Returners and explorers dichotomy in the face of natural hazards.

Understanding human mobility patterns amid natural hazards is crucial for enhancing urban emergency responses and rescue operations. Existing research on human mobility has delineated two primary types of individuals: returners, who exhibit a tendency to frequent a limited number of locations, and explorers, characterized by a more diverse range of movement across various places. Yet, whether this mobility dichotomy endures in the context of natural hazards remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining anonymized high-resolution mobile phone location data from Lee County, Florida residents, aiming to unravel the dynamics of these distinct mobility groups throughout different phases of Hurricane Ian. The results indicate that returners and explorers maintained their distinct mobility characteristics even during the hurricane, showing increased separability. Before the hurricane, returners favored shorter trips, while explorers embarked on longer journeys, a trend that continued during the hurricane. However, the hurricane heightened people's inclination to explore, leading to a notable increase in longer-distance travel for both groups, likely influenced by evacuation considerations. Spatially, both groups exhibited an uptick in trips towards the southern regions, away from the hurricane's path, particularly converging on major destinations such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Naples, and West Palm Beach during the hurricane.

A high-performance dual-functional organic upconversion device with detectivity approaching 1013 Jones and photon-to-photon efficiency over 20.

Organic upconversion devices (UCDs) are a cutting-edge technology and hot topic because of their advantages of low cost and convenience in the important applications of near-infrared (NIR) detection and imaging. However, to realize utilization of triplet excitons (T1), previous UCDs have the drawback of heavily relying on toxic and costly heavy-metal-doped emitters. More importantly, due to poor performance of the detecting unit and/or emitting unit, improving their detectivity (D*) and photon-to-photon conversion efficiency (ηp-p) is still a challenge for real applications. Here, we report a high-performance dual-functional purely organic UCD that has an outstanding D* approaching 1013 Jones and a high ηp-p of 20.1% in the NIR region, which are some of the highest values among those reported for UCDs. The high performance is credited to the excellent D* of the detecting unit, exceeding 1014 Jones, and is also attributed to efficient T1 utilization via a dual reverse intersystem crossing channel and high optical out coupling achieved via a high horizontal dipole ratio in the emitting unit. The high D* and ηp-p enable the UCD to detect 850 nm light at as little as 0.29 µW cm-2 and with a high display contrast of over 70 000 : 1, significantly improving the potential of practical applications of UCDs in NIR detection and imaging. Furthermore, a fast rise time and fall time of 8.9 and 14.8 µs are also achieved. Benefiting from the high performance, consequent applications of low-power pulse-state monitoring and fine-structure bio-imaging are successfully realized with high quality results by using our organic UCDs. These results demonstrate that our design not only eliminates dependence of UCDs on heavy-metal emitters, but also takes their performance and applications to a high level.

Efficient Near-Infrared Organic Photodetectors with Spectral Response up to 1600 nm for Accurate Alcohol Concentration Detection.

The development of near-infrared organic photodetectors (NIR-OPDs) in 1000-1700 nm is essential for medical monitoring, food quality inspection, machine vision, and biomedical imaging. However, when solving the high dark current density (JD) in bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) NIR-OPDs based on narrow-bandgap systems, it is often accompanied by photocurrent loss, which is a great challenge in achieving high-performance NIR-OPDs. Here, an ideal hybrid pseudo-PHJ (planar-heterojunction)/BHJ structure is proposed to overcome this challenge, which is introducing the N2200 layer between the cathode and BHJ. The introduction of the N2200 raises the external charge injection barrier and reduces the trap density, thus achieving significant suppression of JD (6.22 × 10-7 A cm-2 at -0.2 V bias, about 2 orders of magnitude lower compared to the BHJ NIR-OPDs). Meanwhile, the hybrid structure combines the advantages of PHJ and BHJ, thus maintaining a high photocurrent, resulting in responsivity and detectivity of 18.71 mA W-1 and 4.19 × 1010 Jones, respectively, at 1400 nm at -0.2 V bias, which is superior to the performance of BHJ NIR-OPDs. And the hybrid structured NIR-OPDs are proven to rapidly quantify the alcohol content of mixtures to within 2% accuracy, which exhibits great potential for application in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

High-Quality Artery Monitoring and Pathology Imaging Achieved by High-Performance Synchronous Electrical and Optical Output of Near-Infrared Organic Photodetector.

Near-infrared organic photodetectors (NIR-OPDs) are significant technologies in emerging biomedicine applications for uniquely wearable, noninvasive, low-cost advantages. However, biosignals are weak and changing rapidly so practical biodetection and bioimaging are still challenging for NIR-OPDs. Herein, high-performance NIR-OPDs with synchronous optical output are realized by recombining anode-injected electrons with photogenerated holes on emitters. Owing to high detection performance of 4.5 × 1012 Jones detectivity and 120 kHz -3 dB bandwidth, five arteries are monitored by transmission-type method and cardiac cycle is analyzed. Importantly, the synchronous optical output is direct emission demonstrating outstanding photon conversion efficiency approaching 20% and luminance signal-to-noise ratio over 8000. Consequently, pathology imaging is directly developed without complex readout circuits and arrays from which squamous metaplasia of cervix and carcinoma of large intestine are observed clearly. The NIR-OPD demonstrates strategies for high-performance synchronous electrical/optical output and directly imaging. Biomedicine applications implemented here are high level, representing important steps for NIR-OPDs toward providing clues for clinical diagnosis.

High-performance organic upconversion device with 12% photon to photon conversion efficiency at 980†nm and bio-imaging application in near-infrared region.

We demonstrated an organic upconversion device (UCD) successfully converted input NIR light (850-1310 nm) into 524 nm green emission. The UCD under 980 nm light irradiation exhibits a high photon to photon conversion efficiency of 12%. In addition, the linear dynamic range reaches 72.1 dB and the maximum on/off ratio of luminance reaches 4.4×104, which guarantee the clarity of imaging from 850 to 1310 nm. The UCD in this work has the characteristics of high efficiency and long wavelengths detection, and it makes some senses for long wavelengths NIR bio-imaging in further researches.

Additive-Induced Vertical Component Distribution Enables High-Performance Sequentially Cast Organic Solar Cells.

Modulation of the active layer morphology to form a vertical component distribution structure is an effective way of improving the efficiency of organic solar cells (OSCs). In this paper, a layer-by-layer (LbL) spin-coating method was adopted combined with an additive strategy to achieve the purpose of precisely adjusting the morphology, and finally, high-performance OSCs based on a D18-Cl/Y6 system were achieved. After adding n-octane in D18-Cl, D18-Cl+/Y6 devices realized a PCE of 17.70%, while with the incorporation of 1-fluoronaphthalene (FN) in Y6, D18-Cl/Y6+ devices obtained a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.39%, both higher than the control devices (16.66%). The former resulted in a more orderly arrangement of D18-Cl, forming a suitable phase separation morphology, and the latter improved the crystallization of Y6, which facilitated carrier transport. Furthermore, the dual-additive-treated D18-Cl+/Y6+ bilayer devices with n-octane doping in the donor and FN in the acceptor had a more desirable vertical morphology, exhibiting an excellent PCE of 18.16% with an improved JSC of 27.17 mA cm-2 and FF of 76.88%, one of the highest efficiencies for LbL OSCs. The results demonstrated that combining the LbL spin-coating method with the additive strategy is a valid way to achieve hierarchical morphology control and enhance device performance, which is of great significance for the fabrication and development of OSCs.

Efficient Organic Upconversion Devices for Low Energy Consumption and High-Quality Noninvasive Imaging.

Infrared upconversion devices (UCDs) enable low-cost visualization of infrared optical signals without utilizing a readout circuit, which is of great significance for biological recognition and noninvasive dynamic monitoring. However, UCDs suffer from inferior photon to photon (p-p) efficiency and high turn-on voltage (Von ) for upconversion operation, hindering a further expansion in highly resolved infrared imaging. Herein, an efficient organic UCD integrating an interfacial exciplex emitter and a well-designed near-infrared (NIR) detector reveals a high efficiency up to 12.92% and a low Von down to 1.56 V. The low Von gives the capacity for detecting weak NIR light down to 3.2 µW cm-2 , significantly expanding the detection power scale of UCDs. Thus, the imaging linear dynamic range (I-LDR) is highly bias-tunable, ranging from 13.23 to 84.4 dB. The high I-LDR enables highly resolved and strong-penetration bioimaging especially for thick biological sections, indicating great potential in noninvasive defect and pathological detection.

Efficient Exciplex-based Green and Near-Infrared Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Employing a Novel Donor-Acceptor Type Donor.

Widely investigated thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) can be achieved by intramolecular and intermolecular charge transfer between an electron donor and electron acceptor which corresponds to a TADF material and exciplex, respectively. However, the development of efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on an exciplex lags far behind the development of those based on efficient TADF materials. In this work, a novel D-A type electron donor TPAFPO was designed and synthesized. TPAFPO:PO-T2T exhibits a small ΔEST of 79 meV and significant delayed emission, demonstrating TADF characteristics. OLEDs based on TPAFPO:PO-T2T exhibit a low turn-on voltage of 2.4 V and high an EQE value of 17.0%. Besides, NIR OLEDs utilizing TPAFPO:PO-T2T as host exhibit a turn-on voltage of 3.0 V and high EQE of 9.2% with a NIR emission peak at 690 nm. Furthermore, solution-processed exciplex and NIR devices also can maintain high efficiencies of 15.1% and 8.1%, respectively.

Aqueous Cu(ii) ion adsorption by amino-functionalized mesoporous silica KIT-6.

To find an alternative adsorbent with high adsorption performance, KIT-6 was prepared by hydrothermal crystallization synthesis using tetraethyl orthosilicate as a silicon source and triblock copolymer P123 as a template. Then the silane coupling agent (3-chloropropyl)trimethoxysilane was first grafted onto KIT-6 mesoporous material and then the polyethyleneimine (PEI) was further grafted through the substitution reaction between amino groups and chlorine atoms. The functionalized KIT-6 was denoted as PEI/KIT-6. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption-desorption, elemental analysis (EA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The Cu2+ adsorption performance was determined by inductively coupled plasma (ICP). The results showed that the average loading of the amino groups was 3.74 mmol g-1, and the modified KIT-6 still has a stable mesoporous structure without pore blockage. With the dosage of 1 g L-1 PEI/KIT-6 and at room temperature, the optimum pH value for adsorption of 100 mg L-1 Cu2+ was 6.0. The adsorption capacity of PEI/KIT-6 for Cu2+ increased with the increase of reaction temperature, and the maximum adsorption capacity of Cu2+ was 36.43 mg g-1. The adsorption capacity tends to reach equilibrium after 120 min, and the optimum adsorption temperature was 35 °C. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was found to be well suited for the adsorption process of Cu2+. Adsorption equilibrium data could also be described well by the classical Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The adsorption tends to be the chemisorption of a monolayer.

α-C-H borylation of secondary alcohols via Ru/Fe relay catalysis: building a platform for alcoholic C-H/C-O functionalizations.

An unprecedented α-C-H borylation of secondary alcohols was successfully achieved and delivered various tertiary α-boryl alcohols via [Ru]/[Fe] relay catalysis. The dehydrogenation catalyst (Ru) and borylation catalyst (Fe) interacted to increase the chemoselectivity. By installing the "platform functional group" Bpin via this α-C-H borylation, several alcoholic α-C-H and C-O bond functionalizations were successfully achieved.

Precursor RNA processing 3 is required for male fertility, and germline stem cell self-renewal and differentiation via regulating spliceosome function in Drosophila testes.

The nuclear pre-mRNA spliceosome is a large complex containing five small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs) and many splicing factors. Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are generated from pre-mRNAs by the process of RNA splicing, which is conserved in eukaryotes. Precursor RNA processing 3 (Prp3) is a U4/U6-associated snRNP whose function remains largely unknown. In the present study, using genetic manipulation of a Drosophila melanogaster testis model, we demonstrated that Prp3 is essential for male fertility in Drosophila. Prp3 deficiency in germline stem cells (GSCs) and early cyst cells resulted in abnormal structure of testes and maintenance defects of GSCs and cyst stem cells. Knockdown of Prp3 in spermatogonia and early cyst cells mediated tumor formation caused by differentiation defects. Using an in vitro assay, knockdown of Prp3 decreased proliferation and increased cell death, and controlled the spliceosome function via regulating spliceosome subunits expression in Drosophila S2 cells. We also identified two other splicing factors in the Prp complex (Prp19 and Prp8), which mimicked the phenotype of Prp3 in the Drosophila stem cell niche. Our results revealed a significant role of precursor RNA processing factors in male testes, indicating that Prp3, a key spliceosome component in the Prp complex, is essential for male fertility, and germline stem cell self-renewal and differentiation, via regulating the spliceosome function in Drosophila testes.

Recent advances in the borylative transformation of carbonyl and carboxyl compounds.

Organoboron compounds are powerful reagents in synthetic chemistry. Carbonyl and carboxyl compounds are widely accessible chemical feedstocks. The synthesis of organoboron compounds from these basic chemicals is important for chemical synthesis nowadays. Many efforts have been made to access organoboron compounds from carbonyl and carboxyl compounds, including aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acid derivatives, etc. Herein, we summarize the recent advances of these borylative transformations in this field.

Srlp is crucial for the self-renewal and differentiation of germline stem cells via RpL6 signals in Drosophila testes.

Self-renewal and differentiation in germline stem cells (GSCs) are tightly regulated by the stem cell niche and via multiple approaches. In our previous study, we screened the novel GSC regulatory gene Srlp in Drosophila testes. However, the underlying mechanistic links between Srlp and the stem cell niche remain largely undetermined. Here, using genetic manipulation of the Drosophila model, we systematically analyze the function and mechanism of Srlp in vivo and in vitro. In Drosophila, Srlp is an essential gene that regulates the self-renewal and differentiation of GSCs in the testis. In the in vitro assay, Srlp is found to control the proliferation ability and cell death in S2 cells, which is consistent with the phenotype observed in Drosophila testis. Furthermore, results of the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) reveal that RpL6 binds to Srlp. Srlp also regulates the expression of spliceosome and ribosome subunits and controls spliceosome and ribosome function via RpL6 signals. Collectively, our findings uncover the genetic causes and molecular mechanisms underlying the stem cell niche. This study provides new insights for elucidating the pathogenic mechanism of male sterility and the formation of testicular germ cell tumor.

Small ribonucleoprotein particle protein SmD3 governs the homeostasis of germline stem cells and the crosstalk between the spliceosome and ribosome signals in Drosophila.

The ribonucleoprotein (RNP) spliceosome machinery triggers the precursor RNA splicing process in eukaryotes. Major spliceosome defects are implicated in male infertility; however, the underlying mechanistic links between the spliceosome and the ribosome in Drosophila testes remains largely unresolved. Small ribonucleoprotein particle protein SmD3 (SmD3) is a novel germline stem cell (GSC) regulatory gene identified in our previous screen of Drosophila testes. In the present study, using genetic manipulation in a Drosophila model, we demonstrated that SmD3 is required for the GSC niche and controls the self-renewal and differentiation of GSCs in the testis. Using in vitro assays in Schneider 2 cells, we showed that SmD3 also regulates the homeostasis of proliferation and apoptosis in Drosophila. Furthermore, using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods, SmD3 was identified as binding with ribosomal protein (Rp)L18, which is a key regulator of the large subunit in the ribosome. Moreover, SmD3 was observed to regulate spliceosome and ribosome subunit expression levels and controlled spliceosome and ribosome function via RpL18. Significantly, our findings revealed the genetic causes and molecular mechanisms underlying the stem cell niche and the crosstalk between the spliceosome and the ribosome.-Yu, J., Luan, X., Yan, Y., Qiao, C., Liu, Y., Zhao, D., Xie, B., Zheng, Q., Wang, M., Chen, W., Shen, C., He, Z., Hu, X., Huang, X., Li, H., Chen, B., Zheng, B., Chen, X., Fang, J. Small ribonucleoprotein particle protein SmD3 governs the homeostasis of germline stem cells and the crosstalk between the spliceosome and ribosome signals in Drosophila.

ATP synthase is required for male fertility and germ cell maturation in Drosophila testes.

Germ cell maturation is essential for spermatogenesis and testis homeostasis. ATP synthase serves significant roles in energy storage in germ cell survival and is catalyzed by alterations in the mitochondrial membrane proton concentration. The intrinsic cellular mechanisms governing stem cell maturation remain largely unknown. In the present study, in vivo RNA interference (RNAi) screening of major ATP synthase subunits was performed, and the function of ATP synthase for male fertility and spermatogenesis in Drosophila was explored. A Upstream Activation Sequence/Gal4 transcription factor system was used to knock down gene expression in specific cell types, and immunofluorescence staining was conducted to assess the roles of ATP synthase subunits in Drosophila testes. It was identified that knockdown of ATP synthase resulted in male infertility and abnormal spermatogenesis in Drosophila testes. In addition, knockdown of the ATP synthase ß subunit in germ cells resulted in defects in male infertility and germ cell maturation, while the hub and cyst cell populations were maintained. Other major ATP synthase subunits were also examined and similar phenotypes in Drosophila testes were identified. Taken together, the data from the present study revealed that ATP synthase serves important roles for male fertility during spermatogenesis by regulating germ cell maturation in Drosophila testes.

Biochemical clinical factors associated with missed abortion independent of maternal age: A retrospective study of 795 cases with missed abortion and 694 cases with normal pregnancy.

The incidence of fertile women with missed abortion dramatically increased in recent years, while very few serum indices have been identified for the diagnosis of missed abortion. The aim of this study was to identify related factors for missed abortion through a retrospective study of serum indices.A total of 795 cases of women with missed abortion and 694 cases of women with normal pregnancy between March 2014 and March 2017 were included in the present study. The diagnosis of missed abortion was based on clinical history, clinical examination, and transvaginal ultrasound findings. The final diagnosis of missed abortion was based on assessment of pregnancy structures (i.e., a gestational sac without fetal heart rate) via transvaginal ultrasound. We evaluated the clinical values of 4 serum indices and their relationship to missed abortion: gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), adenosine deaminase (ADA), and fibrinogen (FIB).The serum levels of GGT, ADA, and FIB showed statistically significant differences comparing women who experienced missed abortion with women who had normal pregnancies (controls). Among women with missed abortion, the levels of GGT and ADA were dramatically increased (GGT: P < .0001; ADA: P = .0459), while FIB levels were slightly lower (P = .0084) compared to controls. The LDH levels exhibited a non-significant trend toward lower levels in the missed abortion group (P = .3951). Interestingly, the observed significant increase in serum GTT levels among women with missed abortion was not affected by maternal age.This study found that GTT may be a useful marker which was associated with missed abortion, indicating its potential clinical roles in missed abortion.

Activation of ß-catenin causes defects in embryonic development during maternal-to-zygotic transition in mice.

The early stage of embryogenesis is an important and complex cell-remodeling event in reproductive biology. To develop into a normal zygote, maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT) is especially important for both zygotic genome activation (ZGA) and degradation of maternal products during the early stage of embryonic development. ß-Catenin has been identified as an important regulator of embryonic development and adult stem cell division via the canonical Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathway. However, the role of activated ß-catenin during MZT remains elusive. In the present study, we found that ß-catenin is mainly expressed during embryogenesis in the cell membrane from the zygote- to morula-stage embryos but not in MII oocytes. To analyze the function of activated ß-catenin during MZT, we conducted a ß-catenin activation assay during embryogenesis. Our results indicated that development beyond the two-cell stage was inhibited in zygotes with ß-catenin activation. Further analysis showed that activated form of ß-catenin protein was increased and the phosphorylated form of ß-catenin protein was decreased in culture embryos. Taken together, our study reveals that activation of ß-catenin may play a vital role in zygotic development, determining the developmental potential of mouse embryos.

Correlation between NM23 protein overexpression and prognostic value and clinicopathologic features of ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The prognostic value and clinicopathological features of NM23 (non-metastasis 23) have previously been assessed, but the results are controversial. Here, we attempted to clarify the correlation between NM23 expression and its prognostic value and the clinicopathological features in ovarian cancer (OC). METHODS: The relevant studies were identified using PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. We calculated the pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and clinicopathological features. We used OS to evaluate the prognostic value of NM23 expression in patients with OC. Subgroup analyses were used to explore the source of heterogeneity. RESULTS: We included 10 studies involving 894 patients in our assessment of the association between NM23 expression and OS for OC. Our data indicated that NM23 expression was not associated with improved OS (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.41-1.68, P = 0.61) or PFS (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.39-1.24, P = 0.22). Elevated NM23 expression was associated with differentiation grade (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.2-0.6, P = 0.0002) and N status (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.14-0.78, P = 0.01), whereas there was no significant difference between NM23 expression and tumor stage (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.45-2.66, P = 0.84). Subgroup analysis did not reveal any potential source of heterogeneity. No obvious publication bias was found. CONCLUSIONS: In OC, there is poor statistical significance between NM23 expression and OS and PFS, but NM23 expression is related to differentiation grade and N status. This meta-analysis reveals that NM23 expression is a potential factor of poor prognosis in OC. The prognostic role of NM23 in different OC stages in combination with the clinical characteristics suggests a novel approach for developing future therapeutic targets.

C-O Functionalization of α-Oxyboronates: A Deoxygenative gem-Diborylation and gem-Silylborylation of Aldehydes and Ketones.

A deoxygenative gem-diborylation and gem-silylborylation of aldehydes and ketones is described. The key for the success of this transformation is the base-promoted C-O bond borylation or silylation of the generated α-oxyboronates. Experimental and theoretical studies exhibit that the C-O bond functionalization proceeds via an intramolecular five-membered transition-state (9-ts) boryl migration followed by a 1,2-metalate rearrangement with OBpin as a leaving group. The transformation occurs with an inversion on the carbon center. Direct conversion of aldehydes and ketones to gem-diboron compounds was achieved by combining copper catalysis with this base-promoted C-OBpin borylation. Various aldehydes and ketones were deoxygenatively gem-diborylated. gem-Silylborylation of aldehydes and ketones were achieved by a stepwise operation, in which B2pin2 initially react with those carbonyls followed by a silylation with Bpin-SiMe2Ph.

iCAGES: integrated CAncer GEnome Score for comprehensively prioritizing driver genes in personal cancer genomes.

Cancer results from the acquisition of somatic driver mutations. Several computational tools can predict driver genes from population-scale genomic data, but tools for analyzing personal cancer genomes are underdeveloped. Here we developed iCAGES, a novel statistical framework that infers driver variants by integrating contributions from coding, non-coding, and structural variants, identifies driver genes by combining genomic information and prior biological knowledge, then generates prioritized drug treatment. Analysis on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data showed that iCAGES predicts whether patients respond to drug treatment (P = 0.006 by Fisher's exact test) and long-term survival (P = 0.003 from Cox regression). iCAGES is available at http://icages.wglab.org .