The bean bug (Riptortus pedestris) causes great economic losses of soybeans by piercing and sucking pods and seeds. Although R. pedestris has become the focus of numerous studies associated with ...insect–microbe interactions, plant–insect interactions, and pesticide resistance, a lack of genomic resources has limited deeper insights. Here, we report the first R. pedestris genome at the chromosomal level using PacBio, Illumina, and Hi‐C technologies. The assembled genome was 1.080 Gb in size with a contig N50 of 2.882 Mb. More than 96.3% of the total genome bases were successfully anchored to six unique chromosomes. Genome resequencing of male and female individuals and chromosomic staining demonstrated that the sex chromosome system of R. pedestris is XO, and the shortest chromosome is the X chromosome. In total, 19,026 protein‐coding genes were predicted, 18,745 of which were validated as being expressed. Temporospatial expression of R. pedestris genes in six tissues and 37 development stages revealed 4,657 and 7,793 genes mainly expressed in gonads and egg periods, respectively. Evolutionary analysis demonstrated that R. pedestris and Oncopeltus fasciatus formed a sister group and split ∼80 million years ago (Mya). Additionally, a 5.04 Mb complete genome of symbiotic Serratia marcescens Rip1 was assembled, and the virulence factors that account for successful colonization in the host midgut were identified. The high‐quality R. pedestris genome provides a valuable resource for further research, as well as for the pest management of bug pests.
Topological insulators have unconventional gapless edge states where disorder-induced back-scattering is suppressed. In photonics, such edge states lead to unidirectional waveguides which are useful ...for integrated photonic circuitry. Cavity modes, another type of fundamental component in photonic chips, however, are not protected by band topology because of their lower dimensions. Here we demonstrate that concurrent wavevector space and real-space topology, dubbed as dual-topology, can lead to light-trapping in lower dimensions. The resultant photonic-bound state emerges as a Jackiw-Rebbi soliton mode localized on a dislocation in a two-dimensional photonic crystal, as proposed theoretically and discovered experimentally. Such a strongly confined cavity mode is found to be robust against perturbations. Our study unveils a mechanism for topological light-trapping in lower dimensions, which is invaluable for fundamental physics and various applications in photonics.
This paper develops a Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) approach to estimate the system reliability for a multistate manufacturing network with parallel production lines (MMN-PPL) considering finite ...buffer storage. System reliability indicates the probability that all workstations provide sufficient capacity to satisfy a specified demand and buffers possess adequate storage. The buffers are modeled as a network-structured MMN-PPL. Storage usage of buffers is analyzed based on the MMN-PPL. MCS algorithms are developed to generate the capacity state and to check the storage usage of buffers to determine whether the demand can be satisfied or not. System reliability of the MMN-PPL is estimated through simulation. The MCS approach is an efficient method to estimate system reliability for an MMN-PPL with a reasonable accuracy and time. A pair of practical examples including a tile and a touch panel manufacturing systems shows that system reliability is overestimated when buffer storage is assumed to be infinite. Demand satisfaction probability is further addressed to provide guidance for a proper production policy.
ObjectivesSun glare is a serious driving hazard and increases crash risks. Relatively few studies have examined the effects of sun glare on pedestrian fatalities, given that a crash has occurred. The ...primary objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sun glare on pedestrian fatalities.DesignA population-based case–control study.SettingTaiwan.ParticipantsUsing the Taiwan National Traffic Crash Data and sunrise and sunset data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the period 2003 to 2016, 100 411 pedestrians involved in crashes were identified. Of these crashes, 13 355 and 87 056 were glare-related (case) and non-glare-related (control) crashes, respectively.MethodsTo account for unobserved heterogeneity, mixed logit models were estimated to identify the determinants of pedestrian fatalities.Main outcome measuresPedestrian fatalities.ResultsPedestrians involved in glare-related crashes were more likely to be fatally injured than those in non-glare-related crashes (β=0.527; t=3.21). Other contributory factors to fatal injuries among pedestrians were older pedestrians (β=0.553; t=2.33), male drivers (β=0.324; t=2.33), older drivers (β=0.218; t=2.14), intoxicated motorists (β=0.606; t=2.85), rural roadways (β=0.985; t=3.92), overtaking manoeuvres (β=0.472; t=3.58), heavy vehicle crash partners (β=0.248; t=2.78) and sunset hours (β=0.274; t=3.08). Walking against traffic appeared beneficial for decreasing injury severity (β=−0.304; t=−2.76).ConclusionsSun glare is associated with pedestrian fatalities. Older pedestrians, male drivers, older drivers and intoxicated motorists are prevalent determinants of pedestrian fatalities in glare-related crashes.
Background
Apatinib is an oral small‐molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor that blocks vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‐2. Oral vinorelbine is a semisynthetic chemotherapeutic agent of ...vinorelbine alkaloids. Apatinib and oral vinorelbine have been proved to be effective in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (mBC). At present, several small sample clinical trials have explored the efficacy of apatinib combined with oral vinorelbine in the treatment of mBC.
Methods
This retrospective study included 100 human epidermal growth factor receptor‐2 (HER2)‐negative mBC patients who received low‐dose apatinib (250 mg orally per day) plus oral vinorelbine until disease progression or intolerance during February 2017 and March 2023. The progression‐free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), clinical benefit rate (CBR), disease control rate (DCR), and safety were analyzed by SPSS 26.0 software and GraphPad Prism 8 software. Cox proportional hazards regression model for univariate and multivariate was used to identify factors significantly related to PFS and OS.
Results
The median follow‐up time for this study was 38.1 months. Among 100 patients with HER2‐negative mBC, 66 were hormone receptor (HR)‐positive/HER2‐negative and 34 were triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC). The median PFS and OS were 6.0 months (95% CI, 5.2–6.8 months) and 23.0 months (95% CI, 19.9–26.1 months). There were no statistical differences in PFS (p = 0.239) and OS (p = 0.762) between the HR‐positive /HER2‐negative and TNBC subgroups. The ORR, CBR, and DCR were 21.0%, 58.0%, and 78.0%, respectively. Ninety‐five patients (95.0%) experienced varying grades of adverse events (AEs) and 38.0% of patients for Grades 3–4. The most common Grades 3–4 AEs that we observed were neutropenia (30.0%) and leukopenia (25.0%).
Conclusion
Low‐dose apatinib combined with oral vinorelbine demonstrates potential efficacy and well tolerated for pretreated HER2‐negative mBC.
This retrospective real world study included 100 patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor‐2‐negative metastatic breast cancer who received low‐dose apatinib (250 mg daily) in combination with oral vinorelbine. The median progression‐free survival and overall survival were 6.0 months (95% CI, 5.2–6.8 months) and 23.0 months (95% CI, 19.9–26.1 months), while the objective response rate, clinical benefit rate, and disease control rate were 21.0%, 58.0%, and 78.0%, respectively. The majority of adverse events were Grades 1–2 and the patients was well tolerated.
InN superconductivity is very special among III-V semiconductors, as other III-V semiconductors (such as GaAs, GaN, InP, InAs, etc.) usually lack strong covalent bonding and thus seldom show ...superconductivity at low temperatures. Here, we probe the different superconducting phase transitions in InN highlighted by its microstructure. Those chemical-unstable phase-separated inclusions, such as metallic indium or In
O
, are intentionally removed by HCl acid etching. The quasi-two-dimensional vortex liquid-glass transition is observed in the sample with a large InN grain size. In contrast, the superconducting properties of InN with a small grain size are sensitive to acid etching, showing a transition into a nonzero resistance state when the temperature approaches zero. Since the value of ξ
(the zero-temperature-limit superconducting coherence length) is close to the grain size, it is suggested that individual InN grains and intergrain coupling should be responsible for the sample-dependent InN superconducting phase transition. Our work establishes a guideline for engineering superconductivity in III-nitride.
This randomised trial aimed to address whether endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) or propranolol (PPL) is more effective at preventing initial oesophageal variceal bleeding (EVB) in patients with ...hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Patients with HCC and medium-to-large oesophageal varices (EVs) but without previous EVB were randomised to receive EVL (every 3-4 weeks until variceal eradication) or PPL (up to 320 mg daily) at a 1:1 ratio. Long-term follow-up data on EVB, other upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), non-bleeding liver decompensation, overall survival (OS) and adverse events (AEs) were analysed using competing risk regression.
Between June 2011 and April 2021, 144 patients were randomised to receive EVL (n=72) or PPL (n=72). In the EVL group, 7 patients experienced EVB, and 30 died; in the PPL group, 19 patients had EVB, and 40 died. The EVL group had a lower cumulative incidence of EVB (Gray's test, p=0.009) than its counterpart, with no mortality difference (Gray's test, p=0.085). For patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage A/B, EVL was better than PPL in reducing EVB (p<0.001) and mortality (p=0.003). For patients beyond BCLC stage B, between-group outcomes were similar. Other UGIB, non-bleeding liver decompensation and AEs did not differ between groups. A competing risk regression model confirmed the prognostic value of EVL.
EVL is superior to PPL in preventing initial EVB in patients with HCC. The benefits of EVL on EVB and OS may be limited to patients with BCLC stage A/B and not to those with BCLC stage C/D.
NCT01970748.
The accurate estimation of axial stresses is a major problem for high-strength bolted connections that needs to be overcome to improve the assembly quality and safety of aviation structures. However, ...the conventional acoustoelastic effect based on velocity-stress dependence is very weak for short bolts, which leads to large estimation errors. In this article, the effect of axial stress on ultrasonic scattering attenuation is investigated by calculating the change in the energy attenuation coefficient of ultrasonic echoes after applying axial preload. Based on this effect, a stress-dependent attenuation estimation model is developed to measure the bolt axial stress. In addition, the spectrum of the first and second round-trip echoes is divided into several frequency bands to calculate the energy attenuation coefficients, which are used to select the frequency band sensitive to the axial stress changes. Finally, the estimation model between axial stress and energy attenuation coefficients in the sensitive frequency band is established under 20 steps of axial preloads. The experimental results show that the energy attenuation coefficient in the sensitive band corresponds well with axial stress. The average relative error of the predicted axial stress is 6.28%, which is better than that of the conventional acoustoelastic effect method. Therefore, the proposed approach can be used as an effective method to measure the axial stress of short bolts in the assembly of high-strength connections.
Purpose
This study aims to explore the influence of social interaction processes on transactive memory system (TMS) practice, the mediation of knowledge integration to the relationship between TMS ...and team performance and the moderation of team psychological safety to the relationship among TMS, knowledge intentions and team performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected data from a sample of 366 team members from 55 research and development (R&D) teams in Taiwan and conduct the analysis using the partial least squares method.
Findings
The results of this study indicate that social interaction processes have a positive effect on a TMS; a TMS can foster team performance, but knowledge integration mediates the relationship between the TMS and team performance; and team psychological safety can moderate the relationship between the TMS, knowledge integration and team performance.
Originality/value
Existing studies not only fail to explore the influence of social interaction processes on a TMS practice but also lack empirical analyses to explore knowledge integration as a mediator and team psychological safety as a moderator. This study fills that gap by developing a model that includes these types of relationships and suggests the importance of the TMS in the context of R&D.
C2‐functionalized pyrimidine derivative is a family of important nitrogen heterocyclic compounds due to their unique structure and multiple reaction sites. In this work, a novel method for the ...synthesis of C2‐functionalized pyrimidine derivatives through phenylalkynes and pyrimidine disulfides under ambient conditions is proposed. The reaction can be triggered by adding catalytic amounts of cesium fluoride, which is characterized by free‐catalyst and special activator. Importantly, this reaction has good compatibility with substrates substituted by electron‐donating and electron‐withdrawing groups at C4. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations also indicates that the production of C2‐functionalized pyrimidine derivatives is more favourable.
A method for synthesizing C2 functionalized pyrimidine derivatives by phenylalkyne and pyrimidine disulfide under environmental conditions with good group compatibility is reported. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that it is more advantageous to generate C2‐functionalized pyrimidine derivatives.
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