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Developing collaborative research platforms for quantum bit control is crucial for driving innovation in the field, as they enable the exchange of ideas, data, and implementation to achieve more impactful outcomes. Furthermore, considering the high costs associated with quantum experimental setups, collaborative environments are vital for maximizing resource utilization efficiently. However, the lack of dedicated data management platforms presents a significant obstacle to progress, highlighting the necessity for essential assistive tools tailored for this purpose. Current qubit control systems are unable to handle complicated management of extensive calibration data and do not support effectively visualizing intricate quantum experiment outcomes. In this paper, we introduce Qubit Control Storage and Visualization (QubiCSV), a platform specifically designed to meet the demands of quantum computing research, focusing on the storage and analysis of calibration and characterization data in qubit control systems. As an open-source tool, QubiCSV facilitates efficient data management of quantum computing, providing data versioning capabilities for data storage and allowing researchers and programmers to interact with qubits in real time. The insightful visualization are developed to interpret complex quantum experiments and optimize qubit performance. QubiCSV not only streamlines the handling of qubit control system data but also improves the user experience with intuitive visualization features, making it a valuable asset for researchers in the quantum computing domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tennis is an elegant sport characterized by confrontation, controllability, leisure, and entertainment. With the continuous improvement of Chinese women's tennis in the world, men's tennis also appears in the world arena, and the popularity of Chinese sports also appears tennis hot. Since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, tennis courts have been built vigorously all over China. Due to the facilities, operational capabilities, and services vary in tennis courts, how to book a proper tennis court for clubs or citizens becomes the research content of this study. In the context of cloud computing, a lot of resources and information enter the cloud. This study puts tennis court resources in the cloud and allocates tennis court resources based on game theory. According to the situation that multi-users successively request cloud tennis court resources, this study designs a method of resource allocation for cloud tennis courts based on a dynamic game model. Aiming at the problems existing in traditional resource allocation, this method uses dynamic game theory to formally describe and analyze the resource allocation process and establish a game model, realize a game equilibrium solution based on the quantitative calculation of income, and realize fair resource allocation. The experimental results show that the proposed resource allocation of the tennis courts method has a good performance in success rate and task completion time. It also supports clubs or citizens in the global resource allocation of tennis courts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catastrophic forgetting in neural networks is a common problem, in which neural networks lose information from previous tasks after training on new tasks. Although adopting a regularization method that preferentially retains the parameters important to the previous task to avoid catastrophic forgetting has a positive effect; existing regularization methods cause the gradient to be near zero because the loss is at the local minimum. To solve this problem, we propose a new continuous learning method with Bayesian parameter updating and weight memory (CL-BPUWM). First, a parameter updating method based on the Bayes criterion is proposed to allow the neural network to gradually obtain new knowledge. The diagonal of the Fisher information matrix is then introduced to significantly minimize computation and increase parameter updating efficiency. Second, we suggest calculating the importance weight by observing how changes in each network parameter affect the model prediction output. In the process of model parameter updating, the Fisher information matrix and the sensitivity of the network are used as the quadratic penalty terms of the loss function. Finally, we apply dropout regularization to reduce model overfitting during training and to improve model generalizability. CL-BPUWM performs very well in continuous learning for classification tasks on CIFAR-100 dataset, CIFAR-10 dataset, and MNIST dataset. On CIFAR-100 dataset, it is 0.8%, 1.03% and 0.75% higher than the best performing regularization method (EWC) in three task partitions. On CIFAR-10 dataset, it is 2.25% higher than the regularization method (EWC) and 0.7% higher than the scaled method (GR). It is 0.66% higher than the regularization method (EWC) on the MNIST dataset. When the CL-BPUWM method was combined with the brain-inspired replay model under the CIFAR-100 and CIFAR-10 datasets, the classification accuracy was 2.35% and 5.38% higher than that of the baseline method, BI-R + SI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous modern technologies are reliant on the low-phase noise and exquisite timing stability of microwave signals. Substantial progress has been made in the field of microwave photonics, whereby low-noise microwave signals are generated by the down-conversion of ultrastable optical references using a frequency comb1–3. Such systems, however, are constructed with bulk or fibre optics and are difficult to further reduce in size and power consumption. In this work we address this challenge by leveraging advances in integrated photonics to demonstrate low-noise microwave generation via two-point optical frequency division4,5. Narrow-linewidth self-injection-locked integrated lasers6,7 are stabilized to a miniature Fabry–Pérot cavity8, and the frequency gap between the lasers is divided with an efficient dark soliton frequency comb9. The stabilized output of the microcomb is photodetected to produce a microwave signal at 20 GHz with phase noise of −96 dBc Hz−1 at 100 Hz offset frequency that decreases to −135 dBc Hz−1 at 10 kHz offset—values that are unprecedented for an integrated photonic system. All photonic components can be heterogeneously integrated on a single chip, providing a significant advance for the application of photonics to high-precision navigation, communication and timing systems.We leverage advances in integrated photonics to generate low-noise microwaves with an optical frequency division architecture that can be low power and chip integrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antarctic sea ice is an important part of the Earth's atmospheric system, and satellite remote sensing is an important technology for observing Antarctic sea ice. Whether Chinese Haiyang-2B (HY-2B) satellite altimeter data could be used to estimate sea ice freeboard and provide alternative Antarctic sea ice thickness information with a high precision and long time series, as other radar altimetry satellites can, needs further investigation. This paper proposed an algorithm to discriminate leads and then retrieve sea ice freeboard and thickness from HY-2B radar altimeter data. We first collected the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ice surface temperature (IST) product from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to extract leads from the Antarctic waters and verified their accuracy through Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar images. Second, a surface classification decision tree was generated for HY-2B satellite altimeter measurements of the Antarctic waters to extract leads and calculate local sea surface heights. We then estimated the Antarctic sea ice freeboard and thickness based on local sea surface heights and the static equilibrium equation. Finally, the retrieved HY-2B Antarctic sea ice thickness was compared with the CryoSat-2 sea ice thickness and the Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate (ASPeCt) ship-based observed sea ice thickness. The results indicate that our classification decision tree constructed for HY-2B satellite altimeter measurements was reasonable, and the root mean square error of the obtained sea ice thickness compared to the ship measurements was 0.62 m. The proposed sea ice thickness algorithm for the HY-2B radar satellite fills a gap in this application domain for the HY-series satellites and can be a complement to existing Antarctic sea ice thickness products; this algorithm could provide long-time-series and large-scale sea ice thickness data that contribute to research on global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senescence of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contributes to aging-related cardiovascular diseases by promoting arterial remodelling and stiffness. Ferroptosis is a novel type of regulated cell death associated with lipid oxidation. Here, we show that pro-ferroptosis signaling drives VSMCs senescence to accelerate vascular NAD+ loss, remodelling and aging. Pro-ferroptotic signaling is triggered in senescent VSMCs and arteries of aged mice. Furthermore, the activation of pro-ferroptotic signaling in VSMCs not only induces NAD+ loss and senescence but also promotes the release of a pro-senescent secretome. Pharmacological or genetic inhibition of pro-ferroptosis signaling, ameliorates VSMCs senescence, reduces vascular stiffness and retards the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm in mice. Mechanistically, we revealed that inhibition of pro-ferroptotic signaling facilitates the nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling of proliferator-activated receptor-γ and, thereby impeding nuclear receptor coactivator 4-ferrtin complex-centric ferritinophagy. Finally, the activated pro-ferroptotic signaling correlates with arterial stiffness in a human proof-of-concept study. These findings have significant implications for future therapeutic strategies aiming to eliminate vascular ferroptosis in senescence- or aging-associated cardiovascular diseases. Ferroptosis is a novel form of regulated cell death associated with lipid oxidation. Here, the authors demonstrate that the proferroptosis signal is activated and drives vascular aging by inducing senescence in vascular smooth muscle cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to various physiological barriers and clearance mechanisms that limit the bioavailability of drugs, the routine systemic administration of therapeutic drugs remains a great challenge. Therefore, it is essential to re-examine the alternative drugs administration system and find a suitable route of drugs delivery according to the specific situation. Hydrogel can serve as an effective local drugs administration system, which has adjustable physical characteristics and can protect unstable drugs from degradation. Hydrogel not only realize drugs targeting delivery, but also are widely studied and utilized in wound healing, soft tissues repairing, and tumor therapeutic based on their unique and versatile function. Among various traditional hydrogel, stimuli-responsive hydrogel can control drugs delivery and precise releasing to minimize adverse side effects and maximize therapeutic effects by endogenous stimuli (pH, glutathione, redox gradients and enzyme concentration) and exogenous stimuli (light, magnetic field and temperature). Herein, we summarize recent endeavors in the applications of hydrogel for disease therapy and how they could be manipulated for drugs targeting delivery and sustained releasing. Representative studies have been provided to support the advantages of hydrogel in targeted drugs delivery for various damaged areas. Finally, we prospect that hydrogel could be appropriately modified via various methods to achieve great impact on targeted drugs delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The snow depth on sea ice is an extremely critical part of the cryosphere. Monitoring and understanding changes of snow depth on Antarctic sea ice is beneficial for research on sea ice and global climate change. The Microwave Radiation Imager (MWRI) sensor aboard the Chinese FengYun-3D (FY-3D) satellite has great potential for obtaining information of the spatial and temporal distribution of snow depth on the sea ice. By comparing in-situ snow depth measurements during the 35th Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE-35), we took advantage of the combination of multiple gradient ratio (GR (36V, 10V) and GR (36V, 18V)) derived from the measured brightness temperature of FY-3D MWRI to estimate the snow depth. This method could simultaneously introduce the advantages of high and low GR in the snow depth retrieval model and perform well in both deep and shallow snow layers. Based on this, we constructed a novel model to retrieve the FY-3D MWRI snow depth on Antarctic sea ice. The new model validated by the ship-based observational snow depth data from CHINARE-35 and the snow depth measured by snow buoys from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) suggest that the model proposed in this study performs better than traditional models, with root mean square deviations (RMSDs) of 8.59 cm and 7.71 cm, respectively. A comparison with the snow depth measured from Operation IceBridge (OIB) project indicates that FY-3D MWRI snow depth was more accurate than the released snow depth product from the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and the National Tibetan Plateau Data Center (NTPDC). The spatial distribution of the snow depth from FY-3D MWRI agrees basically with that from ICESat-2; this demonstrates its reliability for estimating Antarctic snow depth, and thus has great potential for understanding snow depth variations on Antarctic sea ice in the context of global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To establish a computed tomography (CT)–based scale to evaluate the resectability of locally advanced thyroid cancer. Methods: This twin-centre retrospective study included 95 locally advanced thyroid cancer patients from the 1st centre as the training cohort and 31 patients from the 2nd centre as the testing cohort, who were categorised into the resectable and unresectable groups. Three radiologists scored the CT scans of each patient by evaluating the extension to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN), trachea, oesophagus, artery, vein, soft tissue, and larynx. A 14-score scale (including all comprised structures) and a 12-score scale (excluding larynx) were developed. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the performance of the scales. Stratified fivefold cross-validation and external verification were used to validate the scale. Results: In the training cohort, compromised RLN (p < 0.001), trachea (p = 0.001), oesophagus (p = 0.002), artery (p < 0.001), vein (p = 0.005), and soft tissue (p < 0.001) were predictors for unresectability, while compromised larynx (p = 0.283) was not. The 12-score scale (AUC = 0.882, 95%CI: 0.812–0.952) was not inferior to the 14-score scale (AUC = 0.891, 95%CI: 0.823–0.960). In subgroup analysis, the AUCs of the 12-score scale were 0.826 for treatment-naïve patients and 0.976 for patients with prior surgery. The 12-score scale was further validated with a fivefold cross-validation analysis, with an overall accuracy of 78.9–89.4%. Finally, external validation using the testing cohort showed an AUC of 0.875. Conclusions: The researchers built a CT-based 12-score scale to evaluate the resectability of locally advanced thyroid cancer. Validation with a larger sample size is required to confirm the efficacy of the scale. Clinical relevance statement: This 12-score CT scale would help clinicians evaluate the resectability of locally advanced thyroid cancer. Key Points: • The researchers built a 12-score CT scale (including recurrent laryngeal nerve, trachea, oesophagus, artery, vein, and soft tissue) to evaluate the resectability of locally advanced thyroid cancer. • This scale has the potential to help clinicians make treatment plans for locally advanced thyroid cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgery is the primary treatment for locally advanced differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). However, some locally advanced patients are not candidates for R0/1 resection. There is limited evidence of neoadjuvant treatment in locally advanced DTC. Surufatinib targets multiple kinases, which is efficient, tolerable, and safe in patients with radioiodine-refractory DTC. In addition, surufatinib plus toripalimab (an anti-PD-1 antibody) showed encouraging antitumor activity in advanced solid tumors. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of surufatinib plus toripalimab in locally advanced DTC in the neoadjuvant setting. Methods: In this single-arm, phase II study, patients with pathologically confirmed unresectable or borderline resectable DTC were eligible and received a combination of 250 mg of surufatinib (orally daily) with 240 mg of toripalimab (intravenous, every 3 weeks). Treatment continued until satisfied for curative surgery, disease progression, withdrawal of consent, unacceptable toxicity, or investigator decision. Primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints included R0/1 resection rate, adverse events (AEs), etc. Results: Ten patients were enrolled and received at least 4 cycles of treatment. The ORR was 60%. Nine patients received R0/1 resections after neoadjuvant treatment. The median best percentage change in the sum of the target lesion diameter was 32%. Most adverse events (AEs) were grade 1 or 2. Conclusions: Surufatinib in combination with toripalimab as neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced DTC was feasible, and the majority of patients achieved R0/1 resection. It represents a new option for locally advanced DTC and needs further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soliton microcombs are helping to advance the miniaturization of a range of comb systems. These combs mode lock through the formation of short temporal pulses in anomalous dispersion resonators. Here, a new microcomb is demonstrated that mode locks through the formation of pulse pairs in coupled normal dispersion resonators. Unlike conventional microcombs, pulses in this system cannot exist alone, and instead phase lock in pairs wherein pulses in each pair feature different optical spectra. The pairwise mode-locking modality extends to multiple pulse pairs and beyond two rings, and it greatly constrains mode-locking states. Two- (bipartite) and three-ring (tripartite) states containing many pulse pairs are demonstrated, including crystal states. Pulse pairs can also form at recurring spectral windows. We obtained the results using an ultra-low-loss Si3N4 platform that has not previously produced bright solitons on account of its inherent normal dispersion. The ability to generate multicolour pulse pairs over multiple rings is an important new feature for microcombs. It can extend the concept of all-optical soliton buffers and memories to multiple storage rings that multiplex pulses with respect to soliton colour and that are spatially addressable. The results also suggest a new platform for the study of topological photonics and quantum combs. Bright solitons are produced through the interaction of pulse pairs generated via a continuous-wave fibre laser, which pumps two coupled microresonators featuring normal dispersion. Multicolour pulse pairs over multiple rings can also be generated, of great promise for applications such as all-optical soliton buffers and memories, study of quantum combs and topological photonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study evaluated the ability of a preoperative contrast-enhanced CT (CECT)–based radiomics nomogram to differentiate benign and malignant primary retroperitoneal tumors (PRT). Methods: Images and data from 340 patients with pathologically confirmed PRT were randomly placed into training (n = 239) and validation sets (n = 101). Two radiologists independently analyzed all CT images and made measurements. Key characteristics were identified through least absolute shrinkage selection combined with four machine-learning classifiers (support vector machine, generalized linear model, random forest, and artificial neural network back propagation) to create a radiomics signature. Demographic data and CECT characteristics were analyzed to formulate a clinico-radiological model. Independent clinical variables were merged with the best-performing radiomics signature to develop a radiomics nomogram. The discrimination capacity and clinical value of three models were quantified by the area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUC), accuracy, and decision curve analysis. Results: The radiomics nomogram was able to consistently differentiate between benign and malignant PRT in the training and validation datasets, with AUCs of 0.923 and 0.907, respectively. Decision curve analysis manifested that the nomogram achieved higher clinical net benefits than did separate use of the radiomics signature and clinico-radiological model. Conclusions: The preoperative nomogram is valuable for differentiating between benign and malignant PRT; it can also aid in treatment planning. Key Points: • A noninvasive and accurate preoperative determination of benign and malignant PRT is crucial to identifying suitable treatments and predicting disease prognosis. • Associating the radiomics signature with clinical factors facilitates differentiation of malignant from benign PRT with improved diagnostic efficacy (AUC) and accuracy from 0.772 to 0.907 and from 0.723 to 0.842, respectively, compared with the clinico-radiological model alone. • For some PRT with anatomically special locations and when biopsy is extremely difficult and risky, a radiomics nomogram may provide a promising preoperative alternative for distinguishing benignity and malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem of insufficient penetration ability of common liner, a new three-layer liner was proposed. AUTODYN software was used to simulate the efflux forming process of three-layer liner. The influence of four different impact impedance liner materials and different thickness ratio of three-layer liner on efflux performance was studied. In order to study the penetration ability of shaped charge to semi-infinite target plate, the penetration calculation of the target plate was carried out by taking several standoff under different thickness ratios. The optimal thickness ratio of three-layer liner was determined by studying the penetration depth and opening size of the target plate. The results show: By comparing the matching of liner materials with different impact impedances, the head velocity, effective length, total energy, total kinetic energy and effective jet mass of the jet formed when the three-layer liner material is AL 2024, copper and nickel from the outside to the inside are the best. In the analysis of the matching of the thickness ratio of the three-layer liner, the key to the jet forming is the thickness ratio of the outer liner. Within a certain range, the greater the proportion of the thickness of the outer liner, the better the jet forming; when the material of the three-layer liner is AL 2024-copper-nickel from outside to inside, the thickness ratio of the liner is 4/1/1 from outside to inside, and the jet forming is the best. The maximum penetration depth of the shaped charge with a thickness ratio of 1/1/4 from the outside to the inside of the three-layer liner is 395.5 mm, which is 52.3% higher than that of the shaped charge with a double-layer liner. Compared with the shaped charge with single-layer liner, the penetration depth is increased by 62.6%. When the thickness ratio of the three-layer liner is 1/1/4 from the outside to the inside, the maximum entrance diameter of the target plate is 14.3 mm, which is the same as that of the shaped charge with the double-layer liner. Compared with the shaped charge with single-layer liner, the entrance diameter is in-creased by 14.4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photonic integrated circuits are widely used in applications such as telecommunications and data-centre interconnects1–5. However, in optical systems such as microwave synthesizers6, optical gyroscopes7 and atomic clocks8, photonic integrated circuits are still considered inferior solutions despite their advantages in size, weight, power consumption and cost. Such high-precision and highly coherent applications favour ultralow-noise laser sources to be integrated with other photonic components in a compact and robustly aligned format—that is, on a single chip—for photonic integrated circuits to replace bulk optics and fibres. There are two major issues preventing the realization of such envisioned photonic integrated circuits: the high phase noise of semiconductor lasers and the difficulty of integrating optical isolators directly on-chip. Here we challenge this convention by leveraging three-dimensional integration that results in ultralow-noise lasers with isolator-free operation for silicon photonics. Through multiple monolithic and heterogeneous processing sequences, direct on-chip integration of III–V gain medium and ultralow-loss silicon nitride waveguides with optical loss around 0.5 decibels per metre are demonstrated. Consequently, the demonstrated photonic integrated circuit enters a regime that gives rise to ultralow-noise lasers and microwave synthesizers without the need for optical isolators, owing to the ultrahigh-quality-factor cavity. Such photonic integrated circuits also offer superior scalability for complex functionalities and volume production, as well as improved stability and reliability over time. The three-dimensional integration on ultralow-loss photonic integrated circuits thus marks a critical step towards complex systems and networks on silicon.Three-dimensional integration of distributed-feedback lasers and ultralow-loss silicon nitride waveguides results in ultralow-noise lasers without the need for optical isolators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the virial expansion of an interacting Fermi gas trapped in an anisotropic harmonic potential and calculate the second virial coefficients for both cigar-shaped and pancake-shaped traps across a wide range of interaction and for various temperatures. At unitarity, we observe a universal behavior regardless of the trapping geometry and temperature. With these results, we calculate the interaction energy and entropy of a trapped gas at unitarity and obtain the pressure and compressibility for a homogeneous Fermi gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular vesicle-derived proteins are closely related to colorectal cancer metastasis, and early detection and diagnosis of colorectal cancer metastasis is very important to improve the prognosis. In this study, we evaluated the clinical significance of plasma EV-derived MARCKSL1 in differentiating patients with metastatic and nonmetastatic CRC. This study included 78 patients, including 40 patients with nonmetastatic colorectal cancer, 38 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, and 15 healthy volunteers. The extracellular vesicles extracted from the participants' plasma were characterized through transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis and western blotting. MARCKSL1 protein expression in the EVs was detected by ELISA, and the diagnostic efficacy of MARCKSL1 alone or in combination with CA125 and lymphocyte levels was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. Pearson's correlation test was performed to detect the correlation between MARCKSL1, CA125, lymphocyte level and clinicopathological characteristics of tumors. The present study demonstrated that the level of circulating EV-derived MARCKSL1 in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer was significantly higher than that in patients with nonmetastatic colorectal cancer and healthy people. Combined with CA125 and lymphocyte levels, the best diagnostic effect was achieved, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.7480. Together, our findings indicated that circulating EV-derived MARCKSL1 could be used as a new potential diagnostic biomarker for metastatic CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The underlying market trends that drive stock price fluctuations are often referred to in terms of bull and bear markets. Optimal stock portfolio selection methods need to take into account these market trends; however, the bull and bear market states tend to be unobserved and can only be assigned retrospectively. We fit a linked hidden Markov model (LHMM) to relative stock price changes for S&P 500 stocks from 2011–2016 based on weekly closing values. The LHMM consists of a multivariate state process whose individual components correspond to HMMs for each of the 12 sectors of the S&P 500 stocks. The state processes are linked using a Gaussian copula so that the states of the component chains are correlated at any given time point. The LHMM allows us to capture more heterogeneity in the underlying market dynamics for each sector. In this study, stock performances are evaluated in terms of capital gains using the LHMM by utilizing historical stock price data. Based on the fitted LHMM, optimal stock portfolios are constructed to maximize capital gain while balancing reward and risk. Under out-of-sample testing, the annual capital gain for the portfolios for 2016–2017 are calculated. Portfolios constructed using the LHMM are able to generate returns comparable to the S&P 500 index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogel have been widely applied in the field of tissue engineering and disease therapy, because hydrogel can not only regenerate and repair damaged tissues, but also avoid unnecessary side effects as well as enhance the accumulation at lesions. The function of hydrogel mainly depended on the property of basic polymer materials. The nature-like tissue and environment-friendly characteristics of hydrogel are widely applied in disease therapy. Therefore, hydrogel was carefully designed from these biocompatible polymer materials through covalent and noncovalent crosslinking, and can be recognized as suitable scaffolds for tissue repair and regeneration. The obtained hydrogel can promote the transport of nutrients and oxygen through interconnected macropores. In addition, the physical and chemical crosslinking versatility of hydrogel can not only enhance its mechanical strength and adhesive property, but also can be used as a reservoir to realize sustain-release of drugs. Moreover, hydrogel can fill the irregular lesions sites, promote wound healing and bear the high-frequency motion of the lesion sites. In this paper, we will summarize some biocompatible hydrogels for some primary disease treatment, and provide some inspiration for researchers to design suitable hydrogel, so as to overcome the limitations of current disease treatment and promote the clinical transformation of hydrogel. The application of the environment-stimulus hydrogel in disease synergistic therapy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stone-carving robotic manipulators (SCRM) find a broad range of applications due to their high efficiency, wide range of processing and strong flexibility. In stone carving process, high response speed and high robustness are required to realize the high precision tracking control of SCRM. This paper proposes an adaptive terminal sliding mode control strategy based on radial basis function neural network (RBFNN-based TSM). First, we deduced the dynamic model of SCRM system with the Lagrange method. Then the dynamic model with uncertainties was further considered, the radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) was employed to approximate the manipulator dynamic model. Finally, in order to improve the response speed and tracking accuracy of SCRM, the RBFNN-based TSM control strategy was designed for SCRM, and the high-gain observer was used to estimate the joint velocity information online. The Lyapunov's theory proved the stability of the algorithm, and the experimental results show that the model-free and chattering-free control was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Phototherapy has been recognized as a photochemical process to treat tumor via induce cancer cells necrosis and death, with minimal invasiveness, higher selectivity, and few side effects. However, the therapy effects of phototherapy are often compromised by the hypoxia, high levels of hydrogen peroxide, and glutathione of tumor microenvironment (TME). Therefore, we constructed a catalase-like activity bionic metal–organic framework drugs delivery system (FA-EM@MnO2/ZIF-8/ICG) with tumor microenvironment controllable releasing. In this system, photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) was introduced into zeolite imidazole salt skeleton 8 (ZIF-8) by one-step methods, forming ZIF-8/ICG nano-platform, which can effectively avoid ICG-induced phototoxicity and aggregation-induced quenching during transport. MnO2 with catalase-like activity was coated on the surface of ZIF-8/ICG nano-platform, which made it have the ability of self-supplying O2 under the condition of H2O2 in TME. Exposure under near-infrared light can alleviate the anoxic TME, thus improving the phototherapy efficiency. In addition, folate-functionalized erythrocyte membrane is coated on the surface of MnO2/ZIF-8/ICG, which can endow FA-EM@MnO2/ZIF-8/ICG with the ability of targeted drug administration and immune elimination avoidance. Therefore, FA-EM@MnO2/ZIF-8/ICG nano-platform has the catalase-like activity, which can alleviate the oxidative stress state of TME and provide a beneficial environment for photodynamic therapy of tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical microresonators with high quality (Q) factors are essential to a wide range of integrated photonic devices. Steady efforts have been directed towards increasing microresonator Q factors across a variety of platforms. With success in reducing microfabrication process-related optical loss as a limitation of Q, the ultimate attainable Q, as determined solely by the constituent microresonator material absorption, has come into focus. Here, we report measurements of the material-limited Q factors in several photonic material platforms. High-Q microresonators are fabricated from thin films of SiO2, Si3N4, Al0.2Ga0.8As, and Ta2O5. By using cavity-enhanced photothermal spectroscopy, the material-limited Q is determined. The method simultaneously measures the Kerr nonlinearity in each material and reveals how material nonlinearity and ultimate Q vary in a complementary fashion across photonic materials. Besides guiding microresonator design and material development in four material platforms, the results help establish performance limits in future photonic integrated systems. Optical absorption and nonlinear index are important performance drivers in devices like microcombs. Here the authors use resonance-enhanced nonlinear spectroscopy to characterize absorption limits and nonlinear index for some integrated photonic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile and effective approach to fabricate a high-performance copper layer on polyphenylene oxide (PPO) substrate via electroless deposition for applications in the high-frequency circuit board is introduced in this study. Initially, a polydopamine coating was successfully formed on the surface of the PPO substrate after a micro-chemical etching by the combination of KMnO4 and KOH. Due to the high hydrophilic and strong adhesion of dopamine, the silver ions were uniformly adsorbed on the PPO substrate as a catalyst of electroless copper plating. Consequently, a metal copper layer with high reliability and strong adhesion is formed, which is characterized by optical microscopy, SEM, EDS, and XRD. The resistance of the deposited copper layer was about 2.74 μΩ cm (only block 1.68 times the resistance of copper-shaped copper), and the adhesion of the copper layer also reached the 5B score in the ASTM D3559 standard after the 100-grid peel test. This technique offers a dependable method to prepare a high-performance copper layer on the PPO substrate which has a great potential to be applied in functional electronics, including industrial polymer circuits and devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We aim to identify the risk factors of PPOI in patients with CD and create a nomogram for prediction of PPOI for CD. Methods: Data on 462 patients who underwent partial intestinal resection for CD in Jin-ling Hospital between January 2019 and June 2021 were retrospectively collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the risk factors for PPOI and we used the risk factors to create a nomogram. Then we used the Bootstrap-Concordance index and calibration diagrams to evaluate the performance of the Nomogram. Decision curve analysis was performed to evaluate clinical practicability of the model. Results: The incidence of PPOI was 27.7% (n of N). Course of CD ≥ 10 years, operation time ≥ 154 min, the lowest mean arterial pressure ≤ 76.2 mmHg, in–out balance per body weight ≥ 22.90 ml/kg, post-op day 1 infusion ≥ 2847 ml, post-op lowest K+ ≤ 3.75 mmol/L, and post-op day 1 procalcitonin ≥ 2.445 ng/ml were identified as the independent risk factors of PPOI in patients with CD. The nomogram we created by these risk factors presented with good discriminative ability (concordance index 0.723) and was moderately calibrated (bootstrapped concordance index 0.704). The results of decision curve analysis showed that the nomogram was clinically effective within probability thresholds in the 8 to 66% range. Conclusion: The nomogram we developed is helpful to evaluate the risk of developing PPOI after partial intestinal resection for CD. Clinicians can take more necessary measures to prevent PPOI in CD's patients or at least minimize the incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of IL-2 in the treatment of drug-susceptible tuberculosis. Methods: First, the cases of diagnosed drug-susceptible tuberculosis were randomized into two groups—the control group that received the background regimen of isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol, and the experimental group that received the background regimen plus IL-2. The efficacy and safety evaluations were performed throughout the therapy process as well as 12 months after the treatment completion. Results: A total of 1151 patients underwent the randomization, among which 539 (96.2%) of the 560 in the experimental group achieved the sputum culture conversion to negative, compared to the 551 (93.2%) of the 591 in the control group, after 2 months of treatment, with significant difference observed between the groups (P = 0.025). Cavity closure after 2 months in the IL-2 (experimental) group was 60/211 (28.4%) compared to 46/248 (18.5%) in the control group, with a significant difference between the groups (P = 0.001). After treatment completion, the proportion of favorable outcomes was 559/560 (99.8%) in the experimental group and 587/591 (99.3%) in the control group, with no significant difference between the groups. Twelve months after treatment completion, relapse occurred in 15/560 (2.6%) in the IL-2 group and 19/591 (3.2%) in the control group, with no significant difference. Conclusion: IL-2 may enhance culture conversion and the cavity closure rate in the early treatment phase, although the enhancement may not be significant after treatment completion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The path following control under disturbance was studied for an underactuated unmanned surface vehicle (USV) subject to the rudder angle and velocity constraints. For this reason, a variable look-ahead integral line-of-sight (LOS) guidance law was designed on the basis of the disturbance estimation and compensation, and a cascade path following control system was created following the heading control law based on the model prediction. Firstly, the guidance law was designed using the USV three-degree-of-freedom (DOF) motion model and the LOS method, while the tracking error state was introduced to design the real-time estimation of disturbance observer and compensate for the influence of ocean current. Moreover, the stability of the system was analyzed. Secondly, sufficient attention was paid to the rudder angle and velocity constraints and the influence of system delay and other factors in the process of path following when the heading control law was designed with the USV motion response model and the model predictive control (MPC). The moving horizon optimization strategy was adopted to achieve better dynamic performance, effectively overcome the influence of model and environmental uncertainties, and further prove the stability of the control law. Thirdly, a simulation experiment was carried out to verify the effectiveness and advancement of the proposed algorithm. Fourthly, the "Sturgeon 03" USV was used in the lake test of the proposed control algorithm to prove its feasibility in the engineering practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiotherapy is the current standard of care for more than 50% of all cancer patients. Improvements in radiotherapy (RT) technology have increased tumor targeting and normal tissue sparing. Radiations at ultra-high dose rates required for FLASH-RT effects have sparked interest in potentially providing additional differential therapeutic benefits. We present a new experimental platform that is the first one to deliver petawatt laser-driven proton pulses of 2 MeV energy at 0.2 Hz repetition rate by means of a compact, tunable active plasma lens beamline to biological samples. Cell monolayers grown over a 10 mm diameter field were exposed to clinically relevant proton doses ranging from 7 to 35 Gy at ultra-high instantaneous dose rates of 107 Gy/s. Dose-dependent cell survival measurements of human normal and tumor cells exposed to LD protons showed significantly higher cell survival of normal-cells compared to tumor-cells for total doses of 7 Gy and higher, which was not observed to the same extent for X-ray reference irradiations at clinical dose rates. These findings provide preliminary evidence that compact LD proton sources enable a new and promising platform for investigating the physical, chemical and biological mechanisms underlying the FLASH effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma (LADC) is a crucial factor determining patient survival. Repurposing of the antipsychotic agent penfluridol has been found to be effective in the inhibition of growth of various cancers. As yet, however, the anti-metastatic effect of penfluridol on LADC has rarely been investigated. Herein, we addressed the therapeutic potential of penfluridol on the invasion/metastasis of LADC cells harboring different epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation statuses. Methods: MTS viability, transwell migration and invasion, and tumor endothelium adhesion assays were employed to determine cytotoxic and anti-metastatic effects of penfluridol on LADC cells. Protease array, Western blot, immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF) staining, and expression knockdown by shRNA or exogenous overexpression by DNA plasmid transfection were performed to explore the underlying mechanisms, both in vitro and in vivo. Results: We found that nontoxic concentrations of penfluridol reduced the migration, invasion and adhesion of LADC cells. Protease array screening identified matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12) as a potential target of penfluridol to modulate the motility and adhesion of LADC cells. In addition, we found that MMP-12 exhibited the most significantly adverse prognostic effect in LADC among 39 cancer types. Mechanistic investigations revealed that penfluridol inhibited the urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA)/uPA receptor/transforming growth factor-β/Akt axis to downregulate MMP-12 expression and, subsequently, reverse MMP-12-induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Subsequent analysis of clinical LADC samples revealed a positive correlation between MMP12 and mesenchymal-related gene expression levels. A lower survival rate was found in LADC patients with a SNAl1high/MMP12high profile compared to those with a SNAl1low/MMP12low profile. Conclusions: Our results indicate that MMP-12 may serve as a useful biomarker for predicting LADC progression and as a promising penfluridol target for treating metastatic LADC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US Department of Defense (DOD) is developing insensitive munitions (IMs) that are resistant to unintended detonation to protect warfighters. To enable material life-cycle analysis for the IM, 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitroguanidine (MeNQ), ecotoxicological impacts assessment was required. A previous investigation of MeNQ exposures in Daphnia pulex revealed concentration-responsive decreases in reproduction relative to controls (0 mg/L) across a 174, 346, 709, 1385, and 2286 mg/L exposure range. The present study used those exposures to conduct global transcriptomic expression analyses to establish hypothetical mode(s) of action underlying inhibited reproduction. The number of significantly affected transcripts and the magnitude of fold-change differences relative to controls tended to increase with increasing MeNQ concentration where hierarchical clustering analysis identified separation among the "low" (174 and 346 mg/L) and "high" (709, 1385, and 2286 mg/L) exposures. Vitellogenin is critical to Daphnia reproductive processes and MeNQ exposures significantly decreased transcriptional expression for vitellogenin-1 precursor at the lowest exposure level (174 mg/L) with benchmark dose (BMD) levels closely tracking concentrations that caused inhibited reproduction. Additionally, juvenile hormone-inducible protein, chorion peroxidase, and high choriolytic enzyme transcriptional expression were impacted by MeNQ exposure having potential implications for egg production / maturation and overall fecundity. In concert with these effects on specific genes involved in Daphnia reproductive physiology, MeNQ exposures caused significant enrichment of several canonical-pathways responsible for metabolism of cellular energy substrates where BMD levels for transcriptional expression were observed at ≤100 mg/L. These observations imply possible effects on whole-organism energy budgets that may also incur indirect costs on reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stone-carving robotic manipulators (SCRMs) have a broad range of applications due to their high efficiency, diverse processing capabilities, and strong flexibility. However, due to its weak rigidity, the milling accuracy of an SCRM is lower than that of a computer numerical control (CNC) machine for working stone into special shapes, making it difficult to meet the requirements of stone milling processing. To improve the milling accuracy of SCRMs, multi-iteration error compensation technology considering the coupling relationship between compensation and deformation is proposed in this paper. First, a global stiffness model of an SCRM in which the robot arm bars are regarded as flexible links is established, and the relationship between the milling force and milling depth is fitted based on a milling force prediction model. Then, the machining error and milling depth when processing a marble workpiece are predicted. Finally, a multi-iteration method is applied for calculation using an interval correction strategy to construct a discrete control system for error compensation in the SCRM. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed compensation technology are verified by an experiment using the KUKA-240-2900 SCRM system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compact, low-noise microwave sources are required throughout a wide range of application areas including frequency metrology, wireless-communications and airborne radar systems. And the photonic generation of microwaves using soliton microcombs offers a path towards integrated, low noise microwave signal sources. In these devices, a so called quiet-point of operation has been shown to reduce microwave frequency noise. Such operation decouples pump frequency noise from the soliton's motion by balancing the Raman self-frequency shift with dispersive-wave recoil. Here, we explore the limit of this noise suppression approach and reveal a fundamental noise mechanism associated with fluctuations of the dispersive wave frequency. At the same time, pump noise reduction by as much as 36 dB is demonstrated. This fundamental noise mechanism is expected to impact microwave noise (and pulse timing jitter) whenever solitons radiate into dispersive waves belonging to different spatial mode families. Here the authors explore the noise spectrum of soliton microcomb when the pump is decoupled from the solitons motion by balancing the Raman shift with the emitted dispersive wave. Based on the analysis of the phase noise and the soliton repetition rate, they identify the uncorrelated thermal fluctuations as underlying mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an equivalent circuit model of swastika-like structure metamaterial is investigated. Mutual inductance between adjacent swastikas ring arrays is taken into consideration in the proposed equivalent circuit model. The analytical expression for calculating the effective permeability of the windmill structure is derived. By the derived expressions, the physical mechanisms of the magnetic resonance frequency versus structural parameters are well explained. Based on the equivalent circuit model, some strategies for the fast and efficient optimization metamaterial structures can be used to achieve a better target performance in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of Ir/BN catalysts with same Ir contents (2 wt%) were calcined at different temperatures and tested for gas phase selective hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde. It was found that the thermal treatment exerted significant impacts on the structural and electronic properties of the 2Ir/BN catalysts. The catalyst calcined at 500 °C (2Ir/BN-5) showed the best performance, with a steady state of conversion of ca. 21% and a crotyl alcohol selectivity of ca. 83% at reaction temperature of 80 °C. Kinetic analysis indicated that the enhanced activity on the 2Ir/BN-5 catalyst was related to its higher surface coverage of crotonaldehyde because of the presence of small Ir particles (with a mean diameter of 3.4 nm) compared to those in the catalyst calcined at 600 °C (2Ir/BN-6, with a mean diameter of 4.4 nm). Also, the surface of the Ir species in the 2Ir/BN-5 catalyst are more electron-enriched compared to that in the 2Ir/BN-6, which suppressed the adsorption of C=C bond and thus improves the selectivity to CROL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive analysis of sea ice and its snow cover during the summer in the Arctic Pacific sector was conducted using the observations recorded during the 7th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition (CHIANRE-2016) and the satellite-derived parameters of the melt pond fraction (MPF) and snow grain size (SGS) from MODIS data. The results show that there were many low-concentration ice areas in the south of 78°N, while the ice concentration and thickness increased significantly with the latitude above the north of 78°N during CHIANRE-2016. The average MPF presented a trend of increasing in June and then decreasing in early September for 2016. The average snow depth on sea ice increased with latitude in the Arctic Pacific sector. We found a widely developed depth hoar layer in the snow stratigraphic profiles. The average SGS generally increased from June to early August and then decreased from August to September in 2016, and two valley values appeared during this period due to snowfall incidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simple solvothermal self-assemble of CuI, 1,4-bis(2-methyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)butane (L1) and HI in a C2H5OH solvent at pH = 2 created a new H2(L1)2+-templated 1-D chained iodocuprate(I) [H2(L1)][Cu3I5] 1. The crystal data reveal that the Cu-I chain mode in 1 is rare. Two folded Cu2I2 cores first aggregate into a trinuclear cluster by sharing an edge. Then the extra I− ions doublely bridge these trinuclear clusters into the title 1-D chain of 1. Synchronously, a non-folded Cu2I2 cluster is formed. In 1, all of the Cu···Cu distances are smaller than 2.8 Å. The investigation on photoluminescence property indicates that with the decrease of the temperature, the photoluminescence emission for 1 exhibits a minor change from the green-yellow light (298 K) to yellow light (77 K). This means that 1 might possess the fluorescent thermochromic property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple graph G is called Δ -critical if χ ′ (G) = Δ (G) + 1 and χ ′ (H) ≤ Δ (G) for every proper subgraph H of G, where Δ (G) and χ ′ (G) are the maximum degree and the chromatic index of G, respectively. Vizing in 1965 conjectured that any Δ -critical graph contains a 2-factor, which is commonly referred to as Vizing's 2-factor conjecture; In 1968, he proposed a weaker conjecture that the independence number of any Δ -critical graph with order n is at most n/2, which is commonly referred to as Vizing's independence number conjecture. Based on a construction of Δ -critical graphs which is called Meredith extension first given by Meredith, we show that if α (G ′) ≤ (1 2 + f (Δ)) | V (G ′) | for every Δ -critical graph G ′ with δ (G ′) = Δ - 1 , then α (G) < (1 2 + f (Δ) (2 Δ - 5)) | V (G) | for every Δ -critical graph G with maximum degree Δ , where f is a nonnegative function of Δ. We also prove that any Δ -critical graph contains a 2-factor if and only if its Meredith extension contains a 2-factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel carbon modified Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 has been successfully fabricated by using activated carbon (AC) as template and carbon source via sol-gel method. The AC modified Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 (denoted as LLMO@AC) particles with less agglomeration show a nearly spherical structure with a size distribution range of 150~250 nm. As cathode material, such LLMO@AC delivers a significantly enhanced first capacity (245.7 mAh g−1) with a satisfied capacity retention ratio (87.4%) after 100 cycles at 150 mA g−1. Even if the current is increased to 1.5 A g−1, LLMO@AC still owns a high average discharge capacity of 161.1 mAh g−1. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results reveal that the LLMO@AC electrode has lower charge transfer resistance and higher lithium-ion diffusion coefficient compared with pristine LLMO and the LLMO synthesized by directly using glucose as carbon sources (LLMO@G). This work provides an effective modification strategy to improve the electrochemical performance of LLMO and promote the industrialization of LLMO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical frequency combs have a wide range of applications in science and technology1. An important development for miniature and integrated comb systems is the formation of dissipative Kerr solitons in coherently pumped high-quality-factor optical microresonators2–9. Such soliton microcombs10 have been applied to spectroscopy11–13, the search for exoplanets14,15, optical frequency synthesis16, time keeping17 and other areas10. In addition, the recent integration of microresonators with lasers has revealed the viability of fully chip-based soliton microcombs18,19. However, the operation of microcombs requires complex startup and feedback protocols that necessitate difficult-to-integrate optical and electrical components, and microcombs operating at rates that are compatible with electronic circuits—as is required in nearly all comb systems—have not yet been integrated with pump lasers because of their high power requirements. Here we experimentally demonstrate and theoretically describe a turnkey operation regime for soliton microcombs co-integrated with a pump laser. We show the appearance of an operating point at which solitons are immediately generated by turning the pump laser on, thereby eliminating the need for photonic and electronic control circuitry. These features are combined with high-quality-factor Si3N4 resonators to provide microcombs with repetition frequencies as low as 15 gigahertz that are fully integrated into an industry standard (butterfly) package, thereby offering compelling advantages for high-volume production. A turnkey regime for soliton microcombs is demonstrated, in which solitons are generated by switching on a co-integrated pump laser, eliminating the need for photonic and electronic control circuitry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its invention, optical frequency comb has revolutionized a broad range of subjects from metrology to spectroscopy. The recent development of microresonator-based frequency combs (microcombs) provides a unique pathway to create frequency comb systems on a chip. Indeed, microcomb-based spectroscopy, ranging, optical synthesizer, telecommunications and astronomical calibrations have been reported recently. Critical to many of the integrated comb systems is the broad coverage of comb spectra. Here, microcombs of more than two-octave span (450 nm to 2,008 nm) is demonstrated through χ(2) and χ(3) nonlinearities in a deformed silica microcavity. The deformation lifts the circular symmetry and creates chaotic tunneling channels that enable broadband collection of intracavity emission with a single waveguide. Our demonstration introduces a new degree of freedom, cavity deformation, to the microcomb studies, and our microcomb spectral range is useful for applications in optical clock, astronomical calibration and biological imaging. Here, the authors demonstrate the use of chaos to obtain 2-octave comb generation. The deformation lifts the circular symmetry and creates chaotic tunneling channels that enable broadband collection of intracavity emission with a single waveguide, introducing a new degree of freedom to microcomb studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single phase ZnWO4 microwave dielectric ceramic was prepared by a traditional solid-state method, which possesses the monoclinic wolframite structure. The lattice vibrational modes were obtained by Raman and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, whose phonon characteristics were analyzed by identification and description of the vibrational modes. Furthermore, the intrinsic properties of Single phase ZnWO4 was simulated based on FTIR data, and the contribution of each vibrational mode to the intrinsic properties was analyzed, in particular. The theoretical property values, calculated by the Clausius–Mossotti and damping equations, agree well with the data fitted by the four-parameter semi-quantum model according to FTIR spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor metastasis is a hallmark of cancer. Metastatic cancer cells often reside in distal tissues and organs in their dormant state. Mechanisms underlying the pre-metastatic niche formation are poorly understood. Here we show that in a colorectal cancer (CRC) model, primary tumors release integrin beta-like 1 (ITGBL1)-rich extracellular vesicles (EVs) to the circulation to activate resident fibroblasts in remote organs. The activated fibroblasts induce the pre-metastatic niche formation and promote metastatic cancer growth by secreting pro-inflammatory cytokine, such as IL-6 and IL-8. Mechanistically, the primary CRC-derived ITGBL1-enriched EVs stimulate the TNFAIP3-mediated NF-κB signaling pathway to activate fibroblasts. Consequently, the activated fibroblasts produce high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines to promote metastatic cancer growth. These findings uncover a tumor–stromal interaction in the metastatic tumor microenvironment and an intimate signaling communication between primary tumors and metastases through the ITGBL1-loaded EVs. Targeting the EVs-ITGBL1-CAFs-TNFAIP3-NF-κB signaling axis provides an attractive approach for treating metastatic diseases. Mechanisms regulating the formation of pre-metastatic niches remain poorly understood. Here, the authors show that ITGBL1-containing extracellular vesicles derived from primary colorectal cancer cells activate the production of inflammatory cytokines by resident fibroblasts in distant organs, promoting metastatic cancer growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents two low-light-level CMOS image sensors with capacitive transimpedance amplifier (CTIA) and digital correlated double sampling (CDS). In order to achieve high sensitivity for low-light-level CMOS image sensor, the CTIA pixel circuit with a small integration capacitor is used. In order to remove the noise of the low-light-level CMOS image sensor, a digital CDS is designed, which realizes the subtraction algorithm between the reset signal and pixel signal off-chip. The pixel reset noise, pixel fixed-pattern noise (FPN) and the column FPN can be greatly reduced by this digital CDS. Two test chips based on this method with 256 × 256 pixel array are fabricated in a 0.35 μm CMOS technology, one is based on DC-coupled CTIA pixel circuit, and the other one is based on AC-coupled CTIA pixel circuit. These two chips are designed with the same column sigma-delta analog-to-digital (∑∆ ADC), whose resolution is 15-bit. At a frame rate of 7 fps, the low-light-level CMOS image sensor with DC-coupled CTIA pixel circuit and digital CDS can capture recognizable images with the illumination down to 0.05 lux. The low-light-level CMOS image sensor with AC-coupled CTIA pixel circuit can reduce the dark current by reducing the reverse bias voltage of the photodiode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The role of lymph node ratio (LNR, ratio of metastatic to examined nodes) in the staging of multiple human malignancies has been reported. We aim to evaluate its value in salivary gland cancer (SGC). Methods: Records of SGC patients from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (SEER, training set, N = 4262) and Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC, validating set, N = 154) were analyzed for the prognostic value of LNR. Kaplan–Meier survival estimates, the Log-rank χ2 test and Cox proportional hazards model were used for univariate and multivariate analysis. Optimal LNR cutoff points were identified by X-tile. Results: Optimal LNR cutoff points classified patients into four risk groups, R0, R1 (≤ 0.17), R2 (0.17–0.56) and R3 (> 0.56), corresponding to 5-year cause-specific survival in SEER patients of 88.6%, 57.2%, 53.1% and 39.7%, disease-free survival in FUSCC patients of 69.2%, 63.3%, 34.6% and 0%, and disease-specific survival in FUSCC patients of 92.3%, 90.0%, 71.4% and 0%, respectively. Compared with TNM staging, TNM + R staging showed smaller AIC values and higher C-index values in the Cox regression model in both patient sets. Conclusions: LNR classification should be considered as a complementary system to TNM staging and LNR classification based clinical trials deserve further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]