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The production plan of an open-pit mine depends on the block model, so it's crucial to determine the appropriate method and size for partitioning it. This study proposes a new method based on a closed shell three-dimensional geological model for determining block model size in open-pit mines. Instead of using regular block models, the shell model is directly cut, and the discrete geological body is referred to as the "mining model." Mining parameters and the shovel-truck's performance are integrated into the method. Bench height determines the Z-axis size, bench slope angle determines the inclination angle, and shovel width determines the X-axis size of the block model. The operation efficiency of the shovel-truck considers the probability distribution of simultaneous operations, allowing the determination of the Y-axis size of block models for different types of shovels. The developed "Mining Model" module in the software "Life Cycle Mining System" is used for practical implementation. By comparing the results with traditional block models, the superiority of the proposed method is demonstrated. This study provides a more accurate model for optimizing the production plan of open-pit mines throughout their life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents simulations of flow past a circular cylinder within the subcritical Reynolds number (Re) range from 3900 to 2 × 105, utilizing the parameterized cumulant lattice Boltzmann model. In this study, a three-dimensional characteristic boundary condition for incompressible flow has been integrated into the lattice Boltzmann method at the outflow boundary to minimize spurious reflection. The flow field, wake statistics, hydrodynamic force, and power spectra results of Re = 3900 from the cumulant lattice Boltzmann model are exhaustively compared with the laboratory data and other numerical models. Relative to other numerical models employing turbulence closure, the cumulant lattice Boltzmann simulations demonstrate enhanced agreement with the experimental data even with relatively coarser grid resolution. The resolution-spanning feature for the cumulant lattice Boltzmann model in turbulent flows, without using explicit turbulence model, aligns with the previous benchmark case studies. The stability-preserving regularization process in the present model is analyzed. Results indicate that the influence of the regularization parameter is mitigated with improved grid resolution. A specific regularization parameter for flow around cylinder simulations is recommended. Variations in flow properties and hydrodynamic forces within the subcritical Reynolds number range of 3900 to 2 × 105 are analyzed. The results confirm that the parameterized cumulant lattice Boltzmann model can accurately simulate practical engineering flows, characterized by complex separation and recirculation, within the subcritical range. Moreover, the computational efficiency and parallel scalability are compared with other numerical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a feature selection method based on a hybrid optimization algorithm that combines the Golden Jackal Optimization (GJO) and Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO). The primary objective of this method is to create an effective data dimensionality reduction technique for eliminating redundant, irrelevant, and noisy features within high-dimensional datasets. Drawing inspiration from the Chinese idiom "Chai Lang Hu Bao," hybrid algorithm mechanisms, and cooperative behaviors observed in natural animal populations, we amalgamate the GWO algorithm, the Lagrange interpolation method, and the GJO algorithm to propose the multi-strategy fusion GJO-GWO algorithm. In Case 1, the GJO-GWO algorithm addressed eight complex benchmark functions. In Case 2, GJO-GWO was utilized to tackle ten feature selection problems. Experimental results consistently demonstrate that under identical experimental conditions, whether solving complex benchmark functions or addressing feature selection problems, GJO-GWO exhibits smaller means, lower standard deviations, higher classification accuracy, and reduced execution times. These findings affirm the superior optimization performance, classification accuracy, and stability of the GJO-GWO algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the study of biosorption of Pb2+ by lactic acid bacteria, two strains called CN-011 and CN-005 with high tolerance and great adsorption to lead were screened. The minimum bactericidal concentration of lead ions for both CN-011 and CN-005 was 1.45 mmol/L. The optimal culture conditions for the removal of 30 mg/L lead ions were achieved by culturing lactic acid bacteria at an initial pH of 7.0, 37 °C and 120 rpm for 48 h. The adsorption rate of CN-011 and CN-005 for Pb2+ were 85.95% and 86.78%, respectively. In simulated wastewater samples, the average adsorption rate of Pb2+ was 73.38% for CN-011 and 74.15% for CN-005. The mechanism of biosorption was characterized by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope—Energy Dispersive Spectrometer, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, which revealed that Pb2+ mainly reacted with hydroxyl ions in peptidoglycan or polysaccharide, and carboxylate radical in teichoic acid or protein on the surface of lactic acid bacteria cell wall. The deposits produced on the bacterial surface were identified as lead oxide and lead nitrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel hybrid algorithm, named Multi-Strategy Hybrid Harris Hawks Tunicate Swarm Optimization Algorithm (MSHHOTSA). The primary objective of MSHHOTSA is to address the limitations of the tunicate swarm algorithm, which include slow optimization speed, low accuracy, and premature convergence when dealing with complex problems. Firstly, inspired by the idea of the neighborhood and thermal distribution map, the hyperbolic tangent domain is introduced to modify the position of new tunicate individuals, which can not only effectively enhance the convergence performance of the algorithm but also ensure that the data generated between the unknown parameters and the old parameters have a similar distribution. Secondly, the nonlinear convergence factor is constructed to replace the original random factor c1 to coordinate the algorithm's local exploitation and global exploration performance, which effectively improves the ability of the algorithm to escape extreme values and fast convergence. Finally, the swarm update mechanism of the HHO algorithm is introduced into the position update of the TSA algorithm, which further balances the local exploitation and global exploration performance of the MSHHOTSA. The proposed algorithm was evaluated on eight standard benchmark functions, CEC2019 benchmark functions, four engineering design problems, and a PID parameter optimization problem. It was compared with seven recently proposed metaheuristic algorithms, including HHO and TSA. The results were analyzed and discussed using statistical indicators such as mean, standard deviation, Wilcoxon's rank sum test, and average running time. Experimental results demonstrate that the improved algorithm (MSHHOTSA) exhibits higher local convergence, global exploration, robustness, and universality than BOA, GWO, MVO, HHO, TSA, ASO, and WOA algorithms under the same experimental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasonable production capacity is related to the economic benefits of an open-pit coal mine. This study analyzes the relationship between the working face length, the annual advancing speed and the production capacity. It constructs a production capacity function relationship model. Take the Baorixile open-pit coal mine as an example. The remaining unmined parts are divided into four regions, and the range of production capacity in each region is analyzed by the established model and the determined respectively. On this basis, three mining district division plans are proposed. By analyzing and comparing the stripping ratio, mining life of the district, fault influence, difficulty of transition connection in the mining districts, the convenience of transportation system layout and other indexes of each plan, Plan 3 is determined to be the optimal plan. The production capacity planning results of each mining district in this plan are as follows: the production capacity of the 3rd mining district is 30–35 Mt/a; the production capacity of the 4th mining district in Region 1 is 20–31 Mt/a, and the production capacity in Region 2 is 24–33 Mt/a; the production capacity of the 5th mining district is 20–27 Mt/a. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate hypoalbuminemia-related factors in patients with stroke in the neurocritical care unit (NCU) and to establish a nomogram model for hypoalbuminemia prediction. Data from 902 patients hospitalized for stroke in the NCU who had normal albumin levels on admission from March 2018 to December 2020 were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors associated with hypoalbuminemia. A novel nomogram prediction model for hypoalbuminemia was constructed, and it was validated in an independent set (n = 233). The nomogram incorporated seven risk factors, including age, high comorbidity, mechanical ventilation, feeding routes, total protein, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen levels, and its area under the curve for predicting hypoalbuminemia in the developmental set and validation set were 0.856 and 0.870, respectively. The novel nomogram facilitates risk prediction of hypoalbuminemia among patients with stroke in the NCU, which might be useful for selecting treatment strategies and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Research on the method of determining the block size for an open-pit mine integrating mining parameters and shovel-truck's operation efficiency." The original article contained an error in the Acknowledgements section, specifically the grant number for the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The corrected version of the article acknowledges the correct grant number. The authors of the article are Weiqiang Guo, Guangwei Liu, Jiaming Li, Senlin Chai, and Shupeng Guo. [Extracted from the article]

At present, there are limited empirical formulas for recovery factor estimation of carbonate reservoirs in the early stage of development. An improved recovery factor estimation method is established in this paper combining with displacement efficiency, sweep coefficient, well pattern coefficient, utilization factor, and reservoir connectivity coefficient. Among them, the utilization factor and connectivity coefficient is firstly proposed and established by derivation and reservoir simulation considering the characteristics of low-permeability carbonate reservoirs. The method is applied to M oilfield, and the estimation results are compared with other empirical formulas and field development calibration results, which shows good estimation accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As mechanized open-pit coal mining intensifies, assessing and predicting slope stability has become increasingly important. To address the limitations of traditional mechanical calculations, numerical simulations, and physical experiments, this paper identifies the key factors impacting slope stability in open-pit mines and develops a multi-parameter sample data set. The study employs hyperparameters optimized using a Bayesian algorithm, introduces additional convolutional layers, and combines the Adam optimizer with dropout techniques to enhance the feature extraction and performance of one-dimensional convolutional neural networks (1D-CNN). This leads to a Bayesian-optimized one-dimensional convolutional neural network (B-1D MCNN) model for predicting slope stability.The study evaluates the classification performance and accuracy of various models for slope stability, including BP neural networks, genetic algorithm-optimized convolutional neural networks, 1D-CNN, and B-1D MCNN, using accuracy, precision, and F1-score as metrics. The analysis also examines the influence of factor indicators and training set length on the model's output to assess its generalization capabilities.The research findings suggest that: (1) the B-1D MCNN model for evaluating slope stability demonstrates the capability to accurately depict the nonlinear correlation between influencing factors and slope stability. (2) Compared with other models, the B-1D MCNN model has shown enhancements of 10.96% to 27.85%, 10.26% to 28.55%, and 8.98% to 25.05% in terms of Accuracy, F1-Score, and Precision, respectively. (3) As the length of the training dataset increases, the performance of the model improves accordingly. (4) The B-1D MCNN model shows a generalization power of 87.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic inflammatory liver disease that seriously threatens the health of humans globally. Formononetin (FMN) is a natural herb extract with multiple biological functions. In this study, an experimental model of AIH was established in mice through the use of concanavalin A (ConA). To investigate the effects of FMN on ConA-induced hepatitis, the mice were pretreated with 50 or 100 mg/kg body mass of FMN. The results show that FMN alleviated ConA-induced liver injury of mice in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, pretreatment with FMN inhibited the apoptosis of hepatocytes in the ConA-treated mice through downregulating the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins (Bax, cleaved caspase 9, and cleaved caspase 3) and upregulating the expression of anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-2). It was also found that the levels of proinflammatory cytokines were greatly reduced in the serum and liver tissues of mice pretreated with FMN. Further studies showed that FMN reduced the level of phosphorylated nuclear factor kappa B (p-NF-κB) p65 and enhanced the level of IκBα (inhibitor of NF-κB), suggesting that FMN inhibits the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. In addition, FMN inhibited activation of the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. Therefore, FMN could be a promising agent for the treatment of AIH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative diagnoses of metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) by the most advanced deep learning technology of Faster Region‐based Convolutional Neural Network (Faster R‐CNN) have not yet been reported. Materials and Methods: In total, 545 patients with pathologically confirmed rectal cancer between January 2016 and March 2019 were included and were randomly allocated with a split ratio of 2:1 to the training and validation sets, respectively. The MRI images for metastatic LNs were evaluated by Faster R‐CNN. Multivariate regression analyses were used to develop the predictive models. Faster R‐CNN nomograms were constructed based on the multivariate analyses in the training sets and were validated in the validation sets. Results: The Faster R‐CNN nomogram for predicting metastatic LN status contained predictors of age, metastatic LNs by Faster R‐CNN and differentiation degrees of tumors, with areas under the curves (AUCs) of 0.862 (95% CI: 0.816‐0.909) and 0.920 (95% CI: 0.876‐0.964) in the training and validation sets, respectively. The Faster R‐CNN nomogram for predicting LN metastasis degree contained predictors of metastatic LNs by Faster R‐CNN and differentiation degrees of tumors, with AUCs of 0.859 (95% CI: 0.804‐0.913) and 0.886 (95% CI: 0.822‐0.950) in the training and validation sets, respectively. Calibration plots and decision curve analyses demonstrated good calibrations and clinical utilities. The two nomograms were used jointly as a kit for predicting metastatic LNs. Conclusion: The Faster R‐CNN nomogram kit exhibits excellent performance in discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility and is convenient and reliable for predicting metastatic LNs preoperatively. Clinical trial registration: ChiCTR‐DDD‐17013842. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the high-speed permanent magnet synchronous motors (HSPMSMs), their magnetic fields are more complicated with the rotating magnetization and harmonics considered. Furthermore, there are interaction effects on motor iron loss from high frequency, temperature, and compressive stress. In order to obtain the accurate HSPMSM iron loss calculation model, different iron loss models are proposed, in this article, considering these physical factors, and the iron loss model considering the interaction effect of the multiphysics factors is given. The magnetic field, temperature field, and stress field are analyzed for HSPMSM by finite-element method (FEM). Then, the proposed models are employed to calculate the iron loss of the silicon steel sheet and the prototype. The accuracy of the proposed iron loss model, which can consider the interaction effect of the multiphysics factors, is verified by the experimental test measurements on the prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses a special truck routing optimization problem in open-pit mines based on the minimization of time-varying transport energy consumption. A mixed-integer programming model is formulated to clearly describe the engineering problem, and a series of constraints are deduced to strengthen the model. To ensure that the model has time-varying characteristics, a method to estimate time-varying parameters is proposed by using pattern recognition and trend surface estimation. This time-varying resistance coefficient is mainly used to describe the process of road damage caused by frequent rolling of heavy trucks on the road surface. At the same time, in order to make the truck routing converge to the optimal energy consumption solution quickly, some definitions and properties are then provided based on stochastic theory, and a strategy to improve the computational efficiency of the model is proposed using these properties. Finally, an improved genetic algorithm is designed to solve the model. The results of experiments show that the proposed algorithm is effective and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α-lipoic acid (ALA) is a naturally occurring antioxidant with protective effects against various hepatic injuries. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanisms by which ALA protects the liver from carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver cirrhosis. The widely used liver cirrhosis rat model was established via an intraperitoneal injection of 2 mg/kg 50% CCl4, three times/week for 8 weeks. Simultaneously, 50 or 100 mg/kg ALA was orally administrated to the rats every day for 8 weeks. The activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was detected in the serum. The pathological liver injuries were analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome staining. The principal factors involved in the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 9 (Smad3) and protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways and in autophagy were examined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction or western blot analysis. The results demonstrated that the administration of ALA alleviated CCl4-induced liver injury, as demonstrated by decreased ALT and AST activity, improved pathological injuries and reduced collagen deposition. The CCl4-induced increase in TGF-β and phosphorylated-Smad3 expression levels was additionally inhibited by treatment with ALA. Furthermore, the administration of ALA reversed the CCl4-induced upregulation of light chain 3II and Beclin-1, and downregulation of p62. The CCl4-induced suppression of the AKT/mTOR pathway was additionally restored following treatment with ALA. In combination, the results of the present study demonstrated that ALA was able to protect CCl4-induced liver cirrhosis, an effect that may be associated with inactivation of the TGF-β/Smad3 pathway and suppression of autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study determined the expression and biological functions of FOXA2 gene in colon cancer in tissues, cells and animals. A total of 66 patients with colon cancer were included in the present study. Using The Human Protein Atlas database, expression and distribution of FOXA2 in colon cancer tissues were analyzed. Using immunohistochemistry, the expression and distribution of FOXA2 in colon cancer cells were studied. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to determine the expression of FOXA2 mRNA in colon cancer tissues. Following in vitro transfection with FOXA2 interference sequence (siR-FOXA2), the proliferation, cell cycle, migration and invasion of colon cancer HCT116 and HT29 cells were investigated using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, flow cytometry, and Transwell assay, respectively. Furthermore, flow cytometry was used to determine apoptosis of HCT116 and HT29 cells. Western blotting was used to determine the expression of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) proteins, E-Cadherin and Vimentin. Laser scanning confocal microscopy was performed to observe the cytoskeleton in HCT116 and HT29 cells. Results indicated tumorigenesis of colon cancer cells in nude mice. In addition, the expression of FOXA2 in colon cancer tissues was elevated and associated with the metastasis and clinical staging of colon cancer. Notably, inhibition of FOXA2 reduced the proliferation of colon cancer cells in vitro and reduced expression of FOXA2 was able to decrease the migration and invasion abilities of colon cancer cells. Furthermore, FOXA2 promoted EMT, inhibited apoptosis and enhanced the invasion ability of colon cancer cells. Decreased expression of FOXA2 inhibited tumorigenesis of colon cancer cells in nude mice. To conclude, the present study demonstrated that the expression of FOXA2 in colon cancer tissues was elevated and associated with the metastasis and clinical staging of colon cancer. As an oncogene, FOXA2 may promote the proliferation, migration and invasion and EMT in colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accuracy of point cloud processing results is greatly dependent on the determination of the voxel size and shape during the point cloud voxelization process. Previous studies predominantly set voxel sizes based on point cloud density or the size of ground objects. Voxels are mostly considered square in shape by default. However, conventional square voxels are not applicable to all surfaces. This study proposes a method of using cuboid voxels to extract urban road boundary points using curb points as road boundary points. In comparison with conventional cubic voxels, cuboid voxels reduce the probability of mixed voxels at the road curb, highlight two geometric features of road curb voxels (i.e., normal vector and distribution dimension), and improve the accuracy of road curb point extraction. In this study, ground points were obtained using cloth simulation filtering. First, the cuboid-based voxelization of ground points was performed. Then, taking the voxel as a unit, two geometric features, namely, the normal vector of the voxel and the linear dimension of the point distribution in the voxel, were calculated. According to these geometric features, the voxels that met the conditions were regarded as candidate road curb voxels, and the points in them as candidate road curb points. Afterward, filtering was applied using the intensity value to eliminate the bottom points of fences, street trees, and other ground objects in the candidate road curb points. Finally, noise points were eliminated according to the clustering results of the density based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) algorithm. In this study, point cloud data obtained by the SSW vehicle-mounted mobile mapping system and three-point cloud datasets in the IQmulus & TerraMobilita competition dataset were used to experimentally extract road curbs. Results showed that this method could effectively extract road curb points as the precision of the four groups of data results was over 90% and the quality coefficient reached over 75%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is associated with an increased risk for Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, in which α-synuclein (α-syn) oligomerization plays key pathogenic roles. Here, we show that oligomeric α-syn levels increase with age in the brain of cynomolgus monkeys and are accompanied by a decrease in the expression and activity of glucocerebrosidase (GCase), a lysosomal enzyme whose dysfunction is linked to accumulation of oligomeric α-syn. Besides, levels of α-syn phosphorylated at serine 129 (pS129 α-syn), a modification that promotes α-syn oligomerization also increase with age in the brain and is associated with a reduction in the activity of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), an enzyme that facilitates α-syn dephosphorylation. The inverse relationship between levels of oligomeric α-syn and pS129 α-syn and activity of GCase and PP2A was more evident in brain regions susceptible to neurodegeneration (i.e., the striatum and hippocampus) than those that are less vulnerable (i.e., cerebellum and occipital cortex). In vitro experiments showed that GCase activity was more potently inhibited by oligomeric than by monomeric α-syn in the lysosome-enriched fractions isolated from brain tissues and cultured neuronal cells. Inhibition of GCase activity induced an elevation of oligomeric α-syn levels, which was shown to increase pS129 α-syn levels and reduce PP2A activity in cultured neuronal cells. The alterations in oligomeric and pS129 α-syns and their association with GCase and PP2A in aging brains may explain the vulnerability of certain brain regions to neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional neural networks used gradient descent methods to train the network structure, which cannot handle complex optimization problems. We proposed an improved grey wolf optimizer (SGWO) to explore a better network structure. GWO was improved by using circle population initialization, information interaction mechanism and adaptive position update to enhance the search performance of the algorithm. SGWO was applied to optimize Elman network structure, and a new prediction method (SGWO-Elman) was proposed. The convergence of SGWO was analyzed by mathematical theory, and the optimization ability of SGWO and the prediction performance of SGWO-Elman were examined using comparative experiments. The results show: (1) the global convergence probability of SGWO was 1, and its process was a finite homogeneous Markov chain with an absorption state; (2) SGWO not only has better optimization performance when solving complex functions of different dimensions, but also when applied to Elman for parameter optimization, SGWO can significantly optimize the network structure and SGWO-Elman has accurate prediction performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously showed that alpha-synuclein (α-Syn), a protein implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases, is a microtubule-associated protein (MAP), facilitating the polymerization of tubulin into microtubules. Therefore, we hypothesized that α-Syn might promote neurite outgrowth, a process that requires microtubule assembly. To test this hypothesis, recombinant human wild type (WT) and mutant (A30P and A53T) α-Syn proteins were added to cultured primary rat cortical neurons, and their effects on early neurite outgrowth were observed. The WT and mutant α-Syn proteins entered the neurons after 1-4 h of incubation. However, a significant increase in neurite outgrowth was observed only in neurons treated with WT α-Syn. MES23.5 dopaminergic neuronal cells overexpressing WT α-Syn also exhibited enhanced neurite outgrowth, indicating that the ability of α-Syn to promote neurite outgrowth was not due to a direct action on the cell membrane or by the membrane translocation process. Co-immunoprecipitation demonstrated that the recombinant human α-Syn was bound to tubulin. In addition, the α-Syn-treated neurons displayed increased levels of polymerized tubulin. Because α-Syn's MAP functionality is mediated by specific domains, we generated N-terminal (a.a. 1-65), non-amyloid-β (non-Aβ) component (NAC) (a.a. 61-95) and C-terminal (a.a. 96-140) fragments and added them to the primary neurons. After 1-4 h of incubation, the various α-Syn fragments had entered the neurons. However, only the NAC and C-terminal fragments, which have been previously shown to mediate MAP functionality, promoted neurite outgrowth. These results suggest that α-Syn promotes neurite outgrowth by facilitating the polymerization of tubulin into microtubules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophages are central mediators of the immune, contributing both to the initiation and the resolution of inflammation. The concept of macrophage activation and program has stimulated interest in its definition, and functional significance in homeostasis and diseases. It has been known that macrophages could be differently activated and programmed into different functional subtypes in response to different types of antigen stumuli or different kinds of cytokines present in the microenvironment and could thus profoundly influence immune responses, but little is known about the state and exact regulatory mechanism of macrophage activation and program from cell or molecular signaling level in immunity. In this review, we summarize the recent finding regarding the regulatory mechanism of macrophage activation and program toward M1 and M2, especially on M2 macrophages. J. Cell. Physiol. 228: 502-512, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A majority of Chinese high-tech firms were founded in development zones established by the Chinese government. It is necessary to identify the impacts of development zones on firms' innovation (hereinafter referred to as "innovation effects") as well as the possible knowledge spillover of development zones. Different types of zones, due to their different administrative levels and original purposes of establishment, may have different innovation effects. In this paper, the innovation effects of the Shanghai development zones are identified by using the geographic range of Shanghai development zones as well as geographic coordinates, patents, and research and development (R&D) data of manufacturing firms. The research results robustly show that there are significant and positive innovation effects of development zones. Through the use of regression analysis and by using firm data on both sides of zone boundaries, we observe knowledge spillovers. We also test a possible mechanism for the innovation effects of development zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immune regulatory function of macrophages (Møs) in mixed chimeras has not been determined. In the present study, with a multi-lineage B6-to-BALB/c mixed chimeric model, we examined the ability of donor-derived splenic Møs in the induction of regulatory T cells (Treg). B6 splenic Møs from mixed chimeras induced significantly less cell proliferation, more IL-10 and TGF-β, and less IL-2 and IFN-γ productions of CD4+ T cells from BALB/c mice than naive B6 Møs did, whereas they showed similar stimulatory activity to the third part C3H CD4+ T cells. Importantly, highly purified donor F4/80+CD11c− Møs efficiently induced recipient CD4+Foxp3+ Treg cells from CD4+CD25−Foxp3− T cells. Furthermore, donor Møs of mixed chimeras produced more IL-10 and less IFN-γ than those of naive mice when cultured with BALB/c but not the third party C3H CD4+ T cells. Induction of recipient CD4+ Treg cells by donor Møs was significantly blocked by anti-IL-10, but not by anti-TGF-β mAb. Therefore, donor Møs have the ability to induce recipient CD4+Foxp3+ Treg cells in a donor antigen-specific manner, at least partially, via an IL-10-dependent pathway. This study for the first time showed that, in mixed allogeneic chimeras, donor Møs could be specifically tolerant to recipients and gained the ability to induce recipient but not the third party Foxp3+ Treg cells. Whether this approach is involved in transplant immune tolerance needs to be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T helper 17 (TH17) cells have well-described roles in autoimmune disease. However, TH17 is not stable in some physiological or pathological courses. Also, TH17 cells can reciprocally modulate and convert into other helper T cell subpopulations. The fully exploring the reciprocal regulatory effects and its immunoregulatory mechanisms are becoming interesting topics in the immunological study. In this review, we summarized reciprocal modulation pattern between TH17 cell and other helper T cell subpopulations in the mouse model of autoimmune diseases and human diseases. J. Cell. Physiol. 226: 8-13, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg cells) are important in maintenance of peripheral tolerance. The direct effect of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells on macrophages was studied using a mouse model in which syngeneic CD4+CD25+ Treg cells were adoptively transferred into the peritoneal cavity of SCID mice. Peritoneal macrophages in mice transferred with CD4+CD25+ Treg cells expressed significantly higher levels of CD23, CD47 and CD206 and less CD80 and major histocompatibility complex class II molecules as compared with those mice that received either CD4+CD25− T cells or no cells. Macrophages of mice injected with CD4+CD25+ Treg cells displayed a remarkably enhanced phagocytosis of chicken red blood cells, and arginase activity together with an increased interleukin-10 (IL-10) production, whereas they showed a decreased antigen-presenting ability and nitric oxide production. Furthermore, CD4+CD25+ Treg cells and CD4+CD25− T cells showed strong antagonistic effects on macrophage polarizations in vivo. Blocking arginase, IL-10 and/or transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) partially but significantly reversed the effects of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells to induce M2 macrophages in vivo suggesting that CD4+CD25+ Treg cells have the ability to induce M2 macrophages at least in part through arginase, IL-10 and TGF-β pathways. Thus, we have provided the in vivo evidence to support the unknown pathways for CD4+CD25+ Treg cells to regulate innate immunity by promoting the differentiation of M2 macrophages as well as by inhibiting M1 macrophage induction by CD4+CD25− T cells in mice. CD4+CD25+ Treg cells efficiently induced M2 macrophage differentiation in mice, offering the in vivo evidence to support the role of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells in regulating innate immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naive CD4+ T cells differentiate into diverse effector and regulatory lineages to orchestrate immunity and tolerance. Here we found that the differentiation of proinflammatory T helper type 1 (TH1) cells and anti-inflammatory Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg cells) was reciprocally regulated by S1P1, a receptor for the bioactive lipid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P). S1P1 inhibited the generation of extrathymic and natural Treg cells while driving TH1 development in a reciprocal manner and disrupted immune homeostasis. S1P1 signaled through the kinase mTOR and antagonized the function of transforming growth factor-β mainly by attenuating sustained activity of the signal transducer Smad3. S1P1 function was dependent on endogenous sphingosine kinase activity. Notably, two seemingly unrelated immunosuppressants, FTY720 and rapamycin, targeted the same S1P1 and mTOR pathway to regulate the dichotomy between TH1 cells and Treg cells. Our studies establish an S1P1-mTOR axis that controls T cell lineage specification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The insulin receptor (IR) is a tyrosine kinase receptor that binds to insulin and plays pivotal roles in energy homeostasis, neuronal growth, neuronal survival, synaptic plasticity and cognitive function. The biological mechanisms of intractable epilepsy involve energy metabolism, neuron loss, neurogenesis and abnormal neural networks. Here, we evaluated the expression of the IR in the anterior temporal neocortex of patients with intractable epilepsy (IE) by immunohistochemistry, double-label immunofluorescence and immunoblotting. We compared these tissues against histologically normal anterior temporal lobes from individuals treated for post-trauma intracranial hypertension. We found that the IR was coexpressed with neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and that IR expression increased in the anterior temporal neocortex of epileptic patients. On the basis of the potential physiological effects of IR, our findings suggest that increased expression of the IR is a consequence of epileptic seizures and a cause of IE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The membrane-bound axon guidance molecule netrin-g2 is preferentially expressed in the central nervous system and plays a role in synapse formation and maintenance. Using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting, we investigated the possible correlation between netrin-g2 expression and intractable epilepsy (IE) using surgical samples from epilepsy patients. We used 35 samples of temporal neocortex from patients undergoing surgery for drug-refractory epilepsy and 15 autopsy samples from individuals who died in traffic accidents (i.e., samples of normal human brain). We also examined netrin-g2 expression in the hippocampus and adjacent cortex of rats with temporal lobe epilepsy (lithium chloride-pilocarpine model). Netrin-g2 was expressed in the membrane and cytoplasm of neurons from control specimens, and expression was higher in tissue from patients with intractable epilepsy. Western blotting of rat brain tissue showed that netrin-g2 was upregulated starting at 6h after kindling. Maximal expression was seen around 2days, and relatively high expression was maintained until 30days. Expression then returned to normal levels at 60days, which was consistent with the immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence results. These data implicate netrin-g2 in the pathophysiology of epilepsy and are consistent with the hypothesis that this protein may participate in the abnormal development of synapses and in neuron migration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: α-Synuclein (α-Syn) abnormality and mitochondrial deficiency are two major changes in the brain of patients with Parkinson''s disease (PD). A link between α-Syn and mitochondria in PD has been demonstrated by a recent study showing that accumulation of α-Syn in the mitochondria from the PD-vulnerable brain regions was associated with decreased complex I activity of these mitochondria. In this study, we examined the normal expressions of α-Syn in mitochondria from different regions of the rat brain. We showed that α-Syn was highly expressed in the mitochondria in olfactory bulb, hippocampus, striatum, and thalamus, where the cytosolic α-Syn was also rich. However, the cerebral cortex and cerebellum were two exceptions, which contained rich cytosolic α-Syn but very low or even undetectable levels of mitochondrial α-Syn. The close quantitative association between mitochondrial and cytosolic α-Syn in most brain regions, suggests that the concentration of cytosolic α-Syn may determine the amount of α-Syn in mitochondria. This is partially supported by the in vitro experiment showing that incubation of α-Syn with endogenous α-Syn-undetectable cerebellar mitochondria caused a dose-dependent transport of α-Syn to the mitochondria. Moreover, we found that the inhibitory effect of α-Syn on complex I activity of mitochondrial respiratory chain was also dose-dependent. These results suggest that α-Syn in mitochondria is differentially expressed in different brain regions and the background levels of mitochondrial α-Syn may be a potential factor affecting mitochondrial function and predisposing some neurons to degeneration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Regulatory CD4+ CD25+ T (Treg) cells with the ability to suppress host immune responses against self- or non-self antigens play important roles in the processes of autoimmunity, transplant rejection, infectious diseases and cancers. The proper regulation of CD4+ CD25+ Treg cells is thus critical for optimal immune responses. Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated recognition of specific structures of invading pathogens initiates innate as well as adaptive immune responses via antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Interestingly, new evidence suggests that TLR signalling may directly or indirectly regulate the immunosuppressive function of CD4+ CD25+ Treg cells in immune responses. TLR signalling may shift the balance between CD4+ T-helper cells and Treg cells, and subsequently influence the outcome of the immune response. This immunomodulation pathway may therefore have potential applications in the treatment of graft rejection, autoimmune diseases, infection diseases and cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological effects of low-dose radiation (LDR) in somatic cells have captured the interest of radiobiologists for the last two decades. Apoptosis of germ cells is required for normal spermatogenesis and often occurs through highly conserved events, including the transfer of vital cellular materials to the growing gametes following death of neighboring cells. Apoptosis of germ cells also functions in diverse processes, including removal of abnormal or superfluous cells at specific checkpoints, establishment of caste differentiation, and individualization of gametes. Moreover, germ cells are very sensitive to radiation-induced genomic and cytological effects. Therefore, induction of germ-cell apoptosis has been observed in the testis of animals exposed to both high-dose radiation (HDR) and LDR. Exposure of male germ cells to LDR induces a stimulating effect, while exposure to HDR causes an inhibitory effect on the metabolism, antioxidant capacity, and proliferation and maturation of cells, a phenomenon termed hormesis. Preexposure to LDR also protects cells from subsequently HDR-induced genomic and cytological effects, a phenomenon termed adaptive response. This review describes the features of male germ-cell apoptosis. It reviews the evidence that LDR induces the hormesis and adaptive responses in the male germ cells in terms of apoptosis. This review also discusses the possible effects of LDR-induced apoptotic hormesis and adaptive response on the modulation of inheritable genomic damage caused by subsequent radiation exposure to male germ cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The allograft inflammatory factor-1 (AIF-1) is a 17 kDa interferon-γ (IFN-γ) inducible Ca2 + -binding EF-hand protein that is encoded within the HLA class III genomic region. Three proteins including ionized Ca2 + -binding adaptor 1, microglia response factor-1, and daintain are identical with AIF-1. The expression of AIF-1 was mostly limited to the monocyte/macrophage lineage, and augmented by cytokines such as IFN-γ. It was assumed that AIF-1 was a novel molecule involved in inflammatory responses, allograft rejection, as well as the activation and function of macrophages. However, it has been reported that AIF-1 is also expressed in macrophages and microglial cells in autoimmune diseases such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, neuritis and uveitis models, suggesting that AIF-1 may play a pivotal role in autoimmunity. In the present manuscript, the genomic and functional characteristics of AIF-1 family proteins as well as their immune regulatory effects are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is a numerical method with high parallel computational efficiency. However, currently few 3D numerical wave model based on LBM can be widely applied to water wave simulations in coastal engineering due to several problems related to numerical instability and numerical accuracy. To develop a high-performance 3D LBM solver for water wave simulations with free surface capture, a new 3D collision operator with sufficient numerical stability for wave simulation is first proposed. Then, wave generation and active wave absorption methods for the volume of fluid coupled with LBM are implemented in the solver to ensure accurate wave motion. The performances of this solver and other popular numerical wave solvers are analyzed and compared. The parameters of the numerical model are tested and determined to simulate wave transformation around structures. Through the comparison with three benchmark physical experiments, the accuracy of the presented solver proves that the present model is a promising tool for wave propagation and transformation simulation in practice. Benchmark tests and comparisons with the IHFoam and SPHysics solvers prove that the 3D LBM solver developed in this paper has a very good computational efficiency and parallel scalability. Overall, the work in this paper provides a new high-performance 3D solver for water wave simulations with free surface capturing for coastal and ocean engineering applications. • A new D3Q27 MRT collision operator with sufficient numerical stability for wave simulation is first proposed. • A 3D solver based on the new collision operator for water waves is established. • Wave generation and active absorption for the LBM-VOF model are presented. • The LBM solver has the same accuracy as the IHFOAM and the SPHysics solvers for coastal engineering applications. • The parallel computational efficiency of the presented LBM solver is 3~5 times greater than that of the RANS-based solvers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel lattice Boltzmann scheme corresponding to the volume-averaged Navier-Stokes equations is derived. • A 3D multi-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann model for the interaction of waves and porous structures is established. • The present lattice Boltzmann model is capable of handling spatially varying porous medium cases. To simulate the three-dimensional interaction of waves and porous structures using the lattice Boltzmann method, a novel multi-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann scheme corresponding to the volume-averaged Navier-Stokes equations incorporating porous flow is developed. The porosity is introduced into the equilibrium distribution function, and the frictional forces produced by the porous media are added by the discrete force model. Through the Maxwell iteration, the relation between the mesoscopic lattice Boltzmann scheme and the macroscopic governing equations is established. Large eddy simulation and the single-phase volume-of-fluid techniques are modified to take porous media into account. The friction parameters in this model are calibrated using the experimental data of two-dimensional dam-break waves interacting with porous media composed of crushed rocks. Validations are carried out by comparing the simulation result of the proposed model with the laboratory data of three-dimensional dam-break waves impacting a prism and three-dimensional surface gravity waves (solitary waves and cnoidal waves) interacting with a vertical permeable breakwater. Furthermore, the interaction of regular waves and a rubble mound breakwater is used to test the capability of the model to handle spatially varying porous media. The different simulation results strongly agree with the experimental data, which prove that the lattice Boltzmann model has the ability to simulate complex wave motions near porous structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate the reliability of the Soft Tissue Tension Cloud Chart (STTCC) technology, an original method combining multi-point Cervical Paravertebral Soft Tissue Test (CPSTT) with MATLAB software, we conducted a preliminary analysis on the immediate effects of Orthopaedic Manual Therapy (OMT) on cervical paravertebral soft tissue. Methods: 30 patients with Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy (CSR) were included in this study. We analyzed the differences in CPSTT before and after treatment with Cervical Rotation-Traction Manipulation (CRTM), a representative OMT technique in Traditional Chinese Medicine, using the STTCC technology. Results: The STTCC results demonstrated that post-treatment CPSTT levels in CSR patients were significantly lower than pre-treatment levels after application of CRTM, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). Additionally, pre-treatment CPSTT levels on the symptomatic side (with radicular pain or numbness) were higher across the C5 to C7 vertebrae compared to the asymptomatic side (without symptoms) (P < 0.001). However, this difference disappeared after CRTM treatment (P = 0.231). Conclusions: The STTCC technology represents a reliable method for analyzing the immediate effects of OMT. CSR patients display uneven distribution of CPSTT characterized by higher tension on the symptomatic side. CRTM not only reduces overall cervical soft tissue tension in CSR patients, but can also balance the asymmetrical tension between the symptomatic and asymptomatic sides. Trial registration: This study was approved by the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry (Website:.https://www.chictr.org.cn.) on 20/04/2021 and the Registration Number is ChiCTR2100045648. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The delineation of the open-pit mining boundary, particularly in the context of medium to long-term planning, forms the foundation of mining design. However, due to the non-linear and dynamic nature of the economic and technical parameters influencing boundary delineation, determining the optimal mining boundary can be exceedingly challenging. Currently, most boundary optimization methods assume that block parameters remain fixed, which results in enterprises assuming a certain level of risk when facing changes in internal and external conditions. In this regard, this paper introduces the concept of "achievement degree" to reflect the risk associated with the results of boundary design. Using coal prices as an example, this article applies the predicted coal price curve to boundary optimization adjustments by specifying the "achievement degree" requirements for various time periods, thereby facilitating risk-controlled and economically optimal boundary decisions. Taking the illustrative case of an idealized small-scale inclined coal seam open-pit mine, adjustments to the boundary closely track variations in coal prices, further enhancing returns. The results demonstrate that the method proposed in this paper can increase overall revenue by approximately 51.15% within the forecast period, while effectively managing risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the problem of excessive local secondary stripping between adjacent mining areas in open pit mines caused by internal row raising, a multivariate function was fitted to the model of the main mining seam of Zhundong open pit coal mine in Xinjiang, and the different locations of the end gang of the second mining area were divided into multiple sections at certain step sizes and calculated by integration, resulting in stripping ratios for each section, which were fitted to a stripping ratio curve. The optimal location of the mining area boundary was found to be 55 m westward offset from the mining area boundary in the inner row of the raised section, and numerical simulations based on the strength reduction method were applied to analyse the slope stability of the end gang at this location. The results of the study show that the analysed slope meets the stability requirements and the optimised new boundary avoids the stripping of approximately 65,837,376 m3 of economically unreasonable section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoir rock type (RRT) classification is commonly used for the fine characterization of strongly heterogeneous reservoirs. Many research focused on proposing different RRT methods, while few studies focused on the relationship between micropore structure and macroscopic seepage law of fluid transporting through different types of formation. Considering the different diagenesis degrees of rock types in different sedimentary facies, the quadrant unit method and FZI method were applied to classify and evaluate the strongly heterogeneous reservoirs. The corresponding capillary pressure curves and relative permeability curves for different rock types could be obtained. A set of theoretical models that could describe the macroscopic seepage law are proposed, and numerical simulation case studies were carried out to explore the superimposed seepage law in reservoirs under different degrees of heterogeneity. Results show that water cut rises faster in poor-property RRT formation than in good-property RRT formation, with a lower recovery factor under the same conditions. The water cut rising rate increases firstly and then decreases with water cut and recovery degree increasing. The poorer the rock property is, the earlier and higher the peak value of water cut rising rate is. Also, based on numerical simulation case studies, the superimposed seepage law is close to that in the poor-property formation as the heterogeneity degree strengthens. The newly proposed method not only could provide a reference for rock type classification based on micropore structure but also could expound the influence of micropore structure on the change law of macroscopic water cut and elaborates the macroscopic change law after the superposition of different types of reservoirs. The conventional normalization of relative permeability curves is only applicable to relatively homogeneous reservoirs and not applicable to strongly heterogeneous reservoirs, especially when the permeability variation is higher than 0.7. The newly proposed approach is capable of analyzing the effect of micropore structure on macroscopic seepage law and improving the prediction accuracy of the production profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma is one of the most deadly malignant tumors characterized by a tendency of local invasiveness and metastasis at the early phase, high recurrence rate, and difficulty in treatment. Alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR) is highly expressed in a variety of tumors, including cholangiocarcinoma, and may promote tumor progression, but the mechanisms are largely unknown.Aims: Our study is the first to expound upon the role that α7-nAChR plays in cholangiocarcinoma.Methods: We assessed 50 human cholangiocarcinoma tissue samples and 20 normal biliary samples using immunohistochemical staining to find the correlation between α7-nAChR expression and clinicopathological characteristics. We used human cholangiocarcinoma cell lines QBC939 and RBE and α7-nAChR gene knockdown RBE cell lines generated by shRNA lentivirus transfection to investigate the biological functions of α7-nAChR in proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasiveness in vitro. Further, western blotting was used to detect apoptosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related signaling proteins. Cholangiocarcinoma xenografts in nude mice were used for tumorigenicity assays in vivo.Results: The expression of α7-nAChR was high in cholangiocarcinoma tissues and was closely related to a shorter survival time in patients. α7-nAChR knockdown decreased cell proliferation ability, increased early apoptosis, and weakened cell migration and invasion. Apoptosis-related proteins and components of the EMT process were altered after α7-nAChR knockdown. Moreover, nude mice xenograft experiments confirmed that α7-nAChR could promote cholangiocarcinoma in vitro.Conclusions: Overexpression of α7-nAChR induces cholangiocarcinoma progression by blocking apoptosis and promoting the EMT process. As an effective molecular biomarker and prognostic factor, α7-nAChR is a promising therapeutic target in cholangiocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport truck is one of the important equipment for open-pit mines, and predicting the truck's fault time is of great significance in improving the economic benefits of open-pit mines. In this paper, we discuss the reason for the large prediction error of the exponential smoothing method. Then, we propose a novel nonlinear exponential smoothing method (ESNN) for predicting the truck's fault time, and demonstrate the equivalence between our approach and the neural network structure. Finally, based on the augmented Lagrange function, the solving method of ESNN is proposed. We conduct experiments on real-world datasets and our results demonstrate the effectiveness of ESNN in comparison to existing state-of-the-art methods. Our approach makes it easier for maintenance personnel to predict fault situations in advance and provides a basis for enterprises to develop preventive maintenance plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐speed permanent magnet motors (HSPMM) have attracted much attention due to the inherent characteristics such as high‐power density, small size, small inertia, and high response. HSPMM is a comprehensive and complex system of multidisciplinary cross‐coupling such as electromagnetism, structural mechanics, rotor dynamic, fluid mechanics and heat transfer. Therefore, the design of HSPMM requires a multidisciplinary and integrated design approach. In this study, a 20 kW, 20,000 rpm HS interior PMM (HSIPMM) is designed based on multi‐physics fields. To reduce the end length of winding, the back round winding type is adopted, compared with the common structure, it is found that the temperature rise of the stator used back round winding type can be reduced by 11.5%. Finally, the superiority of the proposed HSIPMM is proved by the experimental results, and the efficiency of the motor is about 96.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Follicular regulatory T (Tfr) cells are a novel and unique subset of effector regulatory T (Treg) cells that are located in germinal centers (GCs). Tfr cells express transcription profiles that are characteristic of both follicular helper T (Tfh) cells and Treg cells and negatively regulate GC reactions, including Tfh cell activation and cytokine production, class switch recombination and B cell activation. Evidence also shows that Tfr cells have specific characteristics in different local immune microenvironments. This review focuses on the regulation of Tfr cell differentiation and function in unique local immune microenvironments, including the intestine and tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most important components of the innate immune system, neutrophils are always at the forefront of the response to diseases. The immune functions of neutrophils include phagocytosis, degranulation, production of reactive oxygen species, and the production of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NETs are composed of deconcentrated chromatin DNA, histones, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil elastase (NE), playing an important role in the resistance to some pathogenic microbial invasions. Until recent years, when NETs were found to play a critical role in cancer. NETs play bidirectional regulation both positive and negative roles in the development and progression of cancer. Targeted NETs may provide new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cancer. However, the molecular and cellular regulatory mechanisms underlying the formation and role of NET in cancer remain unclear. This review just summarizes the recent progress in regulatory mechanisms about the formation of NETs and their role in cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important link in the complex system engineering project of open pit mining, the quality of the boundary determines the performance of the project to a large extent. However, changes in economic indicators may raise doubts about the optimality of mining boundaries. In this article, a coal price time series forecasting model that considers some amount of redundancy is proposed, which combines an improved sparrow search algorithm (ISSA) and a least squares support vector regression machine regression (LSSVR) algorithm. The optimal values of the penalty factor and kernel function parameter of the LSSVR model are selected by ISSA, which improves the prediction accuracy and generalization performance of the forecasting model. A multistep decision optimization method under fluctuating coal price conditions is proposed, and the model prediction results are applied to the boundary optimization design process. Using the widely applied block model as the basis, a set of optimal production nested pits is obtained, allowing the realm design results to fit the coal price fluctuation trend and further enhance enterprise efficiency. The applicability and effectiveness of this method were verified by taking an ideal two-dimensional model and an inclined coal seam open-pit coal mine in Xinjiang as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, early polymer injection has been proved to be an effective way to enhance oil recovery in Bohai offshore field. Since the near wellbore controls injectivity, two-phase flow function needs to be appropriately accounted for to predict polymer injectivity. In this paper, we account for polymer rheology and water-oil two-phase flow in the polymer injectivity model. To properly describe the fluid distribution, we define five regions with unique saturation profiles during polymer flooding and then established a polymer injectivity prediction model for both monolayer and multilayer reservoirs. Compared to the traditional numerical simulation method, the new model improves the injectivity prediction efficiency in early polymer injection. The new model is basically a rapid semi-analytical numerical simulator that can predict the dynamic polymer injectivity based on several field data obtained during an early polymer flood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the role and mechanism of neutrophils in tumors have been widely studied, the precise effects of aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT) on neutrophils remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the roles of ARNT in the function of CD11b+Gr1+ neutrophils in colitis-associated colorectal cancer. Methods: Wild-type (WT), ARNT myeloid-specific deficient mice and a colitis-associated colorectal cancer mouse model were used in this study. The level and functions of CD11b+Gr1+ cells were evaluated by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Results: We found that ARNT deficiency drives neutrophils recruitment, neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) development, inflammatory cytokine secretion and suppressive activities when cells enter the periphery from bone marrow upon colorectal tumorigenesis. ARNT deficiency displays similar effects to aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) deficiency in neutrophils. CXCR2 is required for NET development, cytokine production and recruitment of neutrophils but not the suppressive activities induced by Arnt−/− in colorectal cancer. The gut microbiota is essential for functional alterations in Arnt−/− neutrophils to promote colorectal cancer growth. The colorectal cancer effects of Arnt−/− neutrophils were significantly restored by mouse cohousing or antibiotic treatment. Intragastric administration of the feces of Arnt−/− mice phenocopied their colorectal cancer effects. Conclusion: Our results defined a new role for the transcription factor ARNT in regulating neutrophils recruitment and function and the gut microbiota with implications for the future combination of gut microbiota and immunotherapy approaches in colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]