Search

Replica symmetry breaking (RSB) has been widely recognized as a statistical analysis approach to understand the disorder and nonlinear interactions in complex systems ranging from atoms to the cosmic scale. However, it is challenging to analyze the nonlinear optical characteristics of random laser (RL) in disordered gain medium via RSB due to the lack of a general RSB-based statistical analysis framework. In this work, we report the tunable RSB in polymer fiber RL, where the effects of temperature and different structures on RSB are investigated experimentally and theoretically. It experimentally proves that RSB in RL is not robust, and disorder and temperature are responsible for tunable RSB in RL, which contributes to the improvement of the statistical analysis framework for investigating the optical principles of RL using RSB. And the finding of the tunable RSB allows to investigate the dynamical differences for various RL systems, which broadens the directions for the use of spin-glass theory to explore the physical mechanism of RL.

Background. Various studies have produced contradictory results on the prognostic role of the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) among colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Although a meta-analysis published in 2014 reported a worse prognosis of CIMP among CIMP-high (CIMP-H) CRC patients, the sample sizes of the major included studies were small. In this study, we included the most recent studies with large sample sizes and performed an updated meta-analysis on the relationship between CIMP and CRC prognosis. Methods. A search of MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane for studies related to CIMP and CRC published until July 2021 was conducted based on the PICO (participant, intervention, control, outcome) framework. Data extraction and literature analyses were performed according to PRISMA standards. Results. In the present update, 36 eligible studies (20 recently published) reported survival data in 15315 CRC patients, 18.3% of whom were characterized as CIMP-H. Pooled analysis suggested that CIMP-H was associated with poorer overall survival (OS) ( hazard ratio HR = 1.37 , 95% CI: 1.26–1.48) and disease-free survival/progression-free survival/recurrence-free survival (DFS/PFS/RFS) ( HR = 1.51 , 95% CI: 1.19–1.91) among CRC patients. Subgroup analysis based on tumor stage and DNA mismatch repair (MMR) status showed that only patients with stages III-IV and proficient MMR (pMMR) tumors showed a significant association between CIMP-H and shorter OS, with HRs of 1.52 and 1.37, respectively. Three studies were pooled to explore the predictive value of CIMP on CRC patient DFS after receiving postoperative chemotherapy, and no significant correlation was found. Conclusion. CIMP-H is associated with a significantly poor prognosis in CRC patients, especially those with stage III-IV and pMMR tumors. However, the predictive value of CIMP needs to be confirmed by more prospective randomized studies.

In this study, a flat sheet ceramic membrane experimental device was constructed, and the thermodynamics of membrane fouling interface was studied for oilfield produced water. The flux of ceramic membrane in three kinds of model solutions were measured with time, as well as the surface tension, contact Angle and Zeta potential of solid. The thermodynamic mechanism of membrane fouling interface combined with XDLVO theory were explored for three kinds of model solutions. The thermodynamic study of the interface of ceramic plate membrane shows that the total interaction energy between membrane and oil droplets decreases with the increase of the distance between two interfaces at initial stage of membrane fouling, and finally transforms from the mutual attraction to the mutual repulsion. The total interaction energy between reservoir and oil droplet is shown as mutual attraction, and the total interaction energy decreases with the increase of the distance between reservoir and oil droplet interface. The zeta potential of crude oil was affected by salinity to some extent. The electrostatic shielding effect of the salt ions leads to a decrease in the ζ-potential of the three solutions. They are in the order: model solution Amodel solution Bmodel solution C. This leads to a decrease in the electrostatic interaction (EL). And since the oil layer has the same composition as the oil droplets, the EL interactions in the three solutions can behave as mutual repulsion.

Speleothems, secondary cave carbonates, are valuable archives for reconstructing paleoclimate and relative sea-level changes where the caves are in coastal locations. Unlike the typical speleothems found in carbonate caves, speleothems were recently discovered in a meta-silicate sea cave in Iona, on the west coast of Scotland. Although speleothems have previously been reported from caves in volcanic rocks, speleothems in metamorphic caves have rarely been reported. The Iona speleothems are potentially crucial because paleoclimate reconstructions spanning the Holocene are scarce in Scotland due to a lack of material, particularly speleothems, which can be dated precisely using geochemical dating methods. In this research, the U-Th and 14C dating techniques will be used to constrain the precise age and growth history of the Iona speleothem. Results from pilot U-Th dating of the first speleothem sampled show it is about 1760 ~ 4780 years old (the data, however, have uncertainties up to 69.9%, due to the presence of non-authigenic Th). As for paleoclimate, oxygen isotopes indicate that the amount of precipitation was at a relatively low level between 3000 and 2000 years ago, then increased dramatically from ~2000 to 1760 years ago. These preliminary data indicate that the Iona speleothem has the potential to provide important insights into the Late Holocene relative sea-level changes and climate.

In the current work, the effects of steam and boiling water blanching on the drying characteristics, water distribution, microstructure, and contents of bioactive substances of Gastrodia elata (G. elata) were explored. Results showed that the degree of steaming and blanching was related to the core temperature of G. elata. The steaming and blanching pretreatment increased the drying time of the samples by more than 50%. The low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) of treated samples showed that the relaxation time corresponded to water molecule states (bound, immobilized, and free) and G. elata became shorter, which indicated a reduction in free moisture and increased resistance of water diffusion in the solid structure during drying. Hydrolysis of polysaccharides and gelatinization of starch granules was observed in the microstructure of treated samples, which was consistent with changes in water status and drying rates. Steaming and blanching increased gastrodin and crude polysaccharide contents and decreased p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol content. These findings will contribute to a better understanding of the effect of steaming and blanching on the drying behavior and quality attributes of G. elata.

In the context of society's increasing reliance on information, improving the level of data security is not only a key task but also a formidable challenge. As such it is necessary and urgent to develop advanced technologies for high-security information encryption. Herein, we efficiently synthesized a novel indole dimer, which displayed multiple stimuli-driven, chromotropic capabilities. When triggered by acid/base, the color changes rapidly, accompanied by reversible changes in fluorescence. Interestingly, the color changes of the indole dimer were orthogonal to those of the traditionally utilized stimuli-responsive spiropyran. In combination, this allowed the preparation of invisible inks for printing, with security of information encrypted based on their diametrically opposed response to thermal and acid/base stimulation. The newly synthesized stimuli-responsive indole-dimer and the novel strategy of its application, in combination with the traditional stimuli-responsive spiropyran, provides a new direction in allowing high-level information security against forgery.

This study examined the preparation of isobornyl acetate/isoborneol from camphene using an α-hydroxyl carboxylic acid (HCA) composite catalyst. Through the study of the influencing factors, it was found that HCA and boric acid exhibited significant synergistic catalysis. Under optimal conditions, when tartaric acid–boric acid was used as the catalyst, the conversion of camphene and the gas chromatography (GC) content and selectivity of isobornyl acetate were 92.9%, 88.5%, and 95.3%, respectively. With the increase in the ratio of water to acetic acid, the GC content and selectivity of isobornol in the product increased, but the conversion of camphene decreased. The yield of isobornol was increased by adding ethyl acetate or titanium sulfate/zirconium sulfate to form a ternary composite catalyst. When a ternary complex of titanium sulfate, tartaric acid, and boric acid was used as the catalyst, the GC content of isobornol in the product reached 55.6%. Under solvent-free conditions, mandelic acid–boric acid could catalyze the hydration reaction of camphene, the GC content of isoborneol in the product reached 26.1%, and the selectivity of isoborneol was 55.9%. The HCA–boric acid composite catalyst can use aqueous acetic acid as a raw material, which is also beneficial for the reuse of the catalyst.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is characterized by the development of hyperglycemia and insulin resistance during the second or third trimester of pregnancy, associated with considerable risks to both the mother and developing fetus. Although emerging evidence suggests an association between the altered gut microbiota and GDM, remarkably little is known about the microbial and metabolic mechanisms that link the dysbiosis of the gut microbiota to the development of GDM. In this study, a metagenome-wide association study and serum metabolomics profiling were performed in a cohort of pregnant women with GDM and pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT). We identified gut microbial alterations associated with GDM and linked to the changes in circulating metabolites. Blood metabolite profiles revealed that GDM patients exhibited a marked increase in 2-hydroxybutyric acid and L-alpha-aminobutyric acid, but a decrease in methionine sulfoxide, allantoin, and dopamine and dopaminergic synapse, when compared with those in NGT controls. Short-chain fatty acid-producing genera, including