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In view of the problem that the traditional ventilation total amount control management mode of the fully mechanized heading face cannot carry out wind flow control according to the actual demand, which causes gas and dust accumulation and pollution hidden danger, the multi-source data fusion neural network prediction model of wind speed, gas and dust concentration under wind flow control is studied. The gas-solid coupling model of gas and dust under wind flow control is established by using the Euler-Lagrange method and tested and verified. The distribution of gas and dust particles in the integrated excavation roadway is simulated and analyzed, and numerous sample data of gas and dust concentration in wind speed under different wind flow control schemes are obtained. Multilayer perceptron neural network technology is used to establish the prediction model structure, and parameters such as wind flow regulation, which have a great impact on gas and dust concentration, are selected as the input layer, and the output layer is determined according to the hidden danger location of gas and dust in wind speed. The sample data is preprocessed, and the differential evolution algorithm is introduced to search the node number and learning rate of the best hidden layer. TensorFlow framework is used to build a multi-source data fusion neural network prediction model. Taking the fully mechanized heading face of a mine in northern Shaanxi as the research object, different wind flow control schemes are predicted and verified by underground measurement. The results show that the maximum relative error of the model is 9.7%, which has high accuracy. The optimal control scheme is selected under the conditions of the shortest distance of 5 m from the outlet and the farthest distance of 10 m from the working face. Compared with before the control, the wind speed meets the standard requirements, the gas concentration in the dead corner of the working face is reduced by 34% and 35%, the average dust concentration at the pedestrian side of the return air side is reduced by 40% and 41%, and the dust concentration at the driver’s side is reduced by 38% and 36%, respectively. The study can provide reference for wind flow control.

Strong-aroma natural spices are characterized by their strong aroma, possessing aromatic and irritating properties, with the main components being aromatic compounds. Typical representatives include star anise, cinnamon, fennel, and cloves. The aforementioned strong-aroma natural spices are widely used both domestically and internationally, especially in soy sauce stewed meat products and fermented meat products. Nonetheless, current research on the aroma-imparting and flavor-presenting mechanisms of natural spices remains insufficiently in-depth and systematic. This paper bases on a review of relevant domestic and international research in recent years, systematically summarizes the flavor analysis methods, flavor characteristics, and key flavor components of typical strong-aroma natural spices. It concurrently discusses their impact on the flavor formation of meat products: spice flavor components can influence the flavor of soy sauce stewed meat products by directly migrating into the food or by improving the flavor of fermented meat products through inhibiting fat oxidation and anti-bacterial effects. Building on this, the paper further elucidates the aroma-imparting and flavor-presenting mechanisms of strong-aroma natural spices, encompassing direct migration of flavor components into food for aroma enhancement, aroma-generating reactions between spice components and food matrices, inhibition of flavor precursor oxidation processes, and suppression of spoilage bacteria growth to ameliorate undesirable flavor formation. The summary of the flavor characteristics and aroma-imparting mechanisms of strong-aroma natural spices facilitates researchers in delving into the mechanisms by which these spices regulates food flavor formation and provides a reference for food enterprises, particularly meat product manufacturers, in further rational development and utilization of natural spices.

Abstract Background Gut microbiota is pivotal in regulating hosts' biological processes and maintaining homeostasis, but knowledge about its role in wild herbivores in extreme environments remains limited. Methods Gut bacteria and fungi were sequenced in ruminant (Chiru and Yak) and nonruminant (Kiang) herbivores on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, and their community structure, co‐occurrence networks, functions, and assembly mechanisms were investigated using multivariate ecological and statistical methods. Results Kiang had lower gut microbial diversity than Chiru and Yak. Bacterial host‐specific exclusivity was greater than that of fungi. In addition to the evidence of glycan biosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism, Chiru had a high Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and low animal pathogen abundance, suggesting better adaptation to the plateau's harsh environment. Additionally, members of gut microbiota tended to co‐occur rather than co‐exclude in all herbivores. Different network complexity and stability patterns were observed between bacterial and fungal communities. Furthermore, gut bacterial assembly was primarily controlled by stochastic dispersal limitation and drift, whereas fungal assembly was primarily controlled by deterministic homogeneous selection except in Chiru. Conclusions On the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, Chiru and Yak exhibit more diverse gut microbiota and more diverse metabolic functions than Kiang, and gut bacteria are more divergent than gut fungi in these herbivores.

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) genomic research has discovered actionable genetic changes that might guide treatment decisions and clinical trials. Nonetheless, due to a lack of large-scale multicenter clinical validation, these putative targets have not been converted into patient survival advantages. So, it's crucial to ascertain whether genetic analysis is clinically feasible, useful, and whether it can be advantageous for patients. We sequenced tumour tissue and blood samples (as normal controls) from 111 Chinese HCC patients at Qingdao University Hospital using the 508-gene panel and the 688-gene panel, respectively. Approximately 95% of patients had gene variations related to targeted treatment, with 50% having clinically actionable mutations that offered significant information for targeted therapy. Immune cell infiltration was enhanced in individuals with TP53 mutations but decreased in patients with CTNNB1 and KMT2D mutations. More notably, we discovered that SPEN, EPPK1, and BRCA2 mutations were related to decreased median overall survival, although MUC16 mutations were not. Furthermore, we found mutant MUC16 as an independent protective factor for the prognosis of HCC patients after curative hepatectomy. In conclusion, this study connects genetic abnormalities to clinical practice and potentially identifies individuals with poor prognoses who may benefit from targeted treatment or immunotherapy.

BackgroundSex hormones and their related receptors have been reported to impact the development and progression of tumors. However, their influence on the composition and function of the tumor microenvironment is not well understood. We aimed to investigate the influence of sex disparities on the proliferation and accumulation of macrophages, one of the major components of the tumor microenvironment, in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).MethodsImmunohistochemistry was applied to assess the density of immune cells in HCC tissues. The role of sex hormone related signaling in macrophage proliferation was determined by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. The underlying regulatory mechanisms were examined with both in vitro experiments and murine HCC models.ResultsWe found higher levels of macrophage proliferation and density in tumor tissues from male patients compared to females. The expression of G protein–coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1), a non-classical estrogen receptor, was significantly decreased in proliferating macrophages, and was inversely correlated with macrophage proliferation in HCC tumors. Activation of GPER1 signaling with a selective agonist G-1 suppressed macrophage proliferation by downregulating the MEK/ERK pathway. Additionally, G-1 treatment reduced PD-L1 expression on macrophages and delayed tumor growth in mice. Moreover, patients with a higher percentage of GPER1+ macrophages exhibited longer overall survival and recurrence-free survival compared to those with a lower level.ConclusionsThese findings reveal a novel role of GPER1 signaling in regulating macrophage proliferation and function in HCC tumors and may offer a potential strategy for designing therapies based on understanding sex-related disparities of patients.

BackgroundLevels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in immunotherapy (CRAFITY) scores are associated with the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to explore the efficacy of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab (Len-P) based on the CRAFITY score.MethodsIn this study, 228 patients with HCC who received Len-P in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were included. CRAFITY 0 score was defined as AFP level below 100 ng/ml, CRP level below 1 mg/dl, CRAFITY 1 score was defined as AFP level at least 100 ng/ml or CRP level at least 1 mg/dl. CRAFITY 2 scores were defined as AFP levels exceeding 100 ng/ml and CRP levels exceeding 100 ng/ml. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). The second outcome was tumor response rate.ResultsThe survival time of CRAFITY 0 is significantly longer than that of CRAFITY 1 and CRAFITY 2 (p =.044). Univariate analysis showed that largest tumor size (HR = 2.149; 95% CI 1.129 - 4.091; p =.02), lymph node metastasis (HR = 2.012; 95% CI 1.132- 3.579; p = .017), and CRAFITY (HR = 0.372; 95% CI 0.168-0.824; p = .015) were important risk determinants of OS in all patients. The results of multivariate analysis show that CRAFITY score is an independent risk factors for OS (HR = 0.719; 95% CI 0.377-1.374; p =.048). The ORR of CRAFITY 0, 1 and 2 scores were 36.4%, 32% and 27.4%, respectively (p = .556). The ORR of intrahepatic lesions by CRAFITY 0, 1 and 2 were 37.9%, 35%, 30.6% (p= .688).ConclusionCRAFITY score is a good predictor of prognosis in HCC patients receiving Len-P.

In this study, we report for the first time a new gabbro diorite, forming in an intraplate extensional environment during the Early Devonian, in the Shimian of the western margin of the Yangtze Block. Zircon SIMS U–Pb dating indicates that the gabbro diorite formed at ca. 406 Ma. This gabbro diorite belongs to low-K tholeiite and has enriched in Rb, Ba, K, Pb, negative anomalies of Nb, Ta, depletion of flat LREE patterns, negative εHf(t) (−1.1 to −11.7), and high δ18O (8.83 ± 0.21‰) ratios, showing that the magma formed by partial melting of N-MROB-type mantle and indicating that the magma underwent crustal contamination during emplacement. The magma is formed in the extensional environment, which provides evidence for the extensional environment in the western margin of the Yangtze. The geochemical characteristics and emplacement time of the rocks are similar to those in the early Paleozoic post-orogenic mafic rocks in South China, suggesting that the gabbro diorite may be influenced by the early Paleozoic orogeny in South China.

The LouShao Basin in Hunan Province is covered with two sets of black rock series containing various potential toxic heavy metal elements. The rock series are rich in various potential toxic heavy metal elements, and the weathered black shale is the main formation of local farmland soil, making it a typical area with high geological background in China. The purpose of this study is to assess the regional ecological and health risks by studying the correlation between the content of heavy metal elements enriched in rhizosphere soil, non-rhizosphere soil, and crops, and the concentration of heavy metal elements in the main source, black shale rocks. The results show that the elements in the black shale far exceed the world average of rock, severely affecting soil element concentrations. Se element is the most severely polluted in rhizosphere soil, exceeding the background value by 7 times. The concentration of heavy metals between rock-non-rhizosphere soil-rhizosphere soil-crops decreases linearly. The distribution of pollution has strong spatial autocorrelation, and the high geological background is the main reason. Pollution index results show significant pollution of Se, Cr, Hg, and Cd in crops, with the pollution of heavy metal element Cr in corn being extremely serious with Igeo = 6.71. The ecological risk order is Se > Cd > Cr > As > Pb > Hg. Humans mainly contact elements through skin contact and food chain intake. The HI value of heavy metal element Cd is greater than 1, indicating a high carcinogenic risk. Human exposure to Cd through skin contact and food chain intake may lead to related diseases such as kidney stones, and pose greater harm to children.

China’s southwestern region boasts abundant hydropower resources. However, the area is prone to frequent strong earthquakes. The areas surrounding dam sites typically have deep overburden, and the liquefaction of saturated sand foundations by earthquakes poses significant safety risks to the construction of high dams in the southwest. The effects of liquefaction and reinforcing measures on the foundations of rockfill dams on liquefiable overburden under seismic action are currently the subject of somewhat unsystematic investigations. The paper utilizes the total stress and effective stress methods, based on the equivalent linear model, to perform numerical simulations on the overburden foundations of rockfill dams. The study explores how factors such as dam height, overburden thickness, liquefiable layer depth, liquefiable layer thickness, ground motion intensity, and seismic wave characteristics affect the liquefaction of the overburden foundations. Additionally, it examines how rockfill dams impact the dynamic response, considering the liquefaction effects in the overburden. The results show that although the total stress method, which ignores the cumulative evolution of pore pressure during liquefaction, can reveal the basic response trend of the dam, its results in predicting the acceleration response are significantly biased compared to those of the effective stress method, which comprehensively considers the cumulative changes in liquefaction pore pressure. Specifically, when the effect of soil liquefaction is considered, the predicted acceleration response is reduced compared to that when liquefaction is not considered, with the reduction ranging from 4% to 30%; with increases in the thickness and burial depth of the liquefiable layer, the effective stress method considering liquefaction significantly reduces the predicted peak acceleration; the effect of liquefiable soil on the attenuation of the speed response is more sensitive to the low-frequency portion of the seismic wave. The study’s findings are a significant source of reference for the planning and building of rockfill dams on liquefiable overburden.

The Zhesang gold deposit is a Carlin-type gold deposit located in the “Golden Triangle” structural belt of Yunnan-Guizhou-Guangxi. Pyrite and arsenopyrite are important gold-bearing minerals of the deposit. In order to understand the typomorphic characteristics of pyrite and arsenopyrite and the enrichment mechanism of gold, morphological and structural features of these sulphides and the occurrence state of gold were investigated by using reflected light microscope and electron probes (EPMA). The results show that pyrites are characterized mainly by medium-fine broken pentagonal-dodecahedron crystal forms. Most of the arsenopyrites display needle and columnar crystal forms. Compositionally, pyrite is depleted in both Fe and S, whereas arsenopyrite is As-depleted but S-enriched. The w(Co)/w(Ni) of pyrite is between 1.731 and 3.215 (i.e., within the range of ratio of the hydrothermal pyrite, which is between 1 and 5). The crystal forms and compositional features of pyrite and arsenopyrite indicate that the Zhesang gold deposit is typical of medium-low temperature hydrothermal origin. The positive correlation between As and Au and the Au/As (mol%) ratio are lower than the solubility limit of Au in arsenic pyrite. Combined with previous studies, our data suggest that gold is likely to exist in the form of Au+ complex. Arsenic pyrite and arsenopyrite condensed Au in unsaturated ore-forming hydrothermal fluids relative to Au0 through surface voids and/or defects and the As content, forming a Zhesang Carlin-type gold deposit. Based on the age data of the Mesozoic polymetallic deposits in South China, it can be concluded that the age of the Zhesang gold deposit (215.3 ± 1.9 Ma), is consistent with the age of the main body of the Mesozoic polymetallic deposits (230–200 Ma) in South China Plate and the age of the granites (230–200 Ma) related to tungsten-tin mineralization in the Cathaysian Block. Therefore, we believe that the Zhesang gold deposit is the product of the subduction regime of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in the Middle-Late Triassic.

Abstract Background Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is a highly malignant tumor with a poor overall prognosis. This study aimed to identify the characteristic microRNAs (miRNAs) of GBC and the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory mechanisms. Methods The microarray data of GBC tissue samples and normal gallbladder (NGB) tissue samples from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was downloaded. GBC-related differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) were identified by inter-group differential expression analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Machine learning algorithms were used to screen the characteristic miRNA based on the intersect between least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Support vector machine-recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE). Based on the differential expression analysis of GEO database, the ceRNA network of characteristic miRNA was predicted and constructed. The biological functions of the ceRNA network were revealed by carrying out the gene enrichment analysis was implemented. We further screened the key genes of ceRNA network and constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and predicted and generated the transcription factors (TFs) network of signature miRNAs. The expression of characteristic miRNA in clinical samples was verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results A total of 131 GBC-related DE-miRNAs were obtained. The hsa-miR-4770 was defined as characteristic miRNA for GBC. The ceRNA network containing 211 mRNAs, one miRNA, two lncRNAs, and 48 circRNAs was created. Gene enrichment analysis suggested that the downstream genes were mainly involved in actin filament organization, cell-substrate adhesion, cell-matrix adhesion, reactive oxygen species metabolic process, glutamine metabolic process and extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction pathway. 10 key genes in the network were found to be most correlated with disease, and involved in cell cycle-related processes, p53, and extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathways. The qRT-PCR result demonstrated that hsa-miR-4770 is down-regulated in GBC, and the expression trend is consistent with the public database. Conclusions We identified hsa-miR-4770 as the characteristic miRNA for GBC. The ceRNA network of hsa-miR-4770 may play key roles in GBC. This study provided some basis for potential pathogenesis of GBC.

Abstract Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in many pathophysiological processes, including cancer progression. Namely, lncRNA Receptor-tyrosine-kinase-like orphan receptor-1 antisense 1 (ROR1-AS1) is crucial for cancer occurrence and progression in organs such as the liver or bladder. However, its expression and role in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) have not been thoroughly explored. Firstly, we assessed cell viability, proliferation, invasion, and migration using three cell lines (HuCCT-1, QBC399, and RBE) to explore the biological characteristics of ROR1-AS1 in CCA. Secondly, to determine the in vivo effect of ROR1-AS1 on tumor growth, ROR1-AS1 knockdown (KD) HuCCT-1 cells were subcutaneously injected into nude mice to evaluate tumor growth. Finally, we conducted a bioinformatic analysis to confirm the role of ROR1-AS1 in the prognosis and immunity of CCA. In this study, we found that lncRNA ROR1-AS1 was increased in CCA samples and patients with higher ROR1-AS1 expression had a shorter overall survival period. siRNA-mediated KD of ROR1-AS1 significantly reduced cell proliferation and inhibited the migration of CCA cells. In addition, ROR1-AS1 KD HuCCT-1 cells injected into nude mice grew slower than normal CCA cells. In summary, our results show that ROR1-AS1 can promote CCA progression and might serve as a new target for diagnosis and treatment of CCA.

Background: We aimed to explore the potential risk factors and short-term prognosis for SIRS after thermal ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Data from patients with HCC who underwent thermal ablation in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2015 and August 2021 were retrieved from the perioperative database. Pre-, intra- and postoperative data between SIRS group and non-SIRS group were compared and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors for SIRS after thermal ablation. Results: A total of 1491 patients were enrolled and 234 (15.7 %) patients developed SIRS after thermal ablation. Compared with those without SIRS, patients with SIRS had a longer hospital stay, higher hospitalization costs and higher risk of more severe postoperative complications. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, current smoking (OR 1.58, 95 %CI 1.09–2.29), decreased HCT (OR 1.51,95 %CI 1.11–2.04), NEUT < 1.5 × 109/L(OR 1.74, 95 %CI 1.14–2.65), NEUT% < 0.5 or > 0.7 (OR 1.36, 95 %CI 1.01–1.83) and PT > 16.3s (OR 2.42, 95 %CI 1.57–3.74) were significantly associated with postoperative SIRS. Conclusions: Current smoking, decreased HCT, neutropenia, abnormal percentage of neutrophils and prolonged PT are the independent risk factors for SIRS after thermal ablation of HCC, which worsens outcomes of patients. This study can help identify high-risk population and guide appropriate care so as to reduce the incidence of postoperative SIRS.

Abstract We study 2d N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = (2, 2) quiver gauge theories without flavor nodes. There is a special class of quivers whose gauge group ranks stay positive in any duality frame. We illustrate this with the Abelian Kronecker quiver and the Abelian Markov quiver as the simplest examples. In the geometric phase, they engineer an infinite sequence of projective spaces and hypersurfaces in Calabi-Yau spaces, respectively. We show that the Markov quiver provides an Abelianization of SU(3) SQCD. Turning on the FI parameters and the θ angles for the Abelian quiver effectively deform SQCD by such parameters. For an Abelian necklace quiver corresponding to SU(k) SQCD, we find evidence for singular loci supporting non-compact Coulomb branches in the Kähler moduli space.

To address public participation-oriented, large group decision-making problems with uncertain attribute weights, we propose a multi-attribute decision-making method considering public satisfaction. Firstly, a large group is organized to provide their opinions in the form of linguistic variables. Public opinions can be categorized into two types based on their content: one reflects the effectiveness of an alternative implementation and the other reflects the public expectations. Secondly, the two types of public opinions are sorted separately by linguistic variables. The evaluation of alternatives and the evaluation of expectations in different attributes are determined, both of which are expressed in the form of linguistic distributions. These two evaluations are then compared to determine the public satisfaction of the attributes in different alternatives. Thirdly, based on the deviation of public satisfaction in different attributes, a weight optimization model is constructed to determine the attribute weights. Fourthly, leveraging the interval credibility of attribute satisfaction for various alternatives, an evidential reasoning non-linear optimization model is established to obtain the comprehensive utility evaluation value for each alternative, which is used for ranking. Finally, a numerical example is employed to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach. According to the results of the numerical example, it can be concluded that the proposed approach can be effectively applied to large group decision-making problems that consider public satisfaction. Based on the comparison of methods, the proposed approach has certain advantages in reflecting public opinions and setting reference points, which can ensure the reliability of the decision results.

Phytoplankton, zooplankton and zoobenthos, due to their tiny size and high reproductive efficiency, usually hold an essential position in freshwater reservoir biomes. Understanding their community traits and symbiosis mechanism is crucial for determining the nature of water ecological environment and the water ecosystem’s evolution. However, the dynamics of interspecific and environmental interactions, as well as community-building processes, are currently unclear. Here, the structure feature, construction mechanism, associated symbiosis and environmental response of plankton and zoobenthos communities were studied in a freshwater reservoir. The features of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and zoobenthos communities varied significantly by season. Dispersal limitation played an important role in the construction of phytoplankton, zooplankton and zoobenthos communities, and the influence degree decreased in order. Phytoplankton communities showed a stronger distance-decay of similarity than zooplankton communities, while zoobenthos communities did not exhibit any discernible distance-decay of similarity. Co-existence network displayed primarily positive interactions between phytoplankton, zooplankton and zoobenthos all year round (92.23% positive in summer, 86.36% positive in autumn, 100% positive in winter and 67.35% positive in spring). Variation partitioning analyses showed that geographical variables had a stronger influence on community distribution than environmental factors. Mantel test revealed that the communities diversity was significantly associated with temperature, dissolved oxygen, nutrients N and nutrients P. Temperature exhibited the highest explanation rate for seasonal variation in phytoplankton (11.48%, p

Studies on soil contamination caused by waste sites near antimony mining areas are scarce. For environmental protection, it is critical to investigate the contamination levels, spatial distribution, and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals (HMs) in the surface soils of different land use types around waste sites and to identify related potential sources. In this study, the pollution status, spatial distribution, sources and ecological risks of Hg, Pb, Cd, Cr, As and Sb in the surface soils of built-up areas, woodlands and croplands around the waste sites of antimony mining areas were resolved for the first time by combining self-organizing maps (SOM), K-means clustering, geographic information systems (GIS) and positive matrix factorization (PMF). According to the analysis results of soil samples, the average abundance order of HMs is: Sb > As > Cd > Pb > Cr > Hg. The cumulative geological index defines Sb as a severe pollution level. The pollution index shows that Sb and Cd in all samples are above the severe pollution level. The pollution load index shows that 67.7% of soil samples are heavily polluted. SOM and K-means divided the studied elements into three clusters and were combined with GIS analysis to from Cd as cluster 1, Sb and As as cluster 2, and Pb, Hg and Cr as cluster 3. The PMF analysis yielded three potential sources of heavy metals: natural sources dominated by Hg, Pb and Cr (48.6%), direct sources caused by the accumulation of waste sites represented by Sb and As (32.9%) and mixed sources caused by human activities and transportation represented by Cd (18.5%). Ecological risk shows that the risk of construction area is prominent, and Sb is the main contribution element of high risk. This study combines multiple methods to investigate the current status of heavy metal pollution in the soil environment around antimony mine slag sites, providing a theoretical basis for better research on the pollution of heavy metals in the soil around antimony mine slag sites and source control, and contributing to the scarcity of antimony mine slag site pollution research.

Abstract We study scattering amplitudes in the shadow conformal primary basis, which satisfies the same defining properties as the original conformal primary basis and has many advantages over it. The shadow celestial amplitudes exhibit locality manifestly on the celestial sphere, and behave like correlation functions in conformal field theory under the operator product expansion (OPE) limit. We study the OPE limits for three-point shadow celestial amplitude, and general 2 → n − 2 shadow celestial amplitudes from a certain class of Feynman diagrams. In particular, we compute the conformal block expansion of the s-channel four-point shadow celestial amplitude of massless scalars at tree-level, and show that the expansion coefficients factorize as products of OPE coefficients.

Huanggang is one of the areas with frequent geological disasters in the flood season in Hubei Province. The main types of geological disaster are landslides, accounting for 75% of rainfall-induced landslides. Therefore, this paper statistically analyzes the correlation between rainfall and landslides in Huanggang City over the last 10 years, studies the rainfall threshold of rainfall-induced landslides in Huanggang City based on considering the prone zoning of geological disasters, establishes the effective rainfall model of landslide occurrence by using the logistic regression model and then puts forward the corresponding meteorological early warning criterion for different prone zone areas. Finally, the rationality and reliability of the early warning criterion are tested by historical rainfall and landslide events. The results show that the meteorological early warning criterion established significantly improves the accuracy of meteorological early warning for rainfall-induced landslides in Huanggang City, provides refined technical guidance for disaster transfer, and effectively reduces the loss of life and property caused by rainfall-induced landslides.

Few studies have addressed the contamination of surface soils around antimony tailings ponds, and studying the contamination levels and sources of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soils around antimony tailings ponds and assessing the associated environmental risks are key steps in conducting environmental protection. Therefore, this study is the first to investigate the current status, spatial distribution, potential sources and ecological risks of Pb, Sb, Cr, Zn, Cd, As and Cu contamination in surface soils in woodlands, grasslands, farmlands and construction areas around the Longwangchi antimony tailings pond in Hunan, China. According to the analytic results of soil samples, the order of PTEs in terms of average concentration is: Sb > Zn > Cu > Pb > As > Cr > Cd. The cumulative index of land was applied to define Sb and Cd as extremely heavy pollution, and PLI divides the overall pollution level of soil into serious pollution levels. The ecological risk index was used to evaluate the risk characteristics of PTEs. The results showed that the ecological risk of Sb was particularly prominent, and 95% of the study area had reached a very high risk level. A quantitative comparison of ecological risk levels between different land uses revealed that there was a clear dividing line between regions, with built-up areas contributing the most to higher ecological risk at 8.89%, followed by 1.72% for grassland, 1.15% for agricultural land, and 0.57% for woodland. The visualization results of spatial distribution of PTEs exhibited that severe pollution occurred in the middle, north and southeast of the study area, and these distribution characteristics are mainly dictated by the polluted runoffs from tailings ponds and human activities. Principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix decomposition (PMF) were employed to identify the exact pollution sources, and the closer the determination coefficient (R2) of PMF was to 1, the finer the pollution sources analyzed. A total of six potential sources of PTEs were analyzed by PMF: 36% of tailings pond contamination and mining operations, 8% atmospheric deposition, 19% traffic emissions, 9% combustion emissions, 11% natural sources, and 17% inputs related to agricultural production. This study is a complement to the study of environmental pollution around antimony tailing ponds, providing evaluation criteria for the pollution identification indicators of antimony tailing ponds.

Protein, fat, shear force, color, and chewiness were the primary factors to evaluate the characteristics of cooked marinated meat products. Overall contents of protein and fat of cooked marinated meat products in black pigs (144.0 g/100 g) were higher than that of white pigs (131.3 g/100 g). The tenderness of cooked marinated meat products of black pigs was higher than white pigs. Total content and number of flavour components of cooked marinated meat products from black pigs were higher than those of white pigs. The flavour contents were 11 163.33 and 3 478.79 μg/g of cooked marinated meat products in black and white pigs, respectively. 2-Pentyl-furan, nonanal, octanal, hexanal, eucalyptol, hexanoic acid, 1-octen-3-ol, 2-octen-1-ol were the most prevalent odor-active compounds of cooked marinated meat products. The cooked marinated meat products from black pigs were associated with aldehydes, ketones, alcohol, esters, acid, pyrrole, and hydroxylamine. The cooked marinated meat products from white pigs were mainly associated with alcohol, ester, acid, phenol, furfural and alkane. Theoretical basis and guidance from these findings support the use of modern meat science and technology for enhancing the quality of traditional Chinese meat products in large-scale production. This would facilitate the global trade of these products. Meanwhile, this study, for the first time, provided some profound insights into the industrial production and flavour control of traditional cooked marinated meat products.

ObjectivesTo develop and validate a CT-based radiomics nomogram that can provide individualized pretreatment prediction of the response to platinum treatment in small cell lung cancer (SCLC).MaterialsA total of 134 SCLC patients who were treated with platinum as a first-line therapy were eligible for this study, including 51 patients with platinum resistance (PR) and 83 patients with platinum sensitivity (PS). The variance threshold, SelectKBest, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were applied for feature selection and model construction. The selected texture features were calculated to obtain the radiomics score (Rad-score), and the predictive nomogram model was composed of the Rad-score and the clinical features selected by multivariate analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curves were used to assess the performance of the nomogram.ResultsThe Rad-score was calculated using 10 radiomic features, and the resulting radiomics signature demonstrated good discrimination in both the training set (area under the curve [AUC], 0.727; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.627–0.809) and the validation set (AUC, 0.723; 95% CI, 0.562–0.799). To improve diagnostic effectiveness, the Rad-score created a novel prediction nomogram by combining CA125 and CA72-4. The radiomics nomogram showed good calibration and discrimination in the training set (AUC, 0.900; 95% CI, 0.844-0.947) and the validation set (AUC, 0.838; 95% CI, 0.534-0.735). The radiomics nomogram proved to be clinically beneficial based on decision curve analysis.ConclusionWe developed and validated a radiomics nomogram model for predicting the response to platinum in SCLC patients. The outcomes of this model can provide useful suggestions for the development of tailored and customized second-line chemotherapy regimens.

Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy is an important component of robotic biliary reconstruction surgery. High-quality hepaticojejunostomy is inseparable from a number of key factors.These factors include the incision of bile duct stump, the handling of the bowel, anastomosis method selection, and selection of anastomotic threads, etc. More attention should be paid to the improvement of biliary reconstruction techniques in the direction of refinement and homogeneity.

Background and AimsThe prognosis of liver cancer is strongly influenced by microvascular infiltration (MVI). Accurate preoperative MVI prediction can aid clinicians in the selection of suitable treatment options. In this study, we constructed a novel, reliable, and adaptable nomogram for predicting MVI.MethodsUsing the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, we extracted the clinical data of 1,063 patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and divided it into either a training (n = 739) or an internal validation cohort (n = 326). Based on multivariate analysis, the training cohort data were analyzed and a nomogram was generated for MVI prediction. This was further verified using an internal validation cohort and an external validation cohort involving 293 Chinese patients. Furthermore, to evaluate the efficacy, accuracy, and clinical use of the nomogram, we used concordance index (C-index), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA) techniques.ResultsIn accordance with the multivariate analysis, tumor size, tumor number, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and histological grade were independently associated with MVI. The established model exhibited satisfactory performance in predicting MVI. The C-indices were 0.719, 0.704, and 0.718 in the training, internal validation, and external validation cohorts, respectively. The calibration curves showed an excellent consistency between the predictions and actual observations. Finally, DCA demonstrated that the newly developed nomogram had favorable clinical utility.ConclusionsWe established and verified a novel preoperative MVI prediction model in HCC patients. This model can be a beneficial tool for clinicians in selecting an optimal treatment plan for HCC patients.

Vaccination for the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) provides an effective approach for the general improvement of social safety and individual health. However, given that the current COVID-19 vaccine can only work for a period of time, the continuous vaccination of the vaccine will be particularly important. Using the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) Model, Expectation Confirmation Model (ECM) and vaccine hesitancy (VH) theory, this research evaluates the continuous vaccination for COVID-19. This research selected Chinese survey platform to recruit respondents and conducted online surveys. A total of 768 Chinese individuals who were vaccinated participated in the survey, and 561 responses were effective after screening. Six valuable and novel findings are identified through this research. First, perceived efficacy has a positive significant impact on vaccination intention, but the positive effects of outcome expectancy and risk perception on vaccination intention are not significant. Second, social positive cues play a significant role in promoting vaccination intention. Third, VH has a negative significant influence on vaccination intention. Fourth, vaccination behavior produces a positive significant effect on perceived usefulness and satisfaction, respectively. Fifth, perceived usefulness exerted a positive significant impact on satisfaction and continuous vaccination, respectively. Sixth, satisfaction has no positive significant influence on continuous vaccination. Our theoretical model, which is the main contribution of this research, indicates that individual continuous vaccination is a process from motivation to intention, and from intention to behavior, and then from behavior to continuous vaccination.

Vaccination for the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) provides an effective approach for the general improvement of social safety and individual health. To date, few studies have analyzed the adoption of COVID-19 vaccines from an entire impact process perspective. Using the health belief model (HBM) and the valence theory, this research evaluates the impact process of vaccine adoption for COVID-19. The respondents in this study were individuals who have been vaccinated in China. The effective sample included 595 individuals. Four valuable and novel findings are identified through this research. First, neither perceived susceptibility nor perceived severity has a statistically significant impact on the benefits from vaccination, threats from vaccination and self-efficacy. Second, benefits from vaccination produce a significant positive effect on self-efficacy and vaccine adoption. Third, threats from vaccination produce a significant negative effect on self-efficacy and vaccine adoption. Fourth, both self-efficacy and cues to adoption produce a significantly positive impact on vaccine adoption. Our theoretical model, which is the main contribution of this research, indicates that individual vaccine adoption is simply a process that leads from behavioral cognition to behavioral intention, rather than from psychological perception to behavioral cognition and then from behavioral cognition to behavioral intention.

Autoimmune diseases are diseases that cause damage to the body’s own tissues as a result of immune dysfunction, often involving multiple organs and systems. The heart is one of the common target organs of autoimmune diseases. The whole structure of the heart can be affected, causing microcirculatory disorders, arrhythmias, pericardial damage, myocarditis, myocardial fibrosis, and impaired valvular function. However, early clinical manifestations of autoimmune heart damage are often overlooked because they are insidious or have no typical features. The damage is often severe and irreversible when symptoms are apparent, even life-threatening. Therefore, early detection and treatment of heart damage in autoimmune diseases is particularly important. Herein, we review the clinical features and mechanisms of cardiac damage in common rheumatic diseases.

ObjectiveMacrovascular invasion (MVI) is an important factor leading to poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Liver resection may offer favorable prognosis for selected patients with HCC. This study aimed to analyze the prognostic factors of HCC with MVI after liver resection as well as demonstrate a case of conversion therapy in an HCC patient with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT).MethodsA total of 168 HCC patients with MVI who underwent primary liver resection at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University between January 2013 and October 2021 were enrolled in the study. Clinicopathological data were collected retrospectively. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to investigate the risk factors influencing recurrence and overall survival. Additionally, conversion therapy with drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (D-TACE), and sorafenib plus sintilimab treatment was performed in an HCC patient with PVTT.ResultsAmong the 168 patients with HCC, 11 were diagnosed with hepatic vein tumor thrombosis, and the rest were diagnosed with PVTT. The 1-year disease-free survival rate was 37.5%, and the 3-year overall survival rate was 52.7%. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses revealed that HBsAg positivity, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level ≥400 ng/ml, liver capsule invasion, and tumor number ≥2 were independent prognostic factors for tumor recurrence, whereas HBsAg positivity was an independent risk factor for overall survival. Postoperative prophylactic medication did not significantly prolong the recurrence time. The median survival time (MST) after tumor recurrence was 13.4 months. In the patient treated with conversion therapy, the tumor gradually shrank and was eventually surgically resected.ConclusionsThis study identified the independent prognostic and risk factors associated with recurrence and overall survival in HCC patients with MVI. Additionally, we successfully performed conversion therapy in an HCC patient with PVTT. The findings would help identify patients at high risk of recurrence and indicate that combined therapy may prolong the survival of HCC patients with PVTT.

The Permian Fengcheng Formation in the Mahu sag of the Junggar Basin is a crude oil reservoir and source rock. However, its stratigraphic characteristics, the boundary marks of the three members (lower, middle, and upper), and the sediment-filling processes are unclear. This study presents the sedimentary systems and sediment-filling processes in an intracontinental rift basin of this area using sedimentary-faces analysis, sequence stratigraphy, well logs, and two-dimensional seismic interpretations. The results show that the Fengcheng Formation consists of three third-order sequence stratigraphy (SQf1, SQf2, and SQf3). The lowest member of the Fengcheng Formation is composed of gray to dark gray thin middle layers of tuff, lacustrine dolomitic mudstone, and argillaceous dolomite near the depocenter. Tuff, siltstone, a small amount of fan–delta glutenite, volcanic breccia, and basalt are present near the fault zone. The logging curve is characterized by a high gamma-ray (GR) value, high amplitude, wavelength growth, and medium frequency. Near the depocenter, the middle member of the Fengcheng Formation comprises gray and gray–black thin layers of lacustrine muddy dolomite and dolomitic mudstone and thin sandstone and mudstone interbedded between tuff and gravel near the orogenic belt. The logging curve displays high-to-low GR values, high amplitude, short wavelength, and high frequency. The upper member of the Fengcheng Formation is not characterized by lesser tuffaceous and dolomitic components but by an increased fan–delta sandy content. Next, the bottom of the upper member is composed of lacustrine mudstone and siltstone interbedded between dolomitic mudstones; whereas, the top of the upper member is dominated by fan–delta coarse sandstone and sandy conglomerate. The logging curve shows low GR values, small amplitude, and continuous stability. The sediment-filling process of the Fengcheng Formation is controlled by fault activity. Overall, the lower and middle members of the Fengcheng Formation expand during the sediment-filling process of the lake basin of the Mahu sag; whereas, the upper member contracts. The strong uplift of the Horst near the Baiquan and Mahu orogenic belts led to an increase in provenance supply, resulting in a contraction of the southwestern margin of the lake basin during the sedimentation period from lower member to upper member of Fengcheng Formation.

BackgroundPostoperative recurrence impedes the curability of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (E-HCC). We aimed to establish a novel recurrence-related pathological prognosticator with artificial intelligence, and investigate the relationship between pathological features and the local immunological microenvironment.MethodsA total of 576 whole-slide images (WSIs) were collected from 547 patients with E-HCC in the Zhongshan cohort, which was randomly divided into a training cohort and a validation cohort. The external validation cohort comprised 147 Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stage I patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Six types of HCC tissues were identified by a weakly supervised convolutional neural network. A recurrence-related histological score (HS) was constructed and validated. The correlation between immune microenvironment and HS was evaluated through extensive immunohistochemical data.ResultsThe overall classification accuracy of HCC tissues was 94.17%. The C-indexes of HS in the training, validation and TCGA cohorts were 0.804, 0.739 and 0.708, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that the HS (HR= 4.05, 95% CI: 3.40-4.84) was an independent predictor for recurrence-free survival. Patients in HS high-risk group had elevated preoperative alpha-fetoprotein levels, poorer tumor differentiation and a higher proportion of microvascular invasion. The immunohistochemistry data linked the HS to local immune cell infiltration. HS was positively correlated with the expression level of peritumoral CD14+ cells (p= 0.013), and negatively with the intratumoral CD8+ cells (p< 0.001).ConclusionsThe study established a novel histological score that predicted short-term and long-term recurrence for E-HCCs using deep learning, which could facilitate clinical decision making in recurrence prediction and management.

Abstract In this note we study IR limits of pure two-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories with semisimple non-simply-connected gauge groups including SU(k)/ℤ k , SO(2k)/ℤ2, Sp(2k)/ℤ2, E 6/ℤ3, and E 7/ℤ2 for various discrete theta angles, both directly in the gauge theory and also in nonabelian mirrors, extending a classification begun in previous work. We find in each case that there are supersymmetric vacua for precisely one value of the discrete theta angle, and no supersymmetric vacua for other values, hence supersymmetry is broken in the IR for most discrete theta angles. Furthermore, for the one distinguished value of the discrete theta angle for which supersymmetry is unbroken, the theory has as many twisted chiral multiplet degrees of freedom in the IR as the rank. We take this opportunity to further develop the technology of nonabelian mirrors to discuss how the mirror to a G gauge theory differs from the mirror to a G/K gauge theory for K a subgroup of the center of G. In particular, the discrete theta angles in these cases are considerably more intricate than those of the pure gauge theories studied in previous papers, so we discuss the realization of these more complex discrete theta angles in the mirror construction. We find that discrete theta angles, both in the original gauge theory and their mirrors, are intimately related to the description of centers of universal covering groups as quotients of weight lattices by root sublattices. We perform numerous consistency checks, comparing results against basic group-theoretic relations as well as with decomposition, which describes how two-dimensional theories with one-form symmetries (such as pure gauge theories with nontrivial centers) decompose into disjoint unions, in this case of pure gauge theories with quotiented gauge groups and discrete theta angles.

The shear strength of granitic gneiss residual soil (GGRS) determines the stability of colluvial landslides in the Huanggang area, China. It depends on several parameters that represent its structure and state as well as their interactions, and therefore requires accurate assessment. For an effective evaluation of shear strength parameters of GGRS based on these factors and their interactions, three parameters, namely, moisture content, bulk density, and fractal dimension of grain size, were selected as influencing factors in this study based on a thorough investigation of the survey data and physical property tests of landslides in the study area. The individual effects and interaction of the factors were then incorporated by implementing a series of direct shear tests employing the response surface methodology (RSM) into the regression model of the shear parameters. The results indicate that the factors affecting shear parameters in the order of greater to lower are bulk density, moisture content, and fractal dimension, and their interactions are insignificant. The proposed model was validated by applying it to soil specimens from other landslide sites with the same parent bedrock, showing the validity of the strength regression model. This study demonstrates that RSM can be applied for parameter estimation of soils and provide reliable performance, and is also significant for conducting landslide investigation, evaluation, and regional risk assessment.

The Hongniu–Hongshan Cu skarn deposit is located in the central part of the Zhongdian porphyry and skarn Cu belt in southwestern China. Various elements, including Al, Ti, Li, K, Na, Ca, Fe, and Ge, have been completed by using scanning electron microscopy–cathodoluminescence (SEM-CL) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) on quartz phenocrysts from the Hongniu–Hongshan porphyry and skarn Cu deposit. Three quartz generations were identified in the porphyritic granite based on the CL textures and trace element signatures. Samples of the first-generation quartz (Qtz1) contain dark gray luminescent cores assaying 22–85 ppm Ti, 58–129 ppm Al, 4–18 ppm Li, and 0.43–40 ppm Fe. The Ti-in quartz geothermometer indicates crystallization temperatures of 593–664°C for Qtz1. Samples of the second-generation quartz (Qtz2) are characterized by clear bright gray oscillatory overgrowths with medium Ti concentrations of 51–70 ppm with elevated and variable amounts of Al, Li, and Fe, and low K. The Ti-in quartz geothermometer indicates crystallization temperatures of 672–706°C. Samples of the third-generation quartz (Qtz3) contain narrow light gray rims assaying 56–93 ppm Ti, 80–101 ppm Al, 11–19 ppm Li, 1.42–17 ppm K, and 2–25 ppm Fe. The Qtz3 crystallised crystallized at higher temperatures of 706–799°C. Our study indicates that the quartz phenocryst in the Hongniu–Hongshan porphyry may have undergone two mixing episodes involving a second hotter magma. Before the first resorption, average Ti concentration in the quartz phenocryst cores was 24 ppm, and Ti of the bright band halo at the edge of the crystal core is 56 ppm; the maximum temperature difference is 109°C higher than that of the pre-resorption. Furthermore, the Ti concentration is 75 ppm at the edge of the quartz phenocryst before resorption. After resorption, the average Ti increased to 81 ppm at maximum temperature difference of 54°C higher than that of pre-resorption. Moreover, on the basis of quartz composition collected from 14 different deposits and our new dataset, we propose that covariations of Ge/Al ratio can be used to effectively discriminate magmatic quartz and hydrothermal quartz. Magmatic quartz has a Ge/Al ratio of 0.013.

Abstract In this paper we explore nonabelian gauged linear sigma models (GLSMs) for symplectic and orthogonal Grassmannians and flag manifolds, checking e.g. global symmetries, Witten indices, and Calabi-Yau conditions, following up a proposal in the math community. For symplectic Grassmannians, we check that Coulomb branch vacua of the GLSM are consistent with ordinary and equivariant quantum cohomology of the space.

ABSTRACT: Fluorite is one of the important mineral raw materials in the industry. In China, it is mainly distributed in the provinces and regions such as Hunan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Inner Mongolia, Fujian, and Henan provinces, boasting huge reserves and large numbers of deposits. However, most of the fluorite deposits are on a small or medium scale. The main fluorite deposits in China were studied in this paper. Their geological features and metallogenic regularity were summarized and compared. Meanwhile, based on their main genetic factors including metallogenic fluid sources and main metallogenic geological processes, they were divided into two groups, namely meso-epithermal deposits and magmatic-hydrothermal deposits. Furthermore, based on the prospecting achievements and research progress obtained in fluorite deposits in recent years, prospecting potential predictions were made for the metallogenic prospect areas and major prospecting areas of fluorite in China. This aims to provide a theoretical basis and direction for future fluorite prospecting in China.

Asynchronized and non-uniform seed germination is causing obstacles to the large-scale cultivation of carrot (Daucus carota L.). In the present study, the combination of high voltage electrostatic field treatment (EF) with hydropriming (HYD), namely hydro-electro hybrid priming (HEHP), significantly improved all germination indicators of carrot seeds, and the promoting effect was superior to that of the HYD treatment. A tandem mass tags (TMT)-based proteomic analysis identified 4,936 proteins from the seeds, and the maximum number of differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) appeared between CK and HEHP. KEGG analysis revealed that the upregulated DAPs were mainly enriched in the pathways related to protein synthesis and degradation such as “ribosome” and “proteasome,” while the downregulated DAPs were mainly enriched in photosynthesis-related pathways. Furthermore, the maximum DAPs were annotated in carbohydrate metabolism. Some proteins identified as key enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, the tricarboxylate cycle, glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway showed enhanced abundance in priming treatments. The activities of several key enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism were also enhanced by the priming treatments, especially the HEHP treatment. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that the effect of priming is mainly reflected before sowing. In conclusion, the optimal effect of HEHP is to regulate the synthesis and degradation of proteins in seeds to meet the requirements of germination and initiate the utilization of seed storage reserves and respiratory metabolism. The present work expanded the understanding of the response mechanism of carrot seed germination to priming and the biological effects of high voltage electrostatic field.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous disease that has multiple etiologies. It is the most common primary liver cancer, the sixth highest cause of cancer incidences, and the fourth highest cause of cancer-related deaths. The discovery of new biomarkers for the early detection, treatment, and prognosis of HCC would therefore be extremely useful. This study investigated differentially expressed ribonucleic acid (RNA) profiles by constructing a genome-wide profile of clinical samples. Differential expression analysis identified 1,280 differentially expressed messenger RNAs (dif-mRNAs), 99 differentially expressed microRNAs (dif-miRNAs), 181 differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (dif-lncRNAs), and 31 differentially expressed circular RNAs (dif-circRNAs). Gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) path analysis were then conducted on these differentially expressed RNAs, revealing that they were clearly related to cell division, foreign body metabolism, and ribosome assembly. A competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was then constructed based on the regulatory dif-miRNA-dif-mRNA and dif-miRNA-dif-lncRNA relationships. These results were also verified using HCC data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA); seven dif-miRNAs were verified in clinical samples by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the expression levels of Hsa-miR-1269a, Hsa-miR-421, and Hsa-miR-190b were correlated with overall survival. (P

Tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) is a major component of tumor microenvironment (TME) and plays critical role in the progression of cancer metastasis. However, TAM-mediated regulation in gallbladder cancer (GBC) has not been fully characterized. Here, we found that exosomes derived from GBC cell polarized macrophage to M2 phenotype, which then facilitated the invasion and migration of GBC cells. We discovered that leptin was enriched in GBC cell-derived exosomes. Exosomal leptin levels promoted invasion and migration of GBC-SD cells. The inhibition of leptin not only attenuated M2 macrophage of polarization but also inhibited the invasive and migratory ability of GBC cell. In addition, GBC-SD cell-derived exosomal leptin induced M2 polarization of macrophage via activation of STAT3 signal pathway. Taken together, our results suggested that GBC cells secrete exosome-enclosed leptin facilitated cell invasion and migration via polarizing TAM.

Due to the spatial variability of hydraulic properties, probabilistic slope seepage analysis becomes necessary. This study conducts a probabilistic analysis of slope seepage under rainfall, considering the spatial variability of saturated hydraulic conductivity. Through this, both the commonly used Monte Carlo simulation method and the proposed first-order stochastic moment approach are tested and compared. The results indicate that the first-order analysis approach is effective and applicable to the study of flow processes in a slope scenario. It is also capable of obtaining statistics such as mean and variance with a high enough accuracy. Using this approach, higher variabilities in the pressure head and the fluctuation of the phreatic surface in the slope are found with a higher value of the correlation length of the saturated hydraulic conductivity. The Monte Carlo simulation is found to be time-consuming: at least 10,000 realizations are required to reach convergence, and the number of realizations needed is sensitive to the grid density. A coarser grid case requires more realizations for convergence. If the number of realizations is not enough, the results are unreliable. Compared with Monte Carlo simulation, the accuracy of the first-order stochastic moment analysis is generally satisfied when the variance and the correlation length of the saturated hydraulic conductivity are not too large. This study highlights the applicability of the proposed first-order stochastic moment analysis approach in the slope scenario.

Nanotechnology has been materialized as a proficient technology for the development of anticancer nanoparticles all the way through an environment-friendly approach. Conventionally, nanoparticles have been assembled by dissimilar methods, but regrettably rely on the negative impact on the natural environment. Amalgamation of nanoparticles by means of plant extract is alternate conservative methods. In the present study, we equipped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) from Strychni semen; displayed as a less toxic and environment-friendly. Integration of AuNPs was famed by UV-absorbance which displays peak values. Moreover, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) substantiate the shape of the AuNPs in the combined materials. FTIR results exhibit the active molecules positioned in the flat surface of the AuNPs. Similarly, the anticancer effectiveness of AuNPs is considered in KMCH-1 cells. Also, AuNPs successfully aggravate cytotoxicity and apoptosis by conjugating apoptotic gene expressions in KMCH-1 cells. Eventually, our results confirm the synthesis of AuNPs from Strychni Semen shows anticancer effects with environment-friendly manner.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancer types worldwide, with the lowest 5-year survival rate among all kinds of cancers. Histopathology image analysis is considered a gold standard for PDAC detection and diagnosis. However, the manual diagnosis used in current clinical practice is a tedious and time-consuming task and diagnosis concordance can be low. With the development of digital imaging and machine learning, several scholars have proposed PDAC analysis approaches based on feature extraction methods that rely on field knowledge. However, feature-based classification methods are applicable only to a specific problem and lack versatility, so that the deep-learning method is becoming a vital alternative to feature extraction. This paper proposes the first deep convolutional neural network architecture for classifying and segmenting pancreatic histopathological images on a relatively large WSI dataset. Our automatic patch-level approach achieved 95.3% classification accuracy and the WSI-level approach achieved 100%. Additionally, we visualized the classification and segmentation outcomes of histopathological images to determine which areas of an image are more important for PDAC identification. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed model can effectively diagnose PDAC using histopathological images, which illustrates the potential of this practical application.

Abstract In this paper we apply supersymmetric localization to study gauged linear sigma models (GLSMs) describing supermanifold target spaces. We use the localization method to show that A-twisted GLSM correlation functions for certain supermanifolds are equivalent to A-twisted GLSM correlation functions for hypersurfaces in ordinary spaces under certain conditions. We also argue that physical two-sphere partition functions are the same for these two types of target spaces. Therefore, we reproduce the claim of [1, 2]. Furthermore, we explore elliptic genera and (0,2) deformations and find similar phenomena.

In this study, X-ray microcomputed tomography (XCT) and nanoindentation techniques were used to evaluate the synergistic action between sulfate and chloride ingress under cyclic drying–immersion conditions on steel-reinforced mortars. Three salt solutions, namely 3% NaCl (Sc), 5% Na2SO4 (Ss), and 5% Na2SO4 + 3% NaCl (Scs), were used and 24 drying–immersion cycles were applied. The results showed that the chloride caused more severe corrosion on steel reinforcement than the sulfate while under the influence of Scs, and the presence of sulfate suppressed the steel corrosion caused by chloride. In terms the damage to the mortar cover, after 24 drying–immersion cycles, the sulfate caused the most severe damage (volume loss of approximately 7.1%) while the chloride resulted in the least damage (volume loss of approximately 2.6%). By comparing Ss and Scs, it was also found that chloride suppressed the sulfate attack by reducing the damage to the mortar cover (volume loss of approximately 6.3% for Scs). Moreover, the degradation of mortar specimens was found to be layer-dependent, as was the distribution of micro-mechanics. Regarding the micro-mechanics, the specimens of the three solutions performed differently in terms of the aforementioned properties, depending on which underlying mechanism was analyzed. This research could allow for a more accurate assessment of the factors influencing building structures in a typical aggressive marine environment.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. It takes some time from chronic gastritis to develop in GC. Early detection of GC will help patients obtain timely treatment. Understanding disease evolution is crucial for the prevention and treatment of GC. Here, we present a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based system to detect abnormalities in the gastric mucosa. We identified normal mucosa, chronic gastritis, and intestinal-type GC: this is the most common route of gastric carcinogenesis. We integrated digitalizing histopathology of whole-slide images (WSIs), stain normalization, a deep CNN, and a random forest classifier. The staining variability of WSIs was reduced significantly through stain normalization, and saved the cost and time of preparing new slides. Stain normalization improved the effect of the CNN model. The accuracy rate at the patch-level reached 98.4%, and 94.5% for discriminating normal → chronic gastritis → GC. The accuracy rate at the WSIs-level for discriminating normal tissue and cancerous tissue reached 96.0%, which is a state-of-the-art result. Survival analyses indicated that the features extracted from the CNN exerted a significant impact on predicting the survival of cancer patients. Our CNN model disclosed significant potential for adjuvant diagnosis of gastric diseases, especially GC, and usefulness for predicting the prognosis.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in China. Fufang Yiliu Yin (FYY) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula used in clinical practice for cancer treatment, but its effectiveness and mechanism of action in human CRC are unclear. In this study, we investigated the antitumor effect of FYY on HCT116 and SW480 human CRC cell lines in vitro and evaluated the underlying molecular mechanism. A subcutaneous xenograft mouse model was used to confirm the antitumor effect in vivo. The components and targets of FYY were collected from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database (TCMSP) database. CRC targets were collected via the GeneCards and OMIM databases. Protein–protein interactions were explored using the STRING platform. Cytoscape was used to construct drug–disease–target networks. KEGG and GO analyses were performed to investigate common FYY and CRC targets. FYY significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced HCT116 and SW480 cell apoptosis. Cell proliferation was blocked at the G0/G1 phase, while cell apoptosis was promoted at the early stage. According to the network pharmacological analysis, quercetin and kaempferol were the most bioactive compounds of FYY. The key targets of FYY were cyclin-D1, MAPK8, and EGFR. GO analysis showed that core targets included the apoptotic signaling pathway, response to steroid hormone, and cellular response to organic cyclic compound. The KEGG pathway analysis showed that FYY may affect CRC through the PI3K/Akt pathway. In vitro, FYY significantly inhibited tumor growth. Pathway analysis confirmed that FYY induced cell apoptosis by modulating PI3K/Akt signaling and BCL-2 family proteins. Hence, our findings indicate that FYY may be a promising adjuvant therapy for CRC.

Successful recovery from hepatectomy is partially contingent upon the rate of residual liver regeneration. The traditional Chinese medicines known as Periplaneta americana extracts (PAEs) positively influence wound healing by promoting tissue repair. However, the effect of PAEs on liver regeneration is unknown. We used a mouse liver regeneration model after 70% partial hepatectomy (PH) and a hepatocyte culture to determine whether PAEs can promote liver regeneration as effectively as skin regeneration and establish their modes of action. L02 cells were divided into serum-starved control (NC) and three PAEs (serum starvation + 0.1 mg/ml, 0.5 mg/ml, or 1 mg/ml PAEs) groups. L02 cell proliferation was assessed at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h by CCK-8 assay. Forty male C57 mice were randomly divided into control (NC), normal saline (NS), PAEs400 (400 mg/kg/d), and PAEs800 (800 mg/kg/d) groups (n = 10 per group). The NS and both PAEs groups were administered normal saline and PAEs, respectively, by gavage for 10 days. Two hours after the tenth gavage, the NS and both PAEs groups were subjected to 70% PH and the residual liver was harvested after 48 h. The hepatic regeneration rate was evaluated and hepatocyte proliferation was estimated by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for Ki-67. Twelve DEG libraries (three samples per group) were prepared and sequencing was performed in an Illumina HiSeq 2000 (Mus_musculus) at the Beijing Genomics Institute. The genes expressed in the liver tissues and their expression profiles were analyzed by bioinformatics. KEGG was used to annotate, enrich, and analyze the pathways. PAEs promoted hepatocyte proliferation in vitro and in vivo and accelerated mouse liver regeneration after 70% PH. The screening criteria were fold change (FC) ≥ 2 and q-value < 0.001. We identified 1,092 known DEGs in PAEs400 and PAEs800. Of these, 153 were categorized in cellular processes. The KEGG analysis revealed that the aforementioned DEGs participated in several signaling pathways closely associated with cell proliferation including PI3K-Akt, MAPK, Apelin, Wnt, FoxO, mTOR, Ras, VEGF, ErbB, Hippo, and AMPK. It was concluded that PAEs can effectively improve liver regeneration via the synergistic activation of different signaling pathways.

The composition, structure, and thermal behaviors of yttrium-containing phosphate glasses were studied in this work, and the glass-ceramics were prepared via the two-step crystallization method. The XRD and SEM-EDS results show the forming range of the phosphate glass system and the formation of YPO4 (xenotime) due to the addition of excessive Y2O3. The spectroscopic characterization of these glasses presented shifts of the infrared and Raman bands, demonstrating the depolymerization of the glass network and the formation of novel P–O–Y bonds, and the deconvoluted Raman spectra also exhibited the occurrence of the disproportionation reaction in the glass melting process. The content of non-bridging oxygen (NBOs) from the UV–vis spectra first increased and then decreased with increasing Y2O3. The thermal behaviors show that the Y2O3 reduced the crystallization peak temperature and the thermal stability of the glasses. The crystalline behaviors of the phosphate glass matrix were investigated at different crystallization times of 2–10 h, and a transformation of the crystallization mechanism from surface to volume crystallization was found. The yttrium phosphate glass-ceramics crystallized for 10 h exhibited transformation of the main crystalline phases with increasing Y2O3, and the grain-oriented crystalline surface became irregular.

Background: Paclitaxel (PTX) could inhibit the growth of fibroblasts, which occurs in proliferative cholangitis and leads to biliary stricture. However, its use has been limited due to poor bioavailability and local administration for short time. This study designed and synthesized a new PTX-conjugated chitosan film (N-succinyl-hydroxyethyl chitosan containing PTX [PTX-SHEC]) and evaluated its safety and efficiency using in vivo and in vitro experiments. Methods: The SHEC conjugated with PTX was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) measurements. Drug releases in vitro and in vivo were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. Cell viability in vitro was measured using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide. Rabbit biliary stricture model was constructed. All rabbits randomly divided into five groups (n = 8 in each group): the sham-operated rabbits were used as control (Group A), Groups B received laparotomies and suture, Group C received laparotomies and covered SHEC suture without the PTX coating, Group D received laparotomies and covered PTX-SHEC suture, and Group E received laparotomies and 1000 μmol/L PTX administration. Liver function tests and residual dosage of PTX from each group were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Histological data and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) immunohistochemical staining of common bile duct were examined. Results: NMR and FT-IR indicated that PTX was successfully introduced, based on the appearance of signals at 7.41–7.99 ppm, 1.50 ppm, and 1.03 ppm, due to the presence of aromatic protons, methylene protons, and methyl protons of PTX, respectively. No bile leak was observed. The PTX-conjugated film could slowly release PTX for 4 weeks (8.89 ± 0.03 μg at day 30). The in vitro cell viability test revealed significantly different levels of toxicity between films with and without PTX (111.7 ± 4.0% vs. 68.1 ± 6.0%, P < 0.001), whereas no statistically significant difference was observed among the three sets of PTX-contained films (67.7 ± 5.4%, 67.2 ± 3.4%, and 59.1 ± 6.0%, P > 0.05). Histological examinations revealed that after 28 days of implantment, Groups D and E (but not Group C) had less granulation tissue and glandular hyperplasia in the site of biliary duct injury than Group B. The pattern was more obvious in Group D than Group E. Less α-SMA-positive cells were found in tissue from Groups D and E. Comparing with Group E, the liver function was improved significantly in Group D, including total bilirubin (2.69 ± 1.03 μmol/L vs. 0.81 ± 0.54 μmol/L, P = 0.014), alanine aminotransferase (87.13 ± 17.51 U/L vs. 42.12 ± 15.76 U/L, P = 0.012), and alkaline phosphatase (60.61 ± 12.31 U/L vs. 40.59 ± 8.78 U/L, P < 0.001). Conclusions: PTX-SHEC film effectively inhibites the myofibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix over-deposition during the healing process of biliary reconstruction. This original film might offer a new way for reducing the occurrence of the benign biliary stricture.