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Ligand-Enabled Selective Coupling of MIDA Boronates to Dehydroalanine-Containing Peptides and Proteins
A guide, cornerstone, and appetizer: An elicited metaphor analysis of Chinese university students’ perceptions of English language textbooks
Existing research on EFL learners’ attitudes towards English language textbooks primarily investigates metaphors at the level of mental spaces, limiting insights into embodied cognition and experience. This study extends the analysis of metaphors to a more schematic level of domains/frames. We analyzed 163 metaphors from 123 Chinese university students’ perceptions of English language textbooks under the guidance of Conceptual Metaphor Theory and the meta-functions of metaphors in language education. Findings reveal textbooks’ three primary roles in learning English as i) a guide in a journey, ii) a cornerstone of a building, and iii) an appetizer in eating. The Chi-Square Test of Independence showed a moderate association between metaphor sources and emotional valence, with nature and container metaphors associated with negative evaluations. The combination of discourse analysis and statistical analysis highlights learners’ physical and emotional engagement with English language textbooks. Pedagogical implications are discussed.
Fast and Massive Production of Aramid Nanofibers via Molecule Intercalation
Effect of Yangling inclined trellis tree shape on light interception efficiency, fruit quality, and yield of sweet cherry cv: ‘Jimei’
Different tree shapes (TSs) directly influence canopy structure, light interception, and photosynthetic activity, impacting fruit quality and yield. This study investigated the effects of light interception efficiency (LIE) on the quality and yield of “Jimei” sweet cherry fruits by comparing two tree shapes: the Yangling inclined trellis arm TS (YLL-TS) and the Super slender spindle TS (SSS-TS). Using three-dimensional digitization techniques, we analyzed the growth relationships between branches and leaves, constructed virtual canopy models, and examined branch composition, leaf area, and spatial distribution. The present study indicated varying correlation coefficients for growth relationships between branches and leaves in the two TSs. For YLL-TS, the smallest correlation coefficient was between the length of nutrient-bearing branches and leaf petiole length (r² = 0.206), while the largest was between the length of short fruit-bearing branches and the number of branches and leaves (r² = 0.851). For SSS-TS, the smallest was between the length of medium fruit-bearing branches and leaf petiole length (r² = 0.211), and the largest was between the length of nutrient-bearing branches and leaf area (r² = 0.827). The LIE for YLL-TS (0.53 STAR value) was significantly higher than SSS-TS (0.20 STAR value). Although YLL-TS had fewer branches and leaf area, it showed increases in LIE by 48%, 42%, and 27% for overall canopy, fruit-bearing branches, and nutrient-bearing branches, respectively. The photosynthetic parameters (Pn, Tr, Gs, and Ci) were higher in SSS-TS. YLL-TS exhibited a higher economic yield (4.075 kg/ m2) and is more suitable for dense planting, facilitating widespread cultivation.
Unravelling the influence of mixed layer depth on chlorophyll-a dynamics in the Red Sea
Primary production in highly stratified and oligotrophic tropical seas relies primarily on nutrient injections from a deepened mixed layer. The Red Sea, one of the warmest marine ecosystems on earth, has very few external nutrient sources. The role of mixed layer depth (MLD) on phytoplankton dynamics has predominantly been investigated in the northern part of the basin, yet a comprehensive investigation covering the entire basin is currently lacking. By integrating numerical MLD simulations and ocean colour remote sensing observations, both regionally-tuned to the Red Sea environment, the influence of vertical mixing, proxied by the MLD, on chlorophyll-a concentration (CHL) is investigated at seasonal and interannual scales. Results show that the central basin exhibits weak relationships, possibly linked to the intense mesoscale activity and the resulting horizontal advective fluxes. Remarkably, in the southern basin, even minor MLD variations (3%) seem to have a significant response in CHL (~10%). Until now, phytoplankton biomass in the south was linked to the horizontal intrusion of nutrient-rich waters from the Indian Ocean, while our results also stress the importance of vertical mixing in the redistribution of these fertile deeper layer waters to the surface lit zone. Here, we report the diverse role of deepened mixed layers in shaping CHL concentrations across various provinces in the Red Sea.
Discovery of Cysteine Carboxyalkylations by Real-Time Isotopic Signature Targeted Profiling
Design of a novel tri-axis ZnO nanowires based piezoelectric accelerometer
Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) are pivotal in modern technology, serving as components like accelerometers, gyroscopes, and pressure sensors in various applications. MEMS accelerometers are key components used for measuring motion and vibrations in a wide range of systems. This paper presents the proposed design of a ZnO nanowires-based piezoelectric accelerometer. Owing to the ZnO nanowires’ unique piezoelectric properties, the accelerometer can measure acceleration in three axes. A mathematical model is derived to analyze the behavior of nanowires under applied acceleration. Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations were carried out to evaluate the performance of the accelerometer. The key parameters of the accelerometer such as mechanical deformation, stress, voltage, and sensitivity are evaluated while applying a dynamic acceleration of 0.1 g and static acceleration of up to 50 g. The simulation results show a sensitivity of 0.25 V/g for an applied acceleration in the x and y axes (in-plane acceleration) and 1.40 V/g sensitivity was achieved in the z-axis (out-of-plane acceleration). The acceleration analysis reveals that the range and sensitivity of the sensor are high, that it can measure acceleration in three axes, and it also shows a linear behavior under static acceleration. The proposed accelerometer’s tri-axis acceleration sensing and self-powered capability make it an excellent choice for integration in biomedical applications.
Alkali Cation Inhibition of Imidazolium-Mediated Electrochemical CO<sub>2</sub> Reduction on Silver
Retraction: Risk management system and intelligent decision-making for prefabricated building project under deep learning modified teaching-learning-based optimization
Earliest systematically crafted bone tools date back 1.5 million years
Designing Target-specific Data Sets for Regioselectivity Predictions on Complex Substrates
Lung cancer screening with volume computed tomography is cost-effective in Greece
Objective This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screening (LCS) employing volume-based low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) in contrast to the absence of screening, targeting an asymptomatic high-risk population in Greece, leveraging the outcomes derived from the NELSON study, the largest European randomized control trial dedicated to LCS. Methods A validated model incorporating a decision tree and an integrated state-transition Markov model was used to simulate the identification, diagnosis, and treatments for a population at high risk of developing lung cancer, from a healthcare payer perspective. Screen-detected lung cancers, costs, life years (LYs), quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were predicted. Sensitivity and scenario analyses were conducted to assess the robustness and reliability of the model’s outcomes under varying parameters and hypothetical situations. Results Annual LCS with volume-based LDCT detected 17,104 more lung cancer patients at early-stage among 207,885 screening population, leading to 8,761 premature lung cancer deaths averted. In addition, in contrast to no screening, LCS yielded 86,207 LYs gained and 50,207 incremental QALYs at an additional cost of €278,971,940, resulting in an ICER of €3,236 per LY and €5,505 per QALY, over a lifetime horizon. These estimates were robust in sensitivity analyses. Conclusions LCS with volume-based LDCT, targeting an asymptomatic high-risk population, is highly cost-effective in Greece. Implementing LCS ensures efficient allocation of public healthcare resources while delivering substantial clinical benefits to lung cancer patients.
It’s time to shine for LEDs made using ecofriendly quantum dots
Electrochemical Lithiation Regulates the Active Hydrogen Supply on Ru–Sn Nanowires for Hydrogen Evolution Toward the High-Performing Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer
Retraction: Distribution characteristics of insect diversity in long-term fixed monitoring plots in Northeast China
Ultratough Thermoplastic Elastomers Based on Chemically Recyclable Cycloalkyl-Substituted Polyhydroxyalkanoates
Two contemporaneous morphs of fossil Chanos Lacepède, 1803 (Gonorynchiformes, Chanidae) from Paleocene (Danian) outcrops near Palenque (Mexico) revealed by geometric morphometrics indicate conservatism in milkfishes after the K/Pg boundary
We described chanid material from the Paleocene (Danian) localities of División del Norte and Belisario Domínguez near the archeological site of Palenque, Chiapas State, southeastern Mexico. The parsimony-based morphological phylogeny indicates that the specimens are closely related to the extant milkfish, Chanos chanos (Teleostei, Ostariophysi), and the comparative anatomy reveals a remarkable qualitative similarity of almost every visible bone. Among the synapomorphies for the genus Chanos, is a pleurostyle or caudal complex, which is missing in all other chanid fossils. Extant milkfish are highly variable in meristic and morphometric traits, and we found a signal for quantitative variation with geometric morphometrics tools in the fossil sample. We first dealt with post-mortem body torsion and missing landmarks. The main analysis shows a pattern of two forms present in both localities. A group of specimens shows a bigger head and deeper body than the slender and smaller head of the rest, implying that two types of milkfish coexisted in time and space. We tested for allometry and explored scenarios that can explain the patterns, such as sexual dimorphism or two sympatric and closely related species for the morphotypes, and differential resource utilization for the jaw, head, and depth variations. Furthermore, we argue that, alongside the morphological stasis, Chanos has conserved the life history trait of fry migration towards near-shore nurseries through protracted time (~63mybp). We infer the fish were juvenile, and the paleontological assemblage and taphonomy suggest that the localities exhibit the influence of both marine and transitional environments.