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Caricature is an artistic representation that deliberately exaggerates the distinctive features of a human face to convey humor or sarcasm. However, reconstructing a 3D caricature from a 2D caricature image remains a challenging task, mostly due to the lack of data. We propose to fill this gap by introducing 3DCaricShop, the first large-scale 3D caricature dataset that contains 2000 high-quality diversified 3D caricatures manually crafted by professional artists. 3DCaricShop also provides rich annotations including a paired 2D caricature image, camera parameters and 3D facial landmarks. To demonstrate the advantage of 3DCaricShop, we present a novel baseline approach for single-view 3D caricature reconstruction. To ensure a faithful reconstruction with plausible face deformations, we propose to connect the good ends of the detailrich implicit functions and the parametric mesh representations. In particular, we first register a template mesh to the output of the implicit generator and iteratively project the registration result onto a pre-trained PCA space to resolve artifacts and self-intersections. To deal with the large deformation during non-rigid registration, we propose a novel view-collaborative graph convolution network (VCGCN) to extract key points from the implicit mesh for accurate alignment. Our method is able to generate highfidelity 3D caricature in a pre-defined mesh topology that is animation-ready. Extensive experiments have been conducted on 3DCaricShop to verify the significance of the database and the effectiveness of the proposed method., Comment: CVPR 2021. Project page:https://qiuyuda.github.io/3DCaricShop/

A kind of adjustable external fixation device for lower extremity is designed. The circuit is mainly composed of TEC1-00703 semiconductor refrigeration chip, HZC-30A pressure sensor, STC89C52RC single chip microcomputer and other electrical components. It can realize the timing intelligent temperature control and meet the local fixed-point refrigeration. The design of adjustable structure and the application of intelligent air cushion can satisfy the full fixation of lower limbs of different individuals. Its operation does not need much medical knowledge. It can solve the problem of emergency transportation and follow-up treatment of lower limb injury in ice and snow sports. It has a good application prospect and universality.

The Hot Universe Baryon Surveyor (HUBS) mission is proposed to study "missing" baryons in the universe. Unlike dark matter, baryonic matter is made of elements in the periodic table, and can be directly observed through the electromagnetic signals that it produces. Stars contain only a tiny fraction of the baryonic matter known to be present in the universe. Additional baryons are found to be in diffuse (gaseous) form, in or between galaxies, but a significant fraction has not yet been seen. The latter (missing baryons) are thought to be hiding in low-density warm-hot ionized medium (WHIM), based on results from theoretical studies and recent observations, and be distributed in the vicinity of galaxies (i.e., circum-galactic medium) and between galaxies (i.e., intergalactic medium). Such gas would radiate mainly in the soft X-ray band and the emission would be very weak, due to its very low density. HUBS is optimized to detect the X-ray emission from the hot baryons in the circum-galactic medium, and thus fill a void in observational astronomy. The goal is not only to detect the missing baryons, but to characterize their physical and chemical properties, as well as to measure their spatial distribution. The results would establish the boundary conditions for understanding galaxy evolution. Though highly challenging, detecting missing baryons in the intergalactic medium could be attempted, perhaps in the outskirts of galaxy clusters, and could shed significant light on the large-scale structures of the universe. The current design of HUBS will be presented, along with the status of technology development., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2020: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, eds. J.A. den Herder, S. Nikzad, & K. Nakazawa, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 11444, 114442S

Background: Tunneled central venous catheters (tCVC) exchange may be difficult in some situations. We retrospectively report our preliminary experience of a novel extra-catheter guide wire technique for exchange of dysfunctional tCVC. Materials and methods: Retrospectively analyze the demographics, treatment details and outcomes data of 39 patients received tCVC exchange from January 2018 to January 2019. According to whether guide wire could pass through the catheter lumen, patients were divided into in-catheter group and extra-catheter group. The technical successful rate, peri-operative complications, 1-month and 6-month catheter flow rate was recorded and compared between the 2 groups. Results: The final study population consists of 39 patients, including 16 in-catheter group and 23 extra-catheter group. The technical successful rate was 100% in both groups. All patients achieved restoration of line patency and completed at least 1 hemodialysis section. The 1-month (267.69 ± 20.12 vs. 274.13 ± 17.69, p = 0.604) and 6-month (255.81 ± 12.93 vs. 256.97 ± 11.20, p = 0.403) catheter flow rate was comparable between the 2 groups. Conclusion: The novel extra-catheter guide wire technique was helpful for in situ exchange of dysfunctional tunneled central venous hemodialysis catheters, especially when the guide wire could not pass through the catheter lumen.

A novel SiC MOSFET with embedded unipolar diode (UD-MOSFET) is proposed and investigated by TCAD simulation in this paper. The embedded unipolar diode (UD) exhibits 3 times lower turn-on voltage $(V_{\mathrm{on}})$ than the parasitic body diode, resulting in a 2 times smaller reverse recovery charge $(Q_{\mathrm{rr}})$ and successful elimination of the bipolar degradation issue. Meanwhile, the gate to drain charge $(Q_{\mathrm{gd}})$ is reduced by 1.8 times, contributing to a superior switching characteristics with significantly reduced switching loss. The overall improved performance makes UD-MOSFET an excellent choice for high frequency applications.

For styrenic random copolymers, the glass transition temperature, Tg, is an important thermophysical parameter, which is sometimes difficult to measure and determine by experiments. Approaches based on data-driven modeling provide alternative methods to predict Tg in a fast and robust way. The Gaussian process regression (GPR) model is investigated to present the statistical relationship between important quantum chemical descriptors and glass transition temperature for styrenic random copolymers. 48 samples with Tg that have been measured experimentally are explored, which range from 246 K to 426 K. The modeling approach demonstrates high accuracy and stability, and provides a novel and promising tool for efficient and low-cost estimations of copolymer Tg values.

Using X-ray sources as sensitive probes of stellar dynamical interactions in globular clusters (GCs), we study the mass segregation and binary burning processes in $\omega$ Cen. We show that the mass segregation of X-ray sources is quenched in $\omega$ Cen, while the X-ray source abundance of $\omega$ Cen is much smaller than other GCs, and the binary hardness ratio (defined as $L_{\rm X}/(L_{\rm K}f_{b})$, with $f_{b}$ the binary fraction, $L_{\rm X}$ and $L_{\rm K}$ the cumulative X-ray and K band luminosity of GCs, respectively) of $\omega$ Cen is located far below the $L_{\rm X}/(L_{\rm K}f_{b})-\sigma_{c}$ correlation line of the dynamically normal GCs. These evidences suggest that the binary burning processes are highly suppressed in $\omega$ Cen, and other "heating mechanisms", very likely a black hole subsystem (BHS), are essential in the dynamical evolution of $\omega$ Cen. Through the "black hole burning" processes (i.e., dynamical hardening of the BH binaries), the BHS is dominating the energy production of $\omega$ Cen, which also makes $\omega$ Cen a promising factory of gravitational-wave sources in the Galaxy., Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in ApJ

The As–Se glass is a large subgroup in the class of chalcogenide glass, which is widely used in electronics and photonics. Glass transition onset temperature, $$T_{g}$$ , is an important thermal parameter that needs to be considered during manufacturing and practical applications. Numerous experimental and theoretical approaches have been conducted to investigate $$T_{g}$$ , but they tend to be resource-intensive and complicated. In this study, we develop the multivariate linear regression model to shed light on the relationship between physical attributes and As $$_{x}$$ Se $$_{1-x}$$ $$T_{g}$$ . The model is simple and highly accurate that contributes to fast estimations of $$T_{g}$$ .

Metal halide perovskites have attracted great attention in the past decade due to unique and tunable optical and electrical properties, which are promising candidates for various applications such as solar cells, light-emitting diodes, and laser cooling devices. For cubic perovskites, the lattice constant, a, representing the size of the unit cell, has a significant impact on the structural stability, bandgap structure, and thus materials performance. In this study, we develop the Gaussian process regression (GPR) model to shed light on the relationship among ionic radii, electronegativities, and lattice constants for cubic perovskite $$A_{2}XY_{6}$$ compounds. A total of 79 samples with lattice constants ranging from 8.109 to 11.790 $$\mathring{\rm A}$$ are examined. The model has a high degree of accuracy and stability, contributing to fast, robust, and low-cost estimations of lattice constants.

Displays are basic building blocks of modern electronics1,2. Integrating displays into textiles offers exciting opportunities for smart electronic textiles – the ultimate form of wearables poised to change the way we interact with electronic devices3-6. Display textiles serve to bridge human-machine interactions7-9, offering for instance, a real-time communication tool for individuals with voice or speech disorders. Electronic textiles capable of communicating10, sensing11,12 and supplying electricity13,14 have been reported previously. However, textiles with functional, large-area displays have not been achieved so far because obtaining small illuminating units that are both durable and easy to assemble over a wide area is challenging. Here, we report a 6 m (L) * 25 cm (W) display textile containing 500000 electroluminescent (EL) units narrowly spaced to ~800 μm. Weaving conductive weft and luminescent warp fibres forms micron-scale EL units at the weft-warp contact points. Brightness between EL units deviates by < 6.3% and remains stable even when the textile is bent, stretched or pressed. We attribute this uniform and stable lighting to the smooth luminescent coating around the warp fibres and homogenous electric field distribution at the contact points. Our display textile is flexible and breathable and withstands repeatable machine-washing, making them suitable for practical applications. We show an integrated textile system consisting of display, keyboard and power supply can serve as a communication tool, which could potentially drive the Internet of Things in various areas including healthcare. Our approach unifies the fabrication and function of electronic devices with textiles, and we expect weaving fibre materials to shape the next-generation electronics.

Displays are basic building blocks of modern electronics

Lymphoma is a heterogeneous disease with varying clinical manifestations and outcomes. Many subtypes of lymphoma, such as Burkitt′s lymphoma and diffuse large B cell lymphoma, are highly aggressive with dismal prognosis even after conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As such, exploring specific biomarkers for lymphoma is of high clinical significance. Herein, a potential marker, CD38, is investigated for differentiating lymphoma. A CD38‐targeting monoclonal antibody (mAb, daratumumab) is then radiolabeled with Zr‐89 and Lu‐177 for theranostic applications. As the diagnostic component, the Zr‐89‐labeled mAb is highly specific in delineating CD38‐positive lymphoma via positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, while the Lu‐177‐labeled mAb serves well as the therapeutic component to suppress tumor growth after a one‐time administration. These results strongly suggest that CD38 is a lymphoma‐specific marker and prove that 89Zr/177Lu‐labeled daratumumab facilitates immunoPET imaging and radioimmunotherapy of lymphoma in preclinical models. Further clinical evaluation and translation of this CD38‐targeted theranostics may be of significant help in lymphoma patient stratification and management., A CD38‐targeting monoclonal antibody (mAb, daratumumab) is radiolabeled with Zr‐89 and Lu‐177 for theranostics. As the diagnostic component, the Zr‐89‐labeled mAb is highly specific in delineating CD38‐positive lymphoma via positron emission tomography imaging, while the Lu‐177‐labeled mAb serves well as the therapeutic component to suppress tumor after a one‐time administration. Further clinical translation may be of high significance for lymphoma.

Efficient solid-state refrigeration techniques have drawn increasing attention due to their potential for improving energy efficiency of refrigeration temperature control systems without using harmful gas as in conventional gas compression techniques. Research on magnetocaloric lanthanum manganites with a large maximum magnetic entropy change near room temperature shows promising results for further developments of magnetic refrigeration devices. By incorporating chemical substitutions, oxygen content modifications, and various synthesis methods, these manganites experience lattice distortions from perovskite cubic structures to pseudocubic, orthorhombic, and rhombohedral structures. Further changes in lattice parameters can also be achieved by the introduction of strain due to lattice mismatches. Empirical results and previous models through thermodynamics and first principles show that changes in lattice parameters correlate with those in MMCE, but correlations are merely general tendencies and obviously not universal. In this work, the Gaussian process regression model is developed as a machine learning tool to find statistical correlations between the MMCE and lattice parameters among lanthanum manganites. More than 100 lattices, cubic, pseudocubic, orthorhombic, and rhombohedral, with the MMCE ranging from 0.65 to $$8.00\,\hbox {J}\,\hbox {kg}^{-1}\,\hbox {K}^{-1}$$ under a field change of 5 T are explored for this purpose. The modeling approach demonstrates a high degree of accuracy and stability, contributing to efficient and low-cost estimations of the magnetocaloric effect. Furthermore, the machine learning algorithm predicts close MMCE results on epitaxial films with strained lattices against experimental results, which can provide guidance on thin film structure design and help understandings of magnetic phase transformations and magnetocaloric effects.

It has always been a challenge to prepare self-powered ultraviolet photodetectors (UV PDs) utilizing a green, facile and low-cost method. Here, we provide such an approach for fabricating self-powered photodetectors based on Te nanowire/TiO

Extensible, stable and accurate indoor positioning technology is the main goal of future large-scale perception services. With the widespread deployment of wireless hotspots, the demand for location-based services is also increasing. Location fingerprint technology is one of the main localization algorithms in this field, because it does not need expensive hardware facilities and can be located through existing resources and software. With the increase of the number of wireless access points in fingerprints or the number of fingerprints in database, the complexity of location algorithm will increase, and it may be difficult to achieve location fingerprint for large-scale multi-building and multi-floor. Therefore, we introduce the relevant classification technology of integrated learning, and use the XGBoost positioning algorithm to design the classification of indoor positioning to improve the positioning accuracy and reduce the computational complexity. Finally, according to the simulation results, the performance of the algorithm is analyzed, and the localization effects of the algorithm and other localization algorithms are compared and analyzed.

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-jcm-10.1177_0021998320984245 for Predicting the delamination factor in carbon fibre reinforced plastic composites during drilling through the Gaussian process regression by Yun Zhang and Xiaojie Xu in Journal of Composite Materials

Using archival {\it Chandra} observations with a total effective exposure of 323 ks, we derive an updated catalog of point sources in the bulge globular cluster M28. The catalog contains 502 X-ray sources within an area of $\sim475\, \rm arcmin^{2}$, and more than $90\%$ of these sources are first detected in this cluster. We find significant dips in the radial distribution profiles of X-ray sources in M28, with the projected distance and width of the distribution dip for bright ($L_{X} \gtrsim 4.5\times 10^{30} {\rm\ erg\ \,s^{-1}}$) X-ray sources are larger than the faint ($L_{X} \lesssim 4.5\times 10^{30} {\rm\ erg\ \,s^{-1}}$) sources. The "generalized King model" fitting give a slightly larger average mass for the bright sources ($1.30\pm0.15\,M_{\odot}$) than the faint sources ($1.09\pm0.14\,M_{\odot}$), which support a universal mass segregation delay between heavy objects in GCs. Compared with 47 Tuc and Terzan 5, we show that the dynamical age of M28 is comparable to Terzan 5 and much smaller than 47 Tuc, but it is evolving more fast (i.e., with smaller two-body relaxation timescale) than 47 Tuc. These features may suggest an acceleration effect of cluster dynamical evolution by tidal shock in M28. Besides, we find an abnormal deficiency of X-ray sources in the central region ($R \lesssim 1.5 \rm~arcmin$) of M28 than its outskirts, which indicate that M28 may have suffered an early phase of primordial binary disruption within its central region, and mass segregation effect will erase such a phenomenon as cluster evolve to older dynamical age., Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

The increase in critical temperature, T c , of high-temperature superconductors fulfills the needs of practical applications with liquid-helium-free refrigeration and a delay in magnet failure. The YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 (YBCO) superconductor exhibits T c of greater than 90 K and an upper critical field of greater than 100 T, which is a promising candidate in high-field magnet design. Due to their large anisotropy in current transportation, YBCO superconductors are usually processed as thin films by pulsed-laser deposition. But the research requires significant manpower for materials synthesis, analysis, and quench detection, as well as costly equipment and facilities. In this work, we develop the multiple linear regression model to shed light on the relationship between pulsed laser deposition parameters and the superconducting transition temperature ( T c ) and relative resistance ratio ( r R ) in the laser deposition of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 films. The model is straightforward and simple and demonstrates a high degree of accuracy and stability, contributing to fast low-cost estimations of T c and r R .

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status is the major determinant of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) therapy selection. Studies have hinted that EGFR antibodies or tyrosine kinase inhibitors were beneficial in patients with EGFR mutation-negative but EGFR-overexpressing of NSCLC. However, the mechanisms underlying EGFR amplification and overexpression in NSCLC remain largely unknown. Here, we report that rs884225, a single nucleotide polymorphism in the EGFR 3'-terminal untranslated region, was significantly associated with EGFR expression level and contributed to NSCLC susceptibility. Mechanistically, the rs884225 C allele enhanced EGFR expression by altering the miR-103a-3p binding site, thus impairing miR-103a-3p's anti-tumourigenic function. As a tumour suppressor gene, miR-103a-3p expression correlated with overall and recurrence-free survival in NSCLC patients. Furthermore, miR-103a-3p inhibited growth and metastasis via effects on the KRAS pathway and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in EGFR wild-type NSCLC cell lines, respectively, which substantially reduced EGFR expression and activity. Thus, rs884225 may be a biomarker for NSCLC susceptibility, and miR-103a-3p may be a potential therapeutic target in NSCLC.

This paper examines contemporaneous and Granger causality among US corn futures and seven cash prices from major producing states for January 2006–March 2011. Causal flows from futures to cash prices are identified with contemporaneous and in-sample Granger causality tests but not with the out-of-sample Granger causality test. While no interstate in-sample or out-of-sample Granger causality is found, contemporaneous causal linkages are revealed. No causality from cash to futures prices is determined.

Trelagliptin inhibits the enzyme dipeptidyl-4 (DPP-4) to treat type 2 diabetes and it may possess the potential to improve insulin resistance. However, the molecular mechanism is not known. In this study, the effect of trelagliptin succinate in improving insulin resistance was investigated. The differentiation system of 3T3-L1 mouse preadipocytes was used to determine the content of adipokines and the content of GLUT4 in the outer membrane. The expression of AKT, P-AKT, IRS-1 and P-IRS-1 in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes was determined by western blotting. Our results demonstrated that trelagliptin succinate increased the expression of AKT, P-AKT, IRS-1 and P-IRS-1 in the PI-3K/AKT insulin signaling pathway. These events promote the trans-membrane function of GLUT4 and concomitant glucose intake in adipocytes. In addition, the secretion of free fatty acids and resistin were decreased. In conclusion, our study suggested that trelagliptin succinate improved insulin resistance in adipocytes via regulation of PI-3K/AKT/GLUT4 insulin signaling pathway.

Cryptotanshinone (CTS) has emerged as an anti-inflammatory agent in osteoarthritis (OA). However, the molecular mechanism underlying its potent therapeutic effect on OA remains largely unknown. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as crucial regulators in maintaining cartilage homeostasis. To investigate whether CTS protects against developing OA through regulation of miRNAs, we examined the potential CTS-mediated miRNA molecules using microarray analysis. We found that CTS significantly promoted miR-106a-5p expression in chondrocytes. Using the OA mouse model created by anterior cruciate ligament transection, we revealed that intra-articular injection of miR-106a-5p agomir attenuated OA. In addition, miR-106a-5p inhibited GLI-similar 3 (GLIS3) production by directly targeting the 3′ untranslated region. CTS promoted miR-106a-5p expression through recruitment of a member of the paired box (PAX) family of transcription factors, PAX5, to the miR-106a-5p promoter. Inhibition of PAX5 mimicked the effect of miR-106a-5p and abolished the CTS ability to regulate miR-106a-5p expression. In OA patients, miR-106-5p is downregulated which is accompanied by downregulation of PAX5 and upregulation of GLIS3. Collectively, these data highlight that the PAX5/miR-106a-5p/GLIS3 axis acts as a novel pleiotropic regulator in CTS-mediated OA cartilage protection, suggesting that miR-106a-5p and PAX5 activation and GLIS3 inhibition might be useful and attractive for therapeutic strategies to treat OA patients., Graphical Abstract

Phosphorus deficiency in soil is a worldwide constraint threatening maize production. Through a genome-wide association study, we identified molecular markers and associated candidate genes and molecular pathways for low-phosphorus stress tolerance. Phosphorus deficiency in soils will severely affect maize (Zea mays L.) growth and development, thus decreasing the final yield. Deciphering the genetic basis of yield-related traits can benefit our understanding of maize tolerance to low-phosphorus stress. However, considering that yield-related traits should be evaluated under field condition with large populations rather than under hydroponic condition at a single-plant level, searching for appropriate field experimental sites and target traits for low-phosphorus stress tolerance is still very challenging. In this study, a genome-wide association analysis using two natural populations was performed to detect candidate genes in response to low-phosphorus stress at two experimental sites representative of different climate and soil types. In total, 259 candidate genes were identified and these candidate genes are mainly involved in four major pathways: transcriptional regulation, reactive oxygen scavenging, hormone regulation, and remodeling of cell wall. Among these candidate genes, 98 showed differential expression by transcriptome data. Based on a haplotype analysis of grain number under phosphorus deficiency condition, the positive haplotypes with favorable alleles across five loci increased grain number by 42% than those without favorable alleles. For further verifying the feasibility of genomic selection for improving maize low-phosphorus tolerance, we also validated the predictive ability of five genomic selection methods and suggested that moderate-density SNPs were sufficient to make accurate predictions for low-phosphorus tolerance traits. All these results will facilitate elucidating genetic basis of maize tolerance to low-phosphorus stress and improving marker-assisted selection efficiency in breeding process.

CD30 has been considered a unique diagnostic and therapeutic target for CD30-positive lymphomas and some lung diseases. Additionally, CD30 has shown high expression in clinical lung cancer samples. In this study, (89)Zr-radiolabeled brentuximab vedotin (BV) was developed for in vivo tracking of BV and imaging CD30 expression in lung cancer models via conjugation with desferrioxamine (Df). CD30 expression in three lung cancer cell lines (H460, H358, and A549) was quantified by Western blot. Flow cytometry and saturation binding assays were used to evaluate the binding capabilities of the tracer in vitro. After longitudinal positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and quantitative analysis were performed, ex vivo biodistribution and histological studies were used to verify PET results. Finally, dosimetric extrapolation of murine data to humans was performed. At the cellular level, CD30 was found to be expressed on H460 and A549 cells with the highest and lowest levels of expression, respectively. Both Df-BV and (89)Zr-Df-BV displayed high binding affinity to H460 cells. PET images and their quantification verified that BV accumulated in H460 tumor models (9.93 ± 2.70% ID/g at 24 h after injection; n = 4) at the highest level, followed by H358 and A549 tumors (8.05 ± 2.43 and 5.00 ± 1.56% ID/g; n = 4). The nonspecific (89)Zr-labeled IgG showed a low tumor uptake of 5.2 ± 1.0% ID/g for H460 models. Ex vivo biodistribution and fluorescence immunohistochemistry also corroborated these findings. Dosimetric results displayed safe dose estimations. Therefore, (89)Zr-Df- BV provides a potential agent for evaluating CD30 expression noninvasively in lung cancer, and also for imaging of brentuximab vedotin for better understanding of its pharmacokinetics.

Cadherin-6 (CDH6) is aberrantly expressed in cancer and closely associated with tumor progression. However, the functions of CDH6 in human osteosarcoma and the molecular mechanisms underlying CDH6 in osteosarcoma oncogenesis remain poorly understood. In this work, we assessed the role of CDH6 in human osteosarcoma and identified that the expression of CDH6 was closely related with the overall survival and poor prognosis of osteosarcoma patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated as important epigenetic regulators during the progression of osteosarcoma. Using dual-luciferase reporter assays, we showed that miR-223-3p suppresses CDH6 expression by directly binding to the 3′ UTR of CDH6. miR-223-3p overexpression significantly inhibited cell invasion, migration, growth, and proliferation by suppressing the CDH6 expression in vivo and in vitro. Besides, CDH6 overexpression in the miR-223-3p-transfected osteosarcoma cells effectively rescued the inhibition of cell invasion, migration, growth, and proliferation mediated by miR-223-3p. Additionally, Kaplan-Meier analysis suggests that the expression of miR-223-3p predicts favorable clinical outcomes for osteosarcoma patients. Moreover, the expression of miR-223-3p was downregulated in osteosarcoma patients and was negatively associated with the expression of CDH6. Collectively, these data highlight that miR-223-3p/CDH6 axis is an important novel pleiotropic regulator and could early predict the metastatic potential in human osteosarcoma treatments., Quanbo Ji et al. demonstrate that CDH6 is correlated with the overall survival and prognosis of osteosarcoma patients and identified as a novel direct target of miR-223-3p. miR-223-3p overexpression inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, indicating miR-223-3p and CDH6 could be novel prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for treating osteosarcoma.

A water-soluble and highly fluorescent ionic complex of 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic acid (PTCA) with (2-(6-aminohexanamido)phenyl)boronic acid (PBA- NH2) was prepared via acid-base reaction. Fluorescent studies revealed the quenching effect of PVA or glucose to the emission of the ionic complex of PTCA/PBA-NH2. Interestingly, introduction of F− turned the quenched fluorescence on, and addition of Ca2+ made the emission off again. The reasons behind were ascribed to the formation and disruption of dynamic cyclic boronate esters owing to establishment and cleavage of another dynamic covalent bond of B-F. Accordingly, selective and reversible sensing of glucose (PVA), F− and Ca2+ was realized. Moreover, the ionic complex can be also used for qualitative but sensitive detection of trace water in methanol. Considering the convenience of construction of the PTCA-based molecular system, and the fact that it avoids complicated synthetic burden commonly encountered in developing perylene-based sensing fluorophores, we believe that the work as reported stands for a powerful strategy for developing functionality-led molecular systems.

This study investigates causal structure among daily Chicago Board of Trade corn futures prices and seven regional cash series from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Kansas fo...

A self-healing and stretchable electroluminescent device is developed from an electroluminescent phosphor sandwiched between two aligned carbon nanotube/polyurethane composite electrodes. The aligned carbon nanotubes may interconnect to recover the electrical conductivity while the polyurethane elastomer can recover the mechanical strength upon contact of the two broken parts. The wrinkled structure of the aligned carbon nanotube sheet and the use of the polyurethane elastomer further made the electroluminescent device stretchable. As a result, the self-healing and stretchable electroluminescent device maintained a stable luminance after cutting and healing for 10 cycles and after repeatedly stretching and releasing for 350 cycles.

Stretchable, light-weight and breathable thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are highly desired for wearable electronic devices as promising power sources. However, it remains challenging to realize high-performance stretchable TEGs where the employment of inorganic materials is inevitable. Here, we provide the first three-dimensional helical inorganic TEG which is highly stretchable (∼100% strain), stable (1000 cycles of stretching), light-weight and breathable, thus indicating its great potential as a portable and wearable power supply that harvests energy from the human body. More importantly, we propose a novel, versatile and effective strategy which artfully transforms rigid electronic devices to stretchable helical ones. This ingenious and general approach for developing various functional wearable electronic devices is further exemplified by ZnO photodetectors, which are also demonstrated as highly stretchable (∼600% strain), deformable and breathable. The intelligent architecture design and assembly technique reported in this work will aid in pushing wearable electronic devices a step forward.

Protein S-sulfenylation is a type of reversible post-translational modification (PTM) through which cysteine (CYS) thiols of proteins are reversibly oxidized to cysteine sulfenic acids (CSO). Recent studies have shown that this event plays an essential role in cell signaling, transcriptional regulation and protein functions. Therefore, the identification of S-sulfenylation sites is important to understand the functions of S-sulfenylated proteins. In this study, we proposed PredCSO, a computational method for predicting S-sulfenylation sites in proteins. PredCSO is built on four kinds of features, including position-specific scoring matrix, position-specific amino acid propensity, the absolute solvent accessibility and four-body statistical pseudo-potential. In particular, 21 crucial features were refined out using a two-step feature selection procedure consisting of a max-relevance algorithm and a sequential backward elimination algorithm. To overcome the problem of imbalanced sample sizes, we adopt an ensemble method, which combines bootstrap resampling, gradient tree boosting and majority voting. Our performance evaluation shows that PredCSO achieves state-of-the-art performance in identifying S-sulfenylation sites in proteins.

In this work, a back-to-back symmetric Schottky type ultraviolet (UV) photodetector based on ternary alloy BeZnO was reported. High quality ternary alloy BeZnO was grown on a c-sapphire substrate via rf-plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (rf-MBE). The bandgap of BeZnO film was confirmed to be ∼3.54 eV and two-mode phonon vibration behavior was found in the resonant Raman spectrum. According to the modified random element isodisplacement (MREI) model, the two-mode behavior is due to the smaller effective mass of the substituting element Be in comparison with that of ZnO. Subsequently, we fabricated a symmetric Schottky type photodetector through using the high work function metal Au as the electrodes. Due to the incorporation of Be, the dark current of the device under 10 V is as low as ∼1 pA. The device showed a noticeable UV response with a response peak at 325 nm and a cut-off edge at 365 nm. At 5 V, the peak responsivity was as high as 10 mA W−1, which is the best result in BeZnO based photodetectors. Compared with ZnO-based photoconductive type photodetectors, the Schottky type device has a much faster response speed with a rise time of 1.48 ms and a decay time of 4 ms. Our findings provide a promising approach to realize a high performance UV photodetector based on novel ternary alloy BeZnO.

The chalcogenide glass, GexSe1−x, has been widely used in advanced electronics and photonics. The onset temperature of glass transition, Tg, plays an important role in manufacturing processes and practical applications. To investigate the Tg, experimental methods to observe the glass transition step are commonly used, but the correlation between influencing factors and the Tg remains vague. In this study, we develop the multivariate linear regression (MLR) model to present the relationship between physical attributes and GexSe1−x Tg. This simple model is highly accurate and contributes to rapid calculations of Tg. Compared with previous models that are more complicated in model construction and applications, the MLR model shows better performance and the direct statistical correlation between descriptors and the target variable.

The supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO2) is one of promising solvents for supercritical fluid extraction. The solubility of bioactive compounds in the sc-CO2 is an important factor in designing the extraction process. Obtaining solubility data by experiments requires a large amount of resource and manpower. A model is highly sought if it is simple and can apply to a wide selection of solutes. We develop the Gaussian process regression model to study the relationship among the solute molecular weight, solute melting point, temperature, pressure, sc-CO2 density, and solubilities of 30 bioactive compounds in more than 1,000 scenarios. The model manifests a high degree of accuracy and stability, contributing to fast low-cost estimations of solubilities of a variety of bioactive compounds.

Intracellular delivery of biomacromolecular drugs such as siRNA and proteins remains challenging. Polymers have been extensively explored as their delivery carriers, but the rigid structures and varied surface charges of siRNA and proteins make them hardly form well-defined nano-sized complexes with good stability for intracellular delivery. Here, we show that the flexible single strand oligonucleotides readily self-assemble with the poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly( L -lysine) (PEG-b-PLL) into ~100 nm-sized nanovesicles, which can encapsulate siRNA and various proteins for efficient intracellular delivery. Moreover, a cytotoxic single strand oligonucleotide, polyfluoropyrimidine (F20), is used as a functional oligonucleotide. F20/PEG-PLL form nanovesicles (F20some) with fast cellular uptake, leading to significant higher cell cytotoxicity than naked F20 and the parent drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Furthermore, F20some easily encapsulate siRNA and the cytotoxic proteins to potentiate the anticancer efficacy. The strategy in this study provides a promising platform for intracellular delivery of therapeutic oligonucleotides and other biopharmaceuticals.

We develop the Gaussian process regression model to shed light on relationships between metal surface energy and pertinent physical parameters. A total of 43 metals with surface energy ranging from 0.10 to 3.68 J m − 2 are explored for this purpose. The dataset contains alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metals, Lanthanides, and metals in other groups with the face-centered cubic, body-centered cubic, or hexagonal-closed-packed structure. The model is accurate and stable that contributes to fast estimations of surface energy of various metals at low cost.

This paper examines the causal structure between daily closing price series of the Chinese stock index and futures from April 16, 2010, the launch date of the futures, to November 14, 2014, through a rolling approach that takes into account window sizes of a half, one, one and a half, and two years. Except for several subperiods associated with the half- and one-year window, the two series are tied together through cointegration and adjust equally toward the long-run relationship. Considering different forecasting lengths, the out-of-sample Granger causality test for each window generally reveals that no series gains forecastability from another. These results shed light on the evolving causal structure between the two series, which is determined to be stable. The futures market, however, has not been fully developed to serve as a price discovery source. Increasing openness of investment channels and policy incentives to attract well-informed traders may stimulate futures market development.

The study of employee production safety behavior should begin with the key influential factors. This paper aims to find the factors affecting small and medium-sized enterprises’ employees’ safety production behavior and analyze the hierarchical structure relationship among these factors. Then based on the study results, some countermeasures and suggestions are put forward to prevent and control the unsafe behavior of small and medium-sized enterprises (SEMs). This paper first makes an in-depth study on the influential factors of SMEs’ employee safety behavior. Then the paper establishes interpretative structural model by using interpretative structural modeling method to analyze the hierarchical structure relationship among the factors and to find out the direct actors, critical factors and root factors, which is beneficial to study the influential path of employee safety behavior. Based on the root factors, critical factors and direct actors, some countermeasures and suggestions from the prospective of enterprise and the government are put forward to prevent and control the unsafe behavior of SEMs, which have important referential value and referential significance for the SMEs to prevent and control employees’ unsafe production behavior.

This paper introduces the DS-I-A model with periodic parameter function and Markovian switching. First, we will prove that the solution of the system is positive and global. Furthermore, we draw a conclusion that there exists nontrivial positive periodic solution for the stochastic system and we establish sufficient conditions for extinction of system. Moreover, we construct stochastic Lyapunov functions with regime switching to obtain the existence of ergodic stationary distribution of the solution to DS-I-A model perturbed by white and telephone noises and we also establish sufficient conditions for extinction of system with regime switching. Finally, we test our theory conclusion by simulations.

Using prices from 182 cash markets from seven states and the Chicago Board of Trade futures, we investigate cointegration and price discovery for corn. Analysis based on cash–futures pairs reveals that cointegration holds for 52 cash markets and failures tend to happen farther away from futures delivery locations. Cash generally are as important as futures prices as information sources in the long run and cash to futures information flow is most likely in the short run. Contributions to price discovery also are measured quantitatively for cointegrated cases. Analysis based on state-level cash prices indicates bidirectional information flow between cash and futures prices under a bivariate model, and futures to cash information flow under the octavariate model with all cash and the futures series. Comparisons of the two models show that including local cash markets in a price relationship model highlights cointegration and the futures’ price discovery role and could benefit cash price forecasting. Finally, evidence of nonlinear causality is found.

Soybean meal is one of the most widely used alternative protein sources for aquafeed, but high level of soybean meal inclusion has been shown to induce poor growth performance and impair the gut health in fish, including turbot Scophthalmus maximus . Mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) have been used to improve soybean meal utilization in different fish species, but the results may appear contradictory. The present work was conducted to investigate the effects of MOS on soybean meal-fed turbot with an emphasis on gut health. Turbot (initial weight 7.6 g) were fed with three isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets for 8 weeks: FM, a basal diet with fish meal as the main protein source; SBM, a diet with 40% soybean meal mainly replacing fish meal; SBMMOS, a diet based on the SBM receipt supplemented with 0.2% mannan oligosaccharide. A typical soybean meal-induced enteritis (SBMIE) phenomenon, i.e., shorter and fewer microvilli and also changes in the autochthonous bacteria community were observed in fish fed the SBM diet. The MOS supplementation improved growth performance, feed utilization and counteracted the negative effects of SBM on gut health by increasing the activities of brush border enzymes, preventing alteration of the microvilli and mucosal folds and modulating the microbiota in a direction found in FM-fed fish. However, dietary MOS did not alleviate the infiltration of leucocytes in the lamina propria and submucosa, neither the high expression of inflammatory related cytokines caused by soybean meal. In conclusion, MOS was beneficial to the turbots suffering from soy enteropathy, but did not eliminate all symptoms of enteritis.