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As a quantum material, Weyl semimetal has a series of electronic-band-structure features, including Weyl points with left and right chirality and corresponding Berry curvature, which have been observed in experiments. These band-structure features also lead to some unique nonlinear properties, especially high-order harmonic generation (HHG) due to the dynamic process of electrons under strong laser excitation, which has remained unexplored previously. Herein, we obtain effective HHG in type-II Weyl semimetal β-WP 2 crystals, where both odd and even orders are observed, with spectra extending into the vacuum ultraviolet region (190 nm, 10th order), even under fairly low femtosecond laser intensity. In-depth studies have interpreted that odd-order harmonics come from the Bloch electron oscillation, while even orders are attributed to Bloch oscillations under the “spike-like” Berry curvature at Weyl points. With crystallographic orientation-dependent HHG spectra, we further quantitatively retrieved the electronic band structure and Berry curvature of β-WP 2 . These findings may open the door for exploiting metallic/semimetallic states as solid platforms for deep ultraviolet radiation and offer an all-optical and pragmatic solution to characterize the complicated multiband electronic structure and Berry curvature of quantum topological materials. Weyl semimetals have interesting band-structure features that lead to unique properties. Here, the authors observe and study high-harmonic generation in type-II Weyl semimetal β-WP2 crystals.

The porosity and permeability characteristics of clay are critical indicators for evaluating the stability of clay structures. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and standard variable head permeability tests (SVHPT) were conducted on Jilin ball clay to investigate the relationship between pore structure changes and permeability in seasonally frozen regions. This study analyzed how freeze–thaw cycles affect the microstructure and permeability properties of ball clay specimens across three groups of dry densities (1.60, 1.65, and 1.70 g/cm 3 ) and two groups of saturation degrees (100% and 81.24). The experimental results revealed that freeze–thaw cycles substantially increased the void ratio in saturated specimens, whereas changes in void ratio under unsaturated conditions were negligible. The rate of void ratio change caused by freeze–thaw cycles increased with higher dry density, the growth rates of void ratio are 19.61%, 25.74%, and 33.23%, respectively. Under saturated conditions, freeze–thaw processes induce particle aggregation, leading to an exponential increase in permeability coefficients. This increase correlates with both the number of freeze–thaw cycles and the void ratio. Furthermore, the three-dimensional permeability coefficient surface model underscores the necessity of precisely controlling soil dry density and moisture content to effectively regulate the permeability properties of clay soil in seasonally frozen regions. These findings provide theoretical insights and empirical evidence essential for the design and construction of compacted clay soil in such regions.

Electronic processors are reaching the physical speed ceiling that heralds the era of optical processors. Multifunctional all-optical logic gates (AOLGs) of massively parallel processing are of great importance for large-scale integrated optical processors with speed far in excess of electronics, while are rather challenging due to limited operation bandwidth and multifunctional integration complexity. Here we for the first time experimentally demonstrate a reconfigurable all-in-one broadband AOLG that achieves nine fundamental Boolean logics in a single configuration, enabled by ultrabroadband (400–4000 nm) plasmon-enhanced thermo-optical nonlinearity (TONL) of liquid-metal Galinstan nanodroplet assemblies (GNAs). Due to the unique heterogeneity (broad-range geometry sizes, morphology, assembly profiles), the prepared GNAs exhibit broadband plasmonic opto-thermal effects (hybridization, local heating, energy transfer, etc.), resulting in a huge nonlinear refractive index under the order of 10 −4 −10 −5 within visual-infrared range. Furthermore, a generalized control-signal light route is proposed for the dynamic TONL modulation of reversible spatial-phase shift, based on which nine logic functions are reconfigurable in one single AOLG configuration. Our work will provide a powerful strategy on large-bandwidth all-optical circuits for high-density data processing in the future. Multifunctional all-optical logic gate (AOLG) with broadband-based massively parallel processing is desirable for high-speed optical processor. Here, authors propose a reconfigurable all-in-one ultra-broadband AOLG with experimentally achieving 9 fundamental Boolean logics in a single configuration.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) exacerbate fibroblast inflammatory injury in hyperglycemic conditions, yet the role of glucose metabolism and O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) glycosylation in this process remains unclear. Here, we investigate how glucose transporter protein 1 (GLUT1)-dependent glucose uptake regulates O-GlcNAcylation of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) to drive NET formation and fibroblast inflammation. Mouse peripheral blood neutrophils (MPBN) were treated with high glucose (25 mM) and phorbol ester (PMA) to induce NETs. Co-culture of NETs with mouse fibroblasts (L929) reduced fibroblast viability by 1.1 fold and migration by 1.2 fold within 24 h, while upregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines (Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α): +1.3-fold; Interleukin-1β (IL-1β): +1.1-fold; Interleukin-6 (IL-6): +1.1-fold) and suppressing collagen synthesis (Collagen I (COL-I): − 1.7-fold; Collagen III (COL-III): −2.5-fold). Critically, high glucose elevated GLUT1 expression in MPBN (+ 1.2-fold), further amplified under co-culture conditions(+ 1.2-fold). Functional assays using GLUT1 knockdown confirmed that GLUT1 activity was essential for glucose uptake and subsequent O-GlcNAc modification of HMGB1, stabilizing its expression. Enhanced O-GlcNAcylation of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) directly promoted NET formation, evidenced by elevated markers (Citrullinated histone H3 (Cit-H3): +1.6-fold; Myeloperoxidase (MPO): +1.2-fold; Circulating free DNA (cfDNA): +2-fold) and activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/p38 phosphorylation. These effects were abolished by toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) inhibition, linking HMGB1-TLR4 signaling to NET-driven inflammation. Mechanistically, GLUT1 knockdown reduced HMGB1 O-GlcNAcylation and reversed NET-induced fibroblast dysfunction. Our findings provide direct evidence that hyperglycemia enhances GLUT1 expression and activity, driving HMGB1 O-GlcNAcylation to maintain NETs formation through TLR4, which promotes fibroblast inflammatory injury. This pathway highlights a metabolic-inflammation axis relevant to diabetic complications.

Quantifying permafrost carbon feedback (PCF) is a critical step in conveying the significance of permafrost carbon emissions to decision-makers and stakeholders and achieving sustainable development goals. Simply assuming a rapid reduction in permafrost area may be an overaggressive approach. This study revisited PCF by incorporating relatively clear permafrost physics into the Dynamic Integrated model of Climate and the Economy. The results show that the total carbon released from permafrost regions in 2100 is 30.5 GtC, which is accompanied by an additional atmospheric warming of 0.038 °C, much lower than previous studies. This study provides a potential perspective to scrutinize the climate feedback and related economic impacts due to permafrost thawing. We may need to pay more attention to carbon processes during nongrowing seasons and sudden changes in permafrost.

Background Donor-derived CD7-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells showed feasibility and early efficacy in patients with refractory or relapsed T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (r/r T-ALL), in a previous phase I trial report, at a median follow-up of 6.3 months. Here we report long-term safety and activity of the therapy after a 2-year follow-up. Methods Participants received CD7-directed CAR T cells derived from prior stem cell transplantation (SCT) donors or from HLA-matched new donors after lymphodepletion. The target dose was 1 × 10 6 (± 30%) CAR T cells per kg of patient weight. The primary endpoint was safety with efficacy secondary. This report focuses on the long-term follow-up and discusses them in the context of previously reported early outcomes. Results Twenty participants were enrolled and received infusion with CD7 CAR T cells. After a median follow-up time of 27.0 (range, 24.0–29.3) months, the overall response rate and complete response rate were 95% (19/20 patients) and 85% (17/20 patients), respectively, and 35% (7/20) of patients proceeded to SCT. Six patients experienced disease relapse with a median time-to-relapse of 6 (range, 4.0–10.9) months, and 4 of these 6 patients were found to have lost CD7 expression on tumor cells. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates 24 months after treatment were respectively 36.8% (95% CI, 13.8–59.8%) and 42.3% (95% CI, 18.8–65.8%), with median PFS and OS of respectively 11.0 (95% CI, 6.7–12.5) months and 18.3 (95% CI, 12.5–20.8) months. Previously reported short-term adverse events (< 30 days after treatment) included grade 3–4 cytokine release syndrome (CRS; 10%) and grade 1–2 graft-versus-host disease (GVHD; 60%). Serious adverse events reported > 30 days after treatment included five infections and one grade 4 intestinal GVHD. Despite good CD7 CAR T-cell persistence, non-CAR T and natural killer cells were predominantly CD7-negative and eventually returned to normal levels in about half of the participants. Conclusions In this 2-year follow-up analysis, donor-derived CD7 CAR T-cell treatment demonstrated durable efficacy in a subset of patients with r/r T-ALL. Disease relapse was the main cause of treatment failure, and severe infection was a noteworthy late-onset adverse event. Trial registration ChiCTR2000034762.

Structural damage generally initiates in the form of structural cracks. Thus, developing efficient crack detection techniques is of great importance for the structural health monitoring. In this paper, a new crack identification method is proposed, which is based on the differential pulse-width pair Brillouin optical time domain analysis (DPP-BOTDA) technology and the irregular features of Brillouin gain spectrum (BGS) in the fiber due to structural cracks. The proposed method provides a new way to detect and quantify structural cracks without knowing the strain in the structure. First, the working mechanism of DPP-BOTDA is introduced to illustrate the reason that the DPP-BOTDA, compared to traditional BOTDA technique, can significantly improve the spatial resolution of distributed strain sensing, which is critical for structural crack detection. Then, the BGSs in the fiber with the presence of structural cracks, measured by the DPP-BOTDA, are numerically simulated, from which the crack-induced irregular features of the BGS are summarized. Based these irregular features, new structural crack detection and quantification methods are proposed, which are found to be independent of structural stain. Finally, an experiment is conducted on a simple supported reinforced concrete (RC) beam. The results demonstrate that by using the BGS measured by the DPP-BOTDA, the proposed structural crack identification method successfully detects the occurrence of structural cracks and relatively accurately predicts the crack widths.

This study investigates the use of hydrochars derived from sweet potato residue ( Ipomoea batatas ), Indian mallow ( Abutilon theophrasti Medicus ), and Nan bamboo ( Phyllostachys edulis ) for diesel adsorption in oily wastewater treatment. Hydrochars were prepared via hydrothermal carbonization, and their adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics were evaluated. The optimal adsorption conditions for sweet potato residue hydrochar (SPRH) were: 1.8 g·L − 1 dosage, 479 mg·L − 1 diesel concentration, pH 4-, and 120-min adsorption time, with a capacity of 165.52 mg·g − 1 . Kinetic studies revealed that adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order model, and the isotherm fitted the Langmuir model. For Indian mallow hydrochar (IMH), optimal conditions were: 1.4 g·L − 1 dosage, 398 mg·L − 1 diesel concentration, pH 3.18, and 100 min, achieving 157.41 mg·g − 1 capacity. IMH adsorption also followed the pseudo-second-order model, driven by chemical adsorption. Nan bamboo hydrochar (NBH) showed optimal conditions at 1.8 g·L − 1 dosage, 502 mg·L − 1 diesel concentration, pH 3.92, and 120 min, with a diesel adsorption capacity of 193.75 mg·g − 1 . Chemical modification of NBH with KMnO 4 , H 2 O 2 , H 3 PO 4 , and HNO 3 improved adsorption by 12.38–21.25%. After four adsorption-desorption cycles, modified NBH retained 63.24% of its initial capacity, indicating good stability and regeneration potential. These findings suggest that modified NBH offers a cost-effective, efficient solution for oily wastewater treatment.

Relapses frequently occur following CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell treatment for relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphocytic leukaemia in children. We aimed to assess the activity and safety of sequential CD19-directed and CD22-directed CAR T-cell treatments. This single-centre, single-arm, phase 2 trial, done at Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital, Beijing, China, included patients aged 1–18 years who had relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphocytic leukaemia with CD19 and CD22 positivity greater than 95% and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–2. Patients were initially infused with CD19-directed CAR T cells intravenously, followed by CD22-directed CAR T-cell infusion after minimal residual disease-negative complete remission (or complete remission with incomplete haematological recovery) was reached and all adverse events (except haematological adverse events) were grade 2 or better. The target dose for each infusion was 0·5 × 106 to 5·0 × 106 cells per kg. The primary endpoint was objective response rate at 3 months after the first infusion. Secondary endpoints were duration of remission, event-free survival, disease-free survival, overall survival, safety, pharmacokinetics, and B-cell quantification. The prespecified activity analysis included patients who received the target dose and the safety analysis included all treated patients. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04340154, and enrolment has ended. Between May 28, 2020, and Aug 16, 2022, 81 participants were enrolled, of whom 31 (38%) were female and 50 (62%) were male. Median age was 8 years (IQR 6–10), all patients were Asian. All 81 patients received the first infusion and 79 (98%) patients received sequential infusions, CD19-directed CAR T cells at a median dose of 2·7 × 106 per kg (IQR 1·1 × 106 to 3·7 × 106) and CD22-directed CAR T cells at a median dose of 2·2 × 106 per kg (1·1 × 106 to 3·7 × 106), with a median interval of 39 days (37–41) between the two infusions. 62 (77%) patients received the target dose, including two patients who did not receive CD22 CAR T cells. At 3 months, 60 (97%, 95% CI 89–100) of the 62 patients who received the target dose had an objective response. Median follow-up was 17·7 months (IQR 11·4–20·9). 18-month event-free survival for patients who received the target dose was 79% (95% CI 66–91), duration of remission was 80% (68–92), and disease-free survival was 80% (68–92) with transplantation censoring; overall survival was 96% (91–100). Common adverse events of grade 3 or 4 between CD19-directed CAR T-cell infusion and 30 days after CD22-directed CAR T-cell infusion included cytopenias (64 [79%] of 81 patients), cytokine release syndrome (15 [19%]), neurotoxicity (four [5%]), and infections (five [6%]). Non-haematological adverse events of grade 3 or worse more than 30 days after CD22-directed CAR T-cell infusion occurred in six (8%) of 79 patients. No treatment-related deaths occurred. CAR T-cell expansion was observed in all patients, with a median peak at 9 days (IQR 7–14) after CD19-directed and 12 days (10–15) after CD22-directed CAR T-cell infusion. At data cutoff, 35 (45%) of 77 evaluable patients had CAR transgenes and 59 (77%) had B-cell aplasia. This sequential strategy induced deep and sustained responses with an acceptable toxicity profile, and thus potentially provides long-term benefits for children with this condition. The National Key Research & Development Program of China, the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS), and the Non-Profit Central Research Institute Fund of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Nitrogen is widely used in various laboratories as a suppressive gas and a protective gas. Once nitrogen leaks and accumulates in a such confined space, it will bring serious threats to the experimental staff. Especially in underground tunnels or underground laboratories where there is no natural wind, the threat is more intense. In this work, the ventilation design factors and potential leakage factors are identified by taking the leakage and diffusion of a large liquid nitrogen tank in China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL) as an example. Based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) research, the effects of fresh air inlet position, fresh air velocity, exhaust outlet position, leakage hole position, leakage hole size, and leaked nitrogen mass flow rate on nitrogen diffusion behavior in specific environments are discussed in detail from the perspectives of nitrogen concentration field and nitrogen diffusion characteristics. The influencing factors are parameterized, and the Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) is used to uniformly sample within the specified range of each factor to obtain samples that can represent the whole sample space. The nitrogen concentration is measured by numerical value, and the nitrogen diffusion characteristics are measured by category. The GA-BP-ANN numerical regression and classification regression models for nitrogen concentration prediction and nitrogen diffusion characteristics prediction are established. By using various rating indicators to evaluate the performance of the trained model, it is found that models have high accuracy and recognition rate, indicating that it is effective in predicting and determining the concentration value and diffusion characteristics of nitrogen according to ventilation factors and potential leakage factors. The research results can provide a theoretical reference for the parametric design of the ventilation system.