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Let H be a subgraph of graph G. If the edge set of G can be partitioned into edge-disjoint copies of H, possibly with some remainder edges, then the partition is called an H-packing in G. A maximal H-packing in G is defined as one where the remainder edges do not contain any copies of H. A maximal H-packing of G is considered maximum if the edge set E(G) cannot be partitioned into an H-packing containing more copies of H. A graph G is referred to as being H-equipackable if every maximal H-packing in G is also maximum H-packing. In this paper, we provide a characterization for all P 3 ∪ P 2 -equipackable graphs with 3 m (m ≥ 1) edges, where P 3 ∪ P 2 represents the union of two disjoint paths with 3 vertices and 2 vertices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Compared with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) monotherapy, TKI combined with PD1 can improve the therapeutic effect of liver cancer and has been widely used in clinical practice. However, there is a lack of effective biomarkers to identify patients who would benefit more from this combination therapy. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether baseline lymphocyte counts can identify patients with liver cancer who would benefit from targeted immune combination therapy. Methods: Data from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who received TKIs or TKIs in combination with PD1 between June 2018 and June 2020 were retrospectively collected. The patients were divided into high and low groups based on the median absolute count of peripheral lymphocytes before systemic therapy and differences in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) between TKI and TKI+PD1 were compared between the two groups. Results: In total, 72 patients were included in this study, with a median follow-up of 1.5 years. Both PFS and OS in the TKI+PD1 group showed a good prognostic trend (p = 0.058 and p = 0.077, respectively). Subgroup analyses based on peripheral blood lymphocyte counts showed that the combination regimen had a significant PFS and OS advantage only in patients with high peripheral blood lymphocyte counts (p = 0.036 and p = 0.031, respectively), but not in patients with low absolute peripheral blood lymphocyte counts (p = 0.819 and p = 0.913, respectively). Conclusions: Peripheral blood lymphocyte count is a simple and effective biomarker that can be used to identify patients with liver cancer who will benefit more from TKI+PD-1 combination therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Monte Carlo (MC) method is an accurate technique for particle transport calculation due to the precise modeling of physical interactions. Nevertheless, the MC method still suffers from the problem of expensive computational cost, even with graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration. Our previous works have investigated the acceleration strategies of photon transport simulation for single‐energy CT. But for multi‐energy CT, conventional individual simulation leads to unnecessary redundant calculation, consuming more time. Purpose: This work proposes a novel GPU‐based shared MC scheme (gSMC) to reduce unnecessary repeated simulations of similar photons between different spectra, thereby enhancing the efficiency of scatter estimation in multi‐energy x‐ray exposures. Methods: The shared MC method selects shared photons between different spectra using two strategies. Specifically, we introduce spectral region classification strategy to select photons with the same initial energy from different spectra, thus generating energy‐shared photon groups. Subsequently, the multi‐directional sampling strategy is utilized to select energy‐and‐direction‐shared photons, which have the same initial direction, from energy‐shared photon groups. Energy‐and‐direction‐shared photons perform shared simulations, while others are simulated individually. Finally, all results are integrated to obtain scatter distribution estimations for different spectral cases. Results: The efficiency and accuracy of the proposed gSMC are evaluated on the digital phantom and clinical case. The experimental results demonstrate that gSMC can speed up the simulation in the digital case by ∼37.8% and the one in the clinical case by ∼20.6%, while keeping the differences in total scatter results within 0.09%, compared to the conventional MC package, which performs an individual simulation. Conclusions: The proposed GPU‐based shared MC simulation method can achieve fast photon transport calculation for multi‐energy x‐ray exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C10orf90, a tumor suppressor, can inhibit the occurrence and development of tumors. Therefore, we investigated the gene function of C10orf90 in various tumors using multiple pan-cancer datasets. Pan-cancer analysis results reveal that the expression levels of C10orf90 vary across different tumors and hold significant value in the clinical diagnosis and prognosis of patients with various tumors. In some cancers, the expression level of C10orf90 is correlated with CNV, DNA methylation, immune subtypes, immune cell infiltration, and drug sensitivity in the tumors. In particular, in COAD, the C10orf90 gene is implicated in multiple processes associated with COAD. Cell experiments demonstrate that C10orf90 suppresses the proliferation and migration of colon cancer cells while promoting apoptosis. In summary, C10orf90 plays a role in the onset and progression of various cancers and could potentially serve as an effective diagnostic and prognostic marker for cancer patients. Notably, in COAD, C10orf90 inhibits the proliferation and migration of colon cancer cells, induces apoptosis, and is linked to the advancement of colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Blood transfusions are performed in small amounts in premature infants. Few studies have focused on the effect of the same red blood cell (RBC) package at different intervals on increasing hemoglobin(Hb) concentration. We aimed to determine the effect of infusion of the same RBC package at different time intervals on Hb levels in premature infants. Patients and Methods: Data were collected about premature infants who received the same package of RBC transfusion at two different intervals. Venous blood Hb levels before and within 24 hours after transfusion were measured for the first and second transfusions. Overall, 196 premature infants with anemia were included in the study. The data were categorized into four groups (Group I, Group II, Group III and Group IV) based on the varying intervals between transfusions of the same red blood cells. Results: Hb levels of the first and second transfusions with the same RBC package showed a significant difference pre and posttransfusion. Hb increments varied among groups: Group I (43.00 g/L), Group II (34.50 g/L), Group III (32.00 g/L), and Group IV (32.50 g/L), with Group I demonstrating a significant difference compared to Groups II, III, and IV (P< 0.05), while no differences were noted among the latter groups. Conclusion: In premature infants with anemia, hemoglobin levels significantly increased after infusion of the same RBC package at different intervals. An interval of 1 week had the most significant effect. What is New: There are differences in the effect of infusion of the same RBC at different time intervals on hemoglobin levels in premature infants. An interval of 1 week had the most significant effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The masson pine (Pinus massoniana, a coniferous tree species in the pine genus of the Pinaceae family) is the largest organic carbon reservoir in southeastern China, playing an important role in regulating CO2 and maintaining the carbon-oxygen balance of the biosphere. Based on turbulence flux observation data, this study analyzed the characteristics of carbon source and sink changes and influencing factors of the masson pine in Wuyishan National Park during the growing season of 2019 from the ecosystem scale, and estimated the photosynthetic parameters under different conditions. The results showed that the net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE) of the masson pine during the growing season was -593.06 g CO2 /m². On the daily scale, the diurnal variation of NEE of masson pine was U-shaped, and the carbon sink capacity was strongest from 12 to 14 o'clock. On a monthly scale, carbon sequestration capacity of masson pine was strongest in September (-94.55 g CO2/m²) and relatively weak from May to July. Photosynthetically active radiation was the dominant factor of NEE at night, and there was a significant negative correlation between them. Soil temperature was the dominant factor of NEE at night, and the relationship between them showed a significant quadratic function. The light response curve shows that the maximum photosynthetic rate (Pmax) of the masson pine ecosystem in March and July was higher, while the initial photosynthetic efficiency (α) of vegetation in May was higher. Both Pmax and α were larger when the vapor pressure deficit was between 1~2.5 kPa, which was the most suitable for the masson pine to absorb carbon. The increase of soil water content would lead to the increase of ecosystem respiration (Rd), α and Pmax. When soil water content was supersucated, the increment of Rd was similar to that of Pmax, and the net carbon sequestration of vegetation was no longer increasing. These results were helpful to improve the overall understanding of the carbon sink function of masson pine ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep-sea aquaculture can alleviate the spatial and environmental pressure of near-shore aquaculture and produce higher quality aquatic products, which is the main development direction of global aquaculture. The coastline of China is relatively flat, with aquaculture operations typically operating in sea areas with water depths of approximately 30–50 m. However, with frequent typhoons and poor sea conditions, the design of mooring system has always been a difficult problem. This paper investigated the multiple cages, considering two layouts of 1 × 4 and 2 × 2, and proposed three different mooring system design schemes. The mooring line tension of the mooring systems under the self-storage condition was compared, and it was observed whether the mooring line accumulation and the contact between the mooring line and the steel structure occurred on the leeward side. Additionally, flexible net models were compared with rigid net models to evaluate the impact of net deformation on cage movement and mooring line tension. Finally, based on the optimal mooring design, the dynamic response of the mooring system under irregular wave conditions was analyzed and studied, providing important reference for the safety and economic design of the mooring system of multiple fish cages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]