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Purpose: The treatment of the advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with KRAS mutation has been closely paid more attention. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of different first-line regimens in advanced KRAS-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: In our retrospective study, we collected patients with advanced NSCLC with KRAS mutation in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital between January 2015 and May 2023. We analyzed the benefit of different first-line therapy according to theraputic methods and the differential effect of the same treatment method among KRAS-mutated subtypes. We divided the patients into group A (A1, chemotherapy alone; A2, immunotherapy alone) and group B (B1, chemotherapy plus immunotherapy; B2, chemotherapy combined with antiangiogenic therapy; B3, chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy plus antiangiogenic therapy). The Kaplan–Meier survival curve was used to reflect the PFS and OS of different methods. The objective response rate (ORR) and the disease control rate (DCR) were used to evaluated the response. Results: We enrolled 227 patients including eighty-two with KRAS G12C mutation. The ORR and DCR of first-line treatment in the overall population were 32.2% and 80.6% respectively. The median PFS was 6.7 months and the median OS was 17.4 months for the overall population. The PFS of the Group B was significantly better than that of the Group A (7.7 months vs 5.4 months, P = 0.003), while no significant difference in OS was observed (19.4 months vs 15.0 months, P = 0.077). In the Group B, chemotherapy combined immunotherapy with antiangiogenic therapy showed better PFS than chemotherapy plus immunotherapy (14.1 months vs 7.7 months, P = 0.049), and OS also showed that tendency of difference (31.9 months vs 19.3 months, P = 0.158). There was no statistically significant difference between KRAS G12C and non-G12C mutation according to first-line treatment methods, whereas patients with TP53 co-mutation showed a better survival benefit (OS, 23.7 vs 12.5 months, P = 0.023). Conclusion: In the first-line treatment, combination regimen has advantages over single regimen. Among them, chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy plus antiangiogenic therapy can achieve significant efficacy benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The window strategy, known for its flexibility and efficiency, is extensively used in dynamic path planning. To further enhance the performance of the Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) sorting system, the two processes of AGV movement and path planning can be executed concurrently based on the window strategy. Nonetheless, difficulties in matching the computing time of the planning server with the moving time of AGVs may cause delays or reduced path optimality. To address the problem, this paper proposes an optimal time reuse strategy. The proposed solution controls computing time by managing path length for each planning instance, ensuring alignment with the moving time of AGVs to maximize path optimality and avoid delays. To achieve this, two aspects need to be considered. Firstly, on a systemic level, we control the entry rate of AGVs by adjusting the replanning period, thus avoiding congestion caused by excessive AGVs and maintaining high system efficiency. Secondly, we reversely control the computing time by adjusting the path length that needs to be planned for each single planning, so that it matches the moving time of AGVs. Simulation results show that our method outperforms existing top-performing methods, achieving task completion rates 1.64, 1.57, and 1.12 times faster across various map sizes. This indicates its effectiveness in synchronizing planning and movement times. The method contributes significantly to dynamic path planning methodologies, offering a novel approach to time management in AGV systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inconsistent findings about learning outcomes in VR (virtual reality) learning necessitate further robustness of empirical data. This article addressed this gap by comparing the learning outcomes across VR, phone, and mobile learning on two dimensions: recall accuracy and recall speed, as well as learners' attitudes. Additionally, this paper attempted to investigate the differences between 5 and 10 min time duration. By inviting a total of 28 participants to the lab experiments on English vocabulary acquisition, this study yielded no statistically significant difference in vocabulary recall accuracy between VR, computer, and mobile learning. Nonetheless, the significant difference in vocabulary recall speed was generated. Besides, the time spent on vocabulary acquisition was significantly shorter in VR than in computer and mobile learning. Additionally, pairwise comparisons revealed that learners' perceptions and attitudes toward SUS resulted in significantly lower scores in VR than in computer- and mobile-based learning. Further, merely two of the nine items on the VR sickness scale demonstrated a significant raise in visual fatigue as well as significant decline in headache between 5 and 10 min learning duration. Future research should anticipate a larger sample size to ensure the validity of research findings and further construct a 3D modeling for the same language learning settings for non-college, primary, as well as secondary school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indirect bypass surgery is an effective treatment for moyamoya disease (MMD), but the success of the surgery depends on the formation of spontaneous collateral vessels, which cannot be accurately predicted before surgery. Developing a prediction nomogram model for neoangiogenesis in patients after indirect revascularization surgery can aid surgeons in identifying suitable candidates for indirect revascularization surgery. This retrospective observational study enrolled patients with MMD who underwent indirect bypass surgery from a multicenter cohort between December 2010 and December 2018. Data including potential clinical and radiological predictors were obtained from hospital records. A nomogram was generated based on a multivariate logistic regression analysis identifying potential predictors of good neoangiogenesis. A total of 263 hemispheres of 241 patients (mean ± SD age 24.38 ± 15.78 years, range 1–61 years) were reviewed, including 168 (63.9%) hemispheres with good postoperative collateral formation and 95 (36.1%) with poor postoperative collateral formation. Based on multivariate analysis, a nomogram was formulated incorporating four predictors, including age at operation, abundance of ICA moyamoya vessels, onset type, and Suzuki stage. The C-index for this nomogram was 0.80. Calibration curve and decision-making analysis validated the fitness and clinical application value of this nomogram. The nomogram developed in this study exhibits high accuracy in predicting good neoangiogenesis after indirect revascularization surgery in MMD patients. This model can be very helpful for clinicians when making decisions about surgical strategies for MMD patients in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The warpage of the package substrate mainly originates from the material property and size variations of individual components, especially when multiple components are involved. To maintain the substrate warpage within acceptable limits, it’s crucial to fine-tune component parameters carefully, choosing appropriate materials and processing conditions. The current study investigates the factors influencing substrate warpage and explores the methods to mitigate it with the assistance of finite element analysis. Glass fiber reinforced epoxy-based substrates were prepared under different curing temperatures, and characterized by thermo-mechanical analysis and mechanical testing. A finite element simulation model of the bare carrier board was developed using ABAQUS software. The results show that the curing temperature impacts the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), strength and modulus of the substrate. The differences in CTE and dimensional parameters among the component materials strongly influence substrate warpage. While the curing conditions affect bare carrier board warpage to some extent, the type and thickness of solder mask have more significant effects and warpage can be mitigated by properly choosing and applying solder masks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the widespread advocacy for the integration of arts and humanities (A&H) into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education on an international scale, teachers face numerous obstacles in practically integrating A&H into STEM teaching (IAT). To tackle the challenges, a comprehensive five-stage framework for teacher professional development programs focussed on IAT has been developed. Through the use of a qualitative case study approach, this study outlines the shifts in a participant teacher's self-efficacy following their exposure to each stage of the framework. The data obtained from interviews and reflective analyses were analyzed using a seven-stage inductive method. The findings have substantiated the significant impact of a teacher professional development program based on the framework on teacher self-efficacy, evident in both individual performance and student outcomes observed over eighteen months. The evolution of teacher self-efficacy in IAT should be regarded as an open and multi-level system, characterized by interactions with teacher knowledge, skills and other entrenched beliefs. Building on our research findings, an enhanced model of teacher professional learning is proposed. The revised model illustrates that professional learning for STEAM teachers should be conceived as a continuous and sustainable process, characterized by the dynamic interaction among teaching performance, teacher knowledge, and teacher beliefs. The updated model further confirms the inseparable link between teacher learning and student learning within STEAM education. This study contributes to the existing body of literature on teacher self-efficacy, teacher professional learning models and the design of IAT teacher professional development programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric polymer composites for film capacitors have advanced significantly in recent decades, yet their practical implementation in industrial-scale, thin-film processing faces challenges, particularly due to limited biaxial stretchability. Here, we introduce a mechanochemical solution that applies liquid metal onto rigid dielectric fillers (e.g. boron nitride), dramatically transforming polymer-filler interface characteristics. This approach significantly reduces modulus mismatch and stress concentration at the interface region, enabling polypropylene composites to achieve biaxial stretching ratio up to 450 × 450%. Furthermore, liquid metal integration enhances boron nitride's dielectric polarization while maintaining inherent insulation, producing high-dielectric-constant, low-loss films. These films, only microns thick yet quasi square meters in area, achieve a 55% increase in energy density over commercial biaxially-oriented polypropylene (from 2.9 to 4.5 J cm−3 at 550 MV/m), keeping 90% discharge efficiency. Coupled with improved thermal conductivity, durability, and device capacitance, this distinctive interface engineering approach makes these composites promising for high-performance film capacitors. This study reports a mechanochemical solution that applies liquid metal on rigid dielectric fillers to transforming polymer-filler interface properties. It disentangles energy density and biaxial stretchability tradeoff in composite capacitor films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the pivotal role of stannum doping in achieving ultrahigh piezoelectric performance in barium titanate-based ceramics, the fundamental mechanisms underlying this enhancement remain elusive. Here, we introduce a single variable nonstoichiometric stannum strategy in lead-free barium titanate-based ceramics with giant piezoelectricity, revealing that stannum doping contributes intrinsically and extrinsically to enhance piezoelectricity. Density functional theory calculations elucidate the intrinsic enhancement of polarization arising from lattice distortion and increased space for titanium-oxygen bonds induced by optimal stannum doping, which is corroborated by Rayleigh analysis. A phase transition from ferroelectric multiphase coexistence to paraelectric phase is observed, alongside a rapid miniaturized and eventually disappeared domains with increasing stannum doping. This evolution in phase structure and domain configuration induces a nearly vanishing polarization anisotropy and low domain wall energy, facilitating easy polarization rotation and domain wall motion, thereby significantly contributing to the extrinsic piezoelectric response. Consequently, the origins of ultrahigh performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of stannum-induced intrinsic and extrinsic contributions in barium titanate-based ceramics. This study provides fundamental insights into the role of doping elements and offers guidance for the design of high-performance piezoelectrics. The mechanisms of the enhancement of stannum doping in achieving high piezoelectric performance in barium titanate-based ferroelectric ceramics remain elusive. Here, the authors introduce a single variable nonstoichiometric stannum strategy to reveal the intrinsic and extrinsic contributions for enhancing piezoelectricity after stannum doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neuromelanin is mostly located in dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) pars compacta, and can be detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is a promising imaging-base biomarker for neurological diseases. We previously developed a melanin-specific probe N-(2-(diethylamino)-ethyl)-18F-5-fluoropicolinamide (18F-P3BZA), which was initially developed for the imaging of melanoma. 18F-P3BZA exhibited high levels of binding to the melanin in vitro and in vivo with high retention and favorable pharmacokinetics. In this study we further investigated whether 18F-P3BZA could be used to quantitatively detect neuromelanin in the SN in healthy rhesus macaques. Results: 18F-P3BZA exhibited desired hydrophobicity with estimated log Know 5.08 and log D7.4 1.68. 18F-P3BZA readily crossed the blood-brain barrier with brain transport coefficients (Kin) of 40 ± 8 µL g-1s-1. 18F-P3BZA accumulated specifically in neuromelanotic PC12 cells, melanin-rich melanoma cells, and melanoma xenografts. Binding of 18F-P3BZA to B16F10 cells was much higher than to SKOV3 cells at 60 min (6.17 ± 0.53%IA and 0.24 ± 0.05%IA, respectively). In the biodistribution study, 18F-P3BZA had higher accumulation in B16F10 tumors (6.31 ± 0.99%IA/g) than in SKOV3 tumors (0.25 ± 0.09%IA/g). Meanwhile, 18F-P3BZA uptake in B16F10 tumors could be blocked by excess cold 19F-P3BZA (0.81 ± 0.02%IA/g, 88% inhibition, p < 0.05). PET/MRI 18F-P3BZA provided clear visualization of neuromelanin-rich SN at 30–60 min after injection in healthy macaques. The SN to cerebella ratios were 2.7 and 2.4 times higher at 30 and 60 min after injection. In in vitro autoradiography studies 18F-P3BZA exhibited high levels of binding to the SN, and almost no binding to surrounding midbrain tissues. Conclusion: 18F-P3BZA PET/MRI clearly images neuromelanin in the SN, and may assist in the early diagnosis of neurological diseases associated with abnormal neuromelanin expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red-emitting GdNbTiO6 phosphors, single-doped and co-doped with Eu3+ and Sm3+, were synthesized by solid-state method at 1400°C for 4 h. The crystal structure and downshifting luminescence performance of GdNbTiO6: Eu3+, Sm3+ phosphors were studied. The energy transfer behaviour between Sm3+ and Eu3+ was investigated and the effect of Sm3+ doping on the downshifting luminescence and optical transition properties of Eu3+ was discussed based on the photoluminescence spectra and the framework of Judd–Ofelt theory. The addition of Sm3+ extends the excitation wavelength range of Eu3+ in the near ultra-violet light region and significantly enhances the emission intensity under 408 nm excitation, while no obvious changes on the optical transition parameters of Eu3+ was found. In addition, as Sm3+ doping concentration is increasing, the colour coordinates of the phosphor under different wavelength excitations always remained in the orange–red light region. These results indicated that Eu3+, Sm3+ co-doped samples with stable colour-rendering performance have wide-application prospects in the field of high-quality solid-state lighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the estimators of parameters for a partially linear single-index spatial model which has measurement errors in all variables. We propose an efficient methodology to estimate our model by combining a local-linear smoother based Pseudo- θ algorithm, simulation-extrapolation (SIMEX) algorithm, the estimation equation and the estimation method for profile maximum likelihood. Under some regular conditions, we derive the asymptotic properties of the link function and unknown estimators. Some simulations indicate our estimation method performs well. Finally, we apply our method to a real data set of Boston Housing Price. The result shows that our model fits the data set well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective operation strategies in the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) can adjust the spatial distribution of temperature gradient favoring the long-term stability. To investigate the effects of different operating conditions on the thermal behavior inside SOFC, a three-dimensional model is developed in this study. The model is verified by comparing it with the experimental data. The heat generation rate and its variation under different operating conditions are analyzed. The combined effects of operating voltage and gas temperature are considered to be the key factor influencing the temperature gradient. Compared to the original case, the temperature of SOFC decreases by 21.4 K when the fuel velocity reaches 5 m/s. But the maximum temperature gradient increases by 21.2%. Meanwhile, higher fuel velocities can eliminate about 32% of the area with higher temperature gradient. And when the oxidant velocity reaches 7.5 m/s, the peak temperature gradient effectively decreases by 16.59%. Simultaneous adjustment of the oxidant and fuel velocities can effectively reduce the peak temperature gradient and increase the safety zone. The effects of operation conditions on the temperature gradient of the cell are clarified in this study, which can be a reference for further research on the reliability of SOFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To understand the changes in humoral immunity and lymphocyte subsets levels among hospitalized children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection from 2019 to 2023. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed inpatients aged 0–14 years who were diagnosed with MP infection or MP pneumonia in a tertiary hospital from January 2019 to December 2023. The children were divided into three groups: before the implementation of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), during the implementation of NPIs, and after the NPIs being lifted. Results: A total of 4103 patients were enrolled in this study, of whom 2125 were diagnosed with MP infection and 1978 were diagnosed with MP pneumonia. The number of MP infection cases dramatically decreased early during the implementation of NPIs, and the previous epidemic trend resumed after the NPIs were lifted, with the number of cases during the period 2019–2023 peaked in November 2023. In children aged < 5 years, the levels of IgA and IgM and the percentages of total T cells and cytotoxic T cells in the "before the implementation of NPIs" group were greater than those in the other groups, and the percentage of total B cells was lower than that in the other groups. In children aged ≥ 5 years, the IgM level in the "before the implementation of NPIs" group was greater than that in the other groups. Conclusion: The number of MP-infected hospitalized children decreased significantly after NPI implementation and reached its highest peak during 2019–2023 in November 2023. After the NPIs were lifted, the level of humoral immunity was decreased and balance lymphocyte subsets were disrupted, especially in children aged < 5 years. We should pay close attention to and prevent MP infection in a timely manner after epidemics caused by large respiratory pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disease associated with the aging of the population, and it reduces the quality of life of patients. It is characterized by the destruction of articular cartilage and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines. Owing to the unclear pathogenesis of OA, current treatment methods have significant limitations. Oxidative stress has been revealed to play an important role in the development of OA. Our experiments indicated that the levels of GSH decreased and the level of MDA increased in chondrocytes, which induced ferroptosis in chondrocytes in OA. We also revealed that ferroptosis was the main mechanism of cartilage destruction caused by the addition of the ferroptosis activator erastin and the ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1. NOX1 is the main modulator of oxidative stress by increasing the generation of reactive oxidative species (ROS). We suppressed the expression of NOX1 in chondrocytes through cell transfection. The expression of collagen II and MMP13, and the secretion of IL-1β and TNF-α were reversed. An increase in the mitochondrial membrane potential and a decrease in the level of intracellular ROS indicate an improvement in oxidative damage. Additionally, we determined the effect of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway on NOX1-mediated chondrocyte injury. We found that NOX1 inhibited the expression of Nrf2/HO-1, but the activation of Nrf2 improved the oxidative damage to chondrocytes in vivo and vitro. This study revealed that NOX1-mediated oxidative stress induces chondrocyte ferroptosis by inhibiting the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. Our findings contribute to revealing the pathogenesis of OA, providing targets for drug design and optimizing the clinical treatment of OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the coupling coordination degree (CCD) between digital village construction (DVC) and agricultural carbon emissions (ACE) is crucial for promoting village revitalization and sustainable agricultural development. Analyzing data from 30 provinces in China in 2011–2020, this paper employs the CCD model, the Dagum Gini coefficient, and the geographic detector for in-depth analysis. The results show that the overall level of CCD gradually increases over time, but the national CCD still remains in a state of "low coordination," and there are apparent spatial differences in the CCD among provinces. In addition, the overall difference in CCD shows a decreasing trend, and the contribution of inter-regional differences has gradually become the most critical source of CCD's regional difference. Finally, the spatial differences of CCD are the result of two-factor interaction, among which the innovation level is the most core driving factor. The above findings provide important implications for China and other developing countries to fully leverage the interaction between village digitalization and agricultural decarbonization to promote sustainable agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous research has reached agreement on the significant impact of particulate matter (PM2.5) on respiratory infectious diseases, PM2.5 acts as an aggregation of miscellaneous pollutants and the individual effect of each component has not been examined. Here, we investigate the effects of PM2.5 components, including black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), sulfate ion (SO4), dust, and sea salt (SS), on the morbidity and mortality of the recent respiratory disease, i.e. COVID-19. The daily data of 236 countries and provinces/states (e.g., in the United States and China) worldwide during 2020–2022 are utilized. To derive the pollutant-specific causal effects, optimal instrumental variables for each pollutant are selected from a large set of atmospheric variables. We find that one µg/m3 increase in OC increases the number of cases and death by about 3% to 6% from the mean worldwide during a lag of one day up to three days. Our findings remain consistent and robust when we change control variables such as the flight index and weather proxies, and also when applying a sine transformation to the positivity and death rate. When analyzing health effects among different areas, we find stronger impact in China, for its higher local OC concentration, as opposed to the impact in the United States. Health benefits from PM2.5 pollution reduction are comparatively high for developed regions, yet decreases in cases and deaths number are rather overt in less developing regions. Our research provides inspiration and reference for dealing with other respiratory diseases in the post-pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germ granules are biomolecular condensates present in most animal germ cells. One function of germ granules is to help maintain germ cell totipotency by organizing mRNA regulatory machinery, including small RNA-based gene regulatory pathways. The C. elegans germ granule is compartmentalized into multiple subcompartments whose biological functions are largely unknown. Here, we identify an uncharted subcompartment of the C. elegans germ granule, which we term the E granule. The E granule is nonrandomly positioned within the germ granule. We identify five proteins that localize to the E granule, including the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) EGO-1, the Dicer-related helicase DRH-3, the Tudor domain-containing protein EKL-1, and two intrinsically disordered proteins, EGC-1 and ELLI-1. Localization of EGO-1 to the E granule enables synthesis of a specialized class of 22G RNAs, which derive exclusively from 5' regions of a subset of germline-expressed mRNAs. Defects in E granule assembly elicit disordered production of endogenous siRNAs, which disturbs fertility and the RNAi response. Our results define a distinct subcompartment of the C. elegans germ granule and suggest that one function of germ granule compartmentalization is to facilitate the localized production of specialized classes of small regulatory RNAs. Germ granules help to maintain germ cell totipotency. Here, authors identify a distinct subcompartment of the C. elegans germ granule, the E granule, and show that defects in its assembly elicit disordered production of endogenous siRNAs that disturbs fertility and the RNAi response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synergistic remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soil by functional strains and biochar has been widely studied. However, the mechanisms by which urease-producing bacteria combine with pig manure biochar (PMB) to immobilize Cd and inhibit Cd absorption in vegetables are still unclear. In our study, the effects and mechanisms of PMB combined with the urease-producing bacterium TJ6 (TJ6 + PMB) on Cd adsorption were explored. The effects of TJ6 + PMB on the Cd content and pH of the leachate were also studied through a 56-day soil leaching experiment. Moreover, the effects of the complexes on Cd absorption and microbial mechanisms in lettuce were explored through pot experiments. The results showed that PMB provided strain TJ6 with a greater ability to adsorb Cd, inducing the generation of CdS and CdCO3, and thereby reducing the Cd content (71.1%) and increasing the pH and urease activity in the culture medium. TJ6 + PMB improved lettuce dry weight and reduced Cd absorption. These positive effects were likely due to (1) TJ6 + PMB increased the organic matter and NH4+ contents, (2) TJ6 + PMB transformed available Cd into residual Cd and decreased the Cd content in the leachate, and (3) TJ6 + PMB altered the structure of the rhizosphere bacterial and fungal communities in lettuce, increasing the relative abundances of Stachybotrys, Agrocybe, Gaiellales, and Gemmatimonas. These genera can promote plant growth, decompose organic matter, and release phosphorus. Interestingly, the fungal communities were more sensitive to the addition of TJ6 and PMB, which play important roles in the decomposition of organic matter and immobilization of Cd. In conclusion, this study revealed the mechanism by which urease-producing bacteria combined with pig manure biochar immobilize Cd and provided a theoretical basis for safe pig manure return to Cd-polluted farmland. This study also provides technical approaches and bacterial resources for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular tumor in adults, and early detection is critical to improve the clinical outcome of this disease. In this study, the diagnostic effectiveness of [18F]AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 (an investigational medicinal product) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in UM xenografts and UM patients were evaluated. The cell uptake, cell binding ability and in vitro stability of [18F]AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 were evaluated in 92-1 UM cell line. MicroPET imaging and biodistribution study of [18F]AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 were conducted in 92-1 UM xenografts. Then, UM patients were further recruited for evaluating the diagnostic effectiveness of [18F]AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 PET imaging (approval no. NCT02441972 in clinicaltrials.gov). In addition, comparison of [18F]AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 and 18F-labelled fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) PET imaging in UM xenografts and UM patients were conducted. Results: The in vitro data showed that [18F]AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 had a high cell uptake, cell binding ability and in vitro stability in 92-1 UM cell line. The in vivo data indicated that 92-1 UM tumors were clearly visualized with the [18F]AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 tracer in the subcutaneous and ocular primary UM xenografts model at 60 min post-injection. And the tumor uptake of the tracer was 2.55 ± 0.44%ID/g and 1.73 ± 0.15%ID/g at these two tissue locations respectively, at 7 days after animal model construction. The clinical data showed that tumors in UM patients were clearly visualized with the [18F]AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 tracer at 60 min post-injection. In addition, [18F]AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 tracer showed higher sensitivity and specificity for PET imaging in UM xenografts and UM patients compared to [18F]FDG tracer. Conclusion: [18F]AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 PET imaging may be a more preferred approach in the diagnosis of primary UM compared to [18F]FDG PET imaging. Additionally, due to the high tumor-to-background ratio, [18F]AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 PET imaging seems also to be applicable for the diagnosis of UM patients with liver metastasis. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02441972, Registered 1 January 2012, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02441972. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid formulations are ubiquitous yet have lengthy product development cycles owing to the complex physical interactions between ingredients making it difficult to tune formulations to customer-defined property targets. Interpolative ML models can accelerate liquid formulations design but are typically trained on limited sets of ingredients and without any structural information, which limits their out-of-training predictive capacity. To address this challenge, we selected eighteen formulation ingredients covering a diverse chemical space to prepare an open experimental dataset for training ML models for rinse-off formulations development. The resulting design space has an over 50-fold increase in dimensionality compared to our previous work. Here, we present a dataset of 812 formulations, including 294 stable samples, which cover the entire design space, with phase stability, turbidity, and high-fidelity rheology measurements generated on our semi-automated, ML-driven liquid formulations workflow. Our dataset has the unique attribute of sample-specific uncertainty measurements to train predictive surrogate models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lifestyle-related disease that develops in middle-aged and older adults, often due to smoking habits, and has been noted to cause bone fragility. COPD is a risk factor for osteoporosis and fragility fracture, and a high prevalence of osteoporosis and incidence of vertebral fractures have been shown in patients with COPD. Findings of lung tissue analysis in patients with COPD are primarily emphysema with a loss of alveolar septal walls, and the severity of pulmonary emphysema is negatively correlated with thoracic spine bone mineral density (BMD). On the other hand, epidemiological studies on COPD and fracture risk have reported a BMD-independent increase in fracture risk; however, verification in animal models and human bone biopsy samples has been slow, and the essential pathogenesis has not been elucidated. The detailed pathological/molecular mechanisms of musculoskeletal complications in patients with COPD are unknown, and basic research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms. This paper discusses the impacts of COPD on bone strength, focusing on findings in animal models in terms of bone microstructure, bone metabolic dynamics, and material properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is the sluggish ion migration kinetics that seriously affects the practical performance of the magnesium ion batteries. Even though an electrode material design using rational interlayer engineering method could effectively solve this issue, the optimal interlayer distance remains undetermined. Herein, various VOPO4-based electrodes with expanded interlayer spacing were fabricated and the relationship between interlayer structure and battery performance was revealed. Electrochemical analysis combined with computations unveils the existence of an optimal interlayer structure, as inadequate expansion failed to fully utilization of the material performance, while excessive expansion degraded the electrode stability. Among them, the electrode with triethylene glycol (TEG) intercalation exhibited optimized performance, maintaining excellent cycling stability (191.3 mAh·g−1 after 800 cycles). Density functional theory (DFT) demonstrated the effectiveness and limitations to lowering the migration energy barrier by expanding the interlayer engineering. In addition, systematic mechanism research revealed the Mg2+ storage process: The stepwise shuttling of Mg2+ along the directions that lie in (001) plane triggers two pairs of redox processes, namely V5+/V4+ and V4+/V3+. This study, regulation of layer spacing to achieve the best integrated performance of electrodes, could deepen the understanding of interlayer engineering and guide the design of advanced multivalent-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Invasive plants can reinfest straightforwardly if their debris is not disposed of rapidly during cleaning. Composting can kill their reproductive bodies, and the resulting compost product can be used to improve the soil conditions of riverbanks. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive method to reuse invasive plants. The method utilises a mixed fertiliser of Sphagneticola trilobata (L.) Pruski and river sediment to restore rivers while achieving secondary utilisation of green waste. Methods: The study set up two composting methods (A: without adding river sediment; B: adding river sediment) to evaluate the quality of the two compost products of S. trilobata and their capability to improve the soil on riverbanks. Results: The addition of river sediment shortened the composting period, improved the physicochemical properties of the composting process of S. trilobata, enhanced the nutrient content of the compost products, and increased the presence of microbial communities. Furthermore, the addition of river sediment caused the compost products to attain the compost maturity standards faster. This resulted in a more stable composting process. Among the different compost ratios, the addition of 5% mixed compost product yielded the best results. Conclusion: The quality of plant compost could be improved by composting S. trilobata with river sediment, and the optimal fertilizer amount was 5%. These results would provide scientific ideas and methods for in-situ remediation and utilization of invasive plants and improvement of river ecological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Optimizing landscape patterns by considering ecosystem services and human well-being is crucial for landscape sustainability research. Such optimization process shall also consider multiple stakeholders’ perspectives, interests and benefits, which remain less well investigated. Objectives: The study aims to integrate ecosystem services and land-use scenario analysis to design sustainable landscapes. The overall goal of spatial optimization is to explore pathways towards sustainable development. Methods: This study uses the Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System as a representative agricultural landscape. It analyzes the spatiotemporal pattern of the landscape from 1975 to 2019. The market value method, InVEST model, and MaxEnt model are used to quantify the ecosystem services of the landscape. The analytic hierarchy process is used to set the weight of ecosystem services from the perspective of three stakeholder groups. We compare the outcomes of different scenarios and assessed through emergy yield ratio, environmental loading ratio, and environmental sustainability index. Results: Our results indicated that: (1) The scale of the Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond system decreased significantly from 1975 to 2019. (2) Among the six major ecosystem services, the average value of water purification service was the highest, while average value of mulberry supply service was the lowest. (3) Spatial optimization of the three design objectives, ‘sustainably intensify’, ‘increase landscape multifunctionality’, and ‘restore ecological integrity’, were primarily distributed in the study area’s eastern, central, and western regions, respectively. (4) All three stakeholder-oriented scenarios showed improvements in ecological quality or agricultural output. Conclusions: Our study incorporates viewpoints of critical, diverse stakeholders in the assessment of ecosystem services and scenario analysis to establish sustainable and culturally important agricultural landscape. The framework and methods can help minimize environmental stress on the system, balance agricultural productivity and profitability, and enhance the sustainability of agricultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brand design expands the connotation and extension of products, satisfying consumers' purchase needs to a maximum extent. This study aims to use the S-O-R theory to explore the key factors that stimulate consumers' behaviors in purchasing bottled water and investigate the influences of design-driven fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) on purchase intentions of consumers. A questionnaire survey was conducted for data col-lection and the bootstrapping program of PLS-SEM was used in data analysis and significance evaluation of 322 samples finally obtained. The results show that brand image and design-drive attribute can positively affect perceived value, while sensory experience and brand image can positively impact emotional attitude. However, sensory experience does not directly facilitate perceived value and design-driven attribute cannot effectively affect emotional attitude. Both brand image and design-driven attribute can significantly influence purchase intention, while sensory experience does not have such a influence. Emotional attitude has a significant mediating effect on purchase intention, with a partial mediating effect of perceived value on purchase intention. These results have enriched the research on the influence of design-driven attribute on consumer purchase behavior and empirically analyzed the relationships of product knowledge and perceived value of consumers with their purchase intentions, providing new evidence for understanding the relationship between consumer purchase intentions and design-driven brands. The importance of design-driven attribute has been emphasized in this study, which is of important practical significance in exploring the underlying mechanism of consumer purchase intention and promoting the sustainable development of product design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug exposure during pregnancy lacks global fetal safety data. The maternal drug exposure birth cohort (DEBC) study, a prospective longitudinal investigation, aims to explore the correlation of maternal drug exposure during pregnancy with pregnancy outcomes, and establish a human biospecimen biobank. Here we describe the process of establishing DEBC and show that the drug exposure rate in the first trimester of pregnant women in DEBC (n = 112,986) is 30.70%. Among the drugs used, dydrogesterone and progesterone have the highest exposure rates, which are 11.97% and 10.82%, respectively. The overall incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes is 13.49%. Dydrogesterone exposure during the first trimester is correlated with higher incidences of stillbirth, preterm birth, low birth weight, and birth defects, along with a lower incidence of miscarriage/abortion. Due to the limitations of this cohort study, causative conclusions cannot be drawn. Further follow-up and in-depth data analysis are planned for future studies. Drug exposure during pregnancy lacks sufficient fetal safety information world-widely. Here, the authors report the establishment a multi-center birth cohort to explore the correlation of maternal drug exposure during pregnancy with pregnancy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the enormous potential of all-inorganic perovskite solar cells due to their exceptional thermal stability in the field of photovoltaics, the performance of devices is still severely limited by interface defects. The electron transport layer (ETL)/perovskite interface plays a crucial role in the crystallization of perovskite film and the transport of charge carriers. However, perovskite film based on the solution method inevitably have a large number of defects at the interface. In this paper, a biocompatible potassium amino acid salt was introduced into carbon-Based all-Inorganic perovskite solar cells without hole transport layer (HTL). It can facilitate the formation of a smoother and more uniform interface between ETL and perovskite, thereby reduce the defect density. In addition, which can also rearrange the energy levels at the interface, improve the crystalline quality of the upper perovskite film, and suppress the hysteresis effect. Through the introduction of the functional material, the all-inorganic perovskite solar cell with high-efficiency and low-hysteresis was prepared. The optimzed device achieved the highest efficiency of 12.11%, which show 16.4% improvement when campared with the control samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The graph neural network model has shown strong classification performance in few-shot learning (FSL) tasks in recent years. However, the existing methods have mainly participated in model training by extracting the single features of the samples as nodes. This method of constructing nodes ignores the multi-scale information contained in the samples to a certain extent and limits the expressiveness of node features. Therefore, we propose a multi-scale hierarchical node graph neural network (MsHN-GNN), which constructs hierarchical nodes bearing multi-scale information by deeply extracting structural features, global features, and local features of samples and enhances the representation ability of node features. At the same time, MsHN-GNN sorts the hierarchical relationship among sub-nodes through the block alignment module so that sub-nodes correspond one-to-one according to their own content attributes, which lays a foundation for updating multi-scale hierarchical nodes. In addition, we design a unique graph network update method according to the characteristics of hierarchical nodes. Through the multi-scale hierarchical node aggregation and edge aggregation modules, we realize the hierarchical information interaction among multiple sub-nodes so that the updated nodes and edge features have stronger information expression ability. Finally, to verify the effectiveness of the model, we conduct extensive experiments on miniImageNet, TiredImageNet, and CUB-200-2011 datasets. The experimental results show that MsHN-GNN outperforms other advanced few-shot learning methods with a graph structure in classification performance. In the above three datasets, the 5-way 1-shot experimental results achieved 68.32%, 72.56%, and 76.21%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to realize high-fidelity quantum communication is one of the many facets required to build generic quantum computing devices. In addition to quantum processing, sensing, and storage, transferring the resulting quantum states demands a careful design that finds no parallel in classical communication. Existing experimental demonstrations of quantum information transfer in solid-state quantum systems are largely confined to small chains with few qubits, often relying upon non-generic schemes. Here, by using a superconducting quantum circuit featuring thirty-six tunable qubits, accompanied by general optimization procedures deeply rooted in overcoming quantum chaotic behavior, we demonstrate a scalable protocol for transferring few-particle quantum states in a two-dimensional quantum network. These include single-qubit excitation, two-qubit entangled states, and two excitations for which many-body effects are present. Our approach, combined with the quantum circuit's versatility, paves the way to short-distance quantum communication for connecting distributed quantum processors or registers, even if hampered by inherent imperfections in actual quantum devices. Faithful transfer of quantum states between different parts of a single complex quantum circuit will become more and more important as quantum computing devices grow in size. Here, the authors transfer single-qubit excitations, two-qubit entangled states, and two excitations across a 6 × 6 superconducting qubit device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caspase-4 (CASP4) is a member of the inflammatory caspase subfamily and promotes inflammation. Here, we report that CASP4 in lung adenocarcinoma cells contributes to both tumor progression via angiogenesis and tumor hyperkinesis and tumor cell killing in response to high interferon (IFN)-γ levels. We observe that elevated CASP4 expression in the primary tumor is associated with cancer progression in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Further, CASP4 knockout attenuates tumor angiogenesis and metastasis in subcutaneous tumor mouse models. CASP4 enhances the expression of genes associated with angiogenesis and cell migration in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines through nuclear factor kappa-light chain-enhancer of activated B cell signaling without stimulation by lipopolysaccharide or tumor necrosis factor. CASP4 is induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress or IFN-γ via signal transducer and activator of transcription 1. Most notably, lung adenocarcinoma cells with high CASP4 expression are more prone to IFN-γ-induced pyroptosis than those with low CASP4 expression. Our findings indicate that the CASP4 level in primary lung adenocarcinoma can predict metastasis and responsiveness to high-dose IFN-γ therapy due to cancer cell pyroptosis. Our findings indicate that the CASP4 level in primary lung adenocarcinoma can predict metastasis and responsiveness to high-dose IFN-γ therapy due to cancer cell pyroptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the restoration of iron cultural relics, the removal of rust from these artifacts is necessary. However, this rust removal process may lead to inconsistent local color on the iron relics. To address this, mending materials are applied to treat the surface, ensuring consistent local color. In the surface treatment of iron cultural relics, a significant challenge lies in modulating the color of these mending materials. The corrosion products of Yuquan Iron Pagoda are mainly Fe3O4, γ-FeO(OH), α-FeO(OH) and α-Fe2O3, with contents of 13.1, 16.1, 40.2 and 30.6%, respectively. Due to their structural stability and suitable color characteristics, Fe3O4 and α-Fe2O3 are selected as the primary raw materials for the repair material. This study employs machine learning methods to predict the color of mending materials corresponding to varying contents of α-Fe2O3, Fe3O4, and epoxy resin. The Artificial Neural Network (ANN), eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Light Gradient Boost Machine (LightGBM) algorithms are utilized to develop the model, and the predictive performance of these three algorithms is compared. XGBoost exhibits the best prediction performance, achieving a square correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.94238 and a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.68485. Additionally, the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method is employed to analyze the most crucial raw material affecting the color of mending materials, which is identified as Fe3O4. The study illustrates the specific process of employing this model by applying it to the surface treatment of the Yuquan Iron Pagoda, demonstrating the practicality of the model. This model can be applied to assist in the surface treatment of other iron cultural relics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To appropriately connect good simulation of rockfill material stress–strain behavior at element level with good simulation of dam deformation, a practical nonlinear elastic EBD constitutive model is developed by introducing dilatancy into the traditional Duncan–Chang EB model. Based on the dam deformation monitoring data of the 164.8 m high Aertashi concrete face rockfill dam and particle swarm optimization, five inversion cases are designed to obtain the optimal EB and EBD model parameters that achieve the best fit with monitoring data. The traditional EB model is shown to have difficulties in achieving good simulation for both settlement and horizontal displacement of rockfill dams, especially in terms of their distribution, whereas the EBD model can simulate both settlement and horizontal displacement well. More importantly, the EB model parameters that allow for acceptable simulation of dam deformation result in poor simulation of element level stress–strain behavior of the gravelly sand, rockfill, and overburden materials. In contrast, the EBD model can achieve good simulation of dam deformation and element level stress–strain behavior simultaneously, paving the way for accurate dam deformation prediction based on model parameters calibrated via triaxial tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the preparation of diallyl sulfides and selenides is always an important challenge among chemists because these compounds are of high biological, pharmaceutical, industrial and chemical importance. For this purpose, in this attractive and highly efficient approach, we wish to report that copper (I) chloride immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles modified with benzothiazole–pyrimidine ligand (Fe3O4@BTH-Pyr-CuCl) is a novel and efficient magnetically recoverable catalyst for C–S and C–Se bonds formation through reaction of a category of heterocyclic compounds with aryl iodides, sulfur and selenium sources. The structure of Fe3O4@BTH-Pyr-CuCl nanocatalyst was well identified with FT-IR, SEM, TEM, EDX, elemental mapping, TGA, XRD, VSM and ICP-OES techniques. The recycling tests confirmed that the Fe3O4@BTH-Pyr-CuCl nanocatalyst was reused for 6 times without considerable reduction in its activity. This method is almost better than other methods reported in the literature for C–S and C–Se coupling of heterocycles for the following reasons, such as the use of an environmentally friendly solvent, high yields of products, the use of a catalyst that can be separated and reused and the performance of the reaction in a shorter time, presentation of well-analysis for catalyst and full NMR for products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the impact of the expansion and subsequent felling of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens), a dominant species in China's bamboo cultivation history, on both above-ground and underground soil fauna communities and the soil food web within Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) forests in Lushan Mountain, subtropical China. Methods: We identified three distinct areas where Moso bamboo had expanded into pure Japanese cedar forests. In each area, two experimental scenarios were created: a deforestation site (DF) where Moso bamboo had intruded and was later felled, and a control site (UF) with ongoing bamboo growth. Soil fauna communities were collected using pitfall traps (above-ground soil fauna) and the Tullgren dry funnel method (underground soil fauna), while stable isotope analyses were used to determine the trophic levels of these communities. Results: Deforestation significantly reduced the abundance of Acari, the most populous taxon, as well as Collembola, Diptera, and Diptera larvae. Above-ground Hymenoptera populations declined in deforested plots, while underground numbers rose. Undeforested forests supported higher densities of Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Arachnida. Despite similar annual biomass trends across plots, deforested areas had a greater biomass, driven by larger soil fauna. Soil total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and organic matter content increased in deforested areas and showed a strong correlation with most soil fauna, especially Diptera larvae. Following deforestation, habitat alterations have affected soil fauna's food sources, resulting in a lower trophic level for groups like Diptera, Collembola, and Hymenoptera. Conclusion: Our study underscores the significant impact of Moso bamboo expansion and subsequent felling on the soil fauna communities and food web in Cryptomeria japonica forests. These findings highlight the need for further research into the long-term effects and recovery patterns of these ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial standard model-based controllers need an accurate dynamic model to perform reliably. The classical technique for dynamics modeling of industrial robots relies on deriving the closed-form dynamic equations and then identifying the inertial parameters on the assumption that all the kinematic and geometric details of the robot are known. This study extends the recently developed data-driven SINDy method to obtain the dynamic model of industrial robots with spatial manipulation capabilities. The proposed method is applied to the 6-DOF UR10 robot in simulated and experimental environments. Furthermore, payload and friction are considered in both situations. Contrary to other techniques that rely on optimizing the trajectory to improve the regressor matrix conditionality, the proposed method uses a simple trajectory constructed using a combination of quintic polynomial and sinusoidal trajectory. Three distinct trajectories are used to assess the accuracy of the proposed method in modeling the robot's dynamics. Although simple trajectories result in an ill-conditioned regressor matrix, the proposed method accurately identified the dynamic model. The identified dynamic model has accurately replicated the performance of the robot in both simulation and experimental settings. The model parameters obtained by the proposed method in the simulation settings are compared with the parameters of the Euler–Lagrange closed-form model, and good conformance has been found. To assess the robustness of the proposed method, different levels of noise are added to the simulation data. For noise levels in the range of σ = 0.001 to σ = 0.08 , the method was able to converge to a model that replicates the generalized torque curve obtained by the simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apoptosis is the crucial pathological mechanism following cerebral ischemic injury. Our previous studies demonstrated that clonidine, one agonist of alpha2-adrenergic receptor (α2-AR), could attenuate cerebral ischemic injury in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R). However, it's unclear whether clonidine exerts neuroprotective effects by regulating neuronal apoptosis. In this study, we elucidated whether clonidine can exert anti-apoptotic effects in cerebral ischemic injury, and further explored the possible mechanisms. Neurological deficit score was measured to evaluate the neurological function. TTC staining was used for the measurement of brain infarct size. Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining was applied to examine the cell morphology. TUNEL and DAPI fluorescent staining methods were used to analyze the cell apoptosis in brain tissue. Fluorescence quantitative real-time PCR was performed to assess the gene expression of Caspase-3 and P53. Western blotting assay was applied to detect the protein expression of Caspase-3 and P53. The results showed that clonidine improved neurological function, reduced brain infarct size, alleviated neuronal damage, and reduced the ratio of cell apoptosis in the brain with MCAO/R injury. moreover, clonidine down-regulated the gene and protein expression of Caspase-3 and P53 which were over-expressed after MCAO/R injury. Whereas, yohimbine (one selective α2-AR antagonist) mitigated the anti-apoptosis effects of clonidine, accompanied by reversed gene and protein expression changes. The results indicated that clonidine attenuated cerebral MCAO/R injury via suppressing neuronal apoptosis, which may be mediated, at least in part, by activating α2-AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural vitality is the life force expressed by a combination of endogenous dynamics and external influences. Exploring the complex relationship between rural functions, elements and flows could achieve sustainable rural development. This study constructed a theoretical framework guided by the four functions of production, living, ecology and culture with the support of mobile big data. Furthermore, the network centrality of villages was estimated to reflect the intensity of urban-rural social mobility ties. The results indicated marked spatial disparities in rural vitality, and the coupling of ecological-cultural vitality has a high degree of coherence. Four rural vitality grades were identified: high level (38, 14.08%), medium-high level (66, 24.44%), medium-low level (110, 40.74%) and low level (56, 20.74%), covering 270 administrative village units. The flow intensity of social linkage elements is consistent with rural vitality and the socioeconomic spillover effect of urban centers on neighboring villages was noticeable. Topographic complexity negatively affected the living function, mainly in the T1 and T2 terrain gradients; the rural ecological function was not fully correlated with urban adjacency, and proximity could lead to adverse effects such as urban sprawl and resource destruction. The application of this study is to explore the importance of "flow" by utilizing mobile big data to refine the evaluation unit to the village scale. Accelerating the construction of network coverage and information interconnection and promoting the elemental flow of people, transportation and information between urban and rural areas are important ways to enhance rural vitality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have garnered significant attention in recent years due to their atomically thin structure and unique electronic and optoelectronic properties. To harness their full potential for applications in next-generation electronics and photonics, precise control over the dielectric environment surrounding the 2D material is critical. The lack of nucleation sites on 2D surfaces to form thin, uniform dielectric layers often leads to interfacial defects that degrade the device performance, posing a major roadblock in the realization of 2D-based devices. Here, we demonstrate a wafer-scale, low-temperature process (<250 °C) using atomic layer deposition (ALD) for the synthesis of uniform, conformal amorphous boron nitride (aBN) thin films. ALD deposition temperatures between 125 and 250 °C result in stoichiometric films with high oxidative stability, yielding a dielectric strength of 8.2 MV/cm. Utilizing a seed-free ALD approach, we form uniform aBN dielectric layers on 2D surfaces and fabricate multiple quantum well structures of aBN/MoS2 and aBN-encapsulated double-gated monolayer (ML) MoS2 field-effect transistors to evaluate the impact of aBN dielectric environment on MoS2 optoelectronic and electronic properties. Our work in scalable aBN dielectric integration paves a way towards realizing the theoretical performance of 2D materials for next-generation electronics. Here, the authors demonstrate a wafer-scale, low-temperature process using atomic layer deposition, for the synthesis of uniform, conformal amorphous boron nitride (aBN) thin films. They further fabricate aBN-encapsulated monolayer MoS2 field-effect transistors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From ad 567–568, at the onset of the Avar period, populations from the Eurasian Steppe settled in the Carpathian Basin for approximately 250 years1. Extensive sampling for archaeogenomics (424 individuals) and isotopes, combined with archaeological, anthropological and historical contextualization of four Avar-period cemeteries, allowed for a detailed description of the genomic structure of these communities and their kinship and social practices. We present a set of large pedigrees, reconstructed using ancient DNA, spanning nine generations and comprising around 300 individuals. We uncover a strict patrilineal kinship system, in which patrilocality and female exogamy were the norm and multiple reproductive partnering and levirate unions were common. The absence of consanguinity indicates that this society maintained a detailed memory of ancestry over generations. These kinship practices correspond with previous evidence from historical sources and anthropological research on Eurasian Steppe societies2. Network analyses of identity-by-descent DNA connections suggest that social cohesion between communities was maintained via female exogamy. Finally, despite the absence of major ancestry shifts, the level of resolution of our analyses allowed us to detect genetic discontinuity caused by the replacement of a community at one of the sites. This was paralleled with changes in the archaeological record and was probably a result of local political realignment.Analysis of ancient DNA from 424 individuals in the Avar period, from the sixth to the ninth century AD, reveals population movement from the steppe and the prolonged existence of a steppe nomadic descent system centred around patrilineality and female exogamy in central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale and objectives: The study aimed to investigate whether dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI parameters and preoperative radiological features (DCER-Features) add value to the clinicopathologic model for predicting metachronous metastases in rectal cancer patients. Materials and methods: From January 2014 to December 2020, 859 patients in the PACS system were retrospectively screened. Of the initial 722 patients with surgically confirmed rectal cancer and no synchronous metastases, 579 patients were excluded for various reasons such as lack of clinicopathological or radiological information. 143 patients were finally included in this study. And 73 Patients of them developed metachronous metastasis within five years. After stepwise multiple regression analyses, we constructed three distinct models. Model 1 was developed solely based on clinicopathological factors, and model 2 incorporated clinicopathological characteristics along with DCE-MRI parameters. Finally, model 3 was built on all available factors, including clinicopathological characteristics, DCE-MRI parameters, and radiological features based on rectal magnetic resonance imaging. The radiological features assessed in this study encompass tumor imaging staging, location, and circumferential resection margin (CRM) for primary tumors, as well as the number of visible lymph nodes and suspected metastatic lymph nodes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and decision curve analysis (DCA) were conducted to evaluate whether the diagnostic efficiency was improved. Results: The performance of model 3 (including clinicopathologic characteristics and DCER-Features) was the best (AUC: 0.856, 95% CI 0.778–0.886), whereas it was 0.796 (95% CI 0.720–0.828) for model 2 and 0.709 (95% CI 0.612–0.778) for model 1 (DeLong test: model 1 vs model 2, p = 0.004; model 2 vs model 3, p = 0.037; model 1 vs model 3, p < 0.001). The decision curves indicated that the net benefit of model 3 was higher than the other two models at each referral threshold. The calibration plot of the three models revealed an excellent predictive accuracy. Conclusion: This study suggests that DCER-Features have added value for the clinicopathological model to predict metachronous metastasis in patients with rectal cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the influence of the cosmological constant on black hole images, we have developed a comprehensive analytical method for simulating images of Kerr–de Sitter black holes illuminated by equatorial thin accretion disks. Through the application of explicit equations, we simulate images of Kerr–de Sitter black holes illuminated by both prograde and retrograde accretion disks, examining the impact of the cosmological constant on their characteristic curves, relative sizes, and observed intensities. Our findings reveal that, in comparison to Kerr black holes, the cosmological constant not only diminishes the relative size of a black hole but also amplifies its luminosity. Moreover, an observer’s relative position in the universe ( r 0 / r C ) can influence both the relative size and luminosity of a black hole, where r 0 is the distance from the observer to the black hole, r C is the cosmological horizon determined by the value of the cosmological constant Λ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibration isolation is crucial for scientific instruments that require precise measurements and are highly sensitive to disturbances, especially in microgravity environments, such as ultracold atom interferometry and electrostatic space accelerometers. To minimize micro-oscillations at low frequencies, attention has been drawn toward isolators with quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) and nonlinear properties. Specifically, structures such as curved beams or thin-walled domes that exhibit the potential for elastic buckling have emerged as promising candidates for creating QZS isolators, in contrast to conventional approaches that rely on combining springs with positive and negative stiffness in a larger occupied volume. The idea of mechanical metamaterials, featuring programmable properties, presents a novel approach to achieving QZS characteristics. This paper introduces a new mechanical metamaterial design that arranges QZS units in a Cartesian pattern using curved beams and establishes the dynamic model under base excitation. Initially, the QZS unit, based on a Euler beam with a cosine configuration, is modeled and the analytical force–displacement relationship is constructed by controlling buckling only at low-order modes. The dynamic response of a single QZS unit is analyzed using the harmonic balance method. Subsequently, periodic metastructures with both horizontal and vertical patterns are created and the geometric parameters and overall response of the QZS metamaterials are evaluated. The impact of structural damping, excitation amplitude, and prescribed displacement on the transmission characteristics is also examined. Validation of the analytical results is carried out using the finite element method. In conclusion, this work presents a novel approach to designing QZS vibration isolators that utilize elastic buckling structures for achieving low-frequency isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cecropin A (1–7) is a cationic antimicrobial peptide which contain lots of basic amino acids. To understand the effect of basic amino acids on cecropin A (1–7), analogues CA2, CA3 and CA4 which have more arginine or lysine at the N-terminal or C-terminal were designed and synthesized. The interaction of cecropin A (1–7) and its analogs with DNA was studied using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Multispectral analysis showed that basic amino acids improved the interaction between the analogues and DNA. The interaction between CA4 and DNA is most pronounced. Fluorescence spectrum indicated that Ksv value of CA4 is 1.19 × 105 L mol−1 compared to original peptide cecropin A (1–7) of 3.73 × 104 L mol−1. The results of antimicrobial experiments with cecropin A (1–7) and its analogues showed that basic amino acids enhanced the antimicrobial effect of the analogues. The antimicrobial activity of CA4 against E. coli was eightfold higher than that of cecropin A (1–7). The importance of basic amino acid in peptides is revealed and provides useful information for subsequent studies of antimicrobial peptides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the variance and volatility swaps pricing problem under the framework of double Heston jump diffusion model with approximative fractional stochastic volatility. The pricing formulas of discretely-sampled variance and volatility swaps are obtained by deriving the characteristic function and solving the governing partial integro-differential equations(PIDEs). We also obtain the limits of discretely-sampled variance and volatility swaps pricing formulas, which are the pricing formulas of continuously-sampled variance and volatility swaps. Finally, the effectiveness of the pricing formula is illustrated by comparing with some existing works, and the influence of approximation factor and Hurst parameter variation on the prices of swaps are studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]