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In deep mineral exploration, it is difficult to constrain the complex geological structures using a single geophysical method. To tackle the difficulty, integrated geophysical surveys and joint data interpretation are essential. Machine learning (ML) provides more accurate predictions than traditional methods, especially when dealing with complex data from multiple sources or varied statistical distributions. However, a major challenge in using ML for deep mineral exploration is the scarcity and imbalance of labeled samples, mainly due to budget constraints and the complexity of ore deposits. This issue reduces the accuracy of predictive models and introduces bias. Additionally, limited labeling can lead to difficulties in predicting previously undefined classes in training datasets. To address these challenges, we introduce a robust semisupervised ML framework that integrates diverse geophysical and geological datasets to improve model reliability with limited labeled data. Our approach uses a semisupervised ML variational Gaussian mixture model (SsL-VGMM) to handle issues related to insufficient and imbalanced data. We enhanced the model's predictive capability for unseen data by introducing a novel penalty factor in the 'cannot-link' function. Moreover, we employed Bayesian optimization, focusing on the mean-mixture weight, to avoid local optima during model training. Our model demonstrated high accuracy and efficiency, with classification and prediction accuracies of 95.33% and 87.4%, respectively, in numerical and electromagnetic simulation scenarios. Its effectiveness was further validated by locating Pb–Zn–Ag deposits in Inner Mongolia, supported by actual drilling data. This paper highlights the model's potential in complex mineral exploration and its significant practical and innovative value for deep mineral exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yangbajain Geothermal Field in Tibet is located in the fault subsidence basin of the central Yadong-Gulu Rift Valley. The spatial distribution of the field is controlled by mountain-front fault zones on the northwestern and southeastern sides of the basin. Geothermal power has been generated in Yangbajain for more than 40 years. However, owing to the lack of three-dimensional (3D) geophysical exploration data, key geological issues related to the partial melt body of the Yangbajain Geothermal Field, such as its location, burial depth, and geometric form, as well as the ascending channel of the geothermal fluid, have for a long time been controversial. In this study, 3D inversion was performed using measured geo-electromagnetic total impedance tensor data from 47 survey points. The extracted horizontal sections at different depths and profiles, and at different lines, reflect the 3D electrical structure model of the geothermal field in the study area. Subsequently, three findings were obtained. First, the partial melt body, located below the China-Nepal Highway extending along the northeast direction, is the heat source of the Yangbajain Geothermal Field. The burial depth range of the molten body was determined to range between approximately 6.2 and 14 km. Moreover, the geothermal fluid ascended a horn-shaped circulation channel with an up-facing opening, located in the northern section of the sulfur ditch area. The study results revealed that deep rock fissures (>2 km) were not well developed and had poor permeability. In addition, no layered heat reservoirs with high water richness were observed in the northern part of the study area. However, the application of enhanced geothermal system (EGS) technology in the northern region would be essential to improving the power generation capacity of the Yangbajain Geothermal Field. In addition, the study found no deep high-temperature heat storage areas in the southern region of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of a "smoke ring" in electromagnetic fields can be used to describe the spatial distribution and diffusion of electromagnetic fields with either frequency or time. This provides an intuitive basis for the qualitative interpretation of artificial-source electromagnetic measurement results. The existing discussions regarding this field of study have mainly focused on the smoke rings of a magnetic dipole or loop source. In the present work, smoke rings of other commonly used grounded-wire sources in the time domain are investigated. The results show that the smoke ring of grounded-wire sources is more complex than that of magnetic sources. A grounded-wire source can generate an induced current in both horizontal and vertical directions. The horizontal induced current includes positive and negative parts. Both parts of the horizontal induced current maximum diffuse downward perpendicular to the surface, but the diffusion velocity of the negative part is faster, approximately 5.6 times that of the positive part. The vertical induced current maximum diffuses at 45° from the grounded surface with a velocity approximately 5 times that of the positive horizontal induced current. The smoke ring of the horizontal induced current closely resembles a basin, while that of the vertical induced current is more similar to two separate cylinders. Finally, the imaging depth based on horizontal and vertical induced currents is obtained by the statistical relationship between the induced current maximums and the diffusion depth, which are equal to 1.4 times and 1.25 times the diffusion depth, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocabulary learning is important to learners of a second language (L2). Nonetheless, organizing young children to practice L2 words in a classroom setting might cause many challenges to educators and practitioners. New technologies such as Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) may be utilized to solve the issue. In this study, we present a pedagogical innovation of using an ASR-based translator to assist young children to practice L2 words in a personalized and engaging way. ASR-based translators, in general, are easy to access in various smart devices such as smart phones, tablets, intelligent personal assistants and social robots. Although they are not designed to be educational tools, they might be adapted creatively into pedagogical practices. In the current study, we evaluate the effectiveness of word training with an ASR-based translator. Twenty-four Australian young children with an average age of 8.21 years old were assigned into two conditions: (1) the experimental condition used the ASR-based translator (group E), and (2) the comparison condition adopted a traditional teacher-led way of training (group C). Both quantitative data and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. It was discovered that group E significantly outperformed group C in the immediate post-tests, while the superiority became less obvious in the delayed post-tests. In addition, the young children in group E enjoyed training with the ASR-based translator. Implications for future practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After vaccination with enterovirus 71 (EV-A71), the prevalence of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) remained high, and the spatial–temporal distribution of enteroviruses changed. Therefore, it is essential to define the temporal features, spatial distributions, and epidemiological and etiological characteristics of HFMD in Kunming. Between 2017 and 2020, a total of 36,540 children were diagnosed with HFMD in Kunming, including 32,754 children with enterovirus-positive clinical samples. Demographic, geographical, epidemiological and etiological data of the cases were acquired and analyzed. Other enteroviruses replaced EV-A71, and the incidence of EV-A71 decreased dramatically, whereas coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6) and coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16) had substantial outbreaks in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The major and minor peaks all extended for 2–4 months compared to before vaccination with the EV-A71 vaccine. From 2019 to 2020, CV-A6, as the predominant serotype, showed only a single peak. Although a high incidence of HFMD was observed in Guandu, Chenggong and Xishan, the annual incidence of different enterovirus serotypes was different in different regions. In 2017, other enteroviruses were most prevalent in Shilin. In 2018, CV-A16 and CV-A6 were most prevalent in Luquan and Shilin, respectively. In 2019, CV-A16 was most prevalent in Jinning. In 2020, CV-A6 and coxsackievirus A10 (CV-A10) were most prevalent in Luquan and Shilin, respectively. Meanwhile, the epidemic cycle of CV-A6 and CV-A16 was only 1 year, and CV-A10 and other enteroviruses were potential risk pathogens. The spatial and temporal distribution of HFMD varies at different scales, and the incidence of HFMD associated with different pathogens has obvious regional differences and seasonal trends. Therefore, research on multivalent combined vaccines is urgently needed, and proper preventive and protective measures could effectively control the incidence of HFMD-like diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: The overexpression of HaCYC2c and its regulation on HaNDUA2 through transcriptional recognition are important for regulating the heteromorphous development and functional differentiation of ray and disc florets in sunflower. Flower symmetry is closely related to pollinator recruitment and individual fecundity for higher plants and is the main feature used to identify flower type in angiosperms. In sunflower, HaCYC2c regulates floral organ development and floral symmetry, but the specific detail remains unclear. In this study, sunflower long petal mutant (lpm) with HaCYC2c insertion mutation was used to investigate the regulating role of HaCYC2c in the morphogenesis of florets and the transformation of floral symmetry through phenotype, transcriptome, qRT-PCR, and possible protein-gene interactions analyses. Results showed that HaCYC2c was overexpressed after an insertion into the promoter region. This gene could recognize the cis-acting element GGTCCC in the promoter region of HaNDUA2 that might regulate HaNDUA2 and affect other related genes. As a consequence, the abnormal elongation of disc petals and the degradation of male reproductive system occurred at the early development of floral organ in sunflower. Furthermore, this insertion mutation resulted in floral symmetry transformation, from actinomorphy to zygomorphy, thereby making the tubular disc florets transformed into ray-like disc florets in sunflower lpm. The findings suggested that the overexpression of HaCYC2c and its control of HaNDUA2 through transcriptional recognition might be an important regulating node of the heteromorphous development and functional differentiation for ray and disc florets in sunflower. This node contributes to the understanding of the balance between pollinator recruitment capacity of ray florets and fertility of disc florets for the optimization of reproductive efficiency and enhancement of species competitiveness in sunflower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To validate a fast 3D biplanar spinal radiograph reconstruction method with automatic extract curvature parameters using artificial intelligence (AI).Three-hundred eighty paired, posteroanterior and lateral, radiographs from the EOS X-ray system of children with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were randomly selected from the database. For the AI model development, 304 paired images were used for training; 76 pairs were employed for testing. The validation was evaluated by comparing curvature parameters, including Cobb angles (CA), apical axial vertebral rotation (AVR), kyphotic angle (T1–T12 KA), and lordotic angle (L1–L5 LA), to manual measurements from a rater with 8 years of scoliosis experience. The mean absolute differences ± standard deviation (MAD ± SD), the percentage of measurements within the clinically acceptable errors, the standard error of measurement (SEM), and the inter-method intraclass correlation coefficient ICC[2,1] were calculated. The average reconstruction speed of the 76 test images was recorded.Among the 76 test images, 134 and 128 CA were exported automatically and measured manually, respectively. The MAD ± SD for CA, AVR at apex, KA, and LA were 3.3° ± 3.5°, 1.5° ± 1.5°, 3.3° ± 2.6° and 3.5° ± 2.5°, respectively, and 98% of these measurements were within the clinical acceptance errors. The SEMs and the ICC[2,1] for the compared parameters were all less than 0.7° and > 0.94, respectively. The average time to display the 3D spine and report the measurements was 5.2 ± 1.3 s.The developed AI algorithm could reconstruct a 3D scoliotic spine within 6 s, and the automatic curvature parameters were accurately and reliably extracted from the reconstructed images.Methods: To validate a fast 3D biplanar spinal radiograph reconstruction method with automatic extract curvature parameters using artificial intelligence (AI).Three-hundred eighty paired, posteroanterior and lateral, radiographs from the EOS X-ray system of children with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were randomly selected from the database. For the AI model development, 304 paired images were used for training; 76 pairs were employed for testing. The validation was evaluated by comparing curvature parameters, including Cobb angles (CA), apical axial vertebral rotation (AVR), kyphotic angle (T1–T12 KA), and lordotic angle (L1–L5 LA), to manual measurements from a rater with 8 years of scoliosis experience. The mean absolute differences ± standard deviation (MAD ± SD), the percentage of measurements within the clinically acceptable errors, the standard error of measurement (SEM), and the inter-method intraclass correlation coefficient ICC[2,1] were calculated. The average reconstruction speed of the 76 test images was recorded.Among the 76 test images, 134 and 128 CA were exported automatically and measured manually, respectively. The MAD ± SD for CA, AVR at apex, KA, and LA were 3.3° ± 3.5°, 1.5° ± 1.5°, 3.3° ± 2.6° and 3.5° ± 2.5°, respectively, and 98% of these measurements were within the clinical acceptance errors. The SEMs and the ICC[2,1] for the compared parameters were all less than 0.7° and > 0.94, respectively. The average time to display the 3D spine and report the measurements was 5.2 ± 1.3 s.The developed AI algorithm could reconstruct a 3D scoliotic spine within 6 s, and the automatic curvature parameters were accurately and reliably extracted from the reconstructed images.Results: To validate a fast 3D biplanar spinal radiograph reconstruction method with automatic extract curvature parameters using artificial intelligence (AI).Three-hundred eighty paired, posteroanterior and lateral, radiographs from the EOS X-ray system of children with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were randomly selected from the database. For the AI model development, 304 paired images were used for training; 76 pairs were employed for testing. The validation was evaluated by comparing curvature parameters, including Cobb angles (CA), apical axial vertebral rotation (AVR), kyphotic angle (T1–T12 KA), and lordotic angle (L1–L5 LA), to manual measurements from a rater with 8 years of scoliosis experience. The mean absolute differences ± standard deviation (MAD ± SD), the percentage of measurements within the clinically acceptable errors, the standard error of measurement (SEM), and the inter-method intraclass correlation coefficient ICC[2,1] were calculated. The average reconstruction speed of the 76 test images was recorded.Among the 76 test images, 134 and 128 CA were exported automatically and measured manually, respectively. The MAD ± SD for CA, AVR at apex, KA, and LA were 3.3° ± 3.5°, 1.5° ± 1.5°, 3.3° ± 2.6° and 3.5° ± 2.5°, respectively, and 98% of these measurements were within the clinical acceptance errors. The SEMs and the ICC[2,1] for the compared parameters were all less than 0.7° and > 0.94, respectively. The average time to display the 3D spine and report the measurements was 5.2 ± 1.3 s.The developed AI algorithm could reconstruct a 3D scoliotic spine within 6 s, and the automatic curvature parameters were accurately and reliably extracted from the reconstructed images.Conclusion: To validate a fast 3D biplanar spinal radiograph reconstruction method with automatic extract curvature parameters using artificial intelligence (AI).Three-hundred eighty paired, posteroanterior and lateral, radiographs from the EOS X-ray system of children with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were randomly selected from the database. For the AI model development, 304 paired images were used for training; 76 pairs were employed for testing. The validation was evaluated by comparing curvature parameters, including Cobb angles (CA), apical axial vertebral rotation (AVR), kyphotic angle (T1–T12 KA), and lordotic angle (L1–L5 LA), to manual measurements from a rater with 8 years of scoliosis experience. The mean absolute differences ± standard deviation (MAD ± SD), the percentage of measurements within the clinically acceptable errors, the standard error of measurement (SEM), and the inter-method intraclass correlation coefficient ICC[2,1] were calculated. The average reconstruction speed of the 76 test images was recorded.Among the 76 test images, 134 and 128 CA were exported automatically and measured manually, respectively. The MAD ± SD for CA, AVR at apex, KA, and LA were 3.3° ± 3.5°, 1.5° ± 1.5°, 3.3° ± 2.6° and 3.5° ± 2.5°, respectively, and 98% of these measurements were within the clinical acceptance errors. The SEMs and the ICC[2,1] for the compared parameters were all less than 0.7° and > 0.94, respectively. The average time to display the 3D spine and report the measurements was 5.2 ± 1.3 s.The developed AI algorithm could reconstruct a 3D scoliotic spine within 6 s, and the automatic curvature parameters were accurately and reliably extracted from the reconstructed images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing rate of mental health disorders among youth in the United States (U.S.) and the essential role of parents in children’s development, many studies have investigated the relationship between parental factors and children’s mental health. The current study expanded on this research by exploring the impact of parent solid self (i.e., one subcategory of differentiation of self), parenting stress, parenting styles, and parent involvement in treatment on children’s mental health symptom severity. The sample included 216 parents (U.S. residents; Mage = 33.84, SDage = 5.384) with at least one youth aged 3–17 years actively or historically in mental health treatment. Participants completed an online survey that included a demographic questionnaire and measures of parenting styles, parental solid self, parental stress, and children’s symptom severity. A simple linear regression found that parental solid self and stress levels were associated with the severity of children’s symptoms. A two-way ANOVA revealed that parenting styles had a significant main effect on children’s symptom severity. Results also showed that the level of authoritative parenting style mediated the relationship between parental solid self and children’s symptom severity. This study further highlighted the importance of promoting individual therapy or psychoeducation for parents and how it might benefit children’s treatment. Future research may consider children’s perspectives, how parents engage with their child’s treatment, incorporating more expansive assessment methods, and longitudinal designs to further explore the impact of parents’ differentiation of self, parental stress, parenting styles, and parental involvement in treatment on children’s symptom severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface-to-borehole transient electromagnetic (TEM) method, which uses a rectangular loop as its source, has shown great potential in mineral exploration at greater depth. However, recent studies have demonstrated that a grounded-wire source can resolve the resistive targets and provide detection at greater depths than the loop source. Thus, we propose a surface-to-borehole TEM method using a grounded wire as a transmitter at short offsets. We conducted numerical experiments to explain the variation of different parameters and its comparable effects on the TEM transients. Similarly, a systematic comparison of the cross-sectional electric field distribution maps, borehole profiles of the time derivatives of the magnetic field, qualitatively reveal that the proposed method induces detectable responses for conductive and resistive targets at greater depths. In the present study, unlike the loop source configuration, the time derivative of an underground magnetic field in horizontal direction showed high sensitivity to resistive bodies. Furthermore, 1-D inversion was performed to provide quantitative interpretation of the borehole data. The 1-D inversion of the surface and borehole data was realized using an Occam-type inversion scheme. The results of both synthetic and field data indicate that inverting the surface or borehole data separately resulted in degraded resolution in both shallow and deep earth. Thus, we also compared the results from the inversions of surface and borehole data in order to explore the merits of joint inversion in resolving shallow and deep structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strategy to quantitatively evaluate the water content of aquifers was developed using transient electromagnetic (TEM) geo-electrical data and a database of generalized specific capacities obtained by pumping tests. Through regression analysis, a local (site-dependent) relationship was established between the generalized specific capacity and the aquifer's average resistivity. According to the relationship, the quasi-generalized specific capacity can be obtained using TEM data from across the entire survey area. The methodology was tested in a thick composite coal seam aquifer system with abundant water. By using the generalized specific capacities of 11 pumping wells and the average resistivities derived from TEM, a negative power function was established between the aquifer water volume and the area's resistivity. Using the quasi-generalized specific capacity provided a clearer understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huoqiu iron deposit is a typical Precambrian banded iron-formation (BIF) field which is located in the North China Craton (NCC). To detect the deep ore bodies around Dawangzhuang Village in Yingshang County, north of the Huoqiu deposit field, electromagnetic methods were tested. As the ore bodies are buried under very thick conductive Quaternary sediments, the use of EM methods is a great challenge. Short-offset transient electromagnetic method (SOTEM) was applied in the area as we wanted to test due to its detection depth and resolution. A 2D model was first built according to the geology information and magnetic measurement results. Then, 2D forward and 1D inversion were carried out using FDTD and Occam's algorithm, respectively. The synthetic modeling results helped us with the survey design and interpretation. Two 1400-m-long survey lines with offset of 500 and 1000 m were laid perpendicular to the BIF's strike, and the transmitting parameters were selected by a test measurement at the vicinity of a local village. Finally, the structure of survey area and BIF bodies were determined based on the 1D inversion results of real data, and showed a consistency with the subsequent drill results. Our application of SOTEM in detecting hidden BIF buried under very thick conductive layer has shown that the method is capable of penetrating great depth more than 1000 m even in a very conductive environment and will be an effective tool for deep resources investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North China-type coalfield is the most important coalfield in China. With the development of Chinese economy, shallow coal resources (<600 m) have been exhausted and large-depth detection is being conducted. Water-inrush is disastrous for coal mining. However, large-depth (600-1200 m) detection of water-filled zones in the North China-type coalfield is a difficult geophysical task due to its low-resistivity coverage. The traditional loop-source transient electromagnetic method (TEM) cannot realize large-depth detection. On the other hand, high-resolution detection of LOTEM is limited by the problem of recording points and large volume effect. To explore the large-depth targets with high-resolution, Short-offset grounded TEM (SOTEM) was applied in the North China-type coalfield. SOTEM is one branch of grounded-wire TEM. The response of SOTEM is calculated using superposing-dipole method rather than the direct-dipole approximation, which is used in the calculation of the response of LOTEM. This paper analyzes the comparison of the resolution and detection depth between SOTEM and loop-source TEM at first. Compared to the loop-source TEM with frequently used parameters, the detection depth of SOTEM with the usual setup parameters is about twice of magnitude, and the resolution capability of SOTEM at large depth is higher than that of loop-source TEM. Then, the resolution capability and detection depth between LOTEM and SOTEM are analyzed. For the grounded-wire TEM, offsets are strictly related to the detection depth. So, the detection depth of LOTEM with larger receiver-transmitter offset will be greater. However, at the depth of 600-1200 m, the resolution capability to conductive targets of SOTEM is higher than that of LOTEM. At last, SOTEM with a 1000-m long source and 1000-2000 m offset is applied to the 1200 m-depth exploration of water-filled zones in the North China-type coalfield. The induced voltage is observed and transformed into magnetic field. Then, the data is inverted using the least mean fourth algorithm. The distribution of water on the top and bottom surface of the large-depth No. 4 coal seam is given, and is verified by the drilling result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under both pyrolysis and combustion condition, HCl removal efficiency for medical waste with Cabased additives was semi-quantitatively studied by means of TG-FTIR. Additionally, the difference of HCl removal efficiency for PVC and medical waste was compared. Experimental results showed that: 1) Thermal degradation of medical waste mainly took place in two steps under both pyrolysis and combustion condition; 2) HCl emitted at both two steps and HCl concentration increased with the increased of Cl ratio in the medical waste; 3) for the same additive, HCl concentration decreased with the increased of additives amount, that is to say, HCl removal efficiency of medical waste increased as the increased of Ca/Cl molar ratio. Fourth, when Ca(OH) was used as additive, HCl removal efficiency for medical waste combustion was a little higher than that for medical waste pyrolysis, but either CaCO or CaO was used as additive, it was just opposite, more specifically, when CaCO was used as additive with Ca/Cl = 1.3, HCl removal efficiency was 5.49% under pyrolysis condition, but that was only 4.24% under combustion condition. Fifth, under the same Ca/Cl molar ratio, HCl removal efficiency for PVC was higher than that for medical waste under both pyrolysis and combustion condition, more specifically, when Ca(OH) was used as additive with Ca/Cl = 1, HCl removal efficiency was 64.51% for PVC, but that was only 27.66% for medical waste pyrolysis with 4% Cl under pyrolysis condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway is subject to inhibition by Smad7. High expression of Smad7 in the peritoneum of rats can delay and attenuate not only peritoneal fibrosis, but also monocyte infiltration into the peritoneum. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of Smad7 in peritoneal fibrosis. Methods: Rat peritoneal mesothelial cells were stimulated with TGF-β1, and the expression of MCP-1 protein and mRNA was measured. Furthermore, the expression of MCP-1 was determined following inhibition of TGF-β/Smad or p38 signaling using Smad7 transfection or SB203580 (10 μmol/L), respectively. The effect of exogenous Smad7 and SB203580 on activation of the TGF-β/Smad and p38 signaling pathways was also studied. Results: TGF-β1 significantly upregulated the expression of MCP-1 at both the protein and mRNA level in a time-dependent manner. Exogenous Smad7 and SB203580 markedly inhibited TGF-β1-induced MCP-1 expression. Moreover, high expression of exogenous Smad7 not only inhibited phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3, but also diminished the level of phosphorylated p38. However, SB203580 had no effect on the phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3. Conclusions: TGF-β1 exhibits pro-inflammatory effects through the upregulation of MCP-1 in peritoneal fibrosis. Smad7 inhibits TGF-β1 induced MCP-1 upregulation through a MAPK/p38-dependent pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]