Intellectual capital, digital transformation and firms' financial performance: Evidence from ecological protection and environmental governance industry in China.

As the pace of enterprise digital transformation accelerates, intellectual capital (IC) has become a core driving force of gaining market competitive advantages and enhancing value creation capabilities. The paper aims to investigate the impact of IC and its components on financial performance of Chinese ecological protection and environmental governance companies during 2018-2021. In addition, the moderating effect of digital transformation between them is examined.

Identification of a minimal domain required for retrotransposition.

elements are primate-specific retrotransposon sequences that comprise ∼11% of human genomic DNA. sequences contain an internal RNA polymerase III promoter and the resultant RNA transcripts mobilize by a replicative process termed retrotransposition. retrotransposition requires the Long INterspersed Element-1 (LINE-1) open reading frame 2-encoded protein (ORF2p).

Correction: Three-dimensional TiNbO anchored on carbon nanofiber core-shell arrays as an anode for high-rate lithium ion storage.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C9RA10485B.].

Dual targeting PPARα and NPC1L1 metabolic vulnerabilities blocks tumorigenesis.

Dysregulated lipid metabolism is linked to tumor progression. In this study, we identified Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) as a downstream effector of PKM2. In breast cancer cells, PKM2 knockout (KO) enhanced NPC1L1 expression while downregulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) signaling pathway.

Strategies and Challenges of Cytosolic Delivery of Proteins.

The cytosolic delivery of therapeutic proteins represents a promising strategy for addressing diseases caused by protein dysfunction. Despite significant advances, efficient delivery remains challenging due to barriers such as cell membrane impermeability, endosomal sequestration, and protein instability. This review summarizes recent progress in protein delivery systems, including physical, chemical, and biological approaches, with a particular focus on strategies that enhance endosomal escape and targeting specificity.

Enhanced Dielectric Performance in PVDF-Based Composites by Introducing a Transition Interface.

Polymeric dielectrics have garnered significant interest worldwide due to their excellent comprehensive performance. However, developing polymeric dielectric films with high permittivity () and breakdown strength () and low dielectric loss (tan) presents a huge challenge. In this study, amorphous aluminum oxide (AlO, AO) transition interfaces with nanoscale thickness were constructed between titanium oxide (TiO, TO) nanosheets and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) to manufacture composites (PVDF/TO@AO).

Topology Design of Soft Phononic Crystals for Tunable Band Gaps: A Deep Learning Approach.

The phononic crystals composed of soft materials have received extensive attention owing to the extraordinary behavior when undergoing large deformations, making it possible to provide tunable band gaps actively. However, the inverse designs of them mainly rely on the gradient-driven or gradient-free optimization schemes, which require sensitivity analysis or cause time-consuming, lacking intelligence and flexibility. To this end, a deep learning-based framework composed of a conditional variational autoencoder and multilayer perceptron is proposed to discover the mapping relation from the band gaps to the topology layout applied with prestress.

Chick Early Amniotic Fluid Alleviates Dextran-Sulfate-Sodium-Induced Colitis in Mice via T-Cell Receptor Pathway.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic immune disease that is difficult to cure. We recently found that chick early amniotic fluid (ceAF) has notable anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties, through its active components. This study demonstrates the potential of ceAF as a protective agent against UC.

Development and validation of a recurrence risk prediction model for elderly schizophrenia patients.

Objective: To construct a recurrence prediction model for Elderly Schizophrenia Patients (ESCZP) and validate the model's spatial external applicability.

Methods: The modeling cohort consisted of 365 ESCZP cases from the Seventh People's Hospital of Dalian, admitted between May 2022 and April 2024. Variables were selected using Lasso-Logistic regression to construct the recurrence prediction model, with a nomogram plotted using the "RMS" package in R 4.

[Research progress in the design and application of whole-cell biosensors for antibiotics].

Antibiotics are chemicals with bactericidal or bacteriostatic activity produced by microorganisms and artificially synthesized. Since the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928, antibiotics have been widely used in clinical treatments as well as in the animal husbandry and aquaculture, leading to antibiotic residues in soil, water, food and other environments. At the same time, antibiotic resistance is increasingly serious, which necessitates the discovery of novel antibiotics.

Protease activity of NIa-Pro determines systemic pathogenicity of clover yellow vein virus.

Clover yellow vein virus (ClYVV), a potyvirus that infects various dicotyledonous plants, poses a significant threat to the cultivation of legumes. Although potyviral NIa-Pro was extensively studied in viral infection cycle and host antiviral responses, the contribution of NIa-Pro protease activity to virus systemic symptoms has not yet been reported. In this study, we developed infectious clones of a ClYVV isolated from Pisum sativum.

A novel FadL family outer membrane transporter is involved in the uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Unlabelled: Gram-negative bacteria play a pivotal role in the bioremediation of persistent organic pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Because the outer membrane (OM) of these bacteria hinders the direct permeation of hydrophobic substances into the cells, trans-OM proteins are required for the uptake of PAHs. However, neither the characteristics of PAH transporters nor the specific transport mechanism has been well interpreted.

Synthesis and Self-Assembly of Monodisperse Graphene Nanoribbons: Access to Submicron Architectures with Long-Range Order and Uniform Orientation.

Fabricating organic semiconducting materials into large-scale, well-organized architectures is critical for building high-performance molecular electronics. While graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) hold enormous promise for various device applications, their assembly into a well-structured monolayer or multilayer architecture poses a substantial challenge. Here, we report the preparation of length-defined monodisperse GNRs via the integrated iterative binomial synthesis (IIBS) strategy and their self-assembly into submicrometer architectures with long-range order, uniform orientation, as well as regular layers.

The Exocyst Subunits EqSec5 and EqSec6 Promote Powdery Mildew Fungus Growth and Pathogenicity.

The exocyst complex in eukaryotic cells modulates secretory vesicle transportation to promote exocytosis. The exocyst is also required for the hyphal growth and pathogenic development of several filamentous phytopathogens. Obligate biotrophic powdery mildew fungi cause considerable damage to many cash crops; however, the exocyst's roles in this group of fungi is not well studied.

Microstructural and functional connectivity changes of decision-related brain networks in end-stage kidney disease patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

Background: We aimed to explore changes in decision-related brain microstructure, brain functional activities, and functional connectivity, and their correlations with cognitive function in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). Furthermore, the impact of dialysis on these changes was examined.

Methods: Thirty ESKD patients undergoing PD, 20 chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5 patients without dialysis (predialysis CKD stage 5), and 30 healthy controls (HC) were recruited for the study.

Valorization of rapeseed straw through the enhancement of cellulose accessibility, lignin removal and xylan elimination using an n-alkyltrimethylammonium bromide-based deep eutectic solvent.

n-Alkyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-based deep eutectic solvent (DESs) has potential in the efficient delignification and utilization of carbohydrates in biomass. In this research, DESs containing Brønsted acid and Lewis acid were prepared with CTAB (alkyl-chain length 12-18), organic acids and metal chlorides, and the optimal treatment conditions were acquired by pretreatment optimization. Through the pretreatment with TTAB/LCA/Fe (1:4:0.

The effects of occupational aluminum exposure on blood pressure and blood glucose in workers - A longitudinal study in northern China.

Background: Trace element and metal exposure is closely related to the occurrence of chronic diseases, particularly affecting blood pressure and blood glucose. Current studies suggest that heavy metal exposure is a risk factor for hypertension and diabetes. Aluminum can enter the human body through daily life and occupational exposure from food, environment, drugs, and other sources, affecting the cardiovascular, endocrine, and other systems.

Genetically Predicted Leucine Level Mediates Association Between CD4/CD8br T Lymphocytes and Insomnia.

Immune and metabolic factors play an important role in the onset and development of insomnia. This study aimed to investigate the causal relationship between insomnia and immune cells and metabolites. Data for 731 immune cell phenotypes, 1400 metabolites, and insomnia in this study were obtained from the GWAS open-access database.

CAMKIIδ Reinforces Lipid Metabolism and Promotes the Development of B Cell Lymphoma.

The most prevalent types of lymphomas are B cell lymphomas (BCL). Newer therapies for BCL have improved the prognosis for many patients. However, approximately 30% with aggressive BCL either remain refractory or ultimately relapse.

Integrating transcriptomics, metabolomics, and network pharmacology to investigate multi-target effects of sporoderm-broken spores of on improving HFD-induced diabetic nephropathy rats.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major metabolic disease endangering global health, with diabetic nephropathy (DN) as a primary complication lacking curative therapy. Sporoderm-broken spores of (GLP), an herbal medicine, has been used for the treatment of metabolic disorders. In this study, DN was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats using streptozotocin (STZ) and a high-fat diet (HFD), and the protective mechanisms of GLP were investigated through transcriptomic, metabolomic, and network pharmacology (NP) analyses.

Titanium nanotubes modulate immunophenotyping and cytokine secretion of T cells via IL-17A: a bioinformatic analysis and experimental validation.

Object: We aim to explore the immunomodulatory properties of T cells on different titanium nanotubes and the key immunological factors involved in this process.

Methods: Transcriptome data from GEO database of healthy people and healthy implants were used to analyze cell infiltration and factor distribution of adaptive immune using bioinformatics tools. T cells from activated rat were cultured on titanium nanotubes that were prepared by anodization with different diameters (P-0, NT15-30 nm, NT40-100 nm, NT70-200 nm).

Single-cell atlas reveals multi-faced responses of losartan on tubular mitochondria in diabetic kidney disease.

Background And Objective: Mitochondria are crucial to the function of renal tubular cells, and their dynamic perturbation in many aspects is an important mechanism of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) technology is a high-throughput sequencing analysis technique for RNA at the level of a single cell nucleus. Here, our DKD mouse kidney single-cell RNA sequencing conveys a more comprehensive mitochondrial profile, which helps us further understand the therapeutic response of this unique organelle family to drugs.

Coherent Strain-Inhibiting Phase Construction of Lithium-Rich Manganese-Based Oxide Toward High Mechanochemical Stability.

A layered lithium-rich manganese-based oxide cathode, containing 3̅ (LiTMO, TM = Mn, Ni, Co) and 2/ (LiMnO) nanodomains, utilizes both transition metals and oxygen redox to yield substantial energy density. However, the inherent heterogeneous nature and distinct nanodomain redox chemistries of layered lithium-rich oxides will inevitably cause pernicious lattice strain and structural displacement, which can hardly be eliminated by conventional doping or coating strategies and result in accelerated performance decay. Herein, we incorporate a strain-inhibiting perovskite phase coherently grown within the layered structure to effectively restrain the displacement and lattice strain during uneven Li-ion extraction.

Nomogram prediction model based on non-enhanced computed tomography for adnexal torsion: A retrospective multicenter study.

Objective: To develop and validate an individualized nomogram for predicting adnexal torsion in women with abdominal pain and an adnexal mass based on preoperative non-contrast computed tomography (CT) findings.

Methods: This retrospective study included 200 women with surgically resected ovarian lesions who underwent preoperative non-contrast CT for abdominal pain from January 2017 to September 2023 in seven hospitals. The 200 patients were randomly divided into a development group (140 cases) and a validation group (60 cases).

Exceptional CO2 Hydrogenation to Ethanol via Precise Single-Atom Ir Deposition on Functional P Islands.

The thermocatalytic hydrogenation of CO2 to ethanol has attracted significant interest because ethanol offers ease of transport and substantial value in chemical synthesis. Here, we present a state-of-the-art catalyst for the CO2 hydrogenation to ethanol achieved by precisely depositing single-atom Ir species on P cluster islands situated on the In2O3 nanosheets. The Ir1-Px/In2O3 catalyst achieves an impressive ethanol yield of 3.