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In this work, the influence of the Fe and Fe/C co-doped buffer on the AlGaN/GaN HEMTs is systematically investigated and compared. Due to the pronounced Fe tail in the unintentionally doped layer of the Fe-doped buffer compared to the Fe/C co-doped buffer, and the utilization of a two-step C doping process in the Fe/C co-doped buffer, it results in effectively reducing leakage current and increasing breakdown voltage without sacrificing saturation current and peak transconductance. Meanwhile, the RF characteristics of the Fe/C co-doped buffer are also superior to the Fe-doped buffer. More importantly, Drain Transient Current measurements indicate that the current collapse in the Fe/C co-doped buffer is smaller than that in the Fe-doped buffer. Through simulation analysis, the reason was identified: In the near-channel region, the weaker Fe tail effect in Fe/C co-doped buffer leads to a lower acceptor trap ionization. When the concentration of C exceeds 1 × 1016 cm−3, the ionization of traps introduced by Fe is suppressed. Additionally, the two-step C impurity distribution in the Fe/C co-doped buffer design modulates the electric field and potential, reducing the effective range of the electric field and potential, thereby effectively reducing the trap effects. These results are highly meaningful for the design of high-power amplifier epitaxial structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past few decades, China's power demand has been increasing, and the power fiber plays a key role in ensuring the orderly dispatching of all links of the power system. The study used a wavelet decomposition and reconstruction method, which is a signal processing technique used to decompose complex optical power data into low-frequency and high-frequency signals with different frequency components. Through this decomposition, we can more clearly observe periodic fluctuations, trend changes, and noise components in optical power data. The study also examined different prediction models, including GRU, LSTM, ARMA), etc. The performance of these models in predicting optical power trends is then analyzed, taking into account their accuracy, stability, and computational efficiency. Finally, we carefully evaluated the GRU-ARMA combined prediction model and determined its superior performance in predicting optical power trends. The outcomes show that after adjusting the input data length of the gating cycle cell model and the relevant parameters of the autoregressive sliding mean model, the residual mean value was 0.0141. At the same time, the root mean square error calculated by the combined prediction model of the gating cycle unit-autoregressive moving mean model was 0.000618, which successfully improved the accuracy of predicting the optical power trend of power fiber. This research result provides an important reference for the aging state assessment of power fiber lines, and has an important practical application value for the maintenance of power fiber lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weighted essentially non-oscillator (WENO) scheme is popular in solving hyperbolic conservation equations. In this work, a novel high resolution fifth-order WENO scheme is presented to improve the performance for capturing of discontinuities and complex structures. A local smoothness indicator ISk with compact form is adopted to the WENO scheme of Borges (WENO-Z). Then, a new global smooth indicator η containing information of all sub-templates is constructed to improve the resolution. Furthermore, the nonlinear weight strategy is optimized, and a new term coefficient λ is proposed, which can adjust the weight adaptively with the change of flow field. The accuracy tests verify that the proposed scheme can achieve the optimal order convergence at the critical points of orders 0, 1, and 2, and the weight analysis indicates that the proposed scheme increases the weights of less smooth sub-templates and gives full play to the potential advantages of WENO-Z. Finally, several typical numerical tests show the proposed scheme can significantly improve the resolution and robustness of WENO scheme. This proposed WENO scheme can capture the discontinuities more sharply and can clearly identify vortex structures and fine vesicles compared with other three WENO schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Liver metastases is a pivotal factor of death in patients with colorectal cancer. The longitudinal data of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) during treatment can monitor and reflect treatment efficacy and outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to establish a radiomic model based on longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict chemotherapy response in patients with CRLM. METHODS: This study retrospectively enrolled longitudinal MRI data of five modalities on 100 patients. According to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST 1.1), 42 and 58 patients were identified as responders and non-responders, respectively. First, radiomic features were computed from different modalities of image data acquired pre-treatment and early-treatment, as well as their differences (Δ). Next, the features were screened by a two-sample t-test, max-relevance and min-redundancy (mRMR), and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO). Then, several ensemble radiomic models that integrate support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), gradient boost decision tree (GBDT) and multi-layer perceptron (MLP) were established based on voting method to predict chemotherapy response. Data samples were divided into training and verification queues using a ratio of 8:2. Finally, we used the area under ROC curve (AUC) to evaluate model performance. RESULTS: Using the ensemble model developed using featue differences (Δ) computed from the longitudinal apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) images, AUC is 0.9007±0.0436 for the training cohort. Applying to the testing cohort, AUC is 0.8958 and overall accuracy is 0.9. CONCLUSIONS: Study results demonstrate advantages and high performance of the ensemble radiomic model based on the radiomics feature difference of the longitudinal ADC images in predicting chemotherapy response, which has potential to assist treatment decision-making and improve clinical outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Liver metastases is a pivotal factor of death in patients with colorectal cancer. The longitudinal data of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) during treatment can monitor and reflect treatment efficacy and outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to establish a radiomic model based on longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict chemotherapy response in patients with CRLM. METHODS: This study retrospectively enrolled longitudinal MRI data of five modalities on 100 patients. According to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST 1.1), 42 and 58 patients were identified as responders and non-responders, respectively. First, radiomic features were computed from different modalities of image data acquired pre-treatment and early-treatment, as well as their differences (Δ). Next, the features were screened by a two-sample t-test, max-relevance and min-redundancy (mRMR), and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO). Then, several ensemble radiomic models that integrate support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), gradient boost decision tree (GBDT) and multi-layer perceptron (MLP) were established based on voting method to predict chemotherapy response. Data samples were divided into training and verification queues using a ratio of 8:2. Finally, we used the area under ROC curve (AUC) to evaluate model performance. RESULTS: Using the ensemble model developed using featue differences (Δ) computed from the longitudinal apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) images, AUC is 0.9007±0.0436 for the training cohort. Applying to the testing cohort, AUC is 0.8958 and overall accuracy is 0.9. CONCLUSIONS: Study results demonstrate advantages and high performance of the ensemble radiomic model based on the radiomics feature difference of the longitudinal ADC images in predicting chemotherapy response, which has potential to assist treatment decision-making and improve clinical outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetotellurics (MT) is an important geophysical method for resource exploration and mineral evaluation. As a direct and effective form of data interpretation, MT inversion is usually considered to be a penalty-function constraint-based optimization strategy. However, conventional MT inversion involves a large number of calculations in penalty terms and causes difficulties in selecting exact regularization factors. For this reason, we propose a multiplier-based MT inversion scheme, which is implemented by introducing the incremental Lagrangian function. In this case, it can avoid the exact solution of the primal-dual subproblem in the penalty function and further reduce the sensitivity of the regularization factors, thus achieving the goal of improving the convergence efficiency and accelerating the optimization calculation of the inverse algorithm. In this study, two models were used to verify the performance of the multiplier method in the regularized MT inversion. The first experiment, with an undulating two-layer model of metal ore, verified that the multiplier method could effectively avoid the MT inversion falling into local minimal. The second experiment, with a wedge model, showed that the multiplier method has strong robustness, due to which it can expand the selection range and reduce the difficulty of the regularization factors. We tested the feasibility of the multiplier method in field data. We compared the results of the multiplier method with those of conventional inversion methods in order to verify the accuracy of the multiplier method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) to the neck for pN1 status head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) after neck dissection is unclear. A total of 208 patients with pN1 status HNSCC treated from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2014, were enrolled in the current study. The 5-year regional recurrence-free survival (RRFS), overall survival (OS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were compared between patients with or without PORT to the dissected neck. Moreover, the stratified Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between PORT to the neck and survival before and after propensity score matching. Seventy-nine patients received PORT to the neck, while 129 did not. All patients were followed for over 5 years, with a median follow-up duration of 64.6 months. The PORT group did not show better survival results than the group without PORT to the neck in RRFS, OS or DMFS. Moreover, no evidence showed that PORT to the neck was independently associated with 5-year survival. PORT to the neck for pN1 status HNSCC after neck dissection did not lead to better survival. However, it is necessary to conduct prospective randomized clinical trials to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compressible flows are numerically simulated using hyperbolic conservation laws. This study proposes a modified fifth-order weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme with a relatively low dissipation and high resolution for hyperbolic conservation laws. This scheme exhibits good performance when solving complex compressible flow fields containing strong discontinuities and smooth microstructures. A simple local smoothness indicator and an eighth-order global smoothness indicator are introduced to improve the accuracy. Furthermore, we construct a new optimal coefficient, which can be adaptively adjusted with different states of the flow field. It no longer depends on the grid spacing. This adaptive coefficient not only reduces dissipation while improving the resolution but also prevents negative dissipation and effectively suppresses spurious numerical oscillations. The proposed scheme attains a higher accuracy at high-order critical points than three classical WENO schemes. Moreover, analysis of the approximate dispersion relation indicates that the proposed scheme provides good dispersion and dissipation properties compared with other WENO schemes. Finally, several standard numerical experiments are performed to demonstrate the enhanced performance of the proposed scheme. The numerical results indicate that the present scheme has a low dissipation, high resolution, and good stability to capture both smooth and discontinuous structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Innovative introduction of UV-ns laser for paint removal from resin matrix composites. • The paint layer on the surface of resin matrix composites is safely removed under reasonable parameters. • The mechanism of paint removal by UV nanoseconds and the matrix damage mechanism of resin matrix composites are discussed. Laser cleaning shows exciting promise for removing paint from aircraft skins. This paper focuses on the application of a 355 nm (UV) nanosecond pulsed laser for paint removal from aircraft skin composites. First, the effects of process parameters on laser paint removal are analyzed, and mapping relationships between these parameters and the depth and roughness of paint removal are established. After that, the micromorphology and dynamic behavior of the samples are observed and characterized with the help of SEM, EDS and high-speed photography. Finally, the paint cleaning mechanism and damage mechanism of the 355 nm laser are discussed. The results show that the removal of paint is a combined result of photothermal and photochemical effects, while the damage of carbon fiber is caused by thermo-mechanical forces. When the laser repetition frequency is 50 kHz, the scanning speed is 1100 mm/s, and three cleanings are performed, the paint on the CFRP surface can be completely removed while maintaining the integrity of the carbon fiber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Neuropathic pain has long been a very popular and productive field of clinical research. Neuropathic pain is difficult to cure radically because of its complicated etiology and uncertain pathogenesis. As pain worsens and persists, pain recovery techniques become more important, and medication alone is insufficient. No summary of bibliometric studies on neuropathic pain rehabilitation is yet available. The purpose of the present study is to analyze in a systematic manner the trends of neuropathic pain rehabilitation research over the period of 2000–2019. Methods. Studies related to neuropathic pain rehabilitation and published between January 2000 and December 2019 were obtained from the Science Citation Index-Expanded of Web of Science. No restrictions on language, literature type, or species were established. CiteSpace V and Microsoft Excel were used to capture basic information and highlights in the field. Results. Linear regression analysis showed that the number of publications on neuropathic pain rehabilitation significantly increased over time (P < 0.001). The United States showed absolute strength in terms of number of papers published, influence, and cooperation with other countries. Based on the subject categories of the Web of Science, "Rehabilitation" had the highest number of published papers (446), the highest number of citations (10,954), and the highest number of open-access papers (151); moreover, this category and "Clinical Neurology" had the same H -index (i.e., 52). "Randomized Controlled Trials" revealed the largest cluster in the cocitation map of references. The latest burst keywords included "Exercise" (2014–2019), "Functional Recovery" (2015–2019), and "Questionnaire" (2015–2019). Conclusion. This study provides valuable information for neuropathic pain rehabilitation researchers seeking fresh viewpoints related to collaborators, cooperative institutions, and popular topics in this field. Some new research trends are also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a compelling need to identify novel genetic variants for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) susceptibility. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data showed associations between SPP1 and SPARC mRNA overexpression and aggressive behaviors of PTC, which prompted us to assess potential associations between genetic variants in these genes and PTC risk. Three highly linked SPARC loci (rs1054204, rs3210714, and rs3549) contributed to reduced PTC risk under a codominant model (odds ratio [OR], 0.79–0.80). Variant CAG alleles at these loci significantly enhanced SPARC transcription activation upon cotransfection with miR-29b and miR-495 when compared to the common alleles GGC (all P < 0.05). The three SPARC polymorphisms interacted with SPP1 rs4754, with elevated joint ORs of 2.43, 2.52, and 2.52, respectively. Additionally, interaction between SPP1 rs2358744 and SPARC rs2304052 was observed. Our study revealed associations between SPP1 and SPARC polymorphisms that, individually or in combination, are involved in PTC susceptibility. • SPP1 and SPARC expression correlate with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) stages. • SPARC variants at rs1054204, rs3210714 and rs3549 are related to PTC risk. • SPP1 genotype TT at rs4754 is associated with increased PTC risk. • CAG alleles in the SPARC 3′ UTR reduce the binding affinity of miR-29b and miR-495. • SPP1 rs2358744 and SPARC rs2304052 have an epistatic interaction effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondrial (mt) genomes of astigmatid mites typically contain 37 genes for 13 proteins, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. However, two Tyrophagus mites (Tyrophagus putrescentiae and T. longior) were reported as having lost three tRNAs in their mt genomes. In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of Tyrophagus fanetzhangorum (14,257 bp) and found typical set of mt tRNA genes (22 tRNAs). The gene arrangement of T. fanetzhangorum is consistent with the pattern of possible common ancestor of astigmatid mites. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted using Maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods. Phylogenetic analysis shows that T. fanetzhangorum is more closely related to T. putrescentiae than to T. longior within the genus Tyrophagus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For normal-weight population, the management of prehypertension may be more beneficial by identifying insulin resistance (IR) status than relying solely on traditional indicators of obesity. We investigated the association of triglyceride glucose (TyG) index, a simple surrogate marker of IR, and its combination of obesity indices with prehypertension in lean individuals. A total of 105 070 lean adults without hypertension were included in this analysis. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WtHR), and TyG were calculated according to the corresponding formula; TyG-BMI, TyG-WC, and TyG-WHtR were calculated by multiplying the corresponding two parameters. Gardner-Altman plots, partial correlation, and logistic regression analyses were applied to explore the associations in continuous variables and quartiles. The prehypertensive ones had higher mean values of TyG, TyG-BMI, TyG-WC, and TyG-WHtR than normotensive individuals. All the four indicators showed positive correlations with systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. After full adjustment, only TyG-BMI and TyG-WC were significantly associated with prehypertension in both genders. Furthermore, TyG-BMI had the highest OR for prehypertension. Our study showed that TyG-BMI might be an accessible and complementary monitor in the hierarchical management of non-obese prehypertensive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the association of potential functional tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) in BRAF and TSHR with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Two tagSNPs (rs6464149 and rs7810757) in BRAF and six tagSNPs (rs17630128, rs2075179, rs7144481, rs2371462, rs2268477, and rs2288496) in TSHR were genotyped in 300 cases of PTC and 252 healthy controls. There was no difference in the genotype frequencies of BRAF and TSHR between PTC patients and control subjects, suggesting no contribution of BRAF or TSHR polymorphisms to the susceptibility to PTC. We observed that a tagSNP located in the 3' untranslated region of TSHR, rs2288496, could affect the incidence of lymph node metastasis (LNM). The variant TC and TC + CC genotypes conferred an increased risk of LNM (for TC vs. TT: odds ratio (OR) = 2.01, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07–3.77; P = 0.030; for TC + CC vs. TT: OR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.04–3.39, P = 0.038). Moreover, subjects carrying variant genotypes had higher TSH levels and lower thyroxine (T4) and Anti-TG levels compared with those in subjects carrying common genotypes. Our findings showed that PTC patients carrying the TSHR rs2288496 TC and CC variants were associated with higher TSH level and lower T4 and Anti-TG levels and were prone to developing LNM. To confirm these results, additional studies and functional experiments, especially in other ethnic populations, are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Leptospirosis, an important zoonotic bacterial disease, commonly affects resource-poor populations and results in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The value of antibiotics in leptospirosis remains unclear, as evidenced by the conflicting opinions published. Methods: We conducted a search in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases for studies. These studies included clinical trials and retrospective studies that evaluated the efficacy or safety of antibiotics for leptospirosis treatment. The primary outcomes assessed were defervescence time, mortality rate, and hospital stays. Subgroup analyses were performed based on whether there were cases involving children and whether there were cases of severe jaundice. Safety was defined as the prevalence of adverse events associated with the use of antibiotics. p scores were utilized to rank the efficacy of the antibiotics. Results: There are included 9 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 1 control trial (CT), and 3 retrospective studies (RS) involving 920 patients and 8 antibiotics. Six antibiotics resulted in significantly shorter defervescence times compared to the control, namely cefotaxime (MD, − 1.88; 95% CI = − 2.60 to − 1.15), azithromycin (MD, − 1.74; 95% CI = − 2.52 to − 0.95), doxycycline (MD, − 1.53; 95% CI = − 2.05 to − 1.00), ceftriaxone (MD, − 1.22; 95% CI = − 1.89 to − 0.55), penicillin (MD, − 1.22; 95% CI = − 1.80 to − 0.64), and penicillin or ampicillin (MD, − 0.08; 95% CI = − 1.01 to − 0.59). The antibiotics were not effective in reducing the mortality and hospital stays. Common adverse reactions to antibiotics included Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction, rash, headache, and digestive reactions (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and others). Conclusions: Findings recommend that leptospirosis patients be treated with antibiotics, which significantly reduced the leptospirosis defervescence time. Cephalosporins, doxycycline, and penicillin are suggested, and azithromycin may be a suitable alternative for drug-resistant cases. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42022354938. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) causes loss of cardiomyocytes via oxidative stress-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. miR322, orthologous to human miR-424, was identified as an ischemia-induced angiogenic miRNA, but its cellular source and function in the setting of acute MI/R remains largely unknown. Using LacZ-tagged miR322 cluster reporter mice, we observed that vascular endothelial cells are the major cellular source of the miR322 cluster in adult hearts. Moreover, miR322 levels were significantly reduced in the heart at 24 h after MI/R injury. Intramyocardial injection of mimic-miR322 significantly diminished cardiac apoptosis (as determined by expression levels of active caspase 3 by Western blot analysis and immunostaining for TUNEL) and reduced infarct size by about 40%, in association with reduced FBXW7 and increased active Notch 1 levels in the ischemic hearts. FBXW7, which is an ubiquitin ligase that is crucial for activated Notch1 turnover, was identified as a direct target of miR322 via FBXW7 3'UTR reporter assay. Co-injection of FBXW7 plasmid with mimic-miR322 in ischemic hearts abolished the effect of mimic-miR322 to reduce apoptosis and infarct size in MI/R hearts. These data identify FBXW7 as a direct target of miR322 and suggest that miR322 could have potential therapeutic application for cardioprotection against ischemia/reperfusion-induced injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) arises from accumulated genetic and epigenetic alterations, which provide the possibility to identify tumor-specific biomarkers by analyzing fecal DNA. Methylation status in human genes from tumor tissue is highlighted as promising biomarker in the early detection of CRC. A number of studies have documented altered methylation levels in DNA extracted from stool samples, but generated heterogeneous results. We performed a systematic review and quantitative assessment of existing studies to compare levels of DNA methylation in most frequently studied genes and their diagnostic value in CRC and its precursor, colorectal adenoma, with their counterparts in healthy subjects. Robust searches of the literature were performed in our study with explicit strategies and definite inclusion/exclusion criteria. Pooled data revealed that methylation levels of SFRP2 , SFRP1 , TFPI2 , BMP3 , NDRG4 , SPG20 , and BMP3 plus NDRG4 genes exceeded a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 80% for CRC detection. The DOR of the seven candidate biomarkers ranged from 19.80 to 334.33, indicating a good diagnostic power in discriminating cancer from normal tissues. The AUC range was from 0.88 to 0.95, indicating a good or very good discriminatory performance. When test results for BMP3 and NDRG4 were combined, the DOR of CRC detection was 98.36, which was higher than that for BMP3 and NDRG4 separately. As for adenoma detection, the DOR of methylated NDRG4 is higher than that for CRC (CRC vs. adenoma: 54.86 vs. 57.22). Both the sensitivity and specificity of NDRG4 for adenoma detection exceeded 70%. These findings demonstrate the eligibility and feasibility of DNA methylation as a minimally invasive biomarker in feces in the diagnosis of CRC and adenoma. The use of DNA from human stools has the potential to be readily applicable to detect aberrant DNA methylation levels among many subjects for CRC early screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • EBV infection and serum levels of PGI, PGII and PGI/II ratio. • Co-existence of EBV and Helicobacter pylori infection in gastric cancer. • Circulating EBV DNA load associated with serology biomarkers of gastric function. Abstract Background There is no study reporting the influence of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection on the biomarkers of gastric function like pepsinogen (PG) I and II in patients with gastric cancer, and the relationship between the infection of EBV and Helicobacter pylori (HP) is unclear. This study focused on these issues. Methods In this study, we detected the serum levels of PGI, PGII, anti- HP (immunoglobulin G) IgG antibodies and EBV DNA load in a total of 189 gastric cancer patients confirmed to be EBV positive or negative in tissue using in situ hybridization of EBV-encoded small RNAs (EBERs). Results Compared to 123 EBV negative gastric cancer patients, the 66 patients infected with EBV exhibited significant higher levels of PGI and PGI/II ratio and meanwhile, had remarkably lower levels of anti- HP IgG. The prevalence of HP infection in EBV positive patients was 13.6%, and 52.8% in EBV negative patients. In subsequent analysis concerning the EBV DNA load, the patients were divided into two groups by a cutoff value of 1000 copies/ml. The EBV DNA load showed highly consistent association with PGI, PGI/II ratio and HP. Conclusions EBV infection in situ increased the serum levels of PGI and ratio of PGI/PGII in gastric cancer patients. Moreover, the EBV infection exclusively exists with HP infection in the patients with gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TC4 coating was successfully prepared on the surface of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics (CFRP) via laser cladding technology. The microstructure of the TC4 coating/CFRP substrate interface was analyzed. The results indicated that the molten TC4 infiltrated into the CFRP substrate and reliable bonding of TC4 coating and CFRP substrate was obtained. TiC and a small amount of TiS 2 phases were formed at the interface between TC4 coating and CFRP substrate. In addition, the process for preparing TC4 coating on the surface of CFRP substrate and the bonding mechanism at the interface was put forward based on the basis of experimental observation and theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RET/PTC rearrangements, resulting in aberrant activity of the RET protein tyrosine kinase receptor, occur exclusively in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). In this study, we examined the association between RET/PTC rearrangements and thyroid hormone homeostasis, and explored whether concomitant diseases such as nodular goiter and Hashimoto's thyroiditis influenced this association. A total of 114 patients diagnosed with PTC were enrolled in this study. Thyroid hormone levels, clinicopathological parameters and lifestyle were obtained through medical records and surgical pathology reports. RET/PTC rearrangements were detected using TaqMan RT-PCR and validated by direct sequencing. No RET/PTC rearrangements were detected in benign thyroid tissues. RET/PTC rearrangements were detected in 23.68% (27/114) of PTC tissues. No association between thyroid function, clinicopathological parameters and lifestyle was observed either in total thyroid cancer patients or the subgroup of patients with concomitant disease. In the subgroup of PTC patients without concomitant disease, RET/PTC rearrangement was associated with multifocal cancer (P = 0.018). RET/PTC rearrangement was also correlated with higher TSH levels at one month post-surgery (P = 0.037). Based on likelihood-ratio regression analysis, the RET/PTC-positive PTC cases showed an increased risk of multifocal cancers in the thyroid gland (OR = 5.57, 95% CI, 1.39–22.33). Our findings suggest that concomitant diseases such as nodular goiter and Hashimoto's thyroiditis in PTC may be a confounding factor when examining the effects of RET/PTC rearrangements. Excluding the potential effect of this confounding factor showed that RET/PTC may confer an increased risk for the development of multifocal cancers in the thyroid gland. Aberrantly increased post-operative levels of TSH were also associated with RET/PTC rearrangement. Together, our data provides useful information for the treatment of papillary thyroid cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a common concomitant performance and the most frequent complications of transcatheter perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure, tricuspid regurgitation (TR) has rarely been concerned. From January 2008 to December 2012, a total of 70 patients (men: 33, women: 37; mean age: 30.0 ± 17.1 years) with at least mild TR before VSD closure were examined in 508 consecutive congenital perimembranous VSD patients to investigate the outcomes of TR. After VSD closure, the jet area decreased from 3.4 ± 2.5 to 1.2 ± 2.5 cm ( p < 0.001); however, no significant decrease was found in 3 patients (mean age 59.7 ± 2.5 years) with severe TR (12.0 ± 1.2 versus 11.2 ± 3.2 cm, p = 0.668). Compared to the early outcome after VSD closure, the jet area detected by TTE at 6-month follow-up had further decreased (1.2 ± 2.5 versus 0.9 ± 2.2 cm, p < 0.001). In 6 patients, a slight residual shunt was detected immediately after VSD closure and diminished in 3 patients at 6-month follow-up. The hemolysis occurred in one of these six patients and recovered after 3 days. In conclusion, functional TR was ameliorated after percutaneous VSD closure, although persistent abundant TR was common in patients with severe TR before procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to establish a potential mathematical model for the diagnosis of the central compartment lymph node (LN) metastases of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) using CT imaging. Methods: 303 patients with PTC were enrolled. We determined the optimal cut-off points of LN size and nodal grouping by calculating the diagnostic value of each cut-off point. Then, calcification, cystic or necrotic change, abnormal enhancement, size, and nodal grouping were analysed by univariate and multivariate statistical methods. The mathematical model was obtained using binary logistic regression analysis, and a scoring system was developed for convenient use in clinical practice. Results: 30 mm for LNs area (size) and two LNs as the nodal grouping criterion had the best diagnostic value. The mathematical model was: p = e/(1+ e), y = -0.670-0.087 × size + 1.010 × cystic or necrotic change + 1.371 × abnormal enhancement + 0.828 × nodal grouping + 0.909 × area. We assigned the value for cystic or necrotic change, abnormal enhancement, size and nodal grouping value as 25, 33, 20, and 22, respectively, yielding a scoring system. Conclusions: This mathematical model has a high diagnostic value and is a convenient clinical tool. Key Points: • Papillary thyroid carcinoma has a relatively high rate of metastasis. • CT has unique advantages in evaluating the central compartment. • The mathematical model can improve the diagnosis of CT imaging. • Corresponding scoring system is a convenient clinical tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the static stiffness of vehicle door, this paper used HDMR (high dimensional model representation) based multi-parameters decoupling theory combined with Morph technology to optimize main cross section shapes of a vehicle door in the conceptual design stage. It compared with other popular metamodel techniques, this method could identify the coupling relationships among shape variables by a few sample points, and then decomposed the high-dimensional problem into a series of low-dimensional sub-problems, so it could improve the efficiency remarkably without loss of accuracy. It adopted Kriging model to construct the terms of Cut-HDMR and then abtained the displacement approximate models of investigated points under five stiffness conditions. Based on the Kriging-HDMR models, then it used NSGA-II (non-dominated sorting based genetic algorithm) to optimize the approximate model. The results show that it lightens the weight of the vehicle door and improves both the vertical stiffness and the torsional stiffness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) works inefficiently on small molecules because of the interference of matrix-related peaks in low m/z regions. A modified SBA-15 matrix, ([CHC−] [NH3+-Si-SBA-15-Si-NH3+] [CHC−]), was synthesized by covalently attaching SBA-15 to an ionic liquid formed by α-cyano-4-hydroxy cinnamic acid (CHCA) and 3-APTES. Compared with CHCA and ([SBA-15-Si-NH3+] [CHC−]), [CHC−] [NH3+-Si-SBA-15-Si-NH3+] [CHC−] demonstrated several advantages in melamine analysis, such as minimal background interference ions, high homogeneity, and improved sensitivity and reproducibility. Using the new matrix, we developed a high-throughput screening method for the detection of melamine in milk samples by MALDI-TOF MS. The influence of various parameters, such as solvent, concentration of the matrix suspension, the ratio between matrix and sample, deposition strategy, drying methods, and sample preparation method, were also investigated. Under optimized conditions for melamine determination in milk samples, a low detection limit (0.10mg/kg) and high reproducibility (RSD≤14%) were obtained. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Skin paddle necrosis and neck function damage, particularly rotation, are two problems associated with the infrahyoid myocutaneous flap clinical application. The aim of this study was to investigate vessel supply and drainage of the skin paddle and to report our modified flap incision technique. In this work, we conducted a cadaveric study and reviewed our experience with the modified incision and describe the surgical procedure. We confirmed the platysma muscle branch feeds the skin paddle overlying the infrahyoid myocutaneous flap. The length between the platysma muscle branch entry point and its originating point measured 3.38 (min 2.51, max 4.52) cm. The flap has two drainage systems. The skin paddle of the flap was drained by the anterior jugular vein and external jugular vein, respectively, or both. The infrahyoid muscles were drained by the superior thyroid vein. In the early four cases, where the platysma muscle branch was not protected, skin paddle necrosis appeared in two cases. In the later seven cases, which involved preservation of the platysma muscle branch, all flaps successfully survived. Patients in whom a modified incision was used all achieved both satisfactory rehabilitation of neck function and an adequate esthetic result. We conclude that the necrosis rate of the skin paddle of the flap can be reduced by carefully protecting its supply and drainage vessels. The modified incision can improve neck function postoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Laser-splicing-scan strategy is applied to prepare lubricant-infused silicone rubber surface. • The effect of laser splicing on microstructure and slippery surfaces is studied. • The effectiveness of microgrooves in stably retaining lubricant layer is revealed. Slippery surface, as the most cutting-edge function surface, has aroused the extensive attention ascribed to excellent hydrophobicity and self-cleaning property. Micro/nanostructure (functional carrier) and lubricant fluid (functional layer) collectively constitute slippery bi-phase surface. To our best knowledge, we firstly validate the preparation feasibility of lubricant-infused silicone rubber surface (LISRS) based on nanosecond laser splicing scan. Comprehensive characterizations demonstrate that laser splicing traces will break the uniformity of microstructures resulting in droplet pinning. However, the lubricant infusion can significantly endow the whole microstructure surfaces with droplet depinning effect, which directly improves the process compatibility of the laser splicing machining. The capillary infiltration and unstable loss of the lubricant on the microstructure surfaces not only confirm the stable lubricant layer of LISRS conformal with microstructures, but also reveal capillary stabilization mechanism of microgroove structures under gravity environment. Then, after being subjected to comprehensive stability tests (including mechanical abrasion, water droplet and jet impacts), the water droplet sliding behaviors of impacted surfaces show that the lubricant-infused microstructure surface has a certain degree of resistance to external impacts. These results show that it is extremely feasible to create large-scale LISRS using a laser splicing scan. With the rapid development of laser micro/nanofabrication, it is promising to break through the tough issue of large-scale and high-efficiency preparation of slippery silicone rubber surfaces, and bring slippery surfaces to the practical applications of anti-corrosion, anti-fouling and anti-icing materials or products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conductivity distribution of subsurface often contains segmented structure with sharp interfaces, although the magnetotelluric (MT) inversions based on Tikhonov regularization are usually stable, the smoothing interfaces tomography result from high-resistance artifacts and boundary blurring still post a great challenge for MT inversion. On the contrary, Total variation (TV) regularization can deal with the problem of high-impedance artifact and boundary blurring, but its stability is difficult to be guaranteed. In order to invert the sharp interface of conductivity distribution and improve the accuracy of MT inversion, this paper proposes an MT inversion method based on a new modified total variation (MTV) regularization. The improved method transforms the TV model constraint into two different sub-constraints: one is the standard MT inversion constraint with L2 norm, and the other is the standard L2-TV model constraint, then the Gauss-Newton algorithm and split Bregman iteration are employed to separately solve these two different sub-constraint problems. In the inversion experiments, we design a wedge-shaped model and an undulating surface model, the comparison results of accuracy and efficiency show that, among Tikhonov, TV and MTV regularization methods at the same iterations, the proposed regularization method can achieve the lowest reconstruction error and data misfit, thereby eliminating high-resistance artifacts and, in particular, can solve the problem of smoothing interfaces tomography. To this end, a field data testing is also presented to verify the effectiveness and the practicability of the new modified method. • A new regularization to decompose the model constraint by transforming the TV model constraint into two sub-constraints. • The MTV regularization can solve the problem of high resistance artifacts and boundary-blurring for MT inversion. • Combining the Gauss-Newton algorithm and split Bregman iteration can present the sharp interface of conductivity distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plenty of epidemiological evidences have shown that ambient particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure increased the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, but the potential mechanism has not been known clearly. We established mice models by ambient PM2.5 exposure system to explore the adverse effects of PM2.5 on cardiac function in mice. Forty-eight C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 3 groups and exposed to filtered air (FA), unfiltered air (UA) and concentrated PM2.5 air (CA) for 8 or 16 weeks, 6 hours per day, 7 days per week, respectively. The changes of cardiac structure and function, histological analysis and related mechanism were investigated. The main manifestations of cardiac structure were cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner after PM2.5 exposure, which led to the decrease of cardiac systolic function. Cardiac hypertrophy in mice might be regulated by PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signal. Cardiac fibrosis might be attributed to inflammatory infiltration caused by macrophage activation. Consequently, our data indicated that cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis might be important factors of PM2.5-induced cardiac dysfunction in mice. Image 1 • Real-time PM2.5 inhalation induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. • FoxO1 might be a regulator of cardiac hypertrophy after PM2.5 exposure. • Cardiac fibrosis induced by PM2.5 might be linked with macrophage activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac mesenchymal stem cells (C-MSC) play a key role in maintaining normal cardiac function under physiological and pathological conditions. Glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation predominately account for energy production in C-MSC. Dicer, a ribonuclease III endoribonuclease, plays a critical role in the control of microRNA maturation in C-MSC, but its role in regulating C-MSC energy metabolism is largely unknown. In this study, we found that Dicer knockout led to concurrent increase in both cell proliferation and apoptosis in C-MSC compared to Dicer floxed C-MSC. We analyzed mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation by quantifying cellular oxygen consumption rate (OCR), and glycolysis by quantifying the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), in C-MSC with/without Dicer gene deletion. Dicer gene deletion significantly reduced mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation while increasing glycolysis in C-MSC. Additionally, Dicer gene deletion selectively reduced the expression of β-oxidation genes without affecting the expression of genes involved in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle or electron transport chain (ETC). Finally, Dicer gene deletion reduced the copy number of mitochondrially encoded 1,4-Dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH): ubiquinone oxidoreductase core subunit 6 (MT-ND6), a mitochondrial-encoded gene, in C-MSC. In conclusion, Dicer gene deletion induced a metabolic shift from oxidative metabolism to aerobic glycolysis in C-MSC, suggesting that Dicer functions as a metabolic switch in C-MSC, which in turn may regulate proliferation and environmental adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Inorganic thermal control coatings were removed using laser cleaning technology. • Laser cleaning resulted in micro-melting on the substrate surface. • The grains in the remelted layer exhibited significant refinement. • The surface hardness and tensile properties of the substrate were slightly improved after laser cleaning. Thermal control coatings are crucial materials in spacecraft thermal protection systems. Investigating efficient, convenient, and environmentally friendly removal techniques for thermal control coatings is essential for their application and development. This study developed a new removal technology for thermal control coatings using nanosecond pulse laser cleaning technology. The removal effect of the thermal control coating was studied, and the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the substrate were analyzed. The results showed that the coating was completely removed at 5.73 and 7.00 J/cm2, while at 8.28 J/cm2, in addition to the coating, approximately 5±1.1 μm of the substrate was also removed. In the completely cleaned state, micro-melting occurred on the substrate surface, and nanostructures appeared. At 5.73 and 7.00 J/cm2, the thickness of the remelted layer is 4±0.9 μm and 5.5±0.6 μm, respectively. The grains in the remelted layer exhibit significant refinement, accompanied by the observation of numerous subgrain boundaries. Additionally, the substrate surface exhibits tensile residual stress after laser cleaning. Attributed to the influence of the remelted layer, the surface hardness and tensile properties of the substrate are slightly improved after laser cleaning compared to manual grinding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progressive cardiomyocyte loss in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) leads to cardiac fibrosis, cardiomyopathy and eventually heart failure. In the present study, we observed that myogenic progenitor cells (MPC) carry mRNA for the dystrophin gene. We tested whether cardiac function can be improved in DMD by allograft transplantation of MPC-Exo into the heart to restore dystrophin protein expression. Exo from MPC cells or vehicle were delivered locally into the hearts of MDX mice. After 2 days of treatment, we observed that MPC-Exo restored dystrophin expression in the hearts of MDX mice, which correlated with improved myocardial function in dystrophin-deficient MDX mice hearts. Compared with PBS, MPC-Exo administration improved both left ventricular ejection fraction (EF 74.3±2.5% vs 58.2±3.4%, P<0.05, n=6) and fractional shortening (FS 42.5±2.4% vs 30.0±2.3%, P<0.05, n=6) in MDX mice. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that allogeneic WT-MPC-Exo transplantation transiently restored dystrophin gene expression and improved cardiac function in MDX mice, suggesting that allogenic exosomal delivery may serve as an alternative treatment for cardiomyopathy of DMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: For differentiating heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) from HF with reduced EF (HFrEF), N‐terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) is less accurate. Decreased expression of microRNA‐19b (miR‐19b) is associated with increased cardiac‐fibrosis. We aim to evaluate the value of miR‐19b in diagnosing HFrEF patients. Method: We included 200 HF patients and 100 healthy controls. Intergroup comparisons of miR‐19b were made and correlation between miR‐19b and NT‐proBNP was analysed. Diagnostic values of NT‐proBNP and miR‐19b for HF patients versus controls and HFrEF versus HFpEF were obtained by ROC analysis and described by area under curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity. Results: HFrEF patients (0.87, 95% CI 0.37‐1.45) had significantly lower miR‐19b level than HFpEF group (1.32, 95% CI 0.63‐2.51) and the controls (1.82, 95% CI 0.37‐1.45) (both P <.001). There was a remarkable negative correlation between miR‐19b and NT‐proBNP (P <.001). The additional use of miR‐19b did not improve the accuracy of NT‐proBNP alone in diagnosing HF patients from the controls (both AUC = 0.98, 95%CI 0.97‐0.99). However, as for distinguishing the HFpEF from HFrEF, miR‐19b and NT‐proBNP yielded a significantly higher AUC than NT‐proBNP alone (0.85, 95% CI 0.80‐0.90 vs. 0.66, 95% CI 0.58‐0.74) (P <.001), and the sensitivity for diagnosing HFrEF was raised from 58% to 77% and the specificity from 75% to 79%. Conclusions: On top of NT‐proBNP, miR‐19b added the value in diagnosing HFrEF. But in view of satisfactory accuracy of NT‐proBNP in predicting HF from the healthy volunteers, miR‐19b did not provide incremental value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulmonary fibrosis could be caused by long-term inhalation of carbon black (CB) particles. Studies on the mechanisms of pulmonary fibrosis induced by CB are required to develop the stratagem of prevention and treatment on fibrosis. The RNA-binding protein DiGeorge syndrome critical region gene 8 (DGCR8)-dependent pri-miRNAs processing is regulated by N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification, which targets the downstream signal pathway. However, its role in pulmonary fibrosis has not been known clearly. In the present study, rats inhaled CB at dose of 0, 5 or 30 mg/m3 for 28 days, 6 h/day, respectively. The rats inhaled CB at dose of 0 or 30 mg/m3 for 14 days, 28 days and 90 days, respectively. In vitro experiments, the normal human bronchial epithelial cell line (16HBE) was treated with CB (0, 50, 100 and 200 μg/mL) for 24 h. In vitro and vivo study, the levels of fibrosis indicators including α-SMA, vimentin, collagen-I and hydroxyproline in CB treatment groups statistically increased in dose- or time- dependent manners compared with the control. After CB treatment, PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway was activated and regulated by miRNA-126. We found that both of m6A modifications of pri-miRNA-126 and its binding with DGCR8 were decreased after CB treatment, which resulted in the reduction of mature miRNA-126 accompanied by accumulation of unprocessed pri-miRNA-126. This work demonstrated that m6A modification of pri-miRNA-126 and its binding with DGCR8 decreases blocked miRNA-126 maturation, and then activated the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, which drove the fibro genesis in the lung after CB exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co60Fe20Sm20 thin films were deposited onto glass substrates in a high vacuum setting. The films varied in thickness from 10 to 50 nm and underwent annealing processes at different temperatures: room temperature (RT), 100, 200, and 300 °C. Our analysis encompassed structural, magnetic, electrical, nanomechanical, adhesive, and optical properties in relation to film thickness and annealing temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis did not reveal characteristic peaks in Co60Fe20Sm20 thin films due to insufficient growth-driving forces. Electrical measurements indicated reduced resistivity and sheet resistance with increasing film thickness and higher annealing temperatures, owing to hindered current-carrier transport resulting from the amorphous structure. Atomic force microscope (AFM) analysis showed a decrease in surface roughness with increased thickness and annealing temperature. The low-frequency alternating current magnetic susceptibility (χac) values increased with film thickness and annealing temperature. Nanoindentation analysis demonstrated reduced film hardness and Young's modulus with thicker films. Contact angle measurements suggested a hydrophilic film. Surface energy increased with greater film thickness, particularly in annealed films, indicating a decrease in contact angle contributing to this increase. Transmittance measurements have revealed intensified absorption and reduced transmittance with thicker films. In summary, the surface roughness of CoFeSm films at different annealing temperatures significantly influenced their magnetic, electrical, adhesive, and optical properties. A smoother surface reduced the pinning effect on the domain walls, enhancing the χac value. Additionally, diminished surface roughness led to a lower contact angle and higher surface energy. Additionally, smoother surfaces exhibited higher carrier conductivity, resulting in reduced electrical resistance. The optical transparency decreased due to the smoother surface of Co60Fe20Sm20 films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cells, scaffolds, and factors are the triad of regenerative engineering; however, it is difficult to distinguish whether cells in the regenerative construct are from the seeded cells or host cells via the host blood supply. We performed a novel in vivo study to transplant enhanced green fluorescent pig mesenchymal stem cells (EGFP-pMSCs) into calvarial defect of DsRed pigs. The cell distribution and proportion were distinguished by the different fluorescent colors through the whole regenerative period. Method/Results: Eight adult domestic Ds-Red pigs were treated with five modalities: empty defects without scaffold (group 1); defects filled only with scaffold (group 2); defects filled with osteoinduction medium-loaded scaffold (group 3); defects filled with 5 x 103 cells/scaffold (group 4); and defects filled with 5 x 104 cells/scaffold (group 5). The in vitro cell distribution, morphology, osteogenic differentiation, and fluorescence images of groups 4 and 5 were analyzed. Two animals were sacrificed at 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after transplantation. The in vivo fluorescence imaging and quantification data showed that EGFP-pMSCs were represented in the scaffolds in groups 4 and 5 throughout the whole regenerative period. A higher seeded cell density resulted in more sustained seeded cells in bone regeneration compared to a lower seeded cell density. Host cells were recruited by seeded cells if enough space was available in the scaffold. Host cells in groups 1 to 3 did not change from the 1st week to 4th week, which indicates that the scaffold without seeded cells cannot recruit host cells even when enough space is available for cell ingrowth. The histological and immunohistochemical data showed that more cells were involved in osteogenesis in scaffolds with seeded cells. Conclusion: Our in vivo results showed that more seeded cells recruit more host cells and that both cell types participate in osteogenesis. These results suggest that scaffolds without seeded cells may not be effective in bone transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to present an evaluation method for energy-absorption characteristics of thin-walled composite structures with random uncertain parameters.Design/methodology/approach The mechanical properties of T700/3234 are obtained by material performance tests and energy-absorption results are obtained by quasi-static crushing tests of thin-walled composite circular tubes. The indicators of triggering specific load (TSL) and specific energy absorption (SEA) are introduced and calculated to determine the energy-absorption characteristics and validate the probability finite element analysis model. The uncertainty in the parameters contain the machining tolerance for the thickness and inner diameter of composite circular tubes and are associated with the composite material system. The Plackett–Burman method is used to choose the measurement parameters. Then, the response surface method is used to build a second-order function of random uncertain parameters versus TSL/SEA, and the Monte Carlo method is finally used to obtain the probabilities of TSL and SEA.Findings The finite element models can accurately simulate the initial peak load, load-displacement curve and SEA value. The random uncertain parameter method can be used to evaluate the energy-absorption characteristics of thin-walled composite circular tubes.Practical implications The presented evaluation method for energy-absorption characteristics of thin-walled composite structures is an approach that considers uncertain parameters to increase the simulation accuracy and decrease the computational burden.Originality/value This methodology considers uncertain parameters in evaluating the energy-absorption characteristics of thin-walled composite structures, and this methodology can be applied to other thin-walled composite structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased expression of CBX3/HP1γ, a core component of heterochromatin protein 1, has recently proved to be involved in human tumorigenesis and patient prognosis. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of CBX3/HP1γ and its clinicopathological significance in primary tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). Gene expression profiles of CBX3/HP1γ in TSCC from Oncomine database were analyzed. The expression of CBX3/HP1γ at protein level was measured using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The potential associations between CBX3/HP1γ expression and multiple clinicopathological parameters were estimated using the Chi square test. In addition, the effect of CBX3/HP1γ expression on patients' survival was further assessed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. The agreement of elevated CBX3/HP1γ expression was indicated in four datasets on the Oncomine database. Aberrant overexpression of CBX3/HP1γ was identified in TSCC tissues compared with cancer-adjacent normal tissue, which was significantly associated with cervical nodes metastasis (P=0.010) and clinical stage (P=0.025). Furthermore, patients with high CBX3/HP1γ expression exhibited a reduced survival compared with those with low expression (Log-rank test, P=0.004). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis suggested that the expression status of CBX3/HP1γ could be regarded as an independent prognostic factor for TSCC patients (HR=2.461; 95% CI=1.128–5.370; P=0.024). The present study indicated that aberrant overexpression of Cbx3/HP1γ was associated with cervical nodes metastasis and unfavorable survival in TSCC. These findings suggest that CBX3/HP1γ may serve an important role in tongue tumorigenesis and may be a valuable candidate diagnostic and prognostic marker for TSCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The matricellular glycoprotein products of the SPP1 and SPARC genes play critical roles in many aggressive tumor phenotypes including gastric cancer. We sought to test whether the polymorphisms of these two genes, individually or jointly, influence gastric cancer susceptibility. Nine potentially functional, tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) of SPP1 and SPARC were selected and detected using the Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR method in 301 gastric cancer cases and 1441 healthy control subjects. We found that the genotype frequencies of SPP1 rs4754 in gastric cancer were significantly different from those in controls. The rs4754 TT genotype conferred an increased risk of gastric cancer, with unadjusted and adjusted ORs ranging from 1.75 to 1.95 (all P < 0.05). The assessment of the effect modifications of sex and age on the genetic effects also confirmed the statistically significant association of the rs4754 TT genotype with increased gastric cancer risk. Epistatic interactions were found between SPP1 rs4754 and SPARC rs1054204, rs3210714 and rs3549 (all P values for interaction < 0.05). During the assessment of the epistatic effects between pairs of interacting factors, increased gastric cancer risk was observed in the combined presence of the SPP1 rs4754 TT genotype and the common genotypes of interacting SPARC SNPs, with ORs ranging from 3.94 to 4.41. When the genetic influence of SPP1 rs4754 TT was excluded, the genetic effects of the SPARC rs1054204, rs3210714 and rs3549 common genotypes on gastric cancer susceptibility switched from being risky to beneficial. These data reveal an association between the SPP1 rs4754 polymorphism and altered risk of gastric cancer and highlight an important role of the epistatic effects of SPP rs4754 with SPARC polymorphisms in gastric carcinogenesis. Additional functional experiments and independent large-scale studies, especially in other ethnic populations, are needed to confirm our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and microemboli (CTM) are attracting increasing attention in medical biology and clinical practice. However, the clinical relevance of CTCs in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has not yet been ascertained, and no study has focused on the influence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status on CTCs in NPC patients. These issues were therefore examined. Methods: Peripheral blood samples were prospectively obtained from 33 NPC patients before treatment. CTCs and CTM were captured using the Isolation by Size of Epithelial Tumor (ISET) method. Immunohistochemistry on CK5/6 (cytokeratin5/6) and P63, as well as in situ hybridization of EBERs (EBV-encoded RNAs) were used to validate the harvested tumor cells. Results: Out of 33 NPC patients, CTCs were detected in 22 cases (66.7%), and CTM were observed in 2 cases (6.1%). CTCs were presented in all stages of NPC patients but had no association with the TNM stages (all P > 0.05). The presence of CTCs appeared to correlate with EBV activation status. Among the total NPC patients, the EBV VCA-IgA levels in CTC-positive cases were higher than that in CTC-negative cases (negative vs. positive: 3.88 vs. 4.86, P = 0.016). A similar result was observed in the patients without distant metastasis (negative vs. positive: 3.76 vs. 4.95, P = 0.009). When the number of CTCs was considered, CTC counts were found to correlate with EBV VCA-IgA (R = 0.382, P = 0.041) and EBV DNA load (R = 0.396, P = 0.033) for all NPC patients as well as NPC patients without distant metastases. Conclusions: These findings strongly suggested detectable CTCs/CTM in all stages of NPC patients and support a positive correlation between CTCs and EBV activation in NPC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has become an effective treatment for early‐stage oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCCs). We aimed to analyze the clinical safety and efficacy of TORS for human papilloma virus (HPV)‐positive and HPV‐negative OPSCC in China. Methods: Patients with OPSCC of pT1‐T2 stage who underwent TORS from March 2017 to December 2021 were analyzed. Results: A total of 83 patients (HPV‐positive, n = 25; HPV‐negative, n = 58) were included. The median age of the patients was 57.0 years and 71 were men. The majority of primary tumor sites were palatine tonsils (52, 62.7%) and base of tongues (20, 24.1%). Three patients have a positive margin. A total of 12 (14.5%) patients received tracheotomies, the average duration of tracheostomy tube use was 9.4 days, and nasogastric tube was 14.5 days. No patient had a long‐term tracheotomy. The 3‐year overall survival (OS), disease‐free survival (DFS), and recurrence‐free survival (RFS) for all 83 patients were 89.5%, 80.1%, and 83.3%, respectively. The OS at 3 years between the HPV‐positive group and HPV‐negative group were 100% versus 84.3% (P =.07), while the DFS and RFS between two groups also showed no significant difference. Among multivariate cox regression analysis of all potential risk factors, smoking was the significant risk factors for disease recurrence (P <.05). Conclusion: Transoral robotic surgery achieved encouraging oncologic outcomes and safety in T1‐T2 stage OPSCC treatment, regardless of HPV status. Level of Evidence: 4 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) exposure has been linked to pulmonary fibrosis. However, the key signaling pathways remained unclear. In the present study, we applied a mouse model with myeloid-specific deletion of Ppp2r1a gene (encoding protein phosphatase 2 A (PP2A) A subunit) to identify the key signaling pathways involved in PM 2.5 -induced pulmonary fibrosis. PP2A Aα−/− homozygote mice and matched wild-type (WT) littermates were exposed to filtered air (FA), unfiltered air (UA), and concentrated PM 2.5 (CA) in a real-ambient PM exposure system for 8 weeks and 16 weeks, respectively. The mice exposed to PM 2.5 displayed a progressive inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis. Moreover, the expressions of NLRP3, pro-caspase-1, caspase-1, ASC and IL-1β were increased in mice lung following PM 2.5 exposure, indicating PM 2.5 exposure caused pulmonary inflammation by the NLRP3 pathways activation. Furthermore, the effects of PM exposure on pulmonary inflammation, pulmonary fibrosis, oxidative stress, and pulmonary function damage were significantly enhanced in PP2A−/− mice compared to WT mice, indicating the role of PP2A in the regulation of pulmonary injury induced by PM exposure. In vitro study confirmed that PP2A was involved in the PM 2.5 -induced inflammation response and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Importantly, we identified PP2A regulated the activation of NLRP3 pathways by direct dephosphorylating IRE1α in response to PM 2.5 exposure. Taken together, our results demonstrated that PP2A-IRE1α-NLRP3 signaling pathway played a crucial role in regulating the inflammation response, triggering the lung fibrogenesis upon PM 2.5 exposure. Our findings provide new insights into regulatory role of PP2A in human diseases upon the PM exposure. [Display omitted] • PP2A in macrophages might involve in the development of fibrosis induced by PM 2.5. • NLRP3 signal pathway regulated by PP2A participated in fibrosis caused by PM 2.5. • PP2A Aα could regulate phosphorylation of IRE1α by binding with IRE1α. • PP2A- IRE1α-NLRP3 pathway in macrophages participates in the fibrosis process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the role and molecular mechanism of cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) in regulating the growth of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). Methods: The authors used multiple methods to detect the levels of CDK5 expression in samples of TSCC and to explore the relation between CDK5 expression and various clinicopathologic factors. In vivo and in vitro cell experiments were performed to detect the proliferation, invasion, and migration of TSCC cells with CDK5 knockdown or overexpression. These studies verified that CDK5 regulates the occurrence and development of TSCC cells through the microRNA 513c‐5p/cell division cycle 25B pathway. Results: An elevated level of CDK5 expression in TSCC tissues was identified as an independent risk factor affecting TSCC growth and patient prognosis. Patients who had TSCC with low levels of CDK5 expression had a higher survival rate than those with high levels. Knockdown of CDK5 reduced the proliferation, migration, and invasion of TSCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the authors observed that CDK5 regulated the growth of TSCC through the microRNA 513c‐5p/cell division cycle C25B pathway. Conclusions: CDK5 functions as an oncogene in TSCC and might serve as a molecular marker for use in the diagnosis and treatment of TSCC. Lay Summary: Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is 1 of the most common malignant tumors of the head and neck, and the survival rate of patients with tongue cancer has been very low.Therefore, it is important to study the molecular mechanism of TSCC progression to identify biomarkers that can be used to improve its clinical diagnosis and treatment.Cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is an atypical member of the cyclin‐dependent kinase family and is involved in regulating the cell cycle.Changes in the cell cycle are of great significance for the occurrence and development of tumor cells; and, in recent years, increasing evidence has suggested that CDK5 exists in a disordered state in cancer cells.In this study, the authors demonstrate that CDK5 functions as an oncogene in TSCC and might serve as a molecular marker for use in the diagnosis and treatment of TSCC. The role of cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 and its molecular mechanism in regulating the growth of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) are investigated. The results indicate that cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 is involved in the occurrence and development of TSCC and could possibly serve as a new prognostic marker and molecular target for treating TSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-precision detection of the underground pipelines is an indispensable part of the development and construction of cities. At present, the inversion technology for ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data is an effective means of realizing shallow-underground-space visualization in the field of geophysical exploration. However, the traditional full-waveform inversion (FWI) method usually faces the problems of strong nonlinearity of the objective function, high dependence on the initial model, and huge calculation cost. For improving the accuracy and efficiency of GPR data inversion, a wavefield reconstruction inversion (WRI) strategy is used for GPR data imaging to reduce the nonlinearity of the inversion problem and the dependence on the initial model. Then, the frequency weighting strategy and the multi-scale method are adopted to avoid the high-frequency component data dominating the optimization process and enhance the stability of inversion. In this paper, two numerical experiments of pipeline models with different materials and spacing or buried depths verified that the proposed method can effectively reconstruct the subsurface pipelines, and further performance of our algorithm on the field data verified the reliability of high-precision imaging of urban underground pipelines, which shows great potential of application in the field of high-precision detection of the urban underground pipelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coating adhesion and friction properties are critical for the utilization and maintenance of de-painted surfaces. This study utilized the "low-temperature processing" characteristic of ultraviolet picosecond lasers for the nondestructive removal of coatings on aluminum alloys, facilitating environmentally friendly paint stripping and subsequent applications. By adjusting laser fluence, surface morphology, chemical properties, and interface characteristics were evaluated, and temperature monitoring during the cleaning process was conducted to elucidate the cleaning mechanism. The results indicated that a laser fluence of 1.30 J/cm2 is the threshold for complete coating removal. The fully stripped substrate exhibited surface roughening, slight oxidation, and polarization, which enhance wettability. This improved wettability, in turn, increases coating adhesion and wear resistance. Temperature monitoring results revealed a minimal photothermal effect during the ultraviolet picosecond laser cleaning process, ensuring the substrate remains intact. The de-painting mechanism primarily relies on the photochemical effect, enabling paint removal at low temperatures. [Display omitted] • Ultraviolet picosecond laser enables effective removal of coating from aluminum alloys. • Surface morphology and chemistry induced by ultraviolet picosecond laser contribute to improved surface wettability. • Surface characteristics of laser paint stripping have a positive effect on coating adhesion and wear resistance. • Ultraviolet laser paint stripping is primarily driven by photochemical effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel strategy is proposed to improve the strength of aluminum/stainless steel weld-brazed joints. • High-quality multiscale surfaces were achieved via hybrid fabrication of laser and chemical microtexturing. • The maximum linear load of 495.9 N/mm for regulated joints was 61 % higher than untreated joints. • Strengthening mechanism was elucidated through a comprehensive analysis of reaction, wetting, and failure behaviors. Surface microtexture is a promising technique for enhancing the quality of heterogeneous joints. This study developed a novel surface texturing method to improve the reliability of laser welded-brazed aluminum/stainless steel joints. The method combined laser etching and chemical etching to create high-quality multi-scale surfaces with large grooves and small wrinkles. The designed microtexture promoted atomic transfer and induced the generation of nanoscale η-Fe 2 (Al,Si) 5 phases during the welding-brazing process. It reduced the spreading activation energy along the groove direction, which enlarged the joining area. It also optimized the strain-stress distribution to enhance the deformation tolerance of the bonding interface throughout the structural strengthening mechanism. Through the synergistic regulation, the joint achieved a maximum line load of 495.9 N/mm, which was 61 % higher than the untextured joint of 307.5 N/mm. The joint performance reached 95 % of the Al/Al lap joint (519.3 N/mm) with the same welding parameters. This study provided new insights into the high-quality joining of aluminum/steel systems or other heterogeneous materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In laser welded–brazed Al/steel dissimilar joints, interfacial metallic compound (IMC) had a determined effect on the joint strength. Dynamics interfacial fractured behaviors and generated condition for the IMC which was most beneficial for joint strength (aimed IMC) were hardly defined. This research investigated interfacial fractured behaviors for the joints obtained different laser manufacturing parameters (pure Al, AlSi5, AlSi12 filler metals and different laser powers). In−situ tensile SEM observations was adopted to provide a dynamics observation for the interfacial fractured behaviors. Then fractured behaviors for the joint obtained under coupling parameters of filler metals and laser powers were compared and summarized. It was discovered that aimed IMC was 2–3 µm τ 5 –Fe 1.8 Al 7.2 Si. Then numerical simulation was carried out to calculate the interfacial thermal cycles in order to define its generated thermal condition. Based on this, activity coefficient variations of Fe–Al–Si ternary system due to the addition of alloying element were calculated so as to define its generated metallurgy condition. Experimental results and numerical simulations proved that adding 12 wt% interfacial Si content, maintaining 968°C–1003 °C interfacial peak temperature and keeping 1.64–2.63 s time interaction at high temperature were the metallurgy and thermal conditions for the generation of 2–3 µm τ 5 –Fe 1.8 Al 7.2 Si. This research hoped to provide a reference for determination of interfacial regulation aim in other dissimilar materials joints. • In–sit u tensile SEM observations were conducted to study interfacial dynamic fractured behaviors. • Influence of coupling manufacturing parameters (filler metal and laser power) on interfacial fractured behaviors were clarified. • (3) 2–3 µm τ5–Fe1.8Al7.2Si was proved to be most beneficial for joint strength. • Generated thermal and metallurgy conditions for 2–3 µm τ 5 –Fe 1.8 Al 7.2 Si was determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixtures of nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) are prepared to fine‐tune bulk heterojunction (BHJ) thin‐film morphologies. The acceptor phase resulting from these mixtures has unique physical properties with excellent optoelectronic processes that dictate the output of organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices. Remarkable short‐circuit current densities (JSC) and fill factors (FFs) are achieved due to the formation of better crystalline fibrils that suppress geminate recombination, leading to improved charge transport with enhanced crystallinity and aligned cascading energy levels confirm efficient exciton diffusion and dissociation, yielding more effective exciton recycling. The decreased Urbach energy and suppressed energetic disorder account for the improvement in the open‐circuit voltage (VOC). A maximum power conversion efficiency of 17.86% is obtained, underscoring the importance of using specific material interactions to produce a suitable morphology and manage energy loss, resulting in ideal organic solar cell (OSC) devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, laser cleaning of blue and red polyurethane paint on aluminum alloy surface were investigated by using a nanosecond pulsed laser at 1.8, 3.2 and 8.0 J/cm2. The surface topography after laser cleaning was analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the paint removal process was recorded by high-speed camera (HSC) and spectrophotometer. It was found that the cleaning results and phenomena of the two paints were significantly different. After cleaned at 1.8 J/cm2, the blue residual paint is a uniform and flat paint layer while the red residual paint presents a loose mesh morphology. Although both red paint and blue paint could be removed at 3.2 and 8.0 J/cm2, the surface of the substrate shows different topography. It could be observed by HSC that the blue paint detached from the substrate by being vaporized and the red paint was disintegrated into pieces and ejected from the substrate. This phenomenon was caused by the difference in the absorption coefficient of the two paints to the laser. To illustrate this, an energy distribution model was established considering Beer-Lambert's law and the temperature distribution of paint and thermal stress of substrate were calculated. Under laser irradiation, blue paint was more likely to be ablated and vaporized, while red paint was subject to greater thermal stress. For blue paint removal, vaporization, spallation and combustion are the dominated mechanisms and the red paint was mainly erupted by thermal stress of substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Neuropathic pain is characterized by allodynia, dysesthesia, and hyperalgesia. • The cellular and molecular mechanism of neuropathic pain is still largely elusive. • Deregulation of circRNAs were involved in NP development. • circRNAs sponge miRNAs to mediate downstream mRNAs or proteins in neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain (NP) results from a lesion or disease of the nervous system and accompanied by chronic pain, leading a serious public health issue and economic burden. In terms of the NP mechanisms remaining poorly understood, circular RNAs (circRNAs), owing to their high stability and evolutionary conservation, are expected to be used as potential therapeutic targets or diagnostic biomarkers. In this review, we concisely discuss the characteristics and biological functions of circRNAs. As emerging evidence we reviewed, deregulation of circRNAs (e.g., circ-Filip1l, circHIPK3, ciRS-7, circRNA.2837, circ-Ankib1 and circAnks1a) were involved in NP development. It suggested that specific circRNAs modulated through sponging their target miRNAs and thus regulated the homologous downstream mRNAs and proteins in neuropathic pain. These findings provide a theoretical basis for circRNAs use as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in neuropathic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]