Hierarchical functional differences between gyri and sulci at different scales.

Gyri and sulci are 2 fundamental cortical folding patterns of the human brain. Recent studies have suggested that gyri and sulci may play different functional roles given their structural and functional heterogeneity. However, our understanding of the functional differences between gyri and sulci remains limited due to several factors. Firstly, previous studies have typically focused on either the spatial or temporal domain, neglecting the inherently spatiotemporal nature of brain functions. Secondly, analyses have often been restricted to either local or global scales, leaving the question of hierarchical functional differences unresolved. Lastly, there has been a lack of appropriate analytical tools for interpreting the hierarchical spatiotemporal features that could provide insights into these differences. To overcome these limitations, in this paper, we proposed a novel hierarchical interpretable autoencoder (HIAE) to explore the hierarchical functional difference between gyri and sulci. Central to our approach is its capability to extract hierarchical features via a deep convolutional autoencoder and then to map these features into an embedding vector using a carefully designed feature interpreter. This process transforms the features into interpretable spatiotemporal patterns, which are pivotal in investigating the functional disparities between gyri and sulci. We evaluate the proposed framework on Human Connectome Project task functional magnetic resonance imaging dataset. The experiments demonstrate that the HIAE model can effectively extract and interpret hierarchical spatiotemporal features that are neuroscientifically meaningful. The analyses based on the interpreted features suggest that gyri are more globally activated, whereas sulci are more locally activated, demonstrating a distinct transition in activation patterns as the scale shifts from local to global. Overall, our study provides novel insights into the brain's anatomy-function relationship.

Synergistic Effect of Ionic Liquid and Embedded QDs on 2D Ferroelectric Perovskite Films with Narrow Phase Distribution for Self-Powered and Broad-Band Photodetectors.

2D layered metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are a potential material for fabricating self-powered photodetectors (PDs). Nevertheless, 2D MHPs produced via solution techniques frequently exhibit multiple quantum wells, leading to notable degradation in the device performance. Besides, the wide band gap in 2D perovskites limits their potential for broad-band photodetection. Integrating narrow-band gap materials with perovskite matrices is a viable strategy for broad-band PDs. In this study, the use of methylamine acetate (MAAc) as an additive in 2D perovskite precursors can effectively control the width of the quantum wells (QWs). The amount of MAAc greatly affects the phase purity. Subsequently, PbSe QDs were embedded into the 2D perovskite matrix with a broadened absorption spectrum and no negative effects on ferroelectric properties. PM6:Y6 was combined with the hybrid ferroelectric perovskite films to create a self-powered and broad-band PD with enhanced performance due to a ferro-pyro-phototronic effect, reaching a peak responsivity of 2.4 A W-1 at 940 nm.

Dual Heterojunctions and Nanobowl Morphology Engineered BiVO4 Photoanodes for Enhanced Solar Water Splitting.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting represents an attractive strategy to realize the conversion from solar energy to hydrogen energy, but severe charge recombination in photoanodes significantly limits the conversion efficiency. Herein, a unique BiVO4 (BVO) nanobowl (NB) heterojunction photoanode, which consists of [001]-oriented BiOCl underlayer and BVO nanobowls containing embedded BiOCl nanocrystals, is fabricated by nanosphere lithography followed by in situ transformation. Experimental characterizations and theoretical simulation prove that nanobowl morphology can effectively enhance light absorption while reducing carrier diffusion path. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show the tendency of electron transfer from BVO to BiOCl. The [001]-oriented BiOCl underlayer forms a compact type II heterojunction with the BVO, favoring electron transfer from BVO through BiOCl to the substrate. Furthermore, the embedded BiOCl nanoparticles form a bulk heterojunction to facilitate bulk electron transfer. Consequently, the dual heterojunctions engineered BVO/BiOCl NB photoanode exhibits attractive PEC performance toward water oxidation with an excellent bulk charge separation efficiency of 95.5%, and a remarkable photocurrent density of 3.38 mA cm-2 at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, a fourfold enhancement compared to the flat BVO counterpart. This work highlights the great potential of integrating dual heterojunctions engineering and morphology engineering in fabricating high-performance photoelectrodes toward efficient solar conversion.

Tailoring Interlayer Microenvironment of 2D Layered Double Hydroxides for CO2 Reduction with Enhanced C2+ Production.

Both the physicochemical properties of catalytic material and the structure of loaded catalyst layer (CL) on gas diffusion electrode (GDE) are of crucial importance in determining the conversion efficiency and product selectivity of carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR). However, the highly reducing reaction condition of CO2RR will lead to the uncontrollable structural and compositional changes of catalysts, making it difficult to tailor surface properties and microstructure of the real active species for favored products. Herein, the interlayer microenvironment of copper-based layered double hydroxides (LDHs) is rationally tuned by a facile ink solvent engineering, which affects both the surface characters and microstructure of CL on GDE, leading to distinct catalytic activity and product selectivity. According to series of in situ and ex situ techniques, the appropriate surface wettability and thickness of porous CL are found to play critical roles in controlling the local CO2 concentration and water dissociation steps that are key for hydrogenation during CO2RR, leading to a high Faradaic efficiency of 75.3% for C2+ products and a partial current density of 275 mA cm-2 at -0.8 V versus RHE. This work provides insights into rational design of efficient electrocatalysts toward CO2RR for multi-carbon generation.

Efficacy of short-term Peg-IFN α-2b treatment in chronic hepatitis B patients with ultra-low HBsAg levels: a retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Peginterferon alfa-2b (Peg-IFN α-2b) has demonstrated superior efficacy over nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), particularly among patients with low levels of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). This study aims to determine whether patients with ultra-low HBsAg levels (< 200 IU/mL) can achieve significantly higher clinical cure rates with abbreviated courses of Peg-IFN α-2b therapy. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, CHB patients with HBsAg levels below 200 IU/mL were categorized into a Peg-IFN α-2b group and a control group. The Peg-IFN α-2b group received Peg-IFN α-2b for a minimum of 24 weeks, with the possibility of early discontinuation upon achieving HBsAg clearance, and were followed through week 48. The control group remained untreated for hepatitis B virus (HBV), and was observed for 24 weeks. HBsAg clearance rates were compared between groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with HBsAg clearance . RESULTS: By week 24, the HBsAg clearance rate in the Peg-IFN α-2b group was notably 52.1% (38/73), contrasting sharply with the mere 1.3% (1/77) observed in the control group. Within the Peg-IFN α-2b group, a substantial 97.3% (71/73) of patients noted a reduction in HBsAg levels. Besides, the decision to continue or discontinue treatment after the 24-week mark had no significant impact on the HBsAg clearance rate at week 48. Multivariable analysis pinpointed baseline HBsAg levels (OR = 0.984, p = 0.001) and the presence of fatty liver (OR = 5.960, p = 0.033) as independent predictors of HBsAg clearance. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm that a 24-week course of Peg-IFN α-2b yields robust efficacy in CHB patients with ultra-low HBsAg levels. Prolonging treatment beyond the 24-week threshold is deemed unnecessary. Both baseline HBsAg level and the presence of fatty liver emerged as significant predictors for HBsAg clearance.

The involvement of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 in regulating immune response by NF-κB at pre-molt stage of Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis).

Molting is a crucial biological process of crustaceans. Crustaceans go through three separate stages throughout their molting process, including pre-molt, post-molt and inter-molt. However, the exact mechanism of immunological modulation during molting remains unclear. Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) has been extensively documented to participate in immune defense. In the present study, a TRAF6 gene with two TRAF-type zinc finger domains was identified from Eriocheir sinensis (designed as EsTRAF6), and its role in regulating immune response during molting process was explored. The mRNA expression level of EsTRAF6 at pre-molt stage was higher than that at post-molt stage and inter-molt stage. After Aeromonas hydrophila stimulation, the expression levels of EsTRAF6, EsRelish and anti-lipopolysaccharide factors (ALFs) genes exhibited a considerable increase at three molting stages. Subsequently, the expression patterns of EsTRAF6 and EsRelish in response to the treatment with 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) were examined. The mRNA expression of EsTRAF6 and EsRelish were significantly increased at 12 h after 20E injection. Additionally, the protein expression level of TRAF6 was also up-regulated in 20E group compared to control group. Furthermore, the role of EsTRAF6 in regulating the anti- ALFs expression at pre-molt stage post A. hydrophila stimulation was investigated. Following the inhibition of the EsTRAF6 transcript using RNAi or the injection of inhibitor (TMBPS), there was a notable decrease of the EsALF1, EsALF2 and EsALF3 transcripts. Moreover, a significant reduction in the phosphorylation level of NF-κB at pre-molt stage was observed after A. hydrophila stimulation in TRAF6-inhibited crabs. Collectively, our results suggest that EsTRAF6 could be induced by 20E and promoted the EsALFs expression by activating NF-κB at pre-molt stage, which provides a novel insight into the research of immune regulatory mechanism during the process of molting of crustaceans.

Cortex2vector: anatomical embedding of cortical folding patterns.

Current brain mapping methods highly depend on the regularity, or commonality, of anatomical structure, by forcing the same atlas to be matched to different brains. As a result, individualized structural information can be overlooked. Recently, we conceptualized a new type of cortical folding pattern called the 3-hinge gyrus (3HG), which is defined as the conjunction of gyri coming from three directions. Many studies have confirmed that 3HGs are not only widely existing on different brains, but also possess both common and individual patterns. In this work, we put further effort, based on the identified 3HGs, to establish the correspondences of individual 3HGs. We developed a learning-based embedding framework to encode individual cortical folding patterns into a group of anatomically meaningful embedding vectors (cortex2vector). Each 3HG can be represented as a combination of these embedding vectors via a set of individual specific combining coefficients. In this way, the regularity of folding pattern is encoded into the embedding vectors, while the individual variations are preserved by the multi-hop combination coefficients. Results show that the learned embeddings can simultaneously encode the commonality and individuality of cortical folding patterns, as well as robustly infer the complicated many-to-many anatomical correspondences among different brains.

Role of CD44 in Chemotherapy Treatment Outcome: A Scoping Review of Clinical Studies.

Cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44), a cell surface adhesion molecule overexpressed in cancer stem cells, has been implicated in chemoresistance. This scoping review, following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, systematically identified and evaluated clinical studies on the impact of CD44 expression on chemotherapy treatment outcomes across various cancer types. The search encompassed PubMed (1985-2023) and SCOPUS (1936-2023) databases, yielding a total of 12,659 articles, of which 40 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis using a predefined data extraction table. Data collected included the cancer type, sample size, interventions, control, treatment outcome, study type, expression of CD44 variants and isoforms, and effect of CD44 on chemotherapy outcome. Most of the studies demonstrated an association between increased CD44 expression and negative chemotherapeutic outcomes such as shorter overall survival, increased tumor recurrence, and resistance to chemotherapy, indicating a potential role of CD44 upregulation in chemoresistance in cancer patients. However, a subset of studies also reported non-significant relationships or conflicting results. In summary, this scoping review highlighted the breadth of the available literature investigating the clinical association between CD44 and chemotherapeutic outcomes. Further research is required to elucidate this relationship to aid clinicians in managing CD44-positive cancer patients.

Effects of Dietary Bio-Fermented Selenium Supplementation on Growth, Immune Performance, and Intestinal Microflora of Chinese Mitten Crabs, Eriocheir sinensis.

Selenium is a vital trace mineral that is crucial for maintaining regular biological processes in aquatic animals. In this study, a four-week dietary trial was carried out to assess the impact of bio-fermented selenium (Bio-Se) on the growth and immune response of Chinese mitten crabs, Eriocheir sinensis. The crabs were randomly allocated to five dietary treatment groups, each receiving a different dose of Bio-Se. The doses included 0, 0.3, 0.6, 1.5, and 3.0 mg/kg and were accurately measured in basal diet formulations. The results showed the weight gain rate (WGR), specific growth rate (SGR), and survival rate (SR) in the 1.5 mg/kg Bio-Se group were the highest, and 3.0 mg/kg of Bio-Se has an inhibitory effect on the WGR, SGR, and SR. The activities of the immune enzymes, including glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and acid phosphatase (ACP), of the hepatopancreas were significantly (p < 0.05) increased in the 1.5 mg/kg Bio-Se group, while they decreased (p < 0.05) in the 3.0 mg/kg feeding group compared to the 0 mg/kg feeding group. The concentration of maleic dialdehyde (MDA) exhibited the opposite pattern. Similarly, the mRNA expression levels of antimicrobial peptides (ALF-1, Crus-1, and LYS), ERK, and Relish genes were also observed to be the highest in the 1.5 mg/kg Bio-Se group compared with the other groups. Furthermore, the administration of 1.5 mg/kg of Bio-Se resulted in an increase in the thickness of the intestinal plica and mucosal layer, as well as in alterations in the intestinal microbial profile and bacterial diversity compared to the dose of 0 mg/kg of Bio-Se. Notably, the population of the beneficial bacterial phylum Fusobacteria was increased after crabs were fed the 1.5 mg/kg Bio-Se diet. In conclusion, the oral administration of 1.5 mg/kg of Bio-Se improved the growth efficiency, antioxidant capabilities, immunity, and intestinal health of E. sinensis. Through a broken-line analysis of the WGR against dietary Bio-Se levels, optimal dietary Bio-Se levels were determined to be 1.1 mg/kg. These findings contribute valuable insights to the understanding of crab cultivation and nutrition.

Investigating the response of urban surface thermal environment to urban morphology changes in Nanjing.

The urbanization process has significantly impacted urban morphology, which in turn has led to changes in the urban surface thermal environment (USTE). A summarization of the empirical patterns of past urban morphology changes and an evaluation of the USTE effects produced by different patterns will contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge regarding the response of USTE to urban morphology changes and facilitate the development of sustainable urban planning and design practices. This study investigated the response of USTE to urban morphology from the overall and local based on the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) framework during 2005-2020 in Nanjing. The results validated the rationality of the LCZ framework for describing urban morphology changes and their USTE responses. It was found that the overall USTE was continuing to deteriorate, with an increase in high temperature and sub-high temperature areas. LCZ 4, LCZ 5, and LCZ 8 were the major contributors to overall urban heat, and their growth in the amount and changes in USTE characteristics mainly caused the overall USTE deterioration. In localized areas, it was found that urban regeneration had the most potential to optimize USTE. The conversion processes of LCZ 5 to LCZ 4, LCZ 8 to LCZ 4, and LCZ 8 to LCZ 5 were considered more advantageous in improving daytime USTE, which should be advocated. The results can provide important insights into the perception of urban morphology and USTE, and support the urban regeneration policies for climate-resilient cities from the environmental performance perspective.

Two-Dimensional Ultrathin Graphic Carbon Nitrides with Extended π-Conjugation as Extraordinary Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Photocatalyst.

Construction of 2D graphic carbon nitrides (g-CNx ) with wide visible light adsorption range and high charge separation efficiency concurrently is of great urgent demand and still very challenging for developing highly efficient photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution. To achieve this goal, a two-step pyrolytic strategy has been applied here to create ultrathin 2D g-CNx with extended the π-conjugation. It is experimentally proven that the extension of π-conjugation in g-CNx is not only beneficial to narrowing the bandgap, but also improving the charge separation efficiency of the g-CNx . As an integral result, extraordinary apparent quantum efficiencies (AQEs) of 57.3% and 7.0% at short (380 nm) and long (520 nm) wavelength, respectively, are achieved. The formation process of the extended π-conjugated structures in the ultrathin 2D g-CNx has been investigated using XRD, FT-IR, Raman, XPS, and EPR. Additionally, it has been illustrated that the two-step pyrolytic strategy is critical for creating ultrathin g-CNx nanosheets with extended π-conjugation by control experiments. This work shows a feasible and effective strategy to simultaneously expand the light adsorption range, enhance charge carrier mobility and depress electron-hole recombination of g-CNx for high-efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Microwell Confined Electro-Coalescence for Rapid Formation of High-Throughput Droplet Array.

Droplet array is widely applied in single cell analysis, drug screening, protein crystallization, etc. This work proposes and validates a method for rapid formation of uniform droplet array based on microwell confined droplets electro-coalescence of screen-printed emulsion droplets, namely electro-coalescence droplet array (ECDA). The electro-coalescence of droplets is according to the polarization induced electrostatic and dielectrophoretic forces, and the dielectrowetting effect. The photolithographically fabricated microwells are highly regular and reproducible, ensuring identical volume and physical confinement to achieve uniform droplet array, and meanwhile the microwell isolation protects the paired water droplets from further fusion and broadens its feasibility to different fluidic systems. Under optimized conditions, a droplet array with an average diameter of 85 µm and a throughput of 106 in a 10 cm × 10 cm chip can be achieved within 5 s at 120 Vpp and 50 kHz. This ECDA chip is validated for various microwell geometries and functional materials. The optimized ECDA are successfully applied for digital viable bacteria counting, showing comparable results to the plate culture counting. Such an ECDA chip, as a digitizable and high-throughput platform, presents excellent potential for high-throughput screening, analysis, absolute quantification, etc.

UV/Chlorine Process: An Efficient Advanced Oxidation Process with Multiple Radicals and Functions in Water Treatment.

Because of the deterioration of global water quality, the occurrence of chemical and microbial contaminants in water raises serious concerns for the health of the population. Identifying and developing effective and environmentally friendly water treatment technologies are critical to obtain clean water. Among the various technologies for the purification of water, ultraviolet photolysis of chlorine (UV/chlorine), an emerging advanced oxidation process (AOP), has multiple functions for the control of contaminants via the production of hydroxyl radicals (HO·) and reactive chlorine species (RCS), such as Cl·, ClO·, and Cl2·-.This Account centers around the radical chemistry of RCS and HO· in different water matrices and their roles and mechanisms in the abatement of contaminants. The concentrations of Cl·, ClO·, and Cl2·- are comparable to or higher than those of HO· (10-14 to 10-13 M). The reactivities of RCS are more selective than HO· with a broader range of second-order rate constants (k). The k values of Cl· toward most aromatics are higher or similar as compared to those of HO·, while those of Cl2·- and ClO· are less reactive but more selective toward aromatics containing electron-donating functional groups. Their major reaction mechanisms with Cl· are electron transfer and addition, while those with ClO· and Cl2·- primarily involve electron transfer. As for aliphatics, their reactivities with both HO· and RCS are much lower than those of aromatics. The reaction mechanisms for most of them with Cl· and Cl2·- are hydrogen abstraction, except for olefins, which are addition. In addition, RCS greatly contribute to the inactivation of microbial contaminants.Toward future application, the UV/chlorine process has both pros and cons. Compared with the traditional HO·-based AOP of UV/H2O2, UV/chlorine is more efficient and energy-saving for oxidation and disinfection, and its efficiency is less affected by water matrix components. However, the formation of toxic byproducts in UV/chlorine limits its application scenarios. In dissolved organic matter (DOM)-rich water, the formation of halogenated byproducts is enhanced in UV/chlorine. In the presence of ammonia, reactive nitrogen species (RNS) (e.g., ·NO and ·NO2) are involved, and highly toxic nitro(so) products such as nitro(so)-phenolics and N-nitrosodimethylamine are generated. For a niche application, the UV/chlorine process is recommended to be utilized in water with low levels of DOM and ammonia.Strategies should be developed to make full use of highly reactive species (RCS and HO·) for the abatement of target contaminants and to reduce the formation of toxic byproducts. For example, the UV/chlorine process can be used in tandem with other treatments to create multiple barriers for the production of safe water. In addition, halogen radicals are very important in ecosystems as well as other areas such as medical therapy and organic synthesis. UV/chlorine is the most efficient homogeneous system to generate halogen radicals, and thus it provides a perfect system to investigate the fates of halogen radicals for interdisciplinary research.

Enhancement effect of carvacrol on yeast inactivation by mild pressure carbon dioxide.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the common spoilage microorganisms in fruit juices. This paper investigated the influences of carvacrol on S. cerevisiae inactivation by mild pressure carbon dioxide (MPCO2). The results demonstrated that carvacrol synergistically enhanced the antifungal activity against S. cerevisiae of MPCO2. With the increase of carvacrol concentration (20-160 µg/mL), CO2 pressure (1.5-3.5 MPa), process temperature (20-40 °C), and treatment time (15-60 min), the inactivation effect of carvacrol combined with MPCO2 on S. cerevisiae was gradually increased and significantly stronger than either single treatment. In the presence of carvacrol, MPCO2 severely disordered the plasma membrane of S. cerevisiae, including the increase of membrane permeability, and the loss of membrane potential and integrity. MPCO2 and carvacrol in combination also aggravated the mitochondrial depolarization of S. cerevisiae and reduced intracellular ATP and protein content. This study suggests the potential of carvacrol and pressurized CO2 as an alternative technology for food pasteurization.

Crystalline Metallo-Organic Cage by Triphenylene-Cored Hexaterpyridine for Fast Iodine Capture.

In recent years, radioactive iodine capture has played an important role in nuclear waste treatment. However, most of the adsorbents possess low economic efficiency and undesirable reutilization in practical application. In this work, a terpyridine-based porous metallo-organic cage was assembled for iodine adsorption. Through synchrotron X-ray analysis, the metallo-cage was found to have a porous hierarchical packing mode with inherent cavity and packing channel. By taking advantage of polycyclic aromatic units and charged ⟨tpy-Zn2+-tpy⟩ (tpy = terpyridine) coordination sites in the structure, this nanocage exhibits an excellent ability to capture iodine in both the gas phase and aqueous medium, and the crystal state of the nanocage shows an ultrafast kinetic process of capturing I2 in aqueous solution within 5 min. The calculated maximum sorption capacities for I2 based on the Langmuir isotherm models are 1731 and 1487 mg g-1 for amorphous and crystalline nanocages, which is noticeably higher than most of the reported iodine sorbent materials in the aqueous phase. This work not only provides a rare example of iodine adsorption by a terpyridyl-based porous cage but also expands the applications of terpyridine coordination systems into iodine capture.

Heteroleptic/Heterometallic Sierpinski Triangle with Room Temperature Fluorescence Emission and Photocatalytic Amine Oxidation Activity.

As a result of their optical and redox properties, bipyridyl (bpy) and terpyridyl (tpy) ruthenium complexes play vital roles in numerous domains. Herein, the design and synthesis of two bipyridyl and terpyridyl ruthenium(II) building units L1 and L2 are explained. A [Ru(bpy)3]2+ functionalized triangle S1 and a Sierpinski triangle S2 were synthesized in almost quantitative yields by the self-assembly of L1 with Zn2+ ions and by the heteroleptic self-assembly of L1 and L2 with Zn2+ ions, respectively. The Sierpinski triangle S2 contains the coordination metals [Ru(bpy)3]2+, [Ru(tpy)2]2+, and [Zn(tpy)2]2+. According to research on the catalytic activity of amine oxidation on supramolecules S1 and S2, the benzylamine substrates were nearly entirely transformed to N-benzylidenebenzylamine derivatives after 1 h under a Xe lamp. Furthermore, the observed ruthenium-containing terpyridyl supramolecule S2 maintains high luminous performance at ambient temperature. This discovery opens up new possibilities for the rational molecular design of terpyridyl ruthenium fluorescent materials and catalytic functional materials.

In situanchoring of Fe3O4/CNTs hybrids on basalt fiber for efficient electromagnetic wave absorption.

The development of practical and efficient electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing materials is a challenging research problem. A mussel-inspired molecular structure regulation strategy using polydopamine to increase the roughness and functional groups of basalt fiber (BF) surface, which can improve the fiber interfacial adhesion. Herein, a novel BF-Fe3O4/CNTs heterostructure is synthesized through a dip-coating adsorption process. The three-dimensional network structure of Fe3O4/CNTs hybridin situanchored on the surface of BF, which endows the composite to have good intrinsic magnetic and dielectric properties. Modulation of EMW absorption performance by controlling the addition of CNTs, the minimum RL of BF-Fe3O4/7C reaches to -40.57 dB at a thickness of 1.5 mm with CNTs addition of 7%. The enhanced EMW absorption performance of BF-Fe3O4/7C heterostructure may be attributed to the synergistic effects of interfacial polarization between the hollow magnetic Fe3O4spheres and CNTs, conduction loss, magnetic resonance loss and multiple reflection/scattering inside the BF. This work provides a simple pathway to design EMW absorbing materials with good environmental stability.

The Marriage of Sierpinski Triangles and Platonic Polyhedra.

Fractal structures with self-similarity are of fundamental importance in the fields of aesthetic, chemistry and mathematics. Here, by taking advantage of constructs the rational geometry-directed precursor design, we report the construction of two fascinating Platonic solids, the Sierpinski tetrahedron ST-T and the Sierpinski octahedron ST-O, in which each possesses a fractal Sierpinski triangle on their independent faces. These two discrete complexes are formed in near-quantitative yield from the multi-component self-assembly of truncated Sierpinski triangular kernel L1 with tribenzotriquinacene-based hexatopic and anthracene-based tetratopic terpyridine ligands (L3 and L4 ) in the presence of metal ions, respectively. The enhanced stabilities of the 3D discrete structures were investigated by gradient tandem mass spectrometry (gMS2 ). This work provides new constructs for the imitation of complex virus assemblies and for the molecular encapsulation of giant guest molecules.

Blending Donors with Different Molecular Weights: An Efficient Strategy to Resolve the Conflict between Coherence Length and Intermixed Phase in Polymer/Nonfullerene Solar Cells.

Long coherence lengths (CLs) of crystals and proper intermixed phase amount guarantee charge transport and exciton dissociate efficiently, which is crucial for organic solar cells (OSCs) to achieve high device performance. However, extending CLs usually reduces the intermixed phase, leading to an insufficient interface for exciton dissociation. Herein, a strategy using a binary polymer with different molecular weights as donor is employed, that is, poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) with high (P3HT-H) and low (P3HT-L) molecular weight are blended as donor, and (5Z,5'Z)-5,5'-(((4,4,9,9-tetraoctyl-4,9-dihydro-s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b']dithiophene-2,7-diyl)bis(benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-7,4-diyl))bis(methanylylidene))bis(3-ethyl-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one) (O-IDTBR) is used as acceptor. In kinetics, the entanglements of P3HT-H are relieved due to the higher molecular diffusivity of P3HT-L. In thermodynamics, the miscibility of P3HT-L/O-IDTBR, P3HT-H/O-IDTBR, and P3HT-L/P3HT-H blends increases in turn. Hence, P3HT forms a more ordered structure with longer CLs after adding P3HT-L, which also drives O-IDTBR dispersed in P3HT crystalline regions diffuse to the O-IDTBR crystalline regions to further self-organize. Consequently, the CLs of both P3HT and O-IDTBR are extended, while keeping the intermixed phase amount proper. The optimized microstructure boosts device performance from 7.03% to 7.80%, which is one of the highest values reported for P3HT/O-IDTBR blends. This is a novel way to solve the conflict mentioned above, which may provide guidance to finely regulating the morphology of the active layer.

Natural alleles of a uridine 5'-diphospho-glucosyltransferase gene responsible for differential endosperm development between upland rice and paddy rice.

Traditional upland rice generally exhibits insufficient grains resulting from abnormal endosperm development compared to paddy rice. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of this trait is poorly understood. Here, we cloned the uridine 5'-diphospho (UDP)-glucosyltransferase gene EDR1 (Endosperm Development in Rice) responsible for differential endosperm development between upland rice and paddy rice by performing quantitative trait loci analysis and map-based cloning. EDR1 was highly expressed in developing seeds during grain filling. Natural variations in EDR1 significantly reduced the UDP-glucosyltransferase activity of EDR1YZN compared to EDR1YD1 , resulting in abnormal endosperm development in the near-isogenic line, accompanied by insufficient grains and changes in grain quality. By analyzing the distribution of the two alleles EDR1YD1 and EDR1YZN among diverse paddy rice and upland rice varieties, we discovered that EDR1 was conserved in upland rice, but segregated in paddy rice. Further analyses of grain chalkiness in the alleles of EDR1YD1 and EDR1YZN varieties indicated that rice varieties harboring EDR1YZN and EDR1YD1 preferentially showed high chalkiness, and low chalkiness, respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that the UDP-glucosyltransferase gene EDR1 is an important determinant controlling differential endosperm development between upland rice and paddy rice.