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The heat transfer and stability of methane hydrate in reservoirs have a direct impact on the drilling and production efficiency of hydrate resources, especially in complex stress environments caused by formation subsidence. In this study, we investigated the thermal transport and structural stability of methane hydrate under triaxial compression using molecular dynamics simulations. The results suggest that the thermal conductivity of methane hydrate increases with increasing compression strain. Two phonon transport mechanisms were identified as factors enhancing thermal conductivity. At low compressive strains, a low-frequency phonon transport channel was established due to the overlap of phonon vibration peaks between methane and water molecules. At high compressive strains, the filling of larger phonon bandgaps facilitated the opening of more phonon transport channels. Additionally, we found that a strain of −0.04 is a watershed point, where methane hydrate transitions from stable to unstable. Furthermore, a strain of −0.06 marks the threshold at which the diffusion capacities of methane and water molecules are at their peaks. At a higher strain of −0.08, the increased volume compression reduces the available space, limiting the diffusion ability of water and methane molecules within the hydrate. The synergistic effect of the strong diffusion ability and high probability of collision between atoms increases the thermal conductivity of hydrates during the unstable period compared to the stable period. Our findings offer valuable theoretical insights into the thermal conductivity and stability of methane hydrates in reservoir stress environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes an iron-catalyzed divergent oxidation of styrene into β-hydroxylmethylketone and ketone under photo-irradiation. This divergence is ascribed to the use of styrene with various substituents. More importantly, methanol is oxidized into formaldehyde in the reaction and serves as a C1 synthon. Mechanism investigations show that the reaction is initiated by oxidative SET to transfer styrene into the cation radical. The reaction pathway undergoes HAT and β-hydride elimination as well as a concerted cyclization. Particularly, several drug-like molecules, such as melperone analogue, lenperone analogue, and haloperidol analogue, are synthesized. In addition, this method is also applicable to the synthesis of natural product (R)-atomoxetine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Schisandra sphenanthera is an extremely important medicinal plant, and its main medicinal component is bioactive lignans. The S. sphenanthera fruit is preferred by the majority of consumers, and the root, stem, and leaf are not fully used. To better understand the lignan metabolic pathway, transcriptome and metabolome analyses were performed on the four major tissues of S. sphenanthera. A total of 167,972,229 transcripts and 91,215,760 unigenes with an average length of 752 bp were identified. Tissue-specific gene analysis revealed that the root had the highest abundance of unique unigenes (9703), and the leaves had the lowest (189). Transcription factor analysis showed that MYB-, bHLH- and ERF-transcription factors, which played important roles in the regulation of secondary metabolism, showed rich expression patterns and may be involved in the regulation of processes involved in lignan metabolism. In different tissues, lignans were preferentially enriched in fruit and roots by gene expression profiles related to lignan metabolism and relative lignan compound content. Furthermore, schisandrin B is an important compound in S. sphenanthera. According to weighted gene co-expression network analysis, PAL1, C4H-2, CAD1, CYB8, OMT27, OMT57, MYB18, bHLH3, and bHLH5 can be related to the accumulation of lignans in S. sphenanthera fruit, CCR5, SDH4, CYP8, CYP20, and ERF7 can be related to the accumulation of lignans in S. sphenanthera roots. In this study, transcriptome sequencing and targeted metabolic analysis of lignans will lay a foundation for the further study of their biosynthetic genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Veratrum (Melanthiaceae; Liliales) is a genus of perennial herbs known for the production of unique bioactive steroidal alkaloids. However, the biosynthesis of these compounds is incompletely understood because many of the downstream enzymatic steps have yet to be resolved. RNA-Seq is a powerful method that can be used to identify candidate genes involved in metabolic pathways by comparing the transcriptomes of metabolically active tissues to controls lacking the pathway of interest. The root and leaf transcriptomes of wild Veratrum maackii and Veratrum nigrum plants were sequenced and 437,820 clean reads were assembled into 203,912 unigenes, 47.67% of which were annotated. We identified 235 differentially expressed unigenes potentially involved in the synthesis of steroidal alkaloids. Twenty unigenes, including new candidate cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and transcription factors, were selected for validation by quantitative real-time PCR. Most candidate genes were expressed at higher levels in roots than leaves but showed a consistent profile across both species. Among the 20 unigenes putatively involved in the synthesis of steroidal alkaloids, 14 were already known. We identified three new CYP450 candidates (CYP76A2, CYP76B6 and CYP76AH1) and three new transcription factor candidates (ERF1A, bHLH13 and bHLH66). We propose that ERF1A, CYP90G1-1 and CYP76AH1 are specifically involved in the key steps of steroidal alkaloid biosynthesis in V. maackii roots. Our data represent the first cross-species analysis of steroidal alkaloid biosynthesis in the genus Veratrum and indicate that the metabolic properties of V. maackii and V. nigrum are broadly conserved despite their distinct alkaloid profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an index of systemic inflammation. This study is to clarify the role of NLR in body functional status, nutritional risk and nutritional status in the course of tumor. Methods: A multi-center cross-sectional study of patients with various types of malignant tumors was accrued from the whole country. There were 21,457 patients with completed clinical data, biochemical indicators, physical examination, the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 (NRS2002) survey. Logistic regression analysis was used to figure out the influencing factors of NLR, and four models were established to evaluate the influence of NLR on body functions, nutritional risks and nutritional status. Results: Male patients, TNM stage IV, total bilirubin, hypertension and coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CAHD) were independent predictors of NLR > 2.5. BMI, digestive systemic tumors and triglyceride negatively affect NLR in multivariable logistic regression. NLR was an independent predictor of Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS), fat store deficit in all degrees, moderate and severe muscle deficit, mild fluid retention and PG-SGA grade. Conclusion: Male patients and those with hypertension and CAHD are prone to systemic inflammation. Systemic inflammation significantly degrades body function status and nutritional status, increases nutritional risk and influences fat and muscle metabolism in patients with malignant tumor. Improving the intervenable indicators such as elevating albumin and pre-albumin, decreasing total bilirubin and enhancing nutrition support are imperative. Obesity and triglyceride behave like anti-systemic inflammation, which is misleading due to reverse causation in the course of malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neovascularization is an important factor causing radiotherapy resistance, tumor growth, and metastasis. It may provides a new direction for treatment of cervical cancer. The main objective is to systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of antiangiogenic therapy combined with CCRT in the treatment of cervical cancer. We searched major Chinese and English databases to collect relevant studies from the database establishment up to April 2022. The experimental group of the studies included used CCRT combined with anti-angiogenic therapy, while another used only CCRT. We used the 'Cochrane Collaboration's tool' to assess risk of bias and RevMan 5.4 to conduct analysis. Twelve studies with 793 patients were included. Use clinical efficiency and adverse reactions as effect indicators. It showed that the combination can improve the ORR (OR = 3.52, P < 0.00001), CR(OR = 2.46, P < 0.00001), DCR (OR = 2.64, P= 0.005), and OS(HR = 0.56, P = 0.03). But it increases the risk of neutropenia (OR = 1.86, P = 0.004) and hypertension (OR = 5.57, P = 0.003). Combined therapy can improve the clinical efficacy of cervical cancer, but the safety needs to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes iron/photoredox dual-catalyzed acyl nitrene formation and the use of acyl nitrene in constructing various C–O bonds towards phthalides. The developed reaction starts from N-methoxyl-2-alkylbenzamides. Mechanism surveys suggest the reaction involves iron nitrene-based hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA), radical-polar crossover and O-nucleophilic SN1. Distinctively, the often-reported radical rebound in previous publications is not observed. The reaction represents the first example on acyl nitrene-based synthesis of phthalides. Moreover, it also serves as a supplement for the synthesis of marketed medicines such as 3-butylphthalides (NBP), thalidomide, Pomalyst and Otezia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NiCrSiB modified layer was synthesized on Monel 400 by laser cladding, aiming at improving cavitation erosion and corrosion resistance. The microstructure, chemical composition, phase constituents and microhardness were investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and microhardness tester. The cavitation erosion and corrosion behaviors of the modified layer were also evaluated using an ultrasonic vibrator and potentiodynamic polarization measurement, respectively. Experimental results show that by varying the laser fluence, a hard NiCrSiB modified layer with little airholes, cracks or other defects could be obtained. NiCrSiB modified layer is ~1.1 mm in thickness. The microstructure of the modified layer exhibits cellular dendrite, flake-like dendrite and multiple eutectic phase. The modified layer is mainly composed of γ-Ni solid solution, chromium carbide (Cr7C3 and Cr23C6) and Ni3B. The microhardness of the modified layer is ~6.8 times that of Monel 400 substrate. Both the cavitation erosion and corrosion resistance of the modified layer are improved. In the cavitation erosion test, the cumulative erosion loss and erosion loss rate of the modified layer are one order of magnitude lower than that of the substrate. In the electrochemical corrosion test, the corrosion potentials of the substrate and the modified layer are similar. The corrosion current densities of the substrate and the modified layer are 11.12 and 1.95 μA·cm−2, respectively. By comparing their corrosion current densities, the corrosion resistance of the modified layer is about 5.7 times that of the substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrafast electronic dynamics in solids lies at the core of modern condensed matter and materials physics. To build up a practical ab initio method for studying solids under photoexcitation, we develop a momentum-resolved real-time time dependent density functional theory (rt-TDDFT) algorithm using numerical atomic basis, together with the implementation of both the length and vector gauge of the electromagnetic field. When applied to simulate elementary excitations in two-dimensional materials such as graphene, different excitation modes, only distinguishable in momentum space, are observed. The momentum-resolved rt-TDDFT is important and computationally efficient for the study of ultrafast dynamics in extended systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods to probe and understand the dynamic response of materials following impulsive excitation are important for many fields, from materials and energy sciences to chemical and neuroscience. To design more efficient nano, energy, and quantum devices, new methods are needed to uncover the dominant excitations and reaction pathways. In this work, we implement a newly-developed superlet transform—a super-resolution time-frequency analytical method—to analyze and extract phonon dynamics in a laser-excited two-dimensional (2D) quantum material. This quasi-2D system, 1T-TaSe2, supports both equilibrium and metastable light-induced charge density wave (CDW) phases mediated by strongly coupled phonons. We compare the effectiveness of the superlet transform to standard time-frequency techniques. We find that the superlet transform is superior in both time and frequency resolution, and use it to observe and validate novel physics. In particular, we show fluence-dependent changes in the coupled dynamics of three phonon modes that are similar in frequency, including the CDW amplitude mode, that clearly demonstrate a change in the dominant charge-phonon couplings. More interestingly, the frequencies of the three phonon modes, including the strongly-coupled CDW amplitude mode, remain time- and fluence-independent, which is unusual compared to previously investigated materials. Our study opens a new avenue for capturing the coherent evolution and couplings of strongly-coupled materials and quantum systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electronically reconfigurable wideband 180° phase switch using microstrip–slotline transitions is proposed. Multilayer structure with microstrips on the bottom and top layers, slotline on the middle layer confirm the broadband transmission. Taking advantage of the symmetry of the transition, only two p–i–n diodes are integrated on the top microstrip layer to achieve a 0°/180° phase reconfiguration. Miniaturized design is achieved with a size of 0.26λg × 0.16λg. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulated results, which show less than 5° phase deviation and less than 1.5 dB insertion loss across the band 0.68–2.5 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel reconfigurable circularly polarized (CP) patch antenna with tunable operation band and switchable polarization states is proposed. Four varactors are placed symmetrically across the cross-shaped slot on the upper square patch so that the operation band of the proposed antenna can be continuously controlled through the specially designed bias. Meanwhile, a triple-branched broadband switchable feed structure loaded with p-i-n diodes is specially designed to achieve polarization reconfigurability (LHCP, RHCP). The structure novelly integrated a 180 $^{\circ }$ broadband phase shifter with a 90 $^{\circ }$ one by a shared reference branch. Simulation results of the feed structure exhibit stable phase-shift in a wide bandwidth of 58.7 $\%$ under $\pm 5^{\circ }$ phase imbalance. A prototype of the antenna is fabricated while both measured and simulated results agree well. The antenna achieves good impedance matching from 2 to 2.7 GHz and the axial ratios at both polarization states are smaller than 3 dB. The frequency and polarization reconfigurability make the antenna potentially suitable for satellite applications, such as multifrequency satellite data link transceiver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is one of the major diseases that pose a threat to human health and life, especially because it is difficult to diagnose and cure, and recurs easily. In recent years, the development of nanotechnology has provided researchers with new tools for cancer treatment. In particular, nanoprobes that facilitate integrated diagnosis and treatment, high-resolution imaging, and accurate tumor targeting provide new avenues for the early detection and treatment of cancer. This review focuses on the preparations and applications of two kinds of "smart" multifunctional nanoprobes: "Off–On" nanoprobes and "Charge-Reversal" nanoprobes. This review also briefly discusses their mechanisms of action, as they could provide new ideas for the further development of this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pupylation is an important posttranslational modification in proteins and plays a key role in the cell function of microorganisms; an accurate prediction of pupylation proteins and specified sites is of great significance for the study of basic biological processes and development of related drugs since it would greatly save experimental costs and improve work efficiency. In this work, we first constructed a model for identifying pupylation proteins. To improve the pupylation protein prediction model, the KNN scoring matrix model based on functional domain GO annotation and the Word Embedding model were used to extract the features and Random Under-sampling (RUS) and Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE) were applied to balance the dataset. Finally, the balanced data sets were input into Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). The performance of 10-fold cross-validation shows that accuracy (ACC), Matthew's correlation coefficient (MCC), and area under the ROC curve (AUC) are 95.23%, 0.8100, and 0.9864, respectively. For the pupylation site prediction model, six feature extraction codes (i.e., TPC, AAI, One-hot, PseAAC, CKSAAP, and Word Embedding) served to extract protein sequence features, and the chi-square test was employed for feature selection. Rigorous 10-fold cross-validations indicated that the accuracies are very high and outperformed its existing counterparts. Finally, for the convenience of researchers, PUP-PS-Fuse has been established at https://bioinfo.jcu.edu.cn/PUP-PS-Fuse and http://121.36.221.79/PUP-PS-Fuse/ as a backup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial infections are closely associated with tumor growth and metastasis. Bacteriostasis can not only inhibit the growth and metastasis of tumors during their early diagnosis and treatment but also prevent bacterial infections after recovery. In this study, we synthesized Ag@GQD which consisted of nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQD) wrapped around Ag NPs through the photocatalytic reduction method. Multifunctional nanoprobes (Ag/DOX@GQD) were obtained by doxorubicin (DOX) loading. Ag@GQD exhibited high stability, low cytotoxicity, and good photoacoustic imaging performance. The effective photothermal performance of Ag@GQD enabled us to achieve the controlled release of DOX from probes using near-infrared light and pH response during the treatment of tumors using chemo-photothermal combination therapy. Results from cell-based experiments revealed that combination therapy was superior to single-drug therapy. Besides, Ag@GQD could effectively kill Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and can be expected to inhibit the growth and metastasis of tumors caused by bacteria and in reducing bacterial infections after recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-frequency analysis (TFA) is a widely used reservoir prediction technology. During the identification of sand bodies using TFA, abnormally high values in the high-frequency portion of the spectrum usually indicate the presence of thin sand bodies. However, owing to the complexity of the depositional environment, the spatial distribution of thin sand bodies is often variable, and multiple phases of sand bodies—superimposed on each other—can occur with uneven thicknesses. A frequency information extraction technique based on time-frequency ridges (TFRs) is proposed in this study to identify stable TFRs in the time-frequency spectrum of a rearranged smooth pseudo-Wigner–Ville distribution with high energy aggregation, as well as to extract the main- and high-frequency energy contents relative to them. To enhance the ability of these energy components to detect thin sand bodies, a frequency-energy weighting factor is computed. By performing the aforementioned steps, information about each frequency band can be obtained and a comprehensive depiction of sand bodies with different thicknesses achieved. It is concluded that by using the proposed method thin sand bodies such as small riverbeds can be effectively characterized using seismic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Immune infiltration of lung cancer (LC) is tightly related to clinical results. Nevertheless, past researches have not elucidated the diversities of functionally different cellular types making up the immunoresponse. Methods. In the present research, on the foundation of a deconvolution algorithm (CIBERSORT) and clinically annotated expression profiles, our team studied the tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) presenting in 502 LC samples and 49 normal samples in a comprehensive way. The fraction of 22 immunocyte subgroups was assessed to identify the relationship among every cellular type and survival and reaction to chemical therapies. Results. Consequently, profiles of immunity infiltration change remarkably between paired tumor and precancerous tissues, and the change can describe the diversity of individuals. Of the cellular subgroups studied, cancers without dendritic resting cells or with a decreased quantity of follicular helper T (Tfh) cells were related to the poor prognosis. Correlation analysis between different stages of LC and 22 immune cell subpopulations revealed that the amount of 14 immune cells in LC was remarkably related to tumor stage. The high expression of resting dendritic cells and follicular helper T cells predicted better prognostic value, and univariate analyses proved that two TIICs were significantly associated with patients' prognosis. Conclusions. To sum up, the data herein reveal that there may be subtle differences in the cell constituents of the immune infiltrate in LC, and those diversities may be vital determinating factors of prognostic results and reactions to therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of confining pressure on the brittleness of shale is very significant, usually with the increase in confining pressure; the shale shows a tendency to change from brittle to plastic. Therefore, the confining pressure correction is an important part of the brittleness evaluation, but it is often neglected in the conventional shale brittleness evaluation methods. This paper proposes a two-step confining pressure correction method to integrate the brittleness evaluation methods of mineral components, elastic parameters, and mechanical parameters and to comprehensively construct a shale brittleness evaluation index based on confining pressure correction. Step 1 zero confining pressure correction: the elastic brittleness index at zero confining pressure is calibrated using the mineral brittleness index to remove the effect of envelope pressure on brittleness and thus represent the intrinsic brittleness characteristics of the rock. Step 2 confining pressure trend correction: the mechanical parameters are used to correct the rock for the trend of confining pressure in order to reasonably characterize the weakening effect of the confining pressure on the brittleness of the rock, and reasonably characterize the transition from brittle to plastic as the confining pressure increases. By applying it to the brittleness evaluation of actual logging data, the evaluation results can truly and objectively characterize the brittleness of rock under in situ confining pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light-modulated electron-phonon coupling (EPC) is significant in many intriguing phenomena including light-enhanced superconductivity, polaron formation, and hidden charge orders, which provides a powerful strategy to engineer materials' functionalities on demand. Here we explore EPC in photoexcited graphene during the ultrafast photocarrier dynamics with a phonon bath. Via analysing energy transport between electrons and phonons, light-induced EPC enhancement by more than one order of magnitude is demonstrated, which originates from the dynamic distribution of photoexcited carriers out of equilibrium. Excellent agreements between theory and experiment have been achieved, justifying the validity of the present approach for extracting excited-state dynamic properties. Our result unravels a crucial impact of photoexcitation on EPC by modulating the density and distribution of photocarriers, and provides a useful strategy for tracking ultrafast EPC in real time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traumatic haemarthrosis was hypothesized to be the etiology of temporomandibular (TMJ) ankylosis. Here, taking haematoma absorbance as a control, we aimed to reveal the molecular mechanisms involved in haematoma organizing into ankylosis using transcriptome microarray profiles. Material/methods: Disk removal was performed to building haematoma absorbance (HA) in one side of TMJ, while removal of disk and articular fibrous layers was performed to induced TMJ ankylosis through haematoma organization (HO) in the contralateral side in a sheep model. Haematoma tissues harvested at days 1, 4 and 7 postoperatively were examined by histology, and analyzed by Affymetrix OviGene-1_0-ST microarrays. The DAVID were recruited to perform the Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis for the different expression genes (DEGs). The DEGs were also typed into protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks to get the interaction data. Six significant genes screened from PPI analysis, were confirmed by real-time PCR. Results: We found 268, 223 and 17 DEGs at least twofold at days 1, 4 and 7, respectively. At day 1, genes promoting collagen ossification (POSTN, BGN, LUM, SPARC), cell proliferation (TGF-β), and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (BMP-2) were up-regulated in the HO side. At day 4, several genes involved in angiogenesis (KDR, FIT1, TEK) shower higher expression in the HO side. While HA was characterized by a continuous immune and inflammatory reaction. Conclusions: Our results provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of haematoma in the onset and progress of TMJ ankylosis. The study will contribute to explaining why few injured TMJs ankylose and most do not from the molecular level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traumatic haemarthrosis was hypothesized to be the etiology of temporomandibular (TMJ) ankylosis. Here, taking haematoma absorbance as a control, we aimed to reveal the molecular mechanisms involved in haematoma organizing into ankylosis using transcriptome microarray profiles. Material/methods: Disk removal was performed to building haematoma absorbance (HA) in one side of TMJ, while removal of disk and articular fibrous layers was performed to induced TMJ ankylosis through haematoma organization (HO) in the contralateral side in a sheep model. Haematoma tissues harvested at days 1, 4 and 7 postoperatively were examined by histology, and analyzed by Affymetrix OviGene-1_0-ST microarrays. The DAVID were recruited to perform the Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis for the different expression genes (DEGs). The DEGs were also typed into protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks to get the interaction data. Six significant genes screened from PPI analysis, were confirmed by real-time PCR. Results: We found 268, 223 and 17 DEGs at least twofold at days 1, 4 and 7, respectively. At day 1, genes promoting collagen ossification (POSTN, BGN, LUM, SPARC), cell proliferation (TGF-β), and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (BMP-2) were up-regulated in the HO side. At day 4, several genes involved in angiogenesis (KDR, FIT1, TEK) shower higher expression in the HO side. While HA was characterized by a continuous immune and inflammatory reaction. Conclusions: Our results provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of haematoma in the onset and progress of TMJ ankylosis. The study will contribute to explaining why few injured TMJs ankylose and most do not from the molecular level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical control of structural and electronic properties of Weyl semimetals allows development of switchable and dissipationless topological devices at the ultrafast scale. An unexpected orbital-selective photoexcitation in type-II Weyl material WTe2 is reported under linearly polarized light (LPL), inducing striking transitions among several topologically-distinct phases mediated by effective electron-phonon couplings. The symmetry features of atomic orbitals comprising the Weyl bands result in asymmetric electronic transitions near the Weyl points, and in turn a switchable interlayer shear motion with respect to linear light polarization, when a near-infrared laser pulse is applied. Consequently, not only annihilation of Weyl quasiparticle pairs, but also increasing separation of Weyl points can be achieved, complementing existing experimental observations. In this work, we provide a new perspective on manipulating the Weyl node singularity and coherent control of electron and lattice quantum dynamics simultaneously. Photoexcitation in Weyl semimetals is recently reported to induce topological phase transitions useful for ultrafast switching devices. Here, the authors predict that the symmetry of the atomic orbitals comprising the Weyl bands in response to linear light polarization allows for not only annihilation but also separation of Weyl quasiparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isoquinolines constitute an important class of natural alkaloids, that demonstrate a wide range of biological activities. Therefore, development of new methods for efficient synthesis of isoquinoline and its derivatives has attracted considerable attention of chemists and pharmacologists over recent years. In this review the progress of isoquinoline synthesis that provides creative inspiration and expands novel ideas for researchers in this field is summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gradient ultra-fine-grained microstructures of pure copper were obtained via surficial cryogenic grinding. The microhardness increased gradually from 110 to 158 HV, corresponding to the nondeformed matrix and the surficial materials, respectively. Elongated and equiaxed ultrafine grains were observed. The modes of grain refinement in the severe cryogenic plastic deformation were identified: split of the grains and dynamic recrystallization, corresponding to different strain rates, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary pulmonary diffuse large B cell lymphoma (PPDLBCL) is extremely rare, with fewer than 40 cases reported to date and a lack of systemic analysis. Herein, we present a case of PPDLBCL mimicking metastasis in a heavily treated patient with breast cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of PPDLBCL in a patient with breast cancer. A 66-year-old Chinese female diagnosed with breast cancer 7.5 years previously and multiple bone metastases 31 months later presented with a new-onset subpleural nodule in the inferior lobe of left lung detected by routine follow-up in November 2017. A 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan showed that the pulmonary nodule was hypermetabolic with a maximum standard uptake value of 14.9, consistent with lung metastasis in view of her history of breast cancer and multiple bone involvement. Surprisingly, pathologic investigation revealed primary lung DLBCL, staged IEA. Systemic chemotherapy with R-CDOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vindesine, doxorubicin liposome, and prednisone) achieved complete remission with mild side effects. At the latest follow-up in August 2019, the patient had disease-free survival of 21 months. The findings from this case indicate that primary pulmonary lymphoma should be included in the differential diagnostic checklist of pulmonary occupancy, even in solid tumor patients treated with multiple modalities. When a newly developed lung nodule is identified in such patients, clinicians should not take for granted that it is lung metastasis. Pathology results are a prerequisite for making a correct diagnosis, choosing appropriate treatment, and improving patient prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspection on surface iron contaminants of stainless steel is a critical process during the manufacturing of nuclear power facilities. Highly sensitivity of image recognition on iron contamination was achieved for 316L stainless steel by adding cellulose ether and silicone polyether into phenanthroline color-change indicator. Those indicators were also compared to the RCC-M (Design and Construction Rules for the Mechanical Components of PWR Nuclear Islands) recommended blue-dot solution. The indicator sensitivity and stability of phenanthroline solutions are superior to the blue-dot solution on the bases of the measured color-change degree. The sensitivity and the image recognition ratio are improved by the additives from the view point of the reconstructed 3D image of red pixel. Based on a hypothesis of iron ion-controlled process during coloration reaction, a linear relationship with a constant slope between redness degree a* and iron concentration in double logarithm coordinates was evidenced in all the phenanthroline indicators. From potentiodynamic polarization curves, the breakdown potential and corrosion potential decreased with increasing the redness degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY : Flavonoids are major secondary metabolites derived from the plant phenylpropanoid pathway that play important roles in plant development and also have benefits for human health. So‐called MBW ternary complexes involving R2R3‐MYB and basic helix‐loop‐helix (bHLH) transcription factors along with WD‐repeat proteins have been reported to regulate expression of the biosynthetic genes in the flavonoid pathway. MYB4 and its closest homolog MYB7 have been suggested to function as repressors of phenylpropanoid metabolism. However, the detailed mechanism by which they act has not been fully elucidated. Here, we show that Arabidopsis thaliana MYB4 and its homologs MYB7 and MYB32 interact with the bHLH transcription factors TT8, GL3 and EGL3 and thereby interfere with the transcriptional activity of the MBW complexes. In addition, MYB4 can also inhibit flavonoid accumulation by repressing expression of the gene encoding Arogenate Dehydratase 6 (ADT6), which catalyzes the final step in the biosynthesis of phenylalanine, the precursor for flavonoid biosynthesis. MYB4 potentially represses not only the conventional ADT6 encoding the plastidial enzyme but also the alternative isoform encoding the cytosolic enzyme. We suggest that MYB4 plays dual roles in modulating the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in Arabidopsis. Significance Statement: Our results indicate that MYB4 can attenuate the transcriptional function of MYB‐bHLH‐WDR complexes, which are major regulators of flavonoid metabolism, by interacting with bHLH proteins. MYB4 directly represses the transcription of ADT6 encoding the enzyme catalyzing the last step of phenylalanine biosynthesis. These observations reveal unexpected cross‐talk between primary and secondary metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Orthokeratology (OK) lens is a popular optical method to control myopia progression. This study aimed to assess the effect of OK lens on axial length change compared with glasses. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched to retrieve the related articles. Then, the articles were selected according to predefined criteria. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were selected as effect size for combining and analyzing the change in axial length. Results: A total of 13 articles were included in the present study. Different models were selected according to the heterogeneity of each analysis. The axial length change in OKs group was significantly smaller than control group; SMD (95% CI) of change in axial length was − 0.857 (− 1.146, − 0.568), p < 0.001 at the end of 1 year and − 0.701 (− 1.675, 0.272), p < 0.001 at the end of 2 years or longer time. Conclusions: OK lens treatment appears more effective in slowing axial elongation than glasses during the early treatment of myopia in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of charge density waves (CDWs) in TiSe 2 has long been debated, mainly due to the difficulties in identifying the timescales of the excitonic pairing and electron–phonon coupling (EPC). Without a time-resolved and microscopic mechanism, one has to assume simultaneous appearance of CDW and periodic lattice distortions (PLD). Here, we accomplish a complete separation of ultrafast exciton and PLD dynamics and unravel their interplay in our real-time time-dependent density functional theory simulations. We find that laser pulses knock off the exciton order and induce a homogeneous bonding–antibonding transition in the initial 20 fs, then the weakened electronic order triggers ionic movements antiparallel to the original PLD. The EPC comes into play after the initial 20 fs, and the two processes mutually amplify each other leading to a complete inversion of CDW ordering. The self-amplified dynamics reproduces the evolution of band structures in agreement with photoemission experiments. Hence we resolve the key processes in the initial dynamics of CDWs that help elucidate the underlying mechanism. The physical origins of charge density waves in 1T-TiSe2 and their response to ultrafast excitation have long been a topic of theoretical and experimental debate. Here the authors present an ab initio theory that successfully captures the observed dynamics of charge density wave formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very late stent thrombosis (VLST) is a rare but serious complication following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). S100A8/A9 plays an important role in thrombosis through modulating the inflammatory response. This observational study aimed to reveal the association between S100A8/A9 and VLST. Continuous blood samples were collected from patients at both the time of index PCI for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and the time of PCI for VLST (VLST group) or follow-up coronary angiography (AMI group). In all, 56 patients were selected in each group from a cohort of 8476 patients and other 112 individuals who underwent health checkups (normal control [NC] group) were selected as controls. Serum levels of S100A8/A9 and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were tested and compared. The mean level of S100A8/A9 was 3754.4 ± 1688.9 ng/mL during index PCI and increased to 5517.8 ± 2650.9 ng/mL at the time of VLST; in the AMI group, S100A8/A9 level was 2434.9 ± 1243.4 ng/mL during index PCI and decreased to 1568.2 ± 772.1 ng/mL during follow-up, similar to that detected in the NC group (1618.2 ± 641.4 ng/mL). Of note, S100A8/A9 levels showed significant increases during VLST when compared to its own levels during index PCI, which was different from the changes of hs-CRP. Higher serum levels of S100A8/A9 are associated with the development of VLST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production and storage of major hazard installations (MHIs) bring potential risks to chemical industrial park (CIP). In the production system of MHIs, its dangerous degree is mainly determined by key parameters, and abnormal key parameters often lead to accidents. To predict the real-time risk values of MHIs and improve accident prevention ability of CIP, we need a method that can combine dynamic prediction and assessment. Quantitative risk assessment (QRA) is not capable of modelling risk variations during the operation of a process. Therefore, this paper adopts the data-driven approach. Inspired by visual qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis, a dynamic early warning method is proposed for MHIs. We can get the future trend of these key parameters by using strongly correlation variables to predict key parameters. Fuzzy evaluation analysis is performed on the risk levels of key parameters, and the dynamic evaluation index of these MHIs is obtained. This method can be applied to the dynamic evaluation of MHIs system in CIP. It can contribute to the safety of CIP in some aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daylight photodynamic therapy (DLPDT) is a novel therapeutic approach for actinic keratoses (AKs). This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of DLPDT in treating patients with AKs as compared to conventional photodynamic therapy (CPDT). PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published before November 2017, based on the following search terms: "solar keratoses", "actinic keratoses", "photodynamic therapy", "daylight photodynamic therapy", "conventional photodynamic therapy", and "randomized". The complete response rate, patient satisfaction, and patient‐reported pain after intervention with DLPDT or CPDT were primarily measured. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the reliability of results. Begg's and Egger's tests were used to assess the likelihood of publication bias. Eight RCTs, comprising a total of 424 patients with AKs treated with DLPDT or CPDT, were included. No significant difference was found between the lesion response rate and the mean lesion response in a comparison of DLPDT and CPDT treatments. Generally, DLPDT was associated with higher patient satisfaction than CPDT. The patients who underwent DLPDT experienced less pain than those who underwent CPDT. Most of our results were of high stability and low sensitivity. Meanwhile, no statistical evidence of publication bias among studies was found under all comparisons. In conclusion, DLPDT is a safe and effective therapy, which could help in selecting the most appropriate therapeutic method for treating AKs and in guiding physicians to optimize treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of intractable vasogenic brain edema (VBE) caused by tumor and irradiation is challenging. Traditional intervention strategy includes dehydration and glucocorticoids accompanied by obvious side effects and minor effects after long-term use. Novel treatment needs to be found urgently. Recently, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/VEGFR pathway has been revealed to be essential in VBE. Therefore, tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) targeting VEGFR which blocks (VEGF)/VEGFR signal might be effective. However, such reports have seldom been described. Herein, we documented a heavily-treated breast cancer patient experienced progressive aphasia, limb activity disorder and intermittent convulsion 10 months after radiotherapy of brain metastasis (BM). Cranial MRI demonstrated large peritumoral brain edema (PTBE). High dose of steriods and dehydration had no improvement. Apatinib with a dose of 250mg daily was initiated and all her discomforts disappeared after 10 days of use. The brain MRI of taking apatinib 5 weeks demonstrated remarkable shrinkage of edema. Our case indicates that apatinib, a potent small-molecular TKI targeted VEGFR2 is promising for intractable VBE for satisfactory efficacy and safety. This case is of great value in its rarity and because it provides new insight into PTBE management in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with distinct localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) absorption spectra can be synthesized using different proteins as templates upon irradiation by light. We utilized the multiple readouts of LSPR signals of AgNPs to construct sensor arrays for pattern recognition of proteins. Room temperature, aqueous solutions, and lack of harsh reducing reagents make the whole process inherently “green”. Meanwhile, the strategy efficiently simplified the process of array-receptor preparation and data acquisition, leading to lower time consumption, sample use, and cost. Furthermore, the system can differentiate proteins using flexible and alterable sensor elements by choosing different combinations of LSPR signals at different wavelengths. The principle of the sensor design can also be further extended to differentiate other biomolecules. The study provides a new method to construct feasible, economical, and general nanoparticle-based sensing arrays for pattern recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: pN stage and breast cancer subtypes (BCS) are both well-recognized prognostic indicators. Our previous work has highlighted that patients even with the same pN stage exhibited a significant survival difference in different BCS. Given this achievement, we hypothesized that a statistical interaction might exist between pN stage and BCS. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to compare the prognostic value of the combined pN stage and BCS (pNnew stage) with either pN stage or BCS alone, and to determine if this combined new stage could serve as an alternative discriminator of outcome.Methods: We combined pN stage and BCS to create a new variable named pNnew stage and then divided it into four groups: pN0new, pN1new, pN2new, and pN3new. Survival analysis was performed with the use of the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test was used for univariate analysis. For multivariate analysis, cox proportional hazard models were applied, allowing for the estimation of disease-free survival (DFS). To assess discriminatory accuracy of the models, we compared the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC), the Akaike information criterion (AIC), and the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) values. Then, we used this pNnew stage to generate a TNnewM staging system according to the 7th AJCC staging system.Results: A statistical interaction between pN stage and BCS was found. In multivariate survival analysis, the pNnew stage has been confirmed as an independent prognostic variable of 5-year DFS. The pNnew stage, with a smaller AIC or BIC value and larger AUROC, was a more powerful predictor of DFS than either pN stage or BCS alone. Results were validated in a separate cohort of patients. The TNnewM stage proposed in our present study was found comparable to the new 8th AJCC edition which includes anatomic T, N, and M plus tumor grade and the status of the biomarkers Her-2, ER, and PR with respect to prognostic value for breast cancer patients.Conclusions: The pNnew stage (combined pN stage and BCS) appears to be a more powerful predictor and discriminator for the outcome of breast cancer, as compared to pN stage or BCS alone, and the TNnewM stage may serve as a simple, easy-to-use alternative to the 8th AJCC edition staging manual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper sulfide Cu2S is a p-type semiconducting compound that has attracted great attentions in the thermoelectric (TE) community most recently. Considering the intrinsic ultralow lattice thermal conductivity, the enhancement of TE performance in Cu2S should be achieved through improving its electrical transport properties. To achieve this goal, lithium element was doped into Cu2S in this study. A series of Cu2−xLixS samples with different Li contents (x = 0, 0.005, 0.010, 0.050, and 0.100) was synthesized by the melting-annealing method. When x ≤ 0.05, the Cu2−xLixS samples are stable and pure phases, having the same monoclinic structure with the pristine Cu2S at room temperature. The electrical conductivities in the Cu2−xLixS samples are greatly improved with the Li-doping content increasing due to the enhanced carrier concentrations. Meanwhile, doping Li into Cu2S increases the ionic activation energy and lessens the influence of mobile Cu ions on the heat-carrying phonons. Thus, the thermal conductivities of the Li-doped Cu2S samples increase. A maximal figure of merit (zT) of 0.84 at 900 K is obtained in Cu1.99Li0.01S, about 133% improvement as compared with that in Cu2S matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Author Correction: Super-resolved time-frequency measurements of coupled phonon dynamics in a 2D quantum material We thank Dr. Michael Gerrity for his laser expertise and aid and Yingchao Zhang for his thoughtful insights." We thank Dr. Michael Gerrity for his laser expertise and aid and Yingchao Zhang for his thoughtful insights." now reads: "The US authors gratefully acknowledge support from a DOE Basic Energy Sciences Grant DE-FG02-99ER14982 for the experimental setups and measurements, the Physics Frontier Center grant PHY1734006 for the correlative ARPES measurements, STROBE NSF STC grant and PEAQS NSF PREM grant (NSF DMR 1548924 and NSF DMR 1827847 for supporting the collaboration between NSU and CU Boulder). [Extracted from the article]

Purpose Medical tourism is growing rapidly in the recent years in various Asian countries. The success of the hospitals engaged in medical tourism largely depends on their abilities in maintaining the repeating customers and to attract new customers. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of word-of-mouth and social media on hospital brand image. It also attempts to examine the relationships between brand image, perceived service quality, patient satisfaction and behavioral intention.Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 386 medical tourists to test the proposed model. All the measurement scales adopted in this study were adapted from the existing literature. The data collected in this study were analyzed using both SPSS and structural equation modeling approach via AMOS.Findings The findings from the structural analysis indicated that both word-of-mouth and hospital-generated social media have a significant impact on brand image. Hospital brand image positively influences medical tourists’ perception of service quality, and their perceived service quality is significantly related to their satisfaction, which in turn, leads to their behavioral intention.Originality/value This study is one of the few studies that considers the importance of hospital’s brand image in influencing medical tourists’ perceptions on the quality of healthcare services that they experienced during their medical trips. This research study also raises the significance of word-of-mouth communication and social media that influence hospitals’ brand image, which has been neglected by many studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]