Delayed room temperature phosphorescence enabled by phosphines.

Organic ultralong room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) usually emerges instantly and immediately decays after excitation removal. Here we report a new delayed RTP that is postponed by dozens of milliseconds after excitation removal and decays in two steps including an initial increase in intensity followed by subsequent decrease in intensity. The delayed RTP is achieved through introduction of phosphines into carbazole emitters. In contrast to the rapid energy transfer from single-molecular triplet states (T1) to stabilized triplet states (Tn*) of instant RTP systems, phosphine groups insert their intermediate states (TM) between carbazole-originated T1 and Tn* of carbazole-phosphine hybrids. In addition to markedly increasing emission lifetimes by ten folds, since TM → Tn* transition require >30 milliseconds, RTP is thereby postponed by dozens of milliseconds. The emission character of carbazole-phosphine hybrids can be used to reveal information through combining instant and delayed RTP, realizing multi-level time resolution for advanced information, biological and optoelectronic applications.

The VAMP-associated protein VAP27-1 plays a crucial role in plant resistance to ER stress by modulating ER-PM contact architecture in Arabidopsis.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the plasma membrane (PM) form ER-PM contact sites (EPCSs) that allow the ER and PM to exchange material and information. Stress-induced disruption of protein folding triggers ER stress and the cell initiates the unfolded protein response (UPR) to resist the stress. However, whether EPCSs in plants play a role in ER stress remain unclear. VESICLE-ASSOCIATED MEMBRANE PROTEIN (VAMP)-ASSOCIATED PROTEIN 27-1 (VAP27-1) functions in EPCS tethering and is encoded by a family of ten genes (VAP27-1-10) in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing to obtain a homozygous vap27-1 vap27-3 vap27-4 (vap27-1/3/4) triple mutant lacking three of the key VAP27 family members in Arabidopsis. The vap27-1/3/4 mutant exhibited defects in ER-PM connectivity and EPCS architecture, and excessive UPR signaling. We further showed that relocation of VAP27-1 to the PM mediates specific VAP27-1-related EPCS remodeling and expansion under ER stress. Moreover, the spatiotemporal dynamics of VAP27-1 at the PM increase ER-PM connectivity and enhance Arabidopsis resistance to ER stress. In addition, we uncovered an important role for intracellular calcium homeostasis in the regulation of UPR signaling. Taken together, our results broaden the understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of ER stress and UPR signaling in plants, providing additional clues for improving plant broad-spectrum resistance to different stresses.

Vascularized fascial flap for reconstruction of combined oral mucosa-mandibular defects: The multi-modal biological assessment.

OBJECTIVE: The reconstruction of composite defects in the oral and maxillofacial region using vascularized fascial flaps, such as the fibular, iliac, and temporal fascial flaps, has gained increasing attention among surgeons. However, there remains uncertainty regarding the suitability of fascial flaps as transplants, as well as their healing processes and outcomes, due to their non-mucosal nature. This study aims to comprehensively assess the biological aspects of vascularized fascial flaps at clinical, histological, and genetic levels, with the goal of providing essential biological references for their clinical application. STUDY DESIGN: This study enrolled three patients who underwent reconstruction of combined oral mucosa-mandibular defects using fibular vascularized fascial flaps between 2020 and 2023. Data regarding changes in the appearance of the fascial flaps, bulk-RNA sequencing, and histological slices of initial fascia, initial gingiva, and transformed fascia were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Within three months, the fascial flaps exhibited rapid epithelial coverage and displayed distinct characteristics resembling mucosa. High-throughput RNA sequencing analyses and histological slices revealed that the transformed fascia exhibited tissue structures similar to mucosa and demonstrated unique advantages in promoting blood vessel formation and reducing scarring through the high-level expression of relevant genes. CONCLUSION: These findings emphasize the potential and feasibility of utilizing vascularized fascial flaps for oral mucosa reconstruction, establishing their unique advantage as transplant materials, and providing significant biological information and references for their selection and clinical application.

The three-dimensional stability and accuracy of 3D printing surgical templates: An In Vitro study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the three-dimensional (3D) stability and accuracy of additively manufactured surgical templates fabricated using two different 3D printers and materials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty surgical templates were designed and printed using two different 3D printers: the resin group (n = 20) used a digital light processing (DLP) 3D printer with photopolymer resin, and the metal group (n = 20) employed a selective laser melting (SLM) 3D printer with titanium alloy. All surgical templates were scanned immediately after production and re-digitalized after one month of storage. Similarly, the implant simulations were performed twice. Three-dimensional congruency between the original design and the manufactured surgical templates was quantified using the root mean square (RMS), and the definitive and planned implant positions were determined and compared. RESULTS: At the postproduction stage, the metal templates exhibited higher accuracy than the resin templates (p < 0.001), and these differences persisted after one month of storage (p < 0.001). The resin templates demonstrated a significant decrease in three-dimensional stability after one month of storage (p < 0.001), whereas the metal templates were not affected (p > 0.05). No significant differences in implant accuracy were found between the two groups. However, the resin templates showed a significant increase in apical and angular deviations after one month of storage (p < 0.001), whereas the metal templates were not affected (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Printed metal templates showed higher fabrication accuracy than printed resin templates. The three-dimensional stability and implant accuracy of printed metal templates remained unaffected by one month of storage. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: With superior three-dimensional stability and acceptable implant accuracy, printed metal templates can be considered a viable alternative technique for guided surgery.

PaCHNOC: Packet and Circuit Hybrid Switching NoC for Real-Time Parallel Stream Signal Processing.

Real-time heterogeneous parallel embedded digital signal processor (DSP) systems process multiple data streams in parallel in a stringent time interval. This type of system on chip (SoC) requires the network on chip (NoC) to establish multiple symbiotic parallel data transmission paths with ultra-low transmission latency in real time. Our early NoC research PCCNOC meets this need. The PCCNOC uses packet routing to establish and lock a transmission circuit, so that PCCNOC is perfectly suitable for ultra-low latency and high-bandwidth transmission of long data packets. However, a parallel multi-data stream DSP system also needs to transmit roughly the same number of short data packets for job configuration and job execution status reports. While transferring short data packets, the link establishment routing delay of short data packets becomes relatively obvious. Our further research, thus, introduced PaCHNOC, a hybrid NoC in which long data packets are transmitted through a circuit established and locked by routing, and short data packets are attached to the routing packet and the transmission is completed during the routing process, thus avoiding the PCCNOC setup delay. Simulation shows that PaCHNOC performs well in supporting real-time heterogeneous parallel embedded DSP systems and achieves overall latency reduction 65% compared with related works. Finally, we used PaCHNOC in the baseband subsystem of a real 5G base station, which proved that our research is the best NoC for baseband subsystem of 5G base stations, which reduce 31% comprehensive latency in comparison to related works.

New Insights into MeHg Accumulation in Rice (Oryza sativa L.): Evidence from Cysteine.

The intake of methylmercury (MeHg)-contaminated rice poses immense health risks to rice consumers. However, the mechanisms of MeHg accumulation in rice plants are not entirely understood. The knowledge that the MeHg-Cysteine complex was dominant in polished rice proposed a hypothesis of co-transportation of MeHg and cysteine inside rice plants. This study was therefore designed to explore the MeHg accumulation processes in rice plants by investigating biogeochemical associations between MeHg and amino acids. Rice plants and underlying soils were collected from different Hg-contaminated sites in the Wanshan Hg mining area. The concentrations of both MeHg and cysteine in polished rice were higher than those in other rice tissues. A significant positive correlation between MeHg and cysteine in rice plants was found, especially in polished rice, indicating a close geochemical association between cysteine and MeHg. The translocation factor (TF) of cysteine showed behavior similar to that of the TF of MeHg, demonstrating that these two chemical species might share a similar transportation mechanism in rice plants. The accumulation of MeHg in rice plants may vary due to differences in the molar ratios of MeHg to cysteine and the presence of specific amino acid transporters. Our results suggest that cysteine plays a vital role in MeHg accumulation and transportation inside rice plants.

Comprehensive kinetic modeling and product distribution for pyrolysis of pulp and paper mill sludge.

Pyrolysis holds immense potential for clean treatment of pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS), enabling efficient energy and chemical recovery. However, current understanding of PPMS pyrolysis kinetics and product characteristics remains incomplete. This study conducted detailed modeling of pyrolysis kinetics for two typical PPMSs from a wastepaper pulp and paper mill, namely, deinking sludge (PPMS-DS) and sewage sludge (PPMS-SS), and analyzed comprehensively pyrolysis products. The results show that apparent activation energy of PPMS-DS (169.25-226.82 kJ/mol) and PPMS-SS (189.29-411.21 kJ/mol) pyrolysis undergoes significant change, with numerous parallel reactions present. A distributed activation energy model with dual logistic distributions proves to be suitable for modeling thermal decomposition kinetics of both PPMS-DS and PPMS-SS, with coefficient of determination >0.999 and relative root mean square error <1.99 %. High temperature promotes decomposition of solid organic materials in PPMS, and maximum tar yield for both PPMS-DS (53.90 wt%, daf) and PPMS-SS (56.48 wt%, daf) is achieved at around 500 °C. Higher levels of styrene (24.45 % for PPMS-DS and 14.71 % for PPMS-SS) and ethylbenzene (8.61 % for PPMS-DS and 8.33 % for PPMS-SS) are detected in tar and could be used as chemicals. This work shows great potential to propel development of PPMS pyrolysis technology, enabling green and sustainable production in pulp and paper industry.

Guided bone regeneration for peri-implant augmentation: A retrospective study comparing two surgical techniques with a mean follow-up of 26 months.

OBJECTIVES: To introduce a modified guided bone regeneration (GBR) technique using intact periosteum and deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) for peri-implant augmentation and compare the clinical outcomes with those of conventional GBR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who received peri-implant augmentation in posterior sites between 2015 and 2021 were reviewed in this study. Group A was treated with a modified GBR technique, and Group B was treated with conventional GBR. For group comparison, propensity score matching was performed with a sensitivity analysis. The implant survival rate, dimensional changes in hard tissue, marginal bone loss (MBL), and peri-implant parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: In total, 114 implants from 98 patients were included. The implant survival rates were 95.74% in Group A and 95.00% in Group B during the follow-up period. At 6 months, the median horizontal thickness was recorded at 0.87 mm (IQ1-IQ3 = 0.00-1.75 mm) in Group A, exhibiting a relatively lower value compared to the corresponding measurement of 0.98 mm (IQ1-IQ3 = 0.00-1.89 mm) in Group B (p = .937). Vertical height displayed no statistically significant intergroup difference between the two groups (p = .758). The mean follow-up period was 25.83 ± 12.93 months after loading in Group A and 27.47 ± 21.29 months in Group B (p = .761). MBL and peri-implant parameters were comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, the modified GBR technique using intact periosteum and DBBM grafting might be a viable alternative to correct bone defects around implants in molar and premolar sites.

Effects of an explain-simulate-practice-communicate-support intervention on quality of life for patients with chronic heart failure: A randomized control trial.

Background: Patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) grade III chronic heart failure (CHF) present with low capacity for daily activities, severe self-perceived burden, and poor quality of life. Effective nursing interventions may reduce patients' self-perceived burden and improve their quality of life. Objectives: To explore the effects of an explain-simulate-practice-communicate-support intervention on the self-perceived burden, cardiac function, and activities of daily living (ADL) ability in patients with New York Heart Association grade III chronic heart failure. Methods: Of the 100 patients with New York Heart Association grade III chronic heart failure who were electronically randomized and equally divided into control and intervention groups, data from 88 patients who completed our study were analyzed. The primary outcome was quality of life; secondary outcomes were self-perceived burden, 6-min walking test distances, serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels, New York Heart Association cardiac function classification, and ability to perform activities of daily living. Results: After 12 weeks' intervention, the intervention group had significantly lower self-perceived burden, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire scores, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels, and New York Heart Association grades compared with the control group, while 6-min walking test distances, left ventricular ejection fraction, and modified Barthel Index scale scores were significantly higher than those in the control group (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The explain-simulate-practice-communicate-support intervention improved patients' quality of life through reducing the level of self-perceived burden, and improving cardiac function and activities of daily living ability. This intervention was found to be effective for patients with New York Heart Association grade III chronic heart failure.

Chemoselective Synthesis of Unsymmetrical Dithioacetals through Sequential Carbene Insertion and Acetal Exchange of Acylsilanes and Thiols under Visible Light Irradiation.

Dithioacetals are a frequently used motif in synthetic organic chemistry, and most existing reports discuss only symmetrical dithioacetals. Examples of unsymmetrical dithioacetals are scarce, and few general methods for the selective synthesis of these compounds exists. An intriguing visible-light-induced strategy has been established in this work for sequential reactions of S-H insertion and acetal exchange between acylsilanes and two different thiols that deliver a wide variety of unsymmetrical dithioacetals in moderate yields. The unsymmetrical dithioacetals were obtained with high selectivity, and a great variety of functional groups were tolerated.

Influence of Cation Substitution on Cycling Stability and Fe-Cation Migration in Li3Fe3-xMxTe2O12 (M = Al, In) Cathode Materials.

Li3Fe3Te2O12 adopts a crystal structure, described in space group Pnnm, related to that of LiSbO3, in which Te6+, Fe3+, and Li+ cations reside in a partially ordered configuration within an hcp array of oxide ions. Chemical or electrochemical insertion of lithium is accompanied by a fully reversible migration of some of the Fe cations with an initial capacity of 120 mA h g-1 (2.85 Li per formula unit). Long-term cycling stability is limited by the facile reduction of Te6+ to elemental Te, which leads to cathode decomposition. Partial substitution of Fe by In suppresses Te6+ reduction, such that Li3Fe2InTe2O12 shows no sign of this cathode decomposition pathway, even after 100 cycles. In contrast, Al-for-Fe substitution is chemically limited to Li3Fe2.6Al0.4Te2O12 and appears to have almost no influence on cathode longevity. These features of the Li3Fe3-xMxTe2O12 system are discussed on the basis of a detailed structural analysis performed using neutron and synchrotron X-ray diffraction.

Four-phonon scattering of so-As and improvement of the thermoelectric properties by increasing the buckling height.

In recent years, more and more thermoelectric (TE) materials have been discovered as the research boom of TE materials advances. However, due to the low conversion efficiency, most of the current TE materials cannot meet the commercial demand. The low-dimensional nanomaterials are promising to break the current status quo of low conversion efficiency of TE materials. Here, we predicted a stable two-dimensional TE material, namely so-As, based on density functional theory. The so-As has an ultra-low lattice thermal conductivity,κl= 1.829 W m-1K-1at 300 K, and when the temperature rises to 700 K theκlis only 0.788 W m-1K-1. This might be caused by the strong anharmonic interaction among the so-As phonon and the out-of-plane vibration of the low-frequency acoustic modes. Moreover, the maximumZTvalue of thep-type so-As is 0.18 at room temperature (0.45 at 700 K), while that of then-type can even reach 0.75 at 700 K. In addition, we have also studied the difference between the four- and three-phonon scattering rates. The increase of scattering channels leads to the ultra-lowκl, which is only 3.33 × 10-4W m-1K-1at room temperature, showing an almost adiabatic property. Finally, we adjust the TE properties of so-As by changing the buckling height. With the buckling height is increased by 2%, the scattering rate of so-As is extremely high. WhenTis 700 K, the maximumZTof then-type is 0.94 (p-type can also reach 0.7), which is 25% higher than the pristine one. Our work reveals the impact of buckling height on the TE figure of merit, which provides a direction for future search and regulation of the highZTTE materials.

Discovery of new dibenzodiazepine derivatives as antibacterials against intracellular bacteria.

The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria underscore the critical need for novel antibacterial interventions. In our screening of 12 synthesized thienobenzodiazepines, pyridobenzodiazepines, and dibenzodiazepines, we successfully identified a small molecule compound SW33. Notably, SW33 demonstrated potent inhibitory activity against intracellular multidrug-resistant and fluoroquinolone-resistant strains of S. typhimurium in both macrophages and epithelial cells. Furthermore, SW33 was also effective against intramacrophagic Salmonella typhi, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Listeria monocytogenes. These significant findings suggest that SW33 possesses broad-spectrum activity against intracellular bacteria.

Innovative principle of implant-oriented fibula placement in mandibular reconstruction using double-barrel fibula and simultaneous implants: A technical note.

Simultaneous or secondary inserted implants with double-barrel fibula to reconstruct the mandible have become a common method. However, difficulties in later restoration caused by placement errors of fibula or incipiently placed implants have also been reported in some studies. This note describes a novel technique of implant-oriented guide plates helpful for mandible ablation, fibula segmentation and positioning, and implant placement. We design a series of guide plates especially an implant-fibula placing guide plate, and record and fix the relative spatial positions of the remaining teeth, the simultaneous implants and upper fibula. During surgery, the placement of upper fibula is oriented towards appropriate placement of implants. Therefore, the position of upper fibula can meet the requirements of simultaneous implant as much as possible. Within the limits of present observation, we believe that this technique may increase the manipuility while reducing the errors and the risk of complications.

High-Efficiency Ultraviolet Electroluminescence from Multi-Resonance Phosphine Oxide Polycyclic Aromatics.

Efficient ultraviolet (UV) electroluminescent materials remain a great challenge, since short peak wavelength <400 nm and narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM) <50 nm are simultaneously required. In this sense, multi-resonance (MR) thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters featuring narrow-band emissions hold the promise for UV applications. Herein, a novel MR-TADF skeleton featuring carbazole-phosphine oxide (P=O) fused aromatics is developed to construct the first two UV MR emitters named CzP2PO and tBCzP2PO. In addition to synergistic resonance effects of P=O and N atom, sp3 -hybrid P atom renders the curved polycyclic planes of CzP2PO and tBCzP2PO, giving rise to their narrowband UV emissions with peak wavelengths <390 nm and FWHM<35 nm. Besides configuration quasi-planarization for radiation enhancement and quenching suppression, P=O moiety further enhances singlet-triplet coupling to facilitate reverse intersystem crossing, resulting in the state-of-the-art photoluminescence quantum yield of 62 % in tBCzP2PO doped films. As consequence, tBCzP2PO endowed its UV organic light-emitting diodes with the peak at 382 nm and FWHM of 32 nm, and especially the record-high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 15.1 % among all kinds of UV devices. Our results demonstrate great potential of P=O based MR emitters in practical applications including optoelectronics, biology and medicine science.

A nomogram prediction of implant apical non-coverage on bone-added transcrestal sinus floor elevation: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the risk indicators and develop and validate a nomogram prediction model of implant apical non-coverage by comprehensively analyzing clinical and radiographic factors in bone-added transcrestal sinus floor elevation (TSFE). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 260 implants in 195 patients receiving bone-added TSFE were included in the study. The population was divided into a development (180 implants) and a validation (80 implants) cohort. According to 6 months post-surgery radiographic images, implants were categorized as "apical non-coverage" or "apical covered." The association of risk factors including clinical and radiographic parameters with implant apical non-coverage was assessed using regression analyses. A nomogram prediction model was developed, and its validation and discriminatory ability were analyzed. RESULTS: The nomogram predicting bone-added TSFE's simultaneously placed implant's apex non-coverage after 6 months. This study revealed that sinus angle, endo-sinus bone gain, implant protrusion length, graft contact walls, and distal angle were predictors of implant apical non-coverage. The generated nomogram showed a strong predictive capability (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.845), confirmed by internal validation using 10-fold cross-validation (Median AUC of 0.870) and temporal validation (AUC = 0.854). The calibration curve and decision curve analysis demonstrated good performance and high net benefit of the nomogram, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical implementation of the present nomogram is suitable for predicting the apex non-coverage of implants placed simultaneously with bone-added TSFE after 6 months.

Intracranial mesenchymal tumor with multiple extracranial metastases: A case report and literature review.

This study presents a rare case of an older woman with an intracranial mesenchymal tumor in the right frontal and parietal lobes. Despite prompt surgical intervention, her condition rapidly deteriorated because of tumor dissemination, leading to her demise. We highlight the tumor's marked invasiveness and heterogeneity, coupled with a propensity for distant systemic metastasis, which negatively impacted the patient's prognosis. This particular clinical behavior had not been previously reported, making this a novel observation. Thus, through a comprehensive review of relevant literature, we aim to provide valuable insights for further understanding, diagnosing, and treating such tumors.

Country-specific net-zero strategies of the pulp and paper industry.

The pulp and paper industry is an important contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions1,2. Country-specific strategies are essential for the industry to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, given its vast heterogeneities across countries3,4. Here we develop a comprehensive bottom-up assessment of net greenhouse gas emissions of the domestic paper-related sectors for 30 major countries from 1961 to 2019-about 3.2% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions from the same period5-and explore mitigation strategies through 2,160 scenarios covering key factors. Our results show substantial differences across countries in terms of historical emissions evolution trends and structure. All countries can achieve net-zero emissions for their pulp and paper industry by 2050, with a single measure for most developed countries and several measures for most developing countries. Except for energy-efficiency improvement and energy-system decarbonization, tropical developing countries with abundant forest resources should give priority to sustainable forest management, whereas other developing countries should pay more attention to enhancing methane capture rate and reducing recycling. These insights are crucial for developing net-zero strategies tailored to each country and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 for the pulp and paper industry.

Radiomic signatures reveal multiscale intratumor heterogeneity associated with tissue tolerance and survival in re-irradiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Post-radiation nasopharyngeal necrosis (PRNN) is a severe adverse event following re-radiotherapy for patients with locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LRNPC) and associated with decreased survival. Biological heterogeneity in recurrent tumors contributes to the different risks of PRNN. Radiomics can be used to mine high-throughput non-invasive image features to predict clinical outcomes and capture underlying biological functions. We aimed to develop a radiogenomic signature for the pre-treatment prediction of PRNN to guide re-radiotherapy in patients with LRNPC. METHODS: This multicenter study included 761 re-irradiated patients with LRNPC at four centers in NPC endemic area and divided them into training, internal validation, and external validation cohorts. We built a machine learning (random forest) radiomic signature based on the pre-treatment multiparametric magnetic resonance images for predicting PRNN following re-radiotherapy. We comprehensively assessed the performance of the radiomic signature. Transcriptomic sequencing and gene set enrichment analyses were conducted to identify the associated biological processes. RESULTS: The radiomic signature showed discrimination of 1-year PRNN in the training, internal validation, and external validation cohorts (area under the curve (AUC) 0.713-0.756). Stratified by a cutoff score of 0.735, patients with high-risk signature had higher incidences of PRNN than patients with low-risk signature (1-year PRNN rates 42.2-62.5% vs. 16.3-18.8%, P < 0.001). The signature significantly outperformed the clinical model (P < 0.05) and was generalizable across different centers, imaging parameters, and patient subgroups. The radiomic signature had prognostic value concerning its correlation with PRNN-related deaths (hazard ratio (HR) 3.07-6.75, P < 0.001) and all causes of deaths (HR 1.53-2.30, P < 0.01). Radiogenomics analyses revealed associations between the radiomic signature and signaling pathways involved in tissue fibrosis and vascularity. CONCLUSIONS: We present a radiomic signature for the individualized risk assessment of PRNN following re-radiotherapy, which may serve as a noninvasive radio-biomarker of radiation injury-associated processes and a useful clinical tool to personalize treatment recommendations for patients with LANPC.