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Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common respiratory diseases in elderly patients, and a decrease in oxygen saturation during activity is a common phenomenon correlated with the prognosis. Current assessment of exercise-induced hypoxia (EID) has yielded controversial results. Objective To explore methods suitable for inducing EID in community and home-based COPD patients. Methods This was a retrospective study involving 76 patients with stable COPD admitted to China-Japan Friendship Hospital from January 2021 to August 2023. Resting oxygen saturation and the lowest oxygen saturation during exercise (ΔSpO2) in the six-minute walk test 6MWT) were recorded. Based on the criterion of ΔSpO2 ≥4% for the diagnosis of EID, patients were assigned into non-EID group and EID group. Pulmonary function indicators, ΔSpO2 during 30-second sit-to-stand-test (30s STST), and COPD Assessment Test (CAT) were compared between the two groups. The correlation of EID with ΔSpO2 of 30s STST and CAT scores was identified. The predictive value of ΔSpO2 of 30s STST, CAT score, andΔSpO2 of 30s STST combined with CAT score in predicting EID was analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results There were significant differences in the ΔSpO2 of 30s STST and CAT score between non-EID group and EID group. The cut-off value of ΔSpO2 of 30s STST in predicting EID was 2%, with the sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) of 59.6%, 82.8%, 0.730 (95%CI=0.614-0.846, P

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are important and energy-intensive municipal infrastructures. High energy consumption and relatively low operating performance are major challenges from the perspective of carbon neutrality. However, water–energy nexus analysis and models for WWTPs have rarely been reported to date. In this study, a cloud-model-based energy consumption analysis (CMECA) of a WWTP was conducted to explore the relationship between influent and energy consumption by clustering its influent’s parameters. The principal component analysis (PCA) and K-means clustering were applied to classify the influent condition using water quality and volume data. The energy consumption of the WWTP is divided into five standard evaluation levels, and its cloud digital characteristics (CDCs) were extracted according to bilateral constraints and golden ratio methods. Our results showed that the energy consumption distribution gradually dispersed and deviated from the Gaussian distribution with decreased water concentration and quantity. The days with high energy efficiency were extracted via the clustering method from the influent category of excessive energy consumption, represented by a compact-type energy consumption distribution curve to identify the influent conditions that affect the steady distribution of energy consumption. The local WWTP has high energy consumption with 0.3613 kW·h·m−3 despite low influent concentration and volumes, across four consumption levels from low (I) to relatively high (IV), showing an unsatisfactory operation and management level. The average oxygenation capacity, internal reflux ratio, and external reflux ratio during high energy efficiency days recognized by further clustering were obtained (0.2924–0.3703 kg O2·m−3, 1.9576–2.4787, and 0.6603–0.8361, respectively), which could be used as a guide for the days with low energy efficiency. Consequently, this study offers a water–energy nexus analysis method to identify influent conditions with operational management anomalies and can be used as an empirical reference for the optimized operation of WWTPs.

Abstract High-entropy alloys (HEAs) provide new research avenues for alloy combinations in the periodic table, opening numerous possibilities in novel-alloy applications. However, their electrical characteristics have been relatively underexplored. The challenge in establishing an HEA electrical conductivity model lies in the changes in electronic characteristics caused by lattice distortion and complexity of nanostructures. Here we show a low-frequency electrical conductivity model for the Nb-Mo-Ta-W HEA system. The cocktail effect is found to explain trends in electrical-conductivity changes in HEAs, while the magnitude of the reduction is understood by the calculated plasma frequency, free electron density, and measured relaxation time by terahertz spectroscopy. As a result, the refractory HEA Nb15Mo35Ta15W35 thin film exhibits both high hardness and excellent conductivity. This combination of Nb15Mo35Ta15W35 makes it suitable for applications in atomic force microscopy probe coating, significantly improving their wear resistance and atomic-scale image resolution.

Abstract Objective To investigate the correlation between higher-order aberrations (HOA) after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) and the severity of myopia and astigmatism, along with the relevant factors. These findings will provide valuable insights for decreasing the occurrence of HOA after SMILE and enhancing visual quality. Methods A total of 75 patients (150 eyes) with myopia and astigmatism who underwent SMILE were categorized into four groups based on the severity of myopia and astigmatism: Myopia Group 1 (Group M1, spherical diopter ranged from -1.00 D to -4.00 D), Myopia Group 2 (Group M2, spherical diopter ranged from -4.10 D to -10.00 D), Astigmatism Group 1 (Group A1, cylindrical diopter ranged from 0 D to -1.00 D), and Astigmatism Group 2 (Group A2, cylindrical diopter ranged from -1.10 D to -3.00 D). A comprehensive assessment was performed to examine the association between HOA and various relevant factors, including a detailed analysis of the subgroups. Results Group M1 had significantly lower levels of total eye coma aberration (CA), corneal total HOA (tHOA), internal tHOA, and vertical CA ( $${{\text{Z}}}_{3}^{-1}$$ Z 3 - 1 ) after SMILE than Group M2 (P

Abstract Background Concomitant injuries to the radiocarpal ligaments may occur during episodes of distal radius fractures, which may not cause acute subluxation or dislocation but can lead to radiocarpal instability and progress over time. This study aimed to analyze the occurrence of ulnar carpal translation (UCT) after open reduction and internal fixation of distal radius fractures and evaluate the associated factors of UCT. Methods The retrospective study has been done now and includes patients treated between 2010 and 2020 who had undergone reduction and locking plate fixation of distal radius fractures. We assessed radiographs taken immediately after the operation and at 3 months post-operation, enrolling patients with UCT for evaluation. In addition to demographic data, we evaluated radiographic parameters, including fracture pattern, fragment involvement, and ulnar variance. We also assessed the palmar tilt-lunate (PTL) angle to determine associated rotatory palmar subluxation of the lunate (RPSL). Results Among the 1,086 wrists, 53 (4.9%) had UCT within 3 months post-operation. The majority of wrists with UCT exhibited normal to minus ulnar variance (49 wrists; mean: −1.1 mm), and 24 patients (45.3%) had concomitant RPSL. Fracture classification was as follows: 19 type A3 (35.8%), 5 type C1 (9.4%), 11 type C2 (20.8%), and 18 type C3 (34.0%). Radial styloid was involved in 20 wrists (37.7%), palmar rim in 18 wrists (34.0%), dorsal rim in 25 wrists (47.2%), and die-punch fractures in 3 wrists (5.7%). Concomitant ulnar styloid fractures were present in 29 wrists (54.7%). Conclusion This study highlights the potential for UCT to occur following reduction and fixation of distal radius fractures, particularly in cases with a more severe fracture pattern and combined with ulnar minus variance. The high incidence of concomitant RPSL provides further evidence for the possibility of associated radiocarpal ligament insufficiency after distal radius fracture.

In this study, the relationship between 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (MHO) treatment and superficial scald in ‘Dangshansuli’ pear fruit and its impact on reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism were explored. The levels of α-farnesene, conjugated trienes, MHO, malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anion radical and total phenols, and the activities of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in the pericarp of ‘Dangshansuli’ pear fruit treated by MHO during cold storage were measured. In addition, the development of superficial scald was observed and recorded. The results indicated that exogenous MHO could induce symptoms similar to superficial scald in ‘Dangshansuli’ pears, significantly increase the contents of MHO, H2O2 and superoxide anion radical, and decrease the activities of the antioxidant enzymes CAT, POD and SOD, and increase the contents of α-farnesene and conjugated trienes. The content of MHO in the pericarp was significantly related to the contents of H2O2 and superoxide anion radical, but was more closely correlated with the incidence rate of superficial scald than H2O2 levels. These results reveal that MHO can induce superficial scald by increasing the accumulation of ROS.

Background and purposeNowadays, myopia has become a highly prevalent disease globally, especially in East Asia. Epidemiological studies have found that there may be sex differences in the occurrence and progression of myopia, with females having a higher incidence of myopia and higher risk of myopia progression. The purpose of this study was to explore the sex differences in myopic cornea using corneal stroma removed by small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) surgery.MethodsThe corneal stroma of females with high myopia (FH) and males with high myopia (MH) were subjected to proteomic assays. Proteomic-related data were statistically analyzed using software such as MaxQuan, KAAS, Proteome Discovery, etc. The total number of proteins in the cornea and the proteins specifically expressed in the two groups were counted, and the differentially expressed proteins in the two groups were identified by expression fold change >2 and p-value 10-fold. Comparative proteomic analysis of the cornea of male and female patients with high myopia revealed that the expression of corneal extracellular matrix and collagen I, III, V, and VIII-associated proteins were increased in the cornea of female patients, and the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/Smad pathway was an important pathway obtained by functional analysis.ConclusionComparative proteomic analysis of cornea from male and female patients with high myopia revealed increased expression of proteins related to extracellular matrix and collagen I, III, V, and VIII in female patients, and the TGF-β/Smad pathway was an important pathway obtained from the functional analysis, suggesting that extracellular matrix remodeling and collagen fiber synthesis may be more active in the cornea of female patients.

Abstract Background Chondrosarcoma (CHS), a bone malignancy, poses a significant challenge due to its heterogeneous nature and resistance to conventional treatments. There is a clear need for advanced prognostic instruments that can integrate multiple prognostic factors to deliver personalized survival predictions for individual patients. This study aimed to develop a novel prediction tool based on recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) to improve the estimation of overall survival for patients with CHS. Methods Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were analyzed, including demographic, clinical, and treatment details of patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2018. Using C5.0 algorithm, decision trees were created to predict survival probabilities at 12, 24, 60, and 120 months. The performance of the models was assessed through confusion scatter plot, accuracy rate, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve, and area under ROC curve (AUC). Results The study identified tumor histology, surgery, age, visceral (brain/liver/lung) metastasis, chemotherapy, tumor grade, and sex as critical predictors. Decision trees revealed distinct patterns for survival prediction at each time point. The models showed high accuracy (82.40%–89.09% in training group, and 82.16%–88.74% in test group) and discriminatory power (AUC: 0.806–0.894 in training group, and 0.808–0.882 in test group) in both training and testing datasets. An interactive web‐based shiny APP (URL: https://yangxg1209.shinyapps.io/chondrosarcoma_survival_prediction/) was developed, simplifying the survival prediction process for clinicians. Conclusions This study successfully employed RPA to develop a user‐friendly tool for personalized survival predictions in CHS. The decision tree models demonstrated robust predictive capabilities, with the interactive application facilitating clinical decision‐making. Future prospective studies are recommended to validate these findings and further refine the predictive model.

Abstract Cirsium japonicum contains a variety of medicinal components with good clinical efficacy. With the rapid changes in global climate, it is increasingly important to study the distribution of species habitats and the factors influencing their adaptability. Utilizing the MaxEnt model, we forecasted the present and future distribution regions of suitable habitats for C. japonicum under various climate scenarios. The outcome showed that under the current climate, the total suitable area of C. japonicum is 2,303,624 km2 and the highly suitable area is 79,117 km2. The distribution of C. japonicum is significantly influenced by key environmental factors such as temperature annual range, precipitation of the driest month, and precipitation of the wettest month. In light of future climate change, the suitable habitat for C. japonicum is anticipated to progressively relocate toward the western and northern regions, leading to an expansion in the total suitable area. These findings offer valuable insights into the conservation, sustainable utilization, and standardized cultivation of wild C. japonicum resources.

Considering the limited efficacy of current therapies in lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers, innovative combination treatments with diverse mechanisms of action are needed to improve patients’ outcomes. Chitinase-3 like-1 protein (CHI3L1) emerges as a versatile factor with significant implications in various diseases, particularly cancers, fostering an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment for cancer progression. Therefore, pre-clinical validation is imperative to fully realize its potential in cancer treatment. We developed phage display-derived fully human monoclonal CHI3L1 neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) and verified the nAbs-antigen binding affinity and specificity in lung, pancreatic and colorectal cancer cell lines. Tumor growth signals, proliferation and migration ability were all reduced by CHI3L1 nAbs in vitro. Orthotopic or subcutaneous tumor mice model and humanized mouse model were established for characterizing the anti-tumor properties of two CHI3L1 nAb leads. Importantly, CHI3L1 nAbs not only inhibited tumor growth but also mitigated fibrosis, angiogenesis, and restored immunostimulatory functions of immune cells in pancreatic, lung, and colorectal tumor mice models. Mechanistically, CHI3L1 nAbs directly suppressed the activation of pancreatic stellate cells and the transformation of macrophages into myofibroblasts, thereby attenuating fibrosis. These findings strongly support the therapeutic potential of CHI3L1 nAbs in overcoming clinical challenges, including the failure of gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer.

Background: With regard to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), its occurrence and advancement are controlled by genetic and epigenetic anomalies. PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are recognized with significance in tumor, but the precise molecular mechanisms of piRNAs in HNSCC largely remain undisclosed. Methods: Differentially expressed piRNAs were identified by RNA sequencing. The expression of piR-hsa-23533 was evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR and RNA in situ hybridization. The impacts of piR-hsa-23533 on the proliferation and apoptosis of HNSCC cells were investigated by a series of in vitro and in vivo assays. Results: piR-hsa-23533 exhibits upregulation within HNSCC cells and tissues. Besides, piR-hsa-23533 overexpression promotes proliferation while inhibiting apoptosis in vitro and in vivo, while piR-hsa-23533 silencing has an opposite function. From the mechanistic perspective, piR-hsa-23533 can bind to Ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7), as shown through RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation assays, promoting USP7 mRNA and protein expression. Conclusions: These findings highlight the functional importance of piR-hsa-23533 in HNSCC and may assist in the development of anti-HNSCC therapeutic target.

Effective management of large basins necessitates pinpointing the spatial and temporal drivers of primary index exceedances and urban risk factors, offering crucial insights for basin administrators. Yet, comprehensive examinations of multiple pollutants within the Yangtze River Basin remain scarce. Here we introduce a pollution inventory for urban clusters surrounding the Yangtze River Basin, analyzing water quality data from 102 cities during 2018–2019. We assessed the exceedance rates for six pivotal indicators: dissolved oxygen (DO), ammonia nitrogen (NH3–N), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total phosphorus (TP), and the permanganate index (CODMn) for each city. Employing random forest regression and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analyses, we identified the spatiotemporal factors influencing these key indicators. Our results highlight agricultural activities as the primary contributors to the exceedance of all six indicators, thus pinpointing them as the leading pollution source in the basin. Additionally, forest coverage, livestock farming, chemical and pharmaceutical sectors, along with meteorological elements like precipitation and temperature, significantly impacted various indicators' exceedances. Furthermore, we delineate five core urban risk components through principal component analysis, which are (1) anthropogenic and industrial activities, (2) agricultural practices and forest extent, (3) climatic variables, (4) livestock rearing, and (5) principal polluting sectors. The cities were subsequently evaluated and categorized based on these risk components, incorporating policy interventions and administrative performance within each region. The comprehensive analysis advocates for a customized strategy in addressing the discerned risk factors, especially for cities presenting elevated risk levels.

Antibiotic resistance is a pressing global health challenge, and polymyxins have emerged as the last line of defense against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative (MDR-GRN) bacterial infections. Despite the longstanding utility of colistin, the complexities surrounding polymyxins in terms of resistance mechanisms and pharmacological properties warrant critical attention. This review consolidates current literature, focusing on polymyxins antibacterial mechanisms, resistance pathways, and innovative strategies to mitigate resistance. We are also investigating the pharmacokinetics of polymyxins to elucidate factors that influence their in vivo behavior. A comprehensive understanding of these aspects is pivotal for developing next-generation antimicrobials and optimizing therapeutic regimens. We underscore the urgent need for advancing research on polymyxins to ensure their continued efficacy against formidable bacterial challenges.

PurposeTo construct and validate a computed tomography (CT) radiomics model for differentiating lung neuroendocrine neoplasm (LNEN) from lung adenocarcinoma (LADC) manifesting as a peripheral solid nodule (PSN) to aid in early clinical decision-making.MethodsA total of 445 patients with pathologically confirmed LNEN and LADC from June 2016 to July 2023 were retrospectively included from five medical centers. Those patients were split into the training set (n = 316; 158 LNEN) and external test set (n = 129; 43 LNEN), the former including the cross-validation (CV) training set and CV test set using ten-fold CV. The support vector machine (SVM) classifier was used to develop the semantic, radiomics and merged models. The diagnostic performances were evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and compared by Delong test. Preoperative neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels were collected as a clinical predictor.ResultsIn the training set, the AUCs of the radiomics model (0.878 [95% CI: 0.836, 0.915]) and merged model (0.884 [95% CI: 0.844, 0.919]) significantly outperformed the semantic model (0.718 [95% CI: 0.663, 0.769], p both

Abstract The flavonoid xanthohumol is an important flavor substance in the brewing industry that has a wide variety of bioactivities. However, its unstable structure results in its low content in beer. Microbial biosynthesis is considered a sustainable and economically viable alternative. Here, we harness the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the de novo biosynthesis of xanthohumol from glucose by balancing the three parallel biosynthetic pathways, prenyltransferase engineering, enhancing precursor supply, constructing enzyme fusion, and peroxisomal engineering. These strategies improve the production of the key xanthohumol precursor demethylxanthohumol (DMX) by 83-fold and achieve the de novo biosynthesis of xanthohumol in yeast. We also reveal that prenylation is the key limiting step in DMX biosynthesis and develop tailored metabolic regulation strategies to enhance the DMAPP availability and prenylation efficiency. Our work provides feasible approaches for systematically engineering yeast cell factories for the de novo biosynthesis of complex natural products.

Abstract To evaluate the changes of dry eye parameters after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) surgery in patients with different ocular surface disease index (OSDI) scores. Prospective research. Participants were divided into two groups: Group A, OSDI

The development and research of high strength and conductivity materials are essential for the advancement of high-field magnets, including pulsed magnets. This study investigates the effect of electromagnetic fields on the solidification casting of binary Cu-6wt%Ag alloy ingots with diameters of 40 and 160 mm. A 3D numerical simulation is performed utilizing the continuum model with conservation of total momentum, mass, energy, and species. The results indicate that applying electromagnetic stirring (EMS) to small cross-section ingots can cause many randomly distributed small regions with higher segregation degrees inside the ingot, which is not conducive to improving the macrosegregation inside the ingot. For large cross-section ingots without EMS, compared to small cross-section ingots, there is more severe macrosegregation inside the ingot, especially the extreme center segregation with a maximum segregation degree of about 414%. EMS can effectively control macrosegregation within a specific range and eliminate center segregation. When the linear EMS's magnetic induction intensity is set to 0.06 T, the maximum segregation degree near the ingot center can be reduced to less than 260%. Simultaneously, the EMS induced forced convection is also instability, leading to numerous haphazard solute accumulations and depletions, which explains many small segregation regions in the ingot. In terms of improving macrosegregation in large cross-section ingots, Linear EMS has a definite advantage over rotary EMS. It is possible to keep the entire segregation degree in the ingot below 100% when the linear EMS's magnetic induction intensity is set to 0.036 T and the stirring frequency is 4 Hz. The ideal stirring parameters range for linear EMS is to maintain the magnetic induction intensity at around 0.036 T and the stirring frequency in the range of 4–8 Hz.

As an emerging nanoparticle, carbon dots (CDs) have been widely used in the fields of chemical sensing, biological imaging, drug delivery, photocatalyst and food detection due to its superior biocompatibility and photoluminescence. Food processing by-products come from a wide range of sources and are easy to obtain. Moreover, the surface of CDs prepared from food processing by-products is usually rich in functional groups and miscellaneous elements, imparting excellent photocatalytic, antioxidant and antibacterial properties to CDs. In recent years, CDs have been used as food packaging additives to enhance the ultraviolet (UV) shielding, mechanical, antioxidant and antibacterial properties of food packaging. In this paper, the types of food processing by-products that can be used to prepare CDs and natural polymer-based films added with CDs and the application of CDs in active and intelligent packaging are reviewed in order to provide guidance for the preparation of CDs from food processing by-products and its application in food packaging.

In order to investigate physiological characteristics of salt-tolerance rice HD96-1 at seedling stage, indica rice HD96-1 (strong salt-tolerant) and 93-11 (weak salt-tolerant) were used as experimental materials in this study. Three NaCl concentrations (0, 60, 120 mmol·L-1) was set to treat 3-leaf rice seedlings for 7 d. The growth, physiological and biochemical indexes of two rice cultivars were measured and analyzed. The results were as follows: (1) The plant height and the pseudostem width of two cultivars decreased, and the root-shoot ratio increased under salt stress; compared with 93-11, the decrease of plant height and pseudostem width of HD96-1 was lower, and the increase of root-shoot ratio was higher under salt stress; in addition, the dry weight of aboveground and root of HD96-1 increased under salt stress, while that of 93-11 decreased. (2) The malonaldehyde (MDA), superoxide anion (O2-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents in rice seedlings increased after salt stress, of which the increase of HD96-1 was lower than that of 93-11. (3) The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), the contents of ascorbic acid (AsA), glutathione (GSH), proline, soluble sugar and soluble protein in rice seedlings were increased under salt stress, of which the increase of HD96-1 was higher than that of 93-11. In conclusion, the physiological mechanisms of two rice seedlings responding to salt stress are similar, but the difference is that HD96-1 with strong salt-tolerance is stronger antioxidant and osmotic regulation ability than 93-11 in response to salt stress, so that growth and development of HD96-1 are less inhibited than 93-11.

Abstract Image feature categorization has emerged as a crucial component in many domains, including computer vision, machine learning, and biometrics, in the dynamic environment of big data and cloud computing. It is extremely difficult to guarantee image data security, privacy, and computing efficiency while also lowering storage and transmission costs. This paper introduces a novel method for classifying image features that combines multilevel homomorphic encryption and image data partitioning in an integrated manner. We employ a novel partitioning strategy to reduce computational complexity, significantly reducing computational load and improving classification accuracy. In the quest for increased data security and privacy, we introduce a novel, fully homomorphic encryption approach specialized to partitioned images. To counter the inherent complexity of encryption, we devise a compound encryption strategy that exploits the full potential of homomorphic computation, with an explicit objective to curtail computational and storage overheads. Evidently superior to conventional methods, our methodology showcases pronounced benefits in computational efficiency, storage and transmission cost reduction, and robust security and privacy preservation. Hence, the methodology put forth in this paper presents a pioneering and efficacious resolution to the multifaceted challenges of image feature classification within the intricate milieu of cloud computing and big data.

In recent years, there has been significant interest in photocatalytic technologies utilizing semiconductors and photosensitizers responsive to solar light, owing to their potential for energy and environmental applications. Current efforts are focused on enhancing existing photocatalysts and developing new ones tailored for environmental uses. Anthraquinones (AQs) serve as redox-active electron transfer mediators and photochemically active organic photosensitizers, effectively addressing common issues such as low light utilization and carrier separation efficiency found in conventional semiconductors. AQs offer advantages such as abundant raw materials, controlled preparation, excellent electron transfer capabilities, and photosensitivity, with applications spanning the energy, medical, and environmental sectors. Despite their utility, comprehensive reviews on AQs-based photocatalytic systems in environmental contexts are lacking. In this review, we thoroughly describe the photochemical properties of AQs and their potential applications in photocatalysis, particularly in addressing key environmental challenges like clean energy production, antibacterial action, and pollutant degradation. However, AQs face limitations in practical photocatalytic applications due to their low electrical conductivity and solubility-related secondary contamination. To mitigate these issues, the design and synthesis of graphene-immobilized AQs are highlighted as a solution to enhance practical photocatalytic applications. Additionally, future research directions are proposed to deepen the understanding of AQs' theoretical mechanisms and to provide practical applications for wastewater treatment. This review aims to facilitate mechanistic studies and practical applications of AQs-based photocatalytic technologies and to improve understanding of these technologies.

Background: Accurately predicting the survival rate of submandibular gland cancer (SGC) is of significant importance for guiding treatment decision-making and improving patient outcomes. This study was aimed to identify the independent prognostic factors of overall survival (OS) in SGC patients, and develop novel prediction models to aid clinicians in predicting the survival probability. Materials and methods: Patients diagnosed with primary SGC after the year 2010 were extracted from SEER database and then randomly allocated into training and test samples in a 7:3 ratio. Uni- and multi-variable COX analyses were employed using the training sample to ascertain independent prognostic factors for OS. Subsequently, graphic and online dynamic nomograms were established basing on the independent prognostic factors. We utilized C-index, calibration curve, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and area under ROC curve (AUC) value to evaluate the discrimination capacity and the consistency between predicted and actual survival. Results: A total of 527 SGC patients were included (369 assigned to training group and 158 assigned to test group). The multivariable COX analysis showed that age, sex, marital status, tumor histology, summary stage, metastases to bone, and tumor size were independently associated with OS. Novel graphical and online dynamic (URL: https://yangxg1209.shinyapps.io/overall_survival_submandibular_gland_tumor/) nomograms were established. The C-indices (training: 0.77, 95%CI 0.71–0.84; test: 0.77, 95%CI 0.68–0.85) indicate favorable discrimination ability of the model, and the calibration curves demonstrated favorable consistency between the predicted and actual survival rates. Conclusions: Our study identified the independent prognostic factors influencing OS in patients with SGC, and successfully established and validated novel nomograms, which provide accurate prediction of survival rates and allows for personalized risk assessment.

We investigated the optical constants of thin films of the Nb25Mo25Ta25W25 alloy, which belongs to high-entropy alloys (HEAs), with a transmission terahertz (THz) measurement system and discovered that the refractive index, extinction coefficient, and conductivity of the HEA thin film measured in the range of 0.3–1.0 THz all increased as the thickness of the thin film increased (the thickness was maintained in the range between 10 and 40 nm). According to the experimental results, this alloy with a high refractive index is suitable for producing high-contrast gratings (HCGs). The principle behind achieving a high contrast with a high-reflection HEA grating is to harness the confined plasmonic energy within the grating, thereby enhancing the localized plasmonic energy within the grating. This work elucidates that we can not only fabricate THz components by controlling the thickness of the thin film but also utilize the high refractive index of this material to create HCGs.

ObjectiveTo examine the causes and factors that lead to high order aberration (HOA) during the treatment of myopia using small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE), as well as the differences between SMILE and other corneal refractive surgeries through a systematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsA systematic search was conducted from January 2015 to February 2023 in Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases to gather relevant studies on SMILE and HOA. Studies meeting specific criteria were chosen, and clinical data was retrieved for analysis.ResultsThis meta-analysis resulted in the inclusion of 19 studies involving 1,503 eyes. Pooled results showed significant induction of total HOA (tHOA, d = −0.21, p -5D), lower preoperative astigmatism group (cylinder ≤ -1D), larger lenticule thickness group (lenticule thickness > 100 μm), shorter follow-up group (follow-up 1 month postoperatively) and the thicker CCT group (CCT > 550 μm) brought a significant induction of tHOA compared to the opposite comparison group (p

Abstract Due to extraordinary electronic and optoelectronic properties, large‐scale single‐crystal two‐dimensional (2D) semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers have gained significant interest in the development of profit‐making cutting‐edge nano and atomic‐scale devices. To explore the remarkable properties of single‐crystal 2D monolayers, many strategies are proposed to achieve ultra‐thin functional devices. Despite substantial attempts, the controllable growth of high‐quality single‐crystal 2D monolayer still needs to be improved. The quality of the 2D monolayer strongly depends on the underlying substrates primarily responsible for the formation of grain boundaries during the growth process. To restrain the grain boundaries, the epitaxial growth process plays a crucial role and becomes ideal if an appropriate single crystal substrate is selected. Therefore, this perspective focuses on the latest advances in the growth of large‐scale single‐crystal 2D TMD monolayers in the light of enhancing their industrial applicability. In the end, recent progress and challenges of 2D TMD materials for various potential applications are highlighted.

Gastric metastasis from breast cancer has a high rate of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. Data of patients who had gastric metastasis from breast cancer were retrieved from our hospital between 2014 and 2020. The gastric metastasis from breast cancer incidence was 0.04% (5/14,169 cases of breast cancer). Four patients had invasive lobular carcinoma, and the other patient had invasive ductal carcinoma. The time from the initial diagnosis of breast cancer to the appearance of gastric metastasis ranged from 0 to 12 years. One patient’s endoscopic presentation was similar to mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma and presented with gastric mucosal congestion and edema, widened wrinkles, mixed color fading, and redness. The initial pathological diagnosis of this patient was mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, and breast cancer was finally confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Hormonal receptors were highly expressed in four patients with primary and metastasis lesions and were negative in one patient. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 was negative in all patients. Mammaglobin and GATA3 were positive in all patients. In conclusion, the gastric metastasis of breast cancer incidence rate is low, and misdiagnosis can lead to insufficient or excessive treatment. Multiple biopsies and immunohistochemistry should be performed to diagnose gastric metastasis of breast cancer.

Iron homeostasisis is integral to normal physiological and biochemical processes of lungs. The maintenance of iron homeostasis involves the process of intake, storage and output, dependening on iron-regulated protein/iron response element system to operate tightly metabolism-related genes, including TFR1, DMT1, Fth, and FPN. Dysregulation of iron can lead to iron overload, which increases the virulence of microbial colonisers and the occurrence of oxidative stress, causing alveolar epithelial cells to undergo necrosis and apoptosis, and form extracellular matrix. Accumulated iron drive iron-dependent ferroptosis to exacerbated pulmonary fibrosis. Notably, the iron chelator deferoxamine and the lipophilic antioxidant ferritin-1 have been shown to attenuate ferroptosis and inhibit lipid peroxidation in pulmonary fibrosis. The paper summarises the regulatory mechanisms of dysregulated iron metabolism and ferroptosis in the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Targeting iron metabolism may be a potential therapeutic strategy for the prevention and treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.

Ticks are primary vectors for many tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) and pose a serious threat to veterinary and public health. Information on the presence of TBPs in Chinese Milu deer (Elaphurus davidianus) is limited. In this study, a total of 102 Chinese Milu deer blood samples were examined for Anaplasma spp., Theileria spp., Babesia spp., Rickettsia spp., and Borrelia spp., and three TBPs were identified: Anaplasma phagocytophilum (48; 47.1 %), Candidatus Anaplasma boleense (47; 46.1%), and Theileria capreoli (8; 7.8 %). Genetic and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA confirmed their identity with corresponding TBPs. To our knowledge, this is the first report on Candidatus A. boleense and T. capreoli detection in Chinese Milu deer. A high prevalence of A. phagocytophilum with veterinary and medical significance was identified in endangered Chinese Milu deer, which could act as potential zoonotic reservoirs. The identification of the TBPs in Chinese Milu deer provides useful information for the prevention and control of tick-borne diseases.

Abstract Salt stress is one unfavorable factor of global climate change that adversely affects rice plant growth and yield. To identify novel salt-tolerant genes and new varieties of salt-tolerant rice, a better understanding of the molecular regulation mechanism of salt tolerance in rice is needed. In this study we used transcriptome analyses to examine changes in gene expression of salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive rice plants. The salt-tolerant cultivar HH11 and salt-sensitive cultivar IR29 were treated with 200 mM NaCl solution for 0 h, 6 h, 24 h and 48 h at the three leaf stage. Physiological parameters and transcriptome were measured and analyzed after each treatment. Activity of SOD and POD, as well as the MDA and protein content of the two rice cultivars generally increased with increasing time of exposure to NaCl. Meanwhile, the APX activity first increased, then decreased in both cultivars, with maximum values seen at 6 h for IR29 and at 24 h for HH11. The GR and GPX activity of HH11 were stronger than that of IR29 in response to salt stress. The H2O2 content first increased at 0–6 h, then decreased at 6–24 h, and then increased again at 24–48 h under salt stress. Compared with IR29, SOD, POD and APX activity of HH11 was more sluggish in response to salt stress, reaching the maximum at 24 h or 48 h. The MDA, H2O2 and proline content of HH11 was lower than that of IR29 under salt stress. Relative to untreated HH11 plants (0 h) and those exposed to salt for 6 h, 24 h, and 48 h (H0-H6, H0-H24 and H0-H48), 7462, 6363 and 6636, differentially expressed genes (DEGs), respectively, were identified. For IR29, the respective total DEGs were 7566, 6075 and 6136. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that metabolic pathways related to antioxidative responses and osmotic balance played vital roles in salt stress tolerance. Sucrose and starch metabolism, in addition to flavonoid biosynthesis and glutathione metabolism, showed positive responses to salt stress. Expression of two SPS genes (LOC_Os01g69030 and LOC_Os08g20660) and two GST genes (LOC_Os06g12290 and LOC_Os10g38740) was up-regulated in both HH11 and IR29, whereas expression of LOC_Os09g12660, a glucose-1-phosphate adenylyltransferase gene, and two SS genes (LOC_Os04g17650 and LOC_Os04g24430) was up-regulated differential expression in HH11. The results showed that HH11 had more favorable adjustment in antioxidant and osmotic activity than IR29 upon exposure to salt stress, and highlighted candidate genes that could play roles in the function and regulation mechanism of salt tolerance in rice.

Abstract Background Non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer with high morbidity and mortality. The role of dysregulated circular RNAs (circRNAs) in human diseases are receiving more and more attention. In this study, we focused on the role and mechanism of circPKM2 in the progression of NSCLC. Methods The expression levels of circPKM2, microRNA‐1298‐5p (miR‐1298‐5p) and metadherin (MTDH) in NSCLC were measured by real‐time quantitative PCR (qRT‐PCR) or Western blot. Cell counting kit‐8 (CCK‐8), colony formation, 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine (EdU) staining, flow cytometry, transwell and tube formation assays were conducted to evaluate the effects of circPKM2 on malignant phenotypes of NSCLC. Western blot was used to measure related marker protein levels. Results CircPKM2 and MTDH were highly expressed in NSCLC tissues and cells, while miR‐1298‐5p was downregulated. CircPKM2 knockdown effectively suppressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion and tube formation whereas induced apoptosis in vitro. CircPKM2 had a potential targeting site with miR‐1298‐5p and negatively regulated the expression of miR‐1298‐5p. MiR‐1298‐5p inhibitor reversed the effect of circPKM2 knockdown on the progression of NSCLC. CircPKM2 induced MTDH expression via sponging miR‐1298‐5p to promote the progression of NSCLC. MiR‐1298‐5p directly targeted MTDH, and the addition of MTDH partially attenuated the inhibition of miR‐1298‐5p on the progression of NSCLC. In addition, the downregulation of circPKM2 significantly slowed down the growth of xenograft tumors in vivo. Conclusion Our findings demonstrated that circPKM2 mediated NSCLC progression via regulating miR‐1298‐5p/MTDH axis, providing a novel therapeutic target for NSCLC.

Understanding the spatial distribution of the crop yield gap (YG) is essential for improving crop yields. Recent studies have typically focused on the site scale, which may lead to considerable uncertainties when scaled to the regional scale. To mitigate this issue, this study used a process-based and remote sensing driven crop yield model for winter wheat (PRYM-Wheat), which was derived from the boreal ecosystem productivity simulator (BEPS), to simulate the YG of winter wheat in the North China Plain from 2015 to 2019. Yield validation based on statistical yield data revealed good performance of the PRYM-Wheat Model in simulating winter wheat actual yield (Ya). The distribution of Ya across the North China Plain showed great heterogeneity, decreasing from southeast to northwest. The remote sensing-estimated results show that the average YG of the study area was 6 400.6 kg ha−1. The YG of Jiangsu Province was the largest, at 7 307.4 kg ha−1, while the YG of Anhui Province was the smallest, at 5 842.1 kg ha−1. An analysis of the responses of YG to environmental factors showed no obvious correlation between YG and precipitation, but there was a weak negative correlation between YG and accumulated temperature. In addition, the YG was positively correlated with elevation. In general, studying the specific features of the YG can provide directions for increasing crop yields in the future.

Accurate estimation of regional winter wheat yields is essential for understanding the food production status and ensuring national food security. However, using the existing remote sensing-based crop yield models to accurately reproduce the inter-annual and spatial variations in winter wheat yields remains challenging due to the limited ability to acquire irrigation information in water-limited regions. Thus, we proposed a new approach to approximating irrigations of winter wheat over the North China Plain (NCP), where irrigation occurs extensively during the winter wheat growing season. This approach used irrigation pattern parameters (IPPs) to define the irrigation frequency and timing. Then, they were incorporated into a newly-developed process-based and remote sensing-driven crop yield model for winter wheat (PRYM–Wheat), to improve the regional estimates of winter wheat over the NCP. The IPPs were determined using statistical yield data of reference years (2010–2015) over the NCP. Our findings showed that PRYM–Wheat with the optimal IPPs could improve the regional estimate of winter wheat yield, with an increase and decrease in the correlation coefficient (R) and root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.15 (about 37%) and 0.90 t ha–1 (about 41%), respectively. The data in validation years (2001–2009 and 2016–2019) were used to validate PRYM–Wheat. In addition, our findings also showed R (RMSE) of 0.80 (0.62 t ha–1) on a site level, 0.61 (0.91 t ha–1) for Hebei Province on a county level, 0.73 (0.97 t ha–1) for Henan Province on a county level, and 0.55 (0.75 t ha–1) for Shandong Province on a city level. Overall, PRYM–Wheat can offer a stable and robust approach to estimating regional winter wheat yield across multiple years, providing a scientific basis for ensuring regional food security.

The use of cinnamaldehyde and Vitamin C can improve immunity and intestinal health. A two-way factorial design was employed to investigate the main and interactive effects of cinnamaldehyde and vitamin C on the growth, carcass, and intestinal health of broiler chickens. A total of 288 one-day-old female Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly distributed among four treatment groups, consisting of six replicate cages with 12 birds each. Four treatments were basal diet or control (CON), supplemental cinnamaldehyde (CA) 300 g/ton (g/t), vitamin C (VC) 300 g/t, and cinnamaldehyde 300 g/t, and vitamin C 300 g/t (CA + VC), respectively. The results showed that supplemental CA did not affect the growth performance or slaughter performance of broilers at 21 days (d), 42 days (d), and 1–42 days (d); however, it could improve intestinal barrier function at 42 d of age and reduce the mRNA expression of inflammatory factors in the intestine at 21 d and 42 d of age. Supplemental VC showed a trend towards increasing body weight gain (BWG) at 21 d (p = 0.094), increased breast muscle rate (at 21-d 5.33%, p < 0.05 and at 42-d 7.09%, p = 0.097), and decreased the abdominal fat (23.43%, p < 0.05) and drip loss (20.68%, p < 0.05) at 42-d. Moreover, VC improves intestinal morphology and intestinal barrier function and maintains a balanced immune response. The blend of CA and VC significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD-88) in the intestine at 21 d of age, the mRNA expression of catalase (CAT), Occludin, Claudin-1, Mucin-2, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) in the intestine at 42 d of age (p < 0.01), and downregulated the mRNA expression of interleukin 10 (IL-10), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in the intestine at 21-d and 42-d of age, and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) mRNA in intestine at 42 d of age (p < 0.01). This study suggested that the combination of CA and VC had the potential to regulate intestinal health and result in better carcass character of broilers.

Object detection and segmentation have made great progress in robotic application missions. However, intelligent agents require fine-grained recognition algorithms rather than object-level and language instructions to enhance the interaction between humans and robots. To improve the robot’s interactivity in the process of the robot response to language instructions, we propose a method for part-level detection and segmentation by exploiting vision language models. In this approach, Swin Transformer is introduced in the image encoder for extracting image features, and FPNs (Feature Pyramid Networks) are modified to better process the features from Swin Transformer. Next, the image decoder is proposed for model aligning between the image features and text embeddings for achieving human–robot interaction via language. Finally, we verify that the text embeddings are impacted by the command of input and that different prompt templates also affect classification. The method proposed in this paper, which is validated on two datasets (PartImagePart and Pascal Part), possesses the ability to understand and execute part-level missions and accurately segments and detects parts compared with existing interactive methods.

As the market share of electric vehicles continues to expand, fire accidents due to impacts from the power battery located at the bottom of the electric vehicles are receiving increasing attention. Lithium-ion batteries, as the mainstream choice of power battery for electric vehicles solving the problem that they are prone to thermal runaway due to damage when impacted, are the key to preventing and controlling fire accidents in electric vehicles. To address the protective problem of the bottom power battery of electric vehicles when it is impacted by road debris, two new types of sandwich structures with an enhanced regular hexagonal structure and semicircular arch structure as the core layer, respectively, are innovatively proposed in this article. They are used to protect the bottom power battery of electric vehicles and are compared with the traditional homogeneous protective structure in terms of protective performance. A local finite element simulation (FEM) of an electric vehicle containing the necessary components was established for simulation. Stress distribution, deformation, and energy absorption data for each component of an electric vehicle assembled with a protective structure when subjected to a bottom impact were obtained safely and cost-effectively. Three evaluation coefficients, namely, the cell shape variable (Bcmax), the protective effect parameter (ƒPE), and the total energy absorption of the structure (Ea), are proposed to compare and analyze the simulation results of different protective structures under equal mass conditions. The maximum values of the battery deformation of arched sandwich construction and reinforced honeycomb sandwich construction were 0.35 mm and 0.40 mm, respectively, which are much smaller than that of the maximum deformation of the battery under the protection of a homogeneous protective structure, which is 0.62 mm. Their protective effect parameters are 43.55 and 35.48, respectively, which proves that the optimization degree of the protective structure of the bottom of the electric vehicle after the application of the new structure is 35% or more. The total energy absorptions of the two structures are 91.77 J and 87.19 J, respectively, accounting for more than 70% of the kinetic energy in the system, which proves that the deformation of the sandwich structure can effectively absorb the kinetic energy of the collision between the road obstacle and the bottom of the car. The final results show that the arched sandwich structure showed the best impact resistance in the simulation, which can be used for the power battery’s protective structure on the electric vehicle’s bottom. This study fills a gap in local finite element modeling in electric vehicle crash simulations and provides ideas for fire prevention designs of electric vehicle structures.

Excavation in foundation pits can result in serious issues for nearby tunnel structures like deformation, differential settlement, and seepage damage, which profoundly impact project timelines and potentially endanger life and property safety. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate these impacts before and after construction and to facilitate timely adjustments of construction measures and reinforcement where possible. In this study, a foundation pit construction project near a rail transit line is employed as a case to comprehensive study the impact of on-site deep foundation pit excavation on adjacent rail transit structures by numerical simulation. A three-dimensional finite-element model of the foundation pit based on site geological characteristics and construction procedures is established to study the excavation and maintenance processes. Through analysis of key parameters including soil deformation, displacement, shear force, and bending moment of the tunnel structures, the designed protective structure is found to have effectively mitigated soil deformation, ensuring the stability of the foundation pit. As excavation progresses, lateral soil deformation and vertical uplift gradually increase but remain within specified control values. During various excavation stages, the maximum displacement of the tunnel structure gradually increases, with the increase rates of maximum settlement being 29.09%, 20.51%, and 6.45%, respectively. This indicates a gradual enhancement of the stability of the tunnel structure. Additionally, excavation of the foundation pit has a significant impact on the bending moment distribution of the tunnel structure but does not affect the axial force and shear force of the tunnel structure. The findings of this study offer crucial scientific insights for evaluating the safety and stability of construction near tunnel structures.

The natural wind velocities in tunnels under different natural conditions are distinct, and the longitudinal ventilation velocity significantly impacts the evacuation environment. This paper examines the evacuation conditions and strategies under varying wind velocities in bifurcated tunnels. Using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and Pathfinder software, the fire development and evacuation of three distinct longitudinal positions in a bifurcated tunnel are simulated. The simulation results demonstrate that the evacuation conditions for disparate fire sources at varying wind velocities are markedly disparate. In consideration of the construction cost and the maximization of evacuation capacity, the width of the evacuation doors at the three locations should be set to 2 m, 1.5 m, and 1.5 m, respectively. Furthermore, an analysis of the safety of individual personnel through Fractional Effective Dose (FED) revealed that directing evacuees towards the upstream of the fire after the fire is detected can significantly reduce individual personnel injuries while ensuring the overall success of the evacuation.

In this paper, we collect the basic information data of online rumors and highly topical public opinions. In the research of the propagation model of online public opinion rumors, we use the improved SCIR model to analyze the characteristics of online rumor propagation under the suspicion mechanism at different propagation stages, based on considering the flow of rumor propagation. We analyze the stability of the evolution of rumor propagation by using the time-delay differential equation under the punishment mechanism. In this paper, the evolution of heterogeneous views with different acceptance and exchange thresholds is studied, using the standard Deffuant model and the improved model under the influence of the media, to analyze the evolution process and characteristics of rumor opinions. Based on the above results, it is found that improving the recovery rate is better than reducing the deception rate, and increasing the eviction rate is better than improving the detection rate. When the time lag τ < 110, it indicates that the spread of rumors tends to be asymptotic and stable, and the punishment mechanism can reduce the propagation time and the maximum proportion of deceived people. The proportion of deceived people increases with the decrease in the exchange threshold, and the range of opinion clusters increases with the decline in acceptance.