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Abstract In the process of penicillin fermentation, there is a strong nonlinear relationship between the input eigenvector and multiple output vectors, which makes the prediction accuracy of the existing model difficult to meet the requirements of chemical production. Therefore, a local selective ensemble learning multi-objective soft sensing modeling strategy is proposed in this study. Firstly, a localization method based on transfer entropy and k-means is proposed to reconstruct the sample set. Then, based on the reconstructed local samples, the local soft sensing model is established by the multi-objective support vector regression method, and the selective ensemble of sub-models and the adaptive calculation of prediction weights are realized. At the same time, to reduce the adverse effects caused by improper selection of model parameters, the sparrow search algorithm is used to realize the tuning of the mentioned model parameters. Finally, the proposed modeling strategy is simulated. The results show that, compared with other methods, the proposed local selective ensemble learning multi-objective soft sensing modeling strategy has better prediction performance.

Abstract Background Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide and poses an immediate health threat. Despite decades of basic and clinical research, the 5-year survival rate for lung cancer patients is less than 10%.The most important drawbacks in efficient treatment of lung cancer are delayed diagnosis and absence of effective screening. Detection and study of precancerous lesions of the bronchial mucosa might be one of the turning points in understanding of neoplastic transformation. Therefore, it would be the most effective prevention and early treatment modality. We report a case of high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia of the bronchial mucosa in which a neoplastic growth in the lumen of intrinsic segment in the upper lobe of the left lung was detected on electronic bronchoscopy, and biopsy confirmed squamous papillary hyperplasia with high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia. Case presentation A 74-year-old male was admitted to the hospital due to a mass lesion in his left lung. After admission, computed tomography scan of the chest showed an intraluminal mass in the intrinsic segment of the upper lobe of the left lung and an enlarged left hilum. Conclusions High-grade intraepithelial neoplasia of the bronchial mucosa is rare in the respiratory system. We report a case that can provide useful information for early diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Abstract This single-arm phase 2 trial (ChiCTR2100046715) examined previously untreated patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who received four cycles of paclitaxel with carboplatin every 3 weeks. Toripalimab was infused intravenously every 3 weeks for 12 months, or until disease progression or intolerable toxicity. Radiotherapy that encompassed the primary lesions and metastases commenced in the third cycle. The median progression-free survival time was 9.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.8–not estimable) in the intent-to-treat population, failing to meet the pre-specified primary endpoints. Secondary endpoints included an objective response rate of 45.5%, a disease control rate of 57.6%, and a median duration of response of 11.5 months (interquartile range, 6.4–15.0). The 1-year progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 41.9% (95% CI: 27.7–63.5) and 69.7% (95% CI: 55.7–87.3), respectively. Lymphopenia was the most frequent grade ≥3 adverse event (82%), and an esophageal fistula developed in three patients (9.1%). No treatment-related deaths occurred. In prespecified exploratory biomarker analysis, higher densities of CD8 + T cells, CD11c+ dendritic cells, and CD68+ macrophages correlated with improved tumor response and prognosis. Radiotherapy supplementation to first-line chemo-immunotherapy for treatment-naive advanced ESCC demonstrated some antitumor activity and manageable safety profiles, warranting further randomized controlled trials.

Abstract Background Many patients undergo dose reduction or early termination of chemotherapy to reduce chemoradiotherapy-related toxicity, which may increase their risk of survival. However, this strategy may result in underdosing patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (LA-ESCC). This study aimed to analyze the relationship between the relative dose intensity (RDI) and survival outcomes in patients with LA-ESCC. Methods This retrospective study assessed patients with LA-ESCC (cT2N + M0, cT3-4NanyM0) receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) with curative-intent esophagectomy. The patients received 2 courses of paclitaxel plus carboplatin (TC) combination radiotherapy prior to undergoing surgery. During NCRT, RDI was computed, defined as the received dose as a percentage of the standard dose, and the incidence of dose delays was estimated (≥ 7 days in any course cycle). The best RDI cutoff value (0.7) was obtained using ROC curve. The Kaplan–Meier survival curves were compared using the log-rank test, the treatment effect was measured using hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results We included 132 patients in this study, divided into RDI

Abstract Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants emphasizes the need for multivalent vaccines capable of simultaneously targeting multiple strains. SCTV01E is a tetravalent COVID-19 vaccine derived from the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 variants Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron BA.1. In this double-blinded placebo-controlled pivotal efficacy trial (NCT05308576), the primary endpoint was vaccine efficacy (VE) against COVID-19 seven days post-vaccination in individuals without recent infection. Other endpoints included evaluating safety, immunogenicity, and the VE against all SARS-CoV-2 infections in individuals meeting the study criteria. Between December 26, 2022, and January 15, 2023, 9,223 individuals were randomized at a 1:1 ratio to receive SCTV01E or a placebo. SCTV01E showed a VE of 69.4% (95% CI: 50.6, 81.0) 7 days post-vaccination, with 75 cases in the placebo group and 23 in the SCTV01E group for the primary endpoint. VEs were 79.7% (95% CI: 51.0, 91.6) and 82.4% (95% CI: 57.9, 92.6), respectively, for preventing symptomatic infection and all SARS-CoV-2 infections 14 days post-vaccination. SCTV01E elicited a 25.0-fold higher neutralizing antibody response against Omicron BA.5 28 days post-vaccination compared to placebo. Reactogenicity was generally mild and transient, with no reported vaccine-related SAE, adverse events of special interest (AESI), or deaths. The trial aligned with the shift from dominant variants BA.5 and BF.7 to XBB, suggesting SCTV01E as a potential vaccine alternative effective against present and future variants.

Objective: Effects of low-temperature plasma pretreatment assisted by ultrasound on the extraction of total flavonoids from ginger powder were studied, and its mechanism was preliminary discussed, and provided a new method for the extraction of total flavonoids from ginger powder. Methods: The single-factor tests and three-factor three-level response surface optimization tests were carried out with the yield of total flavonoids in ginger powder as the index and discharge power, treatment time and air intake volume of low-temperature plasma as factors. Meanwhile, the contents of 21 kinds of polyphenols in ginger powder were determined by HPLC before and after low-temperature plasma treatment, and the structure of ginger powder were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results: The optimum extraction conditions for total flavonoids from ginger powder were as follows: Vacuum degree less than 100 Pa, discharge power of 295 W, treatment time of 60 s, air intake volume of 150 cm3/min, and the yield of total flavonoids was 26.9 mg/g. Chromatographic results showed that 21 kinds of polyphenols were separated with high precision (relative standard deviation，RSD≤3.75%), good stability (RSD≤4.25%), good repeatability (RSD≤4.75%) and accurate and reliable recovery rate (average recovery rate of 84.11%~100.86%). After low-temperature plasma treatment, total flavonoids content in ginger was increased, and phenolic acids content was decreased. Etching effect of low-temperature plasma increased the surface roughness of starch particles and cell wall fragments in ginger powder and led to the decomposition of lignin, which increased the contact area between solvent and ginger powder, and it was conducive to solvent penetration. Conclusion: Ultrasound-assisted low-temperature plasma treatment is an effective method to extract total flavonoids from ginger powder.

Abstract Aims Surveys and research on the applications of the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) are important for understanding the current status and future development of this technology in China. This article aimed to investigate the status of hepatic venous pressure gradient measurement in China in 2022. Methods We investigated the overall status of HVPG technology in China—including hospital distribution, hospital level, annual number of cases, catheters used, average cost, indications, and current challenges by using online questionnaire. By counting the number and percentages of cases of these results, we hope to clarify the current status of HVPG measurements in China. Results According to the survey, 85 hospitals in China used HVPG technology in 2022 distributed across 29 provinces. A total of 4989 HVPG measurements were performed in all of the surveyed hospitals in 2022, of which 2813 cases (56.4%) were measured alone. The average cost of HVPG measurement was 5646.8 ± 2327.9 CNY. Of the clinical teams who performed the measurements (sometimes multiple per hospital), 94.3% (82/87) used the balloon method, and the majority of the teams (72.4%, 63/87) used embolectomy catheters. Conclusions This survey clarified the clinical application status of HVPG in China and confirmed that some medical institutions in China have established a foundation for this technology. It is still necessary to continue promoting and popularizing this technology in the future.

Abstract Background To assess the largely undetermined separate and joint effects of sleep and liver function biomarkers on liver cancer. Methods Data of 356,894 participants without cancer at baseline in the UK Biobank were analyzed. Sleep score was evaluated using five sleep traits (sleep duration, chronotype, insomnia, snoring, and excessive daytime sleepiness) and dichotomized into healthy or unhealthy sleep. Circulating liver function biomarkers were measured. Cox proportional hazard model was performed to investigate the independent and joint associations of sleep and liver function biomarkers with liver cancer incidence. Results After a median follow-up time of 13.1 years, 394 cases of incident liver cancer were documented. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for liver cancer was 1.46 (95% confidence interval: 1.15–1.85) associated with unhealthy sleep (vs. healthy sleep), and was 1.17 (1.15–1.20), 1.20 (1.18–1.22), 1.69 (1.47–1.93), 1.06 (1.06–1.07), 1.08 (1.07–1.09), 1.81 (1.37–2.39), or 0.29 (0.18–0.46) associated with each 10-unit increase in alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), or albumin (ALB), respectively. Individuals with unhealthy sleep and high (≥ median) ALT, AST, TBIL, GGT, ALP, or TP or low (

This is an article in the field of ceramics and composites. Hydroxyapatite (HAP) has excellent ion exchange performance, shows good adsorption capacity for heavy metal ions, harmful anions, and organics in wastewater, and will not cause secondary pollution in the process of wastewater treatment. Thus, it is a promising green adsorbent. Due to its small size and large specific surface area, nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAP) exposes more adsorption sites, showing supreme adsorption capacity. It is a tendency to produce nHAP composites of strong adsorption capacity, easy for solid-liquid separation and regeneration, and low-cost. This article reviews the recent research progress of nano-HAP and its composites as adsorbents for wastewater treatment, and prospects the application of them as adsorbents.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to investigate whether a causal relationship exists between serum uric acid (SUA) and diabetic microvascular complications using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method. Methods We used the MR approach, utilizing genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics, to estimate the causal effect of SUA on diabetic microvascular complications in European individuals. The summary statistical data of SUA were obtained from the open database (IEU OPEN GWAS PROJECT) (p

Abstract Fe–Mn oxide modified biochar (FMBC) was produced to explore its potential for remediation of Hg–Cd contaminated paddy soils. The results showed that the application of FMBC decreased the contents of bioavailable Hg and Cd by 41.49–81.85% and 19.47–33.02% in contrast to CK, while the amount of labile organic carbon (C) fractions and C-pool management index (CPMI) was increased under BC and FMBC treated soils, indicating the enhancement of soil C storage and nutrient cycling function. Dry weight of different parts of Oryza sativa L. was enhanced after the addition of BC and FMBC, and the contents of Fe and Mn in root iron–manganese plaques (IMP) were 1.46–2.06 and 6.72–19.35 times higher than those of the control groups. Hg and Cd contents in brown rice under the FMBC treatments were significantly reduced by 18.32–71.16% and 59.52–72.11% compared with the control. FMBC addition altered the composition and metabolism function of soil bacterial communities, especially increasing the abundance of keystone phyla, including Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Partial least squares path modelling (PLSPM) revealed that the contents of Na2S2O3–Hg, DTPA–Cd and IMP were the key indicators affecting Hg and Cd accumulation in rice grains. These results demonstrate the simultaneous value of FMBC in remediation of Hg and Cd combined pollution and restoring soil fertility and biological productivity. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Background Polypharmacy is common in older adults with psychiatric disorders, but no consensus has reached about the reliable indicators evaluating the benefits and risks of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in polypharmacy. We aimed to identify indicators suitable for evaluating the clinical significance of DDIs in polypharmacy in older adults with psychiatric disorders. Methods The online tools were used to distribute and collect the questionnaires. The Delphi method was applied to analyze experts’ opinions. The degree of authority and coordination of experts were analyzed using the coefficient of variation, coefficient of coordination, expert’s judgment factor, familiarity with the study content factor, and Kendall coordination coefficient. Statistical analysis was conducted using the IBM SPSS® Statistics Package version 26.0. Results After three rounds of expert consultation, five primary and eleven secondary indicators were identified. The primary “pharmacodynamic indicator” included “severity of adverse drug reactions”, “duration of adverse drug reaction”, “symptom relief”, “time to onset of symptomatic relief”, “number of days in hospital”, and “duration of medication”. The secondary “pharmacokinetic indicator” contained “dosage administered” and “dosing intervals”. The primary “patient tolerance indicator” contained one secondary indicator of “patient tolerability”. The primary indicator “patient adherence” contained one secondary indicator of “patient adherence to medication”. The primary indicator “cost of drug combination” contained one secondary indicator of “readmission”. These indicators were used to determine the clinical significance of DDIs during polypharmacy. Conclusions The clinical significance of drug combinations should be taken into account when polypharmacy is used in the elderly. The five primary indicators and eleven secondary indicators might be preferred to evaluate their risks and benefits. Medication management in this population requires a multidisciplinary team, in which nurses play a key role. Future research should focus on how to establish efficient multidisciplinary team workflows and use functional factors to assess DDIs in polypharmacy for psychiatric disorders.

The intelligent mine ventilation system is very important for the intelligent construction of coal mines. In order to solve the problem of missing mine ventilation parameter data caused by the lack of measurement conditions, instrument signal interference, uneven wind speed of roadway section, improper manual operation and other restrictive factors during actual measurement of mine ventilation parameters, a method for filling the missing data of mine ventilation parameters based on the multiple imputation method of random forest-chained equation was proposed. Multiple imputation with chained equations is used to generate n filled values for each missing attribute value by iterations, resulting in n complete datasets, and a final complete dataset is obtained by analyzing and optimizing the n complete datasets. In order to improve the filling accuracy of missing values, the influence of the uncertainty of missing data of mine ventilation parameters on the analysis process is reasonably considered, and the missing data is filled in the prediction task of random forest in combination with the prediction mean matching model. Taking the Luxin No.2 Mine as an experimental example, the intelligent mine ventilation simulation system IMVS was used to preprocess the original data set of ventilation parameters of the Luxin No.2 Mine to obtain a complete and accurate complete dataset of mine ventilation parameters. Comparative experiments with different missing attributes, different data missing rates, and different number of iterations were conducted separately for the complete data set. The effectiveness of the model was evaluated by a variety of model evaluation indicators. The results show that the complete data set formed by the multiple imputation method of random forest-chained equation has good similarity with the original data set. Results of filling experiments with different missing columns show that the filling model can easily handle mixed data types, autonomously learning the correlations between parameters and thus reducing filling complexity. The n datasets formed after iterations are combined into a final dataset by analysis, which improves the filling accuracy. Experiments with different iterations on the complete data set after initial filling show that the data correlation will converge after a certain number of iterations.

During pumped energy storage using abandoned mines, coal pillars are not only affected by monotonic loads, but also suffer from frequent stress disturbances. The strength and deformation characteristics as well as the failure mode of the coal specimens under the influence of monotonic loading (stress path 1), multilevel constant-amplitude cyclic loading (stress path 2) and multilevel increasing cyclic loading (stress path 3) were studied using the coal samples from Hepan Coal Mine, Shaanxi Province, as the research object. The test results showed that the stress-strain curves of the coal specimens under cyclic loading formed obvious hysteresis loops, and the area of hysteresis loops increased significantly with the rise of stress level; compared with the axial strain, the circumstantial strain was more sensitive to the stress path; the peak strength and peak axial strain of the coal samples were the largest under monotonic loading, and the peak strength and axial strain of the specimens decreased by 22.12% and 18.35% (path 2) and 5.30% and 10.34% (path 3) under multi-level cyclic loading, respectively; the tangent modulus of the specimens under stress path 2 was significantly higher than the other stress paths; the stress paths had not changed the macroscopic failure mode of the coal specimens, but the cyclic loading caused the number and size of cracks on the specimen’s surface to become larger.

Abstract Copper mineralization in the Pulang (PL) porphyry deposit, Langdu (LD) porphyry-skarn deposit and Songnuo (SN) porphyry prospect in northwestern Yunnan, China, is closely related to the emplacement of quartz monzonite porphyries. The chemical compositions of biotite and apatite from those porphyries were analyzed to calculate the halogen fugacity and to constrain mineralized and barren porphyries. Our data show that biotites from the PL deposit have higher MgO, SiO2, TiO2 and F contents than those from the LD deposit or SN prospect. Compared to those in the LD deposit and SN prospect, the Mg (atoms per formula unit (apfu)) and AlVI (apfu) value in biotite is greater, and the F content is greater and the SO3 and Ce2O3/Y2O3 ratio in apatite are lower in the PL deposit. Ti-biotite thermometry and apatite-biotite geothermometry show that the crystallization temperature of biotite from the PL deposit is higher than that from the SN prospect or LD deposit. The results suggest that oxygen fugacity, magmatic sulfur, and H2O contents cannot be used to efficiently distinguish the PL deposit from the LD deposit and SN prospect. However, the halogen chemistry of biotite from the PL deposit is distinctly different from that of the LD deposit or SN prospect according to the lower IV (F), indicating that mineralized quartz monzonite porphyries in the PL deposit formed during the late magmatic stage, which is in contrast to those in the LD deposit and SN prospect. The mineralized porphyries display a remarkable negative linear relationship (r = − 0.96) with the log (f HF/f HCl) and log (f H2O/f HF) ratio, which can be used to distinguish the mineralized and barren porphyries. Compared with other typical porphyry Cu systems, there is a remarkable positive linear relationship between IV (Cl) and log (f H2O/f HCl). In addition, the linear slope and intercept for log (f H2O/f HCl) ratios and the IV (Cl) of biotite from the potassic and phyllic alteration zones are significantly greater than those from other porphyries.

Abstract Background Transcatheter angiography (TA) could help to diagnose and treat refractory nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB). Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the key medication for reducing the rebleeding rate and mortality and are usually continued after TA. It is unknown whether high-dose PPIs after TA are more effective than the standard regimen. Methods We retrospectively collected data from patients who received TA because of refractory NVUGIB from 2010 to 2020 at West China Hospital. 244 patients were included and divided into two groups based on the first 3 days of PPIs treatment. All baseline characteristics were balanced using the inverse probability of treatment weighting method. The 30-day all-cause mortality, rebleeding rate and other outcomes were compared. The propensity score matching method was also used to verify the results. Results There were 86 patients in the high-dose group and 158 in the standard group. The average daily doses of PPI were 192.1 ± 17.9 mg and 77.8 ± 32.0 mg, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed no difference in the 30-day all-cause mortality (aHR 1.464, 95% CI 0.829 to 2.584) or rebleeding rate (aHR 1.020, 95% CI 0.693 to 1.501). There were no differences found in red blood cell transfusion, hospital stay length and further interventions, including endoscopy, repeating TA, surgery and ICU admission. The results were consistent in the subgroup analysis of patients with transcatheter arterial embolization. Conclusion In refractory NVUGIB patients who received TA, regardless of whether embolization was performed, high-dose PPI treatment did not provide additional benefits compared with the standard regimen.

The tensile properties of biphasic nickel-based nanopolycrystalline alloys (Ni–Ni3Al) at different temperatures were simulated by molecular dynamics. The results show that the tensile properties of the dual-phase nano-polycrystalline alloy are obviously better than those of the conventional nickel metal. The γ 'phase (Ni3Al) is LI2 type structure, which shows higher stability and reduces grain boundary migration during deformation due to the lower atomic potential energy of γ′ phase. As the temperature increases, the mechanical behavior of the biphasic alloy and nickel metal shows the same decreasing trend. Dislocation is an important factor affecting the strength of γ 'phase plastic deformation. The current study provides an atomic perspective on the deformation process and mechanism of biphasic nickel-based nanopolycrystalline alloys, and provides a new perspective for the design of novel superalloys with excellent mechanical properties.

Repair of large bone defects caused by severe trauma, non-union fractures, or tumor resection remains challenging because of limited regenerative ability. Typically, these defects heal through mixed routines, including intramembranous ossification (IMO) and endochondral ossification (ECO), with ECO considered more efficient. Current strategies to promote large bone healing via ECO are unstable and require high-dose growth factors or complex cell therapy that cause side effects and raise expense while providing only limited benefit. Herein, we report a bio-integrated scaffold capable of initiating an early hypoxia microenvironment with controllable release of low-dose recombinant bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2), aiming to induce ECO-dominated repair. Specifically, we apply a mesoporous structure to accelerate iron chelation, this promoting early chondrogenesis via deferoxamine (DFO)-induced hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). Through the delicate segmentation of click-crosslinked PEGylated Poly (glycerol sebacate) (PEGS) layers, we achieve programmed release of low-dose rhBMP-2, which can facilitate cartilage-to-bone transformation while reducing side effect risks. We demonstrate this system can strengthen the ECO healing and convert mixed or mixed or IMO-guided routes to ECO-dominated approach in large-size models with clinical relevance. Collectively, these findings demonstrate a biomaterial-based strategy for driving ECO-dominated healing, paving a promising pave towards its clinical use in addressing large bone defects.

Objective To achieve supervision and management of the whole business process of blood center, raise productivity and ensure blood quality by enabling blood center managers comprehensively grasp the key business operation situation of the whole process at anytime and anywhere. Methods A whole business process supervision and management system was established covering background of preparation, business scope, content of position supervision and management, overall framework design, interface design of management and supervision management, physical database design, program development and online debugging, and was integrated with the blood bank management information system. The display and management were through a mobile APP to record key indicators of business process from blood collection to blood supply timely and comprehensively. Statistical analysis was conducted on total collection volume, total preparation volume and total supply volume, as well as discarding rate of test unqualified and of non-test unqualified (lipemic blood excluded) in 2023 and 2022. Results We established a mobile APP based on a blood bank management information system for business supervision and management of whole process, and achieved management by phones. After its implementation in 2023, the total collection volume, total preparation volume and total supply volume in 2023 were all higher than those in 2022, with growth rates of 5.88% (13 247/225 454 U), 4.73% (24 156/510 698 U), and 6.70% (34 814/519 914 U), respectively. The discarding rate in 2023 was lower than that in 2022 (0.54%, 2 868/534 854 U) vs (0.60%, 3 047/510 698 U) (P

This is an article in the field of process mineralogy. Systematic process mineralogy study on phosphorus tailings was carried out by using the advanced mineral identification and characterization system (AMICS). The chemical compositions, mineral components, embedded characteristics of minerals, particle size, and the characteristics of liberation degree and the other characteristics were mainly studied. The results show that the gangue minerals are mainly dolomite and quartz. The phosphate mineral is mainly collophane which exists in the form of poor intergrowth. The phosphate mineral is extremely finely disseminated and closely associated with the gangue minerals. This study can provide some guidance for the optimization of phosphate ore dressing and the comprehensive utilization of tailings resources.

Abstract The stress paths of the cylindrical specimen in the p–q stress space by controlling the ratio of the axial and the radial loading is guaranteed to be consistent with the cuboid specimen, a novel method for imitating true-triaxial stress path by conventional triaxial apparatus was presented. Under the condition that p and q were variables and b was constant, the true-triaxial stress paths were realized by conventional triaxial apparatus strictly and easily. Under the condition that b and p were invariants, the b was used to control the ratio of axial and radial loading to ensure p constant, the method can be used to measure the strength on the π plane. If the tests were conducted at the different p with the same b, the critical state line of different b could be obtained. Under the condition that p and q were constant, the proposed method of nonlinear loading with b as a parameter could be used to design the various stress paths of true-triaxial under the condition of deviatoric stress consolidation, and which could be used to determine the deformation and the plastic flow of soil in 3D space. The proposed method could be used to achieve the equivalent stress path in the p–q stress space to obtain the 3D mechanical properties, and the stress path controlled by stress, strain, and a hybrid of stress and strain. Once the software of conventional triaxial apparatus was developed by the novel method, the measuring range of stress paths could be expanded greatly.

IntroductionJacaranda mimosifolia, native to South America, is a notable ornamental tree widely used in Chinese urban landscaping due to its aesthetic and environmental value. Despite its popularity, the cultivation of J. mimosifolia in China faces challenges, including intermittent failures in various regions. This study assesses the potential distribution of J. mimosifolia in China and its response to climate change, providing insights for its application and promotion.MethodsUsing MaxEnt software, we developed an ecological niche model from 218 distribution records and selected 10 environmental variables to predict the tree’s distribution under various climate scenarios (SSP126, SSP245, SSP370).ResultsOur model demonstrates high predictive accuracy (AUC > 0.90) across scenarios, identifying key factors such as the mean temperature of the coldest quarter (bio11), precipitation of the driest month (bio14), temperature annual range (bio7), and minimum temperature of the coldest month (bio6). Their relative contribution rates were 49.3%, 18.4%, 15.6%, and 2.0%, respectively. The average temperature of the coldest quarter was not lower than 5°C, with the ideal range being 7.38~14.88°C. Currently, J. mimosifolia predominantly thrives in Taiwan, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, and to a lesser extent in the Sichuan Basin, southern Guizhou, Tibet, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang province, covering a total area of approximately 122.19 × 104 km2. Future predictions indicate that under the SSP126 scenario, the most significant contraction occurs between the 2050s and 2070s, with a total change of −1.08 × 104 km2. Conversely, under the SSP370 scenario, the greatest expansion is observed from the 2030s to the 2050s, amounting to a change of 2.08 × 104 km2. Suitable area expansion is anticipated in most periods and scenarios, except for SSP126 in the 2070s, SSP245 in the 2050s, and SSP370 in the 2030s and 2070s. The distribution center shifts observed include movements northwestward, southwestward, and eastward with distances ranging from 5.12 km to 18.84 km. These shifts are likely driven by global warming, resulting in movements to higher elevations and latitudes.DiscussionThese predictions will provide a solid theoretical foundation for the future application of J. mimosifolia in urban landscaping and serve as a valuable reference for its introduction and cultivation.

Background Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) poses a considerable health burden, particularly in regions such as East Asia. This study aims to investigate the long-term outcomes of OSCC patients who are smokers and drinkers.Materials and methods In this retrospective analysis, data from Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute Esophageal Cancer Case Management Database between January 2010 and December 2017 were examined. Patients were categorised into different groups based on their smoking and alcohol consumption history: None, Smoker, Non-Smoker, Smoke-Only, Drinker, Non-Drinker, Drinker-Only, and Both. Survival outcomes were compared between the groups using Kaplan-Meier analysis and propensity score matching (PSM). The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), measured from surgery to death or last follow-up in April 2022.Results The OS median was 45.4 months for all patients after oesophagectomy. Smokers had a significantly lower median OS of 36.6 months compared with Non-Smokers with 66.2 months (p

Capsaicinoids are produced uniquely in pepper fruits, and its level determines the commercial quality and health-promoting properties of pepper. So, it is particularly important to increase capsaicinoids content in pepper. Rhizosphere microbiota is critical to plant growth and performance, and affected by plant varieties. However, the impact of pepper varieties with different capsaicinoids yields on the rhizosphere microbiota is poorly understood. Using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, we investigated the rhizosphere microbial community among five pepper varieties containing different capsaicinoids. Our results demonstrated that pepper variety significantly influenced the diversity and structure of rhizosphere microbial community. Bacterial diversity in varieties with high capsaicinoids content was significantly higher than in varieties with low capsaicinoids content, while fungal diversity was opposite to bacterial diversity. The correlation analysis revealed that 19 dominant bacterial genera (e.g., Chujaibacter, Rhodanobacter, and Gemmatimonas) were significantly correlated with capsaicinoids content, and nine of them were also significantly associated with soil nutrients, whereas only one fungal genus (Podospora) was significantly correlated with capsaicinoids content. Additionally, almost all genera which significantly correlated to capsaicinoids content were biomarkers of the five pepper varieties and the correlation was well corresponding to the capsaicinoids content. Overall, our results confirmed that the variety of pepper significantly affected the rhizosphere microbial community in the fields, and bacteria and fungi responded differently to capsaicinoids, which may affect the biosynthesis of capsaicinoids and contribute to further improvement of capsaicinoids production in pepper fruits.

IntroductionNumerous studies have demonstrated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the malignancies with high mortality worldwide. Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a form of cell death that is specialised in that it triggers the body’s immune response, particularly the adaptive immune response. Recent evidence has confirmed that pseudogenes are implicated in multiple human tumorigenesis and progression although lacking the function of coding protein. However, the roles of ICD-associated genes in AML remain largely unascertained.MethodsTCGA-AML and GSE71014 cohorts were picked out and we combined them into a merged dataset by removing the batch effect using the sva package in the R project. A consensus clustering analysis of the ICD genes in AML was performed to define subgroups. Based on the expression of 15 prognostic-related pseudogenes, we developed a prognostic model and categorized AML samples into low and high-risk groups.ResultsAML was differentiated into two subgroups (C1 and C2 clusters). Most ICD-related genes were significantly up-regulated in the C2 cluster. The single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) revealed that the immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint gene expression of the C2 cluster was strongly high, suggesting that the C2 population responded well to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy and had better survival. The C1 group was sensitive to chemotherapy, including Cytarabine, Midostaurin, and Doxorubicin. On the other hand, 15 ICD-related pseudogenes were identified to be associated with AML prognosis. The receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis and nomogram manifested that our prognostic model had high accuracy in predicting survival. However, the high-risk group was sensitive to ICB therapy and chemotherapy such as Methotrexate, Cytarabine, and Axitinib while the low-risk group benefited from 5-Fluorouracil, Talazoparib, and Navitoclax therapy.DiscussionIn summary, we defined two subgroups relying on 33 ICD-related genes and this classification exerted a decisive role in assessing immunotherapy and chemotherapy benefit. Significantly, a prognostic signature identified by critical ICD-related pseudogene was created. The pseudogene prognostic signature had a powerful performance in predicting prognosis and therapeutic efficacy, including immunotherapy and chemotherapy to AML. Our research points out novel implications of ICD in cancer prognosis and treatment approach choice.

ABSTRACT The tumor suppressor p53, primarily functioning as a transcription factor, has exhibited antiviral capabilities against various viruses in chickens, including infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J), and avian infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV). Nevertheless, the existence of a universal antiviral mechanism employed by chicken p53 (chp53) against these viruses remains uncertain. This study conducted a comprehensive comparison of molecular networks involved in chp53’s antiviral function against IBDV, ALV-J, and ILTV. This was achieved through an integrated analysis of ChIP-seq data, examining chp53’s genome-wide chromatin occupancy, and RNA-seq data from chicken cells infected with these viruses. The consistent observation of chp53 target gene enrichment in metabolic pathways, confirmed via ChIP-qPCR, suggests a ubiquitous regulation of host cellular metabolism by chp53 across different viruses. Further genome binding motif conservation analysis and transcriptional co-factor prediction suggest conserved transcriptional regulation mechanism by which chp53 regulates host cellular metabolism during viral infection. These findings offer novel insights into the antiviral role of chp53 and propose that targeting the virus-host metabolic interaction through regulating p53 could serve as a universal strategy for antiviral therapies in chickens.IMPORTANCEThe current study conducted a comprehensive analysis, comparing molecular networks underlying chp53’s antiviral role against infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J), and avian infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV). This was achieved through a combined assessment of ChIP-seq and RNA-seq data obtained from infected chicken cells. Notably, enrichment of chp53 target genes in metabolic pathways was consistently observed across viral infections, indicating a universal role of chp53 in regulating cellular metabolism during diverse viral infections. These findings offer novel insights into the antiviral capabilities of chicken p53, laying a foundation for the potential development of broad-spectrum antiviral therapies in chickens.

Cancer is widely regarded as a leading cause of death in humans, with colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) ranking among the most prevalent types. Cuproptosis is a novel form of cell death mediated by protein lipoylation. Cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) participate in tumourigenesis and development. Their role in pan-cancer and COAD require further investigation. This study comprehensively evaluated the relationship among CRGs, pan-cancer, and COAD. Our research revealed the differential expression of CRGs and the cuproptosis potential index (CPI) between normal and tumour tissues, and further explored the correlation of CRGs or CPI with prognosis, immune infiltration, tumor mutant burden(TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and drug sensitivity in pan-cancer. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that oxidative phosphorylation and fatty acid metabolism pathways were significantly enriched in the high CPI group of most tumours. FDX1 and CDKN2A were chosen for further exploration, and we found an independent association between FDX1 and CDKN2A and prognosis, immune infiltration, TMB, and MSI in pan-cancer. Furthermore, a prognostic risk model based on the association between CRGs and COAD was built, and the correlations between the risk score and prognosis, immune-related characteristics, and drug sensitivity were analysed. COAD was then divided into three subtypes using cluster analysis, and the differences among the subtypes in prognosis, CPI, immune-related characteristics, and drug sensitivity were determined. Due to the level of LIPT1 was notably positive related with the risk score, the cytological identification was carried out to identify the association of LIPT1 with proliferation and migration of colon cancer cells. In summary, CRGs can be used as potential prognostic biomarkers to predict immune infiltration levels in patients with pan-cancer. In addition, the risk model could more accurately predict the prognosis and immune infiltration levels of COAD and better guide the direction of clinical medication. Thus, FDX1, CDKN2A, and LIPT1 may serve as prospective new targets for cancer therapy.

NUAK2 is a member of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) family, which plays an essential role in cellular processes such as apoptosis, proliferation, and cell fate. Recent studies have already shown that silencing of NUAK2 blocks proliferation and promotes apoptosis of human melanoma cells and liver cancer cells. In addition, NUAK2 is involved in the development of glioblastoma via regulating the expression of cancer stem cell-related genes, and it promotes the cell cycle entry in the glioblastoma cells. However, the expression and the role of NUAK2 in the progress of peripheral nerve regeneration after injury are yet to be elucidated. We observed that NUAK2 was upregulated following distal sciatic nerve crush (SNC). Interestingly, we discovered that NUAK2 showed co-localization with S100 (Schwann cell marker). Furthermore, we found that the NUAK2 had a spatiotemporal protein expression, which was consistent with proliferating cell nuclear-antigen (PCNA). The protein level of NUAK2 and YAP was upregulated in the model of TNF-α-induced Schwann cell (SC) proliferation. Furthermore, flow cytometry analysis, CCK-8, transwell assays, and wound healing assays were all performed with the purpose of exploring the role of NUAK2 in the regulation of SC proliferation and migration. More importantly, we found that NUAK2-deficient SCs showed significantly reduced expression of Yes-associated protein (YAP). Bioinformatic analysis identified upstream regulators of NUAK2 and NUAK2-associated genes (e.g., YAP1). Finally, we investigated the recovery changes during regeneration progress through the walking track analysis. Thus, we speculated that NUAK2 was involved in biochemical and physiological responses of SCs after SNC via YAP-driven proliferation and migration, and this study determined the importance of NUAK2 as a potential target in peripheral nerve regeneration.

Understanding the differences in genetic variation between local Chinese dairy goat breeds and imported breeds can help germplasm innovation and molecular breeding. However, the research is limited in this area. In this study, whole-genome resequencing data from 134 individuals of both local and imported dairy goat breeds were analyzed, and their differences in genomic genetic variation, genetic diversity, and population structure were subsequently identified. We also screened candidate genes associated with important traits of dairy goats such as milk production (STK3, GHR, PRELID3B), reproduction (ATP5E), growth and development (CTSZ, GHR), and immune function (CTSZ, NELFCD). Furthermore, we examined allele frequency distributions for the genes of interest and found significant differences between the two populations. This study provides valuable resources for the study of genetic diversity in dairy goats and lays the foundation for the selective breeding of dairy goats in the future.

Abstract The effective exploitation of infeasible solutions plays a crucial role in addressing constrained multiobjective optimization problems (CMOPs). However, existing constrained multiobjective optimization evolutionary algorithms (CMOEAs) encounter challenges in effectively balancing objective optimization and constraint satisfaction, particularly when tackling problems with complex infeasible regions. Subsequent to the prior exploration, this paper proposes a novel tri-stage with reward-switching mechanism framework (TSRSM), including the push, pull, and repush stages. Each stage consists of two coevolutionary populations, namely $${\text {Pop}}_1$$ Pop 1 and $${\text {Pop}}_2$$ Pop 2 . Throughout the three stages, $${\text {Pop}}_1$$ Pop 1 is tasked with converging to the constrained Pareto front (CPF). However, $${\text {Pop}}_2$$ Pop 2 is assigned with distinct tasks: (i) converging to the unconstrained Pareto front (UPF) in the push stage; (ii) utilizing constraint relaxation technique to discover the CPF in the pull stage; and (iii) revisiting the search for the UPF through knowledge transfer in the repush stage. Additionally, a novel reward-switching mechanism (RSM) is employed to transition between different stages, considering the extent of changes in the convergence and diversity of populations. Finally, the experimental results on three benchmark test sets and 30 real-world CMOPs demonstrate that TSRSM achieves competitive performance when compared with nine state-of-the-art CMOEAs. The source code is available at https://github.com/Qu-jq/TSRSM .

Abstract Selective ion transport underpins fundamental biological processes for efficient energy conversion and signal propagation. Mimicking these ‘ionics’ in synthetic nanofluidic channels has been increasingly promising for realizing self-sustained systems by harvesting clean energy from diverse environments, such as light, moisture, salinity gradient, etc. Here, we report a spatially nanoconfined ion separation strategy that enables harvesting electricity from CO2 adsorption. This breakthrough relies on the development of Nanosheet-Agarose Hydrogel (NAH) composite-based generators, wherein the oppositely charged ions are released in water-filled hydrogel channels upon adsorbing CO2. By tuning the ion size and ion-channel interactions, the released cations at the hundred-nanometer scale are spatially confined within the hydrogel network, while ångström-scale anions pass through unhindered. This leads to near-perfect anion/cation separation across the generator with a selectivity (D-/D+) of up to 1.8 × 106, allowing conversion into external electricity. With amplification by connecting multiple as-designed generators, the ion separation-induced electricity reaching 5 V is used to power electronic devices. This study introduces an effective spatial nanoconfinement strategy for widely demanded high-precision ion separation, encouraging a carbon-negative technique with simultaneous CO2 adsorption and energy generation.

Abstract To verify the novel method of achieving a true-triaxial stress path with the pseudo-triaxial apparatus, a series of drained and undrained tests were carried out for the identical scheme with pseudo-triaxial apparatus and true-triaxial apparatus respectively. The differences between the two types of tests were quantified. The results show that the novel method effectively achieved the true-triaxial stress path by controlling the loading ratio of the pseudo-triaxial apparatus. The relationships of q − ε 1 and η − ε s measured by the two apparatuses had a higher similarity which decreases slightly with the b increase. When 0 ≤ b

Pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive malignancies, has no effective treatment due to the lack of targets and drugs related to tumour metastasis. SIRT6 can promote the migration of pancreatic cancer and could be a potential target for antimetastasis of pancreatic cancer. However, highly selective and potency SIRT6 inhibitor that can be used in vivo is yet to be discovered. Here, we developed a novel SIRT6 allosteric inhibitor, compound 11e, with maximal inhibitory potency and an IC50 value of 0.98 ± 0.13 μmol/L. Moreover, compound 11e exhibited significant selectivity against other histone deacetylases (HADC1‒11 and SIRT1‒3) at concentrations up to 100 μmol/L. The allosteric site and the molecular mechanism of inhibition were extensively elucidated by cocrystal complex structure and dynamic structural analyses. Importantly, we confirmed the antimetastatic function of such inhibitors in four pancreatic cancer cell lines as well as in two mouse models of pancreatic cancer liver metastasis. To our knowledge, this is the first study to reveal the in vivo effects of SIRT6 inhibitors on liver metastatic pancreatic cancer. It not only provides a promising lead compound for subsequent inhibitor development targeting SIRT6 but also provides a potential approach to address the challenge of metastasis in pancreatic cancer.

Research into new high-entropy alloys (HEAs) holds significant promise for advancing aerospace materials. Nevertheless, the complexity of their composition presents formidable challenges in designing HEAs with both high strength and plasticity. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used to explore the optimal composition combination of FeCoNiTi high-entropy alloys with non-equiatomic ratios. Shear modulus (G) characterizes strength, while stacking fault energy (SFE) characterizes plasticity and ductility. Through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, elastic constants (C11, C12, and C44) and generalized stacking fault energies (GSFEs) for 18 alloy variants were computed. Additionally, the elastic modulus (G, E, and B) for all components was estimated using the Voigt–Reuss–Hill (VRH) averaging method. Following standard guidelines, the composition for the FeCoNiTi alloy was predicted as Ni: 30%–60 %, Co: 30%–50 %, Fe: 5%–10 %, and Ti: 5%–10 %. Subsequently, five optimized variants underwent tensile calculations to identify the most suitable composition. The results indicate that the Fe0.05Co0.4Ni0.5Ti0.05 HEA exhibits the best combination of strength and plasticity. Microscopically, its enhanced plasticity is attributed to the twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) effect. While Fe0.1Co0.4Ni0.4Ti0.1 HEA does not outperform the other variants, it displays a martensitic transformation and deformation twins with increased strain, which are mechanisms not observed in other components. The study of non-equiatomic FeCoNiTi HEAs offers a theoretical foundation for future alloy development. This innovative alloy design method fosters the rapid development of high-performance HEAs, facilitating their rapid development and application.

Highlights γ-MnO2 loaded on N-doped biomass carbon from grapefruit peel is firstly developed. The splendid cathodic properties (e.g., coulombic efficiency: ~ 100%, energy density: 553.12 Wh kg−1) are gained. The biomass strategy guaranteed via cytotoxicity test shows a clinical potential. Zn-ion storage efficiency is boosted mainly by regulating Mn–O bond and Mn domains.

The existing open-source infrared dim and small target dataset have limited data capacity and insufficient scenarios. To improve the generalization and robustness of the network, it is usually needed to establish a new dataset for the specific application scenario. When using the conventional training method in the new dataset, there are problems such as low target-to-background proportion in full-sized images, inaccurate labels due to nonexpert annotators, and inadequate diversity of data, which affect the training efficiency and network performance. This article proposes a training strategy based on the newly established dataset to overcome these problems. Specifically, small-sized image transfer learning is proposed to increase the small target proportion, shorten training time, and improve training efficiency. Moreover, a label refinement method based on loss evaluation metrics is adopted to reduce the impact of inaccurate labeling on network training. In addition, an iterative training method is proposed by supplementing new false alarm and miss detection data into the dataset between each iteration to further improve the training performance. The experiments are carried out and the results show that the above method can effectively shorten training time, improve training efficiency and performance of infrared dim and small target detection networks.

The energy limit would abbreviate the lifetime of sweep coverage network. Wireless charging technology might be the best way to extend the lifetime of sweep coverage networks, as sensors are required to constantly move to ensure periodic target coverage. This paper studies the sweep coverage facilitated by rechargeable sensors, which persistently navigate between target nodes and charging stations to fulfill the periodic coverage demands of the targets while ensuring they return to the charging stations before their energy runs out. This paper firstly proposes a general definition of the Chargeable Sweep Coverage (CSC) problem, and studies the CSC problem by examining various constraints. We also propose one CSC problem subject to a special constraint where the sensors must return to their initial charging stations to recharge. The CSC problem under constrain is also NP-hard. In this paper, the problem is modeled as Maximum nodes inclusion problem with unbound candidate paths. We discuss the effective paths of the problems by situation, bound the candidate paths to certain lengths using discretization technology, and employ existing approximation algorithms to get the approximation solutions. When the charging period is greater than the sweep period, we get a $\frac {2}{5}$ -approximation algorithm. For the opposite, we get $\frac {1}{6}$ -approximation algorithms for it. The validity and scalability of the proposed algorithms are proved by theoretical proofs and experimental simulations.

Although the underwater optical communication system (UWOC) plays an important role in many marine applications, the acquisition, pointing and tracking (APT) problems are still great challenges in a long or turbid water channel. The Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and the space-time block coding (STBC) technologies have been introduced in UWOC systems to improve spectral efficiency and data transmission reliability. On these foundations, a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) mode is proposed and verified in this article to reduce the alignment requirement. In experiments, two sets of 450 nm blue laser diodes (LDs) and PIN photodiodes are selected as light sources and receivers, and then parallel light beams are generated and modulated using an Alamouti coding for its anti-interference ability. The receiving plane is rotated to simulate the various alignment situations, and the system performance of MIMO-OFDM and single-input single-output OFDM (SISO-OFDM) are compared in tap water and turbid water. The results show that the spatial diversity in MIMO can extend the communication range and its single-sided maximum detection angle range is 92% and 112% higher than the SISO system, respectively.

Abstract Osteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most prevalent bone tumors in adolescents, and the correlation between aging and OS remains unclear. Currently, few accurate and reliable biomarkers have been determined for OS prognosis. To address this issue, we carried out a detailed bioinformatics analysis based on OS with data from the Cancer Genome Atlas data portal and Human Aging Genomic Resources database, as well as in vitro experiments. A total of 88 OS samples with gene expression profiles and corresponding clinical characteristics were obtained. Through univariate Cox regression analysis and survival analysis, 10 aging-associated survival lncRNAs (AASRs) were identified to be associated with the overall survival of OS patients. Based on the expression levels of the 10 AASRs, the OS patients were classified into two clusters (Cluster A and Cluster B). Cluster A had a worse prognosis, while Cluster B had a better prognosis. Then, 5 AASRs were ultimately included in the signature through least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-Cox regression analysis. Kaplan‒Meier survival analysis verified that the high-risk group exhibited a worse prognosis than the low-risk group. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses confirmed that the riskScore was an independent prognostic factor for OS patients. Subsequently, we discovered that the risk signature was correlated with the properties of the tumor microenvironment and immune cell infiltration. Specifically, there was a positive association between the risk model and naïve B cells, resting dendritic cells and gamma delta T cells, while it was negatively related to CD8+ T cells. Finally, in vitro experiments, we found that UNC5B-AS1 inhibited OS cells from undergoing cellular senescence and apoptosis, thereby promoting OS cells proliferation. In conclusion, we constructed and verified a 5 AASR-based signature, that exhibited excellent performance in evaluating the overall survival of OS patients. In addition, we found that UNC5B-AS1 might inhibit the senescence process, thus leading to the development and progression of OS. Our findings may provide novel insights into the treatment of OS patients.

Abstract Among today’s nonvolatile memories, ferroelectric-based capacitors, tunnel junctions and field-effect transistors (FET) are already industrially integrated and/or intensively investigated to improve their performances. Concurrently, because of the tremendous development of artificial intelligence and big-data issues, there is an urgent need to realize high-density crossbar arrays, a prerequisite for the future of memories and emerging computing algorithms. Here, a two-terminal ferroelectric fin diode (FFD) in which a ferroelectric capacitor and a fin-like semiconductor channel are combined to share both top and bottom electrodes is designed. Such a device not only shows both digital and analog memory functionalities but is also robust and universal as it works using two very different ferroelectric materials. When compared to all current nonvolatile memories, it cumulatively demonstrates an endurance up to 1010 cycles, an ON/OFF ratio of ~102, a feature size of 30 nm, an operating energy of ~20 fJ and an operation speed of 100 ns. Beyond these superior performances, the simple two-terminal structure and their self-rectifying ratio of ~ 104 permit to consider them as new electronic building blocks for designing passive crossbar arrays which are crucial for the future in-memory computing.

The continuous increase in the output of Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets leads to the increasing consumption of rare earth (RE) metals of Nd, Pr, Tb and Dy. As a result, a serious unbalanced utilization of RE resource occurs. To reduce the use of these critical REs, high abundance REs of Y, La, Ce and even Gd and Ho have been proposed to partly substitute Pr and Nd in sintered magnets and rapid-quenched nanocrystalline magnetic powders. Recently, the cost-effective RE-Fe-B magnets without Nd, Pr, Tb and Dy have also been developed. This type of magnet is preliminarily designed to bridge the magnetic properties gap between hard ferrites and bonded Nd-Fe-B magnets, which shows the potential applications in voice coil motor, spindle motors and magnetic resonance imaging systems. This review summarizes the progress of RE-Fe-B-type magnets containing no Nd, Pr, Dy and Tb based on the world-wide investigations and our recent findings. The fundamentals of intrinsic magnetic properties of Y, La, Ce based RE2Fe14B phases are introduced first. The relationship between magnetic properties and microstructure of rapidly quenched and bulk RE-Fe-B magnets with nanocrystalline structure is then emphatically discussed. Hard magnetic properties and performance/cost ratio of various RE-Fe-B alloy systems are summarized and compared. Furthermore, the current discoveries and the existing challenges are discussed. Some potential strategies for the future research in this field are finally proposed.

Surgery remains a primary treatment for esophageal cancer. As the field has progressed from open esophagectomy (OE) to minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) and further to robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE), not only has the surgeon's understanding and perception of the disease deepened, but the advancements in operative techniques have also led to improved post-operative recovery and oncological outcomes for patients. The esophageal surgery team at the National Cancer Center Hospital has elevated RAMIE to a new theoretical and practical level with their technique: esophageal cancer surgery with four-arm robotic esophagectomy with total mediastinal lymphadenectomy (RETML-4), rooted in the robotically enhanced surgical anatomy (RESA) philosophy. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the conceptual foundation and operative process of this innovative surgical approach.

The reduction in compressive strength (CS) of cementitious composites incorporating waste plastic is the main concern limiting its applicability in the building sector. Using industrial wastes as cement substitutes to enhance the CS of plastic mortar is a sustainable approach. This study used fine powdered waste materials such as silica fume (SF), marble powder (MP), and glass powder (GP) in plastic-based mortar for their effectiveness in enhancing CS. Plastic mortar specimens were cast using plastic waste in 5–25 % contents as sand replacement by mass, and their 28-day CS was recorded as a reference. SF, GP, and MP were utilized in plastic mortar mixtures separately in proportions of 5–25 %, with a 5 % increment, substituting cement by mass. These waste powders were also used in combinations of two (SF+GP, SF+MP, and GP+MP) and three (SF+GP+MP) in plastic mortar mixtures. Moreover, prediction models were built using the experimental database for the CS of plastic mortar. Gradient boosting and bagging ensemble machine learning (ML) techniques were chosen for model development. The decrease in CS was limited by substituting SF, GP, and MP for cement in plastic mortar. It was determined that the most effective substitution levels for SF, GP, and MP in plastic mortar, according to the strength enhancement, were 15, 10, and 15 wt.% of cement, respectively. The ML models closely matched experimental results, and in terms of R2 and error evaluations, bagging model outputs were more accurate than gradient boosting. The gradient boosting and bagging models had R2 of 0.89 and 0.94, respectively, with average absolute errors of 0.87 and 0.65 MPa.

Objective To comprehensively assess the dose-response association between dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk.Methods PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang, and VIP databases were searched up to May 29, 2024. Studies with at least three exposure categories were included. Dose-response analysis was also performed when covariates were adjusted in the included studies.Results Thirteen studies involving 39,720 pregnant women were included. A linear relationship was found between GI and the risk of GDM (χ2 = 4.77, Pnon-linearity = .0923). However, association was not significant (χ2 = 0.06, p = .8000). For every unit increase in GI (range 0–30), GDM risk increased by 0.29%. After adjusting for covariates, the linear relationship persisted (χ2 = 4.95, Pnon-linearity = .084) with no significant association (χ2 = 0.08, p = .7775). For GL, a linear relationship was also found (χ2 = 4.17, Pnon-linearity =.1245), but GL was not significantly associated with GDM risk (χ2 = 2.63, p = .1049). The risk of GDM increased by 0.63% per unit increase in GL. After covariate adjustment, a significant association was observed (χ2 = 6.28, p = .0122).Conclusion No significant association between GI and GDM risk was found. After adjusting for covariates, GL shows a significant association with GDM risk. Our findings emphasize the importance of considering dietary GL in managing the risk of GDM. Future research should continue to explore these relationships with standardized diagnostic criteria and robust adjustment for potential confounders.

To ameliorate the diminished antimicrobial efficiency and physiological stability associated with monomeric antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) molecules, future research will focus on the artificial design of self-assembling peptides to replace monomeric entities, aiming to combat the antibiotic resistance crisis caused by microbial infections. In this study, the “bola” structure was used as the foundational architecture driving molecular self-assembly, with hydrophobic amino acids at the termini to anchor and finely adjust the sequence, thereby organizing a range of novel multidomain peptides (MDPs) templates into an ABA block motif. The results indicate that FW2 (GMSI = 53.94) exhibits the highest selectivity index among all MDPs and can form spherical micelles in an aqueous medium without the addition of any exogenous additives. FW2 exhibited high stability in vitro in the presence of physiological salt ions, serum, and various pH conditions. It exhibited excellent biocompatibility and efficacy both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, FW2 strongly interacts with the lipid membrane and employs various synergistic mechanisms, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, collectively driving cellular apoptosis. This study demonstrates a straightforward strategy for designing self-assembling peptides and promotes the advancement of peptide-based biomaterials integration progress with nanotechnology.

The development of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines has made substantive progress, as represented by the approval of five prophylactic vaccines since 2006. Generally, the deployment of prophylactic HPV vaccines is effective in preventing newly acquired infections and incidences of HPV-related malignancies. However, there is still a long way to go regarding the prevention of all HPV infections and the eradication of established HPV infections, as well as the subsequent progression to cancer. Optimizing prophylactic HPV vaccines by incorporating L1 proteins from more HPV subtypes, exploring adjuvants that reinforce cellular immune responses to eradicate HPV-infected cells, and developing therapeutic HPV vaccines used either alone or in combination with other cancer therapeutic modalities might bring about a new era getting closer to the vision to get rid of HPV infection and related diseases. Herein, we summarize strategies for the development of HPV vaccines, both prophylactic and therapeutic, with an emphasis on the selection of antigens and adjuvants, as well as implications for vaccine efficacy based on preclinical studies and clinical trials. Additionally, we outline current cutting-edge insights on formulation strategies, dosing schedules, and age expansion among HPV vaccine recipients, which might play important roles in addressing barriers to vaccine uptake, such as vaccine hesitancy and vaccine availability.

The accountability audit of natural resources (AANR) is a major institutional arrangement for advancing the construction of an ecological civilization in China. Based on the panel data of 271 cities in China from 2005 to 2017, this paper investigates the relationship between the AANR and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions using a multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) model. The results show that AANR significantly increases the CO2 emission reduction rate by 0.009 units at the 5% significance level. The results still hold after a series of robustness tests. Given all else being equal, this significant effect is 0.001. Further analyses show that AANR improves pilot cities’ CO2 emission reduction rates mainly by enhancing their green innovation capability. The mediating effect of cities’ green technology innovation capability accounts for 96.00%, while the AANR’s direct effect only accounts for 4.00%. The AANR has significantly positive effects of 0.017% and 0.029% for western cities and cities with high fiscal pressure at the 5% and 1% significance levels, respectively. Therefore, strengthening AANR implementation by enhancing the mediating efficiency of cities’ green technology innovations and implementing dynamically differentiated AANR policies in Chinese meso-cities will contribute to the achievement of China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality targets.

Background: Long-term air pollution exposure is a major health concern, yet its associations with thyroid dysfunction (hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism) and biological aging remain unclear. We aimed to determine the association of long-term air pollution exposure with thyroid dysfunction and to investigate the potential roles of biological aging. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 432,340 participants with available data on air pollutants including particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10, and PM2.5-10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitric oxide (NO) from the UK Biobank. An air pollution score was calculated using principal component analysis to reflect joint exposure to these pollutants. Biological aging was assessed using the Klemera-Doubal method biological age and the phenotypic age algorithms. The associations of individual and joint air pollutants with thyroid dysfunction were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The roles of biological aging were explored using interaction and mediation analyses. Results: During a median follow-up of 12.41 years, 1,721 (0.40 %) and 9,296 (2.15 %) participants developed hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, respectively. All air pollutants were observed to be significantly associated with an increased risk of incident hypothyroidism, while PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 were observed to be significantly associated with an increased risk of incident hyperthyroidism. The hazard ratios (HRs) for hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism were 1.15 (95 % confidence interval: 1.00–1.32) and 1.15 (1.08–1.22) for individuals in the highest quartile compared with those in the lowest quartile of air pollution score, respectively. Additionally, we noticed that individuals with higher pollutant levels and biologically older generally had a higher risk of incident thyroid dysfunction. Moreover, accelerated biological aging partially mediated 1.9 %–9.4 % of air pollution-associated thyroid dysfunction. Conclusions: Despite the possible underestimation of incident thyroid dysfunction, long-term air pollution exposure may increase the risk of incident thyroid dysfunction, particularly in biologically older participants, with biological aging potentially involved in the mechanisms.

Environmental pollution is widespread and poses significant risks to both human populations and diverse animal species. As part of conservation initiatives, many endangered animals are housed in zoos and breeding centers close to human activities, potentially exposing them to health threats arising from environmental contamination, such as mercury (Hg). By analyzing non-invasive fecal samples from 13 Chinese zoos, we assessed total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in two non-human primate species: the endangered species golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana), and the most widely distributed rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). The concentration of THg in golden snub-nosed monkeys (mean ± s.d.: 76.7 ± 35.6 ng/g; median: 71.8 ng/g, range: 11.2–200.0 ng/g, n = 71) was significantly higher than that in rhesus macaques (mean ± s.d.: 32.3 ± 54.7 ng/g; median: 17.5 ng/g, range: 7.4–409.0 ng/g, n = 98). No significant differences were observed in both MeHg and MeHg % between these two species. Age and sex did not predict fecal Hg. Among adults, approximately 85 % of sampled individuals exhibited hazard quotient (HQ) values exceeding 1, indicating mercury poses a health risk to captive primate populations. The average HQ for golden snub-nosed monkeys was 2.98 ± 1.68 (range: 0.46–8.21, n = 43), while for rhesus macaques was 1.84 ± 1.64 (range: 0.61–12.49, n = 71). Our findings suggest that conservation efforts for captive primates may be compromised by Hg pollution, particularly in golden snub-nosed monkeys. Further investigation and ongoing biomonitoring from an ecotoxicological perspective, are crucial to ensuring the health of captive primate populations.