Enhanced recovery after surgery in congenital duodenal obstruction

BACKGROUND

The present study aims to explore the clinical application of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in pediatric patients with congenital upper gastrointestinal obstruction (CUGIO).

METHODS

A total of 82 pediatric patients with CUGIO admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit in Kunming Children's Hospital between June 2017 and June 2021 were enrolled in the present study and divided into two groups: the ERAS group (n = 46) and the control group (n = 36). The ERAS management mode was adopted in the ERAS group, and the conventional perioperative management mode was adopted in the control group.

RESULTS

In the ERAS group and the control group, the time to the first postoperative bowel movement was 49.2 ± 16.6 h and 58.4 ± 18.8 h, respectively, and the time to the first postoperative feeding was 79 ± 7.1 h and 125.2 ± 8.3 h, respectively. The differences in the above two indicators between the two groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). In the ERAS group, the days of parenteral nutrition and the length of hospital stay were 14.5 ± 2.3 d and 18.8 ± 6.4 d, respectively. In the control group, 17.6 ± 2.2 d and 23.1 ± 8.1 d, respectively. The differences in these two indicators between the two groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The ERAS management model had a positive effect on early postoperative recovery in pediatric patients with CUGIO.

X3DFast model for classifying dairy cow behaviors based on a two-pathway architecture

Behavior is one of the important factors reflecting the health status of dairy cows, and when dairy cows encounter health problems, they exhibit different behavioral characteristics. Therefore, identifying dairy cow behavior not only helps in assessing their physiological health and disease treatment but also improves cow welfare, which is very important for the development of animal husbandry. The method of relying on human eyes to observe the behavior of dairy cows has problems such as high labor costs, high labor intensity, and high fatigue rates. Therefore, it is necessary to explore more effective technical means to identify cow behaviors more quickly and accurately and improve the intelligence level of dairy cow farming. Automatic recognition of dairy cow behavior has become a key technology for diagnosing dairy cow diseases, improving farm economic benefits and reducing animal elimination rates. Recently, deep learning for automated dairy cow behavior identification has become a research focus. However, in complex farming environments, dairy cow behaviors are characterized by multiscale features due to large scenes and long data collection distances. Traditional behavior recognition models cannot accurately recognize similar behavior features of dairy cows, such as those with similar visual characteristics, i.e., standing and walking. The behavior recognition method based on 3D convolution solves the problem of small visual feature differences in behavior recognition. However, due to the large number of model parameters, long inference time, and simple data background, it cannot meet the demand for real-time recognition of dairy cow behaviors in complex breeding environments. To address this, we developed an effective yet lightweight model for fast and accurate dairy cow behavior feature learning from video data. We focused on four common behaviors: standing, walking, lying, and mounting. We recorded videos of dairy cow behaviors at a dairy farm containing over one hundred cows using surveillance cameras. A robust model was built using a complex background dataset. We proposed a two-pathway X3DFast model based on spatiotemporal behavior features. The X3D and fast pathways were laterally connected to integrate spatial and temporal features. The X3D pathway extracted spatial features. The fast pathway with R(2 + 1)D convolution decomposed spatiotemporal features and transferred effective spatial features to the X3D pathway. An action model further enhanced X3D spatial modeling. Experiments showed that X3DFast achieved 98.49% top-1 accuracy, outperforming similar methods in identifying the four behaviors. The method we proposed can effectively identify similar dairy cow behaviors while improving inference speed, providing technical support for subsequent dairy cow behavior recognition and daily behavior statistics.

Research on the Performance of Self-Made Open-Cathode Fuel Cell Stacks under Different Operating Conditions

The traditional fuel cell power system requires external ventilation and humidification systems for both the anode and cathode, which not only increases the application cost but also restrict its widespread use. In order to further enhance the applicability and reduce the operating costs of fuel cell power systems, this paper investigates the open-cathode proton exchange membrane fuel cell power system. This approach not only lowers the cost but also reduces the weight of the power system, enabling its potential application in a wider range of vehicles. In this study, two versions of the open-cathode fuel cell stacks were developed and performance and stability tests were conducted under various operating conditions. Additionally, tests were carried out with different materials of carbon paper to find a balance between performance and stability. Through the research presented in this paper, the application scope of fuel cells has been expanded, providing valuable insights for their further development.

The significance of spread through air spaces in the prognostic assessment model of stage I lung adenocarcinoma and the exploration of its invasion mechanism

PURPOSE

Spread through air spaces (STAS) is a crucial invasive mode of lung cancer and has been shown to be associated with early recurrence and metastasis. We aimed to develop a prognostic risk assessment model for stage I lung adenocarcinoma based on STAS and other pathological features and to explore the potential relationship between CXCL-8, Smad2, Snail, and STAS.

METHODS

312 patients who underwent surgery at Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital with pathologically diagnosed stage I lung adenocarcinoma were reviewed in the study. STAS and other pathological features were identified by H&E staining, and a prognostic risk assessment model was established. The expression levels of CXCL8, Smad2, and Snail were determined by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

The nomogram was established based on age, smoking history, STAS, tumor lymphocyte infiltration, tissue subtype, nuclear grade, and tumor size. The C-index for DFS was (training set 0.84 vs validation set 0.77) and for OS was (training set 0.83 vs validation set 0.78). Decision curve analysis showed that the model constructed has a better net benefit than traditional reporting. The prognostic risk score validated the risk stratification value for stage I lung adenocarcinoma. STAS was an important prognostic factor associated with stronger invasiveness and higher expression of CXCL8, Smad2, and Snail. CXCL8 was associated with poorer DFS and OS.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed and validated a survival risk assessment model and the prognostic risk score formula for stage I lung adenocarcinoma. Additionally, we found that CXCL8 could be used as a potential biomarker for STAS and poor prognosis, and its mechanism may be related to EMT.

Research on Robot Grasping Based on Deep Learning for Real-Life Scenarios

The application of robots, especially robotic arms, has been primarily focused on the industrial sector due to their relatively low level of intelligence. However, the rapid development of deep learning has provided a powerful tool for conducting research on highly intelligent robots, thereby offering tremendous potential for the application of robotic arms in daily life scenarios. This paper investigates multi-object grasping in real-life scenarios. We first analyzed and improved the structural advantages and disadvantages of convolutional neural networks and residual networks from a theoretical perspective. We then constructed a hybrid grasping strategy prediction model, combining both networks for predicting multi-object grasping strategies. Finally, we deployed the trained model in the robot control system to validate its performance. The results demonstrate that both the model prediction accuracy and the success rate of robot grasping achieved by this study are leading in terms of performance.

CLDN6 Suppresses Migration and Invasion of MCF-7 and SKBR-3 Breast Cancer Cells by Blocking the SMAD/Snail/MMP-2/9 Axis

The study examined the mechanisms of action of signal protein claudin 6 (CLDN6) on migration and invasion of breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and SKBR-3. To this end, the signal proteins SMAD were blocked with their inhibitor SB431542, the genes CLDN6 and SNAIL were knocked down with short hairpin RNAs, and MMP2 and MMP9 were inhibited with TIMP-1. Expressions of MMP2 and MMP9 mRNAs were evaluated by reverse transcription PCR, Expressions of MMP-2, MMP-9, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and vimentin were examined by Western blotting. Migration and invasion were analyzed by scratch test and Matrigel invasion assay. SB431542 inhibited expression of MMP2 and MMP9 in both cell lines. Single use of SB431542 inhibited expression of MMP-2/MMP-9 and corresponding mRNAs, but subsequent silencing of CLDN6 gene reversed this effect. TIMP-1 reversed down-regulation of E-cadherin, upregulation of N-cadherin and vimentin, facilitation of migration and invasion evoked by CLDN6 knocking down. Silencing of SNAIL gene inhibited migration and invasion, upregulated the expression of E-cadherin, and down-regulated expression of MMP2, MMP 9, N-cadherin, and vimentin. Thus, CLDN6 suppresses the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, migration, and invasion via blocking SMAD/Snail/MMP-2/9 signaling pathway in MCF-7 and SKBR-3 cancer cell lines.

Boosting charge separation in graphdiyne quantum dots/hollow tubular carbon nitride heterojunction for water pollutant degradation

Non-desirable solar energy absorption and poor charge transfer efficiency are two problems that limit the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) photocatalytic techniques. Herein, a metal-free boron-doped graphdiyne quantum dot (BGDs) modified hollow tubular g-C₃N₄ photocatalyst (BGD/TCN) was synthesized to activate PMS and achieved effective space separation of carriers for degradation of bisphenol A. With 0.5 mM PMS, the degradation rate of bisphenol A (20 ppm) was 0.0634 min^-1, 3.7-fold higher than that of TCN itself. The roles of BGDs in the distribution of electrons and photocatalytic property were well identified by experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The possible degradation intermediate products of bisphenol A were monitored by mass spectrometer and demonstrated to be nontoxic using ecological structure activity relationship modeling (ECOSAR). Finally, this newly-designed material was successfully applied in actual water bodies, which further renders its promising prospect for actual water remediation.

Ultrasound activatable microneedles for bilaterally augmented sono-chemodynamic and sonothermal antibacterial therapy

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) employs Fenton catalysts to kill bacteria by converting hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) into toxic hydroxyl radical (•OH). Among them, Fenton-type metal peroxide nanoparticles fascinate nanomaterials with intriguing physiochemical properties, but research on this antibacterial agent is still in its infancy. Herein, a distinct CuO₂/TiO₂ heterostructure constituted of ultrasmall copper peroxide (CuO₂) nanoclusters and sonosensitized ultrathin oxygen vacancy-rich porous titanium oxide (OV-TiO₂) nanosheets was developed and was incorporated into microneedles for bilaterally augmented sono-chemodynamic and sonothermal antibacterial therapy. Engineering CuO₂ nanoclusters on the surface of TiO₂ nanosheets not only endows the Fenton catalytic activity for sono-chemodynamic therapy (SCDT), but also improves the sonodynamic and sonothermal performance of TiO₂ by narrowing the bandgap of TiO₂ and suppressing the recombination of electron-hole pairs. The high efficacy of this CuO₂/TiO₂ integrated microneedle (CTMN) patch was systematically demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo with the eliminating rate >99.9999% against multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens in 5 min as well as accelerated wound tissue healing. This work highlights a promisingly new and efficient strategy for the development of sonosensitive and chemoreactive nanomedicine for non-antibiotic therapies. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Feton-type metal peroxides, a novel nanomaterial with self-supplied oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, can achieve effective antimicrobial activity in vitro. However, there is a lack of effective nanomaterial delivery systems and suitable means for in vivo activation/enhancement of antimicrobial activity during bacterial infected skin wound treatment. In this study, we designed and prepared efficient ultrasound activable microneedles that effectively addressed the deficiencies mentioned above and established a new paradigm for efficient utilization of metal peroxide nanomaterials and ultrasound based strategies. Noticeably, copper peroxide nanoclusters/oxygen vacancy-rich porous titanium oxide nanosheets (CuO₂/TiO₂) integrated microneedle (CTMN) patch combines advantages of both sono-chemodynamic and sonothermal antibacterial therapy, achieving one of the most instant and effective antibacterial efficacy (>99.9999% in 5 min) in vivo reported till now.

Research on Intelligent Robot Point Cloud Grasping in Internet of Things

The development of Internet of Things (IoT) technology has enabled intelligent robots to have more sensing and decision-making capabilities, broadening the application areas of robots. Grasping operation is one of the basic tasks of intelligent robots, and vision-based robot grasping technology can enable robots to perform dexterous grasping. Compared with 2D images, 3D point clouds based on objects can generate more reasonable and stable grasping poses. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm structure based on the PointNet network to process object point cloud information. First, we use the T-Net network to align the point cloud to ensure its rotation invariance; then we use a multilayer perceptron to extract point cloud characteristics and use the symmetric function to get global features, while adding the point cloud characteristics attention mechanism to make the network more focused on the object local point cloud. Finally, a grasp quality evaluation network is proposed to evaluate the quality of the generated candidate grasp positions, and the grasp with the highest score is obtained. A grasping dataset is generated based on the YCB dataset to train the proposed network, which achieves excellent classification accuracy. The actual grasping experiments are carried out using the Baxter robot and compared with the existing methods; the proposed method achieves good grasping effect.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals a novel inhibitory effect of ApoA4 on NAFL mediated by liver-specific subsets of myeloid cells

The liver immune microenvironment is a key element in the development of hepatic inflammation in NAFLD. ApoA4 deficiency increases the hepatic lipid burden, insulin resistance, and metabolic inflammation. However, the effect of ApoA4 on liver immune cells and the precise immune cell subsets that exacerbate fatty liver remain elusive. The aim of this study was to profile the hepatic immune cells affected by ApoA4 in NAFL. We performed scRNA-seq on liver immune cells from WT and ApoA4-deficient mice administered a high-fat diet. Immunostaining and qRT-PCR analysis were used to validate the results of scRNA-seq. We identified 10 discrete immune cell populations comprising macrophages, DCs, granulocytes, B, T and NK&NKT cells and characterized their subsets, gene expression profiles, and functional modules. ApoA4 deficiency led to significant increases in the abundance of specific subsets, including inflammatory macrophages (2-Mφ-Cxcl9 and 4-Mφ-Cxcl2) and activated granulocytes (0-Gran-Wfdc17). Moreover, ApoA4 deficiency resulted in higher Lgals3, Ctss, Fcgr2b, Spp1, Cxcl2, and Elane levels and lower Nr4a1 levels in hepatic immune cells. These genes were consistent with human NAFLD-associated marker genes linked to disease severity. The expression of NE and IL-1β in granulocytes and macrophages as key ApoA4 targets were validate in the presence or absence of ApoA4 by immunostaining. The scRNA-seq data analyses revealed reprogramming of liver immune cells resulted from ApoA4 deficiency. We uncovered that the emergence of ApoA4-associated immune subsets (namely Cxcl9+ macrophage, Cxcl2+ macrophage and Wfdc17+ granulocyte), pathways, and NAFLD-related marker genes may promote the development of NAFL. These findings may provide novel therapeutic targets for NAFL and the foundations for further studying the effects of ApoA4 on immune cells in various diseases.

A Siamese Vision Transformer for Bearings Fault Diagnosis

Fault diagnosis methods based on deep learning have progressed greatly in recent years. However, the limited training data and complex work conditions still restrict the application of these intelligent methods. This paper proposes an intelligent bearing fault diagnosis method, i.e., Siamese Vision Transformer, suiting limited training data and complex work conditions. The Siamese Vision Transformer, combining Siamese network and Vision Transformer, is designed to efficiently extract the feature vectors of input samples in high-level space and complete the classification of the fault. In addition, a new loss function combining the Kullback-Liebler divergence both directions is proposed to improve the performance of the proposed model. Furthermore, a new training strategy termed random mask is designed to enhance input data diversity. A comparative test is conducted on the Case Western Reserve University bearing dataset and Paderborn dataset and our method achieves reasonably high accuracy with limited data and satisfactory generation capability for cross-domain tasks.

Ultrathin Graphdiyne/Graphene Heterostructure as a Robust Electrochemical Sensing Platform

Graphdiyne (GDY) has been considered as an appealing electrode material for electrochemical sensing because of its alkyne-rich structure and high degrees of π-conjugation, which shows great affinity to heavy metal ions and pollutant molecules via d-π and π-π interactions. However, the low surface area and poor conductivity of bulk GDY limit its electrochemical performance. Herein, a two-dimensional ultrathin GDY/graphene (GDY/G) nanostructure was synthesized and used as an electrode material for electrochemical sensing. Graphene plays the role of an epitaxy template for few-layered GDY growth and conductive layers. The formed few-layered GDY with a high surface area possesses abundant affinity sites toward heavy metal ions (Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺) and toxic molecules, for example, nitrobenzene and 4-nitrophenol, via d-π and π-π interactions, respectively. Moreover, hemin as a key part of the enzyme catalytic motif was immobilized on GDY/G via π-π interactions. The artificial enzyme mimic hemin/GDY/G-modified electrode exhibited promising ascorbic acid and uric acid detection performance with excellent sensitivity and selectivity, a good linear range, and reproducibility. More importantly, real sample detection and the feasibility of this electrochemical sensor as a wearable biosensor were demonstrated.

Computation-accelerated discovery of the K2NiF4-type oxyhydrides combing density functional theory and machine learning approach

The emerging K₂NiF₄-type oxyhydrides with unique hydride ions (H⁻) and O^2- coexisting in the anion sublattice offer superior functionalities for numerous applications. However, the exploration and innovations of the oxyhydrides are challenged by their rarity as a limited number of compounds reported in experiments, owing to the stringent laboratory conditions. Herein, we employed a suite of computations involving ab initio methods, informatics and machine learning to investigate the stability relationship of the K₂NiF₄-type oxyhydrides. The comprehensive stability map of the oxyhydrides chemical space was constructed to identify 76 new compounds with good thermodynamic stabilities using the high-throughput computations. Based on the established database, we reveal geometric constraints and electronegativities of cationic elements as significant factors governing the oxyhydrides stabilities via informatics tools. Besides fixed stoichiometry compounds, mixed-cation oxyhydrides can provide promising properties due to the enhancement of compositional tunability. However, the exploration of the mixed compounds is hindered by their huge quantity and the rarity of stable oxyhydrides. Therefore, we propose a two-step machine learning workflow consisting of a simple transfer learning to discover 114 formable oxyhydrides from thousands of unknown mixed compositions. The predicted high H⁻ conductivities of the representative oxyhydrides indicate their suitability as energy conversion materials. Our study provides an insight into the oxyhydrides chemistry which is applicable to other mixed-anion systems, and demonstrates an efficient computational paradigm for other materials design applications, which are challenged by the unavailable and highly unbalanced materials database.

[Factors analysis of worsening renal function in patients with acute right ventricular myocardial infarction during hospitalization]

Objective: To analyze the related factors of worsening renal function (WRF) in patients with acute right ventricular myocardial infarction (RVMI) during hospitalization. Methods: A total of 98 patients with acute RVMI admitted to the emergency comprehensive ward of Beijing Anzhen Hospital from August 2011 to January 2020 were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. According to the situation of WRF, the patients were divided into non-WRF group (76 cases) and WRF group (22 cases). WRF was defined as ≥0.3 mg/dL increase in serum creatinine level from baseline on day 6 of hospitalization (if hospital stay<6 days, it was at discharge). Baseline data, intravenous fluid infusion, diuretic and significant positive balance of patients' intake and output volume [any 24 h intakes and outputs ≥1 000 ml or any consecutive 72 h intakes and outputs ≥2 000 ml within 6 d of hospitalization (if hospitalization<6 d, it was from admission to discharge)] were obtained, and the differences of above indicators between the two groups were analyzed. Multiple logistic regression model was used to analyze the related factors of WRF. Results: The ages of patients in WRF group and non-WRF group were 60 (50, 68) and 63 (52, 72) years, and the male proportions were 63.6% (14 cases) and 76.3% (58 cases), respectively, and there was no significant difference (all P>0.05). The proportion of positive balance was 31.8% (7 cases) in WRF group, which was higher than 14.5% (11 cases) in non-WRF group (P=0.034). The rate of loop diuretic use in WRF group was 4.5% (1 case), lower than that in non-WRF group 10.5% (8 cases) (P=0.027). After adjusting for age, sex, baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), preoperative isoproterenol/temporary pacemaker/atropine use, significant positive balance of intake and output volume, and loop diuretic use, it was found that eGFR≥60 ml·min^-1·1.73 m^-2 and significant positive balance were associated with WRF, the OR (95%CI) were 0.71 (0.62-0.86) and 1.21 (1.02-1.43) (both P<0.05); After eliminating the variable of significant positive balance in the above model, loop diuretic use was found to be a correlation factor for WRF, with an OR (95%CI) of 0.89 (0.72-0.97) (P<0.05). Conclusions: Significant positive balance of intake and output volume during hospitalization in patients with acute RVMI is a risk factor for WRF on day 6 or at discharge. In the presence of a significant positive balance, loop diuretic use is a protective factor for WRF.

Nonmetal Graphdiyne Nanozyme-Based Ferroptosis-Apoptosis Strategy for Colon Cancer Therapy

Ferroptosis-apoptosis, a new modality of induced cell death dependent on reactive oxygen species, has drawn tremendous attention in the field of nanomedicine. A metal-free ferroptosis-apoptosis inducer was reported based on boron and nitrogen codoped graphdiyne (BN-GDY) that possesses efficient glutathione (GSH) depletion capability and concurrently induces ferroptosis by deactivation of GSH-dependent peroxidases 4 (GPX4) and apoptosis by downregulation of Bcl2. The high catalytic activity of BN-GDY is explicated by both kinetic experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations of Gibbs free energy change during hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) decomposition. In addition, a unique sequence Bi-Bi mechanism is discovered, which is distinct from the commonly reported ping-pong Bi-Bi mechanism of most peroxidase mimics and natural enzymes. We anticipate that this nonmetal ferroptosis-apoptosis therapeutic concept by carbon-based nanomaterials would provide proof-of-concept evidence for nanocatalytic medicines in cancer therapy.

Piezoelectric Activatable Nanozyme-Based Skin Patch for Rapid Wound Disinfection

Nanozymes are promising new-generation antibacterial agents owing to their low cost, high stability, broad-spectrum activity, and minimal antimicrobial resistance. However, the inherent low catalytic activity of nanozymes tends to limit their antibacterial efficacy. Herein, a heterostructure of zinc oxide nanorod@graphdiyne nanosheets (ZnO@GDY NR) with unparallel piezocatalytic enzyme mimic activity is reported, which concurrently possesses intrinsic peroxidase-like activity and strong piezoelectric responses and effectively promotes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and generation of reactive oxygen species under ultrasound irradiation. Moreover, this piezocatalytic nanozyme exhibits almost 100% antibacterial efficacy against multidrug-resistant pathogens involving methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro and in vivo. In addition, a piezoelectric activatable nanozyme-based skin patch is developed for rapid skin wound disinfections with satisfactory hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility. This work not only sheds light on the development of an innovative piezoelectric activatable nanozyme-based skin patch for rapid wound disinfection but also provides new insights on the engineering of piezocatalytic nanozymes for nanozyme antibacterial therapy.

Airway Macrophages Encompass Transcriptionally and Functionally Distinct Subsets Altered by Smoking

Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are functionally important innate cells involved in lung homeostasis and immunity and whose diversity in health and disease is a subject of intense investigations. Yet, it remains unclear to what extent conditions like smoking or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) trigger changes in the AM compartment. Here, we aimed to explore heterogeneity of human AMs isolated from healthy nonsmokers, smokers without COPD, and smokers with COPD by analyzing BAL fluid cells by flow cytometry and bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing. We found that subpopulations of BAL fluid CD206⁺ macrophages could be distinguished based on their degree of autofluorescence in each subject analyzed. CD206⁺ autofluorescent^high AMs were identified as classical, self-proliferative AM, whereas autofluorescent^low AMs were expressing both monocyte and classical AM-related genes, supportive of a monocytic origin. Of note, monocyte-derived autofluorescent^low AMs exhibited a functionally distinct immunoregulatory profile, including the ability to secrete the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10. Interestingly, single-cell RNA-sequencing analyses showed that transcriptionally distinct clusters of classical and monocyte-derived AM were uniquely enriched in smokers with and without COPD as compared with healthy nonsmokers. Of note, such smoking-associated clusters exhibited gene signatures enriched in detoxification, oxidative stress, and proinflammatory responses. Our study independently confirms previous reports supporting that monocyte-derived macrophages coexist with classical AM in the airways of healthy subjects and patients with COPD and identifies smoking-associated changes in the AM compartment that may favor COPD initiation or progression.

AuAg nanocages/graphdiyne for rapid elimination and detection of trace pathogenic bacteria

We prepared a biocompatible AuAg nanocages/graphdiyne @ polyethylene glycol (AuAg/GDY@PEG) composite. The combination of AuAg and GDY to obtain a synergistically enhanced photothermal effect, and the antibacterial effect of GDY and AuAg are used in combined anti-infective therapy. The in vitro antibacterial activity of AuAg/GDY@PEG was investigated, showing an impressive broad-spectrum antibacterial activity with the killing rate > 99.999%. Based on the photothermal conversion ability of AuAg/GDY@PEG, a simple photothermal immunoassay for pathogenic bacteria was successfully established. Sandwich immune response was performed on a microporous plate, the microplate containing the antibody binds specifically to the bacterium being tested, which then binds to the material with the antibody on its surface, and the signal was a change in temperature under 808 nm near-infrared light. The limit of detection (LOD) for S. typhimurium detection is 10³ CFU mL^-1, with a range of 10³-10⁷ CFU mL^-1. This method is accurate, rapid and low-cost, which can be used for on-site detection of pathogenic bacteria in food.

Silver Peroxide Nanoparticles for Combined Antibacterial Sonodynamic and Photothermal Therapy

Metal peroxide nanoparticles designed to elevate the oxidative stress are considered a promising nanotherapeutics in biomedical applications, including chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, and bacterial disinfection. However, their lack of specificity towards the therapeutic target can cause toxic side effects to healthy tissues. Here, silver peroxide nanoparticles (Ag₂ O₂ NPs) capable of controlled reactive oxygen species (ROS) release are synthesized. The release of bactericidal Ag⁺ ions and ROS is strictly regulated by external stimuli of ultrasound (US) and near-infrared (NIR) light. In vitro and in vivo investigations show that the Ag₂ O₂ NPs present enhanced antibacterial and antibiofilm capabilities with a killing efficiency >99.9999% in 10 min, significantly accelerate multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus infected skin wound closure with excellent cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility. This work not only provides the first paradigm for fabricating silver peroxide nanoparticle but also introduces a highly efficient noninvasive and safe therapeutic modality for combating bacterial infectious diseases.

Highly dispersed Co-N-RGO electrocatalyst based on interconnected-hierarchical pore framework for Proton exchange membrane fuel cell

It is a grand challenge to develop non-noble metal based oxygen reduction (ORR) catalysts with relatively high activity and stability for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Herein, zeolitic imidazolate...

Target Classification Method of Tactile Perception Data with Deep Learning

In order to improve the accuracy of manipulator operation, it is necessary to install a tactile sensor on the manipulator to obtain tactile information and accurately classify a target. However, with the increase in the uncertainty and complexity of tactile sensing data characteristics, and the continuous development of tactile sensors, typical machine-learning algorithms often cannot solve the problem of target classification of pure tactile data. Here, we propose a new model by combining a convolutional neural network and a residual network, named ResNet10-v1. We optimized the convolutional kernel, hyperparameters, and loss function of the model, and further improved the accuracy of target classification through the K-means clustering method. We verified the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method through a large number of experiments. We expect to further improve the generalization ability of this method and provide an important reference for the research in the field of tactile perception classification.

Object Detection Method for Grasping Robot Based on Improved YOLOv5

In the industrial field, the anthropomorphism of grasping robots is the trend of future development, however, the basic vision technology adopted by the grasping robot at this stage has problems such as inaccurate positioning and low recognition efficiency. Based on this practical problem, in order to achieve more accurate positioning and recognition of objects, an object detection method for grasping robot based on improved YOLOv5 was proposed in this paper. Firstly, the robot object detection platform was designed, and the wooden block image data set is being proposed. Secondly, the Eye-In-Hand calibration method was used to obtain the relative three-dimensional pose of the object. Then the network pruning method was used to optimize the YOLOv5 model from the two dimensions of network depth and network width. Finally, the hyper parameter optimization was carried out. The simulation results show that the improved YOLOv5 network proposed in this paper has better object detection performance. The specific performance is that the recognition precision, recall, mAP value and F1 score are 99.35%, 99.38%, 99.43% and 99.41% respectively. Compared with the original YOLOv5s, YOLOv5m and YOLOv5l models, the mAP of the YOLOv5_ours model has increased by 1.12%, 1.2% and 1.27%, respectively, and the scale of the model has been reduced by 10.71%, 70.93% and 86.84%, respectively. The object detection experiment has verified the feasibility of the method proposed in this paper.

[Circulating tumor cells in the diagnosis and treatment of early and advanced prostate cancer]

Circulating tumor cells (CTC) are tumor cells that escape from the primary or metastatic tumor into the circulatory system, and closely related to cancer metastasis. Since the samples can be obtained through simple and minimally invasive blood sampling operations, CTCs have a great clinical potential. PCa is one of the most common malignant tumors in men. In recent years, many scholars have conducted studies as to whether CTC technology can be used for the diagnosis and treatment of PCa, as well as for more accurate prediction of the risk of progression. This article summarizes the advances in researches relating CTC technology and the diagnosis and treatment of PCa. CTC detection has been developed from simple counting to phenotypic classification, and even to its combination with the determination of the expressions of specific genes (such as AR, AR-V7, etc.) and single-cell sequencing. Some reports showed that CTC technology has a certain significance in the early diagnosis of PCa, but its main value is demonstrated in drug sensitivity and prognosis evaluation in the late stage of the malignancy. The standardized detection methods and reference values of CTCs in PCa will be important research orientations in the near future.

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality.

METHODS

We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung's disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis.

FINDINGS

We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung's disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middle-income countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36-39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3-3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in low-income countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88-4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59-2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04-1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4-5 vs ASA 1-2, 1·82 [1·40-2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1-2, 1·58, [1·30-1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02-1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41-2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05-1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47-0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50-0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48-1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality.

INTERPRETATION

Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030.

FUNDING

Wellcome Trust.

Real-time motion tracking of cognitive Baxter robot based on differential inverse kinematics

The tracking motion of the robot is realized based on a specific robot or relying on an expensive movement acquisition system. It has the problems of complex control procedures, lack of real-time performance, and difficulty in achieving secondary development. We propose a robot real-time tracking control method based on the control principle of differential inverse kinematics, which fuses the position and joint angle information of the robot’s actuators to realize the real-time estimation of the user’s movement during the tracking process. The motion coordinates of each joint of the robot are calculated and the coordinate conversion between man and machine is realized with the combination of the Kinect sensor and the robot operating system. We have demonstrated the robustness and accuracy of the tracking method through the real-time tracking experiment of the Baxter robot. Our research has a wide range of application value, such as automatic target recognition, demonstration teaching, and so on. It provides an important reference for the research in the field of cognitive robots.

Pomegranate-Like CuO2@SiO2 Nanospheres as H2O2 Self-Supplying and Robust Oxygen Generators for Enhanced Antibacterial Activity

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced nanosystems represent one of the most essential, efficient, and encouraging nanobactericides for eliminating bacterial infection concerning the increasing resistance threats of existing antibiotics. Among them, Fenton-type metal peroxide nanoparticles are exciting nanomaterials with intriguing physiochemical properties, yet the study of this antimicrobial agent is still in its infancy. Herein, a robust pH-responsive Fenton nanosystem is constructed by the assembly of copper peroxide nanodots in pomegranate-like mesoporous silica nanoshells (CuO₂@SiO₂) that are capable of self-supplying H₂O₂ and sustainably generating O₂. The enhanced antimicrobial performance is attributed to the pH responsiveness and excellent Fenton catalytic activity through either the Cu²⁺-catalyzed conversion of H₂O₂ to detrimental ROS under acid treatment or in situ O₂ evolution in neutral media. Moreover, in vitro and in vivo investigations demonstrate that this nanocomposite can exhibit boosted antimicrobial capabilities and can significantly accelerate skin wound closure, while retaining outstanding cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility. Given its excellent physicochemical and antimicrobial properties, the broad application of this nanocomposite in bacteria-associated wound management is anticipated.

PM2.5 exposure induces alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis and causes emphysema through p53/Siva-1

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate whether PM2.5 exposure is involved in the induction of alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis and the progression of emphysema in mice, and to further explore its specific molecular mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A certain number of PM2.5 exposed mice and normal control mice were selected, and a lung resection operation was performed to collect the pulmonary tissue samples, which were then analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining assay. Subsequently, the total protein in the pulmonary tissues of mice in PM2.5 exposure group and control group was extracted, and the p53 protein level was detected by Western blot. Meanwhile, in A549 cells, after treatment of different doses of PM2.5, the protein levels of p53, caspase3, and clv-caspase3 were examined by Western blot while the mRNA levels of p53, Siva-1, and clv-caspase3 were detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR), respectively. In addition, flow cytometry was carried out to measure the incidence of cell apoptosis, while chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay was performed to verify whether p53 binds to the Siva-1 promoter region and thus regulates its transcription process.

RESULTS

H&E staining revealed that PM2.5 exposure caused pathological damage in the pulmonary tissues and the expansion of the spatial structure of alveoli, which led to emphysema in mice. Moreover, p53 protein expression in pulmonary tissue of mice in PM2.5 exposure group was remarkably higher than that in the control group. Subsequently, A549 cells were treated with 0, 25, 50, 100 μg/ml PM2.5 for 48 h, and it was found that, with the increase of PM2.5 exposure dose, the p53 protein level, Siva-1 mRNA level and cell apoptosis rate were all found increased in a dose-dependent manner, which could be partially reversed by transfection of si-p53 in A549 cells. In addition, CHIP experiments confirmed that p53 can bind to the Siva-1 promoter region and directly regulate Siva-1 transcription. In A549 cells, PM2.5 exposure increased the expression of the clv-caspase3 protein, which was reversed by the knockdown of p53; however, simultaneous overexpression of Siva-1 could further increase the clv-caspase3 protein level. Additionally, flow cytometry also revealed that PM2.5 exposure induced apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells, while the knockdown of p53 reduced that, which could be promoted by the overexpression of Siva-1.

CONCLUSIONS

PM2.5 exposure can promote the transcription of Siva-1 to induce apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells and accelerate the progression of emphysema in mice by enhancing p53 protein expression.

The lncRNA Snhg1-Vps13D vesicle trafficking system promotes memory CD8 T cell establishment via regulating the dual effects of IL-7 signaling

The efficient induction and long-term persistence of pathogen-specific memory CD8 T cells are pivotal to rapidly curb the reinfection. Recent studies indicated that long-noncoding RNAs expression is highly cell- and stage-specific during T cell development and differentiation, suggesting their potential roles in T cell programs. However, the key lncRNAs playing crucial roles in memory CD8 T cell establishment remain to be clarified. Through CD8 T cell subsets profiling of lncRNAs, this study found a key lncRNA-Snhg1 with the conserved naive^hi-effector^lo-memory^hi expression pattern in CD8 T cells of both mice and human, that can promote memory formation while impeding effector CD8 in acute viral infection. Further, Snhg1 was found interacting with the conserved vesicle trafficking protein Vps13D to promote IL-7Rα membrane location specifically. With the deep mechanism probing, the results show Snhg1-Vps13D regulated IL-7 signaling with its dual effects in memory CD8 generation, which not just because of the sustaining role of STAT5-BCL-2 axis for memory survival, but more through the STAT3-TCF1-Blimp1 axis for transcriptional launch program of memory differentiation. Moreover, we performed further study with finding a similar high-low-high expression pattern of human SNHG1/VPS13D/IL7R/TCF7 in CD8 T cell subsets from PBMC samples of the convalescent COVID-19 patients. The central role of Snhg1-Vps13D-IL-7R-TCF1 axis in memory CD8 establishment makes it a potential target for improving the vaccination effects to control the ongoing pandemic.

The lncRNA Snhg1-Vps13D vesicle trafficking system promotes memory CD8 T cell establishment via regulating the dual effects of IL-7 signaling

The efficient induction and long-term persistence of pathogen-specific memory CD8 T cells are pivotal to rapidly curb the reinfection. Recent studies indicated that long-noncoding RNAs expression is highly cell- and stage-specific during T cell development and differentiation, suggesting their potential roles in T cell programs. However, the key lncRNAs playing crucial roles in memory CD8 T cell establishment remain to be clarified. Through CD8 T cell subsets profiling of lncRNAs, this study found a key lncRNA-Snhg1 with the conserved naivehi-effectorlo-memoryhi expression pattern in CD8 T cells of both mice and human, that can promote memory formation while impeding effector CD8 in acute viral infection. Further, Snhg1 was found interacting with the conserved vesicle trafficking protein Vps13D to promote IL-7Rα membrane location specifically. With the deep mechanism probing, the results show Snhg1-Vps13D regulated IL-7 signaling with its dual effects in memory CD8 generation, which not just because of the sustaining role of STAT5-BCL-2 axis for memory survival, but more through the STAT3-TCF1-Blimp1 axis for transcriptional launch program of memory differentiation. Moreover, we performed further study with finding a similar high-low-high expression pattern of human SNHG1/VPS13D/IL7R/TCF7 in CD8 T cell subsets from PBMC samples of the convalescent COVID-19 patients. The central role of Snhg1-Vps13D-IL-7R-TCF1 axis in memory CD8 establishment makes it a potential target for improving the vaccination effects to control the ongoing pandemic.

Loss of the Transfer RNA Wobble Uridine-Modifying Enzyme Elp3 Delays T Cell Cycle Entry and Impairs T Follicular Helper Cell Responses through Deregulation of Atf4

The activation of T cells is accompanied by intensive posttranscriptional remodeling of their proteome. We observed that protein expression of enzymes that modify wobble uridine in specific tRNAs, namely elongator subunit 3 (Elp3) and cytosolic thiouridylase (Ctu)2, increased in the course of T cell activation. To investigate the role of these tRNA epitranscriptomic modifiers in T cell biology, we generated mice deficient for Elp3 in T cells. We show that deletion of Elp3 has discrete effects on T cells. In vitro, Elp3-deficient naive CD4⁺ T cells polarize normally but are delayed in entering the first cell cycle following activation. In vivo, different models of immunization revealed that Elp3-deficient T cells display reduced expansion, resulting in functional impairment of T follicular helper (TFH) responses, but not of other CD4⁺ effector T cell responses. Transcriptomic analyses identified a progressive overactivation of the stress-responsive transcription factor Atf4 in Elp3-deficient T cells. Overexpression of Atf4 in wild-type T cells phenocopies the effect of Elp3 loss on T cell cycle entry and TFH cell responses. Reciprocally, partial silencing of Atf4 or deletion of its downstream effector transcription factor Chop rescues TFH responses of Elp3-deficient T cells. Together, our results reveal that specific epitranscriptomic tRNA modifications contribute to T cell cycle entry and promote optimal TFH responses.

Subsequent monitoring of ferric ion and ascorbic acid using graphdiyne quantum dots-based optical sensors

Graphdiyne (GDY) as an emerging carbon nanomaterial has attracted increasing attention because of its uniformly distributed pores, highly π-conjugated, and tunable electronic properties. These excellent characteristics have been widely explored in the fields of energy storage and catalysts, yet there is no report on the development of sensors based on the outstanding optical property of GDY. In this paper, a new sensing mechanism is reported built upon the synergistic effect between inner filter effect and photoinduced electron transfer. We constructed a novel nanosensor based upon the newly-synthesized nanomaterial and demonstrated a sensitive and selective detection for both Fe³⁺ ion and ascorbic acid, enabling the measurements in real clinical samples. For the first time fluorescent graphdiyne oxide quantum dots (GDYO-QDs) were prepared using a facile ultrasonic protocol and they were characterized with a range of techniques, showing a strong blue-green emission with 14.6% quantum yield. The emission is quenched efficiently by Fe³⁺ and recovered by ascorbic acid (AA). We have fabricated an off/on fluorescent nanosensors based on this unique property. The nanosensors are able to detect Fe³⁺ as low as 95 nmol L^-1 with a promising dynamic range from 0.25 to 200 μmol L^-1. The LOD of AA was 2.5 μmol L^-1, with range of 10-500 μmol L^-1. It showed a promising capability to detect Fe³⁺ and AA in serum samples. Graphical abstract.

[Influenza virus activates toll-like receptor 7/nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway to regulate airway inflammatory response in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases]

Objective: To explore how influenza A virus (IAV) regulates airway inflammation via activating Toll-like receptor 7(TLR7)/nuclear factor of κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Primary bronchial epithelial cells were isolated and cultured from normal controls and COPD patients. Samples were divided into 6 groups according to different in vitro treatment, including normal epithelial cell group (A), normal cells+IAV group (B), COPD epithelial cell group (C), COPD cells+IAV group (D), normal cells+TLR7 small interference RNA (si-RNA) group (E), COPD cells+TLR7 siRNA group (F). Protein expressions of TLR7 and NF-κB were detected by Western blot after 24h co-culture with IAV and TLR7 siRNA. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF α) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: (1) Compared with group A [0.350±0.075 and 0.470±0.034, (53.000±6.532)pg/ml and (17.000±1.625)pg/ml],TLR7, NF-κB protein expression and IL-6, TNF α levels were significantly increased in group B[0.950±0.075 and 1.090±0.078,(185.000±7.874)pg/ml and (32.000±0.838)pg/ml], group C[0.780±0.056 and 0.910±0.045,(138.000±5.100)pg/ml and 29.000±1.323)pg/ml) and group D[1.280±0.031 and 1.540±0.051,(432.000±5.734)pg/ml and (52.000±3.453)pg/ml] (all P<0.01). Compared with group C TLR7, NF-κB protein expression and IL-6, TNF α levels were significantly increased in group D (P<0.01). (2) Compared with the group A[0.530±0.023 and 0.800±0.046,(51.000±0.327)pg/ml and (14.000±0.314)pg/ml], TLR7, NF-κB protein expression and IL-6, TNF α levels were significantly decreased in the group E[0.350±0.047 and 0.510±0.067,(26.000±1.081)pg/ml and(8.000±0.526)pg/ml] (P<0.05). Compared with group C[1.080±0.078 and 1.280±0.034,(125.000±2.249)pg/ml and (28.000±1.010)pg/ml], TLR7, NF-κB protein expression and IL-6, TNF α levels decreased in the group F[0.880±0.056 and 1.040±0.029,(83.000±1.125)pg/ml and (21.000±0.429)pg/ml] (P<0.05). Conclusion: Influenza viruses activate TLR7/NF-κB signaling pathway to regulate airway inflammation storms in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD. New therapeutic targets of acute exacerbation COPD may be studied based on these inflammation responses to influenza viruses.

Antibacterial Activity of Graphdiyne and Graphdiyne Oxide

From manufacture to disposal, the interaction of graphdiyne based nanomaterials with living organisms is inevitable and crucial. However, the cytotoxic properties of this novel carbon nanomaterial are rarely investigated, and the mechanisms behind their cytotoxicity are totally unknown. In this study, the antibacterial activity of graphdiyne (GDY) and graphdiyne oxide (GDYO) is reported. GDY is capable of inhibiting broad-spectrum bacterial growth while exerting moderate cytotoxicity on mammalian cells. In comparison, GDYO exhibits lower antibacterial activity than that of GDY. Then an alterable, synergetic antibacterial mechanism of GDY, involving wrapping bacterial membrane, membrane insertion and disruption, and reactive oxygen species generation is demonstrated, while the differential gene expression analysis indicates that GDY could only alter the bacterial metabolism slightly and the oxidative stress route may be a minor bactericidal factor. The investigation of the antibacterial behaviors of GDY based nanomaterials may provide useful guidelines for the future design and application of this novel molecular allotrope of carbon.

Olfactory co-receptor is involved in host recognition and oviposition in Ophraella communa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) is a notorious invasive weed that has spread across most temperate regions of the world. The beetle (Ophraella communa) is considered to be an effective control agent against A. artemisiifolia. As an oligophagous insect, its olfactory system is extremely important for host seeking in the wild. To the best of our knowledge, there is no report on the molecular mechanisms underlying olfaction recognition in this beetle. Hence, in this study, we characterized the odorant receptor co-receptor of O. communa and named it as 'OcomORco'. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that, compared to the control treatment, RNA interference (RNAi) strongly reduced the expression of OcomORco by 89% in male and 90% in female beetles. Electroantennogram assay showed that the antennal response of both male and female beetles to four volatiles of A. artemisiifolia was significantly reduced. The injected male or female beetles lost their preference for plant leaves as observed in the behavioural tests. In addition, disruption of the expression of OcomORco resulted in a reduction of oviposition, while there was no difference in larval hatching rate between control and knockdown females. We demonstrated that OcomORco plays a vital role in olfactory perception and host search in O. communa, and it is involved in oviposition in an indirect way.

The LncRNA Snhg1 is Essential for Memory CD8 T Cell Establishment

The efficient induction and long-term persistence of pathogen-specific memory CD8 T cells are pivotal to rapidly curb the reinfection. Recent evidence indicates that lncRNAs possess higher lineage and stage specificity than mRNAs in T cell development, differentiation and function. However, the pivotal lncRNAs regulating CD8 T cell differentiation remain largely unclear. Through profiling of CD8 T cell lineages in this study, the lncRNA Snhg1 with the conserved on-off-on expression pattern in naïve-effector-memory CD8 T cells from mouse to human, is found to be required for memory CD8 T cell generation. Further, Snhg1 is found interacting with the highly conserved vesicle trafficking protein Vps13D to facilitate IL-7Rα membrane location specifically. IL-7 has been reported to sustain memory survival through STAT5-BCL2 axis, but whether IL-7 can directly promote memory differentiation remain cloudy. In this research, Snhg1/Vps13D depletion impair memory formation through IL-7-STAT3-TCF1-Blimp1 axis. Whether TCF-1 is induced by canonical Wnt-β-Catenin signaling in memory CD8 generation remain controversial. This work finds gene Tcf7 is regulated by direct binding of p-STAT3 in CD8 stimulated with IL-7. Furthermore, TCF-1 is found promoting memory with blocking effector mainly through impeding Prdm1 expression directly to balance Blimp1-BCL6 and Blimp1-ID3 axis. Thus, this study proposes a model for lncRNA as critical factor that couples membrane trafficking of cytokine receptor with transcriptional induction to promote memory CD8 T cell establishment.

A general method to synthesize and sinter bulk ceramics in seconds

Ceramics are an important class of materials with widespread applications because of their high thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability. Computational predictions based on first principles methods can be a valuable tool in accelerating materials discovery to develop improved ceramics. It is essential to experimentally confirm the material properties of such predictions. However, materials screening rates are limited by the long processing times and the poor compositional control from volatile element loss in conventional ceramic sintering techniques. To overcome these limitations, we developed an ultrafast high-temperature sintering (UHS) process for the fabrication of ceramic materials by radiative heating under an inert atmosphere. We provide several examples of the UHS process to demonstrate its potential utility and applications, including advancements in solid-state electrolytes, multicomponent structures, and high-throughput materials screening.

Reverse flotation efficiency and mechanism of various collectors for recycling waste printed circuit boards

Reverse flotation was used to recover metal components from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs). The micro-morphology and chemical composition analysis of raw materials indicated that waste PCBs are mainly composed of glass fibers, ceramics and valuable metals. The effects of collector dosage and temperature on flotation efficiency were investigated and evaluated. The flotation results using various collectors showed that the efficient recovery of metal components could be achieved via reverse flotation with the diesel oil (DO) dosage of 370-1110 g/t, composite collector (CC) dosage of 370-740 g/t and laurylamine (LAM) dosage of 740 g/t, respectively. The suitable temperature should be controlled at around 20 °C for these collectors. The results also indicated that the selectivity of DO for nonmetal particles was stronger than that of CC and LAM. In summary, reverse flotation is a feasible and environmental approach for disposal of waste PCBs.