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Importance: Describing the characteristics and sources of health state utility values and reporting practice in the literature of cost-utility analyses facilitates an understanding of the level of the transparency, validity, and generalizability of cost-utility analyses. Improving the quality of reporting will support investigators in describing the incremental value of emerging glaucoma interventions. Objective: To describe the state of practice among published glaucoma cost-utility analysis studies, focusing on valuation of health and the quality of reporting. Evidence review: We searched several databases including Medline, CINHAL, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Biosis previews, the Health Economic Evaluations Database, and the NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED). We included full-text, English, published cost-utility analyses of glaucoma interventions with quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) as the primary outcome measure to calculate incremental cost-utility ratios. Excluded studies were non-English language, reviews, editorials, protocols, or other types of economic studies (cost–benefit, cost-minimization, cost-effectiveness). Study characteristics, operational definitions of glaucoma health states and health state utilities were extracted. The original source of the health utility was reviewed to determine the scale of measurement and the source of preference weighting. Items from the Systematic Review of Utilities for Cost-Effectiveness (SpRUCE checklist) were used to assess the reporting and quality of health utilities in glaucoma CUA. Findings: 43 CUAs were included, with 11 unique sources of health utilities. A wide range of health utilities for the same Hodapp-Parrish-Anderson glaucoma health states were reported; ocular hypertension (0.84–0.95), mild (0.68–0.94), moderate (0.57–0.92), advanced (0.58–0.88), severe/blind (0.46–0.76), and bilateral blindness (0.26–0.5). Most studies reported the basis for using health utilities (34, 79%) and any assumptions or adjustments applied to the health utilities (22, 51%). Few studies reported a framework for assessing the relevance of health utilities to a decision context (8, 19%). Even fewer (3, 7%) applied a systematic search strategy to identify health utilities and used a structured assessment of quality for inclusion. Overall, reporting has not improved over time. Conclusions and relevance: This review describes that few CUAs describe important rationale for using health state utility values. Including additional details on the search, appraisal, selection, and inclusion process of health utility values improves transparency, generalizability and supports the assessment of the validity of study conclusions. Future investigations should aim to use health utilities on the same scale of measurement across health states and consider the source and relevance to the decision context/purpose of conducting that cost-utility study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead ore/concentrate and spent lead paste are main resources for lead production currently. Though pyrometallurgical processes are mostly applied in industry, they usually suffer from the potential pollution of lead particulates and sulfur oxides released to the environment. More attention has been paid to hydrometallurgical processes for lead extraction from various lead resources especially the spent lead paste. The alkaline leaching-crystallization process has high efficiency in impurity removal. However, they usually are relatively expensive, and corrosion from hot concentrated alkali solution is inevitable. The process using organic reagent leaching followed by calcination is not effective in controlling the impurities in lead oxide products. Though the current hydrometallurgical processes generally have problems of high cost, complicated process, and difficulty in disposing of waste liquid, researchers believe that the hydrometallurgical methods may find their way in practical application because of their relatively low pollution, flexible flowsheet, and versatility in final products and, more important, the challenge to healthy and sustainable development for the lead industry. All these hydrometallurgical processes included in this review offer valuable insights for researchers developing novel hydrometallurgical processes, especially those environment-friendly processes with broad economic potentials in the context of carbon neutrality and carbon peak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrolide antibiotics, pivotal in clinical therapeutics, are confronting resistance challenges mediated by enzymes like macrolide esterases, which are classified into Ere-type and the less studied Est-type. In this study, we provide the biochemical confirmation of EstX, an Est-type macrolide esterase that initially identified as unknown protein in the 1980s. EstX is capable of hydrolyzing four 16-membered ring macrolides, encompassing both veterinary (tylosin, tidipirosin, and tilmicosin) and human-use (leucomycin A5) antibiotics. It uses typical catalytic triad (Asp233-His261-Ser102) from alpha/beta hydrolase superfamily for ester bond hydrolysis. Further genomic context analysis suggests that the dissemination of estX is likely facilitated by mobile genetic elements such as integrons and transposons. The global distribution study indicates that bacteria harboring the estX gene, predominantly pathogenic species like Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, are prevalent in 74 countries across 6 continents. Additionally, the emergence timeline of the estX gene suggests its proliferation may be linked to the overuse of macrolide antibiotics. The widespread prevalence and dissemination of Est-type macrolide esterase highlight an urgent need for enhanced monitoring and in-depth research, underlining its significance as an escalating public health issue. Macrolide esterase EstX can degrade both veterinary and human-use 16-membered ring macrolides. This enzyme is widely distributed among pathogenic species and across 74 countries on 6 continents,with its dissemination likely facilitated by integrons and transposons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has developed into a crucial outcome parameter in clinical research, evidence of the EQ-5D-3L validation performance is lacking in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) types 1, 2, 3, and 6. The objective of this study is to assess the acceptability, validity, reliability, and responsiveness of the EQ-5D-3L. For n = 842 predominantly European SCA patients of two longitudinal cohort studies, the EQ-5D-3L, PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire), and ataxia-specific clinical assessments (SARA: Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia; ADL: activities of daily living as part of Friedreich's Ataxia Rating Scale; INAS: Inventory of Non-Ataxia Signs) were assessed at baseline and multiple annual follow-ups. The EQ-5D-3L was evaluated regarding acceptability, distribution properties, convergent and known-groups validity, test-retest reliability, and effect size measures to analyze health changes. The non-item response was low (EQ-5D-3L index: 0.8%; EQ-VAS: 3.4%). Ceiling effects occurred in 9.9% (EQ-5D-3L) and 3.0% (EQ-VAS) with a mean EQ-5D-3L index of 0.65 ± 0.21. In total, convergent validity showed moderate to strong Spearman's rho (rs > 0.3) coefficients comparing EQ-5D-3L and EQ-VAS with PHQ-9, SARA, ADL, and INAS. EQ-5D-3L could discriminate between groups of age, SARA, ADL, and INAS. Intra-class correlation coefficients (EQ-5D-3LICC: 0.95/EQ-VASICC: 0.88) and Kappa statistics (range 0.44 to 0.93 for EQ-5D-3L items) indicated tolerable reliability. EQ-5D-3L shows small (effect size < 0.3) to moderate (effect size 0.3–0.59) health changes regarding ataxia severity. The analysis confirms an acceptable, reliable, valid, and responsive recommended EQ-5D-3L in SCA patients, measuring the HRQoL adequately, besides well-established clinical instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The contradictory role of CD8 + CD28− T cells in tumour immunity has been reported, while their biological and clinical significance in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is still unknown. Methods: HER2-positive MBC patients with no prior therapy in the metastatic setting were retrospectively recruited at two medical centres. Peripheral CD8 + CD28− T cells (pTCD8+CD28-) were detected at baseline and following therapeutic intervals. Progression-free survival (PFS) was compared according to pTCD8+CD28− levels. The molecular features of pTCD8+CD28− and its correlation with tumour immunity were also investigated. Results: A total of 252 patients were enrolled, and the median follow-up time was 29.6 months. pTCD8+CD28− high at baseline has prolonged PFS compared to pTCD8+CD28− low (P = 0.001). Patients who maintained pTCD8+CD28− high had a longer PFS than those who kept pTCD8+CD28− low (P < 0.001). The enhanced pTCD8+CD28− level also indicates a longer PFS compared to pTCD8+CD28− low (P = 0.025). Here, pTCD8+CD28- was demonstrated as an antigen-experienced effector T cell. Higher IL-2 level (P = 0.034) and lower TGF-β level (P = 0.016) in the serum and highly infiltrated CD8 + CD28− T cells (P = 0.037) were also connected to pTCD8+CD28− high. Conclusions: High pTCD8+CD28− level is associated with a favourable tumour immunity and a better PFS of HER2-targeting therapy in MBC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Valuing child health is critical to assessing the value of healthcare interventions for children. However, there remain important methodological and normative issues. This qualitative study aimed to understand the views of Canadian stakeholders on these issues. Methods: Stakeholders from health technology assessment (HTA) agencies, pharmaceutical industry representatives, healthcare providers, and academic researchers/scholars were invited to attend an online interview. Semi-structured interviews were designed to focus on: (1) comparing the 3-level and 5-level versions of the EQ-5D-Y; (2) source of preferences for valuation (adults vs. children); (3) perspective of valuation tasks; and (4) methods for valuation (discrete choice experiment [DCE] and its variants versus time trade-off [TTO]). Participants were probed to consider HTA guidelines, cognitive capacity, and potential ethical concerns. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Framework analysis with the incidence density method was used to analyze the data. Results: Fifteen interviews were conducted between May and September 2022. 66.7% (N = 10) of participants had experience with economic evaluations, and 86.7% (N = 13) were parents. Eleven participants preferred the EQ-5D-Y-5L. 12 participants suggested that adolescents should be directly involved in child health valuation from their own perspective. The participants were split on the ethical concerns. Eight participants did not think that there was ethical concern. 11 participants preferred DCE to TTO. Among the DCE variants, 6 participants preferred the DCE with duration to the DCE with death. Conclusions: Most Canadian stakeholders supported eliciting the preferences of adolescents directly from their own perspective for child health valuation. DCE was preferred if adolescents are directly involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study investigates the ultrasonic-microwave synergistic intensive leaching of indium from zinc oxide dust and compares it with conventional leaching, single ultrasonic leaching, and microwave leaching. Additionally, the temperature rise behavior of zinc oxide dust in a sulfuric acid system is examined. The results demonstrate that ultrasonic-microwave co-leaching significantly reduces leaching time compared with conventional leaching and improves the leaching rate of indium compared with single ultrasonic leaching and microwave leaching. The optimal process conditions for ultrasonic-microwave synergistic leaching are determined to be an ultrasonic power of 200 W, microwave power of 200 W, leaching time of 30 min, sulfuric acid concentration of 180 g L−1, and liquid to solid ratio of 8:1. Under these conditions, the leaching rates of indium, zinc, aluminum, and iron are 91.25, 97.69, 74.57, and 48.62%, respectively. In contrast, under the same conditions, the leaching rates of indium and zinc by single ultrasonic leaching were 89.01 and 94.12%, respectively, and the leaching rates of indium and zinc by single microwave leaching were 88.59 and 95.59%, respectively. These findings indicate a synergistic effect of ultrasound and microwave. The accuracy of the single factor optimization experiment results was verified using the response surface analysis method to optimize the experimental conditions. The results indicated that the single factor optimization experiment was accurate. Studies in chemical kinetics studies demonstrated that the leaching of indium is primarily influenced by ultrasound microwave power and sulfuric acid concentration. Additionally, the leaching process is governed by chemical reactions. Arrhenius diagram was used to plot the (1/W–lnK) and (ln[H2SO4] − lnK) diagrams. The reaction coefficient for ultrasound-microwave is − 7.5, and the reaction order for sulfuric acid is 0.815. The chemical kinetic models are: 1 − (1 − x)1/3 = exp(− 4.12 − 7.5/W).t, 1 − (1 − x)1/3 = exp(− 4.654 + 0.815ln[H2SO4]).t. The mechanism of ultrasonic-microwave synergistic enhancement for leaching indium from zinc oxide dust was elucidated. This research introduces a novel method for indium leaching, which holds significant theoretical and practical implications. Future research should focus on enhancing the amplification technology of ultrasonic-microwave leaching equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In patients with first-line advanced breast cancer (ABC), the correlation between ctDNA variant allele frequency (VAF) and tumor disease burden, and its prognostic value remains poorly investigated. Methods: This study included patients with ABC diagnosed at Peking University Cancer Hospital who performed ctDNA test before receiving first-line treatment. Baseline plasma samples were collected for assessing ctDNA alterations and VAF with next-generation sequencing. The sum of tumor target lesion diameters (SLD) was measured with imaging methods according to RECIST 1.1 criteria. Results: The final cohort included 184 patients. The median age of the cohort was 49.4 (IQR: 42.3–56.8) years. The median VAF was 15.6% (IQR: 5.4%-33.7%). VAF showed positive correlation with SLD in patients with relatively large tumor lesions (r = 0.314, p = 0.003), but not in patients with small tumor lesions (p = 0.226). VAF was associated with multiple metastasis sites (p = 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high VAF was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) (HR: 3.519, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.149–5.761), and first-line progression-free survival (PFS) (HR: 2.352, 95%CI: 1.462–3.782). Combined VAF and SLD improved prediction performance, both median OS and PFS of patients in VAF(H)/SLD(H) group were significantly longer than VAF(L)/SLD(L) group (mOS: 49.3 vs. 174.1 months; mPFS: 9.6 vs. 25.3 months). Conclusion: ctDNA VAF associated with tumor disease burden, and was a prognostic factor for patients with ABC. A combination of ctDNA test and radiographic imaging might enhance tumor burden evaluation, and improve prognosis stratification in patients with ABC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bionic design of cutting tools to reduce working resistance and energy consumption has always been a concern of people. The curve of the rake face of beaver teeth is fitted, and its general expression is obtained. This curvilinear function is used in the configuration design of the bionic alignment of the rake face of cylindrical milling cutter, and the bionic curvilinear configuration rake face cylindrical milling cutter is designed. By constructing a three-dimensional milling simulation model of a cylindrical milling cutter, the cutting performance of a cylindrical milling cutter with a bionic collinear configuration and a cylindrical milling cutter was analyzed by comparing the milling simulation with flat front face in different combinations of front face collinear parameter values. The results show that the designed bionic collinear configuration front face cylindrical milling cutter exhibits certain force saving effect and is verified by right angle free cutting experiments, but its drag reduction performance is affected by the parameter values of the collinear. The optimized parameter values of the front face collinear of the tool with a certain side draft are obtained by genetic algorithm combined with finite element simulation analysis, and the optimal combination of collinear parameter values is obtained. The results of simulation analysis prove that the optimisation method is effective. Finally, this paper builds an experimental validation platform to transform milling machining with variable cutting thickness into turning machining with uniform thickness using an equivalent uniform cutting thickness model. The results of the simulation experiments are effectively verified by the right-angle free cutting experiments, and this study will open up new design ideas for the optimal design of the conformation of cylindrical milling cutters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In Canada, population norms are only available for 2 provinces, Alberta and Quebec. The objective of this study was to derive the population norms for the EQ-5D-5L based on a representative sample of the Canadian general population. Methods: Data from the Canadian EQ-5D-5L valuation study, a cross-sectional study, were used. A quota sampling method was used to recruit a representative sample of the Canadian general population in terms of age, sex, and education. EQ-5D-5L utilities and EQ VAS were summarized using descriptive statistics and the impact of demographic characteristics on the EQ-5D-5L utilities was evaluated using statistical hypothesis testing and Tobit regression. Results: 1207 eligible participants were included in the analysis. Pain/discomfort (53.1%) was the most frequently reported domain with any problem, and self-care (7.6%) domain was the least. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) EQ-5D-5L utility was 0.864 (0.121) and the mean (SD) EQ VAS was 82.3 (14.23). The highest mean EQ-5D-5L utility was 0.881 in age group 25–34 while the lowest was 0.839 in age group 55–64. Participants who had full-time employment, were married, a higher annual household income and no chronic health conditions had significantly higher EQ-5D-5L utilities. Conclusion: This article reports the first Canadian population norms for the EQ-5D-5L and can be used as population references for economic evaluations and clinical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Movement disorders (Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, primary dystonia) are a debilitating group of conditions that are progressive in nature. The mainstay of treatment is best medical therapy; however, a number of surgical therapies are available, including deep brain stimulation. Economic evaluations are an important aspect of evidence to inform decision makers regarding funding allocated to these therapies. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the cost effectiveness of including deep brain stimulation compared with best medical therapy for movement disorder indications in the adult population. Methods: Ovid Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were queried. Only economic evaluations reporting incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for including deep brain stimulation versus best medical therapy for movement disorders were included. Studies were reviewed in duplicate for inclusion and data abstraction. Data were harmonized using the Consumer Price Index and Purchasing Power Parity to standardize values to 2022 US dollars. For inclusion in meta-analyses, studies were required to have sufficient data available to calculate an estimate of the incremental net benefit. Meta-analyses of pooled incremental net benefit based on the time horizon were performed. The study was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42022335436). Results: There were 2190 studies reviewed, with 14 economic evaluations included following a title/abstract and full-text review. Only studies considering Parkinson's disease were available for the meta-analysis. Quality of the identified studies was low, with moderate transferability to the American Healthcare System, and certainty of evidence was low. However, studies with a longer time horizon (15 years to lifetime) were found to have significant positive incremental net benefit (indicating cost effectiveness) for including deep brain stimulation with a mean difference of US$40,504.81 (95% confidence interval 2422.42–78,587.19). Conclusions: Deep brain stimulation was cost effective for Parkinson's disease when considered over the course of the patient's remaining life after implantation. Trial Registration: Clinical Trial Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42022335436). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Many studies have shown that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is related to reduced left ventricular diastolic function. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is generally recognized as the preferred therapy for OSA. Yet, the effect of CPAP on left ventricular diastolic function in patients with OSA is inconclusive. In order to assess the influence of CPAP on left ventricular diastolic function in patients with OSA, we performed this meta-analysis of clinical experiments. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, OVID, Embase, and Cochrane Library from the establishment of the database to July 6, 2022, were searched for clinical trial data. Inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis were: (1) Patients in the experimental group were diagnosed with OSA by polysomnography; (2) CPAP treatment course ≥ 4 weeks; (3) baseline and follow-up data of the diastolic function parameter E/A ratio were reported in the literature. Exclusion criteria were: (1) Central sleep apnea (CSA); (2) comorbid organic heart diseases such as coronary heart disease; (3) age < 18 years old; (4) conference abstracts or duplicate publications. Results: After exclusions, 7 studies (2 RCTs and 5 prospective studies) with 473 subjects (225 in the treatment group and 248 in the matched control group) were included in the meta-analysis. Subgroup analysis indicated that after CPAP therapy, the left ventricular (LV) E/A ratio was significantly increased in patients with OSA (weighted mean difference (WMD) = 0.22, 95% CI = − 0.06–0.38; P = 0.007). Sensitivity analyses showed that the combined results were not influenced by single studies. Publication bias was not significant (Egger's test, P = 0.813). Conclusions: The results of this meta-analysis suggest that CPAP may improve the E/A ratio in patients with OSA patients. However, the small number of studies (n = 7) decreases confidence in the findings. Thus, carefully designed randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most promising alternative reagent to cyanide, thiosulfate has received renewed interest. However, the traditional copper–ammonia–thiosulfate system may face critical challenges in terms of process sustainability because ammonia is toxic and unstable. The use of tartrate as an alternative reagent to ammonia offers a green and eco-friendly choice for gold extraction. In this work, the effect of temperature, pH, copper, tartrate, and thiosulfate concentrations on the leaching kinetics of pure gold disc was examined. The results show that thiosulfate is the only effective complexing agent with aurous ions, while tartrate works as a copper ligand. The process of gold dissolution in copper–tartrate–thiosulfate solutions can be divided into two stages under the experimental conditions. Both stages are controlled by chemical reactions. The reaction orders of gold dissolution with respect to copper, tartrate, and thiosulfate concentrations were 0.523, − 0.572, 0.659 and 0.218, − 0.942, 1.072 in the first and second stages, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical factors associated with being high-cost users (HCUs) in adult patients (≥ 18 years) who received acute care in Canada. Research design: We conducted a retrospective study among adults who had at least one encounter with acute care facilities each year from 2011 to 2014 using national linked data sets. We defined HCUs as patients on the top 10% of the highest acute care cost users in the province, where the care was provided. Risk factors associated with being HCUs were identified using multilevel logistic regression. Provincial variations of identified risk factors were examined using logistic regression. Sensitivity analyses were also performed to investigate the influences of using different metrics and different thresholds to define high system users, missing data, and the inclusion of interaction terms on the study results. Results: Between 2011 and 2014, a total of 3,891,410 patients with 6,017,430 hospitalizations were included. Patients who were male [odds ratio (OR), 1.60; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.59–1.61], with low incomes [OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.41–1.43), with higher comorbidity score (OR 1.41; 95% CI 1.40–1.41] and older [OR 1.18; 95% CI 1.17–1.18] were more likely to be acute care HCUs. Significant interactions existed between comorbidity score and age/sex/income status. Across provinces, the associations between socioeconomic factors and being HCUs has the largest variation. When using various high system users (HSUs) definitions, the impacts of living in rural area and being visible minority on the odds of being HSUs differ. Conclusions: A few demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical factors was associated with high acute care expenditures. The associations between included risk factors and being acute care HCUs vary across provinces and different definitions of high system users (HSUs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A previous systematic literature review demonstrated a significant economic and humanistic burden on patients with osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this study was to systematically review and update the burden of OA reported by large sample studies since 2016. Methods: We searched Medline (via Ovid) and Embase using the updated search strategy based on the previous review. Those studies with a sample size ≥ 1000 and measuring the cost (direct or indirect) or health-related quality of life (HRQL) of OA were included. Pairs of reviewers worked independently and in duplicate. An arbitrator was consulted to resolve discrepancies between reviewers. The Kappa value was calculated to examine the agreement between reviewers. All costs were converted to 2021 US dollars according to inflation rates and exchange rates. Results: A total of 1230 studies were screened by title and abstract and 159 by full text, and 54 studies were included in the review. The Kappa value for the full-text screening was 0.71. Total annual OA-related direct costs ranged from US$326 in Japan to US$19,530 in the US. Total annual all-cause direct costs varied from US$173 in Italy to US$41,433 in the US. The annual indirect costs ranged from US$736 in the US to US$18,884 in the Netherlands. Thirty-four studies reported HRQL, with EQ-5D (13, 38%) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) (6, 18%) being the most frequently used instruments. The EQ-VAS and utility scores ranged from 41.5 to 81.7 and 0.3 to 0.9, respectively. The ranges of WOMAC pain (range 0–20, higher score for worse health), stiffness (range 0–8), and physical functioning (range 0–68) were 2.0–3.0, 1.0–5.0, and 5.8–42.8, respectively. Conclusion: Since 2016, the ranges of direct costs of OA became wider, while the HRQL of patients remained poor. More countries outside the US have published OA-related disease burden using registry databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing immune checkpoint inhibitors focus on activating T cells and show limited effectiveness in gastric cancer (GC). SIGLEC10 is identified as a novel tumor-associated macrophage-related immune checkpoint in other cancer types. However, its immunosuppressive role and clinical significance in GC remain unclear. In this study, we find a dominant expression of SIGLEC10 on CD68+ macrophages in GC. SIGLEC10 can suppress the proliferation and function of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells in vitro via the Akt/P38/Erk signaling pathway. Furthermore, in ex vivo and in vivo models, SIGLEC10 blockade promotes CD8+ T cell effector function. Finally, SIGLEC10+ macrophages are positively correlated with the adverse prognosis of GC. Our study highlights that SIGLEC10 directly suppresses T cell function and serves as a promising target for immunotherapy and suggests SIGLEC10+ macrophages as a novel potential predictor of the clinical prognosis of GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-modal summarization with multi-modal output (MSMO) aims to generate multi-modal summaries for a multi-modal document to improve readability of summaries by making use of information of different modalities. Most existing Seq2Seq-based MSMO models cannot well capture multi-modal relations which are significant for generating high-quality multi-modal summaries. To address this issue, this paper proposes a relation-enhanced graph attention network for extractive text-image summarization (ReGAT-Summ) to capture inter-modal and intra-modal relations in the multi-modal document. Firstly, a multi-modal graph is constructed from the document. Then, node representations are calculated by proposed graph neural network. Finally, a sentence-image selector is trained to select salient sentences and images, which are further aligned by training. To our knowledge, we are the first to explore the graph-based model for MSMO. Experiments on two news datasets E-DailyMail and NYTime800k demonstrate that ReGAT-Summ achieves the state-of-the-art performance in terms of automatic metrics and human evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leaching behavior of gold from an oxide gold ore using copper–tartrate–thiosulfate solutions has been investigated. Experimental parameters, including temperature, initial pH, and concentrations of copper tartrate and thiosulfate, were systematically studied. The capability of gold leaching using copper–tartrate–thiosulfate solutions is comparable to that of cyanidation, as well as the traditional copper–ammonia–thiosulfate leaching system at elevated temperatures. The kinetics are much faster than that of gold cyanidation, and thiosulfate consumption was greatly reduced in the presence of the tartrate. A considerable gold extraction of 90.42% was obtained under the optimized conditions of 0.1 mol/L CuSO4, 0.2 mol/L Na2L, 0.3 mol/L Na2S2O3, pH 11.0, and 75°C after 16 h of leaching. The process of gold dissolution in copper–tartrate–thiosulfate solutions may be controlled by product layer diffusion under the experimental conditions with an apparent activation energy of 35.474 kJ/mol. Increasing the temperature and the concentration of copper and thiosulfate while decreasing the content of tartrate can accelerate the rate of gold leaching. The system is quite unstable when the solution pH is less than 7.0, causing a noticeably lower content of the thiosulfate and copper–tartrate complex. At an initial pH of 9.0 or higher, however, faster kinetics can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controversy measurement on social media plays an important part in understanding public opinion. Various topics are frequently hotly debated on social media platforms including Twitter and Sina Weibo. People sometimes use offensive or sarcastic language to convey their opinions about a topic or a source post, which might spark heated discussions and controversy towards related topics. Recent researches take controversy detection as a binary classification problem with two labels: controversy or non-controversy. The reason might be lacking a comprehensive understanding of why the controversy happened and a specific imagination of how it will be used in the downstream tasks. However, we believe that the degree of controversy courted by posts or topics in a real scenario varied. And fine-grained measurement of controversy will be beneficial to public sentiment identification, influence assessment and other social network analysis tasks. We also notice that the existing benchmarks of controversy detection are not applicable for fine-grained topic-level controversy measurement. In this paper, we present ProsCons, a large-scale comprehensive Chinese dataset that includes 245 topics and 32,667 posts with pro, con or neutral stances. Based on that, we design a controversy measurement framework for measuring the controversy intensity that topics sparked. This framework considers the degree of antagonism in terms of stance and sentiment, as well as the irrational degree (offensive or sarcasm) of a post to compute a controversy intensity. ProsCons provides a new benchmark for Chinese stance detection, offensive language and sarcasm detection, contributing to the multi-task learning of them. We conduct extensive experiments on ProsCons and provide baselines for these tasks. The experimental results highlight the challenges of the aforementioned tasks based on the ProsCons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Preference-based measures have been increasingly recommended to measure health outcomes for economic evaluation. However, none of existing cardiovascular disease (CVD)-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instruments are preference-based. This study aimed to develop the descriptive system of preference-based HRQoL instrument for Chinese patients with CVDs under the Initiative of China Health Related Outcomes Measures (CHROME). Methods: Qualitative face-to-face interviews were conducted with Chinese patients with CVDs. Content analysis was employed to generate candidate items for the instrument. Then expert consultation and cognitive debriefing interviews were conducted to guide further selection and revision of the items. Results: We interviewed 127 CVD patients with 67.7% being male and 63.8% living in the urban area. A hierarchical code book comprised of four themes, 20 categories, 62 sub-categories, and 207 codes, was developed. Candidate items were selected based on the criteria set by the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) methodology and ISPOR PRO guidance. An online survey and meeting with an expert advisory panel (n = 15) followed by cognitive debriefing interviews with 20 patients and 13 physicians were conducted to further select and revise the candidate items. The descriptive system of CHROME-CVD consists of 14 items, namely frequency and severity of chest pain, chest tightness, palpitation, shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, appetite, sleeping, mobility, daily activities, depression, worry, and social relationship. Four or five level responses were selected based on cognitive debriefing results to each item. Conclusion: The current study developed the descriptive system (items and response options) of CHROME-CVD, the future CVD-specific preference-based HRQoL instrument for Chinese CVD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors are concerned with the sharp interface limit for an incompressible Navier-Stokes and Allen-Cahn coupled system in this paper. When the thickness of the diffuse interfacial zone, which is parameterized by ε, goes to zero, they prove that a solution of the incompressible Navier-Stokes and Allen-Cahn coupled system converges to a solution of a sharp interface model in the L∞(L2) ∩ L2(H1) sense on a uniform time interval independent of the small parameter ε. The proof consists of two parts: One is the construction of a suitable approximate solution and another is the estimate of the error functions in Sobolev spaces. Besides the careful energy estimates, a spectral estimate of the linearized operator for the incompressible Navier-Stokes and Allen-Cahn coupled system around the approximate solution is essentially used to derive the uniform estimates of the error functions. The convergence of the velocity is well expected due to the fact that the layer of the velocity across the diffuse interfacial zone is relatively weak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As promising electrode materials for supercapacitors, nickel-cobalt bimetallic sulfides render the advantages of abundant redox reactions and inherently high conductivity. However, in general, unsatisfactory performance of low specific capacity, low rate capability, and fast capacity loss exist in Ni-Co sulfide electrodes. Herein, we rationally regulate phosphorus-doped nickel-cobalt sulfides (P-NCS) to enhance the electrochemical performance by gas-solid phosphorization. Moreover, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as conductive additives are added to improve the cycle stability and conductivity and form the composite P-NCS/C/CNT. According to density functional theory, more electrons near the Fermi surface of P-NCS are demonstrated notionally than those of simple CoNi2S4. Electrochemical results manifest that P-NCS/C/CNT exhibits superior electrochemical performance, e.g., high specific capacity (932.0 C·g−1 at 1 A·g−1), remarkable rate capability (capacity retention ratio of 69.1% at 20 A·g−1), and lower charge transfer resistance. More importantly, the flexible hybrid asymmetric supercapacitor is assembled using P-NCS/C/CNT and activated carbon, which renders an energy density of 34.875 W·h·kg−1 at a power density of 375 W-kg−1. These results show that as-prepared P-NCS/C/CNT demonstrates incredible possibility as a battery-type electrode for high-performance supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Value assessment frameworks (VAFs) are promising tools for measuring the value of health technologies and informing coverage policymaking; however, most published VAFs were developed for high-income countries. This study aimed to identify value attributes as part of the development of a VAF in China. Methods: We used the qualitative description approach. Specifically, we conducted open-ended semi-structured interviews with Chinese stakeholders, as well as a review and analysis of publicly available government documents related to health technology assessment (HTA) and coverage policies in China. Conventional content analysis and the constant comparison technique were used to generate value attributes. Multiple criteria were used to determine the inclusion of a value attribute, with response levels of included attributes finalized via consensus meetings among the research team. Results: Thirty-four stakeholders living or working in China completed the semi-structured interview. These stakeholders included policymakers (n = 4), healthcare providers (n = 8), HTA researchers (n = 6), patients and members of the general public (n = 9), and industry representatives (n = 7). In addition, 16 government documents were included for analysis. Twelve value attributes grouped in eight categories are included in the VAF: (1) severity of disease; (2) health benefit, including survival, clinical outcomes, and patient-reported outcomes; (3) safety; (4) economic impact, including budget impact to payer and patients, and cost effectiveness; (5) innovation; (6) organizational impact; (7) health equity; and (8) quality of evidence. Conclusion: These 12 value attributes were identified for the development of a VAF to support health technologies' value assessment and coverage policymaking in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Face-lift surgery is the most crucial and constantly evolving technique of facial rejuvenation. Periodic reviews synthesizing the latest face-lift techniques may help surgeons sharpen their surgical procedures. Methods: A literature search was conducted of the PubMed databases using the search term "face lift" and "rhytidectomy." Articles reporting rhytidectomy of the forehead/brow, midface, lower face, and neck were included. Sixty-nine articles were selected after independent screening by three of the authors. The Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine scale was used for evaluating evidence level. Results: Of the 69 candidate articles, 10 studies (15%) reported techniques of neck lifting; 10 studies (15%) introduced techniques of endoscopic brow lifting; 7 studies (10%) pertained to brow lifting without endoscopic techniques. The most frequently reported locations of rhytidectomy were the brow/forehead (20%), neck (19%), and face-neck (17%). Additionally, articles regarding Asian face-lifts (14%) have been increasing. The evidence level of the articles was generally low, with only 10 articles assessed as level 1–3 with 59 articles as level 4–5. Conclusions: Face-lift articles with high-level evidence are still lacking. Prominently, forehead lifting and neck lifting have become upward trends of rhytidectomy in recent years, and the techniques of short-scar face-lift have been more valued. Level of Evidence III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Central South University is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A series of the CeO2–WO3/TiO2 catalysts doping polyethylene oxide (PEO) were synthesized by coprecipitation method and applied to selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3. The PEO doping catalysts showed better low-temperature activity, which demonstrated a prominent wide operation window ranging from 220 to 526 °C. A series of characterization methods were performed to demonstrate the influence of PEO addition on the internal structure, physical and chemical properties and catalytic reaction mechanism for the CeO2–WO3/TiO2 catalysts. More importantly, the addition of PEO could significantly modify and optimize the pore structure of catalysts, meanwhile, it was verified that the addition of PEO can enhance the content of Ce3+, adsorbed oxygen and the Brönsted and Lewis acid sites on the catalyst surface, thereby affecting the redox abilities, nitrogen oxides and ammonia adsorption capacity of catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity metric of infrared image sequences is crucial to the prediction and evaluation of single-object tracker performance, and it is a research hotspot in the field of computer vision. However, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the existing complexity metrics are limited. In this paper, an effective method is proposed to quantify the single-object tracking difficulty of infrared image sequences. First, based on the classification and analysis of trackers, the influencing factors of infrared target tracking are summarized. Then, five metrics combining deep features and shallow features are proposed to characterize the complexity of infrared image sequences. Finally, a synthesis complexity metric is designed for comprehensive evaluations of infrared image sequences. Experimental results indicate that our method performs better than traditional methods on comprehensiveness, and the proposed metrics can more accurately reflect the performance of trackers on different infrared image sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A back-illuminated separate absorption and multiplication (SAM) solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) avalanche photodiode (APD) with a low-Al-content p-graded AlxGa1-xN layer and a high/low-Al-content heterogeneous dual multiplication region is designed. An n-type insertion layer is inserted between the high/low-Al-content heterostructure dual multiplication region to adjust the polarization electric field between the dual multiplication layers. The AlGaN APD with dual multiplication layers exhibits a high hole ionization coefficient due to the existence of the low-Al-content Al0.3Ga0.7 N layer in the high/low-Al-content heterostructure multiplication region. Furthermore, the polarization effect between the high/low-Al-content AlGaN dual multiplication layers can make the polarization electric field in the dual multiplication layers consistent with the direction of the applied electric field, and the polarization doping effect of the p-type graded AlxGa1-xN layer also helps to reduce the breakdown voltage of the designed APD. The calculation results show that the avalanche multiplication gain and breakdown voltage of the AlGaN solar-blind UV APD with dual multiplication layers is 9.4 × 103 and 96.9 V, respectively. It is demonstrated that the gain of the designed APD with dual multiplication layers is 222% higher than that of the conventional APD, and the breakdown voltage is also reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional denoising algorithms have poor effect when dealing with nonlinear or non-stationary signals, and it is also difficult to select appropriate threshold parameters for denoising. This paper proposes a mixed-mode decomposition denoising algorithm based on variance estimation, which combines empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and variational mode decomposition (VMD). The algorithm performs a single EMD decomposition on an original signal, calculates an energy sequence of the first-order intrinsic mode functions, and estimates a noise variance in the original signal according to the noise energy attenuation characteristics, and the estimated variance value serves as the threshold for VMD denoising completion. Nonlinear signals and actual speech signals are selected to carry out experimental comparisons of various denoising algorithms. The results show that the mixed-mode decomposition denoising algorithm is not constrained by the selection of threshold parameters, and its denoising performance is better than that of conventional mode decomposition threshold denoising algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific collaboration is getting tremendous attention from scholars and becoming the most common way of producing research works from different disciplines, enabling them to solve complex problems. Nevertheless, when the number of collaborators increases in research work, it becomes challenging to single out and recognize one scholar who contributes the most to the collaboration team of multiauthored publications. Hence, determining an influential author either from multiauthored papers or co-authorship networks is an interesting research problem. To address these problems, we develop a citation and similarity-based author ranking method, namely CLARA, that captures the influential author in multiauthored publications. The method considers attributes of publications such as citing papers and co-cited papers and similarity between publications. Firstly, the method computes the contribution of the co-authors in a given paper by employing fractional counting metrics. Secondly, it computes the contextual similarity between the given paper and its co-cited papers. Finally, the method ranks each co-author using the mathematically defined metric, called KeyScore, and discovers the "key" author among the co-authors of the given paper. We validate our method by extracting the papers of the "Chinese Outstanding Youth" winning researchers from the Microsoft Academic Graph dataset. The experimental results show that the CLARA method performs well in identifying key authors accurately and effectively, despite the position of the authors in the author list of their corresponding papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, an improved Hulburt–Hirschfelder (IHH) potential energy function (PEF) has been constructed with an extra adjustable parameter. Applying the determined IHH potential points to the one-dimension Schrödinger equation can yield the exact solution viz. the rovibrational energies, which are used for the calculations of internal partition function, molar heat capacity, Gibbs-free energy, entropy and enthalpy within the framework of the quantum statistical ensemble theory. Comprehensive comparisons for the ground electronic state of carbon monoxide show that the IHH potentials can get good approach in the asymptotic and the dissociation regions, and these thermodynamic properties (TP) determined by IHH model are supported by the good agreement with experimental data in a temperature range of T ≤ 6000 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leaching behavior of molybdenite was investigated in H2O2–H2SO4 solution in this paper. The results show that H2O2 was an effective oxidant for molybdenite leaching, but it had fast decomposition kinetics. A final molybdenum extraction of 73.0% was obtained under the experimental conditions of 0.5 mol/L H2SO4, 0.5 mol/L H2O2, and the fresh H2O2 addition enhanced molybdenum extraction from 73.0 to 94.5%. The leaching process was controlled by a mixture of surface reactions and diffusion, and the activation energy was 27.98 kJ/mol. Ethylene glycol enhanced molybdenum extraction and improved the stability of H2O2. Electrochemical studies suggested that the decomposition kinetics of H2O2 was faster than that of molybdenite oxidation, and ethylene glycol enhanced recovery by increasing the resistance of H2O2 decomposition and decreasing the resistance of molybdenite oxidation. XRD and XPS analysis confirmed that ethylene glycol did not alter the phase composition and the surface chemical statues of molybdenite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia / Journal Canadien d'Anesthésie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper, we study a mechanism design for the bin packing problem, which can model a reversed auction on cloud computing. A cloud computing platform has a set of jobs and would like to rent VM instances to process these jobs from cloud providers. In the auction model, each cloud provider (agent) who owns VM instances will submit a bid on the costs for using such VM instances. The mechanism determines the number of VM instances from each agent, and payments that have to be paid for using the chosen VM instances. The utility of an agent is the payment received minus the true cost. Our proposed mechanism is a deterministic truthful mechanism that the utility of each agent is maximized by revealing the true cost. Next, we provide the analysis of the approximation ratios, and then run experiments using both realistic workload and uniformly random data to show the performance of the proposed mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for emergency department (ED) services is increasing across the globe, particularly during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical triage and risk assessment have become increasingly challenging due to the shortage of medical resources and the strain on hospital infrastructure caused by the pandemic. As a result of the widespread use of electronic health records (EHRs), we now have access to a vast amount of clinical data, which allows us to develop prediction models and decision support systems to address these challenges. To date, there is no widely accepted clinical prediction benchmark related to the ED based on large-scale public EHRs. An open-source benchmark data platform would streamline research workflows by eliminating cumbersome data preprocessing, and facilitate comparisons among different studies and methodologies. Based on the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV Emergency Department (MIMIC-IV-ED) database, we created a benchmark dataset and proposed three clinical prediction benchmarks. This study provides future researchers with insights, suggestions, and protocols for managing data and developing predictive tools for emergency care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergency departments (EDs) are experiencing complex demands. An ED triage tool, the Score for Emergency Risk Prediction (SERP), was previously developed using an interpretable machine learning framework. It achieved a good performance in the Singapore population. We aimed to externally validate the SERP in a Korean cohort for all ED patients and compare its performance with Korean triage acuity scale (KTAS). This retrospective cohort study included all adult ED patients of Samsung Medical Center from 2016 to 2020. The outcomes were 30-day and in-hospital mortality after the patients' ED visit. We used the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) to assess the performance of the SERP and other conventional scores, including KTAS. The study population included 285,523 ED visits, of which 53,541 were after the COVID-19 outbreak (2020). The whole cohort, in-hospital, and 30 days mortality rates were 1.60%, and 3.80%. The SERP achieved an AUROC of 0.821 and 0.803, outperforming KTAS of 0.679 and 0.729 for in-hospital and 30-day mortality, respectively. SERP was superior to other scores for in-hospital and 30-day mortality prediction in an external validation cohort. SERP is a generic, intuitive, and effective triage tool to stratify general patients who present to the emergency department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Existing generic preference-based measures were all developed in Western countries. Evidence shows that the Chinese population may have different perceptions about health and health-related quality of life. This study aimed at developing a descriptive system of a new generic preference-based measure under the initiative of China Health Related Outcomes Measures (CHROME).Methods: Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted in-person or online. Respondents were recruited from both the general public and populations with chronic diseases. Open-ended questions about the respondent's perception of general health and important aspects of health-related quality of life were asked. Probing questions based on a systematic review of existing generic preference-based measures were also used. The framework analysis was used to synthesize the qualitative data. Candidate items for the descriptive system were selected following the ISPOR and COSMIN guidelines. Expert panel review and cognitive debriefings were conducted for further revisions.Results: Qualitative interviews were conducted among 68 respondents, with 48.5% male and a mean age of 47.8 years (range 18-81 years). In total, 1558 codes were identified and then aggregated to 31 sub-themes and corresponding six themes to inform the development of the initial version of the descriptive system. Feedback from the expert panel survey and meeting (n = 15) and the cognitive debriefing interviews (n = 30) was incorporated into the revised version of the measure. Finally, the generic version of CHROME (CHROME-G) included 12 items across six domains, namely, pain, fatigue, appetite, mobility, vision, hearing, sleeping, daily activities, depression, worry, memory, and social interactions. The descriptive system used a mix of four-level and five-level response options and a 7-day recall period.Conclusions: The CHROME-G is the first generic preference-based measure to be developed based on the inputs from the Chinese populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) generated from municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration are considered as the key pollutants, which could pose serious risks to the environment and ecology. This study comprehensively investigated the effect of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system on PCDD/F removal, phase distributions, and migration-transformation characteristics of 17 congeners in a full-scale MSW incinerator. The three flue gas samples and two fly ash samples were separately collected for PCDD/F analysis. The results showed that the SCR system reduced the I-TEQ concentration of PCDD/Fs from 0.135 to 0.010 ng I-TEQ Nm−3 with a remarkable toxicity removal efficiency of 92.6%, through oxidation decomposition over V2O5−WO3/TiO2 catalysts and chlorination process of low-chlorinated congeners. In addition, the de novo synthesis observed along the flue between SCR system and stack regenerated unexpected PCDD/Fs, which might enhance the PCDD/F emission level. This study verified the three pathways of SCR system on PCDD/F removal and inspired operating suggestions for SCR system, i.e., keeping SCR system operated in stable and consistent conditions, regularly replacing V2O5−WO3/TiO2 catalysts, and timely cleaning the dusts and inlet materials of SCR system, which would be beneficial for achieving the ultra-low emission of PCDD/Fs in full-scale MSW incinerators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Excess gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with adverse long and short-term outcomes for both woman and child, yet evidence demonstrates pregnant women are frequently not engaging in healthy behaviours linked to appropriate weight gain. The purpose of the current study was to explore women's values and beliefs related to weight, nutrition and physical activity during pregnancy and to describe how these beliefs influence their behaviours. Methods: As part of a larger randomized controlled trial, we conducted 20 focus groups with 66 pregnant women between 16 and 24-weeks gestation using a semi-structured interview guide. Focus groups were recorded and transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Results: Three personal health schemas emerged from the findings which illustrated women's diverging beliefs about their health behaviours in pregnancy. 'Interconnected health' described beliefs regarding the impact their health had on that of their growing baby and awareness of risks associated with inappropriate weight gain. 'Gestational weight gain as an indicator of health' illustrated perceptions regarding how GWG impacted health and the utility of guidelines. Finally, 'Control in pregnancy' described the sense of agency over one's body and health. Conclusions for Practice: Our results showed that health-related behaviours in pregnancy are driven by personal health schemas which are often discordant with clinical evidence. Interventions and health care provider advice aimed at behaviour modification would benefit from first understanding and addressing these schemas. Tackling the conflict between beliefs and behaviour may improve health outcomes associated with appropriate weight gain in pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of glass fibre doped Ce–W/TiO2 catalysts were investigated for the selective catalytic reduction of NOx by NH3. The adhesion and mechanical strength of the CeO2–WO3/TiO2 catalyst was greatly enhanced by the addition of 6% glass fibre. However, the glass fiber contains a small amount of alkali metals, which occupied the active site on the surface of the CeO2–WO3/TiO2 catalysts, thus the catalytic performance of catalyst was inhibited by the addition of glass fibre. Furthermore, BET, XRD, XPS, TPR and TPD methods revealed that the addition of glass fiber can inhibit the formation of catalyst pore structure and reduce the content of Ce3+, adsorbed oxygen and the Brönsted and Lewis acid sites on the catalyst surface, thereby affecting the redox abilities, nitrogen oxides and ammonia adsorption capacity of catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer immunotherapies have shown clinical success in various types of tumors but the patient response rate is low, particularly in breast cancer. Here we report that malignant breast cancer cells can transfer active TGF-β type II receptor (TβRII) via tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (TEV) and thereby stimulate TGF-β signaling in recipient cells. Up-take of extracellular vesicle-TβRII (EV-TβRII) in low-grade tumor cells initiates epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), thus reinforcing cancer stemness and increasing metastasis in intracardial xenograft and orthotopic transplantation models. EV-TβRII delivered as cargo to CD8+ T cells induces the activation of SMAD3 which we demonstrated to associate and cooperate with TCF1 transcription factor to impose CD8+ T cell exhaustion, resulting in failure of immunotherapy. The levels of TβRII+ circulating extracellular vesicles (crEV) appears to correlate with tumor burden, metastasis and patient survival, thereby serve as a non-invasive screening tool to detect malignant breast tumor stages. Thus, our findings not only identify a possible mechanism by which breast cancer cells can promote T cell exhaustion and dampen host anti-tumor immunity, but may also identify a target for immune therapy against the most devastating breast tumors. Understanding the factors that hamper immune therapy in breast cancer may increase the range of patients who benefit. Here authors show that breast cancer cells produce and subsequently transfer active TGF-β type II receptors to CD8 + T cells to render them exhausted, thus paralyzing the anti-tumor immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of deep-sea mining, the liquid-solid flows in the vertical transportation pipeline are very complex. In the present work, an in-house solver MPSDEM-SJTU based on the improved MPS and DEM is developed for the simulation of hydraulic conveying. Firstly, three examples including the multilayer cylinder collapse, the Poiseuille flow and two-phase dam-break are used to validate the precision of the DEM model, the pipe flow model and MPS-DEM coupling model, respectively. Then, the hydraulic conveying with coarse particles in a vertical pipe is simulated. The solid particle distribution is presented and investigated in detail. Finally, the coupling method is successfully applied for the simulation of the liquid-solid flows in a vertical pipe with rotating blades, which shows the stability of the solver under rotating boundary conditions. This fully Lagrangian model is expected to be a new approach for analyzing hydraulic conveying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalised patients is a common syndrome associated with poorer patient outcomes. Clinical risk scores can be used for the early identification of patients at risk of AKI. We conducted a retrospective study using electronic health records of Singapore General Hospital emergency department patients who were admitted from 2008 to 2016. The primary outcome was inpatient AKI of any stage within 7 days of admission based on the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcome (KDIGO) 2012 guidelines. A machine learning-based framework AutoScore was used to generate clinical scores from the study sample which was randomly divided into training, validation and testing cohorts. Model performance was evaluated using area under the curve (AUC). Among the 119,468 admissions, 10,693 (9.0%) developed AKI. 8491 were stage 1 (79.4%), 906 stage 2 (8.5%) and 1296 stage 3 (12.1%). The AKI Risk Score (AKI-RiSc) was a summation of the integer scores of 6 variables: serum creatinine, serum bicarbonate, pulse, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and age. AUC of AKI-RiSc was 0.730 (95% CI 0.714–0.747), outperforming an existing AKI Prediction Score model which achieved AUC of 0.665 (95% CI 0.646–0.679) on the testing cohort. At a cut-off of 4 points, AKI-RiSc had a sensitivity of 82.6% and specificity of 46.7%. AKI-RiSc is a simple clinical score that can be easily implemented on the ground for early identification of AKI and potentially be applied in international settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disruptions to health research during the COVID-19 pandemic are being recognized globally, and there is a growing need for understanding the pandemic's impact on the health and health preferences of patients, caregivers, and the general public. Ongoing and planned health preference research (HPR) has been affected due to problems associated with recruitment, data collection, and data interpretation. While there are no "one size fits all" solutions, this commentary summarizes the key challenges in HPR within the context of the pandemic and offers pragmatic solutions and directions for future research. We recommend recruitment of a diverse, typically under-represented population in HPR using online, quota-based crowdsourcing platforms, and community partnerships. We foresee emerging evidence on remote, and telephone-based HPR modes of administration, with further studies on the shifts in preferences related to health and healthcare services as a result of the pandemic. We believe that the recalibration of HPR, due to what one would hope is an impermanent change, will permanently change how we conduct HPR in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report a switchable fluorescence probe based on nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) to detect the presence of tetracycline and L-Cystence. Strong blue emissive N-GQDs were successfully prepared by the hydrothermal treatment of urea and benzophenone, with a quantum yield of 34.9%. Both transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscope images reveal a nearly monodispersed N-GQDs with spherical morphologies, and provide evidences of 1–3 layered structures of N-GQDs. Meanwhile, the obtained N-GQDs can be utilized for fluorescent labelling due to their superior optical stability and favourable biological compatibility. A strong fluorescence quenching was observed for the presence of tetracycline. The following addition of L-Cysteine can motivate the regeneration of fluorescence. Therefore, a simple strategy for the detection of tetracycline and L-Cystence in natural water was developed due to the relevant sensitivity of N-GQDs nanosensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]