Homozygous p.Ser267Phe in SLC10A1 is associated with a new type of hypercholanemia and implications for personalized medicine.

SLC10A1 codes for the sodium-taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP), which is a hepatocellular transporter for bile acids (BAs) and the receptor for hepatitis B and D viruses. NTCP is also a target of multiple drugs. We aimed to evaluate the medical consequences of the loss of function mutation p.Ser267Phe in SLC10A1. We identified eight individuals with homozygous p.Ser267Phe mutation in SLC10A1 and followed up for 8-90 months. We compared their total serum BAs and 6 species of BAs with 170 wild-type and 107 heterozygous healthy individuals. We performed in-depth medical examinations and exome sequencing in the homozygous individuals. All homozygous individuals had persistent hypercholanemia (P = 5.8 × 10-29). Exome sequencing excluded the involvement of other BA metabolism-associated genes in the hypercholanemia. Although asymptomatic, all individuals had low vitamin D levels. Of six adults that were subjected to bone mineral density analysis, three presented with osteoporosis/osteopenia. Sex hormones and blood lipids were deviated in all subjects. Homozygosity of p.Ser267Phe in SLC10A1 is associated with asymptomatic hypercholanemia. Individuals with homozygous p.Ser267Phe in SLC10A1 are prone to vitamin D deficiency, deviated sex hormones and blood lipids. Surveillance of these parameters may also be needed in patients treated with drugs targeting NTCP.This project is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31471193, 81570539, 81370535, 91331204 and 31525014). S.X. acknowledges financial support from the Strategic Priority Research Program (XDB13040100) and Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences (QYZDJ-SSW-SYS009) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

Effect of Different Mulch Types on Soil Environment, Water and Fertilizer Use Efficiency, and Yield of Cabbage

This study aimed to address the crop growth and development issues caused by environmental factors in the area of the Liupan Mountains in Ningxia. In this area, there is a large temperature difference between day and night due to drought and low rainfall from spring to summer. The effects of farmland mulching for cabbage on soil environment, water and fertilizer use efficiency, and on cabbage were studied by comparing white common mulch (WCM), black common mulch (BCM), white and black biodegradable mulch (WBM and BBM), black permeable mulch (BPM), and black-and-white composite mulch (BWCM). The types of mulch suitable for application in the region were selected after a comprehensive comparative analysis. The results suggested that soil temperature and water content decreased in the mulch of the two biodegradable mulches and the permeable mulch compared with the control (WCM). Meanwhile, soil water content significantly increased into the rainy season in the mulch of BPM. The overall index of soil enzyme activity was 11.8% and 5.2% higher in WBCM and BBM than that in WCM. The soil overall fertility index of WCM exceeded the other treatments by 16.3%, 33.0%, 25.6%, 36.6%, and 25.4%. The water use efficiency and fertilizer bias productivity of BBM and BPM mulch treatments were the highest among all treatments. The economic yield and economic efficiency of cabbage in BBM, BPM, and WBCM mulch treatments were among the best. A comprehensive analysis of the indicators by completing principal components and affiliation functions revealed that WBCM, BBM, and BPM ranked in the top three in comprehensive scores. In conclusion, black biodegradable mulch, permeable mulch, and black-and-white composite mulch can be applied to replace the white common mulch, with black biodegradable mulch treatment performing the best

Bimetallic Nanomaterials: A Promising Nanoplatform for Multimodal Cancer Therapy

Bimetallic nanomaterials (BMNs) composed of two different metal elements have certain mixing patterns and geometric structures, and they often have superior properties than monometallic nanomaterials. Bimetallic-based nanomaterials have been widely investigated and extensively used in many biomedical fields especially cancer therapy because of their unique morphology and structure, special physicochemical properties, excellent biocompatibility, and synergistic effect. However, most reviews focused on the application of BMNs in cancer diagnoses (sensing, and imaging) and rarely mentioned the application of the treatment of cancer. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive perspective on the recent progress of BNMs as therapeutic agents. We first introduce and discuss the synthesis methods, intrinsic properties (size, morphology, and structure), and optical and catalytic properties relevant to cancer therapy. Then, we highlight the application of BMNs in cancer therapy (e.g., drug/gene delivery, radiotherapy, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, enzyme-mediated tumor therapy, and multifunctional synergistic therapy). Finally, we put forward insights for the forthcoming in order to make more comprehensive use of BMNs and improve the medical system of cancer treatment

Energy efficiency performance in RIS-based integrated satellite–aerial–terrestrial relay networks with deep reinforcement learning

Abstract Integrated satellite–aerial–terrestrial relay networks (ISATRNs) play a vital role in next-gen networks, particularly those with high-altitude platforms (HAP). This study introduces a new model for hybrid optical/RF-based HAP-enabled ISATRNs, incorporating reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to optimize access in dense urban areas. Non-orthogonal multiple access is employed for improved spectrum efficiency. The objective is to jointly optimize UAV trajectory, RIS phase shift, and active transmit beamforming while considering energy consumption. A deep reinforcement learning approach using LSTM-DDQN framework is proposed. Numerical results show the effectiveness of our algorithm over traditional DDQN, with higher single-step exploration reward and evaluation metrics

Effects of Organic Fertilizer Application on Tomato Yield and Quality: A Meta-Analysis

Tomatoes are a globally cultivated and popular vegetable. The output and quality of tomatoes are significantly influenced by the use of organic fertilizers. It was discovered that organic fertilizers increase tomato productivity and improve fruit quality. The influence of organic fertilizers on tomato yield and quality is shown to be complex and dependent on soil organic matter, total soil nitrogen, organic fertilizers kinds, and other variables. In this review paper, we evaluated 769 data sets from 107 research papers and determined that organic fertilizers can enhance the tomato yield by 42.18%. Compared to the control group, soluble solids, soluble sugar, lycopene, vitamin C, and nitrate were raised by 11.86%, 42.18%, 23.95%, 18.97%, and 8.36%, respectively. In general, the soil organic matter >20 g·kg−1 and organic fertilizers significantly improved the tomato sugar/acid content ratio and VC, whereas under total soil nitrogen >1 g·kg−1, organic fertilizers had significant differences in tomato soluble solids, soluble sugar, lycopene, and vitamin C, with different organic-fertilizer types having different effects on tomato quality. When comparing animal and plant organic fertilizers to other forms of organic fertilizers, we observed that tomato quality varied significantly. We also evaluated the impact of different cultivation methods, soil organic matter, total soil nitrogen, soil pH, and types of organic fertilizers on the tomato yield and quality. The results gave valuable information and direction for the use of organic fertilizers in greenhouse production

Robust Preview Control for Uncertain Discrete Singular Systems

In this paper, the problem of robust preview control for uncertain discrete singular systems is considered. First of all, by employing the forward difference for uncertain discrete singular systems, the singular augmented error system with the state vector, the input control vector, and the previewable reference signal is derived. Since there is a singular matrix in the system, the existing method cannot be directly applied to this problem. By considering the stability of the transposition system with Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) method, a new stability criterion for the transposition system is introduced. Then, the robust controller for the augmented error system is obtained, which is regarded as the robust preview controller for the original singular system. At last, the numerical simulation shows the correctness and effectiveness of the results

Effects of Organic Fertilizer Application on Tomato Yield and Quality: A Meta-Analysis

Tomatoes are a globally cultivated and popular vegetable. The output and quality of tomatoes are significantly influenced by the use of organic fertilizers. It was discovered that organic fertilizers increase tomato productivity and improve fruit quality. The influence of organic fertilizers on tomato yield and quality is shown to be complex and dependent on soil organic matter, total soil nitrogen, organic fertilizers kinds, and other variables. In this review paper, we evaluated 769 data sets from 107 research papers and determined that organic fertilizers can enhance the tomato yield by 42.18%. Compared to the control group, soluble solids, soluble sugar, lycopene, vitamin C, and nitrate were raised by 11.86%, 42.18%, 23.95%, 18.97%, and 8.36%, respectively. In general, the soil organic matter >20 g·kg−1 and organic fertilizers significantly improved the tomato sugar/acid content ratio and VC, whereas under total soil nitrogen >1 g·kg−1, organic fertilizers had significant differences in tomato soluble solids, soluble sugar, lycopene, and vitamin C, with different organic-fertilizer types having different effects on tomato quality. When comparing animal and plant organic fertilizers to other forms of organic fertilizers, we observed that tomato quality varied significantly. We also evaluated the impact of different cultivation methods, soil organic matter, total soil nitrogen, soil pH, and types of organic fertilizers on the tomato yield and quality. The results gave valuable information and direction for the use of organic fertilizers in greenhouse production

Study of the solute micro-segregation behaviour of bainite rail steel in the continuous casting process

A coupled model of micro-segregation and macro-heat transfer was established to study the solute micro-segregation behaviour of bainite rail steel in the continuous casting process. The effects of solute elements, effective cooling rate of the mushy zone (Ceff), and MnS precipitation on the solute micro-segregation and characteristic solidification temperatures were analysed. The results show that Ceff gradually decreases from the surface of the bloom to the centre as the solidification of the molten steel progresses, and the maximum effective cooling rate is in the corner of the bloom. During the solidification of bainite rail steel, the micro-segregation degree of P and S is more serious, followed by C, Si, Mo, etc. At the later stage of solidification, the precipitation of MnS leads to a decrease in the micro-segregation degree of S and Mn. Carbon mainly affects the solute micro-segregation behaviour by changing the solidification mode of molten steel, while the initial S and Mn contents in molten steel have no obvious effect on the micro-segregation degree of C, Si, Cr, Ni, Mo, and P. Ceff has different effects on the micro-segregation behaviors of different solute elements. An increase in C, Mn, and S content and in Ceff will advance the MnS precipitation time and lead to an increase in the amount of MnS precipitation. Increasing the initial C, Mn, and S content in molten steel leads to a decrease in both ZST and ZDT