Circ_0053943 complexed with IGF2BP3 drives uveal melanoma progression via regulating N6-methyladenosine modification of Epidermal growth factor receptor

Numerous studies have characterized the critical role of circular RNAs(circRNAs)as regulatory factors in the progression of multiple cancers.However,the biological functions of circRNAs and their underlying molecular mechanisms in the progression of uveal melanoma(UM)remain enigmatic.In this study,we identified a novel circRNA,circ_0053943,through re-analysis of UM microarray data and quantitative RT-PCR.Circ_0053943 was found to be upregulated in UM and to promote the proliferation and metastatic ability of UM cells in both in vitro and in vivo settings.Mechanistically,circ_0053943 was observed to bind to the KH1 and KH2 domains of insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 3(IGF2BP3),thereby enhancing the function of IGF2BP3 by stabilizing its target mRNA.RNA sequencing assays identified epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)as a target gene of circ_0053943 and IGF2BP3 at the transcriptional level.Rescue assays demonstrated that circ_0053943 exerts its biological function by stabilizing EGFR mRNA and regulating the downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase(MAPK/ERK)signaling pathway.Collectively,circ_0053943 may promote UM progression by stabilizing EGFR mRNA and activating the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway through the formation of a circ_0053943/IGF2BP3/EGFR RNA-protein ternary complex,thus providing a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for UM.

ChatGPT for shaping the future of dentistry: the potential of multi-modal large language model

The ChatGPT,a lite and conversational variant of Generative Pretrained Transformer 4(GPT-4)developed by OpenAI,is one of the milestone Large Language Models(LLMs)with billions of parameters.LLMs have stirred up much interest among researchers and practitioners in their impressive skills in natural language processing tasks,which profoundly impact various fields.This paper mainly discusses the future applications of LLMs in dentistry.We introduce two primary LLM deployment methods in dentistry,including automated dental diagnosis and cross-modal dental diagnosis,and examine their potential applications.Especially,equipped with a cross-modal encoder,a single LLM can manage multi-source data and conduct advanced natural language reasoning to perform complex clinical operations.We also present cases to demonstrate the potential of a fully automatic Multi-Modal LLM AI system for dentistry clinical application.While LLMs offer significant potential benefits,the challenges,such as data privacy,data quality,and model bias,need further study.Overall,LLMs have the potential to revolutionize dental diagnosis and treatment,which indicates a promising avenue for clinical application and research in dentistry.

Urbanization strengthens the edge effects on species diversity and composition of woody plants in remnant forests

Background:Urban remnant forests are embedded in urban areas and are threatened directly and indirectly by urbanization.The direct effects(e.g.,loss of area)have been well studied.However,knowledge about the indirect influence of urbanization through edge effects on the biodiversity in remnant forests is limited.Methods:In this study,we surveyed woody plant species in 72 plots in nine remnant forest patches in Guiyang,China.We examined the influences of urbanization and edge effects on the species diversity and composition of woody plants in remnant forests.We compared alpha diversities and quantified compositional dissimilarities in interior and edge sites at different levels of urbanization.We also measured the niche width of the recorded plant species and assessed whether high levels of urbanization and edge effects increased the number of generalist species.Results and conclusions:The Shannon index,the Simpson index and the Pielou index of adult trees were lowest in the edge habitat under high levels of urbanization.Significant differences in the Shannon index and the Simpson index of sapling/seedling were detected between interior and edge sites under low urbanization.The edge effects on the species composition of adult trees were intensified by high levels of urbanization.Woody plant species with wide niche widths were more abundant at edge sites under high levels of urbanization.Therefore,we recommend that urban expansion surrounding remnant patches should be strictly controlled to alleviate edge effects on biodiversity.

Between“Guandai”(冠带)and“Yidi”(夷狄):Sima Qian's National Consciousness

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty,the ethnic relations in China entered a new historical stage.Records of the Historian written during this period gives a basically factual account of the ethnic history in China since ancient epochs.It is the first specialized work on ethnic history.The national consciousness that Sima Qian presents in this work is distinctively different from the Confucian tradition,which draws a strict line between Hua(华,China)and Yi(夷,the barbarians).His attention on the commonality of the cultural genes between the farming peoples of the Central-Plains and the nomadic hunting peoples of the borderlands,his recognition of the integrated impact that multiple ethnic groups have on the rise and development of Huaxia(华夏,Chinese)civilization,his respect for"differences among barbarians of the four directions"(四夷各异),and his approval of the“merits of Hu attire”(胡服之功)are all embodiment of his liberal views.To explore the formation and development of the cultural community of the Chinese nation and to understand and interpret this historical process of ethnic integration,we should attach great importance to the positive significance of Sima Qian's national consciousness.

Effects of connected and autonomous vehicle merging behavior on mainline human-driven vehicle

Purpose–This study aims to evaluate the influence of connected and autonomous vehicle(CAV)merging algorithms on the driver behavior of human-driven vehicles on the mainline.Design/methodology/approach–Previous studies designed their merging algorithms mostly based on either the simulation or the restricted field testing,which lacks consideration of realistic driving behaviors in the merging scenario.This study developed a multi-driver simulator system to embed realistic driving behavior in the validation of merging algorithms.Findings–Four types of CAV merging algorithms were evaluated regarding their influences on driving safety and driving comfort of the mainline vehicle platoon.The results revealed significant variation of the algorithm influences.Specifically,the results show that the reference-trajectory-based merging algorithm may outperform the social-psychology-based merging algorithm which only considers the ramp vehicles.Originality/value–To the best of the authors’knowledge,this is the first time to evaluate a CAV control algorithm considering realistic driver interactions rather than by the simulation.To achieve the research purpose,a novel multi-driver driving simulator was developed,which enables multi-drivers to simultaneously interact with each other during a virtual driving test.The results are expected to have practical implications for further improvement of the CAV merging algorithm.

Safety effects of work zone advisory systems under the intelligent connected vehicle environment:a microsimulation approach

Purpose–This study aims to investigate the safety effects of work zone advisory systems.The traditional system includes a dynamic message sign(DMS),whereas the advanced system includes an in-vehicle work zone warning application under the connected vehicle(CV)environment.Design/methodology/approach–A comparative analysis was conducted based on the microsimulation experiments.Findings–The results indicate that the CV-based warning system outperforms the DMS.From this study,the optimal distances of placing a DMS varies according to different traffic conditions.Nevertheless,negative influence of excessive distance DMS placed from the work zone would be more obvious when there is heavier traffic volume.Thus,it is recommended that the optimal distance DMS placed from the work zone should be shortened if there is a traffic congestion.It was also revealed that higher market penetration rate of CVs will lead to safer network under good traffic conditions.Research limitations/implications–Because this study used only microsimulation,the results do not reflect the real-world drivers’reactions to DMS and CV warning messages.A series of driving simulator experiments need to be conducted to capture the real driving behaviors so as to investigate the unresolved-related issues.Human machine interface needs be used to simulate the process of in-vehicle warning information delivery.The validation of the simulation model was not conducted because of the data limitation.Practical implications–It suggests for the optimal DMS placement for improving the overall efficiency and safety under the CV environment.Originality/value–A traffic network evaluation method considering both efficiency and safety is proposed by applying traffic simulation.