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Precision Agriculture (PA) manages field heterogeneities and enables informed site-specific management. While PA helps improve farming efficiency and profitability, challenges prior to and following PA adoption can prevent many farmers from widely using it. This paper aims to understand producers' challenge perceptions using 1119 survey responses from U.S. Midwest farmers. The majority (59%) of respondents have adopted at least one PA technology, while the minority (14%) had not adopted any PA technologies. Cost (equipment and service fee), brand compatibility, and data privacy concerns topped other concerns from the average producer's point of view. Among all producers, 60% regarded PA equipment and service fee as too high, followed by 50% who viewed brand compatibility and data privacy as their major concerns. Producers at more advanced adoption stage indicated reduced concerns in most categories. Yet, there were similar concerns towards data privacy issue regardless of the adoption status. Furthermore, brand compatibility issue is more of a concern for adopters than for non-adopters. Estimation results from partial proportional odds (PPO) models show that factors that frequently affect producers' perceived challenges include adoption status, cropland acres, age, education, information sources, farming goals, soil characteristics, and region variables. Findings from this study can aid PA stakeholders in identifying target groups, tailoring future development, research, and outreach efforts, and ultimately promoting efficient PA usage on a broader scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few-shot semantic segmentation aims to segment new categories with only a small number of annotated images. Previous methods mainly focused on exploiting the pixel-level correlation between the support image and the query image, combined with attention-based methods, resulting in significant advancements. In this paper, we introduce a new perspective to enhance few-shot segmentation. We identify that utilizing the bilinear interpolation method to downsample the mask leads to the loss of fine-grained information from the target features. To address this issue, we propose a Smooth Downsampling Mask (SDM) method. The SDM method is designed to retain more effective target semantic features by employing a cascaded downsampling approach with a smooth kernel for mask processing. Additionally, we propose a label smoothing loss to further enhance the performance, which provides direct guidance for low-resolution feature map optimization. Both methods can be used as plug-and-play modules for existing methods. Notably, our proposed method does not involve additional learnable parameters and is computationally efficient, thus achieving painless gains. To validate the effectiveness of our method, we take three publicly available models as baselines and conduct extensive experiments on three public benchmarks PASCAL-5 i , COCO-20 i and FSS-1000, and achieve considerable improvement. • Introduces a novel Smooth Downsampling Mask (SDM) method. • Proposes a label smoothing loss technique. • Demonstrates superior performance of the proposed approach on benchmark datasets. • Provides comprehensive experimental analysis and comparisons with SOTA methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitors have exhibited promising efficacy in various types of tumors. Here, we report an unresectable locally advanced gastric cancer (GC) with programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) positive and microsatellite instability (MSI), which exhibiting an unexpected efficacy of pathological complete response (pCR) after a single dose of anti-PD-1 therapy in combination with chemotherapy as a first-line setting. A 66-year-old man diagnosed with gastric cancer and was clinically staged as cT4aN+M0. After one cycle treatment (oxaliplatin plus capecitabine plus anti-PD-1antibody), repeated computed tomography (CT) showed tumor shrinkage and the plasma carcinoembryonic antigen decreased dramatically. Curative distal gastrectomy with D2+ lymphadenectomy was performed and the pathological staging was pT0N0M0. Immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction-based method revealed that the patient had a PD-L1 positive and MSI-high GC, while the Epstein-Barr virus was absent. Furthermore, much CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were observed within the tumor and invasion front, which were responsible for tumor shrinkage, due to the recognition of abundant tumor neoantigens and their corresponding immune checkpoints. Our case report indicates that a combination of immunotherapy plus chemotherapy as a first-line treatment might offer a promising treatment option for locally advanced gastric adenocarcinoma with PD-L1 positive and MSI-high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision Agriculture (PA) technologies are well known to be useful in addressing field heterogeneities and enabling informed site-specific management decisions. While profitability is the foremost factor considered by farmers when making PA adoption decisions, information in this regard is lacking from the farmers' perspective. This paper analyzed 1119 farmer responses from a 2021 survey conducted in four states along the western margins of the U.S. Midwest. Our findings show that while most (around 60%) non-adopters indicate that they are unaware of PA profit change, adopters are likely to rate a major profit increase. About two thirds of adopters rated at least a 5% increase in profitability towards variable rate (VR) fertilizer application (72%), VR seed application (68%), and automatic section control (66%). We modeled farmers' profit change subsequent to PA adoptions. Our regression results demonstrate that the profits from PA usage increase over time and that use of conservation practices likely influences PA profitability in a positive way. As soil quality and weather factors also affect profit ratings, it would be beneficial to compare and demonstrate profitability potential of various PA technologies on a regional basis and tailor the promotion efforts to farmers most likely to benefit from them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The combination of biologically active compounds and nanomaterials in biomedicine field is growing rapidly and provided excellent forecasts for the progress of facile non-invasive approaches for the diagnosis of cancer therapy. In this present study, we demonstrated that as-prepared gallic acid (GA) coated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) combined with radiofrequency (RF) ablation has facilitated for the treatment of human renal epithelial cancer (A-489) cells without disturbing the renal proximal epithelial (HK−2) cells. The successful biofabrication of GA onto the rGO nanostructure has been elaborated with the support of peak intensities of diffracted X-ray patterns and Raman spectral visualizations. The micrograph imageries are displayed that the warped and ribbed structure containing wrinkled paper-like arrangement with multilayer structure of rGO with assistance of GA molecules. The synthesized GA-rGO nanomaterials exhibited a very good apoptosis and toxic effect on A-489 renal cancer cells, which was found to exhibit enhanced tumor cytotoxicity in RF combination treatment compared to RF treated alone. Moreover, the results are highly cheering to go for functionalized nanomaterial and RF radiation, combined drug delivery system to overcome the limitation to treat kidney cancers. Highlights • Investigation on combination of bioactive nanomaterials with radiation frequency • Biofabrication of gallic acid on the sheeted reduced graphene oxide nanostructures • Synthesized material facilitated for the human renal epithelial cancer therapy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorite, a strategic industrial mineral, was investigated for flotation separation from bastnaesite with tannic acid (TA) as depressant. In this study, the adsorption analysis indicates that the adsorption density of TA on bastnaesite was greater than that of fluorite. The zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) provide the evidence that chemisorption and electrostatic attraction occurred simultaneously between TA and fluorite or bastnaesite at optimal pH, the latter also involving hydrogen bonding interactions. Furthermore, the micro-flotation and batch flotation results suggest that TA could effectively depress bastnaesite with a negligible effect on fluorite at low concentrations, and that TA attached to the surface of bastnaesite precluded the adsorption of phthalic acid (PA) as collector, whereas it could be adsorbed on the fluorite surface. These findings offer a robust theoretical foundation and valid guidance for the flotation separation of fluorite from bastnaesite in industrial processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is prevalent in tumor tissue and suppresses effective anti-tumor immune responses. However, the source of the increased tumor-infiltrating IL-17 and its contribution to tumor progression in human gastric cancer remain poorly understood. In this study, we enrolled 112 gastric cancer patients, immunofluorescence was used to evaluate the colocalization of CD3, CD4, CD56, CD20, CD68, and mast cell tryptase (MCT) with IL-17. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the distribution of microvessel density (CD34), CD66b+, CD68+, and FoxP3+ cells in different microanatomical areas. Prognostic value was determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis and a Cox regression model. The results showed that mast cells, but not T cells or macrophages, were the predominant cell type producing IL-17 in gastric cancer. Significant positive correlations were detected between densities of mast cell-derived IL-17 and microvessels, neutrophils, and regulatory T cells (Tregs). Futhermore, we found that the majority of vascular endothelial cells expressing Interleukin-17 receptor (IL-17R). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that increasing intratumor infiltrated mast cells and IL-17+ cells, as well as MCT+ IL-17+ cells, were significantly associated with worse overall survival. These findings indicated that mast cells were the major source of IL-17 in gastric cancer, and intratumor IL-17 infiltration may have promoted tumor progression by enhancing angiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment through the axis of IL-17/IL-17R. IL-17-positive mast cells showed a prognostic factor in gastric cancer, indicating that immunotherapy targeting mast cells might be an effective strategy to control intratumor IL-17 infiltration, and consequently reverse immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment, facilitating cancer immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the combination of point-shear wave elastography (p-SWE) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) for assessing different stages of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IF/TA) in patients with chronic renal allograft dysfunction (CAD). From September 2020 to August 2021, 47 patients who underwent renal biopsy and p-SWE examinations were consecutively enrolled in this study. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were calculated to evaluate overall accuracy and to identify the optimal cutoff values for different IF/TA stages. A total of 43 patients were enrolled in this study. The renal cortical stiffness and eGFR showed a significant difference between IF/TA Grade 0–1 and Grade 2–3 (p < 0.001). Additionally, renal stiffness and eGFR were independent predictors for moderate-to-severe IF/TA (Grade ≥ 2) according to multiple logistic regression analysis. The combination of p-SWE and eGFR, with an optimal cutoff value of −1.63, was superior to eGFR alone in assessing moderate-to-severe interstitial fibrosis (AUC, 0.86 vs. 0.72, p = 0.02) or tubular atrophy (AUC, 0.88 vs. 0.74, p = 0.02). There was no difference between p-SWE and eGFR in assessing moderate-to-severe IF/TA (AUC, 0.85 vs. 0.79, p = 0.61). Therefore, combining p-SWE and eGFR is worthy of clinical popularization and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Storage-stable polystyrene (PS)-modified asphalt has been successfully prepared in the presence of linear styrene–butadiene–styrene triblock copolymer (SBS) through dynamic vulcanization. The vulcanization characteristics of the asphalt/PS/SBS/sulfur blends were studied using a strain-controlled rheometer. At temperatures from 140 to 180°C, the curing rate of the blends increases significantly with increasing temperature. A suitable processing temperature is between 170 and 180°C for the sake of good mechanical and thermal stability properties. The physical properties, including softening point, penetration, and ductility at low temperature of the modified asphalt through dynamic vulcanization were compared to that of modified asphalt without sulfur. The storage stability of the PS-modified asphalt was effectively improved in the presence of SBS through dynamic vulcanization. The morphology and rheological properties of the modified asphalt were also investigated using an optical microscope and a dynamic shear rheometer, respectively. The morphology was compared between the pure PS-modified asphalt, the PS/SBS-modified asphalt, and the PS/SBS/sulfur-modified asphalt, which indicated that the compatibility and high-temperature storage stability of the PS-modified asphalt were improved significantly in the presence of SBS through dynamic vulcanization. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Monoculture and simplified two-crop rotation systems compromise the ecosystem services essential to crop production, diminish agricultural productivity, and cause detrimental effects on the environment. In contrast to the simplified two-crop rotation, diversified crop rotation (DCR) refers to rotation systems that contain three or more crops. Despite multiple benefits generated by DCR, its usage has dwindled over the past several decades. This paper examined determinants of farmers' adoption decisions and perceived benefits of DCR in the west margins of the U.S. Corn Belt where crop diversity has declined. We analyzed 708 farmer responses from a farmer survey conducted in the eastern South Dakota in 2018, accounting for county-level climate variables, as well as cropland data, soil and topographic variables in close proximity of the farm. Our findings indicated that farmers were more likely to utilize DCR as an adaptive strategy to cope with water deficit and reduce soil erosion on marginal land. Additionally, livestock integration and organic farming helped necessitate DCR adoption and magnify its benefits. Producer concerns towards lack of equipment and new crop profitability diluted producers' interests in DCR practice and compromised its benefits. Enhanced technical and policy support, along with infrastructure and market development, could help producers fully utilize DCR benefits and expand DCR usage to more regions. • We examine adoption and perceived benefits of diversified crop rotations (DCR). • Producers use DCR on steeper-sloped lands and in regions with greater water deficit. • Livestock integration and organic farming necessitate DCR and magnify its benefits. • Lack of equipment and profitability diluted producers' interests in DCR practice. • Enhanced technical and policy support are needed to promote DCR in expanded regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many ranchers who practice rotational grazing have experienced economic and ecological benefits. However, the adoption rate of rotational grazing has stagnated. To identify major challenges faced by non-adopters of rotational grazing as well as factors that affect the perceptions about different challenges, we conducted a mail survey of 4250 eligible ranchers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas, USA. Key categories of information obtained included basic ranch information, rotational grazing adoption status, and related information. Among 875 respondents, 40.4% identified themselves as non-adopters and perceived labor and water source constraints as the two major challenges, followed by high initial investment costs. This indicates the need for technical support and educational programs to address producers' concerns in addition to the monetary support from government subsidy programs. Findings from logistic regression analyses further indicate that landowners with higher quality soil, relatively more grassland (in both acres and percentage) and more owned land, generally perceive lower barriers to choosing rotational grazing practices and, therefore, may be a suitable target group for more effective outreach efforts and public fund investments to enhance the adoption of beneficial rotational grazing practices. • A landowner survey identified factors inhibiting the adoption of rotational grazing. • Labor, water and high investment costs were key factors affecting adoption decision. • Producers with higher ranch productivity perceived less adoption challenges. • Producers with more owned grassland perceived less adoption challenges. • Programs that address major concerns could enhance rotational grazing adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: There is no large data analysis reporting the outcome of Chinese kidney transplant patients using mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). This study analyzed 6719 patients from the Chinese Scientific Registry of Kidney Transplantation using MMF, which included 1153 from donation after cardiac death (DCD), 1271 from donation after brain and cardiac death (DBCD), and 4295 from living donor (LD). Compared with the transplants from deceased donor (DD), better outcomes including 3‐year graft survival probabilities (LD = 95.8% vs. DD = 91.3%), incidence of delayed graft function (DGF, LD = 2.4% vs. DD = 17.7%), infection (LD = 10.7% vs. DD = 20.7%), graft loss (LD = 2.3% vs. DD = 6.3), and death (LD = 1.3% vs. DD = 3.2%) were shown in the LD group, with similar incidences of acute rejection (AR, LD = 3.7% vs. DD = 4.7%), hyperuricemia (LD = 21.7% vs. DD = 22.2%) within postoperative 1 year, and serum creatinine (Scr) >133 μmol/l at 1 year (LD = 18.8% vs. DD = 18.6%). Nonsignificant differences were found between the DCD and DBCD group. The 5‐year survival of patient and graft in the LD group were 97.5% and 93.0%. Adjusted Cox model for graft loss showed significant associations with DGF [hazard ratio 3.7 (95% CI: 2.4, 5.8)], AR [2.8 (1.7, 4.6)], Scr >133 μmol/l at 1 year [2.6 (1.5, 4.2)], hyperuricemia [2.3 (1.6, 3.3)], and DD [1.6 (1.1, 2.4)]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been proven to prevent thrombolysis and reduce bleeding and blood transfusion requirements in various surgical settings. However, the optimal dose of TXA that effectively reduce intraoperative bleeding and blood product infusion in patients undergoing neurosurgical resection of meningioma with a diameter ≥ 5 cm remains unclear. Methods: This is a single-center, randomized, double-blinded, paralleled-group controlled trial. Patients scheduled to receive elective tumor resection with meningioma diameter ≥ 5 cm will be randomly assigned the high-dose TXA group, the low-dose group, and the placebo. Patients in the high-dose TXA group will be administered with a loading dose of 20 mg/kg TXA followed by continuous infusion TXA at a rate of 5 mg/kg/h. In the low-dose group, patients will receive the same loading dose of TXA followed by a continuous infusion of normal saline. In the control group, patients will receive an identical volume of normal saline. The primary outcome is the estimated intraoperative blood loss calculated using the following formula: collected blood volume in the suction canister (mL)–the volume of flushing (mL) + the volume from the gauze tampon (mL). Secondary outcomes include calculated intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative coagulation function assessed using thromboelastogram (TEG), intraoperative cell salvage use, blood product infusion, and other safety outcomes. Discussion: Preclinical studies suggest that TXA could reduce intraoperative blood loss, yet the optimal dose was controversial. This study is one of the early studies to evaluate the impact of intraoperative different doses infusion of TXA on reducing blood loss in neurological meningioma patients. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05230381. Registered on February 8, 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the last decade, deceased organ donation and transplantation in China have made great progress, but there is still much room for improvement. Inefficient communication with the family of potential organ and tissue donors is one of the major reasons for donor loss. In this study, the current progress of the deceased organ donation program in China was summarized, with a particular focus on the analysis of problems and solutions for achieving best practices in communication with the family of potential organ and tissue donors. This paper is in compliance with the Helsinki Congress and the Declaration of Istanbul. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cordyceps sinensis (CS) is a parasitic fungus, and it has been used widely in traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) for centuries. Many studies have shown that CS has immunoregulatory activity in many disease models, but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. We studied whether CS could suppress the onset of diabetes by altering T lymphocyte subsets in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. We found that the onset of type1 diabetes in NOD mice was associated with an imbalance of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells and IL-17 producing Th17 cells. Oral administration of CS resulted in reduction in the overall incidence of diabetes, and this was due to an increase in the ratio of Treg cells to Th17 in the spleen and pancreatic lymph nodes (PLNs). Taken together, these data imply that CS is able to modulate Treg to Th17 cell ratio in vivo, thus contributing to the inhibition of diabetes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: It has been reported that low-dose of tacrolimus (Tac) is advantageous for the long-term allograft function and survival when compared with standard-dose of tacrolimus. However, the underlying mechanism is not known and remains to be elucidated. CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a key role in the induction and maintenance of transplantation tolerance. We studied whether low-dose of Tac would favor the induction of donor-specific Tregs. We found that in all transplant recipients treated with low-dose of Tac (target trough level of 3 to 7 ng/ml), CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Tregs were induced and expanded in the periphery and accumulated in the allograft after transplantation, and they retained their suppressive efficacy in vitro. When studied in vitro, we found that high concentration of Tac significantly decreased the induction of FoxP3 expression in mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLR) when compared with low concentration of Tac. Taken together, these data imply that in solid-organ transplantation the minimization of Tac might be beneficial and favors the induction of donor-specific Tregs maintaining transplantation tolerance to alloantigen. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Collector OA, oleic acid, is widely used industrially for fluorite flotation. Low selectivity, dispersibility and collecting capability of the OA collector are always observed. In this study, compared with flotation of dolomite, a collector mixture of OA and SPE (styrylphenol polyoxyethylene ether) demonstrated significantly better performances for the fluorite. An optimal mass ratio 4 : 1 OA : SPE was found, and the recovery of fluorite was increased from over 85 % to more than 94 % compared with pure OA. Furthermore, the dosage of the collector agent was reduced from 50 mg mL−1 to 20 mg mL−1, which did not negatively impact the recovery of dolomite. The results from the contact angle tests indicated that SPE selectively increased the surface hydrophobicity of fluorite but had little effect on dolomite. Besides, zeta potential measurements and IR analyses revealed that the addition of SPE led to strong chemical adsorption on the surface of fluorite, resulting in a significant difference in the flotation performances of the two minerals. Therefore, SPE‐emulsified OA is corroborated to prompt more selectivity and collecting capability on flotation of fluorite over dolomite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that focused on the strontium, neodymium, lead and oxygen isotopes of basic dyke swarms in the Wudang Block and basic volcanics of the Yaolinghe Group in China. General geology; Sample and analysis; Isotope geochemistry of the elements.

[Display omitted] • Thorite formation postdated to REE, Fe and Nb mineralization at Bayan Obo. • Metasomatism of alkalis- and sulfate-rich fluids is responsible for thorite formation. • Thorium in thorite was derived from late-stage monazite and bastnaesite. • Bayan Obo deposit underwent Th re-enrichment process in form of thorite precipitation. Thorite, as a principally Th-bearing independent mineral, is an important indicator for Th mineralization. However, its genesis and significance for Th enrichment processes are still unclear. Herein, we address this issue based on systematic mineralogical observation and major element analyses of thorites with related monazite and bastnäsite from different type ores in the Bayan Obo deposit. The thorites are mainly hosted in biotite-type and riebeckite-type ores with minor distribution in aegirine-type and banded-type ores, but are scarce in dolomite-type ores. The thorites in each type ores principally contain Th, O and Si with variable LREE and Fe concentrations. They commonly occur as vein (or veinlet) or aggregation crosscutting, cavity-infilling or around REE, Fe and Nb minerals, and some of these minerals exist as relict or inclusion within the thorites. In addition, late-stage huanghoite and pyrite are intergrown with the thorites or appear as inclusions within the thorites. These petrographic characteristics suggest that thorite formation was posterior to REE, Fe and Nb mineralization and was related to Paleozoic hydrothermal mineralization events. Barite and alkali alteration minerals (e.g., biotite and riebeckite) show a closely spatial relationship with the thorites, which indicates that hydrothermal fluids for thorite formation were enriched in alkalis (K+ and Na+) and sulfate (SO 4 2-). Major element analyses of monazite and bastnäsite exhibit variable ThO 2 concentration (unaltered region: 7.13 ∼ 14.34 wt% for monazite, 0.64 ∼ 1.33 wt% for bastnäsite; altered region: 2.50 ∼ 5.41 wt% for monazite, 0.17 ∼ 0.53 wt% for bastnäsite), which indicates that later-formed monazite and bastnäsite underwent Th leaching by chemical-coupled substitutions including: (1) 2REE3+ = Th4+ + Ca2+; and (2) P5+ + REE3+ = Si4+ + Th4+. In combination with relevant published data, our study suggests that later-stage Th-rich monazite and bastnäsite in the Bayan Obo deposit experienced mineral dissolution and Th leaching by metasomatism of hydrothermal fluids, which induced Th re-enrichment in form of thorite precipitation. On the other hand, as intrinsically high Th content of the thorites, this study also evaluates grain size and Th abundance of the thorites within different type ores, and proposes that biotite-type and riebeckite-type are targeted type ores for thorite extraction and Th collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is a useful parameter indicating the immune and nutritional status of cancer patients; this study investigated the prognostic value of the PNI in advanced gastric cancer patients treated with preoperative chemotherapy. Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed 117 advanced gastric cancer patients who met the inclusion criteria for preoperative chemotherapy and underwent surgical resection from July 2004 to December 2011. The patients were divided into PNI-high (PNI ≥ 45) and PNI-low (PNI < 45) groups. Clinicopathologic features, chemotherapy adverse events, and surgical complications were compared between the prechemotherapy PNI-high and PNI-low groups using the chi-square test. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify prognostic factors. Results Overall survival was better in the prechemotherapy PNI-high group than in the PNI-low group (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.237, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.271-3.393, P = 0.005), while there was no significant difference in Overall survival between the postchemotherapy PNI-high and PNI-low groups ( P > 0.05). Cox regression analysis indicated that yield pathologic T (ypT), yield pathologic N (ypN) stage, and prechemotherapy PNI were independent prognostic factors (ypT: HR = 2.914, 95% CI = 1.312-6.470, P = 0.009; ypN: HR = 4.909, 95% CI = 1.764-13.660, P = 0.003; prechemotherapy PNI: HR = 1.963, 95% CI = 1.101-3.499, P = 0.022). Conclusions The prechemotherapy PNI is a useful predictor of the long-term outcome of patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with preoperative chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The use of XG was investigated in the flotation of bastnaesite and fluorite. • The presence of XG hindered the adsorption of OHA on the fluorite surface. • XG had negligibly impact on the flotation of bastnaesite. Rare earth (RE) minerals are resources crucial to mining strategies. In particular, bastnaesite is a major mineral from which rare earth elements (REEs), especially light rare earth elements (LREEs), can be extracted. However, the separation of bastnaesite and fluorite via flotation is challenging owing to their similar physical and chemical properties. In this study, xanthan gum (XG) was evaluated as a novel depressant of bastnaesite and fluorite in an octyl hydroxamic acid (OHA) system. The flotation behavior and surface chemistry by which the XG interacted with the bastnaesite and fluorite were investigated via analyses of micro-flotation tests, adsorption density measurements, zeta potentials, Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). The micro-flotation results showed that the XG was an efficient selective depressant for the fluorite but had minimal impact on the bastnaesite. The results of the adsorption density and zeta potential analyses indicated that the adsorption of the XG occurred on both the bastnaesite and fluorite surfaces. They also indicated that the XG hindered the subsequent adsorption of the OHA on the surface of the fluorite, but the OHA was able to attach to the surface of the bastnaesite. The results of the FTIR and XPS analyses revealed that in the interaction between the XG and fluorite, chemical and hydrogen bonding adsorption occurred via complexation between the –COO- and –OH groups within the XG and the Ca or F sites on the surface of the fluorite, whereas only hydrogen bonding and electrostatic attraction occurred between the XG and bastnaesite surface. These results provide a more robust theoretical basis and sound guidance for the selection of effective depressants in the flotation separation of bastnaesite and fluorite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Here a flexible optical geometry of Fourier Transform Profilometry (FTP) is discussed, and a strict theoretical analysis about an improved phase-height mapping formula based on a new description of a reference fringe and a deformed fringe proposed based on a general case, in which the exit pupil of the projecting lens and the entrance pupil of the imaging lens are not horizontal and do not have the equal distance to the reference plane; moreover, the optical axes of the projecting device and of the imaging device are not coplanar. Compared with the traditional Fourier Transform Profilometry, it is easier for us to obtain the full-field fringe through adjusting the location of either the projector or the imaging device. Compared with the Improved Fourier Transform Profilometry (IFTP), only three length system parameters need to be measured, so the operation is simple and the result is more reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]