Browse Articles

Integrated framework for pediatric height assessment: X-ray-based height extreme cases classification and machine learning for multivariate height prediction

Light‐Driven Charge Redistribution of Pt Cluster/CeO ₂ Realizing Dual‐Path Synergistic Catalysis for Low‐Temperature Reverse Water‐Gas Shift

ABSTRACT Solar‐driven low‐temperature reverse water‐gas shift offers a sustainable route for CO 2 conversion yet suffers from insufficient efficiency and unclear reaction mechanisms. Herein, we demonstrate that light drives the surface charge redistribution of a Pt cluster/CeO 2 catalyst, unlocking synergistic dual pathways for enhanced CO production. Using light as the sole energy input (2.27 W/cm 2 ), the catalyst surface reaches a localized temperature of ∼309°C while the reactor environment remains at only ∼54°C. In a continuous‐flow system with cold inlet gases, this catalyst achieves a CO production rate of 846.9 mmol g cat −1 h −1 , outperforming conventional thermal systems. Remarkably, comparable performance is achieved using natural sunlight alone, even under outdoor ambient temperature of −21°C. Mechanistic studies reveal that light‐driven interfacial charge redistribution constructs the nonequilibrium Pt δ+ ‐O V ‐Ce 3+ structure, which promotes CO 2 activation, triggering the carboxylate pathway and enhancing the formate route, giving rise to a cooperative effect that significantly accelerates the overall reaction. This stands in stark contrast to the single formate route that dominates conventional thermal catalysis. This work establishes light as a dynamic regulator for engineering catalytic sites, offering a promising strategy for efficient solar energy conversion.

Sulfoxaflor modulates diet-dependent effects on bumble bee development but shows no detectable effects on adult respiration rate and patterns

Abstract Pollinators face stressors, including pesticide exposure and poor nutrition, yet their combined effects on developing brood remain poorly understood. In this study, we experimentally reared bumble bee ( Bombus terrestris ) larvae on pollen diets differing in protein-to-lipid ratios and exposed them to the insecticide sulfoxaflor via their food to test how these factors jointly affect survival, development, and adult traits. Larvae fed multifloral pollen exhibited higher survival and more consistent growth than monofloral (oilseed rape, faba bean) diets. Under the oilseed rape, sulfoxaflor reduced mortality and increased adult emergence despite poorer baseline performance in controls. In contrast, under the multifloral diet, sulfoxaflor prolonged development, reduced larval growth, and lowered adult body mass. Responses under faba bean varied among traits, with prolonged development at lower exposure and reduced growth at higher exposure. Despite these developmental effects, larval exposure to sulfoxaflor did not significantly affect adult respiration rate, and respiration patterns showed no significant treatment effects, although diet-dependent trends were observed. These findings demonstrate that sulfoxaflor effects are strongly context-dependent and mediated by nutritional conditions. They indicate that sulfoxaflor shifted diet-dependent trade-offs between survival and development, improving survival under nutritionally limiting diets while imposing developmental delays and growth costs when nutrition was favourable.

Laser light switches on heat flow in ultra-thin structures

Axial Coordination and Defect Engineering of Copper‐Based Single‐Atom Nanozymes: Driving Synergistic Disulfidptosis and Pyroptosis for Efficient Prostate Cancer Immunotherapy

ABSTRACT Immunotherapy for prostate cancer is severely restricted by the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and the intrinsic antioxidant defense systems of tumor cells. To address these challenges, we develop an efficient copper‐based single‐atom nanozyme platform (CuN 3 Cl‐BAY@COD) via a facile axial coordination and defect engineering strategy to boost immunotherapy by driving synergistic disulfidptosis and pyroptosis. This dual‐engineering strategy effectively regulates the electronic and geometric structures of Cu sites, resulting in significantly improved multienzyme‐mimicking activities. Such enhanced multienzyme‐mimicking activities endow CuN 3 Cl‐BAY@COD with the robust capacity to disrupt intracellular redox homeostasis and amplify the disulfide stress mediated by BAY‐876, inducing efficient tumor cell pyroptosis and disulfidptosis. The loaded cholesterol oxidase degrades cholesterol to inhibit tumor cell invasion while elevating intracellular hydrogen peroxide levels to exacerbate pyroptosis. In summary, by coupling metabolic reprogramming with dual immunogenic cell death, this engineered nanoplatform overcomes TME resistance barriers, providing a robust strategy for prostate cancer immunotherapy.

Effect of pressure-controlled tourniquet use on peripheral intravenous catheterization in adult patients: a randomized controlled clinical trial

COF@DNAzyme Empowering Endogenous Copper for One‐Stitch Bioorthogonal Catalysis‐Based Anticancer Therapy

ABSTRACT Bioorthogonal chemistry, particularly the copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction, holds great promise for in situ prodrug activation to minimize systemic toxicity in disease treatments. However, existing approaches mainly rely on exogenous copper catalysts, which pose a risk of disrupting copper homeostasis and suffer from catalyst deactivation caused by cellular components. Moreover, the staggered administration of catalysts and prodrugs complicates clinical translation and leads to unpredictable reaction time windows. Herein, we construct a “one‐stitch” bioorthogonal catalytic therapy system that harnesses endogenous copper without the need for copper supplements or external reductants. By integrating the DNAzyme CLICK‐17 and the tumor‐targeting aptamer AS1411 onto covalent organic framework (COF) nanoparticles, co‐delivery of both the catalyst and the prodrugs in a single nanoplatform (COF‐P@C‐A) is achieved. Upon internalization by tumor cells, high intracellular glutathione (GSH) and an acidic environment triggered the degradation of COF nanoparticles to simultaneously release CLICK‐17 and the prodrugs while consuming excess GSH, thereby alleviating copper sequestration and enhancing the availability of endogenous Cu(I). CLICK‐17 then efficiently catalyzes the CuAAC reaction for localized drug synthesis, maximizing therapeutic efficacy and minimizing off‐target effects. This strategy offers a safe, synchronized, and clinically translatable approach to bioorthogonal prodrug activation.

Longitudinal trajectories of the TyG-WHtR index and the risk of cardiovascular-metabolic multimorbidity: evidence from the CHARLS prospective cohort

A Streptomyces megacluster encodes synergistic biotin-targeting antibiotics

High‐Entropy Phosphide‐Polymer Nanointerfaces Enable Adaptive Li ⁺ Transport for High‐Performance Solid‐State Li Metal Batteries

ABSTRACT Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) hold broad prospects in solid‐state lithium metal batteries due to their facile processability, favorable interfacial contact and flexibility, yet their practical application is severely hampered by low Li + conductivity. Although introducing nanofillers in SPEs to promote Li + decoupling can accelerate ion transport, interfacial heterogeneity of filler‐polymer nanointerfaces causes an imbalance between their interaction forces toward Li + , hindering the Li + transport. Herein, a high‐entropy phosphide‐polymer hybrid electrolyte (HEP‐SPE) is developed. The HEPs provide strong Li + interactions to counteract Li + ‐polymer coupling for rapid transport in site‐matching nanointerfaces, while the high‐entropy surface weakens electronic localization differences to reduce migration barriers, enabling adaptive rapid Li + migration in site‐mismatched nanointerfaces. Therefore, the HEP‐SPE exhibits excellent ion transport (1.63 mS cm − 1 Li + conductivity, 0.62 transference number) and promotes a stable electrolyte/anode interface. Symmetric batteries based on it stably cycle over 2600 and 1300 h at 0.2 and 0.5 mA cm − 2 , respectively.

Repeatability of cerebral arteriovenous pulse wave propagation in flow-related enhancement MRI

Abstract Flow Related Enhancement (FREE) MRI is a non-contrast technique for temporally resolved cerebral pulse-wave analysis. Clinical implementation requires proven repeatability. We aimed to evaluate the intra- and inter-scan repeatability of FREE-MRI measurements in healthy volunteers. Twenty-four healthy volunteers were scanned on a 3T MRI using a balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) sequence. A test-retest protocol was performed: two scans, a break with repositioning, and two more scans. From the resulting pulse-wave delay maps, the arteriovenous delay (AVD) was computed for the anterior (ACA), middle (MCA), and posterior (PCA) cerebral arteries. Repeatability was assessed using Bland-Altman analysis and Spearman correlation. Mean AVDs were 366 ± 51 ms (ACA), 371 ± 55 ms (MCA), and 376 ± 53 ms (PCA). Intra-scan repeatability was variable; the first session (Run 1 vs. 2) showed no significant differences, whereas the second session (Run 3 vs. 4, post-repositioning) showed significant deviation. However, inter-scan repeatability (comparing pooled pre- vs. post-break acquisitions) showed no significant differences after Bonferroni correction. Bland-Altman analysis confirmed that averaging measurements (Before vs. After) narrowed the limits of agreement compared to single-run comparisons, indicating improved stability. FREE-MRI provides quantitative assessments of cerebral pulse-wave dynamics, though single-acquisition precision is sensitive to physiological state. While intra-scan repeatability was high at rest, immediate post-repositioning scans showed significant variability, highlighting the need for a settling period. Crucially, while averaging measurements across sessions (Before vs. After) helps mitigate this noise, inter-scan reproducibility remains limited and protocol-dependent. Despite these limitations, this study provides a foundational step toward establishing a practical protocol for future clinical and longitudinal applications.

Hyperpolarization of Pyridine ¹⁵ <i>N</i> ‐Oxide Molecular Probes Enabled by Parahydrogen

ABSTRACT Magnetic resonance (MR) is a powerful non‐invasive technique for probing structural, functional, and metabolic processes with high spatial and temporal resolution. However, its inherently low sensitivity restricts broader applications. The use of hyperpolarized contrast agents has thus, emerged as an attractive approach to overcome this limitation and expand the capabilities. Among the available hyperpolarization techniques, parahydrogen‐induced polarization (PHIP) provides a rapid and cost‐efficient means to enhance magnetic resonance signals substantially. Yet, direct hyperpolarization of biomolecules, metabolites, or pharmaceuticals in vivo remains challenging, necessitating the development of versatile molecular tags and probes for hyperpolarized magnetic resonance (HP‐MR). In particular, imparting specific sensing functions—such as pH responsiveness and enzyme activity detection—to these HP molecular tags is of growing importance. Herein, we introduce pyridine N ‐oxides as hyperpolarizable molecular tags and present [ 1 5 N, D]‐labeled 2‐alkenylpyridine N ‐oxides as highly efficient candidates for HP‐MR with up to 47% 15 N spin polarization. This performance opens pathways for broad potential in biomedical and preclinical HP‐MR applications. The systems feature long 1 5 N spin–lattice relaxation times (up to T 1  = 477 s), broad functional‐group compatibility, and excellent structural tunability. Their practical utility is exemplified by pH and H 2 O 2 sensing and monitoring enzymatic reactions in water.

Failure mechanism of gob-side entry in weakly cemented soft rock and bolt-grouting collaborative control method: a case study

‘Megacluster’ of genes enables bacteria to make potent antibiotic mixture

Low-speed UAV trajectory prediction under short-term data loss: a preliminary feasibility study for vehicle-mounted electro-optical tracking

An exploratory SMOTE-SVM approach for identifying preoperative biomechanical risk factors driving early toric intraocular lens micro-rotation in extremely imbalanced cohorts

Abstract The predictive modeling of postoperative mechanical complications, such as the early micro-rotation of premium toric intraocular lenses (IOLs), is severely hindered by the extreme imbalance of clinical datasets. Traditional statistical methods often fail to capture complex biomechanical interactions in rare-event scenarios. This exploratory pilot study introduces a machine learning framework designed as a hypothesis-generating tool to handle extremely imbalanced ophthalmic data and identify potential preoperative biometric features associated with toric IOL micro-rotation. A prospective cohort of 35 eyes implanted with the Clareon PanOptix® Toric IOL was analyzed, quantifying true rotational stability via high-resolution photographic registration. Given the exceedingly low incidence of &gt; 1-degree micro-rotation, a strict, leak-proof fivefold cross-validation pipeline was established. The Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE) was applied exclusively within the training folds, and an interpretable Linear Support Vector Machine (Linear SVM) was deployed to extract robust feature weights for biomechanical interpretation. Our findings highlight the “accuracy paradox” in small clinical datasets: complex ensemble models exhibited severe majority-class bias, failing to detect rare micro-rotations. Conversely, the SMOTE-enhanced Linear SVM achieved a Precision-Recall Area Under the Curve (PR-AUC) of 0.463, outperforming a random baseline by nearly a factor of three. The algorithmic feature weights successfully isolated Anterior Chamber Depth (ACD) and steep keratometry (Steep K2) as the primary geometric drivers of rotational instability, demonstrating a profound alignment with clinical ocular biomechanics. While strictly constrained by the small sample size (N = 35) and limited event rate, this preliminary pilot framework successfully bridges high-dimensional data augmentation with physical ocular biomechanics, effectively identifying minority risk features and laying the groundwork for future AI-driven surgical navigation systems.

Prediagnostic opioid use and survival in multiple myeloma: a nationwide register-based study

Abstract Multiple myeloma (MM) accounts for approximately 1% of incident cancers worldwide and carries substantial mortality. Diagnostic delay is common, with more than one-third of patients requiring emergency care at diagnosis, a presentation linked to inferior prognosis. Pain is a frequent early MM symptom, yet the extent and prognostic relevance of prediagnostic opioid use remains poorly characterized. Using nationwide Danish registers, we conducted a matched case-control analysis of prediagnostic opioid use, irrespective of indication, and its association with overall survival (OS) among MM patients. The study included 6,953 MM patients diagnosed in 2001–2021 and 101,793 matched population controls. Compared with controls, opioid use was first elevated among MM cases approximately 2.25 years before diagnosis, increasing more consistently closer to diagnosis. High prediagnostic opioid use (≥ 10 mg daily oral morphine equivalents) was associated with shorter OS, compared with no opioid use (1-year OS 72% vs. 82%; adjusted hazard ratio 1.23, 95% CI 1.07–1.41). These findings indicate that opioid use increases closer to MM diagnosis date, likely reflecting pain related to undiagnosed MM. Furthermore, prediagnostic opioid use was associated with shorter OS independently of available prognostic factors, including ISS stage and myeloma bone disease.

Physics-inspired enhancement framework for industrial digital radiography based on radiation–matter interaction modeling

Progress in wheat farm yield improvement has largely stagnated across the U.S. Pacific Northwest

Abstract Yield stagnation, which has occurred in some global wheat production hubs, is a serious barrier to meeting future food demands. Yield trends across the U.S. Pacific Northwest, where 8.2 million Mg of wheat was produced in 2025, are mostly unknown. Using publicly-available data (USDA farm surveys and university-led variety trials), the objective of this research was to evaluate winter wheat yield trends across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho since the early 1970s. Survey analysis showed that historic rates of yield increase among agricultural districts ranged from 18 to 195 kg ha −1  year −1 , with incremental shifts toward irrigation in select districts driving the highest rates. But yields began to stagnate between the early 1980s and mid-1990s. Analysis of top-yielding varieties in 163 variety trials conducted since 2000 showed that genetic gain by year of variety release has slowed to 4–5 kg ha −1  year −1 across lower- and higher-yielding environments. Variety trial yield trends by test year suggest that environmental and/or agronomic factors may be negatively offsetting genetic gains, especially in higher-yielding environments. These findings have broad implications for regional farmers and multidisciplinary researchers who support them. Gaining more rigorous understanding of the factors contributing to yield stagnation is critical to reversing the trend.

Genomic insights into the population dynamics and demise of Neanderthals