Research on optimization algorithms for localization and capacity determination of chargers considering the spatiotemporal distribution of electric vehicles.

The optimized layout of electric vehicle (EV) chargers is not only crucial for users' convenience but also a key element in urban sustainable development, energy transition, and the promotion of new energy vehicles. In order to provide a basis for the problem of localization and capacity determination of chargers and compare the merits of several mainstream algorithms, this paper first establishes an optimization model with the objective of minimizing the total investment cost of all the chargers and the constraint of meeting the charging demands of all electric vehicles. Optimizations were performed using genetic algorithm (GA), surrogate optimization algorithm (SOA), and mixed integer linear programming (MILP) algorithm, respectively. In the case of using MILP, the original nonlinear optimization problem was transformed into a linear problem. In the planning of city-level EV chargers, MILP took 14182.57 s to calculate the minimum cost of 34.62 million yuan. After retaining only 10% of the original data amount, SOA took 87651.34 s to calculate the minimum cost of 3.01 million yuan. The results indicate that GA is prone to falling into local optima and is not suitable for large-scale optimization problems. SOA, on the other hand, requires significant memory consumption, so the issue of memory usage needs to be carefully considered when using it directly. Although MILP is only applicable to linear programming problems, it has the advantages of lower memory usage and higher reliability if the problem can be transformed into a linear one.

Methods and applications of noncompetitive hapten immunoassays.

Hapten immunoassays have found extensive application across various domains such as disease diagnostics, environmental monitoring, as well as the evaluation of food and pharmaceutical safety. These techniques traditionally rely on competitive assay formats and often face challenges with sensitivity and specificity. This review focuses on the emergent noncompetitive immunoassay technologies that promise to transcend these limitations through innovative approaches. Noncompetitive immunoassays, leveraging novel elements such as anti-idiotype antibodies, anti-immunocomplex (IC) antibodies, and the strategic use of nanomaterial-enhanced signal detection, are setting new benchmarks for analytical performance. These advancements not only enhance the detection capabilities but also significantly improve specificity inherent in traditional methods. Moreover, the integration of novel materials and binding reagents in these assays offers substantial improvements in assay dynamics, providing faster, more accurate, and reliable results. This review consolidates the latest methodologies and their applications, underlining the transformative impact of noncompetitive technologies in the sensitive detection of haptens across various fields.

Antibacterial mechanism of metabolites of Lactobacillus plantarum against Pseudomonas lundensis and their application in dry-aged beef preservation.

In this study, the antibacterial mechanism of metabolites of Lactobacillus plantarum SCB2505 (MLp SCB2505) against Pseudomonas lundensis (P. lundensis) SCB2605 was investigated, along with evaluation of their preservative effects on dry-aged beef. The results demonstrated the effective inhibition of MLp SCB2505 on the growth and biofilm synthesis of P. lundensis. The treatment with MLp SCB2505 led to the compromised membrane integrity, as evidenced by reduced intracellular ATP content, increased extracellular AKPase, K+ and protein content, as well as disrupted cell morphology. Further metabolomics analysis revealed that MLp SCB2505 interfered amino acid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, cofactor and vitamin metabolism, lipid metabolism and respiratory chain in P. lundensis, ultimately leading to the interrupted life activities and even death of the bacteria. Besides, MLp SCB2505 could effectively inhibit the growth of Pseudomonas in dry-aged beef and delay spoilage. These findings propose the potential application of MLp SCB2505 as an antibacterial agent in meat products.

Unlocking the molecular modifications of plasma-activated water-induced oxidation through redox proteomics: In the case of duck myofibrillar protein (Anas platyrhynchos).

Plasma-activated water (PAW) contains multiple active species that alter the structure of myofibrillar protein (MP) to enhance their gel properties. This work investigated the impact of PAW on the oxidation of cysteine in MP by label-free quantitative proteomics. PAW treatment caused the oxidation of 8241 cysteine sites on 2815 proteins, and structural proteins such as nebulin, myosin XVIIIB, myosin XVIIIA, and myosin heavy chain were susceptible to oxidation by PAW. Bioinformatics analysis, including Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, subcellular localization, and STRING analysis, indicated that these proteins with differential oxidation sites were mainly derived from the cytoplasm and membrane, and were involved in multiple GO terms and KEGG pathways. This is one of the first reports of the redox proteomic changes induced by PAW treatment, and the results are useful for understanding the possible mechanism of PAW-induced oxidation of MP.

Nickel-Catalyzed Direct Sulfonylation of Styrenes and Unactivated Aliphatic Alkenes with Sulfonyl Chlorides.

A nickel-catalyzed direct sulfonylation of alkenes with sulfonyl chlorides has been developed using 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione as the ligand. Unactivated alkenes and styrenes including 1,1-, 1,2-disubstituted alkenes can be subjected to the protocol, and a wide range of vinyl sulfones was obtained in high to excellent yields with good functional group compatibility. Notably, the process did not allow the desulfonylation of sulfonyl chloride or chlorosulfonylation of alkenes. Radical-trapping experiment supported that a sulfonyl free-radical was likely produced and triggered subsequent transformation in the process.

Liquid Metal as Energy Conversion Sensitizers: Materials and Applications.

Energy can exist in nature in a wide range of forms. Energy conversion refers to the process in which energy is converted from one form to another, and this process will be greatly enhanced by energy conversion sensitizers. Recently, an emerging class of new materials, namely liquid metals (LMs), shows excellent prospects as highly versatile materials. Notably, in terms of energy delivery and conversion, LMs functional materials are chemical responsive, heat-responsive, photo-responsive, magnetic-responsive, microwave-responsive, and medical imaging responsive. All these intrinsic virtues enabled promising applications in energy conversion, which means LMs can act as energy sensitizers for enhancing energy conversion and transport. Herein, first the unique properties of the light, heat, magnetic and microwave converting capacity of gallium-based LMs materials are summarized. Then platforms and applications of LM-based energy conversion sensitizers are highlighted. Finally, some of the potential applications and opportunities of LMs are prospected as energy conversion sensitizers in the future, as well as unresolved challenges. Collectively, it is believed that this review provides a clear perspective for LMs mediated energy conversion, and this topic will help deepen knowledge of the physical chemistry properties of LMs functional materials.

An electromechanical stimulation regulating model with flexoelectric effect of piezoelectric laminated micro-beam for cell bionic culture.

Cell bionic culture requires the construction of cell growth microenvironments. In this paper, mechanical force and electrical stimulations are applied to the cells cultured on the surface of the piezoelectric laminated micro-beam driven by an excitation voltage. Based on the extended dielectric theory, the electromechanical microenvironment regulating model of the current piezoelectric laminated micro-beam is established. The variational principle is used to obtain the governing equations and boundary conditions. The differential quadrature method and the iterative method are used to solve two boundary value problems for cantilever beams and simply supported beams. In two cases, the mechanical force and electrical stimulations applied to the cells are analyzed in detail and the microscale effect is investigated. This study is meaningful for improving the quality of cell culture and promoting the cross-integration of mechanics and biomedicine.

Treatment outcome, toxicity, and quality of life of patients with bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma.

The disease failure patterns and optimal treatment of bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) lymphoma are unknown. This retrospective study involved 71 patients with primary BALT lymphoma who had received radiotherapy (RT), surgery, immunochemotherapy (IC), or observation. The median follow-up time was 66 months. The 5-year overall survival and lymphoma-specific survival were 91.2% and 96.1%, respectively, and were not significantly different among treatments. The 5-year cumulative incidence of overall failure for RT, surgery, IC, and observation was 0%, 9.7% (p = .160), 30.8% (p = .017), and 31.3% (p = .039). There was no grade ≥3 toxicity in RT group according to the CTCAE 5.0 reporting system. Quality of life (QoL) was at similarly good levels among the treatment groups. BALT lymphoma had a favorable prognosis but persistent risk of relapse after IC or observation. Given the very low disease failure risk and good QoL, RT remains an effective initial treatment for BALT lymphoma.

BALT lymphoma has a favorable prognosis but a persistent progression and relapse risk.Radiotherapy is associated with lower failure of disease progression and relapse, low toxicity and good quality of life.

A highly sensitive and specific Homo1-based real-time qPCR method for quantification of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in rats.

BACKGROUND: Owing to the characteristics of easier access in vitro, low immunogenicity, and high plasticity, human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) are considered as a promising cell-based drugs for clinical application. No internationally recognized technology exists to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and distribution of cell-based drugs in vivo. METHODS: We determined the human-specific gene sequence, Homo1, from differential fragments Homo sapiens mitochondrion and Rattus norvegicus mitochondrion. The expression of Homo1 was utilized to determine the distribution of UC-MSCs in the normal and diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats. RESULTS: We observed a significant correlation between the number of UC-MSCs and the expression level of Homo1. Following intravenous transplantation, the blood levels of UC-MSCs peaked at 30 min. A large amount of intravenously injected MSCs were trapped in the lungs, but the number of them decreased rapidly after 24 h. Additionally, the distribution of UC-MSCs in the kidneys of DN rats was significantly higher than that of normal rats. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we establish a highly sensitive and specific Homo1-based real-time quantitative PCR method to quantify the distribution of human UC-MSCs in rats. The method provides guidelines for the safety research of cells in preclinical stages.

Radiofrequency ablation plays double role in immunosuppression and activation of PBMCs in recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is the primary curative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who are not eligible for surgery. However, the effects of RFA on the global tumor immune response remain unclear. Method: In this study, we examined the phenotypic and functional changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from recurrent HCC patients who had undergone two RFA treatments using mass cytometry and high-throughput mRNA assays. Results: We observed significant increase in monocytes and decrease in T cell subpopulations three days after the first RFA treatment and three days after the second RFA treatment. The down-regulation of GZMB, GZMH, GZMK, and CD8A, which are involved in the cytotoxic function of T cells, was observed following RFA. Furthermore, the population of CD8 effector and memory T cells (CD8 Teff and CD8 Tem) significantly decreased after RFA. The expression of CD5 and CD161 in various T cell subpopulations also showed significant reductions. Additionally, elevated secretion of VEGF was observed in monocytes, B cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs), and CD4 naive T cells. Conclusion: In recurrent HCC patients, serum components derived from radiofrequency therapy can enhance the antigen-presenting capacity of monocytes. However, they also inhibit the anti-cancer immune response by reducing the population of CD8 effector and memory T cells and suppressing the activation of T cells, as well as down-regulating the expression of CD161 and CD5 in various T cell subpopulations. These tumor-derived components also contribute to an immunosuppressive microenvironment by promoting the secretion of VEGF in monocytes, Tregs, B cells, and CD4 naive T cells.

Clinical value of [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT for assessing early-stage liver fibrosis in adult liver transplantation recipients compared with chronic HBV patients.

AIMS: To investigate the clinical value and performance of [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT in assessing early-stage liver fibrosis in liver transplantation (LT) recipients. METHODS: A prospective study including 17 LT recipients and 12 chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) patients was conducted. All patients received liver biopsy, transient elastography (TE), and [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT. On [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT scans, the liver parenchyma's maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) were measured. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to determine the diagnostic efficacy of [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT in early-stage liver fibrosis (S1-S2) compared with the diagnostic performance of TE. RESULTS: Among those 29 patients enrolled in this study, 15(51.7%) had fibrosis S0, 10(34.5%) had S1, and 4(13.8%) had S2, respectively. The SUVmax of patients with early-stage liver fibrosis was significantly higher than those without liver fibrosis in LT recipients and CHB patients (P = 0.004, P = 0.02). In LT recipients, a SUVmax cut-off value of 2.0 detected early-stage liver fibrosis with an AUROC of 0.92 (P = 0.006), and a liver stiffness measurements (LSM) score cut-off value of 8.2 kPa diagnosed early-stage liver fibrosis with an AUROC of 0.80 (P = 0.012). In CHB patients, a SUVmax cut-off value of 2.7 detected early-stage liver fibrosis with an AUROC of 0.94 (P < 0.001) and an LSM scores cut-off value of 8.4 kPa diagnosed early-stage liver fibrosis with an AUROC of 0.91 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT could be applied to evaluate early-stage liver fibrosis in LT recipients and CHB patients properly, with the potential additional advantages in monitoring and predicting complications after LT.

Pathogenic Th17 cell-mediated liver fibrosis contributes to resistance to PD-L1 antibody immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Understanding the mechanisms of resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to targeted therapies and immune checkpoint blockade is critical for the development of new combination therapies and improving patient survival. Here, we found that in HCC, anti-programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) therapy reduces liver cancer growth, but the tumors eventually become resistant to continued therapy. Experimental analyses shows that the infiltration of pathogenic T helper 17 (pTh17) cells increases in drug-resistant HCC, and pTh17 cells secrete interleukin-17A (IL-17A), which promotes the expression of PD-L1 on the surface of HCC cells and produces resistance to anti-PD-L1 therapy. Anti-IL-17A combined with PD-L1 blockade significantly increased the infiltration of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells expressing high levels of interferon-γ and reduced treatment resistance in HCC. These results support the combination of anti-PD-L1 and anti-IL-17A as a novel strategy to induce effective T cell-mediated anti-tumor immune responses.

Proficiency testing of diagnosis in histopathology and immunohistochemistry of breast pathology in China: results from a pilot work of National Single Disease Quality Control Program for breast cancer.

AIM: Pathologists are currently supposed to be aware of both domestic and international guidelines for breast cancer diagnosis, but it is unclear how successfully these guidelines have been integrated into routine clinical practice in China. Thus, this national proficiency testing (PT) scheme for breast pathology was set up to conduct a baseline assessment of the diagnostic capability of pathologists in China. METHODS: This national PT plan is designed and implemented according to the "Conformity assessment-General requirements for proficiency testing" (GB/T27043-2012/ISO/IEC 17043:2010). Five cases of breast cancer with six key items, including histologic type, grade, ER, PR, HER2, and Ki67, were selected for testing among 96 participants. The final PT results were published on the website of the National Quality Control Center for Cancer ( http://117.133.40.88:3927/cn/col22/362 ). RESULTS: Our study demonstrated that the median PT score was 89.5 (54-100). Two institutions with scores < 67 were deemed unacceptable. The accuracy of histologic type, ER, PR, HER2, and Ki67 was satisfactory (all > 86%). However, the histologic grade showed low accuracy (74.0%). The unacceptable results mainly included incorrect evaluation of histologic grade (36.7%), inaccurate evaluation of ER/PR/HER2/Ki67 (28.2%), incorrect identification of C-AD as IBC-NST (15.7%), inappropriate use of 1+/2+/3+ rather than staining percentage for ER/PR (6.1%), misclassification of ER/PR < 1% weak expression as positive staining (1.4%), and no evaluation of histologic grade in ILC, MC, and IMC (5.8%). CONCLUSIONS: our nationwide PT program exhibited a satisfactory baseline assessment of the diagnostic capability of pathologists in China. More importantly, we identify some areas for further improvement.

Endovascular therapy beyond 24 hours for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion or stenosis in acute ischemic stroke: a retrospective study.

Background: To assess the clinical and safety outcomes of endovascular treatment (EVT) administered more than 24 h after the onset of symptoms in patients with acute ischemic stroke resulting from anterior circulation large-vessel occlusion or stenosis (AIS-ACLVO/S). Methods: We enrolled consecutive AIS-ACLVO/S patients who received EVT in our hospital between January 2019 and February 2022 and divided them into two groups based on the time from AIS onset to EVT: EVT < 24 h group and EVT >24 h group. The successful reperfusion (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction, [mTICI] ≥2b), 90-day modified Rankin Scale score (mRS), intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and symptomatic ICH (sICH), as well as mortality, were analyzed in the two groups of patients. Results: A total of 239 patients were included in the study, with 214 patients in the EVT < 24 h group (67.8 ± 0.8 years, 126 males) and 25 patients in the EVT > 24 h group (62.80 ± 2.0 years, 22 males). Both groups were similar in terms of hypertension, diabetes history, responsible vessels, and Alberta stroke program early computed tomography scores (p > 0.05). However, the EVT < 24 h group had significantly higher age, history of atrial fibrillation, proportion of patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis, and NIHSS scores before EVT than the EVT > 24 h group. AIS etiology differed between the groups, with more cases of large artery atherosclerosis in the EVT > 24-h group and more cases of cardioembolism in the EVT < 24-h group. Successful reperfusion (mTICI ≥2b), ICH, and sICH were similar between the groups. The 90-day functional independence rate (mRS ≤ 2) was significantly higher in the EVT > 24-h than in the EVT < 24-h group (80% vs. 39.7%, p < 0.001), while the 90-day mortality rate was lower in the EVT > 24-h group (0% vs. 24.8%, p < 0.001). Conclusion: In our study, we found that EVT beyond 24 h of symptom onset in patients selected with multimodal MR screening, was associated with high functional independence rates and low mortality. Larger or randomized studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Improved stacking ensemble learning based on feature selection to accurately predict warfarin dose.

Background: With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, prediction of warfarin dose via machine learning has received more and more attention. Since the dose prediction involve both linear and nonlinear problems, traditional machine learning algorithms are ineffective to solve such problems at one time. Objective: Based on the characteristics of clinical data of Chinese warfarin patients, an improved stacking ensemble learning can achieve higher prediction accuracy. Methods: Information of 641 patients from southern China who had reached a steady state on warfarin was collected, including demographic information, medical history, genotype, and co-medication status. The dataset was randomly divided into a training set (90%) and a test set (10%). The predictive capability is evaluated on a new test set generated by stacking ensemble learning. Additional factors associated with warfarin dose were discovered by feature selection methods. Results: A newly proposed heuristic-stacking ensemble learning performs better than traditional-stacking ensemble learning in key metrics such as accuracy of ideal dose (73.44%, 71.88%), mean absolute errors (0.11 mg/day, 0.13 mg/day), root mean square errors (0.18 mg/day, 0.20 mg/day) and R2 (0.87, 0.82). Conclusions: The developed heuristic-stacking ensemble learning can satisfactorily predict warfarin dose with high accuracy. A relationship between hypertension, a history of severe preoperative embolism, and warfarin dose is found, which provides a useful reference for the warfarin dose administration in the future.