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Abstract Background The role of the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) as a prognostic factor in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) remains uncertain. Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the GNRI on mortality outcomes in critically ill patients with AKI. Methods For this retrospective study, we included 12,058 patients who were diagnosed with AKI based on ICD-9 codes from the eICU Collaborative Research Database. Based on the values of GNRI, nutrition-related risks were categorized into four groups: major risk (GNRI

Abstract This study aims to evaluate the biomechanical performance of the Gamma 3 nail with an anti-rotation screw (GNS) and compare it to two established gold-standard methods for treating unstable femoral neck fractures (UFNFs). Synthetic bone models were prepared with Pauwels’ type III osteotomy and an additional posterior wedge. Three different implant configurations were tested: three cannulated crews (3CS) in an inverted triangle configuration, a dynamic hip screw with an anti-rotation screw (DHSS), and GNS. Non-destructive cyclic axial loading was applied at 7° adduction, with 1000 cycles ranging from 100 to 1000 N. Subsequently, a construct failure test was conducted using progressive axial compression, and fracture reduction loss was recorded. The average axial stiffness was 321 ± 52 N/mm for 3CS, 430 ± 71 N/mm for DHSS, and 519 ± 104 N/mm for GNS. The average ultimate failure loads were 2699.3 N for 3CS, 3427.1 N for DHSS, and 3758.9 N for GNS. GNS demonstrated significantly greater axial stiffness compared to the other two groups (P

Abstract Background The epidemiology and risk factors for postoperative complications related to free flap reconstruction in head and neck cancer patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are unknown. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with free flap reconstruction of head and neck cancer between September 2015 and April 2023 admitted to the ICU of Beijing Tongren Hospital. The univariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore the risk factors for postoperative complications related to free flap reconstruction admitted to ICU, including flap necrosis, bleeding, fistula, and infection. Results A total of 239 patients were included in this study, and 38 (15.9%) patients had postoperative complications related to free flap reconstruction. The median length of ICU stay was 1 day (interquartile range, 1–2 days). Multivariate analysis found that low BMI (P

Abstract Individual theranostic agents with dual-mode MRI responses and therapeutic efficacy have attracted extensive interest due to the real-time monitor and high effective treatment, which endow the providential treatment and avoid the repeated medication with side effects. However, it is difficult to achieve the integrated strategy of MRI and therapeutic drug due to complicated synthesis route, low efficiency and potential biosafety issues. In this study, novel self-assembled ultrasmall Fe3O4 nanoclusters were developed for tumor-targeted dual-mode T1/T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided synergetic chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and chemotherapy. The self-assembled ultrasmall Fe3O4 nanoclusters synthesized by facilely modifying ultrasmall Fe3O4 nanoparticles with 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) molecule possess long-term stability and mass production ability. The proposed ultrasmall Fe3O4 nanoclusters shows excellent dual-mode T1 and T2 MRI capacities as well as favorable CDT ability due to the appropriate size effect and the abundant Fe ion on the surface of ultrasmall Fe3O4 nanoclusters. After conjugation with the tumor targeting ligand Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) and chemotherapy drug doxorubicin (Dox), the functionalized Fe3O4 nanoclusters achieve enhanced tumor accumulation and retention effects and synergetic CDT and chemotherapy function, which serve as a powerful integrated theranostic platform for cancer treatment.

Abstract Conventional liquid-phase methods lack precise control in synthesizing and processing materials with macroscopic sizes and atomic thicknesses. Water interfaces are ubiquitous and unique in catalyzing many chemical reactions. However, investigations on two-dimensional (2D) materials related to water interfaces remain limited. Here we report the growth of millimeter-sized 2D PbI2 single crystals at the water-air interface. The growth mechanism is based on an inherent ion-specific preference, i.e. iodine and lead ions tend to remain at the water-air interface and in bulk water, respectively. The spontaneous accumulation and in-plane arrangement within the 2D crystal of iodide ions at the water-air interface leads to the unique crystallization of PbI2 as well as other metal iodides. In particular, PbI2 crystals can be customized to specific thicknesses and further transformed into millimeter-sized mono- to few-layer perovskites. Additionally, we have developed water-based techniques, including water-soaking, spin-coating, water-etching, and water-flow-assisted transfer to recycle, thin, pattern, and position PbI2, and subsequently, perovskites. Our water-interface mediated synthesis and processing methods represents a significant advancement in achieving simple, cost-effective, and energy-efficient production of functional materials and their integrated devices.

Abstract Ground subsidence in Western coal mining areas is characterized by rapid deformation, extensive damage, and a wide range of impacts. The conventional observation methods are inappropriate for surface damage monitoring in high-intensity mining areas of Western China. Therefore, it is a crucial problem to quickly, accurately, and comprehensively monitor the ground subsidence and environmental damage caused by high-intensity and large-scale mining. In this study, we propose a monitoring method for the ground subsidence of high-intensity mining with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Lidar (UAV-LiDAR) measurement technology. Taking a mine in Ordos of China as an example, the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is obtained by Kriging Interpolation of the ground point cloud from UAV-LiDAR. Then, the multi-stage DEM differential processing is employed to get ground subsidence. Finally, the median and bilateral filters combine for denoise to obtain the high-precision ground subsidence. The results show that the accuracy of the ground DEM generated by UAV-LiDAR is 15 mm and the mean square error of the ground subsidence basin is 39 mm. UAV-LiDAR technology can quickly obtain abundant surface data and obtain high-precision ground subsidence. Therefore, the application of this technology and method in subsidence monitoring in mining areas is feasible. And it can provide support for ecological environment monitoring, land reclamation, and ecological restoration in mining areas. The research results can provide a useful basis for monitoring the surface damage of coal mining in Western China.

Background: The association between pH values and outcome for patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) was not fully elucidated; besides, the relationship of change in pH values and neurological outcome was unknown. The aim was to explore the association of pH values as well as change in pH values and neurological outcome for OHCA cardiac patients. Methods: The adult patients with non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, shock-refractory ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia, and at least two arterial blood gases analysis recorded after admission were included. The change in pH values is calculated as the difference between the second and first pH value, and divided by time interval got the rate of change in pH values. The primary outcome was modified Rankin Score (mRS), dichotomized to good (mRS 0–3) and poor (mRS 4–6) outcomes at hospital discharge. The independent relationship of the first pH value, second pH value, and changes in pH values with neurological outcome was investigated with multivariable logistic regression models, respectively. Results: A total of 1388 adult patients were included for analysis, of which 514 (37%) had good neurological outcome. The median first pH value and second pH value after admission were 7.21 (interquartile range [IQR] 7.09–7.29) and 7.28 (IQR 7.20–7.36), respectively. The median absolute, relative change, and rate of changes in pH values were 0.08 (IQR 0.01–0.16), 1.10% (IQR 0.11–2.22%), and 0.02 (IQR 0–0.06) per hour, respectively. After adjusting for confounders, the higher first pH value (odds ratio [OR] 3.81, confidence interval [CI] 1.60–9.24, P = 0.003) and higher second pH value (OR 9.54, CI 3.45–26.87, P < 0.001) after admission were associated with good neurological outcome, respectively. The absolute (OR 1.58, CI 0.58–4.30, P = 0.368) and relative (OR 1.03, CI 0.96–1.11, P = 0.399) change as well as the rate of change (OR 0.98, CI 0.33–2.71, P = 974) in pH values were not associated with neurological outcome. Conclusions: For OHCA patients, abnormality in pH values was very common, with a more acidic pH value indicating poor neurological outcome. However, the change in pH values was not associated with outcomes.

The development of robust alloys capable of maintaining high strength and ductility at cryogenic temperatures has been a long-sought goal, particularly for load-bearing applications in extremely low-temperature environments. In this study, we reported a newly developed face-centered-cubic (FCC) metastable (Ni0·3Co0·4Cr0.3)94Mo6 medium-entropy alloy (Mo-MEA) with an excellent synergy of strength and ductility at 77 K, surpassing the toughest equiatomic NiCoCr MEA. Compared to the equiatomic NiCoCr MEA, the Mo-MEA exhibited a substantial increase in yield strength by 68 % (from 407 to 685 MPa) and a decent enhancement of the ultimate tensile strength by 10 % (from 1289 to 1415 MPa), along with a marginal increase in elongation from 75 % to 78.45 %. Electron backscatter diffraction and transmission electron microscopy revealed the activation of multimodal deformation mechanisms, including dislocations, stacking faults, twinning, and FCC-to-hexagonal-close-packed phase transformation, during the tensile deformation at 77 K.

Solid-state cold spray additive manufacturing has the potential to fabricate high-strength bulk high-entropy alloys (HEAs). Through systematic experiments, this study examined the microstructure and mechanical properties of cold spray fabricated bulk HEAs with mixed CoCrFeNi and Ti powders and explored the effects of Ti content in 4 and 7 at% and post-heat treatment at 800 °C/6 h and 1000 °C/6 h. It is found that the bulk HEAs are highly densified and remain nearly defect-free after the post-heat treatment. The addition of Ti serves as an mixing powder effect to further densify the alloys. Moreover, the addition of Ti and post-heat treatment promote the formation of fine precipitates, including Fe2Ti, Co2Ti, CrFe, CoTi2, and Ni3Ti, which contributes to the strengthening of the alloys. Furthermore, post-heat treatment improves the cohesion of the alloys and yields fine and relatively uniform grains by stimulating static recovery and recrystallization. These synergistic effects improve the hardness, elastic modulus, strength, and ductility properties. The average hardness and elastic modulus of the bulk alloys are as high as 377.6 HV and 94.8 GPa, respectively; the best ultimate tensile strength and elongation to failure are 626.7 MPa and 22.1 %, respectively. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction validates the complex precipitates formed and confirms that there is no phase change during tension. The study offers insights into the microstructure and mechanical properties of cold spray additive manufactured HEAs and the effects of mixed powders and post-heat treatment on tuning microstructure and properties.

Illegal coal mining is prevalent worldwide, leading to extensive ground subsidence and land collapse. It is crucial to define the location and spatial dimensions of these areas for the efficient prevention of the induced hazards. Conventional methods for goaf locating using the InSAR technique are mostly based on the probability integral model (PIM). However, The PIM requires detailed mining information to preset model parameters and does not account for the layered structure of the coal overburden, making it challenging to detect underground goaves in cases of illegal mining. In response, a novel method based on the InSAR technique and the Stratified Optimal Okada Dislocation Model, named S-ODM, is proposed for locating goaves with basic geological information. Firstly, the S-ODM employs a numerical model to establish a nonlinear function between the goaf parameters and InSAR-derived ground deformation. Then, in order to mitigate the influence of nearby mining activities, the goaf azimuth angle is estimated using the textures and trends of the InSAR-derived deformation time series. Finally, the goaf’s dimensions and location are estimated by the genetic algorithm–particle swarm optimization (GA-PSO). The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated using both simulation and real data, demonstrating average relative errors of 6.29% and 7.37%, respectively. Compared with the PIM and ODM, the proposed S-ODM shows improvements of 19.48% and 52.46% in geometric parameters. Additionally, the errors introduced by GA-PSO and the influence of ground deformation monitoring errors are discussed in this study.

Abstract The treatment of ulna coronal process fractures in the terrible triad of elbow, especially type I and II Regan–Morrey coronoid fractures, still have been controversial. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the novel Lasso-plate technique to have a more reliable fixation and a well clinical outcomes for type I and II Regan–Morrey coronoid fractures in a terrible triad of the elbow (TTE). Patients with simple TTE, closed fracture, aged > 18 years, duration of injury

The development of strong and ductile alloys for application in cryogenic temperatures has long been sought after. In this work, we have developed a face-centered cubic Ni10Co56.5V33.5 multi-principal element alloy (MPEA) that exhibits a balanced combination of high strength and good ductility at 77 K, based on the considerations of large local lattice distortion (LLD) and low stacking fault energy. The small-grained Ni10Co56.5V33.5 MPEA exhibits a yield strength of 1400 MPa and an ultimate tensile strength of 1890 MPa, while preserving a good ductility of 23%. Moreover, precession electron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy revealed multiple deformation mechanisms, including wavy dislocations, atypically severely twisted dislocation bands, hierarchical stacking faults, and deformation twins, which are implicated in the alloy’s outstanding mechanical performance. These insights offer a strategic guide for the design of strong and ductile alloys, particularly for utilization in extreme environments.

Abstract Background Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a new family of abundant regulatory RNAs with roles in various types of cancer. While the hsa_circ_0046701 (circ-YES1) function in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unclear. Methods Circ-YES1 expression in normal pulmonary epithelial and NSCLC cells was examined. The small interfering RNA for circ-YES1 was prepared, cell proliferation and migration were assessed. Tumorigenesis in nude mice was assayed to validate the role of circ-YES1. Bioinformatics analyses and luciferase reporter assays were utilized to identify downstream targets of circ-YES1. Results Compared to normal pulmonary epithelial cells, the circ-YES1 expression increased in NSCLC cells, and cell proliferation and migration were suppressed after circ-YES1 knockdown. Both high mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1) and miR-142-3p were found to be downstream targets of circ-YES1, and miR-142-3p inhibition and HMGB1 overexpression reversed the effects of circ-YES1 knockdown on cell proliferation and migration. Similarly, HMGB1 overexpression reversed the miR-142-3p overexpression effects on these two processes. The imaging experiment results revealed that circ-YES1 knockdown impeded tumor development and metastasis in a nude mouse xenograft model. Conclusion Taken together, our results show that circ-YES1 promotes tumor development through the miR-142-3p–HMGB1 axis and support the development of circ-YES1 probability as a new therapeutic NSCLC target.

Correlation power analysis (CPA) is a classical method in side-channel attacks. Based on the power consumption model, the correlation between the power consumption of cryptographic devices and the assumed intermediate value is analyzed to recover the key. Theoretically, only a few power traces are required to recover the key when the noise hypothesis is known. However, in the high-frequency and high-noise environment, the completion of CPA requires more power traces, and the computational complexity also increases. Therefore, this paper proposes a fault probability correlation analysis method based on secondary filtering (2F-FPCA), which selects the fault probability traces according to the Hamming Weight of the intermediate value and reduces the number of sampling points by selecting points of interest. This method does not need to access ciphertext and is little affected by noise. Moreover, it can recover the key with fewer fault probability traces and lower computational complexity, improving the attack efficiency of CPA. In this paper, 2F-FPCAs are carried out based on the AES-128 algorithm of the Micro Controller Unit (MCU). The key can be recovered successfully using 10 fault probability traces, and the computational complexity is reduced by 104 times.

Template attack uses leaked information from various side channels and may break out the countermeasures embedded in the algorithm, which is considered a powerful side-channel attack method. However, the current template attack has the problems of a large amount of data required and poor portability. Aiming at the above problems, this paper proposes a fault template attack method based on fault probability. This method can recover the key with a small amount of data and without access to ciphertext. It applies to all cryptographic algorithms of the Substitution-Permutation Network (SPN) structure. In the template profiling stage, the search interval of points of interest is reduced by using the attack time window; the fault probability model of Hamming Weight is used to profile the highly discriminative template, and thus the key search space is reduced by 28 times. In the key recovery stage, the inverse operation is performed without traversing the key, significantly reducing the complexity of calculation. Finally, we carry out attacks based on the AES-128 algorithm of the Microcontroller Unit (MCU) and use 45 fault probability traces to profile 9 templates. The attacker can succeed in performing key recovery with only 10 attack traces obtained.

The collapse of open-pit coal mine slopes is a kind of severe geological hazard that may cause resource waste, economic loss, and casualties. On 22 February 2023, a large-scale collapse occurred at the Xinjing Open-Pit Mine in Inner Mongolia, China, leading to the loss of 53 lives. Thus, monitoring of the slope stability is important for preventing similar potential damage. It is difficult to fully obtain the temporal and spatial information of the whole mining area using conventional ground monitoring technologies. Therefore, in this study, multi-source remote sensing methods, combined with local geological conditions, are employed to monitor the open-pit mine and analyze the causes of the accident. Firstly, based on GF-2 data, remote sensing interpretation methods are used to locate and analyze the collapse area. The results indicate that high-resolution remote sensing can delineate the collapse boundary, supporting the post-disaster rescue. Subsequently, multi-temporal Radarsat-2 and Sentinel-1A satellite data, covering the period from mining to collapse, are integrated with D-InSAR and DS-InSAR technologies to monitor the deformation of both the collapse areas and the potential risk to dump slopes. The D-InSAR result suggests that high-intensity open-pit mining may be the dominant factor affecting deformation. Furthermore, the boundary between the collapse trailing edge and the non-collapse area could be found in the DS-InSAR result. Moreover, various data sources, including DEM and geological data, are combined to analyze the causes and trends of the deformation. The results suggest that the dump slopes are stable. Meanwhile, the deformation trends of the collapse slope indicate that there may be faults or joint surfaces of the collapse trailing edge boundary. The slope angle exceeding the designed value during the mining is the main cause of the collapse. In addition, the thawing of soil moisture caused by the increase in temperature and the reduction in the mechanical properties of the rock and soil due to underground voids and coal fires also contributed to the accident. This study demonstrates that multi-source remote sensing technologies can quickly and accurately identify potential high-risk areas, which is of great significance for pre-disaster warning and post-disaster rescue.

Abstract Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a major complication of sepsis and is associated with high mortality and poor long-term prognosis. The purpose of this study is to develop interpretable machine learning models to predict the occurrence of SAE after ICU admission and implement the individual prediction and analysis. Patients with sepsis admitted to ICU were included. SAE was diagnosed as glasgow coma score (GCS) less than 15. Statistical analysis at baseline was performed between SAE and non-SAE. Six machine learning classifiers were employed to predict the occurrence of SAE, and the adjustment of model super parameters was performed by using Bayesian optimization method. Finally, the optimal algorithm was selected according to the prediction efficiency. In addition, professional physicians were invited to evaluate our model prediction results for further quantitative assessment of the model interpretability. The preliminary analysis of variance showed significant differences in the incidence of SAE among patients with pathogen infection. There were significant differences in physical indicators like respiratory rate, temperature, SpO2 and mean arterial pressure (P

Abstract Background The effect of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on intracranial pressure (ICP) had never been studied in obese patients with severe brain injury (SBI). The main aim was to evaluate the effect of PEEP on ICP in SBI patients with mechanical ventilation according to obesity status. Methods SBI patients admitted to the ICU with mechanical ventilation between 2014 and 2015 were included. Demographic, hemodynamic, arterial blood gas, and ventilator data at the time of the paired PEEP and ICP observations were recorded and compared between obese (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2) and non-obese SBI patients. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) model was used to assess the relationship between PEEP and ICP in obese and non-obese SBI patients, respectively. Results Six hundred twenty-seven SBI patients were included, 407 (65%) non-obese and 220 (35%) obese patients. A total of 30,415 paired PEEP and ICP observations were recorded in these patients, 19,566 (64.3%) for non-obese and 10,849 (35.7%) for obese. In the multivariable analysis, a statistically significant relationship between PEEP and ICP was found in obese SBI patients, but not in non-obese ones. For every cmH2O increase in PEEP, there was a 0.19 mmHg increase in ICP (95% CI [0.05, 0.33], P = 0.007) and a 0.15 mmHg decrease in CPP (95% CI [-0.29, -0.01], P = 0.036) in obese SBI patients after adjusting for confounders. Conclusions The results suggested that, contrary to non-obese SBI patients, the application of PEEP may produce an increase in ICP in obese SBI patients. However, the effect was modest and may be clinically inconsequential.

Background: Hyperchloremia is associated with increased mortality in critically ill patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between increased chloride levels and mortality outcomes in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: We performed a retrospective study of all patients diagnosed with ICH and included in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC-Ⅲ) from 2001 to 2012. Inclusion criteria were the first diagnosis of ICH, ICU length of stay (LOS) over 72 h, and not receiving hypertonic saline treatment. Serum chloride perturbation within 72 h of admission was evaluated as a predictor of outcomes. The increase in chloride from baseline was dichotomized based on an increase in chloride in 72 h (≤5 mmol/L or >5 mmol/L). The primary outcome was 90-day mortality. Results: A total of 376 patients (54.5% male, median age 70 years, interquartile range:58–79 years) were included. The overall 90-day mortality was 32.2% (n=121), in-hospital mortality was 25.8% (n=97), and Day 2 acute kidney injury (AKI) occurred in 29.0% (n=109) of patients. The prevalence of hyperchloremia on admission, during the first 72 h, and an increase in chloride (>5 mmol/L) were 8.8%, 39.4%, and 42.8%, respectively. After adjusting for confounders, the hazard ratio of increase in chloride (>5 mmol/L) was 1.66 (95% confidence interval:1.05–2.64, P=0.031). An increase in chloride (>5 mmol/L) was associated with a higher odds ratio for 90-day mortality in both the AKI and non-AKI groups. Conclusions: An increase in chloride from baseline is common in adult patients with ICH admitted to ICU. The increase is significantly associated with elevated mortality. These results support the significance of diligently monitoring chloride levels in these patients.

Abstract Background TIMM8A is a protein-coding gene located on the X chromosome. There is evidence that TIMM8A plays an important role in mitochondrial morphology and fission. Studies have shown that mitophagy and fission could affect the function of immune cells. However, there is currently no research on this gene’s role in cancer occurrence and progression. Methods TIMM8A expression was analyzed via the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) site and UALCAN database. We evaluated the influence of TIMM8A on clinical prognosis using Kaplan-Meier plotter, the PrognoScan database, and Human Protein Atlas (HPA). The correlations between TIMM8A and cancer immune infiltrates were investigated via TIMER. Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) was used to evaluate the potential of tumor immune evasion. Functions of TIMM8A mutations and 50 genes significantly associated with TIMM8A mutations in breast cancer (BRCA) and uterine corpus endometrial cancer (UCEC) were analyzed by GO and KEGG in LinkedOmics database. Results We investigated the role of TIMM8A in multiple cancers and found that it was significantly associated with poor prognosis in BRCA and UCEC. After analyzing the effect of TIMM8A on immune infiltration, we found Th2 CD4+ T cells might be a common pathway by which TIMM8A contributed to poor prognosis in BRCA and UCEC. Our results suggested that myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and tumor-associated M2 macrophages (TAM M2) might be important factors in immune evasion through T cell rejection in both cancers, and considered TIMM8A as a biomarker to predict the efficacy of this therapy in BRCA and UCEC. The results of TIMM8A enrichment analysis showed us that abnormally expressed TIMM8A might affect the mitochondrial protein in BRCA and UCEC. Conclusions Contributed to illustrating the value of TIMM8A as a prognostic biomarker, our findings suggested that TIMM8A was correlated with prognosis and immune infiltration, including CD8+ T cells, Th2 CD4+ T cells, and macrophages in BRCA and UCEC. In addition, TIMM8A might affect immune infiltration and prognosis in BRCA and UCEC by affecting mitophagy. We believed it could also be a biomarker to predict the efficacy of anti-PD-L1 therapy and proposed to improve the efficacy by eliminating MDSC and TAM M2.

Abstract Background To estimate the incidence, risk factors, and impact on mortality and functional outcomes for early coagulopathy after the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients. Methods A post hoc analysis of the Therapeutic Hypothermia after Pediatric Cardiac Arrest Out-of-Hospital (THAPCA-OH) trial was conducted. Early coagulopathy was defined as presence of at least one of the following coagulation abnormalities upon admission: international standard ratio (INR), platelets, and age-adjusted activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) within 6 h after OHCA and before therapeutic hypothermia initiation. The outcomes included 28-day mortality and functional prognosis. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to explore risk factors and association between early coagulopathy and outcomes. Results Of the 227 patients included, 152 (67%) were male and the median age was 2.3 years [interquartile range (IQR), 0.7–8.6 years]. The overall 28-day mortality was 63%. The incidence of early coagulopathy was 46%. Lower age, longer duration of chest compression, lower temperature, and higher white blood cell (WBC) upon admission increased the risk of early coagulopathy. Early coagulopathy [OR, 2.20 (95% CI, 1.12–4.39), P = 0.023] was independently associated with 28-day mortality after adjusting for confounders. Conclusions Early coagulopathy occurred in almost half of pediatric patients with OHCA. Lower age, longer duration of chest compression, lower temperature, and higher WBC increased the risk. The development of early coagulopathy was independently associated with increased mortality.

Abstract The obesity paradox has been observed in short-term outcomes from critical illness. However, little is known regarding the impact of obesity on long-term outcomes for survivors of critically ill patients. We aimed to evaluate the influence of obesity on long-term mortality outcomes after discharge alive from ICU. The adult patients who were discharged alive from the last ICU admission were extracted. After exclusion, a total of 7619 adult patients discharged alive from ICU were included, with 4-year mortality of 32%. The median body mass index (BMI) was 27.2 (IQR 24–31.4) kg/m2, and 2490 (31.5%) patients were classified as obese or morbidly obese. The morbidly obese patients had the highest ICU and hospital length of stay. However, higher BMI was associated with lower hazard ratio for 4-year mortality. The results showed the obesity paradox may be also suitable for survivors of critically ill patients.

Abstract Background Negative fluid balance (NFB) is associated with reduced extubation failure. However, whether achieving more NFB can further improve extubation outcome has not been investigated. This study aimed to investigate whether more NFB and restricted fluid intake were associated with extubation success. Methods We performed a retrospective study of adult patients with mechanical ventilation (MV) admitted to Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC-III) from 2001 to 2012. Patients with duration of MV over 24 hours and NFB within 24 hours before extubation were included for analysis. The primary outcome was extubation failure, defined as reintubation within 72 hours after extubation. Association between fluid balance or fluid intake and extubation outcome were investigated with multivariable logistic models. Results A total of 3433 extubation events were recorded. 1803 with NFB were included for the final analysis, of which 201(11.1%) were extubation failure. Compared with slight NFB (− 20 to 0 ml/kg), more NFB were not associated improved extubation outcome. Compared with moderate fluid intake (30 to 60 ml/kg), lower ( 60 ml/kg, OR 1.63, 95% CI [0.73, 3.35], p = 0.206) fluid intake was not associated with extubation outcome. Duration of MV, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypercapnia, use of diuretics, and SAPSIIscore were associated with extubation failure. Conclusions More NFB or restricted fluid intake were not associated with reduced extubation failure in patients with NFB. However, for COPD patients, restricted fluid intake was associated with extubation success.

IntroductionGastric cancer (GC) remains the major constituent of cancer-related deaths and a global public health challenge with a high incidence rate. Helicobacter pylori (HP) plays an essential role in promoting the occurrence and progression of GC. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are regarded as a significant component in the tumor microenvironment (TME), which is related to the metastasis of GC. However, the regulation mechanisms of CAFs in HP-related GC are not elucidated thoroughly.MethodsHP-related genes (HRGs) were downloaded from the GSE84437 and TCGA-GC databases. The two databases were combined into one cohort for training. Furthermore, the consensus unsupervised clustering analysis was obtained to sort the training cohort into different groups for the identification of differential expression genes (DEGs). Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to verify the correlation between the DEGs and cancer-associated fibroblasts which were key components in the tumor microenvironment. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was executed to find cancer-associated fibroblast-related differential expression genes (CDEGs) for the further establishment of a prognostic model.Results and discussionIn this study, 52 HP-related genes (HRGs) were screened out based on the GSE84437 and TCGA-GC databases. A total of 804 GC samples were analyzed, respectively, and clustered into two HP-related subtypes. The DEGs identified from the two subtypes were proved to have a relationship with TME. After WGCNA and LASSO, the CAFs-related module was identified, from which 21 gene signatures were confirmed. Then, a CDEGs-Score was constructed and its prediction efficiency in GC patients was conducted for validation. Overall, a highly precise nomogram was established for enhancing the adaptability of the CDEGs-Score. Furthermore, our findings revealed the applicability of CDEGs-Score in the sensitivity of chemotherapeutic drugs. In general, our research provided brand-new possibilities for comprehending HP-related GC, evaluating survival, and more efficient therapeutic strategies.

Two-dimensional Janus materials have unique structural characteristics due to their lack of out-of-plane mirror symmetry, resulting in many excellent physical and chemical properties. Using first-principle calculations, we performed a detailed investigation of the possible stable structures and properties of two-dimensional Janus NbSH. We found that both Janus 1T and 2H structures are semiconductors, unlike their metallic counterparts MoSH. Furthermore, we predicted a new stable NbSH monolayer using a particle swarm optimization method combined with first-principle calculations. Interestingly, the out-of-plane mirror symmetry is preserved in this newly found 2D structure. Furthermore, the newly found NbSH is metallic and exhibits intrinsic superconducting behavior. The superconducting critical temperature is about 6.1 K under normal conditions, which is found to be very sensitive to stress. Even under a small compressive strain of 1.08%, the superconducting critical temperature increases to 9.3 K. In addition, the superconductivity was found to mainly originate from Nb atomic vibrations. Our results show the diversity of structures and properties of the two-dimensional Janus transition metal sulfhydrate materials and provide some guidelines for further investigations.

The NJ2205 cylindrical roller bearing is taken as the analysis object， and roller modeling is carried out through ANSYS software to analyze the "edge effect" problem between roller and raceway under the conditions of flooded oil and stared oil， and the shear stress distribution of roller and raceway is compared and analyzed under the conditions of unmodified， full convex modification and logarithmic modification. The results show that under the condition of radial load is 11.45 kN and speed is 4 000 r/min， the shear stress in the direction of the roller generatrix under flooded oil condition is less than that of stared oil condition， the shear stress in the non-repair mode is the largest， and the logarithmic repair mode. The shear stress is the smallest， and the fully convex repair under oil-rich and spent oil reduces by 17.02% and 10.58% respectively compared to the unrepaired shape， and the logarithmic repair reduces by 32.95% and 17% respectively compared to the unrepaired shape. Therefore， the roller of NJ2205 cylindrical roller bearing adopts log modification curve can effectively reduce the shear stress.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection leads to NF-κB activation and induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, though the underlying mechanism for this activation is not fully understood. Our results reveal that the SARS-CoV-2 Nsp14 protein contributes to the viral activation of NF-κB signaling. Nsp14 caused the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. Nsp14 induced the upregulation of IL-6 and IL-8, which also occurred in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells. IL-8 upregulation was further confirmed in lung tissue samples from COVID-19 patients. A previous proteomic screen identified the putative interaction of Nsp14 with host Inosine-5’-monophosphate dehydrogenase 2 (IMPDH2), which is known to regulate NF-κB signaling. We confirmed the Nsp14-IMPDH2 protein interaction and identified that IMPDH2 knockdown or chemical inhibition using ribavirin (RIB) and mycophenolic acid (MPA) abolishes Nsp14- mediated NF-κB activation and cytokine induction. Furthermore, IMPDH2 inhibitors (RIB, MPA) or NF-κB inhibitors (bortezomib, BAY 11-7082) restricted SARS-CoV-2 infection, indicating that IMPDH2-mediated activation of NF-κB signaling is beneficial to viral replication. Overall, our results identify a novel role of SARS-CoV-2 Nsp14 in inducing NF-κB activation through IMPDH2 to promote viral infection.

IntroductionCutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common skin cancer, and photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising modality against cSCC. This study investigated the impact of PDT on the MAPK pathway and cell cycle alternation of cSCC as well as the related molecular mechanisms.MethodExpressing mRNA profile data sets GSE98767, GSE45216, and GSE84758 were acquired from the GEO database. The functions of differently expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) analysis were used to establish a diagnosis model based on GSE98767. A correlation analysis and a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network were used to evaluate the relationship between cSCC-PDT-related genes and the MAPK pathway. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was performed on GSE98767 to estimate MAPK activation and cell cycle activity. Finally, the effect of MAPK activation on the cell cycle was explored in vitro.ResultFour cSCC-PDT-related genes, DUSP6, EFNB2, DNAJB1, and CCNL1, were identified as diagnostic markers of cSCC, which were upregulated in cSCC or LC50 PDT-protocol treatment and negatively correlated with the MAPK promoter. Despite having a smaller MAPK activation score, cSCC showed higher cell cycle activity. The PDT treatment suppressed the G1 to G2/M phase in JNK overexpressed A431 cells.ConclusionCCNL1, DNAJB1, DUSP6, and EFNB2 were identified as potential PDT target genes in cSCC treatment, whose potential therapeutic mechanism was inhibiting the MAPK pathway and inducing cell cycle alternation.

BackgroundMetastatic disease remains the primary cause of death in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), especially those who use betel nut. The different steps of the metastatic cascade rely on reciprocal interactions between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME). Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are regarded as a significant component in the TME of OSCC. However, the precise mechanisms regulating CAFs in OSCC are poorly understood.MethodsThirteen genes related to the arecoline were analyzed to explore the significant ones involved in arecoline-related OSCC metastasis. The GSE139869 (n = 10) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-OSCC data (n = 361) were mined for the identification of the differentially expressed genes. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was performed to identify the independent prognostic signatures. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were conducted to explore the functional enrichment of selected genes, and gene set enrichment analysis of cuproptosis-related genes was completed. Spearman’s analysis and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) were used to visualize the correlation between the infiltration of CAFs and the gene expression. The correlation analysis of the cells and different genes, including CAF infiltration and transcripts per million expression, was assessed. The relationship between arecoline and CAFs was confirmed by cell counting kit-8 assay (CCK-8). CancerSEA was searched to identify the single-cell phenotype.ResultArecoline-associated fibrosis-related OSCC differentially expressed genes (AFOC-DEGs), namely, PLAU, IL1A, SPP1, CCL11, TERT, and COL1A2, were screened out and selected from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and TCGA database. AFOC-DEGs were highly expressed in OSCC, which led to poor survival of patients. Functional enrichment analysis, protein–protein interaction network construction, and Spearman’s correlation analysis all suggested that AFOC-DEGs were closely associated with cuproptosis. Cellular experiments demonstrated that arecoline stimulation could significantly increase the cell viability of CAFs. Single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA) results showed that GLS and MTF1 were highly expressed when fibroblasts proliferated at high enrichment levels. In addition, analysis of single-cell sequencing results suggested that OSCC cells with high expression of AFOC-DEGs were associated with OSCC metastasis.ConclusionWe found a close association between arecoline, cuproptosis, and CAFs, which might play an important role in the metastasis of OSCC.

BackgroundThe main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oxygen saturation on mortality in critically ill patients with mechanical ventilation according to obesity status.MethodsWe conducted an observational study in mechanically ventilated patients admitted to the ICU retrospectively. Demographic, arterial blood gas, ventilator setting, interventions, and peripheral oxygen saturation (Spo2) during the first 24 h were recorded and analyzed between non-obese and obese patients. The main exposure included Spo2, time-weighted mean Spo2 (TWM-Spo2), and proportion of time spent in different Spo2 (PTS-Spo2) levels. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. We used multivariable logistic regression models to assess the relationship between Spo2 and mortality, as well as the interaction between PTS-Spo2 and obesity status.ResultsA total of 25,100 patients were included, of which 10,564 (42%) were obese patients. After adjusting for confounders, compared with TWM-Spo2 of 94–98%, TWM-Spo2 of < =88% (OR 3.572; CI [2.343, 5.455]; p < 0.001) and of 89–93% (OR 1.514; CI [1.343, 1.706]; p < 0.001) were both associated with higher risk of mortality. PTS-Spo2 of 99–100% was associated with increased risk of mortality for obese patients (OR 1.028; 95% CI 1.010–1.046; p = 0.002; Pinteraction = 0.001), while PTS-Spo2 of 89–93% was associated with increased risk of mortality (OR 1.089; 95% CI 1.051–1.128; p < 0.001; Pinteraction = 0.001) for non-obese patients.ConclusionsFor obese and non-obese critically ill patients with mechanical ventilation, the impact of oxygen saturation on hospital mortality is different.

Polyamines are critical metabolites involved in various cellular processes and often dysregulated in cancers. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus (KSHV), a defined human oncogenic virus, leads to profound alterations of host metabolic landscape to favor development of KSHV-associated malignancies. In our studies, we identified that polyamine biosynthesis and eIF5A hypusination are dynamically regulated by KSHV infection through modulation of key enzymes (ODC1 and DHPS) of these pathways. During KSHV latency, ODC1 and DHPS are upregulated along with increase of hypusinated eIF5A (hyp-eIF5A), while hyp-eIF5A is further induced along with reduction of ODC1 and intracellular polyamines during KSHV lytic reactivation. In return these metabolic pathways are required for both KSHV lytic reactivation and de novo infection. Further analysis unraveled that synthesis of critical KSHV latent and lytic proteins (LANA, RTA) depends on hypusinated-eIF5A. We also demonstrated that KSHV infection can be efficiently and specifically suppressed by inhibitors targeting these pathways. Collectively, our results illustrated that the dynamic and profound interaction of a DNA tumor virus (KSHV) with host polyamine biosynthesis and eIF5A hypusination pathways promote viral propagation, thus defining new therapeutic targets to treat KSHV-associated malignancies.

With the increasing demand for eco-friendly, non-petroleum-based natural rubber (NR) products, sepiolite, a naturally abundant, one-dimensional clay mineral, has been identified as a suitable material for reinforcing NR through the latex compounding method. To create superior NR/sepiolite composites, three silane coupling agents with different functional groups were used to modify sepiolite in situ via grafting or adsorption during the disaggregation and activation of natural sepiolite, which were subsequently mixed with natural rubber latex (NRL) to prepare the composites. The results showed that the modified sepiolite improved the dispersion and interfacial bonding strength with the rubber matrix. VTES-modified sepiolite containing C=C groups slightly improved the performance but retarded the vulcanization of the NR composites, and MPTES and TESPT-modified sepiolites containing -SH and −S4− groups, respectively, effectively accelerated vulcanization, inducing the composites to form a denser crosslink network structure, and exhibiting excellent dynamic and static properties, such as the modulus at a 300% increase from 8.82 MPa to 16.87 MPa, a tear strength increase from 49.6 N·mm−1 to 60.3 N·mm−1, as well as an improved rolling resistance and abrasive resistance of the composites. These findings demonstrate that modified sepiolite can be used to produce high-quality NR/sepiolite composites with enhanced properties.

Abstract Background We sought to evaluate the effect of mild hypercapnia on brain tissue oxygen tension (Pbto2) and diffusion limitation (impaired ability of oxygen extraction) in a porcine post asphyxial cardiac arrest model. Methods In 16 Bama pigs, asphyxial cardiac arrest was induced by endotracheal tube clamping and remained untreated for another 4 min. After return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), animals were randomly assigned to mild hypercapnia (end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2): 45 ~ 50 mmHg) and normocapnia (EtCO2: 35 ~ 40 mmHg) groups for 12 h. Intracranial pressure (ICP), Pbto2, and brain tissue temperature were invasively measured by multimodality monitors. Blood gas analysis, neuron specific enolase (NSE), and S100β were tested at baseline, ROSC 1 h, 6 h, and 12 h. Generalized mixed model with a compound symmetry covariance matrix was used to compare the time-variables of the two groups. Results Twelve (75%) pigs had ROSC and 11 pigs survived for the study period, with 6 pigs in mild hypercapnia group and 5 in the normocapnia group. The mean EtCO2 in the mild hypercapnia was significantly higher than normocapnia group (48 vs 38 mmHg, p

Abstract Background Thrombocytopenia (TP) has been shown to be an independent predictor of mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Studies are lacking in the neurological ICU (NICU) population. The aim was to evaluate the incidence of TP in NICU and the relationship between TP and outcomes. Methods We conducted a retrospective multicenter study of prospectively collected data of all patients admitted to the NICU between 2014 and 2015 from a large database (eICU Collaborative Research Database). The main exposure was TP at admission and TP developed during NICU stay. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the relationship of TP at admission and platelet course with hospital mortality. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. Results 7450 patients in NICU from 17 hospitals were included. Hospital mortality was 9%. TP at admission was present in 20% of patients, TP developed during NICU stay was present in 13.2% of patients. TP at admission was not associated with hospital mortality after adjusting for confounders (OR 1.14 [95% CI 0.92–1.41, p = 0.237]). Hospital mortality of continuous TP during NICU stay was 15% while hospital mortality of recovery from TP at admission was 6% (p

Using the crystal-structure search technique and first-principles calculation, we report a new two-dimensional semiconductor, ZnSiP2, which was found to be stable by phonon, molecular-dynamic, and elastic-moduli simulations. ZnSiP2 has an indirect band gap of 1.79 eV and exhibits an anisotropic character mechanically. Here, we investigated the ZnSiP2 monolayer as an anode material for K-ion batteries and gas sensing for the adsorption of CO, CO2, SO2, NO, NO2, and NH3 gas molecules. Our calculations show that the ZnSiP2 monolayer possesses a theoretical capacity of 517 mAh/g for K ions and an ultralow diffusion barrier of 0.12 eV. Importantly, the ZnSiP2 monolayer exhibits metallic behavior after the adsorption of the K-atom layer, which provides better conductivity in a period of the battery cycle. In addition, the results show that the ZnSiP2 monolayer is highly sensitive and selective to NO2 gas molecules.

Both Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) establish the persistent, life-long infection primarily at the latent status, and associate with certain types of tumors, such as B cell lymphomas, especially in immuno-compromised individuals including people living with HIV (PLWH). Lytic reactivation of these viruses can be employed to kill tumor cells harboring latently infected viral episomes through the viral cytopathic effects and the subsequent antiviral immune responses. In this study, we identified that polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is induced by KSHV de novo infection as well as lytic switch from KSHV latency. We further demonstrated that PLK1 depletion or inhibition facilitates KSHV reactivation and promotes cell death of KSHV-infected lymphoma cells. Mechanistically, PLK1 regulates Myc that is critical to both maintenance of KSHV latency and support of cell survival, and preferentially affects the level of H3K27me3 inactive mark both globally and at certain loci of KSHV viral episomes. Furthremore, we recognized that PLK1 inhibition synergizes with STAT3 inhibition to efficiently induce KSHV reactivation. We also confirmed that PLK1 depletion or inhibition yields the similar effect on EBV lytic reactivation and cell death of EBV-infected lymphoma cells. Lastly, we noticed that PLK1 in B cells is elevated in the context of HIV infection and caused by HIV Nef protein to favor KSHV/EBV latency.

EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) is characterized by high frequency of DNA methylation. In this study, we investigated how epigenetic alteration of host genome contributes to pathogenesis of EBVaGC through the analysis of transcriptomic and epigenomic datasets from NIH TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) consortium. We identified that immune related genes (IRGs) is a group of host genes preferentially silenced in EBV-positive gastric cancers through DNA hypermethylation. Further functional characterizations of selected IRGs reveal their novel antiviral activity against not only EBV but also KSHV. In particular, we showed that metallothionein-1 (MT1) and homeobox A (HOXA) gene clusters are down-regulated via EBV-driven DNA hypermethylation. Several MT1 isoforms suppress EBV lytic replication and release of progeny virions as well as KSHV lytic reactivation, suggesting functional redundancy of these genes. In addition, single HOXA10 isoform exerts antiviral activity against both EBV and KSHV. We also confirmed the antiviral effect of other dysregulated IRGs, such as IRAK2 and MAL, in scenario of EBV and KSHV lytic reactivation. Collectively, our results demonstrated that epigenetic silencing of IRGs is a viral strategy to escape immune surveillance and promote viral propagation, which is overall beneficial to viral oncogenesis of human gamma-herpesviruses (EBV and KSHV), considering that these IRGs possess antiviral activities against these oncoviruses.

Recent efforts have been paid to identify previously unrecognized HIV-1 latency-promoting genes (LPGs) that can potentially be targeted for eradication of HIV-1 latent reservoirs. From our earlier orthologous RNAi screens of host factors regulating HIV-1 replication, we identified that the nucleolar protein NOP2/NSUN1, a m5C RNA methyltransferase (MTase), is an HIV-1 restriction factor. Loss- and gain-of-function analyses confirmed that NOP2 restricts HIV-1 replication. Depletion of NOP2 promotes the reactivation of latently infected HIV-1 proviruses in multiple cell lines as well as primary CD4+ T cells, alone or in combination with latency-reversing agents (LRAs). Mechanistically, NOP2 associates with HIV-1 5' LTR, interacts with HIV-1 TAR RNA by competing with HIV-1 Tat protein, as well as contributes to TAR m5C methylation. RNA MTase catalytic domain (MTD) of NOP2 mediates its competition with Tat and binding with TAR. Overall, these findings verified that NOP2 suppresses HIV-1 transcription and promotes viral latency.

Cement-fly ash mixture has been commonly used for the foundation treatment projects in the fly ash stratum, as it is effective in improving foundation bearing capacity and reducing settlement of stratum. In order to figure out the effect of dynamic and static load on the mechanical properties exhibited by the cement-fly ash and the reaction mechanism of cement-fly ash, a combination of the unconfined compressive test, impact test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) method was adopted in this study to investigate the cement-fly ash test samples. As demonstrated by the results, the observed growth rate of 0–60 days (d) is higher than that in the later stages and the typical stress-strain curve can be divided into six sections under the unconfined compressive test. At the gas pressure of 0.2 MPa, the cement-fly ash samples exhibited obvious plastic properties in early curing time (0–60 d), and brittle failure was observed in the final stage (90 d). It is obvious that the value of dynamic compressive strength (DCS) is higher than that of unconfined compressive strength (UCS). The analysis of XRD has revealed that the hydration products are primarily derived from the hydration reaction of cement in the early stage and the pozzolanic reaction in the late stage. The pores of cement-fly ash are found to be filled with the hydration products, despite the presence of a mass of pores in the interior.

We propose and numerically analyze a fiber-optic sensor based on a silica taper-assisted multiple polymer microspheres to realize high-sensitivity refractometric sensing due to the excitation of multi-beam interference and whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) in each microsphere. Up to 5 UV-cured adhesive microspheres are dripped in sequence on the 2 µm-diameter silica taper with the certain distances in between. Scattering and reflection of light in each microsphere enhance the multi-beam interference because of the emergence of high-order modes. Moreover, WGMs with certain resonant wavelengths are excited in the microspheres, further enhancing the transmission spectrum with high contrast and quality factor. Furthermore, irregular transmission spectrum corresponds to the large wavelength tuning range. Propagating light between the microspheres could be strongly affected by the environmental factor with the large transmission spectrum shift, therefore realizing the refractometric sensing with high sensitivity of 846 nm/RIU based on the taper-assisted 2-spheres sensor. Furthermore, another two microspheres are placed on both sides of 2-spheres sensor to form 4-spheres-loop sensor, re-collecting those large-angle scattering light with the enhancement of multi-beam interference and WGMs. Therefore, the sensitivity of 4-shperes-loop sensor is further improved to the maximum of 1296.3 nm/RIU.

High-pressure physics: transitions and superconductivity of compressed ReS2 ReS2 is a unique transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) in terms of its distorted low-symmetry structure at ambient conditions. A subject that remains elusive so far is how its structure and electronic properties respond to pressure. Now a collaborative team led by Prof. Jian Sun from Nanjing University looks at the phase transitions in ReS2 under pressure utilizing ab initio crystal structure searching combining with high-pressure electrical resistance measurements. Upon small compression, the ambient phase transforms to a triclinic distorted 1T structure before changing to a tetragonal polymorph at higher pressure. The former transition is due to the layer sliding with a Peierls mechanism governing the energy stabilization and this semiconducting phase would be metallized with increasing pressure. The latter predicted structure is superconducting at a critical temperature of around 2 K at 100 GPa. This work suggests the role of pressure in tailoring the electronic structures of TMDs.

Phase unwrapping (PU) is a key step of interferometric SAR signal processing. The accuracy of the unwrapping phase directly affects the accuracy of the digital elevation model (DEM). The traditional path-integral methods and global-planning methods cannot take into account both PU accuracy and processing efficiency, and causes PU error diffusion and large-area PU holes. To solve these problems, this study proposed an improved PU strategy based on dynamic adjacent table. For the problem of unwrapping holes that appears in traditional path-integral methods, this study introduces improved local quality maps to guide the path-integral operation, which effectively realises the phase compensation of the PU holes. For the low efficiency of the traditional branch-cut algorithm, this study implements the real-time integration path optimisation planning by further introducing the dynamic adjacent table and greatly reduces the data volume of the adjacent table. Thus, the efficiency of PU was greatly improved. Finally, the proposed method was validated by the airborne dual-antenna interferometric SAR experimental data.

Ground subsidence and surface cracks caused by coal mining are typical man-made geological hazards that can severely damage the ecological environment and buildings. In China, within the theme of sustained and stable development, accurate assessment of mining-related building damage is paramount in order to address the contradiction between coal mining enterprises and building owners. Previous research in China focused mainly on the mining areas of plains, and only a few studies have considered building damage caused by intensive mining in mountainous areas. First, based on field investigation, this study located ground surface cracks and assessed the damage to buildings in the village of Nanyetou in Shanxi Province (China) attributable to the exploitation of the 15110 working face of the Baiyangling coal mine. Second, based on the mining subsidence law and boundary angle, the surface influenced boundary caused by underground mining was determined. However, as the existing subsidence theory cannot adequately explain the phenomenon of building damage, the damage was investigated from the perspective of slope stability analysis, and the slope safety factor before and after working face mining were calculated using the Janbu method. The analytical results showed that slope instability due to a decrease of the safety factor because of the coal mining activity was the principal reason for damage to the village buildings, a finding that was confirmed by field survey and InSAR monitoring displacement. The results of this study could provide guidance and reference for the assessment of building damage caused by underground mining in mountain areas.

Renal fibrosis is an unavoidable consequence that occurs in nearly all of the nephropathies. It is characterized by a superabundant deposition and accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM). All compartments in the kidney can be affected, including interstitium, glomeruli, vasculature, and other connective tissue, during the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis. The development of this process eventually causes destruction of renal parenchyma and end-stage renal failure, which is a devastating disease that requires renal replacement therapies. Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been emerging as key regulators governing gene expression and affecting various biological processes. These versatile roles include transcriptional regulation, organization of nuclear domains, and the regulation of RNA molecules or proteins. Current evidence proposes the involvement of lncRNAs in the pathologic process of kidney fibrosis. In this review, the biological relevance of lncRNAs in renal fibrosis will be clarified as important novel regulators and potential therapeutic targets. The biology, and subsequently the current understanding, of lncRNAs in renal fibrosis are demonstrated—highlighting the involvement of lncRNAs in kidney cell function, phenotype transition, and vascular damage and rarefaction. Finally, we discuss challenges and future prospects of lncRNAs in diagnostic markers and potential therapeutic targets, hoping to further inspire the management of renal fibrosis.