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Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is a luminescence production technique triggered by electrochemistry, which has emerged as a powerful analytical technique in bioanalysis and clinical diagnosis. During ECL, charge transfer (CT) is an important process between electrochemical excitation and luminescent emission, and dramatically affects the efficiency of exciton generation, playing a pivotal role in the light-emitting properties of nanomaterials. Reticular framework materials with intramolecular/intermolecular interactions offer a promising platform for regulating CT pathways and enhancing luminescence efficiency. Deciphering the role of intramolecular/intermolecular CT processes in reticular framework materials allows for the targeted design and synthesis of emitters with precisely controlled CT properties. This sheds light on the microscopic mechanisms of electro-optical conversion in ECL, propelling advancements in their efficiency and breakthrough applications. This mini-review focuses on recent advancements in engineering CT within reticular frameworks to boost ECL efficiency. We summarized strategies including intra-reticular charge transfer, CT between the metal and ligands, and CT between guest molecules and frameworks within reticular frameworks, which holds promise for developing next-generation ECL devices with enhanced sensitivity and light emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with various nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) mutations are controversial in the prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the prognosis of patients according to types of NPM1 mutations (NPM1mut). Methods: Bone marrow samples of 528 patients newly diagnosed with AML, were collected for morphology, immunology, cytogenetics, and molecular biology examinations. Gene mutations were detected by next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. Results: About 25.2% of cases exhibited NPM1mut. 83.5% of cases were type A, while type B and D were respectively account for 2.3% and 3.0%. Furthermore, 15 cases of rare types were identified, of which 2 cases have not been reported. Clinical characteristics were similar between patients with A-type NPM1 mutations (NPM1A − type mut) and non-A-type NPM1 mutations (NPM1non − A−type mut). Event-free survival (EFS) was significantly different between patients with low NPM1non − A−type mut variant allele frequency (VAF) and low NPM1A − type mut VAF (median EFS = 3.9 vs. 8.5 months, P = 0.020). The median overall survival (OS) of the NPM1non − A−type mutFLT3-ITDmut group, the NPM1A − type mutFLT3-ITDmut group, the NPM1non − A−type mutFLT3-ITDwt group, and the NPM1A − type mutFLT3-ITDwt group were 3.9, 10.7, 17.3 and 18.8 months, while the median EFS of the corresponding groups was 1.4, 5.0, 7.6 and 9.2 months (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.004, respectively). Conclusions: No significant difference was observed in OS and EFS between patients with NPM1A − type mut and NPM1non − A−type mut. However, types of NPM1 mutations and the status of FLT3-ITD mutations may jointly have an impact on the prognosis of AML patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistence reinforces continuous action, which benefits animals in many aspects. Diverse external or internal signals may trigger animals to start a persistent movement. However, it is unclear how the brain decides to persist with current actions by selecting specific information. Using single-unit extracellular recordings and opto-tagging in awake mice, we demonstrated that a group of dorsal mPFC (dmPFC) motor cortex projecting (MP) neurons initiate a persistent movement by selectively encoding contextual information rather than natural valence. Inactivation of dmPFC MP neurons impairs the initiation and reduces neuronal activity in the insular and motor cortex. After the persistent movement is initiated, the dmPFC MP neurons are not required to maintain it. Finally, a computational model suggests that a successive sensory stimulus acts as an input signal for the dmPFC MP neurons to initiate a persistent movement. These results reveal a neural initiation mechanism on the persistent movement. How the brain decides to persist with current action remains unclear. Here, the authors show that a prefrontal circuit utilizes contextual signals to initiate such persistent movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The application of silicon could effectively alleviate Cd contamination in the soil. However, the interaction between silicon and Cd in soils is not well understood. Our research aims to investigate the mechanism of the impact of silicate on the sorption of Cd on metal oxides in soils. Materials and methods: Sodium silicate and Cd(II) co-sorption on γ-Al2O3 and goethite at pH 5.5 and 7.5 was studied using a combination of batch sorption experiments, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results and discussion: Silicate enhanced the sorption of Cd(II) onto γ-Al2O3 at pH 5.5 and 7.5. However, the sorption of Cd(II) on goethite at pH 5.5 and 7.5 was only promoted when the silicate concentration reached 1 mmol L−1. Cadmium(II) enhanced silicate sorption on γ-Al2O3 at pH 5.5 and on goethite at pH 7.5, while it decreased silicate sorption on γ-Al2O3 at pH 7.5 and had no significant effect on goethite at pH 5.5. At pH 5.5, Cd(II) reacted with silicate to generate Cd2SiO4, and Cd-Si-Al ternary complexes were formed on γ-Al2O3. At pH 7.5, silicate promoted the formation of Cd(OH)2 on γ-Al2O3, which ultimately transformed into CdCO3. When silicate concentration reached 1 mmol L−1, more silicate complexes were formed through the Fe-O-Si bound on goethite at both pH 5.5 and 7.5 to promote the adsorption of Cd(II) owing to its electronegative functional group on the surface of the complex. Conclusions: The type of clay minerals, pH, and the presence of silicate all significantly affected Cd sorption. Furthermore, the sorption mechanism of Cd on γ-Al2O3 and goethite in the presence of silicate has been elucidated. The above findings improve our understanding of the mechanism for immobilizing Cd in soils using silicon-containing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The objective of this study was to analyze the correlation between skeletal muscle mass and the distribution of peripheral blood lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells, as well as their impact on prognosis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A retrospective analysis was conducted on 211 newly diagnosed AML patients, evaluating skeletal muscle index (SMI), NK cell proportion, and absolute value, along with relevant clinical data. Linear regression and Spearman's correlation coefficient were used to assess the relationship between various indicators and SMI, followed by multiple linear regression for further modeling. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to identify independent predictors for overall survival (OS). Among the 211 AML patients, 38 cases (18.0%) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Multiple linear regression analysis included weight, fat mass, ECOG score, body mass index, and peripheral blood NK cell proportion, constructing a correlation model for SMI (R2 = 0.745). Univariate analysis identified higher NK cell count (> 9.53 × 106/L) as a poor predictor for OS. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model indicated that age ≥ 60 years, PLT < 100 × 109/L, ELN high risk, sarcopenia, and B cell count > 94.6 × 106/L were independent adverse prognostic factors for AML patients. Low skeletal muscle mass may negatively impact the count and function of NK cells, thereby affecting the prognosis of AML. However, further basic and clinical research is needed to explore the specific mechanisms underlying the relationship between NK cells and SMI in AML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer has become one of the most important causes of human death. In particular, the 5 year survival rate of patients with digestive tract cancer is low. Although chemotherapy drugs have a certain efficacy, they are highly toxic and prone to chemotherapy resistance. With the advancement of antitumor research, many natural drugs have gradually entered basic clinical research. They have low toxicity, few adverse reactions, and play an important synergistic role in the combined targeted therapy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. A large number of studies have shown that the active components of Paris polyphylla (PPA), a common natural medicinal plant, can play an antitumor role in a variety of digestive tract cancers. In this paper, the main components of PPA such as polyphyllin, C21 steroids, sterols, and flavonoids, amongst others, are introduced, and the mechanisms of action and research progress of PPA and its active components in the treatment of various digestive tract cancers are reviewed and summarized. The main components of PPA have been thoroughly explored to provide more detailed references and innovative ideas for the further development and utilization of similar natural antitumor drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advantages of flexible deployment and configuration, fast response, and strong environmental adaptability, UAV-aided communication has significant applications in temporary hotspot areas, edge areas, and emergency communication scenarios. In comparison to traditional wired backhaul links from ground base stations, this paper considers a UAV-aided communication system that utilizes in-band backhaul technology to maximize the minimum reachable rate of ground users by jointly optimizing the hovering position, bandwidth allocation, transmit power, and user association of UAVs. To tackle this problem, a multi-coding artificial bee colony algorithm is proposed in this study to address the joint optimization problem, thereby expanding the dimensionality of the search conducted in the solution space. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed multivariate coded artificial bee colony algorithm achieves substantial rate gains and improves the minimum reachable rate of ground users in UAV-aided communication systems within a limited number of iterations, as compared to the BCD (BCD) method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, although there are tumor markers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), markers with better predictive efficiency are needed. SAA4 gene expression in liver tumor and paracancerous tissues was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed and visualized by heatmap and volcano plot. Survival analysis was performed based on SAA4 expression. SAA4 expression was compared in patients grouped based on clinicopathological features, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted. Immunohistochemical staining was used to verify the SAA4 protein staining intensity from The Human Protein Atlas database and our center’s samples. The diagnostic value of SAA4 for HCC was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves. SAA4 was expressed at low levels in HCC tissues, and low SAA4 expression was associated with a poor prognosis in HCC. In addition, SAA4 expression decreased with HCC progression. There were 188 upregulated DEGs and 1551 downregulated DEGs between the high and low SAA4 expression groups. Complement and coagulation cascades, fatty acid metabolism, and ECM receptor interaction were significantly enriched in the GSEA. SAA4 had good predictive efficacy for HCC and even early HCC and was superior to AFP. In general, low SAA4 expression was associated with advanced HCC stage and a poor prognosis. In addition, SAA4 may be helpful for the diagnosis of early HCC and may become a novel tumor marker with good predictive power for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If there was abundant fluorine in shotcrete, it might leach out and pollute the soil or migrate to corrode the reinforcement.Therefore, this research mainly investigated the basic properties of high-fluorine alkali free liquid accelerator (HF-AFA) and its occurrence forms in cement hydration products.The macro-test results showed that with the increase of HF-AFA dosage, it appeared excellent coagulation promoting property. However, when the HF-AFA dosage exceeded 7.0%, the 1d compressive strength of mortar was lower than 7.0 MPa. In addition, by measuring the early hydration heat of cement, C3A, C3S, C2S and C4AF pastes with and without HF-AFA, and combining XRD and SEM micro-analysis, the occurrence forms of fluorine in different clinker minerals were obtained.The final analysis results indicated that fluorine mainly existed in the form of CaF2, CaAlF5 and Ca2AlF7 crystals in C3A and C3S minerals, while only little CaF2 crystals appeared in C2S and C4AF minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop diseases are among the major natural disasters in agricultural production that seriously restrict the growth and development of crops, threatening food security. Timely classification, accurate identification, and the application of methods suitable for the situation can effectively prevent and control crop diseases, improving the quality of agricultural products. Considering the huge variety of crops, diseases, and differences in the characteristics of diseases during each stage, the current convolutional neural network models based on deep learning need to meet the higher requirement of classifying crop diseases accurately. It is necessary to introduce a new architecture scheme to improve the recognition effect. Therefore, in this study, we optimized the deep learning-based classification model for multiple crop leaf diseases using combined transfer learning and the attention mechanism, the modified model was deployed in the smartphone for testing. Dataset that containing 10 types of crops, 61 types of diseases, and different degrees was established, the algorithm structure based on ResNet50 was designed using transfer learning and the SE attention mechanism. The classification performances of different improvement methods were compared by model training. Result indicates that the average accuracy of the proposed TL-SE-ResNet50 model is increased by 7.7%, reaching 96.32%. The model was also integrated and implemented in the smartphone and the test result of the application reaches 94.8%, and the average response time is 882 ms. The improved model proposed has a good effect on the identification of diseases and their condition of multiple crops, and the application can meet the portable usage needs of farmers. This study can provide reference for more crop disease management research in agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction is presented to the article "Clinical prognostic value of different NPM1 mutations in acute myeloid leukemia patients" published in a previous issue of the periodical.