Search

[Display omitted] • PMOB is an economical solution to reduce landfill CH 4 emissions. • Both single- and two-phase flow models are used for calculating LUGM. • LUGM doesn't reflect gas flow rate into MOL. • A novel PMOB design is proposed with a trapezoidal MOL-GDL interface. • Trapezoidal MOL-GDL interface enhances total gas flow rate into MOL. Passive methane oxidation biosystems (PMOBs) are developed as an innovative and cost-effective solution to reduce methane (CH 4) emissions from municipal solid waste landfills. A PMOB consists of a methane oxidation layer (MOL) and an underlying gas distribution layer (GDL). The length of unrestricted gas migration (LUGM) has been recently proposed as the design criterion for PMOBs where the LUGM is calculated as the horizontal length along the MOL-GDL interface with the volumetric gas content (θ a) exceeding the threshold volumetric gas content (θ a,occ). This paper examined water and gas migration within three PMOBs with different MOL-GDL interfaces subject to precipitation and evaporation using verified numerical models. The results show that the use of a single-phase flow model underestimates the LUGM values of the PMOB for heavy precipitation events, and a two-phase flow model should be used to calculate both the LUGM and the total gas mass flow rate into the MOL when designing PMOBs. Both zig-zag and trapezoidal MOL-GDL interfaces can redistribute the gas mass flow rate at the MOL-GDL interface, while the trapezoidal MOL-GDL interface slightly outperforms the zig-zag MOL-GDL interface for enhancing the total gas mass flow rate into the MOL when comparing with the planar MOL-GDL interface. The zig-zag and trapezoidal MOL-GDL interfaces allow gas migration in the upper part of each PMOB segment even when the lower part of each PMOB segment was filled with water, and thus have a potential to minimize hotspot formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of heterojunctions is often considered an effective strategy for achieving visible light driven photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. In this work, defective g‐C3N4 ultrathin nanosheets were synthesized via alkaline etching method. Subsequently, a S‐scheme heterojunction was constructed between the contact interface of ZnO nanorods and alkaline C3N4 (aC3N4) to promote the electron transfer, resulting in a novel piezo‐photocatalyst (aC3N4/ZnO). The piezo‐photocatalytic performance of aC3N4/ZnO samples with different ratios was studied by adjusting the addition amount aC3N4. In addition, optimum 7 %‐aC3N4/ZnO samples exhibited the highest piezo‐photocatalytic degradation activity under light and ultrasonic irradiation with MB as the target pollutant, exhibiting the 99.89 % degradation rate and 65.68 % mineralization rate within 50 minutes. The capture experiments showed that 1O2,⋅O2− and ⋅OH were active substances in promoting the performance of piezo‐photocatalysis. The mechanism studies indicated that the enhanced piezo‐photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the piezoelectric properties of ZnO and the S‐scheme heterojunction formed at the aC3N4/ZnO interfaces, which provides power for the separation and transport of electron and hole. This work highlights the importance of carefully construction S‐scheme heterojunction and defective structures to precisely understand the catalytic properties, benefiting catalytic design and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pretreatment facilitates cost-effective operations on lignocellulosic biomass ranging from densification to deconstruction and bioproduct development. However, determining molecular-level mechanisms behind pretreatment and their effects has remained elusive. Here, we combine computational simulation and experiment to investigate the effects on wheat straw agricultural residue densification of an emerging pretreatment solvent, namely, a deep eutectic solvent (DES) consisting of choline chloride (ChCl) and oxalic acid (OA). Ab initio molecular dynamics indicates that dissociation of lignin from cellulose in lignin–carbohydrate complexes, which does not occur to a significant extent in aqueous solution, is favorable in the DES and occurs via cleavage of the guaiacyl : xylose ether bond linkage by OA. The ensuing hemicellulose removal exposes lignin to the DES which, molecular dynamics simulation indicates, leads to lignin expansion. The resulting changes in wheat straw fiber structure, lignin distribution, and functional group modifications upon DES treatment by scanning electron and fluorescence microscopy along with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The molecular expansion of lignin enhances inter-particle binding in wheat straw, leading to denser structures under pelletization. The resulting high mechanical stability and combustion properties make the wheat straw a suitable precursor of high-quality densified solids (e.g., solid biofuel). Overall, we shed light on the molecular-level mechanisms involved in DES pretreatment for biomass densification, demonstrated here in the development of a solid biofuel. The approach here illuminates the rational design from first chemical principles of methods to convert lignocellulosic resources into advanced materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perchlorate and chlorate are present in various extraterrestrial celestial bodies throughout the solar system, such as Mars, the moon, and asteroids. To date, the origin mechanisms of perchlorate and chlorate on the Martian surface have been well-established; however, relatively little attention has been cast to airless bodies. Here, we experimentally investigated the potential oxidation mechanisms of chloride to chlorate and perchlorate, such as ultraviolet irradiation under H2O- and O2-free conditions and mechanical pulverization processes. Individual minerals, olivine, pyroxene, ilmenite, magnetite, TiO2 and anhydrous ferric sulfate, and lunar regolith simulants (low Ti, CLRS-1; high-Ti, CLRS-2) and their metallic iron (Fe0) bearing counterparts were examined. We found that pulverization of dry matrix material-halite mixtures, even in the presence of O2, does not necessarily lead to perchlorate and chlorate formation without involving water. Under photocatalytic and H2O- and O2-free conditions, olivine and pyroxene can produce oxychlorine (ClOx−) species, although the yields were orders of magnitude lower than those under Martian-relevant conditions. Nanophase-Fe0 particles in the lunar regolith and the common photocatalyst TiO2 can facilitate the ClOx− formation, but their yields were lower than those with olivine. The oxides ilmenite and magnetite did not efficiently contribute to ClOx− production. Our results highlight the critical role of H2O in the oxidation chloride to chlorate and perchlorate, and provide essential insights into the environmental influence on the formation of oxychlorine species on different celestial bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-stimuli responsive fluorophore, named NBDNI, was developed by constructing a 1,8-naphthalimide derivative in which a rotatable electron-donating N,N-dimethylaniline group attached to its 4-position. This molecular structure endowed NBDNI with aggregate-induced emission (AIE) and twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) properties, enabling remarkable fluorescence changes in response to multiple external stimuli: (i) sensitivity to polarity in various solvent systems and polymer matrix; (ii) significant fluorescence response and excellent linearity towards temperature changes in solution; (iii) distinct switch of fluorescence color upon acid and base treatments; (iv) reversible mechanochromism behavior in the solid state. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying the aforementioned stimuli-responsive phenomena have been proposed based on comprehensive systematic measurements. Furthermore, preliminary applications such as fluorescence thermometry and acid/base test paper have been demonstrated. This research will bring about new opportunities for the development of novel stimuli-responsive luminescent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite numerous studies investigating the association between androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and serum uric acid (SUA), the causal relationship between AGA and SUA remains unknown. Methods: We utilized bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) to explore the causality between AGA and SUA. Our study chose single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with genome‐wide significance (p < 5×10−8) for the exposure and showing low linkage disequilibrium (R2 < 0.001) as IVs. Various MR methods were employed to evaluate causality, including inverse‐variance weighted (IVW), Weighted Median, MR‐Egger, Weighted Mode and Simple Mode. Sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the results. Results: Using the IVW method, we did not find a significant causal relationship between AGA and SUA (OR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.99–1.01; p = 0.451). Similarly, the IVW method did not reveal evidence of causality between SUA and AGA (OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.91–1.03; p = 0.301). The results from other methods were consistent with those of the IVW approach. Conclusion: The study did not identify a causal relationship between AGA and SUA. Future research should involve larger cohorts and advanced methods to validate the findings and explore the complex interactions between AGA and SUA levels in different populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pleural effusion caused by fibrosing mediastinitis is rarely reported. This study aimed to summarize the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of transudative pleural effusion due to fibrosing mediastinitis. Methods: Medical records and follow-up data of 7 patients with transudative pleural effusion due to fibrosing mediastinitis in Beijing Chaoyang Hospital between May 2014 and Feb 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: These patients included 4 males and 3 females, with an average age of (64 ± 9) years. There were 3 left-sided effusions, 2 right-sided effusions and 2 bilateral effusions. Previous or latent tuberculosis was found in 6 patients. Pulmonary hypertension was indicated by echocardiography in all the 7 patients. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) of all the 7 cases showed increased soft tissue images visible in the mediastinum and bilateral hilus, different degrees of stenosis or occlusion in the pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein. In addition, 4 cases were found of right middle lobe atelectasis with a mediastinal window setting. There was interstitial pulmonary edema on the side of pleural effusion with a lung window setting. All the 7 patients were treated with intermittent drainage of pleural effusion combined with diuretic therapy. Five patients were treated with antituberculosis therapy. Up to now, two patients died of right heart failure and respiratory failure after 2 and 16 months respectively; The remaining 5 patients were still in follow up. Conclusion: Fibrosing mediastinitis can lead to pulmonary vein stenosis or occlusion, and thus cause transudative pleural effusion, which can be detected by CTPA. Pulmonary hypertension, long time of cough, and a history of tuberculosis are common in these patients. The common therapy is intermittent drainage of pleural effusion combined with diuretic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A novel indicator of inflammation is the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and liver dysfunction is linked to the advancement of inflammation. In light of this, this study aims to look into any potential connections between SII and markers of liver injury. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the National Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES) dataset for 2017–2020. The linear relationship between SII and markers of liver injury was examined using multiple linear regression models. Examining threshold effects and fitted smoothed curves were utilized to describe nonlinear connections. Results: A total of 8213 adults aged 18–80 years participated in this population-based study. In the fully adjusted model, SII maintained a negative association with ALT(β = -0.003, 95%CI:-0.005, -0.002, P<0.00001), AST(β = -0.004, 95% CI:-0.005, -0.002, P<0.00001), and GGT(β = -0.004, 95% CI:-0.007, -0.000, P = 0.03791) and a positive association with ALP (β = 0.005, 95% CI:0.003, 0.007, P<0.00001). In subgroup analyses, it was found that SII remained negatively correlated with ALT, AST and GGT in gender, age and body mass index. SII was positively correlated with ALP at BMI≥25(kg/m2)(β = 0.005, 95% CI:0.003, 0.008, P = 0.00001), and was negatively correlated with ALT(β = -0.004, 95% CI:-0.005, -0.002, P<0.00001), AST(β = -0.004, 95% CI:-0.005, -0.003, P<0.00001) and GGT(β = -0.004, 95% CI:-0.008, -0.000, P = 0.02703) at BMI≥25, whereas no significant correlation was observed at BMI<25 (all P-values>0.05). Furthermore, the association between SII and markers of liver injury was nonlinear. By using a two-stage linear regression model for analysis, a U-shaped relationship was found to exist between SII and ALT with a turning point of 818.40(1,000 cells/μl). The inflection points of SII with AST and GGT were 451.20 (1,000 cells/μl) and 443.33 (1,000 cells/μl), respectively, and no significant inflection point with ALP was observed. Interaction tests demonstrated that SII correlation with ALT, AST, ALP, and GGT was not significantly different between strata (all p for interaction>0.05). Conclusions: The research findings suggested that there was a negative correlation between SII and ALT, AST and GGT, and a positive correlation with ALP. However, larger prospective investigations are still greatly needed to confirm the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generation of hematopoietic stemand progenitor cells (HSPCs) ex vivo and in vivo, especially the generation of safe therapeutic HSPCs, still remains inefficient. In this study, we have identified compound BF170 hydrochloride as a previously unreported pro-hematopoiesis molecule, using the differentiation assays of primary zebrafish blastomere cell culture and mouse embryoid bodies (EBs), and we demonstrate that BF170 hydrochloride promoted definitive hematopoiesis in vivo. During zebrafish definitive hematopoiesis, BF170 hydrochloride increases blood flow, expands hemogenic endothelium (HE) cells and promotes HSPC emergence. Mechanistically, the primary cilia-Ca2+-Notch/NO signaling pathway, which is downstream of the blood flow, mediated the effects of BF170 hydrochloride on HSPC induction in vivo. Our findings, for the first time, reveal that BF170 hydrochloride is a compound that enhances HSPC induction and may be applied to the ex vivo expansion of HSPCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Paclitaxel is a compound derived from Pacific yew bark that induces various cancer cell apoptosis. However, whether it also has anticancer activities in KOSC3 cells, an oral cancer cell line, is unclear. Methods: 3-(4,5- dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, flow cytometry, and western blotting assays were carried out to assess cell viability, subG1 phase of the cell cycle, and apoptosis-related protein expression, respectively. Results: Our findings indicate that paclitaxel could inhibit cell viability and increase the expression of apoptotic markers, including plasma membrane blebbing and the cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase in KOSC3 cells. Also, the treatment with paclitaxel remarkably elevated the percentage of the subG1 phase in KOSC3 cells. In addition, treatment with a pan-caspase inhibitor could recover paclitaxel-inhibited cell viability. Moreover, caspase-8, caspase-9, caspase-7, and BH3 interacting domain death agonist (Bid) were activated in paclitaxel-treated KOSC3 cells. Conclusions: Paclitaxel induced apoptosis through caspase cascade in KOSC3 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between plant aboveground biomass and diversity typically follows a unimodal pattern, showing a positive correlation in resource‐poor habitats and a negative correlation in resource‐rich environments. Precipitation is a crucial resource for both plant biomass and diversity in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the impact of precipitation changes on the relationship between plant biomass and diversity remains unclear. We conduct a water addition field experiment in a semiarid grassland and identify a unimodal relationship between plant biomass and species richness under ambient conditions. Water addition delays the declining phase of this unimodal curve and shift it upward compared to ambient conditions. Our meta‐analysis of water addition experiments conducted across major biomes worldwide (grassland, shrubland, desert, and forest) supports this finding, while water reduction does not alter the biomass–diversity relationship. Water addition increases biomass in all climate but only increases species richness in arid and semiarid climate. Similarly, water reduction decreases biomass in all climate but only reduces species richness in arid and semiarid climate. Species richness in dry subhumid and humid climate does not change significantly. Furthermore, our field experiment shows that water addition increases plant diversity while decreasing soil inorganic nitrogen levels. The increase in one resource, such as water, leads to the scarcity of another, such as nutrient, thus postponing the declining phase of the plant biomass–diversity relationship typically observed in resource‐rich habitats. Our research contributes to predicting the plant biomass–diversity relationship under changing precipitation conditions and highlights the complex interplay between water availability, nutrient level, and plant diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractAccurately determining the spatiotemporal distribution of boiling heat flux in a single-bubble pool is crucial for understanding the pool’s heat transfer mechanism. However, direct measurement is challenging. Utilizing an inverse heat transfer approach, where part of the temperature measurement information of the boiling wall is employed, offers an effective solution to this issue. This study explores the application of the double decentralized fuzzy inference (DDFI) method to identify the distribution of single-bubble boiling heat flux in three-dimensional heat conduction systems. Through simulation experiments, we estimate the boiling heat flux distribution of single-bubble boiling and validate the DDFI method’s effectiveness through comparative analysis. Furthermore, the measured temperature data of the single-bubble boiling process is utilized to identify the heat flux distribution on the boiling surface using the DDFI method. We reconstruct the transient temperature field of the heating wall using inversion results, and verify the reliability of the reconstruction results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shergottite meteorites, classified as depleted, intermediate, or enriched based on incompatible trace elements and specific radiogenic isotope compositions (Sr, Nd, and Hf isotope ratios), point to multiple Martian mantle source regions. The oxygen fugacity (f O 2) of these mantle regions, determined from early crystallizing minerals using the olivine-pyroxene-spinel oxybarometer, appears to correlate with incompatible trace element enrichment and isotope compositions. However, values derived from the vanadium-in-olivine oxybarometer challenge this correlation, hinting at potential biases in oxybarometry or complexities in the redox conditions of the Martian mantle. By analyzing the intermediate shergottite Northwest Africa (NWA) 11043 with various oxybarometers, this study deduced its origin from a reduced mantle source, with an average f O 2 value of −0.77 ± 0.35 relative to the iron-wüstite (IW) buffer. Notably, these values coincide with those of depleted shergottites, which represent the depleted Martian mantle region. This redox similarity between intermediate and depleted shergottites contrasts with earlier notions that postulated intermediate shergottites as a mix of depleted and enriched mantle derivatives. Moreover, intermediate shergottites such as NWA 11043, Elephant Moraine (EETA) 79001A, and Allan Hills (ALH) 77005 display 176Hf/177Hf values akin to those of depleted shergottites, suggesting that intermediate mantle components can be separated from the depleted mantle source at approximately 2.2 Ga based on model age calculations. Therefore, there presents a consistent redox state between mantle magma sources of both intermediate and depleted shergottites since the Hesperian period, while enriched shergottites lean toward more oxidized conditions past source formation. This study prompts a reassessment of conventional theories, emphasizing the nuanced redox evolution of the Martian mantle across distinct mantle source regions and underscoring the complexity of the redox evolution of the Martian mantle. The emergence of chemically diverse mantle reservoirs might predominantly arise from early magma ocean differentiation processes, albeit with inherent oxidation nuances. The differences in f O 2 observed between intermediate and depleted shergottites underscore the need for more in-depth studies to decipher Martian mantle differentiation and evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recently, the incidence of hypertriglyceridemia-associated pancreatitis (HTG-AP) has been increasing. The pathogenesis of lipogenic pancreatitis is not fully understood. This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the laboratory data, clinical manifestations, and prognosis of patients with lipid-derived pancreatitis who received lipid purification, to explore whether lipid purification is a better treatment for acute hyperlipidemic pancreatitis. Methods: In this study, we enrolled five subjects diagnosed with HTG-AP at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between 2021 and 2022. We collected demographic data, medical histories, clinical manifestations, and laboratory data. All patients received routine therapy. Blood lipid purification was conducted using the double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) method. Plasma was separated from blood cells and purified to remove cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). SPSS was used for statistical analyses. Results: Following a single lipoprotein apheresis (LA) treatment, significant improvements in serum lipid levels were observed. Three patients achieved triglyceride levels below 5.65 mmol/L within 24 h, while the remaining 2 patients experienced reductions of 82% and 78%, respectively. The average triglyceride level decreased from 36.82 to 7.27 mmol/L, representing an 80% reduction from baseline. Total cholesterol decreased by 59% on average, and LDL levels decreased by 69%. Statistically significant differences were observed in triglyceride and cholesterol levels before and after treatment. Four patients exhibited increased HDL levels posttreatment, while 1 patient showed a decrease. The average HDL/TC level was 21% higher after treatment. Conclusion: LA in HTG-AP effectively improves clinical symptoms, rapidly lowers lipid levels, and achieves good therapeutic outcomes. Plain Language Summary: Hypertriglyceridemia-associated pancreatitis is a condition where high levels of fats in the blood can lead to pancreas inflammation. The treatment goal is to quickly lower these fat levels. Lipid purification, a method to remove fats from the blood, has shown promise but lacks clear guidelines for its use. This study aimed to analyze the data of patients with this type of pancreatitis who underwent lipid purification to determine its effectiveness. Five patients diagnosed with acute lipogenic pancreatitis were included in the study. They received routine therapies and underwent lipid purification using a technique called DFPP. After a single treatment, significant improvements were observed in the patients' lipid levels. Triglyceride levels decreased by 80% on average, and total cholesterol decreased by 59%. Lipid purification effectively improved symptoms, reduced lipid levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bronchoalveolar organoid (BAO) model is increasingly acknowledged as an ex‐vivo platform that accurately emulates the structural and functional attributes of proximal airway tissue. The transition from bronchoalveolar progenitor cells to alveolar organoids is a common event during the generation of BAOs. However, there is a pressing need for comprehensive analysis to elucidate the molecular distinctions characterizing the pre‐differentiated and post‐differentiated states within BAO models. This study established a murine BAO model and subsequently triggered its differentiation. Thereafter, a suite of multidimensional analytical procedures was employed, including the morphological recognition and examination of organoids utilizing an established artificial intelligence (AI) image tracking system, quantification of cellular composition, proteomic profiling and immunoblots of selected proteins. Our investigation yielded a detailed evaluation of the morphologic, cellular, and molecular variances demarcating the pre‐ and post‐differentiation phases of the BAO model. We also identified of a potential molecular signature reflective of the observed morphological transformations. The integration of cutting‐edge AI‐driven image analysis with traditional cellular and molecular investigative methods has illuminated key features of this nascent model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primordial gravitational waves are a crucial prediction of inflation theory, and their detection through their imprints on the cosmic microwave background is actively being pursued. However, these attempts have not yet been successful. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to detect primordial gravitational waves by searching for a signal of second-order tensor perturbations. These perturbations were produced due to nonlinear couplings between the linear tensor and scalar perturbations in the early universe. We anticipate a blue-tilted tensor spectral index, and suggest that the tensor-to-scalar ratio can potentially be measured with high precision using a detector network composed of the ground-based Einstein Telescope and the space-borne LISA project on a decade timescale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic heavy metals faced by plants and, additionally, via the food chain, threatens human health. It is principally dispersed through agro‐ecosystems via anthropogenic activities and geogenic sources. Given its high mobility and persistence, Cd, although not required, can be readily assimilated by plants thereby posing a threat to plant growth and productivity as well as animal and human health. Thus, breeding crop plants in which the edible parts contain low to zero Cd as safe food stuffs and harvesting shoots of high Cd‐containing plants as a route for decontaminating soils are vital strategies to cope with this problem. Recently, multiomics approaches have been employed to considerably enhance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying (i) Cd toxicity, (ii) Cd accumulation, (iii) Cd detoxification and (iv) Cd acquisition tolerance in plants. This information can be deployed in the development of the biotechnological tools for developing plants with modulated Cd tolerance and detoxification to safeguard cellular and genetic integrity as well as to minimize food chain contamination. The aim of this review is to provide a current update about the mechanisms involved in Cd uptake by plants and the recent developments in the area of multiomics approach in terms of Cd stress responses, as well as in the development of Cd tolerant and low Cd accumulating crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently mapped transcriptomic landscapes reveal the extent of heterogeneity in cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) beyond previously established single‐gene markers. Functional analyses of individual CAF subsets within the tumor microenvironment are critical to develop more accurate CAF‐targeting therapeutic strategies. However, there is a lack of robust preclinical models that reflect this heterogeneity in vitro. In this study, single‐cell RNA sequencing datasets acquired from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tissues to predict microenvironmental and cellular features governing individual CAF subsets are leveraged. Some of these features are then incorporated into a tunable hyaluronan‐based hydrogel system to culture patient‐derived CAFs. Control over hydrogel degradability and integrin adhesiveness enabled derivation of the predominant myofibroblastic and inflammatory CAF subsets, as shown through changes in cell morphology and transcriptomic profiles. Last, using these hydrogel‐cultured CAFs, microtubule dynamics are identified, but not actomyosin contractility, as a key mediator of CAF plasticity. The recapitulation of CAF heterogeneity in vitro using defined hydrogels presents unique opportunities for advancing the understanding of CAF biology and evaluation of CAF‐targeting therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing new materials that can be used to treat environmental pollutants is one of the prime focuses of chemical science. Here, an unprecedented photocatalytic material with high activity of catechol sensitized ZnTiO3/TiO2/ZnO hollow microspheres was synthesized by hydrothermal method. The structure and properties of the composite photocatalyst were analyzed by various testing methods. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by using methylene blue (MB) as the target degradation substance. The results demonstrated that catechol (CA) sensitized ZnTiO3/TiO2/ZnO photocatalyst is a hollow microsphere with a diameter of 1–1.5 mm, the CA molecules are covalently bonded to the ZnTiO3/TiO2/ZnO surface, and the composite photocatalyst has good light absorption and carrier separation performance. Under the condition of irradiation for 90 min, the degradation rate of the composite photocatalyst for MB was higher than that of ZnTiO3/TiO2/ZnO. When the loading amount of CA was 0.6 wt%, the degradation rate of CA/ZnTiO3/TiO2/ZnO for MB was as high as 98.28 %, and the reaction rate constant was up to 4.35×10−2 min−1. A reasonable mechanism of photocatalytic degradation of pollutants by catechol as sensitizer on ZnTiO3/TiO2/ZnO was proposed. This study provides a theoretical reference for efficient photodegradation of pollutants in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lanthanide ions doped in perovskite (LIDP) nanocrystals (NCs) provide an effective way to utilize the emission of lanthanide metals in a solution‐processable way, combining the theoretical photoluminance quantum yield (PLQY) of ≈200%. To utilize advantages, LIDP‐NCs have inspired studies exploring the fundamental physics of energy transfer, including the up‐conversion or down‐conversion process, and the optoelectronic applications of solar cells and white light‐emitting didoes. This review broadens the scope of LIDP nanocrystal matrix semiconductors in electroluminescence devices in the near‐infrared (NIR) range (>900 nm). A research is summarized on the synergistic effect of lanthanide ions and perovskite matrix in the near‐infrared region, and discuss from the perspective of fabrication of lanthanide‐based electroluminescent devices using perovskite materials as the matrix. The multiple optical transitions, bandgap tunability, and quantum‐cutting effect to provide a tutorial on understanding LIDP‐NCs are started. The details of synthesizing LIDP materials and aim to lay the foundation for preparing NIR electroluminescent devices with high efficiency and application value are then illustrated. The scientific issues that limit the performance of LIDP NCs‐based electroluminescent devices and discuss the potential strategies for the future development of LIDP material are focused on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban environments provide opportunities for some species but are inhospitable for others. However, those which thrive can be found at higher densities in human‐dominated landscapes than in more rural habitats. This highlights the importance of understanding species responses to human environments. It is not only important for the conservation of urban wildlife but also may provide fundamental insights into human‐wildlife coexistence globally.Here, we use citizen science data to predict the habitat suitability of Greater London for the West European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), the European badger (Meles meles) and the Eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis).Results indicate that the four target species prefer different urban habitats, indicating different levels of urbanisation potential. Foxes and grey squirrels are able to thrive in inner urban areas, with the highest values of habitat suitability for these species found in central London, whereas for hedgehogs and badgers, the highest habitat suitability occurs in suburban and more rural habitats in outer London, respectively.These results highlight a gradient in urban tolerance, from squirrels and foxes to hedgehogs and badgers. This work also shows the importance of urban green spaces as habitats for wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the effectiveness and safety of neoadjuvant therapy in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs) and provide evidence-based suggestions for clinical treatment. Methods: The Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched for articles published that analyzed the effectiveness and safety of GEP-NEN-targeted neoadjuvant therapy before March 2023. A confidence interval (CI) of 95%, a subgroup analysis, heterogeneity, and effect size (ES) were analyzed, and a meta-analysis of the literature was performed using the Stata BE17 software. Results: A total of 417 patients from 13 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The primary variables comprised the objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), surgical resection rate, and R0 resection rate with ES values of 0.42 (95% CI: 0.25-0.60), 0.96 (95% CI: 0.93-0.99), 0.67 (95% CI: 0.50-0.84), and 0.60 (95% CI: 0.54-0.67), respectively. The secondary variables were the incidence rates of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), Grade 3 or higher TRAEs, and surgical complications with ES values of 0.29 (95% CI: -0.03-0.21), 0.13 (95% CI: -0.07-0.33), and 0.35 (95% CI: 0.27-0.44), respectively. Conclusion: Neoadjuvant therapy is an effective and safe treatment method for GEP-NENs. However, further studies are required to determine the optimal regimen for this therapy in these tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese Bayan Obo deposit is a world-class rare earth element (REE) deposit with considerable niobium (Nb) and iron (Fe) resources. A complete genetic understanding on all metals is fundamental for establishing genetic models at Bayan Obo. With extensive research being focused on REE enrichment, the timing and controls of Nb enrichment remain unresolved at Bayan Obo, which is mainly due to the challenges in dating, i.e. multistage thermal events, fine-grained minerals with complex textures and the rare occurrence of uranium-enriched minerals with mature dating methods. Based on robust geological and petrographic frameworks, here we conducted ion probe uranium-lead (U-Pb) dating of ferrocolumbite to unravel the timing, hence the genesis of Nb mineralization. Three types of hydrothermal ferrocolumbites—key Nb-bearing minerals—are identified based on their textures and mineral assemblages. They yield U-Pb ages of 1312 ± 47 Ma (n  = 99), 438 ± 7 Ma (n  = 93), and 268 ± 5 Ma (n  = 19), respectively. In line with deposit geology, we tentatively link the first, second and third stage Nb mineralization to Mesoproterozoic carbonatite magmatism, ubiquitous early Paleozoic hydrothermal activity, and Permian granitic magmatism, respectively. While quantifying the contribution of metal endowment from each stage requires further investigation, our new dates highlight that multi-stage mineralization is critical for Nb enrichment at Bayan Obo, which may also have implications for the enrichment mechanism of Nb in REE deposits in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chemotherapy is the recommended treatment for gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN). Second curettage had been advocated to avoid unnecessary chemotherapy and to reduce the courses of chemotherapy; however, consensus has not been reached as there are arguments claiming its inability of inducing complete regression. Objectives: The present study was performed to clarify the effectiveness of second curettage for avoiding unnecessary chemotherapy and lowering the number of chemotherapy courses in patients with post‐molar GTN. Search Strategy: Seven predominant electronic databases were searched, including four English databases and three Chinese databases, from the inception of each database until January 31, 2023. Selection Criteria: Studies were included if they were: (1) human, (2) explicitly indicated exposure to second curettage, (3) explicitly indicated control to conventional chemotherapy, (4) explicitly indicated the participants were patients with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN), and (5) compared the outcome of interest as the number of the course of chemotherapy. Data Collection and Analysis: Two authors extracted and analyzed the data independently. Disagreements were reconciled by reviewing the full text by a third author. The data of study location, data collection, study design, number of participants, intervention strategy, control strategy, the follow‐up period, outcome, adverse events were analyzed. Main Results: With regard to avoiding unnecessary chemotherapy, the overall pooled effect size of the second curettage group had a significant advantage over the conventional chemotherapy group with an OR of 0.02 (95% CI: 0.00–0.06). Meanwhile, for reducing the number of chemotherapy courses, the overall pooled effect size of the second curettage group had significant advantage over the conventional chemotherapy group with a mean difference of −2.11 (95% CI: −3.72 to −0.51). Conclusion: The second curettage group had a significant advantage over the conventional chemotherapy group in avoiding unnecessary chemotherapy and reducing the number of chemotherapy courses. Further larger multi‐center randomized controlled trials should be conducted to confirm our results and to clarify the optimal patients' group for second curettage in patients with post‐molar GTN. Synopsis: Our study is the first to demonstrate that second curettage has a significant advantage over conventional chemotherapy in avoiding chemotherapy and in reducing chemotherapy courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Minimal residual disease (MRD) is a validated prognostic factor in several hematological malignancies. However, its role in systemic light chain (AL) amyloidosis remains controversial, and this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to fill this gap. Methods: We searched for relevant studies on Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials, nine studies involving 451 patients were included and meta-analyzed. This systematic review has been registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023494169). Results: Our study found that in the group of patients who achieved very good partial response (VGPR) or better, MRD negativity was correlated with higher cardiac and renal response rates [pooled risk ratio (RR) = 0.74 (95% CI 0.62–0.89), 0.74 (95% CI 0.64–0.87), respectively]. Patients with MRD positivity had a higher hematologic progression rate within two years after MRD detection [pooled RR = 10.31 (95% CI 2.02–52.68)]; and a higher risk of hematologic + organ progression in the first year [pooled RR = 12.57 (95% CI 1.73–91.04)]. Moreover, MRD negativity was correlated with a better progression-free survival (PFS) [pooled hazard ratio (HR) = 0.27 (95% CI 0.17–0.45)]; but it did not significantly improve the overall survival (OS) [pooled HR = 0.34 (95% CI 0.11–1.07)]. Conclusion: In AL amyloidosis, our study supports that MRD negativity correlates with higher cardiac or renal response rates and indicates a better PFS in the follow-up. However, the correlation between OS and the status of MRD is not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have examined the average and non-linear effects of climate on crop yield, but limited research have further investigated the potential heterogeneity of climate effects induced by heterogenous land quality, which reduces the efficiency of climate change adaptation. This study is devoted to capturing heterogenous impact of climate factors on rice yield during different rice growing periods using a Just-Pope model and quantile regression approach. The results show that (1) in the mean function, both accumulated temperature and precipitation have significant non-linear effects on rice yield, and the impacts vary significantly at three different growing stages; (2) in the variance function, accumulated heat has an inverted U-shaped effect on rice yield variability during the seedings period and maturing period, while precipitation has an insignificant impact; and (3) accumulated heat shows a strong heterogenous effect on rice yield across nine quantile groups, with the effect being stronger at higher quantiles. Conversely, precipitation shows a relatively homogenous effect across different quantiles. (4) In addition to climate factors, we also find significant and heterogenous effects of fertilizer input and rice policy on rice yield. This study highlights the importance of developing climate change adaptation strategies and practices based on the heterogeneous effects of rice yield quantile groups to climate change in different crop growing stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we are concerned with the existence of almost periodic response solutions for the superlinear Duffing's equation with an almost periodic external force. Assume that the system is reversible, and if the almost periodic forcing term admits a rapidly converging Fourier series, moreover the Diophantine condition for the frequencies is satisfied, the existence of response solutions will be proved. The proof is based on a modified KAM (Kolmogorov–Arnold–Moser) theorem for reversible systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) at different stages of the pandemic. This study aims to assess the lives and disease status of PD patients during the zero-COVID policy period and after ending the zero-COVID policy. Methods: This multicenter cross-sectional study included two online surveys among PD patients in China, from May 30 to June 30 in 2022 and from January 1 to February 28 in 2023, respectively. The survey questionnaires contained four sections: (1) status of COVID-19 infection; (2) impact on motor and non-motor symptoms; (3) impact on daily and social lives; and (4) impact on PD disease management. Results: A total of 1764 PD patients participated in the first online survey, with 200 patients having lockdown experience and 3 being COVID-19-positive (0.17%). In addition, 537 patients participated in the second online survey, with 467 patients having COVID-19 infection (86.96%). (1) During zero-COVID, all of the COVID-19-positive patients had mild symptoms of COVID-19 and no death was reported. After zero-COVID, 83.51% of the COVID-19-positive patients had mild symptoms. The overall death rate and inpatient mortality rate of COVID-19-positive PD patients were 3.21% and 30.00%, respectively. (2) During zero-COVID, 49.43% of PD patients reported worsening of PD-related symptoms (lockdown vs. unlockdown, 60.50% vs. 48.02%, P = 0.0009). After zero-COVID, 54.93% of PD patients reported worsening of PD-related symptoms (COVID-19 positive vs. COVID-19 negative, 59.31% vs. 25.71%, P < 0.0001). (3) During zero-COVID, 62.36% of patients felt worried, and 'limited outdoor activities' (55.39%) was the top reason for mental health problems. After zero-COVID, 59.03% of patients felt worried, with 'poor health' (58.10%) being the top reason. The PD patients tended to change their daily activities from offline to online, and their economic and caregiver burdens increased both during and after zero-COVID. (4) Most PD patients would like to choose online rehabilitation during (69.56%) and after zero-COVID (69.27%). The demand for online medication purchasing also increased during (47.00%) and after zero-COVID (26.63%). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated the motor and non-motor symptoms of PD patients either during or after the zero-COVID policy period. The PD patients also experienced prominent mental health problems, changes in daily activities, and increases in economic and caregiver burdens. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed ways of PD management with increasing demands for online medication purchasing and rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from national meteorological stations in 90 counties of Jiangxi province during 2012-2021 and 8 microclimate stations in rice fields during 2017-2021 were used to analyze the differences in temperature between rice fields and stations, and the statistical results based on H1 (NS)(daily max temperature of national stations ≥35 °C), H1 (RS)(daily max temperature of rice fields ≥35 °C), H2 (NS)(daily max temperature of national stations ≥37°C) and H2 (RS) (daily max temperature of rice fields ≥ 37 °C ) were compared. Furthermore, proposing high-temperature damage indicators more suitable for early rice in Jiangxi, which would promoting capabilities of high-temperature monitoring and defense. The results showed that: (1) compared with the national stations, the rice fields had a cooling effect, and the Tmax(daily maximum temperature), T(daily average temperature), and Tmin(daily minimum temperature) were 0.6 °C, 0.4 °C, and 0.3 °C lower than national stations. What's more, the cooling effect increased with the growth of early rice, which showed as heading-maturity period>transplanting-booting period>sowing-transplanting period. (2) The cooling effect was higher in sunny days than in cloudy and rainy days during the high temperature period, and T, Tmax and Tmin of early rice field were 0.7 °C, 0.8 °C and 0.6 °C lower than that of the national stations. On cloudy and rainy days, the decrease in temperature of rice fields was similar. (3) There were significant differences in daily and hourly air temperature between 6 rice fields and the corresponding national stations during H1 (NS) heat damage occurred, and the cooling intensity of the rice field was greater at night than in the daytime. The Tmax, T and Tmin of the 6 fields were generally about 1.2 °C lower, which was strongest in Jinxi filed with T, Tmax and Tmin was 1.5 °C, 1.1 °C and 2.6 °C lower. (4) H1 (NS) was the largest and H2 (RS) was the smallest in terms of the number of counties affected by heat damage, the average duration, the average yield reduction simulation value of affected counties and the simulation value of the whole in recent 10 years based on different heat damage index. There was no significant difference in the result of average duration, the simulated average yield reduction rate of affected counties, and the simulated yield reduction rate of the whole based on H2 (NS) and H1 (RS), while they were all different with the result based on H1 (NS) or H2 (RS). And the simulated value of the reduction rate of the whole calculated by H2 (NS) was closer to the actual value. Therefore, national stations Tmax ≥37°C was more suitable as an index of heat damage for early rice in Jiangxi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Long non-coding RNA PVT1 promotes tumor progression by regulating the miR-143/HK2 axis in gallbladder cancer" published in the journal Molecular Cancer. The authors have identified three unintentional duplications in the paper and have requested to update the figures accordingly. The corrections involve replacing misused images in Figures 2K, 5d and 5i, and Figure 8e with the correct images. The authors assure that these corrections do not change the results and scientific conclusions of the article. [Extracted from the article]

Satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) with high spatial resolution effectively maps detailed information about shallow sea depths. Properly selecting atmospheric correction (AC) methods is crucial to obtaining precise bathymetric information from satellite data. In this work, three different AC methods (FLAASH, 6S, and DOS) were applied to GaoFen-2 imagery in Lingyang Reef, South China Sea. Water depth retrieval models, such as single-band, multiband, and band ratio models, were established by 470 points of in-situ water depth data and used for evaluating the model performances. Additionally, the optimal model was applied to depth inversion. The results show that the multiband model based on four bands performs well in this study area with R2=0.736. The choice of AC methods significantly affects SDB, although acceptable results can be derived without these methods. Specifically, the DOS method has the highest inversion accuracy, with a mean relative error and root mean square error of 14.05% and 3.31 m, respectively. Furthermore, the inversion accuracy in various depth ranges may be primarily influenced by suspended sediment concentration and bottom-type uniformity. This study provides a valuable reference for selecting AC approaches and inversion models in high-spatial-resolution SDB in shallow seas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Infection may induce thrombotic and hemorrhagic events; however, it is currently unclear whether the inflammatory response affects the coagulation function and the clinical efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban in older patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Objective: This project aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of the non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban in older patients with NVAF complicated by infection, and to provide a basis for possible drug dose adjustment. Methods: A total of 152 NVAF patients aged ≥ 65 years admitted to the Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai from June 2020 to May 2022 were included in this prospective, observational study. The changes in steady-state plasma concentration of rivaroxaban and FXa inhibition rate were compared between patients with and without infection, and the impact on the occurrence of infection, thrombotic events, and bleeding events was compared through 1-year follow-up. Results: Our results showed that patients in the infection group had abnormal inflammation markers, as well as an increased occurrence of bleeding and thrombotic events during hospitalization and follow-up. The high incidence of bleeding events in patients was closely related to the occurrence of infection, lymphocyte reduction, and increased neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio. The increase in thrombotic events was related to a decrease in rivaroxaban plasma concentration. Bleeding events in patients taking anticoagulant drugs are not necessarily due to drug accumulation. Conclusions: Timely control of infection, assessment of bleeding and thrombotic risks, and selection of appropriate anticoagulation treatment strategies should be made in older NVAF patients who develop pulmonary infection. Clinical Trials Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Number ChiCTR2000033144. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the high raw material and production costs, process optimization for casting TiAl alloys using the traditional trial and error method is not a realistic option. To explore the numerical feasibility, the casting process for a typical TiAl alloy I-beam is systematically simulated and used to determine the casting temperature, stress field, and microstructure evolution. Based on these data, the shrinkage porosity, stress concentration, and solidification grain structure were predicted. By comparing the accuracy of the hot tearing simulation results for the rigid shell and linear elastic shell models, the importance of the linear elastic shell for hot tearing prediction is demonstrated. Comparison of the experimental casting internal shrinkage porosity, cracks, and microstructure showed that application of reasonable model parameters enables adequate prediction of the forming defects and microstructure during TiAl alloy solidification. This study provides a theoretical basis and strong support for optimization of the design of casting processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DIRAS family GTPase 1 (DIRAS1) has been reported as a potential tumor suppressor in other human cancer. However, its expression pattern and role in cervical cancer remain unknown. Knockdown of DIRAS1 significantly promoted the proliferation, growth, migration, and invasion of C33A and SiHa cells cultured in vitro. Overexpression of DIRAS1 significantly inhibited the viability and motility of C33A and SiHa cells. Compared with normal cervical tissues, DIRAS1 mRNA levels were significantly lower in cervical cancer tissues. DIRAS1 protein expression was also significantly reduced in cervical cancer tissues compared with para-cancerous tissues. In addition, DIRAS1 expression level in tumor tissues was significantly negatively correlated with the pathological grades of cervical cancer patients. DNA methylation inhibitor (5-Azacytidine) and histone deacetylation inhibitor (SAHA) resulted in a significant increase in DIRAS1 mRNA levels in C33A and SiHa cells, but did not affect DIRAS1 protein levels. FTO inhibitor (FB23-2) significantly down-regulated intracellular DIRAS1 mRNA levels, but significantly up-regulated DIRAS1 protein levels. Moreover, the down-regulation of METTL3 and METTL14 expression significantly inhibited DIRAS1 protein expression, whereas the down-regulation of FTO and ALKBH5 expression significantly increased DIRAS1 protein expression. In conclusion, DIRAS1 exerts a significant antioncogenic function and its expression is significantly downregulated in cervical cancer cells. The m6A modification may be a key mechanism to regulate DIRAS1 mRNA stability and protein translation efficiency in cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a scheme for achieving basic quantum gates using ultracold polar molecules in pendular states. The qubits are encoded in the YbF molecules trapped in an electric field with a certain gradient and coupled by the dipole–dipole interaction. The time-dependent control sequences consisting of multiple pulses are considered to interact with the pendular qubits. To achieve high-fidelity quantum gates, we map the control problem for the coupled molecular system into a Markov decision process and deal with it using the techniques of deep reinforcement learning (DRL). By training the agents over multiple episodes, the optimal control pulse sequences for the two-qubit gates of NOT, controlled NOT, and Hadamard are discovered with high fidelities. Moreover, the population dynamics of YbF molecules driven by the discovered gate sequences are analyzed in detail. Furthermore, by combining the optimal gate sequences, we successfully simulate the quantum circuit for entanglement. Our findings could offer new insights into efficiently controlling molecular systems for practical molecule-based quantum computing using DRL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sporadic E (Es) layers are thin layers of enhanced electron density that commonly appear at altitudes of 90–130 km, often impacting radio communications and navigation systems. The wind shear theory posits that the vertical ion drift, influenced by atmospheric neutral winds and the magnetic field, serves as a significant dynamic driver for the formation and movement of Es layers. In current studies, both the heights of ion vertical velocity null (IVN) and the maximum vertical ion convergence (VICmax) have been proposed as the potential height of Es layer occurrence. In this study, utilizing the neutral atmospheric wind data derived from the WACCM-X (The Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere and ionosphere extension), we computed and compared these two parameters with the observed Es layer heights recorded by the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC (FORMOsa SATellite-3/Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate) radio occultation (RO) observations. The comparative analysis suggests that IVN is a more likely node for Es layer occurrence than VICmax. Subsequently, we examined the height–time distributions of IVN and Es layers, as well as their respective descent rates at different latitudes. These results demonstrated a notable agreement in height variations between IVN and Es layers. The collective results presented in this paper provide strong support that the ion vertical velocity null plays a crucial role in determining the height of Es layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heparin anticoagulation (HA) is commonly employed for membrane therapeutic plasma exchange (mTPE). However, for patients with increased bleeding risk, there were controversial opinions on the use of HA versus regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) for mTPE. Our present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HA vs. RCA for mTPE in patients with increased bleeding risk. Patients with increased bleeding risk who underwent mTPE between 2014 and 2021 in our center were screened. Observations of anticoagulation efficacy and safety were used as the study endpoints. A total of 108 patients with 368 mTPE sessions were included. Of the included patients, 38 and 70 received HA and RCA mTPE, respectively. There was no significant difference in the clotting of extracorporeal circuits between the HA and RCA groups (4.1% vs. 4.4%, p = 0.605). More bleeding episodes were observed in the HA group compared to the RCA group (16.4% vs. 4.4% mTPE sessions, p < 0.001). The frequency of postoperative transfusion within 24 h (11% vs. 3.4%, p = 0.007) was significantly different in the HA and RCA group. Anticoagulation strategy (HA vs. RCA; OR 5.659, 95%CI 2.266–14.129; p < 0.001), and mean arterial pressure (prior treatment, OR 1.052, 95%CI 1.019–1.086; p = 0.002) were independent risk factors of bleeding episodes. At the end of mTPE treatment, the incidence of metabolic alkalosis (16.7% vs. 54.1%, p = 0.027) and hypocalcemia (41.7% vs. 89.2%, p = 0.001) was significantly different in the HA (n = 5, 12 sessions) and RCA (n = 22, 74 sessions) groups, respectively. RCA is as effective as HA for mTPE. However, for patients with increased bleeding risk, RCA is associated with a lower risk of bleeding, compared with HA. With careful monitoring and timely adjustment, RCA most likely is a safe and effective anticoagulation option for mTPE in patients with increased bleeding risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Workplace incivility is a common issue experienced by employees around the globe. However, studies observing and interpreting cultural variation in workplace incivility across multiple countries are quite limited. Drawing from the stressors–emotion model, we aimed to investigate how perceived workplace incivility leads to next-day instigated incivility toward coworkers via increased negative affect (NA) at the end of the workday between Chinese and Pakistani employees. Data were collected through snowballing from 100 Chinese and 115 Pakistani employees over 10 consecutive workdays. We found that perceived incivility enhanced one’s after-work negative affect, which led to increased instigated incivility the next morning. Moreover, a higher level of self-regulation mitigates the relationship between perceived incivility and after-work negative affect. The higher level of state-mindfulness mitigates the relationship between after-work negative affect and instigated incivility the next morning. Although the first path of mediation was not significant among Chinese, there was a significant moderating effect on this relationship in both groups. In addition, this effect was weaker among Chinese than among Pakistanis. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, along with limitations and a future research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, glide, non-flagellated, and facultatively anaerobic bacterial strain, designated as Z654T, was isolated from the gut of abalone Haliotis discus hannai from Rongcheng, Shandong province, China. Cells are 0.2–0.8 μm in width and 0.7–3.4 μm in length. Cells grew best at 30 °C (range, 15–37 °C), pH 7.0 (range, 6.0–8.5) and NaCl concentration of 2.0% (w/v) (range, 1–10%). According to the phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence, the strain belongs to the genus Halocynthiibacter and the closest strain is Halocynthiibacter arcticus KCTC 42129 T (97.12%). The genome size of strain Z654T was 3,296,250 bp and the DNA G + C content was 54.2 mol%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) scores and digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) scores with H. arcticus KCTC 42129 T were 70% and 14.6–18.2%, respectively. The predominant quinone was Q-10 and the major fatty acids were C18:0, C18:1ω7c 11-methyl and summed feature 8. The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, unidentified aminolipid and unidentifed lipids. Based on the phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic data, strain Z654T was considered to represent a novel species of the genus Halocynthiibacter, for which the name Halocynthiibacte halioticoli sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is Z654T (= MCCC 1H00503T = KCTC 92003 T). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major use of residual biomass from forestry and agriculture is densification into biomass pellets. Laboratory-scale fuel pellet research involves data analysis and model building, often using a single pellet mechanical press to make the biomass pellets (mass < 1 g) at a slow production rate. However, this single pelletising approach is considered not practically possible to produce the mass of pellets (∼500 g) required for determining their mechanical durability in accordance with the ISO standard method (ISO 17831-1) adopted by industry. In this study, wood pellets were tested for single pellet durability in a single pellet durability tester. The first test was done to mimic the situation when wood pellets are exposed to humid environmental conditions during storage. It involved six treatments – three types of pellets and two levels of moisture content. The second test mimicked the situation when light rain may expose the pellets to liquid water during the loading and unloading of ships. The main objective was to develop a quantitative relationship between the tumbler durability Dt (industry standard) and Dsp the single pellet durability. Results showed that the variability of Dsp was much larger when single pellet durability had lower values. Dsp was found to be strongly correlated with Dt (R2 = 0.94) when single pellet durability had high values. A linear equation can accurately convert Dsp to Dt when wood pellet moisture content is below 10% w.b. • Single pellet (Dsp) and tumbler (Dt) durability were determined for wood pellets. • Dsp variability was much larger when single pellet durability had lower values. • Dsp strongly correlated with Dt (R2 = 0.94) when single pellet durability was high. • Linear equation accurately converts Dsp to Dt if pellet moisture content <10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid cancer is a tumor that occurs in the head and neck, which originates from the thyroid follicular epithelial cells. The current research is discussed and elaborated from the perspective of molecular prognostic biomarkers to gain a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanism of thyroid cancer and to provide more effective treatment and prognostic methods for patients. Thyroid cancer patients were explored from histological, cellular and clinical levels. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression of LINC00847 and miR-146b-5p in the tissues and cells of the subjects. Cell growth and thyroid cancer progression were determined by the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assays. The LINC00847 sponge miR-146b-5p was assessed by bioinformatics tools and luciferase reporter assay, and the Kaplan–Meier method and multivariate Cox regression analysis suggested the prognostic value of high expression of LINC00847. In thyroid cancer tissues and cells, the expression of LINC00847 was decreased. Overexpression of LINC00847 remarkably inhibited the proliferation level, migration ability and invasion ability of thyroid cancer cells. Besides, miR-146b-5p was upregulated in thyroid cancer tissues and cells. It was confirmed that LINC00847 targeting miR-146b-5p had a regulatory effect on the progression of thyroid cancer, and LINC00847 was negatively correlated with miR-146b-5p. LINC00847 may be considered a meaningful prognostic marker to influence tumor growth through sponge miR-146b-5p, which provides a new basis for the prognosis and treatment of thyroid cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lanthanide ions (Yb3+ or Er3+) alloying of CsPb(Cl1‐xBrx)3 quantum dots (QDs) to emit approaching 1000 nm show promise in near‐infrared light‐emitting diodes (NIR‐LEDs). High Yb3+ alloying ratio increases the electroluminance efficiency of emission at 990 nm and enables high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of NIR‐LEDs, however, the high alloying ratio also results in inferior material stability and PLQY drop because of Yb3+‐induced nanocrystal precipitation. This study finds that the heavy alloying of Yb3+ ions causes lattice distortion and coherent energy reduction of Yb3+: CsPb(Cl1‐xBrx)3 QDs, induced by two Yb3+ ions replacing three Pb2+, which leads to the collapse of the octahedral structure in ambient conditions. It posits that spontaneous monovalent ion (Na+) alloying can address the trade‐off between material stability and emission intensity. The Na+ occupies the vacancy of Pb2+ ions, relaxing the distortion in the lattice and improving the phase stability of octahedral structure, and this optimized structure in turn allows a higher Yb3+ alloying ratio. Stability measurements show that the Na+/Yb3+ co‐alloyed films show ten‐fold higher material stability and 2.0‐fold emission efficiency related to controls. It reports that as a result Na+/Yb3+ co‐alloyed NIR‐LEDs have an EQE of 6.4% at 990 nm, which is among the highest perovskite NIR‐LEDs beyond 950 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu additions notably strengthen Al-Mg-Si and Al-Si-Mg alloys due to the dense precipitation of quaternary nano precipitates during ageing. However, the chemical evolution and mechanical behaviors of the quaternary micro-scale Q constituent phase occurring in cast and homogenized states have rarely been studied. Meanwhile, there exists a type of AlCuMgSi cluster in the cast state, which has been regarded as Q particles. The accurate identification of phase constituents is the basis for the future design of alloys with better performance. In our work, this type of cluster was revealed to consist of α-Al, θ-Al2Cu, Q, and Si phases through micro-to-atomic scale studies using scanning and transmission electron microscopes. The skeleton of the dendrite was θ phase. The second phases in the dendritic eutectic cluster dissolved quickly during a 4 h homogenization at 550 °C. The Q phase was found to effectively absorb the Fe impurities during casting and homogenization. As a result, the formation of other harmful Fe-rich intermetallics was suppressed. These Q constituent particles were observed to break into separate pieces in an intermediately brittle manner when compressed in situ in a scanning electron microscope. These findings provide insights into the thermodynamic modeling of the Al-Mg-Si-Cu system and alloy design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Salicylic acid (SA) is an essential plant hormone that plays critical roles in basal defence and amplification of local immune responses and establishes resistance against various pathogens. However, the comprehensive knowledge of the salicylic acid 5‐hydroxylase (S5H) in rice‐pathogen interaction is still elusive. Here, we reported that three OsS5H homologues displayed salicylic acid 5‐hydroxylase activity, converting SA into 2,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5‐DHBA). OsS5H1, OsS5H2, and OsS5H3 were preferentially expressed in rice leaves at heading stage and responded quickly to exogenous SA treatment. We found that bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) strongly induced the expression of OsS5H1, OsS5H2, and OsS5H3. Rice plants overexpressing OsS5H1, OsS5H2, and OsS5H3 showed significantly decreased SA contents and increased 2,5‐DHBA levels, and were more susceptible to bacterial blight and rice blast. A simple single guide RNA (sgRNA) was designed to create oss5h1oss5h2oss5h3 triple mutants through CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated gene mutagenesis. The oss5h1oss5h2oss5h3 exhibited stronger resistance to Xoo than single oss5h mutants. And oss5h1oss5h2oss5h3 plants displayed enhanced rice blast resistance. The conferred pathogen resistance in oss5h1oss5h2oss5h3 was attributed to the significantly upregulation of OsWRKY45 and pathogenesis‐related (PR) genes. Besides, flg22‐induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst was enhanced in oss5h1oss5h2oss5h3. Collectively, our study provides a fast and effective approach to generate rice varieties with broad‐spectrum disease resistance through OsS5H gene editing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glasses-free three-dimensional (3D) displays are being regarded as the key to the future of display that will redefine the display industry. Inspired by the curved screen, liquid crystal micro-lens arrays (LC MLAs) on flexible PET substrate with a radius of curvature of 5 cm was achieved. For demonstration, an integral imaging-based 2D/3D convertible display system is proposed by using the flexible LC MLAs (FLC MLAs) to switch its operation mode between 2D and 3D modes. When the FLC MLAs with an applied voltage are in the system, the prototype renders a matched 3D image and works in 3D mode. When the FLC MLAs do not have an applied voltage, the FLC MLAs are equivalent to glass, and the display system works in 2D mode. In addition, we also demonstrated that the FLC MLAs have a wider viewing angle than the flat integral imaging 3D display system. The depth of field ranges from 6.78 to 210.12 mm under low operating voltages of 3.4 to 3.1 Vrms, respectively. With its low voltage, thin structure, and adjustable focal length form factors, the developed display system can be integrated with off-the-shelf purchased flat panels, making it a promising option for portable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. HCC is often diagnosed at a late stage when treatment effectiveness is limited and its prognosis remains dire. Exosomes are secreted by all living cells, including cancer cells, and contain biological material with potential to highlight disease conditions or dysregulated pathways involved in tumourigenesis. This study employs artificial intelligence methods to identify a signature of exosomal RNAs from 114,602 exosomal RNAs in 118 HCC patients and 112 healthy individuals that can predict HCC. A signature of nine exosomal RNAs, mainly in the immune, platelet/neutrophil and cytoskeletal pathways, was identified to predict HCC with an accuracy of ~85%. Hence, these nine exosomal RNAs have potential to be developed as clinically useful minimally invasive biomarkers for HCC. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Although alpha fetoprotein (AFP) remains a commonly used serological marker of HCC, the sensitivity and specificity of AFP in detecting HCC is often limited. Exosomal RNA has emerged as a promising diagnostic tool for various cancers, but its use in HCC detection has yet to be fully explored. Here, we employed Machine Learning on 114,602 exosomal RNAs to identify a signature that can predict HCC. The exosomal expression data of 118 HCC patients and 112 healthy individuals were stratified split into Training, Validation and Unseen Test datasets. Feature selection was then performed on the initial training dataset using permutation importance, and the predictive performance of the selected features were tested on the validation dataset using Support Vector Machine (SVM) Classifier. A minimum of nine features were identified to be predictive of HCC and these nine features were then evaluated across six different models in an unseen test set. These features, mainly in the immune, platelet/neutrophil and cytoskeletal pathways, exhibited good predictive performance with ROC-AUC from 0.79–0.88 in the unseen test set. Hence, these nine exosomal RNAs have potential to be clinically useful minimally invasive biomarkers for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modeling the quantitative relationship between target components and measured spectral information is an essential part of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analysis. However, many traditional multivariate analysis algorithms must reduce the spectral dimension or extract the characteristic spectral lines in advance, which may result in information loss and reduced accuracy. Indeed, improving the precision and interpretability of LIBS quantitative analysis is a critical challenge in Mars exploration. To solve this problem, this paper proposes an end-to-end lightweight quantitative modeling framework based on ensemble convolutional neural networks (ECNNs). This method eliminates the need for dimensionality reduction of the raw spectrum along with other pre-processing operations. We used the ChemCam calibration dataset as an example to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Compared with partial least squares regression (a linear method) and extreme learning machine (a nonlinear method), our proposed method resulted in a lower root-mean-square error for major element prediction (54% and 73% lower, respectively) and was more stable. We also delved into the internal learning mechanism of the deep CNN model to understand how it hierarchically extracts spectral information features. The experimental results demonstrate that the easy-to-use ECNN-based regression model achieves excellent prediction performance while maintaining interpretability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the influence of typical coal-fired flue gas components on the supersaturation characteristics in a multisection growth tube, a two-dimensional heat and mass transfer model was used to predict the supersaturation profiles formed by the cool saturated flow into a warm-walled growth tube (Method 1) and the warm saturated flow into a cold-walled growth tube (Method 2). The calculated results show that the increase in the concentration of the three typical components CO2, SO2, and RH (relative humidity) of the flue gas is beneficial for the achievement of the supersaturated environment in Method 1. Additionally, having too many sections of the growth tube has a disadvantage in achieving the supersaturation profiles. When the content of the gas of lower Le is higher, having more sections of the growth tube is beneficial to achieving a supersaturated environment, while a lower number of sections is necessary when the gas content is lower in Method 2. In a word, the appropriate number of sections in a growth tube is significantly important for the achievement of a favorable supersaturated environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To mine more semantic information between words, it is important to utilize the different semantic correlations between words. Focusing on the different degrees of modifying relations between words, this article provides a quantum-like text representation based on syntax tree for fuzzy semantic analysis. Firstly, a quantum-like text representation based on density matrix of individual words is generalized to represent the relationship of modification between words. Secondly, a fuzzy semantic membership function is constructed to discuss the different degrees of modifying relationships between words based on syntax tree. Thirdly, the tensor dot product is defined as the sentence semantic similarity by combining the operation rules of the tensor to effectively exploit the semantic information of all elements in the quantum-like sentence representation. Finally, extensive experiments on STS'12, STS'14, STS'15, STS'16 and SICK show that the provided model outperforms the baselines, especially for the data set containing multiple long-sentence pairs, which confirms there are fuzzy semantic associations between words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been an increase in the mortality rate of thyroid cancer (THCA), which is the most common endocrine malignancy. We identified six distinct cell types in the THAC microenvironment by analyzing single-cell RNA sequencing (Sc-RNAseq) data from 23 THCA tumor samples, indicating high intratumoral heterogeneity. Through re-dimensional clustering of immune subset cells, myeloid cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and thyroid cell subsets, we deeply reveal differences in the tumor microenvironment of thyroid cancer. Through an in-depth analysis of thyroid cell subsets, we identified the process of thyroid cell deterioration (normal, intermediate, malignant cells). Through cell-to-cell communication analysis, we found a strong link between thyroid cells and fibroblasts and B cells in the MIF signaling pathway. In addition, we found a strong correlation between thyroid cells and B cells, TampNK cells, and bone marrow cells. Finally, we developed a prognostic model based on differentially expressed genes in thyroid cells from single-cell analysis. Both in the training set and the testing set, it can effectively predict the survival of thyroid patients. In addition, we identified significant differences in the composition of immune cell subsets between high-risk and low-risk patients, which may be responsible for their different prognosis. Through in vitro experiments, we identify that knockdown of NPC2 can significantly promote thyroid cancer cell apoptosis, and NPC2 may be a potential therapeutic target for thyroid cancer. In this study, we developed a well-performing prognostic model based on Sc-RNAseq data, revealing the cellular microenvironment and tumor heterogeneity of thyroid cancer. This will help to provide more accurate personalized treatment for patients in clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]