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Humans can be exposed to multiple pollutants in the air and surface water. These environments are non-static, trans-boundary and correlated, creating a complex network, and significant challenges for research on environmental hazards, especially in real-world cancer research. This article reports on a large study (377 million people in 30 provinces of China) that evaluated the combined impact of air and surface water pollution on cancer. We formulate a spatial evaluation system and a common grading scale for co-pollution measurement, and validate assumptions that air and surface water environments are spatially connected and that cancers of different types tend to cluster in areas where these environments are poorer. We observe "dose–response" relationships in both the number of affected cancer types and the cancer incidence with an increase in degree of co-pollution. We estimate that 62,847 (7.4%) new cases of cancer registered in China in 2016 were attributable to air and surface water pollution, and the majority (69.7%) of these excess cases occurred in areas with the highest level of co-pollution. The findings clearly show that the environment cannot be considered as a set of separate entities. They also support the development of policies for cooperative environmental governance and disease prevention. Dissecting the associations between exposure to environmental pollution and cancer risk remains crucial. Here, the authors evaluate the impact of air and water pollution on cancer incidence in China using a spatial evaluation system and show that most excess cancer cases occurred in areas with the highest level of co-pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The current guidelines for managing screen‐detected pulmonary nodules offer rule‐based recommendations for immediate diagnostic work‐up or follow‐up at intervals of 3, 6, or 12 months. Customized visit plans are lacking. Purpose: To develop individualized screening schedules using reinforcement learning (RL) and evaluate the effectiveness of RL‐based policy models. Methods: Using a nested case–control design, we retrospectively identified 308 patients with cancer who had positive screening results in at least two screening rounds in the National Lung Screening Trial. We established a control group that included cancer‐free patients with nodules, matched (1:1) according to the year of cancer diagnosis. By generating 10,164 sequence decision episodes, we trained RL‐based policy models, incorporating nodule diameter alone, combined with nodule appearance (attenuation and margin) and/or patient information (age, sex, smoking status, pack‐years, and family history). We calculated rates of misdiagnosis, missed diagnosis, and delayed diagnosis, and compared the performance of RL‐based policy models with rule‐based follow‐up protocols (National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline; China Guideline for the Screening and Early Detection of Lung Cancer). Results: We identified significant interactions between certain variables (e.g., nodule shape and patient smoking pack‐years, beyond those considered in guideline protocols) and the selection of follow‐up testing intervals, thereby impacting the quality of the decision sequence. In validation, one RL‐based policy model achieved rates of 12.3% for misdiagnosis, 9.7% for missed diagnosis, and 11.7% for delayed diagnosis. Compared with the two rule‐based protocols, the three best‐performing RL‐based policy models consistently demonstrated optimal performance for specific patient subgroups based on disease characteristics (benign or malignant), nodule phenotypes (size, shape, and attenuation), and individual attributes. Conclusions: This study highlights the potential of using an RL‐based approach that is both clinically interpretable and performance‐robust to develop personalized lung cancer screening schedules. Our findings present opportunities for enhancing the current cancer screening system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, flexible Cu2−xS films on nylon membranes are prepared by combining a simple hydrothermal synthesis and vacuum filtration followed by hot pressing. The films consist of Cu2S and Cu1.96S two phases with grain sizes from nano to submicron. Doping Se on the S site not only increases the Cu1.96S content in the Cu2−xS to increase carrier concentration but also modifies electronic structure, thereby greatly improves the electrical properties of the Cu2−xS. Specifically, an optimal composite film with a nominal composition of Cu2−xS0.98Se0.02 exhibits a high power factor of ~150.1 μW m−1 K−2 at 300 K, which increases by ~138% compared to that of the pristine Cu2−xS film. Meanwhile, the composite film shows outstanding flexibility (~97.2% of the original electrical conductivity is maintained after 1500 bending cycles with a bending radius of 4 mm). A four-leg flexible thermoelectric (TE) generator assembled with the optimal film generates a maximum power of 329.6 nW (corresponding power density of 1.70 W m−2) at a temperature difference of 31.1 K. This work provides a simple route to the preparation of high TE performance Cu2−xS-based films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of cancer immunotherapy, some special features including delayed treatment effect, cure rate, diminishing treatment effect and crossing survival are often observed in survival analysis. They violate the proportional hazard model assumption and pose a unique challenge for the conventional trial design and analysis strategies. Many methods like cure rate model have been developed based on mixture model to incorporate some of these features. In this work, we extend the mixture model to deal with multiple non‐proportional patterns and develop its geometric average hazard ratio (gAHR) to quantify the treatment effect. We further derive a sample size and power formula based on the non‐centrality parameter of the log‐rank test and conduct a thorough analysis of the impact of each parameter on performance. Simulation studies showed a clear advantage of our new method over the proportional hazard based calculation across different non‐proportional hazard scenarios. Moreover, the mixture modeling of two real trials demonstrates how to use the prior information on the survival distribution among patients with different biomarker and early efficacy results in practice. By comparison with a simulation‐based design, the new method provided a more efficient way to compute the power and sample size with high accuracy of estimation. Overall, both theoretical derivation and empirical studies demonstrate the promise of the proposed method in powering future innovative trial designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium‐ion batteries (KIBs) are promising energy storage devices owing to the close redox potential of potassium (K) to lithium and rich abundance of K resource, thus promoting the exploration of efficient cathode materials for K‐ions storage. Fe‐based Prussian blue analogues (KFeHCF) are promising cathode materials for KIBs due to their combined advantages in low cost and high energy density. However, the rapid capacity decay induced by unstable cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) and dissolution of transition metal ions leads to limited lifespans (e.g., hundreds of cycles) of K∥KFeHCF batteries. Incorporating additives into electrolytes is an economical and effective way to construct robust CEI for high‐performance KIBs. Herein, a multifunctional electrolyte additive, potassium selenocyanate (KSeCN), is introduced to effectively construct stable, homogeneous and conductive CEI films, which leads to the inhibition of Fe dissolution and stabilization of KFeHCF structure during cycling. With 0.5 wt% of KSeCN in conventional carbonated electrolyte, the K∥KFeHCF battery exhibits promoted cycling performance with a capacity retention rate of 87% after 500 cycles at 4.5 V cutoff voltage. This finding provides a new paradigm for developing and designing potassium‐ion battery electrolytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper-sulfide-based materials have attracted noteworthy attention as thermoelectric materials due to rich elemental reserves, non-toxicity, low thermal conductivity, and adjustable electrical properties. However, research on the flexible thermoelectrics of copper sulfide has not yet been reported. In this work, we developed a facile method to prepare flexible Mn-doped Cu2−xS films on nylon membranes. First, nano to submicron powders with nominal compositions of Cu2−xMnyS (y = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07) were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Then, the powders were vacuum-filtrated on nylon membranes and finally hot-pressed. Phase composition and microstructure analysis revealed that the films contained both Cu2S and Cu1.96S, and the size of the grains was ~20–300 nm. By Mn doping, there was an increase in carrier concentration and mobility, and ultimately, the electrical properties of Cu2−xS were improved. Eventually, the Cu2−xMn0.05S film showed a maximum power factor of 113.3 μW m−1 K−2 and good flexibility at room temperature. Moreover, an assembled four-leg flexible thermoelectric generator produced a maximum power of 249.48 nW (corresponding power density ~1.23 W m−2) at a temperature difference of 30.1 K, and had good potential for powering low-power-consumption wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile preparation method for flexible p-type CuI/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanocomposite thermoelectric (TE) film is developed. First, CuI powder was synthesized by a one-pot method; second, PVP was coated in situ with the CuI powder; third, the CuI/PVP nanocomposite film was prepared on a nylon membrane by vacuum filtration and then hot-pressing. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation indicates that the film consists of CuI nanograins with an average size of ~15 nm and PVP distributed at the inner wall of nanopores and the surface of the CuI nanograins. The composite film shows a large Seebeck coefficient of ~605 µVK−1 and a power factor of ~8.05 µWm−1K−2 at 300 K. The nanocomposite film also exhibits excellent flexibility (~96% of initial electrical conductivity retention after being bent 1000 times along a 4 mm radius rod). A single-leg TE module outputs a voltage of ~3.6 mV when the temperature difference is 6 K. This work provides a fast, simple, and environmentally friendly method by which to prepare flexible CuI/PVP nanocomposite TE film with a large Seebeck coefficient, which could be used as a wearable sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land finance has become an important way of generating fiscal incomes in developing countries, while the urban–rural income gap (URIG) in developing countries remains high. However, existing research has not paid much attention to the connection between land finance and the URIG. Therefore, this study used a fixed-effects model to test this relationship for 275 prefecture-level cities in China from 2014 to 2017. To identify the effects of the potential omitted variables, this study conducted additional robustness checks using placebo tests. The results showed that land finance significantly widened the URIG, and this finding was maintained after a set of tests. Further study found that the effect of land finance on the URIG showed significant heterogeneity. Land grants by tender, listing, and auction significantly widened the URIG, while land grants by agreement did not affect the URIG; the effect of land finance on the URIG was more significant in Eastern and Middle regions, but not marked in Western regions; and land finance had no impact on the URIG in large and medium-sized cities, while it had a significant impact in small cities. Based on the above results, this study offers recommendations to improve land fiscal policy and urban-biased development strategies, which aim to promote the equalization of the basic rights and interests of urban and rural residents and reduce the URIG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible Ag2Se thermoelectric (TE) films are promising for wearable applications near room temperature (RT). Herein, a Ag2Se film on a nylon membrane with high TE performance was fabricated by a facile method. First, Ag2Se powders were prepared by a microwave-assisted synthesis method using Ag nanowires as a template. Second, the Ag2Se powders were deposited onto nylon via vacuum filtration followed by hot pressing. Through modulating the Ag/Se molar ratio for synthesizing the Ag2Se powders, an optimized Ag2Se film demonstrates a high power factor of 1577.1 μW m−1 K−2 and good flexibility at RT. The flexibility of the Ag2Se film is mainly attributed to the flexible nylon membrane. In addition, a six-leg flexible TE generator (f-TEG) fabricated with the optimized Ag2Se film exhibits a maximum power density of 18.4 W m−2 at a temperature difference of 29 K near RT. This work provides a new solution to prepare high-TE-performance flexible Ag2Se films for f-TEGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the association between surface water quality and cancer incidence, especially in China. Drinking water quality has been linked to the incidence of several cancers in individual-level studies. However, few studies have attempted to examine multiple pollutants and multiple cancers at population level. This study used water monitoring and population-level cancer data from across China to examine spatial associations between water pollutants and types of cancer. We found a "dose–response" relationship between the number of pollutants present at high levels and cancer incidence. These results provide evidence of a nationwide spatial association between water quality and cancer in China. The precise relationship varies with cancers and pollutants. However, the overall consistency of the "dose–response" relationship suggests that surface water quality is an important factor in cancer incidence. Our findings highlight new issues such as the changing effects when different pollutants co-exist and an increasing number of new cancer cases partially attributable to poor water quality. Our work also points to some ways to deal with these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complicated relationships exist in both occurrence and progression of surgical complications, which are difficult to account for using a separate quantitative method such as prediction or grading. Data of 51,030 surgical inpatients were collected from four academic/teaching hospitals in a prospective cohort study in China. The relationship between preoperative factors, 22 common complications, and death was analyzed. With input from 54 senior clinicians and following a Bayesian network approach, a complication grading, cluster-visualization, and prediction (GCP) system was designed to model pathways between grades of complication and preoperative risk factor clusters. In the GCP system, there were 11 nodes representing six grades of complication and five preoperative risk factor clusters, and 32 arcs representing a direct association. Several critical targets were pinpointed on the pathway. Malnourished status was a fundamental cause widely associated (7/32 arcs) with other risk factor clusters and complications. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score ⩾3 was directly dependent on all other risk factor clusters and influenced all severe complications. Grade III complications (mainly pneumonia) were directly dependent on 4/5 risk factor clusters and affected all other grades of complication. Irrespective of grade, complication occurrence was more likely to increase the risk of other grades of complication than risk factor clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a vital parameter in living cells and tissues, the micro-environment is crucial for the living organisms. Significantly, organelles require proper micro-environment to achieve normal physiological processes, and the micro-environment in organelles can reflect the state of organelles in living cells. Moreover, some abnormal micro-environments in organelles are closely related to organelle dysfunction and disease development. So, visualizing and monitoring the variation of micro-environments in organelles is helpful for physiologists and pathologists to study the mechanisms of the relative diseases. Recently, a large variety of fluorescent probes was developed to study the micro-environments in living cells and tissues. However, the systematic and comprehensive reviews on the organelle micro-environment in living cells and tissues have rarely been published, which may hinder the research progress in the field of organic fluorescent probes. In this review, we will summarize the organic fluorescent probes for monitoring the microenvironment, such as viscosity, pH values, polarity, and temperature. Further, diverse organelles (mitochondria, lysosome, endoplasmic reticulum, cell membrane) about microenvironments will be displayed. In this process, the fluorescent probes about the "off-on" and ratiometric category (the diverse fluorescence emission) will be discussed. Moreover, the molecular designing, chemical synthesis, fluorescent mechanism, and the bio-applications of these organic fluorescent probes in cells and tissues will also be discussed. Significantly, the merits and defects of current microenvironment-sensitive probes are outlined and discussed, and the development tendency and challenges for this kind of probe are presented. In brief, this review mainly summarizes some typical examples and highlights the progress of organic fluorescent probes for monitoring micro-environments in living cells and tissues in recent research. We anticipate that this review will deepen the understanding of microenvironment in cells and tissues and facilitate the studies and development of physiology and pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MXene‐based supercapacitors are promising electrochemical energy‐storage devices due to their ultrahigh volumetric capacitance, high‐power characteristics, and excellent cyclability. However, they suffer from severe self‐discharging behavior while the underlying self‐discharging mechanism is still unclear. Here, the self‐discharge behavior of MXene‐based supercapacitors from surface electronic structure of MXenes is disclosed, and a novel method to mitigate it is proposed. A superficial engineering strategy based on bio‐thermal treatment is developed to effectively tailor surface electronic structure of Ti3C2Tx MXenes by eliminating hydroxyl terminations. With the evolution of surface electronic structure, as revealed by Kelvin probe force microscope and synchrotron radiation X‐ray absorption fine structure analysis, MXene‐based supercapacitors with common aqueous electrolytes show >20% decline in self‐discharge rate. This decline mechanism originates from the increased work function that induces higher zero‐charge potential after the removal of hydroxyl groups in MXenes. Meanwhile, the strengthened surface dipole leads to higher surface free energy between MXene and electrolytes. These two positive effects endow MXenes with weaker self‐discharge kinetics. Specifically, the activation‐controlled self‐discharge process is greatly suppressed. Illuminating the relevance between electronic structure and self‐discharge accompanying superficial engineering suppression strategy can guide to development of high‐performance energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a novel and facile method to fabricate a flexible Ag2Se thermoelectric (TE) film on a nylon substrate is developed. The Ag2Se film was prepared by vacuum-assisted filtration of the Ag2Se powder synthesized by a one-pot method followed by hot pressing. An optimal Ag2Se film shows a maximum power factor of ∼2043 μW m−1 K−2 at 300 K, which is one of the highest values reported for Ag2Se films on flexible substrates. The excellent performance of the film is mainly due to the high density and good crystallinity of Ag2Se grains with semi-coherent and coherent grain boundaries. Besides, the film also shows good flexibility. Furthermore, a 6-leg flexible TE generator (f-TEG) assembled from the optimal film produces a maximum power of ∼9.14 μW (corresponding power density of ∼30.46 W m−2) at a temperature gradient of 30.3 K, which proves that the film has exceptionally high TE properties. This work presents a simple, fast, low cost and environmentally friendly synthesis process for preparation of high performance Ag2Se-based flexible TE films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to ensure the reliability of the furnace tube hook of the tube heating furnace, based on the on-site monitoring data, a three-dimensional steady state thermal structural coupling analysis model of the furnace tube hook is established, and the appropriate grid density is selected. The thermal structural coupling analysis of the hook was carried out using the finite element multi physical field method. ZG40Cr25Ni20 was selected as the hook material, and the temperature, deformation and equivalent stress of the hook under three different thermal load conditions were mainly analyzed. The results show that the maximum surface temperature of the hook is located at the tip of the web, and decreases with the decrease of the heat load of the heating furnace; Under the same stress and constraint conditions, the maximum deformation values under the three heat loads are 8.72, 8.11 and 7.07 mm respectively, and they are all located at the front end of the web, indicating that the higher the temperature is, the greater the deformation coordination is required; The maximum equivalent stress of the hook is located at the connection between the furnace wall and the hook. The strength of the dangerous section of the hook is checked according to the first strength theory. The check results show that the structural strength meets the design requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Numerous observational studies have revealed an increased risk of death and complications with transfusion, but this observation has not been confirmed in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The "transfusion kills patients" paradox persists in real-world observational studies despite application of analytic methods such as propensity-score matching. We propose a new design to address this long-term existing issue, which if left unresolved, will be deleterious to the healthy generation of evidence that supports optimized transfusion practice. Methods: In the new design, we stress three aspects for reconciling observational studies and RCTs on transfusion safety: (1) re-definition of the study population according to a stable hemoglobin range (gray zone of transfusion decision; 7.5–9.5 g/dL in this study); (2) selection of comparison groups according to a trigger value (last hemoglobin measurement before transfusion; nadir during hospital stay for control); (3) dealing with patient heterogeneity according to standardized mean difference (SMD) values. We applied the new design to hospitalized older patients (aged ≥60 years) undergoing general surgery at four academic/teaching hospitals. Four datasets were analyzed: a base population before (Base Match−) and after (Base Match+) propensity-score matching to simulate previous observational studies; a study population before (Study Match−) and after (Study Match+) propensity-score matching to demonstrate effects of our design. Results: Of 6141 older patients, 662 (10.78%) were transfused and showed high heterogeneity compared with those not receiving transfusion, particularly regarding preoperative hemoglobin (mean: 11.0 vs. 13.5 g/dL) and intraoperative bleeding (≥500 mL: 37.9% vs. 2.1%). Patient heterogeneity was reduced with the new design; SMD of the two variables was reduced from approximately 100% (Base Match−) to 0% (Study Match+). Transfusion was related to a higher risk of death and complications in Base Match− (odds ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.68, 1.86–3.86) and Base Match+ (2.24, 1.43–3.49), but not in Study Match− (0.77, 0.32–1.86) or Study Match+ (0.66, 0.23–1.89). Conclusions: We show how choice of study population and analysis could affect real-world study findings. Our results following the new design are in accordance with relevant RCTs, highlighting its value in accelerating the pace of transfusion evidence generation and generalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To identify key biomarkers in the metastasis of uveal melanoma (UM). Methods: The microarray datasets GSE27831 and GSE22138 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and functional enrichment analyses were performed. A protein–protein interaction network was constructed, and four algorithms were performed to increase the reliability of hub genes. Biomarker analysis and metastasis-free survival analysis were performed to screen and verify prognostic hub genes. Results: A total of 138 DEGs were identified, consisting of 71 downregulated genes and 67 upregulated genes. Four genes (ROBO1, FMN1, FYN and FXR1) were selected as hub genes. Biomarker analysis and metastasis-free survival analysis showed that ROBO1, FMN1, FYN and FXR1 were factors affecting the metastasis and metastasis-free survival of UM (all p < 0.05). High expression of ROBO1 and low expression of FMN1 were associated with longer metastasis-free survival. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox analyses in GSE 27831 indicated that ROBO1 was an independent factor affecting metastasis and metastasis-free survival of UM (p = 0.010 and p = 0.009), while ROBO1 and FMN1 were independent factors affecting metastasis and metastasis-free survival of UM in GSE22138 (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: ROBO1, FMN1, FYN and FXR1 should be regarded as diagnostic biomarkers for the metastasis of UM, especially ROBO1 and FMN1. High expression of ROBO1 and low expression of FMN1 were associated with longer metastasis-free survival. This study may facilitate the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the metastasis of UM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With technological revolutions and new rural revitalization strategies, rural e-commerce logistics and agricultural modernization are becoming the focus of society. The purpose of the current study is to measure the coupling coordination state of regional rural e-commerce logistics and agricultural modernization, to analyze the obstacles to coordinated development, to forecast the trend, and to propose policy suggestions for coordinated development. Based on the theory of system coordinated development, this paper selects representative indicators reflecting regional rural e-commerce logistics and agricultural modernization, and constructs a coordinated development measurement index system. This paper also constructs a coupling coordination-obstacle degree model, adopting Handan City, Hebei Province as an example, using the data obtained from 2010 to 2019 to measure the coordinated development status of rural e-commerce logistics and agricultural modernization; and analyzes the obstacles affecting coordinated development. By introducing the grey prediction GM (1,1) model and by applying it to the research, the results show that the model is feasible, and the coordinated development level of rural e-commerce logistics and agricultural modernization in Handan City presents a fluctuating upward trend. The prediction results show that the coordinated development of rural e-commerce logistics and agricultural modernization will achieve good coordination in 2024, and relevant development suggestions are proposed. The research can provide some decision-making references for establishing the measurement model, an obstacle-factor analysis, and a trend prediction for the coordinated development of regional rural e-commerce logistics and agricultural modernization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulation of liquids near the wellbore in gas reservoirs can result in what is known as liquid banking, causing loss of gas and liquid production. One of the techniques that can be used to mitigate liquid banking is changing the rock wettability from liquid wetting to neutral wetting, allowing the gas to carry the liquid out of the pore space. Double‐functionalized wettability altering silica (SiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) were developed. The synthesized NPs were functionalized with both fluoro‐silane (F‐SiO2 NPs) and a charged functional group to enable coupling of the NPs to the substrate. Surfaces treated with F‐SiO2 NPs functionalized with coupling functional group showed superior wear and corrosion resistance in high salinity water compared to single‐functionalized F‐SiO2 NPs. By functionalizing 125 nm SiO2 NPs first with polyethylenimine (PEI‐) or N‐(2‐Aminoethyl)‐3‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (DAMO‐) l group followed by fluorination, a water contact angle of 120°and decane contact angle of 70° was achieved. Core flow testing performed under realistic reservoir conditions of pressure and temperature showed that F‐SiO2 NPs coated with PEI achieved a 58% improvement in gas and liquid relative permeability, indicating improvement in the surface repellency to liquids and reduction of the trapped liquid phases inside the pore space of the rocks. The developed double‐functionalized NPs achieved similar performance to the commercially used fluorinated surfactants but using less treatment volume. In addition, these double‐functionalized NPs enable one‐step treatment in the field, which results in simpler operations, shorter treatment time, and better treatment economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Radiomics-based image metrics are not used in the clinic despite the rapidly growing literature. We selected eight promising radiomic features and validated their value in decoding lung cancer heterogeneity. Methods: CT images of 236 lung cancer patients were obtained from three different institutes, whereupon radiomic features were extracted according to a standardized procedure. The predictive value for patient long-term prognosis and association with routinely used semantic, genetic (e.g., epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)), and histopathological cancer profiles were validated. Feature measurement reproducibility was assessed. Results: All eight selected features were robust across repeat scans (intraclass coefficient range: 0.81–0.99), and were associated with at least one of the cancer profiles: prognostic, semantic, genetic, and histopathological. For instance, "kurtosis" had a high predictive value of early death (AUC at first year: 0.70–0.75 in two independent cohorts), negative association with histopathological grade (Spearman's r: − 0.30), and altered expression levels regarding EGFR mutation and semantic characteristics (solid intensity, spiculated shape, juxtapleural location, and pleura tag; all p < 0.05). Combined as a radiomic score, the features had a higher area under curve for predicting 5-year survival (train: 0.855, test: 0.780, external validation: 0.760) than routine characteristics (0.733, 0.622, 0.613, respectively), and a better capability in patient death risk stratification (hazard ratio: 5.828, 95% confidence interval: 2.915–11.561) than histopathological staging and grading. Conclusions: We highlighted the clinical value of radiomic features. Following confirmation, these features may change the way in which we approach CT imaging and improve the individualized care of lung cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses extreme value theory and exponential generalised autoregressive score models to estimate the tail extremes of financial return series. The peak-over-threshold method based on the generalised pareto distribution is combined with the EGAS models and the nonparametric quantile method is used to determine the thresholds in the POT method, which is used to calculate the value-at-risk of financial markets and to perform backtesting. The empirical analysis was conducted on the soybean oil, rapeseed oil, and palm oil futures indices in the Chinese futures market. The study demonstrated that the EGAS-POT models based on nonparametric quantile thresholds can effectively characterise tail risk and provide a feasible measure of risk for investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endothelial dysfunction is associated with two main complications of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy, cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). This study evaluates the Endothelial Activation and Stress Index (EASIX) as a prognostic marker for high-grade CRS and ICANS in patients treated with CD19-directed CAR-T cells. Methods: In this retrospective study, a training cohort of 93 patients from the ZUMA-1 trial and a validation cohort of 121 patients from two independent centers (University Hospital Heidelberg, Charité University Medicine Berlin) were investigated. The primary objective was to assess the predictive capacity of EASIX measured immediately before the start of lymphodepletion (EASIX-pre) for the occurrence of grade ≥3 CRS and/or ICANS. To explore a possible endothelial link, serum levels of endothelial stress markers (angiopoietin-2, suppressor of tumorigenicity-2, soluble thrombomodulin, and interleukin-8) were determined before lymphodepletion and on day 7 after CART infusion in the validation cohort (n = 47). Results: The prognostic effect of EASIX-pre on grade ≥3 CRS and/or ICANS was significant in the training cohort [OR 2-fold increase 1.72 (1.26–2.46)] and validated in the independent cohort. An EASIX-pre cutoff >4.67 derived from the training cohort associated with a 4.3-fold increased odds ratio of severe CRS/ICANS in the independent cohort. Serum endothelial distress markers measured on day+7 correlated with EASIX-pre and associated with severe complications. Conclusions: EASIX-pre is a powerful predictor of severe CRS/ICANS after CD19-directed CART therapy and might be used as a basis for risk-adapted prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the development of thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) materials for use in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The authors designed and synthesized two molecules, CQPh and CQPy, based on carbazole donors and benzopyrimidine acceptors. The photoluminescence spectra of these molecules were measured, and it was found that CQPh showed better device performance in red OLEDs, achieving a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 50.19%. The results suggest that CQPh is an excellent host for high-performance red electroluminescent devices. [Extracted from the article]

This document, titled "Intermolecular Charge Transfer for High-Performance Organic Light-Emitting Diodes," discusses the use of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) to achieve high-performance devices. Specifically, the authors designed and synthesized two new molecules, CzPh-1 and CzPh-2, which were found to form deep-blue exciple emission with a triazine-containing molecule, CzTrz, through effective intermolecular charge transfer. The photoluminescence spectra and time-resolved photoluminescence studies demonstrated the TADF characteristics of these materials. The authors acknowledge the support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. [Extracted from the article]

A facile method to prepare flexible n‐type Ag2Se/Se/polypyrrole (PPy) composite films is developed. First, Ag2Se nanostructures (NSs) are wet chemically synthesized; PPy is then in situ polymerized at the surface of the Ag2Se NSs; and finally, the Ag2Se/Se/PPy composite film on a porous nylon membrane is fabricated by a vacuum‐assisted filtration process followed by hot pressing. An optimal composite film shows an exceptionally high power factor of ≈2240 µW m−1 K−2 at 300 K, mainly because of the synergistic effect between well‐developed crystalline Ag2Se grains and a small amount of Se and PPy. The film also possesses outstanding flexibility (only about 6.5% decrease in electrical conductivity after 1000 times bending along a rod with a radius of 4 mm). Moreover, a flexible thermoelectric generator composed of six legs of the film outputs a voltage of 21.2 mV and a maximum power of 4.04 µW (corresponding power density of 37.6 W m−2) at a temperature difference of 34.1 K, verifying exceptionally high thermoelectric properties. This work shows the promise of the as‐prepared composite film for practical applications in wearable devices and will surely promote the research and development of flexible TE generators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel Co3O4/Co(OH)2 heterostructure is obtained via electrodeposition on nickel (Ni) foam, forming sandwich‐like structure and freestanding electrode. The outer Co(OH)2 with layered structure can provide sufficient absorption sites and enable facile ion intercalation, meanwhile the presence of a conductive and robust interfacial Co3O4 layer between Ni foam and Co(OH)2 is found effectively minimizes the charge transfer resistance and stabilizes the interface, thus improving the electrode's rate and cycling performance with high capacity preserved synergistically. Furthermore, the structural evolution of Co(OH)2 and Co3O4 upon cycling are elucidated systematically using a series of in situ and ex situ techniques. The Co(OH)2 is found irreversibly changed to CoOOH upon first charge, which is then reversibly converted to CoO2 during the subsequent charge–discharge cycles. The Co3O4 exhibits negligible phase changes of the bulk upon cycling, indicating its good structural integrity that contributes to the significantly improved cyclability. In general, this work not only offers an ease and effective approach to optimize the charge storage properties of Co3O4/Co(OH)2 heterostructure via interfacial layer control, but also provides valuable insights in understanding their charge storage mechanisms, which may inspire the development of more heterostructures or extend to other applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinel cobaltites are widely presented as promising pseudocapacitive materials, however, a fundamental understanding of their structure–property relationship at an atomic level remains vague. Herein, their geometrical‐site‐dependent charge storage capability is investigated by substituting Co with inactive Zn and redox‐active Mn. Experimental and theoretical analyses reveal that redox‐active cations in octahedral sites contribute to enhanced capacitance, intrinsically determined by the covalency competition between tetrahedral and octahedral sites. The Zn2+ incorporation leads to increased occupancy of Co in octahedral sites and 2.9× increased capacitance at 1 A g−1 current density, whereas the substituted Mn cations mainly sit in octahedral sites which can react with OH− upon cycling and separate on the spinel surface to reconstruct into δ‐MnO2 nanosheets, leading to 4× increased capacitance at 1 A g−1 current density with a detected K+ ion intercalation. Thus, the exposure of redox‐active cations in octahedral sites and their intrinsic properties are influential in determining spinel oxides' pseudocapacitive properties. This work provides a general principle to optimize the pseudocapacitive properties of spinel cobaltites by deliberately selecting cations for substitution and controlling their distribution in octahedral/tetrahedral sites. It also offers a fundamental understanding of geometrical‐site‐dependent activity, and can effectively guide the development of spinel oxides for enhanced pseudocapacitance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Room-temperature thermoelectric materials are important for converting heat into electrical energy. As a wide-bandgap semiconductor material, CuI has the characteristics of non-toxicity, low cost, and environmental friendliness. In this work, CuI powder was synthesized by a wet chemical method, then CuI film was formed by vacuum assisted filtration of the CuI powder on a porous nylon membrane, followed by hot pressing. The film exhibits a large Seebeck coefficient of 600 ÎĽV · Kâˆ'1 at room temperature. In addition, the film also shows good flexibility (∼95% retention of the electrical conductivity after being bent along a rod with a radius of 4 mm for 1000 times). A finger touch test on a single-leg TE module indicates that a voltage of 0.9 mV was immediately generated within 0.5 s from a temperature difference of 4 K between a finger and the environment, suggesting the potential application in wearable thermal sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High power and good stability enable supercapacitors to work efficiently at high temperatures. However, the high‐temperature‐induced excessive ion transfer of the electrolyte would lead to severe self‐discharge behavior, which has often been overlooked but can be highly detrimental. In this study, solid electrolytes consisting of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), bentonite clay, and ionic liquids (IL)‐PEO‐clay@[EMIM][BF4] (PCE), PEO‐clay@[BMIM][BF4] (PCB), and PEO‐clay@[HMIM][BF4] (PCH) lead to dramatic decreases in self‐discharge when used in all‐solid‐state supercapacitors at high temperature of 70 °C, which correlate with chain elongation (i. e., [EMIM+]<[BMIM+]<[HMIM+]). Benefiting from both cation adsorption and high‐temperature stabilization by bentonite clay, PCH‐based supercapacitors (IL=[HMIM][BF4]) deliver an extremely low self‐discharge rate, with only a 30.7 % voltage drop over 10 h at 70 °C (44.5 % for 38 h), which is much lower than that of traditional liquid supercapacitors (63.7 % drop over 10 h at 70 °C). This improvement in high‐temperature self‐discharge behavior is found to be from the decrease in diffusion‐controlled faradaic process. Based on the longer‐chain [HMIM+], soft‐packaged supercapacitors exhibit a low self‐discharge rate and work consistently at 70 °C. This chain‐elongation strategy provides a new possibility for the suppression of self‐discharge behavior in supercapacitors and further aids long‐term energy storage by supercapacitors at high temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The timeliness of diagnostic testing after positive screening remains suboptimal because of limited evidence and methodology, leading to delayed diagnosis of lung cancer and over-examination. We propose a radiomics approach to assist with planning of the diagnostic testing interval in lung cancer screening.Methods: From an institute-based lung cancer screening cohort, we retrospectively selected 92 patients with pulmonary nodules with diameters ≥ 3 mm at baseline (61 confirmed as lung cancer by histopathology; 31 confirmed cancer-free). Four groups of region-of-interest-based radiomic features (n = 310) were extracted for quantitative characterization of the nodules, and eight features were proven to be predictive of cancer diagnosis, noise-robust, phenotype-related, and non-redundant. A radiomics biomarker was then built with the random survival forest method. The patients with nodules were divided into low-, middle- and high-risk subgroups by two biomarker cutoffs that optimized time-dependent sensitivity and specificity for decisions about diagnostic workup within 3 months and about repeat screening after 12 months, respectively. A radiomics-based follow-up schedule was then proposed. Its performance was visually assessed with a time-to-diagnosis plot and benchmarked against lung RADS and four other guideline protocols.Results: The radiomics biomarker had a high time-dependent area under the curve value (95% CI) for predicting lung cancer diagnosis within 12 months; training: 0.928 (0.844, 0.972), test: 0.888 (0.766, 0.975); the performance was robust in extensive cross-validations. The time-to-diagnosis distributions differed significantly between the three patient subgroups, p < 0.001: 96.2% of high-risk patients (n = 26) were diagnosed within 10 months after baseline screen, whereas 95.8% of low-risk patients (n = 24) remained cancer-free by the end of the study. Compared with the five existing protocols, the proposed follow-up schedule performed best at securing timely lung cancer diagnosis (delayed diagnosis rate: < 5%) and at sparing patients with cancer-free nodules from unnecessary repeat screenings and examinations (false recommendation rate: 0%).Conclusions: Timely management of screening-detected pulmonary nodules can be substantially improved with a radiomics approach. This proof-of-concept study's results should be further validated in large programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Parathyroid carcinoma (PC) is a rare malignant neoplasm with a relatively poor prognosis. The loss of parafibromin expression or the presence of CDC73 mutation has been found to be remarkably associated with malignancy in parathyroid tumours. However, the prognostic role of them in PC has not yet been shown due to sampling limitations. We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis based on individual patient data to clarify the performance of parafibromin immunohistochemical staining and CDC73 gene sequencing in predicting outcomes for patients PC. Methods: Published studies from PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane and Scopus Databases were searched using the terms 'parafibromin', 'CDC73', 'HRPT2' and 'parathyroid' to identify eligible studies. From the included studies, the survival data of patients with PC were extracted, and a Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess hazard ratio (HR) for disease‐free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: A total of 193 patients from 9 studies were included in this survival analysis. Negative immunohistochemical staining of parafibromin was shown to be a risk factor for recurrence/metastasis (HR 2.73, P =.002) and death (HR 2.54, P =.004). Patient age ≥ 50 years was significantly related to lower OS (HR 2.37, P =.004) but not to DFS. CDC73 mutation was not statistically related to DFS or OS. Conclusions: Negative parafibromin staining indicated a higher risk of recurrence/metastasis and mortality. The immunohistochemical staining of parafibromin seems to be more promising in predicting outcomes for patients with PC than the sequencing of CDC73. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we have systematically investigated the post-thermal annealing-induced enhancement in photovoltaic performance of a 2,4-bis[4-(N, N-diisobutylamino)-2,6-dihydroxyphenyl] squaraine (DIBSQ)/C60 planar heterojunction (PHJ) organic solar cells (OSCs). An increased power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.28% has been realized from a DIBSQ/C60 device with thermal annealing at 100 °C for 4 min, which is about 33% enhancement compared with that of the as-cast device. The improvement of the device performance may be mainly ascribed to the crystallinity of the DIBSQ film with post-thermal annealing, which will change the DIBSQ donor and C60 acceptor interface from ^PHJ to hybrid planar-mixed heterojunction. This new donor-acceptor heterojunction structure will significantly improve the charge separation and charge collection efficiency, as well as the open circuit voltage (Voc) of the device, leading to an enhanced PCE. This work provides an effective strategy to improve the photovoltaic performance of SQ-based OSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational and objectives: To compare thin-section computed tomography (CT) features of pulmonary cryptococcosis (PC) in immunocompetent and non-AIDS immunocompromised patients. Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed CT findings of 18 immunocompetent and 24 non-AIDS immunocompromised patients with clinically proven PC. Different patterns of pulmonary abnormalities between the two groups of patients were compared by Fisher's exact test. Results: Pulmonary nodules were present in 37 of the 42 patients. Masses were detected in 16 patients and consolidation in 9. There were 12 patients with a solitary nodule or mass. Masses were associated with nodules in 12 patients. Consolidation was associated with nodules/masses in nine patients. The nodules/masses were associated with cavitations in 13 patients. Margination of nodules/masses was well defined in nine patients and ill-defined in 33. The abnormalities were predominantly distributed in the peripheral region of the lung (n = 29, 69.0%). The presence of cavitations in nodules/masses was significantly more frequent in non-AIDS immunocompromised than in immunocompetent patients (P = 0.001). Conclusions: The most common thin-section CT feature of PC was pulmonary nodules/masses, which were ill-defined and located peripherally. Cavitations within nodules/masses were more commonly found in non-AIDS immunocompromised patients. PC should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary nodules/masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developmentally regulated programmed cell death (PCD) is one of the key cellular events for precise controlling of neuronal population during postembryonic development of the central nervous system. Previously we have shown that a group of corazonin-producing peptidergic neurons (vCrz) undergo apoptosis in response to ecdysone signaling via ecdysone receptor (EcR)-B isoforms and Ultraspiracle during early phase of metamorphosis. Further utilizing genetic, transgenic, and mosaic analyses, we have found that TGF-β signaling mediated by a glia-produced ligand, Myoglianin, type-I receptor Baboon (particularly Babo-A isoform) and dSmad2, is also required autonomously for PCD of the vCrz neurons. Our studies show that TGF-β signaling is not acting epistatically to EcR or vice versa. We also show that ectopic expression of a constitutively active phosphomimetic form of dSmad2 (dSmad2PM) is capable of inducing premature death of vCrz neurons in larva but not other larval neurons. Intriguingly, the dSmad2PM-mediated killing is completely suppressed by coexpression of a dominant-negative form of EcR (EcRDN), suggesting that EcR function is required for the proapoptotic dSmad2PM function. Based on these data, we suggest that TGF-β and ecdysone signaling pathways act cooperatively to induce vCrz neuronal PCD. We propose that this type of two-factor authentication is a key developmental strategy to ensure the timely PCD of specific larval neurons during metamorphosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: A health industry standard recommending restrictive transfusion is to be in effect in China in April 2019. We aim to explore its potential economic and clinical impacts among surgical patients. Materials and Methods: A decision tree model was applied to compare cost‐effectiveness of current routine transfusion in China, a restrictive (transfusion at Hb < 8 g/dl or ischaemic symptoms) and a liberal (transfusion at Hb < 10 g/dl) strategy. Parameters were estimated from empirical data of 25 227 surgical inpatients aged ≥30 years in a multicenter study and supplemented by meta‐analysis when necessary. Results are shown for cardio‐cerebral‐vascular (CCV) surgery and non‐CCV (orthopaedics, general, thoracic) surgery separately. Results: Per 10 000 patients in routine, restrictive, liberal transfusion scenarios, total spending (transfusion and length of stay related) was 7·67, 7·58 and 9·39 million CNY (1 CNY × 0.157 = 1 US dollar) for CCV surgery and 6·35, 6·70 and 8·09 million CNY for non‐CCV surgery; infectious and severe complications numbered 354, 290, and 290 (CCV) and 315, 286, and 330 (non‐CCV), respectively. Acceptability curves showed high probabilities for restrictive strategy to be cost‐effective across a wide range of willingness‐to‐pay values. Such findings were mostly consistent in sensitivity and subgroup analyses except for patients with cardiac problems. Conclusion: We showed strong rationale, succeeding previous findings only in cardiac or joint procedures, to comply with the new standard as restrictive transfusion has high potential to save blood, secure safety, and is cost‐effective for a wide spectrum of surgical patients. Experiences should be further summarized to pave the way towards individualized transfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apart from low energy density, the rapid self-discharge phenomenon also severely limits the application of supercapacitors in periodic energy storage and power supply. Herein, we proposed a novel ‘playing mud pies’ strategy to prepare the high-performance bentonite clay@ionic liquid based solid-state electrolyte (BISE), which can efficiently solve the self-discharge issue of supercapacitors. The BISE-based supercapacitors display an extremely low self-discharge behavior with an open circuit potential drop of only 28.9% within 60 h, much better than that of conventional supercapacitors (40.1%@12 h). More importantly, even at a high temperature of 75 °C, the supercapacitors can still present a low voltage decline of 40% within 12 h and can stably deliver a high voltage of ＞1.5 V, which guarantees high-temperature energy conversion and storage application. We further proved that the low self-discharge mechanism originates from the confinement effect of silicon–oxygen bonds of the clay, which suppress the shuttle effect of Fe ions and promote selective penetration of electrolyte anions. Consequently, the remarkable decrease of both the ohmic leakage and diffusion-controlled faradaic process could sharply weaken the self-discharge behavior. Based on the BISE, we also developed soft-packaged supercapacitors with a low self-discharge value of 23.6%@20 h. Evidently, our ‘playing mud pies’ method can open a route to exploit extremely low self-discharge supercapacitors at widely ranging temperatures for deep insight into the self-discharge mechanism and further for efficient energy storage of supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) has become one of the most rapidly increasing malignancies in China during recent decades. The relationship between tobacco exposure and ECC epidemics is unclear; this study aimed to explore this relationship.Methods: We included 55,806 participants aged 30 years or older from the National Mortality and Smoking Survey of China. Smoking in participants and spouses was defined as 1 cigarette or more per day for up to 1 year. Spouses' smoking was taken as a measure of exposure to passive smoking. Smoking information in 1980 was ascertained and outcomes were defined as ECC mortality during 1986-1988.Results: We found that either passive or active smoking increased the risk of death from ECC by 20% (risk ratio [RR], 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99-1.47), compared with no exposure to any tobacco. This risk was a notable 98% (RR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.49-2.64) for individuals exposed to passive plus active smoking. These findings were highly consistent among men and women. Pathology-based analyses showed dose-response relationships of ECC with pack-years for all types of smoking exposure (Ps for trend < 0.05); the RR reached 2.75 (95% CI, 1.20-6.30) in individuals exposed to combined smoking with the highest exposure dose. The findings were similar for non-pathology-based analysis.Conclusions: This study indicates that tobacco exposure increases ECC risk. Given the dramatic increase of exposure to secondhand smoke and patients with ECC, an inadequate provision of smoke-free environments could be contributing to ECC epidemics and could further challenge public health and medical services, based on the current disease spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AC impedance of SrTiO3, Ca0.9Sr0.1TiO3, Ca0.7Sm0.2TiO3, and Ca0.7Sm0.3Ti0.7Al0.3O3 microwave dielectric ceramics with perovskite structures has been analyzed. The impedance spectroscopy results reveal the electrical properties of this series of samples vary significantly with the ceramic microstructure and electrical homogeneity. The εr values of grains for SrTiO3 and Ca0.9Sr0.1TiO3 ceramics are 193.8 and 138.1, respectively, confirming that dielectric response of the high‐εr microwave ceramics is contributed to the grains, at microwave frequencies. Impedance spectroscopy of Ca0.7Sm0.2TiO3 ceramic illustrates that electrical heterogeneous microstructures include interior grains and grain shells. The secondary phase existing in Ca0.7Sm0.2TiO3 ceramic causes deviation in bulk permittivity, resulting in a higher εr ~ 148 of grains than εr ~ 112 of bulk permittivity, measured at microwave frequencies. Grain and grain‐boundary impedance of Ca0.7Sm0.3Ti0.7Al0.3O3 ceramic cannot be separated completely. The permittivities of grains and grain boundaries in Ca0.7Sm0.3Ti0.7Al0.3O3 ceramic are εg ~ 17.8 and εgb ~ 20.8, and the combination of them is close to εr ~ 40 at microwave frequencies. The LogI−LogU curves of the ceramic system indicate that the conducting mechanism of grains and grain boundaries follows ohmic behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Drosophila melanogaster a significant number of heterogenous larval neurons in the central nervous system undergo metamorphosis-associated programmed cell death, termed metamorphoptosis. Interestingly distinct groups of doomed larval neurons are eliminated at different metamorphic phases. Although ecdysone hormonal signaling via nuclear ecdysone receptors (EcRs) is known to orchestrate the neuronal metamorphoptosis, little is known about how this signaling controls such diverse neuronal responses. Crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP)-producing neurons in the ventral nerve cord are developmentally programmed to die shortly after adult emergence. In this study, we show that disruption of endogenous EcR function by ectopic expression of dominant negative forms of EcRs (EcRDN) causes premature death of larval CCAP neurons in a caspase-dependent manner. This event is rescued by co-expression of individual EcR isoforms. Furthermore, larval CCAP neurons are largely normal in ecr mutants lacking either EcR-A or EcR-B isoforms, suggesting that EcR isoforms redundantly function to protect larval CCAP neurons. Of surprise, a role of Ultraspiracle (Usp), a canonical partner of EcR, is dispensable in the protection of CCAP neurons, whereas both EcR and Usp are required for inducing metamorphoptosis of vCrz neurons shortly after prepupal formation. As a downstream, grim is an essential cell death gene for the EcRDN-mediated CCAP neuronal death, while either hid or rpr function is dispensable. Together, our results suggest that Usp-independent EcR actions protect CCAP neurons from their premature death by repressing grim expression until their normally scheduled apoptosis at post-emergence. Our studies highlight two opposite roles played by EcR function for metamorphoptosis of two different peptidergic neuronal groups, proapoptotic (vCrz) versus antiapoptotic (CCAP), and propose that distinct death timings of doomed larval neurons are determined by differential signaling mechanisms involving EcR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of cancer driver mutations is critical for advancing cancer research and personalized medicine. Due to inter-tumor genetic heterogeneity, many driver mutations occur at low frequencies, which make it challenging to distinguish them from passenger mutations. Here, we show that a novel Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach, named rDriver can achieve enhanced prediction accuracy by identifying mutations that not only have high functional impact scores but also are associated with systemic variation in gene expression levels. In examining 3,080 tumor samples from 8 cancer types in The Cancer Genome Atlas, rDriver predicted 1,389 driver mutations. Compared with existing tools, rDriver identified more low frequency mutations associated with lineage specific functional properties, timing of occurrence and patient survival. Evaluation of rDriver predictions using engineered cell-line models resulted in a positive predictive value of 0.94 in PIK3CA genes. Our study highlights the importance of integrating multi-omic data in predicting cancer driver mutations and provides a statistically rigorous solution for cancer target discovery and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of microwave dielectric ceramics of (1-x) BiVO4 -xLn2/3MoO4 (Ln = Er, Sm, Nd and La; x = 0.06, 0.08, 0.10) sintered below 900 °C were prepared via solid-state reaction. As the x values increase, the monoclinic scheelite continuously changes to a tetragonal structure at x = 0.10. The incorporation of Ln2/3MoO4 into the BiVO4 matrix increases the product (Q × f) of quality factor (Q) and resonance frequency (f), and temperature coefficient (τf), but lowers the dielectric constant (εr). Microwave dielectric ceramics with low sintering temperatures (<900 °C) are obtained: εr of ~71.1, 81.6, 75.6 and ~75.3; Q × f values of ~8292, 5508, 8695 and 9043 GHz; τf of ~ −51, 134, 149 and 158 ppm/°C, for 0.94BiVO4-0.06Er2/3MoO4, 0.92BiVO4-0.08Sm2/3MoO4, 0.9BiVO4-0.1Nd2/3MoO4 and 0.9BiVO4-0.1La2/3MoO4 ceramics, respectively. Moreover, (1-x) BiVO4 -xLn2/3MoO4 (Ln = Er, Sm, Nd and La; x = 0.06, 0.08 and 0.10) ceramics are chemically compatible with both Ag and Cu powders at their sintering temperatures. The series of microwave dielectric ceramics might be potential candidates for low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) technology applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

xSr0.7Ce0.2TiO3–(1 − x)Sr(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 ceramics, referred to xSCT–(1 − x)SMN, were successfully produced by conventional solid-state sintered technology. The compounds, belonging to perovskites with a secondary phase of CeO2, can be detected even with x down to 0.1 of SCT composition. The overall trend for grain growth illustrates the increase with increasing SCT doping level. The Raman peak at 825 cm−1 splits into two peaks and causes red shift phenomenon. XPS spectra indicate that Ti and Nb ions exist respectively in tetravalence and pentavalence, and Ce ions exist in trivalence and tetravalence. Dielectrics constant (εr) of SCT–SMN ceramics gradually increases with increasing theoretical dielectric polarizabilities. A wider width of the 825 cm−1 for FWHM of A1g mode Raman peaks suggests to a lower Q × f value. The increasing tolerance factor in agreement with temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τf), denotes that the rise of perovskite symmetry. The 0.1SCT–0.9SMN ceramic sintered at 1450 °C for 4 h illustrates excellent microwave dielectric properties with εr ~ 35.4, Q × f ~ 11282 GHz and τf ~ 1.7 ppm/°C. Activation energies of 0.1SCT–0.9SMN ceramic at 100, 300 and 500 V, are ~0.436, 0.427 and 0.331 eV, respectively, indicative of a decreased trend with external electric field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel microwave dielectric ceramics Bi(ScMo)O with low firing temperature were prepared via the solid reaction method. The specimens have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and DC conductivity. The Bi(ScMo)O ceramics showed B-site ordered Scheelite-type structure with space group C2/c. Raman analysis indicated that prominent bands were attributed to the normal modes of vibration of MoO tetrahedra. The dielectric loss of Bi(ScMo)O ceramics can be depended strongly the bulk conductivity by DC measurement. The superior microwave dielectric properties are achieved in the Bi(ScMo)O ceramic sintered at 875 °C/4 h, with dielectric constant ~ 25, Q × f ~ 51,716 GHz at 6.4522 GHz and temperature coefficient of resonance frequency ~ − 70.4 ppm/°C. It is a promising microwave dielectric material for low-temperature co-fired ceramics technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]