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Abstract Background The leftover material from the heat-pressing of IPS e.max Press ceramic is often discarded, despite some laboratories exploring its potential for reuse. However, there is a lack of data on the performance of IPS e.max Press ceramic when combined with the button portions. This study investigated the impact of repeated heat-pressing on the crystal structure and flexural strength of lithium disilicate glass-ceramic (LDGC). Methods Specimens (N = 30, n = 10 per group) were categorized based on the number of heat-pressing cycles: G0 (control group, no heat-pressing), G1 (one cycle of heat-pressing), and G2 (two cycles of heat-pressing). The crystal structure of LDGC bars was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Flexural strength was tested, and microstructures were analyzed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the ImageJ processing program. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multiple pairwise comparisons of means were performed with Tukey’s post-hoc test. Results G2 exhibited significantly lower flexural strength and crystallinity, as well as larger crystal size, compared to G1 and G0 (p

Abstract Stem cell-derived exosomes exert comparable therapeutic effects to those of their parental stem cells without causing immunogenic, tumorigenic, and ethical disadvantages. Their therapeutic advantages are manifested in the management of a broad spectrum of diseases, and their dosing versatility are exemplified by systemic administration and local delivery. Furthermore, the activation and regulation of various signaling cascades have provided foundation for the claimed curative effects of exosomal therapy. Unlike other relevant reviews focusing on the upstream aspects (e.g., yield, isolation, modification), and downstream aspects (e.g. phenotypic changes, tissue response, cellular behavior) of stem cell-derived exosome therapy, this unique review endeavors to focus on various affected signaling pathways. After meticulous dissection of relevant literature from the past five years, we present this comprehensive, up-to-date, disease-specific, and pathway-oriented review. Exosomes sourced from various types of stem cells can regulate major signaling pathways (e.g., the PTEN/PI3K/Akt/mTOR, NF-κB, TGF-β, HIF-1α, Wnt, MAPK, JAK-STAT, Hippo, and Notch signaling cascades) and minor pathways during the treatment of numerous diseases encountered in orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery, plastic surgery, general surgery, and other specialties. We provide a novel perspective in future exosome research through bridging the gap between signaling pathways and surgical indications when designing further preclinical studies and clinical trials.

Abstract EMT dysfunction is a dominant mechanisms of hypospadias. Thus, identification of EMT‐related lncRNAs based on transcriptome sequencing data of hypospadias might provide novel molecular markers and therapeutic targets for hypospadias. First, the microarray data related to hypospadias were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Besides, the differentially expressed lncRNAs and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) related to EMT were screened to construct lncRNA‐mRNA co‐expression interaction pairs. In addition, the microRNA (miRNA) prediction analysis was performed through bioinformatics methods to construct a ceRNA network. Moreover, function prediction and function enrichment and pathway analyses were also performed. Finally, the core EMT‐related lncRNAs were verified based on mRNA expression changes and cell functions. A total of 6 EMT‐related lncRNAs were identified and 123 mRNA‐lncRNA co‐expression interaction pairs were screened in this study. Additionally, a ceRNA regulatory network comprising 17 mRNAs, 4 lncRNAs, and 28 miRNAs was constructed based on the prediction of hypospadias‐related miRNAs. The validation results of the dataset GSE121712 revealed that only BEX1 was positively correlated with the expression of the lncRNA GNAS‐AS1 (r = 0.874, P < 0.01), both of which had high expression. The cell experiment results demonstrated that interfering with the expression of GNAS‐AS1 significantly promoted the proliferation, migration, and EMT of cells. Importantly, it was confirmed that GNAS‐AS1 can serve as a ceRNA and play an important role in the EMT of hypospadias. Hence, it may be considered as a potential target in the treatment of this disease.

Abstract A simple and flexible mass balance approach was applied to observations of XCH4 from TROPOMI to estimate CH4 emissions over Shanxi Province, including the impacts of advective transport, pressure transport, and atmospheric diffusion. High-frequency eddy-covariance flux observations were used to constrain the driving terms of the mass balance equation. This equation was then used to calculate day-to-day and 5 km × 5 km grided CH4 emissions from May 2018 to July 2022 based on TROPOMI RPRO column CH4 observations. The Shanxi-wide emissions of CH4, 126 ± 58.8 ug/m2/s, shows a fat tail distribution and high variability on a daily time scale (the 90th percentile is 2.14 times the mean and 2.74 times the median). As the number of days in the rolling average increases, the change in the variation decreases to 128 ± 35.7 ug/m2/s at 10-day, 128 ± 19.8 ug/m2/s at 30-day and 127 ± 13.9 ug/m2/s at 90-day. The range of values of the annual mean emissions on coal mine grids within Shanxi for the years 2018 to 2022 was 122 ± 58.2, 131 ± 71.2, 111 ± 63.6, 129 ± 87.1, and 138 ± 63.4 ug/m2/s, respectively. The 5-year average emissions from TROPOMI are 131 ± 68.0 ug/m2/s versus 125 ± 94.6 ug/m2/s on the grids where the EDGAR bottom-up database also has data, indicating that those pixels with mines dominate the overall emissions in terms of both magnitude and variability. The results show that high-frequency observation-based campaigns can produce a less biased result in terms of both the spatial and temporal distribution of CH4 emissions as compared with approaches using either low-frequency data or bottom-up databases, that coal mines dominate the sources of CH4 in Shanxi, and that the observed fat tail distribution can be accounted for using this approach.

Abstract Background Preoperative discrimination between non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and the muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is a determinant of management. The purpose of this research is to employ radiomics to evaluate the diagnostic value in determining muscle invasiveness of compressed sensing (CS) accelerated 3D T2-weighted-SPACE sequence with high resolution and short acquisition time. Methods This prospective study involved 108 participants who underwent preoperative 3D-CS-T2-weighted-SPACE, 3D-T2-weighted-SPACE and T2-weighted sequences. The cohort was divided into training and validation cohorts in a 7:3 ratio. In the training cohort, a Rad-score was constructed based on radiomic features selected by intraclass correlation coefficients, pearson correlation coefficient and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator . Multivariate logistic regression was used to develop a nomogram combined radiomics and clinical indices. In the validation cohort, the performances of the models were evaluated by ROC, calibration, and decision curves. Results In the validation cohort, the area under ROC curve of 3D-CS-T2-weighted-SPACE, 3D-T2-weighted-SPACE and T2-weighted models were 0.87(95% confidence interval (CI):0.73-1.00), 0.79(95%CI:0.63–0.96) and 0.77(95%CI:0.60–0.93), respectively. The differences in signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio between 3D-CS-T2-weighted-SPACE and 3D-T2-weighted-SPACE sequences were not statistically significant(p > 0.05). While the clinical model composed of three clinical indices was 0.74(95%CI:0.55–0.94) and the radiomics-clinical nomogram model was 0.88(95%CI:0.75-1.00). The calibration curves confirmed high goodness of fit, and the decision curve also showed that the radiomics model and combined nomogram model yielded higher net benefits than the clinical model. Conclusion The radiomics model based on compressed sensing 3D T2WI sequence, which was acquired within a shorter acquisition time, showed superior diagnostic efficacy in muscle invasion of bladder cancer. Additionally, the nomogram model could enhance the diagnostic performance.

Drug testing has many test elements. It aims to prevent unqualified drugs from entering the market and ensure drug safety. The existing artificial intelligence (AI) online monitoring system identifies active ingredients in the process of use. Owing to their openness, data are easy to be lost, failing to meet user needs and inducing a specific impact on the use of the monitoring system. With the continuous development of computer and measurement technologies, various biochemical data are increasing at an unprecedented speed, and numerous databases are emerging. Extracting patterns from considerable known data and experimental facts is an essential task for a wide range of biological and chemical workers. Pattern recognition is one of the essential technologies for data mining. It is widely used in industry, agriculture, national defense, biomedicine, meteorology, astronomy, and other fields. To improve the effect of the online drug ingredient recognition system, this study used AI to design an online drug ingredient recognition-embedded monitoring system and applied AI to the teaching field to improve teaching efficiency. First, this study constructed the framework of the AI online drug ingredient recognition-embedded monitoring system and introduced the process of online drug ingredient recognition. Then, it introduced the pattern recognition method, constructed the pattern recognition system, and presented the pattern recognition algorithm and the algorithm evaluation index. Afterward, it used pattern recognition to conduct a qualitative analysis of the infrared spectrum of drug components and introduced the overall process of the qualitative analysis. In addition, this study employed AI to implement changes to the embedded system instruction in colleges and universities, summarizing the current issues. The impact of drug component recognition and the educational impact of embedded systems were investigated in the experimental portion. The experimental findings demonstrated the excellent accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and Matthew correlation coefficient of the online drug component recognition-integrated monitoring system in this work. Compared with that of other systems, its average drug component recognition accuracy was above 0.85. Students in five majors reported high levels of satisfaction with the embedded system teaching, which is better for delivering college instruction.

Software vulnerability detection aims to proactively reduce the risk to software security and reliability. Despite advancements in deep-learning-based detection, a semantic gap still remains between learned features and human-understandable vulnerability semantics. In this paper, we present an XAI-based framework to assess program code in a graph context as feature representations and their effect on code vulnerability classification into multiple Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) types. Our XAI framework is deep-learning-model-agnostic and programming-language-neutral. We rank the feature importance of 40 syntactic constructs for each of the top 20 distributed CWE types from three datasets in Java and C++. By means of four metrics of information retrieval, we measure the similarity of human-understandable CWE types using each CWE type’s feature contribution ranking learned from XAI methods. We observe that the subtle semantic difference between CWE types occurs after the variation in neighboring features’ contribution rankings. Our study shows that the XAI explanation results have approximately 78% Top-1 to 89% Top-5 similarity hit rates and a mean average precision of 0.70 compared with the baseline of CWE similarity identified by the open community experts. Our framework allows for code vulnerability patterns to be learned and contributing factors to be assessed at the same stage.

Prokaryotes play a crucial role in marine ecosystem health and drive biogeochemical processes. The northern Ninety East Ridge (NER) of the Indian Ocean, a pivotal yet understudied area for these cycles, has been the focus of our study. We employed high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze 35 water samples from five stations along the ridge, categorized into three depth- and dissolved oxygen-level-based groups. Our approach uncovered a clear stratification of microbial communities, with key bioindicators such as Prochlorococcus MIT9313, Sva0996 marine group, and Candidatus Actinomarina in the upper layer; Ketobacter, Pseudophaeobacter, Nitrospina, and SAR324 clade in the middle layer; and Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum, Sphingomonas, Sphingobium, and Erythrobacter in the deep layer. Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum emerged as the most abundant bacterial genus, while Nitrosopumilaceae predominated among archaeal communities. The spatial and depth-wise distribution patterns revealed that Ketobacter was unique to the northern NER, whereas Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum, UBA10353, SAR324 clade, SAR406, Sva0996_marine_group, Candidatus Actinomarina were ubiquitous across various marine regions, exhibiting niche differentiation at the OTU level. Environmental factors, especially dissolved oxygen (DO), silicate, nitrate, and salinity, significantly influence community structure. These findings not only reveal the novelty and adaptability of the microbial ecosystem in the northern NER but also contribute to the broader understanding of marine microbial diversity and its response to environmental heterogeneity.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is responsible for avian infectious bronchitis, a disease prevalent in countries with intensive poultry farming practices. Given the presence of multiple genotypic strains in China, identifying the regionally dominant genotypes is crucial for the implementation of effective prevention and control measures. This study focuses on the IBV strain CK/CH/WJ/215, isolated from a diseased commercial chicken flock in China in 2021. The CK/CH/WJ/215 isolate was genetically characterized through complete S1 sequence analysis. Phylogenetic comparisons were made with prevalent vaccine strains (H120, LDT3-A, and 4/91). Glycosylation patterns in the S1 protein were also analyzed. Pathogenicity was assessed in 7-day-old specific-pathogen-free chicks, monitoring morbidity, mortality, and tissue tropisms. Phylogenetic analysis clustered the CK/CH/WJ/215 isolate within the GI-19 lineage. Identity with the vaccination strains H120, LDT3-A, and 4/91 was low (75.7%, 78.6%, and 77.5% respectively). Novel glycosylation sites at positions 138 and 530 were identified compared to H120 and LDT-A. The isolate demonstrated nephropathogenic characteristics, causing 100% morbidity and 73.3% mortality in SPF chicks, with broader tropisms in tissues including trachea, lungs, kidneys, and bursa of Fabricius. Comprehensive genetic and pathological investigations revealed significant differences between the CK/CH/WJ/215 isolate and common vaccine strains, including novel glycosylation sites and a strong multiorgan infective capability. These findings are crucial for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of IBV and developing more effective prevention and control strategies.

This research investigates the dynamics of smoke dispersion in a subway train carriage with multiple lateral openings within a ventilated subway tunnel. Numerous extensive full-scale numerical simulations were conducted to analyze the thermal plume distribution within multiple lateral openings of a train carriage, and the longitudinal and transverse maximum excess ceiling temperature. The results reveal that the heat release rates have a greater impact on the airflow in the carriage than velocities ,even when the longitudinal ventilation velocity reaches 8 m/s or the heat release rate reaches 15 MW. The multiple lateral openings cause significant differences in smoke flow characteristics compared to tunnels with both ends open. Additionally, the transverse maximum ceiling excess temperature inclines towards the lateral opening side due to asymmetrical air entrainment. The analysis of longitudinal maximum ceiling excess temperature identified two regions based on the dimensionless heat release rate, showing a linear increase followed by a constant phase dependent on the heat release rate, with a maximum longitudinal excess gas temperature of 1242 K. Additionally, a relationship between the dimensionless heat release rate and the transverse dimensionless maximum ceiling excess temperature was established. This study can be used as a guide for smoke exhaust mitigation and fire safety measures in the event of subway train carriage fires.

Abstract Objective This study aims to screen the differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (DELncRNAs) related to the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in hypospadias in mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-Exons) and explore the potential mechanism of these lncRNAs for the EMT in hypospadias. Methods In this study, the microarray data related to MSC-Exos and hypospadias were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Besides, the lncRNAs highly expressed in MSC-Exos and the differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs in children with hypospadias were screened, respectively. In addition, the lncRNAs enriched in MSC-Exos and differentially expressed lncRNAs in hypospadias were intersected to obtain the final DElncRNAs. Moreover, the co-expression interaction pairs of differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were analyzed to construct a Competing Endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. Finally, the candidate lncRNAs in exosomes were subjected to in vitro cell function verification. Results In this study, a total of 4 lncRNAs were obtained from the microarray data analysis. Further, a ceRNA regulatory network of MSC-Exo-derived lncRNAs related to the regulation of EMT in hypospadias was constructed, including 4 lncRNAs, 2 mRNAs, and 6 miRNAs. The cell function verification results indicated that the exosomes secreted by MSCs may transport HLA complex group 18 (HCG18) into target cells, which promoted the proliferation, migration, and EMT of these cells. Conclusion MSC-Exo-derived lncRNA HCG18 can enter target cells, and it may be involved in the regulation of EMT in hypospadias through the ceRNA network.

Abstract Wilms tumor (WT) is the most common malignancy of the genitourinary system in children. Currently, the Integration of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) and Bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis of heterogeneity between different cell types in pediatric WT tissues could more accurately find prognostic markers, but this is lacking. RNA-Seq and clinical data related to WT were downloaded from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) database. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 15 (SNHG15) was identified as a risk signature from the TARGET dataset by using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, differentially expressed analysis and univariate Cox analysis. After that, the functional mechanisms, immunological and molecular characterization of SNHG15 were investigated at the scRNA-seq, pan-cancer, and RNA-seq levels using Gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), ESTIMATE, and CIBERSORT. Based on scRNA-seq data, we identified 20 clusters in WT and annotated 10 cell types. Integration of single-cell and spatial data mapped ligand-receptor networks to specific cell types, revealing M2 macrophages as hubs for intercellular communication. In addition, in vitro cellular experiments showed that siRNAs interfering with SNHG15 significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of G401 cells and promoted the apoptosis of G401 cells compared with the control group. The effect of siRNAs interfering with SNHG15 on EMT-related protein expression was verified by Western blotting assay. Thus, our findings will improve our current understanding of the pathogenesis of WT, and they are potentially valuable in providing novel prognosis markers for the treatment of WT.

This research was to assess the dietary copper (Cu) requirement of broiler chickens fed a practical corn-soybean meal diet during 22–42 d of age. A total of 288 numbered Arbor Acres male broilers at 22 d of age were randomly allotted 6 treatments with 8 replicate cages (6 broilers per cage) per treatment. Broilers were fed a Cu-unsupplemented corn-soybean meal basal diet (control, containing 7.36 mg Cu/kg) or the basal diet added with 3, 6, 9, 12, or 15 mg Cu/kg from CuSO4·5H2O for 21 d. Quadratic, asymptotic and broken-line models were fitted and the best fitted models were selected to determine dietary Cu requirements. The results revealed that the contents of Cu in serum and liver, mRNA expression levels of Cu- and zinc-containing superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) in liver and monoamine oxidase b (MAO B) in heart, as well as protein expression level of CuZnSOD in liver were affected (P

As an essential component of the fungal cell wall, β-1,6-glucan has an important role in the growth and development of fungi, but its distribution has not been investigated in Magnaporthe oryzae. Here, a novel β-1,6-glucanase from M. oryzae, MoGlu16, was cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris. The enzyme was highly active on pustulan, with a specific activity of 219.0 U/mg at pH 5.0 and 50°C, and showed great selectivity for continuous β-1,6-glycosidic bonding polysaccharides. Based on this, β-1,6-glucan was selectively visualized in the vegetative hyphae, conidia and bud tubes of M. oryzae using a hydrolytically inactive GFP-tagged MoGlu16 with point mutations at the catalytic position (His-MoGlu16E236A-Gfp). The spore germination and appressorium formation were significantly inhibited after incubation of 105/ml conidia with 0.03 μg/μl MoGlu16. Mycelia treated with MoGlu16 produced reactive oxygen species and triggered the cell wall integrity pathway, increasing the expression levels of genes involved in cell wall polysaccharide synthesis. These results revealed that MoGlu16 participated in the remodeling of cell wall in M. oryzae, laying a foundation for the analysis of cell wall structure.

Purpose: As the most common subset of breast cancer (BC), estrogen receptor positive (ER+) BC accounting for 80% of cases, has become a global public health concern. The female hormone estrogen (E2) unequivocally drives ER + breast malignancies. The reasons that estrogen affects BC development has long been considered, yet further study remains to be conducted of the molecular events in the E2-estrogen receptor α (ERα) signaling pathway in ER + BC progression, especially lipid metabolism, so providing more options for tailored and individualized therapy. Our aim is to find out new targets and clinical biomarkers for ER + breast cancer treatment from the perspective of lipid metabolism. Methods: Lipid metabolomics profiling was used to examine the membrane phospholipid stimulated by E2. Clinical BC samples were used to assess the association of CYP4F2, CYP4F11 expression with clinicopathological characteristics and patient outcomes. Some inhibitors of main enzymes in AA metabolism were used combined with E2 to assess roles of CYP4F2/CYP4F11 in the progression of ER + BC. CYP4F2, CYP4F11 overexpression and knockdown BC cell lines were employed to examine the effects of CYP4F2, CYP4F11 on cellular proliferation, apoptosis and tumor growth. Western blotting, qPCR, Immunohistochemical staining and flow cytometry were also conducted to determine the underlying mechanisms related to CYP4F2, CYP4F11 function. Results: The activation of the CYP450 signaling pathway in arachidonic acid metabolism contributed to ER + BC tumorigenesis. In ER + BC, CYP4F2 and CYP4F11 overexpression induced by E2 could promote cancer cell proliferation and resistance to apoptosis by producing the metabolite 20-HETE and activating the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. CYP4F2 and CYP4F11 elevation correlates with poorer overall survival and disease-free survival in ER + BC patients. Conclusion: CYP4F2, CYP4F11 and their metabolite 20-HETE could serve as effective prognostic markers and attractive therapeutic targets for novel anticancer drug development about ER + BC.

Background: The policy of merging remote rural elementary schools into centralized villages has led to the emergence of boarding schools as an essential means of providing compulsory education in rural areas of China. As boarding children reside in schools for extended periods, parents' influence on their human capital development is inevitably specificity. The development of rural boarding children is a serious social issue in China, and parent–child distance plays a crucial role in affecting the development of children's human capital. Objective: While previous studies have focused on the relationship between parental absence and the development of human capital in rural boarding children, this study examines the effects of both spatial and emotional distance between parents and children on the human capital of rural boarding children. Participants and setting: A stratified, multi-stage probabilities proportional to size (PPS) sampling method was used, and self-report questionnaires were completed by 2397 rural boarding children (54.2 % males; ages 12 to 18, M = 14.66, SD = 1.30). Methods: Children's background, family, and school and teacher characteristics were used as control variables. An OLS regression model was used to assess the effects of parent–child spatial and emotional distance on the human capital of rural boarding children, and a CMP–OLS regression model was used to address endogeneity using parents' self-assessed family economic conditions as instrumental variables. Results: Parent–child spatial distance had a significant positive effect (p

Microbial communities within oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) play crucial roles in the marine biogeochemical cycling. Arabian Sea (AS) has one of the largest OMZs among the global oceans, however, knowledge about the microbial ecology of the AS OMZ remained limited. In the present study, 44 water samples collected from six stations across the AS, spanning from the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) layer to 4000m depth were analyzed. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed the structural diversity of bacterial and archaeal communities, influenced primarily by depth and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. Distinct community compositions were observed across different oxygen gradients, with shifts in the relative abundance of key taxa. Notably, Desulfosarcinaceae, UBA10353, Nitrospina, SUP05, Sva0996_marine_group, Microtrichaceae, and Nitrosopumilus emerged as bioindicator taxa in the AS hypoxic zones. Co-occurrence network analysis identified SAR324, Alteromonadaceae, and Sphingomonadaceae as keystone taxa. The spatial and depth-wise distribution patterns revealed that Desulfosarcinaceae was predominantly found in the hypoxic zones of the Arabian Sea, whereas UBA10353, Nitrospina, SUP05, Microtrichaceae and SAR324 were ubiquitous across AS, Bay of Bengal (BOB), and Eastern Tropical North Pacific (ETNP) OMZs, with OTU-level niche differentiation observed for the latter two. Functional profiling using FAPROTAX predicted higher metabolic potential for nitrogen and sulfur in the OMZ compared to other layers of the AS. Our findings provide valuable insights into the distribution, structure, and diversity of microbial communities in the AS OMZ, highlighting the ecological roles of key taxa in hypoxic environments. The established sequence database offers a foundation for further research into the complex interactions within these microbial ecosystems.

This study addresses the significant fire hazards associated with using thermoplastic materials, particularly PMMA (poly methyl methacrylate), which are prone to flammability and high calorific values. By employing a methodology that combines small-scale experiments and theoretical analysis, this paper investigates the impact of material width on the behavior of discrete flames in open spaces, using specimens ranging from 5 to 10 cm in width. The findings indicate that an increase in specimen width positively affects the burning area and brightness, while the dimensionless flame height and heat release rate per unit width exhibit a negative power law decay with increasing width. This suggests that beyond a critical width, further increases in width have little influence on flame propagation. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of fire dynamics in thermoplastics and provide valuable insights that could lead to enhanced fire safety standards and material designs. The originality of this research lies in its detailed analysis of how material dimensions influence flame behavior, a topic that has not been extensively explored before, offering significant practical value in applications where fire safety is crucial.

The airtightness of heated tobacco product (HTP) packs is a very important indicator for the product quality and is also of great importance during the conditioning process. A method for evaluation of the airtightness was developed based on the air pressure difference in a constant pumping configuration. The essential feature of this method is that the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the HTP packs during the deflation process is used to characterize the sealing quality of HTP packs. The detailed setup, the principle as well as the determination procedure are described. The accuracy and the repeatability of the method were assessed, and the effect of airtightness on the conditioning process was also investigated. The developed method is proven to be reliable with a standard deviation less than 0.09 kPa and repeatability less than 0.30 kPa. In addition, it was found that, although the transmission of moisture between HTPs and atmosphere could not be entirely prevented by the packs, airtightness still plays a significant role during the conditioning process, especially if the airtightness was at a relatively low level (e.g., lower than 1.5 kPa under a pumping flow rate of 200 mL/min). The method provides a promising way to assess and monitor the sealing quality of HTP packs, and it is suggested that the airtightness of the pack should not be lower than 2 kPa under a pumping flow rate of 200 mL/min. [Contrib. Tob. Nicotine Res. 32 (2023) 140–145]

This paper provides an overview of the study of optical resonant cavity stability, focusing on the relevant principles, key technological advances, and applications of optical resonant cavities in a variety of high-precision measurement techniques and modern science and technology. Firstly, the vibration characteristics, thermal noise, and temperature characteristics of the reference cavity are presented. Subsequently, the report extensively discusses the advances in key technologies such as mechanical vibration isolation, thermal noise control, and resistance to temperature fluctuations. These advances not only contribute to the development of theory but also provide innovative solutions for practical applications. Typical applications of optical cavities in areas such as laser gyroscopes, high-precision measurements, and gravitational wave detection are also discussed. Future research directions are envisioned, emphasising the importance of novel material applications, advanced vibration isolation technologies, intelligent temperature control systems, multifunctional integrated optical resonator design, and deepening theoretical models and numerical simulations.

A novel Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, and mixotrophic bacterium, designated as strain LZ166T, was isolated from the bathypelagic seawater in the western Pacific Ocean. The cells were short rod-shaped, oxidase- and catalase-positive, and motile by means of lateral flagella. The growth of strain LZ166T was observed at 10–45 °C (optimum 34–37 °C), at pH 5–10 (optimum 6–8), and in the presence of 0–5% NaCl (optimum 1–3%). A phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene showed that strain LZ166T shared the highest similarity (98.58%) with Aquibium oceanicum B7T and formed a distinct branch within the Aquibium genus. The genomic characterization, including average nucleotide identity (ANI, 90.73–76.79%), average amino identity (AAI, 88.50–79.03%), and digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH, 36.1–22.2%) values between LZ166T and other species within the Aquibium genus, further substantiated its novelty. The genome of strain LZ166T was 6,119,659 bp in size with a 64.7 mol% DNA G+C content. The predominant fatty acid was summed feature 8 (C18:1ω7c and/or C18:1ω6c). The major polar lipids identified were diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), glycolipid (GL), and phosphatidylglycerol (PG), with ubiquinone-10 (Q-10) as the predominant respiratory quinone. The genomic annotation indicated the presence of genes for a diverse metabolic profile, including pathways for carbon fixation via the Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle and inorganic sulfur oxidation. Based on the polyphasic taxonomic results, strain LZ166T represented a novel species of the genus Aquibium, for which the name Aquibium pacificus sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain LZ166T (=MCCC M28807T = KACC 23148T = KCTC 82889T).

CO2 laser machining is a cost effective and time saving solution for fabricating microchannels on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Due to the lack of research on the incubation effect and ablation behavior of PMMA under high-power laser irradiation, predictions of the microchannel profile are limited. In this study, the ablation process and mechanism of a continuous CO2 laser machining process on microchannel production in PMMA in single-pass and multi-pass laser scan modes are investigated. It is found that a higher laser energy density of a single pass causes a lower ablation threshold. The ablated surface can be divided into three regions: the ablation zone, the incubation zone, and the virgin zone. The PMMA ablation process is mainly attributed to the thermal decomposition reactions and the splashing of molten polymer. The depth, width, aspect ratio, volume ablation rate, and mass ablation rate of the channel increase as the laser scanning speed decreases and the number of laser scans increases. The differences in ablation results obtained under the same total laser energy density using different scan modes are attributed to the incubation effect, which is caused by the thermal deposition of laser energy in the polymer. Finally, an optimized simulation model that is used to solve the problem of a channel width greater than spot diameter is proposed. The error percentage between the experimental and simulation results varies from 0.44% to 5.9%.

Objective: To achieve rapid, quantitative and high-throughput detection of aminoglycoside antibiotic residues in pork. Methods: Square-array aligned SERS substrates based on Au nanoflowers （AuNFs） were prepared using PP synthetic paper as a substrate. Pork samples were pre-treated by QuEChERs method and subjected to SRES. Results: Using 4-mercaptobenzoic acid as the SERS probe molecule, the substrate exhibited good homogeneity, SERS enhancement effect, reproducibility and stability. the SERS signal intensities at the characteristic peaks at 475, 619 cm-1 showed good linear relationships with the logarithms of the concentrations of gentamicin sulphate and neomycin sulphate, respectively （R2 of 0.991 6 and 0.990 7, respectively）. The limits of detections （LODs） were as low as 1×10-9, 1×10-8 mol/L, respectively, and were successfully applied to the rapid, quantitative and high-throughput determination of aminoglycoside antibiotics in pork. Conclusion: The experimental method provides an economical, efficient, time-saving and highly sensitive way for the application of SERS technology for the detection of antibiotic residues in real meat samples.

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to explore the risk factors for the prognosis and recurrence of ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO).MethodsThe correlation of these variables with the prognosis and recurrence risks was analyzed by binary and multivariate logistic regression. Besides, a nomogram was constructed based on the multivariate logistic regression calculation. After the model was verified by the C-statistic, the ROC curve was plotted to evaluate the sensitivity of the model. Finally, the decision curve analysis (DCA) was conducted to estimate the clinical benefits and losses of intervention measures under a series of risk thresholds.ResultsPreoperative automated peritoneal dialysis (APD), preoperative urinary tract infection (UTI), preoperative renal parenchymal thickness (RPT), Mayo adhesive probability (MAP) score, and surgeon proficiency were the high-risk factors for the prognosis and recurrence of UPJO. In addition, a nomogram was constructed based on the above 5 variables. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.8831 after self cross-validation, which validated that the specificity of the model was favorable.ConclusionThe column chart constructed by five factors has good predictive ability for the prognosis and recurrence of UPJO, which may provide more reasonable guidance for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

ABSTRACT: Excessive corticosterone (CORT) exposure could cause hepatic cholesterol accumulation in chickens and maternal betaine supplementation could decrease hepatic cholesterol deposition through epigenetic modifications in offspring chickens. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether providing betaine to laying hens could protect CORT-induced hepatic cholesterol accumulation via epigenetic mechanisms. This study aimed to examine the effects of dietary betaine on plasma and hepatic cholesterol contents, expression of cholesterol metabolic genes, as well as DNA methylation on their promoters in the liver of laying hens exposed to CORT. A total of 72 laying hens at 130 d of age were randomly divided into 3 groups: control (CON), CORT, and CORT+betaine (CORT+BET) groups. The experiment lasted for 35 d. Chickens in CON and CORT groups were fed a basal diet, whereas the CORT+BET group chickens were fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.1% betaine for 35 d. On d 28 of the experiment, chickens in CORT and CORT+BET groups received daily subcutaneous injections of CORT (4.0 mg/kg body weight), whereas the CON group chickens were injected with an equal volume of solvent for 7 d. The results showed that CORT administration led to a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the contents of cholesterol in plasma and liver, associated with activation (P < 0.05) of sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 2 (SREBP2), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR), lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) and low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) genes expression, and inhibition of cholesterol-7-alpha hydroxylase (CYP7A1) and sterol 27-hydroxylase (CYP27A1) genes expression in the liver compared to the CON. In contrast, CORT-induced up-regulation of HMGCR mRNA and protein abundances and downregulation of CYP7A1 mRNA and protein abundances were completely normalized (P < 0.05) by betaine supplementation. Besides, CORT injection led to significant hypomethylation (P < 0.05) on HMGCR promoter and hypermethylation (P < 0.05) on CYP7A1 promoter. Moreover, dietary betaine rescued (P < 0.05) CORT-induced changes in methylation status of HMGCR and CYP7A1 genes promoters. These results indicate that dietary betaine addition protects laying hens from CORT-induced hepatic cholesterol accumulation via epigenetic modulation of HMGCR and CYP7A1 genes.

Raman scattering is an inelastic light scattering that occurs in a manner reflective of the molecular vibrations of molecular structures and chemical conditions in a given sample of interest. Energy changes in the scattered light can be assessed to determine the vibration mode and associated molecular and chemical conditions within the sample, providing a molecular fingerprint suitable for sample identification and characterization. Raman spectroscopy represents a particularly promising approach to the molecular analysis of many diseases owing to clinical advantages including its instantaneous nature and associated high degree of stability, as well as its ability to yield signal outputs corresponding to a single molecule type without any interference from other molecules as a result of its narrow peak width. This technology is thus ideally suited to the simultaneous assessment of multiple analytes. Neurodegenerative diseases represent an increasingly significant threat to global public health owing to progressive population aging, imposing a severe physical and social burden on affected patients who tend to develop cognitive and/or motor deficits beginning between the ages of 50 and 70. Owing to a relatively limited understanding of the etiological basis for these diseases, treatments are lacking for the most common neurodegenerative diseases, which include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The present review was formulated with the goal of briefly explaining the principle of Raman spectroscopy and discussing its potential applications in the diagnosis and evaluation of neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular emphasis on the research prospects of this novel technological platform.

Propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG) are the most common solvents used in electronic cigarette liquids. No long-term inhalation toxicity assessments have been performed combining conventional and multi-omics approaches on the potential respiratory effects of the solvents in vivo. In this study, the systemic toxicity of aerosol generated from a ceramic heating coil-based e-cigarette was evaluated. First, the aerosol properties were characterized, including carbonyl emissions, the particle size distribution, and aerosol temperatures. To determine toxicological effects, rats were exposed, through their nose only, to filtered air or a propylene glycol (PG)/ glycerin (VG) (50:50, %W/W) aerosol mixture at the target concentration of 3 mg/L for six hours daily over a continuous 28-day period. Compared with the air group, female rats in the PG/VG group exhibited significantly lower body weights during both the exposure period and recovery period, and this was linked to a reduced food intake. Male rats in the PG/VG group also experienced a significant decline in body weight during the exposure period. Importantly, rats exposed to the PG/VG aerosol showed only minimal biological effects compared to those with only air exposure, with no signs of toxicity. Moreover, the transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses of the rat lung tissues following aerosol exposure revealed a series of candidate pathways linking aerosol inhalation to altered lung functions, especially the inflammatory response and disease. Dysregulated pathways of arachidonic acids, the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, and the hematopoietic cell lineage were revealed through integrated multi-omics analysis. Therefore, our integrated multi-omics approach offers novel systemic insights and early evidence of environmental-related health hazards associated with an e-cigarette aerosol using two carrier solvents in a rat model.

Magnesium-based materials not only exhibit desirable characteristics such as low density and high specific strength, but also possess exceptional functional properties, including high damping capacity, high thermal conductivity, high electromagnetic interference shielding capacity, flame retardancy, and dissolvability. However, achieving a balance between strength and functional properties remains a significant challenge in Mg alloys community. Typically, strength depends on the pinning effect of defects, such as solute atoms and second phases, which hinder dislocation motion. On the other hand, optimal functional properties usually necessitate relative perfect crystal structures, as the presence of solute atoms and second phases can have adverse effects on damping capacity and thermal conductivity. Balancing these conflicting requirements is difficult. The trade-off between strength and functional properties of the Mg alloys should be broken to meet the urgent need in aerospace, automotive, 3C (computers, communications, and consumer electronics) and energy industries for high performance structural-functional integrated Mg-based materials. This review summarizes recent progress in understanding the mechanisms and influencing factors for the functional properties of Mg alloys. The mechanisms underlying the trade-off between strength and functional properties of Mg alloys is discussed. The latest developed structural-functional integrated Mg alloys and their composites are summarized, including high strength Mg-based materials with high damping capacity / high thermal conductivity / strong electromagnetic shielding capability / excellent flame-resistance / high dissolution rate. The future works of developing structure-function integrated Mg-based materials are proposed.

With the continuous development of the pharmaceutical industry, people have always paid attention to the safety and effectiveness of drugs, including innovative drugs and generic drugs. For pharmaceutical companies as manufacturers, drug development is a very lengthy process that requires high costs, millions of man-hours, thousands of trials, and the mobilization of hundreds of researchers. Therefore, efforts need to be made to develop drugs with high safety and effectiveness. Drug research and development plays an important role today. Based on this, this article applied computer molecular simulation embedded technology and artificial intelligence technology to drug research and development. First, the problems faced in the research and development of anti-inflammatory disease-dependent tumor drugs were introduced, and then the applications of computer molecular simulation embedded technology and artificial intelligence technology in drug research and development were analyzed. Subsequently, the application of artificial intelligence in drug research and development teaching was analyzed, and a teaching system based on computer molecular simulation embedded technology and artificial intelligence was designed. Finally, the application effects of computer molecular simulation embedded technology and artificial intelligence technology were analyzed, and a feasible conclusion was drawn. The use of computer molecular simulation embedded technology and artificial intelligence technology can greatly improve the efficiency of drug research and development, and the research and development safety of imatinib mesylate has been improved by 7%. On the other hand, it can improve students’ learning interest and stimulate their learning interest, and students’ drug research and development capabilities have been improved. Drug research and development for inflammatory-dependent tumors has good application prospects.

Electrochemical water splitting is a viable solution for producing clean energy sources. However, the sluggish reaction kinetics and high overpotential restrict their further application in large-scale hydrogen generation. In this work, we prepared NiFeP catalysts by a hydrothermal reaction and phosphorization treatment and studied the effect of the reaction temperature on the morphology and properties of the samples. The prepared NiFeP-140 samples possess a specific surface area of 25.13 m2g−1, which provides many active sites for the electrochemical reaction. They show an overpotential of 93 mV at 10 mA cm−2 for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and 233 mV @ 50 mA cm−2 for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Also, the samples show Tafel slopes of 79.24 mV dec−1 (HER) and 80.73 mV dec−1 (OER). This facile strategy can be extended to prepare other transition-metal electrocatalysts.

The enormous effects of avian influenza on poultry production and the possible health risks to humans have drawn much attention to this disease. The H9N2 subtype of avian influenza virus is widely prevalent among poultry, posing a direct threat to humans through infection or by contributing internal genes to various zoonotic strains of avian influenza. Despite the widespread use of H9N2 subtype vaccines, outbreaks of the virus persist due to the rapid antigenic drift and shifts in the influenza virus. As a result, it is critical to develop a broader spectrum of H9N2 subtype avian influenza vaccines and evaluate their effectiveness. In this study, a recombinant baculovirus expressing the broad-spectrum HA protein was obtained via bioinformatics analysis and a baculovirus expression system (BES). This recombinant hemagglutinin (HA) protein displayed cross-reactivity to positive sera against several subbranch H9 subtype AIVs. An adjuvant and purified HA protein were then used to create an rHA vaccine candidate. Evaluation of the vaccine demonstrated that subcutaneous immunization of the neck with the rHA vaccine candidate stimulated a robust immune response, providing complete clinical protection against various H9N2 virus challenges. Additionally, virus shedding was more effectively inhibited by rHA than by the commercial vaccine. Thus, our findings illustrate the efficacy of the rHA vaccine candidate in shielding chickens against the H9N2 virus challenge, underscoring its potential as an alternative to conventional vaccines.

Soils play a dominant role in supporting the survival and growth of crops and they are also extremely important for human health and food safety. At present, the contamination of soil by heavy metals remains a globally concerning environmental issue that needs to be resolved. In the environment, iron plaque, naturally occurring on the root surface of wetland plants, is found to be equipped with an excellent ability at blocking the migration of heavy metals from soils to plants, which can be further developed as an environmentally friendly strategy for soil remediation to ensure food security. Because of its large surface-to-volume porous structure, iron plaque exhibits high binding affinity to heavy metals. Moreover, iron plaque can be seen as a reservoir to store nutrients to support the growth of plants. In this review, the formation process of iron plaque, the ecological role that iron plaque plays in the environment and the interaction between iron plaque, plants and microbes, are summarized.

Abstract Natural medicines plants are significant considerable attention as potential therapeutic agents for bone tissue engineering. Cissus quadrangularis L (CQ). is a potent therapeutic plant known for its own osteogenic properties. In this research work, a phytoconstituents-filled composite was produced by incorporating CQ extract with gelatin (Gel) and pectin (Pec) polymers collective through β- tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) bioceramic via a green template method. The effect of CQ-filled composite morphology and chemical structural properties, in vitro cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, and differentiation was investigated. FTIR spectroscopic results indicated the prepared materials’ structural confirmation. The CQ extract was the alcoholic -OH merge with the hydroxyl and -NH groups in the range of 3000 cm−1 to 3500 cm−1. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the β-TCP ceramic was perfectly embedded in Gel-Pec polymeric matrix, which is important for bone regeneration. In vitro cell culture results indicated that β-TCP/Gel-Pec/CQ composite provided 92.0% of a favorable substrate for mesenchymal stem cell viability. The gene expression and RT-PCR studies represent the materials with good osteogenic expression, especially the β-TCP/Gel-Pec/CQ composite is observed at 168.0% and 188.0% for RUNx2 and OCN, respectively. The result of the physicochemical characterizations and cell viability studies suggest that CQ-loaded β-TCP/Gel-Pec composite can serve as a potential biomaterial for bone tissue repair and regeneration. Graphical Abstract

Agricultural chemicals with multifunctional applications in crop protection have attracted increasing attention. Herein, two new series of thiazole and imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivatives containing a hydrazone substructure were designed and synthesized via a concise synthesis route. Bioassay results showed that most of the thiazole derivatives exhibited broad-spectrum fungistatic activities, which were exemplified by compounds 1c, 1e, 1g, 1h and 1j. In particular, compound 1e displayed excellent in vitro inhibitory effects with the EC50 values of 5.00, 18.24, 6.94, and 3.03 μg/mL against the fungi Botrytis cinerea, Cytospora sp, Fusarium graminearum, and Fusarium solani, respectively. Detached fruit experiments against tomato gray mold (caused by B. cinerea) in vivo revealed that the control efficiency of compound 1e at 10, 20 and 40 μg/mL for 5 days was 35.05%, 54.14% and 81.83%, respectively, which was comparable and even superior to that of the fungicide carbendazim. Additionally, the title compounds also showed remarkable larvicidal activity against M. separata and some compounds exhibited good aphicidal activity. In a word, the bioassay indicated that a certain number of title compounds had multiple biological activities. Given their excellent antifungal and larvicidal characteristics, these interesting derivatives based on the title compounds could be served as new scaffolds for the development of pesticide with multifunctional applications.

Research on the flexible hybrid epidermal electronic system (FHEES) has attracted considerable attention due to its potential applications in human–machine interaction and healthcare. Through material and structural innovations, FHEES combines the advantages of traditional stiff electronic devices and flexible electronic technology, enabling it to be worn conformally on the skin while retaining complex system functionality. FHEESs use multimodal sensing to enhance the identification accuracy of the wearer’s motion modes, intentions, or health status, thus realizing more comprehensive physiological signal acquisition. However, the heterogeneous integration of soft and stiff components makes balancing comfort and performance in designing and implementing multimodal FHEESs challenging. Herein, multimodal FHEESs are first introduced in 2 types based on their different system structure: all-in-one and assembled, reflecting totally different heterogeneous integration strategies. Characteristics and the key design issues (such as interconnect design, interface strategy, substrate selection, etc.) of the 2 multimodal FHEESs are emphasized. Besides, the applications and advantages of the 2 multimodal FHEESs in recent research have been presented, with a focus on the control and medical fields. Finally, the prospects and challenges of the multimodal FHEES are discussed.

Abstract The exponentially increasing heat generation in electronic devices, induced by high power density and miniaturization, has become a dominant issue that affects carbon footprint, cost, performance, reliability, and lifespan. Liquid metals (LMs) with high thermal conductivity are promising candidates for effective thermal management yet are facing pump‐out and surface‐spreading issues. Confinement in the form of metallic particles can address these problems, but apparent alloying processes elevate the LM melting point, leading to severely deteriorated stability. Here, we propose a facile and sustainable approach to address these challenges by using a biogenic supramolecular network as an effective diffusion barrier at copper particle‐LM (EGaIn/Cu@TA) interfaces to achieve superior thermal conduction. The supramolecular network promotes LM stability by reducing unfavorable alloying and fluidity transition. The EGaIn/Cu@TA exhibits a record‐high metallic‐mediated thermal conductivity (66.1 W m−1 K−1) and fluidic stability. Moreover, mechanistic studies suggest the enhanced heat flow path after the incorporation of copper particles, generating heat dissipation suitable for computer central processing units, exceeding that of commercial silicone. Our results highlight the prospects of renewable macromolecules isolated from biomass for the rational design of nanointerfaces based on metallic particles and LM, paving a new and sustainable avenue for high‐performance thermal management.

BackgroundAs a severe hematological malignancy in adults, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by high heterogeneity and complexity. Emerging evidence highlights the importance of the tumor immune microenvironment and lipid metabolism in cancer progression. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated the expression profiles of genes related to lipid metabolism and immune modifications to develop a prognostic risk signature for AML.MethodsFirst, we extracted the mRNA expression profiles of bone marrow samples from an AML cohort from The Cancer Genome Atlas database and employed Cox regression analysis to select prognostic hub genes associated with lipid metabolism and immunity. We then constructed a prognostic signature with hub genes significantly related to survival and validated the stability and robustness of the prognostic signature using three external datasets. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis was implemented to explore the underlying biological pathways related to the risk signature. Finally, the correlation between signature, immunity, and drug sensitivity was explored.ResultsEight genes were identified from the analysis and verified in the clinical samples, including APOBEC3C, MSMO1, ATP13A2, SMPDL3B, PLA2G4A, TNFSF15, IL2RA, and HGF, to develop a risk-scoring model that effectively stratified patients with AML into low- and high-risk groups, demonstrating significant differences in survival time. The risk signature was negatively related to immune cell infiltration. Samples with AML in the low-risk group, as defined by the risk signature, were more likely to be responsive to immunotherapy, whereas those at high risk responded better to specific targeted drugs.ConclusionsThis study reveals the significant role of lipid metabolism- and immune-related genes in prognosis and demonstrated the utility of these signature genes as reliable bioinformatic indicators for predicting survival in patients with AML. The risk-scoring model based on these prognostic signature genes holds promise as a valuable tool for individualized treatment decision-making, providing valuable insights for improving patient prognosis and treatment outcomes in AML.

Abstract Background ABO blood groups has been associated with risk of several cancers; however, the results for an association with ovarian cancer are inconsistent and little is known about the expression of histo‐blood group (ABH) antigens and ABO gene in ovarian tumor tissues. Methods To assess the impact of genotype‐derived ABO blood types on the risk of EOC, we conducted a case–control study in 1,870 EOC and 4,829 controls. Expression of A and B antigen in 70 pairs of ovarian tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. Gene expression and DNA methylation profiling was conducted in ovarian tumor tissues. Results We identified that blood group A was associated with increased risk for EOC compared to blood group O (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.03–1.36, p = 0.019). Increased frequency of aberrant expression of histo‐blood group antigens was observed in patients with blood group A (76.5%) compared to patients with blood group O (21.1%) and B (5.0%) by immunohistochemistry (p

In the context of a burgeoning knowledge economy, enterprise intellectual capital has emerged as a pivotal asset for organizational growth. Evaluating it requires a comprehensive and robust index, yet there is no standard methodology for such assessments. Here, we propose an index for evaluating enterprise intellectual capital. We use the Delphi method to delineate a scientific decision structure. A grey-based decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) is coupled with an analytic network process (ANP)—i.e., grey DEMATEL-based ANP (GDANP)—to determine the relative weight of indicators. Then, we use the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution to validate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed evaluation index based on data on thirty new-technology companies in China. This study bridges a critical gap in academic discourse, and we discuss the practical implications for the strategic management of intellectual capital in corporate settings.

E2-Spy (abbreviated as ES) plays a vital role as a component in the Bacterial-Like Particles (BLPs) vaccine against classical swine fever virus (CSFV). This vaccine demonstrates remarkable immunoprotection, highlighting the importance of augmenting ES production in the development of CSFV subunit vaccines. In this study, a Pichia pastoris strain capable of high-yield secretory production of ES was developed through signal peptide engineering, gene dosage optimization and co-expression of molecular chaperones. Initially, a hybrid signal peptide cSP3 was engineered, leading to a 3.38-fold increase in ES production when compared to the control strain 1-α-ES. Subsequently, cSP3 was evaluated for its expression efficiency alongside different commonly used signal peptides under multicopy conditions. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that 2-αd14-ES exhibited the highest ES production, displaying a 4.38-fold increase in comparison to 1-α-ES. Afterwards, SSA1, YDJ1, BIP, LHS1, and their combinations were integrated into 2-αd14-ES, resulting in a 1.92-fold rise in ES production compared to 2-αd14-ES (equivalent to a 6.18-fold increase compared to 1-α-ES). The final yield of ES was evaluated as 168.3 mg/L through comparison with serially diluted BSA protein bands.

IntroductionLaser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) at 1064 nm is widely used to treat epilepsy and brain tumors; however, no numerical model exists that can predict the ablation region with careful in vivo validation.MethodsIn this study, we proposed a model with a system of finite element methods simulating heat transfer inside the brain tissue, radiative transfer from the applicator into the brain tissue, and a model for tissue damage.ResultsTo speed up the computation for practical applications, we also validated P1-approximation as an efficient and fast method for calculating radiative transfer by comparing it with Monte Carlo simulation. Finally, we validated the proposed numerical model in vivo on six healthy canines and eight human patients with epilepsy and found strong agreement between the predicted temperature profile and ablation area and the magnetic resonance imaging-measured results.DiscussionOur results demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of the model in predicting the ablation area of 1,064 nm LITT, which is important for presurgical planning when using LITT.

The Beibu Gulf (Gulf of Tonkin, Vinh Bac Bo in Vietnamese), located midway along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), is a critical stopover and wintering region for migratory waterbirds. This transboundary coastal region, spanning between China and Vietnam, harbors diverse wetland habitats that provide refuge to waterbird species, including highly threatened species such as the spoon-billed sandpiper (CR) and the black-faced spoonbill (EN). However, the scarcity of comprehensive assessments regarding waterbird abundances, distribution, key wetland habitats, and regional threats hinders our understanding of its conservation significance at the flyway level. Further research is needed to address these knowledge gaps and facilitate effective conservation efforts in the Beibu Gulf. By synthesizing accessible citizen science datasets and published records from wetland sites in south China and northeast Vietnam, we concluded that at least 97 waterbird species used the Gulf’s wetlands during their annual cycle. Among surveys conducted from 2014 to 2022, 5 and 11 waterbird species were considered as first and second class protected species under the National Key Protected Wild Animal List in China; 2 species were listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, 4 as Endangered and 2 as Vulnerable, underlying the critical importance of the Beibu Gulf for the survival of these species. Our study identified 25 sites in the Beibu Gulf that met the criteria for designation as internationally important wetlands. Alarmingly, less than a quarter (n = 5, or 20%) of these sites benefit from national or international protection. Localized threats, including aquatic resource harvesting, hunting, and aquaculture/fisheries, were widespread in the region. This study provides a crucial scientific baseline for continued waterbird monitoring, site prioritization, and the development of effective habitat management plans to conserve vital coastal wetland habitats in the Beibu Gulf in China and Vietnam.

In this study, we introduce an arthroscopic acromioplasty technique based on original bony landmarks, namely biplanar acromioplasty. This technique focuses on smoothing both the coronal and transverse plane of acromion, corresponding to the anterior and inferior acromial surface, and restores the acromion to its original shape. We believe this technique is effective, time-saving, and reproducible.

Three rat sarcoma (RAS) gene isoforms, KRAS, NRAS, and HRAS, constitute the most mutated family of small GTPases in cancer. While the development of targeted immunotherapies has led to a substantial improvement in the overall survival of patients with non-KRAS-mutant cancer, patients with RAS-mutant cancers have an overall poorer prognosis owing to the high aggressiveness of RAS-mutant tumors. KRAS mutations are strongly implicated in lung, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers. However, RAS mutations exhibit diverse patterns of isoforms, substitutions, and positions in different types of cancers. Despite being considered “undruggable”, recent advances in the use of allele-specific covalent inhibitors against the most common mutant form of RAS in non-small-cell lung cancer have led to the development of effective pharmacological interventions against RAS-mutant cancer. Sotorasib (AMG510) has been approved by the FDA as a second-line treatment for patients with KRAS-G12C mutant NSCLC who have received at least one prior systemic therapy. Other KRAS inhibitors are on the way to block KRAS-mutant cancers. In this review, we summarize the progress and promise of small-molecule inhibitors in clinical trials, including direct inhibitors of KRAS, pan-RAS inhibitors, inhibitors of RAS effector signaling, and immune checkpoint inhibitors or combinations with RAS inhibitors, to improve the prognosis of tumors with RAS mutations.

The value of power data credit reporting in the social credit system continues to increase, and the government, users and the whole society have deep expectations and support for power data credit reporting. This paper will combine the data labeling theory as the support, define the power data label and explain its labeling implementation. Based on the construction of knowledge graph, the method of labeling power data is introduced in detail: demand analysis method, index selection method, data cleaning method and data desensitization method. Use the sorted data labels to establish a label system for power data, and through its system, visualize the comprehensive situation of enterprise power data credit information to meet the development of power data credit business. This paper takes shell enterprises as the main representatives of credit risk enterprises, analyzes the power data in the three stages before and after loans, and builds a value mining model for power credit data. In the future, the data labeling technology and value mining model of the power data credit business will be comprehensively applied, and the power data label library and credit model library will be established and continuously improved, so as to facilitate the evaluation of the operation of the enterprise at different stages.

TRPCs, nonselective cation channels, are involved in cardiac contraction and conduction. Here, the authors show that Trpc1/6 deficiency or pharmacological inhibition improves endotoxemic cardiac dysfunction and prolongs survival by prominently suppressing cardiac inflammation and ER Ca2+ release.