Moiré superlattices in transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) heterostructures can host novel correlated quantum phenomena due to the interplay of narrow moiré flat bands and strong, long-range ...Coulomb interactions1–9. However, microscopic knowledge of the atomically reconstructed moiré superlattice and resulting flat bands is still lacking, which is critical for fundamental understanding and control of the correlated moiré phenomena. Here we quantitatively study the moiré flat bands in three-dimensional (3D) reconstructed WSe2/WS2 moiré superlattices by comparing scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS) of high-quality exfoliated TMD heterostructure devices with ab initio simulations of TMD moiré superlattices. A strong 3D buckling reconstruction accompanied by large in-plane strain redistribution is identified in our WSe2/WS2 moiré heterostructures. STS imaging demonstrates that this results in a remarkably narrow and highly localized K-point moiré flat band at the valence band edge of the heterostructure. A series of moiré flat bands are observed at different energies that exhibit varying degrees of localization. Our observations contradict previous simplified theoretical models but agree quantitatively with ab initio simulations that fully capture the 3D structural reconstruction. Our results reveal that the strain redistribution and 3D buckling in TMD heterostructures dominate the effective moiré potential and the corresponding moiré flat bands at the Brillouin zone K points.Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy and ab initio simulations reveal buckling reconstruction and in-plane strain redistribution in WSe2/WS2 moiré heterostructures.
In this paper, we consider the optimal resource allocation problem for multiple-input multiple-output non-orthogonal multiple access (MIMO-NOMA) systems, which consists of beam-forming, user ...clustering and power allocation, respectively. Users can be divided into different clusters, and the users in the same cluster are served by the same beam vector. Inter-cluster orthogonality can be guaranteed based on multi-user detection (MUD). In this paper, we propose a three-step framework to solve the multi-dimensional resource allocation problem. In step 1, we propose a beam-forming algorithm for a given user cluster. Specifically, fractional transmitting power control (FTPC) is applied for intra-cluster power allocation. The considered beam-forming problem can be transformed into a non-constrained one and the limited-memory Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (L-BFGS) method is applied to obtain the optimal solution. In step 2, optimal user clustering is further considered. Channel differences and correlations are both involved in the design of user clustering. By assigning different weights to the two factors, we can produce multiple candidate clustering schemes. Based on the proposed beam-forming algorithm, beam-forming can be done for each candidate clustering scheme to compare their performances. Moreover, based on the optimal user clustering and beam-forming schemes, in step 3, power allocation can be further optimized. Specifically, it can be formalized as a difference of convex (DC) programming problem, which is solved by successive convex approximation (SCA) with strong robustness. Simulations results show that the proposed scheme can effectively improve spectral efficiency (SE) and edge users' data rates.
Three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies are advanced manufacturing technologies based on computer-aided design digital models to create personalized 3D objects automatically. They have been ...widely used in the industry, design, engineering, and manufacturing fields for nearly 30 years. Three-dimensional printing has many advantages in process engineering, with applications in dentistry ranging from the field of prosthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and oral implantology to orthodontics, endodontics, and periodontology. This review provides a practical and scientific overview of 3D printing technologies. First, it introduces current 3D printing technologies, including powder bed fusion, photopolymerization molding, and fused deposition modeling. Additionally, it introduces various factors affecting 3D printing metrics, such as mechanical properties and accuracy. The final section presents a summary of the clinical applications of 3D printing in dentistry, including manufacturing working models and main applications in the fields of prosthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and oral implantology. The 3D printing technologies have the advantages of high material utilization and the ability to manufacture a single complex geometry; nevertheless, they have the disadvantages of high cost and time-consuming postprocessing. The development of new materials and technologies will be the future trend of 3D printing in dentistry, and there is no denying that 3D printing will have a bright future.
Based on the theory of planned behavior, this study considers entrepreneurial traits and divides the entrepreneurial environment into policy environment, economic environment, and educational and ...cultural environment. Using SPSS 23.0 and Amos 24.0 softwares, a structural equation model of entrepreneurial intentions for university students originating from Hong Kong and Macao is constructed. A questionnaire survey method is used to collect data from 689 Hong Kong and Macao students in Chinese mainland universities to explore the factors influencing their entrepreneurial intentions and the ranges of their entrepreneurial intentions based on demographic variables. The results show that entrepreneurial attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, entrepreneurial traits, and entrepreneurial environment have a significant positive impact on the entrepreneurial intentions of Hong Kong and Macao students in the mainland universities. Male students have a higher level of entrepreneurial intentions than female students. Hong Kong students are more likely to have entrepreneurial intentions than Macao students, and students in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (briefly, Greater Bay Area) universities are more likely to have such intentions than those from non-Greater Bay Area universities. Students majoring in science, engineering and medicine show a lower likelihood of intension than those majoring in humanities and social sciences. To comprehensively improve the entrepreneurial intentions of Hong Kong and Macao students and enable them to better shoulder their responsibilities in sharing the development dividends of the Greater Bay Area, it is necessary to start from the entrepreneurial environment and from the perspective of cultivating innovative talents. A support framework that integrates a training system, an ecological system, and a resource system is proposed to support students from Hong Kong and Macao in entrepreneurial development in the mainland.
16S rRNA is the universal gene of microbes, and it is often used as a target gene to obtain profiles of microbial communities via next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. Traditionally, sequences ...are clustered into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at a 97% threshold based on the taxonomic standard using 16S rRNA, and methods for the reduction of sequencing errors are bypassed, which may lead to false classification units. Several denoising algorithms have been published to solve this problem, such as DADA2 and Deblur, which can correct sequencing errors at single-nucleotide resolution by generating amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). As high-resolution ASVs are becoming more popular than OTUs and only one analysis method is usually selected in a particular study, there is a need for a thorough comparison of OTU clustering and denoising pipelines. In this study, three of the most widely used 16S rRNA methods (two denoising algorithms, DADA2 and Deblur, along with
OTU clustering) were thoroughly compared using 16S rRNA amplification sequencing data generated from 358 clinical stool samples from the Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Screening Cohort. Our findings indicated that all approaches led to similar taxonomic profiles (with
> 0.05 in PERMNAOVA and
<0.001 in the Mantel test), although the number of ASVs/OTUs and the alpha-diversity indices varied considerably. Despite considerable differences in disease-related markers identified, disease-related analysis showed that all methods could result in similar conclusions.
, and
were identified by all three methods as enriched in the CRC group, while
, and
were identified by all three methods as enriched in the healthy group. In addition, disease-diagnostic models generated using machine learning algorithms based on the data from these different methods all achieved good diagnostic efficiency (AUC: 0.87-0.89), with the model based on DADA2 producing the highest AUC (0.8944 and 0.8907 in the training set and test set, respectively). However, there was no significant difference in performance between the models (
>0.05). In conclusion, this study demonstrates that DADA2, Deblur, and
OTU clustering display similar power levels in taxa assignment and can produce similar conclusions in the case of the CRC cohort.
The genetic landscape of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) had been investigated extensively but its evolution patterns remained unclear. Here we analyze the clonal architectures of 473 ...patients from three different populations. We find that the mutational signatures vary substantially across different populations and evolution stages. The evolution patterns of ccRCC have great inter-patient heterogeneities, with del(3p) being regarded as the common earliest event followed by three early departure points: VHL and PBRM1 mutations, del(14q) and other somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) including amp(7), del(1p) and del(6q). We identify three prognostic subtypes of ccRCC with distinct clonal architectures and immune infiltrates: long-lived patients, enriched with VHL but depleted of BAP1 mutations, have high levels of Th17 and CD8
T cells while short-lived patients with high burden of SCNAs have high levels of Tregs and Th2 cells, highlighting the importance of evaluating evolution patterns in the clinical management of ccRCC.
We present the first example of visible-light-mediated multicomponent annulation of 1,7-diynes by taking advantage of quadruple cleavage olf carbon-halogen bonds of BrCCl
to generate a C1 synthon, ...which was adeptly applied to the preparation of skeletally diverse 3-benzoyl-quinolin-2(1
)-one acetates in moderate to good yields. Controlled experiments demonstrated that H
O acted as both oxygen and hydrogen sources, and
-dichlorovinyl carbonyl compound exhibited as a critical intermediate in this process. The mechanistic pathway involves Kharasch-type addition/6-exo-dig cyclization/1,5-(SN")-substitution/elimination/binucleophilic 1,6-addition/proton transfer/tautomerization sequence.
Identifying locoregional gastric cancer patients who are at high risk for relapse after resection could facilitate early intervention. By detecting molecular residual disease (MRD), circulating tumor ...DNA (ctDNA) has been shown to predict post-operative relapse in several cancers. Here, we aim to evaluate MRD detection by ctDNA and its association with clinical outcome in resected gastric cancer. This prospective cohort study enrolled 46 patients with stage I-III gastric cancer that underwent resection with curative intent. Sixty resected tumor samples and 296 plasma samples were obtained for targeted deep sequencing and longitudinal ctDNA profiling. ctDNA detection was correlated with clinicopathologic features and post-operative disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS). ctDNA was detected in 45% of treatment-naïve plasma samples. Primary tumor extent (T stage) was independently associated with pre-operative ctDNA positivity (p = 0.006). All patients with detectable ctDNA in the immediate post-operative period eventually experienced recurrence. ctDNA positivity at any time during longitudinal post-operative follow-up was associated with worse DFS and OS (HR = 14.78, 95%CI, 7.991-61.29, p < 0.0001 and HR = 7.664, 95% CI, 2.916-21.06, p = 0.002, respectively), and preceded radiographic recurrence by a median of 6 months. In locoregional gastric cancer patients treated with curative intent, these results indicate that ctDNA-detected MRD identifies patients at high risk for recurrence and can facilitate novel treatment intensification studies in the adjuvant setting to improve survival.
The formation and development of potato tissues and organs is a complex process regulated by a variety of genes and environmental factors. The regulatory mechanisms underlying the growth and ...development are still unclear. In this work, we aimed to explore the changes in gene expression patterns and genetic characteristics of potato tissues throughout different developmental stages. To achieve this, we used autotetraploid potato JC14 as an experimental subject to analyze the transcriptome of the root, stem, and leaf at the seedling, tuber formation, and tuber expansion stages. The results revealed thousands of differentially expressed genes, predominantly involved in defense response and carbohydrate metabolism according to KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed a total of 12 co-expressed gene modules, with 4 modules showing the highest correlation with potato stem development. By calculating the connectivity of genes within the module, hub genes were identified, and functional annotations were subsequently performed. A total of 40 hub genes from the four modules were identified, and their functions were found to be related to carbohydrate metabolism, defense response, and transcription factors. These findings provide important insights for further understanding of the molecular regulation and genetic mechanisms involved in potato tissue development.
Circular RNA (circRNA) is an important member of non-coding RNA family. Numerous computational methods for detecting circRNAs from RNA-seq data have been developed in the past few years, but there ...are dramatic differences among the algorithms regarding the balancing of the sensitivity and precision of the detection and filtering strategies. To further improve the sensitivity, while maintaining an acceptable precision of circRNA detection, a novel and efficient
detection algorithm, CIRCPlus, is proposed in this paper. CIRCPlus accurately locates circRNA candidates by identifying a set of back-spliced junction reads by comparing the local similar sequence of each pair of spanning junction reads. This strategy, thus, utilizes the important information provided by unbalanced spanning reads, which facilitates the detection especially when the expression levels of circRNA are unapparent. The performance of CIRCPlus was tested and compared to the existing
methods on the real datasets as well as a series of simulation datasets with different configurations. The experiment results demonstrated that the sensitivities of CIRCPlus were able to reach 90% in common simulation settings, while CIRCPlus held balanced sensitivity and reliability on the real datasets according to an objective assessment criteria based on RNase R-treated samples. The software tool is available for academic uses only.