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Northeast Asia is the most developed region in Asia with large energy demand, and plays an important role in the global economic development. Northeast Asia has been facing severe challenges in ensuring energy security, protecting the environment, and coping with climate change, because of their high dependency on fossil fuels and imports of oil from outside the region, and inverse distribution between energy resources and demand. In order to actively respond to climate change, promote the transition to low-carbon energy and sustainable development in the region, achieve the grand purpose of economic prosperity, social progress and ecological protection, this study is conducted with a focus on power grid interconnection in Northeast Asia. Based on the historical energy and power data in Northeast Asia, this paper studies the development trends of energy and power demand in future by combining qualitative and quantitative methods. Considering the distribution of clean energy bases, this paper proposes an energy interconnection scheme in Northeast Asia with high clear energy penetration scenario. To form the Asia-Europe energy interconnection, the construction of the Asia-Europe interconnection channels is briefly analyzed in this paper.

Background: High‐intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a promising minimally invasive treatment for liver cancer; however, its efficacy is often limited by the attenuation of ultrasonic energy. This study investigates the effectiveness of B7‐H3‐targeted microbubbles (T‐MBs) in enhancing HIFU ablation of liver cancer and explores their potential for clinical translation. Methods: T‐MBs and isotype control microbubbles (I‐MBs) were synthesized through the conjugation of biotinylated anti‐B7‐H3 antibody and isotype control antibody to the microbubble surface, respectively. Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound imaging was performed to compare the accumulation of T‐MBs and I‐MBs in liver cancer at various time points. The efficacy of T‐MBs in enhancing HIFU treatment was evaluated by measuring the immediate tumor ablation rate and long‐term tumor growth suppression. Additionally, the induced antitumor immune response was assessed through cytokine quantification in serum and tumor tissue, along with immunofluorescence staining conducted on days 1, 3, and 7 post‐treatment. Results: T‐MBs demonstrated superior liver cancer‐specific accumulation, characterized by higher concentrations and prolonged retention compared to I‐MBs. The combination of T‐MBs with HIFU resulted in significantly enhanced tumor ablation rates and superior tumor growth suppression. Post‐treatment analysis revealed a gradual uptick in cytokine levels within the tumor microenvironment, along with progressive infiltration of antitumor immune cells. Conclusion: T‐MBs effectively enhance the therapeutic efficacy of HIFU for liver cancer treatment while simultaneously promoting an antitumor immune response. These findings provide a strong experimental foundation for the clinical translation of ultrasound molecular imaging combined with HIFU as a novel approach for tumor therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies customers entering automated self-service hotels in China and using a facial recognition kiosk for registration. Based on video recordings of 674 cases of customers checking in, we show that, as is common in self-service, customers need to do work that was previously done by hotel staff: They are working customers. We then argue that, when interacting with the facial recognition kiosk, customers are also doing something more: First, they present themselves to the machine by, for example adjusting their standing position or appearance; second, they perform for the machine by following its instructions, closing their eyes or opening their mouths; finally, they express various emotions towards the machine, such as anger or embarrassment. In sum, we show that customers are working not just with their bodies but also on their bodies, which are being disciplined by the machine. They become 'disciplined customers'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is a serious public health problem worldwide. Traditional treatments, such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, do not always yield satisfactory results; therefore, an efficient treatment for tumours is urgently needed. As a convenient and minimally invasive modality, focused ultrasound (FUS) has been used not only as a diagnostic tool but also as a therapeutic tool in an increasing number of studies. FUS can help treat malignant tumours by inducing apoptosis. This review describes the three apoptotic pathways, apoptotic cell clearance, and how FUS affects these three apoptotic pathways. This review also discusses the role of thermal and cavitation effects on apoptosis, including caspase activity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and Ca2+ elease. Finally, this article reviews various aspects of FUS combination therapy, including sensitization by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, gene expression upregulation, and the introduction of therapeutic gases, to provide new ideas for clinical tumour therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T helper 17 (Th17) cells have a pathogenic effect in many autoimmune diseases. Inhibition of Th17 cells can alleviate the inflammatory damage in autoimmune diseases. Our previous study found that microRNA‐590‐3p (miR‐590‐3p) was involved in the differentiation of Th17 cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Here, we demonstrated that an increase in Th17 cells was correlated with low expression of miR‐590‐3p in patients with SLE and in lupus mice. Upregulation of miR‐590‐3p reduced the differentiation and promoted apoptosis of Th17 cells. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that miR‐590‐3p promoted apoptosis in Th17 cells by inhibiting autophagy. Autophagy‐related 7 (Atg7) was the direct target of miR‐590‐3p that blocked the autophagy pathway. Finally, treatment of MRL/lpr mice with miR‐590‐3p agomir ameliorated lupus nephritis and skin lesions. Our work revealed that miR‐590‐3p inhibited Th17 cells by suppressing autophagy and that increased miR‐590‐3p expression was able to ameliorate the clinical symptoms of lupus. Therefore, miR‐590‐3p may be a promising therapeutic target for SLE and other Th17 cell‐dependent autoimmune diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990s, China has formalized its short-term foreign aid training for foreign officials and technological personnel. This type of training often lasts for 21 days and participants from invited countries arrive in China for a period of condensed study, with all fees covered by the Chinese government. By the end of 2009, China had organized more than 4000 short-term training programs for over 120,000 personnel from more than 50 countries. Along with the establishment of the Twelfth Five-Year Plan and the constructional needs of the Belt and Road Initiative, China has gradually increased the export of its cultural products in foreign aid training. Surprisingly, such national-scale training is largely omitted from current scholarly research. Employing the "fragmented authoritarianism" model, we look at the administrative structure of China's foreign aid training and provide rudimentary research into the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously, we obtained the sweetpotato somatic hybrid KT1 from a cross between sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) cv. Kokei No. 14 and its drought-tolerant wild relative I. triloba L. KT1 not only inherited the thick storage root characteristic of Kokei No. 14 but also the drought-tolerance trait of I. triloba L. The aim of this study was to explore the molecular mechanism of the drought tolerance of KT1. Four-week-old in vitro-grown plants of KT1, Kokei No. 14, and I. triloba L. were subjected to a simulated drought stress treatment (30% PEG6000) for 0, 6, 12 and 24 h. Total RNA was extracted from samples at each time point, and then used for transcriptome sequencing. The gene transcript profiles of KT1 and its parents were compared to identify differentially expressed genes, and drought-related modules were screened by a weighted gene co-expression network analysis. The functions of ABI-like protein and Ca2+-ATPase, two proteins screened from the cyan and light yellow modules, were analyzed in terms of their potential roles in drought tolerance in KT1 and its parents. These analyses of the drought responses of KT1 and its somatic donors at the transcriptional level provide new annotations for the molecular mechanism of drought tolerance in the somatic hybrid KT1 and its parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]