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To explore the diverse profiles of adverse reactions caused by oxaliplatin between colon and rectal cancer, we investigated the toxicity of oxaliplatin in patients with colon and rectal cancer. From January 2017 to December 2021, 200 cases of sporadic CRC patients with adverse reactions after oxaliplatin were collected from Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, China. All patients received a chemotherapy regimen containing oxaliplatin (100 colon cancer and 100 rectal cancer). We reviewed the adverse reactions induced by oxaliplatin in patients with colon and rectal cancer. We found there was no significant difference in gastrointestinal toxicity, hematotoxicity, neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, respiratory toxicity, and cardiotoxicity caused by oxaliplatin between patients with colon cancer and patients with rectal cancer, but patients with rectal cancer were more prone to allergic reactions than patients with colon cancer after oxaliplatin. In addition, we found neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios (PLR) were higher in patients with colon cancer than in patients with rectal cancer. This may reflect differences in immune status and inflammatory responses between colon cancer and rectal cancer, which might be the reason for more allergic reactions caused by oxaliplatin in colon cancer patients compared to rectal cancer patients. Except for a higher incidence of allergic reactions in patients with rectal cancer, no significant difference in the incidence of adverse drug reactions associated with oxaliplatin was noted between patients with colon cancer and rectal cancer. Our results suggested more attention should be paid to the allergic reaction caused by oxaliplatin in patients with colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) elevates cancer risk. However, a single MetS assessment does not fully reveal the long‐term association with cancer. Inflammation, alongside MetS, could synergistically expedite both the onset and advancement of cancer. This study aims to investigate MetS score trajectories and cancer risk in a large, prospective cohort study. Methods: The authors prospectively examined the relationship between MetS score trajectory patterns and new‐onset cancer in 44,115 participants. Latent mixture modeling was used to identify the MetS score trajectories. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the association between MetS score trajectory patterns and the risk of overall and site‐specific cancers. Results: Four MetS score trajectory patterns were identified: low‐stable (n = 4657), moderate‐low (n = 18,018), moderate‐high (n = 18,288), and elevated‐increasing (n = 3152). Compared to participants with a low‐stable trajectory pattern, the elevated‐increasing trajectory pattern was associated with an elevated risk of overall (hazard ratio [HR], 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04–1.55), breast (HR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.04–4.34), endometrial (HR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.16–6.77), kidney (HR, 4.52; 95% CI, 1.17–10.48), colorectal (HR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.27–5.09), and liver (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.09–4.57) cancers. Among participants with chronic inflammation (C‐reactive protein levels ≥3 mg/L), the elevated‐increasing trajectory pattern was significantly associated with subsequent breast, endometrial, colorectal, and liver cancers. Conclusions: Trajectories of MetS scores are associated with the occurrence of cancers, especially breast, endometrial, kidney, colorectal, and liver cancers, emphasizing the importance of long‐term monitoring and evaluation of MetS. Plain Language Summary: The association between long‐term elevated metabolic syndrome (MetS) scores and a heightened risk of various cancers is a pivotal finding of our study.Our research further indicates that individuals with MetS, particularly when coupled with chronic inflammation, are at an increased risk of cancer.We propose that sustained monitoring and management of MetS could be beneficial in reducing cancer risk. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) score trajectories have been linked to an increased risk of several cancers, including breast, endometrial, kidney, colorectal, and liver cancers. This highlights the critical need for long‐term monitoring and evaluation of MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: High-resolution Hi-C data, capable of detecting chromatin features below the level of Topologically Associating Domains (TADs), significantly enhance our understanding of gene regulation. Micro-C, a variant of Hi-C incorporating a micrococcal nuclease (MNase) digestion step to examine interactions between nucleosome pairs, has been developed to overcome the resolution limitations of Hi-C. However, Micro-C experiments pose greater technical challenges compared to Hi-C, owing to the need for precise MNase digestion control and higher-resolution sequencing. Therefore, developing computational methods to derive Micro-C data from existing Hi-C datasets could lead to better usage of a large amount of existing Hi-C data in the scientific community and cost savings. Results: We developed C2c ("high" or upper case C to "micro" or lower case c), a computational tool based on a residual neural network to learn the mapping between Hi-C and Micro-C contact matrices and then predict Micro-C contact matrices based on Hi-C contact matrices. Our evaluation results show that the predicted Micro-C contact matrices reveal more chromatin loops than the input Hi-C contact matrices, and more of the loops detected from predicted Micro-C match the promoter–enhancer interactions. Furthermore, we found that the mutual loops from real and predicted Micro-C better match the ChIA-PET data compared to Hi-C and real Micro-C loops, and the predicted Micro-C leads to more TAD-boundaries detected compared to the Hi-C data. The website URL of C2c can be found in the Data Availability Statement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household food insecurity is associated with both low income and high cost of living, it is a potentially better measure for consumption compared to income. We use data on food insecurity and income from 10 years of the Canadian Community Health Survey (2007–2017) of single-person households (n = 145,044) to estimate the probability of being food insecure at the Canadian poverty thresholds (Market Basket Measure thresholds, or MBMs), and determine the income required to reach that probability in each MBM region, aggregated by province and rural/urban status. A regression model shows the probability of being food insecure at the MBM is approximately 30% which we call the Food Insecurity Poverty Line (FIPL). The income required to meet the FIPL is substantially different from the MBM, sometimes 1.25 times the MBM. This implies that food insecurity is a potential sentinel measure for poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in various types of solid tumors. By searching PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, CNKI, Wanfang and other databases, all the literatures about the comparison of clinical efficacy of lenvatinib in the treatment of various solid tumors. According to the criteria of inclusion and exclusion of literature, two participants screened the literature, collated the data and evaluated the literature. RevMan 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis of the included literatures. A total of 12 studies were included, including 5213 patients. Meta-analysis showed that, in terms of efficacy, the risk (HR) of prolonging PFS in the treatment of various solid tumors in the lenvatinib group was 1.91 times that in the control group (HR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.58-2.31, p < 0.00001), and the risk (HR) of prolonging OS was 1.27 times that in the single targeted drug group (HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.15-1.40, p < 0.00001). In terms of safety, the risk of adverse events in the treatment of various solid tumors in the lenvatinib group was higher than that in the control group, especially in Endocrine Toxicities, Renal/Urinary Toxicities, Vascular Toxicities, Musculoskeletal/a Connective Tissue Toxicities and Metabolism/Nutrition Toxicities. Lenvatinib in various solid tumors can prolong OS and disease PFS of patients, improve the clinical benefit rate and improve the quality of life of patients. At the same time, there is a certain incidence of adverse events, and symptomatic intervention should be given in clinical medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes has a significant global prevalence. Chronic hyperglycemia affects multiple organs and tissues, including bones. A large number of diabetic patients develop osteoporosis; however, the precise relationship between diabetes and osteoporosis remains incompletely elucidated. The activation of the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway hinders the differentiation of osteoblasts and weakens the process of bone formation due to the presence of advanced glycation end products. High glucose environment can induce ferroptosis of osteoblasts and then develop osteoporosis. Hyperglycemia also suppresses the secretion of sex hormones, and the reduction of testosterone is difficult to effectively maintain bone mineral density. As diabetes therapy, thiazolidinediones control blood glucose by activating PPAR-γ. Activated PPAR-γ can promote osteoclast differentiation and regulate osteoblast function, triggering osteoporosis. The effects of metformin and insulin on bone are currently controversial. Currently, there are no appropriate tools available for assessing the risk of fractures in diabetic patients, despite the fact that the occurrence of osteoporotic fractures is considerably greater in diabetic individuals compared to those without diabetes. Further improving the inclusion criteria of FRAX risk factors and clarifying the early occurrence of osteoporosis sites unique to diabetic patients may be an effective way to diagnose and treat diabetic osteoporosis and reduce the risk of fracture occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last few years, Micro-C has shown itself as an improved alternative to Hi-C. It replaced the restriction enzymes in Hi-C assays with micrococcal nuclease (MNase), resulting in capturing nucleosome resolution chromatin interactions. The signal-to-noise improvement of Micro-C allows it to detect more chromatin loops than high-resolution Hi-C. However, compared with massive Hi-C datasets available in the literature, there are only a limited number of Micro-C datasets. To take full advantage of these Hi-C datasets, we present HiC2MicroC, a computational method learning and then predicting Micro-C from Hi-C based on the denoising diffusion probabilistic models (DDPM). We trained our DDPM and other regression models in human foreskin fibroblast (HFFc6) cell line and evaluated these methods in six different cell types at 5-kb and 1-kb resolution. Our evaluations demonstrate that both HiC2MicroC and regression methods can markedly improve Hi-C towards Micro-C, and our DDPM-based HiC2MicroC outperforms regression in various terms. First, HiC2MicroC successfully recovers most of the Micro-C loops even those not detected in Hi-C maps. Second, a majority of the HiC2MicroC-recovered loops anchor CTCF binding sites in a convergent orientation. Third, HiC2MicroC loops share genomic and epigenetic properties with Micro-C loops, including linking promoters and enhancers, and their anchors are enriched for structural proteins (CTCF and cohesin) and histone modifications. Lastly, we find our recovered loops are also consistent with the loops identified from promoter capture Micro-C (PCMicro-C) and Chromatin Interaction Analysis by Paired-End Tag Sequencing (ChIA-PET). Overall, HiC2MicroC is an effective tool for further studying Hi-C data with Micro-C as a template. HiC2MicroC is publicly available at https://github.com/zwang-bioinformatics/HiC2MicroC/. Author summary: The Micro-C assay, an improved variant of Hi-C, can capture genome-wide DNA interactions at nucleosome resolution, which makes it possible to detect more chromatin loops that relate to regulatory elements. However, there are not enough experimental Micro-C data publicly available compared with widely performed Hi-C experiments. Here we use deep learning methods to predict Micro-C from Hi-C. Our evaluation indicates that our method can successfully recover the loops that are detected in Micro-C but not identified in Hi-C. Our method provides an effective way to further take advantage of Hi-C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), infrared imaging faces challenges such as low quality, difficulty in detecting small targets, high false alarm rates, and computational resource constraints. To address these issues, we introduce AIMED-Net, an enhancing infrared small target detection net in UAVs with multi-layer feature enhancement for edge computing. Initially, the network encompasses a multi-layer feature enhancement architecture for infrared small targets, including a generative adversarial-based shallow-feature enhancement network and a detection-oriented deep-feature enhancement network. Specifically, an infrared image-feature enhancement method is proposed for the shallow-feature enhancement network, employing multi-scale enhancement to bolster target detection performance. Furthermore, within the YOLOv7 framework, we have developed an improved object detection network integrating multiple feature enhancement techniques, optimized for infrared targets and edge computing conditions. This design not only reduces the model's complexity but also enhances the network's robustness and accuracy in identifying small targets. Experimental results obtained from the HIT-UAV public dataset indicate that, compared to YOLOv7s, our method achieves a 2.5% increase in F1 score, a 6.1% rise in AP for detecting OtherVehicle targets, and a 2.6% improvement in mAP across all categories, alongside a 15.2% reduction in inference time on edge devices. Compared to existing state-of-the-art approaches, our method strikes a balance between detection efficiency and accuracy, presenting a practical solution for deployment in aerial edge computing scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic photodetectors (OPDs) have attracted immense interest as solution‐processable optical signal‐capturing devices due to their various advantages, such as adjustable response range, excellent weak light response, lightweight, flexibility, and ease of processing on diverse substrates. Low dark current density (Jd) and high responsivity (R) are key requirements necessary for achieving a high specific detectivity (D*). Here, an effective strategy for preparing high‐performance OPDs with potential micro p‐i‐n structure by introducing insulating poly(aryl ether) (PAEN) into the organic photosensitive layer is reported. The PM6:PC71BM‐based OPDs are capable of significantly suppressing Jd while increasing R, which can be attributed to the multiple optimizations of morphology and charge transport caused by the addition of PAEN. As a result, the value of Jd (3.63 × 10−10 A cm−2) is two orders of magnitude lower than that of the device without PAEN (1.00 × 10−8 A cm−2) at −1 V bias. Combined with the increased R of 0.376 A W−1, the optimized device achieves a high D*of 3.45 × 1013 Jones (−1 V at 620 nm). The optimized OPDs demonstrate high performance that is comparable to commercial Si photodetectors (Hamamatsu S1133), paving the way for the direct market development of this cost‐effective organic photodetection technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics and magma transport at the boundary between the upper and lower oceanic crusts (i.e., the dike–gabbro transition) are crucial for understanding the crustal accretion beneath mid-ocean ridges, which however have been studied at quite a few sites such as the East Pacific Rise and ophiolites like Troodos and Oman. Here we present detailed geological, petrological, and geochemical data for the dike–gabbro transition and associated basalts in the Yunzhug ophiolite, central Tibet, to constrain the complex magmatic processes in this specific horizon. The Yunzhug ophiolite contains a large (~ 20 km2) well-exposed sheeted dike complex, which is rooted in a dike–gabbro transition that consists of diverse lithologies, including diabase, gabbro, and minor porphyritic diabase. Petrographically, the Yunzhug gabbros could be grouped into the dominant Plg (plagioclase)-euhedral gabbros (euhedral–subhedral plagioclases enclosed in clinopyroxene oikocrysts) and a small amount of Cpx (clinopyroxene)-euhedral gabbros (with abundant euhedral clinopyroxenes). Plagioclases and their equilibrated melts of the two types of gabbros are similar, whereas clinopyroxenes and their equilibrated melts of the Cpx-euhedral gabbros are more primary and depleted than those of the Plg-euhedral gabbros. These petrographic and geochemical features suggest an earlier crystallization of clinopyroxene for the Cpx-euhedral gabbros, which is best explained by occasional water input in the magmatic system. Nevertheless, the modeled equilibrated melts of the two types of gabbros have compositions indistinguishable from the whole rock compositions of diabases and basalts, indicating a direct genetic linkage between these rocks. The unusual porphyritic diabases, on the other hand, provide evidence supporting for plagioclase accumulation and aggregation during magma upward migration, thus may have served as a unique way for magma to transport from the lower to upper crust. Studies of the Yunzhug ophiolite thus provide some key constraints on the complex magmatic processes in the oceanic dike–gabbro transition, regarding its dynamic accretion and magmatic plumbing mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a significant health issue globally, ranking as the fifth most common cancer with over 10,000 new cases reported annually. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has emerged as a critical player in cellular functions, influencing GC's development, growth, metastasis, and prognosis. However, our understanding of lncRNA's role in the pathogenesis of GC remains limited. Therefore, it is particularly important to explore the relationship between lncRNA and gastric cancer. Methods: we conducted a comprehensive analysis of RNA sequencing data from the GEO database and stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) data from the TCGA database to identify lncRNAs that exhibit altered expression levels in GC and the mechanisms underlying lncRNA-mediated transcription and post-transcriptional regulation were explored. Results: This study uncovered 94 lncRNAs with differential expression and, through co-expression analysis, linked these to 1508 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). GO functional enrichment analysis highlighted that these DEGs are involved in critical pathways, such as cell adhesion and the positive regulation of cell migration. By establishing a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network, we found that the ceRNA mechanism, particularly involving RP11-357H14.17 and CTD-2377D24.4, could play a role in GC progression. Experimental validation of selected differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs (including RP11-357H14.17-CLDN1, BBOX1, TRPM2-AS, CLDN1, PLAU, HOXB7) confirmed the RNA-seq results. Conclusions: Overall, our findings highlight the critical role of the lncRNA-mRNA regulatory network in the development and progression of GC, offering potential biomarkers for diagnosis and targets for innovative treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. The relationship between remnant cholesterol (RC) and the prognosis of patients with breast cancer has not been clearly reported. This study investigated the prognostic value of RC in predicting mortality in patients with breast cancer. Methods: This study prospectively analysed 709 women patients with breast cancer from the Investigation on Nutrition Status and Clinical Outcome of Common Cancers (INSCOC) project. Restricted cubic splines were used to analyse the dose-response relationship between RC and breast cancer mortality. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to evaluate the overall survival of patients with breast cancer. A Cox regression analyses was performed to assess the independent association between RC and breast cancer mortality. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) using the propensity score was used to reduce confounding. Sensitivity analysis was performed after excluding patients with underlying diseases and survival times shorter than one year. Results: A linear dose-response relationship was identified between RC and the risk of all-cause mortality in patients with breast cancer (p = 0.036). Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and log-rank test showed that patients with high RC levels had poorer survival than those with low RC levels (p = 0.007). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that RC was an independent risk factor for mortality in women patients with breast cancer. IPTW-adjusted analyses and sensitivity analyses showed that CR remained a prognostic factor. Conclusions: RC is an independent risk factor for the prognosis of patients with breast cancer, and patients with higher RC levels have poorer survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: The impact of submucosal injection during cold snare polypectomy (CSP) remains uncertain. We conducted an evidence-based comparison of conventional CSP (C-CSP) and CSP with submucosal injection (SI-CSP) for colorectal polyp resection. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing C-CSP with SI-CSP. Major outcomes included the rates of complete resection, en bloc resection, polyp retrieval, and adverse events, as well as the duration of polypectomy. Data were analyzed by using a random-effects model. Results: A total of seven RCTs were included. Complete resection rates for all polyps (RR 0.98; 95% CI 0.93–1.03), polyps ≤ 10 mm (RR 0.99; 95% CI 0.96–1.02) and polyps > 10 mm (RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.69–1.12) were not substantially different between C-CSP and SI-CSP groups. En bloc resection rate (RR 0.93; 95% CI 0.79–1.09) and polyp retrieval rate (RR 1.00; 95% CI 0.99–1.01) were also not significantly different between the two groups. The SI-CSP group required a prolonged polypectomy time than the C-CSP group (SMD − 0.89; 95% CI -1.29 to -0.49). Adverse events were rare in both groups. Conclusions: SI-CSP is not an optimal substitute for CSP in the resection of colorectal polyps, particularly diminutive and small polyps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced geological prediction plays an essential role in disaster prevention and safety guarantee. In this paper, by combining multiwavelet analysis with modified evidence reasoning, a new geological prediction method for surrounding rock in a tunnel considering the parameters' coupling effect was proposed. Based on the key drilling parameters' curves that were denoised in the No. 1 hole of the Xiaochuan tunnel in Gansu Province, China, the coupling effect of these parameters were analyzed and the power–speed ratio (PSR) concept was thereby proposed to deal with the denoised curves and obtain a PSR curve. Through continuous wavelet transform (CWT) of the PSR curve, the lithology and structure were preliminarily determined by sectional matching and optimization of multiple wavelet coefficient curves under the optimal scales and PSR curve. Further, the evidence reasoning was introduced to solve the uncertainty parts in the preceding result. To avoid misjudgment caused by the limitation of Dempster Shafer (D-S) theory in the case of complete conflict, it was modified, in which the basic probability assignment (BPA) was determined by the interval number, and a binary group was then defined by combining the traditional conflict coefficient with pignistic probability distance to measure the degree of conflict. The division result that settled by this method showed greater accuracy than tunnel seismic prediction (TSP) and the drilling core, also could give a clear division for both lithology and structure. Importantly, by applying the established method to Chengzhou tunnel, the result fitted the real condition well. This approach provides references for rock prediction in tunnels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bound states in the continuum (BICs) spectrum are localized states in the continuum domain with an infinite lifetime, zero radiation, and an infinite quality factor (Q-factor). The structural symmetry is typically broken to transform BICs into quasi-BICs with ultrahigh Q-factors, which are used in fields such as optical switches, nonlinear optics, and sensing. Herein, we present an all-dielectric metasurface fabricated by depositing Si on the SiO2 substrate and etching an "8"-shape hole in the middle of each unit. By breaking the symmetry of the structure, the BIC is transformed into a quasi-BIC mode, which can realize triple Fano resonances with a high Q-factor. The effects of different structural parameters on the Fano resonances are investigated by varying the structural parameters. The physical mechanisms of the three Fano resonances are elucidated by combining the electromagnetic field and multipole decomposition of scattered power. Calculation results show that the maximum Q-factor reaches 4.7 × 104, the maximum figure-of-merit (FOM) value reaches 675, and the modulation depths of the three resonances are approximately 100%. The metasurface exhibits a high Q-factor, FOM value, and modulation depth, thus rendering it suitable for application to high-performance biosensors, nonlinear optics, and optical switches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the rail repair process based on high-pressure abrasive water jet, simulation analysis of its machining process is carried out based on smoothed particle hydrodynamics with finite element method (SPH-FEM). First, through the water jet cutting experiment, analysis of simulation data and experimental results are compared, and the results are basically the same in terms of values and trends. The depth of cut decreases with the increase of transverse speed, increases with the increase of abrasive flow, and tends to increase and then decrease with the jet pressure and target distance. Then, the rail top surface is repaired by high-pressure abrasive water jet technology, and the experimental results show that the repaired rail surface fully meets the rail grinding and repair standards. The repaired rail surface roughness of 2.648 μm is better than the rail milling train repair index value of 56.2%, which verifies the feasibility and effectiveness of rail repair based on high-pressure abrasive water jet technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional (3D) structure of bacterial chromosomes is crucial for understanding chromosome function. With the growing availability of high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (3C/Hi-C) data, the 3D structure reconstruction algorithms have become powerful tools to study bacterial chromosome structure and function. It is highly desired to have a recommendation on the chromosome structure reconstruction tools to facilitate the prokaryotic 3D genomics. In this work, we review existing chromosome 3D structure reconstruction algorithms and classify them based on their underlying computational models into two categories: constraint-based modeling and thermodynamics-based modeling. We briefly compare these algorithms utilizing 3C/Hi-C datasets and fluorescence microscopy data obtained from Escherichia coli and Caulobacter crescentus , as well as simulated datasets. We discuss current challenges in the 3D reconstruction algorithms for bacterial chromosomes, primarily focusing on software usability. Finally, we briefly prospect future research directions for bacterial chromosome structure reconstruction algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radio frequency current condensation effect reported in Reiman and Fisch (2018 Phys. Rev. Lett. 121 225001) is modeled in the nonlinear resistive magnetohydrodynamic code. A series of numerical investigations have been performed to investigate the enhancement of electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) by the current condensation effect during the control of neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) in tokamak plasmas. In the numerical model, both the parallel transport and the perpendicular transport of electron temperature are considered. The EC driven current and driven perturbed electron temperature can nonlinearly evolve within the given magnetic configuration and eventually reach saturation states. The input power threshold of ECCD and the fold bifurcation phenomenon are numerically verified via nonlinear simulations. The numerical results show good agreements with the analytical results. Moreover, spatial distributions of EC current for the two solutions at different condensed level are displayed. The control effectiveness of ECCD for large NTM islands has been evaluated while considering the current condensation effect. While taking into account current condensation effect, for a sufficiently large input power, a larger island can be more effectively stabilized than a smaller one, which suggests a reassessment of the previous idea that the ECCD should always be turned on as early as possible. The potential physics mechanism behind the ECCD control have all been discussed in detail. Furthermore, the condensation effect is found to have favorable effects on the radial misalignment of ECCD. In the consideration of the situation for extremely localized control needs, a highly peaked heating profile is adopted to verify that the fold bifurcation phenomenon still exists and the current condensation effect can still take effect in this extreme condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let |$k$| be a perfect field of characteristic |$p>2$|⁠ , |$R := W(k)[\![t_{1}, \dots , t_{d}]\!]$| be the power series ring over the Witt vectors, and |$X$| be a smooth proper scheme over |$R$|⁠. The main goal of this article is to extend classical Fontaine–Messing theory [ 13 ] to the setting where the base ring is |$R$|⁠. In particular, we obtain comparison theorems between torsion crystalline cohomology of |$X/R$| and torsion étale cohomology in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of repeating fast radio bursts (RFRBs) is still a mystery. We propose that short-lived RFRBs might be triggered from the tidal disruption of white dwarfs (WDs) by intermediate-mass black holes (BHs). In this model, we show that the remnant WD clusters after tidal collapse cuts the magnetic lines on the BH accretion discs, and during each fall of the clump, so that electrons are torn from the surface of the mass and instantly accelerated to the relativistic energy. The subsequent movement of these electrons along magnetic field lines will result in coherent curvature radiation. This short-lived radio transients might accompany with the accretion process. The luminosity and the time-scale can be estimated to be L tot ∼ 1.96 × 1040 erg s−1 and Δ t ∼ 1.14 ms, respectively, which are consistent with the typical properties of RFRBs. Moreover, the total event rate of our model for generating RFRBs might be as high as |$\sim 10~\rm {yr^{-1}~Gpc^{-3}}$|⁠. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cassava protein (CP), barley protein (BP) and yellow pea protein (YPP) are important nutrient and integral constituent of staple in pet foods. It is known that the digestion of proteins directly influences their absorption and utilisation. In the present work, we performed in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion of three plant proteins as a staple for dog and cat food. The digestion rate of CP, BP and YPP in dog food was 56.33 ± 0.90%, 48.53 ± 0.91%, and 66.96 ± 0.37%, respectively, whereas the digestion rate of CP, BP, and YPP in cat food was 66.25 ± 0.72%, 43.42 ± 0.83%, and 58.05 ± 0.85%, respectively. Using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to determine the molecular weight (MW) of each protein and the products of their digestion, it was revealed that MW of digestion samples decreased, and MW during the small intestine phase was lower than that during the gastric phase. Peptide sequences of digested products were identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and it was found that the total number of peptides in the small intestine digestion samples was higher than that in the gastric phase samples. The MW of peptides obtained from CP was within the range of 1000–1500 Da, while MW of peptides derived from BP and YPP was within the range of 400–2000 Da. In addition, free amino acids were mainly produced in the small intestine phase. Furthermore, the percentage of essential amino acids in the small intestine phase (63 ~ 82%) was higher than that in the gastric phase (37 ~ 63%). Taken together, these findings contribute to the current understanding of the utilisation of plant proteins in dog and cat foods and provide important insights into the selection and application of plant proteins as a staple in dog and cat foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Blandford–Znajek (BZ) mechanism in stellar-mass black hole (BH) hyperaccretion systems is generally considered to power gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Based on observational GRB data, we use the BZ mechanism driven by the BH hyperaccretion disc to investigate the evolution of the BH mass and spin after the jets break out from the progenitors. We find that the BH growths are almost independent of initial BH masses. Meanwhile, the BH growths will be more efficient with smaller initial spin parameters. We conclude that (i) the BZ mechanism is efficient for triggering BH growths for only 1 of 206 typical long-duration GRBs; (ii) the mean BH mass growths of ultra-long GRBs are marginal for all 7 samples collected; (iii) for the short-duration GRBs, the results that BHs show minimal growths is consistent with the mass supply limitation in the scenario of compact object mergers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atomically precise metal nanoclusters (NCs) emerge as fascinating synthons in self‐assembled materials. The self‐assembly of metal NCs are highly sensitive to the environment because they have an inorganic‐organic hybridized structure and a relatively complicated conformation. Here, it is shown that when confined in crowded colloids, a water‐soluble Ag9‐cored nanocluster (Ag9‐NC) can self‐ assemble into ultra‐long (up to millimeters) and photoluminescent ribbons with high flexibility. The ribbon contains rectangularly organized columns of Ag9‐NCs and can undergo secondary self‐assembly to form bundled and branched structures. Formation of ribbons is observed in all the tested colloids, including lyotropic liquid crystals and disordered, three‐dimensional network. The high viscosity/elasticity of the crowded colloids weakens gravity‐induced sedimentation of the ribbons, leading to the formation of an interesting class of inorganic‐organic composite materials where the hard Ag‐containing skeleton strengthens the soft matter. The simultaneously occurring symmetry breaking during the self‐assembly of Ag9‐NCs gives uncontrolled supramolecular chirality, which can be tuned through the majority rule and soldier‐and‐sergeant rule by the introduction of chiral seeds. The regulated chirality and the intrinsic photoluminescence of the Ag9‐NCs ribbons impart the composite material circularly polarized luminescence, opening the door for a variety of potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pursuit of effective therapeutic strategies for tissue damage has prompted extensive scholarly investigations worldwide. Tissue engineering has emerged as a prominent approach, particularly through the utilization of artificial scaffolds that closely resemble the natural extracellular matrix (ECM). These scaffolds exhibit multi‐scale topological structures and surface physicochemical properties, which significantly influence cellular behavior, thereby attracting considerable attention from numerous researchers. This comprehensive review is concentrated on the primary techniques employed in the fabrication of biodegradable polymer scaffolds possessing oriented porous structures, and the most recent advancements in tissue engineering research are presented. Significantly, the profound influence of scaffold surface characteristics is underscored on cellular behavior, elucidating the superiority of oriented pore structures over disordered ones in mimicking the distinctive attributes of the ECM. Enhanced cell adhesion, proliferation, and tissue differentiation represent notable advantages associated with oriented porous scaffolds. Additionally, the critical interplay between scaffold structure, performance, and functionalization is emphasized, highlighting the imperative to optimize the clinical application of tissue engineering scaffolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) status plays an important role in treatment decision‐making in rectal cancer (RC). Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) imaging has been shown to detect LVI; however, making better use of IVIM data remains an important issue that needs to be discussed. Purpose: We proposed to explore the best way to use IVIM quantitative parameters and images to construct radiomics models for the noninvasive detection of LVI in RC. Methods: A total of 83 patients (LVI negative (LVI‐): LVI positive (LVI+) = 51:32) with postoperative pathology‐confirmed LVI status in RC were divided into a training group (n = 58) and a validation group (n = 25). Images were acquired from a 3.0 Tesla machine, including oblique axial T2 weighted imaging (T2WI) and IVIM with 11 b values. The ADC, D, D* and f values were measured on IVIM maps. The ROIs of tumors were delineated on T2WI, DWI, ADCmap, and Dmap images, and three mapping methods were used: ROIs_mapping from DWI, ROIs_mapping from ADCmap, and ROIs_mapping from Dmap. Three‐dimensional radiomics features were extracted from the delineated ROIs. Multivariate logistic regression was used for radiomics feature selection. Radiomics models based on different mapping methods were developed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration, and decision curve analyses (DCA) were used to evaluate the performance of the models. Results: Model B, which was constructed with radiomics features from ADCmap, Dmap and fmap by "ROIs_mapping from DWI" and T2WI (AUC 0.894), performed better than other models based on single sequence (AUC 0.600‐0.806) and even better than Model A, which was based on "ROIs_mapping from ADC" and T2WI (AUC 0.838). Furthermore, an integrated model was constructed with Model B and the IVIM parameter (f value) with an AUC of 0.920 (95% CI: 0.820‐1.000), which was higher than that of Model B, in the validation group. Conclusions: The integrated model incorporating the radiomics features and IVIM parameters accurately detected LVI of RC. The "ROIs_mapping from DWI" method provided the best results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the research content of this paper, we characterize the unit interval graphs which are paired k-disjoint path coverable. Specifically, we prove that G is paired k-disjoint path coverable if and only if G is (2k − 1)-connected, where k > 2. Moreover, we show that G is semi-paired k-disjoint path coverable if and only if G is (2k − 1)-connected where k ≥ 3 and n ≥ 2k. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malnutrition is associated with poor overall survival (OS) in breast cancer patients; however, the most predictive nutritional indicators for the prognosis of patients with breast cancer are not well-established. This study aimed to compare the predictive effects of common nutritional indicators on OS and to refine existing nutritional indicators, thereby identifying a more effective nutritional evaluation indicator for predicting the prognosis in breast cancer patients. Methods: This prospective study analyzed data from 776 breast cancer patients enrolled in the "Investigation on Nutritional Status and its Clinical Outcome of Common Cancers" (INSCOC) project, which was conducted in 40 hospitals in China. We used the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), Kaplan–Meier survival curve, and Cox regression analysis to evaluate the predictive effects of several nutritional assessments. These assessments included the patient-generated subjective nutrition assessment (PGSGA), the global leadership initiative on malnutrition (GLIM), the controlling nutritional status (CONUT), the nutritional risk index (NRI), and the prognostic nutritional index (PNI). Utilizing machine learning, these nutritional indicators were screened through single-factor analysis, and relatively important variables were selected to modify the PNI. The modified PNI, termed the cholesterol-modified prognostic nutritional index (CPNI), was evaluated for its predictive effect on the prognosis of patients. Results: Among the nutritional assessments (including PGSGA, GLIM, CONUT, NRI, and PNI), PNI showed the highest predictive ability for patient prognosis (time-dependent ROC = 0.58). CPNI, which evolved from PNI, emerged as the superior nutritional index for OS in breast cancer patients, with the time-dependent ROC of 0.65. It also acted as an independent risk factor for mortality (p < 0.05). Moreover, the risk of malnutrition and mortality was observed to increase gradually among both premenopausal and postmenopausal age women, as well as among women categorized as non-overweight, overweight, and obese. Conclusions: The CPNI proves to be an effective nutritional assessment tool for predicting the prognosis of patients with breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution and final closure of the Neo-Tethys Ocean are one of the most important geological events that have occurred on Earth since the Mesozoic. However, the evolution of the Neo-Tethys is not well constrained, in particular whether its opening occurred in the Permian or the Triassic and whether a plume was involved with its opening or not. In this study, we present geochronological and geochemical data for mafic igneous rocks in mélanges along the Yarlung Zangbo suture zone (YZSZ) in southern Tibet to constrain the timing and mechanism of opening the Neo-Tethys Ocean. Based on field observations, the YZSZ mélanges can be divided into three segments. The western (west of Zhongba) and eastern (Sangsang-Renbu) segments are composed of ocean plate stratigraphy representing accretionary complexes that formed during subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere beneath the southern margin of the Asian continent. Mélanges in the central segment (Zhongba-eastern Saga) typically have a siliciclastic matrix, and represent Tethyan Himalayan strata that were structurally mixed with the southern margin of the Asian continent. Based on our and previously published geochemical data, the mafic rocks in the YZSZ mélanges are ocean island basalt (OIB)-like, with ages in the Late Permian-Middle Triassic, the Middle-Late Jurassic, and the Early Cretaceous, respectively. An OIB-like block with an age of ca. 253 Ma is identified from the Zhongba mélanges in the western segment, and it is the oldest OIB lithology yet identified in the YZSZ mélanges related to the evolution of the Neo-Tethys Ocean. Geochemical features indicate that this OIB-like block is distinct from typical OIBs and would be formed during continental rifting to incipient seafloor spreading. In the framework of plate divergent-convergent coupling systems and based on literature data for early Middle Triassic seamounts, radiolarian cherts, and normal mid-ocean ridge basalt-like oceanic crust, we conclude that opening of the Yarlung Zangbo Neo-Tethys Ocean would mainly occur at ~250–243 Ma in the Early Triassic, not later than the early phase of Middle Triassic. In addition, a mantle plume was not involved in opening the Yarlung Zangbo Neo-Tethys Ocean. On the other hand, we have also identified a suite of ca. 160 Ma OIB-like basaltic sills from the Bainang mélanges in the eastern segment, which is the same age as the OIB lithologies previously reported in the Zhongba mélanges. Based on the sill-like occurrence and absence of plume-related rock associations in this region, the Bainang OIB-like rocks might result from Middle-Late Jurassic continental rifting in northern Gondwana. Magmatism related to this tectonic event is preserved in both the YZSZ mélanges and Himalayan strata, but its tectonic significance requires further investigation. Based on this study of the YZSZ mélanges and the previous studies of YZSZ ophiolites, Gangdese belt igneous rocks, and sedimentary rocks, we have reconstructed the entire Wilson Cycle of the Yarlung Zangbo Neo-Tethys Ocean, mainly involving continental rifting and ocean opening, subduction initiation, ultraslow-spreading ridge-trench conversion, subduction re-initiation, and oceanic closure and initial India-Asia collision for the tectonic emplacement of ophiolites. These processes were associated not only with magmatic flare-ups and lulls in the Gangdese belt but also with two stages of ophiolite obduction. Our data therefore provide new insights into the evolution of the Yarlung Zangbo Neo-Tethys Ocean and related Tethyan geodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism underlying the role of Pin1 in cognitive dysfunction in diabetic mice. Methods: Using a streptozotocin‐induced diabetic mouse model, an adeno‐associated virus carrying the Pin1 gene was used to upregulate Pin1 expression in the hippocampus of diabetic mice. Animal behavior tests and molecular biology techniques were further used to explore the role of Pin1 in cognitive dysfunction in diabetic mice. Results: Our study demonstrated that upregulation of Pin1 expression increased the phosphorylation of AKT and insulin receptor substrate 1 downstream signaling molecules of the IR‐IGF1R pathway, increased the phosphorylation of GSK‐3β, and concomitantly decreased the phosphorylation of Tau in the hippocampus of diabetic mice, thereby improving the ultrastructural pathology of the hippocampus and further alleviating diabetes‐related cognitive impairment. Conclusion: Pin1 can improve cognitive dysfunction in diabetic mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymeric materials capable of spontaneously healing physical damages and restoring various functions have been attracting growing interest. Among these, the category of water-insensitive self-healing materials emerges as a promising research focus due to their reliable self-healing and stable mechanical properties in high-humidity environments and even underwater. In this review, an update on the significant advancements in the design of water-insensitive self-healing polymers is presented, which are based on various unique chains. Their advantages and limitations are discussed. Additionally, a series of typical dynamic interactions that are used to enable autonomous self-healing in underwater environments is highlighted. Moving beyond these fundamental designs, the diverse opportunities to leverage recent synthetic advancements in water-insensitive self-healing materials for the progression of soft electronic applications are systematically discussed. Ultimately, the significant challenges and remaining opportunities to present a comprehensive view of the future development of water-insensitive self-healing materials are highlighted. This review aims to stimulate further innovation in this burgeoning and emerging field of intrinsic healable materials, interfacing with dynamic chemistry and soft electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boron‐doped fused heterocycles have shown great potential in the field of functional materials. This study reports on the synthesis of a new class of bis‐diazidoboranes and the discovery of their cycloaddition reaction with isonitriles. Triply fused boron‐doped heterocyclic compounds were constructed in a one‐pot process through a domino cycloaddition, providing an effective route for constructing complex boron‐doped heterocyclic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report divergent additions of 2,2′‐diazidobiphenyls to C60 and Sc3N@Ih‐C80. In stark contrast to that of the previously reported bis‐azide additions, the unexpected cascade reaction leads to the dearomative formation of azafulleroids 2 fused with a 7‐6‐5‐membered ring system in the case of C60. In contrast, the corresponding reaction with Sc3N@Ih‐C80 switches to the C−H insertion pathway, thereby resulting in multiple isomers, including a carbazole‐derived [6,6]‐azametallofulleroid 3 and a [5,6]‐azametallofulleroid 4 and an unusual 1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyrrolo[3,2‐c]carbazole‐derived metallofullerene 5, whose molecular structures have been unambiguously determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analyses. Among them, the addition type of 5 is observed for the first time in all reported additions of azides to fullerenes. Furthermore, unexpected isomerizations from 3 to 5 and from 4 to 5 have been discovered, providing the first examples of the isomerization of an azafulleroid to a carbazole‐derived fullerene rather than an aziridinofullerene. In particular, the isomerism of the [5,6]‐isomer 4 to the [5,6]‐isomer 5 is unprecedented in fullerene chemistry, contradicting the present understanding that isomerization generally occurs between [5,6]‐ and [6,6]‐isomers. Control experiments have been carried out to rationalize the reaction mechanism. Furthermore, representative azafulleroids have been applied in organic solar cells, thereby resulting in improved power conversion efficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report divergent additions of 2,2′‐diazidobiphenyls to C60 and Sc3N@Ih‐C80. In stark contrast to that of the previously reported bis‐azide additions, the unexpected cascade reaction leads to the dearomative formation of azafulleroids 2 fused with a 7‐6‐5‐membered ring system in the case of C60. In contrast, the corresponding reaction with Sc3N@Ih‐C80 switches to the C−H insertion pathway, thereby resulting in multiple isomers, including a carbazole‐derived [6,6]‐azametallofulleroid 3 and a [5,6]‐azametallofulleroid 4 and an unusual 1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyrrolo[3,2‐c]carbazole‐derived metallofullerene 5, whose molecular structures have been unambiguously determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analyses. Among them, the addition type of 5 is observed for the first time in all reported additions of azides to fullerenes. Furthermore, unexpected isomerizations from 3 to 5 and from 4 to 5 have been discovered, providing the first examples of the isomerization of an azafulleroid to a carbazole‐derived fullerene rather than an aziridinofullerene. In particular, the isomerism of the [5,6]‐isomer 4 to the [5,6]‐isomer 5 is unprecedented in fullerene chemistry, contradicting the present understanding that isomerization generally occurs between [5,6]‐ and [6,6]‐isomers. Control experiments have been carried out to rationalize the reaction mechanism. Furthermore, representative azafulleroids have been applied in organic solar cells, thereby resulting in improved power conversion efficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the effect of orthokeratology (ortho‐k) using aspheric or spherical base curve (BCA vs. BCS) contact lenses on axial elongation and the relative peripheral refraction change (RPRC) in Chinese children. Methods: Children aged 8–12 years with myopia between −0.75 and −4.00 D and astigmatism ≤1.00 D were randomly assigned to the BCA or BCS group. Peripheral refraction was assessed at 10°, 20° and 30° along the temporal and nasal retina at baseline and at the 12‐month visit. Axial length (AL) was measured under cycloplegia at baseline and at the 6‐ and 12‐month visits. Only right eye data were analysed. Repeated‐measures analysis of covariance was performed to examine the differences in axial elongation and the RPRC between the BCA and BCS groups. Results: The 1‐year results from 31 BCA and 32 BCS subjects were analysed. No significant between‐group differences were found at baseline (p ≥ 0.28). At the 12‐month visit, the BCA lens produced a greater absolute RPRC along the horizontal meridian than the BCS lens (p < 0.001). Axial elongation was slower in the BCA group (0.19 ± 0.20 mm) than in the BCS group (0.29 ± 0.14 mm; p = 0.03). Axial elongation was correlated with the RPRC at 10° (r = 0.43, p = 0.02) and 20° (r = 0.39, p = 0.03) along the temporal retina in the BCA group; however, these correlations were not observed in the BCS group. Conclusion: The BCA ortho‐k lens could improve the efficacy of slowing axial elongation in children. The improved myopia control observed in the BCA group may be the result of a larger myopic shift in relative peripheral refraction within 20° along the temporal retina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green product R&D has a significant impact on the sustainable development of the economy and environment, and green product R&D can be carried out by manufacturers, retailers, third-party companies, and enterprise alliances. The decision-making order in the supply chain depends on the power structures, which can affect the choice of the supply chain decision-making. To study the optimal choice of green product R&D mode in different power structures and the influence of power structure on product price, market demand, green level, and enterprise profits, This paper compares five modes including green product R&D by manufacturers, green product R&D by retailers, green product R&D outsourced by manufacturers to third-party companies, green product R&D outsourced by retailers to third-party companies and green product R&D by manufacturers and retailers in the three power structures of manufacturers as core enterprises, retailers as core enterprises, and equal power between manufacturers and retailers to study the selection strategy of green product R&D modes in the sustainable supply chain. The conclusion provides a strategic reference for the selection of green product R&D mode in different power structures. The findings indicate that when manufacturers are core enterprises, retailers' green product R&D is better than that of manufacturers. When retailers are core enterprises, manufacturers' green product R&D is better than that of retailers. In the same power structure, manufacturers' green product R&D is better than outsourcing to third-party companies, retailers' green product R&D is better than outsourcing to third-party companies, and manufacturers and retailers jointly conduct green product R&D better than manufacturers or retailers alone. When manufacturers and retailers have equal power, the market demand and the product green level are the highest, and the retail price is the lowest. When manufacturers are core enterprises, manufacturers' profits are the highest. When retailers are core enterprises, retailers' profits are the highest. Finally, a two-part pricing contract is used to coordinate the optimal selection strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timely and accurate large-scale traffic prediction has gained increasing importance for traffic management. However, it is a challenging task due to the high nonlinearity of traffic flow and complex network topology. This study aims to develop a large-scale traffic flow prediction model exploring the interaction of multiple traffic parameters to improve the prediction performance. To achieve this goal, we proposed a spatiotemporal graph convolution network considering multiple traffic parameters (MP-STGCN). The proposed model consists of a spatial gated linear unit (SGLU) block, a graph convolutional network (GCN) block, and a long short-term memory (LSTM) block. SGLU is used to extract the spatiotemporal features of multi-parameter traffic data including traffic flow, average travel speed, and traffic occupancy. Based on topological linkages, the GCN is utilized to capture the spatial features of traffic data. Additionally, the LSTM is employed to extract the temporal features of the traffic data. The results carried out on PeMS dataset show that the proposed model consistently outperforms the competing models. Furthermore, our model can handle complex nonlinear traffic data and improve the accuracy of large-scale traffic prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural system identification is critical in resilience assessments and structural health monitoring, especially following natural hazards. Among the nonlinear structural behaviors, structural damping is a complex behavior that can be modeled as a multiphysics system wherein the structure interacts with an external thermal bath and undergoes thermalization. In this paper, we propose a novel physics-informed neural network approach for nonlinear structural system identification and demonstrate its application in multiphysics cases where the damping term is governed by a separated dynamics equation. The proposed approach, called PIDynNet, improves the estimation of the parameters of nonlinear structural systems by integrating auxiliary physics-based loss terms, one for the structural dynamics and one for the thermal transfer. These physics-based loss terms form the overall loss function in addition to a supervised data-based loss term. To ensure effective learning during the identification process, subsampling and early stopping strategies are developed. The proposed framework also has the generalization capability to predict nonlinear responses for unseen ground excitations. Two numerical experiments of nonlinear systems are conducted to demonstrate the comparative performance of PIDynNet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Toffoli gate is a three-qubit controlled-controlled-NOT gate, which plays a central role in quantum information processing and quantum computing. Recently, hybrid systems and hybrid quantum gates have attracted much attention. We propose an efficient scheme to implement a hybrid Toffoli gate with two nitrogen-vacancy center ensembles (NV ensembles) as the control qubits and a single superconducting flux qubit as the target qubit. This hybrid Toffoli gate is realized by employing two NV ensembles coupled to a superconducting qutrit. The hybrid Toffoli gate is constructed by a controlled-controlled-phase (CCPHASE) gate sandwiched between two Hadamard gates applied on the target qubit. Since the CCPHASE gate is realized using only a single-step operation and no conventional gate decomposition protocol is applied, the Toffoli-gate implementation is greatly simplified. Because the higher energy level of the flux qutrit is not populated, the decoherence of this level is greatly suppressed. In addition, our hybrid Toffoli gate can be used to generate a hybrid Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger entangled state of a flux qubit and two NV ensembles. Numerical simulations demonstrate that high-fidelity implementation of a hybrid Toffoli gate is feasible within current experimental technology. This proposal is universal and can be applied to accomplish the same task in a wide range of physical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capsaicin, as a low-toxic antibacterial bioactive substance, is recognized as an environmentally friendly antifouling agent. To obtain a naturally derived antifouling agent with stronger antibacterial ability, capsaicin-derived self-polymers (labeled POHABA, PPHABA, PAHMA, and PAMTHBA) containing phenols (catechol, hydroquinone, resorcinol, phloroglucinol) and N-hydroxymethyl acrylamide were synthesized by precipitation polymerization, which was uniform spheroids with folded surfaces (diameter 0.6–1.6 µm, except PAMTHBA diameter 200–400 nm). The antibacterial activity assay showed that they had a significant inhibitory effect on E. coli and S. aureus (MIC: 0.4 mg/mL against E. coli and 0.8 mg/mL against S. aureus ; antibacterial rate: 99.99 % for E. coli and 98.18 % for S. aureus), which was related to the content of phenolic hydroxyl on the surface of the microspheres by comparison with the semi-quantitative analysis of EDS and XPS spectra. The antibacterial activity of self-polymers was significantly higher than that of the monomers, mainly because there were more and more uniform hydroxyl groups on the surface of polymer microspheres. These results provide a theoretical basis for capsaicin-derived self-polymers to be applied to environmentally friendly antifouling agents. [Display omitted] • Four capsaicin-derived self-polymers were successfully synthesized via precipitation polymerization. • The self-polymers have better antibacterial properties than capsaicin-derived monomers. • The MIC of POHABA against E. coli can reach 0.4 mg/mL, and antibacterial rate was up to 99.99 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the learning-based down-sampling method has achieved good result by using the loss of subsequent tasks to optimize the process of sampling points selection. However, for the current methods there still has two problems, on the one hand, the sampled points may not be in the original point cloud, and the sampled generated points of the sample need to be matched with the original point cloud (re-matching problem), on the other hand, the number of points obtained after matching may be insufficient for the sampling demand, which need to be supplemented by Farthest Point Sampling, nearest neighbor point, or other methods (re-supplement problem). In order to solve the above problems of re-matching and re-supplement in the learning-based sampling method, we propose a new sampling network which based on high score selection strategy. In our method, LSTM (Long Short Term Memory) is used as the feature extraction method to obtain the relational weight which relative to the subsequent tasks. The attention mechanism is used to select the high score points. The experimental results show that the performances of our network (We dubbed it as LA-Net) are better than other sampling methods and achieve the state-of-the-art in the unified benchmark. Detailed ablation studies have also been carried out, which provably affirm the advantage of each component we proposed. Finally, the methods in this paper are applied to a real backbone network to optimize its performance, and real robot grasping experiments are designed to realize automatic robot grasping of multi-target objects in real scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hi-C experiments have been extensively used for the studies of genomic structures. In the last few years, spatiotemporal Hi-C has largely contributed to the investigation of genome dynamic reorganization. However, computationally modeling and forecasting spatiotemporal Hi-C data still have not been seen in the literature. We present HiC4D for dealing with the problem of forecasting spatiotemporal Hi-C data. We designed and benchmarked a novel network and named it residual ConvLSTM (ResConvLSTM), which is a combination of residual network and convolutional long short-term memory (ConvLSTM). We evaluated our new ResConvLSTM networks and compared them with the other five methods, including a naïve network (NaiveNet) that we designed as a baseline method and four outstanding video-prediction methods from the literature: ConvLSTM, spatiotemporal LSTM (ST-LSTM), self-attention LSTM (SA-LSTM) and simple video prediction (SimVP). We used eight different spatiotemporal Hi-C datasets for the blind test, including two from mouse embryogenesis, one from somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos, three embryogenesis datasets from different species and two non-embryogenesis datasets. Our evaluation results indicate that our ResConvLSTM networks almost always outperform the other methods on the eight blind-test datasets in terms of accurately predicting the Hi-C contact matrices at future time-steps. Our benchmarks also indicate that all of the methods that we benchmarked can successfully recover the boundaries of topologically associating domains called on the experimental Hi-C contact matrices. Taken together, our benchmarks suggest that HiC4D is an effective tool for predicting spatiotemporal Hi-C data. HiC4D is publicly available at both http://dna.cs.miami.edu/HiC4D/ and https://github.com/zwang-bioinformatics/HiC4D/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oxylipins, the oxidative metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), serve as key mediators of oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and vasoactive reactions in vivo. Our previous work has established that hemodialysis affects both long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) and oxylipins in plasma and erythrocytes to varying degrees, which may be responsible for excess cardiovascular complications in end-stage renal disease. In this study, we aimed to determine changes in blood oxylipins during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery to identify novel biomarkers and potential metabolites of CPB-related complications. We tested the hypothesis that CPB would differentially affect plasma oxylipins and erythrocytes oxylipins. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study of 12 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery with expected CPB procedure. We collected venous and arterial blood samples before CPB, 15 and 45 min after the start of CPB, and 60 min after the end of CPB, respectively. Oxylipins profiling in plasma and erythrocytes was achieved using targeted HPLC‐MS mass spectrometry. Results: Our results revealed that most venous plasma diols and hydroxy- oxylipins decreased after CPB initiation, with a continuous decline until the termination of CPB. Nevertheless, no statistically significant alterations were detected in erythrocytes oxylipins at all time points. Conclusions: CPB decreases numerous diols and hydroxy oxylipins in blood plasma, whereas no changes in erythrocytes oxylipins are observed during this procedure in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. As lipid mediators primarily responsive to CPB, plasma diols and hydroxy oxylipins may serve as potential key biomarkers for CPB-related complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Habitually skipping breakfast may promote the initiation and progression of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, which have never been systematically explored in large-scale prospective studies. Methods: We prospectively examined the effects of breakfast frequency on the occurrence of GI cancers among 62,746 participants. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of GI cancers were calculated by Cox regression. The CAUSALMED procedure was used to perform the mediation analyses. Results: During a median follow-up of 5.61 (5.18 ~ 6.08) years, 369 incident GI cancer cases were identified. Participants who consumed 1–2 times breakfasts per week exhibited an increased risk of stomach (HR = 3.45, 95% CI: 1.06–11.20) and liver cancer (HR = 3.42, 95% CI: 1.22–9.53). Participants who did not eat breakfast had an elevated risk of esophageal (HR = 2.72, 95% CI: 1.05–7.03), colorectal (HR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.34–4.01), liver (HR = 2.41, 95% CI: 1.23–4.71), gallbladder, and extrahepatic bile duct cancer (HR = 5.43, 95% CI: 1.34–21.93). In the mediation effect analyses, BMI, CRP, and TyG (fasting triglyceride-glucose) index did not mediate the association between breakfast frequency and the risk of GI cancer incidence (all P for mediation effect > 0.05). Conclusions: Habitually skipping breakfast was associated with a greater risk of GI cancers including esophageal, gastric, colorectal, liver, gallbladder, and extrahepatic bile duct cancer. Trial Registration: Kailuan study, ChiCTR–TNRC–11001489. Registered 24 August, 2011-Retrospectively registered, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=8050 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitin synthases (CHSs) are vital enzymes for the synthesis of chitin and play important and differential roles in fungal development, cell wall integrity, environmental adaptation, virulence, and metabolism in fungi. However, except for ChsC, a class III CHS, little is known about the functions of CHSs in Aspergillus niger, an important fungus that is widely applied in the fermentation industry and food processing, as well as a spoilage fungus of food and a human pathogen. This study showed the important functions of ChsA, a class II CHS, in A. niger using multi-phenotypic and transcriptional analyses under various conditions. The deletion of chsA led to severe defects in conidiation on different media and resulted in the formation of smaller and less compact pellets with less septa in hyphal cells during submerged fermentation. Compared with the WT, the ΔchsA mutants exhibited less chitin content, reduced growth under the stresses of cell wall-disturbing and oxidative agents, more released protoplasts, a thicker conidial wall, decreased production of amylases, pectinases, cellulases, and malic acid, and increased citric acid production. However, ΔchsA mutants displayed insignificant changes in their sensitivity to osmotic agents and infection ability on apple. These findings concurred with the alteration in the transcript levels and enzymatic activities of some phenotype-related genes. Conclusively, ChsA is important for cell wall integrity and mycelial morphology, and acts as a positive regulator of conidiation, cellular responses to oxidative stresses, and the production of malic acid and some enzymes, but negatively regulates the citric acid production in A. niger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the maximal finite length submodule of the Breuil–Kisin prismatic cohomology of a smooth proper formal scheme over a $p$ -adic ring of integers. This submodule governs pathology phenomena in integral $p$ -adic cohomology theories. Geometric applications include a control, in low degrees and mild ramifications, of (1) the discrepancy between two naturally associated Albanese varieties in characteristic $p$ , and (2) the kernel of the specialization map in $p$ -adic étale cohomology. As an arithmetic application, we study the boundary case of the theory due to Fontaine and Laffaille, Fontaine and Messing, and Kato. Also included is an interesting example, generalized from a construction in Bhatt, Morrow and Scholze's work, which illustrates some of our theoretical results being sharp, and negates a question of Breuil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their high Curie temperature and large dielectric constant, potassium sodium niobate-based lead-free piezo-ceramics (KNN) are regarded as one of the most hopeful piezo-ceramics candidate materials. Herein, (1- x) (K 0.5 Na 0.5)(Nb 0.96 Sb 0.04)O 3 - x (Ba 0.5 Sr 0.25)ZrO 3 [abbreviated as (1- x) KNNS - x BSZ, x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05] lead-free piezo-ceramics are prepared through chemical doping using the traditional solid phase method. The phase structure, domain structure, and microstructure of KNN ceramics have been thoroughly examined. Doping of BZS causes the formation of R-O-T phase boundaries and increases the proportion of polar nano-domains within the crystals, thus increasing the rate of motion of the domain walls and making the domains more easily deflected. The piezoelectric and dielectric properties of the material are improved simultaneously. When x = 0.04, the piezoelectric properties of ceramics reach the optimal value (d 33 = 351 pC/N, T C = 305 °C, K p = 43% and ε r = 41267). This work offers a fresh concept for enhancing the overall performance of lead-free piezo-ceramics and aids in understanding the nature of doping modification of lead-free piezo-ceramics. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is challenging due to immune tolerance and evasion. Salidroside (SAL) is an extract in traditional Chinese medicine and has a potential antitumor effect. However, the mechanism of SAL in regulating the immunological microenvironment of NSCLC is yet to be clarified. Methods: The mouse model with Lewis lung cancer cell line (3LL) in C57BL/6 mice was established. And then, the percentage of tumor-infiltrating T cell subsets including Treg was detected in tumor-bearing mice with or without SAL treatment. In vitro, the effect of SAL on the expression of IL-10, Foxp3 and Stub1 and the function of Treg were detected by flow cytometry. Network pharmacology prediction and molecular docking software were used to predict the target of SAL and intermolecular interaction. Furthermore, the effect of SAL on the expression of Hsp70 and the co-localization of Stub1-Foxp3 in Treg was confirmed by flow cytometry and confocal laser microscopy. Finally, Hsp70 inhibitor was used to verify the above molecular expression. Results: We discovered that SAL treatment inhibits the growth of tumor cells by decreasing the percentage of tumor-infiltrated CD4+Foxp3+T cells. SAL treatment downregulates the expression of Foxp3 in Tregs, but increases the expression of Stub1, an E3 ubiquitination ligase upstream of Foxp3, and the expression of Hsp70. Inhibiting the expression of Hsp70 reverses the inhibition of SAL on Foxp3 and disrupts the colocalization of Stub1 and Foxp3 in the nucleus of Tregs. Conclusions: SAL inhibits tumor growth by regulating the Hsp70/stub1/Foxp3 pathway in Treg to suppress the function of Treg. It is a new mechanism of SAL for antitumor therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel interconnected screw reactor was proposed to convert biomass to bio-oil and bio-char in this study. This reactor is expected to achieve direct heating of pyrolysis feedstocks and increase the reactor processing capacity through the recycling of biochar between the inner and outer screw. Here, we simulated the biomass particle flow and reaction process in this interconnected reactor by an extended discrete element method (DEM), the effect of char circulation on the reactor temperature distribution and the product yields are investigated. The results show that the char circulation increased the heating rate of biomass. At the inner and outer screw speed of 10 rpm and 1 rpm, the char circulation can reach 5.15 kg/h and the average temperature of biomass under the char circulation is about 30 °C higher than that without char circulation. The reaction simulation results show that at 500 °C, the yield of char, bio-oil and non-condensable gas are 18.9%, 40.6% and 40.5% respectively. The predicted product yields of char, bio-oil and non-condensable gas are also in good agreement with the experimental measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lysimachia L., the second largest genus within the subfamily Myrsinoideae of Primulaceae, comprises approximately 250 species worldwide. China is the species diversity center of Lysimachia, containing approximately 150 species. Despite advances in the backbone phylogeny of Lysimachia, species-level relationships remain poorly understood due to limited genomic information. This study analyzed 50 complete plastomes for 46 Lysimachia species. We aimed to identify the plastome structure features and hypervariable loci of Lysimachia. Additionally, the phylogenetic relationships and phylogenetic conflict signals in Lysimachia were examined. Results: These fifty plastomes within Lysimachia had the typical quadripartite structure, with lengths varying from 152,691 to 155,784 bp. Plastome size was positively correlated with IR and intron length. Thirteen highly variable regions in Lysimachia plastomes were identified. Additionally, ndhB, petB and ycf2 were found to be under positive selection. Plastid ML trees and species tree strongly supported that L. maritima as sister to subg. Palladia + subg. Lysimachia (Christinae clade), while the nrDNA ML tree clearly placed L. maritima and subg. Palladia as a sister group. Conclusions: The structures of these plastomes of Lysimachia were generally conserved, but potential plastid markers and signatures of positive selection were detected. These genomic data provided new insights into the interspecific relationships of Lysimachia, including the cytonuclear discordance of the position of L. maritima, which may be the result of ghost introgression in the past. Our findings have established a basis for further exploration of the taxonomy, phylogeny and evolutionary history within Lysimachia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]