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The automatic detection of road surface cracks is a crucial task in road maintenance, but the complexity of crack topology and the susceptibility of detection results to environmental interference make it challenging. To address this issue, this paper proposes an automatic crack detection method based on density clustering using random forest. First, a shadow elimination method based on brightness division is proposed to address the issue of lighting conditions affecting detection results in road images. This method compensates for brightness and enhances details, eliminating shadows while preserving texture information. Second, by combining the random forest algorithm with density clustering, the impact of noise on crack extraction is reduced, enabling the complete extraction and screening of crack information. This overcomes the shortcomings of the random forest method, which only detects crack edge information with low accuracy. The algorithm proposed in this paper was tested on the CFD and Cracktree200 datasets, achieving precision of 87.4% and 84.6%, recall rates of 83.9% and 82.6%, and F-1 scores of 85.6% and 83.6%, respectively. Compared to the CrackForest algorithm, it significantly improves accuracy, recall rate, and F-1 score. Compared to the UNet++ and Deeplabv3+ algorithms, it also achieves better detection results. The results show that the algorithm proposed in this paper can effectively overcome the impact of uneven brightness and complex topological structures on crack target detection, improving the accuracy of road crack detection and surpassing similar algorithms. It can provide technical support for the automatic detection of road surface cracks.

Malignant melanoma (MM) is an extremely aggressive and fatal form of skin cancer that primarily affects the bottom layer of the epidermis and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Early-stage MM is typically treated through surgical removal, while chemotherapy and radiotherapy are common conventional treatment options that come with harmful side effects. Emerging therapies such as immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy, biologic therapy, and photothermal therapy present hopeful options for treatment due to their effective and secure drug delivery methods. To address the limitations of current treatment options, advanced methods of drug delivery for subcutaneous MM are being developed, with hydrogels emerging as a promising alternative. To date, significant advancements have been made in the treatment of MM through the use of hydrogels-based drug delivery systems through focal plastering, injection, implantation, and microneedles. Recent research on hydrogel-based drug delivery systems that integrate multiple therapies for the treatment of subcutaneous MM is discussed in this review.

ObjectiveTo systemically assess the relationship between serum osteocalcin levels and the progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in the Chinese population.MethodsThe PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Database, VIP and Chinese Medical Journal full-text Database were searched. Two investigators independently reviewed the literature and extracted data based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the quality of the literature. The statistical analysis was performed using Stata16 software.ResultsA total of 20 case-control studies encompassed 4 565 cases, consisting of 643 healthy controls (CN), 1 649 individuals with simple diabetes mellitus (DM), 1 305 with microalbuminuria (MI), and 968 with macroalbuminuria (MA). The meta-analysis results indicated that the serum osteocalcin levels in MI group were significantly lower than those in CN group and DM group [SMD = -1.15, 95% CI (-1.46, -0.85), P < 0.01; and SMD = -0.53, 95% CI (-0.69, -0.37), P < 0.01, respectively], and lower in the MA group compared to the CN group [SMD = -1.28, 95% CI (-1.79, -0.76), P < 0.01]. In the MA group, the serum osteocalcin levels were considerably lower compared to those in DM group and MI group [SMD = -0.93, 95% CI (-1.28, -0.58), P < 0.01; and SMD = -0.41, 95% CI (-0.65, -0.17), P < 0.01, respectively].ConclusionThe serum osteocalcin levels are typically reduced and show a negative correlation with the severity of proteinuria in Chinese patients with DKD. This indicates a decline in bone formation at early-stage in DKD patients, which worsens as the disease progresses.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/,identifier CRD42024580324.

Abstract Background Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated skin condition. Although biologic treatments are effective in controlling psoriasis, some patients do not respond or lose response to these therapies. Thus, new strategies for psoriasis treatment are still urgently needed. Double-negative T cells (DNT) play a significant immunoregulatory role in autoimmune diseases. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the protective effect of DNT in psoriasis and explore the underlying mechanism. Methods We conducted a single adoptive transfer of DNT into an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis mouse model through tail vein injection. The skin inflammation and IL-17A producing γδ T cells were evaluated. Results DNT administration significantly reduced the inflammatory response in mouse skin, characterized by decreased skin folds, scales, and red patches. After DNT treatment, the secretion of IL-17A by RORc+ γδlow T cells in the skin was selectively suppressed, resulting in an amelioration of skin inflammation. Transcriptomic data suggested heightened expression of NKG2D ligands in γδlow T cells within the mouse model of psoriasis induced by IMQ. When blocking the NKG2D ligand and NKG2D (expressed by DNT) interaction, the cytotoxic efficacy of DNT against RORc+IL17A+ γδlow T cells was attenuated. Using Ccr5 −/− DNT for treatment yielded evidence that DNT migrates into inflamed skin tissue and fails to protect IMQ-induced skin lesions. Conclusions DNT could migrate to inflamed skin tissue through CCR5, selectively inhibit IL-17-producing γδlow T cells and finally ameliorate mouse psoriasis. Our study provides feasibility for using immune cell therapy for the prevention and treatment of psoriasis in the clinic.

The deployment of fixed-wing aircraft in fire-extinguishing operations represents a significant advancement in the domain of aviation emergency rescue. Addressing the challenge of enhancing firefighting efficacy, this study delves into the water-dropping strategies of fixed-wing extinguishers and provides a methodological framework for the strategic planning and assessment of water-dropping tactics, employing multi-resolution modeling. The formulation of the planning algorithm and the structure of the effectiveness evaluation index system are explained accordingly. The corresponding prototype system was designed, comprising four subsystems that utilized distinct resolution models: fire environment simulation, water-dropping point scheme planning, approaching path planning, and mission evaluation simulation. Case studies validate the system’s capability to forecast fire and smoke propagation, plan a water-dropping trajectory based on the fire line, optimize flight paths based on the trajectory, and simulate as well as evaluate the whole firefighting mission process. The above research comprehensively constructs the model, finishes the iterative optimization, and evaluates the water-dropping strategy by simulation. The technical path and methodological framework of studying water-dropping strategies are established. The outcomes of this study provide invaluable support for the parameter inversion design of the fixed-wing extinguisher, offering decision-making assistance to commanders and supplying training scenarios for new aviation crews.

Background: Augmented Reality (AR) technology provides a new way for product design and display due to its unique interaction, enabling customers to experience products more comprehensively and immersively. Objective: To study the interactive form and application of AR technology in the interior design and display of RV, to provide new ideas and solutions for the interior design of RV, to optimize the user experience of customers and improve the work efficiency in the process of customized interior design of RV. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative research methods were adopted, the target customer groups were investigated based on the KANO model, the data were analysed, and the design suggestions for the function and interactive interface of the RV interior design display platform were summarized. Results: Based on the investigation and research, the specific functions of the RV indoor experience design platform and the needs of the target user groups were identified, including 12 essential needs, 5 charm needs, 1 expectation needs and 2 undifferentiated needs, which correspond to different functions, respectively. Finally, the main features of the platform are outlined, and the functional framework of the RV interior design and display platform is drawn. Conclusions: The interactive form of AR RV interior design includes user interface design and interactive mode design, which can greatly enhance user experience, optimize space utilization and enhance customized services. The application of AR technology in RV design has a high potential, providing theoretical and practical support for the design and development of the RV AR RV design display platform.

Continuous monitoring of body movements or physicochemical health indicators by various wearable devices with intriguing geometries has attracted increasing research attention. Among them, fiber-based wearable devices have been intensively investigated due to the ease of fabrication, excellent flexibility and adaptability, and abundant applicable working mechanisms. Although various spinning methods can prepare composite fibers, obtaining highly conductive fibers at high filler-loading fractions has always been difficult. In addition, most synthetic fibers are designed only for specific applications, exhibiting narrow applicability. This work proposed a dual-functional smart fiber-based sensor that could work based on either piezoresistive or electrochemical mechanisms. Through the wet spinning of dopes containing nanosized carbon black and thermoplastic polyurethane, nanocomposite fibers with decent electrical conductivities (2.10 × 102 S m−1 or 4.77 × 10−3 Ω·m), high mechanical stretch abilities and toughness (εmax~2400%, KIC = 61.44 MJ m−3), as well as excellent self-heal abilities (η ≥ 64.8%), could be obtained. Such coupled electromechanical properties endowed the as-synthesized fibers with strain-sensing or biomarker monitoring capabilities based on piezoresistive or electrochemical mechanisms. The proposed novel dual-functional smart fibers demonstrated potential for multifunctional wearable health monitoring devices.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of polymyxin B in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria, and to analyze the effect of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) on pharmacokinetics of polymyxin B. Methods: Thirty-five patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria admitted to our hospital from June 2021 to January 2022 were selected as the subjects. The patients were divided into the standard group (n = 20) and the non-standard group (n = 15) based on the factors affecting the compliance of polymyxin B plasma concentration. The patients received with polymyxin B and the plasma concentration was monitored. According to the monitoring results, they were divided into the standard group and the non-standard group, to analyze the influencing factors of polymyxin B on the blood concentration. Besides, the patients were then divided into the control group (n = 28) and the observation group (n = 7) according to whether the patients received CRRT treatment. Patients in the control group treated with polymyxin B alone, while patients in the observation group received with polymyxin B and CRRT. The general data of patients in the two groups were compared. The levels of plasma concentration of polymyxin B measured before the next administration (Cmin), peak plasma concentration of polymyxin B measured immediately after end of infusion (Cmax) and intermediate plasma concentration measured 6 h after administration (midpoint of the dosing interval) (C1/2t) were detected and compared between the two groups. Correlation between pharmacokinetics and efficacy was analyzed by Spearman correlation. The incidence of complications and the 28-day mortality rate of the two groups were recorded. Results: The age, body mass index (BMI) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores in the non-standard group were higher than these in the standard group (p 0.05). The levels of Cmin, Cmax, and C1/2t in the observation group were lower than these in the control group (p 0.05). The levels of Cmin, Cmax, and C1/2t in the observation group were no significant correlation with the clinical efficacy (p > 0.05), while these in the control group were positive correlation with the clinical efficacy (r = 0.485, p 0.05). Conclusion: In patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia not receiving multidrug-resistant bacteria, the rate of achieving blood drug concentration with the usual recommended dose of polymyxin B was satisfactory. However, the proportion of patients with a 6-h plasma concentration exceeding the maximum plasma concentration was high. BMI and APACHE II scores were important factors affecting the pharmacokinetics of polymyxin B. In patients undergoing CRRT, the plasma concentration of polymyxin B was significantly reduced, suggesting that in patients with severe disease, plasma concentration monitoring played an important role in drug efficacy and patient safety. In patients treated with CRRT, the dose of polymyxin B may need to be increased.

Recent advancements in immunotherapy have substantially improved overall survival and quality of life among patients with cancer. Notably, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as a revolutionary strategy, particularly in the management of advanced cancers. However, the success of ICIs is accompanied by the challenge of immune-related adverse events. Although rare, cardiovascular adverse events associated with ICIs are associated with high fatality rates and rapid clinical progression, thereby necessitating timely intervention. This review explores the histopathologic characteristics of ICI-induced myocarditis, shedding light on the complexities of diagnosis and management. Several studies examining the histopathologic features of ICI-induced myocarditis have emphasized the roles of macrophages and the potential utility of ancillary tests such as immunohistochemistry. Quantifying CD68+ macrophage abundance may enhance diagnostic sensitivity, thereby providing valuable insights into clinical outcomes. In conclusion, this review underscores the need for a nuanced approach to diagnosing ICI-induced myocarditis. The comprehensive exploration of histopathologic characteristics, ancillary tests, and emerging diagnostic markers provides valuable guidance for practicing pathologists. As the population of ICI-treated patients with cancer continues to grow, optimizing immunohistochemistry panels and refining diagnostic criteria will be crucial to address the unique challenges posed by ICI-induced myocarditis.

PurposeThe present study explores and investigates the efficiency of deep learning models in identifying discourse structure and functional features and explores the potential application of natural language processing (NLP) techniques in text mining, information measurement, and scientific communication.MethodThe PLOS literature series has been utilized to obtain full-text data, and four deep learning models, including BERT, RoBERTa, SciBERT, and SsciBERT, have been employed for structure-function recognition.ResultThe experimental findings reveal that the SciBERT model performs outstandingly, surpassing the other models, with an F1 score. Additionally, the performance of different paragraph structures has been analyzed, and it has been found that the model performs well in paragraphs such as method and result.ConclusionThe study's outcomes suggest that deep learning models can recognize the structure and functional elements at the discourse level, particularly for scientific literature, where the SciBERT model performs remarkably. Moreover, the NLP techniques have extensive prospects in various fields, including text mining, information measurement, and scientific communication. By automatically parsing and identifying structural and functional information in text, the efficiency of literature management and retrieval can be improved, thereby expediting scientific research progress. Therefore, deep learning and NLP technologies hold significant value in scientific research.

Glutamate receptors (GLR) are widely present in animals and plants, playing essential roles in regulating plant growth, development and stress response. At present, most studies of GLRs in plants are focused on Arabidopsis thaliana, while there have been few studies on rice. In this study, we identified 26 OsGLR genes in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Then, we analyzed the chromosomal location, physical and chemical properties, subcellular location, transmembrane (TM) helices, signal peptides, three-dimensional (3D) structure, cis-acting elements, evolution, chromatin accessibility, population variation, gene-coding sequence haplotype (gcHap) and gene expression under multiple abiotic stress and hormone treatments. The results showed that out of the 26 OsGLR genes, ten genes had the TM domain, signal peptides and similar 3D structures. Most OsGLRs exhibited high tissue specificity in expression under drought stress. In addition, several OsGLR genes were specifically responsive to certain hormones. The favorable gcHap of many OsGLR genes in modern varieties showed obvious differentiation between Xian/indica and Geng/japonica subspecies. This study, for the first time, comprehensively analyzes the OsGLR genes in rice, and provides an important reference for further research on their molecular function.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is ranked as the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Many abnormally expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in CRC were identified with the development of next-generation sequencing, most functions of which are largely unclear. In this study, we report that the lncRNA SLC7A11-AS1 was significantly overexpressed in CRC by analyzing TCGA database and 6 pairs of clinical samples. High SLC7A11-AS1 level was related to poor CRC overall survival and SLC7A11-AS1 knockdown could inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of CRC cell lines. Furthermore, we found there was a positive correlation between the expression of SLC7A11-AS1 and its’ sense transcript SLC7A11. In HCT-8 cells, SLC7A11-AS1 knockdown decreased expression of both SLC7A11 and the nuclear level of NRF2, which happens to be the activator of SLC7A11 transcription. Interestingly, in SLC7A11-AS1 overexpressed CRC tissues, SLC7A11 and NRF2 were also upregulated. Moreover, the ROS levels increased with SLC7A11-AS1 knockdown in HCT-8 cells. And the down regulated expression of SLC7A11 and lower ROS level causing by SLC7A11-AS1 knocked down could be relieved by overexpressed NRF2. These results suggested that upregulated SLC7A11-AS1 might promote the formation and progression of CRC by increasing the expression of NRF2 and SLC7A11, which decreases the ROS level in cancer cells. Therefore, SLC7A11-AS1 could be a potential therapeutic target and diagnostic marker of CRC.

The water-dropping scheme plays an important role in the aerial firefighting mission. When a wildfire occurs, the main problem faced by the aircrew is how to choose the appropriate water-dropping scheme (speed, height and trajectory) to achieve the optimal firefighting effect. However, so far, the crew members can only rely on the existing experience to generate the scheme, which lacks the corresponding theory method support. To solve above problem, this paper proposes a fast optimization method of water-dropping scheme for fixed-wing firefighting aircraft. Through the feature extraction of grid distribution, the agent model between aircraft water-dropping scheme and water distribution polygon is built taking advantage of neural network. Meanwhile, the corresponding extinguishing efficiency evaluation model is established with discrete points of fire area. Based on these researches, the combined genetic algorithm is used for searching the optimal water-dropping scheme. Finally, the feasibility and rapidity of the method are demonstrated through the application of examples. It is also shown that the method can optimize the water-dropping scheme quickly instead of aircrew experience and play a role of auxiliary decision support for the firefighting mission of fixed-wing firefighting aircraft.

The sustainable medical supplier selection (SMSS) is an important issue facing the medical industry in the context of sustainable development, which can be regarded as a typical multi-attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problem. In the MAGDM process, linguistic term set (LTS) is particularly natural and convenient for decision makers (DMs) to express evaluation information. Especially, probabilistic linguistic term set (PLTS) is a very critical and effective tool, which can reflect the importance of different linguistic terms. Due to the different preferences and experience of different DMs, they may use multi-granularity probabilistic linguistic term sets (MGPLTSs) to represent different linguistic information. In this article, in order to study the comparison method of MGPLTSs, a new possibility degree formula is firstly proposed and its properties is proved. Then, in order to build a weight model, a possibility degree-based Best-Worst method (BWM) and a probability degree based-maximizing deviation method are established to calculate the subjective weights and objective weights of attributes, respectively. Where after, a MAGDM method is proposed by combining the ELimination Et Choix Traduisant la REalite (ELECTRE) method with Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) method in the multi-granularity probabilistic linguistic information environment. Finally, the created MAGDM method is applied to the SMSS, and its effectiveness and advantages compared with other existing methods are verified. First published online 17 January 2022

In this study, we synthesized hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) coated with polydopamine (PDA) and a D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS)-modified hybrid lipid membrane (denoted as HMSNs-PDA@liposome-TPGS) to load doxorubicin (DOX), which achieved the integration of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy (PTT). Dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2 adsorption/desorption, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) were used to show the successful fabrication of the nanocarrier. Simultaneously, in vitro drug release experiments showed the pH/NIR-laser-triggered DOX release profiles, which could enhance the synergistic therapeutic anticancer effect. Hemolysis tests, non-specific protein adsorption tests, and in vivo pharmacokinetics studies exhibited that the HMSNs-PDA@liposome-TPGS had a prolonged blood circulation time and greater hemocompatibility compared with HMSNs-PDA. Cellular uptake experiments demonstrated that HMSNs-PDA@liposome-TPGS had a high cellular uptake efficiency. In vitro and in vivo antitumor efficiency evaluations showed that the HMSNs-PDA@liposome-TPGS + NIR group had a desirable inhibitory activity on tumor growth. In conclusion, HMSNs-PDA@liposome-TPGS successfully achieved the synergistic combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy, and is expected to become one of the candidates for the combination of photothermal therapy and chemotherapy antitumor strategies.

Biopolymeric films were prepared with gelatin, plasticizer, and three different types of antioxidants (ascorbic acid, phytic acid, and BHA) corresponding to different mechanisms in activity. The antioxidant activity of films was monitored for 14 storage days upon color changes using a pH indicator (resazurin). The instant antioxidant activity of films was measured by a DPPH free radical test. The system using resazurin was composed of an agar, an emulsifier, and soybean oil to simulate a highly oxidative oil-based food system (AES-R). Gelatin-based films (GBF) containing phytic acid showed higher tensile strength and energy to break than all other samples due to the increased intermolecular interactions between phytic acid and gelatin molecules. The oxygen barrier properties of GBF films containing ascorbic acid and phytic acid increased due to the increased polarity, while GBF films containing BHA showed increased oxygen permeability compared to the control. According to “a-value” (redness) of the AES-R system tested with films, films incorporating BHA showed the most retardation of lipid oxidation in the system. This retardation corresponds to 59.8% antioxidation activity at 14 days, compared with the control. Phytic acid-based films did not show antioxidant activity, whereas ascorbic acid-based GBFs accelerated the oxidation process due to its prooxidant activity. The comparison between the DPPH free radical test and the control showed that the ascorbic acid and BHA-based GBFs showed highly effective free radical scavenging behavior (71.7% and 41.7%, respectively). This novel method using a pH indicator system can potentially determine the antioxidation activity of biopolymer films and film-based samples in a food system.

Abstract Multicomponent high‐entropy alloys (HEAs) can be tuned to a simple phase with some unique alloy characteristics. HEAs with body‐centered‐cubic (BCC) or hexagonal‐close‐packed (HCP) structures are proven to possess high strength and hardness but low ductility. The faced‐centered‐cubic (FCC) HEAs present considerable ductility, excellent corrosion and radiation resistance. However, their strengths are relatively low. Therefore, the strategy of strengthening the ductile FCC matrix phase is usually adopted to design HEAs with excellent performance. Among various strengthening methods, precipitation strengthening plays a dazzling role since the characteristics of multiple principal elements and slow diffusion effect of elements in HEAs provide a chance to form fine and stable nanoscale precipitates, pushing the strengths of the alloys to new high levels. This paper summarizes and review the recent progress in nanoprecipitate‐strengthened HEAs and their strengthening mechanisms. The alloy‐design strategies and control of the nanoscale precipitates in HEAs are highlighted. The future works on the related aspects are outlined.

Resistive random-access memory (RRAM) devices have drawn increasing interest for the simplicity of its structure, low power consumption and applicability to neuromorphic computing. By combining analog computing and data storage at the device level, neuromorphic computing system has the potential to meet the demand of computing power in applications such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and Internet of Things (IoT). Monolayer rhenium diselenide (ReSe2), as a two-dimensional (2D) material, has been reported to exhibit non-volatile resistive switching (NVRS) behavior in RRAM devices with sub-nanometer active layer thickness. In this paper, we demonstrate stable multiple-step RESET in ReSe2 RRAM devices by applying different levels of DC electrical bias. Pulse measurement has been conducted to study the neuromorphic characteristics. Under different height of stimuli, the ReSe2 RRAM devices have been found to switch to different resistance states, which shows the potentiation of synaptic applications. Long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD) have been demonstrated with the gradual resistance switching behaviors observed in long-term plasticity programming. A Verilog-A model is proposed based on the multiple-step resistive switching behavior. By implementing the LTP/LTD parameters, an artificial neural network (ANN) is constructed for the demonstration of handwriting classification using Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology (MNIST) dataset.

Frequent severe floods have caused great losses to urban safety and the economy, which raises high requirements for the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency rescue. Due to the flood characteristics, flood rescue requires a more rapid responder and decision-making compared with other kinds of disaster rescue. In recent years, aviation emergency rescue (AER) has attracted much attention for flood applications. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of AER for flood disasters, the present study proposes a conceptual model of helicopter AER scheduling and develops a simulation system of helicopter AER scheduling using multiple agents. Seven elements are considered in the conceptual model: helicopters, the command-and-control center, temporary take-off/landing points, mission demand points, resettlement points, loading points, and unloading points. Furthermore, process-oriented and object-oriented scheduling rules are developed as the general guide for scheduling. In order to efficiently simulate and evaluate an AER mission (assisting the decision maker), the simulation system is designed with multiple agents and a user interface, which can quickly load mission settings, run the simulation, and collect data for further evaluation. A standardized mission makespan is adopted as the evaluation index. Based on that, the minimum integrated index can be derived to finally assess the different rescue schemes and choose the best. In the case study, the comparison results indicate that the rescue efficiency of large helicopters (Mi-26 in the case) could be limited by the capabilities of loading points and unloading points. This problem is solved by scheduling small/medium-size helicopters to transfer the personnel. Alternately, two types of helicopters can be used: one for passenger transfer and the other for goods/material transfer. Anyway, the analyses in the case study illustrate the correlation between effectiveness and scheduling, which demonstrates the significance of decision-making. By using the proposed scheduling and modeling methods, the simulation system can be served as a convenient decision-making support tool for practical rescue applications.

Summary: Bacterial infections caused by pathogens have always been a thorny issue that threatens human health, and there is urgent need to develop a new generation of antimicrobial nano-agents and treatments. Herein, biodegradable nickel disulfide (ND) nanozymes as excellent antibacterial agents that integrate excellent photothermal performance, nano-catalysis property, and glutathione (GSH)-depleting function have been successfully constructed. The ND nanozymes can effectively catalyze the decomposition of H2O2 to produce ⋅OH, and the hyperthermia of ND nanozymes generated by photothermal therapy (PTT) can further increase its catalytic activity, which provides rapid and effective bacterial killing effect compared with nano-catalytic treatment or PTT alone. Surprisingly, the ND nanozymes have the ability of GSH consumption, thus enhancing its sterilization effect. Moreover, the ND nanozymes are biodegradable nanomaterials that do not cause any significant toxicity in vivo. Collectively, the ND nanozymes with excellent photothermal performance, catalytic activity, and GSH-depleting function are used for high-efficiency sterilization.

The conventional broadband impedance matching network in low-pass structure cannot present adequate broadband impedance rotation for the optimum broadband operation of the power amplifier (PA), resulting in performance variations and degradations. The underlying constraint is the phenomenon of opposite impedance rotation. Against such a backdrop, this paper presents a methodology using the band-pass topology to compensate the frequency-variable response of the PA. The CGH40010F from Cree is used to verify the effectiveness of this compensation method. The experimental results are in good agreement with the simulation. The proposed PA yields good gain flatness (±0.5 dB), input/output return loss (>13 dB), and high power added efficiency (>60 %) over the band from 1.7 to 2.7 GHz. After digital predistortion, the measured adjacent channel power ratio is about -55 and -50 dBc at ±5 and ±10 MHz offset when the PA is driven by 5- and 10-MHz WCDMA signals at 6.5 ~ 7 dB power back-off.

The traditional Cancellable biometrics scheme needs another key or token to generate the revocable template, which usually suffers from the token-stolen problem. To solve this problem, a one-factor cancellable palmprint biometric recognition scheme based on Orthogonal Index of Maximum (OIOM) hash and Minimum Signature Hash (MSH) is proposed to generate pseudonymous identifier. Firstly, to improve the efficiency and effectiveness, a parallel structure is designed to obtain Orthogonal Gaussian random projection(GRP)matrices, which is employed to generate the OIOM hash code. Secondly, a random binary string is XOR the binary OIOM hash code to construct the helper data and it is stored in the database. Meanwhile, this string is hashed by MSH to get the final pseudonymous identifier. Lastly, during matching stage, based on helper data and a palmprint images, another pseudonymous identifier is generated to recognition. This implies that, just one factor, a palmprint of user, is needed in the matching stage, and therefore the privacy of user is preserved. To evaluate the proposed scheme, PolyU database and touchless TJU database are used in experiments. The noninvertible, renewability, unlinkability and several security attacks of the proposed scheme are analyzed. The experiment results and analysis show that the proposed scheme has strong security on the basis of maintaining palmprint recognition performance.

This paper proposes a blind channel estimator based on expectation maximization algorithm and historical information-based basis expansion model for uplink wireless communication systems on high speed railways. The information of basis matrices is obtained from the uplink data of the past trains at the base station (BS). With the known basis matrices at the BS, our suggested estimator can estimate the basis coefficients and recover the channel parameters without requiring training symbols. The modified Cramer-Rao bound is derived for the estimated basis coefficients and the computational complexity of the proposed estimator is analyzed. Numerical results are then provided to corroborate our studies. It is shown that the proposed estimator outperforms existing data-aided estimators, including least square and linear minimum mean square error.

Background: Expression of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) has been observed, but their prognostic role in advanced cancers remains uncertain. We conducted a meta-analysis to establish the prognostic effect of HIFs and to better guide treatment planning for advanced cancers. Methods: Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was also performed. The clinical outcomes included overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), relapse/recurrence-free survival (RFS), and metastasis-free survival (MFS) in patients with advanced tumors according to multivariate analysis. Results: A total of 31 studies including 3453 cases who received chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or chemoradiotherapy were identified. Pooled analyses revealed that HIF-1α expression was correlated with worse OS (HR = 1.61, p

Porous boron nitride (BN) is structurally analogous to activated carbon. This material is gaining increasing attention for its potential in a range of adsorption and chemical separation applications, with a number of recent proof-of-concept studies on the removal of organics from water. Today though, the properties of porous BN—i.e., surface area, pore network, chemistry—that dictate adsorption of specific organics remain vastly unknown. Yet, they will need to be optimized to realize the full potential of the material in the envisioned applications. Here, a selection of porous BN materials with varied pore structures and chemistries were studied for the adsorption of different organic molecules, either directly, through vapor sorption analyses or as part of a water/organic mixture in the liquid phase. These separations are relevant to the industrial and environmental sectors and are envisioned to take advantage of the hydrophobic character of the BN sheets. The materials were tested and regenerated and their physical and chemical features were characterized before and after testing. This study allowed identifying the adsorption mechanisms, assessing the performance of porous BN compared to benchmarks in the field and outlining ways to improve the adsorption performance further.

Background: Novel prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for advanced cancer are urgently needed. This report with trial sequential analysis (TSA) was first conducted to provide robust estimates of the correlation between aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) and Nestin and clinical outcomes of advanced cancer patients. Methods: Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were summarized for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), relapse/recurrence-free survival (RFS), and metastasis-free survival (MFS) from multivariable analysis. TSA was performed to control for random errors. Results: A total of 20 studies with 2050 patients (ALDH1: 15 studies with 1557 patients and Nestin: 5 studies with 493 patients) were identified. ALDH1 (HR = 2.28, p < 0.001) and Nestin (HR = 2.39, p < 0.001) were associated with a worse OS, as confirmed by TSA. Nestin positivity was linked to a poor PFS (HR = 2.08, p < 0.001), but ALDH1 was not linked to DFS, RFS, MFS, or PFS, and TSA showed that more studies were needed. Subgroup analysis by tumor type indicated that ALDH1 positivity may be associated with shorter OS in breast, head and neck cancers, but there was no association with colorectal cancer. Subgroup analysis by study source showed that ALDH1 positivity was correlated with a worse OS for Japanese (HR = 1.94, p = 0.002) and European patients (HR = 4.15, p < 0.001), but there was no association for Chinese patients. Subgroup analysis by survival rate showed that ALDH1 positivity correlated with poor OS at ⩾ 5 years (HR = 2.33, p < 0.001) or 10 years (HR = 1.76, p = 0.038). Conclusions: ALDH1 may be more valuable as an effective therapeutic target than Nestin for improving the long-term survival rate of advanced cancer. Additional prospective clinical trials are needed across different cancer types.

Objective: Cancer stem cell marker CD44 and its variant isoforms (CD44v) may be correlated with tumor growth, metastasis, and chemo-radiotherapy resistance. However, the prognostic power of CD44 and CD44v in advanced cancer remains controversial. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to generalize the prognostic significance of these cancer stem cell markers in advanced cancer patients.Methods: Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated from multivariable analysis to assess the associations among CD44, CD44v6, and CD44v9 positivity and overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was also conducted.Results: We included 15 articles that reported on 1,201 patients with advanced cancer (CD44: nine studies with 796 cases, CD44v6: three studies with 143 cases, and CD44v9: three studies with 262 cases). CD44 expression was slightly linked to worse OS (HR = 2.03, P = 0.027), but there was no correlation between CD44 expression and DFS, RFS, or PFS. Stratified analysis showed that CD44 expression was not correlated with OS at ≥5 years or OS in patients receiving adjuvant therapy. CD44v6 expression was not associated with OS. CD44v9 expression was closely associated with poor 5-years CSS in patients treated with chemo/radiotherapy (HR = 3.62, P < 0.001). However, TSA suggested that additional trials were needed to confirm these conclusions.Conclusions: CD44 or CD44v9 might be novel therapeutic targets for improving the treatment of advanced cancer patients. Additional prospective clinical trials are strongly needed across different cancer types.

Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases (CaMKs) are major downstream mediators of neuronal calcium signaling that regulate multiple neuronal functions. CaMKII, one of the key CaMKs, plays a significant role in mediating cellular responses to external signaling molecules. Although calcium signaling plays an essential role in the enteric nervous system (ENS), the role of CaMKII in neurogenic intestinal function has not been determined. In this study, we investigated the function and expression pattern of CaMKII in the ENS across several mammalian species.CaMKII expression was characterized by immunofluorescence analyses and Western Blot. CaMKII function was examined by intracellular recordings and by assays of colonic contractile activity. Immunoreactivity for CaMKII was detected in the ENS of guinea pig, mouse, rat and human preparations. In guinea pig ENS, CaMKII immunoreactivity was enriched in both nitric oxide synthase (NOS)- and calretinin-containing myenteric plexus neurons and non-cholinergic secretomotor/vasodilator neurons in the submucosal plexus. CaMKII immunoreactivity was also expressed in both cholinergic and non-cholinergic neurons in the ENS of mouse, rat and human. The selective CaMKII inhibitor, KN-62, suppressed stimulus-evoked purinergic slow EPSPs and ATP-induced slow EPSP-like response in guinea pig submucosal plexus, suggesting that CaMKII activity is required for some metabotropic synaptic transmissions in the ENS. More importantly, KN-62 significantly suppressed tetrodotoxin-induced contractile response in mouse colon, which suggests that CaMKII activity is a major determinant of the tonic neurogenic inhibition of this tissue.ENS neurons across multiple mammalian species express CaMKII. CaMKII signaling constitutes an important molecular mechanism for controlling intestinal motility and secretion by regulating the excitability of musculomotor and secretomotor neurons. These findings revealed a fundamental role of CaMKII in the ENS and provide clues for the treatment of intestinal dysfunctions.

Achieving ultra-simple and high-efficiency monochrome and white organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is still a long-running challenge in the fields of display and solid-state lighting sources. In recent years, researchers have focused on hybridized local and charge transfer (HLCT) materials due to theoretically complete exciton utilization, low-efficiency roll-off, and doping-free preparation process and have successfully developed a series of blue HLCT materials with excellent electroluminescence (EL) performance. However, all HLCT emitter-based white OLEDs have not been reported to date. Recently, our group reported two complementary HLCT materials, 9-(4-(10-(naphthalen-2-yl)anthracen-9-yl)phenyl)-9H-carbazole (pCzAnN) (blue) and 4-(7-(10-(naphthalen-2-yl)anthracene-9-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazol-4-yl)-N,N-diphenylaniline (TBAN) (yellow), which simultaneously exhibit just opposite carrier transport properties. Herein, by carrier balance strategy, the fabricated pCzAnN-based non-doped deep-blue OLED achieves the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 9.36%, which is among the highest values reported to date for HLCT-based non-doped blue OLEDs. At the same time, the efficient non-doped yellow OLED with TBAN emitter was demonstrated with maximum luminance and EQE reaching 76 600 cd m−2 and 6.19%, respectively. On the basis of the above, the first all HLCT emitter-based white OLED was proposed by inserting a carrier regulation layer between non-doped complementary light-emitting layers (pCzAnN and TBAN). The resulting white OLEDs realize the maximum EQE exceeding the theoretical limit of 5% for traditional fluorescent OELDs, and the EL spectra can be easily tuned by simply changing the thickness of the exciton regulation layer to obtain a balanced white light emission with the maximum color rendering index of 84. This work opens up a new way for the development of ultra-simple and high-performance white OLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volcanic rock reservoirs are large-scale oil and gas accumulations formed under the condition that magma in the deep underground is connected with source rocks and reservoirs in the upwelling process. Volcanic reservoirs in Xinjiang Oilfield, China are widely distributed and have great potential. However, volcanic rock reservoirs have complex fracture development and difficult quantitative characterization, which restricts the efficient exploration and development of volcanic rock reservoirs. In this paper, taking the volcanic rock reservoir of Xinjiang Oilfield as an example, we systematically carried out a quantitative characterization study of volcanic rock reservoir fractures, using a large amount of drilling, core, thin section, and logging data. The results show that the lithology of volcanic reservoirs in the study area includes basalt, andesite, dacite, rhyolite, granite, tuff and volcanic breccia, and the type of volcanic reservoir space can be divided into primary pores, secondary pores and fractures. The types of fractures developed in the study area mainly include structural fractures, condensation shrinkage fractures, and dissolution fractures. Among them, micro-fractures account for about 22% of the reservoir space. The electrical imaging fracture quantitative evaluation technology and the "fracture index" method are used to comprehensively characterize volcanic rock fractures. The interpretation results are reasonable, indicating that the technology is reliable to predict volcanic rock fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affected by multiple factors such as magma composition, eruption method, surrounding environment of volcanic crater, diagenesis, and later transformation, volcanic rocks have the characteristics of multiple rock types, complex lithology, rapid changes in lithofacies, and large differences in physical properties and pore structures. There are very few studies on the evaluation of volcanic rock mechanical properties and in-situ stress. In this paper, taking the Permian volcanic rock oil and gas reservoir in Xinjiang Oilfield as an example, we have conducted a systematic study on the rock mechanical properties of volcanic rock and the in-situ stress logging evaluation method, based on clarifying the type of volcanic rock. The study found that the volcanic rocks in the study area include volcanic lava, pyroclastic lava, pyroclastic and plutonic intrusive rocks. The porosity of volcanic rock reservoirs is mainly distributed between 0.1% and 15.9%, with an average of 3.3%. The permeability is mainly distributed from O.OlmD to 597mD, with an average value of 7.31mD. According to the rock mechanics experiment and logging interpretation, the dynamic and static mechanical parameter conversion model of volcanic rock is established. At the same time, the Terzaghi model, Newberry model, Huang model and Mohr-Coulomb model are selected to perform logging evaluation of the in-situ stress of the target formation. The applicability of the horizontal in-situ stress model is analyzed, and it is found that the trend of the isotropic model curve and the pore pressure curve are basically the same. This shows that the pore pressure is greatly affected, and it is difficult to reflect the true horizontal stress change trend of the formation. However, the curve of the Mohr-Coulomb-based in-situ stress model changes drastically, and it is greatly affected by the larger friction angle, and the curve is prone to distortion. Therefore, the Huang's model was finally selected to evaluate the horizontal ground stress. The average absolute error between the rock fracture pressure calculated in this study and the actual fracture pressure measured during fracturing construction is 1.65 MPa, and the average relative error is 4%, indicating that the log calculation results are reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enteric neuroimmune interactions in gastrointestinal hypersensitivity responses involve antigen detection by mast cells, mast cell degranulation, release of chemical mediators, and modulatory actions of the mediators on the enteric nervous system (ENS). Electrophysiological methods were used to investigate electrical and synaptic behavior of neurons in the stomach and small intestine during exposure to β-lactoglobulin in guinea pigs sensitized to cow's milk. Application of β-lactoglobulin to sensitized preparations depolarized the membrane potential and increased neuronal excitability in small intestinal neurons but not in gastric neurons. Effects on membrane potential and excitability in the small intestine were suppressed by the mast cell stabilizing drug ketotifen, the histamine H[sub 2] receptor antagonist cimetidine, the cyclooxygenase inhibitor piroxicam, and the 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor caffeic acid. Unlike small intestinal ganglion cells, gastric myenteric neurons did not respond to histamine applied exogenously. Antigenic exposure suppressed noradrenergic inhibitory neurotransmission in the small intestinal submucosal plexus. The histamine H[sub 3] receptor antagonist thioperamide and piroxicam, but not caffeic acid, prevented the allergic suppression of noradrenergic inhibitory neurotransmission. Antigenic stimulation of neuronal excitability and suppression of synaptic transmission occurred only in milk-sensitized animals. Results suggest that signaling between mast cells and the ENS underlies intestinal, but not gastric, anaphylactic responses associated with food allergies. Histamine, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes are paracrine signals in the communication pathway from mast cells to the small intestinal ENS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]