Maximum Change Research Articles

Enhanced Mid-to-Late Summer Precipitation over Midlatitude East Asia under Global Warming

Abstract East Asian summer monsoon precipitation is projected to increase under greenhouse warming with strong intraseasonal variation. Using a 35-member CESM Large Ensemble and 30 CMIP6 models, this study reveals that in July and August, maximum rainfall changes in East Asia take place in the midlatitudes, influencing regions encompassing North and Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. The intensified precipitation is attributed to the combined effect of the thermodynamic and dynamic components. The former stems from the enriched low-level moisture, which peaks in continental East Asia in July and August, under global warming. The dynamic effect is due to the enhanced upward motion, associated with the enhanced southerlies throughout the troposphere over midlatitude East Asia. The southerlies also act to intensify the low-level monsoonal circulation, strengthening moisture transport from the tropical ocean to the midlatitudes. In addition to the mean-state changes, the precipitation interannual variability in this region also intensifies, partly due to the enhanced low-level moisture and partly associated with enhanced large-scale circulation anomalies, such as the northwestern Pacific anticyclone. The enhanced background precipitation, along with the intensified interannual variability, may lead to more rainy summers in a warmer climate, with instances where historically extreme precipitation events become more frequent, posing challenges for water resource management and agriculture in the region.

Enhanced magnetocaloric and cold storage properties in HoCu2-xNix (x=0.05–0.5) compounds for hydrogen liquefaction

Based on first-principle calculations and experiments, the electronic structure, magnetism, magnetocaloric effect and cold storage properties of HoCu2-xNix (x=0.05–0.5) compounds have been investigated. The theoretical calculations revealed that the magnetic interactions of the HoCu2-xNix compounds were gradually transformed to ferromagnetic states when the Ni element was added above 0.0625. In addition, the Ni element leads to a decreasing Fermi energy level, which results in a significant enhancement of orbital hybridization around the Fermi surface, which may be responsible for the magnetic jump. The magnetic phase transition temperatures of the HoCu1.75Ni0.25 and HoCu1.5Ni0.5 compounds are 14.4 K and 26.0 K, respectively. The ferromagnetic state transition is responsible for the excellent magnetocaloric effect of the HoCu2-xNix compounds under low magnetic fields. The maximum magnetic entropy changes of the HoCu1.75Ni0.25 and HoCu1.5Ni0.5 compounds were 14.7 J/kg K and 11.5 J/kg under varying magnetic fields from 0 to 2 T. In addition, the Ni element make the HoCu2 compound exhibit more excellent cold storage capability. The peak of specific heat capacities of HoCu1.75Ni0.25 and HoCu1.5Ni0.5 compounds were 0.6 J/cm−3K−1 and 0.9 J/cm−3K−1 under 0 T. The present results indicate that HoCu2-xNix (x=0.05–0.5) compounds have promising applications in cryogenic cold storage and magnetic refrigeration.

Effects of heat stress and long photoperiod on the prostate of rats

Objective: To examine light and heat effects on the morphological, histological, and micrometric structure of the prostate of rats. Methods: Thirty adult male rats were divided into three groups. The control group was kept under 20 °C-22 °C and an artificial 12 h/12 h day/night cycle; the temperature group was under normal light and at (42±1) °C heat for 4 to 5 h daily, and the light group was exposed to 8 h/16 h day/night cycle with 20 °C-22 °C. Rats were weighed five times (at the beginning of the study and every seven days). Five milliliters (mL) of their peripheral blood were taken. The tissue staining was performed using the hematoxylin-eosin (H & E) stain and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS). In the following, tissue and cellular reactions to the PAS were examined. Results: Folds were located entirely on the surface of the anterior lobe and periphery of the other lobes. The secretory units in the anterior lobe were more than the lateral lobe. A strong reaction of the secretory cells to the PAS was observed. Testosterone serum levels of the light group also significantly increased compared to the control group (P<0.05). The most histometric changes of the lobes were established in the lateral lobes. Heat stress resulted in a significant decrease in testosterone levels and transformed prostate tissue. The epithelium and parenchyma to scaffold ratio in the temperature group decreased. Conclusions: Maximum and minimum changes in the ventral lobe happened under the ascent of temperature and light, respectively. The ventral lobe in the study of prostatic hyperplasia should be more considered.

Climate change mitigation potentials of wood industry related measures in Hungary

Harvested wood products (HWPs) store a significant amount of carbon while long-lived products and wooden buildings can be among the most effective means for carbon storage. Wood products’ lifetime extension and appropriate waste management, recycling, and reuse can further contribute to the achievement of climate goals. In our study we projected under 10 different scenarios the carbon storage, carbon dioxide and methane emissions of the Hungarian HWP pool up to 2050 in order to find the combination of wood industry-related measures with the highest climate change mitigation effect. For the projection we used the country-specific HWP-RIAL model to predict emissions associated with the end-of-life and waste management of wood products. The main conclusion is that without additional measures the Hungarian HWP pool would turn from a carbon sink to a source of emissions by 2047. To maintain the Hungarian HWP pool to be a continuous carbon sink it is essential to implement additional climate mitigation measures including cascading product value chains, and approaches of a circular bioeconomy. We find the most effective individual measures are increasing product half-life, increasing recycling rate and increasing industrial wood production through increased industrial wood assortments and increased harvest. With the combination of these measures a maximum average annual climate change mitigation potential of 1.5 Mt CO2 equivalents could be reached during the 2022–2050 period.

Adaptive Changes in Longitudinal Arch During Long-distance Running.

This study investigates the biomechanical adaptations of the longitudinal arch (LA) in long-distance runners, focusing on changes in stiffness, angle, and moment during a 60-minute run. Twenty runners participated in this experiment, and were asked to run at a speed of 2.7 m·s-1 for 60 minutes. The kinematic and kinetic data collected at five-minute intervals during running were calculated, including the stiffness of LA in the loading phase (k load ) and the stiffness of LA in the unloading phase (k unload ), the maximum LA moment (M max ), the range of LA angle change (∆θ range ), and the maximum LA angle change (∆θ max ). Foot morphology was also scanned before and after running. Variations of kinematic and kinetic data were analyzed throughout the running activity, as well as variations of foot morphology pre- and post-run. Results showed that there was a significant decrease in k load (p<0.001), coupled with increases in ∆θ range (p=0.002) and ∆θ max (p<0.001), during the first 15 minutes of running, which was followed by a period of mechanical stability. No differences were found in k unload and M max throughout the running process and the foot morphology remained unchanged after running. These results highlight a critical adaptation phase that may be pivotal for improving running economy and performance.

Reduced Capacity of High-Density Lipoprotein to Acquire Free Cholesterol From Triglyceride-Rich Lipoproteins Is Associated With Elevated Postprandial Hypertriglyceridemia in Healthy Men.

The capacity of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) to acquire free cholesterol (FC) from triglyceride-rich lipoproteins during lipoprotein lipase-dependent lipolysis in a process of reverse remnant cholesterol transport, has been proposed as a key biological function of HDL particles that underlies the U-shaped relationship between HDLcholesterol and cardiovascular diseases. Although reverse remnant cholesterol transport has been evaluated in a fasting state, it has never been explored under nonfasting conditions. FC transfer was evaluated in healthy men (n=78) before and throughout the postprandial phase up to 8 hours after consumption of a test meal. Postprandially, the capacity of HDL to acquire FC increased progressively, reaching a maximal mean value of 98.5%±22.5% 6 hours after meal intake (P<0.05). Analysis of the study population according to tertiles of postprandial variation of FC transfer identified subjects exhibiting reduced capacity of HDL to acquire FC (tertile 1), those for whom the capacity of HDL to acquire FC remained unchanged (tertile 2), and subjects characterized by an enhanced FC transfer during the postprandial phase (tertile 3). Across the tertiles, we found an inverse relationship between the maximal postprandial change in FC transfer to HDL and the degree of postprandial triglyceride response. Healthy individuals exhibiting exacerbated postprandial triglyceride response and reduced HDL cholesterol levels feature reduced FC transfer to HDL during the postprandial state. These data suggest that to normalize postprandial triglyceride response, 2 conditions need to be fulfilled: notably elevated FC transfer to HDL in the postprandial phase and increased levels of acceptor HDL particles.

Comparison of analgesia nociception index, surgical pleth index and hemodynamic parameters between patients receiving fentanyl versus dexmedetomidine analgesia for supratentorial craniotomy - an open label active-controlled randomized trial.

Dexmedetomidine decreases heart rate (HR) and increases high frequency (HF) component of HR variability (HRV). Analgesia Nociception Index (ANI) measures nociception by analyzing the influence of respiration on HF component of HRV while surgical pleth index (SPI) derives this information from photoplethymographic signals of finger arterioles. Therefore, during administration of dexmedetomidine, reliability of ANI may vary. This study compared the changes in ANI, SPI and hemodynamics (HR and mean arterial pressure [MAP]) during various noxious stimuli with fentanyl and dexmedetomidine intraoperative analgesia. In this trial, patients undergoing elective supratentorial surgery under general anesthesia were randomized to receive either fentanyl or dexmedetomidine infusion for intraoperative analgesia. ANI (instantaneous and mean), SPI, HR and MAP were compared before and after noxious stimuli (intubation, skull pin insertion, skin incision and craniotomy) with respect to magnitude of maximum change in the variable and the time taken for the maximal change (defined as response time) between the groups. A total of 58 patients, 29 in each group were recruited into the study. At intubation, SPI changed significantly more in the fentanyl group compared to dexmedetomidine group (37 versus 20 units, p = 0.007). At skull pinning, ANI values (both instantaneous and mean) changed more in dexmedetomidine group (p = 0.024 and 0.009) with significantly longer response time (p = 0.039). There was no difference between the groups with respect to any of the variables at skin incision and craniotomy. ANI during use of dexmedetomidine and SPI while using fentanyl, might be the better choices as intraoperative nociception monitors.

Application Effect Evaluation of Intelligent Community Service Platform in Grassroots Governance

The purpose of this study is to design an intelligent community service platform applied in grassroots governance. First of all, this paper uses a distributed framework to build a service platform to provide data services for the intelligent community. Secondly, intelligent machine learning models are used to accelerate network training for community data classification tasks. At the same time, the high-precision association mechanism based on multi-source heterogeneous big data is introduced to store different types of topic data into the corresponding topic database, so as to realize the fusion processing of structured, semi-structured and unstructured data. Four kinds of account information are set up, including platform administrators, community administrators, community service units and community residents, to meet the diverse needs of community residents. The simulation test shows that the intelligent community service platform passes the function test, and the maximum change of response time is less than 1%, which proves the feasibility of applying the intelligent community service platform in grass-roots governance.

Magnetocaloric Properties of Melt-Extracted Medium Entropy Gd33Co33Al34 Microfibers

In this paper, a new medium entropy alloy with nominal composition of Gd33Co33Al34 was designed and fabricated into microfibers by a melt-extraction method. The microstructure, thermophysical parameters, and magnetocaloric properties of the obtained fibers were systematically analyzed. The results showed that the as-cast fibers show an amorphous matrix with embedded in situ nano crystals. The fibers show a good magnetocaloric effect with the maximum magnetic entropy change of ~6 J/kg·K for a field change of 5 T. Notably, the fibers show excellent cooling efficiencies with an RCP and RC of ~611.72 and ~487.38 J/kg, respectively. Though the as-cast fibers possess an amorphous/nanocrystal bi-phase structure, they still exhibit a second-order transition near a Curie temperature of ~96 K. Our findings provide a promising pathway towards developing new magnetocaloric materials with good magnetocaloric performances.

A Homochiral Hexagadolinium Phosphonate Cluster: Structure, Chiral Electrochemical Recognition and a Large Magnetocaloric Effect

AbstractChiral lanthanide clusters have promising applications in chiral recognition, magneto‐optical memories, and spintronic devices. Nonetheless, the precise prediction and controlled development of homochiral polynuclear Ln‐complexes is still a challenge. Herein, through multidentate chelate synthetic strategy, a new homochiral hexagadolinium phosphonate cluster designated as R/S‐[Gd6(pmhpH)8(NO3)2(H2O)8]⋅19H2O (R/S‐1) was successfully obtained by reacting chiral phosphonomethylhomoproline(pmhpH3) with Gd(III) salt. The cluster, shaped like a lantern, is constructed from {GdO8} polyhedra and {PO3C} tetrahedra surrounded by eight pmhpH2− ligands. Within the structure, two types of gadolinium ions with different coordination modes are observed. Each Gd(III) ion is bound to two carboxylate oxygens and six phosphonate oxygens from the coordinated pmhpH2− ligands. Circular dichroism spectra comfirmed that R/S‐1 exists as a pair of enantiomers. Moreover, the cluster exhibits high thermal stability, decomposing at temperatures exceeding 335 °C. Notably, the chiral cluster materials can be used for enantiomeric recognition for tryptophan (Trp) with the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) peak current ratio (ID/IL) 2.74. Besides, the magnetic measurements revealed that compound R‐1 exhibits a good magnetocaloric effect (MCE) with a maximum entropy change of −ΔSmmax=36.84 Jkg−1 K−1 at T=2 K and ΔH=7 T.

3D-Ising-type magnetic interactions stabilized by the extremely large uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy in layered ferromagnetic Cr2Te3

We investigate the magnetocrystalline anisotropy, critical behavior, and magnetocaloric effect in ferromagnetic-layered Cr2Te3. We have studied the critical behavior around the Curie temperature (TC) using various techniques, including the modified Arrott plot (MAP), the Kouvel-Fisher method (KF), and critical isothermal analysis (CI). The derived critical exponents β = 0.353(4) and γ = 1.213(5) fall in between the three-dimensional (3D) Ising and 3D Heisenberg type models, suggesting complex magnetic interactions by not falling into any single universality class. On the other hand, the renormalization group theory, employing the experimentally obtained critical exponents, suggests 3D-Ising-type magnetic interactions decaying with distance as J(r) = r−4.89. We also observe an extremely large uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE) of Ku = 2065 kJ/m3, the highest ever found in any CrxTey based systems, originating from the noncollinear ferromagnetic ground state as predicted from the first-principles calculations. The self-consistent renormalization theory (SCR) suggests Cr2Te3 to be an out-of-plane itinerant ferromagnet. Further, a maximum entropy change of -ΔSMmax≈ 2.08 J/kg − K is estimated around TC for the fields applied parallel to the c-axis.

Cryogenic temperature magnetocaloric effect and critical behavior of GdDyErAlM (M=Fe, Co, Ni) high entropy amorphous alloys

High entropy amorphous alloys (HE AMs) have attracted extensive interest lately due to their superior magnetocaloric properties. However, the critical behavior and mechanical properties have received less research, which restricts their applications. This work presented a comprehensive investigation of the magnetocaloric effect (MCE), critical behavior, and mechanical performance of quinary Gd20Dy20Er20Al20M20 (M = Fe, Co, Ni) HE AMs. All samples exhibited distinct spin glass-like behavior below TC and competitive MCE around hydrogen liquefaction temperature range. Excellent MCE was achieved by the HE AMs through a second-order phase transition from paramagnetic state to ferromagnetic state at 79 K for Fe, 41 K for Co, and 36 K for Ni. Among them, the maximum magnetic entropy change (-ΔSM)max of Gd20Dy20Er20Al20Co20 amorphous alloys was 9.59 J kg−1 K−1 under 0–5 T. Furthermore, RC and RCP of Gd20Dy20Er20Al20Fe20 amorphous alloys were respectively 519 J kg−1 and 613 J kg−1, larger than that of most RE-based amorphous alloys. For all samples, the critical behavior of the phase transition approached the mean field model, and this responded to the long-range ordering of the magnetic interaction. The bending plasticity of Gd20Dy20Er20Al20M20 (M = Fe, Co, Ni) HE AMs were 0.78, 1.03, 0.89, respectively. The adjustable Tc, large (-ΔSM), high RCP, and outstanding mechanical properties suggested Gd20Dy20Er20Al20M20 (M = Fe, Co, Ni) HE AMs may find utility as magnetic refrigerants in low-temperature applications.

Effect of Annealing Temperature on Microstructure and Magnetocaloric Properties of Gd-Based Metallic Microfibers

In this paper, vacuum annealing has been adopted to introduce atomic cluster micro-regions inside Gd-based metallic microfibers to further explore the effect of the structural changes on the magnetocaloric properties and the mechanism which is systematically expressed. The experimental results indicate that the as-prepared Gd-based metallic microfibers have favorable amorphous formation ability and thermal stability. After annealing @ 380 °C, the maximum magnetic entropy change −ΔSmmax, refrigerating capacity (RC), and relative cooling power (RCP) values of the Gd-based metallic microfibers are 7.20 J/kg·K, 459.4 J/kg, and 588.7 J/kg, respectively. Combined with the transmission electron microscopy analysis results, the internal organizational order of the annealed microfibers is significantly altered, and the atomic clusters formed in localized regions, which reduce the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the microfibers. While under the uni-action of an external magnetic field, the magnetic moment rotation state and magnetic domain structure distribution of the micro-region atoms will be changed obviously, thereby changing the general magnetic properties and magnetocaloric properties of the metallic microfibers. The above research results can promote the engineering application of Gd-based metallic microfibers in the field of magnetic refrigeration.

Pharmacological non-hormonal treatment options for male infertility: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

BackgroundMale factor infertility affect up to 50% of couples unable to conceive spontaneously. Several non-hormonal pharmacological treatments have been proposed to boost spermatogenesis and increase chances of conception in men with infertility. Still, no clear evidence exists on the most effective treatment strategy.ObjectiveWe aimed to compare the effectiveness of non-hormonal pharmacological treatment options for men with infertility using a systematic review and network meta-analysis.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL until October 2023 for randomised/quasi-randomised trials that evaluated any non-hormonal pharmacological treatment options for men with idiopathic semen abnormalities or those with hypogonadism. We performed pairwise and network meta-analyses using a random effect model. We assessed risk of bias, heterogeneity, and network inconsistency. We calculated the mean rank and the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) for each intervention the maximum likelihood to achieve each of reported outcomes. We reported primarily on sperm concentration and other important semen and biochemical outcomes using standardised mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence-intervals(CI).ResultsWe included 14 randomised trials evaluating four treatments (Clomiphene citrate, Tamoxifen, Aromatase inhibitors, anti-oxidants) and their combinations in 1342 men. The overall quality of included trials was low. Sperm concentration improved with clomiphene compared to anti-oxidants (SMD 2.15, 95%CI 0.78–3.52), aromatase inhibitor (SMD 2.93, 95%CI 1.23–4.62), tamoxifen (SMD − 1.96, 95%CI -3.57; -0.36) but not compared to placebo (SMD − 1.53, 95%CI -3.52- 0.47). Clomiphene had the highest likelihood to achieve the maximum change in sperm concentration (SUCRA 97.4). All treatments showed similar effect for sperm motility, semen volume, and normal sperm morphology. FSH levels showed significant improvement with clomiphene vs.anti-oxidant (SMD 1.48, 95%CI 0.44–2.51) but not compared to placebo. The evidence networks for LH and testosterone suffered from significant inconsistency (p = 0.01) with similar trend of improvement with clomiphene compared to other treatments but not compared to placebo.ConclusionThere is insufficient evidence to support the routine use of Clomiphene, tamoxifen, and aromatase inhibitors to optimise semen parameters in men with infertility. Future randomised trials are needed to confirm the efficacy of clomiphene in improving fertility outcomes in men.PROSPEROCRD42023430179.

A bright red fluorescent genetically encoded sensor for lactate imaging

Lactate plays a crucial role in energy metabolism and greatly impacts protein activities, exerting diverse physiological and pathological effects. Therefore, convenient lactate assays for tracking spatiotemporal dynamics in living cells are desirable. In this paper, we engineered and optimized a red fluorescent protein sensor for l-lactate named FiLa-Red. This indicator exhibited a maximal fluorescence change of 730 % and an apparent dissociation constant (Kd) of approximately 460 μM. By utilizing FiLa-Red and other sensors, we monitored energy metabolism in a multiplex manner by simultaneously tracking lactate and NAD+/NADH abundance in the cytoplasm, nucleus, and mitochondria. The FiLa-Red sensor is expected to be a useful tool for performing metabolic analysis in vitro, in living cells and in vivo.

Comparison of clot waveform analysis with or without adjustment between prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time assays to assess in vitro effects of direct oral anticoagulants

BackgroundClot waveform analysis (CWA) reportedly enhances the interpretation of clotting time measurement. This study aimed to compare CWA between prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) assays for better understanding how to apply CWA for assessing effects of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). MethodsSamples were prepared by spiking plasma with rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban, or dabigatran. To compensate the influence of fibrinogen, CWA parameters were adjusted by unifying maximum changes in transmittance in clotting reaction curves detected by the optical system. ResultsNon-adjusted PT-CWA parameters unexpectedly rose at low drug concentrations but declined at high drug concentrations while adjusted PT-CWA parameters exhibited dose-dependent decrease. Both non-adjusted and adjusted APTT-CWA parameters showed dose-dependent decrease. Adjusted CWA parameters were applicable to Hill plot analysis. All DOACs exhibited Hill coefficients indicating positively cooperative effects regarding most adjusted PT-CWA parameters. Regarding adjusted APTT-CWA parameters, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban exhibited Hill coefficients indicating no or negatively cooperative effects. The observed differences between PT-CWA and APTT-CWA suggested the implication of thrombin positive feedback in DOAC effects. ConclusionThe results revealed distinct features of DOAC effects in extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. To ascertain the clinical implication, further studies using clinical samples are needed.

Magnetocaloric effect and phase transformation of Zn-doped Ni–Mn–Ti all-d metal Heusler alloys

Ni–Mn–Ti Heusler alloys have gained a great consideration recently due to their important magnetoresistance and magnetocaloric properties. Herein, the structure, martensitic transition (MT), and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) of Ni50-xZnxMn35Ti15 (x = 0, 2, 4, and 6) Heusler alloys have been studied. XRD results show that the studied alloy with x = 0 display a monoclinic (5 M) martensite phase. Besides, the examined alloy with x = 2 presents a combination of monoclinic (5 M) martensite and cubic (B2) austenite phases, whereas the alloys with x = 4 and x = 6 exhibit only a cubic (B2) austenite phase. By increasing Zn content x up to 6, the Curie temperature of austenite decreases from 283 K to 132 K, and the MT temperatures decrease from ferromagnetic austenite to weak-magnetic martensite, which is apparently due to the exchange interaction of Mn–Mn and the low power of d-d hybridization between the A/C and B(D) sites. The best maximum magnetic entropy change (ΔSM, max) and refrigeration capacity (RC) are for the studied alloy with x = 4 (5.22 J kg−1K−1 and 217 J kg−1 at 120 kOe, respectively). The Zn addition not only facilitates the formation of B2-type Heusler phases but also offer the possibility to tune the MT and establish strong ferromagnetic coupling.

Multiresponse Liquid Metal Bionic Flexible Actuator.

The flexible actuator has attracted significant interest for its ability to respond flexibly to external stimuli, especially for renewable natural energy sources. However, the flexible actuator faces issues such as inadequate sensitivity and inability to achieve synergistic responses. Therefore, we prepared a highly sensitive flexible actuator by mixing liquid metal (LM) with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), graphene oxide (GO), and coating the resulting mixtures onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate materials using the rod coating process. The flexible actuator responds quickly to near-infrared light and humidity and can be rapidly transformed from flat to curved with a maximum angular change of 540°. By demonstrating the flexible actuator in action, it can be used to create a crawling robot that mimics the movement of an inchworm on a leaf, as well as a gripper capable of lifting objects 5 times its weight, and a crawling robot that moves forward, turns left, and then right. Flexible actuators hold significant promise for applications in emerging fields such as advanced bionics and artificial intelligence.

Enhanced Cryogenic Magnetocaloric Effect from 4f‐3d Exchange Interaction in B‐Site Ordered Gd2CuTiO6 Double Perovskite Oxide

AbstractMagnetic refrigeration based on the principle of the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in magnetic solids has been considered as a prospective cooling technology. Exploring suitable magnetocaloric materials (MCMs) is a vital prerequisite for practical applications. Herein, an excellent cryogenic MCM—the B‐site‐ordered Gd2CuTiO6 double perovskite (DP) oxide—which exhibits the largest MCE among known Gd‐based DP oxides, is identified. Such enhanced cryogenic MCE in the Gd2CuTiO6 DP oxide likely stems from the exchange interaction effect between Gd‐4f and Cu‐3d magnetic sublattices. Under a magnetic field change of 0–7 T, the maximum magnetic entropy change (−ΔSTmax) of the Gd2CuTiO6 DP oxide reaches 51.4 J kg−1 K−1 (378.2 mJ cm−3 K−1), which is much larger than that of the commercialized magnetic refrigerant Gd3Ga5O12, which is 38.3 J kg−1 K−1 (271.2 mJ cm−3 K−1), and it is also superior to most of the recently reported benchmarked cryogenic MCMs, indicating the possibility for practical applications. This work also provides a productive route for future cryogenic MCM design by harnessing 4f–3d exchange interactions.

Thermal effects and biological response of breast and pancreatic cancer cells undergoing gold nanorod-assisted photothermal therapy

To increase the therapeutic efficacy of nanoparticle (NP)-assisted photothermal therapy (PTT) and allow for a transition toward the clinical setting, it is pivotal to characterize the thermal effect induced in cancer cells and correlate it with the cell biological response, namely cell viability and cell death pathways. This study quantitatively evaluated the effects of gold nanorod (GNR)-assisted near-infrared (NIR) PTT on two different cancer cell lines, the 4T1 triple-negative breast cancer cells and the Pan02 pancreatic cancer cells. The interaction between nanomaterials and biological matrices was investigated in terms of GNR internalization and effect on cell viability at different GNR concentrations. GNR-mediated PTT was executed on both cell lines, at the same treatment settings to allow a straightforward comparison, and real-time monitored through thermographic imaging. A thermal analysis based on various parameters (i.e., maximum absolute temperature, maximum temperature change, temperature variation profile, area under the time-temperature change curve, effective thermal enhancement (ETE), and time constants) was performed to evaluate the treatment thermal outcome. While GNR treatment and NIR laser irradiation alone did not cause cell toxicity in the selected settings, their combination induced a significant reduction of cell viability in both cell lines. At the optimal experimental condition (i.e., 6 μg/mL of GNRs and 4.5 W/cm2 laser power density), GNR-assisted PTT reduced the cell viability of 4T1 and Pan02 cells by 94% and 87% and it was associated with maximum temperature changes of 25 °C and 29 °C (i.e., ∼1.8-fold increase compared to the laser-only condition), maximum absolute temperatures of 55 °C and 54 °C, and ETE values of 78% and 81%, for 4T1 and Pan02 cells, correspondingly. Also, the increase in the GNR concentration led to a decrease in the time constants, denoting faster heating kinetics upon irradiation. Furthermore, the thermal analysis parameters were correlated with the extent of cell death. Twelve hours after NIR exposure, GNR-assisted PTT was found to mainly trigger secondary apoptosis in both cell lines. The proposed study provides relevant insights into the relationship between temperature history and biological responses in the context of PTT. The findings contribute to the development of a universal methodology for evaluating thermal sensitivity upon NP-assisted PTT on different cell types and lay the groundwork for future translational studies.