Mechanisms and Mitigation Strategies of Gas Generation in Sodium-Ion Batteries.

The transition to renewable energy sources has elevated the importance of SIBs (SIBs) as cost-effective alternatives to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for large-scale energy storage. This review examines the mechanisms of gas generation in SIBs, identifying sources from cathode materials, anode materials, and electrolytes, which pose safety risks like swelling, leakage, and explosions. Gases such as CO, H, and O primarily arise from the instability of cathode materials, side reactions between electrode and electrolyte, and electrolyte decomposition under high temperatures or voltages.

The Potential of Model-Free Parameters Derived From IVIM in Evaluating Pathological Indicators and Long-Term Survival in NPC.

Background: IVIM is a useful quantitative tool for predicting prognosis, but it is labor-intensive. Simplified b-value settings and post-processing could be more practicable for clinical applications.

Purpose: To assess the value of model-free parameters (virtual MR elastography [vMRE] and signature-index [S-index]) derived from IVIM in evaluating pathological indicators and long-term survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and to compare those with model-based parameters.

AKR1D1 suppresses liver cancer progression by promoting bile acid metabolism-mediated NK cell cytotoxicity.

Bile acid metabolism and antitumor immunity are both disrupted during liver cancer progression. However, the complex regulatory relationship between them remains largely unclear. Here, we find that loss of aldo-keto reductase 1D1 (AKR1D1) promotes the accumulation of isolithocholic acid (iso-LCA) through gut microbiome dysregulation, thereby impairing the cytotoxic function of natural killer (NK) cells and leading to the accelerated development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Model-free parameters derived from intravoxel inherent motion combined with tumor aggressiveness indicators in predicting 5-year treatment outcome in NPC.

Purpose: To evaluate the value of model-free parameters (virtual magnetic resonance elastography [vMRE] and signature index [S-index]) and tumor aggressiveness indicators (contralateral pharyngeal recess invasion [CPRI] and tumor growth type [TGT]) in forecasting 5-year treatment outcomes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Materials And Methods: A total of 106 patients were included in this study. Only two b-values were employed to calculate vMRE and S-index.

ENO1-BACE2-mediated LDLR cleavage promotes liver cancer progression by remodelling cholesterol metabolism.

Enolase 1 (ENO1) is a glycolytic enzyme involved in tumour progression that performs a variety of classical and nonclassical functions. However, the mechanism by which it promotes tumour progression is still not fully understood. Here, we found that ENO1 can bind to β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 2 (BACE2), a codependent gene of ENO1, in liver cancer cells.

Pretreatment arterial spin labeling combined with radiological depth of invasion predicts treatment outcome in nonmetastatic NPC.

Background And Purpose: To investigate the value of arterial spin labeling (ASL) and radiological depth of invasion (rDOI) in predicting long-term treatment outcomes in nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Materials And Methods: A total of 113 patients with NPC were included and randomly divided into training (n = 81) and validation (n = 32) cohorts. Tumor blood flow (TBF) parameters derived from the ASL (TBF, TBF, and nTBF) were obtained.

A Dual-Channel and Frequency-Aware Approach for Lightweight Video Instance Segmentation.

Video instance segmentation, a key technology for intelligent sensing in visual perception, plays a key role in automated surveillance, robotics, and smart cities. These scenarios rely on real-time and efficient target-tracking capabilities for accurate perception and intelligent analysis of dynamic environments. However, traditional video instance segmentation methods face complex models, high computational overheads, and slow segmentation speeds in time-series feature extraction, especially in resource-constrained environments.

Association Between Melanoma Metastasis and Metabolic Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Chinese Population.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains a significant global public health concern. However, the relationship between MetS, its individual components and melanoma metastasis remains unexplored. We analysed the clinical data of 258 Chinese melanoma patients who had not undergo systemic therapy.

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy: Ideal and reality.

Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemoperfusion (HIPEC) is a new adjuvant therapy for the treatment of abdominal malignant tumors and metastases, which has shown great potential. The HIPEC technique can effectively kill residual lesions in the abdominal cavity through the synergistic sensitization effect of thermal chemotherapy and the circulating perfusion and washing effect of large volume perfusion fluid, thereby reducing the occurrence of malignant ascites and reducing the risk of postoperative recurrence and metastasis. However, there are still many problems in the practical operation of HIPEC, such as non-uniform distribution of perfusate temperature, inadequate perfusion due to the presence of 'dead space', incomplete cytoreductive surgery (CRS), instances of catheter obstruction during perfusate circulation, the lack of a uniform standard for selecting appropriate HIPEC techniques, occupational exposure of medical personnel during the HIPEC procedure, and the selection of HIPEC chemotherapy regimens for patients with various types of tumors.

RPL36A activates ERK pathway and promotes colorectal cancer growth.

Ribosomal protein L36A (RPL36A) was one of the most upregulated proteins in colorectal cancer (CRC), yet its role in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains largely unexplored, with limited studies investigating its expression and biological functions. In this investigation, we confirmed a marked upregulation of RPL36A in CRC tissues, correlating with an adverse prognosis. Silencing RPL36A markedly attenuated CRC cell malignant properties and tumor xenograft growth.

Adaptable Plasmonic Membrane Sensors for Fast and Reliable Detection of Trace Low-Micrometer Microplastics in Lake Water.

In freshwater environments, low-micrometer microplastics (LMMPs) have captured significant attention due to their prevalence and toxicity. Yet, rapid detection of LMMPs (1-10 μm) at the single-particle level within complex freshwater matrices remains a hurdle. We developed an adaptable plasmonic membrane sensor for fast detection of individual LMMPs in eutrophic lake waters.

Carnitine is a friend in HFpEF and foe in HFrEF.

Heart failure (HF) is a global concern, particularly HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), lacking effective treatments. Understanding the differences of metabolic profiles between HFpEF and HFrEF (heart failure with reduced ejection fraction) patients is crucial for therapeutic advancements. In this study, pseudotargeted metabolomics was employed to analyze for disparities of plasma metabolic profiles between HFpEF and HFrEF in two cohorts: discovery ( = 514) and validation ( = 3368).

Structural Regulation Enables High Interfacial Functionality for Ni-Rich Single-Crystalline Cathodes.

Ni-rich single-crystalline layered cathodes have garnered significant attention due to their high energy density and thermal stability. However, they experience severe capacity degradation caused by lattice strain and interfacial side reactions during practical applications. In this study, an effective yttrium modification method is employed to stabilize the structure of Ni-rich single-crystalline LiNiMnCoO (SC-NMC83) to solve these issues.

Investigating looming tactile takeover requests with various levels of urgency in automated vehicles.

Designing an effective takeover request (TOR) in conditionally automated vehicles is crucial to ensure driving safety when the system reaches its limit. In our study, we aimed to investigate the effects of looming tactile TORs (whose urgency is dynamically mapped to the situation's criticality as the vehicle approaches the upcoming obstacle) on takeover performance and subjective experience compared with conventional non-looming TORs (several tactile pulses with consistent inter-pulse intervals). In addition, the impact of the TOR urgency level (with urgency levels matched or unmatched to the situation's criticality) was considered.

Photomodulation of Charge Transfer through Excited-State Processes: Directing Donor-Acceptor Binding Dynamics.

Modulating charge transfer (CT) interactions between donor and acceptor molecules may give rise to unique dynamic changes in physicochemical properties, exhibiting great importance in supramolecular chemistry and materials science. In this work, we demonstrate the first instance of reversible photomodulation of donor-acceptor (D-A) CT interaction in the solid state. Pyridinium-based chromophore featuring π-conjugated D-A structures can not only function as a good electron acceptor to undergo photoinduced electron transfer (ET) or engage in intermolecular CT interaction, but also exhibit unique dual emission depending on the excitation wavelengths.

Citrullination modulation stabilizes HIF-1α to promote tumour progression.

Citrullination plays an essential role in various physiological or pathological processes, however, whether citrullination is involved in regulating tumour progression and the potential therapeutic significance have not been well explored. Here, we find that peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PADI4) directly interacts with and citrullinates hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) at R698, promoting HIF-1α stabilization. Mechanistically, PADI4-mediated HIF-1α citrullination blocks von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) binding, thereby antagonizing HIF-1α ubiquitination and subsequent proteasome degradation.

Increased Tryptophan Catabolism Provides Predictive Value to Chronic Heart Failure Patients with Low-Grade Inflammation.

Kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (KTR), which serves as an indicator for evaluating indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase activity and inflammation, has been reported to be linked with cardiovascular incidences. However, its correlation with cardiovascular outcomes in patients suffering from heart failure (HF) remains to be explored. The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of KTR in HF.

The relationship between innate/adaptive immunity and gastrointestinal cancer : a multi-omics Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Innate/adaptive immunity is the key to anti-tumor therapy. However, its causal relationship to Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer remains unclear.

Methods: Immunity genes were extracted from the MSigDB database.

Targeting OXCT1-mediated ketone metabolism reprograms macrophages to promote antitumor immunity via CD8 T cells in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: The liver is the main organ of ketogenesis, while ketones are mainly metabolized in peripheral tissues via the critical enzyme 3-oxoacid CoA-transferase 1 (OXCT1). We previously found that ketolysis is reactivated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells through OXCT1 expression to promote tumor progression; however, whether OXCT1 regulates antitumor immunity remains unclear.

Methods: To investigate the expression pattern of OXCT1 in HCC in vivo, we conducted multiplex immunohistochemistry experiments on human HCC specimens.

Host-guest interaction induced room-temperature phosphorescence enhancement of organic dyes: a computational study.

To achieve the effective regulation of organic room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) in supramolecular systems, the elucidation of host-guest interactions in RTP is of vital importance. Herein, we employed two organic dyes (PYCl and PYBr) and their four host-guest complexes with CB[6] and CB[7] and explored the mechanism of host-guest interaction induced RTP enhancement using quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach. For the two organic dyes, we found that the better RTP performance of PYBr than PYCl is attributed to intersystem crossing (ISC) augmentation induced by the heavy atom effect.

Gut microbiota-dependent phenylacetylglutamine in cardiovascular disease: current knowledge and new insights.

Phenylacetylglutamine (PAGln) is an amino acid derivate that comes from the amino acid phenylalanine. There are increasing studies showing that the level of PAGln is associated with the risk of different cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we discussed the metabolic pathway of PAGln production and the quantitative measurement methods of PAGln.

The effects of various auditory takeover requests: A simulated driving study considering the modality of non-driving-related tasks.

With the era of automated driving approaching, designing an effective auditory takeover request (TOR) is critical to ensure automated driving safety. The present study investigated the effects of speech-based (speech and spearcon) and non-speech-based (earcon and auditory icon) TORs on takeover performance and subjective preferences. The potential impact of the non-driving-related task (NDRT) modality on auditory TORs was considered.

Bioinspired Artificial Intelligence Applications 2023.

With rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), researchers have found many bioinspired AI applications, such as bioinspired images and speech processing, which can increase accuracy [...

Sensors for Emerging Water Contaminants: Overcoming Roadblocks to Innovation.

Ensuring water quality and safety requires the effective detection of emerging contaminants, which present significant risks to both human health and the environment. Field deployable low-cost sensors provide solutions to detect contaminants at their source and enable large-scale water quality monitoring and management. Unfortunately, the availability and utilization of such sensors remain limited.