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To observe the clinical effect of “scapular heat penetration” technique of acupuncture in treatment of scapulohumeral periarthritis.

Five new sorbicillinoid derivatives, including (±)-aspersorbicillin A [(±)-1], a pair of enantiomers at C-9, and aspersorbicillins B–D (2–4), together with two known analogs (5and 6) were isolated from the endophytic fungus Aspergillus aculeatusTE-65L. Their structures including absolute configurations were determined by detailed spectroscopic analyses and electronic circular dichroism calculations. The herbicidal activity of sorbicillinoids on the germ and radicle elongation of various weed types was reported for the first time. Compound 1displayed significant herbicidal activity against Eleusine indicagerm elongation (IC50= 28.8 μg/mL), while compound 6inhibited radicle elongation (IC50= 25.6 μg/mL). Both were stronger than those of glyphosate (66.2 and 30.9 μg/mL, respectively). Further transcriptomic and LC-MS/MS metabolomic analysis indicated that 6induced the transcriptional expressions of genes related to the lignin biosynthetic pathway, resulting in lignin accumulation. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the cell wall thickening of seeds treated with 6, suggesting weed growth inhibition. This study reveals new lead compounds for fabricating natural herbicides and expands the agricultural use of sorbicillinoid analogs.

Heteromeric pore-forming proteins often contain recognition patterns or stereospecific selection filters. However, the construction of heteromeric pore-forming proteins for single-molecule sensing is challenging due to the uncontrollability of producing position isomers and difficulties in purification of regio-defined products. To overcome these preparation obstacles, we present an in situ strategy involving single-molecule chemical modification of a heptameric pore-forming protein to build a stereo- and regio-specific heteromeric nanopore (hetero-nanopore) with a subunit stoichiometric ratio of 3:4. The steric hindrance inherent in the homo-nanopore of K238C aerolysin directs the stereo- and regio-selective modification of maleimide derivatives. Our method utilizes real-time ionic current recording to facilitate controlled voltage manipulation for stoichiometric modification and position-based side-isomer removal. Single-molecule experiments and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the hetero-nanopore features an asymmetric stereo- and regio-defined residue structure. The hetero-nanopore produced was characterized by mass spectrometry and single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy. In a proof-of-concept single-molecule sensing experiment, the hetero-nanopore exhibited 95% accuracy for label-free discrimination of four peptide stereoisomers with single-amino-acid structural and chiral differences in the mixtures. The customized hetero-nanopores could advance single-molecule sensing.

During intravascular interventional surgery, the 3D surgical navigation system can provide doctors with 3D spatial information of the vascular lumen, reducing the impact of missing dimension caused by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) guidance and further improving the success rate of surgeries. Nevertheless, this task often comes with the challenge of complex registration problems due to vessel deformation caused by respiratory motion and high requirements for the surgical environment because of the dependence on external electromagnetic sensors. This article proposes a novel 3D spatial predictive positioning navigation (SPPN) technique to predict the real-time tip position of surgical instruments. In the first stage, we propose a trajectory prediction algorithm integrated with instrumental morphological constraints to generate the initial trajectory. Then, a novel hybrid physical model is designed to estimate the trajectory’s energy and mechanics. In the second stage, a point cloud clustering algorithm applies multi-information fusion to generate the maximum probability endpoint cloud. Then, an energy-weighted probability density function is introduced using statistical analysis to achieve the prediction of the 3D spatial location of instrument endpoints. Extensive experiments are conducted on 3D-printed human artery and vein models based on a high-precision electromagnetic tracking system. Experimental results demonstrate the outstanding performance of our method, reaching 98.2% of the achievement ratio and less than 3 mm of the average positioning accuracy. This work is the first 3D surgical navigation algorithm that entirely relies on vascular interventional robot sensors, effectively improving the accuracy of interventional surgery and making it more accessible for primary surgeons.

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Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) originates in the epithelial cells of the nasopharynx and is a common malignant tumor in southern China and Southeast Asia. Metastasis of NPC remains the main cause of death for NPC patients even though the tumor is sensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Here, we found that the transmembrane protein tetraspanin1 (TSPAN1) potently inhibited the in vitro migration and invasion, as well as, the in vivo metastasis of NPC cells via interacting with the IKBB protein. In addition, TSPAN1 was essential in preventing the overactivation of the NF-kB pathway in TSPAN1 overexpressing NPC cells. Furthermore, reduced TSPAN1 expression was associated with NPC metastasis and the poor prognosis of NPC patients. These results uncovered the suppressive role of TSPAN1 against NF-kB signaling in NPC cells for preventing NPC metastasis. Its therapeutic value warrants further investigation.

The porous corrosion deposits (known as CRUD) adhered to the cladding have an important effect on the heat transfer from fuel rods to coolant in PWRs. The vapor film is the main constituent in the two-phase film boiling model. This paper presents a vapor film thickness correlation, associated with CRUD porosity, CRUD chimney density, CRUD particle size, CRUD thickness and heat flux. The dependences of the vapor film thickness on the various influential factors can be intuitively reflected from this vapor film thickness correlation. The temperature, pressure, and boric acid concentration distributions in CRUD can be well predicted using the two-phase film boiling model coupled with the vapor film thickness correlation. It suggests that the vapor thickness correlation can estimate the vapor film thickness more conveniently than the previously reported vapor thickness calculation methods.

Vitamin D3(VD3), an essential nutrient for animals, has been demonstrated to stimulate the uptake of certain amino acids. However, the role of VD3in the intestine, the primary site for digestion and absorption of nutrients, remains poorly characterized. Here, the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) was studied to assess the influence of different doses of VD3(15.2, 364.3, 782.5, 1,167.9, 1,573.8, and 1,980.1 IU/kg) on growth performance, intestinal morphology, digestive absorption, amino acid transport, and potential signaling molecule levels in a feeding experiment. As a result, dietary VD3improved growth performance, intestinal structure, and digestive and brush border enzyme activities. Additionally, most intestinal free amino acids and their transporters were upregulated after VD3intake, except for Ala, Lys, Asp, Leu, solute carrier (SLC) 7A7, SLC1A5, and SLC1A3mRNA in different segments, Leu and SLC6A14 mRNA in the proximal intestine, and SLC7A5mRNA in the mid and distal intestine. In the crucial target of rapamycin (TOR) signal pathway of amino acid transport, the gene and protein expression of TOR, S6 kinase 1, and activating transcription factor 4 were elevated, whereas 4E-binding protein 1 was decreased, further suggesting an advanced amino acid absorption capacity in the fish due to VD3supplementation. Based on percentage weight gain, feed efficiency, and trypsin activity, the VD3requirements of on-growing grass carp were estimated to be 968.33, 1,005.00, and 1,166.67 IU/kg, respectively. Our findings provide novel recommendations for VD3supplementation to promote digestion and absorption capacities of fish, contributing to the overall productivity of aquaculture.

Background: Pesticide use contributes to national food security. The dissipation pathways and degradation mechanisms of pesticides have been widely studied and pesticide residues have remained a focus of public concern. However, studies on the migration and transformation behaviors of pesticide residues in real-world greenhouse soils are insufficient. Therefore, in this study, we collected greenhouse soil from Shouguang, Shandong Province, and investigated the photodegradation and leaching of 17 common pesticides, which leave residues in the soil and are the most frequently used pesticides in Shouguang. The environmental behavior of pesticides in greenhouse soils will provide new information on pesticide residues in the real environment and provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of pesticide pollution in greenhouse soils. Results: The photodegradation of trifloxystrobin followed a first-order kinetic equation, whereas those of emamectin benzoate, chlorantraniliprole, buprofezin, difenoconazole, pyraclostrobin, boscalid, tebuconazole, isoprothiolane, metalaxyl, and oxadixyl followed second-order kinetics. The half-lives of 17 pesticides under light and dark conditions ranged from 2.5–104 (mean: 36.2) and 2.6–110 (mean: 31.4) days, respectively. The half-lives of emamectin benzoate, pyraclostrobin, and metalaxyl in the light were 86.6%, 68.5%, and 94.5% of their half-lives in the dark, respectively. Chlorantraniliprole, metalaxyl, nitenpyram, diethofencarb, acetamiprid, carbendazim, and oxadixyl were leached to ≥ 90% in aqueous solution. Six pesticides, avermectin B1A, emamectin benzoate, trifloxystrobin, difenoconazole, pyraclostrobin, and buprofezin, were difficult to leach from aqueous solutions. Conclusions: The degradation rate of some pesticides was higher in the light environment than in the dark. The leaching potential of the leachable pesticides was nitenpyram ≫ metalaxyl > acetamiprid > carbendazim > diethofencarb ≈ chlorantraniliprole > isoprothiolane > oxadixyl > boscalid ≈ tebuconazole > hexaconazole. Pesticides that are easy to leach but not easily degraded, such as chlorantraniliprole and metalaxyl, have a high potential risk of groundwater pollution, and additional degradation technologies should be used to reduce their pollution risk. The study of the photodegradation and vertical migration behavior of various pesticides is conducive to providing references for the agricultural use and pollution control of pesticides.

IMPORTANCE: Induction chemotherapy added to concurrent chemoradiotherapy significantly improves survival for patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but the optimal induction regimen remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether induction chemotherapy with paclitaxel, cisplatin, and capecitabine (TPC) improves survival vs cisplatin and fluorouracil (PF) prior to chemoradiotherapy for patients with stage IVA to IVB nasopharyngeal carcinoma. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This randomized, open-label, phase 3 clinical trial recruited 238 patients at 4 hospitals in China from October 20, 2016, to August 29, 2019. Patients were 18 to 65 years of age with treatment-naive, nonkeratinizing stage IVA to IVB nasopharyngeal carcinoma and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 to 1. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive induction chemotherapy with two 21-day cycles of TPC (intravenous paclitaxel [150 mg/m2, day 1], intravenous cisplatin [60 mg/m2, day 1], and oral capecitabine [1000 mg/m2 orally twice daily, days 1-14]) or PF (intravenous cisplatin [100 mg/m2, day 1] and fluorouracil [800 mg/m2 daily, days 1-5]), followed by chemoradiotherapy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary end point was failure-free survival in the intention-to-treat population. Secondary end points included distant metastasis–free survival, locoregional relapse–free survival, overall survival, tumor response, and safety. RESULTS: Overall, 238 eligible patients (187 men [78.6%]; median age, 45 years [range, 18-65 years]) were randomly assigned to receive TPC (n = 118) or PF (n = 120). The median follow-up duration was 48.4 months (IQR, 39.6-53.3 months). Failure-free survival at 3 years was 83.5% (95% CI, 77.0%-90.6%) in the TPC group and 68.9% (95% CI, 61.1%-77.8%) in the PF group (stratified hazard ratio [HR] for recurrence or death, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.28-0.79; P = .004). Induction with the TPC regimen resulted in a significant reduction in the risk of distant metastases (stratified HR, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.24-0.98]; P = .04) and locoregional recurrence (stratified HR, 0.40 [95% CI, 0.18-0.93]; P = .03) compared with the PF regimen. However, there was no effect on early overall survival (stratified HR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.17-1.18]; P = .10). The incidences of grade 3 to 4 acute adverse events and late-onset toxicities were 57.6% (n = 68) and 13.6% (16 of 118), respectively, in the TPC group and 65.8% (n = 79) and 17.9% (21 of 117), respectively, in the PF group. One treatment-related death occurred in the PF group. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This randomized clinical trial found that induction chemotherapy with 2 cycles of TPC for patients with stage IVA to IVB nasopharyngeal carcinoma improved failure-free survival compared with 2 cycles of PF, with no increase in the toxicity profile. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02940925

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in China. However, there are no targets to treat ESCC because the molecular mechanism behind the cancer is still unclear. Here, we found a novel long noncoding RNA LINC02820 was upregulated in ESCC and associated with the ESCC clinicopathological stage. Through a series of functional experiments, we observed that LINC02820 only promoted the migration and invasion capabilities of ESCC cell lines. Mechanically, we found that LINC02820 may affect the cytoskeletal remodeling, interact with splice factor 3B subunit 3 (SF3B3), and cooperate with TNFα to amplify the NF-κB signaling pathway, which can lead to ESCC metastasis. Overall, our findings revealed that LINC02820 is a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for the diagnosis and treatment of ESCC.

Developing hydrogels with new structures and extraordinary performances is fundamental and mission-critical for the advancements of gel materials. Here, we report a class of tough supramolecular hydrogels facilely prepared by polymerizing methacrylic acid precursor solution in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride micelles. After swelling the as-prepared hydrogels in water, strong polyelectrolyte/surfactant complexes (PESCs) are formed between the weakly charged polymer chains and oppositely charged surfactants, serving as the physical cross-links of the gel matrix. The equilibrated hydrogels are transparent with a water content of 50–85 wt % and possess excellent mechanical properties, with a tensile breaking stress of 0.1–5 MPa, a breaking strain of 600–1200%, and Young’s modulus of 1–70 MPa. Typical yielding is observed at a small tensile strain of ∼10%, followed by forced elastic deformation of the hydrogels, which are in a glassy state due to the reduced segmental mobility of the matrix highly cross-linked by PESCs. The plastic-like mechanical properties of hydrogels could be well tuned by pH, temperature, and ionic strength that influence the ionization of polymer chains and the strength of PESCs. These dynamic behaviors render the hydrogels with self-recovery and shape-memory properties. Furthermore, the nanosized hydrophobic pockets within the hydrogels afford the capacity of loading functional hydrophobic molecules with promising applications as fluorescent materials and drug delivery systems. The design principle and strategy should be extended to other systems, including biomacromolecules and lipids, toward broad applications in biomedical and engineering fields.

The color of watermelon flesh is an important trait determined by a series of carotenoids. Herein, we used Cream of Saskatchewan (pale yellow flesh) and PI 186490 (white flesh) as parental materials for an F2segregation and initial mapping using the bulked segregant analysis sequencing (BSA-seq) strategy. The BSA results revealed a flesh color-related QTL that spans approximately 2.45 Mb on chromosome 6. This region was preliminarily positioned in a 382-kb segment, and then narrowed down into a 66.8-kb segment with 1260 F2individuals. A total of nine candidate genes were in the fine mapping interval, but only Cla007528(encoding chlorophyllase) had non-synonymous mutations and was significantly expressed between the parental materials throughout flesh development. We also checked the expression patterns of the carotenoid metabolic pathway genes based on RNA-seq data and qRT-PCR validation. Three genes in the xanthophyll cycle (CICHYB, CINCED-1and CINCED-7) exhibited differential expression patterns between the two parental lines at different flesh color formation stages. ClPSY1, CIPDS, CIZDS, CICHXE, CICRTISOand CILCYBalso exhibited clearly different expression patterns accompanied by carotenoid accumulation.

Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) causes clinical symptoms characterized by severe diarrhea and vomiting in neonatal piglets and pregnant sows, which is similar to those resulted from transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus (TGEV) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). Since PEDV was considered as the dominant enteric virus all round the world, PDCoV has been unwittingly overlooked due to its indistinguishable clinical signs with other porcine coronaviruses and relatively low death rates in the pig farm. Specimens which have been previously performed for the detection of PEDV in Animal Disease and Diagnostic Center, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) from January 5, 2015 to January 11, 2016 were examined by a novel universal probe library (UPL) probe-based real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total of 527 clinical specimens from pigs with diarrhea suspected were examined for PDCoV. Positive rates of PDCoV in small intestine and rectal swab were 4.3% (13/305) and 1.8% (4/222), respectively. Collectively, as to the total specimens, the detection rate is 3.2% (17/527). Our results provide development of a UPL probe-based real-time PCR assay and retrospective investigation of potentially circulating PDCoVs in the field in the whole 2015 and early 2016.

This study aimed to investigate the regenerative effects of 2,3,5,4′‐tetrahydroxystilbene‐2‐O‐β‐d‐glucoside (THSG)‐treated human dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) on the healing of experimental periodontal defects in rats. The maxillary first molars of 30 male Sprague–Dawley rats were extracted, and after healing, bilateral periodontal defects were surgically created mesially in second molars. The defects were treated with Matrigel (as control), DPSC, or DPSC + THSG. After 2 weeks, the healed defects were evaluated using microcomputed tomography and through histological and immunohistochemical analyses. In the microcomputed tomography analysis, more new bone formation in the DPSC and DPSC + THSG groups was observed compared with the control group. The periodontal bone supporting ratio in site with DPSC + THSG was significantly higher than that in DPSC. Histologically, an enhanced new bone formation and more significant periodontal attachment were observed in the DPSC + THSG group. The expression levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and osteopontin (OPN) in the DPSC + THSG group were significantly greater than those in other groups. THSG‐revolutionized DPSCs significantly shortened the regenerative period of periodontal defects by enhancing the cell recruitment and possibly the angiogenesis in rat models, which illustrate the critical implications for a clinical application and provide a novel tactic for periodontitis treatment.

Timely fault identification is important for safe and reliable operation of the electric valve system. Many research works have utilized different data-driven approach for fault diagnosis in complex systems. However, they do not consider specific characteristics of critical control components such as electric valves. This work presents an integrated shallow-deep fault diagnostic model, developed based on signals extracted from DN50 electric valve. First, the local optimal issue of particle swarm optimization algorithm is solved by optimizing the weight search capability, the particle speed, and position update strategy. Then, to develop a shallow diagnostic model, the modified particle swarm algorithm is combined with support vector machine to form a hybrid improved particle swarm-support vector machine (IPs-SVM). To decouple the influence of the background noise, the wavelet packet transform method is used to reconstruct the vibration signal. Thereafter, the IPs-SVM is used to classify phase imbalance and damaged valve faults, and the performance was evaluated against other models developed using the conventional SVM and particle swarm optimized SVM. Secondly, three different deep belief network (DBN) models are developed, using different acoustic signal structures: raw signal, wavelet transformed signal and time-series (sequential) signal. The models are developed to estimate internal leakage sizes in the electric valve. The predictive performance of the DBN and the evaluation results of the proposed IPs-SVM are also presented in this paper.

Most of the machine learning-based intrusion detection tools developed for Industrial Control Systems (ICS) are trained on network packet captures, and they rely on monitoring network layer traffic alone for intrusion detection. This approach produces weak intrusion detection systems, as ICS cyber-attacks have a real and significant impact on the process variables. A limited number of researchers consider integrating process measurements. However, in complex systems, process variable changes could result from different combinations of abnormal occurrences. This paper examines recent advances in intrusion detection algorithms, their limitations, challenges and the status of their application in critical infrastructures. We also introduce the discussion on the similarities and conflicts observed in the development of machine learning tools and techniques for fault diagnosis and cybersecurity in the protection of complex systems and the need to establish a clear difference between them. As a case study, we discuss special characteristics in nuclear power control systems and the factors that constraint the direct integration of security algorithms. Moreover, we discuss data reliability issues and present references and direct URL to recent open-source data repositories to aid researchers in developing data-driven ICS intrusion detection systems.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a unique head and neck cancer with highly aggressive and metastatic potential in which distant metastasis is the main reason for treatment failure. Till present, the underlying molecular mechanisms of NPC metastasis remains poorly understood. Here, we identified S100 calcium-binding protein A14 (S100A14) as a functional regulator suppressing NPC metastasis by inhibiting the NF-kB signaling pathway and reversing the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). S100A14 was found to be downregulated in highly metastatic NPC cells and tissues. Immunohistochemical staining of 202 NPC samples revealed that lower S100A14 expression was significantly correlated with shorter patient overall survival (OS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). S100A14 was also found as an independent prognostic factor for favorable survival. Gain- and loss-of-function studies confirmed that S100A14 suppressed the in vitro and in vivo motility of NPC cells. Mechanistically, S100A14 promoted the ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated degradation of interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1) to suppress NPC cellular migration. Moreover, S100A14 and IRAK1 established a feedback loop that could be disrupted by the IRAK1 inhibitor T2457. Overall, our findings showed that the S100A14-IRAK1 feedback loop could be a promising therapeutic target for NPC metastasis.

Nitrate transporters (NRTs) are regulators of nitrate assimilation and transport. The genome sequences of TaNRT2L12-A, -Band -Dwere cloned from wheat (Triticum aestivumL.), and polymorphisms were analyzed by sequencing. TaNRT2L12-Din a germplasm population was highly conserved. However, 38 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TaNRT2L12-Acoding region and 11 SNPs in TaNRT2L12-Bcoding region were detected. Two derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (dCAPS) markers A-CSNP1 and A-CSNP2 were developed for TaNRT2L12-Abased on SNP-351 and SNP-729, and three haplotypes were identified in the germplasm population. B-CSNP1 and B-CSNP2 were developed for TaNRT2L12-Bbased on SNP-237 and SNP-1227, and three haplotypes were detected in the germplasm population. Association analyses between the markers and agronomic traits in 30 environments and phenotypic comparisons revealed that A-CSNP2-A is a superior allele of shorter plant height (PH), length of penultimate internode (LPI) and peduncle length (PL), B-CSNP2-G is a superior allele of higher grain number per spike (GNS). Hap-6B-1 containing both superior alleles B-CSNP1-C and B-CSNP2-A is a superior haplotype of 1 000-grain weight (TGW). Expression analysis showed that TaNRT2L12-Bis mainly expressed in the root base and regulated by nitrate. Therefore, TaNRT2L12 may be involved in nitrate transport and signaling to regulate TGW in wheat. The superior alleles and dCAPS markers of TaNRT2L12-A/Bare beneficial to genetic improvement and germplasm enhancement with molecular markers-assisted selection.

Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) is an important pathogen that causes anorexia, vomiting, acute gastroenteritis, and bloody diarrhea. CPV-2 was divided into three variants (2a–2c) based on residue 426 of the VP2 protein. Recently, a novel Asian CPV-2c isolate was more prevalent in the Asian continent. The diagnostic tools of CPV-2 are characterized into traditional (such as immunochromatography test) and molecular methods based on their pathogen detection mechanisms. However, the low sensitivity of the immunochromatographic tests is supported by their simplicity and rapid ability to provide results for CPV-2. Surprisingly, some immunochromatography tests showed low sensitivity for the detection of novel CPV-2c compared to a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Sixty rectal swabs were collected from naturally infected dogs with CPV-2 at the Animal Disease Diagnostic Center, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan, from 2016 to 2019. A novel in-house QubeMDx PCR system was used for diagnosis of three CPV-2 variants and compared to real-time PCR diagnosis. This diagnostic assay detected all of CPV-2 variants within 30 min and the sensitivity was identical to a real-time PCR assay using clinical samples. This study provides evidence that this novel, commercially available in-house PCR assay (QubeMDx PCR system) provides useful, simple, sensitive, reliable, and rapid diagnosis of three CPV-2 variants in veterinary clinics.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the sound insulation of double-leaf panels. In practice, double-leaf panels require a stud between two surface panels. To simplify the analysis, a stud was modeled as a spring and mass. Studies have indicated that the stiffness of the equivalent spring is not a constant and varies with the frequency of sound. Therefore, a frequency-dependent stiffness curve was used to model the effect of the stud to analyze the sound insulation of a double-leaf panel. First, the sound transmission loss of a panel reported by Halliwell was used to fit the results of this study to determine the stiffness of the distribution curve. With this stiffness distribution of steel stud, some previous proposed panels are also analyzed and are compared to the experimental results in the literature. The agreement is good. Finally, the effects of parameters, such as the thickness and density of the panel, thickness of the stud and spacing of the stud, on the sound insulation of double-leaf panels were analyzed.

The U-Th-REE-Nb (Ta)-polymetallic mineralization is generally related to either the silica-undersaturated syenites, the silica-oversaturated alkaline/peralkaline granites or igneous carbonatites. In this study, the authors report a new mineralization type, which is related to the magmatic-hydrothermal albitite (with mineral assemblage predominated by albite with volume content > 90%), as exemplified by the Chachaxiangka deposit in Qinghai Province of China. The Chachaxiangka deposit is the first albitite-related U-Th-REE-Nb deposit recognized in China and the mineralization can be divided into 3 types: the vein-type, the disseminated veinlet type and breccia type, of which the former 2 are predominant. Three mineralization stages can be identified according to the detailed mineralogical analyses, including the magmatic stage, main hydrothermal mineralization stage and post-ore stage. By comprehensive analyses of the mineralogical, major and trace element compositions, the authors suggest that the albitite vein is magmatic-hydrothermal in origin and both the magmatic evolution and overprint of the hydrothermal fluids play important roles in the formation of the albitite and related polymetallic mineralization. Phase separation between the silicate melt and carbonate/phosphate melt might take place in the magmatic stage, yet the immiscibility between the silicate melt and chloride-dominated fluids is the most important mechanism for the REE mineralization and also causes the Nb-Th re-mobilization and enrichment. The red color of the albitite aplite vein is an eye-catching prospecting mark in the field and more mineralization can be expected at depth and in the surrounding areas. The discovery of the new albitite type U-Th-REE-Nb mineralization give rise to new ideas during future U-Th-REE-Nb exploration, not only in the Qaidam-Altun belt, but also other areas across China.

In Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs), corrosion products are released during operation due to the large contact area between the primary circuit coolant and the equipment materials. In this study, a multiphysics model was developed and validated to simulate and analyze the migration and deposition behavior of corrosion products in the primary circuit. The model is useful for calculating the effect of operating conditions on migration and deposition. The effects of mass transfer and subcooled boiling on deposition and re-release were included in the model. Diffusion, convective mass transfer, and transition between ions and particles in the coolant were also considered in the model.

The isomers of monosaccharide always produce multiple chromatographic peaks as volatile derivatives during gas chromatography, which may result in the overlapping of different sugar peaks. Whereas reduction and oximation of sugar carbonyl groups for GC analysis do eliminate many isomer derivatives, the approaches create new problems. One ketose can yield two peaks by oximation, and different aldoses and ketoses can yield the same alditol upon reduction, leading to the inability to detect some important monosaccharides. This paper reports an optimal method that yields a single peak per sugar by acetylation directly. By using a methyl sulfoxide (Me2SO)/1-methylimidazole (1-MeIm) system, the carbohydrates in acetic anhydride (Ac2O) esterification reactions were solubilized, and the oxidation that normally occurs was inhibited. The results demonstrate that acetylated derivatives of 23 saccharides had unique peaks, which indicates aldose, ketose, and alditol can be determined simultaneously by GC-MS.

This study investigated antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella entericaserovar Choleraesuis (S.Choleraesuis) isolates from diseased pigs in Taiwan (2015-2020). Among 272 isolates, florfenicol (96.7%), enrofloxacin (96.3%), doxycycline (91.2%), gentamicin (84.6%), and tiamulin (80.5%) exhibited high resistance. 99.3% of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and 97.8% of the isolates were multidrug resistant. This study illustrated that S.Choleraesuis isolates exhibited high resistance to antimicrobials currently used in the Taiwanese swine industry.

Acute mediastinitis (AM) is a rare but life-threatening disease. Here, we report a case of AM secondary to endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) and pseudomembranous Aspergillustracheobronchitis (PMATB) co-infection. EBTB was confirmed by tissue culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosisand GeneXpert MTB/RIF (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) detection (simultaneous detection of M. tuberculosisand resistance to rifampin) using endobronchial biopsies; PMATB was confirmed by histopathology. Even with antibiotic treatment and systemic support treatment, the patient died of massive hemoptysis on day 10 after admission. When immunocompromised hosts have AM, especially with central airway involvement, EBTB and aspergillosis should be considered potential causes. Bronchoscopy is helpful for rapid diagnosis and administering precise treatment.

Annular grooved projectiles (AGPs) have drawn ongoing concerns as an advanced penetrator for their excellent anti-rebound capability in impacting metal plates. They could become embedded solidly in the target surface during low-velocity impact. In this investigation, the firm embedding behavior of AGP was observed by impact experiments. Corresponding numerical simulations provided a better understanding of this process. Experimental and numerical results indicated that the firm embedding behavior of AGP was mainly due to the filling-material in the groove rather than the friction between the projectile and target, unlike traditional shape such as conical projectile. According to observation, firm embedding process can generally be subdivided into four stages: initial-cratering stage, groove-filling stage, filling-material failure stage and rebound vibration stage. Moreover, the damage mechanics of target material around crater was obtained through microscopic tests. A comparison of the cross-sectional figures between the experiment and simulation proved that the analysis and the proposed method were reasonable and feasible, which further demonstrated that the firm embedding behavior has application potential in new concept warheads.

A fast gamma-ray dose rate assessment method for complex geometries based on stylized model reconstruction and point-kernel method is proposed in this paper. The complex three-dimensional (3D) geometries are imported as a 3DS format file from 3dsMax software with material and radiometric attributes. Based on 3D stylized model reconstruction of solid mesh, the 3D-geometrical solids are automatically converted into stylized models. In point-kernel calculation, the stylized source models are divided into point kernels and the mean free paths (mfp) are calculated by the intersections between shield stylized models and tracing ray. Compared with MCNP, the proposed method can implement complex 3D geometries visually, and the dose rate calculation is accurate and fast.

One of the most challenging safety precautions for workers in dynamic, radioactive environments is avoiding radiation sources and sustaining low exposure. This paper presents a sampling-based algorithm, DL-RRT*, for minimum dose walk-path re-planning in radioactive environments, expedient for occupational workers in nuclear facilities to avoid unnecessary radiation exposure. The method combines the principle of random tree star (RRT*) and D* Lite, and uses the expansion strength of grid search strategy from D* Lite to quickly find a high-quality initial path to accelerate convergence rate in RRT*. The algorithm inherits probabilistic completeness and asymptotic optimality from RRT* to refine the existing paths continually by sampling the search-graph obtained from the grid search process. It can not only be applied to continuous cost spaces, but also make full use of the last planning information to avoid global re-planning, so as to improve the efficiency of path planning in frequently changing environments. The effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method was verified by simulating radiation field under varying obstacles and radioactive environments, and the results were compared with RRT* algorithm output.

Angiosperms are by far the most species-rich clade of land plants, but their origin and early evolutionary history remain poorly understood. We reconstructed angiosperm phylogeny based on 80 genes from 2,881 plastid genomes representing 85% of extant families and all orders. With a well-resolved plastid tree and 62 fossil calibrations, we dated the origin of the crown angiosperms to the Upper Triassic, with major angiosperm radiations occurring in the Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous. This estimated crown age is substantially earlier than that of unequivocal angiosperm fossils, and the difference is here termed the ‘Jurassic angiosperm gap’. Our time-calibrated plastid phylogenomic tree provides a highly relevant framework for future comparative studies of flowering plant evolution. A study reconstructed angiosperm phylogeny on the basis of plastome data representing 2,351 angiosperm and 187 gymnosperm species, and dated the origin of crown angiosperms to be significantly earlier than the estimates based on fossil data.

Previously published equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) have limited accuracy in Asian populations. We aimed to develop and validate a more accurate equation for estimated GFR (eGFR) in the Chinese population, using data from 8571 adults who were referred for direct measurement of GFR by renal dynamic imaging (mGFR) at 3 representative hospitals in China. Patients from the Third Xiangya Hospital were included in our development (n=1730) and internal validation sets (n=1042) and patients from the other hospitals comprised the external validation set (n=5799). We excluded patients who were prescribed medications known to influence the tubular secretion of creatinine, patients on dialysis, kidney transplant recipients, and patients with missing creatinine values or with creatinine >700 μmol/l. We derived a novel eGFR equation by linear regression analysis and compared the performance to 12 creatinine-based eGFR equations, including previously published equations for use in Chinese or Asian populations. In the development and internal validation sets, the novel Xiangya equation had high accuracy (accuracy within 30% [P30], 79.21% and 84.33%, respectively), low bias (mean difference between mGFR and eGFR, -1.97 and -1.85 ml/min per 1.73 m2, respectively), and high precision (interquartile range of the differences, 21.13 and 18.88 ml/min per 1.73 m2, respectively). In external validation, the Xiangya equation had the highest P30 among all eGFR equations, with P30 ≤ 75% for the other 12 equations. This novel equation provides more accurate GFR estimates in Chinese adults and could replace existing eGFR equations for use in the Chinese population.

In this research, a composition optimized In718 superalloy powder suitable for additive manufacturing has been developed by using the vacuum induction melting gas atomization (VIGA) and the powder sieving process. VIGA which combines the vacuum induction melting (VIM) and gas atomization (GA) processes uses high pressure inert gas to atomize the metal melt formed by VIM to form metal droplets. These metal droplets are solidified to form metal powders during the falling process in the atomized chamber. After the sieving process, the mean particle size D50 of the powder is less than 35 μm and the particle size distribution (PSD) ranges from 10 to 55 μm (D10~D90). Besides, the produced powder has high flowability (ICarr ≦15), which is suitable for selective laser melting (SLM) additive manufacturing (AM). After the SLM process, the tensile tests are conducted at room temperature and high temperature of 650°C. The results show that the high temperature properties of the optimized In718 superalloy are superior to the commercial In718 superalloy.

Background: Manganese, Mn, is an essential element that is present in steels, and determines steel's mechanical properties. Traditionally, atomic absorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic methods were used for Mn analysis and complicated instrument operations, sometimes of high cost, are associated, and spectrophotometry/colorimetry is another tool for Mn analysis with simple operations. Nowadays, smartphone is emerging as a new powerful tool with multiple advantages in analytical chemistry. Objective: This project aimed to develop a simple and reliable smartphone-assisted colorimetric method to analyze Mn in steel samples. Method: Steel samples were first dissolved in the mixture of nitric acid and phosphoric acid to convert the elemental form of Mn into Mn(II) ions. The Mn(II) ions were then oxidized into the colored permanganate ions whose color was determined via a smartphone. Quantification of Mn was performed by comparing the unknown signal with the standard calibration curve which was constructed by plotting the green value of the solution as a function of the permanganate concentration with a 2nd polynomial regression fitting. The results from the developed method were then compared with the manufacturer values and another UV/vis spectrophotometry, using the Student t-tests, to validate the method. Results: The concentration of Mn in steel samples was determined by the smartphone-assisted colorimetry to be in the range of 0.56% to 0.97%, which had the same accuracy as the classic spectrophotometry and was in agreement with the manufacturer's values. Conclusion: The experimental results proved that the smartphone-assisted method is a good alternative tool for Mn analysis in steels.

The piezophotonic effect is the coupling between piezoelectric properties and photoexcitation, where strain-induced piezopotential modulates and controls the relevant optical process. Specifically, metal ions as activators are capable of responding to photoexcitation and subsequent emission of light, also called mechanoluminescence, in general, and piezoluminescence specifically for piezoelectrics. These phenomena are helpful for understanding the materials fundamentals and conceiving widespread device applications. In this article, we briefly introduce the physical mechanisms of piezophotonics, including piezoluminescence. Selected host materials and metal-ion activators are described for demonstrating the piezophotonic effect. We provide a unified profile and recent prototypical demonstrations of light emission triggered by mechanical stimuli. The devices based on these materials offer the advantages of remote detection, nondestructive analysis, and repeatability, hence they are promising candidates for applications in stress sensing, structural health diagnosis, three-dimensional handwriting, magnetic-optical sensing, energy harvesting, biomedicine, novel light sources, and displays.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-021-01751-3

It has been suggested that formin-like protein 1 (FMNL1) plays an important role in the pathogenic process of several hematopoietic malignancies. In this study, we performed a series of in vivo and in vitro assays to elucidate the biological functions of FMNL1and underlying mechanisms in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) pathogenesis. Herein, we report that high expression of FMNL1 in NPC is positively associated with an aggressive disease and/or poor patient survival. Ectopic overexpression of FMNL1 in NPC cells substantially promoted cell invadopodia formation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasiveness, whereas depletion of FMNL1 potently suppressed NPC cells invadopodia formation, EMT, and invasive/metastatic capacities. We further show that FMNL1 could enhance NPC cell aggressiveness by increasing a key downstream target, the metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1) gene. Importantly, ectopic overexpression of FMNL1 in NPC cells markedly improved the binding of HDAC1 with Profilin2 in the cytoplasm and suppressed the enrichment of HDAC1 on the promoter of MTA1and thereby, leading to an increased MTA1transcription and expression. Furthermore, in addition to the amplification of FMNL1gene, decreased level of miR-16 in NPCs is another critical mechanism to upregulate FMNL1 expression. These results, collectively, provide first-line of evidences that high expression of FMNL1, resulted from decreased miR-16 and/or MTA1amplification, has a potent oncogenic role to drive the development and aggressive process of NPC by upregulating MTA1, and FMNL1 might be employed as a new prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for human NPC.

Mechanoluminescence (ML) from purely inorganic materials is basically triggered by a pre-UV-irradiation process, which largely limits its practical applications. Here, by designing a pining-trap structure, a novel sustainable ML is developed from Ruddlesden–Popper perovskite Sr3Sn2O7:Sm3+(SSOS) even without the pre-UV-irradiation process. This ML of SSOS could keep stable and remain a certain intensity even extending the waiting time to 50 h. The ML mechanism is also investigated by the analysis of trap structure through the thermoluminescence method. A thermoluminescence peak at 420 K showed no attenuation after 50 h waiting time, which could be ascribed to a high-density pining trap, resulting in the increment of ML intensity and ML intensity maintenance ratio.

Bioluminescence is widespread in nature such as the jellyfish, which inspires scientists to design polymer hydrogels with tunable fluorescence. However, it remains a big challenge to develop white-light-emitting hydrogels with local tunability of the fluorescent behavior. Herein, we report a white fluorescent hydrogel prepared by one-pot micellar copolymerization of hydrophilic acrylamide and hydrophobic single donor–acceptor chromophore monomer, in which the unimer and the dimer of the chromophore coexist and generate high- and low-energy emission, respectively, under excitation. The fluorescent behavior of the hydrogel can be well tuned by phototreatment or heat treatment that induces unimer-to-dimer transformation of the chromophore and thus variation of the fluorescent color from blue to white and then to yellow. The fluorescence can also be reversibly switched off by forming terpyridine–Cu2+chelate complexes and recovered by using chelating agent to extract the Cu2+ions out of the gel matrix. These properties afford patterning the fluorescent hydrogel, which is transparent under daylight yet shows the pattern under ultraviolet light. These patterned fluorescent hydrogels should find applications in protected message display for improved information security.

Room-temperature upconversion emission up to eight-photon absorption is demonstrated from diamond single crystals under femtosecond laser excitation for the first time. The low concentration of defects and impurities is attributed to the support of free excitons emission at 235 nm. Nonlinear optical properties are also investigated by using an open-aperture Z-scan technique. The corresponding three-, five-, and eight-photon absorption coefficients of the diamonds are found to be 1.8 × 10–2cm3/GW2, 5 × 10–9cm7/GW4, and 1.6 × 10–19cm13/GW7, respectively. Considering its high hardness and high thermal conductivity, diamonds are a versatile nonlinear optical material suitable for high-power deep ultraviolet applications under multiphoton excitation.

Combination treatment with percutaneous endovenous intervention (PEVI) and anticoagulation has been proposed for treating lower-extremity proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the effect of PEVI plus anticoagulation versus anticoagulation alone in patients with lower-extremity proximal DVT.

ABSTRACTIt is believed that the alteration of tissue microenvironment would affect cancer initiation and progression. However, little is known in terms of the underlying molecular mechanisms that would affect the initiation and progression of breast cancer. In the present study, we use two murine mammary tumor models with different speeds of tumor initiation and progression for whole genome expression profiling to reveal the involved genes and signaling pathways. The pathways regulating PI3K-Akt signaling and Ras signaling were activated in Fvb mice and promoted tumor progression. Contrastingly, the pathways regulating apoptosis and cellular senescence were activated in Fvb.B6 mice and suppressed tumor progression. We identified distinct patterns of oncogenic pathways activation at different stages of breast cancer, and uncovered five oncogenic pathways that were activated in both human and mouse breast cancers. The genes and pathways discovered in our study would be useful information for other researchers and drug development.

There are two major findings from this study that are clinically relevant: post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) stage is a better marker of prognosis than pretreatment staging and the discovery of the downstaging effects of NACT on patients with N2-N3 stage disease.

ABSTRACTClear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a common pathological subtype of renal cancer. Although the recent application of molecular-targeted agents has modestly improved the prognosis of ccRCC patients, their outcome is still poor. It is therefore important to characterize the molecular and biological mechanisms responsible for the development of ccRCC. Approximately 25% ccRCC patients involves the loss of RNA-binding protein QKI at 6q26, but the role of QKI in ccRCC is unknown. Here, we found that QKI-5 was frequently downregulated in ccRCC patients and its down-regulation was significantly associated with clinical features including T status, M status, and differentiation grade, and poorer patient prognosis. Moreover, QKI-5 inhibited the proliferation of kidney cancer cells both in vitroand in vivo. The subsequent functional studies showed that QKI-5 stabilized RASA1 mRNA via directly binding to the QKI response element region of RASA1, which in turn prevented the activation of the Ras-MAPK signaling pathway, suppressed cellular proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest. Overall, our data demonstrate a suppressive role of QKI in ccRCC tumourigenesis that involves the QKI-mediated post-transcriptional regulation of the Ras-MAPK signaling pathway.

Babesia gibsoni(B. gibsoni) causes a canine tick-borne disease worldwide. The substitution of methionine with isoleucine (M121I) in the cytochrome b(CYTb) gene of B. gibsoniwas identified as being associated with atovaquone resistance. Rapid identification of the drug-resistant strain is required to select a more effective combination of drugs, e.g., from atovaquone and azithromycin (AA) to clindamycin, diminazene, and imidocarb (CDI) combination. A SimpleProbe®real-time PCR assay was designed to detect the single nucleotide polymorphism at nucleotide 363 in CYTb gene of B. gibsoniand the sensitivity and specificity were evaluated by comparing the results from the conventional DNA sequencing method. Eighty-nine clinical blood samples were collected and analyzed in parallel with the SimpleProbe®assay and DNA sequencing. The assay identified 50 of 54 nt363G samples and had a sensitivity of 92.6% and a specificity of 100%. Thirty nt363T samples were correctly identified, as well, with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 73.2%. However, this assay identified only one of 17 nt363A samples; the other 16 samples were misidentified as nt363T. The sensitivity of the nt363A identification was only 5.9%, and the specificity was 100%. When detecting the M121I mutation, 42 of 42 mutant samples were identified, with a sensitivity of 100%, and 45 of 47 wild type samples were identified, with a specificity of 95.7%. In conclusion, the SimpleProbe®assay could be used to detect the M121I mutation of the B. gibsoniCYTb from clinical specimens. This assay provides a reliable and sensitive tool for differentiating between the atovaquone-resistant strain and the non-resistant strain.

Cachexia-inducing tumors release complex factors that promote the increased uptake and burning of fats by muscle, resulting in muscle atrophy—a process that can be blocked if fatty acid oxidation is pharmacologically inhibited.