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The geographies of public–private partnership (PPP) are an important but neglected topic in urban development and planning. Few existing studies have explored the spatial heterogeneity of PPP development in different regions within a country. This article aims to explore the impact of uneven regional development on PPP development and spatial governance for PPPs as a response. First, the concept of variegated PPPs is proposed to portray and analyze the impact of uneven regional development on PPPs from the dimensions of complexity, regional differences, and the spatialization of policy based on China. Second, a conceptual framework is constructed for PPP spatial governance as a response that includes the actors, driving forces, processes, patterns, and regulations. Finally, the underlying mechanism and implications of PPP spatial governance are discussed. This article concludes that spatial governance is conducive to the development of PPPs in developing countries and promotes the performance of PPPs and policymaking. When formulating and adjusting PPP-related policies, governments from developing countries should tailor the policies to their national conditions and consider regional differences inside a country. Therefore, this article might have reference value for other countries, especially developing countries with rapid urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional polarization converters suffer from drawbacks such as significant thickness and high losses, which limit their practical applications. This study introduces a novel metamaterial structure that combines electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) with linear polarization conversion to overcome these limitations. By harnessing the properties of EIT, this structure achieves low‐loss polarization conversion. The mechanism behind this is the generation of an EIT effect through the coupling of the light and dark modes. Additionally, this study focuses on introducing a slight vertical polarization symmetry disruption and inducing the excitation of small components within the dipole of the EIT structure to achieve close‐to‐complete cross‐polarization conversion. The effect of asymmetry on the polarization conversion rate is also explored. This study offers an innovative approach to designing low‐loss polarization converters utilizing EIT technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, artificial exosomes have been developed to overcome the challenges of natural exosomes, such as production scalability and stability. In the production of artificial exosomes, the incorporation of membrane proteins into lipid nanostructures is emerging as a notable approach for enhancing biocompatibility and treatment efficacy. This study focuses on incorporating HEK293T cell-derived membrane proteins into liposomes to create membrane-protein-bound liposomes (MPLCs), with the goal of improving their effectiveness as anticancer therapeutics. MPLCs were generated by combining two key elements: lipid components that are identical to those in conventional liposomes (CLs) and membrane protein components uniquely derived from HEK293T cells. An extensive comparison of CLs and MPLCs was conducted across multiple in vitro and in vivo cancer models, employing advanced techniques such as cryo-TEM (tramsmission electron microscopy) imaging and FT-IR (fourier transform infrared spectroscopy). MPLCs displayed superior membrane fusion capabilities in cancer cell lines, with significantly higher cellular uptake. Additionally, MPLCs maintained their morphology and size better than CLs when exposed to FBS (fetal bovine serum), suggesting enhanced serum stability. In a xenograft mouse model using HeLa and ASPC cancer cells, intravenous administration of MPLCs MPLCs accumulated more in tumor tissues, highlighting their potential for targeted cancer therapy. Overall, these results indicate that MPLCs have superior tumor-targeting properties, possibly attributable to their membrane protein composition, offering promising prospects for enhancing drug delivery efficiency in cancer treatments. This research could offer new clinical application opportunities, as it uses MPLCs with membrane proteins from HEK293T cells, which are known for their efficient production and compatibility with GMP (good manufacturing practice) standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequency-domain probe beam deflection (FD-PBD) is an experimental technique for measuring thermal properties that combines heating by a modulated pump laser and measurement of the temperature field via thermoelastic displacement of the sample surface. In the conventional implementation of FD-PBD, the data are mostly sensitive to the in-plane thermal diffusivity. We describe an extension of FD-PBD that introduces sensitivity to through-plane thermal conductance by immersing the sample in a dielectric liquid and measuring the beam deflection created by the temperature field of the liquid. We demonstrate the accuracy of the method by measuring (1) the thermal conductivity of a 310 nm thick thermally grown oxide on Si, (2) the thermal boundary conductance of bonded interface between a 3C-SiC film and a single crystal diamond substrate, and (3) the thermal conductivities of several bulk materials. We map the thermal boundary conductance of a 3C-SiC/diamond interface with a precision of 1% using a lock-in time constant of 3 ms and dwell time of 15 ms. The spatial resolution and maximum probing depth are proportional to the radius of the focused laser beams and can be varied over the range of 1–20 μm and 4–80 μm, respectively, by varying the 1/e2 intensity radius of the focused laser beams from 2 to 40 μm. FD-PBD with liquid immersion thus enables fast mapping of spatial variations in thermal boundary conductance of deeply buried interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive tourism is a key part of an increasingly sustainable tourism development and harmony society. However, the degree, characteristics, and shortcomings of regional inclusive tourism development remain understudied. To holistically understand and describe the development of inclusive tourism in China, we develop an assessment model for inclusive tourism development from three dimensions: tourism stakeholders, economic inclusion, and tourism resources and environments. The spatial pattern and characteristics of China's provincial inclusive tourism development is measured and classified. Furthermore, we conduct an in-depth discussion combined with specific indicators and propose the targeted suggestions. This study provides a basis for optimizing policies and practices of inclusive tourism in China. In addition, this study also contributes to the global body of knowledge surrounding inclusive tourism and provides the referee value for other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water-economy-innovation nexus is an integrated system that plays an important driving role in urban and regional sustainable development. To identify, evaluate, and measure the coupling-coordinated development of the regional water-economy-innovation nexus, this study selects China's Grand Canal area as a typical case and constructs an integrated evaluation system of the water-economy-innovation nexus. Then, the coupling coordination model is used to evaluate the regional water-economy-innovation nexus' development. Finally, grey correlation analysis is used to evaluate the influencing factors. The results find that the water-economy-innovation nexus' overall development level is not high and that there are significant spatial differences. The coupling coordination level keeps rising, and the coupling coordination level of the central city is obviously better than other cities. Water accounts for the largest contribution to the coupling coordination of the water-economy-innovation nexus, followed by economy and innovation. This study contributes to the knowledge body of sustainable development and provides a scientific basis for the decision of coupling the development of the water-economy-innovation nexus in China's Grand Canal area and other regions. Water, as a fundamental resource, plays an important role in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, water needs to interact with other factors to effectively achieve regional sustainable development. Innovation and the economy are both important drivers of sustainable development, and water is closely linked and interacted with them. Currently, the mechanism and extent of the coupled development of regional water-economy-innovation nexus remains unclear. To address this challenge, this study takes the Grand Canal area in China as a typical case and constructs an evaluation model with multiple methods to explore the coupling development of the regional water-economy-innovation nexus. This study verified the importance of multifactor coupling for regional sustainable development and demonstrated that water contributed the most, but the overall coupling development of the water-economy-innovation nexus was not high. Promoting the coupling development of the water-economy-innovation nexus through targeted policies is an important task for local governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Position-sensitive detector (PSD) plays a vital role in various applications, such as motion tracking, pilotless automobile, laser radars, and precision machining. However, limited by the detection designs of the lateral photovoltaic effect and segmented sensors, the state-of-the-art PSD suffers from complicated architecture, slow response, and narrow waveband. Herein, we propose a conceptually distinct PSD operated in short-wave infrared (SWIR, 0.8–2.3 μm), an important optical communication waveband and atmosphere window, in single crystalline lead salts thin film. The SWIR PSD present self-driven (0 V bias), fast response (590 ns), and high position resolution (45.8 nm/ H z) with a position sensitivity of 257.8 mV/mm. By combining with the numerical simulation, the underlying physics of lateral thermalized carrier diffusion driven by temperature gradient is proposed to explain the ultrafast and high-resolved SWIR PSD. Finally, we demonstrate its applications in infrared target real-time tracking, indicating its great potential in infrared guidance, trajectory tracking, and microrobots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Immune checkpoint inhibitors, particularly anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PDCD1/PD-1), anti-CD274 molecule (CD274/PD-L1), or anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 inhibitors, have shown notable anticancer efficacy in 10%-40% of cancer patients and >10 different cancer types. However, they have also reached an impasse. Therefore, targeting tumor-associated myeloid immune cells has become another viable approach. The CD47 molecule (CD47) is a "do not eat me" signal to phagocytes widely expressed in various tumor cells as a potential immune surveillance evasion mechanism. CD47 receptor signal-regulating protein alpha (SIRPa) is expressed in myeloid immune cells and inhibiting the CD47-SIRPa signaling pathway leads to tumor cell phagocytosis. Data Sources: We organized and presented the preclinical research of anti-CD47 in the past 40 years, and we also reviewed the results of anti-CD47-based clinical trials from 2018 to 2022. Study Selection: All studies we cited focus on using anti-CD47 blocking agents for targeting CD47/SIRPa. Results: In preclinical studies, anti-CD47 showed effectiveness in inducing macrophage phagocytosis of both solid tumors and blood cancers. However, clinically, anti-CD47 can only produce effective therapeutic effects when combined with other drugs, especially in treating blood cancers. Anti-CD47 may depend on directly regulating macrophage phagocytosis, tumor antigen capture by dendritic cells, and open adaptive immunity through cross-priming. Conclusion: Ongoing studies are investigating anti-CD47 in combination with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunomodulatory agents. Their results are eagerly awaited and will help clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the optoelectronic conversion process of semiconductors, the photo-excited carriers with energy higher than energy band edge, i.e., hot carriers, have always fast (picoseconds scale) dissipated within 100 nanometers distance through lattice scattering. Specifically, the hot carriers relaxation accounts for more than 60% energy loss in narrow bandgap semiconductor. Herein, we observe an ultralong transport of hot carriers (558 nm) by local light excitation in single-crystalline thermoelectric semiconductor PbSe via the time-resolved reflectivity dynamics. The ultraweak phonon emission of PbSe results in a long-distance thermalized carriers transport due to acoustic phonon bottleneck. Furthermore, the hot carriers effect gives rise to a self-driven (zero bias), fast (900 ns), and sensitive (D* = 1.1 × 1010 cm Hz1/2 W−1 at 3.3 μm) mid-infrared detection and imaging at room temperature. Our discovery provides an insight into optoelectronic conversion mechanism of narrow bandgap thermoelectric semiconductors with intriguing optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor associated with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop effective prognostic models and guide clinical treatment in HCC. Protein lactylation is found in HCC tumors and is associated with HCC progression. Methods: The expression levels of lactylation-related genes were identified from the TCGA database. A lactylation-related gene signature was constructed using LASSO regression. The prognostic value of the model was assessed and further validated in the ICGC cohort, with the patients split into two groups based on risk score. Glycolysis and immune pathways, treatment responsiveness, and the mutation of signature genes were analyzed. The correlation between PKM2 expression and the clinical characteristics was investigated. Results: Sixteen prognostic differentially expressed lactylation-related genes were identified. An 8-gene signature was constructed and validated. Patients with higher risk scores had poorer clinical outcomes. The two groups were different in immune cell abundance. The high-risk group patients were more sensitive to most chemical drugs and sorafenib, while the low-risk group patients were more sensitive to some targeted drugs such as lapatinib and FH535. Moreover, the low-risk group had a higher TIDE score and was more sensitive to immunotherapy. PKM2 expression correlated with clinical characteristics and immune cell abundance in the HCC samples. Conclusions: The lactylation-related model exhibited robust predictive efficiency in HCC. The glycolysis pathway was enriched in the HCC tumor samples. A low-risk score indicated better treatment response to most targeted drugs and immunotherapy. The lactylation-related gene signature could be used as a biomarker for the effective clinical treatment of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the estimation algorithm of tensor response on vector covariate regression model. Based on projection theory of tensor and the idea of randomized algorithm for tensor decomposition, three new algorithms named SHOLRR, RHOLRR and RSHOLRR are proposed under the low‐rank Tucker decomposition and some theoretical analyses for two randomized algorithms are also provided. To explore the nonlinear relationship between tensor response and vector covariate, we develop the KRSHOLRR algorithm based on kernel trick and RSHOLRR algorithm. Our proposed algorithms can not only guarantee high estimation accuracy but also have the advantage of fast computing speed, especially for higher‐order tensor response. Through extensive synthesized data analyses and applications to two real datasets, we demonstrate the outperformance of our proposed algorithms over the stat‐of‐art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main gearbox is very important for the operation safety of helicopters, and the oil temperature reflects the health degree of the gearbox; therefore establishing an accurate oil temperature forecasting model is an important step for reliable fault detection. Firstly, in order to achieve accurate gearbox oil temperature forecasting, an improved deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm with a CNN–LSTM basic learner is proposed, which can excavate the complex relationship between oil temperature and working condition. Secondly, a reward incentive function is designed to accelerate the training time costs and to stabilize the model. Further, a variable variance exploration strategy is proposed to enable the agents of the model to fully explore the state space in the early training stage and to gradually converge in the training later stage. Thirdly, a multi-critics network structure is adopted to solve the problem of inaccurate Q-value estimation, which is the key to improving the prediction accuracy of the model. Finally, KDE is introduced to determine the fault threshold to judge whether the residual error is abnormal after EWMA processing. The experimental results show that the proposed model achieves higher prediction accuracy and shorter fault detection time costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the continuous decline of marriage rate in Chinese cities has attracted significant attention. The study examined the impact of income inequality on marriage rates, and explored the mechanisms through which this relationship operates. Panel data of 35 large and medium-sized cities of mainland China from 2004 to 2019 were used to empirically test the theoretical hypothesis, finding the following results: Firstly, widening income inequality emerges as a crucial factor contributing to the decline in marriage rates within Chinese cities. Secondly, the impact of the income inequality on the marriage rate shows significant spatial and temporal differences in urban areas. Lastly, factors such as Internet penetration, urbanization and housing price are important channels for income inequality to affect the marriage rate. The objective of this study is to explain the decline of marriage rate in China's cities from the perspective of income distribution, and subsequently unveil the macro-level correlation between income inequality and marital behavior. • Widening income inequality emerges as a crucial factor contributing to the decline in marriage rates within Chinese cities. • The impact of the income inequality on the marriage rate shows significant spatial and temporal differences in urban areas. • Internet penetration, urbanization and housing price are the channels for income inequality to affect the marriage rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stiff thin film bonded to a compliant substrate initially buckles into wrinkles, following with some intricate advanced instability modes when the compression exceeds higher thresholds. Here, we present an asymptotic modeling and resolution framework to quantitatively predict and continuously trace secondary bifurcation transitions in the non-linear post-buckling region. An advantage of this framework, besides its applicability to finite-strain deformations, is its asymptotic consistency with the three-dimensional (3D) field equations and interface continuity conditions in a pointwise manner. Based on our model, we reveal intricate post-buckling responses involving successive advanced mode transitions, i.e., period-doubling, period-tripling, period-quadrupling, ridge, and hierarchical wrinkles in film–substrate bilayers upon excess compression. Apart from modulus ratio, pre-stretch and pre-compression of the substrate can alter surface morphology of film–substrate bilayers. With substrate pre-compression, a bilayer may eventually involve into a period-tripling or period-quadrupling mode. We observe hierarchical wrinkles and ridges in films attached on pre-stretched substrates. With high substrate pre-tension and modulus ratio, a novel pattern, namely, periodic ridges, appears at the secondary bifurcation. Fundamental understanding and quantitative prediction of non-linear morphology evolutions of soft bilayers play important roles in rational designs of wrinkle-tunable functional surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new multi-target domain fault diagnostic method is proposed. • An attention mechanism adaptively assigns weights to data from multiple sensors. • Classification feature augmentation is combined with subdomain adaptation for aligning feature distributions. • Domain invariant feature augmentation is combined with domain adversarial for finding real domain invariant features. Intelligent diagnostic methods for identifying faults in rotating machinery, based on domain adaptation, have garnered significant attention. However, most current domain adaptation approaches are primarily designed for single-source domain and single-target domain (SSST) applications. There is a dearth of domain adaptation approaches tailored for single-source to multi-target domains (SSMT). In contrast to SSST, SSMT takes a more comprehensive approach by considering relationships across multiple target domains. This approach offers increased versatility and a broader range of potential applications. To address this, an end-to-end multi-target adversarial subdomain adaptation method is proposed that leverages attention mechanism data fusion and mixup feature augmentation. Firstly, the attention mechanism is used to fuse data from different sensors in both channel and spatial dimensions. Subsequently, a mixup-based feature augmentation method is proposed for multi-target domain adaptation. The method is combined with subdomain adaptation and domain discrimination to further reduce the distributional differences between the source and various target domains while relieving the overfitting problem during domain adaptation. Finally, with the above approach, a robust and stable model for multiple target domain fault diagnosis can be trained. Our experimental results illustrate that our approach has higher accuracy and robustness compared to several popular domain adaptation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous integration is important to create multi-functionality in future electronic devices. However, few thermal studies of the interfaces formed in these integrated devices have been reported before. Recently, integrated interfaces by surface-activated bonding were found to have high thermal boundary conductance, which provides a solution for heat dissipation of GaN and β-Ga2O3-based power electronics. Here, we review the recent progress on the interfacial thermal transport across heterogeneously integrated interfaces, including transferred van der Waals force bonded interfaces, surface-activated bonded interfaces, plasma bonded interfaces, and hydrophilic bonded interfaces. This Perspective specifically focuses on applications of thermal management strategies of electronics, especially power electronics. Finally, the challenges, such as high-throughput thermal measurements of buried interfaces, thermal property-structure relations of interfaces bonded under different conditions, theoretical understanding of interfacial thermal transport, and device demonstrations, are pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selective-area regrowth (SAG) n-type GaN source/drain electrode has been widely used in high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) for high-frequency applications. Previous studies focused only on device performances, but not on SAG n+-GaN in devices. This paper studies electron concentration and mobility of SAG n+-GaN on InAlN/GaN HEMTs via metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). It is revealed that electron mobility of SAG GaN is significantly affected by thickness. The decrease in mobility in a thin GaN may be attributed to regrowth interface defects. A gas flow model on the regrowth region is proposed to guide the regrowth of SAG GaN for improving the electron mobility. A high electron mobility of 138 cm2/V s with an electron concentration of 5.2 × 1019/cm3 is obtained from an 80-nm n+-GaN with the regrowth width of 10 μm. Due to the high doping level, the nonalloy metal-semiconductor contact resistance (Rm-GaN) is as low as 0.041 Ω mm. The interface resistance (Rint) between GaN and 2DEG is extracted using transfer length measurement (TLM) models and found to be 0.106 Ω mm. The on-resistance (Ron) is 0.753 Ω mm for InAlN/GaN HEMT with a source-drain metal spacing (Lsd metal) of 2 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Irisin is a myokine associated with atherosclerosis-related pathological events. • Irisin is considered as a potential predictive marker for atherosclerosis. • Irisin has a potential for monitoring the efficacy of anti-atherosclerotic therapies. Irisin, a novel exercise-induced myokine, has been shown to play important roles in increasing white adipose tissue browning, regulating energy metabolism and improving insulin resistance. Growing evidence suggests a direct role for irisin in preventing atherosclerosis (AS) by inhibiting oxidative stress, improving dyslipidemia, facilitating anti-inflammation, reducing cellular damage and recovering endothelial function. In addition, some studies have noted that serum irisin levels play an essential role in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) risk prediction, highlighting that irisin has the potential to be a useful predictive marker and therapeutic target of AS, especially in monitoring therapeutic efficacy. This review summarizes the understanding of irisin-mediated regulation in essential biological pathways and functions in atherosclerosis and prompts further exploitation of the biological properties of irisin in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon carbide/silicon carbide (SiC/SiC) composites are often used in oxidizing environments at high temperatures. Measurements of the thermal conductance of the oxide layer provide a way to better understand the oxidation process with high spatial resolution. We use time‐domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) to map the thermal conductance of the oxide layer and the thermal conductivity of the SiC/SiC composite with a spatial resolution of 3 μm. Heterodyne detection using a 50‐kHz‐modulated probe beam and a 10‐MHz‐modulated pump suppresses the coherent pick‐up and enables faster data acquisition than what has previously been possible using sequential demodulation. By analyzing the noise of the measured signals, we find that in the limit of small integration time constants or low laser powers, the dominant source of noise is the input noise of the preamplifier. The thermal conductance of the oxide that forms on the fiber region is lower than the oxide on the matrix due to small differences in thickness and thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore the clinical effect and aesthetics of All-on-4 immediate loading implant denture in severe periodontitis. Methods. Totally, 60 patients with dentition loss caused by severe periodontitis who were admitted to our hospital from February 2017 to February 2019 were selected. The patients were randomly divided into the observation group (n = 30) and the control group (n = 30) according to different restoration methods. The control group was used in traditional implant restoration treatment, and the observation group was used in All-on-4 immediate loading implant denture restoration. The clinical effect, periodontal index, aesthetic effect, and complications of the two groups were compared, and the levels of serum leptin (LEP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured. Results. The total effective rate of the observation group (83.33%) was higher than that of the control group (60.00%) (P < 0.05). After treatment, the plaque index, gingival sulcus bleeding index, and depth of exploration of the two groups were lower than those before treatment (P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). After treatment, the serum LEP, TNF-α, CRP, and IL-6 in both groups were lower than before treatment, and the serum LEP, TNF-α, CRP, and IL-6 in the observation group were lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The aesthetic rate of teeth in the observation group (90.00%) was higher than that in the control group (66.67%) (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the total incidence of complications between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion. All-on-4 immediate loading implant denture has a good effect in the treatment of severe periodontitis, which is conducive to maintaining periodontal health, reducing the level of inflammation, improving aesthetics, and has high safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As wide bandgap electronic devices have continued to advance in both size reduction and power handling capabilities, heat dissipation has become a significant concern. To mitigate this, chemical vapor deposited (CVD) diamond has been demonstrated as an effective solution for thermal management of these devices by directly growing onto the transistor substrate. A key aspect of power and radio frequency (RF) electronic devices involves transient switching behavior, which highlights the importance of understanding the temperature dependence of a material's heat capacity and thermal conductivity when modeling and predicting a devices electro-thermal response. Due to the complicated microstructure near the interface between CVD diamond and electronic material, it is difficult to measure both properties simultaneously. In this work, we use time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) to simultaneously measure the in-plane thermal conductivity and heat capacity of a 1-µm-thick CVD diamond film via multi-frequency analysis. We obtain temperature dependent thermal properties by using the pump beam to heat the sample according to increasing power. This mitigates the need for a more complicated setup using a thermal stage but has limited upper temperature boundaries based on the sample geometry and thermal properties. The results show that the in-plane thermal conductivity varied slightly with an average of 103 W/m-K over a temperature range of 302–327 K, while the specific heat capacity has a strong temperature dependence over the same range and compares well with heat capacity data of natural diamond in literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) plays a crucial role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nonetheless, regulatory effects of PVT1 on functions of NSCLC cells remain blurry. Methods: Relative expression levels of PVT1, miR-551b and FGFR1 mRNA in tumor tissues and cells were examined employing quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR); CCK-8 and BrdU assays were utilized for measuring cell viability and proliferation of H1299 and A549 cells; cell migration and invasion were detected deploying Transwell assay; dual-luciferase assay was used for the validation of binding sequence between PVT1 and miR-551b. FGFR1 expression in protein level was quantified employing Western blot. Results: PVT1 was highly expressed in NSCLC tissues and cell lines, whereas miR-551b expression was down-regulated. Overexpression of PVT1 potentiated viability, proliferation, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells while miR-551b inhibited the biological behaviors mentioned above. MiR-551b was predicted and then confirmed as a direct downstream target of PVT1. Meanwhile, a negative correlation was observed between PVT1 expression and miR-551b expression in NSCLC tissues. Besides, PVT1 could increase FGFR1 expression by repressing miR-551b expression. Conclusion: PVT1 promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells by indirectly mediating FGFR1 via targeting miR-551b. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is a disease with complex pathological process. Current chemotherapy faces problems such as lack of specificity, cytotoxicity, induction of multi-drug resistance and stem-like cells growth. Nanomaterials are materials in the nanorange 1–100 nm which possess unique optical, magnetic, and electrical properties. Nanomaterials used in cancer therapy can be classified into several main categories. Targeting cancer cells, tumor microenvironment, and immune system, these nanomaterials have been modified for a wide range of cancer therapies to overcome toxicity and lack of specificity, enhance drug capacity as well as bioavailability. Although the number of studies has been increasing, the number of approved nano-drugs has not increased much over the years. To better improve clinical translation, further research is needed for targeted drug delivery by nano-carriers to reduce toxicity, enhance permeability and retention effects, and minimize the shielding effect of protein corona. This review summarizes novel nanomaterials fabricated in research and clinical use, discusses current limitations and obstacles that hinder the translation from research to clinical use, and provides suggestions for more efficient adoption of nanomaterials in cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) is one of the most popular methods for studying the three-dimensional organization of genomes. However, Hi-C protocols can be expensive since they require large amounts of sample material and may be time-consuming. Most commonly used Hi-C data are low-resolution. Such data can only be used to identify large-scale genomic interactions and are not sufficient to identify the small-scale patterns. We propose a novel deep learning-based computational approach (named ReHiC) that enhances the resolution of Hi-C data and allows us to achieve high-resolution Hi-C data at a relatively low cost. Our model only requires 1/16 down-sampling ratio of the original sequence reading to predict higher resolution Hi-C data. This is very close to high-resolution data in terms of numerical distribution and interaction distribution. More importantly, our framework stacks deeper and converges faster due to residual blocks in the core of the network. Extensive experiments show that ReHiC performs better than HiCPlus and HiCNN, two recently developed and frequently used methods to look at the spatial organization of chromatin structure in the cell. Moreover, the portability of our framework verified by extensive experiments shows that the trained model can also enhance the Hi-C matrix of other cell types efficiently. In conclusion, ReHiC offers more accurate high-resolution image reconstruction in a broad field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas separation membranes have a wide range of applications in industry, and there are two important factors in judging membrane standards permeability and selectivity. How to improve the selectivity of gas separation membranes while improving permeability is a challenge. In this study, poly (aryl ether sulfone) (PES) block copolymers were synthesized from fluorine-terminated polysulfone (PSF–F) and hydroxyl-terminated cardo PES containing phenyl substituted isoindolinone side group (PES-PPI-OH). Large side groups can enlarge the free volume and hinder chain movement to improve gas permeation behavior. Solvent-induced microphase separation of block copolymers by casting membranes with solvent benzyl alcohol (BA) can improve selectivity. The PSF- b -PES-PPI (10:10) BA membrane maintain good mechanical properties and tensile strength up to 93 MPa which compared to random polymer membrane rises to 14 MPa. Gas permeation at 23 °C showed that the O 2 /N 2 selectivity of PSF- b -PES-PPI (5:15)BA membrane was 10.6, which was the 2008 Robeson upper bound. Thus, poly (aryl ether sulfone) materials showed great potential application for O 2 /N 2 separation. [Display omitted] • Finding a suitable solvent (benzyl alcohol) for microphase separation of block poly (aryl ether sulfone) membranes. • The tensile properties of the membrane can reach up to 93 MPa. • The selectivity of O 2 /N 2 can reach up to 10.6, which reaches the 2008 Robeson bound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Many immune cells possess CD40 whose activation is associated with immune functions. • CD40 activation serves as a bridge connecting innate and adaptive immunity. • CD40 is a potential immune checkpoint inhibitor in cancer. • CD40 activation as part of cancer immunotherapy is an innovative strategy. • Several agonistic antibodies targeting CD40 have undergone rigorous investigation in clinical trials. CD40, a novel immunomodulatory cancer therapy target, is expressed by B cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells (DCs) and mediates cytotoxic T cell priming through the CD40 ligand. Some tumors show promising responses to monotherapy or combination therapy with agonistic anti-CD40 antibodies. The development of improved anti-CD40 antibodies makes CD40 activation an innovative strategy in cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we trace the history of CD40 research and summarize preclinical and clinical findings. We emphasize the ongoing development of improved anti-CD40 antibodies and explore strategies for effective combination therapies. Guided by predictive biomarkers, future research should identify patient populations benefiting the most from CD40 activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidases (NOXs) are the major enzymatic source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). NOX2 and NOX4 are expressed in the heart but its role in hypoxia-induced atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) secretion is unclear. This study investigated the effect of NOX on ANP secretion induced by hypoxia in isolated beating rat atria. The results showed that hypoxia significantly upregulated NOX4 but not NOX2 expression, which was completely abolished by endothelin-1 (ET-1) type A and B receptor antagonists BQ123 (0.3 µM) and BQ788 (0.3 µM). ET-1-upregulated NOX4 expression was also blocked by antagonists of secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2; varespladib, 5.0 µM) and cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2; CAY10650, 120.0 nM), and ET-1-induced cPLA2 expression was inhibited by varespladib under normoxia. Moreover, hypoxia-increased ANP secretion was evidently attenuated by the NOX4 antagonist GLX351322 (35.0 µM) and inhibitor of ROS N-Acetyl-D-cysteine (NAC, 15.0 mM), and hypoxia-increased production of ROS was blocked by GLX351322. In addition, hypoxia markedly upregulated Src expression, which was blocked by ET receptors, NOX4, and ROS antagonists. ET-1-increased Src expression was also inhibited by NAC under normoxia. Furthermore, hypoxiaactivated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and protein kinase B (Akt) were completely abolished by Src inhibitor 1 (1.0 µM), and hypoxia-increased GATA4 was inhibited by the ERK1/2 and Akt antagonists PD98059 (10.0 µM) and LY294002 (10.0 µM), respectively. However, hypoxia-induced ANP secretion was substantially inhibited by Src inhibitor. These results indicate that NOX4/Src modulated by ET-1 regulates ANP secretion by activating ERK1/2 and Akt/GATA4 signaling in isolated beating rat hypoxic atria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purposes: To evaluate the accuracy of Ophtha Top and consistency between Ophtha Top and IOLMaster 500 in intraocular lens refractive power calculation among cataract patients with normal and long axial lengths. Methods: This study included cataract patients scheduled for phacoemulsification and IOL implantation surgery. The IOL power was calculated using Ophtha Top and IOLMaster 500 (integrated with SRK/T, Hoffer Q, Holladay 1 formula). The accuracy of IOL power calculation between Ophtha Top and IOLMaster 500 was compared. Bland-Altman plots were also used to assess agreement between Ophtha Top and IOLMaster 500. Results: Ninety-four patients (94 eyes) were included. The mean values of the arithmetic and absolute prediction errors of Ophtha Top were −0.22 ± 0.62 D and 0.52 ± 0.40 D for whole sample. Absolute refractive error showed no significant difference between Ophtha Top and IOLMaster 500 using 3 traditional formulas in eyes with normal and long axial lengths. In normal eyes, mean and medium absolute error of Ophtha Top was 0.49D and 0.48D, which were comparable to that of IOLMaster 500 (Hoffer Q:0.47D; 0.40D & Holladay 1: 0.48D; 0.37D). Similar trend was found in long eyes (Ophtha Top:0.58 D & IOLMaster using SRK/T:0.53D). Conclusions: Ophtha Top based on real ray-tracing method could provide predictable outcomes in all eyes, which was comparable to outcomes from IOLMaster 500 using SRK/T, Hoffer Q, Hollday 1 formula. Ophtha Top would be a promising alternative choice for IOL power calculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When attacked by herbivores, plants emit volatiles to attract parasitoids and predators of herbivores. However, our understanding of the effect of plant volatiles on the subsequent behaviour of conspecific parasitoids when herbivores on plants are parasitized is limited. In this study, rice plants were infested with gravid females of the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens for 24 hr followed by another 24 hr in which the BPH eggs on plants were permitted to be parasitized by their egg parasitoid, Anagrus nilaparvatae; volatiles from rice plants that underwent such treatment were less attractive to subsequent conspecific parasitoids compared to the volatiles from plants infested with gravid BPH females alone. Chemical analysis revealed that levels of JA and JA‐Ile as well as of four volatile compounds—linalool, MeSA, α‐zingiberene and an unknown compound—from plants infested with BPH and parasitized by wasps were significantly higher than levels of these compounds from BPH‐infested plants. Laboratory and field bioassays revealed that one of the four increased chemicals—α‐zingiberene—reduced the plant's attractiveness to the parasitoid. These results suggest that host plants can fine‐tune their volatiles to help egg parasitoids distinguish host habitats with parasitized hosts from those without. We demonstrate that the parasitism of the brown planthopper (BPH) eggs by Anagrus nilaparvatae increased levels of four volatile chemicals emitted from BPH gravid female‐infested rice plants, and these increased volatiles decreased the attractiveness of the host plant to the conspecific parasitoid. Our results suggest that host plants can alter their volatiles to help egg parasitoids discriminate host habitats with parasitized hosts from those without parasitized hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A unified fundamental understanding of interfacial thermal transport is missing due to the complicated nature of interfaces. Because of the difficulty to grow high-quality interfaces and lack of materials characterization, the experimentally measured thermal boundary conductance (TBC) in the literature are usually not the same as the ideally modelled interfaces. This work provides a systematic study of TBC across the highest-quality (atomically sharp, harmonic-matched, and ultraclean) epitaxial (111) Al||(0001) sapphire interfaces to date. The comparison of measured high TBC with theoretical models shows that elastic phonon transport dominates the interfacial thermal transport and other mechanisms play negligible roles. This is confirmed by a nearly constant transmission coefficient by scaling the TBC with the Al heat capacity and sapphire heat capacity with phonon frequency lower than 10 THz. Finally, the findings in this work will impact applications such as electronics thermal management, thermoelectric energy conversion, and battery safety. The mechanism of thermal transport at solid interfaces depends on many parameters in particular the quality of the interface. Here, the authors compare experimental and calculated thermal boundary conductance across high-quality harmonic-matched epitaxial Al-sapphire interfaces and find that elastic phonon processes dominate the ultra-clean interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) has attracted great attention for electronic device applications due to its ultra-wide bandgap, high breakdown electric field, and large-area affordable substrates grown from the melt. However, its thermal conductivity is significantly lower than that of other wide bandgap semiconductors such as SiC, AlN, and GaN, which will impact its ability to be used in high power density applications. Thermal management in Ga2O3 electronics will be the key for device reliability, especially for high power and high frequency devices. Similar to the method of cooling GaN-based high electron mobility transistors by integrating it with high thermal conductivity diamond substrates, this work studies the possibility of heterogeneous integration of Ga2O3 with diamond for the thermal management of Ga2O3 devices. In this work, Ga2O3 was deposited onto single crystal diamond substrates by atomic layer deposition (ALD), and the thermal properties of ALD-Ga2O3 thin films and Ga2O3–diamond interfaces with different interface pretreatments were measured by Time-domain Thermoreflectance. We observed a very low thermal conductivity of these Ga2O3 thin films (about 1.5 W/m K) due to the extensive phonon grain boundary scattering resulting from the nanocrystalline nature of the Ga2O3 film. However, the measured thermal boundary conductance (TBC) of the Ga2O3–diamond interfaces is about ten times larger than that of the van der Waals bonded Ga2O3–diamond interfaces, which indicates the significant impact of interface bonding on TBC. Furthermore, the TBC of the Ga-rich and O-rich Ga2O3–diamond interfaces is about 20% smaller than that of the clean interface, indicating that interface chemistry affects the interfacial thermal transport. Overall, this study shows that a high TBC can be obtained from strong interfacial bonds across Ga2O3–diamond interfaces, providing a promising route to improving the heat dissipation from Ga2O3 devices with lateral architectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on national time series data from 1990 to 2020 in China, the study quantified the index and analyzed the relationship among criminal cases, relative deprivation, and absolute deprivation by using a structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) model. The results showed that the change in absolute deprivation had no significant influence on overall criminal cases, while the expansion of relative deprivation promoted an increase in criminal cases. Meanwhile, relative deprivation and absolute deprivation have disparate effects on different types of criminal cases. On the one hand, both absolute deprivation and relative deprivation have a positive effect on violent crimes. On the other hand, the impact of absolute deprivation on property crimes is not significant. Due to the large proportion of property crimes in the total criminal cases, the reduction of absolute deprivation has a limited inhibiting effect on total criminal offenses in China's current situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Proposed a theoretical framework of water-economy-ecology nexus. • Constructed a comprehensive evaluation index for water-economy-ecology nexus. • Evaluated the coupling coordinated development of the regional water-economy-ecology nexus in Western China. • The Tobit regression model was used to evaluate the influencing factors of water-economy-ecology nexus. • Predicted the development trend of water-economy-ecology nexus by the gray prediction GM (1,1) model. The coupling development of water, economy, and ecology is an important driver of sustainable development. The assessment of the spatial distribution and development process of the regional water-economy-ecology (WEE) nexus is the basis of regional sustainable development. This study constructs a comprehensive evaluation model to explore the coupling coordination relationship of the WEE nexus in Western China, and then the grey prediction GM (1, 1) model is applied to analyze the development trend of the WEE nexus. In addition, the Tobit regression model is employed to explain the WEE nexus' influencing factors. The result indicates that the WEE nexus is generally developing in Western China, and the interaction between WEE is also increasing, but there is a lag in the WEE nexus' coordinated development. Especially, the economic system had the largest increase, with the development level rising from 0.2166 to 0.4966. Further empirical study shows that water resources development, science and technology innovation, economic development, industrial structure, and ecological governance are the major factors affecting the WEE nexus' coordinated development. The forecast shows a steady upward trend of coupling coordination in Western China in 2023–2025, and the majority of provinces will exceed 0.7 in 2025, reaching the intermediate coordination. This study offers a decision reference for policymakers and practitioners in addition to enriching the knowledge body of water governance and sustainable development on both global and regional scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-Ga2O3 has emerged as a promising candidate for electronic device applications because of its ultrawide bandgap, high breakdown electric field, and large-area affordable substrates grown from the melt. However, its thermal conductivity is at least one order of magnitude lower than that of other wide bandgap semiconductors such as SiC and GaN. Thermal dissipation in electronics made from β-Ga2O3 will be the bottleneck for real-world applications, especially for high power and high frequency devices. Similar to AlGaN/GaN interfaces, β-(AlxGa1−x)2O3/Ga2O3 heterogeneous structures have been used to form a high mobility two-dimensional electron gas where joule heating is localized. The thermal properties of β-(AlxGa1−x)2O3/Ga2O3 are the key for heat dissipation in these devices, while they have not been studied before. This work reports the temperature dependent thermal conductivity of β-(Al0.1Ga0.9)2O3/Ga2O3 superlattices from 80 K to 480 K. Its thermal conductivity is significantly reduced (5.7 times reduction) at room temperature compared to that of bulk Ga2O3. Additionally, the thermal conductivity of bulk Ga2O3 with (010) orientation is measured and found to be consistent with literature values regardless of Sn doping. We discuss the phonon scattering mechanism in these structures by calculating their inverse thermal diffusivity. By comparing the estimated thermal boundary conductance (TBC) of β-(Al0.1Ga0.9)2O3/Ga2O3 interfaces and Ga2O3 maximum TBC, we reveal that some phonons in the superlattices transmit through several interfaces before scattering with other phonons or structural imperfections. This study is not only important for Ga2O3 electronics applications, especially for high power and high frequency applications, but also for the fundamental thermal science of phonon transport across interfaces and in superlattices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apparent charge sequence of cable joint samples with typical defects at different test voltages is utilized as a feature for pattern recognition of partial discharge (PD). The vector quantization and fast matching algorithm are introduced to realize PD pattern recognition of the cable. First, the codebook design makes use of Linde–Buzo–Gray encoding technology. Second, the code matrices of PD training samples and testing samples under different defects of cable joints are obtained, and the code occurrence frequency matrix is calculated. Finally, a fast matching algorithm is used to match the code occurrence frequency matrices of training and testing samples. The defect type with the highest matching degree is chosen as the recognition result. The recognition results of 100 samples of cable joints with four defect types demonstrate that the recognition algorithm has the advantages of high execution efficiency and high-recognition rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The tumor-like growth of the metacestode larvae of the tapeworm E. multilocularis causes human alveolar echinococcosis, a severe disease mainly affecting the liver. The germinative cells, a population of adult stem cells, are crucial for the larval growth and development of the parasite within the hosts. Maintenance of the germinative cell pools relies on their abilities of extensive proliferation and self-renewal, which requires accurate control of the cell division cycle. Targeting regulators of the cell division progression may impair germinative cell populations, leading to impeded parasite growth. Methodology/Principal findings: In this study, we describe the characterization of EmAURKA and EmAURKB, which display significant similarity to the members of Aurora kinases that are essential mitotic kinases and play key roles in cell division. Our data suggest that EmAURKA and EmAURKB are actively expressed in the germinative cells of E. multilocularis. Treatment with low concentrations of MLN8237, a dual inhibitor of Aurora A and B, resulted in chromosomal defects in the germinative cells during mitosis, while higher concentrations of MLN8237 caused a failure in cytokinesis of the germinative cells, leading to multinucleated cells. Inhibition of the activities of Aurora kinases eventually resulted in depletion of the germinative cell populations in E. multilocularis, which in turn caused larval growth inhibition of the parasite. Conclusions/Significance: Our data demonstrate the vital roles of Aurora kinases in the regulation of mitotic progression and maintenance of the germinative cells in E. multilocularis, and suggest Aurora kinases as promising druggable targets for the development of novel chemotherapeutics against human alveolar echinococcosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphite oxide (GO), often being used as a precursor of graphene-based materials, can be prepared through a modified Hummers' method. The last step of GO synthesis, i.e. the removal of hydrogen chloride (HCl), is generally time-consuming, costly and polluting. Herein, the HCl-containing graphite oxide (H-GO) and pure GO aqueous suspensions were respectively hydrothermally treated followed by freeze-drying, leading to two graphene aerogels (H-GA and GA). Characterization results show that the two aerogels possess similar microstructure but distinct surface chemistry properties. When used as the active electrode materials in supercapacitors, GA and H-GA show comparable electrochemical properties in KOH aqueous electrolyte. In EMIMBF 4 ionic liquid electrolyte, H-GA shows larger specific capacitance (243 F g−1 at 1 A g−1), better rate capability, and higher energy density (135 Wh kg−1 at 1 kW kg−1) compared with GA (216 F g−1, 120 Wh kg−1), which is attributed to its higher O/C ratio and better electrolyte wettability. We propose that it is not always necessary to conduct the HCl removal, and H-GO could be directly used as a precursor, which not only saves the time and cost remarkably but also may open up a relatively facile route to fabricate some graphene-based functional bulk materials. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report AlGaN/GaN n-p-n heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) on sapphire substrates with selective-area grown AlGaN emitters by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition. Metal–semiconductor contact on the external p-GaN base layer shows ohmic characteristics thanks to the dry-etching-free process of base–emitter junction. As a result, the maximum current gain $\beta $ is around 90 calculated from the Gummel plot of a ${20}\times {20}\,\,\mu \text{m}^{{2}}$ HBT device. Common-emitter ${I}$ – ${V}$ family curves exhibit offset voltage $({V} _{\text {offset}}) < 0.5$ V and knee voltage $({V} _{\text {knee}}) < 6.5$ V. A high current density $ {J}_{\text C}$ of 8 kA/cm2 and power density of 75 kW/cm2 were obtained. These values are the highest in the reported for GaN-based HBTs on sapphire substrates. The open-base breakdown voltage (${BV}_{\text {CEO}}$) exceeds 98 V comparable with direct-growth GaN-based HBTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the thermal bistability of magnons in yttrium iron garnet microspheres was experimentally characterized. Using high quality factor optical whispering gallery modes in the microsphere, the temperature change caused by the microwave pump is precisely measured by probing the optical resonance wavelength shift. It is found that temperature change also induces the magnonic frequency shift and the frequency shift depends on the crystal axis direction of the material. With some appropriate alignment of the magnetic field and the microsphere, the magnonic frequency shift induced by the thermal bistability from the microwave can be suppressed. Our results show its potential use in future experiments on magnon-based transducers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract With the development of urbanization more focusing on quality and human-orientation in the transitional period, the mixed characteristics and challenges in peri-urban China are emerging. The emergence and promotion of Area Development PPP (ADP) as an effective and innovative development model in peri-urban areas offer a feasible way to address the development needs. This paper is trying to explore and examine this innovative model firstly by identifying the three main features of the mixed land development in peri-urban China in terms of properties, functions and the development patterns. Secondly, this paper tries to describe and review the practice and spatial pattern of PPP (Public Private Partnership) and ADP projects in China. Thirdly, this paper takes Gu'an Industrial Park PPP project as the typical case to further verify the effectiveness of the ADP model. Finally, this paper attempts to answer the question how to realize the mixed land use by discussing the rationale and key points of the ADP model in combination with the theory of urban growth coalitions. The research shows that the ADP model can be a successful solution for quality peri-urban development in terms of mixed land use. This model may lay the foundation for in-depth comparative study and provide useful references for other developing countries in their peri-urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The multi-stack SOFC system mechanism model is constructed with system level validated two-dimensional SOFC stacks. • The themoelectrical performance of different stack module topologies are comprehensively analyzed and optimized. • The influence laws of stack topology on system electrical performance and thermal safety are revealed. • The optimal multi-stack SOFC system configuration is obtained and its operation characteristics are investigated. Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is one of the most promising power generation technologies for its high efficiency, low emission, and fuel adaptability. The power of a single SOFC stack is usually limited to about 1 kW to guarantee its reliability, and stacks are therefore integrated in series or parallel to meet load power demand. However, the performance of a multi-stack SOFC system predominantly depends on the configuration (electrical and gas path structure) of the stack module. Consequently, it is important for the development of SOFC to explore the influence of stack integration structure on system performance and thermal safety, and to further grasp the multi-stack design principles by analyzing the input-output characteristics of the system. The existing studies mainly focus on the electric performance-related parameters analysis and optimization of multi-stack, without considering the thermal safety, the laws of the integration structure influence on system performance and comprehensive optimization on system level. In this work, general multi-stack SOFC systems with four gas distribution structures constructed by four validated stacks are considered and their thermoelectrical performance is systematically investigated and optimized under operational constraints based on a completed multi-SOFC system model. Moreover, the input-output characteristics, thermoelectrical performance and operation rules of the multi-stack SOFC system analysis are conducted, and finally, the stack module design principles and optimal stack topology are obtained. The results show that the parallel connection of two serial stack branches is preferred and can reach the maximum net system efficiency of 42.90 % and maintain the maximum temperature gradient within 6.04 K/cm at a low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate a proof-of-concept design of a new platform for proton recognition and modulation. The new proton receptors are derived from a unique class of synthetic supercontainers that exhibit exceptional proton binding capacity (over 50 equiv.) and intriguing proton-dependent fluorescent switching behavior. Experimental and computational studies suggest that the proton-responsive event involves a two-step mechanism pertaining to proton binding by both amino and pyrenyl moieties of the supercontainer constructs. The high proton binding capacity of the supercontainers can be further modulated via small-molecule “regulators” that compete for the proton-binding sites, opening exiting new opportunities for proton manipulation in both chemistry and biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a cytokine that plays diverse roles in the regulation of immune responses. However, a detailed understanding of the TSLP signaling pathway in asthma remains elusive. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of the TSLP signaling pathway in asthma and its effect on airway inflammation and remodeling. Methods: Forty Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were evenly classified into control, asthma, IgG2a mAb and anti-TSLP mAb groups. Ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma models were successfully established. Blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue samples were prepared. Total BALF leukocytes were counted, and the proportions of different leukocyte types were determined. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry were performed to determine the mRNA and protein levels of TSLP, OX40L, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA, a marker of airway remodeling in asthma) and collagen I in the plasma. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried out to measure the concentrations of TSLP, OX40L, and other inflammatory factors, such as interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and IL-13, in the plasma. Results: Compared with the control group, there were more leukocytes, increased EOS and LYM proportions, higher Underwood and PAS scores, increased WTt, WTm, WAt/A0, WAm/WAt, WTt/R0, WTm/WTt, TSLP, OX40L, a-SMA and collagen I mRNA and protein levels, and higher SLP, OX40L, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 levels, but lower MON proportions and IFN-γ levels in the asthma and IgG2a mAb groups. Compared with the asthma and IgG2a mAb groups, there were less leukocytes, decreased EOS and LYM proportions, lower Underwood and PAS scores, decreased WTt, WTm, WAt/A0, WAm/WAt, WTt/R0, WTm/WTt, TSLP, OX40L, a-SMA and Collagen I mRNA and protein levels, and lower levels of SLP, OX40L, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13, but higher MON proportions and IFN-γ levels in the anti-TSLP mAb group. WTm and WTt were positively associated with the TSLP, OX40L, α-SMA and collagen-I levels in the rat lung tissues. Conclusion: The results indicate that TSLP may be an important contributor for asthma development as TSLP signaling blockade attenuates airway inflammation and remodeling in asthmatic rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new sulfonylcalix[4]arene-based dinuclear terbium molecular container (1) was conveniently synthesized and utilized as a fluorescence probe for the detection of a well-known biomarker 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), which is used for the evaluation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The sulfonylcalix[4]arene ligand could not only serve as an efficient antenna ligand to promote the ligand-to-metal energy transfer but also provide a suitable cavity to accommodate 1-OHP. Promising fluorescence quenching effects were well established during the titration of the compound 1 with 1-OHP, and these effects were due to the enhancement in the host–guest intermolecular charge transfer and the decrease in the ligand-to-metal energy transfer after the formation of the stable host–guest complex. The fluorescence sensing mechanism was clearly understood through the titration experiments, and the data could be fit with the Benesi–Hildebrand and Stern–Volmer models. The TbIII-TBSC-based luminescent sensor exhibited quick response, high sensitivity, and specific selectivity to 1-OHP, even in the presence of other constituents in urine, thus providing a new sensing platform for the clinical diagnosis of human exposure to PAHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current work, the results of the in situ Raman monitoring of phase formation of copper zinc tin sulfide (Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 , CZTS) material from room temperature up to 350 °C are presented. Cu-Zn-Sn oxide precursors were sulfurized for up to 180 min using a 100 ppm H 2 S+4%H 2 +N 2 gas mixture (by volume). The results showed that CZTS phase formed in about 30 min via a reaction between the metal oxide precursor film and the H 2 S-H 2 gas mixture at intermediate temperature of 350 °C and remained stable upon extended exposure. In comparison, at lower temperature such as 170 °C, the oxide precursor film had to be reduced first ( e.g., in 4% H 2 +N 2 forming gas) and then the CZTS phase emerged. However, continued sulfurization at lower temperature ( e.g., 170 °C) led to the disintegration of CZTS and the formation of CuS impurity, which remains stable upon cooling the sample down to room temperature. The correlation between the in situ Raman monitoring data and the information from other ex situ characterization techniques provided useful information regarding the reaction pathways leading to the formation of sol-gel based CZTS thin films as well as other related phases under different sulfurization conditions. The outcomes of the current study also set the directions for optimizing the CZTS film structure and stoichiometry toward developing high performance CZTS solar cells in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most malignant tumors of the central nervous system, and its treatment has always been a difficult clinical problem. Here, we evaluated HDAC1 expression patterns and their effect on prognosis based on GBM cases from TCGA and CGGA databases. Expression was compared between GBM samples and normal controls. High HDAC1 expression was found to be an indicator of poor prognosis in glioblastoma. We also established a protein–protein interaction network to explore HDAC1-related interacting proteins, including the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related protein VIM, which is closely associated with HDAC1. Consistently, functional enrichment analysis showed that several GBM tissues with high HDAC1 were enriched in the expression of cancer markers, such as those involved in glycolysis, hypoxia, inflammation, and some signaling pathways. Next, this study analyzed the effect of HDAC1 on invasive ability and the EMT signaling pathway in GBM cells in vitro. The results showed that an HDAC1 inhibitor (RGFP109) could inhibit the EMT process in glioma cells in vitro, thereby affecting the invasion and migration of cells. Similar results were obtained based on in vivo studies. Our data suggest that HDAC1 has the potential to be a powerful prognostic biomarker, which might provide a basis for developing therapeutic targets for GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Larvae of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis cause alveolar echinococcosis (AE), one of the most lethal helminthic infections in humans. The germinative cells, a population of stem cell-like cells, are considered to drive the continuous growth of the metacestodes within the host. The mechanisms and relative molecules controlling the behavior of germinative cells are poorly understood. Sox transcription factors play important roles in maintenance and regulation of stem/progenitor cells. We here describe the identification of a Sox family member in E. multilocularis , EmSOX2, as a potential regulator of germinative cells. Replacement of mouse Sox2 with EmSox2 could derive induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells, suggesting that EmSOX2 is functionally related to mammalian SOX2. EmSOX2 is actively expressed in the proliferating germinative cells in E. multilocularis , and is significantly downregulated upon specific depletion of the germinative cell population by hydroxyurea treatment. These findings suggest that EmSOX2 may play a critical role in regulating E. multilocularis germinative cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low pressure hydrocephalus (LPH) is a rare type of hydrocephalus with low intracranial pressure and ventriculomegaly. The recognition of LPH is important, and the treatment is difficult and very complicated. An understanding of how to drain cerebrospinal fluid when the intracranial pressure is lower than the opening pressure of the value represents a critical issue. Seven patients who suffered from the pain of hydrocephalus syndrome and were diagnosed with LPH were retrospectively reviewed. A ventricle peritoneal shunt was applied to all patients, and the valve system was adjusted to the lowest pressure; however, the clinical manifestations of hydrocephalus in five of seven patients did not improve over one week. Intermittent pressing of the valve in combination with the maintenance of a semi-reclined position were subsequently implemented. The symptoms of hydrocephalus began to improve from three days to two months following the initiation of intermittent valve pressing in combination with the maintenance of a semi-reclined position. At the twelve months follow up, six of seven patients (85.7%) showed good recovery to minimal disability. Intermittent valve pressing in combination with a semi-reclined position is an effective and easy method to drain cerebrospinal fluid when the intracranial pressure (ICP) is lower than the opening pressure of the value and improve hydrocephalus symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study reports the preparation of copper zinc tin sulfide (Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 or CZTS) thin films using parts-per-million (ppm) level of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) gas as opposed to high percentage level of H 2 S (e.g., ≥ 5%) in many other studies. Sol-gel technique was adopted for the preparation of metal oxide films from precursor solutions with different ratios of Cu, Zn, and Sn metal ions. Sulfurization process was carried out in tube furnace using 100 ppm H 2 S balanced by hydrogen at different temperatures. Generally, it was observed that the sulfur content of the thin films obtained showed strong dependence on the sulfurization temperature. Samples sulfurized at higher temperatures (e.g., ~ 450 and 550 °C) in ppm-level H 2 S experienced significant sulfur loss as confirmed by EDS, which was accompanied by the formation of metal alloys such as Cu 3 Sn as identified by XRD. On the other hand, samples sulfurized at lower temperatures of ~ 350 °C and even 125 °C revealed the formation of CZTS phase as confirmed by XRD, Raman micro-spectroscopy, and sheet resistance measurement. Moreover, local EDS analysis indicates that CZTS films prepared at those low temperatures have near-stoichiometric composition and are sometimes accompanied by the formation of Cu 2 − x S phase(s). In addition, stoichiometric and Cu-rich precursor solutions tend to yield CZTS samples with better crystallinity and superior optical properties compared with the Cu-deficient solution. These results are discussed from thermodynamics perspective and the directions for future research for safer and more economical processing of CZTS solar cells are pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Larvae of the tapeworm E. multilocularis cause alveolar echinococcosis (AE), one of the most lethal helminthic infections in humans. A population of stem cell-like cells, the germinative cells, is considered to drive the larval growth and development within the host. The molecular mechanisms controlling the behavior of germinative cells are largely unknown. Methodology/Principal findings: Using in vitro cultivation systems we show here that the EGFR/ERK signaling in the parasite can promote germinative cell proliferation in response to addition of human EGF, resulting in stimulated growth and development of the metacestode larvae. Inhibition of the signaling by either the EGFR inhibitors CI-1033 and BIBW2992 or the MEK/ERK inhibitor U0126 impairs germinative cell proliferation and larval growth. Conclusions/Significance: These data demonstrate the contribution of EGF-mediated EGFR/ERK signaling to the regulation of germinative cells in E. multilocularis, and suggest the EGFR/ERK signaling as a potential therapeutic target for AE and perhaps other human cestodiasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]