Angstrom-Scale Triangular Pore in Single-Layer Hexagonal Boron Nitride Membrane for Molecular Sieving.

Single-layer crystalline films are ideal separation membrane materials because their atomic thickness could yield the highest possible molecular flux once nanopores are generated. However, the development of single-layer membranes with well-defined pore structures remains elusive, which makes the realization of efficient molecular sieving and interpretation of molecular transport a difficult task. Herein, we report the fabrication of single-layer nanoporous hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) membranes that uniquely contain triangular nanopores with a high density (around 10 pores per cm).

Synthesis-Related Nanoscale Defects in Mo-Based Janus Monolayers Revealed by Cross-Correlated AFM and TERS Imaging.

2D Janus transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are promising candidates for various applications including non-linear optics, energy harvesting, and catalysis. These materials are usually synthesized via chemical conversion of pristine TMDs. Nanometer-scale characterization of the obtained Janus materials' morphology and local composition is crucial for both the synthesis optimization and the future device applications.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Reduce Inflammation in a Mouse Model of Lyme Arthritis.

Lyme disease (LD), a zoonotic infectious disease caused by (), can affect various organs, including the skin, heart, nervous system, and joints. Lyme arthritis (LA) is the most common and severe late-stage presentation of LD, often presenting with intermittent joint swelling and pain. Although antibiotics are effective in most patients with LA, some patients may continue to experience arthritis symptoms for months or years after standard treatment, which poses a serious threat to their quality of life.

Influence of Zn Content on the Corrosion and Mechanical Properties of Cast and Friction Stir-Welded Al-Si-Mg-Fe-Zn Alloys.

With the ongoing development of lightweight automobiles, research on new aluminum alloys and welding technology has gained significant attention. Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining technique for welding aluminum alloys without melting. In this study, novel squeeze-cast Al-Si-Mg-Fe-Zn alloys with different Zn contents (0, 3.

Breaking Electrochemical Scaling Laws in Atomically Engineered van der Waals Stack Multisite Edge Catalysts.

Electrocatalysis is key to sustainable energy conversion and storage, but its efficiency is limited by scaling laws between reactant adsorption and desorption. Multisite catalysts promises to overcome these limits, but challenges in fabrication and characterization hinder its validation. We present a platform to study and optimize multisite electrocatalysis.

Respiratory syncytial virus infection in adult and paediatric patients admitted to intensive care in Australia: A nation-wide comparison with COVID-19.

Objective: To assess the characteristics, treatments and outcomes of paediatric and adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and compare these with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during the same period.

Design Setting And Participants: We conducted a multicenter, prospective, observational study using data from the short period incidence study of severe acute respiratory infection (SPRINT SARI) Australia, in 38 Australian ICUs from 1 June 2022 to 1 September 2024. Demographic, treatment, and outcome data were analysed for patients with confirmed RSV or COVID-19.

DNMT3B aggravated renal fibrosis in diabetic kidney disease via activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

The incidence of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has increased rapidly worldwide in recent decades, and DKD is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is widely recognized as a critical contributor to DKD. However, how this pathway is activated in DKD is still unknown.

Non-perturbative cathodoluminescence microscopy of beam-sensitive materials.

Cathodoluminescence microscopy is now a well-established and powerful tool for probing the photonic properties of nanoscale materials, but in many cases, nanophotonic materials are easily damaged by the electron-beam doses necessary to achieve reasonable cathodoluminescence signal-to-noise ratios. Two-dimensional materials have proven particularly susceptible to beam-induced modifications, yielding both obstacles to high spatial-resolution measurement and opportunities for beam-induced patterning of quantum photonic systems. Here pan-sharpening techniques are applied to cathodoluminescence microscopy in order to address these challenges and experimentally demonstrate the promise of pan-sharpening for minimally-perturbative high-spatial-resolution spectrum imaging of beam-sensitive materials.

Achieving High-Yield Conversion of Janus Transition Metal Dichalcogenides on Diverse Substrates.

Janus transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) with intrinsic broken mirror symmetry and vertical dipole moment provide an additional degree of freedom to manipulate material symmetry down to atomic-layer thickness. However, despite advances in synthesis strategies, fundamental understanding of this atomic substitution process remains limited, which has impeded their implementation in advanced devices. Here, by using a room-temperature atomic-layer substitution (RT-ALS) strategy, we systematically investigate the critical factors facilitating the high-yield conversion of Janus TMDCs on diverse substrates.

Weathering-driven fungal adaptations in boreal forest biomass degradation and biomineralization.

Forest biomass photodegradation and subsequent fungal biodegradation are crucial to the carbon cycle in ecosystems. Meanwhile, fungal biomineralization significantly contributes to the biogeochemical mineral cycle. However, the interplay between these processes, where fungi play a specific role as co-protagonists, particularly under weathering conditions, remains poorly understood.

Seroprevalence of Lyme Disease in Asian Human Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Lyme disease (LD, also known as Lyme borreliosis) is the most frequent tick-transmitted disease caused by the spirochete in Europe and the United States. LD is distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, but the seroprevalence of LD in Asian human populations is unclear. To investigate the seroprevalence of LD in Asian human populations.

Antarctic krill habitat suitability changes: Historical trends and future projections under climate scenarios.

Antarctic krill plays a crucial role in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. However, data limitations leave a significant gap in understanding the changes in krill habitat suitability. This study integrated data from Chinese Antarctic research expeditions and KRILLBASE database, using Maxent model to assess spatiotemporal shifts in krill suitable habitat from 1991 to 2100 across the eastern and western Antarctic under SSP-RCP scenarios.

Spatio-temporal variations in carbon sources, sinks and footprints of cropland ecosystems in the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Plain of China, 2013-2022.

Cropland ecosystems, which are most affected by human activities, are dual carriers of carbon sources and sinks. It has significant implications for the achievement of the "two-carbon" objective. The Middle and Lower Yangtze River Plain (MLYRP) is the principal grain-producing area of China, which is a great agricultural country.

Achieving Ultrahigh Energy Storage Density for BaTiO-Based Ceramics under Moderate Electric Fields via Regulating Dielectric Permittivity.

The development of lead-free relaxor ferroelectric ceramics with high energy storage density has emerged as a critical area, driven by the increasing demand for advanced energy storage capacitors and high-power density devices. Conventional approaches to enhance energy-storage performance in lead-free dielectric ceramics typically rely on achieving ultrahigh breakdown field strength () or employing complex multicomponent composite strategies. However, the requirement for high electric fields hinders the miniaturization and integration of the devices.

Study on the migration pathway and isotopic composition of Zn in soil, plant and water in mining area.

Isotopic tracing has been widely used to identify the sources and migration processes of Zn in diverse environments. However, Zn isotope fractionation during the migration process within the mining area poses challenges to the accuracy of isotopic tracing. To address this issue, a representative Pb-Zn mining area in the karst region of southwestern China was selected as the study area, given its long-term tailings' pollution history and the extensive spatial distribution of Zn migration.

Integrated Genomic Analysis of Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Subtypes Characterized by Immunogenic Cell Death-Relevant Gene Signature.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to identify biomarkers associated with immunogenic cell death (ICD) in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), focusing on subtypes with distinct immunological characteristics and prognosis. Given the heterogeneous nature of LUSC, understanding ICD's role is crucial for developing tailored therapeutic strategies.

Patients And Methods: RNA sequencing data from 504 LUSC samples were analyzed using unsupervised clustering to identify ICD-related gene expression patterns.

Electrically programmable pixelated coherent mid-infrared thermal emission.

Active metasurfaces have recently emerged as compact, lightweight, and efficient platforms for dynamic control of electromagnetic fields and optical responses. However, the complexities associated with their post-fabrication tunability significantly hinder their widespread applications, especially for the mid-infrared range due to material scarcity and design intricacy. Here, we experimentally demonstrate highly dynamic, pixelated modulations of coherent mid-infrared emission based on an electrically programmable plasmonic metasurface integrated with graphene field-effect transistors (Gr-FETs).

Role of plasma metabolome in mediating the effect of plasma lipidome on NAFLD: a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: This study explored the causal connection among the plasma lipidome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and potential metabolome mediators through Mendelian randomization (MR).

Methods: We obtained summary statistics for 179 plasma lipidome traits ( = 7,174), 1,400 plasma metabolome traits ( = 8,299), and one NAFLD trait from publicly available genome-wide association studies. A two-sample MR analysis was conducted to infer causality.

Density functional theory for fractional charge: Locality, size consistency, and exchange-correlation.

We show that the exact universal density functional of integer electronic charge leads to an extension to fractional charge in an asymptotic sense when it is applied to a system made of asymptotically separated densities. The extended functional is asymptotically local and is said to be i-local. The concept of i-locality is also applicable to nuclear external potentials, and a natural association exists between the localities of a density and a set of nuclei.

Remote-Contact Catalysis for Target-Diameter Semiconducting Carbon Nanotube Arrays.

Electrostatic catalysis uses an external electric field (EEF) to rearrange the charge distribution to boost reaction rates and selectively produce certain reaction products in small-molecule reactions (e.g., Diels-Alder addition), requiring a 10 MV/cm field aligned with the reaction axis.

Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 confers the resistance of triple-negative breast cancer to nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel by enhancing autophagy through the dimethylation of ULK1.

Chemotherapy remains the major strategy for treating triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC); however, frequently acquired chemoresistance greatly limits the treatment outcomes. Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), which modulates arginine methylation, is important in chemoresistance acquisition across various cancers. The function of PRMT5 in the development of chemoresistance in TNBC is still not well understood.

DOT1L protects against podocyte injury in diabetic kidney disease through phospholipase C-like 1.

Background: Podocyte injury causes proteinuria and accelerates glomerular sclerosis during diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Disruptor of telomeric silencing 1-like (DOT1L), an evolutionarily conserved histone methyltransferase, has been reported in preventing kidney fibrosis in chronic kidney disease models. However, whether DOT1L exerts beneficial effects in diabetes induced podocyte injury and the underlying molecular mechanisms need further exploration.