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Background: Therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) is considered high risk as it related to prior exposure to cytotoxic chemotherapy agents for solid tumors or hematologic malignancies. Compared with de novo AML, t-AML is associated with lower remission rates, inferior overall survival (OS) and higher relapse rates. Many efforts have been devoted to improving the overall but with limited success, and novel strategy is thus highly needed. Case description: We reported one patient with refractory/relapsed t-AML was successfully treated with Palbociclib combined with Venetoclax and Azacytidine (AZA). In this case, a 47-year-old patient with t-AML recurred during Venetoclax in combination with AZA therapy. However, the patient achieved morphological, immunophenotypic and molecular complete remission again after Palbociclib combined with Venetoclax and AZA. Conclusions: Although only one successful case is presented here, three-drug combination regimens should be considered as another treatment option for t-AML in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the advancements in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), highlighting how targeted therapy and immunotherapy have improved prognosis, particularly in achieving minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity. Topics include the effectiveness of Blinatumomab in reducing MRD and improving outcomes before allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

Molecular oxygen activation often suffers from high energy consumption and low efficiency. Developing eco-friendly and effective photocatalysts remains a key challenge for advancing green molecular oxygen activation. Herein, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) with abundant hydroxyl groups (HCN) was synthesized to investigate the relationship between these polar groups and molecular oxygen activation. The advantage of the hydroxyl group modification of g-C3N4 included narrower interlayer distances, a larger specific surface area and improved hydrophilicity. Various photoelectronic measurements revealed that the introduced hydroxyl groups reduced the charge transfer resistance of HCN, resulting in accelerated charge separation and migration kinetics. Therefore, the optimal HCN-90 showed the highest activity for Rhodamine B photodegradation with a reaction time of 30 min and an apparent rate constant of 0.125 min−1, surpassing most other g-C3N4 composites. This enhanced activity was attributed to the adjusted band structure achieved through polar functional group modification. The modification of polar functional groups could alter the energy band structure of photocatalysts, narrow band gap, enhance visible-light absorption, and improve photogenerated carrier separation efficiency. This work highlights the significant potential of polar functional groups in tuning the structure of g-C3N4 to enhance efficient molecular oxygen activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of the ultimate bearing capacity (UBC) of composite foundations represents a critical application of test monitoring data within the field of intelligent geotechnical engineering. This paper introduces an effective combinational prediction algorithm, namely SA-IRMO-BP. By integrating the Improved Radial Movement Optimization (IRMO) algorithm with the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm, we develop a meta-heuristic optimization algorithm (SA-IRMO) to optimize the built-in weights and thresholds of backpropagation neural networks (BPNN). Leveraging this integrated prediction algorithm, we forecast the UBC of soil–cement mixed (SCM) pile composite foundations, yielding the following performance metrics: RMSE = 3.4626, MAE = 2.2712, R = 0.9978, VAF = 99.4339. These metrics substantiate the superior predictive performance of the proposed model. Furthermore, we utilize two distinct datasets to validate the generalizability of the prediction model presented herein, which carries significant implications for the safety and stability of civil engineering projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angular resolution is crucial for the detailed study of gamma-ray sources and current Cherenkov telescopes (e.g., HESS, MAGIC, and VERITAS) that operate below tens of TeV. Several gamma-ray sources with a photon energy larger than 100 TeV have been revealed by the LHAASO in recent years; the angular resolution of the LHAASO is around  0.3 ∘ . A gamma-ray detector with an angular resolution of less than  0.1 ∘  operating beyond 100 TeV is needed to study the detailed morphology of ultra-high-energy gamma-ray sources further. The cost-effectiveness is crucial for such large-area detectors. In this paper, the impact of telescope aperture, field of view, pixel size, optical point spread function, and signal integration time window on angular resolution is studied. These results can provide essential elements for the design of telescope arrays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study explored how 249 transgender and non-binary (TNB) adolescents (ages 14–18) described salient supports in their lives, and ways in which key social-ecological contexts could better support TNB adolescents' wellbeing. Participants were recruited through social media, and completed online surveys; all study procedures were approved by the Boston University Institutional Review Board. Most (84.7%) participants identified as White, and as sexual minorities (96.4%). Modified consensual qualitative research (CQR-M) methods were used to examine TNB adolescents' responses to two questions: "In your life, which people, if any, would you describe as most supportive, and why?" and "What can individuals/groups within families, schools, and communities do to best support the well-being of transgender and non-binary adolescents?" Results indicated that the most common source of support for TNB participants was peers, followed by family members. Participants also highlighted the centrality of supportive environments that offer access to resources, as well as support derived through policies and practices that reduce stigma. Collectively, results have implications for how individuals and systems can foster wellbeing among TNB adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ore resources in the mining process form a large number of unmanageable tailings, mostly inhalable fine mineral particles, into the environment will cause serious pollution, and recycling is a precious resource. The cyclone classification provides the possibility for the recovery and exploitation of fine particles, but the recovery and utilization rate of conventional cyclone separation is seriously low, and the performance urgently should be optimized. In the present study, a new type of volute feed was proposed to strengthen the classification and recovery process of fine mineral particles. Combined with numerical simulation and experimental research, the effects of various structural parameters and operating parameters on the flow field distribution, particle motion, and classification performance were systematically examined. The obtained results reveal that the new volute feed structure can effectively reduce the internal turbulence and improve the flow field stability and particle classification efficiency. Compared with the traditional hydrocyclone, the classification efficiency of fine particles with new feed structure increases by 10–18%. Increasing underflow diameter and feed pressure and reducing overflow diameter and feed concentration are also beneficial to lessening classification particle size and enhancing classification performance. The currently achieved outcomes can provide valuable guidelines for further development of novel hydrocyclones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorylation of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) by GPCR kinases (GRKs) desensitizes G-protein signalling and promotes arrestin signalling, which is also modulated by biased ligands1–6. The molecular assembly of GRKs on GPCRs and the basis of GRK-mediated biased signalling remain largely unknown owing to the weak GPCR–GRK interactions. Here we report the complex structure of neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1) bound to GRK2, Gαq and the arrestin-biased ligand SBI-5537. The density map reveals the arrangement of the intact GRK2 with the receptor, with the N-terminal helix of GRK2 docking into the open cytoplasmic pocket formed by the outward movement of the receptor transmembrane helix 6, analogous to the binding of the G protein to the receptor. SBI-553 binds at the interface between GRK2 and NTSR1 to enhance GRK2 binding. The binding mode of SBI-553 is compatible with arrestin binding but clashes with the binding of Gαq protein, thus providing a mechanism for its arrestin-biased signalling capability. In sum, our structure provides a rational model for understanding the details of GPCR–GRK interactions and GRK2-mediated biased signalling.Structural studies on the complex containing G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2), neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1), Gαq and the arrestin-biased ligand SBI-553 provide insights into these interactions and a foundation for the design of arrestin-biased ligands for G-protein-coupled receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five ester-bonded gemini quaternary ammonium surfactants C12-En-C12 (n = 2, 4, 6), with a flexible spacer group, and C12-Bm-C12 (m = 1, 2), with rigid benzene spacers, were synthesized via a two-step reaction and analyzed. Furthermore, the effects of the spacer structure, spacer length and polymerization degree on the self-aggregation, antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity of C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 and their corresponding monomer N-dodecyl-N,N,N-trimethyl ammonium chloride DTAC were investigated. The results showed that C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 had markedly lower critical micellar concentration (CMC) values and lower surface tension than DTAC. Moreover, the CMC values of C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 decreased with increasing spacer length. In the case of equivalent chain length, the rigidity and steric hindrance of phenylene and 1,4-benzenediyl resulted in larger CMC values for C12-Bm-C12 than for C12-En-C12. The antibacterial ability of C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 was assessed using Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus albus (S. aureus) based on minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Furthermore, C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 exhibited higher antimicrobial activity than DTAC and had stronger function toward S. aureus than E. coli. The antimicrobial activity was enhanced by increasing the spacer chain length and decreased with the increased rigidity of the spacers. The cytotoxic effects of C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 in cultured Hela cells were evaluated by the standard CCK8 method based on half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). The cytotoxicity of C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 was significantly lower than alkanediyl-α,ω-bis(dimethyldodecylammonium) bromide surfactants and DTAC. The spacer structure and the spacer length could induce significant cytotoxic effects on Hela cells. These findings indicate that the five ester-bonded GQASs have stronger antibacterial activity and lower toxicity profile, and thus can be used in the pharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultimate axial bearing capacity (UABC) of a single pile is an important parameter in pile design. BP neural network (BPNN) has a strong nonlinear mapping ability and can effectively predict the UABC of a single pile. However, frequent immersion in unstable search results with local vibration leads BPNN to a less usable solution. The weights and biases of the BPNN model are optimized using the improved radial movement optimization (IRMO) algorithm in this study, and a new method named the IRMO-BP neural network (IRMO-BPNN) is proposed to predict the UABC of a single pile. The IRMO-BPNN model was developed from a database of 196 static load test (SLT) samples, and model hyper-parameter analysis was carried out to determine the optimal number of hidden nodes, population size, and the number of iterations. The prediction accuracy and stability of the IRMO-BPNN model are verified by comparing it with the GA-based ANN model, ANFIS-GMDH-PSO model, and RBFANN model. The results show that the IRMO-BPNN model can accurately predict the UABC of a single pile and improves the situation that the BPNN model is easy to fall into local optimal values and its search results are unstable. The IRMO-BPNN model has significant advantages over other models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endothelin system comprises three endogenous 21-amino-acid peptide ligands endothelin-1, -2, and -3 (ET-1/2/3), and two G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) subtypes—endothelin receptor A (ETAR) and B (ETBR). Since ET-1, the first endothelin, was identified in 1988 as one of the most potent endothelial cell-derived vasoconstrictor peptides with long-lasting actions, the endothelin system has attracted extensive attention due to its critical role in vasoregulation and close relevance in cardiovascular-related diseases. Here we present three cryo-electron microscopy structures of ETAR and ETBR bound to ET-1 and ETBR bound to the selective peptide IRL1620. These structures reveal a highly conserved recognition mode of ET-1 and characterize the ligand selectivity by ETRs. They also present several conformation features of the active ETRs, thus revealing a specific activation mechanism. Together, these findings deepen our understanding of endothelin system regulation and offer an opportunity to design selective drugs targeting specific ETR subtypes. Endothelin receptors (ETAR and ETBR) are critical for vasoregulation and are targets for cardiovascular diseases treatment. Here, the authors offer a structural basis for peptide recognition selectivity and activation of both endothelin receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, aiming at the problem of high-precision trajectory tracking of the gantry welding robot system under the influence of uncertain factors, a composite adaptive fuzzy compensation controller based on the computed torque control strategy has been proposed. The controller is composed of an adaptive fuzzy feedback control strategy and a dead zone adaptive fuzzy control strategy, which realizes high-precision trajectory tracking of the gantry welding robot, improves the solving speed of the control algorithm, and its tracking errors has been reduced. Screw theory and Lie group lie algebra are used to solve the problem of high algorithm complexity of controllers in multi-degree-of-freedom robot systems due to Newton-Euler dynamics modeling. Based on the computed torque control, the adaptive fuzzy feedback control strategy is adopted to compensate for the modeling errors and external disturbances in the gantry welding robot system, and the dead zone adaptive fuzzy control strategy is designed to compensate for the nonlinear dead zone structure with unknown parameters. The Lyapunov equation is introduced to prove the stability of the controller. Finally, the controller designed in this paper is compared with the conventional controller through simulation and experiment on the gantry welding robot platform, which verifies the effectiveness and superiority of the controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endogenous ions play important roles in the function and pharmacology of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) with limited atomic evidence. In addition, compared with G protein subtypes Gs, Gi/o, and Gq/11, insufficient structural evidence is accessible to understand the coupling mechanism of G12/13 protein by GPCRs. Orphan receptor GPR35, which is predominantly expressed in the gastrointestinal tract and is closely related to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), stands out as a prototypical receptor for investigating ionic modulation and G13 coupling. Here we report a cryo-electron microscopy structure of G13-coupled GPR35 bound to an anti-allergic drug, lodoxamide. This structure reveals a novel divalent cation coordination site and a unique ionic regulatory mode of GPR35 and also presents a highly positively charged binding pocket and the complementary electrostatic ligand recognition mode, which explain the promiscuity of acidic ligand binding by GPR35. Structural comparison of the GPR35–G13 complex with other G protein subtypes-coupled GPCRs reveals a notable movement of the C-terminus of α5 helix of the Gα13 subunit towards the receptor core and the least outward displacement of the cytoplasmic end of GPR35 TM6. A featured 'methionine pocket' contributes to the G13 coupling by GPR35. Together, our findings provide a structural basis for divalent cation modulation, ligand recognition, and subsequent G13 protein coupling of GPR35 and offer a new opportunity for designing GPR35-targeted drugs for the treatment of IBDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), through activation of its G-protein-coupled thyrotropin receptor (TSHR), controls the synthesis of thyroid hormone—an essential metabolic hormone1–3. Aberrant signalling of TSHR by autoantibodies causes Graves’ disease (hyperthyroidism) and hypothyroidism, both of which affect millions of patients worldwide4. Here we report the active structures of TSHR with TSH and the activating autoantibody M225, both bound to the allosteric agonist ML-1096, as well as an inactivated TSHR structure with the inhibitory antibody K1-707. Both TSH and M22 push the extracellular domain (ECD) of TSHR into an upright active conformation. By contrast, K1-70 blocks TSH binding and cannot push the ECD into the upright conformation. Comparisons of the active and inactivated structures of TSHR with those of the luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) reveal a universal activation mechanism of glycoprotein hormone receptors, in which a conserved ten-residue fragment (P10) from the hinge C-terminal loop mediates ECD interactions with the TSHR transmembrane domain8. One notable feature is that there are more than 15 cholesterols surrounding TSHR, supporting its preferential location in lipid rafts9. These structures also highlight a similar ECD-push mechanism for TSH and autoantibody M22 to activate TSHR, therefore providing the molecular basis for Graves’ disease.Thyroid-stimulating hormone and autoantibody M22 push the extracellular domain of the thyrotropin receptor into an upright active conformation, revealing a universal activation mechanism of glycoprotein hormone receptors and providing the molecular basis of Graves’ disease, hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem that the traditional inverse solution optimization method is not comprehensive and does not consider the robot structure and actual working conditions, an inverse solution multi-objective optimization method is proposed. This method comprehensively considers the structural size and working state of the welding robot, establishes the stiffness performance evaluation index, optimizes the performance index of the subsequent connecting rod movement area caused by joint rotation, and selects the optimal inverse solution combined with the principle of "minimum joint displacement." Compared with the traditional method, this method is more comprehensive. It makes the variation range of the rear three small joints of the welding robot larger than the front three large joints, which reduces the power consumption. In addition, it also improves the stiffness of the welding robot at the trajectory point, which ensures the reliability of the welding robot. On this basis, for linear and arc welds, the position interpolation of cartesian space line and arc trajectory based on the S-shaped acceleration and deceleration curve and the posture interpolation of spherical linear interpolation based on unit quaternion are realized. MATLAB simulation results show that the combination of the inverse optimization method and the interpolation method makes the end trajectory, velocity, acceleration, posture curve, and joint displacement curve of the welding robot continuous, smooth, and without mutation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Spodoptera) is an important global polyphagous pest. Pathogen infection could destroy the intestinal microbial homeostasis of insects, leading to the death of the host. However, the effect of the host intestinal microbial community on the insecticidal effect of Bacillus thuringiensis is rarely studied. In this study, the genome characteristics of Bt GS57 and the diversity and functions of the gut bacteria in S. exigua are investigated using crystal morphology, biological activity, and Illumina HiSeq high-throughput sequencing. The total size of the Bt GS57 genome is 6.17 Mbp with an average G + C content of 35.66%. Furthermore, the Bt GS57 genome contains six cry genes: cry1Ca , cry1Da , cry2Ab , cry9Ea , cry1Ia , and cry1Aa , and a vegetative insecticidal protein gene vip3Aa. The Bt GS57 strain can produce biconical crystals, mainly expressing 70 kDa and 130 kDa crystal proteins. The LC50 value of the Bt GS57 strain against the S. exigua larvae was 0.339 mg mL–1. Physiological and biochemical reactions showed that Bt GS57 belongs to B.t. var. thuringiensis. In addition, we found that B. thuringiensis can cause a dynamic change in the gut microbiota of S. exigua , with a significant reduction in bacterial diversity and a substantial increase in bacterial load. In turn, loss of gut microbiota significantly decreased the B. thuringiensis susceptibility of S. exigua larvae. Our findings reveal the vital contribution of the gut microbiota in B. thuringiensis -killing activity, providing new insights into the mechanisms of B. thuringiensis pathogenesis in insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peptide hormones and neuropeptides are complex signaling molecules that predominately function through G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Two unanswered questions remaining in the field of peptide-GPCR signaling systems pertain to the basis for the diverse binding modes of peptide ligands and the specificity of G protein coupling. Here, we report the structures of a neuropeptide, galanin, bound to its receptors, GAL1R and GAL2R, in complex with their primary G protein subtypes Gi and Gq, respectively. The structures reveal a unique binding pose of galanin, which almost 'lays flat' on the top of the receptor transmembrane domain pocket in an α-helical conformation, and acts as an 'allosteric-like' agonist via a distinct signal transduction cascade. The structures also uncover the important features of intracellular loop 2 (ICL2) that mediate specific interactions with Gq, thus determining the selective coupling of Gq to GAL2R. ICL2 replacement in Gi-coupled GAL1R, μOR, 5-HT1AR, and Gs-coupled β2AR and D1R with that of GAL2R promotes Gq coupling of these receptors, highlighting the dominant roles of ICL2 in Gq selectivity. Together our results provide insights into peptide ligand recognition and allosteric activation of galanin receptors and uncover a general structural element for Gq coupling selectivity. The basis for the diverse peptide-binding modes and the G protein selectivity of peptide GPCRs remains elusive. Here, the authors offer a structural basis for allosteric-like agonism and G protein selectivity of a neuropeptide GPCR, galanin receptor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influenza B virus (IBV) causes seasonal influenza and has accounted for an increasing proportion of influenza outbreaks. IBV mainly causes human infections and has not been found to spread in poultry. The replication mechanism and the determinants of interspecies transmission of IBV are largely unknown. In this study, we found that the host ANP32 proteins are required for the function of the IBV polymerase. Human ANP32A/B strongly supports IBV replication, while ANP32E has a limited role. Unlike human ANP32A/B, chicken ANP32A has low support activity to IBV polymerase because of a unique 33-amino-acid insert, which, in contrast, exhibits species specific support to avian influenza A virus (IAV) replication. Chicken ANP32B and ANP32E have even lower activity compared with human ANP32B/E due to specific amino acid substitutions at sites 129–130. We further revealed that the sites 129–130 affect the binding ability of ANP32B/E to IBV polymerase, while the 33-amino-acid insert of chicken ANP32A reduces its binding stability and affinity. Taken together, the features of avian ANP32 proteins limited their abilities to support IBV polymerase, which could prevent efficient replication of IBV in chicken cells. Our results illustrate roles of ANP32 proteins in supporting IBV replication and may help to understand the ineffective replication of IBV in birds. Author summary: Influenza B viruses infect humans and few other mammals, but fairly rare in birds. Here we found that IBV requires the involvement of host ANP32 proteins in the replication process, in which ANP32A and ANP32B play major roles and can fully support polymerase activity independently, while ANP32E gives only limited support to IBV polymerase because of certain substitutions compared with ANP32A/B. Chicken ANP32A has a 33-amino-acid insert not present in mammals and provides better support to avian IAV polymerase, but this insert impairs its support for IBV polymerase activity. Chicken ANP32B and ANP32E have even lower support to IBV polymerase due to specific inactive mutations at sites 129/130. Our findings reveal an important role for ANP32 proteins in IBV polymerase activity and suggest the possible molecular basis of adaptation and restriction of IBV infection in different species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DEXD/H box helicase 60 (DDX60) is a new type of DEAD-box RNA helicase, which is induced to express after virus infection. It might involve in antiviral immunity by promoting RIG-I-like receptor-mediated signal transduction. In addition, previous studies had shown that the expression of DDX60 is related to cancer, but there was still a lack of relevant research in breast cancer. In this study, we used the information of patients with breast cancer in the TCGA database for statistical analysis and found that the breast cancer patients with low expression of DDX60 exhibited radiosensitivity. Comparing the radiotherapy groups with the nonradiotherapy groups, for patients with low expression of DDX60, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) values for radiotherapy were 0.244 (0.064–0.921) and 0.199 (0.062–0.646) in the training and validation datasets, with the p values 0.040 and 0.007, respectively. However, for patients with high expression of DDX60, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) values were 3.582 (0.627–20.467) and 2.421 (0.460–12.773), with the p values 0.054 and 0.297, respectively. These results suggested that the expression of DDX60 might strongly associate with individualized radiosensitivity in patients with breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical control is the major approach to handle the American Hyphantria cunea issue; however, it often causes chemical pollution and resource waste. How to precisely apply pesticide to reduce pollution and waste has been a difficult problem. The premise of accurate spraying of chemicals is to accurately determine the location of the spray target. In this paper, an algorithm based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) is proposed to locate the screen of American Hyphantria cunea. Specifically, comparing the effect of multicolor space-grouping convolution with that of the same color space-grouping convolution, the better effect of different color space-grouping convolution is first proved. Then, RGB and YIQ are employed to identify American Hyphantria cunea screen. Moreover, a noncoincident sliding window method is proposed to divide the image into multiple candidate boxes to reduce the number of convolutions. That is, the probability of American Hyphantria cunea is determined by grouping convolution in each candidate box, and two thresholds (E and Q) are set. When the probability is higher than E, the candidate box is regarded as excellent; when the probability is lower than Q, the candidate box is regarded as unqualified; when the probability is in between, the candidate box is regarded as qualified. The unqualified candidate box is eliminated, and the qualified candidate box cannot exit the above steps until the number of extractions of the candidate box reaches the set value or there is no qualified candidate box. Finally, all the excellent candidate boxes are fused to obtain the final recognition result. Experiments show that the recognition rate of this method is higher than 96%, and the processing time of a single picture is less than 150 ms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibration characteristics of heavy CNC machine tools are directly affected by their foundations. To analyze vibrations of heavy CNC machine tools caused by internal and external loads, a system dynamics model of a rigid-flexible coupled heavy-duty CNC machine tool-foundation system was established based on the multibody transfer matrix method. Since joint surfaces can seriously affect the accuracy of system mechanics models, the substructure synthesis method was first used to establish a dynamic model of the joint surface. The frequency response function was then used to identify model parameters. Moreover, to improve the accuracy of parameter identification of the joint surface, a residual frequency compensation function was used to reconstruct the frequency response function. Finally, the multibody system model was implemented by combining surface elements. To verify the system dynamics model, an experimental model of the heavy-duty machine-foundation system was built, taking into consideration joint surface factors, and the theoretical model was validated by comparing theoretical, simulation, and experimental results. Using the theoretical model, the influence of different forms of concrete foundations, materials, and soil properties on the vibration characteristics of heavy-duty CNC machine tools was analyzed, thus providing a theoretical basis for optimizing and improving CNC machine tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) requires sustained suppression of tumor cell growth and metastasis for long‐term efficacy. However, traditional intratumoral drug delivery system always exhibits burst release with less therapeutic outcomes. Here, a new self‐assembling amphiphilic peptide drug conjugate (SAAPDC) is fabricated as a “two‐in‐one” nanofiber system comprising a hexapeptide as a matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) inhibitor and doxorubicin (DOX) for the treatment of HCC. The results indicate that doxorubicin‐conjugated peptide (DOX‐KGFRWR) self‐assembles to form long nanofibers showing sustained release property for inhibiting the enzymatic activities of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9. This nanofiber not only inhibits tumor growth in situ but also effectively prevents pulmonary metastasis in an SMMC7721 cell line–based mouse model. In summary, this hexapeptide‐based supermolecule system represents a promising nanoscale platform to sustain drug release with high loading capacity for intratumoral administration. Moreover, the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs via drug‐bearing supramolecular MMP inhibitor nanofibers simultaneously inhibits metastasis and tumor growth to achieve synergistic effects for metastatic HCC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oligopeptides, a type of short peptide, which consist of 2–20 amino acids, exhibit a variety of biological functions in drug delivery systems, such as specific targeting, cell penetration, self-assembled capacity and responsiveness to the environment. In this review, we aim to highlight the importance of functional oligopeptides for nanomedical applications and put forward the views on the future development direction of oligopeptide medicines. Oligopeptides have gained wide attentions due to their inherent properties, but the lack of understanding the mechanisms ofin vivotransport behavior is the biggest problem and challenge at the present stage. Therefore, it is an important direction for the future clinical research to systematically evaluate its metabolic behavior and safetyin vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is reported that there are hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by seasonal flu all around the world every year. More other diseases such as chickenpox, malaria, etc. are also serious threats to people's physical and mental health. There are 250,000-500,000 deaths every year around the world. Therefore proper techniques for disease surveillance are highly demanded. Recently, social media analysis is regarded as an efficient way to achieve this goal, which is feasible since growing number of people have been posting their health information on social media such as blogs, personal websites, etc. Previous work on social media analysis mainly focused on English materials but hardly considered Chinese materials, which hinders the application of such technique to Chinese people. In this paper, we proposed a new method of Chinese social media analysis for disease surveillance. More specifically, we compared different kinds of methods in the process of classification and then proposed a new way to process Chinese text data. The Chinese Sina micro-blog data collected from September to December 2013 are used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that a high classification precision of 87.49 % in average has been obtained. Comparing with the data from the authority, Chinese National Influenza Center, we can predict the outbreak time of flu 5 days earlier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four heterobimetallic trinuclear Fe-Cu-Fe complexes [Cu(cyclam)][Fe(bpb)(CN)]·4HO ( 1), [Cu(cyclam)][Fe(bpClb)(CN)]·4HO ( 2), [Cu(cyclam)][Fe(bpmb)(CN)]·4HO ( 3) and [Cu(cyclam)][Fe(bpdmb)- (CN)]·HO ( 4) (cyclam = 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane, bpb = 1,2-bis(pyridine-2-carboxamido), bpClb = 1,2-bis(pyridine-2-carboxamido)-4-chloro-benzenate, bpmb = 1,2-bis(pyridine-2-carboxamido)-4-methyl-benzenate, bpdmb = 1,2-bis(pyridine-2-carboxamido)-4,5-dimethyl-benzenate) have been synthesized based on cyanide-containing building blocks [Fe(L)CN] (L = bpb, bpClb, bpmb and bpdmb) and [Cu(cyclam)]. Their structures and magnetic properties were investigated. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that they are all neutral trinuclear sandwich-like structures. Magnetic investigations show that they are all abnormal antiferromagnetic, with J = −0.95 cm for 1, −0.70 cm for 2, −0.93 cm for 3 and −0.85 cm for 4 based on the Hamiltonian Ĥ = −2 JŜ( Ŝ + Ŝ). The abnormal antiferromagnetic coupling between Fe(III) and Cu(II) in the four complexes can be attributed to the small Cu-N≡C bond angles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CuO nanodendrites have been synthesized by a simple and novel hydrothermal method. Their morphology, structure, and composition have been also characterized. The results show that an as-prepared nanodendrite is composed of a main branch-like nanorod near upon a micrometre in length and about 100 nm in diameter and the sub-branch nanorods several hundred nanometres in length and 20–60 nm in diameter. The dendrite-like CuO nanostructures are of monoclinic phase and single crystalline in nature. The investigation of the hydrothermal process assisted by different quantities of ethylene glycol (EG) indicates that EG plays a critical role in the formation of dendrite-like CuO nanostructures. A possible mechanism for the formation of such CuO nanostructures is discussed. Furthermore, the correlation between the optical spectrum and the different morphologies of copper oxides nanomaterials is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower-like Bi2S3 nanostructures consisting of nanorods with a lateral size of about 30 nm have been prepared via a thioglycolic acid (HSCH2COOH, TGA) assisted hydrothermal method. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows that the obtained flower-like Bi2S3 nanostructures are of orthorhombic phase. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) identifies that the flower-like Bi2S3 nanostructures are single crystalline in nature. It is believed that the sodium thiosulfate (STS) as the sulfur source could facilitate the formation of flower-like embryos and the TGA could enhance the anisotropic growth of Bi2S3 nanorods initiated from the embryos. STS and TGA play the key roles in the formation of flower-like Bi2S3 nanostructures during the hydrothermal process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of copper precipitation on oxygen precipitation in Czochralski-grown silicon was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, defect etching and transmission electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive x-ray analysis. It was found that interstitial copper almost had no influence on oxygen precipitation but copper precipitation remarkably enhanced oxygen precipitation. Furthermore, the enhancement of copper precipitation under air cooling (30 K s-1) on oxygen precipitation subsequently was much more noticeable than that of copper precipitation under slow cooling (0.3 K s-1). It was also observed that the dislocations induced by oxygen precipitates occurred in the samples without copper contamination, but in the samples experiencing copper precipitation, oxygen preferably precipitated on the dislocations induced by copper precipitates, or dislocation-free oxygen precipitates occurred. These results indicate that heterogeneous nucleation of oxygen precipitates on dislocations and successful release of the stress from oxygen precipitation are responsible for the enhancement of oxygen precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights from the article: From Nanofibers to Nanorods: Nanostructure of Peptide-Drug Conjugates Regulated by Polypeptide-PEG Derivative and Enhanced Antitumor Effect The initially published version of this article contained a typographical error in the affiliation linked with the author Gang Cao (Zhengjiang Chinese Medical University). The authors apologize for any inconvenience or misunderstanding that this error may have caused.

Peptide‐drug conjugates (PDCs) are a type of self‐assembled prodrug with good potential for drug delivery due to their excellent biocompatibility, high drug loading, and permanent controllable release. However, most PDCs tend to self‐assemble into filamentous nanostructures in water and under physiological conditions, making them unsuitable as intravenous formulations due to the entanglement of long fibers and the risk of thrombus. Injected PDCs also face challenges in overcoming the complex physiological environment to reach the target site. To expand their clinical use, it is necessary to control the properties of PDC, including the self‐assembled structure and physiological performance, to avoid the above problems. Based on assembly mechanism studies of PDCs, a new method for regulating PDC morphology is developed by controlling intermolecular interactions in the assembly process. This method can alter the final morphology of PDCs from nanofibers to nanorods, and the introduced macromolecules endow the PDC with new characteristics that facilitate stable and high‐efficiency access to the target site. An entirely new strategy for regulating peptide‐drug conjugates (PDCs) morphology by controlling intermolecular interactions in the assembly process is developed. This method can not only alter the final morphology of PDCs from nanofibers to nanorods, but also endow the PDCs with new characteristics that facilitate stable and high‐efficiency access to the target site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Asymmetric somatic hybridization is an efficient crop breeding approach by introducing several exogenous chromatin fragments, which leads to genomic shock and therefore induces genome-wide genetic variation. However, the fundamental question concerning the genetic variation such as whether it occurs randomly and suffers from selection pressure remains unknown. Results: Here, we explored this issue by comparing expressed sequence tags of a common wheat cultivar and its asymmetric somatic hybrid line. Both nucleotide substitutions and indels (insertions and deletions) had lower frequencies in coding sequences than in un-translated regions. The frequencies of nucleotide substitutions and indels were both comparable between chromosomes with and without introgressed fragments. Nucleotide substitutions distributed unevenly and were preferential to indel-flanking sequences, and the frequency of nucleotide substitutions at 5′-flanking sequences of indels was obviously higher in chromosomes with introgressed fragments than in those without exogenous fragment. Nucleotide substitutions and indels both had various frequencies among seven groups of allelic chromosomes, and the frequencies of nucleotide substitutions were strongly negatively correlative to those of indels. Among three sets of genomes, the frequencies of nucleotide substitutions and indels were both heterogeneous, and the frequencies of nucleotide substitutions exhibited drastically positive correlation to those of indels. Conclusions: Our work demonstrates that the genetic variation induced by asymmetric somatic hybridization is attributed to both whole genomic shock and local chromosomal shock, which is a predetermined and non-random genetic event being closely associated with selection pressure. Asymmetric somatic hybrids provide a worthwhile model to further investigate the nature of genomic shock induced genetic variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]