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In order to apply and develop fluorine‐free slag in steelmaking, it is of great significance to study the effect of composition for fluorine‐free refining slag on the cleanliness of molten steel which affects its performance directly. The effect of composition of fluorine‐free refining slag with medium and high basicity on the contents of impurity elements for sulfur and oxygen, and characteristics of inclusions in SWRS82B hard wire steel, are investigated systematically. Sulfide capacity of refining slag is estimated based on the Royal Swedish Institute of Technology model. Dissolved oxygen content in molten steel equilibrated by refining slag is calculated based on Factsage software and classical thermodynamics. The calculated results are in good agreement with experimental results. The plasticity of inclusions at high temperature and low temperature is analyzed by phase diagram and Young's modulus calculation. The best cleanliness and inclusions of SWRS82B steel are obtained with slag composition of 53%CaO–19%SiO2–19%Al2O3–7%MgO, which has good melting characteristics. The impurity elements sulfur and oxygen in steel can be controlled for 26 and 19 ppm, respectively, and the average size of inclusions is 2.84 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and atherosclerosis (AS) are widespread diseases predominantly observed in the elderly population. Despite their prevalence, the underlying molecular interconnections between these two conditions are not well understood. Methods: Utilizing meta‐analysis, bioinformatics methodologies, and the GEO database, we systematically analyzed transcriptome data to pinpoint key genes concurrently differentially expressed in AD and AS. Our experimental validations in mouse models highlighted the prominence of two genes, NKRF (NF‐κB‐repressing factor) and ZBTB17 (MYC‐interacting zinc‐finger protein 1). Results: These genes appear to influence the progression of both AD and AS by modulating the NF‐κB signaling pathway, as confirmed through subsequent in vitro and in vivo studies. Conclusions: This research uncovers a novel shared molecular pathway between AD and AS, underscoring the significant roles of NKRF and ZBTB17 in the pathogenesis of these disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown that chondrocyte ferroptosis contributes importantly to the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). However, it is largely unknown how it is regulated. In this study, the data sets GSE167852 and GSE190184 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and 161 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to ferroptosis were screened by bioinformatics analysis. Subsequently, ADORA2B was screened as a candidate gene from DEGs, which was significantly upregulated in palmitic acid (PA) treated chondrocytes. CCK‐8, EdU, Western blotting, and ferroptosis‐related kits assays demonstrated that knockdown of ADORA2B constrained ferroptosis and promoted viability of chondrocytes. Overexpression of ADORA2B promoted ferroptosis, while the PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor LY294002 reversed the promotion of ADORA2B on ferroptosis. Dual‐luciferase reporter gene assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays indicated MYC was a transcription suppressor of ADORA2B, and overexpression of MYC promoted the viability, and inhibited the ferroptosis of chondrocytes, while ADORA2B overexpression abated the promotion of MYC on chondrocyte viability and the inhibition on ferroptosis. In vivo experiments showed that MYC overexpression alleviated cartilage tissue damage in OA mice, which was able to reversed by ADORA2B overexpression. In summary, ADORA2B, transcriptionally suppressing by MYC, promotes ferroptosis of chondrocytes via inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway. Thus, ADORA2B can be used as a potential treatment target for ferroptosis‐related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep eutectic solvent (DES) is used as both photocatalyst and solvent for photoinduced reversible complexation‐mediated polymerization (photo‐RCMP), which enables a rapid polymerization to produce polymers with predictable molar mass and low molar mass dispersity (Đ). This work illustrates a comprehensive understanding of DES‐accelerated RCMP's mechanism and kinetic features through quantum chemical calculations and kinetic modeling. According to the results, electrons transferring from hydrogen bond in DES to iodine atom in alkyl iodide (RI) initiator under light irradiation lowers the decomposition free energy of complex RI‐DES. This procedure facilitates the generation of primary radicals, thus contributing to the DES‐accelerated phenomenon. In the meantime, the reaction paths are identified by computation as (i) decomposition of RI‐DES under light irradiation generates active radicals and ·I‐DES complex and (ii) combination of two ·I‐DES releases iodine (I2) and regenerates DES. In addition, kinetic modeling based on the method of moments successfully identifies kinetic features of polymerization in the presence and absence of DES, respectively. Kinetic modeling shows a fast increase in primary radicals concentration and rapid build‐up of the photo‐RCMP activation‐deactivation equilibrium, demonstrating that DES is a beneficial photocatalyst and solvent to enable the rapid generation of primary radicals and accelerate the completion of catalytic cycle. This research provides an in‐depth understanding of DES‐involved photo‐RCMP and lays a theoretical foundation for expanding the application of DES to other polymerization systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhanced knowledge of the Pamir salient formation can contribute to comprehending the tectonic evolution of Himalaya-Tibetan orogen. However, whether the Pamir salient formed along a linear or a curved southern Asian margin between the Tarim and Tajik cratons remains controversial. Likewise, the role of the two craton blocks during the evolution of the Pamir salient is unclear. Here we present three sandbox experiments exploring the effect of the geometry of the southern Asian margin, as well as the presence of Tarim and Tajik cratons. The results show that the highly curved shape of the Pamir salient, transpressional faults in its wings and strike-slip faults within its interior only form along a curved southern Asian margin. A westward-deflecting arcuate thrust wedge formed along the asymmetric curved southern Asian margin. Together with the Tarim craton and the Tajik craton, this wedge facilitated the westward transfer of materials in the Pamir, and resulted in the westward deflection of the velocity field in Pamir and the formation of the Tajik fold-thrust belt. The oblique slip of arcuate thrust wedge along the western edge of the Tarim craton generated the Kongur extensional system. Moreover, the Tarim and Tajik cratons concentrated deformation mainly along the non-cratonic continental margin and promoted the formation of transpressional faults surrounding the Pamir and the strikeslip faults within the Pamir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the body's largest organ, the skin is an integrated multisensory system with self‐healing ability and helps stabilize body temperature. It is herein, inspired by natural skin, a wearable patch made from porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) skeleton, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel, and silicon oxide (SiO2) particles, offers a combination of self‐healing properties, along with hybrid radiative and evaporative cooling mechanisms, designed for electromyographic (EMG) signal detection and human‐machine interaction. The patch has both high mid‐infrared (MIR) emittance (96%) and visible to near‐infrared (visNIR) reflectance (80%), coupled with efficient water evaporation from the PVA hydrogel, resulting in a hybrid cooling power of 180 W m−2. It obtains a temperature drop of ≈7.7 °C using this patch under a solar intensity of ≈700 W m−2. Furthermore, the patch demonstrates self‐healing ability with ultrafast recovery of electrical conductivity (1 s) and a self‐healing efficiency (≈71%) of fracture strain. Thus, the wearable patch can detect high‐quality EMG signals and provide cooling effects and self‐healing capabilities that enhance comfortability and durability. These features make the patch an advanced solution for developing next‐generation wearable patches that can meet the rigorous demands of durable body temperature control in various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dulaglutide 3.0 and 4.5 mg weekly doses were approved for additional glycemic control in adult patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with metformin and 0.75 or 1.5 mg weekly doses of dulaglutide. Effects such as nausea and vomiting are commonly reported with dulaglutide and other glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist therapies. Based on a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model‐informed approach, a stepwise dose‐escalation scheme with 4‐week intervals between dose increments was suggested to mitigate gastrointestinal events for dulaglutide. These gastrointestinal events are dose dependent and attenuate over time with repeated dosing. A Markov chain Monte Carlo pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic joint model was developed using AWARD‐11 data (N = 1842) to optimize dulaglutide dose escalation to 3.0 and 4.5 mg to mitigate gastrointestinal events. Model simulations evaluated probabilities of nausea and vomiting events for various dosing scenarios in patients needing higher doses for additional glycemic control. The model indicated that patients may dose escalate from 1.5 to 3.0 mg, then 4.5 mg weekly after at least 4 weeks on each dose. No clinically meaningful differences in nausea or vomiting events were expected when patients escalated to 3.0 or 4.5 mg following initiation at 0.75 or 1.5 mg dulaglutide. Based on the findings of this model, a minimum 4‐week duration at each dose before escalation was appropriate to reduce gastrointestinal events of dulaglutide, consistent with observed gastrointestinal events data from the AWARD‐11 study and supporting the currently recommended dose‐escalation regimen of dulaglutide doses of 3.0 and 4.5 mg for additional glycemic control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: It has been well accepted that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the main bacterial genera present during the brewing of Chinese rice wine (CRW). LAB plays a decisive role in the flavor quality of CRW; however, its application in CRW has previously been overlooked. Therefore, effects of different LAB as co‐fermenter on the flavor characteristics of CRW were investigated. RESULTS: Co‐fermentation of LAB increased the utilization rate of reducing sugar, concentration of lactic acid, amino acid nitrogen and total acidity, as well as the content of volatile flavor compounds. Different LAB doses had little effect on the flavor profiles of CRW, but the species of LAB greatly affected the flavor characteristic. The flavor of CRW co‐fermented with Lactococcus lactis was characterized by long‐chain fatty acid ethyl esters, while co‐fermentation with Weissella confusa highlighted the ethyl esters of low molecular weight and short carbon chains in the resultant CRW. Alcohol compounds were dominant in the CRW co‐fermented using Pediococcus pentosaceus. CONCLUSION: The co‐fermentation of LAB increased the number of volatile flavor compounds, especially esters. LAB exhibited great potential in the application of CRW industry to enrich the flavor characteristics and enhance the flavor diversity of the final product. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown that Solute Carrier Family 9 Member A2 (SLC9A2) could serve as a biomarker for cancer. However, its mechanism of action in osteosarcoma (OS) was still unclear. In this study, the data sets GSE154530 and GSE99671 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and 31 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to methylation were screened by bioinformatics analysis tools. Subsequently, SLC9A2 was screened as a candidate gene from DEGs, which was significantly downregulated in OS. CCK‐8, transwell, western blotting and Seahorse XFe24 Cell Metabolic Analyzer assays demonstrated that overexpression of SLC9A2 could constrain OS cell proliferation, invasion, and aerobic glycolysis. Dual‐luciferase reporter gene assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays indicated ETS proto‐oncogene 1 (ETS1) was a transcription suppressor of SLC9A2, and overexpression of ETS1 could promote methylation levels in specific regions of the SLC9A2 promoter. ETS1 could promote the proliferation, invasion, and aerobic glycolysis ability of OS cells, as well as tumor growth in vivo by inhibiting the expression of SLC9A2. In addition, SLC9A2, suppressing by ETS1, restrains growth and invasion of OS via inhibition of aerobic glycolysis. Thus, SLC9A2 can function as a key inhibitory factor in the aerobic glycolysis to inhibit proliferation and invasion of OS. This indicated that SLC9A2 has a potential targeted therapeutic effect on OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floating car data (FCD), characterized by wide spatiotemporal coverage, low collection cost, and immunity to adverse weather conditions, are one of the key approaches for intelligent transportation systems to obtain real‐time urban road network traffic information. The research aims to utilize GPS data from taxis in Shanghai and vector geographic information data of the road network, with urban expressways as the research focus. Based on the different driving characteristics of expressways and the vehicles on the ramps below, a clustering analysis is employed to determine all floating vehicles traveling on the target road. Furthermore, an adaptive buffer zone consistent with the road orientation is established based on road vector geographic data. This allows for the extraction of FCD within segmented areas, and the average vehicle speed for that road segment is obtained through weighted calculations. This method fully exploits the natural characteristics of taxis in urban areas with a wide spatiotemporal distribution. The data effectiveness and coverage reach 90.2% and 85.7%, respectively, significantly surpassing the traditional grid‐based extraction method for FCD. Additionally, to capture the long‐term spatiotemporal dependencies of road network traffic states, a spatial–temporal autoformer (STAF) network based on spatial–temporal sequence autocorrelation is employed for traffic state prediction. The results indicate that the STAF method demonstrates good performance in medium‐ and long‐term prediction. We believe that the proposed FCD mining method in this paper provides a new approach for efficiently extracting large‐scale road network traffic states and conducting medium‐ to long‐term predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]