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Abstract Background Glucagon‐like peptide 1 receptor agonists have been shown to reduce all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The probable increase in heart rate hinders its early usage in acute myocardial infarction patients. In our study, we aimed to find out whether the use of liraglutide in patients with acute myocardial infarction as early as at the time of hospitalization would increase the heart rate. Methods This was an observational retrospective study. From December 2020 to August 2021, 200 patients with acute myocardial infarction were included in our study and divided into three groups: T2DM + liraglutide group (n = 46), T2DM + non‐liraglutide group (n = 42), and non‐T2DM group (n = 112). The primary outcomes were the differences in heart rate. Secondary outcomes were differences in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Results There were no significant differences in heart rate among the three groups at admission, the day before the first shot of liraglutide, and before discharge. There was also no significant difference in heart rate between diabetic patients with acute myocardial infarction and those on liraglutide during the hospital stay. And there were no differences of beta‐blocker dosages among the three groups. Liraglutide did not affect the blood pressure during acute myocardial infarction. Conclusions Liraglutide did not increase the heart rate in diabetic patients during acute myocardial infarction and did not lead to an increase in the dose of beta‐blockers in the patients. It also had no effect on blood pressure and showed better efficacy in lowering glucose levels without additional hypoglycemic events.

Abstract Background Tumor regression grade (TRG) is a measure of histopathological response to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). Post‐therapy lymph node (ypN) metastasis was reported as a prognostic factor. However, the evaluation of the treatment effectiveness of NAT has not been well studied. Here, we explored whether TRG combined with ypN status could be a prognostic factor for gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) and gastric cancer (GC). Besides, we aimed at making clear the association of different neoadjuvant regimens with different TRG and ypN status. Methods 376 patients with GEJ or GC accepting NAT in Peking University Cancer Hospital were retrospectively collected from January 1, 2003 to June 30, 2021. According to TRG and ypN status, patients were innovatively categorized into four groups: TRG0N0, TRG1‐3N0, TRG0‐1N+, and TRG2‐3N+. We applied Kaplan–Meier method and log‐rank test to testify the differences in disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) among four groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine the relationships between TRG combined with ypN status and prognosis. Results We observed significant survival differences among the four groups (p

Abstract Background Immune cell heterogenicity is known to determine the therapeutic response to cancer progression. Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (NACI) has shown clinical benefits in some patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but the underlying mechanism behind this clinical response is unknown. The efficacy of NACI needs to be potentiated by identifying accurate biomarkers to predict clinical responses. Here, we attempted to identify molecules predicting NACI response in advanced HNSCC. Methods We performed combined single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) and multiplex immunofluorescence (mIHC) staining with tumor samples derived from NACI‐treated HNSCC patients to identify a new tumor‐infiltrating cell (TIL) subtype, CD103+CD8+ TILs, associated with clinical response, while both in vitro and in vivo assays were carried out to determine its antitumor efficiency. The regulatory mechanism of the CD103+CD8+ TILs population was examined by performing cell‐cell interaction analysis of the scRNA‐seq data and spatial analysis of the mIHC images. Results We established intratumoral CD103+CD8+ TILs density as a determinant of NACI efficacy in cancers. Our scRNA‐seq results indicated that the population of CD103+CD8+ TILs was dramatically increased in the responders of NACI‐treated HNSCC patients, while mIHC analysis confirmed the correlation between intratumoral CD103+CD8+ TILs density and NACI efficacy in HNSCC patients. Further receiver operating characteristic curve analysis defined this TIL subset as a potent marker to predict patient response to NACI. Functional assays showed that CD103+CD8+ TILs were tumor‐reactive T cells, while programmed cell death protein‐1 (PD‐1) blockade enhanced CD103+CD8+ TILs cytotoxicity against tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, targeting the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2‐positive (TREM2+) macrophages might enhance the population of CD103+CD8+ TILs and facilitate antitumor immunity during NACI treatment. Conclusions Our study highlights the impact of intratumoral CD103+CD8+ TILs density on NACI efficacy in different cancers, while the efforts to elevate its population warrant further clinical investigation.

Abstract Background The intra‐ and inter‐tumoral heterogeneity of gliomas and the complex tumor microenvironment make accurate treatment of gliomas challenging. At present, research on gliomas mainly relies on cell lines, stem cell tumor spheres, and xenotransplantation models. The similarity between traditional tumor models and patients with glioma is very low. Aims In this study, we aimed to address the limitations of traditional tumor models by generating patient‐derived glioma organoids using two methods that summarized the cell diversity, histological features, gene expression, and mutant profiles of their respective parent tumors and assess the feasibility of organoids for personalized treatment. Materials and Methods We compared the organoids generated using two methods through growth analysis, immunohistological analysis, genetic testing, and the establishment of xenograft models. Results Both types of organoids exhibited rapid infiltration when transplanted into the brains of adult immunodeficient mice. However, organoids formed using the microtumor method demonstrated more similar cellular characteristics and tissue structures to the parent tumors. Furthermore, the microtumor method allowed for faster culture times and more convenient operational procedures compared to the Matrigel method. Discussion Patient‐derived glioma organoids, especially those generated through the microtumor method, present a promising avenue for personalized treatment strategies. Their capacity to faithfully mimic the cellular and molecular characteristics of gliomas provides a valuable platform for elucidating tumor biology and evaluating therapeutic modalities. Conclusion The success rates of the Matrigel and microtumor methods were 45.5% and 60.5%, respectively. The microtumor method had a higher success rate, shorter establishment time, more convenient passage and cryopreservation methods, better simulation of the cellular and histological characteristics of the parent tumor, and a high genetic guarantee.

Abstract Objective Buccal mucosa cancer (BMC) is one of the most common oral cancers and has poor prognosis. The study aimed to develop and validate nomograms for predicting the 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year overall survival (OS) and cancer‐specific survival (CSS) of BMC patients. Methods We collected and reviewed information on BMC patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2019 from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database. Two nomograms were developed and validated to predict the OS and CSS based on predictors identified by univariate and multivariate Cox regression. An extra external validation was further performed using data from Sun Yat‐sen Memorial Hospital (SYSMH). Results A total of 3154 BMC patients included in this study were randomly assigned to training and validation groups in a 2:1 ratio. Independent prognostic predictors were identified, confirmed, and fitted into nomograms for OS and CSS, respectively. The C‐indices are 0.767 (Training group OS), 0.801 (Training group CSS), 0.763 (Validation group OS), and 0.781 (Validation group OS), respectively. Moreover, the nomograms exhibited remarkable precision in forecasting and significant clinical significance, as evidenced by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analyses (DCA). The final validation using our data from SYSMH also showed high accuracy and substantial clinical benefits within the nomograms. The C‐indices are 0.849 (SYSMH group OS) and 0.916 (SYSMH group CSS). These indexes are better than tumor, node, and metastasis stage based on prediction results. Conclusions The nomograms developed with great performance predicted 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year OS and CSS of BMC patients. Use of the nomograms in clinical practices shall bring significant benefits to BMC patients.

Abstract Reverse circulation (RC) drilling technology enables the rapid acquisition of coal seam samples, which is crucial in accurately measuring gas content. In addition, the design of the drill bit plays a key role in RC sampling. In this study, the turbulence model and simulation method applied during the RC drilling process is analyzed, and an annular jet flow bit is developed. An experimental laboratory setup is used to simulate the RC performance of the proposed drill bit, based on which an orthogonal design simulation of the structural parameters of the drilling bit studies was performed to investigate the effects of the RC drilling process. The experimental results show that annular jet flow moving up the central channel wall of the bit is conducive to the suction of annular airflow and results in the strong flow field created by the center channel of the bit generating negative pressure in the center channel of the bit, a comparison of the computational fluid dynamics data on negative pressure and suction rate shows that the annular jet flow RC bit is suitable for use in RC drilling.

Abstract Background Although endoscopic screening for esophageal cancer has been performed in high‐risk areas in China for decades, there is limited and inconsistent evidence regarding the starting age for individuals participating in screening. The aim of this study is to investigate the optimal starting age of esophageal cancer screening. Methods This study is based on a multicenter prospective cohort consisting 338,017 permanent residents aged 40–69 years in six high‐risk areas of esophageal cancer in China. The participation rate, detection rate, hazard ratios (HRs), cumulative incidence and mortality and number needed to screen (NNS) were calculated in each age group. Screening burden, benefit and risk were compared among screening strategies with different initiation ages to explore the optimal starting age for population‐based screening in high‐risk areas. Results Individuals aged 50–69 had a higher participation rate, a higher detection rate and improved screening effectiveness than those aged 40–49. The endoscopic screening had no significant effect on reducing the incidence of esophageal cancer in individuals under 55 and mortality in individuals under 45. Increasing the starting age to 50 years reduced the screening demand and NNS by 40% and 55%, and resulted in 12% of detectable positive cases, 16% of preventable incident cases, and 14% of preventable deaths being missed. Conclusions Postponing the starting age of endoscopic screening to 50 years might yield a more‐favorable balance between screening benefit and burden in high‐ risk areas with limited resources.

Objective At present, it is still uncertain whether single screw has the same stability as double screws in the treatment of ulnar coronal process basal fracture (Regan–Morry type III). So, we aimed to compare the pull‐out force and anti‐rotation torque of anterior single/double screw‐cancellous bone fixation (aSSBF, aDSBF) in this fracture, and further study the influencing factors on anatomical and biomechanical stability of smart screw internal fixations. Methods A total of 63 adult volunteers with no history of elbow injury underwent elbow CT scanning with associated three‐dimensional reconstruction that enabled the measurements of bone density and fixed length of the proximal ulna and coronoid. The models of coronal process basal fracture, aSSBF and aDSBF, were developed and validated. Using the finite element model test, the sensitivity analysis of pull‐out force and rotational torque was carried out. Results The pull‐out force of aSSBF model was positively correlated with the density of the cancellous bone and linearly related to the fixed depth of the screw. The load pattern of pull‐out force of aDSBF model was similar to that of aSSBF model. The ultimate torque of aDSBF model was higher than that of aSSBF model, but the load pattern of ultimate torque of both models was similar to each other when the fracture reset was satisfactory, and the screw nut attaches closely to coronoid process. Moreover, with enhancement of initial pre‐tightening force, the increase of ultimate torque of both models was small. Conclusions In addition to three pull‐out stability factors of smart screw fixations, fracture surface fitting degree and nut fitting degree are the other two important anatomical and biomechanical stability factors of smart screw fixations both for rotational stability. When all pull‐out stability and rotational stability factors meet reasonable conditions simultaneously, single or double screw fixation methods are stable for the treatments of ulnar coronoid basal fractures.

Abstract A main challenge for the development of two‐dimensional devices based on atomically thin transition‐metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is the realization of metal–semiconductor junctions (MSJs) with low contact resistance and high charge transport capability. However, traditional metal–TMD junctions usually suffer from strong Fermi‐level pinning (FLP) and chemical disorder at the interfaces, resulting in weak device performance and high energy consumption. By means of high‐throughput first‐principles calculations, we report an attractive solution via the formation of van der Waals (vdW) contacts between metallic and semiconducting TMDs. We apply a phase‐engineering strategy to create a monolayer TMD database for achieving a wide range of work functions and band gaps, hence offering a large degree of freedom to construct TMD vdW MSJs with desired contact types. The Schottky barrier heights and contact types of 728 MSJs have been identified and they exhibit weak FLP (−0.62 to −0.90) as compared with the traditional metal–TMD junctions. We find that the interfacial interactions of the MSJs bring a delicate competition between the FLP strength and carrier tunneling efficiency, which can be utilized to screen high‐performance MSJs. Based on a set of screening criteria, four potential TMD vdW MSJs (e.g., NiTe2/ZrSe2, NiTe2/PdSe2, HfTe2/PdTe2, TaSe2/MoTe2) with Ohmic contact, weak FLP, and high carrier tunneling probability have been predicted. This work not only provides a fundamental understanding of contact properties of TMD vdW MSJs but also renders their huge potential for electronics and optoelectronics.

Abstract Background Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a life‐threatening disease with poor prognosis. Pyroptosis has been recently disclosed as a programmed cell death triggered by invasive infection, involved in cancer development. However, the prognosis role of pyroptosis‐related genes in HNSCC has not been discussed. Methods The RNA sequence data of pyroptosis‐related genes were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Cox regression and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis were performed to screen the HNSCC survival‐related signature genes. We established a HNSCC risk model with the identified prognostic genes, then divided the HNSCC patients into low‐ and high‐risk subgroups according to median risk score. Moreover, we utilized Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset to validate the risk model. Go and KEGG analyses were conducted to reveal the potential function of differential expression of genes that identified between low‐ and high‐risk subgroups. ESTIMATE algorithm was performed to investigate the immune infiltration of tumors. Correlation between signature gene expression and drug‐sensitivity was disclosed by Spearman's analysis. Results We constructed a HNSCC risk model with identified seven pyroptosis‐related genes (CASP1, GSDME, IL6, NLRP1, NLRP2, NLRP6, and NOD2) as prognostic signature genes. High‐risk subgroup of HNSCC patients in TCGA cohort correlated with lower survival probability than patients from low‐risk subgroup (p

Abstract The density‐based spatial clustering of application with noise (DBSCAN) algorithm has good robustness and is widely employed to cluster vehicle trajectories for vehicle movement pattern recognition. However, the distance or similarity between two trajectories varies from tens to hundreds of thousands, and there is no effective method for determining the values of the hyperparameters eps and MinPts of DBSCAN. In addition, with increasing sizes of trajectory datasets, some trajectory clustering methods that directly analyse points and line segments incur large computational costs and time overhead. To solve these two dilemmas, the authors propose an effective trajectory dimensionality reduction method and a DBSCAN hyperparameter initial value setting method. The trajectory dimensionality reduction algorithm processes trajectories with different lengths into the same dimensionality (the same number of feature points). The reserved points preserve the spatial and temporal information of these trajectories as much as possible. The DBSCAN hyperparameter initial value setting algorithm obtains the effective initial values of eps and MinPts for facilitating subsequent adjustments. Finally, we validate these proposed methods on two trajectory datasets collected from two real‐world scenes, and the experimental results are promising and effective.

Abstract Neuropathic pain is one of the common surgical diseases, which leads to abnormal chronic pain and pain hypersensitivity reaction. Microglia are important glial cells in the spinal cord, which are conducive to sensitization and maintenance of chronic pain. Recently, Senkyunolide H (SNH) has been reported to play an anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant role. However, the mechanisms by which SNH improves neuropathic pain symptoms remain unknown. This study aimed to evaluate and identify the role of SNH in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐mediated neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in BV2. Western blot and immunostaining assays revealed that SNH treatment attenuated LPS‐mediated activation of BV2 in a dose‐dependent manner. Flow cytometry further verified that BV2 microglial cells gradually shifted from an M1 (pro‐inflammatory) phenotype to an M2 (anti‐inflammatory) phenotype after SNH administration. Furthermore, quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction and ELISA assays demonstrated that SNH treatment attenuated LPS‐mediated neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in BV2 microglial cells. Lastly, western blot assays suggested that SHN could inactivate the ERK and NF‐κB signaling pathways. Altogether, our findings have demonstrated that SNH could reverse LPS‐mediated activation of microglia, LPS‐mediated neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in BV2 via regulating the ERK and NF‐κB pathways.

Background. Ectodysplasin A (EDA), a member of the TNF family, plays important roles in ectodermal development, while recent studies expanded its regulatory effects on insulin resistance and lipid metabolism. This study was the first time to investigate the correlation between circulating EDA and albuminuria in patients with T2DM. Methods. A total of 189 T2DM and 59 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. We analyzed the concentrations of EDA by ELISA. Plasma glucose, insulin, HbA1c, lipids, creatinine, BUN, and UACR were also measured. Insulin resistance and pancreatic cell function were assessed by HOMA. Results. Circulating EDA concentration was significantly increased in T2DM patients and increased with the degree of albuminuria. EDA was positively correlated with age, FIns, HOMA-IR, HOMA-β, Scr, and UACR, and negatively correlated with eGFR. Linear stepwise regression showed that FIns, HOMA-β, and UACR were independent influencing factors of EDA. Logistic regression analysis showed that EDA was independently associated with the occurrence of albuminuria in T2DM. ROC curve showed that EDA had an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.701 [95%CI=0.625−0.777, P

Abstract A novel night‐time image enhancement approach was proposed in this paper to address the problems of low contrast and poor details of low‐illumination images captured at night. To begin with, the luminance component V was extracted that was irrelevant to the colour information of the image upon converting the image to the HSV space from the RGB space. Then, by converting the luminance component V of the image into the probability space, the image was divided into a small‐probability grey‐scale area and a normal area based on the theory of probability. Moreover, pixels were transferred from the small probability area to the normal area of the image according to the nearest attribution principle that was established. Lastly, the contrast enhancement of the image was realized thanks to lossless mapping functions without losing the number of grey levels of the image. As can be observed from experimental results, the proposed method is superior to the most advanced algorithm in visual quality and quantitative measurement.

Abstract The dark channel prior (DCP) algorithm has been widely used in the field of image defogging because of its simple theory and clear restoration result. However, the DCP algorithm has significant limitations. This study clarifies the relationship between halo artfacts and the size of the dark channel patch of the DCP algorithm and analyses the reason why the colour of close‐range white objects appears distorted in the restored images. An amended DCP method is then proposed to solve these problems, utilising a locally variable weighted 4‐directional L1 regularisation and a corresponding parallel algorithm to optimise the transmission. A deep neural network, 4DL1R‐net, is then trained to further enhance the processing speed. Extensive experiments demonstrate that this method is effective. The proposed method can obtain clear details, maintain the natural clarity of images, and achieve significant improvements over state‐of‐the‐art methods.

Abstract Transition metal single‐atom catalysts (SACs) are of immense interest, but how exactly they are evolved upon pyrolysis of the corresponding precursors remains unclear as transition metal ions in the complex precursor undergo a series of morphological changes accompanied with changes in oxidation state as a result of the interactions with the carbon support. Herein, the authors record the complete evolution process of Co SAC during the pyrolysis a Co/Zn‐containing zeolitic imidazolate framework. Aberration‐corrected environmental TEM coupled with in‐situ EELS is used for direct visualization of the evolution process at 200–1000 °C. Dissolution of carbon into the nanoparticles of Co is found to be key to modulating the wetting behavior of nanoparticles on the carbon support; melting of Co nanoparticles and their motion within the zeolitic architecture leads to the etching of the framework structure, yielding porous C/N support onto which Co‐single atoms reside. This uniquely structured Co SAC is found to be effective for the oxidation of a series of aromatic alkanes to produce selective ketones among other possible products. The carbon dissolution and melting/sublimation‐driven structural dynamics of transition metal revealed here will expand the methodology in synthesizing SACs and other high‐temperature processes.

Abstract This letter presents a fast detection algorithm based on a two‐dimensional non‐uniform trilinear autocorrelation function for the manoeuvring target with jerk motion. In the proposed algorithm, the echoes’ energy can be integrated into peaks in a three‐dimensional parameter space coherently, and the range migration and Doppler frequency migration can be compensated simultaneously. Compared with other representative detection algorithms, this proposed algorithm can achieve a good balance between the computational complexity and detection performance.

Abstract Introduction The brittle response (BR) in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) refers to a special type of levodopa‐induced dyskinesia (LID). This study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of BR patients and to analyze the associated risk factors. Methods A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the data of 97 patients with PD. Patients were divided into a BR group and a non‐brittle response (NBR) group. Demographic and clinical data, motor symptoms, and non‐motor symptoms of the two groups were assessed. Results Among 97 PD patients, 11 were in the BR group and 86 were in the NBR group. The proportion of female patients was 72.7% and 38.3%, respectively, in the BR and NBR groups (P 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that BR patients had lower body weight and higher levodopa dose per weight. Conclusion BR is associated with being female, low body weight, low BMI, long disease duration, high LEDD, and high levodopa dose per weight. Body weight and levodopa dose per body weight are independent risk factors for BR.

Abstract We assessed the clinical utility of contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the diagnosis of benign and malignant small renal masses using a meta‐analysis of diagnostic test. We performed a comprehensive online search in the following database including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure from the inception to August 25, 2019. the following index were calculated for assessing the diagnostic ability, including sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), area under the curve (AUC) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Seventeen studies were included in the qualitative and quantitative analyses. The overall sensitivity was 0.93 with 95% CI of 0.88‐0.95. The specificity was 0.71 and the 95% CI was 0.60‐0.80. The pooled AUC was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.88‐0.93). The diagnostic odds ratio was 31 (95% CI: 21‐45). The NLR and PLR were 0.10 (95% CI: 0.07‐0.15) and 3.2(95% CI: 2.3‐4.4), respectively. There is a slight heterogeneity within studies. The subgroup analysis was also performed. For retrospective and perspective, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.93, 0.92 and 0.71, 0.73; For different diameter lesions, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.93, 0.94 and 0.64, 0.74; For sample size (≤median vs. >median), the sensitivity and specificity were 0.94, 0.93 and 0.67, 0.77. The Deek's funnel plot asymmetry test in indicated no publication bias. The CEUS have a high diagnostic ability in differentiating benign and malignant small renal masses among Asian population.

Abstract In this study, we performed a comprehensive estimation and assessment for the clinical value of prostate health index (PHI) in diagnosing prostate cancer. Using the bivariate mixed‐effect model, we calculated the following parameters and their 95% confidence internals (CIs), including sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio and symmetric receiver operator characteristic. Twenty eligible studies with a total number of 5543 subjects were included in the final analysis. The estimated sensitivity was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.70‐0.79) and the specificity was 0.69 (95% CI: 0.58‐0.83). The pooled area under the curve was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.74‐0.81). The combined positive likelihood ratio was 2.45 (95% CI: 2.19‐2.73) and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.36 (95% CI: 0.31‐0.43). The diagnostic odds ratio was 6.73 (95% CI: 5.38‐8.44). The posttest probability was 40% under the present positive likelihood ratio of 2.45. It seems there was no significant difference between Asian population and Caucasian population population in sensitivity and specificity. But the overlap of AUC 95% CI indicated that the diagnostic accuracy of PHI was slightly higher in the Asian population population setting than that in the Caucasian population population population (0.83 vs 0.76). Similarly, there was also overlap in AUC 95% CI, which suggested that sample size may be one of heterogeneity source. The PHI has a moderate diagnostic accuracy for detecting prostate cancer. The discrimination ability of PHI is slightly prior to free/total prostate‐specific antigen. It seems that ethnicity has an influence on the clinical value of PHI in the diagnostic of prostate cancer.

The diversities in the natural, social, and human environment of various regions often lead to the differences in their regional economic development level and industrial structure and layout; moderate regional differences can mobilize economic vitality and improve development efficiency, but excessive differences may lead to social instability or even turbulence. Intelligent algorithms or their improved and hybrid algorithms can recently achieve more suitable solutions to practical problems of nonlinear, discrete, nondifferentiable, and multiple constraints. Therefore, this paper's main point is on the analysis of regional economic development differences based on intelligent hybrid algorithms. On the basis of summarizing and analyzing previous research works, this paper expounded the research status and significance of regional economic development differences analysis, elaborated the development background, current status, and future challenges of intelligent hybrid algorithms, introduced the methods and principles of principal component distance weighting algorithm and sequential quadratic programming algorithm, constructed a basic model for regional economic development differences based on intelligent hybrid algorithm, conducted the construction of analysis index system and the hybrid of intelligence algorithm, analyzed the regional economic development differences based on intelligent hybrid algorithm, performed the principal component analysis and time-space change analysis of regional economic development, and finally carried out a simulation experiment and its result analysis. The study results show that the intelligent hybrid algorithm can simulate the intelligent behavior of certain groups in nature when analyzing the differences in regional economic development, so that it has essentially parallelism, high accuracy, and convergence speed. The study results of this paper provide a reference for further researches on the regional economic development differences analysis based on intelligent hybrid algorithm.

The gas loss in sampling is the root of coalbed gas content measurement error. The pressure and particle size have a significant impact on the gas loss. Using the self-developed coal particle pneumatic pipeline transportation experimental system, this study investigated the pressure and particle size changes in the sampling pipeline. It is found that the sampling process can be divided into four stages: no flow field stage, sample outburst stage, stable conveying stage, and tail purging stage. The extreme pressure in the sampling pipeline appears at the sample outburst stage; and the pressure in the pipeline has levelled off after sharp decrease in the stable conveying stage. It is also found that the extreme pressure increases first and then decreases with the increase of particle size. The duration of outburst stage is negatively correlated with particle size, and that of stable conveying stage is positively correlated with particle size. In addition, the results show that the loss rate of 1–3 mm particles is the smallest after the test but that particles less than 1 mm increase by about two times and particles greater than 3 mm decrease by more than three times. The study also shows that the particle size distribution of coal samples is a single peak with left skew distribution, and the gas reverse circulation sampling test does not change the location of the peak but makes it higher and sharper. The single size coal sample is more likely to collide than the mixture. This study can help to advance the understanding of impact factors on gas loss during reverse circulation sampling.

High-frequency measurements can provide much more new insights for drillstring dynamics compared to traditional instruments, leading to a new realm of understanding of drillstring behaviors in great detail than before. In this paper, data acquisition tools with high-frequency sample rates and the data processing are introduced. Based on high-frequency data, progress of drilling dynamics is summarized, including new understandings of low-frequency drillstring dynamics, high-frequency torsional oscillations (HFTOs), and high-frequency axial oscillations (HFAOs) and new findings for the coupling of vibrations and motions, as well as models and simulation methods to deeply comprehend high-frequency dynamics of drillstring. High-frequency measurements have been used for enabling drillers to improve drill performance, especially for field decision making, BHA selection, and bit design, usually through the ways of minimizing vibrations to obtain high-efficient drilling conditions, the high-frequency response near bit can also be used for lithology identification during drilling. Though there still exists a gap between research perspective and drilling practice, the industry of high-frequency measurements has gotten off a good start, which has huge potential to avoid nonproductive time thereupon reducing drilling cost in the future.

The conventional tourism demand prediction models are currently facing several challenges due to the excess number of search intensity indices that are used as indicators of tourism demand. In this work, the framework for deep learning-based monthly prediction of the volumes of Macau tourist arrivals was presented. The main objective in this study is to predict the tourism growth via one of the deep learning algorithms of extracting new features. The outcome of this study showed that the performance of the adopted deep learning framework was better than that of artificial neural network and support vector regression models. Practitioners can rely on the identified relevant features from the developed framework to understand the nature of the relationships between the predictive factors of tourist demand and the actual volume of tourist arrival.

Slope stability has been a key issue in the field of geotechnical engineering. Determining the potential sliding surface of a slope is an important link in evaluating the stability of the slope. For rock slope with embedded structural plane, the potential sliding surface is greatly affected by the embedded structural plane. When determining the potential sliding surface, the influence of the position of the embedded structural plane should be considered. According to the distribution characteristics of the embedded structural plane of the rock slope, the structural plane in rock slope is divided into two types: (1) front embedded and (2) rear embedded structural plane. Considering the influence of two types of structural planes, a search method for potential sliding surfaces of rock slope is proposed combined with the finite random tracking method. The location of the sliding surface is controlled through the cut-in point, cut-out point, and arc height so that the range of search variables does not need empirical assumption. An engineering example is used to verify the search method. The results show that the method could accurately obtain the potential sliding surface of the rock slope with embedded structural plane, which proves the effectiveness of the search method.

Abstract Bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) family proteins are considered to be epigenetic readers that regulate gene expression by recognizing acetyl lysine residues on histones and nonhistone chromatin factors and have been classified as curative targets for a variety of cancers. Glioma‐initiating cells (GICs), which commit self‐renewal, perpetual proliferation, multidirectional differentiation, and vigorous tumorigenicity, sustain the peculiar genetic and epigenetic diversification in the GBM patients, thus, GICs result in tumor recurrence. Abundant evidence demonstrates that BET proteins regulate differentiation of stem cells. However, it endures ambiguous how individual BET proteins take part in GIC advancement, and how do small molecule inhibitors like I‐BET151 target functional autonomous BET proteins. Here, we validated that BRD4, not BRD2 or BRD3, has value in targeted glioma therapy. We announce a signaling pathway concerning BRD4 and Notch1 that sustains the self‐renewal of GICs. Moreover, in‐depth mechanistic research showed that BRD4 was concentrated at the promoter region of Notch1 and may be involved in the process of tumor metabolism. Furthermore, in intracranial models, I‐BET151 eliminated U87 GICs’ tumorigenicity. The outcomes of this research could be conducive to design clinical trials for treatment of glioma based on BRD4.

In a wireless ad hoc network, the size of the virtual backbone (VB) is an important factor for measuring the quality of the VB. The smaller the VB is, the less the overhead caused by the VB. Since ball graphs (BGs) have been used to model 3-dimensional wireless ad hoc networks and since a connected dominating set can be used to represent a VB undertaking routing-related tasks, the problem of finding the smallest VB is transformed into the problem of finding a minimum connected dominating set (MCDS). Many research results on the MCDS problem have been obtained for unit disk graphs and unit ball graphs, in which the transmission ranges of all nodes are identical. In some situations, the node powers can vary. One can model such a network as a graph with different transmission ranges for different nodes. In this paper, we focus on the problem of minimum strongly connected dominating and absorbing sets (MSCDASs) in a strongly connected directed ball graph with different transmission ranges, which is also NP-hard. We design an algorithm considering the construction of a strongly connected dominating and absorbing set (SCDAS), whose size does not exceed 319/15k3+116/5k2+29/5kopt+29/3k3+116/5k2+87/5k+13/15, where opt is the size of an MCDAS and k denotes the ratio of rmax to rmin in the ad hoc network with transmission range rmin,rmax. Our simulations show the feasibility of the algorithm proposed in this paper.

Urbanization is causing profound changes in ecosystem functions at local and regional scales. The net primary productivity (NPP) is an important indicator of global change, rapid urbanization and climate change will have a significant impact on NPP, and urban expansion and climate change in different regions have different impacts on NPP, especially in densely populated areas. However, to date, efforts to quantify urban expansion and climate change have been limited, and the impact of long-term continuous changes in NPP has not been well understood. Based on land use data, night light data, NPP data, climate data, and a series of social and economic data, we performed a comprehensive analysis of land use change in terms of type and intensity and explored the pattern of urban expansion and its relationship with NPP and climate change for the period of 2000–2015, taking Zhengzhou, China, as an example. The results show that the major form of land use change was cropland to built-up land during the 2000–2015 period, with a total area of 367.51 km2 converted. The NPP exhibited a generally increasing trend in the study area except for built-up land and water area. The average correlation coefficients between temperature and NPP and precipitation and NPP were 0.267 and 0.020, respectively, indicating that an increase in temperature and precipitation can promote NPP despite significant spatial differences. During the examined period, most expansion areas exhibited an increasing NPP trend, indicating that the influence of urban expansion on NPP is mainly characterized by an evident influence of the expansion area. The study can provide a reference for Zhengzhou and even the world's practical research to improve land use efficiency, increase agricultural productivity and natural carbon sinks, and maintain low-carbon development.

Signal transducers and activators of transcriptions 1 (STAT1) play an important role in the inflammation process of acute lung injury (ALI). Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) exhibits a specific and strong anti-STAT1 activity. Therefore, our study is to explore whether EGCG pretreatment can ameliorate seawater aspiration-induced ALI and its possible mechanisms. We detected the arterial partial pressure of oxygen, lung wet/dry weight ratios, protein content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and the histopathologic and ultrastructure staining of the lung. The levels of IL-1, TNF-α, and IL-10 and the total and the phosphorylated protein level of STAT1, JAK1, and JAK2 were assessed in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that EGCG pretreatment significantly improved hypoxemia and histopathologic changes, alleviated pulmonary edema and lung vascular leak, reduced the production of TNF-α and IL-1, and increased the production of IL-10 in seawater aspiration-induced ALI rats. EGCG also prevented the seawater aspiration-induced increase of TNF-α and IL-1 and decrease of IL-10 in NR8383 cell line. Moreover, EGCG pretreatment reduced the total and the phosphorylated protein level of STAT1 in vivo and in vitro and reduced the phosphorylated protein level of JAK1 and JAK2. The present study demonstrates that EGCG ameliorates seawater aspiration-induced ALI via regulating inflammatory cytokines and inhibiting JAK/STAT1 pathway in rats.

Stochastic differential equations (SDEs) are used to model ultrawideband (UWB) indoor wireless channels. We show that the impulse responses for time-varying indoor wireless channels can be approximated in a mean-square sense as close as desired by impulse responses that can be realized by SDEs. The state variables represent the inphase and quadrature components of the UWB channel. The expected maximization and extended Kalman filter are employed to recursively identify and estimate the channel parameters and states, respectively, from online received signal strength measured data. Both resolvable and nonresolvable multipath received signals are considered and represented as small-scaled Nakagami fading. The proposed models together with the estimation algorithm are tested using UWB indoor measurement data demonstrating the method’s viability and the results are presented.

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of 3,5,4′-tri-O-acetylresveratrol on connexin 43 (Cx43) in acute lung injury (ALI) in rats induced by tracheal instillation of artificial seawater. Different doses (50, 150, and 450 mg/kg) of 3,5,4′-tri-O-acetylresveratrol were administered orally for 7 days before modeling. Four hours after seawater inhalation, histological changes, contents of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-10, and the expression of Cx43 in lungs were detected. Besides, the gap junction communication in A549 cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) challenged by seawater was also evaluated. Histological changes, increased contents of inflammatory factors, upregulation in gene level, and deregulation in protein level of Cx43 in lungs stimulated by seawater were observed. On the other hand, pretreatment with 3,5,4′-tri-O-acetylresveratrol significantly inhibited infiltration of inflammation, development of pulmonary edema, and contents of inflammatory mediators in lungs. Above all, 3,5,4′-tri-O-acetylresveratrol upregulated the expression of Cx43 in both gene and protein levels, and its intermediate metabolite, resveratrol, also enhanced the gap junction communication in the two cell lines. The results of the present study suggested that administration of 3,5,4′-tri-O-acetylresveratrol may be beneficial for treatment of inflammatorycellsin lung.

We consider a one-dimensional semilinear parabolic equation with exponential gradient source and provide a complete classification of large time behavior of the classical solutions: either the space derivative of the solution blows up in finite time with the solution itself remaining bounded or the solution is global and converges in C1 norm to the unique steady state. The main difficulty is to prove C1 boundedness of all global solutions. To do so, we explicitly compute a nontrivial Lyapunov's functional by carrying out the method of Zelenyak.

This paper deals with the periodic solutions of a class of fourth-order superlinear differential equations. By using the classical variational techniques and symmetric mountain pass lemma, the periodic solutions of a single equation in literature are extended to that of equations, and also, the cubic growth of nonlinear term is extended to a general form of superlinear growth.

We have successfully prepared Cu–Al–O films on silicon (100) and quartz substrates with copper and aluminum composite target by using radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering method. We have related the structural and optical-electrical properties of the films to the sputtering area ratio of Cu/Al for the target (rCu/Al). The deposition rate of the film and rCu/Al can be fitted by an exponential function. rCu/Al plays a critical role in the final phase constitution and the preferred growth orientation of the CuAlO2 phase, thus affecting the film surface morphology significantly. The film with main phase of CuAlO2 has been obtained with rCu/Al of 45%. The films show p-type conductivity. With the increase of rCu/Al, the electrical resistivity decreases first and afterwards increases again. With rCu/Al of 45%, the optimum electrical resistivity of 80 Ω·cm is obtained, with the optical transmittance being 72%–79% in the visible region (400–760 nm). The corresponding direct band gap and indirect band gap are estimated to be 3.6 eV and 1.7 eV, respectively.