T cell receptor (TCR) antigen–specific recognition is essential for the adaptive immune system. However, building a TCR-antigen interaction map has been challenging due to the staggering diversity of TCRs and antigens. Accordingly, highly multiplexed dextramer-TCR binding assays have been recently developed, but the utility of the ensuing large datasets is limited by the lack of robust computational methods for normalization and interpretation. Here, we present a computational framework comprising a novel method, ICON (Integrative COntext-specific Normalization), for identifying reliable TCR-pMHC (peptide–major histocompatibility complex) interactions and a neural network–based classifier TCRAI that outperforms other state-of-the-art methods for TCR-antigen specificity prediction. We further demonstrated that by combining ICON and TCRAI, we are able to discover novel subgroups of TCRs that bind to a given pMHC via different mechanisms. Our framework facilitates the identification and understanding of TCR-antigen–specific interactions for basic immunological research and clinical immune monitoring.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a malignant tumor caused by complex pathological mechanisms, and is characterized by a high rate of cancer-related mortality and poor patient prognosis. Overgrowth of cancer cells, which results from the inhibition of cell apoptosis and/or the promotion of cell proliferation, leads to the progression of GBM. Therefore, studies into the regulatory mechanisms of cancer cell growth in GBM are required to identify potential therapeutic targets and improve treatment for GBM. In the present study, the role of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1)/IGF1 receptor (IGF1R) signaling in the survival of GBM cells was evaluated. It was observed that IGF1 significantly inhibited the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways of apoptosis (P<0.05), and overexpression of IGF1R significantly promoted the survival of GBM cells (P<0.05). Moreover, both exogenous IGF1 and overexpression of IGF1R promoted the phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT), and inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway significantly attenuated the inhibitory effects of IGF1/IGF1R on GBM apoptosis (P<0.05). Collectively, these findings indicate that IGF1/IGF1R promotes the survival of GBM cells through activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. Therefore, inhibition of IGF1/IGF1R may be a viable therapeutic strategy to suppress the progression of GBM.

Sulawesi Island is located at the triple junction between the converging Australian, Sunda, and Philippine plates. The magnitude (Mw) 7.5 Palu earthquake occurred on 28 September 2018 on Sulawesi Island and caused serious casualties. The causative fault of the Palu earthquake was the left-lateral, strike-slip Palu-Koro fault, which has a rapid slip rate. We experienced this earthquake in Palu City and conducted field investigations on coseismic surface ruptures 1 d after the earthquake. Field surveys revealed that the coseismic surface ruptures were characterized by left-lateral offset, en echelon tensional cracks, mole tracks within a narrow zone, and large areas of sand liquefaction that increased the damage and losses. We measured the coseismic displacements along surface ruptures and observed a maximum coseismic offset of ∼6.2 m. The rupture traces in the north Palu Basin near Palu City mark the previously unmapped Palu-Koro fault. Based on the field investigations, we determined the exact location of the Palu-Koro fault within the Palu Basin and found that the Palu-Koro fault zone can be divided into three branches: F1, F2, and F3, forming a typical flower structure.

The northwest striking Qishan‐Mazhao fault (QMF) accommodates complex deformation in the Tibet‐Ordos transition zone. We studied the geologic and geomorphic expression of the QMF using interpretations of high‐resolution satellite images and structure‐from‐motion models combined with detailed field investigations. Displaced loess tablelands, stream channels, and fluvial terraces show that the QMF is predominately a left‐lateral strike‐slip fault with a minor normal component. The magnetic susceptibility and optically stimulated luminescence ages of offset fluvial terraces yield left‐lateral slip rates ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 mm/year. Regionally, the QMF and the Haiyuan fault (HYF) form a large right step, in which the Liupanshan Mountains are located. The QMF shares a similar orientation and sense of motion to the HYF, suggesting that the left‐lateral slip of the HYF is not completely absorbed as crustal shortening across the Liupanshan Mountains but is partially transferred to slip along the QMF.

Constraining the fault slip rate on a fault can reveal the strain accumulation and partitioning pattern. The Aksay segment, the eastern segment of the Altyn Tagh fault, as the starting area where the slip rate of the Altyn Tagh fault decreases, is a strain partitioning zone. The spatial and temporal distribution of its fault slip rate is of great signif­icance to clarify the strain-partitioning pattern of the eastern Altyn Tagh fault. In this study, we deter­mined the slip rates at four sites along the Aksay segment. The results demonstrated that the slip rate decreases dramatically, with an overwhelm­ingly high slip gradient of ~9.8 mm/yr/100 km (a 9.8 mm/yr reduction of slip rate occurs over a dis­tance of 100 km) within a distance of ~50 km. The slip rate gradient along strike at the Aksay seg­ment is four times that of the Subei segment to the eastward termination of the Altyn Tagh fault. Our results indicate that the slip rate gradient along the Altyn Tagh fault is not uniform and decreases east­ward with variable slip rate gradients on different segments, resulting in the uplift of the mountains oblique to the Altyn Tagh fault.