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Two-dimensional (2D) intrinsic ferromagnetic (FM) materials are promising candidates for fabricating next generation high-performance spintronic devices. However, all experimentally verified 2D FM semiconductors have Curie temperature (Tc) far below room temperature, which hinders their practical applications. Based on first-principles calculations, a stable and previously undiscovered 2D CrGaS3 structure is predicted, which is a semiconductor with an indirect bandgap of 1.99 eV and displays out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy. More importantly, it exhibits high-temperature ferromagnetism, with Tc ranging between 520 and 814 K. The high Tc is attributed to the presence of both direct-exchange and super-exchange interactions that are ferromagnetic, along with the eg-px/py-eg super exchange having a zero virtual exchange gap. Furthermore, it has been observed that the magnetic anisotropy can be tuned by external strain. These findings indicate its potential as a promising candidate for the rapid development of 2D spintronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new 3D Lyapunov guidance vector field(3D-LGV) avoidance strategy based on reinforcement learning for the satellite evasion and interception problem. Combining it with the interfered fluid dynamical system (IFDS) enables the satellite to evade and smoothly enter orbit according to the state of the intercepting satellite in real time. 3D-LGV provides an initial flow field approaching an elliptical orbit, while IFDS provides a perturbed flow field based on the intercepting satellite position. The combined potential field of the initial flow field and the disturbed flow field is the planned velocity direction of the satellite. As a decision-making layer, the proximal policy optimization (PPO) dynamically adjusts the perturbed flow field in the IFDS to increase the avoidance success rate in different scenarios. The experimental results show that, compared with the particle swarm optimization with rolling horizon control algorithm, the algorithm proposed in this paper has a shorter decision time and a higher avoidance success rate. At the same time, Monte Carlo simulation shows that the evasion success rate of the proposed algorithm reaches 98%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a novel miniaturized optical attenuator based on the evanescent-field coupling between two nanofibers. Benefiting from a wavelength-dependent waveguiding property of the coupled structure, a tunable attenuation with maximum extinction ratio of ~ 20 dB is demonstrated with an ultrawide optical bandwidth up to 0.7 μm in experiment. The wavelength-depended waveguiding properties of both one single nanofiber and coupled nanofibers are investigated in both theory and simulation. Using an adiabatic coupling structure, an attenuation range from − 0.16 dB to − 18.46 dB is obtained within a spectrum from 1.2 μm to 1.7 μm experimentally. Moreover, the simulated results indicate that, the attenuation only shows a slight change of ~ 0.1 dB with a lateral misalignment of 0.5 μm between the two nanofibers, indicating a high tolerance of this attenuator to the lateral misalignment. Considering the wide bandwidth as well as the ultracompact structure, this attenuator shows high potential in applications such as all-fiber optical sensing and communicating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing observed wind speed and direction data from observation stations near the Taiwan Strait and ocean buoys, along with forecast data from the EC model, GRAPES_GFS model, and PanGu weather prediction model within the same period, RMSE, MAE, CC, and other parameters were calculated. To comparatively evaluate the forecasting performance of the PanGu weather prediction model on the sea surface wind field near the Taiwan Strait from 00:00 on 1 June 2023, to 23:00 on 31 May 2024. The PanGu weather prediction model is further divided into the ERA5 (PanGu) model driven by ERA5 initial fields and the GRAPES_GFS (PanGu) model driven by GRAPES_GFS initial fields. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) over a one-year evaluation period, for wind speed forecasts with lead times of 0 h to 120 h in the Taiwan Strait region, the overall forecasting skill of the PanGu weather prediction model is superior to that of the model forecasts; (2) different initial fields input into the PanGu weather prediction model lead to different final forecast results, with better initial field data corresponding to forecast results closer to observations, thus indicating the operational transferability of the PanGu model in smaller regions; (3) regarding forecasts of wind speed categories, the credibility of the results is high when the wind speed level is ≤7, and the PanGu weather prediction model performs better among similar forecasts; (4) although the EC model's wind direction forecasts are closer to the observation field results, the PanGu weather forecasting model also provides relatively accurate and rapid forecasts of the main wind directions within a shorter time frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simulation of fuel composition requires coupled calculations of neutron transport and burnup. It is generally assumed that the neutron flux density and cross-sections remain constant within a burnup step. However, when there are strong absorber poisons present, the reaction rates of the absorbers change too rapidly over time, necessitating extremely fine step sizes to ensure computational accuracy, which in turn leads to low computational efficiency. As a type of accident tolerant fuel (ATF), fully ceramic micro-encapsulated (FCM) fuel is a promising new type of nuclear fuel. Accelerated algorithms for burnup calculations of FCM fuel containing gadolinium isotopes have been developed based on the ALPHA code, including the projected predictor–corrector (PPC), the log-linear rate (LLR), and the high-order predictor–corrector (HOPC) methods (including CE/LI, CE/QI, LE/LI, and LE/QI). The performances of different algorithms under the two forms of Gd2O3 existence were analyzed. The numerical results show that the LE/QI method performs the best overall. For Gd2O3 existing in both forms, the LE/QI algorithm can maintain accuracy with a burnup step size of up to 1.0 GWd/tU, keeping the infinite multiplication factor kinf within 100 pcm, and it exhibits high accuracy in simulating the atomic number densities of Gd-155 and Gd-157 throughout the burnup process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the areca nut market is expanding, there is a growing concern regarding areca nut toxicity. Areca nut alkaloids are the major risky components in betel nuts, and their toxic effects are not fully understood. Here, we investigated the parental and transgenerational toxicity of varied doses of areca nut alkaloids in Caenorhabditis elegans. The results showed that the minimal effective concentration of arecoline is 0.2–0.4 mM. First, arecoline exhibited transgenerational toxicity on the worms' longevity, oviposition, and reproduction. Second, the redox homeostasis of C. elegans was markedly altered under exposure to 0.2–0.4 mM arecoline. The mitochondrial membrane potential was thereafter impaired, which was also associated with the induction of apoptosis. Moreover, antioxidant treatments such as lycopene could significantly ameliorate the toxic effects caused by arecoline. In conclusion, arecoline enhances the ROS levels, inducing neurotoxicity, developmental toxicity, and reproductive toxicity in C. elegans through dysregulated oxidative stress, cell apoptosis, and DNA damage-related gene expression. Therefore, the drug-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) may be crucial for its toxic effects, which could be mitigated by antioxidants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The accurate identification of microvascular invasion (MVI) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is of great clinical importance. Purpose: To develop a radiomics nomogram based on susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) and T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) for predicting MVI in early-stage (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stages 0 and A) HCC patients. Materials and methods: A prospective cohort of 189 participants with HCC was included for model training and testing, and an additional 34 participants were enrolled for external validation. ITK-SNAP was used to manually segment the tumour, and PyRadiomics was used to extract radiomic features from the SWI and T2W images. Variance filtering, student's t test, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and random forest (RF) were applied to select meaningful features. Four machine learning classifiers, including K-nearest neighbour, RF, logistic regression and support vector machine-based models, were established. Independent clinical and radiological risk factors were also determined to establish a clinical model. The best radiomics and clinical models were further evaluated in the validation set. In addition, a nomogram was constructed from the radiomic model and independent clinical factors. Diagnostic efficacy was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis with fivefold cross-validation. Results: AFP levels greater than 400 ng/mL [odds ratio (OR) 2.50; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.239–5.047], tumour diameter greater than 5 cm (OR 2.39; 95% CI 1.178–4.839), and absence of pseudocapsule (OR 2.053; 95% CI 1.007–4.202) were found to be independent risk factors for MVI. The areas under the curve (AUCs) of the best radiomic model were 1.000 and 0.882 in the training and testing cohorts, respectively, while those of the clinical model were 0.688 and 0.6691. In the validation set, the radiomic model achieved better diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.888) than the clinical model (AUC = 0.602). The combination of clinical factors and the radiomic model yielded a nomogram with the best diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.948). Conclusion: SWI and T2WI-derived radiomic features are valuable for noninvasively and accurately identifying MVI in early-stage HCC. Furthermore, the integration of radiomics and clinical factors yielded a predictive nomogram with satisfactory diagnostic performance and potential clinical benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dirigent (DIR) genes play a pivotal role in plant development and stress adaptation. Manihot esculenta Crantz, commonly known as cassava, is a drought-resistant plant thriving in tropical and subtropical areas. It is extensively utilized for starch production, bioethanol, and animal feed. However, a comprehensive analysis of the DIR family genes remains unexplored in cassava, a crucial cash and forage crop in tropical and subtropical regions. In this study, we characterize a total of 26 cassava DIRs (MeDIRs) within the cassava genome, revealing their uneven distribution across 13 of the 18 chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis classified these genes into four subfamilies: DIR-a, DIR-b/d, DIR-c, and DIR-e. Comparative synteny analysis with cassava and seven other plant species (Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), poplar (Populus trichocarpa), soybean (Glycine max), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), rice (Oryza sativa), maize (Zea mays), and wheat (Triticum aestivum)) provided insights into their likely evolution. We also predict protein interaction networks and identify cis-acting elements, elucidating the functional differences in MeDIR genes. Notably, MeDIR genes exhibited specific expression patterns across different tissues and in response to various abiotic and biotic stressors, such as pathogenic bacteria, cadmium chloride (CdCl2), and atrazine. Further validation through quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) confirmed the response of DIR genes to osmotic and salt stress. These findings offer a comprehensive resource for understanding the characteristics and biological functions of MeDIR genes in cassava, enhancing our knowledge of plant stress adaptation mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based flexible thermoelectric films exhibit potential application in wearable electronics due to their good electrical conductivity (σ) and high flexibility. Nevertheless, the low Seebeck coefficient (S) greatly limits their thermoelectric application. The high S of inorganic boron nitride nanosheets is expected to make up for the low S of SWCNT. In this work, exfoliated boron nitride nanosheets (EBNS) are first prepared by solvothermal exfoliation of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), which are composited with SWCNT through a simple mixing and filtration method to prepare self-supporting EBNS/SWCNT films with improved thermoelectric properties. Here, the energy filtering effect at the EBNS/SWCNT interface significantly improves the S values of the films. The results show that the maximum S of the EBNS/SWCNT at room temperature is 50.6 μV K–1 and the maximum power factor (PF) is 116.1 μW m–1 K–2 at the EBNS/SWCNT mass ratio of 7.5%. Finally, six pairs of p-type EBNS/SWCNT films and n-type copper sheets are connected in series to assemble a self-powered thermoelectric device, which demonstrates an open-circuit voltage of 8.1 mV and an output power of 550 nW under a temperature difference of 60 K. Therefore, this work provides a simple and effective method to improve the performance of carbon nanotube-based thermoelectric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stepped-nozzle arc plasma torch (SNAPT) is a promising arc source due to the advantages of high stability and high energy density, but the micro-time scale discharge characteristics have not yet been adequately investigated. In this study, a SNAPT was designed and studied, in order to investigate the effects of discharge current, gas flow rate, and nozzle morphology on the discharge characteristics. The results show that the volt-ampere characteristics of the SNAPT have an increasing curve when the gas flow rate is greater than 4 Nm3/h, and a decreasing curve when the gas flow rate is 3 Nm3/h. This result is related to the position of the arc root, and an arc constriction phenomenon occurs at high current and low gas flow rate. The thermal efficiency of the SNAPT decreases with the increasing current and decreasing gas flow rate, ranging from 69.6 to 82.3% within the experimental parameters. The optical emission spectroscopy results show that there are many active particles inside the plasma. The experimental parameters of the heavy particle temperature of 4851.5 to 9189.3 K and the electron temperature of 7846.9 to 10185.6 K both correspond to the Boltzmann distribution and are close to the local thermodynamic equilibrium state. Comparative experimental results show that the cylindrical-nozzle has the decreasing volt-ampere characteristics and higher voltages, but has large voltage fluctuations and poor stability compared with the stepped-nozzle. The results of the study are of guiding significance for design, selection of operating parameters, and application scenarios for this type of plasma torch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the progressively escalating incidence and exceptionally high fatality rate of cutaneous melanoma have drawn the attention of numerous scholars. Magnetic induction hyperthermia, as an efficacious tumor treatment modality, has been promoted and applied in the therapy of some tumors. In this paper, the melanoma atop the mice's heads was chosen as the research subject, and a magnetic induction hyperthermia approach based on Helmholtz coils as the magnetic field excitation was investigated and designed. The influence of the electromagnetic field and thermal field on organisms was addressed through modeling by COMSOL simulation software. The results showed that the maximum values of induced electric field and magnetic induction strength in mouse tumor tissues were 63.1 V/m and 8.5621 mT, respectively, which reached the threshold value of magnetic field strength required for magnetic induction hyperthermia. The maxima of the induced electric field and magnetic induction intensity in brain tissues are, respectively, 35.828 V/m and 8.57 mT. Approximately 93% of the tumor tissue can reach 42 °C, and the maximum temperature is 44.2 °C. Within this temperature range, a large quantity of tumor cells can be successfully induced to undergo apoptosis without harming normal cells, and the therapeutic effect is favorable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A self-powered photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptamer sensor based on ZnIn2S4 as the photoanode and Cu2O@Ag@Ag3PO4 as the sensing cathode is designed for the detection of Hg2+. An indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode modified with ZnIn2S4 was used instead of a platinum (Pt) counter electrode to provide an obviously stable photocurrent signal. The suitable band gap width of ZnIn2S4 can generate photogenerated electrons well. The unique hydrangea structure of ZnIn2S4 can enhance light absorption and accelerate the separation and transfer of photocarriers. At the same time, Cu2O@Ag@Ag3PO4 with excellent electrical conductivity further enhances the photocurrent provided by the ZnIn2S4 photoanode. Because the reducing substances in the biological medium can change the photoanode characteristics of the photoanode interface, the separation of the photoanode and the sensing bicathode is beneficial to improve the anti-interference ability of the sensor. Under optimized conditions, the PEC aptamer sensor realizes the detection of Hg2+ (1 mM–1 fM), and the detection limit is 0.4 fM. In addition, the constructed self-powered PEC sensor has good selectivity, repeatability, and stability, which provides a new idea for the design of the PEC aptamer sensor platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of slow and controlled release fertilizers (S/CRFs) has been beneficial in enhancing fertilizer utilization and crop yields, improving food security. However, the massive use of conventional S/CRFs has also polluted soil, water, and air, which poses a challenge to the sustainability of modern agriculture. To address this, a more efficient and environmentally-friendly material for crop nutrition is needed. Chitosan gels have proven to be an ideal carrier for nutrient transport given their biodegradability and high adsorption characteristics. This paper reviews the cross-linking of chitosan gels, preparation methods, nutrient transport, and performance, and how they contribute to sustainable agriculture. In addition, we detail the contribution of chitosan gels fertilizers to greenhouse gas reduction, soil conditioning, and crop yield improvement. In conclusion, although further research is needed on chitosan gels fertilizers as S/CRFs, it is expected that their use could lead to improved nutrient efficiency and reduced environmental pollution from a long-term development perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrialization has increased global carbon emissions, necessitating effective climate change mitigation measures. China, the most populous developing nation, faces the challenge of strategizing emissions to meet national carbon neutrality objectives. However, research on specific regions' carbon emissions drivers and causal factors is limited, particularly across prefectural-level cities. This study estimates the spatial and temporal patterns of carbon emissions across China's prefectural cities and utilizes both OLS regression and stepwise regression models to analyze the impact of various factors influencing carbon emissions in these cities. Results reveal the following: (1) The country's overall 20-year carbon emissions continue to grow from 3020.29 Mt in 2001 to 9169.74 Mt in 2020, with an average annual growth rate of 5.71%; the eastern region has seen a gradual deceleration in emissions, whereas the western region continues to experience an increase. Carbon emissions in cities within each subregion consistently rise. (2) Carbon emissions in Chinese prefectural-level cities exhibit strong spatial autocorrelation and clustering (Z > 1.96, p < 0.05), with hot spots primarily in the eastern coastal areas and cold spots in the northwest to southwest regions. (3) Economic and demographic factors significantly increase carbon emissions, while climate and urbanization effects are more complex and variable. Economic growth and population increase are the most significant influencing factors, but regional variances exist in carbon emissions determinants in subregional prefectural cities. These insights provide valuable insights into national emission dynamics at the prefectural level, providing a theoretical basis for enhancing carbon emission strategies across various jurisdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Impeded diffusion fraction (IDF) is a novel and promising diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) technique that allows for the detection of various diffusion compartments, including macromolecular coordinated water, free diffusion, perfusion, and cellular free water. This study aims to investigate the clinical potential of IDF-DWI in detecting microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: 66 patients were prospectively included. Metrics derived from IDF-DWI and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were calculated. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to identify clinical risk factors. Diagnostic performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC-ROC), the area under the precision-recall curve (AUC-PR), and the calibration error (cal-error). Additionally, a power analysis was conducted to determine the required sample size. Results: The results suggested a significantly higher fraction of impeded diffusion (FID) originating from IDF-DWI in MVI-positive HCCs (p < 0.001). Moreover, the ADC was found to be significantly lower in MVI-positive HCCs (p = 0.019). Independent risk factors of MVI included larger tumor size and elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels. The nomogram model incorporating ADC, FID, tumor size, and AFP level yielded the highest diagnostic accuracy for MVI (AUC-PR = 0.804, AUC-ROC = 0.783, cal-error = 0.044), followed by FID (AUC-PR = 0.693, AUC-ROC = 0.760, cal-error = 0.060) and ADC (AUC-PR = 0.570, AUC-ROC = 0.651, cal-error = 0.164). Conclusion: IDF-DWI shows great potential in noninvasively, accurately, and preoperatively detecting MVI in HCC and may offer clinical benefits for prognostic prediction and determination of treatment strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO2 applications for enhanced oil recovery and storage in continental shale reservoirs are promising, and there is a need to evaluate the impact of porous structure on oil–water two-phase flow under CO2 environment. In this study, first, digital cores of quartz-rich, carbonate-rich, and clay-rich shales are established using Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy scanning data processed through generative adversarial networks. Subsequently, the pore networks generated by digital cores are quantitatively analyzed using the generalized extreme value distribution. Finally, pore network modeling is carried out to elucidate the effect of porous structural differences on oil–water flow considering CO2 dissolution and capillary forces. The results show that quartz-rich shale, characterized by nanopore intergranular dominance and the highest pore network connectivity, demonstrates the highest relative permeability of the oil phase. Carbonate-rich shale exhibits intermediate relative permeability of oil phase, while clay-rich shale exhibits the worst. The dissolution of CO2 reduces oil–water interfacial tension and oil viscosity, enhances oil mobilization within nanopores, and notably increases the relative permeability of the oil phase. The permeability of the oil phase is governed by pore structure, displaying positive correlations with core heterogeneity, pore radius, coordination number, and throat length, and negative correlations with throat radius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the CO2-WAG (water-alternating-gas) flooding for conventional reservoirs, CO2-WAG huff-n-puff in shale reservoirs is proposed. To clarify the phase behavior and fluid flow of oil–CO2–water in the CO2-WAG huff-n-puff process, a series of experimental studies are conducted under different injection sequences of CO2 and water. The results show that the saturation pressure of the oil–CO2–water systems is lower than that of the oil–CO2 systems since a portion of the CO2 is dissolved in water. In addition, CO2 injection followed by water can significantly reduce the dissolution of CO2 in the water. CO2 and water preferentially flow into the macropores and bedding fractures of the oil-saturated cores at the injection stage, and the oil in mesopores and micropores reflows into macropores and bedding fractures at the soaking stage. At the depressurization production stage, the oil in mesopores and micropores is gradually extracted. Compared to water injection followed by CO2, injecting CO2 first can avoid the barrier effect caused by the subsequent injection of water and promotes oil flow into mesopores and micropores in the matrix. At the end of production, the oil recovered from water injection followed by CO2 mainly originates from macropores, while that from CO2 injection followed by water primarily comes from mesopores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid advancements in flexible electronics and military applications necessitate high-performance electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbers. While huge breakthroughs in achieving high-attenuation microwave absorption, conventional EMW absorbing materials have single function and ambiguous absorption mechanisms. Herein, numerous gel-type absorbers are fabricated by introducing "regulators" into poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (P(AM-co-AA)) networks through radical polymerization in a glycerol-water mixed solvent. The dielectric constant and EMW absorption performance of the gels are precisely predicted by adjusting monomer concentration, the ratio of glycerol/water, and the content of the regulators. Notably, A6G20T20-2 exhibits promising absorption performance with a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of −33.8 dB at 12.4 GHz. The effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) covers the entire X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz) at a thickness of 2.7 mm. A6G20T20-2 also has sensitive deformation responses and excellent tensile strength, adhesiveness, self-healing and anti-freezing properties. Overall, this work not only provides insight into the polarization loss mechanism of the gels as the result of high correlation between EMW absorbing properties and molecular polarization, but also offers an important reference for developing functional protective materials because of the rich functionalities and efficient protective capabilities of the gels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Posthepatectomy liver failure remains a potentially life-threatening complication after hepatectomy. Soluble suppression of tumourigenicity 2 is an injury-related biomarker. The aim of the study was to assess soluble suppression of tumourigenicity 2 elevation after hepatectomy and whether it can predict posthepatectomy liver failure. Methods This was a single-centre retrospective study including all patients who underwent a liver resection between 2015 and 2019. Plasma concentrations of soluble suppression of tumourigenicity 2 were measured before surgery and at postoperative days 1, 2, 5 and 7. Posthepatectomy liver failure was defined according to the International Study Group of Liver Surgery and the morbidity rate was graded according to the Clavien–Dindo classification. Results A total of 173 patients were included (75 underwent major and 98 minor resection); plasma levels of soluble suppression of tumourigenicity 2 increased from 43.42 (range 18.69–119.96) pg/ml to 2622.23 (range 1354.18–4178.27) pg/ml on postoperative day 1 (P < 0.001). Postoperative day 1 soluble suppression of tumourigenicity 2 concentration accurately predicted posthepatectomy liver failure ≥ grade B (area under curve = 0.916, P < 0.001) and its outstanding performance was not affected by underlying disease, liver pathological status and extent of resection. The cut-off value, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of postoperative day 1 soluble suppression of tumourigenicity 2 in predicting posthepatectomy liver failure ≥ grade B were 3700, 92%, 85%, 64% and 97% respectively. Soluble suppression of tumourigenicity 2high patients more frequently experienced posthepatectomy liver failure ≥ grade B (64.3% (n = 36) versus 2.6% (n = 3)) and Clavien–Dindo IIIa higher morbidity rate (23.2% (n = 13) versus 5.1% (n = 6)) compared with soluble suppression of tumourigenicity 2low patients. Conclusions Soluble suppression of tumourigenicity 2 may be a reliable predictor of posthepatectomy liver failure ≥ grade B as early as postoperative day 1 for patients undergoing liver resection. Its role in controlling hepatic injury/regeneration needs further investigation. Registration number: ChiCTR-OOC-15007210 (www.chictr.org.cn/). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the rapid development of autonomous driving and intelligent driver assistance has brought about urgent demands on high-precision road maps. However, traditional road map production methods mainly rely on professional survey technologies, such as remote sensing and mobile mapping, which suffer from high costs, object occlusions, and long updating cycles. In the era of ubiquitous mapping, crowdsourced trajectory data offer a new and low-cost data resource for the production and updating of high-precision road maps. Meanwhile, as key nodes in the transportation network, maintaining the currency and integrity of road intersection data is the primary task in enhancing map updates. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for detecting road intersections based on crowdsourced trajectory data by introducing an attention mechanism and modifying the loss function in the YOLOv5 model. The proposed method encompasses two key steps of training data preparation and improved YOLOv5s model construction. Multi-scale training processing is first adopted to prepare a rich and diverse sample dataset, including various kinds and different sizes of road intersections. Particularly to enhance the model's detection performance, we inserted convolutional attention mechanism modules into the original YOLOv5 and integrated other alternative confidence loss functions and localization loss functions. The experimental results demonstrate that the improved YOLOv5 model achieves detection accuracy, precision, and recall rates as high as 97.46%, 99.57%, and 97.87%, respectively, outperforming other object detection models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supramolecular glass is a non-covalently cross-linked amorphous material that exhibits excellent optical properties and unique intrinsic structural features. Compared with artificial inorganic/organic glass, which has been extensively developed, supramolecular glass is still in the infancy stage, and itself is rarely recognized and studied thus far. Herein, we present the development of the host–guest molecular recognition motifs between methyl-β-cyclodextrin and para-hydroxybenzoic acid as the building blocks of supramolecular glass. Non-covalent polymerization resulting from the host–guest complexation and hydrogen bonding formation enables high transparency and bulk state to supramolecular glass. Various advantages, including recyclability, compatibility, and thermal processability, are associated with dynamic assembly pattern. Short-range order (host–guest complexation) and long-range disorder (three dimensional polymeric network) structures are identified simultaneously, thus demonstrating the typical structural characteristics of glass. This work provides a supramolecular strategy for constructing transparent materials from organic components. Strategies to produce supramolecular glass and the study of its intrinsic structure and mechanical properties remains largely unexplored. Here, the authors prepare a supramolecular glass via the host–guest recognition between methyl-β-cyclodextrin and para-hydroxybenzoic acid with recyclability, compatibility, and thermal processability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous surface vehicles face the challenge of accurately detecting nearby ships in the complex and ever‐changing maritime environment, which is vastly different from land areas. To address this issue, we propose an image‐based multisensor fusion object detection method that combines Light Detection and Rangings and cameras. Since point clouds have poor semantics, our method primarily relies on images, with point clouds used to support image detection. Our image detection scheme employs a tracking‐assisted detection method that leverages historical information to compensate for possible detection failures. Additionally, we designed a confidence‐association‐based fusion strategy to determine the final targets among the candidates. We conducted field experiments in an open‐sea area to demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of our method. The results of these experiments showed that our method is highly accurate and robust in challenging maritime scenarios. Our code and data set will be released on https://github.com/flakeice/mssd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Habitat imaging allows for the quantification and visualization of various subregions within the tumor. We aim to develop an approach using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)–based habitat imaging for preoperatively predicting the microvascular invasion (MVI) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Sixty-five patients were prospectively included and underwent multi-b DWI examinations. Based on the true diffusion coefficient (Dt), perfusion fraction (f), and mean kurtosis coefficient (MK), which respectively characterize cellular density, perfusion, and heterogeneity, the HCCs were divided into four habitats. The volume fraction of each habitat was quantified. The logistic regression was used to explore the risk factors from habitat fraction and clinical variables. Clinical, habitat, and nomogram models were constructed using the identified risk factors from clinical characteristics, habitat fraction, and their combination, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs). Results: MVI-positive HCC exhibited a significantly higher fraction of habitat 4 (f4) and a significantly lower fraction of habitat 2 (f2) (p < 0.001), which were selected as risk factors. Additionally, tumor size and elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were also included as risk factors for MVI. The nomogram model demonstrated the highest diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.807), followed by the habitat model (AUC = 0.777) and the clinical model (AUC = 0.708). Decision curve analysis indicated that the nomogram model offered more net benefit in identifying MVI compared to the clinical model. Conclusions: DWI-based habitat imaging shows clinical potential for noninvasively and preoperatively determining the MVI of HCC with high accuracy. Clinical relevance statement: The proposed strategy, diffusion-weighted imaging–based habitat imaging, can be applied for preoperatively and noninvasively identifying microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma, which offers potential benefits in terms of prognostic prediction and clinical management. Key Points: • This study proposed a strategy of DWI-based habitat imaging for hepatocellular carcinoma. • The habitat imaging–derived metrics can serve as diagnostic markers for identifying the microvascular invasion. • Integrating the habitat-based metric and clinical variable, a predictive nomogram was constructed and displayed high accuracy for predicting microvascular invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To compare the compartmentalized diffusion-weighted models, intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and restriction spectrum imaging (RSI), in characterizing breast lesions and normal fibroglandular tissue. Methods: This prospective study enrolled 152 patients with 157 histopathologically verified breast lesions (41 benign and 116 malignant). All patients underwent a full-protocol preoperative breast MRI, including a multi-b-value DWI sequence. The diffusion parameters derived from the mono-exponential model (ADC), IVIM model (Dt, Dp, f), and RSI model (C1, C2, C3, C1C2, F1, F2, F3, F1F2) were quantitatively measured and then compared among malignant lesions, benign lesions and normal fibroglandular tissues using Kruskal-Wallis test. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used for the pairwise comparisons. Diagnostic models were built by logistic regression analysis. The ROC analysis was performed using five-fold cross-validation and the mean AUC values were calculated and compared to evaluate the discriminative ability of each parameter or model. Results: Almost all quantitative diffusion parameters showed significant differences in distinguishing malignant breast lesions from both benign lesions (other than C2) and normal fibroglandular tissue (all parameters) (all P < 0.0167). In terms of the comparisons of benign lesions and normal fibroglandular tissues, the parameters derived from IVIM (Dp, f) and RSI (C1, C2, C1C2, F1, F2, F3) showed significant differences (all P < 0.005). When using individual parameters, RSI-derived parameters-F1, C1C2, and C2 values yielded the highest AUCs for the comparisons of malignant vs. benign, malignant vs. normal tissue and benign vs. normal tissue (AUCs = 0.871, 0.982, and 0.863, respectively). Furthermore, the combined diagnostic model (IVIM + RSI) exhibited the highest diagnostic efficacy for the pairwise discriminations (AUCs = 0.893, 0.991, and 0.928, respectively). Conclusions: Quantitative parameters derived from the three-compartment RSI model have great promise as imaging indicators for the differential diagnosis of breast lesions compared with the bi-exponential IVIM model. Additionally, the combined model of IVIM and RSI achieves superior diagnostic performance in characterizing breast lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In agriculture, soil-borne fungal pathogens, especially Fusarium oxysporum strains, are posing a serious threat to efforts to achieve global food security. In the search for safer agrochemicals, silica nanoparticles (SiO2NPs) have recently been proposed as a new tool to alleviate pathogen damage including Fusarium wilt. Hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs), a unique class of SiO2NPs, have been widely accepted as desirable carriers for pesticides. However, their roles in enhancing disease resistance in plants and the specific mechanism remain unknown. In this study, three sizes of HMSNs (19, 96, and 406 nm as HMSNs-19, HMSNs-96, and HMSNs-406, respectively) were synthesized and characterized to determine their effects on seed germination, seedling growth, and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli (FOP) suppression. The three HMSNs exhibited no side effects on cowpea seed germination and seedling growth at concentrations ranging from 100 to 1500 mg/L. The inhibitory effects of the three HMSNs on FOP mycelial growth were very weak, showing inhibition ratios of less than 20% even at 2000 mg/L. Foliar application of HMSNs, however, was demonstrated to reduce the FOP severity in cowpea roots in a size- and concentration-dependent manner. The three HMSNs at a low concentration of 100 mg/L, as well as HMSNs-19 at a high concentration of 1000 mg/L, were observed to have little effect on alleviating the disease incidence. HMSNs-406 were most effective at a concentration of 1000 mg/L, showing an up to 40.00% decline in the disease severity with significant growth-promoting effects on cowpea plants. Moreover, foliar application of HMSNs-406 (1000 mg/L) increased the salicylic acid (SA) content in cowpea roots by 4.3-fold, as well as the expression levels of SA marker genes of PR-1 (by 1.97-fold) and PR-5 (by 9.38-fold), and its receptor gene of NPR-1 (by 1.62-fold), as compared with the FOP infected control plants. Meanwhile, another resistance-related gene of PAL was also upregulated by 8.54-fold. Three defense-responsive enzymes of POD, PAL, and PPO were also involved in the HMSNs-enhanced disease resistance in cowpea roots, with varying degrees of reduction in activity. These results provide substantial evidence that HMSNs exert their Fusarium wilt suppression in cowpea plants by activating SA-dependent SAR (systemic acquired resistance) responses rather than directly suppressing FOP growth. Overall, for the first time, our results indicate a new role of HMSNs as a potent resistance inducer to serve as a low-cost, highly efficient, safe and sustainable alternative for plant disease protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Varying diffusion curvature (VDC) MRI is an emerging diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) technique that can capture non-Gaussian diffusion behavior and reflect tissue heterogeneity. However, its clinical utility has hardly been evaluated. We aimed to investigate the value of the VDC technique in noninvasively assessing microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: 74 patients with HCCs, including 39 MVI-positive and 35 MVI-negative HCCs were included into this prospective study. Quantitative metrics between subgroups, clinical risk factors, as well as diagnostic performance were evaluated. The power analysis was also carried out to determine the statistical power. Results: MVI-positive HCCs exhibited significantly higher VDC-derived structural heterogeneity measure, D1 (0.680 ± 0.100 × 10–3 vs 0.572 ± 0.148 × 10–3 mm2/s, p = 0.001) and lower apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) (1.350 ± 0.166 × 10–3 vs 1.471 ± 0.322 × 10–3 mm2/s, p = 0.0495) compared to MVI-negative HCCs. No statistical significance was observed for VDC-derived diffusion coefficient, D0 between the subgroups (p = 0.562). Tumor size (odds ratio (OR) = 1.242) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) (OR = 2.527) were identified as risk factors for MVI. A predictive nomogram was constructed based on D1, ADC, tumor size, and AFP, which exhibited the highest diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.817), followed by D1 (AUC = 0.753) and ADC (AUC = 0.647). The diagnostic performance of the nomogram-based model was also validated by the calibration curve and decision curve. Conclusion: VDC can aid in the noninvasive and preoperative diagnosis of HCC with MVI, which may result in the clinical benefit in terms of prognostic prediction and clinical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To construct an MRI-based habitat imaging model to help predict component percentage in combined hepatocellular carcinoma-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CCA) preoperatively, and investigate the biologic underpinnings of habitat imaging in cHCC-CCA. Methods: The study consisted of one retrospective model-building dataset and one prospective validation dataset from two hospitals. All voxels were assigned into different clusters according to the similarity of enhancement pattern by using K-means clustering method, and each habitat's volume fraction in each lesion was calculated. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis was performed to select optimal predictors, and then to establish an MRI-based habitat imaging model. R-squared was calculated to evaluate performance of the prediction models. Model performance was also verified in the prospective dataset with RNA sequencing data, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was then applied to investigate the biologic underpinnings of habitat imaging. Results: A total of 129 patients were enrolled (mean age, 56.1 ± 10.4, 102 man), among which 104 patients were in the retrospective model-building set, while 25 patients in the prospective validation set. Three habitats, habitat1 (HCC-alike habitat), habitat2 (iCCA-alike habitat), and habitat3 (in-between habitat), were identified. Habitat 1's volume fraction, habitat 3's volume fraction, nonrim APHE, nonperipheral washout, and LI-RADS categorization were selected to develop an HCC percentage prediction model with R-squared of 0.611 in the model-building set and 0.541 in the validation set. Habitat 1's volume fraction was correlated with genes involved in regulation of actin cytoskeleton and Rap1 signaling pathway, which regulate cell migration and tumor metastasis. Conclusion: Preoperative prediction of HCC percentage in patients with cHCC-CCA was achieved using an MRI-based habitat imaging model, which may correlate with signaling pathways regulating cell migration and tumor metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), remains an ongoing global public health challenge. This disease causes damage not only to the respiratory system, affecting the normal physiological function of the lungs, but also to other vital organs, such as the heart and testicles. Existing studies have shown that co-expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane serine protease 2 is the main mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 invades host cells. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2-expressing cells are widespread in the corpus cavernosum, reproductive tract and testis of men, which has raised concerns. Furthermore, abnormal sex hormone levels and decreased semen parameters were observed in coronavirus disease 2019 patients. This study comprehensively assessed the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the testis, semen parameters, sex hormone levels and erectile function, and discussed possible transmission routes during sexual intercourse and the effect of vaccination on male fertility. Since the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has already had a widespread impact on fertility. This study comprehensively assessed the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the testis, semen parameters, sex hormone levels and erectile function, and discussed possible transmission routes during sexual intercourse and the effect of vaccination on male fertility. It provides a reference for maintaining male reproductive health under the background of normalised prevention and control of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) are the two most frequently performed techniques in treating obesity and its related comorbidities. We aimed to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of LSG with LRYGB in terms of short- and mid-term outcomes of weight loss, obesity-related comorbidities, and post-operative complications via a meta-analysis of RCTs. Methods: Clinical comparative RCTs on LSG and LRYGB were searched through PubMed, MEDLINE, and Web of Science databases from inception to August 2022. Pooled outcomes from the selected studies were discussed by the random-effect meta-analysis method. Quality assessment and risk of bias for selected RCTs were implemented, and all the statistical analyses were performed. Results: Twenty studies, including 1270 patients, were enrolled. Meta-analysis results indicated the great superior efficacy of LRYGB to LSG in BMI loss at 6 (MD -1.35 kg/m2, 95% CI: -2.07 to -0.62, p = 0.0003), 12 months (MD -1.09 kg/m2, 95% CI: -1.86 to -0.33, p = 0.005), and 36 months (MD -1.47 kg/m2, 95% CI: -2.77 to -0.16, p = 0.03) as well as %EWL gaining at 36 months. Significantly higher remission rates of T2DM and dyslipidemia were achieved by LRYGB at 12 months. Besides, better improvements for T2DM-related and lipid biochemical parameters were found favoring LRYGB. However, LSG resulted in a lower post-operative complication rate and shorter operating time. Conclusions: Present meta-analysis results suggested that LRYGB was superior to LSG concerning short- and mid-term weight loss, short-term T2DM remission efficacy, and related biochemical parameters. LSG is favored for obviously fewer complications and shorter operating time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, using density functional theory, novel two-dimensional (2D) CrInX2 (X = S, Se, Te) structures are predicted to be practical ferromagnetic (FM) semiconductors. Phonon vibrations and molecular dynamics simulations verified their structural and thermodynamic stability. Sizable fully spin-polarized band gaps of 1.03 and 0.69 eV are found for CrInS2 and CrInSe2, while CrInTe2 exhibits half-metallic band nature (at 0 K with a perfect lattice). The high magnetic anisotropy energies are responsible for their long-range spin polarization. The Curie temperatures (Tc) are estimated to be 347, 397 and 447 K for CrInS2, CrInSe2 and CrInTe2, respectively, all well above the room-temperature. The high Tc originates from unusual FM direct exchange, the efficient super-exchange coupling between neighboring Cr eg-orbitals with zero virtual exchange gaps and the presence of dual Cr–X–Cr super-exchange channels. Our systematic study of the CrInX2 monolayer suggests that it could be a promising material for spintronics applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Polysaccharide hydrogel is one of the most important materials for the colon target drug release system. However, the degradation time of polysaccharide hydrogel is much longer than the retention time in the colon. The drugs are expelled from the body before being released. OBJECTIVE: In order to match the degradation of drug carriers and their retention time in the colon, a rapidly degradable konjac glucomannan (KGM) hydrogel was designed for colon target drug release. METHODS: A crosslinker containing azo bond, olsalazine, was used to prepare the rapidly degradable KGM hydrogel. The degradation and drug release of the hydrogels with different crosslinking densities in the normal buffer and the human fecal medium were studied to evaluate the efficiency of colon drug release. RESULTS: More than 50% of the KGM hydrogel by weight was degraded and more than 60% of the 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) was released within 48 h in 5% w/v human fecal medium. CONCLUSION: The drug was released more rapidly in a simulated colon environment than in a normal buffer. Furthermore, the drug release was controlled by the degradation of the hydrogel. The KGM hydrogel containing azo crosslinker has great potential for colon drug release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is challenging in hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐infected patients, due to the overlapping clinical manifestations and atypical imaging patterns compared to patients without HBV. Purpose: To investigate the preoperative imaging characteristics of iCCA in patients with HBV in comparison to those without HBV. Study Type: Retrospective. Subjects: 431 patients with histopathologically confirmed iCCA (143 HBV‐positive and 288 HBV‐negative patients) were retrospectively enrolled from three institutes, and patients were allocated to the training (n = 302) and validation (n = 129) cohorts from different institutes or time period; 100 matching HBV‐positive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients were also enrolled. Field Strength/Sequence: 1.5‐T and 3‐T, including T1‐ and T2‐weighted, diffusion‐weighted and dynamic gadopentetate dimeglumine‐enhanced imaging. Assessment: Clinical and MRI features were analyzed and compared between HBV‐positive and HBV‐negative patients with iCCA, and between HBV‐positive patients with iCCA and HCC. Statistical Tests: Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses with odds ratio (OR) to identify independent features for discriminating HBV‐associated iCCA. Diagnostic model generation by incorporating independent features, and the performance for discrimination was evaluated by receiver operating characteristics with the area under the curve (AUC) and 95% confidence interval (CI). AUCs were compared by the DeLong's method. A P‐value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Compared to patients without HBV, washout or degressive enhancement pattern (OR = 51.837), well‐defined tumor margin (OR = 8.758) and no peritumoral bile duct dilation (OR = 4.651) were independent significant features for discriminating HBV‐associated iCCAs. All these features were also the predominant MRI manifestations for HBV‐associated HCC. The combined index showed an AUC of 0.798 (95% CI 0.748–0.842) in the training cohort and an AUC of 0.789 (95% CI 0.708–0.856) in the validation cohort for discrimination. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were all >70%, which was superior to each single feature alone in both cohorts. [Correction added after first online publication on 29 June 2023. The Field Strength/Sequence has been updated from 5‐T to 1.5‐T.] Data Conclusion: Preoperative MRI may help to discriminate HBV‐associated iCCA. Evidence Level: 3 Technical Efficacy Stage: 2 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polishing path optimization plays a crucial role in achieving high-quality and uniform surface polishing of free-form surfaces. To address the issue of uncontrollable ripple errors caused by uneven material removal in traditional contact polishing, this paper proposes an adaptive polishing path optimization method for uniform polishing of free-form surfaces based on footprint evolution. The presented approach considers the influence of curvature on footprint evolution and seeks to dynamically optimize the spacing between adjacent paths. This optimization ensures suitable overlap between neighboring footprints, ultimately leading to the achievement of uniform depth removal. Through modeling simulations and experimental comparisons involving different contact curvatures, it has been conclusively established that surface curvature plays a pivotal role in footprint evolution. Additionally, surface polishing experiments yielded results indicating a reduction in surface waviness within the central polishing area, decreasing from a root-mean-square value of 5.1766 to 4.1448 nm. These outcomes preliminary demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. This study presents an efficient curvature adaptive path planning approach based on footprint evolution, offering new insights into achieving uniform polishing and suppressing waviness errors on free-form surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The red imported fire ant is an invasive pest worldwide and a social insect that presents a significant risk to agricultural productivity, ecosystems, and human health. This work presents the selection of three nanomaterials out of a total of 16 species. We assessed the toxicity and behavioral alteration effects of these three materials individually, as well as in combination with indoxacarb, on red imported fire ants. The results showed that diatomite and multi-walled carbon nanotubes could enhance the activity of indoxacarb against red imported fire ants and inhibit their colony behavior. Diatomite and multi-walled carbon nanotubes can be added as pesticide additives to improve the control effects on red imported fire ants, reduce the use of indoxacarb, and delay the development of resistance. The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) is one of the 100 worst invasive alien species in the world. At present, the control of red imported fire ants is still mainly based on chemical control, and the most commonly used is indoxacarb bait. In this study, the contact and feeding toxicity of 16 kinds of nanomaterials to workers, larvae, and reproductive ants were evaluated after 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h. The results showed that the mortality of diatomite, Silica (raspberry-shaped), and multi-walled carbon nanotubes among workers reached 98.67%, 97.33%, and 68%, respectively, after contact treatment of 72 h. The mortality of both larval and reproductive ants was less than 20% after 72 h of treatment. All mortality rates in the fed treatment group were below 20% after 72 h. Subsequently, we evaluated the digging, corpse-removal, and foraging behaviors of workers after feeding with diatomite, Silica (raspberry-shaped), and multi-walled carbon nanotubes for 24 h, which yielded inhibitory effects on the behavior of red imported fire ants. The most effective was diatomite, which dramatically decreased the number of workers that dug, extended the time needed for worker ant corpse removal and foraging activities, decreased the number of workers that foraged, and decreased the weight of the food carried by the workers. In addition, we also evaluated the contact and feeding toxicity of these three nanomaterials in combination with indoxacarb on red imported fire ants. According to contact toxicity, after 12 h of contact treatment, the death rate among the red imported fire ants exposed to the three materials combined with indoxacarb reached more than 97%. After 72 h of exposure treatment, the mortality rate of larvae was more than 73% when the nanomaterial content was above 1% and 83% when the diatomite content was 0.5%, which was significantly higher than the 50% recorded in the indoxacarb control group. After 72 h of feeding treatment, the mortality of diatomite, Silica (raspberry-shaped), and multi-walled carbon nanotubes combined with indoxacarb reached 92%, 87%, and 98%, respectively. The death rates of the three kinds of composite ants reached 97%, 67%, and 87%, respectively. The three kinds of composite food had significant inhibitory effects on the behavior of workers, and the trend was largely consistent with the effect of nanomaterials alone. This study provides technical support for the application of nanomaterials in red imported fire ant control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astroviruses have frequently been found in mammals and poultry, but only a few have been successfully isolated for extensive research. Here, we isolated a strain of porcine astrovirus type 5 (PAstV 5) on LLC-porcine kidney (LLC-PK) cells, from the intestinal contents of diarrhea piglets, namely PAstV 5-HNPDS-01. The complete genome sequence length of this strain was 6,419 nt, which has 77.2%–91.1% nucleotide homology with other PAstV 5 strains and 45.0%–50.0% nucleotide homology with other mammalian astroviruses. The recombination analysis indicated that the recombination events were occurred in ORF 2 region (4,444–5,323 nt) in PAstV 5-HNPDS-01 strain. Subsequently, the pathogenicity of PAstV 5-HNPDS-01 was evaluated in 5-day-old piglets. It showed that the PAstV 5-HNPDS-01 could cause mild diarrhea, growth retardation, minor damage to intestinal villi clinically. Meanwhile, PAstV 5-HNPDS-01 infection could affect the microbiota diversity and composition of cecum in piglet from phylum to genus level. After infected with PAstV 5, there was a significant downregulation of beneficial bacteria, including Faecalibacterium, Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, and Prevotella, while harmful bacteria such as Subdoligranulun showed a significant upregulation. These results provided a research basis for pathogenic mechanisms, vaccine development, and beneficial symbiotic bacteria development for PAstV 5 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among humans and food-producing animals has been widely reported. However, the transmission routes and associated risk factors remain incompletely understood. Methods Here, we used commensal Escherichia coli bacteria strains from faeces of pigs and local citizens [HEG: high exposure group (pig breeders, butchers or restaurant chefs) and LEG: low exposure group (other occupations)] to explore the dynamics of ARB and ARG transmission between animals and humans. Results Most ARGs (96%) present in pigs were shared with humans. Carriage rates of the shared ARGs suggest two transmission patterns among pigs, the HEG and LEG: one pattern was highest in pigs, gradually decreasing in the HEG and LEG (e.g. floR and cmlA1); the other pattern was increasing from pigs to the HEG but then decreasing in the LEG (e.g. mcr-1.1). Carriage rates of the HEG were higher than in the LEG in both patterns, implicating the HEG as a crucial medium in transmitting ARB and ARGs between food-producing animals and humans. Moreover, frequent inter/intragroup transmission via strains, plasmids and/or mobile elements was evident. Carriage of mcr-1.1 on human-gut-prevalent plasmids possibly promoted its enrichment in the HEG. Conclusions The HEG is a crucial factor in transmitting ARB and ARGs between food-producing animals and humans. Rational measures to contain the risks of occupational exposure are urgently needed to keep dissemination of antibiotic resistance in check and safeguard public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The arc plasma is widely used in various fields due to its excellent advantages, such as elevated temperature, high enthalpy, and increased energy density. Under this direction, a four‐electrode V‐shaped arc plasma torch was developed to increase both the arc power and plasma volume. The arc dynamic characteristics, the volt‐ampere characteristics, and the thermal efficiency of the arc plasma torch were systematically studied. From the acquired results, a large‐scale, and low‐frequency re‐strike process between the arc channels was demonstrated. Compared with the common twin‐electrode structure, the stability of the four‐electrode structure during the discharging process was improved, exhibiting a wider frequency distribution of the re‐strike events. The electrode layout may also affect the dynamic evolution process of the arc. However, from a statistical point of view, no significant differences in electrical characteristics were recorded. The four‐electrode V‐shaped arc plasma torch presented a typical descending volt‐ampere characteristic, and the re‐strike frequency increased with an increase in the current. A high thermal efficiency (above 83%) was obtained in the range of arc current of 80–200 A. At a current value of 200 A, the jet enthalpy and the average gas temperature can reach 17.41 MJ/kg and 6590 K, and the corresponding jet length was close to 80 cm because of both the high thermal efficiency and enthalpy. The stable discharge process, high thermal efficiency, high jet enthalpy value, and large volume rendered the proposed four‐electrode V‐shaped arc plasma torch to be suitable for various applications including nanomaterial preparation, metal powder spheroidization, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To establish a non-invasive diagnostic system for intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma (IMCC) via decision tree analysis. Methods: Totally 1008 patients with 504 pathologically confirmed IMCCs and proportional hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) and combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinomas (cHCC-CC) from multi-centers were retrospectively included (internal cohort n = 700, external cohort n = 308). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to evaluate the independent clinical and MRI predictors for IMCC, and the selected features were used to develop a decision tree–based diagnostic system. Diagnostic efficacy of the established system was calculated by the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis in the internal training-testing and external validation cohorts, and also in small lesions ≤ 3 cm. Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that female, no chronic liver disease or cirrhosis, elevated carbohydrate antigen 19–9 (CA19-9) level, normal alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, lobulated tumor shape, progressive or persistent enhancement pattern, no enhancing tumor capsule, targetoid appearance, and liver surface retraction were independent characteristics favoring the diagnosis of IMCC over HCC or cHCC-CC (odds ratio = 3.273–25.00, p < 0.001 to p = 0.021). Among which enhancement pattern had the highest weight of 0.816. The diagnostic system incorporating significant characteristics above showed excellent performance in the internal training (area under the curve (AUC) 0.971), internal testing (AUC 0.956), and external validation (AUC 0.945) cohorts, as well as in small lesions ≤ 3 cm (AUC 0.956). Conclusions: In consideration of the great generalizability and clinical efficacy in multi-centers, the proposed diagnostic system may serve as a non-invasive, reliable, and easy-to-operate tool in IMCC diagnosis, providing an efficient approach to discriminate IMCC from other HCC-containing primary liver cancers. Clinical relevance statement: This study established a non-invasive, easy-to-operate, and explainable decision tree–based diagnostic system for intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma, which may provide essential information for clinical decision-making. Key Points: • Distinguishing intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma (IMCC) from other primary liver cancers is important for both treatment planning and outcome prediction. • The MRI-based diagnostic system showed great performance with satisfying generalization ability in the diagnosis and discrimination of IMCC. • The diagnostic system may serve as a non-invasive, easy-to-operate, and explainable tool in the diagnosis and risk stratification for IMCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The double-chamber arc plasma torch (DCAPT) is a promising arc source due to its high energy efficiency and low erosion rate. It has been widely used in various fields including coal powder ignition, boiler heavy oil-free ignition, and production of sheet-shaped carbon materials, among others, but research on its micro-discharge characteristics is still insufficient. In this work, a magnetically-stabilized DCAPT with a quartz window on the inner electrode is designed and studied, in order to investigate the effects of magnetic field position and intensity, discharge current, gas flow rate, electrode diameter, and electrode polarity on its discharge characteristics. Results show that both the volt-ampere characteristics and thermal efficiency of DCAPT exhibit a strictly decreasing trend, and both of them can be accurately predicted using similar theoretical approaches. The discharge characteristics of DCAPT differ significantly for different polarities. When in reverse polarity, the outer cathode arc root attaches to the outlet, resulting in an increased arc length and greater randomness in the arc-root fluctuations. As a result, the arc length, voltage, thermal efficiency, and voltage fluctuations are all greater than with normal polarity. Within the experimental range of the parameters, the thermal efficiency of DCAPT is between 40 and 74%. Due to the cathode's "easily mobility" characteristic, the rotation speed of the cathode arc root is always greater than that of the anode, resulting in higher thermal losses for the cathode than for the anode. This is the primary source of thermal loss and the main factor contributing to the rapid erosion of the cathode in the DCAPT. This study reveals the correlation between the volt-ampere characteristics, thermal characteristics, and dynamic evolution of the DCAPT. The research findings have significance for guiding the structural design, parameter selection, and choice of application of this type of plasma torch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]