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Abstract This study employed a commercial software velocity to perform deformable registration and dose calculation on deformed CT images, aiming to assess the accuracy of dose delivery during the radiotherapy for lung cancers. A total of 20 patients with lung cancer were enrolled in this study. Adaptive CT (ACT) was generated by deformed the planning CT (pCT) to the CBCT of initial radiotherapy fraction, followed by contour propagation and dose recalculation. There was not significant difference between volumes of GTV and CTV calculated from the ACT and pCT. However, significant differences in dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and coverage ratio (CR) between GTV and CTV were observed, with lower values for GTV volumes below 15 cc. The mean differences in dose corresponding to 95% of the GTV, GTV-P, CTV, and CTV-P between ACT and pCT were − 0.32%, 4.52%, 2.17%, and 4.71%, respectively. For the dose corresponding to 99%, the discrepancies were − 0.18%, 8.35%, 1.92%, and 24.96%, respectively. These differences in dose primarily appeared at the edges of the target areas. Notably, a significant enhancement of dose corresponding to 1 cc for spinal cord was observed in ACT, compared with pCT. There was no statistical difference in the mean dose of lungs and heart. In general, for lung cancer patients, anatomical motion may result in both CTV and GTV moving outside the original irradiation region. The dose difference within the original target area was small, but the difference in the planning target area was considerable.

Planning for the expansion of generation and transmission infrastructure, with a focus on integrating wind farms is presented in this study according to the goals of economic efficiency, operational performance, security, and reliability of the transmission system operator. The approach incorporates a bi-level optimization framework, with the upper level outlining the formulation of power system expansion planning to reduce construction and operational costs while adhering to the investment budget limits. In the lower-level model, which economic reliable-secure functioning is formulated for the transmission network. The objective function of the problem aims to minimize operational costs, energy losses, and anticipated energy not supplied, and the voltage security index. The constraints of this problem include AC optimal power flow model, security, and reliability limits. Scheme extracts a convex-linear model for the formulation using the conventional linearization technique. Pareto optimization driven by the aggregation of weighted functions results in a single-objective framework for the lower-level problem, and the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker technique presents a single-level model for the scheme. The approach utilizes stochastic optimization has been adopted to model load, wind farms, and network equipment availability uncertainties. Finally, the study cases yielded numerical findings that showcase the efficacy of the proposed scheme in achieving the desired economic, operational, security, and reliability status within the transmission network. This is particularly true in situations where there is appropriate generation and transmission expansion.

Abstract Argininosuccinate synthase (ASS1), a critical enzyme in the urea cycle, acts as a tumor suppressor in many cancers. To date, the anticancer mechanism of ASS1 has not been fully elucidated. Here, we found that phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH), a key rate-limiting enzyme in serine synthesis, is a pivotal protein that interacts with ASS1. Our results showed that ASS1 directly binds to PHGDH and promotes its ubiquitination-mediated degradation to inhibit serine synthesis, consequently suppressing tumorigenesis. Importantly, the tumor suppressive effects of ASS1 were strongly abrogated by PHGDH knockout. In addition, ASS1 knockout and knockdown partially rescued cell proliferation when serine and glycine were depleted, while the inhibitory effect of ASS1 overexpression on cell proliferation was restored by the addition of serine and glycine. These findings unveil a novel role of ASS1 and suggest that the ASS1/PHGDH serine synthesis pathway is a promising target for cancer therapy.

Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the most feasible and routinely used therapeutic modalities for treating malignant tumors. In particular, immune responses triggered by RT, known as radio-immunotherapy, can partially inhibit the growth of distantly spreading tumors and recurrent tumors. However, the safety and efficacy of radio-immunotherapy is impeded by the radio-resistance and poor immunogenicity of tumor. Herein, we report oxaliplatin (IV)-iron bimetallic nanoparticles (OXA/Fe NPs) as cascade sensitizing amplifiers for low-dose and robust radio-immunotherapy. The OXA/Fe NPs exhibit tumor-specific accumulation and activation of OXA (II) and Fe2+ in response to the reductive and acidic microenvironment within tumor cells. The cascade reactions of the released metallic drugs can sensitize RT by inducing DNA damage, increasing ROS and O2 levels, and amplifying the immunogenic cell death (ICD) effect after RT to facilitate potent immune activation. As a result, OXA/Fe NPs-based low-dose RT triggered a robust immune response and inhibited the distant and metastatic tumors effectively by a strong abscopal effect. Moreover, a long-term immunological memory effect to protect mice from tumor rechallenging is observed. Overall, the bimetallic NPs-based cascade sensitizing amplifier system offers an efficient radio-immunotherapy regimen that addresses the key challenges.

The use of antibacterial dressings is crucial in the prevention and treatment of wound infection in emergency situations. However, the efficacy of dressings is compromised by long-term storage or exposure to harsh conditions. Here, an ultrastable in-situ silver nanoparticle dressing (AgSNP@CD) was prepared for effective prevention and treatment of wound infection in emergency. The fabrication process of AgSNP@CD is simple, suitable for large-scale production. Due to the strong interaction between the in-situ synthesized AgNPs and the cotton fabric, AgSNP@CD owned remarkable stability, thus retaining its antimicrobial efficacy even after long-term storage (up to 2 years) and under extreme conditions (damp heat, low temperatures, low-oxygen, water immersion, acid-alkali erosion). Both in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated the extraordinary antibacterial efficacy and stability of AgSNP@CD, facilitating infection prevention and wound healing in extreme conditions. In particular, AgSNP@CD exhibited a superior treatment effect on severe bacteria-infected trauma and can prevent the occurrence of sepsis effectively. The exceptional stability and antibacterial efficacy of AgSNP@CD under complex and extreme conditions make it a well-suited dressing strategy for the prevention and treatment of wound infection in emergency.

The present article conducts an investigation into the phenomenon of exponential stability within singular perturbed delayed systems, incorporating time-varying parameters. Singularly perturbed systems serve as essential tools in modeling intricate systems characterized by multiple time scales, wherein one subsystem exhibits significantly faster evolution than the others. The presence of small delays introduces complexities, influencing both state derivatives and delays, further accentuating the intricacies of the system. Drawing upon the principles of singular perturbation theory, the article introduces a novel approach to analyzing the stability of these complex systems, eschewing the conventional assumption of exponential stability in the fast subsystem. Within the scope of this study, we propose a rigorous stability analysis, utilizing Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) methods, while considering time-varying parameters that exert substantial influence on the system's dynamics. The proposed methodology enables the exploration of system stability beyond conventional assumptions, imparting valuable insights into the behavior of singular perturbed delayed systems amidst varying conditions. Through extensive numerical simulations, the effectiveness and robustness of the approach are validated, illuminating the stability properties of these intricate systems. Comparative studies with existing techniques, which assume exponential stability in the fast subsystem, demonstrate the distinct advantages and uniqueness of the presented approach. The findings underscore the significance of accounting for time-varying parameters in achieving a comprehensive understanding of the exponential stability inherent in singular perturbed delayed systems. This research makes substantial contributions to the field of system stability analysis, particularly in the context of singular perturbed delayed systems featuring time-varying parameters. The originality of our approach lies in introducing a comprehensive analysis framework that overcomes the limitations of existing methodologies. By integrating a novel stability analysis method based on Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs), we offer a fresh perspective on achieving exponential stability in such complex systems. Significantly, our work addresses a critical gap in current literature by challenging the assumption of exponential stability in the fast subsystem, a key feature of singularly perturbed systems. Through a meticulous examination of time-varying parameters, we unveil their profound impact on system dynamics, thus enriching the understanding of stability behaviors. The potential real-world applications of our findings span diverse fields, ranging from engineering to mathematical modeling. Performance metrics are a key focal point of our research. Numerical simulations employing our proposed LMIs serve as a robust benchmark, demonstrating the superior stability achieved in comparison to existing methods. This performance-driven evaluation ensures the practical applicability and reliability of our analysis approach across various scenarios.

Abstract Background The role of the basal metabolic rate (BMR) in osteoarthritis (OA) remains unclear, as previous retrospective studies have produced inconsistent results. Therefore, we performed a Mendelian randomization (MR) study to systematically investigate the causal relationship between the BMR and OA. Methods Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data related to BMR and OA were collected in a genome-wide association study. Using OA as the outcome variable and BMR as the exposure factor, SNPs with strong correlation with the BMR as the tool variable were screened. The correlation between the BMR and OA risk was evaluated using the inverse-variance weighted method, and heterogeneity and pleiotropy were evaluated using a sensitivity analysis. Results There was a potential causal relationship between the BMR and OA risk (odds ratio [OR], 1.014; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.008–1.020; P = 2.29e − 6). A causal relationship was also revealed between the BMR and knee OA (OR, 1.876; 95% CI, 1.677–2.098; P = 2.98e − 28) and hip OA (OR, 1.475; 95% CI, 1.290–1.686; P = 1.26e − 8). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of these results. Conclusion Here, we identified a latent causal relationship between the BMR and the risk of OA. These results suggest that the risk of OA in the hip or knee joint may be reduced by controlling the BMR.

Abstract Disrupting protein–protein interactions (PPIs) has emerged as a promising strategy for cancer drug development. Interfering peptides disrupting PPIs can be rationally designed based on the structures of natural sequences mediating these interactions. Transcription factor FOXM1 overexpresses in multiple cancers and is considered an effective target for cancer therapeutic drug development. Using a rational design approach, we have generated a peptide library from the FOXM1 C-terminal sequence and screened FOXM1-binding peptides. Combining FOXM1 binding and cell inhibitory results, we have obtained a FOXM1-targeting interfering peptide M1-20 that is optimized from the natural parent peptide to the D-retro-inverso peptide. With improved stability characteristics, M1-20 inhibits proliferation and migration, and induces apoptosis of cancer cells. Mechanistically, M1-20 inhibits FOXM1 transcriptional activities by disrupting its interaction between the MuvB complex and the transcriptional co-activator CBP. These are consistent with the results that M1-20 suppresses cancer progression and metastasis without noticeable toxic and side effects in wild-type mice. These findings reveal that M1-20 has the potential to be developed as an anti-cancer drug candidate targeting FOXM1.

Abstract Background Transcription factor FOXM1 is a potential target for anti-cancer drug development. An interfering peptide M1-21, targeting FOXM1 and FOXM1-interacting proteins, is developed and its anti-cancer efficacy is evaluated. Methods FOXM1 C-terminus-binding peptides are screened by in silico protocols from the peptide library of FOXM1 (1-138aa) and confirmed by cellular experiments. The selected peptide is synthesized into its D-retro-inverso (DRI) form by fusing a TAT cell-penetrating sequence. Anti-cancer activities are evaluated in vitro and in vivo with tumor-grafted nude mice, spontaneous breast cancer mice, and wild-type metastasis-tracing mice. Anti-cancer mechanisms are analyzed. Distribution and safety profiles in mice are evaluated. Results With improved stability and cell inhibitory activity compared to the parent peptide, M1-21 binds to multiple regions of FOXM1 and interferes with protein-protein interactions between FOXM1 and its various known partner proteins, including PLK1, LIN9 and B-MYB of the MuvB complex, and β-catenin. Consequently, M1-21 inhibits FOXM1-related transcriptional activities and FOXM1-mediated nuclear importation of β-catenin and β-catenin transcriptional activities. M1-21 inhibits multiple types of cancer (20 µM in vitro or 30 mg/kg in vivo) by preventing proliferation, migration, and WNT signaling. Distribution and safety profiles of M1-21 are favorable (broad distribution and > 15 h stability in mice) and the tested non-severely toxic dose reaches 200 mg/kg in mice. M1-21 also has low hemolytic toxicity and immunogenicity in mice. Conclusions M1-21 is a promising interfering peptide targeting FOXM1 for the development of anti-cancer drugs.

Surface charges of catalysts have important influences on the thermodynamics and kinetics of electrochemical reactions. Herein, we develop a modified version of the grand-canonical potential kinetics (GCP-K) method based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations to explore the effect of surface charges on reaction thermodynamics and kinetics. Using the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on the Pt(111) surface as an example, we show how to track the change of surface charge in a reaction and how to analyze its influence on the kinetics. Grand-canonical calculations demonstrate that the optimum hydrogen adsorption energy on Pt under the standard hydrogen electrode condition (SHE) is around −0.2 eV, rather than 0 eV established under the canonical ensemble, due to the high density of surface negative charges. By separating the surface charges that can freely exchange with the external electron reservoir, we obtain a Tafel barrier that is in good agreement with the experimental result. During the Tafel reaction, the net electron inflow into the catalyst leads to a stabilization of canonical energy and a destabilization of the charge-dependent grand-canonical component. This study provides a practical method for obtaining accurate grand-canonical reaction energetics and analyzing the surface charge induced changes.

Selective activation of C–H bonds is a key challenge in organic reactions. Here, the authors achieve the selective activation of four quasi-equivalent C–H bonds, leading to the formation of N-doped graphene nanoribbons with partial corannulene motifs.

In recent years, gold nanomaterials have become a hot topic in photothermal tumor therapy due to their unique surface plasmon resonance characteristics. The effectiveness of photothermal therapy is highly dependent on the shape and size of gold nanoparticles. In this work, we investigate the photothermal therapeutic effects of four different sizes of gold nanorods (GNRs). The results show that the uptake of short GNRs with aspect ratios 3.3–3.5 by cells is higher than that of GNRs with aspect ratios 4–5.5. Using a laser with single pulse energy as low as 28 pJ laser for 20 s can induce the death of liver cancer cells co-cultured with short GNRs. Long GNRs required twice the energy to achieve the same therapeutic effect. The dual-temperature model is used to simulate the photothermal response of intracellular clusters irradiated by a laser. It is found that small GNRs are easier to compact because of their morphological characteristics, and the electromagnetic coupling between GNRs is better, which increases the internal field enhancement, resulting in higher local temperature. Compared with a single GNR, GNR clusters are less dependent on polarization and wavelength, which is more conducive to the flexible selection of excitation laser sources.

The study found that long-duration heatwaves are much more likely to follow power-damaging tropical cyclones in the future RCP8.5 climate, with the impact of longer-than-5-day tropical cyclone-blackout-heatwave compound hazard increasing by a factor of 23 over the 21st century.

Hemoglobin (Hb) is a physiological oxygen‐transport metalloprotein present in the red blood cells. With the in‐depth study, many functions of Hb are developed, and kinds of Hb‐related biomaterials are applied for biomedical therapeutics in the past decades. Herein, the recent advances of Hb‐related biomaterials and their applications, including the clinical progress of Hb‐based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) as blood substitutes, and the applications in the field of tumor therapy, wound healing, and anti‐inflammation therapy through utilizing its function of multiple gas delivery (O2, CO, NO), peroxidase‐like catalysis, and targeting macrophage, are summarized. With the rapid development of science and technology, more versatile Hb‐related biomaterials are designed in the future for other applications.

The number of patients with bone defects caused by various bone diseases is increasing yearly in the aging population, and people are paying increasing attention to bone tissue engineering research. Currently, the application of bone tissue engineering mainly focuses on promoting fracture healing by carrying cytokines. However, cytokines implanted into the body easily cause an immune response, and the cost is high; therefore, the clinical treatment effect is not outstanding. In recent years, some scholars have proposed the concept of tissue-induced biomaterials that can induce bone regeneration through a scaffold structure without adding cytokines. By optimizing the scaffold structure, the performance of tissue-engineered bone scaffolds is improved and the osteogenesis effect is promoted, which provides ideas for the design and improvement of tissue-engineered bones in the future. In this study, the current understanding of the bone tissue structure is summarized through the discussion of current bone tissue engineering, and the current research on micro-nano bionic structure scaffolds and their osteogenesis mechanism is analyzed and discussed.

ObjectiveThe problem of adolescents' self-injury has gradually attracted social attention, however, a lack of research exists on the internal mechanism between social anxiety and self-injury. This study explored the relationship between social anxiety and self-injury in Chinese junior high school students.MethodAn adolescent self-injury questionnaire, social anxiety scale, intolerance of uncertainty questionnaire and self-injury questionnaire were used to survey 614 junior high school students.ResultsThe results showed that: (1) social anxiety had a significant positive predictive effect on self-injury; (2) intolerance of uncertainty had a significant mediating effect between social anxiety and self-injury; and (3) self-esteem had a significant moderating effect on the mediating effect of intolerance of uncertainty.ConclusionThe study suggested that social anxiety in junior high school students has an impact on self-injury through mediation of intolerance of uncertainty and modulation of self-esteem.

PurposeBasal metabolic rate may play a key role in the pathogenesis and progression of osteoporosis. We performed Mendelian random analysis to evaluate the causal relationship between basal metabolic rate and osteoporosis.MethodsInstrumental variables for the basal metabolic rate were selected. We used the inverse variance weighting approach as the main Mendelian random analysis method to estimate causal effects based on the summary-level data for osteoporosis from genome-wide association studies.ResultsA potential causal association was observed between basal metabolic rate and risks of osteoporosis (odds ratio = 0.9923, 95% confidence interval: 0.9898–0.9949; P = 4.005e − 09). The secondary MR also revealed that BMR was causally associated with osteoporosis (odds ratio = 0.9939, 95% confidence interval: 0.9911–0.9966; P = 1.038e − 05). The accuracy and robustness of the findings were confirmed using sensitivity tests.ConclusionBasal metabolic rate may play a causal role in the development of osteoporosis, although the underlying mechanisms require further investigation.

Abstract Aiming at suppressing noise interference, improving the fault detection ability of seismic data, fully excavating the effective information in seismic data, and further improving the accuracy of fault detection, this study proposes a seismic fault detection method that combines the local binary pattern/variance (LBP/VAR) operator with guided filtering. The proposed method combines the advantages of LBP/VAR and guided filtering to remove noise from seismic data, and can simultaneously smooth the data and preserve linear features. When compared with several existing methods (coherent operator, LBP/VAR operator, LBP/VAR operator based on median filtering, and Canny operator based on guided filtering), the proposed method exhibits a better SNR, a better ability to identify small faults, and robustness to noise. This novel algorithm can control the balance between noise attenuation and effective signal preservation as well as effectively detect faults in seismic data. Therefore, the proposed method effectively improves the fault identification accuracy, facilitates the gas-bearing analysis of the structure, provides guidance for the actual well location deployment of the project, and has important practical significance for oil and gas exploration and development.

Vibrio species are important pathogens of marine animals and aquaculture populations and some of them can cause serious infections in humans through consumption of contaminated seafood and aquaculture products. Lytic bacteriophages can potentially alleviate Vibrio contamination in the aquaculture organisms and in the processing of aquatic products and have gained significant scientific attention in recent years. In the present study, bacteriophages were isolated from sewage of local aquatic products markets and grown using Vibrio mimicus CICC 21613 as host cells. The lytic vibriophage OY1 belonging to the newly proposed family Autographiviridae and the genus Maculvirus was identified by observation under electron microscope and comparative genomic analysis. The phage OY1 showed lytic activity against 24 among 32 tested strains belonging to eight Vibrio species. The complete phage OY1 genome consists of a single circular double-stranded DNA of 43,479 bp with a total GC content of 49.27% and was predicted to encode 40 open reading frames (ORFs). To evaluate its potential against vibrios, the one-step growth curve, thermal and pH stability, host range, and lytic activity of the OY1 phage against Vibrio species were evaluated. The results showed that phage OY1 had a range of thermal and pH tolerance, and exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of tested Vibrio species. Bacterial growth in the fish muscle extract juice (FMEJ) inoculated with Vibrio mimicus CICC 21613, Vibrio parahaemolyticus CICC 21617, Vibrio alginolyticus VJ14, and the mixed bacterial culture was reduced by 2.65 log CFU/ml, 2.42 log CFU/ml, 1.93 log CFU/ml, and 2.01 log CFU/ml, respectively, by incubation with phage OY1 at 25°C for 36 h. Phage OY1 also showed a strong ability to prevent biofilm formation and destroy formed Vibrio species biofilms. These results indicate that phage OY1 is a potential biocontrol agent against Vibrio species in the aquaculture industry and in food safety control.

Abstract With the rapid development of urbanization, collecting and analyzing traffic flow data are of great significance to build intelligent cities. The paper proposes a novel traffic data collection method based on wireless sensor network (WSN), which cannot only collect traffic flow data, but also record the speed and position of vehicles. On this basis, the paper proposes a data analysis method based on incremental noise addition for traffic flow data, which provides a criterion for chaotic identification. The method adds noise of different intensities to the signal incrementally by an improved surrogate data method and uses the delayed mutual information to measure the complexity of signals. Based on these steps, the trend of complexity change of mixed signal can be used to identify signal characteristics. The numerical experiments show that, based on incremental noise addition, the complexity trends of periodic data, random data, and chaotic data are different. The application of the method opens a new way for traffic flow data collection and analysis.

Nanostructures with appropriate sizes can limit light-matter interaction and support electromagnetic multipole resonance. The interaction between light and nanostructures is intimately related to manipulating the direction of scattered light in the far field as well as the electromagnetic field in the near field. In this paper, we demonstrate dual-wavelength directional forward-scattering enhancement in an individual open-hole silicon nanoblock (OH-SiNB) and simultaneously achieve bulk and surface electromagnetic field localization. The second harmonic generation is enhanced using electromagnetic field localization on the square hole surface. Numerical simulations reveal that the resonance modes, at λ1 = 800 nm and λ2 = 1190 nm, approximately satisfy the Kerker condition. In the near field, the magnetic dipole modes at dual wavelength all satisfy the boundary condition that the normal component of the electric displacement is continuous on the square holes surface, thus obtaining the surface electromagnetic field localization. Moreover, highly efficient second harmonic generation can be achieved at dual wavelengths using the surface electromagnetic field localization and the increased surface area of the square holes. Our results provide a new strategy for the integration of nanoantennas and nonlinear optoelectronic devices in optical chips.

AIM: To investigate the ability of Retcam3 in screening the retinopathy of prematurity(ROP)and its relationship with the change of intraocular pressure.METHODS: A total of 80 premature infants who met the screening criteria admitted to our hospital from August 2017 to August 2019 were selected as subjects. They were screened by binocular indirect ophthalmoscope and Retcam3 system respectively. The former method was chosen as the gold standard, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of Retcam3 system screening was calculated, the intraocular pressure changes before and after screening was compared. RESULTS:A total of 37 children with ROP were examined by binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy. 35 infants with ROP were screened by Retcam3 system. The sensitivity of Retcam3 was 100%, the specificity was 95.8%, and the positive predictive value was 94.2%, the negative predictive value is 100%. The intraocular pressure of left eye and right eye after Retcam3 screening was higher than that before dilation, and the difference was statistically significant(PCONCLUSION: The Retcam3 system can accurately screen patients with ROP, while it can cause an increase in intraocular pressure after screening.

Abstract Interference is the main performance-limiting factor in most wireless networks. Protocol interference model is extensively used in the design of wireless networks. However, the setting of interference range, a crucial part of the protocol interference model, is rather heuristic and remains an open problem. In this paper, we use the stochastic geometry and the direct approach to obtain the associated feasibility distributions. After that, we use the binary hypothesis testing to achieve the Bayes risk under binomial point process (BPP) and Poisson point process (PPP), respectively. According to the first derivative of the Bayes risk, we provide the equation to achieve the optimal interference range for minimum Bayes risk. We extend the method proposed by Wildman et al. to a more general situation. Furthermore, we show that for infinite PPP, those two methods converge to the same results. Several numerical results for wireless networks under BPP, finite PPP, and infinite PPP are given. Simulation results show that in the finite wireless network, the BPP method performs better than the PPP method.

Single nanoparticle imaging is a significant technique to help reveal the reaction mechanism and provides insight into the nanoparticle transformation. Here, we monitor the in situ morphological transformation of Au nanostars (GNSs) induced by iodide (I−) in real time using dark-field microscopy (DFM) with 638 nm red (R) and 534 nm green (G) laser coillumination. The two lasers are selected because the longitudinal localized surface plasmon resonance of GNSs is located at 638 nm and that for GNSs after transformation is at 534 nm. Interestingly, I− can interact with GNSs directly without the engagement of other reagents, and upon increasing I− concentrations, GNSs undergo color changes from red to orange, yellow, and green under DFM. Accordingly, green/red channel intensities (G/R ratios) are extracted by obtaining red and green channel intensities of single nanoparticles to weigh the morphological changes and quantify I−. A single nanoparticle sensor is constructed for I− detection with a detection limit of 6.9 nM. Finally, a novel mechanism is proposed to elucidate this shape transformation. I− absorbed onto the surface of GNSs binds with Au atoms to form AuI−, lowering the energy of its bond with other Au atoms, which facilitates the diffusion of this atom across the nanoparticle surface to low-energy sites at the concaves, thus deforming to spherical Au nanoparticles.

Background/Aims: Sarcopenia is characterized by an age-related decline in skeletal muscle plus low muscle strength and/or physical performance. Despite the clinical significance of sarcopenia, the molecular pathways underlying sarcopenia remain elusive. The recent demonstration that undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) favours muscle function related to insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism raises the question of whether this hormone may also regulate muscle mass. The present study explored the promotive effects of ucOC in proliferation and differentiation processes of C2C12 myoblasts as well as the possible signalling pathways involved. Methods: The effects of exogenous ucOC on C2C12 myoblasts proliferation were assessed using CCK8 and immunohistological staining assays. C2C12 cells were pretreated with PI3K/Akt or P38 MAPK inhibitors to investigate the possible involvement of the PI3K/Akt and P38 MAPK pathways in proliferation. The levels of Akt, phosphorylated-Akt (p-Akt), P38, and phosphorylated-P38 (p-P38) were measured by Western Blotting. The effects of ucOC on myoblast differentiation were quantified by morphological analysis. A silencing experiment was conducted in which the expression of GPRC6A in C2C12 myoblasts was modified. The expression of GPRC6A, myosin heavy chain (MyHC) and the related ERK1/2 signalling pathway in C2C12 myoblasts were monitored by qRT-PCR and Western Blotting. Results: We showed that treatment with exogenous ucOC stimulated the priming of C2C12 myoblasts proliferation. Inhibition of Akt phosphorylation by wortmannin or inhibition of P38 MAPK phosphorylation by SB203580 decreased C2C12 cell proliferation. Wortmannin also reduced P38 MAPK phosphorylation, whereas SB203580 did not affect Akt activation. Furthermore, ucOC promoted C2C12 myoblast differentiation. Inhibition of ERK1/2 phosphorylation with U0126 decreased C2C12 cell differentiation. Finally, GPRC6A expression was substantially increased after ucOC treatment of C2C12 cells. GPRC6A silencing inhibited Akt, P38 MAPK phosphorylation in C2C12 cells, and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in C2C12 myotubes; GPRC6A silencing also decreased cell proliferation, decreased cell differentiation, and downregulated MyHC expression. Conclusions: The present data suggest that ucOC induces myoblast proliferation via sequential activation of the PI3K/Akt and p38 MAPK pathways in C2C12 myoblast cells. Moreover, ucOC enhances myogenic differentiation via a mechanism involving GPRC6A-ERK1/2 signalling.

Cooperative chirality is common in organic and biomolecular systems but is rarely explored in inorganic materials. Here, the authors combine synthesis and theory to uncover cooperative chirality in inorganic nanocrystals, arising from the interplay of independently-controlled crystallographic and morphological chirality.

The coupling of nitrogen-vacancy centres with plasmonic and photonic nanostructures is usually studied by top-down preparation. Here, Gong et al. use a bottom-up approach to grow metallic and semiconducting nanoparticles on nanodiamonds, controlling the nanoparticle coverage, size and composition.

The force of a lifting cylinder is the main factor of the alternating stress of scissors arms in a scissors aerial work platform, which seriously affects the fatigue life of structures. Aiming at this problem, the installation position parameters that affect the force of the lifting cylinder was simulated and optimised. First, the mechanical model of the lifting system was established based on the principle of virtual work, and the position parameters that affect the force of lifting cylinder were determined. Then, the advanced modeling environment for performing simulation of engineering systems (AMESim) simulation model was used to simulate the lifting process of the lifting system, and the reliability of the simulation model was verified by the pressure test of the hydraulic system. Finally, based on the simulation model, the design of experiment method was used to optimise the installation position of the lifting cylinder in the design and development environment of AMESim, and the optimisation effect was verified through the test on a real vehicle. The result shows that the peak load of the lifting cylinder is reduced by ∼12%, and the average of the steady-state value decreases by ∼20% after the installation position is optimised.

The features and exploration potential of the Permian tight oil in the Junggar Basin were analyzed and evaluated using outcrop, core and geochemical data etc. The Junggar Basin in the Early-Mid Permian is a saline lacustrine basin after the residual sea is closed, a set of hybrid sedimentation of deep-lake dark mudstone and dolomitic rock is developed, and the high-quality mudstone source rocks and the dolomite mudstone are alternated. High quality source rocks in mature stage are next to tight dolomitic rock reservoirs closely and provide good conditions for tight oil accumulation of proximal source type. Tight oil reservoirs are mainly distributed in the centre and slope region of the lake basin, and two types sweetspots of “dissolved pore” and “fracture-pore” exist locally. The enrichment of tight oil is controlled by the distribution of effective source rocks and dolomitic rocks, and the tight oil occurs in the entire strata vertically and spreads across large continuous areas horizontally. The Junggar Basin has four Permian tight oil distribution areas, Fencheng Formation in the Mahu sag, Lucaogou Formation in the Jimusaer sag, Pidiquan Formation in the Shazhang-Shishugou sag, and Lucaogou Formation in the Bogeda piedmont. A number of wells obtained oil flow in these areas, suggesting great resource potential and favorable targets for future exploration. Key words: Junggar Basin, Permian, saltwater lake, dolomitic rock, tight oil, resource potential