Reinforcement learning-enhanced multi-objective optimization for sustainable coal blending in thermal power plants.

Coal blending in thermal power plants is a complex multi-objective challenge involving economic, operational and environmental considerations. This study presents a Q-learning-enhanced NSGA-II (QLNSGA-II) algorithm that integrates the adaptive policy optimization of Q-learning with the elitist selection of NSGA-II to dynamically adjust crossover and mutation rates based on real-time performance metrics. A physics-based objective function takes into account the thermodynamics of ash fusion and the kinetics of pollutant emission, ensuring compliance with combustion efficiency and NOx limits.

Induction of CXCL8 by endoplasmic reticulum stress promotes migration and invasion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma through activation of SMAD2/3.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) is a protective stress response aimed at mitigating its own abnormal proteins, which is closely associated with tumors. However, the molecular mechanism of ERS in the pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. In the present study, RNA sequencing was carried out in the ESCC ERS cell model , and differentially expressed genes were screened, among which CXCL8 with exhibited differential expression which was studied.

Prognostic Effects of Platelet Reactivity in Patients with Carotid Artery Stenting or Carotid Artery Endarterectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: High On-Treatment Platelet Reactivity (HTPR) is frequently observed after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) or stenting (CAS), but its association with adverse events remains uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate the association between HTPR and recurrent vascular events in these patients.

Methods: EMBASE, PubMed, and Cochrane Library were searched for eligible studies from inception to July 1, 2024.

Nonmagnetic Biomarker Detection by Nanocatalytic-Amplified Quantum Spin Relaxometry.

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond demonstrate advantages in biosensing due to their exceptional photostability and long spin coherence time. However, clinical applications of NV centers are significantly limited because their spin states lack responsiveness to nonmagnetic biomolecules. This work presents a nanocatalytic-amplified quantum sensing platform targeting tyrosinase (TYR), a key biomarker for melanoma.

Wide-temperature NO removal enabled by synergistic atomically dispersed CeV dual sites: Activation of the rate-determining step.

Commercial V-W/TiO catalysts are extensively applied for NO emission control in coal-fired power plants. However, their limited operating temperature range and low active site utilisation significantly restrict NO removal efficiency, particularly during boiler load fluctuations. This study introduces atomically dispersed Ce-V/TiO catalysts synthesised using a dual-site coordination strategy, enhancing active site dispersion.

AutoFRET: An Image Processing-Based ROI Automated Selection Method for Quantitative FRET Measurements.

The emission-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer (E-FRET), renowned for its rapid detection, noninvasiveness towards fluorophores, and compatibility with both wide-field and confocal microscopy, is extensively employed in dynamically monitoring intermolecular interactions within living cells. However, E-FRET requires manual screening of hundreds to thousands of images for regions meeting specific criteria, a labor-intensive process devoid of mature automation solutions. In this article, we introduce AutoFRET, the automated and efficient solution tailored for E-FRET experimentation.

Peptide Coacervates with Metal-Phenolic Membranes Modulate Glucose Metabolism and Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy.

Glucose consumption by tumors induces metabolic restriction of T cells, which results in immune evasion and tumor progression. Regulating cellular metabolism represents a promising strategy to enhance cancer immunotherapy; however, redirecting glucose utilization from tumor cells to T cells is challenging. Herein, the activation of cytotoxic T cells using engineered peptide coacervates (PCs) containing interferon alpha (IFNα) and membranized with metal-phenolic networks (MPNs) (PC-IFNα@MPNs), which promote glucose uptake and glycolysis, is reported.

The bittersweet link between glucose metabolism, cellular microenvironment and viral infection.

Viral particles and proteins released during infection profoundly reshape the cellular microenvironment by disrupting host signaling, triggering inflammation, and modulating immune responses. Glucose metabolism, a critical hub for energy production and biosynthesis, is highly susceptible to viral reprogramming. This review summarizes recent findings showing that diverse viruses, including influenza virus, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and enteroviruses, manipulate glucose metabolic pathways to promote replication and evade immune surveillance.

Metabolomic profiling of pepper germplasm resources and its correlation with color, shape, and pungency traits.

Peppers exhibit a diverse array of germplasm resources with variations in fruit color, pungency degree, and shape. Various phenotypes and associated target compounds are often the primary targets in breeding programs. This study employed liquid chromatography high-resolution tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-HR-MS) to construct a spectral tag library, which enabled the identification of chemical compounds in the pepper fruits from eighty distinct germplasm sources.

Bigger is Better; Modern Cannabis Trichomes are Larger and More Productive than their Landrace Ancestors.

Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabis) is a medicinal plant that produces and stores an abundance of therapeutic and psychoactive secondary metabolites, including phytocannabinoids and terpenes, in the glandular trichomes of its female flowers. We postulate that glandular trichome productivity has been under strong artificial selection in the pursuit for ever more potent cultivars.

Regioselective Multicomponent Sulfonylation/Cyclization of Unactivated Alkenes to Access Sulfonylated Six- and Seven-Membered Cyclic Enamines via SO Insertion.

Radical cascade cyclization of alkenes involving the insertion of sulfur dioxide has proven to be a promising tool to access sulfonylnated heterocycle compounds, whereas cyclization of unactivated alkenes has been much less explored. Here, we developed a three-component cascade of unactive alkenes with sulfur dioxide and aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates to generate sulfonylated tetrahydropyridines and azepines via the cleavage of alkenyl C-H bonds. Moreover, this protocol exhibited excellent chemical and regioselectivity and compatibility with broad functional groups.

Ecological presence and functional role of bacteriophages in fermented vegetables.

Fermented vegetables are widely favored by consumers for their distinctive flavors and nutritional value, with their quality attributes being closely associated with microbiome dynamics. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies have revealed abundant bacteriophage resources within the fermented vegetable microbiome. These viral components significantly influence fermentation processes and product characteristics by modulating microbial community structure and function.

Classroom Behavior Recognition via Transformer and Attention Mechanism: Application in Teaching Quality Evaluation for AI Medical Education.

This study introduces a Transformer-based artificial intelligence system designed for classroom behavior recognition, aimed at enhancing teaching quality assessment and mental health monitoring in medical and nursing education. The model utilizes multimodal data, specifically video, audio, and skeletal movement, to evaluate key indicators of student engagement, such as attention span, interaction frequency, and emotional fluctuations. A novel multimodal fusion strategy, combined with spatiotemporal attention mechanisms, enables the system to capture complex classroom behaviors with improved precision and robustness.

Na-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy of MoS.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) hold great promise for next-generation electronics, where both large-domain growth and atomic-level doping control are essential for optimal device performance. While molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) provides unparalleled precision in thickness and composition control, its application to TMD growth has been fundamentally limited by small domain sizes. Here, we demonstrate a sodium-assisted MBE (Na-MBE) technique to achieve single-crystalline MoS domains exceeding 1 μm on Au(111), which is an order of magnitude larger over MoS grown on the same substrate with standard MBE techniques.

Multi-DECT Image-based Interpretable Model Incorporating Habitat Radiomics and Vision Transformer Deep Learning for Preoperative Prediction of Muscle Invasion in Bladder Cancer.

Rationale And Objectives: The research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-dual-energy CT (DECT) image-based interpretable model that integrates habitat radiomics with a 3D Vision Transformer (ViT) deep learning (DL) for preoperatively predicting muscle invasion in bladder cancer (BCa).

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 200 BCa patients, who were divided into a training cohort (n=140) and a test cohort (n=60) in a 7:3 ratio. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed on the DECT quantitative parameters to identify independent predictors, which were subsequently used to develop a DECT model.

Oxidative stress-induced ZEB1 acetylation drives a hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype and promotes lung metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer.

While epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) drives cancer metastasis, its regulation by redox dynamics remains poorly understood. Herein, we identified an oxidative stress-responsive CBP/SIRT1 axis that coordinated ZEB1 acetylation at K1108 to promote lung metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Mechanistically, the biochemical and functional analyses revealed that the dual-acetyltransferase CBP, through stabilization and autoacetylation by oxidative stress, formed a dynamic partnership with SIRT1 to execute precision lysine modification.

Editorial for This Special Issue on Energy Conversion Materials and Devices and Their Applications.

The global push toward sustainable energy, driven by soaring energy demands, escalating environmental concerns, and urgent climate challenges, has catalyzed remarkable advancements in energy conversion materials and devices [...

The Effect of Far-Red Light on the Growth of Tobacco Leaves.

To investigate how far-red (FR) light affects tobacco leaf growth, we established different light conditions, namely, CK: white (WL), T1: red (R), T2: red-white (R+WL) combination, T3: white-far-red (WL+FR) combination, and T4: white-red-far-red (WL+R+FR) combination; conducted supplemental light experiments on tobacco; and evaluated the growth of tobacco leaves by determining the biomass, size of the leaves, etc. In addition, the auxin (IAA) content and expression of leaf growth-related genes were examined to further reveal the mechanism of the FR regulation of tobacco leaf growth. The results show a maximum reduction in leaf area size of more than 90% and in fresh dry mass of more than 85%, while the chlorophyll content increased by more than 28%.

High Thermal Conductivity Diamond-Copper Composites Prepared via Hot Pressing with Tungsten-Coated Interfacial Layer Optimization.

Diamond-copper composites, due to their exceptional thermal conductivity, hold significant potential in the field of electronic device thermal management. Hot-press sintering is a promising fabrication technique with industrial application prospects; however, the thermal conductivity of composites prepared by this method has yet to reach optimal levels. In this study, tungsten was deposited on the surface of diamond particles by magnetron sputtering as an interfacial transition layer, and hot-press sintering was employed to fabricate the composites.

Genotype-Driven Proteomic Diversity in Macadamia Nuts: Implications for Allergenicity, Nutritional Quality, and Breeding Strategies.

Macadamia nuts are valued for their nutritional content, yet little is known about the factors that affect nut quality or the genetic contributions of parental lines. This study optimized a protein extraction protocol for lipid-rich macadamia nuts and applied SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry-based proteomics to characterize nuts with known parental origin. A total of 431 high-confidence proteins were identified, with seed storage proteins (SSPs), primarily vicilin- and legumin-like globulins, comprising nearly 50% of total protein abundance.

CH-π Interactions Elucidated at the Single-Molecule Level.

CH-π interactions represent a weak yet significant molecular force that is prevalent in diverse biological and chemical systems. Despite compelling evidence supporting the existence of CH-π interactions, experimentally measuring these weak interactions remains challenging due to the coexistence of numerous stronger noncovalent interactions. Here, we construct a refined system to accurately compare the strength of CH-π interactions between phenylalanine derivatives and aliphatic amino acids through molecular exchange processes inside a protein nanopore.

Sestrin2 Regulates Mitochondrial Function and Autophagy via Nrf2/SIRT3 Signaling to Ameliorate Hypoxia/Reoxygenation-Induced Rat's Cardiomyocyte Injury.

Mitigating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury poses a significant challenge, necessitating the exploration of novel therapeutic targets. Sestrin2 (Sesn2), a stress-induced protein, has emerged as a potential candidate for attenuating I/R injury, yet its precise mechanisms remain elusive. The role of Sesn2 was investigated using an in vitro model of H9C2 cardiomyocytes subjected to hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R).

Multi-omics analysis revealing the taste characteristics and formation mechanism of Ocimum.

Ocimum, a plant of significant economic value, finds extensive applications in the food, spice, and pharmaceutical industries. This study integrated sensory evaluation, metabolomics, and transcriptomics to systematically analyze taste differentiation in four Ocimum accessions (G126, G081, G096, G124). Standardized quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) revealed distinct taste profiles: G126 (O.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Based Metabolomics-A Rising Star in Traditional Chinese Medicine Research.

Metabolomics, a promising field in the realm of omics, focuses on the investigation of alterations and patterns in the composition and abundance of metabolites generated by organisms under perturbation, directly linking measurable chemical reactions with biological events. Its research philosophy aligns harmoniously with the holistic perspective and syndrome differentiation and treatment principles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Consequently, metabolomics has garnered unparalleled attention and has been widely applied in various fields of TCM research such as disease diagnosis, effective constituents and mechanism related with efficacy.