%, P = .003; disease-free survival (DFS), 88% versus 50%, P = .001. After excluding cases with PNI/LVI, the differences persisted: OS, 97% versus 82%, P = .040; DFS, 87% versus 64%, P = .012. Similar survival benefits were observed in 104 patients with PNI and/or LVI (OS, 81% v 58%; P = .022; DFS, 76% v 47%; P = .002). In subgroups with DOI >5 mm or close margins, PORT contributed to improved DFS (80% v 64%; P = .006; 92% v 66%; P = .049) but did not significantly affect OS. CONCLUSION: Patients with moderately-to-poorly differentiated pT1-2N0M0 OTSCC benefited from PORT. Our study provided evidence that patients with PNI and/or LVI who underwent PORT had improved survival. PORT also offered DFS benefit among patients with DOI >5 mm.

In Situ Growth Reaction on Photoelectrodes of Single-Atom Fe Incorporated Bi4O5I2: A General Photoelectrochemical Immunoassay Toward Sensitive Protein Analysis.

As one of the interesting signaling mechanisms, the in situ growth reaction on a photoelectrode has proven its powerful potential in photoelectrochemical (PEC) bioanalysis. However, the specific interaction between the signaling species with the photoactive materials limits the general application of the signal mechanism. Herein, on the basis of an in situ growth reaction on a photoelectrode of single-atom-based photoactive material, a general PEC immunoassay was developed in a split-type mode consisting of the immunoreaction and PEC detection procedure. Specifically, a single-atom photoactive material that incorporates Fe atoms into layered Bi4O5I2 (Bi4O5I2-Fe SAs) was used as a photoelectrode for PEC detection. The sandwich immunoreaction was performed in a well of a 96-well plate using Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) as signal tracers. In the PEC detection procedure, the Ag+ converted from Ag NPs were transferred onto the surface of the Bi4O5I2-Fe SAs photoelectrode and thereafter AgI was generated on the Bi4O5I2-Fe SAs in situ to form a heterojunction through the reaction of Ag+ with Bi4O5I2-Fe SAs. The formation of heterojunction greatly promoted the electro-hole separation, boosting the photocurrent response. Exemplified by myoglobin (Myo) as the analyte, the immunosensor achieved a wide linear range from 1.0 × 10-11 to 5.0 × 10-8 g mL-1 with a detection limit of 3.5 × 10-12 g mL-1. This strategy provides a general PEC immunoassay for disease-related proteins, as well as extends the application scope of in situ growth reaction in PEC analysis.

Aß-binding with alcohol dehydrogenase drives Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis: A review.

Although Alzheimer's disease (AD) characterized with senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles has been found for over 100 years, its molecular mechanisms are ambiguous. More worsely, the developed medicines targeting amyloid-beta (Aß) and/or tau hyperphosphorylation did not approach the clinical expectations in patients with moderate or severe AD until now. This review unveils the role of a vicious cycle between Aß-derived formaldehyde (FA) and FA-induced Aß aggregation in the onset course of AD. Document evidence has shown that Aß can bind with alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) to form the complex of Aß/ADH (ABAD) and result in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and aldehydes including malondialdehyde, hydroxynonenal and FA; in turn, ROS-derived H2O2 and FA promotes Aß self-aggregation; subsequently, this vicious cycle accelerates neuron death and AD occurrence. Especially, FA can directly induce neuron death by stimulating ROS generation and tau hyper hyperphosphorylation, and impair memory by inhibiting NMDA-receptor. Recently, some new therapeutical methods including inhibition of ABAD activity by small molecules/synthetic polypeptides, degradation of FA by phototherapy or FA scavengers, have been developed and achieved positive effects in AD transgenic models. Thus, breaking the vicious loop may be promising interventions for halting AD progression.

Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line from a Parkinson's disease patient with a pathogenic LRP10/c.688C > T(p.Arg230Trp) mutation.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a highly prevalent and severe neurodegenerative disease that affects more than 10 million individuals worldwide. Pathogenic mutations in LRP10 have been associated with autosomal dominant PD. Here, we report an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line generated from a PD patient harboring the LRP10 c.688C > T (p.Arg230Trp) variant. Skin fibroblasts from the PD patient were successfully reprogrammed into iPSCs that expressed pluripotency markers, a normal karyotype, and the capacity to differentiate into the three germ layers in vivo. This iPSC line is a potential resource for studying the pathogenic mechanisms of PD.

Optimising oral cancer reconstruction: a retrospective cohort study on the modified radial forearm free flap technique to eliminate the need for a secondary donor site.

The radial forearm free flap (RFFF) is commonly used in the reconstruction of oral cancer patients. Traditional RFFF (TRFFF) techniques, which often require a secondary donor site to repair the forearm defect, may result in a scar extending to the dorsal hand. This can lead to significant functional and aesthetic concerns in the forearm. We designed a modified RFFF (MRFFF) that incorporates a glasses-shaped flap and features deep venous drainage. To evaluate its effectiveness we conducted a retrospective chart review of 105 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma who underwent reconstructive surgery between 2018 and 2022. These patients were treated either with a TRFFF (n = 60) or the newly developed MRFFF (n = 45). Our inclusion criteria, guided by preliminary surgical experience prior to initiating the study, stipulated that single oral defects should be no larger than 6 × 6 cm2, and adjacent double defects no larger than 3 × 6 cm2. Flap size, pedicle length, harvesting duration, and anastomosis during the surgical procedure were compared between the two techniques. Preoperative and postoperative oral function, recurrence, mortality, and dorsal scarring were recorded. One-week, one-month, and six-month postoperative subjective aesthetics assessments, and self-reported postoperative donor hand function, were measured using the Michigan hand questionnaire (MHQ). There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of flap size, pedicle length, harvesting time, anastomosis time, postoperative oral function, recurrence, and mortality. However, patients with a MRFFF did not require a second donor graft site and did not have scars extending to the dorsal forearm. They also had significantly improved postoperative aesthetic outcomes (1 week: 70.6%, 1 month: 62.2%) and donor hand function (1 week: 54.6%, 1 month: 40.4%) compared with the TRFFF group (p < 0.001). The MRFFF eliminates the need for secondary donor sites and improves primary donor site outcomes. It is versatile and can be employed for either single or composite oral defects. Through extensive case studies, we have defined its specific scope: it is suitable for single defects measuring no more than 6 × 6 cm2, or for composite defects no larger than 3 × 6 cm2. Furthermore, it does not compromise the functional recovery of the recipient site, and should be widely adopted for all qualifying patients.

Optoelectronic Synapses Based on MXene/Violet Phosphorus van der Waals Heterojunctions for Visual-Olfactory Crossmodal Perception.

The crossmodal interaction of different senses, which is an important basis for learning and memory in the human brain, is highly desired to be mimicked at the device level for developing neuromorphic crossmodal perception, but related researches are scarce. Here, we demonstrate an optoelectronic synapse for vision-olfactory crossmodal perception based on MXene/violet phosphorus (VP) van der Waals heterojunctions. Benefiting from the efficient separation and transport of photogenerated carriers facilitated by conductive MXene, the photoelectric responsivity of VP is dramatically enhanced by 7 orders of magnitude, reaching up to 7.7 A W-1. Excited by ultraviolet light, multiple synaptic functions, including excitatory postsynaptic currents, paired-pulse facilitation, short/long-term plasticity and "learning-experience" behavior, were demonstrated with a low power consumption. Furthermore, the proposed optoelectronic synapse exhibits distinct synaptic behaviors in different gas environments, enabling it to simulate the interaction of visual and olfactory information for crossmodal perception. This work demonstrates the great potential of VP in optoelectronics and provides a promising platform for applications such as virtual reality and neurorobotics.

Advances in wastewater analysis revealing the co-circulating viral trends of noroviruses and Omicron subvariants.

Co-presence of enveloped and non-enveloped viruses is common both in community circulation and in wastewater. Community surveillance of infections requires robust methods enabling simultaneous quantification of multiple viruses in wastewater. Using enveloped SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants and non-enveloped norovirus (NoV) as examples, this study reports a robust method that integrates electronegative membrane (EM) concentration, viral inactivation, and RNA preservation (VIP) with efficient capture and enrichment of the viral RNA on magnetic (Mag) beads, and direct detection of RNA on the beads. This method provided improved viral recoveries of 80 ± 4 % for SARS-CoV-2 and 72 ± 5 % for Murine NoV. Duplex reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays with newly designed degenerate primer-probe sets offered high PCR efficiencies (90-91 %) for NoV (GI and GII) targets and were able to detect as few as 15 copies of the viral RNA per PCR reaction. This technique, combined with duplex detection of NoV and multiplex detection of Omicron, successfully quantified NoV (GI and GII) and Omicron variants in the same sets of 94 influent wastewater samples collected from two large wastewater systems between July 2022 and June 2023. The wastewater viral RNA results showed temporal changes of both NoV and Omicron variants in the same wastewater systems and revealed an inverse relationship of their emergence. This study demonstrated the importance of a robust analytical platform for simultaneous surveillance of enveloped and non-enveloped viruses in wastewater. The ability to sensitively determine multiple viral pathogens in wastewater will advance applications of wastewater surveillance as a complementary public health tool.

Parasitism in Metal Nanoclusters: A Case Study of (AuAg)25·(AuAg)27.

Studying the interactions of atomically precise metal nanoclusters in their assembly systems is of great significance in the nanomaterial research field, which has attracted increasing interest in the last few decades. Herein, we report the cocrystallization of two oppositely charged atomically precise metal nanoclusters in one unit cell: [Au1Ag24(SR)18]- ((AuAg)25 for short) and [AuxAg27-x(Dppf)4(SR)9]2+ (x = 10-12; (AuAg)27 for short) with a 1:1 ratio. (AuAg)27 could maintain its structure in the presence of (AuAg)25, whether in the crystalline and the solution state, while the metastable (AuAg)27 component underwent a spontaneous transformation to (AuAg)16(Dppf)2(SR)8 after dissociating the (AuAg)25 component from this cocrystal, demonstrating the "parasitism" relationship of the (AuAg)27 component over (AuAg)25 in this dual-cluster system. This work enriches the family of cluster-based assemblies and elucidates the delicate relationship between nanoparticles of cocrystals.

Tropical cyclone-specific mortality risks and the periods of concern: A multicountry time-series study.

BACKGROUND: More intense tropical cyclones (TCs) are expected in the future under a warming climate scenario, but little is known about their mortality effect pattern across countries and over decades. We aim to evaluate the TC-specific mortality risks, periods of concern (POC) and characterize the spatiotemporal pattern and exposure-response (ER) relationships on a multicountry scale. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Daily all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality among the general population were collected from 494 locations in 18 countries or territories during 1980 to 2019. Daily TC exposures were defined when the maximum sustained windspeed associated with a TC was ≥34 knots using a parametric wind field model at a 0.5° × 0.5° resolution. We first estimated the TC-specific mortality risks and POC using an advanced flexible statistical framework of mixed Poisson model, accounting for the population changes, natural variation, seasonal and day of the week effects. Then, a mixed meta-regression model was used to pool the TC-specific mortality risks to estimate the overall and country-specific ER relationships of TC characteristics (windspeed, rainfall, and year) with mortality. Overall, 47.7 million all-cause, 15.5 million cardiovascular, and 4.9 million respiratory deaths and 382 TCs were included in our analyses. An overall average POC of around 20 days was observed for TC-related all-cause and cardiopulmonary mortality, with relatively longer POC for the United States of America, Brazil, and Taiwan (>30 days). The TC-specific relative risks (RR) varied substantially, ranging from 1.04 to 1.42, 1.07 to 1.77, and 1.12 to 1.92 among the top 100 TCs with highest RRs for all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality, respectively. At country level, relatively higher TC-related mortality risks were observed in Guatemala, Brazil, and New Zealand for all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality, respectively. We found an overall monotonically increasing and approximately linear ER curve of TC-related maximum sustained windspeed and cumulative rainfall with mortality, with heterogeneous patterns across countries and regions. The TC-related mortality risks were generally decreasing from 1980 to 2019, especially for the Philippines, Taiwan, and the USA, whereas potentially increasing trends in TC-related all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risks were observed for Japan. CONCLUSIONS: The TC mortality risks and POC varied greatly across TC events, locations, and countries. To minimize the TC-related health burdens, targeted strategies are particularly needed for different countries and regions, integrating epidemiological evidence on region-specific POC and ER curves that consider across-TC variability.

Gate-Controlled Neuromorphic Functional Transition in an Electrochemical Graphene Transistor.

Neuromorphic devices have attracted significant attention as potential building blocks for the next generation of computing technologies owing to their ability to emulate the functionalities of biological nervous systems. The essential components in artificial neural networks such as synapses and neurons are predominantly implemented by dedicated devices with specific functionalities. In this work, we present a gate-controlled transition of neuromorphic functions between artificial neurons and synapses in monolayer graphene transistors that can be employed as memtransistors or synaptic transistors as required. By harnessing the reliability of reversible electrochemical reactions between carbon atoms and hydrogen ions, we can effectively manipulate the electric conductivity of graphene transistors, resulting in a high on/off resistance ratio, a well-defined set/reset voltage, and a prolonged retention time. Overall, the on-demand switching of neuromorphic functions in a single graphene transistor provides a promising opportunity for developing adaptive neural networks for the upcoming era of artificial intelligence and machine learning.