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Abstract This study compares the optical quality of zonal refractive multifocal and diffractive bifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) and visual outcomes after implantation in 93 patients(93 eyes) with cataracts and high myopia. A retrospective analysis was conducted to measure visual acuity at far, intermediate, and near distances, defocus curves, wavefront aberrations, modulation transfer function (MTF), a Quality of Vision questionnaire (QoV) and visual quality self-evaluation were examined at 3 months. The results demonstrated the ZMB group showed better uncorrected near visual acuity (P

Ascertaining the curvature attributes of fault systems depends on the partial derivative, which is easily disturbed by noise. Therefore, an edge-preserving de-noising filter is used to preprocess seismic data, effectively improving the signal-to-noise ratio and maintaining information on the edge structure. On this basis, multi-scale curvature analysis is realized by using multi-scale operators in a time–frequency–wavenumber domain. This attribute fully considers the complexity of geological structure and fault distribution characteristics. Small-scale curvature attributes can better represent subtle changes in geological structure, which is conducive to avoiding risk faults in the oilfield development phase. Large-scale curvature attributes are conducive to the macro analysis of fault distribution characteristics, which plays an important role in regional exploration. The multi-scale curvature method has been well applied to fault interpretation in the Bohai K Oilfield and has proven beneficial to the drilling of oilfield development wells.

Abstract In this paper, the effect of rotation speed on the grinding process during the high-speed diamond drilling was studied by considering the metal matrix/rock chips interface. The results showed that when the grinding enters the Phase 3 (three-body wear among diamond, matrix, and rock cuttings), the weight-on-bit and frictional force exhibited significant periodicity. The two-body grinding process (Phase 1 and 2) was converted into a three-body grinding process (Phase 3). The results of the microscopic showed that the depth of each revolution became shallower, and the increasing proportion of primary chip was higher than that of the secondary chip as the speed increased at Phase 3. The increasing the rotational speed promotes the generation of primary chips and inhibits brittle fracture.

Abstract Background To compare the therapeutic effects of right vertical infra-axillary thoracotomy (RVIAT) and Standard Median Sternotomy (SMS) in the repair of atrial septal defect (ASD) and ventricular septal defect (VSD), and to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of right subaxillary incision technique in the surgical treatment of common congenital heart disease (CHD) in children. Methods Data of children diagnosed with ASD repair or VSD repair at our center from September 2019 to September 2022 were collected. Based on propensity score matching, 214 children (107 in the RVIAT group and 107 in the SMS group) who completed ASD repair surgery and 242 children (121 in the RVIAT group and 121 in the SMS group) who completed VSD repair surgery were selected for the study. The perioperative and follow-up data of the two surgical approaches were compared to evaluate clinical efficacy. Results There was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) between the two surgical approaches in terms of surgical time, aortic occlusion time, total amount of ultrafiltration fluid, ICU stay time, and hospital stay; The intraoperative blood loss and total postoperative drainage fluid in the RVIAT group were lower than those in the SMS group (p

Abstract Here, fast time‐varying channels of high‐mobility vehicle‐to‐vehicle communications for massive multiple‐input multiple‐output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems are considered. Large‐scale uniform linear arrays are configured at the transmitter and receiver to separate multiple angle domain Doppler frequency offsets based on transmit and receive beamforming with high spatial resolution. Then, each beamforming branch comprises only one dominant Doppler frequency offset. Next, the conventional channel estimation method is performed for each beamforming branch, and carry out maximum‐ratio‐combining for data detection. Power spectrum density and Doppler spread of the equivalent link between the transmitter and receiver are derived and regarded as the criterion for assessing the residual channel time variation caused by limited antennas in practice. Interestingly, a scaling law between the asymptotic Doppler spread and the number of transceiver antennas shows that asymptotic Doppler spread is proportional to the maximum Doppler frequency offset and decreases at the rate of 1NT2+1NR2, where NT and NR are the number of transmit and receive antennas, respectively. Simulation results confirm the validity of the proposed Doppler suppression framework in high‐mobility vehicle‐to‐vehicle communications.

Considerable differences in molecular characteristics have been defined between non-smoker and smokers in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), yet studies on open chromatin patterns associated with LUAD progression caused by smoking are still lacking. Here, we constructed a novel network based on correlations between each ATAC-seq peak from TCGA data using our previously developed algorithm. Subsequently, principal component analysis was performed on LUAD samples with retained peaks filtered by the correlation network, and pathway analysis was conducted to identify potential pathways involved. We identified a set of peaks that discriminated smokers in LUAD patients according to levels of exposure to tobacco quantified in pack-years. These peaks were also significantly associated with progression-free survival and overall survival of these patients. Further examination of the gene set related to those peaks revealed that the comprising genes, such as KRT19, B3GNT3, CLDN7 and CLDN3 are strongly associated with LUAD development. They are consistent with the important roles of the associated pathways in LUAD oncogenesis induced by smoking, including estrogen response, apical junction and glycolysis pathways. In summary, our study may provide valuable insights into exploring ATAC-seq peaks and understanding smoking-related LUAD carcinogenesis from a perspective of open chromatin changes.

A mixed system with a 5:1 ratio of beef myofibrillar protein to type I collagen was prepared to mimic meat broths. The study aimed to determine the combined effects of various NaCl concentrations (0, 0.2 M, 0.4 M, 0.6 M) and heat treatment on solubility, emulsifying properties (EAI, ESI), viscosity, and particle size of the mixed protein system. Mechanistic changes were examined through molecular interactions, intrinsic fluorescence, protein molecular weight, and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that, without heat treatment, NaCl enhanced solubility, EAI, ESI, emulsion viscosity, and hydrogen bonding. After heating (90 °C, 30 min), elevated 0.4–0.6 M NaCl created an unstable, crowded environment, resulting in protein aggregation and reduced solubility and emulsifying performance. The results indicated that heating at 90 °C with 0.2 M NaCl was beneficial for meat emulsification, providing valuable production guidance for optimizing the formulation of meat products with low salt and high emulsifying properties.

Plant pathogens cause diseases by suppressing plant immune response and interacting with plant cells. Investigating these interactions assists in decoding the molecular strategies the pathogen uses to overcome plant immunity. Among plant pathogens, the nematodes parasitizing various plants incur a profound impact on food production across the globe. To deal with these parasites, plants have developed a complicated defense system, including performed defenses like rigid cell walls and reinforcements acting as the first line of defense to combat any invader. Plants also have a wide diversity of constitutively released phytochemicals that are toxic to the invading microbes as their defense arsenals. Additionally, a substantial system of host responses is triggered in response to infection based on the abilities of the host plants to sense and recognize the invading pathogen. Nematodes have evolved the strategies to perceive and respond to host defense through their nervous system which help them escape, avoid, or neutralize the host plant defense systems. For developing an effective management strategy, it is crucial to understand the mechanism by which the nematode suppress the host defense. Previous reviews mainly discussed the interaction of plants with the nematodes for their immunity against nematodes. The present review will discuss the strategies employed by the plant parasitic nematodes for suppressing plant defense along with an overall insights into the basic nematode recognition mechanism and basal immunity response of the host plant. The mechanism of modulating host defense by nematodes including the role of their effectors were also discussed. The latest research progress about the release of metabolites by plants, and the mode of action of these defensive chemicals at the molecular level in combating the nematode invasion was also analyzed.

Compared with long-term and continuous application of large amounts of chemical fertilizers, fertilizers with microbial organic nutrient sources can improve soil environment, increase soil fertility and increase crop yield. In view of the current low soil fertility and poor soil environment leading to low crop yield and instability in the arid regions of northwest China, the effects of organic fertilizer with microbial nutrient sources on soil nutrients and pumpkin yield were studied in 2022 and 2023 in this region. The fertilizer application level was used as control factor, with four treatments of low level (L), medium level (M), high level (H), and a conventional fertilizer control (CK). The results showed that the high application level of organic fertilizer was more beneficial to the growth of pumpkin, and the stem diameter, vine length, and leaf area of pumpkin under H treatment were the highest from 2022 to 2023. Compared to CK, the average soil bulk density was significantly decreased by 8.27–18.51% (P< 0.05); the soil organic carbon, available phosphorus, available potassium, and nitrate nitrogen under H treatment were increased by an average of 32.37%, 21.85%, 18.70%, and 36.97%, respectively. Under different organic fertilizer treatments, the pumpkin yield under M treatment was the highest, reaching 30926.18 kg·ha-1, followed by H treatment. compared to CK, M and H treatments increased the yield by 25.26% and 7.01%, respectively, and improved water use efficiency by 14.18% and 2.21%, respectively. Redundancy analysis (RDA) of soil nutrients, pumpkin growth dynamics and yield in 2022 and 2023 showed that soil organic carbon, available phosphorus, available potassium, nitrate nitrogen, and water use efficiency were significantly positively correlated with pumpkin yield (P

BackgroundThe pervasively imprudent practices of irrigation and nitrogen (N) application within Oasis Cool Irrigation zones have led to significant soil nitrogen loss and a marked decrease in water and nitrogen use efficiency.MethodsTo address this concern, a comprehensive field experiment was conducted from April to September in 2023 to investigate the impact of varying degrees of water and fertilization regulation strategies on pivotal parameters including potato yield, quality, nitrogen balance, and water-nitrogen use efficiency. The experimental design incorporated two water deficit degrees at potato seedling (W1, 55%-65% of Field Capacity (FC); W2, 45%-55% of FC), and four distinct nitrogen application gradients (N0, 0 kg ha-1 of N; N1, 130 kg ha-1 of N; N2, 185 kg ha-1 of N; N3, 240 kg ha-1 of N). A control was also included, comprising N0 nitrogen application and full irrigation (W0, 65%-75% of FC), totally eight treatments and one check.ResultsThe results indicated that the tuber yield, plant dry matter accumulation, plant height, plant stem, and leaf area index increased with higher nitrogen fertilizer application and irrigation volume. However, tuber starch content, vitamin C, and protein content initially increased and then decreased, while reducing sugar content consistently decreased. Except for W1N2 treatment, the irrigation water use efficiency increased as the N application rate rose, while the nitrogen partial factor productivity, crop nitrogen use efficiency and soil nitrogen use efficiency decreased with an increase in N fertilizer application. The W1N2 treatment resulted in a higher yield (43.16 t ha-1), highest crop nitrogen use efficiency (0.95) and systematic nitrogen use efficiency (0.72),while maintaining moderate levels of soil nitrate and ammonium nitrogen.ConclusionTherefore, through the construction of an integrated evaluation index (IEI), the W1N2 treatment of mild water deficit (55%-65% of FC) at potato seedling combined with the medium nitrogen application (185 kg ha-1 of N) has the highest IEI (0.978), it was recommended as the optimal water-nitrogen regulation and management strategies to facilitate high-yield, high-efficiency, and environmentally sustainable potato production in the cold and arid oasis areas of northwest China.

Background: Involvement of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is an important prognostic factor and is associated with a higher risk of recurrence. This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the outcomes of patients treated with hemithyroidectomy (HT) in PTC patients with an exclusive RLN invasion who could not tolerate staged surgery, did not wish to undergo another operation, or had other reasons. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on 163 patients with PTC and exclusive RLN involvement at our institution between 2013 and 2019. Patients were divided into a total thyroidectomy (TT) group and HT group. The clinicopathologic factors and prognostic outcomes were compared between the two groups. A propensity score-matched analysis was carried out to reduce selection bias, with the following covariates: gender, age, tumor size, multifocality, central lymph node metastasis (CLNM), and RLN resection. The Kaplan–Meier method was used for a comparison of recurrence outcomes. Results: In the baseline data of the 163 PTC patients, tumor size (p < 0.001), multifocality (p = 0.011), CLNM (p < 0.001), and RLN resection (p < 0.008) in the TT and HT groups differed significantly, whereas age and gender did not differ between the two groups. The TT group reported significantly higher temporary and permanent hypoparathyroidism than the HT group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.042, respectively). With 72-month median follow-up, 11 (6.7%) patients developed recurrence. After propensity score matching, 24 patients with HT and 43 patients with TT were included. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) in the matched samples showed no difference between the TT and HT groups (p = 0.092). Conclusion: Our results indicate that HT may be a feasible treatment for PTC patients with exclusive RLN involvement in specific circumstances without significantly increasing the risk of recurrence. Performing a thorough preoperative examination is crucial to exclude multifocal tumors and lymph node metastasis before undergoing HT.

Objective: In order to study the effect of bacteria from special cured meat on the quality of fermented beef. Methods: Staphylococcus equi from Hunan cured meat and Leuconostoc mesenteric from Xinyang cured meat were used as fermentation strains to produce fermented beef. The changes of water content, water activity, pH, protein contents, texture and sensory evaluation of fermented beef were analyzed, compared with the local specialty products and blank groups without starter. Results: The two fermented meats inoculated with Pichia diba and Baryces hensonensis had the lower nitrosamine contents and the higher elasticity than the local specialty ones (P0.05). The hardness of fermented products from S. equi was significantly lower than other ones, and which had the highest total acceptability (P0.05). Conclusion: The both bacterias had differences on the qualities and safety characteristics of fermented beef, and they could be used as starters to produce fermented products. In the future, it is possible to develop the compound starters with two strains of bacteria to comprehensively improve product quality and enhance product safety.

Abstract Background Tooth replacement patterns of early-diverging ornithischians, which are important for understanding the evolution of the highly specialized dental systems in hadrosaurid and ceratopsid dinosaurs, are poorly known. The early-diverging neornithischian Jeholosaurus, a small, bipedal herbivorous dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota, is an important taxon for understanding ornithischian dental evolution, but its dental morphology was only briefly described previously and its tooth replacement is poorly known. Results CT scanning of six specimens representing different ontogenetic stages of Jeholosaurus reveals significant new information regarding the dental system of Jeholosaurus, including one or two replacement teeth in nearly all alveoli, relatively complete tooth resorption, and an increase in the numbers of alveoli and replacement teeth during ontogeny. Reconstructions of Zahnreihen indicate that the replacement pattern of the maxillary dentition is similar to that of the dentary dentition but with a cyclical difference. The maxillary tooth replacement rate in Jeholosaurus is probably 46 days, which is faster than that of most other early-diverging ornithischians. During the ontogeny of Jeholosaurus, the premaxillary tooth replacement rate slows from 25 days to 33 days with similar daily dentine formation. Conclusions The tooth replacement rate exhibits a decreasing trend with ontogeny, as in Alligator. In a phylogenetic context, fast tooth replacement and multi-generation replacement teeth have evolved at least twice independently in Ornithopoda, and our analyses suggest that the early-diverging members of the major ornithischian clades exhibit different tooth replacement patterns as an adaption to herbivory.

Agricultural plastic film, as an important agricultural production material in the China Hexi Corridor oasis agricultural area, is widely used in the intensive production process of purple garlic, which plays an important role in increasing yield, improving quality, ensuring supply, etc. However, the difference in decomposition characteristics between ordinary plastic film and degradable plastic film may affect soil moisture and temperature, thereby affecting soil biochemical properties. Therefore, we conducted a study to solve this problem. Specifically, in the Minle area of the Hexi Corridor, we selected 10 moisture-maintaining measures of ordinary transparent plastic film, transparent oxo-biodegradable plastic film (50-, 80-, and 110-day induction period), ordinary black plastic film, black oxo-biodegradable plastic film (50-, 80-, and 110-day induction period), wheat straw, and aubergine-super absorbent polymers and used the traditional open field without super absorbent polymers as a control. To analyze the effects of different moisture-maintaining measures on soil quality, garlic yield and quality, and water-fertilizer productivity in purple garlic farmland, and conduct a comprehensive evaluation of moisture-maintaining measures using principal component analysis. The results showed that all the moisture-maintaining measures could increase garlic yield, improve bulb quality and water–fertilizer productivity, improve the soil hydrothermal conditions, maintain soil fertility, increase the microbial quantity, and improve enzyme activity. Overall, transparent plastic film mulching was superior to black plastic film mulching, straw mulching, and A-SAP, with 110-day transparent oxo-biodegradable plastic film mulching being the most effective, and was not significantly different from the ordinary transparent plastic film. Compared with other moisture-maintaining measures, the yield, water productivity, irrigation water productivity, and nitrogen fertilizer partial factor productivity of purple garlic were significantly increased by 13.33% to 119.77%, 13.81% to 126.77%, 13.41% to 119.95%, and 13.33% to 119.76%, respectively. Meanwhile, the contents of allicin, soluble sugar, soluble protein, crude fiber, and amino acid content were increased by 1.44% to 14.66%, 4.64% to 36.46%, 0.38% to 28.27%, 1.89% to 26.29%, and 0.38% to 3.74%, and, due to the prolongation of oxo-biodegradable plastic film induction period, the soil microbial community changes from “fungi type” to “bacterium type,” reducing the occurrence of soil diseases and improving soil quality. On the basis of the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method, the soil quality was evaluated, and the yield, quality, and water productivity of garlic were comprehensively evaluated under each moisture-maintaining measure using principal component analysis. It was determined that the best soil quality and better bulb quality as well as higher garlic yield and water productivity were obtained when using the 110-day induction period transparent oxo-biodegradable plastic film. It can be used as a more reasonable moisture-maintaining measure and technical reference for the purple garlic industry in the China Hexi Corridor oasis agricultural area, which can ensure the improvement of quality and stabilization of yield and also solve the risk of environmental pollution caused by plastic film mulching at the source.

Parathyroid cancer is an extremely rare form of neuroendocrine malignancy. Apart from surgery, the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is limited, and the efficacy of targeted drugs remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrate the therapeutic effectiveness and adverse reaction of the targeted drug surufatinib in treating a case of parathyroid cancer, and concurrently review the recent advancements in the treatment of parathyroid cancer. The patient, a 55-year-old male, underwent his first surgery for a “right cervical mass” in May 2011. Postoperative pathology indicated an atypical adenoma of the parathyroid gland. In August 2016, the patient underwent a second surgery for recurrence of the right cervical tumor, with a pathological diagnosis of parathyroid cancer based on clinical history. In November 2017, the patient underwent a third surgery for recurrence of the right cervical tumor. In December 2017, the patient underwent adjuvant external radiation therapy. In August 2022, the patient developed spinal and lung metastases and underwent spinal surgery. Subsequently, the patient received three rounds of chemotherapy on October 5, 2022, October 28, 2022, and November 18, 2022, but the tumor showed slight enlargement. In January 2023, the patient began treatment with surufatinib. After two cycles of treatment, the tumor showed regression. Given the scarcity of systemic treatment options for parathyroid cancer, the targeted drug surufatinib may offer a promising potential treatment option.

In arid regions, water scarcity, land degradation and groundwater pollution caused by excessive fertilization are the main constraints to sustainable agricultural production. Optimizing irrigation and fertilizer management regime is an effective means of improving crop water and fertilizer productivity as well as reducing negative impacts on the ecosystem. In order to investigate the effects of different irrigation and nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates on sunflower growth, yield, and water and N use efficiency, and to determine the optimal water and N management strategy, a two-year (2021 and 2022) field experiment with under-mulched drip irrigation was conducted in the Hexi Oasis area of Northwest China. The experiment design comprised three irrigation levels (W1, 55%−65% FC, where FC represents field water capacity; W2, 65%−75% FC; W3, 75%−85% FC) and three N application levels (N1, 120 kg ha–1; N2, 180 kg ha–1; N3, 240 kg ha–1), resulting in a total of nine treatments. The findings indicated that increasing irrigation and N application rates led to improvements in leaf area index (15.39%−66.14%), dry matter accumulation (11.43%−53.15%), water consumption (ET, 1.63%−42.90%) and sunflower yield (6.85%−36.42%), in comparison to the moderate water deficit and low N application (W1N1) treatment. However, excess water and N inputs did not produce greater yield gains and significantly decreased both water use efficiency (WUE) and nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPFP). Additionally, a multiple regression model was developed with ET and N application as explanatory variables and yield, WUE and NPFP as response variables. The results based on the regression model combined with spatial analysis showed that an ET range of 334.3−348.7 mm and N application rate of 160.9−175.3 kg ha–1 achieved an optimal balance between the multiple production objectives: yield, WUE and NPFP. Among the different irrigation and N management strategies we evaluated, we found that W2N2 (65%−75% FC and 180 kg N ha–1) was the most fruitful considering yield, resource use efficiency, etc. This result can serve as a theoretical reference for developing appropriate irrigation and N fertilization regimes for sunflower cultivation in the oasis agricultural area of northwest China.

BackgroundLung adenocarcinoma accounts for the majority of lung cancer cases and impact survival rate of patients severely. Immunotherapy is an effective treatment for lung adenocarcinoma but is restricted by many factors including immune checkpoint expression and the inhibitory immune microenvironment. This study aimed to explore the immune microenvironment in lung adenocarcinoma via disulfidptosis.MethodsPublic datasets of lung adenocarcinoma from the TCGA and GEO was adopted as the training and validation cohort. Based on the differences in the expression of disulfidptosis -related genes, a glucose metabolism and immune response prognostic model was constructed. The prognostic value and clinical relationship of the model were further explored. Immune-related analyses were performed according to CIBERSORT, ssGSEA, TIDE, IPS.ResultsWe verified that the model could accurately predict the survival expectancy of lung adenocarcinoma patients. Patients with lung adenocarcinoma and a low-risk score had better survival outcomes according to the model. Moreover, the high-risk group tended to have an immunosuppressive effect, as reflected by the immune cell components, phenotypes and functions. We also found that the clinically relevant immune checkpoint CTLA-4 was significantly higher in low-risk group (P

Abstract This retrospective cohort study explored the relationship between monocular and interocular optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters and stereopsis in 56 patients undergoing pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for unilateral idiopathic epiretinal membrane (IERM). IERM impairs visual functions, with symptoms ranging from asymptomatic to severe impairment. Despite established surgical interventions, including PPV with membrane peeling, the impact on advanced three-dimensional visual functions such as stereopsis remains inadequately investigated. All subjects were assessed for stereopsis, visual acuity, and metamorphopsia, alongside spectral domain OCT parameters. These visual functions significantly improved 3-month postoperatively. Central retinal thickness at the fovea, parafovea, and perifovea (CFT, CRT-3 mm, and CRT-6 mm), ectopic inner foveal layer thickness, and retinal layer thickness notably decreased 1 week to 3 months after surgery. The interocular difference in OCT parameters between bilateral eyes was included as a parameter. Baseline CRT-3 mm difference and inner nuclear layer (INL) thickness were independently correlated with postoperative stereopsis on the Titmus Stereo Test, while baseline CRT-6 mm difference and INL thickness were independently related to stereopsis on the TNO stereotest. This study highlights the substantial enhancement in stereopsis post-IERM surgery, with both interocular and monocular OCT parameters independently influencing postoperative stereopsis. These findings underscore the importance of retinal microstructures in assessing and predicting stereopsis in IERM patients after vitrectomy.

In order to clarify the differences in the community structure and gene function of medium-high temperature Daqu bacteria in Linyi, Shandong Province and Zhoukou, Henan Province. MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyze the bacterial community structure of medium-high temperature Daqu in the two regions, and the potential functions of bacterial taxa were analyzed based on the clusters of orthologous groups of proteins (COG). The result of α diversity showed that there were no significant differences in richness and diversity (P>0.05). Compared with Daqu in Zhoukou area, at the phylum level, the average relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes in Daqu in Linyi area were significantly lower (P

Compared to conventional irrigation and fertilization, the Water-fertilizer coupling can significantly enhance the efficiency of water and fertilizer utilization, thereby promoting crop growth and increasing yield. Targeting the challenges of poor crop growth, low yield, and inefficient water and fertilizer utilization in the arid region of northwest China under conventional irrigation and fertilization practices. Therefore, a two-year on-farm experiment in 2022 and 2023 was conducted to study the effects of water-fertilizer coupling regulation on pumpkin growth, yield, water consumption (ET), and water and fertilizer use efficiency. Simultaneously the comprehensive evaluation of multiple objectives was carried out using principal component analysis (PCA) methods, so as to propose an suitable water-fertilizer coupling regulation scheme for the region. The experiment was set up as a two-factor trial using water-fertilizer integration technology under three irrigation volume (W1 = 37.5 mm, W2 = 45.5 mm, W3 = 52.5mm) and three organic fertilizer application amounts (F1 = 3900-300 kg ha-1, F2 = 4800-450 kg·ha-1, F3 = 5700-600 kg·ha-1), with the traditional irrigation and fertilization scheme from local farmers as control treatments (CK). The results indicated that irrigation volume and organic fertilizer application significantly affected pumpkin growth, yield, and water and fertilizer use efficiency (P

The sugC gene of Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is a coding gene for the ATP-binding transporter-associated protein with strong pathogenicity. In order to reveal the effect of the sugC gene on the virulence of S. suis serotype 2, a wild-type strain of TJS75, isolated from fattening pigs’ brain tissue samples, was used as a parent strain, and a knockout sugC gene (ΔsugC) and complementary strain (CΔsugC) were successfully constructed via homologous recombination technology. The biological characteristics of TJS75, ΔsugC and CΔsugC were compared and analyzed through growth curves, biochemical characteristics, hemolysis characteristics, cell infection tests and pathogenicity tests on BALB/c mice. The results of the growth characteristic experiments in vitro showed that the plateau stage growth period of ΔsugC was delayed compared to the TJS75 strain, but there was no difference in the total number of bacteria. The biochemical characteristics and hemolysis ability of ΔsugC in sheep blood had no difference compared with TJS75, but its adhesion and invasion abilities in PK-15 cells were decreased. Knockout of the sugC gene had no impact on the expression levels of adhesion-related genes in TJS75 in real-time PCR analysis. In addition, the LD50 of ΔsugC in BALB/c mice was 1.47 × 108 CFU, seven times higher than that of TJS75 (LD50 = 2.15 × 107 CFU). These results illustrate that the deletion of sugC reduced the virulence of TJS75 to BALB/c mice, but its role in the adhesion and invasion of PK-15 cells in this strain needs to be further explored. In summary, this study provides evidence that the sugC gene is a virulence-related gene in the S. suis serotype 2 strain and plays a crucial role in the adhesion and invasion of S. suis. This study lays a foundation for the further exploration of the potential virulence factors and pathogenesis of S. suis.

As one of the most important food crops, the potato is widely planted in the oasis agricultural region of Northwest China. To ascertain the impact of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) on various facets including dry matter accumulation, tuber yield, quality and water use efficiency (WUE) of potato plants, a two-growth season field experiment under mulched drip irrigation was conducted in the desert oasis region of Northwest China. Water deficits, applied at the seedling, tuber formation, tuber expansion and starch accumulation stages, encompassed two distinctive levels: mild (55–65% of field capacity, FC) and moderate (45–55% FC) deficit, with full irrigation (65–75% FC) throughout the growing season as the control (CK). The results showed that water deficit significantly reduced (p < 0.05) above-ground dry matter, water consumption and tuber yield compared to CK, and the reduction increased with the increasing water deficit. A mild water deficit at the tuber formation stage, without significantly reducing (p > 0.05) yield, could significantly increase WUE and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), with two-year average increases of 25.55% and 32.33%, respectively, compared to CK. Water deficit at the tuber formation stage increased starch content, whereas water deficit at tuber expansion stage significantly reduced starch, protein and reducing sugar content. Additionally, a comprehensive evaluation showed that a mild water deficit at the tuber formation stage is the optimal RDI strategy for potato production, providing a good balance between yield, quality and WUE. The results of this study can provide theoretical support for efficient and sustainable potato production in the desert oasis regions of Northwest China.

The oasis agricultural area of the Hexi Corridor in China supports industrial-scale seed maize production which depends on significant inputs of water and fertilizer, however, the effects of water-nitrogen interaction on seed maize yield and its components, and on water and nitrogen use efficiency in seed maize are unknown, making optimization of inputs impossible. Here, we conducted a study to address these unknowns. Specifically, we established a two-factor split-plot experiment in the Zhangye area of the Hexi Corridor with three irrigation levels of low, medium, and sufficient water supply (50%, 75%, and 100% of the local typical irrigation quota), and three nitrogen application rates of low (160 kg ha−1), medium (280 kg ha−1), and high nitrogen (400 kg ha−1); three irrigation levels without nitrogen fertilizer were used as the control. We found that there was a significant interaction between water-nitrogen combinations, all of which had a significant effect on seed maize yield and its components, and water and nitrogen use efficiency. The yield of seed maize increased with the increase in irrigation quota, but when the irrigation quota reached 100% of the traditional, yield exhibited an increasing and then decreasing trend with the increase in nitrogen application. During the 4-year test period, the maximum yield of seed maize was observed in sufficient water and medium-nitrogen treatment, reaching an average of 9509.38 kg ha−1. Lower nitrogen lowered water productivity, while lower irrigation quotas limited nitrogen utilization. The relationship between irrigation quota, nitrogen application, and seed maize yield was binary quadratic, and the coefficient of determination, R2, reached 0.963–0.985 indicating that the model predicted the yield of seed maize well. The main factor analysis of yield increase showed that the effect of irrigation quota was greater than that of nitrogen application. The optimal combination of water-nitrogen for the highest target yield was obtained with an irrigation quota of 100% of the local typical and a nitrogen application rate of 292.0 kg ha−1-383.2 kg ha−1. This result can be used as a reasonable water and fertilizer management guideline and a technical reference for the seed maize industry in the oasis agricultural area of the Hexi Corridor with objectives of stable and high yields, and reductions in the risk of nitrogen non-point source pollution.

Abstract Background The purpose of the study was to investigate the ability of new parameters in distinguishing high‐risk patients of recurrence from isthmic papillary thyroid carcinomas (iPTCs). Methods One hundred sixteen iPTC patients who underwent total thyroidectomy were identified from 3461 PTC patients from 2014 to 2019. Tumor margin to trachea midline distance (TTD), maximum tumor size (TS), and transverse diameter of trachea (TD) were measured on CT images. Cox proportional hazard models served to identify risk factors associated with recurrence‐free survival (RFS). The iPTC prognostic formula (IPF = TD/(TTD − TS) − TD/TTD) was evaluated to assess the prognosis. RFS was conducted between the different groups using the Kaplan–Meier analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of each parameter was drawn to predict recurrence. Results Central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) and extrathyroidal invasion in iPTC were 58.6% and 31.0%, respectively. Regional recurrence occurred in 16 (13.8%) patients, and no patient died or had distant metastasis. The 3‐ and 5‐year RFS of iPTC were 87.5% and 84.5%, respectively. Gender (p = 0.001) and PLNM (prelaryngeal lymph node metastasis) (p = 0.010) in cPTC (center of iPTC located between two imaginary lines perpendicular to the surface of the skin from the most lateral points of the trachea) and non‐cPTC (iPTC patients enrolled in this study excluding cPTC) groups differed significantly. A cut‐off point of tumor size >1.1 cm and IPF ≤5.57 were established to have significant differences in prognosis (p = 0.032 and p = 0.005, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that IPF ≤5.57 was independent prognostic factor for RFS (HR: 4.415, 95%CI: 1.118–17.431, p = 0.034). Conclusion This study indicated the association between IPF and RFS in iPTC patients and established new models to assess risk factors for recurrence pre‐operation. IPF ≤5.57 was significantly associated with poor RFS and might be promising parameters for predicting prognosis and surgical decision‐making pre‐operation.

Abstract Open-globe injury is a common cause of blindness clinically caused by blunt trauma, sharp injury, or shock waves, characterised by rupture of the cornea or sclera and exposure of eye contents to the environment. It causes catastrophic damage to the globe, resulting in severe visual impairment and psychological trauma to the patient. Depending on the structure of the globe, the biomechanics causing ocular rupture can vary, and trauma to different parts of the globe can cause varying degrees of eye injury. The weak parts or parts of the eyeball in contact with foreign bodies rupture when biomechanics, such as external force, unit area impact energy, corneoscleral stress, and intraocular pressure exceed a certain value. Studying the biomechanics of open-globe injury and its influencing factors can provide a reference for eye-contact operations and the design of eye-protection devices. This review summarises the biomechanics of open-globe injury and the relevant factors.

Residual film pollution and excessive nitrogen fertilizer have become limiting factors for agricultural development. To investigate the feasibility of replacing conventional plastic film with biodegradable plastic film in cold and arid environments under nitrogen application conditions, field experiments were conducted from 2021 to 2022 with plastic film covering (including degradable plastic film (D) and ordinary plastic film (P)) combined with nitrogen fertilizer 0 (N0), 160 (N1), 320 (N2), and 480 (N3) kg·ha−1. The results showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) in dry matter accumulation, photosynthetic gas exchange parameters, soil enzyme activity, or yield of spring maize under degradable plastic film cover compared to ordinary plastic film cover. Nitrogen fertilizer is the main factor limiting the growth of spring maize. The above-ground and root biomass showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing with the increase in nitrogen application level. Increasing nitrogen fertilizer can also improve the photosynthetic gas exchange parameters of leaves, maintain soil enzyme activity, and reduce soil pH. Under the nitrogen application level of N2, the yield of degradable plastic film and ordinary plastic film coverage increased by 3.74~42.50% and 2.05~40.02%, respectively. At the same time, it can also improve water use efficiency and irrigation water use efficiency, but it will reduce nitrogen fertilizer partial productivity and nitrogen fertilizer agronomic use efficiency. Using multiple indicators to evaluate the effect of plastic film mulching combined with nitrogen fertilizer on the comprehensive growth of spring maize, it was found that the DN2 treatment had the best complete growth of maize, which was the best model for achieving stable yield and income increase and green development of spring maize in cold and cool irrigation areas.

We probed the impact of both the degree of disorder and nonlinearity on rogue waves (RWs) in two-dimensional disordered lattices. Our results unveiled that an increase in the disorder level under linear conditions heightened the probability of RW occurrence and simultaneously contracted the “long tail”. Interestingly, with the introduction of nonlinearity, this “long tail” became shorter compared with linear conditions. Nevertheless, in the context of disordered media, RW occurrence probability demonstrated relative stability—a distinct deviation from its conduct within homogeneous media.

Bees, essential for pollination in agriculture and global economic growth. However, the great wax moth (Galleria mellonella, GWM), a Lepidopteran insect, poses a substantial threat to bee colonies, contributing to a global decline in bee populations. Chlorantraniliprole (CH) is one of the primary insecticide used to control GWM due to its efficacy and low toxicity to bees. To improve beekeeping safety and reduce the risk of GWM developing resistance to prolonged use of CH, we investigated the potential of combining methionine (MET) which has been found to have insecticidal activity against certain Lepidoptera pests, with chlorantraniliprole for use in the apiculture industry. This study assessed the combined effects of MET and CH on GWM and honeybees by employing the maximum concentration of MET (1 %, w/w), previously reported as safe for honeybees, and the practical concentration of CH (1 mg/kg) for GWM control. The results revealed limited acute lethal toxicity of MET to GWM and honeybees, whereas the combined chronic exposure of MET and CH (MIX) led to significant synergistic lethal effects on GWM mortality. Nevertheless, the protective effect of MET on honeybees exposed to CH was significant under chronic exposure. Potential mechanisms underlying the synergistic actions of MET and CH may stem from MET-induced protection of the ''Cysteine and methionine'' and the ''Glycine, serine, and threonine'' metabolism pathways. Furthermore, immune stress mitigation was also observed in honeybee immune-related gene transcripts treated by the combination of MET and CH under both acute and chronic exposure. The effects of MET on CH activity in GWM and honeybees are likely due to metabolic regulation. This study suggests the potential of developing MET as a promising biopesticide or protective agent in the future.

Mulching is an important practice to reduce soil water loss and improve productivity in agriculture. To investigate the influence of dual mulching with crushed wheat straw padding and plastic film combined with different irrigation amounts on soil nutrients and the growth of edible sunflower, a field experiment was conducted in Minqin Experimental Station of Gansu Institute of Hydraulic Sciences from 2016 to 2018. The experiment adopted a two-factor design with four mulching methods: no mulching (N), straw mulching (S) at 4500 kg ha−1, plastic film mulching (F), crushed wheat straw padding and plastic film mulching (SF) at 4500 kg ha−1, and three irrigation levels: high (H=900 m3 ha−1), medium (M=750 m3 ha−1) and low (L=600 m3 ha−1). The results showed that the soil nutrients under the dual mulching of crushed wheat straw padding and plastic film were improved. The soil available phosphorus (AP) content was highest under SFH treatment, varying significantly with treatments (P

The upcoming 5G communication is committed to providing ultra-high throughput and ultra-low delay service. However, digital signal processing technologies will be a critical challenge with the increasing bandwidth and transmitting streams. Especially, traditional fast Fourier transform (FFT) architectures are hard to meet the high-speed, high-performance, and low-overhead requirements. To overcome this issue, this article proposes a reconfigurable hyper-parallel bit-serial (HPBS) FFT processor. A bit-serial paradigm implements the datapath to reduce the hardware cost due to high parallelism as high as 64 to support FFT size from 64 to 2048. The HPBS design brings several significant advantages. Firstly, the hyper-parallel architecture supports large FTT radix with lower computation complexity, e.g., fewer processing stages and constant multipliers than conventional multipliers. Secondly, the bit-serial design enables the hyper-parallel FFT implemented by an acceptable hardware cost. Thirdly, the HPBS design supports the flexible and dynamic adjusting between latency and precision, which provides an additional optimization dimension. Based on the 55-nm process, the proposed 2048-point FFT can provide 32.128 Gbps throughput at 502MHz frequency with an average 12-bit word length. Besides, the normalized hardware efficiency can be up to 46.630 Gbps/mm2, which is at least 2X that of the traditional design.

With improvement in living standards, consumer preferences for vegetables are changing from quantity- to quality-oriented. Water and nitrogen supply, as two major determinants of vegetable crop yield and quality, can be optimally managed to improve the yield and quality. To evaluate the response in yield, fruit quality, and water and nitrogen utilization of eggplant to different water and nitrogen management strategies, a 2-year (2021 and 2022) field trial under mulched drip irrigation was conducted. The growth period was divided into seedling, flowering and fruit set, fruit development, and fruit ripening stages. Three irrigation levels were applied during the flowering and fruit set stage: W0, adequate water supply (70%–80% of field water capacity, FC); W1, mild water deficit (60%–70% FC); and W2, moderate water deficit (50%–60% FC). In addition, three nitrogen application rates were applied: N1, low nitrogen level (215 kg ha−1); N2, medium nitrogen level (270 kg ha−1); and N3, high nitrogen level (325 kg ha−1). The irrigation and nitrogen rates were applied in all combinations (i.e., nine treatments in total). Adequate water supply throughout the reproductive period in combination with no nitrogen application served as the control (CK). The yield of the W1N2 treatment was significantly increased by 32.62% and 35.06% in 2021 and 2022, respectively, compared with that of the CK. Fruit soluble protein, soluble solids, and vitamin C contents were significantly higher under W1 than W2. Fruit quality was significantly higher under the N2 rate compared with the other nitrogen rates. The W1N2 treatment showed the highest water productivity, with a significant increase of 11.27%–37.84% (2021) and 14.71%–42.48% (2022) compared with that under the other treatments. Based on the average water-deficit degree and nitrogen application rate, W0 and N1 had the highest partial factor productivity of nitrogen. Assessment of the results using the TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution) method indicated that mild water deficit in combination with the medium nitrogen application rate (W1N2) was the optimal water and nitrogen management strategy for cultivated eggplant. The present findings contribute novel insights into the sustainable cultivation of eggplant in an oasis arid environment.

Abstract Perovskite solar cells (PeSCs) using FAPbI3 perovskite films often exhibit unfavorable phase transitions and defect‐induced nonradiative interfacial recombination, resulting in considerable energy loss and impairing the performance of PeSCs in terms of efficiency, stability, and hysteresis. In this work, a facile interface engineering strategy to control the surface structure and energy‐level alignment of perovskite films by tailoring the interface between the FAPbI3 film and hole‐transporting layer using 4‐hydroxypicolinic acid (4HPA) is reported. According to density functional theory studies, 4HPA has prominent electron delocalization distribution properties that enable it to anchor to the perovskite film surface and facilitate charge transfer at the interface. By enabling multiple bonding interactions with the perovskite layer, including hydrogen bonds, PbO, and PbN dative bonds, 4HPA passivation significantly reduces the trap density and efficiently suppresses nonradiative recombination. The obtained perovskite films exhibit superior optoelectronic properties with improved crystallinity, pure α‐phase FAPbI3, and favorable energy band bending. Following this strategy, 4HPA post‐treatment PeSCs achieve a champion power conversion efficiency of 23.28% in 0.12 cm2 cells and 19.26% in 36 cm2 modules with excellent environmental and thermal stabilities.

Fluvial deposits represent a sedimentary archive of paleohydrological information, which can be utilized to reconstruct unrecorded floods. A multi-index (grain size, end-member model, and geochemistry elements) approach of core sediments from the upper Yellow River was used to reconstruct its flood history. A high-resolution geochemical profile of the 20.71-m-deep core was obtained by an XRF core scanner. A comparison of sediment grain size with geochemical element ratios indicated that ln(Zr/Ti) can be used as a grain size proxy for the core sediment. Combined with the end-member modeling analysis, the flood energy index (FEI) was constructed to highlight the flood signals and their similar trends with sediment ln(Zr/Ti). Coarsened grain size and increased ln(Zr/Ti) suggested that a high-frequency flood phase appeared to occur in the early Holocene (11–6.5 ka) and late Holocene (3.5–0 ka), while low-frequency floods occurred in the middle Holocene (6.5–3.5 ka). An extreme hydrological phase occurred during 5.8 ka–5.9 ka, which coincided with a sharp increase in sedimentation rates from 0.14 mm/yr to 0.48 mm/yr. The flood activities at the upper reach of the Yellow River are considered to respond to climate variability with the monsoonal shift.

Background: Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) technology can provide comprehensive DNA methylation at a single-base resolution on a genome-wide scale, and is considered to be the gold standard for the detection of 5-methylcytosine (5 mC). However, the International Human Epigenome Consortium propose a full DNA methylome should have at least 30 fold redundant coverage of the reference genome from a single biological replicate. Therefore, it remains cost prohibitive for large-scale studies. To find a solution, the DNBSEQ-Tx sequencing was developed that can generate up to 6 Tb data in a single run for projects involving large-scale sequencing. Results: In this study, we provided two WGBS library construction methods DNB_PREBSseq and DNB_SPLATseq optimized for the DNBSEQ-Tx sequencer, and demonstrated the performance of these two methods on the DNBSEQ-Tx platform, using the DNA extracted from four different cell lines. We also compared the sequencing data from these two WGBS library construction methods with HeLa cell line data from ENCODE sequenced on Illumina HiSeq X Ten and WGBS data of two other cell lines sequenced on HiSeq2500. Various quality control (QC) analyses such as the base quality scores, methylation-bias (m-bias), and conversion efficiency indicated that the data sequenced on the DNBSEQ-Tx platform met the WGBS-required quality controls. Meanwhile, our data closely resembled the coverage shown by the data generated by the Illumina platform. Conclusions: Our study showed that with our optimized methods, DNBSEQ-Tx could generate high-quality WGBS data with relatively good stability for large-scale WGBS sequencing applications. Thus, we conclude that DNBSEQ-Tx can be used for a wide range of WGBS research.

Diabetes is a serious global health problem, and its incidence rate has been increasing in recent years. Many drugs have been proven effective in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, but most of them have toxic side effects. Therefore, the development of safe and effective hypoglycemic drugs have drawn increasingly more attention around the world. Hypoglycemic peptides has the hypoglycemic effect and has little side effects, and has the research value in the field of functional food and drugs, and has a broad application prospect. In this paper, the preparation, biological effect and structure-activity relationship of hypoglycemic peptides in recent years are reviewed, and the research prospect of hypoglycemic peptides is looked forward, in order to provide reference for the development and utilization of hypoglycemic peptides and the further processing of related products.

In the original publication [...]

The pedestrian trajectory prediction is critical for autonomous driving, intelligent navigation, and abnormal behavior detection. With the booming of artificial intelligence (AI), many researchers have employed deep learning technologies to solve the pedestrian trajectory prediction problem and obtained relatively better performance in the short-term trajectory prediction. However, long-term trajectory prediction is still challenging to achieve high prediction accuracy. In this work, we propose a space-time tree search (STTS) method for long-term pedestrian trajectory prediction. Compared with existing methods only considering the problem from the space dimension, the proposed method formulates the trajectory prediction problem as a joint space-time tree search process by mapping the environment to a grid map. Since the human’s trajectory is relative to space and time dimensions, the trajectory prediction accuracy can be improved by the two dimensions. Then, a space-time reward trained neural network is employed to extract the pedestrian’s intent with both the scene image and the historical trajectory as input and outputs the prior search probabilities. Finally, the tree search can obtain the optimal predicted trajectory according to the prior probabilities, significantly improving the tree search efficiency. After testing, our proposed method can perform better than existing methods.

Abstract Isatis indigotica planting is the backbone of the medicinal industry in Hexi Oasis, Gansu. In order to solve the problems insufficient water resources and excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer in this area, this paper explored the irrigation and nitrogen levels that can meet the multiple goals of Isatis indigotica. The two-factor split-plot field experiment (2018‒2019) was conducted in Minle County, Gansu Province, China, which contains 9 treatments. There were three levels of irrigation water: W1(low), W2(medium), and W3(high). The soil moisture contents were 60–70%, 70–80%, and 80–90% of the field water-holding capacity, respectively. The nitrogen application rate was classified into three levels, N1(low), N2(medium) and N3(high), which were 150, 200 and 250 kg N/ha, respectively. The standard local irrigation water amount and nitrogen application rate corresponded to W3N3. The results showed that the yield of Isatis indigotica increased first and then decreased with the increase of irrigation amount and nitrogen application rate, the yield of W2N2 is 12.2–17.1% higher than that of W1N1, the yield of W3N3 was 12.1–17.5% lower than that of W2N2. Saving water and reducing nitrogen can improve the quality of Isatis indigotica, compared with W3N3, the indigo, indirubin, (R,S)-epigoitrin and polysaccharides of W2N2 increased by 4.5–5.9%, 2.7–3.1%, 5.2–6.0%, and 1.8–2.1%, respectively. With the increase of nitrogen application rate, the water use efficiency (WUE) first increased and then decreased, as the irrigation volume increases, WUE decreases. Compared with W3N3, the WUE of W2N2 increased by 24.3–27.2%. With the increase of water input, the nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency (NUE) first increased and then decreased, as the nitrogen application rate increases, NUE decreases. Compared with W3N3, the NUE of W2W2 increased by 31.8–34.5%. Therefore, W2N2 can improve quality and increase water and nitrogen utilization efficiency on the basis of ensuring yield.

Reconstructing the Late Pleistocene sedimentary environment history of the Houtao Plain has great significance not only for revealing the evolution of the Yellow River but also for identifying the formation of paleolake and the northern Ulan Buh Desert. This paper presents the results of the sedimentary facies framework based on a grain-size multi-parameter analysis optically stimulated luminescence and 14C dating for a drilling core DKZ06 with a length of 20.04 m from the Houtao Plain. Grain-size multi-parameter analysis was combined with the grain size of modern environmental sediments to the division of the core sedimentary facies in this area. Sedimentary facies of core DKZ06 indicate that the formation of the Houtao Plain area is dominated by fluvial channel deposition and river changed mainly by frequent fluvial channel since ∼35 ka. The two episodes of shallow lake deposition from a drilling core, suggesting that there will not be a mega-paleolake in the Houtao Plain, and the frequent channel migration of the Yellow River may have caused a series of furiotile lakes during the Late Pleistocene. The appearance of aeolian sand at the top of core DKZ06 combined with previous stratigraphic records from the adjacent areas indicates that the origin of the northern Ulan Buh Desert is relatively late and it formed only 2,000 years ago. We propose that a combination of river migration and large-scale human activity may be responsible for desert formation. The evolution of sedimentary environments has a close correlation with climate change during the Late Pleistocene. During the interglacial stage (MIS3), the sedimentary environment has a particular lacustrine and fluvial–lacustrine environment because of relatively warm–humid conditions. During the glacial stage (MIS2), the Houtao Plain was dominated by a fluvial sedimentary environment because of a relatively cold and dry climate. The sedimentary environment is complex and changeable during the Holocene (MIS1), which was likely due to the frequent climate fluctuation.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells therapy has emerged as a significant breakthrough in adoptive immunotherapy for hematological malignancies with FDA approval. However, the application of CAR-T cell therapy in solid tumors remains challenging, mostly due to lack of suitable CAR-T target antigens, insufficient trafficking and extravasation to tumor sites, and limited CAR-T survival in the hostile tumor microenvironment (TME). Herein, we reviewed the development of CARs and the clinical trials in solid tumors. Meanwhile, a “key-and-lock” relationship was used to describe the recognition of tumor antigen via CAR T cells. Some strategies, including dual-targets and receptor system switches or filter, have been explored to help CAR T cells matching targets specifically and to minimize on-target/off-tumor toxicities in normal tissues. Furthermore, the complex TME restricts CAT T cells activity through dense extracellular matrix, suppressive immune cells and cytokines. Recent innovations in engineered CARs to shield the inhibitory signaling molecules were also discussed, which efficiently promote CAR T functions in terms of expansion and survival to overcome the hurdles in the TME of solid tumors.

Water shortage and wastage are critical challenges to sustainable agricultural development, especially in arid and semiarid regions worldwide. Isatis indigotica (woad), as a traditional Chinese herb, was planted in a large area in a cold and arid environment of Hexi. Regulated deficit irrigation can reduce the growth of some vegetative organs by changing the accumulation and distribution of photosynthetic products in crops, thus increasing the economic yield of crops. In agricultural production, crop productivity may be improved by mulched drip irrigation and deficit irrigation. Hence, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the responses of photosynthesis, malondialdehyde, osmotic regulators, antioxidant enzyme activities, and the yield of woad to water deficit at different growth stages. The growth stage of woad was divided in four stages: seedling, vegetative growth, fleshy root growth, and fleshy root maturity. During vegetative growth, fleshy root growth, and fleshy root maturity, three water gradients were set for plants with mild (65–75% in field water capacity, FC), moderate (55–65% in FC), and severe (45–55% in FC) deficits, respectively. In contrast, an adequate water supply (75–85% in FC) during the growth period was designed as the control (CK). The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance of woad significantly decreased (P< 0.05) by moderate and severe water deficits. Still, rehydration after the water deficit could produce a noticeable compensation effect. In contrast, malondialdehyde and proline accumulation significantly increased under moderate and severe water deficits. At the same time, the superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase all had high activities (increased significantly by 19.87–39.28%, 19.91–34.26%, and 10.63–16.13% compared with CK, respectively), but yields were substantially lower, compared to CK. Additionally, the net photosynthetic rate was negatively correlated with antioxidant enzyme activity. The economic yield of plants subjected to continuous mild water deficit during both vegetative and fleshy root growth was not significantly different from that in CK. Still, the water use efficiency improved significantly. Therefore, the continuous mild water deficit during vegetative and fleshy root growth could improve the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of the plant, representing an optimal irrigation strategy for woad in cold and arid areas.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a serious public health issue but few drugs are currently available for the disease, and these only target the symptoms. It is well established that oxidative stress plays a crucial role in AD, and there is compelling evidence linking oxidative stress to β-amyloid (Aβ). An exciting source of potential new AD therapeutic medication possibilities is medicinal plants. Ginsenoside Rd (GS-Rd) is one of the main bioactive substances in ginseng extracts. In our study, we used a network pharmacology analysis to identify overlapping GS-Rd (therapeutic) and AD (disease)-relevant protein targets, gene ontology (GO) and bio-process annotation, and the KEGG pathway analysis data predicted that GS-Rd impacts multiple targets and pathways, such as the MAPK signal pathway and the JAT-STAT3 signaling pathway. We then assessed the role of GS-Rd in C. elegans and found that GS-Rd prolongs lifespan, improves resistance to heat stress, delays physical paralysis and increases oxidative stress responses. Overall, these results suggest that GS-Rd protects against the toxicity of Aβ. The RNA-seq analysis revealed that GS-Rd achieves its effects by regulating gene expressions like daf-16 and skn-1, as well as by participating in many AD-related pathways like the MAPK signaling pathway. In addition, in CL4176 worms, GS-Rd decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and increased SOD activity. Additional research with transgenic worms showed that GS-Rd aided in the movement of DAF-16 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Taken together, the results indicate that GS-Rd significantly reduces Aβ aggregation by targeting the MAPK signal pathway, induces nuclear translocation of DAF-16 to activate downstream signaling pathways and increases resistance to oxidative stress in C. elegans to protect against Aβ-induced toxicity.

Given the practical limitations of solid matrix-based protocols in organoid culture, Yumiko Hirokawa et al. assess the ability of low-concentration Matrigel conditions to promote intestinal organoid growth. Their results suggest that a low-viscosity culture system can improve live cell yield compared to the existing dome method, while maintaining similar morphology, and represents a useful approach for high-throughput applications of organoids.

Abstract Isatis indigotica is a commercial medicinal crop that is widely cultivated with high water and nutrient application, in the arid areas of northwest China. Rational irrigation and nitrogen application are key factors for successful crop management. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of water and nitrogen coupling on the photosynthetic characteristics, yield, and quality of Isatis indigotica produced in northwestern China. Field trials were conducted for 2 consecutive years at an irrigation test station. Data on photosynthetic parameters, yield, and quality were collected from individual Isatis indigotica for each treatment during 2018–2019. The application of nitrogen significantly increased photosynthetic rates and yield under the same irrigation conditions. However, the yields were reduced in the excess water treatments (W3N1 and W3N2) and in the excess nitrogen treatments (W1N3, W2N3, and W3N3) in contrast to the optimum W2N2 treatment. Moreover, the quality indicators of the W2N2 treatment decreased compared with CK, which was due to water stress and more photoassimilates being available to the roots, but the effective quality index value could be effectively improved by greatly increasing the yield.

Abstract The effects of the amount and timing of regulated deficit drip irrigation under plastic film on potato (‘Qingshu 168’) growth, photosynthesis, yield, water use efficiency, and quality were examined from 2017 to 2019 in cold and arid northwestern China. In the four stages of potato growth (seedling, tuber initiation, tuber bulking, starch accumulation), eight treatments were designed, with a mild deficit was in treatments WD1 (seedling), WD2 (tuber initiation), WD3 (tuber bulking), and WD4 (starch accumulation); and a moderate deficit in WD5 (seedling), WD6 (tuber initiation), WD7 (tuber bulking), and WD8 (starch accumulation). The net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate decreased significantly under water deficit in the tuber formation and starch accumulation stages. Although water deficit reduced potato yields, a mild deficit in the seedling stage resulted in the highest yield and water use efficiency at 43,961.91 kg ha−1 and 8.67 kg m−3, respectively. The highest overall quality was in potatoes subjected to mild and moderate water deficit in the seedling stage. Principal component analysis identified mild water stress in the seedling stage as the optimum regulated deficit irrigation regime. The results of this study provide theoretical and technical references for efficient water-saving cultivation and industrialization of potato in northwestern China.

Deficit irrigation is an effective alternative to traditional irrigation, as it improves crop productivity and conserves water. However, crops may be sensitive to deficit irrigation-induced water stress at different periods. To access the effect of deficit irrigation on the growth, water consumption characteristics, yield, and quality of Isatis indigotica (woad), we performed a three-year (2017-2019) mulched drip irrigation field experiment. Woad plants were provided adequate water supply at the seedling stage but were subjected to mild (65–75% field water capacity FC), moderate (55–65% FC), and severe (45–55% FC) water deficit at the vegetative growth, fleshy root growth and fleshy root maturity stages, respectively; plants supplied with adequate water throughout the growth period served as a control (CK, 75–85% FC). The water consumption characteristics, agronomic traits, dry matter content and distribution, yield, and quality of these plants were measured at various growth stages. The results showed that the total water consumption in water deficit was significantly less than that in CK by 4.44–10.21% (P< 0.05). The dry matter content of plants treated with moderate (WT2 and WT5) and severe (WT3) water deficit was reduced by 12.83–28.75%. The economic yield of mild water deficit-treated plants was higher during vegetative growth (WT1) and fleshy root growth (WT4), while the water use efficiency of these plants was significantly increased by 7.84% and 6.92% at the two growth stages, respectively. Continuous mild water deficit (WT4) enhanced the contents of indigo, indirubin, (R,S)-goitrin, polysaccharides, and soluble proteins during vegetative growth and fleshy root growth, while moderate and severe water deficit were detrimental to the quality of woad plants. Thus, continuous mild water deficit during vegetative and fleshy root growth periods (WT4) is optimal for the cultivation of woad in the cold and cool irrigation district of the Hexi Oasis region.

Current methods for the diagnosis and monitoring of bladder cancer are invasive and have suboptimal sensitivity. Liquid biopsy as a non-invasive approach has been capturing attentions recently. To explore the ability of urine-based liquid biopsy in detecting and monitoring genitourinary tumors, we developed a method based on promoter-targeted DNA methylation of urine sediment DNA. We used samples from a primary bladder cancer cohort (n=40) and a healthy cohort (n=40) to train a model and obtained an integrated area under the curve (AUC) > 0.96 in the 10-fold cross-validation, which demonstrated the ability of our method for detecting bladder cancer from the healthy. We next validated the model with samples from a recurrent cohort (n=21) and a non-recurrent cohort (n=19) and obtained an AUC > 0.91, which demonstrated the ability of our model in monitoring the progress of bladder cancer. Moreover, 80% (4/5) of samples from patients with benign urothelial diseases had been considered to be healthy sample rather than cancer sample, preliminarily demonstrating the potential of distinguishing benign urothelial diseases from cancer. Further analysis basing on multiple-time point sampling revealed that the cancer signal in 80% (4/5) patients had decreased as expected when they achieved the recurrent-free state. All the results suggested that our method is a promising approach for noninvasive detection and prognostic monitoring of bladder cancer.

BackgroundThe optimal treatment of papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMCs) located in the isthmus (iPTMCs) is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinicopathologic features of patients with iPTMCs ≤5 mm and >5 mm in diameter after total thyroidectomy, and to identify the risk factors for recurrence in patients with iPTMCs.MethodsA total of 102 iPTMC patients who underwent total thyroidectomy were reviewed retrospectively. The clinicopathologic characteristics of iPTMCs ≤5 mm group (n = 29) have been compared with a group >5 mm (n = 73). Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models served to identify risk factors associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS).ResultsGender (p = 0.033), multifocality (p = 0.041), and central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) (p = 0.009) of patients in the ≤5 mm and >5 mm groups differed significantly. iPTMC patients with age 5 mm groups. Of the 102 patients, nine (8.8%) developed recurrence during follow-up (median: 49.5 months). The patients with recurrences had comparatively high rates of CLNM (p = 0.038), extranodal invasion (p = 0.018), and more MNCND (Metastasis Nodes for Central Neck dissection) (p = 0.020). A cutoff of MNCND >2.46 was established as the most sensitive and specific level for the prediction of recurrence based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. Multivariate analysis showed that the number of MNCND ≥3 was an independent predictor of poor RFS (p = 0.028).ConclusionWe have found that the recurrence rates are similar in patients with iPTMCs ≤5 mm and >5 mm. The iPTMCs >5 mm were more likely to be associated with pathological features such as multifocality and CLNM. The male gender, extrathyroidal extension, and CLNM were associated with recurrence of iPTMCs except for tumor size and multifocality. Higher risk of CLNM should be considered in iPTMC >5 mm when it reaches some risk factors. The numbers of MNCND ≥3 may be an independent predictor for recurrence, which could help clinicians for the decision of radioiodine administration and the modulation of follow-up modalities.

Abstract With the emergence and development of 5G technology, Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) has been closely integrated with Internet of Vehicles (IoV) technology, which can effectively support and improve network performance in IoV. However, the high-speed mobility of vehicles and diversity of communication quality make computing task offloading strategies more complex. To solve the problem, this paper proposes a computing resource allocation scheme based on deep reinforcement learning network for mobile edge computing scenarios in IoV. Firstly, the task resource allocation model for IoV in corresponding edge computing scenario is determined regarding the computing capacity of service nodes and vehicle moving speed as constraints. Besides, the mathematical model for task offloading and resource allocation is established with the minimum total computing cost as objective function. Then, deep Q-learning network based on deep reinforcement learning network is proposed to solve the mathematical model of resource allocation. Moreover, experience replay method is used to solve the instability of nonlinear approximate function neural network, which can avoid falling into dimension disaster and ensure the low-overhead and low-latency operation requirements of resource allocation. Finally, simulation results show that proposed scheme can effectively allocate the computing resources of IoV in edge computing environment. When the number of user uploaded data is 10K bits and the number of terminals is 15, it still shows the excellent network performance of low-overhead and low-latency.

Abstract Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the microbial composition of the respiratory tract and other infected tissues as well as their possible pathogenic contributions to varying degrees of disease severity in COVID-19 patients remain unclear. Between 27 January and 26 February 2020, serial clinical specimens (sputum, nasal and throat swab, anal swab and feces) were collected from a cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, including 8 mildly and 15 severely ill patients in Guangdong province, China. Total RNA was extracted and ultra-deep metatranscriptomic sequencing was performed in combination with laboratory diagnostic assays. We identified distinct signatures of microbial dysbiosis among severely ill COVID-19 patients on broad spectrum antimicrobial therapy. Co-detection of other human respiratory viruses (including human alphaherpesvirus 1, rhinovirus B, and human orthopneumovirus) was demonstrated in 30.8% (4/13) of the severely ill patients, but not in any of the mildly affected patients. Notably, the predominant respiratory microbial taxa of severely ill patients were Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC), Staphylococcus epidermidis, or Mycoplasma spp. (including M. hominis and M. orale). The presence of the former two bacterial taxa was also confirmed by clinical cultures of respiratory specimens (expectorated sputum or nasal secretions) in 23.1% (3/13) of the severe cases. Finally, a time-dependent, secondary infection of B. cenocepacia with expressions of multiple virulence genes was demonstrated in one severely ill patient, which might accelerate his disease deterioration and death occurring one month after ICU admission. Our findings point to SARS-CoV-2-related microbial dysbiosis and various antibiotic-resistant respiratory microbes/pathogens in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in relation to disease severity. Detection and tracking strategies are needed to prevent the spread of antimicrobial resistance, improve the treatment regimen and clinical outcomes of hospitalized, severely ill COVID-19 patients.