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Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a common malignancy among men in the anatomical position of head and neck. Hoarseness, pharyngalgia, and dyspnea are common symptoms. LSCC is a complex polygenic carcinoma that is caused by many factors involving polygenic alteration, environmental pollution, tobacco, and human papillomavirus. Classical protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 12 (PTPN12) has been extensively studied to decipher its mechanism as a tumor suppressor gene in various human carcinomas; however, there is no comprehensive elucidation of the PTPN12 expression and its regulatory mechanisms in LSCC. As such, we expect to provide new insights for finding new biomarkers and effective therapeutic targets in LSCC. Immunohistochemical staining, western blot (WB), and quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) were used for the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression analyses of PTPN12, respectively. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, clone formation, transwell migration, and transwell invasion assays were used to assess the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of LSCC cells. Online prediction and design software tools (http://www.targetscan.org/ and http://www.microRNA.org) were used to predict associated miRNA. Studying the targeted regulatory relationship between miR-146b-3p and PTPN12 was based on dual luciferase reporter gene analysis. qRT-PCR was used to assess miR-146b-3p expression in LSCC. miR-146b-3p inhibitor and mimic were transfected, followed by qRT-PCR and WB assays to detect the expression of PTPN12. The gain and loss functional experiments were used to investigate the effects of miR-146b-3p transfection on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of tumor cells. Online bioinformatics prediction software (https://cn.string-db.org/ and https://www.genecards.org/) was used to determine potential downstream target genes of PTPN12. qRT-PCR and WB analyses were used to assess the mRNA and protein expression levels of target genes. Our study showed significantly decreased mRNA and protein expression levels of PTPN12 in LSCC compared with the adjacent normal tissues. The lower PTPN12 mRNA expression was correlated with pathological differentiation, and lower PTPN12 protein expression was correlated with the TNM stage in LSCC tissues. The subsequent in vitro functional analyses showed the inhibitory effect of PTPN12 over-expression on the proliferation, migration, and invasiveness abilities of LSCC cell line. Using online prediction and design software, miR-146b-3p was searched to target PTPN12. The miR-146b-3p was expressed at a high level in LSCC tissues and cell lines. Luciferase reporter assay exhibited that miR-146b-3p inhibited the luciferase activity of PTPN12 markedly. The functional analyses showed the tumor-promoting role of miR-146b-3p on the proliferation, migration, and invasiveness abilities of LSCC cell. Furthermore, co-transfection of cells with miR-146b-3p and PTPN12 significantly restored the inhibitory effect of PTPN12 on LSCC cell growth, migration, and invasiveness. This phenomenon unveiled that miR-146b-3p regulated the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LSCC cells by targeting PTPN12. EGFR and ERBB2 were selected as the downstream-regulation target genes. Up-regulation of PTPN12 significantly suppressed EGFR expression. Accordingly, the miR-146b-3p mimic significantly up-regulated the EGFR expression. However, up-regulation of PTPN12 and miR-146b-3p mimic suppressed ERBB2 protein expression but induced its gene expression. Down-regulation of PTPN12 is associated with up-regulation of miR-146b-3p in LSCC. Moreover, PTPN12 serves as a tumor suppressor gene through regulating the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LSCC cells. miR-146b-3p/PTPN12 axis is expected to be a novel therapeutic target in LSCC.

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is an aggressive and lethal malignant neoplasm with extremely poor prognoses. Accumulating evidence has indicated that preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME) is correlated with several kinds of cancers. However, there is little direct evidence to substantiate the biological function of PRAME in LSCC. The purpose of the current study is to explore the oncogenic role of PRAME in LSCC. PRAME expression was analyzed in 57 pairs of LSCC tumor tissue samples through quantitative real-time PCR, and the correlation between PRAME and clinicopathological features was analyzed. The result indicated that PRAME was overexpressed in the LSCC patients and correlated with the TNM staging and lymphatic metastasis. The biological functions and molecular mechanism of PRAME in LSCC progression were investigated through in vitro and in vivo assays. Functional studies confirmed that PRAME facilitated the proliferation, invasion, migration, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition of LSCC cells, and PRAME also promoted tumor growth in vivo. HDAC5 was identified as an upstream regulator that can affect the expression of PRAME. Moreover, PRAME played the role at least partially by activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways. The above findings elucidate that PRAME may be a valuable oncogene target, contributing to the diagnosis and therapy of LSCC.

Understanding the negative effects of climate change and changes to land use/land cover on natural hazards is an important feature of sustainable development worldwide, as these phenomena are inextricably linked with natural hazards such as landslides. The contribution of this study is an attempt to develop a state-of-the-art method to assess the effects of climate change and changes in land use/land cover on landslide susceptibility in the Tra Khuc river basin in Vietnam. The method is based on machine learning and remote sensing algorithms, namely radial basis function neural networks–search and rescue optimization (RBFNN–SARO), radial basis function neural network–queuing search algorithm (RBFNN–QSA), radial basis function neural network–life choice-based optimizer (RBFNN–LCBO), radial basis function neural network–dragonfly optimization (RBFNN–DO). All proposed models performed well, with AUC value of >0.9. The RBFNN–QSA model performed best, with an AUC value of 0.98, followed by RBFNN–SARO (AUC = 0.97), RBFNN–LCBO (AUC = 0.95), RBFNN–DO (AUC = 0.93), and support vector machine (SVM; AUC = 0.92). The results show that both climate and land use/land cover change greatly in the future: Precipitation increases 18% by 2030 and 25.1% by 2050; the total production forest, protected forest and built-up area change considerably between 2010 and 2050. These changes influence landslide susceptibility: The area of high and very high landslide susceptibility decrease by approximately 100 and 300 km2 respectively in the study area from 2010 to 2050. The findings of this study can support decision-makers in formulating appropriate strategies to reduce damage from landslides, such as limiting construction in areas where future landslides are predicted. Although this study applies to a particular region of Vietnam, the findings can be applied in other mountainous regions around the world.

Typically occurring after trauma or neurosurgery treatments, dura mater defect and the ensuing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage could lead to a number of serious complications and even patient's death. Although numerous natural and synthetic dura mater substitutes have been reported, none of them have been able to fulfill the essential properties, such as anti-adhesion, leakage blockage, and pro-dura rebuilding. In this study, we devised and prepared a series of robust and biodegradable hydroxyapatite/poly(lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (nHA/PLCL) membranes for dura repair via an electrospinning technique. In particular, PLLA/PCL (80/20) was selected for electrospinning due to its mechanical properties that most closely resembled natural dural tissue. Studies by SEM, XRD, water contact angle and in vitro degradation showed that the introduction of nHA would destroy PLCL's crystalline structure, which would further affect the mechanical properties of the nHA/PLCL membranes. When the amount of nHA added increased, so did the wettability and in vitro degradation rate, which accelerated the release of nHA. In addition, the high biocompatibility of nHA/PLCL membranes was demonstrated by in vitro cytotoxicity data. The in vivo rabbit dura repair model results showed that nHA/PLCL membranes provided a strong physical barrier to stop tissue adhesion at dura defects. Meanwhile, the nHA/PLCL and commercial group's CSF had a significantly lower number of inflammatory cells than the control groups, validating the nHA/PLCL's ability to effectively lower the risk of intracranial infection. Findings from H&E and Masson-trichrome staining verified that the nHA/PLCL electrospun membrane was more favorable for fostering dural defect repair and skull regeneration. Moreover, the relative molecular weight of PLCL declined dramatically after 3 months of implantation, according to the results of the in vivo degradation test, but it retained the fiber network structure and promoted tissue growth, demonstrating the good stability of the nHA/PLCL membranes. Collectively, the nHA/PLCL electrospun membrane presents itself as a viable option for dura repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near‐infrared organic light‐emitting diodes (NIR OLEDs) with emission peak above 900 nm are attractive for many emerging applications, spanning from bioimaging to light detection and ranging. However, the device performance of NIR OLEDs is generally limited by the low quantum efficiency of emitters because of the fast nonradiative transition process imposed by energy‐gap law and aggregation quenching. So far, only a few Pt(II) complexes delivering external quantum efficiency (EQE) over 1% are reported, while there is no comparable electroluminescence in heavy‐metal‐free fluorescent organic emitters. Here, NIR OLEDs centered at 934 nm by blending an acceptor–donor–acceptor type molecule Y11 into a polymer host poly[(9,9‐dioctylfluorenyl‐2,7‐diyl)‐alt‐(4,4′‐(N‐(4‐sec‐butylphenyl)diphenylamine) (TFB) are reported. The OLEDs show a remarkably high EQE of 1.72%. Moreover, owing to a low turn‐on voltage (≈0.9 V), the resultant NIR OLEDs have an electricity‐to‐light power efficiency surpassing 20 mW W−1. The improved device performance can be attributed to enhanced photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) of the blends owing to suppressed aggregation quenching, and favorable light extraction from the emissive layer. Such values are the highest among fluorescent OLEDs with electroluminescence above 900 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two genera, Chaenotetrastichus Graham and Styotrichia LaSalle (Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae), are newly recorded from the Oriental region, based on material reared from the pupae of Auplopus carbonarius (Scopoli) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) and a Pisoxylon species (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), respectively, collected using trap-nests. Styotrichia pisoxylona Cao & Zhu sp. nov. is described and illustrated as a gregarious endo-parasitoid of Pisoxylon sp. The generic diagnosis, biology, and distribution of Chaenotetrastichus and Styotrichia are updated. All described species of the two genera are reviewed and a key to them is provided. Based on morphology and available sequences of the D2 expansion region of 28S ribosomal DNA (28S D2), the relationships between the two genera and other members of the subfamily Tetrastichinae are tentatively discussed. The phylogenetic analysis of 28S D2 confirms that the two genera with enlarged mandibles, which are associated with aculeate Hymenoptera, are not closely related. DNA barcodes (mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I, COI) of the newly described species and C. semiflavus (Girault) are provided and analyzed alongside publicly available COI sequences of related taxa. The result suggests that the genetic or species diversity of Chaenotetrastichus is underestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem definition: Intraproject learning in project scheduling involves the use of learning among the similar tasks in a project to improve the overall performance of the project schedule. Under intraproject learning, knowledge gained from completing some tasks in a project is used to execute similar later tasks in the same project more efficiently. We provide the first model and solution algorithms to address this intraproject learning problem. Academic/practical relevance: Intraproject learning is possible when, for example, the difficulty of the tasks becomes better understood, or the efficiency of the resources used becomes better known. Hence, it is necessary to explore the potential of intraproject learning to further improve the performance of project scheduling. Because learning consumes time, firms may underinvest in intraproject learning if they do not recognize its value. Although the project scheduling literature discusses the potential value of using obtained information from learning within the same project, we formally model and optimize the use of intraproject learning in project scheduling. Methodology/results: We model the tradeoff between investing time in learning from completed tasks and achieving reduced durations for subsequent tasks to minimize the total project cost. We show that this problem is intractable. We develop a heuristic that finds near optimal solutions and a strong relaxation that allows some learning from partially completed tasks. Our computational study identifies project characteristics where intraproject learning is most worthwhile. In doing so, it motivates project managers to understand and apply intraproject learning to improve the performance of their projects. A real case is provided by a problem of the Consumer Business Group of Huawei Corporation, for which our model and algorithm provide a greater than 20% improvement in project duration. Managerial implications: We find consistent evidence that projects in general can benefit substantially from intraproject learning, and larger projects benefit more. Our computational studies provide the following insights. First, the benefit from learning varies with the features of the project network, and projects with more complex networks possess greater potential benefit from intraproject learning and deserve more attention to learning opportunities; second, noncritical tasks at an earlier project stage should be learned more extensively; and third, tasks that are more similar (or have more similar processes) to later tasks also deserve more investment in learning. Learning should also be invested more in tasks that have more successors, where knowledge gained can be used repetitively. Funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 71732003 to N. G. Hall and Grants 72131010 and 72232001 to W. Zhao], the Shanghai Subject Chief Scientist Program [Grant 16XD1401700 to G. Wan], and the Program for Professor of Special Appointment (Eastern Scholar) at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning [Grant TP2022019 to W. Zhao]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0159. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]