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Background: Guideline recommendations for the application of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in T2N1M0 stage hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative (HR + /HER2-) breast cancer are ambiguous. The debate continues regarding whether NACT or adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) offers superior survival outcomes for these patients. Materials and Methods: Female patients diagnosed with HR + /HER2- breast cancer at T2N1M0 stage between 2010 and 2020, were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database and divided into two groups, the NACT group and the ACT group. Propensity score matching (PSM) was utilized to establish balanced cohorts between groups, considering baseline features. Kaplan–Meier (K-M) analysis and the Cox proportional hazards model were executed to assess the efficacy of both NACT and ACT in terms of overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS). A logistic regression model was employed to examine the association between predictive variables and response to NACT. Results: After PSM, 4,682 patients were finally included. K-M curves showed that patients receiving NACT exhibited significantly worse OS and BCSS when compared with patients undergoing ACT. Multivariable Cox analysis indicated that not achieving pathologic complete response (non-pCR) after NACT (versus ACT), was identified as an adverse prognostic factor for OS (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.36–1.83) and BCSS (HR 1.70, 95% CI 1.44–2. 02). The logistic regression model revealed that low tumor grade independently predicted non-pCR. Conclusion: Among T2N1M0 stage HR + /HER2- patients, OS and BCSS of NACT were inferior to ACT. Patients who attained non-pCR after NACT demonstrated significantly worse survival outcomes compared with those who received ACT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular dementia (VaD) has a serious impact on the patients' quality of life. Icariin (Ica) possesses neuroprotective potential for treating VaD, yet its oral bioavailability and blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability remain challenges. This research introduced a PEG–PLGA-loaded chitosan hydrogel-based binary formulation tailored for intranasal delivery, enhancing the intracerebral delivery efficacy of neuroprotective agents. The formulation underwent optimization to facilitate BBB crossing, with examinations conducted on its particle size, morphology, drug-loading capacity, in vitro release, and biodistribution. Using the bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) rat model, the therapeutic efficacy of this binary formulation was assessed against chitosan hydrogel and PEG–PLGA nanoparticles loaded with Ica. Post-intranasal administration, enhanced cognitive function was evident in chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) rats. Further mechanistic evaluations, utilizing immunohistochemistry (IHC), RT-PCR, and ELISA, revealed augmented transcription of synaptic plasticity-associated proteins like SYP and PSD-95, and a marked reduction in hippocampal inflammatory markers such as IL-1β and TNF-α, highlighting the formulation's promise in alleviating cognitive impairment. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tropomyosin related kinase B (TrkB) pathway was activated significantly in the binary formulation compared with the other two. Our study demonstrates that the intranasal application of chitosan hydrogel loaded with Ica-encapsulated PEG–PLGA could effectively deliver Ica into the brain and enhance its neuroprotective effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-pass single-point incremental forming achieves large-angle part processing through multiple forming, and as the number of forming times increases, the number of forming defects on the workpiece also increases, significantly affecting the forming quality of the workpiece. This study focuses on multi-pass single-point incremental forming defects, investigating the effects of machining paths and different variable parameters on forming defects. It comprehensively analyses the effects of axial and radial compensation machining paths on forming defects through simulations and experiments. The results show that the greater the axial compensation, the more severe the wall thickness reduction and the fewer the sink mark defects. After radial compensation, the minimum wall thickness of the formed parts is reduced, and the larger the radial compensation, the more obvious the sink mark defects. The effects of variable pass angle, tool diameter, and layer feed rate on forming defects were also investigated. The results show that a decrease in the angle between passes reduces the minimum wall thickness of the workpiece. Furthermore, gradually increasing the tool diameter and decreasing the feed rate can increase the wall thickness of the workpiece; gradually decreasing the angle between passes increases the number of sink defects, whereas gradually increasing the tool diameter can reduce the number of sink defects. The sink defect is the smallest with the same layer feed rate. The effectiveness and accuracy of the simulation results have been verified through experiments, and this is of great significance for improving the forming accuracy of workpieces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis is a systemic illness for which there are no effective preventive or therapeutic therapies. Zerumbone, a natural molecule, has anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties that may help to prevent sepsis. In the present study, we have assessed the protective effect of zerumbone against sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI) and its underlying mechanisms. During the experiment, mice were divided into five groups: a sham group, a sepsis-induced ALI group, and three sepsis groups that are pre-treated with zerumbone at different concentrations. We found that zerumbone greatly decreased the sepsis-induced ALI using histological investigations. Also, zerumbone treatment reduced the sepsis-induced inflammatory cytokine concentrations as well as the number of infiltrating inflammatory cells in BALF compared to non-treated sepsis animals. The zerumbone-pretreated sepsis groups had reduced pulmonary myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity than the sepsis groups. Moreover, the mechanism underlying the protective action of zerumbone on sepsis is accomplished by the activation of antioxidant genes such as nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1). The obtained results revealed that zerumbone inhibited the sepsis-induced ALI through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activity via inhibition of the NF-κB pathway and activation of HO-1 pathway. Our findings demonstrate that zerumbone pretreatment suppresses sepsis-induced ALI via antioxidative activities and anti-inflammatory, implying that zerumbone could be a viable preventive agent for sepsis-induced ALI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MYB family is one of the largest families of transcription factors, in which the R2R3-MYB subgroup plays a crucial role in various biological processes. R2R3-MYBs in Populus davidiana × Populus bolleana have, however, not been systematically investigated. Here, based on the gene annotation of P. davidiana × P. bolleana genome sequence, all PdbR2R3-MYB transcripts were identified. These PdbR2R3-MYBs were classified into 29 subgroups (C2 to C30) according to the phylogenetic analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana AtR2R3-MYBs. The analysis of gene structures and protein motifs showed the conservation and evolution of PdbR2R3-MYBs. The cis-acting elements in the promoters of PdbR2R3-MYB genes were predicted, and the results indicated an abundance of abscisic acid and defense- and stress-responsive elements. The results of qRT-PCR revealed that nine PdbR2R3-MYB genes were differentially expressed in various tissues and can be regulated by drought stress; thus, these genes may play key roles in the response of plants to drought stress. In addition, the expression of PdbMYB5 and PdbMYB102 was significantly higher than those of the other seven MYB genes; hence, PdbMYB5 and PdbMYB102 overexpressing (OE) and silenced (SE) poplar plants were generated to investigate drought stress tolerance. The PdbMYB5 and PdbMYB102 OE plants showed enhanced reactive oxygen species scavenging capability, less cell damage, and high expression levels of the SOD and POD genes, whereas the SE plants showed the opposite results, thus suggesting that PdbMYB5 and PdbMYB102 conferred enhanced drought tolerance to the plants. This study provided insights into gene characterization, structure, evolution, expression, and function of the PdbR2R3-MYB family in poplar plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by intermittent hypoxia (IH) and is strongly associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Myocardial injury and dysfunction have been commonly observed in clinical practice, particularly in patients with severe OSA. However, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. In this review, we summarized the molecular mechanisms by which IH impact on myocardial injury and dysfunction. In brief, IH-induced cardiomyocyte death proceeds through the regulation of multiple biological processes, including differentially expressed transcription factors, alternative epigenetic programs, and altered post-translational modification. Besides cell death, various cardiomyocyte injuries, such as endoplasmic reticulum stress, occurs with IH. In addition to the direct effects on cardiomyocytes, IH has been found to deteriorate myocardial blood and energy supply by affecting the microvascular structure and disrupting glucose and lipid metabolism. For better diagnosis and treatment of OSA, further studies on the molecular mechanisms of IH-induced myocardial injury and dysfunction are essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissipative Kerr-soliton combs are laser pulses regularly sustained by a localized solitary wave on top of a continuous-wave background inside a nonlinear resonator. Usually, the intrinsic interactions between the background light and solitons are weak and localized. Here, we demonstrate a strong interaction between the generated soliton comb and the background light in a Brillouin-Kerr microcomb system. This strong interaction enables the generation of a monostable single-soliton microcomb on a silicon chip. Also, new phenomena related to soliton physics including solitons hopping between different states as well as controlling the formations of the soliton states by the pump power, are observed owing to such strong interaction. Utilizing this monostable single-soliton microcomb, we achieve the 100% deterministic turnkey operation successfully without any feedback controls. Importantly, it allows to output turnkey ultra-low-noise microwave signals using a free-running pump.Here the authors demonstrate a strong interaction between the generated solitons and background light in a Brillouin-Kerr microcomb system. Based on this unique physical mechanism, they achieve a monostable single soliton microcomb and a turnkey single-soliton microcomb without employing any optical/electrical control or feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the accuracy of the improved SRK/T-Li formula in eyes following implantation of intraocular lens (IOL) of less than 10 D as calculated by using the SRK/T formula in Chinese. Methods: A total of 489 eyes from 489 patients with cataracts were included in this study. These patients were divided into a training set (271 patients) and a testing set (218 patients). The IOL power calculated by using SRK/T was less than 10 D. We evaluated the accuracy of the modified SRK/T-Li formula (P = PSRK/T × 0.8 + 2 (P = implanted IOL power; PSRK/T = IOL power calculated by SRK/T)). We evaluated the mean absolute error (MAE), percentage of prediction error (PE) within ± 0.25, ± 0.50, and ± 1.00 D, and the percentage of postoperative hyperopia. Results: The MAE values in order of lowest to highest were as follows: 0.412 D (SRK/T-Li), 0.414 D (Barrett Universal II, (BUII)), 0.814 D (SRK/T), and 1.039 D (Holladay 1). The percentage of PE within ± 0.25 D, ± 0.50 D, and ± 1.00 D was 38.99%, 69.27% and 92.66% (BUII), 40.83%, 69.27% and 94.04% (SRK/T-Li), 20.64%, 41.28% and 71.56% (SRK/T), and 7.34%, 16.51% and 53.21% (Holladay 1), respectively. SRK/T-Li had the smallest postoperative hyperopic shift. Conclusions: For Chinese patients with an IOL power of less than 10 D as calculated by using the SRK/T, the SRK/T-Li has good accuracy and is the best choice to reduce postoperative hyperopic shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ti3C2/TiO2 nanocomposites with high photocatalytic performance are prepared by one-step hydrothermal method. The morphology, microstructure and phase composition of the composites are analyzed and characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The photocatalytic properties of pure TiO2, Ti3C2 and Ti3C2/TiO2 nanocomposites are evaluated using ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared (UV-VIS-NIR, UV-3600) spectrophotometer. The photocatalytic properties of pure TiO2, Ti3C2 and Ti3C2/TiO2 nanocomposites are investigated by using a 500 W xenon lamp to simulate the degradation of organic pollutants under sunlight. Under visible light irradiation, as for Ti3C2/TiO2, the electron and hole are separated more effectively than that of pure TiO2 and Ti3C2 and thus exhibit better photocatalytic performance than TiO2 and Ti3C2. In addition, Ti3C2/TiO2 nanocomposites are heat-treated at different temperatures. The results show that Ti3C2/TiO2-350 obtained by heat treatment at 350 °C exhibits preferable photocatalytic performance and more efficient electron-hole separation behavior than pure TiO2 and Ti3C2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Microsclerotia (MS), anti-stress structures produced by many filamentous fungi, have been proven to be a great substitute for conidia in the production of insecticides within entomogenous fungi. NADPH oxidase (Nox) is a highly conserved ROS-response protein family that is widespread in eukaryotes and plays distinct roles in environmental fitness among various filamentous fungi. However, it is not clear whether the formation of MS and pathogenicity in entomogenous fungi is regulated by the Nox inside. In this study, we reported the presence of NADPH oxidase homologs in a great potential biocontrol fungus, Metarhizium rileyi, and further showed multiple biological functions. Results: Three Nox homologous genes in M. rileyi showed high expression throughout the entire process of MS formation. Targeted deletion of MrNoxA, MrNoxB and MrNoxR all led to a decrease in MS yield and impaired morphology. Moreover, the anti-adversity assay showed that they are indispensable for growth, osmotic pressure and oxidative stress regulation in Metarhizium rileyi. Most importantly, △MrNoxR and △MrNoxA but not △MrNoxB showed a dramatic reduction in virulence via inoculation. The normality of appressoria might be unaffected in mutants since there are no striking differences in virulence compared with WT by topical injections. Conclusion: Our results revealed that NADPH oxidase plays important roles in growth regulation, MS formation and pathogenicity in M. rileyi, perhaps in the ROS response and hyphal polarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent paper by Li et al. (Comput Optim Appl 78(3):853–891, 2021), the authors propose an SDP relaxation for solving the minimum cut problem. In this note, we derive this SDP relaxation by Li et al. in a different way which provides a new perspective. Moreover, we give a rigorous proof that this relaxation by Li et al. is a stronger relaxation than the SDP relaxation presented in Pong et al. (Comput Optim Appl 63(2):333–364, 2016). The technique that we use to compare these two relaxations is through establishing a containment relationship between the feasible sets of these two relaxations. This technique is then studied and analyzed in a more general setting. We present some interesting observations about the differences in the optimal sets and values under this technique. Finally, we verify the strength of the SDP relaxation by Li et al. on some random graphs and also on some classical graphs for solving the vertex separator problems in the numerical experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dye wastewater discharged from industries has caused serious environmental problems. The recent decade has witnessed adsorption technology emerging as an advanced dye wastewater treatment method with great potential Therefore, we fabricated two kinds of magnetic porous adsorbents (HSF and HSVF) with different specific surface areas and activity sites. Both of which exhibit excellent performance with remarkable dye adsorption capacities, especially HSVF. We further investigated their adsorption kinetic and isotherm in detail. Therein, HSVF showed a nice desorption capacity, and it could be recycled rapidly by magnetism, which exhibited the advantages of effective, easy operation, and low cost. In addition, their adsorption kinetic and isotherm were further studied and compared in detail. The results revealed that introducing strong active sites could improve both the adsorption capacity and rate effectively even though sacrificing part of specific surface areas, indicating that active sites might play a dominant role during the dye adsorption process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digestion of community solid waste has great development prospects and economic benefits in the context of waste segregation. However, a large amount of biogas slurry is produced in the anaerobic digestion process and needs to be treated. In this study, the digestion performance and optimal recirculation batch in the digestion of community solid waste were investigated when multiple batches of recirculated slurry were mixed with inoculated sludge in the optimal ratio (a sludge volume percentage of 50%) as the inoculum. The results showed that the biogas yield and methane yield per unit load increased gradually with the number of recirculation batches and reached their maximum values in the seventh batch, which were 80.63% (1382.2 mL/g volatile solids) and 51.0% (812.4 mL/g volatile solids) more than the respective initial values. After four cycles of cultivation, the accumulation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) was significantly alleviated, and the total VFA concentration in the seventh batch was reduced by 49.7% in comparison with the initial value. The digestion process produced methane mainly via hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis and syntrophic acetic acid-oxidizing methanogenesis. The genera Methanobacterium and Methanomassiliicoccus were closely associated with the biogas production performance. These results are helpful to increase the utilization rate of biogas slurry, improve the performance of multiple-batch digestion of community solid waste, and provide relevant biological evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the sheet forming process, the final bending angle is mostly determined based on experience rather than based on a reliable theoretical framework. Furthermore, the local bent areas tend to decrease in thickness. Thus, it is difficult to control the quality of the final products. In this study, we developed an optimized bending angle function by combining segment boundaries to improve the final sheet forming quality and reduce the local thinning defects. The finite element submodel method was used to establish a high-definition thickness-sensitive numerical model for the bottom bending area of the hat-shaped part. This method accurately simulated the thickness variation law of the bending area of roll forming and analyzed the optimization function of the bending angle of the segment boundary as well as the process parameters for local thinning. Finally, roll-bending experiments were conducted to analyze the bending angle distribution conditions and the change law with respect to the process parameters of the cap-shaped parts in case of local thinning defects to verify the accuracy of the finite element simulation process. The results showed that the local thinning defect in the bending area of the hat-shaped part was smaller during roll bending, and the forming quality obtained was better than that obtained using other previously reported methods. The experimental data were consistent with the simulation data, verifying the accuracy of our proposed approach. Moreover, the thickness of the thinning defect was influenced by the process parameters; the plate bending radius and yield strength increased, and thickness thinning gradually decreased. Furthermore, the local thinning defects increased with the increasing plate thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect pathogenic fungi, also known as entomopathogenic fungi, are one of the largest insect pathogenic microorganism communities, represented by Beauveria spp. and Metarhizium spp. Entomopathogenic fungi have been proved to be a great substitute for chemical pesticide in agriculture. In fact, a lot of functional genes were also already characterized in entomopathogenic fungi, but more depth of exploration is still needed to reveal their complicated pathogenic mechanism to insects. Metarhizium rileyi (Nomuraea rileyi) is a great potential biocontrol fungus that can parasitize more than 40 distinct species (mainly Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to cause large-scale infectious diseases within insect population. In this study, a comparative analysis of transcriptome profile was performed with topical inoculation and hemolymph injection to character the infectious pattern of M. rileyi. Appressorium and multiple hydrolases are indispensable constituents to break the insect host primary cuticle defense in entomopathogenic fungi. Within our transcriptome data, numerous transcripts related to destruction of insect cuticle rather growth regulations were obtained. Most importantly, some unreported ribosomal protein genes and novel unannotated protein (hypothetical protein) genes were proved to participate in the course of pathogenic regulation. Our current data provide a higher efficiency gene library for virulence factors screen in M. rileyi, and this library may be also useful for furnishing valuable information on entomopathogenic fungal pathogenic mechanisms to host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and performance of a DNA probe adsorbing Mn2+-modified black phosphorus (BP@Mn2+/DNA) hybrid nanosensor is reported that enables rapid detection of cancer-derived exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) and exosomes. This two-dimensional (2D) nanosensor can spontaneously penetrate the lipid bilayer of exosome membranes owing to its ultra-thin geometry. Subsequently, the adsorbed probe specifically hybridizes with the target miRNA and then dissociates from the nanosensor surface, generating fluorescent signals. Therefore, the BP@Mn2+/DNA nanosensor can differentiate between colorectal cancer (CRC) cell-derived exosomes and those derived from intestinal epithelial cells through sensing of exosomal miRNAs. Furthermore, when the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) aptamer is adsorbed onto BP@Mn2+ instead of the miRNA probe, the nanosensor is able to distinguish exosomes derived from the plasma of CRC patients from those of healthy controls by the recognition ability of the EpCAM aptamer. By utilizing this nanosensor, we were able to effectively differentiate cancer-derived exosomes through the direct detection of miRNA-21 within the exosomes, as well as the identification of specific exosomal membrane proteins. This nanosensor design paves the way for the development of rapid and efficient cancer-derived exosomal miRNA and exosome biosensing nanoplatforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitamin D3 is believed to be a contributing factor to innate immunity. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) has a positive effect on inhibiting nuclear factor κB (NF-κB)-mediated inflammation. The underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear, particularly in mollusks. Consequently, this study will investigate the process of vitamin D3/VDR regulating NF-κB pathway and further explore their functions on inflammation, autophagy, and apoptosis in abalone Haliotis discus hannai. Results showed that knockdown of VDR by using siRNA and dsRNA of VDR in vitro and in vivo led to more intense response of NF-κB signaling to lipopolysaccharide and higher level of apoptosis and autophagy. In addition, 1,25(OH)2D3 stimulation after VDR silencing could partially alleviate apoptosis and induce autophagy. Overexpression of VDR restricted the K48-polyubiquitin chain-dependent inhibitor of κB (IκB) ubiquitination and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing CARD (ASC) oligomerization. Besides, VDR silencing resulted in increase of ASC speck formation. In further mechanistic studies, we showed that VDR can directly bind to IκB and IKK1 in vitro and in vivo. In the feeding trial, H&E staining, TUNEL, and electron microscope results showed that vitamin D3 deficiency (0 IU/kg) could recruit more basophilic cells and increase more TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells and lipid droplets (LDs) than vitamin D3 supplement (1000 IU/kg and 5000 IU/kg). In summary, abalone VDR plays a negative regulator role in NF-κB-mediated inflammation via interacting with IκB and inhibiting ubiquitin-dependent degradation of IκB. Vitamin D3 in combination with VDR is essential to establish a delicate balance between autophagy and apoptosis in response to inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) sensing platform (termed as USP), comprised of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) as the energy donor and Cy5 as the energy acceptor, has been synthesized for cathepsin B (CTSB) activity detection in vitro and in vivo. When Cy5-modified peptide substrate (peptide-Cy5) of CTSB is covalently linked on the surface of UCNPs, the FRET between the UCNPs (excitation: 980 nm; emission: 541 nm/655 nm) and Cy5 (excitation: 645 nm) leads to a reduction in the red upconversion luminescence (UCL) signal intensity of UCNPs. Cy5 can be liberated from UCNPs in the presence of CTSB through the cleavage of peptide-Cy5 by CTSB, leading to the recovery of the red UCL signal of UCNPs. Because the green UCL signal of UCNPs remains constant during the CTSB digestion, it can be considered as an internal reference. The findings demonstrate the ability of USP to detect CTSB with the linear detection ranges of 1 to 100 ng·mL−1 in buffer and 2 × 103 to 1 × 105 cells in 0.2 mL cell lysates. The limits of detection (LODs) are 0.30 ng·mL−1 in buffer and 887 cells in 0.2 mL of cell lysates (S/N = 3). The viability of USP to detect CTSB activity in tumor-bearing mice is has further been investigated using in vivo fluorescent imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Cell-cultivated fish offers the potential for a more ethical, sustainable, and safe seafood system. However, fish cell culture is relatively understudied in comparison to mammalian cells. Here, we established and characterized a continuous Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) skeletal muscle cell line ("Mack" cells). The cells were isolated from muscle biopsies of fresh-caught fish, with separate isolations performed from two distinct fish. Mack1 cells (cells from the first isolation) were cultured for over a year and subcultured over 130 times. The cells proliferated at initial doubling times of 63.9 h (± 19.1 SD). After a spontaneous immortalization crisis from passages 37–43, the cells proliferated at doubling times of 24.3 h (± 4.91 SD). A muscle phenotype was confirmed through characterization of muscle stemness and differentiation via paired-box protein 7 and myosin heavy chain immunostaining, respectively. An adipocyte-like phenotype was also demonstrated for the cells through lipid accumulation, confirmed via Oil Red O staining and quantification of neutral lipids. New qPCR primers (HPRT, PAX3B, MYOD1, MYOG, TNNT3A, and PPARG) were tailored to the mackerel genome and used to characterize mackerel cell genotypes. This work provides the first spontaneously immortalized fish muscle cell line for research, ideally serving as a reference for subsequent investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a block mirror stochastic gradient method is developed to solve stochastic optimization problems involving convex and nonconvex cases, where the feasible set and the variables are treated as multiple blocks. The proposed method combines the features of the classic mirror descent stochastic method and the block coordinate gradient descent method. Acquiring the stochastic gradient information by stochastic oracles, our method updates all the blocks of variables in the Gauss–Seidel type. We establish the convergence for both convex and nonconvex cases. The analysis of our method is challenging because the typical unbiasedness assumption of stochastic gradient fails to hold in the Gauss–Seidel renewal type and requires more specific assumptions. The proposed algorithm is tested on the conditional value-at-risk problem and the stochastic LASSO problem to demonstrate the efficiency of our algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a common and complex disorder resulting from repetitive alcohol drinking. The mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) system, originating from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the midbrain, is involved in the rewarding effect of ethanol. The γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons in VTA appear to be key substrates of acute and chronic ethanol, which regulates DA neurotransmission indirectly in the mesocorticolimbic system. Despite significant research on the relationship between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and reduced alcohol consumption in male rats involving tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB), the mechanisms of BDNF-TrkB regulating alcohol behavior remain scarce. K+-Cl– cotransporter 2 (KCC2) plays a crucial role in synaptic function in GABAergic neurons by modulating intracellular chlorine homeostasis. Here, we found that 4-week intermittent alcohol exposure impaired the function of KCC2 in VTA, evidenced by a lower expression level of phosphorylated KCC2 and decreased ratio of phosphorylated KCC2 to total KCC2, especially 72 h after withdrawal from 4-week ethanol exposure in male rats. CLP290 (a KCC2 activator) reduced excessive alcohol consumption after alcohol withdrawal, whereas VU0240551 (a specific KCC2 inhibitor) further enhanced alcohol intake. Importantly, VU0240551 reversed the attenuating effects of BDNF and 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF) on alcohol consumption after withdrawal. Moreover, intraperitoneal injection of 7,8-DHF upregulated KCC2 expression and phosphorylated KCC2 in VTA 72 h after withdrawal from ethanol exposure in male rats. Collectively, our data indicate that KCC2 may be critical in the regulating action of BDNF-TrkB on ethanol consumption in AUD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the challenge of highly sensitive and accurate detection of biomarkers in complex environments, a rational engineering strategy for designing electrochemical immunosensing platform is proposed. Herein, we develop a microsensor chip through the combination of multiplexed electrodes and microfluidic channels for the parallel detection of human interleukins (IL-6 and IL-8). For the construction of an efficient sensing interface, the conductive silver nanowires (Ag NWs) wrapped with zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) thin film (denoted as ZIF-8@Ag NWs) are prepared, and then employed for the multi-functionalization of electrodes. The immunodetection of ILs is based on the direct signal transduction ability of Ag NWs and specific interaction of periodically arranged Zn2+ ions in ZIF-8 films with biomolecules, which offer the high assay sensitivity and good specificity. The immunosensor chip achieves a wide detection range from pg/mL to ng/mL and possesses the ability to resist non-specific proteins adsorption in biological complex media. Further clinical serum samples assay verifies that the combination of IL-6 and IL-8 levels yields high diagnostic accuracy. Principal component analysis (PCA) reveals that 18 patient samples could be fully separated from healthy control samples. The low-cost, easily fabricated electrochemical immunosensing platform provides a rapid serum test for diagnosis and personalized therapy of inflammatory diseases, and can also be generalized to other immunoreaction-based biomarkers detections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Accumulation of toxic trace metals in agricultural soils resulting from sewage sludges represents a threat to food safety and the environment. The aim of this study was to assess the importance of field aging over several decades in attenuating trace metal bioavailability and phytotoxicity in a soil amended with sewage sludge. Methods: The availability of nutrients and trace metals in a soil polluted more than 40 years earlier by heavy application of contaminated sewage sludge was estimated by measuring concentrations of soil elements leachable by water and extractable by the Modified Morgan test. A greenhouse bioassay using soybeans was conducted to measure phytoavailability of trace metals and nutrients. Results: Despite more than 4 decades of aging in the field, Cd, Cu, P, Pb and Zn were much more available in the sludged soil when compared to a nearby uncontaminated control soil as indicated by Modified Morgan extractable levels in the sludged (8.0,11.8, 76.3, 3.0, 191 mg kg−1) compared to the control (0.0,0.15, 3.8, 1.4, 0.40 mg kg−1) soils, respectively. Uptake of Cd, P, and Zn into soybean shoots was increased in the sludged soils compared to the control soils by 8.6, 5.2 and 5.3 times, respectively. Soybeans grown in the sludged soil accumulated much greater shoot concentrations of Mo (12.5 mg kg−1) than the control soybeans (< 0.1 mg kg−1). Conversely, Pb and Cu had less plant uptake from the sludge-amended soil despite greater soil Pb and Cu concentrations. Lower Pb solubility in the sludge-amended soil compared to the control soil is attributable to Pb binding by residual soil organic matter. Phytotoxic symptoms in soybeans included stunted growth and chlorotic leaves, attributable to elevated Zn and P in the shoots and potentially reduced phytoavailability of Fe and Mn in the sludge-amended soil. Conclusions: Field aging over 40 years failed to reduce availability of trace metals of concern in soils (particularly Zn, Cd, Mo) to levels that would not harm soil productivity or compromise crop safety. The results demonstrate that agricultural soils severely contaminated by trace metals are unlikely to be restored naturally to a productive condition within a time frame of several decades because long-term processes of aging and loss involved in reducing heavy metal bioavailability are very slow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human alpha-2-macroglobulin is a well-known inhibitor of a broad spectrum of proteases and plays important roles in immunity, inflammation, and infections. Here, we report the cryo-EM structures of human alpha-2-macroglobulin in its native state, induced state transformed by its authentic substrate, human trypsin, and serial intermediate states between the native and fully induced states. These structures exhibit distinct conformations, which reveal the dynamic transformation of alpha-2-macro-globulin that acts as a protease inhibitor. The results shed light on the molecular mechanism of alpha-2-macroglobulin in entrapping substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paired electrolytic system is constructed by combining the valuable organic electro-oxidation and electro-reduction reactions, which can replace the ineffective water splitting half-reaction. By reducing the energy consumption of the electrolytic cell, the value-added electrolysis is realized. The indirect electrolysis method greatly reduces the dependence of the organic electrolysis reaction on electrode potential by introducing the redox mediators, which solves the problem on the matching of anode and cathode current under potentiostatic conditions. Here, we report a more stable, efficient and energy-saving linear paired electrochemical synthesis system that can simultaneously convert furfural to furoic acid at both the anode and cathode at higher current densities. Stable three-dimensional networked PbO2 is used as the anode and the catalytic amount of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO) is used as the mediator to realize the efficient conversion of furfural to furoic acid in a wide potential range. The cathode catalyzes two-electron oxygen reduction to hydrogen peroxide using Pb/RHPC gas-diffusion electrode, which mediates the oxidation of furfural to furoic acid simultaneously. In potentiostatic electrolysis, the selectivity of the furoic acid in the cathode and anode is 33.2% and 99.3%, respectively, and the total electron efficiency is 127.1%. The properties of the cathode and anode remain stable after the long-time electrolysis in a flow cell. By choosing a stable anode with high oxygen evolution overpotential and a gas-diffusion cathode with high hydrogen evolution overpotential, the electrolytic cell can be operated efficiently and stably by introducing reasonable mediated reactions. The two half-reactions have good compatibility during the electrolysis process, saving energy consumption by about 12.3%, for certain industrial application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical and experimental data hints that prolonged and repeated epileptic seizures can lead to molecular, biochemical, metabolic, and structural changes in the brain, a continuous process of chronic brain injury that ultimately leads to neuronal death. The histological characteristics of hippocampal structure determine its high sensitivity to excitotoxicity and present different types of neuronal death, including apoptosis, necroptosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis. Hippocampal neuronal death promotes the progression of epileptogenesis, seizures, and epilepsy and is closely related to the impairment of cognitive function. Massive evidence indicates that oxidative stress plays a critical role in different forms of neuronal death induced by epileptic seizures. The brain is particularly vulnerable to damage caused by oxidative stress, and an increase in oxidative stress biomarkers was found in various epilepsy types. The purpose of this review is to elucidate the molecular mechanism of neuronal death and explore the moderating effect of oxidative stress on epileptic seizure-induced neuronal death patterns so as to find potential intervention targets for neuroprotective treatment after epileptic seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a virtual object is inserted into an outdoor image, the recovery of scene illumination has a critical effect on the mix of virtual objects and actual reality. There are two main parts of the object in the outdoor scene: the sun and the sky. In order to represent the illumination conditions of these two natural illumination, this paper uses the Lalonde-Matthew outdoor illumination model to perform the sky and sun in the image. Model use seven parameters represent the illumination of the scene. So the original illumination estimation problem is transformed into a prediction problem of seven illumination parameters. For this problem, this paper proposes a new two-branch network structure, one branch is used to estimate the sun orientation, and the other branch is used to estimate the remaining six parameters. This paper also introduces convolution block attention module (CBAM) based on this structure. The introduction of this module enables the network to select the most important information for the current task target from a large number of information when extracting image features, while suppressing other useless information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dermal exposure is one of the main ways of human body exposure to atmospheric contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The skin type significantly affects the skin adsorption of contaminants. However, this is commonly ignored in assessing the dermal exposure based on the atmospheric concentrations of contaminants. In this study, a simulation device suitable for human dermal pollutant exposure assessment was established, which used polyethylene balloons coated with different doses of glycerol trioleate to simulate oily skin, neutral skin, and dry skin type. The sampling effectiveness of the device was verified, and the device was applied to the skin exposure assessment of atmospheric PAHs at different scenarios. Kinetic experiments indicated a linear adsorption within 6 h. The adsorption kinetic constants (k) of PAHs on the oily surface of the balloon were significantly higher than those on the dry surface, especially for PAHs with high ring numbers. Compared with the calculated skin adsorption based on atmospheric concentrations, the results of this simulation device can better simulate the skin adsorption of atmospheric contaminants on different skin types and in different scenarios. Based on the result of balloon sampling, the dermal exposure of PAH3 rings by oily skin inside the tunnel is up to 5.668 ng/cm2/day, indicating a non-negligible health risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-inspired reversible adhesion has significant potential in many fields requiring flexible grasping and manipulation, such as precision manufacturing, flexible electronics, and intelligent robotics. Despite extensive efforts for adhesive synthesis with a high adhesion strength at the interface, an effective strategy to actively tune the adhesion capacity between a strong attachment and an easy detachment spanning a wide range of scales has been lagged. Herein, we report a novel soft-hard-soft sandwiched composite design to achieve a stable, repeatable, and reversible strong adhesion with an easily scalable performance for a large area ranging from ∼1.5 to 150 cm2 and a high load ranging from ∼20 to 700 N. Theoretical studies indicate that this design can enhance the uniform loading for attachment by restraining the lateral shrinkage in the natural state, while facilitate a flexible peeling for detachment by causing stress concentration in the bending state, yielding an adhesion switching ratio of ∼54 and a switching time of less than ∼0.2 s. This design is further integrated into versatile grippers, climbing robots, and human climbing grippers, demonstrating its robust scalability for a reversible strong adhesion. This biomimetic design bridges microscopic interfacial interactions with macroscopic controllable applications, providing a universal and feasible paradigm for adhesion design and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The C-terminal epitope imprinted polymers on the silica were prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) strategy with C-terminal nonapeptide of cytochrome c (Cyt c) as the template. 4-cyano-4-(phenylcarbonothioylthio) phetanoic acid was immobilized on the silica as a chain transfer agent to regulate the polymerization of the imprinted layer to enhance the recognition performance of the imprinted materials for the peptide and target protein. Additionally, zinc methacrylate was used as a functional monomer to form the imprinted sites through the synergistic effect of Zn2+ chelating, hydrogen bonding and electrostatic attraction, which further improved the recognition between polymers and protein. The molecularly imprinted polymers prepared with RAFT strategy show good recognition for the epitope peptide and Cyt c with imprinting factors of 7.96 and 6.17, respectively, which is higher than those prepared without RAFT strategy. Furthermore, the imprinted polymers have a good binding capacity and imprinting factor for Cyt c in multi-proteins selective recognition and have good reusability. The performance of Cyt c recognition in bovine serum by the epitope imprinted polymers was calculated by HPLC and the results demonstrated the well selectivity and potential application for Cyt c recognition in biological sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a statistical analysis on the relationship between shear strength and water saturation of cohesive soils based on a comprehensive database (labeled as Cohesive Soil/3/2119). In this study, the cohesive soils are categorized into three general types including clay, silty clay, and silt. For each of the three types, the statistical characteristics including mean, standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (COV), standard error of mean (SEM), and distribution type of the shear strength parameters at different water saturation intervals are derived. Further, several empirical formulas are proposed for predicting the statistical characteristics of shear strength of cohesive soils as a function of degree of saturation. The empirical formulas and relationships for different soil types are compared. For the three soil types, the decreasing rate of mean cohesion with the increase of water saturation is highest for silt and lowest for clay; however, the decreasing rate for mean friction angle is highest for clay and lowest for silt. The statistics in terms of SD and COV for shear strength versus water saturation are also analyzed. The developed correlations provide useful guidelines in the reliability-based geotechnical design for estimating the statistical characteristics of shear strength of cohesive soils based on the moisture conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A kind of surface imprinted particles was synthesized to recognize cytochrome c (Cyt c) by a novel strategy combining reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) radical polymerization and epitope surface imprinting. N-terminal epitope nonapeptide of Cyt c was chosen as the template. The selectivity of these particles for protein recognition was obviously improved due to the selection of epitopes rather than the whole protein as templates and the controllable length of polymer shell chain. After epitope had been modified on the surface of silica, the surface imprinted polymer with controlled imprinted layer was synthesized with monomers and cross-linkers by RAFT radical polymerization strategy. The epitope surface imprinted particles were obtained after the peptide removed and trithioester group destruction by hexylamine. The binding capacity of N-terminal peptide reached 1.88 mg peptide per gram with imprinting factor (IF) as 2.42 while the binding capacity of Cyt c reached 8.89 mg protein per gram with IF as 1.71, which were obviously higher than the IF of the material without RAFT strategy. Moreover, Cyt c could be selectively recognized by the epitope surface imprinted particles even in presence of the competitive proteins with different molecular weight and isoelectric point. The performance of protein recognition remained 90% after five cycles of adsorption and desorption. All these results demonstrated that the epitope surface imprinted particles prepared by RAFT strategy are promising to achieve the protein recognition with higher recognition ability, selectivity and reusability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in the generation of variants that may diminish host immune responses to vaccine formulations. Here we show a registered observational clinical trial (NCT04795414), we assess the safety and immunogenicity of the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine BBIBP-CorV in a cohort of 1006 vaccine recipients. No serious adverse events are observed during the term of the study. Detectable virus-specific antibody is measured and determined to be neutralizing in 698/760 (91.84%) vaccine recipients on day 28 post second vaccine dose and in 220/581 (37.87%) vaccine recipients on day 180 post second vaccine dose, whereas vaccine-elicited sera show varying degrees of reduction in neutralization against a range of key SARS-CoV-2 variants, including variant Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Iota, and Delta. Our work show diminished neutralization potency against multiple variants in vaccine-elicited sera, which indicates the potential need for additional boost vaccinations. Variants of SARS-CoV-2 present the potential for differential response and performance to delivered vaccine regimens. Here the authors characterise the neutralising antibody response to the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine BBIBP-CorV and assess functionality against a range of key SARS-CoV2 variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entropy indexes are widely used to measure the complexity of precipitation and its spatiotemporal variability, due to their advantages in quantifying the complex and nonlinear interactions of climate variables. However, different entropy indexes may provide different outcomes on the complexity of precipitation, thus causing difficulties in the assessment of actual complexity. In this study, we identified and chose the optimal entropy index from six entropy indexes based on the reliability and stability of entropy values, to assess the complexity of precipitation. The six entropy indexes considered are: information entropy (IE), fuzzy entropy (FE), approximate entropy (AE), sample entropy (SE), wavelet entropy (WE), and permutation entropy (PE). We implemented the approach on the monthly precipitation data observed over the period 1968–2017 at 58 meteorological stations in Beijing, China. The results indicated that the SE index was the optimal index with the best reliability and stability and, thus, was used to examine the complexity of the 58 monthly precipitation series in Beijing. The results also suggested that the complexity of precipitation can be viewed in terms of four sub-regions in Beijing. The precipitation in the 'Northern Mountain Area', with high complexity, was more affected by the interactions between the terrain and climate variability, compared with that in the 'Southern Mountain Area' with low complexity. The precipitation in the 'Central Urban Area' was more significantly impacted by the extensive urbanization than that in the 'Northeast Suburban Area', causing higher complexity in the former. At temporal scale, the complexity of precipitation in the 'Southern Mountain Area' exhibited the largest increasing rate due to the highest impacts of climate variability, followed by the 'Central Urban Area' with a moderate increasing rate of complexity of precipitation due to the impacts of human activities. However, the complexity of precipitation in the 'Northern Mountain Area' and 'Northeast Suburban Area' exhibited small changes due to relatively weak sensitivity to climate variability and human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed deep learning can effectively accelerate neural model training, which employs multiple workers at a cluster of nodes to train a neural network in a parallel way. In this paper, we propose InHAD, an asynchronous distributed deep learning protocol, whose key novelty lies in the design of hierarchical gradient communication and aggregation. The local aggregation is conducted inside a computing node to aggregate the gradients produced by local workers, while global aggregation is conducted at the parameter server to calculate new model parameters based on results of local aggregations. An iteration number-based mechanism is designed to guarantee the convergence of the training. Worker nodes keep sending IN to parameter server and the latter decides when to pull gradients from workers by counting IN and updates global model weights/parameters. With the IN-based hierarchical aggregation technique, InHAD can save communication cost by reducing the number of gradients transferred and speed up the convergence by limiting the staleness of gradients. We conduct extensive experiments at the Tianhe-2 supercomputer system to evaluate the performance of InHAD. Two neural networks are trained on two classical datasets, and similar protocols like Horovod and ASP are tested for comparisons. The results show that InHAD can achieve much higher acceleration than ASP and nearly the same accuracy as Horovod. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the accuracy of 14 formulas in calculating intraocular lens (IOL) power in extremely long eyes with axial length (AL) over 30.0 mm.In this retrospective study, 211 eyes (211 patients) with ALs > 30.0 mm were successfully treated with cataract surgery without complications. Ocular biometric parameters were obtained from IOLMaster 700. Fourteen formulas were evaluated using the optimized A constants: Barrett Universal II (BUII), Kane, Emmetropia Verifying Optical (EVO) 2.0, PEARL-DGS, T2, SRK/T, Holladay 1, Holladay 2, Haigis and Wang-Koch AL adjusted formulas (SRK/Tmodified-W/K, Holladay 1modified-W/K, Holladay 1NP-modified-W/K, Holladay 2modified-W/K, Holladay 2NP-modified-W/K). The mean prediction error (PE) and standard deviation (SD), mean absolute errors (MAE), median absolute errors (MedAE), and the percentage of prediction errors (PEs) within ± 0.25 D, ± 0.50 D, ± 1.00 D were analyzed.The Kane formula had the smallest MAE (0.43 D) and MedAE (0.34 D). The highest percentage of PE within ± 0.25 D was for EVO 2.0 (37.91%) and the Holladay 1NP-modified-W/K formulas (37.91%). The Kane formula had the highest percentage of PEs in the range of ± 0.50, ± 0.75, ± 1.00, and ± 2.00 D. There was no significant difference in PEs within ± 0.25, ± 0.50 ± 0.75 and ± 1.00 D between BUII, Kane, EVO 2.0 and Wang-Koch AL adjusted formulas (P > .05) by using Cochran’s Q test. The Holladay 2modified-W/K formula has the lowest percentage of hyperopic outcomes (29.38%).The BUII, Kane, EVO 2.0 and Wang-Koch AL adjusted formulas have comparable accuracy for IOL power calculation in eyes with ALs > 30.0 mm.Methods: To compare the accuracy of 14 formulas in calculating intraocular lens (IOL) power in extremely long eyes with axial length (AL) over 30.0 mm.In this retrospective study, 211 eyes (211 patients) with ALs > 30.0 mm were successfully treated with cataract surgery without complications. Ocular biometric parameters were obtained from IOLMaster 700. Fourteen formulas were evaluated using the optimized A constants: Barrett Universal II (BUII), Kane, Emmetropia Verifying Optical (EVO) 2.0, PEARL-DGS, T2, SRK/T, Holladay 1, Holladay 2, Haigis and Wang-Koch AL adjusted formulas (SRK/Tmodified-W/K, Holladay 1modified-W/K, Holladay 1NP-modified-W/K, Holladay 2modified-W/K, Holladay 2NP-modified-W/K). The mean prediction error (PE) and standard deviation (SD), mean absolute errors (MAE), median absolute errors (MedAE), and the percentage of prediction errors (PEs) within ± 0.25 D, ± 0.50 D, ± 1.00 D were analyzed.The Kane formula had the smallest MAE (0.43 D) and MedAE (0.34 D). The highest percentage of PE within ± 0.25 D was for EVO 2.0 (37.91%) and the Holladay 1NP-modified-W/K formulas (37.91%). The Kane formula had the highest percentage of PEs in the range of ± 0.50, ± 0.75, ± 1.00, and ± 2.00 D. There was no significant difference in PEs within ± 0.25, ± 0.50 ± 0.75 and ± 1.00 D between BUII, Kane, EVO 2.0 and Wang-Koch AL adjusted formulas (P > .05) by using Cochran’s Q test. The Holladay 2modified-W/K formula has the lowest percentage of hyperopic outcomes (29.38%).The BUII, Kane, EVO 2.0 and Wang-Koch AL adjusted formulas have comparable accuracy for IOL power calculation in eyes with ALs > 30.0 mm.Results: To compare the accuracy of 14 formulas in calculating intraocular lens (IOL) power in extremely long eyes with axial length (AL) over 30.0 mm.In this retrospective study, 211 eyes (211 patients) with ALs > 30.0 mm were successfully treated with cataract surgery without complications. Ocular biometric parameters were obtained from IOLMaster 700. Fourteen formulas were evaluated using the optimized A constants: Barrett Universal II (BUII), Kane, Emmetropia Verifying Optical (EVO) 2.0, PEARL-DGS, T2, SRK/T, Holladay 1, Holladay 2, Haigis and Wang-Koch AL adjusted formulas (SRK/Tmodified-W/K, Holladay 1modified-W/K, Holladay 1NP-modified-W/K, Holladay 2modified-W/K, Holladay 2NP-modified-W/K). The mean prediction error (PE) and standard deviation (SD), mean absolute errors (MAE), median absolute errors (MedAE), and the percentage of prediction errors (PEs) within ± 0.25 D, ± 0.50 D, ± 1.00 D were analyzed.The Kane formula had the smallest MAE (0.43 D) and MedAE (0.34 D). The highest percentage of PE within ± 0.25 D was for EVO 2.0 (37.91%) and the Holladay 1NP-modified-W/K formulas (37.91%). The Kane formula had the highest percentage of PEs in the range of ± 0.50, ± 0.75, ± 1.00, and ± 2.00 D. There was no significant difference in PEs within ± 0.25, ± 0.50 ± 0.75 and ± 1.00 D between BUII, Kane, EVO 2.0 and Wang-Koch AL adjusted formulas (P > .05) by using Cochran’s Q test. The Holladay 2modified-W/K formula has the lowest percentage of hyperopic outcomes (29.38%).The BUII, Kane, EVO 2.0 and Wang-Koch AL adjusted formulas have comparable accuracy for IOL power calculation in eyes with ALs > 30.0 mm.Conclusions: To compare the accuracy of 14 formulas in calculating intraocular lens (IOL) power in extremely long eyes with axial length (AL) over 30.0 mm.In this retrospective study, 211 eyes (211 patients) with ALs > 30.0 mm were successfully treated with cataract surgery without complications. Ocular biometric parameters were obtained from IOLMaster 700. Fourteen formulas were evaluated using the optimized A constants: Barrett Universal II (BUII), Kane, Emmetropia Verifying Optical (EVO) 2.0, PEARL-DGS, T2, SRK/T, Holladay 1, Holladay 2, Haigis and Wang-Koch AL adjusted formulas (SRK/Tmodified-W/K, Holladay 1modified-W/K, Holladay 1NP-modified-W/K, Holladay 2modified-W/K, Holladay 2NP-modified-W/K). The mean prediction error (PE) and standard deviation (SD), mean absolute errors (MAE), median absolute errors (MedAE), and the percentage of prediction errors (PEs) within ± 0.25 D, ± 0.50 D, ± 1.00 D were analyzed.The Kane formula had the smallest MAE (0.43 D) and MedAE (0.34 D). The highest percentage of PE within ± 0.25 D was for EVO 2.0 (37.91%) and the Holladay 1NP-modified-W/K formulas (37.91%). The Kane formula had the highest percentage of PEs in the range of ± 0.50, ± 0.75, ± 1.00, and ± 2.00 D. There was no significant difference in PEs within ± 0.25, ± 0.50 ± 0.75 and ± 1.00 D between BUII, Kane, EVO 2.0 and Wang-Koch AL adjusted formulas (P > .05) by using Cochran’s Q test. The Holladay 2modified-W/K formula has the lowest percentage of hyperopic outcomes (29.38%).The BUII, Kane, EVO 2.0 and Wang-Koch AL adjusted formulas have comparable accuracy for IOL power calculation in eyes with ALs > 30.0 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Question answering, serving as one of important tasks in natural language processing, enables machines to understand questions in natural language and answer the questions concisely. From web search to expert systems, question answering systems are widely applied to various domains in assisting information seeking. Deep learning methods have boosted various tasks of question answering and have demonstrated dramatic effects in performance improvement for essential steps of question answering. Thus, leveraging deep learning methods for question answering has drawn much attention from both academia and industry in recent years. This paper provides a systematic review of the recent development of deep learning methods for question answering. The survey covers the scope including methods, datasets, and applications. The methods are discussed in terms of network structure characteristics, methodology innovations, and their effectiveness. The survey is expected to be a contribution to the summarization of recent research progress and future directions of deep learning methods for question answering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kinematic errors of the linear axis play a key role in machining precision of high-end CNC (computer numerical control) machine tool. The quantification of error relationship is still an urgent problem to be solved in the assembly process of the linear axis, especially considering the effect of the elastic deformation of rollers. In order to obtain the kinematic errors of the linear axis of machine tool, a systematic error equivalence model of slider is proposed. The linear axis contains the base, the linear guide rail, and carriage. Firstly, the geometric errors of assembly surface of linear guide rail are represented by small displacement torsor. Then, according to the theory of different motion of robots, the error equivalence model of a single slider is established, namely the geometric errors of assembly surface of linear guide rail and the pose error of slider are equivalent to the elastic deformation of roller. Based on the principle of vector summation, the kinematic error of a single slider is mapped to the carriage, and the kinematic error of the linear axis is obtained. At the same time, experiments validation of kinematic error model of the linear axis is carried out. It is indicated that the proposed model is accurate and feasible. The analysis of key design parameters shows that the proposed model can provide an accurate guidance for the manufacturing and operation performance of the linear axis in quantification, and a more effective reference for the engineers at the design and assembly stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers in the world with a high mortality rate. Receptor tyrosine kinases play important roles in the occurrence and development of various cancers. Discoid protein domain receptor 1 (DDR1) is a special type of transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase. Here, we show that the expression of DDR1 is significantly increased in HCC and is related to a poor clinical prognosis. Methods: The expression of DDR1 in HCC cell lines and primary HCC specimens was evaluated using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. A correlation between DDR1 and SLC1A5 expression was also investigated in primary HCC specimens. Cell proliferation was evaluated using in vitro CCK8 and colony formation assays. Gene knock-down and overexpression assays, CHX, NH4CL and Mg132 interference tests and immunoprecipitation, as well as nude mouse xenograft models were used to assess the mechanism by which DDR1 promotes tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. Results: We found that DDR1 promotes the proliferation of HCC cells and accelerates the growth of HCC tumor xenografts, while DDR1 downregulation had the opposite effect. We also found that loss or gain of DDR1 expression affected HCC cell cycle progression. Mechanistically, we found that DDR1 interacts with SLC1A5, which belongs to the solute carrier (SLC) family of transporters, and regulates its stability, thereby affecting the mTORC1 signaling pathway. In addition, we found that SLC1A5 regulation by DDR1 can be restored by lysosome inhibitors. We also found that DDR1 is highly expressed in HCC tissues and that increased DDR1 expression predicts a shorter overall survival (OS) time. We additionally found that the expression of SLC1A5 was positively correlated with that of DDR1. Together, our data indicate that DDR1 acts as a tumor-promoting factor that can control HCC cell proliferation and cell cycle progression by stabilizing SLC1A5 in a lysosome-dependent way. Conclusions: Our study reveals a new mechanism by which DDR1 plays a liver cancer-promoting role. We also found that DDR1 expression serves as an independent prognostic marker, and that DDR1 and SLC1A5 expression levels are positively correlated in clinical samples. Our findings provide a new perspective for understanding HCC development and offers new targets for the treatment and management of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waning immunity and viral diversification both create the potential need for further booster vaccination; therefore, we administered a homologous booster dose of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine, 8-9 months after completing the priming two-dose vaccination schedule, to eligible healthcare workers in Shanghai Ruijin Hospital to investigate whether the newly identified Omicron variant can escape serum antibody neutralization induced by the booster vaccination. The booster dose of either an inactivated vaccine or a heterologous recombinant protein subunit vaccine can rapidly recover the neutralizing immune response to SARS-CoV-2[3], and elicit neutralizing antibodies against VOCs, including variants Beta and Delta[4]. In conclusion, a booster dose of BBIBP-CorV led to a significant rebound in neutralizing immune response against SARS-CoV-2, while the Omicron variant showed extensive but incomplete escape from booster-enhanced neutralization. [Extracted from the article]

The Greater Khingan Mountains (GKM) regions have the second-largest areas of permafrost in China and serve as sinks of heavy metals like mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As). However, to date, we lack detailed information on Hg and As reserves, sources, and pollution assessment in the region, and this may bring increasing uncertainty when studying Hg and As cycle. By investing Hg and As contents of soil, plant, and litter samples from 22 typical wetlands in the GKM, we found that the average Hg content was 0.11 mg/kg in the soil, higher than the soil background value. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) showed that Hg pollution degree ranged from mild to moderate grade. The average soil As content was 16.1 mg/kg. Hg and As storage in wetland soils, vegetation biomass, and litter were estimated to be 4.32 mg/m2 and 995 mg/m2, 159 μg/m2 and 494 μg/m2, and 13.9 μg/m2 and 113 μg/m2, respectively. About 61% As was from endogenous sources contribution, and about 84% Hg was derived from exogenous sources. A positive correlation was observed between Hg in the litter and temperature and the precipitation-to-temperature ratio. This implied that Hg accumulation in the litter should be paid more attention to considering current climatic warming in the GKM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately 80% of individuals encounter lower back pain (LBP), a prevalent clinical issue largely attributed to intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent lipid peroxidation-driven cell death, and there is growing evidence that ferroptosis plays an important role in various human diseases. However, the underlying mechanism of ferroptosis in IDD remains unclear. This study aims to reveal the potential hub genes and related pathways of ferroptosis in the pathogenesis and progression of IDD. In this study, we analyzed three microarray datasets from the GEO database. Additionally, we downloaded ferroptosis-related genes from FerrDb-V2 and extracted apoptosis-related genes from UniProt as a control to show the specificity of ferroptosis. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to identify the IDD-related module genes. Then, ferroptosis-related genes and apoptosis-related genes were separately overlapped with the IDD-related module genes, resulting in the identification of 35 ferroptosis-related module genes (FRMG) and 142 apoptosis-related module genes (ARMG). Furthermore, we performed functional enrichment analysis and protein–protein interaction network, and Cytoscape along with CytoHubba was used to identify the hub genes. Finally, logistic regression models were constructed and identified two hub FRMGs (PTEN and EGFR) and one hub ARMG (CTNNB1), which could distinguish IDD patients from controls (P < 0.05). The areas under the ROC curves were 0.792 and 0.730, respectively, suggesting that ferroptosis is more specific than apoptosis in IDD. In conclusion, this study provided fresh perspectives on ferroptosis in the pathogenesis and progression of IDD that can be used to evaluate potential biomarker genes and therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]