Tuning Band Alignment at Grain Boundaries for Efficiency Enhancement in CuZnSnS Solar Cells.

Conducting atomic force microscopy has been performed for a fundamental understanding of the mechanism responsible for the lower power conversion efficiency (PCE) of CuZnSnS (CZTS) solar cells than that of CuInGaSe (CIGS) solar cells. The difference in efficiency is partly attributed to the distinctly different band alignment between the grain boundaries (GBs) and grain interior (GI) for the two materials. While CIGS shows type-II band alignment, CZTS was discovered to demonstrate type-I band alignment with the conduction band shifting downward while the valence band shifting upward at the GBs.

Is histological healing more clinically valuable than endoscopic healing in Crohn's disease?

Objectives: Small bowel (SB) endoscopic healing has not been well explored in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). This study aimed to assess the clinical utility of SB endoscopic mucosal and histological healing in patients with CD.

Methods: In total, 99 patients with CD in clinical-serological remission were retrospectively followed after they underwent colonoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy.

Clinical Features and a Prediction Nomogram for Prognosis in Children with Meningitis.

Background: We aimed to build a prediction nomogram for early prediction of poor prognosis in children with meningitis and analyzed the course of treatment and discharge criteria.

Methods: Eighty-seven pediatric patients with meningitis were retrospectively recruited from the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between June 2012 and November 2021. Univariate analysis and binary logistic analysis were used to evaluate the risk factors, and the prediction model was built.

Vitamin D3 alleviates lung fibrosis of type 2 diabetic rats via SIRT3 mediated suppression of pyroptosis.

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate whether pulmonary fibrosis occurs in type 2 diabetes rat models and whether VD3 can prevent it by inhibiting pyroptosis.

Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to normal control (NC), diabetic model control (MC), low-dose VD3 (LVD), medium-dose VD3 (MVD), high-dose VD3 (HVD) and metformin positive control (PC) groups. Type 2 diabetes model was induced by a high-sugar, high-fat diet combined with STZ injection, and subsequently intervened with VD3 or metformin for 10 weeks.

Effects of dietary polyphenol curcumin supplementation on metabolic, inflammatory, and oxidative stress indices in patients with metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: The aim was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis for assessing the effectiveness and safety of dietary polyphenol curcumin supplement on metabolic, inflammatory, and oxidative stress indices in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Methods: A comprehensive search for clinical trials was conducted in the following scientific databases: PubMed, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, and China Biological Medicine. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy and safety of curcumin supplement for MetS were identified.

Striking a balance: how long physical activity is ideal for academic success? Based on cognitive and physical fitness mediation analysis.

Balancing physical activity and studying is an important issue facing Chinese teenagers. Therefore, numerous studies have found that engaging in physical activity can promote academic performance among students. However, what is the optimal duration of physical activity? This study used data from the China Education Panel Survey, with a sample size of 18,009 valid respondents.

Body Mass Index and Physical Fitness among Chinese Adolescents Aged 15-18: A Cross-Sectional Study of Gender Differences.

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between varying levels of obesity and physical fitness test scores among Chinese adolescents, while also investigating gender differences in physical fitness and overall health. Data on height, weight, 50 m sprints, 1000/800 m runs, standing long jumps, sit and reach exercises, pull-ups/bent-leg sit-ups, and additional variables were collected from the DYH health database. Physical fitness indicators were evaluated based on the revised 2014 National Physical Fitness Standards for Students, and scores were assigned accordingly.

Detection of Hindwing Landmarks Using Transfer Learning and High-Resolution Networks.

Hindwing venation is one of the most important morphological features for the functional and evolutionary analysis of beetles, as it is one of the key features used for the analysis of beetle flight performance and the design of beetle-like flapping wing micro aerial vehicles. However, manual landmark annotation for hindwing morphological analysis is a time-consuming process hindering the development of wing morphology research. In this paper, we present a novel approach for the detection of landmarks on the hindwings of leaf beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) using a limited number of samples.

Single-cell multimodal imaging uncovers energy conversion pathways in biohybrids.

Microbe-semiconductor biohybrids, which integrate microbial enzymatic synthesis with the light-harvesting capabilities of inorganic semiconductors, have emerged as promising solar-to-chemical conversion systems. Improving the electron transport at the nano-bio interface and inside cells is important for boosting conversion efficiencies, yet the underlying mechanism is challenging to study by bulk measurements owing to the heterogeneities of both constituents. Here we develop a generalizable, quantitative multimodal microscopy platform that combines multi-channel optical imaging and photocurrent mapping to probe such biohybrids down to single- to sub-cell/particle levels.

Decoding the genetic links between serum lipidomic profile, amino acid biomarkers, and programmed cell death protein-1/programmed cell death-ligand-1.

Background: Disruptions in lipid metabolism and amino acids have been increasingly linked to resistance to immunotherapy. However, the underlying mechanisms by which dysregulated serum lipid metabolism and amino acids affect the efficacy of immunotherapies through PD-1/PD-L1 expression and function remain poorly understood.

Methods: To elucidate the potential associations between lipid metabolism, amino acids, and PD-1/PD-L1, we employed the powerful Mendelian randomization (MR) method, leveraging large-scale genome-wide association studies.

Relationship between hemoglobin and lung cancer: evidence from Mendelian randomization and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Background: Lung cancer is the primary cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Hemoglobin (Hb) represents the most widely utilized test parameter in clinical settings. However, few articles have examined the causal relationship between Hb concentration and lung cancer incidence.

Effect of online interventions on reducing anxiety and depression for women with breast cancer: a systematic review and network meta-analysis protocol.

Introduction: Breast cancer has becoming the most common malignancy in women globally. Various online interventions have been conducted to help women with breast cancer to manage their psychological symptoms. However, there has been not yet a network meta-analysis that has synthesised scientific evidence about online intervention on reducing anxiety and depression for women with breast cancer.

High-Performance Thermomagnetic Gd-Si-Ge Alloys.

Exploring low-grade waste heat energy harvesting is crucial to address increasing environmental concerns. Thermomagnetic materials are magnetic phase change materials that enable energy harvesting from low-temperature gradients. To achieve a high thermomagnetic conversion efficiency, there are three main material requirements: (i) magnetic phase transition near room temperature, (ii) substantial change in magnetization with temperature, and (iii) high thermal conductivity.

Impaired cardiac pump function assessment with normalized cardiac power using cardiac magnetic resonance in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Cardiac power (CP; CP = 0.222 × cardiac output × mean blood pressure) output in patients with heart failure has been studied previously, but its importance in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) remains unclear. The present study aimed to explore the role of normalized CP (normalized CP = CP/ventricle mass) in assessing cardiac function in patients with HCM with normal ejection fraction using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR).

Differential Transcriptomic Landscapes of SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Multiple Organs from Infected Rhesus Macaques.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused the persistent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has resulted in millions of deaths worldwide and brought an enormous public health and global economic burden. The recurring global wave of infections has been exacerbated by growing variants of SARS-CoV-2. In this study, the virological characteristics of the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and its variants of concern (VOCs; including Alpha, Beta, and Delta) in vitro, as well as differential transcriptomic landscapes in multiple organs (lung, right ventricle, blood, cerebral cortex, and cerebellum) from the infected rhesus macaques, were elucidated.

A Retrospective Analysis of Denosumab for the Treatment of Bone Metastases in Chinese Patients With Breast Cancer.

Background: Denosumab entered the Chinese market for the first time in 2020. Since it is a short period of time, there is a lack of data on its effectiveness and safety in Chinese people. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of denosumab in delaying skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with breast cancer metastatic to bone.

Heteropolyacids: An Ultrasensitive Ionic Volume-Enhanced Raman Scattering Platform.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is regarded as the most direct and powerful tool to identify chemical fingerprints. However, current SERS substrate materials still face some critical challenges, including low molecular utilization efficiency and low selectivity. Herein, a novel oxygen vacancy heteropolyacid─HFeMoO (HFMO)─is developed as a high-performance volume-enhanced Raman scattering (VERS)-active platform.

SLC25A32 promotes malignant progression of glioblastoma by activating PI3K-AKT signaling pathway.

Background: Solute carrier family 25 member 32 (SLC25A32) is an important member of SLC25A family and plays a role in folate transport metabolism. However, the mechanism and function of SLC25A32 in the progression of human glioblastoma (GBM) remain unclear.

Methods: In this study, folate related gene analysis was performed to explore gene expression profiles in low-grade glioma (LGG) and GBM.

Approaches to Nanoparticle Labeling: A Review of Fluorescent, Radiological, and Metallic Techniques.

Nanomaterials are widely used in commercial products, resulting in the release of nanoscale particles into the environment. This raises concerns about their potential exposure risks in complex biological matrices. Most attempts use engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) to mimic the biological behavior of nanoparticles in the environment, and labeling of ENMs by sensors is a commonly used approach for sensitive detection and tracking of ENMs in organisms.

Identification and characterization of an α-1,3 mannosidase from Elizabethkingia meningoseptica and its potential attenuation impact on allergy associated with cross-reactive carbohydrate determinant.

Core α-1,3 mannose is structurally near the core xylose and core fucose on core pentasaccharide from plant and insect glycoproteins. Mannosidase is a useful tool for characterization the role of core α-1,3 mannose in the composition of glycan related epitope, especially for those epitopes in which core xylose and core fucose are involved. Through functional genomic analysis, we identified a glycoprotein α-1,3 mannosidase and named it MA3.

All-ferroelectric implementation of reservoir computing.

Reservoir computing (RC) offers efficient temporal information processing with low training cost. All-ferroelectric implementation of RC is appealing because it can fully exploit the merits of ferroelectric memristors (e.g.

Study on the detection of water status of tomato ( L.) by multimodal deep learning.

Water plays a very important role in the growth of tomato ( L.), and how to detect the water status of tomato is the key to precise irrigation. The objective of this study is to detect the water status of tomato by fusing RGB, NIR and depth image information through deep learning.

High expression of peroxisomal D-bifunctional protein in cytosol regulates apoptosis and energy metabolism of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via PI3K/AKT pathway.

Peroxisomal D-bifunctional protein (DBP) is an indispensable enzyme of the fatty acid β-oxidation in the peroxisome of humans. However, the role of DBP in oncogenesis is poorly understood. Our previous studies have demonstrated that DBP overexpression promotes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell proliferation.