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This paper constructed a mathematical model of ammonia-water nanofluid falling film generation outside the, vertical tube, which considers the change of the film thickness of the falling film solution, the thermal convection, along the film thickness direction and the physical properties of the solution. By solving the mathematical model, the temperature field and other elements of the liquid film were determined. The influence of the properties of the, working fluid on the heat and mass transfer in the falling film process is investigated. According to the calculation, results, a method of adding nanoparticles in the process of ammonia falling film generation is proposed. The, simulation results showed that the heat efficiency of entire falling film process can be enhanced by adding an, appropriate amount of Al2 O3 nanoparticles. When the added Al2 O3 nanoparticles are 1 vol.%, the coefficient of, the heat transfer is increased by about 4%, and the mass transfer effect is also improved by about 12%. In brief, the establishment of this model aims to improve heat and mass transfer efficiency and promote the application, and integration of low-grade waste heat or renewable energy technologies in built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In challenging reservoirs where thermal recovery falls short, cold or chemical oil recovery methods are crucial. Spontaneous emulsification (SE), triggered by gentle disturbance, significantly enhances oil recovery. In elucidating SE mechanisms and kinetics, SE processes via direct contact between oil and aqueous phases without stirring were conducted. The effects of temperature, emulsifier concentration, pH, NaCl concentration, and the oil-to-water ratio on SE were investigated through droplet size analysis and turbidity measurements. Furthermore, the emulsification mechanism and derived emulsification kinetics based on turbidity data were obtained. The results underscore the feasibility of SE for oil–water systems, reducing viscous and capillary resistances without agitation. The emulsified oil mass increased with the temperature, pH, and aqueous-to-oil phase volume ratio while decreasing with the NaCl concentration. In this study, for GD-2 crude oil, the optimal emulsified oil amount occurred at a betaine surfactant (BetS-2) emulsifier concentration of 0.45%. Microscopic photo analysis indicated narrow particle size distributions and small droplets, which remained stable over time under various experimental conditions. A combined SE mechanism involving ultralow interfacial tension, interfacial turbulence due to Marangoni effects, and “diffusion and stranding” due to in situ emulsifier hydrophilicity, was speculated. Additionally, an analogous second-order kinetic equation for SE was proposed, indicating exceptional correlation with calculated and experimentally measured values. This study offers theoretical insight for enhancing oil recovery in chemical and cold production of heavy oil in oilfields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Locoregional recurrent breast cancers have a poor prognosis. Little is known about the prognostic impact of immune microenvironment, and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) in particular have not been reported. Thus, we aimed to characterize the immune microenvironment in locoregional recurrent breast tumors and to investigate its relationship with prognosis. Methods: We retrospectively included 112 patients with locoregional recurrent breast cancer, and hematoxylin–eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19, CD38, and CD68) were performed on locoregional recurrent tumor samples. The association of immune cells and TLSs with progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed by survival analysis. Results: We found more immune cells in the peritumor than stroma. After grouping according to estrogen receptor (ER) status, a low level of peritumoral CD3+ cells in ER+ subgroup (p=0.015) and a low level of stromal CD68+ cells in ER− subgroup (p=0.047) were both associated with longer PFS. TLSs were present in 68% of recurrent tumors, and CD68+ cells within TLSs were significantly associated with PFS as an independent prognostic factor TLSs and immune cells (CD3, CD38, and CD68) within TLSs were associated with longer PFS in ER− recurrent tumors (p=0.044, p=0.012, p=0.050, p<0.001, respectively), whereas CD38+ cells within TLSs were associated with shorter PFS in ER+ recurrent tumors (p=0.037). Conclusion: Our study proposes potential predictors for the clinical prognosis of patients with locoregional recurrent breast cancer, emphasizing the prognostic value of immune cells within TLSs, especially CD68+ cells. (p=0.035). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to determine if the presence of a pericardial effusion is associated with adverse outcomes among children admitted with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Patients and methods: The multicenter, retrospective cohort study was conducted with 4,332 patients (1,554 males, 2,778 females; median age: 12 years; IQR, 7, 15 years) using the Pediatric Health Information System. Data from hospital admissions between January 1, 2004, and September 15, 2015, were obtained for patients with an International Disease Classification, Ninth Revision code for juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Pericardial effusion was the primary predictor variable; the outcomes of interest were length of stay, hospital costs, and readmission within 90 days. Multivariate models were created to evaluate associations between pericardial effusion and adverse outcomes. We also analyzed factors associated with increased odds of having pericardial effusion in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Results: One hundred twenty (3%) patients had a code for pericardial effusion. Children with pericardial effusion had a longer median length of stay (7 days (IQR 3-12) vs. 3 days (IQR 2-6), p<0.001), higher median costs ($17,688 (IQR 8,657-40,623) vs. $8,456 (IQR 4,865-16,302), p<0.001), and greater rates of readmission (22% vs. 15%, p=0.045). Multivariate analysis demonstrated no significant association between pericardial effusion and outcomes of interest. Black race and male sex were associated with increased odds of having pericardial effusion. Conclusion: Pericardial effusion is rare among children admitted with juvenile idiopathic arthritis but is associated with significant morbidity; its presence may be a marker of disease severity. Black children and males admitted with juvenile idiopathic arthritis warrant special consideration and may benefit from screening echocardiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The current exploration of the tumor immune microenvironment is enthusiastic, but few studies explored the impact of angiogenesis on the immune microenvironment. Immunotherapy combined with anti-angiogenesis therapy has become one of the first-line treatment for lung adenocarcinoma. Our study aimed to explore the reasons for resistance of immunotherapy, and explore markers for immunotherapy combined with anti-angiogenesis therapy. Methods: First, by unsupervised clustering of 36 angiogenesis-related genes in lung adenocarcinoma patients from TCGA database, AGS1 and AGS2 groups were distinguished with significantly different clinical outcomes. Secondly, the immune microenvironment and metabolic characteristics were analyzed. Next, we used the GDSC and GEO database to analyze therapeutic responses. Then, through multivariate Cox regression, the hub gene: JAG1, significantly related to prognosis was selected, and further verified by multi-omics data. Finally, we validated that patient with high JAG1 expression had a low immune-infiltrating tumor microenvironment through single-cell transcriptomic data. Results: Compared with the AGS1 group, AGS2 showed an immune "cold" phenotype with lower lymphocyte infiltration, and was associated with worse prognoses. At the same time, the immunosuppressive TGF-b response was significantly higher in AGS2. Furthermore, the glycolysis ability of the AGS2 was stronger than AGS1. The expression of JAG1 was significantly higher in the AGS2, and was significantly negatively correlated with the degree of immune infiltration, accompanying with higher glycolytic capacity. The above results indicate that patients with high expression of JAG1 may lead to immunosuppressive phenotype due to its strong glycolytic capacity, thus making immunotherapy resistance. Conclusion: Patients with high expression of JAG1 enhanced glycolytic capacity was likely to cause suppressed immune microenvironment. JAG1 may be a marker for resistance of immunotherapy. Combining anti-angiogenesis therapy could be considered to improve the prognosis of those patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for the body. Various organs of the body, including the intestine, are affected by its deficiency. Se deficiency can induce oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in the intestine. It can also increase intestinal permeability and decrease intestinal immune function in mammals. However, the detailed studies, conducted on the intestinal molecular mechanisms of Se deficiency-induced injury in poultry, are limited. This study explored the adverse effects of Se deficiency on intestinal permeability and its mechanism. A Se-deficient chicken model was established, and the morphological changes in the chicken duodenum tissues were observed using a light microscope and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Western blotting, qRT-PCR, and other methods were used to detect the expression levels of selenoproteins, oxidative stress indicators, inflammatory factors, tight junction (TJ) proteins, antimicrobial peptides, and other related indicators in intestinal tissues. The results showed that Se deficiency could decrease the expression levels of selenoproteins and antioxidant capacity, activate the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway, cause inflammation, and decrease the expression levels of TJ proteins and antimicrobial peptides in the duodenum tissues. The study also demonstrated that Se deficiency could increase intestinal permeability and decrease antimicrobial peptides via reactive oxygen species (ROS)/NF-κB. This study provided a theoretical basis for the scientific prevention and control of Se deficiency in poultry. Se deficiency decreased the expression levels of selenoproteins and increased ROS levels to activate the NF-κB pathway, resulting in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, reducing the expression levels of TJ protein, and weakening the expression of antimicrobial peptides, which contributed to the higher intestinal permeability. Oxidative stress weakened the expression of antimicrobial peptides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoplastics (NPs) pollution poses a huge threat to the ecosystem and has become one of the environmental pollutants that have attracted much attention. There is increasing evidence that both oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) are associated with polystyrene nanoplastics (PS‐NPs) exposure. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been shown to induce apoptotic damage in various tissues, but whether PS‐NPs can aggravate LPS‐induced apoptosis in mouse kidneys through oxidative stress‐regulated inositol‐requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1)/X‐box binding protein 1 (XBP1) ERS pathway remains unclear. In this study, based on the establishment of in vitro and in vivo PS‐NPs and LPS exposure models alone and in combination in mice and HEK293 cells, the effects and mechanisms of PS‐NPs on LPS‐induced renal cell apoptosis were investigated. The results showed that PS‐NPs could aggravate LPS‐ induced apoptosis. PS‐NPs/LPS can induce ERS through oxidative stress, activate the IRE1/XBP1 pathway, and promote the expression of apoptosis markers (Caspase‐3 and Caspase‐12). Kidney oxidative stress, ERS, and apoptosis in PS‐ NPs + LPS combined exposure group were more severe than those in the single exposure group. Interestingly, 4‐phenylbutyric acid‐treated HEK293 cells inhibited the expression of the IRE1/XBP1 ERS pathway and apoptotic factors in the PS‐NPs + LPS combined exposure group. N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine effectively blocked the activation of the IRE1/XBP1 ERS pathway, suggesting that PS‐NPs‐ induced oxidative stress is an early event that triggers ERS. Collectively, these results confirmed that PS‐NPs aggravated LPS‐induced apoptosis through the oxidative stress‐induced IRE1/XBP1 ERS pathway. Our study provides new insights into the health threats of PS‐NPs exposed to mammals and humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For elderly patients with breast cancer, the treatment strategy is still controversial. In China, preoperative axillary lymph node needle biopsy is not widely used, resulting in many patients receiving axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) directly. Our study aims to determine whether local and systemic therapy can be safely de-escalated in elderly breast cancer. Methods: Patients aged =70 years were retrospectively enrolled from our institution's medical records between May 2013 and July 2021. Groups were assigned according to local and systemic treatment regimens, and stratified analysis was performed by molecular subtypes. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were used to compare the effects of different regimens on relapse-free survival (RFS). Results: A total of 653 patients were enrolled for preliminary data analysis, and 563 patients were screened for survival analysis. The mean follow-up was 19 months (range, 1-82 months). Axillary lymph node metastases were pathologically confirmed in only 2.1% of cN0 cases and up to 97.1% of cN+ cases. In the aspect of breast surgery, RFS showed no significant difference between mastectomy and BCS group (p = 0.3078). As for axillary surgery, patients in the ALND group showed significantly better RFS than those in the sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) group among pN0 patients (p = 0.0128). Among these cases, the proportion of cN+ in ALND was significantly higher than that in SLNB (6.4% vs. 0.4%, p = 0.002), which meant axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) of ALND patients were larger in imaging and more likely to be misdiagnosed as metastatic. With regard to adjuvant therapy, univariate and multivariate analyses showed that RFS in different comprehensive adjuvant regimens were similar especially among hormone receptor (HR)+/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-subgroup where patients who did not receive any adjuvant therapy accounted for 15.7% (p > 0.05). Conclusions: It is feasible to reduce some unnecessary local or systemic treatments for elderly breast cancer patients, especially in HR+/HER2- subtype. Multiple patient-related factors should be considered when making treatment plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can negatively affect quality of life and social functioning. This study examined the relationship between PTSD and social participation in a cohort of veterans and service members (V/SM). Participants included 242 adults enrolled in the Veterans Affairs Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems (VA TBIMS) multicenter study. Social participation was measured with the Participation Assessment with Recombined Tools-Objective. PTSD symptoms were assessed with the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version at admission, and TBI severity was determined with the Glasgow Coma Scale. Neither TBI severity nor PTSD were associated with lower social participation at 1-year post-TBI. Marital status was the only significant predictor of social participation within this sample of V/SM with primarily moderate to severe TBI. Married V/SM with TBI reported more social participation which could lead to better rehabilitation outcomes. Unmarried V/SM may need more assistance with engagement in social activities, which can be a rehabilitation treatment target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The therapeutic options available for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer have increased over the past decade. Small molecule gene therapy has emerged as an effective therapy for the treatment of lung cancer in vitro and in vivo although it has not been tested in a clinical setting. In particular, therapies that target the negative feedback loop between p53 and murine double minute 2 (MDM2) provide a favorable outcome by maintaining activation of the tumor suppressor gene p53. The present study used transfection to simultaneously knockdown MDM2 expression using small interfering (si)RNA, and overexpress wild-type p53 in H1299 cells. The effects of transfection on cell proliferation and cell cycle progression were determined using an MTT assay and flow cytometry, and the effects on mRNA and protein expression were determined by western blotting and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The results indicated that simultaneously knocking down MDM2 and overexpressing p53 was able to inhibit proliferation and induce G1 cell cycle arrest in H1299 cells, compared with either alone. These findings indicated that the si-MDM2-p53 co-expression plasmid may induce cell cycle arrest, and may be considered a novel therapeutic option for the treatment of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is tuned by controlling the deformation of Au nanoparticles within a diamond anvil cell (DAC). Colloidal Au nanoparticles were loaded into a DAC and pressurized into a mixture of ice and Au nanoparticles. The Au nanoparticles were reshaped by their anisotropic compression of surrounding ice, which leads to the spectral variations of absorption peaks, broadening or red-shifting. These spectral features are well tuned by controlling the deformation process of Au nanoparticle with choosing the initial intended thickness of DAC gasket. The mechanical properties of Au nanoparticles are also revealed by the shape-dependent SPR in nanometer scale. This result provides us a way to fabricate Au nanoparticles into new shapes and tune SPR of metallic nanoparticles with pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a double-layered gold film structured with U-shaped aperture in chiral configuration to manipulate the polarization of transmitted light. Two U-shaped aperture arrays are fabricated on both gold films separated by a spacing film, where each face-to-face pair of apertures is arranged perpendicularly to each other in counterclockwise or clockwise. Due to the coupling of the pairs, surface plasmon polariton resonances in the double-layered films in phase and out of phase at two frequencies, respectively. The polarization of transmitted light is rotated 90° by switching the chiral configuration of the doubled-layered gold film between counterclockwise and clockwise. The double-layered gold film structured with apertures tailors the polarization state of the transmitted light at their resonance peaks relative to their complementary structures. These results provide us an effective way to realize an extraordinary transmission and manipulate the polarization state of a double-layered films in chiral configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess pediatrics residents' self-reported competency in placing peripheral intravenous (IV) lines at baseline; to conduct a peripheral intravenous simulation-based training session for residents; and to measure peripheral intravenous (PIV) competency on manikins following the intervention as well as changes in scores of self-reported knowledge, confidence, and success from baseline. Methods: Pediatrics residents at Arkansas Children's Hospital participated in the study and completed a baseline survey assessing PIV knowledge, confidence, and success, and then attended a PIV training session in 2011. Training included a didactic session followed by demonstration on manikins. Residents completed an immediate post-intervention survey and a follow-up survey at 3 months. Primary outcomes were successful demonstrations of PIV skills as assessed by a PIV competency checklist. Secondary outcomes were increased self-reported scores of knowledge, confidence, and success with PIV placement. Forty-two residents completed the pre-intervention survey. Thirty-two finished the educational session and completed the initial survey. Thirty-one completed the survey at 3 months. Results: Thirty (94%) residents were successful in demonstrating PIV competency. Participants' self-reported knowledge and confidence in PIV line placement improved significantly after this educational session, both immediately after and at 3 months, but overall confidence remained low, and there was no increase in success. Conclusions: Pediatric residents' self-reported competency with PIV placement is low. PIV training achieves residents' competency on a manikin, and improves perceived knowledge and confidence scores but overall confidence remains low. Such training should be supported by opportunities to place PIVs on real patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motion planning for spatially constrained robots is difficult due to additional constraints placed on the robot, such as closure constraints for closed chains or requirements on end-effector placement for articulated linkages. It is usually computationally too expensive to apply sampling-based planners to these problems since it is difficult to generate valid configurations. We overcome this challenge by redefining the robot's degrees of freedom and constraints into a new set of parameters, called reachable distance space (RD-space), in which all configurations lie in the set of constraint-satisfying subspaces. This enables us to directly sample the constrained subspaces with complexity linear in the number of the robot's degrees of freedom. In addition to supporting efficient sampling of configurations, we show that the RD-space formulation naturally supports planning and, in particular, we design a local planner suitable for use by sampling-based planners. We demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our approach for several systems including closed chain planning with multiple loops, restricted end-effector sampling, and on-line planning for drawing/sculpting. We can sample single-loop closed chain systems with 1,000 links in time comparable to open chain sampling, and we can generate samples for 1,000-link multi-loop systems of varying topologies in less than a second. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During June 2-8, 2009, an outbreak of influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 occurred among 31 members of a tour group in China. To identify the mode of transmission and risk factors, we conducted a retrospective cohort investigation. The index case-patient was a female tourist from the United States. Secondary cases developed in 9 (30%) tour group members who had talked with the index case-patient and in 1 airline passenger (not a tour group member) who had sat within 2 rows of her. None of the 14 tour group members who had not talked with the index case-patient became ill. This outbreak was apparently caused by droplet transmission during coughing or talking. That airborne transmission was not a factor is supported by lack of secondary cases among fellow bus and air travelers. Our findings highlight the need to prevent transmission by droplets and fomites during a pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  A genetic map function M(d) = RF provides a mapping from the additive genetic distance d to the non-additive recombination fraction RF between a given pair of loci, where the recombination fraction is the proportion of gametes that are recombinant between the two loci. Genetic map functions are needed because in most experiments all we can directly observe are the recombination events. However, since a recombination event is only observed if there are an odd number of crossovers between the two loci, recombination fractions are not additive. One of the most widely used map functions is Haldane’s map function, which is derived under the assumptions of no chiasma and no chromatid interference, and has been in widespread use since 1919. However, Casares recently proposed a ‘corrected’ Haldane’s map function – we show here that this ‘corrected’ map function is not correct due to faulty assumptions and mistakes in its derivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: Protein motions play an essential role in many biochemical processes. Lab studies often quantify these motions in terms of their kinetics such as the speed at which a protein folds or the population of certain interesting states like the native state. Kinetic metrics give quantifiable measurements of the folding process that can be compared across a group of proteins such as a wild-type protein and its mutants. Results: We present two new techniques, map-based master equation solution and map-based Monte Carlo simulation, to study protein kinetics through folding rates and population kinetics from approximate folding landscapes, models called maps. From these two new techniques, interesting metrics that describe the folding process, such as reaction coordinates, can also be studied. In this article we focus on two metrics, formation of helices and structure formation around tryptophan residues. These two metrics are often studied in the lab through circular dichroism (CD) spectra analysis and tryptophan fluorescence experiments, respectively. The approximated landscape models we use here are the maps of protein conformations and their associated transitions that we have presented and validated previously. In contrast to other methods such as the traditional master equation and Monte Carlo simulation, our techniques are both fast and can easily be computed for full-length detailed protein models. We validate our map-based kinetics techniques by comparing folding rates to known experimental results. We also look in depth at the population kinetics, helix formation and structure near tryptophan residues for a variety of proteins. Availability: We invite the community to help us enrich our publicly available database of motions and kinetics analysis by submitting to our server: http://parasol.tamu.edu/foldingserver/ Contact: amato@cs.tamu.edu [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]