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Boron and nitrogen co-doped reduced graphene oxide (BN-rGO) materials were prepared via a facile dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results demonstrated that the boron content in the boron-doped rGO (B-rGO) and BN-rGO is 1.21 at.% and 1.41 at.%, while the nitrogen content in the nitrogen-doped rGO (N-rGO) and BN-rGO is 2.12 at.% and 2.69 at.%, respectively. The doping of heteroatoms significantly improves the capacitance of the as-synthesized materials, giving BN-rGO a highly enhanced capacitance of 350 F g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1, which is 2.36, 1.46 and 1.21 times higher than that of rGO, B-rGO or N-rGO, respectively.

The quick and accurate characterization of commercial electrochemical double-layer capacitor (EDLC) cells, especially their capacitance and direct-current equivalent series internal resistance (DCESR), is of great significance for the design, maintenance, and monitoring of EDLCs used in areas of energy, sensors, electric power, construction machinery, rail transit, automobile transportation, and military. In this study, the capacitance and DCESR of three commercial EDLC cells with similar performance were determined and compared by following the three commonly-used standards of IEC 62391, Maxwell, and QC/T741-2014, which are significantly different in test procedures and calculation methods. The analysis of the test procedures and results demonstrated that the IEC 62391 standard has the disadvantages of a large testing current, long testing time, and a complex and inaccurate DCESR calculation, whereas the Maxwell standard has the disadvantages of a large testing current, a small capacitance, and large DCESR testing results, and furthermore the QC/T 741 standard has the disadvantages of a high resolution requirement for the equipment and small DCESR results. Therefore, an improved method was proposed to determine the capacitance and DCESR of EDLC cells by short-time constant voltage charging and discharging interruption methods, respectively, with the advantages of high accuracy, low equipment requirements, short testing time, and the easy calculation of DCESR over the original three standards.

The hydrolysis of an industrial titanyl sulfate (TiOSO4) solution to metatitanic acid (H2TiO3) is the crucial step in the production of titanium dioxide (TiO2) using the sulfuric acid process, and the extra-adding seeded route is generally adopted in industry, in which the quality of the crystal seeds plays a critical role. In this study, the optimal process conditions for preparing the crystal seeds via the NaOH neutralization method were first investigated. Then, the ultrasound-assisted preparation of crystal seeds was studied to explore the effect of the ultrasonic time and intensity on the particle size and particle size distribution of crystal seeds. The results demonstrated that ultrasonic assistance is helpful in obtaining crystal seeds with smaller particle sizes and more uniform particle size distribution, and the quality of the hydrolysis product of H2TiO3, i.e., the particle size and its distribution, is strictly correlated with those of the crystal seeds. Under the optimal process conditions for preparing the hydrolytic seeds, the average particle of the hydrolytic seeds prepared without ultrasonic assistance is 25.50 nm. In contrast, the introduction of ultrasonic assistance in the preservation stage could significantly decrease the particle size and narrow the particle size distribution of the hydrolytic seeds. When the ultrasonic time is 4 min and the ultrasonic intensity is 40 W, the average particle of the hydrolytic seeds is decreased to 23.48 nm. Therefore, the quality of the crystal seeds, as well as that of H2TiO3 products, could be significantly improved by introducing ultrasonic assistance with a suitable intensity at a suitable time in the preparation process of crystal seeds via the NaOH neutralization method.

The comprehensive evaluation of ammonia production systems is of great significance for improving the sustainability of energy management and food supply. Therefore, an important contribution could be provided by developing a generic decision‐making framework for prioritizing multiple ammonia production systems and identifying the best one. In this view, this paper aims to propose an integrated fuzzy MADM (multiattribute decision making) framework combining fuzzy BWM (best‐worst method), fuzzy CRITIC (Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation), and fuzzy GRP (gray relational projection) approaches for the sustainability assessment of ammonia production systems under hybrid information. Comparing with the previous MADM‐based frameworks for sustainability assessment, this framework adopts the TFN (triangular fuzzy number) to deal with the hybrid information (ie, crisp numbers, interval values, and fuzzy numbers) that arise from real‐world decision‐making issues. Accordingly, the weights of criteria can be comprehensively determined by integrating the fuzzy BWM and fuzzy CRITIC, which balance experts’ subjective preferences and system's objective properties under uncertainties in the determination of the weights, while the sequence of alternatives can be reliably prioritized by extending the GRP into fuzzy conditions, which escalates the ranking capability under hybrid information via considering the relationships and relative balance among the alternatives’ performances regarding the multicriteria. Seven alternative systems were studied by the proposed framework, indicating that ammonia generated from hydropower‐electrolysis and coal gasification would be more preferable than the others, by considering 12 criteria from the concerns of technological, environmental, economic, and social‐political. Additionally, sensitivity analysis and result comparison were conducted to verify the rationality and feasibility of the framework. This work makes a methodological contribution to the MADM‐based sustainability research and serves as a reference for developing the ammonia economy in the future. A comprehensive sustainability assessment was conducted for multiple ammonia production systems by developing an integrated fuzzy multiattribute decision‐making framework under hybrid information. It assesses the criteria by using a combined weighting method and ranks the alternative systems by extending the GRP approach into fuzzy conditions.

Antigen-specific T RM persist and protect against skin or female reproductive tract (FRT) HSV infection. As the pathogenesis of HSV differs between humans and model organisms, we focus on humans with well-characterized recurrent genital HSV-2 infection. Human CD8+ T RM persisting at sites of healed human HSV-2 lesions have an activated phenotype but it is unclear if T RM can be cultivated in vitro . We recovered HSV-specific T RM from genital skin and ectocervix biopsies, obtained after recovery from recurrent genital HSV-2, using ex vivo activation by viral antigen. Up to several percent of local T cells were HSV-reactive ex vivo. CD4 and CD8 T cell lines were up to 50% HSV-2-specific after sorting-based enrichment. CD8 T RM displayed HLA-restricted reactivity to specific HSV-2 peptides with high functional avidities. Reactivity to defined peptides persisted locally over several month and was quite subject-specific. CD4 T RM derived from biopsies, and from an extended set of cervical cytobrush specimens, also recognized diverse HSV-2 antigens and peptides. Overall we found that HSV-2-specific T RM are abundant in the FRT between episodes of recurrent genital herpes and maintain competency for expansion. Mucosal sites are accessible for clinical monitoring during immune interventions such as therapeutic vaccination.

Abstract In this paper, a novel riboregulator Switch System of Gene Expression including an OFF-TO-ON switch and an ON-TO-OFF switch was designed to regulate the expression state of target genes between “ON” and “OFF” by switching the identifiability of ribosome recognition site (RBS) based on the thermodynamic stability of different RNA–RNA hybridizations between RBS and small noncoding RNAs. The proposed riboregulator switch system was employed for the fermentative production of succinic acid using an engineered strain of E. coli JW1021, during which the expression of mgtC gene was controlled at “ON” state and that of pepc and ecaA genes were controlled at the “OFF” state in the lag phase and switched to the “OFF” and “ON” state once the strain enters the logarithmic phase. The results showed that using the strain of JW1021, the yield and productivity of succinic acid can reach 0.91 g g−1 and 3.25 g L−1 h−1, respectively, much higher than those using the strains without harboring the riboregulator switch system.

The value of waste heat had led to an extensive study on Combined Cooling, Heating and Power (CCHP) system in recent decades, but the following three research gaps still need to be tackled to achieve a better economic and environmental performance. Firstly, the complete discreteness of equipment capabilities had not been considered. It means that multiple units with different capacities cannot be selected for a type of equipment. Then, the ambiguity and subjectivity existing in decision-makers/stakeholders’ judgments on the importance of objectives are usually ignored. Finally, an easily understood and comprehensive environmental indicator based on life cycle perspective for system optimization had not been established. Thus, the aim of this study is to establish a mathematical framework to help the stakeholders select the optimal configurations, capacities, and operation conditions of CCHP system while narrowing the above three research gaps to avoid the sub-optimal solutions. Subsequently, a hypothetical case was used to verify the validity of the proposed model, along with analysis of system performance. The results indicate that the CCHP system is superior to the conventional systems, and the proposed mathematical model in this paper can improve the performance of CCHP system in terms of economy, environment, and energy.

HLA-B*57:01 is an HLA allelic variant associated with positive outcomes during viral infections through interactions with T cells and NK cells, but severe disease in persons treated with the anti-HIV-1 drug abacavir. The role of HLA-B*57:01 in the context of HSV infection is unknown. We identified an HLA-B*57:01-restricted CD8 T-cell epitope in the ICP22 (US1) protein of HSV-2. CD8 T cells reactive to the HSV-2 ICP22 epitope recognized the orthologous HSV-1 peptide, but not closely related peptides in human IFNL2 or IFNL3. Abacavir did not alter the CD8 T-cell recognition of the HSV or self-derived peptides. Unexpectedly, a tetramer of HSV-2 ICP22 epitope (228–236) and HLA-B*57:01 bound both CD8 T cells and NK cells. Tetramer specificity for KIR3DL1 was confirmed using KIR3DL1 overexpression on non-human primate cells lacking human KIR and studies with blocking anti-KIR3DL1 antibody. Interaction with KIR3DL1 was generalizable to donors lacking the HLA-B*57:01 genotype or HSV seropositivity. These findings suggest a mechanism for the recognition of HSV infection by NK cells or KIR-expressing T cells via KIR3DL1.

Decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) have emerged as a transformative model in new drug development, offering alternatives to traditional site-based trials through the integration of digital technologies and remote processes. This literature review examines the current landscape of DCTs by academic studies, policy reports, and regulatory guidance from major global regions. The review identifies and discusses the opportunities and challenges of DCTs, including scientific and operational innovation, equity and accessibility, governance and trust, and sustainability and infrastructure. A comparative analysis of regulatory frameworks and guidance issued by different regulatory authorities all around the world reveals both convergences and distinctions in how DCTs are approached, particularly in areas such as digital health technologies or patient-centered models. The U.S. emphasizes efficiency and technological integration; the EU prioritizes equity and patient engagement; while China focuses on rare diseases, reducing regional disparities, and maintains a more cautious regulatory approach. The review concludes by identifying the need for greater international coordination and harmonization to fully realize the potential of DCTs while addressing their inherent risks. Building on observed regional differences, it further examines the challenges associated with harmonization, the implications of fragmented governance across jurisdictions, and the lessons learned from pilot implementations. These insights aim to inform future efforts toward more cohesive and globally aligned DCT frameworks.

For making a complex synthetic gene network function as designed, the parameters in the network have to be extensively tuned. In this study, a simple and general approach to rapidly tune gene networks in Escherichia coli was developed, which uses the hypermutable simple sequence repeats embedded in the spacer region between the ribosome binding site and the initiation codon. It was found that the change of sequence length and compositions of the repeated base pairs in 5′UTR contributes together to the changeable expression levels of the target gene. The mechanism of this phenomenon is that the transcriptional process makes greater impact on the expression level when compared to the translational process, which is utilized to successfully predict sample gene expression levels over a 50-fold range. The utility of the approach to regulate heterologous ecaA and pepc gene expression in the engineered E. coli for improving succinic acid yield and production has also been demonstrated. When the expression level of ecaA gene was 3.53-fold of the control and the expression level of pepc gene was 1.06-fold of the control, the highest yield of succinic acid and productivity were achieved, which was 0.87 g g⁻¹ and 2.01 g L⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively.