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Enhancing the sensory appeal of jasmine instant tea, particularly its aroma, poses a significant challenge due to the loss of volatile organic compounds during conventional processing. This study introduces a novel approach to address this issue through the application of microencapsulation techniques, aimed at preserving these key aromatic elements. Our investigation focused on the encapsulating agents gelatin, acacia gum, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and maltodextrin, chosen for their compatibility with the volatile organic compounds of tea. A statistical analysis was conducted on the analytical results through comprehensive analytical techniques like Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA), and Variable Importance in Projection (VIP) analysis for microcapsule characterization. The statistical analysis revealed gelatin to be a particularly effective encapsulating medium, preserving an aroma profile more akin to fresh tea. The statistical analysis confirmed the reliability of these findings, highlighting the potential of microencapsulation in refining the quality of jasmine instant tea products. The results of this research suggest that microencapsulation could be instrumental in improving the sensory quality and shelf life of instant tea products, offering new opportunities for product enhancement in the beverage industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have become a powerful tool for investigating electrical double layers (EDLs), which play a crucial role in various electrochemical devices. In this Review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the techniques used in MD simulations for EDL studies, with a particular focus on methods for describing electrode polarization, and examine the principle behind these methods and their varying applicability. The applications of these approaches in supercapacitors, capacitive deionization, batteries, and electric double-layer transistors are explored, highlighting recent advancements and insights in each field. Finally, we emphasize the challenges and potential directions for future developments in MD simulations of EDLs, such as considering movable electrodes, improving electrode property representation, incorporating chemical reactions, and enhancing computational efficiency to deepen our understanding of complex electrochemical processes and contribute to the progress in the field involving EDLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of high-performance materials and simplified multilayer fabrication processes can promote the rapid and high-quality development of memristors. In this work, we proposed wide-bandgap semiconductor silicon carbide (SiC)-based memristors fabricated entirely by electron beam evaporation technology. The Cu/SiC/Pt structure was fabricated on a 2-inch intrinsic silicon substrate, which can achieve a transition from volatility to non-volatility. Devices had a low and symmetric switching voltage of ±0.5 V, an endurance of >200 cycles, a retention of >103 s, an ON/OFF ratio of ∼103, and can achieve at least 6 different stable resistance states. The combined effects of traps and Cu conductive filaments caused the current to change abruptly during switching, while also possessing excellent synaptic plasticity and pulse programming ability. Our work demonstrated that wide-bandgap semiconductor SiC is a promising candidate for advanced memristors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faculty online learning communities (FOLCs) can help faculty effectively adopt and persist in using research-based curricula. This paper documents faculty perspectives on the value they gained from participating in a multi-year FOLC designed to help them implement an inquiry-based physical science curriculum. Personal value narratives were collected from 11 volunteer FOLC participants. In the narratives, participants responded to prompts regarding their initial reasons for participation, activities they engaged in, and values they gained, as well as how participation impacted their profession, social connections, professional practice, and ability to influence their world as teachers. Qualitative analysis shows that the values faculty gained through their participation in the FOLC could be associated with four major areas of impact: teaching, community, leadership and personal development. The first two aligned with the initial goals of the FOLC, while the latter two emerged organically through participation over its four-year duration. The methods used to assess value creation in the NGPET FOLC and the findings from this study can inform other professionals who aspire to create and sustain a long-standing faculty development community and understand its impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Color characteristics are a crucial indicator of green tea quality, particularly in needle-shaped green tea, and are predominantly evaluated through subjective sensory analysis. Thus, the necessity arises for an objective, precise, and efficient assessment methodology. In this study, 885 images from 157 samples, obtained through computer vision technology, were used to predict sensory evaluation results based on the color features of the images. Three machine learning methods, Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Decision Tree-based AdaBoost (DT-AdaBoost), were carried out to construct the color quality evaluation model. Notably, the DT-Adaboost model shows significant potential for application in evaluating tea quality, with a correct discrimination rate (CDR) of 98.50% and a relative percent deviation (RPD) of 14.827 in the 266 samples used to verify the accuracy of the model. This result indicates that the integration of computer vision with machine learning models presents an effective approach for assessing the color quality of needle-shaped green tea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Limited data exists on the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) combinations in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with uncommon driver alterations in genes such as ERBB2, BRAF, RET, and MET. This study retrospectively assessed ICI-combination therapy outcomes in this molecular subset of NSCLC. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with advanced NSCLC confirmed with driver alterations in genes including ERBB2, BRAF, RET or MET, and received ICI combined with chemotherapy (ICI + chemo) and/or targeted therapy (ICI + chemo/TT) as first-line (1L) or second- or third-line (≥ 2L) treatment at Hunan Cancer Hospital between January 2018 and May 2024. Results: Of the 181 patients included in the study, 131 patients received 1L-ICI + chemo (ERBB2, n = 64; BRAF, n = 34; RET, n = 23; and MET, n = 10), and 50 patients received ≥ 2L-ICI + chemo/TT (ERBB2, n = 16; BRAF, n = 7; RET, n = 14; MET, n = 13). The full cohort had an overall response rate (ORR) of 45.9% and disease control rate of 84.0%. Among patients who received 1L-ICI + chemo, ORR ranged between 51.6% and 60.0%, with the median progression-free survival (mPFS) and overall survival (mOS) of 8.2 and 21.0 months for those with ERBB2-altered tumors, 10.0 and 15.0 months for BRAF-altered tumors, 12.1 months and OS not reached for RET-altered tumors, and 6.2 and 28.0 months for MET-altered tumors, respectively. Additionally, ORR ranged between 14.3% and 30.8% for ≥ 2L-ICI + chemo/TT; mPFS and mOS were 5.4 and 16.2 months for patients with ERBB2-altered tumors, 2.7 and 5.0 months for BRAF-altered tumors, 6.2 and 14.3 months for RET-altered tumors, and 5.7 and 11.5 months for MET-altered tumors, respectively. Conclusion: ICI-based combination therapies, regardless of treatment line, were effective in treating patients with advanced NSCLC harboring driver alterations in ERBB2, BRAF, RET, or MET. This suggests their potential as alternative treatment options in this patient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a damage sparse imaging method using multipath-scattered Lamb waves. It leverages a large number of echoes and reverberations in the recorded signal that may be usually ignored in conventional methods. First, reflections of Lamb waves at free edges are viewed as waves transmitted from a virtual transducer which is located at the mirror point of the actual one. On this basis, an optimized transducers-layout strategy is proposed based on the multipath propagation model of the Lamb wave. Benefiting from that, the direct damage-scattered wave and several waves scattered by both the damage and edges could be separately identified in the time domain, and further, each wave could be matched with a sensing path (either actual or virtual) in the expanded sensor network. Subsequently, a dictionary is constructed from the Lamb wave propagation and scattering model. By solving the sparse reconstruction problem, the pixel value of each point in the region of interest is obtained, and the whole area can be finally visualized. The proposed method is validated using experiments conducted on an aluminum plate with simulated damages. Results show that the damages can be correctly detected and accurately localized with only a single transmitter–receiver pair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver cirrhosis is one of the most common liver diseases in the world, posing a threat to people's daily lives. In advanced stages, cirrhosis can lead to severe symptoms and complications, making early detection and treatment crucial. This study aims to address this critical healthcare challenge by improving the accuracy of liver cirrhosis classification using ultrasound imaging, thereby assisting medical professionals in early diagnosis and intervention. This article proposes a new multiscale feature fusion network model (MSFNet), which uses the feature extraction module to capture multiscale features from ultrasound images. This approach enables the neural network to utilize richer information to accurately classify the stage of cirrhosis. In addition, a new loss function is proposed to solve the class imbalance problem in medical datasets, which makes the model pay more attention to the samples that are difficult to classify and improves the performance of the model. The effectiveness of the proposed MSFNet was evaluated using ultrasound images from 61 subjects. Experimental results demonstrate that our method achieves high classification accuracy, with 98.08% on convex array datasets and 97.60% on linear array datasets. Our proposed method can classify early, middle, and late cirrhosis very accurately. It provides valuable insights for the clinical treatment of liver cirrhosis and may be helpful for the rehabilitation of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Squirrel Search Algorithm (SSA) is an innovative optimization method that takes inspiration from the foraging and gliding behavior of squirrels. Despite its simple structure and stable performance, it is prone to the same issues as other algorithms, such as falling into local optima and experiencing premature convergence. To address this problem, this paper proposes an improved squirrel search algorithm embedded with the Sine Cosine Algorithm (SCSSA). Firstly, the Sine Cosine Algorithm is introduced into the SSA to enhance its local exploitation ability. Secondly, the Sobol sequence is utilized to generate the initial population, resulting in higher quality initial solutions. Thirdly, dimensional learning is applied to squirrels on both hickory and oak trees, promoting population diversity and preventing local optima. Finally, the glide constant Gc in SSA is adjusted to decay nonlinearly with iteration count, starting with a large value that gradually decreases in the early stage to facilitate global exploration, and then rapidly decreasing in the later stage to promote local exploitation. Extensive experiments are conducted on 23 classic benchmark functions, the CEC2017 test set, and three engineering problems. The experimental results show that SCSSA can effectively maintain population diversity and can achieve a balance between exploration and exploitation. It consistently outperforms the comparison algorithms in terms of numerical optimization and convergence rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimization algorithms play a pivotal role in enhancing the performance and efficiency of systems across various scientific and engineering disciplines. To enhance the performance and alleviate the limitations of the Northern Goshawk Optimization (NGO) algorithm, particularly its tendency towards premature convergence and entrapment in local optima during function optimization processes, this study introduces an advanced Improved Northern Goshawk Optimization (INGO) algorithm. This algorithm incorporates a multifaceted enhancement strategy to boost operational efficiency. Initially, a tent chaotic map is employed in the initialization phase to generate a diverse initial population, providing high-quality feasible solutions. Subsequently, after the first phase of the NGO's iterative process, a whale fall strategy is introduced to prevent premature convergence into local optima. This is followed by the integration of T-distribution mutation strategies and the State Transition Algorithm (STA) after the second phase of the NGO, achieving a balanced synergy between the algorithm's exploitation and exploration. This research evaluates the performance of INGO using 23 benchmark functions alongside the IEEE CEC 2017 benchmark functions, accompanied by a statistical analysis of the results. The experimental outcomes demonstrate INGO's superior achievements in function optimization tasks. Furthermore, its applicability in solving engineering design problems was verified through simulations on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) trajectory planning issues, establishing INGO's capability in addressing complex optimization challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of geotechnical engineering, creating and successfully cutting a three-dimensional geological model is a crucial task for digital and visual analysis. However, using commonly available software for 3D model cutting can be time-consuming. Moreover, mainstream cutting algorithms have limitations that can impact real-time performance, such as high computing requirements and complex testing. To address these issues, with the help of the Three.js library, based on the stencil test function module and the cutting operation, this paper presents a real-time rendering closure method for the continuous cutting of a TIN model. This method is implemented by object-oriented programming. When using this method to cut a model, there is no need to intersect and triangulate each point of the section, thereby improving real-time performance. Furthermore, this method enables the real-time rendering of a closed section in the hollow model, resolving issues related to displaying hollow sections in a multilevel TIN geological model, which can serve as another exploratory approach for closed cutting of internal hollow models. The method was applied to a project in southern China and yielded positive results. The time consumption of this cutting process was less than 1 s, and compared to the 3dsMax method under the same conditions, it reduced the time consumption by 6.85 s and improved efficiency by 87%. It can effectively support visual analysis tasks for similar processes, such as smart mines, oil and gas resource distribution, and internal visualization analysis of mechanical parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Minute virus of canines (MVC) belongs to the genus Bocaparvovirus (formerly Bocavirus) within the Parvoviridae family and causes serious respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms in neonatal canines worldwide. A productive viral infection relies on the successful recruitment of host factors for various stages of the viral life cycle. However, little is known about the MVC‐host cell interactions. In this study, we identified that two cellular proteins (Hsc70 and Hsp70) interacted with NS1 and VP2 proteins of MVC, and both two domains of Hsc70/Hsp70 were mediated for their interactions. Functional studies revealed that Hsp70 was induced by MVC infection, knockdown of Hsc70 considerably suppressed MVC replication, whereas the replication was dramatically promoted by Hsp70 knockdown. It is interesting that low amounts of overexpressed Hsp70 enhanced viral protein expression and virus production, but high amounts of Hsp70 overexpression weakened them. Upon Hsp70 overexpressing, we observed that the ubiquitination of viral proteins changed with Hsp70 overexpression, and proteasome inhibitor (MG132) restored an accumulation of viral proteins. In addition, we verified that Hsp70 family inhibitors remarkably decreased MVC replication. Overall, we identified Hsc70 and Hsp70 as interactors of MVC NS1 and VP2 proteins and were involved in MVC replication, which may provide novel targets for anti‐MVC approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To explore the anti‐tumor and anti‐virus key active ingredients of Sini Decoction Plus Ginseng Soup (SNRS) and their mechanisms. Methods: The main ingredients of SNRS were analyzed by network pharmacology, and quercetin was identified as the key active ingredient. Then, we obtained the targets of quercetin by using Drugbank, PharmMapper, and SwissTargetPrediction databases. Then, the targets of HBV‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV‐related HCC) were obtained by using Genecards database. In addition, using the gene expression profiles of HBV‐related HCC patients in GEO database and the genes with the greatest survival difference in GEPIA 2 database identified the potential targets of quercetin. In addition, the mechanism of potential genes was studied through GO, KEGG analysis, and PPI network. Using AUC and survival analysis to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of cyclin‐dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) and CCNB1. Finally, the effects of quercetin on proliferation of Hep3B and HepG2215 cells and the level of CDK1 and CCNB1 were verified in vitro. ELISA was used to measure the expression levels of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) after the intervention by quercetin for 24 h and 48 h in HepG2215 cell. Results: The first 10 key ingredients of SNRS were identified, and quercetin was the most key ingredient. The 101 potential quercetin targets were identified for the treatment of HBV‐related HCC. GO and KEGG showed that 101 potential target enrichment in cancer and cell cycle regulation. By Venn analysis, CDK1 and CCNB1 were intersection targets, which could be used as potential targets for the action of quercetin on HBV‐related HCC. Moreover, the expression of CDK1 and CCNB1 was highly expressed in the high‐risk group, while the OS rate was low. The 1‐year, 3‐year and 5‐year area under the curve (AUC) curves of CDK1 and CCNB1 were 0.724, 0.676, 0.622 and 0.745, 0.678, 0.634, respectively. Moreover, experimental results also showed that quercetin inhibited cell proliferation and reduced CDK1 expression in Hep3B and HepG2215 cells. The expressions of HBsAg and HBeAg in HepG2215 cell supernatant and cell gradually decreased with the increase of intervention time of quercetin and CDK1 inhibitor. Conclusions: Quercetin is a key ingredient of anti‐HBV‐related HCC activity and inhibits HBV replication in SNRS by inhibiting CDK1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long-term skill learning can lead to structure and function changes in the brain. Different sports can trigger neuroplasticity in distinct brain regions. Volleyball, as one of the most popular team sports, heavily relies on individual abilities such as perception and prediction for high-level athletes to excel. However, the specific brain mechanisms that contribute to the superior performance of volleyball athletes compared to non-athletes remain unclear. Method: We conducted a study involving the recruitment of ten female volleyball athletes and ten regular female college students, forming the athlete and novice groups, respectively. Comprehensive behavioral assessments, including Functional Movement Screen and audio-visual reaction time tests, were administered to both groups. Additionally, resting-state magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were acquired for both groups. Subsequently, we conducted in-depth analyses, focusing on the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and functional connectivity (FC) in the brain for both the athlete and novice groups. Results: No significant differences were observed in the behavioral data between the two groups. However, the athlete group exhibited noteworthy enhancements in both the ALFF and ReHo within the visual cortex compared to the novice group. Moreover, the functional connectivity between the visual cortex and key brain regions, including the left primary sensory cortex, left supplementary motor cortex, right insula, left superior temporal gyrus, and left inferior parietal lobule, was notably stronger in the athlete group than in the novice group. Conclusion: This study has unveiled the remarkable impact of volleyball athletes on various brain functions related to vision, movement, and cognition. It indicates that volleyball, as a team-based competitive activity, fosters the advancement of visual, cognitive, and motor skills. These findings lend additional support to the early cultivation of sports talents and the comprehensive development of adolescents. Furthermore, they offer fresh perspectives on preventing and treating movement-related disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gasification of carbon with O2, CO2, and H2O oxidants plays an important role in several energybased applications. As most of the industrial gasification processes are conducted under mixedatmosphere conditions, the oxidation of carbon in binary oxidant mixtures becomes crucially important. Using reactive force-field (ReaxFF) potentials, extensive MD simulations were carried out on the oxidation behavior of graphene in mixed O2/H2O and O2/CO2 environments for a range of gas compositions and temperatures. A graphene sheet with a line defect comprising of eight and fourmembered rings was used as the starting carbon structure. In addition to enhanced carbon gasification with oxygen additions, MD simulations showed synergistic interactions between different oxidants and their net influence on the overall reactivities. The gasification levels achieved under the binary system were higher than the linear combination of contributions from individual oxidants. The addition of B40% O2 in the binary mix was identified as the region with the highest reactivity during the initial stages of gasification. The oxidation reactions with oxygen were found to start instantaneously in the presence of H2O or CO2 instead of the usual initial delay. A very fast reaction kinetics was also observed in the initial stages in the presence of oxygen. Our results show that the gasification reactions under H2O and CO2 started at lower temperatures than O2 thereby creating a partially oxidized structure. Due to the presence of a large number of activation sites, very high rates of gasification were achieved with oxygen. These findings could help identify optimal oxidant compositions towards maximizing carbon gasification and minimizing CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhododendron delavayi is an evergreen tree species, as a woody plant belonging to Ericaceae characterized by its long lifecycle and high ornamental value. Genetic engineering has made remarkable progress in improving various plant species. However, applying these advancements to Rhododendron remains a complex endeavor, primarily due to challenges associated with genetic transformation technology. In this study, the optimum transformation conditions for Agrobacterium infection of R. delavayi leaf disc were established as follows: the pre-culture time was 0 d, Agrobacterium liquid concentration OD600 = 0.7, infection time was 60 min, Acetosyringone concentration 20 mg/L, and co-culture time was 6 d. After removal of bacteria, first screening culture was 30 days with medium containing Kanamycin (Kan) at 30 mg/L and Cefotaxime (Cef) at 500 mg/L. Subsequent culture was for 60 days with medium supplemented with Kan at 30 mg/L and Cef at 400 mg/Ls. Third screening culture was for 90 days with medium containing Kan at 40 mg/L and Cef at 300 mg/L. Positive transgenic materials were identified after 120 days culture. Gene cloning and transformation proceeded with two MYB genes, RdMYB8 and RdMYB24, which had been isolated from petals of R. delavayi. These genes were individually inserted into overexpression vectors and then successfully transformed into Agrobacterium GV3101. Leaf discs of R. delavayi were inoculated with Agrobacterium carrying the respective genes, resulting in the successful acquisition of positive transgenic materials. The transgenic callus exhibited a red coloration and showed an increase in the total anthocyanin content compared to the control group. The study suggests that RdMYB8 and RdMYB24 are involved in anthocyanin synthesis in R. delavayi, and this Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system holds promise as a fundamental tool for advancing genetic engineering not only in R. delavayi.Key message: Leaf discs from Rhododendron delavayi are the optimal recipient material for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The transgenic callus overexpressing RdMYB8 exhibits enhanced anthocyanin biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a promising class of electrode materials for lithium‐ion batteries. However, the reported cathodes of COFs typically exhibit low potential and voltage plateaus, which limits their further applications. In this work, a new hydrazone three‐dimensional (3D) COF material with bipolar characteristics, PTB‐DHZ‐COF, is constructed by Schiff base condensation of monomeric PTB with DHZ. The cell with PTB‐DHZ‐COF as the cathode exhibits a wide potential range of 1.2–4.2 V and a discharge voltage plateau of over 3.6 V. PTB‐DHZ‐COFX composites are successfully prepared by compounding PTB‐DHZ‐COF with carbon nanotubes. PTB‐DHZ‐COF40 cells show high specific capacity (114.24 mAh·g−1 at 1000 mA·g−1), excellent cycling capability (86.3% capacity retention after 5000 cycles), and ultra‐high energy density (489 Wh·kg−1 at 50 mA·g−1). This work provides a new strategy for the design of new COF materials and the development of high‐performance organic energy storage electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductive metal‐organic frameworks (c‐MOFs) have uniform, adjustable pore sizes and customizable functional groups and excellent electrical conductivity, making them promising electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage. However, the synthesis of high crystallinity c‐MOFs remains a significant challenge. The purpose of this review is to provide guidance for the synthesis of high crystallinity c‐MOFs and emphasize their applications in the field of energy storage. We begin with reviewing the influence of various reaction conditions on the morphology, size, and crystallinity of c‐MOFs, and then summarize the current work on c‐MOFs in the field of electrochemical energy storage from both experiment and modeling. Furthermore, the existing issues are discussed in the development of c‐MOFs and the primary directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial dysbiosis has an increasingly appreciated impact on carcinogenesis, and the cervicovaginal microbiome plays a critical role in microenvironmental inflammation. Here, we investigated the involvement of the female genital tract Peptostreptococcus species in gynecological cancer via indoleacrylic acid (IAA). IAA production from Peptostreptococcus species and the effect of bacterial culture on tumor growth in vivo were examined. The impact of IAA on cytokine production and indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) expression in an endometrial cancer (EC) cell line, as well as their effect on Treg and Teff cells, and M1 and M2 macrophage populations were examined in EC patients and tumor-grafted mice. Clinically, Peptostreptococcus species abundance, IAA, and IDO1 expression were verified in EC patients. The results showed that IAA production was induced in the uteri of BALB/c nude mice by Peptostreptococcus species transplantation, and the intratumoral injection of a conditioned medium from Peptostreptococcus cultures into tumor-grafted mice promoted tumor growth. IL-10 expression was upregulated by IAA; IFN-γ expression was increased by IL-10. IFN-γ induced IDO1 expression in the EC cell line. The co-culture of IDO1-expressing EC cells with peripheral blood mononuclear cells upregulated the Treg proportion and decreased the M1/M2 ratio. Clinically, P. anaerobius was more abundant amongst the uterine microbiota of EC patients than the control. The IAA, IDO1, and kynurenine/tryptophan ratios were all higher in EC tissue, and the M1/M2 ratio was lower. Our study sheds light on the link between IDO1 induction and uterine Peptostreptococcus dysbiosis and provides a potential rationale for the role of Peptostreptococcus species in immune tolerance induction in type I endometrial cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chimp Optimization Algorithm (ChOA) is a cutting-edge swarm intelligence algorithm that models the social status ties and hunting behavior of chimps to solve complex optimization problems. Although ChOA is known for its simplicity and efficiency, it may encounter challenges such as convergence speed and local optima. This study presents a comprehensive and competitive multi-strategy-enhanced chimp optimization algorithm (SLDChOA), which comprehensively enhances the optimization performance of the algorithm through four strategies. Firstly, a low-difference Sobol sequence strategy is used to initialize the chimp population to increase the diversity of the initial population. Secondly, different location update strategies are adopted according to different iteration stages. The early iteration stage employs the Lévy flight-based location update strategy to help chimps explore the space more abundantly and improve the global search ability of the algorithm. In contrast, the proposed probability-based elitist operation strategy is used in the late iteration stage to help the chimps obtain higher-quality optimal solutions and improve the convergence accuracy and speed of the algorithm. Finally, the dimension learning-based hunting search strategy is introduced to facilitate information sharing among chimps and enable the algorithm to jump out of the local optimum effectively. To demonstrate its comprehensive performance, SLDChOA is compared with 17 state-of-the-art algorithms on 23 traditional benchmark functions, CEC 2014 and CEC 2019 test sets (totaling 63 test functions). Moreover, its efficacy and excellence are further demonstrated in 4 well-known engineering optimization issues and 2 feature selection problems of multimodal Parkinson's speech datasets. A series of simulations demonstrate that SLDChOA has good comprehensive merit-seeking ability and is extremely competitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A visible light photoreductive dearomatizative alkylation of N‐alkyl pyridinium salts for producing 4‐alkyl‐1,4‐dihydropyridines is described. The reaction harnesses N‐alkyl pyridinium salts both as the alkyl radical precursors to initiate the reaction and as the 1,4‐dihydropyridin‐4‐yl‐based alkylating reagents to terminate the reaction. In contrast to the reported electroreductive procedure via the key dihydropyridine radical intermediates, mechanistic studies demonstrate that this photoreductive dearomatizative alkylation proceeds via directly alkyl radical addition across the pyridinium ring followed by single electron oxidant (SEO) and dearomatization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-strength reinforcement is an important direction in the development of civil engineering. In order to fill the gap that the current concrete structure code GB50010 has no standard regulations applicable to HRB600-grade high-strength reinforcement, this paper conducted an experimental investigation on the crack width of eight concrete beams reinforced with HRB600-grade high-strength reinforcement. The study examined various parameters to understand the crack development process, crack spacing, and factors influencing crack width in the pure bending section. The results revealed that the damage mode and crack development process of high-strength reinforced concrete beams were similar to those observed in ordinary reinforced concrete bending members. The crack spacing in the pure bending section was independent of the concrete strength, and the average crack width in the pure bending section exhibited a proportional relationship with the reinforcement strain. Moreover, both were mathematically related to the ratio of reinforcement diameter and ratio. A calculation formula for the maximum crack width suitable for HRB600-grade reinforced concrete beams was developed and fit. The HRB600-grade high-strength reinforcement had an obvious yield stage and good ductility, and the test study provides a powerful reference for promoting the application of high-strength reinforcement in concrete structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T‐cell therapy has transformed the treatment approach for pediatric patients suffering from relapsed/refractory B‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B‐ALL). However, there was a paucity of data on the challenges associated with second‐round CAR‐T therapy in this population. Methods: Medical records of nine pediatric patients who received second‐round CAR‐T therapy in a single center from June 2019 to May 2023 were analyzed. Throughout the course of the clinical trial, we evaluated adverse events including CRS, CRES, infections, hematologic toxicity, and organ injury, as well as CAR‐T responses. Results: Except for one patient who chose CART therapy due to testicular relapse, the remaining patients had indications for CAR‐T therapy due to relapse with bone marrow alone or combined with other site. There were no difference between the transfusion dose of CART1 and CART2. No differences of incidence and grade of CRS was found between the first‐round CAR‐T therapy (CART1) and second‐round CAR‐T therapy (CART2). Additionally, we found that the incidence of CRES was higher for CART1(3/9,33.3%) than CART2(1/9,11.1%). Our findings revealed that there were no differences of IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐10, IFN‐γ, and TNF‐α between CART1 and CART2, but the peak level of IL‐17A was significantly higher in patients receiving CART1 compared to those receiving CART2 (p =.011). Early and late infection rates after CART1 were higher than CART2. Based on the dynamic changes of ANC, hemoglobin and platelet, ANC, and platelet were reduced obviously post CART. It seems that the incidences of severe thrombocytopenia and severe anemia were higher in the CART1 group compared to CART2. The MRD‐negative CR rates for CART1 and CART2 are 100% and 44.4%, respectively (p =.029). All patients experienced events (relapse, chemotherapy, transplantation, or death) after receiving CART2, including one died, three discharged automatically, and the remaining five patients survived. Conclusion: Although the remission rate of CART2 is not as high as the CART1 due to the severity of the disease, its safety regarding CRS, CRES, infections, and organ injury is still excellent. Therefore, CART2 remains a viable option for treating pediatric relapsed B‐ALL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Citrus production is severely threatened by the devastating Huanglongbing (HLB) disease globally. By studying and analyzing the defensive behaviors of an HLB‐tolerant citrus cultivar 'Shatangju', we discovered that citrus can sense Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) infection and induce immune responses against HLB, which can be further strengthened by both endogenously produced and exogenously applied methyl salicylate (MeSA). This immune circuit is turned on by an miR2977‐SAMT (encoding a citrus Salicylate [SA] O‐methyltransferase) cascade, by which CLas infection leads to more in planta MeSA production and aerial emission. We provided both transgenic and multi‐year trail evidences that MeSA is an effective community immune signal. Ambient MeSA accumulation and foliage application can effectively induce defense gene expression and significantly boost citrus performance. We also found that miRNAs are battle fields between citrus and CLas, and about 30% of the differential gene expression upon CLas infection are regulated by miRNAs. Furthermore, CLas hijacks host key processes by manipulating key citrus miRNAs, and citrus employs miRNAs that coordinately regulate defense‐related genes. Based on our results, we proposed that miRNAs and associated components are key targets for engineering or breeding resistant citrus varieties. We anticipate that MeSA‐based management, either induced expression or external application, would be a promising tool for HLB control. Significance Statement: The Great Wall not only served as a defensive barrier to ancient China, but also an intelligence transmission system. Foreign invasion alert at remote borders was signaled by rising smoke on the beacon towers and was relayed by the neighboring towers along the Great Wall. Recently researchers found a 'Great Wall' signaling system in citrus. Huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating citrus disease causing billions of dollar losses annually. Research shows that citrus can produce and emit more methyl salicylate (MeSA) after being infected by CLas (the associated agent with HLB). MeSA is a violate that can spread through citrus growing groves and 'alarm' the uninfected citrus for the emerging threatens. This research also points out that microRNA (miRNA) is a key immune regulator in citrus. Image by: Hongwei Zhao. Due to our limited understanding of CLas pathogenicity and citrus immunity, citrus HLB causes enormous global economic losses yearly. In this investigation, we demonstrated that citrus can mount effective immune responses upon CLas infection, which is characterized by emitted community immune signal (MeSA) and citrus miRNA‐coordinated massive gene reprogramming. These two discoveries are of particular importance in the citrus industry. We could develop MeSA‐based HLB management strategies that would prime uninfected trees in the grove. In the future, we could also breed or engineer tolerant or even resistant citrus varieties and rootstocks relying on modifying critical citrus miRNAs. Our findings revealed not only citrus defensive tool kits against the HLB but also the potential of utilizing these weapons practically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deuterium isotope effect plays a profound role in revealing the kinetics and mechanisms of organic reactions, as well as the hole/electron transport behaviors of semiconductors, yet the application of the deuterium isotope effect in organic solar cells has not been fully explored due to the challenging nature of synthesis. Here, we aim at addressing this conundrum by designing and synthesizing two asymmetric non-fullerene acceptors, BTP-POE-H and BTP-POE-D. Particularly, the effect of deuterium isotope effects on their optoelectronic properties and photovoltaic properties was investigated. Attractively, a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.5% and an impressive fill factor of 78% were achieved for the deuterated acceptor BTP-POE-D compared to the control BTP-POE-H under the same conditions. The high fill factor of BTP-POE-D based devices can be attributed to their higher and more balanced charge transport, weaker bimolecular recombination, more ordered molecular stacking and suitable length scale of phase separation, as revealed by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy measurements. These results not only advance our understanding of the structure–performance relationships of deuterium-substituted acceptors, but also provide a new avenue to design high-performance nonfullerene acceptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A drug-loaded diaphragm is an easy-to-use and effective drug delivery system that is often used to treat mouth ulcers. In this study, an ultrafine fiber film loaded with capsaicin was successfully prepared using the electrospinning technology. poly-l-lactic acid and gelatin were selected as the matrix materials to form the composite fiber, and trifluoroethanol was used as a co-solvent for poly-l-lactic acid, gelatin and capsaicin to prepare the spinning solution, which was simple to fabricate. The prepared fiber films were characterized based on their microscopic morphology and tested to derive their mechanical properties. Thereafter, the capsaicin release behavior of the film was investigated. In vitro experiments revealed certain anti-inflammatory and antibacterial abilities while animal experiments revealed that the capsaicin-loaded ultrafine fiber film could promote the healing of oral ulcers in rats. Healing of the tongue tissue in rats administered 10% capsaicin-loaded fiber film was found to be better than that in rats administered the commercial dexamethasone patch. Overall, this development strategy may prove to be promising for the development of oral ulcer patch formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auricularia delicata (Mont.) Henn. 1893 is an edible and medicinal jelly mushroom popular in China. Here, we report the assembly and annotation of a complete A. delicata mitochondrial genome based on data sequenced using an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. The length of the complete circular A. delicata mitochondrial genome is 189,696 bp, with a GC content of 34.1%. The A. delicata mitochondrial genome contains 60 genes, including 32 protein-coding genes, 26 tRNA genes, and two rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that A. delicata clustered with the Auricularia group, alongside A. auricula-judae and A. heimuer. Additionally, A. delicata was found to be genetically distant from other species of Polyporales, Russulales, and Agaricales. This genome will provide an invaluable reference for the continued study and utilization of A. delicata and other Auricularia species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To develop a radiomics model based on chest computed tomography (CT) for the prediction of a pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant or conversion chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Patients with stage IB–III NSCLC who received neoadjuvant or conversion CIT between September 2019 and July 2021 at Hunan Cancer Hospital, Xiangya Hospital, and Union Hospital were retrospectively collected. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were used to screen features. Then, model 1 (five radiomics features before CIT), model 2 (four radiomics features after CIT and before surgery) and model 3 were constructed for the prediction of pCR. Model 3 included all nine features of model 1 and 2 and was later named the neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy‐related pathological response prediction model (NACIP). Results: This study included 110 patients: 77 in the training set and 33 in the validation set. Thirty‐nine (35.5%) patients achieved a pCR. Model 1 showed area under the curve (AUC) = 0.65, 64% accuracy, 71% specificity, and 50% sensitivity, while model 2 displayed AUC = 0.81, 73% accuracy, 62% specificity, and 92% sensitivity. In comparison, NACIP yielded a good predictive value, with an AUC of 0.85, 81% accuracy, 81% specificity, and 83% sensitivity in the validation set. Conclusion: NACIP may be a potential model for the early prediction of pCR in patients with NSCLC treated with neoadjuvant/conversion CIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circadian rhythm is an intrinsic mechanism developed by organisms to adapt to external environmental signals. Nowadays, owing to the job and after-work entertainment, staying up late – Circadian rhythm disorders (CRD) are common. CRD is linked to the development of fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, and chronic gastroenteritis, which affecting the body's metabolic and inflammatory responses via multi-organ crosstalk (gut-liver-brain axis, etc.). However, studies on the mechanisms of multi-organ interactions by CRD are still weak. Current studies on therapeutic agents for CRD remain inadequate, and phytochemicals have been shown to alleviate CRD-induced syndromes that may be used for CRD-therapy in the future. Tea, a popular phytochemical-rich beverage, reduces glucolipid metabolism and inflammation. But it is immature and unclear in the mechanisms of alleviation of CRD-mediated syndrome. Here, we have analyzed the threat of CRD to hosts and their offspring' health from the perspective of the "gut-liver-brain" axis. The potential mechanisms of tea in alleviating CRD were further explored. It might be by interfering with bile acid metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, and G protein-coupled receptors, with FXR, AHR, and GPCR as potential targets. We hope to provide new perspectives on the role of tea in the prevention and mitigation of CRD. The review highlights the health challenges of CRD via the gut-liver-brain axis. CRD research should focus on the health effects on healthy models and its offspring. Tea may prevent CRD by regulating bile acid, tryptophan, and GPCR. Potential targets for tea prevention and mitigation of CRD include FXR, AHR and GPCR. A comprehensive assessment mechanism for tea in improving CRD should be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperuricemia is an abnormal purine metabolic disease that occurs when there is an excess of uric acid in the blood, associated with cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, gout, and renal disease. Dietary intervention is one of the most promising strategies for preventing hyperuricemia and controlling uric acid concentrations. Tea (Camellia sinensis) is known as one of the most common beverages and the source of dietary polyphenols. However, the effect of tea on hyperuricemia is unclear. Recent evidence shows that a lower risk of hyperuricemia is associated with tea intake. To better understand the anti-hyperuricemia effect of tea, this review first briefly describes the pathogenesis of hyperuricemia and the processing techniques of different types of tea. Next, the epidemiological and experimental studies of tea and its bioactive compounds on hyperuricemia in recent years were reviewed. Particular attention was paid to the anti-hyperuricemia mechanisms targeting the hepatic uric acid synthase, renal uric acid transporters, and intestinal microbiota. Additionally, the desirable intake of tea for preventing hyperuricemia is provided. Understanding the anti-hyperuricemia effect and mechanisms of tea can better utilize it as a preventive dietary strategy. Highlights High purine diet, excessive alcohol/fructose consumption, and less exercise/sleep are the induction factors of hyperuricemia. Tea and tea compounds showed alleviated effects for hyperuricemia, especially polyphenols. Tea (containing caffeine or not) is not associated with a higher risk of hyperuricemia. Xanthine oxidase inhibition (reduce uric acid production), Nrf2 activation, and urate transporters regulation (increase uric acid excretion) are the potential molecular targets of anti-hyperuricemic effect of tea. About 5 g tea intake per day may be beneficial for hyperuricemia prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the changes in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) within incrementally-increased margins beyond the gross tumor volume (GTV) on post-operative radiation planning MRI and their prognostic utility in glioblastoma. Methods: Radiation planning MRIs of adult patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma from 2017 to 2020 were assessed. The ADC values were normalized to contralateral normal white matter (nADC). Using 1 mm isotropic incremental margin increases from the GTV, the nADC values were calculated at each increment. Age, ECOG performance status, extent of resection and MGMT promoter methylation status were obtained from medical records. Using univariate and multivariable Cox regression analysis, association of nADC to progression-free and overall survival (PFS, OS) was assessed at each increment. Results: Seventy consecutive patients with mean age of 53.6 ± 10.3 years, were evaluated. The MGMT promoter was methylated in 31 (44.3%), unmethylated in 36 (51.6%) and unknown in 3 (4.3%) patients. 11 (16%) underwent biopsy, 41 (44%) subtotal resection and 18 (26%) gross total resection. For each 1 mm increase in distance from GTV, the nADC decreased by 0.16% (p < 0.0001). At 1–5 mm increment, the nADC was associated with OS (p < 0.01). From 6 to 11 mm increment the nADC was associated with OS with the p-value gradually increasing from 0.018 to 0.046. nADC was not associated with PFS. Conclusion: The nADC values at 1–11 mm increments from the GTV margin were associated with OS. Future prospective multicenter studies are needed to validate the findings and to pave the way for the utilization of ADC for margin reduction in radiation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Harris hawks optimization (HHO) algorithm is a new metaheuristic algorithm proposed in recent years. Due to the shortcomings of this algorithm in solving complex high-dimensional optimization problems with a slow convergence speed, low accuracy, and the high likelihood to fall into local optimum, a mixed Harris hawks optimization (MHHO) algorithm based on the pinhole imaging strategy is proposed, including four strategies to improve the optimization performance. Firstly, the pinhole imaging strategy is used to enable the Harris' hawks to approach the optimal solution faster and accelerate convergence. Secondly, the spiral parameter is introduced into the exploration phase to help the searching paths of the Harris' hawks more diverse and improve the global search ability of the algorithm. Finally, the greedy strategy of the aquila optimization algorithm and the position update strategy of the flower pollination optimization algorithm are embedded in the exploitation stage to make the algorithm jump out of local optimum effectively. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed MHHO algorithm, it is compared with the classical HHO algorithm and 16 other state-of-the-art algorithms, and extensively tested on 23 well-known benchmark functions, the IEEE CEC2017 test sets, and three complex constrained engineering optimization problems. The test results show that MHHO achieves the top ranking on both the benchmark functions and the CEC2017 test sets, demonstrating its superior performance in terms of faster convergence speed and higher accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term height-resolved wind trend in China under global warming still needs to be discovered. To fill this gap, in this paper we examined the climatology and long-term (1979–2021) trends of the wintertime wind speed at the near-surface and upper atmosphere in China based on long-term radiosonde measurements. At 700, 500, and 400 hPa, much higher wind speed was found over eastern China, compared with western China. At 300, 200, and 100 hPa, maximum wind speed was observed in the latitude zone of around 25–35°N. Furthermore, westerly winds dominated most parts of China between 20°N and 50°N at altitudes from 700 hPa to 100 hPa. A stilling was revealed for the near-surface wind from 1979–2003. From 2004 onward, the near-surface wind speed reversed from decreasing to increasing. This could be largely due to the joint impact of reduced surface roughness length, aerosol optical depth (AOD), and increased sensible heat flux in the ground surface. The decrease of AOD tended to reduce aerosol radiative forcing, thereby destabilizing the planetary boundary layer (PBL). By comparison, the wintertime wind in the upper atmosphere exhibited a significant monotonic upward trend, albeit with varying magnitude for different altitudes. In the upper troposphere, the wintertime maximum wind was observed along a westerly jet stream, with a pronounced upward trend within the zone approximately bounded by latitudes of 25–50°N, particularly above 500 hPa. This accelerating wind observed in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere could be closely associated with the large planetary-scale meridional temperature trend gradient. Besides, the direction for the wind at the near-surface and lower troposphere (925 and 850 hPa) exhibited a larger variance over the period 1979–2021, which could be associated with the strong turbulence of PBL caused by the heterogeneous land surface. For those pressure levels higher than 850 hPa, large wind directional variance was merely found to the south of 25 °N. The findings from long-term radiosonde measurements in winter over China shed light on the changes in wind speed on the ground and upper atmosphere under global warming from an observational perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A drug-loaded diaphragm is an easy-to-use and effective drug delivery system that is often used to treat mouth ulcers. In this study, an ultrafine fiber film loaded with capsaicin was successfully prepared using the electrospinning technology. poly-l-lactic acid and gelatin were selected as the matrix materials to form the composite fiber, and trifluoroethanol was used as a co-solvent for poly-l-lactic acid, gelatin and capsaicin to prepare the spinning solution, which was simple to fabricate. The prepared fiber films were characterized based on their microscopic morphology and tested to derive their mechanical properties. Thereafter, the capsaicin release behavior of the film was investigated. In vitro experiments revealed certain anti-inflammatory and antibacterial abilities while animal experiments revealed that the capsaicin-loaded ultrafine fiber film could promote the healing of oral ulcers in rats. Healing of the tongue tissue in rats administered 10% capsaicin-loaded fiber film was found to be better than that in rats administered the commercial dexamethasone patch. Overall, this development strategy may prove to be promising for the development of oral ulcer patch formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: The radical‐mediated reductive functionalization of aryl halides has been extensively studied. However, the related radical‐mediated intermolecular reductive 1,2‐diarylation of alkenes, using aryl halides as aryl radical sources, remains unexplored. Herein, a new electrophotocatalytic intermolecular reductive 1,2‐diarylation of alkenes is reported using aryl halides and cyanoaromatics to produce polyarylated alkanes. Using synergistic cathodic reduction and visible‐light photoredox catalysis, various electron‐rich and electron‐deficient aryl halides are combined with various alkenes and cyanoaromatics to characterize the broad substrate scope, excellent functional group compatibility, and excellent selectivity of this reaction. Mechanistic investigations reveal that this reaction may proceed via a radical process initiated by the reductive generation of aryl radicals from aryl halides and terminated by radical‐radical coupling with cyanoaromatic radical anions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recently, therapeutic antibodies against programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) have exerted potent anticancer effect in a variety of tumors. However, blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 axis alone is not sufficient to restore normal immune response. Other negative regulators of antitumor immunity, like TGF-β and VEGFA, are also involved in immune escape of tumor cells and induce immunotherapy resistance. Methods: We developed a novel anti-TGF-β/VEGF bispecific antibody Y332D based on the Nano-YBODY™ technology platform. The CCK-8, flow cytometry, SBE4 luciferase reporter assay, western blotting and transwell assays were used to measure the biological activities of the anti-TGF-β moiety. The NFAT luciferase reporter assay, luminescent cell viability assay and tube formation assay were used to measure the biological activities of the anti-VEGF moiety. The in vivo anticancer efficacy of Y332D alone or in combination with PD-1 blockade was evaluated in H22, EMT-6, 4T1, and AKT/Ras-driven murine hepatocellular carcinoma tumor models. Immunofluorescent staining, flow cytometry, RNA-seq and quantitative RT-PCR were adopted to analyze the alterations in the tumor microenvironment. Results: Y332D could maintain specific binding affinities for TGF-β and VEGFA. Y332D almost entirely counteracted the in vitro biological functions of TGF-β and VEGFA, including immunosuppression, activated TGF-β signaling, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), activated VEGF/VEGFR signaling, HUVEC proliferation and tube formation. The in vivo experiment data demonstrated that Y332D was more effective in inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis than anti-TGF-β and anti-VEGF monotherapies. In combination therapies, Y332D plus PD-1 blockade exhibited the most potent and durable anticancer effect. Mechanistically, Y332D plus PD-1 blockade upregulated the density and function of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and exerted reinvigorated antitumor immunity. Conclusion: Y332D could simultaneously block TGF-β and VEGF signalings. In comparison with the monotherapies, Y332D combined with PD-1 blockade exerts superior antitumor effect through improving immune microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reprogramming lipid metabolism for tumor metastasis is essential in breast cancer, and NUCB2/Nesfatin-1 plays a crucial role in regulating energy metabolism. Its high expression is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer. Here, we studied whether NUCB2/Nesfatin-1 promotes breast cancer metastasis through reprogramming cholesterol metabolism. Methods: ELISA was employed to measure the concentration of Nesfatin-1 in the serum of breast cancer patients and the control group. Database analysis suggested that NUCB2/Nesfatin-1 might be acetylated in breast cancer, which was confirmed by treating the breast cancer cells with acetyltransferase inhibitors. Transwell migration and Matrigel invasion assays were conducted, and nude mouse lung metastasis models were established to examine the effect of NUCB2/Nesfatin-1 on breast cancer metastasis in vitro and in vivo. The Affymetrix gene expression chip results were analyzed using IPA software to identify the critical pathway induced by NUCB2/Nesfatin-1. We evaluated the effect of NUCB2/Nesfatin-1 on cholesterol biosynthesis through the mTORC1-SREBP2-HMGCR axis by utilizing mTORC1 inhibitor and rescue experiments. Results: NUCB2/Nesfatin-1 was found to be overexpressed in the breast cancer patients, and its overexpression was positively correlated with poor prognosis. NUCB2 was potentially acetylated, leading to high expression in breast cancer. NUCB2/Nesfatin-1 promoted metastasis in vitro and in vivo, while Nesfatin-1 rescued impaired cell metastasis induced by NUCB2 depletion. Mechanistically, NUCB2/Nesfatin-1 upregulated cholesterol synthesis via the mTORC1 signal pathway, contributing to breast cancer migration and metastasis. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that the NUCB2/Nesfatin-1/mTORC1/SREBP2 signal pathway is critical in regulating cholesterol synthesis, essential for breast cancer metastasis. Thus, NUCB2/Nesfatin-1 might be utilized as a diagnostic tool and also used in cancer therapy for breast cancer in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unmanned aerial vehicle swarms (UAVSs) can carry out numerous tasks such as detection and mapping when outfitted with machine learning (ML) models. However, due to the flying height and mobility of UAVs, it is very difficult to ensure a continuous and stable connection between ground base stations and UAVs, as a result of which distributed machine learning approaches, such as federated learning (FL), perform better than centralized machine learning approaches in some circumstances when utilized by UAVs. However, in practice, functions that UAVs must perform often, such as emergency obstacle avoidance, require a high sensitivity to latency. This work attempts to provide a comprehensive analysis of energy consumption and latency sensitivity of FL in UAVs and present a set of solutions based on an efficient asynchronous federated learning mechanism for edge network computing (EAFLM) combined with ant colony optimization (ACO) for the cases where UAVs execute such latency-sensitive jobs. Specifically, UAVs participating in each round of communication are screened, and only the UAVs that meet the conditions will participate in the regular round of communication so as to compress the communication times. At the same time, the transmit power and CPU frequency of the UAV are adjusted to obtain the shortest time of an individual iteration round. This method is verified using the MNIST dataset and numerical results are provided to support the usefulness of our proposed method. It greatly reduces the communication times between UAVs with a relatively low influence on accuracy and optimizes the allocation of UAVs' communication resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The whale optimization algorithm (WOA) is a simple structured and easily implemented swarm-based algorithm inspired by the unique bubble-net feeding method of humpback whales. Past studies have shown that WOA performs well in a number of optimization problems. However, it is difficult for WOA to completely free itself from the problems of insufficient convergence accuracy and premature convergence when solving global optimization problems. To address these issues, a hybrid whale optimization algorithm based on symbiotic strategy (HWOAMS) is proposed in this paper. The main idea of the proposed method is to combine the improved symbiotic organisms search algorithm (SOS) with the whale optimization algorithm thus enhancing the search ability of WOA. First, an improved symbiotic phase based on Lévy flight and chaos strategy is introduced into the exploration process to enhance the global search capability; Second, an improved mutualism phase based on Brownian motion is used instead of the original shrinking encircling phase to achieve better local exploitation. Third, an improved parasitic phase based on a modified global optimal spiral operator strategy is embedded in the spiral updating position phase to help the algorithm further improve the exploitation efficiency and convergence accuracy. Finally, a global search strategy is proposed to help the algorithm better balance exploration and exploitation. To establish the effectiveness of the new algorithm, extensive simulation experiments are conducted on HWOAMS using the classical function test set, the CEC 2019 function set and four classical engineering problems. Numerical evaluation results indicate that HWOAMS outperforms 18 other algorithms in terms of local optimum avoidance ability and convergence accuracy in a majority of cases, and has better search performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]