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Cytotherapy is a strategy to deliver modified cells to a diseased tissue, but targeting solid tumours remains challenging. Here we design macrophages, harbouring a surface glypican-3-targeting peptide and carrying a cargo to combat solid tumours. The anchored targeting peptide facilitates tumour cell recognition by the engineered macrophages, thus enhancing specific targeting and phagocytosis of tumour cells expressing glypican-3. These macrophages carry a cargo of the TLR7/TLR8 agonist R848 and INCB024360, a selective indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) inhibitor, wrapped in C16-ceramide-fused outer membrane vesicles (OMV) of Escherichia coli origin (RILO). The OMVs facilitate internalization through caveolin-mediated endocytosis, and to maintain a suitable nanostructure, C16-ceramide induces membrane invagination and exosome generation, leading to the release of cargo-packed RILOs through exosomes. RILO-loaded macrophages exert therapeutic efficacy in mice bearing H22 hepatocellular carcinomas, which express high levels of glypican-3. Overall, we lay down the proof of principle for a cytotherapeutic strategy to target solid tumours and could complement conventional treatment. Macrophages are considered a good candidate for cancer cytotherapy because of their phagocytotic capacity, enabling them to deliver cargo to tissues. Here authors engineer macrophages that are targeted to glypican-3-expressing tumour cells and equipped with drug-loaded exosomes and show therapeutic efficiency in a mouse model of hepatocellular cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way in which climate change-related information is framed can influence not only cognitive outcomes but also emotional responses. This web-based experiment (n = 331) investigated the effects of strategy framing and issue framing on emotions and online climate action intentions in the context of climate relationship between China and the United States. Results indicated that strategy framing increased negative emotions (i.e., anxiety and anger), whereas issue framing triggered more positive emotions (i.e., pride and excitement). No significant difference was observed regarding climate action intentions between two groups. Additionally, anxiety and anger mediated the effects of message framing on online climate action intentions. Habitual worry about climate change and attitude toward China-U.S. climate collaboration moderated the effects of strategy framing and issue framing on discrete emotions. The findings offer theoretical insights regarding emotional responses to strategy framing and practical implications on climate communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

News personalization in one-party dominant countries has been understudied or often analyzed through a Western lens. This study unpacked this phenomenon in one-party dominant country with the theory of leadership cult and soft power and compared news personalization of Xi Jinping in China with that of Donald Trump in the U.S. against the backdrop of the U.S.–China trade conflict. This study also investigated the influence of press ideology, political–geographical scope of news coverage and the trade conflict period on the presence and valence of personalization within each country. Results showed that leadership personalization was less prominent in China than in the U.S. The manifestation of news personalization in the U.S. was affected more by press ideology, while contextual factors, such as news political scope and the conflict period, played bigger roles in China. These findings provide insights into how news personalization is displayed in divergent political and media systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fabrication strategy involving the electrostatic self-assembly of positively charged molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets and negatively charged graphene oxide (GO) sheets and thermal reduction process is proposed to prepare MoS2/graphene hybrid films. The incorporation of MoS2 nanosheets embedded in graphene sheets serves as spacers, preventing the graphene sheets from restacking. The optimized free-standing MoS2/graphene hybrid film (MoS2/G-2) demonstrates a remarkable areal specific capacitance of 979 mF cm−2 at 1 mA cm−2, which is 2.85 times as much as pure reduced graphene oxide (rGO) (343 mF cm−2). Benefiting from the layer-layer self-assembly structure and good synergistic effect, MoS2/G-2 electrode exhibits enhanced capacitive performance with excellent cycling stability and no capacitance attenuation after 3000 cycles. Furthermore, by utilizing MoS2/G-2 as electrode material for the assembled symmetric supercapacitors (MoS2/G-2//MoS2/G-2), a superior areal energy density of 20 μWh cm−2 at the areal power density of 600 μW cm−2 is achieved. The prepared hybrid film materials hold immense potential in constructing high-performance film electrode for electrochemical energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants emphasizes the need for multivalent vaccines capable of simultaneously targeting multiple strains. SCTV01E is a tetravalent COVID-19 vaccine derived from the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 variants Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron BA.1. In this double-blinded placebo-controlled pivotal efficacy trial (NCT05308576), the primary endpoint was vaccine efficacy (VE) against COVID-19 seven days post-vaccination in individuals without recent infection. Other endpoints included evaluating safety, immunogenicity, and the VE against all SARS-CoV-2 infections in individuals meeting the study criteria. Between December 26, 2022, and January 15, 2023, 9,223 individuals were randomized at a 1:1 ratio to receive SCTV01E or a placebo. SCTV01E showed a VE of 69.4% (95% CI: 50.6, 81.0) 7 days post-vaccination, with 75 cases in the placebo group and 23 in the SCTV01E group for the primary endpoint. VEs were 79.7% (95% CI: 51.0, 91.6) and 82.4% (95% CI: 57.9, 92.6), respectively, for preventing symptomatic infection and all SARS-CoV-2 infections 14 days post-vaccination. SCTV01E elicited a 25.0-fold higher neutralizing antibody response against Omicron BA.5 28 days post-vaccination compared to placebo. Reactogenicity was generally mild and transient, with no reported vaccine-related SAE, adverse events of special interest (AESI), or deaths. The trial aligned with the shift from dominant variants BA.5 and BF.7 to XBB, suggesting SCTV01E as a potential vaccine alternative effective against present and future variants.Here, the authors report results from a randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial of the tetravalent SARS-CoV-2 protein vaccine SCTV01E, demonstrating a favorable efficacy profile during a time when predominant viral variants were changing from BA.5 and BF.7 to XBB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical signal processing has been playing a crucial part as powerful engine for various information systems in the practical applications. In particular, achieving large-scale programmable chips for signal processing are highly desirable for high flexibility, low cost and powerful processing. Silicon photonics, which has been developed successfully in the past decade, provides a promising option due to its unique advantages. Here, recent progress of large-scale programmable silicon photonic chip for signal processing in microwave photonics, optical communications, optical computing, quantum photonics as well as dispersion controlling are reviewed. Particularly, we give a discussion about the realization of high-performance building-blocks, including ultra-low-loss silicon photonic waveguides, 2 × 2 Mach–Zehnder switches and microring resonator switches. The methods for configuring large-scale programmable silicon photonic chips are also discussed. The representative examples are summarized for the applications of beam steering, optical switching, optical computing, quantum photonic processing as well as optical dispersion controlling. Finally, we give an outlook for the challenges of further developing large-scale programmable silicon photonic chips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a promising step toward cervical cancer elimination. This study was conducted to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and HPV vaccine uptake among female adults in mainland China based on a large e-commerce platform. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of female adults between March 4 to April 20, 2022. The survey consisted of sociodemographic information, related knowledge, vaccination uptake, and attitudes toward vaccination. We included women aged 18–45 years in the final analysis. Logistic regressions were conducted to explore influencing factors associated with related knowledge, HPV vaccination uptake, and willingness to be vaccinated. Results: In total, 3,572 female adults (34 years, IQR 30–39) were included in the analysis. The majority of the participants were highly educated (78.7%) with a high monthly family income (79.0%). The median HPV knowledge score was 8.25 out of 11. More than 75% of respondents were unvaccinated, while 95.8% of unvaccinated female adults are willing to be vaccinated. Variables such as age, insurance, vaccination history, and whether one had heard of the HPV vaccine influence HPV vaccination practice (all p-values < 0.05). The main barriers to vaccination were vaccine inaccessibility and the high cost of the vaccine. Conclusion: The findings of our study highlight a moderate knowledge level, poor vaccination rate, and strong willingness to be vaccinated among Chinese female adults who were better educated and wealthier. Targeted health education and practical support should be provided in the future, to reduce gaps between vaccine uptake and vaccine acceptance. Significance: What is already known on this subject?: Sustained high human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage is crucial for cervical cancer prevention. People's knowledge and acceptance of HPV vaccination largely influence vaccination uptake. Previous studies have indicated a lack of awareness, knowledge, and low vaccine uptake in mainland China. What this study adds?: The findings of our study highlight a moderate knowledge level, poor vaccination rate, and strong willingness to vaccination among Chinese female adults who were better educated and wealthier. This national-level survey may guide future health education and accelerate the HPV vaccination program's further roll-out targeting women at different social levels in mainland China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bladder cancer ranks as the 10th most common cancer worldwide, with deteriorating prognosis as the disease advances. While immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have shown promise in clinical therapy in both operable and advanced bladder cancer, identifying patients who will respond is challenging. Anoikis, a specialized form of cell death that occurs when cells detach from the extracellular matrix, is closely linked to tumor progression. Here, we aimed to explore the anoikis-based biomarkers for bladder cancer prognosis and immunotherapeutic decisions. Through consensus clustering, we categorized patients from the TCGA-BLCA cohort into two clusters based on anoikis-related genes (ARGs). Significant differences in survival outcome, clinical features, tumor immune environment (TIME), and potential ICIs response were observed between clusters. We then formulated a four-gene signature, termed "Ascore", to encapsulate this gene expression pattern. The Ascore was found to be closely associated with survival outcome and served as an independent prognosticator in both the TCGA-BLCA cohort and the IMvigor210 cohort. It also demonstrated superior predictive capacity (AUC = 0.717) for bladder cancer immunotherapy response compared to biomarkers like TMB and PD-L1. Finally, we evaluated Ascore's independent prognostic performance as a non-invasive biomarker in our clinical cohort (Gulou-Cohort1) using circulating tumor cells detection, achieving an AUC of 0.803. Another clinical cohort (Gulou-Cohort2) consisted of 40 patients undergoing neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 treatment was also examined. Immunohistochemistry of Ascore in these patients revealed its correlation with the pathological response to bladder cancer immunotherapy (P = 0.004). Impressively, Ascore (AUC = 0.913) surpassed PD-L1 (AUC = 0.662) in forecasting immunotherapy response and indicated better net benefit. In conclusion, our study introduces Ascore as a novel, robust prognostic biomarker for bladder cancer, offering a new tool for enhancing immunotherapy decisions and contributing to the tailored treatment approaches in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies mainly focused on individual-level factors that influence the adoption and usage of mobile technology and social networking sites, with little emphasis paid to the influences of household situations. Using multilevel modelling approach, this study merges household- (n1 = 1,455) and individual-level (n2 = 2,570) data in the U.K. context to investigate (a) whether a household economic capital (HEC) can affect its members' Twitter adoption, (b) whether the influences are mediated by the member's activity variety and self-reported efficacy with mobile technology, and (c) whether the members' traits, including educational level, gross income and residential area, moderate the relationship between HEC and Twitter adoption. Significant direct and indirect associations were discovered between HEC and its members' Twitter adoption. The educational level and gross income of household members moderated the influence of HEC on individuals' Twitter adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease. Currently there are no effective methods that simultaneously prevent joint degeneration and reduce pain1. Although limited evidence suggests the existence of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) in chondrocytes2, their expression and function in chondrocytes and in OA remain essentially unknown. Here we identify Nav1.7 as an OA-associated VGSC and demonstrate that human OA chondrocytes express functional Nav1.7 channels, with a density of 0.1 to 0.15 channels per µm2 and 350 to 525 channels per cell. Serial genetic ablation of Nav1.7 in multiple mouse models demonstrates that Nav1.7 expressed in dorsal root ganglia neurons is involved in pain, whereas Nav1.7 in chondrocytes regulates OA progression. Pharmacological blockade of Nav1.7 with selective or clinically used pan-Nav channel blockers significantly ameliorates the progression of structural joint damage, and reduces OA pain behaviour. Mechanistically, Nav1.7 blockers regulate intracellular Ca2+ signalling and the chondrocyte secretome, which in turn affects chondrocyte biology and OA progression. Identification of Nav1.7 as a novel chondrocyte-expressed, OA-associated channel uncovers a dual target for the development of disease-modifying and non-opioid pain relief treatment for OA.The voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7 has a dual role in osteoarthritis—in chondrocytes, it promotes joint damage, and in dorsal root ganglia neurons, it increases pain transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The assessment of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype distribution in terms of age and cervical lesions could contribute to the adoption of more targeted preventive approaches to specific populations against cervical cancer. The current study was conducted in Ordos City, China, with the aim of analyzing the HPV genotypes prevalence and infection patterns within a hospital-based population. Methods: The analysis included a total of 26,692 women aged 25–64 who underwent cervical cancer screening between January 1st, 2019, and June 30th, 2022, in Ordos City. These women had valid results for both the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-reverse dot blot (RDB) HPV test and the liquid-based cytology (thinprep cytologic test/TCT). Data were extracted from the database of KingMed Diagnostics laboratories. The prevalence of HPV genotypes within different age groups and cytology diagnoses were calculated. Results: Among 26,692 women, 7136 (26.73%) women were HPV positive, 5696 (21.34%) women were high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) positive, and 2102 (7.88%) women had multiple HPV infections. The most frequently detected HPV genotypes were HPV16 (4.72%) and HPV52 (4.15%), ranking as the first and second most prevalent genotypes, respectively. The prevalence of HR-HPV increased with age groups and severity of cervical lesions. Notably, the positive rate of HR-HPV among women aged 35–64 years showed a decreasing trend over the respective years, ranging from 26.00 to 19.70% (Ptrend < 0.001). Conclusion: In conclusion, the epidemiology of HPV genotypes partly reflects the effectiveness of regional cervical cancer prevention and control efforts in the past. These findings can inform future initiatives concerning HPV vaccination and screening in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show here that hyperpolarization‐activated current (Ih) unexpectedly acts to inhibit the activity of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons expressing WT Nav1.7, the largest inward current and primary driver of DRG neuronal firing, and hyperexcitable DRG neurons expressing a gain‐of‐function Nav1.7 mutation that causes inherited erythromelalgia (IEM), a human genetic model of neuropathic pain. In this study we created a kinetic model of Ih and used it, in combination with dynamic‐clamp, to study Ih function in DRG neurons. We show, for the first time, that Ih increases rheobase and reduces the firing probability in small DRG neurons, and demonstrate that the amplitude of subthreshold oscillations is reduced by Ih. Our results show that Ih, due to slow gating, is not deactivated during action potentials (APs) and has a striking damping action, which reverses from depolarizing to hyperpolarizing, close to the threshold for AP generation. Moreover, we show that Ih reverses the hyperexcitability of DRG neurons expressing a gain‐of‐function Nav1.7 mutation that causes IEM. In the aggregate, our results show that Ih unexpectedly has strikingly different effects in DRG neurons as compared to previously‐ and well‐studied cardiac cells. Within DRG neurons where Nav1.7 is present, Ih reduces depolarizing sodium current inflow due to enhancement of Nav1.7 channel fast inactivation and creates additional damping action by reversal of Ih direction from depolarizing to hyperpolarizing close to the threshold for AP generation. These actions of Ih limit the firing of DRG neurons expressing WT Nav1.7 and reverse the hyperexcitability of DRG neurons expressing a gain‐of‐function Nav1.7 mutation that causes IEM. Key points: Hyperpolarization‐activated cyclic nucleotide‐gated (HCN) channels, the molecular determinants of hyperpolarization‐activated current (Ih) have been characterized as a 'pain pacemaker', and thus considered to be a potential molecular target for pain therapeutics.Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons express Nav1.7, a channel that is not present in central neurons or cardiac tissue. Gain‐of‐function mutations (GOF) of Nav1.7 identified in inherited erythromelalgia (IEM), a human genetic model of neuropathic pain, produce DRG neuron hyperexcitability, which in turn produces severe pain.We found that Ih increases rheobase and reduces firing probability in small DRG neurons expressing WT Nav1.7, and demonstrate that the amplitude of subthreshold oscillations is reduced by Ih.We also demonstrate that Ih reverses the hyperexcitability of DRG neurons expressing a GOF Nav1.7 mutation (L858H) that causes IEM.Our results show that, in contrast to cardiac cells and CNS neurons, Ih acts to stabilize DRG neuron excitability and prevents excessive firing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat quality heterogeneity is one of the concrete manifestations of landscape pattern changes caused by human activities, which is of great significance to improve habitat quality by optimizing landscape pattern, thus scientifically protecting biodiversity and promoting ecological civilization construction. The coupling of rapid urbanization and ecological restoration measures has had a significant influence on the habitat quality of fragile and fragmented karst mountainous cities in recent years. In this study, spatiotemporal dynamics and heterogeneity of habitat quality and the impact of landscape patterns on habitat quality are analyzed in Guiyang, a typical karst mountain city in southwest China, mainly using the key methodologies such as the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model, Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA), and hierarchical partitioning (HP). We found that the habitat quality index of Guiyang City improved from 0.6643 to 0.6988 during 2000–2019; the distribution of habitat quality has significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity and spatial aggregation effect with the low values or the decreased areas concentrated in and around the built-up areas or urbanization expansion areas. Landscape composition had greater contribution than landscape configuration to habitat quality. The increased areas of natural habitat have had a positive effect on habitat quality. Moreover, each landscape configuration had a significant positive or negative correlation with the habitat quality. Therefore, implementing ecological protection and restoration measures in karst mountainous cities might be an effective strategy to improve habitat quality during rapid urbanization. Furthermore, optimizing habitat patterns, reducing the habitats loss, and protecting the natural habitat integrity are crucial to improving and maintaining biodiversity in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To prepare high-performance asphalt cold replacement liquids, a composite modification preparation process was used to synthesize a styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) block copolymer, styrene–butadiene–rubber (SBR) copolymer, and polyphosphate acid (PPA), erucamide/diesel/acrylic ester as surfactants/diluents/reinforcing agent respectively. These six were blended to prepare an asphalt cold replenishment liquid (ACRL), and its modification effect on base asphalt was studied using base asphalt as the control group. A comparative study was conducted on the high- and low-temperature rheological properties and microstructure. The modification mechanisms of high-temperature asphalt cold replenishment liquid (H-ACRL) and low-temperature asphalt cold replenishment liquid (L-ACRL) were studied through dynamic shear rheometry, bending beam rheometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The results showed that the optimal dosages of PPA/SBS/SBR in H-ACRL and L-ACRL were (1.2%/5%/3%) and (0.9%/4%/4%), respectively. Within the optimal dosage range, the particles in the cold replenishment fluid were uniformly dispersed in the asphalt to form a dense and continuous network. No new functional groups were generated during the preparation of H-ACRL and L-ACRL, showing that the modifiers (surfactants/diluents/reinforcing agent) were only physically blended with the asphalt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the widespread and successful application of hyperspectral imaging, the task of classifying hyperspectral images has become a meaningful endeavor. This paper introduces a new approach to clustering hyperspectral images called CTNSC, which incorporates an attention mechanism to improve performance. In comparison to many current convolution-based methods for deep subspace clustering, our approach incorporates an attention mechanism to effectively capture the extensive spatial relationships that exist between objects in hyperspectral images. We combine convolution and attention through the use of Conformer blocks, enabling the network to simultaneously capture both local and global features of objects. As a result, our network can identify a more optimal deep affinity matrix, which can be utilized for spectral clustering to achieve better clustering results. We conducted experiments on three real-world datasets, and the results showed that CTNSC achieved excellent clustering performance compared to many commonly used clustering methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This report describes a rare case of acute uveitis with severe anterior chamber inflammation due to abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism. Case presentation: A 31-year-old male patient complained of redness in the right eye with decreased visual acuity for 3 days. Ocular examination revealed a milky white clouding of the right anterior chamber of the eye. Two clusters of yellowish-white exudates were visible on the surface of the iris in the upper nasal and temporal areas in addition to elevated intraocular pressure. He had a previous diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Laboratory tests suggested hyperlipidemia and ketoacidosis. After admission, topical glucocorticoids, mydriasis, and intraocular pressure-lowering drugs combined with hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering therapy and fluid replacement therapy were given immediately. After 10 days of treatment, the uveitis and systemic condition of the right eye were effectively controlled and improved. Conclusion: Abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism leads to impairment of the blood-aqueous barrier, which causes a severe uveitis response in the anterior chamber. After the use of topical steroids and mydriatic eye drops combined with systemic hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering interventions, the condition was significantly relieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To realize the classification of lubricating oil types using mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was used for the dimensionality reduction of spectrum data, and the classification model was established based on the support vector machine (SVM). The spectra of the samples were pre-processed by interval selection, Savitzky–Golay smoothing, multiple scattering correction, and normalization. The Kennard–Stone algorithm (K/S) was used to construct the calibration and validation sets. The percentage of correct classification (%CC) was used to evaluate the model. This study compared the results obtained with several chemometric methods: PLS-DA, LDA, principal component analysis (PCA)-SVM, and LDA-SVM in MIR spectroscopy applications. In both calibration and verification sets, the LDA-SVM model achieved 100% favorable results. The PLS-DA analysis performed poorly. The cyclic resistance ratio (CRR) of the calibration set was classified via the LDA and PCA-SVM analysis as 100%, but the CRR of the verification set was not as good. The LDA-SVM model was superior to the other three models; it exhibited good robustness and strong generalization ability, providing a new method for the classification of lubricating oil types by MIR spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MnO2 nanowires/polyaniline composite (MnO2NW/PANI) was prepared by combining one-dimensional MnO2 nanowires (MnO2NW) with conductive polymer PANI surface coating. The MnO2NW were synthesized via a one-pot facile hydrothermal method. The composite MnO2NW/PANI was then prepared by in situ polymerization of aniline monomer on the surface of MnO2NW. The MnO2NW/PANI was able to serve as electroactive material and demonstrated a specific capacitance of 306.7 F/g recorded at a current density is 0.5 A/g, which is 28.4% higher than that of pristine MnO2 (only 238.9 F/g). The reduced electric resistance within MnO2NW/PANI interconnection networks and the good synergistic effect between MnO2NW and PANI for fast ion/charge transfer supports the enhanced capacitance of the composite. In addition, the MnO2NW/PANI composite electrode shows stable cycle performance, with capacity retention of 88.7% after 5000 repeated cycles test at a high current density of 5 A/g. The constructed nanocomposites have great potential in the further development of high-performance electrochemical electrode materials for energy storage application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategy framing is usually studied in the context of news coverage about domestic Western politics. This study expands its application to news reports on the China-US trade war—an inter-state conflict including a democratic and one-party dominant system—thereby adding an international dimension to the study of strategy framing. Through a manual content analysis of news coverage from China, the US, Singapore, and Ireland (from January 2013 to January 2020; n = 1872), we investigate whether media independence, conflict involvement, and crisis phases influence the employment of the issue framing and strategy framing. For democratic countries, the more involved they are in the conflict, the more prominent strategy framing was in their coverage of the trade conflict; the inverse was observed for one-party dominant systems. Strategy framing that considers countries as contenders is more prevalent than the sub-frame that focuses on individual politicians. The presence of national-versus-personal level strategy framing was more balanced for directly involved countries than indirectly involved countries since news from directly involved countries accords relatively more space to politicians' personal strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeting tumour immunosuppressive microenvironment is a crucial strategy in immunotherapy. However, the critical role of the tumour lymph node (LN) immune microenvironment (TLIME) in the tumour immune homoeostasis is often ignored. Here, we present a nanoinducer, NIL-IM-Lip, that remodels the suppressed TLIME via simultaneously mobilizing T and NK cells. The temperature-sensitive NIL-IM-Lip is firstly delivered to tumours, then directed to the LNs following pH-sensitive shedding of NGR motif and MMP2-responsive release of IL-15. IR780 and 1-MT induces immunogenic cell death and suppress regulatory T cells simultaneously during photo-thermal stimulation. We demonstrate that combining NIL-IM-Lip with anti-PD-1 significantly enhances the effectiveness of T and NK cells, leading to greatly suppressed tumour growth in both hot and cold tumour models, with complete response in some instances. Our work thus highlights the critical role of TLIME in immunotherapy and provides proof of principle to combine LN targeting with immune checkpoint blockade in cancer immunotherapy. The tumour lymph node microenvironment is an important contributor to the immune suppressiveness of tumours. Here authors target the tumours and the lymph node simultaneously via a pH and photothermal therapy targeted nanoparticle, and show mobilisation of anti-tumour cytotoxic T cells and NK cells and synergistic therapeutic effect with immune checkpoint blockade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconfigurable silicon photonic devices are widely used in numerous emerging fields such as optical interconnects, photonic neural networks, quantum computing, and microwave photonics. Currently, phase change materials (PCMs) have been extensively investigated as promising candidates for building switching units due to their strong refractive index modulation. Here, nonvolatile multilevel switching of silicon photonic devices with Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) is demonstrated with In2O3 transparent microheaters that are compatible with diverse material platforms. With GST integrated on the silicon photonic waveguides and Mach‐Zehnder interferometers (MZIs), repeatable and reversible multilevel modulation of GST is achieved by electro‐thermally induced phase transitions. Particularly, the segmented switching unit of In2O3 and GST is proposed and demonstrated to be capable of producing about one order of magnitude larger temperature gradient than that of the nonsegmented unit, resulting in up to 64 distinguishable switching levels of 6‐bit precision, and fine‐tuning of the switching voltage pulses is promising to push the precision even further, to 7‐bit, or 128 distinguishable switching levels. The capability of precise multilevel phase‐change modulation is crucial to further facilitate the development of nonvolatile reconfigurable switches and variable attenuation devices as building blocks in large‐scale programmable optoelectronic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimal control problem with a long run average cost is investigated for unknown linear discrete-time systems with additive noise. The authors propose a value iteration-based stochastic adaptive dynamic programming (VI-based SADP) algorithm, based on which the optimal controller is obtained. Different from the existing relevant work, the algorithm does not need to estimate the expectation (conditional expectation) and variance (conditional variance) of states or other relevant variables, and the convergence of the algorithm can be proved rigorously. A simulation example is given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cooling with the traditional condensation method leads to huge energy consumption, while increasing attention has been paid to radiant cooling because of its characteristics of no additional energy consumption and no pollution. In order to obtain materials with higher infrared emissivity and better performance for daytime passive radiation cooling materials, the infrared emissivity of different materials was studied based on the finite-difference time-domain method. A new composite material with high emissivity has been found. The results show that the highest emissivity can reach 99.1% by adding Si3N4, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 particles with volume fractions of 6% and diameters of 50 nm into polydimethylsiloxane. This is the most excellent emissivity ever found. By combining the emitting layer made of polydimethylsiloxane mixed with nanoparticles with the reflecting layer made of Ag foil, the new film material can reach a solar transmissivity of 96.4% and a "sky window" mean emissivity of 94.2%. A new composite material with high emissivity and high reflectivity has been realized. The new composite material can be used as a radiation cooling material with good performance and help to solve the cooling problem caused by energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As wind energy development increases, accurate wind energy forecasting helps to develop sensible power generation plans and ensure a balance between supply and demand. Machine-learning-based forecasting models possess exceptional predictive capabilities, and data manipulation prior to model training is also a key focus of this research. This study trained a deep Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural network to learn the processing results of the Savitzky-Golay filter, which can avoid overfitting due to fluctuations and noise in measurements, improving the generalization performance. The optimum data frame length to match the second-order filter was determined by comparison. In a single-step prediction, the method reduced the root-mean-square error by 3.8% compared to the model trained directly with the measurements. The method also produced the smallest errors in all steps of the multi-step advance prediction. The proposed method ensures the accuracy of the forecasting and, on that basis, also improves the timeliness of the effective forecasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignin–carbohydrate complexes (LCCs) are emerging as a new and natural product with pharmacological and nutraceutical potential. It is uncertain, however, whether LCCs have a positive effect on the microbiota of the gut based on the current evidence. Here, the LCC extracted from beechwood (BW-LCC) was used as a substrate for in vitro fermentation. The lignin in BW-LCC consisted of guaiacyl (G) and syringyl (S) units, which are mainly linked by β-O-4 bonds. After 24 h of in vitro fermentation, the pH had evidently declined. The concentrations of acetic acid and propionic acid, the two main short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), were significantly higher than in the control group (CK). In addition, BW-LCC altered the microbial diversity and composition of gut microbes, including a reduction in the relative abundance of Firmicutes and an increase in the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. The relative abundance of Escherichia coli-Shigella and Bacteroides were the most variable at the genus level. The genes of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) also changed significantly with the fermentation and were related to the changes in microbes. Notably, the auxiliary actives (AAs), especially AA1, AA2, and AA3_2, play important roles in lignin degradation and were significantly enriched and concentrated in Proteobacteria. From this study, we are able to provide new perspectives on how gut microbes utilize LCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective treatment of pain remains an unmet healthcare need that requires new and effective therapeutic approaches. NaV1.7 has been genetically and functionally validated as a mediator of pain. Preclinical studies of NaV1.7-selective blockers have shown limited success and translation to clinical studies has been limited. The degree of NaV1.7 channel blockade necessary to attenuate neuronal excitability and ameliorate pain is an unanswered question important for drug discovery. Here, we utilize dynamic clamp electrophysiology and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived sensory neurons (iPSC-SNs) to answer this question for inherited erythromelalgia, a pain disorder caused by gain-of-function mutations in Nav1.7. We show that dynamic clamp can produce hyperexcitability in iPSC-SNs associated with two different inherited erythromelalgia mutations, NaV1.7-S241T and NaV1.7-I848T. We further show that blockade of approximately 50% of NaV1.7 currents can reverse neuronal hyperexcitability to baseline levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploiting an adsorbent with superb selectivity is of utmost importance for the remediation of Cr (VI)-laden wastewater. In this work, a novel nitrogen and sulfur functionalized 3D macroporous cellulose material (MPS) was prepared by homogeneous cross-link cellulose and polyvinylimidazole, followed by ion exchange with MoS42−. MPS exhibited high removal efficiency at a broad pH range (1.0–8.0) and large adsorption capacity (379.78 mg/g) toward Cr (VI). Particularly, outstanding selectivity with an enormous partition coefficient (1.01 × 107 mL/g) was achieved on MPS. Replacing MoS42− with Cl− and MoO42− led to a sharp decline in adsorption selectivity, demonstrating that MoS42− contributed substantially to the selectivity. Results of FTIR, XPS, and apparent kinetic analysis revealed that Cr (VI) was first pre-enriched on the MPS surface via electrostatic and dispersion forces, and then reacted with MoS42− to generate Cr (III), which deposited on MPS by forming Cr(OH)3 and chromium(III) sulfide. This study provides a new idea for designing adsorbents with a superior selectivity for removing Cr (VI) from sewage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors of the digestive system worldwide, and there is a lack of effective treatment for late-stage HCC. Recent experimental studies have demonstrated that dysfunction of the intestinal flora has a significant impact on hepatocarcinogenesis. The pathophysiological link between the intestine, its microbiota, and the liver has been described as the "gut-liver axis". Dysbiosis of the intestinal flora and increased permeability of the intestinal wall are closely associated with liver pathology through the immune response. The "gut-liver axis" theory has been applied to the clinical study of the pathogenesis and treatment of HCC. The intestinal fungal community, as part of the gut microbiome, has a significant impact on human health and disease, while relatively little research has been done in HCC. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the expression and potential biological functions of the fungal recognition receptors C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) (Dectin-1, Dectin-2, Dectin-3, and Mincle) in HCC. We found that CLRs were downregulated in HCC, and their expressions were correlated with the clinical prognosis of HCC patients. Further studies suggested that the expression of CLRs were significantly correlated with immune infiltration and immunotherapy efficacy in HCC. Based on previous studies and our findings, we hypothesize that intestinal fungal communities and CLRs-triggered antifungal immunity have a key role in the pathogenesis of HCC, and these findings may provide new perspectives and targets for HCC immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately locating and studying grounding lines is essential for predicting the response of glaciers to climate change. However, it is challenging to find grounding lines since they are subglacial features. In this study, Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data were utilized to derive the grounding lines of the Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf. A new method with inspiration drawn from multi-temporal baseline InSAR techniques is proposed. It takes advantage of the temporal consistency of the vertical displacement gradients and identifies grounding zones pixel-by-pixel on a stack of double differential interferograms, thereby providing grounding line proxies. As it fully exploits coherent signals in both spatial and temporal domains, the maximum possible number of grounding zone pixels can be obtained. Moreover, due to the introduction of the concept of the temporal consistency, the method can cope with short term grounding line fluctuations to some extent and may mitigate the influences of atmospheric disturbances and residual ice displacements. The resulting grounding lines are compared with the MEaSUREs Antarctic grounding line product. The comparison confirms the effectiveness of the proposed method and corroborates that the Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf should have not undergone significant changes over the past few decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High concentrations of antioxidants can exert pro-oxidative effects, elevate the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and cause oxidative stress in cells. We previously found that high concentrations of curcumin, a natural polyphenol antioxidant, elevated ROS levels and upregulated the expression of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) in human gastric cancer cells (hGCCs); however, its potential mechanisms and subsequent functions have not been elucidated. In the present study, we treated hGCCs with high concentrations of curcumin, detected several indicators of oxidative stress, and investigated the mechanism of curcumin-treatment-mediated HDAC1 upregulation and its effect on histone acetylation. The results showed that curcumin treatment caused oxidative stress in hGCCs and upregulated HDAC1/2 expression via the forkhead box O (FOXO) signaling pathway, ultimately leading to the deacetylation of histones in hGCCs. Moreover, HDAC1/2 mediates the deacetylation of FOXOs and promotes their transcription activities, implying a positive feedback loop between FOXOs and HDAC1/2. These findings present a mechanism by which oxidative stress induces histone deacetylation in hGCCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that the conventional subspace clustering methods of sparse subspace clustering (SSC) and low-rank representation (LRR) are only applicable to linear manifolds, we propose a novel subspace clustering framework that generalizes them for nonlinear manifolds. To do this, we integrate a weighting matrix and kernel matrix into the regularization of this framework. The weighting matrix is calculated using the similarities between tangent spaces on data manifolds and the Euclidean distances between data points, so that it can explicitly characterize the intrinsic geometry of data manifolds. Besides, we provide a geometrical interpretation for the effects of weighted ℓ∗-norm involved in the proposed framework, exploiting symmetric gauge function (SGF) of von Neumann theory that establishes a relationship exactly between singular and matrix norm. To solve the regularization with respect to the weighted norm, we design a fixed-point continuation algorithm to obtain an approximate closed solution. Experimental results on three computer vision tasks show the superiority of clustering accuracy over other similar approaches and demonstrate the effectiveness of the weighting matrix. That also proves the proposed method has better interpretability than other state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil microbial activities are consistently restricted not only by phosphorus availability but also by microbial carbon requirements. Therefore, an incubation experiment was conducted with three soils (QY1, QY2 and QY3) selected on the basis of phosphorus limitation. Results revealed that high N2O emissions, 17.44 µg kg−1, were measured in phosphorus-deficient soil with addition of glucose. In phosphorus-adequate soils, the peaks of N2O emission values in the glucose addition treatment were 20.8 µg kg−1 and 24.7 µg kg−1, which were higher than without glucose-added treatments. CH4 emissions were higher with glucose addition, at 1.9 µg kg−1 in phosphorus-deficient soil and 1.52 µg kg−1 and 2.6 µg kg−1 in two phosphorus-adequate soils. Phosphorus added to deficient and adequate soil significantly increased the cumulative CH4 and N2O emissions compared to the solely glucose added soil and the combination of glucose with phosphorus. Glucose addition significantly increased microbial biomass carbon (MBC) but decreased microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP), especially in the phosphorus-adequate soil. For MBC, the highest value obtained was 175.8 mg kg−1, which was determined under glucose addition in phosphorus-adequate soil. The soil pH increased with glucose addition but decreased with phosphorus addition in phosphorus-deficient soil. The soil organic carbon (SOC) content was significantly affected by glucose addition in the phosphorus-deficient soil. Available phosphorus (AP) was highly influenced by phosphorus addition but did not appear to be affected by glucose addition. From the current study, we concluded that sole phosphorus and glucose addition increase CH4 andN2O emissions in phosphorus-deficient and also in phosphorus-adequate paddy soils. Further study will be conducted on sole and interactive effects of glucose and phosphorous on soil with plants and without plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With large, representative, and comparable data scraped from Twitter, this study tries to provide comprehensive understanding of the salient topics under #BlackLivesMatter and #StopAsianHate online movements. Employing semi-supervised Latent Dirichlet allocation topic modeling, five topics have been extracted from 3-month tweets data after George Floyd's death in 2020. Six topics have been extracted from 3-month tweets data after the Atlantic spa shooting tragedy in 2021. Both movements reflected salient topics on the tragedy that just took place during the data collection period. In addition, general violence, collective actions, community support, and criticism on White racism are all identified as important issues of the counter-racism discourse flooded on social media. In addition, our study explores the network agenda-setting effects of hashtag activisms. The results show that issue networks of the first 2 weeks' counter-racism discourses after the crime could not set network agenda for the next 2 weeks' discourses. However, the network agenda-setting effects became significant after the first 2 weeks and stayed stable as time went on. In addition, we do not find a significant relationship between issue networks of the two movements under study. It counter-argues any assumption that one counter-racism movement online could trigger similar movements among different groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proton-boron (p 11 B) reaction is regarded as the holy grail of advanced fusion fuels, where the primary reaction produces 3 energetic α particles. However, due to the high nuclear bounding energy and bremsstrahlung energy losses, energy gain from the p 11 B fusion is hard to achieve in thermal fusion conditions. Owing to advances in intense laser technology, the p 11 B fusion has drawn renewed attention by using an intense laser-accelerated proton beam to impact a boron-11 target. As one of the most influential works in this field, Labaune et al. first experimentally found that states of boron (solid or plasma) play an important role in the yield of α particles. This exciting experimental finding rouses an attempt to measure the nuclear fusion cross section in a plasma environment. However, up to now, there is still no quantitative explanation. Based on large-scale, fully kinetic computer simulations, the inner physical mechanism of yield increment is uncovered, and a quantitative explanation is given. Our results indicate the yield increment is attributed to the reduced energy loss of the protons under the synergetic influences of degeneracy effects and collective electromagnetic effects. Our work may serve as a reference for not only analyzing or improving further experiments of the p 11 B fusion but also investigating other beam-plasma systems, such as ion-driven inertial confinement fusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spraying flue gas desulfurization wastewater into flue ducts is an emerging technology that is receiving extensive attention in thermal power plants. In order to study the evaporative performance of wastewater-atomizing droplets under variable working conditions, a combined Euler–Lagrange model was developed to demonstrate the thermal behavior of FGD wastewater spray evaporation in flue gas. The effects of several control factors under various operating conditions were numerically determined and validated against experimental data. Due to the complicated parameters and various other conditions, a least-square support vector machine (LSSVM) model relying on numerical results was used to anticipate the evaporation rate of the droplets. We prove that the LSSVM model has high prediction accuracy for the evaporation rate at different cross-sections of flue under a different operating situation. The conclusion is that for the sake of improving the quality of evaporation, the spacing between two adjacent nozzles should be increased while increasing the flow rate. However, using a higher flue gas temperature, higher initial temperature and smaller diameter of droplets can shorten the time and distance of complete evaporation. In summary, this research analysis can be used effectively to determine the design of the FGD wastewater flue gas evaporative process in thermal power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acid tolerance of Streptococcus mutans plays an important role in its cariogenic process. Streptococcus mutans initiates a powerful transcriptional and physiological adaptation mechanism, eventually shielding the cellular machinery from acid damage and contributing to bacterial survival under acidic stress conditions. Although S. mutans contains complex regulatory systems, existing studies have shown that S. mutans, unlike Escherichia coli, cannot maintain a neutral intracellular environment. As the pH of the extracellular environment decreases, the intracellular pH decreases in parallel. There is insufficient knowledge regarding the acid resistance of the intracellular proteins of S. mutans, particularly when it comes to the key cytoskeletal division protein FtsZ. In this study, the data showed that S. mutans had similar cell division progress in acidic and neutral environments. The splitting position was in the middle of cells, and the cytoplasm was divided evenly in the acidic environment. Additionally, the tread milling velocity of S. mutans FtsZ in the middle of cells was not affected by the acidic environment. Streptococcus mutans FtsZ had higher GTPase activity in pH 6.0 buffer than in the neutral environment. Furthermore, the polymerization of S. mutans FtsZ in the acidic environment was more robust than that in the neutral environment. After two particular amino acids of S. mutans, FtsZ amino acids were mutated (E88K, L269K), the polymerization of S. mutans FtsZ in the acidic environment was significantly reduced. Overall, S. mutans FtsZ exhibited higher functional activity in pH 6.0 buffer in vitro. The acid resistance of S. mutans FtsZ is affected by its particular amino acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One main anthropogenic activity through which aggregate stability and elements are impacted in soils is through fertilization. Inputs of phosphate fertilizers to soils, for instance, have direct impacts on other elements in soils. Organic fertilizer sources are also known to markedly influence the availability of microelements. However, the extent to which different combination ratios of organic and chemical fertilizers affect the availability of these microelements in paddy soil aggregates is not clear. Aim: Therefore, this study examined aggregate stability and the distribution pattern of various extractable aluminum, and iron oxides as influenced by a long‐term varied combinations of pig manure with chemical nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) fertilizer in a rice‐managed paddy. Method: Mehlich 3, dithionite, oxalate, and pyrophosphate solutions were used to extract oxides of Al and Fe in bulk soil, and aggregates under long‐term fertilizer combinations, which included unfertilized CK (control), chemical NPK, 30% chemical NPK + 70% pig manure, 50% chemical NPK + 50% pig manure, and 70% chemical NPK + 30% pig manure in a randomly complete block design. Results: The highest manure treatment (70% manure) markedly increased total organic carbon (TOC), and total nitrogen (TN) in contrast to other treatments. Soil pH was higher in all manure‐treated fertilizers than in chemical NPK fertilizer likely because organic matter (OM) neutralized the protons. Additionally, the highest manure treatment led to the creation of more macroaggregates (2–0.25 mm), which translated into higher aggregate stability indices such as mean weight diameter (MWD), and geometric mean diameter (GMD) compared to other treatments. It was also noted that the 70% manure treatment in comparison with other treatments, was associated with higher concentrations of extractable Al and Fe oxides. It was, however, not clear if the changes in extractable metals detected in this treatment resulted from OM‐driven redistribution of metals or if the manure contained some Al and Fe itself. Conclusion: The 70% manure treatment increased TOC, TN, pH, and aggregate stability indices (higher MWD and GMD). This fertilizer treatment was also associated with more extractable Al and Fe oxides. For more sustainable rice‐managed paddies, the 70% manure treatment should be considered over the other fertilizer combinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective*To establish an efficient method to obtain a high throughput mammalian cell surface display library of IgG antibody Fc combined mutations based on the screening results of the single point mutation library and the introduction of combined mutations by multiple degenerate primers. Methods*Multiple degenerate primers were designed according to the mutated amino acids at 233-240 of EU numbering with high affinity to Fcγ receptor IIB screened by fluorescence-activated cell sorting from the single point mutation library; the DNA fragments containing combined mutations were obtained through PCR by using the degenerate primers mixed with equal proportion, or according to the proportion of mutation diversity; the recombinant enzyme was used to ligate the fragment to the vector in one step and then transformed into E. coli DH5α, and the plasmid library was obtained. The plasmid library was used to transfect Pheonix cells to prepare retroviruses, and then 3T3 cells were infected with the retroviruses to obtain mammalian cell library that expressed Fc mutations on the surface. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the transfection efficiency of Pheonix cells to package retroviruses and the infection efficiency of 3T3 cells by the retroviruses. The quality of the plasmid library and the cell library was evaluated by next generation sequencing (NGS). Results*According to the point mutation library screening results, 32 degenerate primers were designed, which could cover all desired combined mutations, and the actual library diversity was 3.6 times that of the expected library (41 600/11 520). The results of NGS showed that the plasmid library obtained by using proportionally mixed primers according to the primer diversity had better homogeneity and integrity, and could cover 99.58% of the expected combinational mutations (11 472/11 520). Sanger sequencing results showed that 3 sequences among 10 sequences were the expected mutations, which were consistent with the diversity calculated during degenerate primers design. Flow cytometry showed that the transfection efficiency of Pheonix cells was 51.6%, and the infection efficiency of 3T3 cells was 47.4%. NGS results showed that the cell library could cover 85.92% of the expected combinational mutations (9 898/11 520). Conclusion*Based on the amino acid mutations screened from the single point mutation library, multiple degenerate primers were designed, and then through PCR, plasmid transfection and retrovirus infection, an IgG Fc combined mutation plasmid library and mammalian cell surface display library with more than 85% coverage of the expected combined mutations can be obtained efficiently at low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students' attitudes and satisfaction are important predictors of educational quality, especially under such special situation as large scale home-based online education during the COVID-19 epidemic. This study investigated middle school students' attitudes and satisfaction about home-based online education during COVID-19 epidemic and potential influential variables. Survey data were collected from 788 middle school students in two typical Chinese public schools. Multinomial logistic regression analysis and ordinal logistic regression analysis were used to identify influential variables. We found that more than half of surveyed students felt that home-based online learning was either the same as (35.9%) or better than (18%) traditional face-to-face learning, while 46.1% felt that it was worse than traditional face-to-face learning. More than six tenth of surveyed students felt satisfied or very satisfied with their home-based online education, while less than one third kept neutral attitudes and very few felt unsatisfied or very unsatisfied. Importantly, the study found some influential variables impacting students' attitudes and satisfaction about home-based online education and they included individual variables (gender, time spent in doing homework, level of learning engagement), organizational variables (school type), and relational variables (time spent on communication and relationship with family members). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary In order to improve the flame retardancy of polyurethane waterborne coatings, a reactive phosphorus and nitrogen containing monomer, designated as HO2‐N2P4, was synthesized and characterized, and then incorporated at various levels into polyurethane via copolymerization. The monomers and poly(urethane) copolymers were characterized and analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and cone calorimetry. Even at low levels of HO2‐N2P4 incorporation, all the copolymers exhibit reduced thermal degradation rate and reduced flammability compared to the same properties for polyurethane containing no comonomer. Furthermore, it was observed that the flame retardant effect for the copolymers was positively correlated with the HO2‐N2P4 content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Southeast Pacific (SEP) has distinct climate features that are governed by interactions among processes at multiple spatial scales and thus are hard to represent in climate models. This study investigates the local and remote impacts of various physical processes on surface fluxes over SEP in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 by using a limited‐area parameter perturbation approach. In this approach, physical parameters from the Zhang‐McFarlane (ZM) convection scheme and the turbulence parameterization scheme of Cloud Layers Unified by Binormals (CLUBB) are perturbed in specific regions, but fixed outside. Three limited‐area perturbed parameter ensembles are performed over SEP, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the South Pacific convergence zone (SPCZ), respectively, with the simulations over SEP the primary focus that can respond to both local impacts and remote impacts from ITCZ and SPCZ. Results show that most of the variability of surface radiative fluxes is explained by the local impacts of sub‐grid physical processes and those related to shallow convection are most important. By contrast, a considerable portion of the variability of the surface latent heat flux is attributed to the remote effects from ITCZ and SPCZ, which are mainly contributed by the ZM parameters that can affect the large‐scale circulation by modulating the diabatic heating related to precipitation. Both the latent heat flux and shortwave radiative flux over SEP increase with the eastern‐ITCZ precipitation due to the stronger surface wind and less clouds, respectively. Overall, our results help better understand the sources of uncertainties in the simulated SEP climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Clinical research found that TCM is therapeutic in treating gastric cancer. Clearing heat is the most common method, while some antirheumatic medicines are widely used in treatment as well. To explore the pharmacological mechanism, we researched the comparison between heat-clearing medicine and antirheumatic medicine in treating gastric cancer. Methods. First, related ingredients and targets were searched, respectively, and are shown in an active ingredient-target network. Combining the relevant targets of gastric cancer, we constructed a PPI network and MCODE network. Then, GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were conducted. Molecular docking experiments were performed to verify the affinity of targets and ligands. Finally, we analyzed the tumor immune infiltration on gene expression, somatic CNA, and clinical outcome. Results. A total of 31 ingredients and 90 targets of heat-clearing medicine, 31 ingredients and 186 targets of antirheumatic medicine, and 12,155 targets of gastric cancer were collected. Antirheumatic medicine ranked the top in all the enrichment analyses. In the KEGG pathway, both types of medicines were related to pathways in cancer. In the KEGG map, AR, MMP2, ERBB2, and TP53 were the most crucial targets. Key targets and ligands were docked with low binding energy. Analysis of tumor immune infiltration showed that the expressions of AR and ERBB2 were correlated with the abundance of immune infiltration and made a difference in clinical outcomes. Conclusions. Quercetin is an important ingredient in both heat-clearing medicine and antirheumatic medicine. AR signaling pathway exists in both types of medicines. The mechanism of the antitumor effect in antirheumatic medicine was similar to trastuzumab, a targeted drug aimed at ERBB2. Both types of medicines were significant in tumor immune infiltration. The immunology of gastric tumor deserves further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]