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Taxanes are kinds of diterpenoids with important bioactivities, such as paclitaxel (taxol®) is an excellent natural broad-spectrum anticancer drug. Attempts to biosynthesize taxanes have made with limited success, mainly due to the bottleneck of the low efficiency catalytic elements. In this study, we developed an artificial synthetic system to produce taxanes from mevalonate (MVA) by coupling biological and chemical methods, which comprises in vitro multi-enzyme catalytic module, chemical catalytic module and yeast cell catalytic module. Through optimizing in vitro multienzyme catalytic system, the yield of taxadiene was increased to 946.7 mg/L from MVA within 8 h and the productivity was 14.2-fold higher than microbial fermentation. By incorporating palladium catalysis, the conversion rate of Taxa-4(20),11(12)-dien-5α-yl acetate (T5α-AC) reached 48 %, effectively addressing the product promiscuity and the low yield rate of T5αOH. Finally, we optimized the expression of T10βOH in yeast resulting in the biosynthesis of Taxa-4(20),11(12)-dien-5α-acetoxy-10β-ol(T5α-AC-10β-ol) at a production of 15.8 mg/L, which displayed more than 2000-fold higher than that produced by co-culture fermentation strategy. These technologies offered a promising new approach for efficient synthesis of taxanes.

BackgroundMultiple studies have shown a close relationship between changes in gut microbiota composition and obesity, and research results are influenced by factors such as race and geographical location, but there are few studies on children. ObjectiveTo analyze the diversity of gut microbiota related to obesity in a population of 2-6 years old, observe the distribution characteristics and species differences of gut microbiota between obese/overweight and normal weight groups, and explore the association betweenobese/overweight and gut microbiota diversity. MethodsFecal samples were collected from 74 children aged 2-6 years in Shanghai, including 18 obese/overweight individuals, 6 males and 12 females (male to female ratio of 1∶2), and 56 normal weight individuals, 18 males and 38 females (male to female ratio is nearly 1∶2). The 16S rDNA was extracted from bacteria in fecal samples, followed by PCR amplification, cDNA construction, and high-throughput sequencing. Naive Bayes algorithm was used to perform taxonomic analysis (phylum, class, order, family, genus, species) and community diversity analysis (Sobs index, Shannon index, Shannoneven index, Coverage index, PD index, and principal co-ordinates analysis) on representative sequences and abundance of amplicon sequence variants (ASV). Wilcoxon rank sum test, P-value multiple test correction, and analysis of similarities were used to test differences between the two groups to obtain information on the distribution characteristics and species differences of intestinal microbiota in children. ResultsSeventy-four fecal samples were sequenced, and the sequencing results were subjected to quality control and filtering. A total of 4905306 optimized sequences were obtained, resulting in 1860 ASVs. The diversity data analysis of ASVs generated 889 species annotation results at 8 taxonomic levels. The alpha diversity analysis showed that the richness (Sobs index), diversity (Shannon index), evenness (Shannoneven index), and phylogenetic diversity (PD index) of fecal community of the obese/overweight children were increased compared to those of the normal weight children, but there were no statistical differences between the two groups (P>0.05). The beta diversity analysis showed that there was little difference in the composition of microbial species between the two groups, and no significant clustering separation was observed. The results of species composition analysis at phylum, order, family, and genus levels of 74 samples showed a consistent core microbiota structure in the two groups of gut microbiota, but there were differences in microbiota composition. The differences in microbial community composition between the two groups were manifested at the taxonomic levels of order, family, and genus, among which phylum Firmicutes, order Erysipelotrichales, family Erysipelatocyclostridiaceae, genus Erysipelotrichaceae_ UCG-003 and genus Catenibacterium were significantly enriched in the obese/overweight group and contributed significantly to the phenotypic difference of obese/overweight [linear discriminant analysis (LDA)=3.72, P

Multifunctional smart soft armor materials always among the relentless pursuits of scientists to meet the demand of extreme environments. In this study, a novel dynamic stab resistance material owned ultraviolet (UV) resistance property constructed with Kevlar fabrics impregnated with a multi-phase shear thickening fluid (STF) composed of SiO2 and TiO2 nanoparticles as disperse phase was fabricated. The rheology test showed that the shear thickening effect displayed stronger with the concentration of TiO2 in STF (TSTF) increasing. Moreover, compared with STF, the addition of 16 % TiO2 in STF induced a prominent enhancement in peak viscosity from 550.81 to 3143.29 Pa s. Based on the favorable shear thickening performance of TSTF, the dynamic stab resistance property of the optimal TSTF/Kevlar (TSK) was increased 1.43 folds than that of neat Kevlar (NK). Furthermore, after 168 h UV irradiation, the peak stab force and dissipation energy of the optimal one were 698.43 N and 16.92 J retained 85.95 % and 86.24 %, which was 2.96 and 3.22 folds than that of UV-NK. This multi-functional composite material with the performance of resisting both stab impact and UV in extreme environments had broad application prospects in the field of lightweight protection.

Summary: Platinum-based chemo-resistance is the major issue for the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The integrative analysis of multi-omics data is a reliable approach for discovering novel biomarkers associated with chemo-resistance. Here, multi-omics integrative analysis and Cox regression found that higher expression of PCDHB4 was associated with poorer survival of SCLC patients who received chemotherapy. PCDHB4 gene was hypomethylated and upregulated in SCLC, which was validated in the levels of promoter methylation, mRNA, and protein expression. Mechanistically, using bulk RNA-seq data, functional enrichment analysis indicated that higher PCDHB4 expression was associated with lower immune infiltration. The analysis of single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) found that SCLC cells with PCDHB4 expression exhibited the characteristics of stemness and EMT. In addition, the high expression and hypomethylation of PCDHB4 were also significantly associated with poor survival in lung squamous cell carcinoma. In summary, PCDHB4 is a potential prognostic biomarker of platinum-based chemotherapy in SCLC.

Modular robots have unique advantages in handling faults and improving their robustness due to their self‐reconfiguration capacity and homogeneous interchangeability. When locked joint failure occurs in modular robots, the distribution of the failed modules will affect the manipulation capacity of the robot. In this article, a novel self‐reconfiguration method that utilizes only the remaining resources available to mitigate the damage caused by module joint failures is proposed. The key node configuration is searched by the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, and then the collision‐free reconfiguration path is planned by the rapidly exploring random trees (RRT) algorithm. The proposed method not only handles single‐module lockup failure but can also be expanded to multi‐module lockup failures, fully improving the fault tolerance of the modular robot. The method is deployed on the hardware, and the feasibility of the algorithm is verified by self‐reconfiguration experiments containing faulty modules.

Abstract Background Tumor mutational burden (TMB) is one of the most significant predictive biomarkers of immunotherapy efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Radiomics allows high-throughput extraction and analysis of advanced and quantitative medical imaging features. This study develops and validates a radiomic model for predicting TMB level and the response to immunotherapy based on CT features in NSCLC. Method Pre-operative chest CT images of 127 patients with NSCLC were retrospectively studied. The 3D-Slicer software was used to outline the region of interest and extract features from the CT images. Radiomics prediction model was constructed by LASSO and multiple logistic regression in a training dataset. The model was validated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration curves using external datasets. Decision curve analysis was used to assess the value of the model for clinical application. Results A total of 1037 radiomic features were extracted from the CT images of NSCLC patients from TCGA. LASSO regression selected three radiomics features (Flatness, Autocorrelation and Minimum), which were associated with TMB level in NSCLC. A TMB prediction model consisting of 3 radiomic features was constructed by multiple logistic regression. The area under the curve (AUC) value in the TCGA training dataset was 0.816 (95% CI: 0.7109–0.9203) for predicting TMB level in NSCLC. The AUC value in external validation dataset I was 0.775 (95% CI: 0.5528–0.9972) for predicting TMB level in NSCLC, and the AUC value in external validation dataset II was 0.762 (95% CI: 0.5669–0.9569) for predicting the efficacy of immunotherapy in NSCLC. Conclusion The model based on CT radiomic features helps to achieve cost effective improvement in TMB classification and precise immunotherapy treatment of NSCLC patients.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4, CN) has emerged as a promising photocatalytic material due to its inherent stability, antibacterial properties, and eco-friendliness. However, its tendency to aggregate and limited dispersion hinder its efficacy in practical antibacterial applications. To address these limitations, this study focuses on developing a composite hydrogel coating, in which sodium alginate (SA) molecules interact electrostatically and through hydrogen bonding to anchor CN, thereby significantly improving its dispersion. The optimal CN loading of 35% results in a hydrogel with a tensile strength of 120 MPa and an antibacterial rate of 99.87% within 6 h. The enhanced mechanical properties are attributed to hydrogen bonding between the -NH2 groups of CN and the -OH groups of SA, while the -OH groups of SA facilitate the attraction of photogenerated holes from CN, promoting carrier transfer and separation, thereby strengthening the antibacterial action. Moreover, the hydrogel coating exhibits excellent antibacterial and corrosion resistance capabilities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa on 316L stainless steel (316L SS), laying the foundation for advanced antimicrobial and anticorrosion hydrogel systems.

The detection of trimethylamine (TMA) is critically important due to its toxic and flammable nature, which poses significant risks to human health and the environment. However, achieving high response, rapid kinetics, selectivity, and low operating temperatures in TMA sensing remains challenging. In this study, WS2/WO3 nanohybrids with flower-like hierarchical structures were synthesized via an in situ sulfurization process, utilizing varying amounts of thioacetamide to control the sulfurization state of WO3. These novel hierarchical WS2/WO3 nanohybrids exhibit remarkable selectivity towards TMA, as well as rapid response and recovery characteristics. Specially, the optimal WS2/WO3 sensor, composed of 5% WS2/WO3 nanohybrids, demonstrates exceptional TMA sensing performance, including a high response (19.45 at 10 ppm), good repeatability, reliable long-term stability, and a low theoretical detection limit (15.96 ppb). The superior sensing capabilities of the WS2/WO3 nanohybrids are attributed to the formation of p-n heterojunctions at the interface, the unique hierarchical structures, and the catalytic activity of WS2. Overall, this work provides a straightforward and versatile approach for synthesizing multifunctional nanomaterials by combining metal oxide micro-flowers with transition metal dichalcogenide nanoflakes for applications in monitoring TMA in complex environments.

Characterizing the optimal operating parameters for a heat pump with a specific refrigerant is paramount, as it provides valuable guidance for refrigerant selection. The temperature mismatch between cold and hot fluids in the evaporator and condenser can lead to degraded thermal performance in heat pumps with large temperature variations. To address these two key issues, we selected several pure refrigerants with varying critical temperature levels for use in a large temperature variation heat pump configuration. The corresponding thermal performance was then investigated using the Ebsilon code under fixed temperature lift conditions as the operating temperature varied. It indicates that the maximum coefficient of performance (COP) is typically achieved when the deviation factors of temperature and pressure from their critical parameters fall within the ranges of 0.62~0.71 and 0.36~0.5, respectively. Our research recommends the binary refrigerant mixture of R152a/R1336mzz(z) (COP = 3.54) for the current operating conditions, as it significantly improves thermal performance compared to pure R1336mzz (z) (COP = 2.87) and R152a (COP = 3.01). Through research on the impact of the compositional ratio of R152a/R1336mzz(z) on the thermal performance of the heat pump, we found that that the optimal ratio of R1336mzz(z) component to R152a component is 0.5/0.5. This study offers valuable guidance for selecting the most suitable refrigerants for heat pumps in practical engineering design scenarios.

Abstract This study explored the relationship between femoral lateralization and femoral neck-shaft angle after intramedullary nail (IM) fixation for per trochanteric fractures. 70 patients (AO/OTA 31A1-2) were investigated. Anteroposterior (AP) and lateral X-ray views pre- and post-operation were recorded. Patients were classified into three groups according to the position of the medial cortex of the head-neck fragment to that of the femoral shaft: being slightly superomedial (positive medial cortex support, PMCS), being smoothly contacted (neutral position, NP) or being displaced laterally (negative medial cortex support, NMCS). Patient demographics, femoral lateralization, and neck-shaft angle were measured and statistically analyzed pre- and post-operation. Functional recovery was evaluated by Harris score 3- and 6- months post-operation. All cases ultimately demonstrated radiographic fracture union. There was a tendency to have an increased neck-shaft angle (valgus alignment) in the PMCS group and increased femoral lateralization in the NP group (p

Abstract Background Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a very malignant tumor with rapid growth and early metastasis. Platinum-based chemo-resistance is the major issue for SCLC treatment failure. Identifying a new prognostic model will help to make an accurate treatment decision for SCLC patients. Methods Using the genomics of drug sensitivity in cancer (GDSC) database, we identified cisplatin resistance-related lncRNAs in SCLC cells. Based on the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network, we identified the mRNAs correlated with the lncRNAs. Using Cox and LASSO regression analysis, a prognostic model was established. The survival prediction accuracy was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Kaplan–Meier analysis. GSEA, GO, KEGG and CIBERSORT tools were used for functional enrichment and immune cells infiltration analysis. Results We first screened out 10 differentially expressed lncRNAs between cisplatin resistant and sensitive SCLC cells from GDSC database. Based on ceRNA network, 31 mRNAs were identified with a correlation with the 10 lncRNAs. Furthermore, two genes (LIMK2 and PI4K2B) were identified by Cox and LASSO regression analysis to construct a prognostic model. Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated that the high-risk group had a poor overall survival compared with the low-risk group. The predicted area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.853 in the training set, and the AUC was 0.671 in the validation set. In the meanwhile, the low expression of LIMK2 or the high expression of PI4K2B in SCLC tumors was also significantly associated with poor overall survival in both training and validation sets. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the low-risk group was enriched in the apoptosis pathway and high immune infiltration of T cells. Finally, an apoptosis-related gene Cathepsin D (CTSD) was identified to be up-regulated in the low-risk group, and its higher expression correlated with better overall survival in SCLC. Conclusion We established a prognostic model and potential biomarkers (LIMK2, PI4K2B and CTSD), which could help to improve the risk stratification of SCLC patients.

Carbon-based magnetic metal composites derived from metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising materials for the preparation of broadband microwave absorbers. In this work, the leaf-like co-doped porous carbon/carbon nanotube heterostructure was obtained using ZIF-L@ZIF-67 as precursor. The number of carbon nanotubes can be controlled by varying the amount of ZIF-67, thus regulating the dielectric constant of the sample. An optimum reflection loss of −42.2 dB is attained when ZIF-67 is added at 2 mmol. An effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 4.8 GHz is achieved with a thickness of 2.2 mm and a filler weight of 12%. The excellent microwave absorption (MA) ability is generated from the mesopore structure, uniform heterogeneous interfaces, and high conduction loss. The work offers useful guidelines to devise and prepare such nanostructured materials for MA materials.

As a necessary sulfhydryl amino acid, L-cysteine (L-Cys) maintains many physiological functions in the biological system. However, abnormal L-Cys levels can cause a variety of diseases. In our work, a highly sensitive and selective assay has been developed for sensing L-Cys using the morphological transformation of silver-based materials induced by Cr3+. In this sensing system, Cr3+ could etch the silver nanoflakes into silver nanoparticles, accompanied by a change in absorbance, which decreases at 395 nm, creates a new peak at 538 nm, and keeps increasing the absorbance with the addition of Cr3+ concentration. Meanwhile, under the naked eye, the solution color changes from bright yellow to dark purple. Because of the strong affinity between L-Cys and Cr3+, L-Cys could inhibit the induction of Cr3+ on silver-based materials, thereby preventing changes in the configuration, absorption spectrum, and color of silver-based materials. Taking advantage of this point, we can quantitatively detect the concentration of L-Cys. A linear relationship between the absorbance ratio (A538 nm/A395 nm) and L-Cys concentration was found in the range of 0.1–0.9 μM, and the detection limit was 41.2 nM. The strategy was applied to measure L-Cys spiked in beer and urine samples, with recovery from 93.80 to 104.03% and 93.33% to 107.14% and RSD from 0.89 to 2.40% and 1.80% to 6.78%, respectively. This detection strategy demonstrates excellent selectivity and sensitivity, which makes it a practical and effective method for the detection of L-Cys in real samples.

BackgroundWith the continuous development of medical imaging informatics technology, radiomics has become a new and evolving field in medical applications. Radiomics aims to be an aid to support clinical decision making by extracting quantitative features from medical images and has a very wide range of applications. The purpose of this study was to perform a bibliometric and visual analysis of scientific results and research trends in the research application of radiomics in glioma.MethodsWe searched the Web of Science Core Collection (WOScc) for publications related to glioma radiomics. A bibliometric and visual analysis of online publications in this field related to countries/regions, authors, journals, references and keywords was performed using CiteSpace and R software.ResultsA total of 587 relevant literature published from 2012 to September 2022 were retrieved in WOScc, and finally a total of 484 publications were obtained according to the filtering criteria, including 393 (81.20%) articles and 91 (18.80%) reviews. The number of relevant publications increases year by year. The highest number of publications was from the USA (171 articles, 35.33%) and China (170 articles, 35.12%). The research institution with the highest number of publications was Chinese Acad Sci (24), followed by Univ Penn (22) and Fudan Univ (21). WANG Y (27) had the most publications, followed by LI Y (22), and WANG J (20). Among the 555 co-cited authors, LOUIS DN (207) and KICKINGEREDER P (207) were the most cited authors. FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY (42) was the most published journal and NEURO-ONCOLOGY (412) was the most co-cited journal. The most frequent keywords in all publications included glioblastoma (187), survival (136), classification (131), magnetic resonance imaging (113), machine learning (100), tumor (82), and feature (79), central nervous system (66), IDH (57), and radiomics (55). Cluster analysis was performed on the basis of keyword co-occurrence, and a total of 16 clusters were formed, indicating that these directions are the current hotspots of radiomics research applications in glioma and may be the future directions of continuous development.ConclusionIn the past decade, radiomics has received much attention in the medical field and has been widely used in clinical research applications. Cooperation and communication between countries/regions need to be enhanced in future research to promote the development of radiomics in the field of medicine. In addition, the application of radiomics has improved the accuracy of pre-treatment diagnosis, efficacy prediction and prognosis assessment of glioma and helped to promote the development into precision medicine, the future still faces many challenges.

Abstract Background Range of motion (ROM) measurements are essential for diagnosing and evaluating upper extremity conditions. Clinical goniometry is the most commonly used methods but it is time-consuming and skill-demanding. Recent advances in human tracking algorithm suggest potential for automatic angle measuring from RGB images. It provides an attractive alternative for at-distance measuring. However, the reliability of this method has not been fully established. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if the results of algorithm are as reliable as human raters in upper limb movements. Methods Thirty healthy young adults (20 males, 10 females) participated in this study. Participants were asked to performed a 6-motion task including movement of shoulder, elbow and wrist. Images of movements were captured by commercial digital cameras. Each movement was measured by a pose tracking algorithm (OpenPose) and compared with the surgeon-measurement results. The mean differences between the two measurements were compared. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationship. Reliability was investigated by the intra-class correlation coefficients. Results Comparing this algorithm-based method with manual measurement, the mean differences were less than 3 degrees in 5 motions (shoulder abduction: 0.51; shoulder elevation: 2.87; elbow flexion:0.38; elbow extension:0.65; wrist extension: 0.78) except wrist flexion. All the intra-class correlation coefficients were larger than 0.60. The Pearson coefficients also showed high correlations between the two measurements (p

The theoretical capability of modular robots to organize the overall robot into different structures with different functions has broad prospects in space exploration. Therefore, a novel modular space robot named Space Module is developed, and a self‐assembly strategy inspired by biological cooperative and mutual assistance behaviors is proposed. First, the meta‐module method is utilized to endow nonmobile modules with the mobility. Second, the mutual assistance is presented to achieve position and posture reachability of the assembly unit while minimizing the effect of meta‐modules on granularity. Then, according to the unique motion characteristics of the meta‐module and mutual assistance, an assembly planner is designed to obtain the assembly sequences to realize the self‐manufacturing of desired configurations. Finally, the validity and feasibility of the proposed assembly strategy are further confirmed by demonstrations. An interactive preprint version of the article can be found here: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.167264888.81237462/v1.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the FLIR ONE PRO, a thermal imaging camera for smartphones, combined with handheld Doppler (HHD) in the localization of perforator arteries and to assess the efficacy of the FLIR ONE PRO in distinguishing perforators of the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery (LCFA) from other perforators of the anterolateral thigh perforator (ALTP) flap. We enrolled 29 free perforator flaps from 22 patients in our study. Before surgery, dynamic infrared thermography was performed using a FLIR ONE PRO to visualize hotspots on the flaps. Subsequently, HHD was used to further determine the perforators under the hotspots, which were ultimately identified and confirmed through intraoperative findings. Additionally, infrared images of the ALTP flap were analyzed using FLIR Tools. The performances of the FLIR ONE PRO and FLIR ONE PRO + HHD groups were evaluated by comparing the intraoperative findings. Using FLIR ONE PRO + HHD, 119 hotspots and 106 perforators were identified during surgery. Using FLIR ONE PRO + HHD, sensitivity and positive predictive value were 97.87% and 88.46%, respectively, in the young (age≤45 years). In the elderly group (age>45 years), these percentages were 93.22% and 82.09%, respectively. In addition, we found that the FLIR ONE PRO could be useful for differentiating perforators in the descending branch of the LCFA from other perforators within 5 min. The results showed a sensitivity of 96.15%, a specificity of 98.9%, a positive predictive value of 96.15%, and a negative predictive value of 98.9%. Compared to using FLIR ONE PRO alone, the combined application of HHD and FLIR ONE PRO had a higher value in perforator localization by increasing the positive predictive value. The FLIR ONE PRO may have significance in the rapid prediction of perforators deriving from the descending branch of the LCFA.

In order to achieve the requirement for security and lightweight in unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)communication,two authentication and key agreement protocols targeted for UAVs with different computational performance are proposed,including an ECC based protocol,DroneSec,and a symmetric cipher based protocol,DroneSec-lite.The two protocols achieve secure mutual authentication and key configuration between ground stations and UAVs.DroneSec protocol achieves relatively low computational overhead while ensuring forward secrecy through combining ECDH and MAC,which is suitable for relatively high-performance platforms.DroneSec-lite protocol achieves extremely low computational overhead through using only symmetric ciphers,which is suitable for low-performance platforms.The security of the proposed protocols under the enhanced Dolve-Yao model is verified using ProVerif,a formal protocol verification tool,and the performance of the protocols is analyzed in the simulation environment.The results show that it is superior to existing protocols in terms of computation overhead,communication overhead and security.

Abstract Intermittent hypoxia (IH) is the core pathological feature of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), and insulin resistance (IR) is the most common metabolic complication of OSAS. Studies have shown that the levels of free fatty acids (FFAs), which are mainly released from adipocytes by lipolysis, are elevated in OSAS and play an important role in the development of IR. However, whether and how IH regulates adipocyte lipolysis in OSAS is not clear. Here, we revealed that the apnea hypopnea index was positively correlated with the serum levels of FFAs and FFA release from adipocytes in OSAS. In addition, IH facilitated lipolysis and FFA release from adipocytes by downregulating the level of METTL3. METTL3 downregulation impaired N6-methyladenosine (m6A) levels in MGLL mRNA and reduced MGLL expression, thereby promoting lipolysis. In addition, we identified YTHDF2 as the m6A reader that interacts with MGLL mRNA, accelerating its degradation. Furthermore, our data showed reduced levels of METTL3 and elevated levels of MGLL in the adipose tissues of OSAS patients and indicated an effect of METTL3 on lowering FFA levels and improving IR in rats with chronic IH. In conclusion, our study provides new insights into the development and treatment of IR in OSAS.

Abstract Background Pyroptosis is a programmed cell death mediated by the gasdermin superfamily, accompanied by inflammatory and immune responses. Exogenously activated pyroptosis is still not well characterized in the tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, whether pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) in lower-grade glioma (LGG) may be used as a biomarker remains unknown. Methods The RNA-Sequencing and clinical data of LGG patients were downloaded from publicly available databases. Bioinformatics approaches were used to analyze the relationship between PRGs and LGG patients’ prognosis, clinicopathological features, and immune status. The NMF algorithm was used to differentiate phenotypes, the LASSO regression model was used to construct prognostic signature, and GSEA was used to analyze biological functions and pathways. The expression of the signature genes was verified using qRT-PCR. In addition, the L1000FWD and CMap tools were utilized to screen potential therapeutic drugs or small molecule compounds and validate their effects in glioma cell lines using CCK-8 and colony formation assays. Results Based on PRGs, we defined two phenotypes with different prognoses. Stepwise regression analysis was carried out to identify the 3 signature genes to construct a pyroptosis-related signature. After that, samples from the training and test cohorts were incorporated into the signature and divided by the median RiskScore value (namely, Risk-H and Risk-L). The signature shows excellent predictive LGG prognostic power in the training and validation cohorts. The prognostic signature accurately stratifies patients according to prognostic differences and has predictive value for immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint expression. Finally, the inhibitory effect of the small molecule inhibitor fedratinib on the viability and proliferation of various glioma cells was verified using cell biology-related experiments. Conclusion This study developed and validated a novel pyroptosis-related signature, which may assist instruct clinicians to predict the prognosis and immunological status of LGG patients more precisely. Fedratinib was found to be a small molecule inhibitor that significantly inhibits glioma cell viability and proliferation, which provides a new therapeutic strategy for gliomas.

Background This study aimed to investigate outcomes after extremity arterial injury repair and examined the association between outcomes and the degree of soft tissue injury and vascular repair methods. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 106 patients (108 cases) who underwent emergent microsurgical repair of extremity arterial injury due to trauma and non-perfusion of the affected extremity. The cases were divided into three groups by degree of associated soft tissue injuries: (A) adequate soft tissue coverage over the injured major vessels after radical debridement, (B) inadequate soft tissue coverage over the injured major vessels after radical debridement, and (C) radical debridement was not feasible due to unclear extent of injured soft tissue. Differences in vascular repair methods and outcomes among the three groups were analyzed. Results In Group A (n = 61), microvascular suture and vessel graft achieved 95.1% and 85.0% successful limb reperfusion, respectively. In Group B (n = 31), vessel reconstruction with flap coverage achieved 100% successful reperfusion. Vessel graft achieved 28.6% successful limb reperfusion, while there were no cases of successful reperfusion using microvascular sutures. In Group C (n = 16), no vascular repair method achieved successful reperfusion. There were significant differences among the three groups in successful reperfusion (p

Formaldehyde, as a harmful gas produced by materials used for decorative purposes, has a serious impact on human health, and is also the focus and difficulty of indoor environmental polution prevention; hence, designing and developing gas sensors for the selective measurement of formaldehyde at room temperature is an urgent task. Herein, a series of SnS2/SnO2 composites with hollow spherical structures were prepared by a facile hydrothermal approach for the purpose of formaldehyde sensing at room temperature. These novel hierarchical structured SnS2/SnO2 composites−based gas sensors demonstrate remarkable selectivity towards formaldehyde within the concentration range of sub-ppm (0.1 ppm) to ppm (10 ppm) at room temperature. Notably, the SnS2/SnO2−2 sensor exhibits an exceptional formaldehyde-sensing performance, featuring an ultra-high response (1.93, 0.1 ppm and 17.51, 10 ppm), as well as good repeatability, long-term stability, and an outstanding theoretical detection limit. The superior sensing capabilities of the SnS2/SnO2 composites can be attributed to multiple factors, including enhanced formaldehyde adsorption, larger specific surface area and porosity of the hollow structure, as well as the synergistic interfacial incorporation of the SnS2/SnO2 heterojunction. Overall, the excellent gas sensing performance of SnS2/SnO2 hollow spheres has opened up a new way for their detection of trace formaldehyde at room temperature.

Introduction: In addition to lipid-lowering effects, statins might modulate the gut microbiome and alleviate systematic inflammation, which in turn, may have a protective effect against irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The aim of our study was to evaluate the gender-specific association between statin exposure and the risk of IBS.Method: We undertook a prospective analysis based on the United Kingdom Biobank, a large ongoing cohort including 477,293 participants aged 37–73 years. We included participants based on information on their personal statin use and also those free of IBS and cancer at the baseline. We evaluated the gender-specific hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) with Cox proportional hazards regression, adjusting for demographic factors, lifestyle factors, comorbidities, and statin indications.Result: A total of 438,805 participants (206,499 males and 232,306 females) were included in the analysis. Among male participants, the regular use of statins was associated with a decreased risk of IBS (HR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.61–0.97). This association persists across multiple sensitivity and subgroup analyses and did not show clear evidence of variance among the major types of statins. We did not find sufficient evidence of the association between the statin use and IBS risk in females (HR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.82–1.16).Conclusion: Our study found that the regular use of statins was associated with a decreased risk of IBS in male participants. Further studies are required to confirm the beneficial effect of statins.

Biomimetic design of scaffold architectures represents a promising strategy to enable the repair of tissue defects. Natural endoneurium extracellular matrix (eECM) exhibits a sophisticated microstructure and remarkable microenvironments conducive for guiding neurite regeneration. Therefore, the analysis of eECM is helpful to the design of bionic scaffold. Unfortunately, a fundamental lack of understanding of the microstructural characteristics and biomechanical properties of the human peripheral nerve eECM exists. In this study, we used microscopic computed tomography (micro-CT) to reconstruct a three-dimensional (3D) eECM model sourced from mixed nerves. The tensile strength and effective modulus of human fresh nerve fascicles were characterized experimentally. Permeability was calculated from a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation of the 3D eECM model. Fluid flow of acellular nerve fascicles was tested experimentally to validate the permeability results obtained from CFD simulations. The key microstructural parameters, such as porosity is 35.5 ± 1.7%, tortuosity in endoneurium (X axis is 1.26 ± 0.028, Y axis is 1.26 ± 0.020 and Z axis is 1.17 ± 0.03, respectively), tortuosity in pore (X axis is 1.50 ± 0.09, Y axis is 1.44 ± 0.06 and Z axis is 1.13 ± 0.04, respectively), surface area-to-volume ratio (SAVR) is 0.165 ± 0.007 μm−1 and pore size is 11.8 ± 2.8 μm, respectively. These were characterized from the 3D eECM model and may exert different effects on the stiffness and permeability. The 3D microstructure of natural peripheral nerve eECM exhibits relatively lower permeability (3.10 m2 × 10−12 m2) than other soft tissues. These key microstructural and biomechanical parameters may play an important role in the design and fabrication of intraluminal guidance scaffolds to replace natural eECM. Our findings can aid the development of regenerative therapies and help improve scaffold design.

The current study presents a novel method to prepare high-purity V2O5 from Na3VO4 solution. This process characterizes Na3VO4 calcification separation, Ca10V6O25 ammoniation and solubilization, NH4VO3 crystallization, and vanadium precipitation, which achieves elemental V migration from the Na3VO4–Ca10V6O25–NH4VO3–V2O5 phase, finally obtaining high-purity V2O5. The influencing factors of the preparation process were investigated, and the results showed that vanadium was released from Na3VO4 solution to synthesize Ca10V6O25 in the first stage under the most suitable conditions (Ca/V molar ratio of 1.8, and a concentration of NaOH less than 160 g/L). In the second stage, the leaching efficiency of vanadium reached 95% at optimal conditions (NH4+/V molar ratio was 1.2, reaction temperature and time were 90 °C and 30 min, respectively). In the third stage, NH4VO3 yield and crystal size reached maximum values under optimal conditions (feed rate, crystallization temperature, and the power factor of the circulating pump were 6 m3/h, 30 °C, and 80% respectively). Finally, high-purity V2O5 was prepared via a series of large particle NH4VO3 post-treatments. In addition, the ICP analysis confirmed that the purity of the generated V2O5 was more than 99.5%.

BackgroundIn this study, we aimed to investigate the signature of the autophagy-related lncRNAs (ARLs) and perform integrated analysis with immune infiltration in cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC).Methods and resultsThe UCSC Xena and HADb databases provided the corresponding data. The ARLs were selected via constructing a co-expression network of autophagy-related genes (ARGs) and lncRNAs. Univariate Cox regression analysis combined with LASSO regression and multivariate Cox regression analysis were utilized to screen lncRNAs. The ARL risk signature was established by Cox regression and tested if it was an independent element bound up with patient prognosis. We used the xCell algorithm and ssGSEA to clarify the pertinence between immune infiltration and the expression of ARLs. Finally, we predicted the sensitivity of drug treatment as well as the immune response. Results indicated that the three prognostic ARLs (SMURF2P1, MIR9-3HG, and AC005332.4) possessed significant diversity and constituted the ARL signature. Risk score was an individual element (HR = 2.82, 95% CI = 1.87–4.30; p < 0.001). Immune infiltration analysis revealed significant increases in central memory CD8+ T cells, endothelial cells, CD8+ naive T cells, and preadipocytes in the high-risk group (p < 0.05). There were 10 therapeutic agents that varied significantly in their estimated half-maximal inhibitory concentrations in the two groups. According to the experimental validation, we found that SMURF2P1 belongs to the co-stimulatory genes and might assume greater importance in the development of cervical adenocarcinoma. MIR9-3HG and AC005332.4 belonged to the tumor-suppressor genes and they may play a more positive role in cervical squamous cell carcinoma.ConclusionsThis research explored and validated a novel signature of the ARLs, which can be applied to forecast the prognosis of patients with CESC and is closely associated with immune infiltration.

Objective: We aimed to combine inflammatory response-related genes (IRRGs) and angiogenesis-associated genes (AAGs) to build a prognostic classifier and to predict immune landscapes and immunosuppressive molecules in gliomas. Introduction: Gliomas, the commonest primary brain tumors, account for about 80% of cancerous tumors in the central nervous system (CNS), featuring rapid progression, high malignancy, and extremely poor prognosis. The induction of inflammatory responses and angiogenesis have been considered to be closely related to tumors. However, there are little publications systematically elaborating on their impacts on gliomas. Methods: We downloaded the data of IRRGs and AAGs from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) databases, and retrieved 68 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 13 DEGs pertained to the prognosis of glioma cases. Next, 9 DEGs were screened from the 13 major DEGs with predictive significance and utilized to build a 9-gene signature as a prognostic risk score model (PRSM) with the aid of univariate Cox regression analyses (CRA) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-CRA. On this basis, glioma patients fell into high-risk (HR) group and low-risk (LR) group. Later, we implemented Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA, Gene Set: WP_ANGIOGENESIS) and calculate the scores of cell infiltration and immune-associated function by harnessing single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA). Results: The prognosis was compared between the two groups by introducing Kaplan-Meier (KM) analysis, which yielded that HR group exhibited poorer prognosis. Additionally, the predictive capacity and independent characteristics were proven by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and multivariate CRA. Further, We took an evaluation of immune profiles, which unraveled that immunosuppressive cell count was distinctively larger in HS group. Finally, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs was built, and 10 hub genes were obtained, of which epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was closely related to poor prognosis. Conclusion: A 9-gene signature was established on the strength of IRRGs and AAGs for predicting glioma prognosis, tumor microenvironment (TME), immune landscapes and immunosuppressive molecules. However, the molecular mechanism developed by this signature to function in tumor immunity needs further experimental research in the future and is expected to be a research target for glioma immunotherapy strategies.

In nature, some animals, such as snakes and octopuses, use their limited body structure to conduct various complicated tasks not only for locomotion but also for hunting. Their body segments seem to possess the intelligence to adapt to environments and tasks. Inspired by nature, a modular soft robot with integrated locomotion and manipulation abilities is presented in this paper. A soft modular robot is assembled using several homogeneous cubic pneumatic soft actuator units made of silicone rubber. Both a mathematical model and backpropagation neural network are established to describe the nonlinear deformation of the soft actuator unit. The locomotion process of the chain-type soft robot is analyzed to provide a general rhythmic control principle for modular soft robots. A vision sensor is adopted to control the locomotion and manipulation processes of the modular soft robot in a closed loop. The experimental results indicate that the modular soft robot put forward in this paper has both locomotion and manipulation abilities.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with special morphologies provide the geometric morphology and composition basis for the construction of platforms with excellent catalytic activity. In this work, cobalt–cerium composite oxide hollow dodecahedrons (Co/Cex-COHDs) with controllable morphology and tunable composition are successfully prepared via a high-temperature pyrolysis strategy using Co/Ce-MOFs as self-sacrificial templates. The construction of the hollow structure can expose a larger surface area to provide abundant active sites and pores to facilitate the diffusion of substances. The formation and optimization of phase interface between Co3O4 and CeO2 regulate the electronic structure of the catalytic site and form a fast channel favorable to electron transport, thereby enhancing the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution activity. Based on the above advantages, the optimized Co/Ce0.2-COHDs obtained an enhanced oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance.

Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) are promising candidates for large-scale energy storage, and the electrolyte plays a critical role in chemical–electrical energy conversion. However, the operating temperature of VRFBs is limited to 10–40 °C because of the stability of the electrolyte. To overcome this, various chemical species are added, but the progress and mechanism have not been summarized and discussed yet. This review summarizes research progress on electrolyte additives that are used for different purposes or systems in the operation of VRFBs, including stabilizing agents (SAs) and electrochemical mass transfer enhancers (EMTEs). Additives in vanadium electrolytes that exhibit microscopic stabilizing mechanisms and electrochemical enhancing mechanisms, including complexation, electrostatic repulsion, growth inhibition, and modifying electrodes, are also discussed, including inorganic, organic, and complex. In the end, the prospects and challenges associated with the side effects of additives in VRFBs are presented, aiming to provide a theoretical and comprehensive reference for researchers to design a higher-performance electrolyte for VRFBs.

In recent years, it has been found that adjusting the organizational structure of Co3O4 through solid solution and other methods can effectively improve its catalytic performance for the oxidation of low concentration methane. Its catalytic activity is close to that of metal Pd, which is expected to replace costly noble metal catalysts. Therefore, the in-depth research on the mechanism and methods of Co3O4 microstructure regulation has very important academic value and economic benefits. In this paper, we reviewed the catalytic oxidation mechanism, microstructure regulation mechanism, and methods of nano-Co3O4 on methane gas, which provides reference for the development of high-activity Co3O4-based methane combustion catalysts. Through literature investigation, it is found that the surface energy state of nano-Co3O4 can be adjusted by loading of noble metals, resulting in the reduction of Co–O bond strength, thus accelerating the formation of reactive oxygen species chemical bonds, and improving its catalytic effect. Secondly, the use of metal oxides and non-metallic oxide carriers helps to disperse and stabilize cobalt ions, improve the structural elasticity of Co3O4, and ultimately improve its catalytic performance. In addition, the performance of the catalyst can be improved by adjusting the microstructure of the composite catalyst and optimizing the preparation process. In this review, we summarize the catalytic mechanism and microstructure regulation of nano-Co3O4 and its composite catalysts (embedded with noble metals or combined with metallic and nonmetallic oxides) for methane combustion. Notably, this review delves into the substance of measures that can be used to improve the catalytic performance of Co3O4, highlighting the constructive role of components in composite catalysts that can improve the catalytic capacity of Co3O4. Firstly, the research status of Co3O4 composite catalyst is reviewed in this paper. It is hoped that relevant researchers can get inspiration from this paper and develop high-activity Co3O4-based methane combustion catalyst.

This study describes the anatomy of the saphenous artery (SA) perforators in minipigs and the development of a new animal model. First, the anatomic characteristics of the SA and perforators in minipigs were examined after latex-lead oxide perfusion. Subsequently, the right hind limbs of 10 minipigs were used to generate capillary perforator flaps (group A; utilizing the SA and 5.5 cm of deep fascia above the knee), while all perforators of the left hind limbs were reserved (group B). Four additional minipigs were used to evaluate SA perforator flaps with capillary perforators plus sarcolemma and a small amount of muscle (group C). Preoperative and postoperative CTA of both hind limbs confirmed that all perforators were ligated in groups A and C. The average length of the SA was 14.86 ± 0.76 mm. The diameters of the SA at initiation, the medial tibial condyle, and the medial malleolus were 1.73 ± 0.15 mm, 1.50 ± 0.12 mm, and 1.30 ± 0.13 mm, respectively. There were 7.09 ± 1.16 perforators per hind limb, with an average diameter of 0.40 ± 0.13 mm (range, 0.10–0.78 mm), and the majority (96.2%) had a diameter >0.2 mm. The survival rates of the flaps in groups A, B, and C were 32 ± 39%, 100%, and 60.2 ± 17%, respectively. The position of the SA in minipigs is constant, its diameter is relatively large, and it has many perforators, allowing it to be used as a reliable model of perforator flaps, including capillary perforator flaps.

Purpose: Our research developed immune-related long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) for risk stratification in cervical cancer (CC) and explored factors of prognosis, inflammatory microenvironment infiltrates, and chemotherapeutic therapies.Methods: The RNA-seq data and clinical information of CC were collected from the TCGA TARGET GTEx database and the TCGA database. lncRNAs and immune-related signatures were obtained from the GENCODE database and the ImPort database, respectively. We screened out immune-related lncRNA signatures through univariate Cox, LASSO, and multivariate Cox regression methods. We established an immune-related risk model of hub immune-related lncRNAs to evaluate whether the risk score was an independent prognostic predictor. The xCell and CIBERSORTx algorithms were employed to appraise the value of risk scores which are in competition with tumor-infiltrating immune cell abundances. The estimation of tumor immunotherapy response through the TIDE algorithm and prediction of innovative recommended medications on the target to immune-related risk model were also performed on the basis of the IC50 predictor.Results: We successfully established six immune-related lncRNAs (AC006126.4, EGFR-AS1, RP4-647J21.1, LINC00925, EMX2OS, and BZRAP1-AS1) to carry out prognostic prediction of CC. The immune-related risk model was constructed in which we observed that high-risk groups were strongly linked with poor survival outcomes. Risk scores varied with clinicopathological parameters and the tumor stage and were an independent hazard factor that affect prognosis of CC. The xCell algorithm revealed that hub immune-related signatures were relevant to immune cells, especially mast cells, DCs, megakaryocytes, memory B cells, NK cells, and Th1 cells. The CIBERSORTx algorithm revealed an inflammatory microenvironment where naive B cells (p < 0.01), activated dendritic cells (p < 0.05), activated mast cells (p < 0.0001), CD8+ T cells (p < 0.001), and regulatory T cells (p < 0.01) were significantly lower in the high-risk group, while macrophages M0 (p < 0.001), macrophages M2 (p < 0.05), resting mast cells (p < 0.0001), and neutrophils (p < 0.01) were highly conferred. The result of TIDE indicated that the number of immunotherapy responders in the low-risk group (124/137) increased significantly (p = 0.00000022) compared to the high-risk group (94/137), suggesting that the immunotherapy response of CC patients was completely negatively correlated with the risk scores. Last, we compared differential IC50 predictive values in high- and low-risk groups, and 12 compounds were identified as future treatments for CC patients.Conclusion: In this study, six immune-related lncRNAs were suggested to predict the outcome of CC, which is beneficial to the formulation of immunotherapy.

Abstract Background Autophagy is a programmed cell degradation mechanism that has been associated with several physiological and pathophysiological processes, including malignancy. Improper induction of autophagy has been proposed to play a pivotal role in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods Univariate Cox regression analysis of overall survival (OS) was performed to identify risk-associated autophagy-related genes (ARGs) in HCC data set from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Multivariate cox regression was then performed to develop a risk prediction model for the prognosis of 370 HCC patients. The multi-target receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the model’s accuracy. Besides, the relationship between drug sensitivity and ARGs expression was also examined. Results A total of 62 differentially expressed ARGs were identified in HCC patients. Univariate and multivariate regression identified five risk-associated ARGs (HDAC1, RHEB, ATIC, SPNS1 and SQSTM1) that were correlated with OS in HCC patients. Of importance, the risk-associated ARGs were independent risk factors in the multivariate risk model including clinical parameters such as malignant stage (HR = 1.433, 95% CI = 1.293–1.589, P

Owing to the complex formation mechanism of hydrodynamic landslides and the involvement of multiple influencing factors, the accuracy of the current prediction model of hydrodynamic landslide evolution process is unsatisfactory. This limitation prevents adequate monitoring and early warning on possible landslides in an area. To improve the accuracy of prediction model of hydrodynamic landslide evolution process supported by monitoring big data, the variational mode decomposition (VMD) and support vector regression (SVR) based on deep learning were integrated in the present study. Typical hydrodynamic landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA) in China is used as a case study for landslide displacement prediction. First, the VMD was utilized to decompose the cumulative displacement into the trend, periodic, and random terms. Then, external factors were decomposed into subsequences, and those characterized by periodicity and randomness were selected as input datasets. The associated displacement terms were then predicted using the Random Search–Support Vector Regression model. Finally, the total displacement was obtained by superimposing the three predicted components, and this was used to evaluate the performance of the model. The results show that the model improves the performance and accuracy of predicting the displacement associated with a hydrodynamic landslide, and the relative error is ≤2%.

Background: Gastric acid suppressants have a major impact on gut microbiome which in turn, may increase the risk of cholelithiasis, but epidemiological evidence remains unclear. We undertook this research to evaluate the association between regular use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and H2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs) with risk of cholelithiasis.Methods: Prospective cohort study included 477,293 UK residents aged 37–73 years from the UK Biobank. We included the participants reported PPI or H2RA use, and were free of cholelithiasis or cancer. We evaluated hazard ratios (HRs) of regular use of PPIs or H2RAs and risk of cholelithiasis adjusting for demographic factors, lifestyle habits, the presence of comorbidities, use of other medications, and clinical indications.Results: We identified 12,870 cases of cholelithiasis over a median follow-up of 8.1 years. Regular use of PPIs (HR 1.22 95% CI 1.16–1.29) or H2RAs (HR 1.16, 95% CI 1.05–1.28) was associated with an increased risk of cholelithiasis after confounding adjustment. There were no major differences among individual PPIs/H2RAs. The absolute risk of PPI-associated cholelithiasis was increased with the baseline predicted risk evaluated by known environmental and genetic risk factors (Risk differences in the lowest vs. the highest quartile: 1.37 vs. 4.29 per 1,000 person-years).Conclusion: Regular use of PPIs and H2RAs was associated with increased risk of cholelithiasis. Future prospective studies are required to confirm whether the observed associations are casual.

Objective. This study aimed to evaluate whether the site of C7 neurotomy affects spinal cord glial cell activation and pain-related behavior on the paralyzed side in a rat stroke model. Methods. After middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats, they underwent C7 neurotomy 0, 2, and 4 mm distal to the intervertebral foramen on the paralyzed side. Pain-related behavior and immunofluorescence examination of spinal cord glial cell activation in the ipsilateral C7 dorsal horn were evaluated. Results. Mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MPWT) was lower, and the number of microglia and astrocytes (/mm2) was higher as the distance between the site of C7 neurotomy and the intervertebral foramen decreased from 4 mm to 0. Conclusion. The site of C7 neurotomy affects MPWT and spinal cord glial proliferation in rats with MCAO. Nerve division closer to intervertebral foramen resulted in lower MPWT and higher degree of glial proliferation in the spinal cord.

Real-time crop harvest data acquisition from harvesters during harvesting operations is an important way to understand the distribution of crop harvest in the field. Most real-time monitoring systems for grain yield using sensors are vulnerable to factors such as low accuracy and low real-time performance. To address this phenomenon, a real-time grain yield monitoring system was designed in this study. The real-time monitoring of yield was accomplished by adding three pairs of photoelectric sensors to the elevator of the corn kernel harvester. The system mainly consists of a signal acquisition and processing module, a positioning module and a visualization terminal; the signal acquisition frequency was set to 1 kHz and the response time was 2 ms. When the system operated, the signal acquisition and processing module detected the sensor signal duration of grain blocking the scrapers of the grain elevator in real-time and used the low-potential signal-based corn grain yield calculation model constructed in this study to complete the real-time yield measurement. The results of the bench tests, conducted under several different operating conditions with the simulated elevator test bench built, showed that the error of the system measurement was less than 5%. Field tests were conducted on a Zoomlion 4YZL-5BZH combined corn kernel harvester and the results showed that the average error of measured yield was 3.72%. Compared to the yield measurement method using the weighing method, the average error of the bench test yield measurement was 7.6% and the average error of yield measurement in field trials with a mass flow sensor yield measurement system was 16.38%. It was verified that the system designed in this study has high yield measurement accuracy and real-time yield measurement, and can provide reference for precision agriculture and high yield management.

Ten-eleven translocation (TET) methylcytosine dioxygenases catalyze the oxidative reactions of 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5-fC), and 5-carboxylcytosine (5-caC), which are intermediate steps during DNA demethylation. It is reported that somatic mutations of TET2 gene are identified in a variety of human tumors, especially in hematological malignancies. The tendency and mechanism of cellular differentiation in different systems are affected by TET2 via regulation of associated gene expression or maintenance of demethylated state. TET2 acts as a critical driver of tumorigenesis through the conversion of 5-mC to 5-hmC and successive oxidation products. Sometimes, it requires special interactions and cofactors. Here, we reviewed recent advances in understanding the function of TET2 proteins in regulating cell differentiation, and its role in various tumors focusing on several digestive cancers. Keywords: Demethylation, Ten-eleven translocation-2, Differentiation, Digestive tumors

In optics, schemes have been proposed to realize synthetic gauge fields, but are restricted to the Abelian type. Here, the authors demonstrate synthetic SU(2) non-Abelian gauge fields in anisotropic media, which allows the study of novel optical phenomena not found in Abelian synthetic gauge field systems.

Abstract Background Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of human peripheral nerves, as a useful tool to understand the nerve internal information and functional basis, has become an important area of research in the peripheral nerve field. Methods In this study, we proposed a two-dimensional (2D) Karnovsky–Roots toluidine blue ponceau 2R (K-B-2R) staining method based upon conventional Karnovsky–Roots staining. It significantly improved the ability to display nerve fascicles, motor and sensory nerve fiber textures. In this method, Karnovsky–Roots staining was carried out, followed by toluidine blue counterstain and ponceau 2R counterstain. Results Comparisons were conducted between the three methods in staining of median nerve sections, which showed similar distribution characters in acetylcholinesterase-positive sites. The additional counterstaining did not change the basis of Karnovsky–Roots staining. However, the resulting images from this new method significantly facilitated the subsequent 3D nerve reconstruction and 3D printing. Conclusions These results show that the new staining method significantly enhanced the display qualities of nerve fascicle edges and fiber textures of motor and sensory nerves and facilitated 3D nerve reconstruction.

Heavy rainfall and changes in the water levels of reservoirs directly affect the degree of landslide disasters in major hydropower project reservoir areas. Correlation analyses of rainfall- and water-level fluctuations with landslide displacement changes can provide a scientific basis for the prevention and early warning of landslide disasters in reservoir areas. Because of the shortcomings of the traditional correlation analysis based on linear assumptions, this study proposed the use of a pseudo-maximum-likelihood-estimation-mixed-Copula (MLE-M-Copula) method instead of linear assumptions. We used the Bazimen landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area as a case study to carry out the correlation analysis of the rainfall, water-level fluctuations, and landslide displacement. First, we selected several appropriate influencing factors to construct four candidate Copula models and estimated the parameters using the pseudo-MLE method. After the goodness-of-fit test, we selected the M-Copula model as the optimal model and used this model to study correlations between the monthly displacement increment of the landslide and influencing factors. We then established the joint distribution functions of these correlations. We computed and analyzed the overall and tail correlations between the displacement increment and the influencing factors, and we constructed the conditional probability distribution of the monthly displacement increment for different given conditions. The results showed that the pseudo-MLE-M-Copula method effectively quantified the correlation between the rainfall, reservoir-level fluctuations, and landslide displacement changes, and we obtained the return periods and value at risk of the influencing factors of the Bazimen landslide under different rainfall conditions and reservoir-level changes. Furthermore, the tail correlations between the monthly displacement increment of the landslide and the rainfall- and reservoir-level changes were higher than the overall correlations.

Background: Although proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely used in the prevention of gastric bleeding caused by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), there is no consensus on the optimal regimen for these patients. Therefore, we aim to investigate whether intermittent use of low-dose PPI is sufficient to prevent post-ESD bleeding. Methods: This multicenter, non-inferiority, randomized controlled trial was conducted at 9 hospitals in China. Consecutive eligible patients with a diagnosis of gastric mucosal lesions after ESD treatment were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either intermittent low-dose or continuous high-dose PPIs treatment. After three days, all patients administered orally esomeprazole 40 mg once a day for 8 weeks. The primary endpoint was post-ESD bleeding within 7 days. Analysis was done according to the intention-to-treat principle with the non-inferiority margin (Δ) of 5%. Results: 526 consecutive patients were assessed for eligibility from 30 September 2017 to 30 July 2019, of whom 414 were randomly assigned to low-dose (n = 209) or high-dose (n = 205) esomeprazole treatment group without dropouts within7 days. The total post-ESD bleeding is occurred in 13 (6.2 %, 95 % CI 3.3–9.6) of 209 within 7 days in the intermittent low-dose group, and 12 (5.9 %, 95 % CI 2.9–9.3) of 205 in the continuous high-dose group. The absolute risk reduction (ARR) was 0.4 % (−4.2, 4.9). One month after ESD, There are 44 patients (21.1 %, 95 % CI 15.8, 26.8) and 39 patients (19.0 % 95 % CI 13.7, 24.4) in scar stage respectively in low-dose group and high-dose group (P = 0.875).The hospital costs in the low-dose PPI group was lower than high -dose group (P = 0.005). Conclusion: The intermittent use of low-dose PPIs is sufficient to prevent post-ESD bleeding. It might be applied in clinical practice to prevent post-ESD bleeding and reduce the costs related to PPIs.

Although research into immunotherapy is growing, its use in the treatment of breast cancer remains limited. Thus, identification and evaluation of prognostic biomarkers of tissue microenvironments will reveal new immune-based therapeutic strategies for breast cancer. Using an in silico bioinformatic approach, we investigated the tumor microenvironmental and genetic factors related to breast cancer. We calculated the Immune score, Stromal score, Estimate score, Tumor purity, TMB (Tumor mutation burden), and MATH (Mutant-allele tumor heterogeneity) of Breast cancer patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) using the ESTIMATE algorithm and Maftools. Significant correlations between Immune/Stromal scores with breast cancer subtypes and tumor stages were established. Importantly, we found that the Immune score, but not the Stromal score, was significantly related to the patient's prognosis. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) identified a pattern of gene function associated with Immune score, and that almost all of these genes (388 genes) are significantly upregulated in the higher Immune score group. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis revealed the enrichment of immune checkpoint genes, predicting a good prognosis for breast cancer. Among all the upregulated genes, FPR3, a G protein-coupled receptor essential for neutrophil activation, is the sole factor that predicts poor prognosis. Gene set enrichment analysis analysis showed FRP3 upregulation synergizes with the activation of many pathways involved in carcinogenesis. In summary, this study identified FPR3 as a key immune-related biomarker predicting a poor prognosis for breast cancer, revealing it as a promising intervention target for immunotherapy.

Aurora kinase A (AURKA) is a cell cycle regulatory serine/threonine kinase that promotes cell cycle progression. It plays an important role in regulating the transition from G2 to M phase during mitosis. The association between the AURKA rs2273535 T>A polymorphism and cancer risk has been investigated, but the results remain inconsistent. To get a more accurate conclusion, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of 36 case-control studies, involving 22,884 cancer cases and 30,497 healthy controls. Crude odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to determine the association of interest. Pooled analysis indicated that the AURKA rs2273535 T>A polymorphism increased the overall risk of cancer (homozygous: OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.04-1.33; recessive: OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.05-1.25; allele: OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.02-1.13). Stratification analysis by cancer type further showed that this polymorphism was associated with an increased breast cancer risk. This meta-analysis indicated that the AURKA rs2273535 T>A polymorphism was associated with an overall increased cancer risk, especially breast cancer. Further validation experiments are needed to strengthen our conclusion.