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Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are a critical influencing factor in sludge dewatering. Disrupting such EPS contributes to the release of bound water in sludge, enhancing the sludge dewatering performance. In This study, quaternized straw fibers that are destructive to the EPS structure and components in active sludge were prepared useing heterogeneous free radical graft polymerization. Straw fibers, dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride (DMDAAC), ammonium persulfate (APS), and acrylamide (AM) were taken as the substrate, grafting monomer, catalyst, and cross-linking agent, respectively.The optimal processing conditions determined for the DMDAAC-based quaternization and graft modification of straw fibers were as follows: reaction temperature of 60 °C, reaction time of 5 h, 0.100 g of catalyst APS dosage per gram of straw, and 3.000 ml of DMDAAC dosage per gram of straw. The optimal processing conditions yielded 1.335 g of modified straw fibers per gram of straw, 33.67% grafting rate, and 31.70% substitution of the quaternary ammonium groups. The capillary suction time (CST) was conditioned from 243.3 ± 22.6 s in the original sludge to 134.5 ± 34.45 s. The specific resistance to filtration (SRF) was reduced from 8.82 ± 0.51 × 1012 m/kg in the original sludge to 4.59 ± 0.23 × 1012 m/kg. HIGHLIGHTS Modification of straw fiber by quaternary amination grafting can improve sludge dewatering performance.; Modified straw fiber improves sludge dewatering capacity by absorbing EPS.; Modified straw fiber can damage the stability of sludge floc.; Modified straw fiber provides a skeleton structure in the sludge for water removal from the sludge.;

Tumor-associated macrophages play an important role in the tumor immune microenvironment, and regulating the function of tumor-associated macrophages has important therapeutic potential in tumor therapy. Mature macrophages could migrate to the tumor microenvironment, influencing multiple factors such as tumor cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis, extracellular matrix remodeling, immune suppression, and drug resistance. As a major component of the tumor microenvironment, tumor-associated macrophages crosstalk with other immune cells. Currently, tumor-associated macrophages have garnered considerable attention in tumor therapy, broadening the spectrum of drug selection to some extent, thereby aiding in mitigating the prevailing clinical drug resistance dilemma. This article summarizes the recent advances in tumor-associated macrophages concerning immunology, drug targeting mechanisms for tumor-associated macrophages treatment, new developments, and existing challenges, offering insights for future therapeutic approaches. In addition, this paper summarized the impact of tumor-associated macrophages on current clinical therapies, discussed the advantages and disadvantages of targeted tumor-associated macrophages therapy compared with existing tumor therapies, and predicted and discussed the future role of targeted tumor-associated macrophages therapy and the issues that need to be focused on.

Abstract Identifying potential prognostic factors of CSM patients could improve doctors’ clinical decision-making ability. The study retrospectively collected the baseline data of population characteristics, clinical symptoms, physical examination, neurological function and quality of life scores of patients with CSM based on the clinical big data research platform. The modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) score and SF-36 score from the short-term follow-up data were entered into the cluster analysis to characterize postoperative residual symptoms and quality of life. Four clusters were yielded representing different patterns of residual symptoms and quality of patients’ life. Patients in cluster 2 (mJOA RR 55.8%) and cluster 4 (mJOA RR 55.8%) were substantially improved and had better quality of life. The influencing factors for the better prognosis of patients in cluster 2 were young age (50.1 ± 11.8), low incidence of disabling claudication (5.0%) and pathological signs (63.0%), and good preoperative SF36-physiological function score (73.1 ± 24.0) and mJOA socre (13.7 ± 2.8); and in cluster 4 the main influencing factor was low incidence of neck and shoulder pain (11.7%). We preliminarily verified the reliability of the clustering results with the long-term follow-up data and identified the preoperative features that were helpful to predict the prognosis of the patients. This study provided reference and research basis for further study with a larger sample data, extracting more patient features, selecting more follow-up nodes, and improving clustering algorithm.

Forskolin (FSK) is a potent adenylate cyclase activator and may display endocrine-disruptive effects via the disruption of steroidogenesis. Here, we tested this hypothesis by use of the in vitro H295R steroidogenesis assay and the in vivo long-term medaka (Oryzias latipes) exposure assay. The results from the H295R assay demonstrated that the transcriptional levels of a series of genes involved in steroidogenesis, including HSD3B2, CYP11A, CYP11B2, CYP17, CYP19, and CYP21, were remarkably up-regulated. Meanwhile, the productions of estrogens (17β-estradiol (17β-E2) and estrone (E1)) and progestins (progesterone (PGT) and 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-HPT)) were significantly increased, and those of androgens (androstenedione (ADD) and testosterone (TTR)) were significantly inhibited. After waterborne exposure of medaka to FSK for 100 days, the gene expressions of HMGR, HSD17B1, CYP17B, CYP19A, and CYP21A were significantly enhanced in the gonads of male medaka. 17β-E2 was remarkably induced, although without statistical significance. In addition, the biomarker genes for estrogenicity, including VTG-I, VTG-II, CHG-H, and CHG-L, were significantly induced in male medaka livers. Pathological damage to their gonads was further identified. Therefore, the results demonstrated that FSK modulates the transcriptions of steroidogenesis genes and alters hormone levels in vitro and in vivo, which is a mark of endocrine disruption in organisms.

This study introduces a novel satellite image digital surface model (DSM) reconstruction framework grounded in deep learning methodology. The proposed framework effectively utilizes a rational polynomial camera (RPC) model to establish the mapping relationship between image coordinates and geographic coordinates. Given the expansive coverage and abundant ground object data inherent in satellite images, we designed a lightweight deep network model. This model facilitates both coarse and fine estimation of a height map through two distinct stages. Our approach harnesses shallow and deep image information via a feature extraction module, subsequently employing RPC Warping to construct feature volumes for various angles. We employ variance as a similarity metric to achieve image matching and derive the fused cost volume. Following this, we aggregate cost information across different scales and height directions using a regularization module. This process yields the confidence level of the current height plane, which is then regressed to predict the height map. Once the height map from stage 1 is obtained, we gauge the prediction’s uncertainty based on the variance in the probability distribution in the height direction. This allows us to adjust the height estimation range according to this uncertainty, thereby enabling precise height value prediction in stage 2. After conducting geometric consistency detection filtering of fine height maps from diverse viewpoints, we generate 3D point clouds through the inverse projection of RPC models. Finally, we resample these 3D point clouds to produce high-precision DSM products. By analyzing the results of our method’s height map predictions and comparing them with existing deep learning-based reconstruction methods, we assess the DSM reconstruction performance of our proposed framework. The experimental findings underscore the robustness of our method against discontinuous regions, occlusions, uneven illumination areas in satellite imagery, and weak texture regions during height map generation. Furthermore, the reconstructed digital surface model (DSM) surpasses existing solutions in terms of completeness and root mean square error metrics while concurrently reducing the model parameters by 42.93%. This optimization markedly diminishes memory usage, thereby conserving both software and hardware resources as well as system overhead. Such savings pave the way for a more efficient system design and development process.

Abstract Head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSC) induces high cancer-related death worldwide. The biomarker screening on diagnosis and prognosis is of great importance. This research is aimed to explore the specific diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for HNSC through bioinformatics analysis. The mutation and dysregulation data were acquired from UCSC Xena and TCGA databases. The top ten genes with mutation frequency in HNSC were TP53 (66%), TTN (35%), FAT1 (21%), CDKN2A (20%), MUC16 (17%), CSMD3 (16%), PIK3CA (16%), NOTCH1 (16%), SYNE1 (15%), LRP1B (14%). A total of 1,060 DEGs were identified, with 396 up-regulated and 665 downregulated in HNSC patients. Patients with lower expression of ACTN2 (P = 0.039, HR = 1.3), MYH1 (P = 0.005, HR = 1.5), MYH2 (P = 0.035, HR = 1.3), MYH7 (P = 0.053, HR = 1.3), and NEB (P = 0.0043, HR = 1.5) exhibit longer overall survival time in HNSC patients. The main DEGs were further analyzed by pan-cancer expression and immune cell infiltration analyses. MYH1, MYH2, and MYH7 were dysregulated in the cancers. Compared with HNSC, their expression levels are lower in the other types of cancers. MYH1, MYH2, and MYH7 were expected to be the specific diagnostic and prognostic molecular biomarkers of HNSC. All five DEGs have a significant positive correlation with CD4+T cells and macrophages.

The feedback stabilization problem for nonlinear discrete-time systems with a reduced-order observer is investigated, in which the nonlinear terms of the systems satisfy the quasi-one-sided Lipschitz condition. First, a discrete-time reduced-order observer for nonlinear systems is designed. Then, a feedback controller with a reduced-order observer is designed for realizing the stabilization of nonlinear discrete-time systems. We prove that the design of a feedback controller and reduced-order observer of systems can be carried out independently in the case of discrete-time with nonlinear terms, which largely reduces the computational complexity of the observer and controller. The introduction of the quasi-one-sided Lipschitz condition simultaneously enhances the robustness and stability of nonlinear control systems. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed design approach is verified by a numerical simulation.

The removal of toxic heavy metal ions from wastewater is of great significance in the protection of the environment and human health. Poly(gamma-glutamic acid) (PGA) is a non-toxic, biodegradable, and highly water-soluble polymer possessing carboxyl and imino functional groups. Herein, water-insoluble PGA-based hydrogels were prepared, characterized, and investigated as heavy metal adsorbents. The prepared hydrogels were recyclable and exhibited good adsorption effects on heavy metal ions including Cu2+, Cr6+, and Zn2+. The effects of adsorption parameters including temperature, solution pH, initial concentration of metal ions, and contact time on the adsorption capacity of the hydrogel for Cu2+ were investigated. The adsorption was a spontaneous and exothermic process. The process followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model, implying a physical and monolayer adsorption. The adsorption mechanisms investigation exhibited that Cu2+ adsorbed on the hydrogel via electrostatic interactions with anionic carboxylate groups of PGA in addition to the coordination interactions with the –NH groups. Importantly, the PGA hydrogel exhibited good reusability and the adsorption capability for Cu2+ remained high after five consecutive cycles. The properties of PGA hydrogel make it a potential candidate material for heavy metal ion removal in wastewater treatment.

Mirtazapine is a commonly prescribed antidepressant and has been found widespread in aquatic environments. However, its toxicities to aquatic organisms has rarely been explored. Herein, we conducted a comprehensive study on the developmental effects of mirtazapine on early life stages of zebrafish at environmentally relevant concentrations (3.9 ng/L and 43.5 ng/L). Out of the endpoints measured, spontaneous contraction of embryos at 24 h post fertilization (hpf) and hatching rate and heart rate of embryos at 50 hpf and 56 hpf, respectively, were significantly affected. In light-dark transition behavior test, mirtazapine significantly reduced the swimming frequency and swimming speed of embryos at both concentrations of 3.9 ng/L and 43.5 ng/L. Furthermore, the total swimming distances in dark conditions were also significantly reduced. Transcriptomic analysis was further conducted. It demonstrated that the decreased neural activities in embryos may be associated with altered epinephrine and neuregulin signaling. The present results fill a data gap regarding the exposure of fish to mirtazapine at environmentally relevant concentrations and provide new insights into the neurotoxic mechanisms of mirtazapine exposure.

Objective To report concave-side distraction technique to treat congenital cervical scoliosis in lower cervical and cervicothoracic spine. To evaluate and compare clinical and radiographic results of this procedure with classic hemivertebra resection procedure. Methods This study reviewed 29 patients in last 13 years. These patients were divided into convex-side resection group (group R) and concave-side distraction group (group D). Radiographic assessment was based on parameter changes preoperatively, postoperatively and at last follow-up. Demographic data, surgical data and complications were also evaluated and compared between the 2 groups. Results In group R, mean age was 8.9 ± 3.3 years and follow-up was 46 ± 18 months. Operation time and blood loss averaged 500 ± 100 minutes, 703 ± 367 mL. In group D, mean age was 9.9 ± 2.8 years and follow-up was 34 ± 14 months. Operation time and blood loss averaged 501 ± 112 minutes, 374 ± 181 mL. Structural Cobb angle was corrected from 29.4° ± 12.5° to 5.3° (2.1°–18.1°) (p = 0.001) and 33.7° ± 14.1° to 12.8° ± 11.4° (p < 0.001) in groups R and D. Compensatory Cobb angle had a spontaneous correction rate of 59.6% (40.0%–80.8%) and 59.7% ± 23.0% in groups R and D. Mandibular incline, clavicle angle and spine coronal balance were significantly improved at last follow-up in both groups. All correction rates were not statistically different between groups. However, group D had significant less blood loss (p < 0.001) and operation time (p = 0.004) per vertebra than group R. Seven patients developed C5 nerve root palsy and recovered by 6 months of follow-up. Conclusion Both surgical procedures are safe and effective in correcting congenital cervical scoliosis. But concave-side distraction technique has less blood loss and time-consuming during surgery, which provides a better option for the treatment of congenital cervical scoliosis.

Over a third of the global chemical production and sales occurred in China, which make effective assessment and management for chemicals produced by China’s chemical industry essential not just for China but for the world. Here, we systematical assessed the persistence (P), bioaccumulation (B), mobility (M) and toxicity (T) potency properties for the chemicals listed in Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances of China (IECSC) via experimental data retrieved from large scale databases and in silico data generated with well-established models. Potential PBT, PMT and PB&MT substances were identified. High risk potentials were highlighted for groups of synthetic intermediates, raw materials, as well as a series of biocides. The potential PBT and PMT synthetic intermediates and/or raw materials unique to the IECSC were dominated with organofluorines, for example, the intermediates used as electronic light-emitting materials. Meanwhile, the biocides unique to the IECSC were mainly organochlorines. Some conventional classes of insecticides, such as organochlorines and pyrethroids, were classified as being of high concern. We further identified a group of PB&MT substances that were considered to be both “bioaccumulative” and “mobile”. Their properties and common substructures for several major clusters were characterized. The present results prioritized groups of substances with high potentials to cause adverse effects to the environment and humans, many of which have not yet been fully recognized.

Abstract Background EphrinA (EFNA) are Eph receptor ligands that regulate various disease processes. Nonetheless, the expression characteristics of EFNAs in pan-cancer, their relationship with tumor immune microenvironment, and prognostic value landscape remain unknown. Methods A comprehensive landscape of EFNAs was created using various statistical data extracted from 33 cancers. Subsequently, we identified differential expression, genetic variations, potential function enrichment, tumor immune-related analysis, and drug sensitivity. Further, we investigated the clinical features and diagnostic prognostic value of EFNAs. RT-qPCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to validate the expression level and significant clinical value of EFNA5 in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines and tissues. Results EFNAs were highly mutated in various cancers. Genomic and epigenetic alterations of EFNAs were observed in various tumors, where an oncogenic mutation in specific cancer types potentially affected EFNA expression. Moreover, tumor-derived EFNAs were significantly related to the tumor immune microenvironment, suggesting that they are promising therapeutic targets. The majority of EFNA family genes were significantly linked to patient prognosis. Eventually, EFNA5 was an independent prognostic factor in lung adenocarcinoma. Conclusion In summary, EFNAs are crucial in tumor immune regulation, and EFNA5 is a prognostic marker in lung adenocarcinoma. Our findings provide new insights into EFNAs from a bioinformatics standpoint and highlight the significance of EFNAs in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Hypersecretory malignant cells underlie therapeutic resistance, metastasis, and poor clinical outcomes. However, the molecular basis for malignant hypersecretion remains obscure. Here, we showed that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) initiates exocytic and endocytic vesicular trafficking programs in lung cancer. The EMT-activating transcription factor zinc finger E-box–binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) executed a PI4KIIIβ-to-PI4KIIα (PI4K2A) dependency switch that drove PI4P synthesis in the Golgi and endosomes. EMT enhanced the vulnerability of lung cancer cells to PI4K2A small-molecule antagonists. PI4K2A formed a MYOIIA-containing protein complex that facilitated secretory vesicle biogenesis in the Golgi, thereby establishing a hypersecretory state involving osteopontin (SPP1) and other prometastatic ligands. In the endosomal compartment, PI4K2A accelerated recycling of SPP1 receptors to complete an SPP1-dependent autocrine loop and interacted with HSP90 to prevent lysosomal degradation of AXL receptor tyrosine kinase, a driver of cell migration. These results show that EMT coordinates exocytic and endocytic vesicular trafficking to establish a therapeutically actionable hypersecretory state that drives lung cancer progression.

Geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite orbit position resources have been scarce for a long time.The development of giant low-orbit satellite constellations has made the low-orbit resources unprecedentedly scarce.As a compromise between GEO and low earth orbit (LEO) constellations, the medium earth orbit (MEO) constellation will surely become a battle field for all countries.Referring to various MEO constellations in the world and our national conditions, a (6+4) MEO constellation was proposed.STK (Satellite Tool Kit) was used to simulate and analyze the constellation coverage performance, inter-satellite link characteristics, gateway site selection and coverage performance.Inter-orbit communication was realized through ground station relay, effectively avoiding various problems through inter-satellite links.The system was more simple and steady.It's much valuable in strategy in the circumstance of global low-orbit resources scarce.

Abstract Although cyanide’s biological effects are pleiotropic, its most obvious effects are as a metabolic poison. Cyanide potently inhibits cytochrome c oxidase and potentially other metabolic enzymes, thereby unleashing a cascade of metabolic perturbations that are believed to cause lethality. From systematic screens of human metabolites using a zebrafish model of cyanide toxicity, we have identified the TCA-derived small molecule glyoxylate as a potential cyanide countermeasure. Following cyanide exposure, treatment with glyoxylate in both mammalian and non-mammalian animal models confers resistance to cyanide toxicity with greater efficacy and faster kinetics than known cyanide scavengers. Glyoxylate-mediated cyanide resistance is accompanied by rapid pyruvate consumption without an accompanying increase in lactate concentration. Lactate dehydrogenase is required for this effect which distinguishes the mechanism of glyoxylate rescue as distinct from countermeasures based solely on chemical cyanide scavenging. Our metabolic data together support the hypothesis that glyoxylate confers survival at least in part by reversing the cyanide-induced redox imbalances in the cytosol and mitochondria. The data presented herein represent the identification of a potential cyanide countermeasure operating through a novel mechanism of metabolic modulation.

Nafion by-product 2 (Nafion BP2), an emerging fluorinated sulfonic acid commonly used in polymer electrolyte membrane technologies, has been detected in various environmental and human matrices. To date, however, few studies have explored its toxicity. In this study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to Nafion BP2 at concentrations of 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, and 160 mg/L from fertilization to 120 post-fertilization (hpf), and multiple developmental parameters (survival rate, hatching rate, and malformation rate) were then determined. Results showed that Nafion BP2 exposure led to a significant decrease in survival and hatching rates and an increase in malformations. The half maximal effective concentration (EC50) of Nafion BP2 for malformation at 120 hpf was 55 mg/L, which is higher than the globally important contaminant perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS, 6 mg/L). Furthermore, exposure to Nafion BP2 resulted in additional types of malformations compared to PFOS exposure. Pathologically, Nafion BP2 caused abnormal early foregut development, with exfoliation of intestinal mucosa, damage to lamina propria, and aberrant proliferation of lamina propria cells. Nitric oxide content also decreased markedly. In addition, embryos showed an inflammatory response following Nafion BP2 exposure, with significantly increased levels of pro-inflammatory factors C4 and IL-6. Acidic mucin in the hindgut increased more than two-fold. 16 S rRNA sequencing revealed a marked increase in the pathogen Pseudomonas otitidis. Furthermore, pathways involved in intestinal protein digestion and absorption, inflammatory response, and immune response were significantly altered. Our findings suggest that the intestine is a crucial toxicity target of Nafion BP2 in zebrafish, thus highlighting the need to evaluate its health risks.

Nadja Brun et al. characterize the impact of early exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls on neural development and behavior in zebrafish. Their results demonstrate that developmental exposure to these chemicals promotes sensory deficits and disrupts dopaminergic and GABAergic signaling in larval zebrafish, suggesting that these chemicals may also contribute to neurodevelopmental abnormalities in humans.

As a widely used plasticizer and fire retardant, tri-o-cresyl phosphate has been commonly found in global water sources, sediments and biota. However, its potential toxicity to aquatic organisms is not fully understood. Here, we assessed its developmental effects by use of a zebrafish (Danio rerio) model at tri-o-cresyl phosphate concentrations between 0.15 and 88.5 μg/L. Diverse impairments of zebrafish embryos, such as altered morphological and physical characteristics and locomotor behaviors, were observed at different tri-o-cresyl phosphate concentrations. Furthermore, swimming behaviors were significantly inhibited at tri-o-cresyl phosphate concentrations ranging from 3.0 μg/L to 88.5 μg/L. The swimming activity during light-to-dark transition significantly increased at tri-o-cresyl phosphate concentrations of 14.5 μg/L to 88.5 μg/L. Taken together, our present data help to clarify the potential developmental toxicity of tri-o-cresyl phosphate that was not yet fully recognized, and thus contribute to its environmental risk assessment.

Due to its obvious advantages in processing big data and image information, the combination of artificial intelligence and medical care may profoundly change medical practice and promote the gradual transition from traditional clinical care to precision medicine mode. In this artical, we reviewed the relevant literatures and found that artificial intelligence was widely used in spine surgery. The application scenarios included etiology, diagnosis, treatment, postoperative prognosis and decision support systems of spinal diseases. The shift to artificial intelligence model in medicine constantly improved the level of doctors' diagnosis and treatment and the development of orthopedics.

Based on research on the response mechanism of formation and reservoir response to logging curves, 12 logging curves were selected in combination with formation depth characteristics, and 4 algorithms were used to identify the formation and reservoir: logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and XGBoost. In the study block, 57 wells out of 60 wells were selected for training and learning, and the remaining three wells were used as prediction samples. The recognition of formation thickness and reservoirs is performed by each of these four machine learning algorithms, and predictive knowledge is obtained separately. It was found that the accuracy of the four algorithms for formation thickness and reservoir layer identification reached over 90%, but the XGBoost algorithm was found to be the best in terms of the four scoring criteria of F1-score, precision, recall, and accuracy. The accuracy of formation thickness identification could reach over 95%, and the correlation analysis between the logging curve and formation thickness could be performed on this basis. The results show that RMN, RLLD, and RLLS have the most obvious response to the sandstone layer, off-surface reservoir, and effective thickness layer, while CAL has the least effect on formation and reservoir identification, which can provide an effective reference for the selection and downscaling of subsequent logging curves.

BackgroundRecently, there have been some reports on surgical treatment for Klippel–Feil syndrome, but the prevalence and risk factors of surgery have not been well evaluated. This study sought to find the prevalence and potential risk factors of surgical treatment.MethodsA retrospective radiographic review of 718 Klippel–Feil syndrome patients seen at Peking University Third Hospital from January 2010 to October 2017 was performed. Parameters included age, gender, deformity, cervical instability, Samartzis classification, and surgical treatment. Based on the surgical treatment they received, patients were divided into a surgery group and a non-surgery group. Prevalence and possible risk factors of surgical treatment were assessed.ResultsA total of 718 Klippel–Feil syndrome patients, including 327 men and 391 women, with an average age of 46.8 years were enrolled. According to the Samartzis classification scheme, 621 cases (86.5%) were classified as type I, 48 cases (6.7%) were classified as type II, and 49 cases (6.8%) were classified as type III, respectively. The most commonly fused segments were C2–3 (54.9%) and C5–6 (9.3%). Of all 718 patients, 133 (18.5%) patients underwent surgical treatment, mainly via the posterior approach (69.9%). The clinical factors included age, gender, deformity, instability, and Samartzis classification. Men were more likely to require surgical treatment (p

The large thickness COPV is designed by netting theory and the finite element simulation method, but the actual performance is low and the cylinder performance still cannot be improved after increasing the thickness of the composite winding layer. This paper analyzes the reasons for this and puts forward a feasible solution: without changing the thickness of the winding layer, the performance of COPV can be effectively increased by increasing the proportion of annular winding fiber. This method has been verified by tests and is supported by theory.

Abstract Background The aim of this study is to investigate the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of JOACMEQ for CSM patients in mainland China. Methods A retrospective review was performed on 91 patients with CSM in our hospital from March 2015 to June 2015. Patients completed the JOACMEQ, the mJOA and the SF-36 questionnaires during the process. Cronbach's α was used to evaluate the internal consistency reliability, and test–retest reliability was checked. An exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the correlations among the JOACMEQ questions and the construct validity. The concurrent validity was assessed by Spearman correlation coefficient. The internal responsiveness was determined by effect sizes and standardized response means. External responsiveness was determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve on the basis of the Youden Index. Results The mean age of patients was 57.61 years old. The mean follow-up was 24 months. JOACMEQ showed a good internal consistency (Cronbach's α, 0.897). Test–retest reliability showing good result (Pearson's correlation, 0.695–0.905). Our data were amenable to factor analysis (KMO = 0.816, Bartlett's test, χ2(45) = 1199.99, p

In order to achieve the attitude maneuver performance of the noncontact close-proximity formation satellite architecture, this paper presents a compound control strategy with variable-parameter sliding mode control and disturbance observer-based feedforward compensation. Firstly, the variable-parameter sliding mode control is proposed to guarantee the attitude maneuver performance of the payload module. Secondly, the collision avoiding control with disturbance observer-based feedforward compensation is proposed to guarantee the synchronization of the two separated modules within the small air clearance constraint of the noncontact Lorentz actuator. Finally, a physical air-floating platform is established to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as influential indicators in variety of malignancies. Among which, LncRNA RUNDC3A-AS1 is reported to upregulate in thyroid cancer. However, the expression pattern and the pathological function of lncRNA RUNDC3A-AS1 in thyroid cancer is unclear. In this study, we examined the expression levels of lncRNA RUNDC3A-AS1 in the thyroid cancer tissues and cell lines via RT-qPCR analysis. The effects of RUNDC3A-AS1 on thyroid cancer cell metastasis were detected by transwell chamber assay, scratch assay in vitro and lung metastasis model in vivo. The results indicated that RUNDC3A-AS1 was highly expressed in the thyroid cancer tissues and cell lines. Functionally, knockdown of RUNDC3A-AS1 could repress the migration and invasion of thyroid cancer cells in vitro, and inhibit thyroid cancer metastasis to lung in vivo. Mechanistically, RUNDC3A-AS1 served as an inhibitor of miR-182-5p in tumor tissues and cell lines. RUNDC3A-AS1 inhibited the expression of miR-182-5p to increase the expression level of ADAM9, thus further aggravating the malignancy of thyroid cancer. Therefore, the RUNDC3A-AS1/miR-182-5p/ADAM9 axis may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of thyroid cancer metastasis.

Circadian rhythms control the life of virtually all organisms. They regulate numerous aspects ranging from cellular processes to reproduction and behavior. Besides the light-dark cycle, there are additional environmental factors that regulate the circadian rhythms in animals as well as humans. Here, we outline the circadian rhythm system and considers zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a representative vertebrate organism. We characterize multiple physiological processes, which are affected by circadian rhythm disrupting compounds (circadian disrupters). We focus on and summarize 40 natural and anthropogenic environmental circadian disrupters in fish. They can be divided into six major categories: steroid hormones, metals, pesticides and biocides, polychlorinated biphenyls, neuroactive drugs and other compounds such as cyanobacterial toxins and bisphenol A. Steroid hormones as well as metals are most studied. Especially for progestins and glucocorticoids, circadian dysregulation was demonstrated in zebrafish on the molecular and physiological level, which comprise mainly behavioral alterations. Our review summarizes the current state of knowledge on circadian disrupters, highlights their risks to fish and identifies knowledge gaps in animals and humans. While most studies focus on transcriptional and behavioral alterations, additional effects and consequences are underexplored. Forthcoming studies should explore, which additional environmental circadian disrupters exist. They should clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms and aim to better understand the consequences for physiological processes.

CKLF-like MARVEL transmembrane domain-containing 6 (CMTM6) reportedly stabilizes programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and enhances the efficacy of immunotherapy. However, correlations between CMTM6 expression and the immune microenvironment and its prognostic value remain unknown in a variety of tumors. CMTM6 expression data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) for 33 cancer types classified into high and low expression subgroups according to the median CMTM6 expression value. Pan-cancer analysis of CMTM6 protein expression in 20 tumor types was performed using a cohort from the Human Protein Atlas (HPA). PD-L1 protein expression data were obtained from The Cancer Proteome Atlas (TCPA) for 32 cancer types. Frequencies of CMTM6 copy number alterations and mutations were analyzed using cBioPortal. MANTIS was employed to estimate microsatellite instability in the TCGA cohort. CIBERSORT and the ESTIMATE algorithm were applied to estimate the relative fractions of infiltrating immune cell types and immune scores, respectively. Kaplan–Meier survival curve analysis was performed to assess the pan-cancer prognostic value of CMTM6.CMTM6 is heterogeneously expressed in diverse cancers. Further, the results revealed low CMTM6 mutation frequencies in multiple cancers. Among them, CMTM6 mutation frequency was the highest in uterine cancer. Additionally, CMTM6 expression was related to PD-L1 protein expression in breast invasive carcinoma, cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma, sarcoma (SARC), stomach adenocarcinoma, and uterine carcinosarcoma. Increased CMTM6 expression may be associated with increased infiltration of neutrophils in some types of cancer. Finally, pan-cancer analysis indicated that CMTM6 expression was closely related to overall survival in adrenocortical carcinoma, GBM, acute myeloid leukemia, liver hepatocellular carcinoma, mesothelioma, SARC, thymoma, and uveal melanoma. Taken together, these findings highlight that CMTM6 plays an important role in the tumor immune microenvironment, and CMTM6 has been identified to have prognostic value in some types of cancers. Thus, CMTM6 is a potential target for cancer immunotherapy and effective prognostic biomarker.

Atom-interferometry gravity gradiometry has been developed as a promising technique for future gravity gradiometric missions after GOCE due to its greater sensitivity in micro-gravity environments and constant performance over the measurement bandwidth. In this paper, a feasible method of spaceborne atom-interferometry gravity gradiometry is proposed by utilizing the free-fall condition of the cold atoms in space. Compared with GOCE, which shows an in-orbit noise performance of 10~20 mE/Hz1/2, the scheme described in this paper would achieve a high sensitivity of 1.9 mE/Hz1/2 for gravity gradients measurement by reducing the orbital altitude and optimizing the interrogation time for atom interferometry. The results show that the proposed scheme could significantly augment the spectral content of the gravity field in the degree and order of 280~316 and resolve the global gravity field with an improved accuracy of 0.2 cm@100 km and 0.85 cm@80 km in terms of geoid height, and 0.06 mGal@100 km and 0.3 mGal@80 km in terms of gravity anomaly after 1270 days of data collection.

The valve-controlled cylinder position servo system has the advantages of large output force and large power. As characteristics of nonlinearity and uncertainty exist in the hydraulic servo system, it is difficult for the traditional PID control to meet the requirements of high precision and control. The active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) considers the uncertainty of the system and external disturbances as the total disturbance. In this paper, the valve-controlled cylinder servo system is designed based on ADRC, its working principle is described, and its mathematical model and cosimulation model based on MATLAB-AMESim are established. In the case of constant load, variable load, and long pipeline, the comparative simulation of ADRC and PID is carried out. The simulation results show that the ADRC can effectively suppress the disturbance of the internal parameter changes and external load changes of the hydraulic system and has strong robustness and high control accuracy. This study provides a reference for the application of ADRC in electrohydraulic servo systems.

At present, open-loop synchronous control for hydraulic systems widely using synchronous valves has low synchronous accuracy due to weak anti-bias capacity, and is hard to adjust synchronization velocity, so it could not meet the requirements of accurate synchronization under severe conditions. In this paper, a load-sensing synchronous control is developed to obtain accurate synchronization in open-loop control, which is made up of a load-sensing unit and a synchronous valve. In the load-sensing loop, a load-sensing pump supplies pressure and flow required by the system through pressure closed-loop control, and a load-sensing valve could improve the capability of anti-offset loads by pressure compensation. The synchronous valve is between the load-sensing pump and load-sensing valve, to achieve equal distribution of flow supplied by the pump, which could improve the divider accuracy of the load-sensing system. A test system within load-sensing synchronous control is established, and then comparison experiments under different partial loads are carried out. The experimental results show that, compared with the traditional synchronous valve control, the load-sensing synchronous control has the advantages of higher synchronous precision, higher energy efficiency and also the ability of velocity regulation. Load-sensing synchronous control has the potential of high precision synchronization control in server environments.

Abstract Background Lung cancer stem cells have the ability to self-renew and are resistant to conventional chemotherapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate and control the expression and function of many target genes; therefore, miRNA disorders are involved in the pathogenesis of human diseases, such as cancer. However, the effects of miRNA dysregulation on tumour stemness and drug resistance have not been fully elucidated. miR-181b has been reported to be a tumour suppressor miRNA and is associated with drug-resistant non-small cell lung cancer. Methods Cancer stem cell (CSC)-like properties were tested by a cell proliferation assay and flow cytometry; miR-181b expression was measured by real-time PCR; and Notch2 and related proteins were detected by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. A mouse xenograft model was also established. Results In this study, we found that ectopic miR-181b expression suppressed cancer stem cell properties and enhanced sensitivity to cisplatin (DDP) treatment by directly targeting Notch2. miR-181b could inactivate the Notch2/Hes1 signalling pathway. In addition, tumours from nude mice treated with miR-181b were significantly smaller than tumours from mice treated with control agomir. Decreased miR-181b expression and increased Notch2 expression were observed to have a significant relationship with overall survival (OS) and CSC-like properties in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Conclusions This study elucidates an important role of miR-181b in the regulation of CSC-like properties, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for overcoming drug resistance in NSCLC.

Purpose: microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in drug resistance of multiple cancers including papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), indicating the potential of miRNAs as chemoresistance regulators in cancer treatment. The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between miR-206 and chemoresistance of PTC. Methods: qRT-PCR was conducted to examine the expression of miR-206 in PTC tissues, parental and TPC-1/euthyrox. The CCK-8 assay, EdU assay and flow cytometry were performed to test cells viability, proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. Luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm the potential target of miR-206. Western blotting analysis was performed to evaluate the expressions of related-proteins. Results: miR-206 was significantly down-regulated in PTC tissues, parental and TPC-1/euthyrox. Moreover, the expression of miR-206 was exceptionally lower in TPC-1/euthyrox cells than that in TPC-1 cells. Furthermore, we found that over-expression of miR-206 could notably decrease the IC50 values both in TPC-1 and TPC-1/euthyrox cells, which indicated that miR-206 played an essential role in the euthyrox resistance in PTC. In addition, up-regulation of miR-206 inhibited the proliferation, induced apoptosis, suppressed the expressions of multidrug resistance-related proteins, including p-gp, MRP, BCRP and LRP, in euthyrox-resistant PTC cells. Besides, over-expression of miR-206 could notably promoted the expression of NIS, an intrinsic membrane protein that mediates the active transport of iodide into the thyroid and other tissues, playing a critical role in the progress. Further, miR-206 was demonstrated to be able to bind to MAP4K3 and negatively regulated the expression of MAP4K3. Besides, MAP4K3 was clearly up-regulated in PTC tissues, parental and TPC-1/euthyrox cells, and down-regulation of miR-206 attenuated the effect of si-MAP4K3 on the euthyrox sensitivity in euthyrox-resistant PTC cells. Moreover, TPC-1/euthyrox cells transfected with miR-206 mimics could significantly inhibit the expressions of p-p38, p-JNK and p-Erk, which indicated that miR-206 might play an essential role in the euthyrox resistance in PTC by negatively regulating the p38 and JNK signaling pathway. Conclusion: miR-206 contributed to euthyrox resistance in PTC cells through blockage p38 and JNK signaling pathway by targeting MAP4K3, providing a potential therapeutic application for the treatment of patients with euthyrox-resistant PTC in the further.

Cyanide is a potent toxic agent, and the few available antidotes are not amenable to rapid deployment in mass exposures. As a result, there are ongoing efforts to exploit different animal models to identify novel countermeasures. We have created a pipeline that combines high-throughput screening in zebrafish with subsequent validation in two mammalian small animal models as well as a porcine large animal model. We found that zebrafish embryos in the first 3 days post fertilization (dpf) are highly resistant to cyanide, becoming progressively more sensitive thereafter. Unbiased analysis of gene expression in response to several hours of ultimately lethal doses of cyanide in both 1 and 7 dpf zebrafish revealed modest changes in iron-related proteins associated with the age-dependent cyanide resistance. Metabolomics measurements demonstrated significant age-dependent differences in energy metabolism during cyanide exposure which prompted us to test modulators of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and related metabolic processes as potential antidotes. In cyanide-sensitive 7 dpf larvae, we identified several such compounds that offer significant protection against cyanide toxicity. Modulators of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, as well as the small molecule sodium glyoxylate, consistently protected against cyanide toxicity in 7 dpf zebrafish larvae. Together, our results indicate that the resistance of zebrafish embryos to cyanide toxicity during early development is related to an altered regulation of cellular metabolism, which we propose may be exploited as a potential target for the development of novel antidotes against cyanide poisoning.

The Luojia 1-01 Satellite (LJ1-01) is the first professional night-light remote-sensing satellite in China, and thus, it is of pioneering significance for the development of night-light remote sensing satellites in China and the application of remote sensing in the social and economic fields. To ensure the application of night-light remote-sensing data, several studies concerning on-orbit geometric calibration and accuracy verification have been carried out for the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) rolling shutter camera of LJ1-01 since the launch of the satellite. Owing to the lack of high-precision nightlight geometric reference at home and abroad, it is difficult to directly calibrate the nighttime light image of LJ1-01. Based on the principle of rolling shutter dynamic imaging, a rigorous geometric imaging model of the time-sharing exposure of the rolling shutter of LJ1-01 is established, and a geometric calibration method for daytime imaging calibration and compensated nighttime light data is proposed. The global public Landsat digital orthophoto image (DOM) with a 15-m resolution and 90-m Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital elevation model (SRTM-DEM) are used as control data. The images obtained in England, Venezuela, Caracas, Damascus, and Torreon (Mexico) were selected as experimental data. The on-orbit calibration and accuracy verification of LJ1-01 were carried out. Experiments show that after on-orbit geometric calibration, the daytime calibration parameters can effectively compensate for the systematic errors of night-light images. After compensation, the positioning accuracy of night-light images without geometric control points (GCPs) is improved from nearly 20 km to less than 0.65 km. The internal accuracy of the calibrated night-light images is better than 0.3 pixels, which satisfies the requirement of subsequent applications.

Background and objective Galectin-3 is involved in many physical and pathologic process, and is closely correlated with tumorigenesis, development and metastasis. The aim of this study is to investigate the gene expression and significance of Galectin-3 in normal lung tissue and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissue. Methods Gene expression was examined using the immunohistochemical S-P method in 62 NSCLC cases and in 17 cases with normal lung tissue. RT-PCR verified the expression of Galectin-3 at the transcriptional level. Results The expression rate of Galectin-3 in NSCLC tissue was 83.8% (52/62), which was significantly higher than that in normal lung tissue (P0.05), age (χ2=0.220, P>0.05), and histological type (χ2=0.012, P>0.05), but was negatively correlated with pathological differentiation (r=-0.292, P