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Background: Endoscopic instrument segmentation is essential for ensuring the safety of robotic‐assisted spinal endoscopic surgeries. However, due to the narrow operative region, intricate surrounding tissues, and limited visibility, achieving instrument segmentation within the endoscopic view remains challenging. Purpose: This work aims to devise a method to segment surgical instruments in endoscopic video. By designing an endoscopic image classification model, features of frames before and after the video are extracted to achieve continuous and precise segmentation of instruments in endoscopic videos. Methods: Deep learning techniques serve as the algorithmic core for constructing the convolutional neural network proposed in this study. The method comprises dual stages: image classification and instrument segmentation. MobileViT is employed for image classification, enabling the extraction of key features of different instruments and generating classification results. DeepLabv3+ is utilized for instrument segmentation. By training on distinct instruments separately, corresponding model parameters are obtained. Lastly, a flag caching mechanism along with a blur detection module is designed to effectively utilize the image features in consecutive frames. By incorporating specific parameters into the segmentation model, better segmentation of surgical instruments can be achieved in endoscopic videos. Results: The classification and segmentation models are evaluated on an endoscopic image dataset. In the dataset used for instrument segmentation, the training set consists of 7456 images, the validation set consists of 829 images, and the test set consists of 921 images. In the dataset used for image classification, the training set consists of 2400 images and the validation set consists of 600 images. The image classification model achieves an accuracy of 70% on the validation set. For the segmentation model, experiments are conducted on two common surgical instruments, and the mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) exceeds 98%. Furthermore, the proposed video segmentation method is tested using videos collected during surgeries, validating the effectiveness of the flag caching mechanism and blur detection module. Conclusions: Experimental results on the dataset demonstrate that the dual‐stage video processing method excels in performing instrument segmentation tasks under endoscopic conditions. This advancement is significant for enhancing the intelligence level of robotic‐assisted spinal endoscopic surgeries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improvement of the safety, specific energy, cycle life and the cost reduction of Li‐ion batteries are hot research topics. Now, in the pursuit of high energy density, the employed high‐energy‐density cathode/anode materials and the increased operation voltage challenge the prevalent electrolyte formula, like the existing ester and ether electrolytes cannot withstand the high‐voltage operation and high‐capacity anode such as lithium (Li), silicon (Si) and silicon‐graphite (Si−C) composite anode. It is recognized that stable electrolyte‐electrode interfaces can avoid the electrolytes side reactions and protect the electrode materials. Up to now, various additives have been developed to modify the electrode‐electrolyte interfaces, such as famous 4‐fluoroethylene carbonate, vinylene carbonate and lithium nitrate, and the LIBs and lithium metal batteries (LMBs) performances have been improved greatly. However, the lifespan of the higher‐energy‐density batteries with Li/Si/Si−C anode and high‐nickel layer oxides cathode materials cannot meet the request due to the lack of ideal electrolyte formula. In this review, we present a comprehensive and in‐depth overview on the electrolyte additives, especially focused on multifunctional additives, the reaction mechanisms of various additives and fundamental design. Finally, novel insights, promising directions and potential solutions for the multifunctional electrolyte additives are proposed to motivate high‐energy‐density Li battery chemistries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) can be completely suppressed after antiviral treatment; however, some patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) exhibit elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and sustained disease progression. This study provides novel insights into the mechanism and potential predictive biomarkers of persistently elevated ALT (PeALT) in patients with CHB after complete viral inhibition. Patients having CHB with undetectable HBV DNA at least 12 months after antiviral treatment were enrolled from a prospective, observational cohort. Patients with PeALT and persistently normal ALT (PnALT) were matched 1:1 using propensity score matching. Correlations between plasma metabolites and the risk of elevated ALT were examined using multivariate logistic regression. A mouse model of carbon tetrachloride‐induced liver injury was established to validate the effect of key differential metabolites on liver injury. Of the 1238 patients with CHB who achieved complete viral suppression, 40 (3.23%) had PeALT levels during follow‐up (median follow‐up: 2.42 years). Additionally, 40 patients with PnALT levels were matched as controls. Ser‐Phe‐Ala, Lys‐Ala‐Leu‐Glu, 3‐methylhippuric acid, 3‐methylxanthine, and 7‐methylxanthine were identified as critical differential metabolites between the two groups and independently associated with PeALT risk. Ser‐Phe‐Ala and Lys‐Ala‐Leu‐Glu levels could be used to discriminate patients with PeALT from those with PnALT. Furthermore, N‐acetyl‐ l‐methionine (NALM) demonstrated the strongest negative correlation with ALT levels. NALM supplementation alleviated liver injury and hepatic necrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride in mice. Changes in circulating metabolites may contribute to PeALT levels in patients with CHB who have achieved complete viral suppression after antiviral treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short‐chain fatty acids are regarded as promising feed additives, acetate is one of them. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of sodium acetate (SA) on Onychostoma macrolepis fed a high‐fat diet. O. macrolepis (2.1 ± 0.1 g) were reared in 12 aquariums (three aquarium/group, 15 fish/aquarium), fed a high‐fat diet (control), and a high‐fat diet supplemented with 0.5%, 1.0%, or 2.0% SA for 56 days. Diet supplemented with 1.0% SA significantly increased the weight gain of O. macrolepis fed the high‐fat diet. Dietary SA reduced serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and triglyceride (TG) concentrations. The addition of 1.0% and 2.0% SA significantly decreased non‐esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and TG concentrations in liver. Dietary SA (1.0% and 2.0%) significantly improved total antioxidant capacity and total superoxide dismutase activities in the liver. In comparison to the control group, the addition of 1.0% and 2.0% SA significantly up‐regulated lipolysis gene expression levels in the liver. These findings suggest that high fat diets supplemented with 1%–2.0% SA can improve growth, liver health, and antioxidant capacity in O. macrolepis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA) from C(sp3)−H bond has been well explored, the radical‐mediated chemo‐ and regio‐selective functionalization of allenic C(sp2)−H bond via direct HAA from C(sp2)−H bond of allene remains an unsolved challenge in synthetic chemistry. This is primarily due to inherent challenges with addition of radical intermediates to allenes, regioselectivity of HAA process, instability of allenyl radical toward propargyl radical et al. Herein, we report a copper catalyzed allenic C(sp2)−H cyanation of an array of tri‐ and di‐substituted allenes with exceptional site‐selectivity, while mono‐substituted allene was successfully cyanated, albeit with a low yield. In the developed strategy, steric N‐fluoro‐N‐alkylsulfonamide, serving as precursor of hydrogen atom abstractor, plays a crucial role in achieving the desired regioselectivity and avoiding addition of N‐centered radical to allene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the metabolic adaptation and lipid utilization to overwintering in Onychostoma macrolepis (27.05 ± 1.79 g), fish were sampled at 0, 75, and 150 days, respectively. Fish were randomly reared into three outdoor tanks (water temperature range:0–10°C). After overwintering, body weight, viscera index, hepatopancreas index, and intraperitoneal fat index were significantly lower than before (p < 0.05). In liver, the contents of monounsaturated fatty acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) were observed to be the lowest and the highest after 150 days of overwintering, respectively (p < 0.05). In serum, the concentrations of triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol significantly decreased while the activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase significantly increased at Day 75 (p < 0.05). Hepatic antioxidant activities were significantly lower whereas malondialdehyde content was significantly higher at Day 150 (p < 0.05). Serum antioxidant indexes were similar to those in liver. During overwintering, the decrease of TG contents in tissues was influenced by the upregulation of lipidolysis genes. These results indicate that lipids were continuously mobilized as physiological fuels throughout overwintering. Overwintering could result in poor antioxidant status and higher lipid peroxidation level in O. macrolepis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial oils produced by Yarrowia lipolytica offer an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to petroleum as well as traditional lipids from animals and plants. The accurate measurement of fermentation parameters, including the substrate concentration, dry cell weight, and lipid accumulation, is the foundation of process control, which is indispensable for industrial lipid production. However, it remains a great challenge to measure the complex parameters online during the lipid fermentation process, which is nonlinear, multivariate, and characterized by strong coupling. As a type of AI technology, the artificial neural network model is a powerful tool for handling extremely complex problems, and it can be employed to develop a soft sensor to monitor the microbial lipid fermentation process of Y. lipolytica. In this study, we first analyzed and emphasized the volume of sodium hydroxide and dissolved oxygen concentration as central parameters of the fermentation process. Then, a soft sensor based on a four‐input artificial neural network model was developed, in which the input variables were fermentation time, dissolved oxygen concentration, initial glucose concentration, and additional volume of sodium hydroxide. This provides the possibility of online monitoring of dry cell weight, glucose concentration, and lipid production with high accuracy, which can be extended to similar fermentation processes characterized by the addition of bases or acids, as well as changes of the dissolved oxygen concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the experiments have revealed that plants raise the cytotoxicity and anticancer potentials of iron nanoparticles against several cell lines especially tumor cell lines. In the present study, we formulated a modern drug by iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) containing Glycyrrhiza glabra L leaf for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Characterization of FeNPs was done by TEM, FE‐SEM, UV–Vis, and FT‐IR. FE‐SEM and TEM images revealed an average diameter of 11–18 nm for the nanoparticles. UV–Vis revealed an absorption band at 298 nm that is related to the surface plasmon resonance of FeNPs. FT‐IR results offered antioxidant compounds in the nanoparticles were the sources of reducing power, reducing iron ions to FeNPs. MTT assay was used on normal (HUVEC) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (MOLT‐3, CEM/C2, TALL‐104, and CCRF‐CEM) cell lines for comparing the anti‐acute lymphoblastic leukemia properties of FeCl3, G. glabra, and FeNPs. Iron nanoparticles had very low cell viability dose‐dependently against MOLT‐3, CEM/C2, TALL‐104, CCRF‐CEM cell lines without any cytotoxicity on the HUVEC cell line. The best result of cytotoxicity property of FeNPs against the above cell lines was seen in the case of CCRF‐CEM cell line. These nanoparticles can be administrated in humans for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia after confirming in the in vivo and clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black ice is an ice layer formed by freezing rain or accumulated water on the asphalt pavement surface in cold weather. This ice layer completely shields the texture structure of the pavement and destroys the original microstructure. The direct contact between the automobile tire and the ice surface leads to a sharp decrease in the adhesion coefficient, so the automobile is prone to lateral instability on the icy pavement. In this paper, the simulation model of the icy pavement is established in Matlab/Simulink to verify the control effect of the lateral stability controller based on the Electronic Stability Program under two steering limit conditions. The results show that the vehicle without a lateral stability controller will lose stability and sideslip even when it is steering at low speed on the icy pavement, and the lateral stability controller can effectively control the yaw rate of the vehicle when it is steering, which greatly reduces the offset of the sideslip angle of the centroid and inhibits the lateral acceleration exceeding the ice surface limit, which improves the maneuverability and stability of the vehicle under the freezing limit condition. The application of the controller is of great significance to improve the driving safety of the regional asphalt pavement. Due to the low adhesion coefficient of the icy pavement and the limited braking force and additional yaw moment of the tire provided by the adhesion force, the vehicle with a lateral stability controller is still likely to lose stability under the critical condition of medium or high-speed single shift line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semantic processing is important in language comprehension and production, and context can facilitate understanding and accelerate processing speed by pre‐activating semantically related words. There are many studies suggesting that patients with schizophrenia have inferior language ability. This study was aimed to examine the differences between patients with schizophrenia and healthy people in semantic processing with Chinese classifier–noun pairs rating tasks. Participants were required to finish rating tasks to judge acceptability of classifier–noun pairs. Also, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was conducted in the schizophrenia group. According to results of variance analysis, schizophrenic patients' accuracy of judgment on the acceptability of classifier–noun pairs differed from the control group (F = 4.13, p <.05), and the contextual effect of classifier constraint could be observed in healthy people (F(1, 31) = 5.38, p <.05) but not in patients with schizophrenia (F(1, 25) = 3.55, p =.07), indicating that they failed to use the contextual information to facilitate language comprehension as healthy people. Stepwise linear regression analysis found that hostility, poor impulse control and suspiciousness/persecution and preoccupation in the PANSS may have contributed to the reduced sensitivity in the rating in patients (t = −2.38‐3.80, p <.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with traditional paper relying on cellulose, the polymeric paper written by light can satisfy more multi‐environmental stability and reusability for sustainable development. Herein, proposed for the first time, a novel multifunctional polymeric paper with a patch‐sewing structure is designed, presenting the reversible writing/re‐writing performance. Meanwhile, a series of Fe‐based oxides with various submicron structures inherited from metal–organic framework templates are reported, in which the optimum one exhibited 95.04% absorbance from the finite difference time domain simulation and realized photothermal conversion instantaneously (soaring to 300 °C within 38 s). Given the distinguished mechanical properties (the tensile strength of 21.34 MPa and elongation at break of 546.06%), shape‐memory ability, and multi‐environmental stability, the composites are perfect for information recording. Due to the addition of the liquid crystal phase serving as the ink on the paper, the stress concentration and destruction can be recorded on the surface while it can recover to the initial situation by near‐infrared irradiation. Moreover, the remote writing with precision triggered by a focused light source can be achieved in multiple situations (air, water, and ice), which paved the way for the next generation of paper, especially in extreme conditions like deep‐water or aerospace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the major malignant lethal tumours, is most prevalent in Asian patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Both viral and non‐viral factors contribute to the development of HCC. It is established that viral factors associated with HBV DNA level, HBV genotype, designated gene mutation, HBV DNA integration, HBx protein, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B core‐related antigen (HBcrAg) and HBV RNA are correlated with hepatocarcinogenesis. Before the introduction of antiviral therapy, viral factors once attracted more attention during the development of HCC. With the widespread use of antiviral therapy, predominantly nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs), most patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) have achieved sustained viral control. The role of non‐viral factors, especially modifiable factors, is anticipated to be reinforced in the future. Herein, we reviewed the modifiable non‐viral risk factors of HBV‐related HCC, in the hope of providing substantial evidence for further development of novel precautionary measures for HCC. In addition, the therapeutic interventions for reducing the risk of HCC, like potential conventional pharmaceutical interventions and lifestyle modification are also discussed in this review. Future studies that would explore the specific mechanism of HBV‐related HCC development in patients with satisfactory viral control and related precision treatment are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main methods of coalbed methane (CBM) development are drainage and depressurization, and a precise prediction of coal reservoir pressure is thus crucial for the evaluation of reservoir potentials and the formulation of reasonable development plans. This work established a new reservoir pressure prediction model based on the material balance equation (MBE) of coal reservoir, which considers the self‐regulating effects of coal reservoirs and the dynamic change of equivalent drainage area (EDA). According to the proposed model, the reservoir pressure can be predicted based on reservoir condition data and the actual production data of a single well. Compared with traditional reservoir pressure prediction models which regard EDA as a fixed value, the proposed model can better predict the average pressure of reservoirs. Moreover, orthogonal experiments were designed to evaluate the sensitivity of reservoir parameters on the reservoir pressure prediction results of this proposed model. The results show that the saturation of irreducible water is the most sensitive parameter, followed by Langmuir volume and reservoir porosity, and Langmuir pressure is the least sensitive parameter. In addition, the pressure drop of reservoirs is negatively correlated with the saturation of irreducible water and the Langmuir volume, while it is positively correlated with porosity. This work analyzed the reservoir pressure drop characteristics of the CBM wells in the Shizhuangnan Block of the Qinshui Basin, and the results show that the CBM reservoir depressurization can be divided into three types, i.e., rapidly drop type, medium‐term stability type, and slowly drop type. The drainage features of wells were reasonably interpreted based on the comprehensive analysis of the reservoir depressurization type; the latter was coupled to the corresponding permeability dynamic change characteristics, eventually proving the applicability of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim To determine and compare the adverse events and long-term effectiveness for patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC) (≤ 3 cm) treated by percutaneous radiofrequency ablation ( RFA) or hepatectomy. Methods Small HCC from 120 patients were randomized into either percutaneous RFA therapy or hepatectomy group, and the effectiveness and complications of two treatment modalities were analyzed. The complications of post- RFA or hepatectomy, the complete treatment rate, treatment-related mortality, and disease-free and overall survival rate were followed up and conducted. Results In patients with small HCC, complete remission rates were achieved in 95% and 96.7% in the percutaneus RFA and hepatectomy groups, respectively ( P > 0.05). Hepatic function at day-7 status post-treatment, including albumin and bilirubin levels, were significantly worse in the hepatectomy group ( P < 0.01). Compared with the RFA group, the incidence of postoperative complications (27.5% vs 5.0%) and hospital stay (11.8 ± 3.1 vs 4.3 ± 1.5) were significantly higher in the hepatectomy group ( P < 0.01). After a mean follow-up of 40 months, 22 patients (36.6%) in the RFA group and 21 patients (35.0%) in the hepatectomy group developed a recurrence ( P > 0.05). There was no significant difference of the disease-free and overall survival rates at 1, 2, and 3 years between the RFA group and the surgical hepatectomy group ( P = 0.443 and P = 0.207, respectively). Conclusions In patients with small HCC, percutaneous RFA showed similar local control and long-term survival compared with hepatectomy. Importantly, percutaneous RFA are accompanied with a lower complication rate and shorter hospital stay day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]