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Surface mechanical strengthening is an effective way to improve the fatigue performance, among which surface rolling has been vastly utilized for its significant enhancement in fatigue strength. However, traditional rolling process is only suitable for components with rotational symmetry, limiting its application. Herein, a newly developed technology named "spinning rolling (SR)" was developed to strengthen the surfaces of platy components. A common Al alloy, 7075, was selected for verifying the effect. It is found that compared with the most popular technology, shot peening (SP), SR can provide deeper and higher residual stress, lower surface roughness, and comparable hardening layer, and consequently, significantly higher fatigue lives. Accordingly, there is a transition in the fatigue crack source from point‐like to line‐like, confirming a strong crack propagation resistance along depth direction. This study indicates the advantages of the SR technology, providing a greater resistance against fatigue damage of platy components. Highlights: We developed a new surface strengthening technology—spinning rolling (SR), which has wider applicability and better fatigue life extension effect.The fatigue lives of 7075 aluminum alloy plates processed by SR are highly improved by even one order of magnitude at the same stress amplitude.There is a transition in the fatigue crack source from point‐like to line‐like, confirming a strong crack propagation resistance along depth direction due to SR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nKEY POINTSThe formation of high-quality deep to ultra-deep carbonate reservoirs presents a topic worthy of thorough exploration. Focusing on the Ediacaran (Sinian) Dengying Formation in the Penglai area of the Sichuan Basin, we analysed genesis mechanisms of deep to ultra-deep marine carbonate reservoirs through drilling/logging, seismic data and analytical tests, which showed the dolomite reservoir primarily consists of secondary solution pores and cavities, exhibiting characteristics of vertical overlap and horizontal continuous distribution. The microbial mound beach, which represents the main dominant facies type within the reservoir, can be categorised into three types: high-quality reservoir, medium-quality reservoir and poor reservoir. The reservoir has undergone five stages: syngenetic to quasi-syngenetic, shallow burial, supergene, burial and deep burial adjustment stages. It is postulated that the development of deep to ultra-deep carbonate reservoirs is governed by sedimentary facies, with the type and structure of carbonate influencing the development and evolution of reservoir pores. Multiphase diagenetic fluids further modify and enhanced the properties of the reservoirs. Deep and ultra-deep carbonate reservoirs exhibit strong heterogeneity, and high-quality reservoirs are characterised by multi-factor joint control and multi-stage composite genesis. The lithological and structural–lithological traps associated with them commonly cluster in large areas so effective identification of favourable sedimentary facies and reservoirs is crucial for predicting deep to ultra-deep carbonate reservoirs, characterising traps and improving the success rate of drilling.The original carbonate rock fabrics influence the diagenetic pore-development processes through the type and distribution of primary pores.Multi-stage diagenetic fluids further adjust and improve the physical properties of the reservoir, ultimately determining the formation of high-quality deep to ultra-deep reservoirs.The development of high-quality deep to ultra-deep carbonate reservoirs is the result of multiple factors and multi-stage discontinuous modifications, leading to strong heterogeneity in these reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To detect the acute myocardial injury in fulminant myocarditis (FM) survivors after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and to demonstrate its significant differences from non-FM patients by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). This retrospective study enrolled 59 patients with acute myocarditis (AM), including 35 non-FM patients, 24 FM patients, and 54 controls. The peak value of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) was recorded. Tissue parameters, including native T1, extracellular volume (ECV), late gadolinium-enhancement (LGE)%, and T2 by CMR were assessed. The mean age was 35 ± 14 years, and 45.8% of the population were males in the AM group. Patients had higher levels of peak cTnT, peak NT-proBNP and peak C-reactive protein in the FM group (all p<0.05). Comparing with non-FM, the values of T1-based imaging parameters were significantly higher in the FM group (all p<0.05). In contrast, no difference was observed among the two groups in terms of T2 value (p=0.707). The septal area was more frequently involved in FM survivors after ECMO treatment, both in T1 and T2-based images. In addition, the cubic relationship was the relative best fit of LGE% against logcTnT and indicated that cTnT value exceeding 300ng/L exhibited a rapid upward trend of LGE%. Comparing to non-FM, higher myocardial necrosis and fibrosis but similar edema determined by T1 and T2 based imaging was found in FM survivors after ECMO treatment. Furthermore, the inter-ventricular septal area was more frequently involved by acute myocardial injury in FM survivors after ECMO treatment. In addition, LGE% showed an overall increasing trend with cTnT values elevating with rapidly increasing with cTnT exceeding 300 ng/L. • To detect the acute cardiac injury defined by CMR in FM survivors after ECMO. • Higher myocardial necrosis and fibrosis but similar edema was found in FM survivors. • The septal area was more frequently involved by acute myocardial injury in FM group. • LGE% showed an overall increasing trend with cTnT values elevating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold spray (CS) has emerged as an appealing additive manufacturing (AM) technique for producing or repairing individual components or entire structures. Compared to fusion-based AM technologies, cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM) offers distinct advantages in the fabrication of components, while avoiding some melting/solidification-related issues such as phase transformation and oxidation. It involves intricate processes that pose significant challenges for numerical modeling, particularly when simulating the entire process at a large scale. The smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method is highly suitable for handling large material deformations due to its Lagrangian and meshless nature. In this work, we develop an enhanced SPH method to conduct large-scale simulations of CSAM with different powder sizes, morphologies, and distributions. A modified material model has been incorporated to accurately capture the strain-rate hardening effects during the plastic stage. The computational scale is greatly improved by using a Message Passing Interface (MPI) based framework, enabling the simulation of approximately ten million SPH particles. To the authors' knowledge, this study marks the first attempt to numerically reproduce the entire process of CSAM with real powder sizes and distributions. Experimental data measured for a wide range of powder velocities are used to validate the simulation results and assess the prediction accuracy. Subsequently, we comparatively study the bonding mechanisms of powders with the same or different sizes, while also identifying a four-stage coating process. The effects of powder morphology on the bonding process are thoroughly investigated. A large-scale CSAM process is finally reproduced to demonstrate the capability of the present meshless scheme, and mechanisms of pore formation are analyzed, providing valuable insights for practical engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous downsizing of solder joints, the influence of the grain characteristics of the under bump metallization (UBMs) on the interfacial reaction is exposed. In this paper, the effect of grain characteristics of Cu UBM on the growth of interfacial intermetallic compounds and the formation of Kirkendall voids in Cu/Sn/Cu micro solder joints during isothermal aging at 150 °C was investigated. Electroplated polycrystalline Cu (EP-Cu), (111) single crystal Cu ((111) Cu), and (111) nano-twinned Cu ((111) nt-Cu) were selected as UBMs. After reflow soldering, the Cu6Sn5 grains formed on (111) nt-Cu were near to the orientation (2 1 - 1 - 3) , while those were randomly formed on both EP-Cu and (111) Cu. During isothermal aging, the Cu6Sn5 grains exhibited the highest growth rate on (111) nt-Cu UBM, and the slowest growth rate on (111) Cu UBM, due to the differing number of diffusion routes among the three Cu UBMs with distinct grain characteristics. Furthermore, no Kirkendall voids were detected on the (111) Cu UBM, however, a significant number of Kirkendall voids were identified on the (111) nt-Cu UBM, which can be attributed to the diffusion path and impurities present in the three Cu UBMs. The results will offer theoretical and practical recommendations for the selection of Cu UBMs for micro solder joints in 3D packaging interconnection technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have crucial roles in human cancers. Many studies have certified that miRNAs are implicated in tumor progression via exosomes. Nevertheless, whether miRNA-339 is derived by exosomes and its effects in gastric cancer (GC) presents obscure. Therefore, our study attempted to clarify the functional role and molecular mechanism of miRNA-339 in GC. Materials and Methods: In this research, the potential of miRNA-339 in GC was verified through miRNA-339 elevation with cell function assays. Bioinformatics analysis together with mechanical assay was implemented for assessing the regulatory relation between miRNA-339 and zinc finger protein 689 (ZNF689). Moreover, the existence of exosomes was determined via transmission electron microscopy together with nanoparticle tracking analysis. Results: miRNA-339 presented significant down-regulation in GC. miRNA-339 elevation suppressed GC cell proliferation, invasion along with migration while elevated GC cell apoptosis. miRNA-339 targeted ZNF689 3'UTR to repress ZNF689 expression, thereby hindering GC progression. Finally, miRNA-339 was majorly incorporated into exosomes to hinder GC progression. Conclusion: In summary, exosome-delivered miRNA-339 may act to be a tumor repressor in GC by targeting ZNF689, which might be an underlying therapeutic target for GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a significant contributor to the deaths of females, and premature menopause adds to the risk of CVD in females. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the age of menopause and CVD incidence in American females using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We analyzed data from 6347 females to investigate the association between menopausal age and the risk of CVD using multivariate logistic regression analysis. The study found that a later menopausal age reduces the risk of developing CVD (odds ratio [OR] = 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.63 − 0.88, p < 0.001). Moreover, females with early-onset CVD had an increased risk of premature menopause before the age of 40 years (OR = 2.44, 95% CI = 1.60 − 3.72, p < 0.001). Menopausal age is associated with the risk of developing CVD in American females. Specifically, if menopause occurs earlier, there is an increased risk of CVD. Additionally, early-onset CVD significantly raises the risk of premature menopause, which in turn has important implications for female reproductive health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practical engineering problems often involve stochastic uncertainty, which can cause substantial variations in the response of engineering products or even lead to failure. The coupling and propagation of uncertainty play a crucial role in this process. Hence, it is imperative to quantify, propagate and control stochastic uncertainty. Different from most traditional uncertainty propagation methods, the proposed method employs Gaussian splitting method to divide the input random variables into Gaussian mixture models. These GMMs have a limited number of components with very small variances. As a result, the input Gaussian components can be conveniently propagated to the response and remain Gaussian distributions after nonlinear uncertainty propagation, which is able to provide an effective method for high-precision nonlinear uncertainty propagation. Firstly, the probability density function of input random variable is reconstructed by Gaussian mixture models. Secondly, the K-value criterion is proposed for selecting split direction, taking into account both the nonlinearity and variance. The components of input random variables are then divided into a Gaussian mixture model with small variance along the direction determined by the K-value. Thirdly, the individual components of the Gaussian mixture model are propagated one by one to obtain the probability density function of the response. Finally, the convergence criterion based on Shannon entropy is developed to ensure the accuracy of uncertainty propagation. The efficacy of the method is verified using three numerical examples and two engineering examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic development has led to a continuous increase in people's demand for transportation, which has led to an imbalance between the supply and demand of road facilities. Traffic congestion, traffic safety and other issues have caused the road traffic environment to become increasingly poor, thereby hindering the development of cities. Therefore, in response to the inability of traditional traffic flow prediction techniques to handle constantly changing traffic flow data, a machine learning traffic flowing predicting model on the foundation of least squares support vector machine is proposed. A hybrid optimizing algorithm based on particle swarm optimization and genetic algorithm is proposed to optimize the parameters of least squares support vector machines in response to the sensitivity of model parameters. Three factors of genetic algorithm are introduced into particle swarm optimization to optimize this model. These experiments confirm that the fitting accuracy between model's predicted values and the actual values is over 90%, and the residual fluctuation is relatively small. Its RMSE is approximately 33.52% to 75.76% lower than the other three algorithms, its MAE is approximately 27% to 67% lower than other algorithms, and its EC is approximately 1% to 5% higher than other algorithms. The proposed hybrid optimization algorithm can find a set of optimal parameters, making the least squares support vector machine have good stability and prediction accuracy in predicting traffic flow problems. This model can be used to predict traffic flow, congestion conditions and other traffic indicators, providing a reliable theoretical basis for urban traffic management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the effect of second-generation motion correction (MC2) on image quality and measurement reproducibility of cardiac CT images in patients with a myocardial bridge and mural coronary artery (MB-MCA) compared to standard (STD) images without motion correction and with first-generation motion correction (MC1). A total of 66 patients with MB-MCA in the left anterior descending branch who underwent 256-detector CT with single-heartbeat acquisition were included. Images were reconstructed at 45% and 75% R-R intervals using STD, MC1, and MC2 algorithms. Image quality for MB-MCA was assessed by two observers on a four-point scale (1 = poor and 4 = excellent) and compared among STD, MC1, and MC2. Depth and length of MB, lumen area, and minimal diameter of MCA were measured and compared. At 45% R-R interval, image quality scores were 1.59 ± 0.78, 2.21 ± 0.97, and 3.21 ± 0.62 for MCA, and 2.48 ± 0.79, 2.76 ± 0.75, and 3.58 ± 0.58 for MB with STD, MC1 and MC2, respectively. At 75% R-R interval, these values were 2.26 ± 0.60, 3.03 ± 0.89, and 3.59 ± 0.55 for MCA and 3.00 ± 0.93, 3.17 ± 0.83, and 3.80 ± 0.44 for MB. Although MC1 was superior to STD in displaying MCA, there was no statistical difference between the two algorithms for MB (p >0.05). Compared with STD and MC1, MC2 statistically improved image quality and interpretability for both MCA and MB and had narrower limits in interobserver agreement for measurements at both 45% and 75% R-R intervals. MC2 improves CT image quality and measurement reproducibility in patients with MB-MCA compared to STD and MC1. • MC2 can further improve the image quality of MCA than MC1. • MC2 can not only correct for the motion of MCA, but also MB. • MC2 can further improve measurement reproducibility for MB-MCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pool boiling has been considered as an effective method for heat transfer, which is extensively used in semiconductor microprocessors and aerospace. The prevention of critical heat flux (CHF) and improvement of heat transfer coefficient (HTC) are the keys to strengthen the pool boiling heat transfer. It has been reported that porous pillars can delay CHF by reducing vapor–liquid counter flow and nano-porous structure can significantly improve the liquid replenishment capacity and HTC. Herein, we modulate micro-nano porous structures by etching nanostructures on the surface of microporous pillars in order to utilize the advantages of above two structures. The boiling phenomenon inside the micro-nano composite pores is clearly demonstrated based on our visualization experiment. It is observed that the main vapor motion is regular periodic growth and recession. Through the quantitative analysis of the vapor–liquid interface area and vapor movement frequency, we find that they are both positively correlated with the heat transfer performance of porous structures. Hence, it is proved that the vapor–liquid phase distribution is the decisive factor affecting the heat transfer performance of micro-nano porous structures. Following the principle of maintaining larger vapor–liquid interface area and accelerating vapor movement frequency, the micro-nano porous structures with better performance can be obtained. Our approach establishes the relationship between the internal boiling phenomenon and the performance of micro-nano porous structures. In addition, it also provides a feasible direction for improving the performance of engineered boiling micro-nano structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed physiological and molecular characteristics associated with the resistance to aging or anti-senescence in Camellia oleifera Abel. Trees over 100 years old (ancient trees) were compared with those about 30 years old (mature trees). Total chlorophylls, chlorophyll a/b ratio, and hydrogen peroxide concentrations in ancient tree leaves were significantly higher than in their counterparts. Significantly higher activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase were detected in ancient tree leaves. Nine Chl a/b-binding protein genes, 15 antioxidant enzyme genes, 21 hormone-related genes, and 301 stress-related genes were upregulated, and 42 protein-degradation genes were downregulated in ancient tree leaves. By increasing chlorophyll content and antioxidant enzyme activities and regulating the ageing-related genes expression, ancient C. oleifera leaves maintained remarkable vitality. Although further research is needed, our study may shed some light on how ancient C. oleifera trees can resist ageing and sustain their healthy growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corotation electric field driving the plasmasphere to corotate with the Earth body is important in establishing the topology of the inner magnetosphere and is usually calculated by assuming a 24 h corotation period. However, studies have found that a plasmasphere corotation lag exists, suggesting an overestimation of the electric field driving the plasmasphere to rotate with the planet in previous calculations. In this study, we use electric field measurements from the Van Allen Probes mission from 2012 to 2018 to obtain the distribution of the large-scale electric field in the inner magnetosphere. A new method is developed to extract plasmaspheric rotation information from electric field measurements. Our results show that the electric field driving the plasmaspheric rotation varies with magnetic activity, decreasing with increasing Kp index. It is thus suggested that the corotation lag of the plasmasphere is more significant during magnetically active periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goos-Hänchen (GH) shift, an interference phenomenon describing the lateral shift of the reflected beam along the interface during total internal reflection, has attracted great interests in the field of quantum transport in two-dimensional materials. In particular, the GH effect generates a novel pseudospin-dependent scattering effect in graphene, which in turn results in an 8 e 2 / h conductance step in the bipolar junctions. Here, we reveal that a barrier region with effective barrier strength χ can greatly enrich the GH effect in graphene junctions. In contrast to the conventional case where the negative shift is allowed only in the p - n junction, the thin barrier enables both negative and positive spatial shifts in p I n and n I n junctions, where I represents the barrier region. More interestingly, the lowest channel degeneracy can be efficiently varied by tuning χ in both the symmetric p I n I p and the asymmetric pn I p junctions, leading to a highly controllable switch that switches the conductance between 8 e 2 / h and 4 e 2 / h. These results advance the knowledge of GH effects in electronic materials and suggest experimental avenues for its observation and manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the major abiotic stresses restricting the development of global agriculture, saline–alkali stress causes osmotic stress, ion poisoning, ROS damage and high pH damage, which seriously restrict sustainable development of fruit industry. Therefore, it is essential to develop and cultivate saline–alkali‐resistant apple rootstocks to improve the yield and quality of apples in China.Based on transcriptome data, MhANR (LOC114827797), which is significantly induced by saline–alkali stress, was cloned from Malus halliana. The physicochemical properties, evolutionary relationships and cis‐acting elements were analysed. Subsequently, the tolerance of MhANR overexpression in Arabidopsis thaliana, tobacco, and apple calli to saline–alkali stress was verified through genetic transformation.Transgenic plants contained less Chl a, Chl b and proline, SOD, POD and CAT activity, and higher relative electrical conductivity (REC) compared to WT plants under saline–alkali stress. In addition, expression of saline–alkali stress‐related genes in overexpressed apple calli were also lower than in WT calli, including the antioxidant genes (MhSOD and MhCAT^), the Na+ transporter genes (MhCAX5, MhCAX5, MhSOS1, MhALT1), and the H+‐ATPase genes (MhAHA2 and MhAHA8), while expression of the K+ transporter genes (MhSKOR and MhNHX4) were higher.Expression of MhANR reduced tolerance of A. thaliana, tobacco, and apple calli to saline–alkali stress by regulating osmoregulatory substances, chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzyme activity, and expression of saline–alkali stress‐related genes. This research provides a theoretical basis for cultivating apple rootstocks with effective saline–alkali stress tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well-developed micro and mesoporous activated carbon fibers (ACFs) with fiber structure were prepared from tissue by CO2 activation. The XRD patterns and Raman spectrum indicated ACFs had a graphitic and amorphous structure. The SEM results indicated that the sample exhibited fiber structure with lots of mesoporous, with an average pore size of 2-5 nm. The specific surface area of 1517 m²/g, micro surface area of 412.9 m²/g, and total pore volume of 1.194 cm³/g were obtained at 900°C with CO2 activation for 2 hours. ACFs showed relatively high methylene blue adsorption properties with an equilibrium adsorption capacity of 526 mg/g. The kinetic model of the Pseudo-second-order equation was more suitable for MB adsorption than the Pseudo-first-order equation and Intraparticle diffusion kinetics, with a high correlation coefficient value (R>0.999). The present research provided a new idea of bionics for the manufacture of ACFs and brought forward a creative prospect for achieving energy-related CO2 emissions to net-zero and mitigating global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular clocks are the basis for dating the divergence between lineages over macroevolutionary timescales (~105 to 108 years). However, classical DNA-based clocks tick too slowly to inform us about the recent past. Here, we demonstrate that stochastic DNA methylation changes at a subset of cytosines in plant genomes display a clocklike behavior. This “epimutation clock” is orders of magnitude faster than DNA-based clocks and enables phylogenetic explorations on a scale of years to centuries. We show experimentally that epimutation clocks recapitulate known topologies and branching times of intraspecies phylogenetic trees in the self-fertilizing plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the clonal seagrass Zostera marina, which represent two major modes of plant reproduction. This discovery will open new possibilities for high-resolution temporal studies of plant biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We systematically compare the temporal and spectral properties of 53 supernova (SN)-associated and 15 kilonova (KN)-associated gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We find that the spectral parameters of both types of GRBs are identically and lognormally distributed, consistent with those normal GRBs. The bolometric luminosities of SN/GRBs and KN/GRBs have a triple form, with the corresponding break luminosities of SN/GRBs are roughly two orders of magnitude larger than those of KN/GRBs. We build the power-law relations between the spectral lag and the luminosity of prompt γ-rays with indices of −1.43 ± 0.33 for SN/GRBs and −2.17 ± 0.57 for KN/GRBs in the laboratory frame, which are respectively coincident with the rest-frame values. We verify that both SN/GRBs and KN/GRBs comply with their own Amati relations that match those of long and short GRBs, respectively. Analysing X-ray afterglows with good plateau segments, we build the power-law relations between the X-ray luminosity and the plateau time with an index of −1.12 ± 0.17 for KN/GRBs and −1.08 ± 0.22 for SN/GRBs, which can be well explained by the relativistic shock driven by an energy injection. The plots of luminosity-lag, Amati relation, and luminosity-time show heavy overlap between the two types of GRBs, implying that they might share the same radiation mechanism despite originating from different progenitors or central engines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optically pumped rare gas laser (OPRGL) is an innovative type of gas laser, which has the potential to be a candidate for high-energy lasers (HELs), in which metastable rare gas atoms generated by gas discharge are used as active particles. To realize these kinds of lasers as HELs in field application, high efficiency and low cost are necessary. For this purpose, we demonstrated a closed-chamber operation with repetitively pulsed gas discharge for an OPRGL of argon metastables. The pulsed discharge was powered by a home-made LC generator, which provided a high efficiency for the deposition of electric energy. The metastable density produced was higher than 1012 cm−3, quite enough for efficient laser operation. The dependencies of laser radiation on the parameters of discharge voltage, gas pressure, and argon concentration were studied, which showed an optimized argon concentration of 1%. Long-time operations were also performed, which demonstrated the practicability of the operation of OPRGL in a closed chamber, with the avoiding of the running away of rare gases in the open cycle of flowing operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiotherapy is a classical way to induce cellular senescence. Senescent tumor cells exhibit unique surface proteome signature and secrete a range of senescence-associated secretory phenotypes (SASP), exerting immune activating or immunosuppressive functions. However, the role of radiotherapy-induced senescence and predictive value as a biomarker have not been fully understood. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the function of radiotherapy-induced tumor cell senescence, elucidate the underlying mechanism by which senescent cells reshape anti-tumor immunity and evaluate its clinical value as a potential biomarker to predict radiotherapy efficacy. Multiplex immunofluorescence and luminex multiplex assays were performed on tissue and serum samples from patients receiving radiotherapy. To investigate the crosstalk between senescent tumor cells and immune cells, an abscopal mouse model with p21 knockdown was constructed and single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) and Flow Cytometry were used. CD4+ T cells were separated from OT-Ⅱ transgenic mice and CD4+ T and NK cells from CD45.1 mice were adoptive transferred to CD45.1 mice to verify the interaction. Mass spectrum (MS), co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP), senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) assay, qPCR, Western Blot and ELISA were used to explore the molecular mechanism. We found that radiotherapy induced tumor cell senescence and upregulated serum SASP level in samples of patients. The level of cellular senescence was significantly positively correlated with immune infiltration and patient prognosis. In addition, we demonstrated that 15Gy radiation led to senescence in tumor cell lines and tumor-bearing mice. p21 was essential in this process and p21 knockdown significantly reduced radiotherapy-induced senescence. In the abscopal mouse model, we found that P21 knockdown significantly attenuated the local control and abscopal effect of radiotherapy. Furthermore, RNA sequencing showed that the MHC-Ⅱ antigen presentation pathway and SASP secretion were downregulated after p21 knockdown. We focused on the chemokine CCL5 through MS and verified that p21 knockdown downregulated radiotherapy induced secretion of CCL5 by qPCR, Western Blot and ELISA. CCL5 secreted by senescent tumor cells can act on CCR5 receptors on CD4+ T and NK cells, promote their infiltration and enhance the killing function. Further mechanism exploration revealed that p21 binding to JunB reduced its ubiquitination and inhibits its degradation post radiotherapy. JunB as a transcription factor can bind to CCL5 promoter, thereby regulating the expression level of CCL5. Our study demonstrates that radiotherapy-induced tumor cell senescence reshapes surface proteome and secretome to enhance systemic anti-tumor immunity in a CD4+ T and NK cells dependent manner through p21/JunB/CCL5 axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prognostic value of cancer-associated fibroblasts is noticed. Owing to the functional heterogeneity, the classification of cancer-associated fibroblasts lacks a standardized experimental method. For reducing the reliance on specialized imaging techniques and helping with prognostic stratification, we aimed to develop a machine learning model to automate and classify fibroblasts based on routine histopathology images. A machine learning model was developed for detection, classification and quantitative evaluation of fibroblasts in 1424 hematoxylin-eosin-stained images from 573 gastrointestinal cancer patients. The computerized fibroblasts were investigated in association with overall survival. One public dataset was used for model training and internal validation. External validation was conducted on data from one institution. The machine learning model achieved high accuracies in detecting and classifying three different types of cells (tumor infiltrating lymphocytes: 88%, tumor cell: 79%, fibroblasts: 78%). Based on the extracted features, fibroblasts were categorized into two morphologically distinct classes. Class One fibroblasts are flat, elongated and lightly dyed, Class Two fibroblasts are small, thick and darkly dyed. The proportion of fibroblast subtypes stratified patients into two distinct risk groups across colorectal cancer and gastric cancer. Survival outcomes compared between groups: the proportion of Class One fibroblasts vs Class Two fibroblasts (for colorectal cancer: hazard ratio [HR], 0.61; 95% CI, 0.53-0.71; P < 0.050). Patients with a higher proportion of Class One fibroblasts had a significantly improved overall survival compared to those with a higher proportion of Class Two fibroblasts (for colorectal cancer: P < 0.001; for gastric cancer: P < 0.001). In this study, we proposed a deep learning model for quantifying fibroblasts on H&E slides and classified fibroblasts morphologically into two classes. The proportion of fibroblast subtypes is a meaningful and independent prognostic marker and it could improve prognostic stratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epistemic uncertainty is widespread in reliability analysis of practical engineering products. Evidence theory is regarded as a powerful model for quantifying and analyzing epistemic uncertainty. However, the heavy computational burden has severely hindered its application in practical engineering problems, which is essentially caused by the repeated extreme analysis of limit-state function (LSF). In order to address the issue, this paper proposes a novel method to solve the evidence-theory-based reliability analysis (ETRA). It transforms the conventional ETRA problem into the classification of three classes of joint focal elements (JFEs) and then solves the classification problem effectively through a deep learning approach. The core of solving an ETRA problem is to determine whether the joint focal element is located in the reliable region, failure region, or intersected with the LSF. A spatial position feature reduction and arrangement method is proposed to classify the JFEs, which can effectively reduce the feature dimension and take into account the integrity and correlation of features. The stacked autoencoders model is then constructed and updated by extracting the spatial position features of the sampled JFEs to achieve high-accuracy classification of the remaining JFEs, and the reliability interval is calculated efficiently according to the classification results. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated using several numerical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated photo-induced effects in Ge-Ga-Se films. It was found that, thermal annealing causes the increase of the bandgap in the as-prepared films, and all three annealed films show photodarkening (PD) behavior with light illumination but the change of optical bandgap is minimum in Ge25 film. Such PD behavior can be recovered by reannealing of the film. The kinetic process of Tf/Ti exhibits part recovering of PD during the cycle of laser on and off. Moreover, no obvious structural change can be observed in the Raman spectra of the films at different states, especially in that of Ge25 film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate prediction of the geographical spatial distribution location of traffic accidents can provide drivers with richer traffic geographic information, thereby reducing the rate of traffic accidents. However, the existing methods for predicting the geographical spatial distribution location of traffic accidents have the problems of large error and long time. Therefore, this paper proposes a method for predicting the geographical spatial distribution location of traffic accidents based on the traffic flow gig data. First, collect traffic flow big data during the accident through highway detectors. Secondly, the collected data is processed for exception deletion, missing completion and geocode conversion. Finally, according to the geographical spatial distribution characteristics, the geographical spatial distribution of traffic accidents is predicted through Kalman filter. The experimental results show that this method predicts the geographical spatial distribution of traffic accidents based on actual test results, with good prediction effect and high prediction efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The state of burning plasma had been achieved in inertial confinement fusion (ICF), which was regarded as a great milestone for high-gain laser fusion energy. In the burning plasma, alpha particles incident on the cryogenic (warm dense) fuels cannot be simply regarded as single particles, and the new physics brought about by the density effects of alpha particles should be considered. In this work, the collective interaction between them has been considered, namely, the effect of the superposition of wake waves. The stopping power of alpha-particle clusters, i.e., the rate of energy loss per unit distance traveled has been calculated using both analytical and simulation approaches. In theory, we obtain the stopping power of alpha clusters in cryogenic (warm dense) fuel by the dielectric function method, which illustrates the importance of the effective interaction between particles. Simulation results using the LAPINS code show that the collective stopping power of the alpha cluster is indeed increased via coherent superposition of excitation fields (the excitation of high-amplitude wake waves). However, the comparison between simulation and theoretical results also illustrates a coherent–decoherent transition of the stopping power of the cluster. The initial conditions with various sizes and densities of the alpha clusters have been considered to verify the condition of decoherence transition. Our work provides a theoretical description of the transport properties of high-density alpha particles in warm dense cryogenic fuel and might give some theoretical guidance for the design of actual fusion processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in the growth, development, morphogenesis, signal transduction, and stress response in plants. The ICE (Inducer of CBF expression)‐CBF (C‐repeat binding factor)‐COR (Cold‐regulated gene) regulatory cascade is an important signalling pathway in plant response to low temperature stress, and it remains unknown whether this pathway is regulated by miRNAs.In this study, high‐throughput sequencing was employed for predicting and identifying the miRNAs that were likely to target the ICE‐CBF‐COR pathway in Eucalyptus camaldulensis. A novel ICE1‐targeting miRNA, eca‐novel‐miR‐259‐5p (nov‐miR259), was further analysed.A total of 392 conserved miRNAs and 97 novel miRNAs were predicted, including 80 differentially expressed miRNAs. Of these, 30 miRNAs were predicted to be associated with the ICE‐CBF‐COR pathway. The full‐length of mature nov‐miR259 was 22 bp and its precursor gene was 60 bp in length, with a typical hairpin structure. The RNA ligase‐mediated 5′ amplification of cDNA ends (5′‐RLM‐RACE) and Agrobacterium‐mediated tobacco transient expression assays demonstrated that nov‐miR259 could cleave EcaICE1 in vivo. Moreover, qRT‐PCR and Pearson's correlation analysis further revealed that the expression levels of nov‐miR259 were almost significantly negatively correlated with those of its target gene, EcaICE1, and the other genes in the ICE‐CBF‐COR pathway.We first identified the nov‐miR259 as a novel ICE1‐targeting miRNA, and the nov‐miR259‐ICE1 module may be involved in regulating the cold stress response in E. camaldulensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various modeling studies have examined the climatic effects of either the Central American Seaway or the Indonesian seaway. The co‐existence of these two tropical seaways may have a greater influence than the existence of a single seaway. Although the dual seaway situation is closer to that reconstructed during Miocene/Pliocene, relevant studies remain scarce. Here, we investigate the co‐effects of dual tropical seaway changes on the Pacific circulation through a set of sensitivity experiments. Our results show that the combined shallow opening of tropical seaways can generate an active Pacific meridional overturning circulation and maintain strong upwelling conditions along the equatorial Pacific, which may have helped favor a "biogenic bloom" during the late Miocene and early Pliocene. Moreover, the logically successive closure of the tropical seaways can provide patterns of zonal sea surface temperature gradients that are similar to those recorded in the equatorial Pacific from the late Miocene to the Pliocene. Plain Language Summary: During the late Miocene and the Pliocene, changes in the Central American and the Indonesian seaways geometry are very important for ocean circulation and global climate. Various modelling studies have examined the separate effects of these two tropical seaways, especially their link to the onset of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets through changes in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and associated heat and moisture transport. Although the existence of dual tropical seaways is closer to the reality, there are very scarce modelling studies exploring the co‐effects of dual tropical seaway changes, especially on the Pacific ocean circulation. Here we provide the results of modelling study on this issue. Our results show that the combined shallow opening of tropical ways can generate an active Pacific meridional overturning circulation (i.e., absent in modern conditions) by which the meridional and zonal sea surface temperature gradient in the Pacific largely reduce. In contrast, a deeper opening of tropical seaways can not produce these changes in the Pacific ocean circulation. This study provides insights into and a better understanding of the role of tropical seaways in shaping the Pacific climate and highlights the importance of the sill depth of each seaway. Key Points: The co‐effects of opening of two tropical seaways on the Pacific circulation are investigated with climate modelShallow opening of tropical seaways can generate an active Pacific meridional overturning circulation, whilst a deeper condition can notThe stepwise closure of the tropical seaways can provide similar‐to‐record patterns of zonal sea surface temperature gradients [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) is a classical complication after giant ventral hernia surgery and may lead to abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). Assessment of risk factors and prevention of IAH/ACS are essential for hernia surgeons. Methods: We performed a retrospective study including 58 giant ventral hernia patients in our center between Jan 1, 2017, and Mar 1, 2022, we recorded age, gender, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypoproteinemia, body mass index (BMI), the ratio of hernia sac volume to abdominal cavity volume (HSV/ACV), defect width, tension reduction procedure (TRP), positive fluid balance (PFB) and IAH of these patients and analyzed the data using univariate and multivariate logistic regression to screen the risk factors for IAH after surgery. Results: The multivariate analysis showed that HSV/ACV ≥ 25%, hypoproteinemia, and PFB were independent risk factors for the occurrence of IAH after giant ventral hernia repair (P = 0.025, 0.016, 0.017, respectively). We did not find any correlation between postoperative IAH and the patient's age, gender, COPD, CHD, hypertension, T2DM, BMI, defect width, TRP, and PFB. Conclusion: Identifying risk factors is of great significance for the early identification and prevention of IAH/ACS. We found that HSV/ACV ≥ 25%, hypoproteinemia, and PFB were independent risk factors for IAH after giant ventral hernia repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic rotary drilling can offer the essential information and core samplesa for the researches on solid earth. Recording the factual field drilling data and analyzing the hydraulic rotary coring process are challenging yet promising to utilize the massive drilling information in geophysics and geology. This paper adopts the drilling process monitoring (DPM) technique and records the four parameters of displacement, thrust pressure, upward pressure, and rotation speed in real-time series for profiling the siliciclastic sedimentary rocks along 108 m deep drillhole. The digitalization results with 107 linear zones represent the spatial distribution of drilled geomaterials including superficial deposits (fill, loess, gravelly soil), mudstone, silty mudstone, gritstone, and fine sandstone. The constant drilling speeds varying from 0.018 to 1.905 m/min present the in-situ coring resistance of drilled geomaterials. Furthermore, the constant drilling speeds can identify the strength quality of soils to hard rocks. The thickness distributions of the six basic strength quality grades are presented for all the sedimentary rocks and each individual type of the seven soil and rocks. The in-situ strength profile determined in this paper can be used to assess and evaluate the in-situ mechanical behavior of geomaterial along the drillhole and can provide a new mechanical-based assessment for determining the spatial distribution of geological strata and structures in subsurface. They are important since the same stratum at different depths can have different mechanical behavior. The results provide a novel quantitative measurement for continuously in-situ mechanical profiling by digital drilling data. The findings of the paper can offer a new and effective method for refinement and upgrading of in-situ ground investigation, and can provide researchers and engineers with a novel tool and valuable reference to digitize and utilize factual data of current drilling projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cracks broadly exist within slopes due to desiccation, weathering, or wetting–drying cycles in Nature. The presence of cracks inevitably reduces slope stability. However, such fissured slopes have received little attention, especially when subject to earthquake action, which is considered one of the most significant inducements of slope instability. In practice, antislide piles have proven useful measures to stabilize slopes, while the performance of antislide piles in fissured slopes subjected to seismic action is inexplicit. To this end, this study aims to develop an effective method to assess the seismic stability of three-dimensional (3D) fissured slopes reinforced with piles. The modified pseudodynamic approach is introduced to properly present the dynamic characteristic of seismic waves in real cases. Based on the kinematic approach of limit analysis, a 3D failure mechanism integrating cracks and antislide piles is developed to describe the slope failure. Open cracks (cracks existing before slope failure) and formation cracks (cracks forming as part of the failure mechanism) are both considered. The effect of seismic action is expressed by incorporating the work rates of seismic force. Thanks to the principle of work–energy balance, solutions of safety factors can be obtained by the application of an optimization scheme. The proposed method is verified through a detailed comparison with previous investigations. This paper ends with a description of a parametric study to reveal the effects of cracks, pseudodynamic seismic action, and the design of antislide piles on slope stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional analyses for active earth pressures considered soils dry or saturated by the application of a two-dimensional (2D) failure pattern. However, soils are usually unsaturated in nature, and the collapse of backfills presents a three-dimensional (3D) characteristic. The extant studies proved that the existence of cracks and seepage flow encountered in backfills would impact active earth pressures but are still limited to 2D conditions. To this end, this study developed an analytical framework to evaluate the 3D active earth pressure considering the presence of cracks and steady-infiltration effects within unsaturated backfills. Based on the kinematic approach of limit analysis, a suction-induced effective method is introduced into a 3D failure mechanism to characterize the collapse of unsaturated backfills. By means of the work rate balance equation, the most adverse location of cracks and the explicit expression of active thrust under steady seepage conditions can be obtained through the incorporation of the suction stress profile. The presented method is verified by comparison with the exact cases in previous studies and comparison with the results of numerical simulation. A systematic parametric study is conducted to reveal the impacts of width-to-height ratio, air-entry value, pore-size distribution, vertical discharge, and cracks on the active earth pressure variations. The results show that considering 3D effects is significant because it leads to a lower economic cost for the design of retaining walls; the presence of cracks and the effect of steady infiltration encountered in unsaturated backfills would increase the lateral force of earthen structures. This study presented a more realistic understanding of the service state behavior of retaining walls and a useful strategy for evaluating the 3D active earth pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we collect 54 Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) afterglows rebrightening in X-ray, optical, and radio bands to build the biggest sample so far, of which 18 type-Ic/b Supernova (SN)-associated GRBs have been deeply investigated. We confirm that the distribution of spectral luminosities of SN-associated GRBs has a wider scope of five orders of magnitude. After excluding short- and low-luminosity SN/GRBs, we obtain the mean light curves of high-luminosity SN/GRBs at different radio frequencies. It is found that the mean radio light curves peak twice on the tens of days and several months in each since the burst trigger. There is a time delay between radio afterglows at different frequencies, i.e. the high-frequency emissions come earlier than those low-frequency ones. We study in detail the multiband rebrightening behaviors of GRB 980425 and GRB 030329 with the most radio observation data at present. Unlike GRB 980425, the rebrightening component contributed from GRB 030329/SN 2003dh is indistinguishable. However, we predict that both SN/GRBs will produce the considerable mJy-level rebrightening emissions from their individual SN remnants on the late-times of 103th years for GRB 980425 and 64th years for GRB 030329, which is observable for the current facilities and would be detected by the forthcoming radio telescopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high strength wear resistant B-HARD360CFA steel under quenching + tempering condition was welded by the CO2 gas shielded welding and laser surface treated with a fibre laser with the varied process parameters. The microstructure and properties of the welded joints have been studied by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a high resolution electron transmission microscope (HRTEM) and tensile testing. The temper martensite was observed in weld joint under the action of the different welding heat input, occurring temper softening in the heat affected zone (HAZ) after CO2 gas shielded welding, which affected the microstructure performance of the weld joints. The mechanical properties of welded joint were relatively stable when the welding heat input value was 10.4 kJ/cm. The amorphous and nanocrystalline phases can be formed in the weld zone after a laser treatment, enhancing the tensile strength by fine grain strengthening. This study will play an important role in improving the actual performance in the productions of the high strength wear resistant steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The post-stall flow control using compliant flags of varying thickness and length, placed upstream a NACA0012 airfoil, was shown to be possible at an airfoil chord Reynolds number of 100,000. The flag wakes produced substantial increase in the stall angle and the maximum lift coefficient of the airfoil placed at optimal cross-stream locations from the wake centerline. Oscillating flags could generate periodic wakes with better spanwise coherence than the stationary bluff body. This resulted in the excitation, formation and shedding of the leading-edge vortices periodically, providing mean lift enhancement. There is an optimal range of the flag mass ratio for which the flag frequency coincides with the natural frequency of the vortex shedding instability or its subharmonic of the baseline airfoil wake. The flag dimensionless frequency is a function of the mass ratio only, which can be predicted by a reduced order model in the limit of very large mass ratio and by using the modified free-streamline theory for the separated flow. There is also an optimal range of the flag dimensionless frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe-based amorphous alloys with good glass-forming ability (GFA), superior soft magnetic properties, low cost, and a wide heat treatment window have long been pursued in the field of soft magnetic materials due to their importance for mass production and broad applications. In the present study, by strategically adjusting the composition of a low-cost Fe-Si-B-P-Cu-C alloy, we achieved a saturation magnetization (M s) of approximately 186 emu/g and a coercivity (H c) of about 6 A/m for the Fe82.5 alloy with a good GFA. Specifically, the limited Cu content and suitable contents of metalloid elements played pivotal roles in enhancing the nuclei barrier and stabilizing the amorphous matrix. This, in turn, facilitated the formation of a finely uniform nanocrystalline structure dispersed within the amorphous matrix, enhancing soft magnetic properties during annealing. Notably, this magnetic softening behavior occurred at a lower heating rate. Structural characterizations revealed that a transient metalloid-rich shell and a stable amorphous matrix contributed to the slow growth of the α-Fe (Si) during prolonged isothermal annealing. This is in contrast to the agglomeration of small nanograins into larger clusters at high heating rates, which enhances the versatility and potential applicability of the alloy. The successful development of this novel nanocrystalline alloy offers promising guidance for addressing the challenges associated with the mass production of soft magnetic materials. [Display omitted] • Fe82.5-Si-B-P-Cu-C amorphous alloy exhibits excellent soft magnetic properties and good glass-forming ability was developed. • Magnetic softness can be finely tuned within a wide heat treatment window to solve challenges in industrial production. • Formation of a transient metalloid-rich shell and a stable amorphous matrix is instrumental in slowing the growth of bcc-Fe. • The advantages are a result of composition adjustments by reducing nuclei precursor and augmenting metalloid elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver SBRT is a powerful modality for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and other malignancies of the liver. Yet, the rate of local recurrence can be as high as 20-30%. Improved accuracy of tumor localization may improve the rate of local control of liver tumors. Cone beam CT (CBCT) is the most commonly used imaging modality for liver SBRT, but is limited in pre-treatment target localization due to its poor soft tissue contrast of liver tumor. We hypothesize that hybrid virtual-MRI/CBCT (hMRI/CBCT) imaging will improve pre-treatment target localization. Here, we evaluate a method to improve liver tumor localization accuracy using hMRI/CBCT. Ultimately, we aim to demonstrate the utility of virtual multi-modality imaging to improve outcomes for patients with liver tumors. To improve the soft-tissue contrast of CBCT liver, we developed a method to generate onboard virtual MRI using CBCT, prior MRI, and finite element method (FEM) for deformable mapping. Patients' data that contain pretreatment MRI and onboard CBCT were obtained from the clinic planning system. Next, livers were segmented from pre-treatment MRI and on-board CBCT images. MRI and CBCT livers were converted to 3D meshes and imported to the hypermesh software, which aligned the MRI liver surface to CBCT liver surface. MR surface displacements were calculated and served as the input of the Ansys FEM software. The internal deformation vector fields (DVFs) of each MRI liver were calculated based on FEM with the liver elasticity parameter. With the above DVFs, the prior liver MR images were deformed to map to the CBCT geometry to generate onboard virtual liver MRI, which was then combined with CBCT to generate hMRI/CBCT. To evaluate hMRI/CBCT images, we performed two rigid registrations: 1) hMRI/CBCT to planning CT, 2) onboard CBCT to planning CT. We identified landmarks in hMRI/CBCT, onboard CBCT, and planning CT image sets. The errors were calculated based on the landmark differences of two CBCT images and ground truth planning CT. A total of 48 cases (18 simulated and 30 real patients) were evaluated in this study. Hybrid MRI/CBCT demonstrated excellent soft-tissue contrast with clear tumor delineation. Wherever possible, tumor was used as landmarks. Onboard CBCT images showed a mean difference of 2.64 + 0.96 mm between landmarks in simulated cases. hMRI/CBCT reduced the onboard CBCT localization error from 4.01 + 3.2 mm to 2.49 + 1.63 mm for tumors away from the liver boundary. In real patient cases, the registered shifts between hMRI/CBCT and onboard CBCT had a mean difference of 5.16 + 2.61 mm. Hybrid-virtual MRI/CBCT resulted in a reduction of target localization error compared to CBCT alone for tumors away from the liver boundary in CBCT-guided liver SBRT. The results demonstrate the feasibility and potential utility of on-board hMRI/CBCT for improved target localization for liver SBRT potentially leading to margin reduction and reduced treatment toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiotherapy as one of the most important cancer treatments, plays a crucial role in esophagus cancer. Radiotherapy can lead to cellular senescence to recruit immune cells by secreting the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Although senescence triggered by radiotherapy may affect the efficacy of radiotherapy, the predictive value as a biomarker of cellular senescence remains largely unknown and deserve our exploration. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the clinical value of cellular senescence level as a potential biomarker to predict radiotherapy efficacy and assess the association between radiotherapy-induced senescence with immune infiltration. Serum samples of 35 esophagus cancer patients and tumor tissue samples of 11 esophagus cancer patients prior and post radiotherapy were collected retrospectively. Luminex multiplex assays and multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) were performed on serum and tumor tissue samples, respectively. We selected 24 candidate SASP proteins for Luminex and designed senescence panel (Pan-CK, p21, p16, laminb1, γH2AX and DAPI) and immune panel (Pan-CK, CD4, CD8, CD56, Perforin, CD68 and DAPI) for mIF. The endpoints for this analysis were progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). We calculated the senescence index score for each participant according to the following regression formula: senescence index = β 1 x 1 + ... + β 24 x 24 , where β is the individual weight and x is the standardized value of each SASP proteins. We found that tumor cells showed higher mean fluorescence intensity of p21, p16 and γH2AX and lower that of laminb1 after radiotherapy, which indicated higher senescence level. Meanwhile, radiotherapy significantly increased senescence index in serum samples of esophagus cancer patients (post radiotherapy vs. prior radiotherapy, p <0.05). In the full sample, higher senescence index scores were associated with older age (r = 0.24; P <0.05). Furthermore, our data verified that lower senescence index post radiotherapy, but not prior radiotherapy, were associated with poor PFS (p = 0.015 HR = 3.801, 95% CI = 1.236 to 11.434). The potential mechanism may be attributed to increased immune infiltration include CD4+, CD8+ and CD56+ cells along with higher cellular senescence. Our study demonstrates that radiotherapy increases the overall cellular senescence level and high senescence index predicts better prognosis of esophagus cancer patients. In addition, cellular senescence induced by radiotherapy may enhance anti-tumor immunity by increasing immune cells infiltration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hypothesis is that adding tislelizumab sequentially after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) improved pathologic complete response (pCR, ypT0N0) rate after surgery in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Patients having locally resectable or potentially resectable thoracic ESCC with stage II-IVa (the 8th edition of AJCC staging) were enrolled and allocated to neoadjuvant radiotherapy (41.4Gy in 23 fractions of 1.8 Gy per fraction, five fractions per week; Both elective nodal irradiation [ENI] and involved field irradiation [IFI] were allowed) with concurrent chemotherapy (albumin-bound paclitaxel, 50 to 100 mg/m2, carboplatin, area under the curve of 2 mg/ml/min, once weekly for five times) plus sequential tislelizumab (administered intravenously from the 1st to the 14th day after the end of radiotherapy at 200 mg every three weeks for three cycles) followed by esophagectomy with two-field lymphadenectomy. The primary endpoint was pCR rate. The second endpoints included safety, radical resection (R0) rate, major pathologic response (MPR) rate, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Adverse events [AEs] were evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events Version 5.0. Twenty-four of thirty patients (80.0%) enrolled had clinical III-IVa stage. Twenty-eight patients received neoadjuvant tislelizumab, and 26 (92.9%) completed three doses per protocol. The median time from the end of chemoradiotherapy to the first dose of tislelizumab was 1 (range = 1–13) day. Twenty-four patients received planned surgery and gained R0 resection. pCR was achieved in 9 patients (37.5%) and MPR in 21 patients (87.5%). During NCRT, 30 patients (100%) developed grade 3 to 4 AEs, including lymphopenia (100.0%), neutropenia (53.3%), anemia (53.3%), leukopenia (50.0%), thrombocytopenia (20%) and pain (10%). During tislelizumab, 10 patients (35.7%) developed grade 3 to 4 AEs, including lymphopenia (32.1%), neutropenia (3.6%), leukopenia (3.6%) and thrombocytopenia (3.6%). Grade 5 hematemesis occurring in 2 patients during therapy were attributed to aorta invasion and tislelizumab-unrelated. Three patients (12.5%) developed grade 3 postoperative complications, including pulmonary infection (8.3%) and hoarseness (4.2%). The median follow-up period was 27.1 months for surviving patients. A total of four patients had tumor relapse after surgery and all were in the non-pCR group. Two-year OS and PFS rates for the entire cohort were 82.5% and 73.3%, respectively. Seven out of 13 patients (53.8%) receiving ENI had pCR compared to 2 out of 11 (18.2%) receiving IFI (p = 0.084). Adding tislelizumab sequentially after NCRT followed by surgery in ESCC is safe and feasible. NCRT with ENI and tislelizumab is promising to improve tumor control of neoadjuvant therapy. Further study is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OTOFERLIN (OTOF) mutation can lead to autosomal recessive deafness 9 (DFNB9), which is the main cause of auditory neuropathy. Delivering the exogenous OTOF gene through double AAV can restore the hearing of genetically deaf DFNB9 mice, but the efficacy of the gene replacement therapy may diminish over time, and it cannot really solve the deafness caused by the gene mutation. In contrast, gene editing can correct mutant genes at the DNA level and fundamentally treat hereditary deafness. We screened and developed a mini-base editor and optimised AAV expression elements for constructing a single AAV delivery base editing system to cure gene therapy of genetic deafness caused by OTOF point mutations. Specifically, we constructed mini-ABE and sgRNA (SchABE8e-sgRNA4) on a single AAV vector and screened out small promoter and short-polyA elements for the expression of the base editing system. At the same time, we found that targeting the promoter for expression in the reverse direction achieving a more efficient cleavage efficiency. We successfully restored the hearing of OTOF point mutant mice to WT level and maintained it for a long time by delivering the single-base editing system to the inner ear using AAV serotype-Anc80, which is capable of efficiently transducing inner ear hair cells. Subsequently, we evaluated the safety of the SchABE8e-sgRNA4 single-base editing system in WT mice and found that both vestibular and hearing levels were maintained at the WT level, indicating the safety of our delivery system. Taken together, these findings provide new strategies for treating DFNB9 in the clinic and lay the theoretical and experimental foundation for the clinical translation of gene editing therapy for deafness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permanent damage and loss of inner ear hair cells due to genetic mutations or external factors such as drugs and noise are the main causes of irreversible hearing loss. Inner ear organoids can provide an in vitro model for studying the underlying mechanisms of injury and for developing new therapeutic approaches. However, there is lack of protocols for the rapid and efficient establishment of inner ear organoids. In this study, we established a novel method for creating inner ear organoids using a synthetic GelMA hydrogel culture system to promote the spontaneous aggregation and assembly of inner ear stem cells in order to rapidly form organoids, and we found that the extracellular matrix undergoes extensive and rapid remodeling during self-assembly. The expression and activity of the Mmp family of extracellular matrix degradation enzymes, especially matrix metalloproteinase 9 (Mmp9), were increased in inner ear organoids in the hydrogel culture system, and inhibition of Mmps significantly inhibited the formation of inner ear organoids. Our study is the first to combine analysis of the extracellular matrix with inner ear organogenesis and provides a rapid and efficient method to model inner ear organoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic mutations can cause hereditary deafness, among which DFNA15 caused by mutations in the transcription factor POU4F3 is a clinically common autosomal dominant non-syndromic deafness, and studies have been conducted to partially restore hearing in model mice by small molecule inhibitors. However, this strategy fails to address the root cause of hearing impairment. Base editors are capable of editing mutation sites precisely and efficiently, and have the potential to completely restore hearing damage. In order to verify the effectiveness of gene editing for the treatment of this deafness disease, taking the Chinese DFNA15 (POU4F3Q113*) deaf family line as an example, we successfully constructed the Pou4f3Q113*/+ mouse model with the progressive hearing damage of this type of patients, which provides a good animal model for the study of this type of genetic deafness disease. On the basis of the three highly efficient Cas9 types discovered in the laboratory in the previous stage, a series of novel ABE toolboxes were developed through the fusion of multiple types of TadA deaminases. The test screened SchABE8e base editor in vitro can realize precise and efficient editing at the pathogenic mutation (up to 50% efficiency). Compared with ABE8e, SchABE8e has higher editing efficiency and lower off-target mutations and indels, which is safer and more precise. Subsequently, by analyzing the secondary structure of SchABE8e protein, the optimal splitting site 4 was screened to achieve similar protein expression as WT SchABE8e in the HEK293T cell. Delivery of split SchABE8e/NNGR-Target3 into the cochlea of neonatal mice by double AAV-Anc80L65 achieved long-term effective hearing recovery (hearing level close to that of WT mice) in Pou4f3Q113*/+ mice. This project provides a new strategy for the treatment of DFNA15 disease in the clinic, and the development of SchABE8e also provides a novel tool option for gene therapy of other hereditary deafness diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Research studies on proximal ground crop phenotyping increased over the past two decades. • Efficient autonomous phenotyping platforms replace labor-based platforms. • Multi-source sensor fusion technologies provide better navigation. • Large-scale model would benefit phenotyping data processing. • Current developments indicate possibilities of future fully autonomous phenotyping. Current crop phenotyping mainly relies on manual measurements and visual inspection for data collection and crop assessment, which is labor-intensive, subjective, and inefficient. Hence, modern methods depend primarily on using sensors for phenotypic data collection to replace labor vision, developing algorithms for decision-making to replace human domain knowledge, and integrating autonomous phenotyping systems to improve efficiencies in the past decades. Despite the research progress in phenotyping, there is a lack of extensive review on this topic that will be useful to various stakeholders interested in this field. Therefore, this study was conducted to perform a comprehensive review of multiple methodologies and techniques used in high-throughput ground crop phenotyping systems. A Web of Science literature search was conducted with appropriate keywords for the recent past, and the research trends in this field were captured. The current review categorizes the progress of technology in terms of phenotyping platform, sensing, data processing, and system integration. Platforms have evolved from manual-based to autonomous. Manual-based platforms require workers for data collection, while autonomous platforms involve new technologies for navigation and data collection. Different sensing techniques are used for phenotyping data collection. This study mainly discusses the mainstream sensors, including RGB, multi/hyperspectral, thermal, stereo, and light detection and ranging, and concludes that multi-source sensors could provide more accurate phenotypic information. Algorithms are applied to collected data to extract useful phenotyping information at different scales (organ, individual plant, and community). Both machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) have been used for phenotyping information extraction, and the DL is gradually replacing ML due to its superior performance. A case study of integrated high-throughput proximal phenotyping robot was presented, showing how different sensors and navigation systems come together to achieve on-site and real-time measurements. Advancements in high-throughput proximal ground phenotyping systems through new information, communication, sensing, and autonomous technologies in agriculture are anticipated to be more integrated and efficient phenotyping. It is anticipated that autonomous robots would finally replace workers from laborious phenotyping work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of humidity change on spore release of the Nematodontae Polytrichaceae has never been tested experimentally. Similarly, the impact of humidity alterations on structure of the peristome have never been studied.Polytrichum commune Hedw. var. commune from Guizhou Province, China, was selected as the research object to examine effects of simulated wind in the laboratory. By controlling humidity and wind, the mechanism of spore dispersal was revealed.When humidity increased, the size of the peristome and epiphragm enlarged significantly (the peristome has no obvious spatial displacement, unlike the hygroscopic movement of Arthrodontae mosses. Thus, we named it 'sub‐hygroscopic movement'), then recovered to normal size when humidity decreased. When humidity was controlled and wind applied, the scattering of spores gradually decreased as the capsule dried out and finally reached a very low level; when the capsule was wetted or rewetted, the amount of spores released rose and returned to the initial state. Through comparison of moist and dry capsules, only enhanced humidity of the sporophytes led to increases in spore release.The results show that the dispersal of spores was significantly improved in windy conditions and the sub‐hygroscopic movement of the capsule peristome, which ensure the continuity and effectiveness of P. commune reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of slow solidification of large ingots and the difficulty of eliminating internal shrinkage, a cold steel bar was fed into the molten steel during the solidification process after the completion of casting to affect the solidification process. Different cooling and solidification schemes for 60-ton 16-angle ingots were simulated by the finite element simulation software PROCAST. The simulation results show that the insertion of cold steel rods can shorten the full solidification time of the ingot. It is beneficial to improve the concentrated shrinkage in the central region under the conventional cooling scheme; in terms of the cold steel addition method, the decentralized addition of cold steel is more effective in improving the internal quality of the ingot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using chicken feathers as bait, the microbiota of soil samples collected from 20 zoos in China were enriched for keratin-utilizing microorganisms, which were cultured in the current study. The microbiota was then isolated by dilution-plate and plate-coating methods, and their diversity, core microbiota, and ecological functions were investigated and analyzed. A total of 4928 bacterial isolates belonging to 4 phyla, 5 classes, 6 orders, 10 families, 31 genera, and 91 species were identified, with Bacillus as the dominant genus; and 5550 fungal isolates belonging to 3 phyla, 9 classes, 18 orders, 40 families, 71 genera, and 157 species were identified, with Aspergillus as the dominant genus. The core microbiota of the enriched soil samples comprised 10 bacterial and 22 fungal isolates, with the core taxa consisting of Scopulariopsis flava, Lysinibacillus fusiformis, Peribacillus simplex, and Priestia megaterium. Ecological function analysis revealed that the core microbiota was saprophytic and played important roles in organic matter degradation (including carbon and nitrogen cycles). Findings from this study lay a theoretical for efficiently degrading waste, that is, the core taxa could be used to construct microbial consortia that efficiently degrade keratin-rich material and other waste, in addition to enriching keratinophilic microbial resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have measured optical properties of GexGa4S96-x (x=22.5, 27, 30, 33.3 and 36) glasses including optical bandgap Eg, hardness, linear and nonlinear refractive index and laser damage threshold. We found that, both Eg and laser damage threshold exhibit maximum values in Ge30Ga4S66 glass, linear refractive index increases with increasing Ge content, but nonlinear refractive index has a minimum in Ge30Ga4S66, and their correlation can be well described by the Miller's rule. We conclude that, Ge30Ga4S66 glass with chemically stoichiometric composition might be ideal for the chalcogenide-based optical amplifiers since it has reasonable optical nonlinearity, and high figure of merit (FOM) and laser damage threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new novel Cu(II) compound formulated as Cu(C4N6H4)2Cl2 (1) (C4N6H4 = 1H-3,4′-bi-1,2,4-triazole) is successfully synthesized by a low-temperature hydrothermal method. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis shows that complex 1 was the monoclinic C2/c space group. The non-covalent intermolecular interaction formed a 3D supermolecule copper compound. It is characterized by XRD, IR spectroscopy, TG, elemental analysis and UV-visible spectrum in the solid state. In addition, triazole ligand as an active agent in compound 1 has been used to sense of H2O2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]