Search

Background: Tumor antigenicity and efficiency of antigen presentation jointly influence tumor immunogenicity, which largely determines the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). However, the role of altered antigen processing and presentation machinery (APM) in breast cancer (BRCA) has not been fully elucidated. Methods: A series of bioinformatic analyses and machine learning strategies were performed to construct APM-related gene signatures to guide personalized treatment for BRCA patients. A single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) algorithm and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were combined to screen for BRCA-specific APM-related genes. The non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm was used to divide the cohort into different clusters and the fgsea algorithm was applied to investigate the altered signaling pathways. Random survival forest (RSF) and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) Cox regression analysis were combined to construct an APM-related risk score (APMrs) signature to predict overall survival. Furthermore, a nomogram and decision tree were generated to improve predictive accuracy and risk stratification for individual patients. Based on Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) method, random forest (RF) and Lasso logistic regression model were combined to establish an APM-related immunotherapeutic response score (APMis). Finally, immune infiltration, immunomodulators, mutational patterns, and potentially applicable drugs were comprehensively analyzed in different APM-related risk groups. Results: In this study, APMrs and APMis showed favorable performances in risk stratification and therapeutic prediction for BRCA patients. APMrs exhibited more powerful prognostic capacity and accurate survival prediction compared to conventional clinicopathological features. APMrs was closely associated with distinct mutational patterns, immune cell infiltration and immunomodulators expression. Furthermore, the two APM-related gene signatures were independently validated in external cohorts with prognosis or immunotherapeutic responses. Potential applicable drugs and targets were further mined in the APMrs-high group. Conclusion: The APM-related gene signatures established in our study could improve the personalized assessment of survival risk and guide ICB decision-making for BRCA patients.

In this paper, we first study the existence of ground state solutions for the following Schrödinger systems { − ∆ u + V ∞ u = G u ( u , v ) , x ∈ R N , − ∆ v + V ∞ v = G v ( u , v ) , x ∈ R N , u , v > 0 , u , v ∈ H 1 ( R N ) , where N≥3 and G ∈ C 2 ( ( R + ) 2 , R ) . And then, by using variational method and projections on Nehari-Poho z ̆ aev type manifold, we will prove the nonexistence of ground state solutions for the coupled Schrödinger systems { − ∆ u + V ( x ) u = G u ( u , v ) , x ∈ R N , − ∆ v + V ( x ) v = G v ( u , v ) , x ∈ R N , u , v > 0 , u , v ∈ H 1 ( R N ) .

A hierarchical microstructure constructed with graphitic-carbon-coated Ni3S2 nanoparticles anchored on N-doped mesoporous carbon nanoflakes was fabricated using a nickel-based micro-nano structure as a precursor and polydopamine as a carbon source. By optimizing the microstructure, the obtained Ni3S2/carbon composite compounded with the thickest carbon nanoflakes delivers ultrafast and stable Na-ion storage performance, and can maintain a reversible charge capacity of 372 mA h g-1 at a current density of 5 A g-1 over 250 cycles, and 316 mA h g-1 even at a current density of 20 A g-1 for 2000 cycles. These remarkable electrochemical properties can be attributed to its hierarchical microstructure of graphitic-carbon-coated Ni3S2 particles and N-doped mesoporous carbon nanoflakes, which provide easy accessibility to the electrolyte, fast electron transport and Na+ diffusion, and even relieve the strain caused by the volume expansion upon cycling.

Cancer persists as a worldwide disease that contributes to high morbidity and mortality rates. As a class of non-coding RNA, microRNAs (miRNAs) are one kind of important regulators in cancer and frequently implicated in tumor development and progression. Emerging experiments have suggested that miRNA-195-5p (miR-195-5p) can regulate neoplastic processes in many pathways. For instance, miR-195-5p can not only regulate proliferation, migration and invasion of tumor cells but also promote tumor cell apoptosis. Furthermore, low expression of miR-195-5p could induce drug resistance. Our review focuses on the expression of miR-195-5p in various tumors and elucidates the related mechanisms of which miR-195-5p participates in tumor biology, as well as summarizes the roles of miR-195-5p in tumor progression. We believe that miR-195-5p might have potential utility as a novel diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for cancer.

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles with unique membrane markers and components that participate in cellular communication. The contents of exosomes, including growth factors, microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, and circular RNAs (circRNAs), have been recognized as prognostic biomarkers and promote cancer progression through cancer cell growth, metastasis, angiogenesis, and cancer development. One of the components of exosomes, circRNAs, are covalently closed and prevented from degrading, which results in their continually accumulating in exosomes. Evidence suggests that exosomal circRNAs are abundant and stable in body fluids and have been implicated in many diseases. In this article we summarize the biogenesis and function of circRNAs and explore the expressions of exosomal circRNAs in cancer, emphasizing the fact that exosomal circRNAs are a novel diagnostic biomarker in the early stages of cancer and/or a therapeutic target in further cancer treatment.

This paper improves the Consensus-Based Bundle Algorithms (CBBA), and solves the problem of heterogeneous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) complex task allocation under timing constraints. In order to solve the task assignment problems with constraints such as the heterogeneity and resource constraints of the UAV, the diversity of tasks, and timing constraints, a dynamic task generation mechanism is proposed based on the CBBA. According to the constraints, the complex task is decomposed into multiple simple tasks for assignment, and the problem is converted into a single UAV task assignment problem for resolution. The simulation results show that based on satisfying the constraints, the improved CBBA algorithm can achieve the balance between maximizing the total objective function and minimizing the calculation time, and find the optimal solution for task allocation.

Sodium-ion battery has been considered as an ideal alternative to lithium-ion battery due to the abundant resource of sodium. Hard carbon stands a good chance among most carbons to be the most promising anode material for sodium-ion battery because of its randomly oriented graphite layers. However, the disordered graphite layers display sluggish kinetics of sodium ions thus the high-rate capability of hard carbon in sodium-ion battery is still a big challenge. In this study, extremely ultrafast P-doped carbon nanosheet anode with graphene-like wrinkles and sheet thickness of ca. 8 nm for sodium-ion battery was synthesized by pyrolysis of coal pitch with the assistance of sodium hypophosphite. The ultrathin sheet structure and P-doped property could render pseudocapacitive behavior, as a result, the resultant carbon nanosheet anode delivers high-rate capacity and also the long-term cycling stability (i.e., a high reversible capacity of 189 mA h g−1 at 2 A g−1 after 500 cycles, and an extraordinarily high capacity of 80 mA h g−1 at 20 A g−1 after 10,000 cycles).

A new strategy of using hollow nano-spherical nickel silicate/nickel sulfide composite to stabilize sulfur for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery was introduced for the first time. The hollow composite with an accessible mesoporous shell obtained by self-template synthesis can encapsulate ca. 75 wt% sulfur which displays a specific capacity of 640 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 0.5 C rate. Furthermore, even at a very high current density of 2.0 C, the discharge capacity remains at a high value of 466 mAh g−1. The long cycling stability and prominent rate performance in Li-S battery can be due to the expedient structure of hollow cavity and mesoporous shell for physisorption and the nickel silicate/nickel sulfide composite for chemisorption of polysulfide.

Fe3O4 is considered to be an ideal substitute for graphite anode due to its high lithium (Li) and sodium (Na) storage capacity, however, its sharp volume change after lithiation/sodiumization and poor electrical conductivity have brought huge challenges to the practical application. In this study, a lamellar Fe3O4-based electrode was constructed via an in-situ plantation of carbon-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles on the surface of the reduced graphene oxide nanosheet. Owing to the ultra-small carbon-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles (~12.5 nm) and unique two-dimensional lamellar structure, the obtained sample displays excellent cycle and rate performance in lithium/sodium-ion batteries. A high reversible capacity of 849 mA h g−1 is obtained at 500 mA g−1 after 120 cycles for lithium-ion batteries and a discharge capacity up to 429 mA h g−1 is remained at 100 mA g−1 after 300 cycles for sodium-ion batteries.

Ni3S2 has become a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its favorable electrochemical conversion reaction, high theoretical specific capacity, and low cost. In this work, a nanoflake-assembled Ni-doped Ni3S2 sheet-like nanocomposite (Ni3S2–Ni–NF) was constructed using graphene oxide as the structure-directing agent by a simple two-step solvothermal reaction. The design of nanoflake subunit, sheet-like morphology, and Ni-doped Ni3S2 nanocomposite gains great promise for the application of LIBs by shortening the diffusion pathway of Li ions, improving the electrical connectivity as well as minimizing the electrode volume strain. As expected, the Ni3S2–Ni–NF nanocomposite exhibited excellent reversible capacities, high rate performance, and satisfactory cycling performance. For instance, reversible specific capacities of 741.8 mA h g−1 and 598.2 mA h g−1 can be retained after 120 cycles at current densities of 200 mA g−1 and 500 mA g−1, respectively. Furthermore, even at a very high current density of 1000 mA g−1, the discharge capacity remained as high as 497 mA h g−1.

Co9S8 is regarded as a promising electrode material for advanced lithium storage (lithium-ion battery (LIB) and lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery) because of its remarkable electrical conductivity, polar property, and low cost. In this study, three-dimensional nanohybrid assembled by Co9S8 nanocrystal coated hollow carbon nanosphere was synthesized via a low-temperature solution-based sulfidation process. Different from some other hollow Co9S8/carbon structures, the hollow carbon nanosphere embedded inside the Co9S8 crystal would work as a more efficient conductive medium. When used as electrode materials for LIB and Li-S battery, the obtained nanohybrid exhibits excellent lithium storage properties and a distinctly better cycling performance. A discharge capacity of 560 mA h g−1 is obtained after 400 cycles at a current density of 1000 mA g−1 for LIB. Furthermore, for Li-S battery, the obtained Co9S8/carbon hybrid used as sulfur host gave a reversible discharge capacity of ca. 880 mA h g−1 after 400 cycles at a current density of 0.5 C (837.5 mA g−1), corresponding to 87% retention of its initial discharge capacity.

The development and application of the reinforced concrete arch bridge has been several decades in China. However, the research on arch bridge is relatively slow in recent years, due to the limit of arch bridge’s dependence on geological conditions , the characteristics of its structure and construction technology . Especially ,many reinforced concrete arch bridges which were built after 1940s has been subjected to earthquake, flood or beyond design life. And there is lack of some corresponding researchs on assessment criteria. This paper aims to put forward some state evaluation methods and suggestions by the test and analysis of dynamic characteristics of reinforced concrete arch bridge. Keywords: reinforced concrete arch bridge; state evaluation; dynamic test; modal analysis

The rail fastener assemblies under alternating load for a long time , in addition to the vibration and strength,fatigue also is the main reason for damage .So effective fatigue test and life assessment is one of the important means to ensure the safety of railway operation .This paper introduces the routine fatigue test method of railway track fastener assembly which adopts the European Railway Standard EN13146-4,by using 33° test platform which conform to the actual operation stress conditions of the railway track can more effective test the rail fastening assembly.

Silicon carbide (SiC), especially mesoporous SiC has been in immense vogue for more than a decade because of its intriguing properties and wide applications. However, it is still challenging to synthesize mesoporous SiC with good structural integrality, large specific surface area and desirable porosity at a low temperature. In this study, we reported a “dual-confined spaces”-assisted synthesis of mesoporous SiC using well-assembled SiO2/carbon composite as precursor via a magnesiothermic reduction process. The well-crystallinity mesoporous SiC presented a mesopore structure with high specific surface area of 267.3 m2 g[Formula: see text] and large mesopore size of ca. 10[Formula: see text]nm can be directly fabricated at a temperature of at least 550∘C and the optimum synthesis temperature is 650∘C. During the synthesis, mesoporous carbon matrix and a pressure-tight stainless steel reactor were served as “dual-confined spaces” to avoid the aggregation of silica and the silicon residue left in the final SiC sample. Furthermore, the as-prepared mesoporous SiC showed prominent performance as catalyst support for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol.

In this paper the concrete-filled steel tube concrete arch bridge as the research object, through the finite element program MIDAS, analyzes the internal force of the whole bridge, determined the distribution of internal force and the most unfavorable position; Using the force balance method, taking the reasonable stress of the bending moment status to control goals, determines the boom of the bridge as the condition of reasonable internal force; Use fall down method, according to the reverse sequence in order to cut the boom, each cut as a model for internal force calculation and analysis, get the next will be cut derrick's internal force, its value is the order construction boom of the initial tension.

As a novel hydrogen sulfide-modulated agent, S-propargyl-L-cysteine (SPRC) is proven to be a potent cardioprotective candidate. Bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of SPRC (20 mg/kg) in beagle dogs after oral and intravenous administrations were investigated in this study. Plasma concentrations of SPRC were measured by a LC-MS/MS method. Intravenous administration of SPRC (single dose) to beagle dogs gave a mean plasma half-life of 14.7 h, mean clearance of 0.4 ml min⁻¹ kg⁻¹ and mean apparent volume of distribution of 0.56 L/kg. Single oral administration was completely, fast absorbed (T(max)= 0.33 ± 0.20 h) with a mean absolute availability of 112% and mean plasma half-life of 16.5 h. Multiple oral administration (once daily for 10 consecutive days) of SPRC to dogs resulted in steady state plasma drug concentration being reached after seven doses and didn't cause obvious accumulation. No significant difference was found between the single and multiple pharmacokinetic parameters.

Characteristics of gas emission at the K8206 working face in the Third mine of the Yangquan Coal Group were investigated. The effects of strata movement, advancing velocity of working face, production capacity of working face and gas extraction capability of strike high-level entry on gas emission at K8206 working face were analyzed. A regression equation, reflecting the relationship between relative gas emission rate and the production capacity of working faces, was established. Another regression equation showing the relationship between the gas emission rate from adjacent layers when the working face was advancing for one metre and advancing velocity was derived. It can be concluded that, 1) the amount of gas emitted at the K8206 working face is far greater than that of ordinary top coal caving faces with a dip length of 180–190 m; 2) the dynamic process of gas emission from adjacent layers during the initial mining stage is controlled by the movement of key strata; 3) the amount of gas emitted that needs to be forced out by air is greatly affected by the capability of gas extraction; 4) when the advancing velocity is between 3.5–5.5 m/d or when the output is up to 8–12 kt/d, the gas emission from adjacent layers is almost constant.

To study the distribution, metabolism and excretion of S-propargyl-cysteine (SPRC), a novel hydrogen sulfide (H2S) donor, after oral administration in rats.Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were used. The tissue distribution of [(35)S] SPRC-derived radioactivity was measured using a liquid scintillation counter. The plasma protein binding of SPRC was examined using 96-well equilibrium dialysis. The excretion of SPRC in urine, bile and feces was analyzed using the LC-MS/MS method. The major metabolites in rat biomatrices were identified using MRM information-dependent, acquisition-enhanced product ion (MRM-IDA-EPI) scans on API 4000QTrap system.After oral administration of [(35)S]-SPRC at a dose of 75 mg/kg, [(35)S] SPRC-derived radioactivity displayed broad biological distribution in various tissues of rats, including its target organs (heart and brain) with the highest in kidney. On the other hand, the binding of SPRC to human, rat and dog plasma protein was low. Only 2.18% ± 0.61% and 0.77% ± 0.61% of the total SPRC administered was excreted unchanged in the bile and urine. However, neither intact SPRC nor its metabolites were detected in rat feces. The major metabolic pathway in vivo (rat bile, urine, and plasma) was N-acetylation.The preliminary results suggest that SPRC possesses acceptable pharmacokinetic properties in rats.

Edge detecting is the most important pre-processing in image analysis, feature extraction and recognition. Gradient is a basilic measure of edge images, and we can calculate the values of magnitude and rotation of edges with it. We analyse the first-order difference detectors first, such as Robert, Prewitt and Sobel detectors, then we analyse the Laplacian detector, that is a second-order difference one. A generalize mask is found based on the relationship of the classical edge detectors, and different value of its parameter is correspond to the detectors. The experiment show that the edges detected with the generalize mask are same to those detected with classical detectors, so the mask is reasonable.

This paper proposes that box-counting dimension method be adopted for the analysis of remote sensing images of Chinese mountains. At first, remote sensing images of half-bared and green Chinese mountains are segmented with a global image threshold value, then the binary images are calculated with Box-counting method. The authors find that the distributions of ln(N(l)) and ln(l) are almost stand on a line, which indicate that the fractal characters of the images are obvious, especially when the value of ln(l) is greater than -2; the width of band of distributions of ln(N(l)) and ln(l) of green mountain images is wider than that of half-bared ones, but this has not influence of the value of FD of both kinds of Chinese mountains.

Light-induced degradation in realgar was studied by means of Raman spectroscopy. The result substantiated the following reaction: An additional S atom is inserted between the As atoms in the As4S4 molecule because As--As bonds are weaker than As--S bonds. It is likely that the resulting As--S--As molecule is too unstable to exist. Furthermore, an S atom in the As4S5 molecule is released from one of the equivalent As--S--As linkages in As4Ss which becomes the As4S4 molecular of pararealgar. After the As4S5 molecule is divided into an S atom (radical) and the As4S4 (pararealgar type) molecule, the free S atom is re-attached to another As4S4 (realgar type) molecule, reproducing an As4S5 molecule. The reproduced As4S5 molecule is again divided into an S atom (radical) and an As4S4 (pararealgar type) molecule. This cycle whereby realgar is indirectly transformed into pararealgar via the As4S5 molecule is promoted by light and repeated during light exposure.

Poly (3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT): Poly (styrene sulfonate) (PSS) has attracted a lot of interest for application in organic electronics due to good stability and high electronic conductivity in its doped state. Indeed, thin layers of PEDOT:PSS was regularly used in light emitting diodes (PLEDs) as hole injection and transportation layer. Here, Doping and dedoping states of PEDOT:PSS were studied by absorbance spectra and Raman spectra. A new absorption band centered at 620 nm was observed on dedoped PEDOT:PSS. Consistently, Raman signals of dedoped PEDOT:PSS are resonantly intensified since the Raman excitation wavelength (633 nm) is set in the enhanced absorption band. So it gives a sensitive way to study the doping and dedoping states of PEDOT:PSS. Furthermore, for the encapsulated polymer light-emitting diodes, Raman spectroscopy is a powerful way to study the polymer layers inside the devices.

The characteristics of a adulterated sample of diesel oil by 120# solvent naphtha were studied with three-dimension spectral subtraction fluorescence technique, and it is shown that the technique could determine quickly whether there is a adulterated sample of 120# solvent naphtha in diesel. At the same time, by measuring the volume of three-dimension spectral subtraction fluorescence graph, the authors found that this total volume is directly related to the concentration of the adulterant present in the sample. The study is important for us to analyse whether there is a adulterated sample of 120# solvent naphtha in diesel, and is of significance for us to maintain the stability of market.

Two newly identified tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family cytokines, B cell activation factor from the TNF family (BAFF) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), have recently been shown to enhance the maturation and survival of peripheral B cells. However, whether BAFF and APRIL are expressed in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment and if these two cytokines modulate early B cell development remain unclear. In the present study, we have detected the abundant expression of BAFF and APRIL transcripts in BM non-lymphoid cells. Low levels of BAFF and APRIL mRNA are also found in developing B cells. Furthermore, we have determined the expression patterns of BAFF receptors during B lymphopoiesis. In cultures, both recombinant BAFF and APRIL significantly promote the survival of precursor B cells whereas only BAFF can suppress apoptosis of immature B cells. These findings suggest that BAFF and APRIL, in addition to their well established role in regulating peripheral B cell growth, can modulate the survival of developing B cells in the BM.

Experiments were carried out to study the effects of several anions on the photocatalytic degradation rates of sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate (DBS) with TiO2 as catalyst. The anions were added as Na2SO4, NaNO3, NaCl, NaHCO3, NaH2PO4 and Na3PO4, and two levels of anion content, i.e. 12 mmol/L and 36 mmol/L in terms of Na+, were studied. The results revealed that: Cl-, SO4(2-), NO3- and HCO3- retarded the rates of DBS degradation to different degrees; PO4(3-) increased the DBS degradation rate at low concentration and decreased the rate at high concentration; H2PO4- accelerated the rate of DBS degradation. The mechanism of the effects of anions on DBS degradation was concluded as the following three aspects: anions compete for the radicals; anions are absorbed on the surface of catalyst and block the active site of catalyst; anions added to the solution change the pH value and influence the formation of .OH radicals and the adsorption of DBS on catalyst.