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Venetoclax and obinutuzumab are becoming frontline therapies for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. Unfortunately, drug resistance still occurs, and the combination could be immunosuppressive. Lysosomes have previously been identified as a target for obinutuzumab cytotoxicity in CLL cells, but the mechanism remains unclear. In addition, studies have shown that lysosomotropic agents can cause synergistic cell death in vitro when combined with the BTK inhibitor, ibrutinib, in primary CLL cells. This indicates that targeting lysosomes could be a treatment strategy for CLL. In this study, we have shown that obinutuzumab induces lysosome membrane permeabilization (LMP) and cathepsin D release in CLL cells. Inhibition of cathepsins reduced obinutuzumab-induced cell death in CLL cells. We further determined that the lysosomotropic agent siramesine in combination with venetoclax increased cell death in primary CLL cells through an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cathepsin release. Siramesine treatment also induced synergistic cytotoxicity when combined with venetoclax. Microenvironmental factors IL4 and CD40L or incubation with HS-5 stromal cells failed to significantly protect CLL cells from siramesine- and venetoclax-induced apoptosis. We also found that siramesine treatment inhibited autophagy through reduced autolysosomes. Finally, the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine failed to further increase siramesine-induced cell death. Taken together, lysosome-targeting drugs could be an effective strategy in combination with venetoclax to overcome drug resistance in CLL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between fig wasps and their host fig trees (Ficus spp.) is a striking example of an obligate pollination mutualism. Male and female fig wasps are confined within their natal patch instead of panmictic; under this circumstance, mating only occurs between individuals of the same patch. This is known as a local mate competition (LMC). It pays foundresses to invest mainly in daughters and to only produce enough sons to ensure that all female offspring can be fertilized, but in nature, pollinating fig wasps may face many problems with host quality, such as limitation of oviposition sites and the nutrition deficiency of the host fig. The sex ratio of wasps can determine the stability of fig–fig wasp mutualistic system and, thus, the stability of other species associated with it. In this study, we controlled the quality of host figs in three ways. The results showed that the host fig age can influence the sex ratio of pollinator offspring, while the foundress numbers and the presence of pollen have no significant effect on it. A compelling explanation for this result is that the sex-dependent mortality occurs. This is a novel finding of how host quality influences the interaction of fig and fig wasps, which can also help us understand the evolution and stability mechanism of this symbiotic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By creating a dual functor of localization, co-localization functor, in a compactly generated tensor triangulated category T , we develop a theory, cosupport, dual to that of support in T. We show that there are many properties that are similar or rather dual between cosupport and support in T. For instance, the cosupport of an object can be detected by the cosupport of its cohomology; the cosupport of a nonzero object is nonempty. Also some characterizations, properties and relations of cosupport and support are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Family resilience helps cancer-affected families overcome challenges and may influence an individual's fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). Identifying distinct classes of family resilience among lung cancer patients is crucial for tailored interventions. This study aimed to identify latent classes of family resilience in lung cancer patients and explore their relationships with FCR. Methods: Three hundred ten lung cancer patients from three hospitals in Fujian were recruited from June to September 2021. Clinical data were extracted from medical records, while sociodemographic details, family resilience, and FCR were self-reported. A latent class analysis was performed to identify family resilience classes. Results: A 4-class solution showed the best fit. Compared to Class 1, the patients who had no comorbidities (ORs = 3.480–16.005) had an increased likelihood of belonging to Class 2 and 3, while those who were not family breadwinners (ORs = 0.118–0.176) had a decreased likelihood. Further, the patients who (1) did not lack interest/pleasure in doing things during the past 2-week period (OR = 7.057), (2) were never smokers (OR = 6.230), and (3) were urban residents (OR = 8.985) had an increased likelihood of belonging to Class 4, while those who were (1) male (OR = 0.167), (2) not the family breadwinner (OR = 0.152), and (3) had none or only one child (OR = 0.203) had a decreased likelihood of belonging to Class 4. The FCR level differed significantly among these four classes. Conclusion: Our study identified four distinct classes of family resilience among Chinese lung cancer patients. FCR severity decreased with increasing levels of family resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To investigate the trajectory, influencing factors and dynamic relationships between fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and quality of life (QOL) in lung cancer patients. Design: Prospective longitudinal study. Methods: Longitudinal data from 310 lung cancer patients across three hospitals in China were assessed at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively (T1–T4). Descriptive statistics characterised patient demographics, clinical characteristics, levels of FCR and QOL. A linear mixed‐effects model was employed to analyse FCR trajectories, identify influencing factors on these trajectories, and predict the impact of FCR on QOL. Results: FCR changed significantly over time, with a slight decrease during T1–T2, an increase at T3 and gradual decline at T4. Higher fear levels were associated with female sex, suburban or rural residency, being a family breadwinner, presence of comorbidities and negative coping behaviours, and low family resilience. QOL negatively correlated with FCR, and FCR predicted lower QOL. Conclusions: At 3 and 6 months postoperatively, lung cancer patients, especially women, suburban or rural residents, family breadwinners, those with comorbidities, negative coping behaviours and low family resilience, reported high levels of FCR. Healthcare providers should pay special attention to lung cancer patients especially during the period of 3–6 months post‐surgery and offer tailored interventions to improve their QOL. Implications for the Profession and Patient Care: Understanding the FCR trajectories, its influencing factors and its negative impacts on QOL can guide the development of targeted interventions to reduce fear and enhance well‐being in patients with cancer. Impact: Identifying the trajectories and influencing factors of fear of lung cancer recurrence in patients at different time points informs future research on targeted interventions to improve QOL. Reporting Method: The study adhered to the guidelines outlined in the Statement on Reporting Observational Longitudinal Research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the article is to better understand cosupport in triangulated categories since it is still quite mysterious. We study boundedness of local cohomology and local homology functors using Koszul objects, give some characterizations of cosupport, and get some results that, in special cases, recover and generalize the known results about the usual cosupport. Additionally, we include some computations of cosupport and provide a comparison of support and cosupport for cohomologically finite objects. Finally, we assign to any object of the category a subset of $\mathrm {Spec}R$ , called the big cosupport, and study some of its properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess lung deformation in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) using with elastic registration algorithm applied to three-dimensional ultrashort echo time (3D-UTE) MRI and analyze relationship of lung deformation with the severity of IPF. Methods: Seventy-six patients with IPF (mean age: 62 ± 6 years) and 62 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (mean age: 58 ± 4 years) were prospectively enrolled. End-inspiration and end-expiration images acquired with a single breath-hold 3D-UTE sequence were registered using elastic registration algorithm. Jacobian determinants were calculated from deformation fields and represented on color maps. Jac-mean (absolute value of the log means of Jacobian determinants) and the Dice similarity coefficient (Dice) were compared between different groups. Results: Compared with healthy controls, the Jac-mean of IPF patients significantly decreased (0.21 ± 0.08 vs. 0.27 ± 0. 07, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the Jac-mean and Dice correlated with the metrics of pulmonary function tests and the composite physiological index. The lung deformation in IPF patients with dyspnea Medical Research Council (MRC) ≥ 3 (Jac-mean: 0.16 ± 0.03; Dice: 0.06 ± 0.02) was significantly lower than MRC1 (Jac-mean: 0. 25 ± 0.03, p < 0.001; Dice: 0.10 ± 0.01, p < 0.001) and MRC 2 (Jac-mean: 0.22 ± 0.11, p = 0.001; Dice: 0.08 ± 0.03, p = 0.006). Meanwhile, Jac-mean and Dice correlated with health-related quality of life, 6 min-walk distance, and the extent of pulmonary fibrosis. Jac-mean correlated with pulmonary vascular-related indexes on high-resolution CT. Conclusion: The decreased lung deformation in IPF patients correlated with the clinical severity of IPF patients. Elastic registration of inspiratory-to-expiratory 3D UTE MRI may be a new morphological and functional marker for non-radiation and noninvasive evaluation of IPF. Critical relevance statement: This prospective study demonstrated that lung deformation decreased in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients and correlated with the severity of IPF. Elastic registration of inspiratory-to-expiratory three-dimensional ultrashort echo time (3D UTE) MRI may be a new morphological and functional marker for non-radiation and noninvasive evaluation of IPF. Key points: • Elastic registration of inspiratory-to-expiratory three-dimensional ultrashort echo time (3D UTE) MRI could evaluate lung deformation. • Lung deformation significantly decreased in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients, compared with the healthy controls. • Reduced lung deformation of IPF patients correlated with worsened pulmonary function and the composite physiological index (CPI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, and polycystic ovarian morphologic features, and PCOS is associated with infertility. PH domain Leucine-rich repeat Protein Phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1) has been shown to regulate AKT. The aim of present study is to investigate the role of PHLPP1 in PCOS. Methods: The expression levels of PHLPP1 in dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-treated human ovarian granular KGN cells were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot. PHLPP1 was silenced or overexpressed using lentivirus. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8. Apoptosis and ROS generation were analyzed by flow cytometry. Glycolysis was analyzed by measuring extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). Results: DHT treatment suppressed proliferation, promoted apoptosis, enhanced ROS, and inhibited glycolysis in KGN cells. PHLPP1 silencing alleviated the DHT-induced suppression of proliferation and glycolysis, and promotion of apoptosis and ROS in KGN cells. PHLPP1 regulated cell proliferation and glycolysis in human KGN cells via the AKT signaling pathway. Conclusions: Our results showed that PHLPP1 mediates the proliferation and aerobic glycolysis activity of human ovarian granular cells through regulating AKT signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carotenoids, as natural tetraterpenes, play a pivotal role in the yellow coloration of peaches and contribute to human dietary health. Despite a relatively clear understanding of the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway, the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs involved in carotenoid synthesis in yellow peaches remain poorly elucidated. This study investigated a total of 14 carotenoids and 40 xanthophyll lipids, including six differentially accumulated carotenoids: violaxanthin, neoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, cryptoxanthin, and (E/Z)-phytoene. An integrated analysis of RNA-seq, miRNA-seq and degradome sequencing revealed that miRNAs could modulate structural genes such as PSY2, CRTISO, ZDS1, CHYB, VDE, ZEP, NCED1, NCED3 and the transcription factors NAC, ARF, WRKY, MYB, and bZIP, thereby participating in carotenoid biosynthesis and metabolism. The authenticity of miRNAs and target gene was corroborated through quantitative real-time PCR. Moreover, through weighted gene coexpression network analysis and a phylogenetic evolutionary study, coexpressed genes and MYB transcription factors potentially implicated in carotenoid synthesis were identified. The results of transient expression experiments indicated that mdm-miR858 inhibited the expression of PpMYB9 through targeted cleavage. Building upon these findings, a regulatory network governing miRNA-mediated carotenoid synthesis was proposed. In summary, this study comprehensively identified miRNAs engaged in carotenoid biosynthesis and their putative target genes, thus enhancing the understanding of carotenoid accumulation and regulatory mechanism in yellow peach peel and expanding the gene regulatory network of carotenoid synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-View Stereo (MVS) is a crucial technique for reconstructing the geometric structure of a scene, given the known camera parameters. Previous deep learning-based MVS methods have mainly focused on improving the reconstruction quality but overlooked the running efficiency during the actual algorithm deployment. For example, deformable convolutions have been introduced to improve the accuracy of the reconstruction results further, however, its inability for parallel optimization caused low inference speed. In this paper, we propose AdaptMVSNet which is device-friendly and reconstruction-efficient, while preserving the original results. To this end, adaptive convolution is introduced to significantly improve the efficiency in speed and metrics compared to current methods. In addition, an attention fusion module is proposed to blend features from adaptive convolution and the feature pyramid network. Our experiments demonstrate that our proposed approach achieves state-of-the-art performance and is almost 2 × faster than the recent fastest MVS method. We will release our source code. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In order to improve the efficiency of orthokeratology (OK) lens fitting and predict the axial length after 1 year of OK lens wear, machine learning models were proposed. Methods: Clinical data from 1302 myopic subjects were collected retrospectively, and two machine learning models were implemented. Demographic and corneal topographic data were collected as input variables. The output variables were the parameters of the OK lens and the axial length after 1 year. Eighty percent of input variables was used as the training set and the remaining 20% was used as the validation set. The first alignment curve (AC1) of the OK lenses, deduced using machine learning models and formula calculation, were compared. Multiple regression models (support vector machine, Gaussian process, decision tree and random forest) were used to predict the axial length after 1 year. In addition, we classified data based on lens brand, and carried out more detailed parameter fitting and analysis for spherical and toric OK lenses. Results: The OK lens fitting model showed higher (R2 = 0.93) and lower errors (mean absolute error [MAE] = 0.19, mean square error [MSE] = 0.09) when predicting AC1, compared with the formula calculation (R2 = 0.66, MAE = 0.44, MSE = 0.25). The machine learning model still had high R2 values ranging from 0.91 to 0.96 when considering the brand and design of the OK lenses. Further, the R2 value for the axial length prediction model was 0.94, which indicated that the machine learning model had high accuracy and good robustness. Conclusion: The OK lens fitting model and the axial length prediction model played an important role in guiding OK lens fitting, with high accuracy and robustness in prediction performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimuli‐responsive photonic crystals (PCs) have attracted increasing attentions owing to the unique optical feature in regulating the propagation of light and tunable structural colors in response to external stimuli, emerging application potential on diverse fields. However, the development of stimuli‐responsive PCs with wide visible light range, broad shift of bandgaps, and adjustable responsive rates for counterfeiting remains challenging. Herein, a simple strategy for the preparation of photo‐responsive azobenzene‐containing inverse opal (AzoIO) films is reported. First, azobenzene‐containing composites are generated by filling functional monomers into voids of silica colloids crystals. Followed by the thermal polymerization and subsequent etching, a series of AzoIO films are successfully fabricated with adjustable structural colors in wide visible wavelength. Upon irradiation with linearly polarized visible light (LPVL), a slowly broad blueshift of bandgaps (≈138 nm, 3200 s) is observed due to the anisotropic shrinkage of the periodic PC structures. However, UV light irradiation contributed to a fast broad blueshift of bandgaps (≈131 nm, 10 s), owing to the photoisomerization merit of azobenzene moiety. The proof‐of‐concept study on the applications in light‐modulated multicolored writable paper, encryption films, and fast writing/erasing demonstrated the potential for information security. This work paves an avenue for developing promising optical anti‐counterfeiting materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cells with various structures and proteins naturally come together to cooperate in vivo. This study used cell spheroids cultured in agarose micro-wells as a 3D model to study the movement of cells or spheroids toward other spheroids. The formation dynamics of tumor spheroids and the interactions of two batches of cells in the agarose micro-wells were studied. The results showed that a concave bottom micro-well (diameter: 2 mm, depth: 2 mm) prepared from 3% agarose could be used to study the interaction of two batches of cells. The initial tumor cell numbers from 5 × 103 cells/well to 6 × 104 cells/well all could form 3D spheroids after 3 days of incubation. Adding the second batch of DU 145 cells to the existing DU 145 spheroid resulted in the formation of satellite cell spheroids around the existing parental tumor spheroid. Complete fusion of two generation cell spheroids was observed when the parental spheroids were formed from 1 × 104 and 2 × 104 cells, and the second batch of cells was 5 × 103 per well. A higher amount of the second batch of cells (1 × 104 cell/well) led to the formation of independent satellite spheroids after 48 h of co-culture, suggesting the behavior of the second batch of cells towards existing parental spheroids depended on various factors, such as the volume of the parental spheroids and the number of the second batch cells. The interactions between the tumor spheroids and Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) were modeled on concave agarose micro-wells. The HUVECs (3 × 103 cell/well) were observed to gather around the parental tumor spheroids formed from 1 × 104, 2 × 104, and 3 × 104 cells per well rather than aggregate on their own to form HUVEC spheroids. This study highlights the importance of analyzing the biological properties of cells before designing experimental procedures for the sequential fusion of cell spheroids. The study further emphasizes the significant roles that cell density and the volume of the spheroids play in determining the location and movement of cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate whether thyroid autoimmunity (TAI) is associated with assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes in euthyroid women undergoing fresh embryo transfer (ET) and frozen‐thawed embryo transfer (FET). Design: A retrospective cohort study. Pregnancy and neonatal outcome after fresh ET or FET were compared between the positive and negative thyroid autoimmune antibody groups. Patients: A total of 5439 euthyroid women who started their ART cycle at our centre between 2015 and 2019 were included. Results: The thyroid antibody positive group had a greater mean age than the thyroid antibody negative group (32(29,35) vs. 31(28,34), p <.001). Women with positive thyroid antibody presented with a higher prevalence of diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) (9.1% vs. 7.1%, p =.026) and lower number of oocyte retrieved (9(5,15) vs. 10(6,15), p =.020), but difference was not significant after adjusting for age. The pregnancy rate, live birth rate, pregnancy loss rate, preterm delivery rate and low birthweight rate between the thyroid antibody positive and thyroid antibody negative groups were comparable both in fresh ET cycles and FET cycles. Subanalysis of the treatment outcomes when using a stricter threshold of TSH of 2.5 mIU/L showed no difference to that achieved when using an upper limit of 4.78 mIU/L. Conclusions: The present study reveals that patients with anti‐thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAbs) and/or antithyroglobulin antibodies (TgAbs) showed no significant differences in pregnancy outcomes following fresh ET and FET when compared with patients with negative thyroid antibodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Evaluation and follow-up of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) mainly rely on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and pulmonary function tests (PFTs). The elastic registration technique can quantitatively assess lung shrinkage. We aimed to investigate the correlation between lung shrinkage and morphological and functional deterioration in IPF. Methods: Patients with IPF who underwent at least two HRCT scans and PFTs were retrospectively included. Elastic registration was performed on the baseline and follow-up HRCTs to obtain deformation maps of the whole lung. Jacobian determinants were calculated from the deformation fields and after logarithm transformation, log_jac values were represented on color maps to describe morphological deterioration, and to assess the correlation between log_jac values and PFTs. Results: A total of 69 patients with IPF (male 66) were included. Jacobian maps demonstrated constriction of the lung parenchyma marked at the lung base in patients who were deteriorated on visual and PFT assessment. The log_jac values were significantly reduced in the deteriorated patients compared to the stable patients. Mean log_jac values showed positive correlation with baseline percentage of predicted vital capacity (VC%) (r = 0.394, p < 0.05) and percentage of predicted forced vital capacity (FVC%) (r = 0.395, p < 0.05). Additionally, the mean log_jac values were positively correlated with pulmonary vascular volume (r = 0.438, p < 0.01) and the number of pulmonary vascular branches (r = 0.326, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Elastic registration between baseline and follow-up HRCT was helpful to quantitatively assess the morphological deterioration of lung shrinkage in IPF, and the quantitative indicator log_jac values were significantly correlated with PFTs. Key Points: • The elastic registration on HRCT was helpful to quantitatively assess the deterioration of IPF. • Jacobian logarithm was significantly reduced in deteriorated patients and mean log_jac values were correlated with PFTs. • The mean log_jac values were related to the changes of pulmonary vascular volume and the number of vascular branches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let a , b be two ideals of a commutative noetherian ring R and M a finitely generated R-module. We continue to study f-gradR(a , b ,M) which was introduced in [Bull. Malays. Math. Sci. Soc., 2015, 38(2): 467–482]. Some computations and bounds of f-gradR(a , b ,M) are provided. We also give the structure of (a , b )-f-modules. Some properties which are analogous to those of Cohen-Macaulay modules are discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this contribution, the novel double-perovskite La 2 Mg(Mg 1/3 Sb 2/3)O 6 has been successfully prepared by solid-state reaction method, and its structure has been determined for the first time by a combination of X-ray and neutron powder diffraction data analysis. The novel material exhibits a thermal expansion of ∼9.1 ppm/°C and a large optical band gap (4.23 eV). The complex impedance data analysis indicates that La 2 Mg(Mg 1/3 Sb 2/3)O 6 features a Debye-like behaviour, with a bulk conductivity, σ b , varying between 10-7-10-4 S ‧cm-1 within 500–900 °C temperature range, and activation energy (E a) of ∼ 1.36 eV. In addition, the microwave dielectric properties of La 2 Mg(Mg 1/3 Sb 2/3)O 6 sintered at 1625 °C display optimized quality factor (Q× f) of ∼ 28,700 GHz (f = 9.65 GHz), a dielectric constant (ε r) of ∼ 20.2 and temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency (τ f) of ∼ − 89 ppm/°C. This work widen the reduced number of A 3 + B 2 / 3 2 + B 1 / 3 5 + O 3 compounds explored so far. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let A be a commutative noetherian local DG-ring with bounded cohomology. For local Cohen–Macaulay DG-modules with constant amplitude, we obtain an explicit formula for the sequential depth, show that Cohen–Macaulayness is stable under localization and give several equivalent definitions of maximal local Cohen–Macaulay DG-modules over local Cohen–Macaulay DG-rings. We also provide some characterizations of Gorenstein DG-rings by projective and injective dimensions of DG-modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to quantitatively study the characteristic of diaphragm and chest wall motion using free-breathing dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (D-MRI) in Chinese people with normal lung function. Methods: 74 male subjects (mean age, 37 ± 11 years old) were prospectively enrolled, and they underwent high-resolution CT(HRCT), pulmonary functional tests (PFTs), and D-MRI in the same day. D-MRI was acquired with a gradient-echo sequence during the quiet and deep breathing. The motion of the diaphragm and chest wall were respectively assessed by measuring thoracic anteroposterior diameter (AP), left–right diameter (LR), cranial–caudal diameter (CC), and thoracic area ratios between end-inspiration and end-expiration. The effect of age, body mass index (BMI), and smoking on respiratory muscle function was also analyzed. Results: The mean ratio of right and left AP was greater than that of LR on three transversal planes during both quiet and deep breathing. The mean ratio at the anterior diaphragm (AND, Quiet: 1.04 ± 0.03; Deep: 1.15 ± 0.09) was weaker than that of the apex (vs. APD, Quiet: 1.08 ± 0.05, p < 0.001; Deep: 1.29 ± 0.12, p < 0.001) and posterior diaphragm (vs. POD, Quiet: 1.09 ± 0.04, p < 0.001; Deep: 1.30 ± 0.12, p < 0.001) both in quiet and deep breathing. Compared with non-smokers, the left AP and thoracic area ratios in smokers were significantly decreased (p < 0.05). However, the ratios of AP, LR, CC, and thoracic area on each plane were similar among groups in different age and BMI. Conclusions: During both quiet and deep breathing, the chest wall motion is prominent in the anteroposterior direction. The motions of diaphragm apex and posterior diaphragm were more prominent than that of the anterior diaphragm. Smoking may affect the respiratory muscle mobility. Dynamic MRI can quantitatively evaluate the motion of respiratory muscles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The secondary metabolites of the phytopathogenic fungus Corynespora cassiicola CC01 from Hevea brasiliensis were investigated. As a result, two new compounds, 5-acetyl-7-hydroxy-6- methoxybenzofuran-2(3H)-one (1) and (S)-2-(2,3-dihydrofuro [3,2-c]pyridin-2-yl)propan-2-ol (2), together with seven known compounds, 4,6,8-trihydroxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2H)-one (3), 3,6,8-trihydroxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2H)-one (4), curvulin acid (5), 2-methyl-5-carboxymethyl- 7-hydroxychromone (6), tyrosol (7), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (8) and cerevisterol (9), were isolated from the fermentation extract by comprehensive silica gel, reverse phase silica gel, Sephadex-LH20 column chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The structures of these compounds were identified by using high-resolution electrospray mass spectrometry (HRESIMS), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), optical rotation, ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy techniques and a comparison of NMR data with those reported in the literature. Compounds 1 and 2 were new compounds, and compounds 3–9 were discovered from this phytopathogenic fungus for the first time. Compounds 1–9 were tested for phytotoxicity against the fresh tender leaf of Hevea brasiliensis, and the results show that none of them were phytotoxic. Additionally, these compounds were subjected to an antimicrobial assay against three bacteria (E. coli, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus), but they showed no activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In parallel with researches unveiling the nature and mechanism in solid state battery, numbers of investigations have been pursuing methods to stabilize their performance as well as to reduce the cost. Simple preparation and earth‐abundant ingredients are preconditions for a solid state electrolyte to be suitable for scalable production. In this work, a commercial anode active material, spinel Li4Ti5O12, is introduced for the first time, which has high ionic conductivity to sustain high rate charge/discharge with considerable high performance/cost ratio, into poly(vinylidene fluoride) to achieve a composite solid electrolyte. The membrane solid electrolyte containing 80 wt% of the Li4Ti5O12 (LTO‐8) shows outstanding ionic conductivity of 2.87 × 10−4 S cm−1 at 35 °C and inhibits electronic conductive network. The self‐sacrificed interface contributes to the stabilized performance of the composite. Li||LiFePO4 cells with LTO‐8 present a discharge specific capacity of 150 mAh g−1 at 0.5C and a considerable average specific capacity of 119 mAh g−1 under 5C in 400 cycles, demonstrating its excellent working performance. This investigation provides promising application of Li4Ti5O12 for solid state electrolytes, which is superior to the reported solid state electrolytes in comprehensive performance, and surely paves another commercial way to solid state batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The facile construction of 3D porous film using the breath figure technique is critically important in diverse practical applications. However, the discovery of easy synthetic methods and preparation of stimuli‐responsive 3D ordered nano‐/micro‐architectures remain challenging. Herein, the promotive breath figure technique is presented to construct 3D honeycomb porous films on curved substrates using an azobenzene‐containing copolymer. The nanopore size of honeycomb structure decreases gradually with the increase of surface curvature, due to the different solvent drying speeds. Upon irradiation with directional linear polarization light, the round‐shaped nanopores are converted into rectangular‐ and rhombic‐shaped nanopores under different polarization directions. Moreover, these porous films are employed as substrates to load various metal nanoparticles, successfully preparing the nanocomposites. The catalytic capacity of both control and these nanocomposites are evaluated using the NaBH4‐mediated reduction reaction from 4‐nitrophenol to 4‐aminophenol. Compared to the control and nonporous films, the porous films with smaller nanopores exhibit larger catalytic activity. Additionally, UV irradiation upon the nanocomposites promotes the catalytic action, due to the change in surface hydrophilicity caused by the photoisomerization of azobenzene. Recyclable use of nanocomposites demonstrates the high stability. This research provides an innovative strategy to prepare 3D curved porous films for potential on catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is the second leading cause of death among human diseases. Immunotherapy has opened a new chapter in cancer treatment. However, the emergence of immune escape mechanisms severely limited its application. The high expression of PD‐L1 on tumour cells is an important means for cancer cells to achieve immune escape via binding to PD‐1 on immune cells. Recent studies have shown that PD‐L1 expression in most cancer cells is over‐glycosylated. Glycosylation is a fundamental and extensive post‐translational modification of eukaryotic membrane‐binding proteins, which affects a variety of biological activities, including protein folding, solubility, stability and ligand‐receptor interactions. PD‐L1 glycosylation initiates in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and completes in the Golgi apparatus, which has a complex relationship with cancer development. Importantly, non‐glycosylated PD‐L1 attenuates protein stability and PD‐1 interactions. These processes are essential regulatory mechanisms that modulate immunosuppression and immune surveillance in cancer patients. Therefore, non‐glycosylated PD‐L1 may be a potentially promising strategy to improve the efficacy of checkpoint blockade therapy for cancer. In this review, we have described the PD‐L1 glycosylation processes and provided evidence for the role of non‐glycosylated PD‐L1 in anti‐tumour‐related signalling pathways. Furthermore, strategies for non‐glycosylation of PD‐L1 using small molecule inhibitors, gene therapy and various enzymes in the synthetic glycosylation pathway are discussed. Finally, the detection of PD‐L1 expression is enhanced by its deglycosylation, and we have summarized the development, application and clinical application potential of antibody therapies targeting PD‐1/PD‐L1 glycosylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The steady-state exactly resonant, nearly resonant, and non-resonant waves in infinite water depth are investigated, and their relationships are revealed. In the framework of homotopy analysis method (HAM), the two primary wave components' amplitudes in the initial guess of the velocity potential are fixed and the actual frequencies of the primary waves are unknown. For different wavenumber ratio ( k 2 / k 1 ) values, three groups of steady-state wave systems are obtained with the proper auxiliary linear operator and the initial guess. It is found that when the third-order resonance occurs accurately, the energy of each wave group is mainly concentrated in the primary and third-order resonant wave components. When the value of the wavenumber ratio ( k 2 / k 1 ) moves away from the exact resonance, the energy of the whole wave system is either gradually transferred to the two primary or one resonant wave components that finally evolves into the trivial non-resonant wave system, or the energy is more evenly distributed among more wave components that evolves into multiple nearly resonant wave systems. In addition, the results obtained based on HAM are verified and confirmed by means of the Zakharov equation. This work illustrate that the steady-state wave systems are continuous in wavevector space, the normal non-resonant solution on either side of the resonance point comes from the different third-order resonant solutions, and the occurrence of multiple near resonances can significantly increase the nonlinearity of the wave system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tea polysaccharide (TPS) is the second most abundant ingredient in tea following tea polyphenols. As a complex polysaccharide, TPS has a complex chemical structure and a variety of bioactivities, such as anti-oxidation, hypoglycemia, hypolipidemic, immune regulation, and anti-tumor. Additionally, it shows excellent development and application prospects in food, cosmetics, and medical and health care products. However, numerous studies have shown that the bioactivity of TPS is closely related to its sources, processing methods, and extraction methods. Therefore, the authors of this paper reviewed the relevant recent research and conducted a comprehensive and systematic review of the extraction methods, physicochemical properties, and bioactivities of TPS to strengthen the understanding and exploration of the bioactivities of TPS. This review provides a reference for preparing and developing functional TPS products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tapered pile (TP) is a new type of pile with a good bearing capacity, and scholars have conducted in-depth research on its static bearing characteristics. However, there is relatively little research on its dynamic bearing characteristics. In this paper, the horizontal vibration behavior of a tapered pile in arbitrarily layered soil is studied. Utilizing the Winkler foundation model and Timoshenko beam model to simulate pile-surrounding soil (PSS) and a tapered pile, respectively, the horizontal vibration model of a tapered pile embedded in layered soil was built. The analytical solutions for the horizontal displacement (HD), bending moment (BM), and shear force (SF) of a tapered pile were derived, and then the solutions for the horizontal dynamic impedance (HDI), rocking dynamic impedance (RDI), and horizontal-rocking coupling dynamic impedance (HRDI) of pile head were obtained. Using the present solutions, the effects of soil and pile properties on the horizontal vibration characteristics of a tapered pile were systemically studied. The ability of a tapered pile–soil system to resist horizontal vibration can be improved by strengthening the upper soil, but this ability cannot be further improved by increasing the thickness of the strengthened upper soil if its thickness is greater than the critical influence thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To develop and validate a general radiomics nomogram capable of identifying EGFR mutation status in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, regardless of patient with either contrast-enhanced CT (CE-CT) or non-contrast-enhanced CT (NE-CT). Methods: A total of 412 NSCLC patients were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Patients' radiomics features not significantly different between NE-CT and CE-CT were defined as general features, and were further used to construct the general radiomics signature. Fivefold cross-validation was used to select the best machine learning algorithm. Finally, a general radiomics nomogram was developed using general radiomics signature, and clinical and radiological characteristics. Two groups of data collected at different time periods were used as two test sets to access the discrimination and clinical usefulness. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) was applied to performance evaluation. Result: The general radiomics signature yielded the highest AUC of 0.756 and 0.739 in the two test sets, respectively. When applying to same type of CT, the performance of general radiomics signature was always similar to or higher than that of models built using only NE-CT or CE-CT features. The general radiomics nomogram combining general radiomics signature, smoking history, emphysema, and ILD achieved higher performance whether applying to NE-CT or CE-CT (test set 1, AUC = 0.833 and 0.842; test set 2, AUC = 0.839 and 0.850). Conclusions: Our work demonstrated that using general features to construct radiomics signature and nomogram could help identify EGFR mutation status of NSCLC patients and expand its scope of clinical application. Key Points: • General features were proposed to construct general radiomics signature using different types of CT of different patients at the same time to identify EGFR mutation status of NSCLC patients. • The general radiomics nomogram based on general radiomics signature, and clinical and radiological characteristics could identify EGFR mutation status of patients with NSCLC and outperformed the general radiomics signature. • The general radiomics nomogram had a wider scope of clinical application; no matter which of NE-CT and CE-CT the patient has, its EGFR mutation status could be predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though the retrogradation property as affected by starch fine molecular structures has been widely investigated, it remains largely unexplored how concurrent starch structures and storage conditions e.g. temperature tailor the starch retrogradation property. The amylopectin long-term retrogradation for 8 different rice starches with a broad range of amylose content was thus investigated under different storage temperatures. Results showed that gelatinized starch stored at −20 °C generally had a narrower melting temperature range from differential scanning calorimetry, while larger cells and thicker cell walls in the gel matrix than that stored at 4 °C. Different linear correlations were found between starch fine molecular structures and amylopectin retrogradation parameters when starch was stored under different temperatures. For example, the melting enthalpy of retrograded starch double helices was negatively correlated with the amount of amylose intermediate chains at 4 °C, while positively correlated with the relative length of amylopectin short chains at −20 °C. Under both temperatures, rice starch R250 had the highest retrogradation enthalpy. These results could help the rice industry improve both the nutritional and textural attributes of cooked rice by selecting starch with desirable molecular structures and optimizing the storage conditions for rice after cooking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vertical vibration of a viscoelastic pile immersed in arbitrarily layered soil is investigated by taking the interaction among pile, pile surrounding soil (PSS) and pile end soil (PES) into account. Firstly, considering both the stratification and stress wave effect of soil, a mathematical model of the pile–soil system is established based on the fictitious soil pile (FSP) model. Then, utilizing the impedance function transfer method and Laplace transform technique, the analytical solutions of the vertical dynamic impedance of pile are derived in the frequency domain. The analytical solutions are validated by comparing them with other existing solutions. Finally, a parametric study is put forward to investigate the properties of PES on the vertical dynamic impedance of pile. The results reveal that the properties of PES have a significant effect on the vertical dynamic impedance of pile, but there is a critical influence thickness for this effect. For the cases of the PES thickness exceeding the critical influence thickness, further increase of PES thickness will not affect the dynamic behavior of the pile–soil system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being encouraged by the recent study by Yang et al. ["On collinear steady-state gravity waves with an infinite number of exact resonances," Phys. Fluids 31, 122109 (2019)] on two primary waves traveling in the same/opposite direction, we investigate two primary waves traveling with an arbitrary included angle by solving the water-wave equations as a nonlinear boundary-value problem. When the included angle is small, there exists an infinite number of nearly resonant wave components corresponding to an infinite number of small denominators in the framework of the classical analytic approximation methods, like perturbation methods. At a certain included angle, it will cause the classical third-order resonance, corresponding to a singularity. Fortunately, based on the homotopy analysis method (HAM), this type of problem can be solved uniformly by choosing a proper auxiliary linear operator with which the small denominators and singularity can be avoided once and for all. Approximate homotopy-series solutions can be obtained for the two primary waves traveling with an arbitrary included angle. The solutions bifurcate at the angle of classical third-order resonance. Regardless of the resonance at the third-order, it is found that when the acute angle between the two primary wave components becomes smaller, the wave energy slowly shifts from the primary wave components to the high-order wave components, and the increase in wave amplitude strengthens this energy transfer. Moreover, when the included angle is close to or smaller than the third-order resonant angle, the third-order quasi-resonant interaction has a greater influence on the energy distribution, especially if the overall amplitude is relatively large. All of this illustrates the validity and potential of the HAM to be applied to rather complicated nonlinear problems that may have an infinite number of singularities or small denominators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel multidimensional fitness function genetic algorithm is proposed to optimize test vectors of R-2R Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC). The proposed method employs distribution of characteristic vectors and the number of test vectors to formulate a multidimensional fitness function to search a non-dominate (ND) solution set. The searching process is directed by a ND sort method. Each individual in the ND set does not contain redundant test vectors. The test vectors are taken as the input excitation of the circuit under test (CUT) and the fault diagnosis is performed. As the number of test vectors increases, the accuracy of fault diagnosis also increases. The validity of the proposed method is verified by fault diagnosis. The average fault diagnosis rate is more than 85% for the R-2R network under the influence of tolerance. In addition, the parametric faults of ± 50 % deviation from the nominal value in each resistor of the R-2R network can be detected in the proposed method. Finally, the comparative experiments and results are briefly described in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the associations between pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and neonatal outcomes in women undergoing autologous frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET).Design: Retrospective cohort study.Setting(s): University-affiliated reproductive medical center.Patient(s): A total of 16,240 women with singleton deliveries achieved by autologous FET.Intervention(s): None.Main Outcome Measure(s): Neonatal outcomes included preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), small-for-gestational age (SGA), large-for-gestational age (LGA), fetal macrosomia, and birth defects.Result(s): After adjusting for confounding factors, our study showed that in autologous FET cycles, the overweight women (23 kg/m2≤ BMI <27.5 kg/m2) were associated with increased rates of PTB (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.226; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.060-1.418), macrosomia (aOR, 1.692; 95% CI, 1.491-1.921), and LGA (aOR, 1.980; 95% CI, 1.715-2.286); and the obese women (BMI ≥27.5 kg/m2) were significantly associated with increased PTB (aOR, 1.503; 95% CI, 1.167-1.936), early PTB (aOR, 2.829; 95% CI, 1.679-4.765), very LBW (aOR, 3.087; 95% CI, 1.720-5.542), macrosomia (aOR, 2.325; 95% CI, 1.862-2.904), and LGA (aOR, 3.235; 95% CI, 2.561-4.085). The rate of SGA infants was higher in the underweight women (BMI <18.5 kg/m2) (aOR, 1.687; 95% CI, 1.375-2.071) than that in the normal-weight women (18.5 kg/m2≤ BMI ≤23 kg/m2). No significant difference was observed in the risk of birth defects between normal-weight cases and other BMI categories.Conclusion(s): Among women undergoing FET, pre-pregnancy BMI affected neonatal outcomes of singletons. BMI in Asian categories for overweight and obese showed significant increases in PTB, macrosomia, and LGA; early PTB and very LBW only increased in obese cases. In addition, underweight status was associated with increased risk of SGA. In contrast, there was no association between pre-pregnancy BMI and birth defects in FET cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let R be an artin algebra. The Auslander–Reiten formula for the category (mod-R)-mod of finitely presented functors is presented, which is extended from the Auslander–Reiten formula for the category mod-R of finitely presented modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experience in virtual reality (VR) is unique, in that observers are in a real-world location while browsing through a virtual scene. Previous studies have investigated the effect of the virtual environment on distance estimation. However, it is unclear how the real-world environment influences distance estimation in VR. Here, we measured the distance estimation using a bisection (Experiment 1) and a blind-walking (Experiments 2 and 3) method. Participants performed distance judgments in VR, which rendered either virtual indoor or outdoor scenes. Experiments were also carried out in either real-world indoor or outdoor locations. In the bisection experiment, judged distance in virtual outdoor was greater than that in virtual indoor. However, the real-world environment had no impact on distance judgment estimated by bisection. In the blind-walking experiment, judged distance in real-world outdoor was greater than that in real-world indoor. On the other hand, the virtual environment had no impact on distance judgment estimated by blind-walking. Generally, our results suggest that both the virtual and real-world environments have an impact on distance judgment in VR. Especially, the real-world environment where a person is physically located during a VR experience influences the person's distance estimation in VR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experience in virtual reality (VR) is unique, in that observers are in a real-world location while browsing through a virtual scene. Previous studies have investigated the effect of the virtual environment on distance estimation. However, it is unclear how the real-world environment influences distance estimation in VR. Here, we measured the distance estimation using a bisection (Experiment 1) and a blind-walking (Experiments 2 and 3) method. Participants performed distance judgments in VR, which rendered either virtual indoor or outdoor scenes. Experiments were also carried out in either real-world indoor or outdoor locations. In the bisection experiment, judged distance in virtual outdoor was greater than that in virtual indoor. However, the real-world environment had no impact on distance judgment estimated by bisection. In the blind-walking experiment, judged distance in real-world outdoor was greater than that in real-world indoor. On the other hand, the virtual environment had no impact on distance judgment estimated by blind-walking. Generally, our results suggest that both the virtual and real-world environments have an impact on distance judgment in VR. Especially, the real-world environment where a person is physically located during a VR experience influences the person's distance estimation in VR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To quantify the spatial distribution of relative corneal refractive power shift (RCRPS) to investigate its association with axial length growth. Eighty myopic children were randomly assigned for fitting with type A or B lenses. Axial lengths and corneal topographies were measured at baseline and the 1-, 6-, and 12-months follow-up visits. Treatment-zone decentrations and sizes were derived from tangential maps. RCRPSs were computed by taking the difference between after-treatment and baseline axial maps and then subtracting the apex value. Values at the same radius were averaged to obtain an RCRPS profile, from which four distributional parameters were extracted: the peak value (Rmax), the location where the profile first reached its half peak (X50), and the powers summed within 4- and 8-mm diameter areas (Sum4 and Sum8, respectively). Linear mixed models were used to analyse the correlation between the AL growth and the distributional parameters. At baseline, no significant differences were observed between the two groups. After treatment, Axial length growth was significantly smaller in subjects fitted with type-B lenses (0.15 ± 0.16 vs 0.25 ± 0.22 mm, P =.028). Smaller treatment-zones (1.56 ± 0.14 vs 1.75 ± 0.13 mm, P <.01), smaller X50 values (1.56 ± 0.39 vs 1.98 ± 0.28 mm, P <.01), and greater Sum4 values (11.83 ± 6.47 vs 8.14 ± 5.06 D, P =.01) were also observed in subjects wearing type-B lenses. Among the distributional parameters, only X50 was significantly associated with AL growth in the multiple regression analysis (P =.005). The spatial distribution of RCRPS is critical in retarding AL growth, and the ones reaching peak within a shorter distance from the apex may provide better myopia control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional drainage boundary regards the drainage boundary as completely permeable or completely impervious. However, the drainage boundary is an impeded drainage boundary between completely permeable and impervious in engineering practice. In view of this, a new drainage boundary, namely the continuous drainage boundary, is introduced in this paper to study the consolidation problem of layered soils. First, the governing equations for the one‐dimensional consolidation problem of layered soils subjected to a ramp load are established. Then, the analytical solution of excess pore water pressure and average consolidation degree is derived by means of Laplace transform and matrix transfer method. The present solution is verified by degenerating it and comparing with existing solutions. Based on the present solution, the consolidation behavior of the layered soils is investigated by conducting a detailed parametric study. The results show that, both the interface parameters of boundaries and the stratification of the layered soils can heavily affect the distribution of the excess pore water pressure along the depth, thereby influence the plane of the maximum excess pore water pressure. Therefore, the interface parameters of boundaries and the soil stratification should be comprehensively considered in the optimization for the horizontal drains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most existing three-dimensional (3D) impact angle guidance laws against maneuvering target focus on terminal-angle-constrained guidance without considering the field-of-view (FOV) limit. In this study, a 3D nonsingular FOV-constrained guidance strategy with the desired impact angles is proposed. The analytical expression between the desired impact angles and terminal light-of-sight angles is derived by integrating the transition matrix in the interception time with the collision triangle theory. A novel fixed-time sliding mode surface is presented and, based on it, guidance commands are generated. The radial basis function neural networks are combined with composite intelligent learning to improve the approximation precision of target maneuvering. Furthermore, a barrier Lyapunov function is used in the pitch plane to satisfy the FOV constraint. For the capturability analysis, the analytical achievable impact sets are calculated. Simulations are demonstrated to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed guidance strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two major factors contribute to the failure of axonal regrowth in the central nervous system (CNS), namely, the neuronal intrinsic regenerative capacity and the extrinsic local inhibitory microenvironments. However, a preconditioning peripheral nerve lesion could substantially enhance the regeneration of central axons following a subsequent spinal cord injury. In the present review, we summarize the molecular mechanisms of the preconditioning injury effect on promoting axonal regeneration. The injury signal transduction resulting from preconditioning peripheral nerve injury regulates the RAG expression to enhance axonal regeneration. Importantly, preconditioning peripheral nerve injury triggers interactions between neurons and nonneuronal cells to amplify and maintain their effects. Additionally, the preconditioning injury impacts mitochondria, protein, and lipid synthesis. All these coordinated changes endow axonal regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using citric acid (CA) and 1,5-naphthalenedisulfonic acid (NDSA) as the structure-directing agent, a hierarchical flower-like Bi2O2CO3 product is successfully prepared via a simple one-step hydrothermal synthesis, which is spirally assembled by the {001} facet-dominated nanosheets. It is testified that the additive CA plays an important inducing role in forming the chemical composition of Bi2O2CO3, the nanosized sheet-type subunits, and the exposure of the {001} facet, while the NDSA greatly improves the dispersity and porous structure of the Bi2O2CO3 microflower. Due to the nano-size effect and distortion of surface Bi-O bonds, the Bi2O2CO3 microflower could be excited by the visible light to exhibit a superior photocatalytic performance in the degradation of tetracycline (TC). Besides, it is found the exposed {001} facet of Bi2O2CO3 would preferentially generate holes during the illumination process, thus enhancing the photooxidative activity of the Bi2O2CO3 microflower. Finally, the structural and optical features of the Bi2O2CO3 microflower have been discussed in detail, and its photocatalytic mechanism has also been proposed in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) constitute a group of >200-nucleotide ncRNA molecules. lncRNAs regulate several cell functions, such as proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis. Meanwhile, lncRNAs are abnormally expressed in human malignancies, where they suppress or promote tumor growth. The present study focused on growth arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5), a well-known lncRNA that acts as a tumor suppressor but is suppressed in multiple types of cancer, including mammary carcinoma, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, melanoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, gliomas, osteosarcoma, pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, papillary thyroid carcinoma, neuroblastoma, endometrial cancer and liver cancer. Notably, GAS5 is overexpressed in liver cancer, potentially functioning as an oncogene. In the present study, the diagnostic and therapeutic roles of GAS5 in different tumors were reviewed, with a summary of the potential clinical application of the lncRNA, which may help identify novel study directions for GAS5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores various notions of projective, injective and flat dimensions, and the different versions of each dimension are compared to each other. Homological characterizations of these dimensions are provided in terms of bounded resolutions and vanishing of appropriate derived functors over a non-positive DG-ring. Some homological identities related to these homological invariants, such as Auslander–Buchsbaum formula, Bass formula and derived depth formula, are proved over a commutative Noetherian DG-ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aimed at alleviating severe recombination of photogenerated electron/hole pairs in MoS2 photocatalysts, one-pot hydrothermal preparation of SrMoO4/MoS2 composites was successfully achieved in this study. It was found that numerous MoS2 nanosheets were in situ grown on the surface of bulk SrMoO4; meanwhile, XPS and Raman analyses indicated that a strong interfacial effect was generated between bulk SrMoO4 and MoS2 nanosheets in 8%-SrMoO4/MoS2 composites. Moreover, the intense heterojunction interface of 8%-SrMoO4/MoS2 composites greatly promotes the separation of photoinduced electron–hole pairs and speeds up the transfer of photoinduced charge carriers. Compared with pure MoS2 and bulk SrMoO4 photocatalysts, the series of x-SrMoO4/MoS2 composites possess enhanced photoreduction activities, especially the 8%-SrMoO4/MoS2 photocatalyst displays optimal removal efficiency of Cr(VI) (91.2%) and excellent photostability under visible light irradiation. As a matter of fact, an in situ hybrid process occurs during the preparation of 8%-SrMoO4/MoS2 composites, resulting in intense interfacial contacts, which mainly endow them with superior photocatalytic performance. Finally, the photocatalytic mechanism is studied to illustrate the efficient transfer of photoinduced electron/hole pairs and the removal process of Cr(VI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent environmental archeological evidence has started to throw light on both the timing and processes of human colonization of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Yarlung Tsangpo (YT) valley, a very important region of the southern TP for occupation, is home to not only modern Tibetans but also their ancestors. However, a lack of suitable sedimentary strata has limited the establishment of a secure chronology. Here, we report on a new stratigraphic section with prehistoric pottery and cultural layers that was discovered on a terrace of the YT at Liena, in Nyingchi County. The cultural layers are overlain by, and bedded within, eolian and lacustrine sediments. We used the quartz Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) method to date 11 samples and performed geochemical analysis on 100 samples to derive paleoenvironmental indicators. The OSL analysis gave an age of 4.3 ka BP for the cultural layer, which makes it the earliest human activity in the YT valley of Nyingchi to date. In addition, commencement of eolian deposition was dated to at least 8.3 ka, coinciding with the Holocene warm period. We discuss possible causal factors for human occupation in the valley and show that climatic changes played a crucial role in prehistoric human migration c. 8.3–4.3 ka BP. Before the early Holocene, most of the river terraces in the valley were being actively reworked by rivers or covered by lakes. So there were no suitable places for occupation by ancient populations. With the recession of dammed lakes during the Holocene warm period, the relatively flat and wide valley terraces, blanketed with rich eolian deposits (such as sandy loess), provided an attractive place for ancient people engaged in nomadic and even agricultural activities. Hence, the climate conditions of the Holocene warm period drove the environmental changes that provided favorable conditions for ancient human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study superconducting properties of NbN thin film samples with different thicknesses and an ultra-thin NbTiN meander nanowire sample. For the ultra-thin samples, we found that the temperature dependence of upper critical field (Hc2) in parallel to surface orientation shows bending curvature close to critical temperature Tc, suggesting a two-dimensional (2D) nature of the samples. The 2D behavior is further supported by the angular dependence measurements of Hc2 for the thinnest samples. The temperature dependence of parallel upper critical field for the thick films could be described by a model based on the anisotropic Ginzburg–Landau theory. Interestingly, the results measured in the field perpendicular to the film surface orientation show a similar bending curvature but in a much narrow temperature region close to Tc for the ultra-thin samples. We suggest that this feature could be due to suppression of pair-breaking caused by local in-homogeneity. We further propose the temperature dependence of perpendicular Hc2 as a measure of uniformity of superconducting ultra-thin films. For the thick samples, we find that Hc2 shows maxima for both parallel and perpendicular orientations. The Hc2 peak for the perpendicular orientation is believed to be due to the columnar structure formed during the growth of the thick films. The presence of columnar structure is confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In addition, we have measured the angular dependence of magneto-resistance, and the results are consistent with the Hc2 data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does preconception body mass index (BMI) affect neonatal outcomes in women with endometriosis who conceive with IVF? This retrospective study included 7086 women who delivered a singleton live birth through IVF between December 2006 and December 2017. Of these, 1111 women were diagnosed with endometriosis by laparoscopy or laparotomy, while 5975 women received IVF treatment due to tubal factor or male factor infertility. Women were categorized according to predefined BMI groups (<18.5 kg/m2, BMI 18.5–24.9 kg/m2, ≥25 kg/m2). All comparisons performed were between women undergoing cryopreserved embryo transfer. After stratification by BMI, underweight women with endometriosis showed higher preterm birth (PTB) rates compared with controls (14.61% versus 3.28%, P < 0.001), whereas normal weight and overweight/obese endometriotic women had similar PTB rates to controls. There was a significant interactive effect of endometriosis and maternal BMI on preterm delivery (P for interaction <0.05). After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the PTB rate remained consistently higher in the low BMI subgroup of women with endometriosis (adjusted odds ratio 4.66, 95% confidence interval 2.54–8.57), whereas this difference was not observed for the other BMI categories. Additionally, we noted no differences in the rate of early PTB, low birthweight, macrosomia, small for gestational age and large for gestational age between women with endometriosis and controls with respect to any preconception category of BMI. Endometriotic patients who were underweight before conception (BMI <18.5 kg/m2) had a higher rate of PTB than women without endometriosis, but the difference was not observed in the other BMI categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]