Release and Degradation Mechanism of Modified Polyvinyl Alcohol-Based Double-Layer Coated Controlled-Release Phosphate Fertilizer.

This study aims to improve the slow-release performance of a film material for a controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) while enhancing its biodegradability. A water-based biodegradable polymer material doped with biochar (BC) was prepared from modified polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and chitosan (CTS), hereinafter referred to as PVA/PVP-CTSaBCb. An environmentally friendly novel controlled-release phosphate fertilizer (CRPF) was developed using PVA/PVP-CTS8%BC7% as the film. The effect of the PVA/PVP-CTS8%BC7% coating on the service life of the CRPF was investigated. The film was characterized via stress-strain testing, SEM, FTIR, XRD, and TGA analyses. The addition of the CTS modifier increased the stress of PVA/PVP-CTS8% by 7.6% compared with that of PVA/PVP owing to the decrease in the crystallinity of PVP/PVP-CTS8%. The hydrophilic -OH groups were reduced due to the mixing of CTS and PVA/PVP. Meanwhile, the water resistance of the PVA/PVP-CTS8%BC7% was improved. And the controlled-release service life of the CRPF was prolonged. Moreover, the addition of BC increased the crystallinity of the PVA/PVP-CTS8% by 10%, reduced the fracture elongation of the material, and further improved the biodegradability of the PVA/PVP-CTS8%BC7%. When the amount of BC added was 7%, the phosphorus release rate of the CRPF was 30% on the 28th day. Moreover, the degradation rate of the PVA/PVP-CTS8%BC7% polymer film was 35% after 120 days. This study provides basic data for applying water-based degradable polymer materials in CRFs.

Outcomes of robot-assisted versus video-assisted mediastinal mass resection during the initial learning curve.

To compare the learning curve of mediastinal mass resection between robot-assisted surgery and thoracoscopic surgery. Retrospective perioperative data were collected from 160 mediastinal mass resection cases. Data included 80 initial consecutive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) resection cases performed from February 2018 to February 2020 and 80 initial consecutive robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) resection cases performed from March 2020 to March 2023. All cases were operated on by a thoracic surgeon. The clinical characteristics and perioperative outcomes of the two groups were compared. The operation time in both the RATS group and VATS group was analyzed using the cumulative sum (CUSUM) method. Based on this method, the learning curves of both groups were divided into a learning period and mastery period. The VATS group and the RATS group crossed the inflection point in the 27th and 21st case, respectively. Subsequently, we found that the learning period was longer than the mastery period with statistically significant differences in terms of the operating time, and postoperative hospital stay in the VATS group and the RATS group. A certain amount of VATS experience can shorten the learning curve for RATS.

Query-Oriented Micro-Video Summarization.

Query-oriented micro-video summarization task aims to generate a concise sentence with two properties: (a) summarizing the main semantic of the micro-video and (b) being expressed in the form of search queries to facilitate retrieval. Despite its enormous application value in the retrieval area, this direction has barely been explored. Previous studies of summarization mostly focus on the content summarization for traditional long videos. Directly applying these studies is prone to gain unsatisfactory results because of the unique features of micro-videos and queries: diverse entities and complex scenes within a short time, semantic gaps between modalities, and various queries in distinct expressions. To specifically adapt to these characteristics, we propose a query-oriented micro-video summarization model, dubbed QMS. It employs an encoder-decoder-based transformer architecture as the skeleton. The multi-modal (visual and textual) signals are passed through two modal-specific encoders to obtain their representations, followed by an entity-aware representation learning module to identify and highlight critical entity information. As to the optimization, regarding the large semantic gaps between modalities, we assign different confidence scores according to their semantic relevance in the optimization process. Additionally, we develop a novel strategy to sample the effective target query among the diverse query set with various expressions. Extensive experiments demonstrate the superiority of the QMS scheme, on both the summarization and retrieval tasks, over several state-of-the-art methods.

Monitoring of Sweat Ions and Physiological Parameters via a Reconfigurable Modular System.

In recent years, wearable sensors have revolutionized health monitoring by enabling continuous, real-time tracking of human health and performance. These noninvasive devices are usually designed to monitor human physical state and biochemical markers. However, enhancing their functionalities often demands intricate customization by designers and additional expenses for users. Here, we present a strategy using assembled modular circuits to customize health monitoring wearables. The modular circuits can be effortlessly reconfigured to meet various specific requirements, facilitating the incorporation of diverse functions at a lower cost. To validate this approach, modular circuits were employed to develop four distinct systems for in vitro evaluations. These systems enabled the detection of sweat biomarkers and physical signals under various scenarios, including sedentary state, exercise, and daily activities with or without incorporating iontophoresis to induce sweat. Four key sweat markers (K+, Ca2+, Na+, and pH) and three essential physical indicators (heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and skin temperature) are selected as the detection targets. Commercial methods were also used to evaluate the potential for effective health monitoring with our technique. This reconfigurable modular wearable (ReModuWear) system promises to provide more easy-to-use and comprehensive health assessments. Additionally, it may contribute to environmental sustainability by reusing modules.

Synaptotagmin-7 mediates cardiac hypertrophy by targeting autophagy.

Sustained cardiac hypertrophy damages the heart and weakens cardiac function, often leading to heart failure and even death. Pathological cardiac hypertrophy has become a central therapeutic target for many heart diseases including heart failure. However, the underlying mechanisms of cardiac hypertrophy, especially the involvement of autophagy program, are still ill-understood. Synaptotagmin-7 (Syt7), a multifunctional and high-affinity calcium sensor, plays a pivotal role in asynchronous neurotransmitter release, synaptic facilitation, and vesicle pool regulation during synaptic transmission. However, little is known about whether Syt7 is expressed in the myocardium and involved in the pathogenesis of heart diseases. Here we showed that Syt7 was significantly upregulated in Ang II-treated hearts and cardiomyocytes. Homozygous syt7 knockout (syt7-/-) mice exhibited significantly attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis and improved cardiac function. We further found that Syt7 exerted a pro-hypertrophic effect by suppressing the autophagy process. In exploring the upstream mechanisms, microRNA (miR)-93 was identified to participate in the regulation of Syt7 expression. miR-93 protected hearts against Ang II-induced hypertrophy through targeting Syt7-autophagy pathway. In summary, our data reveal a new cardiac hypertrophy regulator and a novel hypertrophy regulating model composed of miR-93, Syt7 and autophagy program. These molecules may serve as potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.

Pulmonary vagus nerve transection for chronic cough after video-assisted lobectomy: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic cough is common after lobectomy. Vagus nerves are part of the cough reflex. Accordingly, transection of the pulmonary branches of vagus nerve may prevent chronic cough. And there are no clear recommendations on the management of the pulmonary branches of vagus in any thoracic surgery guidelines. METHODS: This is a single-center, randomized controlled trial. Adult patients undergoing elective video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy and lymphadenectomy were randomized at a 1:1 ratio to undergo a sham procedure (control group) or transection of the pulmonary branches of the vagus nerve that innervate the bronchial stump plus the caudal-most large pulmonary branch of the vagus nerve. The primary outcome was the rate of chronic cough, as assessed at 3 months after surgery in the intent-to-treat population. RESULTS: Between 1 February 2020 and 1 August 2020, 116 patients (59.6±10.1 years of age; 45 men) were randomized (58 in each group). All patients received designated intervention. The rate of chronic cough at 3 months was 19.0% (11/58) in the vagotomy group versus 41.4% (24/58) in the control group (OR=0.332, 95% CI: 0.143-0.767; P =0.009). In the 108 patients with 2-year assessment, the rate of persistent cough was 12.7% (7/55) in the control and 1.9% (1/53) in the vagotomy group ( P =0.032). The two groups did not differ in postoperative complications and key measures of pulmonary function, for example, maximal voluntary ventilation, diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide, and forced expiratory volume. CONCLUSION: Transecting the pulmonary branches of vagus nerve that innervate the bronchial stump plus the caudal-most large pulmonary branch decreased the rate of chronic cough without affecting pulmonary function in patients undergoing video-assisted lobectomy and lymphadenectomy.

HOMER3 promotes non-small cell lung cancer growth and metastasis primarily through GABPB1-mediated mitochondrial metabolism.

Cancer metabolism has emerged as a major target for cancer therapy, while the state of mitochondrial drugs has remained largely unexplored, partly due to an inadequate understanding of various mitochondrial functions in tumor contexts. Here, we report that HOMER3 is highly expressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and is closely correlated with poor prognosis. Lung cancer cells with low levels of HOMER3 are found to show significant mitochondrial dysfunction, thereby suppressing their proliferation and metastasis in vivo and in vitro. At the mechanistic level, we demonstrate that HOMER3 and platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase 1b catalytic subunit 3 cooperate to upregulate the level of GA-binding protein subunit beta-1 (GABPB1), a key transcription factor involved in mitochondrial biogenesis, to control mitochondrial inner membrane genes and mitochondrial function. Concurrently, low levels of HOMER3 and its downstream target GABPB1 led to mitochondrial dysfunction and decreased proliferation and invasive activity of lung cancer cells, which raises the possibility that targeting mitochondrial synthesis is an important and promising therapeutic approach for NSCLC.

Evaluation of pain levels treated by the distal end of the hook-wire positioning needle: A randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Severe pain can be expected among adult patients undergoing hook-wire CT-guided localization of pulmonary nodules. We compared varying pain degrees between two different treatment techniques. METHODS: Data from 100 patients who underwent hook-wire puncture localization under preoperative CT between May 2022 and October 2022 were prospectively reviewed. Using the random number table method, the patients were assigned to an observation and control group in a 1:1 ratio. In the observation group (n = 50), the external part of the hook-wire positioning needle was cut off; in the control group (n = 50), the external portion of the needle was bent. Static pain scores were measured using the visual analog scale (VAS) at 30 min, 1, and 2 h post localization for patients. RESULTS: No significant differences were present between the two groups in terms of patient age, sex, nodule size, and nodule location. The observation group had lower VAS scores at 30 min (2.57 ± 1.38 vs. 3.51 ± 1.87 p = 0.005), 1 h (2.43 ± 1.14 vs. 3.33 ± 1.76 p = 0.003), and 2 h (2.41 ± 1.12 vs. 3.17 ± 1.74 p = 0.011) after localization. Moreover, the pain level did not gradually worsen in either group. Both groups had a 100% localization success rate. There was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.431) in the localized complication incidences between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We found both approaches for handling the hook-wire extending outside the chest to be safe and effective. However, cutting off the hook-wire extending outside the chest is associated with lesser pain. Moreover, pain severity does not worsen with time after localization.

A Transformer-Based Channel Estimation Method for OTFS Systems.

Orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS) is a novel modulation scheme that enables reliable communication in high-mobility environments. In this paper, we propose a Transformer-based channel estimation method for OTFS systems. Initially, the threshold method is utilized to obtain preliminary channel estimation results. To further enhance the channel estimation, we leverage the inherent temporal correlation between channels, and a new method of channel response prediction is performed. To enhance the accuracy of the preliminary results, we utilize a specialized Transformer neural network designed for processing time series data for refinement. The simulation results demonstrate that our proposed scheme outperforms the threshold method and other deep learning (DL) methods in terms of normalized mean squared error and bit error rate. Additionally, the temporal complexity and spatial complexity of different DL models are compared. The results indicate that our proposed algorithm achieves superior accuracy while maintaining an acceptable computational complexity.

VIDAR-Based Road-Surface-Pothole-Detection Method.

This paper presents a VIDAR (a Vision-IMU based detection and ranging method)-based approach to road-surface pothole detection. Most potholes on the road surface are caused by the further erosion of cracks in the road surface, and tires, wheels and bearings of vehicles are damaged to some extent as they pass through the potholes. To ensure the safety and stability of vehicle driving, we propose a VIDAR-based pothole-detection method. The method combines vision with IMU to filter, mark and frame potholes on flat pavements using MSER to calculate the width, length and depth of potholes. By comparing it with the classical method and using the confusion matrix to judge the correctness, recall and accuracy of the method proposed in this paper, it is verified that the method proposed in this paper can improve the accuracy of monocular vision in detecting potholes in road surfaces.

Obstacle Detection Method Based on RSU and Vehicle Camera Fusion.

Road obstacle detection is an important component of intelligent assisted driving technology. Existing obstacle detection methods ignore the important direction of generalized obstacle detection. This paper proposes an obstacle detection method based on the fusion of roadside units and vehicle mounted cameras and illustrates the feasibility of a combined monocular camera inertial measurement unit (IMU) and roadside unit (RSU) detection method. A generalized obstacle detection method based on vision IMU is combined with a roadside unit obstacle detection method based on a background difference method to achieve generalized obstacle classification while reducing the spatial complexity of the detection area. In the generalized obstacle recognition stage, a VIDAR (Vision-IMU based identification and ranging) -based generalized obstacle recognition method is proposed. The problem of the low accuracy of obstacle information acquisition in the driving environment where generalized obstacles exist is solved. For generalized obstacles that cannot be detected by the roadside unit, VIDAR obstacle detection is performed on the target generalized obstacles through the vehicle terminal camera, and the detection result information is transmitted to the roadside device terminal through the UDP (User Data Protocol) protocol to achieve obstacle recognition and pseudo-obstacle removal, thereby reducing the error recognition rate of generalized obstacles. In this paper, pseudo-obstacles, obstacles with a certain height less than the maximum passing height of the vehicle, and obstacles with a height greater than the maximum passing height of the vehicle are defined as generalized obstacles. Pseudo-obstacles refer to non-height objects that appear to be "patches" on the imaging interface obtained by visual sensors and obstacles with a height less than the maximum passing height of the vehicle. VIDAR is a vision-IMU-based detection and ranging method. IMU is used to obtain the distance and pose of the camera movement, and through the inverse perspective transformation, it can calculate the height of the object in the image. The VIDAR-based obstacle detection method, the roadside unit-based obstacle detection method, YOLOv5 (You Only Look Once version 5), and the method proposed in this paper were applied to outdoor comparison experiments. The results show that the accuracy of the method is improved by 2.3%, 17.4%, and 1.8%, respectively, compared with the other four methods. Compared with the roadside unit obstacle detection method, the speed of obstacle detection is improved by 1.1%. The experimental results show that the method can expand the detection range of road vehicles based on the vehicle obstacle detection method and can quickly and effectively eliminate false obstacle information on the road.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes provides recent survival information for early-stage HER2-low-positive breast cancer: a large cohort retrospective study.

Purpose: It has been reported that breast cancer (BC) with low expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) might be a distinct subtype of BC. However, the prognostic effect of low HER2 expression on BC patients remains controversial. We aim to conduct this single-institution retrospective analysis to assess HER2-low-positive BC outcomes in Chinese women and the prognostic role of TILs in HER2-low-positive early-stage BC. Method: We retrospectively enrolled 1,763 BC patients treated in a single institution from 2017 to 2018. TILs are regarded as continuous variables and are divided into low TILs (≤10%) and high TILs (>10%) for statistical analysis. Univariate and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to test the associations between TILs and disease-free survival (DFS) with adjustment for clinicopathologic characteristics. Result: High TIL levels (>10%) were associated with tumor size (>2 cm, p = 0.042), age at diagnosis (p = 0.005), Ki-67 index (>25%; p <0.001), HR (hormone receptor) status (positive, p <0.001), advanced pathological stage (p = 0.043), subtype (p <0.001), and HER2 status (p <0.001). The Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that no significant difference in DFS (p = 0.83) could be found between HER2-positive, HER2-low-positive, and HER2-0 BC. The DFS of HER2-low-positive BC and HER2-nonamplified BC with high levels of TILs was statistically better than that of patients with low levels of TILs (p = 0.015; p = 0.047). In HER2-low-positive BC patients with high TIL levels (>10%), DFS was significantly improved in both the univariate (HR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.22-0.87, P = 0.018) and multivariate (HR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.23-0.95, P = 0.035) Cox models. For further subgroup analysis, HR (+)/HER2-low-positive BC with high TIL (>10%) levels was associated with improved DFS in both the univariate (HR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.19-0.90, P = 0.025) and multivariate (HR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.19-0.93, P = 0.032) Cox models. The HR (-)/HER2-0 BC with high TIL (>10%) level was not statistically significant in the univariate Cox model, but it was statistically significant in the multivariate (HR = 0.16, 95% CI 0.28-0.96, P = 0.045) Cox model. Conclusion: Among early-stage BC, no significant survival difference could be found between the HER2-positive, HER2-low-positive, and HER2-0 cohorts. High levels of TILs were significantly associated with improved DFS in HER2-low-positive patients, especially in the HR (+)/HER2-low-positive subtype.

Asymmetric 2,4-Dienylation/[4 + 2] Annulation Cascade to Construct Fused Frameworks via Auto-Tandem Palladium Catalysis.

A palladium catalyzed tandem reaction between ortho-functionalized aryl enones and 2,4-dienyl carbonates has been presented, proceeding through sequential 2,4-dienylation/Michael addition/π-σ-π isomerization/allylic alkylation. A broad array of enantioenriched architectures having fused and spirocyclic frameworks are constructed in moderate to excellent yields and stereoselectivity. Notably, the intrinsic intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction pattern of the dienylated intermediates is well reversed via Pd(0)-π-Lewis base catalysis.

Enhanced Electroluminescence from a Silicon Nanocrystal/Silicon Carbide Multilayer Light-Emitting Diode.

Developing high-performance Si-based light-emitting devices is the key step to realizing all-Si-based optical telecommunication. Usually, silica (SiO2) as the host matrix is used to passivate silicon nanocrystals, and a strong quantum confinement effect can be observed due to the large band offset between Si and SiO2 (~8.9 eV). Here, for further development of device properties, we fabricate Si nanocrystals (NCs)/SiC multilayers and study the changes in photoelectric properties of the LEDs induced by P dopants. PL peaks centered at 500 nm, 650 nm and 800 nm can be detected, which are attributed to surface states between SiC and Si NCs, amorphous SiC and Si NCs, respectively. PL intensities are first enhanced and then decreased after introducing P dopants. It is believed that the enhancement is due to passivation of the Si dangling bonds at the surface of Si NCs, while the suppression is ascribed to enhanced Auger recombination and new defects induced by excessive P dopants. Un-doped and P-doped LEDs based on Si NCs/SiC multilayers are fabricated and the performance is enhanced greatly after doping. As fitted, emission peaks near 500 nm and 750 nm can be detected. The current density-voltage properties indicate that the carrier transport process is dominated by FN tunneling mechanisms, while the linear relationship between the integrated EL intensity and injection current illustrates that the EL mechanism is attributed to recombination of electron-hole pairs at Si NCs induced by bipolar injection. After doping, the integrated EL intensities are enhanced by about an order of magnitude, indicating that EQE is greatly improved.

Interface-Enhanced SiOx/Ru Heterocatalysts for Efficient Electrochemical Water Splitting.

Developing a bifunctional electrocatalyst with remarkable performance viable for overall water splitting is increasingly essential for industrial-scale renewable energy conversion. However, the current electrocatalyst still requires a large cell voltage to drive water splitting due to the unsuitable adsorption/desorption capacity of reaction intermediates, which seriously hinders the practical application of water splitting. Herein, a unique SiOx/Ru nanosheet (NS) material was proposed as a high-performance electrocatalyst for overall water splitting. The SiOx/Ru NSs show superior performance in the hydrogen evolution reaction with a low overpotential of 23 mV (@ 10 mA cm-2) and excellent stability for nearly 200 h (@ 10 mA cm-2) in 1 M KOH. By means of the introduction of SiOx, it is beneficial for balancing the local charge density of the surrounding Ru sites. The suitable electronic coupling between the d-band electrons of Ru and the adsorbed species effectively balances the adsorption and desorption of reaction intermediates on the surface. As a result, the catalyst also exhibits overall water splitting activity with a cell voltage of only 1.496 V to reach the current density of 10 mA cm-2. The present work opens up a new strategy for designing high-performance electrocatalysts for water splitting.

A Recognition Method for Soft Objects Based on the Fusion of Vision and Haptics.

For humans and animals to recognise an object, the integration of multiple sensing methods is essential when one sensing modality is only able to acquire limited information. Among the many sensing modalities, vision has been intensively studied and proven to have superior performance for many problems. Nevertheless, there are many problems which are difficult to solve by solitary vision, such as in a dark environment or for objects with a similar outlook but different inclusions. Haptic sensing is another commonly used means of perception, which can provide local contact information and physical features that are difficult to obtain by vision. Therefore, the fusion of vision and touch is beneficial to improve the robustness of object perception. To address this, an end-to-end visual-haptic fusion perceptual method has been proposed. In particular, the YOLO deep network is used to extract vision features, while haptic explorations are used to extract haptic features. Then, visual and haptic features are aggregated using a graph convolutional network, and the object is recognised based on a multi-layer perceptron. Experimental results show that the proposed method excels in distinguishing soft objects that have similar appearance but varied interior fillers, comparing a simple convolutional network and a Bayesian filter. The resultant average recognition accuracy was improved to 0.95 from vision only (mAP is 0.502). Moreover, the extracted physical features could be further used for manipulation tasks targeting soft objects.

Circular RNAs: Biogenesis, Biological Functions, and Roles in Myocardial Infarction.

Non-coding RNAs have been excavated as important cardiac function modulators and linked to heart diseases. Significant advances have been obtained in illuminating the effects of microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs. Nevertheless, the characteristics of circular RNAs are rarely mined. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are widely believed to participate in cardiac pathologic processes, especially in myocardial infarction. In this review, we round up the biogenesis of circRNAs, briefly describe their biological functions, and summarize the latest literature on multifarious circRNAs related to new therapies and biomarkers for myocardial infarction.

Mace-Like Plasmonic Au-Pd Heterostructures Boost Near-Infrared Photoimmunotherapy.

Photoimmunotherapy, with spatiotemporal precision and noninvasive property, has provided a novel targeted therapeutic strategy for highly malignant triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, their therapeutic effect is severely restricted by the insufficient generation of tumor antigens and the weak activation of immune response, which is caused by the limited tissue penetration of light and complex immunosuppressive microenvironment. To improve the outcomes, herein, mace-like plasmonic AuPd heterostructures (Au Pd HSs) have been fabricated to boost near-infrared (NIR) photoimmunotherapy. The plasmonic Au Pd HSs exhibit strong photothermal and photodynamic effects under NIR light irradiation, effectively triggering immunogenic cell death (ICD) to activate the immune response. Meanwhile, the spiky surface of Au Pd HSs can also stimulate the maturation of DCs to present these antigens, amplifying the immune response. Ultimately, combining with anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (α-PD-L1) will further reverse the immunosuppressive microenvironment and enhance the infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), not only eradicating primary TNBC but also completely inhibiting mimetic metastatic TNBC. Overall, the current study opens a new path for the treatment of TNBC through immunotherapy by integrating nanotopology and plasmonic performance.