Simultaneously Promoted Water Resistance and CO2 Selectivity in Methanol Oxidation Over Pd/CoOOH: Synergy of Co-OH and the Pd-Olatt-Co Interface.

Catalytic purification of industrial oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) is hindered by the presence of water vapor that attacks the active sites of conventional noble metal-based catalysts and the insufficient mineralization that leads to the generation of hazardous intermediates. Developing catalysts simultaneously with excellent water resistance and a high intermediate suppression ability is still a great challenge. Herein, we proposed a simple strategy to synthesize a Pd/CoOOH catalyst that contains abundant hydroxyl groups and lattice oxygen species, over which a negligible effect was observed on CH3OH conversion with 3 vol % water vapor, while a remarkable conversion reduction of 24% was observed over Pd/Co3O4. Moreover, the low-temperature CO2 selectivity over Pd/CoOOH is significantly enhanced in comparison with Pd/Co(OH)2. The high concentration of surface hydroxyl groups on Pd/CoOOH enhances the water resistance owing to the accelerated activation of H2O to generate Co-OH, which replaces the consumed hydroxyl and facilitates the quick dissociation of surface H2O through timely desorption. Additionally, the presence of Pd-Olatt-Co promotes electron transport from Co to Pd, leading to improved metal-support interactions and weakened metal-O bonds. This in turn enhances the catalyst's capacity to efficaciously convert intermediates. This study sheds new insights into designing multifunctional catalytic platforms for efficient industrial OVOC purification as well as other heterogeneous oxidation reactions.

Facile Tailor on the Surface of Mo Foil Toward High-Efficient Flexible CZTSSe Solar Cells.

Flexible Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells is attracting much attention because of their enormous application prospects. However, current flexible CZTSSe solar cells with Mo foil as substrate still suffer from severe back interface problems due to the complexity of substrate surfaces. Herein, a facile approach to tailor the surface of the flexible substrate and modify the back interface between CZTSSe and Mo foil is proposed. The study discloses that a simple polishing can not only improve the wettability of the precursor solution on the substrate unexpectedly and thus improve the quality of the CZTSSe film, but also increase the mechanical stability of the absorber layer grown on Mo foil. The subsequent UV-ozone treatment helps to form a favorite MoO3 layer for efficient CZTSSe devices. Surprisingly, the quasi-ohmic contact is formed between CZTSSe/Mo foil by such combined treatments and thus promoting the carrier collection. Consequently, the efficiency of the flexible CZTSSe solar cell is significantly improved from 4.94% to 10.32% without anti-reflection layer. The bending durability of the cell fabricated on the treated Mo foil is increased greatly. This work discloses that back contact interface is very important for the carrier collection and thus the highly efficient flexible thin film solar cells.

Re-description of 1st instar larva of Osmylusfulvicephalus (Scopoli, 1763) (Neuroptera, Osmylidae) based on naming system of sclerites.

Background: Osmylusfulvicephalus (Scopoli, 1763), the type species of the Osmylidae, has garnered significant research interest in taxonomy, particularly regarding its larval stages. To date, most studies have focused on the third instar larvae, but ignore the first instar larvae with the rough and incomplete morphological descriptions. This lack of studies has led to an unclear understanding of the morphological differences between larval stages, making it challenging to identify larvae, distinguish different osmylid species or even reconstruct phylogeny. New information: In this study, the first instar larva of O.fulvicephalus was re-described in detail and illustrated, based on the naming system of sclerites. Based on this, it could be effectively distinguished from other species by the following characteristics: i) number of segments in the labial palpi; ii) the setae beard on the apex of antenna; iii) the number of transversal rows of the anal hooks. In addition, we compared the sclerites and other morphological characteristics with the third instar larvae of Osmylusfulvicephalus to better distinguish larvae at different developmental stages.

Dominant Contribution of Non-dust Primary Emissions and Secondary Processes to Dissolved Aerosol Iron.

Solubility largely determines the impacts of aerosol Fe on marine ecosystems and human health. Currently, modeling studies have large uncertainties in aerosol Fe solubility due to inadequate understanding of the sources of dissolved Fe. This work investigated seasonal variations of Fe solubility in coarse and fine aerosols in Qingdao, a coastal city in the Northwest Pacific, and utilized a receptor model for source apportionment of total and dissolved aerosol Fe. Desert dust was found to be the main source of total Fe, contributing 65 and 81% annually to total Fe in coarse and fine particles, respectively; in contrast, dissolved aerosol Fe originated primarily from combustion, industrial, and secondary sources. The annual average contributions to dissolved Fe in coarse and fine particles were 68 and 47% for the secondary source and 32 and 33% for the combustion source, respectively. Aerosol Fe solubility was found to be highest in summer and lowest in spring, showing seasonal patterns similar to those of aerosol acidity. Increase in Fe solubility in atmospheric particles, when compared to desert dust, was mainly caused by secondary processing and combustion emission, and the effect of secondary processes was dictated by aerosol acidity and liquid water content.

Assembly and maintenance of phyllosphere microbial diversity during rubber tree leaf senescence.

Phyllosphere microorganisms execute important ecological functions including supporting host plant growth, enhancing host resistance to abiotic stresses, and promoting plant diversity. How leaf developmental stages affect plant-microbiome interactions and phyllosphere microbial community assembly and diversity is poorly understood. In this study, we utilized amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA and ITS genes to investigate the composition and diversity of microbial communities across different leaf developmental stages of rubber trees. Our findings reveal that endophytic microbial communities, particularly bacterial communities, are more influenced by leaf senescence than by epiphytic communities. The high abundance of metabolism genes in the endosphere of yellow leaves contributes to the degradation and nutrient relocation processes. Nutrient loss leads to a higher abundance of α-Proteobacteria (r-selected microorganisms) in the yellow leaf endosphere, thereby promoting stochastic community assembly. As leaves age, the proportion of microorganisms entering the inner layer of leaves increases, consequently enhancing the diversity of microorganisms in the inner layer of leaves. These results offer insights into the mechanisms governing community assembly and diversity of leaf bacteria and fungi, thereby advancing our understanding of the evolving functions of microbial communities during leaf senescence in general, and for an important tropical crop species in particular.

MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitors enhance T cell-mediated antitumor activity in MTAP-loss tumors.

BACKGROUND: Hyperactivated protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are implicated in human cancers. Inhibiting tumor intrinsic PRMT5 was reported to potentiate antitumor immune responses, highlighting the possibility of combining PRMT5 inhibitors (PRMT5i) with cancer immunotherapy. However, global suppression of PRMT5 activity impairs the effector functions of immune cells. Here, we sought to identify strategies to specifically inhibit PRMT5 activity in tumor tissues and develop effective PRMT5i-based immuno-oncology (IO) combinations for cancer treatment, particularly for methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP)-loss cancer. METHODS: Isogeneic tumor lines with and without MTAP loss were generated by CRISPR/Cas9 knockout. The effects of two PRMT5 inhibitors (GSK3326595 and MRTX1719) were evaluated in these isogenic tumor lines and T cells in vitro and in vivo. Transcriptomic and proteomic changes in tumors and T cells were characterized in response to PRMT5i treatment. Furthermore, the efficacy of MRTX1719 in combination with immune checkpoint blockade was assessed in two syngeneic murine models with MTAP-loss tumor. RESULTS: GSK3326595 significantly suppresses PRMT5 activity in tumors and T cells regardless of the MTAP status. However, MRTX1719, a methylthioadenosine-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitor, exhibits tumor-specific PRMT5 inhibition in MTAP-loss tumors with limited immunosuppressive effects. Mechanistically, transcriptomic and proteomic profiling analysis reveals that MRTX1719 successfully reduces the activation of the PI3K pathway, a well-documented immune-resistant pathway. It highlights the potential of MRTX1719 to overcome immune resistance in MTAP-loss tumors. In addition, MRTX1719 sensitizes MTAP-loss tumor cells to the killing of tumor-reactive T cells. Combining MRTX1719 and anti-PD-1 leads to superior antitumor activity in mice bearing MTAP-loss tumors. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our results provide a strong rationale and mechanistic insights for the clinical development of MRTX1719-based IO combinations in MTAP-loss tumors.

Topography and life stage regulate species aboveground biomass distribution in combination in a tropical montane rainforest.

Understanding the correlation between topography, species biomass and species life stage would allow forest managers to better foster carbon storage in forests. Using census data from a 60-ha plot in south China, we first quantified aboveground biomass (AGB) and how much it varied among different topographies. Next, the specific contribution of 42 dominant species to total aboveground biomass was analyzed for each of the different topographies. We also explored whether these species-topography associations changed, in terms of species' AGB distribution, during each of the three life stages (sapling, juvenile, adult) for these 42 species. Our results showed that the average AGB was 368.79 Mg ha-1 and that it varied noticeably among the four topographies (Low valley, Slope, High valley and Ridge, which were classified by using fuzzy C-mean clustering based on elevation, convexity, and slope). AGB was significantly lower in the two valleys than in the two other topographies. Of the 42 species, 88.1% showed topographic preferences, and 78.6% appeared to exhibit topographic preferences that changed with life stage. Our work highlights the importance of topography and life stage in species biomass distribution and suggests that different combinations of species and life stages, based on species topographic preferences across life stages, may be better suited in different tropical rainforest topographies to maximize carbon storage overall.

A new method for identifying elastic parameters of isotropic materials based on square specimens.

This paper proposes a new impulse excitation technique using a square plate. First, the functional relationship between the modal frequency of the specimen and the geometrical dimensions and mechanical parameters was established by using the finite element method. Then, the continuous functional relationship derived by a homotopy method allowed the frequency ratios to be related to the thickness-to-length ratio and Poisson's ratio. By measuring the frequency ratios and thickness-to-length ratio, Poisson's ratio could be calculated using this functional relationship. When the density and Poisson's ratio were known, Young's modulus could be identified inversely in conjunction with the finite element analysis. Finally, a comparison test between this method and the traditional impulse excitation technique was designed and implemented, and the results showed that this method has advantages in both testing efficiency and accuracy. The study provides a new idea for system identification, which has important application value and promotion significance.

Ocular Disease Detection with Deep Learning (Fine-Grained Image Categorization) Applied to Ocular B-Scan Ultrasound Images.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this work is to develop a deep learning (DL) system for rapidly and accurately screening for intraocular tumor (IOT), retinal detachment (RD), vitreous hemorrhage (VH), and posterior scleral staphyloma (PSS) using ocular B-scan ultrasound images. METHODS: Ultrasound images from five clinically confirmed categories, including vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, intraocular tumor, posterior scleral staphyloma, and normal eyes, were used to develop and evaluate a fine-grained classification system (the Dual-Path Lesion Attention Network, DPLA-Net). Images were derived from five centers scanned by different sonographers and divided into training, validation, and test sets in a ratio of 7:1:2. Two senior ophthalmologists and four junior ophthalmologists were recruited to evaluate the system's performance. RESULTS: This multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted in six hospitals in China. A total of 6054 ultrasound images were collected; 4758 images were used for the training and validation of the system, and 1296 images were used as a testing set. DPLA-Net achieved a mean accuracy of 0.943 in the testing set, and the area under the curve was 0.988 for IOT, 0.997 for RD, 0.994 for PSS, 0.988 for VH, and 0.993 for normal. With the help of DPLA-Net, the accuracy of the four junior ophthalmologists improved from 0.696 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.684-0.707) to 0.919 (95% CI 0.912-0.926, p < 0.001), and the time used for classifying each image reduced from 16.84 ± 2.34 s to 10.09 ± 1.79 s. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed DPLA-Net showed high accuracy for screening and classifying multiple ophthalmic diseases using B-scan ultrasound images across mutiple centers. Moreover, the system can promote the efficiency of classification by ophthalmologists.

Selinexor targeting XPO1 promotes PEG3 nuclear accumulation and suppresses cholangiocarcinoma progression.

BACKGROUND: The role of selinexor, a targeted inhibitor of exportin 1 (XPO1), in the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma is not yet fully understood. This study conducted comprehensive in vitro and in vivo investigations to elucidate the effects of selinexor on cholangiocarcinoma, with a focus on its mechanistic relationship with the cellular localization of Paternally Expressed Gene 3 (PEG3). METHODS: A patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model was established using samples from a cholangiocarcinoma patient in immunodeficient mice to assess the in vivo effects of selinexor. Additionally, cholangiocarcinoma cell lines HuCC-T1 and BRE were cultured to evaluate selinexor's impact on cell proliferation, invasion, migration, cell cycle, and apoptosis. HuCC-T1 cells were also implanted in immunodeficient mice for further investigation. Immunofluorescence and Western blotting were employed to observe the expression and localization of the PEG3 protein. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that selinexor significantly inhibited tumor growth in the cholangiocarcinoma PDX model and promoted the accumulation of PEG3 protein within the nuclei of tumor cells. In vitro experiments showed that selinexor effectively suppressed cholangiocarcinoma cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, while also impeding the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis. Notably, selinexor markedly facilitated the nuclear accumulation of PEG3 protein in cholangiocarcinoma cells. However, when PEG3 expression was knocked down, the effects of selinexor on cholangiocarcinoma were significantly reversed. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that selinexor inhibits the progression of cholangiocarcinoma by targeting XPO1 and promoting the nuclear accumulation of PEG3 protein, thereby hindering the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis.

S100a8/A9 proteins: critical regulators of inflammation in cardiovascular diseases.

Neutrophil hyperexpression is recognized as a key prognostic factor for inflammation and is closely related to the emergence of a wide range of cardiovascular disorders. In recent years, S100 calcium binding protein A8/A9 (S100A8/A9) derived from neutrophils has attracted increasing attention as an important warning protein for cardiovascular disease. This article evaluates the utility of S100A8/A9 protein as a biomarker and therapeutic target for diagnosing cardiovascular diseases, considering its structural features, fundamental biological properties, and its multifaceted influence on cardiovascular conditions including atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, and heart failure.

A novel BN aromatic module modified near-infrared fluorescent probe for monitoring carbon monoxide-releasing molecule CORM-3 in living cells and animals.

Carbon monoxide (CO), a significant gas transmitter, plays a vital role in the intricate functioning of living systems and is intimately linked to a variety of physiological and pathological processes. To comprehensively investigate CO within biological system, researchers have widely adopted CORM-3, a compound capable of releasing CO, which serves as a surrogate for CO. It aids in elucidating the physiological and pathological effects of CO within living organisms and can be employed as a therapeutic drug molecule. Therefore, the pivotal role of CORM-3 necessitates the development of effective probes that can facilitate the visualization and tracking of CORM-3 in living systems. However, creating fluorescent probes for real-time imaging of CORM-3 in living species has proven to be a persisting challenge that arises from factors such as background interference, light scattering and photoactivation. Herein, the BNDN fluorescent probe, a brand-new near-infrared is proposed. Remarkably, the BNDN probe offers several noteworthy advantages, including a substantial Stokes shift (201 nm), heightened sensitivity, exceptional selectivity, and an exceedingly low CORM-3 detection limit (0.7 ppb). Furthermore, the underlying sensing mechanism has been meticulously examined, revealing a process that revives the fluorophore by reducing the complex Cu2+ to Cu+. This distinctive NIR fluorescence "turn-on" character, coupled with its larger Stokes shift, holds great promise for achieving high resolution imaging. Most impressively, this innovative probe has demonstrated its efficacy in detecting exogenous CORM-3 in living animal. It is important to underscore that these endeavors mark a rare instance of a near-infrared probes successfully detecting exogenous CORM-3 in vivo. These exceptional outcomes highlighted the potential of BNDN as a highly promising new tool for in vivo detection of CORM-3. Considering the impressive imaging capabilities demonstrated by BNDN presented in this study, we anticipate that this tool may offer a compelling avenue for shedding light on the roles of CO in future research endeavors.

Strong NIR-II Magneto-Optical Activity of a Chiral Sm15Cu54 Cage.

The magneto-optical response of chiral materials holds significant potential for applications in physics, chemistry, and biology. However, exploration of the near-infrared (NIR) magneto-optical response remains limited. Herein, we report the synthesis and strong NIR-II magneto-optical activity of three pairs of chiral 3d-4f clusters of R/S-Ln15Cu54 (Ln = Sm, Gd, and Dy). Structural analysis reveals that R/S-Ln15Cu54 features a triangular prism cage with C3 symmetry. Interestingly, magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra exhibit remarkable magneto-optical response in the NIR-II region, driven by the f-f transition. The maximum g-factor of R/S-Sm15Cu54 reaches 5.5 × 10-3 T-1 around 1300-1450 nm, surpassing values associated with DyIII and CuII ions. This remarkable NIR-II magneto-optical activity may be attributed to strong magnetic-dipole-allowed f-f transitions and helix chirality of the structure. This work not only presents the largest Ln-Cu clusters to date but also demonstrate the key role of magnetic-dipole-allowed transitions on magneto-optical activity.

External circuit loading mode regulates anode biofilm electrochemistry and pollutants removal in microbial fuel cells.

This study investigated the effects of different external circuit loading mode on pollutants removal and power generation in microbial fuel cells (MFC). The results indicated that MFC exhibited distinct characteristics of higher maximum power density (Pmax) (named MFC-HP) and lower Pmax (named MFC-LP). And the capacitive properties of bioanodes may affect anodic electrochemistry. Reducing external load to align with the internal resistance increased Pmax of MFC-LP by 54.47 %, without no obvious effect on MFC-HP. However, intermittent external resistance loading (IER) mitigated the biotoxic effects of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) (a persistent organic pollutant) on chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH4+-N removal and maintained high Pmax (424.33 mW/m2) in MFC-HP. Meanwhile, IER mode enriched electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) and environmental adaptive bacteria Advenella, which may reduce antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) accumulation. This study suggested that the external circuit control can be effective means to regulate electrochemical characteristics and pollutants removal performance of MFC.

O-Carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles: A novel approach to enhance water stress tolerance in maize seedlings.

Water stress, a significant abiotic stressor, significantly hampers crop growth and yield, posing threat to food security. Despite the promising potential of nanoparticles (NPs) in enhancing plant stress tolerance, the precise mechanisms underlying the alleviation of water stress using O-Carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles (O-CMC-NPs) in maize remain elusive. In this study, we synthesized O-CMC-NPs and delved into their capacity to mitigate water stress (waterlogging and drought) in maize seedlings. Structural characterization revealed spherical O-CMC-NPs with a size of approximately 200 nm. These NPs accumulated near the seed embryo and root tip, resulting in a substantial increase in fresh and dry weights. The application of O-CMC-NPs to water-stressed maize seedlings remarkedly elevated the chlorophyll content and activity of various antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO). The malondialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly reduced compared to the untreated control. Additionally, the expression of stress-responsive genes, such as ZmSOD, ZmCAT, ZmPOD, ZmTIFY, ZmACO, ZmPYL2, ZmNF-YC12, and ZmEREB180, were significantly upregulated in the O-CMC-NPs treated seedlings. These findings unveil the novel role of O-CMC-NPs in enhancing plant stress tolerance, suggesting their potential application in safeguarding maize seedlings under water stress conditions and facilitating the recovery from oxidative damage.

Real-world status, efficacy and prognosis analysis of first-line treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma in patients treated at multiple centres.

OBJECTIVE: To present the real-world status and explore the predictors of the efficacy and prognosis of first-line treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). METHODS: Real-world data of uHCC patients who underwent first-line treatment at 4 hospitals in Northern Anhui, China, from July 2019 to December 2022 were retrospectively collected. The clinicopathological features, haematological indicators, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), efficacy and safety data were analysed. RESULTS: A total of 153 patients were enrolled and most of them treated with targeted therapy combined with immunotherapy (TI). Compared to patients treated with TI, patients who were administrated with TI plus locoregional therapy (TIL) showed longer median progression-free survival (mPFS) and median overall survival (mOS) times (both p < 0.05), with manageable safety profiles. Moreover, compared to patients with low baseline serum levels of SOD, patients with high baseline serum SOD levels had a better treatment efficacy and had longer mPFS and mOS times (all p < 0.05). Subgroup analyses indicated that patients with low SOD levels had longer mPFS times when receiving TIL than when receiving TI (p = 0.005), but, among patients with high SOD levels, their prognoses were not substantially different between TIL and TI (p > 0.05). Additionally, patients in the low-VEGF-A group had a longer mOS time than patients in the high-VEGF-A group (p = 0.004). In comparison with TI, TIL can improve the survival time among patients with high VEGF-A levels but not among patients with low VEGF-A levels. CONCLUSIONS: TI was the most commonly first-line systemic therapy for uHCC patients, with better efficacy and outcomes when combined with locoregional therapy in a certain population. Baseline serum SOD and VEGF-A were found to be potential predictive biomarkers for decision-making, treatment response, and outcome in patients with uHCC in the primary care setting.

TI was the most commonly used first-line systemic therapy regimen for uHCC patients in Northern Anhui, China.TIL might conferred better therapeutic efficacy and outcome than TI in specific uHCC populations.The baseline serum SOD level was found to be positively correlated with first-line treatment efficacy and patients' prognosis in uHCC, and low-SOD patients with a dismal prognosis was identified to have potential to benefit from TIL.High baseline serum VEGF-A levels were associated with poor efficacy and short OS times in uHCC patients. For patients with a high baseline VEGF-A, TIL is recommended as the first-line treatment.

Highly oxidized intraplate basalts and deep carbon storage.

Deep carbon cycle is crucial for mantle dynamics and maintaining Earth's habitability. Recycled carbonates are a strong oxidant in mantle carbon-iron redox reactions, leading to the formation of highly oxidized mantle domains and deep carbon storage. Here we report high Fe3+/∑Fe values in Cenozoic intraplate basalts from eastern China, which are correlated with geochemical and isotopic compositions that point to a common role of carbonated melt with recycled carbonate signatures. We propose that the source of these highly oxidized basalts has been oxidized by carbonated melts derived from the stagnant subducted slab in the mantle transition zone. Diamonds formed during the carbon-iron redox reaction were separated from the melt due to density differences. This would leave a large amount of carbon (about four times of preindustrial atmospheric carbon budget) stored in the deep mantle and isolated from global carbon cycle. As such, the amounts of subducted slabs stagnated at mantle transition zone can be an important factor regulating the climate.

Two genetic variants in the HIBCH and FTCDNL1 genes are associated with susceptibility to developmental dysplasia of the hips among the Han Chinese population of Southwest China.

BACKGROUND: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a common cause of childhood disability, and the incidence of DDH shows significant familial aggregation. As the genetic factors of DDH remain unknown, the correlation between five candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and DDH was evaluated in the Han Chinese population of Southwest China. METHODS: A case‒control association study was conducted in 276 patients with DDH and 318 healthy controls. SNP genotyping in the case and control groups was performed by SNPshot and multiple PCR. SNPs were genotyped in the case and control groups by multiplex PCR. The relationship between DDH and candidate SNPs was evaluated using the χ2 test. RESULTS: The genotype distributions of rs291412 in HIBCH and rs769956 in FTCDNL1 were different between the case and control groups (P < 0.05). After genetic model analysis, logistic regression analysis revealed that the C allele of rs291412 had a protective effect on DDH (OR = 0.605, P = 0.010) and that the G allele of rs769956 was a risk factor (OR = 2.939, P = 0.010).s. CONCLUSION: These SNPs could be associated with susceptibility to DDH but larger population-based studies should confirm the current results.