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Bacillus subtilis is a widespread Gram-positive facultative aerobic bacterium that is recognized as generally safe. It has shown significant application value and great development potential in the animal farming industry. As a probiotic, it is frequently used as a feed growth supplement to effectively replace antibiotics due to its favourable effects on regulating the intestinal flora, improving intestinal immunity, inhibiting harmful microorganisms, and secreting bioactive substances. Consequently, the gut health and disease resistance of farmed animals can be improved. Both vegetative and spore forms of B. subtilis have also been utilized as vaccine carriers for delivering the antigens of infectious pathogens for over a decade. Notably, its spore form is regarded as one of the most prospective for displaying heterologous antigens with high activity and stability. Previously published reviews have predominantly focused on the development and applications of B. subtilis spore surface display techniques. However, this review aims to summarize recent studies highlighting the important role of B. subtilis as a probiotic and vaccine carrier in maintaining animal health. Specifically, we focus on the beneficial effects and underlying mechanisms of B. subtilis in enhancing disease resistance among farmed animals as well as its potential application as mucosal vaccine carriers. It is anticipated that B. subtilis will assume an even more prominent role in promoting animal health with in-depth research on its characteristics and genetic manipulation tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was designed to develop and validate a machine learning-based, multimodality fusion (MMF) model using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT radiomics and kernelled support tensor machine (KSTM), integrated with clinical factors and nuclear medicine experts' diagnoses to individually predict peritoneal metastasis (PM) in advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Methods: A total of 167 patients receiving preoperative PET/CT and subsequent surgery were included between November 2006 and September 2020 and were divided into a training and testing cohort. The PM status was confirmed via laparoscopic exploration and postoperative pathology. The PET/CT signatures were constructed by classic radiomic, handcrafted-feature-based model and KSTM self-learning-based model. The clinical nomogram was constructed by independent risk factors for PM. Lastly, the PET/CT signatures, clinical nomogram, and experts' diagnoses were fused using evidential reasoning to establish the MMF model. Results: The MMF model showed excellent performance in both cohorts (area under the curve [AUC] 94.16% and 90.84% in training and testing), and demonstrated better prediction accuracy than clinical nomogram or experts' diagnoses (net reclassification improvement p < 0.05). The MMF model also had satisfactory generalization ability, even in mucinous adenocarcinoma and signet ring cell carcinoma which have poor uptake of 18F-FDG (AUC 97.98% and 89.71% in training and testing). Conclusions: The 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics-based MMF model may have significant clinical implications in predicting PM in AGC, revealing that it is necessary to combine the information from different modalities for comprehensive prediction of PM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

6061 aluminum alloy and 304 stainless steel were joined successfully by thermo-compensated resistance diffusion welding (abbreviated as TC-RDW) technology with Ni interlayer via pre-resistance seam welding (abbreviated as RSW). Experimental results indicated the metallurgical bond between interlayer and steel based on pre-RSW achieved a large-area Al/Ni/steel joint with better interfacial structure by subsequent TC-RBW process. An obvious diffusion layer with the main components of Al solid solution (s.s) was formed between Al alloy and interlayer in the final Al/steel joints. The interfacial structure was changed as follows: Al alloy, diffusion layer, interlayer, and steel. The tensile-shear load of the final Al/Ni/steel welded joint by this method reached 1793.3N, which was more than 3 times higher than that of the Al/steel joint via TC-RBW directly. The specimens mainly fractured at the interface between Al alloy and Ni interlayer after tensile-shear experiments. XRD analysis results confirmed that Al (s.s), Fe (s.s), and Ni (s.s) were generated at the fracture surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To increase the processability and plasticity of the selective laser melting (SLM) fabricated Al–Mn–Mg–Er–Zr alloys, a novel TiB2-modified Al–Mn–Mg–Er–Zr alloy with a mixture of Al–Mn–Mg–Er–Zr and nano-TiB2 powders was fabricated by SLM. The processability, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the alloy were systematically investigated by density measurement, microstructure characterization, and mechanical properties testing. The alloys fabricated at 250 W displayed higher relative densities due to a uniformly smooth top surface and appropriate laser energy input. The maximum relative density value of the alloy reached (99.7 ± 0.1)%, demonstrating good processability. The alloy exhibited a duplex grain microstructure consisting of columnar regions primarily and equiaxed regions with TiB2, Al6Mn, and Al3Er phases distributed along the grain boundaries. After directly aging treatment at a high temperature of 400°C, the strength of the SLM-fabricated TiB2/Al–Mn–Mg–Er–Zr alloy increased due to the precipitation of the secondary Al6Mn phases. The maximum yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the aging alloy were measured to be (374 ± 1) and (512 ± 13) MPa, respectively. The SLM-fabricated TiB2/Al–Mn–Mg–Er–Zr alloy demonstrates exceptional strength and thermal stability due to the synergistic effects of the inhibition of grain growth, the incorporation of TiB2 nanoparticles, and the precipitation of secondary Al6Mn nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three types of steels were designed on the basis of GX40CrNiSi25-12 austenitic heat resistant steel by adding different Mn contents (2wt.%, 6wt.%, and 12wt.%). Thermodynamic calculation, microstructure characterization and mechanical property tests were conducted to investigate the effect of Mn addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the austenitic heat resistant steel. Results show that the matrix structure in all the three types of steels at room temperature is completely austenite. Carbides NbC and M23C6 precipitate at grain boundaries of austenite matrix. With the increase of Mn content, the number of carbides increases and their distribution becomes more uniform. With the Mn content increases from 1.99% to 12.06%, the ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation increase by 14.6%, 8.0% and 46.3%, respectively. The improvement of the mechanical properties of austenitic steels can be explained by utilizing classic theories of alloy strengthening, including solid solution strengthening, precipitation strengthening, and grain refinement. The increase in alloy strength can be attributed to solid solution strengthening and precipitation strengthening caused by the addition of Mn. The improvement of the plasticity of austenitic steels can be explained from two aspects: grain refinement and homogenization of precipitated phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Soil contamination and solid waste accumulation pose significant risks to the safety of agricultural produce and residential areas. In China, coal gangue, a typical form of solid waste, is rich in valuable elements like silicon and aluminum, making it an ideal precursor for the synthesis of zeolite molecular sieves. This study focuses on transforming coal gangue into iron-enhanced X-type zeolite (Fe-NaX) molecular sieve and explores its potential in remediating lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) co-contaminated soil. Methods: Fe-NaX was synthesized from coal gangue in Sichuan using an alkaline melting hydrothermal method. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of Fe-NaX in remediation and assess its ecological risk, soil culture and acid rain leaching experiments were conducted. The microstructures of Fe-NaX were detected to explore its remediation mechanism. Results: The optimal Fe-NaX was synthesized at a 110 °C hydrothermal reaction temperature, a 1.5 mass ratio of NaOH and pretreated coal gangue (PCG), a 2.0 Si/Al molar ratio, and a 3.5 M alkalinity. Fe-NaX demonstrated outstanding performance in remediating Pb and Cd contaminated soil, with immobilizing efficiency for high bioavailability fractions of Pb and Cd at 44.4% and 21.9%, respectively. Even under acid rain stress, Fe-NaX was able to decrease the release of Pb and Cd in the soil by 42.3% and 59.6% respectively, with minimal ecological risk. Conclusion: This study, based on a "solid waste for soil-remediation" strategy, transforms coal gangue into Fe-NaX for use in soil remediation and holds great promise for the contaminated soil remediation and coal gangue comprehensive utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective field theory approach parameterizes the low energy behaviors of all possible ultraviolet (UV) theories in a systematic way. One of the most important tasks is thus to find the connection between the effective operators and their UV origins. The redundancy relations among operators make the connection very subtle, hence we proposed the J-basis prescription to illuminate the correspondence between operators and their UV resonances in the bottom-up way. In this work, we work out the dimension-8 J-basis operators in the standard model effective field theory (SMEFT), and find all the 146 (82) tree-level UV resonances along with their couplings up to mass dimension 5 (4). Furthermore, we point out a few subtleties on operator generation via field redefinition and on the UV Lagrangian for generic spin resonances. We also provide a data base storing our results and a Mathematica notebook for extracting those results for the reader's conveinence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The testosterone undecanoate oil solution is the most widely used injection of testosterone for long-acting effects on the market, whereas the formulation carries the potential risk of causing pulmonary vascular embolism, inflammation, and pain at the injection site. Therefore, a sustained-released long-acting injection of testosterone with strong security is urgently exploited. Herein, a poorly water-soluble testosterone-cholesterol prodrug (TST-Chol) was synthesized by esterification. The water solubility of TST-Chol was decreased by 644 folds in comparison to that of testosterone (TST). Moreover, suspensions of TST and TST-Chol were prepared and analyzed in vitro, utilizing three distinct particle sizes: small-sized nanocrystals (SNCs) measuring 300 nm, medium-sized microcrystals (MMCs) measuring 12 μm, and large-sized microcrystals (LMCs) measuring 20 μm. The findings from the in vitro release study indicated that the sustained release of the drug was significantly influenced by the solubility and particle sizes of the suspension. Notably, the suspensions with low water solubility and larger particle sizes exhibited a more desirable sustained-release effect in vitro. Furthermore, the study on pharmacokinetics exhibited that TST-Chol SNCs produced a sustained TST plasma concentration in vivo for up to 40 days and no obvious pathological changes in lung tissue were found. Our study indicated that solubility and particle sizes of suspensions had made a difference in pharmacokinetics and provided a valuable reference for the advancement of long-acting injections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fundamental research on single-particle breaking and the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of carbonaceous mudstone aggregates at different water contents was carried out to investigate the relationship between the single-particle crushing strength and UCS. Based on elasticity theory and the superposition principle, a shape factor α was introduced to propose a mechanical model of crushing strength that considers the effect of particle shape, and a model was developed to predict the UCS of soil–rock aggregates (SRAs) from the single-particle crushing strength. The test conditions were set to a dry state and a water content of 6–10% according to the water content test results for carbonaceous mudstones with different dimensions. The experimental results reveal that the shape factor α of particles ranges from 0.44 to 1.0 when the crushing strength model is applied considering shape effects. As the water content increases, the crushing strength of the carbonaceous mudstone decreases linearly, the effect of the dimension is significant, and the crushing strength decreases by 7.4% in the dry state and by 41.02% at a water content of 10%. The UCS model considering the single-particle crushing strength accurately reflects the variation of the UCS with the volume block proportion (VBP) and provides a new approach for predicting the UCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a second-order approximation scheme for the space fractional advection–diffusion equations with variable coefficients. This scheme employs the weighted and shifted Grünwald difference formulas to approximate the Riemann–Liouville fractional derivatives and the Crank–Nicolson scheme for the temporal derivative, respectively. The stability and convergence of this approximation scheme are analyzed under certain conditions satisfied by the coefficients. This numerical scheme results in a sequence of nonsymmetric Toeplitz-like linear systems whose coefficient matrix can be written as a sum of an identity matrix and four diagonal-times-Toeplitz matrices. To improve the computational efficiency of the Krylov subspace iteration methods used to solve the scheme, we develop an approximate inverse preconditioner. This preconditioner is based on the inverse of the weighted R. Chan's circulant matrix and the interpolation method. We also demonstrate that the preconditioned matrix can be written as a sum of an identity matrix, a low-rank matrix, and a small-norm matrix, resulting in a clustered spectrum around one. The numerical results demonstrate that the numerical scheme and its approximate inverse preconditioner are robust and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a complete and independent off-shell Green’s basis of the dimension 8 operators in the Standard Model effective field theory (SMEFT). We propose an off-shell amplitude formalism such that this new kind of amplitude has a one-to-one correspondence to general operators carrying all kinds of redundancies. The advantage of such formalism is that all kinds of redundancies can be formulated explicitly in terms of the off-shell spinors and thus be removed systematically from the exhaustive list of the general off-shell amplitudes. Following such procedures, redundant operators can be reduced to the ones with the only redundancy from the equation of motion kept, the Green’s basis. We find there are (993+1649) independent (on-shell + off-shell) operators for one generation of fermions and (44807+66197) ones for three generations at dimension 8. This systematic method can be applied to obtain the Green’s basis at any mass dimension for general EFTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a class of three-by-three block systems of linear equations arising from many practical problems, we develop a multi-parameter dimensional split (MPDS) preconditioner to accelerate the convergence of the Krylov subspace methods. Inasmuch as the preconditioning effect of the MPDS preconditioner depends on the values of its parameters, an effective method for computing the optimal parameters is also proposed. Moreover, the eigenvalue distribution of the preconditioned matrix is carefully analyzed. Numerical examples arising from the discretizations of the Navier–Stokes equations and the partial differential equation (PDE) constraint optimization problems are employed to illustrate the robustness and the efficiency of the MPDS preconditioner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA), a chronic degenerative disease characterized mainly by damage to the articular cartilage, is increasingly relevant to the pathological processes of senescence, apoptosis, autophagy, proliferation, and differentiation of chondrocytes. Clinical strategies for osteoarthritis can only improve symptoms and even along with side effects due to age, sex, disease, and other factors. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new ideas and targets for current clinical treatment. The tumor suppressor gene p53, which has been identified as a potential target for tumor therapeutic intervention, is responsible for the direct induction of the pathological processes involved in OA modulation. Consequently, deciphering the characteristics of p53 in chondrocytes is essential for investigating OA pathogenesis due to p53 regulation in an array of signaling pathways. This review highlights the effects of p53 on senescence, apoptosis, and autophagy of chondrocytes and its role in the development of OA. It also elucidates the underlying mechanism of p53 regulation in OA, which may help provide a novel strategies for the clinical treatment of OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the high cost of raw materials for laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) processed high-performance Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy, a novel Er- and Zr-modified Al-Mn-Mg alloy was fabricated by L-PBF using pre-alloyed powder in this study. The large internal stress and the existence of the keyhole together caused cracks in most of the L-PBF processed samples. The as-built sample exhibited a heterogeneous grain structure, including main columnar α-Al grains in the inner region of the molten pool and a few ultrafine α-Al equiaxed grains at the fusion boundary. Al3Er nanoparticles were attached to the Al6Mn phase, and both mainly precipitated at the grain boundary of α-Al. The existence of Mn in the alloy reduced the grain refining effect of Er elements. The yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation of the as-built alloy were 327 ± 5 MPa, 502 ± 3 MPa, and 12.2 ± 1% respectively. When the aging temperature was over 350 ℃, the primary precipitates in the sample grew up, and needle-shaped secondary Al6Mn nanoparticles precipitated from α-Al. 350 ℃-6 h aging alloy exhibited maximum Vickers hardness of 171 ± 1 HV with YS, UTS and elongation of 339 ± 2 MPa, 508 ± 1 MPa and 8.1 ± 1%, respectively. During the tensile process of the alloy, micro-cracks mainly originated from the fusion boundary. At last, the authors also shared some prospects for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We construct the on-shell amplitude basis and the corresponding effective operators for generic modified gravity theory, such as pure gravity with higher derivatives, scalar-tensor gravity, Einstein-Yang-Mills, etc. Taking the Weyl tensor as the building block, we utilize the Young tensor technique to obtain independent operators, without equation of motion and total derivative redundancies. We update our algorithm and vastly increase the speed for finding the monomial basis (m-basis) of effective operators expressed in terms of Weyl tensors with Lorentz indices, the familiar form for the General Relativity community. Finally, we obtain the complete and independent amplitude and operator basis for GRSMEFT and GRLEFT up to mass dimension 10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positron emission tomography (PET) is a superior method to predict patients' risk of cancer progression and response to specific therapies. However, its performance is limited for neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) and PSMA-low prostate cancer cells, resulting in diagnostic blind spots. Hence, identifying novel specific targets is our aim for diagnosing those prostate cancers with low PSMA expression. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and our cohorts from men with biopsy-proven high-risk metastatic prostate cancer were used to identify CDK19 and PSMA expression. PDX lines neP-09 and P-16 primary cells were used for cellular uptake and imaging mass cytometry in vitro. To evaluate in vivo CDK19-specific uptake of gallium(Ga)-68-IRM-015-DOTA, xenograft mice models and blocking assays were used. PET/CT imaging data were obtained to estimate the absorbed dose in organs. Results: Our study group had reported the overexpression of a novel tissue-specific gene CDK19 in high-risk metastatic prostate cancer and CDK19 expression correlated with metastatic status and tumor staging, independently with PSMA and PSA levels. Following up on this new candidate for use in diagnostics, small molecules targeting CDK19 labeled with Ga-68 (68Ga-IRM-015-DOTA) were used for PET in this study. We found that the 68Ga-IRM-015-DOTA was specificity for prostate cancer cells, but the other cancer cells also took up little 68Ga-IRM-015-DOTA. Importantly, mouse imaging data showed that the NEPC and CRPC xenografts exhibited similar signal strength with 68Ga-IRM-015-DOTA, but 68Ga-PSMA-11 only stained the CRPC xenografts. Furthermore, target specificity was elucidated by a blocking experiment on a CDK19-bearing tumor xenograft. These data concluded that 68Ga-CDK19 PET/CT was an effective technology to detect lesions with or without PSMA in vitro, in vivo, and in the PDX model. Conclusion: Thus, we have generated a novel PET small molecule with predictive value for prostate cancer. The findings indicate that 68Ga-CDK19 may merit further evaluation as a predictive biomarker for PET scans in prospective cohorts and may facilitate the identification of molecular types of prostate cancer independent of PSMA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead (Pb) contamination arising from the production of lead-acid batteries is getting more severe, and research on its treatment technology reflects the increasing concern worldwide. Vermiculite is a mineral with a layered structure, containing hydrated magnesium aluminosilicate and has high porosity and large specific surface area. Vermiculite has the ability of improving soil permeability and water retention performance. However, in recent studies, vermiculite is shown to be less effective than other stabilizing agents in immobilizing heavy metal Pb. Nano-iron-based materials have been widely used to adsorb heavy metals in wastewater. Therefore, vermiculite has been modified with two nano-iron-based materials—nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) and nano-Fe3O4 (nFe3O4) to improve its immobilization effect for the heavy metal lead. SEM and XRD analysis confirmed that nZVI and nFe3O4 were successfully loaded on the raw vermiculite. XPS analysis was applied to further understand the composition of VC@nZVI and VC@nFe3O4. The stability and mobility of nano-iron-based materials were improved after being loaded on raw vermiculite, and the Pb immobilization effect of modified vermiculite on Pb-contaminated soil was evaluated. Adding nZVI-modified vermiculite (VC@nZVI) and nFe3O4-modified vermiculite (VC@nFe3O4) increased the immobilization effect and decreased the bioavailability of Pb. Compared with raw vermiculite, adding VC@nZVI and VC@nFe3O4 increased the amount of exchangeable Pb by 30.8% and 6.17%. After leaching ten times in soil column leaching experiments, the total concentration of Pb in the leachate of the soil with VC@nZVI and VC@nFe3O4 were reduced by 40.67% and 11.47%, compared with raw vermiculite. These results prove that the modification with nano-iron-based materials enhances the immobilization effect of vermiculite, in which the effect of VC@nZVI is significantly better than VC@nFe3O4. Vermiculite was modified with nano-iron-based materials, resulting in a better fixing effect of the modified curing agent. This study provides a new approach for the remediation of Pb-contaminated soil, but further research is needed for soil recovery and utilization of nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northeast China (NEC) is one of the main soybean-producing areas among the northern-latitude regions. Climate warming leads to frequent extreme disasters, and the threat of chilling damage to soybean production in NEC cannot be ignored. The study aimed to construct a dynamic disaster identification index based on the static evaluation of soybean after the disaster, taking into account the process of soybean chilling damage and using the historical disaster records to realize the dynamic prediction and analysis before the disaster. Taking soybean in NEC as the research object, chilling damage indicators of soybeans in NEC were constructed by dividing the mature regions, using daily temperature anomaly and negative temperature anomaly day data with the comprehensive consideration of the chilling damage intensity, duration, and temperature recovery. The results showed that the comprehensive indicators determined by the cumulative value of temperature anomaly—the cumulative days of negative temperature anomaly had better applicability in NEC than the single factor indicator. The indicator results were basically consistent with the historical disaster records, and the accuracy rate of the indicator verification reached 90.9%. Based on the analysis of the constructed indicators, the frequency of delayed chilling damage in NEC showed a fluctuating downward trend from 1961 to 2020. The station ratio of delayed chilling damage in NEC showed a fluctuating downward trend, with the most obvious downward trend occurring for severe damage, followed by moderate damage, and the least obvious trend observed for light damage. The scope of chilling damage gradually narrowed, with the frequency increasing from southeast to northwest. The high-risk areas of chilling damage were concentrated mainly in the northern part of Heilongjiang Province and the East Four Leagues. The risk of chilling damage in most areas of Jilin Province and Liaoning Province was relatively low. The study results provide basic support for the risk research of soybean chilling damage and for ensuring disaster monitoring and early warnings, and the risk assessment based on the chilling damage process has positive significance for adjusting agricultural structure and improving the distribution of soybean varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the limitations of norcantharidin (NCTD) in clinical applications, including restricted tumor accumulation and intense irritation, we have developed a new derivative of NCTD with (S)-1-benzyl-3-pyrrolidinol, which can be actively loaded into liposomes to achieve drug encapsulation and sustained release properties by using pH gradient loading technique. Cytotoxicity tests against cancer cell lines (Hepa 1–6 and 4 T1 cells) have demonstrated that this derivative exhibits comparable activity to NCTD in vitro. The NCTD derivative can be efficiently loaded into liposomes with high encapsulation efficiency (98.7%) and high drug loading (32.86%). Tolerability and antitumor efficacy studies showed that the liposomal NCTD derivative was well tolerated at intravenous injection doses of 3 folds higher than the parent drug solution, while significantly improved anticancer activity in vivo was achieved. This liposomal nanodrug could become a potent and safe NCTD formulation alternative for cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accurate preoperative clinical staging of gastric cancer helps determine therapeutic strategies. However, no multi-category grading models for gastric cancer have been established. This study aimed to develop multi-modal (CT/EHRs) artificial intelligence (AI) models for predicting tumor stages and optimal treatment indication based on preoperative CT images and electronic health records (EHRs) in patients with gastric cancer. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 602 patients with a pathological diagnosis of gastric cancer from Nanfang hospital retrospectively and divided them into training (n = 452) and validation sets (n = 150). A total of 1326 features were extracted of which 1316 radiomic features were extracted from the 3D CT images and 10 clinical parameters were obtained from electronic health records (EHRs). Four multi-layer perceptrons (MLPs) whose input was the combination of radiomic features and clinical parameters were automatically learned with the neural architecture search (NAS) strategy. Results: Two two-layer MLPs identified by NAS approach were employed to predict the stage of the tumor showed greater discrimination with the average ACC value of 0.646 for five T stages, 0.838 for four N stages than traditional methods with ACC of 0.543 (P value = 0.034) and 0.468 (P value = 0.021), respectively. Furthermore, our models reported high prediction accuracy for the indication of endoscopic resection and the preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy with the AUC value of 0.771 and 0.661, respectively. Conclusions: Our multi-modal (CT/EHRs) artificial intelligence models generated with the NAS approach have high accuracy for tumor stage prediction and optimal treatment regimen and timing, which could facilitate radiologists and gastroenterologists to improve diagnosis and treatment efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Overlap guiding tube (OGT)-assisted overlap oesophagojejunostomy (EJS), which was first designed and reported by our team, has shown feasibility. However, its safety and efficiency have not yet been compared with the conventional overlap approach. Methods: We retrospectively analysed the data of 155 gastric/gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) cancer patients who underwent laparoscopic total gastrectomy by conventional (conventional group, n = 83) or OGT-assisted (OGT group, n = 72) overlap methods at Nanfang Hospital. The anastomotic efficiency and surgical outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results: The success rate of inserting an anvil fork into the oesophageal lumen at the first attempt in the OGT group was much higher than in the conventional group (86.7% vs. 97.2%, P = 0.019). Consistently, the duration of EJS (P < 0.001) in the OGT group was significantly shorter than that in the conventional group. Operatively, there was one case in which oesophageal pseudocanals developed; another case was converted to thoracoscopic surgery in the conventional group, but there were no such cases in the OGT group. In terms of postoperative recovery, the OGT group was superior to the conventional group. The incidence of postoperative complications (28.9% vs. 20.8%, P = 0.247) and the classification of complication severity (P = 0.450) were milder in the OGT group, although the difference was not statistically significant. Notably, the conventional group had four cases (4.8%) of oesophagojejunal anastomotic leakage (EJAL) and one case (1.2%) of anastomotic stenosis. In the OGT group, two patients (2.8%) developed EJAL, but none developed anastomotic stenosis or anastomotic bleeding. Neither group had any cases of unplanned secondary surgery or perioperative deaths. Conclusions: The OGT-assisted method reduced the surgical difficulty of overlap EJS with good safety. This study provides new perspectives for optimizing EJS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We enumerate the complete and independent sets of operators at the next-to-leading order (NLO) in the Higgs effective field theory (HEFT), based on the Young tensor technique on the Lorentz, gauge, and flavor structures. The operator-amplitude correspondence tells a type of operator forms the on-shell amplitude basis, and for operators involved in Nambu-Goldstone bosons, the amplitude basis is further reduced to the subspace satisfying the Adler zero condition in the soft momentum limit. Different from dynamical fields, the spurion should not enter into the Lorentz sector, instead, it only plays the role of forming the SU(2) invariant together with other dynamical fields. With these new treatments, for the first time, we could obtain the 224 (7704) operators for one (three) generation fermions, 295 (11307) with right-handed neutrinos, and find there were 8 (11) terms of operators missing and many redundant operators can be removed in the effective theory without (with) right-handed neutrinos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latuda® is an oral tablet approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of schizophrenia. However, the clinical efficacy of Latuda® is compromised by patient noncompliance due to frequent daily administration, especially for patients experiencing severe schizophrenia, whose medication is often needed for several months to years. Hence, developing a long-acting injectable formulation of lurasidone is urgently needed. Herein, a poorly water-soluble lurasidone pamoate (LP) salt was synthesized via the facile ion pair-based salt formation technology. The solubility of LP was decreased by 233 folds compared with that of lurasidone hydrochloride (LH). Furthermore, suspensions of LH and LP with three different particle sizes, including 400 nm small-sized nanocrystals (SNCs), 4 μm medium-sized microcrystals (MMCs), and 15 μm large-sized microcrystals (LMCs) were prepared and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The in vitro release results showed that particle sizes had great effects on the sustained release of LH, where large-sized particles exhibited superior sustained release than the smaller ones. Besides, LP suspensions exhibited better sustained release than LH suspensions at the same size scale. Moreover, the pharmacokinetics showed that LP LMCs produced an extended in vivo intramuscularly injectable profile for up to 45 days, which was 10 days longer than that of the LH LMCs. Our findings demonstrated that particle size had appreciable impacts on drug sustained release and provided valuable knowledge for the rational design of optimized micronized suspensions for long-acting injectables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Phytoremediation is a cost-effective and environment-friendly method to remove heavy metals from soils, but there is a bottleneck with the low solubility and bioavailability of metals. To overcome this barrier, tea saponin (Ts) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) were used to enhance the extraction efficiency of hyperaccumulator dandelion from Cd-contaminated soils. Material and methods: Cd-tolerant PGPR were isolated and inoculated in soils cultivated with dandelion, while Ts was spiked at optimal dosage to assess the potential of dandelion-PGPR-Ts combined remediation of Cd-contaminated soils. The controlled experiment was divided into five treatments, including CK (soil), D (dandelion + soil), TD (Ts + dandelion + soil), PD (PGPR + dandelion + soil), and PTD (PGPR + Ts + dandelion + soil) treatments. Plant growth and physiological properties, and Cd accumulation were determined. The speciation of soil Cd were extracted by BCR. Additionally, rhizosphere soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities were measured, and a high-throughput sequencing technique was used to analyze microbial community structure. Results and discussion: The results showed that the combination of Ts and PGPR significantly increased the seed germination rate and biomass of dandelion by improving nutrient supply, soil enzyme activities, and plant antioxidant enzyme activities, with 425.74% and 430.01% increase in shoot and root biomass, respectively. The PGPR and Ts increased dandelion's phytoextraction of Cd up to 11.3-fold, and the effect of Ts on the activation dynamics of Cd speciation was observed with a 10.94% increase in the weak acid soluble fraction and a 21.98% decrease in the residual fraction of Cd. Moreover, the PGPR inoculation significantly increased the abundance of Actinobacteria and Gemmatimonadota that were considered to be metal-resistant bacteria. Conclusion: Planting dandelion with the application of Ts and PGPR not only increased the biomass of dandelion by improving rhizosphere soil nutrition and microecology but also promoted the mobility and bioavailability of Cd, which enhanced the extraction efficiency of hyperaccumulators. These results reveal a cutting-edge application of phytoremediation assisted by biosurfactants and microbes for Cd-contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, we list the complete and independent set of operators at the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) in the Higgs effective field theory (HEFT). The Young tensor technique utilized in this work guarantees the completeness and independence of the on-shell amplitude basis while the Adler zero condition imposes non-linear symmetry on the Nambu-Goldstone bosons that play the central role in the chiral Lagrangian. The spurion fields are incorporated into the gauge structure of operators following the Littlewood-Richardson rule to accommodate custodial symmetry breaking. We construct 11506 (1927574) NNLO operators for one (three) flavor of fermions for the electroweak chiral Lagrangian with the light Higgs, and enumerate 8065(1179181) operators for one (three) flavor of fermions when the right-handed neutrino is absent by Hilbert series technique. Below the electroweak symmetry breaking scale, the dimension-8 standard model effective field theory (SMEFT) operators could be matched to these HEFT operators at both the NLO and NNLO orders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of Al/steel joints with a certain area obtained by resistance seam-assisted thermo-compensated resistance brazing welding, including the pre-consolidation by RSW and the subsequent RBW, with different interlayers were investigated. The results indicated that due to the high melting point of Ni interlayer, the effective connection Al/steel weld was a failure by the single RBW with Ni interlayer or "Ni + Zn" composite interlayers. The pre-metallurgical bonding between interlayer and steel by traditional RSW could obtain a complete Al/steel weld by subsequent RBW. The Al/Ni + Zn/steel joints were obtained successfully and the interfacial structure of the final joints was transformed into as follows: Al alloy, reaction zone, Ni interlayer, and 304ss due to the addition of Zn foil with a low melting point. The main components of the reaction area were Al(s.s) and Al-Ni IMCs. Few Zn element was found at the interface due to the pre-consolidation. The joint performance of the final Al/Ni + Zn/steel joints was the highest and reached 2202.3 N, which was 3.77 times higher than that of the original joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffuse aurora at the Earth's high latitude regions is mainly caused by the low-energy (0.1–30 keV) electron precipitation which carries the major energy flux into the nightside upper atmosphere. Previous studies have demonstrated that combined scattering by the upper- and lower- band chorus waves acts as the dominant cause of diffuse auroral precipitation, but that is not necessarily the case as these two types of waves do not always occur simultaneously, with the lower-band more often. Here we report that the lower-band chorus satisfying the preferred condition can generate their second harmonics so as to trigger the diffuse auroral electron precipitation. We find that the lower-band chorus alone can only cause the precipitation of electrons greater than 4 keV, while the self-consistently generated second harmonic is weak but still able to result in the electron precipitation below 4 keV. The combined effect of those modes results in the observed pancake electron distributions and the diffuse aurora. Our results clearly demonstrate an alternative but universal mechanism of chorus-driven diffuse aurora in the Earth, which may also apply to the auroral formation in other planetary magnetospheres. Scattering by the upper- and lower-band chorus waves are the dominant cause of diffuse auroral precipitation. Here, the authors show that the lower-band chorus alone satisfies the preferred condition for the generation of second harmonics to trigger the diffuse auroral electron precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Panzhihua, China, ranks third in the world in vanadium (V) and titanium (Ti) resources reserves. Due to the development and utilization of vanadium, vanadium enters the surrounding soil and groundwater, affecting the ecological environment and human health. In this study, humin (HM) was extracted from peat soil and modified with iron-based materials to get Fe-HM (Fe(NO3)3 and FeSO4). The properties of Fe-HM characterized by EA, NMR, SEM, EDS, BET, and FTIR showed larger specific surfaces and more oxygen-containing groups. Then, Fe-HM was applied to V-contaminated soil to investigate its immobilization effect. Applying HM/Fe-HM to vanadium-contaminated soils can alter soil properties, reduce the bioavailability of vanadium (23.5% to 21.0%(HM), 17.0% (Fe(NO3)3-HM), and 17.7%(FeSO4-HM)), and improve immobilization efficiency (40.0%(HM), 79.2%(Fe(NO3)3-HM), and 75.9%(FeSO4-HM)), thus achieving the aim of remediating vanadium-contaminated soils and reducing the risk of vanadium to the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast augmentation is one of the most demanded procedures in plastic surgery and one of the most commonly performed by plastic surgeons. However, a bibliometric analysis of breast augmentation has not been published in recent years. The current study aimed to use a bibliometric analysis to conduct a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of breast augmentation research and provide the research trends and hotspots in this field. Methods: Publications on breast augmentation research were extracted from the Web of Science core collection database. VOSviewer 1.6.18 was used to assess co-authorship, co-occurrence, citation of countries, institutions, authors, and journals, as well as hotspot keywords. Results: On February 8, 2022, 4637 records of breast augmentation research published from 1985 to 2021 were collected. The bulk of the retrieved studies were original research articles (n = 2235, 48.20%). A total of 1053 (22.71%) papers were open access. The annual publication output increased annually. The USA was the driving force in this field and had a strong academic reputation. The top-contributing institution was the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (2.37%, with 110 publications). Plastic and reconstructive surgery (998 publications, 21.52%) published the most research in this field and was also the most frequently co-cited journal (22,351 citations, total link strength (TLS): 409,301). Clemens MW (68 publications, 1.47%) was the most prolific author, and Spear SL (1456 citations, TLS: 27,231) was the most frequently co-cited author. The research hotspots included the following four aspects: safety and effectiveness of breast implants, implant-based breast reconstruction, breast cancer incidence after breast implantation, and breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). The research trends were BIA-ALCL, implant-based breast reconstruction, BREAST-Q, acellular dermal matrix, capsular contracture, and autologous fat grafting. Conclusion: The present study provides a panoramic view of breast augmentation research in plastic and reconstructive surgery. This novel comprehensive bibliometric analysis can help researchers and nonresearchers alike to rapidly identify the potential partners, research hotspots, and research trends within their areas of interest. 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]

Background: Rhinoplasty is one of the most commonly performed aesthetic surgical procedures. The current study aimed to use bibliometric analysis to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate rhinoplasty research and determine the research trends and hotspots in this field. Methods: Publications on rhinoplasty research were extracted from the web of science core collection database. VOSviewer1.6.18 was used to analyze the co-authorship, co-occurrence, the citations of countries, institutions, authors, and hotspot keywords, and the journals in which the studies were published. Results: On April 8, 2022, 11,130 records of rhinoplasty research published between 1945 and 2021 were collected. Most of the retrieved studies were original research articles (n = 8309, 74.65%), and 1950 (17.52%) papers were available in an open-access format. The annual publication output increased annually. Research groups in the USA were the main contributors and had a strong academic reputation in this field. University of California System was the institution with the greatest contribution (4.17%, with 464 publications). Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (1248 publications, 11.21%) published the most research in this field and was also the most frequently co-cited journal (33,894 citations, total link strength [TLS]: 722,672). R. J. Rohrich (140 publications) was the most prolific author and the most frequently co-cited author (2562 citations, TLS: 56,624). The following rhinoplasty research hotspots were identified: cleft rhinoplasty, nasal reconstruction, nasal tip, revision rhinoplasty, septorhinoplasty, nasal prosthesis, hyaluronic acid, and preservation rhinoplasty. Conclusion: Our results provide a general overview of the major directions in rhinoplasty research. Preservation rhinoplasty, rib graft, nonsurgical rhinoplasty, hyaluronic acid, FACE-Q, fillers, and three-dimensional technology may be future research hotspots. Level of Evidence V: 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]

The standard model effective field theory (SMEFT) provides systematic parameterization of all possible new physics above the electroweak scale. According to the amplitude-operator correspondence, an effective operator can be decomposed into a linear combination of several j-basis operators, which correspond to local amplitudes carrying certain spin and gauge quantum numbers in a particular scattering channel. Based on the Poincare and gauge symmetries of scattering amplitude, we construct the j-basis using the Casimir method for both the Lorentz and gauge sectors. The quantum numbers of the j-basis operators fix the quantum numbers of any intermediate state in the corresponding amplitudes, such as a UV resonance. This can be re-interpreted as the j-basis/UV correspondence, thus obtaining the j-bases in all partitions of fields for an operator amounts to finding all of its UV origins at tree level, constituting the central part of the bottom-up EFT framework. Applying the j-basis analysis to SMEFT, we obtain a complete list of possible tree-level UV origins of the effective operators at the dimension 5, 6, 7, and all the bosonic operators at dimension 8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are commonly associated with myeloid malignancies. The association between lymphoblastic leukemia and pDCs has been little explored. Case presentation: Here, we report a novel case of early T-cell precursor lymphoblastic leukemia (ETP-ALL) accompanied by prominent proliferation of blastic pDCs mimicking BPDCN. The diagnosis was established based on a comprehensive analysis of morphology, immunophenotype and clinical implications. We also present a literature review and discussion on the differential expression of reactive and neoplastic pDCs, the functional role of pDCs in lymphoblastic leukemia, and the etiological association of normal pDCs and BPDCN. Conclusions: The current case demonstrates for the first time that prominent pDC proliferation can be associated with lymphoid neoplasms and can exhibit blastic morphology and immunophenotype. The underlying mechanism of the coexistence of these two blastic populations remains unknown. Further genetic profiling may be required to denote the progressive development of tumor stem cells to the lymphoid, myeloid or dendritic cell lineage. Moreover, the prognostic value of pDCs in hematological neoplasms needs further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speeding up the transmission of information carried by waves is of fundamental interest for wave physics, with pivotal significance for underwater communications. To overcome the current limitations in information transfer capacity, here we propose and experimentally validate a mechanism using multipath sound twisting to realize real-time high-capacity communication free of signal-processing or sensor-scanning. The undesired channel crosstalk, conventionally reduced via time-consuming postprocessing, is virtually suppressed by using a metamaterial layer as purely-passive demultiplexer with high spatial selectivity. Furthermore, the compactness of system ensures high information density crucial for acoustics-based applications. A distinct example of complicated image transmission is experimentally demonstrated, showing as many independent channels as the path number multiplied by vortex mode number and an extremely-low bit error rate nearly 1/10 of the forward error correction limit. Our strategy opens an avenue to metamaterial-based high-capacity communication paradigm compatible with the conventional multiplexing mechanisms, with far-reaching impact on acoustics and other domains. Here, the authors demonstrate multipath twisting of acoustic waves with a thin metamaterial layer enabling high-speed transfer of information with no time-consuming post-processing or sensor scanning, showing important application potential in underwater communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the functional method, one-loop matching of the type-I, -II and -III see-saw models are investigated and the results are presented in both the Green's and the Warsaw bases. Although these models generate the same dimension-5 Weinberg operator, they could induce quite different types of dimension-6 effective operators that can be utilized for model discrimination. We also find the threshold effects from one-loop matching could be significant, which turn out to allow triggering electroweak symmetry breaking radiatively in type-II seesaw while forbid that in type-I/-III models. An analytical criterion for such radiative symmetry breaking is also derived in type-II seesaw. Finally, we investigate the indirect signatures from different types of dimension-6 operators at high-energy colliders, low-energy precision experiments and forward physics facilities for model discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to control the effects of different tillage and straw returning methods on the temporal and spatial changes of soil moisture, photosynthetic characteristics of maize leaves, maize yield and water use efficiency, and to provide the basis for the cultivation mode of maize yield increase, water efficiency and soil sustainable utilization in semi-humid area. The spatial and temporal changes of soil moisture, leaf photosynthetic characteristics, maize yield and water use efficiency (WUE) were studied under four treatments, rotary cultivation and ridging of straws (CK), full amount and deep turning of straw back to the field (SP), no till straw smashed in full amount, covering and returning to the field (SC) and straw mulching and mechanical deep loosening (SS). The spatial and temporal dynamics of soil water storage showed a single peak curve in 2018 and a double peak curve in 2019. Soil water storage increased with the increase of soil depth. The soil water storage of SC and SS treatments were significantly higher than that of SP and CK treatments in the range of 0–60 cm. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), intercellular carbon dioxide concentration (Ci) and transpiration rate (Tr) of maize leaves of SP, SC and SS treatments were significantly increased compared with CK treatment in 2018 and 2019, the Pn, Gs, Ci and Tr of SP and SC treatments were significantly lower than those of SS treatment. The stomatal limitation percentage (Ls) of SS treatment was significantly decreased compared with CK, SP and SC treatments. The yield of SS treatment increased by 13.88% and 14.82% in 2018 and 2019, SP treatment increased by 7.59% and 9.12%, SC treatment increased by 7.42% and 8.5%, respectively, compared with CK treatment. The water use efficiency (WUE) of SS treatment increased by 13.89% and 9.80% in 2018 and 2019, SP treatment increased by 6.36% and 6.02%, SC treatment increased by 5.77% and 3.92%, respectively. Straw returning reduced soil water evaporation, increased soil water storage, promoted maize photosynthesis and dry matter accumulation, and significantly increased maize yield and water use efficiency. Straw mulching subsoiling is more suitable for drought resistance, yield increase and water efficient cultivation technology mode of maize in rain fed agricultural area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is associated with tumor prognosis and immunotherapy response. Here we develop and validate a CT-based radiomics score (RS) using 2272 gastric cancer (GC) patients to investigate the relationship between the radiomics imaging biomarker and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the TIME, including its correlation with prognosis and immunotherapy response in advanced GC. The RS achieves an AUC of 0.795–0.861 in predicting the NLR in the TIME. Notably, the radiomics imaging biomarker is indistinguishable from the IHC-derived NLR status in predicting DFS and OS in each cohort (HR range: 1.694–3.394, P < 0.001). We find the objective responses of a cohort of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy patients is significantly higher in the low-RS group (60.9% and 42.9%) than in the high-RS group (8.1% and 14.3%). The radiomics imaging biomarker is a noninvasive method to evaluate TIME, and may correlate with prognosis and anti PD-1 immunotherapy response in GC patients. Tumour microenvironment has been linked with immunotherapy response in gastric cancer. Here, the authors use CT-based radiomics to predict neutrophils-to-lymphocyte ratio and response to immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Soil organic matter pollution is a serious threat to the human living environment. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of MIL-101(Fe)/g-C3N4 catalyzed peroxynitrite degradation of 2-chlorophenol in soil and to analyze the reaction mechanism and further to explore the optimal parameters of this reaction system with utilizing the mathematical model. Methods: MIL-101(Fe)/g-C3N4 was successfully obtained by hydrothermal synthesis method by growing MIL-101(Fe) on the surface of g-C3N4 to catalyze the degradation of 2-CP (2-chlorophenol) in soil by sodium persulfate. The influence factors on the removal rate of 2-CP were analyzed by the response surface methodology (RSM) and combined with theoretical calculations. RSM can be used to model continuous variable surfaces with less data and determine the optimal level range. Results: MIL-101(Fe)/g-C3N4 had a good catalytic performance due to its good catalytic properties and the adsorption of g-C3N4 on 2-CP in the system and made the best removal rate of 2-CP increase to 91.2%. The correlation of model fitting results was significant, and the verification of its optimal parameters yielded results with an error of only 4.1%. Conclusion: Further studies revealed that SO4•− and •OH were the reactive radicals, and SO4•− was the dominant, which impelled Fe2+ and Fe3+ to interconvert in the complex system. Possible degradation pathways were derived by analyzing the intermediates. Generally, this experiment provides some ideas for future research of MOFs in soil organic pollutant removal systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor hypoxia is one of the major factors restricting the photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficacy. To address this problem, we designed an arginine-peptide complex, namely Fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-Leucine-Leucine-Leucine-Arginine-OH (Fmoc-L3-Arg), which is able to co-assemble with 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis (4-hydroxyphenyl) porphyrin (THPP) into stable nanoparticles (NPs) with uniform and spherical shapes. The THPP/Fomc-L3-Arg NPs were ultra-sensitive to tumorous acidic and oxidative conditions, and could rapidly release photosensitizers in tumor cells. Meanwhile, the co-loaded Fmoc-L3-Arg could efficiently generate nitric oxide (NO), inhibiting mitochondrial cellular respiration and increasing oxygen in tumor cells to support the profound improvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) yield and PDT efficacy. After intravenous injection, the THPP/Fomc-L3-Arg NPs greatly accumulated at tumor tissue and significantly inhibited tumor growth upon irradiation. In conclusion, such an arginine-peptide complex-based nanoassembly addresses the inevitable problem of hypoxia-induced tumor resistance to PDT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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To improve the performance of block triangular (BT) preconditioner, we develop a two-parameter BT (TPBT) preconditioner for a double saddle point problem arising from liquid crystal directors modeling. Theoretical analysis shows that all the eigenvalues of the TPBT preconditioned coefficient matrix are real and located in an interval (0, 2) no matter which value the spectral radius of matrix D− 1CA− 1CT is chosen. Moreover, an upper bound of the degree of the minimal polynomial of the TPBT preconditioned coefficient matrix is also obtained. Inasmuch as the efficiency of the TPBT preconditioner depends on the values of its parameters, we further derive a class of fast and effective formulas to compute the quasi-optimal values of the parameters involved in the TPBT preconditioner. Finally, numerical results are reported to illustrate the feasibility and the efficiency of the TPBT preconditioner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The effect of paraspinal muscles atrophy and fat infiltration (FI) on the complications of spinal surgery has not been established. Methods: A review of the literature was conducted from a search of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases from inception through January 2021. The literature was searched and assessed by independent reviewers based on criteria that included an assessment of preoperative paraspinal muscle morphology in addition to measuring its relationship to surgical complications. All relevant papers were assessed for risk of bias according to the modified Newcastle Ottawa Scale and the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools. A narrative synthesis was conducted. Results: The initial search yielded 5632 studies, of which 16 studies were included in the analysis. All included studies were at a low risk of bias. There existed strong evidence that the atrophy and FI of paraspinal muscles had an association with the development of bone nonunion (two high quality studies), pedicle screw loosening (two high quality studies), adjacent segment degeneration (three high quality studies) and proximal junctional kyphosis (five high quality studies) after lumbar surgery. Besides, there is also limited evidence for association between atrophy and FI of paraspinal extensor muscles and less local and global curve improvement. Conclusions: Strong evidence was found for an association between preoperative paraspinal muscle degeneration and multiple postoperative complications after lumbar surgery. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due to the small quantity of the available literature and high heterogeneity among studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To realize first-order electroweak phase transition, it is necessary to generate a barrier in the thermal Higgs potential, which is usually triggered by scalar degree of freedom. We instead investigate phase transition patterns in pure fermion extensions of the standard model, and find that additional fermions with mass hierarchy and mixing could develop such a barrier and realize a strongly first-order phase transition in such models. In the Higgs potential with polynomial parametrization, the barrier can be generated in the following two patterns by fermionic reduction effects: (I) positive quadratic term, negative cubic term and positive quartic term or (II) positive quadratic term, negative quartic term and positive higher dimensional term, such as dimensional 6 operator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, heterojunction photocatalytic materials have received more and more attention. Ball milling and microwave–assisted heating were used in this work to prepare the g–C3N4/TiO2 heterojunction photocatalytic nanocomposites with different g–C3N4/TiO2 mass ratios (0.5:1, 1:1, 2.5:1, 5:1, 10:1, 20:1, 30:1, and 40:1, labeled as TCN–1, TCN–2, TCN–3, TCN–4, TCN–5, TCN–6, TCN–7, and TCN–8, respectively). The crystal structure, morphology, and optical properties of the samples were characterized by various analytical techniques. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation efficiency of Rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) under visible light and UV irradiation. After 120 min at visible light illumination, TCN–7 had the best degradation efficiency with 99.41% for RhB and 91.75% for MB, whereas after 120 min at UV light illumination, TCN–7 exhibited the best degradation effect, and the efficiency reached at 48.66% for RhB and 71.64% for MB, respectively. The analysis of crystal structure of the as–prepared TCN samples confirmed that TCN–7 has a good crystallinity, which is facilitated for photocatalytic activity. In photocatalytic reactions, superoxide radical (·O2−), hydroxyl radical (·OH), and hole (h+) are recognized as the main active groups, and ·O2– plays the main role for TCN–7 in the photocatalytic reaction system for the degradation of RhB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a transcriptionally governed process by which cancer cells establish a front-rear polarity axis that facilitates motility and invasion. Dynamic assembly of focal adhesions and other actin-based cytoskeletal structures on the leading edge of motile cells requires precise spatial and temporal control of protein trafficking. Yet, the way in which EMT-activating transcriptional programs interface with vesicular trafficking networks that effect cell polarity change remains unclear. Here, by utilizing multiple approaches to assess vesicular transport dynamics through endocytic recycling and retrograde trafficking pathways in lung adenocarcinoma cells at distinct positions on the EMT spectrum, we find that the EMT-activating transcription factor ZEB1 accelerates endocytosis and intracellular trafficking of plasma membrane-bound proteins. ZEB1 drives turnover of the MET receptor tyrosine kinase by hastening receptor endocytosis and transport to the lysosomal compartment for degradation. ZEB1 relieves a plus-end-directed microtubule-dependent kinesin motor protein (KIF13A) and a clathrin-associated adaptor protein complex subunit (AP1S2) from microRNA-dependent silencing, thereby accelerating cargo transport through the endocytic recycling and retrograde vesicular pathways, respectively. Depletion of KIF13A or AP1S2 mitigates ZEB1-dependent focal adhesion dynamics, front-rear axis polarization, and cancer cell motility. Thus, ZEB1-dependent transcriptional networks govern vesicular trafficking dynamics to effect cell polarity change. The way in which metastatic tumour cells control endocytic vesicular trafficking networks to establish a front-rear polarity axis that facilitates motility remains unclear. Here, the authors show that the EMT activator ZEB1 influences vesicular trafficking dynamics to execute cell polarity change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]