Synergistic Effect of Boron Doping and Porous Structures on Titanium Dioxide for Efficient Photocatalytic Nitrate Reduction to Nitrogen in Pure Water.

Photocatalytic reduction of nitrate to N holds great significance for environmental governance. However, the selectivity of nitrate reduction to N is influenced by sacrificial agents and the kinds of cocatalysts (such as Pt and Ag). The presence of unconsumed sacrificial agents can aggravate environmental pollution, while noble metal-based cocatalysts increase application costs.

Immersion Phase-Change Liquid Cooling Devices Based on Copper Microgroove/Nanocone Composite Structure.

Along with the rapid development of the digital economy and artificial intelligence, heat sinks available for immersion phase-change liquid cooling (IPCLC) of chips are facing huge challenges. Here, we design a high-performance IPCLC heat sink based on a copper microgroove/nanocone (MGNC) composite structure. Maximal heat fluxes () of the MGNC structure, microgroove structure, and flat copper reach 112.

Rare-earth oxide promoted Pd electrocatalyst for formic acid oxidation.

The development of Pd-based materials with high activity and long-term stability is crucial for their practical applications as an anode catalyst in direct formic acid fuel cells. Herein, we reveal that the catalytic activity of Pd towards formic acid oxidation can be enhanced by incorporation of a series of rare-earth oxides, including ScO, CeO, LaO, and PrO. For example, Pd nanoparticles incorporated with ScO supported on nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (Pd-ScO/N-rGO-, = 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1, and 3/2; "" denotes the molar ratio of Pd : Sc) can be obtained using a sodium borohydride reduction method.

Piezo-Capacitive Flexible Pressure Sensor with Magnetically Self-Assembled Microneedle Array.

Flexible pressure sensors are pivotal in advancing artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), and wearable technologies. While microstructuring the functional layer of these sensors effectively enhances their performance, current fabrication methods often require complex equipment and time-consuming processes. Herein, we present a novel magnetization-induced self-assembly method to develop a magnetically grown microneedle array as a dielectric layer for flexible capacitive pressure sensors.

Palladium-Catalyzed Alkoxycarbonylation of Alcohols for the Synthesis of Cyclobutanecarboxylates with α-Quaternary Carbon Centers.

A palladium-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation with two different alcohols for the synthesis of cyclobutanecarboxylates bearing an α-quaternary carbon center is presented. The reaction utilizes readily accessible starting materials, tolerates a broad scope of functional groups, and provides a straightforward and efficient approach for the synthesis of a diverse array of cyclobutanecarboxylates bearing an α-quaternary carbon. Meanwhile, this strategy effectively prevents the transition-metal-catalyzed ring-opening of cyclobutanols, preserves the cyclobutane framework, and affords 1,1-disubstituted cyclobutanecarboxylates in high yields with excellent regioisomeric ratios.

Design of ROS-Triggered Sesquiterpene Lactone SC Prodrugs as TrxR1 Covalent Inhibitors for the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1) is an important therapeutic target for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment due to its overexpression in NSCLC cells. In this work, to address the deficiency that sesquiterpene lactone containing α-methylene-γ-lactone moiety was rapidly metabolized by endogenous nucleophiles, series of novel thioether derivatives were designed and synthesized based on a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-triggered prodrug strategy. Among them, prodrug exhibited potent cytotoxicity against NSCLC cells and better release rates in response to ROS.

Controlled Self-assembly of Nanographdiynes Mediated by Molecular Dipoles Induced by Rotatory Asymmetric Substituents.

The discrete π- stacks of specific lengths and orientation is crucial for understanding the impact of intermolecular interactions on optical or electronic properties of nanographdiynes. We designed and synthesized nanographdiynes modified with bulky rotatable asymmetric substituents. The peripheral substituents with different push-pull electronic properties can induce molecular dipoles perpendicular to nanoGDY π surface with different orientation.

Facilitated Channeling of Fixed Carbon and Energy into Chemicals in Artificial Phototrophic Communities.

Light-driven CO biovalorization offers a promising route for coupling carbon mitigation with petrochemical replacement. Synthetic phototrophic communities that mimic lichens can reduce the metabolic burden with improved CO utilization. However, inefficient channeling of carbon and energy between species seriously hinders the collaborative CO-to-molecule route.

Dynamic Force Sensing for Continuous Scraping Towards Endometrium Repair Surgery.

Background: A surgical robot with force feedback can guarantee precise and gentle manipulation for endometrial repair, ensuring the effectiveness and safety of the manipulation. However, the design of force sensors for surgical robots is challenging due to the limited anatomical space and the requirement for continuous rotation.

Methods: This paper presents a novel force-sensing surgical instrument for endometrial repair, including an inner scraping instrument and an outer force sensing sheath.

Nanoencapsulated Optical Fiber-Based PEC Microelectrode: Highly Sensitive and Specific Detection of NT-proBNP and Its Implantable Performance.

Microelectrodes offer exceptional sensitivity, rapid response, and versatility, making them ideal for real-time detection and monitoring applications. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensors have shown great value in many fields due to their high sensitivity, fast response, and ease of operation. Nevertheless, conventional PEC sensing relies on cumbersome external light sources and bulky electrodes, hindering its miniaturization and implantation, thereby limiting its application in real-time disease monitoring.

Axially Chiral TADF Imidazolium Salts for Circularly Polarized Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells.

A pair of axially chiral thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) enantiomers, R-TCBN-ImEtPF6 and S-TCBN-ImEtPF6, with intrinsic ionic characteristics were efficiently synthesized by introducing imidazolium hexafluorophosphate to chiral TADF unit. The TADF imidazolium salts exhibited a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of up to 92%, a small singlet-triplet energy gap (∆EST) of 0.04 eV, as well as reversible redox properties.

HIV-1 and BLV are insensitive to SERINC5 restriction under the cell-cell infection.

ine orporator 5 (INC5, SER5) suppresses viral cell-free infection. However, its antiviral potency under viral cell-cell infection is not examined yet. Here, we established the cell-cell infection systems to assess SER5's antiviral activity on HIV-1 and bovine leukemia virus (BLV).

High-Viability Circulating Tumor Cells Sorting From Whole Blood at Single Cell Level Using Laser-Induced Forward Transfer-Assisted Microfiltration.

The efficient isolation and molecular analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from whole blood at single-cell level are crucial for understanding tumor metastasis and developing personalized treatments. The viability of isolated cells is the key prerequisite for the downstream molecular analysis, especially for RNA sequencing. This study develops a laser-induced forward transfer -assisted microfiltration system (LIFT-AMFS) for high-viability CTC enrichment and retrieval from whole blood.

Continuous Blood Gas Control Based on Active Disturbance Rejection Control During Ex Vivo Porcine Liver Perfusion.

Background: Membrane oxygenators facilitate extracorporeal gas exchange, necessitating the monitoring of blood gas. Recent advances in normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) for ex vivo liver offer solutions to the shortage of donor liver. However, maintaining physiological blood gas levels during prolonged NMP is complex and costly.

A locally administered single-cycle influenza vaccine expressing a non-fusogenic stabilized hemagglutinin stimulates strong T-cell and neutralizing antibody immunity.

Unlabelled: Current influenza vaccination approaches protect against specific viral strains, but do not consistently induce broad and long-lasting protection to the diversity of circulating influenza viruses. Single-cycle viruses delivered to the respiratory tract may offer a promising solution as they safely express a diverse array of viral antigens by undergoing just one round of cell infection in their host and stimulate broadly protective resident memory T-cell responses in the lung. We have previously developed a vaccine candidate called S-FLU, which is limited to a single cycle of infection by inactivation of the hemagglutinin signal sequence and induces a broadly cross-reactive T-cell response and antibodies to neuraminidase, but fails to induce neutralizing antibodies to hemagglutinin after intranasal administration.

Complete genome sequence of , the causal agent of goldthread anthracnose disease.

The complete genome sequence of , a goldthread anthracnose pathogen, was sequenced using PacBio Revio and MGI DNBSEQ-T7 PE150. It contains 10 chromosomes, 5 mini chromosomes, a circular mitochondrial chromosome, and 13,129 genes predicted with RNA-Seq data in a 52.13-Mb genome with an of 5.

Low Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA5248, XBB15 and JN1 by Homologous Booster and Breakthrough Infection.

Immunity against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be induced through either infection with the virus or vaccination, providing protection against reinfection or reducing the risk of severe clinical outcomes. In this study, we recruited 172 volunteers who received different vaccination regimens, including 124 individuals who had recovered from breakthrough infections caused by the Omicron variant (27 with 2 doses, 49 with 3 doses, and 48 with 4 doses) and 48 healthy donors who did not experience breakthrough infections (all of whom received a fourth dose during the infection wave). We measured neutralizing antibody levels against Omicron BA.

MYRF Variants in Patients With 46,XY Differences/Disorders of Sex Development and Literature Review.

46,XY differences/disorders of sex development (DSD) are genetically heterogeneous conditions characterized by atypical development of the reproductive system. MYRF, a gene encoding a transcription factor, has been identified as a potential causative gene for DSD and cardiac urogenital syndrome (CUGS). This study aims to delineate the clinical manifestations of patients with 46,XY DSD and MYRF mutations, encompassing both from our cohort and cases reported in the literature.

Synthesis of Telechelic Isotactic Polypropylenes for Circular Polypropylene-like Materials via Chain Transfer Polymerization.

While synthesizing circular polymers with telechelic polyolefin building blocks recently emerged as a promising strategy for addressing conventional polyethylenes' sustainability challenges, the lack of telechelic PP (PP) with sufficient difunctional purity for polycondensation has been limiting the development of circular polypropylenes with PP-like structures and properties. Here we described a combined approach of coordinative chain transfer polymerization and transition-metal-catalyzed quenching reaction with various acyl chlorides, affording PPs with a high difunctional ratio (up to ∼99%) and broad end functional group scope. The steric effect of polymeryl-Zn species and the role of Pd catalyst were revealed by DFT.

Bimetallic Sulfides CrVS with Loosely Packed Structure: Exploring the Boundary of Conversion and Intercalation Sodium-Ion Storage Mechanism.

Metal sulfide electrodes for sodium-ion batteries face trade-offs among high capacity, fast kinetics, and stability. The challenge lies in breaking and restoring metal-sulfur bonds and allowing rapid ionic transport. Here we explore the boundary of conversion- and intercalation-type metal sulfides to develop ideal sodium-ion storage materials.

Family Functioning, Life Satisfaction, and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adults With Diabetes and Hypertension: A Cross-Lagged Model.

This study aims to evaluate the bidirectional relationship between family functioning and depressive symptoms, considering life satisfaction as a potential mediator and gender, age and income as a moderator of these associations. A longitudinal study was conducted with 708 Chinese adults with diabetes and hypertension (51.6% women; mean age: 64.

Deciphering the biosynthetic pathway of triterpene saponins in Prunella vulgaris.

The traditional Chinese medicinal plant Prunella vulgaris contains numerous triterpene saponin metabolites, notably ursolic and oleanolic acid saponins, which have significant pharmacological values. Despite their importance, the genes responsible for synthesizing these triterpene saponins in P. vulgaris remain unidentified.

Bioinspired Superwettability Surface Strategies for Condensation Heat Transfer.

Along with the development of miniaturization, integration, and high power of electronic chips in the 5G and artificial intelligence era and their urgent need for technologies enabled to solve high heat flux dissipation in limited space, investigating bioinspired extreme superwettability surfaces with high-efficiency condensation heat transfer (CHT) performance has attracted great interest in academic and industrial communities. Compared with filmwise condensation of flat hydrophilic surfaces featured with continuous liquid films, dropwise condensation of flat hydrophobic surfaces is a more efficient type of energy transport way. However, discrete condensate drops can only shed off the hydrophobic flat surfaces under gravity until their sizes reach the capillary length of liquid, e.

Association of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Nocturnal Hypoxemia With the Circadian Rhythm of Myocardial Infarction.

Background: The circadian rhythm of myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remains disputable and no studies have directly evaluated the relationship between nocturnal hypoxemia and the circadian rhythm of MI. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the association of OSA and nocturnal hypoxemia with MI onset during the night.

Methods: Patients with MI in the OSA-acute coronary syndrome (ACS) project (NCT03362385) were recruited.

Increase in IAA levels by EPSPS copy number variation relates to fitness advantage in Eleusine indica.

Background: Long-term use of chemical weed control has led to some weedy species evolving herbicide resistance traits with fitness advantage. Our previous studies revealed glyphosate resistance in an Eleusine indica population due to copy number variation of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) comes with fitness advantage under non-competitive conditions. Here, transcriptomics and targeted metabolomics were used to investigate physiological basis associated with the fitness advantage.