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The delineation of the open-pit mining boundary, particularly in the context of medium to long-term planning, forms the foundation of mining design. However, due to the non-linear and dynamic nature of the economic and technical parameters influencing boundary delineation, determining the optimal mining boundary can be exceedingly challenging. Currently, most boundary optimization methods assume that block parameters remain fixed, which results in enterprises assuming a certain level of risk when facing changes in internal and external conditions. In this regard, this paper introduces the concept of "achievement degree" to reflect the risk associated with the results of boundary design. Using coal prices as an example, this article applies the predicted coal price curve to boundary optimization adjustments by specifying the "achievement degree" requirements for various time periods, thereby facilitating risk-controlled and economically optimal boundary decisions. Taking the illustrative case of an idealized small-scale inclined coal seam open-pit mine, adjustments to the boundary closely track variations in coal prices, further enhancing returns. The results demonstrate that the method proposed in this paper can increase overall revenue by approximately 51.15% within the forecast period, while effectively managing risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to serving as North China's water supply and ecological barrier, the mountainous area of the Haihe River basin (MHRB) is a crucial location for the application of ecological engineering. Vegetation is an important component in the ecological conservation and eco-hydrological progress of the MHRB. A better understanding of regional vegetation growth can be achieved by a thorough investigation of vegetation indicators. In this research, the leaf area index (LAI) and gross primary productivity (GPP) were chosen as vegetation indicators. The characteristics and driving forces of the spatiotemporal variations of LAI and GPP in the MHRB were explored through Sen's slope, the Mann–Kendall test, the optimal parameter-based geographical detector model, and correlation analysis. From 2001 to 2018, the annual LAI and GPP increased significantly on the regional scale. The areas with significantly increased vegetation accounted for more than 81% of the MHRB. Land use was the most influential element for the spatial heterogeneity of LAI and GPP, and the humidity index was the most crucial one among climate indicators. Non-linear enhancement or bivariate enhancement was discovered between any two factors, and the strongest interaction was from land use and humidity index. The lowest vegetation cover was found in dry regions with annual precipitation below 407 mm and the humidity index under 0.41; while in both forests and large undulating mountains, higher LAI and GPP were observed. About 87% of the significantly increased vegetation was found in areas with unaltered land use. The increase in vegetation in the MHRB from 2001 to 2018 was promoted by the increased precipitation and humidity index and the reduced vapor pressure deficit. The sensitivity of GPP to climate change was stronger than that of LAI. These findings can serve as a theoretical guide for the application of ecological engineering and ecological preservation in the MHRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Permian coal measures in eastern Yunnan, western Guizhou, and central Guangxi are significantly enriched in critical metals that could serve as important supplements to conventional critical metal deposits in China. This study collected previous geochronological and geochemical data from the Late Permian coal measures to evaluate the distribution characteristics and enrichment factors of critical metals. Moreover, metallogenic models for critical metals were also developed. The results showed that Late Permian coal measures in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi provinces exhibited abnormal enrichment in Nb, Zr, and rare earth elements (REY, or REE if Y is excluded). The Emeishan mafic rocks and intermediate-felsic volcanic ash from the Truong Son orogenic belt underwent chemical weathering, with Nb and Zr selectively preserved in situ in the form of heavy minerals (e.g., rutile, zircon, and anatase), which subsequently led to the enrichment of Nb and Zr in bauxite and Al-claystone at the bottom of the Late Permian coal measures. Intermediate-felsic volcanic ash from the Emeishan large igneous province (ELIP) and the Truong Son orogenic belt supplied Nb, Zr, and REY for the middle and upper parts of the Late Permian coal measures. The intermediate-felsic mineral material of the coal measures in the intermediate zone, outer zone, and outside zone of ELIP are derived mainly from the ELIP, the mixture from ELIP and the Truong Son orogenic belt, and the Truong Son orogenic belts, respectively. Nb, Zr, and REY were leached by acidic aqueous solutions and from the parting and roof into underlying coal seams, where they deposited as authigenic minerals or adsorbed ions on organic matter during early coalification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the problem of excessive local secondary stripping between adjacent mining areas in open pit mines caused by internal row raising, a multivariate function was fitted to the model of the main mining seam of Zhundong open pit coal mine in Xinjiang, and the different locations of the end gang of the second mining area were divided into multiple sections at certain step sizes and calculated by integration, resulting in stripping ratios for each section, which were fitted to a stripping ratio curve. The optimal location of the mining area boundary was found to be 55 m westward offset from the mining area boundary in the inner row of the raised section, and numerical simulations based on the strength reduction method were applied to analyse the slope stability of the end gang at this location. The results of the study show that the analysed slope meets the stability requirements and the optimised new boundary avoids the stripping of approximately 65,837,376 m3 of economically unreasonable section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic colon injury (TCI) is a typical injury with high mortality. Prolongation of the intervention time window is a potentially useful approach to improving the outcomes of TCI casualties. This study aimed to identify the pathological mechanisms of TCI and to develop effective strategies to extend the survival time. A semicircular incision was made to prepare a TCI model using C57BL/6 mice. An overview of microbiota dysregulation was achieved by metagenome sequencing. Protein expression reprogramming in the intestinal epithelium was investigated using proteomics profiling. The mice that were subjected to TCI died within a short period of time when not treated. Gut symbiosis showed abrupt turbulence, and specific pathogenic bacteria rapidly proliferated. The protein expression in the intestinal epithelium was also reprogrammed. Among the differentially expressed proteins, SERPINA3N was overexpressed after TCI modeling. Deletion of Serpina3n prolonged the posttraumatic survival time of mice with TCI by improving gut homeostasis in vivo. To promote the translational application of this research, the effects of melatonin (MLT), an oral inhibitor of the SERPINA3N protein, were further investigated. MLT effectively downregulated SERPINA3N expression and mitigated TCI‐induced death by suppressing the NF‐κB signaling pathway. Our findings prove that preventive administration of MLT serves as an effective regimen to prolong the posttraumatic survival time by restoring gut homeostasis perturbed by TCI. It may become a novel strategy for improving the prognosis of patients suffering from TCI. Highlights: SERPINA3N expression is significantly upregulated in the intestinal epithelium of traumatic colon injury (TCI) mice.Restoration of ectopic SERPINA3N expression prolongs the survival time by attenuating the dysregulation of gut homeostasis in TCI mice.Preventive administration of melatonin, as an oral inhibitor of SERPINA3N expression, is a potentially useful approach to treat patients with TCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intestinal barrier is a sum of the functions and structures consisting of the intestinal mucosal epithelium, mucus, intestinal flora, secretory immunoglobulins, and digestive juices. It is the first-line defense mechanism that resists nonspecific infections with powerful functions that include physical, endocrine, and immune defenses. Health and physiological homeostasis are greatly dependent on the sturdiness of the intestinal barrier shield, whose dysfunction can contribute to the progression of numerous types of intestinal diseases. Disorders of internal homeostasis may also induce barrier impairment and form vicious cycles during the response to diseases. Therefore, the identification of the underlying mechanisms involved in intestinal barrier function and the development of effective drugs targeting its damage have become popular research topics. Evidence has shown that multiple signaling pathways and corresponding critical molecules are extensively involved in the regulation of the barrier pathophysiological state. Ectopic expression or activation of signaling pathways plays an essential role in the process of shield destruction. Although some drugs, such as molecular or signaling inhibitors, are currently used for the treatment of intestinal diseases, their efficacy cannot meet current medical requirements. In this review, we summarize the current achievements in research on the relationships between the intestinal barrier and signaling pathways. The limitations and future perspectives are also discussed to provide new horizons for targeted therapies for restoring intestinal barrier function that have translational potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In the paper, the problem of fault diagnosis and fault‐tolerant control for the bilinear stochastic distribution system with actuator fault is studied. Firstly, based on a grain processing device, a bilinear stochastic distribution system model is established. Then, a new unknown input observer is designed to diagnose the fault, and a model‐predicted fault‐tolerant controller is designed for the system on the basis of the estimated fault information, in order to keep the system stable or still maintain the control performance after the fault occurs. Finally, the validity of the proposed algorithm is verified by the grain processing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate has critical roles in the origin, pathogenesis and transmission of infectious zoonotic diseases. However, large‐scale epidemiologic trend and specific response pattern of zoonotic diseases under future climate scenarios are poorly understood. Here, we projected the distribution shifts of transmission risks of main zoonotic diseases under climate change in China. First, we shaped the global habitat distribution of main host animals for three representative zoonotic diseases (2, 6, and 12 hosts for dengue, hemorrhagic fever, and plague, respectively) with 253,049 occurrence records using maximum entropy (Maxent) modeling. Meanwhile, we predicted the risk distribution of the above three diseases with 197,098 disease incidence records from 2004 to 2017 in China using an integrated Maxent modeling approach. The comparative analysis showed that there exist highly coincident niche distributions between habitat distribution of hosts and risk distribution of diseases, indicating that the integrated Maxent modeling is accurate and effective for predicting the potential risk of zoonotic diseases. On this basis, we further projected the current and future transmission risks of 11 main zoonotic diseases under four representative concentration pathways (RCPs) (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5) in 2050 and 2070 in China using the above integrated Maxent modeling with 1,001,416 disease incidence records. We found that Central China, Southeast China, and South China are concentrated regions with high transmission risks for main zoonotic diseases. More specifically, zoonotic diseases had diverse shift patterns of transmission risks including increase, decrease, and unstable. Further correlation analysis indicated that these patterns of shifts were highly correlated with global warming and precipitation increase. Our results revealed how specific zoonotic diseases respond in a changing climate, thereby calling for effective administration and prevention strategies. Furthermore, these results will shed light on guiding future epidemiologic prediction of emerging infectious diseases under global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li+/Na+ exchange has been extensively explored as an effective method to prepare high‐performance Mn‐based layered cathodes for Li‐ion batteries, since the first report in 1996 by P. G. Bruce (Nature, 1996. 381, 499–500). Understanding the detailed structural changes during the ion‐exchange process is crucial to implement the synthetic control of high‐performance layered Mn‐based cathodes, but less studied. Herein, in situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction, density functional theory calculations, and electrochemical tests are combined to conduct the systemic studies into the structural changes during the ion‐exchange process of an Mn‐only layered cathode O3‐type Li0.67[Li0.22Mn0.78]O2 (LLMO) from the corresponding counterpart P3‐type Na0.67[Li0.22Mn0.78]O2 (NLMO). The temperature‐resolved observations combined with theoretical calculations reveal that the Li+/Na+ exchange is favorable thermodynamically and composited with two tandem topotactic phase transitions: 1) from NLMO to a layered intermediate through ≈60% of Li+/Na+ exchange. 2) then to the final layered product LLMO through further Li insertion. Moreover, the intermediate‐dominate composite is obtained by slowing down the exchange kinetics below room temperature, showing better electrochemical performance than LLMO obtained by the traditional molten‐salt method. The findings provide guides for the synthetic control of high‐performance Mn‐based cathodes under mild conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important link in the complex system engineering project of open pit mining, the quality of the boundary determines the performance of the project to a large extent. However, changes in economic indicators may raise doubts about the optimality of mining boundaries. In this article, a coal price time series forecasting model that considers some amount of redundancy is proposed, which combines an improved sparrow search algorithm (ISSA) and a least squares support vector regression machine regression (LSSVR) algorithm. The optimal values of the penalty factor and kernel function parameter of the LSSVR model are selected by ISSA, which improves the prediction accuracy and generalization performance of the forecasting model. A multistep decision optimization method under fluctuating coal price conditions is proposed, and the model prediction results are applied to the boundary optimization design process. Using the widely applied block model as the basis, a set of optimal production nested pits is obtained, allowing the realm design results to fit the coal price fluctuation trend and further enhance enterprise efficiency. The applicability and effectiveness of this method were verified by taking an ideal two-dimensional model and an inclined coal seam open-pit coal mine in Xinjiang as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aberrant resting-state functional connectivity (FC) of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (BP). This study investigated the subregional FC of ACC across schizophrenia and psychotic (PBP) and nonpsychotic BP (NPBP) and the relationship between brain functional alterations and clinical manifestations. A total of 174 first-episode medication-naive patients with schizophrenia (FES), 80 patients with PBP, 77 patients with NPBP and 173 demographically matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Brain-wide FC of ACC subregions was computed for each individual, and compared between the groups. General intelligence was evaluated using the short version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Relationships between FC and various clinical and cognitive variables were estimated using the skipped correlation. The FES, PBP and NPBP groups showed differing connectivity patterns in the left caudal, dorsal and perigenual ACC. Transdiagnostic dysconnectivity was found in the subregional ACC associated with cortical, limbic, striatal and cerebellar regions. Disorder-specific dysconnectivity in FES was identified between the left perigenual ACC and bilateral orbitofrontal cortex, and the left caudal ACC coupling with the default mode network (DMN) and visual processing region was correlated with psychotic symptoms. In the PBP group, FC between the left dorsal ACC and the right caudate was correlated with psychotic symptoms, and FC connected with the DMN was associated with affective symptoms. The current findings confirmed that subregional ACC dysconnectivity could be a key transdiagnostic feature and associated with differing clinical symptomology across schizophrenia and PBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-hardness and transparent PMMA-based composites play a significant role in modern optical devices. However, a well-known paradox is that conventional PMMA-based composites with high loadings of nanoparticles usually possess high surface hardness at the cost of poor transparency and toughness due to the aggregation of nanoparticles. In this work, ideal optical materials (SiO2/PMMA composites) with high transparency and high surface hardness are successfully fabricated through the introduction of the flow modifier Si-DPF by conventional melt blending. Si-DPF with low surface energy and high transparency, which is located at the SiO2/PMMA interface, and nano-SiO2 particles are homogeneously dispersed in the PMMA matrix. As an example, the sample SiO2/PMMA/Si-DPF (30/65/5) shows outstanding transparency (>87.2% transmittance), high surface hardness (462.2 MPa), and notched impact strength (1.18 kJ/m2). Moreover, SiO2/PMMA/Si-DPF (30/65/5) also presents a low torque value of composite melt (21.7 N⋅m). This work paves a new possibility for the industrial preparation of polymer-based composites with excellent transparency, surface hardness, processability, and toughness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the research on goaf at home and abroad mainly focuses on four aspects: detection technology, stability evaluation technology, governance technology and quality control technology. The most important of the above four aspects is goaf detection technology. In order to ensure the accuracy and precision of exploration, many geophysical methods and high-density geological drilling are usually used for exploration. In case of complex terrain, this method will increase the workload rapidly, and can not achieve a good balance between exploration cost and exploration quality. Goaf exploration methods are still in the development stage, and each geophysical exploration method has its limitations. This study makes full use of the existing detection technology to detect the complex mined-out area of East Open-pit Mine, 9 inferred mined-out areas and 9 suspected mined-out areas were found by using 3D seismic exploration method, transient electromagnetic method is used to delineate 223 abnormal areas at different elevations within the exploration range. 58 drilling holes are arranged in the suspected mined-out area of East Open-pit Mine. Combined with geological software, 3D model map of mined-out area is drawn, and the causes of formation of mined-out area are classified and analyzed. Using 3D laser scanning technology to study the visualization of hidden mined-out areas, the hidden mined-out areas are divided into three types through visualization research, and its formation mechanism is analyzed. It can be applied to detection of open-pit mines which have small underground coal mines and many mined-out areas with complex geometric shapes and has great significance to the proposal of stability treatment scheme of mined-out area. The novelty of this study is prove the area, shape, roof thickness and height of the mined-out area by using joint detection method and the hidden mined-out area is visualized by 3D laser scanning technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) of the uterus is a rare type of mesenchymal tumors associated with myelomelanocytic differentiation and distinctive histological appearances. So far, the reported cases of uterine PEComas are usually benign. Documented malignant cases with aggressive behavior appear to be less common. Case presentation: We report a 37-year-old female who received abdominal hysterectomy for uterine tumor in a local hospital. She was diagnosed with uterine leiomyosarcoma and referred to Hubei Cancer Hospital. Her histological slides were reviewed and immunohistochemical staining for specific markers of epithelial, melanocytic, myoid and some others were analyzed. The pathologic diagnosis was malignant uterine PEComa. Systematic imaging of the patient further revealed an abdominal para-aortic mass. She received pelvic and para-aortic lymph node dissection. Postoperative histology revealed para-aortic lymph nodal metastasis of malignant uterine PEComa. She received 8 cycles of chemotherapy after surgery. The chemotherapy regiment was epirubicin plus ifosfamide The patient is free of recurrence and metastasis 6 years after surgical resection. Conclusion: Uterine PEComas are indistinguishable from other uterine tumors such as leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma before pathologic diagnosis could be made. For patients with malignant uterine PEComas, removal of both primary lesions and metastatic foci, if any, needs to be attempted. Postoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy should also be considered in patients with distant metastases or positive lymph nodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a fluorine-containing flow modifier (Si-DF) with low surface energy is successfully synthesized, which is applied to fabricate ideal electronic packaging materials (BN/PPS composites) with high thermal conductivity, excellent dielectric properties, processability, and toughness by conventional melt blending. Si-DPF is located at the interface between the BN fillers and the PPS matrix, which not only improves the dispersion of BN fillers but also strengthens the interaction. With the help of 5 wt% Si-DF, BN/PPS/Si-DF (70/25/5) still exhibits the high thermally conductive coefficient (3.985 W/m·K) and low dielectric constant (3.76 at 100 MHz) although BN fillers are loaded as high as 70 wt%. Moreover, the sample processes a lower stable torque value (2.5 N·m), and the area under the stress–strain curves is also increased. This work provides an efficient way to develop high-performance polymer-based composites with high thermally conductive coefficients and low dielectric constants for electronic packaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the initial production phase of an inclined seam opencast mine, due to initial investment and production capacity constraints, zoning or phasing is usually used, resulting in changes in the length of the working line during the transition of the mining area. To simplify the process, this article analyses the changes in the length of the working line during the period of slow gang steering in inclined seam opencast mines. In order to simplify the process, this article analyses the changes in the length of the working line in each period. The relationship between the length of the working line and the realm stripping ratio in the overlapping area of the two mining areas is discussed, and the variation in the realm stripping ratio and the economically reasonable stripping ratio under different working line lengths is illustrated. The advantages and disadvantages of the different optimization options are described. The optimization method was applied to the Zhundong opencast coal mine to calculate the working line lengths for the two stages. The optimized stripping ratio for the second-stage south gang location is equal to the economically reasonable stripping ratio of 3.50 m3/t, which reduces coal compression and improves economic efficiency, and is a guideline for the study of the working line lengths in each stage of the open-pit mine slow gang turning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a safe and minimal-invasive modality, thermal therapy has become an effective treatment in cancer treatment. Other than killing the tumor cells or destroying the tumor entirely, the thermal modality results in profound molecular, cellular and biological effects on both the targeted tissue, surrounding environments, and even the whole body, which has triggered the combination of the thermal therapy with other traditional therapies as chemotherapy and radiation therapy or new therapies like immunotherapy, gene therapy, etc. The combined treatments have shown encouraging therapeutic effects both in research and clinic. In this review, we have summarized the outcomes of the existing synergistic therapies, the underlying mechanisms that lead to these improvements, and the latest research in the past five years. Limitations and future directions of synergistic thermal therapy are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of low accuracy and high false-alarm rate of existing intrusion detection models for multiple classifications of intrusion behaviors, a network intrusion detection model incorporating convolutional neural network and bidirectional gated recurrent unit is proposed. To solve the problems of many dimensions of features and imbalance of positive and negative samples in the original traffic data, sampling processing is performed with the help of a hybrid sampling algorithm combining ADASYN and RENN, and feature selection is performed by combining random forest algorithm and Pearson correlation analysis; after that, spatial features are extracted by the convolutional neural network, and further features are extracted by incorporating average pooling and max pooling, and then BiGRU is used to extracts long-distance dependent information features to achieve comprehensive and effective feature learning. Finally, the Softmax function is used for classification. In this paper, the proposed model is evaluated on the UNSW_NB15, NSL-KDD, and CIC-IDS2017 data sets with an accuracy of 85.55%, 99.81%, and 99.70%, which is 1.25%, 0.59%, and 0.27% better than the same type model of CNN-GRU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• It successfully detects the fracture initiation time by using DCPD and DIC methods. • The maximum stress exhibits a positive strain rate dependency, and the maximum strain exhibits a negative strain rate dependency. • The fracture toughness can be evaluated by J -integral and shows negative strain rate dependency. • SZD and θ show negative strain rate dependencies, while SZW shows positive strain rate dependency. • Mixed-mode fracture can be found near the crack for impact tension. Utilizing transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steel with strain-induced martensitic transformation (SIMT) on automotive steel plates and developing products which have exceptional energy absorption capabilities can be used to reduce weight. For this purpose, it is important to clarify the fracture toughness of TRIP steels and its strain rate dependency to ensure the use of impact-absorbing members over a wide range of deformation rates. However, inconsistent rate dependent trends were observed in the previous studies, possibly as a result of the transition of the fracture mode. Therefore, the effect of fracture modes and strain rate on the fracture toughness values needs to be examined sufficiently. In the present study, the fracture toughness of the specimens made of SUS304 metastable austenitic stainless steel, which is a kind of TRIP steel, is evaluated by tensile tests at various strain rates. Direct current potential difference and digital image correlation methods are introduced to detect the time of fracture initiation during deformation, especially at high deformation rates by using the developed impact tensile tests based on the split Hopkinson pressure bar. The fracture surfaces of the fractured specimens are observed by using an electron scanning electron microscopy to determine not only the fracture modes and their rate dependent effects but also the reinforcement mechanism of SIMT in mixed modes. The results demonstrate that fracture toughness shows negative strain rate dependency, and mixed-mode fracture can be found near the crack in the case of the impact tensile test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persulfate (PS) activation by nano zerovalent iron (nZVI) is promising for water purification, which is restricted due to its easy agglomeration and oxidation. Herein, porous hydrochar loaded nZVI (nZVI@PHC) was successfully synthesized by one-step process. nZVI@PHC not only had excellent adsorption capacity (178.6 mg/g) and abundant functional groups, but also possessed highly dispersed nZVI for PS activation to produce reactive oxygen species. Impressively, 0.2 g/L of nZVI@PHC (PHC/nZVI = 5:3) and 0.4 g/L of PS could achieve 99.7 % of phenol removal within 10 min. Moreover, nZVI@PHC/PS system showed superior applicability among wide range of initial pH (3.0–9.0) and temperatures (25–55 °C). Phenol removal mechanisms were elaborated by dissolved iron ions, scavenging experiments, and electronic paramagnetic spectrometer. As a result, both non-free radical pathway mediated by O 2 1 and free radical pathway (S O 4 • − , H O • , and O 2 • − ) participated in phenol degradation. Additionally, nZVI@PHC/PS system had favorable reusability and high tolerance to co-existing substance and different water bodies. This study provides a promising strategy to tailor highly active nZVI for PS activation to organic contaminants degradation. [Display omitted] • nZVI@PHC was successfully prepared and used for PS activation to degrade phenol. • nZVI@PHC/PS system had favorable tolerance to pH value and reaction temperature. • In nZVI@PHC/PS system, slowly released Fe2+ contributed to phenol degradation. • Phenol degradation processes included free radical and non-free radical pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenced by seasonal rainfall, the total groundwater inflow at the bottom of open-pit mines exhibits seasonal fluctuations. However, effective methods are lacking for forecasting groundwater inflow because groundwater inflow mechanisms remain unclear, thus hindering targeted seasonal adjustments of drainage measures. Consequently, the drainage capacity may be underutilized and emergency response capabilities may be insufficient. Addressing the aforementioned issues, this study investigated the intrinsic relationship between rainfall and groundwater inflow using seasonal time series analysis and proposes a groundwater inflow prediction model, aiming to explore the inherent correlation between precipitation and runoff. Moreover, seasonal adjustment strategies for drainage measures were explored. The proposed model can enhance the economic viability of drainage projects while ensuring safety. It addresses the key challenge of adapting measures to seasonal variations and provides a conceptual framework for optimizing drainage measures in open-pit mining. [Display omitted] • Considerate the pre-existing soil moisture in surface runoff calculation. • Proposed a rainfall forecasting method based on decomposition-reconstruction. • Derived the formula for the total water inflow at the pit bottom in open-pit mine. • Innovatively propose the seasonal optimization strategy for drainage measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fasting mimic diet is an effect approach for gastric cancer (GC) treatment. Exploring mechanisms of glucose deprivation-mediated GC suppression is required to develop novel therapeutic regimens. Farnesyltransferase 1 (FDFT1), as a novel target in basic research, has been reported to regulate malignant progression in some types of cancer. However, biological functions of FDFT1 in GC are still unclear. This study focused on biological functions of FDFT1 in GC and the association between glucose starvation (GS) and FDFT1. Methods: The data derived from the Kaplan–Meier Plotter database were collected to identify the relationship between survival time and FDFT1 expression levels of GC patients. Bioinformatic analysis was performed to explore the biological functions of FDFT1. The expression levels of targeted genes and microRNAs (miRNAs) were detected with immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time PCR and western blot. Malignant behaviors were measured using cell counting, cell counting kit-8, 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine, wound healing, invasion transwell assays in vitro and constructions of subcutaneous and lung-metastatic tumors in vivo. The glycolysis of GC cells was determined by a series of metabolites, including lactate acid, pyruvic acid, ATP production, rates of glucose uptake, extracellular acidification rate and oxygen consumption rate. Results: FDFT1 was downregulated in GC and negatively correlated with pathological T stage, pathological TNM stage and cancer differentiation. High expression of FDFT1 also indicated better prognosis of GC patients. FDFT1 upregulation attenuated proliferation, migration and invasion of GC. miR-216a-5p was identified as a critical suppressor of FDFT1 expression and miR-216a-5p/FDFT1 axis regulated malignant behaviors and glycolysis of GC cells. GS suppressed malignant behaviors of GC by targeting miR-216a-5p/FDFT1 axis both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: This study illustrated novel mechanisms by which GS effectively suppresses GC. FDFT1 may become a potential prognostic indicator and novel target of GC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1,2-Dioxetane is a well-known chemiluminescent mechanophore allowing real-time monitoring of polymer chain scission, but usually suffers from fluorescence quenching in polar environments. Herein, a series of mechanochemiluminescent waterborne polyurethanes/carbon dots composites (WPU-CDs) have been synthesized by incorporating fluorescent CDs to promote the energy transfer process in different environments. The resulting bulk WPUs, and in particular, their swollen films filled with a large amount of polar solvents (water and ionic liquid) emit intense mechanochemiluminescence. Thus force-induced covalent bond scission and stress distribution within these different WPU-CDs films can be sensitively visualized. Furthermore, the ionic liquid containing films exhibited both electrical and luminescent signal changes under stretching, which offer a new kind of force sensor responsive at a broad detecting strain range and for multi-mode strain analysis. This study is expected to stimulate new research endeavors in mechanistic insight on waterborne polyurethanes and the corresponding stretchable sensing devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. This meta-analysis was performed to compare the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) for stroke prevention in real-world patients with diabetes and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) through observational studies. Methods. PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched up to August 2020 for eligible studies. Outputs were presented as risk ratios (RRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by using a random-effect model. Results. Seven observational studies involving 249,794 diabetic NVAF patients were selected. Compared with VKAs, the use of DOACs was associated with significantly reduced risks of stroke (RR = 0.56 , 95% CI 0.45-0.70; p < 0.00001), ischemic stroke (RR = 0.61 , 95% CI 0.48-0.78; p < 0.0001), stroke or systemic embolism (SSE) (RR = 0.81 , 95% CI 0.68-0.95; p = 0.01), myocardial infarction (RR = 0.69 , 95% CI 0.55-0.88; p = 0.002), major bleeding (RR = 0.75 , 95% CI 0.63-0.90; p = 0.002), intracranial hemorrhage (RR = 0.50 , 95% CI 0.44-0.56; p < 0.00001), and major gastrointestinal bleeding (RR = 0.77 , 95% CI 0.62-0.95; p = 0.02), and a borderline significant decrease in major adverse cardiac events (RR = 0.87 , 95% CI 0.75-1.00; p = 0.05) in NVAF patients with diabetes. Conclusion. For patients with NVAF and diabetes in real-world clinical settings, DOACs showed superior efficacy and safety profile over VKAs and significantly reduced risks of stroke, ischemic stroke, SSE, myocardial infarction, major bleeding, intracranial hemorrhage, and major gastrointestinal bleeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Phosphoglucomutase 1 (PGM1) acts as an important regulator in glucose metabolism. However, the role of PGM1 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the role of PGM1 and develop novel regimens based on metabolic reprogramming in GC. Methods: Correlation and enrichment analyses of PGM1 were conducted based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Data derived from the Kaplan–Meier Plotter database were analyzed to evaluate correlations between PGM1 expression and survival time of GC patients. Cell counting kit-8, 5-Ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine, flow cytometry assays, generation of subcutaneous tumor and lung metastasis mouse models were used to determine growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Cell glycolysis was detected by a battery of glycolytic indicators, including lactate, pyruvic acid, ATP production and glucose uptake. Fatty Acid Synthase (FASN) activity and expression levels of lipid enzymes were determined to reflect on lipid metabolism. Results: Correlation and enrichment analyses suggested that PGM1 was closely associated with cell viability, proliferation and metabolism. PGM1 was overexpressed in GC tissues and cell lines. High PGM1 expression served as an indicator of shorter survival for specific subpopulation of GC patients. It was also correlated with pathological tumor stage and pathological tumor node metastasis stage of GC. Under the glucose deprivation condition, knockdown of PGM1 significantly suppressed cell viability, proliferation and glycolysis, whereas lipid metabolism was enhanced. Orlistat, as a drug that was designed to inhibit FASN activity, effectively induced apoptosis and suppressed lipid metabolism in GC. However, orlistat conversely increased glycolytic levels. Orlistat exhibited more significant inhibitive effects on GC progression after knockdown of PGM1 under glucose deprivation due to combination of glycolysis and lipid metabolism both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions: Downregulation of PGM1 expression under glucose deprivation enhanced anti-cancer effects of orlistat. This combination application may serve as a novel strategy for GC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) level in the serum is one of the most widely used markers in monitoring prostate cancer (PCa) progression, treatment response, and disease relapse. Although significant efforts have been taken to analyze various socioeconomic and cultural factors that contribute to the racial disparities in PCa, limited research has been performed to quantitatively understand how and to what extent molecular alterations may impact differential PSA levels present at varied tumor status between African–American and European–American men. Moreover, missing values among patients add another layer of difficulty in precisely inferring their outcomes. In light of these issues, we propose a data-driven, deep learning-based imputation and inference framework (DIIF). DIIF seamlessly encapsulates two modules: an imputation module driven by a regularized deep autoencoder for imputing critical missing information and an inference module in which two deep variational autoencoders are coupled with a graphical inference model to quantify the personalized and race-specific causal effects. Large-scale empirical studies on the independent sub-cohorts of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) PCa patients demonstrate the effectiveness of DIIF. We further found that somatic mutations in TP53, ATM, PTEN, FOXA1, and PIK3CA are statistically significant genomic factors that may explain the racial disparities in different PCa features characterized by PSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The creation of innovative technologies for pumping commercial heavy oils is currently focused on the use of low-energy impact methods. The paper presents the results of research into the process of structure formation in heavy oil after hybrid microwave exposure. The research was carried out on the basis of the activation flow theory and rheological studies of heavy oil samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate localization of the shearer is key to achieving efficient, automated, unmanned mining. Unfortunately, the existing positioning algorithms usually yields low-precision, insufficient applicability, and unreliable final estimation due to the existence of non-line-of-sight (NLOS) error and also because they ignore the position error of anchor nodes (ANs). To bridge this technology gap, we developed a novel localization strategy by incorporating calibration, variational Bayesian unscented Kalman filter (VBUKF), total least squares (TLS), and water cycle algorithm (WCA) to enhance the location estimation accuracy of ultrawideband (UWB) positioning system in a complicated underground environment. First, calibration was implemented based on the selection of appropriate reference nodes (RNs) in line-of-sight (LOS) scenarios to estimate the scale-factor error, bias, and position errors for each AN; then the VBUKF smoothing with the consideration of time-variant measurement noise was used to reduce the interference of NLOS owing to the difficult separation of bias and NLOS error. Second, the TLS method was implemented to calculate the target node’s position based on the smoothed distances and calibrated positions of ANs. Lastly, the WCA embedded scheme was executed to further ameliorate estimation accuracy. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed TLS-WCA approach, after the implementation of calibration and VBUKF, was best able to improve the localization accuracy remarkably, and outperformed the other compared methods, which can efficiently attain higher estimation accuracy, highlighting the outstanding localization performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between circular RNAs (circRNAs) and many types of cancer has been of great interest. A novel circRNA, circBFAR, has been identified, but the functions of circBFAR and its underlying mechanism in gastric cancer (GC) have not been reported. This study was designed to investigate the role of circBFAR in GC and its downstream miRNA targets. Quantitative real-time polymerase reaction was used to detect the expression of circBFAR and miRNAs. Cell counting kit-8 and EdU were used to detect the proliferation of GC cells. Measurement of the extracellular acidification rate, oxygen consumption rate and lactate acid production were performed to assess the glycolysis levels. The results showed that circBFAR exhibited higher expression in GC tissues and cell lines. circBFAR was proven to promote GC proliferation by targeting the miR-513a-3p/hexokinase 2 (HK2) axis. Inhibition of circBFAR also led to a significant decrease in the glycolysis levels. In this study, we found a circBFAR/miR-513a-3p/HK2 axis in GC and revealed the relationship between circBFAR and glycolysis for the first time. circBFAR may serve as a novel target of GC individualized therapy. • Identification of the circBFAR functions in proliferation of gastric cancer. • miR-513a-3p/hexokinase 2 axis as the critical target of circBFAR. • Glycolysis driven by circBFAR in gastric cancer. • Potentials of circBFAR knockdown in the treatment of gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H MRS) studies, aberrant levels of choline-containing compounds that include glycerophosphocholine plus phosphocholine (GPC+PC), can signify alterations in the metabolism of cellular membrane phospholipids (MPLs) from a healthy baseline. In a recent ¹H MRS study, we reported increased GPC+PC in cortical and subcortical areas of adult patients with bipolar disorder I (BP-I). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can worsen the severity of BP-I, but it is unclear whether the effect of a PTSD comorbidity in BP-I is associated with altered MPL metabolism. The purpose of this study was to re-investigate the ¹H MRS data to determine whether the regional extent of elevated GPC+PC was greater in BP-I patients with PTSD (BP-I/wPTSD) compared to BP-I without comorbid PTSD (BP-I/woPTSD) patients and healthy controls. GPC+PC levels from four brain areas [the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), anterior-dorsal ACC, caudate, and putamen] were measured in 14 BP-I/wPTSD, 36 BP-I/woPTSD, and 44 healthy controls using a multi-voxel 1H MRS approach on a 3 Tesla system with high spatial resolution and absolute quantification. Results show a significant increase in GPC+PC levels from the caudate and putamen of BP-I/wPTSD patients compared to healthy controls (P<0.05) and in the putamen compared to BP-I/woPTSD patients (P<0.05). These findings are consistent with evidence of elevated degradation of MPLs in the neuropil that is more pronounced in BP-I patients with comorbid PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dominated by an arid and semiarid continental climate, the Beijing-Tianjin Sandstorm Source Region (BTSSR) is a typical ecologically fragile region with frequently occurring droughts. To provide information for regional vegetation protection and drought prevention, we assessed the relations between vegetation cover change (measured by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) at different time-scales, in different growth stages, in different subregions and for different vegetation types based on the Pearson's correlation coefficient in the BTSSR from 2000 to 2017. Results showed that 88.19% of the vegetated areas experienced increased NDVI in the growing season; 48.3% of the vegetated areas experienced significantly increased NDVI (P < 0.05) and were mainly in the south of the BTSSR. During the growing season, a wetter climate contributed to the increased vegetation cover from 2000 to 2017, and NDVI anomalies were closely related to SPEI. The maximum correlation coefficient in the growing season (Rmax) was significantly positive (P < 0.05) in 97.84% of the total vegetated areas. In the vegetated areas with significantly positive Rmax, pixels with short time-scales (1–3 mon) accounted for the largest proportion (33.9%). The sensitivity of vegetation to the impact of drought rose first and then decreased in the growing season, with a peak in July. Compared with two subregions in the south, subregions in the north of the BTSSR were more sensitive to the impacts of drought variations, especially in the Xilingol Plateau and Wuzhumuqin Basin. All four major vegetation types were sensitive to the effects of drought variations, especially grasslands. The time-scales of the most impacting droughts varied with growth stages, regions, and vegetation types. These results can help us understand the relations between vegetation and droughts, which are important for ecological restoration and drought prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propofol, a commonly used intravenous anesthetic in tumor surgery, has recently garnered attention for its anti-cancer activity. We previously demonstrated that propofol inhibits migration and invasion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells. However, the effects of propofol in tumor angiogenesis are inconclusive. The current study investigated the effects of propofol on the biological functions of lung cancer associated endothelial cells (LC-EC) and colon cancer associated endothelial cells (CC-EC) that represent in vitro tumor angiogenesis. We showed that propofol inhibited tubular structure formation of both LC-EC and CC-EC, particularly the early stages of angiogenesis. In addition, propofol inhibited migration, adhesion, proliferation, and survival of tumor associated endothelial cells. Mechanism studies revealed that propofol disrupted tumor angiogenesis microenvironment via suppressing expression and secretion of multiple pro-angiogenic factors by tumor cells. Propofol also inhibited VEGF/VEGFR2-and mTOR/eIF4E-mediated signaling pathways in endothelial cells. Our findings demonstrate the inhibitory effects of propofol on tumor angiogenesis and support the anti-cancer properties of propofol. Our work provides preclinical evidence into the potential mechanisms by which propofol may negatively affect tumor growth and metastasis. • Propofol inhibits tumor angiogenesis. • Propofol inhibits tumor endothelial cell migration, adhesion and growth. • Propofol disrupts tumor angiogenesis microenvironment. • Propofol inhibits VEGF/VEGFR- and mTOR/eIF4E-mediated signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is an important task that exploring highly active peroxidase-like nanozymes to construct a real-time sensing platform for determining some biomolecules. Among the strategies of active improving of nanozymes, element doping is considered as one of the effective means. In this work, ruthenium (Ru) doping can enhance the peroxidase-like activity of cerium dioxide (CeO 2). The peroxidase-like behaviors of Ru-doped CeO 2 (Ru/CeO 2) are evaluated using the chromogenic substrate 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and H 2 O 2 , respectively. As expected, Ru/CeO 2 exhibits more excellent peroxidase-like activity than that of pure CeO 2. The improvement of Ru/CeO 2 catalytic activity is from the more exposed active sites, due to Ru doping and then defects producing. Furthermore, active species (•O 2 - and holes h+) were produced during the catalytic reaction. Notably, the catalytic activity of Ru/CeO 2 at 37 °C (physiological temperature) still keeps the 95.12% of that at 40 °C, which is important for determination of biological samples. Combining the enhanced peroxidase-like activity of Ru/CeO 2 with substrate TMB, a fast facile colorimetric platform for determination of Cysteine (Cys) has been constructed and validated by serum samples. [Display omitted] • Ru doping greatly enhances the peroxidase-like activity of CeO 2 nanozyme. • It is at physiological temperature that Ru/CeO 2 exhibits the high peroxidase-like activity. • Ru/CeO 2 -based colorimetric sensing platform has been constructed to detect cysteine at physiological temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appropriate post-harvest processing plays a critical role in the exterior quality and the yield of bioactive ingredients of medicinal crops. However, fresh medicinal materials harvested in winter often suffer from freezing injury, leading to poor quality and instability of clinical efficacy in practical production. Revealing the responses of freezing injury in medicinal crops will significantly prevent economic losses for farmers and potential risks for clinical medication. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the effect of post-harvest freezing injury on a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, Scutellaria baicalensis (Huangqin), that harvested in late autumn or early winter in China. The exterior quality and eight active ingredients of medicinal materials processed by natural drying (ND), natural freezing (NF) and simulated freezing treatments (FT) with different treating time (T 0 to T 5) of S. baicalensis were analyzed and compared by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that fresh roots under NF and FT treatments exhibited loose texture and green or even dark brown color, and the unique smell of S. baicalensis medicinal materials nearly disappeared. Compared with the contents of baicalin (152.48 mg/g), wogonoside (27.16 mg/g), and scutellarin (5.55 mg/g) in T 0 under FT treatment, those contents in T 5 significantly decreased (92.60 mg/g, 10.30 mg/g, and 0.25 mg/g, respectively) with increasing repeated freezing and thawing time. Interestingly, freezing injury dramatically improved the contents of baicalein (from 2.97 mg/g to 29.58 mg/g), wogonin (from 0.31 mg/g to 6.96 mg/g), scutellarein (from 0.96 mg/g to 1.75 mg/g), apigenin (from 0.03 mg/g to 0.07 mg/g), and chrysin (from 0.01 mg/g to 0.80 mg/g). The content of eight medicinal active ingredients and the content of glycosides under FT for 72 h (FT-72) treatment (138.98 mg/g, 102.59 mg/g) were significantly lower than those under ND treatment (189.30 mg/g, 184.58 mg/g), but that of aglycones significantly increased about eight times (36.39 mg/g for FT-72 and 4.07 mg/g for ND). Furthermore, there were significant negative correlations between the contents of baicalin and baicalein (r 2 = 0.9499, P < 0.0001), wogonoside and wogonin (r 2 = 0.9190, P < 0.0001), and scutellarin and scutellarein (r 2 = 0.4344, P < 0.001) under FT-72 treatment. The extracting rate of active ingredients under NF treatment increased rapidly and reached almost 100% within 30 min, but that under ND treatment increased slowly and reached 100% for 50 min. It is speculated that repeated freezing and thawing destroyed cellular structures of fresh roots and strongly accelerated extracting rate of active ingredients. Subsequent ion outflow and enzyme activation led to oxidative hydrolysis that induced the transformation from glycosides to aglycones. Collectively, the above results would provide valuable guidance for medicinal farmers to avoid freezing injury in post-harvest processing, thereby ensuring medicinal quality of S. baicalensis for pharmaceutical industry. Furthermore, these results will shed light on revealing the effect and mechanism of freezing injury on product quality and help formulating technical specifications for standardized production of medicinal crops. [Display omitted] • Post-harvest freezing injury seriously reduced exterior quality of S. baicalensis. • Freezing injury reduced medicinal quality by decreasing baicalin content. • Freezing injury promoted transformation from glycosides to aglycones. • Freezing-injured medicinal materials can be used for extraction of aglycones. • S. baicalensis should be harvested and dried in time to prevent freezing injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Further adjuvant chemotherapy treatment can provide benefits to certain patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) that fail to achieve pathological complete response (pCR) after the administration of a neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) regimen. However, biomarkers suitable for identifying patients likely to experience poor prognostic outcomes after undergoing additional adjuvant chemotherapy are currently lacking. Accordingly, the present meta-analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) or TIL subtypes (CD4+ or CD8+) in residual tumor (RT) tissue following NAC and TNBC patient prognosis. Relevant studies published through March 2023 were identified in Pubmed, The Cochrane Library, Embase and Web of Science databases. After excluding irrelevant studies, data were extracted from the remaining reports, while study quality was analyzed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Subsequent analyses were performed with Stata 14.0 and Review Manager 5.3. In total, seven relevant studies incorporating 1,202 patients were identified, all of which were retrospective cohort studies. Pooled analyses demonstrated that those patients exhibiting higher levels of RT TIL infiltration following NAC exhibited significantly improved recurrence-free, metastasis-free and event-free survival (RFS/MFS/EFS) compared with patients with lower RT TIL infiltration levels, together with an improved distant recurrence-free interval (DRFI) [hazard ratio (HR)=0.52; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.39–0.69; P<0.00001]. In addition, patients exhibiting high RT TIL infiltration exhibited improved overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS; HR=0.49; 95% CI=0.38–0.65; P<0.00001). Additional subgroup analyses revealed that patients with higher TIL infiltration levels or TIL subtype (CD4+ or CD8+) infiltration exhibited improved RFS/MFS/EFS/DRFI as compared with patients with lower levels of overall TIL or TIL subtype (CD4+ or CD8+) infiltration in RT tissue (HR=0.35, 95% CI=0.20–0.59, P<0.0001; HR=0.49, 95% CI=0.33–0.71, P=0.0002). Consistently, the OS/BCSS of patients exhibiting high levels of overall TIL or TIL subtype (CD4+ or CD8+) infiltration was increased compared with patients with lower levels of such infiltration (HR=0.33, 95% CI=0.19–0.59, P=0.0002; HR=0.55, 95% CI=0.41–0.76, P=0.0002). These data thus demonstrate that levels of overall TIL infiltration or infiltration by CD4+ or CD8+ TILs in RT following NAC can be used as a biomarker to reliably predict prognostic outcomes in patients with TNBC, in addition to highlighting possible targets that may guide the further immunotherapeutic management of these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dof transcription factor is a plant-specific transcriptional regulator that plays important roles in plant development and acts as a mediator in plant external stress responses. However, Dofs have previously been identified in several plants but not in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), one of the most widely cultivated forage legumes. In the present study, a total of 40 MsDof genes were identified, and the phylogenetic reconstruction, classification, conserved motifs, and expression patterns under abscisic acid (ABA), cold, heat, drought and salt stresses of these Dof genes were comprehensively analyzed. The Dof genes family in alfalfa could be classified into eight classes. Gene ontology (GO) and tissue-specific analysis indicated that most MsDof genes may be involved in biological functions during plant growth. Moreover, the expression profiles and quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that eight candidate abiotic tolerance genes were induced in response to four abiotic stresses. This study identified the possibility of abiotic tolerance candidate genes playing various roles in stress resistance at the whole genome level, which would provide new information on the Dof family in alfalfa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the analytic structure for the eigenvalues of the one-dimensional Dirac oscillator, by analytically continuing its frequency on the complex plane. A twofold Riemann surface is found, connecting the two states of a pair of particle and antiparticle. One can, at least in principle, accomplish the transition from a positive energy state to its antiparticle state by moving the frequency continuously on the complex plane, without changing the Hamiltonian after transition. This result provides a visual explanation for the absence of a negative energy state with the quantum number n = 0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality consistency is one of the basic attributes of medicines, but it is also a difficult problem that natural medicines and their preparations must face. The complex chemical composition and comprehensive pharmacological action of natural medicines make it difficult to simply apply the commonly used evaluation methods in chemical drugs. It is thus urgent to explore the novel evaluation methods suitable for the characteristics of natural medicines. With the rapid development of analytical techniques and the deepening understanding of the quality of natural herbs, increasing numbers of researchers have proposed many new ideas and technologies. This review mainly focuses on the basic principles, technical characteristics and application examples of the chemical evaluation, biological evaluation methods and their combination in quality consistency evaluation of natural herbs. On the bases of chemical evaluation and clinical efficacy, new methods reflecting their pharmacodynamic mechanism and safety characteristics will be developed, and gradually towards accurate quality control, to achieve the goal of quality consistency. We hope that this manuscript can provide new ideas and technical references for the quality consistency of natural drugs and their preparations, thus better guarantee their clinical efficacy and safety, and better promote industrial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Wireless network localization technology is very popular in recent years and has attracted worldwide attention. The purpose of this paper is to improve the localization accuracy of ultra-wideband (UWB) with lower localization error taking into consideration the special real environment with the closed long and narrow space. Design/methodology/approach: The principle of multidimensional scaling (MDS), particle swarm optimization (PSO) and Taylor series expansion algorithm (Taylor-D) were introduced. A novel positioning algorithm, MDS-PSO-Taylor was proposed to minimize the localization error. MDS-PSO algorithm provided a more accurate preliminary coordinate by applying the PSO algorithm so that the Taylor-D was used for further enhancing the localization accuracy. Findings: Experimental results manifested that the proposed algorithm, providing small localization error value and higher positioning accuracy, can effectively reduce errors and achieve better performance in terms of the considerable improvement of localization accuracy. Originality/value: The presented study with the real environment test attempts to demonstrate the proposed algorithm is hopeful to be applied to the underground environment for in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Basal ganglia are particularly important for understanding the pathobiology of psychosis given their key roles in dopaminergic neurotransmission which are associated with psychotic symptoms and one of the target sites of antipsychotic drugs. Psychotic symptoms are prevalent in both schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). Although the components of basal ganglia are implicated in psychosis, comparative structural changes of components of the basal ganglia between SZ and BD are less clear after disentanglement of clinical effects of antipsychotic dose, duration and severity of illness.Methods: In this study, we examined the morphology of the basal ganglia in 326 subjects comprising of 45 patients of BD type I with psychotic symptoms, 97 first-episode SZ (FE-SZ) patients, 86 non-first-episode chronic SZ (NFE-SZ) patients, in comparison with 98 healthy controls (HC).Results: Results showed increased volumes in subregions of caudate, putamen, and pallidum in chronic SZ patients compared with HC after controlling for age, gender, and total intracranial volume. No change was found between FE-SZ patients, psychotic BD patients, and HC. Furthermore, hierarchical regressions showed that the dosage of antipsychotics had a significant contribution to basal ganglia volumetric enlargement in NFE-SZ after controlling for the effects of age, gender, total intracranial volume, age at illness onset, as well as illness duration and severity.Limitations: Lack of information about the cumulative history of exposure to medication for all the three groups of patients is a major limitation in our study.Conclusions: There are distinct basal ganglia structural changes in SZ and psychotic BD. Basal ganglia are enlarged in chronic SZ but not in FE-SZ and BD and this enlargement is significantly associated with antipsychotic dosage over and beyond the effects of illness duration and severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high rate of autologous vein graft failure caused by neointimal hyperplasia remains an unresolved issue in the field of cardiovascular surgery; therefore, it is important to explore new methods for protecting against neointimal hyperplasia. MicroRNA‐365 has been reported to inhibit the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). This study aimed to test whether adenovirus‐mediated miR‐365 was able to attenuate neointimal formation in rat vein grafts. We found that miR‐365 expression was substantially reduced in vein grafts following engraftment. In vitro, overexpression of miR‐365 promoted smooth muscle‐specific gene expression and inhibited venous SMC proliferation and migration. Consistent with this, overexpression of miR‐365 in a rat vein graft model significantly reduced grafting‐induced neointimal formation and effectively improved the hemodynamics of the vein grafts. Mechanistically, we identified that cyclin D1 as a potential downstream target of miR‐365 in vein grafts. Specially, to increase the efficiency of miR‐365 gene transfection, a 30% poloxamer F‐127 gel containing 0.25% trypsin was mixed with adenovirus and spread around the vein grafts to increase the adenovirus contact time and penetration. We showed that adenovirus‐mediated miR‐365 attenuated venous SMC proliferation and migration in vitro and effectively inhibited neointimal formation in rat vein grafts. Restoring expression of miR‐365 is a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of vein graft failure. © 2019 IUBMB Life, 2019 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diabetic wound is hard to repair due to bacterial infection, lasting inflammation, and so on. Therefore, it is vital to fabricate a multi-functional hydrogel dressing for the diabetic wound. In this study, a kind of dual-network hydrogel loaded with gentamicin sulfate (GS) based on sodium alginate oxide (OSA) and glycidyl methacrylate gelatin (GelGMA) was designed through the Schiff base bonding and photo-crosslinking to promote the diabetic wound healing. The hydrogels exhibited stable mechanical properties, high water absorbency, and good biocompatibility and biodegradability. Antibacterial results showed that gentamicin sulfate (GS) had a remarkable antibacterial effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. In a diabetic full-thickness skin wound model, the GelGMA-OSA@GS hydrogel dressing dramatically decreases inflammation and accelerated re-epithelialization and granulation tissue formation, promising applications in promoting diabetic wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most malignant tumors worldwide. Thus, it is necessary to explore the underlying mechanisms of GC progression and develop novel therapeutic regimens. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to be abnormally expressed and regulate the malignant behaviors of cancer cells. Our previous research demonstrated that lncRNA colon cancer-associated transcript 2 (CCAT2) has potential value for GC diagnosis and discrimination. However, the functional mechanisms of lncRNA CCAT2 in GC development remain to be explored. Methods: GC and normal adjacent tissues were collected to detect the expression of lncRNA CCAT2, ESRP1 and CD44 in clinical specimens and their clinical significance for GC patients. Cell counting kit-8, wound healing and transwell assays were conducted to investigate the malignant behaviors in vitro. The generation of nude mouse xenografts by subcutaneous, intraperitoneal and tail vein injection was performed to examine GC growth and metastasis in vivo. Co-immunoprecipitation, RNA-binding protein pull-down assay and fluorescence in situ hybridization were performed to reveal the binding relationships between ESRP1 and CD44. Results: In the present study, lncRNA CCAT2 was overexpressed in GC tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues and correlated with short survival time of patients. lncRNA CCAT2 promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of GC cells. Its overexpression modulates alternative splicing of Cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) variants and facilitates the conversion from the standard form to variable CD44 isoform 6 (CD44v6). Mechanistically, lncRNA CCAT2 upregulated CD44v6 expression by binding to epithelial splicing regulatory protein 1 (ESRP1), which subsequently mediates CD44 alternative splicing. The oncogenic role of the lncRNA CCAT2/ESRP1/CD44 axis in the promotion of malignant behaviors was verified by both in vivo and in vitro experiments. Conclusions: Our findings identified a novel mechanism by which lncRNA CCAT2, as a type of protein-binding RNA, regulates alternative splicing of CD44 and promotes GC progression. This axis may become an effective target for clinical diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accelerated retreat of glaciers and the reduction of glacier ice reserves caused by climate change can significantly affect regional water resources and hydrological cycles. Changes in glacier thickness are among the key indicators that reflect this process. We analyzed changes observed in the elevation of glacier surfaces in the Gongga Mountains (GGM) using multi-temporal Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) derived from topographic maps, SRTM, ICESat and ZY-3 data. The results showed that the mean rate of change in glacier surface altitude in the GGM was ~−26.7 ± 2.03 m (0.54 ± 0.04 m a−1) between 1966 and 2015. The mean melt rates differed over different time periods, latterly showing an accelerating trend. As a general rule, glaciers appear to be losing more volume at lower than at higher elevations. Further analysis of these results suggests that supraglacial debris coverage in the GGM promotes higher rates of mass loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalytic activities of three topotactic phase strontium cobaltites (SCO, hexagonal, orthorhombic and tetragonal) for H2O2 decomposition were studied. All they present excellent catalytic activity with good stability at cycled test, and the mesoporous tetragonal SCO exhibits the best activity. Detailed kinetic research indicates the zero-order process of H2O2 decomposition. Increasing the temperature will accelerate the reactions greatly with the controlled temperature in the range of 20-45 °C. The calculated active energy (Ea) for H-SCO, O-SCO and T-SCO is 93.2, 85.1 and 87.5 (kJ/mol), respectively. The efficient catalytic degradation of Rhodamine B illustrates that SCO is a kind of promising catalysis for the advanced oxidation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective The high rate of vein graft failure due to neointimal hyperplasia is a major challenge for cardiovascular surgery. Finding novel approaches to prevent neointimal hyperplasia is important. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether dedicator of cytokinesis 2 (DOCK2) plays a role in the development of neointima formation in the vein grafts. Methods and results We found that DOCK2 levels were significantly elevated in the vein grafts following grafting surgery. In addition, overexpression of DOCK2 promoted venous smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation and migration. Conversely, knocking-down endogenous DOCK2 expression in venous SMCs inhibited SMC proliferation and migration. Consistent with this, knocking-down DOCK2 expression in the grafted veins significantly reduced neointimal formation compared with the controls 28 days after vein transplantation. Moreover, DOCK2 silencing treatment improved hemodynamics in the vein grafts. Mechanistically, knockdown of DOCK2 significantly alleviated the vein graft-induced down regulation of SMC contractile protein expression and impeded the vein graft-induction of both Cyclin D1 and PCNA expression. In particular, to ensure high efficiency when transferring the DOCK2 short hairpin RNA (shDOCK2) into the grafted veins, a 30% poloxamer F-127 gel incorporated with 0.25% trypsin was smeared around the vein grafts to increase the adenovirus contact time and penetration. Conclusions DOCK2 silencing gene therapy effectively attenuates neointimal hyperplasia in vein grafts. Knock-down of DOCK2 would be a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of vein graft failure. Highlights • DOCK2 is markedly up-regulated in the neointimal layer of vein grafts following grafting surgery. • Knock-down of DOCK2 inhibits venous SMC proliferation and migration in vitro. • DOCK2 silencing therapy attenuates vein graft neointimal formation and improves the hemodynamics of the vein grafts. • Knock-down of DOCK2 significantly alleviates the vein graft-induced down regulation of SMC contractile protein expression. • Knock-down of DOCK2 impedes the expression of cyclin D1 induced by vein grafting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guizhou was for a long time the wildest and the most enclave province of South China, its ethnographic, historical, archaeological and prehistoric researches are recent, especially that of the rock paintings (Wang and Luo, 1989; Cao, 2004; He, 2006; Yu, 2009). Dahongyan, or the Great Red Cliff, is the first rock art locality known in the Province. The research program is conducted by Cao Bo, vice-director of the Guizhou Provincial Culture Relics and Archaeology Institute. In 2012, a cooperation has developed with the Mountain Resources Institute, Academy of Sciences of Guizhou, and the Department of Prehistory of the Natural Museum of Natural History, Paris, France. The first description of the rock paintings has been presented at the IFRAO (International Federation of Rock Art Organizations) world Congress in July 2014, at Guiyang (Cao et al., 2014). The meeting was co-organized with the People's Government of Guiyang Municipality and the Rock Art Research Association of China (RARAC). The preliminary studies of some frescoes put in light ritual shamanic practices from agro-pastoral peoples before rice cultivation, in relation with animal spirits symbolized by the buffalo and the python. Three scenes are described with new observations and interpreted in the historical context of ethnic minorities and their cultural traditions devoid of written language. They have been named "The shaman dance", "The dance lesson" and "The meeting". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long‐term failure of vein grafts due to neointimal hyperplasia remains a difficult problem in cardiovascular surgery. Exploring novel approaches to prevent neointimal hyperplasia is important. MicroRNA‐146a (miR‐146a) plays an essential role in promoting vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. Thus, the aim of the present study is to investigate whether adenovirus‐mediated miR‐146a sponge (Ad‐miR‐146a‐SP) gene therapy could attenuate neointimal formation in rat vein grafts. (Ad‐miR‐146a‐SP) was constructed to transfect cultured VSMCs and grafted veins. To improve the efficiency of transferring the miR‐146a sponge gene into the grafted veins, 20% poloxamer F‐127 gel incorporated with 0.25% trypsin was used to increase adenovirus contact time and penetration. miR‐146a‐SP transduction significantly reduced the expression of miR‐146a both in cultured VSMCs and vein grafts. miR‐146a sponge markedly attenuated VSMC proliferation and migration. Consistent with this, miR‐146a sponge gene therapy significantly attenuated neointimal formation and also improved blood flow in the vein grafts. Mechanistically, we identified the Krüppel‐like factor 4(KLF4) as a potential downstream target gene of miR‐146a in vein grafts. Our data show that miR‐146a sponge gene therapy could effectively reduce miR‐146a activity and attenuate neointimal formation in vein grafts, suggesting its potential therapeutic application for prevention of vein graft failure. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 71(1):125–133, 2019 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A palladium(0)-catalyzed intramolecular transfer hydrogenation and cycloaddition of p-quinamine-tethered alkylidenecyclopropanes (ACPs) to synthesize perhydroindole scaffolds has been reported in this communication. Mechanistic investigations on the basis of deuterium labeling experiments suggest that the reaction proceeded through an oxidative addition of Pd(0) into the distal bond of the ACP moiety to afford a trimethylenemethane (TMM)–Pd intermediate followed by transfer hydrogenation using alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Idiopathic Pulmonary fibrosis is a disease with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the development of new drugs is imperative. Gallic acid derivative is a derivative of Gallic acid that can be extracted from Chinese herbal medicine. In previous experiments, we found that Gallic acid derivative played dual roles in inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Meanwhile, Gallic acid derivative could inhibit the proliferation of lung fibroblast. In the present study, we investigated the function of Gallic acid derivative in inhibiting lung fibrosis. 5 mg/kg of bleomycin was administered to mice by a single intratracheal instillation. Three dosages of Gallic acid derivative (75 mg/kg, 150 mg/kg, 300 mg/kg) and Pirfenidone (80 mg/kg) were given to mice for 21 day. Gallic acid derivative treatment significantly reduced lung histological changes and decreased inflammatory cell infiltration. The content of collagen decreased with the decrease of hydroxyproline level. Analogously, the expression of alpha smooth muscle actin was reduced. Gallic acid derivative enhanced the antioxidant status, but reduced the expression of interleukin 6, NADPH oxidase-4. Our study proved that Gallic acid derivative reduced inflammation activation to some extent and could exert its effects through transforming growth factor β1/Smad2 signaling pathway and balancing NOX4/Nrf2. Highlights • The first study shows that the NOX4-Nrf2 balance may play a significant role in PF. • GAD inhibits BLM-induced histopathological alteration. • GAD attenuates BLM-induced PF in mice through balancing NOX4/Nrf2. • The NOX4-Nrf2 balance regulates the TGF-β1/Smad2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]