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YpsR, a pivotal regulatory protein in the quorum-sensing (QS) of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis(Y. pstb), is essential for molecular signaling, yet its molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Herein, this study systematically investigates the interactions between YpsR and acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs), shedding light on the selective mechanism of YpsR to various AHL molecules. Using molecular docking and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis, we confirmed YpsR's binding affinities, with the strongest observed for 3OC6-HSL, which notably inhibited Y. pstb growth. Additionally, we engineered a whole-cell biosensor based on YpsR-AHL interaction, which exhibited sensitivity to the signal molecule 3OC6-HSL produced by Y. pstb. Furthermore, key YpsR residues (S32, Y50, W54, D67) involved in AHL binding were identified and validated. Overall, this research elucidates the mechanisms of QS signal recognition in Y. pstb, providing valuable insights that support the development of diagnostic tools for detecting Y. pstb infections.

Abstract With the advancement of science and technology, coal-washing plants are transitioning to intelligent, information-based, and professional sorting systems. This shift accelerates the construction a modern economic system characterized by green and low-carbon development, thereby promoting the high-quality advancement of the coal industry. Traditional manual gangue picking and multi-axis robotic arm gangue selection currently suffer from low recognition accuracy, slow sorting efficiency, and high worker labor intensity. This paper proposes a deep learning-based, non-contact gangue recognition and pneumatic intelligent sorting system. The system constructs a dynamic database containing key feature information such as the target gangue's contour, quality, and center of mass. The system elucidates the relationships between ejection speed, mass, volume, angle of incidence, and the impact energy matching mechanism. Demonstration experiments using the system prototype for coal gangue sorting reveal that, compared to existing robotic arm sorting methods in coal washing plants, this system achieves a gangue identification accuracy exceeding 97%, a sorting rate above 91%, and a separation time of less than 3 s from identification to separation, thereby effectively enhancing raw coal purity.

Abstract Local immunotherapy represents a promising solution for preventing tumor recurrence and metastasis post tumor surgical resection by eliminating residue tumor cells as well as eliciting tumor‐specific immune responses. Minimally invasive surgery has become a mainstream surgical method worldwide due to its advantages of aesthetics and rapid postoperative recovery. Unfortunately, the currently reported local immunotherapy strategies are mostly designed to be used after open laparotomy, which go against the current surgical philosophy of minimally invasive therapy and is not suitable for clinical translation. Aiming at this problem, a minimally invasive injectable gel (MIGel) is herein reported loaded with immunotherapeutic agents for gastric and liver cancer postoperative treatment. The MIGel is formed by crosslinking between oxidized dextran (ODEX) and 4‐arm polyethylene glycol hydroxylamine (4‐arm PEG‐ONH2) through oxime bonds, which can be injected through a clinic‐used minimally invasive drainage tube and adhered tightly to the tissue. The loaded oxaliplatin (OxP) and resiquimod (R848) can be released constantly over two weeks and resulted in over 75% cure rate in orthotopic mouse gastric and liver cancer model. Collectively, a concept of minimally invasive local immunotherapy is proposed and MIGel is designed for local intraperitoneal cancer immunotherapy through minimally invasive surgery, with good clinical translation potential.

Abstract Current diabetic retinopathy (DR) treatment involves blood glucose regulation combined with laser photocoagulation or intravitreal injection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibodies. However, due to the complex pathogenesis and cross‐interference of multiple biochemical pathways, these interventions cannot block disease progression. Recognizing the critical role of the retinal microenvironment (RME) in DR, it is hypothesized that reshaping the RME by simultaneously inhibiting primary and secondary blood–retinal barrier (BRB) injury can attenuate DR. For this, a glucose‐responsive hydrogel named Cu‐PEI/siMyD88@GEMA‐Con A (CSGC) is developed that effectively delivers Cu‐PEI/siMyD88 nanoparticles (NPs) to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The Cu‐PEI NPs act as antioxidant enzymes, scavenging ROS and inhibiting RPE pyroptosis, ultimately blocking primary BRB injury by reducing microglial activation and Th1 differentiation. Simultaneously, MyD88 expression silence in combination with the Cu‐PEI NPs decreases IL‐18 production, synergistically reduces VEGF levels, and enhances tight junction proteins expression, thus blocking secondary BRB injury. In summary, via remodeling the RME, the CSGC hydrogel has the potential to disrupt the detrimental cycle of cross‐interference between primary and secondary BRB injury, providing a promising therapeutic strategy for DR.

Predicting the movement of arriving passengers to their landside destination is of great value to airport landside operations. This paper focuses on the arriving passengers who leave the airport by private cars in the terminal parking lots. Disregarding the micro-behavior of passengers, we limit our focus on the time consumption for passengers from flight arrival to parking exit. Traditionally, this information is usually obtained through costly passenger questionnaires. To reduce cost, we develop an alternative way based on time series analysis. Specifically, we try to identify direct causal paths that exhibit significant positive effects, as the lag time to be estimated is the time distribution of these positive lag effects. To overcome the influence of confounding factors, we propose a practical methodology based on developing a set of distributed lag models under different control schemes. The key features of our approach are low data requirements and low mathematical complexity, which make it applicable in the daily operation of airports. We further conduct a case study at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) to illustrate the proposed methodology. The lag time estimation results are consistent with practical experiences. Sensitivity analyses validate the consistency and reliability of our results. Our research provides a practical way for estimating the lag time between flight arrivals and parking exit volumes, as well as more support for evaluating and improving airport landside operations.

This article introduces a research method aimed at achieving optimal control timing for the zero-voltage quasi-square wave switch (ZVS-QSW) in a silicon carbide buck converter across a wide range. The method establishes the correlation function between optimal control timing parameters and load current through composite segmented curve fitting to the plane of the ZVS-QSW state over the entire operating range. It also compensates for the charge change on the filter capacitor to determine the load current at the corresponding operating point. By collecting the input/output voltages and load currents and substituting them into the correlation function, the optimal timing parameters for achieving ZVS-QSW can be determined online. The proposed method is validated on a silicon carbide buck converter prototype with an input voltage of 400 V. ZVS-QSW can be achieved in the conversion ratio range of 0.1-0.9. Consequently, the proposed method not only reduces the difficulty of inductance current measurement but also simplifies and visualizes the timing control of the converter.

The application of multisampling technology in voltage-source inverters (VSIs) systems can significantly reduce the control delay and break the bandwidth limitations of traditional synchronous sampling schemes. However, when sampling the capacitor voltage, the high-frequency ripple is introduced into the control loop, leading to the local vertical crossing (VC) phenomenon. Previous studies have demonstrated that a moving average filter (MAF) or improved repetitive filter (IRF) can effectively remove the high-frequency ripple. However, they introduce additional phase lag, which undermines the advantages of multisampling technology in terms of phase boost. The approach of spectrum analysis can be used to study the impact of voltage ripple. The results indicate that after modulation, the output signal contains low-frequency harmonics, and the superposition of the ripple makes the modulation process more susceptible to saturation. Therefore, a 20k ripple notch filter (RNF) is proposed to attenuate the ripple signal while introducing a more minor phase lag. Additionally, a 90° phase shift filter is proposed to suppress the aliasing signals generated in the system. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed methods is verified through the experimental test of a 10kW single-phase VSI system.

Abstract Background Although stag beetles are a popular saprophytic insect, their gut microbiome has been poorly studied. Here, 16 S rRNA gene sequencing was employed to reveal the gut microbiota composition and functional variations between wild and domestic Dorcus hopei hopei (Dhh) larval individuals. Results The results indicated a significant difference between the wild and domestic Dhh gut microbiota., the domestic Dhh individuals contained more gut microbial taxa (e.g. genera Ralstonia and Methyloversatilis) with xenobiotic degrading functions. The wild Dhh possesses gut microbiota compositions (e.g. Turicibacter and Tyzzerella ) more appropriate for energy metabolism and potential growth. This study furthermore assigned all Dhh individuals by size into groups for data analysis; which indicated limited disparities between the gut microbiota of different-sized D. hopei hopei larvae. Conclusion The outcome of this study illustrated that there exists a significant discrepancy in gut microbiota composition between wild and domestic Dhh larvae. In addition, the assemblage of gut microbiome in Dhh was primarily attributed to environmental influences instead of individual differences such as developmental potential or size. These findings will provide a valuable theoretical foundation for the protection of wild saprophytic insects and the potential utilization of the insect-associated intestinal microbiome in the future.

BackgroundNeurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disease that can give rise to the formation of vascular lesions in affected individuals. These lesions, whether occurring spontaneously or as a result of trauma, have the potential to cause severe and even fatal hemorrhage.Case descriptionWe presented a case demonstrating the most extensive hematoma ever documented in a patient with NF1, resulting from a minor trauma. He experienced hemodynamic instability due to severe anemia. Arteriography revealed a rupture in the intercostal artery, which was successfully treated through interventional embolization to stop the hemorrhage. Additionally, we implemented a refined surgical approach, beginning with suturing, followed by the meticulous resection of necrotic and aberrant tissues, thereby markedly diminishing bleeding.ConclusionMinor trauma may cause severe bleeding in patients with NF1, which can be life-threatening. Timely diagnosis of NF1 and effective hemostatic techniques are key to successful treatment.

Abstract The mutation of MET plays a crucial role in the initiation of cancer, while the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway also plays a significant role in cell differentiation and the maintenance of tumor stem cells. Conventional chemotherapy drugs are primarily designed to target the majority of cell populations within tumors rather than tumor stem cells. Consequently, after a brief period of remission, tumors often relapse. Moreover, the exclusive targeting of tumor stemness cell disregards the potential for other tumor cells to regain stemness and acquire drug resistance. As a result, current drugs that solely target the HGF/c-MET axis and the Hh pathway demonstrate only moderate efficacy in specific types of cancer. Mounting evidence indicates that these two pathways not only play important roles in cancer but also exert significant influence on the development of resistance to single-target therapies through the secretion of their own ligands. In this comprehensive review, we analyze and compare the potential impact of the Hh pathway on the tumor microenvironment (TME) in HGF/c-MET-driven tumor models, as well as the interplay between different cell types. Additionally, we further substantiate the potential and necessity of dual-pathway combination therapy as a critical target in MET addicted cancer treatment. Video Abstract

Bladder cancer (BC), as one of the main urological cancers in the world, possesses the abilities of multiple-drug resistance and metastasis. However, there remains a significant gap in the understanding and advancement of prognosis and therapeutic strategies for BC. Ferroptosis, a novel type of iron-dependent regulated cell death, depends on lipid peroxidation, which has been proven to have a strong correlation with the development and treatment of BC. Its mechanism mainly includes three pathways, namely, lipid peroxidation, the antioxidant system, and the iron overload pathway. In this review, we reviewed the mechanism of ferroptosis, along with the related therapeutic targets and drugs for BC, as it might become a new anticancer treatment in the future.

Abstract Renal cancer is a common malignancy of the urinary system, and renal clear cell carcinoma (RCCC) is the most common pathological type. Transmembrane channel-like (TMC) protein is an evolutionarily conserved gene family containing 8 members, however there is still a lack of comprehensive analysis about TMC family members in RCCC. In this study, we analyzed the expression of TMC family members in RCCC from TCGA and investigated the prognosis values and immune infiltration of TMC family members in RCCC. We found that TMC2, TMC3, TMC5, TMC7 and TMC8 were significantly related with overall survival (OS) of RCCC patients. TMC3, TMC6, and TMC8 was positively correlated with the degree of immune infiltration in RCCC. TMC2, TMC6, TMC7, and TMC8 were positively correlated with immune checkpoint genes, whereas TMC4 was negative. According to KEGG and GO analysis, almost all TMCs except TMC4 were involved in the immune response. Thus, we may regard the TMC family members as novel biomarkers to predict potential prognosis and immunotherapeutic response in RCCC patients.

Abstract Breast cancer is the most common malignant cancer in women worldwide. Cancer metastasis is the major cause of cancer-related deaths. BCKDK is associated with various diseases, including proliferation, migration, and invasion in multiple types of human cancers. However, the relevance of BCKDK to the development and progression of breast cancers and its function is unclear. This study found that BCKDK was overexpressed in breast cancer, associated with poor prognosis, and implicated in tumor metastasis. The downregulation of BCKDK expression inhibited the migration of human breast cancer cells in vitro and diminished lung metastasis in vivo. BCKDK perturbed the cadherin-catenin complex at the adherens junctions (AJs) and assembled focal adhesions (FAs) onto the extracellular matrix, thereby promoting the directed migration of breast cancer cells. We observed that BCKDK acted as a conserved regulator of the ubiquitination of cytoskeletal protein talin1 and the activation of the FAK/MAPK pathway. Further studies revealed that BCKDK inhibited the binding of talin1 to E3 ubiquitin ligase-TRIM21, leading to the decreased ubiquitination/degradation of talin1. In conclusion, identifying BCKDK as a biomarker for breast cancer metastasis facilitated further research on diagnostic biomarkers. Elucidating the mechanism by which BCKDK exerted its biological effect could provide a new theoretical basis for developing new markers for breast cancer metastasis and contribute to developing new therapies for the clinical treatment of breast cancer patients.

Abstract Background Clear cell renal cell cancer (ccRCC) is accompanied by T-cell infiltration. In this study, we sought to determine the difference in T-cell infiltration and the T-cell receptor (TCR) immune repertoire between ccRCC and peritumour tissue. Methods T-cell infiltration was examined using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. The chi-squared test and Pearson correlation analysis were applied to evaluate the relationship between clinical traits and CD3, CD4, and CD8 expression. Immune repertoire sequencing (IR-Seq) was used to describe the profile of the TCR repertoire. Results The adjacent tissue showed increased expression of CD3, CD4 and CD8 compared with ccRCC tissue (P CD3 = 0.033; P CD4 = 0.014; P CD8 = 0.004). Indicated CD3+ T-cell density in ccRCC tissue was positively correlated with that in peritumour tissue (P = 0.010, r = 0.514), which implied the T cells in peritumour tissue directly infect the number of cells infiltrating in ccRCC tissue. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between Vimentin expression and indicated positive T-cell marker in ccRCC tissue (P CD3 = 0.035; P CD4 = 0.020; P CD8 = 0.027). Advanced stage revealed less CD4+ T-cell infiltration in ccRCC tissue (P CD4 = 0.023). The results from IR-Seq revealed an obvious increase in VJ and VDJ segment usage, as well as higher complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) amino acid (aa) clonotypes in ccRCC. The matched antigen recognized by the TCR of ccRCC may be potential targets. Conclusions The current study collectively demonstrates diminished T-cell infiltration and increased CDR3 aa diversity in ccRCC, which may be associated with immunotherapeutic targets for ccRCC patients.

Abstract Supercapacitors undergo wide terminal voltage fluctuations, which makes it difficult to maintain a stable bus voltage and develop a satisfactory dynamic response. To solve this problem, a fast adaptive bus voltage regulation strategy is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the dual‐loop controller with an external voltage loop and an internal current loop is applied to the supercapacitor energy storage systems. Secondly, an adaptive proportional–integral controller is designed for the outer voltage loop to accommodate the variations of the system characteristics. Furthermore, in order to improve the dynamic response, the set‐point automatic modulation is integrated into the voltage control loop to compensate the stochastic load demanded fluctuations. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method ensures the stability of the bus voltage and provides a lower fluctuation and shorter settling time compared with the conventional method.

Summary: Although anti-PD-L1 therapy has been used in the clinical treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a proportion of patients are not sensitive to it, which may be attributed to the heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression. Here, we demonstrated that high TOPK (T-LAK cell-originated Protein Kinase) expression in RCC promoted PD-L1 expression by activating ERK2 and TGF-β/Smad pathways. TOPK was positively correlated with PD-L1 expression levels in RCC. Meanwhile, TOPK significantly inhibited the infiltration and function of CD8+ T cells and promoted the immune escape of RCC. Moreover, inhibition of TOPK significantly enhanced CD8+ T cell infiltration, promoted CD8+ T cell activation, enhanced anti-PD-L1 therapeutic efficacy, and synergistically enhanced anti-RCC immune response. In conclusion, this study proposes a new PD-L1 regulatory mechanism that is expected to improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy for RCC.

Ferroptosis, as a novel regulable cell death, is characterized by iron overload, glutathione depletion, and an accumulation of lipid peroxides. Recently, it has been discovered that ferroptosis is involved in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) and plays a crucial role in renal tubular cell death. In this study, we tried to investigate the effect and mechanism of liproxstatin-1 (Lip-1) in I/R-induced AKI and seek the key regulator of ferroptosis in I/R-induced AKI. Mice were administrated with clamping bilateral renal pedicles for 30 min. We found that early growth response 1 (EGR1) might be a key regulator of ferroptosis, and Lip-1 could suppress ferroptosis via EGR1. Meanwhile, Lip-1 could reduce macrophage recruitment and the release of inflammatory cytokines. These findings indicated that Lip-1 alleviated I/R-induced AKI via regulating EGR1, and it might pave the theoretical basis of a new therapeutic strategy for I/R-induced AKI.

BackgroundDespite progression in its treatment, the clinical outcome of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains not ideal. Anoikis is a unique form of programmed apoptosis, owing to insufficient cell-matrix interactions. Anoikis plays a crucial role in tumor migration and invasion, and tumor cells could protect themselves through the capacity of anoikis resistance.MethodsAnoikis-related genes (ARGs) were obtained from Genecards and Harmonizome portals. The ARGs related to ccRCC prognosis were identified through univariate Cox regression analysis, then we utilized these ARGs to construct a novel prognostic model for ccRCC patients. Moreover, we explored the expression profile of ARGs in ccRCC using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database. We also conducted Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) to probe ARGs expression of the risk score. Finally, we performed correlation analysis between ARGs and tumor immune microenvironment.ResultsWe identified 17 ARGs associated with ccRCC survival, from which 7 genes were chosen to construct a prognostic model. The prognostic model was verified as an independent prognostic indicator. The expression of most ARGs was higher in ccRCC samples. These ARGs were closely correlated with immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint members, and had independent prognostic value respectively. Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that these ARGs were significantly associated with multiple types of malignances.ConclusionThe prognostic signature was identified to be highly efficient in predicting ccRCC prognosis, and these ARGs were closely related to tumor microenvironment.

Abstract TOPK/PBK (T-LAK Cell-Originated Protein Kinase) is a serine/threonine kinase that is highly expressed in a variety of human tumors and is associated with poor prognosis in many types of human malignancies. Its activation mechanism is not yet fully understood. A bidirectional signal transduced between TOPK and ERK2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2) has been reported, with ERK2 able to phosphorylate TOPK at the Thr9 residue. However, mutated TOPK at Thr9 cannot repress cellular transformation. In the present study, Ser32 was revealed to be a novel phosphorylated site on TOPK that could be activated by ERK2. Phospho-TOPK (S32) was found to be involved in the resistance of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) to sorafenib. Herein, combined a TOPK inhibitor with sorafenib could promoted the apoptosis of sorafenib-resistant RCC. High expression of HGF/c-met contributes to activation of p-TOPK (S32) during the development of sorafenib resistance in RCC. The current research presents a possible mechanism of sorafenib resistance in RCC and identifies a potential diagnostic marker for predicting sorafenib resistance in RCC, providing a valuable supplement for the clinically targeted treatment of advanced RCC.

Urban areas are experiencing a substantial increase in parking demand, which creates an imbalance due to the limited availability of parking facilities. To address this issue, effective parking management is necessary. Shared parking is an alternative solution that utilizes private plots which are vacant during the day to serve the parking needs of users engaged in nearby activities. While current parking management approaches have achieved high utilization rates for available parking slots, the use of aisle space in parking lots can alleviate oversaturated parking demands, especially during peak periods, for users with relatively short parking durations. This study aims to model the noncritical aisle space with time-space constraints in the shared parking slot allocation problem. We propose a programming model that maximizes the profit of the platform based on a reservation and allocation platform. Numerical experiments demonstrate that utilizing the aisle space can enhance the revenue and enable the platform to accommodate more requests that meet the requirements. Moreover, the presence of aisle parking slots may potentially result in slightly lower turnover rates of normal parking slots.

BackgroundThe F-box and WD repeat domain containing (FBXW) family of SCF E3 complexes has 10 members that are responsible for ubiquitination and degradation of substrate proteins involved in cell cycle regulation and tumorigenesis. Among them, FBXW1 (also called b-TrCP1/BTRC) and FBXW7 are the central proteins in this category. However, there is still a lack of elaborate exploration of the contribution of FBXW family members, especially FBXW1 and FBXW7, in various tumor types.MethodsIn this present study, we preliminarily analyzed the genetic structure characteristics of the FBXW family, and systematically investigated their expression patterns and clinical correlations based on the TCGA pan-cancer data. Survival analysis of FBXWs was also conducted through the Kaplan-Meier method. In addition, we assessed their immune infiltration level through immune-related algorithms like Timer and xCell.ResultsThere were obvious genetic heterogeneity and different clinical traits in FBXW family members. Moreover, we found that FBXW family genes may be useful in predicting prognosis and therapeutic efficacy using survival analysis. In addition, the immune infiltration of FBXW family was also clearly illustrated in this study. The results showed these genes were closely involved in immune components such as immune score, immune subtypes, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and immune checkpoints. Notedly, FBXW1 as an oncogene and FBXW7 as a tumor suppressor gene also show opposite relationships on immune cells.ConclusionOur results provided valuable strategies to guide the therapeutic orientation concerning the role of FBXW family genes in cancer.

IntroductionBreast cancer (BC) has been ranking first in incidence and the leading cause of death among female cancers worldwide based on the latest report. Regulated cell death (RCD) plays a significant role in tumor initiation and provides an important target of cancer treatment. Cuproptosis, a novel form of RCD, is ignited by mitochondrial stress, particularly the lipoylated mitochondrial enzymes aggregation. However, the role of cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in tumor generation and progression remains unclear.MethodsIn this study, the mRNA expression data of CRGs in BC and normal breast tissue were extracted from TCGA database, and protein expression patterns of these CRGs were analyzed using UALCAN. The prognostic values of CRGs in BC were explored by using KaplanMeier plotter and Cox regression analysis. Genetic mutations profiles were evaluated using the cBioPortal database. Meanwhile, we utilized CIBERSORT and TIMER 2.0 database to perform the correlation analysis between CRGs and immune cell infiltration.ResultsOur results indicated that CRGs expression is significantly different in BC and normal breast tissues. Then we found that upregulated PDHA1 expression was associated with worse endpoint of BC. Moreover, we also performed immune infiltration analysis of CRGs, and demonstrated that PDHA1 expression was closely related to the infiltration levels of CD4+ memory T cell, macrophage M0 and M1 cell and mast cell in BC.ConclusionsOur results demonstrated the prognostic and immunogenetic values of PDHA1 in BC. Therefore, PDHA1 can be an independent prognostic biomarker and potential target for immunotherapy of BC.

Abstract Nonvolatile phase‐change random access memory (PCRAM) is regarded as one of the promising candidates for emerging mass storage in the era of Big Data. However, relatively high programming energy hurdles the further reduction of power consumption in PCRAM. Utilizing narrow edge‐contact of graphene can effectively reduce the active volume of phase change material in each cell, and therefore realize low‐power operation. Here, it demonstrates that the power consumption can be reduced to ≈53.7 fJ in a cell with ≈3 nm‐wide graphene nanoribbon (GNR) as edge‐contact, whose cross‐sectional area is only ≈1 nm2. It is found that the polarity of the bias pulse determines its cycle endurance in the asymmetric structure. If a positive bias is applied to the graphene electrode, the endurance can be extended at least one order longer than the case with a reversal of polarity. In addition, the introduction of the hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) multilayer leads to a low resistance drift and a high programming speed in a memory cell. The work represents a great technological advance for the low‐power PCRAM and can benefit in‐memory computing in the future.

This study investigated the feasibility of producing L-lactic acid (LA) from dry corn stalk (DCS) that was pretreated by ensiling by an anaerobic microbial community consisting of Bacillus coagulans, Lactobacillus fermentum, and Enterococcus durans. After 28 days of ensiling, the LA and acetic acid content in the microsilage was 2.04 ± 0.08% and 0.38 ± 0.01%, respectively, and the pH was 4.47 ± 0.13. Enterococcus and Lactobacillus became the dominant microbiota during the ensiling process. Twenty-eight-day-old microsilage was then subjected to fermentation by B. coagulans to produce LA in a simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation process. The enzymatic hydrolysis yield reached >96%. The maximal concentration of LA reached 18.54 ± 0.52 g/L with a substrate concentration of 5%, where the yield of LA was 0.31 ± 0.01 g/g DCS and the optical purity of the product LA was >97%. Anaerobic ensiling is viable for the pretreatment of biomass for the production of value-added chemicals.

Patient outcomes from the current clinical cancer therapy remain still far from satisfactory. However, in recent years, several biomedical discoveries and nanotechnological innovations have been made, so there is an impetus to combine these with conventional treatments to improve patient experience and disease prognosis. Ferroptosis, a term first coined in 2012, is an iron-dependent regulated cell death (RCD) based on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the consequent oxidization of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Many nanomaterials that can induce ferroptosis have been explored for applications in cancer therapy. In this review, we summarize the recent developments in ferroptosis-based nanomaterials for cancer therapy and discuss the future of ferroptosis, nanomedicine, and cancer therapy.

Multilayer hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a desirable dielectric substrate for 2D electronics but its controllable synthesis is challenging. Here, the authors report a vapor–liquid–solid growth method to achieve uniform multilayer hBN by using a molten Fe82B18 alloy and N2 as reactants.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials attracted widespread interest as unique and novel properties different from their bulk crystals, providing great potential for semiconductor devices and applications. Recently, the family of 2D materials has been expanded including but not limited to graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), transition metal carbides (TMCs), and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs). Metal-catalyzed chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is an effective method to achieve precise synthesis of these 2D materials. In this review, we focus on designing various binary alloys to realize controllable synthesis of multiple CVD-grown 2D materials and their heterostructures for both fundamental research and practical applications. Further investigations indicated that the design of the catalytic substrate is an important issue, which determines the morphology, domain size, thickness and quality of 2D materials and their heterostructures.

Conventional point cloud simplification algorithms have problems including nonuniform simplification, a deficient reflection of point cloud characteristics, unreasonable weight distribution, and high computational complexity. A simplification algorithm, namely, the multi-index weighting simplification algorithm (MIWSA), is proposed in this paper. First, the point cloud is organized with a bounding box and kd-trees to find the neighborhood of each point, and the points are divided into small segments. Second, the feature index of each point is calculated to indicate the characteristics of the points. Third, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and criteria importance through intercriteria correlation (CRITIC) are applied to weight these indexes to determine whether each point is a feature point. Fourth, non-feature points are judged as saved or abandoned according to their spatial relationship with the feature points. To verify the effect of the MIWSA, 3D model scanning datasets are calculated and analyzed, as well as field area scanning datasets. The accuracy for the 3D model scanning datasets is assessed by the surface area and patch numbers of the encapsulated surfaces, and that for field area scanning datasets is evaluated by the DEM error statistics. Compared with existing algorithms, the overall accuracy of the MIWSA is 5% to 15% better. Additionally, the running time is shorter than most. The experimental results illustrate that the MIWSA can simplify point clouds more precisely and uniformly.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI)-resistant renal cancer is highly susceptible to metastasis, and enhanced vascular permeability promotes the process of metastasis. To evaluate the effect of cancer-derived exosomes on vascular endothelial cells and clarify the mechanism of metastasis in TKI-resistant renal cancer, we studied the crosstalk between clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Exosomes from ccRCC cells enhanced the expression of vascular permeability-related proteins. Compared with sensitive strains, exosomes from resistant strains significantly enhanced vascular endothelial permeability, induced tumor angiogenesis and enhanced tumor lung metastasis in nude mice. The expression of miR-549a is lower in TKI-resistant cells and exosomes, which enhanced the expression of HIF1α in endothelial cells. In addition, TKI-resistant RCC cells reduced nuclear output of pre-miR-549a via the VEGFR2-ERK-XPO5 pathway, and reduced enrichment of mature miR-549a in cytoplasm, which in turn promoted HIF1α expression in RCC, leading to increased VEGF secretion and further activated VEGFR2 to form a feedback effect. miR-549a played an important role in the metastasis of renal cancer and might serve as a blood biomarker for ccRCC metastasis and even had the potential of becoming a new drug to inhibit TKI-resistance.

With the development of computer medical imaging technology, three-dimensional technology has been gradually applied in medicine. We try to investigate the application value of 3D technology in the preoperative evaluation of retroperitoneal tumors. The clinical data of 70 retroperitoneal tumor cases admitted to the clinical center were retrospectively analyzed. The preoperative abdominal CT images were converted to 3D images using XMQB liver 2.0 software. These 3D images were imported into XMQB-I human organ model 3D printing equipment, and physical models facilitate preoperative evaluation and surgical strategy. The reestablished models were compared with the actual conditions during the operation. 3D imaging was completed in all the 70 cases, containing 24 cases in the left abdominal cavity, 26 cases in the right abdominal cavity, 5 cases in the pelvic cavity, and 15 cases in the multi-sites. Also, 3D printing was successfully carried out in 20 cases. The 3D imaging and 3D printing models could stereoscopically, clearly and objectively display the spatial relationships of the tumor with surrounding organs and vessels. The operation was successfully performed on all the 70 cases without death during the preoperative period. 3D technology could accurately evaluate the retroperitoneal tumors at different positions before the operation, showing a certain value in making the preoperative strategy.

The challenge of eradicating cancer is that cancer cells possess diverse mechanisms to protect themselves from clinical strategies. Recently, ferroptosis has been shown to exhibit appreciable anti-tumor activity that could be harnessed for cancer therapy in the future. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death that is characterized by the oxidization of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and accumulation of lipid peroxides. Ferroptosis has been closely correlated with numerous biological processes, such as amino acid metabolism, glutathione metabolism, iron metabolism, and lipid metabolism, as well as key regulators including GPX4, FSP1, NRF2, and p53. Although ferroptosis could be involved in killing various cancer cells, multiple aspects of this phenomenon remain unresolved. In this review, we summarize the biochemistry and biology of ferroptosis in diverse cancers and discuss the potential mechanisms of ferroptosis, which might pave the way for guiding cancer therapeutics.

This paper presents an experimental and field investigation on the efficiency of plugging by pouring aggregate in different sequences through multiple boreholes in a tunnel with flowing water. There have been controversies surrounding the selection of the pouring order for different particle sizes of aggregates and the order in different boreholes. A visualized experimental setup is used to investigate the influence of the pouring orders on the efficiency of plugging through multiple boreholes under the flowing-water condition. A case study of the salvage of a flooded mine using ground directional boreholes was investigated and compared with the experimental results. The water-pressure difference at the aggregate-capping moment, when fine aggregate was poured first and coarse aggregate later, was relatively small, compared to that when fine aggregate was poured upstream and coarse aggregate, downstream. The result implies that the efficiency of plugging with the order of pouring fine aggregate first and coarse aggregate later in different boreholes is better than that with the order of pouring fine aggregate upstream and coarse aggregate downstream. When the poured aggregate is about to be capped, increasing the pouring intensity with the same or a larger particle size is more conducive to capping. The case study shows that pouring fine materials in the early stage reduced the cross-sectional area; in the later stage, the aggregate particle size was gradually increased, which can be helpful in forming an effective water-barrier section in the tunnel. The pouring of aggregate provided a base for cement grouting to form a water-plug section with a length of 106 m, resulting in a sealing efficiency of 100% for the case.

With the increasing demand for intelligent traffic management and road network intelligent information services, the vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) combined with information of air, space and ground have outstanding advantages in coverage, reliable transmission, and resource richness. Due to the characteristics of heterogeneous, numerous nodes, and frequent cross-network flow, the space–air–ground integrated network (SAGIN) puts forward higher requirements for security. This paper proposes a cross-regional node identity management architecture based on the hash chain, combined with radio frequency (RF) fingerprint theory, to guarantee node identity security with a non-duplicated physical information identity authentication mechanism. At the same time, the blockchain consensus mechanism is simplified to achieve block recording and verification. OMNet ++, SUMO, and Veins co-simulation platforms are used to generate transactions for cross-regional traffic flow. Based on the Hyperledger–Fabric architecture, Kafka and PBFT consensus algorithms are simulated. The simulation results show that the average delay of a single transaction generated block is about 0.9 ms, which achieves efficient and low-latency authentication.