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Prostate cancer (PC) develops in a microenvironment where the stromal cells modulate adjacent tumor growth and progression. Here, we demonstrated elevated levels of monoamine oxidase B (MAOB), a mitochondrial enzyme that degrades biogenic and dietary monoamines, in human PC stroma, which was associated with poor clinical outcomes of PC patients. Knockdown or overexpression of MAOB in human prostate stromal fibroblasts indicated that MAOB promotes cocultured PC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and co-inoculated prostate tumor growth in mice. Mechanistically, MAOB induces a reactive stroma with activated marker expression, increased extracellular matrix remodeling, and acquisition of a protumorigenic phenotype through enhanced production of reactive oxygen species. Moreover, MAOB transcriptionally activates CXCL12 through Twist1 synergizing with TGFβ1-dependent Smads in prostate stroma, which stimulates tumor-expressed CXCR4-Src/JNK signaling in a paracrine manner. Pharmacological inhibition of stromal MAOB restricted PC xenograft growth in mice. Collectively, these findings characterize the contribution of MAOB to PC and suggest MAOB as a potential stroma-based therapeutic target.

BackgroundRapid and accurate measurements of radionuclide activities in the field play an important role in radiological medical diagnosis.PurposeThis study aims to develop a capacitance-integrated activity meter.MethodsA circuit structure of the capacitive-integral type was adopted to design a low-noise preamplifier circuit. The designed structure was matched with high-precision signal acquisition and processing circuit to successfully develop a weak current measurement circuit, achieving weak current measurements ranging from 20 fA to 10 μA. The Geant4 simulation software was employed to simulate the ionization chamber used in the current design to obtain correction factors for different nuclides. Finally, three different radiation sources were used for performance testing of this self-developed radioactivity meter, and compared with a commercial RM-905A radioactivity meter.ResultsThe test results show that the repeatability of the proposed radioactivity meter is consistent with the performance of the commercial RM-905A radioactivity meter, with a background lower than 0.065 MBq, a repeatability of 0.84% at most, and an instability of 1.94%.ConclusionsThe capacitive integral radioactivity meter developed in this study can be used as an alternative instrument for commercial radioactive activity meter RM-905A.

Aiming at the problems of eccentric wear and poor sealing performance of conventional gas well plungers in directional wells, a CFD-based optimized design has been adopted for the key structures of the rotary dynamic seal plunger, and a mathematical model of liquid discharge of rotary dynamic seal plunger has been established. The working mechanism of key structures like spiral groove and jet hole on the plunger has been clarified. The parameters of the spiral grooves have been optimized, with the spiral angle of 30°, the groove width of 6mm, and the groove number of 8; and the number of injection holes has been optimized at 12 through orthogonal experimental design. The results of laboratory verification experiments show that the optimized plunger structure successfully realizes the rotating liquid discharge, with the deviation between running and rotation speed of the plunger and the numerically simulated speed below 10%. Based on the indoor experimental research and field application, it can be concluded that the theoretical analysis method can accurately characterize the liquid drainage mechanism of the rotary dynamic seal plunger. The optimized rotary dynamic seal plunger is suitable for the gas well dewatering process of inclined wells with an inclination angle of less than 60°.

Greengage alcoholic beverage (GAB) is gaining popularity for its distinctive fruity aroma and nutritional benefits. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain applied for fermentation significantly influences the metabolic production of aroma compounds, making the selection of S. cerevisiae strains to be critical for enhancing the unique flavor profile of the GAB in commercial production. In this study, the effects of two common commercial S. cerevisiae strains (SY, EC-1118) and two laboratory-derived strains (ET008-c54, NM-8) on the flavor profile of the GAB were investigated. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the GAB samples were analyzed using GC-E-Nose, HS-SPME-GC-MS, and HS-GC-IMS. Results showed significant differences in the flavor compound content of the GAB fermented by different strains. Nine VOCs were identified as potential markers by partial least squares–discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) combined with variable importance in projection (VIP), with ethyl esters playing a key role in distinguishing the aroma characteristics of different groups. Consequently, 13 aromatic compounds were selected and considered to be the typical VOCs of the GAB. Notably, β-ionone and ethyl octanoate emerged as representative aroma compounds, both showing the highest concentrations in the SY sample. These findings will provide valuable insights into the aroma differences of the GAB fermented by different strains and offer theoretical guidance for selecting suitable strains in the industrial production of the GAB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In deep backfilling coal mines, granular waste rocks face complex stress and water environments after being backfilled in the goaf. To characterize the compression deformation and seepage of granular waste rock backfill materials in the deep goaf, a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) test system for granular waste rocks was developed. Influences of overburden stress on deformation and seepage characteristics of granular waste rocks were investigated. The research shows that the high overburden stress in deep underground coal mines can continuously change the structure of granular waste rocks. In the process of increasing overburden stress from 15 to 22.5 MPa, the porosity of granular waste rocks decreases rapidly and the permeability reduces fast accordingly. After the axial pressure exceeds 22.5 MPa, the porosity and permeability of granular waste rocks both tend to be stable. In the seepage process of confined groundwater under single overburden stress, the increase in water pressure can improve the porosity and permeability of granular waste rocks. Small waste rocks in samples play the leading role, they can achieve a waterproof state under relatively low overburden stress. The backfilling method that combines large and small particles can be considered, which can achieve rapid water proofing at a low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cavitation water jet technology offers a sustainable alternative to traditional high-energy, high-pollution production or cleaning methods in the biodiesel, injector, and turbine industries. Although widely applied, the dynamics of cavitation cloud evolution and erosion patterns on various surface constraints require further investigation. This paper examines how planar and differently curved surface constraints affect the spatiotemporal evolution of the cavitation cloud under submerged conditions. The flow field is experimentally observed by using a high-speed camera. Proper orthogonal decomposition is employed to analyze the characteristics of the cavitation flow field across these surface constraints. Additionally, large eddy simulation is used to explore the internal flow dynamics and progression of the cavitation cloud under varying target surface constraints. The findings provide deeper insight into the spatiotemporal evolution patterns of cavitation clouds against planar and curved surfaces, expanding the application of cavitation jet technology in diverse energy generation and conversion fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]