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What happened to the Indian mantle lithosphere (IML) during the Indian–Eurasian collision and what role it has played on the plateau growth are fundamental questions that remain unanswered. Here, we show clear images of the IML from high-resolution P and S tomography, which suggest that the subducted IML is torn into at least four pieces with different angles and northern limits, shallower and extending further in the west and east sides while steeper in the middle. Intermediate-depth earthquakes in the lower crust and mantle are located almost exclusively in the high-velocity (and presumably strong) part of the Indian lithosphere. The tearing of the IML provides a unified mechanism for Late Miocene and Quaternary rifting, current crustal deformation, and intermediate-depth earthquakes in the southern and central Tibetan Plateau and suggests that the deformations of the crust and the mantle lithosphere are strongly coupled.

We define and investigate a property of mechanisms that we call \"strategic simplicity,\" and that is meant to capture the idea that, in strategically simple mechanisms, strategic choices require limited strategic sophistication. We define a mechanism to be strategically simple if choices can be based on first-order beliefs about the other agents' preferences and first-order certainty about the other agents' rationality alone, and there is no need for agents to form higher-order beliefs, because such beliefs are irrelevant to the optimal strategies. All dominant strategy mechanisms are strategically simple. But many more mechanisms are strategically simple. In particular, strategically simple mechanisms may be more flexible than dominant strategy mechanisms in the bilateral trade problem and the voting problem.

Classic nucleophilic substitution reactions (S N 1 and S N 2) are not generally amenable to the enantioselective variants that use simple and racemic alkyl halide electrophiles. The merging of transition metal catalysis and radical chemistry with organometallic nucleophiles is a versatile method for addressing this limitation. Here, we report that visible light-driven catalytic asymmetric photoredox radical coupling can act as a complementary and generic strategy for the enantioconvergent formal substitution of alkyl haldies with readily available and bench-stable organic molecules. Single-electron reductive debrominations of racemic α-bromoketones generate achiral alkyl radicals that can participate in asymmetric C sp3 –C sp3 bonds forming cross-coupling reactions with α-amino radicals derived from N -aryl amino acids. A wide range of valuable enantiomerically pure β 2 - and β 2,2 -amino ketones were obtained in satisfactory yields with good-to-excellent enantioselectivities by using chiral phosphoric acid catalysts to control the stereochemistry and chemoselectivity. Fluoro-hetero-quaternary and full-carbon quaternary stereocenters that are challenging to prepare were successfully constructed. Enantioselective substitution reactions of racemic alkyl halides are inherently limited by the specificity of their stereochemical course (S N 1 or S N 2). Here, the authors report a radical coupling strategy for the enantioselective aminoalkylation of α-bromoketones for modular, highly enantioselective C sp3 −C sp3 bond formation.

The crustal thickness and average Vp/Vs ratio are basic parameters to understand the current state and the tectonic processes in the Tibetan Plateau (TP). We gather receiver functions in the central‐southern TP and extract spatial variation of crustal thickness and Vp/Vs ratio using the H‐κ‐c method with careful quality control and stability analysis. Our results highlight the regions with high Vp/Vs ratios in the central‐southern Qiangtang block and two isolated patches around the Yarlung‐Zangbo suture, suggesting crustal partial melting. The disconnected high‐Vp/Vs patches imply a restrained pattern for present‐day crustal flow in the southern TP. Further correlation with mantle observations suggests that the high Vp/Vs region in the north can be attributed to mantle upwelling after lithospheric delamination, and the two isolated patches in the south may be related to the tearing of the Indian mantle lithosphere. Plain Language Summary The Tibetan Plateau (TP), as the Third Pole, is known for its unusual characteristics and hot debate on how it uplifts and grows. To better understand this, we collect available receiver function data in the central‐southern part of the TP, and use an improved method to study the crustal thickness and the average Vp/Vs ratio. The crustal Vp/Vs ratio is a good indicator for partial melting in parts of the crust. In our results, the crust in the central‐southern Qiangtang block and two isolated regions near the Yarlung‐Zangbo suture has high Vp/Vs ratio, indicating the crust in these areas may have been partially melted. A partially melted crust is favorable for crustal flow to develop, and the crustal flow is considered to be an important mechanism of plateau growth. However, the high‐Vp/Vs patches in the southern TP are too disconnected to develop large‐scale crustal flow. By comparing with mantle observations, we think the crustal parting melting is related to mantle upwelling and heating, caused by lithosphere detachment in the northern TP and Indian slab tearing in the south, respectively. Key Points H‐κ‐c results reveal two isolated patches with high crustal Vp/Vs in the southern Tibetan Plateau (TP), suggesting crustal partial melting The disconnection between the two patches does not support present‐day eastward crustal flow in the southern TP Correlation with mantle observations indicates the two patches may be related to tearing of the Indian mantle lithosphere

Ceramic aerogels are promising materials for thermal insulation and protection under harsh environments. Yet current synthesis methods fail to provide an energy-, time-, and cost-effective route for high-throughput production and large-scale applications, especially for non-oxide ceramic aerogels. Here we reported a way to synthesize SiC aerogels within seconds and over liter scale , with a demonstrated throughput of ~16 L min −1 in a typical lab experiment. The key lies in renovated combustion synthesis and a fast expansion from powder reactants to aerogel products over 1000% in volume. The synthesis process is self-sustainable and requires minimal energy input. The product is very cheap, with an estimated price of ~$0.7 L −1 (~$7 kg −1 ). The obtained SiC aerogels have excellent thermo-mechanical properties, including low thermal conductivity, high elasticity, and damage tolerance. Our invention not only offers a practical pathway for large-scale applications of ceramic aerogels, but also calls for rethinking of combustion synthesis in one-step conversion from raw chemicals to bulk products ready for practical applications. Damage-tolerant ceramic aerogels are valuable, yet their synthesis is time-consuming and expensive. Here we report a facile, low-cost combustion synthesis of SiC aerogels, at Liter scale. Further technological development may enable game-changer aerogels for extreme-environment applications.

In this paper, the (CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 high-entropy alloy (HEA) coating with a thickness of 500 μm on Q235 steel substrate was fabricated by plasma spraying. The microscopic results showed that a new Laves phase is formed in the (CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 HEA coating compared to the HEA powder, and elemental segregation occurs between the dendrites and the interdendrites of the coating, while the interdendritic phase enriches with the Cr and Nb. The phase composition change and elemental segregation behavior were mainly due to the faster cooling rate of the plasma spraying technique. At the junction of the coating and the substrate, the HEA coating bonded well to the substrate; in addition, the width of transition zone was merely 2 μm. The microhardness of the (CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 HEA coating was 321 HV0.5, which is significantly higher than that of the substrate. In terms of corrosion resistance, the (CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 HEA coating has good corrosion resistance in NaCl solution. Although the corrosion form was pitting corrosion, the pitting potential of the (CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 HEA coating was significantly higher than that of other coatings, which was mainly because of the dense passivation film formed by Cr and Nb on the surface of the coating. Once the passivation film was destroyed by Cl−, the selective corrosion occurred on the surface of the (CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 HEA coating. In summary, the (CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 HEA coating prepared by plasma spraying technology can significantly improve the corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of the Q235 steel substrate.

Abstract Objective: This study explored the ability of microRNA-135a (miR-135a) to influence cell proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis and tumor angiogenesis through the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: NSCLC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were collected from 138 NSCLC patients. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression levels of miR-135a and IGF-1, PI3K, Akt, VEGF, bFGF and IL-8 mRNA; western blotting was used to determine the expression levels of IGF-1, PI3K and Akt protein; and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to analyze the expression levels of VEGF, bFGF and IL-8 protein. Human NSCLC cell lines (A549, H460, and H1299) and the human bronchial epithelial cell line (HBE) were selected. A549 cells were assigned to blank, negative control (NC), miR-135a mimics, miR-135a inhibitors, IGF-1 siRNA and miR-135a inhibitors + IGF-1 siRNA groups. The following were performed: an MTT assay to assess cell proliferation, a scratch test to detect cell migration, a Transwell assay to measure cell invasion, and a flow cytometry to analyze cell apoptosis. Results: The expression level of miR-135a was lower while those of IGF-1, PI3K and Akt mRNA were higher in NSCLC tissues than in the adjacent normal tissues. Dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated IGF-1 as a target of miR-135a. The in vitro results showed that compared with the blank group, cell proliferation, migration and invasion were suppressed, mRNA and protein levels of IGF-1, PI3K, Akt, VEGF, bFGF and IL-8 were reduced, and cell apoptosis was enhanced in the miR-135a mimics and IGF-1 siRNA groups. Compared with the IGF-1 siRNA group, cells in the miR-135a inhibitors + IGF-1 siRNA group demonstrated increased cell proliferation, migration and invasion, elevated mRNA and protein levels of IGF-1, PI3K, Akt, VEGF, bFGF and IL-8 and reduced cell apoptosis. Conclusion: These findings indicated that miR-135a promotes cell apoptosis and inhibits cell proliferation, migration, invasion and tumor angiogenesis by targeting IGF-1 gene through the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in NSCLC.

Edge computing provides higher computational power and lower transmission latency by offloading tasks to nearby edge nodes with available computational resources to meet the requirements of time-sensitive tasks and computationally complex tasks. Resource allocation schemes are essential to this process. To allocate resources effectively, it is necessary to attach metadata to a task to indicate what kind of resources are needed and how many computation resources are required. However, these metadata are sensitive and can be exposed to eavesdroppers, which can lead to privacy breaches. In addition, edge nodes are vulnerable to corruption because of their limited cybersecurity defenses. Attackers can easily obtain end-device privacy through unprotected metadata or corrupted edge nodes. To address this problem, we propose a metadata privacy resource allocation scheme that uses searchable encryption to protect metadata privacy and zero-knowledge proofs to resist semi-malicious edge nodes. We have formally proven that our proposed scheme satisfies the required security concepts and experimentally demonstrated the effectiveness of the scheme.

Background The advent of immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment paradigm for gastric cancer (GC), offering unprecedented clinical benefits. However, a detailed molecular characterization of the tumor immune microenvironment in GC is essential to further optimize these therapies and enhance their efficacy. Methods Consensus clustering was utilized to classify GC patients into distinct immune states, followed by an in-depth analysis of differences in mutation profiles, copy number variations, and DNA methylation patterns. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and correlation analysis were applied to identify gene modules underlying the classification of immune “hot” and “cold” tumors. Subsequently, 101 machine learning algorithm combinations were employed to construct a prognostic model based on the identified gene modules. Single-cell analysis was conducted to investigate cellular interactions associated with the immune-determinant gene module. Finally, immunofluorescence staining for CD8, CD45, and CXCR4 was performed on human GC tissue samples. Results A total of 1,298 GC patients were included in this comprehensive analysis. For the first time, we identified and characterized immune “hot” and “cold” tumors in GC patients, revealing distinct molecular features associated with these tumor types. Immune “hot” tumor-related genes were identified, and their functional roles were validated through biological behavior analysis. A prognostic signature, termed the hot tumor top regulators (HTTR), was developed using 101 machine learning algorithm combinations. The HTTR signature emerged as an independent prognostic factor, effectively stratifying patients into low- and high-risk groups with significant differences in overall survival. High-risk groups demonstrated strong associations with immune checkpoint regulation, antigen presentation, and inhibitory pathways. Notably, single-cell analysis revealed that HTTR genes were highly active in CD8 + T cells, with the CXCL12-CXCR4 axis playing a critical role in mediating interactions between CD8 + T cells and endothelial cells. Conclusion In conclusion, the HTTR signature served as a robust prognostic biomarker for GC patients and effectively identified those with immune “hot” tumors. This finding provided valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms of tumor immunity in GC, offering potential avenues for targeted therapeutic interventions.

Objectives To investigate clinicopathological predictors and evaluate the impact of adjuvant therapy on survival outcomes in patients with early-stage (FIGO 2023 Stage I-II) endometrial clear cell carcinoma (ECCC). Methods This dual-center retrospective study enrolled patients newly diagnosed with stage I-II ECCC between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2023 at two tertiary hospitals in China. Clinicopathological parameters and survival outcomes were systematically analyzed. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analyses were used to assess the associations between variables and overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS). Results Among 80 eligible patients (median age: 59 years), 30.0% ( n  = 24) were stage I and 70.0% ( n  = 56) stage II. After a median follow-up of 76 months, 11 patients experienced disease progression and 6 died, with 5-year PFS and OS rates of 87.0% and 91.6%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated no significant differences in PFS or OS between patients undergoing surgery alone versus surgery with adjuvant therapy. Multivariate Cox analysis identified positive peritoneal washing cytology (PWC) (HR = 8.062, 95% CI: 1.208–53.814, P  = 0.031) and deep myometrial invasion (≥ 1/2) (HR = 7.455, 95% CI: 1.187–46.803, P  = 0.032) as independent adverse prognostic factors for OS. Diabetes mellitus emerged as the only significant predictor for reduced PFS (HR = 3.831, 95% CI: 1.053–13.935, P  = 0.042). Conclusions Positive PWC and deep myometrial invasion (≥ 1/2) were independent adverse prognostic factors for OS in stage I-II ECCC, while diabetes mellitus emerged as the sole predictor of poorer PFS. Notably, adjuvant therapy failed to demonstrate any significant survival benefit compared to surgery alone in this cohort. These findings challenge the routine use of adjuvant therapy for stage I-II ECCC and underscore the importance of individualized risk stratification incorporating PWC, myometrial invasion depth and diabetic status.