Abstract
The dynamic multi-objective optimization problem (DMOP) is a common problem in optimization problems; the main reasons are the objective’s conflict and environment changes. In this paper, we ...provide a prediction approach based on diversity screening and special point prediction (DSSP) to tackle the dynamic optimization issue. First, we introduce a decision variable clustering and screening strategy that clusters the decision space of the non-dominated solution set to find the cluster centroids and then employs a decision variable screening strategy to filter out solutions that have an impact on the distribution of individuals. This approach can broaden the range of dynamic multi-objective optimization algorithms. Second, an approach for predicting special points is suggested. The algorithm’s convergence is improved following environmental changes by forecasting the special point tracking Pareto front in the object space. Finally, the forward-looking center points are used to predict the non-dominated solution set and eliminate the useless individuals in the population. The prediction strategy can help the solution set converge while maintaining its diversity, which is compared with the four other state-of-the-art strategies. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm, DSSP, can effectively tackle DMOPs.
Dynamics of metabolon formation in mitochondria was probed by studying diffusional motion of two sequential Krebs cycle enzymes in a microfluidic channel. Enhanced directional co-diffusion of both ...enzymes against a substrate concentration gradient was observed in the presence of intermediate generation. This reveals a metabolite directed compartmentation of metabolic pathways.
Long‐term mechanical property is critical for underground energy storage in a salt cavern. Multistage loading has been widely used in creep tests to save test time and cost. If the number of loading ...stages is too small or the loading time of each stage is short, the long‐term strength of salt rock is difficult to determine. For this reason, this paper carried out a ten‐stage loading creep test on the salt rock. The loading time of each stage is about 14 days, and the total creep time is more than 5 months. The stress‐strain curve and the stress‐steady‐state creep rate curve obtained from the test results can be well described by an exponential function. Based on the two‐stage power function model, a new method for determining the long‐term strength is proposed. The method is very similar to the results determined by the isochronous stress‐strain curve method. Moreover, considering that the rock is damaged during the accelerated creep phase, the stress will no longer be a constant value during the accelerated creep phase, but a slow loading process. In this paper, the accelerated creep phase is a coupled process of loading and creep. The total strain in the accelerated creep phase is equal to the sum of the loaded strain and the creep strain, and a new nonlinear creep damage constitutive equation is derived. The model was verified by the creep test results. The results show that the model can well describe the whole process of salt rock creep. It can theoretically explain the reason why the accelerated creep phase of salt rock exhibits nonlinear acceleration characteristics.
Long‐term mechanical property is critical for underground energy storage in salt cavern. Multistage loading has been widely used in creep tests to save the test time and cost. If the number of loading stages is too small or the loading time of each stage is short, the long‐term strength of salt rock is difficult to determine. For this reason, this paper carried out a ten‐stage loading creep test on salt rock.
Fractal theory offers a powerful tool for the precise description and quantification of the complex pore structures in reservoir rocks, crucial for understanding the storage and migration ...characteristics of media within these rocks. Faced with the challenge of calculating the three-dimensional fractal dimensions of rock porosity, this study proposes an innovative computational process that directly calculates the three-dimensional fractal dimensions from a geometric perspective. By employing a composite denoising approach that integrates Fourier transform (FT) and wavelet transform (WT), coupled with multimodal pore extraction techniques such as threshold segmentation, top-hat transformation, and membrane enhancement, we successfully crafted accurate digital rock models. The improved box-counting method was then applied to analyze the voxel data of these digital rocks, accurately calculating the fractal dimensions of the rock pore distribution. Further numerical simulations of permeability experiments were conducted to explore the physical correlations between the rock pore fractal dimensions, porosity, and absolute permeability. The results reveal that rocks with higher fractal dimensions exhibit more complex pore connectivity pathways and a wider, more uneven pore distribution, suggesting that the ideal rock samples should possess lower fractal dimensions and higher effective porosity rates to achieve optimal fluid transmission properties. The methodology and conclusions of this study provide new tools and insights for the quantitative analysis of complex pores in rocks and contribute to the exploration of the fractal transport properties of media within rocks.
In this paper, a large database of 491 test results of circular concrete-filled steel tube (CFT) columns under axial compression was collected from the available literature. The collected results ...were employed to investigate the effects of loading conditions, diameter-to-thickness ratio, concrete type and compressive strength on the load-carrying capacity of CFT columns, from which models for the hoop stress of steel tubes are obtained through nonlinear regression analyses. Based on the von Mises yield criterion together with the proposed hoop stress models, a model for predicting the load-carrying capacity of CFT columns was developed. The performances of the proposed model and the existing models were evaluated using the database. Due to the rationality of the model development process, the proposed model offers a more reasonable and accurate prediction of load-carrying capacity for CFT columns under various loading conditions.
•A large database of 491 test results of circular CFT columns under axial compression is collected.•The model for predicting the load-carrying capacity of the CFT columns is developed.•The proposed model shows a more reasonable and accurate prediction of load carrying capacity for CFT columns.
Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) blockade therapies have demonstrated efficacy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Thyroid dysfunction is among the most common immune-related adverse events. ...This study aimed to explore the clinical pattern of thyroid dysfunction and its relationship with survival marker in nonmetastatic NPC after immunotherapy.
From January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021, 165 pairs of nonmetastatic NPC patients (165 with and 165 without anti-PD-1 immunotherapy) matched by the propensity score matching method were included in this study. Thyroid function was assessed retrospectively before the first treatment and during each immunotherapy cycle.
The spectrum of thyroid dysfunction was different between the immunotherapy and control groups (P < 0.001). Compared with the control group, patients in the immunotherapy group developed more hypothyroidism (14.545% vs. 7.273%), less hyperthyroidism (10.909% vs. 23.636%), and a distinct pattern, biphasic thyroid dysfunction (3.030% vs. 0%). Immunotherapy also accelerates the onset of hypothyroidism, which was earlier with a median onset time difference of 32 days (P < 0.001). Patients who acquired thyroid dysfunction during immunotherapy had better complete biological response to treatment (OR, 10.980; P = 0.042).
For nonmetastatic NPC, thyroid dysfunction was associated with better response to treatment in immunotherapy but not in routine treatment. Thyroid function could be used as a predictor for survival and should be under regular and intensive surveillance in clinical practice of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy for nonmetastatic NPC.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The extinct genus Limnobiophyllum (Araceae) has been considered a tentative link between the Aroideae and Lemnoideae subfamilies of Araceae. General understanding of morphological character evolution ...among these subfamilies has been limited due to the lack of preserved key structures in fossils such as infructescences. In this study, a new fossil species, Limnobiophyllum pedunculatum Low, Su & Xing sp. nov., is reported based on unusually complete specimens with intact leaves, stolon and attached infructescence and seeds from the late Oligocene of central Tibet, China. It represents the first convincing Limnobiophyllum fossil from the Tibetan Plateau and the first well-documented occurrence from east Asia. Its phylogenetic position was inferred using a matrix of 56 morphological characters and 5226 gene sequences of 41 taxa. Phylogenetic inference based on the matrix suggests that Limnobiophyllum is sister to Cobbania, as well as to the remaining extinct and living genera within the Araceae subfamily Lemnoideae. Reconstruction of vegetative and reproductive character evolution confirms that Limnobiophyllum possessed intermediate characters, especially for infructescences, between the subfamilies Lemnoideae and Aroideae. Within Lemnoideae, both vegetative and reproductive characters show clear reduction and simplification from extinct genera to living lemnoids. These findings shed new light on the evolutionary history of the family Araceae. In addition, the discovery of this species, in association with the surrounding plant megafossil assemblage, suggests a warm, humid lowland environment in the central Tibetan Plateau during the late Oligocene, contradicting previous studies that indicated high elevation of the plateau since the early Palaeogene. However, the extinction of Limnobiophyllum might have been due to both global cooling and orogenesis.
The antagonistic potential of bacteria obtained from the nest of
Odontotermes formosanus
was assessed against
Fusarium oxysporum
f. sp.
cucumerinum
(FOC). Of 30, seven termite nest-associated ...bacteria strains had biocontrol potential. Among them, the strain YC-9 showed the strongest antifungal activity toward FOC. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA amplified product of YC-9 revealed its identification as
Bacillus siamensis
. The
in vivo
antifungal activity experiment showed that the application of YC-9 at 10
8
cfu/ml significantly reduced the cucumber wilt incidence with a control efficacy of 73.2%. Furthermore, plant growth parameters such as fresh weight, dry weight, plant height, and root height were significantly improved by 42.6, 53.0, 20.8, and 19.3%, respectively. We found that inoculation with
B. siamensis
YC-9 significantly increased the activity of defensive enzymes such as peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) in diseased cucumber roots, thereby raising the resistance. PCR using gene-specific primers revealed that
B. siamensis
YC-9 contains biosynthetic genes for known antibiotics, including bacillomycin, iturin, and surfactin. Chemical analysis of the cultivation of
B. siamensis
YC-9 resulted in the isolation of five metabolites, including hexadecanoic acid (
1
), cyclo-(L-phenylalanylglycine) (
2
), cyclo-(L-trans-Hyp-L-Leu) (
3
), C
15
-surfactin (
4
), and macrolactin A (
5
), the structures of which were identified by the analysis of NMR spectroscopic data and MS. Among them, the compound
4
showed significant antifungal activity against conidial germination of FOC with an IC
50
value of 5.1 μg/ml, which was comparable to that of the positive control, cycloheximide (IC
50
value of 2.6 μg/ml). Based on these findings, this study suggests that termite-nest associated
B. siamensis
YC-9 could be a potential biological control agent for integrated control of soil-borne diseases like cucumber
Fusarium
wilt.
Breast cancer (BC) is the most diagnosed cancer in women. Cuproptosis is new regulated cell death, distinct from known death mechanisms and dependent on copper and mitochondrial respiration. However, ...the comprehensive relationship between cuproptosis and BC is still blank until now. In the present study, we acquired 13 cuproptosis-related regulators (CRRs) from the previous research and downloaded the RNA sequencing data of TCGA-BRCA from the UCSC XENA database. The 13 CRRs were all differently expressed between BC and normal samples. Using consensus clustering based on the five prognostic CRRs, BC patients were classified into two cuproptosis-clusters (C1 and C2). C2 had a significant survival advantage and higher immune infiltration levels than C1. According to the Cox and LASSO regression analyses, a novel cuproptosis-related prognostic signature was developed to predict the prognosis of BC effectively. The high- and low-risk groups were divided based on the risk scores. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that the high-risk group had shorter overall survival (OS) than the low-risk group in the training, test and entire cohorts. GSEA indicated that the immune-related pathways were significantly enriched in the low-risk group. According to the CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE analyses, patients in the high-risk group had higher infiltrating levels of antitumor lymphocyte cell subpopulations and higher immune score than the low-risk group. The typical immune checkpoints were all elevated in the high-risk group. Furthermore, the high-risk group showed a better immunotherapy response than the low-risk group based on the Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) and Immunophenoscore (IPS). In conclusion, we identified two cuproptosis-clusters with different prognoses using consensus clustering in BC. We also developed a cuproptosis-related prognostic signature and nomogram, which could indicate the outcome, the tumor immune microenvironment, as well as the response to immunotherapy.
Osteosarcoma is a diverse and aggressive bone tumor. Driver genes regulating osteosarcoma initiation and progression remains incompletely defined. Zinc finger protein 692 (ZNF692), a kind of Krüppel ...C2H2 zinc finger transcription factor, exhibited abnormal expression in different types of malignancies and showed a correlation with the clinical prognosis of patients as well as the aggressive characteristics of cancer cells. Nevertheless, its specific role in osteosarcoma is still not well understood.
We investigated the dysregulation and clinical significance of ZNF692 in osteosarcoma through bioinformatic method and experimental validation. A range of in vitro assays, including CCK-8, colony formation, EdU incorporation, wound healing, and transwell invasion tests, were conducted to assess the impact of ZNF692 on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in osteosarcoma. A xenograft mouse model was established to evaluate the effect of ZNF692 on tumor growth in vivo. Western blot assay was used to measure the protein levels of MEK1/2, P-MEK1/2, ERK1/2, and P-ERK1/2 in cells that had been genetically modified to either reduce or increase the expression of ZNF692. The relationship between ZNF692 and tyrosine kinase non-receptor 2 (TNK2) were validated by qRT-PCR, chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays.
Expression of ZNF692 was increased in both human osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, the expression of ZNF692 served as an independent predictive biomarker in osteosarcoma. The results of the survival analysis indicated that increased expression of ZNF692 was associated with worse outcome. Downregulation of ZNF692 inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma cells, whereas upregulation of ZNF692 has the opposite impact. Western blot assay indicates that reducing ZNF692 decreases phosphorylation of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2, whereas increasing ZNF692 expression enhances their phosphorylation. U0126, a potent inhibitor specifically targeting the MEK/ERK signaling pathway, partially counteracts the impact of ZNF692 overexpression on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma cells. In addition, ZNF692 specifically interacts with the promoter region of TNK2 and stimulates the transcription of TNK2 in osteosarcoma cells. Forcing the expression of TNK2 weakens the inhibitory impact of ZNF692 knockdown on P-MEK1/2 and P-ERK1/2. Similarly, partly inhibiting TNK2 counteracts the enhancing impact of ZNF692 overexpression on the phosphorylation of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2. Functional tests demonstrate that the suppressive effects of ZNF692 knockdown on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion are greatly reduced when TNK2 is overexpressed. In contrast, the reduction of TNK2 hinders the ability of ZNF692 overexpression to enhance cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.
ZNF692 promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma cells via the TNK2-dependent stimulation of the MEK/ERK signaling pathway. The ZNF692-TNK2 axis might potentially function as a possible predictive biomarker and a promising target for novel therapeutics in osteosarcoma.
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