Browse Articles

Boosting Cobalt Porphyrin for Selective Nitrate Electroreduction

ABSTRACT The electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate (NO 3 − ) to ammonia (NH 3 ) offers a sustainable pathway for NH 3 synthesis. Metal porphyrins are promising electrocatalysts for the NO 3 − reduction reactions (NO 3 RR) due to their tunable molecular structures, yet effective strategies for enhancing their performance are still lacking. Herein, we develop an efficient composite electrocatalyst based on cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin (CoTPP) for electrochemical NH 3 synthesis by mitigating hydroxide (OH − ) interference and optimizing active hydrogen supply. CoTPP is identified as a superior catalyst with a strong affinity for NO 3 − adsorption, and neutral condition is adopted to suppress the competitive OH − adsorption. Poly(benzodifurandione) (PBFDO) is further introduced as an active hydrogen support cocatalyst. The optimized composite catalyst of CoTPP+carbon nanotube (CNT)+PBFDO shows high Faradaic efficiencies (FEs) of NH 3 near 100% across a broad potential range, and a high NH 3 yield rate (5.3 mg h −1 cm −2 ) is achieved, increasing by fivefold when compared to the catalyst without PBFDO. This work provides mechanistic insights into enhancing the activity of molecular electrocatalysts for the conversion of NO 3 − to NH 3 .

Machine learning empowered proactive content caching in O-RAN

Oncogenic KRAS-driven type I interferon signalling primes pancreatic cancer for necroptosis

Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related death within this decade. Here, we show that its major driver oncogene KRAS activates the cGAS-STING-TBK1 axis, inducing a type I interferon (IFN) response that primes PDAC cells for necroptosis. Using genetically engineered mouse models, we find that cancer cell-specific deletion of caspase-8 is sufficient to trigger necroptotic cell death, eliminating most pancreatic precursor lesions. Mechanistically, KRAS-driven IFN signalling induces ISGF3-dependent expression of necroptosis-related interferon-stimulated genes, including MLKL. This renders PDAC cells selectively vulnerable to necroptosis upon caspase-8 inhibition. Therapeutically, pharmacologic caspase inhibition reduces tumour burden in aggressive PDAC models and human patient-derived organoids. A pan-cancer transcriptomic analysis links necroptosis gene expression with Ras pathway activity and IFN signatures across multiple tumour types. These findings reveal a KRAS-induced IFN program that sensitises tumour cells to necroptosis, highlighting a therapeutic vulnerability in PDAC with broader relevance across IFN-activated cancers.

Numerical investigation and assessment of the Langmuir–Hinshelwood–Hougen–Watson model for dry reforming of methane

Breaking continuity to prevent catastrophic building collapse

DRQuantum: a drug repurposing method by quantum walks on a multi-layered heterogeneous network

Abstract Traditional drug development poses significant financial and temporal costs, whereas drug repurposing emerges as a cost-effective and efficient alternative. As large-scale biological networks proliferate, computational drug repurposing has become feasible, yet accurately capturing intricate heterogeneous network structures remains a persistent challenge. To address this challenge, we introduced a novel approach, called DRQuantum: Drug Repurposing via Quantum walks. Unlike random walks, quantum walks dispense with independence and harness quantum entanglement to simultaneously explore multiple paths, enabling faster traversal of networks. Moreover, DRQuantum accounts for both the local and global network structures. In this study, we constructed a heterogeneous multi-layer network by integrating drug-drug, disease-disease and protein-protein interaction networks. We then employed quantum walks to learn low-dimensional feature representations of nodes in these heterogeneous networks, ultimately inferring candidate drugs for repurposing beyond their original indications. Consequently, we observed that DRQuantum outperforms traditional drug repurposing methods in terms of AUROC, AUPRC and accuracy. Additionally, case studies for several specific diseases further validate the practical utility of our proposed method.

Transition Radiation Field Enhanced Laser Proton Acceleration Employing Near-Critical-Density Foam

Abstract Laser-driven protons with ultrafast temporal properties attract great interest in fields ranging from flash radiation oncology to compact accelerators. High-efficiency energy coupling of protons from laser-induced accelerating fields is complex, hybrid acceleration mechanisms that combine multiple field contributions prove critical for optimizing proton energy. Here, we report a laser proton acceleration scheme in which proton energy can be enhanced by a transition radiation field (TRF) built by high-energy and large-charged electron bunches. Using near-critical-density plasmas, we experimentally produce electron beams with charges up to ~30 nC (>13 MeV). As these electrons exit the target, they emit intense TRF with energy up to 0.6 J in 0.1-15 THz range, corresponding to an acceleration field of 10 12–13 V m –1 . When superposed with the charge-separation field (CSF), proton cut-off energy is boosted by more than a factor of two, reaching 90 MeV. The resulting spectra exhibit a distinctive plateau-shaped feature in the high-energy regime. Multi-dimensional kinetic simulations confirm the synergistic role of the TRF and CSF in both enhancing the proton energy and shaping the spectral structure. This scheme provides new insights into the coupling between relativistic electron beams and acceleration fields and facilitates more efficient laser-driven proton acceleration.

Radical Anion‐Driven Electron‐Ion Coupled Repair Chemistry for Direct Regeneration of Degraded LiFePO ₄ Cathodes

ABSTRACT Direct regeneration of spent LiFePO 4 (LFP) cathodes is a sustainable alternative to conventional recycling methods. However, poor remediation efficiency and complex processes limit its application. Here, we develop a room‐temperature liquid‐phase strategy based on a deep green lithium naphthalenide (Li‐Naph) solution. This strategy utilizes radical anion‐driven electron‐ion coupling remediation chemistry to integrate electron donors, lithium transport, and surface reconstruction within a single solution‐phase platform. The strongly reducing naphthalene radical anion enables spontaneous electron transfer at ambient conditions, efficiently converting Fe 3+ back to Fe 2+ , while promoting surface lithium enrichment through coupled electron–ion interactions. Subsequent annealing allows the enriched lithium to diffuse into lithium vacancies, while the organic residues undergo in situ carbonization into a conformal conductive shell, achieving synergistic bulk repair and surface reconstruction. This chemistry fully restores the olivine framework, suppresses Fe–Li anti‐site defects, and markedly enhances Li + transport kinetics. The regenerated cathode delivers a high initial capacity of 140.1 mAh g −1 and retains 92% capacity after 650 cycles at 1C, even maintaining excellent stability at a high rate of 5C. Importantly, the strategy remains effective for severely degraded cathodes, highlighting the broad applicability of radical‐anion‐driven repair chemistry.

Boosting targeted adversarial transferability via fine-grained feature mixup perturbation and reference-based gradient refinement

Continuous solar-driven recycling of lithium-ion battery cathode materials enabled by a stable benzobisthiazole-linked polymeric photocatalyst

Aging macaques bridge the translational gap in perivascular space biology

Efferocytosis of apoptotic bodies drives SARS-CoV-2 infection and macrophage inflammation

Molecular interactions, solubility, and cytotoxic activity of 4‑hydroxycoumarin in choline chloride‑based acidic deep eutectic solvents

Abstract This study systematically investigated the solubility enhancement of 4-hydroxycoumarin (4HC), a poorly water-soluble pharmaceutical compound, in three novel acidic deep eutectic solvents (ADESs) prepared from choline chloride (ChCl) and acidic hydrogen bond donors encompassing propionic acid (Pro), acetic acid (Ace) and lactic acid (Lac). The solubility measurements were conducted Appling the shake-flask method at 298.15–313.15 K. The ChCl/Pro system exhibited unprecedented more than 500-fold solubility improvement over the pure water, with solubility Increasing in the order: ChCl/Pro > ChCl/Ace > ChCl/Lac. Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSPs) analysis confirmed hydrogen bonding and acidity as dominant dissolution factors. In addition, advanced thermodynamic models (Wilson, e-NRTL, UNIQUAC) accurately correlated experimental solubility data, with the Wilson model achieving ARD percentage values as low as 0.10%. Thermodynamic analysis revealed the dissolution process is endothermic and enthalpy-driven. MTT cytotoxicity assays on HT29 colon cancer cells demonstrated IC₅₀ values in the 20–100 µg/mL range, with differential cytotoxicity correlated to solvent composition. These findings identify ChCl/Pro as the optimal ADES candidate (500-fold solubility enhancement, IC 50 20–100 µg/mL range) for preformulation development of 4HC, establishing a data-driven foundation for green solvent-based pharmaceutical applications.

Iodine-mediated proton-coupled electron transfer enables selective polymerization of organic pollutants in an oxidant-free electrocatalytic system

Precise estimation of rice leaf macro and micro nutrients from multi-spectral images using neural architecture search with polynomial approximation functions

Speech as a biomarker for supported diagnosis of major depressive disorder using self-supervised representations

Simulation based learning as a strategy for patient education training in medical students

Liposomal mitoxantrone plus tislelizumab in patients with relapsed or refractory extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma: a phase 1b/2 trial

Human papillomavirus vaccination: knowledge, acceptance, and barriers among medical students. An Egyptian multicenter cross sectional study

Abstract Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a major public health concern and a leading cause of cervical cancer worldwide. Despite the availability of effective vaccines, awareness and vaccine acceptance remain limited in many developing countries. This study aimed to assess awareness, acceptance, barriers, and determinants of HPV vaccination among medical students in Egypt. A web-based multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students from governmental, national, and private medical faculties across Egypt using a non-probability sampling approach (convenience and snowball sampling). Data were collected using a validated structured questionnaire. A total of 601 students participated in the study. 31.4% were unaware that HPV is available for both males and females, and half of them expressed negative attitudes and concerns regarding the novelty (44%), safety (56%), efficacy (59%), and cost of the vaccine (51.7%). Nearly half (48.3%) of them were unaware that the “HPV vaccine” is available in Egypt. Seventy-three students (12.1%) received the vaccine, and among vaccinated participants, 39 were males. In addition, 44.3% of students reported hesitancy toward HPV vaccination, while 58.9% indicated willingness to receive the vaccine if it was provided free of charge. Family history of cervical cancer, total knowledge, and attitude scores were significant predictors of participants’ HPV vaccine uptake ( p  < 0.05). Nearly half of the participants had not taken the vaccine because they were not sexually active or they lacked knowledge. Unfortunately, about one-third of the participants didn’t take the vaccine because of cultural and parental objections. Male participants were less likely to recommend the vaccine to others. In spite of being medical students, their knowledge and attitudes were less than expected, giving an idea about the public situation. Findings underscore the importance of educational campaigns to raise knowledge and change faulty beliefs, focusing on the target groups and their parents. Also, the national health authorities should allocate resources to make the HPV vaccine available, accessible, and affordable.

Lipid trapping slows ball-and-chain inactivation in a calcium-activated potassium channel