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Uplift-restricted and slip-permitted (URSP) connectors have been demonstrated to effectively enhance the anti-cracking performance of RC slabs in negative moment areas. While their efficacy is recognized, studies of composite frames utilizing URSP connectors remain scarce, limiting their application in construction. This research undertakes a numerical analysis of the seismic performance of steel–concrete composite frames that employ URSP connectors. The influence of key design parameters on seismic behavior is scrutinized. Leveraging prior tests on composite frames with URSP connectors carried out by the authors’ group, a sophisticated three-dimensional FEM model is crafted. This model, built using the ABAQUS software (2016), accounts for the intricate mechanical behaviors of shear connectors. The fidelity of the FEM model is validated through a juxtaposition of numerical and test outcomes, assessing strain distribution, damage patterns, and load–displacement curves. This numerical model serves as a basis for the study, exploring the impacts of three crucial design parameters on structural seismic performance. The findings suggest that the arrangement length of URSP connectors should be constrained to less than half of the frame beam’s span to optimize mechanical performance during seismic events. Additionally, enhancing both the flange thickness and the steel beam’s height is recommended to further bolster structural integrity.

The objective of this study was to explore the microbial diversity, volatile flavor substances, and their potential correlations in inner and surface Chinese Qingcheng Mountain traditional bacon (CQTB). The results showed that there were 39 volatile flavor substances in inner and surface CQTB detected by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). Moreover, significant differences in volatile flavor substances between the inner and surface CQTB were observed. Sixteen key volatile flavor substances were screened (OAV > 1), including guaiacol, nonanal, ethyl isovalerate, and others. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) result indicated that Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the predominant bacterial phyla, and Ascomycota and Mucoromycota were the predominant fungal phyla. Staphylococcus, Psychrobacter, and Brochothrix were the predominant bacteria, and Debaryomyces, Penicillium, and Mucor were the predominant fungal genera. Spearman correlation coefficient analysis suggested that Apiotrichum and Lactobacillus were closely and positively correlated with the formation of key phenol compounds. The present work demonstrates the microbial diversity and related volatile flavor substances and their potential correlations in CQTB and provides a theoretical basis for the development of microbial starter culture and green processing of CQTB.

Aiming at the evaluation of the shielding effectiveness (SE) of materials against high-intensity electromagnetic pulse (EMP), the shielding mechanism in the frequency domain is investigated, and the factors that determine SE such as conductivity, thickness of material, and test frequency are analyzed. The attenuated waves of solid and perforated plate materials irradiated by EMP are simulated in CST. The results show that the two materials exhibit low-pass and high-pass filtering characteristics, respectively, which lead to a big difference in the transmitted waves (rise time and pulse width). Based on this, a time domain SE test method using coaxial flange is proposed which can obtain the incident and the transmitted and reflected waves, and the time domain SE of graphenes with different thicknesses (80, 100, 200, and 300 μm) are measured. The characteristics of the reflected and transmitted waves are analyzed in detail, and the change regulations comply with the theoretical shielding model well. The peak value SE and energy density SE, respectively, are calculated. Furthermore, the frequency domain SE can be obtained through the Fourier transform, so the method has a wide application in material SE performance evaluation against high-intensity EMP.

Abstract Background The aim of this network meta‐analysis (NMA) was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors, alone or in combination with chemotherapy, as first‐line treatment for wild‐type advanced non‐small cell lung cancer. Methods We systematically searched databases, Clinical Trial.gov and included randomized clinical trials focusing on advanced NSCLC using PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors as first‐line treatment. Hazard ratio for overall survival and progression‐free survival, odds ratio for any‐cause high‐adverse events (grade 3 or higher) were documented according to Bayesian NMA. Subgroup analysis was performed according to PD‐L1 level and histology. Results Thirteen trials including 9154 patients were included. In the PD‐L1 nonselective cohort, chemotherapy in combination with pembrolizumab and atezolizumab, respectively, were significantly better than any other treatment strategies in both OS benefit (HR = 0.63; HR = 0.85) and PFS benefit (HR = 0.52; HR = 0.63). In subgroup analysis, pembrolizumab appeared to provide the best OS benefit (HR = 0.67) as well as the best PFS benefit (HR = 0.67) in the PD‐L1 ≥ 50% cohort. In contrast, pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy exhibited the best OS benefit in the PD‐L1

Abstract In order to optimize patient selection for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthroscopic discopexy to achieve favorable outcomes, prognostic indicators impacting the results are important to analyze. This longitudinal retrospective study aimed to analyze various prognostic factors impacting surgical outcomes following arthroscopic discopexy for management of TMJ closed lock using success criteria based on pain, maximal interincisal opening, diet, and quality of life. Furthermore, a quantitative MRI assessment was performed pre- and post-operatively. Multivariate analysis was used to evaluate various prognostic variables including gender, age, side, duration of illness, Wilkes staging, parafunctional habits, splint therapy and orthodontic treatment. A total of 147 patients (201 joints) were included. The outcome was categorized as excellent (n = 154/76.61%), good (n = 34/16.91%), or poor (n = 13/6.46%) with a success rate of 93.54%. Patients aged > 30 years old (p = 0.048), longer duration of illness (12–24 months: p = 0.034) and (> 24 months: p = 0.022), and patients with Wilkes stage IV (p = 0.002) were all significantly more likely to be in the poor outcome group. Finally, orthodontic treatment showed a significant association with excellent outcomes (p = 0.015). Age, duration of illness, Wilkes staging, and orthodontic treatment are considered significant prognostic factors that can predict the outcomes following the arthroscopic discopexy for management of TMJ closed lock.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to estimate the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab combined with epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR TKIs) in advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods We searched randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on bevacizumab combined with EGFR TKIs in the NSCLC Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed and Embase. The data were extracted and assessed according to the Cochrane Handbook. We calculated the hazard ratio (HR), risk ratio (RR), and confidence interval (CI), and accomplished this meta‐analysis with Stata 14 software. Results Of 1301 articles scanned, five articles were involved in this meta‐analysis. We determined that compared with using EGFR TKIs alone, combination treatment significantly prolongs progression‐free survival (PFS) (HR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.52–0.70; p

This work aimed to investigate the distribution of benthic foraminiferal assemblages in Houshui and Yangpu Bays, Hainan Island, and assess the relative effects of heavy metals, total organic carbon (TOC), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on foraminiferal assemblages. A total of 30 sites were sampled and analyzed for benthic foraminiferal assemblages, heavy metals, TOC, and PAHs. The organic matter in the study was derived primarily from algae according to the C/N ratios, and PAHs were generated by petroleum and combustion of petroleum products, as inferred from the diagnostic ratios of PAH isomers. Two-way hierarchical cluster analysis was used to classify the 35 common species into two species groups, and the 30 sites were classified based on their geographical location. CCA was used to investigate the effects of pollution on foraminiferal assemblages. The results showed that the effects of pollution on foraminiferal assemblages were in the order of heavy metals > TOC > PAHs. Furthermore, the species group I, which consisted of agglutinated taxa including Bigenerina nodosaria, Ammobaculites agglutinans, Textularia spp., T. foliacea, Haplophragmoides canariensis, and several tolerant species of hyaline forms, including Ammonia beccarii, Elphidium advenum, E. hispidulum, Quinqueloculina laevigata, and Q. seminula, was found to be positively influenced by heavy metals. In contrast, species group II, primarily composed of porcelaneous taxa such as Massilina laevigata, Spiroloculina communis, and some hyaline taxa including E. crispum and Elphidium spp., was found to be positively influenced by TOC and PAHs. This work suggest that heavy metal pollution is the main factor influencing foraminiferal assemblages in the study area. The observed positive effect of heavy metals on species group I may indicate the presence of metal-tolerant taxa, whereas the positive effect of TOC and PAHs on species group II suggests that these taxa may be more tolerant of organic pollution. The study highlights the potential of specific foraminiferal assemblages as bioindicators for assessing the impact of different types of pollution on marine ecosystems.

ObjectiveThis systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in patients with resectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).BackgroundSeveral studies have reported the outcomes of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in patients with ESCC. However, phase 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with long-term outcomes and the comparison of different therapeutic strategies are lacking.MethodsStudies involving patients with advanced ESCC treated with preoperative neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) were searched through PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library up to July 1, 2022. The outcomes were presented as proportions and pooled respectively by fixed or random effect model depending on the heterogeneity between studies. All analyses were performed using the R packages meta 5.5-0 and meta-for 3.4-0.ResultsThirty trials involving 1406 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled pathological complete response (pCR) rate for neoadjuvant immunotherapy was 0.30 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26–0.33). The pCR rate of neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemoradiotherapy (nICRT) was significantly higher than that of neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy (nICT) (nICRT: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.31–0.65; nICT: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.26–0.33; p=0.03). No significant difference in efficacy was observed between the different chemotherapy agents and treatment cycles. The incidences of grade 1–2 and 3–4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were 0.71 (95% CI: 0.56–0.84) and 0.16 (95% CI: 0.09–0.25), respectively. Patients treated with nICRT and carboplatin had a higher incidence of grade 3–4 TRAEs compared with those treated with nICT (nICRT: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.17–0.77; nICT: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.07–0.22; p=0.03) and cisplatin (carboplatin: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.15–0.53; cisplatin: 0.04, 95% CI: 0.01–0.09; p

Abstract The high incidence of breast cancer is the greastest threat to women’ health all over the world. Among them, HER-2 positive breast cancer has the characteristics of high malignancy, easy recurrence and metastasis, and poor prognosis. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a rich theoretical basis and clinical application for breast cancer. TCM believes that blood stasis syndrome is one of the important pathogenesis of breast formation and development. Taohong Siwu Decoction (TSHWD) is based on the “First Prescription of Gynecology” Siwu Decoction. It is widely used in various blood stasis and blood deficiency syndromes, mainly in gynecological blood stasis. Clinical studies have found that THSWD can treat breast cancer by reducing blood vessel and lymphangiogenesis with auxiliary chemotherapy. In this study, we aim to explore the material basis and mechanism of THSWD in the treatment of HER-2 positive breast cancer through literature review and network pharmacology studies. Through a literature review of the traditional application, chemical composition of Chinese herbal medicine of THSWD, as well as its clinical reports and pharmacological research on breast cancer treatment. Meanwhile, we conducted “component-pathway-target” network through network pharmacology reveals the main material basis, possible targets and pathways of THSWD in inhibiting HER-2 positive breast cancer. Literature review and network pharmacology research results had predicted that, baicalein, kaempferol, caffeic acid, amygdalin, quercetin, ferulic acid, gallic acid, catalpol, hydroxysafflor yellow A, paeoniflorin in THSWD are the main effective chemical composition. THSWD regulates 386 protein targets and 166 pathways related to breast cancer. The molecular mechanism is mainly to improve the microenvironment of tumor cells, regulate the process of tumor cell EMT, and inhibit tumor cell proliferation and metastasis. This study revealed the mechanism of action of THSWD in the treatment of HER-2 positive breast cancer through literature review and network pharmacology studies, providing a scientific basis for clinical application.

ObjectivesPainful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is often refractory to conventional medications. Triple-nerve decompression was proposed for painful DPN due to the frequent involvement of multiple nerve entrapments in diabetes. However, the role of decompressive surgery remains controversial. This trial aims to assess the efficacy of triple-nerve decompression for patients with painful DPN suggestive of nerve entrapment using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design.Methods and analysisThis trial is a single-center RCT and will be conducted in Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital. Enrolled subjects (n = 74) with painful DPN due to nerve compression, which can be detected by nerve conduction studies, will be randomly allocated at a 1:1 ratio into surgical and non-surgical groups. The primary outcome will be measured by 50% responder rates, which is defined as the proportion of subjects with at least 50% reduction of the mean weekly visual analog score (VAS) of pain from baseline after 6 months of treatment. Mean weekly VAS will be additionally evaluated 1 week (W1), 1 month (M1), and 3 months (M3) after treatment to monitor the changes in pain intensity. The secondary outcomes include two-point discrimination (TPD), Toronto clinical scoring system (TCSS), electrophysiological indexes, hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), and the medical outcome study short-form 36-item questionnaire (SF-36). A quantitative analgesic questionnaire (QAQ) will be used as a secondary outcome to quantify the analgesic medication weekly. TPD and TCSS will be conducted at W1, M1, M3, and M6 after treatment. Electrophysiological tests, HADS, and SF-36 will be performed at M3 and M6.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval has been obtained from the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital (SH9H-2-21-T323-2). It was registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry website (http://www.chictr.org.cn) on 16 August 2021 with the number ChiCTR2100050049. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The results of this trial will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journals, mass media, and presentations at national and international academic conferences.

NaNbO3 powder was synthesized via the polyacrylamide gel method, growth behaviors and associated morphology were discussed. The calcined NaNbO3 powder at 565 °C possess cubic and long columnar morphology which are NaNbO3 and Na/Nb/F or Na/Nb/F/O compounds, respectively. According to XRD and SEM, as calcined temperature raised, the amount of F in Na/Nb/F or Na/Nb/F/O compounds gradually reduced, long columnar compounds resolved into cubic NaNbO3. These changes made the NaNbO3 powder which calcined at 565 °C obtain highly sintering activity, dense NaNbO3 ceramic can sintering at 1200 °C. NaNbO3 ceramic densification was caused by the large ionic radius O2− replaced the small ionic radius F− during the calcining process. Compared with the solid–state reaction method, the sintering temperature of NaNbO3 ceramic was be reduced in this work, which contribute for low-temperature sintering technical of NaNbO3 ceramics.

Background: The diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) remains a challenge because of increased asymptomatic PHPT or patients with normocalcaemic PHPT (NPHPT). In addition, some primary hospitals in China have no equipment to measure parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. Therefore, an additional, simple, and inexpensive laboratory biochemical marker is urgently needed. The calcium/phosphate (Ca/P) ratio and chloride/ phosphate (Cl/P) ratio have been proposed as suitable tools to diagnose PHPT in Europe; however, the Ca/P ratio has never been tested in China. We aimed to conduct a confirmatory study to explore the diagnostic performance of the Ca/P ratio for PHPT in China. Methods: From January 2015 to December 2020, a total of 155 patients who underwent parathyroidectomy (143 PHPT patients and 12 NPHPT patients) and 153 controls were enrolled in this single-center , retrospective study. Serum calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone, 25-hydroxyvitamin vitamin D (25(OH) vitamin D), chloride, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransaminase (AST), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and creatinine levels were recorded for all the study participants. Pairwise comparisons were made between groups, and the diagnostic performance of the Ca/P ratio was determined using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: Patients with PHPT had a higher Ca/P ratio than controls (P < 0.001). A Ca/P ratio above 2.94 with a sensitivity of 95.5% and specificity of 98.7% can distinguish PHPT patients from healthy individuals. This index was positively correlated with the PTH level (r = 0.875, P < 0.001). Conclusion: The Ca/P ratio is an ideal and inexpensive indicator for diagnosing PHPT in China when using a cut-off value of 2.94.

Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma locally infiltrates numerous immune cells and other tumor immune microenvironment components. These cells are involved in malignant tumor growth and proliferation and the process of resistance toward immunotherapies. Here, we aimed to develop a tumor immune microenvironment-related prognostic signature for high-risk grade III endometrial carcinoma based on The Cancer Genome Atlas. The signature was systematically correlated with immune infiltration characteristics of the tumor microenvironment. The seven-gene Riskscore signature was robust and performed well in training, testing, and Gene Expression Omnibus-independent cohorts. A nomogram comprising the gene signature accurately predicted patient prognosis, with our model performing better than other endometrial cancer-related signatures. Analysis of the IMvigor210 immunotherapy cohort revealed that subgroups with a low Riskscore had a better prognosis than subgroups with a high Riskscore. Subgroups with a low Riskscore exhibited immune cell infiltration and inflammatory profiles, whereas subgroups with a high Riskscore experienced progressive disease. The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated that risk score, neoantigen, and tumor mutation burden models together accurately predicted treatment response. Taken together, we developed a tumor microenvironment-based seven-gene prognostic stratification system to predict the prognosis of patients with high-risk endometrial cancer and guide more effective immunotherapy strategies.

ObjectivesMedical workers are prone to psychological and sleep disturbances during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Little is known about the varying degrees of influence among vaccinated medical staff working in different positions. The current study is aimed to evaluate and compare depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances among first-line, second-line and at home vaccinated medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai, China.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted in May 2022. In addition to demographic data, levels of depression, anxiety, sleep quality, and insomnia were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS).ResultsA total of 236 vaccinated medical workers completed the questionnaires, including 85 first-line medical staff (FMS), 82 second-line medical staff (SMS) and 69 at home medical staff (HMS). The proportions of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, poor sleep quality, and insomnia were 52.1, 44.1, 55.9, and 49.2%, respectively. Compared with HMS, medical staff at work (FMS and SMS) got significantly higher frequency of poor sleep quality (both p < 0.001), insomnia (both p < 0.001), depressive (p < 0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively) and anxiety symptoms (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). Compared with SMS, FMS were more likely to have poor sleep quality (p = 0.020). Besides, nurses got significantly higher percentage of poor sleep quality (OR = 1.352, p = 0.016) and insomnia (OR = 1.243, p = 0.041) than doctors. Whereas, the proportion of anxiety symptoms was increased in females than in males (OR = 2.772, p = 0.008).ConclusionsPsychological and sleep disturbances are common among medical staff at work during the COVID-19 pandemic. More psychological intervention should be administrated for FMS, especially for nurses.

Benthic foraminifera are among the most important components of marine benthic communities and can provide valuable information about the structure and activity of those communities. The distribution and diversity of benthic foraminifera have been well documented, but their co-occurrence patterns and community assembly processes have rarely been elucidated. To fill this gap, we used network analysis and null/neutral model approaches to benthic foraminiferal communities in five bays in South China to evaluate the influences of environmental factors and interspecies interactions on species co-occurrence and the relative importance of deterministic and stochastic processes in shaping community structure, respectively. The spatial heterogeneity of foraminiferal communities across bays was characterized by nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis. Variation partitioning analysis showed that heavy metals (Cr, Co, Cu, As, Sb, and Hg) were the most important factor influencing community structure, while less importance was attributed to organic matter and grain sizes, which was likely due to the low TOC contents and small variations in TOC and grain size across sites. Network analysis showed that closely related species tended to co-occur with each other, which may be mediated by environmental filtering. The network was divided into three distinct clusters: one cluster consisted of miliolid, and two were dominated by rotaliids, each of which represented a special niche according to the habitat preference of the dominant taxa. The structure of the network was highly informative, as illustrated by the fact that the observed structure was denser than that of randomly constructed networks with the same size or the same degree sequence. The frequency of occurrence of most species (70%) met neutral model expectations, indicating that neutral processes were important for the assembly of benthic foraminiferal communities. However, PER-SIMPER analysis revealed that niche-assembly processes were more important than dispersal-assembly processes in shaping species abundance. Overall, this study provides the first insight into the mechanisms maintaining the community structure and diversity of benthic foraminifera.

As a policy tool to promote sustainable development of coastal zone cities, Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) was introduced to China for experimentation in the 1990s. Among them, the Xiamen government took ICZM as an opportunity to conduct a large number of policy pilots, making the evaluation of the policy effects worth studying. This paper takes Xiamen city as the research object based on 180,000 samples from 188 Chinese municipalities from 1980-2017. Based on the theoretical framework of the Social-Economic-Natural Complex Ecosystem (SENCE), we use the synthetic control method (SCM) to conduct its two rounds of policy pilots. The study found that the first round of experiments focused on environmental pollution prevention and control, and the economic development gap between Xiamen and similar coastal zone cities was narrowed despite the economic lag effect. Finally, based on robustness tests, policy recommendations are made for coastal zone cities.

BackgroundNeutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a novel inflammatory marker to predict adverse cardiovascular events. However, there is a lack of data on hemorrhagic transformation (HT) and neurological outcome after mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We investigated whether NLR before and after thrombectomy for patients with AIS was associated with HT and neurological outcomes.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients with anterior circulation AIS who underwent thrombectomy. HT was evaluated by CT within 24 h after thrombectomy. Clinical data had been collected retrospectively; laboratory data were extracted from our electronic hospital information system. NLR was obtained at admission (NLR1) and immediately after thrombectomy (NLR2). The main outcomes were post-interventional intracranial hemorrhage and unfavorable functional status (modified Rankin scale scores of 3–6) 3 months post-stroke.ResultsA total of 258 patients with AIS, according to the NIHSS (median 14), were included. NLR2 was higher in patients who developed HT after thrombectomy and unfavorable neurological outcomes 3 months post-stroke (p < 0.001) than in those without HT or favorable outcomes, even after correction for co-factors [Odds Ratio (OR) 1.35 for HT, 95% confidence interval (CI)1.16–1.57, p < 0.001, and 1.85 for unfavorable outcome, 95%CI 1.57–2.17, p < 0.001]. The optimal cutoff value for the NLR2 as an indicator for auxiliary diagnosis of HT and the unfavorable outcome was 8.4 and 8.8, respectively.ConclusionNLR immediately after thrombectomy is a readily available biomarker of HT and neurological outcomes in patients with AIS.

With ambitious carbon peak and carbon neutral targets, China has to realize it relies heavily on significant reductions in energy-related carbon emissions. Therefore, as the largest contributing region, resource-based cities (RBCs) must achieve an energy transition. Unfortunately, these cities are facing serious environmental problems. The aim of this study is to analyze the development history and problems of RBCs by using the example of the Northeast region. The results show the reasons blocking the green development of these cities include management policies and life cycles. This implies the management of RBCs needs to develop toward a win-win situation of industrial transformation and ecological protection. Finally, some policy recommendations are proposed to achieve emission reduction and sustainable development.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of Paxlovid in treating Chinese elder patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants.Materials and methodsWe performed a non-randomized, controlled trial in Shanghai, China. Participants infected with SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants were enrolled. All patients were divided into the Paxlovid group or the control group according to the Chinese guideline (version 9). The nucleic acid shedding time was the primary endpoint.ResultsAccording to the inclusion criteria, 142 patients infected with omicron variants were enrolled, 36 patients who did not receive paxlovid were assigned to the control group, and 106 were in the Paxlovid group. The baseline characteristics were similar in either group. No significant difference in BMI, age, time from onset to patient enrollment, the severity on first admission, vaccination status, comorbidity, first symptoms, and laboratory results were recorded. Compared to the control group, participants in the Paxlovid group had a shorter viral shedding time [11.11 (2.67) vs. 9.32 (2.78), P = 0.001].ConclusionIn Chinese elder patients infected with the variant of SARS-CoV-2 omicron, our data suggest that Paxlovid can significantly reduce the nucleic acid shedding time.

A novel Chinese-style sausage with Chinese traditional fermented condiments used as additional ingredients is produced in this study. The aim of this study was to investigate the microbial community’s structure, the volatile flavor substances and their potential correlation in the novel Chinese sausage. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) and solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were, respectively, used to analyze the microbial diversity and volatile flavor substances of the novel Chinese-style sausage during storage. The results showed that Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the predominant bacterial genera, and Hyphopichia and Candida were the predominant fungal genera. A total of 88 volatile flavor substances were identified through GC-MS, among which 18 differential flavor compounds were screened (VIP > 1), which could be used as potential biomarkers to distinguish the novel sausages stored for different periods. Lactobacillus exhibited a significant negative correlation with 2,3-epoxy-4,4-dimethylpentane and acetoin and a significant positive correlation with 2-phenyl-2-butenal. Hyphopichia significantly positively correlated with ester. Leuconostoc significantly positively correlated with ethyl caprate, ethyl palmate, ethyl tetradecanoate and ethyl oleate while it negatively correlated with hexanal. This study provides a theoretical basis for revealing the flavor formation mechanisms and the screening of functional strains for improving the flavor quality of the novel Chinese-style sausage.

The transient surface current density reflects the external coupling of the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) to the tested device. In this paper, the generation mechanism and measurement principle of conductor surface current density are introduced, and the surface current density distribution irradiated by EMP on a typical aircraft structure is simulated and analyzed. The traditional surface current density is usually measured by B-dot antenna, but its output signal is the differential of the measured signal, so additional integrators or numerical integration of the measured data are required. In this paper, a self-integrating surface current sensor based on optical fiber transmission is designed based on the shielded loop antenna with gap structure. The output signal is the real signal waveform to be measured. Compared with coaxial cables, integrated optical fiber transmission improves the anti-interference ability of long-distance transmission signals. At the same time, the design process of the sensor is introduced in detail. The bandwidth of the sensor is 300 kHz~500 MHz, the sensitivity is calibrated at 1.23 (A·m−1)/mV, and the dynamic range is ±25~1400 A·m−1 (35 dB). The surface current of a metal plate is measured in a bounded wave electromagnetic pulse simulator using a detector developed in this paper. The test results show that the developed sensor has good engineering applicability.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of ultra-long-term fermentation on the formation of non-volatile metabolites of Chinese solid-fermented kohlrabies. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based non-targeted metabolomics coupled with multivariate statistical analysis were employed to respectively analyze the kohlrabies solid fermented for 5 years (5Y), 8 years (8Y), and 11 years (11Y). The results showed that 31, 169, and 123 differential metabolites were identified in the three groups of 5Y and 8Y (A1), 5Y and 11Y (A2), and 8Y and 11Y (A3), respectively (VIP > 1, p < 0.05 and |log2FC| > 1). The differential non-volatile metabolites were mainly organic acids and derivatives, organoheterocyclic compounds, benzenoids, lipids and lipid-like molecules, and organicoxygen compounds. Furthermore, 11 common differential metabolites were screened in the three groups, including diaminopimelic acid, ectoine, 9,10,13-TriHOME, and 9 others. The citrate cycle, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, and glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism were the four pathways most significantly correlated with the differential non-volatile metabolites based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis (p < 0.05). The present study describes the effects of ultra-long-term fermentation periods on the formation of non-volatile metabolites in solid fermented kohlrabies, providing a theoretical basis for cooking with the three solid fermented kohlrabies to make different Chinese dishes.

The research on regional aerosol optical properties is of great significance for exploring climate regulation mechanisms and controlling atmospheric pollution. Based on the solar radiation observation platform, a three-month optical observation of atmospheric aerosols was conducted in Wuhan, China. The daily and monthly variation characteristics of aerosol optical depth (AOD550), Angstrom parameter (α440–870), and turbidity coefficient (β) were revealed, and the interrelations between the three optical parameters were fitted. Then, the potential relationships between atmospheric particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) with AOD550 and β were discussed. The results show that the average values of AOD550, α440–870, and β in this case study are 0.42, 1.32, and 0.20, respectively. The frequency distribution patterns of the three optical parameters are all unimodal. AOD550 has a good linear correlation system with β, and the Pearson correlation coefficient reaches 0.94, while its correlation with α440–870 is not significant. The daily variation in AOD550 and β both show an increasing trend, and their monthly increases are more than 50%. However, the daily variation in α440–870 is relatively stable, and the fitted line is a nearly horizontal line with no significant monthly variation. The fluctuation of particulate matter concentration affects the aerosol optical properties to some extent, among which β has a prominent effect on the response to the change in PM2.5 concentration with a linear correlation coefficient of 0.861. As the concentration of particulate matter increases, the proportion of fine particulate matter in the atmosphere increases monthly, and the ratio of PM10 to PM2.5 concentrations decreases from 1.8:1 to 1.2:1. Atmospheric pollution conditions are frequent during this observation period, mainly at mildly turbid levels. Atmospheric turbidity shows an increasing trend month by month, and the concentration of particulate matter increases rapidly. The response of atmospheric aerosol optical properties to the changes in fine particulate matter concentration is significant, and controlling the particulate matter content in the atmosphere is an effective means to mitigate aerosol pollution.

Conducting research on soft robots is crucial as there are still many problems that need to be resolved in the areas of material selection, structure design and manufacture, and drive control. Soft manipulators, a subset of soft robots, are now a popular area of study for many researchers. In comparison to typical manipulators, soft manipulators feature a high degree of gripping flexibility and a basic morphological structure. They are composed of flexible materials. They have a wide range of potential applications in healthcare, rehabilitation, bionics, and detection, and they can compensate for the drawbacks of rigid manipulators in some use scenarios. A modular soft-body torsional gripping system is developed after a torsional and gripping actuator is conceived and constructed, and its performance examined. The torsion actuator and the grasping actuator can be combined in the system in a modular fashion. With the help of RGB-D vision algorithms, this multi-modular setup makes it possible to combine soft actuators with various twisting degrees and achieve exact gripping. Through pneumatic control, the target object is precisely grasped and rotated at various angles, enabling the rotation of the target object in three dimensions.

A High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) could induce very fast transient overvoltage (VFTO) with nanosecond level rise time and mega-volt amplitude, which severely threatens the electrical devices connected to the elevated transmission line. An elevated transmission line with different locations may suffer different levels of HEMP threat since the dip angle could influence the polarization of the HEMP wave. The combination of Rosenblatt Transformation and Polynomial Chaos Expansion (R-PCE) is introduced in this paper. With this method, the efficiency of calculating the overvoltage of an elevated transmission line under HEMP is improved, speeding up 24.75 times. The influence of different factors (dip angle, elevated height, and earth conductivity) on the overvoltage of elevated transmission lines applied in power systems is calculated and analyzed. The numerical result shows with 99.9% confidence that the overvoltage would be over 3.7 MV of amplitude and 6.7 × 1014 V/s of voltage derivative, which is much more rigorous than a lighting pulse. We also find that elevated transmission lines may have a larger HEMP threat in a small dip angle area. The corresponding data are shown at the end of the paper, which could be useful for relative researchers in pulse injection experiments and reliable evaluation.

Abstract Background Malignant tumours of the female reproductive system threaten the lives and health of women worldwide, with ovarian cancer having the highest mortality rate. Based on previous work, this study analysed the expression and role of YWHAE in ovarian epithelial tumours. Methods The interaction between YWHAE and HE4 was evaluated via immunoprecipitation, western blot analysis, and cellular immunofluorescence. Immunohistochemistry was used to address the relationship between YWHAE expression, clinicopathological parameters, and patient prognosis. Changes in cell invasion, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, migration, proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle before and after differential expression of YWHAE were also explored in ovarian cancer cell lines and via in vivo experiments. Results YWHAE was found to interact with HE4, and its expression was positively correlated with HE4 expression. Moreover, YWHAE upregulation was associated with advanced stages of ovarian cancer and poor patient prognosis. In addition, YWHAE enhanced invasion, migration, and proliferation, but inhibited the apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells. These biological effects were found to be mediated by the AKT and MAPK signalling pathways. Conclusions Altogether, this study demonstrates that YWHAE is substantially upregulated in ovarian cancer tissues, representing a risk factor for the prognosis of ovarian cancer that is positively correlated with HE4 expression. Furthermore, YWHAE and its downstream pathways may represent new therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer.

Abstract Background Sarcopenia has recently emerged as a new condition with increasing importance in lung cancer patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of sarcopenia on tolerance and efficacy of afatinib. Methods We retrospectively evaluated 35 patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with first‐line afatinib. Skeletal muscle area (SMA) was measured at the third lumbar vertebra using routine conducted computed tomography (CT) images for evaluation of disease burden. Sarcopenia was defined as skeletal muscle index (SMI = SMA/height2) ≤38.5 cm2/m2 for women and ≤52.4 cm2/m2 for men based on previous criteria. Fisher's exact tests, Kaplan–Meier method, and logistic regression modeling were used. Results The median age at diagnosis was 65 years (range,39–84 years). A total of 24 (68.6%) patients were diagnosed with sarcopenia. The most frequent adverse events (AEs) related to afatinib were diarrhea (94.3%) followed by rash (77.1%) and paronychia (60%). Overall, 19 (54.3%) patients had dose reduction. Sarcopenic patients had a significantly higher rate of grade ≥ 2 diarrhea (75.0 vs. 27.3%, p = 0.011) and toxicity‐related dose reduction (75.0 vs. 9.1%, p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis also showed that sarcopenia (odds ratio [OR] 51.7, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.4–1081.3, p = 0.01) was an independent risk factor for dose reduction of afatinib. The median progression‐free survival (PFS) for afatinib was 12.0 months (95% CI: 10.6–13.4). Both dose reduction and sarcopenia did not affect therapeutic efficacy. Conclusions Toxicity‐related dose reduction is common with initiation of afatinib 40 mg/day. Sarcopenic patients might begin treatment with a low dose of afatinib according to tolerance.

Abstract Due to a large amount of time‐series data (e.g. precipitation, temperature, humidity) in the air, reliable and fast data collection is a challenging issue. Using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as a data collector to collect time‐series data is an effective method. However, due to the limited storage capacity of the UAV, the UAV must access the sensor multiple times to collect time‐series data from the deployed sensors and dump the data to the data centre, which leads to significantly increased time and cost for data collection mission. To address this challenge, an efficient time‐series data collection framework is proposed based on the Internet of UAVs. In this system, a min‐maximum data processing strategy is adopted based on data value to store the collected time‐series data. Specifically, efficient data compression storage is achieved with minimal loss of precision by extracting the dominant dataset with maximum value. Furthermore, an efficient affine transformation method is proposed to improve the efficiency of the system. Extensive case studies on some real‐world datasets demonstrate that the proposed framework can achieve efficient data management and compressed storage.

Introduction Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) is a major subtype of glaucoma that accounts for most bilateral glaucoma-related blindness globally. Filtering surgery is a conventional strategy for PACG, yet it has a long learning curve and undesirable disastrous complications. Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) plays an increasing role in the management of glaucoma due to its safer and faster recovery profile; cataract surgery-based MIGS is the most commonly performed such procedure in PACG. However, for patients with a transparent lens or no indications for cataract extraction, incorporation of MIGS into PACG treatment has not yet been reported. Therefore, this multicentre, non-inferiority, randomised controlled clinical trial aims to compare the efficacy and safety of trabeculectomy versus peripheral iridectomy plus an ab interno goniotomy in advanced PACG with no or mild cataracts.Methods and analysis This non-inferiority, multicentre, randomised controlled trial will be conducted at seven ophthalmic departments and institutes across China. Eighty-eight patients with no or mild cataracts and advanced PACG will be enrolled and randomised to undergo trabeculectomy or peripheral iridectomy plus ab interno goniotomy. Enrolled patients will undergo comprehensive ophthalmic examinations before and after surgery. The primary outcome is intraocular pressure (IOP) at 12 months postoperatively. The secondary outcomes are cumulative success rate of surgery, surgery-related complications and number of IOP-lowering medications. Participants will be followed up for 36 months postoperatively.Ethics and dissemination The study protocol was approved by the ethical committees of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, China (ID: 2021KYPJ191) and of all subcentres. All participants will be required to provide written informed consent. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated in international academic meetings.Trial registration number NCT05163951.

Basalt in the Cenozoic period in Datong, Shanxi can be divided into two types: alkaline basalt in the northwest and tholeiite basalt in the southeast. Petrological and geochemical analyses were carried out on the basalts in Datong area. As known from the differences between them, the basalt magma in the two regions come from different mantle source regions. Their respective petrology characteristics were summarized. In terms of geochemistry, Mg isotope was used as a chemical tracer to further study the magmatism process in Datong Basin. The results show that the basalt samples in both regions are micro-porphyritic, but the content and proportion of minerals such as feldspar and precious olivine vary greatly; the distribution curves of rare earth elements in the two regions are also significantly different in slope. The relative strength of the magma melting in the two regions was also compared. In addition, the Mg isotope content in Datong area is obviously low, the δ25 Mg value is between -0.36‰~-0.11‰, and the δ26 Mg value is between -0.69‰~-0.21‰, which is lighter than the normal mantle standard. From the geological and geo chemical properties of the basalt after cooling crystallization the geochemical evolution of deep mantle was inferred. The content of Mg isotopic features was used as the main research direction to discuss its genesis and determine the nature of the mantle source region. This research provides reference to understand the cause mechanism, chemical composition, and other factors of Cenozoic basalts in north China.

Abstract Background To evaluate the 12-month efficacy and safety of intravitreal conbercept for myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Methods A retrospective, observational study. Thirty-four eyes of 34 pathologic myopic patients with CNV were treated with intravitreal conbercept (IVC) 0.5 mg with a follow up of 12 months. After the first injection, administration of conbercept followed a pro re nata (PRN) regimen. Outcomes included best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (CRT), CNV size, the total number of treatments, and adverse events. Results The mean patient age was 55.88 ± 16.17 years, and the mean eye spherical equivalent was − 8.72 ± 3.75 D. The mean number of IVC over 12 months was 2.12 ± 0.69. Overall, best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA)improved from 0.86 ± 0.33 logMAR at baseline to 0.44 ± 0.32 logMAR at month 12 (p

As one of the specific practices of natural resource index trading, the forest ecological bank policy (FEB) is essentially a market-based tool. With the deepening of ecological governance, the FEB policy has also become the main method chosen to solve the economic development problems in ecologically rich “low-lying” areas. However, in the process of implementing the FEB policy, the differences in the demands of various stakeholders were found to have led to a complex game phenomenon, resulting in deviations in policy implementation. This study constructs a multiplayer evolutionary game model between local governments and enterprises of different scales and analyzes the evolutionary stabilization strategy (ESS) in the implementation of the FEB policy. The results show that, under different conditions, there are three stabilization strategies in the evolutionary game system, these correspond to F1 (0, 0, 0), F4 (0, 1, 1), and F5 (1, 0, 0), respectively, the implications are that the strict government role with an active regulatory strategy leads to companies of different sizes refusing to participate (i.e., F5) and the lax government role with a negative regulatory strategy leads to companies of different sizes refusing to participate (i.e., F1) or choosing to participate (i.e., F4). Among them, the strict government role stimulates the companies to participate in the FEB policy through the high intensity of government regulation. In addition, as the policy continues to be implemented, the influence of the strict regulation on the “participation” behavior of the companies decreases. Conversely, the lax government role allows the companies to give full play to their autonomy and obtain higher ecological and environmental benefits.

Abstract Chitosan coating (B/CH) in addition with nano-material films as silicon (B/CH/Nano-SiO2) and titanium (B/CH/Nano-TiO2) dioxides were developed and applied to detect potential changes on fresh blueberry fruits in commercial storage temperature. Physical, mechanical parameters (weight loss, decay rate, colour index and firmness), phytochemical contents (ascorbic acid, acidity, soluble solids concentration, titratable acidity, and repining index), phenolic enzymes (peroxidase and polyphenoloxidase), pigments (anthocyanin) and microbiological analysis (mesophilic aerobic, yeasts and molds populations) were detected every other day until the end of the experiment. Nano-coating based on (Nano-TiO2) established the most suitable values for weight loss (2.22%), titratable acidity (0.45% citric acid), and repining index. (B/CH/Nano-TiO2) reported a gradual increase in polyphenoloxidase and peroxidase enzyme activities (659.45 U/min g) and (20.39 U/min g), respectively. While, (B/CH/Nano-SiO2) established the slightest change in acidity (2.61), anthocyanin (105.19 cyanidin-3-O-glucoside mg/100 g FW) and minimized the growth of mesophilic aerobic, yeasts, and molds populations (3.73–3.98 log CFU/g), respectively. (B/CH) films maintained lightness (6.80% loss) and recorded the highest ascorbic acid content (7.34 g/100 g FW). Therefore, chitosan nano-material films can maintain nutrients and control the microbial growth for extending the shelf life of fresh blueberry fruits.

Abstract Background Biological composite scaffolds are increasingly being used in abdominal wall reconstruction but still have certain shortcomings. The present study describes here a novel three-dimensional (3D) scaffold fabricated by combining 3D printing (3DP) and electrospinning (ESP). Methods Biological composite scaffolds are composed of integrated 3DP interconnected macrofiber and random ESP microfiber networks. The 3DP scaffold retains intact 3D architecture and mechanical properties, while the ESP network serves as a cell entrapment system at the extracellular matrix (ECM) scale. Biological composite scaffolds are implanted in a defective rat abdominal wall to detect if it could induce early vascularization and reconstruction of the tissue defect. Results SEM analysis reveals a pore diameter of 424.47 ± 58.49 μm and a porosity of 70.46 ± 2.48% for biological composite scaffolds. In the in vitro test of cell proliferation, biological composite scaffolds do not affect rat dermal fibroblast proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The animal experiments show tissue remodeling and early angiogenesis as compared to 3DP scaffolds. Conclusions Our experiment prepares a biological scaffold with both a macro- and microscale structure by ESP and 3DP technology. Thus, the integration of 3DP and ESP techniques provides a new set of smart scaffolds for abdominal wall defect and hernia repair.

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome among adults, which is the leading glomerular disease that recurs after kidney transplantation. Treatment for MN remained controversial and challenging, partly owing to absence of sensitive and specific biomarkers and effective therapy for prediction and diagnosis of disease activity. MN starts with the formation and deposition of circulating immune complexes on the outer area in the glomerular basement membrane, leading to complement activation. The identification of autoantibodies against the phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) and thrombospondin type-1 domain-containing protein 7A (THSD7A) antigens illuminated a distinct pathophysiological rationale for MN treatments. Nowadays, detection of serum anti-PLA2R antibodies and deposited glomerular PLA2R antigen can be routinely applied to MN. Anti-PLA2R antibodies exhibited much high specificity and sensitivity. Measurement of PLA2R in immune complex deposition allows for the diagnosis of PLA2R-associated MN in patients with renal biopsies. In the review, we critically summarized newer diagnosis biomarkers including PLA2R and THSD7A tests and novel promising therapies by using traditional Chinese medicines such as Astragalus membranaceus, Tripterygium wilfordii, and Astragaloside IV for the treatment of MN patients. We also described unresolved questions and future challenges to reveal the diagnosis and treatments of MN. These unprecedented breakthroughs were quickly translated to clinical diagnosis and management. Considerable advances of detection methods played a critical role in diagnosis and monitoring of treatment.

PurposeFrailty is an emerging global public health burden. Most existing studies have focused on risk factors for frailty, focusing less on protective factors against frailty. This study aims to examine the association between the sense of coherence (SOC), the most common construct of salutogenesis and frailty status among community-dwelling old adults.MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted among 7,970 old adults aged ≥65 years in three cities in China from June 2019 to October 2020. Frailty was operationalised as the sum of self-reported fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illness, and loss of weight (FRAIL scale). The χ2 test was used to analyse the distribution difference of frailty in demographic, behavioural, and SOC levels. Confounder-adjusted multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the association between SOC and frailty.ResultsThe prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty was 43.1 and 8.0%, respectively. The results of the confounder-adjusted regression showed that older adults with moderate-level SOC (odds ratio, OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.54–0.69) and strong-level SOC (OR: 0.55, 0.48–0.64) had lower odds of being pre-frail compared to those with weak SOC. It also showed that older adults with moderate-level SOC (OR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.27–0.40) and strong-level SOC (OR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.16–0.29) had lower odds of being frail compared to those with weak SOC.ConclusionSOC may be a protective factor against frailty. Improving SOC may be a strategy to prevent frailty among Chinese community-dwelling older adults.

Tight gas makes up a significant portion of the natural gas resources. There are tight gas reservoirs with great reserve and economic potential in the west Sichuan Basin, China. Due to the complex mineral component and heterogeneity of the thick tight sand formations, the reservoir parameters are challenging to evaluate from well logs using conventional methods, even the fundamental porosity. The mineral components must be considered. In this study, based on the analysis of different logging responses of varying lithologies, we introduced the complex reservoir analysis (CRA) method. CRA is always used in the carbonate reservoirs to calculate the different rock component volume fractions and can be used to classify the lithology and calculate the porosity simultaneously. By analyzing the component, a new equivalent component method (CRAE) is proposed based on the CRA method in this paper. In this method, the AC-CNL equation-calculated porosity is calibrated according to the core porosity data to set the rock components’ physical parameters. After calibration, the rock component fractions and porosity can be calculated accurately. Also, according to the relationship between the grain size and natural gamma-ray, a granularity median model was established. Six lithology types, including coarse-grained quartz sandstone and coarse-grained lithic sandstone, are distinguished, and the porosity is estimated in the study area. The identification results are compared with the mud logging data and other methods. It shows that this method is very well adequate in the tight sandstone gas reservoirs in the study area.

Abstract Background It is known that the transcription factor zinc finger protein 703 (ZNF703) plays an important role in physiological functions and the occurrence and development of various tumors. However, the role and mechanism of ZNF703 in ovarian cancer are unclear. Materials and methods Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the expression of ZNF703 in ovarian cancer patients and to assess the effect of ZNF703 expression on the survival and prognosis of ovarian cancer patients. ZNF703 overexpression and suppression expression experiments were used to evaluate the effect of ZNF703 on malignant biological behavior of ovarian cancer cells in vitro. Detecting the interaction between HE4 and ZNF703 by immunofluorescence colocalization and coprecipitation, and nuclear translocation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-Seq), dual luciferase reporter assay, ChIP-PCR, in vivo model were applied to study the molecular mechanism of ZNF703 affecting the development of ovarian cancer. Results ZNF703 was highly expressed in ovarian cancer tissues, and its expression level is related to the prognosis of ovarian cancer patients. In vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed that ZNF703 overexpression/inhibition expression will promoted/inhibited the malignant biological behavior of ovarian cancer. Mechanically, ZNF703 interacted with HE4, and HE4 promoted nuclear translocation of ZNF703. ChIP-Seq identified multiple regulatory targets of ZNF703, of which ZNF703 directly binds to the enhancer region of PEA15 to promote the transcription of PEA15 and thereby promoted the proliferation of cancer cells. Conclusion The results showed that ZNF703 as an oncogene played an important role in the epigenetic modification of ovarian cancer proliferation, and suggested that ZNF703 as a transcription factor may become a prognostic factor and a potential therapeutic target for ovarian cancer.

Abstract Background Plakophilins (PKPs) are widely involved in gene transcription, translation, and signal transduction, playing a crucial role in tumorigenesis and progression. However, the function and potential mechanism of PKP1/2/3 in ovarian cancer (OC) remains unclear. It’s of great value to explore the expression and prognostic values of PKP1/2/3 and their potential mechanisms, immune infiltration in OC. Methods The expression levels, prognostic values and genetic variations of PKP1/2/3 in OC were explored by various bioinformatics tools and databases, and PKP2/3 were selected for further analyzing their regulation network and immune infiltration. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways (KEGG) enrichment were also conducted. Finally, the expression and prognosis of PKP2 were validated by immunohistochemistry. Results The expression level and prognosis of PKP1 showed little significance in ovarian cancer, and the expression of PKP2/3 mRNA and protein were upregulated in OC, showing significant correlations with poor prognosis of OC. Functional enrichment analysis showed that PKP2/3 and their correlated genes were significantly enriched in adaptive immune response, cytokine receptor activity, organization of cell–cell junction and extracellular matrix; KEGG analysis showed that PKP2/3 and their significantly correlated genes were involved in signaling pathways including cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, receptor signaling pathway and pathways in cancer. Moreover, PKP2/3 were correlated with lymphocytes and immunomodulators. We confirmed that high expression of PKP2 was significantly associated with advanced stage, poor differentiation and poor prognosis of OC patients. Conclusion Members of plakophilins family showed various degrees of abnormal expressions and prognostic values in ovarian cancer. PKP2/3 played crucial roles in tumorigenesis, aggressiveness, malignant biological behavior and immune infiltration of OC, and can be regarded as potential biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis evaluation in OC.

Abstract Background Tribbles pseudokinase 3 (TRIB3) protein is a pseudokinase which plays an important role in cellular stress, metabolism, and tumor progression. However, the expression and function of TRIB3 in ovarian cancer is unknown. Methods TRIB3 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry in the ovarian tissue samples. Following down-regulation of TRIB3 by siRNA, multiple aspects of ovarian cancer cells were detected by the MTT assay, flow cytometry, scratch test and Transwell. Additionally, changes in related molecules and the MEK/ERK pathway were detected by western blotting. Finally, many bioinformatic methods, websites and databases, such as gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), DVAID, Genemania, TISIDB and cBioPortal were used to study the TRIB3. Results The expression level of TRIB3 was higher in ovarian epithelial malignant tumors as compared to other groups. Patients with a high expression level of TRIB3 had significantly shorter survival times,which was consistent with the results of analysis of the KM-plot database. Down-regulation of TRIB3 expression significantly inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration capabilities of ovarian cancer cells, and induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Following TRIB3 siRNA transfection, expression levels of relative proteins were found to be decreased. Additionally, analysis in DAVID website and GSEA revealed that TRIB3 expression was associated with multiple biological processes. Protein phosphorylation levels of MEK and ERK also decreased following TRIB3-siRNA transfection. The Genemania website was used to analyze the proteins that interact with TRIB3. Analysis of TRIB3 in the TISIDB database and cBioPortal website showed that ovarian cancer patients with high levels of mutation in TRIB3 had poor prognosis, and that the expression of TRIB3 was related to immunomodulation. Conclusions The TRIB3 was highly expressed and promoting the malignant behavior of ovarian cancer cells by activating the MEK-ERK signaling pathway. It was also found to be associated with genetic variations and immune modulators.

Abstract Background Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in gynecology. The potential functions and mechanisms of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the occurrence and progression of EC remains unclear. It’s meaningful to explore lncRNAs signature for providing prognostic value of EC. Methods The differentially expressed lncRNAs and their prognostic values in EC were investigated based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database; the transcriptional factors (TFs), the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanism, functional regulatory network and immune infiltration of RP11-89K21.1 and RP11-357H14.17 were further explored by various bioinformatics tools and databases. Results We firstly identified high expression of RP11-89K21.1 and RP11-357H14.17 were closely associated with shorten overall survival (OS) and poor prognosis in patients with EC. We also elucidated the networks of transcription factor and co-expression genes associated with RP11-89K21.1 and RP11-357H14.17. Furthermore, the ceRNA network mechanism was successfully constructed through 2 lncRNAs (RP11-89K21.1 and RP11-357H14.17), 11 miRNAs and 183 mRNAs. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the targeting genes of RP11-89K21.1 and RP11-357H14.17 were strongly associated with microRNAs in cancer, vessel development, growth regulation, growth factor and cell differentiation, and involved in pathways including pathways in cancer, microRNAs in cancer and apoptotic signaling pathway. Conclusions We demonstrated for the first time that RP11-89K21.1 and RP11-357H14.17 may play crucial roles in the occurrence, development and malignant biological behavior of EC, and can be regarded as potential prognostic biomarkers for EC.

Radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy is the standard treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients, whose efficacy is limited partly by intrinsic and acquired radioresistance. DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B) has been reported to participate in tumorigenesis via DNA methylation, but its role in mediating progression and radioresistance of NPC remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted the following studies to explore the relationship between DNMT3B and NPC. Here, we found that DNMT3B was elevated in NPC tissues and predicted the poor prognosis of NPC patients. We demonstrated for the first time that ionizing radiation could induce DNMT3B, which might be one of the reasons for radioresistance. Silencing of DNMT3B inhibited migration and invasion via suppressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in NPC cells. Furthermore, silencing DNMT3B restored and activated p53 and p21 via DNA demethylation, which led to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, resulting in increased radiosensitivity of NPC both in vitro and in vivo. DNMT3B functions as a novel oncogene in the radioresistance of NPC through regulating EMT, cell cycle, and apoptosis. Therefore, DNMT3B could be a potential target for NPC treatment.

The Polar Format Algorithm (PFA) is the most suitable imaging algorithm for high-resolution and highly-squinted spotlight Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), but the approximation of planar wavefront in this algorithm limits the effective scene size of PFA. To meet the wide-swath requirement in modern SAR system, a quadtree beam-segmenting based PFA is proposed in this paper. The original full-beam echo signal is filtered recursively as a quadtree, generating multiple sub-beams. Each sub-beam only illuminates a small part of the total swath. As long as the sub-beam is narrow enough, standard PFA could be utilized to process the sub-beam data. Each sub-beam data will result in a fully focused sub-image. Finally, all fully focused sub-images are mosaicked to get a big image perfectly focused. This divide-and-conquer approach breaks the image size limit in traditional PFA, extensively enlarges the effective scene. The processing flows are derived in detail and the algorithm is validated by simulated and measured data. Via the experiments, it could be seen that when the scene size exceeds the PFA limit, there would be serious defocus in the image obtained by traditional PFA, and the defocus could be eliminated by our new approach.

Eco-environmental protection of river basins and compensation for damages have been important issues for researchers around the world for a long time. Many studies have focused on the correlations among individual socioeconomic characteristics, ecological cognition, and differences in the willingness to pay. However, no research has been conducted from the perspective of perceived environmental quality. According to the Broken Windows Theory, the public’s willingness and behaviors regarding environmental protection are determined largely by earlier perceptions of environmental quality. Therefore, we used a spatial choice experiment to investigate the willingness of the public to pay for ecosystem restoration in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Xijiang River Basin in China. This paper discusses if perceived environmental quality is a factor that creates different levels in the willingness to pay. Our results show that the Broken Window Effect can better explain these differences. Living in a better ecological environment, the upper-reaches public expect to pay for the restoration of the river basin’s ecosystem to a higher state and is willing to be the “first person” to repair the “broken windows,” whereas those in the middle and lower reaches are willing to pay only for a restoration to a good state.

In order to clarify the characteristics of pore-throat in tight sandstone reservoirs in the Dibei area of the Kuqa Depression in the Tarim Basin (Northwest China) and to make clear its impact on reservoir quality and productivity, microscopic observation and quantitative analysis of 310 tight sandstones in the Kuqa Depression are carried out by using various methods. Microscopic observation shows that the shapes of the pores are flat, oval, and long-narrow. A great number of throats connect the nanoscale pores in the form of a network. Quantitative analyses including RCMP (rate-controlled mercury penetration), HPMI (high-pressure mercury injection), NA (nitrogen adsorption), and routine and stress-dependent core analysis show that the peak of pores radius ranges from 125 μm to 150 μm, and the throat radius is in the range of 1 μm-4 μm. The throat space accounts for about 2/3 of the total space of the tight sandstones, which is the major storage space for natural gas. The space shape has a great influence on the reservoir seepage capacity, particularly under the condition of overburden pressure. The pores with throat radius greater than 300 nm have free fluid, and they contribute more than 98% of the reservoir permeability. The pore spaces with throat radius among 300 nm-52 nm can release fluids by reservoir stimulation. The pore-throats with radius

To explore the effect of low-temperature and low-salt fermentation on the volatile flavor substances of Chinese kohlrabi, low-temperature and low-salt fermented Chinese kohlrabi (LSCK) and traditional high-salt fermented Chinese kohlrabi (HSCK) were produced. The physicochemical and texture properties of the two kinds of Chinese kohlrabies were evaluated. Headspace gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) and electronic nose (E-nose) were used to analyze the volatile flavor substances of the kohlrabi. The results showed that the total acid content significantly decreased (p < 0.05), while protein and reducing sugar contents significantly increased (p < 0.05) by low-temperature and low-salt fermentation. A total of 114 volatile flavor substances were identified. The alcohol, ketone, pyrazine, ether, and nitrile contents in LSCK were significantly higher than those in HSCK (p < 0.05). Moreover, the unpleasant flavor from the 3-methylbutyric acid formation was effectively depressed in LSCK. The principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) models established by multivariate statistical analysis significantly distinguished the two types of kohlrabies. Multivariate statistical analysis suggested that 16 volatile flavor substances with VIP >1, including tetrahydrothiophene, ethyl 3-(methylthio)propanoate, 3-methylbutyric acid, hexanenitrile, and 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol, could be used as potential biomarkers for identifying LSCK and HSCK. The E-nose analysis further demonstrated that there was a significant difference in overall flavor between the LSCK and HSCK. The present study provides support for the development of green processing technology and new low-salt Chinese kohlrabi products.

Multi-line LiDAR and GPS/IMU are widely used in autonomous driving and robotics, such as simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). Calibrating the extrinsic parameters of each sensor is a necessary condition for multi-sensor fusion. The calibration of each sensor directly affects the accurate positioning control and perception performance of the vehicle. Through the algorithm, accurate extrinsic parameters and a symmetric covariance matrix of extrinsic parameters can be obtained as a measure of the confidence of the extrinsic parameters. As for the calibration of LiDAR-GPS/IMU, many calibration methods require specific vehicle motion or manual calibration marking scenes to ensure good constraint of the problem, resulting in high costs and a low degree of automation. To solve this problem, we propose a new two-step self-calibration method, which includes extrinsic parameter initialization and refinement. The initialization part decouples the extrinsic parameters from the rotation and translation part, first calculating the reliable initial rotation through the rotation constraints, then calculating the initial translation after obtaining a reliable initial rotation, and eliminating the accumulated drift of LiDAR odometry by loop closure to complete the map construction. In the refinement part, the LiDAR odometry is obtained through scan-to-map registration and is tightly coupled with the IMU. The constraints of the absolute pose in the map refined the extrinsic parameters. Our method is validated in the simulation and real environments, and the results show that the proposed method has high accuracy and robustness.

Precise prediction of ventilation flow is essential to create a comfortable, economical, and healthy indoor environment. In the past three decades, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method has been used more often, and it is now one of the primary methods for studying building ventilation. The most common CFD method is RANS simulation because of the low cost of computational resources and good accuracy. This paper presents a numerical investigation of a transitional ventilation flow with the Coanda effect, which makes the initial free jet transform into a wall jet. Six low-Reynolds number k-ε models proposed by Abid (AB), Lam and Bremhorst (LB), Launder and Sharma (LS), Yang and Shih (YS), Abe Kondoh and Nagano (AKN), and Chang, Hsieh and Chen (CHC) are applied. The performance of the six models is evaluated by comparing the computational results with the PIV measurements of Van Hooff et al. The predictions revealed that the LS model has a good approximation of velocity profiles because of its two extra terms in k and ε equations, and the AB model is in good agreement with experimental results for predicting the Coanda effect. The LB model provides the worst agreement with experimental data on account of the wrong prediction of turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate.

Abstract Background Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation status is essential to the optimal management of lung adenocarcinoma. Liquid biopsy has advantages such as noninvasiveness, speediness, and convenience. This study aimed to detect EGFR gene mutations using next‐generation sequencing (NGS) from different types of body fluids from patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Methods This was a prospective study of 20 patients with lung adenocarcinoma recruited between January 2017 and December 2018 at the Beijing Hospital. All patients had adenocarcinoma with confirmed sensitizing EGFR mutations. Body fluid specimens included pleural effusion, ascites, pericardial effusion, and cerebrospinal fluid. NGS was conducted to test for nine lung cancer‐related gene in body fluid supernatant free DNA, sedimentary tumor cells, and plasma free DNA. Results The EGFR gene mutation abundance of body fluid supernatant free DNA was higher than that of body fluid sedimentary tumor cells and plasma free DNA specimens (100% vs. 90% vs. 80%, respectively, all P

Although Periplaneta americana L. and its modern preparation, Kangfuxin liquid, have been extensively applied for ulcerative diseases in gastrointestinal tract (e.g., gastric ulcer (GU) and ulcerative colitis, the effective components and potential mechanisms) remain unclear. In accordance with the accumulating research evidences, the relieving/exacerbating of GU is noticeably correlated to focal tissue programmed cell death. Herein, gastro-protective effects of the effective Periplaneta americana L. extract (PAE) fraction were assessed in vitro and in vivo, involving in programmed cell death-related signaling channels. To screen the effective PAE fraction exerting gastroprotective effects, several PAE fractions were gained based on a wide range of ethanol solution concentration, and they were assessed on ethanol-induced ulcer mice. Based on HPLC investigation with the use of nucleosides, the chemical composition of screened effective PAE, extracted by 20% ethanol, was analyzed in terms of quality control. Based on CCK-8 assay, the protective effects on GES-1 cells, impaired by ethanol, of PAE were assessed. After 3 days pre-treatment with PAE (200, 400, 800 mg/kg), the gastric lesions were assessed by tissue morphology, and periodic acid-schiff (PAS) staining, as well as hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) based histopathology-related investigation. The levels for inflammation cytokines (IL1-β, TNF-α, IL-18, PGE2, and IL-6), antioxidant indices (SOD and MDA) were examined via ELISA. In the meantime, based on Western Blotting assay, the expression levels of some programmed cell death-related protein targets (NLRP3, caspase-1, NF-κB p65, MyD88, and TLR4) were analyzed. As revealed from the results, PAE is capable of alleviating gastric mucosa impairment, suppressing the inflammatory cytokines, and down-regulating the MyD88/NF-κB channels. Accordingly, 20% ethanol extract of Periplaneta americana L. would contribute its gastroprotective effects, thereby providing the evidence that its anti-GU mechanisms correlated with inhibiting programmed cell death channel.