The exploration of quantum‐inspired symmetries in optical and photonic systems has witnessed immense research interest both fundamentally and technologically in a wide range of subject areas in ...physics and engineering. One of the principal emerging fields in this context is non‐Hermitian physics based on parity‐time symmetry, originally proposed in the studies pertaining to quantum mechanics and quantum field theory and recently ramified into a diverse set of areas, particularly in optics and photonics. The intriguing physical effects enabled by non‐Hermitian physics and PT symmetry have enhanced significant application prospects and engineering of novel materials. In addition, there has been increasing research interest in many emerging directions beyond optics and photonics. Here, the state‐of‐the art developments in the field of complex non‐Hermitian physics based on PT symmetry in various physical settings are brought together, and key concepts, a background, and a detailed perspective on new emerging directions are described. It can be anticipated that this trendy field of interest will be indispensable in providing new perspectives in maneuvering the flow of light in the diverse physical platforms in optics, photonics, condensed matter, optoelectronics, and beyond, and will offer distinctive application prospects in novel functional materials.
As a quantum‐inspired symmetry paradigm in optical and photonic systems, non‐Hermitian physics based on parity‐time symmetry has gained significant research interest in a wide range of subjects, enabling intriguing physical effects and significant application prospects. The state‐of‐the‐art developments in this trendy field in various physical settings are discussed, and key concepts, background, and a detailed perspective on new emerging directions are also provided.
This study was conducted to investigate impacts of dietary protein levels on gut bacterial community and gut barrier. The intestinal microbiota of finishing pigs, fed with 16%, 13% and 10% crude ...protein (CP) in diets, respectively, were investigated using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. The ileal bacterial richness tended to decrease when the dietary protein concentration reduced from 16% to 10%. The proportion of Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 in ileum significantly decreased, whereas Escherichia-Shigella increased with reduction of protein concentration. In colon, the proportion of Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 and Turicibacter increased, while the proportion of RC9_gut_group significantly decreased with the dietary protein reduction. Notably, the proportion of Peptostreptococcaceae was higher in both ileum and colon of 13% CP group. As for metabolites, the intestinal concentrations of SCFAs and biogenic amines decreased with the dietary protein reduction. The 10% CP dietary treatment damaged ileal mucosal morphology, and decreased the expression of biomarks of intestinal cells (Lgr5 and Bmi1), whereas the expression of tight junction proteins (occludin and claudin) in 13% CP group were higher than the other two groups. In conclusion, moderate dietary protein restriction (13% CP) could alter the bacterial community and metabolites, promote colonization of beneficial bacteria in both ileum and colon, and improve gut barrier function.
Reirradiation in standard fractionation for locally advanced recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma after a previous course of high-dose radiotherapy is often associated with substantial late toxicity, ...negating its overall benefit. We therefore aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of hyperfractionation compared with standard fractionation in intensity-modulated radiotherapy.
This multicentre, randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial was done in three centres in Guangzhou, China. Eligible patients were aged 18–65 years with histopathologically confirmed undifferentiated or differentiated, non-keratinising, advanced locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to either receive hyperfractionation (65 Gy in 54 fractions, given twice daily with an interfractional time interval of at least 6 h) or standard fractionation (60 Gy in 27 fractions, given once a day). Intensity-modulated radiotherapy was used in both groups. A computer program generated the assignment sequence and randomisation was stratified by treatment centre, recurrent tumour stage (T2–T3 vs T4), and recurrent nodal stage (N0 vs N1–N2), determined at the time of randomisation. The two primary endpoints were the incidence of severe late complications defined as the incidence of grade 3 or worse late radiation-induced complications occurring 3 months after the completion of radiotherapy until the latest follow-up in the safety population, and overall survival defined as the time interval from randomisation to death due to any cause in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02456506.
Between July 10, 2015, and Dec 23, 2019, 178 patients were screened for eligibility, 144 of whom were enrolled and randomly assigned to hyperfractionation or standard fractionation (n=72 in each group). 35 (24%) participants were women and 109 (76%) were men. After a median follow-up of 45·0 months (IQR 37·3–53·3), there was a significantly lower incidence of grade 3 or worse late radiation-induced toxicity in the hyperfractionation group (23 34% of 68 patients) versus the standard fractionation group (39 57% of 68 patients; between-group difference –23% 95% CI –39 to –7; p=0·023). Patients in the hyperfractionation group had better 3-year overall survival than those in the standard fractionation group (74·6% 95% CI 64·4 to 84·8 vs 55·0% 43·4 to 66·6; hazard ratio for death 0·54 95% CI 0·33 to 0·88; p=0·014). There were fewer grade 5 late complications in the hyperfractionation group (five 7% nasal haemorrhage) than in the standard fractionation group (16 24%, including two 3% nasopharyngeal necrosis, 11 16% nasal haemorrhage, and three 4% temporal lobe necrosis).
Hyperfractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy could significantly decrease the rate of severe late complications and improve overall survival among patients with locally advanced recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Our findings suggest that hyperfractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy could be used as the standard of care for these patients.
Key-Area Research and Development of Guangdong Province, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Special Support Program for High-level Talents in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, the Guangzhou Science and Technology Plan Project, and the National Ten Thousand Talents Program Science and Technology Innovation Leading Talents, Sun Yat-Sen University Clinical Research 5010 Program.
Background
Melanoma central nervous system (CNS) metastasis remains a leading cause of patient mortality, and the underlying pathological mechanism has not been fully elucidated, leading to a lack of ...effective therapeutic strategies.
Materials and Methods
In this study, we conducted an integrated analysis of single‐cell transcriptomic data related to melanoma brain metastasis (MBM) and leptomeningeal metastasis (LMM). We focused on differences of subset composition and molecular expression of monocytes in blood, primary tumor, brain metastases, and leptomeningeal metastases.
Results
Significant differences were observed among monocytes in blood, primary tumor, and different CNS metastatic tissues, particularly in terms of subset differentiation and gene expression patterns. Subsequent analysis revealed the upregulation of cell proportions of six monocyte subsets in brain metastasis and leptomeningeal metastasis. Based on differential gene analysis, four of these subsets exhibited increased expression of factors promoting tumor migration and survival, including AREG+ monocytes (AREG, EREG, THBS1), FABP5+ monocytes (SPP1, CCL2, CTSL), and CXCL3+ monocytes (CXCL3, IL8, IL1B). The proportions of TPSB2+ monocytes (IL32, CCL5) were notably elevated in melanoma leptomeningeal metastasis tissues. Pathway analysis indicated the activation of signaling pathways such as NOD‐like receptors, NFκB, and Toll‐like receptors in these metastasis‐related subsets.
Conclusion
Our findings elucidate that AREG+, FABP5+ and CXCL3+ monocytes are associated with brain metastasis and TPSB2+ monocytes are associated with leptomeningeal metastasis in melanoma, which may be contribute to the development of therapeutic strategies focusing on monocytes or cytokines for melanoma CNS metastasis.
The design problem of networked control systems (NCS) with constant and random network delay in the forward and feedback channels, respectively, is considered in this paper. A novel networked ...predictive control (NPC) scheme is proposed to overcome the effects of network delay and data dropout. Stability criteria of closed-loop NPC systems are presented. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the stability of closed-loop NCS with constant time delay are given. Furthermore, it is shown that a closed-loop NPC system with bounded random network delay is stable if its corresponding switched system is stable. Both simulation study and practical experiments show the effectiveness of the control scheme
Cholinium amino acid ionic liquids (ChAA ILs), which are wholly composed of renewable biomaterials, have recently been demonstrated to have very promising properties for applications in organic ...synthesis and biomass pretreatment. In this work, the toxicity of these ILs toward enzymes and bacteria was assessed, and the effect of the anion on these properties is discussed. The inhibitory potentials of this type of ILs to acetylcholinesterase were weaker approximately an order of magnitude than the traditional IL 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate. Additionally, the ChAA ILs displayed low toxicity toward the bacteria tested. Furthermore, the biodegradability of the ChAA ILs was evaluated via the closed bottle and CO(2) headspace tests using wastewater microorganisms. All the ILs were classified as 'readily biodegradable' based on their high levels of mineralization (62-87%). The presence of extra carboxyl or amide groups on the amino acid side chain rendered the ILs significantly more susceptible to microbial breakdown. In addition, for most of the ChAA ILs, low toxicity correlated with good biodegradability. The low toxicity and high biodegradability of these novel ChAA make them promising candidates for use as environmentally friendly solvents in large-scale applications.
This paper studies the problem of predictive output feedback control for networked control systems (NCSs) with random communication delays. A networked-predictive-control scheme is employed to ...compensate for the network-induced delay. Furthermore, the time-varying predictive controller with mixed random delays for networked systems is introduced. Then, the system is formulated as a Markovian jump system. New techniques are presented to deal with the distributed delay in the discrete-time domain. Based on the analysis of closed-loop NCSs, the designed predictive time-varying output feedback controller can guarantee system stability. Simulation example demonstrates the compensation for random communication delays and data loss in networked systems using the proposed predictive scheme.
The fates of cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) in paddy fields are generally opposite; thus, the inconsistent transformation of Cd and As poses large challenges for their remediation. In this study, the ...impacts of zero valent iron (ZVI) and/or biochar amendments on Cd and As bioavailability were examined in pot trials with rice. Comparison with the untreated soil, both Cd and As accumulation in different rice tissues decreased significantly in the ZVI-biochar amendments and the Cd and As accumulation in rice decreased with increasing ZVI contents. In particular, the concentrations of Cd (0.15 ± 0.01 mg kg−1) and As (0.17 ± 0.01 mg kg−1) in rice grains were decreased by 93% and 61% relative to the untreated soil, respectively. A sequential extraction analysis indicated that with increasing Fe ratios in the ZVI-biochar mixtures, bioavailable Cd and As decreased, and the immobilized Cd and As increased. Furthermore, high levels of Fe, Cd, and As were detected in Fe plaque of the ZVI-biochar amendments in comparison with the single biochar or single ZVI amendments. The ZVI-biochar mixture may have a synergistic effect that simultaneously reduces Cd and As bioavailability by increasing the formation of amorphous Fe and Fe plaque for Cd and As immobilization. The single ZVI amendment significantly decreased As bioavailability, while the single biochar amendment significantly reduced the bioavailability of Cd compared with the combined amendments. Hence, using a ZVI-biochar mixture as a soil amendment could be a promising strategy for safely-utilizing Cd and As co-contaminated sites in the future.
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•The single zero valent iron amendment decreased the bioavailability of As.•The single biochar amendment reduced the bioavailability of Cd.•The ZVI-biochar amendments simultaneously reduced Cd and As bioavailability.•The Fe, Cd, and As in plaque increased significantly in the ZVI-biochar amendments.•The ZVI-biochar amendments increased the amorphous Fe oxides in soils.
Antimicrobial de-escalation refers to reducing the spectrum of antibiotics used in treating bacterial infections. This strategy is widely recommended in many antimicrobial stewardship programs and is ...believed to reduce patients' exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics and prevent resistance. However, the ecological benefits of de-escalation have not been universally observed in clinical studies. This paper conducts computer simulations to assess the ecological effects of de-escalation on the resistance prevalence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-a frequent pathogen causing nosocomial infections. Synthetic data produced by the models are then used to estimate the sample size and study period needed to observe the predicted effects in clinical trials. Our results show that de-escalation can reduce colonization and infections caused by bacterial strains resistant to the empiric antibiotic, limit the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, and avoid inappropriate empiric therapies. Further, we show that de-escalation could reduce the overall super-infection incidence, and this benefit becomes more evident under good compliance with hand hygiene protocols among health care workers. Finally, we find that any clinical study aiming to observe the essential effects of de-escalation should involve at least ten arms and last for four years-a size never attained in prior studies. This study explains the controversial findings of de-escalation in previous clinical studies and illustrates how mathematical models can inform outcome expectations and guide the design of clinical studies.
Pretreatment is an important process to transform lignocellulosic biomass to high-value chemicals. This process potentially provides economic sustainability, which is challenged by energy crisis and ...environmental pollution. Pretreatment is mainly applied to improve the digestibility of cellulose by increasing enzyme accessibility. Different lignocellulosic biomasses require various pretreatment processes and conditions depending on process configurations selected for subsequent hydrolysis and fermentation steps. In this article, studies on the pretreatment of lignocellulose for high-value chemicals were reviewed. The relative advantages of various pretreatment processes, including physical, chemical, physicochemical, and biological methods, were also assessed in economic perspectives. Existing problems and development potential were also discussed. This review provides a theoretical basis for future research on lignocellulosic biomass for chemical applications.
•We summarized characteristics of various pretreatment processes, and discussed the existing problems and prospect.•We think this review is helpful and can provide a theoretical basis for future research on lignocellulosic biomass for chemical applications.
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