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Some of the highest-transition-temperature superconductors across various materials classes exhibit linear-in-temperature ‘strange metal’ or ‘Planckian’ electrical resistivities in their normal state. It is thus believed by many that this behavior holds the key to unlock the secrets of high-temperature superconductivity. However, these materials typically display complex phase diagrams governed by various competing energy scales, making an unambiguous identification of the physics at play difficult. Here we use electrical resistivity measurements into the micro-Kelvin regime to discover superconductivity condensing out of an extreme strange metal state—with linear resistivity over 3.5 orders of magnitude in temperature. We propose that the Cooper pairing is mediated by the modes associated with a recently evidenced dynamical charge localization–delocalization transition, a mechanism that may well be pertinent also in other strange metal superconductors. Understanding the strange metal behavior, characterized by linear-in-temperature resistivity, could shed light on the mechanism of unconventional superconductivity. Here, by using electrical resistivity measurements into the micro-Kelvin regime, the authors report evidence of unconventional superconductivity in the strange metal YbRh 2 Si 2 and propose a possible pairing mechanism.

Thioindigos are visible light responsive photoswitches with excellent spatial control over the conformational change between their trans- and cis- isomers. However, they possess limited solubility in all conventional organic solvents and polymers, hindering their application in soft matter materials. Herein, we introduce a strategy for the covalent insertion of thioindigo units into polymer main chains, enabling thioindigos to function within crosslinked polymeric hydrogels. We overcome their solubility issue by developing a thioindigo bismethacrylate linker able to undergo radical initiated thiol-ene reaction for step-growth polymerization, generating indigo-containing polymers. The optimal wavelength for the reversible trans- / cis- isomerisation of thioindigo was elucidated by constructing a detailed photochemical action plot of their switching efficiencies at a wide range of monochromatic wavelengths. Critically, indigo-containing polymers display significant photoswitching of the materials’ optical and physical properties in organic solvents and water. Furthermore, the photoswitching of thioindigo within crosslinked structures enables visible light induced modulation of the hydrogel stiffness. Both the thioindigo-containing hydrogels and photoswitching processes are non-toxic to cells, thus offering opportunities for advanced applications in soft matter materials and biology-related research. Thioindigos are reversible photoswitches with spatial control over the conformational change, yet have very limited solubility in most solvents. Here, the authors report a method for the insertion of thioindigos into polymer chains, allowing the formation of visible light responsive hydrogels.

Background The role of diet in breast cancer prevention is controversial and limited in low-middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aimed to investigate the association between different dietary factors and breast cancer risk in Vietnamese women. Methods Three hundred seventy newly histologically confirmed breast cancer cases and 370 controls matched by 5-year age from September 2019 to March 2020 in Ho Chi Minh City were recorded dietary intake using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were evaluated using conditional logistic regression and adjusted with potential confounders. Results Compared to the lowest quartile of intake, we found that the highest intake of vegetables, fruit, soybean products, coffee, and egg significantly decreased breast cancer risk, including dark green vegetables (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.27-0.78, p trend =0.022), legumes (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.08-0.44, p trend <0.001), starchy vegetables (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.21-0.66, p trend =0.003), other vegetables (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.28-0.77, p trend =0.106), fruits (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.26-0.74, p trend <0.001), soybean product (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.24-0.86, p trend =0.311), coffee (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.23-0.95, p trend 0.004), and egg (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.23-0.71, p trend =0.002). Conclusion Greater consumption of vegetables, fruit, soybean products, coffee, and eggs is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. This study provides evidence of breast cancer prevention by increasing the intake of these dietary groups, especially in LMICs.

The lipid storage droplet-2 (LSD-2) protein of Drosophila is a homolog of mammalian perilipin 2, which is essential for promoting lipid accumulation and lipid droplet formation. The function of LSD-2 as a regulator of lipolysis has also been demonstrated. However, other LSD-2 functions remain unclear. To investigate the role of LSD-2, we performed tissue-specific depletion in the salivary glands of Drosophila using a combination of the Gal4 - upstream activating sequence system and RNA interference. LSD-2 depletion inhibited the entry of salivary gland cells into the endoreplication cycle and delayed this process by enhancing CycE expression, disrupting the development of this organ. The deficiency of LSD-2 expression enhanced reactive oxygen species production in the salivary gland and promoted JNK-dependent apoptosis by suppressing dMyc expression. This phenomenon did not result from lipolysis. Therefore, LSD-2 is vital for endoreplication cell cycle and cell death programs.

In many situations of practical and/or theoretical interest, the assumption that the interfaces between constituent phases of a composite are smooth is no longer appropriate, and the consideration of rough interfaces at microscopic scale is necessary. However, in micromechanics, when the interfaces between the constituent phases of composites become rough, all classical well-known micromechanical schemes resorting to Eshelby’s formalism cannot be applicable and the problem of determining the effective properties of composites become largely open. The present work aims to determine the effective thermal conductivity of a composite in which the interfaces between its constituent phases are perfectly bonded but oscillate quickly around a curved surface and along two directions. To achieve this objective, a two-scale homogenization method is proposed. In the first-scale homogenization, or microscopic-to-mesoscopic upscaling, the interfacial zone in which the interface oscillates is homogenized as an equivalent interphase by applying an asymptotic analysis. The thermal properties of the equivalent interphase can generally be determined by using a numerical approach based on the fast Fourier transform method. In particular case where the equivalent interphase is very thin, this interphase is then replaced with a general imperfect interface situated at its middle surface. By applying the equivalent inclusion method, every inclusion with imperfect interface is further substituted by an equivalent inclusion with perfect interface. In the second-scale homogenization, or mesoscopic-to-macroscopic upscaling, due to the fact that the interfaces are perfect, the effective thermal conductivity can be analytically obtained by using some well-known classical micromechanical schemes. To illustrate the two-scale homogenization method proposed in this work, the case of a layered composite with rough interfaces oscillating in two directions around a plane surface and the example of a composite cylinder with rough interface oscillating in two directions around a circumferential surface are studied in detail. The analytical or semi-analytical results given by the proposed two-scale homogenization method are shown to be in good agreement with the numerical ones provided by the finite element method and to comply with the Reuss, Voigt and Hashin–Shtrikman bounds.

When a drop impacts on a deep pool at moderate velocity it forms a hemispheric crater which subsequently rebounds to the original free-surface level, often forming Worthington jets, which rise vertically out of the crater centre. Under certain impact conditions the crater collapse forms a dimple at its bottom, which pinches off a bubble and is also known to be associated with the formation of a very fast thin jet. Herein we use two ultra-high-speed video cameras to observe simultaneously the dimple collapse and the speed of the resulting jet. The fastest fine jets are observed at speeds of approximately $50~\\text{m}~\\text{s}^{-1}$ and emerge when the dimple forms a cylinder which retracts without pinching off a bubble. We also identify what appears to be micro-bubbles at the bottom of this cylinder, which we propose are caused by local cavitation from extensional stress in the flow entering the jet. The radial collapse of the dimple does not follow capillary-inertial power laws nor is its bottom driven by a curvature singularity, as has been proposed in some earlier studies. The fastest jets are produced by pure inertial focusing and emerge at finite dimple size, bypassing the pinch-off singularity. These jets emerge from the liquid contained originally in the drop. Finally, we measure directly the compression of the central bubble following the pinch-off and the subsequent large volume oscillation, which occurs at frequencies slightly above the audible range at approximately 23 kHz.

The application of fuzzy hybrid methods has significantly increased in recent years across various sectors. However, the application of fuzzy hybrid methods for modeling systems or processes, such as fuzzy machine learning, fuzzy simulation, and fuzzy decision-making, has been relatively limited in the energy sector. Moreover, compared to standard methods, the benefits of fuzzy-hybrid methods for capturing complex problems are not adequately explored for the solar energy sector, which is one of the most important renewable energy sources in electric grids. This paper investigates the application of fuzzy hybrid systems in the solar energy sector compared to other sectors through a systematic review of journal articles published from 2012 to 2022. Selection criteria for choosing an appropriate method in each investigated fuzzy hybrid method are also presented and discussed. This study contributes to the existing literature in the solar energy domain by providing a state-of-the-art review of existing fuzzy hybrid techniques to (1) demonstrate their capability for capturing complex problems while overcoming limitations inherent in standard modeling methods, (2) recommend criteria for selecting an appropriate fuzzy hybrid technique for applications in solar energy research, and (3) assess the applicability of fuzzy hybrid techniques for solving practical problems in the solar energy sector.

Increased atmospheric CO 2 will have a twofold impact on future marine ecosystems, increasing global sea surface temperatures and uptake of CO 2 (Ocean Acidification). Many experiments focus on the investigation of one of these stressors, but under realistic future climate predictions, these stressors may have interactive effects on individuals. Here, we investigate the effect of warming and acidification in combination. We test for interactive effects of potential near-future (2100) temperature (+2 to 3 °C) and p CO 2 (~860–940 μAtm) levels on the physiology of the tropical echinoid Echinometra sp . A . The greatest reduction in growth was under simultaneous temperature and pH/ p CO 2 stress (marginally significant temperature × pH/ p CO 2 interaction). This was mirrored by the physiological data, with highest metabolic activity (measured as respiration and ammonium excretion) occurring at the increased temperature and p CO 2 treatment, although this was not significant for excretion. The perivisceral coelomic fluid pH was ~7.5–7.6, as typical for echinoids, and showed no significant changes between treatments. Indicative of active calcification, internal magnesium and calcium concentrations were reduced compared to the external medium, but were not different between treatments. Gonad weight was lower at the higher temperature, and this difference was more distinct and statistically significant for males. The condition of the gonads assessed by histology declined in increased temperature and low pH treatments. The Echinometra grew in all treatments indicating active calcification of their magnesium calcite tests even as carbonate mineral saturation decreased. Our results indicate that the interactive temperature and pH effects are more important for adult echinoids than individual stressors. Although adult specimens grow and survive in near-future conditions, higher energy demands may influence gonad development and thus population maintenance.

, belonging to the root-lesion nematode group, is a highly prevalent and destructive plant-parasitic nematode that is able to infest a wide range of host plants. Although this species' devastating impacts on coffee plantations across the world are widely known on other host plants, its association with Ming aralia has never been reported. Our study characterized two popu lations of (associated with Ming aralia and coffee) and compared them with other popu lations from previous studies in Vietnam and other countries in the world. The identification of in our study was confirmed by the comprehensive analysis encompassing morphological examination, morphometric data, and molecular characterizations of the mtDNA and D2D3 of 28S rRNA regions. The cluster and MDS analyses revealed that the two populations of from Vietnam are closely related to those from Japan and Indonesia. The D2-D3 sequences of 28S rRNA and mtDNA regions exhibited high similarity among these populations, indicating a stable genetic profile. Our research contributes to a better understanding of the distribution and genetic characterizations of by offering new morphological and molecular insights into the presence of this nematode in Vietnam. Additionally, this nematode species was found to be associated with host plant's symptoms such as chlorotic leaves, stunted growth and root lesion in both hosts. Given the economic significance of both Ming aralia and coffee crops in Vietnam, as well as the damaging potential of , this study emphasizes the need of proactive nematode management measures to control this destructive pest.

Background Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), a member of the IL-1 family, has diverse roles in cancer development. However, the role of IL-1RA in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), in particular the underlying mechanisms, remains to be elucidated. Methods Tumor tissues from OSCC patients were assessed for protein expression by immunohistochemistry. Patient survival was evaluated by Kaplan–Meier curve analysis. Impact of differential IL-1RA expression on cultured OSCC cell lines was assessed in vitro by clonogenic survival, tumorsphere formation, soft agar colony formation, and transwell cell migration and invasion assays. Oxygen consumption rate was measured by Seahorse analyzer or multi-mode plate reader. PCR array was applied to screen human cancer stem cell-related genes, proteome array for phosphorylation status of kinases, and Western blot for protein expression in cultured cells. In vivo tumor growth was investigated by orthotopic xenograft in mice, and protein expression in xenograft tumors assessed by immunohistochemistry. Results Clinical analysis revealed that elevated IL-1RA expression in OSCC tumor tissues was associated with increased tumor size and cancer stage, and reduced survival in the patient group receiving adjuvant radiotherapy compared to the patient group without adjuvant radiotherapy. In vitro data supported these observations, showing that overexpression of IL-1RA increased OSCC cell growth, migration/invasion abilities, and resistance to ionizing radiation, whereas knockdown of IL-1RA had largely the opposite effects. Additionally, we identified that EGFR/JNK activation and SOX2 expression were modulated by differential IL-1RA expression downstream of mitochondrial metabolism, with application of mitochondrial complex inhibitors suppressing these pathways. Furthermore, in vivo data revealed that treatment with cisplatin or metformin—a mitochondrial complex inhibitor and conventional therapy for type 2 diabetes—reduced IL-1RA-associated xenograft tumor growth as well as EGFR/JNK activation and SOX2 expression. This inhibitory effect was further augmented by combination treatment with cisplatin and metformin. Conclusions The current study suggests that IL-1RA promoted OSCC malignancy through mitochondrial metabolism-mediated EGFR/JNK activation and SOX2 expression. Inhibition of this mitochondrial metabolic pathway may present a potential therapeutic strategy in OSCC.