An Ultra-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometer with an Intermediate-Pressure Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Source.

The demand for high-resolution, high-throughput and spatially resolved mass analysis has been a key focus in developing mass spectrometers. We have developed a novel high-performance mass spectrometer by integrating matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) source with a new planar electrostatic ion trap mass analyzer for ultrahigh-resolution MALDI source mass analysis. Performance characterization experiments show that with a transient time of 800 ms, the resolution for 392 Th can exceed 530 K by utilizing high-order harmonics, and the spectrometer can distinguish the isotopic peaks in the Met-Arg-Phe-Ala acetate salt (MRFA) M+2 peak family.

Recommendations for Design, Execution, and Reporting of Studies on Experimental Thoracic Aortopathy in Preclinical Models.

There is a recent dramatic increase in research on thoracic aortic diseases that includes aneurysms, dissections, and rupture. Experimental studies predominantly use mice in which aortopathy is induced by chemical interventions, genetic manipulations, or both. Many parameters should be deliberated in experimental design in concert with multiple considerations when providing dimensional data and characterization of aortic tissues.

siRNA-AGO2 complex inhibits bacterial gene translation: A promising therapeutic strategy for superbug infection.

Silencing resistance genes of pathogenic bacteria by RNA interference (RNAi) is a potential strategy to fight antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Currently, RNAi cannot be achieved in bacteria due to the lack of RNA-induced silencing complex machinery and the difficulty of small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery. Here, we show that exosomal siRNAs can be efficiently delivered into bacterial cells and can silence target genes primarily through translational repression without mRNA degradation.

Inducing hypertension in mice triggers aortic dissections with increased focal adhesion kinase signaling.

Objective: We sought to determine if hypertension in combination with a "variant of uncertain significance" that disrupts protein function, p.Arg247Cys, would induce aortic dissections in a mouse model.

Approach And Results: Administration of L-NAME via drinking water and a high salt diet increased blood pressure in WT and mice and triggered type A dissections with cardiac tamponade in 20% of the mice.

Computational study on the effect of thermal deformation of myocardium on lesion formation during radiofrequency ablation.

Radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation treats cardiac diseases by inducing thermal lesion of cardiac tissues through radiofrequency energy operating at around 500 kHz. The electromagnetic wavelength is significantly longer than the size of the radiofrequency active electrode, the tissue is heated through resistive heating. During thermal ablation, the coupled thermo-mechanical property of cardiac tissue influencing the contact area between the electrode and tissue plays a crucial role in the formation of thermal lesions, yet the literature often overlooks the effect of thermal deformation.

Towards automatical tumor segmentation in radiomics: a comparative analysis of various methods and radiologists for both region extraction and downstream diagnosis.

Objective: By discussing the difference, stability and classification ability of tumor contour extracted by artificial intelligence and doctors, can a more stable method of tumor contour extraction be obtained?

Methods: We propose a novel framework for the automatic segmentation of lung tumor contours and the differential diagnosis of downstream tasks. This framework integrates four key modules: tumor segmentation, extraction of radiomic features, feature selection, and the development of diagnostic models for clinical applications. Using this framework, we conducted a study involving a cohort of 1,429 patients suspected of lung cancer.

A Study on Synchronous Bilateral Breast Cancer Radiotherapy Based on an Accelerator Integrated with Optical Surface Monitoring System.

Objective: To investigate the optimal radiotherapy regimen for synchronous bilateral breast cancer (SBBC) by utilizing dosimetric and radiobiological indicators, and to assess the impact of applying an optical surface monitoring system(OSMS) on the precision of SBBC radiotherapy treatment.

Methods: Nine patients with SBBC who underwent breast-conserving radiotherapy were retrospectively selected. Four treatment plans were designed for each patient using the Versa HD (Elekta, Stockholm) accelerator: single-isocenter intensity-modulated radiotherapy/volumetric modulated arc therapy(IMRT-ISO1/VMAT-ISO1) and dual-isocenter IMRT/VMAT(IMRT-ISO2/VMAT-ISO2), with a prescription dose of 42.

Genomic and transcriptomic analyses unveil the genetic basis of green shank trait in small white-feather chickens.

Small white-feather chickens (SWFC) have become popular as a hybrid strain recently. Shank color is a notable economic trait in this strain. Despite numerous studies on the green shank trait from both physiological and genetic perspectives, research focusing specifically on the green shank trait in hybrid chickens (HC) remains limited.

Preschool children with insufficient physiological hyperopia experience accelerated myopic drift.

Significance: This study reveals that preschool children with insufficient physiological hyperopia experience accelerated myopic drift and axial length elongation. Regular monitoring can serve as an early warning for impending myopia during early childhood, highlighting its critical role in future myopia prevention strategies.

Purpose: This study examines the patterns of spherical equivalent and biometric parameters if physiological hyperopia has shown an accelerated tendency to regress by preschool age and whether the early onset of physiological hyperopia regression accelerates myopia onset.

UAS hydrometry: contactless river water level, bathymetry, and flow velocity - the Rӧnne river dataset.

High-resolution monitoring of rivers becomes important because more frequent and severe flooding and drought events are expected in the future, caused by climate change. Some key hydrometric variables (water surface elevation, bathymetry, and water surface velocity) can be acquired at high spatial resolution and in a contactless and noninvasive way using Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS). This paper presents a large publicly available UAS hydrometric dataset surveyed within a 10 km stretch of Rönne Å in Sweden from 28 August to 1 September 2023.

The Role of Hypoxia in Longevity.

Aging is marked by a progressive decrease in physiological function and reserve capacity, which results in increased susceptibility to diseases. Understanding the mechanisms of driving aging is crucial for extending health span and promoting human longevity. Hypoxia, marked by reduced oxygen availability, has emerged as a promising area of study within aging research.

Screening of estrogen receptor activity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances based on deep learning and in vivo assessment.

Over the past decades, exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of synthetic chemicals notorious for their environmental persistence, has been shown to pose increased health risks. Despite that some PFAS were reported to have endocrine-disrupting toxicity in previous studies, accurate prediction models based on deep learning and the underlying structural characteristics related to the effect of molecular fluorination remain limited. To address these issues, we proposed a stacking deep learning architecture, GXDNet, that integrates molecular descriptors and molecular graphs to predict the estrogen receptor α (ERα) activities of compounds, enhancing the generalization ability compared to previous models.

Exploring the roles of paradoxical tensions, paradoxical thinking, and team psychological capital on the creativity of engineering university students.

Background: The multifaceted challenges encountered by engineering university students generate paradoxical tensions, which serve as catalysts for fostering creativity. Engaging in paradoxical thinking during academic pursuits enhances students' ability to solve complex engineering problems. Despite this, the intricate interconnections among paradoxical tensions, paradoxical thinking, and the creativity of engineering university students remain ambiguous.

HIF1α/MIF/CD74 signaling mediated OSA-induced atrial fibrillation by promoting M1 macrophages polarization.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known to contribute to the occurrence and recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the mechanism remains unknown.

Methods: Chronic OSA rat model was established to elucidate the role of macrophages in OSA-induced AF.

Tailoring the Surface Curvature of the Supporting Carbon to Tune the d-Band Center of Fe-N-C Single-Atom Catalysts for Zinc-Urea-Air Batteries.

The catalytic activities of the Fe-N-C single-atom catalysts (SACs) are associated with the varying atomic interactions through its characteristic coordination geometry. Yet, modulation of the surface curvature of carbon acting as a supporting body has not been investigated. Herein, we report the superior catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and enhanced performance for urea oxidation reaction (UOR) of single Fe atoms anchored on a highly curved N-doped carbon dodecahedron with concave morphology (Fe SA/NhcC).

The rational design of europium complex based electrochemiluminescence sensor for highly efficient carbaryl detection.

To address the issue that most of the reported electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensors are usually subjected to various complicated chemical modifications, we proposed a sensitive ECL sensor by using a neutral mononuclear lanthanide metal europium complex Eu(L) (L = 2-pyrazol-1-yl-6-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-pyridine) as luminophore with simple chemical composition for the accurate detection of carbaryl pesticide residues. The three conjugated tridentate pyrazo-pyridine- tetrazol ligands could put significant effect on the physical and chemical behavior of the central Eu ion, leading to the excellent luminescent performance of the Eu(L) complex enhanced by "antenna effect" of the auxiliary anionic organic ligands. The naphthol obtained from the hydrolysis reaction of carbaryl in an alkaline working solution could effectively and quantitatively quench the luminescence intensity of the Eu(L) complex, which has been theoretically confirmed by the detailed density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations, thus obviously strengthening the target detection capability on carbaryl.

Association of Year-to-Year Lipid Variability With Risk of Cognitive Decline and Dementia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Background And Objectives: Lipid metabolism in older adults is affected by various factors including biological aging, functional decline, reduced physiologic reserve, and nutrient intake. The dysregulation of lipid metabolism could adversely affect brain health. This study investigated the association between year-to-year intraindividual lipid variability and subsequent risk of cognitive decline and dementia in community-dwelling older adults.

Activity and stability origin of core-shell catalysts: unignorable atomic diffusion behavior.

The exceptional oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performances of core-shell catalysts are well documented, yet their activity and durability origins have been interpreted only based on the static structures. Herein we employ a NiFe alloy coated with a nitrogen-doped graphene-based carbon shell (NiFe@NC) as a model system to elucidate the active structure and stability mechanism for the ORR and OER by combining constant potential computations, molecular dynamic simulations, and experiments. The results reveal that the synergistic effects between the alloy core and carbon shell facilitate the formation of Fe-N-C active sites and replenish metal sites when central metal atoms detach.

Challenges and opportunities in 2D materials for high-performance aqueous ammonium ion batteries.

Aqueous ammonium ion batteries (AAIBs) have attracted considerable attention due to their high safety and rapid diffusion kinetics. Unlike spherical metal ions, NH forms hydrogen bonds with host materials, leading to a unique storage mechanism. A variety of electrode materials have been proposed for AAIBs, but their performance often falls short in terms of future energy storage needs.

Studies on the treatment of anaerobically digested sludge by white-rot fungi: evaluation of the effect of Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Trametes versicolor.

Background: The composition of anaerobically digested sludge is inherently complex, enriched with structurally complex organic compounds and nitrogenous constituents, which are refractory to biodegradation. These characteristics limit the subsequent rational utilization of resources from anaerobically digested sludge. White-rot fungi (WRF) have garnered significant research interest due to their exceptional capacity to degrade complex and recalcitrant organic pollutants.

Stiffness Tunable Magnetic Actuators Based on Shape Memory Polymer/NdFeB Composite for Segmental Controllable Motion.

Soft magnetic robots have attracted extensive research interest recently due to their fast-transforming ability and programmability. Although the inherent softness of the matrix materials enables dexterity and safe interactions, the contradiction between the easy shape transformation of the soft matrices and load carrying capacity, as well as the difficulty of independently controllable motion of individual segments, severely limits its design space and application potentials. Herein, we have proposed a strategy to adjust the modulus of shape memory polymer composite embedded with hard magnetic particles by Joule heating of printed circuit, which can reversibly change the stiffness from 4.

An amide-based gel polymer electrolyte for Li-O batteries: advancing towards practical Li-air batteries.

This study introduces an amide-based gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) for Li-O batteries, optimizing monomer and plasticizer ratios to enhance electrochemical stability and cycling performance. The GPE addresses sluggish kinetics and anode corrosion, enabling operation under atmospheric conditions, and demonstrating significant durability for practical Li-air batteries.

Palladium-Catalyzed Stereospecific Glycosylation Enables Divergent Synthesis of N-O-Linked Glycosides.

We present a versatile palladium-catalyzed glycosylation platform that enables facile access to structurally diverse N-O-linked glycosides with constantly excellent regio- and stereoselectivities. Importantly, this approach offers a broad substrate scope, low catalyst loadings, and outstanding chemoselectivity, allowing for the selective reaction of oximes/hydroximic acids over hydroxyl groups that would otherwise pose challenges in conventional glycosylation methods. The synthetic utility of this method is further exemplified through a range of synthetic transformations and late-stage modification of bioactive molecules.

[Genetic analysis of a child with Leukoencephalopathy with ataxia caused by a homozygous variant of CLCN2 gene and a literature review].

Objective: To explore the clinical manifestations and genetic characteristics of a child with Leukoencephalopathy with ataxia (LKPAT) caused by a CLCN2 gene variant.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of a child admitted to Hunan Children's Hospital in June 2024 due to "intermittent convulsions for 13 days". Peripheral blood samples were collected from the child and his parents for whole exome sequencing, followed by Sanger sequencing validation and pathogenicity analysis of candidate variants.