Effect of cooking conditions on sea urchin dumplings.

The objective of this study was to investigate the changes in flavour and taste of sea urchin dumplings subjected to different cooking methods, utilising gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS), electronic tongue (E-tongue) analysis, free amino acid content assessment and sensory evaluation. The GC-IMS technique successfully detected 69 volatile compounds in the skin and 60 volatile compounds in the filling of the boiled dumplings. From the established fingerprints, it was found that there were significant differences in the flavour compounds of dumplings skins among the groups.

Subspace identification method-based setpoints tracking control and its applications to the column cleaning process.

As the last subprocess of copper flotation processes, the column cleaning process plays a decisive role in the tailing copper grade (TCG) and concentrate copper grade (CCG), which are the important factors in determining comprehensive economic indicators. Therefore, the problem of setpoints tracking control of TCG and CCG is particularly important. However, the unknown parameters in the column cleaning process bring great challenges to the problem of setpoints tracking.

Machine Learning Integration with Single-Cell Transcriptome Sequencing Datasets Reveals the Impact of Tumor-Associated Neutrophils on the Immune Microenvironment and Immunotherapy Outcomes in Gastric Cancer.

The characteristics of neutrophils play a crucial role in defining the tumor inflammatory environment. However, the function of tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) in tumor immunity and their response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) remains incompletely understood. By analyzing single-cell RNA sequencing data from over 600,000 cells in gastric cancer (GSE163558 and GSE183904), colorectal cancer (GSE205506), and lung cancer (GSE207422), we identified neutrophil subsets in primary gastric cancer that are associated with the treatment response to ICIs.

The nuclear transportation of CHRONO regulates the circadian rhythm.

The pace of the endogenous circadian clock is important for organisms to maintain homeostasis. CHRONO has been shown to be a core component of the mammalian clock and has recently been implicated to function in several important physiological aspects. To function properly, CHRONO needs to enter the nucleus to repress transcription.

Al(SO)(OH)·5HO Stemming from Complexation of Aluminum Sulfate with Water-Soluble Ternary Copolymer and further Stabilized by Silica Gel as Effective Admixtures for Enhanced Mortar Cementing.

A water-soluble ternary copolymer bearing carboxyl, sulfonic, and amide functional groups was synthesized using ammonium persulfate-catalyzed free radical polymerization in water, resulting in high monomer conversion. This copolymer was then complexed with aluminum sulfate, forming an admixture containing Al(SO)(OH)·5HO, which was subsequently combined with silica gel. Characterization revealed that the synthesized copolymer formed a large, thin membrane that covered both the aluminum compounds and the silica gel blocks.

The Coordination of Aluminum Sulfate with a Water-Soluble Block Copolymer Containing Carboxyl, Amide, Sulfonic and Anhydride Groups Providing Both Accelerating and Hardening Effects in Cement Setting.

Two water-soluble block copolymers composed of acrylic acid (AA), 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS), and optionally maleic anhydride (MAH) were synthesized through ammonium persulfate-catalyzed free radical polymerization in water. The introduction of aluminum sulfate (AS) into the resulting mixtures significantly reduced the setting times of the paste and enhanced the mechanical strength of the mortar compared to both the additive-free control and experiments facilitated solely by pure AS. This improvement was primarily attributed to the inhibition of rapid Al hydrolysis, which was achieved through coordination of the synthesized block copolymers, along with the formation of newly identified hydrolytic intermediates.

Deciphering the Morphological Difference of Amyloid-β Fibrils in Familial and Sporadic Alzheimer's Diseases.

The aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) into amyloid fibrils is the major pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aβ fibrils can adopt a variety of morphologies, the relative populations of which are recently found to be associated with different AD subtypes such as familial and sporadic AD (fAD and sAD, respectively). The two AD subtypes differ in their ages of onset, AD-related genetic predispositions, and dominant Aβ fibril morphologies.

Islet amyloid polypeptide fibril catalyzes amyloid-β aggregation by promoting fibril nucleation rather than direct axial growth.

Aberrant aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) and islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) into amyloid fibrils underlies the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), respectively. T2D significantly increases AD risk, with evidence suggesting that IAPP and Aβ co-aggregation and cross-seeding might contribute to the cross-talk between two diseases. Experimentally, preformed IAPP fibril seeds can accelerate Aβ aggregation, though the cross-seeding mechanism remains elusive.

Safety and effectiveness of left atrial appendage closure in atrial fibrillation patients with different types of heart failure.

Background: Both atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) are common cardiovascular diseases. If the two exist together, the risk of stroke, hospitalization for HF and all-cause death is increased. Currently, research on left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) in patients with AF and HF is limited and controversial.

Volatile flavor profiles of douchis from different origins and varieties based on GC-IMS and GC-O-QTOF/MS analysis.

The present study comprehensively characterized the flavor differences between different varieties of douchis from different origins using headspace gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) coupled with gas chromatography-olfactometry-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-O-QTOF/MS). A total of 91 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified using HS-GC-IMS and 70 VOCs were identified using GC-O-QTOF/MS, mainly including acids, aldehydes, esters and alcohols. Additionally, 23 key aroma-presenting compounds were screened in five douchi species using relative odor activity value (ROAV) and the aroma compounds that contributed the most to the aroma varied among the five douchi species.

Polar-coded channel polarization for reducing complexity of soft-decision forward error correction.

To reduce the computational complexity of soft-decision (SD) forward error correction (FEC), we propose a polar coding method with a low-complexity successive cancellation decoder. Polar coding induces channel polarization in which two bit-channels with lower and higher reliabilities are polarized. Only the less-reliable bit-channels are protected by SD-FEC, whereas the more-reliable bit-channels are offloaded, reducing the complexity of SD-FEC decoding.

Recent Progress of Bioinspired Cell Membrane in Cancer Immunotherapy.

By modifying immune cells, immunotherapy can activate immune response to establish long-term immune memory and prevent tumor recurrence. However, their effectiveness is largely constricted by the poor immunogenicity, immune escape, and immune tolerance of the tumor. This is related to the characteristics of the tumor itself, such as genome instability and mutation.

Mechanical characteristics and energy evolution in a rock mass with a weak structural plane.

The present aims to investigate the mechanical characteristics and energy evolution in rock masses containing weak structural planes under conventional triaxial loading conditions. Using a fluid-solid coupling test system of coal rock, numerous conventional triaxial compression tests were performed on rock masses at various dip angles of the structural plane. The obtained empirical outcomes revealed that the deviatoric stress-strain curve of the weak structural plane rock mass with an inclination angle greater than 20° rises step-by-step.

Modelling porcine NAFLD by deletion of leptin and defining the role of AMPK in hepatic fibrosis.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent cause of chronic hepatic disease and results in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which progresses to fibrosis and cirrhosis. Although the Leptin deficient rodent models are widely used in study of metabolic syndrome and obesity, they fail to develop liver injuries as in patients.

Methods: Due to the high similarity with humans, we generated Leptin-deficient (Leptin) pigs to investigate the mechanisms and clinical trials of obesity and NAFLD caused by Leptin.

Spike Protein Fragments Promote Alzheimer's Amyloidogenesis.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major cause of dementia inducing memory loss, cognitive decline, and mortality among the aging population. While the amyloid aggregation of peptide Aβ has long been implicated in neurodegeneration in AD, primarily through the production of toxic polymorphic aggregates and reactive oxygen species, viral infection has a less explicit role in the etiology of the brain disease. On the other hand, while the COVID-19 pandemic is known to harm human organs and function, its adverse effects on AD pathobiology and other human conditions remain unclear.

Amyloid Aggregation and Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation from the Perspective of Phase Transitions.

Amyloid aggregation describes the aberrant self-assembly of peptides into ordered fibrils characterized by cross-β spine cores and is associated with many neurodegenerative diseases and Type 2 diabetes. Oligomers, populated during the early stage of aggregation, are found to be more cytotoxic than mature fibrils. Recently, many amyloidogenic peptides have been reported to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS)─a biological process important for the compartmentalization of biomolecules in living cells─prior to fibril formation.

Continuous Hypobaric Hypoxia may Promote Atherosclerosis Progression in Apolipoprotein E-deficient Mice.

: Intermittent normobaric hypoxia can promote the progression of atherosclerotic plaques. However, the effect of continuous hypobaric hypoxia (CHH), which is a major feature of high-altitude environment, on atherosclerosis has not been investigated thoroughly. : After eight weeks of high-cholesterol diet, 30 male ApoE mice were randomly divided into control and CHH groups.

Deficiency of neuropeptide Y attenuates neointima formation after vascular injury in mice.

Background: Restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) limits therapeutic revascularization. Neuropeptide Y (NPY), co-stored and co-released with the sympathetic nervous system, is involved in this process, but its exact role and underlying mechanisms remain to be fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of NPY in neointima formation after vascular injury.

Risk factors associated with left atrial appendage thrombosis in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation by transesophageal echocardiography.

Purpose: This study investigated possible mechanism of left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombosis and constructed a model to evaluate the future risk of LAA thrombosis and spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients.

Methods: This retrospective study included 2591 patients diagnosed with NVAF. Patients were divided based on the presence of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) into a thrombus group, SEC group, and control group.

Differential Binding and Conformational Dynamics of Tau Microtubule-Binding Repeats with a Preformed Amyloid-β Fibril Seed.

Both senile plaques formed by amyloid-β (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) comprised of tau are pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The accumulation of NFTs better correlates with the loss of cognitive function than senile plaques, but NFTs are rarely observed without the presence of senile plaques. Hence, cross-seeding of tau by preformed Aβ amyloid fibril seeds has been proposed to drive the aggregation of tau and exacerbate AD progression, but the molecular mechanism remains unknown.

Effects of Using Aluminum Sulfate as an Accelerator and Acrylic Acid, Aluminum Fluoride, or Alkanolamine as a Regulator in Early Cement Setting.

Aluminum sulfate was employed as the main accelerator in order to explore new non-chloride and alkali-free cement accelerators. Acrylic acid, aluminum fluoride, or alkanolamine were used as regulators to further accelerate cement setting. The setting time, compressive, and flexural strengths in cement early strength progress were detected, and both the cement (raw material) and hydrated mortar were fully characterized.

Failure energy evolution of coal-rock combination with different inclinations.

In this paper, in the deformation and damage process under different confining pressures, the energy evolution characteristics and damage mechanism of coal-rock combinations with different inclination angles are studied. Based on the brittleness indexes of coal rock combinations, the evolution rules between brittleness indexes and the inclination are explored, as well as the confining pressure of coal rock combinations; then, the influence mechanism of the inclination angle of coal rock combinations on the plastic yielding degree, energy dissipation level, crack extension and fracture speed in the pre-peak stage is revealed. The composite specimens are mainly damaged due to oblique shear and accompanied by tensile damage; In the deformation and damage, various energies of coal rock composites are distributed as a negative exponential function of the inclination angle, which is significantly affected by the change of the confining pressure.

Arcuate NPY is involved in salt-induced hypertension via modulation of paraventricular vasopressin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

Chronic high salt intake is one of the leading causes of hypertension. Salt activates the release of the key neurotransmitters in the hypothalamus such as vasopressin to increase blood pressure, and neuropepetide Y (NPY) has been implicated in the modulation of vasopressin levels. NPY in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (Arc) is best known for its control in appetite and energy homeostasis, but it is unclear whether it is also involved in the development of salt-induced hypertension.

High-frequency fiber Bragg gating accelerometer and strain sensor-based blast test on a concrete slab.

The blast test is the most direct method of measuring explosive performance and structural safety. Because of long-distance wires and electromagnetic interference, some scattering exists in the blast test using electrical sensors. For this paper, a double-hinge high-frequency fiber Bragg gating (FBG) accelerometer was designed and manufactured to measure the acceleration on a blast-loaded concrete slab.