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Metamaterials are defined as artificially designed micro-architectures with unusual physical properties, including optical, electromagnetic, mechanical, and thermal characteristics. This study investigates the compressive mechanical and heat transfer properties of AlSi10Mg gradient metamaterials fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). The morphology of the AlSi10Mg metamaterials was examined using an ultrahigh-resolution microscope. Quasi-static uniaxial compression tests were conducted at room temperature, with deformation behavior captured through camera recordings. The findings indicate that the proposed gradient metamaterial exhibits superior compressive strength properties and energy absorption capacity. The Gradient-SplitP structure demonstrated better compressive performance compared to other strut-based structures, including Gradient-Gyroid and Gradient-Lidinoid structures. With an apparent density of 0.796, the Gradient-SplitP structure exhibited an outstanding energy absorption capacity, reaching an impressive 23.57 MJ/m3. In addition, heat conductivity tests were performed to assess the thermal resistance of these structures with different cell configurations. The gradient metamaterials exhibited higher thermal resistance and lower thermal conductivity. Consequently, the designed gradient metamaterials can be considered valuable in various applications, such as thermal management, load-bearing, and energy absorption components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by massive neuronal loss in the brain. Both cortical glutamatergic neurons and basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs) in the AD brain are selectively vulnerable. The degeneration and dysfunction of these two subtypes of neurons are closely associated with the cognitive decline of AD patients. The determination of cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in AD pathogenesis, especially in the early stage, will largely facilitate the understanding of this disease and the development of proper intervention strategies. However, due to the inaccessibility of living neurons in the brains of patients, it remains unclear how cortical glutamatergic neurons and BFCNs respond to pathological stress in the early stage of AD. In this study, we established in vitro differentiation systems that can efficiently differentiate patient-derived iPSCs into BFCNs. We found that AD-BFCNs secreted less Aβ peptide than cortical glutamatergic neurons did, even though the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio was comparable to that of cortical glutamatergic neurons. To further mimic the neurotoxic niche in AD brain, we treated iPSC-derived neurons with Aβ42 oligomer (AβO). BFCNs are less sensitive to AβO induced tau phosphorylation and expression than cortical glutamatergic neurons. However, AβO could trigger apoptosis in both AD-cortical glutamatergic neurons and AD-BFCNs. In addition, AD iPSC-derived BFCNs and cortical glutamatergic neurons exhibited distinct electrophysiological firing patterns and elicited different responses to AβO treatment. These observations revealed that subtype-specific neurons display distinct neuropathological changes during the progression of AD, which might help to understand AD pathogenesis at the cellular level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate macrolide-resistant Mycobacterium pneumoniae (MRMP) pneumonia in children and construct a logistic regression model for mutations in the Mycoplasma pneumoniae drug-resistant gene. Methods: Clinical data of 281 children were analyzed. Sequencing confirmed a mutation at the A2063G locus of the 23 S rRNA gene in 227 children (A2063G group); 54 children showed no mutations (non-MRMP [NMRMP] group). We compared clinical features, laboratory tests, imaging, and bronchoscopy results and constructed a multifactorial logistic regression model to analyze risk and protective factors. Results: The A2063G group had longer durations of fever and hospitalization before admission, a higher proportion of treatment with sodium methylprednisolone succinate (MPS)/dexamethasone, longer time to discontinue hormones, and higher probability of combined infections. Monocyte percentage was significantly higher in the A2063G group. Imaging suggested a higher incidence of infections in the right lung compared to both lungs. Univariate analysis revealed fever duration before admission, hormone dose and duration, monocyte percentage, and mixed infections as risk factors for Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection with the A2063G mutation. The logistic regression model showed that mixed infections were an independent risk factor for the A2063G locus mutation, whereas hormone dose was a protective factor. Conclusion: A prevalence of macrolide resistance of 80.8% among children was observed in the region. Logistic regression analysis revealed that co-infection with other respiratory pathogens is an independent risk factor for the development of resistance genes, while the use of hormone dosage acts as a protective factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flow field structure within the clearances of turbomachinery is complex and diverse, exhibiting high-dimensional nonlinearity. How to accurately extract the main structures that affect the internal flow within the turbine from the complex clearance flow has always been a key issue. To explore the impact of the dynamic structure of the clearance flow on the mainstream region in a centrifugal pump, this study combines the dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) method to conduct a thorough analysis of the velocity and pressure pulsation frequencies in the multi-physics fields within the clearance. The study has identified the main characteristic structures under different physical conditions in the clearance and has established the relationship between the characteristic structure frequencies in different physical fields and the impeller frequency. The research indicates that the internal flow within the clearance affects the occurrence of vortices in the volute. Under design conditions, the velocity field within the clearance is primarily influenced by high-order harmonic frequencies of the impeller, and the pressure field is mainly affected by low-order harmonic frequencies of the impeller. This reflects the crucial influence of impeller frequency and inlet flow on the coherent structures within the clearance flow. The research results offer new insights and methods for analyzing complex internal flows in large turbomachinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water pollution is calling for a sustainable remediation method such as the use of metallic iron (Fe0) to reduce and filter some pollutants, yet the reactivity and hydraulic conductivity of iron filters decline over time under field conditions. Here we review iron filters with focus on metallic corrosion in porous media, flaws in designing iron filters, next-generation filters and perspectives such as safe drinking water supply, iron for anaemia control and coping with a reactive material. We argue that assumptions sustaining the design of current Fe0 filters are not valid because proposed solutions address the issues of declining iron reactivity and hydraulic conductivity separately. Alternatively, a recent approach suggest that each individual Fe0 atom corroding within a filter contributes to both reactivity and permeability loss. This approach applies well to alternative iron materials such as bimetallics, composites, hybrid aggregates, e.g. Fe0/sand, and nano-Fe0. Characterizing the intrinsic reactivity of individual Fe0 materials is a prerequisite to designing sustainable filters. Indeed, Fe0 ratio, Fe0 type, Fe0 shape, initial porosity, e.g. pore size and pore size distribution, and nature and size of admixing aggregates, e.g. pumice, pyrite and sand, are interrelated parameters which all influence the generation and accumulation of iron corrosion products. Fe0 should be characterized in long-term experiments, e.g. 12 months or longer, for Fe dissolution, H2 generation and removal of contaminants in three media, i.e., tap water, spring water and saline water, to allow reactivity comparison and designing field-scale filters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-wall carbon nanotube filled shape memory polymer composite (MWCNT/SMC) possessed enhanced modulus, strength, and electric conductivity, as well as excellent electrothermal shape memory properties, showing wide design scenarios and engineering application prospects. The thermoelectrically triggered shape memory process contains complex multi-physical mechanisms, especially when coupled with finite deformation rooted on micro-mechanisms. A multi-physical finite deformation model is necessary to get a deep understanding on the coupled electro-thermomechanical properties of electrothermal shape memory composites (ESMCs), beneficial to its design and wide application. Taking into consideration of micro-physical mechanisms of the MWCNTs interacting with double-chain networks, a finite deformation theoretical model is developed in this work based on two superimposed network chains of physically crosslinked network formed among MWCNTs and the chemically crosslinked network. An intact crosslinked chemical network is considered featuring with entropic-hyperelastic properties, superimposed with a physically crosslinked network where percolation theory is based on electric conductivity and electric-heating mechanisms. The model is calibrated by experiments and used for shape recoveries triggered by heating and electric fields. It captures the coupled electro-thermomechanical behavior of ESMCs and provides design guidelines for MWCNTs filled shape memory polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present light measurements in Arctic sea ice obtained during the year-long MOSAiC drift through the central Arctic Ocean in 2019–2020. Such measurements are important as sea ice plays a fundamental role in the Arctic climate and ecosystem. The partitioning of solar irradiance determines the availability of radiation energy for thermodynamic processes and primary productivity. However, observations of light partitioning along the vertical path through the ice are rare. The data we present were collected by two measurement systems, the lightharp and the lightchain, both measuring autonomously multi-spectral light intensity in different depths within the ice. We present the dataset, retrieval methods for derived optical properties, and the conversion into the final, freely available data product, following standardized conventions. We particularly focus on the specifications of the newly developed lightharp system. Combined with the interdisciplinary and multi-instrument setup of MOSAiC, we expect great potential of the dataset to foster our understanding of light transmission and reflection in the sea-ice cover and interactions with physical sea-ice properties and the polar ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We aimed to characterize genetic correlations and causal associations between circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and the risk of lung cancer (LC). Methods: Leveraging summary statistics from genome-wide association studies of circulating CRP levels among 575,531 individuals of European ancestry, and LC risk among 29,266 cases and 56,450 controls, we investigated genetic associations of circulating CRP levels with the risk of overall lung cancer and its histological subtypes, by using linkage disequilibrium score (LDSC) regression and Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses. Results: Significant positive genetic correlations between circulating CRP levels and the risk of LC and its histological subtypes were identified from LDSC regression, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.12 to 0.26, and all false discovery adjusted p < 0.05. Univariable MR demonstrated a nominal association between CRP levels and an increased risk of lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (inverse variance-weighted OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.01–1.30). However, this association disappeared when multivariable MR included cigarettes per day and/or body mass index. By using our recently developed constrained maximum likelihood-based MR method, we identified significant associations of CRP levels with the risk of overall LC (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.03–1.09), SCC (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02–1.09), and small cell lung cancer (SCLC, OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.03–1.15). Moreover, most univariable and multivariable MR analyses also revealed consistent CRP-SCLC associations. Conclusion: There may be a genetic and causal association between circulating CRP levels and the risk of SCLC, which is in line with previous population-based observational studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African-ancestry (AA) participants are underrepresented in genetics research. Here, we conducted a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) in AA female participants to identify putative breast cancer susceptibility genes. We built genetic models to predict levels of gene expression, exon junction, and 3′ UTR alternative polyadenylation using genomic and transcriptomic data generated in normal breast tissues from 150 AA participants and then used these models to perform association analyses using genomic data from 18,034 cases and 22,104 controls. At Bonferroni-corrected P < 0.05, we identified six genes associated with breast cancer risk, including four genes not previously reported (CTD-3080P12.3, EN1, LINC01956 and NUP210L). Most of these genes showed a stronger association with risk of estrogen-receptor (ER) negative or triple-negative than ER-positive breast cancer. We also replicated the associations with 29 genes reported in previous TWAS at P < 0.05 (one-sided), providing further support for an association of these genes with breast cancer risk. Our study sheds new light on the genetic basis of breast cancer and highlights the value of conducting research in AA populations. Here, the authors integrate genomic and transcriptomic data obtained from African-ancestry female participants and identify six genes associated with breast cancer risk which provides biological insights into this common cancer in an underrepresented population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of tissue engineering, the application of decellularized adipose matrix as scaffold material in tissue engineering has been intensively explored due to its wide source and excellent potential in tissue regeneration. Decellularized adipose matrix is a promising candidate for adipose tissue regeneration, while modification of decellularized adipose matrix scaffold can also allow it to transcend the limitations of adipose tissue source properties and applied to other tissue engineering fields, including cartilage and bone tissue engineering, neural tissue engineering, and skin tissue engineering. In this review, we summarized the development of the applications of decellularized adipose matrix in different tissue engineering and present future perspectives. Level of Evidence III This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As for Atrazine (C8H14ClN5) degradation in soil, iron (Fe)-manganese (Mn) bimetallic biochar composites were proved to be more efficient for persulfate (PS) activation than monometallic ones. The atrazine removal rates of Fe/Mn loaded biochar + PS systems were 2.17–2.89 times higher than Fe/Mn loaded biochar alone. Compared with monometallic biochar, the higher atrazine removal rates by bimetallic biochar (77.2–96.7%) were mainly attributed to the synergy degradation and adsorption due to the larger amounts of metal oxides on the biochar surface. Atrazine degradation in Fe-rich biochar systems was mainly attributed to free radicals (i.e., SO 4 · - and ·OH) through oxidative routes, whereas surface-bound radicals, 1O2, and free radicals were responsible for the degradation of atrazine in Mn-rich biochar systems. Furthermore, with a higher ratio of Fe(II) and Mn(III) formed in Fe-rich bimetallic biochar, the valence state exchange between Fe and Mn contributed significantly to the more effective activation of PS and the generation of more free radicals. The pathways of atrazine degradation in the Fe-rich bimetallic biochar systems involved alkyl hydroxylation, alkyl oxidation, dealkylation, and dechlorohydroxylation. The results indicated that bimetallic biochar composites with more Fe and less Mn are more effective for the PS-based degradation of atrazine, which guides the ration design of easily available carbon materials targeted for the efficient remediation of various organic-polluted soil. Highlights: Both Fe- and Mn-rich bimetallic biochar can effectively activate persulfate, but Fe-rich biochar is superior. Atrazine degradation in Fe-rich biochar systems was attributed to free radicals through oxidative routes. Atrazine degradation pathways involved alkyl hydroxylation, alkyl oxidation, dealkylation, and dechlorohydroxylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generalized zero-shot extreme multi-label learning (GZXML) aims to predict relevant labels for unknown instances from a set of seen and unseen labels and is widely used in engineering applications. Since the supervisory information of the instances is incomplete in this task, the existing methods classify such instances based on the semantic relationships between the instances and labels. However, the supervisory information of the seen labels is also crucial for achieving high prediction performance. To bridge this gap, we propose collaborative learning of supervision and correlations for GZXML (CLSC-XML). CLSC-XML leverages both the semantic relationships between instances and labels and the supervisory information of the seen labels to enhance the prediction results for unseen labels. Specifically, CLSC-XML extracts discriminative and representational features, which are then fed into classification and correlation modules for collaborative learning. Furthermore, to enrich the incomplete supervised information, we propose the generation of features for unseen labels (GFUL) algorithm. The classifier is trained alternately with the GFUL algorithm. The classifier provides semantic guidance to the GFUL algorithm, and in turn, the GFUL algorithm helps the classification model enrich the supervised information. Experimental results show that CLSC-XML outperforms the state-of-the-art methods and requires less training time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The prevalence of odontogenic infections remains one of the highest in the world. If untreated, odontogenic infections can break through the limitation, disseminate to other organs or spaces, and cause high mortality rates. However, it is still difficult to rapidly target limited or disseminated infections in clinical practice. The type of disseminated odontogenic infections and the responsible bacteria have not been described in detail. Methods: Search databases (e.g., PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase) for reports published from 2018.1 to 2022.9. Use search strategies: ("odontogenic infections" OR "pulpitis" OR "periapical lesions" OR "periodontal diseases") AND ("disseminated infections" OR "complication"). Results: Fourteen different types of disseminated odontogenic infections, most of which are polymicrobial infections, can spread through the body either direct or through hematogenous diffusion. Multiple microbial infections can be more invasive in the transmission of infection. Secondary infections are commonly associated with bacteria like Fusobacterium spp., Streptococcus spp., Peptostreptococcus spp., Prevotella spp., and Staphylococcus spp. Antibiotics with broad-spectrum activity are fundamental as first-line antimicrobial agents based on the microorganisms isolated from disseminated infections. Conclusion: This review elaborates on the epidemiology, microorganisms, risk factors, and dissemination routes, and provides evidence-based opinions on the diagnosis, multidisciplinary management, and prevention of odontogenic infections for dentists and clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we classify the m-ovoids of finite classical polar spaces that admit a transitive automorphism group acting irreducibly on the ambient vector space. In particular, we obtain several new infinite families of transitive m-ovoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a nature-inspired metaheuristic method, the firefly algorithm (FA) arises more attentions in academic and engineering fields. However, too much attraction in FA's global attraction model leads to low computational efficiency, and the stochastic model with fixed randomization parameter is hard to balance the exploitation and exploration of the algorithm. Thus, FA still needs improvement to deal with complex engineering problems. An integrated firefly algorithm (IFA) that combines two novel attractive models with a new stochastic model is proposed to improve the standard FA. Firstly, the attractive model and stochastic model of standard FA are investigated through theoretical analysis and numerical experiments. And the factors that affect the computational efficiency and accuracy of FA are revealed. Based on the analysis results, two new fitness-based update formulas for attractiveness parameter are constructed to avoid the invalidation. The proposed virtual attractive model and global best attractive model can reduce the computation complexity and enhance the exploitation ability. Moreover, an adaptive strategy is presented for the stochastic model to achieve a better balance between exploitation and exploration. The nonlinearly decreased model for the update of parameter α can adjust the population diversity through the iteration and ensure the convergence. Additionally, an adaptive penalty function method is developed to handle the constraints effectively. Then, the initial parameters are tested, and the best initial parameters corresponding to the optimal performance of IFA are obtained. The proposed algorithm is evaluated by CEC2015 hybrid composition and a set of classical functions. The numerical experimental results show that the proposed techniques can enhance the solution accuracy and accelerate the convergence speed. Finally, IFA and other metaheuristic algorithms are applied to solve five engineering design optimization problems with mixed variables and multiple constraint conditions. The results indicate that IFA with adaptive penalty function needs fewer fitness evaluations and costs less computational time to obtain the optimal solutions. Furthermore, it exhibits better accuracy and robustness than other algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) have shown successes in clinics, but most PRS methods focus only on participants with distinct primary continental ancestry without accommodating recently-admixed individuals with mosaic continental ancestry backgrounds for different segments of their genomes. Here, we develop GAUDI, a novel penalized-regression-based method specifically designed for admixed individuals. GAUDI explicitly models ancestry-differential effects while borrowing information across segments with shared ancestry in admixed genomes. We demonstrate marked advantages of GAUDI over other methods through comprehensive simulation and real data analyses for traits with associated variants exhibiting ancestral-differential effects. Leveraging data from the Women's Health Initiative study, we show that GAUDI improves PRS prediction of white blood cell count and C-reactive protein in African Americans by > 64% compared to alternative methods, and even outperforms PRS-CSx with large European GWAS for some scenarios. We believe GAUDI will be a valuable tool to mitigate disparities in PRS performance in admixed individuals. Most polygenic risk score (PRS) methods focus only on individuals with distinct primary continental ancestry, without accommodating recently-admixed individuals. Here, the authors develop a novel penalized regression-based PRS method specifically designed for admixed individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sine cosine algorithm (SCA) is a new meta-heuristic algorithm. It has been proven to be very competitive compared with other meta-heuristic algorithms and has attracted significant attention from researchers in different fields. At present, there is no research on the application of SCA in the truss structure. In order to solve the truss optimization problem, the following improvements are made to SCA in this paper. Firstly, a non-linear conversion parameter is set to replace the linear conversion parameter, so that the exploration area is better in line with the characteristics of the actual optimization situation. Secondly, the Lévy flight is employed to enhance the algorithm's global search ability. Thirdly, a novel elite guidance strategy taking advantage of memory data is proposed to strengthen the local search ability. Finally, a greedy selection strategy is adopted for the selection of the candidate. Combining the finite element method, we apply ISCA to optimize the size, shape and topology of truss structures. The examples show that ISCA can use less calculation time, get better results, and also better stability. So, the ISCA is effective to solve the size, shape and topology optimization problems of truss structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the limit of a local average of the KPZ equation in dimension d = 2 with general initial data in the subcritical regime. Our result shows that a proper spatial averaging of the KPZ equation converges in distribution to the sum of the solution to a deterministic KPZ equation and a Gaussian random variable that depends solely on the scale of averaging. This shows a unique mesoscopic averaging phenomenon that is only present in dimension two. Our work is inspired by the recent findings by Chatterjee (Ann l’Institut Henri Poincare (B) Probabilites et statistiques 59(2):774–794, 2023). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing complexity of seismic exploration objects, numerical simulation methods that can accurately describe topographical surfaces and complex geological structures are very important. In this study, we propose a mesh-free finite-difference method for frequency-domain numerical simulation with topography. The mesh-free nodes method theoretically applies to any surface and geological structure, whereas the finite-difference scheme has the advantages of high calculation efficiency, small memory occupation, and high simulation accuracy. Therefore, the mesh-free finite-difference method ensures high efficiency and is suitable for irregular surfaces. In addition, we introduce the perfectly matched layer (PML) absorbing boundary condition into the mesh-free numerical simulation, and we compare the performance of the simplified PML, the classical PML, and the complex frequency-shifted PML methods in suppressing boundary reflections. Then, the complex frequency-shift PML method, which is more accurate in suppressing boundary reflections under topographical surface conditions, is applied to the comparison of the mesh-free and regular grid numerical simulations. The comparisons reflected in snapshots, seismic records, and seismic wavelets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed mesh-free finite-difference method. Finally, the proposed numerical simulation method is applied to the Marmousi model and field data with topography to further demonstrate its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to develop phospholipid-based injectable phase transition in situ gels (PTIGs) for the sustained release of Brexpiprazole (Brex). Phospholipid (Lipoid S100, S100) and stearic acid (SA) were used as the gel matrix which was dissolved in biocompatible solvent medium-chain triglyceride (MCT), N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP), and ethanol to obtain PTIGs solution. The Brex PTIG showed a solution condition of low viscosity in vitro and was gelatinized in situ in vivo after subcutaneous injection. Both in vitro release assay and in vivo pharmacokinetics study in SD rats displayed that Brex in PTIGs could achieve a sustained release, compared with brexpiprazole solution (Brex-Sol) or brexpiprazole suspension (Brex-Sus). The Brex-PTIGs had good degradability and biocompatibility in vivo with rare inflammation at the injection site. Among the three Brex-PTIG formulations, Brex-PTIG-3 with the SA in the formulation had the greatest gelation viscosity, the lowest initial release rate, and the most stable release profile with sustained release of up to 60 days. The above results indicated that, as a novel drug delivery system, the Brex-PTIGs offered a new option for the clinical treatment of patients with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) containing metallic iron (Fe0) as reactive materials are currently considered as an established technology for groundwater remediation. Fe0 PRBs have been introduced by a field demonstration based on the fortuitous observation that aqueous trichloroethylenes are eliminated in Fe0-based sampling vessels. Since then, Fe0 has been tested and used for treating various biological (e.g. bacteria, viruses) and chemical (organic and inorganic) contaminants from polluted waters. There is a broad consensus on the view that "reactivity loss" and "permeability loss" are the two main problems hampering the design of sustainable Fe0 systems. However, the view that Fe0 is a reducing agent (electron donor) under environmental conditions should be regarded as a distortion of Corrosion Science. This is because it has been long established that aqueous iron corrosion is a spontaneous process and results in the Fe0 surface being shielded by an oxide scale. The multi-layered oxide scale acts as a conduction barrier for electrons from Fe0. Accordingly, "reactivity loss", defined as reduced electron transfer to contaminants, must be revisited. On the other hand, because "stoichiometric" ratios were considered while designing the first generation of Fe0 PRBs (Fe0 as reductant), "permeability loss" should also be revisited. The aim of this communication is to clarify this issue and reconcile a proven efficient technology with its scientific roots (i.e. corrosion science). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plasma proteins are potential biomarkers for complex diseases. We aimed to identify plasma protein biomarkers for lung cancer. Methods: We investigated genetically predicted plasma levels of 1130 proteins in association with lung cancer risk among 29,266 cases and 56,450 controls of European descent. For proteins significantly associated with lung cancer risk, we evaluated associations of genetically predicted expression of their coding genes with the risk of lung cancer. Results: Nine proteins were identified with genetically predicted plasma levels significantly associated with overall lung cancer risk at a false discovery rate (FDR) of <0.05. Proteins C2, MICA, AIF1, and CTSH were associated with increased lung cancer risk, while proteins SFTPB, HLA-DQA2, MICB, NRP1, and GMFG were associated with decreased lung cancer risk. Stratified analyses by histological types revealed the cross-subtype consistency of these nine associations and identified an additional protein, ICAM5, significantly associated with lung adenocarcinoma risk (FDR < 0.05). Coding genes of NRP1 and ICAM5 proteins are located at two loci that have never been reported by previous GWAS. Genetically predicted blood levels of genes C2, AIF1, and CTSH were associated with lung cancer risk, in directions consistent with those shown in protein-level analyses. Conclusion: Identification of novel plasma protein biomarkers provided new insights into the biology of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, polyethersulfone (PES) and sulfonated polysulfone (SPSf) blend membranes were prepared with addition of sulfonated polyethersulfone (SPES) as a hydrophilic polymer and adipic acid as a porogen via non-solvent induced phase separation method for effective fractionation of dyes based on the influence of steric hindrance and charge effect. Raman spectroscopy and molecular dynamic simulation modeling confirmed that hydrogen bonds between PES, SPSf, SPES, and adipic acid were crucial to membrane formation and spatial arrangement. Further addition of hydrophilic SPES resulted in a membrane with reduced pore size and molecular weight cut-off as well as amplified negative charge and pure water permeance. During separation, the blend membranes exhibited higher rejection rates for nine types of small molecular weight (269.3–800 Da) dyes than for neutral polyethylene glycol molecules (200–1000 Da). This was attributed to the size effect and the synergistic effect between steric hindrance and charge repulsion. Notably, the synergistic impact decreased with dye molecular weight, while greater membrane negative charge enhanced small molecular dye rejection. Ideal operational stability and anti-fouling performance were best observed in M2 (PES/SPSf/SPES, 3.1 wt %). Summarily, this study demonstrates that SPES with −SO3− functional groups can be applied to control the microstructure and separation of membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If a centrifugal impeller is in deep stall, it requires a large amount of additional energy to break free. As such, it is crucial to study the prediction method of impeller stall and establish its relationship with force and torque. This study employs a computational fluid dynamics numerical simulation method to analyze the flow field within the impeller of a centrifugal pump, while monitoring the changes in hydraulic torque of the blades. By examining the impeller's internal flow field characteristics and external (energy performance) characteristics curves under different working conditions, the stall process was classified into three stages: germination, transition and stabilization. The evolution of stall cells under different stall stages was also analyzed. We utilized time-frequency conversion and analysis to extract characteristic parameters from instantaneous hydraulic torque results generated under different working conditions. A more effective model for predicting impeller stall stages was built by virtue of support vector machine algorithm. The proposed model exhibits improved feasibility and effectiveness in comparison to traditional prediction methods. It is expected to have significant implications for stable operation monitoring and safety protection of centrifugal pumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The role of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is not fully understood. Methods: In this retrospective analysis, we included 316 HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy and preoperative CTC detection. We selected 41 pairs of matched HCC patients with and without PVTT using propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. We compared the preoperative CTC counts in patients from both the full cohort and the PSM model. We also analyzed their associations with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: Before and after PSM analysis, the preoperative CTC counts in the HCC with PVTT group were substantially higher than in the HCC without PVTT group. In both the full cohort of patients and the PSM model, patients with CTC ≥ 2 had significantly shorter OS and DFS than patients with CTC < 2. The outcomes of HCC patients with PVTT could be well differentiated by preoperative CTC levels. HCC patients with CTC ≥ 2 had noticeably shorter OS (9.9 months vs. 24.6 months, P = 0.0003) and DFS (6.0 months vs. 12.3 months, P = 0.0041) than those with CTC < 2. Moreover, preoperative CTC ≥ 2 remained an independent predictor in all groups' multivariate analysis. Conclusion: We discovered a link between preoperative CTC counts and the occurrence of PVTT and confirmed the prognostic significance of preoperative CTC in HCC patients with PVTT. These findings suggest that preoperative CTC counts have the potential to assist in identifying patients with HCC and PVTT who may benefit from surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a high-dimensional complex nonlinear dynamic system, the analysis of the essence of flow has always been a difficult problem, especially in the flow including phase change. In recent years, it has become a feasible method to reduce the dimension of flow structure by reduced-order modeling (ROM) methods. In this paper, through the cavitation numerical simulation of NACA0015 hydrofoil, two ROM methods are used to reduce and restore three different cavitation respectively-proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD). The applicability of two methods in cavitation is discussed and reasons are analyzed. The results show that for stable cavitation, POD, DMD methods can accurately restore the flow field of a few modes with high energy. For unstable cavitation, only POD method can restore real flow field well. This situation is mainly due to the fact that POD, DMD method are applicable to different energy ratios, and different main mode selection criterion of DMD will lead to different main mode. ROM can greatly simplify the complexity of flow. Selecting a reasonable ROM can improve the accuracy of a small amount of database, and provide a basis for intelligent prediction of flow analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stimulation of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is the risk factor for temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA). We aim to investigate IL-1β stimulation-related gene and signal pathways in synovial fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SF-MSCs) inflammatory activation to predict the occurrence of TMJOA. The microarray dataset GSE150057 was downloaded from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database, and principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the involved genes to obtain differential genes (DEGs). Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway were performed based on the DAVID database. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by the STRING database to identify hub genes. Based on the correlation between differential expression levels of lncRNAs and mRNAs, the co-expression network of lncRNA-mRNA was established. A total of 200 DEGs were obtained. Among 168 differential mRNAs, 126 were up-regulated and 42 were down-regulated; among 32 differential lncRNAs, 23 were up-regulated and 9 were down-regulated. Then, GO analysis showed that DEGs were mainly involved in signal transduction, inflammation, and apoptosis processes. KEGG pathway mainly involved the TNF signaling pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, and cytokine-cytokine-receptor interaction. Ten hub genes were recognized by PPI analysis, including CXCL8, CCL2, CXCL2, NFKBIA, CSF2, IL1A, IRF1, VCAM1, NFKB1, and TNFAIP3. In conclusion, our study has indicated the role of IL-1β stimulation in the progression of SF-MSCs inflammation and predicted DEGs and downstream pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the way supplier firms' corporate social responsibility (CSR) affects their likelihood of being selected as new suppliers. Using a large sample of US public firms with detailed supply chain and CSR data, we provide empirical evidence that corporate customers prefer socially responsible suppliers, and that the effect is more prominent when the supplier industry is more competitive, the customer's own CSR performance is better, or the supplier and the customer have more similar CSR focuses. Our paper contributes to the literature of instrumental stakeholder theory (IST) by confirming corporate customer attraction as a desirable outcome of supplier CSR engagement. It complements the existing IST studies on customer responses by showing that CSR attracts not only final customers but also corporate customers. Moreover, by focusing on corporate customers' revealed preferences for socially responsible suppliers, our paper also complements the stated-preference-based evidence in the literature of sustainable supply chain management. Our paper's findings encourage supplier firm managers to invest in CSR to gain competitive advantages in the form of a higher likelihood of selection while simultaneously making positive contributions to society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of efficacious treatments for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) has led to a poor 5-year survival rate. Here, we found that the expression of ADAM metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif 9 (ADAMTS9) antisense RNA 1 (ADAMTS9-AS1) is commonly decreased in ccRCC tissues. Decreased ADAMTS9-AS1 is associated with advanced stages and poor prognosis in ccRCC patients. Additionally, we found that promoter hypermethylation contributes to the suppression of ADAMTS9-AS1 expression in ccRCC that contained relatively low levels of ADAMTS9-AS1. Further functional studies demonstrated that ADAMTS9-AS1 inhibits cell growth and drug resistance through enhancing mRNA stability of ADAMTS9 in ccRCC. Mechanistically, ADAMTS9-AS1 directly bound to Human Antigen R (HuR). Then, the ADAMTS9-AS1-HuR complex was guided to the ADAMTS9 3'UTR through specific RNA–RNA interaction. Moreover, ADAMTS9-AS1 expression is positively correlated with ADAMTS9 expression in ccRCC tissues. In summary, our data not only highlight the important role of ADAMTS9-AS1 in ccRCC progression, but also reveal new regulatory mechanisms of ADAMTS9, which provides important insights into novel treatment strategies targeting ADAMTS9-AS1-HuR- ADAMTS9 axis in ccRCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to capture fine spectral discriminative information enables hyperspectral images (HSIs) to observe, detect and identify objects with subtle spectral discrepancy. However, the captured HSIs may not represent the true distribution of ground objects and the received reflectance at imaging instruments may be degraded, owing to environmental disturbances, atmospheric effects, and sensors’ hardware limitations. These degradations include but are not limited to complex noise, heavy stripes, deadlines, cloud/shadow occlusion, blurring and spatial-resolution degradation, etc. These degradations dramatically reduce the quality and usefulness of HSIs. Low-rank tensor approximation (LRTA) is such an emerging technique, having gained much attention in the HSI restoration community, with an ever-growing theoretical foundation and pivotal technological innovation. Compared to low-rank matrix approximation (LRMA), LRTA characterizes more complex intrinsic structures of high-order data and owns more efficient learning abilities, being established to address convex and non-convex inverse optimization problems induced by HSI restoration. This survey mainly attempts to present a sophisticated, cutting-edge, and comprehensive technical survey of LRTA toward HSI restoration, specifically focusing on the following six topics: denoising, fusion, destriping, inpainting, deblurring, and super-resolution. For each topic, state-of-the-art restoration methods are introduced, with quantitative and visual performance assessments. Open issues and challenges are also presented, including model formulation, algorithm design, prior exploration, and application concerning the interpretation requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distinguishing feature of a quantum system is interference arising from the wave mechanical nature of particles which is clearly central to macroscopic electronic properties. Here, we report the signature of quantum interference effect in inter-layer transport process. Via systematic magneto-drag experiments on graphene-based electronic double-layer systems, we observe low-field correction to the Coulomb-scattering-dominated inter-layer drag resistance in a wide range of temperature and carrier density, with its characteristics sensitive to the band topology of graphene layers. These observations can be attributed to a new type of quantum interference between drag processes, with the interference pathway comprising different carrier diffusion paths in the two constituent conductors. The emergence of such effect relies on the formation of superimposing planar diffusion paths, among which the impurity potentials from intermediate insulating spacer play an essential role. Our findings establish an ideal platform where the interplay between quantum interference and many-body interaction is essential. Previous demonstrations of quantum interference in solids have mainly been limited to intra-layer transport within single conductors. Zhu et al. report a new type of inter-layer quantum interference in graphene-based double-layer devices, due to interference between carrier diffusion paths across the constituent layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn to sugar process has long faced the risks of high energy consumption and thin profits. However, it's hard to upgrade or optimize the process based on mechanism unit operation models due to the high complexity of the related processes. Big data technology provides a promising solution as its ability to turn huge amounts of data into insights for operational decisions. In this paper, a neural network-based production process modeling and variable importance analysis approach is proposed for corn to sugar processes, which contains data preprocessing, dimensionality reduction, multilayer perceptron/convolutional neural network/recurrent neural network based modeling and extended weights connection method. In the established model, dextrose equivalent value is selected as the output, and 654 sites from the DCS system are selected as the inputs. LASSO analysis is first applied to reduce the data dimension to 155, then the inputs are dimensionalized to 50 by means of genetic algorithm optimization. Ultimately, variable importance analysis is carried out by the extended weight connection method, and 20 of the most important sites are selected for each neural network. The results indicate that the multilayer perceptron and recurrent neural network models have a relative error of less than 0.1%, which have a better prediction result than other models, and the 20 most important sites selected have better explicable performance. The major contributions derived from this work are of significant aid in process simulation model with high accuracy and process optimization based on the selected most important sites to maintain high quality and stable production for corn to sugar processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inactive gas (N2 or Ar) and oxygen scavenger (Fe2+ or Cu+) are used for the synthesis of silver nanowires (AgNWs) with thin diameter (< 30 nm) and high aspect ratio (> 1000), but the yield is always low. Due to the oxidative etching, oxygen largely influences silver nanostructures not only in the nucleation process but also in the growth period. Herein, we systematically studied AgNW synthesis under the condition of an atmosphere with different oxygen contents (O2, air, and N2). We separated the formation of Ag-twinned seeds and nanoparticles in the incubation and the elongation of AgNWs in the growth, which are both sensitive to the oxygen content. AgNWs with 28.5 nm diameter, 2500 aspect ratio, and 91% yield were obtained when the sample was protected in N2 (incubation) and refluxed with air (growth), resulting in a conductive film with a sheet resistance of 48 Ω/sq at a transmittance of 97.0%, comparable to that of ITO. The growth mechanism of such high-quality AgNWs was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-war baseball attendance data afford a unique opportunity to assess how leisure spending fared not only through deflation but also after such shocks as the Spanish Flu of 1918 and the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Long-run analysis via a vector error correction model (VECM) reveals significant cointegration of baseball attendance with both prices and output. A long-run positive relationship with prices offers evidence of a negative impact of deflation on leisure spending, suggesting that deflation is indeed more to be feared than inflation. There are also apparent parallels between the post-pandemic boom in leisure spending in 1919 and the post-2020 experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle-reinforced aluminum matrix composites (PRAMCs) always show a low forming stability because the particles are easily separated from the matrix, leaving voids and forming cracks. Extruded in situ PRAMCs are gradually replacing ex situ PRAMCs due to the higher interface bonding between the in situ reinforcements and matrix. In this study, a hot-extruded in situ AA6111 composite with ZrB2 nanoparticles was obtained from an Al-Zr-B system. The effects of the ZrB2 content on the geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density, grain size, grain boundaries, textures and tensile properties of AA6111 composites were researched. The results showed that as the volume fraction of ZrB2 increased, the mean GND dislocation density increased from 1.53 × 1015 m−2 to 3.23 × 1015 m−2, and most dislocations were located around the ZrB2 nanoparticle clusters. In addition, an increase in the ZrB2 content decreased the frequency of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) from 79.28 to 69.45% and increased the frequency of low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs). ZrB2 nanoparticle clusters which were located along the grain boundaries promoted continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) and remarkably refined the grains, with the mean size decreasing from 48.2 to 1.8 μm. However, dispersed ZrB2 nanoparticles inside the grains suppressed CDRX. Tensile tests showed that the properties rose dramatically with an increasing volume fraction of ZrB2, and the optimum ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS) and elongation (El) of the 2 vol% ZrB2/AA6111 composite were 365 MPa, 280 MPa, and 25.6%, respectively. The mechanisms for CDRX, strengthening and plasticity enhancement were determined and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medulloblastoma, a malignant childhood cerebellar tumour, segregates molecularly into biologically distinct subgroups, suggesting that a personalized approach to therapy would be beneficial1. Mouse modelling and cross-species genomics have provided increasing evidence of discrete, subgroup-specific developmental origins2. However, the anatomical and cellular complexity of developing human tissues3—particularly within the rhombic lip germinal zone, which produces all glutamatergic neuronal lineages before internalization into the cerebellar nodulus—makes it difficult to validate previous inferences that were derived from studies in mice. Here we use multi-omics to resolve the origins of medulloblastoma subgroups in the developing human cerebellum. Molecular signatures encoded within a human rhombic-lip-derived lineage trajectory aligned with photoreceptor and unipolar brush cell expression profiles that are maintained in group 3 and group 4 medulloblastoma, suggesting a convergent basis. A systematic diagnostic-imaging review of a prospective institutional cohort localized the putative anatomical origins of group 3 and group 4 tumours to the nodulus. Our results connect the molecular and phenotypic features of clinically challenging medulloblastoma subgroups to their unified beginnings in the rhombic lip in the early stages of human development.Multi-omic mapping shows that group 3 and group 4 medulloblastomas have a common, human-specific developmental origin in the cerebellar rhombic lip, providing a basis for their ambiguous molecular features and overlapping anatomical location, and for the difficulty of modelling these tumours in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible human–machine interfaces show broad prospects for next-generation flexible or wearable electronics compared with their currently available bulky and rigid counterparts. However, compared to their rigid counterparts, most reported flexible devices (e.g., flexible loudspeakers and microphones) show inferior performance, mainly due to the nature of their flexibility. Therefore, it is of great significance to improve their performance by developing and optimizing new materials, structures and design methodologies. In this paper, a flexible acoustic platform based on a zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film on an aluminum foil substrate is developed and optimized; this platform can be applied as a loudspeaker, a microphone, or an ambient sensor depending on the selection of its excitation frequencies. When used as a speaker, the proposed structure shows a high sound pressure level (SPL) of ~90 dB (with a standard deviation of ~3.6 dB), a low total harmonic distortion of ~1.41%, and a uniform directivity (with a standard deviation of ~4 dB). Its normalized SPL is higher than those of similar devices reported in the recent literature. When used as a microphone, the proposed device shows a precision of 98% for speech recognition, and the measured audio signals show a strong similarity to the original audio signals, demonstrating its equivalent performance compared to a rigid commercial microphone. As a flexible sensor, this device shows a high temperature coefficient of frequency of −289 ppm/K and good performance for respiratory monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallic iron (Fe0) has been increasingly used to remove toxics from water over the past three decades. However, the idea that metallic iron (Fe0) is not an environmental reducing agent has been vigorously refuted. Researchers presenting their findings in a scientific journal have to accept the burden of proving that their argument has any validity. This 30-year-lasting discussion within the Fe0 remediation community is alien to electro-chemists, as it is a century-old knowledge. Nevertheless, the peer-reviewed literature on "remediation using Fe0" seems to be dominated by evaluators thinking that Fe0 is a reducing agent. This communication challenges the view that Fe0 donates any electron to any dissolved species. The sole goal is to reconcile a proven efficient technology with its scientific roots and enable the design of better Fe0 remediation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pump is one of the most important energy consuming devices in an energy system. The axial force on a centrifugal pump is an important factor for improving the operation stability and the service life. Based on the Bernoulli's equation, the formulas of the axial clearance are derived theoretically. The relationship between the impeller axial force, the clearance leakage flow rate and the axial clearance is obtained. The motion differential equation of the axial-auto-balanced impeller is established by the number axis modeling method. The asymptotic stability of the impeller is evaluated by the Lyapunov stability analysis. The transient simulation of the axial-auto-balanced impeller is carried out by the method of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with the dynamic mesh technology. The time required for the impeller to reach the stable state under different conditions is calculated. The effective values of the axial force are determined. This research is useful to improve the operation stability of the pump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Bone marrow edema (BME) is one of the main imaging characteristics of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in children and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adult. Previous studies have shown that BME occurred in approximately 64% of adults with RA and was a key predictor of poor prognosis. But BME with JIA has not been of great concern. Therefore, we evaluated the prevalence, characteristics, and prognosis of knee joint BME in children with JIA. Methods: In this retrospective study, we included children with JIA and knee joint involvement from January 2017 to December 2019. BME was evaluated according to the Juvenile Arthritis MRI Scoring system. Clinical characteristics were compared between the BME group and the non-BME group. The characteristics and prognosis of the BME were observed. Results: A total of 128 children with 136 knee joint MRI data were identified, with 37 knee joints (27.2%) having BME. BME has positive correlation with synovial hypertrophy (Rs = 0.562, p = 0.019). There were significant differences in age (p = 0.010) and disease duration (p = 0.013) between the BME and non-BME groups. BME was found to be more common in older children and the patients with long duration of disease. Locations with BME were the lateral tibial plateau (17/37, 45.9%), the lateral weight-bearing femur (16/37, 43.2%), the medial tibial plateau and the medial femoral condyle (both with 15/37, 40.5%), and the medial weight-bearing femur (12/37, 32.4%). The lateral femoral condyle and both the lateral and medial sides of the patella were rarely involved. Of the 15 BME joints with the MRI follow-up data (interval 6.5 ± 3.0 months), the lesions disappeared or improved within 12 months after the treatments in 13 (86.7%) joints. Conclusions: The prevalence of knee BME in JIA was 27.2%. There was positive correlation between BME and synovial hypertrophy. Older children and children with long disease duration had a higher risk for BME, which was commonly a late presentation and more likely involved the weight-bearing surfaces of the joint. The overall prognosis was satisfactory after the standard treatments. Key Points • To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first one to investigate the MRI manifestation in JIA focus on knee BME sign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a malignant tumor, gastric cancer (GC) is closely related with gastric mucosa and has a high mortality in the world. Since microRNA (miRNA) has become more and more important in tumor research, we intend to find out the functional role and mechanism of miR-511-5p in GC. Firstly, miR-511-5p level was examined in human GC cell lines and tissues, and its effect on cell migration and invasion of BGC-823 or HGC-27 cells was tested by migration assay and transwell assay. Then, we confirmed the association between miR-511-5p and p21 activated kinase 2 (PAK2) by the luciferase reporter assay, and further assessed their role in cell migration and invasion. Moreover, we verified the function of miR-511-5p and PAK2 in epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). In our study, miR-511-5p was downregulated in GC cell lines and tissues, and inversely associated with PAK2. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-511-5p could bind to PAK2. MiR-511-5p mimics significantly upregulated E-cadherin and downregulated N-cadherin, Vimentin and Snail, and consequently inhibited cell migration and invasion. However, reintroduction of PAK2 reversed the inhibitory function of miR-511-5p on BGC-823 and HGC-27 cells. Our research suggested that tumor-suppressive function of miR-511-5p in GC was inhibited by PAK2, and miR-511-5p/PAK2 axis may serve as a new strategy in GC management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Right ventricular (RV) dilation has been used to predict adverse outcomes in acute pulmonary conditions. It has been used to categorize the severity of novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) infection. Our study aimed to use chest CT-angiogram (CTA) to assess if increased RV dilation, quantified as an increased RV:LV (left ventricle) ratio, is associated with adverse outcomes in the COVID-19 infection, and if it occurs out of proportion to lung parenchymal disease. Results: We reviewed clinical, laboratory, and chest CTA findings in COVID-19 patients (n = 100), and two control groups: normal subjects (n = 10) and subjects with organizing pneumonia (n = 10). On a chest CTA, we measured basal dimensions of the RV and LV in a focused 4-chamber view, and dimensions of pulmonary artery (PA) and aorta (AO) at the PA bifurcation level. Among the COVID-19 cohort, a higher RV:LV ratio was correlated with adverse outcomes, defined as ICU admission, intubation, or death. In patients with adverse outcomes, the RV:LV ratio was 1.06 ± 0.10, versus 0.95 ± 0.15 in patients without adverse outcomes. Among the adverse outcomes group, compared to the control subjects with organizing pneumonia, the lung parenchymal damage was lower (22.6 ± 9.0 vs. 32.7 ± 6.6), yet the RV:LV ratio was higher (1.06 ± 0.14 vs. 0.89 ± 0.07). In ROC analysis, RV:LV ratio had an AUC = 0.707 with an optimal cutoff of RV:LV ≥ 1.1 as a predictor of adverse outcomes. In a validation cohort (n = 25), an RV:LV ≥ 1.1 as a cutoff predicted adverse outcomes with an odds ratio of 76:1. Conclusions: In COVID-19 patients, RV:LV ratio ≥ 1.1 on CTA chest is correlated with adverse outcomes. RV dilation in COVID-19 is out of proportion to parenchymal lung damage, pointing toward a vascular and/or thrombotic injury in the lungs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]