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Cadmium was replaced by zinc in ammoniacal system using an electrically enhanced method under ultrasonic waves. Five main influencing factors were investigated by a single-factor experiment to determine the optimum parameters. Cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry were applied to investigating the reaction mechanism of electrically enhanced cementation of cadmium on a zinc plate. The optimum parameters were a temperature of 35 °C, a cathode-to-anode area ratio of 1:2, an anode current density of 15 A/m2, an ultrasonic frequency of 40 kHz a reaction time of 6 h and an ultrasonic power of 100 W. The extraction rate was 99.21%, and the production of byproduct “floating sponge cadmium” was inhibited. The analysis of the cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry diagrams showed that ultrasonic waves can promote and accelerate the replacement reaction, decrease the voltage requirement of the electrically enhanced replacement reaction, and change the reaction steps. In addition, increasing the temperature and ultrasonic power can promote and accelerate electrically enhanced replacement reactions and decrease the electric potential requirement.

Background. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become a standard care in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, its application to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant NSCLC patients is confronted with drug resistance. This study aimed to clarify the potential role of Yes1-associated transcriptional regulator (YAP1) in ICIs treatment for EGFR-mutant NSCLC population. Methods. All the clinical data of NSCLC were downloaded from Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) for GSE11969 and GSE72094. Based on YAP1 expression, all the NSCLC patients including the EGFR-mutant and EGFR-wildtype (WT) patients were divided into two groups, YAP1_High and YAP1_Low. Using cBioPortal, genetic alterations were analyzed for identification of immunogenicity in EGFR-mutant NSCLC. MR analysis was used to analyze the hub gene of EGFR. The infiltration of immune cells and the expression of the identified tumor-associated antigens were identified with TIMER. By graph learning-based dimensionality reduction analysis, the immune landscape was visualized. Moreover, survival analysis was performed to verify the predictive value of YAP1 in ICIs treatment for EGFR-mutant NSCLC population using Ren’s research data (NCT03513666). Results. YAP1 was a poor prognostic factor of EGFR-mutant NSCLC population rather than lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients. MR analysis revealed that the EGFR gene regulated YAP1 expression. YAP1 was identified as a hub gene closely associated with immunosuppressive microenvironment and poor prognosis in EGFR-mutant NSCLC population in TCGA LUAD. Tumors with YAP1_High showed an immune-“cold” and immunosuppressive phenotype, whereas those with YAP1_Low demonstrated an immune-“hot” and immunoactive phenotype. More importantly, it was verified that YAP1_High subpopulation had a significantly shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) after ICIs treatment in EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients in the clinical trial. Conclusions. YAP1 mediates immunosuppressive microenvironment and poor prognosis in EGFR-mutant NSCLC population. YAP1 is a novel negative biomarker of ICIs treatment in EGFR-mutant NSCLC population. Clinical Trials. This trial is registered with NCT03513666.

Educators have been paying attention to the teaching potential of the 3D virtual world browsing program Second Life, and they have been using the tool to teach subjects such as arts and mathematics in the past few years. In this article, the author focuses on how to teach language arts in Second Life. Advantages and disadvantages of two Second Life language arts projects are evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the significance of interactive television (iTV) as an emerging tool in education in the U.S. iTV offers viewers with an innovative learning environment and the ability to access news, articles, and information. iTV also connects schools internationally. Meanwhile, there are several schools and institutions in the country offering courses or programs to support the use of iTV. In this connection, iTV instructional designers need to convey ideas effectively and meet the need of the audiences.