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The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus radical surgery (NCRS) and concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) based on three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) for FIGO 2018 stage IB3/IIA2 patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma in a resource-limited setting. The clinical outcomes and incidence of complications in 137 patients who underwent NCRS with those of 163 patients who CCRT based on 3DCRT were compared. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used to match the two groups to enable further statistical comparisons. Survival analysis was performed utilizing Cox proportional hazards regression analyses, Kaplan-Meier curves, and log-rank tests. Furthermore, the incidence of complications between the two groups was also compared using chi-squared tests. PSM analysis identified 103 matched pairs of patients. The NCRS and CCRT groups exhibited 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of 85.4% and 91.2%, respectively (p=0.19). Additionally, the NCRS and CCRT groups exhibited 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates of 76.7% and 89.3% (p=0.02), and the recurrence rates were 20.4% and 9.7% (p=0.03), respectively. However, the CCRT group exhibited a higher incidence of early any-grade complications (79.6% vs 35.9%, p<0.001) and early grade 3 complications (15.5% vs 2.9%, p=0.002) compared to the NCRS group. In terms of overall late complications, there was no significant difference in the incidence between the two groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that stage IIA2 emerged as an independent risk factor for OS (aHR 8.89; p=0.033). Moreover, histologic grade 2-3 (aHR 5.3; p=0.022), stage IIA2 (aHR 2.95; p=0.043), NCRS treatment (aHR 2.41; p=0.012) were identified as independent risk factors for DFS. In resource-limited settings, for patients with FIGO 2018 stage IB3/IIA2 cervical squamous cell carcinoma, 3DCRT-based CCRT offers superior disease-free survival and reduced recurrence rates compared to NCRS, despite increased early complication rates.

Ultrathin two-dimensional （2D） nanomaterials offer unique advantages compared to their counterparts in other dimensionalities. O-vacancies in such materials allow rapid electron diffusion. Carbon doping often improves the electric conductivity. Considering these merits, the WO3-x/C ultrathin 2D nanomaterial is expected to exhibit excellent electrochemical performance in Li-ion batteries. Here, ultrathin WO3-xC nanosheets were prepared via an acid-assisted one-pot process. The as-prepared WO3-x/C ultrathin nanosheets showed good electrochemical performance, with an initial discharge capacity of 1,866 mA·h·g^-1 at a current density of 200 mA·g^-1 After 100 cycles, the discharge and charge capacities were 662 and 661 mA·h·g^-1, respectively. The reversible capacity of the WO3-x/C ultrathin nanosheets exceeded those of WO3 and WOg-x nanosheets. The electrochemical testing results demonstrated that WO3-x/C ultrathin nanosheets are promising alternative anode materials for Li-ion batteries.

Open rock masses are subject to prolonged loading and freeze-thaw cycles in cold regions. In this study, we take saturated fissured red sandstone as object to investigate the long-term mechanical response characteristics of fractured rock under freeze-thaw conditions. Experimental tests were conducted to analyze the creep characteristics of the rock after freeze-thaw cycles, considering different freeze-thaw frequencies and fracture orientations. The results reveal that (1) freeze-thaw cycles exert a significant influence on the rock’s creep behavior, with axial strain, instantaneous strain, and creep strain increasing progressively with the number of freeze-thaw cycles; (2) dual-fractured rock samples with varying fracture angles exhibit distinct differences in creep phenomena, where increased fracture angles result in pronounced increases in instantaneous and creep strains, and higher horizontal stress levels lead to greater strain generation; (3) all rock samples with different pre-existing fractures exhibit rock bridge breakthrough during creep failure, and the variation in fracture angle affects the failure mode; (4) and the long-term strength of the rock varies with changes in fracture angle and freeze-thaw cycle frequency, showing an increasing trend with greater fracture angles but a rapid decrease with increasing freeze-thaw cycles. These findings provide valuable insights for engineering design and risk assessment of open rock masses in cold regions. This study has guiding significance for the safety construction of rock mass engineering in cold regions.

Although the function of silicon (Si) in plant physiology has long been debated, its beneficial effects on plant resistance against abiotic and biotic stresses, including insect herbivory, have been well documented. In addition, the jasmonate (JA) signaling pathway plays a crucial role in mediating antiherbivore defense responses in plants. However, potential interactions between JA and Si in response to insect attack have not been examined directly. To explore the role JA may play in Si-enhanced resistance, we silenced the expression of allene oxide synthase (OsAOS ; active in JA biosynthesis) and CORONATINE INSENSITIVE1 (OsCOI1 ; active in JA perception) genes in transgenic rice plants via RNAi and examined resulting changes in Si accumulation and defense responses against caterpillar Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (rice leaffolder, LF) infestation. Si pretreatment increased rice resistance against LF larvae in wild-type plants but not in OsAOS and OsCOI1 RNAi lines. Upon LF attack, wild-type plants subjected to Si pretreatment exhibited enhanced defense responses relative to untreated controls, including higher levels of JA accumulation; increased levels of transcripts encoding defense marker genes; and elevated activities of peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and trypsin protease inhibitor. Additionally, reduced Si deposition and Si cell expansion were observed in leaves of OsAOS and OsCOI1 RNAi plants in comparison with wild-type plants, and reduced steady-state transcript levels of the Si transporters OsLsi1 , OsLsi2 , and OsLsi6 were observed in Si-pretreated plants after LF attack. These results suggest a strong interaction between Si and JA in defense against insect herbivores involving priming of JA-mediated defense responses by Si and the promotion of Si accumulation by JA.

As a critical ecological security barrier in the Indo-China Peninsula, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is increasingly threatened by forest degradation, frequent geological hazards, and intensified anthropogenic disturbances. To address the urgent need for a scientific evaluation of eco-geological environmental quality, this study develops a comprehensive assessment framework integrating multi-source remote sensing imagery, geological maps, and socio-economic datasets. A total of ten indicators were selected across four dimensions—geology, topography, ecology, and human activity. A stacking ensemble learning model was constructed by combining seven heterogeneous base classifiers—AdaBoost, KNN, Gradient Boosting, Random Forest, SVC, MLP, and XGBoost—with a logistic regression meta-learner. Model interpretability was enhanced using SHAP values to quantify the contribution of each input variable. The stacking model outperformed all individual models, achieving an accuracy of 91.14%, an F1 score of 93.62%, and an AUC of 95.05%. NDVI, GDP, and slope were identified as the most influential factors: vegetation coverage showed a strong positive relationship with environmental quality, while economic development intensity and steep terrain were associated with degradation. Spatial zoning results indicate that high-quality eco-geological zones are concentrated in the low-disturbance plains of the northeast and southeast, whereas vulnerable areas are primarily distributed around the Vientiane metropolitan region and tectonically active mountainous zones. This study offers a robust and interpretable methodological approach to support ecological diagnosis, zonal management, and sustainable development in tropical mountainous regions.

Rock masses in cold regions deteriorate due to frost heave caused by fissure water, posing risks to engineering projects. This study investigates the long-term mechanical behavior of fully saturated fissured red sandstone under freeze–thaw conditions. Creep acoustic emission (AE) experiments were conducted to explore how freeze–thaw cycles and fissure dip angles influence rock creep and AE characteristics. Four freeze-thaw cycle levels (0, 30, 60, and 90) and three double-fissure orientations (15°–15°, 15°–75°, and 75°–75°) were examined in this study. Results show that: (1) Increasing freeze–thaw cycles lead to greater instantaneous and creep strains, higher AE signal amplitudes, exponential growth in AE energy rates, and faster b-value fluctuations. (2) With larger fissure dip angles, the instantaneous and creep strains significantly increase, while the amplitude density, intensity, and AE energy rates decrease. b-value fluctuations also slow down. (3) Abrupt b-value changes can predict freeze–thaw-induced rock failure. For intact samples subjected to 90 freeze–thaw cycles, intact non-freeze–thaw samples, and fissured non-freeze–thaw samples, b-value mutations occurred 12.96 s, 35.28 s, and 48.24 s earlier, respectively. These findings highlight b-value changes as an early indicator of freeze–thaw damage and provide theoretical insights into the creep failure of fissured rock masses under such conditions, aiding in the design and safety of cold-region engineering.

Squalene, as an important terpenoid, is extensively used in the medicine and health care fields owing to its functions of anti-oxidation, blood lipid regulation and cancer prevention. The marine microalgae, Schizochytrium sp., which acts as an excellent strain with potential of high squalene production was selected as the starting strain. The overexpressed strain with sqs gene got the reduced biomass and lipid, while the squalene titer was increased by 79.6% ± 4.7% to 12.8 ± 0.2 mg/L. In order to further increase squalene production, the recombinant strain (HS strain) with sqs and hmgr gene co-overexpression was further constructed. The biomass and squalene titer of the HS strain were increased by 13.6% ± 1.2% and 88.8% ± 5.3%, respectively, which indicated the carbon flux of the mevalonate pathway was enhanced for squalene accumulation. Regarding the squalene synthesis is completely coupled with cell growth, fermentation strategy to prolong the logarithmic growth phase was conducive to improve squalene production. Under the condition of optimal composition and concentrated medium, the squalene titer of HS strain was 27.0 ± 1.3 mg/L, which was 2.0 times that of the basal medium condition (13.5 ± 0.4 mg/L). This study which combined the metabolic engineering and fermentation strategy provides a new strategy for squalene production in Schizochytrium sp. Key points • The overexpression of sqs and hmgr genes promoted carbon metabolism for squalene. • The optimal and concentrated media can increase squalene yield.

With high temporal resolution and accurate age control, tree-ring width is a good proxy for recording past climate variations from interannual to centennial time scales. The complex network method, widely used in analyses of modern meteorological observations, is an effective method to demonstrate synchronizations within climate events, thus revealing potential climate teleconnections. In this study, we tested to use the complex network in analyzing extremes recorded in time serials of tree-ring width in East Asia during the past 600 years. Our study indicates that this method is a valuable approach to reveal synchronizations in climate-sensitive tree-ring width records, though the ability of this method is dependent on the quality of the tree-ring data. Furthermore, our study shows stronger synchronizations in extremes of tree-ring width records during the CE 1850–1950 period in the Modern Warm Period than the CE 1450–1650 period in the Little Ice Age. A remarkable shift in synchronization types within the south part and the inland East Asia sites appears during the year CE 1850–1950. These changes in synchronizations suggest potential reorganizations in climate teleconnections, which is worthy being addressed in further studies with detrending and statistical significance testing methods involved.

The El Niño/Southern Oscillation exhibits considerable natural variability on interdecadal to centennial timescales making it difficult to understand how climate change affects it. A reconstruction now shows there has been anomalously high activity in the late twentieth century, relative to the past seven centuries. This is suggestive of a response to global warming, and will provide constraints to improve climate models and projections. Predicting how the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) will change with global warming is of enormous importance to society 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 . ENSO exhibits considerable natural variability at interdecadal–centennial timescales 5 . Instrumental records are too short to determine whether ENSO has changed 6 and existing reconstructions are often developed without adequate tropical records. Here we present a seven-century-long ENSO reconstruction based on 2,222 tree-ring chronologies from both the tropics and mid-latitudes in both hemispheres. The inclusion of tropical records enables us to achieve unprecedented accuracy, as attested by high correlations with equatorial Pacific corals 7 , 8 and coherent modulation of global teleconnections that are consistent with an independent Northern Hemisphere temperature reconstruction 9 . Our data indicate that ENSO activity in the late twentieth century was anomalously high over the past seven centuries, suggestive of a response to continuing global warming. Climate models disagree on the ENSO response to global warming 3 , 4 , suggesting that many models underestimate the sensitivity to radiative perturbations. Illustrating the radiative effect, our reconstruction reveals a robust ENSO response to large tropical eruptions, with anomalous cooling in the east-central tropical Pacific in the year of eruption, followed by anomalous warming one year after. Our observations provide crucial constraints for improving climate models and their future projections.

Mid–long-term streamflow prediction (MLSP) plays a critical role in water resource planning amid growing hydroclimatic and anthropogenic uncertainties. Although AI-based models have demonstrated strong performance in MLSP, their capacity to quantify predictive uncertainty remains limited. To address this challenge, a DeepAR-based probabilistic modeling framework is developed, enabling direct estimation of streamflow distribution parameters and flexible selection of output distributions. The framework is applied to two case studies with distinct hydrological characteristics, where combinations of recurrent model structures (GRU and LSTM) and output distributions (Normal, Student’s t, and Gamma) are systematically evaluated. The results indicate that the choice of output distribution is the most critical factor for predictive performance. The Gamma distribution consistently outperformed those using Normal and Student’s t distributions, due to its ability to better capture the skewed, non-negative nature of streamflow data. Notably, the magnitude of performance gain from using the Gamma distribution is itself region-dependent, proving more significant in the basin with higher streamflow skewness. For instance, in the more skewed Upper Wudongde Reservoir area, the model using LSTM structure and Gamma distribution reduces RMSE by over 27% compared to its Normal-distribution counterpart (from 1407.77 m3/s to 1016.54 m3/s). Furthermore, the Gamma-based models yield superior probabilistic forecasts, achieving not only lower CRPS values but also a more effective balance between high reliability (PICP) and forecast sharpness (MPIW). In contrast, the relative performance between GRU and LSTM architectures was found to be less significant and inconsistent across the different basins. These findings highlight that the DeepAR-based framework delivers consistent enhancement in forecasting accuracy by prioritizing the selection of a physically plausible output distribution, thereby providing stronger and more reliable support for practical applications.