An Efficient Algorithm for the Separable Nonlinear Least Squares Problem

The nonlinear least squares problem m i n y , z ∥ A ( y ) z + b ( y ) ∥ , where A ( y ) is a full-rank ( N + ℓ ) × N matrix, y ∈ R n , z ∈ R N and b ( y ) ∈ R N + ℓ with ℓ ≥ n , can be solved by first solving a reduced problem m i n y ∥ f ( y ) ∥ to find the optimal value y * of y, and then solving the resulting linear least squares problem m i n z ∥ A ( y * ) z + b ( y * ) ∥ to find the optimal value z * of z. We have previously justified the use of the reduced function f ( y ) = C T ( y ) b ( y ) , where C ( y ) is a matrix whose columns form an orthonormal basis for the nullspace of A T ( y ) , and presented a quadratically convergent Gauss–Newton type method for solving m i n y ∥ C T ( y ) b ( y ) ∥ based on the use of QR factorization. In this note, we show how LU factorization can replace the QR factorization in those computations, halving the associated computational cost while also providing opportunities to exploit sparsity and thus further enhance computational efficiency

Inflammation-induced cellular changes: Genetic mutations, oncogene impact, and novel glycoprotein biomarkers

Persistent inflammation can trigger the development of colorectal cancer, especially in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The precise molecular mechanisms underlying this process are not fully understood. This study investigated the molecular modifications that occur in the cellular microenvironment during inflammation-induced and colitis-associated cancers. Studies showed that genetic mutations and post-translational modifications of oncogene proteins can alter the biological functions of macrophage inflammatory proteins, complicating the intricate interactions between inflammation and cancer. The researchers also observed abnormal glycosylation patterns in cases of inflammation and colitis-associated cancers. This observation suggests that glycoproteins present in bodily fluids could potentially serve as valuable disease markers. Additionally, the researchers investigated general signaling alterations that manifest in cases of colitis-associated cancer. They proposed a provisional molecular model that suggests the involvement of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress during the transition from inflammation to cancer. This potential pathway is mediated through the FKBP/c-Myc/p53 signaling axis. In the context of protein glycosylation, we summarize the potential molecular mechanisms of IBD-induced carcinogenesis. This knowledge could potentially lead to the development of novel targets for the clinical treatment of colorectal cancer

Patterns and changes in life expectancy in China, 1990-2016.

ObjectiveTo achieve the goal of "healthy China 2030", reasonable health policies must be developed based on the changes of death spectrum. We aim to investigate the temporal patterns of life expectancy (LE) and age/cause-specific contributions from 1990 to 2016.MethodsJoinpoint regression model was used with Arriaga's decomposition method.ResultsLE in China has reached to 76.3 years in 2016 with an increase of 9.44 years from 1990. From 1990 to 2002, a remarkable reduction in infant mortality accounted for an increase of 1.27 years (35.39%) to LE which mainly resulted from diarrhea, lower respiratory, and other common infectious diseases (1.00 years, 27.79%). After 2002, those aged 65+ years contributed most to increased LE and the most prominent causes included cardiovascular diseases (0.67 years, 23.36%), chronic respiratory diseases (0.54 years, 18.76%) and neoplasms (0.39 years, 13.44%). Moreover, the effects of transport injuries changed from negative to positive. After 2007, contributions of transport and unintentional injuries increased especially for males. And for females contributions of cardiovascular diseases sharply increased LE by 1.17 years (32.26%).ConclusionMore attention should be paid to cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and neoplasms which were mainly attributed to the increase of LE, especially for males and elderly population

Scaling law of correlated diffusion of colloidal particles confined to a rugged surface

Using optical microscopy and multiparticle tracking techniques, we investigate the correlated diffusion of colloidal particles over a rugged surface. Our findings demonstrate that the correlated diffusion caused by the hydrodynamic interactions of particles confined to energy landscapes displays a distinctive power-law behavior. The local energy landscape on the rugged surface reduces the long-range hydrodynamic interactions between colloidal particles. The energy landscape influences the strength of hydrodynamic interactions, but not their power-law form. The responding factor of the colloidal particles over the energy landscape to hydrodynamics decays exponentially with the potential energy minimum. We propose a scaling method, with which the correlated diffusion of colloidal particles over various energy landscapes can be scaled onto a master curve. The master curve characterizes the response of the particles over the energy landscape to the hydrodynamics. The scale factors used for the master curve allow for the calculation of the energy landscape. The findings provide physical insights into the confinement hydrodynamics and would be helpful for designing material surfaces and controlling the motion of particles on rough surfaces.Published versionThis work was partially supported by the Key Academic Discipline Project of China University of Mining and Technology (Grant No. 2022WLXK10), the China Scholarship Council (Grant No. 202006425022), the Basic Research Program Project of Xuzhou (Grant No. KC21020), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11774417) and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK20160238)

Association of serum metal levels with type 2 diabetes: A prospective cohort and mediating effects of metabolites analysis in Chinese population

Several studies have suggested an association between exposure to various metals and the onset of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the results vary across different studies. We aimed to investigate the associations between serum metal concentrations and the risk of developing T2D among 8734 participants using a prospective cohort study design. We utilized inductively coupled plasmamass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to assess the serum concentrations of 27 metals. Cox regression was applied to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) for the associations between serum metal concentrations on the risk of developing T2D. Additionally, 196 incident T2D cases and 208 healthy control participants were randomly selected for serum metabolite measurement using an untargeted metabolomics approach to evaluate the mediating role of serum metabolite in the relationship between serum metal concentrations and the risk of developing T2D with a nested casecontrol study design. In the cohort study, after Bonferroni correction, the serum concentrations of zinc (Zn), mercury (Hg), and thallium (Tl) were positively associated with the risk of developing T2D, whereas the serum concentrations of manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), barium (Ba), lutetium (Lu), and lead (Pb) were negatively associated with the risk of developing T2D. After adding these eight metals, the predictive ability increased significantly compared with that of the traditional clinical model (AUC: 0.791 vs. 0.772, P=8.85×10−5). In the nested casecontrol study, a machine learning analysis revealed that the serum concentrations of 14 out of 1579 detected metabolites were associated with the risk of developing T2D. According to generalized linear regression models, 7 of these metabolites were significantly associated with the serum concentrations of the identified metals. The mediation analysis showed that two metabolites (2-methyl-1,2-dihydrophthalazin-1-one and mestranol) mediated 46.81% and 58.70%, respectively, of the association between the serum Pb concentration and the risk of developing T2D. Our study suggested that serum Mn, Zn, Mo, Ba, Lu, Hg, Tl, and Pb were associated with T2D risk. Two metabolites mediated the associations between the serum Pb concentration and the risk of developing T2D

Polygenic Risk Score, Lifestyles, and Type 2 Diabetes Risk: A Prospective Chinese Cohort Study

The aim of this study was to generate a polygenic risk score (PRS) for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and test whether it could be used in identifying high-risk individuals for lifestyle intervention in a Chinese cohort. We genotyped 80 genetic variants among 5024 participants without non-communicable diseases at baseline in the Wuxi Non-Communicable Diseases cohort (Wuxi NCDs cohort). During the follow-up period of 14 years, 440 cases of T2D were newly diagnosed. Using Cox regression, we found that the PRS of 46 SNPs identified by the East Asians was relevant to the future T2D. Participants with a high PRS (top quintile) had a two-fold higher risk of T2D than the bottom quintile (hazard ratio: 2.06, 95% confidence interval: 1.42–2.97). Lifestyle factors were considered, including cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, physical exercise, diet, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC). Among high-PRS individuals, the 10-year incidence of T2D slumped from 6.77% to 3.28% for participants having ideal lifestyles (4–6 healthy lifestyle factors) compared with poor lifestyles (0-2 healthy lifestyle factors). When integrating the high PRS, the 10-year T2D risk of low-clinical-risk individuals exceeded that of high-clinical-risk individuals with a low PRS (3.34% vs. 2.91%). These findings suggest that the PRS of 46 SNPs could be used in identifying high-risk individuals and improve the risk stratification defined by traditional clinical risk factors for T2D. Healthy lifestyles can reduce the risk of a high PRS, which indicates the potential utility in early screening and precise prevention

A Flux-Gradient System for Simultaneous Measurement of the CH₄, CO₂, and H₂O Fluxes at a Lake–Air Interface

Inland lakes play important roles in water and greenhouse gas cycling in the environment. This study aims to test the performance of a flux-gradient system for simultaneous measurement of the fluxes of water vapor, CO₂, and CH₄ at a lake–air interface. The concentration gradients over the water surface were measured with an analyzer based on the wavelength-scanned cavity ring-down spectroscopy technology, and the eddy diffusivity was measured with a sonic anemometer. Results of a zero-gradient test indicate a flux measurement precision of 4.8 W m^–2 for water vapor, 0.010 mg m^–2 s^–1 for CO₂, and 0.029 μg m^–2 s^–1 for CH₄. During the 620 day measurement period, 97%, 69%, and 67% of H₂O, CO₂, and CH₄ hourly fluxes were higher in magnitude than the measurement precision, which confirms that the flux-gradient system had adequate precision for the measurement of the lake–air exchanges. This study illustrates four strengths of the flux-gradient method: (1) the ability to simultaneously measure the flux of H₂O, CO₂, and CH₄; (2) negligibly small density corrections; (3) the ability to resolve small CH₄ gradient and flux; and (4) continuous and noninvasive operation. The annual mean CH₄ flux (1.8 g CH₄ m^–2 year^–1) at this hypereutrophic lake was close to the median value for inland lakes in the world (1.6 g CH₄ m^–2 year^–1). The system has adequate precision for CH₄ flux for broad applications but requires further improvement to resolve small CO₂ flux in many lakes