Hybrid Linking Sites Constructed Non-Fully Conjugated Asymmetric Dimerized Giant Molecule Acceptors for Organic Solar Cells with an Efficiency of ≈20.

Linking-site engineering, used to graft two or more monomers, is crucial for achieving high-performance Y-series giant molecule acceptors (Y-GMAs). However, the reported Y-GMAs all use a single-typed linking site, making it difficult to finely-tune their optoelectronic properties. Herein, we develop a non-fully conjugated Y-GMA (named 2Y-we), with hybrid linking sites at the wing and end-group of monomers, to combine the respective advantages of the wing and end-group site linked counterparts.

Colon-Targeting Supersulfide Donor-Drug Conjugates Align Forces against Inflammation.

Supersulfides are rising stars in regulating redox. Their distinctive redox biological functions are becoming increasingly evident with the advancement of supersulfide donors. However, most existing donors are limited to releasing hydropersulfide (RSSH) only, and in addition, there is still a knowledge gap in translating supersulfides into therapeutic molecules.

Utilizing pillararenes as capping agents to stabilize copper nanoparticles for cost-effective and high-performance SERS application.

Gold, silver, and copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) exhibit strong localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effects at specific sizes, which can amplify the Raman signals of adsorbed molecules. However, despite the cost-effectiveness of CuNPs, their applications in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) are limited due to their susceptibility to surface oxidation and particle aggregation. In this study, three distinct capping agents-pillararenes, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and sodium citrate-were employed to enhance particle dispersion, improve stability, and protect the CuNPs from oxidation and degradation.

Siloxane Decorated Water-Obstructing Guest for Efficient Air-Processed OSCs.

The future applications of organic solar cells (OSCs) necessitate a thorough consideration of their ambient stability and processability, particularly for large area air-processed engineering, but water-induced degradation of active layer critically restricts its development. To surmount this hurdle, a water-obstructing guest (WOG) strategy is proposed to attenuate the interaction of the active layer with water molecules, reduce defects in blend films, and enhance the devices stability under high relative humidity (RH) conditions by introducing a siloxane-containing polymer D18-SiO. In addition to suppressing trap density, the WOG with hydrophobic and low surface free energy characteristics, forms a capping layer that blocks moisture penetration while preserving ideal nano-micromorphology with high crystallinity and tight packing properties.

A novel golgi related genes based correlation prognostic index can better predict the prognosis of glioma and responses to immunotherapy.

Background: The Golgi apparatus (GA) serves as the center of protein and lipid synthesis and modification within cells, playing a crucial role in regulating diverse cellular processes as a signaling hub. Dysregulation of GA function can give rise to a range of pathological conditions, including tumors. Notably, mutations in Golgi-associated genes (GARGs) are frequently observed in various tumors, and these mutations have been implicated in promoting tumor metastasis.

Thio-ProTide strategy: A novel HS donor-drug conjugate (DDC) alleviates hepatic injury innate lysosomal targeting.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS) is a gas signaling molecule with versatile bioactivities; however, its exploitation for disease treatment appears challenging. This study describes the design and characterization of a novel type of HS donor-drug conjugate (DDC) based on the thio-ProTide scaffold, an evolution of the ProTide strategy successfully used in drug discovery. The new HS DDCs achieved hepatic co-delivery of HS and an anti-fibrotic drug candidate named hydronidone, which synergistically attenuated liver injury and resulted in more sufficient intracellular drug exposure.

Sub-terahertz transmissive reconfigurable intelligent surface for integrated beam steering and self-OOK-modulation.

Boasting superior flexibility in beam manipulation and a simpler framework than traditional phased arrays, terahertz metasurface-based phased arrays show great promise for 5G-A/6G communication networks. Compared with the reflective reconfigurable intelligent surface (reflective RIS), the transmissive RIS (TRIS) offers more feasibility for transceiver multiplexing systems to meet the growing demand for high-performance beam tracking in terahertz communication and radar systems. However, the terahertz TRIS encounters greater challenges in phase shift, beam efficiency, and complex circuitry.

Explainable prediction model for punching shear strength of FRP-RC slabs based on kernel density estimation and XGBoost.

Reinforced concrete (RC) slabs are widely used in modern building structures due to their superior properties and ease of construction. However, their mechanical properties are limited by their punching shear strength in the connection region with the columns. Researchers have attempted to add steel reinforcement in the form of studs and randomly distributed fibers to concrete slabs to improve the punching strength.

Association of plasma homocysteine with cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Background: Elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcy) has been reported as a risk factor for cognitive impairment in the general population. However, there are conflicting results regarding the relationship between Hcy and cognitive impairment across various cognitive domains in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objective: This study aims to explore the association between plasma Hcy levels, cognitive impairment, and dysfunction in various cognitive domains among PD patients with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Study on secondary collapse of the bottom frame masonry structure in semi-ruined state based on FEM-FDEM.

The bottom frame masonry structure (BFMS) in a semi-ruined state is vulnerable to secondary collapse under strong aftershocks, posing a significant risk to rescuers during post-earthquake operations. Therefore, investigating the mechanisms and characteristics of secondary collapse of BFMS in a semi-ruined state (BFMS-SR) under aftershocks is critical. This paper proposes a numerical modeling framework for BFMS under mainshock-aftershock conditions, utilizing a combination of the finite element method (FEM) and the finite discrete element method (FDEM).

CARD16 restores tumorigenesis and restraints apoptosis in glioma cells Via FOXO1/TRAIL axis.

A hallmark of glioma cells, particularly glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells, is their resistance to apoptosis. Accumulating evidences has demonstrated that CARD16, a caspase recruitment domain (CARD) only protein, enhances both anti-apoptotic and tumorigenic properties. Nevertheless, there is a limited understanding of the expression and functional role of CARD16 in glioma.

Excellent properties of NaF and NaBr induced DNA/gold nanoparticle conjugation system: Better stability, shorter modified time, and higher loading capacity.

The functionalization of gold nanoparticle (AuNP) is the key procedure for the biochemical and biomedical application. The conventional salt-aging method requires the stepwise additions of NaCl and excessive thiolated DNA, mainly due to the poor tolerance of the DNA/AuNP mixture toward NaCl. Herein, we found that NaF is capable of improving the stability for the modification of AuNP with different bases of DNA sequences (poly A/T/C/G), and allows for adding up with a high concentration of 200 mM at one time, which greatly reduces the total modification time to 0.

PU.1 regulates osteoarthritis progression via CSF1R in synovial cells.

This study elucidates the molecular mechanisms driving osteoarthritis (OA) by focusing on the transcription factor PU.1's role in synovial cells, specifically macrophages and fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). Analyzing OA-related synovial gene expression from the GEO database highlighted immune regulation pathways in OA.

CRISPR-Cas9-mediated construction of a cotton CDPK mutant library for identification of insect-resistance genes.

Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) act as key signal transduction enzymes in plants, especially in response to diverse stresses, including herbivory. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of the CDPK gene family in upland cotton revealed that GhCPKs are widely expressed in multiple cotton tissues and respond positively to various biotic and abiotic stresses. We developed a strategy for screening insect-resistance genes from a CRISPR-Cas9 mutant library of GhCPKs.

Using a smartphone-based self-management platform to study sex differences in Parkinson's disease: multicenter, cross-sectional pilot study.

Background: Patient-reported outcome (PRO) is a distinct and indispensable dimension of clinical characteristics and recent advances have made remote PRO measurement possible. Sex difference in PRO of Parkinson's disease (PD) is hardly extensively researched.

Methods: A smartphone-based self-management platform, offering remote PRO measurement for PD patients, has been developed.

Disease progression in proposed brain-first and body-first Parkinson's disease subtypes.

A new Parkinson's disease (PD) subtyping model has been recently proposed based on the initial location of α-synuclein inclusions, which divides PD patients into the brain-first subtype and the body-first subtype. Premotor RBD has proven to be a predictive marker of the body-first subtype. We found compared to PD patients without possible RBD (PD, representing the brain-first subtype), PD patients with possible premotor RBD (PD, representing the body-first subtype) had lower Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part III (MDS UPDRS-III) score (p = 0.

Carbon storage through China's planted forest expansion.

China's extensive planted forests play a crucial role in carbon storage, vital for climate change mitigation. However, the complex spatiotemporal dynamics of China's planted forest area and its carbon storage remain uncaptured. Here we reveal such changes in China's planted forests from 1990 to 2020 using satellite and field data.

Enhancing ecosystem productivity and stability with increasing canopy structural complexity in global forests.

Forest canopy structural complexity (CSC) plays a crucial role in shaping forest ecosystem productivity and stability, but the precise nature of their relationships remains controversial. Here, we mapped the global distribution of forest CSC and revealed the factors influencing its distribution using worldwide light detection and ranging data. We find that forest CSC predominantly demonstrates significant positive relationships with forest ecosystem productivity and stability globally, although substantial variations exist among forest ecoregions.

Interpretable Machine Learning-Based Prediction Model for Concrete Cover Separation of FRP-Strengthened RC Beams.

This study focuses on the prediction of concrete cover separation (CCS) in reinforced concrete beams strengthened by fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) in flexure. First, machine learning models were constructed based on linear regression, support vector regression, BP neural networks, decision trees, random forests, and XGBoost algorithms. Secondly, the most suitable model for predicting CCS was identified based on the evaluation metrics and compared with the codes and the researcher's model.

Bacitracin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus induced in chicken gut and in vitro under bacitracin exposure.

It is common knowledge that prolonged and excessive use of antibiotics can lead to antimicrobial resistance. However, the characteristics and mechanism of resistant-bacteria induced by clinically recommended and prophylactic dose drugs remain largely unclear. This study aimed to observe the trends of drug resistance of the bacitracin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus strain FS127 under exposure to bacitracin (BAC), which were induced in vitro and in chicken gut.

A national-scale assessment of land subsidence in China's major cities.

China's massive wave of urbanization may be threatened by land subsidence. Using a spaceborne synthetic aperture radar interferometry technique, we provided a systematic assessment of land subsidence in all of China's major cities from 2015 to 2022. Of the examined urban lands, 45% are subsiding faster than 3 millimeters per year, and 16% are subsiding faster than 10 millimeters per year, affecting 29 and 7% of the urban population, respectively.

Association between the insufficient improvement of the quantitative flow ratio and worsening outcomes in ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction: a multicentre prospective cohort study.

Background: Improved coronary physiological function after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been shown to improve prognosis in stable ischaemic heart disease, but has not yet been explored in ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). The study sought to determine whether an improvement in the quantitative flow ratio (QFR) could improve the prognosis of STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with STEMI who were receiving primary PCI were recruited for the study.

An oligopeptide permease, OppABCD, requires an iron-sulfur cluster domain for functionality.

Oligopeptide permease, OppABCD, belongs to the type I ABC transporter family. Its role is to import oligopeptides into bacteria for nutrient uptake and to modulate the host immune response. OppABCD consists of a cluster C substrate-binding protein (SBP), OppA, membrane-spanning OppB and OppC subunits, and an ATPase, OppD, that contains two nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs).