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Next-generation sequencing (NGS) library preparation is a core component of precision genomics, but it is commonly constrained by inefficiency, variability, and low throughput of manual protocols. To address these limitations, we developed and systematically evaluated a fully automated NGS workstations and further validated its performance across representative application scenarios. The automated system reduced total processing time from 8 to 10 to 4–6 h. At the same time, it maintained similar performance in pre-library metric, including DNA yield and fragment size, as well as post-capture sequencing metrics (Q30 > 90%, mapping rates > 95%, on-target rates 85–90%). The duplication rate was reduced to 5–8%, compared with 10–15% for manual methods, indicating increased library complexity. Bioinformatic evaluation of inter-species read mapping showed minimal cross-contamination, with a maximum contamination ratio of 0.0003%, indicating effective sample isolation in the automated workflow. High concordance in variant detection was observed between automated and manual workflows. Overall, this automated workstation provides a standardized and reproducible workflow that supports scalable precision genomics applications.

With the increasing attention received by lightweight metals, numerous essential fields have increased requirements for magnesium (Mg) alloys with good room-temperature and high-temperature mechanical properties. However, the high-temperature mechanical properties of commonly used commercial Mg alloys, such as AZ91D, deteriorate considerably with increasing temperatures. Over the past several decades, extensive efforts have been devoted to developing heat-resistant Mg alloys. These approaches either inhibit the generation of thermally unstable phases or promote the formation of thermally stable precipitates/phases in matrices through solid solution or precipitation strengthening. In this review, numerous studies are systematically introduced and discussed. Different alloy systems, including those based on Mg–Al, Mg–Zn, and Mg–rare earth, are carefully classified and compared to reveal their mechanical properties and strengthening mechanisms. The emphasis, limitations, and future prospects of these heat-resistant Mg alloys are also pointed out and discussed to develop heat-resistant Mg alloys and broaden their potential application areas in the future.

The major highlight of this study is the identification and validation of a three-gene prognostic signature including LMNB1 (Lamin B1), SSPO (SCO-spondin) and PLK1, which effectively stratifies PCa patients into high and low-risk groups, providing a valuable tool for risk stratification of PCa patients. [...]this study demonstrates that PLK1 inhibition synergizes with enzalutamide to induce ferroptosis via SLC7A11 (Solute carrier family 7 member 11) downregulation, offering a mechanistically promising therapeutic strategy. [...]could adding an immunotherapy such as an anti-PD-L1 (anti-Programmed Death-Ligand 1) antibody to PLK1 inhibition plus enzalutamide further improve treatment?

The concealment and delayed characteristics of hydrogen embrittlement (HE) pose significant challenges for the development of hydrogen-resistant materials. As a novel category of multi-principal-element alloys, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have emerged as ideal candidates for the next generation of hydrogen-resistant alloys due to their unique design philosophy, which endows them with excellent mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, high-temperature stability, and hydrogen embrittlement resistance. In recent years, research on the hydrogen embrittlement resistance of HEAs has attracted extensive attention. This review systematically summarizes the hydrogen embrittlement mechanisms in both conventional alloys and HEAs, critically analyzes the contradictions and controversial issues in the current literature, proposes design strategies for hydrogen embrittlement-resistant HEAs, and discusses future research directions in this field.

The thermal dissipation performance of the radiator is crucial for the stable operation of power electronic devices. Due to excellent thermal performance, copper pin-type heat sink substrates are widely adopted. However, the cold extrusion process for heat sink substrates suffers from low material utilization and high forming loads. To improve material utilization and reduce cold extrusion forming load, four blank shapes (rectangular, trapezoidal, trapezoidal cap, and stepped) were designed using finite-element simulation to investigate the effects of blank shape and placement method with orientation relative to the die cavity on forming quality. Further dimensional optimization was conducted to determine the optimal configuration. The results show that the stepped blank with front orientation exhibits the optimal forming performance, featuring the lowest forming load and the most sufficient pin-fin filling. Compared with back orientation, front orientation achieves higher and more uniform material flow velocity, and significantly reduces forming load. Through dimension optimization, the 7 mm-thick stepped blank is determined as the optimal solution, with the forming load reduced to 15,000 kN (a 35.3% decrease compared to the initial 7.5 mm stepped blank), and both the substrate thickness and pin-fin height meet the design requirements (4.5 mm and 6.5 mm). Experiments verify the feasibility of the optimized scheme, providing technical support for the low-cost, high-quality mass production of copper pin-type heat sink substrates.

To predict the forming behaviour of aluminium alloy variable diameter tubes during hydroforming, a genetic algorithm-enhanced particle swarm optimisation (GA-PSO) is used to optimise a backpropagation neural network (BP-NN). A fast prediction model based on the GA-PSO-BP neural network for the hydroforming of aluminium alloy variable diameter tubes was established. The loading paths (internal pressure, axial feeds, and coefficient of friction) were randomly sampled using the Latin hypercube random sampling method. The minimum wall thickness, maximum wall thickness, and maximum expansion height of the formed tubes are included in the main evaluation factors of the forming results. A variety of machine learning algorithms are used to predict, and the prediction results are compared with the finite element model in terms of error. The maximum average absolute value error and mean square error of the proposed model are less than 0.2, which improves the accuracy by 20.4% compared to the unoptimised PSO-BP neural network algorithm. The maximum error between simulated and predicted results is within 4%. The model allows effective prediction of the hydroforming effect of aluminium alloy variable diameter tubes and improves the computational rate and model accuracy of the model. The same process parameters are experimentally verified, the minimum wall thickness of the formed part is 1.27 mm, the maximum wall thickness is 1.53 mm, and the maximum expansion height is 5.11 mm. The maximum thinning and the maximum thickening rate comply with the standard of hydroforming, and the tube has good formability without obvious defects.

Background: Apocynum venetum L., a saline–alkali-tolerant plant, is a valuable resource for forage, textile, and medicinal purposes. This study aimed to identify the AQP gene family in A. venetum genome-wide and explore their potential functions under abiotic stress. Methods: Gene identification, phylogenetic relationships, structural features, and evolutionary patterns were analyzed, along with gene expression patterns and correlations with physiological traits. Results: Phylogenetic analysis classified the 25 candidate AvAQP genes into five distinct subgroups, with members exhibiting conserved gene structures, motifs, and phosphorylation patterns. Subcellular localization predictions indicate targeting primarily to the plasma membrane or the vacuole, with one isoform (AvTIP5;1) predicted to localize to both. Synteny analysis revealed three intraspecific and multiple interspecific gene pairs (26 with Arabidopsis thaliana and 34 with Medicago truncatula). In silico promoter analysis identified 49 cis-regulatory elements associated with phytohormone response, stress signaling, and development, providing preliminary clues for their possible involvement in diverse biological processes. qPCR profiling under abiotic stress demonstrated tissue-specific expression patterns among AvAQP members under different stress conditions. Correlation analyses between gene expression and physiological indicators (growth- and water-related traits) were predominantly positive, with only a few negative correlations under stress conditions, suggesting that AvAQP expression may be associated with plant physiological status. Conclusions: This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the AQP family in A. venetum providing a foundation for further functional characterization of these genes in response to abiotic stress.

Platelets possess cancer-induced reprogramming properties, thereby contributing to RNA profile alterations and further cancer progression, while the former is considered a promising biosource for cancer detection. Hence, tumor-educated platelets (TEP) are considered a prospective novel method for early breast cancer (BC) screening. Our study integrated the data from 276 patients with untreated BC, 95 with benign disease controls, 214 healthy controls, and 2 who underwent mastectomy in Chinese and European cohorts to develop a 10-biomarker diagnostic model. The model demonstrated high diagnostic performance for BC in an independent test set (n = 177) with an area under the curve of 0.957. The sensitivity for BC diagnosis was 89.2%, with 100% specificity in asymptomatic controls, while that for the symptomatic group, including benign tumors and inflammatory diseases, was 62.1%. The model demonstrated substantial accuracy for stages 0–III BC (80% for stage 0 [n = 5], 83.3% for stage I [n = 12], 94.6% for stage II [n = 37], and 88.9% for stage III [n = 9]) and precisely helped determine residual cancer in two patients who underwent mastectomy. Moreover, our developed classifiers distinguish different BC subtypes properly. In summary, we created and tested a new TEP-RNA-based BC diagnostic model that was confirmed valid and demonstrated high efficiency in detecting early-stage BC and heterogeneous subtypes, including recurrent tumors. However, these results warrant more validation in larger population-based prospective studies before clinical implementation.

ObjectiveThe present study aimed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the postmarketing safety of belimumab based on the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database.MethodsAdverse event (AE) reports in the FAERS database from January 2021 to December 2023 were extracted to perform the disproportionality analysis by calculating the reporting OR. The clinical characteristics and onset times of AEs were investigated. The differences across ages and regions in belimumab-related AEs were also explored.ResultsA total of 4 974 201 AE reports were retrieved from the FAERS database, among which 9782 reports were related to belimumab. 485 positive safety signals related to belimumab were identified. In addition to the labelled AEs, such as depression and infections, new unexpected AEs, including product dose omission issue and inappropriate schedule of product administration, were identified. The median onset time of belimumab-related AEs was 75 days. Moreover, our analysis revealed frequently reported AEs in paediatric patients, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, and in adult patients, such as injection site pain. Additionally, AEs such as drug ineffective were commonly reported in patients of North America, Asia and Europe, while AEs, including an inappropriate schedule of product administration, had a high incidence in patients of South America.ConclusionThe current study provides a valuable evaluation of the postmarketing safety of belimumab. Further studies are required to validate and confirm these findings. Clinicians should be vigilant regarding these potential AEs and pay more attention to the proper dosage regimen of belimumab in clinical practice.

Enhancing place attachment in urban green spaces can contribute to residents’ well-being and quality of life. However, traditional scale-based psychometric measures of place attachment fail to identify the settings where place attachment occurs, which largely limits knowledge on the linkages between place attachment and physical characteristics of urban green spaces. The purpose of this study is to propose a spatially explicit measure approach integrating place attachment scale with public participation GIS and explore how physical characteristic indicators of urban green spaces influence residents’ place attachment. Taking five sample urban green spaces in Changchun City of China as examples, we identified the spatial distribution of place attachment based on data from 787 respondents and selected 139 sample sites at more detailed parcel scales to examine the relationship between place attachment and physical characteristics using stepwise regression analysis. The results validated the spatially explicit measure approach in precisely mapping place attachment intensity and showed that place attachment was significantly associated with four dimensions of physical characteristics: site composition, facility, landscape, and spatial configuration. For polygonal sites in urban green spaces, six physical characteristic indicators played a more important role in determining place attachment: total area, tree canopy cover in activity zone, number of recreational facilities, number of formal seatings, visible waterscape elements, and visible historic landscape elements. For linear sites in urban green spaces, five physical characteristic indicators exerted a more important effect in determining place attachment: pathway width, tree canopy cover in the pathway, number of formal seatings, presence of informal seatings, and visible public art installations. These findings provide pertinent guidance for designing and managing urban green spaces to promote place attachment.