Publications by authors named "ZhiKun Wu"

Aim: The study aimed to develop a predictive model with machine learning (ML) algorithm, to predict and manage the need for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion during hip fracture surgery.

Methods: Data of 2785 cases that underwent hip fracture surgery from April 2016 to May 2022 were collected, covering demographics, medical history and comorbidities, type of surgery and preoperative laboratory results. The primary outcome was the intraoperative RBC transfusion.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Can the chemically synthesized nanoparticles act as nanodevices or nanomachines? Herein, we demonstrated this feasibility. A novel nanocluster (ultrasmall nanoparticle) [AuCd(m-MBT)][N(CH)] (AuCd in short, m-MBTH: m-methylbenzenethiol) obtained via developing a synthesis method has a cannula-like structure of the outer shell and an internal sleeve, revealed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Natural population analysis (NPA) charge calculations, charge carrier transport of AuCd (during which an intra-nanocluster anti-galvanic reaction was observed) after unneutral charging using NaBH as well as voltammetry proved the capacitor-like character of AuCd.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Although gapped grain boundaries have often been observed in bulk and nanosized materials, and their crucial roles in some physical and chemical processes have been confirmed, their acquisition at ultrasmall nanoscale presents a significant challenge. To date, they had not been reported in metal nanoparticles smaller than 2 nm owing to the difficulty in characterization and the high instability of grain boundary (GB) atoms. Herein, we have successfully developed a synthesis method for producing a novel chiral nanocluster Au(TBBT) (TBBT=4-tert-butylphenylthiolate) with a 26-atom gapped and rotated GB.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ardisia crispa(Myrsinaceae) is an ethnomedicine with horticultural and important medicinal values. Its morphology is complex, and its identification is difficult. We analyse the chloroplast genome characteristics and phylogenetic position of A.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most common intraocular malignancy in childhood. The causal variants in RB are mostly characterized by previously used short-read sequencing (SRS) analysis, which has technical limitations in identifying structural variants (SVs) and phasing information. Long-read sequencing (LRS) technology has advantages over SRS in detecting SVs, phased genetic variants, and methylation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Gold nanoclusters exhibiting concomitant photothermy (PT) and photoluminescence (PL) under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation are rarely reported, and some fundamental issues remain unresolved for such materials. Herein, we concurrently synthesized two novel rod-shaped Au nanoclusters, Au(PET) and Au(PET) (PET = 2-phenylethanethiolate), and precisely revealed that their kernels were 4 × 4 × 6 and 5 × 4 × 6 face-centered cubic (fcc) structures, respectively, based on the numbers of Au layers in the [100], [010], and [001] directions. Following the structural growth mode from Au(PET) to Au(PET), we predicted six more novel nanoclusters.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Researchers successfully synthesized ~1-nm platinum nanoclusters (NCs) with ambient stability using a mixture ligand protecting strategy, enabling precise characterization through advanced techniques.
  • The platinum NCs show significantly enhanced catalytic performance in the oxygen reduction reaction under acidic conditions, outperforming commercial platinum catalysts by sevenfold and eightfold in specific and mass activities respectively.
  • Additionally, these nanoclusters exhibit a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 68.4% and demonstrate durability over at least six cycles, indicating strong potential for various practical applications in fields like catalysis and biomedicine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Primula secundiflora is an insect-pollinated, perennial herb belonging to the section Proliferae (Primulaceae) that exhibits considerable variation in its mating system, with predominantly outcrossing populations comprising long-styled and short-styled floral morphs and selfing populations comprising only homostyles. To facilitate future investigations of the population genetics and mating patterns of this species, we developed 25 microsatellite markers from P. secundiflora using next-generation sequencing and measured polymorphism and genetic diversity in a sample of 30 individuals from three natural populations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The introduction of single or multiple heterometal atoms into metal nanoparticles is a well-known strategy for altering their structures (compositions) and properties. However, surface single nonmetal atom doping is challenging and rarely reported. For the first time, we have developed synthetic methods, realizing "surgery"-like, successive surface single nonmetal atom doping, replacement, and addition for ultrasmall metal nanoparticles (metal nanoclusters, NCs), and successfully synthesized and characterized three novel bcc metal NCs AuI(S-Adm), AuS(S-Adm), and AuIS(S-Adm) (S-Adm: 1-adamantanethiolate).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The identification of effective tumor markers is of paramount importance for the early diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The present study endeavors to identify efficacious serological markers that can differentiate patients with early-stage ESCC from those with benign esophageal lesions and healthy controls (HC). Cystatin-SN (CST1), an active cysteine protease inhibitor belonging to the Cystatin (CST) superfamily, is implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammation and tumorigenesis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * Of these NRSs, 29.7% were new discoveries, with 38.7% shared among five populations and 35.6% unique to specific ones, revealing a rich diversity in human genetics.
  • * The findings linked several NRSs to gene expression and potential health issues, such as metabolism and type 2 diabetes, enhancing our understanding of genetic variation and its implications for future research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Atomically precise doping of metal nanoclusters provides excellent opportunities not only for subtly tailoring their properties but also for in-depth understanding of composition (structure)-property correlation of metal nanoclusters and has attracted increasing interest partly due to its significance for fundamental research and practical applications. Although single and multiple metal atom doping of metal nanoclusters (NCs) has been achieved, sequential single-to-multiple metal atom doping is still a big challenge and has not yet been reported. Herein, by introducing a second ligand, a novel multistep synthesis method was developed, controlled sequential single-to-multiple metal atom doping was successfully achieved for the first time, and three doped NCs AuCd(p-MBT)(PPh), AuCd(p-MBT)(PPh), and [AuCd(p-MBT)] (p-MBTH: -methylbenzenethiol) were obtained, including two novel NCs that were precisely characterized via mass spectrometry, single-crystal X-ray crystallography, and so forth.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study examines the evolutionary shifts from outcrossing to selfing in flowering plants, focusing on the Primula oreodoxa complex.
  • It reveals that these transitions can occur independently in different lineages and that both morphological and genomic changes play a role in this process.
  • The research found that while an older selfing lineage displayed well-defined characteristics of the selfing syndrome, a younger lineage showed parallel development, contradicting expectations that morphological changes would outpace genomic adaptations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Constructing ambient-stable, single-atom-layered metal-based materials with atomic precision and understanding their underlying stability mechanisms are challenging. Here, stable single-atom-layered nanoclusters of Pd were synthesized and precisely characterized through electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. A pseudo-pentalene-like Pd unit was found in the nanocluster, interacting with two syn PPh units through nonmetal-to-metal -ring coordination.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study compares the Sysmex XN9000 (XN-BF) body fluid module with optical microscopy (OM) for analyzing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples using a two-step cell slide centrifuge (TSCSC).
  • Results showed significant differences in red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts between TSCSC and one-step centrifuge (OSCSC), with excellent correlation between XN-BF and OM in total cell counts.
  • The study concludes that while XN-BF is effective for RBC and WBC counting, detailed morphological analysis (especially for specific cell types) is still necessary in certain medical conditions, and recommends using the TSCSC procedure for better cell separation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Understanding charge transport among metal particles with sizes of approximately 1 nm poses a great challenge due to the ultrasmall nanosize, yet it holds great significance in the development of innovative materials as substitutes for traditional semiconductors, which are insulative and unstable in less than ∼10 nm thickness. Herein, atomically precise gold nanoclusters with well-defined compositions and structures were investigated to establish a mathematical relation between conductivity and interparticle distance. This was accomplished using high-pressure in situ resistance characterizations, synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the Murnaghan equation of state.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Metal nanoclusters with precisely modulated structures at the nanoscale give us the opportunity to synthesize and investigate 1D nanomaterials at the atomic level. Herein, it realizes selective 1D growth of building block nanocluster "Au Cd " into three structurally different nanoclusters: "hand-in-hand" (Au Cd ) O, "head-to-head" Au , and "shoulder-to-shoulder" Au . Detailed studies further reveals the growth mechanism and the growth-related tunable properties.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Asparagus bean (Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedialis), a subspecies of V. unguiculata, is a vital legume crop widely cultivated in Asia for its tender pods consumed as vegetables.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lattice tuning at the ≈1 nm scale is fascinating and challenging; for instance, lattice compression at such a minuscule scale has not been observed. The lattice compression might also bring about some unusual properties, which waits to be verified. Through ligand induction, we herein achieve the lattice compression in a ≈1 nm gold nanocluster for the first time, as detected by the single-crystal X-ray crystallography.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We have proposed, for the first time, an OpenCL implementation for the all-electron density-functional perturbation theory (DFPT) calculations in FHI-aims, which can effectively compute all its time-consuming simulation stages, i.e., the real-space integration of the response density, the Poisson solver for the calculation of the electrostatic potential, and the response Hamiltonian matrix, by utilizing various heterogeneous accelerators.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF