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Wind power gears will be excessively worn due to lubrication failure during operation. Herein, the tribological properties of rubbing pairs are improved by filling solid lubricants into surface texture. In texture design, three types of topological textures (Circle (C), Hexagon (H) and Circle/Hexagon (CH)) were obtained by cell topology optimization, and then three cases with 20%, 30%, and 40% density were designed for each texture. Next, SnAgCu and TiC were deposited in texture of AISI 4140 steel (AS) to obtain 9 kinds of self-lubricating surfaces. Among them, AS with 30% CH density (AS-CH30) exhibits excellent mechanical and tribological properties. Compared with AS-C and AS-H, the maximum equivalent stress of AS-CH was decreased by 10.86% and 5.37%, respectively. Friction coefficient and wear rate of AS-CH30 were 79.68% and 78% lower than those of AS. The excellent tribological performances of AS-CH30 can be attributed to the synergistic effect of topological surface and solid lubricants. Topological surface can not only reduce fluctuation of equivalent stress, but also promote the stored lubricants to be easily transferred at the contact interface to form a 200 nm lubricating film containing solid lubricants (mainly), oxides and wear debris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the scales on the surface of crucian carp, the biomimetic fan-shaped textures were designed and prepared on the TC4 contact surface and filled with solid lubricant SnAgCu-Nb2C (SACN). The coupling effects of fan-shaped textures and solid lubricants on the tribological properties of TC4 under variable frequency conditions were investigated. The results indicated that the fan-shaped textures could promote the precipitation of lubricants and provide sufficient lubricants for the worn surface, forming a uniform lubricating film on the worn surface, thus improving the tribological properties. In addition, at the low-frequency stage, the coupling of lubricants and textures had strong adaptability to frequency changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian metastasis is one of the major causes of treatment failure in patients with gastric cancer (GC). However, the genomic characteristics of ovarian metastasis in GC remain poorly understood. In this study, we enroll 74 GC patients with ovarian metastasis, with 64 having matched primary and metastatic samples. Here, we show a characterization of the mutation landscape of this disease, alongside an investigation into the molecular heterogeneity and pathway mutation enrichments between synchronous and metachronous metastasis. We classify patients into distinct clonal evolution patterns based on the distribution of mutations in paired samples. Notably, the parallel evolution group exhibits the most favorable prognosis. Additionally, by analyzing the differential response to chemotherapy, we identify potential biomarkers, including SALL4, CCDC105, and CLDN18, for predicting the efficacy of paclitaxel treatment. Furthermore, we validate that CLDN18 fusion mutations improve tumor response to paclitaxel treatment in GC with ovarian metastasis in vitro and vivo. 'Gastric cancer metastasis to the ovary is difficult to treat and is not fully understood. Here, the authors characterized mutations in a cohort of matched primary and metastatic disease, and found mutations, including in CLDN18, could predict treatment response to paclitaxel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought poses a severe threat to terrestrial ecosystems' carbon sequestration function, which in turn affects regional sustainable development. Understanding its impact on carbon source/sink dynamics is crucial for addressing extreme climate change challenges. This study, based on the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford approach (CASA) model and soil heterotrophic respiration equation, the Net Ecosystem Productivity (NEP) of the middle reaches of the Yellow River Basin (MRYRB) from 2001 to 2019 were estimated and utilized to characterize the vegetation carbon source/sink. Additionally, four factors, namely, average surface temperature (AST), root-zone soil moisture (RM), drought frequency (DF), and drought intensity (DI), were selected and a multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model was applied to assess the dominant factors influencing vegetation carbon source/sink dynamics at the spatial scale. The results indicated that: (1) MRYRB vegetation acted as a carbon sink, showing an increasing trend. Carbon sink was primarily located in Shaanxi's central region, while carbon source was primarily located in Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi's northern part. (2) Both the extent and severity of drought in the MRYRB showed a mitigating trend, presenting a spatial distribution of high-intensity low-frequency and low-intensity high-frequency. (3) AST, RM, DF, and DI had larger effects on carbon source than carbon sink. AST dominated mainly in northern Shanxi and Shaanxi, RM in central Shaanxi and Gansu, while DI and DF were concentrated in central Shaanxi and northern Shanxi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise and timely prediction of crop yields is crucial for food security and the development of agricultural policies. However, crop yield is influenced by multiple factors within complex growth environments. Previous research has paid relatively little attention to the interference of environmental factors and drought on the growth of winter wheat. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more effective methods to explore the inherent relationship between these factors and crop yield, making precise yield prediction increasingly important. This study was based on four type of indicators including meteorological, crop growth status, environmental, and drought index, from October 2003 to June 2019 in Henan Province as the basic data for predicting winter wheat yield. Using the sparrow search algorithm combined with random forest (SSA-RF) under different input indicators, accuracy of winter wheat yield estimation was calculated. The estimation accuracy of SSA-RF was compared with partial least squares regression (PLSR), extreme gradient boosting (XG-Boost), and random forest (RF) models. Finally, the determined optimal yield estimation method was used to predict winter wheat yield in three typical years. Following are the findings: 1) the SSA-RF demonstrates superior performance in estimating winter wheat yield compared to other algorithms. The best yield estimation method is achieved by four types indicators' composition with SSA-RF) (R2 = 0.805, RRMSE = 9.9%. 2) Crops growth status and environmental indicators play significant roles in wheat yield estimation, accounting for 46% and 22% of the yield importance among all indicators, respectively. 3) Selecting indicators from October to April of the following year yielded the highest accuracy in winter wheat yield estimation, with an R2 of 0.826 and an RAISE of 9.0%. Yield estimates can be completed two months before the winter wheat harvest in June. 4) The predicted performance will be slightly affected by severe drought. Compared with severe drought year (2011) (R2 = 0.680) and normal year (2017) (R2 = 0.790), the SSA-RF model has higher prediction accuracy for wet year (2018) (R2 = 0.820). This study could provide an innovative approach for remote sensing estimation of winter wheat yield, yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest ecological benefit compensation protects the ecological environment, increases enthusiasm among forest ecological builders, protects the legitimate economic interests of forest landowners, and maintains environmental security. In this study, a systematic analysis was conducted on 4062 publications in the field of international forest ecological benefit compensation identified using the Web of Science core collection Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) databases alongside CiteSpace optical measurement software. The research status and influence of countries were tracked, scientific research institutions and important authors were identified, and interdisciplinary and scientific hotspots were analyzed. The results show that the number of studies in this field has significantly increased over time and has strong development potential. The journals and articles presenting cutting-edge research in this field are all considered highly professional. The selected research is highly interdisciplinary but primarily involves environmental science and ecology. Despite the publication volume of China ranking second among the top 10 countries, its average citation volume was the lowest, indicating the urgent need to increase the international influence of China. Forest biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climate change are current research hotspots in this field. Dynamic changes in forest ecological benefit compensation and the driving forces behind its evolution are of great concern to researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the background of climate change, the global carbon and water cycle has undergone significant changes, and it is of great significance to explore the interrelationships of the carbon and water cycles in different regions to cope with future climate change. In this study, based on gross primary productivity (GPP) and precipitation (PRE) data, the precipitation use efficiency (PUE) of the Loess Plateau (LP) was calculated, and the Sen trend analysis and Mann‐Kendall test were used to analyse the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of PUE, as well as the first‐order difference method was used to derive the relative contributions to quantify the impact of vegetation growth and meteorological factors on PUE. The results show that (1) from 2001 to 2018, the spatial distribution pattern of vegetation PUE exhibited an increasing trend from northwest to southeast. On the time scale, the multi‐year average value of PUE was 1.17 gC m−2 mm−1, showing an overall upward trend. Among the different land cover types, paddy fields had the highest PUE level, and sparse grassland had the lowest; (2) LAI had the highest relative contribution to vegetation PUE, followed by temperature (Temp), net radiation of the ground surface (RN), specific humidity (Shum), and wind speed (WS). LAI contributes positively to 88.9% of the area. RN positively influences high‐altitude areas, while Shum had a larger area with a negative contribution. The contribution of Temp increases from northwest to southeast, and WS has balanced positive and negative contributions; (3) LAI is the dominant factor for the spatial and temporal variation of PUE in the LP, and the size of the areas where different meteorological factors dominate the changes of PUE are as follows: WS > Shum>RN > Temp. At high altitudes, the dominant meteorological driver is WS, while at low altitudes, the dominant climate driver is Shum. This study is of guiding significance for the ecological restoration and management of the LP, and it can also provide a scientific basis for the improvement of ecosystems and the sustainable management of water resources in the context of global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the ability of biological structures to resist water pressure and flow resistance, this regulating mechanism was applied on the hydraulic cylinder. Bionic rhombic textures were combined with SnAgCu-Ti2C3Tx (ST) to improve the tribological properties of 42CrMo. After optimizing the texture parameters, the friction tests were performed on optimal experimental parameters-ST, predicted optimal structural parameters-ST and control experimental groups under dry/oil lubrication. Herein the optimized structural parameters were more conducive to the spreading of solid lubricants. The lubricating film was firmly bonded with substrate. The synergistic effect of optimized structural parameters, ST and oil lubrication can significantly improve the tribological properties of 42CrMo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the fan-shaped scale and mechanism of mucus secretion of crucian carp surface, the bionic scale textures were designed and combined with Sn-Ag-Cu-Nb2C to fabricate TC4-based self-lubricating composites (TTSACN). The optimal textured parameters (radius = 710 μm, width = 300 μm, depth = 390 μm) were obtained by response surface methodology (RSM). The friction and wear behaviors of TTSACN under dry friction conditions were studied. The experimental results showed that the optimal bionic texture could capture wear debris and promote the restoration and migration of lubricants on the worn surface, improving the formation quality of lubricating film. Compared with TC4, the friction coefficient and wear loss of TTSACN with optimal bionic texture were reduced by 23.03% and 96%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurotrophic tyrosine kinase (NTRK) fusions involving NTRK1, NTRK2, and NTRK3 were found in a broad range of solid tumors as driver gene variants. However, the prevalence of NTRK fusions in Chinese solid tumor patients is rarely reported. Based on the next-generation sequencing data from 10,194 Chinese solid tumor patients, we identified approximately 0.4% (40/10,194) of Chinese solid tumor patients with NTRK fusion. NTRK fusions were most frequently detected in soft tissue sarcoma (3.0%), especially in the fibrosarcoma subtype (12.7%). A total of 29 NTRK fusion patterns were identified, of which 11 were rarely reported. NTRK fusion mostly co-occurred with TP53 (38%), CDKN2A (23%), and ACVR2A (18%) and rarely with NTRK amplification (5.0%) and single nucleotide variants (2.5%). DNA-based NTRK fusion sequencing exhibited a higher detection rate than pan-TRK immunohistochemistry (100% vs. 87.5%). Two patients with NTRK fusions showed clinical responses to larotrectinib, supporting the effective response of NTRK fusion patients to TRK inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurotrophic tyrosine kinase (NTRK) fusions involving NTRK1, NTRK2, and NTRK3 were found in a broad range of solid tumors as driver gene variants. However, the prevalence of NTRK fusions in Chinese solid tumor patients is rarely reported. Based on the next-generation sequencing data from 10,194 Chinese solid tumor patients, we identified approximately 0.4% (40/10,194) of Chinese solid tumor patients with NTRK fusion. NTRK fusions were most frequently detected in soft tissue sarcoma (3.0%), especially in the fibrosarcoma subtype (12.7%). A total of 29 NTRK fusion patterns were identified, of which 11 were rarely reported. NTRK fusion mostly co-occurred with TP53 (38%), CDKN2A (23%), and ACVR2A (18%) and rarely with NTRK amplification (5.0%) and single nucleotide variants (2.5%). DNA-based NTRK fusion sequencing exhibited a higher detection rate than pan-TRK immunohistochemistry (100% vs. 87.5%). Two patients with NTRK fusions showed clinical responses to larotrectinib, supporting the effective response of NTRK fusion patients to TRK inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing impact of drought stress on ecosystems with regard to climate change has received considerable attention, which has been demonstrated to have a time‐lag effect on ecosystems. However, the time‐lag effect on different types of droughts and gross primary production (GPP) at large regional scales remains unclear. Thus, using the GOSIF GPP product data of solar‐induced chlorophyll fluorescence, the meteorological drought index (standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index [SPEI]), and the agricultural drought index (soil moisture deficit index [SMDI]) based on the soil moisture data obtained from the Global Land Data Assimilation System, the time‐lag effect of regional drought and GPP and the contribution of drought to GPP variation were analysed in China from 2000 to 2018. Results showed that (1) China's annual GPP increased at an average rate of 9.26 g C m−2 y−1. With regard to the average rate for each climate zone, the largest increase of 30.44 g C m−2 y−1 was observed in the southern subtropical region, and the smallest increase (4.01 g C m−2 y−1) was observed in the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau, with about 53.11% of the regions showing a significant upward trend. In addition, the significantly declining regions were primarily concentrated in urban areas, accounting for about 2.26% of China. (2) SPEI and GPP had an average lag time of 6.28 months, whereas SMDI and GPP had an average lag time of 7.17 months. The comparison demonstrated that SMDI had a greater influence on GPP than SPEI. (3) The average contribution rate of meteorological drought and agricultural drought to the decrease of GPP was 79.37% and 87.06%, and their average contribution rate to the increase of GPP was 39.11% and 50.57%, respectively. This study will provide comprehensive understanding of the effects of drought on carbon and water cycles in terrestrial ecosystems with regard to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest recreation not only enables directly creates impacts on the entire tourism industry but also indirectly creates effects on other industries composed in an economic system via inter-industrial interdependence, such as backward and forward linkages or interactions. However, due to the lack of data available, few studies have been made exclusively for evaluating the impacts of forest recreation on the economy in a national dimension. Therefore, this paper attempts to analyze the economic impacts of the forest recreation industry. Using an input–output modeling approach, the industrial linkage and a cluster of economic multipliers are estimated based on new input–output tables for 2012, 2017, and 2018 that includes the forest recreation industry. The results indicate that, first, both the forward and backward linkages caused by forest recreation show rising trends over the analysis periods and the backward linkages are stronger than forward linkages. Second, the economic contribution of forest recreation has been strengthened, although the multipliers have shown a downward trend. The total output impact in 2018 is calculated to be $838.187 billion, with a total added impact of $352.713 billion. Furthermore, forest recreation could create over 18 million jobs with an average annual growth rate of 15.73%, which are mainly in the catering, accommodation, and retail industries with low skill requirements. Finally, policy applications are proposed to provide reliable and useful information for future planning and investment decision associated with the forestry and ecotourism industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is one of the most destructive natural disasters in China and can cause serious environmental and socio-economic impacts. Based on monthly precipitation and temperature data from 571 meteorological stations, the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) was calculated on a 12-month scale (SPEI-12) from 1985 to 2018 in mainland China, and it was compared with the records of the Bulletin of Flood and Drought Disasters in China to verify its drought monitoring accuracy. Then, run theory was used to explore in depth the spatiotemporal distribution of drought characteristics and trends in various climatic sub-regions. The results showed that: (1) the comparison with the Bulletin of Flood and Drought Disasters in China indicated that the results of SPEI-12 monitoring drought had high accuracy and could identify drought events in mainland China. (2) About 70% of the regions in mainland China experienced droughts more than 50 times, and about 43% of the regions had drought durations of between 100 and 110 months. Nearly 11% of the regions had drought severities of more than 130, which were mainly located in the Northwest Desert (NWC), the southern part of Northeast China (NEC), and the western part of North China (NC). (3) In the past 34 years, the droughts in the Northwest Desert (NWC), the western part of Inner Mongolia (IM), and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (TP) showed an aridity trend, while the droughts in South China (SC) and eastern Central and South China (CSC) presented a mitigation tendency. (4) Specifically, the droughts in South China (SC) were more influenced by precipitation, while those in the Northwest Desert (NWC) and Northeast China (NEC) were influenced by temperature and potential evapotranspiration, and the evolution of drought in North China (NC) and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (TP) was mainly influenced by soil moisture. The study could provide scientific guidance and a reference for drought response and sustainable development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the excellent properties of titanium alloys, they are widely used in various fields. However, the poor tribological performance limits the further development of titanium alloys. In this paper, TC4 with microporous channels was manufactured by laser additive manufacturing technology. On this basis, TC4-Sn-Ag-Cu (TSAC) and TC4-Sn-Ag-Cu-Nb2C (TSACN) self-lubricating materials were prepared. The friction and wear tests were carried out under dry friction conditions, and tribological behaviors and friction-induced noise were analyzed. The results show that TSACN self-lubricating composite has outstanding tribological properties and noise suppression performance. Compared with TC4, the friction coefficient and equivalent sound pressure level of TSACN are reduced by 20.1 and 6.7%, respectively. The excellent tribological properties are mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of microporous channel and Sn-Ag-Cu-Nb2C. Microporous channel can promote the diffusing of lubricants and accelerate the formation rate of lubricating film; Nb2C can enhance soft metal lubricant Sn-Ag-Cu to make the lubricating film more dense. The lubricating film can repair wear pits, furrows and other defects on the worn surface and avoid the direct contact between the counterpart ball and the sample, thereby improving the tribological properties of TC4 and reducing the friction-induced vibration and noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by rhombic textures on shark skin surface, this paper designs bionic micro-textures filled by solid lubricants SnAgCu and Ti3C2TX to improve the tribological properties of 42CrMo steel. Compared with 42CrMo steel, the average friction coefficient and wear depth of 42CrMo-SnAgCu-Ti3C2TX with bionic micro-textures at 25 N were separately decreased by 41.52 and 79.07%, and decreased by 50.77 and 80% at 35 N, respectively. Two-dimensional material Ti3C2TX can be well combined with SnAgCu to promote the formation of a smooth and continuous lubricating film on the worn surface, which plays an excellent antifriction and wear resistance role under the specific working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the primary source of carbon dioxide fixation, vegetation is critical to the carbon sink process. In this paper, the Net Primary Productivity (NPP) and the Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) were simulated using the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) model and the Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM), respectively, and then the Potential Gross Primary Productivity (PGPP) and the GPP affected by human activities (AGPP) were simulated by combining Potential Net Primary Productivity (PNPP), and then the impact of climate change and human activities on GPP was assessed in the Heihe River Basin (HRB). The results showed that the GPP of grassland and Bare or Sparse Vegetation (BSV) exhibited a fluctuation rise, with increases of 0.709 gCm−2 a−1 and 0.115 gCm−2 a−1, respectively, whereas the GPP of cropland showed a fluctuation reduction, with a decline rate of −0.465 gCm−2 a−1. Climate change and human activity are both positive for vegetation growth, and human activity being the primary factor influencing GPP change. Human-dominated vegetation restoration accounted for 56.1% of the overall restoration area, with grassland GPP being the most visible response to human activities. The GPP changes in crop and grassland had a positive correlation with precipitation but a negative correlation with temperature among climate change factors, whereas the GPP changes in BSV had a negative correlation with both precipitation and temperature. Quantitative analyses of climate change and human activities' dynamic contributions to vegetation can give scientific and theoretical insight for dealing with global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the tribo-performance of molybdenum disulphide lithium grease (MDLG), the tribological behaviors of 42CrMo under grease lubrication with Ti3C2 as an additive were systematically studied. The results show that when the concentration of MXenes-Ti3C2 in MDLG is 2 wt.%, the friction coefficient and wear volume loss could be respectively reduced by a maximum of 69 and 98%. This is mainly attributed to the graphitization of MXenes-Ti3C2 induced by the friction. It retards the breakage of soap fibers and in turn significantly improves the tribological performance of MDLG under the low speed and high load conditions. In order to predict better working conditions for obtaining the excellent tribological behavior, the experimental results were used to develop a Genetic Algorithm-Artificial Neural Network (GA-ANN) model. Under the predicted working conditions, the estimated friction coefficient (R2 = 0.993) and wear volume loss (R2 = 0.934) were close to the experimental results. This study could provide the support for the application of MXenes-Ti3C2 as an additive in the lubrication grease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on ecological restoration mainly includes three fields: water ecology, soil ecology, and atmospheric ecology, and the most abundant is in the field of soil ecology, among which the most abundant is in dryland ecological restoration. Research on dryland ecological restoration is very important in ensuring national food security, ecological security, and preventing a return to poverty. However, the previous research results do not clearly present the interconnection between the huge number of existing dryland ecological restoration studies and do not provide a three-dimensional understanding of the whole picture of dryland ecological restoration research from a broader perspective. Research on dryland ecological restoration has received wide attention from scholars at home and abroad, revealing the international research trends in the current field, which will provide a reference for the theory and practice of future dryland ecological restoration research. Using the SCI-E and SSCI databases of the "Web of Science Core Collection" as sample data sources and using CiteSpace optical measurement software, the 2254 literature in the field of international dryland ecological restoration research were systematically analyzed to track the situation and impact of research in this field by countries around the world, scientific research institutions and significant authors, and to analyze the interdisciplinary and research hotspots in this field, which is of great significance for the follow-up research of dryland ecological restoration. The research results show that: (1) The number of publications in international dryland ecological restoration has increased significantly with years and has strong development potential. (2) Journals representing the research frontier have an intense concentration with various journals. (3) The study of dryland ecological restoration belongs to a highly interdisciplinary discipline, while the two disciplines of ecology and environmental science are the pivot nodes of multidisciplinary disciplines. (4) China's posts and total citations are among the best, but the average citation is low. (5) Dryland ecological restoration and protection is a hot research field at present, and special attention is paid to the dynamic changes and key driving factors of dryland ecological restoration and the full use of machine learning and extensive data mining to solve complex social-ecological problems. The study recommends that related disciplines must strengthen cooperation in the field of dryland ecological restoration, especially the two disciplines of ecology and environmental science, in order to promote the progress of dryland ecological restoration research theory and practice. China should continue to strengthen the investment of scientific research forces to improve the international influence of research in the field of dryland ecological restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the tribological performance of CSS-42L bearing steel, smooth surfaces (SSs), groove-textured surfaces (GSs), GSs with Sn-Ag-Cu (GSs-SAC), and GSs with Sn-Ag-Cu-Ti3C2 (GSs-SACT) were prepared on CSS-42L. In addition, experimental studies were conducted on tribological properties. The obtained results indicated that GSs-SACT exhibited the best anti-friction and noise reduction performances. These remarkable tribological performances were attributed to the synergistic effects of grooves, Sn-Ag-Cu, and MXene-Ti3C2. The inconsistent rules of frictional forces were improved by the grooves and SACT, which inhibit the friction-induced noise. The micro-nano size-effects of MXene-Ti3C2 enhanced the repairing effect and anti-friction property of composite lubricants, which improved the profile characteristics of GSs-SACT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to meet the stricter friction performance requirements of large machinery in the application field of slewing bearing, 42CrMo steel is taken as the research object. Through the preparation of smooth surface, groove textured surfaces with different densities and deposited Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) solid lubricants, the tribological properties of samples with different surface treatments were, respectively, studied under the grease lubrication. The results show that the design of grooves can effectively alleviate the secondary damage of wear debris on the sample surfaces. Under the grease lubrication, the sample with SAC deposited on the surface has the smallest friction coefficient and deformation, which is mainly attributed to the synergistic effect among grooves, solid lubricants, and grease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to further understand the role of MXene-Ti3C2 in oil–solid synergistic lubrication, three kinds of microporous channel composites, M50, M50-Sn-Ag-Cu and M50-Sn-Ag-Cu-Ti3C2, were designed and prepared in this study. Tribological behaviors under different environmental conditions of oil lubrication and dry friction were analyzed. The results show that M50-Sn-Ag-Cu-Ti3C2 exhibits excellent tribological properties under oil lubrication. Mxene-Ti3C2 enhances the strength of solid lubricant film, so that the oil film can give full play to the antifriction and wear resistance of solid lubricant film. The synergistic effect of lubricating oil, solid lubricants and bionic curved microchannel reduces the friction coefficient and wear rate. The vibration acceleration along the reciprocating direction is also reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of climate warming, the increase in the frequency and severity of drought leads to vegetation facing severe challenges. A comprehensive and systematic assessment of the stability of vegetation under drought stress in the middle reaches of Yellow River basin (MRYRB) will help to grasp the characteristics of vegetation response to drought. In this study, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used to achieve quantitative and qualitative assessments of vegetation stability to drought, and the smoothed monthly standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) was used to describe the characteristics of drought events in 2005/2006 and identified vegetation stability parameters using a standardized anomaly of NDVI across space, which included the resistance duration, resilience duration, drought threshold, and lag time. Vegetation was dominated by less resistance and less resilience. The 2005/2006 drought event affected most of the study area, and vegetation growth was inhibited. The duration of vegetation resistance over 100 days accounted for 65.7%, and vegetation in 89.4% of the regions could return to normal within 100 days. The drought threshold of vegetation gradually decreased from northwest to southeast, and the lag time was mainly concentrated from 1 to 3 months. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the effects of drought on the environment, as well as scientific references for reducing ecological, economic, and social losses in future droughts, and promoting ecological environmental governance and high-quality development in the MRYRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study on the value accounting of forest carbon sink services can promote the rapid development of the carbon sink market and help better understand the impact of forest carbon sinks on climate change and economic development. However, few studies have evaluated the value of China's current forest carbon sink services. Based on research on carbon peak and carbon neutrality, according to the characteristics of China's forest ecosystems and forest resource inventory data, the stock volume method was used to measure the amount and value of forest carbon sinks in China in 2009–2013 and 2014–2018. The results showed that: (1) the physical amount of forest carbon aggregates in China increased from 2009 to 2013 and from 2014 to 2018. The carbon storage of natural and plantation forests both showed an upward trend. Among them, the growth rate of the carbon storage of plantation forests was higher than that of natural forests. (2) The state, adjoint, and coupling equations of forest carbon sinks were employed to ascertain the best price for China's forest carbon sinks in 2020. The results showed that the price of China's forest carbon sinks was slightly higher than the internationally accepted carbon sink price, reflecting that the changes in the value of China's forest carbon sinks and international carbon sinks were roughly the same. (3) We obtained an appropriate accounting model for China's forest carbon sinks. (4) The value of China's forest carbon sinks increased from 2009 to 2013 and from 2014 to 2018. Although the price of carbon sinks has declined, the overall forest resource stock has increased, especially in plantation forests. The increase in the value of carbon sinks was as high as 24.7%, resulting in an overall increase in the value of forest carbon sinks, which was also in line with the physical amount of forest carbon sinks. The measurement conclusions were consistent. Several key points to note based on these findings are as follows: (1) China's current forest carbon sink transactions are all project-level certified emission reduction transactions, and diversified non-market means should be constructed to comprehensively promote carbon sink transactions. (2) China's current carbon sink transactions are mainly clean development mechanism projects, with few transactions between enterprises, and the carbon trading market situation is not optimistic. (3) The key to effective forest carbon sequestration trading is the accurate accounting of forest carbon storage and carbon sequestration value. Thus, it is of great significance to establish a forest carbon sequestration measurement method that is economical, simple, and accurate. (4) The physical amount and value of carbon sequestration of China's forest resources are rising, and the contribution rate is increasing year by year. However, there is still a gap in per capita forest area and storage compared with those in other countries worldwide. Thus, China must be vigilant in times of peace and further strengthen the protection and construction of forest resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complexity and heterogeneity increases the difficulty of diagnosis and treatment of bone tumors. We aimed to identify the mutational characterization and potential biomarkers of bone tumors. In this study, a total of 357 bone tumor patients were recruited and the next generation sequencing (NGS)-based YuanSu450 panel, that includes both DNA and RNA sequencing, was performed for genomic alteration identification. The most common mutated genes in bone tumors included TP53 , NCOR1 , VEGFA , RB1 , CCND3 , CDKN2A , GID4, CCNE1 , TERT , and MAP2K4. The amplification of genes such as NCOR1 , VEGFA , and CCND3 mainly occurred in osteosarcoma. Germline mutation analysis reveal a high frequency of HRD related mutations (46.4%, 13/28) in this cohort. With the assistance of RNA sequencing, 16.8% (19/113) gene fusions were independently detected in 20% (16/79) of patients. Nearly 34.2% of patients harbored actionable targeted mutations, of which the most common mutation is CDKN2A deletion. The different mutational characterizations between juvenile patients and adult patients indicated the potential effect of age in bone tumor treatment. According to the genomic alterations, the diagnosis of 26 (7.28%) bone tumors were corrected. The most easily misdiagnosed bone tumor included malignant giant cell tumors of bone (2.8%, 10/357) and fibrous dysplasia of bone (1.7%, 6/357). Meanwhile, we found that the mutations of MUC16 may be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of mesenchymal chondrosarcomas. Our results indicated that RNA sequencing effectively complements DNA sequencing and increased the detection rate of gene fusions, supporting that NGS technology can effectively assist the diagnosis of bone tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: The clinical outcome of relapsed and refractory (RR) extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) is poor. It is necessary to identify RR patients in ENKTL and find novel therapeutic targets to improve the prognosis of patients with RR ENKTL. Methods: A total of 189 ENKTL patients with effective clinical characteristics were enrolled. Paraffin specimens were collected for PD-L1 expression identification. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis was performed for survival analysis. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed for identifying the mutational characterization of RR and effective treatment (ET) patients. Results: Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that negative PD-L1 expression (HR = 1.132, 95% CI = 0.739-1.734, P = 0.036) was an independent predictor of poor prognosis in patients with ENKTL. The overall survival (OS) of PD-L1 positive patients was significantly higher than that of PD-L1 negative patients (P = 0.009). Then, we added PD-L1 expression as a risk factor to the model of Prognostic Index of Natural Killer Lymphoma (PINK), and named as PINK+PD-L1. The PINK+PD-L1 model can significantly distinguish RR patients, ET patients, and the whole cohort. Moreover, our data showed that PD-L1 expression was lower than 25% in most RR patients, suggesting that RR subtypes may be associated with low expression of PD-L1 (P = 0.019). According to the whole exome sequencing (WES), we found that the mutation frequencies of JAK-STAT (P = 0.001), PI3K-AKT (P = 0.02) and NF-kappa B (P < 0.001) pathways in RR patients were significantly higher than those in ET patients. Conclusion: Patients tend to show RR when PD-L1 expression is lower than 25%. The model of PINK+PD-L1 can stratify the risk of different groups and predict OS in ENKTL patients. The mutational profile of ENKTL patients with RR is different from that of patients with ET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and central composite experimental design in response surface methodology (CCD-RSM) are used to evaluate and optimize the tribological parameters of bionic textured AISI 4140-SnAgCu self-lubricating composite under the conditions of load (L: 20–40 N), velocity (V: 16–32 mm/s), and distance (D: 40–80 m). AISI 4140 biomimetic composites exhibit excellent tribological properties under the conditions of L27.15/V16.43/D40, L27.05/V17.08/D60, and L27.42/V17.85/D80, respectively. The sensitivities of influence factors on the tribological overall score are load, velocity, and distance, in order from high to low. The good antifriction properties of self-lubricating composites under conditions with the optimized tribological parameters benefit from the fact that the solid lubricants are uniformly spread at the contact interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the surface texture of bivalve shell, bionic wavy grooves were designed and prepared on the bionic coating of TC4 using laser marking technology. A response surface method was used to optimize the parameters of bionic texture structure for improving the tribological behavior. The influence of coupling mechanisms of bionic coating and texture on the tribological performance of TC4 alloy was investigated. The results show that the bionic wavy grooves reduce the fluctuation of loading force. The coupling of bionic texture and coating breaks the continuity of coating interface, and the peeling wear debris is easily captured by the bionic wavy grooves. The repairing effect of solid lubricant is increased, so the complete lubrication film can be formed more easily on the worn surface during the sliding process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To expand the applications of MXene-Ti3C2 in the field of oil lubrication, rounded groove surfaces filled with Sn-Ag-Cu-Ti3C2 on CSS-42L bearing steel (RGSs-SACT-600) were prepared. Block-on-ring friction and vibration tests under oil lubrication were carried out. The results showed that the synergistic effects of Sn-Ag-Cu-Ti3C2 and grooves improved the variation characteristics of friction forces and reduced friction and vibration on the surfaces. Sn-Ag-Cu-Ti3C2 with excellent adsorption to lubricating oil suppressed the oil film rupture and improved the heat dissipation at the friction interface. The tribochemical reactions were induced by Sn-Ag-Cu and Sn-Ag-Cu-Ti3C2, improving the tribological properties on the worn surfaces. Under low speed and high load, RGSs-SACT-600 with uniform profiles had excellent bearing capacity and antifriction performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

M50 steel is one of the most widely used high-performance bearing steels, and the tribological properties are related to its service life. In this paper, the dry sliding tribological tests of M50, M50-Sn-Ag-Cu and M50-Sn-Ag-Cu-Ti3C2 against Si3N4 ceramic balls under different loads were carried out. Through the analysis of worn surface and cross section of wear scar, as well as characteristics of friction signal, the causes of frictional noise are discussed, and the influence of Ti3C2 on the frictional noise is revealed. The results show that the addition of Ti3C2 can significantly improve the tribological performance of M50-Sn-Ag-Cu-Ti3C2, reduce the intensity of frictional noise and suppress its high-frequency components. Frictional noise is caused by the system energy dissipation due to the contact surface roughness. The synergistic effect of Ti3C2 and Sn-Ag-Cu makes the lubricant be easily extruded to the contact surface, which will form a protective layer on the worn surface, thus reducing the surface roughness and frictional noise and improving the tribological performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fetal congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital defect, with an incidence of 0.6–0.8%, accounting for 30–50% of infant congenital disease deaths. The pathogenesis of CHD is still unclear, so an active and effective prenatal diagnosis is very important for the prevention and control of CHD. Herein, a Chinese CHD patient with rare compound heterozygous mutations in the DNAH9 gene was reported, and the 3D structure and functional changes of DNAH9 protein were predicted. Case presentation: A 23-year-old pregnant woman came to our hospital for prenatal diagnosis at 27 weeks of gestation. Both she and her partner were unaffected. Fetal CHD was detected by ultrasound screening. Copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) revealed an 81 kb deletion at chr17p12 (11,486,795–11,568,385), including exons 1–15 of DNAH9 gene, which plays a key role in cardiac development. Then, whole exome sequencing (WES) was used and identified a nonsense mutation (c.10975C>T) in DNAH9 , which resulted in the mutation of amino acid 3,659 from glutamine to termination. The 3D mutant protein structures were predicted using SWISS-MODEL and showed structural changes from functional β-sheet and α-helix to termination, respectively. Conclusion: We describe a case of fetal CHD caused by DNAH9 mutations and provide an effective diagnostic technique for identifying intragenic deletions. This diagnostic process can be implicated in prenatal diagnosis of CHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the uneven lubricating film of M50 aviation bearings under high load, it is of great significance to explore how to improve its friction performance through the synergistic lubrication of solid lubricant and lubricating oil. Inspired by the material transport of leaf veins, a bionic microchannel was designed for the contact interface. M50, M50-SnAgCu (MS) and M50-SnAgCu-Nb2C (MSN) biomimetic composites are prepared, respectively. The tribological properties of the material under dry friction and three grades of Mobil oil (DTE 24, DTE 25 and DTE 26) were investigated through ball-on-disk friction. The high-hardness Si3N4 ball is used as the counterpair. The results show that the average friction coefficient and wear rate of MSN are reduced by 29.63% and 28.36%, respectively. In addition, the furrows on the worn surface were significantly reduced. The synergistic lubrication of SnAgCu-Nb2C and the DTE 26 oil makes M50 have a excellent antifriction and wear resistance. The results can provide guidance for the research of synergetic lubrication behavior of materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the tribological properties and reducing the friction noise of Inconel 625 is of great significance for the extended application of Inconel 625 in mechanical parts and other fields. In this paper, composite anti-wear surfaces (CASs) with micro-texture filled by Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) were prepared. The tribological and frictional noise properties of CASs and smooth surface (SS) with different texture spacing during dry sliding friction process were studied through a series of experiments, tests and analyses. The results show that CASs can improve tribological properties and noise suppression performance significantly. With the texture density of 25 % (CASs-1200), the friction coefficient is 0.464 under a load of 20 N, the wear rate is about 2.65×10−5 mm3/(N·m), and the friction noise is 88-89.5 dB. Due to the synergistic effect of surface microgrooves and solid lubricants, the excellent tribological performance of CASs was realized. Microgrooves make the lubricant mixture be easier precipitated onto the worn surface. An intact lubrication film with high shear fitness was formed on the worn surface, reducing the direct contact between the grinding ball and the substrate. Meanwhile, it reduces the radiated energy generated by the collision between the counterpart ball and matrix and the transition of counterpart ball on the uneven small platform, so as to achieve the effect of noise suppression. Especially, suppression effect of high-frequency noise in 2400-3000 Hz is close to 100 % in CASs-1200, inhibiting the high-frequency scream effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RHD variants in D¯ Chinese pregnant women arose difficulties in management during pregnancy. Therefore, this study aims to precisely manage D¯ pregnant women by evaluating the spectrum of RHD mutations in D¯ pregnant women and getting insight into the possible rare alleles of RHD. A total of 76 D¯ pregnant women were analyzed by performing polymerase chain reactions with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP), the 10 RHD exons Sanger sequencing, RHD zygosity detection, and mRNA sequencing (mRNA-seq). About 40% of alleles are variations of RHD, including RHD 1227A homozygous, RHD-CE(2-9)-D, et al. Therefore, we developed a molecular diagnostic strategy for Chinese women, and most D¯ pregnant women can be diagnosed with this simple decision tree. After RHD genotyping for D¯ pregnancy women, we eliminated at least 15% unnecessary ante- and postpartum injections of Rh immunoglobulin (RhIG). As the first pedigree study and the first functional analysis under physiological conditions, mRNA-seq revealed that c.336-1G>A mutation mainly led to the inclusion of the intron 2, which indirectly explained the D¯ phenotype in this family. We also developed a robust protocol for determining fetal RhD status from maternal plasma. All 31 fetuses were predicted as RhD positive and confirmed the RhD status after birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Workpiece will face corrosive problems during its application after the manufacturing process. As the common final process, grinding can generate special metamorphic layer on the surface of workpiece and change the initial corrosion resistance of workpiece. In order to study the corrosion resistance of workpiece after grinding process, the paper carries on combining experiment of grinding and electrochemical corrosion. The characteristic of corrosion resistance of grinding is revealed based on the association of grinding mechanism and electrochemical theory. The corrosion potential of workpiece after grinding is higher than matrix, which shows the grinding surface is difficult to begin to corrode. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) shows the grinding surface has large phase angle, impedance and capacitance characteristic because the metamorphic layer of grinding has good obstructive ability. They reveal that grinding improves the surface corrosion resistance of workpiece. Then the mechanism of the corrosion resistance of grinding is revealed. The special grain boundary formed in grinding with much C element, large clusters and complex shape prolongs the corrosion channel, which reduces the corrosive speed. While, the sensitive hardening structure generated in grinding hardening with much free energy is easy to form the corrosion cell, which will accelerate the corrosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poor tribological performance of TC4 alloy limits its wide application in engineering field. Inspired by the layered structure of shell, the bionic composite coating of TC4-SnAgCu (TSAC) on TC4 was designed. The coatings with three different lubricant concentration ratios of TC4-5wt.%SnAgCu (TSAC-5), TC4-10wt.%SnAgCu (TSAC-10) and TC4-15wt.%SnAgCu (TSAC-15) were prepared using laser additive manufacturing (LAM) technology, respectively. Tribological tests were, respectively, carried out at the loads of 10 N, 15 N, 20 N and 25 N. The results show that compared with TC4, TC4 with bionic coating has better tribological behaviors and reducing ability of friction-induced vibration and noise. Furthermore, at 20 N and room temperature, the complete lubrication film is more easily formed on the worn surface of TSAC-10. Hence, TSAC-10 obtains the minimum friction coefficient and average equivalent noise pressure, which are, respectively, reduced by 21.28 % and 18.76 % compared to those of TC4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bionic rhombic textures with SnAgCu and Nb2C were used to improve tribological properties of M50. Compared with M50, friction coefficient and wear depth of M50-SnAgCu-Nb2C with 45° textures at 15 N were separately decreased by 42.67 and 70.37%, and those of M50-SnAgCu-Nb2C with 60° textures at 25 N were, respectively, decreased by 42.04 and 65.03%. Nb2C can promote the combination and spread of composite lubricants in bionic textures, and a uniform and dense lubrication layer was formed at the interface. The synergistic effect of SnAgCu-Nb2C and bionic textures can play an excellent antifriction and wear resistance role under specific working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a functionally graded material (FGM) design concept, the laminated-graded Ag-multilayer graphene/TC4 alloy self-lubricating composites (GTMAC) were prepared to overcome the poor friction and wear behaviors of TC4 alloy and expand engineering applications where friction is involved. Tribological experiments on GTMAC were carried out under different temperatures and loads in contrast with TC4 alloy (TC4) and homogeneous Ag-multilayer graphene/TC4 alloy self-lubricating composites (TMAC). The results show that GTMAC presents better friction and wear behaviors compared with TC4 and TMAC over a broad range of temperatures and loads. This is because of the synergistic effect of Ag and multilayer graphene, which are crushed and spread out in the sliding process, resulting in the formation of a lubricating film on the worn surface. Additionally, the equivalent stress distributions on the friction surfaces of TMAC and GTMAC are investigated using a finite-element method. The simulation results indicate that the GTMAC sample model with a smaller equivalent stress can avoid the occurrence of cracks and peeling of the surface material, so the the lubricating film is formed easily and remains for a longer working time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the friction noise properties of M50 matrix curved microporous channel composites filled with solid lubricant Sn-Ag-Cu (MS). Design/methodology/approach: Pure M50 (MA) and MS are prepared by selective laser melting and vacuum-pressure infiltration technology. The tribological and friction noise properties of MA and MS are tested through dry sliding friction and then the influential mechanism of surface wear sate on friction noise is investigated by analyzing the variation law of noise signals and the worn surface characteristics of MS. Findings: Experimental results show that the friction noise sound pressure level of MS is only 75.6 dB, and it mainly consists of low-frequency noise. The Sn-Ag-Cu improves the surface wear state, which reduces self-excited vibration of the interface caused by fluctuation of friction force, leading to the decrease of friction noise. Originality/value: This investigation is meaningful to improve the tribological property and suppress the friction noise of M50 bearing steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the friction-induced noise suppression performance of TC4 has far-reaching significance for its wide application in the field of robots and semiconductors. The friction noises of TC4 with solid lubricant (Sn-Ag-Cu) filled into dimples (TCS) and TC4 were predicted by simulation analysis. The noise reduction performance of TCS during dry rotary sliding was discussed. TCS with dimple size of 0.6 mm (TCS-0.6) exhibited the prominent performance of noise reduction, which was attributed to the synergistic effect of dimples and solid lubricant. During the dry sliding process, the debris were contained by dimples, the stress distribution in matrix was modified by lubricant, and the defects were decreased. Hence, the roughness of worn surface was reduced, which was beneficial to obtaining the stable friction coefficient. Inhibiting the unstable vibration by controlling the friction coefficient of the system can effectively demote the friction-induced noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the tribological properties and suppress the friction-induced noise of Ti-6Al-4V alloys (TC4), TC4 with smooth surfaces (TSs), groove antifriction surfaces (GAs), Sn-Ag-Cu coating surfaces (SCs), and composite self-lubricating surfaces (CSs) with grooves and Sn-Ag-Cu coating were prepared. Experimental studies on the tribological properties and friction-induced noise were carried out. The results showed that TSs produced high-frequency scream for adhesive wear. GSs suppress the scream noise but induce low-frequency chattering. CSs with uniform profiles and smaller wrinkles showed tribochemical wear characteristics, which produced the various intermetallic compounds and oxides, improving the surface profiles and suppressing the microdefects. The synergistic effects of grooves and Sn-Ag-Cu coating on CSs reduce the high contact stresses of groove edges and suppressed the adhesive wear and friction-induced noise. The friction and noise reduction mechanisms of CSs are beneficial to obtain surfaces with the best antifriction performance and bearing capacity by improving the profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare malignant tumor of the biliary system. The heterogeneity of CCA leads to the lack of effective targeted treatment for CCA subtypes. The molecular characteristic of hilar CCA (hCCA) is still unclear. Methods: A total of 63 hCCA patients were enrolled from Shanghai Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissues, and matched blood were collected and deep sequencing targeting 450 cancer genes were performed. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) was measured by an algorithm developed in-house. Correlation analysis was performed by Fisher's exact test. Results: The most commonly mutated genes were TP53 (51.7%), NF1 and KRAS (20%, for both), SMAD4 (16.7%), FAT3 and FRS2 (13.3%, for both), NF1 (11.7%), and KMT2C, MDM2, and ATM (10%, for each) in hCCA. ARID1A, GATA6, and PREX2 mutations commonly occurred in female and KMT2C mutations mainly occurred in patients under 60 years old. Statistical analysis showed the association between ARID1A mutation and tumor stage (P = 0.041) and between NF1 mutation and high TMB (P = 0.0095). Furthermore, ARID1B mutation was identified to associate with the poor prognosis of Chinese hCCA patients (P = 0.004). Conclusion: The mutational characterization of hCCA is different from both extrahepatic CCA and intrahepatic CCA. ARID1B is a potential biomarker for prognosis prediction of Chinese hCCA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common cancers in women and is often diagnosed as advanced stage because of the subtle symptoms of early ovarian cancer. To identify the somatic alterations and new biomarkers for the diagnosis and targeted therapy of Chinese ovarian cancer patients, a total of 65 Chinese ovarian cancer patients were enrolled for detection of genomic alterations. The most commonly mutated genes in ovarian cancers were TP53 (86.15%, 56/65), NF1 (13.85%, 9/65), NOTCH3 (10.77%, 7/65), and TERT (10.77%, 7/65). Statistical analysis showed that TP53 and LRP1B mutations were associated with the age of patients, KRAS, TP53, and PTEN mutations were significantly associated with tumor differentiation, and MED12, LRP2, PIK3R2, CCNE1, and LRP1B mutations were significantly associated with high tumor mutational burden. The mutation frequencies of LRP2 and NTRK3 in metastatic ovarian cancers were higher than those in primary tumors, but the difference was not significant (P = 0.072, for both). Molecular characteristics of three patients responding to olapanib supported that BRCA mutation and HRD related mutations is the target of olaparib in platinum sensitive patients. In conclusion we identified the somatic alterations and suggested a group of potential biomarkers for Chinese ovarian cancer patients. Our study provided a basis for further exploration of diagnosis and molecular targeted therapy for Chinese ovarian cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High wear is the primary failure mechanism of Inconel 625 in mechanical parts. The surface modification is workable method to improve tribological performance of Inconel 625. In this paper, the groove-textured surfaces with different widths and pitches were prepared on the surfaces of Inconel 625 by electrical discharge machining technology. The Sn-Ag-Cu solid lubricant was deposited on the grooves. The synergistic effects of Sn-Ag-Cu solid lubricant and groove-textured surface on the tribological performance of Inconel 625 were studied. Results show that the groove-textured surface of Inconel 625 filled with Sn-Ag-Cu solid lubricant shows the lowest friction. Compared with the untextured sample, the friction coefficients of groove-textured sample with the groove density of 20% and the groove-textured sample with the groove density of 25% filled by Sn-Ag-Cu are reduced 35% and 48%, respectively. The textures can trap wear debris under the dry sliding condition. In addition, Sn-Ag-Cu alloys filled in the grooves supply the sufficient lubricant at the contact interface during the sliding process. The lubricating film on the contact surface is formed gradually, which is mainly due to the shear adaptability and low melting point of Sn-Ag-Cu alloy. It shows that deposition of Sn-Ag-Cu solid lubricant coating on the groove-textured surface is an effective way for improving the friction and wear performance of Inconel 625. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common type of esophageal cancer in China and the 5-year mortality rate is up to 70%. Studies on the ESCC genetic landscape are needed to further explore clinical therapeutic strategies. In this study, we evaluated the genetic landscape of ESCC to aid the search for clinical therapeutic strategies. Patients and Methods: A total of 225 ESCC patients were enrolled in this study. Deep sequencing of 450 cancer genes was performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor biopsies and matched blood samples from patients. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) was calculated using an algorithm developed in-house. Results: Our results showed that the most commonly mutated genes in ESCC were TP53 (96%), CCND1 (46%), FGF4 (44%), FGF19 (44%), FGF3 (44%), CDKN2A (31%), PIK3CA (26%), NOTCH1 (24%), KMT2D (18%), FAT1 (16%), and LRP1B (16%). We found that TMB correlated with patient drinking status. We identified mutations associated with sex, early ESCC, high TMB, and metastasis lymph nodes. KMT2D mutations associated with sex (P = 0.035), tumor stage (P = 0.016), high TMB (P = 0.0072), and overall survival of patients (P = 0.0026). SPEN mutations associated with high TMB (P = 0.0016) and metastasis-positive lymph nodes (P = 0.027). These results suggested that SPEN and KMT2D could be potential prognosis biomarkers for Chinese patients with ESCC. We also found that the number of positive lymph nodes was associated with disease-free survival. Clinical target gene analysis indicated that nearly half of Chinese ESCC patients might benefit from treatment with gene-specific target drugs. Conclusion: Our study revealed the ESCC mutational landscape in 225 Chinese patients and uncovered the potential prognosis biomarker for Chinese patients with ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Precise treatment based on next-generation sequencing technology has shown advantages in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. This cohort study included 371 lung cancer patients. The lung cancer subtype was related to the smoking status and sex of the patients. The most common mutated genes were TP53 (62%), EGFR (55%), and KRAS (11%). The mutation frequencies of EGFR, TP53, PIK3CA, NFE2L2, KMT2D, FGFR1, CCND1, and CDKN2A were significantly different between lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma. We identified the age-associated mutations in ALK, ERBB2, KMT2D, RBM10, NRAS, NF1, PIK3CA, MET, PBRM1, LRP2, and CDKN2B; smoking-associated mutations in CDKN2A, FAT1, FGFR1, NFE2L2, CCNE1, CCND1, SMARCA4, KEAP1, KMT2C, and STK11; tumor stage-associated mutations in ARFRP1, AURKA, and CBFB; and sex-associated mutations in EGFR. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) is associated with tumor subtype, age, sex, and smoking status. TMB-associated mutations included CDKN2A, LRP1B, LRP2, TP53, and EGFR. EGFR amplification was commonly detected in patients with acquired lcotinib/gefitinib resistance. DNMT3A and NOTCH4 mutations may be associated with the benefit of icotinib/gefitinib treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is a commonly employed clinical method to screen for fetal aneuploidy, while the Y chromosome-based NIPT method is regarded as the gold standard for the estimation of fetal fraction (FF) of male fetuses. However, when the fetus has a derivative Y chromosome thereby containing a partial Y chromosome, the Y chromosome-based NIPT method cannot accurately calculate FF. Therefore, alternative methods to precisely calculate FF are required. Methods : Two prenatal cases could not be detected effectively using the Y chromosome-based NIPT method because of low FF. According to the Y chromosome-based method, the FF of the fetuses were 1.730 ± 0.050% (average gestation week: 18+1) and 2.307 ± 0.191% (average gestation week: 20+0) for cases 1 and 2, respectively. Using various genetic diagnostic techniques, including the BoBs™ assay, karyotype analysis, improved nucleolus-organizing region (NOR)-banding analysis, Affymetrix CytoScan 750K Array, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis, we determined the genetic defects of two fetuses with translocations of the SRY locus. Further, we reassessed the FF using FF-QuantSC and X chromosome-based methods. The distribution diagram of reads for chromosome Y was also analyzed. Results : The FF of the fetuses determined by FF-QuantSC were 10.330% (gestation week: 18+4) in case 1 and 9.470% (gestation week: 21+4) in case 2, while the FF of the fetuses determined using the X chromosome-based method were 8.889% (gestation week: 18+4) in case 1 and 2.296% (gestation week: 21+4) in case 2. Both the distribution diagrams of reads for chromosome Y of the two cases showed the deletion in the long arm of the Y chromosome. Conclusion : For repeatedly low FF samples detected using the Y chromosome-based NIPT method for a long gestational week, we believe that FF-QuantSC and distribution diagrams of reads could be used as a supplement to NIPT, especially for rare cases of sex reversal caused by SRY translocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]