Picolinamide Functionalization on Carbon Nitride Edges for Enhanced Charge Separation and Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

The periodical distribution of N and C atoms in carbon nitride (CN) not only results in localized electrons in each tri-s-triazine unit, but oxidation and reduction sites are in close contact spatially, resulting in severe carrier recombination. Herein, the hydrothermal method was first employed to synthesize carbon nitride (HCN), and then picolinamide (Pic) molecules were introduced at the edge of the carbon nitride so that the photo-generated electrons of the whole structure of the carbon nitride system were transferred from the center to the edge, which effectively promoted the separation of photo-generated carriers and inhibited the recombination of carriers in the structure. The introduced picolinamide not only changed the π-conjugated structure of the entire system but also acted as an electron-withdrawing group to promote charge transfer.

Structurally Diverse New Metabolites from Three Hadal Trench-Derived Microorganisms.

Two new tetraene lactone derivatives ( and ), two new α-pyrone derivatives ( and ), three compounds reported as natural products for the first time [an α-pyrone derivative (), an indole-diketopiperazine alkaloid (), and a β-amino acid derivative ()], and 11 known compounds (, -), were obtained from microorganisms isolated from hadal trench sediments in the Pacific Ocean. Their structures were determined using NMR, HRESIMS, optical rotatory dispersion (ORD) spectra, NMR calculations followed by DP4+ analysis, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations, X-ray crystallography analysis, and advanced Marfey's and modified Mosher eater methods. Microbial broth dilution assay suggested that compounds - and had weak antibacterial effects.

GeSbSeTe-Based Optical Switch with Ultra-High Contrast Ratio by Multilayer Fabry-Perot Cavity.

Optical switches always desire a high contrast ratio in optical logic circuits and optical communication devices. Although phase change materials are widely applied to design optical switches for their rapid phase change, the high contrast ratio is still hardly achieved for the intrinsic loss of traditional PCMs. Here, the study demonstrates an optical switch with an ultra-high contrast ratio by introducing the GeSbSeTe (GSST) into a multilayer film structure treated as a Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity.

Denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation activity and microbial mechanisms in Riparian zone soils of the Yulin River, a tributary of the Three Gorges Reservoir.

Riparian zones are recognized as major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane (CH). Denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO) has garnered growing attention due to its significant contribution to mitigating CH emissions in wetland environments. Nonetheless, the specific role and microbial mechanisms of DAMO in controlling CH release within riparian zones are still not well comprehended.

Coupling multifunctional ZnCoAl-layered double hydroxides on Ti-FeO photoanode for efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation.

The efficiency of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is hindered by the slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This study developed a composite photoanode for water oxidation by incorporating ternary LDHs (ZnCoAl-LDH) onto Ti-FeO as a cocatalyst. The ZnCoAl-LDH/Ti-FeO photoanode achieved a photocurrent density of 3.

The Causal Effect of Serum Lipid Levels Mediated by Neuregulin 4 on the Risk of Four Atherosclerosis Subtypes: Evidence from Mendelian Randomization Analysis.

Background: Neuregulin 4 (NRG4) was known to be associated with serum lipid levels and atherosclerosis. However, it is unknown whether the role of NRG4 in lipid homeostasis is causal to atherosclerosis and whether the effect is beneficial across different atherosclerosis subtypes.

Methods: We investigated the causal role of the levels of serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides regulated by NRG4 in subtypes of atherosclerosis through two sample Mendelian randomization.

Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Exposure and Neurocognitive Function in the General Population: A Community-Based Study.

Background: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are pervasive in everyday environments. The impacts of these chemicals, along with EDC-related lifestyle and dietary habits on neurocognitive function, are not well understood.

Methods: The Chang Gung Community Medicine Research Center conducted a cross-sectional study involving 887 participants.

Iron Status and Risk of Heart Disease, Stroke, and Diabetes: A Mendelian Randomization Study in European Adults.

Background: The relevance of iron status biomarkers for coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure (HF), ischemic stroke (IS), and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is uncertain. We compared the observational and Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses of iron status biomarkers and hemoglobin with these diseases.

Methods And Results: Observational analyses of hemoglobin were compared with genetically predicted hemoglobin with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in the UK Biobank.

From Simple to Complex Scenes: Learning Robust Feature Representations for Accurate Human Parsing.

Human parsing has attracted considerable research interest due to its broad potential applications in the computer vision community. In this paper, we explore several useful properties, including high-resolution representation, auxiliary guidance, and model robustness, which collectively contribute to a novel method for accurate human parsing in both simple and complex scenes. Starting from simple scenes: we propose the boundary-aware hybrid resolution network (BHRN), an advanced human parsing network.

iPCa-Net: A CNN-based framework for predicting incidental prostate cancer using multiparametric MRI.

Incidental prostate cancer (iPCa) is an early stage of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) and is typically asymptomatic, making it difficult to detect in clinical practice. The objective of this study is to predict iPCa by analyzing prostatic MRIs using deep convolutional neural network (CNN). While CNN-based models in medical image analysis have made significant advancements, the iPCa prediction task presents two challenging problems: subtler differences in MRIs that are imperceptible to human eyes and a lower incidence rate, resulting in a more pronounced sample imbalance compared to routine cancer prediction.

Denture use and risk for cardiometabolic disease: observational and Mendelian randomization analyses.

Aims: Denture use may potentially increase the risk of cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs), but the casual relevance and strength of the associations are currently unknown.

Methods And Results: A total of 495 938 participants from the UK Biobank were included in the observational analyses. Linkage disequilibrium score (LDSC) regression and Mendelian randomization analyses were employed to estimate genetic correlation and the associations between the genetic liability for denture use with coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, heart failure (HF), any stroke (AS), ischaemic stroke, haemorrhagic stroke, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and related clinical risk factors.

Interface designing of efficient Z-scheme Ti-ZnFeO/InO photoanode toward boosting photoelectrochemical water oxidation.

Ti-ZnFeO photoanode has attracted extensive attention in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation due to its narrow band gap and good photostability. However, its low efficiency limits its development. Herein, we designed and constructed direct Z-scheme Ti-ZnFeO/InO (Ti-ZFO/InO) photoanode.

Improving Workers' Musculoskeletal Health During Human-Robot Collaboration Through Reinforcement Learning.

Objective: This study aims to improve workers' postures and thus reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in human-robot collaboration by developing a novel model-free reinforcement learning method.

Background: Human-robot collaboration has been a flourishing work configuration in recent years. Yet, it could lead to work-related musculoskeletal disorders if the collaborative tasks result in awkward postures for workers.

Systematic Discovery of a New Catalogue of Tyrosine-Type Integrases in Bacterial Genomic Islands.

Site-specific recombinases (integrases) can mediate the horizontal transfer of genomic islands. The ability to integrate large DNA sequences into target sites is very important for genetic engineering in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Here, we characterized an unprecedented catalogue of 530 tyrosine-type integrases by examining genes potentially encoding tyrosine integrases in bacterial genomic islands.

How does new infrastructure impact the competitiveness of the tourism industry?--Evidence from China.

Infrastructure construction related to the new generation of information technology and 5G technology is an important measure taken by the Chinese government to promote regional economic development. Large-scale infrastructure investment is being carried out simultaneously in China's core and peripheral regions. The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a severe blow to China's tourism industry, and the application of new technologies seems to blur the spatial boundaries of the tourism industry.

[Meta-analysis of Bailing Capsules in improvement of microinflammation and nutritional status among maintenance hemodialysis patients].

This Meta-analysis was designed to evaluate the effects of Bailing Capsules on microinflammation and nutritional status of maintenance hemodialysis patients, and to determine its efficacy and safety. The randomized controlled trials concerning the intervention of microinflammation and nutritional status in maintenance hemodialysis patients with Bailing Capsules were searched from Chinese and English databases including CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, PubMed, EMbase, and Cochrane Library. A total of 16 articles were obtained, involving 1 095 cases.

Three new compounds from the twigs and leaves of Hickel.

Two new diterpenoids, 12,15-di--acetylhypargenin B () and taiwanin F-12--β-D-glucopyranoside (), one new monoterpenoid, ()-7-methyl-3-methyleneoct-6-ene-1,2-diyl diacetate (), together with eight known compounds (-), were obtained from the twigs and leaves of Hickel. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic techniques including HR-ESI-MS and 1 D and 2 D NMR experiments. Spectroscopic data of the known compound were provided for the first time.

[Modified Dihuang Decoction improves ovarian reserve in mice by regulating Bcl-2-related mitochondrial apoptosis pathway].

The present study investigated the effect of Modified Dihuang Decoction in improving ovarian reserve in mice through the Bcl-2-related mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Forty-eight adult female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into the following six groups with eight mice in each group: a blank group, a model group, a femoston group(three cycles of treatment with 0.13 mg·kg~(-1) estradiol tablets for 2 days and 1.

Urinary element profiles and associations with cardiometabolic diseases: A cross-sectional study across ten areas in China.

Background: Existing evidence on the associations of urinary element profiles with related food intake and cardiometabolic diseases has been limited in China.

Objectives: To examine the associations of urinary toxic metals and other elements with food intakes and with the prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases.

Methods: Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to measure the concentrations of cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), nickel (Ni), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), and 16 other elements in spot urine samples collected from 19,380 adults in 10 geographically diverse areas of China during 2013-2014.

One-step integrated sample pretreatment technique by gas-liquid microextraction (GLME) to determine multi-class pesticide residues in plant-derived foods.

Gas-liquid microextraction technique (GLME) has been integrated with dispersive solid phase extraction to establish a one-step sample pretreatment approach for rapid analysis of multi-class pesticides in different plant-derived foods. A 50 μL of organic solvent plus 40 mg of PSA were required throughout the 5-minute pretreatment procedure. Good trueness (recoveries of 67.

Theoretical model of membrane acoustic absorber with compact magnet.

The membrane sound absorber (MSA) with a compact magnet has exhibited excellent tunable properties for low-frequency sound absorption. To further clarify its acoustic properties, this paper presents a theoretical model based on a multi-mechanism coupling impedance method. The model predicts the absorption coefficients and resonant frequencies of the MSA at different tuning magnetic states for three cavity configurations.

Network Pharmacology-Based Prediction of Bioactive Compounds and Potential Targets of Wenjing Decoction for Treatment of Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a chronic estrogen-dependent inflammatory disorder that negatively affects the quality of life in women. The Wenjing decoction (WJD) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been shown to have a therapeutic effect on endometriosis. Our study systematically explored the mechanism of WJD against endometriosis using a network pharmacology approach.

An Accurate and Lightweight Method for Human Body Image Super-Resolution.

In this paper, we propose a new method to super-resolve low resolution human body images by learning efficient multi-scale features and exploiting useful human body prior. Specifically, we propose a lightweight multi-scale block (LMSB) as basic module of a coherent framework, which contains an image reconstruction branch and a prior estimation branch. In the image reconstruction branch, the LMSB aggregates features of multiple receptive fields so as to gather rich context information for low-to-high resolution mapping.