Weekly albumin-bound paclitaxel/cisplatin versus gemcitabine/cisplatin as first-line therapy for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer:A phase II open-label clinical study

Objective: The aim of this trial was to compare both the efficacy and the safety of a weekly nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel(nab-paclitaxel) plus cisplatin vs. gemcitabine plus cisplatin in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods: A total of 84 participants received either 100 mg/m^2 nab-paclitaxel each week on d 1, 8 and 15 of a 28 day cycle, as well as cisplatin 75 mg/m^2 on d 1 every three weeks(nab-TP arm); or gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m^2 on d 1 and 8, plus cisplatin 75 mg/m^2 on d 1 every three weeks(GP arm). The primary end point was progression-free survival(PFS). The secondary end points were overall response rate(ORR) and overall survival(OS).Results: According to our analysis, the median PFS was 4.8 months for the nab-TP arm vs. 5.2 months for the GP arm(P=0.55). Analysis showed the median OS was 14.6 months for participants who were in the nab-TP arm vs. 15.1 months for those in the GP arm(P=0.94). Besides, nab-TP showed OS advantages over GP in patients harboring epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) mutation(26.7 vs. 15.3 months, P=0.046) and patients with a performance status of 0(23.5 vs. 14.7 months, P=0.020). It was found that incidences of drug-related grade 3 or 4 toxicities were comparable between the two treatment arms.Conclusions: Therefore, it can be seen that weekly nab-TP treatment has a similar efficacy and tolerability to GP treatment for patients who are undergoing their first-line treatment for NSCLC. It could be that survival differences among platinum doublets in the context of both EGFR mutation and performance status have the potential to be the basis for our further clinical trials.

A review on heterogeneous photocatalysis for environmental remediation:From semiconductors to modification strategies

Heterogeneous photocatalysis,an advanced oxidation process,has garnered extensive attention in the field of environmental remediation because it involves the direct utilization of solar energy for the removal of numerous pollutants.However,the application of heterogeneous photocatalysis in environmental remediation has not achieved the expected consequences due to enormous challenges such as low photocatalytic efficiencies and high costs of heterogeneous photocatalysts in large-scale practical applications.Furthermore,pollutants in the natural environment,including water,air,and solid phases,are diverse and complex.Therefore,extensive efforts should be made to better understand and apply heterogeneous photocatalysis for environmental remediation.Herein,the fundamentals of heterogeneous photocatalysis for environmental remediation are introduced.Then,potential semiconductors and their modification strategies for environmental photocatalysis are systematically presented.Finally,conclusions and prospects are briefly summarized,and the direction for the future development of environmental photocatalysis is explored.This review may provide reference directions toward understanding,researching,and designing photocatalytic remediation systems for various environmental pollutants.

Typical Circulation Patterns and Associated Mechanisms for Persistent Heavy Rainfall Events over Yangtze–Huaihe River Valley during 1981–2020

Persistent heavy rainfall events(PHREs)over the Yangtze–Huaihe River Valley(YHRV)during 1981–2020 are classified into three types(type-A,type-B and type-C)according to pattern correlation.The characteristics of the synoptic systems for the PHREs and their possible development mechanisms are investigated.The anomalous cyclonic disturbance over the southern part of the YHRV during type-A events is primarily maintained and intensified by the propagation of Rossby wave energy originating from the northeast Atlantic in the mid–upper troposphere and the northward propagation of Rossby wave packets from the western Pacific in the mid–lower troposphere.The zonal propagation of Rossby wave packets and the northward propagation of Rossby wave packets during type-B events are more coherent than those for type-A events,which induces eastward propagation of stronger anomaly centers of geopotential height from the northeast Atlantic Ocean to the YHRV and a meridional anomaly in geopotential height over the Asian continent.Type-C events have“two ridges and one trough”in the high latitudes of the Eurasian continent,but the anomalous intensity of the western Pacific subtropical high(WPSH)and the trough of the YHRV region are weaker than those for type-A and type-B events.The composite synoptic circulation of four PHREs in 2020 is basically consistent with that of the corresponding PHRE type.The location of the South Asian high(SAH)in three of the PHREs in 2020 moves eastward as in the composite of the three types,but the position of the WPSH of the four PHREs is clearly westward and northward.Two water vapor conveyor belts and two cold air conveyor belts are tracked during the four PHREs in 2020,but the water vapor path from the western Pacific is not seen,which may be caused by the westward extension of the WPSH.

Nano Ag-enhanced photoelectric conversion efficiency in all-inorganic,hole-transporting-layer-free CsPbIBr_(2) perovskite solar cells

All-inorganic,hole-transporting-layer-free CsPbIBr_(2)perovskite solar cells have great potential for development,but their device performance needs to be further improved.Recently,metal nanostructures have been successfully applied in the field of solar cells to improve their performance.Nano Ag-enhanced power conversion efficiency(PCE)in one CsPbIBr_(2)perovskite solar cell utilizing localized surface plasmons of Ag nanoparticles(NPs)on the surface has been researched experimentally and by simulation in this paper.The localized surface plasmon resonance of Ag NPs has a near-field enhancement effect,which is expected to improve the light absorption of CsPbIBr_(2)perovskite photovoltaic devices.In addition,Ag NPs have a forward-scattering effect on the incident light,which can also improve the performance of CsPbIBr_(2)-based perovskite photovoltaic devices.By directly assembling Ag NPs(with a size of about 150 nm)on the surface of fluorine-doped tin oxide it is found when the particle surface coverage is 10%,the CsPbIBr_(2)perovskite photovoltaic device achieves a best PCE of 2.7%,which is 9.76%higher than that of the control group.Without changing any existing structure in the ready-made solar cell,this facile and efficient method has huge applications.To the best of our knowledge,this paper is the first report on nano Ag-enhanced photoelectric conversion efficiency in this kind of CsPbIBr_(2)perovskite solar cell.

Analysis of Genetic Relationship among Celery Germplasms by RAPD

In this study, forty celery cultivars introduced from different regions of China were used as experimental materials to verify and analyze the practicability of RAPD technology in the identification of celery cuhivars. The results showed that RAPD technology could distinguish accurately the genetic relationship among various celery cultivars as a simple and ideal DNA molecular marker technology suitable for genetic relationship analysis. To be specific, 13 RAPD primers with clear amplified bands and significantly different number of amplified bands were screened, which provided basis for the identification of genetic relationship among different celery cultivars.

自动驾驶开源数据体系:现状与未来

随着自动驾驶技术的不断成熟与应用,系统性梳理开源自动驾驶数据集有利于产业生态良性循环.现有自动驾驶数据集可大致分为两代,第一代数据集的传感模态复杂度相对较低、数据集规模相对较小,且大多局限于感知级任务,以发布于2012年的KITTI为代表.相比于第一代数据集,第二代数据集的特征为传感模态复杂度较高、数据集规模与多样性较丰富、所设置任务从感知扩展到预测、规控上,以2019年前后提出的nuScenes,Waymo为代表.本文联合学术界、产业界同仁,首次系统性梳理了国内外70余种开源自动驾驶数据集,对如何构建高质量数据集、数据在算法闭环体系中发挥的核心作用、如何利用生成式大模型规模化生产数据等进行了总结.此外,就未来第三代自动驾驶数据集应该具备的特质和数据规模,以及需要解决的科学与技术问题,进行了详细分析与讨论.希望本文的归纳与展望能促进新一代自动驾驶数据集与生态体系的建设、推动关键领域自主原创与科技自强的发展.

Rational design of Ce-doped CdS/N-rGO photocatalyst enhanced interfacial charges transfer for high effective degradation of tetracycline

The charge carrier separation efficiency and the adsorption capacity of the photocatalyst usually affect the degradation rate of antibiotics.Herein,Cerium-doped leaf-like CdS(Ce-CdS)modified with ultrathin N-doped rGO(N-rGO)composites were successfully constructed(Ce-CdS/N-rGO)to investigate the removal efficiency of tetracycline(TC).X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and photoelectrochemical results revealed that Ce ions doped in CdS acting as the electron capture sites facilitated the interfacial charge transfer.Theoretical calculation(DFT)results indicated that the interfacial effect between Ce-CdS and ultrathin N-rGO promoted the transfer of photogenerated electrons under the synergistic effect between the doping and interface modification strategy.The optimized Ce5-CdS/N-rGO20 composites had the maximum TC removal capability(94.5%)and maintained a stable cycling performance.In addition,the adsorption-driven photocatalytic degradation pathway of TC was studied through mass spectrometry(MS)and in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(in-situ FTIR).This study will provide an effective strategy for the construction of efficient photocatalytic composites for wastewater treatment.

Updated overall survival and circulating tumor DNA analysis of ensartinib for crizotinib-refractory ALK-positive NSCLC from a phase II study

Background:The initial phase II stuty(NCT03215693)demonstrated that ensartinib has shown clinical activity in patients with advanced crizotinib-refractory,anaplastic lymphoma kinase(ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Herein,we reported the updated data on overall survival(OS)and molecular profiling from the initial phase Ⅱ study.Methods:In this study,180 patients received 225 mg of ensartinib orally once daily until disease progression,death or withdrawal.OS was estimated by Kaplan‒Meier methods with two-sided 95%confidence intervals(CIs).Next-generation sequencing was employed to explore prognostic biomarkers based on plasma samples collected at baseline and after initiating ensartinib.Circulating tumor DNA(ctDNA)was detected to dynamically monitor the genomic alterna-tions during treatment and indicate the existence of molecular residual disease,facilitating improvement of clinical management.Results:At the data cut-off date(August 31,2022),with a median follow-up time of 53.2 months,97 of 180(53.9%)patients had died.The median OS was 42.8 months(95%CI:29.3-53.2 months).A total of 333 plasma samples from 168 patients were included for ctDNA analysis.An inferior OS correlated sig-nificantly with baseline ALK or tumor protein 53(TP53)mutation.In addition,patients with concurrent TP53 mutations had shorter OS than those without con-current TP53 mutations.High ctDNA levels evaluated by variant allele frequency(VAF)and haploid genome equivalents per milliliter of plasma(hGE/mL)at baseline were associated with poor OS.Additionally,patients with ctDNA clear-ance at 6 weeks and slow ascent growth had dramatically longer OS than those with ctDNA residual and fast ascent growth,respectively.Furthermore,patients who had a lower tumor burden,as evaluated by the diameter of target lesions,had a longer OS.Multivariate Cox regression analysis further uncovered the independent prognostic values of bone metastases,higher hGE,and elevated ALK mutation abundance at 6 weeks.Conclusion:Ensartinib led to a favorable OS in patients with advanced,crizotinib-resistant,and ALK-positive NSCLC.Quantification of ctDNA levels also provided valuable prognostic information for risk stratification.

Advances in cost-effective integrated spectrometers

The proliferation of Internet-of-Things has promoted a wide variety of emerging applications that require compact,lightweight,and low-cost optical spectrometers.While substantial progresses have been made in the miniaturization of spectrometers,most of them are with a major focus on the technical side but tend to feature a lower technology readiness level for manufacturability.More importantly,in spite of the advancement in miniaturized spectrometers,their performance and the metrics of real-life applications have seldomly been connected but are highly important.This review paper shows the market trend for chip-scale spectrometers and analyzes the key metrics that are required to adopt miniaturized spectrometers in real-life applications.Recent progress addressing the challenges of miniaturization of spectrometers is summarized,paying a special attention to the CMOS-compatible fabrication platform that shows a clear pathway to massive production.Insights for ways forward are also presented.

Thrombin is a therapeutic target for non-small-cell lung cancer to inhibit vasculogenic mimicry formation

Tumor cells transform into endothelial cells by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition,which is characterized by vasculogenic mimicry(VM).VM not only accelerates tumor progression but also increases drug-induced resistance.However,very little is currently known about the molecular determinants that enable VM.Targeting VM might bring a new breakthrough in cancer treatment.Thrombin is the key enzyme of the blood coagulation system and could contribute to tumor progression.Nevertheless,the association between thrombin and VM formation remains largely unknown.We found that VM was associated with the overall survival of non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC)patients,and that thrombin expression was closely related to VM formation.This research revealed that thrombin induced VM formation via PAR-1-mediated NF-κB signaling cascades.The novel thrombin inhibitors r-hirudin and DTIP inhibited VM formation and spontaneous metastases in subcutaneous tumors.Clinical pathological analysis confirmed that NSCLC patients with thrombin-positive/PAR-1-high expression had the poorest prognosis and were the most likely to form VM.The promotional activity of thrombin in VM formation and tumor metastasis was abolished in PAR-1-deficient NSCLC cells.The EGFR inhibitor gefitinib had no effect on VM and increased VEGF expression in tumors.The combination therapy of DTIP and gefitinib achieved a better therapeutic effect than either agent alone.This study is the first to illustrate that thrombin substantially contributes,together with PAR-1,to VM formation and to illustrate that VM might be a target of r-hirudin and DTIP to suppress tumor progression.The anticoagulants r-hirudin and DTIP could be employed for antitumor therapy.Combination therapy with DTIP with an EGFR inhibitor might achieve superior therapeutic effects.

Lightweight and large-scale rGO reinforced SiBCN aerogels with hierarchical cellular structures exposed to high-temperature environments

SiBCN ceramic aerogel is an ideal potential candidate for ultra-high temperature thermal insulation due to its unique microscopic pore structure combined with the excellent thermal stability of SiBCN ce-ramic.Here,reduced graphene oxide(rGO)modified SiBCN aerogels(rGO/SiBCN)were prepared through solvothermal,freeze-casting and pyrolysis,and the dimension of the aerogel is up toΦ130 mm×28 mm.The density of the rGO/SiBCN aerogel is as low as 0.024 g/cm^(3) and the microstructural regulation is achieved by controlling the rGO content in the aerogel.The hierarchical cellular structure endows the aerogel with a high specific surface area(148.6 m^(2)/g)and low thermal conductivity(0.057 W m^(-1) K^(-1)).The 10 mm-thick sample exhibits excellent thermal insulation and ablation resistance,as evidenced by its ability to reduce the temperature from~1100℃to~180℃under the intense heat of a butane flame.Moreover,benefiting from the ultrahigh-temperature stability of SiBCN,the rGO/SiBCN aerogel exhibits good thermal stability up to 1200℃in argon and short-oxidation resistance at 800℃in air.There-fore,the rGO/SiBCN aerogel with superior overall performance could expand its practical application in high-temperature thermal insulation under extreme environments.