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Designing efficient and stable non-precious metal HER (hydrogen evolution reaction) electrocatalysts with high large current density adaptability is significant for industrial application of hydrogen production by water electrolysis. Herein, a facile strategy was developed to construct a multi-phase Ni3P-Co2P-(Ni-Co) film with self-supporting hierarchically micro/nano-porous structure by using bubble template method electrodeposition of self-supporting micro-porous NiCoP film, oxygen-free annealing for phase separation producing Ni3P-Ni-Co2P-Co structure, and acid etching for constructing surface nano-porous structure. The effective active sites for HER was significantly increased due to the hierarchically micro/nano-porous structure, which not only enlarged the surface roughness, but enhanced the bubble detachment by improving the hydrophilicity. Meanwhile, the HER electrolysis durability was improved benefiting from the Ni3P-Co2P phases with high corrosion resistance (especially in acid solution) and the self-supporting film structure without binder. Consequently, the NiCoP-OA-AE film exhibited high HER catalytic performance, which delivered a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at a low overpotential of 42.9 and 39.7 mV in 1 M KOH and 0.5 M H2SO4, respectively. It also possessed high long-term electrolysis durability, and the cell voltage of water electrolysis using self-supporting porous NiCoP-OA-AE||IrO2-Ta2O5 electrolyzer at 500 mA cm−2 for 250 h in 0.5 M H2SO4 is only 2.9 V.

Objective. Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is a characteristic feature of wet age-related macular degeneration, which is one of the main causes of blindness in the elderly. Automatic classification of CNV in optical coherence tomography images plays an auxiliary role in the clinical treatment of CNV. Approach. This study proposes a feature enhancement network (FE-net) to discriminate between different CNV types with high inter-class similarity. The FE-net consists of two branches: discriminative FE and diverse FE. In the discriminative FE branch, a novel class-specific feature extraction module is introduced to learn class-specific features, and the discriminative loss is introduced to make the learned features more discriminative. In the diverse FE branch, the attention region selection is used to mine the multi-attention features from feature maps in the same class, and the diverse loss is introduced to guarantee that the attention features are different, which can improve the diversity of the learned features. Main results. Experiments were conducted on our CNV dataset, with significant accuracy of 92.33%, 87.45%, 90.10%, and 91.25% on ACC, AUC, SEN, and SPE, respectively. Significance. These results demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively learn the discriminative and diverse features to discriminate subtle differences between different types of CNV. And accurate classification of CNV plays an auxiliary role in clinical treatmen.

Studying the evolution of the pore structure of coal during spontaneous combustion is of great value in further understanding the mechanism of coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) and its prevention. In this study, we selected three low-rank coals and used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to visualize the macroscopic evolution of the pore structure of coal after heat treatment and to analyze the effect of temperature (25-500 °C) on the pore structure of coal, including porosity, permeability, and fractal dimensions. The obtained results show that the overall NMR signal in coal increases with increasing temperature, indicating that heat treatment can induce the enlargement, opening, and interconnection of pores and fractures in coal. The equivalent average pore radius (r

Maintaining the dynamical microwave synchronization between a target and its background is the key to electromagnetical invisibility in real environment. Herein, we introduce an archetypical paradigm for ultraelastic films of graphene-functionalized ionic gel with tunable microwave-absorbing behaviors. Inspired by the local structural changes during the wing-spreading process of vespertilionids, the experimental and finite element simulations have revealed that proper shape changing of 3D wrinkled structure containing ridge walls with moderate impedance is the effective way to minimize reflected wave and promote energy attenuation. An optimal RL value of -43.6 dB and valid regulatory amplitude of 41.5 dB, covering a microwave-absorbing to shielding state, could be reached with only 0.2% weight fraction of the active ingredient RGO filler. The significant regulatory performance is attributed to the competitive effect between intrinsic dielectric attenuation of silicon nitride modified reduced graphene oxide (RGO-SiN), multiscattering of a 3D wrinkled structure, and evolution of the oriented RGO-SiN.

To evaluate changes in knee articular cartilage of amateur marathon runners using magnetic resonance imaging T2 relaxation time mapping. T2 mapping was performed in 18 non-professional male marathon runners 48 h before and 72 h after a marathon. Bulk and zonal tibiofemoral T2 mapping were assessed. T2 mapping values of the left knees (LK) decreased after competition (48.45±25.08 versus 39.75±18.91 ms), while those of the right knees (RK) were similar before and after the marathon. Significant increases in mean T2 relaxation times were observed in the RK medial femoral condyle (42.14±8.96 versus 53.63±3.664 ms). There were significant decreases in T2 relaxation time in the LK medial tibial plateau (50.01±30.25 versus 33.99±7.25 ms), LK lateral tibial plateau (44.64±19.84 versus 29.62±9.76 ms), LK lateral femoral condyle (54.72±32.94 versus 44.75±16.61 ms), and RK lateral tibial plateau (42.93±16.91 versus 35.51±16.20 ms). No significant changes were observed in the LK medial femoral condyle, RK medial tibial plateau, and femoral condyle. Regional analyses showed lower T2 mapping values in the L2, R2, L5, R5, L8, and R8 points on both knees after competition. Changes in T2 mapping values can reflect alterations in cartilage structures. As an extreme endurance sport, marathons can damage the local cartilage of knee joints of non-professional marathon athletes shortly after exercise. However, this effect is small and probably not clinically relevant.

Solar-induced photothermal catalysis of water splitting is a promising method to produce hydrogen and could be promoted by surface defects, especially oxygen vacancies on the surfaces of metal oxid...

Sepsis is an inflammatory disease characterized by dysregulation of inflammation. Macrophage-mediated inflammation has been implicated in the pathophysiology of sepsis. Itaconate is a metabolite produced in activated macrophages which has anti-inflammatory activities. In the present study, we investigated the potential effects of a cell-permeable itaconate derivative dimethyl itaconate on inflammation in sepsis. We established a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced septic mouse model and administered dimethyl itaconate to the septic mice. The survival rate, serum level of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and lung pathology were evaluated. We also administered dimethyl itaconate to LPS-treated bone marrow–derived macrophages (BMDMs), and measured the cytokine production and Nrf2 expression. We also evaluated the effects of dimethyl itaconate on Nrf2-deficient mice. Administration of dimethyl itaconate enhanced survival rate, decreased serum level of TNF-α and IL-6, and ameliorated lung injury in septic mice. Dimethyl itaconate also suppressed LPS-induced production of TNF-α, IL-6, and NOS2 in BMDMs. Dimethyl itaconate activated Nrf2 and promoted the expression of Nrf2 and its downstream factor HO-1 and NQO-1. The regulatory activities of dimethyl itaconate on inflammatory cytokine production, mouse survival rate were abolished in septic Nrf2−/− mice. Dimethyl itaconate suppressed the inflammatory responses of macrophages in sepsis.

The standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) is considered appropriate for drought assessment. In this study, changes in drought characteristics and the sensitivity of SPEI to variations in potential evapotranspiration (PET) and precipitation (P) were detected at different timescales (1, 3, 6, and 12 months) on the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain in China from 1901–2015. The results showed that obvious wetting trends were found in this plain and higher SPEI values that were mostly located in the north. Additionally, the SPEI values showed a wetting trend across 83.4%, 99.6%, 98.6%, and 86.6% of the plain at the 1-month (SPEI-01), 3-month (SPEI-03), 6-month (SPEI-06), and 12-month (SPEI-12) timescales, respectively. Obviously, the SPEI displayed a stronger correlation with P than the PET, which was primarily due to the complicated SPEI calculation process. These findings provide critical guidance for sustainable ecological development with the use of the SPEI to detect the impacts of climate factors on drought.

In this paper, the solid-phase method is adopted in the synthesis of Li2Fe0.98Mg0.02(SiO4)1−x(PO4)x/C and Li2Fe0.98Mg0.02(SiO4)1−x(BO3)x/C (x = 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.05). The Li2Fe0.98Mg0.02(SiO4)0.97(PO4)0.03/C has an initial discharge capacity of 170.4 mAh/g. The initial discharge capacity of Li2Fe0.98Mg0.02(SiO4)0.95(PO4)0.05/C is 152 mAh/g. After PO43− is doped at the Si site, a peak appears at 3.1 V in the oxidation curve of the CV graph, indicating that more Li+ participate in the electrochemical reactions, which finally increases the peak area and the capacity of the modified material. The initial discharge capacity of Li2Fe0.98Mg0.02(SiO4)0.97(BO3)0.03/C is 138 mAh/g. The SEM shows the particle sizes of those two materials are uniform. According to the XRD, there is a weak characteristic peak of Li2Fe3O4 impurity found in the Li2Fe0.98Mg0.02(SiO4)0.97(BO3)0.03/C, while no characteristic peak of impurity is found in the Li2Fe0.98Mg0.02(SiO4)0.95(PO4)0.05/C, and its cell volume increases slightly which is beneficial to improve the electrochemical performance of the material.

The intrinsic poor thermal transport and liquid leakage of organic phase change materials (PCMs) greatly limit their applications in the field of solar thermal energy conversion and storage. Silica porous materials have usually been employed as supporting matrixes to incorporate PCMs and improve their thermal conductivities. However, the starting materials of synthesizing silica matrixes commonly involve high toxic chemical reagents. In this work, we have developed a facile strategy of constructing composite PCMs based on silicagel industrial wastes, in which paraffin wax (PW), myristic acid (MA) and octadecanol (OD) can be incorporated. Moreover, expanded graphite (EG) has been distributed into the PW composite PCMs to further enhance its thermal conductivity. The obtained composites behave stable form and excellent phase transition properties. The thermal conductivity of the PW composites can be achieved to be 5.87 W/(m·K), nearly 21.7 times higher than that of the pure PW. Furthermore, the 1000 melting-cooling cycle test indicates that the PW composites behave superior thermal cycle stability, exhibiting a promising long-term thermal energy storage application. This synthesis strategy may provide a promising way of low-cost preparation of form-stable composite PCMs with high thermal conductivity for solar thermal energy management and utilization.

Organic and inorganic carbon contents of marine sediments are important to reconstruct marine productivity, global carbon cycle, and climate change. A proper method to separate and determine organic and inorganic carbons is thus of great necessity. Although the best method is still disputable, the acid leaching method is widely used in many laboratories because of its ease-of-use and high accuracy. The results of the elemental analysis of sediment trap samples reveal that organic and inorganic carbon contents cannot be obtained using the acid leaching method, causing an infinitely amplified error when the carbon content of the decarbonated sample is 12%±1% according to a mathematical derivation. Acid fumigation and gasometric methods are used for comparison, which indicates that other methods can avoid this problem in organic carbon analysis. For the first time, this study uncovers the pitfalls of the acid leaching method, which limits the implication in practical laboratory measurement, and recommends alternative solutions of organic/inorganic carbon determination in marine sediments.

Different anionic additives were added to lignite to enhance the effect of microwave heating on the dehydration and upgrading processes. The dehydration kinetics and moisture diffusion coefficient ...

Time-variant reliability analysis can effectively estimate the safe state of structures under dynamic uncertainties during their lifecycle. However, one of its key challenging issues is computational efficiency. To improve the efficiency, this paper develops an approximation of the first-crossing probability density function (PDF) method, termed AFC-PDFM, based on the first-crossing theory. The response surface of the first-crossing time point (FCTP) about input variables is first estimated by using the moving least squares method (MLSM) and uniform design. Furthermore, an iterative algorithm is developed to compute the origin moments of the FCTP based on the MLSM response surface. Finally, the PDF of the FCTP is obtained by combining the origin moments and the maximum entropy method to avoid direct calculations of the first-crossing rate, which is often intractable, and then the time-variant reliability is estimated. Three examples are implemented to testify and validate the effectiveness of the proposed method and potential applications to engineering problems.

This study aimed to compare the differences in characteristics and prognoses between Asian and white patients receiving immunotherapy for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We studied 390 patients who received atezolizumab as part of the POPLAR or OAK trial, and analyzed the differences in baseline characteristics, outcomes and genetic mutations in blood samples between Asian and white patients. Overall survival (OS) was longer in Asian compared to white patients (median OS: 18.7 vs. 11.1 months; p = 0.005). Race was identified as an independent prognostic factor for OS (Asian vs. white: hazard ratio 0.647, 95% confidence interval 0.447-0.936, p = 0.021), together with performance status, histology, baseline sum of the longest tumor diameters (BLSLD) and number of metastatic sites. The two groups also differed in terms of characteristics including smoking history, BLSLD, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation frequency, programmed death-ligand 1 expression and blood-based tumor-mutation burden. Blood mutations of STK11, EGFR, KEAP1, POLE, GRM3, ATM and STAG2 were associated with treatment response, and TP53, KEAP1, APC, RB1, CREBBP, EPHA5 and STAG2 mutations were associated with OS. The blood-based mutation profiles differentiated between Asian and white patients, especially in relation to EGFR (23.8 vs. 8.5%), TP53 (30.2 vs. 46.9%) and STK11 (1.6 vs. 12.3%) mutations (all p < 0.05). The different clinicopathological features and mutation profiles in Asian and white patients may explain the superior outcome following atezolizumab treatment in Asian patients with NSCLC. The results of this study have important implications for further studies on racial disparities in relation to immunotherapy.

Background It has previously been demonstrated that surgically resected small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients could benefit from prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI). However, PCI in patients without lymph node involvement remains controversial. This study includes a larger sample size to evaluate the benefit of PCI therapy in this specific population. Methods The records of surgically resected SCLC patients without lymph node involvement (N0M0) in Shanghai Chest Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Results Between January 2006 and May 2017, a total of 146 cases of surgically resected SCLC without lymph node involvement were included. A total of 46 patients received PCI therapy and 100 patients received no therapy. During the observation period, 12.0% (12/100) of the patients who did not receive PCI therapy developed brain metastases while 10.9% (5/46) of patients who received PCI therapy developed brain metastases. With regard to time to recurrence, no significant difference was observed among the groups (P = 0.798). Moreover, there was no significant difference in either the overall survival benefit (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.49-1.45, P = 0.532) or disease-free survival rate (HR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.52-1.75, P = 0.864). Conclusions The evidence obtained does not support PCI therapy in the management of surgically resected SCLC with no lymph node involvement. Key points Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) remains controversial for resected small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) without lymph node involvement. In this study, the results indicated that PCI does not reduce the risk of cerebral recurrence of resected p-T1-2N0M0 SCLC. This is the largest sample size study focused on PCI in resected p-T1-2N0M0 SCLC. Future revised versions of the guidelines should address this issue.

The study of sustainable land use reflects the interdisciplinary characteristics of land science, geography, ecology and sustainability science. In recent years, research on sustainable land use has rapidly increased in scope and speed around the world. To discuss the trends, research power distribution, key areas, research hotspots and international cooperation in sustainable land use research in the past 20 years. This paper used the Bibliometrix and Biblioshiny software packages to entire process of bibliometric analysis and visual display of sustainable land use research papers from 1990 to 2019 (data update time is May 10, 2019). (1) The amount of publications in the field of sustainable land use from 1990 to 2019 increased with time and entered a period of rapid growth after 2013. (2) From the perspective of research power, the influence of developed countries in the field of sustainable land use is significantly stronger than that of developing countries. (3) Through high-frequency keyword analysis, land use change, land degradation, and sustainable land management are hotspots in the field of sustainable land use. (4) The themes of sustainable land use have changed greatly in various periods, and some of the themes have strong continuity. In order to promote the development of sustainable land use, this paper proposes to integrate strong sustainability theory, landscape ecology theory, and geographical design concepts into this field, thereby greatly expanding the theoretical space. Also, this paper proposes to improve the scientificity of the evaluation indicators and use emerging technologies to timely monitor the status and evolution of land use, which can provide scientific basis and decision-making reference for the formulation of sustainable land use strategies, policies, and countermeasures.

Previously, we demonstrated that treatment with gefitinib combined with pemetrexed plus carboplatin chemotherapy improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared to gefitinib or chemotherapy alone in lung adenocarcinoma patients with sensitizing EGFR mutations. In the present study, we updated the long-term overall survival (OS) of the combination therapy and the gefitinib groups. Furthermore, the possible mechanisms underlying the effects of combination therapy were investigated. Lung adenocarcinoma patients harboring sensitizing EGFR mutations received either gefitinib plus chemotherapy (n = 40) or gefitinib alone (n = 41), and long-term survival was assessed. The pharmacological interaction between gefitinib and pemetrexed was evaluated in the PC-9 lung adenocarcinoma cell line using a colorimetric assay for assessing cell metabolic activity (MTT assay). The influence of combined treatment with gefitinib plus pemetrexed on gene expression profiles and signaling pathways was investigated using microarrays and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). On the last day of follow-up (28 September 2018), 30 (75.0%) patients in the combination group and 35 (85.4%) patients in the gefitinib group had died. The 2-year and 3-year survival rates of the combination versus gefitinib were 85.0% versus 56.1% (P = 0.004) and 52.5% versus 24.4% (P = 0.009), respectively. The median OS was 37.9 months (95% CI: 17.3–58.6) for the combination group and 25.8 months (95% CI: 19.2–32.3) for the gefitinib group (HR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.34–0.91, P = 0.02). A synergistic inhibitory effect between gefitinib and pemetrexed was observed in the lung adenocarcinoma cell line PC-9. Furthermore, widespread gene expression changes and critical signaling pathways such as AKT signaling were identified, which might be responsible for the synergism seen with the combination treatment. Combined treatment with gefitinib plus pemetrexed resulted in improved OS over gefitinib alone. A synergistic inhibitory effect between gefitinib and pemetrexed was observed on lung adenocarcinoma cell growth. Gene expression profile analysis revealed potential signaling pathways, including AKT signaling, contributing to the synergism. NCT02148380.

The Li2FeSiO4/Agx and Li2FeSiO4/Znx (x = 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.05) were synthesized through high-temperature solid-state method. Constant current charging-discharging, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis were conducted on the materials mentioned above. According to the test data, the Li2FeSiO4/Ag0.02 shows stable electrochemical performance, and the initial discharge capacity is 161.2 mAh/g. After 10 cycles at 0.1 C, its capacity retention ratio is 91.4%. The diffusion coefficient of Li+ is higher than pure-phase materials by one order of magnitude, and it also has lower charge transfer resistance. The initial discharge capacity of Li2FeSiO4/Zn0.02 is 147.5 mAh/g, and its capacity could sustain at 118.4 mAh/g after 10 cycles at 0.1 C. The diffusion coefficient of Li+ is an order of magnitude higher than that of pure-phase materials. It can be observed from the SEM image that the particle size of the Li2FeSiO4/Ag0.02 is relatively uniform, and there is no obvious agglomeration. It can be seen from the XRD spectrum that there is no impurity peak in Li2FeSiO4/Ag0.02 while the characteristic peak of Li2Fe3O4 could be found in the Li2FeSiO4/Zn0.02. The cell volume of the Li2FeSiO4/Ag0.02 increases and is larger than that of the pure-phase material.

Sediment traps are an important tool for studying the source, composition and sedimentation processes of sinking particulate matter in the ocean. An in situ observational mooring (TJ-A-1) is located in the northern South China Sea (20.05°N, 117.42°E) at a water depth of 2 100 m and equipped with two sediment traps deployed at 500 m and 1 950 m. Samples were collected at 18-day intervals, and 20 samples were obtained at both depths from May 2014 to May 2015. Large amounts of fecal matter and marine snow were collected in the lower trap. The fluxes of marine snow and fecal pellets exhibited a fluctuating decrease between May 2014 and early August 2014 and then stabilized at a relatively low level. Scanning electron microscopy observations revealed that the main components of the marine snow and fecal pellets were diatoms, coccolithophores, radiolarians, and other debris, all of which are planktons mostly produced in photic zone. Used in conjunction with the particle collection range estimates from the lower trap and data on ocean surface chlorophyll, these marine snow and fecal pellets were related to the lateral transport of deep water and not vertical migrations from overlying water column. Moreover, the source area might be southwest of Taiwan.

Aluminum(Al)/ammonium perchlorate(AP)/hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) propellant is the most widely used propulsion system currently. Its ignition and combustion processes are fairly complex and need to be better understood. In this study, the thermal decomposition, ignition, and combustion properties of an Al/AP/HTPB propellant were investigated using a thermogravimetry–differential scanning calorimetry and a laser ignition testing system. The morphology and size distribution of the condensed combustion products (CCPs) were analyzed using a laser particle size analyzer and scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that the thermal decomposition process of the propellant consisted of three stages. The first stage (100–430 °C) was a major mass loss stage and exhibited typical features of AP decomposition. The second stage (430–630 °C) was mainly accompanied by the decomposition of remaining HTPB as well as slight oxidation of Al particles. In the third stage, further oxidation of Al particles resulted in a small mass increase. Due to the continuous emission problem, only a few combustion intermediates were identified in the combustion emission spectrum curves. The propellant combustion process could be roughly divided into three stages, and the flame development stage lasted longer than the flame decline stage. As the pressure increased, the propellant ignition delay time decreased and the burning rate increased significantly. The effect of pressure on ignition delay was more pronounced at low pressures. The CCPs consisted of three types. The oxidation of Al particles in the propellant followed the diffusion reaction mechanism. Agglomerates appeared in several different morphologies and had relatively low combustion efficiency under experimental conditions. A 2-D pocket-like structure was observed on the propellant surface.

The evidence of combined therapies of multi-target agents in first-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was limited. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of anlotinib combined with epidermal growth factor receptor (This open-label, three-arm, prospective study (NCT03628521) enrolled untreated locally advanced/metastatic NSCLC patients. Patients withA total of 30, 30, and 22 patients were enrolled in cohorts A, B, and C, respectively. There were 3 patients did not complete the treatment in cohort A. In cohorts A and B, ≥ grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 77.3% and 60.0% of patients, respectively. The most common TRAEs were rash (10.0%) and decreased platelet count (30.0%) in cohorts A and B, respectively. The ORRs were 92.9% and 60.0% in cohorts A and B, respectively, and DCRs were 96.4% and 96.7%, respectively. The ORR and incidence of ≥ grade 3 TRAEs of cohort C were, which 72.7% and 54.5%, which had been published previously. Median PFSs [95% confidence interval (CI)] were 21.6 (15.6 to 24.9), 13.0 [10.5 to not estimated (NE)], and 15.6 (12.9 to NE) months in cohorts A, B, and C, respectively. Median OS was 28.1 (95% CI: 21.82 to NE) months in cohort B. The 24-month OS rates in cohorts A and C were 87.1% and 83.9%, respectively.Anlotinib-based combinations with

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is a rare high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung. Little is known about the differences between the pure and combined LCNEC subtypes, and thus we conducted this study to provide more comprehensive insight into LCNEC.We reviewed 221 patients with pure LCNEC (P-LCNEC) and 120 patients with combined LCNEC (C-LCNEC) who underwent pulmonary surgery in our hospital to compare their clinical features, driven genes' status (EGFR/ALK/ROS1/KRAS/BRAF), and adjuvant chemotherapy regimens. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to reduce selection bias.The P-LCNEC group included a higher proportion of males and smokers than the C-LCNEC group. Furthermore, the C-LCNEC group had higher incidences of visceral pleural invasion (VPI), EGFR mutation and ALK rearrangement compared with the P-LCNEC group. Expression of neuroendocrine markers (CD56, CGA, and SYN) and recurrence patterns were not significantly different between the two groups. The P-LCNEC group had better disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with the C-LCNEC group (median DFS: 67.0 vs. 28.1 months, p = 0.021; median OS: 72.0 vs. 45.0 months, p = 0.001), which was further confirmed by the PSM method (p = 0.004 and p 0.001, respectively). Adjuvant chemotherapy was also an independent factor for DFS and OS. Subgroup analysis found that regardless of whether it was for the entire LCNEC group or the P- and C-LCNEC subtypes, the small cell lung cancer (SCLC) regimens presented with superior survival compared with the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) regimens.P-LCNEC was associated with more favorable prognosis compared with C-LCNEC. SCLC-based adjuvant chemotherapy was more appropriate for LCNEC patients than NSCLC-based regimens, regardless of whether they were the pure or combined LCNEC subtypes. C-LCNEC patients may be the potential beneficiary of targeted therapy.

In the electrochemical Bunsen reaction, which is the key reaction of the sulfur-iodide cycle, the main overpotential corresponds to the oxidation of SO2. The catalysts currently used for the liquid phase electrocatalytic oxidation of SO2 are mainly based on noble metals, which have excellent corrosion resistance and catalytic activity in an acidic environment. To improve the performance of the commercial Pt catalyst, a Pt catalyst with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and carbon black as a hybrid support was synthesized by the microwave-assisted polyol reduction process. The large two-dimensional planar structure of RGO was a better anchor for Pt nanoparticles, and a catalyst with fine and uniform distribution of Pt particles was obtained. The carbon black interior prevented the agglomeration of RGO, forming a stereoscopic catalyst structure. The electrochemical test results showed that the RGO/carbon black hybrid support catalyst possessed a higher electrocatalytic activity than the single support catalysts and could be used as an efficient and stable catalyst for the SO2 electrolyzer.

Local consolidative therapy (LCT) has emerged as a treatment option in patients with oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing chemotherapy or targeted therapy. However, the current literature lacks evidence as to whether LCT improves survival in NSCLC patients receiving immunotherapy. Our study aimed to assess whether LCT combined with pembrolizumab ± chemotherapy could improve the survival of patients with synchronous oligometastatic NSCLC.Patients with NSCLC, without EGFR or ALK genetic aberrations, who were treated with first-line pembrolizumab ± chemotherapy, were included in the study. Survival analysis of the LCT and non-LCT groups was compared.A total of 231 patients were included in the study. The median follow-up time was 15.24 months. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of the entire cohort were 12.00 and 23.43 months, respectively. Of the 231 patients included, 76 patients received LCT combined with pembrolizumab ± chemotherapy (LCT group) while 155 patients received pembrolizumab ± chemotherapy alone (non-LCT group). Of note, the PFS of the LCT and non-LCT groups was 13.97 and 10.08 months (p = 0.016), respectively. The OS were 30.67 and 21.97 months (p = 0.011), respectively. The PFS and OS were significantly improved with LCT for patients with brain or lung metastases but not bone metastases. No significant increase in treatment-related toxicity was observed in the LCT group.The present study shows that LCT to metastatic sites is an option for consideration in patients with synchronous oligometastatic NSCLC during first-line pembrolizumab treatment, with significantly improved PFS and OS compared with systemic treatment alone.

China has witnessed dramatic advances in emergency management in the past two decades, while the knowledge trajectories and future trends of related research are still unclear. This study takes the published articles in China National Knowledge Infrastructure as a data sample and introduces text mining and machine learning methods, namely Latent Dirichlet Allocation combined with the Hidden Markov Model, to detect and predict the knowledge trajectories of Chinese modern emergency management research. We analyzed 5180 articles, equivalent to approximately 1,110,000 Chinese characters, from 2003 to 2021, and mined 35 latent research topics. By labeling the topics manually and analyzing the evolutionary hotspots, confusion and transition features, and transition direction and network of the topics, we explored the knowledge trajectories of emergency management research in China. By training the HMM model, we predicted the research trends in the next five years. The main conclusions are: a mapping relationship exists between the hotspots of the published articles and the main events of emergency management in China; most emergency management research topics could confuse and transfer with others in the evolution process, and seven significant paths exist in the transition network. The research topics in the following years will be more detailed and concerned with the intellectual needs of modernization.

Mitochondria are the most important organelles and the main reactive oxygen species producers in spermatozoa. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of mitochondria-targeted antioxidant mitoquinone (MitoQ) supplementation in boar semen extender during cryopreservation on sperm quality, antioxidant status and the changes of sperm mitochondrial proteomic profile. Semen collected from 10 Large White boars was cryopreserved in lactose-egg yolk extender supplemented with various concentrations of MitoQ (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 μM). After thawing, sperm characteristics, antioxidant status and the abundance of hexose transporters (GLUT 3 and 8) were analyzed. The comprehensive mitochondrial proteomic profiling was performed on spermatozoa in the control and MitoQ

Soybean seed appearance quality greatly affects the marketability. The objective of this study was to identify the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control the appearance quality of soybean seeds. A total of 256 recombinant inbred lines from Qi Huang No.34 × Ji Dou No.17 were utilized for QTL mapping. We innovatively applied a machine vision system to quantify the seed appearance of each line. As a result of QTL mapping, a total of 145 QTLs for the machine vision parameters were detected across three environments. We integrated QTLs mapped overlapped and obtained 16 QTL hotspots in total. Of these hotspots, hotspot-4–1 was suggested to be a major locus controlling seed size, and hotspot-15 was identified to affect the seed color and texture. The mapping for principal components of the seed appearance also supported it. This study comprehensively dug up the QTLs for seed appearance quality of soybean cultivars while providing an efficient method for phenotyping of seed appearance. These results would contribute to dissecting the genetic bases of seed appearance quality for the improvement of soybean. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-021-01262-9.

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monoclonal antibodies are an effective means of treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we aim to update the equivalent efficacy assessment between QL1101 and bevacizumab based on two-year follow-up data.In total, 535 eligible NSCLC patients were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to the QL1101 group and the bevacizumab group. The full end time of this study was defined as 24 months after the last enrolled patient was randomized. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR); equivalence was confirmed if the two-sided 90% confidence interval (90% CI) of the relative risk was within the range of 0.75-1.33. The secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).The two-year updated data showed similar ORR (QL1101This study reported that QL1101 had similar efficacy in treating nonsquamous NSCLC in terms of ORR, PFS and OS based on two-year updated data, providing a basis for the clinical application of QL1101.

We propose and demonstrate a probabilistic method for imaging seismic diffractions based on path-integral imaging. Our approach uses oriented velocity continuation to produce a set of slope-decomposed diffraction images over a range of plausible migration velocities. Utilizing the assumption that each partial image in slope is independent enables us to construct an object resembling a probability field from the slope-decomposed images. That field may be used to create weights for each partial image in velocity corresponding to the likelihood of a correctly migrated diffraction occurring at a location within the seismic image for that migration velocity. Stacking these weighted partial images over velocity provides us with a path-integral seismic diffraction image created using probability weights. We illustrate the principles of the method on a simple toy model, show its robustness to noise on a synthetic, and apply it to a 2D field dataset from the Nankai Trough. We find that using the proposed approach creates diffraction images that enhance diffraction signal while suppressing noise, migration artifacts, remnant reflections, and other portions of the wavefield not corresponding to seismic diffraction relative to previously developed diffraction imaging methods, while simultaneously outputting the most likely migration velocity. The method is intended to be used on data which has already had much of the reflection energy removed using a method like plane-wave destruction. Although it suppresses residual reflection energy successfully, this suppression is less effective in the presence of strong reflections typically encountered in complete field data. The approach outlined in this paper is complimentary to existing data domain methods for diffraction extraction, and the probabilistic diffraction images it generates can supplement existing reflection and diffraction imaging methods by highlighting features that have a high likelihood of being diffractions and accentuating the geologically interesting objects in the subsurface that cause those features.

Objective: Obesity caused by a high-fat diet (HFD) will expand adipose tissue and cause chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, leading to osteoporosis. Folic acid (FA) is a water-soluble vitamin that plays an essential role in regulating blood lipids and antioxidants. However, the effects and underlying mechanisms of FA in osteoporosis induced by an HFD remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the effect of FA on bone health by using HFD-induced osteoporosis mice.Materials and Methods: Mice were fed a normal diet, HFD or an HFD supplemented with FA (20 μg/ml in drinking water) for 16 weeks. Throughout the 16 weeks study period, the rats were weighed once every week. GTT, ITT and lipid indexes were detected to evaluate the effects of FA on lipid metabolism in the HFD-fed mice. Morphological and structural changes of the femur and tibial bone were observed using micro-CT, HE staining and bone conversion parameters. The expression of MDA, SOD and inflammatory factors were detected to evaluate the effects of FA on oxidative stress and inflammatory response in the HFD-fed mice. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot (WB) were used to investigate the AMPK signaling pathway.Results: After the intervention of FA, the body fat rate of obese mice was reduced, and related metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and systemic inflammation were alleviated. In correlation with those modifications, FA attenuated bone loss and improved bone microarchitecture, accompanied the number of osteoclasts and adipocytes decreased. Furthermore, FA promoted the phosphorylation of AMPK, thereby promoting the expression of Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1), nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) and antioxidant enzymes.Conclusion: These findings suggest that FA may modulate lipid metabolism and oxidative stress responses activating the AMPK signaling pathway, thereby alleviating HFD-induced osteoporosis. The results from our study provide experimental evidence to prevent HFD-induced osteoporosis.

The partitioning between phospholipids/proteins and water can be used to predict the bioaccumulation potential of chemicals with better accuracy compared with n-octanol-water partition coefficient. However, such partitioning is poorly understood for chiral chemicals, many of which exhibit differential bioaccumulation and toxicity potential between enantiomers. In this study, the enantiospecific liposome-water and bovine serum albumin (BSA)-water partition coefficients (Klip/w and KBSA/w, determined at 25 ℃ and 37 ℃, respectively) were measured by equilibrium dialysis for α-, β-, and γ-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and three β-blockers (propranolol, metoprolol, and sotalol). Raman and fluorescence analyses and molecular docking were conducted to provide additional insights into the partitioning process. Results showed α- and β-HBCD displayed stronger enantioselective partitioning to liposomes with the (-)-form, while (-)-α-HBCD, R-(+)-propranolol, R-(+)-metoprolol, and E2-sotalol favored partitioning to BSA compared with their antipodes. Raman spectra revealed α- and γ-HBCD enhanced and reduced the organization of liposome acyl chains, respectively, and polar interactions enhanced the liposome partitioning of β-blockers. Fluorescence spectra indicated the changed tryptophan microenvironment might influence the BSA steric effect toward HBCD, and electrostatic interactions dominated the formation of BSA-β-blocker complexes. Molecular docking results supported the difference in the thermodynamic nature of interaction between the studied enantiomers and BSA.

ObjectivesPulmonary large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) are both classified as pure and combined subtypes. Due to the low incidence and difficult diagnosis of combined LCNEC (C-LCNEC) and combined SCLC (C-SCLC), few studies have compared their clinical features and prognosis.Materials and MethodsWe compared the clinical features, mutation status of driver genes (EGFR, ALK, ROS1, KRAS, and BRAF), and prognosis between C-LCNEC and C-SCLC. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were applied for survival analysis.ResultsWe included a total of 116 patients with C-LCNEC and 76 patients with C-SCLC in the present study. There were significant differences in distribution of smoking history, tumor location, pT stage, pN stage, pTNM stage, visceral pleural invasion (VPI), and combined components between C-LCNEC and C-SCLC (P<0.05 for all). C-SCLC was more advanced at diagnosis as compared to C-LCNEC. The incidence of EGFR mutations in C-LCNEC patients was higher than C-SCLC patients (25.7 vs. 5%, P=0.004). We found that tumor size, pN stage, peripheral CEA level, and adjuvant chemotherapy were independently prognostic factors for DFS and OS in C-LCNEC patients, while peripheral NSE level, pT stage, pN stage, VPI and adjuvant chemotherapy were independently associated with DFS and OS for C-SCLC patients (P<0.05 for all). Propensity score matching with adjustment for the confounders confirmed a more favorable DFS (P=0.032) and OS (P=0.019) in patients with C-LCNEC in comparison with C-SCLC patients upon survival analysis.ConclusionsThe mutation landscape of driver genes seemed to act in different way between C-SCLC and C-LCNEC, likely by which result in clinical phenotype difference as well as better outcome in C-LCNEC.

Air-doors are important facilities for regulating the air flow in a mine ventilation network. It is of value to study the influence of air-doors, which are adjacent to a fire source on smoke back-layering in order to build a rational ventilation system. By regulating air-doors in a mine ventilation network test platform, two typical mine ventilation networks, with parallel branches and a diagonal branch, were constructed. During the study, into the closing degree of the air-doors adjacent to a fire source in a ventilation network with parallel branches, the back-layering length is up to 3.70 m when the ventilation velocity is 1.40 m/s. When the air-door on the return side of the adjacent branch is closed, the back-layering subsides within 1 min and the upstream temperature drops rapidly to normal. When the air-door is half closed, there is still a back-layering flow within 5 min. Smoke control, with the air-door is closed, is better than when the air-door is half closed. Based on this, tests into the influence of the closing position of air-doors, which are adjacent to a fire source, were carried out in a ventilation network with a diagonal branch. Results indicate that when the ventilation velocity is 1.70 m/s, the back-layering flow spreads to the diagonal branch, and the air flow velocity of both the adjacent branch and the diagonal branch increases. When closing the air-door on the return side of the adjacent branch, the back-layering rapidly subsided. The wind velocity on the intake side of the adjacent branch is stabilized after a rapid decrease, and the wind velocity of the diagonal branch is stabilized after a rapid increase. When closing the air-door on the intake side of the adjacent branch, the smoke from the diagonal branch spreads. Compared with closing the intake side air-door, closing the air-door on the return side of the adjacent branch is more effective in preventing back-layering. This work provides a reference for preventing back-layering and guiding the evacuation of people from the upstream of a fire source.

High doses of cadmium (Cd) cause irreversible injury to the reproductive system, especially testicular tissue. Studies have shown that pyroptosis is involved in Cd-induced tissue damage, but whether pyroptosis is involved in damage to testicular tissue following Cd exposure remains unclear. To investigate the mechanism of pyroptosis in testicular injury induced by Cd exposure, we used 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice subjected to consecutive 7 days of intraperitoneal injection of cadmium chloride (CdCl

Arable land protection is critical to the sustainable development of agriculture in China and acceleration of the realization of the trinity protection goal of the quantity, quality, and ecology of arable land. As a new program of behavioral science to promote social development, nudge has gradually gained the favor of researchers and policy makers due to its unique advantages of small cost and substantial effect. However, current research and practical exploration of arable land protection behavior intervention based on the idea of nudging are still lacking. Implicit nudging strategies directly target the heuristic and analytic systems of arable land protection behavior of each stakeholder and possess more advantages than traditional intervention strategies. Therefore, this article designs six arable land protection behavior nudging strategies from the perspectives of cognition and motivation to realize the theoretical discussion of “generating medium-scale returns with nano-level investment”. The nudging strategies of the cognitive perspective include default options, framing effects, and descriptive norms, while those of the motivation perspective aim to stimulate home and country, and heritage and benefit motives to promote arable land protection behavior of various stakeholders. The utility of nudge to arable land protection behavior may be controversial in practice. Therefore, the implementation in China should be based on the division of farmers, the number of options should be appropriate, and the external environment of arable land protection behavior should be fully considered.

Macrophage polarization is modulated by many different stimuli. However, the effect of fibrotic extracellular matrix (ECM) on macrophage polarization remains unclear. In this study, a mouse model of radiation induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF) was established. Alveolar macrophages (AMs) were seeded on separated decellularized ECM respectively derived from early RIPF lung tissue (dECM-RIPF) and normal lung tissue (dECM-Nor), on which the polarization of AMs was examined. By way of bio-AFM analysis, a significant difference in surface roughness, but no difference in stiffness, was found between dECM-RIPF and dECM-Nor. Compared with dECM-Nor, dECM-RIPF induced a higher M1 activation and increased the levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β, while it showed no significant effect M2 density. Nevertheless, such effects induced by dECM-RIPF could be abrogated by the integrin pan-inhibitor. Furthermore, dECM-RIPF caused integrin-dependent activation of NFκB, and NFκB inhibitor was capable of inhibiting dECM-RIPF-induced AMs proliferation and M1 activation. Animal experiments showed that NFκB inhibitor alleviated RIPF mainly through inhibiting M1 activation and down-regulating the levels of inflammatory cytokines. Our results showed that differential biophysical signaling from the fibrotic ECM of early RIPF promoted AMs polarization towards a M1 phenotype via integrin-NFκB. Inhibition of M1 activation may be an attractive approach for treating RIPF.

BackgroundAlthough pertussis cases globally have been controlled through the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), the incidence of pertussis has increased significantly in recent years, with a “resurgence” of pertussis occurring in developed countries with high immunization coverage. Attracted by its fast-developing economy, the population of Shenzhen has reached 14 million and has become one of the top five largest cities by population size in China. The incidence of pertussis here was about 2.02/100,000, far exceeding that of the whole province and the whole country (both Bordetella pertussisantigens and genes, which may be associated with the increased incidence. Fifty strains ofBordetella pertussisisolated from 387 suspected cases were collected in Shenzhen in 2018 for genotypic and molecular epidemiological analysis.MethodsThere were 387 suspected cases of pertussis enrolled at surveillance sites in Shenzhen from June to August 2018. Nasopharyngeal swabs from suspected pertussis cases were collected for bacterial culture and the identity of putativeBordetella pertussisisolates was confirmed by real-time PCR. The immunization history of each patient was taken. The acellular pertussis vaccine (APV) antigen genes for pertussis toxin (ptxA, ptxC), pertactin (prn) and fimbriae (fim2andfim3)together with the pertussis toxin promoter region (ptxP) were analyzed by second-generation sequencing. Genetic and phylogenetic analysis was performed using sequences publicly available from GenBank, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/). The antimicrobial susceptibility was test by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion.ResultsFifty strains ofBordetella pertussiswere successfully isolated from nasopharyngeal swabs of 387 suspected cases, with a positivity rate of 16.79%, including 28 males and 22 females, accounting for 56.0% and 44.0% respectively. Thirty-eight of the 50 (76%) patients were found to be positive for B. pertussis by culture. Among the positive cases with a history of vaccination, 30 of 42 (71.4%) cases had an incomplete pertussis vaccination history according to the national recommendation. Three phylogenetic groups (PG1-PG3) were identified each containing a predominant genotype. The two vaccines strains, CS and Tohama I, were distantly related to these three groups. Thirty-one out of fifty (62%) isolates belonged to genotype PG1, with the allelic profileprn2/ptxC2/ptxP3/ptxA1/fim3-1/fim2-1. Eighteen out of fifty (36%) isolates contained the A2047G mutation and were highly resistant to erythromycin, and all belonged to genotype PG3 (prn1/ptxA1/ptxP1/ptxC1/fim3-1/fim2-1), which is closely related to the recent epidemic strains found in northern China.ConclusionsThe positive rate of cases under one-year-old was significantly higher than that of other age groups and should be monitored. The dominant antigen genotypes of 50 Shenzhen isolates are closely related to the epidemic strains in the United States, Australia and many countries in Europe. Despite high rates of immunization with APV, epidemics of pertussis have recently occurred in these countries. Therefore, genomic analysis of circulating isolates ofB. pertussisshould be continued, for it will benefit the control of whooping cough and development of improved vaccines and therapeutic strategies.