Recent publications
Recently, there has been a significant increase in research on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in the domain of second language (L2) education. Given the limited resources, it is essential for GenAI research to focus on key areas. However, there is still uncertainty about which topics should be prioritized. Research priorities are often shaped by individual researchers’ personal interests, which can skew the focus of many studies. Additionally, stakeholder perspectives on these topics can vary widely. Therefore, this study employs the Q methodology to reveal the consensus among different stakeholder groups. To this end, a total of 19 participants, including 6 researchers, 6 teachers, and 7 students, engaged in a Q-sort exercise involving 34 statements. Through KADE software, the subsequent Centroid Factor Analysis and varimax rotation were used to extract patterns. The analysis revealed three common perspectives across stakeholder groups: psychological factors of teachers and students, multiple scenarios of measurement, and the improvement of L2 competence. These findings provide valuable insights that can inform and refine research agendas in GenAI for L2 education, optimizing the allocation of resources.
Teaching for creativity (TfC) has recently received increased attention in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) contexts. Previous studies confirmed that TfC links with achievement emotions (AEs) in this context. Additionally, a supportive work environment (SWE) has been shown to be associated with AEs. However, relationships among all three variables - SWE, AEs, and TfC - have not been adequately explored in EFL contexts, nor have the underlying bases for these links been elucidated. In this study, we adopted a mixed-methods approach to investigate the complex associations between SWE, AEs (anxiety, pride, enjoyment, and anger), and TfC as perceived by 441 Chinese EFL teachers. Quantitative results revealed that SWE, four AEs, and TfC were significantly correlated, with small to large effect sizes. Furthermore, the four AEs collectively mediated the relationship between SWE and TfC in our structural equation model. Qualitative interviews with 15 EFL teachers provided nuanced insights into possible reasons for these statistical patterns. We discuss the theoretical and pedagogical implications of these findings and suggest directions for future research.
Benzoxazoles are crucial in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and functional materials. Their simple, economical, green, and efficient synthesis has attracted long‐standing interest in synthetic chemistry. Herein, we present an extremely simple strategy for constructing benzoxazoles via the direct oxidative cyclization of readily available catechols and primary amines, using DDQ/EA and O₂/water oxidative systems, respectively. The DDQ/EA system demonstrates distinct advantages in substrate and functional group compatibility. In contrast, the O₂/water system, which is milder, greener, and more economical, excels in synthesizing C‐2 alkyl‐substituted benzoxazoles. Overall, these two systems provide complementary advantages and are both well‐suited for gram‐scale synthesis. Given its high simplicity and practicality, this strategy could serve as a promising alternative in benzoxazole synthesis.
Background
Previous research has shown abnormal functional network gradients in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Structural network gradient is capable of capturing continuous changes in brain morphology and has the ability to elucidate the underlying processes of neurodevelopment. However, it remains unclear whether structural network gradients are altered in AD and what associations exist between these changes and cognitive function, and gene expression profiles.
Methods
By constructing an individualized structural network gradient decomposition framework, we calculated the morphological similarity network (MSN) gradients for 404 subjects (186 AD patients and 218 normal controls). We investigated AD-related alterations in MSN gradients, along with the associations between MSN gradients and cognitive function, MSN topological properties, and gene expression profiles.
Results
Our findings indicated that the principal MSN gradient alterations in AD were primarily characterized by an increase in the primary and secondary sensory cortices and a decrease in the association cortex 1. The primary and higher-order cortices exhibited opposite associations with cognition, including executive function, language skills, and memory processes. Moreover, the principal MSN gradients were found to significantly predict cognitive function in AD. The altered gradient pattern was 14.8% attributable to gene expression profiles, and the genes demonstrating the highest correlation are involved in metabolic activity and synaptic signaling.
Conclusions
Our results offered novel insights into the underlying mechanisms of structural brain network impairment in AD patients, enhancing our understanding of the neurobiological processes responsible for impaired cognition in patients with AD, and offering a new dimensional structural biomarker for AD.
Surfactant modification to improve interfacial hydrophobicity is widely employed in separation applications such as mineral recovery. However, few modifications effectively enhance both the inherent hydrophobicity of the surfactant and its surface‐anchoring capacity. In this study, we propose a strategy to incorporate a thioether group into a hydroxamate surfactant, resulting in the synthesis of N‐hydroxy‐2‐(octylthio)acetamide (OTHA). Compared to the thioether‐free surfactant (OHA), the thioether group significantly improves the metal‐anchoring capability of the surfactant, demonstrating a twofold increase in adsorption on hydrophilic cassiterite surfaces. Meanwhile, the inherent hydrophobicity of the thioether group enhances the hydrophobization of the target mineral surface and improves bubble‐surface interactions. The robust hydrophobicity‐inducing ability of OTHA successfully increases the flotation recovery of hydrophilic cassiterite particles, with a marked improvement from 72.5% to 95.0%. This work presents a paradigm for surfactant modification, enabling tailored hydrophobic interfaces for practical applications such as mineral separation, oil‐gas extraction, waterproof materials, and functional coatings.
A bstract
In this work, we study the gravitational quasinormal modes and the gravitational echoes of a double braneworld. The double braneworld is a kind of split thick brane, which is crucial for addressing the hierarchy problem in the thick brane scenarios. Using the Bernstein spectral method, direct integration method, and asymptotic iteration method, we calculate the quasinormal mode frequencies of the double brane. We find that the quasinormal spectrum is very different from that of the single brane model, especially the high overtone mode. We also perform numerical evolution to study the time-domain properties of the characteristic modes of the double brane. The results show that when the degree of brane splitting is large, gravitational echoes of oscillation attenuation between sub-branes will appear in the thick brane. Furthermore, different long-lived Kaluza-Klein modes interfere with each other, resulting in a beating effect. Compared to a single brane model, the phenomenon of the split double brane is richer, and the lifetime of the massive Kaluza-Klein graviton of the double brane is longer. These phenomena may have potential phenomenological interest. We also explore the gravitational wave signature of the KK graviton of the thick brane and find that the violent splitting of the brane may cause the corresponding frequency to fall within the detection range of the high-frequency gravitational wave detector.
Host‐stabilized charge transfer (HSCT) has been widely utilized in macrocycle‐derived supramolecular assemblies and architectures. However, there has been less research attention focused on the direct fabrication of pure organic photocatalysts using HSCT. Herein, four viologen derivatives (m‐PV²⁺, m‐BPV²⁺, d‐PV²⁺, and d‐BPV²⁺) with different electron donor‐acceptor (D−A) structures were synthesized. Their host‐guest complexes with cucurbit[8]uril (Q[8]) in an aqueous solution could be switched using the substituted electron donor moieties, in which the host‐guest complexes of m‐BPV²⁺@Q[8] and d‐BPV²⁺@Q[8] exhibited HSCT interactions. Control experiments revealed that the d‐BPV²⁺@Q[8] complex had the strongest ability to sensitize singlet oxygen (¹O2). This was ascribed to the increased π‐conjugation of d‐BPV²⁺@Q[8], which led to more effective HSCT upon encapsulation by the Q[8] host. Consequently, the d‐BPV²⁺@Q[8] complex could be easily employed as a heterogeneous photocatalyst for the photooxidation reaction of thioether com‐pounds with high selectivity. In particular, d‐BPV²⁺@Q[8] was successfully applied to the synthesis of sulfoxide drugs, such as the con‐version of inexpensive Iberverin (19500.0 per gram) in high yield (94 %).
Photosynthesis has garnered significant interest due to its potential for retrofitting and its intrinsic enzyme‐mediated metabolic processes, which can convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into biomass powered by solar energy. However, natural photosynthesis is limited by factors such as low photosynthetic efficiency and constraints on the range of output products. To address these issues, researchers have developed various strategies for designing and engineering photosynthetic systems. These strategies include nanomaterial‐assisted approaches to enhance light absorption and accelerate electron transfer, microfluidic technologies for precise manipulation of enzyme modules, synthetic biology techniques to optimize metabolic pathways, and photo‐bioelectrochemical systems (PBESs) for efficient utilization of photosynthetic electrons. Inspired by these, numerous applications have emerged in the fields of artificial organelles, promotion of hypoxic tissue healing, bioproduction, and environmental production and sustainability. This review provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles of photosynthesis, encompassing light and carbon reactions. Additionally, it offers an overview of recent strategies for the design, structuring, and engineering of photosynthetic systems, while discussing several applications of photosynthesis. Finally, this review highlights the potential of engineered photosynthetic systems to address challenges in energy and matter conversion across various fields, offering insights into the future of sustainable, photosynthesis‐based technologies.
In this article, we construct a dynamic event‐triggered adaptive control strategy for a class of stochastic nonholonomic uncertain systems. The dynamic event‐triggered mechanism can make the threshold adjustable, which is firstly considered for stochastic nonholonomic uncertain systems to conserve communication resources. We propose a state‐input scaling transformation that converts the stochastic nonholonomic uncertain systems into a new form that facilitates controller design. By introducing a novel auxiliary dynamic variable to design a dynamic event‐triggered mechanism (DETM) and defining a suitable parameter, we propose a new dynamic event‐triggered adaptive neural network controller, which contains only one adaptive law. It is shown that the proposed control strategy can greatly reduce the computational complexity and communication burden, and the input‐to‐state stability (ISS) assumption is no longer needed. Simultaneously, all signals in the closed‐loop system are ensured to be uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB) in probability. Then, the uncontrollability phenomenon is eliminated by constructing an adaptive event‐triggered control‐based switching strategy. In addition, the efficacy of the proposed controller is demonstrated through simulation results.
Background
Ferroptosis is a form of programmed cell death triggered by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, characterized by iron accumulation and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to cell membrane damage. It is associated with a variety of diseases. However, the cellular and molecular links between ferroptosis, immune inflammation, and the brain-peripheral blood axis in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remain unclear.
Methods
We integrated bulk RNA-seq data from AD brain tissue and peripheral blood and refined the screening of AD candidate genes through differential gene expression analysis, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and other approaches. Additionally, we analyzed single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data from AD patients’ brain tissue and peripheral blood, combined with scRNA-seq data from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse brain tissue. This enabled us to explore AD-related molecular mechanisms from a cell-type-specific perspective. Finally, candidate genes were validated in ferroptosis models using reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and immunofluorescence methods.
Results
Bulk RNA-seq analysis identified SLC11A1, an inflammatory gene associated with AD. Single-cell RNA-seq analysis further revealed that SLC11A1 expression was significantly elevated in the pro-inflammatory (M1-type) microglia and peripheral blood monocytes in AD. Moreover, we identified a microglial subpopulation in AD M1-type microglia that was highly associated with ferroptosis. This subpopulation simultaneously expressed characteristic markers of peripheral blood monocytes, suggesting that these cells may originate from peripheral blood monocytes, thereby triggering neuroinflammation through the ferroptosis pathway. Cell experiments confirmed that SLC11A1 was significantly upregulated in inflammatory microglia induced by ferroptosis.
Conclusion
This study reveals the key role of SLC11A1 in AD, particularly in the context of ferroptosis and immune inflammation. It provides a novel molecular mechanistic perspective and offers potential targets for future therapeutic strategies.
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