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Objective: To investigate the value of 18F-FDG PET/CT-based intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics in predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for breast cancer. Methods: 190 patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria from 2017 to 2022 were studied. Features were extracted from the PET/CT intratumoral and peritumoral regions, feature selection was performed through the correlation analysis, t-tests, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression (LASSO). Four classifiers, support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), logistic regression (LR), and naive bayes (NB) were used to build the prediction models. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to measure the predictive performance of the models. Concurrent stratified analysis was conducted to establish subtype-specific features for each molecular subtype. Results: Compared to intratumoral features alone, intratumoral + peritumoral features achieved higher AUC values in each classifier. The SVM model constructed with intratumoral + peritumoral features achieved the highest AUC values in both the train and test set (train set: 0.95 and test set: 0.83). Subtype-specific features improve performance in predicting the efficacy of NAC (luminal group: 0.90; HER2 + group: 0.86; triple negative group: 0.92). Conclusion: Intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics models based on 18F-FDG PET/CT can reliably forecast the efficacy of NAC, thereby assisting clinical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal pollution in soil and groundwater is difficult to detect in time because of its long-term accumulation. This poses a severe hazard to the ecosystem security in polluted areas. Considering the Tongyang River Basin of the Chaohu Lake water system as the research object, various pollution evaluation methods, Geographic Information System (GIS) source analysis models, adsorption and desorption experiments, and mathematical models were used. Based on the data of the heavy metal content in the soil and river sediments in the study area, regional heavy metal pollution evaluation, spatial distribution characteristics, source identification, and lake loss analysis were conducted to evaluate the current situation of environmental pollution, pollution sources, and migration and transformation of heavy metals in the basin. The results show that the heavy metals in the soil of the basin are mainly distributed from the southwest to the northeast and the island distribution to the east of Tongyang Town. The Cd, Cu, Zn, and Pb concentrations are higher in the sediment than in the soil. The Unmix analytical model was established. The natural source of heavy metals in the Tongyang River Basin and the composite pollution source of traffic-production and life showed a high correlation. According to the one-dimensional steady-state model, the concentrations of the heavy metals are in the following descending order: Zn, Cr, Pb, Cu, Ni, and Cd. The amounts of these elements entering the lake annually are 1993.04, 1028.1, 372.47, 301.72, 308.80, and 19.46 kg, respectively (a total of 4023.6 kg). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The clinical outcomes of patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive (ALK+) advanced lung adenocarcinoma vary according to real-world data. Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the treatment discontinuation (TTD) and overall survival (OS) of patients with ALK+ advanced lung adenocarcinoma treated with first-line ALK–TKIs in Taiwan. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated all advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients registered in the National Taiwan Cancer Registry from 2017 to 2020 who had ALK rearrangement and received ALK–TKI treatment, using data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). The TKI treatment sequences were classified into first generation (G1: crizotinib), second generation (G2: ceritinib, alectinib, brigatinib), and third generation (G3: lorlatinib). Results: A total of 587 patients were analyzed, with a median age of 60.0 years, 91 (15.5%) aged ≥ 74 years, 293 (49.9%) female, 397 (67.6%) never smoked, and 534 (91.0%) with stage IV disease. Patients who received next-generation ALK–TKIs during the treatment course had longer median time to ALK–TKI TTD and OS. The TTD of the G1, G1+2, G1+2+3, G2, and G2+3 groups was 7.5 (5.4–11.1), 40.6 (29.4–not calculated (NC)), 50.3 (41.3–NC), 34.3 (29.2–43.0), and 36.3 (22.4–NC) months, respectively (p < 0.001). The median OS of the patients in the G1, G1+2, G1+2+3, G2, and G2+3 groups was 10.6 (7.5–14.6), not reached (NR) (NC–NC), NR (NC–NC), 43.0 (36.3–NC), and NR (30.3–NC) months, respectively (p < 0.001). Compared with treatment with crizotinib alone, the multivariate analysis revealed that treatment with next-generation TKIs was independently associated with longer TTD (G1+2 (hazard ratio (HR), 0.24; 95% CI 0.17–0.33; p < 0.001), G1+2+3 or G1+3 (HR, 0.17; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.10–0.28; p < 0.001), G2 (HR, 0.26; 95% CI 0.19–0.36; p < 0.001), and G2+3 (HR, 0.25; 95% CI 0.14–0.44; p < 0.001)) and median OS (G12 (HR, 0.24; 95% CI 0.17–0.35; p < 0.001), G1+2+3 or G1+3 (HR, 0.09; 95% CI 0.04–0.21; p < 0.001), G2 (HR, 0.22; 95% CI 0.15–0.31; p < 0.001), and G2+3 (HR, 0.20; 95% CI 0.10–0.42; p < 0.001)). Conclusions: For patients with ALK+ NSCLC, treatments including next-generation ALK–TKIs were independently associated with longer survival outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lethal(3)malignant brain tumor-like protein 2 (L3MBTL2) has been related to transcriptional inhibition and chromatin compaction. Nevertheless, the biological functions and mechanisms of L3MBTL2 are undefined in breast cancer (BRCA). Here, we revealed that L3MBTL2 is responsible for the decline of Nischarin (NISCH), a well-known tumor suppressor, in BRCA, and explored the detailed mechanism. Knockdown of L3MBTL2 reduced monoubiquitination of histone H2A at lysine-119 (H2AK119ub), leading to reduced binding to the NISCH promoter and increased expression of NISCH. Meanwhile, the knockdown of L3MBTL2 decreased proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of BRCA cells, and increased apoptosis, which were abated by NISCH knockdown. Nucleolar transcription factor 1 (UBTF) induced the transcription of L3MBTL2 in BRCA, and the suppressing effects of UBTF silencing on EMT in BRCA cells were also reversed by NISCH knockdown. Knockdown of UBTF slowed tumor progression and attenuated lung tumor infiltration, whereas simultaneous knockdown of NISCH accelerated EMT and increased tumor lung metastasis. Taken together, our results show that L3MBTL2, transcriptionally activated by UBTF, exerts oncogenic functions in BRCA, by catalyzing H2AK119Ub and reducing expression of NISCH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence and progression of tumors are linked to the process of pyroptosis. However, the precise involvement of pyroptosis-associated genes (PRGs) in endometrial cancer (EC) remains uncertain. 29 PRGs were identified as being either up-regulated or down-regulated in EC. PRGs subgroup analysis demonstrated distinct survival outcomes and diverse responses to chemotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade therapy. A higher expression of GPX4 and NOD2, coupled with lower levels of CASP6, PRKACA, and NLRP2, were found to be significantly associated with higher overall survival (OS) rates (p < 0.05). Conversely, lower expression of NOD2 was linked to lower progression-free survival (p = 0.021) and advanced tumor stage(p = 0.0024). NOD2, NLRP2, and TNM stages were identified as independent prognostic factors (p < 0.001). The LASSO prognostic model exhibited a notable decrease in OS among EC patients in the high-risk score group (ROC-AUC10-years: 0.799, p = 0.00644). Furthermore, NOD2 displayed a positive correlation with the infiltration of immune cells and the expression of immune checkpoints (p < 0.001). GPX4 and CASP6 are significantly associated with TMB and MSI (RTMB = 0.39; RMSI = 0.23). Additionally, a substantial upregulation of NOD2 was confirmed in both EC cells and tissue, indicating a positive relationship between advanced TNM stage (p < 0.0001) and infiltration of M1 phenotype macrophages. Nonetheless, its impact on patient OS did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.141). Our findings have contributed to the advancement of a prognostic model for EC patients. NOD2 receptor-mediated pyroptosis mechanism potentially regulates tumor immunity and promotes the transformation of macrophages from the M2 phenotype to the M1 phenotype, which significantly impacts the progression of EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the relationship between preoperative blood glucose levels and long-term all-cause mortality in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) who underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty (VP). This single-center retrospective study involved a chart review of patients admitted for VP to treat OVCF between 2013 and 2020. Patients with pathological or multiple fractures or those who did not undergo bone mineral density assessment were excluded. All relevant information was collected from electronic medical records. The survival status of all patients was confirmed at the end of March 2021. Cox proportional hazard models with multivariate adjustments were used to examine the effects of blood glucose levels on all-cause mortality. Overall, 131 patients were retrospectively analyzed (mean age: 75.8 ± 9.3 years, male patients: 26.7%) with a median follow-up period of 2.1 years. Preoperative hyperglycemia (hazard ratio: 2.668, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.064, 6.689; p = 0.036) and glucose levels (hazard ratio: 1.007, 95% CI 1.002–1.012; p = 0.006) were found to be independently associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality. This correlation remained significant even after adjusting for age and sex, and other factors and comorbidities that might affect outcomes (hazard ratio: 2.708, 95% CI 1.047, 7.003, p = 0.040 and 1.007; 95% CI 1.001, 1.013, p = 0.016, respectively). Furthermore, a history of diabetes mellitus was not a significant factor influencing long-term all-cause mortality. Preoperative glucose levels were found to be independently associated with survival outcomes in patients with OVCF who underwent VP. Conversely, diabetes mellitus was not associated with long-term all-cause mortality. Our findings highlight that preoperative hyperglycemia is a risk factor for long-term mortality in this aging surgical population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Mental disorders remain the leading causes of disability worldwide. We aimed to determine the burden and trends of mental disorders in China from 1990 to 2019. Methods: The incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of mental disorders at national level of China were examined by age, sex, and subcategories. Temporal trends in the age-standardized rates for incidence, prevalence, and DALYs were assessed by the average annual percentage change (AAPC). All estimates are presented as numbers and age-standardized rates, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). Results: The number of incident cases due to mental disorders increased from 42.90 million to 52.72 million, the number of prevalent cases increased from 132.63 million to 160.16 million, and the number of DALYs increased from 15.64 million to 20.29 million during 1990–2019. Decreasing trends were observed in the age-standardized rates for incidence, prevalence and DALYs. Anxiety and depressive disorders were more frequent in women, while ADHD, conduct disorder, and autism spectrum disorders were more common in men. Compared with 1990, the age-specific incidence rates were higher in individuals under 14 years and over 55 years, whereas rates were lower in those aged 15–49 years in 2019. Conclusion: The number of incident cases, prevalent cases, and DALYs due to mental disorders gradually increased in China from 1990 to 2019. Anxiety and depressive disorders were the leading causes of burden due to mental disorders, which affected women more than men. Mental disorders deserve greater attention in health policy decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a highly malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. Hypoxia conditions affect multiple cellular processes promoting the adaptation and progression of cancer cells via the activation of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) and subsequent transcription activation of their target genes. Preliminary studies have suggested that estrogen receptor β (ERβ) might play a promoting role in the progression of NSCLC. However, the precise mechanisms, particularly its connection to HIF-1α-mediated modulation under hypoxia, remain unclear. Our findings demonstrated that the overexpression of ERβ, not ERα, increased cell proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis in NSCLC cells and xenografts. Tissue microarray staining revealed a strong correlation between the protein expression of HIF-1α and ERβ. HIF-1α induced ERβ gene transcription and protein expression in CoCl2-induced hypoxia, 1% O2 incubation, or HIF-1α overexpressing cells. ChIP identified HIF-1α binding to a hypoxia response element in the ESR2 promoter. The suppression of HIF-1α and ERβ both in vitro and in vivo effectively reduced the tumor growth, thus emphasizing the promising prospects of targeting HIF-1α and ERβ as a therapeutic approach for the treatment of NSCLC. Key messages: ERβ, not ERα, increases cell proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis in NSCLC cells and xenografts. A strong correlation exists between the protein expression of HIF-1α and ERβ. HIF-1α induced ERβ gene transcription and protein expression in hypoxic cells via binding to HRE in the ESR2 promoter. The suppression of HIF-1α and ERβ both in vitro and in vivo effectively reduced the NSCLC tumor growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating the implications of interlayer coupling on superconductivity is vital for comprehending the intrinsic mechanisms of two-dimensional materials. Van der Waals heterojunctions have attracted extensive research owing to their exotic interlayer coupling. In this study, we investigated the natural heterostructure superconductor featuring 6R-TaS2 via measurements of electrical resistance, the Hall effect, and in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) under various pressures. The study findings show that the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of 6R-TaS2 in the range of 0–32.5 GPa exhibits an unusual double-dome behavior as a function of pressure, with the first and second domes in the pressure range of 0–5.3 and 6.8–32.5 GPa, respectively. At 56.6 GPa, a new superconducting phase with a Tc of 2 K was observed. The XRD results show that the singular evolution of the Tc is independent of the structural phase transition. Combining the XRD results, first-principles calculations, and Hall effect measurements, we found that different interlayer coupling effects resulted in double dome superconductivity and the re-emergence of superconducting. Our findings shed light on the pivotal role of interlayer coupling in driving the anomalous alterations in superconducting properties triggered by charge transfer and Fermi surface reconstruction and provide an alternative route for comprehending the mechanisms of superconductivity in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic-induced dysbiosis in the fish gut causes significant adverse effects. We use fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to accelerate the restoration of florfenicol-perturbed intestinal microbiota in koi carp, identifying key bacterial populations and metabolites involved in the recovery process through microbiome and metabolome analyses. We demonstrate that florfenicol disrupts intestinal microbiota, reducing beneficial genera such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Romboutsia, and Faecalibacterium, and causing mucosal injuries. Key metabolites, including aromatic amino acids and glutathione-related compounds, are diminished. We show that FMT effectively restores microbial populations, repairs intestinal damage, and normalizes critical metabolites, while natural recovery is less effective. Spearman correlation analyses reveal strong associations between the identified bacterial genera and the levels of aromatic amino acids and glutathione-related metabolites. This study underscores the potential of FMT to counteract antibiotic-induced dysbiosis and maintain fish intestinal health. The restored microbiota and normalized metabolites provide a basis for developing personalized probiotic therapies for fish. Analysis of microbiome and metabolome reveals that fecal microbiota transplantation accelerates the restoration of florfenicol-disturbed gut microbiota in koi carp and identifies key microbial taxa and metabolites involved in this recovery process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop residues and their derived biochar are frequently used for their potential to improve grain yield, soil fertility and carbon (C) sequestration. However, the effects of root are often overlooked, and the effects of chemical fertilizer (NPK) combined with root or its biochar on microbial community structure need further study. This study used 13C-labeled maize root, its biochar and soil with different fertilization for 8 years as materials and substrates. A 112-day incubation experiment was conducted to explore the effects of microbial community on the C processing. During incubation, the root-C (54.9%) mineralized significantly more than biochar-C (12.8%), while NPK addition significantly increased the root-C mineralization. Adding biochar alone did not significantly change the microbial community. Compared to the biochar treatment (BC), the root treatment (R) notably increased the contents of total phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), 13C-PLFA and the proportion of fungi and Gram-negative bacteria, but reduced the proportion of actinomycetes. The root mineralization was significantly correlated with the relative content of 13C-Gram-positive bacteria and 13C-fungi, while biochar mineralization was significantly correlated with the relative content of 13C-Gram-positive bacteria and 13C-actinomycetes. Notably, NPK addition significantly increased the contribution of biochar-C to PLFA-C pool, while decreasing the contribution of root-C. In summary, due to microbial adaptation to the lack of bioavailable C in biochar-amended soil, biochar can act as a buffer against the significant disturbance caused by NPK to microbial communities and native soil organic carbon (SOC), which contributes to the steady enhancement in soil C storage. Highlights: The addition of biochar alone for 8 consecutive years did not change the composition of the microbial community structure, but the total PLFA content increased significantly compared to the control. NPK addition reduced the proportion of microbial assimilation of root-C, while increasing the proportion of microbial assimilation of biochar-C. The effect of NPK on microbial biomass is short-lived, but the effect on microbial community structure is long-lasting. Biochar has a stronger buffering effect on the drastic changes in microbial communities and native SOC caused by NPK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In lactating mothers, the high calcium (Ca2+) demand for milk production triggers significant bone loss1. Although oestrogen normally counteracts excessive bone resorption by promoting bone formation, this sex steroid drops precipitously during this postpartum period. Here we report that brain-derived cellular communication network factor 3 (CCN3) secreted from KISS1 neurons of the arcuate nucleus (ARCKISS1) fills this void and functions as a potent osteoanabolic factor to build bone in lactating females. We began by showing that our previously reported female-specific, dense bone phenotype2 originates from a humoral factor that promotes bone mass and acts on skeletal stem cells to increase their frequency and osteochondrogenic potential. This circulatory factor was then identified as CCN3, a brain-derived hormone from ARCKISS1 neurons that is able to stimulate mouse and human skeletal stem cell activity, increase bone remodelling and accelerate fracture repair in young and old mice of both sexes. The role of CCN3 in normal female physiology was revealed after detecting a burst of CCN3 expression in ARCKISS1 neurons coincident with lactation. After reducing CCN3 in ARCKISS1 neurons, lactating mothers lost bone and failed to sustain their progeny when challenged with a low-calcium diet. Our findings establish CCN3 as a potentially new therapeutic osteoanabolic hormone for both sexes and define a new maternal brain hormone for ensuring species survival in mammals.A brain-derived hormone, CCN3, is newly identified to have a role as an osteoanabolic factor to build bone in lactating females and in the viability of offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alignment, functionalization and detection of carbon nanotube (CNT) bundles are vital processes for utilizing this one-dimensional nanomaterial in electronics. Here, we report a polymer-assisted wet shearing method to acquire super-aligned crater-patterned CNT arrays by nanobubble (NB) self-assembly with a "migrate and aggregation" mechanism and use craters to controllably mold even-sized nanodisks periodically along CNT bundles with tunable densities. This green, low-cost method can be extended to diverse substrates and fabricate different nanodisks. As an example, the Ag-nanodisk-patterned CNT arrays are utilized as substrates of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for rhodamine 6G (R6G) and methylene blue (MB) in which a linear correlation is found between the SERS intensity and the CNT bundle density due to the periodic distribution of hot spots, enabling a spectral detection of CNT bundles and their densities by conventional dye molecules. Distinguishing from routine morphological characterization, this spectral method possesses an enhanced accuracy and a detection range of 0.1–2 µm−1, showing its uniqueness in the detection of CNT bundle density since the intensity of traditional spectral merely relates to the quantity of CNTs, exhibiting its potential in future CNT-bundle-based electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF 1) is an autosomal-dominant tumor predisposition genetic disease affecting approximately 1 in 3000 live births. The condition could present various manifestations ranging from skin abnormalities to neurological tumors. The musculoskeletal system could also be frequently affected, and scoliosis is the most common orthopedic manifestation. Characterized by the early-onset and rapid progression tendency, NF 1-related dystrophic scoliosis presented discrepancies from idiopathic scoliosis in terms of natural history, clinical features, and management outcomes and thus required special attention. In the current study, the authors conducted a systemic review to outline the body of evidence of the natural history, clinical characteristics, surgical outcomes, and surgical complications of NF 1-induced scoliosis, aiming to provide an elucidative insight into this condition. Method: Systemic review and meta-analysis were conducted according to the latest Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The search was performed in Medline, Embase, and Web of Science Core Collection up to December 27, 2022, using related keywords. Clinical features such as frequencies, segmental involvement, and hereditary information were summarized and described qualitatively. Meta-analysis was conducted using R software and the 'meta' package to yield an overall outcome of efficacy and safety of surgical management, precisely, spinal fusion procedure and growing rods procedure. Corrective rate of Cobb angle, sagittal kyphosis angle, and T1-S1 length post-operative and at the last follow-up was used to evaluate the efficacy, and the occurrence of surgery-related complications was used to evaluate the safety. Result: A total of 37 articles involving 1023 patients were included. Approximately 26.6% of the NF 1 patients would present with scoliosis. Patients tend to develop scoliosis at an earlier age. The thoracic part turned out to be the most affected segment. No obvious correlation between scoliosis and genotype or hereditary type was observed. Both spinal fusion and growing rod surgery have shown acceptable treatment outcomes, with spinal fusion demonstrating better performance in terms of effectiveness and safety. The growing rods technique seemed to allow a better lengthening of the spine. The mainstay post-operative complications were implant-related complications but could be managed with limited revision surgery. Severe neurological deficits were rarely reported. Conclusion: Scoliosis, especially the subtype characterized by dystrophic bony changes, is a significant orthopedic manifestation of NF1. It has an early onset, a tendency to persistently and rapidly progress, and is challenging to deal with. The current review outlines the available evidence from the perspective of natural history, clinical features, and the treatment efficacy and safety of the mainstay surgical options. Patients with NF1 scoliosis will benefit from a better understanding of the disease and evidence based treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assess the orbit accuracy and time synchronization error using the L1 and C1 observables during the different solar activities. In general, GPS single-frequency (SF) observable can be used for commercial applications in satellite industry. The accuracy of satellite orbit determination using the SF observations is dominated by solar activities. The solar activities are indexed by the F10.7 value. The different solar activities lead to the ionosphere perturbation, triggering off the occurrence probability of ionospheric irregularities. The ionospheric irregularity affects the amplitude and phase of GPS signal. The affected amplitude and phase are indexed by the S4 value. We determine the GRACE satellite orbit using the SF GPS observations and compare the resulting orbit to that derived by dual-frequency observations for the effectiveness. The SF phase data are very sensitive to the variation in electron density and indirectly affects both the orbit accuracy and the time synchronization error. This is most likely caused by the phase ambiguity disturbed by the ionosphere. However, the C1 is relatively free from such a disturbance due to the strong signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the phase shift keying technique. The C1 performs the consistent solution over the low and high solar activities. However, this is not the case for the L1. The L1-derived orbit solution during the high solar activities is worse than that during the low solar activities. On the other hand, the time synchronization errors derived by the L1 and C1 are also different. The L1-derived time synchronization error has a relatively large perturbation as compared to the C1-derived one, which shows a consistent solution for a long-term period. This work suggests that the C1 observable is able to produce a consistent the orbit solution and time synchronization for the commercial applications of the satellite industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Using a machine learning methods, we aim to find biological effect biomarkers of prenatal arsenic exposure in newborn cord blood. From the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, two datasets (GSE48354 and GSE7967) pertaining to cord blood sequencing while exposed to arsenic were retrieved and merged for additional study. Using the "limma" package in the R, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were eliminated. Machine learning techniques of the LASSO regression algorithm and SVM-RFE algorithm were used to find potential biological effect biomarkers for cord blood sequencing in pregnant women exposed to arsenic. To evaluate the efficacy of biomarkers, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used. Furthermore, we investigated the proportion of invading immune cells in each sample using CIBERSORT, and we investigated the relationship between biomarkers and immune cells using the Spearman approach. Using LASSO regression and the SVM-RFE technique, 28 DEGs were discovered, and the main biomarkers of cord blood exposed to arsenic were discovered to be DENND2D, OLIG1, RGS18, CXCL16, DDIT4, FOS, G0S2, GPR183, JMJD6, and SOCS3. According to an immune infiltration analysis and correlation analysis, key biomarkers were substantially associated with the invading immune cells. Ten genes are important biomarkers of cord blood exposed to arsenic connected with infiltrating immune cells, and infiltrating immune cells may play important roles in cord blood exposed to arsenic, according to the study's findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intellectual developmental disorder, X-linked 104 (XLID104), caused by the FRMPD4 gene variant, is a rare X-linked genetic disease that primarily manifests as intellectual disability (ID) and language delay, and may be accompanied by behavioural abnormalities. Currently, only 11 patients from four families have been reported to carry FRMPD4 gene variants. Here, we report a rare case of a Chinese patient with XLID104 who was presented with severe ID and language impairment. Genetic testing results showed that the patient had a novel hemizygous variant on FRMPD4 inherited from the heterozygous variant NM_001368397: c.1772A>C (p.Glu591Ala) carried by his mother. To our knowledge, this variant has not been reported previously. Western blot results for the recombinant plasmid constructed in vitro indicated that the expression of the mutant protein may be reduced. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we predicted that the mutant protein may affect the interaction of the FRMPD4 protein with DLG4. In this study, we expand the spectrum of FRMPD4 variants and suggest that the clinical awareness of the genetic diagnosis of nonsyndromic ID should be strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a highly prevalent musculoskeletal disorder affecting millions of adults worldwide, but a poor understanding of its pathogenesis has limited the effectiveness of therapy. In the current study, we integrated untargeted LC/MS metabolomics and magnetic resonance spectroscopy data to investigate metabolic profile alterations during IDD. Combined with validation via a large-cohort analysis, we found excessive lipid droplet accumulation in the nucleus pulposus cells of advanced-stage IDD samples. We also found abnormal palmitic acid (PA) accumulation in IDD nucleus pulposus cells, and PA exposure resulted in lipid droplet accumulation and cell senescence in an endoplasmic reticulum stress-dependent manner. Complementary transcriptome and proteome profiles enabled us to identify solute carrier transporter (SLC) 43A3 involvement in the regulation of the intracellular PA level. SLC43A3 was expressed at low levels and negatively correlated with intracellular lipid content in IDD nucleus pulposus cells. Overexpression of SLC43A3 significantly alleviated PA-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress, lipid droplet accumulation and cell senescence by inhibiting PA uptake. This work provides novel integration analysis-based insight into the metabolic profile alterations in IDD and further reveals new therapeutic targets for IDD treatment. Lipid droplet and palmitic acid accumulation in intervertebral disc degeneration nucleus pulposus cells drive endoplasmic reticulum stress-dependent cellular senescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) is a promising biodegradable flexible polymer but suffers from slow crystallization rate, making it less attractive for some applications like the injection-molded products in comparison with low-density polyethylene (LDPE). This work aimed to accelerate the crystallization of PBAT by adding a self-assembly nucleating agent octamethylenedicarboxylic dibenzoylhydrazide (OMBH). PBAT/OMBH composites with various OMBH contents (0 wt%, 0.5 wt%, 0.7 wt%, 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt% and 5 wt%) were prepared through melt-mixing. The effect of OMBH on the crystallization behavior, morphologies and mechanical properties of PBAT was investigated. The highest nucleation efficiency value of 59.6% was achieved for PBAT with 0.7 wt% OMBH, much higher than that of 22.7% for PBAT with 0.7 wt% talc. Atomic force microscopy results showed that OMBH formed fine fibers and induced the formation of transcrystalline layers of PBAT. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) combined with two-dimensional correlation spectra suggested that the intermolecular dipole-dipole N—H⋯O=C interactions but not hydrogen bond between OMBH and PBAT promoted the crystallization of PBAT in the initial period of crystallization. The presence of OMBH did not change the crystal form of PBAT but had positive contribution in enhancing its crystallinity and mechanical properties. This work is essential for preparing PBAT with high crystallization rate, enhancing its potential applications in injection-molded products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific experience is crucial for producing high-quality research, and the approach of acquisition can significantly impact its accumulation rate. We present a framework for scientific experience acquisition that outlines the dual dimensions of experience accumulation: self-accumulation and accumulation under senior expert guidance. To validate the framework, we conducted a case study using 2,957,700 papers from all 568 Chinese humanities and social science journals, taking into account the limitations of the international journal system. Our findings reveal that self-accumulation has been gradually declining, decreasing from 57.67% in 1980 to 4.55% in 2020. Conversely, accumulation under senior expert guidance has been steadily increasing, rising from 5.7% in 1980 to 28.69% in 2020. Furthermore, the proportion of the two approaches varies by discipline. Social sciences such as Psychology, Economics, and Management, which rely more on large teams and collaborative research, have a higher proportion of accumulation under senior expert guidance than humanities disciplines like Art, History, and Philosophy, which depend more on individual research. Finally, this research also offers a distinctive exploration of the question posed by the US National Science and Technology Council (2008): how and why do communities of innovation form and evolve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil in mining wastelands is seriously polluted with heavy metals. Zero-valent iron (ZVI) is widely used for remediation of heavy metal–polluted soil because of its excellent adsorption properties; however, the remediation process is affected by complex environmental conditions, such as acid rain and freeze-thaw cycles. In this study, the effects of different pH values and freeze-thaw cycles on remediation of antimony (Sb)- and arsenic (As)-contaminated soil by ZVI were investigated in laboratory simulation experiments. The stability and potential human health risks associated with the remediated soil were evaluated. The results showed that ZVI has a significant stabilizing effect on Sb and As in both acidic and alkaline soils contaminated with dual levels of Sb and As, and the freeze-thaw process in different pH value solution systems further enhances the ability of ZVI to stabilize Sb and As, especially in acidic soils. However, it should be noted that apart from the pH=1.0 solution environment, ZVI's ability to stabilize As is attenuated under other circumstances, potentially leading to leaching of its unstable form and thereby increasing contamination risks. This indicates that the F1 (2% ZVI+pH=1 solution+freeze-thaw cycle) processing exhibits superior effectiveness. After F1 treatment, the bioavailability of Sb and As in both soils also significantly decreased during the gastric and intestinal stages (about 60.00%), the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of Sb and As in alkaline soils are eliminated for children and adults, with a decrease ranging from 60.00% to 70.00%, while in acidic soil, the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of As to adults and children is acceptable, but Sb still poses non-carcinogenic risks to children, despite reductions of about 65.00%. These findings demonstrate that soil pH is a crucial factor influencing the efficacy of ZVI in stabilizing Sb and As contaminants during freeze-thaw cycles. This provides a solid theoretical foundation for utilizing ZVI in the remediation of Sb- and As-contaminated soils, emphasizing the significance of considering both pH levels and freeze-thaw conditions to ensure effective and safe treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the construction of cast-in-place piles in warm permafrost, the heat carried by concrete and the cement hydration reaction can cause strong thermal disturbance to the surrounding permafrost. Since the bearing capacity of the pile is quite small before the full freeze-back, the quick refreezing of the native soils surrounding the cast-in-place pile has become the focus of the infrastructure construction in permafrost. To solve this problem, this paper innovatively puts forward the application of the artificial ground freezing (AGF) method at the end of the curing period of cast-in-place piles in permafrost. A field test on the AGF was conducted at the Beiluhe Observation and Research Station of Frozen Soil Engineering and Environment (34°51.2′ N, 92°56.4′ E) in the Qinghai Tibet Plateau (QTP), and then a 3-D numerical model was established to investigate the thermal performance of piles using AGF under different engineering conditions. Additionally, the long-term thermal performance of piles after the completion of AGF under different conditions was estimated. Field experiment results demonstrate that AGF is an effective method to reduce the refreezing time of the soil surrounding the piles constructed in permafrost terrain, with the ability to reduce the pile-soil interface temperatures to below the natural ground temperature within 3 days. Numerical results further prove that AGF still has a good cooling effect even under unfavorable engineering conditions such as high pouring temperature, large pile diameter, and large pile length. Consequently, the application of this method is meaningful to save the subsequent latency time and solve the problem of thermal disturbance in pile construction in permafrost. The research results are highly relevant for the spread of AGF technology and the rapid building of pile foundations in permafrost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quasi-two-dimensional (2D) Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) halide perovskites, as a kind of emerged two-dimensional layered materials, have recently achieved great attentions in lasing materials field owing to their large exciton binding energy, high emission yield, large optical gain, and wide-range tuning of optical bandgap. This review will introduce research progresses of RP halide perovskites for lasing applications in aspects of materials, photophysics, and devices with emphasis on emission and lasing properties tailored by the molecular composition and interface. The materials, structures and fabrications are introduced in the first part. Next, the optical transitions and amplified spontaneous emission properties are discussed from the aspects of electronic structure, exciton, gain dynamics, and interface tailoring. Then, the research progresses on lasing devices are summarized and several types of lasers including VCSEL, DFB lasers, microlasers, random lasers, plasmonic lasers, and polariton lasers are discussed. At last, the challenges and perspectives would be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify the factors affecting hip−knee−ankle (HKA) angle following Oxford medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (MUKA). A retrospective analysis of 200 patients who underwent Oxford MUKA from June 2018 to October 2020 was conducted. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate the impact of surgical and radiographic characteristics on the postoperative HKA angle. The mean HKA angle was 9.5 ± 4.3° before surgery and 3.6 ± 3.7° after surgery (p < 0.001). The postoperative HKA angle significantly correlated with the preoperative HKA angle, bearing size, tibial component alignment angle, and BMI (r = 0.71, p < 0.001; r = − 0.24, p = 0.001; r = 0.21, p = 0.004; r = − 0.18, p = 0.011). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the preoperative HKA angle (β = 0.68, p < 0.001), bearing size (β = − 0.31, p < 0.001), tibial component alignment angle (β = 0.14, p = 0.003), and BMI (β = − 0.09, p = 0.047) significantly affected the postoperative HKA angle. In conclusion, larger preoperative varus deformity, smaller bearing size, greater varus alignment of the tibial component, and lower BMI lead to greater postoperative varus alignment of the lower limb in Oxford MUKA. With this concept, surgeons can more accurately predict postoperative lower limb alignment and avoid malalignment in Oxford MUKA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Most studies investigating the association between physical activity and osteoporosis prevention only focused on specific types of physical activity. This study's evidence regarding the combined effects or interaction of sleep duration and physical activity. The findings emphasize the role of sleep duration and physical activity in association with osteoporosis. Purpose: The associations between physical activity, sleep duration, and prevalent osteoporosis in Taiwanese adults were studied in this cross-sectional study. Methods: The Taiwan Biobank enrolled a community-based cohort of ~ 120,000 volunteers (as of April 30, 2020) between 30 and 76 years of age with no history of cancer. Amongst, bone mineral density (BMD) measures by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were available in 22,402 participants. After excluding individuals who had no complete data of BMI (n = 23), MET score (n = 207), T-score (n = 8,826), and sleep duration (n = 16), 13,330 subjects were included as the primary cohort. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses were performed to determine the associations between the presence of osteoporosis, physical activity level, sleep duration, and other variables. Results: The results showed that after adjustment, subjects with physical activity < 20 METs/week and ≥ 20 METs/week (aOR = 1.017 and 0.767, respectively) were associated with risk of osteoporosis than those with zero MET. The odds of osteoporosis were not significantly lower in subjects who slept for ≥ 8 h/day (aOR = 0.934,p=0.266). In addition, compared to short sleepers with no physical activity, adults with increased physical activity ≥ 20 METs/week and sleep ≥ 8 h/day had a significantly lowest likelihood of osteoporosis (aOR = 0.702). Those with medium physical activity (< 20 METs/week) plus average sleep duration (6.5–8 h/day) did not have significant higher odds of osteoporosis (aOR = 1.129,p=0.151). Conclusion: The findings emphasize the joint role of sleep duration and physical activity in association with osteoporosis. Adults with high physical activity plus high sleep hours have the highest BMD and lowest risk of osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is closely related with insulin resistance and chronic inflammation. Here, we report that unsaturated lipid-modified polyoxovanadates (ULPOVs) can restrict weight gain of diet-induced obese mice and improve their glycemic control and obesity-associated inflammation. Oral administration of the sub-nanosized ULPOVs at a low dosage for 7 weeks reduces the body weight and almost normalizes the blood glucose levels of obese mice fed on a high-fat diet. ULPOV treatment increases the activity of the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and reduces intestinal caloric intake, which may be the main reason for blood sugar and body weight control. In addition to insulin-sensitizing, PPARγ activation induced by ULPOV treatment in obese mice with atopic dermatitis (AD) promotes the type 2 T helper (TH2) cell selective responses and therapeutic effects on immune dysregulation caused by obesity. These data suggest sub-nanosized polyoxovanadate clusters as a class of potential candidates to relieve symptoms accompanied by diet-induced obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the Voting with Feet Index (VFI), a novel method for evaluating the quality of academic journals. Unlike previous approaches that rely on citation analysis or expert surveys, which have limitations such as not indicating paper quality or being time-consuming and expensive, the VFI argues that a journal's quality should be determined by the quality of the papers it publishes. This is measured through proxies such as awards, author reputation, and institutional affiliation, as assessing each paper individually is challenging. The study also examines the relative importance of these proxies and their potential combination. To rank journals, the VFI analyzes the distribution of papers that have received important awards, papers authored by notable scholars, and papers affiliated with distinguished institutions. A score is then calculated for each journal. The VFI was applied to 40 MS & OR (Management Science & Operations Research) journals and compared with impact factor and expert survey rankings. The results demonstrate a strong correlation between the VFI and these rankings, particularly for high-level journals. Furthermore, the rankings of selected journals in physics and chemistry were determined using Nobel Prize data. This analysis not only confirmed the accuracy of the VFI in identifying top journals but also highlighted important considerations for the indicator's construction. Overall, the VFI presents a promising new approach to assess journal quality, addressing the limitations of existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of antibacterial biodegradable polymers is of great importance nowadays in medical applications. In this manuscript, poly(butylenes adipate-co-terephthalate)/poly(lactic acid) blend-based antibacterial bionanocomposites were prepared by melt-processing. We use organically modified montmorillonite (MMT) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) as antibacterial property enhancers which are both processing platelike structure, while ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CFX·HCl) was chosen as a biocide. Either MMT or GNP increases the antibacterial properties during the whole study and tunes the release of CFX·HCl from the bionanocomposites. This was proven by agar diffusion tests and antimicrobial release measurements. The morphology of the bionanocomposites was conducted by using scanning and transmission electron microscopies, and evidence of exfoliation was observed. Contact angle and water uptake of the bionanocomposites were studied showing hydrophilic performance and more percentage water uptake. The final effect on mechanical and blood compatibility was also investigated. The results reveal excellent possibility of using MMT- and GNP-modified PLA/PBAT polymer blends to tune antibacterial properties for specific biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clustering high-dimensional data is very challenging due to the curse of dimensionality. To address this problem, low-rank matrix approximations are widely used to identify the underlying low-dimensional structure of a dataset. Among these, nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) is the most popular because its decomposed factors are nonnegative and meaningful. However, the NMF problem has been proved to be nonconvex and NP-hard, thus resulting in many local minima. To obtain high-quality local minima, we propose an entropy regularized fuzzy nonnegative matrix factorization (ERF-NMF) model for high-dimensional data fuzzy clustering. First, probability simplex constraints on the decomposed weight components are added to achieve dimension reduction and fuzzy clustering of a dataset simultaneously. Based on the constraints, we also introduce entropy regularization to further reduce the search space for optimal solutions. Finally, we present multiplicative update rules for solving the ERF-NMF model and provide a complexity and convergence analysis. Comprehensive experiments show that the proposed ERF-NMF performs remarkably well with promising results, and its decomposition will be sparser because of entropy regularization and have a clearer physical meaning because of probability simplex constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With the development of large-scale wind turbine, the blade has become longer and flexible. The flutter of blades has an important effect on blade failure. Methods: Inspired by birds, the V-stripe structure on the wings of typical birds has been extracted and used for blade to improve the flutter of blade. The width, depth-to-diameter ratio and spacing of V-stripe have been taken as the main parameters, and been optimized by orthogonal experiment based on numerical simulation. The optimized V-stripe has the following parameters. The width is 2 mm, the depth-to-diameter ratio is 3, and the spacing is 2 mm. Then, the V-strip structure with optimal parameters has been reconstructed on the web of wind turbine blade. The comparative study of deformation between the prototype blade and the bionic blade has been conducted by numerical simulation. Results: Compared with the prototype blade, when the bionic blade flutter occurs, the V-shaped stripe web is continuously subjected to pressure and tension, and the energy of the blade flutter is continuously dissipated, resulting in the flutter displacement and flutter speed of the wind turbine blade decreasing. Conclusion: Compared with prototype blade, the bionic blade with V-striped web has anti-flutter properties, and the flutter displacement and speed of wind turbine blade have been reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT) is widely used to cool foundation soil and improve the stability of structures in cold regions. However, along with the cooling of soil surrounding a TPCT, frost heaving of soil can occur, which might pull the structures out, but this phenomenon has rarely been reported. In this paper, based on field observations along the Qinghai–Tibet power transmission line, we present a case study on the frost jacking of piles, with the largest jacking amount being up to 65 mm from December 2011 to November 2018, because of the application of TPCTs. Owing to a greatly enlarged frozen section around the piles due to the cooling of TPCTs, moisture migration toward and frost heaving around the pile were greatly intensified. This resulted in an obvious increase in the tangential frost heaving force and a decrease in the anti-frost jacking force. Thus, the pile might be jacked out from the ground. In areas with shallow developed artesian ground water, the frost jacking of the pile with TPCTs was determined to be more probable because the tangential frost heaving force will be greatly increased. The influence of the decreasing efficiency, or even the failure of TPCTs applied in engineering structures, might give rise to the development of differential deformation, threatening the stability of the tower on the piles. The results indicate that the application of TPCTs for engineering in talik or seasonally frozen areas should be more careful and increasing concern should be given for the engineering influence of TPCT failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Target trial emulation is the process of mimicking target randomized trials using real-world data, where effective confounding control for unbiased treatment effect estimation remains a main challenge. Although various approaches have been proposed for this challenge, a systematic evaluation is still lacking. Here we emulated trials for thousands of medications from two large-scale real-world data warehouses, covering over 10 years of clinical records for over 170 million patients, aiming to identify new indications of approved drugs for Alzheimer's disease. We assessed different propensity score models under the inverse probability of treatment weighting framework and suggested a model selection strategy for improved baseline covariate balancing. We also found that the deep learning-based propensity score model did not necessarily outperform logistic regression-based methods in covariate balancing. Finally, we highlighted five top-ranked drugs (pantoprazole, gabapentin, atorvastatin, fluticasone, and omeprazole) originally intended for other indications with potential benefits for Alzheimer's patients. Target trial emulation (TTE) simulates randomized controlled trials using real world data (RWD). Here, authors show the effectiveness of different TTE strategies to identify drug candidates that could be potentially repurposed to Alzheimer's disease using two large scale RWD warehouses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the possible thermal risks associated with the storage of octogen (HMX), non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments were conducted in order to ascertain the kinetic model and parameters governing its thermal decomposition. DSC measurements indicate that HMX underwent a crystal transformation prior to thermal decomposition. A kinetic model for the autocatalytic thermal decomposition process was developed through the analysis of its primary exothermic peaks. Subsequently, numerical simulations were performed using the aforementioned kinetic model to assess the potential thermal explosion hazard of HMX under two distinct storage conditions. The comparison was made between the models of HMX autocatalytic decomposition temperature and thermal explosion critical temperature under two distinct storage conditions. The prediction of the influence of ambient temperature on the critical temperature of thermal explosion is conducted simultaneously. Finally, the thermal hazard parameters of HMX under different package quality are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many fish species exhibit remarkable sexual dimorphism, with males possessing numerous advantageous traits for commercial production by aquaculture such as faster growth rate, more efficient food energy utilization for muscle development, and better breeding performance. Several studies have shown that a decrease in the number of primordial germ cells (PGCs) during early development leads predominantly to male progeny. In this study, we developed a method to obtain all-male zebrafish (Danio rerio) by targeted PGC ablation using the nitroreductase/metronidazole (NTR/Mtz) system. Embryos generated by female heterozygous Tg(nanos3:nfsB-mCherry-nanos3 3′UTR) and male wild-types (WTs) were treated with vehicle or Mtz. Compared to vehicle-treated controls, 5.0 and 10.0 mM Mtz treatment for 24 h significantly reduced the number of PGCs and yielded an exclusively male phenotype in adulthood. The gonads of offspring treated with 5.0 mM Mtz exhibited relatively normal morphology and histological characteristics. Furthermore, these males were able to chase females, spawn, and produce viable offspring, while about 20.0% of males treated with 10.0 mM Mtz were unable to produce viable offspring. The 5.0 mM Mtz treatment protocol may thus be suitable for large-scale production of fertile male offspring. Moreover, about half of these males were WT as evidenced by the absence of nfsB gene expression. It may thus be possible to breed an all-male WT fish population by Mtz-mediated PGC ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verticillium dahliae is a soil-borne hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen that threatens cotton production worldwide. In this study, we assemble the genomes of two V. dahliae isolates: the more virulence and defoliating isolate V991 and nondefoliating isolate 1cd3-2. Transcriptome and comparative genomics analyses show that genes associated with pathogen virulence are mostly induced at the late stage of infection (Stage II), accompanied by a burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS), with upregulation of more genes involved in defense response in cotton. We identify the V991-specific virulence gene SP3 that is highly expressed during the infection Stage II. V. dahliae SP3 knock-out strain shows attenuated virulence and triggers less ROS production in cotton plants. To control the disease, we employ polyethyleneimine-coated MXene quantum dots (PEI-MQDs) that possess the ability to remove ROS. Cotton seedlings treated with PEI-MQDs are capable of maintaining ROS homeostasis with enhanced peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities and exhibit improved tolerance to V. dahliae. These results suggest that V. dahliae trigger ROS production to promote infection and scavenging ROS is an effective way to manage this disease. This study reveals a virulence mechanism of V. dahliae and provides a means for V. dahliae resistance that benefits cotton production. Verticillum wilt is an important cotton disease caused by fungal pathogen Verticillium dahiae. Here, the authors assemble the genomes of defoliating and non-defoliating isolates of the pathogen, identify virulence gene SP3, and develop a disease control strategy using polyethyleneimine-coated MXene quantum dots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermogravimetry coupled with mass spectrometry (TG-MS) and ReaxFF molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are firstly applied to study the thermal decomposition mechanism of 5,5ʹ-dinitramino-3,3ʹ-bi[1,2,4-triazolate] carbohydrazide salt (CBNT). ReaxFF MD simulations are applied to investigate the primary chemical reactions, decomposition products and decomposition rate, respectively. Experimentally, TG-MS techniques are adopted to identify the final gaseous products decomposed by CBNT. Both TG-MS measured results and ReaxFF MD simulated results show that the final stable gaseous products are mainly NH3, H2O, N2 and CO2. The main intermediates and chemical reactions during the decomposition process are obtained by ReaxFF MD simulations as well. According to the simulation and experimental results, the most probable thermal decomposition path of CBNT is obtained. The initial decomposition step of CBNT is the dissociation of N−NO2 and N−NH3 bonds to generate NO2 and NH3, followed by the cleavage of the C−N bonds, and resulting in the formulation of the ring structure. After the main reactions of carbazide cations and bistriazole anions, high-frequency reactions primarily occur between the unstable intermediate products and finally produces small stable molecules such as NH3, H2O, N2 and CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a fast-growing and highly fatal blood cancer, and recent research has shown that targeting metabolism may be a promising therapeutic approach for treating AML. One promising target is the human mitochondrial NAD(P)+-dependent malic enzyme (ME2), which is involved in the production of pyruvate and NAD(P)H and the regulation of the NAD+/NADH redox balance. Inhibition of ME2 via silencing ME2 or utilizing its allosteric inhibitor disodium embonate (Na2EA) causes a decrease in pyruvate and NADH, leading to a decrease in producing ATP via cellular respiration and oxidative phosphorylation. ME2 inhibition also decreases NADPH levels, resulting in an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress, which ultimately leads to cellular apoptosis. Additionally, ME2 inhibition reduces pyruvate metabolism and the biosynthetic pathway. ME2 silencing inhibits the growth of xenotransplanted human AML cells, and the allosteric ME2 inhibitor Na2EA demonstrates antileukemic activity against immune-deficient mice with disseminated AML. Both of these effects are a result of impaired energy metabolism in mitochondria. These findings suggest that the targeting ME2 may be an effective strategy for treating AML. Overall, ME2 plays an essential role in energy metabolism of AML cells, and its inhibition may offer a promising approach for AML treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) which is the oxidant and combustion adjuvant of the solid propellants is critical for the fast ignition and high-speed liftoff of the rocket. We synthesize Co metal-decorated carbon nanotubes (Co/CNTs) as an advanced catalyst to promote the sufficient thermal decomposition of AP under reduced temperature. The results indicate that Co/CNTs effectively accelerate the decomposition of AP by reducing the thermal decomposition temperature from 430.0 to 309.9 ℃ and achieve a 3-times higher thermal releasing than that of the pure AP. The acid-etching comparison test reveals that decreasing the cobalt content in Co/CNTs does not affect the decomposition temperature of AP but suppress the decomposition heat releasing. It is proposed that the CNTs boost fast electron transfer during the AP decomposition and the cobalt works as an active additive to increase the heat releasing. This work provides an insight into the electron-transfer mechanism for the thermal decomposition of AP and a valuable guidance for developing advanced combustion catalysts used in the solid propellants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In principle, the local cosmic void can be simply modeled by the spherically symmetric Lemaitre–Tolman–Bondi (LTB) metric. In practice, the real local cosmic void is probably not spherically symmetric. In this paper, to reconstruct a more realistic profile of the local cosmic void, we divide it into several segments. Each segment with certain solid angle is modeled by its own LTB metric. Meanwhile, we divide the 1048 type Ia supernovae (SNIa) of the Pantheon Survey into corresponding subsets according to their distribution in the galactic coordinate system. Obviously, each SNIa subset can only be used to reconstruct the profile of one segment. Finally, we can patch together an irregular profile for the local cosmic void with the whole Pantheon sample. Note that, the paucity of each data subset lead us to focus on the inner part of each void segment and assume that the half radii of the void segments are sufficient to constrain the whole segment. We find that, despite 2 σ signals of anisotropy limited to the depth of the void segments, the constraints on every void segment are consistent with Λ CDM model at 95% CL. Moreover, our constraints are too weak to challenge the cosmic homogeneity and isotropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep disorders are a common syndrome and could affect the life quality of the older adults. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the association between nutritional status and sleep quality in the Chinese community-dwelling older adults. Methods: A total of 2,878 participants ≥ 65 years old from the Yiwu Elderly Cohort were included in the study. Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF). Participants were categorized as subjects with malnutrition, at risk of malnutrition or well-nourished based on their MNA-SF score. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to identify sleep disorders. PSQI score ≥ 6 was categorized as poor sleep quality. Results: Among the 2,878 participants (mean age 72.71 ± 5.79 years, 50.3% men), 31.5% (n = 906) were classified as having sleep disorders, and 25.5% were identified as malnutrition or at risk of malnutrition. We found a significantly relationship between nutritional status and sleep quality in older adults, and the results showed well-nourished decreased the risk of sleep disorders (OR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.13, 0.75). And well-nourished status was significantly associated with less daytime dysfunction, adequate sleep duration, and good subjective sleep quality (all P < 0.05). Conclusion: There was a close association of nutritional status and sleep quality in older adults. We should pay more attention to the nutritional status of older people with sleep problems, as well as the sleep quality of older adults with malnutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose, as a component of green plants, becomes attractive for fabricating biocompatible flexible functional devices but is plagued by hydrophilic properties, which make it easily break down in water by poor mechanical stability. Here we report a class of SiO2-nanoparticle-decorated bacteria-cellulose meta-skin with superior stability in water, excellent machining property, ultrathin thickness, and active bacteria-repairing capacity. We further develop functional ultrasonic metasurfaces based on meta-skin paper-cutting that can generate intricate patterns of ~10 μm precision. Benefited from the perfect ultrasound insulation of surface Cassie-Baxter states, we utilize meta-skin paper-cutting to design and fabricate ultrathin (~20 μm) and super-light (<20 mg) chip-scale devices, such as nonlocal holographic meta-lens and the 3D imaging meta-lens, realizing complicated acoustic holograms and high-resolution 3D ultrasound imaging in far fields. The decorated bacteria-cellulose ultrasonic metasurface opens the way for exploiting flexible and biologically degradable metamaterial devices with functionality customization and key applications in advanced biomedical engineering technologies. The researchers report a class of silica-nanoparticle-decorated bacteria-cellulose ultrasonic metasurfaces that feature excellent stability in water and mechanical processability. They demonstrate it as holographic meta-lens and 3D imaging meta-lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of phosphate fertilizer is an important source of anthropogenic fluoride in agricultural soil. However, relatively few studies have examined the fluoride content of phosphate fertilizers, and that has limited our understanding of the phosphate fertilizer contribution to soil fluoride accumulation and distribution. To examine this problem, we first quantified the total fluoride (TF) and water-soluble fluoride (WF) contents of six of the most commonly used commercial phosphate fertilizers in China (potassium dihydrogen phosphate (MKP), calcium superphosphate (SSP), monoammonium phosphate (MAP), diammonium phosphate (DAP), ternary compound fertilizer (NPK), and water-soluble macroelement fertilizer (WSF)). After calculating the [P2O5]/TF ratio for each of those fertilizers, we used those ratios and the average P2O5 application per crop of five typical crops grown in China (apples, greenhouse vegetables, wheat, corn, and rice) to estimate the annual fluoride accumulations in their soils after application of each type of phosphate fertilizer. Among the six fertilizer types, SSP, DAP, and NPK had much higher total fluoride and water-soluble fluoride contents than MKP, MAP, and WSF had. During crop production, the risk of fluoride accumulation was lower with MKP, MAP, and WSF (high [P2O5]/TF ratios) and higher with SSP, DAP, and NPK (low [P2O5]/TF ratios), especially in cash crops (fruit and greenhouse vegetables), which traditionally have unreasonably high P2O5 applications. Based on our findings, we proposed steps that should be taken to help effectively mitigate fluoride accumulation in China's agricultural soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arrestins have pivotal roles in regulating G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signalling by desensitizing G protein activation and mediating receptor internalization1,2. It has been proposed that the arrestin binds to the receptor in two different conformations, ‘tail’ and ‘core’, which were suggested to govern distinct processes of receptor signalling and trafficking3,4. However, little structural information is available for the tail engagement of the arrestins. Here we report two structures of the glucagon receptor (GCGR) bound to β-arrestin 1 (βarr1) in glucagon-bound and ligand-free states. These structures reveal a receptor tail-engaged binding mode of βarr1 with many unique features, to our knowledge, not previously observed. Helix VIII, instead of the receptor core, has a major role in accommodating βarr1 by forming extensive interactions with the central crest of βarr1. The tail-binding pose is further defined by a close proximity between the βarr1 C-edge and the receptor helical bundle, and stabilized by a phosphoinositide derivative that bridges βarr1 with helices I and VIII of GCGR. Lacking any contact with the arrestin, the receptor core is in an inactive state and loosely binds to glucagon. Further functional studies suggest that the tail conformation of GCGR–βarr governs βarr recruitment at the plasma membrane and endocytosis of GCGR, and provides a molecular basis for the receptor forming a super-complex simultaneously with G protein and βarr to promote sustained signalling within endosomes. These findings extend our knowledge about the arrestin-mediated modulation of GPCR functionalities.Structures of the glucagon receptor bound to β-arrestin 1 are reported, providing further information about the arrestin-mediated modulation of G protein-coupled receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]