Design and optimization of hollow microneedle spacing for three materials using finite element methods.

The main advantages of microneedles are precise drug delivery through human skin, minimal tissue damage and painlessness. We conducted structural analysis and skin puncture studies of hollow microneedles using ANSYS for three materials: Hafnium Dioxide (HfO), Polyglycolic acid (PGA) and Polylactic acid (PLA). Firstly, we selected three lengths, three tip diameters and three base diameters to conduct a L(3) orthogonal experiment.

Collision detection method for anchor digging machine water drilling rig.

Loading water drilling rig on the anchor digging machine can effectively increase the tunneling efficiency. In order to avoid the interference between the water drilling rig and the anchor machine in the working process, it is necessary to calculate the joint variables of the drilling rig accurately. Using the robot kinematics analysis method, the kinematics model of the system is established.

Liver segmentation network based on detail enhancement and multi-scale feature fusion.

Due to the low contrast of abdominal CT (Computer Tomography) images and the similar color and shape of the liver to other organs such as the spleen, stomach, and kidneys, liver segmentation presents significant challenges. Additionally, 2D CT images obtained from different angles (such as sagittal, coronal, and transverse planes) increase the diversity of liver morphology and the complexity of segmentation. To address these issues, this paper proposes a Detail Enhanced Convolution (DE Conv) to improve liver feature learning and thereby enhance liver segmentation performance.

Double layers optimal scheduling of distribution networks and photovoltaic charging and storage station cluster based on leader follower game theory.

The paper addresses the economic operation optimization problem of photovoltaic charging-swapping-storage integrated stations (PCSSIS) in high-penetration distribution networks. It proposes a dual-layer optimization scheduling model for PCSSIS clusters and distribution network systems. Firstly, a master-slave game model is constructed.

Analysis of the interaction mechanism between straw soil rotary tillage blade during rotary tillage process.

In response to the rotary ploughing equipment in the stubble land to implement protective operations, the stubble is large in number and strong in toughness, not easy to crush, resulting in rotary ploughing equipment to produce entanglement and increased resistance to rotary ploughing and other issues. In this study, researchers designed a bionic rotary tillage blade (B-RTB) based on the bionic structural equations of the Marmota claw. A straw-soil complex shear performance test was conducted to investigate the effect of straw on soil shear strength.

Neural network-based aeroelastic system identification for predicting flutter of high flexibility wings.

Flutter is an extremely significant academic topic in both aerodynamics and aircraft design. Since flutter can cause multiple types of phenomena including bifurcation, period doubling, and chaos, it becomes one of the most unpredictable instability phenomena. The complexity of modeling aeroelasticity of high flexibility wings will be substantially simplified by investigating the prospect of system identification techniques to forecast flutter velocity.

Establishing a robust triangulation framework to explore the relationship between hearing loss and Parkinson's disease.

The relationship between hearing loss (HL) and Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unclear. Using individual-level and summary-level data from the UK Biobank and the largest genome-wide association studies, we examined this link through observational, Mendelian randomization and genetic pleiotropy analyses. Among 158,229 participants, PD risk rose with HL severity especially in elder and males, and hearing aids significantly reduced PD risk in males.

Continental drift triggered the Early Permian aridification of North China.

The boundary between wet and arid climate zones in the Tethys Ocean remains challenging to trace, complicating our understanding of global aridification pattern during the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian transition. The North China Block (NCB), situated in the Tethys Ocean, underwent a transition from humid to arid climate during the Early Permian, providing a rare opportunity to trace this climate boundary across this region. Here, we present paleomagnetic evidence indicating that the NCB underwent rapid northward drift between 290 and 281 million years ago.

Enhanced glycolysis-derived lactate promotes microglial activation in Parkinson's disease via histone lactylation.

The switch from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis is crucial for microglial activation. Recent studies highlight that histone lactylation promotes macrophage homeostatic gene expression via transcriptional regulation, but its role in microglia activation in Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that inhibiting glycolysis with 2-deoxy-D-glucose alleviates microgliosis, neuroinflammation and dopaminergic neurons damage by reducing lactate accumulation in PD mice.

Unconventional hexagonal open Prussian blue analog structures.

Prussian blue analogs (PBAs), as a classical kind of microporous materials, have attracted substantial interests considering their well-defined framework structures, unique physicochemical properties and low cost. However, PBAs typically adopt cubic structure that features small pore size and low specific surface area, which greatly limits their practical applications in various fields ranging from gas adsorption/separation to energy conversion/storage and biomedical treatments. Here we report the facile and general synthesis of unconventional hexagonal open PBA structures.

A KIF20A-based thermosensitive hydrogel vaccine effectively potentiates immune checkpoint blockade therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly prevalent malignancy with limited treatment efficacy despite advances in immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. The inherently weak immune responses in HCC necessitate novel strategies to improve anti-tumor immunity and synergize with ICB therapy. Kinesin family member 20A (KIF20A) is a tumor-associated antigen (TAA) overexpressed in HCC, and it could be a promising target for vaccine development.

Fluorine-expedited nitridation of layered perovskite SrTiO for visible-light-driven photocatalytic overall water splitting.

Photocatalytic overall water splitting is a promising approach for a sustainable hydrogen provision using solar energy. For sufficient solar energy utilization, this reaction ought to be operated based on visible-light-active semiconductors, which is very challenging. In this work, an F-expedited nitridation strategy is applied to modify the wide-bandgap semiconductor SrTiO for visible-light-driven photocatalytic overall water splitting.

Triboelectric tactile sensor for pressure and temperature sensing in high-temperature applications.

Skin-like sensors capable of detecting multiple stimuli simultaneously have great potential in cutting-edge human-machine interaction. However, realizing multimodal tactile recognition beyond human tactile perception still faces significant challenges. Here, an extreme environments-adaptive multimodal triboelectric sensor was developed, capable of detecting pressure/temperatures beyond the range of human perception.

Variation in a single allele drives divergent yield responses to elevated CO between rice subspecies.

Rising atmospheric CO generally increases yield of indica rice, one of the two main Asian cultivated rice subspecies, more strongly than japonica rice, the other main subspecies. The molecular mechanisms driving this difference remain unclear, limiting the potential of future rice yield increases through breeding efforts. Here, we show that between-species variation in the DNR1 (DULL NITROGEN RESPONSE1) allele, a regulator of nitrate-use efficiency in rice plants, explains the divergent response to elevated atmospheric CO (eCO) conditions.

3D-printed aberration-free terahertz metalens for ultra-broadband achromatic super-resolution wide-angle imaging with high numerical aperture.

Terahertz (THz) lens constitutes a vital component in the THz system. Metasurfaces-based THz metalenses and classical bulky lenses are severely constrained by chromatic/ spherical aberration and the diffraction limit. Consequently, achromatic super-resolution THz lenses are urgently needed.

Ionizable polymeric micelles (IPMs) for efficient siRNA delivery.

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are widely used for nucleic acid delivery but face challenges like limited targeting and accelerated blood clearance (ABC) effect. We design three ionizable oligomers (IOs) that, with polylactide-polyethylene glycol (PLA-PEG), form a potential siRNA delivery system, named Ionizable Polymeric Micelles (IPMs). The siRNA encapsulated IPMs escape from lysosomes upon cellular uptake, and silence the target gene.

Reductive sulfinylation by nucleophilic chain isomerization of sulfonylpyridinium.

Sulfur-containing units are fundamental components widely found in bioactive compounds, prompting notable efforts toward developing synthetic methodologies for incorporating sulfur functionality into organic precursors. The synthesis of sulfinate esters and sulfinamides has garnered significant interest owing to their immense potential for applications, especially in drug development. However, most existing synthetic protocols suffer from some limitations.

Carbon nitride caught in the act of artificial photosynthesis.

Covalent semiconductors of the carbon nitride family are among the most promising systems to realize "artificial photosynthesis", that is exploiting synthetic materials which use sunlight as an energy source to split water into its elements or converting CO into added value chemicals. However, the role of surface interactions and electronic properties on the reaction mechanism remain still elusive. Here, we use in-situ spectroscopic techniques that enable monitoring surface interactions in carbon nitride under artificial photosynthetic conditions.

Structural basis of human VANGL-PRICKLE interaction.

Planar cell polarity (PCP) is an evolutionarily conserved process for development and morphogenesis in metazoans. The well-organized polarity pattern in cells is established by the asymmetric distribution of two core protein complexes on opposite sides of the cell membrane. The Van Gogh-like (VANGL)-PRICKLE (PK) pair is one of these two key regulators; however, their structural information and detailed functions have been unclear.

Structural insights into the LGR4-RSPO2-ZNRF3 complexes regulating WNT/β-catenin signaling.

WNT/β-catenin signaling plays key roles in development and cancer. ZNRF3/RNF43 modulates Frizzleds through ubiquitination, dampening WNT/β-catenin signaling. Conversely, RSPO1-4 binding to LGR4-6 and ZNRF3/RNF43 enhances WNT/β-catenin signaling.

Heterodyne analysis of high-order partial waves in attosecond photoionization of helium.

Partial wave analysis is key to interpretation of the photoionization of atoms and molecules on the attosecond timescale. Here we propose a heterodyne analysis approach, based on the delay-resolved anisotropy parameters to reveal the role played by high-order partial waves during photoionization. This extends the Reconstruction of Attosecond Beating By Interference of Two-photon Transitions technique into the few-photon regime.

Lignin alkali regulated interfacial polymerization towards ultra-selective and highly permeable nanofiltration membrane.

Thin-film composite polyamide (TFC PA) membranes hold promise for energy-efficient liquid separation, but achieving high permeance and precise separation membrane via a facile approach that is compatible with present manufacturing line remains a great challenge. Herein, we demonstrate the use of lignin alkali (LA) derived from waste of paper pulp as an aqueous phase additive to regulate interfacial polymerization (IP) process for achieving high performance nanofiltration (NF) membrane. Various characterizations and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that LA can promote the diffusion and partition of aqueous phase monomer piperazine (PIP) molecules into organic phase and their uniform dispersion on substrate, accelerating the IP reaction and promoting greater interfacial instabilities, thus endowing formation of TFC NF membrane with an ultrathin, highly cross-linked, and crumpled PA layer.

Skillful seasonal predictions of continental East-Asian summer rainfall by integrating its spatio-temporal evolution.

Skillful seasonal climate prediction is critical for food and water security over the world's heavily populated regions, such as in continental East Asia. Current models, however, face significant difficulties in predicting the summer mean rainfall anomaly over continental East Asia, and forecasting rainfall spatiotemporal evolution presents an even greater challenge. Here, we benefit from integrating the spatiotemporal evolution of rainfall to identify the most crucial patterns intrinsic to continental East-Asian rainfall anomalies.

Mechanistic evaluation of enhanced graphene toxicity to Bacillus induced by humic acid adsorption.

The extensive application of graphene nanosheets (GNSs) has raised concerns over risks to sensitive species in the aquatic environment. The humic acid (HA) corona is traditionally considered to reduce GNSs toxicity. Here, we evaluate the effect of sorbed HA (GNSs-HA) on the toxicity of GNSs to Gram positive Bacillus tropicus.