[1,1-(Butane-1,4-diyl)-2,3-dicyclohexylguanidinato]dimethylaluminum(III)

In the crystal structure of the title complex, [Al(CH3)2(C17H30N3)], the AlIII cation is coordinated by two methyl ligands and two N atoms from the guanidinato ligand in a distorted tetra­hedral geometry. The dihedral angle between the CN2 and AlC2 planes is 85.37 (2)°. The two N atoms of the guanidinato ligand exhibit an almost uniform affinity to the metal atom

N,N′-Bis(4-methyl­benzyl­idene)benzene-1,4-diamine

The centrosymmetric title compound, C22H20N2, crystallizes with one half-mol­ecule in the asymmetric unit. The dihedral angle between the central and outer benzene rings is 46.2 (2)°

Phase retrieval of analytic signals from short-time Fourier transform measurements

Analytic signals constitute a class of signals that are widely applied in time-frequency analysis such as extracting instantaneous frequency (IF) or phase derivative in the characterization of ultrashort laser pulse. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the phase retrieval (PR) problem for analytic signals in $\mathbb{C}^{N}$ by short-time Fourier transform (STFT) measurements since they enjoy some very nice structures. Since generic analytic signals are generally not sparse in the time domain, the existing PR results for sparse (in time domain) signals do not apply to analytic signals. We will use bandlimited windows that usually have the full support length $N$ which allows us to get much better resolutions on low frequencies. More precisely, by exploiting the structure of the STFT for analytic signals, we prove that the STFT based phase retrieval (STFT-PR for short) of generic analytic signals can be achieved by their $(3\lfloor\frac{N}{2}\rfloor+1)$ measurements. Since the generic analytic signals are $(\lfloor \frac{N}{2}\rfloor+1)$-sparse in the Fourier domain, such a number of measurements is lower than $4N+\hbox{O}(1)$ and $\hbox{O}(k^{3})$ which are required in the literature for STFT-PR of all signals and of $k^{2}$-sparse (in the Fourier domain) signals in $\mathbb{C}^{N^{2}}$, respectively. Moreover, we also prove that if the length $N$ is even and the windows are also analytic, then the number of measurements can be reduced to $(\frac{3 N}{2}-1)$. As an application of this we get that the instantaneous frequency (IF) of a generic analytic signal can be exactly recovered from the STFT measurements

A monoclinic polymorph with Z = 4 of (E)-2,4-dihy­droxy­acetophenone 2,4-dinitro­phenyl­hydrazone N,N-dimethyl­formamide monosolvate

The title compound, C14H12N4O6·C3H7NO, is a monoclinic polymorph of an already published structure [Baughman et al. (2004 ▶). Acta Cryst. C60, 103–106]. In the previously reported structure, the compound crystallized in the triclinic space group P (Z = 2), whereas the structure reported here is monoclinic (P21 /n, Z = 4). In both forms, two intra­molecular hydrogen bonds result in the formation of a fairly planar hydrazone skeleton (r.m.s. deviations for all non-H atoms = 0.127 Å for the monoclinic from and 0.131 Å for the triclinic form) and each mol­ecule is hydrogen bonded to one solvent mol­ecule. The principal difference between the two forms lies in the different orientation of the two mol­ecules. In the monoclinic form, the two mol­ecules are almost coplanar [dihedral angle = 3.27 (2)°], whereas in the triclinic form the two mol­ecules are almost mutulally perpendicular (dihedral angle = 85.3°)

Effects of aluminum diffusion on the adhesive behavior of the Ni(111)/Cr2O3(0001) interface: First principle study

AbstractDensity functional theory was employed to investigate the structure and properties of Ni/Cr2O3 and Ni/Al2O3/Cr2O3. The O-terminated Ni(111)/Cr2O3(0001) interface was firstly found to be the most stable configuration. Based on this construction, the effects of the Al diffusion at the Ni/Cr2O3 interface were further studied. The results of total energies indicate that Al atoms originating from Ni slab prefer to diffuse into Cr2O3 slab through the interface, resulting in the formation of alumina at the Ni/Cr2O3 interface. Due to the presence of Al atoms, there was an amazing increase in the work of adhesion, whereas the Ni/Al2O3/Cr2O3 interface showed the strongest stability. Moreover, this calculated work well agrees with the reported experimental results

DSSM : a deep neural network with spectrum separable module for multi-spectral remote sensing image segmentation

Over the past few years, deep learning algorithms have held immense promise for better multi-spectral (MS) optical remote sensing image (RSI) analysis. Most of the proposed models, based on convolutional neural network (CNN) and fully convolutional network (FCN), have been applied successfully on computer vision images (CVIs). However, there is still a lack of exploration of spectra correlation in MS RSIs. In this study, a deep neural network with a spectrum separable module (DSSM) is proposed for semantic segmentation, which enables the utilization of MS characteristics of RSIs. The experimental results obtained on Zurich and Potsdam datasets prove that the spectrum-separable module (SSM) extracts more informative spectral features, and the proposed approach improves the segmentation accuracy without increasing GPU consumption

Uncovering the pharmacological mechanisms of Zizhu ointment against diabetic ulcer by integrating network analysis and experimental evaluation in vivo and in vitro

Diabetic ulcer (DU) has been recognized as one of the most prevalent and serious complications of diabetes. However, the clinical efficacy of standard treatments for DU remains poor. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shows a positive therapeutic effect on DU. Specifically, Zizhu ointment (ZZO) has been widely used to treat DU in long-term clinical practice, but the exact mechanism by which it promotes DU wound healing remains unknown. In this study, network analysis and high-performance liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS) were conducted to identify the active compounds of ZZO. We detected isovalerylshikonin (ISO), mandenol, daidzein, kaempferol, and formononetin in both network analysis and UPLC-HRMS. Moreover, ZZO could ameliorate DU by regulating the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) and inflammation signaling pathways, according to the results of KEGG analysis. We established a DU mouse model with a high-fat diet and streptozotocin injection in vivo to evaluate the network analysis result. The experimental results showed that ZZO could inhibit inflammation, remodel fibrous tissue, and promote angiogenesis in the DU area, facilitating wound healing in DU mice. Moreover, the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was indeed activated by ZZO treatment, promoting macrophage M2 polarization. In addition, we used molecular docking technology to evaluate the binding sites between ZZO and the PI3K/AKT pathway. The results showed that ISO has a good binding interaction with AKT. Moreover, ISO promoted M2 polarization in macrophages in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. Our study found that ZZO could promote DU wound healing by inhibiting inflammation, which was achieved by macrophage M2 polarization through activating the PI3K/AKT pathway. Further studies have demonstrated that ISO plays major role in the above process. These findings provide a theoretical basis for further preclinical evaluation and lay a foundation for nano-gel compound treatment with ZZO

Functional group differentiation of isomeric solvents enables distinct zinc anode chemistry

Electrolytes hold the key to realizing reliable zinc (Zn) anodes. Divergent organic molecules have been proven effective in stabilizing Zn anodes; however, irrational comparisons exist due to the uncontrolled molecular weights and functional group amounts. In this work, two “isomeric molecules”: 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) and 1-methoxy-2-propanol (PM), with identical molecular weights but different functional groups, have been studied as co-solvents in electrolytes, which have delivered distinct electrochemical performance. Experimental and simulative study indicates the dipole moment induced by the hydroxyl groups in PM (higher molecular polarity than ether groups in DME) reconstructs the space charge region, enhances the concentration of Zn2+ in the vicinity of Zn anodes, and in-situ derives different solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) models and electrode–electrolyte interfaces, resulting in exceptional cycling stability. Remarkably, the Zn||Cu cell with PM worked over 2000 cycles with high Coulombic efficiency (CE) of 99.7%. The Zn||Zn symmetric cell cycled over 2000 h at 1 mA·cm−2, and showed excellent stability at an ultrahigh current density of 10 mA·cm−2 and capacity of 20 mAh·cm−2 over 200 h (depth of discharge, DOD of 70%). The Zn||sodium vanadate pouch cell with a high mass loading of 6.3 mg·cm−2 and a high capacity of 24 mAh demonstrates superior cyclability after 570 h. This work can be a good starting point to provide reliable guidance on electrolyte design for practical aqueous Zn batteries

Mechanical Thrombectomy for Large Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is growing evidence for endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in patients with large ischemic core infarct and large vessel occlusion (LVO). The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of EVT vs medical management (MM) using a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: We searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases to obtain articles related to mechanical thrombectomy for large ischemic core from inception until February 10, 2023. The primary outcome was independent ambulation (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] 0-3). Effect sizes were computed as risk ratio (RR) with random-effect or fixed-effect models. The quality of articles was evaluated through the Cochrane risk assessment tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. This study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023396232). RESULTS: A total of 5,395 articles were obtained through the search and articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded by review of the title, abstract, and full text. Finally, 3 RCTs and 10 cohort studies met the inclusion criteria. The RCT analysis showed that EVT improved the 90-day functional outcomes of patients with large ischemic core with high-quality evidence, including independent ambulation (mRS 0-3: RR 1.78, 95% CI 1.28-2.48, p < 0.001) and functional independence (mRS 0-2: RR 2.59, 95% CI 1.89-3.57, p < 0.001), but without significantly increasing the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH: RR 1.83, 95% CI 0.95-3.55, p = 0.07) or early mortality (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.78-1.16, p = 0.61). Analysis of the cohort studies showed that EVT improved functional outcomes of patients without an increase in the incidence in sICH. DISCUSSION: This systematic review and meta-analysis indicates that in patients with LVO stroke with a large ischemic core, EVT was associated with improved functional outcomes over MM without increasing sICH risk. The results of ongoing RCTs may provide further insight in this patient population

Determining threshold values for root-soil water weighted plant water deficit index based smart irrigation

Trabajo desarrollado bajo la financiación del proyecto “Soil Hydrology research platform underpinning innovation to manage water scarcity in European and Chinese cropping Systems” (773903), coordinado por José Alfonso Gómez Calero, investigador del Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (IAS).Plant water deficit index (PWDI) represents the extent of water stress by relating soil moisture to the ability of a plant to take up water including consideration of the relative distribution of soil water to roots. However, for a smart irrigation decision support system, we are challenged in determining reliable thresholds of PWDI to initiate irrigation events to achieve predetermined yield and/or water use efficiency (WUE) targets. Taking drip irrigated maize and sprinkler irrigated alfalfa as examples, field experiments were conducted to investigate the choice and effects of PWDI thresholds. The results indicated that, with increasing PWDI thresholds, irrigation times and quantity of water, as well as crop transpiration, growth, and yield, were all significantly limited while WUE was enhanced except under extremely stressed conditions. To disconnect the unpredictable effects of other factors, yield and WUE were normalized to their corresponding potential values. Within the experimentally determined range of PWDI, relative yield and WUE were described with linear functions for maize, and linear and quadratic functions for alfalfa, allowing identification of the most efficient threshold value according to the objective parameter of choice. The method described can be adopted in smart irrigation decision support systems with consideration of spatial variability and after further verification and improvement under more complicated situations with various crop types and varieties, environmental conditions, cultivation modes, and wider or dynamic PWDI thresholds allowing regulated deficit irrigation.This research was supported partly by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFE0118100, 2016YFD0200303), National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1706211, 51790532), Special Fund for Scientific Research in the Public Interest (201411009), and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Project SHui, grant agreement No 773903.Peer reviewe