α-Crystallins, initially identified as the structural proteins of the ocular lens, belong to the small heat shock protein family. They play significant roles in maintaining the lens transparency and ...preventing protein aggregation. α-Crystallins exist in two isoforms: αA and αB, and they display differential tissue distribution. Their mutations are implicated in several human diseases including cardiac myopathies, neurodegenerative diseases, cataracts and various types of cancers. Increased αB expression was detected in retinoblastoma, breast cancer, glioblastoma, prostate and renal cell carcinomas, indicating its role in promoting tumor growth. A complex picture emerges for αA. Although earlier studies suggest that αA may promote cancer development, recent studies from our laboratory demonstrate that αA can act as a tumor suppressor inhibiting cell transformation and retarding cell migration through modulating MAP kinase activity. In this review, we summarize the recent progress about the functions of αA and αB in cancer development.
To established a radiomics nomogram for improving the dilatation and curettage (D&C) result in differentiating type II from type I endometrial cancer (EC) preoperatively.
EC patients (n=875) were ...enrolled retrospectively and divided randomly into a training cohort (n=437) and a test cohort (n=438), according to the ratio of 1:1. Radiomics signatures were extracted and selected from apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent clinical risk factors. An ADC based-radiomics nomogram was built by integrating the selected radiomics signatures and the independent clinical risk factors. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was conducted to determine the clinical usefulness of the radiomics nomogram. The net reclassification index (NRI) and total integrated discrimination index (IDI) were calculated to compare the discrimination performances between the radiomics nomogram and the D&C result.
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the clinical risk factors, the D&C, and the ADC based-radiomics nomogram yielded areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) of 0.70 (95% CI: 0.64–0.76), 0.85 (95% CI: 0.80–0.89), and 0.93 (95% CI: 0.90–0.96) in the training cohort and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.57–0.71), 0.82 (95% CI: 0.77–0.87) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.87–0.95) in the test cohort, respectively. The DCA, NRI, and IDI demonstrated the clinically usefulness of the ADC based-radiomics nomogram.
The ADC-based radiomics nomogram could be used to improve the D&C result in differentiating type II from type I EC preoperatively.
•D&C was performed to distinguish type Ⅱ from type Ⅰ EC.•A radiomics nomogram was established in differentiating type Ⅱ from type Ⅰ EC.•The nomogram could be used to improve the D&C result preoperatively.
Randomness expansion where one generates a longer sequence of random numbers from a short one is viable in quantum mechanics but not allowed classically. Device-independent quantum randomness ...expansion provides a randomness resource of the highest security level. Here, we report the first experimental realization of device-independent quantum randomness expansion secure against quantum side information established through quantum probability estimation. We generate 5.47×10^{8} quantum-proof random bits while consuming 4.39×10^{8} bits of entropy, expanding our store of randomness by 1.08×10^{8} bits at a latency of about 13.1 h, with a total soundness error 4.6×10^{-10}. Device-independent quantum randomness expansion not only enriches our understanding of randomness but also sets a solid base to bring quantum-certifiable random bits into realistic applications.
The coexistence of single-crystallinity with a multidomain morphology is a paradoxical phenomenon occurring in biomineralization. Translating such feature to synthetic materials is a highly ...challenging process in crystal engineering. We demonstrate the formation of metallo-organic single-crystals with a unique appearance: six-connected half-rods forming a hexagonal-like tube. These uniform objects are formed from unstable, monodomain crystals. The monodomain crystals dissolve from the inner regions, while material is anisotropically added to their shell, resulting in hollow, single-crystals. Regardless of the different morphologies and growth mechanism, the crystallographic structures of the mono- and multidomain crystals are nearly identical. The chiral crystals are formed from achiral components, and belong to a rare space group (P622). Sonication of the solvents generating radical species is essential for forming the multidomain single-crystals. This process reduces the concentration of the active metal salt. Our approach offers opportunities to generate a new class of crystals.
We demonstrate the formation of uniform and oriented metal–organic frameworks using a combination of anion effects and surface chemistry. Subtle but significant morphological changes result from the ...nature of the coordinative counteranion of the following metal salts: NiX2 with X = Br–, Cl–, NO3 –, and OAc–. Crystals could be obtained in solution or by template surface growth. The latter results in truncated crystals that resemble a half structure of the solution-grown ones. The oriented surface-bound metal–organic frameworks (sMOFs) are obtained via a one-step solvothermal approach rather than in a layer-by-layer approach. The MOFs are grown on Si/SiOx substrates modified with an organic monolayer or on glass substrates covered with a transparent conductive oxide (TCO). Regardless of the different morphologies, the crystallographic packing is nearly identical and is not affected by the type of anion or by solution versus the surface chemistry. A propeller-type arrangement of the nonchiral ligands around the metal center affords a chiral structure with two geometrically different helical channels in a 2:1 ratio with the same handedness. To demonstrate the accessibility and porosity of the macroscopically oriented channels, a chromophore (resorufin sodium salt) was successfully embedded into the channels of the crystals by diffusion from solution, resulting in fluorescent crystals. These “colored” crystals displayed polarized emission (red) with a high polarization ratio because of the alignment of these dyes imposed by the crystallographic structure. A second-harmonic generation (SHG) study revealed Kleinman symmetry-forbidden nonlinear optical properties. These surface-bound and oriented SHG-active MOFs have the potential for use as single nonlinear optical (NLO) devices.
To investigate whether apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram parameters based on whole solid tumour volume could differentiate high-grade (HGSOC) from low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma ...(LGSOC) and to correlate those parameters with the Ki-67 proliferation index.
One hundred and seven patients with HGSOCs and 19 patients with LGSOCs confirmed at surgery and histology who underwent conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) were analysed retrospectively. ADC histogram parameters (including the mean, standard deviation SD, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles, kurtosis, and skewness) were obtained using the whole solid tumour volume region of interest (ROI). The Mann–Whitney U test, Pearson's chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, kappa test, Spearman's correlation, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used for statistical analyses.
For ADC histogram parameters, the mean (p<0.001), SD (p=0.003), and all percentiles (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile; all p<0.001) were significantly lower in HGSOC than in LGSOC, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.717–0.807. Skewness was significantly higher in HGSOC than in LGSOC (p<0.001, AUC = 0.773); however, kurtosis was not significantly different between HGSOC and LGSOC (p=0.140). The 25th and 75th percentiles, SD and 10th percentile, and 75th percentile showed the highest sensitivity of 91.6%, specificity of 79.0%, and accuracy of 88.1%, respectively. All histogram parameters (except for kurtosis) were poorly correlated with the Ki-67 index (|r| = 0.191–0.274, p<0.05).
ADC histogram parameters based on whole solid tumour volume can be helpful for differentiating between HGSOC and LGSOC.
•Most histogram metrics of ADC were significantly lower in HGSOC than in LGSOC.•The 75th showed the highest sensitivity and accuracy of 91.6% and 88.1%, respectively.•ADC histogram parameters showed a poor correlation with Ki-67 index.
Randomness is important for many information processing applications, including numerical modelling and cryptography
. Device-independent quantum random-number generation (DIQRNG)
based on the ...loophole-free violation of a Bell inequality produces genuine, unpredictable randomness without requiring any assumptions about the inner workings of the devices, and is therefore an ultimate goal in the field of quantum information science
. Previously reported experimental demonstrations of DIQRNG
were not provably secure against the most general adversaries or did not close the 'locality' loophole of the Bell test. Here we present DIQRNG that is secure against quantum and classical adversaries
. We use state-of-the-art quantum optical technology to create, modulate and detect entangled photon pairs, achieving an efficiency of more than 78 per cent from creation to detection at a distance of about 200 metres that greatly exceeds the threshold for closing the 'detection' loophole of the Bell test. By independently and randomly choosing the base settings for measuring the entangled photon pairs and by ensuring space-like separation between the measurement events, we also satisfy the no-signalling condition and close the 'locality' loophole of the Bell test, thus enabling the realization of the loophole-free violation of a Bell inequality. This, along with a high-voltage, high-repetition-rate Pockels cell modulation set-up, allows us to accumulate sufficient data in the experimental time to extract genuine quantum randomness that is secure against the most general adversaries. By applying a large (137.90 gigabits × 62.469 megabits) Toeplitz-matrix hashing technique, we obtain 6.2469 × 10
quantum-certified random bits in 96 hours with a total failure probability (of producing a random number that is not guaranteed to be perfectly secure) of less than 10
. Our demonstration is a crucial step towards transforming DIQRNG from a concept to a key aspect of practical applications that require high levels of security and thus genuine randomness
. Our work may also help to improve our understanding of the origin of randomness from a fundamental perspective.
Drought, defined as a marked deficiency of precipitation relative to normal, occurs as periods of below-average precipitation or complete failure of precipitation inputs, and can be limited to a ...single season or prolonged over multiple years. Grasslands are typically quite sensitive to drought, but there can be substantial variability in the magnitude of loss of ecosystem function. We hypothesized that differences in how drought occurs may contribute to this variability. In four native Great Plains grasslands (three C
4
- and one C
3
-dominated) spanning a ~ 500-mm precipitation gradient, we imposed drought for four consecutive years by (1) reducing each rainfall event by 66% during the growing season (chronic drought) or (2) completely excluding rainfall during a shorter portion of the growing season (intense drought). The drought treatments were similar in magnitude but differed in the following characteristics: event number, event size and length of dry periods. We observed consistent drought-induced reductions (28–37%) in aboveground net primary production (ANPP) only in the C
4
-dominated grasslands. In general, intense drought reduced ANPP more than chronic drought, with little evidence that drought duration altered this pattern. Conversely, belowground net primary production (BNPP) was reduced by drought in all grasslands (32–64%), with BNPP reductions greater in intense vs. chronic drought treatments in the most mesic grassland. We conclude that grassland productivity responses to drought did not strongly differ between these two types of drought, but when differences existed, intense drought consistently reduced function more than chronic drought.
The influence of different iron carbides on the activity and selectivity of iron-based Fischer–Tropsch catalysts has been studied. Different iron carbide phases are obtained by the pretreatment of a ...binary Fe/SiO2 model catalyst (prepared by coprecipitation method) to different gas atmospheres (syngas, CO, or H2). The phase structures, compositions, and particle sizes of the catalysts are characterized systematically by XRD, XAFS, MES, and TEM. It is found that in the syngas-treated catalyst only χ-Fe5C2 carbide is formed. In the CO-treated catalyst, Fe7C3 and χ-Fe5C2 with a bimodal particle size distribution are formed, while the H2-treated catalyst exhibits the bimodal size distributed ε-Fe2C and χ-Fe5C2 after a Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) reaction. The intrinsic FTS activity is calculated and assigned to each corresponding iron carbide based on the phase composition and the particle size. It is identified that Fe7C3 has the highest intrinsic activity (TOF = 4.59 × 10–2 s–1) among the three candidate carbides (ε-Fe2C, Fe7C3, and χ-Fe5C2) in typical medium-temperature Fischer–Tropsch (MTFT) conditions (260–300 °C, 2–3 MPa, and H2/CO = 2). Moreover, FTS over ε-Fe2C leads to the lowest methane selectivity.
PDF
