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Abstract We consider, at order α s 2 $$ {\alpha}_s^2 $$ in the QCD coupling, top-quark pair production in the continuum at various center-of-mass energies and b-quark pair production at the Z resonance by (un)polarized electron and positron beams. For top quarks we compute the forward-backward asymmetry with respect to the top-quark direction of flight, the associated polar angle distribution, and we analyze the effect of beam polarization on the QCD corrections to the leading-order asymmetry. We calculate also the polarized forward-backward asymmetry. For b-quark production at the Z peak we explore different definitions of A FB. In particular, we analyze b jets defined by the Durham and the flavor-k T clustering algorithms. We compute the inclusive b-jet and two-jet asymmetry with respect to the b-jet direction. For the latter asymmetry the QCD corrections to order α s 2 $$ {\alpha}_s^2 $$ are small. That predestines it to act as a precision observable.

Background: In the Montreal classification, L4 Crohn’s disease (CD) is defined as an ileal disease, including L4-esophagogastric duodenum (EGD), L4-jejunum, and L4-proximal ileal involvement. According to the previous studies, the prognosis of L4 disease was worse than that of non-L4 disease. Among L4 diseases, the phenotypes of L4-jejunum and L4-proximal ileum indicated that the risk of abdominal surgery was higher. However, the prognosis of L4-esophagogastroduodenal remains largely elusive. Therefore, we aim to investigate whether the prognosis differs between CD patients with and without esophagogastroduodenal involvement.Methods: In this study, patients with L4-EGD phenotype (n = 74) who underwent gastroscopy, ileocolonoscopy, biopsies, and CTE from 2018 to 2020 were compared with L4 non-EGD controls (n = 148) who were randomly selected at a ratio of 1:2 in the same period. Demographic information inclusive of disease conduct and location, important points of the surgery, and hospitalization have been collected. The distinction between L4-EGD patients and non-L4-EGD patients was identified by way of multivariable logistic regression analysis. The Kaplan–Meier technique was used to consider the possibility of abdominal surgical operation and complications, observed by means of Cox percentage hazard fashions to decide if L4 EGD independently estimated the endpoints inclusive of the abdominal surgery and the occurrences of complications.Results: L4-EGD group (n = 74) had a lower proportion of intestinal fistula than the control group (n = 148) (17.6% versus 34.5%; p = 0.009), and the probabilities of requiring abdominal surgery and multiple abdominal surgeries were also lower (21.6% versus 36.5%; p = 0.025), (6.8% versus 18.9%; p = 0.016), respectively. The frequency of hospitalization was lower in the L4-EGD group than in the control group (3-7 versus 4–9; p = 0.013). L4-EGD phenotype was found to be an independent protective factor for abdominal surgery and intestinal fistula in the Cox regression model, with HRs of 0.536 (95%CI: 0.305–0.940; p = 0.030) and 0.478 (95%CI: 0.259–0.881; p = 0.018), respectively.Conclusion: Our data suggest that the L4-EGD phenotype may have a better prognosis compared to the Non-L4-EGD phenotype. Our data may advocate a revision of the Montreal classification including separate designations for L4-EGD disease.

Abstract Background The burden of common urologic diseases, including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), urinary tract infections (UTI), urolithiasis, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and prostate cancer, varies both geographically and within specific regions. It is essential to conduct a comprehensive and precise assessment of the global burden of urologic diseases. Methods We obtained data on incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for the aforementioned urologic diseases by age, sex, location, and year from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. We analyzed the burden associated with urologic diseases based on socio-demographic index (SDI) and attributable risk factors. The trends in burden over time were assessed using estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC) along with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results In 2021, BPH and UTI were the leading causes of age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR), with rates of 5531.88 and 2782.59 per 100,000 persons, respectively. Prostate cancer was the leading cause of both age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and age-standardized DALYs rate (ASDR), with rates of 12.63 and 217.83 per 100,000 persons, respectively. From 1990 to 2021, there was an upward trend in ASIR, ASPR, ASMR, and ASDR for UTI, while urolithiasis showed a downward trend. The middle and low-middle SDI quintile levels exhibited higher incidence, prevalence, mortality, and DALYs related to UTI, urolithiasis, and BPH, while the high and high-middle SDI quintile levels showed higher rates for the three cancers. The burden of these six urologic diseases displayed diverse age and sex distribution patterns. In 2021, a high body mass index (BMI) contributed to 20.07% of kidney cancer deaths worldwide, while smoking accounted for 26.48% of bladder cancer deaths and 3.00% of prostate cancer deaths. Conclusions The global burden of 6 urologic diseases presents a significant public health challenge. Urgent international collaboration is essential to advance the improvement of urologic disease management, encompassing the development of effective diagnostic screening tools and the implementation of high-quality prevention and treatment strategies.

The present study systematically analyzed and evaluated the variations in chemical speciation, pollution assessment, and source identification of heavy metals in sediments of Huangpu River. The methods employed included heavy metal concentration, chemical speciation and Cu isotopic compositions analysis. Results showed that the chemical speciation of sediment-bound heavy metals, characterized by significant seasonal variation, shifted from non-residual fractions dominating in spring and summer to residual fractions dominating in autumn and winter. Precipitation was identified as an important factor influencing the chemical speciation of sediment-bound heavy metals. Furthermore, ratio of the secondary phase to the primary phase, RSP (=Cnon-residual/Cresidual) values in Huangpu River sediments were higher than 1 in spring and summer, indicating that sediment-bound heavy metals in Huangpu River were mainly composed of non-residual fractions and could potentially be released into the river water. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that navigation, traffic, agricultural, and industrial activities could be the potential sources of heavy metal pollution. Notably, the δ65Cu values in Huangpu River sediments were observed to be isotopically lighter (from −0.37 to +0.18 ‰), suggesting that navigation might be the primary pollution source. These results will not only provide guidance in reducing heavy metal concentrations, but also serve as a crucial basis for policy making regarding heavy metal control.

The control strategies for batch processes in the past are usually categorized into two levels. The higher level is economic optimization running at a low frequency and the lower one tracks the reference given at the higher level using MPC or PID. The lower level regards all of the disturbances as something to reject using a quadratics-based optimization objective. However, not all of the disturbances are unfavorable to batch processes; some of them would be helpful. In this paper, an economic optimization for batch processes is directly applied at the lower level. It replaces the conventional tracking strategy. With the collection of the information on disturbances in the previous batches, the iterative learning control strategy (ILC) can determine better operation profiles. ILC has the advantage of continuously improving the economic performance of the current batch with enriched information on disturbances from batch to batch. The convergence of the proposed ILC-based economic optimization is proved. To demonstrate the potential applications of the proposed design method, a typical dynamic batch reactor is applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tisp40, a transcription factor of the CREB/CREM family, is involved in cell proliferation, differentiation and other biological functions, but its role in renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis is unknown. Methods: In our study, we investigated the effects of Tisp40 on extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the underlying molecular mechanisms in transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-stimulated TCMK-1 cells by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence in vitro, and further explored the role of Tisp40 on renal fibrosis induced by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) by qPCR, Western blot analysis, hydroxyproline analysis, Masson trichrome staining and immunohistochemistry staining in vivo. Results: The data showed that Tisp40 was upregulated in a model of renal fibrosis induced by I/R injury (IRI). Upon IRI, Tisp40-deficient mice showed attenuated renal fibrosis compared with wild-type mice. Furthermore, the expression of α-smooth muscle actin, E-cadherin, fibronectin, and collagen I was suppressed. Tisp40 overexpression aggravated ECM accumulation and EMT in the TGF-β-stimulated TCMK-1 cell line, whereas the opposite occurred in cells treated with small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting Tisp40. Importantly, it is changes in the Smad pathway that attenuate renal fibrosis. Conclusion: These findings suggest that Tisp40 plays a critical role in the TGF-β/ Smads pathway involved in this process. Hence, Tisp40 could be a useful therapeutic target in the fight against renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis.

Background/Aims: FBXO6 is the substrate recognition component of a Skp1-Cullin1-F-box protein (SCF) ubiquitin E3 ligase complex, recognizing the chitobiose in unfolded N-glycoprotein to target glycoproteins for polyubiquitination and degradation. Although how FBXO6 recognizes glycoprotein has been fully investigated, the ubiquitination substrates of FBXO6 remain largely unknown. Previously, we have systematically identified the glycoproteins that interact with FBXO6 in an N-glycan dependent manner by LC/MS spectrum and confirmed the interaction between FBXO6 and glycosylated Ero1L, a protein disulfide oxidase in endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Methods: The relationship between endogenous Ero1L and exogenous Flag-FBXO6 were determined by Western blot. In vivo ubiquitination assay was used to detect the direct effect of FBXO6 in the regulation of Ero1L. Both CCK8 and FACS assays were used to determine the apoptosis ratio of cells after treatments. Results: Ero1L is a ubiquitination substrate of FBXO6. FBXO6 mediates the degradation of Ero1L through a ubiquitylation-dependent pathway. Overexpression of FBXO6 increased the polyubiquitination and decreased the stability of Ero1L, whereas inhibition of FBXO6 prolonged the half-life of Ero1L. Functionally, we show that FBXO6 inhibits ER stress-induced apoptosis by modulating the protein level of Ero1L. Conclusion: Collectively, our results demonstrate FBXO6 as a functional E3 ubiquitin ligase for Ero1L that plays a critical role in inhibiting ER stress-induced apoptosis.

The title complex, [Fe(C7H5O2)2], is a mononuclear iron(II) complex with a distorted square planar coordination geometry and has the central Fe2+ ion located on an inversion centre, with four O atoms from two 2-formylphenolate ligands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The centrosymmetric title complex, [Cu(C3H4N2)6]Cl2·4H2O, has a distorted octahedral coordination geometry. There is extensive hydrogen bonding involving the cations, anions and water molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]