Search

The thermophysical properties and elemental abundances of the noble gases in terrestrial materials can provide unique insights into the Earth's evolution and mantle dynamics. Here, we perform extensive ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to determine the melting temperature and sound velocity of neon up to 370 GPa and 7500 K to constrain its physical state and storage capacity, together with to reveal its implications for the deep interior of the Earth. It is found that solid neon can exist stably under the lower mantle and inner core conditions, and the abnormal melting of neon is not observed under the entire temperature (T) and pressure (P) region inside the Earth owing to its peculiar electronic structure, which is substantially distinct from other heavier noble gases. An inspection of the reduction for sound velocity along the Earth's geotherm evidences that neon can be used as a light element to account for the low-velocity anomaly and density deficit in the deep Earth. A comparison of the pair distribution functions and mean square displacements of MgSiO3–Ne and Fe–Ne alloys further reveals that MgSiO3 has a larger neon storage capacity than the liquid iron under the deep Earth condition, indicating that the lower mantle may be a natural deep noble gas storage reservoir. Our results provide valuable information for studying the fundamental behavior and phase transition of neon in a higher T–P regime, and further enhance our understanding for the interior structure and evolution processes inside the Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constitutive models are essential for describing the mechanical behavior of materials under high temperatures and pressures, among which the Steinberg–Guinan (SG) model is widely adopted. Recent work has discovered a peculiar dual anomaly of compression-induced softening and heating-induced hardening in the elasticity of compressed vanadium [Phys. Rev. B 104, 134102 (2021)], which is beyond the capability of the SG model to describe. In this work, a modified SG elasticity constitutive model is proposed to embody such an anomalous behavior. Elemental vanadium is considered as an example to demonstrate the effectiveness of this improved model in describing the dual anomalies of elasticity. This new SG elasticity model can also be applied to other materials that present an irregular variation in the mechanical elasticity and are important to faithfully model and simulate the mechanical response of materials under extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public health organizations have embarked on various campaigns to increase the level of physical activity in the population. The aim of this study is to examine whether printed advertisements promoting physical activity can be made more effective by manipulating the model used in advertisements. Two experiments were conducted. The aim of the first experiment was to examine whether the gender of the model affects the effectiveness of the advertisement. Seventy-five respondents were randomly split into a control group featuring no model, experimental group 1 featuring a female model, and experimental group 2 featuring a male model. The study found that while respondents spend more time looking at advertisements with models, male respondents in the male model group reported an intent to participate in higher levels of physical activity compared with the other 2 groups. The aim of the second experiment was to examine whether the celebrity status of the model affects the effectiveness of the advertisement. Fifty-nine respondents were randomly split either into a group featuring a sports celebrity or an unknown athlete. The results show that while the sports celebrity was more attractive, it was respondents in the noncelebrity group that reported an intent to participate in higher levels of physical activity. The findings from this study suggest that noncelebrity male models in printed advertisements promoting physical activity are more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks third in global incidence and second in mortality. However, a comprehensive predictive model for CRC prognosis, immunotherapy response, and drug sensitivity is still lacking. Various types of programmed cell death (PCD) are crucial for cancer occurrence, progression, and treatment, indicating their potential as valuable predictors. Fourteen PCD genes were collected and subjected to dimensionality reduction using regression methods to identify key hub genes. Predictive models were constructed and validated based on bulk transcriptomes and single-cell transcriptomes. Furthermore, the tumor microenvironment, immunotherapy response, and drug sensitivity profiles among patients with CRC were explored and stratified by risk. A risk score incorporating the PCD genes FABP4, AQP8, and NAT1 was developed and validated across four independent datasets. Patients with CRC who had a high-risk score exhibited a poorer prognosis. Unsupervised clustering algorithms were used to identify two molecular subtypes of CRC with distinct features. The risk score was combined with the clinical features to create a nomogram model with superior predictive performance. Additionally, patients with high-risk scores exhibited decreased immune cell infiltration, higher stromal scores, and reduced responsiveness to immunotherapy and first-line clinical drugs compared with low-risk patients. Furthermore, the top ten non-clinical first-line drugs for treating CRC were selected based on their predicted IC50 values. Our results indicate the efficacy of the model and its potential value in predicting prognosis, response to immunotherapy, and sensitivity to different drugs in patients with CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Orang Asli (OA), Malaysia's indigenous minority, continue to experience ongoing soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections despite efforts including the Resettlement Programme (RPS). This study explores STH epidemiology and associated risks of moderate-to-heavy infections among 259 indigenous Negritos across four states in Peninsular Malaysia. Stool samples, anthropometrics, haemoglobin levels (finger-prick) and sociodemographic and environmental-sanitation factors via pretested questionnaires were collected. Parasitological examinations (direct faecal smear, formol-ether concentration, and Kato-Katz techniques) were thoroughly performed. The study revealed a 63.3% overall STH prevalence, with Trichuris trichiura (57.9%) being the most common, followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (35.5%) and hookworm (8.9%). Moderate-to-heavy infections were observed in 39.3% for T. trichiura and 48.9% for A. lumbricoides, with mixed infections of these two species being the most prevalent (50.6%). The risk for moderate-to-heavy infection increased significantly if other household members were infected (P < 0.001). Adults and adolescents also showed high infection rates, with no significant differences with children's groups. These findings emphasize the need for anthelmintic treatment across all age groups and strategize local policies targeting older groups of the OA community to control ongoing transmission and reduce the STH burden and protect the future well-being of OA children, who deserve a healthier future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the inefficiencies and time-consuming nature of traditional hot-air anti-icing system designs, reduced-order models (ROMs) and machine learning techniques are introduced to predict anti-icing surface temperature distributions. Two models, AlexNet combined with Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD-AlexNet) and multi-CNNs with GRU (MCG), are proposed by comparing several classic neural networks. Design variables of the hot-air anti-icing cavity are used as inputs of the two models, and the corresponding surface temperature distribution data serve as outputs, and then the performance of these models is evaluated on the test set. The POD-AlexNet model achieves a mean prediction accuracy of over 95%, while the MCG model reaches 96.97%. Furthermore, the proposed model demonstrates a prediction time of no more than 5.5 ms for individual temperature samples. The proposed models not only provide faster predictions of anti-icing surface temperature distributions than traditional numerical simulation methods but also ensure acceptable accuracy, which supports the design of aircraft hot-air anti-icing systems based on optimization methods such as genetic algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible sensors are garnering substantial interests for various promising applications, including medical electronics, environmental monitoring, and wearable devices. Developing a flexible sensor with high compliance, high sensitivity, and high reliability through the construction of a novel composite conductive hydrogel based on the synergistic enhancement effect of conductive polymers and metal ions is a remarkable achievement. Herein, an electronic/ionic‐conductive double network hydrogel (polypyrrole (PPy)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)‐Al3+/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)) with soft compliance, highly conductivity, and stability is presented. Moreover, owing to the synergistic reinforcement effect of the relatively immobilized "islands" of PPy particles and large amounts of movable "bridges" of aluminum ions (Al3+) within the double network hydrogel, the as‐optimized PPy/CMC‐Al3+/PVA composite gels exhibit excellent conductivity (σ = 3.47 ± 0.25 S m−1) and mechanical properties (E = 18.53 ± 0.67 kPa). Furthermore, it has been developed as strain sensors with relatively high linear sensitivity (gauge factor = 2.58) within a broad linearity range (0–400%). It can also be served as a monitoring devices for subtle physiological signals emanating from various parts of the human body. The robust sensor has great potential to be developed as wearable electronic devices and applied in healthcare monitoring fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Bacterial vaginosis is a disease caused by vaginal microecology disorder, which seriously affects female health. At present, there are many drugs to treat BV, and this study aims to compare the efficacy and safety of multiple drugs for BV through a network meta-analysis (NMA). Methods: All studies were sourced from PubMed and Embase databases from the establishment date to April 13, 2023. We evaluated the clinical cure success rate and adverse effects (abnormal increase in vaginal discharge, external genital irritation, and vulvar itching) and performed subgroup analyses of the clinical cure success rate for different modes of administration. All statistical analyses were performed using R and STATA 14.0 software for network meta-analysis. Results: Weincluded42studies thatmetthecriteria, involving a total of8382patients. Network meta-analysis results showed that metronidazole and secnidazole had a higher rate of adverse reactions than placebo (RR 7.06; 95%-CI 2.61-19.10, RR 4.03; 95%-CI1.63-9.98), theadverse reaction rateofprobioticsgroupwaslowerthanthat of metronidazole group (RR 0.44; 95%-CI 0.21-0.93). The clinical cure rate of oral ornidazole was better than clindamycin (RR 16.08; 95%-CI 1.72-150.47), Secnidazole (RR 8.17; 95%-CI 1.66-40.25) and probiotics. Directmeta-analysis results showed that ornidazole had a better clinical cure rate than Secnidazole (RR1.22; 95%-CI 1.10-1.34), oral ornidazole had a better clinical cure rate than Secnidazole (RR 1.23; 95%-CI 1.11-1.36). The clinical cure rate of vaginal application of sucrose was better than metronidazole (RR 1.12; 95%-CI 1.03-1.21) and metronidazole had a lower clinical cure rate than probiotics (RR 0.68; 95%-CI 0.52-0.88). Conclusions: The results of this systematic review and network meta-analysis suggest that ornidazole may be an effective alternative for the treatment of BV, and that sucrose and probiotics are potential BV treatments that need to be validated by more high-quality clinical studies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The calculation of the water droplet collection coefficient (WDCC) is a crucial step in the numerical study of aircraft icing and the iterative design of anti-icing and deicing systems. Rapid and efficient methods for predicting WDCC are essential for enhancing the efficiency of icing numerical calculations and accelerating the design cycle of these systems. The existing prediction methods are inefficient and fail to meet the real-time requirements of engineering applications. This paper proposes a rapid prediction method for the WDCC for multiple airfoils utilizing deep learning techniques. The method takes enhanced airfoil section images and icing condition parameters as inputs and WDCC as output. A deep neural network prediction model, IncDynamicFusion, for sustainable learning is established by integrating a multimodal dynamic fusion method with an improved iCaRL method (incremental classifier and representation learning). Numerical experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model can quickly and effectively predict the WDCC of multiple airfoils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An undescribed relapsing fever group Borrelia species was detected in a male Haemaphysalis semermis tick infesting a rural cat in an indigenous population in Pahang National Park, Peninsular Malaysia. The 16 S rRNA gene sequence revealed close similarity of this variant to several undescribed Borrelia species and Borrelia theileri, with genetic distances ranging from 0.58 to 0.72%. Furthermore, the flaB, gyrB, and the concatenated 16 S rRNA + flaB + gyrB sequence analyses demonstrated that this variant is distinctly separated from multiple undescribed Borrelia species, Borrelia miyamotoi, and B. theileri, with genetic distances ranging from 3.41 to 7.00%. This study not only reports the first Borrelia found in H. semermis but also suggests that it forms a distinct clade within the relapsing fever group in Peninsular Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skin infections cause significant health burden and affect underserved communities such as the indigenous Negrito communities disproportionately. There is only one study that has addressed skin infections among the Negrito communities, which is the smallest and most isolated indigenous tribe in Peninsular Malaysia, with approximately 6,500 individuals remaining in northern and central Peninsular Malaysia. This study, which aims to update the infection patterns of scabies and tinea among the Negrito communities, recruited 361 participants from eight villages representing all six Negrito subtribes. The results revealed an overall skin infection prevalence of 35.6%, with scabies (11.7%), tinea versicolor (11.3%), and tinea imbricata (7.5%) as major infections, with no co-infection. Notably, infection rates were significantly higher in resettled villages (55.2%) compared to inland villages (24.8%). Scabies and tinea versicolor were more prevalent in resettled villages (21.2% and 23.6%, respectively) than inland villages (6.4% and 4.7%, respectively), while tinea imbricata was more common in inland villages (9.4% vs 3.9%). Furthermore, there exist predisposition of scabies among Kensiu. High prevalence of tinea imbricata was observed among the inland Bateq while prevalence of tinea versicolor was high among the resettled Bateq. Risk analysis revealed specific associations: scabies with Kensiu subtribe (P = 0.002), high income (P = 0.001) and underweight individuals (P = 0.009); tinea versicolor with Bateq subtribe (P = 0.003), resettled villagers (P < 0.001), males (p = 0.040), and overweight/obese individuals (P = 0.015); and tinea imbricata with Bateq (P = 0.011) and smokers (P = 0.004). These findings highlight a complex interplay between environment and lifestyle in skin infection prevalence. Addressing these infections requires targeted interventions, including regular medical care in inland villages and socio-economic support for resettled communities, considering the distinct predispositions in different village types. Author summary: Skin infections (tinea and scabies) are significant health concerns among the indigenous Negrito communities in Peninsular Malaysia. Given that there was only one documented study among Negrito communities previously, the present study enrolled 361 participants from eight Negrito categorised into resettled or inland villages in Peninsular Malaysia to update the epidemiological status and risk factors. We found a high overall skin infection prevalence of 35.6%. Scabies, tinea versicolor, and tinea imbricata accounted for 11.7%, 11.3%, and 7.5%, respectively with no co-infection. Higher prevalence was observed among resettled villages (55.2%) compared to inland villages (24.8%). Risk factor analysis among these Negrito communities identified different predictors associated with each type of infection, generally linked to the type of village category. We highlighted that scabies and tinea versicolor were more common in resettled communities. However, rare infection like tinea imbricata, which require high treatment compliance, was more localized in inland villages. Village-specific measures including regular medical interventions in inland villages and socio-economic aid to resettled communities to address urban/semi-urban poverty are essential, considering the existing predisposition of skin infections in different types of villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the major histopathological types of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including solid, acinar, lepidic, papillary and micropapillary subtypes. Increasing evidence has shown that micropapillary LUAD is positively associated with a higher percentage of driver gene mutations, a higher incidence of metastasis and a poorer prognosis, while lepidic LUAD has a relatively better prognosis. However, the novel genetic change and its underlying mechanism in the progression of micropapillary LUAD have not been exactly determined. Methods: A total of 181 patients with LUAD who underwent surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University from January 2020 to December 2022 were enrolled. Three predominant lepidic and three predominant micropapillary LUAD tissue samples were carried out using whole‐exome sequencing. Comprehensive analysis of genomic variations and the difference between lepidic and micropapillary LUAD was performed. In addition, the TMEM229A Q200del mutation was verified using our cohort and TCGA‐LUAD datasets. The correlations between the TMEM229A Q200del mutation and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with LUAD were further analyzed. The functions and mechanisms of TMEM229A Q200del on NSCLC cell proliferation and migration were also determined. Results: The frequency of genomic changes in patients with micropapillary LUAD was higher than that in patients with lepidic LUAD. Mutations in EGFR, ATXN2, C14orf180, MUC12, NOTCH1, and PKD1L2 were concomitantly detected in three predominant micropapillary and three predominant lepidic LUAD cases. The TMEM229A Q200del mutation was only mutated in lepidic LUAD. Additionally, the TMEM229A Q200del mutation had occurred in 16 (8.8%) patients, and not found TMEM229A R76H and M346T mutations in our cohort, while TMEM229A mutations (R76H, M346T, and Q200del) occurred only in 1.0% of the TCGA‐LUAD cohort. Further correlation analysis between the TMEM229A Q200del mutation and clinicopathological characteristics suggested that a lower frequency of the Q200del mutation was significantly associated with positive lymph node metastasis, advanced TNM stage, positive cancer thrombus, and pathological features. Finally, overexpression of TMEM229A Q200del suppressed NSCLC cell proliferation and migration in vitro. Mechanistically, overexpression of TMEM229A and TMEM229A Q200del both reduced the expression level of phosphorylated (p)‐ERK and p‐AKT (Ser473), and the reduced protein level of p‐ERK in the TMEM229A Q200del group was more pronounced compared to the TMEM229A group. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that the TMEM229A Q200del mutant may play a protective role in the progression of LUAD via inactivating ERK pathway, providing a potential therapeutic target in LUAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigated the feasibility of the tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) as a prognostic marker for penile squamous cell carcinoma(SCC). Methods: We retrospectively collected data from 83 patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma. H&E-stained slides were reviewed for TLS density. In addition, clinical parameters were analyzed, the prognostic value of these parameters on overall survival (OS) was evaluated using ‒ Kaplan–Meier survival curves, and the prognostic value of influencing factors was evaluated using Cox multifactor design nomogram analysis. Result: BMI, T, N, and M are significant in the survival curve with or without tertiary lymphoid structure. BMI, T, N, M and TLS were used to construct a prognostic model for penile squamous cell carcinoma, and the prediction accuracy reached a consensus of 0.884(0.835–0.932), and the decision consensus reached 0.581(0.508–0.655). Conclusion: TLS may be a positive prognostic factor for penile squamous cell carcinoma, and the combination of BMI, T, N and M can better evaluate the prognosis of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a reinforcement learning‐based finite‐time cross‐media tracking control approach for a slender body cross‐media vehicle encountering unknown hydrodynamics, wind, and wave disturbances. Initially, a reinforcement learning framework consisting of the actor neural network and critic neural network is constructed. The critic neural network monitors the actions of the actor neural network and approximates the cost function, while the actor neural network estimates the unknown hydrodynamics and disturbances, minimising the cost function to optimise performance. Subsequently, the command filter featuring finite‐time convergence is formulated, effectively managing the corresponding filter error through a proposed error compensating signal. By integrating these techniques, a reinforcement learning‐based finite‐time control strategy is developed, circumventing the singularity issue inherent in traditional finite‐time backstepping strategies. Comparative analysis with existing methods demonstrates the strong robustness of the proposed scheme against unknown hydrodynamics and disturbances, ensuring finite‐time convergence of the system's states and optimising controller performance. Finally, simulations confirm the effectiveness and superiority of the presented approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ice accretion data obtained from ice wind tunnel tests reveal a multiscale structure and rough surface. In the follow-up aerodynamic evaluation of icing airfoils, simplified two-dimensional ice shapes are generally used as substitutes, but this simplification changes the aerodynamic effects of the original ice shape. Therefore, finding a simple and effective two-dimensional ice shape simulation method is urgent. Due to the self-similarity characteristics of ice shape surfaces, fractal interpolation is proposed for ice shape simulation. First, the geometric characteristics of the ice shapes are analyzed to determine interpolation points, and an iterative function system is constructed for interpolation simulation. Considering the influence of various characteristics of ice shapes on aerodynamics, interpolation parameters are limited to simulating more realistic ice shapes. High-order numerical simulation methods were utilized to numerically simulate and analyze the aerodynamic characteristics of icing airfoil while also verifying the feasibility of fractal interpolation for simulating ice shapes. The analysis revealed that this method could effectively simulate ice profiles of various feature scales with minimal ice shape data. These simulated shapes closely resemble real ice formations and maintain the original aerodynamic characteristics of the icing airfoil. This method can be used to improve the computational accuracy of ice accretion codes and provide improvement strategies for complex ice shape prediction; thus, this method has great application prospects in engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convective Quasi‐Equilibrium (CQE) is often adopted as a useful closure assumption to summarize the effects of unresolved convection on large‐scale thermodynamics, while existing efforts to observationally validate CQE largely rely on specific spatial domains or sites rather than the source of CQE constraints—deep convection. This study employs a Lagrangian framework to investigate leading temperature perturbation patterns near deep convection, of which the centers are located by use of an ensemble of satellite measurements. Temperature perturbations near deep convection with high peak precipitation are rapidly adjusted toward the CQE structure within the [−2, 1] hours centered on peak precipitation. The top 1% precipitating deep convection constrains neighboring free‐tropospheric leading perturbations up to 9°. Notable CQE validity beyond a 1° radius is observed when peak precipitation exceeds the 93rd percentile. These findings suggest that only a small fraction of deep convection with extreme precipitation shapes tropical free‐tropospheric temperature patterns dominantly. Plain Language Summary: Convective Quasi‐Equilibrium (CQE) is a concept in atmospheric science that explains a state where the influence of deep convection (cumulonimbus clouds) and large‐scale atmospheric forces is balanced, causing certain thermodynamic properties to adjust toward specific reference profiles. Previous studies have focused on how temperature changes relate to the CQE structure but in specific regions or sites while this study aims areas near deep convection—supposedly the source of CQE constraints. Using a unique framework with data from multiple satellites, we track the evolution of temperature patterns near deep convection and find temperatures near deep convection with extreme rainfall are adjusted toward the CQE structure rapidly within 3 hr of maximum rainfall. However, only the deep convection with top 7% extreme rainfall can effectively affect nearby temperature pattern beyond 1°, with the top 1% influencing up to an 9° radius. These findings highlight the dominant impact of a small fraction of deep convection, particularly those with extreme rainfall, on nearby temperature perturbation patterns. Key Points: Tropical temperature perturbations near extreme deep convection rapidly conform to convective quasi equilibrium in a three‐hour windowOnly the top 7% precipitating deep convection can modulate hourly tropical temperature patterns beyond a 1° radiusTop 1% precipitating deep convection constrains nearby temperature perturbations up to an 9° radius during peak precipitation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravitational instability in the outskirts of active galactic nuclei (AGN) disks leads to disk fragmentation and formation of ∼300 M ⊙ supermassive stars with potentially long lifetimes. Alternatively, stars can be captured ex situ and grow from gas accretion in the AGN disk. However, the number density distribution throughout the disk is limited by thermal feedback as their luminosities provide the dominant heating source. We derive equilibrium stellar surface density profiles under two limiting contexts: in the case where the stellar lifetimes are prolonged, due to the recycling of hydrogen-rich disk gas, only the fraction of gas converted into heat is removed from the disk accretion flow. Alternatively, if stellar composition recycling is inefficient and stars can evolve off the main sequence, the disk accretion rate is quenched toward smaller radii resembling a classical starburst disk, albeit the effective removal rate depends not only on the stellar lifetime, but also the mass of stellar remnants. For AGNs with central supermassive black hole masses of ∼106–108 M ⊙ accreting at ∼0.1 Eddington efficiency, we estimate a total number of 103–105 massive stars and the rate of stellar mergers to be 10−3 to 1 yr−1. We initiate the detailed study of the interaction between a swarm of massive stars through hydro and N -body simulations to provide better prescriptions of dynamical processes in AGN disks, and to constrain more accurate estimates of the stellar population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative carbohydrate loading in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery is an independent predictor of postoperative outcomes. By reducing the impact of surgical stress response, fasting-induced insulin resistance is modulated. As a clear fluid, consuming carbohydrate drink is safe up to 2 h preoperatively. Widely practiced in abdominal surgeries, its implementation in hip fracture surgeries is yet to be recognized. This study aimed to identify the feasibility of preoperative carbohydrate loading in hip fracture surgery and assess its clinical effects. Methods: This was a randomized controlled, open labelled trial. Patients ≥ 65 years old without diabetes mellitus, has hip fracture were recruited in a tertiary hospital between November 2020 and May 2021. The intervention was carbohydrate loading versus standard preoperative fasting. Results: Thirty-four ASA I-III patients (carbohydrate loading and control, n = 17 each), mean age 78 years (SEM ± 1.5), mean body mass index 23.7 (SEM ± 0.6 kg/m2) were recruited. Analysis for feasibility of carbohydrate loading (n = 17) demonstrated attrition rate of 29% (n = 5). Otherwise, all recruited patients were compliant (100% compliance) with no adverse events reported. There was no significant difference among groups in the postoperative nausea and vomiting, pain score, fatigue level, muscle strength, postoperative infection and length of hospital stay assessed at 24–48 h postoperatively. Conclusion: The implementation of preoperative carbohydrate loading was found to be feasible preoperatively in hip fracture surgeries but requires careful coordination among multidisciplinary teams. An adequately powered randomized controlled study is needed to examine the full benefits of preoperative carbohydrate loading in this group of patients. Trial registration: This study was registered in ClinicalTrial.gov (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04614181, date of registration: 03/11/2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the experiment was to study the degradation characteristics of the products of four roughage feeds, sugarcane tail leaves, corn stalks, elephant grass and cassava branch, fermented by cellulase (CE) in buffalo rumen, so as to provide a reference for the selection and utilization of roughage in buffalo breeding. Three buffaloes with permanent rumen fistula were used as experimental animals. Nylon bag method was used to determine the nutritional components and rumen degradation characteristics of four kinds of roughage and their products after CE fermentation. The results showed that before fermentation, the content of crude protein (CP) in sugarcane tail leaves and elephant grass was significantly higher than that in corn stalks and cassava branch (P<0.05). The content of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in cassava branch was the lowest (P<0.05), and the content of acid detergent fiber (ADF) was the highest (P<0.05). After CE treatment, the content of CP in fermentation group increased in different degrees, while the content of NDF and ADF decreased in different degrees. Before fermentation, the effective degradation rates of all nutrients were as follows: Elephant grass > sugarcane tail leaf > corn stalk > cassava branch. The effective degradation rates of DM, NDF, and ADF of elephant grass were significantly higher than those of other groups (P<0.05), the effective degradation rates of CP of elephant grass were significantly higher than those of corn stalk and cassava branch (P<0.05), and the effective degradation rates of nutrients of cassava branch were significantly lower than those of other groups (P<0.05). After CE treatment, compared with the control group, the effective degradation rates of DM, CP, NDF, and ADF in the fermentation group were improved to varying degrees. The study indicates that the feed value of the four kinds of roughage is as follows: Elephant grass > sugarcane tail leaf > corn straw > cassava branch. Adding CE can improve the rumen degradation rate of the four kinds of roughage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current osteoarthritis (OA) diagnosis relies on radiographic abnormalities found in later stages of the disease, posing a challenge to the treatment efficacy. Therefore, earlier detection of OA is essential for improving therapeutic outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of shear wave ultrasound elastography (SWUE) to detect changes in cartilage mechanical properties under OA conditions ex-vivo. Bovine osteochondral units were harvested from femoral condyles and subjected to either trypsin degradation, cartilage surface roughness defect using varying degrees of sandpaper, or subchondral bone degeneration using formic acid (FA) injection. Shear waves were generated using a mechanical shaker, while a high-frequency ultrasound system operating at 18 MHz was employed to detect wave propagation along the samples. The elasticity of cartilage was estimated by the shear wave speed (SWS) through the auto-correlation method. Our results show that the estimated SWS of cartilage after 24, 48, and 72 hours of trypsin incubation significantly decreased by 37%, 43%, and 59%, respectively, compared to the control group. Surface roughness treatment using 150-grit sandpaper significantly decreased the SWS by 35% compared to the control. Samples treated with 7% FA showed a significant increase in SWS by 62%, 89%, and 53% compared to control, 1% FA, and 3% FA, respectively. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of SWUE to differentiate the elastic properties of cartilage under different OA conditions. This study presents the potential of a noninvasive, nonionizing tool for early detection of OA, representing a significant step toward its clinical implementation. Highlights: • Shear wave ultrasound elastography noninvasively measure the elastic properties of soft tissue. • Increasing cartilage surface roughness and enzyme degradation results in slower shear wave speeds. • Subchondral bone degradation increases shear wave speed in cartilage. • Shear wave ultrasound elastography is a novel method for early osteoarthritis diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tangential jet-induced swirling flow is a highly efficient technology for enhancing heat transfer. This paper explores the application of swirling flow of an airfoil/aero-engine in a hot air anti-icing chamber, aiming to improve the anti-icing performance and achieve a more uniform temperature on the surface. A series of numerical computations adopting the SST k − ω turbulent model was carried out to obtain the internal flow and heat transfer characteristics, as well as the surface temperature distributions, considering water evaporation and solid heat conduction. Three jet arrangements, including impingement jets, offset jets, and swirl jets, were studied and compared, which evidently showed that the swirling effect was helpful to elevate the internal heat transfer. Compared to the impingement jets at the Reynolds number of 40,000, the Nusselt number with the offset jets is increased by 19.5%, while the corresponding Nusselt number of the swirl jets is augmented by 44.3%. The swirling flow significantly elevates the swirl number within the internal chamber, intensifying the vortex strength near the wall and increasing the circumferential velocity, which also results in an augmentation of internal pressure loss. By adopting the swirling internal flow, the temperature distribution on the anti-icing surface is more uniform and is increased by up to about 4.1 K in the leading edge when the internal-to-external temperature difference is 80 K. Simultaneously, the heat absorption of water evaporation and the matches between the internal heat transfer and external icing load are of particular importance to determine the anti-icing performance, and this has been discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cherries (subg. Cerasus) belong to Prunus s.l. (Rosaceae) and are widely distributed in temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Given its ornamental and edible functions, it is a hugely preferred germplasm resource for human societies. However, the interspecific phylogenetic relationships, divergence times, and routes of this subgenus remain unclear. To reveal its enigmatic and intricate evolutionary history, we newly sequenced 12 subg. Cerasus species, reconstructed the plastome phylogeny with 24 previously published subg. Cerasus species. This study supports that subg. Cerasus split into five clades, among which P. mahaleb is the basal group of subg. Cerasus ; P. campanulata is genetically distantly related to P. cerasoides and is not recommended for treatment as a variety of the latter; P. subhirtella is involved in the speciation of P. yedoensis. Molecular dating and ancestral area reconstructions infer that subg. Cerasus originated in the Eastern Mediterranean–Central Asia before 11.57 Mya (95% HPD = 5.34–19.1 Mya) and subsequently spread into the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and adjacent regions. The first dispersal event of modern subg. Cerasus was facilitated by 'out-of-QTP', colonizing North America across the Bering Land Bridge and re-dispersing into Europe from the Late Miocene to Pliocene and forming the initial distribution pattern of extant subg. Cerasus in the Pliocene; The end of the Quaternary glacial period witnessed a second dispersal event, and core subg. Cerasus population diversity flourished radially in its separate refugia during the Late Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dust trapping in the global pressure bump induced by magnetospheric truncation offers a promising formation mechanism for close-in super-Earths/sub-Neptunes. These planets likely form in evolved protoplanetary discs, where the gas temperature at the expanding truncation radius become amiable to refractory solids. However, dust accumulation may alter the disc opacity such that thermal evolution is inevitable. To better understand how thermodynamics affects this planet formation pathway, we conduct a suite of local dust evolution simulations in an idealized inner disc model. Our calculations take into account self-consistent opacity-dependent temperature changes as well as dust evaporation and vapour condensation. We find that disc thermal evolution regulates dust growth and evolution, discouraging any accumulation of small particles that drives the increase of opacity and temperature. Significant retention of dust mass takes place when the disc environments allow runaway growth of large solids beyond the fragmentation barrier, where small particles are then swept up and preserved. Our results further validate dust accumulation near disc truncation as a promising mechanism to form close-in planets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bilious vomiting in a child potentially portends the dire emergency of intestinal malrotation with volvulus, necessitating prompt surgical management, with differentials including small-bowel atresia, duodenal stenosis, annular pancreas, and intussusception. Although the upper-gastrointestinal series (UGI) is the diagnostic investigation of choice, up to 15% of the studies are inconclusive, thereby posing a diagnostic challenge. Case Reports: We report a case series of 3 children referred for bilious vomiting, whose initial UGI was inconclusive and who were eventually confirmed to have intestinal malrotation at surgery. The first child was a female born at 37 weeks with antenatally diagnosed situs inversus and levocardia, who developed bilious vomiting on day 1 of life. The duodenojejunal flexure (DJ) could not be visualized on the UGI because of faint opacification on first pass of the contrast and subsequent overlap with the proximal jejunal loops. The second child was a male born at 36 weeks, presenting at age 4 months with bilious vomiting of 2 days duration. The third child was a female born at 29 weeks, presenting with bilious aspirates on day 3 of life. UGI for all 3 showed persistent hold-up of contrast at the proximal duodenum with no opacification of the distal duodenum or small bowel. Adjunctive techniques during the UGI and ultrasound examination helped achieve a preoperative diagnosis of malrotation in these children. Conclusions: Application of diagnostic adjuncts to an inconclusive initial UGI may help elucidate a preoperative diagnosis of intestinal malrotation in infantile bilious vomiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a strategy for stereoselective O‐aryl‐glycoside synthesis by copper‐catalyzed cross‐coupling of a variety of anomeric sugars and (hetero)aromatic iodides. Stereocontrol of the α/β selectivity can be successfully realized by slight structural modifications of the oxalic diamide ligands. Mechanistic studies indicated a dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) reaction mechanism controlled by the ligand structures. This reaction could be performed on gram scale, and has also been applied to the synthesis of some natural products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the flight, water flows under the action of shear force to form the overflow liquid film and freezes to form overflow ice. Overflow ice will change the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft and affect the safety and stability. In this paper, the three-dimensional structure of the liquid film in airflow was measured transiently with the digital image projection technology. The effects of different flat wall roughnesses, airflow velocities, and liquid film flow rates on the flow characteristics of the liquid film were analyzed. The experimental results show that the lower the wall roughness, the more pronounced the liquid film contraction toward the central axis. When the liquid flow rate drops to 0.228 l/min, the continuous liquid film transforms into rivulets on the surface of a large contact angle or low roughness. The average thickness of the liquid film on the flat is greater than that on the rough flat at low airflow velocity and low liquid flow rate, but smaller than that on the rough flat at high airflow velocity and high liquid flow rate. The wave near the inlet has an obvious acceleration process, and after reaching the peak speed, it gradually decreases and stabilizes near a certain value. The smoother the surface, the faster the acceleration of the wave at the inlet, and the greater the final stable wave speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Plumbagin (PL) has been shown to effe ctively inhibit autophagy, suppressing invasion and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. However, the specific mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of PL on tumor growth factor (TGF)-ß-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in HCC. Methods: Huh-7 cells were cultured, and in vivo models of EMT and HCC-associated lung metastasis were developed through tail vein and in situ injections of tumor cells. In vivo imaging and hematoxylin and eosin staining were used to evaluate HCC modeling and lung metastasis. After PL intervention, the expression levels of Snail, vimentin, E-cadherin, and N-cadherin in the liver were evaluated through immunohistochemistry and Western blot. An in vitro TGF-ß-induced cell EMT model was used to detect Snail, vimentin, E-cadherin, and N-cadherin mRNA levels through a polymerase chain reaction. Their protein levels were detected by immunofluorescence staining and Western blot. Results: In vivo experiments demonstrated that PL significantly reduced the expression of Snail, vimentin, and N-cadherin, while increasing the expression of E-cadherin at the protein levels, effectively inhibiting HCC and lung metastasis. In vitro experiments confirmed that PL up-regulated epithelial cell markers, down-regulated mesenchymal cell markers, and inhibited EMT levels in HCC cells. Conclusion: PL inhibits Snail expression, up-regulates E-cadherin expression, and down-regulates N-cadherin and vimentin expression, preventing EMT in HCC cells and reducing lung metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applications that are constrained by low-latency requirements can hardly be executed on cloud infrastructures, given the high network delay required to reach remote servers. Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) is the reference architecture for executing applications on nodes that are located close to users (i.e., at the edge of the network). This way, the network overhead is reduced but new challenges emerge. The resources available on edge nodes are limited, workloads fluctuate since users can rapidly change location, and complex tasks are becoming widespread (e.g., machine learning inference). To address these issues, this article presents NEPTUNE, a serverless-based framework that automates the management of large-scale MEC infrastructures. In particular, NEPTUNE provides (i) the placement of serverless functions on MEC nodes according to users' location, (ii) the resolution of resource contention scenarios by avoiding that single nodes be saturated, and (iii) the dynamic allocation of CPUs and GPUs to meet foreseen execution times. To assess NEPTUNE, we built a prototype based on K3S, an edge-dedicated version of Kubernetes, and executed a comprehensive set of experiments. Results show that NEPTUNE obtains a significant reduction in terms of response time, network overhead, and resource consumption compared with five state-of-the-art solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aircraft icing can cause severe aerodynamic and flight mechanical effects, thus threatening aircraft flight safety. Understanding of aircraft icing, e.g., geometry shape of the ice accretion, is significant for its aerodynamic analysis, control methodologies, and continued design. In this study, a laser sheet scanning approach is developed to achieve the time-resolved geometry shape measurements of the ice accretion. By using the tridimensional calibration board consisted of two special checkerboard plates, all laser plane coefficients during laser sheet scanning could be obtained in advance. Then, based on the two-stage laser line extraction scheme that combined the Steger method with gradient centroid calculation, accurate positioning of the laser lines projected on the ice accretion surface was realized. The proposed approach is demonstrated in the large-scale icing wind tunnel tests of an airfoil model, conducted at the 3 m × 2 m Icing Wind Tunnel of China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center. Temporal evolution of the rime, mixed, and clear ice accretion shapes on the leading edge of the airfoil model was measured throughout the tests, respectively. The measurement at the end of ice accretion was compared with the results by a commercial 3D laser scanner, which showed highly consistent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By performing global hydrodynamical simulations of accretion discs with driven turbulence models, we demonstrate that elevated levels of turbulence induce highly stochastic migration torques on low-mass companions embedded in these discs. This scenario applies to planets migrating within gravito-turbulent regions of protoplanetary discs as well as stars and black holes embedded in the outskirts of active galactic nucleus (AGN) accretion discs. When the turbulence level is low, linear Lindblad torque persists in the background of stochastic forces and its accumulative effect can still dominate over relatively long time-scales. However, in the presence of very stronger turbulence, classical flow patterns around the companion embedded in the disc are disrupted, leading to significant deviations from the expectations of classical Type I migration theory over arbitrarily long time-scales. Our findings suggest that the stochastic nature of turbulent migration can prevent low-mass companions from monotonically settling into universal migration traps within the traditional laminar disc framework, thus reducing the frequency of three-body interactions and hierarchical mergers compared to previously expected. We propose a scaling for the transition mass ratio from classical to chaotic migration q  ∝ αR, where αR is the Reynolds viscosity stress parameter, which can be further tested and refined by conducting extensive simulations over the relevant parameter space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem cell therapy holds great promise for future clinical practice for treatment of advanced liver diseases. However, the fate of stem cells after transplantation, including the distribution, viability, and the cell clearance, has not been fully elucidated. Herein, recent advances regarding the imaging tools for stem cells tracking mainly in chronic liver diseases with the advantages and disadvantages of each approach have been described. Magnetic resonance imaging is a promising clinical imaging modality due to non-radioactivity, excellent penetrability, and high spatial resolution. Fluorescence imaging and radionuclide imaging demonstrate relatively increased sensitivity, with the latter excelling in real-time monitoring. Reporter genes specialize in long-term tracing. Nevertheless, the disadvantages of low sensitivity, radiation, exogenous gene risk are inevitably present in each of these means, respectively. In this review, we aim to comprehensively evaluate the current state of methods for tracking of stem cell, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, and providing insights into their future potential. Multimodality imaging strategies may overcome the inherent limitations of single-modality imaging by combining the strengths of different imaging techniques to provide more comprehensive information in the clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Due to the rarity of polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome, the best first-line treatment has not been established, although there are several options in guidelines. The preferred treatments vary according to the preference of the physician and anecdote. Objectives: First, to analyze the efficacy of a new treatment mode in POEMS syndrome that uses the four-cycle treatment as the induction regimen, followed by sequential transplantation as the consolidation regimen for transplantation-eligible patients, or received another two-cycle treatment for transplantation-ineligible patients. Second, to compare the efficacy and safety of regimens with a proteasome inhibitor (bortezomib–cyclophosphamide–dexamethasone, BCD) or without a proteasome inhibitor (cyclophosphamide–dexamethasone ± thalidomide, CD ± T). Design: We conducted a retrospective study using real-world data from Capital Medical University, Xuanwu Hospital. Methods: A total of 34 newly diagnosed POEMS syndrome patients met Dispenzieri's diagnostic criteria, and those who completed at least four cycles of treatment from July 2013 to March 2021 were included. Results: The overall vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) response rate of this new treatment mode was 100%. The cumulative VEGF complete remission (CRV) rate was 67.9%, and the cumulative complete hematological response (CRH) rate was 55.6%. During the median 49-month follow-up, the 5-year-overall survival (OS) rate was 90.7%, the 3-year-progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 78.4%, and the 5-year-PFS rate was 73.8%. The BCD regimen achieved a 75% CRV rate (median time from diagnosis to CRV = 130 days) and 66.7% CRH rate (median time from diagnosis to CRH = 218 days). In addition, the VEGF response was less than the partial remission (PRV) after four-cycle induction treatment, which, together with a decrease on the Overall Neurological Limitation Scale of less than three points 1 year after consolidation treatment, was an independent poor prognostic factor. Conclusion: Bortezomib was well-tolerated by patients with POEMS syndrome. Compared with CD ± T regimen, BCD as the induction regimen achieved better VEGF response and earlier hematological remission. Autologous stem cell transplantation used as consolidation therapy further improved the neurological and hematological remission rates, resulting in better OS and PFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of tropical sea surface temperature (SST) changes on the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) are investigated using the large-ensemble simulation from the Community Earth System Model version 2 (CESM2-LE) under the shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP370 scenario). Three SST change patterns are featured, distinguished by the zonal gradient of the change in the equatorial Pacific warming. MJO characteristics and its teleconnections responses are composited for the clusters, and their relationships to the zonal SST gradient changes are examined. Results show that the anomalously strong El Niño-like SST change pattern significantly intensifies the MJO amplitude and enhances its eastward extension compared to the anomalously weak El Niño-like SST change pattern. These changes in MJO amplitude are further interpreted through the α framework. We also found no statistically different extratropical geopotential height responses to MJO between the three SST warming patterns, possibly due to strong internal climate variability. Changes in Rossby wave source between clusters also show a weak relationship with the MJO teleconnections. Our results highlight the importance of Indo-Pacific zonal SST gradient changes on the changes of MJO but limited impacts on MJO teleconnections to the midlatitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highly efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of NHC-VOCl3 containing symmetrical or unsymmetrical N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands by the transmetallation reaction of NHG·AgCl with VOCl3. The total isolated yield of VOCl3[1,3-(2,4,6-Me3C6H2)2(NCH=)2C:] (V4′) reached 86% by transmetallation reaction, which is much higher than that (48%) by direct coordination method. This methodology has also been used to synthesize the novel vanadium complexes containing unsymmetrical NHC ligands of VOCl3[PhCH2NCH=CHNR)C:] (V5′, R = 2,4,6-Me3C6H2; V6′, R = 2,4-Me2-6-Ph-C6H2; V7′, R = 2,6-iPr2-C6H3) with high yield, which could not be obtained by direct coordination method. The catalytic activity and copolymerization ability would be improved by introducing unsymmetrical NHC ligands due to their less steric bulky effect. The vanadium complex V5′ containing unsymmetrical NHC ligand exhibits higher catalytic activity (3.7×105 gcopolymer·mol−1 of V·h−1) than that of V4′ containing symmetrical NHC ligand. Moreover, the higher propylene incorporation ratio (45.6 mol%) in the copolymers of ethylene with propylene could be obtained by using V5′ than that (39.9%) by using V4′. The results would provide a highly efficient strategy for the synthesis of early transition metal complexes containing versitile NHC ligands, affording the catalyst with both high catalytic activity and copolymerization ability for the synthesis of high performance polyolefin elastomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of slow shot speed on externally solidified crystal (ESC), porosity and tensile property in a newly developed high-pressure die-cast Al-Si alloy was investigated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laboratory computed tomography (CT). Results showed that the newly developed AlSi9MnMoV alloy exhibited improved mechanical properties when compared to the AlSi10MnMg alloy. The AlSi9MnMoV alloy, which was designed with trace multicomponent additions, displays a notable grain refining effect in comparison to the AlSi10MnMg alloy. Refining elements Ti, Zr, V, Nb, B promote heterogeneous nucleation and reduce the grain size of primary a-Al. At a lower slow shot speed, the large ESCs are easier to form and gather, developing into the dendrite net and net-shrinkage. With an increase in slow shot speed, the size and number of ESCs and porosities significantly reduce. In addition, the distribution of ESCs is more dispersed and the net-shrinkage disappears. The tensile property is greatly improved by adopting a higher slow shot speed. The ultimate tensile strength is enhanced from 260.31 MPa to 290.31 MPa (increased by 11.52%), and the elongation is enhanced from 3.72% to 6.34% (increased by 70.52%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We perform a series of 3D simulations to study the accretion of giant planet embedded in protoplanetary discs (PPDs) over gap-opening time-scales. We find that the accretion mass flux mainly comes from the intermediate latitude above the disc mid-plane. The circumplanetary disc (CPD) for a super-thermal planet is rotation-supported up to ∼20–30 per cent of the planet Hill radius. While both mass inflow and outflow exists in the CPD mid-plane, the overall trend is an outflow that forms a meridional circulation with high-latitude inflows. We confirm the absence of accretion outburst from disc eccentricity excited by massive planets in our 3D simulations, contrary to the consensus of previous 2D simulations. This suggests the necessity of 3D simulations of accretion even for super-Jupiters. The accretion rates of planets measured in a steady state can be decomposed into the 'geometric' and 'density depletion' factors. Through an extensive parameter survey, we identify a power-law scaling for the geometric factor |$\propto q_{\rm th}^{2/3}$| for super-thermal planets (q th being the thermal mass ratio), which transform to |$\propto q_{\rm th}^{2}$| for less massive cases. The density depletion factor is limited by the disc accretion rate for mildly super-thermal planets and by gap-opening for highly super-thermal ones. Moderate planetary eccentricities can enhance the accretion rates by a factor of 2–3 by making the gap shallower, but it does not impact the flow geometry. We have applied our simulations results to accreting protoplanet system PDS 70 and can satisfactorily explain the accretion rate and CPD size in observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cell metabolism plays a pivotal role in tumor progression, and targeting cancer metabolism might effectively kill cancer cells. We aimed to investigate the role of hexokinases in prostate cancer (PCa) and identify a crucial target for PCa treatment. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, online tools and clinical samples were used to assess the expression and prognostic role of ADP-dependent glucokinase (ADPGK) in PCa. The effect of ADPGK expression on PCa cell malignant phenotypes was validated in vitro and in vivo. Quantitative proteomics, metabolomics, and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) and oxygen consumption rate (OCR) tests were performed to evaluate the impact of ADPGK on PCa metabolism. The underlying mechanisms were explored through ADPGK overexpression and knockdown, co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), ECAR analysis and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays. Results: ADPGK was the only glucokinase that was both upregulated and predicted worse overall survival (OS) in prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD). Clinical sample analysis demonstrated that ADPGK was markedly upregulated in PCa tissues vs. non-PCa tissues. High ADPGK expression indicates worse survival outcomes, and ADPGK serves as an independent factor of biochemical recurrence. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that ADPGK overexpression promoted PCa cell proliferation and migration, and ADPGK inhibition suppressed malignant phenotypes. Metabolomics, proteomics, and ECAR and OCR tests revealed that ADPGK significantly accelerated glycolysis in PCa. Mechanistically, ADPGK binds aldolase C (ALDOC) to promote glycolysis via AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation. ALDOC was positively correlated with ADPGK, and high ALDOC expression was associated with worse survival outcomes in PCa. Conclusions: In summary, ADPGK is a driving factor in PCa progression, and its high expression contributes to a poor prognosis in PCa patients. ADPGK accelerates PCa glycolysis and progression by activating ALDOC-AMPK signaling, suggesting that ADPGK might be an effective target and marker for PCa treatment and prognosis evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the work of artist Ho Tzu Nyen and his art installation "Utama -- Every Name in History is I." His work contests the narrative put forth that Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles, and investigates the theory that there was another founder of Singapore named Sang Nila Utama.