The metafictional features of the language of The Blind Assassin

The language of The Blind Assassin bears a strong taste of game. Narrative language interweaves critical remarks. Escaping from the context and breaking the continuity of narration, the narrator directly comments on the narration, through which the novel also obtains continual adjustment, as if it is gifted a kind of dynamic self-consciousness. The title of the novel is also a kind of word game. The blind assassin＇ s physical blindness forms a sharp contrast with Iris＇ s absence of nerves.

Impact of COVID-19-related nonpharmaceutical interventions on diarrheal diseases and zoonotic Salmonella

Non-pharmaceutical interventions(NPIs)have been proven effective in reducing the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),but their broader impact on gastrointestinal disorders remains poorly studied.Here,we report an observational analysis and retrospective study that compares the incidence of acute diarrheal diseases in Hangzhou,Zhejiang,China,between 2019 and 2020,with an examination of the antimicrobial resistance and genetic spectrum of non-typhoidal Salmonella(NTS)from 2015 to 2022,before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Our findings underscore that NPIs related to COVID-19 effectively reduced the incidence of acute diarrhea,with a substantial decrease in most enteric pathogens.Notably,NTS exhibited an unexpected surge.Further genomic investigations of NTS isolates revealed an overall reduction in antimicrobial-resistant(AMR),disinfection-tolerant,and virulent capabilities,but with marked variations detected between human and animal isolates.Additional genome-based analysis confirmed a decrease in the scale of zoonotic transmission in response to NPIs,suggesting particular NTS types may contribute to human infections via alternative pathways.The collective findings manifested that COVID-19-related NPIs had a mixed impact on NTS infections,which may inform AMR NTS mitigation policy.

Testosterone attenuates pulmonary epithelial inflammation in male rats of COPD model through preventing NRF1-derived NF-κB signaling

Testosterone deficiency is common in male patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and may correlate with the deterioration of COPD. Clinical research suggests that testosterone replacement therapy may slow the COPD progression, but the specific biological pathway remains unclear. In this study, we explored the effect of testosterone on pulmonary inflammation in male COPD rats. The animals were co-treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and cigarette to induce COPD. In COPD rats, nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) and NF-κB p65 were upregulated. In cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-, LPS-, or the combination of CSE and LPS-treated L132 cells, NRF1 and p65 were also upregulated. Silencing NRF1 resulted in the downregulation of p65. ChIP‒seq, ChIP‒qPCR, and luciferase results showed that NRF1 transcriptionally regulated p65. Both male and female COPD rats showed an upregulated NRF1 level and similar pulmonary morphology. But NRF1 was further upregulated in male castrated rats. Further supplementing testosterone in castrated male rats significantly reduced NRF1, pulmonary lesions, and inflammation. Supplementation of testosterone also reduced the phosphorylation of p65 and IKKβ induced by LPS or CSE in L132 cells. Our results suggest that testosterone plays a protective role in pulmonary epithelial inflammation of COPD through inhibition of NRF1-derived NF-κB signaling and the phosphorylation of p65.

High levels of serum IL-10 indicate disease progression,extramedullary involvement,and poor prognosis in multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma(MM)is a common malignant hematological tumor in adults,which is characterized by clonal malignant proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow and secretion of a large number of abnormal monoclonal immunoglobulins(M protein),leading to bone destruction,hypercalcemia,anemia,and renal insufficiency(Alexandrakis et al.,2015;Yang et al.,2018).Since a large number of new drugs,represented by proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulators,have been successfullyused to treat MM.

Logging prediction and evaluation of fracture toughness for the shales in the Longmaxi Formation, Southern Sichuan Basin

The mode-I fracture toughness is of great significance for evaluating the fracturing ability of shale reservoirs.In this study,the mode-I fracture toughness of the shale in the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation,Southern Sichuan Basin was determined with the Cracked Chevron Notched Brazilian Disc(CCNBD).Based on the experimental data,the relationships among the mode-I fracture toughness,the density,the acoustic time and the clay mineral content were analyzed.The shale samples for fracture toughness test from cores were commonly limited,the investigation of fracture toughness using well logs was necessary.Therefore,a prediction model was proposed by correlating the fracture toughness with well logs responses.The results indicate that the fracture toughness of shale samples is from 0.4744 MPa$m1/2 to 1.0607 MPa$m1/2 with an average of 0.7817 MPa$m1/2,indicating that the anisotropy of fracture toughness of the Longmaxi Formation shale.The clay mineral content and the density have a positive effect on the fracture toughness,whereas the acoustic time plays a negative role on the fracture toughness.The clay mineral content has an important effect on the relationships among fracture toughness,acoustic time and density.The prediction model can provide continuous data of mode-I fracture toughness along the wellbore for field hydraulic fracturing operation,and it has certain guiding significance in the exploration and development of oil and gas reservoirs.

Experimental on the pore structure characteristics of Longmaxi Formation shale in southern Sichuan Basin,China

In this paper,the pore structure characteristics of shale samples from the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation in South of Sichuan Basin of China were investigated by total organic carbon(TOC)content determination,X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscope(SEM),low pressure nitrogen adsorption(LPNA)and high pressure mercury injection(HPMI).The fractal dimension of shale samples was calculated based on Frenkel-Halsey-Hill(FHH)model and thermodynamic relation model.The results showed that the major mineral compositions of shales were quartz and clay content.Organic pores,intergranular pores,intragranular pores,microfractures were widely developed in the shale samples,of which organic pores were the most developed.The pore morphology was mainly ink bottle-shaped pores and slit-shaped pores;the pore size distribution of shale samples was complex with multiple distribution peaks,the pore size between 3 and 40 nm occupied the most of storage space.The fractal dimension Dn1 of pores between 2 nm and 10 nm was 2.7177e2.7933,while fractal dimension Dn2 of pores between 10 nm and 50 nm was 2.2439e2.5468.The fractal dimension Dr of macropores calculated by the thermodynamic model was 2.6401e2.7025.

Experimental study on the acoustic propagation and anisotropy of coal rocks

In order to study the propagation laws of acoustic wave of coal samples from the Upper Permian Xuanwei Formation in the east of Yunnan Province,China,under saturated water and dry conditions,the basic physical parameters,acoustic parameters and anisotropic parameters were obtained through the experiments.Based on FFT and wavelet analysis theory,the spectral characteristics of coal samples under different conditions were studied.The results show that physical parameters of coal samples in different directions have different values,that is,the anisotropy of coal samples is obvious.When the coal samples are saturated with water,the acoustic velocities and the attenuation coefficient increase,whereas the dominant frequency decreases.The signal amplitude of the frequency domain significantly decreases,that is,the internal structure of coal samples is damaged.The P-wave velocity and S-wave velocity increase with the increase of the confining pressure,whereas the anisotropy parameters decrease with the increase of the confining pressure.Overall,this study provides the basis to understand basic acoustic information and anisotropy characteristics of coal samples.

Application of interim PET-CT in first-line treatment decision-making for lymphoma

Recent advances in lymphoma treatment have significantly improved the survival of patients;however,the current approaches also have varying side effects.To overcome these,it is critical to implement individualized treatment according to the patient’s condition.Therefore,the early identification of high-risk groups and targeted treatment are important strategies for prolonging the survival time and improving the quality of life of patients.Interim positron emission tomography-computed tomography(PET-CT)has a high prognostic value,which can reflect chemosensitivity and identify patients for whom treatment may fail under this regimen.To date,many prospective clinical studies on interim PET(iPET)-adapted therapy have been conducted.In this review,we focus on the treatment strategies entailed in these studies,as well as the means and timing of iPET assessment,with the aim of exploring the efficacy and existing issues regarding iPET-adapted treatment.It is expected that the improved use of PET-CT examination can facilitate treatment decision-making to identify precise treatment options.