Traffic congestion results from the spatio-temporal imbalance of demand and supply. With the advances in connected technologies, incentive mechanisms for collaborative routing have the potential to ...provide behavior-consistent solutions to traffic congestion. However, such mechanisms raise privacy concerns due to their information-sharing and execution-validation procedures. This study leverages secure Multi-party Computation (MPC) and blockchain technologies to propose a privacy-preserving incentive mechanism for collaborative routing in a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) context, which consists of a collaborative routing scheme and a route validation scheme. In the collaborative routing scheme, sensitive information is shared through an off-chain MPC protocol for route updating and incentive computation. The incentives are then temporarily frozen in a series of cascading multi-signature wallets in case vehicles behave dishonestly or roadside units (RSUs) are hacked. The route validation scheme requires vehicles to create position proofs at checkpoints along their selected routes with the assistance of witness vehicles using an off-chain threshold signature protocol. RSUs will validate the position proofs, store them on the blockchain, and unfreeze the associated incentives. The privacy and security analysis illustrates the scheme's efficacy. Numerical studies reveal that the proposed incentive mechanism with tuned parameters is both efficient and implementable.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common liver malignancy. ICC typically features remarkable cellular heterogeneity and a dense stromal reaction. Therefore, a comprehensive ...understanding of cellular diversity and the interplay between malignant cells and niche cells is essential to elucidate the mechanisms driving ICC progression and to develop therapeutic approaches.
Herein, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis on unselected viable cells from 8 human ICCs and adjacent samples to elucidate the comprehensive transcriptomic landscape and intercellular communication network. Additionally, we applied a negative selection strategy to enrich fibroblast populations in 2 other ICC samples to investigate fibroblast diversity. The results of the analyses were validated using multiplex immunofluorescence staining, bulk transcriptomic datasets, and functional in vitro and in vivo experiments.
We sequenced a total of 56,871 single cells derived from human ICC and adjacent tissues and identified diverse tumor, immune, and stromal cells. Malignant cells displayed a high degree of inter-tumor heterogeneity. Moreover, tumor-infiltrating CD4 regulatory T cells exhibited highly immunosuppressive characteristics. We identified 6 distinct fibroblast subsets, of which the majority were CD146-positive vascular cancer-associated fibroblasts (vCAFs), with highly expressed microvasculature signatures and high levels of interleukin (IL)-6. Functional assays indicated that IL-6 secreted by vCAFs induced significant epigenetic alterations in ICC cells, particularly upregulating enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and thereby enhancing malignancy. Furthermore, ICC cell-derived exosomal miR-9-5p elicited high expression of IL-6 in vCAFs to promote tumor progression.
Our single-cell transcriptomic dataset delineates the inter-tumor heterogeneity of human ICCs, underlining the importance of intercellular crosstalk between ICC cells and vCAFs, and revealing potential therapeutic targets.
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is an aggressive and chemoresistant malignancy. Better understanding the complex transcriptional architecture and intercellular crosstalk of these tumors will help in the development of more effective therapies. Herein, we have identified important interactions between cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts in the tumor stroma, which could have therapeutic implications.
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•Single cell transcriptomic datasets are a valuable resource to dissect cellular diversity and intercellular crosstalk of human ICCs.•Malignant cells displayed remarkable inter-tumor heterogeneity and Tregs revealed highly immunosuppressive characteristics.•Six distinct fibroblast subsets were defined in ICCs and adjacent tissues.•CD146+ vCAFs, comprising most of the fibroblasts, had tight interactions with malignant cells through IL-6/IL-6R axis.•Tumor exosomal miR-9-5p elicited IL-6 expression in vCAFs, contributing to ICC progression via upregulation of EZH2.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Gas and coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) compound disasters have become a common mode of serious accidents in coal mines. This study is aimed at revealing the characteristics of such compound ...disasters in the gob of Y-type ventilation fully mechanized top coal caving face with a high-level drainage roadway (HLDR) (hereafter referred to as “Y+HLDR” working face) and providing a theoretical basis for disaster prevention and control. With the W1310 fully mechanized working face of Gaohe Coal Mine taken as the research background, the distribution law of gas concentration field in the gob of the “Y+HLDR” ventilation mode under different air supply conditions was numerically simulated with the aid of COMSOL, and the area of gas and CSC compound disaster in the gob was divided quantitatively. The results show that data obtained from the field experiment coincide with the simulation results, which verifies the effectiveness of the simulation; Meanwhile, with the increase of air supply volume, the gas concentration near the working face is significantly reduced, and high-concentration gas is transferred to the deep part of the gob. The area where CSC induces gas explosions is divided by superimposing the gas and oxygen concentration fields that meet the conditions of compound disaster occurrence on the gob floor. It is concluded that the range of area with compound disaster risk is positively correlated with the air supply volume. The results of the simulation provide important theoretical guidance for the prevention and control of gob disasters.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
•Propose the CACC-OIFT strategy to dynamically optimize information flow topology (IFT) for CACC.•Under CACC-OIFT, vehicles dynamically deactivate/activate “send” functionality of their V2V ...communication devices.•CACC-OIFT consists of an IFT optimization model and an adaptive Proportional- Derivative controller.•CACC-OIFT enhances string stability of platoon control in an unreliable V2V communication context.
Emergent cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) strategies being proposed for platoon formation in the connected autonomous vehicle (CAV) context mostly assume idealized fixed information flow topologies (IFTs) for the platoon, implying guaranteed vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications for the IFT assumed. In reality, V2V communications are unreliable due to failures resulting from communication-related constraints such as interference and information congestion. Since CACC strategies entail continuous information broadcasting, communication failures can occur in congested CAV traffic networks, leading to a platoon’s IFT varying dynamically. To explicitly factor IFT dynamics and to leverage it to enhance the performance of CACC strategies, this study proposes the idea of dynamically optimizing the IFT for CACC, labeled the CACC-OIFT strategy. Under CACC-OIFT, the vehicles in the platoon cooperatively determine in real-time which vehicles will dynamically deactivate or activate the “send” functionality of their V2V communication devices to generate IFTs that optimize the platoon performance in terms of string stability under the ambient traffic conditions. The CACC-OIFT consists of an IFT optimization model and an adaptive Proportional-Derivative (PD) controller. Given the adaptive PD controller with a two-predecessor-following scheme, and the ambient traffic conditions and the platoon size just before the start of a time period, the IFT optimization model determines the optimal IFT that maximizes the expected string stability in terms of the energy of speed oscillations. This expectation is because each IFT has specific degeneration scenarios whose probabilities are determined by the communication failure probabilities for that time period based on the ambient traffic conditions. The optimal IFT is deployed for that time period, and the adaptive PD controller continuously determines the car-following behaviors of the vehicles based on the unfolding degeneration scenario for each time instant within that period. The effectiveness of the proposed CACC-OIFT is validated through numerical experiments in NS-3 based on NGSIM field data. The results indicate that the proposed CACC-OIFT can significantly enhance the string stability of platoon control in an unreliable V2V communication context, outperforming CACCs with fixed IFTs or with passive adaptive schemes for IFT dynamics.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Background
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) as a novel subgroup of non-coding RNAs act a critical role in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer (GC). However, the underlying mechanisms by which hsa_circ_0003855 ...(circDUSP16) contributes to GC are still undocumented.
Materials
The differentially expressed circRNAs were identified by GEO database. The association of circDUSP16 or miR-145-5p expression with clinicopathological features and prognosis in GC patients was analyzed by FISH and TCGA-seq data set. Loss- and gain-of-function experiments as well as a xenograft tumor model were performed to assess the role of circDUSP16 in GC cells. circDUSP16-specific binding with miR-145-5p was confirmed by bioinformatic analysis, luciferase reporter, and RNA immunoprecipitation assays.
Results
The expression levels of circDUSP16 were markedly increased in GC tissue samples and acted as an independent prognostic factor of poor survival in patients with GC. Knockdown of circDUSP16 repressed the cell viability, colony formation, and invasive potential in vitro and in vivo, but ectopic expression of circDUSP16 reversed these effects. Moreover, circDUSP16 possessed a co-localization with miR-145-5p in the cytoplasm, and acted as a sponge of miR-145-5p, which attenuated circDUSP16-induced tumor-promoting effects and IVNS1ABP expression in GC cells. MiR-145-5p had a negative correlation with circDUSP16 expression and its low expression was associated with poor survival in GC patients.
Conclusions
CircDUSP16 facilitates the tumorigenesis and invasion of GC cells by sponging miR-145-5p, and may provide a novel therapeutic target for GC.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
River silt deposited by water in coastal areas is unsuitable for engineering construction. Thus, the in situ stabilization treatment of river silt as the bearing layer has been an important research ...area in geotechnical engineering. The strength degradation behavior and mechanism of stabilized river silt reinforced with cement and alginate fibers (AFCS) in different engineering environments are crucial for engineering applications. Therefore, freeze–thaw (F–T) cycle tests, wetting-drying (W–D) cycle tests, water immersion tests and seawater erosion tests were conducted to explore the strength attenuation of stabilized river silt reinforced with the same cement content (9% by wet weight) and different fiber contents (0%, 0.3%, 0.6% and 0.9% by weight of wet soil) and fiber lengths (3 mm, 6 mm and 9 mm). The reinforcement and damage mechanism of AFCS was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. The results indicate that the strength of AFCS was improved from 84% to 180% at 15 F–T cycle tests, and the strength of AFCS was improved by 26% and 40% at 30 W–D cycles, which showed better stability and excellent characteristics owing to the hygroscopic characteristics of alginate fiber arousing the release of calcium and magnesium ions within the alginate. Also, the strength attenuation of AFCS was reduced with the increase in the length and content of alginate fibers. Further, the strength of specimens in the freshwater environment was higher than that in the seawater environment at the same fiber content, and the softening coefficient of AFCS in the freshwater environment was above 0.85, indicating that the AFCS had good water stability. The optimal fiber content was found to be 0.6% based on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) reduction in specimens cured in seawater and a freshwater environment. And the strength of AFCS was improved by about 10% compared with that of cement-stabilized soil (CS) in a seawater environment. A stable spatial network structure inside the soil was formed, in which the reinforcing effect of fibers was affected by mechanical connection, friction and interfacial bonding. However, noticeable cracks developed in the immersed and F–T specimens. These microscopic characteristics contributed to decreased mechanical properties for AFCS. The results of this research provide a reference for the engineering application of AFCS.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Previous studies indicate that an electric potential (EP) signal is generated during the loading process of coal and that the EP response is related to the damage evolution. When coupled with gas, EP ...changes the pore structure and mechanical properties of a coal mass, promoting crack generation and growth and accelerating damage evolution. To study the EP response characteristics and investigate the damage of gas-bearing coal, a triaxial test was carried out with a gas-controlled confining pressure, and multiple types of data were measured and analyzed. The results show that with the change in stress, the EP response increases and fluctuates. This response reflects the stress and reveals the damage evolution, which could be verified with the variation in the acoustic emission response. For the mechanism analyses, the failure of the sample is caused by crack expansion and propagation under the coupling action of stress and gas. Consequently, microscopic charge separation and electron emission are the dominant mechanisms controlling the EP response. Furthermore, the constitutive damage equation of gas-bearing coal is established based on the EP response in view of continuous damage theory and the stress intensity distribution hypothesis. The calculation results of damage and stress based on the EP response are utilized for verification; the results indicate that the damage expressed by the EP response is reasonable and useful. This finding is helpful for understanding the damage evolution mechanism of gas-bearing coal.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Emerging evidence has indicated that long non‐coding RNA plays an important role in carcinogenesis at the transcriptional and post‐translational levels. The regulation of carcinogenesis‐related ...effectors is potent in the determination of tumor initiation and progression. In the current study, FOXD2‐AS1 was found to interact with microRNA (miR)‐185‐5p to modulate proliferation, migration, and invasion of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Interestingly, expression of cell division control 42 was significantly influenced by FOXD2‐AS1 and miR‐185‐5p. In CRC patients, the expression level of FOXD2‐AS1 in CRC tissue was closely associated with miR‐185‐5p and cell division control 42, and implicated in the overall survival rate. Therefore, our study suggests that long non‐coding RNA FOXD2‐AS1 plays a positive role in CRC and could be developed and used as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and therapy of CRC. This will greatly improve the prevention and treatment of the third most common cancer worldwide.
Our study suggests that lncRNA FOXD2‐AS1 plays a suppressive role in the colorectal cancer (CRC) and could be developed and used as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and therapy of CRC.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
An effective method widely used in geotechnical engineering to solve the shrinkage and cracking issues in cement-stabilized soil (CS) is evenly mixing randomly distributed fibers into it. Dredger ...fills stabilized with cement and polypropylene fibers (PFCSs) are exposed to rainwater immersion and seawater erosion in coastal areas, influencing their mechanical performance and durability. In this study, direct shear and consolidation compression tests were conducted to investigate the influence of different curing environments on the mechanical properties and compressive behavior of PFCSs. Dominance and regression analyses were used to study the impact of each factor under different curing regimes. The reinforcement mechanism of different curing environments was also explored using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. The results show that the cohesion and elastic modulus of the specimens cured in seawater were reduced compared with those cured in freshwater and standard curing environments. The best fiber content for the strength and compressive modulus of PFCSs was determined to be 0.9% of the mass of dredged fill. The results of value-added contributions and the relative importance of each factor in different curing environments show that the overall average contribution of cement content in the seawater curing environment is reduced by 6.79% compared to the freshwater environment. Multiple linear regression models were developed, effectively describing the quantitative relationships of different properties under different curing conditions. Further, the shear strength was improved by the coupling effect of soil particles, a C-S-H gel, and polypropylene fibers in the PFCSs. However, the shear strength of the PFCSs was reduced due to the structural damage of the specimens in the freshwater and seawater curing environments.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Selective oxidation of ammonia to nitric oxide over platinum-group metal alloy gauzes is the crucial step for nitric acid production, a century-old yet greenhouse gas and capital intensive process. ...Therefore, developing alternative ammonia oxidation technologies with low environmental impacts and reduced catalyst cost are of significant importance. Herein, we propose and demonstrate a chemical looping ammonia oxidation catalyst and process to replace the costly noble metal catalysts and to reduce greenhouse gas emission. The proposed process exhibit near complete NH
conversion and exceptional NO selectivity with negligible N
O production, using nonprecious V
O
redox catalyst at 650
C. Operando spectroscopy techniques and density functional theory calculations point towards a modified, temporally separated Mars-van Krevelen mechanism featuring a reversible V
/V
redox cycle. The V = O sites are suggested to be the catalytically active center leading to the formation of the oxidation products. Meanwhile, both V = O and doubly coordinated oxygen participate in the hydrogen transfer process. The outstanding performance originates from the low activation energies for the successive hydrogen abstraction, facile NO formation as well as the easy regeneration of V = O species. Our results highlight a transformational process in extending the chemical looping strategy to producing base chemicals in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.
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