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Introduction: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) shape the tumor microenvironment via neuroendocrine signaling and orchestrate drug resistance and metastasis. Cytokine antibody array demonstrated the upregulation of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) in lung CSCs. This study aims to dissect the role of NT-3 in lung CSCs during tumor innervation. Methods: Western blotting, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, and flow cytometry were used to determine the expression of the NT-3 axis in lung CSCs. NT-3-knockdown and NT-3-overexpressed cells were derived lung CSCs, followed by examining the stemness gene expression, tumorsphere formation, transwell migration and invasion, drug resistance, soft agar colony formation, and in vivo tumorigenicity. Human lung cancer tissue microarray and bioinformatic databases were used to investigate the clinical relevance of NT-3 in lung cancer. Results: NT-3 and its receptor tropomyosin receptor kinase C (TrkC) were augmented in lung tumorspheres. NT-3 silencing (shNT-3) suppressed the migration and anchorage-independent growth of lung cancer cells. Further, shNT-3 abolished the sphere-forming capability, chemo-drug resistance, invasion, and in vivo tumorigenicity of lung tumorspheres with a decreased expression of CSC markers. Conversely, NT-3 overexpression promoted migration and anchorage-independent growth and fueled tumorsphere formation by upregulating the expression of CSC markers. Lung cancer tissue microarray analysis revealed that NT-3 increased in patients with advanced-stage, lymphatic metastasis and positively correlated with Sox2 expression. Bioinformatic databases confirmed a co-expression of NT-3/TrkC-axis and demonstrated that NT-3, NT-3/TrkC, NT-3/Sox2, and NT-3/CD133 worsen the survival of lung cancer patients. Conclusion: NT-3 conferred the stemness features in lung cancer during tumor innervation, which suggests that NT-3-targeting is feasible in eradicating lung CSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hybrid of female white crucian carp (Carassius auratus cuvieri, WCC) × male red crucian carp (Carassius auratus red var. RCC) (WR), combines desirable characteristics of both parents, including tender meat, rapid growth rate, and strong resistance. To test the hypoxia tolerance of WR, an experiment of exposure to hypoxic conditions was conducted on WR, RCC, and WCC. The results showed that WR and RCC exhibited stronger hypoxia tolerance capacity compared to WCC. The strong resistance to hypoxia of WR and RCC was manifested by the absence of damage to the hepatopancreas after hypoxia, and the fish can adapt to the hypoxic environment by enhancing the hematopoietic function of hematopoietic tissue, remodeling gill morphology, and activating the antioxidant system. By contrast, after hypoxia, the number of red blood cells and the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood of WCC decreased, and the hepatopancreas was seriously damaged, indicating that the WCC is not as tolerant to low oxygen conditions as RCC and WR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Batch scheduling is a crucial part of pipeline enterprise operation management, especially in the context of market-oriented operation. It involves 3 main tasks: quickly preparing batch plans, accurately tracking interface movement, and operation condition in real time. Normally, the completion of multi-product pipeline batch scheduling depends on simulation models or optimization models and corresponding conventional solving algorithm. However, this approach becomes inefficient when applied to large-scale systems. The rapid development of machine learning has brought new ideas to batch scheduling research. This paper first reviews the current state of batch scheduling technology, and suggests that applying machine learning to it is a promising development direction. Then, we summarize the progress of machine learning applications in batch planning, interface movement tracking, and operational condition monitoring, and point out their limitations. Finally, considering the separation of refined oil production, transportation, and sales processes, 5 recommendations are put forward: oil supply and demand prediction and pipeline capacity prediction, batch planning, batch interface movement tracking, mixed oil development monitoring, and pipeline operation condition identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The above studies indicate that the SCZ animal model has abnormal gamma oscillations and abnormal functional coupling ability of brain regions at the cortical level. However, few researchers have focused on the correlation between brain complexity and connectivity at the cortical level. In order to provide a more accurate representation of brain activity, we studied the complexity of electrocorticogram (ECoG) signals and the information interaction between brain regions in schizophrenic rats, and explored the correlation between brain complexity and connectivity. Methods: We collected ECoG signal from SCZ rats. The frequency domain and time domain functional connectivity of SCZ rats were evaluated by magnitude square coherence and mutual information (MI). Permutation entropy (PE) and permutation Lempel-Ziv complexity (PLZC) were used to analyze the complexity of ECoG, and the relationship between them was evaluated. In addition, in order to further understand the causal structure of directional information flow among brain regions, we used phase transfer entropy (PTE) to analyze the effective connectivity of the brain. Results: Firstly, in the high gamma band, the complexity of brain regions in SCZ rats is higher than that in normal rats, and the neuronal activity is irregularity. Secondly, the information integration ability of SCZ rats decreased and the communication of brain network information was hindered at the cortical level. Finally, compared with normal rats, the causal relationship between brain regions of SCZ rats was closer, but the information interaction center was not clear. Conclusion: The above findings suggest that at the cortical level, complexity and connectivity are valid biomarkers for identifying SCZ. This bridges the gap between peak potentials and EEG. This may help to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms at the cortical level in schizophrenics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn-soybean rotation is a cropping pattern to optimize crop structure and improve resource use efficiency, and nitrogen (N) fertilizer application is an indispensable tool to increase corn yields. However, the effects of N fertilizer application levels on corn yield and soil N storage under corn-soybean rotation have not been systematically studied. The experimental located in the central part of the Songnen Plain, a split-zone experimental design was used with two planting patterns of continuous corn (CC) and corn-soybean rotations (RC) in the main zone and three N application rates of 0, 180, and 360 kg hm-2 of urea in the secondary zone. The research has shown that RC treatments can enhance plant growth and increase corn yield by 4.76% to 79.92% compared to CC treatments. The amount of N fertilizer applied has a negative correlation with yield increase range, and N application above 180 kg hm-2 has a significantly lower effect on corn yield increase. Therefore, a reduction in N fertilizer application may be appropriate. RC increased soil N storage by improving soil N-transforming enzyme activity, improving soil N content and the proportion of soil organic N fractions. Additionally, it can improve plant N use efficiency by 1.4%-5.6%. Soybeans grown in corn-soybean rotations systems have the potential to replace more than 180 kg hm-2 of urea application. Corn-soybean rotation with low N inputs is an efficient and sustainable agricultural strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effects and improvements of tightening vehicle emission standards from China Ⅲ to China Ⅴ on ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM) pollution in the atmospheric environment, this study obtained emission factors of O3 and PM precursors such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and primary PM from gasoline and diesel vehicles through actual testing. Response surface models (RSM) were then created for the environmental concentrations of the target pollutants O3 (RSM-O3_HSS6-200) and PM (RSMPM_HSS9-300) as functions of precursor pollutant emissions. Beijing was chosen as the main receptor region, with the China Ⅲ emission standard serving as the baseline scenario and the China Ⅳ and Ⅴ standards as control scenarios. The results indicate that as vehicle emission standards tightened from China Ⅲ to China Ⅳ and Ⅴ, O3 concentrations in Beijing's environment decreased from 92.7 ppbv to 78.47 ppbv and 72.20 ppbv, respectively, while PM concentrations decreased from 64.12 μg/m³ to 48.23 μg/m³ and 38.60 μg/m³, respectively. Furthermore, the environmental benefits achieved from China Ⅲ to China Ⅳ were higher than those from China Ⅳ to China Ⅴ. Additionally, an analysis of pollutant source contributions revealed that NOx played a major role in reducing O3 concentrations, while primary PM was crucial in controlling PM pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to quickly control crop diseases and insect pests, chaos theory is used to optimize PSO, and CPSO algorithm is proposed. In the practical application of crop diseases and insect pests identification, CBPSO algorithm is obtained by binary operation of CPSO, and its performance and application are analyzed. The experimental results show that the classification accuracy of CBPSO-SVM algorithm is 98.22% and 97.78% respectively in gray spot disease and algal spot disease, higher than that of PCA-SVM (82.5% and 83.67%). In addition, the average classification accuracy of CBPSO-SVM is 91.26%, better than that of PCA-SVM (81.83%). At the same time, through the comparison of CBPSO algorithm, BPSO algorithm and PSO algorithm, it is found that CBPSO algorithm has great adaptability, the maximum fitness is 0.99, and the average fitness is 0.97. Therefore, CBPSO algorithm has good effect on global optimization, and its convergence speed is faster, and its execution task and efficiency are higher. In addition, among the five particle swarm optimization algorithms, the CBPSO algorithm performs best in the 20 dimension, with the minimum value of 1.0008 and the minimum value of variance of 8.4206. Therefore, it is determined that the search efficiency of the CBPSO algorithm in the 20 dimension is the best. Compared with other algorithms, the stability and accuracy of the CBPSO algorithm have been greatly improved, and it has high robustness in the actual UAV image detection and crop pest identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current treatment options for diabetic wounds face challenges due to low efficacy, as well as potential side effects and the necessity for repetitive treatments. To address these issues, we report a formulation utilizing trisulfide-derived lipid nanoparticle (TS LNP)-mRNA therapy to accelerate diabetic wound healing by repairing and reprogramming the microenvironment of the wounds. A library of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive TS LNPs was designed and developed to encapsulate interleukin-4 (IL4) mRNA. TS2-IL4 LNP-mRNA effectively scavenges excess ROS at the wound site and induces the expression of IL4 in macrophages, promoting the polarization from the proinflammatory M1 to the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype at the wound site. In a diabetic wound model of db/db mice, treatment with this formulation significantly accelerates wound healing by enhancing the formation of an intact epidermis, angiogenesis, and myofibroblasts. Overall, this TS LNP-mRNA platform not only provides a safe, effective, and convenient therapeutic strategy for diabetic wound healing but also holds great potential for clinical translation in both acute and chronic wound care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate CO2 tracking in electric substation construction is vital for climate efforts, using monocular SLAM for monitoring despite challenges like sunlight and complex terrain. Additionally, these methods typically yield only aggregate carbon emission data, thereby lacking the granularity necessary for precise monitoring throughout the construction process. These limitations compromise mapping accuracy and impede the integration of digital twins and IoT technologies. Addressing these issues, this paper proposed a methodology combining red, green, and blue (RGB) cameras and multi-camera collaboration with digital design systems, enhancing SLAM capabilities. The advanced technique integrated methods including overlap estimation, depth reasoning, noise reduction, and surface reconstruction to create accurate 3D models, enhancing scene reconstruction and real-time CO2 tracking during construction and operation. Leveraging continuous on-site camera monitoring as a substitute for manual inspections, it significantly contributes to the compilation of a comprehensive carbon emission database within a digital twin framework. Experimental results confirmed the proposed method's superiority over previous works in real-time CO2 estimation, enhancing decision-making, resource management, and sustainable energy development. Overall, besides its application in substation construction for CO2 monitoring, this methodology can also be applied to carbon tracking in various other construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tertiary method of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) based on the watergas alternating injection process (WG) is examined in this article based on the ratio between saturation pressure and reservoir pressure. A hydrodynamic simulation of the WAG process was carried out using TEMPEST MORE software (version 7,1). Many hydrocarbon fields worldwide are currently experiencing declining production rates. However, by utilizing advanced technologies like alternate injection of water and associated petroleum gas, the final oil recovery factor (RF) can be significantly increased. To ensure successful water injection experiments in real fields, it is crucial to consider the ratio of saturation and reservoir pressures during injection. Any negligence in this regard can lead to failure of the experiments aimed at enhancing oil recovery through WAG application. The research examines two variations of reservoir system models with certainty. In the initial model, the saturation pressure is lower than the reservoir pressure, signifying an under-saturated state of the reservoir system containing dissolved gas. Consequently, when accompanying petroleum gas is introduced, it mixes with oil at precise thermobaric conditions. According to the second model, the reservoir is saturated with gas at a saturation pressure equivalent to the formation pressure. A thorough assessment indicates that the success of water alternating gas injection (WAG) is heavily influenced by the initial state of the reservoir. In situations where the reservoir is already saturated with gas, implementing water-gas stimulation may be ineffective as gas breakthroughs may occur rapidly. However, implementing WAG in saturated reservoirs can lead to a 1 – 8% rise in overall oil production, observable within 3 – 4 years, depending on the timing after waterflooding. Simultaneously, in the case of reservoirs with a low saturation pressure, which exhibits an undersaturated reservoir system, the implementation of water alternating gas injection can be seen as a viable approach for enhancing oil recovery. WAG is a proven method that confidently increases oil recovery up to 10% in undersaturated reservoirs compared to conventional waterflooding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we primarily focus on the design and fabrication of microheaters for bottomheating applications combined with gas sensing. Our main objectives are to analyze energy consumption and temperature distribution, utilizing this microheater component for development and simulation. In the design of microheaters, we employ finite element analysis using Analysis System (ANSYS) to simulate the geometric designs of microheaters. The results obtained, which reveal the temperature distribution within a 400 µm² region at 300 °C, provide insights into the temperature distribution on the sensing membrane. The fabrication is carried out using MEMS technology, followed by validation. Furthermore, sensitivity testing is performed on gas sensors for volatile organic compounds in the range from 0.2 to 1 ppm, resulting in an increase from 12.2 to 89.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H2S is a gas that can be hazardous to human health, even at low concentrations. Several studies have shown that people living near paper mills and oil and gas factories experience health problems and suffer from allergic reaction symptoms, including eye, nose, and respiratory symptoms in children and adults triggered by exposure to H2S gas with concentrations of less than 100 ppb. In this study, we used biomass activated carbon produced from rubber fruit shells as a decoration material prepared with a chemical activating agent (KOH) with an impregnation ratio of 1:5. The process produces biomass activated charcoal with a carbon content of 79.05%. Then, 5% of the weight of the rubber fruit shell carbon was mixed with ZnO by a wet chemical process as a sensor material placed on a Au electrode. The sensing response was tested at H2S concentrations of 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 ppb at room temperature (25 °C). The results of the sensing response were 2.95, 4.60, 5.62, 5.94, 6.47, 6.62, 7.41, 8.84, and 10.00%, respectively. The research results showed that the ZnO gas sensor decorated with carbon can detect H2S gas of less than 100 ppb. Additionally, this sensor can be operated at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypertension stands as the leading single contributor to the worldwide burden of mortality and disability. Limited evidence exists regarding the association between the combined healthy lifestyle score (HLS) and hypertension control in both treated and untreated hypertensive individuals. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between HLS and hypertension control among adults with treated and untreated hypertension. Methods: This cross-sectional study, including 311,994 hypertension patients, was conducted in Guangzhou using data from the National Basic Public Health Services Projects in China. The HLS was defined based on five low-risk lifestyle factors: healthy dietary habits, active physical activity, normal body mass index, never smoking, and no alcohol consumption. Controlled blood pressure was defined as systolic blood pressure <140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure <90 mmHg. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to assess the association between HLS and hypertension control after adjusting for various confounders. Results: The HLS demonstrated an inverse association with hypertension control among hypertensive patients. In comparison to the low HLS group (scored 0-2), the adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for hypertension were 0.76 (0.74, 0.78), 0.59 (0.57, 0.60), and 0.48 (0.46, 0.49) for the HLS groups scoring 3, 4, and 5, respectively (Ptrend < 0.001). Notably, an interaction was observed between HLS and antihypertensive medication in relation to hypertension control (Pinteraction < 0.001). When comparing the highest HLS (scored 5) with the lowest HLS (scored 0-2), adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 0.50 (0.48, 0.52, Ptrend < 0.001) among individuals who self-reported using antihypertensive medication and 0.41 (0.38, 0.44, Ptrend < 0.001) among those not using such medication. Hypertensive patients adhering to a healthy lifestyle without medication exhibited better blood pressure management than those using medication while following a healthy lifestyle. Conclusion: HLS was associated with a reduced risk of uncontrolled blood pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil degradation due to salinity and sodicity is one of the most important impediments to agricultural production in China. In addition, the need for the development of new, clean coal-refining technologies has risen in China. As a background of this re- search, salt-affected soils were ameliorated with coal bio-briquette ash, and the positive effects and the increase in carbon due to the soil amelioration have been confirmed. Moreover, the effect of salts leaching into coal bio-briquette ash has been investigated by using a soil column equipped with tensiometers and four-electrode sensors. Combustion ashes from coal bio-briquettes made from low-quality coal, biomass (corn stem), and a desulfurization agent (Ca(OH)2) were examined to two types of salt-affected soil of higher EC and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) by the column equipment. Consequently, initial Na leaching was confirmed from the results of the leachate EC and Na content of the leachate at 3.0 wt% and 6.0 wt% application rates. Amelioration in the soil of higher EC and ESP with the coal bio-briquette ash was effective at a higher application rate. These results also indicate that ash has the possibility of ameliorating high-EC and high-ESP soils. Finally, we could predict the necessary water volume for Na leaching by using the experimental results and the meteorological data and could estimate the quantity of irrigation water necessary. These results indicated the effectiveness of using low-quality coal bio-briquette ash as a soil amendment to salt-affected soil of higher EC and ESP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Genetic knockout-based studies conducted in mice provide a powerful means of assessing the significance of a gene for fertility. Forkhead-associated phosphopeptide binding domain 1 (FHAD1) contains a conserved FHA domain, that is present in many proteins with phospho-threonine reader activity. How FHAD1 functions in male fertility, however, remains uncertain. Methods: Fhad1-/- mice were generated by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout, after which qPCR was used to evaluate changes in gene expression, with subsequent analyses of spermatogenesis and fertility. The testis phenotypes were also examined using immunofluorescence and histological staining, while sperm concentrations and motility were quantified via computer-aided sperm analysis. Cellular apoptosis was assessed using a TUNEL staining assay. Results: The Fhad1-/-mice did not exhibit any abnormal changes in fertility or testicular morphology compared to wild-type littermates. Histological analyses confirmed that the testicular morphology of both Fhad1-/-and Fhad1+/+ mice was normal, with both exhibiting intact seminiferous tubules. Relative to Fhad1+/+ mice, however, Fhad1-/-did exhibit reductions in the total and progressive motility of epididymal sperm. Analyses of meiotic division in Fhad1-/-mice also revealed higher levels of apoptotic death during the first wave of spermatogenesis. Discussion: The findings suggest that FHAD1 is involved in both meiosis and the modulation of sperm motility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers discrete-time mean field linear quadratic games with multiplicative noises, where the weighting matrices in the cost functions are allowed to be indefinite. First, by expanding the dimension of the systems, we present the necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of Nash equilibrium. Second, by solving the limiting optimal control problem, we design a set of decentralized control strategies, which is shown to be an ε -Nash equilibrium. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a linear quadratic mean field game with a leader and a large number of followers. The leader first gives its strategy, and then each follower optimizes its own cost. We first solve a mean field game problem, which gives the best response of followers to the leader's strategy. After applying the followers' strategies, the leader is faced to an optimal control problem driven by a high-dimensional forward-backward stochastic differential equations (FBS-DEs). By decoupling the high-dimensional Hamiltonian system with mean field approximations, we construct a set of decentralized strategies for all the players, which are further shown to be an ε-Stackelberg equilibrium.ε- [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Valtrate (Val) was extracted from the Valeriana jatamansi Jones plant, had good antitumor activity. However, its precise molecular mechanism in cancer cells was still unclear. This study investigated the effect of Val on gastric cancer (GC) cells and its potential molecular mechanism. Methods: Cell viability was examined by CCK8 assay. Cell cycle, apoptosis, and Reactive oxygen species (ROS) level were analyzed by flow cytometry. The migration effect of Val on AGS cells was analyzed by transwell and wound-healing assay. The expression levels of proteins were analyzed by western blot. Results: The cell viability assay results demonstrated that Val significantly decreased GC cell viability. Apoptosis assay results revealed that Val induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis through the Bad/Bcl-2/cyto-c/cle-casp-3/cle-PARP pathways. Further exploration found that Val induced apoptosis through increasing the expression of phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-p38), phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), and Inhibitor kappa B alpha (IκB-α) proteins and decreasing the expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK), phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (p-STAT3), and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) proteins; these expression levels of proteins were reversed by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor. Furthermore, Val induced G2/M phase arrest in AGS cells through downregulating the expression of phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT). Moreover, Val induced inhibition of AGS cell migration through downregulating the expression of p-GSK-3β and β-catenin. In addition, Val promoted the ROS accumulation of AGS cells. Further investigation found that Val-induced apoptosis, arrested the cell cycle, and inhibited cell migration, and that its signaling pathways related to protein expressions were reversed by the ROS scavenger, N-acetylL-cysteine. Conclusion: Val induced apoptosis, arrested the cell cycle, and inhibited migration by ROS-mediated MAPK/STAT3/NF-κB, AKT/Cyclin B/CDK1/2, and GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling pathways in AGS cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging-related reduction in androgen levels may be a possible risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases and contribute to cognitive impairment. Androgens may affect synaptic function and cognition in an androgen receptor (AR)-independent manner; however, the mechanisms connecting theses effects are unknown. Therefore, we used testicular feminization mutation (Tfm) male mice, a model with AR mutation, to test the effects of testosterone on synaptic function and cognition. Our results showed that testosterone ameliorated spatial memory deficit and neuronal damage, and increased dendritic spines density and postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) and glutamate receptor 1 (GluA1) expression in the hippocampus of Tfm male mice. And these effects of testosterone were not inhibited by anastrozole, which suppressed conversion of testosterone to estradiol. Mechanistically, testosterone activated the extracellular signal-related kinase 1/2 (Erk1/2) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein (CREB) in the hippocampus of Tfm male mice. Meanwhile, Erk1/2 inhibitor SCH772984 blocked the upregulation of phospho-CREB, PSD95, and GluA1 induced by testosterone in HT22 cells pretreated with flutamide, an androgen antagonist. Collectively, our data indicate that testosterone may ameliorate hippocampal synaptic damage and spatial memory deficit by activating the Erk1/2--CREB signaling pathway in an AR-independent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine communication has attracted widespread attention in the wake of global warming and national defense awareness in recent years, where acoustic systems enabling smooth underwater communication have become a popular research topic. In this study, we proposed an underwater communication system equipped with modulators and demodulators (modems). Specifically, the wireless communication software GNU’s Not Unix Radio (GNU Radio) was adopted to develop communication formats and architectures applied to a Raspberry Pi computer, on which we developed a communication format available for signal synchronization to increase system robustness against underwater channel interferences. We also developed hardware and software modems for the system. The hardware device was developed using the XR2206 function generator and XR2211 equipment for frequency-shift keying (FSK)-based modulation and demodulation, respectively. The software FSK modem was developed using GNU Radio. To increase the robustness of the transmitted data, we added a cyclic redundancy check through the Async CRC32 block, after which the power distribution unit (PDU) to the Tagged Stream block placed a tag to the start of data combined with effective loads and CRC32, facilitating the attachment of header generators. Four experiments with different underwater scenarios were then conducted to verify the proposed system. The hardware modem had a 0 bit error rate (BER) during experiments implemented in a laboratory sink, a 20-m-long indoor swimming pool, and a 50-m-long outdoor swimming pool, compared with BERs of 2.8 × 10−3 and 6.6 × 10−3 during the breeding water tank experiment under transmission rates of 1 and 2 kbps, respectively. Similarly, the software modem delivered 0-BER performance in the laboratory sink as well as in the indoor and outdoor swimming pools, with its BERs being 2.3 × 10−4 and 2.98 × 10−4 under 1 and 2 kbps transmission rates, respectively. The proposed system comprises preambles, headers, and effective load communication formats for signal protection. In particular, its directional ultrasonic cylindrical piezoelectric transducer can mitigate multipath effects and interferences, thereby enhancing system robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Treating persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer remains challenging. Although pembrolizumab, combined with chemotherapy and bevacizumab, offers a promising first-line option, its cost-effectiveness within the Chinese healthcare system has not been established. Methods: A partitioned survival model was constructed using patient data from the KEYNOTE-826 trial. Efficacy, safety, and economic data from both trial and real-world practices were utilized to determine the costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of the treatment strategies. Comprehensive insights were gained through the sensitivity and subgroup analyses. Results: Over five years, the combination of pembrolizumab, chemotherapy, and bevacizumab offered an additional 1.18 QALYs compared to that provided by standard treatments. This regimen increased the costs by US$ 134,502.57, resulting in an ICER of US$ 114,275.67 per QALY, relative to traditional treatment costs. The ICER for the pembrolizumab regimen was further calibrated to be US$ 52,765.69 per QALY. Both ICER values surpassed China's established willingness-to-pay threshold. Importantly, subgroup analysis revealed enhanced cost-effectiveness in patients presenting with a programmed death-ligand 1 combined positive score (PD-L1 CPS) =10. Conclusion: Introducing pembrolizumab alongside chemotherapy and bevacizumab may not be a cost-effective primary strategy for advanced cervical cancer against current standards. However, for patients with a PD-L1 CPS =10, the therapeutic and economic outcomes could be improved by adjusting the pembrolizumab price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The implementation of humanistic care is conducive to providing high quality nursing, improving patient satisfaction and establishing harmonious nursery-patient relationship. Current researchs show that humanistic caring ability is affected by emotional intelligence, empathy, interpersonal communication. But the exact relationship and internal mechanism of such factors have not been fully understood. Objective: To explore the multiple mediating effect of empathy and communication ability on nursing students' emotional intelligence and caring ability. Methods: A case study was conducted by examining a sample of 1,165 nursing students from a junior college in Anhui, China. The multidimensional scales, and a self-designed demographic characteristics questionnaire were utilized. Path relationships and mutual effects were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: Emotional intelligence, empathy, and communication ability were found to positively affect nursing students' caring ability, as well as positive interrelationships with one another (standardized estimate = 0.312-0.584, p < 0.001). Communication ability and empathy play an important role in mediating the association between emotional intelligence and caring ability, and the effect sizes are 0.169 and 0.121, respectively, while the effect value of empathy and communication ability in emotional intelligence and caring ability was 0.034, which showed partial mediation of the association. The indirect effect of the structural equation was 77.14%. Conclusion: The chain mediating role of empathy and communication ability in emotional intelligence and caring ability is explored, which not only enrichis previous studies, but also reveals the mechanism of emotional intelligence's influence on caring ability. It is essential to continuously improve nursing students' caring ability. From the perspective of nursing educators, they need to develop targeted approaches to help the nursing student improve their emotional intelligence, empathy, and communication skills, further enhancing their caring ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opisina arenosella (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae) is a major leaf-feeding pest of palm crops that has invaded several tropical and subtropical countries or regions. Habrobracon hebetor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a parasitoid of O. arenosella larvae whose efficiency in controlling its hosts is inhibited by high temperatures. The body color of this wasp exhibits a plastic response to temperature (melanin fades with increasing temperature). Based on the thermal melanism hypothesis, we proposed that H. hebetor adults with lighter body color would have better biological performance at high temperatures. This paper established the link between the parasitoid's body color phenotype and biological performance. Our results show that exposure to 32°C for more than 3 d during the pupal stage induced almost complete loss of abdominal melanin in H. hebetor adults. At the population level, when adults were held under heat stress (34°C), the percentage of abdominal melanin in the parasitoids was negatively correlated with parasitoid longevity and the number of paralyzed hosts, But, in contrast, melanization was positively correlated with parasitoid fecundity. The yellow-biotype of H. hebetor has higher host control potential in tropical regions. Related aspects of our results also improve understanding the biological significance of plastic body color in insects and provide information on host control by H. hebetor in tropical environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In water flooding, residual oil is displaced by injecting water into the reservoir formation. Oil displaced from injection wells is physically swept to adjacent production wells by water. Compared to conventional oil fields, offshore heavy oil fields have low oil recovery using water flooding. If we had a better knowledge of the flow characteristics of the water and oil phases, it would be very useful to improve the oil recovery of the heavy oil reservoir. In developing oil fields, it is important to study the patterns of changes in the flow characteristics of the oil and water phases. This will guide the development of numerical simulation models. This study considered the geological characteristics, fluid properties, and construction technology of an offshore oil field with heavy oil. The relative permeabilities of water and oil were investigated using steady-state and unsteady-state methods. With the unsteady state method, the effect of core permeability, water washout, and oil viscosity on the relative permeability curve and oil displacement efficiency of water flooding has been investigated. Artificial cores were utilized in the experiments. The artificial cores were developed to simulate the structure of unconsolidated sandstone in an offshore oil field. Computed tomography and mercury pressure testing are used to demonstrate the change in the internal structure of the core. Water washout forms the “cleaning” and “erosion” function, which affects core pore structure, increases the radius of the core pore throat, and increases the core permeability. It has the same effect on relative permeability curves and oil displacement efficiency as it does on increased permeability. The total oil recovery decreases with increasing oil viscosity since the ability to control water mobility weakens during the flooding process. Moreover, the coverage volume of the displacing water phase decreases, and the two-phase flow range narrows Water sweeps expand as core permeability increases, resulting in a wider twophase flow as the relative permeability of the water phase increases. In turn, this enhances oil efficiency displacement and total oil recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-dimensional (2D) coordination polymer [Co(ox)(bpy)] 1 (ox = oxalate, bpy = 4,4'-bipyridine) was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis using CoCl2⋅5H2O, oxalic acid, bpy as raw material. Compound 1 is a 2D structure extended by ox and bpy, and it has excellent visible photocatalytic performance. The photocatalytic efficiency of compound 1 could reach up to 98.13% with pH = 10 when two drops of H2O2 were added to methylene blue. The photocatalytic degradation results could be described by the first-order kinetic. Besides, after five cycles, the degradation efficiency decreased only 4.11% (without H2O2) and 5.22% (with H2O2). Meanwhile, the solid fluorescence and UV-Visible diffuse reflection of compound 1 were also studied. What's more, the visible light photo- catalytic mechanism of compound 1 was analyzed more clearly by free radical trapping experiment and Mott-Schottky curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionizable lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) pivotal to the success of COVID-19 mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines hold substantial promise for expanding the landscape of mRNA-based therapies. Nevertheless, the risk of mRNA delivery to off-target tissues highlights the necessity for LNPs with enhanced tissue selectivity. The intricate nature of biological systems and inadequate knowledge of lipid structure-activity relationships emphasize the significance of high-throughput methods to produce chemically diverse lipid libraries for mRNA delivery screening. Here, we introduce a streamlined approach for the rapid design and synthesis of combinatorial libraries of biodegradable ionizable lipids. This led to the identification of iso-A11B5C1, an ionizable lipid uniquely apt for muscle-specific mRNA delivery. It manifested high transfection efficiencies in muscle tissues, while significantly diminishing off-targeting in organs like the liver and spleen. Moreover, iso-A11B5C1 also exhibited reduced mRNA transfection potency in lymph nodes and antigen-presenting cells, prompting investigation into the influence of direct immune cell transfection via LNPs on mRNA vaccine effectiveness. In comparison with SM-102, while iso-A11B5C1' s limited immune transfection attenuated its ability to elicit humoral immunity, it remained highly effective in triggering cellular immune responses after intramuscular administration, which is further corroborated by its strong therapeutic performance as cancer vaccine in a melanoma model. Collectively, our study not only enriches the high-throughput toolkit for generating tissue-specific ionizable lipids but also encourages a reassessment of prevailing paradigms in mRNA vaccine design. This study encourages rethinking of mRNA vaccine design principles, suggesting that achieving high immune cell transfection might not be the sole criterion for developing effective mRNA vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the associations of lipid indicators and mortality in Beijing Elderly Comprehensive Health Cohort Study. METHODS: A prospective cohort was conducted based on Beijing Elderly Comprehensive Health Cohort Study with 4499 community older adults. After the baseline survey, the last follow-up was March 31, 2021 with an average 8.13 years of follow-up. Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) with 95% CI for cardiovascular disease (CVD) death and all-cause death in associations with baseline lipid indicators. RESULTS: A total of 4499 participants were recruited, and the mean levels of uric acid, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) showed an upward trend with the increasing remnant cholesterol (RC) quarters (Ptrend < 0.05), while the downward trend was found in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). During the total 36,596 person-years follow-up, the CVD mortality and all-cause mortality during an average 8.13 years of follow-up was 3.87% (95% CI: 3.30%-4.43%) and 14.83% (95% CI: 13.79%-15.86%) with 174 CVD death participants and 667 all-cause death participants. After adjusting for confounders, the higher level of TC (HR = 0.854, 95% CI: 0.730-0.997), LDL-C (HR = 0.817, 95% CI: 0.680-0.982) and HDL-C (HR = 0.443, 95% CI: 0.271-0.724) were associated with lower risk of CVD death, and the higher level of HDL-C (HR = 0.637, 95% CI: 0.501-0.810) were associated with lower risk of all-cause death. The higher level of RC (HR = 1.276, 95% CI: 1.010-1.613) increase the risk of CVD death. Compared with the normal lipid group, TC ≥ 6.20 mmol/L group and LDL-C ≥ 4.10 mmol/L group were no longer associated with lower risk of CVD death, while RC ≥ 0.80 mmol/L group was still associated with higher risk of CVD death. In normal lipid group, the higher levels of TC, LDL-C and HDL-C were related with lower CVD death. CONCLUSIONS: In community older adults, higher levels of TC and HDL-C were associated with lower CVD mortality in normal lipid reference range. Higher RC was associated with higher CVD mortality, which may be a better lipid indicator for estimating the CVD death risk in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug therapy, including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and endocrine therapy, stands as the foremost therapeutic approach for contemporary human malignancies. However, increasing drug resistance during antineoplastic therapy has become a substantial barrier to favorable outcomes in cancer patients. To enhance the effectiveness of different cancer therapies, an in-depth understanding of the unique mechanisms underlying tumor drug resistance and the subsequent surmounting of antitumor drug resistance is required. Recently, F-box and WD Repeat Domain-containing-7 (FBXW7), a recognized tumor suppressor, has been found to be highly associated with tumor therapy resistance. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the underlying mechanisms through which FBXW7 facilitates the development of drug resistance in cancer. Additionally, this review elucidates the role of FBXW7 in therapeutic resistance of various types of human tumors. The strategies and challenges implicated in overcoming tumor therapy resistance by targeting FBXW7 are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The tumor microenvironment contains chemokines that play a crucial role in various processes, such as tumorigenesis, inflammation, and therapy resistance, in different types of cancer. CXCL5 is a significant chemokine that has been shown to promote tumor proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and therapy resistance when overexpressed in various types of cancer. This research aims to investigate the impact of CXCL5 on the biological functions of glioblastoma (GBM). Methods: The TCGA GBM and GEO databases were utilized to perform transcriptome microarray analysis and oncogenic signaling pathway analysis of CXCL5 in GBM. Validation of CXCL5 expression was performed using RT-qPCR and Western Blot. The impact of CXCL5 on cell proliferation, tumorigenesis, and angiogenesis in GBM was assessed through various methods, including cell proliferation assay, cloning assay, intracranial xenograft tumor models, and tube formation assay. Clinical prognosis was evaluated in 59 samples of gliomas with varying degrees of malignancy (grades 2, 3, and 4) and the TCGA GBM database, based on CXCL5 expression levels. The activities of the JAK-STAT and NF-κB signaling pathways were detected using Western Blot. Results: The expression of CXCL5 was highly enriched in GBM. Moreover, the inhibition of CXCL5 showed a significant efficacy in suppressing cellular proliferation and angiogenesis, resulting in extended survival rates in xenograft mouse models in comparison to the control group. Notably, pretreatment with dapsone exhibited a reversal of the impact of CXCL5 on the formation of colonies and tubes in GBM cells. Elevated expression of CXCL5 was correlated with poor outcomes in GBM patients. Furthermore, the overexpression of CXCL5 has been associated with the activation of JAK-STAT and NF-κB signaling pathways. Conclusions: CXCL5 plays an important role in tumorigenesis and angiogenesis, indicating the potential for novel therapies targeting CXCL5 in GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective : Our objective is to analyze the occurrence, clinical course and risk factors for glioma patients with leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) according to different metastasis patterns and clinical variables. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed data from 376 World Health Organization (WHO) grade II–IV adult glioma patients who were treated in the National Cancer Center from 2001 to 2020. Patients who underwent surgery at other institutions, those without initial images or those with pathologically unconfirmed cases were excluded. LM was diagnosed based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology. The metastasis pattern was categorized as nodular or linear according to the enhancement pattern. Tumor proximity to the CSF space was classified as involved or separated, whereas location of the tumor was dichotomized as midline, for tumors residing in the thalamus, basal ganglia and brainstem, or lateral, for tumors residing in the cerebral and cerebellar hemispheres. Results : A total of 138 patients were enrolled in the study. A total of 44 patients (38%) were diagnosed with LM during a median follow-up of 9 months (range, 0–60). Among the clinical variables, tumor proximity to CSF space, the location of the tumor and the WHO grade were significant factors for LM development in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, the midline location of the tumor and WHO grade IV gliomas were the most significant factor for LM development. The hazard ratio was 2.624 for midline located gliomas (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.384–4.974; p=0.003) and 3.008 for WHO grade IV gliomas (95% CI, 1.379–6.561; p=0.006). Conclusion : Midline location and histological grading are an important factor for LM in glioma patients. The proximity to the CSF circulation pathway is also an important factor for WHO grade IV glioma LM. Patients carrying high risks should be followed up more thoroughly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Androgens are closely associated with functions of hippocampal learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity. The zinc transporter ZIP9 (SLC39A9) regulates androgen effects as a binding site distinct from the androgen receptor (AR). However, it is still unclear whether androgens regulate their functions in hippocampus of mice through ZIP9. Compared with wild-type (WT) male mice, we found that AR-deficient male testicular feminization mutation (Tfm) mice with low androgen levels had learning and memory impairment, decreased expression of hippocampal synaptic proteins PSD95, drebrin, SYP, and dendritic spine density. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) supplementation significantly improved these conditions in Tfm male mice, although the beneficial effects disappeared after hippocampal ZIP9 knockdown. To explore the underlying mechanism, we first detected the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and eIF4E in the hippocampus and found that it was lower in Tfm male mice than in WT male mice, it upregulated with DHT supplementation, and it downregulated after hippocampal ZIP9 knockdown. Next, we found that the expression of PSD95, p-ERK1/2, and p-eIF4E increased in DHT-treated mouse hippocampal neuron HT22 cells, and ZIP9 knockdown or overexpression inhibited or further enhanced these effects. Using the ERK1/2 specific inhibitor SCH772984 and eIF4E specific inhibitor eFT508, we found that DHT activated ERK1/2 through ZIP9, resulting in eIF4E phosphorylation, thus promoting PSD95 protein expression in HT22 cells. Finally, we found that ZIP9 mediated the effects of DHT on the expression of synaptic proteins PSD95, drebrin, SYP, and dendritic spine density in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice through the ERK1/2-eIF4E pathway and affected learning and memory. This study demonstrated that androgen affected learning and memory in mice through ZIP9, providing new experimental evidence for improvement in learning and memory in Alzheimer's disease with androgen supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many image edge details are easily lost in the image denoising process, and the smooth image regions are prone to produce jagged. In this paper, we propose a wavelet-based image global k-singular value decomposition variational method to remove image noise. A layer of wavelet decomposition is applied to the noisy image first. Then, the image global k-singular value decomposition (IGK-SVD) method is used to remove the random noise of low-frequency components. Furthermore, a constructed variational denoising method (VDM) removes the random noise in the high-frequency component. Finally, the denoised image is obtained by wavelet reconstruction. The experimental results show that the proposed method's peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) value is higher than other methods, and its structural similarity (SSIM) value is closer to one, indicating that the proposed method can effectively suppress image noise while retaining more image edge details. The denoised image has better denoising effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Due to the effectiveness and safety, acupuncture, one of the traditional therapies of Chinese medicine, has been widely used in clinical practice globally. A few systematic review or meta-analyses have proved its effectiveness and safety towards patients with cancer pain, while there are no syntheses among those evidence. The aim of this scoping review is to summarize the evidence from systematic reviews of acupuncture for the treatment of cancer pain and evaluate the breadth and methodological quality of these evidence as well. Methods: The scoping review process was guided by the methodology framework of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA ScR) and “Arkseyand O’Malley six-stage framework”. Electronic searches were carried out in several online databases from inception to Jan 2022. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that involve any type of acupuncture for patients with cancer pain will be included. A pair of reviewers independently screened full texts. Moreover, review characteristics were extracted, and methodological quality was assessed using the AMSTAR 2 tool. Results: Twenty-five systematic reviews and meta-analyses were included. Manual acupuncture is the most frequently included types of test group intervention (48%), followed by acupuncture + medicine (28%), and auricular acupuncture (12%). All the reviews have declared that acupuncture is an effective method for cancer pain treatment. Eleven reviews (44%) aiming at evaluating the safety also have confirmed that acupuncture is safe for treating cancer pain. However, most included studies were conducted in China. With certain geographical limitations, the findings were not representative within the region. The results of our review may owe to the synthesis of all kinds of cancer pain, and only 2 reviews described the type of cancer pain in detail. Conclusions: This scoping review synthesizes and evaluates existing evidence of acupuncture for cancer pain. From this scoping review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, there are clear recommendations for future studies: expanding the region of research in the world and trying to conduct the study of different types of cancer pain in details as much as possible. Evidences of acupuncture for cancer pain can inform clinical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of food allergy (FA) is increasing. Decreases in the diversity of gut microbiota may contribute to the pathogenesis of FA by regulating IgE production of B cells. Intermittent fasting (IF) is a popular diet with the potential to regulate glucose metabolism, boosting immune memory and optimizing gut microbiota. The potential effect of long-term IF on the prevention and treatment of FA is still unknown. Methods: Two IF protocols (16 h fasting/8 h feeding and 24 h fasting/24 h feeding) were conducted on mice for 56 days, while the control mice were free to intake food (free diet group, FrD). To construct the FA model, all mice were sensitized and intragastrical challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) during the second half of IF (day 28 to day 56). Rectal temperature reduction and diarrhea were recorded to evaluate the symptoms of FA. Levels of serum IgE, IgG1, Th1/Th2 cytokines, mRNA expression of spleen T cell related transcriptional factors, and cytokines were examined. H&E, immunofluorescence, and toluidine blue staining were used to assess the structural changes of ileum villi. The composition and abundance of gut microbiota were analyzed by 16srRNA sequencing in cecum feces. Results: The diarrhea score and rectal temperature reduction were lower in the two fasting groups compared to the FrD groups. Fasting was associated with lower levels of serum OVA-sIgE, OVA-sIgG1, interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5, and mRNA expression of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 in the spleen. While no significant association was observed in interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-6, IL-2 levels. Less mast cell infiltration in ileum was observed in the 16h/8h fasting group compared to the FrD group. ZO-1 expression in the ileum of the two fasting groups was higher in IF mice. The 24h/24h fasting reshaped the gut microbiota, with a higher abundance of Alistipes and Rikenellaceae strains compared to the other groups. Conclusion: In an OVA-induced mice FA model, long-term IF may attenuate FA by reducing Th2 inflammation, maintaining the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier, and preventing gut dysbiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]