Search

Abstract Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) is an important treatment for patients with resectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but neoadjuvant resistance affects the overall treatment outcome. Therefore, it is particularly important to accurately screen the population for NAT and explore the mechanism of resistance. Usually, different chemotherapy regimens cause different drug resistance mechanisms. Prior to combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy, extensive research has been conducted on previous drug resistance mechanisms. Currently, the mainstream NAT for ESCC involves chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy. We have witnessed the remarkable effect of this combination therapy; however, there are still a considerable number of patients whose tumor tissues show no change or even progress after NAT, and their drug resistance mechanisms remain unclear. Hence, we aim to identify relevant evidence that can distinguish and predict the effectiveness of NAT from a clinical perspective in order to provide a clinical basis for future screening of suitable populations for NAT and discovery of drug resistance mechanisms. This study is based in China's high incidence area of esophageal cancer, where enrolled patients all receive the current mainstream NAT regimen resulting in more reliable outcomes.

Abstract Inertia is the core index of the estimation of power system frequency stability; a simple estimation method of grid‐forming inverter inertia based on the rate of change of frequency (RoCoF) is proposed in this paper. The method records and fits the active power curve by applying RoCoF to obtain the value of the grid‐forming inverter inertia, and it is simpler and higher accuracy compared to existing methods. In addition, the inertia and damping are analysed to support the system, and the relationship equation between the grid frequency slope change and the output active power is derived. Considering the theoretical analyses and influencing factors, the inertia and damping are obtained by using the method of function fitting. The test steps show the simplicity of the proposed test method. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified in MATLAB/Simulation and two 1.575‐MW parallel grid‐forming electrochemical energy storage power plants.

Abstract Zero thermal expansion (ZTE) alloys with high mechanical response are crucial for their practical usage. Yet, unifying the ZTE behavior and mechanical response in one material is a grand obstacle, especially in multicomponent ZTE alloys. Herein, we report a near isotropic zero thermal expansion (α l = 1.10 × 10−6 K−1, 260–310 K) in the natural heterogeneous LaFe54Co3.5Si3.35 alloy, which exhibits a super-high toughness of 277.8 ± 14.7 J cm−3. Chemical partition, in the dual-phase structure, assumes the role of not only modulating thermal expansion through magnetic interaction but also enhancing mechanical properties via interface bonding. The comprehensive analysis reveals that the hierarchically synergistic enhancement among lattice, phase interface, and heterogeneous structure is significant for strong toughness. Our findings pave the way to tailor thermal expansion and obtain prominent mechanical properties in multicomponent alloys, which is essential to ultra-stable functional materials.

Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is a common complication of hemodialysis (HD), but there is no consensus on its definition. In 2015, Flythe proposed a definition of IDH (Definition 1 in this study): nadir systolic blood pressure (SBP)

Aging encompasses a wide array of detrimental effects that compromise physiological functions, elevate the risk of chronic diseases, and impair cognitive abilities. However, the precise underlying mechanisms, particularly the involvement of specific molecular regulatory proteins in the aging process, remain insufficiently understood. Emerging evidence indicates that c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) serves as a potential regulator within the intricate molecular clock governing aging-related processes. JNK demonstrates the ability to diminish telomerase reverse transcriptase activity, elevate β-galactosidase activity, and induce telomere shortening, thereby contributing to immune system aging. Moreover, the circadian rhythm protein is implicated in JNK-mediated aging. Through this comprehensive review, we meticulously elucidate the intricate regulatory mechanisms orchestrated by JNK signaling in aging processes, offering unprecedented molecular insights with significant implications and highlighting potential therapeutic targets. We also explore the translational impact of targeting JNK signaling for interventions aimed at extending healthspan and promoting longevity.

Understanding the degradation kinetics and mechanisms of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) by UV-based advanced oxidation processes (UV-AOPs) are pivotal in realizing their efficient application in water treatment. However, the relevant knowledge in practical flow-through reactors remains a void, compared with that of commonly used batch reactors. To fill the knowledge gaps, the current work investigated the degradation of atrazine (ATZ) in flow-through UV-AOP systems with different light sources and chlorine additions. The results showed that UV/Cl2 in the reactors (with a diameter of 50 mm) was not very efficient in ATZ degradation while the pseudo-first order degradation rate constant was elevated by over 2.7 times with vacuum UV (VUV)/UV. In contrast to observations in the batch reactors, the addition of chlorine to the flow-through VUV/UV system unexpectedly decreased the rate constant by about 39%. The analysis of the relative contributions of different degradation pathways revealed that the inhibitory effect of the chlorine addition arose from the transformation of HO• to reactive chlorine species (e.g., ClO•) which had low reaction rate constants with ATZ. The baffle implementation promoted the ATZ degradation by 12–58%, mainly due to an enhanced mixing that facilitated the radical oxidation. The energy costs of the UV-AOPs in ATZ removal ranged within 0.40–1.11 kWh m−3 order−1. The findings of this work are helpful in guiding efficient VUV/UV and VUV/UV/Cl2 processes in drinking water treatment.

A finite time controller with PD-like structure for satellite attitude control is proposed in this paper. The controller is constructed with simple structure based on standard PD controller. The fractional order term is designed hence system could both have strong robustness and finite time convergence rate, and the advantage of finite time control and PD control is combined in this paper. System convergence rate is discussed by Lyapunov method, and the constraint on control parameters is given by implementing the coupled term of angular velocity and attitude quaternion. Moreover, the accuracy at steady stage depending on control parameters is given hence system could converge to this field within finite time. System stability and performance is demonstrated by numerical simulation results.

Abstract With the increasing number of user terminals (UTs), the interference among UTs might significantly decrease the throughput of the low earth orbit satellite communication system. In this paper, the user scheduling method is investigated to suppress user interference. Specifically, leveraging the strong spatial directivity of satellite channels, a low‐complexity angle‐based orthogonal user selection (AOUS) algorithm is proposed, which selects UTs with nearly orthogonal channels via angle information of UTs. A rate‐based proportionally fair (PF)‐AOUS algorithm is further proposed to ensure fairness among UTs, which combines the AOUS with the PF criterion. To reduce complexity, an improved angle‐based PF‐AOUS algorithm that schedules UTs according to their pitch angles rather than their rates is proposed. In addition, efficient precoding schemes for orthogonal UTs are designed by combining the steering vector and power allocation matrix, and it is shown that precoding can be converted into power allocation problems that further balance fairness and throughput. The numerical results indicate that the AOUS achieves a near‐optimal sum rate performance, and the angle‐based PF‐AOUS has the similar performance to the rate‐based PF‐AOUS, which achieves a high fairness index with the proposed precoding scheme.

Abstract Background Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is frequently accompanied by symptoms of nausea, dizziness, fatigue, muscle spasm, and arrhythmia, which can adversely impact the daily lives of patients who undergo hemodialysis and may lead to decreased quality of life (QoL). This study employed the KDQOL™-36 scale to evaluate the impact of frequent IDH, based on the definition determined by predialysis blood pressure (BP) and nadir systolic blood pressure (SBP) thresholds, on the QoL of patients. Methods This is a single center retrospective cohort study involving 160 hemodialysis patients. We enrolled adult patients with uremia who received routine hemodialysis (4 h/time, 3 times/week) from October 1, 2019, to September 30, 2021. Frequent IDH was defined as an absolute nadir SBP

RBM, as an important structural component unit in the mainstream model of deep learning, is being widely used in various fields. The article first discusses the RBM deep neural network algorithm, gives an overview of the related function algorithm combining RBM and neural network, and then proposes a deep network method oriented to the prediction of advertisement click rate. At the end of the article, the algorithm proposed in this paper is compared with the model performance test. An advertising company is used as an object of empirical research to analyze the change in its market share and turnover in the years 2022-2023. Explore the significance and role of RBM-based deep neural networks in the innovation of advertising business models.

This paper analyzes the “encoder-decoder” framework in neural machine translation and clarifies that the task of natural language processing is sequence learning. Secondly, recurrent neural networks are used to combine the historical hidden layer output information with the current input information, which is specialized in processing sequence data to achieve good translation results. Applying the attention mechanism to the field of natural language processing, a Transformer model based on the full attention mechanism is constructed in order to achieve the purpose of translating the source language while also performing alignment operations on the target language. The evaluation and analysis of the Transformer model based on the full-attention mechanism concludes that the Transformer model has 0.0152 Pearson correlation coefficients higher than the Bilingual Expert model, which is also 2.92% higher than the Bilingual Expert model, with the participation of f feature in both models. This further proves the Transformer model’s ability to correctly and effectively translate English sentences. At the same time, it also shows that the application of natural language processing technology can improve the efficiency of English long-sentence translation and comprehensively improve the quality of long-sentence translation.

The use of information technology in the teaching of English majors in colleges and universities enriches the teaching means, especially the data mining technology that optimizes the digital teaching method. In this paper, starting from English writing, based on the functional requirements of writing training, we constructed a writing training process and utilized the NMF method to mine and decompose the English news text topics. In conjunction with the writing training, the data mining technology centered on the Rete algorithm was used to carry out automatic diagnosis of English composition on the basis of natural language processing. On the basis of mining and analyzing the English news text, the effect of English writing scoring was compared, and its enhancement effect on English composition was verified through controlled tests. The average writing score of the experimental group was 19.62, of which the full score was 25. The mean writing score of the control group is 16.38, which is 3.24 points lower than that of the experimental group. Significance Sig.=0.0004

Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-related protein kinases (PIKK) are two structurally related families of kinases that play vital roles in cell growth and DNA damage repair. Dysfunction of PIKK members and aberrant stimulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway are linked to a plethora of diseases including cancer. In recent decades, numerous inhibitors related to the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling have made great strides in cancer treatment, like copanlisib and sirolimus. Notably, most of the PIKK inhibitors (such as VX-970 and M3814) related to DNA damage response have also shown good efficacy in clinical trials. However, these drugs still require a suitable combination therapy to overcome drug resistance or improve antitumor activity. Based on the aforementioned facts, we summarised the efficacy of PIKK, PI3K, and AKT inhibitors in the therapy of human malignancies and the resistance mechanisms of targeted therapy, in order to provide deeper insights into cancer treatment.

Abstract Rapid progress in modern technologies demands zero thermal expansion (ZTE) materials with multi-property profiles to withstand harsh service conditions. Thus far, the majority of documented ZTE materials have shortcomings in different aspects that limit their practical utilization. Here, we report on a superior isotropic ZTE alloy with collective properties regarding wide operating temperature windows, high strength-stiffness, and cyclic thermal stability. A boron-migration-mediated solid-state reaction (BMSR) constructs a salient “plum pudding” structure in a dual-phase Er-Fe-B alloy, where the precursor ErFe10 phase reacts with the migrated boron and transforms into the target Er2Fe14B (pudding) and α-Fe phases (plum). The formation of such microstructure helps to eliminate apparent crystallographic texture, tailor and form isotropic ZTE, and simultaneously enhance the strength and toughness of the alloy. These findings suggest a promising design paradigm for comprehensive performance ZTE alloys.

Thermal energy storage by using phase change materials (PCMs) is a kind of technology with mature development, simple process and high thermal energy storage density. Its basic homothermal heat storage and release process can reduce the loss of energy quality and has broad application prospects. Focusing on the key materials involved in phase change thermal energy storage technology, this paper introduced the advantages and disadvantages of various phase change materials under different application conditions, and summarized the applications of phase change thermal energy storage materials in waste heat recovery and utilization, solar thermal conversion storage, battery thermal management, building energy conservation and so on. In addition, the research progress in preventing the leakage of PCMs during the phase change process, improving the thermal conductivity of PCMs, and reducing the supercooling and corrosion effects of PCMs were summarized. Considering that the application of thermal energy storage by using PCMs contributes to the goals of energy conservation and carbon reduction, it is necessary to continue the research and development of thermal energy storage materials and continuously improve the comprehensive properties of thermal energy storage materials.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to optimize the soaking and gelatinization process of semi-dry rice noodles. Methods: Taking semi-dry rice noodles as the research object, the effects of soaking temperature, soaking time, gelatinization temperature, gelatinization time and water addition amount on the cooking loss rate and texture characteristics were analyzed, and the better soaking process and gelatinization process were obtained. Results: Soaking temperature 40 ℃, soaking time 2 h, gelatinization temperature 90 ℃, gelatinization time 8 min, water addition 70% were the best process conditions. The semi-dry rice noodles prepared under the optimal process has better cooking quality and texture characteristics. Conclusion: The quality of semi-dry rice noodles can be improved by optimizing the soaking process and gelatinization process.

The global energy is increasingly tight, and the global temperature is gradually rising. Energy efficiency assessment and carbon emission accounting can provide theoretical tools and practical support for the formulation of energy conservation and emission reduction strategies for the food cold chain, and is also a prerequisite for the sustainable development of the food cold chain. In this paper, the relationship and differences between energy consumption and carbon emissions in the general food cold chain are first described, and the principle, advantages and disadvantages of three energy consumption conversion standards of solar emergy value, standard coal and equivalent electricity are discussed. Besides, the possibilities of applying these three energy consumption conversion standards to energy consumption analysis and energy efficiency evaluation of food cold chain are explored. Then, for a batch of fresh agricultural products, the energy consumption of six links of the food cold chain, including the first transportation, the manufacturer, the second transportation, the distribution center, the third transportation, and the retailer, are systematically and comprehensively analyzed from the product level, and the comprehensive energy consumption level of the food cold chain are obtained. On this basis, ten energy efficiency indicators from five aspects of macro energy efficiency are proposed, including micro energy efficiency, energy economy, environmental energy efficiency and comprehensive energy efficiency, and constructs the energy efficiency evaluation index system of food cold chain. At the same time, other energy efficiency evaluation indicators and methods are also summarized. In addition, the standard of carbon emission conversion of food cold chain, namely carbon dioxide equivalent is introduce, the boundary of carbon emission accounting is determined, and the carbon emission factors of China's electricity is mainly discussed. Furthermore, the origin, principle, advantages and disadvantages of the emission factor method, the life cycle assessment method, the input-output analysis method and the hybrid life cycle assessment method, and the basic process of life cycle assessment method in the calculation of food cold chain carbon footprint are also reviewed. In order to improve the energy efficiency level of the food cold chain and reduce the carbon emissions of each link of the food cold chain, energy conservation and emission reduction methods for food cold chain are proposed from five aspects: refrigerant, distribution path, energy, phase change cool storage technology and digital twin technology. Finally, the energy efficiency assessment and carbon emission accounting of the food cold chain are briefly prospected in order to provide reference for promoting the sustainable development of China's food cold chain.

Summary: Quantifying cellular characteristics from a large heterogeneous population is essential to identify rare, disease-driving cells. A recent development in the combination of high-throughput screening microscopy with single-cell profiling provides an unprecedented opportunity to decipher disease-driving phenotypes. Accurately and instantly processing large amounts of image data, however, remains a technical challenge when an analysis output is required minutes after data acquisition. Here, we present fast and accurate real-time cell tracking (FACT). FACT can segment ∼20,000 cells in an average of 2.5 s (1.9–93.5 times faster than the state of the art). It can export quantifiable features minutes after data acquisition (independent of the number of acquired image frames) with an average of 90%–96% precision. We apply FACT to identify directionally migrating glioblastoma cells with 96% precision and irregular cell lineages from a 24 h movie with an average F1 score of 0.91. Motivation: The evolution of advanced volumetric fluorescence and high-throughput screening microscopy techniques has ushered in a new era of data-intensive cellular imaging. These advancements have triggered the development of computational algorithms for extracting biological insights from multidimensional image datasets. Various computational methods have been proposed to deal with object segmenting/tracking problems emerging from high-throughput data (>20,000 objects per field of view). However, challenges remain in capturing intricate cellular behaviors from densely populated cultures: cells that are prone to overlap make high-throughput cell segmentation difficult, resulting in a low cell tracking accuracy; large datasets are hard to process in real time, meaning existing computational pipelines can typically not provide instant (

Sharp increase in water consumption and pollutant emissions makes shortage of clean water the main problem hindering regional agricultural development. Two-dimensional water trading (2DWT) can unify the quantity and quality of water to relieve the water crisis in agricultural watersheds. This study developed a hybrid “three waters”-government participation based two-dimensional water trading model group (TWG-2DWTMs) to support 2DWT planning under various complexities. The linkage among water resources, water quality and ecology (i.e., “three waters”) as well as government participation are considered. The TWG-2DWTMs has been applied in Dagu River basin in Qingdao city, an agricultural watershed, and solved under multiple trading rules and water-saving scenarios. The results indicate that trading rule for government participation with ecological runoff guarantee of river regions and concentration control of monitoring sections (CERG) is the optimal trading rule and should be recommended. CERG can realize the transformation from water rights to discharge permits, and promote economic development while ensuring water ecology and water environment. Furthermore, under CERG, water-saving percentage of 50% is the optimal water-saving scenario; water saving can bring about surplus water rights that can be directly traded or transformed into discharge permits, promoting local sustainable development.

Summary: Here, we present a protocol for spatially annotated single-cell sequencing, a technique for spatially profiling intratumor heterogeneity with deep single-cell RNA sequencing and single-cell resolution. By combining live-cell imaging and photopatterned illumination, we describe steps to identify regions of interest in an in vitro tumor model, label the selected cells with photoactivatable dyes, and isolate and subject them to scRNAseq. This protocol can be applied to a range of cell lines and could be expanded to tissue sections.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Smit et al. (2022).1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.

Target maneuver trajectory prediction is an important prerequisite for air combat situation awareness and maneuver decision-making. However, how to use a large amount of trajectory data generated by air combat confrontation training to achieve real-time and accurate prediction of target maneuver trajectory is an urgent problem to be solved. To solve this problem, in this paper, a hybrid algorithm based on transfer learning, online learning, ensemble learning, regularization technology, target maneuvering segmentation point recognition algorithm, and Volterra series, abbreviated as AERTrOS-Volterra is proposed. Firstly, the model makes full use of a large number of trajectory sample data generated by air combat confrontation training, and constructs a Tr-Volterra algorithm framework suitable for air combat target maneuver trajectory prediction, which realizes the extraction of effective information from the historical trajectory data. Secondly, in order to improve the real-time online prediction accuracy and robustness of the prediction model in complex electromagnetic environments, on the basis of the Tr-Volterra algorithm framework, a robust regularized online Sequential Volterra prediction model is proposed by integrating online learning method, regularization technology and inverse weighting calculation method based on the priori error. Finally, inspired by the preferable performance of models ensemble, ensemble learning scheme is also incorporated into our proposed algorithm, which adaptively updates the ensemble prediction model according to the performance of the model on real-time samples and the recognition results of target maneuvering segmentation points, including the adaptation of model weights; adaptation of parameters; and dynamic inclusion and removal of models. Compared with many existing time series prediction methods, the newly proposed target maneuver trajectory prediction algorithm can fully mine the prior knowledge contained in the historical data to assist the current prediction. The rationality and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm are verified by simulation on three sets of chaotic time series data sets and a set of real target maneuver trajectory data sets.

Objectives: This study assessed the efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and immunogenicity profiles of a denosumab biosimilar (LY06006) in Chinese postmenopausal osteoporotic women with a high risk of fracture. Methods: In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial, 448 postmenopausal women aged 50–85 years with osteoporosis were enrolled at 49 centers in China and were randomly assigned (3:1) to receive 60 ​mg of the denosumab biosimilar (LY06006) or placebo subcutaneously every 6 months for 1 year. Lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) change was the primary endpoint. Results: Of the 448 randomized patients, 409 (LY06006, n ​= ​311; placebo, n ​= ​98) completed the study. All 448 (100.0%) subjects were included in the intent-to-treat (ITT) trial, 427 (95.3%) were included in the full analysis set (FAS), 408 (91.1%) were included in the per protocol set (PPS), 446 (99.6%) were included in the safety set (SS), and 336 (75.0%) were included in the pharmacokinetics concentration set (PKCs). For the primary endpoint, a 4.71% (95% CI, 3.81%, 5.60%) treatment difference in percent change in lumbar spine BMD from baseline to month 12 was observed in the LY06006 group compared with the placebo group (P ​

A worktable of 3-SPS/UPR parallel mechanism is proposed, which is used to assist the less degree of freedom machine tool to process the surface of the workpiece. The kinematic screw matrix of the 3-SPS/UPR parallel mechanism is established; its degree of freedom is analyzed by the screw theory and verified by the modified Kutzbach-Grübler formula; through the geometric relationship in the mechanism, the closed vector method is used to solve the inverse position solution of the mechanism, and the velocity Jacobian matrix of the mechanism is derived; the workspace of the mechanism is solved by three-dimensional dynamic search method; the kinematics of the parallel worktable is simulated by the Adams software. The 3-SPS/UPR parallel mechanism can carry out the movement of two translation and two rotation, improve the machining efficiency and quality of the machine tool, increase the machining range of the machine tool and improve the surface machining ability of the machine tool.

Based on analysis of newly collected 3D seismic and drilled well data, the geological structure and fault system of Baodao sag have been systematically examined to figure out characteristics of the transition fault terrace belt and its control on the formation of natural gas reservoirs. The research results show that the Baodao sag has the northern fault terrace belt, central depression belt and southern slope belt developed, among them, the northern fault terrace belt consists of multiple transition fault terrace belts such as Baodao B, A and C from west to east which control the source rocks, traps, reservoirs, oil and gas migration and hydrocarbon enrichment in the Baodao sag. The activity of the main fault of the transition belt in the sedimentary period of Yacheng Formation in the Early Oligocene controlled the hydrocarbon generation kitchen and hydrocarbon generation potential. From west to east, getting closer to the provenance, the transition belt increased in activity strength, thickness of source rock and scale of delta, and had multiple hydrocarbon generation depressions developed. The main fault had local compression under the background of tension and torsion, giving rise to composite traps under the background of large nose structure, and the Baodao A and Baodao C traps to the east are larger than Baodao B trap. Multiple fault terraces controlled the material source input from the uplift area to form large delta sand bodies, and the synthetic transition belt of the west and middle sections and the gentle slope of the east section of the F12 fault in the Baodao A transition belt controlled the input of two major material sources, giving rise to a number of delta lobes in the west and east branches. The large structural ridge formed under the control of the main fault close to the hydrocarbon generation center allows efficient migration and accumulation of oil and gas. The combination mode and active time of the main faults matched well with the natural gas charging period, resulting in the hydrocarbon gas enrichment. Baodao A transition belt is adjacent to Baodao 27, 25 and 21 lows, where large braided river delta deposits supplied by Shenhu uplift provenance develop, and it is characterized by large structural ridges allowing high efficient hydrocarbon accumulation, parallel combination of main faults and early cessation of faulting activity, so it is a favorable area for hydrocarbon gas accumulation. Thick high-quality gas reservoirs have been revealed through drilling, leading to the discovery of the first large-scale gas field in Baodo 21-1 of Baodao sag. This discovery also confirms that the north transition zone of Songnan-Baodao sag has good reservoir forming conditions, and the transition fault terrace belt has great exploration potential eastward.

Abstract Background As postmenopausal osteoporotic fractures can cause higher rates of disability and mortality in women; it is essential to analyze the factors associated with primary and recurrent fractures in postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) patients. Methods Retrospective analysis of 2478 PMOP patients aged ≥ 50 years who attended the Shanghai General Hospital from January 2007 to December 2016, including 1239 patients with no fractures and 1239 patients with histories of fractures (1008 in the primary fracture group and 231 in the re-fracture group). All patients' basic clinical data, serum biochemical and bone metabolic markers, bone mineral density (BMD), and other indicators were recorded uniformly. Comparing the differences between the clinical characteristics of patients with primary and recurrent fractures, as well as the differences in the clinical characteristics of patients with primary and recurrent fractures in combination with different diseases, further analyses the risk factors for primary and recurrent fractures in PMOP patients. SPSS.26 was used for statistical analysis. Results Compared to the unfractured group, the fractured group was older and had lower height and bone mineral density (all P

Objective: To discuss the improvement effect of blueberry anthocyanins (BA) on liver and kidney tissue injury in type 2 diabetic mice. Methods: Type 2 diabetic mouse model was established by high-fat and high-sugar diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of Streptozocin (STZ). Established normal control group, diabetes mellitus group, metformin hydrochloride group (250 mg/kg), blueberry anthocyanin group low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose groups (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg), and continued feeding for 4 weeks. The mice were sacrificed. The organ index was measured, the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum and the content of serum creatinine (Scr) and urea nitrogen (BUN) were measured. Liver and kidney were obtained for determining, including malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels. Liver and kidney HE stained pathological sections were made to observe the liver and kidney histopathological changes. Results: BA significantly decreased liver and kidney organ index (P

The occurrence of Covid-19 as both a Black Swan and Grey Rhino has taken a toll on international education and intercultural communication. Notwithstanding that the post-pandemic period has officially arrived, the phenomenon of ethnocentrism and right-ring populism has grown exponentially during pandemic, exacerbating the detrimental effects on intercultural communication, which are consistent during post-pandemic period. Hence, it is necessary to rethink intercultural communication education, research and training with criticality and reflections. This article examines the practice of intercultural communication education, research and training in China and explore possible countermeasures to cope with those issues.

Abstract Hypoxia, a common feature of the tumor microenvironment in various types of cancers, weakens cytotoxic T cell function and causes recruitment of regulatory T cells, thereby reducing tumoral immunogenicity. Studies have demonstrated that hypoxia and hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) 1 and 2 alpha (HIF1A and HIF2A) are involved in tumor immune escape. Under hypoxia, activation of HIF1A induces a series of signaling events, including through programmed death receptor-1/programmed death ligand-1. Moreover, hypoxia triggers shedding of complex class I chain-associated molecules through nitric oxide signaling impairment to disrupt immune surveillance by natural killer cells. The HIF-1-galactose-3-O-sulfotransferase 1-sulfatide axis enhances tumor immune escape via increased tumor cell-platelet binding. HIF2A upregulates stem cell factor expression to recruit tumor-infiltrating mast cells and increase levels of cytokines interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-β, resulting in an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Additionally, HIF1A upregulates expression of tumor-associated long noncoding RNAs and suppresses immune cell function, enabling tumor immune escape. Overall, elucidating the underlying mechanisms by which HIFs promote evasion of tumor immune surveillance will allow for targeting HIF in tumor treatment. This review discusses the current knowledge of how hypoxia and HIFs facilitate tumor immune escape, with evidence to date implicating HIF1A as a molecular target in such immune escape. This review provides further insight into the mechanism of tumor immune escape, and strategies for tumor immunotherapy are suggested.

The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of seismic data is the key to seismic data processing, and it also directly affects interpretation of seismic data results. The conventional denoising method, independent variable analysis, uses adjacent traces for processing. However, this method has problems, such as the destruction of effective signals. The widespread use of velocity and acceleration geophones in seismic exploration makes it possible to obtain different types of signals from the same geological target, which is fundamental to the joint denoising of these two types of signals. In this study, we propose a joint denoising method using seismic velocity and acceleration signals. This method selects the same trace of velocity and acceleration signal for Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to obtain the independent initial effective signal and separation noise. Subsequently, the obtained effective signal and noise are used as the prior information for a Kalman filter, and the final joint denoising results are obtained. This method combines the advantages of low-frequency seismic velocity signals and high-frequency and high-resolution acceleration signals. Simultaneously, this method overcomes the problem of inconsistent stratigraphic reflection caused by the large spacing between adjacent traces, and improves the SNR of the seismic data. In a model data test and in field data from a work area in the Shengli Oilfield, the method increases the dominate frequency of the signal from 20 to 40 Hz. The time resolution was increased from 8.5 to 6.8 ms. The test results showed that the joint denoising method based on seismic velocity and acceleration signals can better improve the dominate frequency and time resolution of actual seismic data.

ObjectiveTo systematically compare the bowel cleaning ability, patient tolerance and safety of oral sodium phosphate tablets (NaPTab) and oral polyethylene glycol electrolyte lavage solution (PEGL) to inform clinical decision making.MethodsPubMed, Embase, CBM, WanFang Data, CNKI, and VIP databases were searched for studies that used randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the roles of NaPTab and PEGL in bowel preparation before colonoscopy. Two reviewers independently screened the studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias in the included papers. A meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 13 RCTs were eligible for inclusion, including 2,773 patients (1,378 and 1,395 cases in the NaPTab and PEGL groups, respectively). Meta-analysis revealed no significant difference in the cleansing quality of the NaPTab and PEGL groups [RR 1.02, 95% CI (0.96–1.08), P = 0.46]. The incidence of nausea was lower in the NaPTab group than in the PEGL group [RR 0.67, 95% CI (0.58–0.76), p < 0.00001]. Patients rated the taste of NaPTab higher than PEGL [RR 1.33, 95% CI (1.26–1.40), P < 0.00001]. Willingness to repeat the treatment was also higher in the NaPTab group than in the PEGL group [RR 1.52, 95% CI (1.28–1.80), P < 0.00001]. Both serum potassium and serum calcium decreased in both groups after the preparation; however, meta-analysis revealed that both minerals decreased more in the NaPTab group than in the PEGL group [MD = 0.38, 95% CI (0.13–0.62), P = 0.006 for serum potassium and MD = 0.41, 95% CI (0.04–0.77), P = 0.03 for serum calcium]. Meanwhile, serum phosphorus increased in both groups after the preparation; however, levels increased more in the NaPTab group than in the PEGL group [MD 4.51, (95% CI 2.9–6.11), P < 0.00001].ConclusionsWhile NaP tablets and PEGL were shown to have a similar cleaning effect before colonoscopy, NaP tablets had improved patient tolerance. However, NaP tablets had a strong effect on serum potassium, calcium, and phosphorus levels. For patients with low potassium, low calcium, and renal insufficiency, NaP tablets should be prescribed with caution. For those at high-risk for acute phosphate nephropathy, NaP tablets should be avoided. Given the low number and quality of included studies, these conclusions will require additional verification by large high-quality studies.Systematic review registration10.37766/inplasy2023.5.0013, identifier: NPLASY202350013.

Objective: To investigate the effects of blueberry anthocyanins (BA) on glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism in type 2 diabetic mice. Methods: The mice model of type 2 diabetes mellitus was established by high-fat and high-sugar diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptomycin (STZ), and the normal group, model group, positive drug group (250 mg/kg) and blueberry anthocyanin group (300, 200, 100 mg/kg) were set up. The food intake, water intake, body weight and fasting blood glucose (FBG) of mice were measured during the experiment. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum insulin (INS), homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and blood lipid related indexes of mice were determined after 4 weeks of continuous intragastric administration. Results: Compared with model group, blueberry anthocyanin group could significantly improve the typical symptoms of weight loss of type 2 diabetic mice with polydipsia, improve the glucose metabolism level of mice, promote the secretion of insulin and reduce insulin resistance. The contents of total cholesterol, triglyceride and low density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly decreased in type 2 diabetic mice, while the contents of high density lipoprotein cholesterol were increased in a dose-effect relationship. Conclusion: Blueberry anthocyanins can inhibit dyslipidemia and regulate related diabetes indicators by controlling blood glucose concentration and insulin resistance pathway in diabetic mice.

Extending massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique to low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication systems enables satellites to implement fl exible beamforming, which can make full use of the spatial degrees of freedom of massive MIMO and signifi cantly improve the spectral effi ciency and energy effi ciency of LEO satellite communication systems.Several related issues in massive MIMO-based LEO satellite communication systems were studied.The characteristics of massive MIMO LEO satellite channels were analyzed.The important diff erences between them and terrestrial wireless channels were revealed.With the aim of addressing the problems on channel information acquisition, multi-user transmission and user scheduling in massive MIMO LEO satellite communication, the main difficulties faced by the current work were discussed, and how to use the characteristics of massive MIMO LEO satellite channels to design tailored solutions with low implement complexity was conceived.

As the construction of ecological civilization has become more and more important in recent years, ecological restoration and its effect assessment have also received increasing attention. Taking the Wangping coal mine in Beijing as an example, based on Landsat TM/OLI series remote sensing data, we chose five metrics, i.e., fraction vegetation coverage, humidity, heat, dryness, and black particulates, to construct the model for the modified remote sensing ecological index (MRSEI). It was also combined with the Hurst index to conduct dynamic monitoring, spatiotemporal analysis, and prediction studies of the ecological environment quality in the study area. The results showed that: (1) Compared with the RSEI, the first principal component of the MRSEI better integrates the information of each component indicator, has a better average correlation with each indicator, and better reflects the habitat condition in the study area. (2) The mean value of the MRSEI in the study area increased from 0.433 in 1990 to 0.722 in 2021, an increase of 40.03%. (3) From 1990 to 2001, the poor and fair MRSEI-grade areas in the study area were concentrated in the northeastern and southwestern parts of the area. After the ecological restoration project was carried out, the environmental quality of the Wangping coal mine improved year by year, and a small number of poor areas were concentrated in the northeastern border area. (4) The MRSEI of the Wangping coal mine predicted that the future ecological environment of the study area would show a general trend of continuous improvement, but a certain percentage of the area in the northeast had a weak antisustainability trend. The results of the study could provide a reference for ecological restoration planning, sustainable development, and the management of mining areas.

Along with the development of intrusion detection systems so far, remarkable results have been achieved in aspects of dynamic monitoring and network defense. However, regarding the ever-increasing volume of network detection data, the limited data processing capacity of intrusion detection systems impedes its pace of development and meanwhile restrains the effectiveness and timeliness of detection of the system. However, the application of cloud computing with its powerful computing capacity in intrusion detection systems can solve this bottleneck problem. Therefore, on the basis of cloud computing, this paper conducts design analysis of the network intrusion detection system and carries out empirical study with reference to the 10% training datasets of KDDCup99 of Lincoln Laboratory. Results show that the cloud computing based network intrusion detection system can effectively detect four types of mainstream attacks, namely Probe, DoS, U2R and R2L, with detection rates all above 94%, the highest false alarm rate being only 4.32% and the longest detection duration being only 50 s, which verifies the feasibility of system detection.

Satellite communication is an indispensable part of future wireless communications given its global coverage and long-distance propagation. In satellite communication systems, channel acquisition and energy consumption are two critical issues. To this end, we investigate the tradeoff between the total energy efficiency (TEE) and minimum EE (MEE) for robust multigroup multicast satellite communication systems in this paper. Specifically, under the total power constraint, we investigate the robust beamforming aimed at balancing the TEE-MEE, so as to achieve the balance between the fairness and total performance on the system EE. For this optimization problem, we first model the balancing problem as a nonconvex problem while deriving its approximate closed-form average user rate. Then, the nonconvex problem is handled by solving convex programs sequentially with the help of the semidefinite relaxation and the concave-convex procedure. In addition, depending on the solution rank value, Gaussian randomization and eigenvalue decomposition method are applied to generate the feasible solutions. Finally, simulation results illustrate that the proposed approach can effectively achieve the balance between the TEE and MEE, thus realizing a tradeoff between fairness and system EE performance. It is also indicated that the proposed robust approach outperforms the conventional baselines in terms of EE performance.

Narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) technology is widely used in data communications for a large number of low-speed and low-power devices, but it is diff cult to provide services for remote areas that cannot be covered by terrestrial networks.With its global coverage and low cost, the LEO satellite constellation can supplement and expand the terrestrial NB-IoT infrastructure, providing an eff ective solution for the space-based internet of things.Facing the application requirements of space-based internet of things, on the basis of reviewing the NB-IoT system architecture, the challenges of channel environment high dynamic delay and frequency off set faced by the application of NB-IoT technology in the LEO satellite constellation scenario were analyzed.For the uplink random access process, an eff ective user detection and timing synchronization method was designed, which had the advantages of high performance and low complexity, and provided an eff cient receiving method for the LEO satellite NB-IoT uplink random access synchronization.

AbstractThe aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the association between the use of glucocorticoids and the mortality of covid-19 patients. Trials were identified through a comprehensive systematic search of four medical databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase. We also searched for relevant papers using the Google search engine and major Preprint platforms including Medrix, bioRxiv, and SSRN. A meta-analysis was performed on the pooled results of these studies. Fourteen studies were enrolled. Five studies were Chinese, and nine were foreign. In the foreign studies, we found use of steroids was associated with a decrease in mortality (RR, 0.81; 95% CI 0.68–0.97; p = 0.02) whilst in the Chinese studies the use of steroids was associated with an increase in mortality (RR, 1.70; 95% CI 1.10–2.63; p = 0.02). The foreign studies included high-dose and medium-dose groups. The medium-dose glucocorticoid group (0.5 mg/kg/d ≤ Prednisone ≤ 1.0 mg/kg/d) showed an association with decreased mortality of covid-19 patients (RR 0.86; 95% CI 0.75–1.00; p = 0.05). We also found an association with decreasing mortality of covid-19 patients (RR 0.65; 95% CI 0.43–0.98; heterogeneity p = 0.04) in patients treated for ≤ five days. In summary, this meta-analysis demonstrated that the use of a medium dose of glucocorticoids for a short time is likely to decrease mortality, although this needs clinical confirmation.

Arrays of highly excited Rydberg atoms can be used as powerful quantum simulation platforms. Here, we introduce an approach that makes it possible to implement fully controllable effective spin interactions in such systems. We show that optical Rydberg dressing with multicolor laser fields opens up distinct interaction channels that enable complete site-selective control of the induced interactions and favorable scaling with respect to decoherence. We apply this method to generate synthetic gauge fields for Rydberg excitations where the effective magnetic flux can be manipulated at the single-plaquette level by simply varying the phase of the local dressing field. The system can be mapped to a highly anisotropic Heisenberg model, and the resulting spin interaction opens the door for explorations of topological phenomena with nonlocal density interactions. A remarkable consequence of the interaction is the emergence of topologically protected long-range doublons, which exhibit strongly correlated motion in a chiral and robust manner.

Spatial transcriptomic technologies enable measurement of expression levels of genes systematically throughout tissue space, deepening our understanding of cellular organizations and interactions within tissues as well as illuminating biological insights in neuroscience, developmental biology and a range of diseases, including cancer. A variety of spatial technologies have been developed and/or commercialized, differing in spatial resolution, sensitivity, multiplexing capability, throughput and coverage. In this paper, we review key enabling spatial transcriptomic technologies and their applications as well as the perspective of the techniques and new emerging technologies that are developed to address current limitations of spatial methodologies. In addition, we describe how spatial transcriptomics data can be integrated with other omics modalities, complementing other methods in deciphering cellar interactions and phenotypes within tissues as well as providing novel insight into tissue organization.

Zero thermal expansion alloys have unique dimensional stability but suffer from inherent brittleness and compositional sensitivity. Here the authors present the one-step eutectic reaction approach to produce a dual-phase alloy with an axial zero expansion and promising mechanical properties.

Reservoir analysis data such as core, thin-section, physical property and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were applied in this paper to study the reservoir characteristics and main constrains of the first member of Eocene Liushagang Formation in the Weixinan Sag, Beibuwan Basin. Reservoir features, physical properties, sedimentation, diagenesis, and the coupling of tectonics as well as hydrocarbon generation and accumulation were analyzed. Results showed that the reservoirs of the first member of Eocene Liushagang Formation in the area of this study were mainly feldspathic debris quartz sandstones and lithic quartz sandstones with low compositional and structural maturities. The reservoir space was mainly consisted of primary intergranular residual pores and secondary dissolved pores. In the northwestern and western source areas, the reservoirs mainly had moderate porosity and medium-high permeability, while those in the eastern source area had relative low porosity and low permeability. Sedimentation caused variations in grain size, sorting and argillaceous complexes. Diagenesis such as compaction, carbonate cementation and organic acid dissolution were the main controls for the physical properties of low-permeability reservoirs. The coupling of tectonics and hydrocarbon generation and accumulation controlled early hydrocarbon charging, while abnormal high pressure protected primary pores, which, combined with fractures derived from faults, improved the physical properties of low-permeability reservoirs. In the northwestern and western source areas, the shallow-buried reservoirs in the first member of Liushagang Formation had relatively strong hydrodynamic force, coarser grain size and better sorting, and showed better properties in the area with less mud. In the eastern source area close to the No. 2 fault around the main hydrocarbon-generating depression, there exist early hydrocarbon filling, strong dissolution of organic acids and partial high-pressure protection. Secondary pores and high-pressure pores were developed at 2 500-3 500 m deep, and favorable deep-burial reservoirs were formed.

Unhealthy diet especially high-fat diet (HFD) is the major cause of hyperlipidemia leading to deterioration of chronic kidney diseases (CKD) in patients. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a gut-derived uremic toxin. Our previous clinical study demonstrated that the elevation of TMAO was positively correlated with CKD progression. Finasteride, a competitive and specific inhibitor of type II 5a-reductase, has been reported recently to be able to downregulate plasma TMAO level thus preventing the onset of atherosclerosis by our research group. In this study, we established a protein-overload nephropathy CKD mouse model by bovine serum albumin (BSA) injection to investigate whether hyperlipidemia could accelerate CKD progression and the underlying mechanisms. Finasteride was administrated to explore its potential therapeutic effects. The results of biochemical analyses and pathological examination showed that HFD-induced hyperlipidemia led to aggravated protein-overload nephropathy in mice along with an elevated level of circulating TMAO, which can be alleviated by finasteride treatment possibly through inhibition of Fmo3 in liver. The 16 S rRNA sequencing results indicated that HFD feeding altered the composition and distribution of gut microbiota in CKD mice contributing to the enhanced level of TMAO precursor TMA, while finasteride could exert beneficial effects via promoting the abundance of Alistipes_senegalensis and Akkermansia_muciniphila. Immunofluorescence staining (IF) and qRT-PCR results demonstrated the disruption of intestinal barrier by decreased expression of tight junction proteins including Claudin-1 and Zo-1 in HFD-fed CKD mice, which can be rescued by finasteride treatment. Cytokine arrays and redox status analyses revealed an upregulated inflammatory level and oxidative stress after HFD feeding in CKO mice, and finasteride-treatment could alleviate these lesions. To summarize, our study suggested that finasteride could alleviate HFD-associated deterioration of protein-overload nephropathy in mice by inhibition of TMAO synthesis and regulation of gut microbiota.

The quaternary diamond-like compounds, A2Cu3In3Te8 (A = Cd, Zn, Mn, Mg), are a new class of thermoelectric materials recently proposed by complex structure design. Among them, the Zn2Cu3In3Te8 compound possesses reasonable electrical transport properties but relatively high lattice thermal conductivity. Herein, the effects of Ag substitution on the phase stability and thermoelectric properties of Zn2Cu3In3Te8 compound are reported. It is revealed that only the In sites show an appreciable tolerance for Ag doping. Ag substitution at the In sites introduces extra holes and thus results in improved electrical transport properties. Furthermore, the introducing of Ag lowers the sound velocities and enhances the phonon scattering of the Zn2Cu3In3Te8 compound, which leads to a substantially reduction in lattice thermal conductivity. Finally, in virtue of the optimization in both electrical and thermal transport properties, the maximal zT value of Zn2Cu3In2.8Ag0.2Te8 sample reaches 0.62 at 823 K, which is 43% higher than the pristine sample.

To detect open circuit faults of grid-connected T-type inverters, this paper proposed a real-time method based on fast S transform and random forest. The three-phase fault currents of the inverter were used as the inputs of the new method and no additional sensors were needed. Some fault current harmonics and direct current components were selected as the fault features. Then, fast S transform was used to extract the features of fault currents, and random forest was used to recognize the features and the fault type, as well as locate the faulted switches. The simulation and experiments showed that the new method could detect open-circuit faults with low computation complexity and the detection accuracy was 100%. The real-time and accurate open circuit fault detection method was proven effective for grid-connected T-type inverter monitoring.

Quantum-computation architecture based on d-level systems, or qudits, has attracted considerable attention recently due to their enlarged Hilbert space. Extensive theoretical and experimental studies have addressed aspects of algorithms and benchmarking techniques for qudit-based quantum computation and quantum-information processing. Here, we report a physical realization of a qudit with up to four embedded levels in a superconducting transmon demonstrating high-fidelity initialization, manipulation, and simultaneous multilevel readout. In addition to constructing SU(d) operations and benchmarking protocols for quantum-state tomography, quantum-process tomography, randomized benchmarking, etc., we experimentally carry out these operations for d=3 and d=4. Moreover, we perform prototypical quantum algorithms and observe outcomes consistent with expectations. Our work will hopefully stimulate further research interest in developing manipulation protocols and efficient applications for quantum processors with qudits.