Thioether functionalized degradable poly(amino acids) and its calcium sulfate/calcium hydrogen phosphate composites: Reducing oxidative stress and promoting osteogenesis.

The imbalance of redox homeostasis, especially the abnormal levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), is a key obstacle in the bone repair process. Therefore, developing materials capable of scavenging ROS and modulating the microenvironment of bone defects is crucial for promoting bone repair. In this study, to endow poly(amino acids) (PAA) and its composites with anti-oxidative stress properties and enhanced osteogenic differentiation, we designed and prepared a calcium sulfate/calcium hydrogen phosphate/poly(amino acids) (PCDM) composite material with a thioether structure (-S-) in the molecular chain of PAA matrix through situ polymerization and physical blending method.

Structural design and evolution of one-dimensional Cu hydrogen-bonded organic framework for catalyzing the rapid decomposition of ammonium perchlorate.

Enhancing the decomposition rate of ammonium perchlorate (AP), the most common oxidizer in solid propellants, is important for improving propellant performance. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have been developed as key materials for catalyzing AP decomposition, as they can achieve good dispersion of active sites through in-situ decomposition. Despite having considerable potential, the structural transformation process and catalytic performance of MOFs in AP decomposition are still unclear, which seriously hinders their application in the field of AP decomposition.

Design and synthesis of a new highly efficient adjustable Ln-MOF for fluorescence sensing and information encryption.

Elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray single crystal diffraction indicated that a novel metal-organic framework (Tb-MOF) designated as 0.5n[Hbpy]·[Tb(dpa)(HO)]·4nHO was synthesized successfully, (where Hdpa = 5-(3, 4-dicarboxy- phenoxy) isophenic acid, bpy = protonated 4,4'-bipyridine). Tb-MOF adopts a 3D network structure based on Tb ions and the (dpa) ligand through µ: η, η, η, η binding modes.

A Zero-gap Electrolyzer Enables Supporting Electrolyte-free Seawater Splitting for Energy-saving Hydrogen Production.

Membrane-assisted direct seawater splitting (DSS) technologies are actively studied as a promising route to produce green hydrogen (H2), whereas the indispensable use of supporting electrolytes that help to extract water and provide electrochemically-accelerated reaction media results in a severe energy penalty, consuming up to 12.5% of energy input when using a typical KOH electrolyte. We bypass this issue by designing a zero-gap electrolyzer configuration based on the integration of cation exchange membrane and bipolar membrane assemblies, which protects stable DSS operation against the precipitates and corrosion in the absence of additional supporting electrolytes.

Selenocysteine-Activatable Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe for Screening of Anti-inflammatory Components in Herbs.

Inflammation, a central process in numerous diseases, plays a crucial role in hepatic disorders, arthritis, cardiac conditions, and neurodegenerative ailments. Given the lack of effective anti-inflammatory drugs, it is imperative to assess inflammation severity and explore novel therapeutics. Selenocysteine (Sec), a key mediator of selenium's biological function, is closely involved in anti-inflammatory responses.

Network intervention analysis to assess the trajectory of change and intervention effects associated with the use of self-control training for ego depletion aftereffects.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use the advanced technique of Network Intervention Analysis (NIA) to investigate the trajectory of symptom change associated with the effects of self-control training on youth university students' chronic ego depletion aftereffects.

Methods: The nine nodes of chronic ego depletion aftereffects and integrated self-control training were taken as nodes in the network and analyzed using NIA. Networks were computed at the baseline, at the end of treatment, at 1-, 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-month follow up.

Effect of Astragalus injection treatment for viral myocarditis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Astragalus injection has been utilized in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a variety of diseases. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of Astragalus injection in the treatment of viral myocarditis.

Methods: English databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE, and Chinese databases of Sino Med, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the VIP Information Resource Integration Service Platform, and Wanfang Data Information Site, were searched from their inception until May 1, 2024.

Machine learning based identification of an amino acid metabolism related signature for predicting prognosis and immune microenvironment in pancreatic cancer.

Background: Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive neoplasm characterized by poor diagnosis. Amino acids play a prominent role in the occurrence and progression of pancreatic cancer as essential building blocks for protein synthesis and key regulators of cellular metabolism. Understanding the interplay between pancreatic cancer and amino acid metabolism offers potential avenues for improving patient clinical outcomes.

From signal-off to signal-on: polyT linker alters signal response mode and enhances signal change of aptamer beacon probe.

A molecular beacon is an oligonucleotide hybridization probe that can report the presence of specific nucleic acids in homogeneous solutions. Using an aptamer has allowed an aptamer-based molecular beacon-aptamer beacon to be developed, which has shown advantages of simplicity, rapidity, and sensitivity in imaging and sensing non-nucleic acid substances. However, due to requirement for a deliberate DNA hairpin structure for the preparation of a molecular beacon, not any given aptamer is suitable for designing an aptamer beacon probe.

Scene categorization by Hessian-regularized active perceptual feature selection.

Decoding the semantic categories of complex sceneries is fundamental to numerous artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructures. This work presents an advanced selection of multi-channel perceptual visual features for recognizing scenic images with elaborate spatial structures, focusing on developing a deep hierarchical model dedicated to learning human gaze behavior. Utilizing the BING objectness measure, we efficiently localize objects or their details across varying scales within scenes.

Continental drift triggered the Early Permian aridification of North China.

The boundary between wet and arid climate zones in the Tethys Ocean remains challenging to trace, complicating our understanding of global aridification pattern during the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian transition. The North China Block (NCB), situated in the Tethys Ocean, underwent a transition from humid to arid climate during the Early Permian, providing a rare opportunity to trace this climate boundary across this region. Here, we present paleomagnetic evidence indicating that the NCB underwent rapid northward drift between 290 and 281 million years ago.

Skillful seasonal predictions of continental East-Asian summer rainfall by integrating its spatio-temporal evolution.

Skillful seasonal climate prediction is critical for food and water security over the world's heavily populated regions, such as in continental East Asia. Current models, however, face significant difficulties in predicting the summer mean rainfall anomaly over continental East Asia, and forecasting rainfall spatiotemporal evolution presents an even greater challenge. Here, we benefit from integrating the spatiotemporal evolution of rainfall to identify the most crucial patterns intrinsic to continental East-Asian rainfall anomalies.

Arginine as a multifunctional additive for high performance S-cathode.

Advancement of sulfur (S) cathode of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is hindered by issues such as insulating nature of sulfur, sluggish redox kinetics, polysulfide dissolution and shuttling. To address these issues, we initiate a study on applying an important amino acid of protein, arginine (Arg), as a functional additive into S cathodes. Based on our simulation study, the positively charged Arg facilitates strong interactions with polysulfides.

Epithelial stem cells from human small bronchi offer a potential for therapy of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fibrosing interstitial pneumonia with restrictive ventilation. Recently, the structural and functional defects of small airways have received attention in the early pathogenesis of IPF. This study aimed to elucidate the characteristics of small airway epithelial dysfunction in patients with IPF and explore novel therapeutic interventions to impede IPF progression by targeting the dysfunctional small airways.

IL-17E facilitates cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in A549 NSCLC cells by regulating the NF-κB pathway.

Objective: Interleukin-17 E (IL-17E) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that participates in the inflammatory response and tumorigenesis. However, the function of IL-17E in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains largely unknown.

Methods: The clinical value of IL-17E was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 75 cases of NSCLC tissues.

Evaluation of water environmental capacity in a northern river-reservoir continuum using environmental fluid dynamics code.

The hydrodynamics, water temperature, and water quality model for the Dan River and Renzhuang Reservoir continuum were developed using field monitoring data and the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC). An in-situ water discharge experiment enabled the calculation of water propagation time using a simulated flood progression method and the hydrodynamics module of EFDC. Based on these model results, degradation coefficients for chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), fluoride, arsenic were determined, revealing significantly higher values when the wetland barrage was opening.

A comprehensive screening method of oxidation systems based on reaction rate constant (k value) and emergy (Em value).

Oxidation systems are diverse and widely used for the degradation of organic pollutants in water. Identifying suitable oxidation systems for certain organic pollutants is a common challenge in practical engineering. Simultaneous consideration of the oxidation selectivity and economy of different oxidation systems for organic pollutants can improve the accuracy of the screening process.

Fabrication of photo-responsive self-deicing surface with micro-nano rough structures on fabrics.

Photothermal superhydrophobic treatment is an effective anti-icing and de-icing method, avoiding damage to equipment caused by ice accumulation in winter. However, the traditional photothermal materials were expensive and the photothermal conversion coatings are hard to remove when unnecessary. Herein, three biochar microspheres with solid, hollow, and flower-like structures (SBMs, HBMs, FBMs) were fabricated to construct photothermal superhydrophobic coatings on the polyester fabric (PET), respectively.

Multi-crosslinking nanoclay/oxidized cellulose hydrogel bandage with robust mechanical strength, antibacterial and adhesive properties for emergency hemostasis.

Emergency bleeding presents significant challenges such as high blood flow and rapid hemorrhaging. However, many existing hemostatic bandages face limitations, including the uncontrolled release of hemostatic agents, insufficient mechanical strength, poor adhesion, and complex manufacturing processes. To address these limitations, we developed a multifunctional hydrogel bandage for emergency hemostasis using a one-pot synthesis method.

Dim blue light at night worsens high-fat diet-induced kidney damage via increasing corticosterone levels and modulating the expression of circadian clock genes.

Obesity is a contributing factor that increases the likelihood of developing chronic kidney disease. In recent years, studies have found that light pollution worldwide promoted obesity, which was known to be a consequence of circadian rhythm disruption. Nevertheless, the impact of light pollution on kidney disease associated with obesity remains mostly unknown, and potential processes have been minimally investigated.

Novel antimalarial 3-substituted quinolones isosteres with improved pharmacokinetic properties.

Aryl quinolone derivatives can target the cytochrome bc complex of Plasmodium falciparum, exhibiting excellent in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity. However, their clinical development has been hindered due to their poor aqueous solubility profiles. In this study, a series of bioisosteres containing saturated heterocycles fused to a 4-pyridone ring were designed to replace the inherently poorly soluble quinolone core in antimalarial quinolones with the aim to reduce π-π stacking interactions in the crystal packing solid state, and a synthetic route was developed to prepare these alternative core derivatives.

How does industrial intelligence affect the ecological efficiency of China's mariculture industry? Empirical analysis based on panel data from coastal regions of China.

Exploring new pathways for the growth of output in the mariculture industry and its alignment with environmentally coordinated and sustainable development has become an urgent task. Against the backdrop of the new technological revolution, the burgeoning development of industrial intelligence offers new opportunities for enhancing the ecological efficiency of China's mariculture. Based on panel data from coastal provinces of China from 2008 to 2022, this paper measures the ecological efficiency of mariculture while comprehensively considering both positive and negative externalities of the industry.

Estimating cardiovascular mortality in patients with hypertension using machine learning: The role of depression classification based on lifestyle and physical activity.

Purpose: This study aims to harness machine learning techniques, particularly the Random Survival Forest (RSF) model, to assess the impact of depression on cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality among hypertensive patients. A key objective is to elucidate the interplay between mental health, lifestyle, and physical activity while comparing the effectiveness of the RSF model against the traditional Cox proportional hazards model in predicting CVD mortality.

Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2007 to 2014 were used for comprehensive depression screening.

Object detection in motion management scenarios based on deep learning.

In athletes' competitions and daily training, in order to further strengthen the athletes' sports level, it is usually necessary to analyze the athletes' sports actions at a specific moment, in which it is especially important to quickly and accurately identify the categories and positions of the athletes, sports equipment, field boundaries and other targets in the sports scene. However, the existing detection methods failed to achieve better detection results, and the analysis found that the reasons for this phenomenon mainly lie in the loss of temporal information, multi-targeting, target overlap, and coupling of regression and classification tasks, which makes it more difficult for these network models to adapt to the detection task in this scenario. Based on this, we propose for the first time a supervised object detection method for scenarios in the field of motion management.