Self-assembly of isolated plasmonic dimers with sub-5 nm gaps on a metallic mirror.

Realizing plasmonic nanogaps with a refractive index ( = 1) environment in metallic nanoparticle (NP) structures is highly attractive for a wide range of applications. So far in self-assembly-based approaches, without surface functionalization of metallic NPs, achieving such extremely small nanogaps is challenging. Surface functionalization introduces changes in the refractive index at nanogaps, which in turn deteriorates the desired plasmonic properties.

Boosting Photocatalytic Selective Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Diformylfuran via Atomically Bridged Indium in In-SnS.

The photocatalytic conversion of biomass-based platform molecules, such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), holds significant importance for the utilization of biomass resources. This study focuses on the unique ability of atomically bridged indium (In) atoms that encourages inactive SnS surface and steer the selective HMF oxidation process under solar light. Experimental results suggest that In confined SnS structure provides not only favorable sites and electronic structures for the synergistic activation of HMF/O but also benefit in charge carrier dynamics, thus influencing the overall activity and selectivity of the SnS catalyst.

Operando elucidation of hydrogen production mechanisms on sub-nanometric high-entropy metallenes.

Precise morphological control and identification of structure-property relationships pose formidable challenges for high-entropy alloys, severely limiting their rational design and application in multistep and tandem reactions. Herein, we report the synthesis of sub-nanometric high-entropy metallenes with up to eight metallic elements via a one-pot wet-chemical approach. The PdRhMoFeMn high-entropy metallenes exhibit high electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution performances with 6, 23, and 26 mV overpotentials at -10 mA cm in acidic, neutral, and alkaline media, respectively, and high stability.

Direct parallel electrosynthesis of high-value chemicals from atmospheric components on symmetry-breaking indium sites.

To tackle significant environmental and energy challenges from increased greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, we propose a method that synergistically combines cost-efficient integrated systems with parallel catalysis to produce high-value chemicals from CO, NO, and other gases. We employed asymmetrically stretched InOS with symmetry-breaking indium sites as a highly efficient trifunctional catalysts for NO reduction, CO reduction, and O reduction. Mechanistic studies reveal that the symmetry-breaking at indium sites substantially improves d-band center interactions and adsorption of intermediates, thereby enhancing trifunctional catalytic activity.

Simple synthesis of K/P co-doped graphitic carbon nitride to enhance photocatalytic performance under simulated solar irradiation.

The doping or co-doping of graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) with other elements is a useful modification technique that overcomes the disadvantages of the base material and enhances its photocatalytic performance. In this study, K and P were successfully incorporated into g-CN using a one-step, single-precursor (KHPO) synthesis method. The incorporation of K and P was confirmed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry and wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry.

Sphingomonas arvum sp. nov.: A promising microbial chassis for high-yield and sustainable zeaxanthin biomanufacturing.

The yield of natural products from plants is currently insufficient and cannot be considered a sustainable and secure source of supply, especially given the challenges posed by global climate change. Therefore, a biofoundry that can quickly and accurately produce desired materials from microorganisms based on synthetic biology is urgently needed. Moreover, it is important to find new microbial and genetic chassis to meet the rapidly growing global market for high-value-added zeaxanthin.

Efficacy and diabetes risk of moderate-intensity statin plus ezetimibe versus high-intensity statin after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Backgrounds: High-intensity statin is recommended for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and ezetimibe is recommended to be added in patients not achieving low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets. Moderate-intensity statin plus ezetimibe can reduce LDL-C levels similar to high-intensity statin. The aim of this study is to examine the long-term efficacy and safety of moderate-intensity statin plus ezetimibe as the first-line strategy compared to high-intensity statin in patients undergoing PCI.

Monolithically integrated neuromorphic electronic skin for biomimetic radiation shielding.

Melanogenesis, a natural responsive mechanism of human skin to harmful radiation, is a self-triggered defensive neural activity safeguarding the body from radiation exposure in advance. With the increasing significance of radiation shielding in diverse medical health care and wearable applications, a biomimetic neuromorphic optoelectronic system with adaptive radiation shielding capability is often needed. Here, we demonstrate a transparent and flexible metal oxide-based photovoltaic neuromorphic defensive system.

Alternatives of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes as potential therapeutic platforms.

With outstanding therapeutic potential in the tissue regeneration and anti-inflammation, mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-EXOs) have emerged as a prominent therapeutic in recent. However, poor production yield and reproducibility have remained as significant challenges of their practical applications. To surmount these challenges, various alternative materials with stem cell-like functions, have been recently investigated, however, there has been no comprehensive analysis in these alternatives so far.

"Straw in the Clay Soil" Strategy: Anticarbon Corrosive Fluorine-Decorated Graphene Nanoribbons@CNT Composite for Long-Term PEMFC.

Carbon corrosion poses a significant challenge in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), leading to reduced cell performance due to catalyst layer degradation and catalyst detachment from electrodes. A promising approach to address this issue involves incorporating an anticorrosive carbon material into the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrode, even in small quantities (≈3 wt% in electrode). Herein, the successful synthesis of fluorine-doped graphene nanoribbons (F-GNR) incorporated with graphitic carbon nanotubes (F-GNR@CNT), demonstrating robust resistance to carbon corrosion is reported.

Main-Group Metal-Nonmetal Dynamic Proton Bridges Enhance Ammonia Electrosynthesis.

The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (eNRR) is a crucial process for the sustainable production of ammonia (NH) for energy and agriculture applications. However, the reaction's efficiency is highly dependent on the activation of the inert N≡N bond, which is hindered by the electron back-donation to the π* orbitals of the N≡N bond, resulting in low eNRR capacity. Herein, we report a main-group metal-nonmetal (O-In-S) eNRR catalyst featuring a dynamic proton bridge, with In-S serving as the polarization pair and O functioning as the dynamic electron pool.

Assessing the Impact of Defacing Algorithms on Brain Volumetry Accuracy in MRI Analyses.

Background And Purpose: To ensure data privacy, the development of defacing processes, which anonymize brain images by obscuring facial features, is crucial. However, the impact of these defacing methods on brain imaging analysis poses significant concern. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of three different defacing methods in automated brain volumetry.

Ethnic differences in the effects of apolipoprotein E ɛ4 and vascular risk factors on accelerated brain aging.

The frequency of the apolipoprotein E ɛ4 allele and vascular risk factors differs among ethnic groups. We aimed to assess the combined effects of apolipoprotein E ɛ4 and vascular risk factors on brain age in Korean and UK cognitively unimpaired populations. We also aimed to determine the differences in the combined effects between the two populations.

Prediction of final pathology depending on preoperative myometrial invasion and grade assessment in low-risk endometrial cancer patients: A Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group ancillary study.

Objectives: Fertility-sparing treatment (FST) might be considered an option for reproductive patients with low-risk endometrial cancer (EC). On the other hand, the matching rates between preoperative assessment and postoperative pathology in low-risk EC patients are not high enough. We aimed to predict the postoperative pathology depending on preoperative myometrial invasion (MI) and grade in low-risk EC patients to help extend the current criteria for FST.

Effects of subcutaneous drain on wound dehiscence and infection in gynecological midline laparotomy: Secondary analysis of a Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group study (KGOG 4001).

Objective: To identify the effects of subcutaneous drain insertion on wound dehiscence and infection in patients who underwent gynecological midline laparotomy.

Methods: This analysis identified the secondary endpoints of the KGOG 4001 study, a prospective, multicenter, non-blind, randomized controlled trial. Patients scheduled to undergo midline laparotomy for gynecological diseases and, with body mass index<35 kg/m, were randomized (1:1) to treatment (with subcutaneous drain) and control (without subcutaneous drain) groups from February 2021 to December 2021.

Base editing strategies to convert CAG to CAA diminish the disease-causing mutation in Huntington's disease.

An expanded CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene () causes Huntington's disease (HD). Since the length of uninterrupted CAG repeat, not polyglutamine, determines the age-at-onset in HD, base editing strategies to convert CAG to CAA are anticipated to delay onset by shortening the uninterrupted CAG repeat. Here, we developed base editing strategies to convert CAG in the repeat to CAA and determined their molecular outcomes and effects on relevant disease phenotypes.

The role of cortical structural variance in deep learning-based prediction of fetal brain age.

Background: Deep-learning-based brain age estimation using magnetic resonance imaging data has been proposed to identify abnormalities in brain development and the risk of adverse developmental outcomes in the fetal brain. Although saliency and attention activation maps have been used to understand the contribution of different brain regions in determining brain age, there has been no attempt to explain the influence of shape-related cortical structural features on the variance of predicted fetal brain age.

Methods: We examined the association between the predicted brain age difference (PAD: predicted brain age-chronological age) from our convolution neural networks-based model and global and regional cortical structural measures, such as cortical volume, surface area, curvature, gyrification index, and folding depth, using regression analysis.

Prognostic impact of suspicious extraabdominal lymph nodes on patient survival in advanced ovarian cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical impact of suspicious extra-abdominal lymph nodes (EALNs) identified preoperatively on CT and/or PET/CT images in advanced ovarian cancer.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted with 122 patients diagnosed with stage III or IV ovarian cancer with preoperative CT and/or PET/CT images from 2006 to 2022. Imaging studies were evaluated for the presence, size and location of suspicious EALNs.