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Abstract Controllable droplet propulsion on solid surfaces plays a crucial role in various technologies. Many actuating methods have been developed; however, there are still some limitations in terms of the introduction of additives, the versatilities of solid surfaces, and the speed of transportation. Herein, we have demonstrated a universal droplet propulsion method based on dynamic surface-charge wetting by depositing oscillating and opposite surface charges on dielectric films with unmodified surfaces. Dynamic surface-charge wetting propels droplets by continuously inducing smaller front contact angles than rear contact angles. This innovative imbalance is built by alternately storing and spreading opposite charges on dielectric films, which results in remarkable electrostatic forces under large gradients and electric fields. The method exhibits excellent droplet manipulation performance characteristics, including high speed (~130 mm/s), high adaptability of droplet volume (1 μL–1 mL), strong handling ability on non-slippery surfaces with large contact angle hysteresis (CAH) (maximum angle of 35°), significant programmability and reconfigurability, and low mass loss. The great application potential of this method has been effectively demonstrated in programmable microreactions, defogging without gravity assistance, and surface cleaning of photovoltaic panels using condensed droplets.

Abstract Background Although the correlation between liver toxicity and vancomycin is generally considered low, it has been observed that the use of vancomycin can lead to abnormal liver function indicators, such as elevated aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alpha fetoprotein, and jaundice. To further understand the clinical features associated with vancomycin-induced liver toxicity and to provide clinical guidance, we conducted an analysis of the characteristics and clinical manifestations of vancomycin-induced liver injury. Methods Patients with liver function injury who received vancomycin treatment at the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University and Hunan Maternal and Child Health Hospital between 2016 and 2021 were selected for retrospective analysis of their general characteristics, vancomycin course, dose, liver function index, severity of liver injury, and concomitant medications. Results Of the 4562 patients who received vancomycin, 17 patients were finally included, with an incidence rate of 0.37%. Of these patients, 12 were male (70.6%) and 5 were female (29.4%), ranging in age from 17 to 84 years with a mean average age of 45.41 ± 20.405 years. All patients were evaluated using Naranjo’s score, with score ≥ 3. The dosage, time, and plasma concentration of vancomycin were analyzed and it was found that nine patients (52.94%) had abnormal liver function when initially given a dose of 1 g every 12 hours. In total, 14 patients (82.35%) with liver injury were taking vancomycin in combination with two to four drugs, and severe liver injury occurred in patients taking vancomycin in combination with two drugs. The occurrence time of liver injury was 2–12 days after starting vancomycin, with a mean of 4.53 ± 2.401 days. Of these patients, 16 patients (94.1%) showed liver function abnormalities within 7 days of taking the drug, and 2 patients with grade 3–4 liver injury both showed liver function abnormalities within 3 days of taking the drug. Only 4 of the 17 patients (23.53%) had vancomycin blood concentrations within the normal range, and there was no correlation found between blood concentration and severity of liver injury. Analysis of the correlation between the severity of liver injury and vancomycin showed that none of the patients had allergies such as rash, two patients (11.76%) had jaundice, and fatigue occurred in five patients (29.41%). The remaining ten patients (58.82%) had no symptoms related to liver injury. All 17 patients had abnormal aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase levels and 9 patients also had abnormal bilirubin levels. In 15 patients (88.24%), the severity of liver injury was grade 1, indicating mild liver injury, and no correlation was observed between the severity of liver injury and creatinine. Of the 17 patients, 1 patient received no intervention, 4 patients stopped taking vancomycin after developing liver injury, 1 patient reduced the dose, and 11 patients (64.7%) were treated with hepatic protectant. Conclusion Although the study concluded that the incidence of liver injury was not high, the liver toxicity of vancomycin should still be considered and liver function indicators should be monitored during the clinical use of vancomycin.

Background and objective Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a highly morbid and fatal cancer. Despite advancements in modern medical treatment, the 5-year survival rate of patients remains suboptimal. Our previous study revealed that zinc finger SWIM-type containing 1 (ZSWIM1), a novel protein, promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LUAD cells. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of E3 ubiquitin ligase tripartite motif protein 21 (TRIM21) on ZSWIM1-mediated cell proliferation and migration. Methods The interaction and co-localization between TRIM21 and ZSWIM1 were verified using co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and immunofluorescence (IF). The effects of TRIM21 and ZSWIM1 on the proliferation and migration of LUAD cells were assessed through MTT and Transwell assays, respectively. Western blot (WB) analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of TRIM21 and ZSWIM1 on the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in LUAD cells. The influence of TRIM21 on the ubiquitination of ZSWIM1 was examined using Co-IP combined with WB. Results TRIM21 was found to interact and co-localize with ZSWIM1. Overexpression of TRIM21 inhibited the proliferation and migration of LUAD cells. Overexpression of TRIM21 reduced the promoting effect of ZSWIM1 on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells, and reversed the impact of ZSWIM1 on the expression of E-cadherin and Vimentin. Conversely, knockdown of TRIM21 further enhanced the promoting effect of ZSWIM1 on the proliferation and migration of LUAD cells. Mechanistically, we observed that overexpression of TRIM21 significantly enhanced the ubiquitination level of ZSWIM1, leading to a decrease in ZSWIM1 protein expression. Conclusion TRIM21 binds to and promotes the ubiquitination of ZSWIM1, resulting in reduced protein expression of ZSWIM1, which leads to the inhibition of ZSWIM1-mediated promotion of proliferation, migration, and invasion in LUAD cells.

Hydraulic fracturing is one of the effective methods to improve the extraction efficiency and gas production of low-permeability coal seams with high gas content. Due to the existence of abundant natural fractures in the coal seam, the interaction between natural fractures and hydraulic fractures will make the initiation and propagation of hydraulic fractures show complexity and diversity, thereby affecting the effect of permeability enhancement of coal seam. In order to study the initiation and propagation of hydraulic fractured coal under the action of natural fractures, hydraulic fracturing tests on coal were carried out by using the self-developed multifunctional true triaxial fluid-solid coupling test system. Based on the theory of “pore wall stress concentration induced tensile fracture”, the fractures initiation law of hydraulic fractured coal was studied, and combined with fracture mechanics, the fracture propagation mechanism of hydraulic fractured coal was revealed from a mesoscopic perspective. The results shown that, the presence of natural fractures can induce hydraulic fractures to propagate along the direction of natural fractures, which greatly reduced the initiation pressure of coal. The required fracture initiation pressure for fracturing coal without obvious natural fractures was similar to the theoretical initiation pressure calculated according to the initiation criterion of tensile failure, which met the criterion of “tensile fracture induced by stress concentration in hole wall”. The required fracture initiation pressure for fracturing coal with obvious natural fractures was all less than the theoretical fracture initiation pressures calculated according to the initiation criterion of tensile failure, and the required fracture initiation pressure was smaller when the natural fracture was perpendicular to the direction of the minimum principal stress, which was 3.355 MPa. When the natural fracture was parallel to the minimum principal stress, the required initiation pressure was only greater than the minimum principal stress, which was 7.902 MPa. When the hydraulic fracture type was type I, the measured minimum and maximum propagation pressure values of coal without obvious natural fractures were greater than the theoretically calculated minimum and maximum propagation pressure values, and the difference ranges were 2.043−6.845 MPa and 3.951−8.576 MPa, respectively. When the coal contained obvious natural fractures and the direction of the natural fractures was parallel to the X direction, the existence of horizontal stress difference will cause the measured propagation pressure value of coal to be less than the theoretically calculated propagation pressure value. When the hydraulic fracture was type II. or type I-II., the pressure required for fracture propagation gradually decreased with the increase of the hydraulic fracture length.

BackgroundObservational research suggests that hypotension is a potential hazard factor of delirium. Nevertheless, previous observational articles are limited in their ability to establish causality between hypotension and delirium. The present study was sought to explore the genetic causal relationship between these two conditions using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR).MethodsGenome-wide association study (GWAS) summarized data for hypotension and delirium were obtained from the FinnGen Consortium. The researchers utilized several statistical methods, such as inverse-variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, MR Egger, weighted mode, and simple mode in conducting the MR statistical analysis. In order to identify heterogeneity among the MR outcomes, we employed the Cochrane’s Q test. Furthermore, we used the MR-Egger intercept test and MR pleiotropy residual sum and outliers (MR-PRESSO) test to examine horizontal pleiotropy.ResultsThe findings revealed that hypotension was identified as an independent hazard variable for delirium (p = 0.010, odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 1.302 [1.066–1.592]) using the IVW method. The presence of horizontal pleiotropy was found to have minimal impact on establishing causal relationship (p = 0.999), and there was no evidence to suggest heterogeneity between genetic variations (p = 0.379). Additionally, the leave-one-out method demonstrated the stability and robustness of this association.ConclusionWe performed two-sample MR analyses and found evidence of a genetic causal relationship between hypotension and delirium. Our findings suggest that individuals with a genetic predisposition for hypotension may have a higher risk of developing delirium. This suggests that interventions aimed at improving perioperative hypotension could aid in limiting the incidence of delirium.

Despite increasing waste-to-energy (WtE) capacities, there remain deficiencies in comprehension of 136 kinds of tetra- through octa-chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofurans (136 PCDD/Fs) originating from incineration sources. Samples from twenty typical WtE plants, encompassing coal-fired power plants (CPP), grate incinerators (GI), fluidized bed incinerators (FBI), and rotary kilns (RK), yielded extensive PCDD/F datasets. Research was conducted on fingerprint mapping, formation pathways, emission profiles, and diagnostic analysis of PCDD/Fs in WtE plants. Fingerprints revealed a prevalence of TCDF, followed by PeCDF, while CPP and RK respectively generated more PCDD and HxCDD. De novo synthesis was the predominant formation pathway except one plant, where CP-route dominated. DD/DF chlorination also facilitated PCDD/F formation, showing general trends of FBI > GI > CPP > RK. The PCDD/F emission intensities emitted in air pollution control system inlet (APCSI) and outlet (APCSO) followed the statistical sequence of RK > FBI > GI > CPP, with the average I-TEQ concentrations in APCSO reaching 0.18, 0.08, 0.11, and 0.04 ng I-TEQ·Nm−3. Emission spectrum were accordingly formed. Four clusters were segmented for diagnosis analysis, where PCDD/Fs in GI and FBI were similar, grouped as a single cluster. PCDD/Fs in CPP and RK demonstrated distinctive features in TCDD, HxCDD, and HxCDF. The WtE plants exceeding the limit value tended to generate and retain fewer TCDD and TCDF yet had higher fractions of HxCDD and HxCDF. The failure of APCS coupled with the intrinsic source strength of PCDD/Fs directly led to exceedance, highlighting safe operational practices. This study motivated source tracing and precise evaluation of 136 PCDD/Fs based on the revealed fingerprint profiles for WtE processes.

A cross-correlation algorithm to obtain the sub-aperture shifts that occur is a crucial aspect of scene-based SHWS (Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensing). However, when the sub-image is partially absent within the atmosphere, the traditional cross-correlation algorithm can easily obtain the wrong shift results. To overcome this drawback, we propose an algorithm based on SURFs (speeded-up-robust features) matching. In addition, to meet the speed required by wavefront sensing, CUDA parallel optimization of SURF matching is carried out using a GPU thread execution model and a programming model. The results show that the shift error can be reduced by more than two times, and the parallel algorithm can achieve nearly ten times the acceleration ratio.

BackgroundThe aim of the present study was to build and internally validate a nomogram model for predicting prolonged length of stay (PLOS) among patients receiving free vascularized flap reconstruction of head and neck cancer (HNC).MethodsA retrospective clinical study was performed at a single center, examining patients receiving free vascularized flap reconstruction of HNC from January 2011 to January 2019. The variables were obtained from the electronic information system. The primary outcome measure was PLOS. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to find risk factors for predicting PLOS. A model was then built according to multivariate results. Internal validation was implemented via 1000 bootstrap samples.ResultsThe study included 1047 patients, and the median length of stay (LOS) was 13.00 (11.00, 16.00) days. Multivariate analysis showed that flap types ((radial forearm free flap (odds ratio [OR] = 2.238; 95% CI, 1.403-3.569; P = 0.001), free fibula flap (OR = 3.319; 95% CI, 2.019-4.882; P < 0.001)), duration of surgery (OR = 1.002; 95% CI, 1.001-1.003; P = 0.004), postoperative complications (OR = 0.205; 95% CI, 0.129-0.325; P = P < 0.001) and unplanned reoperation (OR = 0.303; 95% CI, 0.140-0.653; P = 0.002) were associated with PLOS. In addition to these variables, blood transfusion was comprised in the model. The AUC of the model was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.711–0.849) and 0.725 (95% CI, 0.605–0.845) in the primary and internal validation cohorts, respectively. The DCA revealed the clinical utility of the current model when making intervention decisions within the PLOS possibility threshold range of 0.2-0.8.ConclusionsOur study developed a nomogram that exhibits a commendable level of accuracy, thereby aiding clinicians in assessing the risk of PLOS among patients receiving free vascularized flap reconstruction for HNC.

Laccases (EC 1.10.3.2), a group of multi-copper oxidases (MCOs), play multiple biological functions and widely exist in many species. Fungal laccases have been extensively studied for their industrial applications, however, there was no database specially focused on fungal laccases. To provide a comparative genomics platform for fungal laccases, we have developed a comparative genomics platform for laccases and MCOs (http://laccase.riceblast.snu.ac.kr/). Based on protein domain profiles of characterized sequences, 3,571 laccases were predicted from 690 genomes including 253 fungi. The number of putative laccases and their properties exhibited dynamic distribution across the taxonomy. A total of 505 laccases from 68 genomes were selected and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. As a result, four clades comprised of nine subclades were phylogenetically grouped by their putative functions and analyzed at the sequence level. Our work would provide a workbench for putative laccases mainly focused on the fungal kingdom as well as a new perspective in the identification and classification of putative laccases and MCOs.

Abstract Introduction Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic disease with symptoms of persistent pain or resting pain, joint stiffness, numbness, limitation of activity and even disability, with significant associated costs and effects on individuals’ life quality. The use of acupuncture for the management of chronic pain is receiving increasing recognition from both the public and professionals. The aim of this study is to identify the effects of three commonly used acupuncture treatments for KOA. Methods/analysis In a prospective trial involving six hospitals in Zhejiang Province (China), 360 patients with KOA will be included. Eligible patients will be randomized into six groups: Acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture, Mild moxibustion, Warm-needling, Sham acupuncture and Celebrex treatment. Twelve treatment sessions will be performed over a 4-week period. The primary outcome will be the visual analogue scale and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) function scores (the average of the past 3 days) at weeks 2 and 4 and at 3-month and 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcome measures will be as follows: the WOMAC pain score and WOMAC stiffness score (the average of the past 3 days); the Physical Activity Scale of the Elderly (PASE); knee joint swelling measurement; the WHO Quality Of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) life quality scale; and the incidence of adverse events. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03563690 . Registered on 2rd July 2018.

In this study, four monolithic, vanadium-based catalysts in granular (Vox/TiO2), honeycomb-type (Vox-Wox/TiO2 and Vox-MoOx/TiO2), and corrugated forms (Vox-Wox/TiO2) were investigated by multiple characterization methods (BET, XRF, XPS, XRD, H2-TPR, and NH3-TPD). Their catalytic performances were evaluated by the oxidation-reduction performance of ortho-dichlorobenzene (o-DCB) and NO/NH3. The modification of Wox and MoOx could promote catalytic activity by accelerating the transformation of V5+/V4+ and enriching the strong acid sites. The introduction of NO/NH3 significantly impaired the o-DCB oxidation, ascribed to the competitive adsorption of reactants on acid sites. The performance of Vox/TiO2 and Vox-MoOx/TiO2 catalysts indicated that strong acidity could enhance catalytic abilities over o-DCB and Nox. Nevertheless, the CE (conversion efficiency) of o-DCB was more related to a large BET surface area and a high amount of V5+ species, while the CE of Nox was more associated with redox ability and Vox surface density. The V4+/V5+ and OS-A/OS-L ratio increased prominently after the oxidation of o-DCB, indicating that it was the reoxidation of V4+ species, rather than the supplement of oxygen, that limited the reaction rate. This work revealed catalytic activity was positively affiliated with the surface area, amount of V5+ species, transformation rate of V4+/V5+, redox ability, and abundance of strong acid sites. Additionally, the results could guide the selectivity and improvement of industrial low-temperature catalysts for synergistic elimination of chloroaromatic organics and Nox.

Heterobasidion parviporum is the most devastating fungal pathogen of conifer forests in Northern Europe. The fungus has dual life strategies, necrotrophy on living trees and saprotrophy on dead woods. DNA cytosine methylation is an important epigenetic modification in eukaryotic organisms. Our presumption is that the lifestyle transition and asexual development in H. parviporum could be driven by epigenetic effects. Involvements of DNA methylation in the regulation of aforementioned processes have never been studied thus far. RNA-seq identified lists of highly induced genes enriched in carbohydrate-active enzymes during necrotrophic interaction with host trees and saprotrophic sawdust growth. It also highlighted signaling- and transcription factor-related genes potentially associated with the transition of saprotrophic to necrotrophic lifestyle and groups of primary cellular activities throughout asexual development. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing revealed that DNA methylation displayed pronounced preference in CpG dinucleotide context across the genome and mostly targeted transposable element (TE)-rich regions. TE methylation level demonstrated a strong negative correlation with TE expression, reinforcing the protective function of DNA methylation in fungal genome stability. Small groups of genes putatively subject to methylation transcriptional regulation in response to saprotrophic and necrotrophic growth in comparison with free-living mycelia were also explored. Our study reported on the first methylome map of a forest pathogen. Analysis of transcriptome and methylome variations associated with asexual development and different lifestyle strategies provided further understanding of basic biological processes in H. parviporum. More importantly, our work raised additional potential roles of DNA methylation in fungi apart from controlling the proliferation of TEs.

Quantum digital signatures (QDS) are able to verify the authenticity and integrity of a message in modern communication. However, the current QDS protocols are restricted by the fundamental rate-loss bound and the secure signature distance cannot be further improved. We propose a twin-field quantum digital signature (TF-QDS) protocol with fully discrete phase randomization and investigate its performance under the two-intensity decoy-state setting. For better performance, we optimize intensities of the signal state and the decoy state for each given distance. Numerical simulation results show that our TF-QDS with as few as six discrete random phases can give a higher signature rate and a longer secure transmission distance compared with current quantum digital signatures (QDSs), such as BB84-QDS and measurement-device-independent QDS (MDI-QDS). Moreover, we provide a clear comparison among some possible TF-QDSs constructed by different twin-field key generation protocols (TF-KGPs) and find that the proposed TF-QDS exhibits the best performance. Conclusively, the advantages of the proposed TF-QDS protocol in signature rate and secure transmission distance are mainly due to the single-photon interference applied in the measurement module and precise matching of discrete phases. Besides, our TF-QDS shows the feasibility of experimental implementation with current devices in practical QDS system.

State funding for public higher education institutions is crucial in supporting college access and completion, particularly among students from historically under-represented groups, yet little is known about the mechanisms that states use to allocate funds and how they are affected by financial challenges. This article provides the first detailed longitudinal typology of state funding strategies, focusing particularly on formula volatility and equity. We find a gradual shift toward funding models that include a combination of base-adjusted and enrollment and performance metrics, along with a growing focus on equity. During recessions, states frequently revert to across-the-board funding cuts, further disadvantaging under-resourced institutions.

BackgroundBacterial sRNAs are a class of small regulatory RNAs involved in regulation of expression of a variety of genes. Most sRNAs act in trans via base-pairing with target mRNAs, leading to repression or activation of translation or mRNA degradation. To date, more than 1,000 sRNAs have been identified. However, direct targets have been identified for only approximately 50 of these sRNAs. Computational predictions can provide candidates for target validation, thereby increasing the speed of sRNA target identification. Although several methods have been developed, target prediction for bacterial sRNAs remains challenging.ResultsHere, we propose a novel method for sRNA target prediction, termed sTarPicker, which was based on a two-step model for hybridization between an sRNA and an mRNA target. This method first selects stable duplexes after screening all possible duplexes between the sRNA and the potential mRNA target. Next, hybridization between the sRNA and the target is extended to span the entire binding site. Finally, quantitative predictions are produced with an ensemble classifier generated using machine-learning methods. In calculations to determine the hybridization energies of seed regions and binding regions, both thermodynamic stability and site accessibility of the sRNAs and targets were considered. Comparisons with the existing methods showed that sTarPicker performed best in both performance of target prediction and accuracy of the predicted binding sites.ConclusionssTarPicker can predict bacterial sRNA targets with higher efficiency and determine the exact locations of the interactions with a higher accuracy than competing programs. sTarPicker is available at http://ccb.bmi.ac.cn/starpicker/.

NO donors are routinely used as the exogenous source in in vitro studies. However, the kinetics or the dose of NO release from the existing donors is not readily monitored. This complicates the elucidation of the involvement of NO in a biological response. We report herein a series of NO donors (NOD545a-g), whose NO release is triggered by UV light at 365 nm or a two-photon laser at 740 nm, and importantly, their NO release is accompanied by a drastic fluorescence turn-on, which has been harnessed to follow the kinetics and dose of NO release in a real-time fashion with spectroscopic methods or microscopic methods in in vitro studies. These merits have rendered NOD545a-g useful molecular tools in NO biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: RNA interference (RNAi) is involved in genome defense as well as diverse cellular, developmental, and physiological processes. Key components of RNAi are Argonaute, Dicer, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), which have been functionally characterized mainly in model organisms. The key components are believed to exist throughout eukaryotes; however, there is no systematic platform for archiving and dissecting these important gene families. In addition, few fungi have been studied to date, limiting our understanding of RNAi in fungi. Here we present funRNA http://funrna.riceblast.snu.ac.kr/, a fungal kingdom-wide comparative genomics platform for putative genes encoding Argonaute, Dicer, and RdRP. Description: To identify and archive genes encoding the abovementioned key components, protein domain profiles were determined from reference sequences obtained from UniProtKB/SwissProt. The domain profiles were searched using fungal, metazoan, and plant genomes, as well as bacterial and archaeal genomes. 1,163, 442, and 678 genes encoding Argonaute, Dicer, and RdRP, respectively, were predicted. Based on the identification results, active site variation of Argonaute, diversification of Dicer, and sequence analysis of RdRP were discussed in a fungus-oriented manner. funRNA provides results from diverse bioinformatics programs and job submission forms for BLAST, BLASTMatrix, and ClustalW. Furthermore, sequence collections created in funRNA are synced with several gene family analysis portals and databases, offering further analysis opportunities. Conclusions: funRNA provides identification results from a broad taxonomic range and diverse analysis functions, and could be used in diverse comparative and evolutionary studies. It could serve as a versatile genomics workbench for key components of RNAi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]