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Resveratrol (RES), a type of stilbenoid, is known for its significant role in enhancing meat quality by virtue of activating SIRT1. Against this backdrop, this study explored the impact of resveratrol on various parameters influencing flesh quality in adult grass carp. Over a span of 9 weeks, adult grass carp were fed diets with five different levels of RES (0, 40, 80, 160 and 320 mg/kg). Our findings demonstrated that resveratrol supplementation had no adverse effects on the growth performance of adult grass carp. Notably, adding the right amount of resveratrol to the diets caused the protein and amino acid levels, pH24 h, and shear force of grass carp muscle to rise. Additionally, it led to a reduction in cooking loss and lactic acid content. Moreover, Addition of appropriate levels of resveratrol to the feed promoted myofiber hyperplasia in adult grass carp, which may be achieved by stimulating adult myoblast proliferation and differentiation. Subsequent studies have found that appropriate levels of resveratrol inhibit endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), which promotes muscle fiber development. Additionally, resveratrol was found to lead to an increase in unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) content in grass carp muscle. This alteration in fatty acid composition could be attributed to changes in fatty acid transport, synthesis, and catabolism. According to muscle protein carbonyl level, muscle protein content and frequency of muscle fibers smaller than 20 μm, the optimum resveratrol supplementations of grass carp were 178.33, 198.33 and 226.67 mg/kg.

Fair-faced concrete is green concrete that is directly decorated by its texture. For a more stunning visual impact, pigmented fair-faced concrete with more colors on the surface is prepared. However, the effects of different pigments and service environments on pigmented fair-faced concrete need to be explored. Therefore, four iron oxide inorganic pigments were employed to prepare pigmented fair-faced concrete, and the changes in its fresh properties and mechanical properties were studied through slump, slump flow, and compressive strength tests. Meanwhile, camera analysis and colorimetry were utilized to evaluate the changes in its apparent properties and color stability under four different distinct service environments in this experiment. Results indicate that incorporating pigments reduces both the slump and slump flow of the fresh mixture, and its fresh properties gradually decrease as the pigment content increases. The slump and slump flow of concrete with 6 % iron oxide yellow (IOY) were 30.00 % and 44.00 % lower than the control. Adding IOY and iron oxide red (IOR) can improve the 7-d and 28-d compressive strength of concretes. The 28-d compressive strength of concrete with 2 %-6 % IOY increased by 7.72 %, 11.78 % and 15.09 % over the control. Meanwhile, the surface pore area of concrete with IOY is the lowest and that of concrete containing 2 % IOY is 3.97 cm2/m2. Additionally, the color stability of concrete performs best in water immersion environments and worst in natural environments. It is noteworthy that the concrete added with IOY exhibits excellent color stability under all four service environments. This study aims to evaluate the effects of different pigments on concrete properties and investigate the color stability of four types of concrete under diverse service conditions. The findings will promote the application of pigmented fair-faced concrete in construction and provide technical insights for future research.

Hepatopancreatic necrosis syndrome (HPNS) has recently become a major epidemic in shrimp farms, resulting in enormous economic loss. However, its etiology remains controversial. Diseased Litopenaeus vannamei (L. vannamei), collected from shrimp farms, were analyzed for pathological diagnosis, bacterial isolation, and identification. After that, the effects of the three plant extracts on the primary pathogens of HPNS were analyzed in vitro and in vivo. The results revealed that the primary pathogens of HPNS were Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V. parahaemolyticus) with ToxR and TLH gene, V. cholerae with ompW gene, and Proteus vulgaris (P. vulgaris) with rpoA gene. These three bacterial strains exhibited extensive antibiotic resistance. The “Chaiyinhugan” mixture, the “Sanhuanglian” mixture, and the Polygonum hydropiper flavonoid extract inhibited the growth of all three dominant strains. Additionally, the three plant extracts reduced HPNS shrimp mortality, improved shrimp immunity, and attenuated hepatopancreatic pathology. Among them, the Polygonum hydropiper flavonoid extract displayed better effects and could be applied to prevent and treat HPNS in producing and breeding L. vannamei. In conclusion, V. parahaemolyticus, V. cholerae, and P. vulgaris are the major pathogens causing HPNS. Herbal extracts such as Polygonum hydropiper flavonoid extract can be applied to prevent and treat HPNS.

The sharing of pathological data is highly important in various applications, such as remote diagnosis, graded diagnosis, illness treatment, and specialist system development. However, ensuring reliable, secure, privacy-preserving, and efficient sharing of pathological data poses significant challenges. This paper presents a novel solution that leverages blockchain technology to ensure reliability in pathological data sharing. Additionally, it employs conditional proxy re-encryption (C-PRE) and public key encryption with equality test technology to control the scope and preserve the privacy of shared data. To assess the practicality of our solution, we implemented a prototype system using Hyperledger Fabric and conducted evaluations with various metrics. We also compared the solution with relevant schemes. The results demonstrate that the proposed solution effectively meets the requirements for pathological data sharing and is practical in production scenarios.

Objective: To validate the predictive power of newly developed magnetic resonance (MR) morphological and clinicopathological risk models in predicting low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) 6 months after anterior resection of middle and low rectal cancer (MLRC). Methods: From May 2018 to January 2021, 236 patients with MLRC admitted to two hospitals (internal and external validation) were included. MR images, clinicopathological data, and LARS scores (LARSS) were collected. Tumor morphology data included longitudinal involvement length, maximum tumor diameter, proportion of tumor to circumference of the intestinal wall, tumor mesorectal infiltration depth, circumferential margin status, and distance between the tumor and anal margins. Pelvic measurements included anorectal angle, mesenterial volume (MRV), and pelvic volume. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to obtain independent risk factors of LARS after anterior resection Then, the prediction model was constructed, expressed as a nomogram, and its internal and external validity was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: The uni- and multivariate analysis revealed distance between the tumor and anal margins, MRV, pelvic volume, and body weight as significant independent risk factors for predicting LARS. From the nomogram, the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity were 0.835, 75.0 %, and 80.4 %, respectively. The AUC, sensitivity, and specificity in the external validation group were 0.874, 83.3 %, and 91.7 %, respectively. Conclusion: This study shows that MR imaging and clinicopathology presented by a nomogram can strongly predict LARSS, which can then individually predict LARS 6 months after anterior resection in patients with MLRC and facilitate clinical decision-making. Clinical relevance statement: We believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature. This method of predicting postoperative anorectal function by preoperative measurement of MRV provides a new tool for clinicians to study LARS.

The ceiling radiant cooling panel (CRCP) with air layer based on serpentine shaped flow channel was proposed to solve condensation risk, however, the performance of CRCP was weakened owing to the serpentine shaped flow channel with high-pressure drop. Hence, the parallel shaped type CRCP with air layer was proposed in this work. The effects of both structural and operational parameters on surface temperature distribution and the cooling performance were evaluated. Results showed the cooling capacity was increased with the increase of chilled water velocity and tube diameter, while decreased with the increase in the air layer thickness, cooling panel thickness, tube spacing and chilled water temperature. Considering that condensation risk, it is recommended to set tube spacing, tube diameter, air layer thickness and cooling panel thickness above 125 mm, 10 mm, 12 mm and 1.5 mm, respectively. In the structure parameters of the CRCP, the cooling panel thickness exhibits the maximum impact on cooling capacity with relational grade of 0.87, and the air layer thickness has the maximum impact on surface temperature uniformity with relational grade of 0.82. The findings could serve as guideline for better practical applications of parallel shaped type CRCP with an air layer in different scenarios.

Copper-mediated cell death presents distinct pathways from established apoptosis processes, suggesting alternative therapeutic approaches for colon cancer. Our research aims to develop a predictive framework utilizing long-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) related to cuproptosis to predict colon cancer outcomes while examining immune interactions and intercellular signaling. We obtained colon cancer-related human mRNA expression profiles and clinical information from the Cancer Genome Atlas repository. To isolate lncRNAs involved in cuproptosis, we applied Cox proportional hazards modeling alongside the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator technique. We elucidated the underlying mechanisms by examining the tumor mutational burden, the extent of immune cell penetration, and intercellular communication dynamics. Based on the model, drugs were predicted and validated with cytological experiments. A 13 lncRNA–cuproptosis-associated risk model was constructed. Two colon cancer cell lines were used to validate the predicted representative mRNAs with high correlation coefficients with copper-induced cell death. Survival enhancement in the low-risk cohort was evidenced by the trends in Kaplan–Meier survival estimates. Analysis of immune cell infiltration suggested that survival was induced by the increased infiltration of naïve CD4+ T cells and a reduction of M2 macrophages within the low-risk faction. Decreased infiltration of naïve B cells, resting NK cells, and M0 macrophages was significantly associated with better overall survival. Combined single-cell analysis suggested that CCL5–ACKR1, CCL2–ACKR1, and CCL5–CCR1 pathways play key roles in mediating intercellular dialogues among immune constituents within the neoplastic microhabitat. We identified three drugs with a high sensitivity in the high-risk group. In summary, this discovery establishes the possibility of using 13 cuproptosis-associated lncRNAs as a risk model to assess the prognosis, unravel the immune mechanisms and cell communication, and improve treatment options, which may provide a new idea for treating colon cancer.

In this paper, the gas-liquid flow pattern and CO2 dissolution transport process of microalgae solution in an air-lift photobioreactor (PBR) are investigated by numerical simulations. In order to promote the gas-liquid mass transfer efficiency to enhance the carbon fixation, we propose different optimization schemes for the structure. Firstly, a two-phase flow model and a mass transfer model are employed to investigate the fluid flow characteristics. The flow state is evaluated by velocity in light direction, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), gas hold-up and CO2 mass transfer coefficient. The results show that the gas flow rate of 0.2 V/V/min is the optimum value for the inlet. Secondly, CO2 mass transfer and carbon fixation rates are analyzed for different inlet CO2 volume fractions. With the increase of CO2 volume fraction, the carbon fixation rate first increases and then decreases, the highest fixation rate reaching 2.21 × 10−4 mol m−3 s−1 at 6 %. Finally, based on numerical simulations, three optimized structures with different spacing of baffles are proposed and evaluated the performance in comparison with the original. The results show that the gas distribution and CO2 mass transfer are significantly improved, with the one-sided baffle structure is the best. In summary, this study provides a new and useful reference to evaluate the gas-liquid mixing and improve the microalgae carbon fixation rate.

The persistence of neuronal degeneration and damage is a major obstacle in ageing medicine. Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors detect environmental stressors and trigger the maturation and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines that can cause neuronal damage and accelerate cell death. NLR (NOD-like receptors) inflammasomes are protein complexes that contain NOD-like receptors. Studying the role of NLR inflammasomes in ageing-related neurological disorders can provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of neurodegeneration. This includes investigating their activation of inflammasomes, transcription, and capacity to promote or inhibit inflammatory signaling, as well as exploring strategies to regulate NLR inflammasomes levels. This review summarizes the use of NLR inflammasomes in guiding neuronal degeneration and injury during the ageing process, covering several neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, and peripheral neuropathies. To improve the quality of life and slow the progression of neurological damage, NLR-based treatment strategies, including inhibitor-related therapies and physical therapy, are presented. Additionally, important connections between age-related neurological disorders and NLR inflammasomes are highlighted to guide future research and facilitate the development of new treatment options.

Tripartite interactions play a fundamental role in the quantum information processing and quantum technology. However, it is generally difficult to realize strong tripartite coupling. We investigate the estimation of a tripartite coupling strength in a hybrid setup composed of a single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center and a micromagnet. A time-independent parametric drive can be utilized to increase the estimation precision of the tripartite coupling strength. By calculating the quantum Fisher information (QFI), we can obtain the optimal estimation precision by measuring the eigenstate of the tripartite system. At the critical position, the QFI is divergent due to that the preparation time of the eigenstate is divergent. When the system is subjected to a dissipation, the QFI near the critical point of the driven-dissipation phase transition is analytically obtained. The direct intensity measurement is the optimal measurement near the dissipation phase transition point. In addition, we quantify the robustness of an imperfect measurement operator by the measurement noise susceptibility based on the error propagation formula. We find that the direct intensity measurement is robust enough against small measurement disturbance from a coherent drive. But it can be disturbed by the nonlinear anti-harmonic measurement noise, especially near the critical point.

Objectives: To develop and validate a risk prediction model by identifying the preoperative factors associated with an increased risk of pneumonia after spinal surgery. Methods: This study included patients with spinal disease from two hospitals between January 2021 and June 2023. The patients were divided into the training and validation sets, which were categorized as postoperative pneumonia (POP) or non-POP, respectively. This study identified the independent risk variables for POP using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. A nomogram prediction model was developed and validated using risk factors, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) to assess predictive performance. Results: Following exclusion, 2223 patients from Changzheng Hospital were enrolled in the training set and 357 patients from the No. 905 Hospital of PLA Navy were enrolled in the validation set. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that operation time, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, smoking, non-wearing of medical masks, lack of preoperative respiratory training, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), underlying diseases, and spinal section were risk factors for POP development in patients with spinal diseases. The area under the ROC curve of the training set was 0.950, whereas that of the validation set was 0.879. The model calibration curves demonstrated good agreement, and the DCA indicated a high expected net benefit value. Conclusion: The POP risk prediction model has high accuracy and efficiency in predicting POP in patients with spinal diseases. POP development is influenced by factors such as operation length, ASA grade, smoking, non-wearing of medical masks, lack of preoperative respiratory training, COPD, underlying diseases, and lumbar surgery.

Tenghuang Jiangu Wan (THJGW) is a commonly utilized treatment for osteoarthritis (OA), yet its pharmacodynamic material basis and molecular mechanism remain inadequately understood. This study systematically characterized the in vitro and in vivo chemical components of THJGW using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The pharmacodynamic material basis of THJGW in the treatment of OA was explored through a target network pharmacology approach and molecular docking technology. Cellular experiments were subsequently employed to validate the molecular mechanisms. Consequently, a total of 134 components from THJGW were identified in vitro, comprising 45 flavonoids, 10 iridoid glycosides, 39 phenylethanoid glycosides, 9 phenylpropanoids, 11 organic acids, 4 phenolics, and 16 other compounds. Additionally, 38 prototype absorbed components in serum were characterized for the purpose of network construction. 11 key components and 10 core targets (VEGFA, STAT3, RELA/NF-κB p65, PIK3R1, PIK3CA, MMP9, MMP1, IL-6, HDAC1, and FGF2) were determined by the target network pharmacology. Through Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, it was found that these intersection targets are associated with various signaling pathways such as pathways in cancer, lipid and atherosclerosis, and prostate cancer. Notably, the lipid and atherosclerosis pathway was closely linked to OA. The molecular docking results demonstrated strong binding affinities of the three core targets: IL-6, STAT3, and RELA/NF-κB p65. These results suggest that these targets may play a significant role for THJGW in treating OA. In vitro experiments showed that THJGW had notable protective effects on LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages by reducing levels of TNF-α and IL-6, and inhibiting phosphorylation expression of STAT3 and NF-κB p65 proteins related to the lipid and atherosclerosis pathway. This study provides insight into the pharmacodynamic material basis and mechanism of action for THJGW in the treatment of OA, which provide scientific evidence for the scientific application and improvement of quality standards for THJGW.

The issues of energy accessibility and vulnerability have garnered significant attention in recent research. However, previous studies have tended to emphasize access-based energy justice while neglecting vulnerability-based energy justice, particularly in emergency scenarios. This study aims to address this gap by examining the conceptual differences between the two concepts through practical examples and exploring the profile of energy-vulnerable individuals. In this study, a dataset comprising 1650 buildings in Los Angeles was selected. A spatial regression model was employed to investigate the factors influencing energy use intensity (EUI) in the years 2019 and 2020, as well as the rate of change in EUI between these two years. This analysis was conducted within the framework of the two-tier model of energy justice combining energy accessibility and vulnerability proposed in this article. The results revealed that, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the urban energy environment, more demographic types experienced adverse effects, indicating energy-vulnerable populations. Among these groups, older adults were impacted adversely most, followed by the Asian population and the unemployed population. The two-tier framework of energy justice proposed in this article compensates for the shortcomings of traditional energy justice perspectives and confirms the typology of energy-vulnerable populations more objectively. The findings also confirm the spatial dependence and heterogeneity of these impacts. The findings will prompt a reevaluation of energy equity in urban settings and offer a theoretical foundation for energy policy decision-making.

Antimicrobial AgO/Ag/carboxymethyl chitosan-graphene oxide (AgO/Ag/CGO) films were synthesized by UV-light-assisted reduction followed by ionic crosslinking method. The structure of the AgO/Ag/CGO films were explored by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. We have also tested the cytotoxicity and cell viability of AgO/Ag/CGO3. The results of cytotoxicity of AgO/Ag/CGO3 on HepG2 cells suggests that the nanocomposite is not cytotoxic. Additionally, thermal stability, swelling ratio, antimicrobial activity of the AgO/Ag/CGO films were evaluated in detail, which revealed that the addition of GO improves the thermal stability and swelling ratio of AgO/Ag/CGO films. Of the three AgO/Ag/CGO films, the AgO/Ag/CGO3 exhibited better antimicrobial activity and higher inhibition rate against E. coli (89.2%) and S. aureus (93.4%). Therefore, the simple and green method is potential candidate for prepare of Ag-based antimicrobial film materials.

Background: The objective of the present study was to identify patients with pathologic stage I lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) who are at high risk of recurrence and assess the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) in these individuals. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 1504 patients with pathologic stage I LUAD who underwent surgical resection at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital and Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were performed to identify indicators associated with a high risk of recurrence, while the Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test were employed to compare recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) between patients with ACT and those without it. Results: Four independent indicators, including age (≥62 years), visceral pleural invasion (VPI), predominant pattern (micropapillary/solid), and lymphovascular invasion (LVI), were identified to be significantly related with RFS. Subsequently, patients were classified into high-risk and low-risk groups by LVI, VPI, and predominant pattern. The administration of ACT significantly increased both RFS (P

Thumbnail-preserving encryption (TPE) can balance the usability and the privacy of images in the cloud. Most ideal TPE schemes obtain thumbnails by dividing the plaintext image into multiple blocks, and then perform substitution and permutation operations in each block. The size of partitioned blocks affect the usability and the privacy of the encrypted images. The size of the pixel groups in the blocks, i.e., the number of encrypted pixels per time, has experienced the development from 2-pixel to n-pixel in recent years. Existing solutions cannot promote the real implementation and commercial realization because of inefficiency and instability. In this paper, we propose an efficient and stable TPE scheme, which can select intelligently different sizes of pixel groups in each block. Theoretical analysis indicates that the encryption time is influenced by the sum and the number of pixels in a pixel group. The length of the pixel group and the sum of pixel values in a group influence each other. We try to determine the optimal combination of these two factors. Through the analysis of Markov model, the proposed scheme has the nonce-respecting security. The experimental results of comparison show that, for the images with size of 480 × 320, the average encryption time of the proposed scheme is 61.7% less than that of 3-pixel flexible TPE, which is the most effective scheme up to now. And the fluctuation value decreases by 34.8%.

Biodegradable mulch films are recognized as a promising substitute of polyethylene (PE) films to alleviate the “white pollution”. Biodegradable mulch films with optimum degradation rates increase crop yield even compared to PE films. However, the mechanisms underlying this yield-increasing effect remains elusive. In this study, three biodegradable film treatments (BFM1, BFM2 and BFM3) and one PE film treatment (PFM) were used to evaluate their effects on soil and winter potatoes, and a partial least squares path model (PLS-PM) was constructed to investigate their relationships. The degradation rates of films under different treatments were ranked as BFM3 > BFM2 >BFM1 > PFM, and presented distinctive effects on soil properties and nutrients, structure of soil bacterial community, and yield traits of winter potatoes. The PLS-PM showed that mulch treatments affected potato yield through effects on soil properties (soil water and temperature) and soil nutrients (TOC, DOC, TN and NO3--N). The disintegration of the biodegradable films decreased soil water content and temperature, and reduced the loss of soil nutrients in the topsoil at the later growth stage of winter potatoes compared to PE films. Additionally, the elevated content of soil TN and NO3--N under treatment BFM1 may play a key role in its yield-increasing effect on potatoes compared to treatments PFM and BFM2. Thus, biodegradable mulch films with proper degradation rates regulate soil TN and NO3--N through their effects on soil water and temperature, and subsequently improve the yield of winter potatoes compared to PE mulch films.

Tumor targeting drug delivery is of significant importance for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) considering the presence of appreciable amount of tumor matrix and the absence of effective targets on the tumor cells. Hence in this study, a new therapeutic multifunctional nanoplatform with improved TNBC targeting ability and efficacy was constructed and used for therapy of TNBC. Specifically, curcumin loaded mesoporous polydopamine (mPDA/Cur) nanoparticles were synthesized. Thereafter, manganese dioxide (MnO2) and a hybrid of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) membranes as well as cancer cell membranes were sequentially coated on the surface of mPDA/Cur to obtain mPDA/Cur@M/CM. It was found that two distinct kinds of cell membranes were able to endow the nano platform with homologous targeting ability, thereby achieving accurate delivery of drugs. Nanoparticles gathered in the tumor matrix can loosen the tumor matrix via the photothermal effect mediated by mPDA to rupture the physical barrier of tumor, which is conducive to the penetration and targeting of drugs to tumor cells in the deep tissues. Moreover, the existence of curcumin, MnO2 and mPDA was able to promote the apoptosis of cancer cells by promoting increased cytotoxicity, enhanced Fenton-like reaction, and thermal damage, respectively. Overall, both in vitro and in vivo results showed that the designed biomimetic nanoplatform could significantly inhibit the tumor growth and thus provide an efficient novel therapeutic strategy for TNBC.

Introduction: Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy has recently been the standard of care for resectable locally advanced NSCLC. Factors affecting the neoadjuvant immunotherapy efficacy, however, remain elusive. Metabolites have been found to modulate immunity and associate with immunotherapeutic efficacy in advanced tumors. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the impact of plasma metabolites on the pathologic response after neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy. Methods: Patients with stage IIIA (N2) NSCLC who underwent neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in a prospective phase 2 clinical trial (NCT04422392) were enrolled. Metabolomic profiling of the plasma before treatment was performed using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. A Lewis lung carcinoma mouse model was further used to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Proteomics and multiplexed immunofluorescence of the mice tumor were performed. Results: A total of 39 patients who underwent three cycles of anti–programmed cell death-protein 1 (anti–PD-1) (sintilimab) and chemotherapy were included. The level of acetaminophen (APAP) was found to be significantly elevated in patients who did not achieve major pathologic response. The level of APAP remained an independent predictor for major pathologic response in multivariate logistic analysis. In the Lewis lung carcinoma mouse model, combination of APAP and anti–PD-1 treatment significantly reduced the treatment efficacy compared with anti–PD-1 treatment alone. Proteomics of the tumor revealed that myeloid leukocyte activation and neutrophil activation pathways were enriched after APAP treatment. Tumor microenvironment featuring analysis also revealed that the combination treatment group was characterized with more abundant neutrophil signature. Further multiplexed immunofluorescence confirmed that more neutrophil extracellular trap formation was observed in the combination treatment group. Conclusions: APAP could impair neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy efficacy in patients with NSCLC by promoting neutrophil activation and neutrophil extracellular trap formation.

The quantum version of a special classical Wheatstone bridge built with a boundary-driven spin system has recently been proposed. We propose a quantum Wheatstone bridge consisting of Bose systems, which can simulate the general classical Wheatstone bridge. Unknown coupling can be obtained when the quantum Wheatstone bridge is balanced, which can be determined simply by homodyne detection. When the expectation value of the homodyne detection is 0, the quantum Wheatstone bridge is unbalanced. When the expectation value of the homodyne detection is proportional to the square root of the initial number of bosons by regulating a known coupling strength, the quantum Wheatstone bridge is balanced. By calculating the quantum Fisher information, we show that the measurement precision is optimal when the quantum Wheatstone bridge is balanced. And the homodyne detection is close to the optimal measurement in the case of low-temperature baths.

Polyethylene (PE) is a widely used industrial plastic, but its flammable feature limits its further application. A novel composite based on dicyandiamide (DICY) and aluminum hypophosphite (AHP) was integrated into PE. FT-IR confirmed the chemical structures of the composite. During vertical burning and limiting oxygen index tests, the UL-94 flame retardant grade reached level V-0 and the LOI index increased from 18.8 % to 26.3 % when the ratio of AHP and DICY was 4: 1 (occupying 20 wt% of PE). The CCT tests showed the peak heat release rate of 4-AHP/DICY (AHP: DICY = 4: 1) decreased from 620.3 to 323.4 kW/m2 compared with pure PE. Moreover, the carbon residue of 4-AHP/DICY was higher than that of other samples. After cone calorimetry tests, a compact and stable carbon layer formed on the surface of PE composites through the digital photographs and SEM images of the char residue.

Recently, the directional drilling technology (DDT) has been extensive used in many energy field such as coal geological exploration, gas drainage and artificial freezing engineering etc. The theoretical model of directional drilling trajectories is insufficient leading to drilling trajectories control is almost uncertain. In the present study, a theoretical model of directional drilling trajectories is proposed, which is simplified as a combination of many alternants constant curvatures smoothing quasi-helical segments. The essential condition of nonlinear piecewise systems is proved by maximal principle. Multimodal objective function is figure out by optimization algorithm. The directional drilling trajectories software is programmed, and the optimum trajectory for directional drilling is designed. The maximum directional drilling deviation on the vertical direction is 0.38 m, and horizontal direction is 0.63 m. The optimization algorithm is more intuitive and reliable than repetition test and traditional human–computer interaction techniques.

Plastic mulch film is often believed to be a significant contributor to microplastic pollution in farmland soil, however, its direct impact in areas with high human activities remains unclear due to the presence of multiple pollution sources. This study aims to address this knowledge gap by investigating the impact of plastic film mulching on microplastic pollution in farmland soils in Guangdong province, China's largest economic province. The macroplastic residues in soils were investigated in 64 agricultural sites, and the microplastics were analyzed in typical plastic film mulched and nearby non-mulched farmland soils. The average concentration of macroplastic residues was 35.7 kg/ha and displayed a positive correlation with mulch film usage intensity. Contrarily, no significant correlation was found between macroplastic residues and microplastics, which exhibited an average abundance of 22,675 particles/kg soil. The pollution load index (PLI) model indicated that the microplastic pollution level was category I and comparatively higher in mulched farmland soils. Interestingly, polyethylene accounted for only 2.7% of the microplastics, while polyurethane was found to be the most abundant microplastic. According to the polymer hazard index (PHI) model, polyethylene posed a lower environmental risk than polyurethane in both mulched and non-mulched soils. These findings suggest that multiple sources other than plastic film mulching primarily contribute to microplastic pollution in farmland soils. This study enhances our understanding of microplastic sources and accumulation in farmland soils, offering crucial information on potential risks to the agroecosystem.

Summary: Pancreatic progenitor cell differentiation and proliferation factor (PPDPF) has been reported to play a role in tumorigenesis. However, its function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains poorly understood. In this study, we report that PPDPF is significantly downregulated in HCC and the decreased PPDPF expression indicates poor prognosis. In the dimethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced HCC mouse model, hepatocyte-specific depletion of Ppdpf promotes hepatocarcinogenesis, and reintroduction of PPDPF into liver-specific Ppdpf knockout (LKO) mice inhibits the accelerated HCC development. Mechanistic study shows that PPDPF regulates nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling through modulation of RIPK1 ubiquitination. PPDPF interacts with RIPK1 and facilitates K63-linked ubiquitination of RIPK1 via recruiting the E3 ligase TRIM21, which catalyzes K63-linked ubiquitination of RIPK1 at K140. In addition, liver-specific overexpression of PPDPF activates NF-κB signaling and attenuates apoptosis and compensatory proliferation in mice, which significantly suppresses HCC development. This work identifies PPDPF as a regulator of NF-κB signaling and provides a potential therapeutic candidate for HCC.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly heterogeneous solid tumor with high morbidity and mortality. AT-rich interaction domain 1A (ARID1A) accounts for up to 10% of mutations in liver cancer, however, its role in HCC remains controversial, and no targeted therapy has been established. Methods: The expression of ARID1A in clinical samples was examined by Western blot and immunohistochemical staining. ARID1A was knocked out by Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) in HCC cell lines, and the effects of glucose deprivation on cell viability, proliferation, and apoptosis were measured. Mass spectrometry analysis was used to find ARID1A-interacting proteins, and the result was verified by co-immunoprecipitation and Glutathione S Transferase (GST) pull-down. The regulation of ARID1A target gene USP9X was investigated by chromatin immunoprecipitation, Glutathione S Transferase (GST) pull-down, luciferase reporter assay, and so forth. Finally, drug treatments were performed to explore the therapeutic potential of the agents targeting ARID1A-deficient HCC in vitro and in vivo. Results: Our study has shown that ARID1A loss protected cells from glucose deprivation–induced cell death. A mechanism study disclosed that AIRD1A recruited histone deacetylase 1 via its C-terminal region DUF3518 to the promoter of USP9X, resulting in down-regulation of USP9X and its target protein kinase AMP-activated catalytic subunit α2 (PRKAA2). ARID1A knockout and a 1989∗ truncation mutant in HCC abolished this effect, increased the levels of H3K9 and H3K27 acetylation at the USP9X promoter, and up-regulated the expression of USP9X and protein kinase AMP-activated catalytic subunit α2 (PRKAA2), which mediated the adaptation of tumor cells to glucose starvation. Compound C dramatically inhibited the growth of ARID1A-deficient tumors and prolongs the survival of tumor-bearing mice. Conclusions: HCC patients with ARID1A mutation may benefit from synthetic lethal therapy targeting the ubiquitin-specific peptidase 9 X-linked (USP9X)–adenosine 5‘-monophosphate–activated protein kinase (AMPK) axis.

Introduction: The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer proposed a novel grading system of invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma (IPA), but the application of this grading system and its genotypic characterization in the real diagnostic scenario has never been reported. Methods: We prospectively collected and analyzed the clinicopathological and genotypic features of a cohort of 9353 consecutive patients with resected IPA, including 7134 patients with detection of common driver mutation. Results: In the entire cohort, 3 (0.3%) of lepidic, 1207 (19.0%) of acinar, and 126 (23.6%) of papillary predominant IPAs were diagnosed as grade 3. In chronological order, an evident downtrend of the proportion of grade 2 was observed in chronological order. Conversely, the diagnostic ratio of grade 1 (8.0%–14.5%) and grade 3 (27.9%–32.3%) experienced a gradual rise. EGFR mutation was more frequently detected in grade 2 (77.5%) and grade 1 (69.7%) IPA than grade 3 (53.7%, p < 0.001), whereas the mutation rates of KRAS, BRAF, ALK, and ROS1 were higher in grade 3 IPA. More importantly, the rate of EGFR mutation gradually fell as the proportion of high-grade components increased, to 24.3% in IPA with more than 90% high-grade components. Conclusions: The grading system for IPA could be applied to stratify patients with different clinicopathological and genotypic features in a real diagnostic scenario.

An inflammatory reaction is one of the primary reasons for deteriorating tracheal cartilage regeneration in vivo, hindering tracheal defect restoration with prominent fibrosis and granulation hyperplasia. Therefore, effective anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategies may considerably promote tracheal cartilage regeneration and tracheal defect restoration. We prepared a porous ring-shaped Cur/PCL scaffold by loading curcumin (Cur), an anti-inflammatory compound, into polycaprolactone (PCL) using the supercritical CO2 foaming method. Our results confirmed that the Cur/PCL possessed similar porosity with the PCL alone scaffold. The Cur loaded within the Cur/PCL scaffold exhibited sustained release kinetics, stability and a favorable anti-inflammation property in vitro. Moreover, The Cur/PCL scaffold displayed gratifying biocompatibility and supported ring-shaped tracheal cartilage regeneration. In addition, the engineered ring-shaped tracheal cartilage in the Cur/PCL group showed a potent anti-inflammatory effect on maintaining the cartilaginous phenotype and enhanced tracheal cartilage regeneration when subcutaneously implanted into an autologous rabbit. Furthermore, the engineered cartilage in the Cur/PCL group exerted a favorable anti-inflammatory capacity to significantly suppress fibrogenesis and granulation hyperplasia, enhancing tracheal cartilage regeneration and elevating survival rate of experimental rabbits after orthotopic transplantation. This study provides an effective strategy to prepare an anti-inflammatory scaffold for enhancing cartilage regeneration in vivo and repairing tracheal cartilage defects.

We mainly investigate the quantum measurement of Kerr nonlinearity in the driven-dissipative system. Without the dissipation, the measurement precision of the nonlinearity parameter χ scales as “super-Heisenberg scaling” 1/N2 with N being the total average number of particles (photons) due to the nonlinear generator. Here, we find that “super-Heisenberg scaling” 1/N3/2 can also be obtained by choosing a proper interrogation time. In the steady state, the “super-Heisenberg scaling” 1/N3/2 can only be achieved when the nonlinearity parameter is close to 0 in the case of the single-photon loss and the one-photon driving or the two-photon driving. The “super-Heisenberg scaling” disappears with the increase of the strength of the nonlinearity. When the system suffers from the two-photon loss in addition to the single-photon loss, the optimal measurement precision will not appear at the nonlinearity χ=0 in the case of the one-photon driving. Counterintuitively, in the case of the two-photon driving we find that it is not the case that the higher the two-photon loss, the lower the measurement precision. It means that the measurement precision of χ can be improved to some extent by increasing the two-photon loss.

An industrial building may have several heat sources which together create a high-temperature working environment that puts the health of workers at risk. Ventilation is an effective way to remove heat, but improperly designed systems may fail to create a healthy thermal environment. The performance of buoyancy-driven hybrid ventilation in a multi-heat-source industrial plant was investigated in this study. The effects of the height of the inlet above the floor and exhaust velocity on the hybrid ventilation performance were studied; properly increasing the above-floor inlet height appears to improve the thermal environment while excessive mechanical exhaust velocity leads to increased energy consumption with a negative impact on ventilation efficiency. The optimum parameters of the improved ventilation system were determined and compared against existing ventilation systems. In summer, the improved ventilation system shows an average temperature of 34.61 °C, which is 3.40 °C lower than the existing system. The allowed exposure time (AET) is 52 min, which is 18 min longer than the existing system. In winter, the improved ventilation system shows an average temperature of 18.68 °C, which meets the design requirements for industrial buildings. The improved ventilation system can provide thermally comfortable conditions in both summer and winter.

We investigate the parameter estimation in a magnon–cavity–magnon coupled system. PT symmetrical two magnons system can be formed in the gain magnetic materials by the adiabatic elimination of the cavity field mode. We show that the optimal estimation will not appear at the exceptional point due to that the quantum fluctuations are the strongest at the exceptional point. Moreover, we demonstrate that the measurements at the exceptional point tend to be optimal with the increase of prepared time. And the direct photon detection is the optimal measurement for the initial state in the vacuum input state. For the open PT symmetrical two magnons system, the quantum fluctuations will greatly reduce the degree of entanglement. Finally, we show that a higher estimated magnetic sensitivity can be obtained by measuring the frequency of one magnon in the PT symmetrical two magnons system.

A new BisGMA-based antibacterial dental composite has been formulated and evaluated. Compressive strength and bacterial viability were utilized to evaluate the formed composites. It was found that the new composite exhibited a significantly enhanced antibacterial function along with improved mechanical and physical properties. The bromine-containing derivative-modified composite was more potent in antibacterial activity than the chlorine-containing composite. The modified composites also exhibited an increase of 30–53% in compressive yield strength, 15–30% in compressive modulus, 15–33% in diametral tensile strength and 6–20% in flexural strength, and a decrease of 57–76% in bacterial viability, 23–37% in water sorption, 8–15% in shrinkage, 8–13% in compressive strength, and similar degree of conversion, than unmodified composite. It appears that this experimental composite may possibly be introduced to dental clinics as an attractive dental restorative due to its improved properties as well as enhanced antibacterial function. Keywords: Composite, Antibacterial, Bacterial viability, Mechanical strength

Several epidemiological studies reported that chronic arsenic exposure increased risk of prostate cancer. This study aimed to investigate whether chronic NaAsO2 exposure elevates stemness and chemoresistance in prostate cancer cells. DU145 (wild-type p53) and PC-3 (p53-null) cells were exposed to NaAsO2 (2 μmol/L) for 30 generations. IC50s to docetaxel and cisplatin were increased in NaAsO2-exposed DU145 and PC-3 cells. The number of tumor spheres was elevated in NaAsO2-exposed DU145 and PC-3 cells. Nanog, SOX-2 and ALDH1A1, three markers of cancer stemness, were upregulated in NaAsO2-exposed PC-3 spheres. Moreover, NaAsO2-exposed DU145 and PC-3 cells were arrested in G2/M phase. Histone H2AX phosphorylation on Ser139, an indicator for DNA double-strand break, was upregulated in NaAsO2-exposed DU145 and PC-3 cells. ATM phosphorylation on Ser1981, a key sensor of genotoxic stress, was rapidly elevated in NaAsO2-exposed DU145 cells. Phosphor-p53, a downstream molecule of ATM signaling, and p21, a direct target of p53, were upregulated in NaAsO2-exposed DU145 cells. Unexpectedly, p21 was also elevated in NaAsO2-exposed p53-null PC-3 cells. Antioxidant NAC alleviated NaAsO2-induced ATM phosphorylation, cell cycle arrest, and subsequent stemness enhancement and chemoresistance in both DU145 and PC-3 cells. These results suggest that ROS-mediated genotoxic stress is involved in NaAsO2-induced cell cycle arrest, stemness enhancement and chemoresistance of prostate cancer cells in a p53-independent manner.

The water footprint (WF) of crop production has been widely accepted as a comprehensive indicator of agricultural water consumption. Rationality and accuracy in crop WF accounting are thus prerequisites for implementation of WF assessments that yield sustainable regional agricultural water management. However, few studies have focused on the rationality of multiple quantitative approaches and the associated differences in crop WF accounting among different studies. Here we, focusing on maize, wheat and rice, review quantitatively the effects of different quantification approaches and scales on the results of crop WF accounting and simulations in relevant published research during 2002–2018 worldwide. Results show that (i) The number of studies on crop WF accounting has increased by 17 times since 2002 (~the year of creation of WF concepts); the research direction is focused on improvement of quantification and resolution in both time and space. (ii) The current approaches to WF calculation can be divided into five main types: the field crop water requirement (FCWR) approach, field soil water balance (FSWB) approach, regional water balance (RWB) approach, remote sensing (RS) approach and field measured water balance (FMWB) approach. The FCWR and FSWB approaches are more widely adopted than the other three. (iii) There were non-negligible differences in the WF accounting results among approaches and scales. At the global level, the deviations in WF for maize, wheat, and rice were relatively low among different studies, with the world average values of 0.73 m3 kg−1 ± 14.9%, 1.136 m3 kg−1 ± 13.5%, and 1.269 m3 kg−1 ± 27%, respectively. The ranges of uncertainty varied significantly when downscaling to specific countries and provinces. The maximum coefficients of variation (CV) of WF for maize, wheat, and rice in different regions were up to 40%, 49%, and 50%, respectively. (iv) The WF simulations showed very reasonable agreement and lower deviation between the FCWR and FSWB approaches.

We investigate simultaneous estimation of multi-parameter with time-dependent Hamiltonians. We analytically obtain the maximum quantum Fisher information matrix for two-parameter encoded in time-dependent three-level systems. The optimal coherent control scheme is proposed to increase the simultaneous multi-parameter estimation precisions. In an example of a spin-1 particle in a uniformly rotating magnetic field, the optimal coherent Hamiltonians for different parameters can be chosen to be completely same. However, in general, the optimal coherent Hamiltonians for different parameters are incompatible. In this situation, we suggest a variance method to obtain the optimal coherent Hamiltonian for simultaneously estimating multiple parameters, and obtain the optimal simultaneous estimation precision of two-parameter in a three-level Landau-Zener Hamiltonian.

Iron excess is closely associated with tumorigenesis in multiple types of human cancers, with underlying mechanisms yet unclear. Recently, iron deprivation has emerged as a major strategy for chemotherapy, but it exerts tumor suppression only on select human malignancies. Here, we report that the tumor suppressor protein p53 is downregulated during iron excess. Strikingly, the iron polyporphyrin heme binds to p53 protein, interferes with p53-DNA interactions, and triggers both nuclear export and cytosolic degradation of p53. Moreover, in a tumorigenicity assay, iron deprivation suppressed wild-type p53-dependent tumor growth, suggesting that upregulation of wild-type p53 signaling underlies the selective efficacy of iron deprivation. Our findings thus identify a direct link between iron/heme homeostasis and the regulation of p53 signaling, which not only provides mechanistic insights into iron-excess-associated tumorigenesis but may also help predict and improve outcomes in iron-deprivation-based chemotherapy.

Background: Cervical tuberculosis accounts for only 4.2%-12% of the total incidence of spinal tuberculosis cases. Although antituberculosis drugs have been the mainstay treatment of cervical tuberculosis, they have been ineffective against the symptoms of existing spinal deformities and spinal cord compression, which often require surgical intervention. The conventional surgical methods have been anterior debridement and titanium mesh, cage bone graft fusion and internal fixation. However, all have certain deficiencies regarding the stability of fixation., Case Description: We have presented the case of a 41-year-old Chinese man who had been experiencing neck pain and stiffness for 1 month. The symptoms had been accompanied by low-grade fever and repeated night sweats. The purified protein derivative test result was positive and the antituberculosis test result was negative. Imaging examination showed destruction of the C5 and C6 vertebral bodies and C5 andC6 intervertebral discs, with an intensive abscess at the C5-C6 vertebral level. After 3-dimensional printing-assisted anterior debridement and artificial vertebral body replacement, his preoperative symptoms of neck pain and stiffness had been alleviated. Also, his symptoms of numbness in both upper limbs had disappeared completely. At the last follow-up examination, he had recovered well and the tuberculosis focus had been completely cured., Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, we have reported the first clinical application of 3-dimensional printing-assisted cervical anterior bilateral pedicle screw fixation of an artificial vertebral body. We accomplished ultrashort segment fixation, with excellent clinical outcomes obtained, which were maintained at the recent 2-year follow-up examination., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A new bakkenolide and a known one were isolated from Petasites tatewakianus. The structure of the new compound was elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods including IR, EIMS, HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR, and the known compound was established by single crystal X-ray structural analysis. The in vitro cytotoxic activity of these two compounds against cultured human cervical carcinoma (HeLa), human breast cancer (MCF-7) and murine Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cell lines was also evaluated., (Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)