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Objective: To explore the optimal time for initiating in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in women with complete remission after fertility-sparing treatment for grade I endometrial cancer (EC) or atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH). Patients and methods: Young women who demonstrated complete remission after fertility-sparing treatment for grade I EC or AEH and underwent IVF-ET treatment were included. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to compare the outcomes of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) and embryo transfer at different times after discontinuing high-dose progesterone therapy, and patients were divided into three groups: ≤ 3 months (time 1), 3–9 months (time 2) and > 9 months (time 3). Results: Thirty-seven women with complete remission after fertility-sparing treatment for grade I EC or AEH underwent 75 IVF-ET cycles. Regarding initiation of COH, 10 cycles for time 1, 31 cycles for time 2 and 34 cycles for time 3 were included. The odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the number of available embryos at time 2 and time 3 were 1.82 (1.08–3.08) and 2.45 (1.39–4.33), and those for the number of high-quality embryos at time 2 and time 3 were, respectively, 3.64 (1.34–9.87) and 3.62 (1.10–11.91), compared with that at time 1. Nineteen (51.4%) women had at least one clinical pregnancy and 13 (35.1%) women had live births. During a median follow-up period of 51 months (range 5–168 months), 10 (27.0%) women had disease relapse, with a median interval of 15.5 months (range 5–104 months). Conclusion: Initiating IVF-ET 3 months after ceasing high-dose progesterone therapy can lead to better outcomes of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for women with endometrial cancer or atypical endometrial hyperplasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of short carbon fibers (CFs) reinforced rigid polyurethane (RPU) composites is largely restricted by poor interfacial strength and damage‐tolerance. In order to optimize the performance of CFs/RPU composites, we prepared CFs with a new structure starting from the modified CFs morphology. In this paper, a new type of fiber morphology, which was string‐like copper‐plated CFs (string‐like Cu‐CFs) were prepared by the electrodeposition method. The structure of the string copper could increase the contact area of the CFs and the RPU matrix and mechanical interlocking. At the same time, the surface roughness of the CFs could be enhanced, thereby promoting the formation of irregular interfaces. Ordinary CFs composite materials showed the low strength and toughness, due to the more stress concentrations generated around the fiber ends. By adding string‐like Cu‐CFs into the RPU matrix, the pinning effect was achieved due to the special fiber structure, which improved the strength and toughness of the string‐like Cu‐CFs/RPU. Compared with pure RPU, the tensile strength, bending strength, and impact strength of string‐like Cu‐CFs/RPU composites were improved by 15.3, 148.3, and 171.4%, respectively. At the same time, the string‐like Cu‐CFs formed a more continuous conductive network inside the RPU matrix, which significantly improved the electrical conductivity of the composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The image expression of traditional villages is studied through the analysis of their forms. With the famous historical and cultural villages in southern Hebei as the research objects, the relationship between the form and image of traditional villages is deeply analyzed through the survey of village layout and courtyard layout, which can deeply explain the characteristics of regional architectural culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dr. Jennifer Gannon passed away suddenly on 2024 May 2 in Greenbelt, MD. Dr. Gannon had served as an editor for the Space Weather journal since April 2019, and she was the longest‐serving editor on the current board, having started under the previous editor‐in‐chief, Dr. Delores Knipp. Key Points: Memorial for Jennifer L. Gannon [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate diffusivities and atomic mobility parameters of fcc Cu–Mn–Si alloys are essential to understand the growth behavior of Mn barrier layer between the Cu interconnect and Si-based dielectric in microelectronic integrated circuits. Totally twelve diffusion couples of fcc Cu–Mn–Si alloys at 923, 1023 and 1123 K are prepared and their composition profiles are determined by EPMA technique. The composition profiles are input in CALTPP program to extract the interdiffusivity matrices by the Matano–Kirkaldy method (version 1) and numerical inverse approach (version 2). Then, the corresponding atomic mobilities are evaluated based on these two versions of diffusivities, respectively. The quality of these two versions of atomic mobility parameters is examined by comparing the diffusion behaviors between the model-predicted and measured ones. In the current work, atomic mobilities of version 2 are recommended on account of their better consistency with composition profiles. The three-dimensional main interdiffusion coefficients, activation energy and frequency-factor planes of fcc Cu–Mn–Si alloys are constructed to display the composition- and temperature-dependent diffusion properties. The reliable atomic mobility parameters obtained in this work are key input for the computation design for multi-component Cu alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: African swine fever virus (ASFV), classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV) have caused great economic losses to the swine industry in China. Since coinfections of ASFV, CSFV and APPV occur in certain pig herds, it is necessary to accurately and differentially detect these pathogens in field-collected samples. In this study, a one-step multiplex real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (multiplex qRT–PCR) was developed for the simultaneous and differential detection of ASFV, CSFV and APPV. Results: The one-step multiplex qRT–PCR presented here was able to simultaneously detect ASFV, CSFV and APPV but could not amplify other viruses, including porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), pseudorabies virus (PRV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), porcine parvovirus (PPV), porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV), transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), porcine rotavirus (PRoV), porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV), border disease virus (BDV), bovine viral diarrhoea virus type 1 (BVDV-1), BVDV-2, etc. The limit of detection (LOD) of the assay was 2.52 × 101 copies/μL for ASFV, CSFV and APPV. A repeatability test using standard recombinant plasmids showed that the intra- and interassay coefficients of variation (CVs) were less than 2%. An assay of 509 clinical samples collected in Guangxi Province, southern China, from October 2018 to December 2020 showed that the positive rates of ASFV, CSFV and APPV were 45.58, 12.57 and 3.54%, respectively, while the coinfection rates of ASFV and CSFV, ASFV and APPV, CSFV and APPV were 4.91, 1.38, 0.98%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on the nucleotide sequences of the partial ASFV p72 gene showed that all ASFV strains from Guangxi Province belonged to genotypes I and II. Conclusion: A one-step multiplex qRT–PCR with high specificity, sensitivity and repeatability was successfully developed for the simultaneous and differential detection of ASFV, CSFV and APPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most highly malignant tumors and has a complicated pathogenesis. A preliminary study identified syntrophin beta 1 (SNTB1) as a potential oncogene in CRC. However, the clinical significance, biological function, and underlying mechanisms of SNTB1 in CRC remain largely unknown. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the role of SNTB1 in CRC. Methods: The expression profile of SNTB1 in CRC samples was evaluated by database analysis, cDNA array, tissue microarray, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), and immunohistochemistry. SNTB1 expression in human CRC cells was silenced using short hairpin RNAs (shRNA)/small interfering RNAs (siRNA) and its mRNA and protein levels were assessed by qPCR and/or western blotting. Cell viability, survival, cell cycle, and apoptosis were determined by the CCK-8 assay, colony formation, and flow cytometry assays, respectively. A xenograft nude mouse model of CRC was established to validate the roles of SNTB1 in vivo. Immunohistochemistry and TUNEL staining were used to determine the expression of SNTB1, PCNA, and cell apoptosis in tissue samples. Isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) was used to analyze the differentially expressed proteins after knockdown of SNTB1 in CRC cells. Silence of protein kinase N2 (PKN2) using si-PNK2 was performed for rescue experiments. Results: SNTB1 expression was increased in CRC tissues compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues and the increased SNTB1 expression was associated with shorter overall survival of CRC patients. Silencing of SNTB1 suppressed cell viability and survival, induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in vitro, and inhibited the growth of CRC cells in vivo. Further elucidation of the regulation of STNB1 on CRC growth by iTRAQ analysis identified 210 up-regulated and 55 down-regulated proteins in CRC cells after SNTB knockdown. A PPI network analysis identified PKN2 as a hub protein and was up-regulated in CRC cells after SNTB1 knockdown. Western-blot analysis further confirmed that SNTB1 knockdown significantly up-regulated PKN2 protein expression in CRC cells and decreased the phosphorylation of both ERK1/2 and AKT. Moreover, rescue experiments indicated that PKN2 knockdown significantly rescued SNTB1 knockdown-mediated decrease in cell viability, survival, and increase of cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and apoptosis of CRC cells. Conclusions: These findings indicate that SNTB1 is overexpressed in CRC. Elevated SNTB1 levels are correlated with shorter patient survival. Importantly, SNTB1 promotes tumor growth and progression of CRC, possibly by reducing the expression of PKN2 and activating the ERK and AKT signaling pathway. Our study highlights the potential of SNTB1 as a new prognostic factor and therapeutic target for CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the characteristics of the topside ionospheric O+ diffusive flux (ΦO+) during both geomagnetically quiet (0 ≤ Kp ≤ 2) and moderate (2 < Kp ≤ 4) times using incoherent scatter radar observations at Millstone Hill (42.6°N, 288.5°E) for solar minimum from 1970 to 2018. ΦO+ partially characterizes plasma mass exchange between the upper and lower part of the topside ionosphere through diffusion and sometimes serves as upper boundary conditions for ionosphere‐thermosphere models. The altitude where the flux sign changes (mainly during daytime) is termed the transition height and the time when the flux sign changes (mainly at dawn and dusk) is termed the transition time. At quiet times, the daytime transition height is ∼100 km above the F2 peak height (hmF2) in summer, and it is about 50 km above hmF2 in other seasons; the transition time is before 18 solar local time (SLT) in spring and winter, but after 18 SLT in summer and autumn. The daytime average upward ΦO+ above the transition height shows a significant seasonal variation with a minimum of 2.2×108cm−2s−1 in summer and a maximum of 3.7×108cm−2s−1 in autumn. Under geomagnetically moderate conditions, the transition height increases by ∼20 km in spring, winter, and autumn, but moves up by about 20–50 km in summer. The transition time occurs later by ∼1 hr in summer but ∼1 hr earlier in other seasons. The mean upward ΦO+ peaks in summer and minimizes in spring. Plain Language Summary: The topside ionospheric O+ diffusive flux (ΦO+) is a part of the total plasma flux that is a critical parameter to characterize the plasma exchange between the upper and lower part of the topside ionosphere, but has been poorly known due to lack of direct measurements. Using long‐term incoherent scatter radar (ISR) data observed at Millstone Hill for nearly five decades, this study investigates ΦO+ variations as a function of the altitude above the F2 peak height (hmF2), local time, and season in both geomagnetically quiet and moderate times, and further explores the physical mechanism causing these variations. During quiet times, the summer daytime transition height where ΦO+ changes from downward to upward along magnetic field lines occurs at ∼hmF2+100 km. However, it is usually near hmF2+50 km in other seasons. In addition, the transition time when ΦO+ changes from upward to downward at a fixed height is earlier than 18 SLT in spring and winter, but later than 18 SLT in summer and autumn. We also found that an increase in geomagnetic activity decreases the vertical gradient of plasma density during the daytime in all seasons, resulting in a ∼20 km increase in the transition height and an earlier transition time near dusk in spring, autumn, and winter, but a larger transition height change of about 20–50 km and a later transition time in summer. The change in the seasonal variations of the upward ΦO+ results from the competition between the variations of plasma diffusive velocity and density when the geomagnetic activity increases, as well as the changes in plasma vertical density profiles. Key Points: Topside ionospheric O+ diffusive flux (ΦO+) climatology at solar minimum is derived from incoherent scatter radar data at Millstone HillO+ diffusive flux has seasonal, local time, and altitude dependenceGeomagnetic activity changes the spatiotemporal variations of Φ(O+) by modulating the vertical gradient of the plasma density [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]