bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Berberine Inhibits Migration and Apoptosis of Rat Podocytes in Diabetic Nephropathy via the Novel lncRNA LOC102549726 Related Pathway
Authors: Wang Chen , Wu Hao , Xie Yongsheng , Wang Jiajia , Huang Lingzhi , Ni Xiayun , Deng Shujun , Zhang Yang , Chen Xinyi , Zhang Huihui , Yuan Siming , Tang Liqin 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTBackgroundDiabetic nephropathy (DN) stands as one of the most severe complications of diabetes. Podocytes injury, particularly its attachment to the lateral glomerular basement membrane, serves as a crucial indicator of DN. Growing evidence suggests that berberine (BBR) can mitigate the onset and progression of DN. However, the molecular mechanisms through which BBR exerts its beneficial effects in the treatment of DN remain incompletely elucidated.PurposeTo explore the underlying mechanisms by which BBR exerts its therapeutic effects in DN.MethodsHigh‐throughput lncRNA sequencing on the renal cortex of both the DN model group and the normal SD group was performed to dig for differentially expressed lncRNAs. The expression of LOC102549726 was evaluated using qPCR. The biological functions of LOC102549726 were analyzed in podocyets and DN rats. The bioinformatics techniques, qPCR and WB were used to explore the potential molecular mechanisms.ResultsWe found that lncRNA LOC102549726 was highly expressed in renal cortex of DN rats and podocytes subjected to high glucose conditions. Silencing LOC102549726 inhibited migration and apoptosis of podocytes. Mechanistically, LOC102549726 was identified as a facilitator of the expression of EGF and forkhead box O1 (FOXO1). BBR, a known therapeutic agent for DN, exhibited the ability to diminish the level of LOC102549726, EGF and FOXO1 in both DN rats and podocytes.ConclusionOur findings suggested that BBR suppresses migration and apoptosis of podocytes in DN through targeting the LOC102549726/EGF/FOXO1 axis. This sheds light on a potential therapeutic avenue for mitigating the impact of DN on podocyte function.
Fixed‐Time Control Lyapunov Function for Networked Non‐Linear Uncertain Systems
Authors: Dong Yi , Chen Zhiyong 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTThis paper introduces a novel tool based on Lyapunov functions, aimed at analyzing the fixed‐time property of networked non‐linear uncertain systems while incorporating a specifically designed control law. The applicability of this tool is demonstrated by addressing the fixed‐time synchronization challenge within non‐linear uncertain multi‐agent systems (MASs) operating in a leader‐following scenario. In this scenario, the desired trajectory stems from a general non‐linear system, and a two‐part solution is presented. Both segments of the solution leverage the innovative Lyapunov function‐based tool. The first component entails a fixed‐time non‐linear state feedback observer, engineered to estimate the leader system's state within a directed communication network. The second component offers a fixed‐time control law, designed to regulate the trajectories of the agents. This paper explores two categories of non‐linear agents with first‐order and second‐order dynamics, taking into account parametric uncertainties.
Confluence of Time and Space: An Innovation for Quantifying Dynamics of Hydrologic Floodplain Connectivity With Remote Sensing and GIS
Authors: Ahmad Hafez , Miranda Leandro E. , Dunn Corey G. , Boudreau Melanie R. , Colvin Michael E. , Dash Padmanava 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTHydrologic connectivity is a crucial determinant of aquatic ecosystem services, governing the exchange of nutrients, sediments, chemicals, and biota. Various indices and metrics exist for quantifying hydrologic connectivity across diverse environments and scales. However, existing methodologies often fail to adequately capture lateral connectivity between lakes and streams across vast, low‐relief, multi‐lake floodplain systems. This study introduces a novel approach for quantifying lateral hydrologic connectivity specifically tailored for floodplain lakes connecting to streams within the expansive floodplain of the Lower Mississippi River. This approach centers on the spatial and temporal intersection of lakes and streams, leveraging remote sensing and GIS data to estimate nine distinct metrics of hydrologic connectivity. To assess the reliability of the method, the study estimated connectivity metrics for 92 randomly selected lakes, comprising 53 lakes connected to large streams, 13 lakes connected to medium streams, and 26 lakes connected to small streams. As expected, there was significant variability in hydrologic connectivity across different stream size classes. The outlined approach contributes valuable insights into the hydrologic connectivity of floodplain lakes and offers a generalizable framework applicable to other floodplains. Its versatility makes it a practical tool for understanding connectivity requirements for biota and facilitating applications in conservation and water resources management. Thus, this work represents a meaningful step toward advancing our understanding of lateral hydrologic connectivity dynamics in complex aquatic ecosystems.
Statistical Inference for Association Studies in the Presence of Binary Outcome Misclassification
Authors: Hochstedler Webb Kimberly A. , Wells Martin T. 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTIn biomedical and public health association studies, binary outcome variables may be subject to misclassification, resulting in substantial bias in effect estimates. The feasibility of addressing binary outcome misclassification in regression models is often hindered by model identifiability issues. In this paper, we characterize the identifiability problems in this class of models as a specific case of “label‐switching” and leverage a pattern in the resulting parameter estimates to solve the permutation invariance of the complete data log‐likelihood. Our proposed algorithm in binary outcome misclassification models does not require gold standard labels and relies only on the assumption that the sum of the sensitivity and specificity exceeds 1. A label‐switching correction is applied within estimation methods to recover unbiased effect estimates and to estimate misclassification rates. Open‐source software is provided to implement the proposed methods. We give a detailed simulation study for our proposed methodology and apply these methods to data from the 2020 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS).
Estimating Average Treatment Effects With Support Vector Machines
Authors: Tarr Alexander , Imai Kosuke 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTSupport vector machine (SVM) is one of the most popular classification algorithms in the machine learning literature. We demonstrate that SVM can be used to balance covariates and estimate average causal effects under the unconfoundedness assumption. Specifically, we adapt the SVM classifier as a kernel‐based weighting procedure that minimizes the maximum mean discrepancy between the treatment and control groups while simultaneously maximizing effective sample size. We also show that SVM is a continuous relaxation of the quadratic integer program for computing the largest balanced subset, establishing its direct relation to the cardinality matching method. Another important feature of SVM is that the regularization parameter controls the trade‐off between covariate balance and effective sample size. As a result, the existing SVM path algorithm can be used to compute the balance‐sample size frontier. We characterize the bias of causal effect estimation arising from this trade‐off, connecting the proposed SVM procedure to the existing kernel balancing methods. Finally, we conduct simulation and empirical studies to evaluate the performance of the proposed methodology and find that SVM is competitive with the state‐of‐the‐art covariate balancing methods.
Layered All‐Polymer Solar Cells with Efficiency of 18.34% by Employing Alloyed Polymer Donors
Authors: Zhou Hang , Zhang Lu , Tian Hongyue , Ni Yuheng , Xie Yongchao , Jeong Sang Young , Huang Tianhuan , Woo Han Young , Zhang Jian , Zhu Xixiang , Lu Lifang , Ma Xiaoling , Zhang Fujun 
Published: February 2025

AbstractA series of layered all‐polymer solar cells (LA‐PSCs) with the normal or inverted structure are prepared by employing a sequential spin‐coating method with PBQx‐TCl, PM1 as polymer donor, and PY‐DT as polymer acceptor. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of normal LA‐PSCs can be improved from 17.20% to 18.34% by incorporating 30 wt.% PM1 into the PBQx‐TCl layer, resulting from simultaneously increased JSC of 25.35 mA cm−2, VOC of 0.971 V and FF of 74.49%. The PCE improvement of inverted LA‐PSCs can also be achieved by employing PBQx‐TCl:PM1 as donor layers. The mixed PBQx‐TCl and PM1 prefer to form the alloyed states in the LA‐PSCs, which can be confirmed by the gradually increased VOCs of LA‐PSCs with more PM1 content in donor layers. Meanwhile, the photogenerated excitons in donor layers can also be dissociated at the interface between PBQx‐TCl and PM1, especially for the excitons located near the ITO electrode. The exciton dissociation between PBQx‐TCl and PM1 can provide an additional channel for improving the exciton utilization efficiency, as confirmed by the positive external quantum efficiency spectral difference (∆EQE) values for the normal and inverted LA‐PSCs with PBQx‐TCl:PM1 or PBQx‐TCl as donor layers. Over 6.6% PCE improvement of LA‐PSCs can be realized by using alloyed PBQx‐TCl:PM1 as the donor layer.
Mixed‐Solvent‐Induced Phase Separation Enables Anisotropy and Strengthening of Hydrogels Composed of Flexible Network Chains
Authors: Hu Longyu , Luo Hongmei , Xie Jiacen , Li Min , Lu Honglang , Shen Huanwei , Cui Wei , Ran Rong 
Published: February 2025

AbstractAchieving anisotropy in hydrogels is key to replicating the structural and mechanical properties of biological tissues. However, inducing anisotropy in hydrogel systems composed solely of flexible amorphous polymers is challenging, as these polymers typically exhibit thermally unstable anisotropic states, i.e., they are easy to disorient. In this study, a mixed‐solvent‐induced phase‐separation approach to stabilize the orientation of such hydrogel networks after pre‐stretching is introduced. Using polyacrylamide, a flexible polymer with a persistence length on the order of 10−1 nm, as a model system, it is demonstrated that phase separation in a mixed solvent leads to the formation of dense and dilute polymer phases, with the dense phase effectively locking the anisotropy through robust inter‐ and intra‐polymer interactions. A series of characterizations confirm that partial orientation can be preserved in the prestretched, phase‐separated gel upon relaxation, resulting in significant mechanical enhancement along the orientation direction, including improvements in fracture stress, Young's modulus, and fracture toughness. The generality of this method, showing its effectiveness in other hydrogel systems and its adaptability to different solvent combinations is also validated. This work presents an unconventional strategy for preparing anisotropic hydrogels that typically struggle to maintain structural integrity.
Optimizing Electro‐Oxidation Kinetics via Constructing Built‐In Electric Field on Pd‐Ni(OH)2 Heterostructures for Selective Oxidation of Benzylamine to Benzonitrile
Authors: Wei Enhui , Dong Yuan , Yang Xu , Gao Hongtao , Luo Xiliang , Yang Wenlong 
Published: February 2025

AbstractRationally regulating redox properties of electrocatalysts is highly essential to accomplish selective electro‐oxidation of benzylamine (BA) to benzonitrile (BN) and concurrently promote hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at cathode. Herein, a facile built‐in electric field (BIEF) engineering strategy to optimize the electrocatalytic kinetics for the BA oxidation reaction (BOR) on Pd‐Ni(OH)2 heterostructures, is presented. Both experimental and theoretical results confirm the construction of BIEF with the direction from α‐Ni(OH)2 nanosheet to Pd nanoparticle at the heterointerface. It is unequivocally found that the creation of BIEF is favorable for not only the generation of electroactive Ni(OH)O species, but also the adsorption and dehydrogenation of BA molecules, achieving significantly promoted BOR kinetics. As expected, the Pd‐Ni(OH)2 catalyst shows excellent electrocatalytic performance toward selectively oxidizing BA to BN, which is further coupled with cathodic H2 production. The faradaic efficiency (FE) for BN production can approximate to 85% in a two‐electrode electrolyzer. In situ Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical measurements disclose that the activity origin for the BOR is dehydronated Ni(OH)O intermediate, clarifying a direct electro‐oxidation mechanism over the Pd‐Ni(OH)2 electrode. This work highlights an effective insight into design and synthesis of highly active electrocatalysts for organic upgrading.
ZnO‐Based Photomultiplication‐Type Infrared Photodetectors for Ultrasensitive Upconverters
Authors: Ge Zhenhua , Yang Shengyi , Zhang Zhenheng , Hong Mingdong , Liu Mingzhu , Zia Ayesha , Jiang Yurong , Zou Bingsuo , Tang Libin 
Published: February 2025

AbstractHigh‐sensitivity infrared photodetectors have attracted attention due to their broad applications. Photomultiplication is an ideal choice for high‐sensitivity photodetectors since it can generate large photogenerated current under incident faint illumination, making them more user‐friendly and cost‐effective without any extra amplifier circuits. In this work, 2 wt.% acetic acid in methanol is optimized to treat the electron‐accumulated ZnO layer in photodetector ITO/ZnO/PbS/Ag by increasing its interfacial oxygen vacancies, thus the interfacial band bends at the ZnO/PbS interface due to the accumulated charges under illumination. In this way, a high‐gain photomultiplication‐type photodetector ITO/ZnO/PbS/Ag, in which PbS colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) act as the active layer, is presented. As a result, a high responsivity of 524 A/W with a high external quantum efficiency of 66516% is achieved from the photodetector ITO/ZnO/PbS/Ag under 0.2 µW cm−2 980 nm illumination at ‐1 V. Further, a low turn‐on voltage of 2 V is obtained from the upconverters ITO/ZnO/PbS(240 nm)/TAPC(50 nm)/CBP:Ir(ppy)3(60 nm)/BCP(20 nm)/LiF(1nm)/Al under 1.637 mW cm−2 980 nm illumination, exhibiting a photon‐to‐photon conversion efficiency of 11.08%. In addition, upconversion imaging through a single‐pixel device and a 16 × 16 display array is demonstrated, implying its potential scalable applications. Therefore, it provides a promising and applicable pathway for high‐performance upconverters.
A Review of Surface Reconstruction and Transformation of 3d Transition‐Metal (oxy)Hydroxides and Spinel‐Type Oxides during the Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Authors: He Biao , Bai Fan , Jain Priya , Li Tong 
Published: February 2025

AbstractDeveloping efficient and sustainable electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for advancing energy conversion and storage technologies. 3d transition‐metal (oxy)hydroxides and spinel‐type oxides have emerged as promising candidates due to their structural flexibility, oxygen redox activity, and abundance in earth's crust. However, their OER performance can be changed dynamically during the reaction due to surface reconstruction and transformation. Essentially, multiple elementary processes occur simultaneously, whereby the electrocatalyst surfaces undergo substantial changes during OER. A better understanding of these elementary processes and how they affect the electrocatalytic performance is essential for the OER electrocatalyst design. This review aims to critically assess these processes, including oxidation, surface amorphization, transformation, cation dissolution, redeposition, and facet and electrolyte effects on the OER performance. The review begins with an overview of the electrocatalysts’ structure, redox couples, and common issues associated with electrochemical measurements of 3d transition‐metal (oxy)hydroxides and spinels, followed by recent advancements in understanding the elementary processes involved in OER. The challenges and new perspectives are presented at last, potentially shedding light on advancing the rational design of next‐generation OER electrocatalysts for sustainable energy conversion and storage applications.
Dual‐Shelled CeO2 Hollow Spheres Decorated with MXene Quantum Dots for Efficient Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Oxidation
Authors: Li Quan , Shen Dongcai , Xiao Zhengting , Liu Xin , Xu Xiang , Wu Mingrui , Wang Wentai , Liu Licheng , Li Qin , Li Xianguo 
Published: February 2025

AbstractElectrocatalytic nitrogen oxidation (NOR) provides a promising alternative strategy for synthesizing nitric acid from widespread N2, which overcomes the disadvantages of Haber‐Bosch‐Ostwald process. However, the NOR process suffers from the limitation of high N≡N bonding energy, sluggish kinetics, and low efficiency. It is prerequisite to develop more efficient NOR electrocatalysts. Herein, dual‐shelled CeO2 hollow spheres (D‐CeO2) are synthesized and modified with Ti3C2 MXene quantum dots (MQDs) for NOR, which exhibited a NO3− yield rate of 71.25 µg h−1 mgcat−1 and Faradic Efficiency (FE) of 31.80% at 1.7 V versus RHE. The unique quantum size effect and abundant edge active sites lead to more effective capture of nitrogen. Moreover, the dual‐shelled hollow structure will gather intermediate products in the interlayer of the core‐shell to facilitate N2 fixation. The in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the formation of *NO and NO3− species during the NOR, and the kinetics and possible pathways of NOR are calculated by density functional theory (DFT). In addition, a Zn‐N2 reaction device is assembled with D‐CeO2/MQDs as anode and Zn plate as cathode, obtaining an extremely high NO3− yield rate of 104.57 µg h−1 mgcat−1 at 1 mA cm−2.
Tailoring the Composite Polymer Electrolytes with Metal–Organic Framework for High‐Performance Li–O2 Batteries
Authors: Wang Huan‐Feng , Guan De‐Hui , Chang Xiao‐Ke , Ma Xin‐Yue , Yuan Xin‐Yuan , Wang Xiao‐Xue , Xu Ji‐Jing 
Published: February 2025

AbstractLithium‐oxygen (Li–O2) batteries with high energy density have given rise to tremendous advances in developing highly efficient energy storage devices. However, the barrier of Li dendrite growth and the liquid electrolyte volatilization under semi‐open architectures still restrict their future applications. Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)‐based polymer electrolytes are considered to be an effective solution to these issues, but the presence of highly reactive residual solvents severely disrupts the long‐term cycling stability of the battery. Herein, a tailoring strategy to confine and redistribute the solvent molecules by introducing porous metal–organic framework (MOF) is proposed. The Lewis acid sites and functional groups on MOFs offer more binding sites for residual solvents, leading to more involved anions in Li+ solvation. Benefiting from the tailored coordination environment of polymer electrolytes, the Li dendrite growth and liquid electrolyte volatilization are effectively suppressed in the composite polymer electrolyte (MOF@PVDF). As a result, the MOF@PVDF enables the Li//Li symmetrical cells ultra‐stable cycling over 800 h at 0.2 mA cm−2. Meanwhile, the MOF@PVDF‐based Li–O2 battery has realized a long life above 1100 h at 200 mA g−1. This work opens a direction in developing stable polymer electrolytes for high energy density Li–O2 batteries by tailoring the solvation structures of polymer electrolytes.
Ultrafast Laser Driven Ferromagnetic‐Antiferromagnetic Skyrmion Switching in 2D Topological Magnet
Authors: Dou Kaiying , Du Wenhui , He Zhonglin , Dai Ying , Huang Baibiao , Ma Yandong 
Published: February 2025

AbstractLight‐spin coupling is an attractive phenomenon from the standpoints of fundamental physics and device applications, and has spurred rapid development recently. Whereas the current efforts are devoted to trivial magnetism, the interplay between light and nontrivial spin properties of topological magnetism is little known. Here, using first principles, rt‐TDDFT and atomic spin simulations, the evolution of topological spin properties of monolayer CrInSe3 under laser is explored, establishing the ultrafast ferromagnetic‐antiferromagnetic skyrmion reversal. The physics correlates to the laser‐induced significant spin‐selective charge transfer, demagnetization, and time‐dependent magnetic interactions. Especially, an essential switching from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic exchange is generated under light irradiation. More importantly, dynamics of topological magnetic physics shows that this process accompanies with the evolution of topological magnetism from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic skyrmions, manifesting intriguing interplay between light and topological spin properties. The work provides a novel approach toward the highly desired ultrafast control of topological magnetism.
MXene–Metal Phosphate/Phosphide Composites for Energy Storage and Conversion
Authors: Hussain Iftikhar , Iqbal Anum , Bibi Faiza , Pandiyarajan Sabarison , Banitaba Seyedeh Nooshin , Khademolqorani Sanaz , Javed Muhammad Sufyan , Chuang Ho‐Chiao , Zhang Kaili 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTMXenes, a family of emerging two‐dimensional materials offer enriched surface chemistry, high electrical conductivities, large specific surface area, intrinsic physicochemical properties, and excellent mechanical stability. However, restacking of MXene sheets limit their electrochemical performance. To overcome this limitation, recent advancements have focused on developing MXene composites with metal phosphates/phosphides (MXene/MPs). This review discusses the applications of MXene/MPs composites in energy storage and conversion applications. The incorporation of MPs into MXenes not only addresses the restacking issue and aggregation problems, but also enhances the overall electrochemical performance of energy storage and conversion systems. The review concludes with a summary of the current research status and future prospects for MXene/MPs‐based composites in energy applications.
Design and Analysis of Solid and Thin‐Walled Slender Structures Using Soft Materials Based on Beam Finite Elements
Authors: Sudha K. 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the design and analysis of solid and thin‐walled slender structures made of hyperelastic soft materials using high‐order beam finite elements integrated into the Carrera unified formulation (CUF) framework. The primary aim is to evaluate the load‐bearing capacity and deflection characteristics of these structures through finite element analysis (FEA). Numerical results indicate that the experimental load capacity reached up to 19,000 kN, while FEA simulations reported a capacity of 15,000 kN. Midspan deflection measurements showed experimental values peaking at 5000 mm, compared to 4200 mm in FEA results. The average ratio of experimental to numerical results (Mtest/MFEA) across various specimens was 0.943 with a standard deviation of 0.11, suggesting a strong agreement between experimental and numerical analyses. These findings validate the effectiveness of high‐order beam finite elements for modeling the behavior of slender soft material structures, thus contributing to advancements in structural engineering.