Observer-Based Control of Networked Periodic Piecewise Systems With Encoding-Decoding Mechanism.

This article deals with the observer-based control problem of networked periodic piecewise systems under encoding-decoding frameworks. An encoder with a uniform quantizer, which can compress and encrypt data, is provided to process the measurements from the sensors. The processed data is transmitted over the network to the decoder to recover the original data and then to the remote control station, thereby reducing the communication burden and ensuring data security.

Effect of High-Flow Nasal Cannula Oxygen Therapy on Hypoxemia in Patients After Esophagectomy.

Patients with esophageal cancer (EC) who have undergone esophagectomy are at risk of developing hypoxemia and encountering postoperative complications. It is essential to ascertain whether the high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy offers superior clinical efficacy compared to conventional oxygen therapy (COT). Clinical data from 80 patients who experienced hypoxemia subsequent to radical esophagectomy were retrospectively collected at our institution spanning January 2020 to December 2022.

Neoadjuvant anti-4-1BB confers protection against spontaneous metastasis through low-affinity intratumor CD8 T cells in triple-negative breast cancer.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy seeks to harness the primary tumor as a source of relevant tumor antigens to enhance systemic anti-tumor immunity through improved immunological surveillance. Despite having revolutionized the treatment of patients with high-risk early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a significant portion of patients remain unresponsive and succumb to metastatic recurrence post-treatment. Here, we found that optimally scheduled neoadjuvant administration of anti-4-1BB monotherapy was able to counteract metastases and prolong survival following surgical resection.

Celebrity worship and disordered eating among Chinese adolescents: The sequential mediating roles of upward physical appearance comparison and body dissatisfaction.

It is well-established that celebrity worship is linked to disordered eating behaviors. However, the relationship between celebrity worship and specific eating disorders (i.e.

Cryoablation-induced modulation of Treg cells and the TGF-β pathway in lung adenocarcinoma: implications for increased antitumor immunity.

Background: Cryoablation plays a key role in the comprehensive management of lung adenocarcinoma, characterized by its ability to activate antitumor immunity. This study aimed to explore the impact of cryoablation on the local immune microenvironment, focusing on regulatory T cells (Tregs) and the TGF-β pathway.

Methods: Single-cell sequencing was employed to identify differences in immune cell populations and related pathway expression between lung adenocarcinoma tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues.

Morin Reactivates Nrf2 by Targeting Inhibition of Keap1 to Alleviate Deoxynivalenol-Induced Intestinal Oxidative Damage.

As a prevalent mycotoxin found in cereal foods and feed, deoxynivalenol (DON) disrupts the orderly regeneration of intestinal epithelial tissue by interfering with the intracellular antioxidant defense system. However, the potential of mulberry leaf-derived Morin, a natural flavonoid active substance with clearing reactive oxygen species (ROS), to mitigate DON-induced intestinal oxidative damage remains unclear. Our investigation demonstrates that Morin effectively reverses the decline in growth performance and repairs damaged jejunal structures and barrier function under DON exposure.

Replicator dynamics with feedback-evolving games in heterogeneous populations.

Understanding the dynamics of cooperation in public goods games is critical for enhancing collaborative efforts across various domains, yet existing literature often overlooks the complexities introduced by heterogeneous participants. In order to characterize the heterogeneity of populations, we divide individuals into knowledgeable individuals and ordinary individuals, and the games organized by different focal individuals may have different efficiency. In this study, we introduce feedback evolution games where strategies coevolve with the multiplication factor of the defector.

Hepatoma cell-derived exosomal SNORD52 mediates M2 macrophage polarization by activating the JAK2/STAT6 pathway.

Background: A recent study revealed the oncogenic role of box C/D small nucleolar RNA 52 (SNORD52) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by facilitating the aggressive phenotypes of hepatoma cells. However, the potential role of exosomal SNORD52 in macrophage polarization during HCC progression remains poorly understood.

Methods: Exosomes were isolated from hepatoma cells.

Matrine disturbs the eimeria necatrix-induced loop of tuft cell-intestinal stem cell-goblet cell by inactivating IL-13/JAK2/STAT3 signaling.

As sensors in the gut, tuft cells integrate a complex array of luminal signals to regulate the differentiation fate of intestinal stem cells (ISCs), which trigger a loop of tuft cell-ISC-goblet cell after parasitic infection. As a plant-derived alkaloid, Matrine plays a prominent role for standardizing ISC functions in Eimeria necatrix (EN)-exposed chicks. In this study, we investigated the modulation effects of Matrine on the specific intestinal epithelial cell loop in EN-exposed chicks in vivo and intestinal organoids (IOs) ex vivo.

[Research progress and prediction of quality markers of Menispermi Rhizoma].

Menispermi Rhizoma, the dried rhizome of Menispermum dauricum, has anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-arrhythmic, anti-myocardial ischemia, and anti-cerebral ischemia activities. The primary constituents of this herbal medicine include alkaloids, polysaccharides, and fatty oils. This study predicts and evaluates the quality markers(Q-markers) of Menispermi Rhizoma by considering the phylogenetic relationship of the plant, chemical composition, conventional effects, component measurability, blood constituents, and network pharmacology.

Can enterprise ESG practices ease their financing constraints? Evidence from Chinese listed companies.

Under the guidance of the United Nations SDGs target framework, enterprises' ESG practices of developed countries can effectively promote external investors' ESG investment, thus easing enterprises' financing constraints. Using the data of Chinese A-share listed companies in the Shanghai- and Shenzhen-stock exchange markets from 2013 to 2022, this study explores the causal relationship between enterprises' ESG practices and their financing constraints to provide Chinese experience, examines the mediating effect with corporate transparency and investor sentiment, and analyzes the heterogeneity with external auditor type and earnings management motivation. It is found that enterprise ESG practices can enhance their financing ability by improving corporate transparency and suppressing investor sentiment; for the non-Big 4 audit listed companies and the listed companies with the weak motivation of earnings management, the corporate ESG practice has a more significant effect on their financing ability.

Dual-task vision transformer for rapid and accurate intracerebral hemorrhage CT image classification.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a severe and sudden medical condition caused by the rupture of blood vessels in the brain, leading to permanent damage to brain tissue and often resulting in functional disabilities or death in patients. Diagnosis and analysis of ICH typically rely on brain CT imaging. Given the urgency of ICH conditions, early treatment is crucial, necessitating rapid analysis of CT images to formulate tailored treatment plans.

Recent advances in copper homeostasis-involved tumor theranostics.

As the third essential trace element in the human body, copper plays a crucial role in various physiological processes, which lays the foundation for its broad applications in cancer treatments. The overview of copper, including pharmacokinetics, signaling pathways, and homeostasis dysregulation, is hereby discussed. Additionally, cuproptosis, as a newly proposed cell death mechanism associated with copper accumulation, is analyzed and further developed for efficient cancer treatment.

Suppression of Structural Heterogeneity in High-Entropy Intermetallics for Electrocatalytic Upgrading of Waste Plastics.

The key to fully realizing the potential of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) lies in balancing their inherent local chemical disordering with the long-range ordering required for electrochemical applications. Herein, we synthesized a distinctive L1-(PtIr)(FeMoBi) high-entropy intermetallics (HEIs) exhibiting nanoscale long-range order and atomic scale short-range disorder via a lattice compensation strategy to mitigate the entropy reduction tendency. The (PtIr)(FeMoBi) catalyst exhibited remarkable activity and selectivity of glycollic acid (GA) production via electrocatalytic waste polymer-derived ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR).

Early Weaning Inhibits Intestinal Stem Cell Expansion to Disrupt the Intestinal Integrity of Duroc Piglets via Regulating the Keap1/Nrf2 Signaling.

There are different stress resistance among different breeds of pigs. Changes in intestinal stem cells (ISCs) are still unclear among various breeds of piglets after early weaning. In the current study, Taoyuan Black and Duroc piglets were slaughtered at 21 days of age (early weaning day) and 24 days of age (3 days after early weaning) for 10 piglets in each group.

Constructing more comprehensive pollination networks: integrating diurnal and nocturnal pollen data with visitation in a subalpine wetland community.

Introduction: Sampling for describing plant-pollinator interaction networks has been performed using techniques that either focus on the plants (with flower-visit data) or the animals (with analyzing pollen on the body surface of flower visitors). The differences in the structure of the networks obtained using these methods likely influences our understanding of the contribution of nocturnal pollinators, yet this key finding has yet to be the focus of study.

Methods: In this study, we conducted an intensive diurnal field survey in the subalpine meadows of the Dajiuhu Wetland and supplemented the data with an analysis of diurnal and nocturnal pollen data to examine the changes in pollination networks.

Correction of Presbyopia by Monocular Bi-Aspheric Ablation Profile.

The study aims to evaluate visual acuity and objective visual quality before and after the monocular bi-aspheric ablation profile for correction of presbyopia surgery. This prospective self-control study included 20 cases and 38 eyes of patients who underwent monocular bi-aspheric ablation profile correction of myopia with presbyopia at the Eye Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2023 to January 2024. These patients were selected for observation, and each patient's preoperative and postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), uncorrected near visual acuity (UNVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), spherical aberration (SA) (within 6 mm), horizontal and vertical coma (within 6 mm), and corneal aspheric index (Q-value) (within 6 mm) were evaluated.

Bismuth-based mesoporous nanoball carrying sorafenib for synergistic photothermal and molecularly-targeted therapy in an orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft mouse model.

Sorafenib (SOR), a multi-kinase inhibitor for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has limited clinical application due to severe side effects and drug resistance. To overcome these challenges, we developed a bismuth-based nanomaterial (BOS) for thermal injury-assisted continuous targeted therapy in HCC. Initially, the mesoporous nanomaterial was loaded with SOR, forming the BOS@SOR nano-carrier system for drug delivery and controlled release.

Aberrant cytoplasmic expression of UHRF1 restrains the MHC-I-mediated anti-tumor immune response.

Immunotherapy successfully complements traditional cancer treatment. However, primary and acquired resistance might limit efficacy. Reduced antigen presentation by MHC-I has been identified as potential resistance factor.

Structured Deep Neural Network-Based Backstepping Trajectory Tracking Control for Lagrangian Systems.

Deep neural networks (DNNs) are increasingly being used to learn controllers due to their excellent approximation capabilities. However, their black-box nature poses significant challenges to closed-loop stability guarantees and performance analysis. In this brief, we introduce a structured DNN-based controller for the trajectory tracking control of Lagrangian systems using backing techniques.

Encryption-decryption-based distributed fault-tolerant consensus tracking control for multi-agent systems.

This study investigates fault-tolerant consensus tracking for discrete-time multi-agent systems (MASs) subject to external eavesdropping threats and additive actuator faults. First, actuator faults are modeled by difference equations, and decentralized observers are constructed to estimate actuator faults as well as system states. To offset fault-induced effects, ensure secure communication, and alleviate communication congestion, neighboring encrypted state information based on the encryption-decryption strategy (EDS) and estimated fault are integrated into a distributed active fault-tolerant consensus tracking control (FCTC) protocol.

Cost-effectiveness of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy vs. chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer in China and the US.

Pembrolizumab is a potentially valuable treatment. However, patients, doctors, and healthcare decision-makers are uncertain about its cost-effectiveness and an appropriate pricing for this new therapy. This study aims to appraise the cost-effectiveness of pembrolizumab as a first-line treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients in China and the United States (US).