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In this paper the Stokes system in an unbounded domain is solved by the artificial boundary method. The novelty lies in an operator form of the exact Dirichlet-to-Neumann (DtN) mapping. With the help of the Chebyshev rational approximation of the square root function, we derive a highly accurate approximate DtN mapping, which can be numerically implemented without resorting to the eigen-decomposition in terms of the vectorial spherical harmonics. In addition, we develop an efficient block preconditioner for the augmented truncated saddle point problem. Numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A second-order Crank-Nicolson finite difference method is designed to solve a 1D nonlocal Schrödinger equation on the whole real axis. We employ an asymptotically compatible scheme to discretize the spatially nonlocal operator, and apply the Crank-Nicolson scheme in time to achieve a fully discrete infinite system. An iterative technique for the second-order matrix difference equation is then developed to obtain Dirichlet-to-Dirichlet (DtD)-type artificial boundary conditions (ABCs) with the application of z-transform for the resulting fully discrete system. After that, with the aid of discrete nonlocal Green's first identity, we derive Dirichlet-to-Neumann (DtN)-type ABCs from DtD-type ABCs. The resulting DtN-type ABCs are available to reduce the infinite discrete system to a finite discrete system on a truncated computational domain, and make it possible to perform stability and convergence analysis for the reduced problem. Finally, numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with a fast finite element method for the three-dimensional Poisson equation in infinite domains. Both the exterior problem and the strip-tail problem are considered. Exact Dirichlet-to-Neumann (DtN)-type artificial boundary conditions (ABCs) are derived to reduce the original infinite-domain problems to suitable truncated-domain problems. Based on the best relative Chebyshev approximation for the square-root function, a fast algorithm is developed to approximate exact ABCs. One remarkable advantage is that one need not compute the full eigensystem associated with the surface Laplacian operator on artificial boundaries. In addition, compared with the modal expansion method and the method based on Pad |$\acute{\textrm{e}}$| approximation for the square-root function, the computational cost of the DtN mapping is further reduced. An error analysis is performed and numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunotherapy through the activation of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway is increasingly recognized for its robust anti-tumor efficacy. However, the effectiveness of STING activation is often compromised by inadequate anti-tumor immunity and a scarcity of primed immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Herein, we design and fabricate a co-axial 3D-printed scaffold integrating a non-nucleotide STING agonist, SR-717, and an AKT inhibitor, MK-2206, in its respective shell and core layers, to synergistically enhance STING activation, thereby suppressing tumor recurrence and growth. SR-717 initiates the STING activation to enhance the phosphorylation of the factors along the STING pathway, while MK-2206 concurrently inhibits the AKT phosphorylation to facilitate the TBK1 phosphorylation of the STING pathway. The sequential and sustained release of SR-717 and MK-2206 from the scaffold results in a synergistic STING activation, demonstrating substantial anti-tumor efficacy across multiple tumor models. Furthermore, the scaffold promotes the recruitment and enrichment of activated dendritic cells and M1 macrophages, subsequently stimulating anti-tumor T cell activity, thereby amplifying the immunotherapeutic effect. This precise and synergistic activation of STING by the scaffold offers promising potential in tumor immunotherapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The membrane-fusion-based internalization without lysosomal entrapment is advantageous for intracellular delivery over endocytosis. However, protein corona formed on the membrane-fusogenic liposome surface converts its membrane-fusion performance to lysosome-dependent endocytosis, causing poorer delivery efficiency in biological conditions. Herein, we develop an antifouling membrane-fusogenic liposome for effective intracellular delivery in vivo. Leveraging specific lipid composition at an optimized ratio, such antifouling membrane-fusogenic liposome facilitates fusion capacity even in protein-rich conditions, attributed to the copious zwitterionic phosphorylcholine groups for protein-adsorption resistance. Consequently, the antifouling membrane-fusogenic liposome demonstrates robust membrane-fusion-mediated delivery in the medium with up to 38% fetal bovine serum, outclassing two traditional membrane-fusogenic liposomes effective at 4% and 6% concentrations. When injected into mice, antifouling membrane-fusogenic liposomes can keep their membrane-fusion-transportation behaviors, thereby achieving efficient luciferase transfection and enhancing gene-editing-mediated viral inhibition. This study provides a promising tool for effective intracellular delivery under complex physiological environments, enlightening future nanomedicine design., (© 2024. The Author(s).)