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Biological reinforcement is a new branch that has developed in the field of engineering geology in recent years, among which, the microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) reinforcement technology is an effective method. MICP reinforcement technology utilizes the metabolic activity of widely existing microorganisms in nature to induce the precipitation of calcium carbonate with cementing and filling effects, thereby improving the strength of soil, reducing its permeability, and enhancing its engineering performance. Over the past two decades, significant progress has been made in theoretical research, model experiments, and field trials of MICP reinforcement technology. To promote a deeper understanding of MICP reinforcement technology, this paper systematically introduced the reinforcement mechanism and influencing factors of microbial-induced calcium carbonate reinforcement technology based on the current research on MICP reinforcement technology. In addition, the application of MICP reinforcement technology was discussed thoroughly. The current problems and challenges of MICP technology were analyzed in depth. The results show that the strengthening mechanism of MICP is formed based on microbial-induced mineralization, which includes the filling and cementation of soil pores by calcium carbonate precipitation. The influencing factors of the solidification effect of MICP mainly are the properties of bacterial solution and cementing solution, pH , temperature, soil type, and reinforcement method, by influencing the formation of calcium carbonate and cementing effect. The MICP reinforcement technology has shown great potential in soil reinforcement, crack resistance, impermeability, wind erosion resistance, and remediation of contaminated water/soil. At present, the MICP reinforcement technology still has some problems, including solidification uniformity, soil durability, economic benefits, environmental safety, and sustainability. To solve these problems, it is necessary to further integrate microbiology, soil mechanics, materials science, environmental science, and other disciplines to conduct in-depth research, which will help deepen the understanding of MICP reinforcement technology, promote MICP technology to achieve more comprehensive development in the engineering geological field, and further promote application of this technology.

Abstract We perform the first convergent Bayesian global fits of 4D Composite Higgs Models with partially-composite third generation quarks and leptons based on the minimal SO(5) → SO(4) symmetry breaking pattern. We consider two models with the τ lepton and its associated neutrino in different representations of SO(5). Fitting each model with a wide array of experimental constraints allows us to analyse the Bayesian evidence and currently-observed fine-tuning of each model by calculating the Kullback-Leibler divergence between their respective priors and posteriors. Notably both models are found to be capable of satisfying all constraints simultaneously at the 3σ level at scales of < 5 TeV. From a Bayesian viewpoint of naturalness the model with leptons in the 14 and 10 representations is preferred over those in the 5 representation due to its lower fine-tuning. Finally, we consider the experimental signatures for the preferred parameters in these models, including lepton partner decay signatures and gluon-fusion produced Higgs signal strengths, and discuss their potential phenomenology at future high-luminosity LHC runs.

Abstract Malate dehydrogenase 2 is a pivotal enzyme in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Recent studies have highlighted the significant involvement of MDH2 in the pathogenesis and progression of diverse types of tumors, yet its precise mechanistic underpinnings remain elusive. This study revealed a significant decrease in MDH2 expression in renal cancer tissues. And knocking out MDH2 was observed to hinder the proliferation of normal renal tubular epithelial cells but notably enhance the proliferation of ccRCC. Furthermore, mechanistically, we found that MDH2 inhibits the proliferation of ccRCC by promoting ferroptosis, while enhancing the sensitivity of ccRCC to ferroptosis inducers, promoting lipid peroxidation. We also demonstrated that MDH2 regulates the ubiquitination of FSP1 through protein-protein interactions, leading to a decrease in FSP1 protein levels and maintaining high sensitivity of ccRCC to ferroptosis. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that the reduced MDH2 expression in ccRCC results in increased expression of FSP1, thereby reducing its sensitivity to ferroptosis. It unveils a non-metabolic role for the downregulation of MDH2 in ccRCC progression.

Abstract Accumulated evidence suggested that gut microbial dysbiosis interplayed with progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, no available therapy is effective in suppressing progressive CKD. Here, using microbiomics in 480 participants including healthy controls and patients with stage 1–5 CKD, we identified an elongation taxonomic chain Bacilli-Lactobacillales-Lactobacillaceae-Lactobacillus-Lactobacillus johnsonii correlated with patients with CKD progression, whose abundance strongly correlated with clinical kidney markers. L. johnsonii abundance reduced with progressive CKD in rats with adenine-induced CKD. L. johnsonii supplementation ameliorated kidney lesion. Serum indole-3-aldehyde (IAld), whose level strongly negatively correlated with creatinine level in CKD rats, decreased in serum of rats induced using unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) and 5/6 nephrectomy (NX) as well as late CKD patients. Treatment with IAld dampened kidney lesion through suppressing aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) signal in rats with CKD or UUO, and in cultured 1-hydroxypyrene-induced HK-2 cells. Renoprotective effect of IAld was partially diminished in AHR deficiency mice and HK-2 cells. Our further data showed that treatment with L. johnsonii attenuated kidney lesion by suppressing AHR signal via increasing serum IAld level. Taken together, targeting L. johnsonii might reverse patients with CKD. This study provides a deeper understanding of how microbial-produced tryptophan metabolism affects host disease and discovers potential pathways for prophylactic and therapeutic treatments for CKD patients.

Abstract The senescence of alveolar type II (AT2) cells impedes self-repair of the lung epithelium and contributes to lung injury in the setting of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) is essential for cell growth and organ development; however, the role of YAP1 in AT2 cells during pulmonary fibrosis is still unclear. YAP1 expression was found to be downregulated in the AT2 cells of PF patients. Deletion of YAP1 in AT2 cells resulted in lung injury, exacerbated extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, and worsened lung function. In contrast, overexpression of YAP1 in AT2 cells promoted alveolar regeneration, mitigated pulmonary fibrosis, and improved lung function. In addition, overexpression of YAP1 alleviated bleomycin (BLM) -induced senescence of alveolar epithelial cells both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, YAP1 promoted the expression of peroxiredoxin 3 (Prdx3) by directly interacting with TEAD1. Forced expression of Prdx3 inhibited senescence and improved mitochondrial dysfunction in BLM-treated MLE-12 cells, whereas depletion of Prdx3 partially abrogated the protective effect of YAP1. Furthermore, overexpression of Prdx3 facilitated self-repair of the injured lung and reduced ECM deposition, while silencing Prdx3 attenuated the antifibrotic effect of YAP1. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that YAP1 alleviates lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis by regulating Prdx3 expression to improve mitochondrial dysfunction and block senescence in AT2 cells, revealing a potential novel therapeutic strategy for pulmonary fibrosis.

Abstract Background Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most malignant cancers with highly aggressiveness and poor prognosis. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) have been indicated to be involved in PC development. Glucan Branching Enzyme 1 (GBE1) is mainly involved in cell glycogen metabolism. However, the function of GBE1 and Whether GBE1 occurs m6A modification in PC progression remains to be illustrated. Methods The clinical prognosis of GBE1 was analyzed through online platform. The expression of GBE1 was obtained from online platform and then verified in normal and PC cell lines. Lentivirus was used to generated GBE1 stable-overexpression or knockdown PC cells. Cell Counting Kit (CCK-8), colony formation assay, sphere formation assay and flow cytometry assay were conducted to analyze cell proliferation and stemness ability in vitro. Subcutaneous and orthotopic mouse models were used to verify the function of GBE1 in vivo. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay, RNA stability experiment and western blots were conducted to explore the molecular regulation of GBE1 in PC. Results GBE1 was significantly upregulated in PC and associated with poor prognosis of PC patients. Functionally, GBE1 overexpression facilitated PC cell proliferation and stemness-like properties, while knockdown of GBE1 attenuated the malignancy of PC cells. Importantly, we found the m6A modification of GBE1 RNA, and WTAP and IGF2BP3 was revealed as the m6A regulators to increase GBE1 mRNA stability and expression. Furthermore, c-Myc was discovered as a downstream gene of GBE1 and functional rescue experiments showed that overexpression of c-Myc could rescue GBE1 knockdown-induced PC cell growth inhibition. Conclusions Our study uncovered the oncogenic role of GBE1/c-Myc axis in PC progression and revealed WTAP/IGF2BP3-mediated m6A modification of GBE1, which highlight the potential application of GBE1 in the targeted therapy of PC.

Osteoarthritis (OA) progresses due to the excessive generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) and abnormal ATP energy metabolism related to the oxidative phosphorylation pathway in the mitochondria. Highly active single-atom nanozymes (SAzymes) can help regulate the redox balance and have shown their potential in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. In this study, we innovatively utilised ligand-mediated strategies to chelate Pt4+ with modified g-C3N4 by π–π interaction to prepare g–C3N4–loaded Pt single-atom (Pt SA/C3N4) nanozymes that serve as superoxide dismutase (SOD)/catalase (CAT) mimics to scavenge ROS/RNS and regulate mitochondrial ATP production, ultimately delaying the progression of OA. Pt SA/C3N4 exhibited a high loading of Pt single atoms (2.45 wt%), with an excellent photothermal conversion efficiency (54.71%), resulting in tunable catalytic activities under near-infrared light (NIR) irradiation. Interestingly, the Pt–N6 active centres in Pt SA/C3N4 formed electron capture sites for electron holes, in which g-C3N4 regulated the d-band centre of Pt, and the N-rich sites transferred electrons to Pt, leading to the enhanced adsorption of free radicals and thus higher SOD- and CAT-like activities compared with pure g-C3N4 and g–C3N4–loaded Pt nanoparticles (Pt NPs/C3N4). Based on the use of H2O2-induced chondrocytes to simulate ROS-injured cartilage in vitro and an OA joint model in vivo, the results showed that Pt SA/C3N4 could reduce oxidative stress-induced damage, protect mitochondrial function, inhibit inflammation progression, and rebuild the OA microenvironment, thereby delaying the progression of OA. In particular, under NIR light irradiation, Pt SA/C3N4 could help reverse the oxidative stress-induced joint cartilage damage, bringing it closer to the state of the normal cartilage. Mechanistically, Pt SA/C3N4 regulated the expression of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes, mainly NDUFV2 of complex 1 and MT-ATP6 of ATP synthase, to reduce ROS/RNS and promote ATP production. This study provides novel insights into the design of artificial nanozymes for treating oxidative stress-induced inflammatory diseases.

Objective To investigate the awareness and influencing factors of topical corticosteroid (TCS) therapy among caregivers caring for children with eczema, in order to facilitate targeted medication education and improve medication compliance of children and treatment efficacy. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among caregivers of children with eczema who were admitted to the dermatology department of the Children's Hospital Affiliated to the Capital Institute of Pediatrics from December 2020 to March 2021. The questionnaire included caregivers' awareness of TCS and its side effects, children in compliance with TCS treatment, and methods to access related knowledge. The influencing factors of caregivers' awareness of TCS treatment for eczema were analyzed. Results Only 22.22% (38/171) of caregivers were aware of TCS well, while 16.37% (28/171) of caregivers were not aware of TCS at all. Moreover, 9.36% (16/171) of caregivers were fully aware of the side effects of TCS. Caregivers acquired knowledge about TCS treatment mainly from "network" (46.20%), patients or people around them (38.60%) and doctors (22.81%). About 62% (106/171) of the caregivers who took care of the children completely followed doctors' orders, while 35.08% (60/171) partially followed doctors' orders. Small proportion of caregivers (5/171, 2.92%) did not use TCS at all. Awareness of TCS and TCS side effects among caregivers differed with caregivers' age, education level and occupational status (all P0.05). Conclusions Caregivers of children with eczema have little awareness of TCS for the treatment of eczema, and caregivers' awareness of TCS and medication compliance are influenced by age and education level. Clinicians should pay attention to the differences in obtaining information about disease and medication among different population, strengthen publicity and popular science, promote rational drug use, and improve skin health management of children with eczema.

Abstract According to the latest cancer research data, there are a significant number of new cancer cases and a substantial mortality rate each year. Although a substantial number of clinical patients are treated with existing cancer drugs each year, the efficacy is unsatisfactory. The incidence is still high and the effectiveness of most cancer drugs remains unsatisfactory. Therefore, we evaluated the human proteins for their causal relationship to for cancer risk and therefore also their potential as drug targets. We used summary tumors data from the FinnGen and cis protein quantitative trait loci (cis-pQTL) data from a genome-wide association study, and employed Mendelian randomization (MR) to explore the association between potential drug targets and nine tumors, including breast, colorectal, lung, liver, bladder, prostate, kidney, head and neck, pancreatic caners. Furthermore, we conducted MR analysis on external cohort. Moreover, Bidirectional MR, Steiger filtering, and colocalization were employed to validate the main results. The DrugBank database was used to discover potential drugs of tumors. Under the threshold of False discovery rate (FDR)

Abstract Choy Sum, a stalk vegetable highly valued in East and Southeast Asia, is characterized by its rich flavor and nutritional profile. Metabolite accumulation is a key factor in Choy Sum stalk development; however, no research has focused on metabolic changes during the development of Choy Sum, especially in shoot tip metabolites, and their effects on growth and flowering. Therefore, in the present study, we used a widely targeted metabolomic approach to analyze metabolites in Choy Sum stalks at the seedling (S1), bolting (S3), and flowering (S5) stages. In total, we identified 493 metabolites in 31 chemical categories across all three developmental stages. We found that the levels of most carbohydrates and amino acids increased during stalk development and peaked at S5. Moreover, the accumulation of amino acids and their metabolites was closely related to G6P, whereas the expression of flowering genes was closely related to the content of T6P, which may promote flowering by upregulating the expressions of BcSOC1, BcAP1, and BcSPL5. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the relationship between the accumulation of stem tip substances during development and flowering and of the regulatory mechanisms of stalk development in Choy Sum and other related species.

Abstract Background Patients with Turner syndrome (TS) face an increased risk of developing aortic dilatation (AD), but diagnosing AD in children presents greater complexity compared to adults. This study aimed to investigate the application of various assessment indicators of AD in Chinese children and adolescents with TS. Methods This study included TS patients admitted to Shenzhen Children’s Hospital from 2017 to 2022. Cardiovascular lesions were diagnosed by experienced radiologists. Patients without structural heart disease were divided into different body surface area groups, then the Chinese TS population Z-score (CHTSZ-score) of the ascending aorta was calculated and compared with other indicators such as aortic size index (ASI), ratio of the ascending to descending aortic diameter (A/D ratio), and TSZ-score (Quezada’s method). Results A total of 115 TS patients were included, with an average age of 10.0 ± 3.7 years. The incidences of the three most serious cardiovascular complications were 9.6% (AD), 10.4% (coarctation of the aorta, CoA), and 7.0% (bicuspid aortic valve, BAV), respectively. The proportion of developing AD in TS patients aged ≥ 10 years was higher than that in those

Abstract Background Cryoglobulinemia with pulmonary involvement is rare, and its characteristics, radiological findings, and outcomes are still poorly understood. Methods Ten patients with pulmonary involvement of 491 cryoglobulinemia patients at Peking Union Medical College Hospital were enrolled in this retrospective study. We analyzed the characteristics, radiological features and management of pulmonary involvement patients, and compared with those of non-pulmonary involvement with cryoglobulinemia. Results The 10 patients with pulmonary involvement (2 males; median age, 53 years) included three patients with type I cryoglobulinemia and seven patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia. All of 10 patients were IgM isotype cryoglobulinemia. All type I patients were secondary to B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Four mixed patients were essential, and the remaining patients were secondary to infections (n = 2) and systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 1), respectively. Six patients had additional affected organs, including skin (60%), kidney (50%), peripheral nerves (30%), joints (20%), and heart (20%). The pulmonary symptoms included dyspnea (50%), dry cough (30%), chest tightness (30%), and hemoptysis (10%). Chest computed tomography (CT) showed diffuse ground-glass opacity (80%), nodules (40%), pleural effusions (30%), and reticulation (20%). Two patients experienced life-threatening diffuse alveolar hemorrhage. Five patients received corticosteroid-based regimens, and four received rituximab-based regimens. All patients on rituximab-based regimens achieved clinical remission. The estimated two-year overall survival (OS) was 40%. Patients with pulmonary involvement had significantly worse OS and progression-free survival than non-pulmonary involvement patients of cryoglobulinemia (P

During pipe installation, compacting soil at pipe sides causes an initial pipe deformation which is known as the “peaking” effect. However, in conventional pipe design codes, only pipe deformation caused by vertical overburden is considered while the “peaking” effect is ignored. In this study, a full-scale test was conducted on a Grade X52 steel pipe with a diameter of 600 mm to investigate the impacts of both soil compaction and vertical overburden on pipe deformation. Soil compaction and external load were found to elongate and shorten the vertical pipe diameter, respectively. The “peaking” effect was observed during the installation procedure accompanied by the highest pipe stress measured at the pipe crown. Then, a two-dimensional finite element model was created and validated based on the calculated pipe stresses from the experimental study. A parametric study was performed thereafter to numerically study the impacts of soil water content, pipe wall thickness, compaction pressure, and lift thickness on pipe responses due to soil compaction and external load. An increase in the “peaking” effect is observed with increasing soil water content and compaction pressure, while an increase in pipe wall thickness or lift thickness would cause a decrease in the “peaking” effect.

Thalassemia is a hemoglobin disease characterized by reduced or complete absence of the production of the α/β globin gene. Currently, the detection of β-thalassemia carriers is based on differences in blood cell parameters. However, β-thalassemia carriers cannot be distinguished from α- and β-thalassemia co-inherited carriers based solely on hematological findings, and the differential diagnosis must rely on molecular diagnosis. We report a 32-year-old male from Yunnan Province, who had abnormal hemoglobin E without obvious anemia. A rare αCS (CD142, TAA→CAA) combined with a βE (CD26, GAG→AAG) double heterozygous mutation was identified in the proband by PCR-reverse dot blot (PCR-RDB) and DNA sequencing. Additionally, a family lineage analysis was performed. This study complements the spectrum of rare thalassemia gene variants and is critical for clinical genetic counseling.

Far red photon flux accelerates photosynthetic electron transfer rates through photosynthetic pigments, influencing various biological processes. In this study, we investigated the impact of differing red and far-red light ratios on plant growth using LED lamps with different wavelengths and Ca1.8Mg1.2Al2Ge3O12:0.03Cr3+ phosphor materials. The control group (CK) consisted of a plant growth special lamp with 450 nm blue light + 650 nm red light. Four treatments were established: F1 (650 nm red light), F2 (CK + 730 nm far-red light in a 3:2 ratio), F3 (650 nm red light + 730 nm far-red light in a 3:2 ratio), and F4 (CK + phosphor-converted far-red LED in a 3:2 ratio). The study assessed changes in red and far-red light ratios and their impact on the growth morphology, photosynthetic characteristics, fluorescence characteristics, stomatal status, and nutritional quality of cream lettuce. The results revealed that the F3 light treatment exhibited superior growth characteristics and quality compared to the CK treatment. Notably, leaf area, aboveground fresh weight, vitamin C content, and total soluble sugar significantly increased. Additionally, the addition of far-red light resulted in an increase in stomatal density and size, and the F3 treatments were accompanied by increases in net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), and stomatal conductance (Gs). The results demonstrated that the F3 treatment, with its optimal red-to-far-red light ratio, promoted plant growth and photosynthetic characteristics. This indicates its suitability for supplementing artificial light sources in plant factories and greenhouses.

This is a case of hemophagocytic intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) with central nervous system (CNS) involvement. Although R-CHOP chemotherapy regimen has been shown significant improvement in survival rate. The prognosis and outcomes remain unsatisfactory, which is identified as outstanding challenges and need solutions. Gene and molecular profiling studies may provide new therapeutic strategies, especially the BCR/TLR/IL-1R/NF-κB signaling pathway in IVLBCL. Here, we treated the hemophagocytic IVLBCL CNS-involved patient with the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) to block NF-κB pathway, and indicated that the second-generation BTKi zanubrutinib-based treatment was feasible and efficient.

Histone methylation can affect chromosome structure and binding to other proteins, depending on the type of amino acid being modified and the number of methyl groups added, this modification may promote transcription of genes (H3K4me2, H3K4me3, and H3K79me3) or reduce transcription of genes (H3K9me2, H3K9me3, H3K27me2, H3K27me3, and H4K20me3). In addition, advances in tumor immunotherapy have shown that histone methylation as a type of protein post-translational modification is also involved in the proliferation, activation and metabolic reprogramming of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. These post-translational modifications of proteins play a crucial role in regulating immune escape from tumors and immunotherapy. Lysine methyltransferases are important components of the post-translational histone methylation modification pathway. Lysine methyltransferase 2C (KMT2C), also known as MLL3, is a member of the lysine methyltransferase family, which mediates the methylation modification of histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4), participates in the methylation of many histone proteins, and regulates a number of signaling pathways such as EMT, p53, Myc, DNA damage repair and other pathways. Studies of KMT2C have found that it is aberrantly expressed in many diseases, mainly tumors and hematological disorders. It can also inhibit the onset and progression of these diseases. Therefore, KMT2C may serve as a promising target for tumor immunotherapy for certain diseases. Here, we provide an overview of the structure of KMT2C, disease mechanisms, and diseases associated with KMT2C, and discuss related challenges.

BackgroundBy observing and comparing the morphological and functional differences of the ophthalmic artery (OA) in patients with ocular vascular accidents (OVAs) due to iatrogenic embolism or non-iatrogenic occlusion, we propose a classification system based on the characteristics of OA on invasive digital subtraction angiography (DSA).MethodsAll patients undergoing ophthalmic arterial DSA within 1 week after the OVAs between January 2017 and December 2021 were enrolled and divided into different types, and the differences between iatrogenic embolism and non-iatrogenic occlusion categories were compared.ResultsA total of 27 eyes of 27 patients were included in this study. Based on the results of carotid/intracranial arterial DSA, the morphological and functional abnormalities of OA with OVAs can be divided into five types. The proportion of males (7.14%), ocular ischemic syndrome (OIS) (0.00%) and neovascular glaucoma (NVG) (0.00%) in the iatrogenic embolism category was significantly lower than that (84.62, 61.54, and 69.23%, respectively) of the non-iatrogenic occlusion category (p

Laser Shock Peening (LSP) is an advanced technique for enhancing surface properties, drawing significant interest for its ability to induce beneficial residual stresses in materials. Traditional LSP design processes, reliant on manual parameter selection, often result in imprecise control over the stress distribution, necessitating multiple iterations and high costs. This study introduces a machine learning (ML)-based approach, utilizing the Random Forest (RF) algorithm, to automate and optimize the design of LSP parameters for nickel-aluminium bronze surfaces. Our findings demonstrate the RF model’s capability to accurately predict and optimize residual stress distributions, achieving compressive stresses up to 472 MPa with a notable reduction in design iterations. The model forecasts both uniform and non-uniform stress patterns, particularly identifying areas susceptible to Residual Stress Holes (RSH) with improved precision. With an Absolute Percentage Error (APE) of only 6.2 %, our approach significantly outperforms traditional ML algorithms, offering a novel method for efficiently designing complex residual stress fields in LSP applications.

Under the trend of deep mining of coal resources, the problem of high temperature heat damage in mines is becoming increasingly serious, the heat source that causes high temperature heat damage in mines is actually sustainably used geothermal energy, extracting and utilizing geothermal energy from deep mines while mining coal is an innovative way to build green mines and reduce mine carbon dioxide emission. This paper summarizes the current situation of deep mineral and geothermal energy collaborative exploration at China and abroad, analyzes the feasibility in terms of processes and key equipment and finally proposes a system of coal-geothermal collaborative exploration. The system adopts closed cycle mode, including ground heat utilization system and underground extracting system, drilling horizontal holes and installing coaxial casing heat exchangers at the coal to extract the heat, and utilization of the extracted low-grade geothermal energy through the heat pump on ground. Adhering to the principle of “mining heat first and then mining” in terms of time and space coordination, the thermal mining face is divided in front of the mining work in advance, and two modes of sequential and alternating thermal mining are proposed to ensure that the thermal mining process does not interfere with the coal mining process. Analyzed key technologies including spatial collaborative design, coal seam drilling, efficient heat extraction, and intelligent monitoring and control. Conducted underground spatial collaborative design for coal mining and geothermal energy extraction, proposed a coaxial casing heat exchanger layout process based on coal seam water injection. Multiple combinations of quick assembly coaxial casing heat exchangers can be used to achieve efficient heat extraction. Building an intelligent monitoring and control platform and proposed relevant optimization models, building a heat extraction calculation model and propose an intelligent control heat extraction method. Simplify the heat transfer process of coal formations, construct a heat transfer model for heat extraction from coal to calculate and evaluate the heat capacity of the mining face based on its actual situation and the outlet airflow parameters. According to the heat transfer model, the initial temperature of coal, the coal transportation volume, and the outlet air flow temperature through mining face are the key parameters that determine the heat extraction from the coal. The heat extraction is the maximum when the moisture content of the air flow of the working face remains unchanged and the equivalent temperature of the air flow at the outlet of the working face is not higher than 28 ℃. The application of this system will converting heat damage of deep mine to useful resources, which not only solves the problem of heat damage of coal mining, but also realizes the comprehensive utilization of geothermal energy in deep mine.

Abstract Background In recent years, the incidence of tibial plateau fracture has been on the rise, predominantly affecting the elderly population. Deep vein thrombosis may lead to poor prognosis in patients. the Systemic Inflammatory Response Index are novel biomarkers of inflammation, and this study aims to verify their predictive effect and construct the nomogram model. Method This study used binary logistic regression analysis to predict the predictive effect of SIRI on the occurrence of DVT in tibial plateau fracture patients. And use R studio to construct nomogram model. Result The results showed that NC (7.036 [3.516, 14.080], p

Abstract Background This study assessed the effect of standardized efficacy markers on prognosis in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) during the induction phase of treatment with bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone (BCD). Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data in 197 newly diagnosed MM patients treated with BCD as front‐line regimen at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2018. Results There were 107 patients with International Staging System (ISS) III and 51 with paraprotein of light chain. Of these, 77 completed nine cycles of the BCD regimen. As the number of treatment cycles increased, the proportions of serum and urine immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) tests elevated from 40.39% to 62.22% and 16.75% to 37.78%, respectively. More than 90% of intact immunoglobulin chain MM patients were evaluated for blood M protein per cycle, but that of urinary M protein was less than 60%. The detection rate of urinary M protein in light chain MM was more than 70% per cycle. Patients with a very good partial response (VGPR) had longer progression‐free survival (PFS) than those with uncertain VGPR (32 vs. 26 months, p = 0.0336). Of the 141 patients who completed at least four cycles without undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, those who were regularly assessed at every other cycle showed more favorable PFS than those who visited irregularly (27 vs. 22 months, p = 0.059). Conclusion Urinary M protein detection rate is significantly lower than that in serum, leading to an overestimation of efficacy, premature reduction of treatment intensity, and shortened PFS. Precise response assessments are critical to treatment decisions and clinical diagnoses.

Abstract Crop residue cover plays a key role in the protection of black soil by covering the soil in the non-growing season against wind erosion and chopping for returning to the soil to increase organic matter in the future. Although there are some studies that have mapped the crop residue coverage by remote sensing technique, the results are mainly on a small scale, limiting the generalizability of the results. In this study, we present a novel corn residue coverage (CRC) dataset for Northeast China spanning the years 2013–2021. The aim of our dataset is to provide a basis to describe and monitor CRC for black soil protection. The accuracy of our estimation results was validated against previous studies and measured data, demonstrating high accuracy with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.7304 and root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.1247 between estimated and measured CRC in field campaigns. In addition, it is the first of its kind to offer the longest time series, enhancing its significance in long-term monitoring and analysis.

Abstract Dysregulation of anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic protein isoforms arising from aberrant splicing is a crucial hallmark of cancers and may contribute to therapeutic resistance. Thus, targeting RNA splicing to redirect isoform expression of apoptosis-related genes could lead to promising anti-cancer phenotypes. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common type of malignant brain tumor in adults. In this study, through RT-PCR and Western Blot analysis, we found that BCLX pre-mRNA is aberrantly spliced in GBM cells with a favored splicing of anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL. Modulation of BCLX pre-mRNA splicing using splice-switching oligonucleotides (SSOs) efficiently elevated the pro-apoptotic isoform Bcl-xS at the expense of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL. Induction of Bcl-xS by SSOs activated apoptosis and autophagy in GBM cells. In addition, we found that ionizing radiation could also modulate the alternative splicing of BCLX. In contrast to heavy (carbon) ion irradiation, low energy X-ray radiation-induced an increased ratio of Bcl-xL/Bcl-xS. Inhibiting Bcl-xL through splicing regulation can significantly enhance the radiation sensitivity of 2D and 3D GBM cells. These results suggested that manipulation of BCLX pre-mRNA alternative splicing by splice-switching oligonucleotides is a novel approach to inhibit glioblastoma tumorigenesis alone or in combination with radiotherapy.

Abstract Background This study aims to develop a nomogram and forecast the incidence of DVT in individuals suffering from an intertrochanteric femur fracture. Method This work created a nomogram using the R programming language and employed logistic regression to determine independent predicting features. An external validation dataset was used to validate the nomogram. Result The findings demonstrated the independence of LYM (0.02[0.01–0.09], p

Abstract Radiopharmaceuticals play a vital role in cancer therapy. The carrier of radiopharmaceuticals can precisely locate and guide radionuclides to the target, where radionuclides kill surrounding tumor cells. Effective application of radiopharmaceuticals depends on the selection of an appropriate carrier. Herein, different types of carriers of radiopharmaceuticals and the characteristics are briefly described. Subsequently, we review radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and their derivatives, and novel strategies of radiolabeled mAbs and their derivatives in the treatment of lymphoma and colorectal cancer. Furthermore, this review outlines radiolabeled peptides, and novel strategies of radiolabeled peptides in the treatment of neuroendocrine neoplasms, prostate cancer, and gliomas. The emphasis is given to heterodimers, bicyclic peptides, and peptide-modified nanoparticles. Last, the latest developments and applications of radiolabeled nucleic acids and small molecules in cancer therapy are discussed. Thus, this review will contribute to a better understanding of the carrier of radiopharmaceuticals and the application in cancer therapy.

Background Critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) often experience dysglycaemia. However, studies investigating the link between acute kidney injury (AKI) and dysglycaemia, especially in those with and without diabetes mellitus (DM), are limited.Methods We used the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database to investigate the association between AKI within 7 days of admission and subsequent dysglycaemia. The primary outcome was the occurrence of dysglycaemia (both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia) after 7 days of ICU admission. Logistic regression analyzed the relationship between AKI and dysglycaemia, while a Cox proportional hazards model estimated the long-term mortality risk linked to the AKI combined with dysglycaemia.Results A cohort of 20,008 critically ill patients were included. The AKI group demonstrated a higher prevalence of dysglycaemia, compared to the non-AKI group. AKI patients had an increased risk of dysglycaemia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.41–1.65), hypoglycemia (aOR 1.56, 95% CI 1.41–1.73), and hyperglycemia (aOR 1.53, 95% CI 1.41–1.66). In subgroup analysis, compared to DM patients, AKI showed higher risk of dysglycaemia in non-DM patients (aOR: 1.93 vs. 1.33, Pint

Agricultural drought threatens food security and agricultural sustainable development. There have been numerous spectral indices from remote sensing images developed for monitoring crop drought. However, most present spectral indices are focusing on crop growth and Land Surface Temperature (LST), and the crop canopy water content are in less consideration simultaneously. Additionally, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is used for characterizing crop growth in almost all spectral drought indices, with the spectral saturation problem of NDVI for closed crop canopy. When vegetation cover is high, NDVI values tend to saturate, which makes them insensitive to further changes in crop health. Therefore, the NDVI saturation phenomenon may lead to an underestimation of the extent of crop drought, as it is not effective in identifying subtle changes in crops under high-density vegetation conditions. Hence, we propose three novel triangular spectral indices for characterizing winter wheat drought using three features including LAI, Land Surface Water Index (LSWI) and LST. For validating the proposed spectral indices, we compared the agreement between these indices with measured Relative Soil Moisture (RSM) and Volumetric Water Content (VWC) of soil in agricultural meteorological station and present popular indices including Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI), Temperature-Vegetation Drought Index (TVDI), and Vegetation Health Index (VHI). The results revealed that our proposed indices including Euclidean distance Crop Health Index (ECHI), Difference Crop Health Index (DCHI) and Perpendicular Water Stress Index (PWSI) outperformed the popular CWSI, TVDI and VHI, with stronger correlations with measured RSM and VWC in agricultural meteorological station. Secondly, there are spatial consistencies for characterizing winter wheat drought between proposed ECHI, DCHI and PWSI with popular CWSI, TVDI and VHI. In addition, our proposed ECHI, DCHI and PWSI have achieved good performance of drought monitoring both in irrigated and rainfed croplands. All these results suggest that our proposed indices have great potential in crop drought monitoring.

Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the relationship between blood pressure (BP) levels and mortality among critically ill older adults in the intensive care unit (ICU), establish optimal BP target for this population, and assess the mediating effect of severe malnutrition on BP-related mortality. Methods: Data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV version 2.2 database, focusing on critically ill patients aged 80 years and older. The analysis included various BP parameters, such as systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Results: The study cohort comprised 14,660 critically ill patients, of whom 1558 (10.6 %) experienced ICU mortality and 2493 (17.0 %) experienced in-hospital mortality. Lower BP levels (SBP ≤ 112 mmHg; DBP ≤ 53 mmHg; MAP ≤65 mmHg), were associated with an increased risk of both ICU and in-hospital mortality. Notably, only reduced SBP levels were linked to a higher risk of 1-year mortality, with an adjusted hazard ratio 1.13 (95 % confidence interval 1.05 to 1.23). Additionally, severe malnutrition was identified as a mediator in the relationship between low BP levels and ICU mortality, with BP levels positively correlated with prognostic nutritional indexes. Conclusion: Among critically ill older adults, lower BP levels are significantly associated with higher risks of ICU and in-hospital mortality, while reduced SBP levels are linked to 1-year mortality. These findings emphasize the importance of assessing nutritional status in older ICU patients with low BP levels to potentially mitigate mortality risk.

Aims: The relationship between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment in older adults remains contentious. This study investigates this association and examines the long-term prognosis for individuals with both conditions. Methods: Utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2014, this study focuses on the correlation between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment, as well as the extended prognosis for individuals managing these conditions. Results: The study cohort comprised 2890 participants, with 648 (22.4 %) diagnosed with sarcopenia. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified a significant association between sarcopenia and an increased risk of cognitive impairment (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.68, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.30–2.17). Over a median follow-up period of 48 months, 200 individuals (6.9 %) succumbed to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs), including hypertension, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and stroke, as well as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Participants had comorbid conditions such as CCVDs and diabetes mellitus. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and the Cox proportional hazards model indicated that individuals with both sarcopenia and cognitive impairment had the highest mortality risk from CCVDs and AD (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 2.73, 95 % CI: 1.48–5.02). Individuals with sarcopenia and comorbidities exhibited a higher mortality risk from CCVDs or AD compared to those without sarcopenia but with comorbidities (aHR: 2.71, 95 % CI: 1.37–5.37). Conclusion: Sarcopenia is independently associated with cognitive impairment. Older adults with both sarcopenia and cognitive impairment or concurrent comorbidities face increased mortality risks from CCVDs or AD compared to their healthy counterparts. Clinical implication: • Sarcopenia is associated with cognitive impairment. • Cognitive impairment and comorbidities increased the risk of mortality from CCVDs and AD for sarcopenia patients.

Cyclodextrins are used to include curcumin to form complex, which is subsequently loaded into a reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsive hydrogel (Cur gel). This gel exhibits a dual ROS scavenging effect. The gel can neutralize extracellular ROS to lead to a ROS-sensitive curcumin release. The released curcumin complex can eliminate intracellular ROS. Furthermore, the Cur gel effectively downregulates the expression of CD16 and IL-1β while upregulating CD206 and TGF-β in oxygen and glucose-deprived (OGD) BV2 cells. Additionally, it restores the expression of synaptophysin and PSD95 in OGD N2a cells. Upon injection into the stroke cavity, the Cur gel reduces CD16 expression and increases CD206 expression in the peri-infarct area of stroke mice, indicating an in vivo anti-inflammatory polarization of microglia. Colocalization studies using PSD95 and VGlut-1 stains, along with Golgi staining, reveal enhanced neuroplasticity. As a result, stroke mice treated with the Cur gel exhibit the most significant motor function recovery. Mechanistic investigations demonstrate that the released curcumin complex scavenges ROS and suppresses the activation of the ROS-NF-κB signaling pathway by inhibiting the translocation of p47-phox and p67-phox to lead to anti-inflammatory microglia polarization. Consequently, the Cur gel exhibits promising potential for promoting post-stroke rehabilitation in clinics.

Inorganic arsenic is a well-established environmental toxicant linked to acute liver injury, fibrosis, and cancer. While oxidative stress, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis are known contributors, the role of PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1)-mediated mitophagy in arsenic-induced hepatic immunotoxicity remains underexplored. Our study revealed that acute arsenic exposure prompts differentiation of hepatic dendritic cells (DCs) and T helper (Th) 1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory T (Treg) cells, alongside increased transcription factors and cytokines. Inorganic arsenic triggered liver redox imbalance, leading to elevated alanine transaminase (ALT), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), and activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) pathway. PINK1-mediated mitophagy was initiated, and its inhibition exacerbates H2O2 accumulation while promoting DCs/Th1/Th2/Treg differentiation in the liver of arsenic-exposed mice. Mitoquinone (MitoQ) pretreatment relieved arsenic-induced acute liver injury and immune imbalance by activating Nrf2/HO-1 and PINK1-mediated mitophagy. To our knowledge, this is the first report identifying PINK1-mediated mitophagy as a protective factor against inorganic arsenic-induced hepatic DCs/Th1/Th2 differentiation. This study has provided new insights on the immunotoxicity of inorganic arsenic and established a foundation for exploring preventive and therapeutic strategies targeting PINK1-mediated mitophagy in acute liver injury. Consequently, the application of mitochondrial antioxidant MitoQ may offer a promising treatment for the metalloid-induced acute liver injury.

Abstract As the power source of the engine, the Fuel Pump(FP) plays a vital role in the safe operation of the aircraft. Due to the complexity of the working mechanism of Aviation Fuel Pumps (AFP) and the strong correlation between the components, the assessment model cannot reflect the health state of the FPs better, while the initial parameters in the assessment model will affect the assessment effect of the model. Therefore, this paper proposes a health status assessment model that can fully integrate monitoring data. To improve the accuracy of the model parameters, the Random Forest algorithm is used to give the feature weights to make up for the limitation of relying on expert knowledge, and the model parameters are optimized by the Covariance Matrix Adaptive Evolutionary Strategy algorithm, which achieves an accurate assessment of the state. Finally, the AFP test bed was built and the AFP was tested. Compared with other methods, the accuracy of the proposed method in this question reaches 96%, which is greatly superior to other methods and verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method. It also provides an outlook on future research directions for health state assessment.

Abstract To investigate whether resource-gaining capacity influences mate preferences, explicit (self-report data) and implicit tasks (eye tracking data) were used to explore whether individuals’ resource-gaining capacity influences mate preferences and whether there are sex differences in mate preferences under two different conditions (short-term and long-term strategies). A total of 59 college students completed a questionnaire collecting basic demographic information, the Resource-Gaining Capacity Scale and the two above tasks. The results showed that (1) in the short-term mating, individuals with higher resource-gaining capacity paid more attention to “good parent” than those with lower resource-gaining capacity, while individuals with lower resource-gaining capacity preferred “good provider” than those with higher resource-gaining capacity. (2) In the long-term mating, women valued “good provider” traits more than men, and they paid more attention to “good parent” traits than men in the short-term. In addition, no matter in the short-term or the long-term mating, men placed more value on “good genes” traits than women. (3) Compared with long-term mating, individuals of both sexes had preferences based on “good genes” in short-term mating, while they had preferences based on “good parent” and “good provider” in long-term mating compared with short-term mating. (4) Regarding explicit mate selection, “good parent” traits were most preferred by the participants, while the implicit eye tracking data indicated that participants preferred partners who were “good providers” and had “good genes”.

Abstract Neonatal hypoxic‐ischemic brain damage (HIBD) is a leading cause of infant mortality worldwide. This study explored whether quercetin (Que) exerts neuroprotective effects in a rat model of HIBD. A total of 36 seven‐day‐old Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into control, Que, HI, and HI + Que groups. The Rice method was used to establish HIBD in HI and HI + Que rats, which were treated with hypoxia (oxygen concentration of 8%) for 2 h after ligation of the left common carotid artery. The rats in the HI + Que group were intraperitoneally injected with Que (30 mg/kg) 1 h before hypoxia, and the rats in the Que group were only injected with the same amount of Que. Brain tissues were harvested 24 h postoperation and assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, 2,3,5‐triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick‐end labeling assay; relative gene and protein levels were evaluated by RT‐qPCR, IHC, or western blot (WB) assay. Brain tissue morphologies were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM); LC3B protein levels were assessed by immunofluorescence staining. Escape latencies and platform crossing times were significantly improved (p

Accurate land surface reflectance plays an important role in the accurate inversion of surface parameters, and atmospheric correction plays a decisive role in obtaining accurate reflectance. For GF-1 WFV and GF-6 WFV images, there are two major issues to be addressed, including the spectral differences between nadir with far off-nadir pixels and the spatial variability of atmospheric components for wide imaging. Therefore, this study focuses on these two issues using the Sensor Invariant Atmospheric Correction (SIAC) method. Our results reveal that the SIAC approach improves the correlation accuracy from 0.8868 to 0.9173 for GF-1 WFV image compared with Sentinel-2 reflectance, from 0.9530 to 0.9620 for GF-6 WFV image compared with the results using FLAASH model. For alleviating wide-swathed anisotropy, the directional imaging angle is calculated with the result ranging from 5.6450° to 33.7497°. Furthermore, the atmospheric components have been inversed pixel by pixel with obvious spatial variation. And the correlation of inversed aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and total column water vapor (TCWV) with a spatial resolution of 500 m TCWV with measured results of AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) observation stations are 0.9175 and 0.4442, respectively. These results reveal that the atmospheric correction method works well, which is effective for the wide swath of Chinese GF-1 WFV and GF-6 WFV images on land.

Abstract Highly rarefied gas flows through a rough channel of finite length with small bumps appended to its surfaces are investigated, by varying the accommodation coefficient $$\alpha$$ α in Maxwell’s diffuse-specular boundary condition, the characteristic size and position of the bumps, and the channel length. First, we study the influence of the surface bumps and consider the rarefied gas flow in a unit channel with periodic boundary conditions to remove the end effect. It is found that the surface bumps have a significant impact on the flow permeability. When $$\alpha$$ α is very small (i.e., nearly specular reflection of gas molecules at the channel surface), the apparent gas permeability is dramatically reduced, even in the presence of small bumps, to a value that is almost comparable to the one when fully diffuse gas-surface scattering is assumed. This impact can be taken into account through an effective accommodation coefficient, i.e., the permeability of the rough channel is taken equivalently as that of a smooth channel without bumps but having gas-surface scattering under the effective accommodation coefficient. Second, we study the end effect by connecting a smooth channel of length $$L_0$$ L 0 to two huge gas reservoirs. It is found that (i) the end correction length is large at small $$\alpha$$ α . Consequently, the mass flow rate barely reduces with increasing $$L_0$$ L 0 rather than scales down by a factor of $$1/L_0$$ 1 / L 0 as predicted by the classical Knudsen diffusion theory; and (ii) the end correction is related to the channel’s aspect ratio. Finally, based on the effective accommodation coefficient and end correction, we explain the exotic flow enhancement in graphene angstrom-scale channels observed by Geim’s research group (Keerthi et al, Nature 558:420–424, 2018).

Stacking fermentation is a crucial step in producing sauce-flavor Baijiu. The relationship between microbial diversity and volatile flavor substances is complex and dynamic. To better understand the correlation between microorganisms and flavor substances in Dongniang sauce-flavor Baijiu during the five-round stacking fermentation of Jiupei, high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technology and headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) were used to identify the microbial flora diversity and volatile flavor compounds. In addition, the Pearson correlation coefficient was computed, and a visualizable correlation network diagram was drawn based on the detection results. The results identified 55 volatile flavor compounds, including 25 esters, 5 alcohols, 7 aldehydes, 4 acids, 4 phenols, 3 alkanes, and 7 others. The main volatile components were ethyl lactate, phenylethyl alcohol, ethyl phenylacetate, and phenethyl acetate. The dominant microorganism genera in the floral structure were Virgibacillus, Kroppenstedtia, Bacillus, Oceanobaciillus, Thermomyces, Zygosaccharomyces, and Thermoascus. Kroppenstedtia, Monascus, Bacillus, and Zygosaccharomyces significantly affected flavor substances among the flora. Overall, the purpose and significance of this study are to provide a theoretical foundation for enhancing the quality of Dongniang sauce-flavor Baijiu.

Comprehending the changes in the microbial community and volatile substances throughout the post-ripening stage of chopped pepper radish is particularly important for revealing the formation of the distinctive flavor of fermented peppers. The microbial communities and volatile compounds of chopped pepper radish in the post-ripening stage were examined in this work using high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and headspace solid phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS), as well as their underlying correlations. Results indicated that 11 dominant fungal genera and 21 dominant bacterial genera (average relative abundance more than 1%) were filtered out. Sensory analysis showed that the flavor and taste of chopped pepper radish were significantly improved after post-ripening (P0.7 and P

Due to the lack of sufficient valid labeled data and severe channel fading, the recognition of various underwater acoustic (UWA) communication modulation types still faces significant challenges. In this paper, we propose a lightweight UWA communication type recognition network based on semi-supervised learning, named the SSL-LRN. In the SSL-LRN, a mean teacher–student mechanism is developed to improve learning performance by averaging the weights of multiple models, thereby improving recognition accuracy for insufficiently labeled data. The SSL-LRN employs techniques such as quantization and small convolutional kernels to reduce floating-point operations (FLOPs), enabling its deployment on underwater mobile nodes. To mitigate the performance loss caused by quantization, the SSL-LRN adopts a channel expansion module to optimize the neuron distribution. It also employs an attention mechanism to enhance the recognition robustness for frequency-selective-fading channels. Pool and lake experiments demonstrate that the framework effectively recognizes most modulation types, achieving a more than 5% increase in recognition accuracy at a 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNRs) while reducing FLOPs by 84.9% compared with baseline algorithms. Even with only 10% labeled data, the performance of the SSL-LRN approaches that of the fully supervised LRN algorithm.

Background: The TGF-β gene is a gemcitabine (GEM) resistance gene; however, the mechanism by which it regulates GEM resistance in pancreatic cancer remains unclear. Methods: The PANC-1 cell line was treated with GEM and then stimulated with TGF-β. Subsequently, we constructed GEM-resistant pancreatic cancer cell lines, knocked down TGF-β in these cell lines, and detected changes in the proliferation and apoptosis of drug-resistant cancer cells. In addition, the protein expression levels of KLF-4, GFI-1, and ZEB-1 were determined. The xenograft tumor models of nude mice were constructed by subcutaneously injecting GEM-resistant PANC-1 cells into mouse axilla. The tumors were removed, dissected, and weighed after 6 weeks. The protein levels of KLF-4, GFI-1, and ZEB-1 in tumor tissues were quantified. In addition, the percentage of M2 macrophages in tumor tissues was determined using flow cytometry. Results: The protein levels of TGF-β in pancreatic cancer cells were significantly decreased after GEM treatment. The protein expression of KLF-4 was downregulated, whereas the expressions of GFI-1 and ZEB-1 were upregulated after TGF-β stimulation. Apoptosis increased and proliferation decreased after TGF-β knockdown in GEM-resistant pancreatic cancer cells, moreover, silencing TGF-β promoted the expression of Caspase 3 and Cleaved caspase 3. In addition, the protein expression of KLF-4 was upregulated, whereas the expressions of GFI-1 and ZEB-1 were downregulated. Further, the volume and weight of the transplanted tumor decreased after TGF-β knockdown. The protein expression of KLF-4 was upregulated, whereas the expressions of GFI-1 and ZEB-1 were downregulated in tumor tissues. In addition, the percentage of M2 macrophages decreased in tumor tissues after TGF-β knockdown. Conclusions: The knockdown of TGF-β inhibits epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, suppresses the proliferation and promotes the apoptosis of drug-resistant cancer cells, and decreases the macrophage polarization to the M2 phenotype, consequently ameliorating GEM resistance in pancreatic cancer.

Abstract Crop growth models, such as the WOrld FOod STudies (WOFOST) model, mimic the mechanistic processes involved in crop development, growth, and yield production. The accuracy of simulation is decreased in unfavorable low‐temperature settings because these models do not accurately represent crop response processes in low‐temperature stress. Enhancing the WOFOST crop growth model's accuracy in simulating crops' responses to cold temperatures is the aim of this work. Given its vulnerability to low temperatures, the inquiry uses winter wheat in Henan Province as a focal point. It integrates the WHEATGROW wheat phenology model with the Frost model of Lethal Temperature 50 (FROSTOL) inside the framework of the crop growth model. This link aims to improve simulation accuracy and supplement the model's mechanisms, particularly when it comes to the impact of low temperatures on crop development. The study uses Long Short‐Term Memory networks to build a yield model that integrates remote sensing data with information from simulated crop models. Under low temperatures, the leaf area index, total above ground biomass, and total weight of storage organs of the model WWF—which combines FROSTOL and WHEATGROW with WOFOST—show a considerable decline. It was discovered that there is a greater improvement in simulation accuracy of the linked model WWF relative to the WOFOST model in frost years than in normal years, based on a comparison analysis between typical frost years and normal years. To be more precise, the improvement is 8.03% in frost years and 1.98% in regular years. When all is said and done, the coupled model advances our knowledge of how winter wheat is impacted by low temperatures.

This study has investigated the effect of ultrasound (US) as an emerging non-thermal sterilization technique on microbial growth and quality changes in three freshly squeezed pumpkin juices (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne, Cucurbita moschata Duchesne, and Cucurbita pepo L.).The three pumpkin juices were ultrasonicated at different ultrasonic power (0–400 W), time (0–20 min), and temperature (0–30 °C), and the total colony counts of the treated pumpkin juices were less than 5 log CFU/mL, which complied with the food safety and consumption standards. Based on these results, we further investigated the effects of different ultrasonic power (25 kHz, 10 min, 20 °C, 0–400 W) on the physicochemical properties and sensory quality of the three pumpkin juices. The physicochemical properties (color, sugar content, organic acid content, soluble solids, and carotenoids) of treated pumpkin juice were retained or improved to some extent. The antioxidant capacity was also increased by 9.09%, 10.25%, and 16.9% compared to the untreated group. During sonication, the particle size of all samples decreased significantly, the microstructure broke down significantly, and the sensory qualities of pumpkin juice were well preserved after sonication.

The posttranslational N-glycosylation of food proteins is important to their structure and function. However, the N-glycoproteomics of yellow preserved egg white were rarely reported. This study explored the changes of N-glycoproteome in yellow preserved eggs white after salt and alkali treatment. A total of 213 N-glycosites were identified on 102 glycoproteins, revealing prevalent glycosylation motifs and multiple N-glycosites within proteins. Salt and alkali treatment significantly altered the glycosylation patterns, impacting major proteins differently. GO analysis indicated the roles of differentially expressed glycoproteins in responding to stimuli and biological regulation. KEGG analysis emphasized the importance of salivary secretion pathway in enzyme secretion and peptide generation. Protein domain analysis highlighted the downregulation of Serpin. Protein-protein interaction networks revealed Apolipoprotein B as central players. This study provides essential structural information on the glycosylation modifications of egg white proteins, contributing to our understanding of the mechanisms behind the functional properties of preserved eggs.

Corn is the dominant crop planted in Northeast China, and its accurate and timely mapping is important for food security and agricultural management in China. However, the absence of enough labels is challenging for corn accurate mapping in a regional area using machine learning methods or deep learning methods. In this study, an efficient way of automatic labelling and mapping of corn planted areas by combining Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) data and Sentinel-2 images is proposed. We explore the height and vertical structure differences between corn and other crops derived from GEDI features and generate labels automatically by referencing crop type products and transferring models from historical years. The trained learning networks of automatic labelling from GEDI points and the trained decision trees of the Random Forest (RF) classifier can be transferred to corn mapping in arbitrary target years. The Sentinel-2 features are combined to perform wall-to-wall corn mapping using a random forest algorithm and GEDI-based labels. This approach is used to map corn planted areas in Northeast China from 2019 to 2022, and the classification results are validated using independent labels collected in field campaigns in 2023, published maps, and official statistics. Our classification results reveal that our proposed method achieves high accuracy and robustness with an average overall accuracy of 0.91 validated using testing labels from spatial-type stratified sampling. The correlation coefficient (R2) between our classified result with the official statistical data and published classification results reach 0.96 and 0.98, respectively. These results demonstrate the potential of GEDI data for automatic label collection for vegetation with height difference and provide a new approach for efficient crop mapping on a large-scale.

The rising environmental issues caused by carbon dioxide emissions and accumulation of industrial solid waste accelerate the development of carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS), especially the technology using industrial solid waste as a raw material to prepare environmentally friendly and sustainable porous materials to capture CO2. This study developed four models including support vector regression(SVR), multivariate adaptive regression spline(Mars), random forest(RF), and gradient boosting machine(GBM) based on 762 CO2 adsorption datasets of zeolites synthesized from five different industrial solid waste materials to predict the CO2 adsorption capacity and analyze impact of various factors on CO2 adsorption performance during synthesis and adsorption processes. The results suggested that gradient boosting machine(GBM) and the support vector regression(SVR) have good accuracy and generalization performance. The R2 of the model reached 0.99 and 0.96 respectively, which is in good agreement with the laboratory data. In general, the specific surface area(S) and adsorption pressure(P) during the adsorption process of zeolite have a great influence on the final adsorption performance. The correlation between the specific surface area(S) and the hydrothermal reaction temperature(T2) is the largest, and its Pearson Correlation Coefficient is 0.61. This study paved a new approach for the accumulation treatment of industrial solid waste and low-carbon industry via statistical analysis and machine learning method, which is beneficial to environmental protection and sustainable development.

Background: Due to the heterogeneity of critically ill patients, the pharmacokinetics of tigecycline are unclear, and the optimal dosing strategy is controversial.Methods: A single-center prospective clinical study that included critically ill patients who received tigecycline was performed. Blood samples were intensively sampled (eight samples each), and plasma drug concentrations were determined. A population pharmacokinetic (PPK) model was developed and evaluated by goodness-of-fit plots, bootstrap analysis and visual predictive checks. Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to optimize the dosage regimen.Results: Overall, 751 observations from 98 patients were included. The final PPK model was a two-compartment model incorporating covariates of creatinine clearance on clearance (CL), body weight on both central and peripheral volumes of distribution (V1 and V2), γ-glutamyl transferase and total bilirubin on intercompartment clearance (Q), and albumin on V2. The typical values of CL, Q, V1 and V2 were 3.09 L/h, 39.7 L/h, 32.1 L and 113 L, respectively. A dosage regimen of 50 mg/12 h was suitable for complicated intra-abdominal infections, but 100 mg/12 h was needed for community-acquired pneumonia, skin and skin structure infections and infections caused by less-susceptive bacteria.Conclusion: The Tigecycline PPK model was successfully developed and validated. Individualized dosing of tigecycline could be beneficial for critically ill patients.

Background: Following surgery, perioperative pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is important for patients with early-stage lung cancer. However, current inpatient programs are often limited in time and space, and outpatient settings have access barriers. Therefore, we aimed to develop a background-free, zero-contact thoracoabdominal movement-tracking model that is easily set up and incorporated into a pre-existing PR program or extended to home-based rehabilitation and remote monitoring. We validated its effectiveness in providing preclinical real-time RGB-D (colour-depth camera) visual feedback. Methods: Twelve healthy volunteers performed deep breathing exercises following audio instruction for three cycles, followed by audio instruction and real-time visual feedback for another three cycles. In the visual feedback system, we used a RealSense™ D415 camera to capture RGB and depth images for human pose-estimation with Google MediaPipe. Target-tracking regions were defined based on the relative position of detected joints. The processed depth information of the tracking regions was visualised on a screen as a motion bar to provide real-time visual feedback of breathing intensity. Pulmonary function was simultaneously recorded using spirometric measurements, and changes in pulmonary volume were derived from respiratory airflow signals. Results: Our movement-tracking model showed a very strong correlation (r = 0.90 ± 0.05) between thoracic motion signals and spirometric volume, and a strong correlation (r = 0.73 ± 0.22) between abdominal signals and spirometric volume. Displacement of the chest wall was enhanced by RGB-D visual feedback (23 vs 20 mm, P = 0.034), and accompanied by an increased lung volume (2.58 vs 2.30 L, P = 0.003). Conclusion: We developed an easily implemented thoracoabdominal movement-tracking model and reported the positive impact of real-time RGB-D visual feedback on self-promoted external chest wall expansion, accompanied by increased internal lung volumes. This system can be extended to home-based PR.

Abstract Road manhole covers are crucial components of urban infrastructure; however, inadequate maintenance or poor marking can pose safety risks to vehicular traffic. This paper presents a method for detecting road manhole covers using a stereo depth camera and the MGB-YOLO model. We curated a robust image dataset and performed image enhancement and annotation. The MGB-YOLO model was developed by optimizing the YOLOv5s network with MobileNet-V3, Global Attention Mechanism (GAM), and BottleneckCSP, striking a balance between detection accuracy and model efficiency. Our method achieved an impressive accuracy of 96.6%, surpassing the performance of Faster RCNN, SSD, YOLOv5s, YOLOv7 and YOLOv8s models with an increased mean average precision (mAP) of 15.6%, 6.9%, 0.7%, 0.5% and 0.5%, respectively. Additionally, we have reduced the model's size and the number of parameters, making it highly suitable for deployment on in-vehicle embedded devices. These results underscore the effectiveness of our approach in detecting road manhole covers, offering valuable insights for vehicle-based manhole cover detection and contributing to the reduction of accidents and enhanced driving comfort.