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An integrated Gaussian–Probabilistic–Fuzzy framework for health assessment and remaining useful life prediction of medium-voltage switchgears

PLoS ONE Ali Aranizadeh, Behrooz Vahidi, Amir Khorsandi Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0354713

Reliable operation of Switchgear is crucial for ensuring the safety and stability of modern power systems. However, prolonged exposure to thermal, mechanical, and electrical stresses progressively deteriorates switchgear performance, often resulting in catastrophic failures and costly outages. This paper proposes a novel hybrid framework for comprehensive health assessment and remaining useful life (RUL) prediction of medium-voltage (MV) switchgears by integrating Gaussian normalization, probabilistic modeling, and fuzzy logic evaluation. Initially, all measured indicators are systematically classified into four functional subsystems, electrical, mechanical, insulation, and auxiliary, to enable structured condition evaluation. The Gaussian method normalizes heterogeneous indicator values, the probabilistic approach quantifies the failure likelihood of each indicator, and the fuzzy logic system handles uncertain and linguistic expert information. The resulting subsystem health indices are aggregated to derive a global health index (HI), which is then used to estimate RUL through a (Gaussian, Probability, Fuzzy) GPF-based algorithm. The proposed framework has been validated using real field data collected from two MV substations, and its performance has been benchmarked against existing techniques. Results demonstrate superior accuracy, robustness, and interpretability of the proposed method under uncertainty, providing actionable insights for condition-based maintenance scheduling and risk-informed decision-making in power utilities.

TabularQGAN: a quantum generative model for tabular data synthesis

Scientific Reports Pallavi Bhardwaj, Caitlin Jones, Lasse Dierich et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-62434-1

One-Step Integration of Sulfonated Polymer Films with Separators for Shuttle Mitigation in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Journal of the American Chemical Society Louisa C. Greenburg, Kristen Abels, Yu Cao et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c18131

Abstract Interfacial polymerization (IP) offers a rapid and inexpensive method for fabricating thin polymer films. In this work, a one-step IP reaction between a triacyl chloride monomer and sulfonated diamine monomer is employed to add a dense, charge-selective sulfonated thin-film coating onto a commercial separator to improve selective transport in lithium–sulfur batteries. The coating effectively suppresses polysulfide shuttling, enhancing capacity retention, although at the expense of compromised rate performance due to hindered lithium conduction through the dense film. Fractional substitution of the trifunctionalized acyl chloride monomer for a difunctionalized analogue reduces the film cross-link density, which improves rate performance but decreases uniformity in film coverage. Uniform film coverage is achieved upon addition of a small fraction (0.25 wt %) of higher reactivity, nonsulfonated diamine in the IP reaction. This optimized thin film coating breaks the rate-capacity retention trade-off, enabling a capacity of 711.6 mAh g–1 after 200 cycles at 0.5C while still reaching over 800 mAh g–1 during rate testing at 2C.

Cancer surgical outcome study in Ethiopia: A 7-day multicenter prospective observational cohort study

PLoS ONE Atalel Fentahun Awedew, Yonatan Abie Tsegaye, Addisu Assfaw Ayen et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0354980

Background Safe surgery is a fundamental quality indicator within the global surgery framework. Postoperative complications remain a leading global cause of disability, mortality, and economic loss, with a disproportionate impact on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Objective This study aims to generate robust epidemiological data on postoperative outcomes of cancer surgery in Ethiopia. Methods This study employed a 7-day national observational prospective cohort design. The study enrolled adult patients aged 18 years and older who underwent either elective or non-elective cancer surgery in hospitals across Ethiopia. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests for categorical variables, and logistic regression models to identify risk factors for postoperative complications. Outcome measures 7 th day postoperative mortality and complications. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results A total of 265 cancer surgeries were performed across 46 hospitals (overall surgeries = 4412). The mean patient age was 46.6 years (SD = 14.9). The majority of patients were classified as low-risk America Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification: ASA I (106/265, 40%) and ASA II (133/265, 50.2%) and low Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status: ECOG 0 (112/265, 42.3%) and ECOG 1 (98/265, 37%). Colorectal cancer surgery was the most common type (38/265, 14.5%), while laparoscopic surgery was performed in only 3/265 cases (1.1%). Postoperative complications developed in 84 of 265 patients (31.7%) with leading complication was superficial surgical site infection 47/265(17.8%). Emergency surgery (AOR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.1–8.4, p = 0.003), comorbidity (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.1–3.7, p = 0.025), and an ECOG performance status of III (AOR = 9.5, 95% CI: 1.5–61.1, p = 0.02) were statistically significantly associated with 7 th day postoperative complications. The overall 7-day mortality rate after cancer surgery was 5/265 (1.9%). Conclusion Despite the relatively young age of patients, their low ASA physical status scores, and good ECOG performance, a significant proportion experienced adverse outcomes following cancer surgery: one in three patients developed postoperative complications, one in nine required reoperations, and one in 53 died. These findings suggest a critical need for evidence-based interventions to strengthen the underlying infrastructure and care processes within the surgical system which are essential to achieving safe, effective, and high-quality surgical care for cancer patients in Ethiopia.

Ecological network identification by coupling the remote sensing ecological index and ecosystem service index in the Sanjiang Plain, China

Scientific Reports Feiyang Yan, Changlei Dai, Qingsong Zhang et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-63419-w

Stage- and Region-Dependent Proteomic Alterations in a Mouse Model of Creatine Transporter Deficiency

Journal of Neuroscience Shingo Ito, Yumi Iwata, Tatsuki Uemura et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2010-25.2026

SLC6A8 encodes the creatine transporter (CRT), which mediates creatine transport across the plasma membrane in the brain, including the blood–brain barrier and neurons. Creatine transporter deficiency (CTD), caused by pathogenic variants in SLC6A8 , leads to cerebral creatine depletion and cognitive impairment. Here, we investigated the developmental molecular mechanisms underlying CTD using the pathogenic c.1681G>C (G561R) variant of Slc6a8 , which corresponds to a variant identified in SLC6A8 in a patient with CTD. In vitro analyses using HEK293 cells expressing mutant mouse CRT carrying the G561R variant demonstrated impaired N-glycan maturation and plasma membrane localization of the transporter, resulting in markedly reduced creatine uptake, consistent with previous reports on the corresponding human CRT variant. To investigate the in vivo effects of this pathogenic variant, we generated CRT-G561R knock-in mice by introducing the c.1681G>C point mutation into the mouse Slc6a8 gene using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. These male mice exhibited severe reductions in brain creatine levels, postnatal growth retardation, and impaired spatial memory, despite preserved gross brain morphology. Quantitative proteomic analyses of the hippocampus and cerebral cortex during postnatal development revealed region-dependent protein alterations in CTD. The hippocampus showed pronounced early postnatal remodeling involving proteins related to actin cytoskeleton organization and vesicle-mediated membrane trafficking, whereas the cerebral cortex exhibited a more gradual response involving creatine biosynthesis-related enzymes and later-emerging mitochondrial pathways, including the mitochondrial translation machinery. These findings demonstrate stage- and region-dependent proteomic remodeling during postnatal brain development in CTD.

Reduction Inverts the Thermodynamics of the Stone–Wales Rearrangement

Journal of the American Chemical Society Daniel Čavlović, Jacklin H. Smith, Scott R. Docherty et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c10392

Abstract We demonstrate that alkali-metal doping of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can reshape the potential energy surface in favor of an isomer that is disfavored in the neutral state. This effect enables an efficient inverse Stone–Wales rearrangement at temperatures as low as 250 °C for potassium-, rubidium-, and cesium-doped systems. In contrast, lithium and sodium doping exclusively promote cyclodehydrogenation at cove regions. Supported by density functional theory, we propose a mechanistically consistent pathway and report the isolation and characterization of key anionic intermediates by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, UV–vis spectroscopy, and magnetometry. These findings highlight how reduction can unlock otherwise inaccessible rearrangements in aromatic systems and inform our understanding of the functionalization of graphene, carbon nanotubes, and fullerenes.

Wide-angle multiplexed holographic photovoltaic concentrators recorded in a green photopolymer

Scientific Reports Tomás Lloret, Manuel G. Ramírez, Belén Nieto-Rodríguez et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-64354-6

Scope of Ni(II)-Catalyzed Nonalternating Ethylene/Carbon Monoxide Copolymerization

Journal of the American Chemical Society Lukas Wursthorn, Steffen Iberl, Yajun Zhao et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c07158

Abstract The recent achievement of a nonalternating ethylene/carbon monoxide (CO) copolymerization was a long-sought breakthrough. Their in-chain keto functional groups endow the resulting polyethylenes (keto-PEs) with photodegradability. To date, only two types of catalysts, based on long-known structural motifs, are capable of this challenging copolymerization to keto-PE materials, raising the question whether the reaction is restricted to this narrow scope. Here, we report a diverse range of neutral Ni(II) complexes provides access to keto-PEs, including a phosphine imidate Ni(II) catalyst that is competitive with state-of-the-art catalysts and a N-heterocyclic-carbene (NHC) phenolate Ni(II) catalyst with exceptional preference for ethylene vs CO incorporation. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations rationalize the observed selectivity for nonalternating and alternating chain growth from the individual catalysts’ activation barrier differences ΔΔG‡ and identify the strong trans-effect of the [NHC,O]-ligand and its high steric hindrance as origins of the desirable exceptionally low preference for CO incorporation.

Notch-1 suppressed ocular trauma injury in ganglion cells via modulating NICD/YAP/EZH2 signaling induced ferroptosis

Scientific Reports Huipeng Miao, Xinli Jiang, Xiaokun Liu Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-64030-9

Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction with Low-Index Cu Single Crystals: Selectivity Trends in Alkaline Solution

Journal of the American Chemical Society William T. Phillips, Hongshan Bi, Anastasija Vasilijević et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c05147

Abstract Electrochemical nitrate (NO3−) reduction is a promising pathway toward the production of ammonia (NH3). While copper (Cu) electrodes are commonly used for this reaction, the influence of Cu surface structure on reaction selectivity is poorly understood. Here, we performed electrochemical NO3− reduction in alkaline electrolytes with Cu(100), Cu(110), and Cu(111) single-crystal electrodes and quantified the product distributions across a range of applied potentials. Our systematic study of electrocatalytic NO3− reduction demonstrated that the Cu(100) and Cu(110) surfaces exhibited similar selectivity and rates for NH3 production, but the Cu(100) surface provided >95% Faradaic efficiency toward NH3 over the broadest range of applied potentials. In contrast, the Cu(111) surface was significantly less selective for NH3 production. Further comparing the electrochemical behavior of Cu single crystals to their corresponding product distributions revealed that nitrite (NO2−) reduction voltammograms were strong predictors of electrocatalytic performance for all three low-index Cu surfaces in alkaline electrolytes. Quantum mechanical calculations indicate that the Cu(100) surface exhibits the lowest potential-determining step for NO3− reduction to NH3, supporting our experimental findings. Detailed analysis of metal−adsorbate interactions also revealed the role of Cu surface structure in stabilizing key reaction intermediates to promote selective NH3 production. Our combined experimental and computational study establishes electrocatalytic selectivity of low-index Cu facets for NH3 synthesis and offers practical guidelines for the design of Cu-based electrocatalysts capable of selective electrochemical NO3− reduction in alkaline solutions.

Effects of midsole support plate material on lower-limb kinetics and muscle activation during basketball-specific movements

Scientific Reports Zhouen Peng, Tong Han, Yuhang Li et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-62337-1

Two Mechanisms One Molecule: Developing a ‘Truly’ Bifunctional Degrader Targeting Rpn13 and CRBN

Journal of the American Chemical Society Cody A. Loy, Shawn E. Vinogradsky, Darci J. Trader Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c02914

Abstract Targeted protein degradation (TPD) has emerged as a powerful strategy to eliminate disease-relevant proteins, yet current approaches remain largely constrained to hijacking ubiquitin ligases. We previously introduced ByeTACs, bifunctional molecules that directly recruit proteins to the proteasome for E-ligase independent degradation. Here, we report “Truly” degraders, a new class of dual-mechanism molecules that combine a ligand for the proteasomal receptor Rpn13 with a ligand for cereblon (CRBN) to simultaneously engage both ubiquitin-independent and ubiquitin-dependent degradation pathways. Structure-guided design identified an optimal linker length that supports efficient substrate processing, with the PEG4 derivative (Truly-4) inducing robust depletion of both Rpn13 and CRBN in several cancer cell types. Remarkably, Truly-4 is the first noncovalent small molecule shown to degrade full-length Rpn13, a target previously approached using covalent or domain-restricted strategies. Mechanistic studies confirmed that degradation of Rpn13 proceeds via CRBN-dependent E3 ligase activity, whereas CRBN degradation occurs through an E-ligase independent process, consistent with a ByeTAC mechanism. Importantly, Truly-4 induces selective cytotoxicity in hematologic and solid cancer cell lines but not in healthy cells, despite comparable Rpn13 depletion, indicating that dual degradation can uncouple target engagement from toxicity. These findings establish a generalizable framework for engineering bifunctional degraders that program the proteasome to execute parallel degradation mechanisms and highlight proteasome receptors as druggable nodes for selective destruction of disease-relevant proteins.

A hybrid signal-dynamics health index fusion framework for prognostics of small-scale wind turbine blades

Scientific Reports Parisa Mobasheri, Ali Aranizadeh, Behrooz Vahidi Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-63408-z

Influence of Primary Coordination Sphere on Anion Rebound Selectivity in Nonheme Fe Enzyme-Catalyzed C(sp3)–H Functionalization: A Comparative Experimental and Computational Study of EgtB and ACCO

Journal of the American Chemical Society Liu-Peng Zhao, Rui Guo, Binh Khanh Mai et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c06323

Abstract Developing enzymatic mechanisms for C–F bond formation remains a long-standing challenge. Here, we repurposed the biosynthetic nonheme Fe enzyme EgtB, which features a three-histidine facial triad, to catalyze C(sp3)–H fluorination reactions. Directed evolution of EgtB afforded two new-to-nature fluorine atom transferases with opposite enantiopreference, EgtBCHF1 and EgtBCHF2, with up to 28-fold improved total activity. In contrast to our previously evolved nonheme Fe fluorine atom transfer biocatalyst ACCOCHF, which contains a two-histidine-one-carboxylate facial triad, the evolved EgtBCHF variants displayed unexpected hydroxylation activity. 18O-labeling experiments showed that the hydroxy group originated from water rather than residual O2. Computational studies suggested that the three-histidine-supported Fe(III) center exhibits enhanced Lewis acidity compared to the two-histidine-one-carboxylate system, allowing deprotonation of Fe(III)-bound water to form a Fe(III)–OH species that catalyzes radical hydroxylation. Primary coordination-sphere mutagenesis in EgtB and ACCO further supported the critical role of Fe coordination chemistry in controlling radical rebound reactivity and selectivity. Computational studies revealed that Fe coordination chemistry strongly influences both fluorine atom abstraction and radical rebound, with the intrinsic C–X (X = F, OH, and N3) bond forming radical rebound preference following the order N3 > OH > F. Furthermore, multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that fluorine atom abstraction is primarily governed by the intrinsic Fe–F bond strength, whereas fluorine rebound is predominantly controlled by the electronic structure of the Fe(III) intermediate. Together, these findings provide mechanistic insights into nonheme Fe enzymology and reprogramming toward selective radical rebound reactions, including challenging C–H fluorination.

Cardiovascular disease prediction using variational recurrent autoencoders with uncertainty estimation

Scientific Reports Ashim Chandra Das, Md Shujan Shak, Nabila Rahman et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-62750-6

Effect of Sm-doping on structural, visible-light activated photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet dye and antifungal activity of ZnO nanoparticles

Scientific Reports Shagun Sood, Pawan Kumar, Anand Somvanshi et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-61743-9

Bidirectional Chemo-Mechanical Interface Stabilization in Perovskite Solar Cells

Journal of the American Chemical Society Qian Cheng, Xiaofen Li, Mingwei Hao et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c06932

Abstract The interface structures between dissimilar layers in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are prone to the concurrent occurrence of lateral (in-plane) chemical aggregation and vertical (out-of-plane) mechanical delamination. This issue severely affects long-term optoelectronic processes in PSCs, and it has not been addressed holistically. Herein, we introduce an ultrathin interfacial layer of 1,3,6,8-pyrenetetrasulfonic tetrasodium salt (PTS) to stabilize the perovskite/C60 interface at the molecular level. The sulfonate groups in PTS molecules anchor to the perovskite interface, while the parallelly aligned pyrene cores establish robust π–π interactions with C60 molecules. The reconstructed interface enhances the interfacial adhesion and restricts the mobility of C60 molecules, enabling a bidirectional chemo-mechanical interface stabilization (BCIS) mechanism at the perovskite/C60 interface. The resultant PSCs deliver power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of up to 26.53%, showing 96% PCE retention after 1,000 h maximum-power-point tracking (ISOS-L-1l), and 91% PCE retention after 300 thermal cycles (−40 to 85 °C, IEC61215 MQT11). The scalability of PTS treatment is demonstrated by the 818 cm2 (aperture area) perovskite solar modules (PSMs) with PCEs over 20% using industrial-compatible manufacturing processes under 55% relative humidity (RH). This work underscores bidirectional interface engineering as a critical strategy for advancing commercially viable perovskite photovoltaics.

Extraction and chemical characterization of natural dye from western himalayan wild pomegranate peel for textile applications

Scientific Reports Sara Iftikhar, Muhammad Qasim Hayat, Atteqa Safdar et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-57034-y

Role of Coordination Environment in Synergistic Catalysis: A Molecular Orbital Perspective on M1M2N6 Catalysts

Journal of the American Chemical Society Zhangsheng Shi, Ziyang Wu, Zheng Shu et al. Jul 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c08871

Abstract Visualizing the coordination environment-dependent synergistic mechanisms that govern the structural stability and adsorption behavior of dual-atom catalysts (DACs) is pivotal for precise catalyst design. However, insights into these mechanisms at the molecular orbital level remain elusive. Herein, we present large-scale density functional theory calculations to elucidate how synergistic effects arise from the combination of d atomic orbitals into molecular orbitals between M1 and M2 sites, with notable variations observed from M1–N3–M2–N3–C to M1–N4–M2–N4–C. We identify an average weakening of M1/M2–N bond strength in M1–N3–M2–N3–C relative to M1–N4–M2–N4–C, which is attributed to a shift from direct dx2–y2 orbital overlap to nitrogen-mediated interactions involving the hybridization of bridge nitrogen 2p orbitals. Using hydrogen as a model adsorbate, we demonstrate that hydrogen adsorption on M1–N3–M2–N3–C shifts from wild modulation via a bridge configuration to mild modulation through an end-on configuration, signifying a selective orbital coupling from dx2–y2 to dz2 orbitals. In contrast, hydrogen adsorption on M1–N4–M2–N4–C exhibits only mild modulation via an end-on configuration. This behavior is ascribed to the symmetry constraints of antibonding (d-d/d*)-p* molecular orbitals near the Fermi level, mediated by nitrogen-mediated dz2-dz2* molecular orbitals. Furthermore, machine learning analyses corroborate these coordination environment-dependent synergistic mechanisms. Our findings provide a comprehensive molecular orbital-level understanding of how the interplay between coordination environments and electronic structures influences the properties of M1M2N6 catalysts, thereby establishing a theoretical framework for enhanced DACs design.