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Abstract Background Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignancy of the male genitourinary system. Understanding the molecular mechanism of PCa and its prognostic markers will assist in the selection of better treatment. Aim To explore the role of LINC01518 in the development of PCa and its prognostic value, and to understand its specific regulatory mechanism. Methods The levels of LINC01518, hsa-miR-320a, and CNKSR2 mRNA were detected by RT-qPCR. ROC curve was constructed to evaluate the prognostic value of LINC01518 in PCa. The effects of LINC01518 on the functions of PCa cells were demonstrated by CCK-8, Transwell test, and the detection of apoptotic markers, after LINC01518 knockdown. The interaction between hsa-miR-320a and LINC01518 or CNKSR2 mRNA was examined by constructing luciferase vectors. Results LINC01518 was abnormally expressed in PCa cells and tumor tissues, and knockdown of it inhibited the growth of PCa cells. LINC01518 predicted castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) outcomes in PCa patients with AUC of 0.803, sensitivity and specificity of 75.4% and 74.6%, respectively. Hsa-miR-320a mimics reduced luciferase activity in PCa cells transfected with WT-LINC01518/CNKSR2 plasmids. Knocking down LINC01518 reduced CNKSR2 level, and this regulatory effect disappeared with the inhibition of hsa-miR-320a. Conclusion High levels of LINC01518 predicted poor prognosis in PCa patients and promoted CNKSR2 expression by competitively binding hsa-miR-320a, contributing to the progression of PCa.

Abstract Vigorous CD8+ T cells play a crucial role in recognizing tumor cells and combating solid tumors. How T cells efficiently recognize and target tumor antigens, and how they maintain the activity in the “rejection” of solid tumor microenvironment, are major concerns. Recent advances in understanding of the immunological trajectory and lifespan of CD8+ T cells have provided guidance for the design of more optimal anti-tumor immunotherapy regimens. Here, we review the newly discovered methods to enhance the function of CD8+ T cells against solid tumors, focusing on optimizing T cell receptor (TCR) expression, improving antigen recognition by engineered T cells, enhancing signal transduction of the TCR-CD3 complex, inducing the homing of polyclonal functional T cells to tumors, reversing T cell exhaustion under chronic antigen stimulation, and reprogramming the energy and metabolic pathways of T cells. We also discuss how to participate in the epigenetic changes of CD8+ T cells to regulate two key indicators of anti-tumor responses, namely effectiveness and persistence.

Abstract This study introduces a novel approach that addresses the limitations of existing methods by integrating 2D image processing with 3D point cloud analysis, enhanced by interpretable neural networks. Unlike traditional methods that rely on either 2D or 3D data alone, our approach leverages the complementary strengths of both data types to improve detection accuracy in environments adversely affected by welding spatter and smoke. Our system employs an improved Faster R-CNN model with a ResNet50 backbone for 2D image analysis, coupled with an innovative orthogonal plane intersection line extraction algorithm for 3D point cloud processing. By incorporating explainable components such as visualizable feature maps and a transparent region proposal network, we address the “black box” issue common in deep learning models.This architecture enables a more transparent decision-making process, providing technicians with necessary insights to understand and trust the system’s outputs. The Faster-RCNN structure is designed to break down the object detection process into distinct, understandable steps, from initial feature extraction to final bounding box refinement. This fusion of 2D-3D data analysis and interpretability not only improves detection performance but also sets a new standard for transparency and reliability in automated welding systems, facilitating wider adoption in industrial applications.

Abstract Background The KT/HAK/KUP is the largest K+ transporter family in plants, playing crucial roles in K+ absorption, transport, and defense against environmental stress. Sweet watermelon is an economically significant horticultural crop belonging to the genus Citrullus, with a high demand for K+ during its growth process. However, a comprehensive analysis of the KT/HAK/KUP gene family in watermelon has not been reported. Results 14 KT/HAK/KUP genes were identified in the genomes of each of seven Citrullus species. These KT/HAK/KUPs in watermelon were unevenly distributed across seven chromosomes. Segmental duplication is the primary driving force behind the expansion of the KT/HAK/KUP family, subjected to purifying selection during domestication (Ka/Ks

Abstract Epistasis is one of important genetic components for a quantitative trait in plant. Eshed and Zamir found negative epistatic interactions of quantitative trait loci in Tomato first. We detected that positive (negative) QTLs generated mostly negative (positive) epistatic interactions on heading date in rice, and then proposed the hypothese that QTL epistasis plays a role of homeostasis in one of our recent papers. In order to further provide additional evidence, the effects of QTLs and their epistatic effects on two quantitative traits of plant height (ph) and thousand kernel weight (tkw) were analyzed in this study. The same regularity was verified again. We detected that positive ph QTLs and negative tkw QTLs always generated reverse epistatic effects, respectively. Moreover, high-order epistatic effects were estimated on these two traits. The sum of all epistatic effects would partially neutralize the additive of constitutive QTL effects. This feature of epistsis would be the mechanism for bionts to maintain homeostasis while the obstacle for human to achieve the pyramiding breeding objectives. More evidences are still being collected to support our assumption.

Abstract Event cameras produce asynchronous discrete outputs due to the independent response of camera pixels to changes in brightness. The asynchronous and discrete nature of event data facilitate the tracking of prolonged feature trajectories. Nonetheless, this necessitates the adaptation of feature tracking techniques to efficiently process this type of data. In addressing this challenge, we proposed a hybrid data-driven feature tracking method that utilizes data from both event cameras and frame-based cameras to track features asynchronously. It mainly includes patch initialization, patch optimization, and patch association modules. In the patch initialization module, FAST corners are detected in frame images, providing points responsive to local brightness changes. The patch association module introduces a nearest-neighbor (NN) algorithm to filter new feature points effectively. The patch optimization module assesses optimization quality for tracking quality monitoring. We evaluate the tracking accuracy and robustness of our method using public and self-collected datasets, focusing on average tracking error and feature age. In contrast to the event-based Kanade–Lucas–Tomasi tracker method, our method decreases the average tracking error ranging from 1.3 to 29.2% and boosts the feature age ranging from 9.6 to 32.1%, while ensuring the computational efficiency improvement of 1.2–7.6%. Thus, our proposed feature tracking method utilizes the unique characteristics of event cameras and traditional cameras to deliver a robust and efficient tracking system.

BackgroundThere have been few instances of symptomatic bradycardia-arrhythmia in the context of area postrema syndrome (APS), and some of them have been implanted permanent pacemakers. Cardioneuroablation (CNA) has emerged as a viable therapy for the treatment of syncope induced by neutrally mediated bradycardia or atrioventricular block.MethodsWe report a young patient with recurrent cardiac asystole and syncope following persistent hiccups caused by neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), who successfully completed CNA treatment and avoided permanent pacemaker placement. We also summarized and analyzed 20 previously reported cases that were relevant to APS with bradyarrhythmia.ResultsIn a patient with NMOSD, CNA can efficiently and safely eradicate symptomatic bradycardia-arrhythmia. A total of 21 cases were identified in the final analysis (including our case). The average age was 51 years old and female patients accounted for 38.1%. Brady-arrhythmia was presented in all patients, and 9 patients were implanted temporary or permanent pacemakers. 4 of the 9 patients were received permanent pacing therapy because they were not weaned off pacing support after etiological treatment.ConclusionsCardiac asystole and syncope after persistent hiccups may be the first signs of APS of medullary lesions, and CNA may be a useful therapy option for these patients in experienced centers. We believe that in this scenario, CNA may be a superior therapeutic option than permanent pacemaker placement. Additionally, the statement also serves as a cautionary reminder for health care professionals to establish an association between bradyarrhythmia and APS of medullary lesions in their clinical practice.

The role of co-agonists of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) and glucagon receptor (GCGR) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains unclear. Herein we found that GLP-1R and GCGR expression levels were lower in the kidneys of mice with CKD compared to healthy mice and were correlated with disease severity. Interestingly, GLP-1R or GCGR knockdown aggravated the progression of kidney injury in both diabetic db/db mice and non-diabetic mice undergoing unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Based on the importance of GLP-1R and GCGR in CKD, we reported a novel monomeric peptide, 1907-B, with dual-agonism on both GLP-1R and GCGR. The data confirmed that 1907-B had a longer half-life than long-acting semaglutide in rats or cynomolgus monkeys (∼2–3 fold) and exhibited better therapeutic contribution to CKD than best-in-class monoagonists, semaglutide, or glucagon, in db/db mice and UUO mice. Various lock-of-function models, including selective pharmacological activation and genetic knockdown, confirmed that 1907-B's effects on ameliorating diabetic nephropathy in db/db mice, as well as inhibiting kidney fibrosis in UUO mice, were mediated through GLP-1 and glucagon signaling. These findings highlight that 1907-B, a novel GLP-1R and GCGR co-agonist, exerts multifactorial improvement in kidney injuries and is an effective and promising therapeutic option for CKD treatment.

Abstract Background Though (1S, 3R)-RSL3 has been used widely in basic research as a small molecular inducer of ferroptosis, the toxicity on normal cells and poor pharmacokinetic properties of RSL3 limited its clinical application. Here, we investigated the synergism of non-thermal plasma (NTP) and low-concentration RSL3 and attempted to rise the sensitivity of NSCLC cells on RSL3. Methods CCK-8 assay was employed to detect the change of cell viability. Microscopy and flowcytometry were applied to identify lipid peroxidation, cell death and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level respectively. The molecular mechanism was inspected with western blot and RT-qPCR. A xenograft mice model was adopted to investigate the effect of NTP and RSL3. Results We found the synergism of NTP and low-concentration RSL3 triggered severe mitochondria damage, more cell death and rapid ferroptosis occurrence in vitro and in vivo. NTP and RSL3 synergistically induced xCT lysosomal degradation through ROS/AMPK/mTOR signaling. Furthermore, we revealed mitochondrial ROS was the main executor for ferroptosis induced by the combined treatment. Conclusion Our research shows NTP treatment promoted the toxic effect of RSL3 by inducing more ferroptosis rapidly and provided possibility of RSL3 clinical application. Graphical Abstract Video Abstract

Abstract Background Interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IF/TA), a histologic feature of kidney allograft destruction, is linked to decreased allograft survival. The role of lipid metabolism is well-acknowledged in the area of chronic kidney diseases; however, its role in kidney allograft fibrosis is still unclarified. In this study, how lipid metabolism contributes to kidney allografts fibrosis was examined. Methods A comprehensive bioinformatic comparison between IF/TA and normal kidney allograft in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was conducted. Further validations through transcriptome profiling or pathological staining of human recipient biopsy samples and in rat models of kidney transplantation were performed. Additionally, the effects of enhanced lipid metabolism on changes in the fibrotic phenotype induced by TGF-β1 were examined in HK-2 cell. Results In-depth analysis of the GEO dataset revealed a notable downregulation of lipid metabolism pathways in human kidney allografts with IF/TA. This decrease was associated with increased level of allograft rejection, inflammatory responses, and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Pathway enrichment analysis showed the downregulation in mitochondrial LC-fatty acid beta-oxidation, fatty acid beta-oxidation (FAO), and fatty acid biosynthesis. Dysregulated fatty acid metabolism was also observed in biopsy samples from human kidney transplants and in fibrotic rat kidney allografts. Notably, the areas affected by IF/TA had increased immune cell infiltration, during which increased EMT biomarkers and reduced CPT1A expression, a key FAO enzyme, were shown by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, under TGF-β1 induction, activating CPT1A with the compound C75 effectively inhibited migration and EMT process in HK-2 cells. Conclusions This study reveal a critical correlation between dysregulated lipid metabolism and kidney allograft fibrosis. Enhancing lipid metabolism with CPT1A agonists could be a therapeutic approach to mitigate kidney allografts fibrosis.

Abstract If there was no gene interaction, the gene aggregation effect would increase infinitely with the increase of gene number. Epistasis avoids the endless accumulation of gene effects, playing a role of homeostasis. To confirm the role, QTL epistases were analyzed by four single-segment substitution lines with heading date QTLs in this paper. We found that QTLs of three positive effects and one negative effect generated 62.5% negative dual QTL epistatic effects and 57.7% positive triple QTL epistatic effects, forming the relationship “positive QTLs-negative one order interactions-positive two order interactions”. In this way, the aggregation effect of QTLs was partially neutralized by the opposite epistatic effect sum. There also were two exceptions, QTL OsMADS50 and gene Hd3a-2 were always with consistent effect directions with their epistases, implying they could be employed in pyramiding breeding with different objectives. This study elucidated the mechanism of epistatic interactions among four QTLs and provided valuable genetic resources for improving heading date in rice.

Abstract The gas therapy is drawing increasing attention in the treatment of many diseases including cancer. As one of gas signaling molecules, carbon monoxide (CO) has been proved to exert anti-cancer effects via triggering multiple cell death types, such as autophagy, apoptosis and necrosis. Here, we showed that low concentration CO delivered from CO-releasing molecule 3 (CORM-3) effectively induced ferroptosis, known as a novel proinflammatory programmed cell death, in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that CO triggered ferroptosis by modulating the ROS/GSK3β/GPX4 signaling pathway, resulting in the accumulation of lipid hydroperoxides and the occurrence of ferroptosis. We think our findings provide novel insights into the anti-cancer mechanisms of CO, and suggest that CO could potentially be exploited as a novel ferroptosis inducer for cancer treatment in the future.

Abstract Rice chalkiness is a key limiting factor of high-quality rice. The breeding of low chalkiness varieties has always been a challenging task due to the complexity of chalkiness and its susceptibility to environmental factors. In previous studies, we identified six QTLs for the percentage of grain chalkiness (PGC), named qPGC5, qPGC6, qPGC8.1, qPGC8.2, qPGC9 and qPGC11, using single-segment substitution lines (SSSLs) with genetic background of Huajingxian 74 (HJX74). In this study, we utilized the six low chalkiness QTLs to develop 17 pyramiding lines with 2–4 QTLs. The results showed that the PGC decreased with the increase of QTLs in the pyramiding lines. The pyramiding lines with 4 QTLs significantly reduced the chalkiness of rice and reached the best quality level. Among the six QTLs, qPGC5 and qPGC6 showed greater additive effects and were classified as Group A, while the other four QTLs showed smaller additive effects and were classified as Group B. In pyramiding lines, although the presence of epistasis, additivity remained the main component of QTL effects. qPGC5 and qPGC6 showed stronger ability to reduce rice chalkiness, particularly in the environment of high temperature (HT) in the first cropping season (FCS). Our research demonstrates that by pyramiding low chalkiness QTLs, it is feasible to develop the high-quality rice varieties with low chalkiness at the best quality level even in the HT environment of FCS.

Abstract Orthotopic advanced hepatic tumor resection without precise location and preoperative downstaging may cause clinical postoperative recurrence and metastasis. Early accurate monitoring and tumor size reduction based on the multifunctional diagnostic-therapeutic integration platform could improve real-time imaging-guided resection efficacy. Here, a Near-Infrared II/Photoacoustic Imaging/Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NIR-II/PAI/MRI) organic nanoplatform IRFEP-FA-DOTA-Gd (IFDG) is developed for integrated diagnosis and treatment of orthotopic hepatic tumor. The IFDG is designed rationally based on the core “S-D-A-D-S” NIR-II probe IRFEP modified with folic acid (FA) for active tumor targeting and Gd-DOTA agent for MR imaging. The IFDG exhibits several advantages, including efficient tumor tissue accumulation, good tumor margin imaging effect, and excellent photothermal conversion effect. Therefore, the IFDG could realize accurate long-term monitoring and photothermal therapy non-invasively of the hepatic tumor to reduce its size. Next, the complete resection of the hepatic tumor in situ lesions could be realized by the intraoperative real-time NIR-II imaging guidance. Notably, the preoperative downstaging strategy is confirmed to lower the postoperative recurrence rate of the liver cancer patients under middle and advanced stage effectively with fewer side effects. Overall, the designed nanoplatform demonstrates great potential as a diagnostic-therapeutic integration platform for precise imaging-guided surgical navigation of orthotopic hepatic tumors with a low recurrence rate after surgery, providing a paradigm for diagnosing and treating the advanced tumors in the future clinical translation application. Graphical Abstract

Establishing a phototheranostic platform constructed by the second near-infrared (NIR-II) region has proved a revolutionary and promising strategy for cancer treatment. However, the antitumor effectiveness is severely limited by the monotonicity of the NIR-photothermal therapy (HPTT) modality and tumor thermotolerance caused by the production of heat shock proteins (HSPs). Here, a minimalistic approach is used to construct an organic nanoplatform (IFT@PEG-GOX NPs) with the reciprocal cyclic promotion of hypothermia and starvation treatments for NIR-II imaging-guided tumor therapy. After the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect causes IFT@PEG-GOX NPs to accumulate in tumors, glucose oxidase (GOx)-mediated tumor starvation may obstruct the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and downregulation heat shock proteins (HSPs), thereby reducing the thermotolerance of cells. After that, sensitized HPTT was activated and GOx's catalytic activity was increased by NIR laser irradiation. Then, there would be a subsequent, intensified inhibition of HSP along with an additional amplification of the GOx-mediated tumor starvation. As a consequence, the HPTT/Starvation therapy (ST) bidirectional cycle method is initiated, leading to a bidirectional cyclic enhancing impact of HPTT and ST and significantly better tumor suppression.

Duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (DPPHR) has been widely used in benign tumors, low-grade malignant tumors of the pancreatic head and chronic pancreatitis. Nevertheless, to date, there has been no report about indocyanine (ICG) fluorescence in robotic DPPHR. This report describes the technique of robotic DPPHR with preoperative three-dimensional reconstruction visualization and intraoperative real-time ICG fluorescence imaging navigation. The results show that the technique is safe and effective for benign masses of the head of the pancreas and may offer a benefit for maintaining the integrity of duodenal blood flow and the biliary system.

Abstract Context Effective clinical medical student education includes attention to teaching approaches. This study assessed the impact of a new multi-element teaching mode that utilizes Bite-Sized Teaching, flipped classroom, and MOOC on learner perception in an Obstetrics and gynaecology clerkship. Methods A Two-stage crossover design study was conducted of a multi-element teaching mode compared to traditional teaching mode in an academic year. Participants included Ninety-six medical students practicing obstetrics and gynecology in our hospital, randomly divided into two groups respectively underwent multi-element teaching mode and traditional teaching mode. After each semester, a final test (including theoretical and clinical practical test) was conducted.When an academic year was completed, post intervention survey assessed learner perceptions of the intervention. Result In order to comprehensively test students’ performance after study, we take theoretical and practical examinations. The theoretical examination mainly tests students’ grasp of basic knowledge points, while the practical examination focuses on the examination of students’ diagnosis and treatment of diseases. There were statistically significant differences both in the theoretical and clinical practical scores between the new multi-element integrated teaching mode and the traditional teaching mode, specifically as follows: In the end of first semester, the theoretical scores of the two groups were respective 43.75 ± 3.42 vs. 42.07 ± 2.90, and clinic practical test scores were respective 44.93 ± 2.42 vs. 43.37 ± 2.52; In the end of second semester, the theoretical scores of the two groups were respective 44.30 ± 2.69 vs. 42.25 ± 3.39, and clinic practical test scores were respective 43.79 ± 2.25 vs. 41.93 ± 2.80.(p

Interleukin (IL)-17A, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is a fundamental function in the onset and advancement of multiple immune diseases. To uncover the primary compounds with IL-17A inhibitory activity, a large-scale screening of the library of traditional Chinese medicine constituents and microbial secondary metabolites was conducted using splenic cells from IL-17A-GFP reporter mice cultured under Th17-priming conditions. Our results indicated that some aureane-type sesquiterpene tetraketides isolated from a wetland mud-derived fungus, Myrothecium gramineum, showed remarkable IL-17A inhibitory activity. Nine new aureane-type sesquiterpene tetraketides, myrogramins A–I (1, 4–11), and two known ones (2 and 3) were isolated and identified from the strain. Compounds 1, 3, 4, 10, and 11 exhibited significant IL-17A inhibitory activity. Among them, compound 3, with a high fermentation yield dose-dependently inhibited the generation of IL-17A and suppressed glycolysis in splenic cells under Th17-priming conditions. Strikingly, compound 3 suppressed immunopathology in both IL-17A-mediated animal models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and pulmonary hypertension. Our results revealed that aureane-type sesquiterpene tetraketides are a novel class of immunomodulators with IL-17A inhibitory activity, and hold great promise applications in treating IL-17A-mediated immune diseases.

This study investigates the impact of various auxiliary cooling techniques on machinability, energy consumption, carbon emissions, and economic factors in the drilling process of AA7075T6 aluminium alloy using TiO2 and C-reinforced composites. The study employed various cooling conditions (dry, MQL, CO2, and hybrid MQL+CO2), with different cutting speeds and feed rates, to evaluate their effects on drilling characteristics. The findings indicated that the combined MQL and CO2 cooling notably enhanced the drilling process by reducing cutting forces by 32% and surface roughness by 65% compared to dry cutting. This synergy between lubrication and cooling significantly improves machinability, resulting in higher-quality machining outputs with smoother surfaces and more precise circularity. Energy analysis revealed that the MQL+CO2 method reduces energy consumption to 64% observed under dry conditions, underscoring its efficiency through better heat dissipation and reduced friction. Furthermore, this method demonstrates a significant reduction in carbon emissions, contributing to environmental sustainability. Economically, although initial costs associated with the implementation of cooling systems are higher, they are offset by reduced tool wear and energy costs, making it a viable solution for sustainable manufacturing practices.

The bare row spacing between young jujube trees reduces resource use efficiency. Planting cotton between rows of jujubes can improve the efficiency of light, heat, water, and temperature resources. However, it is not clear how many rows of cotton between the jujube rows would be the most suitable pattern. A field study with different cropping systems was performed to investigate the land equivalent ratio (LER), the competition of cotton to jujube, and the sustainability index. The treatments included (1) monoculture jujube, (2) monoculture cotton, (3) jujube intercropped with two rows of cotton (J/C2), (4) jujube intercropped with four rows of cotton (J/C4), and (5) jujube intercropped with six rows of cotton (J/C6). The results showed that the LER under the J/C2, J/C4, and J/C6 systems were 1.17, 1.30, and 1.28, respectively. The LER and total yield were higher under J/C2 than under the J/C4 and J/C6 treatments. The overyielding rate of cotton was increased, while those of jujube were decreased with increasing rows of cotton. The competition between cotton to jujube was less than 0. The net, complementarity, selection effect, and sustainability index were significantly higher under J/C4 and J/C6 than under J/C2, with J/C4, showing stronger net effects. Both complementarity and selection effects contributed to the intercropping yield advantages. Comprehensively considering yield, economic efficiency, sustainability index, land use efficiency, and net effect, J/C4 is one of the most productive and sustainable planting patterns of jujube–cotton intercropping system in southern Xinjiang, which is the more ideal pattern in arid and semi-arid regions.

The beetle, of the order Coleoptera, possesses outstanding flight capabilities. After completing flight, they can fold their hindwings under the elytra and swiftly unfold them again when they take off. This sophisticated hindwing structure is a result of biological evolution, showcasing the strong environmental adaptability of this species. The beetle’s hindwings can provide biomimetic inspiration for the design of flapping-wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs). In this study, the Asian ladybird (Harmonia axyridis Pallas) was chosen as the bionic research object. Various kinematic parameters of its flapping flight were analyzed, including the flight characteristics of the hindwings, wing tip motion trajectories, and aerodynamic characteristics. Based on these results, a flapping kinematic model of the Asian ladybird was established. Then, three bionic deployable wing models were designed and their structural mechanical properties were analyzed. The results show that the structure of wing vein bars determined the mechanical properties of the bionic wing. This study can provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for further bionic wing design.

Mitochondria are not only the power plant for intracellular oxidative phosphorylation and ATP synthesis, but also involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, signaling and apoptosis. Recent studies have shown that mitochondria play an important role in other pathophysiological functions in addition to cellular energy metabolism. Mitochondria release mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) as a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) to activate Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), NOD-, LRR-, and pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) innate immune signaling pathways against foreign pathogenic microorganisms. The innate immune response not only promotes antimicrobial immune defense and regulates antiviral signaling, but their overactivation also induces the onset and progression of inflammatory diseases. In this paper, we review the role of mtDNA in the activation of innate immune signaling pathways and the crosstalk among innate immune signaling pathways activated by mtDNA, providing clues for the study of inflammatory diseases caused by mtDNA cytoplasmic translocation.

Gold mineralization in the Jiaojia gold belt was formed in a structurally-dominant hydrothermal mineral system showing a close spatial association with the Jiaojia detachment fault. This study delves into the Jiaojia gold belt from the perspective of coupled spatial association and ore-forming processes by employing spatial analysis of three-dimensional (3D) models, 3D ore-forming numerical modeling, and 3D prospectivity modeling using machine learning techniques (random forest (RF) and multilayer perceptron (MLP)). The overarching goal is to gain insight into the structural-hydrothermal gold system and pinpoint potential areas of deep-seated gold deposits for future exploration endeavors. The spatial analysis of ore-controlling faults uncovers a close correlation between gold enrichment and specific fault geometrical attributes, including a dip angle ranging from 20° to 40°, minimal variations in dip angle (less than 5°), and convex topographical features. These attributes likely stem from the influence of fault morphology on the flow and pooling of fluids. In conjunction with this, 3D ore-forming numerical modeling of structural deformation and fluid flow reveals that gold mineralization is intertwined with moderate volumetric strain and shear strain of rock and fluid divergence. This interaction seems particularly pronounced in areas characterized by channel-like or gentle features. Consequently, it is plausible that gold distribution in the Jiaojia region is the outcome of a comprehensive coupling process involving strain localization, rock deformation, fluid flow, heat transfer and/or interaction. The deep gold prospectivity models of RF and MLP for the Jiaojia district jointly using the predictive variables of fault geometry features and ore-forming simulation data (volume strain, shear strain, temperature variation, and fluid flux) exhibit higher AUC (area under the curve) values compared to models employing individual predictor variable datasets. This improvement underscores their enhanced predictive capability. The prospectivity results thus were used for identifying gold potential within the Jiaojia region, where five promising gold targets at depth were ultimately determined.

Abstract Tumor microenvironment (TME)‐triggered phototheranostic platform offers a feasible strategy to improve cancer diagnosis accuracy and minimize treatment side effects. Developing a stable and biocompatible molecular phototheranostic platform for TME‐activated second near‐infrared (NIR‐II) fluorescence imaging‐guided multimodal cascade therapy is a promising strategy for creating desirable anticancer agents. Herein, a new NIR‐II fluorescence imaging‐guided activatable molecular phototheranostic platform (IR‐FEP‐RGD‐S‐S‐S‐Fc) is presented for actively targeted tumor imaging and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas‐enhanced chemodynamic‐hypothermal photothermal combined therapy (CDT/HPTT). It is revealed for the first time that the coupling distance between IR‐FE and ferrocene is proportional to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET), and the aqueous environment is favorable for PET generation. The part of Cyclic‐RGDfK (cRGDfk) peptides can target the tumor and benefit the endocytosis of nanoparticles. The high‐concentration glutathione (GSH) in the TME will separate the fluorescence molecule and ferrocene by the GSH‐sensitive trisulfide bond, realizing light‐up NIR‐II fluorescence imaging and a cascade of trimodal synergistic CDT/HPTT/gas therapy (GT). In addition, the accumulation of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and down‐regulation of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) can produce excessive harmful lipid hydroperoxides, ultimately leading to ferroptosis.

Abstract Background Acute pancreatitis in pregnancy (APIP) with a high risk of death is extremely harmful to mother and fetus. There are few models specifically designed to assess the severity of APIP. Our study aimed to establish a clinical model for early prediction of severity of APIP. Methods A retrospective study in a total of 188 patients with APIP was enrolled. The hematological indicators, IAP (intra-abdominal pressure) and clinical data were obtained for statistical analysis and prediction model construction. Results According to univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, we found that red cell distribution width (RDW), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) are prediction indexes of the severity in APIP (p-value

Cotton photosynthetic efficiency and the root–shoot relationship are two important physiological indexes affecting the final yield, but the interactive effects of plastic film mulching and planting density on the cotton photosynthetic efficiency and root–shoot relationship have rarely been reported. We aimed to investigate the optimal plant density with or without plastic film mulching for improved seed cotton yield in southern Xinjiang. Therefore, a two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of plastic film mulching (with or without plastic film mulching) and planting density (D1: 9 × 104 plants ha−1; D2: 18 × 104 plants ha−1; D3, 22 × 104 plants ha−1, local conventional planting density; D4, 27 × 104 plants ha−1) on the cotton root–shoot relationship, photosynthetic parameters, and seed cotton yield. Our results showed that the seed cotton yield was improved under plastic film mulching at all planting densities, but economic income was significantly lower in comparison to without plastic film mulching in 2023. Compared with D3, seed cotton yield and economic income at D2 increased by 6.9% and 12.2%, either with or without plastic film mulching, respectively. The highest increase in the seed cotton yield in D2 under plastic film mulching was due to the greatest improvements in the root production capacity and photosynthesis. The boll capacity of the root system (BCR) and boll loading of the root system (BLR) in D2 were the highest among all treatments with film mulching, being 9.0% and 16.9% higher than that in D3 in 2022 and 2023. However, the root–shoot ratio (R/S) was 7.1% and 6.9% lower in D2 than D3, under film mulching, in 2022 and 2023. Moreover, moderate plant density (D2) improved the SPAD value, chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm and PIabs), and photosynthetic parameter (Pn, Tr, and Gs) and decreased Ci compared with other planting density treatments in both years. Further analyses with correlation analysis showed that the seed cotton yield was highly positive correlated with BLR, BCR, and the photosynthetic parameter. In summary, suitable planting density (18 × 104 plants ha−1) combined with plastic film mulching has the potential to obtain high yields by enhancing the efficiency of photosynthetic assimilates, improving the capacity of cotton root production, providing a reference for suitable planting density under plastic film mulching.

Sea Island cotton is renowned for its superior fiber quality. Although mechanical harvesting has the potential to significantly increase efficiency and reduce the production cost of Sea Island cotton, there is still little research in this area. In this study, we analyzed 240 Sea Island cotton germplasm resources and evaluated 19 traits related to mechanical harvesting. The coefficient of variation ranged from 5.42% to 66.96%, and the genetic diversity index spanned from 1.57 to 2.07. In most traits studied, there was a strong correlation between the height of the first fruiting branch and the defoliation rate. The 19 traits were categorized into 6 factorial groups by principal component analysis, in which the defoliation factor contributed the most (30.89%). The cluster analysis divided the 240 cotton accessions into four main groups, with the second group exhibiting favorable mechanical harvesting characteristics such as higher defoliation rate and first fruit branch height. Using stepwise regression, a model was constructed with the joint evaluation score F-value as the response variable and eight traits (X1: PH, X2: SNB, X3: SBN, X4: MBL, X5: AFBM, X7: MLIA, X8: NB, and X13: 15 d DR) as predictors: Y = −7.2 + 0.01X1 + 0.23X2 + 0.192X3 + 0.038X4 + 0.007X5 + 0.014X7 + 0.025X8 + 2.952X13. Selected materials suitable for machine harvesting, such as MoShi729, were identified. This study provides valuable theoretical insights into the mechanical harvesting of Sea Island cotton germplasm resources and identifies promising materials for targeted breeding and improvement programs.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly recognized as cis- and trans-acting regulators of protein-coding genes in plants, particularly in response to abiotic stressors. Among these stressors, high soil salinity poses a significant challenge to crop productivity. Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) is a prominent root vegetable crop that exhibits moderate susceptibility to salt stress, particularly during the seedling stage. Nevertheless, the precise regulatory mechanisms through which lncRNAs contribute to salt response in radish remain largely unexplored. In this study, we performed genome-wide identification of lncRNAs using strand-specific RNA sequencing on radish fleshy root samples subjected to varying time points of salinity treatment. A total of 7,709 novel lncRNAs were identified, with 363 of them displaying significant differential expression in response to salt application. Furthermore, through target gene prediction, 5,006 cis- and 5,983 trans-target genes were obtained for the differentially expressed lncRNAs. The predicted target genes of these salt-responsive lncRNAs exhibited strong associations with various plant defense mechanisms, including signal perception and transduction, transcription regulation, ion homeostasis, osmoregulation, reactive oxygen species scavenging, photosynthesis, phytohormone regulation, and kinase activity. Notably, this study represents the first comprehensive genome-wide analysis of salt-responsive lncRNAs in radish, to the best of our knowledge. These findings provide a basis for future functional analysis of lncRNAs implicated in the defense response of radish against high salinity, which will aid in further understanding the regulatory mechanisms underlying radish response to salt stress.

Low dimensional perovskite emerging as a highly promising class of functional materials for semiconductor optoelectronic applications have drawn great attention. Here, we report the nonlinear absorption of low-dimensional perovskite PEA2PbI4 and transparent conducting oxide material Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) with operating spectral window in telecommunications. Then we fabricate all-optical diodes with nonreciprocity factor of 10.1 dB based on the reverse saturable absorber (PEA2PbI4) and the saturable absorber (AZO). The results show the potential applications of perovskite-based materials in all-optical diode, and may pave way for the development of high-performance photonic devices.

Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) cooperation systems, such as flocking, consensus, formation control have a wide range of applications in monitoring, mapping, and target tracking. Optimal cooperative control of such systems is particularly important to increase their working efficiency. This paper studies the optimal trajectory tracking and formation control problems for multi-UAVs with a leader-follower structure, and the distributed model predictive control (MPC) scheme based formation control method is proposed. In particular, a novel MPC strategy is firstly designed for the leader modelled by the nonlinear Newton-Euler equations, to generate a feasible tracking trajectory for the formation systems. Then, by separating the system dynamics of the followers into the translation motion and the rotation motion, a two-layer distributed MPC formation control algorithm is designed to reduce the computation and communication loads, while only requiring limited information of the neighbors’ states. Finally, simulation and comparison studies verify the effectiveness of the designed algorithms.

Numerous news or event pictures are taken and shared on the internet every day that have abundant information worth being mined, but only a small fraction of them are geotagged. The visual content of the news image hints at clues of the geographical location because they are usually taken at the site of the incident, which provides a prerequisite for geo-localization. This paper proposes an automated pipeline based on deep learning for the geo-localization of news pictures in a large-scale urban environment using geotagged street view images as a reference dataset. The approach obtains location information by constructing an attention-based feature extraction network. Then, the image features are aggregated, and the candidate street view image results are retrieved by the selective matching kernel function. Finally, the coordinates of the news images are estimated by the kernel density prediction method. The pipeline is tested in the news pictures in Hong Kong. In the comparison experiments, the proposed pipeline shows stable performance and generalizability in the large-scale urban environment. In addition, the performance analysis of components in the pipeline shows the ability to recognize localization features of partial areas in pictures and the effectiveness of the proposed solution in news picture geo-localization.

Due to the existence of seasonal or perennial sea ice cover, the determination of the Arctic sea surface is more difficult than that of mid-low latitudinal oceans. Focusing on the sea surface height in the ice-covered region, this paper constructs a new Arctic mean sea surface (MSS) model, named SUST22, by combining the measurements from ICESat and Cryosat-2 missions. The lead detection methods of ICESat and Cryosat-2 are first studied and modified to acquire sea surface measurements with better accuracy. The results have shown that the standard deviation of Cryosat-2-derived Arctic sea surface height is about 3–4 cm in 10-km resolution grids, while the value of ICESat is 5–6 cm. Then the MSS construction procedure is discussed and the SUST22 MSS model is constructed. The new model is compared with the other four Arctic MSS models. The best agreement is found between SUST22 and DTU21 with an average difference of −4.0 ± 5.2 cm. These models are also validated by ICESat-2 samples. The average difference between ICESat-2 and SUST22 is 15.8 ± 7.4 cm, which shows that the new model SUST22 presents better consistency with the ICESat-2 than any of the other models.

Background: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous transcatheter super-selective renal arterial embolization (SRAE) with N-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA) for iatrogenic renal hemorrhage. Methods: Between January 2014 and December 2019, 45 patients (including 18 patients with coagulopathy), who underwent percutaneous transcatheter SRAE with NBCA for iatrogenic renal hemorrhage at our institution, were retrospectively reviewed. The technical success rate, clinical success rate, and embolization-related complications were analyzed. The values of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), serum creatinine (sCr), and serum urea (sUr) were analyzed at the time of pre-SRAE, post-SRAE, and last follow-up to evaluate the effects of NBCA-based SRAE on renal function. Results: Diagnostic renal arteriography revealed contrast extravasation in 18 patients and pseudoaneurysms in 27 patients. NBCA mixed with iodized oil in a 1:2–1:4 ratio was the sole embolic agent. No procedure-related mortality or major complications occurred. The technical and clinical success rates were both 100%. The values of eGFR, sCr and sUr were not found to be significantly different between pre-SRAE, post-SRAE and last follow-up (eGFR: 91.52 ​± ​21.17 vs. 90.98 ​± ​22.11 vs. 92.14 ​± ​23.51 ​mL/min/1.73 ​m2, p ​= ​0.729; sCr: 74.73 ​± ​11.08 vs. 75.27 ​± ​12.43 vs. 73.95 ​± ​10.14 ​μmol/L, p ​= ​0.543; sUr: 5.69 ​± ​0.84 vs. 5.71 ​± ​0.96 vs. 5.70 ​± ​0.79, p ​= ​0.515, respectively). Conclusions: Percutaneous transcatheter SRAE with NBCA is a safe and effective treatment modality for iatrogenic renal hemorrhage with no deterioration of renal function.

Abstract Monitoring lake water levels is important to fully understand the characteristics and mechanism of lake dynamic change, the impact of climate change and human activities on lakes, etc. This paper first individually evaluated the performance of the newly released Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) and the successor of the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite mission (ICESat-2) for inland lake level retrieval over four typical lakes (Chaohu Lake, Hongze Lake, Gaoyou Lake and Taihu Lake) using in situ gauge data, then the lake levels of the two missions were combined to derive long time-series lake water levels. A comparison of the mission results with in situ water levels validated the accuracy of the ICESat-2 with R varying from 0.957 to 0.995, MAE 0.03 m-0.10 m and RMSE 0.04 m-0.13 m; however, larger bias occurred in GEDI results with R spanning from 0.560 to 0.952, MAE 0.31 m-0.38 m and RMSE 0.35 m-0.46 m. Before the lake levels were combined, GEDI bias correction was carried out. The correlation coefficients and annual change rate differences between the combined and the in situ data were 0.964 and 0.06 m/yr, 0.852 and 0.05 m/yr, 0.888 and 0.05 m/yr, and 0.899 and 0.02 m/yr for Lake Chaohu, Hongze, Gaoyou and Taihu, respectively. Except for individual months and seasonal differences caused by GEDI estimations, the general trend of monthly, seasonal, and annual dynamics of inland lake water levels captured by combined GEDI and ICESat-2 missions were consistent with measurements from hydrological stations. These encouraging results demonstrate that combining the two missions has great potential for frequent and accurate lake level monitoring and could be a valuable resource for the study of hydrological and climatic change.

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer death worldwide, with an overall 5-year survival rate of less than 18%, which may be related to tumor microvascular invasion (MVI). This study aimed to compare the clinical prognosis of HCC patients with or without MVI after radical surgical treatment, and further analyze the preoperative risk factors related to MVI to promote the development of a new treatment strategy for HCC. Methods According to the postoperative pathological diagnosis of MVI, 160 study patients undergoing radical hepatectomy were divided into an MVI-negative group (n = 68) and an MVI-positive group (n = 92). The clinical outcomes and prognosis were compared between the two groups, and then the parameters were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression to construct an MVI prediction model. Then, the practicability and validity of the model were evaluated, and the clinical prognosis of different MVI risk groups was subsequently compared. Result There were no significant differences between the MVI-negative and MVI-positive groups in clinical baseline, hematological, or imaging data. Additionally, the clinical outcome comparison between the two groups presented no significant differences except for the pathological grading (P = 0.002) and survival and recurrence rates after surgery (P < 0.001). The MVI prediction model, based on preoperative AFP, tumor diameter, and TNM stage, presented superior predictive efficacy (AUC = 0.7997) and good practicability (high H-L goodness of fit, P = 0.231). Compared with the MVI high-risk group, the patients in the MVI low-risk group had a higher survival rate (P = 0.002) and a lower recurrence rate (P = 0.004). Conclusion MVI is an independent risk factor for a poor prognosis after radical resection of HCC. The MVI prediction model, consisting of AFP, tumor diameter, and TNM stage, exhibits superior predictive efficacy and strong clinical practicability for MVI prediction and prognostication, which provides a new therapeutic strategy for the standardized treatment of HCC patients.

BackgroundIn China, condomless sex among men who have sex with men (MSM) is the primary route of HIV infection in young people. Chengdu is a hotspot for reported HIV cases among young people nationwide. Extensive use of geosocial networking (GSN) smartphone apps has dramatically changed the pattern of sexual behavior among young MSM (YMSM). However, data on HIV incidence and the risk behavior of YMSM using the GSN app are still obscure. ObjectiveThis study aims to analyze and understand the HIV incidence and its risk factors among YMSM using GSN apps in Chengdu, China. MethodsAn open cohort study was conducted among YMSM aged 18-24 years through a gay GSN smartphone app in Chengdu, China, from July 2018 to December 2020. Every participant completed a web-based questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics, sexual behaviors, and other related statuses; made a reservation for a web-based HIV testing; and then voluntarily got tested at the designated testing site. At least one additional HIV test was taken via the app during the study period, and participants were evaluated at the end of the study or at the time of HIV seroconversion. By dividing the sum of the observed HIV seroconversions by the observed person-years, HIV incidence was calculated and compared between the student and nonstudent MSM. Univariate and multivariate (Cox proportional hazards regression) analyses were used to discuss the risk factors for new HIV infections. ResultsIn the study cohort, 24 seroconversions occurred among 625 YMSM who took at least two HIV tests through the app during the study period, contributing to 505 observed person-years. The HIV incidence rate per 100 person-years was 4.75 (95% CI 2.89-6.61) among all MSM, 3.60 (95% CI 1.27-5.93) among student MSM, and 5.88 (95% CI 2.97-8.79) among nonstudent MSM. In addition, the HIV incidence per 100 person-years was 11.11 (95% CI 4.49-17.73) among those who had resided in the area for 6 months or less and 7.14 (95% CI 1.52-12.77) among those with senior high school or less education. Two or more sexual partners (adjusted hazards ratio [HR] 3.63, 95% CI 1.08-12.23) in the preceding 6 months was a risk factor for new HIV infections. Consistent condom use for anal sex (adjusted HR 0.38, 95% CI 0.16-0.88) and insertive anal sex only (adjusted HR 0.10, 95% CI 0.01-0.75) in the preceding 6 months were protective factors for new HIV infections. ConclusionsThe rate of new HIV infections among YMSM who actively used GSN smartphone apps was high, especially among migrant nonstudent MSM. Targeted interventions on GSN smartphone apps should be implemented to provide demand-adapted prevention and services to reduce the threat of HIV.

The use of robots in various industries is evolving from mechanization to intelligence and precision. These systems often comprise parts made of different materials and thus require accurate and comprehensive target identification. While humans perceive the world through a highly diverse perceptual system and can rapidly identify deformable objects through vision and touch to prevent slipping or excessive deformation during grasping, robot recognition technology mainly relies on visual sensors, which lack critical information such as object material, leading to incomplete cognition. Therefore, multimodal information fusion is believed to be key to the development of robot recognition. Firstly, a method of converting tactile sequences to images is proposed to deal with the obstacles of information exchange between different modalities for vision and touch, which overcomes the problems of the noise and instability of tactile data. Subsequently, a visual-tactile fusion network framework based on an adaptive dropout algorithm is constructed, together with an optimal joint mechanism between visual information and tactile information established, to solve the problem of mutual exclusion or unbalanced fusion in traditional fusion methods. Finally, experiments show that the proposed method effectively improves robot recognition ability, and the classification accuracy is as high as 99.3%.

Scale conversion between DEMs is an important issue in geomorphometry. There are many mature studies on the generation of low-resolution(LR) DEMs from high-resolution(HR) DEMs. However, as an important and convenient means of obtaining HR DEMs, traditional super resolution (SR) methods have shown insufficient consideration of the terrain features embedded in DEMs. Therefore, this article investigates the combination of terrain features and the use of convolutional neural networks (CNN) to reconstruct HR DEMs, and proposes a multi-terrain feature-based deep CNN for super-resolution(SR) DEMs (MTF-SR). In the experiments, from the perspective of vector and raster terrain features, we fuse raster terrain features in the input and loss functions, and fuse vector terrain features in the optimization of the output of the model. The results show that the MTF-SR model has a 30–50 % reduction in mean absolute error (MAE) compared with interpolation methods, has the lowest slope and aspect error and has a 10 to 30 % improvement in streamline matching rate (SMR). These results point to the advantages of the method in overall elevation accuracy and the preservation of terrain features.

Increasing agricultural yields and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are the main themes of agricultural development in the 21st century. This study investigated the yield and GHGs of a jujube–alfalfa intercropping crop, relying on a long-term field location experiment of intercropping in an arid region. The treatments included four planting densities (D1 (210 kg ha−1 sowing rate; six rows), D2 (280 kg ha−1 sowing rate; eight rows), D3 (350 kg ha−1 sowing rate; ten rows)) and four nitrogen levels (N0 (0 kg ha−1), N1 (80 kg ha−1), N2 (160 kg ha−1), and N3 (240 kg ha−1)) in the jujube–alfalfa intercropping system. The results showed that the jujube–alfalfa intercropping system is a the “source” of atmospheric CO2 and N2O, and the “sink” of CH4; the trend of CO2 fluxes was “single peak”, while the trend of N2O and CH4 fluxes was “double peak”, and there was a tendency for their “valley peaks” to become a “mirror” of each another. The magnitude of emissions under the nitrogen level was N3 > N2 > N1 > N0; the content of soil total nitrogen, quick-acting nitrogen, and the global warming potential (GWP) increased with an increase in the amount of nitrogen that was applied, but the pH showed the opposite tendency. The D2N2 treatment increased the total N, quick N, SOC, and SOM content to reduce the alfalfa GHG emission intensity (GHGI) by only 0.061 kg CO2-eq kg−1 compared to the other treatments. D2N2 showed a good balance between yield benefits and environmental benefits. The total D2N2 yield was the most prominent among all treatments, with a 47.64% increase in yield in 2022 compared to the D1N0 treatment. The results showed that the optimization of planting density and N fertilization reduction strategies could effectively improve economic efficiency and reduce net greenhouse gas emissions. In the jujube–alfalfa intercropping system, D2N2 (eight rows planted in one film 160 N = 160 kg ha−1) realized the optimal synergistic effect between planting density and nitrogen application, and the results of this study provide theoretical support for the reduction in GHGs emissions in northwest China without decreasing the yield of alfalfa forage.

Abstract T-cell engagers (TCEs) are a growing class of biotherapeutics being investigated in the clinic for treatment of a variety of hematological and solid tumor indications. However, preclinical evaluation of TCEs in vivo has been mostly limited to xenograft tumor models in human T-cell reconstituted immunodeficient mice, which have a number of limitations. To explore the efficacy of human TCEs in fully immunocompetent hosts, we developed a knock-in mouse model (hCD3E-epi) in which a 5-residue N-terminal fragment of murine CD3-epsilon was replaced with an 11-residue stretch from the human sequence that encodes for a common epitope recognized by anti-human CD3E antibodies in the clinic. T cells from hCD3E-epi mice underwent normal thymic development and could be efficiently activated upon crosslinking of the T-cell receptor with anti-human CD3E antibodies in vitro. Furthermore, a TCE targeting human CD3E and murine CD20 induced robust T-cell redirected killing of murine CD20-positive B cells in ex vivo hCD3E-epi splenocyte cultures, and also depleted nearly 100% of peripheral B cells for up to 7 days following in vivo administration. These results highlight the utility of this novel mouse model for exploring the efficacy of human TCEs in vivo, and suggest a useful tool for evaluating TCEs in combination with immuno-oncology/non-immuno-oncology agents against heme and solid tumor targets in hosts with a fully intact immune system.

Chemical topping involves using plant growth regulators to facilitate the rapid transition of cotton into reproductive growth, similar to manual topping (MT), thereby enhancing cotton yield. Despite its benefits, high-temperature stress following cotton topping often reduces cotton yield. Therefore, developing an effective formula capable of not only inhibiting cotton top growth but also alleviating high-temperature stress is of critical importance. In this study, chlormequat chloride salicylic acid ionic liquids (CSILs) were synthesized via the acid–base neutralization of salicylic acid (SA) and 2-chloro-N,N,N-trimethyl ethanaminium hydroxide, obtained from the reaction between potassium hydroxide and chlormequat chloride (CCC). The resulting CSILs were characterized using various techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ultraviolet-visible light (UV-vis) spectroscopy. The characterization results confirmed the successful synthesis of CSILs as a novel water-soluble cotton-topping agent. Notably, compared with CCC treatment, CSILs at the same concentration exhibited a more sustainable and stable inhibition effect on cotton tip growth, resulting in an 11% increase in cotton yield. These findings suggest that CSILs have a greater potential for use in cotton chemical topping compared with CCC. Furthermore, compared with MT, the MDA content of cotton leaves treated with CSILs was reduced, and the activities of POD and SOD were increased under high-temperature stress. Moreover, these effects became more pronounced with an increasing CSIL concentration, highlighting the positive impact of CSILs in alleviating high-temperature stress on cotton. Notably, no significant difference in cotton yield was observed between the CSIL treatment at 120 g AI ha−1 and the MT treatment. Thus, this study underscores the significant potential of CSILs in both cotton topping and enhancing resistance to high-temperature stress.

Task and Motion Planning for a 7-DOF serial robot containing only revolute joints needs a fast and numerically stable inverse kinematics solution. The analytical methods are real-time, but they are robot dependent. Although the numerical methods based on inverse differential kinematics can solve the inverse kinematics problem (IKP) of 7R robots with arbitrary geometric parameters, their numerical stability is insufficient. Moreover, it is time-consuming for them to converge to a single solution that depends on the initial guess. The main innovation of this article is the development of a practical method for solving the IKP of general 7R robots. The proposed method can find multiple solutions and is also faster than the numerical method. It combines symbolic preprocessing, Sylvester dialytic elimination, and eigendecomposition. First, according to the Denavit-Hartenberg convention of geometric representation, a general kinematics model of a 7R manipulator is established. Secondly, the joint variables are separated by symbolic preprocessing, and then two symbolic matrices are obtained. After numerical substitution, a square matrix of polynomial coefficients is computed through Gaussian and Sylvester dialytic elimination. Finally, utilizing the eigendecomposition of the matrix restructured from the square matrix, the values of some variables are obtained, and then the remaining variables are solved by back-substitution. The simulation and experimental data are analyzed. The comparison results verify that the proposed method applies to solving the IKP of general 7R robots and is almost real-time, effective, and numerically stable.

Objectives. To analyze the effects of deep hyperthermia combined with intraperitoneal chemotherapy on liver-kidney function, immune function, and long-term survival in patients with abdominal metastases. Methods. A total of 88 patients with abdominal metastases confirmed in the hospital were enrolled as the research objects between August 2018 and August 2021. They were randomly divided into control group (n = 44) and observation group (n = 44). The control group was treated with intraperitoneal chemotherapy, while observation group was additionally treated with deep hyperthermia. The general clinical data of patients were recorded. The short-term and long-term curative effects were evaluated. The occurrence of side effects in both groups was recorded. Before and after treatment, levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) were detected by full-automatic biochemical analyzer. The level of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) was detected by the urease electrode method. The level of serum creatinine (Scr) was detected by the picric acid method. The levels of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and NK cells were detected by BD FACSCalibur flow cytometer. Results. There was no significant difference in clinical data between the two groups (P>0.05). In the observation group, ORR was significantly higher than that in the control group (54.55% vs 29.55%) (P0.05). Before and after treatment, there was no significant difference in the levels of ALT, AST, BUN, and Scr in the observation group (P>0.05). After treatment, peripheral blood CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ ratio and count of NK cells were all increased in the observation group, significantly higher than those in the control group (P

Stigma exsertion rate (SER) is an index of outcrossing ability in rice and is a key trait of male sterile lines (MSLs) in hybrid rice. In this study, it was found that the maintainer lines carrying gs3 and gs3/gw8 showed higher SER. Single-segment substitution lines (SSSLs) carrying gs3, gw5, GW7 or gw8 genes for grain shape and gene pyramiding lines were used to reveal the relationship between grain shape and SER. The results showed that the grain shape regulatory genes had pleiotropic effects on SER. The SERs were affected by grain shapes including grain length, grain width and the ratio of length to width (RLW) not only in low SER background, but also in high SER background. The coefficients of determination (R2) between grain length and SER, grain width and SER, and grain RLW and SER were 0.78, 0.72, and 0.91 respectively. The grain RLW was the most important parameter affecting SER, and a larger grain RLW was beneficial to stigma exsertion. The pyramiding line PL-gs3/GW7/gw8 showed the largest grain RLW and the highest SER, which will be a fine breeding resource. Further research showed that the grain shape regulatory genes had pleiotropic effects on stigma shape, although the R2 values between grain shape and stigma shape, and stigma shape and SER were lower. Our results demonstrate that grain shape is a factor affecting SER in rice, in part by affecting stigma shape. This finding will be helpful for breeding MSLs with high SER in hybrid rice.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle/Unmanned Ground Vehicle heterogeneous collaborative system can complete complex tasks. In order to monitor and control the two agents simultaneously, a comprehensive ground station is designed. First, the preliminary work is introduced. Then, the architecture of the ground station of the system is proposed. In data communication module, since the amount of data from the system is large, the data of structure and multi-threaded processing are designed in detail. In data display module, the ground station provides various ways for displaying data. In image display module, in order to balance the accuracy and real-time performance of the system, an Efficient Convolution Operators tracking algorithm is improved for tracking moving target. In digital map module, a three-dimensional path planning method based on improved Ant Colony is proposed. The experiment results show that the ground station works well in real-time performance and accuracy.

A chemical investigation on Sporormiella sp. led to the isolation and structural elucidation of tripodalsporormielones A–C (1–3), a new class of polyketide possessing unprecedented cage-like skeletons with polyvdent bridged and fused ring systems. These polyketides with cage-like skeletons were characterized as a high non-protonated carbon-containing system, which resulted in few HMBC correlations observed and made the accurate structures hard to be obtained by NMR. Especially, some signals of non-protonated sp2 carbons are weak and even unobservable in compound 1. In order to establish the structure of 1, the calculated NMR with DP4 evaluation was applied to determine the structure from the plausible structure candidates obtained from the detailed NMR analysis. Based on NMR experiments and calculated NMR, the structures of isolated compounds were established and confirmed by X-ray technology. Through chiral isolation, the optically pure enantiomers of 1 and 3 were obtained, and their absolute configurations were determined based on ECD quantum chemical calculation. Based on the isolated compounds and our previous work, 1–3 would be derived from 3-methylorcinaldehyde, and their plausible biosynthetic mechanism was proposed. Furthermore, 1 exhibited obvious short-term memory improvement activity on an Alzheimer's disease fly model.

Abstract Background Heterotrimeric G-proteins, composed of Gα, Gβ and Gγ subunits, are important signal transmitters, mediating the cellular response to multiple stimuli in animals and plants. The Gγ subunit is an essential component of the G-protein, providing appropriate functional specificity to the heterotrimer complex and has been well studied in many species. However, the evolutionary history, expression pattern and functional characteristics of Gγ subunits has not been explored in the Rosaceae, representing many important fruit crops. Results In this study, 35 Gγ subunit genes were identified from the eight species belonging to the Rosaceae family. Based on the structural gene characteristics, conserved protein motifs and phylogenetic analysis of the Gγ subunit genes, the genes were classified into three clades. Purifying selection was shown to play an important role in the evolution of Gγ subunit genes, while a recent whole-genome duplication event was the principal force determining the expansion of the Gγ subunit gene family in the subfamily Maloideae. Gγ subunit genes exhibited diverse spatiotemporal expression patterns in Chinese white pear, including fruit, root, ovary and bud, and under abiotic stress conditions, the relative expression of Gγ subunit genes were up-regulated or down-regulated. In addition, seven of the Gγ subunit proteins in pear were located on the plasma membrane, in the cytoplasm or nucleus. Conclusion Overall, this study of the Gγ subunit gene family in eight Rosaceae species provided useful information to better understand the evolution and expression of these genes and facilitated further exploration of their functions in these important crop plants.

Bladder cancer (BC) is a malignant disease with high rates of recurrence and mortality. It is mainly classified as non-muscle-invasive BC and muscle-invasive BC (MIBC). Often, MIBC is chemoresistant, which, according to cancer stem cells (CSCs) theory, is linked to the presence of bladder cancer stem cells (BCSCs). Sex-determining region Y- (SRY) Box transcription factor 2 (SOX2), which is a molecular marker of BCSCs, is aberrantly over-expressed in chemoresistant BC cell lines. It is one of the standalone prognostic factors for BC, and it has an inherently significant function in the emergence and progression of the disease. This review first summarizes the role of SRY-related high-mobility group protein Box (SOX) family genes in BC, focusing on the SOX2 and its significance in BC. Second, it discusses the mechanisms relevant to the regulation of SOX2. Finally, it summarizes the signaling pathways related to SOX2 in BC, suggests current issues to be addressed, and proposes potential directions for future research to provide new insights for the treatment of BC.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a group of neurodevelopmental phenotypes with a strong genetic component. An excess of likely gene-disruptive (LGD) mutations in GIGYF1 was implicated in ASD. Here, we report that GIGYF1 is the second-most mutated gene among known ASD high–confidence risk genes. We investigated the inheritance of 46 GIGYF1 LGD variants, including the highly recurrent mutation c.333del:p.L111Rfs*234. Inherited GIGYF1 heterozygous LGD variants were 1.8 times more common than de novo mutations. Among individuals with ASD, cognitive impairments were less likely in those with GIGYF1 LGD variants relative to those with other high-confidence gene mutations. Using a Gigyf1 conditional KO mouse model, we showed that haploinsufficiency in the developing brain led to social impairments without significant cognitive impairments. In contrast, homozygous mice showed more severe social disability as well as cognitive impairments. Gigyf1 deficiency in mice led to a reduction in the number of upper-layer cortical neurons, accompanied by a decrease in proliferation and increase in differentiation of neural progenitor cells. We showed that GIGYF1 regulated the recycling of IGF-1R to the cell surface. KO of GIGYF1 led to a decreased level of IGF-1R on the cell surface, disrupting the IGF-1R/ERK signaling pathway. In summary, our findings show that GIGYF1 is a regulator of IGF-1R recycling. Haploinsufficiency of GIGYF1 was associated with autistic behavior, likely through interference with IGF-1R/ERK signaling pathway.