Bias intervention messaging in student evaluations of teaching: The role of gendered perceptions of bias.

Many studies have documented discrepancies in student evaluation of teaching ratings between male and female instructors and between ethnic majority and minority instructors. Given the importance of such ratings to academic careers and the likelihood of potential intergroup bias, it is crucial that institutions consider approaches to mitigate such biases. Several recent studies have found that simple bias mitigation messaging can be effective in reducing gender and other biases. In the present research, students enrolled in several large Faculty of Science undergraduate courses at an Australian university were recruited on a volunteer basis via the course learning management system. Half of the participants were randomly assigned an intervention message highlighting potential biases relating to gender and language background. Data from 185 respondents were analysed using Bayesian ordinal regression models assessing the impact of message exposure on evaluation scores. Reading a bias intervention message caused students to significantly adjust their scores, with the nature of that change dependent on student and instructor characteristics. Among male students, the bias intervention message significantly increased scores for all except male instructors with English speaking backgrounds, for whom there was no significant impact of the message. In contrast, among female students, the bias intervention message significantly decreased scores for male instructors with English speaking backgrounds only. The sample showed an overall decrease in scores in the intervention group relative to the control group. This is the first study to detect a negative impact of bias intervention messaging on SET scores. Our results suggest students may not acknowledge their own potential bias towards instructors with whom they share similar demographic backgrounds. In conclusion, bias intervention messaging may be a simple method of mitigating bias, but it may lead to consequences in which one or more groups receive lower ratings as a result of the correction.

Botanical characterization, phytochemistry, biosynthesis, pharmacology clinical application, and breeding techniques of the Chinese herbal medicine Fritillaria unibracteata.

Fritillaria unibracteata (FRU) belongs to the genus Fritillaria of the Liliaceae family. It is one of the original plants of the Chinese medicinal material "Chuanbeimu" and also a biological resource featured in the Tibetan Plateau of China. The dried bulbs of FRU are used in traditional Chinese medicine. The chemical constituents of FRU that have been isolated and identified include alkaloids, sterols, organic acids and their esters, nucleosides and volatile oils. FRU has antitussive, expectorant, anti-asthmatic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, acute lung injury-reducing, antifibrosis, antitumor, and other pharmacological effects. This valuable plant has an extremely high market demand, and over the years, due to over-exploitation, FRU has now been listed as a key species that is endangered and scarcely cultivated in China as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. However, research on FRU is rare, and its effective components, resource control, and mechanisms of action need further study. This review systematically discusses the herbal characteristics, resource distribution, chemical composition, biosynthesis, pharmacological effects, clinical application, and breeding techniques of FRU, hoping to provide a reference for further research and the use of FRU.

Orchestrating NK and T cells via tri-specific nano-antibodies for synergistic antitumor immunity.

The functions of natural killer (NK) and T cells in innate and adaptive immunity, as well as their functions in tumor eradication, are complementary and intertwined. Here we show that utilization of multi-specific antibodies or nano-antibodies capable of simultaneously targeting both NK and T cells could be a valuable approach in cancer immunotherapy. Here, we introduce a tri-specific Nano-Antibody (Tri-NAb), generated by immobilizing three types of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), using an optimized albumin/polyester composite nanoparticle conjugated with anti-Fc antibody. This Tri-NAb, targeting PDL1, 4-1BB, and NKG2A (or TIGIT) simultaneously, effectively binds to NK and CD8+ T cells, triggering their activation and proliferation, while facilitating their interaction with tumor cells, thereby inducing efficient tumor killing. Importantly, the antitumor efficacy of Tri-NAb is validated in multiple models, including patient-derived tumor organoids and humanized mice, highlighting the translational potential of NK and T cell co-targeting.

Brozopine ameliorates cognitive impairment via upregulating Nrf2, antioxidation and anti-inflammation activities.

Oxidative stress and inflammation are crucial factors contributing to the occurrence and development of vascular dementia (VD). In a previous study, we demonstrated that brozopine (BZP) is an anti-ischemic drug. In this study, a model of VD in rats with modified permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (2-VO) was established in vivo, a model of cellular excitotoxicity/oxidative stress was established via L-glutamate-induced PC12 cell injury, a model of neuroinflammation was established in LPS-induced BV2 cells in vitro, and the ameliorative effect of BZP on cognitive impairment was assessed. BZP treatment improved memory deficit in VD rats through inhibiting Ca2+overload and the levels of oxidative stress, ferroptosis, and inflammatory markers (IL-1ß, IL-6, and COX-2) in different brain regions. Additionally, we found that the levels of inflammatory markers in the plasma were also reduced in the VD rats. BZP was further found to have antioxidative stress, antiferroptosis (ferroptosis markers: GPX4, P53, and ACSL4), and antineuroinflammatory effects in PC12 and BV2 cells. Its mechanisms of action were found to be related to the activation of the Nrf2/TLR4/NF-κB pathway; the protective effect of BZP was partially inhibited after using Nrf2-specific inhibitors. Thus, BZP has therapeutic properties for the potential mitigation of cognitive impairment.

Thermal control over phosphorescence or thermally activated delayed fluorescence in a metal-organic framework.

By integrating a tailor-made donor-acceptor (D-A) ligand in a metal-organic framework (MOF), a material with unprecedented features emerges. The ligand combines a pair of cyano groups as acceptors with four sulfanylphenyls as donors, which expose each a carboxylic acid as coordination sites. Upon treatment with zinc nitrate in a solvothermal synthesis, the MOF is obtained. The new material combines temperature-assisted reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) and intersystem crossing (ISC). As these two mechanisms are active in different temperature windows, thermal switching between their characteristic emission wavelengths is observed for this material. The two mechanisms can be activated by both, one-photon absorption (OPA) and two-photon absorption (TPA) resulting in a large excitement window ranging from ultraviolet (UV) over visible light (VL) to near infrared (NIR). Furthermore, the emission features of the material are pH sensitive, such that its application potential is demonstrated in a first ammonia sensor.

Anion Modulation of Ag-Imidazole Cuboctahedral Cage Microenvironments for Efficient Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction.

How to achieve CO2 electroreduction in high efficiency is a current challenge with the mechanism not well understood yet. The metal-organic cages with multiple metal sites, tunable active centers, and well-defined microenvironments may provide a promising catalyst model. Here, we report self-assembly of Ag4L4 type cuboctahedral cages from coordination dynamic Ag+ ion and triangular imidazolyl ligand 1,3,5-tris(1-benzylbenzimidazol-2-yl) benzene (Ag-MOC-X, X=NO3, ClO4, BF4) via anion template effect. Notably, Ag-MOC-NO3 achieves the highest CO faradaic efficiency in pH-universal electrolytes of 86.1 % (acidic), 94.1 % (neutral) and 95.3 % (alkaline), much higher than those of Ag-MOC-ClO4 and Ag-MOC-BF4 with just different counter anions. In situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy observes formation of vital intermediate *COOH for CO2-to-CO conversion. The density functional theory calculations suggest that the adsorption of CO2 on unsaturated Ag-site is stabilized by C-H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen-bonding of CO2 in a microenvironment surrounded by three benzimidazole rings, and the activation of CO2 is dependent on the coordination dynamics of Ag-centers modulated by the hosted anions through Ag⋅⋅⋅X interactions. This work offers a supramolecular electrocatalytic strategy based on Ag-coordination geometry and host-guest interaction regulation of MOCs as high-efficient electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction to CO which is a key intermediate in chemical industry process.

Multi-medium residues and ecological risk of herbicides in a typical agricultural watershed of the Mollisols region, Northeast China.

The widespread use of herbicides impacts non-target organisms, promotes weed resistance, posing a serious threat to the global goal of green production in agriculture. Although the herbicide residues have been widely reported in individual environmental medium, their presence across different media has received scant attention, particularly in Mollisols regions with intensive agricultural application of herbicides. A systematic investigation was conducted in this study to clarify the occurrence of herbicide residues in soil, surface water, sediments, and grains from a typical agricultural watershed in the Mollisols region of Northeast China. Concentrations of studied herbicides ranged from 0.30 to 463.49 µg/kg in soil, 0.31-29.73 µg/kg in sediments, 0.006-1.157 µg/L in water, and 0.32-2.83 µg/kg in grains. Among these, Clomazone was the most priority herbicide detected in soil, sediments, and water, and Pendimethalin in grains. Crop types significantly affected the residue levels of herbicides in grains. Clomazone posed high ecological risks in soil and water, with 86.4 % of water samples showing high risks from herbicide mixtures (RQ > 1). These findings aid in enhancing our comprehension of the pervasive occurrence and potential ecological risks of herbicides in different media within typical agricultural watersheds, providing detailed data to inform the development of targeted mitigation strategies.

Review of Vision-Based Environmental Perception for Lower-Limb Exoskeleton Robots.

The exoskeleton robot is a wearable electromechanical device inspired by animal exoskeletons. It combines technologies such as sensing, control, information, and mobile computing, enhancing human physical abilities and assisting in rehabilitation training. In recent years, with the development of visual sensors and deep learning, the environmental perception of exoskeletons has drawn widespread attention in the industry. Environmental perception can provide exoskeletons with a certain level of autonomous perception and decision-making ability, enhance their stability and safety in complex environments, and improve the human-machine-environment interaction loop. This paper provides a review of environmental perception and its related technologies of lower-limb exoskeleton robots. First, we briefly introduce the visual sensors and control system. Second, we analyze and summarize the key technologies of environmental perception, including related datasets, detection of critical terrains, and environment-oriented adaptive gait planning. Finally, we analyze the current factors limiting the development of exoskeleton environmental perception and propose future directions.

Preparation of gelatin-chitosan bilayer film loaded citral nanoemulsion as pH and enzyme stimuli-responsive antibacterial material for food packaging.

The responsive release of enzymes, pH, temperature, light and other stimuli is an effective means to reduce the loss of volatile active substances and control the release of active ingredients. The purpose of this study is to design a simple and rapid method to synthesize a multifunctional bilayer membrane, which has good mechanical properties, long-lasting pH and enzyme dual sensitive sustained release properties, and excellent antibacterial activity. The citral nanoemulsion was prepared by ultrasonic method, then the chitosan solution loaded with nanoemulsion was assembled on the gelatin film, and the uniform and smooth gelatin-chitosan bilayer film was successfully prepared. Compared with the control group, the bilayer film loaded with nanoemulsion showed better barrier performance, mechanical properties and antibacterial activity.

Research progress in cardiotoxicity of organophosphate esters.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) have been extensively utilized worldwide as a substitution for brominated flame retardants. With an increased awareness of the need for environmental protection, the potential health risks and ecological hazards of OPEs have attracted widespread attention. As the dynamic organ of the circulatory system, the heart plays a significant role in maintaining normal life activities. Currently, there is a lack of systematic appraisal of the cardiotoxicity of OPEs. This article summarized the effects of OPEs on the morphological structure and physiological functions of the heart. It is found that these chemicals can lead to pericardial edema, abnormal looping, and thinning of atrioventricular walls in the heart, accompanied by alterations in heart rate, with toxic effects varying by the OPE type. These effects are primarily associated with the activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress response, the perturbation of cytoplasmic and intranuclear signal transduction pathways in cardiomyocytes. This paper provides a theoretical basis for further understanding of the toxic effects of OPEs and contributes to environmental protection and OPEs' ecological risk assessment.

Progress in nanoparticle-based regulation of immune cells.

Immune cells are indispensable defenders of the human body, clearing exogenous pathogens and toxicities or endogenous malignant and aging cells. Immune cell dysfunction can cause an inability to recognize, react, and remove these hazards, resulting in cancers, inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases, and infections. Immune cells regulation has shown great promise in treating disease, and immune agonists are usually used to treat cancers and infections caused by immune suppression. In contrast, immunosuppressants are used to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, the key to maintaining health is to restore balance to the immune system, as excessive activation or inhibition of immune cells is a common complication of immunotherapy. Nanoparticles are efficient drug delivery systems widely used to deliver small molecule inhibitors, nucleic acid, and proteins. Using nanoparticles for the targeted delivery of drugs to immune cells provides opportunities to regulate immune cell function. In this review, we summarize the current progress of nanoparticle-based strategies for regulating immune function and discuss the prospects of future nanoparticle design to improve immunotherapy.

Synergistic Modulation of Electronic Interaction to Enhance Intrinsic Activity and Conductivity of Fe-Co-Ni Hydroxide Nanotube for Highly Efficient Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalyst.

The large-scale hydrogen production and application through electrocatalytic water splitting depends crucially on the development of highly efficient, cost-effective electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which, however, remains challenging. Here, a new electrocatalyst of trimetallic Fe-Co-Ni hydroxide (denoted as FeCoNiOx Hy ) with a nanotubular structure is developed through an enhanced Kirkendall process under applied potential. The FeCoNiOx Hy features synergistic electronic interaction between Fe, Co, and Ni, which not only notably increases the intrinsic OER activity of FeCoNiOx Hy by facilitating the formation of *OOH intermediate, but also substantially improves the intrinsic conductivity of FeCoNiOx Hy to facilitate charge transfer and activate catalytic sites through electrocatalyst by promoting the formation of abundant Co3+ . Therefore, FeCoNiOx Hy delivers remarkably accelerated OER kinetics and superior apparent activity, indicated by an ultra-low overpotential potential of 257 mV at a high current density of 200 mA cm-2 . This work is of fundamental and practical significance for synergistic catalysis related to advanced energy conversion materials and technologies.

A Fast Design Method of Anisotropic Dielectric Lens for Vortex Electromagnetic Wave Based on Deep Learning.

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) has made it possible to regulate classical waves in novel ways, which is more energy- or information-efficient than conventional plane wave technology. This work aims to realize the transition of antenna radiation mode through the rapid design of an anisotropic dielectric lens. The deep learning neural network (DNN) is used to train the electromagnetic properties of dielectric cell structures. Nine variable parameters for changing the dielectric unit structure are present in the input layer of the DNN network. The trained network can predict the transmission phase of the unit cell structure with greater than 98% accuracy within a specific range. Then, to build the corresponding relationship between the phase and the parameters, the gray wolf optimization algorithm is applied. In less than 0.3 s, the trained network can predict the transmission coefficients of the 31 × 31 unit structure in the arrays with great accuracy. Finally, we provide two examples of neural network-based rapid anisotropic dielectric lens design. Dielectric lenses produce the OAM modes +1, -1, and -1, +2 under TE and TM wave irradiation, respectively. This approach resolves the difficult phase matching and time-consuming design issues associated with producing a dielectric lens.

Apatinib plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone as neoadjuvant therapy in locally advanced gastric carcinoma patients: a prospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Apatinib, a small molecule targeting VEGFR2, is commonly used for advanced gastric cancer treatment. This prospective cohort study further investigated the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant apatinib plus chemotherapy in locally advanced gastric carcinoma patients. METHODS: Ninety-six locally advanced gastric carcinoma patients were divided into the apatinib plus chemotherapy group (N = 45) and chemotherapy group (N = 51) according to their chosen treatment. Apatinib was administered (375 mg/day), and S-1 plus oxaliplatin (SOX) or oxaliplatin plus capecitabine (CapOx) was given as chemotherapy, for 3 cycles with 3 weeks a cycle before surgery. RESULTS: The objective response rate (62.2% vs. 37.3%, P = 0.015) and pathological response grade (P = 0.011) were better; meanwhile, the tumor-resection rate (95.6% vs. 84.3%, P = 0.143) and pathological complete response rate (23.3% vs. 9.3%, P = 0.080) exhibited increasing trends (without statistical significance) in the apatinib plus chemotherapy group compared with the chemotherapy group. Additionally, the apatinib plus chemotherapy group achieved prolonged disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.019) and overall survival (OS) (P = 0.047) compared with the chemotherapy group. After adjusted by multivariate Cox's regression analysis, neoadjuvant apatinib plus chemotherapy was still superior to chemotherapy regarding DFS (hazard ratio (HR): 0.277, P = 0.014) and OS (HR: 0.316, P = 0.038). Notably, the incidences of adverse events between the two groups were not different (P > 0.050). Moreover, the most common adverse events of neoadjuvant apatinib plus chemotherapy were leukopenia (42.2%), fatigue (37.8%), hypertension (37.8%), and anemia (31.1%). CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant apatinib plus chemotherapy realizes better clinical response, pathological response, survival profile, and non-inferior safety profile compared to chemotherapy in locally advanced gastric carcinoma.

Probabilistic projections of El Niño Southern Oscillation properties accounting for model dependence and skill.

The El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a dominant mode of global climate variability. Nevertheless, future multi-model probabilistic projections of ENSO properties have not yet been made. Main roadblocks that have been hindering making these projections are climate model dependence and difficulty in quantifying historical model performance. Dependence is broadly defined as similarity between climate model output, assumptions, or physical parameterizations. Here, we propose a unifying metric of relative model performance, based on the probability density function (PDF) of ENSO paths. This metric is applied to assess the overall skill of Climate Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) climate models at capturing ENSO. We then perform future multi-model probabilistic projections of changes in ENSO properties (from years 1850-1949 to 2040-2099) under the shared socioeconomic pathway scenario SSP585, accounting for model skill and dependence. We find that future ENSO will likely be more seasonally locked (89% chance), and have a longer period (67% chance). Yet, the jury is still out on future ENSO amplification. Our method reduces uncertainty by up to 37% compared to a simple approach ignoring model dependence and skill.

[Characteristics of Heavy Metal Pollution in Farmland Soil of the Yangtze River Economic Belt Based on Bibliometric Analysis].

The Yangtze River Economic Belt is one of the major strategic development regions in China. It is of great significance to clarify the characteristics and sources of heavy metal pollution in farmland soil of the Yangtze River Economic Belt for the prevention and control of heavy metal pollution and to ensure safe agricultural production. After collecting extensive literature data, we analyzed the pollution characteristics, environmental risk, and potential sources of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Hg, As, Pb, Cu, Zn, and Ni) in farmland soil of the Yangtze River Economic Belt through the integrated use of spatial and geo-accumulation index analyses. The results showed that:① the proportion of soil samples exceeding the risk screening values for soil contamination of agricultural land of Cd, Cu, Pb, Hg, Zn, and As were 39.8%, 18.5%, 8.3%, 6.9%, 6.9%, and 6.4%, respectively. Compared with the risk standard, soil Cd had the highest rate of exceeding the standard. ② The contents of Cr, Cu, Zn, and Ni in the upper reaches were higher than those in the middle and lower reaches, and the contents of Cd, As, and Pb in the middle reaches were higher than those in the upper and lower reaches. ③ The results of the geo-accumulation index analysis showed that the contamination degree of the eight heavy metals decreased in the order of Cd(0.42)>Hg(-0.28)>Pb(-0.32)>Zn(-0.39)>Cu(-0.42)>Cr(-0.7)>As(-0.81)>Ni(-0.73), where the accumulation risk of soil Cd and Hg was relatively higher. ④ Higher environmental background and mining activities were the main factors affecting the accumulation of heavy metals in soils in the upper and middle reaches. By contrast, rapid urbanization, industrial production, and intensive agricultural activities were the main factors affecting the heavy metal accumulation in soils in the middle and lower reaches. In view of the current status and control needs of heavy metal pollution in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, it is recommended to strengthen source prevention and control and to also carry out hierarchical control and regional classification management of heavy metal pollution in farmland soils according to the degree of heavy metal pollution, geological background, and quality of agricultural products. The ultimate objective of this research was to archive the farmland soil environmental quality safety and agricultural green sustainable production in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Engineering Single-Atom Sites into Pore-Confined Nanospaces of Porphyrinic Metal-Organic Frameworks for the Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

As a type of heterogeneous catalyst expected for the maximum atom efficiency, a series of single-atom catalysts (SACs) containing spatially isolated metal single atoms (M-SAs) have been successfully prepared by confining M-SAs in the pore-nanospaces of porphyrinic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The prepared MOF composites of M-SAs@Pd-PCN-222-NH2 (M = Pt, Ir, Au, and Ru) display exceptionally high and persistent efficiency in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction with a turnover number (TON) of up to 21713 in 32 h and a beginning/lasting turnover frequency (TOF) larger than 1200/600 h-1 based on M-SAs under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm). The photo-/electrochemical property studies and density functional theory calculations disclose that the close proximity of the catalytically active Pt-SAs to the Pd-porphyrin photosensitizers with the confinement and stabilization effect by chemical binding could accelerate electron-hole separation and charge transfer in pore-nanospaces, thus promoting the catalytic H2 evolution reaction with lasting effectiveness.

MIL-101-Cr/Fe/Fe-NH2 for Efficient Separation of CH4 and C3H8 from Simulated Natural Gas.

Adsorptive separation based on porous solid adsorbents has emerged as an excellent effective alternative to energy-intensive conventional separation methods in a low energy cost and high working capacity manner. However, there are few stable mesoporous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for efficient purification of methane from other light hydrocarbons in natural gas. Herein, we report a series of stable mesoporous MOFs, MIL-101-Cr/Fe/Fe-NH2, for efficient separation of CH4 and C3H8 from a ternary mixture CH4/C2H6/C3H8. Experimental results show that all three MOFs possess excellent thermal, acid/basic, and hydrothermal stability. Single-component adsorption suggested that they have high C3H8 adsorption capacity and commendable selectivity for C3H8 and C2H6 over CH4. Transient breakthrough experiments further certified the ability of direct separation of CH4 from simulated natural gas and indirect recovery of C3H8 from the packing column. Theoretical calculations illustrated that the van der Waals force proportional to the molecular weight is the key factor and that the structural integrity and defect can impact separation performances.