Efficacy and safety of the combination of envafolimab and lenvatinib in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a single-arm, multicentre, exploratory phase II clinical study.

Currently, therapeutic combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with anti-angiogenic agents have shown promising outcomes and have the potential to establish a new standard of care. The efficacy and safety of the first-line combination of envafolimab (an ICI) and lenvatinib (an anti-tumor angiogenesis drug) for the treatment of patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been demonstrated. Unresectable HCC patients with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) physical status score ≤ 1 and a Child-Pugh score ≤ 7 who had not received systemic therapy were included in this single-arm, exploratory, multicentre phase II clinical study.

Mode locking mechanism in Fourier-domain mode-locked optoelectronic oscillators.

Fourier-domain mode-locked (FDML) optoelectronic oscillators (OEOs) are regarded as a promising candidate to generate linearly chirped microwave waveforms (LCMWs) with large time-bandwidth products. Nevertheless, up to date, the mode locking mechanism in FDML-OEOs is still not clear enough. Here, a comprehensive theoretical analysis is made to reveal the mode locking mechanism in FDML-OEOs.

Tri-channel metasurface fusion of continuously varying gray levels for nanoprinting and holographic displays.

Metasurfaces are extensively utilized in nanoprinting and hologram fusion displays due to their superior wavefront shaping capabilities. However, the creation of continuously varying grayscale images based on conventional Malus's law necessitates the use of at least one polarizer for observation, which compromises the metasurface's integration. In this study, inspired by the Jacobi-Anger expansion, we propose a tri-channel metasurface to establish three independent information channels for simultaneous grayscale nanoprinting and polarization multiplexed holography.

Periodic spiking pulse formation in broadband nonlinear optoelectronic oscillator.

An approach to generating periodic spiking pulses in a broadband opto-electronic oscillator (OEO) without external injection is proposed and demonstrated. Through biasing the electro-optic Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) in the OEO cavity at its nonlinear working point, spiking pulses are excited by the self-generated chaos under the combined action of the loop filter response time and the nonlinear excitation effect. An interaction force is introduced between pulses.

Mechanisms of U enrichment and helium generation potential in marine black shales following U isotope-constrained Neoproterozoic Oxidation Event.

Following the NOE, the early Cambrian witnessed the global deposition of marine black shales with high U concentrations. This study analyzes the Lower Cambrian Yuertusi Formation in the Tarim Basin, China, focusing on U isotopes to elucidate U enrichment mechanisms in black shales and their potential for helium generation. In wells XK-1, LT-1, and LT-3, the average U concentrations in the Yuertusi Formation black shale are 41.

Temporal dissipative soliton with controllable morphology in a time-delayed coupled optoelectronic oscillator.

A temporal dissipative soliton (TDS) with controllable morphology is demonstrated in a time-delayed coupled optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) driven by two optical carriers with different wavelengths. The morphology of the TDS is controlled by the power difference between the two optical carriers and the delay difference induced by the group-velocity dispersion (GVD) in the OEO loop. When the delay difference is small, the OEO operates in a single-soliton state.

Suppression of Brillouin scattering-induced noise in long-haul high-power RoF links via non-uniformly distributed four-tone phase modulation.

An approach to suppressing Brillouin scattering-induced noise in long-haul high-power radio-over-fiber (RoF) links is proposed via non-uniformly distributed four-tone phase modulation. Four single-tone signals with uneven frequency intervals are utilized to phase modulate the optical signal before transmission. The power transferring from the optical carrier to the non-uniformly distributed modulation sidebands largely suppresses the Brillouin scattering-induced relative intensity noise (RIN).

Chromosome 1q21 Aberrations Are Poor Prognostic Factors for Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Patients.

Background: Chromosome 1q21 aberrations are one of the most common cytogenetic abnormalities in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). However, the prognostic value remains controversial. This study aimed to determine the prognostic value of numerical abnormalities of chromosome 1q21 for newly diagnosed patients with MM patients in Chinese population.

Electrochemical sensors for plant signaling molecules.

Plant signaling molecules can be divided into plant messenger signaling molecules (such as calcium ions, hydrogen peroxide, Nitric oxide) and plant hormone signaling molecules (such as auxin (mainly indole-3-acetic acid or IAA), salicylic acid, abscisic acid, cytokinin, jasmonic acid or methyl jasmonate, gibberellins, brassinosteroids, strigolactone, and ethylene), which play crucial roles in regulating plant growth and development, and response to the environment. Due to the important roles of the plant signaling molecules in the plants, many methods were developed to detect them. The development of in-situ and real-time detection of plant signaling molecules and field-deployable sensors will be a key breakthrough for botanical research and agricultural technology.

Rational design of a flavoenzyme for aerobic nicotine catabolism.

Unlabelled: Enzymatic therapy with nicotine-degrading enzyme is a new strategy in treating nicotine addiction, which can reduce nicotine concentrations and weaken withdrawal in the rat model. However, when O is used as the electron acceptor, no satisfactory performance has been achieved with one of the most commonly studied and efficient nicotine-catabolizing enzymes, NicA2. To obtain more efficient nicotine-degrading enzyme, we rationally designed and engineered a flavoenzyme Pnao, which shares high structural similarity with NicA2 (RMSD = 1.

In Vivo Detection of Abscisic Acid in Tomato Leaves Based on a Disposable Stainless Steel Electrochemical Immunosensor.

Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important regulatory role in plants. It is very critical to obtain the dynamic changes of ABA in situ for botanical research. Herein, coupled with paper-based analysis devices, electrochemical immunoelectrodes based on disposable stainless steels sheet were developed for ABA detection in plants in situ.

Rational Design of a Flavoenzyme for Aerobic Nicotine Catabolism.

Enzymatic therapy with nicotine-degrading enzyme is a new strategy in treating nicotine addiction, which can reduce nicotine concentrations and weaken withdrawal in the rat model. However, when O is used as the electron acceptor, no satisfactory performance has been achieved with one of the most commonly studied and efficient nicotine-catabolizing enzymes, NicA2. To obtain more efficient nicotine-degrading enzyme, we rationally designed and engineered a flavoenzyme Pnao, which shares high structural similarity with NicA2 (RMSD = 1.

Phase-locked dual-frequency microwave signal generation in an optoelectronic oscillator based on frequency mixing mutual injection.

An approach to generating stable phase-locked dual-frequency microwave signals is proposed and demonstrated based on a dual-passband optoelectronic oscillator (OEO). Mode gain competition is broken by employing frequency mixing mutual injection effect to realize phase locking between the two oscillation signals, which is achieved by applying a single-tone signal to a microwave mixer in the OEO cavity. In addition, a dual-loop configuration with balanced detection is utilized to ensure a high side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) and ultra-low phase noise, which also enhances the stability of the generated signal.

Rapid reaction studies on the chemistry of flavin oxidation in urocanate reductase.

Urocanate reductase (UrdA) is a bacterial flavin-dependent enzyme that reduces urocanate to imidazole propionate, enabling bacteria to use urocanate as an alternative respiratory electron acceptor. Elevated serum levels of imidazole propionate are associated with the development of type 2 diabetes, and, since UrdA is only present in humans in gut bacteria, this enzyme has emerged as a significant factor linking the health of the gut microbiome and insulin resistance. Here, we investigated the chemistry of flavin oxidation by urocanate in the isolated FAD domain of UrdA (UrdA') using anaerobic stopped-flow experiments.

Multi-step influenza forecasting through singular value decomposition and kernel ridge regression with MARCOS-guided gradient-based optimization.

This research delves into the significance of influenza outbreaks in public health, particularly the importance of accurate forecasts using weekly Influenza-like illness (ILI) rates. The present work develops a novel hybrid machine-learning model by combining singular value decomposition with kernel ridge regression (SKRR). In this context, a novel hybrid model known as H-SKRR is developed by combining two robust forecasting approaches, SKRR and ridge regression, which aims to improve multi-step-ahead predictions for weekly ILI rates in Southern and Northern China.

Paleo-marine redox environment fluctuation during the early Cambrian: Insight from iron isotope in the Tarim Basin, China.

The Ediacaran to Cambrian period is generally considered to be the vital transition in the history of marine redox environment and life evolution on earth. The ocean oxygenation levels during this transition period are still debated. Since iron is widely involved in biogeochemical cycles and undergoes redox cycling both in the seawater and sediments, it has become a significant proxy to reconstruct paleo-marine environment.

High-resolution real-time Fourier transform based on optical frequency comb injected frequency shifting loop.

A high-resolution real-time Fourier transform scheme is proposed and demonstrated based on injecting an optical frequency comb (OFC) into a frequency shifting loop (FSL). Through setting the frequency interval between neighboring teeth in the coherent OFC to be equal to an integer multiple of the frequency shift and also the free spectral range of the FSL, the number of the effective signal replicas from the FSL is increased by M times, where M is the tooth number of the OFC. Hence, it breaks the limitation on the number of round trips due to the gain saturation effect and the cumulative amplified spontaneous emission noise in the FSL under a single optical carrier injection, which greatly enhances the frequency resolution.

Time-delay signature suppression of the chaotic signal in a semiconductor laser based on optoelectronic hybrid feedback.

An approach to generating chaotic signals with low time-delay signatures (TDSs) from a semiconductor laser (SCL) is proposed and demonstrated based on optoelectronic hybrid feedback. Through using a chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) to provide distributed feedback, a chaotic signal with a low TDS is generated from the SCL. With the assistance of the nonlinear optoelectronic feedback provided by a microwave photonic link, the relaxation oscillation effect in the SCL is effectively suppressed, and the periodicity of the oscillation is greatly weakened.

Changes in the structure and hydration properties of high-temperature peanut protein induced by cold plasma oxidation.

To improve the hydration properties of high-temperature pressed peanut protein isolate (HPPI), we investigated the effect of cold plasma (CP) oxidation on functional and structural properties. Compared to HPPI, the hydrated molecules number and the surface contact angle were significantly decreased at 70 W, from 77.2 × 10 to 17.

Directed evolution unlocks oxygen reactivity for a nicotine-degrading flavoenzyme.

The flavoenzyme nicotine oxidoreductase (NicA2) is a promising injectable treatment to aid in the cessation of smoking, a behavior responsible for one in ten deaths worldwide. NicA2 acts by degrading nicotine in the bloodstream before it reaches the brain. Clinical use of NicA2 is limited by its poor catalytic activity in the absence of its natural electron acceptor CycN.

Genome and transcriptome of Selaginella kraussiana reveal evolution of root apical meristems in vascular plants.

The evolution of roots allowed vascular plants to adapt to land environments. Fossil evidence indicates that roots evolved independently in euphyllophytes (ferns and seed plants) and lycophytes, the two lineages of extant vascular plants. Based on a high-quality genome assembly, mRNA sequencing (mRNA-seq) data, and single-cell RNA-seq data for the lycophyte Selaginella kraussiana, we show that the two root origin events in lycophytes and euphyllophytes adopted partially similar molecular modules in the regulation of root apical meristem (RAM) development.

Instantaneous bandwidth expansion of photonic sampling analog-to-digital conversion for linear frequency modulation waveforms based on up-sampling and fractional Fourier transform signal processing.

An approach to expanding the instantaneous bandwidth of a photonic sampling analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for receiving linear frequency modulation waveforms (LFMWs) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated based on up-sampling and filtering in the fractional Fourier domain. Through twice zero interpolation, the equivalent sampling rate is quadrupled, which also quadruples the nominal instantaneous bandwidth of the photonic sampling ADC. In addition, with the assistance of bandpass filtering in the fraction Fourier domain, the image signals and the harmonic distortions generated in the interpolation process are filtered out.