Ecological inferences on invasive carp survival using hydrodynamics and egg drift models.

Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), silver carp (H. molitrix), black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), are invasive species in North America. However, they hold significant economic importance as food sources in China. The drifting stage of carp eggs has received great attention because egg survival rate is strongly affected by river hydrodynamics. In this study, we explored egg-drift dynamics using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to infer potential egg settling zones based on mechanistic criteria from simulated turbulence in the Lower Missouri River. Using an 8-km reach, we simulated flow characteristics with four different discharges, representing 45-3% daily flow exceedance. The CFD results elucidate the highly heterogeneous spatial distribution of flow velocity, flow depth, turbulence kinetic energy (TKE), and the dissipation rate of TKE. The river hydrodynamics were used to determine potential egg settling zones using criteria based on shear velocity, vertical turbulence intensity, and Rouse number. Importantly, we examined the difference between hydrodynamic-inferred settling zones and settling zones predicted using an egg-drift transport model. The results indicate that hydrodynamic inference is useful in determining the 'potential' of egg settling, however, egg drifting paths should be taken into account to improve prediction. Our simulation results also indicate that the river turbulence does not surpass the laboratory-identified threshold to pose a threat to carp eggs.

Segmentation of bone surface from ultrasound using a lightweight network UBS-Net.

Objective. Ultrasound-assisted orthopaedic navigation held promise due to its non-ionizing feature, portability, low cost, and real-time performance. To facilitate the applications, it was critical to have accurate and real-time bone surface segmentation. Nevertheless, the imaging artifacts and low signal-to-noise ratios in the tomographical B-mode ultrasound (B-US) images created substantial challenges in bone surface detection. In this study, we presented an end-to-end lightweight US bone segmentation network (UBS-Net) for bone surface detection.Approach. We presented an end-to-end lightweight UBS-Net for bone surface detection, using the U-Net structure as the base framework and a level set loss function for improved sensitivity to bone surface detectability. A dual attention (DA) mechanism was introduced at the end of the encoder, which considered both position and channel information to obtain the correlation between the position and channel dimensions of the feature map, where axial attention (AA) replaced the traditional self-attention (SA) mechanism in the position attention module for better computational efficiency. The position attention and channel attention (CA) were combined with a two-class fusion module for the DA map. The decoding module finally completed the bone surface detection.Main Results. As a result, a frame rate of 21 frames per second (fps) in detection were achieved. It outperformed the state-of-the-art method with higher segmentation accuracy (Dice similarity coefficient: 88.76% versus 87.22%) when applied the retrospective ultrasound (US) data from 11 volunteers.Significance. The proposed UBS-Net for bone surface detection in ultrasound achieved outstanding accuracy and real-time performance. The new method out-performed the state-of-the-art methods. It had potential in US-guided orthopaedic surgery applications.

Effects of sleep-disordered breathing on serum lipid levels in children:a case control study.

BACKGROUND: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) during childhood is common and includes a range of breathing abnormalities that range from primary snoring (PS) to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).Studies have shown that not only OSAS, but also PS, which is originally considered harmless, could cause cardiovascular, cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial problems. Many researches are focused on the relation of OSA and serum lipid levels. However, little studies are focused on PS and serum lipid levels in children.We evaluated whether serum lipid (total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)) concentrations were associated with specific components of SDB, including indices of oxygen reduction index, lowest oxygen saturation, mean oxygen saturation. And we explored whether serum lipid levels were associated with different degree sleep disordered (PS and OSA group) and obese. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. Children who were complained by their guardians with habitual snoring and(or) mouth breathing were collected in the SDB group. Normal children without sleep problem were matched in the control group. Subjects in the SDB group underwent polysomnography. The serum lipid profiles of all the children included TC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C concentrations were measured by appropriate enzymatic assays. RESULTS: A total of 241 with Apnea/Hypopnea Index ≥ 5 (AHI) were assigned to the OSAS group and the remaining 155 with normal AHI were assigned to the PS group. The values of TC, TG, LDL-C and LDL/HDL were significantly higher in the OSAS group than in the PS group, and the values in the PS group were significantly higher than the control group. Multiple regression analysis revealed serum TG only correlated negatively with lowest oxygen saturation. Body mass index-z score has a positive effect on TG in all the 1310 children (P = 0.031) and in SDB 396 children(P = 0.012). The level of serum TG in obese group was significantly higher than that in non-obese group. CONCLUSIONS: SDB had a very obvious effect on blood lipids, whereas PS without apnea and hypoxia. Obese only affects the aggregation of TG. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR1900026807(2019.10.23).

Interfering with reconsolidation by rimonabant results in blockade of heroin-associated memory.

Drug-associated pathological memory remains a critical factor contributing to the persistence of substance use disorder. Pharmacological amnestic manipulation to interfere with drug memory reconsolidation has shown promise for the prevention of relapse. In a rat heroin self-administration model, we examined the impact of rimonabant, a selective cannabinoid receptor indirect agonist, on the reconsolidation process of heroin-associated memory. The study showed that immediately administering rimonabant after conditioned stimuli (CS) exposure reduced the cue- and herion + cue-induced heroin-seeking behavior. The inhibitory effects lasted for a minimum of 28 days. The effect of Rimonabant on reduced drug-seeking was not shown when treated without CS exposure or 6 hours after CS exposure. These results demonstrate a disruptive role of rimonabant on the reconsolidation of heroin-associated memory and the therapeutic potential in relapse control concerning substance use disorder.

Integrated profiling identifies ferredoxin 1 as an immune-related biomarker of malignant phenotype in glioma.

Background: Glioma, a highly resistant and recurrent type of central nervous system tumor, poses a significant challenge in terms of effective drug treatments and its associated mortality rates. Despite the discovery of Ferredoxin 1 (FDX1) as a crucial participant in cuproptosis, an innovative mechanism of cellular demise, its precise implications for glioma prognosis and tumor immune infiltration remain inadequately elucidated. Methods: To analyze pan-cancer data, we employed multiple public databases. Gene expression evaluation was performed using tissue microarray (TMA) and single-cell sequencing data. Furthermore, four different approaches were employed to assess the prognostic importance of FDX1 in glioma. We conducted the analysis of differential expression genes (DEGs) and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) to identify immune-related predictive signaling pathways. Somatic mutations were assessed using Tumor Mutation Burden (TMB) and waterfall plots. Immune cell infiltration was evaluated with five different algorithms. Furthermore, we performed in vitro investigations to evaluate the biological roles of FDX1 in glioma. Results: Glioma samples exhibited upregulation of FDX1, which in turn predicted poor prognosis and was positively associated with unfavorable clinicopathological characteristics. Notably, the top four enriched signaling pathways were immune-related, and the discovery revealed a connection between the expression of FDX1 and the frequency of mutations or the TMB. The FDX1_high group exhibited heightened infiltration of immune cells, and there existed a direct association between the expression of FDX1 and the regulation of immune checkpoint. In vitro experiments demonstrated that FDX1 knockdown reduced proliferation, migration, invasion and transition from G2 to M phase in glioma cells. Conclusion: In glioma, FDX1 demonstrated a positive association with the advancement of malignancy and changes in the infiltration of immune cells.

TGF-ß-activated circRYK drives glioblastoma progression by increasing VLDLR mRNA expression and stability in a ceRNA- and RBP-dependent manner.

BACKGROUND: The TGF-ß signalling pathway is intricately associated with the progression of glioblastoma (GBM). The objective of this study was to examine the role of circRNAs in the TGF-ß signalling pathway. METHODS: In our research, we used transcriptome analysis to search for circRNAs that were activated by TGF-ß. After confirming the expression pattern of the selected circRYK, we carried out in vitro and in vivo cell function assays. The underlying mechanisms were analysed via RNA pull-down, luciferase reporter, and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. RESULTS: CircRYK expression was markedly elevated in GBM, and this phenotype was strongly associated with a poor prognosis. Functionally, circRYK promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and GSC maintenance in GBM. Mechanistically, circRYK sponges miR-330-5p and promotes the expression of the oncogene VLDLR. In addition, circRYK could enhance the stability of VLDLR mRNA via the RNA-binding protein HuR. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that TGF-ß promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and GSC maintenance in GBM through the circRYK-VLDLR axis, which may provide a new therapeutic target for the treatment of GBM.

High-Performance Room Temperature Ammonia Sensors Based on Pure Organic Molecules Featuring B-N Covalent Bond.

Exploring organic semiconductor gas sensors with high sensitivity and selectivity is crucial for the development of sensor technology. Herein, for the first time, a promising chemiresistive organic polymer P-BNT based on a novel π-conjugated triarylboron building block is reported, showcasing an excellent responsivity over 30 000 (Ra/Rg) against 40 ppm of NH3 , which is ≈3300 times higher than that of its B-N organic small molecule BN-H. More importantly, a molecular induction strategy to weaken the bond dissociation energy between polymer and NH3 caused by strong acid-base interaction is further executed to optimize the response and recovery time. As a result, the BN-H/P-BNT system with rapid response and recovery times can still exhibit a high responsivity of 718, which is among the highest reported NH3 chemiresistive sensors. Supported by in situ FTIR spectroscopy and theoretical calculations, it is revealed that the N-H fractions in BN-H small molecule promoted the charge distribution on phenyl groups, which increases charge delocalization and is more conducive to gas adsorption in such molecular systems. Notably, these distinctive small molecules also promoted charge transfer and enhanced electron concentration of the P-BNT sensing polymer, thus achieving superior B-N-containing organic molecules with excellent sensing performance.

Protective effects of human urinary kallidinogenase against corticospinal tract damage in acute ischemic stroke patients.

This study aimed to assess the effects of human urinary kallidinogenase (HUK) on motor function outcome and corticospinal tract recovery in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This study was a randomized, controlled, single-blinded trial. Eighty AIS patients were split into two groups: the HUK and control groups. The HUK group was administered HUK and standard treatment, while the control group received standard treatment only. At admission and discharge, the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Barthel Index (BI) and muscle strength were scored. The primary endpoint was the short-term outcomes of AIS patients under different treatments. The secondary endpoint was the degree of corticospinal tract fiber damage under different treatments. There was a significant improvement in the NIHSS Scale, BI and muscle strength scores in the HUK group compared with controls (Mann-Whitney U test; P  < 0.05). Diffusion tensor tractography classification and intracranial arterial stenosis were independent predictors of short-term recovery by linear regression analysis. The changes in fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) decline rate were significantly smaller in the HUK group than in the control group ( P <  0.05). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) increased significantly after HUK treatment ( P  < 0.05), and the VEGF change was negatively correlated with changes in ADC. HUK is beneficial for the outcome in AIS patients especially in motor function recovery. It may have protective effects on the corticospinal tract which is reflected by the reduction in the FA and ADC decline rates and increased VEGF expression. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (unique identifier: NCT04102956).

Tektin bundle interacting protein, TEKTIP1, functions to stabilize the tektin bundle and axoneme in mouse sperm flagella.

Tektins are microtubule inner proteins (MIPs) and localize at the inside lumen of doublet microtubules (DMTs) of cilia/flagella. TEKTIP1, a newly identified protein by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), is proposed to be localized at the center of the tektin bundle and hypothesized to recruit tektins or stabilize the bundle. However, the physiological role of TEKTIP1 is unknown. In this study, we generated Tektip1-knockout (Tektip1-/-) mice and showed that they were male subfertile primarily due to reduced sperm motility. A high percentage of sperm from Tektip1-/- mice showed moderately disorganized axoneme structures and abnormal flagellar waveforms. TEKTIP1 predominately interacted with TEKT3 among tektins. Loss of TEKTIP1 partially disturbed the organization of tektin bundle by mainly affecting the native status of TEKT3 and its interaction with other tektins. Collectively, our study reveals the physiological role and potential molecular mechanism of TEKTIP1 in axonemal structure and sperm motility, highlights the importance of MIPs in stabilizing DMTs, and suggests a potential relevance of TEKTIP1 deficiency to human asthenospermia. Tektip1-/- mice will be an excellent animal model to study the DMT organization of sperm flagella using cryo-EM in future.

Development and Validation of a Deep-Learning Network for Detecting Congenital Heart Disease from Multi-View Multi-Modal Transthoracic Echocardiograms.

Early detection and treatment of congenital heart disease (CHD) can significantly improve the prognosis of children. However, inexperienced sonographers often face difficulties in recognizing CHD through transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) images. In this study, 2-dimensional (2D) and Doppler TTEs of children collected from 2 clinical groups from Beijing Children's Hospital between 2018 and 2022 were analyzed, including views of apical 4 chamber, subxiphoid long-axis view of 2 atria, parasternal long-axis view of the left ventricle, parasternal short-axis view of aorta, and suprasternal long-axis view. A deep learning (DL) framework was developed to identify cardiac views, integrate information from various views and modalities, visualize the high-risk region, and predict the probability of the subject being normal or having an atrial septal defect (ASD) or a ventricular septaldefect (VSD). A total of 1,932 children (1,255 healthy controls, 292 ASDs, and 385 VSDs) were collected from 2 clinical groups. For view classification, the DL model reached a mean [SD] accuracy of 0.989 [0.001]. For CHD screening, the model using both 2D and Doppler TTEs with 5 views achieved a mean [SD] area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.996 [0.000] and an accuracy of 0.994 [0.002] for within-center evaluation while reaching a mean [SD] AUC of 0.990 [0.003] and an accuracy of 0.993 [0.001] for cross-center test set. For the classification of healthy, ASD, and VSD, the model reached the mean [SD] accuracy of 0.991 [0.002] and 0.986 [0.001] for within- and cross-center evaluation, respectively. The DL models aggregating TTEs with more modalities and scanning views attained superior performance to approximate that of experienced sonographers. The incorporation of multiple views and modalities of TTEs in the model enables accurate identification of children with CHD in a noninvasive manner, suggesting the potential to enhance CHD detection performance and simplify the screening process.

Regulation of histone acetylation by garcinol blocks the reconsolidation of heroin-associated memory.

Drug-associated long-term memories underlie substance use disorders, including heroin use disorder (HUD), which are difficult to eliminate through existing therapies. Addictive memories may become unstable when reexposed to drug-related cues and need to be stabilized again through protein resynthesis. Studies have shown the involvement of histone acetylation in the formation and reconsolidation of long-term drug-associated memory. However, it remains unknown whether and how histone acetyltransferases (HAT), the essential regulators of histone acetylation, contribute to the reconsolidation of heroin-associated memories. Herein, we investigated the function of HAT in the reconsolidation concerning heroin-conditioned memory by using a rat self-administration model. Systemic administration of the HAT inhibitor garcinol inhibited cue and heroin-priming induced reinstatement of heroin seeking, indicating the treatment potential of garcinol for relapse prevention.

Epistasis in neurotransmitter receptors linked to posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder comorbidity in traumatized Chinese.

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) comorbidity occurs through exposure to trauma with genetic susceptibility. Neuropeptide-Y (NPY) and dopamine are neurotransmitters associated with anxiety and stress-related psychiatry through receptors. We attempted to explore the genetic association between two neurotransmitter receptor systems and the PTSD-MDD comorbidity. Methods: Four groups were identified using latent profile analysis (LPA) to examine the patterns of PTSD and MDD comorbidity among survivors exposed to earthquake-related trauma: low symptoms, predominantly depression, predominantly PTSD, and PTSD-MDD comorbidity. NPY2R (rs4425326), NPY5R (rs11724320), DRD2 (rs1079597), and DRD3 (rs6280) were genotyped from 1,140 Chinese participants exposed to earthquake-related trauma. Main, gene-environment interaction (G × E), and gene-gene interaction (G × G) effects for low symptoms, predominantly depression, and predominantly PTSD were tested using a multinomial logistic model with PTSD-MDD comorbidity as a reference. Results: The results demonstrated that compared to PTSD-MDD comorbidity, epistasis (G × G) NPY2R-DRD2 (rs4425326 × rs1079597) affects low symptoms (ß = -0.66, OR = 0.52 [95% CI: 0.32-0.84], p = 0.008, pperm = 0.008) and predominantly PTSD (ß = -0.56, OR = 0.57 [95% CI: 0.34-0.97], p = 0.037, pperm = 0.039), while NPY2R-DRD3 (rs4425326 × rs6280) impacts low symptoms (ß = 0.82, OR = 2.27 [95% CI: 1.26-4.10], p = 0.006, pperm = 0.005) and predominantly depression (ß = 1.08, R = 2.95 [95% CI: 1.55-5.62], p = 0.001, pperm = 0.001). The two G × G effects are independent. Conclusion: NPY and dopamine receptor genes are related to the genetic etiology of PTSD-MDD comorbidity, whose specific mechanisms can be studied at multiple levels.

Brain frailty associated with stroke events in anterior circulation large artery occlusion.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the factors associated with brain frailty and the effect of brain frailty in patients with anterior circulation large artery occlusion (AC-LAO). METHODS: 1100 patients with AC-LVO consecutively admitted to the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, North China between June 2016 and April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The variables associated with brain frailty and stroke outcome were analyzed by ANOVA analysis, the Mann-Whitney U test and multiple linear regression. Based on previous research. Brain frailty score comprises 1 point each for white matter hyperintensity (WMH), old infarction lesions, and cerebral atrophy among 983 participants with baseline brain magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. RESULTS: Among AC-LAO participants, baseline brain frailty score ≥ 1 was common (750/983, 76.3%). Duration of hypertension > 5 years (mean difference [MD] 0.236, 95% CI 0.077, 0.395, p = 0.004), multiple vessel occlusion (MD 0.339, 95% CI 0.068, 0.611, p = 0.014) and basal ganglia infarction (MD -0.308, 95% CI -0.456, -0.160, p < 0.001) were independently associated with brain frailty score. Brain frailty score was independently associated with stroke events, and higher brain frailty scores were associated with higher rates of stroke events (p < 0.001). However, brain frailty has no independent effect on short-term outcome of ACI in AC-LAO patients. CONCLUSIONS: In AC-LAO patients, older age, duration of hypertension > 5 years, and multiple vessel occlusion influenced the brain frailty score. Brain frailty score was independently associated with the occurrence of stroke events in AC-LAO patients.

PTX3 activates POSTN and promotes the progression of glioblastoma via the MAPK/ERK signalling axis.

BACKGROUND: Intrinsic brain tumours such as glioblastoma (GBM) are believed to develop from neuroglial stem or progenitor cells. GBM accounts for approximately half of gliomas. GBM has a poor prognosis and a low 5-year survival rate. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is overexpressed in GBM, but the potential mechanism is unclear. METHODS: Glioblastoma data from the TCGA and CGGA databases were used to analyse PTX3 expression. Subsequently, in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted to verify the effect of PTX3 silencing in glioma cells on EMT like process and GSC maintenance. The JASPAR database was used to predict the downstream genes of PTX3. POSTN is a novel target gene of PTX3 in gliomas, and this finding was validated using a luciferase reporter gene assay. Western blotting and KEGG enrichment analysis were used to predict the downstream pathway of POSTN, and it was found that the MAPK/ERK pathway might be related to the function of POSTN. RESULTS: GBM tissues have higher levels of PTX3 expression than normal brain tissues (NBTs). In functional tests, PTX3 promoted the EMT like process of GBM cells while maintaining the stem cell characteristics of GBM stem cells and enhancing their self-renewal. Moreover, we performed a dual luciferase reporter experiment to confirm that PTX3 binds to the POSTN promoter region. In addition, the expression of key proteins in the MAPK/ERK signalling pathway was increased after PTX3 overexpression. CONCLUSION: POSTN is a direct target of PTX3 that promotes GBM growth via the MAPK/ERK signalling pathway.

Positional Thiophene Isomerization: A Geometric Strategy for Precisely Regulating the Electronic State of Covalent Organic Frameworks to Boost Oxygen Reduction.

With the oxygen conversion efficiency of metal-free carbon-based fuel cells dramatically improved, the building blocks of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) raised principal concerns on the catalytic active sites with indistinct electronic states. Herein, to address this issue, we demonstrate COFs for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by regulating the edge-hanging thiophene units, and the molecular geometries are further modulated via positional thiophene isomerization strategy, affording isomeric COF-α with 2-substitution and COF-ß with 3-substitution on the frameworks. The electronic states and intermediate adsorption ability are well-regulated through geometric modification, resulting in controllable chemical activity and local density of π-electrons. Notably, the introduction of thiophene units with different substitution positions into a pristine pure carbon-based COF model COF-Ph achieves excellent activity with a half-wave potential of 0.76 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode, which is higher than most of those metal-free or metal-based electrocatalysts. Utilizing the combination of theoretical prediction and in situ Raman spectra, we show that the isomeric thiophene skeleton (COF-α and COF-ß) can induce the dangling unit activation, accurately identifying the pentacyclic-carbon (thiophene α-position) adjacent to sulfur atom as active sites. The results suggest that the isomeric dangling groups in COFs are suitable for the ORR with promising geometry construction.

Research Progress on Router Devices for the OAM Optical Communication.

Vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) provide a new degree of freedom for light waves in addition to the traditional degrees of freedom, such as intensity, phase, frequency, time, and polarization. Due to the theoretically unlimited orthogonal states, the physical dimension of OAM is capable of addressing the problem of low information capacity. With the advancement of the OAM optical communication technology, OAM router devices (OAM-RDs) have played a key role in significantly improving the flexibility and practicability of communication systems. In this review, major breakthroughs in the OAM-RDs are summarized, and the latest technological standing is examined. Additionally, a detailed account of the recent works published on techniques related to the OAM-RDs has been categorized into five areas: channel multicasting, channel switching, channel filtering, channel hopping, and channel adding/extracting. Meanwhile, the principles, research methods, advantages, and disadvantages are discussed and summarized in depth while analyzing the future development trends and prospects of the OAM-RDs.

Construction of a co-expression network affecting intramuscular fat content and meat color redness based on transcriptome analysis.

Introduction: Intramuscular fat content (IFC) and meat color are vital indicators of pork quality. Methods: A significant positive correlation between IFC and redness of meat color (CIE a* value) indicates that these two traits are likely to be regulated by shared molecular pathways.To identify candidate genes, hub genes, and signaling pathways that regulate these two traits, we measured the IFC and CIE a* value in 147 hybrid pigs, and selected individuls with extreme phenotypes for transcriptome analysis. Results: The results revealed 485 and 394 overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs), using the DESeq2, limma, and edgeR packages, affecting the IFC and CIE a* value, respectively. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified four modules significantly correlated with the IFC and CIE a* value. Moreover, we integrated functional enrichment analysis results based on DEGs, GSEA, and WGCNA conditions to identify candidate genes, and identified 47 and 53 candidate genes affecting the IFC and CIE a* value, respectively. The protein protein interaction (PPI) network analysis of candidate genes showed that 5 and 13 hub genes affect the IFC and CIE a* value, respectively. These genes mainly participate in various pathways related to lipid metabolism and redox reactions. Notably, four crucial hub genes (MYC, SOX9, CEBPB, and PPAGRC1A) were shared for these two traits. Discussion and conclusion: After functional annotation of these four hub genes, we hypothesized that the SOX9/CEBPB/PPARGC1A axis could co-regulate lipid metabolism and the myoglobin redox response. Further research on these hub genes, especially the SOX9/CEBPB/PPARGC1A axis, will help to understand the molecular mechanism of the co-regulation of the IFC and CIE a* value, which will provide a theoretical basis for improving pork quality.

Short-Wave Infrared Detection and Imaging Employing Size-Customized HgTe Nanocrystals.

HgTe nanocrystals (NCs) possess advantages including tunable infrared absorption spectra, solution processability, and low fabrication costs, offering new avenues for the advancement of next-generation infrared detectors. In spite of great synthetic advances, it remains essential to achieve customized synthesis of HgTe NCs in terms of industrial applications. Herein, by taking advantage of a high critical nucleation concentration of HgTe NCs, a continuous-dropwise (CD) synthetic approach that features the addition of the anion precursors in a feasible drop-by-drop fashion is demonstrated. The slow reaction dynamics enable size-customized synthesis of HgTe NCs with sharp band tails and wide absorption range fully covering the short- and mid-infrared regions. More importantly, the intrinsic advantages of CD process ensure high-uniformity and scale-up synthesis from batch to batch without compromising the excitonic features. The resultant HgTe nanocrystal photodetectors show a high room-temperature detectivity of 8.1 × 1011 Jones at 1.7 µm cutoff absorption edge. This CD approach verifies a robust method for controlled synthesis of HgTe NCs and might have important implications for scale-up synthesis of other nanocrystal materials.

Associations between plasma metal elements and risk of cognitive impairment among Chinese older adults.

Background: The relationship between plasma metal elements and cognitive function is unclear, especially in extremely older individuals. This present study aimed to explore the association between plasma metal concentrations and the risk of cognitive impairment (CI) in Chinese extremely older adults. Methods: Individuals aged ≥90 years with plasm metal concentration data from the fifth wave of the 2008 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey were included. Plasma selenium (Se), manganese (Mn), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) concentrations were measured using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Cognitive function was assessed by the Chinese version of the mini-mental state examination. Results: The study enrolled 408 participants. Participants with CI had significantly lower plasma Se, Mn, and Fe levels and higher Ca levels than those with normal cognitive function (p < 0.05). Plasma Se, Mn, Ca, and Fe concentrations were significantly associated with CI risk in both single- and multiple-element logistic regression models. Additionally, the multiple-element model results showed that the adjusted odds ratios for CI were 0.042 (95% confidence interval 0.016-0.109), 0.106 (0.044-0.255), 7.629 (3.211-18.124) and 0.092 (0.036-0.233) for the highest quartiles compared to the lowest quartiles of Se, Mn, Ca, and Fe, respectively. Moreover, subgroup analyses by age, sex, and body mass index suggested a consistent significant correlation (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Therefore, decreased plasma Se, Mn, and Fe and increased plasma Ca levels were associated with CI risk in Chinese older adults. These findings are of great significance for the development of programs to delay cognitive decline in the elderly.