Significant Benefits Research Articles

Preparation and characterization of polyphenol-loaded microcapsules based on zeaxylated protein

Pomegranate seeds are rich in polyphenols, known for their significant health benefits. In this study, we developed microcapsules to encapsulate pomegranate seed polyphenols (PSP) using a combination of zeaxylated protein (Zein) and chitosan (Cs). The optimization process involved a Zein to Cs volume ratio of 1:1, a chitosan concentration of 1.0 mg·mL−1, and a polyphenol concentration of 2.0 mg·mL−1. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the formation of Zein/Cs/PSP complex coacervates, indicating the successful encapsulation. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy provided further evidence of electrostatic attraction between PSP and the Zein/Cs matrix. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis demonstrated the successful incorporation of PSP into the Zein/Cs wall material. Moreover, the encapsulated core material exhibited exceptional storage stability and retained its antioxidant activity. Notably, more than 85% of the encapsulated PSP remained intact after 5 hours of simulated intestinal fluid digestion. This study underscores the potential of pomegranate seeds for comprehensive utilization in food engineering.

Brown-top millet: an overview of breeding, genetic, and genomic resources development for crop improvement.

Brown-top millet is a lesser-known millet with a high grain nutrient value, early maturation, and drought tolerance that needs basic research to understand and conserve food security. Brown-top millet [Urochloa ramosa (L.)] is currently cultivated in some developing countries (especially in India) for food and fodder, although it is less known among the small millets. Like other millets, it contains macro- and micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fiber, all of which have rich health benefits. The nutritional importance and health benefits of brown-top millet are still unknown to many people due to a lack of awareness, wide cultivation, and research. Hence, this millet is currently overshadowed by other major cereals. This review article aims to present the nutritional, breeding, genetic, and genomic resources of brown-top millet to inform millet and other plant researchers. It is important to note that genetic and genomic resources have not yet been created for this millet. To date, there are no genomic and transcriptomic resources for brown-top millet to develop single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and insertion/Deletions (InDels) for breeding studies. Furthermore, studies regarding nutritional significance and health benefits are required to investigate the exact nutritional contents and health benefits of the brown-top millet. The present review delves into the nutritional value and health advantages of brown-top millet, as supported by the available literature. The limitations of producing brown-top millet have been enumerated. We also cover the status of marker-assisted breeding and functional genomics research on closely related species. Lastly, we draw insights for further research such as developing omics resources and applying genome editing to study and improve brown-top millet. This review will help to start breeding and other molecular studies to increase the growth and development of this cereal.

Dendritic cell-cytokine killer combined with microwave ablation reduced recurrence for hepatocellular carcinoma compared to ablation alone.

Several international practice guidelines have recommended local ablation as the first-line treatment for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims to investigate the synergetic anti-tumor impact of dendritic cell-cytokine killer (DC-CIK) combined with microwave ablation (MWA) for HCC. This retrospective study included 1,141 patients from the American Joint Committee on Cancer stage I-II HCC, who were treated with therapeutic MWA. The immunotherapy group encompassing 40 patients received additional immunotherapy with DC-CIK, whereas the control group consisting of 1,101 patients was treated with MWA alone. Propensity score matching (PSM) with ratio of 1:3 was employed to balance selection bias. The oncological outcome and immune status were measured after combination therapy. The immunotherapy group patients exhibited significant longer disease-free survival (DFS, primary HCC: p= 0.036; recurrent HCC: p= 0.026). For patients with primary HCC, the recurrence frequency was reduced (p= 0.002), and recurrence interval (19 months vs. 9 months, p< 0.001) was prolonged in the immunotherapy group. Subgroup analysis revealed that patients ⩽ 60 years old, moderately-differentiated HCC, or co-infected with Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) had a significant benefit over DFS in the immunotherapy group. After combination therapy, the serum CD3+ (p= 0.049), CD8/CD28+ (p= 0.045) were elevated. Combination therapy with DC-CIK and MWA can significantly reduce the recurrence and prolong DFS, especially for patients ⩽ 60 years old or with moderately-differentiated HCC or co-infected with HBV.

Reliable sustainable management strategies for flare gas recovery: technical, environmental, modeling, and economic assessment: a comprehensive review.

The gas flaring network is an inseparable constituent commonly present in most of the oil and gas refineries and petrochemical facilities conferring reliable operational parameters. The improper disposal of burn-off gases improperly results in environmental problems and loss of economic resources. In this regard, waste to energy transforming nexus, in accord with the "carbon neutrality" term, has potentially emerged as a reasonable pathway to preserve our planet. In a transdisciplinary manner, the present review article deeply outlines the different up-to-date strategies developed to recover the emitted gases (flaring minimization) into different value-added products. To analyze the recovery potential of flare gases, different technologies, and decision-making factors have been critically reviewed to find the best recovery methods. We recommend more straightforward recovery methods despite lower profits. In this regard, electricity generation seems to be an appropriate option for application in small amounts of flaring. However, several flare gas utilization processes such as syngas manufacturing, reinjection of gas into petroleum reservoirs, and production of natural gas liquid (NGL) are also recommended as options because of their economic significance, technological viability (both onshore and offshore), and environmental benefits. Moreover, the adopted computational multi-scale data assimilation for predictive modeling of flare gas recovery scenarios has been systematically reviewed, summarized, and inspected.

Thrombolysis for Wake-Up Stroke Versus Non-Wake-Up Unwitnessed Stroke: EOS Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis.

Stroke with unknown time of onset can be categorized into 2 groups; wake-up stroke (WUS) and unwitnessed stroke with an onset time unavailable for reasons other than wake-up (non-wake-up unwitnessed stroke, non-WUS). We aimed to assess potential differences in the efficacy and safety of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) between these subgroups. Patients with an unknown-onset stroke were evaluated using individual patient-level data of 2 randomized controlled trials (WAKE-UP [Efficacy and Safety of MRI-Based Thrombolysis in Wake-Up Stroke], THAWS [Thrombolysis for Acute Wake-Up and Unclear-Onset Strokes With Alteplase at 0.6 mg/kg]) comparing IVT with placebo or standard treatment from the EOS (Evaluation of Unknown-Onset Stroke Thrombolysis trial) data set. A favorable outcome was prespecified as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 1 at 90 days. Safety outcomes included symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage at 22 to 36 hours and 90-day mortality. The IVT effect was compared between the treatment groups in the WUS and non-WUS with multivariable logistic regression analysis. Six hundred thirty-four patients from 2 trials were analyzed; 542 had WUS (191 women, 272 receiving alteplase), and 92 had non-WUS (42 women, 43 receiving alteplase). Overall, no significant interaction was noted between the mode of onset and treatment effect (P value for interaction=0.796). In patients with WUS, the frequencies of favorable outcomes were 54.8% and 45.5% in the IVT and control groups, respectively (adjusted odds ratio, 1.47 [95% CI, 1.01-2.16]). Death occurred in 4.0% and 1.9%, respectively (P=0.162), and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in 1.8% and 0.3%, respectively (P=0.194). In patients with non-WUS, no significant difference was observed in favorable outcomes relative to the control (37.2% versus 29.2%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.76 [0.58-5.37]). One death and one symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage were reported in the IVT group, but none in the control. There was no difference in the effect of IVT between patients with WUS and non-WUS. IVT showed a significant benefit in patients with WUS, while there was insufficient statistical power to detect a substantial benefit in the non-WUS subgroup. URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: CRD42020166903.

Omni-Channel Distribution: A Transshipment Modeling Perspective

In our work, we develop a specialized optimization technique that adapts the general linear programming Transshipment model to the ever-growing needs of Omni-Channel distribution in Supply Chain Management. With the rapid adoption of “smart” mobile technologies, customers now acquire merchandise across multiple channels and devices. As a result, retailers are challenged with downstream operational complexities. Fulfillment of customer orders now changes the placement and amount of independent demand inventory organizations may hold. Our research integrates the use of Hub or Fulfillment Centers, locations where sellers fill customer orders placed through e-commerce, as an additional segment of demand. This adaptation to the optimization of Transshipment can result in significant benefits to the firm’s logistics presence, customer retention, and profit.

General Purpose and Focused Invention, Market Value, and Productivity

We study returns to general purpose and focused invention at the firm level for a panel of manufacturing firms in the U.S. for the period 1976-1995, by studying their relationships with market value and Total Factor Productivity. We construct stocks of patents that lie at the two relevant tails of the distribution of the generality index (Trajtenberg et al., 1997; Henderson et al, 1998) to measure general purpose and focused invention at the firm level. In line with expectations, there is a market value premium to focused invention, and a productivity premium to general purpose invention. Estimates for the value of focus indicate that moving a single patent from the upper tail of the generality distribution to the lower tail would increase market value by .24×q million 1992 dollars on average, where q is Tobin’s q. The firm with the average general patent stock would gain 6.7×q million in market value if all its patents at the highest quartile of the generality distribution were moved to the lowest. In terms of the value of general purposeness, moving all its focused patents to the general category increases Total Factor Productivity by 2.3% to 2.8%, and five-year productivity growth by 3.9% to 5.2%, for the average firm. A potential implication is that corporate basic research is associated with significant long-term benefits in terms of productivity growth.

An Overview of Date (Phoenix dactylifera) Fruits as an Important Global Food Resource.

Dates are the fruits of the date palm belonging to the Arecaceae family; they comprise over 2500 species and 200 genera and constitute an essential part of the daily diet worldwide, with beneficial nutritional, health, and economic values. Several varieties of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) fruit exist globally, especially in hot and humid regions. This review is an overview of date palms as a significant global food resource, including their historical significance, nutritional composition, cultivation practices, economic importance, and health benefits. The historical journey of dates goes back to ancient civilizations where they were revered for their richness in essential nutrients and natural sweetness. Today, dates are a vital crop in arid regions, contributing substantially to the agricultural economy and livelihoods of communities. This paper further explores the cultivation techniques employed to enhance date production. Furthermore, the nutritional composition of dates is analyzed in detail, highlighting their high content of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers, and antioxidants. These attributes make dates a delicious treat and a valuable nutritional component, offering numerous health benefits. The potential health effects, including improved digestion, enhanced cardiovascular health, and increased energy levels, are discussed. Additionally, this paper delves into the economic significance of the date industry and its global trade.

Experimental investigation of retrofitting seismically damaged reinforced-concrete frames using steel jacketing

Retrofitting seismically damaged structures provides significant economic and social benefits. To investigate the rationality of using steel jacketing to retrofit seismically damaged reinforced concrete (RC) structures, we initially tested a half-scale single-span two-story frame structure under pseudo-static loads to achieve a severe damage state. Subsequently, the structure was retrofitted using steel jacketing and tested under another round of pseudo-static loads. The seismic performances of the original and retrofitted structures were compared. The test results indicated that both the original and retrofitted specimens sequentially developed plastic hinges at the beam ends and the bottom of the columns, indicating a generally similar damage evolution mode. Comparing to the original structure, the retrofitted specimen exhibited an increase of 33% and 78.5% in initial stiffness and strength, respectively. Although the ductility ratio of the retrofitted specimen was reduced by about 14%, the ultimate drift ratios of both specimens exceeded the threshold value (1/50), indicating an adequate deformation capacity. The retrofitted specimen exhibited a certain degree of pinching behavior on the hysteretic curve because of the presence of extensive inclined shear cracks at the mid span of the beams and the progressive failure of the anchoring of the strengthening steel angle at the beam ends and column base. Consequently, the energy-dissipation coefficients of the retrofitted specimen were lower than those of the original specimen. Based on the test, the finite element analysis modeling method for RC frame structures retrofitted using steel jacketing was also studied. By comparing the numerical simulation analysis results with the experimental ones, the reliability of the proposed numerical simulation method was verified. This study can serve as a foundation for the practical application of steel jacketing to retrofit seismically damaged RC structures.

Dietary shift can enhance the environmental benefits of crop redistribution

Crop redistribution is widely recognized as an effective means of reducing the environmental costs of agricultural production without technological improvements. However, changes in food supply driven by dietary shift are rarely taken into account in crop redistribution. Based on inventory analysis of water consumption, land demand and carbon emission in crops production, this study constructed a linear optimization model to explore crop redistribution strategy and the saving potential of environmental costs in context of dietary shift. The results showed that crops production in 2030 would increase water consumption by 2.84%, land demand by 1.19%, and carbon emission by 1.31% compared with 2020 if the diet remained unchanged. Crop redistribution considering dietary shift provided an effective approach to achieve significant environmental benefits, including reductions in water consumption of 3.33%–14.91%, arable land use of 1.13%–13.90%, and carbon emission of 6.17%–20.26% compared to the baseline scenario, among which, dietary shift contributed 2.64 ± 6.12%, 0.75 ± 7.06%, and 1.32 ± 7.19%, respectively. The findings highlighted that appropriate dietary shift could enhance the environmental benefits of crop redistribution. Insights into the dietary shift and concomitant environmental benefits debate on crop redistribution have important policy implications for improving the sustainability of agricultural production.

Liposome-siderophore conjugates loaded with moxifloxacin serve as a model for drug delivery against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that annually affects millions of people, and resistance to available antibiotics has exacerbated this situation. Another notable characteristic of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the primary causative agent of TB, is its ability to survive inside macrophages, a key component of the immune system. In our quest for an effective and safe treatment that facilitates the targeted delivery of antibiotics to the site of infection, we have proposed a nanotechnology approach based on an iron chelator. Iron chelators are the primary mechanism by which bacteria acquire iron, a metal essential for their metabolism. Four liposomes were synthesized and characterized using the dynamic light scattering technique (DLS), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). All of these methods revealed the presence of spherical particles, approximately 200 nm in size. NTA indicated a concentration of around 1011 particles/mL. We also developed and validated a high-performance liquid chromatography method for quantifying Moxifloxacin to determine encapsulation efficiency (EE) and release profiles (RF). The EE was 51.31 % for LipMox and 45.76 % for LipIchMox. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the phagocytosis of liposomal vesicles by macrophages. Functionalizing liposomes with iron chelators can offer significant benefits for TB treatment, such as targeted drug delivery to intracellular bacilli through the phagocytosis of liposomal particles by cells like macrophages.

Abstract 1417: IRF8 driven reprogramming of the immune microenvironment enhances anti-tumor adaptive immunity and reduces immunosuppression in murine glioblastoma

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) has an extremely immunosuppressive microenvironment, primarily mediated by the recruitment of immature myeloid cells (IMCs) to the tumor. IMCs suppress T cell function and dampen the anti-tumor response. In this study, we sought to “reprogram” IMCs into antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to enhance anti-tumor T cell responses. To induce IMC differentiation into APCs, we utilized a retroviral replicating vector (RRV) expressing IRF8, a master regulator of type 1 conventional dendritic cell (cDC1) development. We evaluated the impact of IRF8 RRV on in vivo tumor growth kinetics, survival, immunosuppression, and immune microenvironment. Because RRV transduction requires the proliferation of target cells, we assessed the proliferative capacity of myeloid cells in murine and human GBM samples. We utilized the SB28 cell line, a poorly immunogenic murine GBM model. We pre-transduced SB28 cells with IRF8 RRV and implanted them intracranially into syngeneic C57BL/6 mice; controls expressed an empty vector. Intratumoral myeloid cells were proliferative in both murine and human samples. In vivo, tumor and myeloid cells are infected proportionately to their respective levels of proliferation. Mice with IRF8 RRV pre-transduced intracranial tumors had significantly longer survival (median 28 days) compared to controls (median 19 days) (p &amp;lt;0.0001). Additionally, tumor growth was delayed in IRF8 RRV mice. IRF8 RRV mice had significant enrichment of dendritic cells (p = 0.0145), cDC1s (p &amp;lt; 0.0001), T cells (p = 0.0025) and CD8+ T cells (p &amp;lt; 0.0001). Both monocytic and granulocytic IMCs had decreased expression of the immunosuppressive markers Arginase 1 and IDO1. Further, ex vivo co-culture of intra-tumoral myeloid cells with naïve T cells showed a functional decrease in immunosuppression in IRF8 RRV tumors compared to controls (p &amp;lt; 0.0001). To study the mechanism of action, we assessed whether IRF8 transduction of tumor cells alone or both tumor and immune cells, was necessary for the observed survival benefit. To inhibit RRV spread from infected cells to other cells, we treated mice with azidothymidine, a reverse transcription inhibitor. A robust survival benefit and tumor growth inhibition were seen only in mice where the RRV could spread freely (p = 0.0005). This finding shows that both tumor and immune cells must be infected to cause the phenotype and suggests that reprogramming immune cells is required for therapeutic efficacy. Our novel approach used RRV to deliver a myeloid transcriptional regulator in intracerebral GBM. This therapy achieved significant survival benefits and increased intratumoral cytotoxic T cells and APCs, while decreasing myeloid immunosuppression. Further studies will expand upon the mechanism of action and test combination therapies. Citation Format: Megan Montoya, Sara A. Collins, Pavlina Chuntova, Noriyuki Kasahara, Hideho Okada. IRF8 driven reprogramming of the immune microenvironment enhances anti-tumor adaptive immunity and reduces immunosuppression in murine glioblastoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1417.

Abstract 4066: Generation of tumor targeted self-assembling split IL-12 subunits for the treatment of cancer

Abstract A major milestone in immuno-oncology was the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors, resulting in significant benefits for numerous patients. However, many patients are not responsive, become refractory, or cannot tolerate the treatment due to toxicity or side effects, demonstrating the need for additional immunotherapies. Cytokines are a class of promising immunomodulatory proteins being explored as therapeutics, but their success has been limited due to their rapid clearance or pleiotropic properties. Classically known as ‘signal 3’ of an endogenous immune response, IL-12p70 is a heterodimeric cytokine comprising p35 and p40 subunits. When administered exogenously, IL-12 is a potent stimulator of the immune system and can have profound anti-tumor activity; however, the clinical use of IL-12 has been limited due to poor systemic tolerability. Therefore, developing an immunotherapy that can be systemically administered and improve the therapeutic index could capitalize on the potential clinical benefit of IL-12. Mural Oncology has developed an innovative approach to mitigate the toxicity of IL-12 by splitting the heterodimer into inactive p35 and p40 monomers. The individual subunits are separately fused to two non-competitive antibody fragments targeting a highly expressed tumor-associated antigen. The goal of this approach is to conditionally activate IL-12 preferentially in the tumor microenvironment (TME). This is achieved by sequential administration of the targeted subunits, which will drive assembly and activity of the IL-12 heterodimer primarily at the tumor site, reducing systemic exposure and thereby potentially reducing associated toxicities. To engineer the split IL-12 subunits, a structure-based rational design approach was used to remove the natural intra-molecular disulfide bond and generate variants that maintained affinity between the p35 and p40 monomers. The engineered subunits were characterized using analytical methods and screened for the pair with the strongest affinity. Additionally, the candidate pair was assessed for receptor binding and functional activity on human T cells through phosphorylation of STAT4 and secretion of IFN-γ. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics were evaluated in mouse models with and without tumors demonstrating that dual targeting led to an increase in tumor retention, rapid clearance from circulation, and dose dependent release of IFN-γ. The results thus far demonstrate that the innovative approach of tumor targeted self-assembling split IL-12 has the potential to enhance the overall therapeutic potential of this cytokine. A development candidate will be identified and moved into clinical testing in cancer patients to enable us to fully understand if this design approach holds true in the clinical setting. Citation Format: Joshua Heiber, Pinar Gurel, Robert G. Newman, Kristiana Dreaden, Yanchun Zhao, Chunhua Wang, Su-Ping Pearson, Jean Chamoun. Generation of tumor targeted self-assembling split IL-12 subunits for the treatment of cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 4066.

Abstract 2053: Spatiotemporal tumor immune modulation by localized delivery of cancer therapeutics using an implantable microdevice

Abstract Mechanism of action studies are imperative to translating oncology therapeutics into the clinic informing testable hypotheses and potential combination partners. This often involves large and time-consuming mouse studies to test a small number of compounds in an attempt to show statistically significant benefit. Likewise, testing multiple compounds and combination partners in these systems is limited by time, cost, and a desire to reduce the number of animals used in biological research. To overcome these limitations, we utilized an implantable microdevice (IMD) developed by KiburMed to measure intra-tumoral drug responses and to differentiate the mechanism of action of multiple cytokine agents in parallel in the MC38 mouse model. After sizable tumor growth in mice and implantation of the IMD device with 9 different therapeutic candidates, MC38 mice were taken down at different time points (24 hour, 4 days,7 days) to assess response. Local tumor response in the study was measured by cyclical immunofluorescence for deep cellular response phenotyping with a panel of 32 markers for comprehensive immune cell phenotyping. Among the candidate murine surrogate compounds in the device, SAR445877 (anti-PD-1-IL-15 mutein) was tested as a monotherapy, as a combination partner with anti-PDL1 and compared against anti-PD1 monotherapy. With further validation of this novel platform, results from this work are aligned with previous studies (1) showing a murine surrogate for SAR445877 in combination with anti-PDL1 increases immune cell populations more than either single agent alone. These analyses show CD3, CD4, and CD8 were significantly increased in SAR’877 murine surrogate + anti-PDL1 compared to SAR’877 alone or anti-PD1 alone. In addition, T cells could infiltrate at a distance away from treatment release region, well into tumor core. Other significant changes in immune cell markers include increases in CD45+, CD11b, CD11c, CD20 and CD27. In conclusion, we have shown that multiple oncology therapeutics can be screened simultaneously in a small number of mice using an implantable microdevice and data obtained with this technology is consistent with that obtained from traditional mouse tumor experiments. (1) Preclinical characterization of SAR445877, an anti-PD-1 antibody-IL-15 mutein fusion protein with robust anti-tumor efficacy as monotherapy and in combination with PD-L1 blockade. Marie Bernardo; Yu-an Zhang; Dan Lu; Stella Martomo; Fatima Menas; Chen Zhu; Raymond Perez; Jeegar Patel; Donald Shaffer; Xiangming Li, Cancer Res (2023) 83 (7_Supplement): 2972. *This work was supported and funded by Sanofi. Citation Format: Xiangming Li, Julien Tessier, Joon Sang Lee, Seth Garren, Virna Cortez-Retamozo, Meenu Sharma, Angela Jankowski, Erik Zarazinski, Ann Fiore, Oliver Jonas, Colin Brenan, Donald Shaffer, Angela Hadjipanayis. Spatiotemporal tumor immune modulation by localized delivery of cancer therapeutics using an implantable microdevice [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 2053.

Holistic Curriculum Development in Islamic Education Institutions in Vocational Schools

The development of a holistic curriculum in Islamic education institutions at vocational schools is a solution to the increasingly complex needs of the world of work. The aim of this research is to determine the development of a holistic curriculum in Islamic education institutions at vocational schools. This research method uses the library research method. The results of this research are that the development of a holistic curriculum at Vocational High Schools (SMK) Islamic Education Institutions provides a number of significant benefits. This curriculum creates a comprehensive and relevant educational approach by integrating academic dimensions, character and practical skills.

Coherent Imaging with Photonic Lanterns

Photonic lanterns (PLs) are tapered waveguides that gradually transition from a multimode fiber geometry to a bundle of single-mode fibers (SMFs). They can efficiently couple multimode telescope light into a multimode fiber entrance at the focal plane and convert it into multiple single-mode beams. Thus, each SMF samples its unique mode (lantern principal mode) of the telescope light in the pupil, analogous to subapertures in aperture masking interferometry (AMI). Coherent imaging with PLs can be enabled by the interference of SMF outputs and applying phase modulation, which can be achieved using a photonic chip beam combiner at the backend (e.g., the ABCD beam combiner). In this study, we investigate the potential of coherent imaging by the interference of SMF outputs of a PL with a single telescope. We demonstrate that the visibilities that can be measured from a PL are mutual intensities incident on the pupil weighted by the cross correlation of a pair of lantern modes. From numerically simulated lantern principal modes of a 6-port PL, we find that interferometric observables using a PL behave similarly to separated-aperture visibilities for simple models on small angular scales (<λ/D) but with greater sensitivity to symmetries and capability to break phase angle degeneracies. Furthermore, we present simulated observations with wave front errors (WFEs) and compare them to AMI. Despite the redundancy caused by extended lantern principal modes, spatial filtering offers stability to WFEs. Our simulated observations suggest that PLs may offer significant benefits in the photon-noise-limited regime and in resolving small angular scales at the low-contrast regime.

Do changes in the frailty score differ by the type of group sports and exercises participated in? A 3-year longitudinal study

BackgroundOlder adults who engage in group sports and exercises achieve greater health benefits than those who exercise by themselves. The benefits of group participation may vary depending on the type of sports/exercise they engage in. The present study aimed to identify the association between specific sports and exercise types performed in groups and evaluate the longitudinal changes in multidimensional frailty scores among community-dwelling older adults in Japan.MethodsWe used 3-year follow-up data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study and analyzed 33,746 men and 36,799 women aged ≥ 65 years. To elucidate the relationship between participation in 20 types of group sports/exercises in 2016 (baseline) and the change in frailty score (using the Kihon Checklist, KCL) from 2016 to 2019, we performed linear regression analyses through multivariate adjustments for age group, self-rated health, marital status, living alone, occupational status, years of education, alcohol drinking status, smoking status, equivalent income, and disease status using an inverse probability weighting method. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe mean change in KCL scores over 3 years was + 0.62 and + 0.61 points in men and women, respectively, implying the degree of frailty worsened. The sports/exercise types that significantly prevented increments in KCL scores for both sexes compared to non-participants were hiking (men: B, − 0.36; women: B, − 0.29), walking (men: B, − 0.26; women: B, − 0.24), tennis (men: B, − 0.23; women: B, − 0.24), ground golf (men: B, − 0.21; women: B, − 0.19), and weight exercises (men: B, − 0.19; women: B, − 0.16).ConclusionParticipation in specific sports and exercise groups offer significant physical and psychological benefits for frailty prevention among older adults in Japan. The results of this study may offer substantive evidence to encourage older adults to participate in group activities for the prevention of multidimensional frailty. It will also help public health stakeholders to decide which type of sports and exercise groups to promote in a community.

A High-Speed Floating Point Matrix Multiplier Implemented in Reconfigurable Architecture

Matrix multiplication is a fundamental operation in computational applications across various domains. This paper introduces a novel reconfigurable co-processor that enhances the efficiency of matrix multiplication by concurrently executing addition and multiplication operations upon matrix elements of different sizes. The proposed design aims to reduce computation time and improve efficiency for matrix multiplication equations. Experimental evaluations were conducted on matrices of different sizes to demonstrate the effectiveness of the processor. The results reveal substantial improvements in both time and efficiency when compared to traditional approaches. The reconfigurable transformation processor harnesses parallel processing capabilities, enabling the simultaneous execution of addition and multiplication operations by partitioning input matrices into smaller submatrices and performing parallel computations, thus the processor achieves faster results. Additionally, the design incorporates configurable arithmetic units that dynamically adapt to matrix characteristics, further optimizing performance. The experimental evaluations provide evidence of reduction in computation time and improvement in efficiency. present significant benefits over traditional sequential methods. This makes this co-processor ideally fit for domains that require intensive linear algebra computations such as computer vision, machine learning, and signal processing.

Life cycle environmental analysis of offshore wind power: A case study of the large-scale offshore wind farm in China

China's decarbonization is indispensable for the large-scale utilization of renewable energy. In this process, the development of offshore wind energy has become an important support, because in the eastern region of China, especially the coastal areas, there's the most load requirements but limited onshore renewable resources. Under the goals of both carbon neutral and sustainable development, however, there's still a research gap in evaluating the environmental impacts of large-scale offshore wind plants in China. In this study, the research performed a comprehensive process-based life cycle environmental analysis of a large-scale (400 MW) offshore wind farm with large wind turbine units (5 MW) in China. Global Warming Potential is 25.73 g CO2-eq/kWh and greenhouse gas payback time is calculated as 12.05 months. Fossil fuel consumption amounts to 0.31 MJ/kWh with an energy payback period of 25.56 months. Material resources and ecotoxicity to freshwater need more attention with the values of 1.68 CTUe/kWh and 3.32 10−6 kg Sb-eq/kWh, respectively. The manufacturing stage contributes most to all the impacts examined. The disposal and recycling process shows significant environmental benefits for most impacts but exerts burdens on the particulate matter. Focusing on Global Warming Potential, the wind turbine generation set has the highest effect, among which the blades contribute 73.2% of it. Further, the evolution of electricity and heating mix of China and use of biomass-based precursors could decrease 57% of the blades' greenhouse gas emissions in 2050. This study could provide guidance on the sustainable design and policy-making of offshore wind farms.

Effectiveness and Safety of PD-1 Inhibitors’ Treatment for Patients with Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in China: A Real-World Study

Background. In this research, programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors, including toripalimab, sintilimab, and camrelizumab, were evaluated for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods. This retrospective research was conducted on patients with locally advanced and advanced NSCLC receiving various PD-1 inhibitors including toripalimab, sintilimab, and camrelizumab, between April 2019 and March 2023. Results. In total, the ORR and DCR of 167 patients included in this research were 40.72% (68/167) and 92.81% (155/167), respectively, while the statistical median PFS was 13.90 months (95% CI, 10.657–17.143), and the median OS was 30.10 months (95% CI, 22.142–38.058). Multifactorial analysis showed that two factors, line of treatment and history of smoking, had a statistically significant benefit on the patients’ PFS benefit P&lt;0.05, while the factor that had a statistically significant benefit on the patients’ OS benefit was the presence of serious adverse events (AEs) during treatment. 83.83% and 24.55% of patients experienced any grade AEs and grade 3–5 AEs, respectively. Conclusions. In our research, therapy lines and history of smoking had influence on the efficacy of immunotherapy, while serious AEs during treatment were prognostic factors that affected the OS benefit of immunotherapy. Patients we studied did not die from treatment-related causes, and PD-1 inhibitors did not cause additional toxicity in elderly patients. However, further investigations and multicenter studies are needed.