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Abstract The mechanical rock-crushing efficiency is directly influenced by rock properties and joint structure. Tipped-hob is widely used in the construction of shafts. By analyzing the motion of tipped-hob and the mechanical properties of granite and sandstone, numerical rock samples with different mechanical properties were built to investigate the influences of rock properties and joint structure on rock-crushing efficiency using a single ring of tipped cutter. The results revealed correlations between compressive strength, tensile strength, hardness, brittleness, specific energy consumption, and the vibration of thrusting forces. It was suggested that the spacing, dip angle, and continuity of joints have a significant impact on the failure patterns and crack propagation in the process of rock fragmentation, as well as on the vibration frequency and amplitude of breaking-force of cutter and the specific energy consumption. This research is crucial for controlling the stability of drilling machine during shaft sinking by drilling method.

Mining will destroy and occupy a large amount of land resources and cause lasting negative impact on ecological environment, so it is urgent to evaluate the change of ecological environment quality in mining area. In order to accurately monitor the ecological environment quality of the mining area, this study took 24 annual Landsat images of the Zhangjiamao Mining area from 2000 to 2023 as the basic data, and calculated four ecological indicators of NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI), WET (Humidity Index, WET), LST (Land Surface Temperature, LST) and NDBSI (Normalized Differential Build-up and bare Soil Index, NDBSI). In addition, four population intelligent optimization algorithms including the Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm-Projection Pursuit Clustering (FOA–PPC), the Particle Swarm Optimization-Projection Pursuit Clustering (PSO–PPC), the Grey Wolf Optimizer-Projection Pursuit Clustering (GWO–PPC) and the Dung Beetle Optimizer-Projection Pursuit Clustering (DBO–PPC) were used to derive the ecological environment quality evaluation method in the mining area, and the average correlation was used to verify the accuracy. The results showed that: ① The average correlation and intra class aggregation of the DBO–PPC model are higher than those of the PSO–PPC model, FOA–PPC model, and GWO–PPC model, and are closer to the EI index, indicating that the DBO–PPC model can better evaluate the ecological environment of the study area; ② Based on the DBO–PPC model, the average ecological and environmental quality of the Zhangjiamao mining area from 2000 to 2023 is about 0.4, and the ecological and environmental quality is mainly poor or relatively poor, accounting for about 55.94% of the total area. In terms of space, the ecological environment of the Changjiagou Reservoir is superior during the study period. The ecological environment in the northeastern and central areas of the mining area is better, with more vegetation coverage. ③ The proportion of subsidence area in the mining area is 81.28%, and the maximum subsidence is –0.15 m. Subsidence in the coal extraction area is significantly higher than that in the whole mining area, accounting for 89.56% of the coal extraction area, and the ecological environment quality decreases at a rate of –0.000 4, indicating that mining activities cause surface subsidence in the study area, which further affects the ecological environment. To sum up, the DBO–PPC model has a strong rationality in monitoring and evaluating the ecological environment quality in the mining areas, so as to provide technical means for the sustainable development of ecological environment in the mining areas.

Abstract Excess body weight (EBW) increases the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) and is linked to lower colonoscopy compliance. Here, we extensively analyzed 981 metagenome samples from multiple cohorts to pinpoint the specific microbial signatures and their potential capability distinguishing EBW patients with CRC. The gut microbiome displayed considerable variations between EBW and lean CRC. We identify 44 and 37 distinct multi-kingdom microbial species differentiating CRC and controls in EBW and lean populations, respectively. Unique bacterial-fungal associations are also observed between EBW-CRC and lean-CRC. Our analysis revealed specific microbial functions in EBW-CRC, including D-Arginine and D-ornithine metabolism, and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis. The best-performing classifier for EBW-CRC, comprising 12 bacterial and three fungal species, achieved an AUROC of 0.90, which was robustly validated across three independent cohorts (AUROC = 0.96, 0.94, and 0.80). Pathogenic microbial species, Anaerobutyricum hallii, Clostridioides difficile and Fusobacterium nucleatum, are EBW-CRC specific signatures. This work unearths the specific multi-kingdom microbial signatures for EBW-CRC and lean CRC, which may contribute to precision diagnosis and treatment of CRC.

With the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing, more and more devices, such as sensor nodes and intelligent automated guided vehicles (AGVs), can serve as edge devices to provide Location-Based Services (LBS) through the IoT. As the number of applications increases, there is an abundance of sensitive information in the communication process, pushing the focus of privacy protection towards the communication process and edge devices. The challenge lies in the fact that most traditional location privacy protection algorithms are not suited for the IoT with edge computing, as they primarily focus on the security of remote servers. To enhance the capability of location privacy protection, this paper proposes a novel K-anonymity algorithm based on clustering. This novel algorithm incorporates a scheme that flexibly combines real and virtual locations based on the requirements of applications. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm significantly improves location privacy protection for the IoT with edge computing. When compared to traditional K-anonymity algorithms, the proposed algorithm further enhances the security of location privacy by expanding the potential region in which the real node may be located, thereby limiting the effectiveness of “narrow-region” attacks.

Abstract Background In China, adolescents account for about a quarter of those treated for mental disorders each year, and adolescent mental health issues have become a social hotspot. Although several epidemiological surveys of mental disorders have been conducted in China, no study has yet focused on the prevalence of mental disorders among adolescents in a certain region of Zhejiang. Methods In the first stage, 8219 middle school students aged 12–18 years in a city of Zhejiang Province (Shaoxing) were screened with the mental health screening checklist. In the second stage, participants who screened positive were tested with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). Then, the prevalence of mental disorders were calculated. Results The overall prevalence in this population was 12.4%, with prevalence rates exceeding 20% in both the 17- and 18-year-old age groups. The most common mental disorders were obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) (9.1%) and major depressive disorder (MDD) (8.9%). Conclusions Mental disorders are common among middle school students, and girls are at higher risk than boys. As the most prevalent mental disorders, OCD and MDD should receive timely attention, especially for upper grade students.

Abstract Miscanthus is a perennial forage plant with great potential for high stress tolerance and biomass yield. It has strong adaptability for growing in saline land and avoids competition with grain crops in arable lands. However, little is known about the underlying genetic basis of Miscanthus adaptation to salt stress. Two diploid species of the genus Miscanthus, Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus sacchariflorus, were the focus of this study. The transcriptome variations of these varieties and their hybrid were analysed using RNA‐seq technology under salt treatment. The number of differentially expressed genes in M. sinensis was much higher than that in M. sacchariflorus and their hybrid under salt stress, which indicated that M. sacchariflorus and their hybrid require less transcriptional variation. In addition, most salt‐tolerant genes in the enriched salt‐tolerant pathways were induced in the roots of M. sinensis and constitutively highly expressed in the roots of M. sacchariflorus and their hybrid under salt stress. According to this expression pattern of known salt‐tolerant genes, a histone variant gene MsaH2A.W of M. sacchariflorus was mined and consequently proved for the first time that it could enhance the salt tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis plants. Overall, this study provides valuable genetic resources for studying the underlying genetic basis of salt stress resistance in Miscanthus. Identification of the salt tolerance gene MsaH2A.W can promote the genetic improvement and molecular breeding of salt‐resistant species.

Cadmium ion (Cd2+) is a highly toxic metal in water, even at low concentrations. Microalgae are a promising material for heavy metal remediation. The present study investigated the effects of Cd2+ on growth, photosynthesis, antioxidant enzyme activities, cell morphology, and Cd2+ adsorption and accumulation capacity of the freshwater green alga Scenedesmus obliquus. Experiments were conducted by exposing S. obliquus to varying concentrations of Cd2+ for 96 h, assessing its tolerance and removal capacity towards Cd2+. The results showed that higher concentrations of Cd2+ (>0.5 mg L−1) reduced pigment content, inhibited algal growth and electron transfer in photosynthesis, and led to morphological changes such as mitochondrial disappearance and chloroplast deformation. In this process, S. obliquus counteracted Cd2+ toxicity by enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities, accumulating starch and high-density granules, and secreting extracellular polymeric substances. When the initial Cd2+ concentration was less than or equal to 0.5 mg L−1, S. obliquus was able to efficiently remove over 95% of Cd2+ from the environment through biosorption and bioaccumulation. However, when the initial Cd2+ concentration exceeded 0.5 mg L−1, the removal efficiency decreased slightly to about 70%, with biosorption accounting for more than 60% of this process, emerging as the predominant mechanism for Cd2+ removal. Fourier transform infrared correlation spectroscopy analysis indicated that the carboxyl and amino groups of the cell wall were the key factors in removing Cd2+. In conclusion, S. obliquus has considerable potential for the remediation of aquatic environments with Cd2+, providing algal resources for developing new microalgae-based bioremediation techniques for heavy metals.

A detailed understanding the metals binding with algal organic matter (AOM) is essential to gain a deeper insight into the toxicity and migration of metals in algae cell. However, the molecular complexation mechanism of the metals binding with AOM remains unclear. In this study, cadmium ion (Cd2+) binding properties of AOMs from Scenedesmus obliquus, which included extracellular organic matter (EOM) and intracellular organic matter (IOM), were screened. When Cd2+ < 0.5 mg/L, the accumulation of Cd2+ could reach 40%, while Cd2+ > 0.5 mg/L, the accumulation of Cd2+ was only about 10%. EOM decreased gradually (from 8.51 to 3.98 mg/L), while IOM increased gradually (from 9.62 to 21.00 mg/L). The spectral characteristics revealed that IOM was richer in peptides/proteins and had more hydrophilic than EOM. Both EOM and IOM contained three protein-like components (containing tryptophan and tyrosine) and one humic-like component, and their contents in IOM were higher than that in EOM. The tryptophan protein-like substances changed greatly during Cd2+ binding, and that the tryptophan protein-like substances complexed to Cd2+ before tyrosine protein-like substances in IOM was identified. Moreover, the functional groups of N-H, O-H, and CO in AOM played an important role, and the N-H group was priority to interacts with Cd2+ in the complexing process. More functional groups (such as C-O and C-N) were involved in the metals complexing in EOM than in IOM. It could be concluded that Cd2+ stress promoted the secretion of AOM in Scenedesmus obliquus, and proteins in AOM could complex Cd2+ and alleviate its toxicity to algal cell. These findings provided deep insights into the interaction mechanism of AOM with Cd2+ in aquatic environments.

Abstract Background Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) is a critical disease in premature infants. Vitamin D plays an important role in promoting the development of fetal lung structure and the formation of pulmonary surfactants. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the serum 25(OH)D3 level in the cord blood of premature infants and the prognosis of NRDS. Methods This retrospective study recruited 82 preterm infants (gestational age 28-36 weeks) diagnosed with NRDS as the NRDS group, and 82 non-NRDS preterm infants as the control group, respectively. The diagnostic efficiency of 25(OH)D3 on NRDS was revealed by receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) analysis. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to evaluate the 25(OH)D3 level in the serum of the cord blood in preterm neonates. The NRDS risk indicators were identified by the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Cord blood 25(OH)D3 levels were significantly lower in NRDS preterm infants than control group infants. 25(OH)D3 levels in cord blood can be used to predict NRDS in preterm infants. In addition, 25(OH)D3 levels in cord blood were positively correlated with Apgar score (1 min/5 min) and negatively correlated with oxygen support/CPAP duration in preterm infants with NRDS. 25(OH)D3 in cord blood

Measurement(s) eye movement Technology Type(s) eye tracking Factor Type(s) word frequency • word length Sample Characteristic - Organism Human Sample Characteristic - Environment laboratory environment

Lenvatinib is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that acts on multiple receptors involved in angiogenesis. Lenvatinib is a standard agent for the treatment of several types of advanced cancers; however, it frequently causes muscle-related adverse reactions. Our previous study revealed that lenvatinib treatment reduced carnitine content and the expression of carnitine-related and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) proteins in the skeletal muscle of rats. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of L-carnitine on myotoxic and anti-angiogenic actions of lenvatinib. Co-administration of L-carnitine in rats treated with lenvatinib for 2 weeks completely prevented the decrease in carnitine content and expression levels of carnitine-related and OXPHOS proteins, including carnitine/organic cation transporter 2, in the skeletal muscle. Moreover, L-carnitine counteracted lenvatinib-induced protein synthesis inhibition, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell toxicity in C2C12 myocytes. In contrast, L-carnitine had no influence on either lenvatinib-induced inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 phosphorylation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells or angiogenesis in endothelial tube formation and mouse aortic ring assays. These results suggest that L-carnitine supplementation could prevent lenvatinib-induced muscle toxicity without diminishing its antineoplastic activity, although further clinical studies are needed to validate these findings.

Bio-inspired materials are an intense area of study as researchers try to adapt biomaterials for other applications. Here, the authors report on the processing of protein materials derived from the byssal thread of scallops to create high-extensibility materials with self-recovery under wet conditions.

Antioxidant biomaterials have attracted much attention in various biomedical fields because of their effective inhibition and elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in pathological tissues. However, the difficulty in ensuring biocompatibility, biodegradability and bioavailability of antioxidant materials has limited their further development. Novel bioavailable antioxidant materials that are derived from natural resources are urgently needed. Here, an integrated multi-omics method was applied to fabricate antioxidant biomaterials. A key cysteine-rich thrombospondin-1 type I repeat-like (TSRL) protein was efficiently discovered from among 1262 adhesive components and then used to create a recombinant protein with a yield of 500 mg L−1. The biocompatible TSRL protein was able to self-assemble into either a water-resistant coating through Ca2+-mediated coordination or redox-responsive hydrogels with tunable physical properties. The TSRL-based hydrogels showed stronger 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging rates than glutathione (GSH) and ascorbic acid (Aa) and protected cells against external oxidative stress significantly more effectively. When topically applied to mice skin, TSRL alleviated epidermal hyperplasia and suppressed the degradation of collagen and elastic fibers caused by ultraviolet radiation B (UVB) irradiation, confirming that it enhanced antioxidant activity in vivo. This is the first study to successfully characterize natural antioxidant biomaterials created from marine invertebrate adhesives, and the findings indicate the excellent prospects of these biomaterials for great applications in tissue regeneration and cosmeceuticals.

The outbreak of COVID-19 led to the extensive use of disinfectants in urban areas. These disinfectants, along with disinfection by-products (DBPs), eventually enter waters and affected the aquatic organisms. But little information could be obtained on disinfectants threatening aquatic ecosystems. This study was conducted to obtain insight into the effects of massive use of disinfectants on freshwater ecosystems, DBPs, phytoplankton, and zooplankton in nine urban and two country lakes in Wuhan during the COVID-19 pandemic; in addition, the residual chlorine in the South Lake (one of the urban lakes), was investigated. The concentration of residual chlorine in the South Lake ranged from 0.000 mg L−1 to 0.427mg L−1, with an average concentration of 0.092 mg L−1. The total concentrations of DBPs (halogenated aliphatic DBPs and aromatic halogenated DBPs) detected in the urban and country lakes ranged from 4.22 μg L−1 to 16.59 μg L−1 and 5.92 μg L−1 to 7.84 μg L−1, respectively. There was no significant difference in DBPs content between urban lakes and country lakes (p < 0.05). Mann–Whitney U tests showed no significant differences in plankton cell density, biomass, and alpha diversity indexes between urban and country lakes, except for the Shannon−Wiener diversity index of phytoplankton. Beta diversity demonstrated that plankton communities at different sampling stations in urban and country lakes were not significantly separated into two groups, but rather intersected each other. Variance partitioning analysis revealed that the composition of plankton communities was primarily influenced by other plankton organisms and community stability under the conditions of the investigated factors. Results indicated that the detected plankton communities in urban lakes from Wuhan were not significantly affected by the use of disinfectants. It could be deduced that the massive use of disinfectants in this outbreak had no significant impact on the plankton communities.

Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) is enriched in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and a high amount of F. nucleatum was associated with an immunosuppressive tumor environment. PD-L1 is an important immune checkpoint expressed on tumor cells and promotes tumor immune escape. Whether PD-L1 is regulated by F. nucleatum is still unclear. We demonstrated that F. nucleatum promoted CRC progression and upregulated PD-L1 protein expression in CRC cell lines. Combined m6A-seq and RNA-seq identified m6A-modified IFIT1 mediating F. nucleatum induced PD-L1 upregulation. IFIT1 mRNA was modified with m6A modifications in 3’UTR and the m6A levels were altered by F. nucleatum treatment. Our results also indicated that IFIT1 served as a potential oncogene in CRC and regulated PD-L1 protein levels through altering PD-L1 ubiquitination. Clinical CRC data confirmed the correlation among F. nucleatum abundance, IFIT1 and PD-L1 expressions. Our work highlighted the function of F. nucleatum in stimulating PD-L1 expression through m6A-modified IFIT1 and provided new aspects for understanding F. nucleatum mediated immune escape.

Abstract Background Forest restoration has been considered an effective method to increase soil organic carbon (SOC), whereas it remains unclear whether long-term forest restoration will continuously increase SOC. Such large uncertainties may be mainly due to the limited knowledge on how soil microorganisms will contribute to SOC accumulation over time. Methods We simultaneously documented SOC, total phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), and amino sugars (AS) content across a forest restoration gradient with average stand ages of 14, 49, 70, and > 90 years in southern China. Results The SOC and AS continuously increased with stand age. The ratio of fungal PLFAs to bacterial PLFAs showed no change with stand age, while the ratio of fungal AS to bacterial AS significantly increased. The total microbial residue-carbon (AS-C) accounted for 0.95–1.66 % in SOC across all forest restoration stages, with significantly higher in fungal residue-C (0.68–1.19 %) than bacterial residue-C (0.05–0.11 %). Furthermore, the contribution of total AS-C to SOC was positively correlated with clay content at 0–10 cm soil layer but negatively related to clay content at 10–20 cm soil layer. Conclusions These findings highlight the significant contribution of AS-C to SOC accumulation along forest restoration stages, with divergent contributions from fungal residues and bacterial residues. Soil clay content with stand age significantly affects the divergent contributions of AS-C to SOC at two different soil layers.

Stalk strength is one of the most important traits in maize, which affects stalk lodging resistance and, consequently, maize harvestable yield. Rind penetrometer resistance (RPR) as an effective and reliable measurement for evaluating maize stalk strength is positively correlated with stalk lodging resistance. In this study, one F2 and three F2:3 populations derived from the cross of inbred lines 3705I (the low RPR line) and LH277 (the high RPR line) were constructed for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL), conferring RPR in maize. Fourteen RPR QTLs were identified in four environments and explained the phenotypic variation of RPR from 4.14 to 15.89%. By using a sequential fine-mapping strategy based on the progeny test, two major QTLs, qRPR1-3 and qRPR3-1, were narrowed down to 4-Mb and 550-kb genomic interval, respectively. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay was adopted to identify 12 candidate genes responsible for QTL qRPR3-1. These findings should facilitate the identification of the polymorphism loci underlying QTL qRPR3-1 and molecular breeding for RPR in maize.

Recently, Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs) have drawn intensive attention in the realization of the smart radio environment. However, existing works mainly consider the RIS as a whole uniform plane, which may be unrealistic to be installed on the facade of buildings when the RIS is extremely large. In contrast, this paper investigates a practical Sparse Array of Sub-surface (SAoS) deployment of the RIS for uplink multi-user millimeter Wave (mmWave) communication systems, in which the Mobile Stations (MSs) are distributed in the blind coverage area due to the blockage. In order to exploit the benefits of the sparse deployment, the correlation of the effective channel is firstly investigated. Then the approximation and lower bounds of the ergodic spectral efficiency are derived under frequency and spatial multiplexing scenarios, respectively. Based on the autocorrelation of the effective channel, we obtain an optimal reflect coefficient design as well as the deployment guidelines of RIS tiles. Moreover, the RIS tile scheduling algorithms are also proposed. Numerical results show that the ergodic spectral efficiency approximation matches well with the Monte Carlo result under frequency multiplexing scenarios, and the lower bound is tight under spatial multiplexing scenarios only when the effective channel is strongly correlated. On the basis of the RIS tile scheduling algorithm and the reflect coefficient design, the system performance can be significantly improved under frequency multiplexing scenarios. On the other hand, by deploying more sparse RIS tiles, we can increase the multiplexing gain under spatial multiplexing scenarios.

Abstract Background Epigenetic alterations are involved in various aspects of colorectal carcinogenesis. N 6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications of RNAs are emerging as a new layer of epigenetic regulation. As the most abundant chemical modification of eukaryotic mRNA, m6A is essential for the regulation of mRNA stability, splicing, and translation. Alterations of m6A regulatory genes play important roles in the pathogenesis of a variety of human diseases. However, whether this mRNA modification participates in the glucose metabolism of colorectal cancer (CRC) remains uncharacterized. Methods Transcriptome-sequencing and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) were performed to evaluate the correlation between m6A modifications and glucose metabolism in CRC. Mass spectrometric metabolomics analysis, in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of METTL3 on CRC glycolysis and tumorigenesis. RNA MeRIP-sequencing, immunoprecipitation and RNA stability assay were used to explore the molecular mechanism of METTL3 in CRC. Results A strong correlation between METTL3 and 18F-FDG uptake was observed in CRC patients from Xuzhou Central Hospital. METTL3 induced-CRC tumorigenesis depends on cell glycolysis in multiple CRC models. Mechanistically, METTL3 directly interacted with the 5′/3’UTR regions of HK2, and the 3’UTR region of SLC2A1 (GLUT1), then further stabilized these two genes and activated the glycolysis pathway. M6A-mediated HK2 and SLC2A1 (GLUT1) stabilization relied on the m6A reader IGF2BP2 or IGF2BP2/3, respectively. Conclusions METTL3 is a functional and clinical oncogene in CRC. METTL3 stabilizes HK2 and SLC2A1 (GLUT1) expression in CRC through an m6A-IGF2BP2/3- dependent mechanism. Targeting METTL3 and its pathway offer alternative rational therapeutic targets in CRC patients with high glucose metabolism.

Abstract The effects of ultrasound power on extraction kinetic model, and physicochemical and structural characteristics of collagen from chicken lung were studied. Ultrasound power caused a significant increase in extraction rate and equilibrium concentration, with the maximum extraction yield (31.25%) at 150 W. The experimental data were consistent with the predicted ones in this empirical equation, in which the percentage error differences was 0.026–4.159%. Besides, ultrasound treatment did not affect their triple-helical structure. The thermal stability of pepsin-soluble collagen by ultrasound pre-treatment (UPSC) was higher, due to the higher imino acid content (20.76%). UPSC also exhibited better solubility and fibril forming capacity. Overall, the kinetic model of UPSC from chicken lung could serve the purpose of obtaining collagen, which displayed a potential alternative source to mammal collagens for application in food, biomaterials and biomedical fields. Graphical abstract

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that exist in body circulation as intercellular message transmitters. Although the potential of tumor-derived exosomes for non-invasive cancer diagnosis is promising, the rapid detection and effective capture of exosomes remains challenging. Herein, a portable electrochemical aptasensor of cubic AuPt dendritic nanocrystals (AuPt DNs)/Ti3C2 assisted in signal amplification, and aptamer CD63 modified graphene oxide (GO) was immobilized on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) as the substrate materials for the direct capture and detection of colorectal carcinoma exosomes. Cubic AuPt DNs/Ti3C2 was synthesized according to a simple hydrothermal procedure, and the AuPt DNs/Ti3C2-Apt hybrid demonstrated an efficient recognition of exosomes. Under optimal conditions, a detection limit of down to 20 exosomes µL−1 was achieved with the linear range from 100 exosomes μL−1 to 5.0 × 105 exosomes μL−1. The proposed immunosensor could be suitable for the analysis of exosomes and has clinical value in the early diagnosis of cancer.

Aiming to identify rare high-penetrance mutations in new genes for the underlying predisposition in familial colorectal cancer (CRC), we performed whole-exome sequencing in 24 familial CRCs. Mutations in genes that regulate DNA repair (RMI1, PALB2, FANCI) were identified that were related to the Fanconi anemia DNA repair pathway. In one pedigree, we found a nonsense mutation in CHEK2. CHEK2 played an essential role in cell cycle and DNA damage repair. Somatic mutation analysis in CHEK2 variant carriers showed mutations in TP53, APC, and FBXW7. Loss of heterozygosity was found in carcinoma of CHEK2 variant carrier, and IHC showed loss of Chk2 expression in cancer tissue. We identified a second variant in CHEK2 in 126 sporadic CRCs. A KO cellular model for CHEK2 (CHEK2KO) was generated by CRISPR/Cas9. Functional experiments demonstrated that CHEK2KO cells showed defective cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, as well as reduced p53 phosphorylation, upon DNA damage. We associated germline mutations in genes that regulate the DNA repair pathway with the development of CRC. We identified CHEK2 as a regulator of DNA damage response and perhaps as a gene involved in CRC germline predisposition. These findings link CRC predisposition to the DNA repair pathway, supporting the connection between genome integrity and cancer risk.

Using the Microwave Limb Sounding measurements and the National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis product, we have investigated the response of carbon monoxide (CO) mixing ratio within the Asian Summer Monsoon Anticyclone (ASMA) region to the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) and the potential dynamical mechanisms behind it. The results showed that the mixing ratio of CO within the ASMA is significantly higher at both 100 hPa and 147 hPa in the east phase of QBO (EQBO) years than in the west phase of QBO (WQBO) years, especially in the eastern part of the ASMA. The CO difference between EQBO and WQBO years is consistent with the interannual variation of the location and strength of the ASMA. Specifically, during the EQBO years, the area of the ASMA reduces to the southeast in the upper troposphere, while the westerly jet on the north side of the anticyclone and the southerly winds on the west side of the anticyclone both strengthen. These variations are associated with tropospheric circulation anomalies. The ascending motions over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are enhanced during the EQBO years, which are correlated with the relatively high CO at 100 hPa. Consistently, an anomalous cyclonic circulation is found at 500 hPa over the TP when the QBO is on its east phase, which promotes the convergence of air mass and carries CO from the surface to the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere (UTLS).

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor air are considered a major threat to human health and environmental safety. The development of applicable technologies for the removal of VOCs is urgently needed. Nowadays, photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) based on metal-containing photocatalysts has been regarded as a promising method. However, unmodified photocatalysts are generally limited in applications because of the narrow light response range and high recombination rate of photo-generated carriers. As a result, nano metal-containing photocatalysts doped with elements or other materials have attracted much attention from researchers and has developed over the past few decades. In addition, different doping types cause different levels of catalyst performance, and the mechanism for performance improving is also different. However, there are few reviews focusing on this aspect, which is really important for catalyst design and application. This work aims to give a comprehensive overview of nano metal-containing photocatalysts with different doping types for the removal of VOCs in an indoor environment. First, the undoped photocatalysts and the basic mechanism of PCO is introduced. Then, the application of metal doping, non-metal doping, co-doping, and other material doping in synthetic metal-containing photocatalysts are discussed and compared, respectively, and the synthesis methods, removal efficiency, and mechanisms are further investigated. Finally, a development trend for using nano metal-containing photocatalysts for the removal of VOCs in the future is proposed. This work provides a meaningful reference for selecting effective strategies to develop novel photocatalysts for the removal of VOCs in the future.

Lignocellulose content is an important factor affecting the conversion efficiency of biomass energy plants. In this study, 179 Miscanthus accessions in China were used to determine the content of lignocellulose components in stems via acid hydrolysis and high-performance liquid chromatography. Results showed that the average lignocellulose content of wild Miscanthus germplasm resources was 80.27 ± 6.51%, and the average content of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, extracts, and total ash was 38.38 ± 3.52, 24.23 ± 4.21, 17.66 ± 1.56, 14.50 ± 5.60, and 2.53 ± 0.59%, respectively. The average lignocellulose content of M. sinensis, M. floridulus, M. nudipes, M. sacchariflorus, M. lutarioriparius, and the hybrids was 77.94 ± 6.06, 75.16 ± 4.98, 75.68 ± 3.02, 83.71 ± 4.78, 81.50 ± 5.23, and 74.72 ± 7.13%, respectively. In all the tested materials, the highest cellulose content was 48.52%, and the lowest was 29.79%. Hemicellulose had the maximum content of 34.23% and a minimum content of 15.71%. The highest lignin content was 23.75%, and the lowest was 13.01%. The lignocellulosic components of different ploidy materials were compared. The content of lignocellulosic components of diploid M. sacchariflorus was higher than that of tetraploid M. sacchariflorus, and the content of lignocellulosic components of diploid M. lutarioriparius was lower than that of tetraploid M. lutarioriparius. Analysis of the relationship between the changes in lignocellulosic components and geographical locations of Miscanthus showed that the holocellulose and hemicellulose content was significantly positive correlated with the latitude of the original growth location. Results indicated that the lignocellulosic components of Miscanthus resources in China are rich in genetic diversity.

Despite the design of nano-structured SnO2 anodes has attracted much attention because of its high theoretical capacity, good electron mobility, and low potential of lithium-ion intercalation, challenges remain due to their weak mechanical stability, complex processing and rapid capacity decay. The one-dimensional binder-free porous CC/SnO2 nanotube arrays are synthesized with a well-suited core etching method to meet the needs of steady operation of flexible devices under mechanical deformation. This porous, binder-free nanostructure has large contact area with the electrolyte and excellent electron transport performance. The electrochemical measurements demonstrate that these nanotube arrays have high energy density and high-rate capability. After 500 cycles at a current density of 200 mA g−1, their stable capacity remains at 595.7 mA h g−1.

The performance of anodes of lithium-ion batteries relies largely on the architecture and composition of the hybrid active materials. We present a two-step, seed-free, solution-based method for the direct growth of hierarchical charantia-like TiO2/Fe2O3 core/shell nanotube arrays on carbon cloth substrates. An ultrahigh loading of the nanomaterial on carbon fibers was achieved with this method without the use of a binder. This three-dimensional porous hollow architecture and its direct contact with the CC current collector ensure an efficient electronic pathway. The hollow TiO2 framework effectively protects the hierarchical charantia-like TiO2/Fe2O3 hollow core/shell arrays from collapsing because of its negligible volume change during cycling. Meanwhile, the self-assembled α-Fe2O3 hollow nanospheres guarantee a large capacity and contact area with the electrolyte. This flexible anode with a 3D porous charantia-like hollow architecture exhibits high cycle performance, reversible capacity, and rate capability. These nanotube arrays maintain a high reversible capacity of 875 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at a current density of 200 mA g−1. This simple, cost-effective, and scalable electrode fabrication strategy can be implemented in the fabrication of high-performance wearable energy storage devices.

For energy-limited networks with real-time constraints, long-distance transmission, complex calculations, and limited delay are problems to be faced in service applications. The cloud-based mobile edge computing framework is proposed in energy-limited networks to solve these problems. Under certain power and delay conditions, source node and destination node in adjacent cells, respectively, can select the appropriate relay node to complete the communication process. The mobile edge computing brings a novel idea for the application of auto-regressive and moving average model and further improves transmission efficiency and reduces transmission delay. Historical energy information of potential relay nodes can be predicted through auto-regressive and moving average model in edge computing server. Then, source node selects appropriate relay node by the proposed relay selection algorithm. Power objective function with signal-to-noise ratio that satisfies the limited delay is formulated to optimize the power allocation of nodes in terms of reducing energy consumption. The results show that our proposed relay selection algorithm under mobile edge computing architecture in energy-limited networks with real-time constraints could effectively improve the performance of networks on energy consumption and delay.

The distributed coordination function (DCF) is the core of the IEEE 802.11 standard and is applied routinely to contention-based vehicular networks. Many existing backoff algorithms based on DCF are applied to develop the performance of wireless networks and most of them work in saturated traffic load conditions, which are unlikely to be valid in practical wireless network. The study of the backoff algorithm under unsaturated traffic load conditions is still an open issue. In this paper, a dynamic adaptive success-collision (DASC) backoff algorithm is proposed to improve the performance of contentionbased vehicular network. As we know that the probability of collision reflects system performance, and the probability of collision is restricted by the variation of contention window (CW) size and it depends on the traffic loads. A threshold is defined to judge the low or high traffic loads. In addition, the DASC backoff algorithm takes proactive measures to optimize throughput and delay through decreasing CW after “S”times consecutive successful transmissions and increasing CW after “C”times consecutive collisions. The simulation results indicate that the proposed DASC backoff algorithm provides better performance in terms of throughput and delay than dynamic control backoff time algorithm, exponential linear backoff algorithm, and binary exponential backoff algorithm.

The early detection of tumor markers has an effective role in the treatment of cancer. Here, a new sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor for early label-free detection of the cancer biomarker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was developed. Dendritic tri-fan blade-like PdAuCu nanoparticles (PdAuCu NPs)/amine functionalized graphene oxide (NH2-GO) were the label of secondary antibodies (Ab2), and Au nanoparticle-decorated polydopamines (Au/PDA) were immobilized on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) as the substrate materials. Dendritic tri-fan blade-like PdAuCu NPs/NH2-GO was synthesized according to a simple hydrothermal procedure and used to immobilize antibodies (Ab2) with large surfaces areas, increased catalytic properties and good adsorption to amplify the current signals. Subsequently, Ab2/PdAuCu NPs/NH2-GO catalyzed the reduction of H2O2 in the sandwich-type immunoreactions. Under optimal conditions, the immunosensor exhibited a satisfactory response to CEA with a limit detection of 0.07 pg mL−1 and a linear detection range from 0.1 pg mL−1 to 200 ng mL−1. The proposed immunosensor could be suitable enough for a real sample analysis of CEA, and has clinical value in the early diagnosis of cancer.

In vehicular networks, multi-channel operation standard IEEE 1609.4 is designed for vehicular communications across multiple channels. It has been revealed that such multi-channel operations may result in high contention in vehicular communications. However, existing analytical models are unable to capture the dynamic characteristic during channel switching. We develop a novel Markov model that takes into account the dynamic contention behavior during channel switching. In particular, our model reveals the high contention caused by the burst arrivals, which are the results of multi-channel operations. To combat such performance decline, we propose two solutions, a centralized equal-spaced algorithm and a distributed random-spaced algorithm. The key idea is to disperse the burst packet arrivals across the available timeframe in order to alleviate contention. Our model, validated by simulations, accurately characterizes the high contention caused by multi-channel operations. Our results demonstrate our proposed solutions can effectively mitigate packet collision, enhance reliability, and improve system throughput during the multichannel operations.

Many genes and mutations have been reported for colorectal cancer (CRC); however, very few have been associated with colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM). We performed gene expression profiling experiments to identify genetic markers for CRLM and elucidate the molecular mechanisms. Microarray experiments were performed on CRC primary tumor samples with or without liver metastasis (LM) using the Affymetrix U133 plus 2.0 GeneChip Array. A new identified gene-scinderin (SCIN) was overexpressed with synchronous LM at both the RNA level evaluated with quantitative real-time PCR and protein level evaluated with immunohistochemistry and also with short overall survival analyzed with Kaplan-Meier method. With multivariate analysis indicated that SCIN served as an independent poor prognostic predictor for CRC patients. Disease-free survival was also significantly lower in SCIN overexpressing CRC patients with metachronous LM. In addition, SCIN knockdown significantly reduced cell proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest, and promoted the expression of some cell cycle apoptosis-related protein. Moreover, the DIAPH1, STAT3, CDK2, CDK4, and EGFR levels were downregulated, whereas CDKN2B and COL4A1 were upregulated in DLD-1-shSCIN cells by microarray analysis compared with DLD-1 shCon cells. These findings revealed that SCIN may serve as an important predictor of CRLM and poor outcome for CRC patients. SCIN may be a potential therapeutic target in human CRC. However, translation of its roles into clinical practice will require further investigation and additional experimental validation.

Evidence from behavior, computational linguistics, and neuroscience studies supported that semantic knowledge is represented in (at least) two semantic systems (i.e., taxonomic and thematic systems). It remains unclear whether, and to what extent taxonomic and thematic relations are co-activated. The present study investigated the co-activation of the two types of semantic representations when both types of semantic relations are simultaneously presented. In a visual-world task, participants listened to a spoken target word and looked at a visual display consisted of a taxonomic competitor, a thematic competitor and two distractors. Growth curve analyses revealed that both taxonomic and thematic competitors attracted visual attention during the processing of the target word but taxonomic competitor received more looks than thematic competitor. Moreover, although fixations on taxonomic competitor rose faster than thematic competitor, these two types of competitors started to attract more fixations than distractor in a similar time window. These findings indicate that taxonomic and thematic relations are co-activated by the spoken word, the activation of taxonomic relation is stronger and rise faster than thematic relation.

Tropopause fold is the primary mechanism for stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) at the midlatitudes. Investigation of the features of tropopause folds over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is important since the TP is a hotspot in global STE. In this study, we investigated seasonal features of the tropopause fold events over the TP using the 40-year ERA-Interim reanalysis data. The development of a tropopause folding case is specifically examined. The results show that shallow tropopause folds occur mostly in spring, while medium and deep folds occur mostly in winter. The multiyear mean monthly frequency of shallow tropopause folds over the TP reaches its maximum value of about 7% in May and then decreases gradually to its minimum value of 1% in August and increases again since September. Deep folds rarely occur in summer and autumn. Both the seasonal cycle and seasonal distribution of total tropopause folds over the TP are dominated by shallow folds. The relative high-frequency areas of medium and deep folds are located over the southern edge of the TP. The westerly jet movement controls the displacement of the high-frequency folding region over the TP. The region of high-frequency tropopause folds is located in the southern portion of the plateau in spring and moves northward in summer. The jet migrates back to the south in autumn and is located along about 30°N in winter, and the region where folds occur most frequently also shifts southward correspondingly. A medium fold event that occurred on 29 December 2018 is used to demonstrate the evolution of a tropopause fold case over the TP in winter; that is, the folding structure moves from west to east, the tropopause pressure is greater than 320 hPa over the folding region, while it is about 200 hPa in the surrounding areas, and the stratospheric air with high potential vorticity (PV) is transported from the high latitudes to the plateau by meridional winds. A trajectory model result verifies the transport pathway of the air parcels during the intrusion event.

Due to the small energy harvesting rates and stochastic energy harvesting processes, energy management of energy harvesting senor is still crucial for body network. Transmission polices for energy harvesting sensors with Markov chain energy supply over time varying channels is formulated as an infinite discounted reward Markov Decision Problem under the assumption of geometric distribution of sensors’ lifetime. In this paper, we firstly propose a low-storage transmission policy based on probability of successful transmission for body network. Then we narrow the feasible region of parameters in our policies from the real domain to a discrete set with limited number, which makes the method of combing optimal equations and enumeration algorithm to obtain optimal parameters workable. Finally, numerical results show that our presented transmission policies can achieve a good approximated performance of optimal policies, which can be derived by policy iteration algorithm. Compared with the optimal policies, our presented policies has the advantage of low storage.

In order to explore the effects of prosocial behavior, teacher's attitudes towards bullying, and classroom climate on peer victimization, we collected data from 1,221 students (M[subscript age] = 13.60, SD = 0.88) from 47 classrooms and their teachers from three middle schools in Beijing, China. The hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the effect of the classroom climate at both the individual and classroom levels, and the interactions between classroom climate and students' prosocial behavior, as well as student perceptions of teachers' attitudes towards bullying. Results showed that prosocial behaviors, teachers' negative attitudes towards bullying, and authoritative classroom climate (at both individual and classroom levels) predicted less peer victimization. We also found significant cross-level interactions (classroom climate * student perceptions of teachers' attitudes towards bullying and classroom climate * prosocial behavior) in predicting peer victimization. Specifically, student perceptions of teachers' attitudes predicted peer victimization only when the overall authoritative classroom climate was high, or when the classroom-level teacher support was high. Students' prosocial behavior only predicted peer victimization when there was less peer support in the classroom. These findings shed light on the intricate interplay between individual level and classroom level protective factors on peer victimization among Chinese middle school students.

Erosion experiments were performed to uncover the impact of organ-pipe chamber geometry on the frequency and erosion characteristics of self-excited cavitating waterjets. Jets emanating from self-excited nozzles with various organ-pipe geometries were investigated. The upstream and downstream contraction ratios of the organ-pipe resonator were changed respectively from 1.5 to 6 and 2 to 12. Pressure sensors and hydrophone were used to characterize jets’ frequency characteristics. Mass loss was also obtained in each of the configurations to assess the erosion performance. By tuning the self-excited frequency, the peak resonance was achieved using the nozzles with different geometries. Accordingly, the acoustic natural frequencies of various chamber geometries were obtained precisely. Results show that with increasing upstream and downstream contraction ratio of the organ-pipe chamber, the acoustic natural frequency increases monotonically due to the reduction of equivalent length, while the resonance amplitude and mass loss first increase and then decrease. There are optimum geometric parameters to reach the largest resonance amplitude and erosion mass loss: the upstream contraction ratio being between two and four, and downstream ratio being between four and seven. The effective length of the organ pipe can be calculated by the sum of the physical length and equivalent length to accurately obtain the acoustic natural frequency. Under the optimized parameters, the equivalent length can be estimated as 0.35D.

In this study, activated carbon microsphere (SLACM) was prepared from powdered sodium lignosulfonate (SL) and polystyrene by the Mannich reaction and ZnCl2 activation, which can be used to remove Cr(VI) from the aqueous solution without adding any binder. The SLACM was characterized and the batch experiments were conducted under different initial pH values, initial concentrations, contact time durations and temperatures to investigate the adsorption performance of Cr(VI) onto SLACM. The results indicated that the SLACM surface area and average pore size were 769.37 m2/g and 2.46 nm (the mesoporous material), respectively. It was found that the reduced initial pH value, the increased temperature and initial Cr(VI) concentration were beneficial to Cr(VI) adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) on SLACM was 227.7 mg/g at an initial pH value of 2 and the temperature of 40 °C. The adsorption of SLACM for Cr(VI) mainly occurred during the initial stages of the adsorption process. The adsorption kinetic and isotherm experimental data were thoroughly described by Elovich and Langmuir models, respectively. SL could be considered as a potential raw material for the production of activated carbon, which had a considerable potential for the Cr(VI) removal from wastewater.

Adhesion is a vital physiological process for many marine molluscs, including the mussel and scallop, and therefore it is important to characterize the proteins involved in these adhesives. Although several mussel byssal proteins were identified and characterized, the study for scallop byssal proteins remains scarce. Our previous study identified two foot-specific proteins (Sbp7, Sbp8-1), which were annotated as the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Evolutionary analysis suggests that the TIMP genes of Chlamys farreri had gone through multiple gene duplications during evolution, and their potential functional roles in foot may have an ancient evolutionary origin. Focusing on the Sbp8-1, the sequence alignment and biochemical analyses suggest that Sbp8-1 is an atypical TIMP. One significant feature is the presence of two extra free Cys residues at its C-terminus, which causes the Sbp8-1 polymerization. Considering the fact that the no inhibitory activity was observed and it is mainly distributed in byssal thread and plaque, we proposed that this atypical Sbp8-1 may play as the cross-linker in scallop byssus. This study facilitates not only the understanding of scallop byssus assembly, also provides the inspiration of water-resistant materials design.

Introducing bio-oil into phenolic foam (PF) can effectively improve the toughness of PF, but its flame retardant performance will be adversely affected and show a decrease. To offset the decrease in flame retardant performance, montmorillonite (MMT) can be added as a promising alternative to enhance the flame resistance of foams. The present work reported the effects of MMT on the chemical structure, morphological property, mechanical performance, flame resistance, and thermal stability of bio-oil phenolic foam (BPF). The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) result showed that the −OH group peaks shifted to a lower frequency after adding MMT, indicating strong hydrogen bonding between MMT and bio-oil phenolic resin (BPR) molecular chains. Additionally, when a small content of MMT (2−4 wt %) was added in the foamed composites, the microcellular structures of bio-oil phenolic foam modified by MMT (MBPFs) were more uniform and compact than that of BPF. As a result, the best performance of MBPF was obtained with the addition of 4 wt % MMT, where compressive strength and limited oxygen index (LOI) increased by 31.0% and 33.2%, respectively, and the pulverization ratio decreased by 40.6% in comparison to BPF. These tests proved that MMT can blend well with bio-oil to effectively improve the flame resistance of PF while enhancing toughness.

Bio-oil was added as a substitute for phenol for the preparation of a foaming phenolic resin (PR), which aimed to reduce the brittleness and pulverization of phenolic foam (PF). The components of bio-oil, the chemical structure of bio-oil phenolic resin (BPR), and the mechanical performances, and the morphological and thermal properties of bio-oil phenolic foam (BPF) were investigated. The bio-oil contained a number of phenols and abundant substances with long-chain alkanes. The peaks of OH groups, CH2 groups, C=O groups, and aromatic skeletal vibration on the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum became wider and sharper after adding bio-oil. These suggested that the bio-oil could partially replace phenol to prepare resin and had great potential for toughening resin. When the substitute rate of bio-oil to phenol (B/P substitute rate) was between 10% and 20%, the cell sizes of BPFs were smaller and more uniform than those of PF. The compressive strength and flexural strength of BPFs with a 10⁻20% B/P substitute rate increased by 10.5⁻47.4% and 25.0⁻50.5% respectively, and their pulverization ratios decreased by 14.5⁻38.6% in comparison to PF. All BPFs maintained good flame-retardant properties, thermal stability, and thermal isolation, although the limited oxygen index (LOI) and residual masses by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis of BPFs were lower and the thermal conducticity was slightly greater than those of PF. This indicated that the bio-oil could be used as a renewable toughening agent for PF.

The aging properties of phenol-formaldehyde resin modified by bio-oil (BPF) were analyzed using ultraviolet (UV) weathering. The variations on bonding strength of BPF were measured, and the changes on microstructure, atomic composition and chemical structure of BPF were characterized by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), respectively. With the increase of aging time, the bonding strength decreased gradually, the resin surface became rougher and the O/C radio of resin surface increased. However, the loss rate of bonding strength of BPFs was 9.6⁻23.0% lower than that of phenol-formaldehyde resin (PF) after aging 960 h. The aging degree of BPF surfaces was smaller in comparison to PF at the same aging time. These results showed that the bio-oil had a positive effect on the anti-aging property. Analytical results revealed that with increasing the aging time, the XPS peak area of C⁻C/C⁻H decreased, while that of C=O and O⁻C=O increased. The intensity of methylene and ether bridges in NMR analysis decreased along with increasing the intensity of aldehydes, ketones, acids and esters. These results indicated that the aging mechanism of BPF was a process of the breakage of molecular chains and formation of oxygen-containing compounds.

Currently, no published studies have compared the clinical outcomes of the medial-to-lateral approach (MA) and lateral-to-medial approach (LA) for open right hemicolectomy. Thus, the present study aimed to assess whether one of these approaches has any potential benefits over the other.A retrospective study was performed of all patients who underwent open right hemicolectomy with pathologically confirmed disease who met the eligibility criteria between June 2008 and June 2012. The population was divided into an MA group and an LA group by propensity scoring. We compared patient demographic and clinical characteristic variables between the two groups and assessed short-term and long-term outcomes.A total of 450 patients (MA, n = 150; LA, n = 300) were evaluated. The operation time (MA,138.4 minutesvs.LA,166.2 minutes; P < .05) and blood loss (MA,52.0mL vs. LA,62.6mL; P < .05)were significantly lower in the MA group. No differences in the number of harvested lymph nodes and oncologic outcomes were observed between the two groups. Further subgroup analysis for stage III colon cancer revealed that the MA group had significantly more retrieved lymph nodes (MA,18.8vs. LA,16.0; P = .028). There were no differences in other variables between the two groups.The MA reduced operative time and blood loss compared with the LA. We thus concluded that the MA provided short-term benefits compared with the LA in open right hemicolectomy for right-sided colon cancer.

BACKGROUND: It remains unclear which patients can benefit from simultaneous resection of synchronous colorectal liver metastases (SCRLMs). This study aimed to examine the prognostic value of patient- and tumor-related factors in predicting long-term outcomes of patients undergoing simultaneous resection of SCRLMs and to help patients select a suitable therapeutic regimen and proper surveillance. METHODS: Clinicopathological and outcome data of 154 consecutive SCRLM patients who underwent simultaneous resection between July 2003 and July 2013 were collected from our prospectively established SCRLM data and analyzed with univariate and multivariate methods, and the prognostic index (PI) was formulated based on the regression coefficients (β) of the Cox model. The patients were classified into high- and low-risk groups according to the PI value; the cut-off point was the third quartile. RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival rate was 46%, and the 5-year disease-free survival rate was 35%. Five factors were found to be independent predictors of poor overall survival (OS) by multivariate analysis: positive lymph node status, vascular invasion, BRAF mutation, the distribution of bilobar liver metastases (LMs) and non-R0 resection of LMs. Compared to low PI (≤5.978), high PI (>5.978) was highly predictive of shorter OS. Three factors were found to be independent predictors of poor disease-free survival (DFS) by multivariate analysis: tumor deposits, BRAF mutation and bilobar LM distribution. We also determined the PI for DFS. Compared to low PI (≤2.945), high PI (>2.945) was highly predictive of shorter DFS. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous resection of SCRLM may lead to various long-term outcomes. Patients with low PI have longer OS and DFS, while those with high PI have shorter OS and DFS. Thus, patients with high PI may receive more aggressive treatment and intensive surveillance, This model needs further validation.

In order to endow environmental protection features to dentifrice, hydroxyapatite (HA) was added to ordinary dentifrice. The effects on dentinal tubule occlusion and surface mineralization were compared after brushing dentine discs with dentifrice with or without HA. The two types of dentifrice were then added to 100 µg/ml of hexavalent chromium cation (Cr(6+)) solution in order to evaluate their capacities of adsorbing Cr(6+) from water. Our results showed that the dentifrice containing HA was significantly better than the ordinary dentifrice in occluding the dentinal tubules with a plugging rate greater than 90%. Moreover, the effect of the HA dentifrice was persistent and energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS) revealed that the atomic percentages of calcium and phosphorus on the surface of dentine discs increased significantly. Adding HA to ordinary dentifrice significantly enhanced the ability of dentifrice to adsorb Cr(6+) from water with the removal rate up to 52.36%. In addition, the sorption was stable. Our study suggests that HA can be added to ordinary dentifrice to obtain dentifrice that has both relieving dentin hypersensitivity benefits and also helps to control environmental pollution.

ObjectiveThe present study sought to establish an animal model to study the feasibility and safety of rapid retraction of maxillary anterior teeth en masse aided by alveolar surgery in order to reduce orthodontic treatment time.MethodExtraction of the maxillary canine and alveolar surgery were performed on twelve adult beagle dogs. After that, the custom-made tooth-borne distraction devices were placed on beagles' teeth. Nine of the dogs were applied compression at 0.5 mm/d for 12 days continuously. The other three received no force as the control group. The animals were killed in 1, 14, and 28 days after the end of the application of compression.ResultsThe tissue responses were assessed by craniometric measurement as well as histological examination. Gross alterations were evident in the experimental group, characterized by anterior teeth crossbite. The average total movements of incisors within 12 days were 4.63±0.10 mm and the average anchorage losses were 1.25±0.12 mm. Considerable root resorption extending into the dentine could be observed 1 and 14 days after the compression. But after consolidation of 28 days, there were regenerated cementum on the dentine. There was no apparent change in the control group. No obvious tooth loosening, gingival necrosis, pulp degeneration, or other adverse complications appeared in any of the dogs.ConclusionsThis is the first experimental study for testing the technique of rapid anterior teeth retraction en masse aided by modified alveolar surgery. Despite a preliminary animal model study, the current findings pave the way for the potential clinical application that can accelerate orthodontic tooth movement without many adverse complications.Clinical relevanceIt may become a novel method to shorten the clinical orthodontic treatment time in the future.

A novel surface-imprinting polymer (MIP/K 2 Ti 6 O 13 ) was prepared using potassium hexatitanate whiskers (K 2 Ti 6 O 13 ) as the carrier employing electrostatic interaction and π–π interaction between the template molecule [dibenzothiophene (DBT)] and the functional monomer [4-vinylpyridine (4VP)]. The synthetic polymer was characterized via Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, surface area and porosity analysis, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Static adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherms and adsorption selectivity of MIP/K 2 Ti 6 O 13 . Adsorption kinetic studies revealed that a contact time of 300 min was necessary to attain equilibrium. Adsorption isotherm studies indicated that the capacity of MIP/K 2 Ti 6 O 13 towards the adsorption of DBT at 298 K, 308 K and 318 K was 16.18 mg/g, 22.74 mg/g and 29.89 mg/g, respectively. Selectivity experiments showed that the adsorption capacity of DBT on MIP/K 2 Ti 6 O 13 was greater than for the other three analogues, while the imprinting factor towards DBT (α) was 2.06.

Molecular imprinting has been conducted on the surface of TiO 2 particles to enable the recognition of dibenzothiophene (DBT) molecules. This was achieved via the use of a novel surface molecular-imprinting technique. The adsorption behaviour of the dibenzothiophene-imprinted material (D-MIP/TiO 2 ) was evaluated using batch adsorption experiments to determine the kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamic parameters. The experimental results showed that the adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and that the experimental data were well fitted by the Freundlich adsorption equation. This indicated that adsorption involved a multilayer process. Values of the Gibbs' free energy (ΔG 0 ) ranged from −7.11 kJ/mol to −9.36 kJ/mol over the temperature interval 298–318 K, indicating that the adsorption was endothermic in nature. In addition, D-MIP exhibited selective recognition of DBT relative to other similar compounds such as benzothiophene (BT), 4-methyldibenzothiphene (4-MDBT) and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT). In the corresponding selectivity test, D-MIP/TiO 2 showed a greater adsorption capacity towards DBT than BT, 4-MDBT and 4,6-DMDBT. The large imprinting factor (ca. 2.5) exhibited by D-MIP/TiO 2 for DBT could be explained in terms of a covalent assembly mechanism.

Novel surface strontium(II) ion-imprinted adsorbent particles have been prepared via the copolymerization of chitosan as the monomer, γ-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane (KH-560) as the cross-linking agent and 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator in the presence of SrCl 2 • 6H 2 O. The prepared imprinted adsorbent was used for the selective solid-phase extraction (SPE) of trace Sr(II) ions in a practical sample prior to its determination by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry (ICP–AES). The results suggest that the adsorption kinetic data accorded better with the pseudo-second-order model, while the adsorption equilibrium data gave a good fit to the Langmuir isotherm equation, yielding a maximum adsorption capacity of 27.58 mg/g and a Langmuir adsorption equilibrium coefficient of 0.0363 ℓ/mg at 298 K. The relative selectivity coefficient values of Sr(II) ion-imprinted particles were several times greater than those for the non-imprinted matrix. The new Sr(II) ion-imprinted micro-beads were successfully applied for the separation of Sr(II) ions from river and clay samples. The detection limit (3σ) for Sr(II) ions as determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was 0.21 ng/mℓ. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for the determination of Sr(II) ions was 6–9% over the concentration range 0.03–0.3 mg/ℓ.