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The expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) was up-regulated and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) was significantly increased in colon cancer patients. As the main prostaglandin produced by COX-2, PGE2 plays an important role in angiogenesis, survival, invasion and migration of colon cancer cells. The EP4 receptor, as an important transporter of PGE2 signaling, increases the survival and development of colon cancer cells through various mechanisms of overexpression. Signal pathway starting from COX-2, continuing with PGE2 and ending with EP4 can promote the spread and growth of colon cancer. Therefore, targeting the COX-2/PGE2/EP4 axis may be a valuable treatment method for colon cancer. This article outlines the biological activity of COX-2, the mechanism of action of COX-2/PGE2/EP4 as a signal axis in colon cancer, and the research progress of targeted drugs in colon cancer prevention.

Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN), also known as lithium niobate on insulator, is an important integrated optical platform due to its broad transparency window (from ultraviolet to mid-infrared) and exceptional nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. TFLN is a revolutionary technology that revitalizes micro/nano photonics based on LN, which holds prime importance in on-chip frequency conversion owing to its remarkable NLO properties. This review focuses on the optical nonlinearity of thin film lithium niobate and its applications in integrated optics. We commence with a brief overview of the TFLN platform. Followed by an introduction to the common device structures. We then present the recent advancements of TFLN in NLO frequency conversion, including χ (2) based optical frequency generation processes (second harmonic generation, sum frequency generation, and difference frequency generation, etc), frequency comb generation, and supercontinuum generation, etc. Finally, we propose future prospects for nonlinear photonic integrated circuits based on the TFLN platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This scoping review aims to explore published literature testing Virtual Reality (VR) interventions for improving upper limb motor performance in children and adolescents with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Our primary focus was on the types of VR systems used and the measurement tools employed within the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY) domains in these studies. Methods: A comprehensive search of six electronic databases up to 11th January 2024 was conducted using predefined terms. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to determine study eligibility, with two authors independently assessing titles, abstracts, and full-text articles. Results: Out of 788 potential studies, 14 met the eligibility criteria. Studies predominantly utilized non-immersive VR (nVR) systems, for example, commercial platforms such as Nintendo Wii. Most interventions targeted general motor coordination or balance, with only four studies specifically focusing on upper limb motor performance. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 was the predominant assessment tool. However, the use of game scores and trial durations raised concerns about the accuracy of assessments. The majority of studies reported no significant improvement in upper limb motor performance following VR interventions, though some noted improvements in specific tasks or overall outcomes. Conclusion: The findings suggest that, while nVR interventions are being explored for paediatric motor rehabilitation, their impact on enhancing upper limb motor performance in children with DCD is unclear. The variability in intervention designs, outcome measures, and the predominant focus on general motor skills rather than specific upper limb improvements highlight the need for more targeted research in this area. Impact: This review underscores the importance of developing precise and clinically relevant measurement tools in a broader range of VR technologies to optimize the use of VR in therapy for children with DCD. Future research should aim for more rigorous study designs and emerging immersive technologies to maximize therapeutic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed assembly flow shop scheduling problem (DAFSP) has been extensively considered; however, DAFSP with Pm → 1 layout, in which m parallel machines are at fabrication stage and one machine is at assembly stage, is seldom handled. In this study, DAFSP with the above layout and transportation time is studied and an imperialist competitive algorithm with cooperation and division (CDICA) is presented to minimize makespan. Feature of the problem is used and a heuristic is applied to produce initial solution. Adaptive assimilation and evolution are executed in the weakest empire and adaptive cooperation is implemented between the winning empire and the weakest empire in imperialist competition process. Empire division is performed when a given condition is met. Many experiments are conducted. The computational results demonstrate that new strategies are effective and CDICA is a very competitive in solving the considered DAFSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of surface dissolution on dislocation activation in FeSi6.5 steel are quantitatively studied by analyzing the stress relaxation data using the thermal activation theory of dislocation. The stressed FeSi6.5 steel sample in acid solutions (H2SO4 or HCl) exhibits a much higher rate of stress reduction with time compared with that in air or deionized water. As the stress relaxation time is prolonged to 20 min, the relaxation rates are 0.055 MPa·min−1 in water and 0.074, 0.1, 0.11 MPa·min−1 in H2SO4 solutions with pH 4, 3, and 2, respectively. In a NaCl solution, a slight increase in the relaxation rate compared with air was found. Higher acidity (lower pH) of the solution inducing higher stress relaxation rate implies the softening is associated with the anodic dissolution of the surface layer and the accelerated (additional) flow of dislocations. The analyses using the thermal activation theory of dislocation during relaxation reveal the mechanism for the accelerated plastic flow induced by the corrosive medium. The variations of these parameters are related to the relaxation of the stress field of dislocations and the weakening of interaction between slip dislocations and short-range obstacles. The chemomechanical effect, including a reduction in apparent activation energy and a decrease in waiting time for dislocation to obtain sufficient thermal activation energy to cross obstacles, causes an increase in the stress relaxation rate (plastic strain rate). The study confirms that surface dissolution accelerates the plastic flow of metals and supports the view that surface dissolution facilitates dislocation slip. It is helpful to improve the formability of brittle metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan biomaterials are widely used in the biological area because of their broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. However, chitosan cannot be dissolved in a neutral solution, limiting its application in various fields seriously. In this study, water-soluble sulfonated oxidized chitosan (SOCS) with antifungal activity were prepared by oxidization and sulfonation. Its structure was clearly confirmed by spectroscopy data (FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR) and elemental analysis. SEM images of OCS and SOCS revealed that there was a little curly and an irregular sheet-like morphologies on them which was attributed to the oxidation and sulfonation on CS. Moreover, the FTIR and NMR indicated that –OH on the CS was oxidized into -COOH on the OCS and -SO3H groups on the SOCS. The EDS results of OCS and SOCS confirmed the presence of the oxygen element in OCS and the S element in SOCS. All studies confirmed the OCS and SOCS were synthesized successfully. Furthermore, the inhibitory activity of SOCS biocomposites against plant pathogenic fungi, (Fusarium graminearum), was investigated. The results showed that the SOCS have significant inhibitory effects on the mycelial growth of F. graminearum. The EC50 value of SOCS against F. graminearum is 79.46 μg/mL. The research results presented above indicated that SOCS can be used as a candidate material for the control of plant pathogenic fungi, and can broaden the application of chitosan materials in plant protection and sustainable agriculture. SOCS showed better solubility in deionized water. The antifungal effect of SOCS dissolved in acetic acid was higher than that of CS dissolved in acetic acid. SOCS dissolved in water can cause an inhibitory effect on F. graminearum at lower concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human height is a polygenic trait, influenced by a large number of genomic loci. In the pre-genomic era, height prediction was based largely on parental height. More recent predictions of human height have made great strides by integrating genotypic data from large biobanks with improved statistical techniques. Nevertheless, recent studies have not leveraged parental height, an added feature that we hypothesized would offer complementary predictive value. In this study, we assessed the predictive power of polygenic risk scores (PRS) combined with the traditional parental height predictors. Our study analyzed genotypic data and parental height from 1,071 trios from the United Kingdom Biobank and 444 trios from the Framingham Heart Study. We explored a series of statistical models to fully evaluate the performance of several PRS constructed together with parental information and proposed a model we call PRS++ that includes gender, parental height, and PRSs of parents and proband. Our estimate of height with an R 2 of ∼0.82 is, to our knowledge, the most accurate estimate yet achieved for predicting human adult height. Without parental information, the R 2 from the best PRS-driven model is ∼0.73. In summary, using adult height prediction as an example, we demonstrated that traditional predictors still play important roles and merit integration into the current trends of intensive PRS approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progresses in climatological, ecological, and hydrological studies that focused on the Tianshan mountains area (known as "the water tower of central Asia") have been restricted by the availability of station observations as well as high resolution and quality data set. With the aim to overcome some of these difficulties, the high‐resolution Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) regional climate model is run over the Tianshan mountains area driven by the ERA‐Interim reanalysis. Double nesting method was used with a horizontal resolution of 40 and 8 km covering the period 1980–2018. A decade of simulation from 1980 to 1989, a period when most abundant station observations are available, is considered for validation. These downscaled results are compared against station observations, ERA‐Interim reanalysis, and three widely used spatially interpolated products in order to investigate the added value of the dynamical downscaling approach. Results of these comparisons show that the WRF‐downscaled data outperform and add significant details to ERA‐Interim reanalysis. A remarkable improvement of the WRF simulation is found at reproducing the observed seasonal cycle of daily extreme temperatures and precipitation. Due to better representation of orography, WRF simulations are able to capture extreme precipitation events that are missing in the high‐quality interpolated products. Refining the resolution from 40 to 8 km further improves the model performance, particularly at depicting orographic enhancement of precipitation. The validated WRF model can be used in future climate projections studies, and this high‐resolution as well as high‐quality climatological data set we present here is useful for impact and further downstream studies. Key Points: The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) regional climate model is evaluated over the Tianshan mountain areasDynamical downscaling using WRF adds significant value in reproducing monthly mean daily extreme temperatures and precipitationExtreme precipitation events are absent in the high‐quality interpolated products but well simulated by WRF [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With high resolution and wide coverage, satellite precipitation products like Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) could support hydrological/ecological research in the Tianshan Mountains, where the spatial heterogeneity of precipitation is high, but where rain gauges are sparse and unevenly distributed. Based on observations from 46 stations from 2014–2015, we evaluated the accuracies of three satellite precipitation products: GPM, Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) 3B42, and the Climate Prediction Center morphing technique (CMORPH), in the Tianshan Mountains. The satellite estimates significantly correlated with the observations. They showed a northwest–southeast precipitation gradient that reflected the effects of large-scale circulations and a characteristic seasonal precipitation gradient that matched the observed regional precipitation pattern. With the highest correlation (R = 0.51), the lowest error (RMSE = 0.85 mm/day), and the smallest bias (1.27%), GPM outperformed TRMM and CMORPH in estimating daily precipitation. It performed the best at both regional and sub-regional scales and in low and mid-elevations. GPM had relatively balanced performances across all seasons, while CMORPH had significant biases in summer (46.43%) and winter (−22.93%), and TRMM performed extremely poorly in spring (R = 0.31; RMSE = 1.15 mm/day; bias = −20.29%). GPM also performed the best in detecting precipitation events, especially light and moderate precipitation, possibly due to the newly added Ka-band and high-frequency microwave channels. It successfully detected 62.09% of the precipitation events that exceeded 0.5 mm/day. However, its ability to estimate severe rainfall has not been improved as expected. Like other satellite products, GPM had the highest RMSE and bias in summer, suggesting limitations in its way of representing small-scale precipitation systems and isolated deep convection. It also underestimated the precipitation in high-elevation regions by 16%, suggesting the difficulties of capturing the orographic enhancement of rainfall associated with cap clouds and feeder–seeder cloud interactions over ridges. These findings suggest that GPM may outperform its predecessors in the mid-/high-latitude dryland, but not the tropical mountainous areas. With the advantage of high resolution and improved accuracy, the GPM creates new opportunities for understanding the precipitation pattern across the complex terrains of the Tianshan Mountains, and it could improve hydrological/ecological research in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We propose a delineation framework of ecological redline areas at river basin scale. • Social needs have strong effects on ecosystem services and ecological redline areas delineation. • The identified ecological redline areas exhibit improved connectivity and integrity. • Countermeasures to improve the implementation of protection policies are suggested. China's river basin ecosystems are facing serious environmental and structural fragmentation problems. However, there are no complete ecological redlines specifically for watershed ecological conservation. This study considers the Xiangjiang River Basin (XJRB) to propose a framework delineating the ecological redline area (ERA) on a watershed scale and highlights policy recommendations. It combines several evaluating indicators for coupling the response mechanism between human demand and ecological protection. Overall, the water supply in the XJRB meets the social demand. However, water supply in some places, such as the core area of Changsha Zhuzhou Xiangtan Urban Agglomeration and the Hengyang urban area, is still insufficient. This study considers ecosystem service functions, ecological sensitivities, and social needs and estimates the ERA of the XJRB to be 36,057 km2, accounting for 38% of the total watershed. The key ecological functional areas account for 60% of the total redline area and are concentrated in the upper reaches. Compared with the current method conducted at the national and administrative level, the redline area defined in this study by the sub-basin scale exhibits better connectivity and integrity. Moreover, the study can help ensure an accurate placement of the ecological redline while also providing an important reference for redline delineation of other river basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]