Utilization of layer-by-layer deposition to improve the stability of astaxanthin emulsions: Triple-layer coatings formed using sodium caseinate-pectin-chitosan.

This study aimed to develop a good multilayered emulsion delivery system to improve the stability of astaxanthin. The layer-by-layer (LBL) electrostatic deposition technique was utilized to prepare sodium caseinate-pectin-chitosan astaxanthin multilayered emulsions. The stabilities of the emulsions and astaxanthin under different environmental stresses were investigated.

Constructing oxygen-based multiple hydrogen bonding sites and delocalized π bonds for efficient oil-water-solid interfacial separation.

Separation of oil-water emulsions co-stabilized by solid particles and natural interfacially-active components has always been a challenge in petroleum and coal industry. Herein, we constructed and synthesized an interfacially-active nonionic material by esterification and polymerization, which contains multiple oxygen-containing groups (-COOH, -C-O, -COOR) and aromatic rings. The lab bottle tests show that this polymer (1000 mg/L) could completely break the silica-asphaltene co-stabilized water-in-heavy oil emulsions at 60 °C within 45 min, much faster and higher than those of commercial and reported demulsifers (>75 °C, >90 min).

Functionalized membrane assembled by iron-based two-dimensional Fenton-like catalyst for ultra-efficient water decontamination: Mechanism and application insights.

The design of functionalized membrane-coupled Fenton-like catalysis processes is pivotal for wastewater treatment, providing a promising strategy to enhance peroxide activation and degrade organic contaminants. Herein, a functionalized membrane based on FeO nanosheets (FeO NS) was designed, featuring a densely stacked structure with highly exposed reactive sites, creating an optimal environment for efficient Fenton-like catalysis. The FeO NS membrane achieved nearly complete degradation of target contaminants at a flux of 289.

Emission and risk of atmospheric hexachlorobutadiene might be underestimated globally.

Ambiguous emission of new pollutants is a fundamental obstacle of risk prevention, such as hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD). To quantify the HCBD emission in China, we probed the emission factors for main sources based on analysis of 847 gas samples from field experiments. Considering treatment efficiency, emissions of 362 kinds of sources were measured.

Boosted photocatalytic COreduction through interface engineering by constructing CdS-MnOheterojunction.

To mitigate the levels of COin the atmosphere, photocatalytic conversion of COinto hydrocarbons presents a viable approach. Herein, a CdS-MnOcomposite synthesized through a facile electrostatic self-assembly method was employed as an effective catalyst for photocatalytic COreduction. The engineered CdS-MnOminimized the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes, thereby facilitating the charge transfer and boosting the catalytic activity of pristine CdS.

Origins of HCOOH Selectivity Over CO Mediated by an Unusual Fe(I)-Porphyrin Bearing a -Substituted Cation.

Molecular metalloporphyrins have been commonly reported to efficiently catalyze electrochemical CO-to-CO conversion. Unconventionally, Dey and coworkers reported that an iron-porphyrin analogue bearing a pendant amine binds with CO at the Fe(I) state and reduces CO into formic acid using water molecules as proton sources. However, the origins of HCOOH selectivity over the conventional CO product, as well as fundamental mechanistic details, are lacking.

Discovery of antimicrobial peptides with notable antibacterial potency by an LLM-based foundation model.

Large language models (LLMs) have shown remarkable advancements in chemistry and biomedical research, acting as versatile foundation models for various tasks. We introduce AMP-Designer, an LLM-based approach, for swiftly designing antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with desired properties. Within 11 days, AMP-Designer achieved the de novo design of 18 AMPs with broad-spectrum activity against Gram-negative bacteria.

Human placental mesenchymal stem cells ameliorates premature ovarian insufficiency via modulating gut microbiota and suppressing the inflammation in rats.

The core objective of this study was to explore the effects and potential mechanism of human placental mesenchymal stem cells (PMSCs) in improving early-onset ovarian dysfunction (POI). Mesenchymal stem cells with multidirectional differentiation ability were isolated from human placenta tissue and a culture system of human PMSCs was constructed for this study. Subsequently, we successfully constructed POI rat models using cisplatin induction.

Novel Approach to Screen Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals via Endocrine-Enhanced Reduced Human Transcriptome.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can interfere with multiple pathways and trigger different modes of action. Thus, the traditional EDC in vitro screening processes often require a battery of bioassays to cover multiple target pathways. Here we developed an endocrine-enhanced reduced human transcriptome (ERHT) focused on hormone receptor signaling induced by the EDCs regulating specific genes.

Global Cross-Entropy Loss for Deep Face Recognition.

Contemporary deep face recognition techniques predominantly utilize the Softmax loss function, designed based on the similarities between sample features and class prototypes. These similarities can be categorized into four types: in-sample target similarity, in-sample non-target similarity, out-sample target similarity, and out-sample non-target similarity. When a sample feature from a specific class is designated as the anchor, the similarity between this sample and any class prototype is referred to as in-sample similarity.

mmWave Radar for Sit-to-Stand Analysis: A Comparative Study with Wearables and Kinect.

This study investigates a novel approach for analyzing Sit-to-Stand (STS) movements using millimeterwave (mmWave) radar technology, aiming to develop a noncontact, privacy-preserving, and all-day operational solution for healthcare applications. A 60GHz mmWave radar system was employed to collect radar point cloud data from 45 participants performing STS motions. Using a deep learning-based pose estimation model and Inverse Kinematics (IK), we calculated joint angles, segmented STS motions, and extracted clinically relevant features for fall risk assessment.

Counterfactual Bidirectional Co-Attention Transformer for Integrative Histology-Genomic Cancer Risk Stratification.

Applying deep learning to predict patient prognostic survival outcomes using histological whole-slide images (WSIs) and genomic data is challenging due to the morphological and transcriptomic heterogeneity present in the tumor microenvironment. Existing deep learning-enabled methods often exhibit learning biases, primarily because the genomic knowledge used to guide directional feature extraction from WSIs may be irrelevant or incomplete. This results in a suboptimal and sometimes myopic understanding of the overall pathological landscape, potentially overlooking crucial histological insights.

A WRKY transcription factor confers broad-spectrum resistance to biotic stresses and yield stability in rice.

Plants are subject to attack by diverse pests and pathogens. Few genes conferring broad-spectrum resistance to both insects and pathogens have been identified. Because of the growth-defense tradeoff, it is often challenging to balance biotic stress resistance and yield for crops.

sp. nov., a DNA-hydrolysing bacterium isolated from intertidal sediment.

A Gram-stain-negative, yellow-pigmented, non-flagellated, motile by gliding, aerobic and rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated SM2212, was isolated from intertidal sediment of Aoshan Bay in Qingdao, China. The strain grew at 5-35 °C and with 0.5-5.

LPIN3 promotes colorectal cancer growth by dampening intratumoral CD8 T cell effector function.

LPIN3 has emerged as a key factor in a variety of malignancies, although its precise role in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. By analyzing the data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we discovered that the expression pattern of LPIN3 and the relevant makeup of the immune microenvironment were immensely diverse among tumors. LPIN3 is abundantly expressed in CRC and may enhance tumor growth by activating the β-catenin signaling pathway.

Heterointerface with Continuous Channels Enables Fast Na Transport in Layered NaTiO.

High-power sodium-ion batteries are essential for grid energy storage; however, they are generally limited by Na transport. Herein, we tailor a highly matched heterostructure (MgTiO@NaTiO) via a facile in situ synthesis method. The similar crystal structures of NaTiO and MgTiO creat continuous Na diffusion channels at the heterointerface, and the interactions at the interface creat a built-in interface electric field with a direction from MgTiO to NaTiO.

Efficient Implementation of the Random Phase Approximation with Domain-Based Local Pair Natural Orbitals.

We present an efficient implementation of the direct random phase approximation (RPA) for molecular systems within the domain-based local pair natural orbital (DLPNO) framework. With recommended loose, normal, and tight parameter settings, DLPNO-RPA achieves approximately 99.7-99.

Sex differences in the prevalence and clinical correlates of autistic features in patients with chronic schizophrenia: a large scale cross-sectional study.

Objective: Sex differences have been suggested in both schizophrenia (SCZ) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study aims to assess the prevalence and clinical correlates of autistic features in male and female patients with chronic SCZ.

Methods: A total of 1690 chronic SCZ patients (M/F: 1122/568) were recruited from ten psychiatric hospitals in China.

pH-Responsive Engineered Exosomes Enhance Endogenous Hyaluronan Production by Reprogramming Chondrocytes for Cartilage Repair.

Trauma or inflammation-caused cartilage injury leads to joint dysfunction and pain. Exogenous hyaluronic acid (HA) injection is a well-established treatment, but it has a short duration in vivo and requires multiple injections. Here, a new strategy for in situ reprogramming chondrocytes to continuously produce endogenous high molecular weight HA is developed.

In Situ 3D SERS Imaging of CO Reduction in Living Cells.

The advancement of catalytic processes for therapeutic applications is pivotal to the development of next-generation medical technologies. One of the major challenges in this field lies in elucidating the intracellular generation of small molecules, such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO), and others, which possess significant therapeutic potential. In this study, in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is employed to visualize and monitor the carbon dioxide (CO) reduction process mediated by a rhenium coated gold nanoflower (Re@Au) catalyst within living cells.

The Mixed Phases of α and γ-CsPbI₃ Enable Efficient and Stable Semitransparent Solar Cells.

Cesium lead iodide (CsPbI₃) is a promising material for semitransparent perovskite solar cells (ST-PSCs) in building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) due to its favorable bandgap and thermal stability. However, the phase instability of CsPbI₃ limits its device performance. Developing a simple strategy to regulate the phase transition is essential for enhancing both device efficiency and stability.

Efficacy of perioperative dexmedetomidine on postoperative pain and neurocognitive functions in orthopaedic surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: With an estimated 2.1 million hip and knee replacements performed annually in developed countries, orthopaedic surgeries can result in complications such as postoperative pain and cognitive dysfunctions. Dexmedetomidine shows potential for reducing pain and opioid use and improving cognitive outcomes, but its efficacy in orthopaedic settings needs further evaluation.

Enhancing the Low-Temperature Performance of Sodium-Ion Battery by Introducing Nanodiamonds in Anode Prepared from Cattail Grass.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have received much attention as ideal candidates for next-generation large-scale energy storage systems, but their performance significantly deteriorates at low temperatures, limiting their application in cold or high-altitude environments. This work presents an easier approach to improving low-temperature performance by incorporating nanodiamonds (NDs) into hard carbon anodes derived from cattail grass. The modified anode shows a larger specific surface area, offering more active sites for Na.

Precise Tuning of Functional Group Spatial Distribution on Porphyrin Rings for Enhanced CO2 Electroreduction Selectivity.

Molecular catalysts play a critical role in regulating the selectivity of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), yet the understanding of ligand function is largely restricted to modulating the electronic structure of the metal and reaction kinetics. Herein, a hydroxyl (-OH) ligand is introduced into a sterically hindered amino-porphyrin (o-TAPP) to synthesize the atropisomers porphyrin- salicylimine-Cu (o-Cu-Por-Sa) with hydrogen-bonding interactions (O-H···O), enabling efficient selection of CO and CH4 under dual effects. Detailed analysis shows that the -OH of o-Cu-Por-Sa (αβαβ) forms a noncovalent hydrogen bond with carbonate, characterized by a bond length of 2.

Entry Into Boarding Preschool Is Associated With Increased Stress and School Refusal.

In western China, many socioeconomically disadvantaged rural children remain at preschools for extremely long hours: they start to receive boarding services as young as 3 years old and remain at preschools for 4 to 5 consecutive days weekly. Although the quality of childcare is generally poor in these preschools, extremely long school hours and prolonged separation from primary caregivers may induce additional stress and lead to school maladjustment among boarding preschoolers. This study examines the impact of boarding experience on preschool beginners' social adjustment and stress responses, as indicated by their saliva alpha-amylase (sAA) and cortisol.