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The aberrant appearance of DNA in the cytoplasm triggers the activation of cGAS-cGAMP-STING signaling and induces the production of type I interferons, which play critical roles in activating both innate and adaptive immune responses. Recently, numerous studies have shown that the activation of STING and the stimulation of type I IFN production are critical for the anticancer immune response. However, emerging evidence suggests that STING also regulates anticancer immunity in a type I IFN-independent manner. For instance, STING has been shown to induce cell death and facilitate the release of cancer cell antigens. Moreover, STING activation has been demonstrated to enhance cancer antigen presentation, contribute to the priming and activation of T cells, facilitate the trafficking and infiltration of T cells into tumors and promote the recognition and killing of cancer cells by T cells. In this review, we focus on STING and the cancer immune response, with particular attention to the roles of STING activation in the cancer-immunity cycle. Additionally, the negative effects of STING activation on the cancer immune response and non-immune roles of STING in cancer have also been discussed.

The criticism of the Court of Chancery in Bleak House and of utilitarian educational theories in Hard Times set up these novels’ moral stance in opposition to idolatrous practices, similar to Little Dorrit’s delineation of institutional neglect of responsibilities and individuals’ craze for speculation. In Miss Flite’s eyes, the Chancellor being separated by curtains means that he is as unapproachable to her as is the Ark of the Covenant, containing God’s law in the form of the Ten Commandments, to ordinary Jewish people. To this straightforward analogy between the sacredness of the powers that be (supposedly representing the divine power) can be added the narrator’s twist that the Chancellor’s seat, which would not normally draw attention to itself, becomes identified with the Mercy Seat in Exodus 26.33–34 (indicating the presence of God in the most holy place), which covers the Ark of the Covenant–an ironic allusion since there is no mercy to be found in Chancery. [...]readers are invited to see that the opening chapters in Bleak House use biblical allusions to introduce the novel’s theme of social critique and to establish the conflicts between Chancery and its suitors.

The imbalanced regional development of higher vocational education, particularly the disparity between the supply and demand of educational resources, has emerged as the primary factor impeding the provision of high-quality higher education in China during the establishment of a universal education system. Based on the 1,482 higher vocational education institutions recognized by the Ministry of Education of China in 2021 as the research objects, the development of higher vocational education in China was explored from the perspective of supply and demand using the entropy weight TOPSIS method and coupling coordination degree model. It was found that China’s higher vocational institutions were mainly located in provincial capitals, representing a point distribution pattern. From a comprehensive evaluation of the supply level, areas such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta, and central Henan Province have become the catchment areas for the development of higher vocational education, laying the foundation for regional network cooperation. From the perspective of educational equality, the higher vocational education in China was found to be sufficient to match the supply and demand, and a balance between supply and demand was apparent in provincial capitals. The coupling degree between supply and demand exhibited an “olive-type” spatial structure pattern, indicating that the development of higher vocational education in most cities in China is still in the transformation stage. The results provide a scientific basis for optimizing resources in the provision of higher vocational education.

Background Cervical carcinoma remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women worldwide, with poor prognosis often linked to immune evasion mechanisms. The Basic Leucine Zipper Activating Transcription Factor (BATF) has emerged as a critical regulator of T-cell functionality, yet its role in cervical cancer progression and immune modulation remains poorly understood. This study investigates the role of BATF in cervical carcinoma, focusing on its effects on tumor progression, immune modulation, and immune checkpoint regulation, to identify BATF as a therapeutic target to enhance anti-tumor immunity. Methods BATF expression was analyzed in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. Functional assays, including cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, were performed following BATF knockdown. In vivo studies assessed tumor growth and metastasis in xenograft models. Immune cell populations, cytokine production, and immune checkpoint expression were analyzed using flow cytometry, quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and immunohistochemistry. Mechanistic studies evaluated BATF regulation of programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) through the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) signaling pathway. Finally, the therapeutic potential of BATF knockdown in combination with PD-L1 blockade was evaluated in vivo. Results Analysis of patient-derived samples and cell lines revealed that BATF is overexpressed in cervical cancer and correlates with poor prognosis. Functional studies demonstrated that BATF promotes tumor proliferation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration, and invasion. In vivo, BATF knockdown significantly suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in xenograft models. Immune profiling revealed that BATF deficiency enhanced antitumor immunity by increasing CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T-cell infiltration, increasing the production of CD8⁺ cytotoxic molecules such as granzyme B and IFN-γ while reducing tumor-associated macrophages and immune checkpoint expression, including Programmed death 1 (PD-1), T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain-containing-3 (TIM-3), and Lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3.) Mechanistically, BATF regulated PD-L1 expression via the STAT1 signaling pathway, promoting immune evasion. Combination therapy with BATF knockdown and anti-PD-L1 antibodies significantly enhanced anti-tumor immunity and inhibited tumor growth compared to monotherapy. Conclusions BATF plays a pivotal role in cervical cancer progression and immune evasion by regulating the STAT1/PD-L1 axis and modulating the tumor immune microenvironment. Targeting BATF, alone or in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors (PD-L1), represents a promising therapeutic strategy to improve outcomes in cervical cancer patients. Further research is warranted to translate these findings into clinical applications.

Crystalline materials exhibit long-range ordered lattice unit, within which resides nonperiodic structural features called defects. These crystallographic defects play a vital role in determining the physical and mechanical properties of a wide range of material systems. While computer vision has demonstrated success in recognizing feature patterns in images with well-defined contrast, automated identification of nanometer scale crystallographic defects in electron micrographs governed by complex contrast mechanisms is still a challenging task. Here, building upon an advanced defect imaging mode that offers high feature clarity, we introduce DefectSegNet - a new convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture that performs semantic segmentation of three common crystallographic defects in structural alloys: dislocation lines, precipitates and voids. Results from supervised training on a small set of high-quality defect images of steels show high pixel-wise accuracy across all three types of defects: 91.60 ± 1.77% on dislocations, 93.39 ± 1.00% on precipitates, and 98.85 ± 0.56% on voids. We discuss the sources of uncertainties in CNN prediction and the training data in terms of feature density, representation and homogeneity and their effects on deep learning performance. Further defect quantification using DefectSegNet prediction outperforms human expert average, presenting a promising new workflow for fast and statistically meaningful quantification of materials defects.

Accelerating the coordinated development of the high-quality development and carbon emission (HQD-CE) system in China’s construction industry is of great significance in achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality. The coupling coordination degree model (CCDM) was constructed, and spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and dynamic evolution laws of the coupled and coordinated development of HQD-CE of the construction industry in 30 provinces in China from 2012 to 2021 were explored by using spatial autocorrelation and spatial Markov chain. Results show the following: (1) The CCD showed an increasing trend, and the spatial pattern was higher in the southeast and lower in the northwest. (2) The spatial autocorrelation of CCD was significant, and the club effect was obvious, which made it difficult to realize the hierarchical leap in a short period. (3) The spatial spillover effect of CCD was significant, provinces with basic coupling dissonance faced the risk of horizontal solidification, and there were too few provinces with high-quality coupling coordination to drive the others, which could result in provinces with basic coupling coordination being influenced by provinces with basic coupling dissonance and falling back in development. The conclusions of this study can provide a reference basis for the policy formulation of low-carbon development in the construction industry.

Plant samples of Cardamine hupingshanesis (Brassicaceae), Ligulariafischeri (Ledeb.) turcz (Steraceae) and their underlying top sediments were collected from selenium (Se) mine drainage areas in Enshi, China. Concentrations of total Se were measured using Hydride Generation-Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (HG-AFS) and Se speciation were determined using liquid chromatography/UV irradiation-hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry (LC-UV-HG-AFS). The results showed that C. hupingshanesis could accumulate Se to 239±201 mg/kg DW in roots, 316±184 mg/kg DW in stems, and 380±323 mg/kg DW in leaves, which identifies it as Se secondary accumulator. Particularly, it could accumulate Se up to 1965±271 mg/kg DW in leaves, 1787±167 mg/kg DW in stem and 4414±3446 mg/kg DW in roots, living near Se mine tailing. Moreover, over 70% of the total Se accumulated in C. hupingshanesis were in the form of selenocystine (SeCys 2), increasing with increased total Se concentration in plant, in contrast to selenomethionine (SeMet) in non-accumulators (eg. Arabidopsis) and secondary accumulators (eg. Brassica juncea), and selenomethylcysteine (SeMeCys) in hyperaccumulators (eg. Stanleya pinnata). There is no convincing explanation on SeCys 2 accumulation in C. hupingshanesis based on current Se metabolism theory in higher plants, and further study will be needed.

Exploring the utilization effect of water-land resources under the evolution of dietary patterns is of great significance in achieving sustainable global food consumption and the effective allocation of national resources. Our selected study area was China, a country with rapidly changing dietary consumption patterns, and the research period was between 1987 and 2020. Based on the material called Chinese Dietary Guidelines 2021, this study introduced the “virtual water” and the “virtual land” to quantify the utilization effect of water-land resources under the evolution of Chinese dietary patterns. Results showed that the dietary patterns gradually changed from “cereal-vegetable-based consumption” to “diversified consumption”. Food consumption’s total water footprint (WF) increased from 471.1 Gm 3 in 1987 to 848.8 Gm 3 in 2020, with a growth rate of 80.2%. Moreover, the total land requirement for food (LRF) increased from 88.8 Mha in 1987 to 129.9 Mha in 2020, with a growth rate of 46.3%. Furthermore, the meat consumption was the major contributor to the increase in total WF (104.0%) and LRF (102.1%). In contrast to the balanced diet pattern, there was no waste of water-land resources consumption for the food consumption of urban-rural residents in China between 1987 and 2020. However, the consumption of water resources would gradually approach the resource cost under the balanced diet patterns. It would eventually break through the critical value and reach the state of resource waste. In addition, the findings showed that urban residents’ waste rate of water-land resources for meat consumption increased by 142.3% compared with that in 1987. The research results can provide scientific guidance for resolving the food crisis under the supply of water-land resources in China and have an essential reference for national food security and sustainable development of resources and environment.

Ethane oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) is an alternative route for ethene production. Crystalline M1 phase of Mo-V mixed metal oxide is an excellent catalyst for this reaction. Here we show a hydrothermal synthesis method that generates M1 phases with high surface areas starting from poorly soluble metal oxides. Use of organic additives allows control of the concentration of metals in aqueous suspension. Reactions leading to crystalline M1 take place at 190 °C, i.e., approximately 400 °C lower than under current synthesis conditions. The evolution of solvated polyoxometalate ions and crystalline phases in the solid is monitored by spectroscopies. Catalysts prepared by this route show higher ODH activity compared to conventionally prepared catalysts. The higher activity is due not only to the high specific surface area but also to the corrugated lateral termination of the M1 crystals, as seen by atomic resolution electron microscopy, exposing a high concentration of catalytically active sites. Crystalline M1 phase of Mo-V-Te-Nb mixed oxide is an excellent catalyst for ethane oxidative dehydrogenation to ethene. Here, the authors show a method that synthesizes highly active materials by generating M1 crystals with corrugated terminations, thus exposing a large concentration of active sites.

This study aims to investigate the association between multidimensional frailty phenotypes and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) in reproductive-aged women. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 6,438 reproductive-aged women participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2018. RPL was defined as experiencing two or more pregnancy losses, including elective abortions and stillbirths. Frailty was assessed using a validated 49-item Frailty Index (FI), which encompasses seven domains: cognitive health, physical health, mental health, comorbidities, healthcare utilization, laboratory parameters, and performance metrics. Participants were categorized as robust, pre-frail, or frail. We employed weighted multivariable logistic regression models, hierarchically adjusted for covariates, to evaluate the associations between frailty and RPL. Additionally, sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses were conducted to confirm the robustness and specificity of our findings. A total of 6,438 reproductive-aged women were included in the analysis, frailty severity demonstrated a dose-dependent association with RPL risk. The overall RPL prevalence was 21.73%, with increasing rates observed across frailty strata: 18.75% (robust, FI < 0.10), 23.08% (pre-frail, 0.10 ≤ FI < 0.25), and 29.03% (frail, FI ≥ 0.25). Multivariable models revealed persistently elevated RPL risks for pre-frail ( OR = 1.23, 95% CI:1.01–1.52) and frail women (OR = 1.51, 95% CI:1.11–2.05) versus robust counterparts after full adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical confounders (p trend < 0.001). Subgroup analyses confirmed robustness across demographic and health strata, except for educational attainment (interaction p  = 0.046). Threshold regression identified a nonlinear relationship: below FI = 0.183, each SD increase in frailty index amplified RPL odds exponentially (OR = 67.11, p  < 0.001), whereas no significant association emerged beyond this inflection point. This study underscores frailty severity as an independent risk factor for RPL in reproductive-aged women, highlighting the need for standardized frailty screening and early interventions during the pre-frailty stage to mitigate RPL risk.