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The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) completed its 5 month Survey Validation in 2021 May. Spectra of stellar and extragalactic targets from Survey Validation constitute the first major data sample from the DESI survey. This paper describes the public release of those spectra, the catalogs of derived properties, and the intermediate data products. In total, the public release includes good-quality spectral information from 466,447 objects targeted as part of the Milky Way Survey, 428,758 as part of the Bright Galaxy Survey, 227,318 as part of the Luminous Red Galaxy sample, 437,664 as part of the Emission Line Galaxy sample, and 76,079 as part of the Quasar sample. In addition, the release includes spectral information from 137,148 objects that expand the scope beyond the primary samples as part of a series of secondary programs. Here, we describe the spectral data, data quality, data products, Large-Scale Structure science catalogs, access to the data, and references that provide relevant background to using these spectra.

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) was designed to conduct a survey covering 14,000 deg2 over 5 yr to constrain the cosmic expansion history through precise measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO). The scientific program for DESI was evaluated during a 5 month survey validation (SV) campaign before beginning full operations. This program produced deep spectra of tens of thousands of objects from each of the stellar Milky Way Survey (MWS), Bright Galaxy Survey (BGS), luminous red galaxy (LRG), emission line galaxy (ELG), and quasar target classes. These SV spectra were used to optimize redshift distributions, characterize exposure times, determine calibration procedures, and assess observational overheads for the 5 yr program. In this paper, we present the final target selection algorithms, redshift distributions, and projected cosmology constraints resulting from those studies. We also present a One-Percent Survey conducted at the conclusion of SV covering 140 deg2 using the final target selection algorithms with exposures of a depth typical of the main survey. The SV indicates that DESI will be able to complete the full 14,000 deg2 program with spectroscopically confirmed targets from the MWS, BGS, LRG, ELG, and quasar programs with total sample sizes of 7.2, 13.8, 7.46, 15.7, and 2.87 million, respectively. These samples will allow exploration of the Milky Way halo, clustering on all scales, and BAO measurements with a statistical precision of 0.28% over the redshift interval z < 1.1, 0.39% over the redshift interval 1.1 < z < 1.9, and 0.46% over the redshift interval 1.9 < z < 3.5.

Ji Yang,1,&ast; Zhenyu Ding,2,&ast; Ying Yu,1 Junde Liu,1 Shuang Song,1 Zhendong Zheng,2 Huiying Yu1 1Basic Medicine Laboratory, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110016, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Clinical Oncology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110016, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Huiying Yu, Basic Medicine Laboratory, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110016, People’s Republic of China, Email hyingy@sina.com Zhendong Zheng, Department of Clinical Oncology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110016, People’s Republic of China, Email gcp_zzd@sian.comObjective: Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the third most common malignancy. In addition to comprehensive cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the adoptive immune cell therapy (ACT) has played an increasingly important role in recent years, and the adaptive transfusion of autologous NK cells and CIK cells is a brand-new approach to cellular therapy for solid tumors.Case Presentation: A 57-year-old man underwent a radical resection of microsatellite stable (MSS) rectal cancer with synchronous liver metastases. After surgery of the primary lesion surgery, he was treated with autologous CIK/NK cells combined with XELOX translational therapy. Each cycle can obtain over 10 × 109 CIK cells or over 6 × 109 NK cells combined chemotherapy of XELOX every 3 weeks. After 2 cycles of therapy, he achieved partial response (PR). He immediately underwent a hepatic metastasis resection. After surgery, the patient continued to receive autologous CIK/NK cells in combined with 4 cycles of XELOX. To date, he has achieved and maintained no evidence of disease (NED) for over 40 months.Conclusion: This is a case of successful treatment of rectal cancer with liver metastasis using ACT in conjunction with first-line chemotherapy. The advantage of this treatment plan is that it has few side effects and achieves long-term control of tumor recurrence by improving the patient’s immune function. However, its responsiveness and benefit rate still need further investigation.Keywords: autologous CIK cells, autologous NK cells, chemotherapy, advanced rectal cancer

Qian Song,1,2,&ast; Kaili Zheng,1,2,&ast; Zixia Ding,1,2 Zhengmiao Miao,1,2 Zhaoxia Liu,1,2 Ming Cheng,3 Jinyao Yi1,2,4 1Medical Psychological Center, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of China; 2Medical Psychological Institute, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Clinical Psychology, Hunan Brain Hospital, Changsha, People’s Republic of China; 4National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Changsha, 410011, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jinyao Yi, Medical Psychological Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People’s Republic of China, Email jinyaoyi@csu.edu.cnBackground: There exist four short forms of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS): 10-item version (SIAS-10), 6-item version by Peters et al (SIAS-6P), 6-item version by Fergus et al (SIAS-6F), and 5-item version (SIAS-5). This study aims to comprehensively examine the psychometric properties of the SIAS-10, SIAS-6P, SIAS-6F, and SIAS-5 and to determine which one performs relatively better in Chinese population.Methods: This study enrolled 733 Chinese college students. The unidimensionality of the SIAS-10, SIAS-6P, SIAS-6F, SIAS-5 was examined using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Multi-Group CFA was further adopted to assess measurement equivalence across gender. Internal consistency reliability and criteria-related validity were also evaluated. Additionally, the measurement performance of the SIAS-10, SIAS-6P, SIAS-6F, and SIAS-5 was assessed with Item Response Theory (IRT), which estimated the discrimination parameter and the Item Characteristic Curve (ICC) for each item.Results: Except for the SIAS-5, the SIAS-10, SIAS-6P, and SIAS-6F displayed a good-fit to the one-factor model. Furthermore, the SIAS-10 achieved strict equivalence across gender while other versions did not. The SIAS-10, SIAS-6P, SIAS-6F and SIAS-5 all had acceptable internal consistency and significant correlations with criteria scales. The IRT results showed that the SIAS-10 included more items with higher discrimination and peaked ICCs (indicating more informative), whereas the SIAS-6P included more items with lower discrimination and flat ICCs (indicating less informative).Conclusion: For assessing social anxiety in Chinese under constrained conditions, the SIAS-10 is recommended to clinicians for it measuring equivalently across gender, reflecting the relevant criteria variables well, and discriminating various levels of social anxiety sensitively.Keywords: social anxiety, psychometric properties, measurement equivalence, item response theory, Chinese

Tianshu Liu, Mengfan Zhang, Jin Zhang, Naijin Kang, Linlin Zheng, Zhiying Ding School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhiying Ding, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 13843180286, Email dzy@jlu.edu.cnPurpose: Ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3) and Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) can be used for ischemic stroke treatment, however, the lack of targeting to the ischemic region limits the therapeutic effect. To address this, we leveraged the affinity of macrophage membrane proteins for inflamed brain microvascular endothelial cells to develop a macrophage membrane-cloaked liposome loaded with Rg3 and PNS (MM-Lip-Rg3/PNS), which can precisely target brain lesion region through intranasal administration.Methods: MM-Lip-Rg3/PNS was prepared by co-extrusion method and was performed by characterization, stability, surface protein, and morphology. The cellular uptake, immune escape ability, and blood-brain barrier crossing ability of MM-Lip-Rg3/PNS were studied in vitro. The in vivo brain targeting, biodistribution and anti-ischemic efficacy of MM-Lip-Rg3/PNS were evaluated in MACO rats, and we determined the diversity of the nasal brain pathway through the olfactory nerve blockade model in rats. Finally, the pharmacokinetics and brain targeting index of MM-Lip-Rg3/PNS were investigated.Results: Our results indicated that MM-Lip-Rg3/PNS was spherical with a shell-core structure. MM-Lip-Rg3/PNS can avoid mononuclear phagocytosis, actively bind to inflammatory endothelial cells, and have the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Moreover, MM-Lip-Rg3/PNS could specifically target ischemic sites, even microglia, increase the cumulative number of drugs in the brain, improve the inflammatory environment of the brain, and reduce the infarct size. By comparing olfactory nerve-blocking rats with normal rats, it was found that there are direct and indirect pathways for nasal entry into the brain. Pharmacokinetics demonstrated that MM-Lip-Rg3/PNS exhibited stronger brain targeting and prolonged drug half-life.Conclusion: MM-Lip-Rg3/PNS might contribute to the accumulation of Rg3 and PNS in the ischemic brain area to improve treatment efficacy. This biomimetic nano-drug delivery system provides a new and promising strategy for the treatment of ischemic stroke. Keywords: macrophage-membrane coating, biomimetic liposome, brain targeting, ischemic stroke, intranasal delivery

Junjuan Li,1,&ast; Yue Tian,2,&ast; Qi Qin,2,&ast; Zhaolei Ding,1 Xue Zhao,3 Wei Tan1 1Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University/Weifang People’s Hospital, Weifang, 261000, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261053, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University/Weifang People’s Hospital, Weifang, 261000, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Wei Tan, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Weifang People’s Hospital, 151 Guangwen Street, Weifang, Shandong Province, 261000, People’s Republic of China, Email 13863659099@126.com Xue Zhao, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Weifang People’s Hospital, 151 Guangwen Street, Weifang, Shandong Province, 261000, People’s Republic of China, Email 42281870@qq.comPurpose: Owing to its noninvasive nature, broad-spectrum effectiveness, minimal bacterial resistance, and high efficiency, phototherapy has significant potential for antibiotic-free antibacterial interventions and combating antibacterial biofilms. However, finding effective strategies to mitigate the detrimental effects of excessive temperature and elevated concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) remains a pressing issue that requires immediate attention.Methods: In this study, we designed a pH-responsive cationic polymer sodium nitroside dihydrate/branched polyethylenimine–indocyanine green@polyethylene glycol (SNP/PEI-ICG@PEG) nanoplatform using the electrostatic adsorption method and Schiff’s base reaction. Relevant testing techniques were applied to characterize and analyze SNP/PEI-ICG@PEG, proving the successful synthesis of the nanomaterials. In vivo and in vitro experiments were performed to evaluate the antimicrobial properties of SNP/PEI-ICG@PEG.Results: The morphology and particle size of SNP/PEI-ICG@PEG were observed via TEM. The zeta potential and UV-visible (UV‐vis) results indicated the synthesis of the nanomaterials. The negligible cytotoxicity of up to 1 mg/mL of SNP/PEI-ICG@PEG in the presence or absence of light demonstrated its biosafety. Systematic in vivo and in vitro antimicrobial assays confirmed that SNP/PEI-ICG@PEG had good water solubility and biosafety and could be activated by near-infrared (NIR) light and synergistically treated using four therapeutic modes, photodynamic therapy (PDT), gaseous therapy (GT), mild photothermal therapy (PTT, 46 °C), and cation. Ultimately, the development of Gram-positive (G+) Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Gram-negative (G−) Escherichia coli (E. coli) were both completely killed in the free state, and the biofilm that had formed was eliminated.Conclusion: SNP/PEI-ICG@PEG demonstrated remarkable efficacy in achieving controlled multimodal synergistic antibacterial activity and biofilm infection treatment. The nanoplatform thus holds promise for future clinical applications.Keywords: cationic, mild photothermal, photodynamic, NO gas, antibacterial

Maryia Zhdanava,1 Sumesh Kachroo,2 Aditi Shah,1 Zhijie Ding,2 Patrick Lefebvre,1 Ruizhi Zhao,2 Caroline Kerner,2 Dominic Pilon1 1Analysis Group, Inc, Montréal, QC, Canada; 2Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Horsham, PA, USACorrespondence: Maryia Zhdanava, Analysis Group, Inc, 1190 avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal, Suite 1500, Montréal, QC, H3B 0G7, Canada, Tel +1-514-394-4469, Fax +1-514-394-4461, Email Masha.Zhdanava@analysisgroup.comPurpose: To describe real-world persistence in bio-naïve and bio-experienced adults with ulcerative colitis (UC) treated with ustekinumab, a recently approved anti-interleukin 12/23 antibody, or adalimumab, an anti-TNF biologic.Methods: This is a descriptive, retrospective cohort study. Patients initiating ustekinumab or adalimumab (index date, between 10/21/2019 and 08/13/2021) were selected from the Komodo Health comprehensive dataset and stratified into bio-naïve and bio-experienced subgroups based on biologic use 12 months pre-index date. Endpoints evaluated at 12-months after maintenance phase start using Kaplan–Meier analysis included 1) persistence; 2) persistence while being corticosteroid-free (< 14 consecutive days of corticosteroid supply after day 90 post-index); and, 3) persistence while on monotherapy (no immunomodulators/non-index biologics/advanced therapies).Results: Ustekinumab cohort included 778 patients (236 bio-naïve, 542 bio-experienced) and adalimumab cohort included 1693 patients (1517 bio-naive, 176 bio-experienced). At 12 months after maintenance phase start, 75.5% and 50.5% of bio-naïve patients persisted on ustekinumab and adalimumab and 72.3% and 56.9% of bio-experienced patients persisted on ustekinumab and adalimumab, respectively. Further, 55.1% and 38.2% of bio-naïve patients were persistent and corticosteroid-free with ustekinumab and adalimumab; 43.7% and 33.4% of bio-experienced patients were persistent and corticosteroid-free with ustekinumab and adalimumab, respectively. Moreover, 68.1% and 44.5% of bio-naïve patients were persistent and on monotherapy with ustekinumab and adalimumab; 61.6% and 47.9% of bio-experienced patients were persistent and on monotherapy with ustekinumab and adalimumab, respectively.Conclusion: At 12 months after maintenance phase start, patients with UC treated with ustekinumab had numerically higher persistence, including persistence while corticosteroid-free and persistence while on monotherapy, than patients treated with adalimumab.Keywords: biologics, inflammatory bowel disease, outcomes research

Xiang Li,1 Zigang Ding,1 Yun Tong2 1Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pain, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yun Tong, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiujiang University, No. 57 East Xunyang Road, Jiangxi, Jiujiang 332000, People’s Republic of China, Email tongyun1209@163.comPurpose: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common subtype of thyroid cancer. Recurrence makes the prognosis for some patients with PTC worse. Increasing evidence have suggested that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation plays an important role in tumorigenesis. However, the significance of m6A-related lncRNAs in the malignant progression of PTC remains unknown. In this study, we explored the significance of M6A-related lncrnas in the malignant progression of PTC.Patients and Methods: Transcriptome and clinical data of PTC were achieved and integrated from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Firstly, a Spearman correlation analysis was performed to obtain m6A RNA methylation-associated lncRNAs. Next, We constructed a prognostic signature and assessed the accuracy of the signature by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Kaplan Meier survival analyses. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis was performed on the high- and low-risk groups. Finally, we determined prognostic gene expression in clinical samples using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).Results: We identified 56 differentially expressed lncRNAs associated with m6A RNA methylation. Univariate Cox and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression analyses showed that the survival-related lncRNAs associated with m6A RNA methylation were detected, which showed superior calibration and discrimination. Moreover, the biological processes related to energy metabolism were significantly activated in the high-risk group. Finally, the co-expressed genes of lncRNAs in the risk model were significantly enriched in biological processes related to copper ion response. Finally, we validated the expression levels of three prognostic genes in clinical samples using RT-qPCR.Conclusion: Our study revealed m6A RNA methylation-associated lncRNAs were significantly associated with disease-free survival in patients with papillary thyroid cancer, which would improve our understanding of the relationship between m6A RNA methylation-associated lncRNAs and PTC.Keywords: Papillary thyroid carcinoma, m6a RNA methylation, lncrna, PROGNOSIS, disease-free survival

Zhiliang Zhang,1,&ast; Zhongxiang Ding,2,&ast; Fenyang Chen,2 Rui Hua,3 Jiaojiao Wu,3 Zhefan Shen,2 Feng Shi,3 Xiufang Xu1 1School of Medical Imaging, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hangzhou First People’s Hospital, Westlake University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Research and Development, Shanghai United Imaging Intelligence Co., Ltd, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Feng Shi; Xiufang Xu, Email feng.shi@uii-ai.com; 1996033011@hmc.edu.cnBackground: Cerebral small vessel disease lacks specific clinical manifestations, and extraction of valuable features from multimodal images is expected to improve its diagnostic accuracy. In this study, we used deep learning techniques to segment cerebral small vessel disease imaging markers in multimodal magnetic resonance images and analyze them with clinical risk factors.Methods and results: We recruited 211 lacunar stroke patients and 83 control patients. The patients’ cerebral small vessel disease markers were automatically segmented using a V-shaped bottleneck network, and the number and volume were calculated after manual correction. The segmentation results of the V-shaped bottleneck network for white matter hyperintensity and recent small subcortical infarction were in high agreement with the ground truth (DSC> 0.90). In small lesion segmentation, cerebral microbleed (average recall=0.778; average precision=0.758) and perivascular spaces (average recall=0.953; average precision=0.923) were superior to lacunar infarct (average recall=0.339; average precision=0.432) in recall and precision. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that age, systolic blood pressure, and total cerebral small vessel disease load score were independent risk factors for lacunar stroke (P< 0.05). Ordered logistic regression analysis showed age was positively correlated with cerebral small vessel disease load score and total cholesterol was negatively correlated with cerebral small vessel disease score (P< 0.05).Conclusion: Lacunar stroke patients exhibited higher cerebral small vessel disease imaging markers, and age, systolic blood pressure, and total cerebral small vessel disease score were independent risk factors for lacunar stroke patients. V-shaped bottleneck network segmentation network based on multimodal deep learning can segment and quantify various cerebral small vessel disease lesions to some extent.Keywords: lacunar stroke, cerebral small vessel disease, imaging markers, deep learning, quantification, image segmentation, clinical risk factors

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) embarked on an ambitious 5 yr survey in 2021 May to explore the nature of dark energy with spectroscopic measurements of 40 million galaxies and quasars. DESI will determine precise redshifts and employ the baryon acoustic oscillation method to measure distances from the nearby universe to beyond redshift z > 3.5, and employ redshift space distortions to measure the growth of structure and probe potential modifications to general relativity. We describe the significant instrumentation we developed to conduct the DESI survey. This includes: a wide-field, 3.°2 diameter prime-focus corrector; a focal plane system with 5020 fiber positioners on the 0.812 m diameter, aspheric focal surface; 10 continuous, high-efficiency fiber cable bundles that connect the focal plane to the spectrographs; and 10 identical spectrographs. Each spectrograph employs a pair of dichroics to split the light into three channels that together record the light from 360-980 nm with a spectral resolution that ranges from 2000-5000. We describe the science requirements, their connection to the technical requirements, the management of the project, and interfaces between subsystems. DESI was installed at the 4 m Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory and has achieved all of its performance goals. Some performance highlights include an rms positioner accuracy of better than 0.″1 and a median signal-to-noise ratio of 7 of the [O ii] doublet at 8 × 10-17 erg s-1 cm-2 in 1000 s for galaxies at z = 1.4-1.6. We conclude with additional highlights from the on-sky validation and commissioning, key successes, and lessons learned.

Zhimin Ding,1,&ast; Jing Gao,2,&ast; Yixuan Feng,1,&ast; Mengyu Wang,1 Huandong Zhao,1 Ruonan Wu,1 Xinyue Zheng,1 Xiaodong Feng,1,2 Mingyin Lai3 1School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Rehabilitation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiaodong Feng; Mingyin Lai, Email fxd0502@163.com; dearl_0524@163.comBackground: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is one of the most common complications of stroke. Electroacupuncture (EA) is an effective traditional Chinese medicine treatment for PSD, which is widely used in clinical settings. EA has a significant therapeutic effect against PSD, but the mechanism is still unclear. This study aimed to determine whether EA ameliorates depression-like behaviors in PSD rats by regulating the adenosine 5’-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-mediated mitochondrial function.Methods: Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) were used to develop a PSD rat model. To elucidate the role of AMPK in EA treatment, compound C, a selective inhibitor of AMPK, was injected into the lateral ventricle of rats before EA treatment. EA treatment was performed for 14 consecutive days for 30 min per day after PSD modeling. A modified Zea-Longa five-point scale scoring system was used to determine neurologic function in MCAO rats. Behavioral tests were conducted to evaluate depression-like phenotypes in rats. Depression-like behaviors were tested by sucrose preference test (SPT), novelty suppressed feeding test (NSFT), and open-field test (OFT). The structure and morphology of the prefrontal cortex were observed by histopathological hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Nissl staining. The mitochondrial morphology and function were analyzed by colorimetry, chemiluminescence, Western blotting, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).Results: EA treatment successfully ameliorated depression-like behaviors, upregulated AMPK expression, and improved mitochondrial function. However, AMPK inhibition by Compound C exacerbated depression-like behaviors and aggravated neuronal and mitochondrial injury in PSD rats.Conclusion: EA treatment improved depression-like behaviors in PSD rats and promoted mitochondrial function by activating AMPK.Keywords: electroacupuncture, post-stroke depression, mitochondria, AMPK

We have calculated electron backscattering coefficients, η (E p) , at primary electron energies E p of 0.1–100 keV for three elemental and intermediate atomic number solids, Cr, Co and Pd, with an up-to-date Monte Carlo simulation model. A relativistic dielectric functional approach is adopted for the calculation of the electron inelastic cross section, where several different datasets of optical energy loss function (ELF) are adopted. The calculated backscattering coefficient is found to be substantially affected by the ELF, where the influence can be seen to follow the f- and ps-sum rules and the resultant energy dependence of electron inelastic mean free path. To understand the uncertainties involved in a comparison with experimental data both the theoretical uncertainty due to the elastic cross-section model and the experimental systematic error for the contaminated surfaces are investigated. A total of 192 different scattering potentials are employed for the calculation of Mott's electron elastic cross section and this theoretical uncertainty is confirmed to be small. On the other hand, the simulation of contaminated Co and Pd surfaces with several carbonaceous atomic layers can well explain the experimental data. The present results indicate that accurate backscattering coefficient data should be either measured from fully cleaned surfaces or obtained from modern Monte Carlo theoretical calculations involving reliable optical constants data. With the recent progress in the accurate measurement of optical constants by reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy technique, constructing a reliable theoretical database of electron backscattering coefficients for clean surfaces of elemental solids is highly hopeful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has embarked on an ambitiousfive-year survey to explore the nature of dark energy with spectroscopy of 40million galaxies and quasars. DESI will determine precise redshifts and employthe Baryon Acoustic Oscillation method to measure distances from the nearbyuniverse to z > 3.5, as well as measure the growth of structure and probepotential modifications to general relativity. In this paper we describe thesignificant instrumentation we developed for the DESI survey. The newinstrumentation includes a wide-field, 3.2-deg diameter prime-focus correctorthat focuses the light onto 5020 robotic fiber positioners on the 0.812 mdiameter, aspheric focal surface. The positioners and their fibers are dividedamong ten wedge-shaped petals. Each petal is connected to one of tenspectrographs via a contiguous, high-efficiency, nearly 50 m fiber cablebundle. The ten spectrographs each use a pair of dichroics to split the lightinto three channels that together record the light from 360 - 980 nm with aresolution of 2000 to 5000. We describe the science requirements, technicalrequirements on the instrumentation, and management of the project. DESI wasinstalled at the 4-m Mayall telescope at Kitt Peak, and we also describe thefacility upgrades to prepare for DESI and the installation and functionalverification process. DESI has achieved all of its performance goals, and theDESI survey began in May 2021. Some performance highlights include RMSpositioner accuracy better than 0.1", SNR per \sqrt{\AA} > 0.5 for a z > 2quasar with flux 0.28e-17 erg/s/cm^2/A at 380 nm in 4000s, and median SNR = 7of the [OII] doublet at 8e-17 erg/s/cm^2 in a 1000s exposure for emission linegalaxies at z = 1.4 - 1.6. We conclude with highlights from the on-skyvalidation and commissioning of the instrument, key successes, and lessonslearned. (abridged)

Jie Wang,1,&ast; Lei Deng,2,&ast; Zihao Ding,3,&ast; Yaosheng Zhang,3 Yao Zhang,1 Kangpeng Li,1 Changsong Zhao,1 Qiang Zhang1 1Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of First School of Clinical Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Henan, 450003, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100020, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Qiang Zhang, Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, People’s Republic of China, Email zhangqianggk@sina.comObjective: The clinical efficacy of perioperative chemotherapy regimen (rifampicin, doxycycline, levofloxacin, ceftriaxone) was evaluated for lumbar brucellosis spondylitis patients with neurological injury.Methods: In Beijing Ditan Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, 32 patients with lumbar brucellosis spondylitis underwent surgery and triple perioperative chemotherapy (rifampicin, doxycycline, levofloxacin) between 2011 and 2021 due to neurological injury, and 34 patients matched up with the triple group underwent rifampicin, doxycycline, levofloxacin, and ceftriaxone. Both groups were compared in terms of changes in inflammation index, low back/leg pain, lumbar function, neurological function, and adverse drug reactions.Results: There was no significant difference in erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), low back pain visual analogue scale (VAS), leg pain VAS, lumbar Oswestry disability index (ODI) and nerve function injury rate between the two groups before chemotherapy (P> 0.05). The ESR, CRP at 1 week and 2 weeks after chemotherapy and 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month postoperatively in the quadruple group were significantly lower than those in the triple group, which is the same to ESR 3 months postoperatively (P< 0.05). The low back pain VAS, leg pain VAS and lumbar ODI in the quadruple group were significantly lower than those in the triple group at 1 month and 3 months postoperatively (P< 0.05). The recovery rate of neurological function in the quadruple group was significantly higher than that in the triple group at 3 and 6 months postoperatively (P< 0.05). Both groups did not experience significantly different perioperative and postoperative adverse reactions (P> 0.05).Conclusion: For lumbar brucellosis spondylitis with neurological injury, quadruple perioperative chemotherapy of rifampicin, doxycycline, levofloxacin and ceftriaxone can significantly reduce perioperative inflammation, and improve low back/leg pain, as well as promoting neurological function recovery in the short term.Keywords: lumbar brucellosis spondylitis, neurological injury, perioperative chemotherapy, efficacy

Chengyu Li, Ziyou Ding, Yingchao Han State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Biomedical Materials and Engineering Research Center of Hubei Province, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yingchao Han, Email hanyingchao@whut.comBackground: The integration of diagnostic and therapeutic functions into a biosafe nanoplatform with intelligent response functions at the tumor microenvironment (TME) is a promising strategy for cancer therapy.Methods: Mn-doped nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAPMn) nanoparticles were successfully prepared via a simple coprecipitation method for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided photothermal therapy. This study is the first to report on the use of Mn to render biodegradable hydroxyapatite suitable for MRI and effective photothermal therapy (PTT) simultaneously by regulating the pH of nHAPMn during the preparation process.Results: Combined with near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation, a photothermal conversion efficiency of 26% and effective photothermal lethality in vitro were achieved. Moreover, the degradation of nHAPMn led to the release of Mn ions and amplified the MRI signals in an acidic TME, which confirmed that nHAPMn had a good pH-responsive MRI capacity in solid tumors. In animal experiments, tumors in the nHAPMn5+NIR group completely abated after 14 days of treatment, with no significant recurrence during the experiment.Conclusion: Therefore, nHAPMn is promising as a nanotheranostic agent and can be effective in clinical diagnosis and therapy for treating cancer.Graphical Abstract: Keywords: photothermal therapy, magnetic resonance imaging, hydroxyapatite, manganese, pH-amplified

Yicheng Guo,1 Huiqun Gan,1 Shigui Xu,1 Guosheng Zeng,2 Lili Xiao,2 Zhijun Ding,2 Jie Zhu,3 Xinglong Xiong,3 Zhiyuan Fu1 1Department of Pharmacy, Dermatology Hospital of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, People’s Republic of China; 2Jiangxi Provincial Clinical Research Center for Skin Diseases, Nanchang, People’s Republic of China; 3Candidate Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Skin Diseases, Nanchang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhiyuan Fu, Department of Pharmacy, Dermatology Hospital of Jiangxi Province, 388, Yinbing Road, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13970827820, Email fuzhiyuan0774@yeah.netPurpose: This study aims to confirm the efficacy of Xijiao Dihuang decoction (XJDHT), a classic prescription, in treating psoriasis and to explore the potential therapeutic mechanism.Methods: For pharmacodynamic analysis, a mouse model of imiquimod cream (IMQ)-induced psoriasis was constructed. Active ingredients and genes of XJDHT, as well as psoriasis-related targets, were obtained from public databases. Intersecting genes (IGEs) of XJDHT and psoriasis were collected by Venn Diagram. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of IGEs is constructed through the STRING database. The Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) and Cytohubba plug-ins of Cytoscape software were used to identified hub genes. In addition, we conducted enrichment analysis of IGEs using the R package clusterProfiler. Hub genes were validated via external GEO databases. The influence of XJDHT on Hub gene expression was examined by qPCR and ELISA, and molecular docking was used to evaluate the binding efficacy between active ingredients and hub genes.Results: The results revealed that XJDHT possesses 92 potential genes for psoriasis, and 8 Hub genes were screened. Enrichment analysis suggested that XJDHT ameliorate psoriasis through multiple pathways, including AGE-RAGE, HIF-1, IL-17 and TNF signaling pathway. Validation data confirmed the differential expression of IL6, VEGFA, TNF, MMP9, STAT3, and TLR4. Molecular docking revealed a strong affinity between active ingredients and Hub genes. The efficacy of XJDHT in improving psoriatic lesions in model mice was demonstrated by PASI score and HE staining, potentially attributed to the down-regulation of VEGFA, MMP9, STAT3, TNF, and IL-17A, as evidenced by ELISA and qPCR.Conclusion: This study employed network pharmacology and in vitro experiments to identify the potential mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of XJDHT on psoriasis, providing a new theoretical basis for its clinical application in the treatment of psoriasis.Keywords: psoriasis, Xijiao Dihuang decoction, network pharmacology, molecular docking, angiogenesis

Lu Han,1,2,&ast; Yaping Zhang,2– 4,&ast; Li Li,2,&ast; Qun Zhang,2 Zhihao Liu,2,3 Haiqing Niu,1,2 Jing Hu,2 Zhou Ding,2 Xiao Shi,2 Xiaoping Qian1,2 1Department of Oncology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 2The Comprehensive Cancer Centre of Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Oncology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Pathology, The First People’s Hospital of Yangzhou, Yangzhou, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiaoping Qian, Department of Oncology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-13951743162, Fax +86-25-68182342, Email xiaopingqian@nju.edu.cnPurpose: Exploring the expression and prognosis of mismatch repair proteins and PD-L1 in colorectal cancer.Patients and Methods: A total of 272 patients with surgically resected CRC were enrolled in the study from January 2018 to May 2022 at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital (The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School). Surgically resected samples were collected from patients along with general, clinicopathological, and imaging data for each patient. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect expression of MSH2, MSH6, MLH1, and PMS2 proteins in tumor tissue. X-squared (X2) testing was performed to investigate the correlation between expression of MMR proteins and PD-L1 in CRC tumor tissues and clinicopathological characteristics. Correlation analysis was also used to compare the deletion of four MMR proteins in CRC tumor tissues. A survival curve and Log rank test were used to investigate the relationship between the expression of MMR proteins and PD-L1 with regard to CRC patient prognosis and survival.Results: MMR protein expression deletion was correlated with tumor location, the degree of tissue differentiation, and TNM stage (P< 0.05). PD-L1 expression was correlated with TNM stage (P

Shangping Zhao,1 Guanxiu Tang,2 Pan Liu,1 Qingyong Wang,3 Guohui Li,1 Zhaoyun Ding1 1Laboratory for Big Data and Decision, National University of Defense Technology, ChangSha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 2The Nursing Department, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, ChangSha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Information and Computer, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhaoyun Ding, Laboratory for Big Data and Decision, National University of Defense Technology, No. 109 Deya Road, Kaifu District, ChangSha, Hunan, 410003, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 17607310865, Fax +86 731 88618837, Email dingzhaoyun1983@163.comPurpose: Mortality risk prediction helps clinicians make better decisions in patient healthcare. However, existing severity scoring systems or algorithms used in intensive care units (ICUs) often rely on laborious manual collection of complex variables and lack sufficient validation in diverse clinical environments, thus limiting their practical applicability. This study aims to evaluate the performance of machine learning models that utilize routinely collected clinical data for short-term mortality risk prediction.Patients and Methods: Using the eICU Collaborative Research Database, we identified a cohort of 12,393 ICU patients, who were randomly divided into a training group and a validation group at a ratio of 9:1. The models utilized routine variables obtained from regular medical workflows, including age, gender, physiological measurements, and usage of vasoactive medications within a 24-hour period prior to patient discharge. Four different machine learning algorithms, namely logistic regression, random forest, extreme gradient boosting (XGboost), and artificial neural network were employed to develop the mortality risk prediction model. We compared the discrimination and calibration performance of these models in assessing mortality risk within 1-week time window.Results: Among the tested models, the XGBoost algorithm demonstrated the highest performance, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.9702, an area under precision and recall curves (AUPRC) of 0.8517, and a favorable Brier score of 0.0259 for 24-hour mortality risk prediction. Although the model’s performance decreased when considering larger time windows, it still achieved a comparable AUROC of 0.9184 and AUPRC of 0.5519 for 3-day mortality risk prediction.Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the feasibility of developing a highly accurate and well-calibrated model based on the XGBoost algorithm for short-term mortality risk prediction with easily accessible and interpretative data. These results enhance confidence in the application of the machine learning model to clinical practice.Keywords: intensive care unit, XGBoost, routinely collected data, short-term mortality risk

Kang Yu,&ast; Zhigang Ding,&ast; Jiaojiao Yang, Xue Han, Tianzuo Li, Huihui Miao Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100038, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Huihui Miao, Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, 10th Tieyi Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100038, People’s Republic of China, Email iverymhh@hotmail.comBackground: Maternal pain during labor is one of the most important factors contributing to increased cesarean delivery rates and poor pregnancy outcomes, and this pain can be managed by labor analgesia. Many studies exist on labor analgesia, and the quantity and quality of these studies have not been reported. Therefore, we aimed to perform a bibliometric analysis of studies from 2002 to 2021.Methods: We used the Web of Science database to obtain publications related to labor analgesia from January 2002 to December 2021. Various bibliographic information was collected, including country; author; journal; grant; discipline; institution and research hotspot. A total of 4536 papers were included.Results: A total of 4536 articles were included in the study. The country with the most published articles on labor analgesia and the country of the funding agency was the United States. Most articles were published in the disciplines Anesthesiology and Obstetrics & Gynecology. The journal that published the most articles in this category was International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia. In addition, we found different research hotspots for labor analgesia in the United States, Japan, and China.Conclusion: This paper provides a bibliometric analysis of research on labor analgesia and highlights the differences in research hotspots for labor analgesia between countries.Keywords: labor analgesia, bibliometric analysis, hotspots