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Interest in searches for Charged Lepton Flavor Violation (CLFV) has continued in the past few decades since the observation of CLFV would indicate a new physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM). As several future lepton colliders with high luminosity have been proposed, the search for CLFV will reach an unprecedented level of precision. Many BSM models allow CLFV processes at the tree level, such as the R-parity-violating (RPV) Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), which is a good choice for benchmarking. In this paper, we perform a detailed fast Monte Carlo simulation study on RPV-induced CLFV processes at future lepton colliders, including a 240 GeV circular electron positron collider (CEPC) and a 6 or 14 TeV Muon Collider. As a result, we found that the upper limits on the τ-related RPV couplings will be significantly improved, while several new limits on RPV couplings can be set, which are inaccessible by low-energy experiments.

In order to cope with the rapid growth of flights and limited crew members, the rational allocation of crew members is a strategy to greatly alleviate scarcity. However, if there is no appropriate allocation plan, some flights may be canceled because there is no pilot in the scheduling period. In this paper, we solved an airline crew rostering problem (CRP). We model the CRP as an integer programming model with multiple constraints and objectives. In this model, the schedule of pilots takes into account qualification restrictions and language restrictions, while maximizing the fairness and satisfaction of pilots. We propose the design of two hybrid metaheuristic algorithms based on a genetic algorithm, variable neighborhood search algorithm and the Aquila optimizer to face the trade-off between fairness and crew satisfaction. The simulation results show that our approach preserves the fairness of the system and maximizes the fairness at the cost of crew satisfaction.

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of naringin (Nar) on H2O2-induced apoptosis of nucleus pulposus-derived mesenchymal stem cells (NPMSC) and the potential mechanism in this process. Methods: Rat NPMSC were cultured in MSC culture medium or culture medium with different concentrations of H2O2. Nar or the combination of Nar and LY294002 was added into the culture medium to investigate the effects of Nar. Cell viability was evaluated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. The apoptosis rate was determined using Annexin V/PI dual staining and terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays. Additionally, the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were analyzed by flow cytometry. ATP level in NPMSC was analyzed via ATP detection kit. Mitochondrial ultrastructure change was observed through transmission electron microscope (TEM). Levels of apoptosis-associated molecules (cleaved caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2) were evaluated via RT-PCR and western blot, respectively. Results: The cells isolated from NP met the criteria for MSC. H2O2 significantly promoted NPMSC apoptosis in a dose and time-dependent manner. Nar showed no cytotoxicity effect on NPMSC up to a concentration of 100 μM for 24 h. Nar exhibited protective effects against H2O2-induced NPMSC apoptosis including apoptosis rate, expressions of proapoptosis and antiapoptosis related genes and protein. Nar could also alleviate H2O2-induced mitochondrial dysfunction of increased mitochondrial ROS production, reduced MMP, decreased intracellular ATP and mitochondrial ultrastructure change. However, these protected effects were inhibited after LY294002 treatment. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that Nar efficiently attenuated H2O2-induced NPMSC apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction. The activation of ROS-mediated PI3K/Akt pathway may be the potential mechanism in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TAC3 gene is related to the regulation of animal reproductive function. Here we tried to find out the association of the expression and polymorphism of TAC3 gene with the estrus of sheep. TAC3 expression in uterus and pituitary gland increased in estrus of Small Tail Han sheep and Tan sheep. The TAC3 expression level in uterus might relate with estrus of sheep. Two mutations of TAC3 were found in intron 1 (C327T) and exon 2 (G1803A) separately. Although there were significant differences of C327T/G1803A genotype distributions in five different sheep breeds, it did not relate with the year-round estrus. The relationship between these polymorphisms of TAC3 and the litter size of Small Tail Han sheep was not found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract People more accurately remember faces of their own racial group compared to faces of other racial groups; this phenomenon is called the other-race effect. To date, numerous researchers have devoted themselves to exploring the reasons for this other-race effect, and they have posited several theoretical explanations. One integrated explanation is the categorization-individuation model, which addresses two primary ways (categorization and individuation) of racial face processing and emphasizes the emergence of these two ways during the encoding stage. Learning-recognition and racial categorization tasks are two classical tasks used to explore racial face processing. Event-related potentials can facilitate investigation of the encoding differences of own- and other-race faces under these two typical task demands. Unfortunately, to date, results have been mixed. In the current study, we investigated whether categorization and individuation differ for own- and other-race faces during the encoding stage by using racial categorization and learning-recognition tasks. We found that task demands not only influence the encoding of racial faces, but also have a more profound effect in the encoding stage of recognition tasks for other-race faces. More specifically, own-race faces demonstrate deeper structural encoding than other-race faces, with less attentional involvement. Moreover, recognitions tasks might ask for more individual-level encoding, requiring more attentional resources in the early stage that may be maintained until relatively late stages. Our results provide some evidence concerning task selection for future racial face studies and establish a groundwork for a unified interpretation of racial face encoding.

While pyrocatalysis offers a means to store energy in chemical bonds from temperature changes, most materials show low conversion efficiencies. Here, authors examine Au nanoparticles on BaTiO3 and demonstrate localized plasmonic heat sources to enhance pyrocatalytic H2 evolution.

PurposeImmune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy has transformed the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in recent years. However, some TNBC patients with high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression levels develop immune checkpoint resistance. Hence, there is an urgent need to characterize the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and identify biomarkers to construct prognostic models of patient survival outcomes in order to understand biological mechanisms operating within the tumor microenvironment.Patients and methodsRNA sequence (RNA-seq) data from 303 TNBC samples were analyzed using an unsupervised cluster analysis approach to reveal distinctive cellular gene expression patterns within the TNBC tumor microenvironment (TME). A panel of T cell exhaustion signatures, immunosuppressive cell subtypes and clinical features were correlated with the immunotherapeutic response, as assessed according to gene expression patterns. The test dataset was then used to confirm the occurrence of immune depletion status and prognostic features and to formulate clinical treatment recommendations. Concurrently, a reliable risk prediction model and clinical treatment strategy were proposed based on TME immunosuppressive signature differences between TNBC patients with good versus poor survival status and other clinical prognostic factors.ResultsSignificantly enriched TNBC microenvironment T cell depletion signatures were detected in the analyzed RNA-seq data. A high proportion of certain immunosuppressive cell subtypes, 9 inhibitory checkpoints and enhanced anti-inflammatory cytokine expression profiles were noted in 21.4% of TNBC patients that led to the designation of this group of immunosuppressed patients as the immune depletion class (IDC). Although IDC group TNBC samples contained tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes present at high densities, IDC patient prognosis was poor. Notably, PD-L1 expression was relatively elevated in IDC patients that indicated their cancers were resistant to ICB treatment. Based on these findings, a set of gene expression signatures predicting IDC group PD-L1 resistance was identified then used to develop risk models for use in predicting clinical therapeutic outcomes.ConclusionA novel TNBC immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment subtype associated with strong PD-L1 expression and possible resistance to ICB treatment was identified. This comprehensive gene expression pattern may provide fresh insights into drug resistance mechanisms for use in optimizing immunotherapeutic approaches for TNBC patients.

Magnetic coupling resonance wireless power transfer (MCR-WPT) technology plays an important role in promoting the development of electric vehicles. In order to meet the demand of dual-load synchronous power supply for electric vehicles, a novel dual-load wireless power transfer system based on fundamental wave channel and harmonic wave channel is designed. The circuit model is established and solved by Kirchhoff’s law and superposition theorem. By numerical methods, relationship between transfer performance and cross-coupling is studied, and the variable σiis introduced to measure the severity of mutual interference. The calculation shows that the mutual interference of the two channels can be limited to a quite low level by selecting the appropriate parameters of harmonic wave channel. In the end, simulations and experiments are performed. The total output power is 5.26kW and the efficiency is 93.11%, which can well verify the correctness of the theoretical analysis.

Among many types of Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) technology, Magnetically Coupled Resonance Wireless Power Transfer (MCRWPT) technology has been studied more and more due to its stable transmission Power and strong anti-interference ability. In this paper, the operating characteristics of the Dual-LCC MCRWPT system based on the secondary side controlled rectifier are analyzed, and the variation of the system current with D, the phase relationship between the input voltage and current of the resonant network, the phase relationship between the output voltage and current of the resonant network, and the variation of the input and output load of the system are studied in depth. Through the simulation analysis of inverter MOSFET switching state, verify the effectiveness of the controlled rectifier control mode and the rationality of theoretical analysis, provide a solid theoretical basis for the optimization of the controlled rectifier control mode.

With the proposal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality policy, electric vehicle as a clean new energy transportation tool has attracted more and more attention. Battery swapping station (BSS) is an alternative method to charge electric vehicles (EVs). This paper summarizes the development and present situation of battery swapping station and analyzes the distribution probability model of EVs’ arrival based on the historical data of electrical swapping station, which approximately obeys Poisson distribution. The convergence accuracy of traditional particle swarm optimization algorithm is improved by combining the particle swarm optimization algorithm with the immune algorithm, which can find the global optimal solution more easily. Then an economic scheduling method for battery swapping station based on monte carlo simulation was proposed, and the function of BSS as an energy storage device to power grid (B2G) is analyzed. Next a mathematical model of multi-objective joint optimization of battery swapping station based on B2G technology is established, considering the revenue of operator, RMS of grid load and peak–valley difference as functions. Finally, the simulation analysis of this model is carried out. The optimization results of ordered and disordered charging scheduling with B2G and without B2G are compared to verify the effectiveness and superiority of this model. It can be seen that B2G root mean square and peak–valley difference decreased by 15.72% and 14.63% respectively, and the revenue of battery swapping station increased by 1.4%. Therefore, the application of B2G technology in orderly charging scheduling is better than that without B2G technology.

BackgroundStrongyloides stercoralis (S. stercoralis) is a nematode that is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world and which can cause severe disseminated infection in immunocompromised individuals. However, strongyloidiasis, the disease caused by S. stercoralis, is difficult to diagnose because of its non-specific clinical presentation and the inadequate performance of conventional diagnostic methods.Case descriptionWe report the case of a 75-year-old male patient with severe disseminated infection caused by S. stercoralis. The patient had a medical history of seasonal bronchitis and, as a consequence, had taken prednisone for many years. Initial clinical tests failed to detect any pathogens, but metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) resulted in the identification of S. stercoralis in the patient’s bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and blood. Subsequently, routine testing repeatedly detected nematode larvae in the patient’s stool and sputum. Through a combination of mNGS results and clinical symptoms, the patient was finally diagnosed with severe disseminated infection caused by S. stercoralis.ConclusionThe clinical manifestations of disease caused by infection with S. stercoralis are not specific; therefore, early and accurate diagnosis is very important. mNGS can detect S. stercoralis even when it is present at only a low level. This case report supports the notion that mNGS is a valuable tool in the diagnosis of severe disseminated infections caused by S. stercoralis in immunocompromised patients.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that exposure to air particulate matter (PM) increases the incidence of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and exerts a significant neurotoxic effect on the nervous system, especially on the immature nervous system. Here, we selected PND28 rats to simulate the immature nervous system of young children and used neurobehavioral methods to examine how exposure to PM affected spatial learning and memory, as well as electrophysiology, molecular biology, and bioinformatics to study the morphology of hippocampus and the function of hippocampal synapses. We discovered that spatial learning and memory were impaired in rats exposed to PM. The morphology and structure of the hippocampus were altered in the PM group. In addition, after exposure to PM, the relative expression of synaptophysin (SYP) and postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95) proteins decreased dramatically in rats. Furthermore, PM exposure impaired long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampal Schaffer-CA1 pathway. Interestingly, RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were rich in terms associated with synaptic function. Five hub genes (Agt, Camk2a, Grin2a, Snca, and Syngap1) that may play a significant role in the dysfunctionality of hippocampal synapses were identified.Our findings implied that exposure to PM impaired spatial learning and memory via exerting impacts on the dysfunctionality of hippocampal synapses in juvenile rats and that Agt, Camk2a, Grin2a, Snca, and Syngap1 may drive PM-caused synaptic dysfunction.

IntroductionLung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), as the most frequent pathological subtype of non−small cell lung cancer, is often characterized by poor prognosis and low 5-year survival rate. Exploriton of new biomarkers and accurate molecular mechanisms for effectively predicting the prognosis of LUAD patients is still necessary. Presently, BTG2 and SerpinB5, which play important roles in tumors, are studied as a gene pair for the first time with the aim of exploring whether they can be used as potential prognostic markers.MethodsUsing the bioinformatics method to explore whether BTG2 and SerpinB5 can become independent prognostic factors, and explore their clinical application value and whether they can be used as immunotherapeutic markers. In addition, we also verify the conclusions obtained from external datasets, molecular docking, and SqRT-PCR.ResultsThe results show that compared with normal lung tissue, BTG2 expression level was down-regulated and SerpinB5 was up-regulated in LUAD. Additionally, Kaplan–Meier survival analysis demonstrate that the prognosis of low expression level of BTG2 was poor, and that of high expression level of SerpinB5 was poor, suggesting that both of them can be used as independent prognostic factors. Moreover, the prognosis models of the two genes were constructed respectively in this study, and their prediction effect was verified by external data. Besides, ESTIMATE algorithm reveals the relationship between this gene pair and the immune microenvironment. Furthermore, patients with a high expression level of BTG2 and a low expression level of SerpinB5 have higher immunophenoscore for CTLA-4 and PD-1 inhibitors than patients with a low expression level of BTG2 and a high expression level of SerpinB5, indicating that such patients have a more obvious effect of immunotherapy.DiscussionCollectively, all the results demonstrate that BTG2 and SerpinB5 might serve as potential prognostic biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets for LUAD.

Abstract The fast developments of radio astronomy open a new window to explore the properties of Dark Matter (DM). The recent direct imaging of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the center of M87 radio galaxy by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration is expected to be very useful to search for possible new physics. In this work, we illustrate that such results can be used to detect the possible synchrotron radiation signature produced by DM annihilation from the innermost region of the SMBH. Assuming the existence of a spike DM density profile, we obtain the flux density due to DM annihilation induced electrons and positrons, and derive new limits on the DM annihilation cross section via the comparison with the EHT integral flux density at 230 GHz. Our results show that the parameter space can be probed by the EHT observations is largely complementary to other experiments. For DM with typical mass regions of being weakly interacting massive particles, the annihilation cross section several orders of magnitude below the thermal production level can be excluded by the EHT observations under the density spike assumption. Future EHT observations may further improve the sensitivity on the DM searches, and may also provide a unique opportunity to test the interplay between DM and the SMBH.

Few studies have examined the association between dietary quality and the risk of developmental disabilities (DDs). This study aimed to investigate the association between dietary quality and the risk of DDs in US children aged 5 to 15. We employed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2018. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between HEI-2015 score, HEI component score, and the likelihood of DDs. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) were utilized to investigate nonlinear links between HEI-2015 score and the likelihood of DDs. Interaction analysis was utilized to explore differences between subgroups. HEI-2015 score was negatively linked with the risk of DDs after adjusting covariates [odds ratio (OR) = 0.99; 95% confidence interval (CI) = (0.98, 1.00)]. HEI-2015 score was separated by quartile into Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4. Q1 represents the lowest HEI scores, while Q4 represents the highest HEI scores. Children in the fourth quartile of the HEI-2015 exhibited a decreased prevalence of DDs compared to those in the first quartile [(OR = 0.69; 95% CI = (0.53, 0.89)]. The association between HEI-2015 score and the risk of DDs was modified by race/ethnicity. The higher HEI-2015 score was associated with a lower risk of DDs, suggesting that better dietary quality may reduce the risk of DDs in children.

Abstract The increasing penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) has led to increasing research interest in the cooperative control of multi‐prosumers in a transactive energy (TE) paradigm. While the existing literature shows that TE offers significant grid flexibility and economic benefits, few studies have addressed the incorporation of security constraints in TE. Herein, a market‐based control mechanism in real‐time markets is proposed to economically coordinate the TE among prosumers while ensuring secure system operation. Considering the dynamic characteristics of batteries and responsive demands, a model predictive control (MPC) method is used to handle the constraints between different time intervals and incorporate the following generation and consumption predictions. Owing to the computational burden and individual privacy issues, an efficient distributed algorithm is developed to solve the optimal power flow problem. The strong coupling between prosumers through power networks is removed by introducing auxiliary variables to acquire locational marginal prices (LMPs) covering energy, congestion, and loss components. Case studies based on the IEEE 33‐bus system demonstrated the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method and model.

In this paper, we consider a generalized extensible bin packing problem with overload cost, first proposed by Denton et al. in 2010, in which the total size of items packed into a bin is allowed to exceed its capacity, and the cost incurred each bin is equal to the fixed cost plus the overload cost, the objective is to minimize the total cost of all bins. According to the characteristics of the problem, we first propose an improved ant colony optimization algorithm (IACO), which enhances the positive feedback effect of ACO by improving the update method of pheromone and the adaptive adjustment parameters. We also introduce a variable neighborhood search method in ACO to improve the convergence of the algorithm and get rid of the phenomenon of local extrema. Then, we present a discrete particle swarm optimization algorithm (DPSO) to solve the problem. In order to ensure the uniform distribution and high quality of the initial particle swarm, we use some heuristic methods in the initialization process of the swarm, so that the initial particle can cover the entire search space with a large probability, which effectively improves the performance of DPSO algorithm. Finally, we compare and analyze the performance of these proposed algorithms through two sets of computational experimental frameworks. Compared with some algorithms in the literature, computational results signify that the improved ACO algorithm and MDPSO algorithm are more competitive than some other metaheuristic algorithms.

Introduction: In grid-connected research of large-scale wind farms, the problem of long simulation time exists in the research based on detailed model. In order to realize the fast simulation and grid-connected transient research of wind farm, this paper presents a simplified equivalent model of wind farm based on equivalent transfer function and improved capacity weighting method.Methods: This paper analyzes the mathematical model of wind turbine, corresponding to the strategy of design simplification, and the simplified model is built according to the equivalent transfer function. In addition, this paper considers the equivalent line loss model of collector line, classifies and aggregates the simplified wind turbines, and calculates the equivalent value of the converged wind turbines by using the improved capacity weighting method, the grid-connected simplified modeling of large-scale wind farm is realized.Results: A model of wind farm-MMC-HVDC flexible grid-connected wind power system is built. The simulation results show that the simplified equivalent model improves the simulation speed greatly while guaranteeing the dynamic characteristics.Discussion: The simplified equivalent strategy of wind farm can keep the same dynamic performance with the detailed model, and improve the simulation speed, and realize the fast simulation and grid-connected transient research of wind farm.

Kimura disease (KD) is a rare and benign chronic inflammatory disease of unknown cause. It is characterized by subcutaneous granuloma of soft tissues in the head and neck region, increased eosinophil count, and elevated serum IgE. Currently, no definitive treatments are recommended. A 57-year-old Chinese man was diagnosed with KD after 7 years of slow subcutaneous masses growth. The patient underwent treatment of oral glucocorticoids for 1 year, but the masses recurred as the dosage was tapered down. Subsequent anti-IgE therapy of omalizumab administered subcutaneously at 450 mg/day at a 4-week interval did not show improvement. The size of masses and serum IgE and circulating eosinophils did not decrease significantly after 19 cycles of continuous treatment. Ultimately, switched strategy of dupilumab was applied at an initial dose of 600 mg, followed by 300 mg every 2 weeks for 4 months. This treatment demonstrated dramatical effects with reduced masses in each area and fast dropdown of eosinophil counts, while the high level of serum IgE remained without changes. Recently, different biologics including anti-IgE, anti-IL-5, and anti-IL-4/IL-13 have been applied to treat KD with satisfied results and help to explore the pathogenesis of this rare disease. To our knowledge, this is the first report that demonstrates the effects of two different biologics in the same patient and reveals the impressive clinical efficacy of dupilumab to treat KD independent of IgE. Therefore, further investigation of the underlying mechanism and the development of diagnosis and treatment of KD is valuable.