Stabilizing Lithium Metal Anodes by Fiber Clustering.

Lithium metal anodes generally suffer from uncontrolled dendrite growth and large volume change, while traditional skeletons such as LiIn and LiSn are too heavy and discontinuous to offer highly efficient structural supportability for composite Li anodes. In this work, lightweight and stable fiber-clustered skeletons, which are composed of LiB fibers and jointed LiSi nanoparticles, can be obtained by smelting SiB powder and Li ingots. In addition to serving as both ionic and electronic conductors for composite Li anodes, the stable skeletons reduced volumetric fluctuation by offering uniform, heterogeneous, and continuous architectures while suppressing lithium dendrites with low nucleation overpotential and diffusion energy barrier.

Forty years of HIV infection and AIDS in Taiwan: Reflection on the past and looking toward the future.

We review the epidemiology, policies, and control programs of HIV infection in Taiwan in the past 40 years since the first case of HIV infection was diagnosed in 1984. With the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Taiwan in 1997, the incidences of HIV-related opportunistic illnesses and mortality have significantly declined. However, despite improved access to HIV testing and treatment, late presentation of HIV infection remains common.

Resting metabolic rate in obesity.

The prevalence of obesity has continued to rise, and obesity and its attendant metabolic disorders are major global health threat factors. Among the current interventions for obesity, none have demonstrated sustained efficacy in achieving long-term outcomes. So, the identification of therapeutic targets is of paramount importance in the advancement and sustainability of obesity.

Trpv1-lineage neuron-expressing Kcnq4 channel modulates itch sensation in mice.

Voltage-gated potassium channel subfamily q member 4 (Kcnq4) is predominantly expressed by hair cells and auditory neurons and regulates the neuronal excitability in the auditory pathway. Although it is further detected in myelinated large-diameter dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons in the periphery, the expression and function of Kcnq4 channel in nociceptors remains unknown. Here we showed that Kcnq4 is substantially expressed by unmyelinated small-diameter DRG neurons in both human and mouse.

Molecular hydrogen positively influences root gravitropism involving auxin signaling and starch accumulation.

Although geoscience of natural hydrogen (H), hydrogen-producing soil bacteria, and especially plant-based H, has been observed, it is not clear whether or how above H resources influence root gravitropic responses. Here, pharmacological, genetic, molecular, and cell biological tools were applied to investigate how plant-based H coordinates gravity responses in Arabidopsis roots. Since roots show higher H production than shoots, exogenous H supply was used to mimic this function.

RNA-Binding Protein Hnrnpa1 Triggers Daughter Cardiomyocyte Formation by Promoting Cardiomyocyte Dedifferentiation and Cell Cycle Activity in a Post-Transcriptional Manner.

Stimulating cardiomyocyte (CM) dedifferentiation and cell cycle activity (DACCA) is essential for triggering daughter CM formation. In addition to transcriptional processes, RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are emerging as crucial post-transcriptional players in regulating CM DACCA. However, whether post-transcriptional regulation of CM DACCA by RBPs could effectively trigger daughter CM formation remains unknown.

Unconventional Near-Equilibrium Nucleation of Graphene on Si-Terminated SiC(0001) Surface.

The transfer-free character of graphene growth on Silicon Carbide (SiC) makes it compatible with state-of-the-art Si semiconductor technologies for directly fabricating high-end electronics. Although significant progress has been achieved in epitaxial growth of graphene on SiC recently, the underlying nucleation mechanism remains elusive. Here, we present a theoretical study to elucidate graphene near-equilibrium nucleation on Si-terminated hexagonal-SiC(0001) surface.

Roles of TREM2 in the Pathological Mechanism and the Therapeutic Strategies of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related degenerative disease, which is characteristic by the deposition of senile plaques (SP) outside the cells, the neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) inside the neurons, and the loss of synapse and neurons. Neuroinflammation may play an important role in the pathogenesis of AD. Microglia are the immune cells in the central nervous system.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation as add-on the rapyin persistent postural-perceptual dizziness.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) when used as an add-on therapy for individuals with persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD).

Methods: In this randomized controlled, double-blind trial conducted at Shangluo Central Hospital, patients with PPPD diagnosed in the neurology departments were included. Participants were randomized into a rTMS treatment group and a control group in a 1:1 ratio by the randomized grouping method.

Metabolic Syndrome and the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease: A Meta-Analysis.

The relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear. This meta-analysis aims to clarify the prospective association between MetS and AD risk and to explore how individual MetS components contribute to this relationship. Comprehensive searches of MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Embase were conducted up to April 12, 2024.

Sequential pretreatment with hydroxyl radical and manganese peroxidase for the efficient enzymatic saccharification of corn stover.

Background: White rot fungi produce various reactive oxygen species and ligninolytic enzymes for lignocellulose deconstruction. However, their interactions during the deconstruction of lignocellulosic structural barriers for efficient enzymatic saccharification remain unclear.

Results: Herein, the extracellular enzyme activities and secretomic analysis revealed the sequential expression of hydroxyl radical (⋅OH) and manganese peroxidases (MnPs) for lignocellulose deconstruction by the white rot fungus Irpex lacteus.

Dynamic amine sorting enables multiselective construction of unsymmetrical chiral diamines.

Precisely differentiating chemicals featuring minor discrepancies is the prerequisite for achieving high selectivities in both chemical synthesis and biological activities. However, efficient strategies to differentiate and sort such congeneric compounds are lacking, posing daunting challenges for synthetic endeavours aimed at their orderly incorporation. Here we report a dynamic amine-sorting strategy that incorporates the chemoselective formation of the aminomethyl cyclopalladated complex to achieve the efficient differentiation of amine congeners.

Symbiodiniaceae algal symbionts of Pocillopora damicornis larvae provide more carbon to their coral host under elevated levels of acidification and temperature.

Climate change destabilizes the symbiosis between corals and Symbiodiniaceae. The effects of ocean acidification and warming on critical aspects of coral survical such as symbiotic interactions (i.e.

METTL14-mediated mA modification enhances USP22-ERα axis to drive breast cancer malignancy.

The abundance and activity of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) are tightly regulated by ubiquitin-specific peptidase 22 (USP22) during the progression of breast cancer (BCa). However, the post-transcriptional modifications on the USP22-ERα axis remain elusive. N6-methyladenosine (mA) is critical to modulate RNA status in eukaryotic cells.

Generalizable Magnetic Resonance Imaging-based Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Delineation: Bridging Gaps Across Multiple Centers and Raters With Active Learning.

Purpose: To develop a deep learning method exploiting active learning and source-free domain adaptation for gross tumor volume delineation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), addressing the variability and inaccuracy when deploying segmentation models in multicenter and multirater settings.

Methods And Materials: One thousand fifty-seven magnetic resonance imaging scans of patients with NPC from 5 hospitals were retrospectively collected and annotated by experts from the same medical group with consensus for multicenter adaptation evaluation. One data set was used for model development (source domain), with the remaining 4 for adaptation testing (target domains).

Combining ultrasound technology with targeted fucoidan/arginine-gelatin nanoparticles loaded with doxorubicin to enhance therapeutic efficacy and modulate bioeffects in drug-resistant triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) presents formidable challenges due to its aggressive nature and high recurrence rates, compounded by the involvement of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in its progression and metastasis. Standard chemotherapy, which typically employs doxorubicin (DOX), remains a primary treatment approach. However, multidrug resistance (MDR) mechanisms, which include ATP-binding cassette transporters and EMT, contribute to treatment failures.

Evaluating forest aboveground biomass estimation model using simulated ALS point cloud from an individual-based forest model and 3D radiative transfer model across continents.

Area-based approach (ABA) has been widely employed for estimating forest aboveground biomass (AGB) using airborne laser scanning (ALS) data. However, its scalability is limited due to challenges in model generalization across different forest types and regions. The selection of sensitive variables from ALS data is crucial for constructing robust forest AGB estimation models, yet this selection varies significantly among forest types and regions.

MMD-Net: Image domain multi-material decomposition network for dual-energy CT imaging.

Background: Multi-material decomposition is an interesting topic in dual-energy CT (DECT) imaging; however, the accuracy and performance may be limited using the conventional algorithms.

Purpose: In this work, a novel multi-material decomposition network (MMD-Net) is proposed to improve the multi-material decomposition performance of DECT imaging.

Methods: To achieve dual-energy multi-material decomposition, a deep neural network, named as MMD-Net, is proposed in this work.

Unraveling the Degradation and Air-Induced Healing Mechanisms of Halide Perovskites under Proton Irradiation.

As exceptional potential candidates for future-generation space photovoltaics, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been proven to be radiation-tolerant and recoverable under proton irradiation. Nevertheless, a key point, the influence of the atmosphere, has often been overlooked in ground-based irradiation experiments. Here, the atmosphere-dependent radiation tolerance and healing of perovskite materials under MeV proton irradiation are demonstrated by utilizing in situ electrical characterizations.

Hydrochromic Effect of Perovskite-Polymer Composites.

Hydrochromic materials undergo magical color changes when interacting with water and are receiving widespread attention for their frontier applications such as sensing and information security. The hydrochromic effect is observable in perovskite materials via the mechanism of water-induced fluorescence quenching. However, due to water isolation, achieving a hydrochromic effect in perovskite-polymer composite remains elusive, notwithstanding its importance as a potentially commercial-ready material.

Effects of Replacing Soybean Meal with Sunflower Meal or Fermented Sunflower Meal on the Growth Performance, Intestinal Microbiota, and Intestinal Health of Tilapia (GIFT, ).

A 9-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing soybean meal (SBM) with sunflower meal (SM) or fermented sunflower meal (FSM) on the growth performance, intestinal microbiota, and intestinal health of genetically improved farmed tilapia () (initial weight 6.55 ± 0.01 g).

Effects of Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Levels on Growth Performance, Fatty Acid Profile, and NF-B/Nrf2 Pathway-Related Gene Expression of Razor Clam .

Dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is crucial for the optimal (Opt) growth of bivalves, but the precise dietary DHA requirement remains undetermined in bivalves. Our study identifies the optimal dietary DHA requirement for razor clam and demonstrates its effects on fatty acid profiles and gene expression related to inflammation and detoxification. Microencapsulated feeds with different DHA levels (DHA1-6 groups: 1.

NFIL3/Tim3 axis regulates effector Th1 inflammation in COPD mice.

Background: IFN-γ+CD4+ cells (type 1 helper T cells, Th1) represent a critical component of the inflammatory environment in the lungs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Identifying influencing factors related to COPD-associated Th1 cells will enhance our understanding of the inflammatory mechanisms involved and facilitate the development of targeted interventions.

Method: We describe T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (Tim3) as a key gene regulating COPD-associated Th1 cells through single-cell sequencing, flow cytometry and knockout mice.

Propionate-producing engineered probiotics ameliorated murine ulcerative colitis by restoring anti-inflammatory macrophage via the GPR43/HDAC1/IL-10 axis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and unspecific inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, and current treatment options often fail to maintain long-term remission. Studies have shown that propionate level is reduced in fecal samples from patients with IBD. Propionate can ameliorate IBD through intestinal epithelial cells and immune regulation, but its effects on the inflammatory microenvironment and macrophage differentiation have not been widely studied.