Enhancing the Thermoelectric Performance of n-Type PbTe via Mn Doping.

Significant strides have been made in enhancing the thermoelectric properties of p-type PbTe alloys, whereas the thermoelectric performance of n-type alloys lags behind that of p-type alloys, primarily owing to the difficulty of improving their Seebeck coefficient via band convergence. In this work, Mn was introduced into the n-type PbSbTe alloy, and Mn doping increases the absolute value of the Seebeck coefficient significantly by increasing the effective mass and reducing carrier concentration, resulting in a higher power factor of 20.8 μW/Kcm being achieved for 0.

Oral Transfer of Anti-Aging Substances: Key Chemical Found in Reproductive Caste of Termites.

With the rapid increase in global population aging, the incidence and mortality rates of age-related diseases are rising, becoming a worldwide issue. Therefore, researching and discovering natural compounds with anti-aging properties is crucial. Social insects such as termites exhibit significant differences in lifespan between reproductive and non-reproductive castes.

Distinct Fermi Resonance Patterns of Weak Coupling in 2D-IR Spectra of 5-Cyanoindole Revealed by Isotope Labeling.

Fermi resonance is a common phenomenon, and a hidden caveat exists in the applications of infrared probes, causing spectral complication and shorter vibrational lifetime. In this work, using the cyanotryptophan (CNTrp) side chain model compound 5-cyanoindole (CN-5CNI), we performed Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy on unlabeled CN-5CNI and its isotopically labeled substituents (CN-5CNI, CN-5CNI, CN-5CNI) and demonstrated the existence of Fermi resonance in 5CNI. By constructing the Hamiltonian and simulating 2D-IR spectra, we show that the distinct Fermi resonance 2D-IR patterns in various isotope substituents are determined by the quantum mixing consequences at the = 1 state, as well as the = 2 state, where the Fermi coupling and anharmonicity play a crucial role.

Polyethyleneimine-Templated ZIF-8 Nanoparticles Impart the Nanofiltration Membrane with High Mg/Li Separation Performance.

MOFs-modified nanofiltration (NF) membranes have been gained a lot of attention due to their favorable permeability and ion separation performance. Nevertheless, the prevailing preparation techniques are afflicted by the incompatibility of MOFs with polymers and the facile loss of MOFs. In this work, polyethyleneimine (PEI)-templated ZIF-8 (PEI-ZIF-8) was synthesized and incorporated into the PEI aqueous solution, then interfacial polymerized with trimesoyl chloride (TMC) to obtain the PEI-ZIF-8 modified polyamide NF membrane.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding Sarcopenia in maintenance hemodialysis patients in Northeastern China.

Sarcopenia is a severe complication affecting patients receiving hemodialysis (HD) treatment over an extended period of time. This cross-sectional study assessed knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) towards sarcopenia among maintenance HD patients in Northeastern China between 13 December 2023 and 13 January 2024. A total of 752 questionnaires were collected.

Fouling behavior of nanofiltration membrane during the refining treatment of morphlines-dominant reverse osmosis concentrate.

Nanofiltration (NF) has been proven to be with great potential for the separation of morpholines with molecular weight less than 200 Da in refining reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC), but its application is significantly restricted by the membrane fouling, which can reduce the rejection and service time. To enable the long-term operation stability of nanofiltration, this work focuses on the fouling behavior of each substance in the hydrosaline organic solution on nanofiltration membrane, aiming to give insight into the fouling mechanism. To this end, in this work, the effects of salts (i.

From driver genes to gene families: A computational analysis of oncogenic mutations and ubiquitination anomalies in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a widespread primary liver cancer with a high fatality rate. Despite several genes with oncogenic effects in HCC have been identified, many remain undiscovered. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive computational analysis to explore the involvement of genes within the same families as known driver genes in HCC.

Machine learning and multi-omics data reveal driver gene-based molecular subtypes in hepatocellular carcinoma for precision treatment.

The heterogeneity of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) poses a barrier to effective treatment. Stratifying highly heterogeneous HCC into molecular subtypes with similar features is crucial for personalized anti-tumor therapies. Although driver genes play pivotal roles in cancer progression, their potential in HCC subtyping has been largely overlooked.

The relationship between public risk preference and the underuse or overuse of preventive health services in the information age.

The underuse or overuse of preventive health services by individuals is an outward behavioural reflection of their attitude towards disease risk, and they are strongly influenced by their information-acquisition ability. Therefore, we try to explore the relationship among the public risk preference, information-acquisition ability and underuse or overuse of preventive health services, in order to provide decision-making basis in the Information Age. The survey surveyed 2,211 respondents aged ≥ 18 in China from September to December 2019.

In-situ production and activation of HO over hydroxyapatite modified CuFeO for self-sufficient heterogeneous photo-Fenton degradation of doxycycline hydrochloride.

The self-sufficient heterogeneous photo-Fenton (SH-PF) system was constructed for doxycycline hydrochloride (DOH) degradation with hydroxyapatite (Hap) modified CuFeO (Hap/CuFeO) composites through HO in-situ production. The modification of Hap could improve the specific surface area, visible-light response, light conversion efficiency, photoelectron lifetime and oxygen vacancies (OVs) of CuFeO, which was conducive to HO production and DOH degradation in SH-PF system. Notably, Hap/CuFeO fabricated with 0.

Heat and carbon co-activated persulfate to regenerate gentamicin-laden activated carbon: Performance, mechanism, and safety assessment.

Activated carbon enriched with high concentrations of gentamicin (ACG) was generated in the production process of gentamicin. Inappropriate handling methods for ACG not only squanders carbon resource, but also seriously hinders achieving global carbon neutrality and hazardous to human health. In the present work, thermal and carbon co-activated persulfate method (TC-PS) was developed to regenerate ACG with degrading gentamicin.

Effect on genetic diversity of the absence of intraspecies preference in 2 sympatric Reticulitermes termite species (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae).

The recombinant genotypes that can be produced when closely related species mate improve the genetic diversity of the population. Among closely related species, the link between interspecific reproduction behaviors and genetic diversity has barely been studied. Reticulitermes chinensis and R.

A Synthesizing Semantic Characteristics Lung Nodules Classification Method Based on 3D Convolutional Neural Network.

Early detection is crucial for the survival and recovery of lung cancer patients. Computer-aided diagnosis system can assist in the early diagnosis of lung cancer by providing decision support. While deep learning methods are increasingly being applied to tasks such as CAD (Computer-aided diagnosis system), these models lack interpretability.

Using the NEISS database to understand pressure cooker related injuries in the USA.

Objective: To determine the incidence of pressure cooker related injuries in US hospital emergency departments. To quantify injury patterns associated with pressure cookers and inform prevention recommendation messaging.

Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was queried to identify injuries associated with pressure cookers between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2019.

Nano- and micro-plastic transport in soil and groundwater environments: Sources, behaviors, theories, and models.

With the increasing use of plastics, nano- and micro-plastic (NMP) pollution has become a hot topic in the scientific community. Ubiquitous NMPs, as emerging contaminants, are becoming a global issue owing to their persistence and potential toxicity. Compared with studies of marine and freshwater environments, investigations into the sources, transport properties, and fate of NMPs in soil and groundwater environments remain at a primary stage.

Pyrite and sulfur-coupled autotrophic denitrification system for efficient nitrate and phosphate removal.

The inefficiency of nitrogen removal in pyrite autotrophic denitrification (PAD) and the low efficiency of PO-P removal in sulfur autotrophic denitrification (SAD) limit their potential for engineering applications. This study examined the use of pyrite and sulfur coupled autotrophic denitrification (PSAD) in batch and column experiments to remove NO-N and PO-P from sewage. The effluent concentration of NO-N was 0.

Hsa_circ_0001741 Suppresses Ovarian Cancer Cell Proliferations Through Adsorption of miR-188-5p and Promotion of FOXN2 Expression.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is among several general malignant gynecological cancers associated with high mortality rates on a global scale. Earlier investigations have revealed a critical role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in OC development, which is a new class of endogenous non-coding RNA (ncRNA) that reported to mediate progression of diverse tumor types. At present, the precise involvement of circRNAs and associated regulatory mechanisms in OC remain unknown.

Elevated expression of immune and DNA repair genes in mated queens and kings of the Reticulitermes chinensis termites.

Studies have identified that mating induces a series of physiological changes in animals. In this period, males tending to invest more energy, immune peptides, and other substances to reduce the cost of living for females. This results in lower survival rates in later life than females.

Prevalence and factors associated with knee osteoarthritis among middle-aged and elderly individuals in rural Tianjin: a population-based cross-sectional study.

Background: The prevalence of osteoarthritis has been investigated in many countries and regions. Considering the wide differences in ethnicity, socioeconomic status, environmental factors, and lifestyle patterns, our study aimed to report the prevalence of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and its associated factors in rural areas of Tianjin.

Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted between June and August 2020.

Improving the elicitation of critical customer requirements through an understanding of their sensitivity.

Customer requirements (CRs) are the essential driven forces of product development. Constrained by the rigid budget and time allocated to product development, much attentions and resources should be paid on critical customer requirements (CCRs). Product design occurs with an increasingly frenetic pace of change in today's competitive market, and the changes of external environment will lead to the changes of CRs.

Bow Hunter's syndrome with clicking sounds: A rare etiology of transient loss of consciousness with tonic-clonic seizure.

We present the case of a young male patient experiencing a transient loss of consciousness and manifesting a seizure when he tilted his head backward. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) and carotid artery ultrasound (CAU) examination were normal when the patient's neck was in the neutral position. However, the CAU revealed vertebral artery (VA) transient occlusion during neck rotation or backward movement.

Surface Engineering of HEK293 Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles for Improved Pharmacokinetic Profile and Targeted Delivery of IL-12 for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are considered a promising drug delivery platform. Naïve EVs face numerous issues that limit their applications, such as fast clearance, hepatic accumulations, and a lack of target-specific tropism. We aimed to explore a series of surface engineering approaches to: 1) reduce the non-specific adhesion of EVs, and 2) improve their enrichment in the target tissue.

The feasibility and efficacy of a community-based multifactorial intervention to improve the cardiovascular risk factor control among patients with type 2 diabetes: A 2-year cluster randomized trial.

Trial Design: Our study is to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of multiple cardiovascular factors intervention (MFI) in type 2 diabetes patients in China's primary care setting.

Methods: We performed a cluster randomized trial to compare the proportion of patients achieved the targets between usual care group (control, 9 sites, n = 868) and MFI group (8 sites, n = 739) among patients with type 2 diabetes in primary care setting. Logistic regression model with random effects was used to estimate the association of the effect of intervention and the proportion achieved the targets.