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This article discusses the case of a 48-year-old man with Carney complex, a genetic disorder characterized by various symptoms including acromegaly, mucocutaneous hyperpigmentation, endocrinopathy, and cardiac myxoma. The patient had previously undergone surgeries to remove a pituitary adenoma and a left atrial myxoma. However, a recurrent, polycystic myxoma was discovered in the left atrium. The article highlights the challenges in treating myxoma recurrence and the formation of cysts, and calls for further research to understand the underlying mechanisms. The study was supported by the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality. [Extracted from the article]

The inline gas-liquid cyclone separator has been gradually used in oil & gas industry due to its high separation efficiency and less footprint. However, under the inlet flow conditions with large range of gas volume fractions, the research on structure design and separation performance are seriously insufficient. The preliminary structural design of the inline gas-liquid separator was carried out according to the particle separation theory, and the key structural parameters were optimized by using the Response Surface Method (RSM) together with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The structure optimization has improved the degassing efficiency by 17.44% and dehydration efficiency by 7.59%. With air and water as working medium, the separation performance of the inline gas-liquid cyclone separator was experimentally investigated in laboratory under a large range of gas volume fractions. The results show that the separation efficiency for both degassing and dehydration can exceed 80% with the inlet gas volume fraction ranges from 0.2 to 0.8. The optimum normalized flow split and liquid volume flow rate are 0.9 –1.2 and 8 m3/h, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Holocephali has foreseeable value to help our understanding of vertebrate genome evolution due to its phylogenetic position. In this study, we reported a complete mitochondrial genome of Hydrolagus mitsukurii, a species of holocephalans. The mitochondrial genome is 20,486 bp in length and comprised 13 PCGs, 2 rRNA, 22 tRNA, and 1 control region (D-loop), as well as a long noncoding insertion between tRNAThr and tRNAPro. A phylogenetic tree based on 13 PCGs showed that Hydrolagus mitsukurii was grouped with the members of the family Chimaeridae. Furthermore, the phylogenetic tree further supported the paraphyletic clades of Hydrolagus and Chimera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The purpose of this analysis was to investigate the effectiveness of afatinib compared to that of osimertinib in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who harbored uncommon epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. Methods A PubMed database-based literature review was conducted to retrieve related studies. Patients harboring EGFR mutations besides the deletion in exon 19 (19del) and point mutation of L858R were included in this analysis. The primary outcome events were the objective response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS). Propensity score matching (PSM) at a ratio of 1:1 was used between afatinib and osimertinib groups to control the confounding factors. Uncommon EGFR mutations were categorized into 4 groups: insertion in exon 20 (ex20ins), non-ex20ins single uncommon EGFR mutations, compound EGFR mutations that with 19del or L858R, and compound EGFR mutations without 19del or L858R. Results After PSM, 71 patients in either the afatinib or osimertinib group were matched. The afatinib group had an ORR of 60.6%, slightly higher than the osimertinib group's (50.3%), the difference was not statistically significant (P  = .610). However, the afatinib group showed a significantly superior PFS benefit than the osimertinib group (11.0 vs. 7.0 months, P  = .044). In addition, patients harboring non-ex20ins single uncommon EGFR mutations yield the best ORR and PFS, following treatment of either afatinib (ORR: 76.7%, mPFS: 14.1 months) or osimertinib (ORR: 68.8%, mPFS: 15.1 months). Moreover, there was no significant difference in terms of ORR or PFS between the cohort of patients treated with afatinib or osimertinib, regardless of whether or not the patients had brain metastases. Conclusions Both afatinib and osimertinib displayed favorable clinical activities toward uncommon EGFR mutations. Afatinib showed a more profound and durable PFS benefit than osimertinib, although no efficacy advantage was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water cut of oil well stream becomes high and crude oil emulsions are more stable and complex as most oilfields are in middle and late exploitation stage. It is difficult to meet the outlet oil quality requirement by using conventional electric dehydrator with bulky tank configuration in crude oil dehydration process. In this paper, we developed a novel compact electrostatic separator (CES) which combines the effect of electric field, centrifugal field and gravitational field. We firstly investigated the variations of oil content at the water outlet of CES under different working conditions in laboratory experiment. Then dehydration performance of the engineering prototype with two-stage CES were studied in the oilfield test. Oilfield test results showed the CES could effectively demulsify water-oil emulsions with water cut as high as 80%. Electric frequency has more significant influence on dehydration performance than electric voltage. Water content at the oil outlet and oil content at the water outlet of CES could be as low as 3.3% and 302.1 ppm, respectively. The laboratory experiment and oilfield test both have demonstrated good dehydration performance of CES. Results in this study can lay a solid foundation for further optimization and engineering application of compact electrostatic separator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are 30%–40% of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) having genetic causes, among which Lamin A and C gene (LMNA) mutation is the second most frequent DCM-related mutation, and Lamin A/C may be involved in the pathogenesis of DCM through the regulation of gene transcription or the direct effect of cell structure. Methods: Echocardiography and electrocardiogram were used to diagnose DCM and arrhythmia in a DCM family. Then, linked mutations on LMNA were screened out by high-throughput sequencing and verified by Sanger sequencing in all research individuals. Meanwhile, Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS) and Integrative Genomics Viewer (IGV) were used to analyse the characteristics of the mutated Lamin A/C protein. Finally, mutated-type and wild-type LMNA plasmid was transfected into AC-16 cardiomyocytes with the form of a lentivirus vector, and its effect on nucleus and actin was studied by immunofluorescence detection. Results: In this study, we found a new frame-shifted mutation of LMNA (p.Ser414Alafs*66) linked with another point mutation from a DCM family by using High-throughput sequencing, and this deletion mutation led to a truncation of Lamin A/C. By analysing the clinical characteristics of this DCM family, we found that all DCM patients with arrhythmia were carriers of this co-segregation mutation. In the cytological experiment, we found that the mutated-type transfections showed weaker fluorescent intensities on both actin and cell nucleus. Conclusions: A co-segregation mutation of LMNA (Point mutation chr1 156107548 c.1712 G>A and truncated frame-shifted mutation chr1 156106086 c.1240delA) was found from a DCM family, and this type of mutation could participate in the pathogenesis of DCM by affecting the expression of actin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A class of generalized Halanay inequalities is studied via the Banach fixed point method and comparison principle. The conditions to ensure the boundedness and stability of the zero solution are obtained in this study. This research provides a new approach to the study of the boundedness and stability of Halanay inequality. Numerical examples and simulation results verify the validity and superiority of the conclusions obtained in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aortic aneurysm (AA), a potentially lethal condition with the characteristic of aortic dilatation, can only be treated by surgical or endovascular procedures. The underlying mechanisms of AA are unclear and early preventive treatment is still insufficient due to segmental aortic heterogeneity and the limitations of current disease models. Here, we firstly established a comprehensive lineage-specific vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC)-on-a-chip model using human induced pluripotent stem cells to yield cell lineages representing different segments of the aorta and tested the constructed organ-on-a-chip model under various tensile stress conditions. Bulk RNA sequencing, RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence, western blot and FACS analyses were performed to discover the segmental aortic heterogeneity of response for tensile stress and drug testing. The appropriate stretching frequency for all lineages of SMCs was 1.0 Hz, paraxial mesoderm (PM) SMCs were more sensitive to tensile stress than lateral mesoderm (LM) SMCs and neural crest (NC) SMCs. These differences may be related to the different transcriptional profiles of the tension-stressed distinct lineage-specific vascular SMCs, specifically in relation to the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Also, the organ-on-a-chip displayed contractile physiology, perfect fluid coordination, and was conducive to drug testing, displaying heterogeneous segmental aortic responses. Compared with LM-SMCs and NC-SMCs, PM-SMCs were more sensitive to ciprofloxacin. The model is evaluated as a novel and suitable supplement to AA animal models for determining differential physiology and drug response in different parts of the aorta. Furthermore, this system could pave the way for disease modeling, drug testing, and the personalized treatment of patients with AA in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Pulmonary hypertension is a well-known risk factor for hemodynamic instability after heart transplantation. However, it remains unclear whether a mild elevation of pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) is associated with higher risks of graft dysfunction and resultant extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. Methods. From 2016 to 2021, 102 adult recipients undergoing orthotopic heart transplantation at our institution were investigated (mean age, 48.5 ± 13.2 years; 22.5% female). This study cohort was stratified into 3 groups based on the PASP measured by right heart catheterization before surgery: >50 mmHg, 35–50 mmHg, and <35 mmHg. The primary end point was ECMO support after procedure. Results. ECMO was implemented in 24 (23.5%) patients due to difficult weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass or cardiac low output in the intensive care unit, which was likely to be associated with higher mortality (P = 0.053). Age, gender, comorbidities, preoperative medications, and graft ischemia time were comparable across the 3 groups. The use of ECMO was significantly more common in patients with baseline PASP >50 mmHg (11/36, 30.6%) and 35–50 mmHg (12/38, 31.6%), while only 1 (3.6%) patient with baseline PASP <35 mmHg required ECMO support after transplant (P = 0.007). Multivariate logistic models demonstrated that PASP (odds ratio = 2.34; P = 0.028) and cardiopulmonary bypass time (odds ratio = 1.01; P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for postoperative ECMO. Conclusions. A mild elevation of pretransplant PASP (e.g., 35–50 mmHg) is related to low cardiac output and subsequent ECMO after heart transplantation, for which prompt administration of vasodilators before transplant may be protective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much research has focused on classification within a closed set of emitters, while emitters outside this closed set are misclassified. This paper proposes an open-set recognition model based on prototypical networks and extreme value theory to solve the problem of specific emitter identification in open-set scenes and further improve the recognition accuracy and robustness. Firstly, a one-dimensional convolutional neural network was designed for recognizing I/Q signals, and a squeeze-and-excitation block with an attention mechanism was added to the network to increase the weights of the feature channels with high efficiency. Meanwhile, the recognition was improved by group convolution and channel shuffle. Then, the network was trained with the joint loss function based on prototype learning to complete the separation of intra-class signals and the aggregation of inter-class signals in the feature space. After the training, the Weibull model was fitted for pre-defined classes by incorporating the extreme value theory. Finally, the classification results were obtained according to the known classes and the Weibull model, effectively completing the open-set recognition. The simulation results showed that the proposed model had a higher recognition performance and robustness compared with other classical models for signals collected from five ZigBee and ten USRP 310 devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ideal electrolyte for the widely used LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 (NMC811)//graphite lithium-ion batteries is expected to have the capability of supporting higher voltages (≥4.5 volts), fast charging (≤15 minutes), charging/discharging over a wide temperature range (±60 degrees Celsius) without lithium plating, and non-flammability1–4. No existing electrolyte simultaneously meets all these requirements and electrolyte design is hindered by the absence of an effective guiding principle that addresses the relationships between battery performance, solvation structure and solid-electrolyte-interphase chemistry5. Here we report and validate an electrolyte design strategy based on a group of soft solvents that strikes a balance between weak Li+–solvent interactions, sufficient salt dissociation and desired electrochemistry to fulfil all the aforementioned requirements. Remarkably, the 4.5-volt NMC811//graphite coin cells with areal capacities of more than 2.5 milliampere hours per square centimetre retain 75 per cent (54 per cent) of their room-temperature capacity when these cells are charged and discharged at −50 degrees Celsius (−60 degrees Celsius) at a C rate of 0.1C, and the NMC811//graphite pouch cells with lean electrolyte (2.5 grams per ampere hour) achieve stable cycling with an average Coulombic efficiency of more than 99.9 per cent at −30 degrees Celsius. The comprehensive analysis further reveals an impedance matching between the NMC811 cathode and the graphite anode owing to the formation of similar lithium-fluoride-rich interphases, thus effectively avoiding lithium plating at low temperatures. This electrolyte design principle can be extended to other alkali-metal-ion batteries operating under extreme conditions.An electrolyte design strategy based on a group of soft solvents is used to achieve lithium-ion batteries that operate safely under extreme conditions without lithium plating and with the capability of fast charging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable halide-ion batteries (HIBs) are good candidates for large-scale due to their appealing energy density, low cost, and dendrite-free features. However, state-of-the-art electrolytes limit the HIBs' performance and cycle life. Here, via experimental measurements and modelling approach, we demonstrate that the dissolutions in the electrolyte of transition metal and elemental halogen from the positive electrode and discharge products from the negative electrode cause the HIBs failure. To circumvent these issues, we propose the combination of fluorinated low-polarity solvents with a gelation treatment to prevent dissolutions at the interphase, thus, improving the HIBs' performance. Using this approach, we develop a quasi-solid-state Cl-ion-conducting gel polymer electrolyte. This electrolyte is tested in a single-layer pouch cell configuration with an iron oxychloride-based positive electrode and a lithium metal negative electrode at 25 °C and 125 mA g–1. The pouch delivers an initial discharge capacity of 210 mAh g–1 and a discharge capacity retention of almost 80% after 100 cycles. We also report assembly and testing of fluoride-ion and bromide-ion cells using quasi-solid-state halide-ion-conducting gel polymer electrolyte. State-of-the-art electrolytes limit the cycle life of halide-ion batteries. Here, the authors report a fluorinated low-polar gel polymer electrolyte capable of improving the stability of the electrolyte and electrode interphases to boost battery performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrolyte engineering is crucial for developing high‐performance lithium metal batteries (LMB). Here, we synthesized two cosolvents methyl bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (MFSI) and 3,3,4,4‐tetrafluorotetrahydrofuran (TFF) with significantly different reduction potentials and add them into LiFSI‐DME electrolytes. The LiFSI/TFF‐DME electrolyte gave an average Li Coulombic efficiency (CE) of 99.41 % over 200 cycles, while the average Li CEs for MFSI‐based electrolyte is only 98.62 %. Additionally, the TFF‐based electrolytes exhibited a more reversible performance than the state‐of‐the‐art fluorinated 1,4‐dimethoxylbutane electrolyte in both Li||Cu half‐cell and anode‐free Cu||LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 full cell. More importantly, the decomposition product from bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide anion could react with ether solvent, which destroyed the SEI, thus decreasing cell performance. These key discoveries provide new insights into the rational design of electrolyte solvents and cosolvents for LMB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the prohibition of antibiotics in feed, plant functional substances have been widely studied as feed additives. Resveratrol, a natural stilbene, and a non-flavonoid polyphenol found in plants, possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and metabolic regulatory features. Resveratrol generated intense scientific and public interest, primarily due to its widely reported ability to prevent cancer, delay aging and alleviate related metabolic diseases. Recently, resveratrol has been studied and applied as a feed additive in animal production. This review focuses on the outline of the absorption and metabolism and biological functions of resveratrol and summarizes the application of dietary resveratrol in animal production up to the present, including pigs, poultry, and ruminants. In pigs, dietary resveratrol improved intestinal health, mitochondrial function, meat quality, and more. In poultry, studies have shown that dietary resveratrol improves growth performance and meat and egg quality and alleviates heat stress induced adverse effects. There are few studies on dietary resveratrol in ruminants; however previous studies have indicated that dietary resveratrol increases nutrient digestibility and reduces methane emissions in sheep. It is hoped that this review could provide a specific theoretical basis and research ideas for the research and application of resveratrol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single-crystalline Ni-rich (SCNR) cathode with a large particle size can achieve higher energy density, and is safer, than polycrystalline counterparts. However, synthesizing large SCNR cathodes (>5 μm) without compromising electrochemical performance is very challenging due to the incompatibility between Ni-rich cathodes and high temperature calcination. Herein, we introduce Vegard's Slope as a guide for rationally selecting sintering aids, and we successfully synthesize size-controlled SCNR cathodes, the largest of which can be up to 10 μm. Comprehensive theoretical calculation and experimental characterization show that sintering aids continuously migrate to the particle surface, suppress sublattice oxygen release and reduce the surface energy of the typically exposed facets, which promotes grain boundary migration and elevates calcination critical temperature. The dense SCNR cathodes, fabricated by packing of different-sized SCNR cathode particles, achieve a highest electrode press density of 3.9 g cm−3 and a highest volumetric energy density of 3000 Wh L−1. The pouch cell demonstrates a high energy density of 303 Wh kg−1, 730 Wh L−1 and 76% capacity retention after 1200 cycles. SCNR cathodes with an optimized particle size distribution can meet the requirements for both electric vehicles and portable devices. Furthermore, the principle for controlling the growth of SCNR particles can be widely applied when synthesizing other materials for Li-ion, Na-ion and K-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-phyllosilicate with structure flexibility is acknowledged as a promising catalyst for hydrogen production by steam reforming. In this work, a series of hydrangea-like Co-phyllosilicate catalysts were synthesized by a template-free urea hydrothermal method, where the silica source was supplied by amorphous sepiolite. Both the exsolution property of phyllosilicate and the hierarchical macro-/meso-pore architectures of hydrangea-like morphology were combined to improve the metal dispersion and reactant activation. The catalytic behaviors of as-synthesized x Co/SEP-PS catalysts were evaluated in simulated tar (phenol + ethanol) steam reforming. It was founded that 10Co/SEP-PS catalyst achieved an optimal conversion (89.3%) and H 2 yield (67.4%) at 700 °C, as well as the lowest apparent activation energy of 35.5 kJ/mol. Various characterization results coupling with experimental investigations indicated that the fine Co particles implanted on Co-phyllosilicate lamella were highly stable and active for H 2 production. Meanwhile, the hydrangea-like Co-phyllosilicate provided high Lewis acidity and developed pore structure, significantly facilitating the reactant adsorption and activation, especially for phenol dehydrogenation. The synergy between developed pore structure and enhanced metal-support interaction of Co-phyllosilicate conferred 10Co/SEP-PS with a robust durability in a 50 h stability test and effective resistance to metal sintering and coke deposition. [Display omitted] • Amorphous SEP serves as a clay Si source for hydrangea-like Co-phyllosilicate synthesis. • Exsolved Co0 nanoparticles was anchored on residual Co-phyllosilicate nanosheets. • The phyllosilicate catalyst facilitated SBSR behavior due to the morphology, MSI and acidity. • Intermolecular interaction of ethanol and phenol inhibited aldol condensation for coke deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs) is affected by the presence of electrochemically inactive (i.e., electronically and/or ionically disconnected) lithium metal and solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), which are jointly termed inactive lithium. However, the differentiation and quantification of inactive lithium during cycling are challenging, and their lack limits the fundamental understanding of SSLMBs failure mechanisms. To shed some light on these crucial aspects, here, we propose operando nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy measurements for real-time quantification and evolution-tracking of inactive lithium formed in SSLMBs. In particular, we examine four different sulfide-based solid electrolytes, namely, Li10GeP2S12, Li9.54Si1.74P1.44S11.7Cl0.3, Li6PS5Cl and Li7P3S11. We found that the chemistry of the solid electrolyte influences the activity of lithium. Furthermore, we demonstrate that electronically disconnected lithium metal is mainly found in the interior of solid electrolytes, and ionically disconnected lithium metal is found at the negative electrode surface. Moreover, by monitoring the Li NMR signal during cell calendar ageing, we prove the faster corrosion rate of mossy/dendritic lithium than flat/homogeneous lithium in SSLMBs. All-solid-state lithium batteries performance is affected by the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and electrically disconnected ("dead") Li metal. Here, via operando NMR measurements, the authors quantify the Li metal in the SEI and "dead" regions using various inorganic solid-state electrolytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common tachyarrhythmia in the world. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in 93 countries. Previous studies demonstrated that the prevalence of AF was higher in patients with lung cancer. However, research on the associations between AF and lung cancer is still rare. In the present study, we first identified AF-related genes using weighted gene correlation network analysis. We then analyzed the expression profiles, prognosis, immune infiltration, and methylation characteristics of these genes in LUAD patients using bioinformatics analysis. We found several AF-related genes, including CBX3, BUB1, DSC2, P4HA1, and CYP4Z1, which differently expressed between tumor and normal tissues. Survival analysis demonstrated that CYP4Z1 was positively correlated with overall survival in LUAD patients, while CBX3, BUB1, DSC2, and P4HA1 were negatively correlated. Moreover, we found that the methylation level of DSC2 in normal lung tissues was significantly higher than that in tumor tissues, and six methylation sites in the DNA sequences of DSC2 were identified negatively correlated with its expression levels. Immune infiltration analysis suggested that levels of immune cell infiltration were related to gene expression levels in varying degrees. We identified AF-related genes and found these genes were correlated with prognosis, immune infiltration, and methylation levels in lung cancer patients. We also constructed a risk signature based on these genes in LUAD patients. We hoped that the current study could provide a novel insight into roles of AF-related genes in lung cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptococcus suis is an important swine bacterial pathogen that activates macrophages to secrete inflammatory cytokines. Primary porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) are inconvenient to obtain, but it is unknown whether immortalized PAM-Tang cells can replace them as a better cell model for the study of the interaction between S. suis and macrophages. In this study, the phagocytic integrity, polarization, and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion of PAM-Tang cells were confirmed by live-cell imaging, electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, and ELISA. Interestingly, the S. suis serotype 9 avirulent strain W7119 induced higher levels of adhesion and pro-inflammatory cytokines in PAM-Tang cells than the S. suis serotype 2 virulent strain 700794. Prolonged incubation with S. suis caused more cytotoxic cell damage, and the virulent strain induced higher levels of cytotoxicity to PAM-Tang cells. The virulent strain also induced higher levels of apoptosis in PAM-Tang cells, as shown by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. In addition, it is the first report of virulent and avirulent S. suis inducing PAM-Tang polarization towards pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages and p53- and caspase-dependent apoptosis in PAMs. Taken together, this study contributes to a better understand of interactions between macrophages and S. suis isolates of different virulence, and confirms that PAM-Tang cells provide a long-term, renewable resource for investigating macrophage infections with bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]