Experimental Progress Research Articles

The 2023 Report on the Proteome from the HUPO Human Proteome Project.

Since 2010, the Human Proteome Project (HPP), the flagship initiative of the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO), has pursued two goals: (1) to credibly identify the protein parts list and (2) to make proteomics an integral part of multiomics studies of human health and disease. The HPP relies on international collaboration, data sharing, standardized reanalysis of MS data sets by PeptideAtlas and MassIVE-KB using HPP Guidelines for quality assurance, integration and curation of MS and non-MS protein data by neXtProt, plus extensive use of antibody profiling carried out by the Human Protein Atlas. According to the neXtProt release 2023-04-18, protein expression has now been credibly detected (PE1) for 18,397 of the 19,778 neXtProt predicted proteins coded in the human genome (93%). Of these PE1 proteins, 17,453 were detected with mass spectrometry (MS) in accordance with HPP Guidelines and 944 by a variety of non-MS methods. The number of neXtProt PE2, PE3, and PE4 missing proteins now stands at 1381. Achieving the unambiguous identification of 93% of predicted proteins encoded from across all chromosomes represents remarkable experimental progress on the Human Proteome parts list. Meanwhile, there are several categories of predicted proteins that have proved resistant to detection regardless of protein-based methods used. Additionally there are some PE1-4 proteins that probably should be reclassified to PE5, specifically 21 LINC entries and ∼30 HERV entries; these are being addressed in the present year. Applying proteomics in a wide array of biological and clinical studies ensures integration with other omics platforms as reported by the Biology and Disease-driven HPP teams and the antibody and pathology resource pillars. Current progress has positioned the HPP to transition to its Grand Challenge Project focused on determining the primary function(s) of every protein itself and in networks and pathways within the context of human health and disease.

MiR-664a-5p promotes experimental membranous nephropathy progression through HIPK2/Calpain1/GSα-mediated autophagy inhibition.

We previously found that miR-664a-5p is specifically expressed in urinary exosomes of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) patients. Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2), a nuclear serine/threonine kinase, plays an important role in nephropathy. But the function of these factors and their connection in MN are unclear. To investigate the function and mechanism of miR-664a-5p in MN, the miR-664a-5p expression in HK-2 cells, exosomes, podocytes and renal tissues were studied, as well as cell growth and apoptosis of these cells, the binding of miR-664a-5p to HIPK2 mRNA, the levels of relative proteins and autophagy. The MN progression in MN mice model was also studied. Albumin increased the miR-664a-5p content and apoptosis of HK-2 cells, which was blocked by miR-664a-5p antagomir. miR-664a-5p bound to the 3' UTR of HIPK2 mRNA, resulting in the up-regulation of Calpain1, GSα shear and the inhibition of autophagy level. Autophagy inhibitor CQ blocked the protective effect of miR-664a-5p antagomir, HIPK2 overexpression, Calpain inhibitor SJA6017 on albumin-mediated injury. MiR-664a-5p from albumin-treated HK-2 cells could be horizontally transported to podocytes through exosomes. Exosomes from albumin-treated HK-2 cells promoted progression of MN mice, AAV-Anti-miR-664-5p (mouse homology miRNA) could improve them. Albumin increases the miR-664a-5p level and causes changes of HIPK2/Calpain1/GSα pathway, which leads to autophagy inhibition and apoptosis up-regulation of renal tubular epithelial cells. miR-664a-5p can horizontally enter podocytes through exosomes resulting in podocytes injury. Targeted inhibition of miR-664a-5p can reduce the apoptosis of renal tubule cells and podocytes, and may improve the MN progression.

Solid-state quantum nodes based on color centers and rare-earth ions coupled with fiber Fabry–Pérot microcavities

High-performance optical quantum memories serving as quantum nodes are crucial for the distribution of remote entanglement and the construction of large-scale quantum networks. Notably, quantum systems based on single emitters can achieve deterministic spin-photon entanglement, greatly simplifying the difficulty of constructing quantum network nodes. Among them, optically interfaced spins embedded in solid-state systems, as atomic-like emitters, are important candidate systems for implementing long-lived quantum memory due to their stable physical properties and robustness to decoherence in scalable and compact hardware. To enhance the light-matter-interaction strength, optical microcavities can be exploited as an important tool to generate high-quality spin-photon entanglement for scalable quantum networks. They can enhance the photon collection probability and photon generation rate of specific optical transitions and improve the coherence and spectral purity of emitted photons. For solid-state systems, open Fabry-Pérot cavities can couple single emitters that are not in proximity to the surface, avoiding significant spectral diffusion induced by the interfaces while maintaining the wide tunability, whichenables addressing of multiple single emitters in the frequency and spatial domain within a single device. This review describes the characteristics of single emitters as quantum memories with a comparison to atomic ensembles, the cavity-enhancement effect for single emitters and the advantages of different cavities, especially fiber Fabry-Pérot microcavities. Finally, recent experimental progress on solid-state single emitters coupled with fiber Fabry-Pérot microcavities is reviewed, with a focus on color centers in diamond and silicon carbide, as well as rare-earth dopants.

CHRONIC STRESS RESULTS IN INCREASED PAIN PERCEPTION IN OSTEOARTHRITIS IN VIVO

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects the whole joint and leads to chronic pain. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) seems to be involved in OA pathogenesis, as indicated by in vitro studies as well as by our latest work demonstrating that sympathectomy in mice results in increased subchondral bone volume in the OA knee joint. We assume that chronic stress may lead to opposite effects, such as an increased bone loss in OA due to an elevated sympathetic tone. Therefore, we analyzed experimental OA progression in mice exposed to chronic stress. OA was induced in male C57BL/6J mice by surgical destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) and Sham as well as non-operated mice served as controls. Half of these groups were exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). After 12 weeks, chronic stress efficiency was assessed using behavioral tests. In addition to measuring body weight and length, changes in subchondral bone were analyzed by μCT. Dynamic Weight Bearing system was used to monitor OA-related pain. Histological scoring will be conducted to investigate the severity cartilage degeneration and synovial inflammation. CUMS resulted in increased anxiety and significant decrease in body weight gain in all CUMS groups compared to non-CUMS groups. CUMS also increased serum corticosterone in healthy mice, with even higher levels in CUMS mice after DMM surgery. CUMS had no significant effect on subchondral bone, but subarticular bone mineral density and trabecular thickness were increased. Moreover, CUMS resulted in significant potentiation of DMM-associated pain. Our results suggest that the autonomic imbalance with increased sympathetic nervous activity induced by chronic stress exacerbates the severity of OA pain perception. We expect significantly increased cartilage degeneration as well as more severe synovial inflammation in CUMS DMM mice compared to DMM mice.

Vibrational thermal pool multi-level theoretical model and design simulation of HBr-filled hollow-core fiber gas laser

The hollow-core fiber gas laser (HCFGL) has developed into a significant mid-infrared laser source, but the development of theoretical model still lags behind experimental progress. In this work, we propose a multi-level vibrational thermal pool (VTP) model of HBr-filled HCFs, which comprehensively considers the rovibrational relaxation effects on laser gain in reasonable approximations of transition coefficients, and studies the laser characteristics on multi-line lasing, bottleneck effect, line competition, etc. The VTP model shows more precise results of laser slope efficiency, and threshold than previous models while fitting the experimental data very well, and successfully predicts an output bottleneck at 1 W pump. The P-branch laser is relatively advantageous over the R-branch laser for its larger Einstein <inline-formula><tex-math id="M1">\begin{document}$A$\end{document}</tex-math><alternatives><graphic specific-use="online" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="15-20240428_M1.jpg"/><graphic specific-use="print" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="15-20240428_M1.png"/></alternatives></inline-formula> coefficient and emission cross section, and the seed injection can intensify the line competition and reach the highest P4 power proportion of 80%. The VTP model reveals that the output of various pump lines has a pattern similar to the Boltzmann distribution, suggesting that the distribution of ground rotational levels limits the laser gain of pump lines. Moreover, we discuss the photon leakage in high-energy pulsed pumping conditions. With the introduction of the leaking coefficient, this model shows relaxation oscillations and laser slope efficiencies close to experimental values and greater than the results in the CW condition, and solves the overpump problem in pulsed pump simulation. Finally, we confirm that the photon leakage is intensified at high repetition rate and the leaking coefficient should relate to the pulse repetition rate. This work develops a comprehensive modeling method for MIR laser simulation and this model is also applicable to various gas-filled HCFGLs.

Recent progress of MnBi2Te4 epitaxial thin films as a platform for realising the quantum anomalous Hall effect.

Since the first realisation of the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) in a dilute magnetic-doped topological insulator thin film in 2013, the quantisation temperature has been limited to less than 1 K due to magnetic disorder in dilute magnetic systems. With magnetic moments ordered into the crystal lattice, the intrinsic magnetic topological insulator MnBi2Te4 has the potential to eliminate or significantly reduce magnetic disorder and improve the quantisation temperature. Surprisingly, to date, the QAHE has yet to be observed in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown MnBi2Te4 thin films at zero magnetic field, and what leads to the difficulty in quantisation is still an active research area. Although bulk MnBi2Te4 and exfoliated flakes have been well studied, revealing both the QAHE and axion insulator phases, experimental progress on MBE thin films has been slower. Understanding how the breakdown of the QAHE occurs in MnBi2Te4 thin films and finding solutions that will enable mass-produced millimetre-size QAHE devices operating at elevated temperatures are required. In this mini-review, we will summarise recent studies on the electronic and magnetic properties of MBE MnBi2Te4 thin films and discuss mechanisms that could explain the failure of the QAHE from the aspects of defects, electronic structure, magnetic order, and consequences of their delicate interplay. Finally, we propose several strategies for realising the QAHE at elevated temperatures in MnBi2Te4 thin films.

Analysis of 𝚵(1620) resonance with chiral unitary approach

Abstract. Recently, the ξ(1620) resonance has attracted much attention, thanks to detailed experimental data by the Belle and ALICE collaborations. This experimental progress has prepared us to conduct theoretical analyses based on experimental data. In this study, we analyze the ξ(1620) resonance using the chiral unitary model and discuss the properties of the ξ(1620) resonance and the K−Λ scattering length.

Experimental determination of the thermal conductivity of building materials under operating conditions

This article is devoted to describing studies of measuring the operational thermal conductivity of various building materials. The experimental setup and test progress are described. The results are described and analyzed, and also compared with the values presented in regulatory documents. The new results and methodological developments obtained are of great practical significance in connection with the expansion of the use of building materials in the modern world.

Experimental research progress of charge order of nickelate based superconductors

Ever since the discovery, nickelate superconductors have attracted great attention, declaring a “nickel age” of superconductivity. Currently, there are two types of nickelate superconductors: low-valence nickelate superconductors RE<sub><i>n</i>+1</sub>Ni<sub><i>n</i></sub>O<sub>2<i>n</i>+2</sub> (RE, rare earth; <i>n</i>, number of adjacent NiO<sub>2</sub> layers) and high-pressure nickelate superconductors La<sub>3</sub>Ni<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> and La<sub>4</sub>Ni<sub>3</sub>O<sub>10</sub>. Charge order plays a crucial role in studying the strongly correlated systems, especially the cuprate superconductors, in which potential correlation between charge order and superconductivity has been indicated. Thus, great efforts have been made to explore the charge order in nickelate superconductors. In the infinite-layer nickelate RENiO<sub>2</sub>, the evidence of charge order with in-plane wavevector of <i> <b>Q</b> </i><sub>//</sub> ≈ (1/3, 0) has been found in the undoped and underdoped regime but not in the superconducting samples. However, subsequent studies have indicated that this is not the true charge order inherent in the NiO<sub>2</sub> plane,which carries unconventional superconductivity, but rather originates from the ordered excess apical oxygen in the partially reduced impurity phases. On the other hand, the overdoped low-valence nickelate La<sub>4</sub>Ni<sub>3</sub>O<sub>8</sub> shows well-defined intertwined charge and magnetic order, with an in-plane wavevector of <i> <b>Q</b> </i><sub>//</sub> = (1/3, 1/3). Resonant X-ray scattering study has found that nickel orbitals play the most important role in the multi-orbital contribution of charge order formation in this material, which is significantly different from the cuprates with oxygen orbitals dominating the charge modulation. Although the spin order in La<sub>3</sub>Ni<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> has been well established, there is still controversy over its spin structure and the existence of coexisting charge order. In La<sub>4</sub>Ni<sub>3</sub>O<sub>10</sub>, intertwined charge and spin density waves have been reported, the origin and characteristics of which remain unknown. Owing to the research on the nickelate superconductors just starting, many questions have not yet been answered, and the exploration of charge order in nickelate superconductors will still be the center of superconductor research.

Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering study of charge density waves and elementary excitations in cuprate superconductors

In the 38 years since the discovery of cuprate superconductors, the theoretical mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity remains unresolved. Recent experimental progress has focused on exploring microscopic mechanisms by using novel characterization techniques. The development of synchrotron radiation has driven significant progress in spectroscopic methods. Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS), based on synchrotron radiation, has been widely used to study cuprate superconductors due to its ability to perform bulk measurements, provide energy-momentum resolution, and directly probe various elemental excitations. The RIXS can measure phonons, which bind Cooper pairs in the BCS theory, and magnetic fluctuations and competing orders predicted by the Hubbard model in strongly correlated systems, allowing for the study of their interrelationships. This paper reviews the progress in using RIXS to measure charge density waves and related low-energy excitations, including phonon anomalies, in cuprate superconductors. It also examines the relationship between magnetic excitation and the highest superconducting transition temperature, and provides prospects for future research directions and challenges.

Theoretical study of long-range ordered vacancy distribution in two-dimensional boron structures

<sec>In a two-dimensional boron structure, the ordered high-concentration vacancy distribution can enhance structural stability and significantly modulates material properties. Based on recent experimental progress, herein we particularly focus on the two-dimensional boron structures with a striped distribution of hexagonal vacancies, in order to explore the formation of long-period boron structures.</sec><sec>Utilizing the structures of alloy generation and recognition (SAGAR) program developed by our group, we eliminate duplicate structures according to the structural symmetry to reduce computational cost. An effective model system is proposed to investigate the effect of vacancy distribution on the stability of the system, where the interactions between vacancies are utilized for estimating the total energy. By selecting structures with appropriate concentrations and combining first-principles calculations, the parameters in the model are fitted for different vacancy neighbor interactions, which can be further used to predict stable structures at various vacancy concentrations. The feasibility of model analysis is emphasized for structural screening, showing the good agreement between the parameterized model and the first-principles calculations.</sec><sec>Interestingly, under the same vacancy concentration, stable boron structures with different cell sizes exhibit distinct vacancy distributions, indicating a trend of long-period distribution for ground state structures. To address this phenomenon, when the stable candidate structures from the 1/6 series are dominant in number within the computable range and the changes in neighbor statistics can be clearly seen, we select the structures from this concentration series for detailed calculations.</sec><sec>The calculation results indicate that the convergence of the average energy is primarily influenced by the interaction between the fourth nearest neighbor and the sixth nearest neighbor. When considering only these two neighbors, the system energy changes with the increase of cell size as follows: the average energy of structures with a cell size being an even multiple of the minimum cell size keeps unchanged, while the average energy of structure with a cell size being an odd multiple of the minimum cell size gradually decreases, eventually converging to a stable value. When including the interactions between the ninth nearest neighbor and the tenth nearest neighbor, the average energy of structures with a cell size being an even times the minimum cell size also decreases gradually. The average energy decreases with oscillations, with the magnitude gradually diminishing and eventually stabilizing. This discovery reveals that the enhanced stability of long-period structures is attributed to the competitive interactions among different neighboring vacancies.</sec>

Research progress on the conformational properties of comb-like polymers in dilute solutions.

As a special type of branched polymers, comb-like polymers simultaneously possess the structural characteristics of a linear backbone profile and crowded sidechain branches/grafts, and such structural uniqueness leads to reduced interchain entanglement, enhanced molecular orientation, and unique stimulus-response behavior, which greatly expands the potential applications in the fields of super-soft elastomers, molecular sensors, lubricants, photonic crystals, etc. In principle, all these molecular features can be traced back to three structural parameters, i.e., the degree of polymerization of the backbone (Nb), the degree of polymerization of the graft sidechain (Ng), and the grafting density (σ). Consequently, it is of great importance to understand the correlation mechanism between the structural characteristics and physicochemical properties, among which, the conformational properties in dilute solution have received the most attention due to its central position in polymer science. In the past decades, the development of synthetic chemistry and characterization techniques has greatly stimulated the progress of this field, and a number of experiments have been executed to verify the conformational properties; however, due to the complexity of the structural parameters and the diversity of the chemical design, the achieved experimental progress displays significant controversies compared with the theoretical predictions. This review aims to provide a full picture of recent research progress on this topic, specifically, (1) first, a few classical theoretical models regarding the chain conformation are introduced, and the quasi-two-parameter (QTP) theory for the conformation analysis is highlighted; (2) second, the research progress of the static conformation of comb-like polymers in dilute solution is discussed; (3) third, the research progress of the dynamic conformation in dilute solution is further discussed. The key issues, existing controversies and future research directions are also highlighted. We hope that this review can provide insightful information for the understanding of the conformational properties of comb-like polymers, open a new door for the regulation of conformational behavior in related applications, and promote related theoretical and experimental research in the community.

μSR experimental progress and trends of developing muon facilities

Muon spin relaxation/rotation (μSR) is a highly sensitive technique for investigating magnetic properties on an atomic scale. With the continuous development of this technique, the researches in condensed matter physics have been significantly promoted. Firstly, this article introduces the advantages and uniqueness of μSR technique, followed by several recent progress contributed by μSR in the field of condensed matter physics, including revealing the magnetic ground state of superconducting nickelates La<sub>3</sub>Ni<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> and (<i>R</i>, Sr)NiO<sub>2</sub>, the investigation into the charge density wave in kagome lattice superconductor <i>A</i>V<sub>3</sub>Sb<sub>5</sub> (<i>A</i> = K, Rb), identifying the magnetic droplets immersed in a sea of quantum spin liquid ground state in NaYbSe<sub>2</sub>, and the exploration of magnetic monopole near a magnetoelectric surface of Cr<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>. Finally, this article summarizes the current construction status and upgrade plans of muon facilities in the world.

Recent Research Progress in Chinese Alternative Medicine in the Prevention and Treatment of Liver Cancer

The modernization of traditional/alternative Chinese medicine research provides diverse and comprehensive methods for disease treatment and health management by integrating the advantages of traditional medicine and modern science. Recent evidence has accumulated rich experience and outstanding achievements in the research of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine for the prevention and treatment of liver cancer. Their recent research is dedicated to the research and development of traditional Chinese medicine formulas, the discovery of treatment targets and predictive markers, providing new effective evidence for liver cancer prevention and treatment research, and expanding research directions. This article provides a review of the clinical and experimental research progress of this team in recent 5 years, in order to provide more ideas and insights for research in this field.

Experimental investigation and comparative environmental impact analysis of conventional and naturally occurring kinetic hydrate inhibitors in offshore environments using toxicity and bioconcentration tools

In this present study, an in vivo experiment was carried out to determine the tendencies of a naturally occurring high-phenolic compound red-onion skin extract (HPC-ROSE) and conventional N-Vinylcaprolactam (N-VCAP) kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) to bio-accumulate in offshore environment through the analysis of their uptake and depuration kinetics by a Fish-Chemical Model using Cyprinus carpio marine invertebrate. This test was performed in the laboratory in a flow through experimental set up according to the guidelines by [49] (Fish-chemical exposure test). The uptake duration was 10 days with a depuration period of twenty days. The inhibitor toxicity test was evaluated by determining the 50 % lethal concentration (LC50) as highlighted by OSPAR Commission protocols. The solubility of the inhibitors was determined by a column elution technique. Similarly, a proton-enabled nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR) technique was used to measure the partitioning characteristics of the inhibitors in an immiscible mixture of octanol and water (Kow) by 1HNMR spectroscopy using a benchtop low-field NMR spectrometer. OSPAR Commission and ASTM standard protocols were used for the laboratory investigation of the static sediment toxicity tests. A reference chemical substance of known BCF and solubility (Ethyl Acetate, EtOAc) was used as control to check the experimental progression. The stock solution was prepared by solid phase desorption mechanisms. The HPC-ROSE does not constitute environmentally significant risk to aquatic life owing to its lower BCF values between 215 L/kg - 251.5L/Kg, Log-Kow of 1.2 and higher lethal concentration of 25140 mg/L. Unlike the NVCAP which is very toxic with lower lethal concentration of 1280 mg/L and higher BCF values in the range of 442.5L/Kg to 485 L/kg with Log-Kow of 1.5. Furthermore, Nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR) is a simple and reliable method of estimating partition coefficient characteristics (Kow) because the obtained Log-Kow values showed good agreements with that of shake flask and high-performance liquid chromatography techniques. Also, the chemical concentration in water has an inverse relationship with uptake rate constant (K1) and steady-state bioconcentration factor (BCFss). Finally, the theoretically estimated BCFs were higher than the steady-state (BCFss) values that were obtained from laboratory experiments for the different inhibitor samples and at all concentrations. This is due to the route by which Log-Kow was estimated since most of the empirical models are usually one-factor model consisting of partition coefficient and BCF.

Tau seeds from Alzheimer's disease brains trigger tau spread in macaques while oligomeric-Aβ mediates pathology maturation.

The "prion-like" features of Alzheimer's disease (AD) tauopathy and its relationship with amyloid-β (Aβ) have never been experimentally studied in primates phylogenetically close to humans. We injected 17 macaques in the entorhinal cortex with nanograms of seeding-competent tau aggregates purified from AD brains or control extracts from aged-matched healthy brains, with or without intracerebroventricular co-injections of oligomeric-Aβ. Pathological tau injection increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) p-tau181 concentration after 18 months. Tau pathology spreads from the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampal trisynaptic loop and the cingulate cortex, resuming the experimental progression of Braak stage I to IV. Many AD-related molecular networks were impacted by tau seeds injections regardless of Aβ injections in proteomic analyses. However, we found mature neurofibrillary tangles, increased CSF total-tau concentration, and pre- and postsynaptic degeneration only in Aβ co-injected macaques. Oligomeric-Aβ mediates the maturation of tau pathology and its neuronal toxicity in macaques but not its initial spreading. This study supports the "prion-like" properties of misfolded tau extracted from AD brains. This study empirically validates the Braak staging in an anthropomorphic brain. This study highlights the role of oligomeric Aβ in driving the maturation and toxicity of tau pathology. This work establishes a novel animal model of early sporadic AD that is closer to the human pathology.

A Revolutionary Approach to Study the Hydrogen Electrode Formation on Different Noble Metals Exposed to Monolayer to Sub-Monolayers Range of Water Using Scanning Kelvin Probe

The inadequacy of modern surface analytical tools to probe the electrochemical double layer (EDL) which governs the catalytic reactions at the interface hampers its in-depth investigation. The reason for this is that the EDL is usually buried under the bulk electrolyte. Though great progress was made in computational modeling the EDL [1,2], at the experimental level similar progress is necessary. One approach is to study the EDL of electrodes covered by electrolyte of nano-scale thickness. Till date, such studies of electrodes covered by electrolyte in the monolayer to sub-monolayer range are scarce, although they were at the center of the birth of electrochemical surface science [3]. Recently the “hydrogen electrode in the dry” concept which was established on palladium surface under dry nitrogen conditions could be a novel approach to understand that facet of the electrode interface activities [4]. The amount of water in this case is confined to just 1-2 monolayers to adsorbed water or even below. Similarly, this approach was successful applied for studying the current-potential relationships for oxygen reduction reaction exposed to different amounts of water ranging from micro meter to monolayers of thickness [5]. In this study, this concept was explored to other noble metal systems such as Pd, Au, Pt, and Ir to understand the hydrogen electrode formation.The present study focuses on hydrogen electrode formation on palladium, iridium, gold, and platinum exposed to inert conditions carried out by scanning Kelvin probe method (see fig) at different hydrogen activities. The activities of hydrogen on the surface was defined by electrochemically (entry side from a=0 to a=0.2) cathodic hydrogen charging method. Firstly, the hydrogen activity of 0.2 was defined on the palladium side by increasing the cathodic potential stepwise by potentiostatic hydrogen charging and measuring the corresponding potential on the exit side by Kelvin probe. This potential on palladium in both wet (>95% rh) and dry (<0.1% rh) conditions follows a 1:1 correlation with the applied entry potential, in accordance with the Nernst equation. Iridium samples show 1:1 in humid conditions, but not in dry conditions, i.e. in presence of a much thinner layer of adsorbed water molecules. At intermediate partial pressures of water, a linear response with slope lower than 1 was observed, that increased with increasing humidity. Whereas, gold samples show no correlation in both wet and dry conditions. Additionally, hydrogen electrode formation on emersed surface was checked to understand the effect of an already existing EDL on the formation of the hydrogen electrode. Also, ellipsometry spectroscopy measurements were carried out to determine the water layer thickness at different partial pressures of water. Overall, the current experimental approach of measuring the potential of these different “dry” electrodes gives more insights about hydrogen electrode formation on noble metals at different hydrogen activities, effect of adsorbed anions, and the effect of different amounts of adsorbed water.

Parity‐Time Symmetry in Magnetic Materials and Devices

AbstractNon‐Hermitian Hamiltonians may still possess real eigenvalues in case of the existence of parity‐time (PT) symmetry. Exceptional points (EPs) occur at the phase transition from real to complex eigenvalues due to PT‐symmetry breaking in the parameter space. Magnonic devices use magnons to carry, transport, and process information, which have the advantages of low energy dissipation, wave‐based computing, and nonlinear data processing. The combination of PT‐symmetry and magnonics may lead to novel physics as well as unprecedented functional device applications. Recently, the research of PT‐symmetry in magnetism has developed rapidly. In this review, the theoretical predictions as well as experimental findings of PT‐symmetry in magnetism are summarized. First, a brief introduction to PT symmetry, EPs, and anti‐PT symmetry is presented. Second, the theoretical and experimental progress of magnonic PT symmetry are summarized. Third, the theoretical predictions of higher‐order EPs and anti‐PT symmetry in magnonic systems are given. Finally, the study concludes by discussing the future challenges and research prospects in magnonic PT‐symmetry, and proposals for experimental observations of magnonic higher‐order EPs and anti‐PT symmetry are suggested.

Tuftelin1 drives experimental pulmonary fibrosis progression by facilitating stress fiber assembly

BackgroundIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive interstitial lung disease (ILD) with unknown etiology, characterized by sustained damage repair of epithelial cells and abnormal activation of fibroblasts, the underlying mechanism of the disease remains elusive.MethodsTo evaluate the role of Tuftelin1 (TUFT1) in IPF and elucidate its molecular mechanism. We investigated the level of TUFT1 in the IPF and bleomycin-induced mouse models and explored the influence of TUFT1 deficiency on pulmonary fibrosis. Additionally, we explored the effect of TUFT1 on the cytoskeleton and illustrated the relationship between stress fiber and pulmonary fibrosis.ResultsOur results demonstrated a significant upregulation of TUFT1 in IPF and the bleomycin (BLM)-induced fibrosis model. Disruption of TUFT1 exerted inhibitory effects on pulmonary fibrosis in both in vivo and in vitro. TUFT1 facilitated the assembly of microfilaments in A549 and MRC-5 cells, with a pronounced association between TUFT1 and Neuronal Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP) observed during microfilament formation. TUFT1 can promote the phosphorylation of tyrosine residue 256 (Y256) of the N-WASP (pY256N-WASP). Furthermore, TUFT1 promoted transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) induced fibroblast activation by increasing nuclear translocation of pY256N-WASP in fibroblasts, while wiskostatin (Wis), an N-WASP inhibitor, suppressed these processes.ConclusionsOur findings suggested that TUFT1 plays a critical role in pulmonary fibrosis via its influence on stress fiber, and blockade of TUFT1 effectively reduces pro-fibrotic phenotypes. Pharmacological targeting of the TUFT1-N-WASP axis may represent a promising therapeutic approach for pulmonary fibrosis.

Light-induced ultrafast spin transport in multilayer metallic films originates from sp - d spin exchange coupling

Ultrafast interaction between the femtosecond laser pulse and the magnetic metal provides an efficient way to manipulate the magnetic states of matter. Numerous experimental advancements have been made on multilayer metallic films in the last two decades. However, the underlying physics remains unclear. Here, relying on an efficient ab initio spin dynamics simulation algorithm, we revealed the physics that can unify the progress in different experiments. We found that light-induced ultrafast spin transport in multilayer metallic films originates from the sp - d spin-exchange interaction, which can induce an ultrafast, large, and pure spin current from ferromagnetic metal to nonmagnetic metal without charge carrier transport. The resulting trends of spin demagnetization and spin flow are consistent with most experiments. It can explain a variety of ultrafast light-spin manipulation experiments with different systems and different pump-probe technologies, covering a wide range of work in this field.