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The potential impact of elevated intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) on residual renal function (RRF) has not been determined. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between IAP and the rate of RRF decline in newly initiated peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, and to identify the optimal IAP threshold value for delaying the deterioration of RRF. A cohort of 62 newly initiated PD patients who completed both 6- and 12-month follow-up evaluations was obtained using the Durand method. A logistic regression model was used to identify variables associated with a rapid decline in RRF. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to determine the optimal threshold value. Another retrospective cohort analysis was performed to validate the identified critical value. For each 1 cmH2O increase in IAP, the risk of a rapid decline in the RRF increased by a factor of 1.679. Subsequent analysis revealed that patients in the high IAP group had more significant decreases in residual renal estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (Z = −3.694, p < 0.001) and urine volume (Z = −3.121, p < 0.001) than did those in the non-high IAP group. Furthermore, an IAP ≥15.65 cmH2O was a robust discriminator for the prediction of the rate of RRF decline. Patients in the high IAP group experienced a more rapid decline in RRF. Additionally, an optimal critical pressure of 15.65 cmH2O was identified for predicting the rate of RRF decline. IAP, as one of the factors contributing to the rapid decline in RRF in the first year of PD, should be given due attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bonding of thick Cu and AlN is necessary in power modules with the development of high‐frequency communication technology. In this work, 2 mm‐thick Cu was successfully bonded with AlN by using Sn9Zn solder with the assistance of ultrasonication at 230°C. Results showed that an AlN/Sn9Zn/Cu joint without crack was manufactured with a cooling rate of 7°C/min. Nonreactive wetting was realized between AlN and Sn9Zn, forming an amorphous transition layer. CuZn2 and CuZn were formed at the Sn9Zn/Cu interface. A joint with the highest bonding strength of 30.07 MPa was obtained, in which the AlN/Sn9Zn interface was no longer the weakest location. This work provides a low‐temperature manufacturing method for thick Cu/AlN joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: The urban underground complex integrates comprehensive architecture and subterranean space, presenting physical and psychological complexities. To mitigate the negative experiences associated with this complexity, we need to explore, in depth, how the built environmental elements of underground complexes affect user perception to design a comfortable, healthy, and biophilic underground space. Methods: We selected Tianfu Square, a typical underground complex in Chengdu, China, as the empirical case. We identified 26 key environmental indicators affecting user perception and designed Kano and satisfaction questionnaires based on these indicators. A total of 476 questionnaires were distributed to collect data on users' attitudes towards changes in element quality and their satisfaction levels. By integrating the Kano model and IPA method, we defined the perceptual attributes of elements based on their impact on user experiences and assessed the alignment between element attributes and satisfaction. Results: We categorized the elements into five perceptual types: attractive, one-dimensional, indifferent, must-be, and reverse attributes, and assigned corresponding importance levels. We then compared the importance and performance scores of these elements, evaluated their satisfaction alignment, identified elements needing optimization, and proposed improvement strategies. Implications: This research provides valuable guidance for designers on how various built environment elements in underground spaces influence user perceptions, with practical implications for urban underground complex planning and design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Patients affected by functional mitral regurgitation represent an increasingly high‐risk population. Edge‐to‐edge mitral valve repair (TEER) has emerged as a promising treatment option for these patients. However, there is limited research on the comparative outcomes of TEER versus surgical mitral valve repair (SMVr). This study seeks to compare the demographics, complications, and outcomes of TEER and SMVr based on a real‐world analysis of the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Methods and Results: In the NIS database, from the years 2016 to 2018, a total of 6233 and 2524 patients who underwent SMVr and TEER were selected, respectively. The mean ages of the patients were 65.68 years (SMVr) and 78.40 years (TEER) (p < 0.01). The mortality rate of patients who received SMVr was similar to that of patients who were treated with TEER (1.7% vs. 1.9%, p = 0.603). Patients who underwent SMVr more likely suffered from perioperative complications including cardiogenic shock (2.3% vs. 0.4%, p < 0.001), cardiac arrest (1.7% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.025), and cerebrovascular infarction (0.9% vs. 0.4%, p = 0.013). The average length of hospital stay was longer (8.59 vs. 4.13 days, p < 0.001) for SMVr compared to TEER; however, the average cost of treatment was higher ($218 728.25 vs. $215 071.74, p = 0.031) for TEER compared to SMVr. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that SMVr was associated with worse adjusted cardiogenic shock (OR, 7.347 [95% CI, 3.574−15.105]; p < 0.01) and acute kidney injury (OR, 2.793 [95% CI, 2.356−3.311]; p < 0.01). Conclusion: Patients who underwent TEER demonstrated a notable decrease in postoperative complications and a shorter hospitalization period when compared to those who underwent SMVr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate effects of bone marrow sparing (BMS) radiotherapy on decreasing the incidence of acute hematologic toxicity (HT) for locoregionally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) patients treated by pelvic irradiation. Materials and methods: LACC patients were recruited prospectively from May 2021 to May 2022 at a single center and were evenly randomized into the BMS group and the control group. All patients received pelvic irradiation with concurrent cisplatin (40 mg/m2 weekly), followed by brachytherapy and BM V40 < 25% in the BMS group was additionally prescribed. Acute HT was assessed weekly. Binary logistic regression model and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used for predictive value analysis. The trial was registered with Chinese clinical trial registry (ChiCTR2200066485). Results: A total of 242 patients were included in the analysis. Baseline demographic, disease and treatment characteristics were balanced between the two groups. In the intention-to-treat population, BMS was associated with a lower incidence of grade ≥ 2 and grade ≥ 3 acute HT, leukopenia and neutropenia s(72.70% v 90.90%, P < 0.001*; 16.50% vs. 65.30%, P < 0.001*; 66.10% vs. 85.10%, P = 0.001*; 13.20% vs. 54.50%, P < 0.001*; 37.20% vs. 66.10%, P < 0.001*; 10.70% vs. 43.80%, P < 0.001*). BMS also resulted in decreased dose delivered to the organs at risk (OARs) including rectum, bladder and left and right femoral head. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that BM V40 was an independent risk factor for grade ≥ 3 acute HT (odds ratio [OR] = 2.734, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.959–3.815, P < 0.001*). Cutoff value was 25.036% and area under the curve (AUC) was 0.786. The nomogram was constructed, which was rigorously evaluated and internally cross-validated, showing good predictive performance. Conclusions: Receiving BMS pelvic irradiation could reduce the incidence of acute HT in LACC patients, and BM V40 < 25% may be a significant factor in reducing the risks of acute HT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine oil spills pose a crucial concern in the monitoring of marine environments, and optical remote sensing serves as a vital means for marine oil spill detection. However, optical remote sensing imagery is susceptible to interference from sunglints and shadows, leading to diminished spectral differences between oil films and seawater. This makes it challenging to accurately extract the boundaries of oil–water interfaces. To address these aforementioned issues, this paper proposes a model based on the graph convolutional architecture and spatial–spectral information fusion for the oil spill detection of real oil spill incidents. The model is experimentally evaluated using both spaceborne and airborne hyperspectral oil spill images. Research findings demonstrate the superior oil spill detection accuracy of the developed model when compared to Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) and CNN-Enhanced Graph Convolutional Network (CEGCN), across two hyperspectral datasets collected from the Bohai Sea. Moreover, the performance of the developed model in oil spill detection remains optimal, even with only 1% of the training samples. Similar conclusions are drawn from the oil spill hyperspectral data collected from the Yellow Sea. These results validate the efficacy and robustness of the proposed model for marine oil spill detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in aerosol loadings and properties are important for the understanding of atmospheric environment and climate change. This study investigates the characteristics and long-term trends of aerosols of different sizes and types in Asia from 2000 to 2020 by considering multi-source aerosol data and novel analysis methods and perspectives, all of which provides the groundwork for promoting the acquisition of new discoveries that are different from the past. The geometric mean aggregation method is applied, and serial autocorrelation is considered to avoid the overestimation of trend significance. Among regions in Asia, high values of aerosol optical depth (AOD) are mainly concentrated in East Asia (EA) and South Asia (SA) and are closely related to the population density. The AOD in EA showed the most significant negative trend, with a value of -5.28×10-4 per year, mainly owing to decreases in organic carbon (OC), black carbon (BC), and dust aerosols. It is also worth noting that this observed large-scale decrease in OC and BC is a unique and significant phenomenon to region of EA and mainly around China. In contrast, the aerosol concentrations in SA generally show a positive trend, with an increased value of AOD of 1.25 × 10 -3 per year. This increase is mainly due to large emissions of fine-mode aerosols, such as OC and sulfate aerosol. Additionally, the high aerosol loading in northern SA has a lower AOD variability when compared with that of East China Plain, revealing a relatively more persistent air pollution situation. Over the whole region of Asia, the characteristics of the percentage changes in different types of AOD are seen in the increases in BC (6.23 %) and OC (17.09 %) AOD, together with a decrease in dust (-5.51 %), sulfate (-3.07 %), and sea salt (-9.80 %) AOD. Except for anthropogenic emissions, the large increase in the percentage of OC is also due to wildfires found in northern Asia in the summer, whereas the differently sized AOD only shows slight changes in Asia in that small-sized AOD decreases (-3.34 %) and that the total AOD did not show a significant change. This suggests that, from a trend perspective, decreases in aerosol in recent years have mostly been offsetting earlier increases in the anthropogenic emissions over Asia. To summarize, the above findings analyse the comprehensive characteristics of aerosol distributions and reappraise the long-term trends of different aerosol parameters, which will greatly enhance the understanding of regional and global aerosol environment and climatology, in addition to filling the gaps and breaking through the limitations of past knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tricuspid regurgitation is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, but with limited treatment options. The objective of this study is to compare the demographic characteristics, complications, and outcomes of transcatheter tricuspid valve repair (TTVr) versus surgical tricuspid valve replacement (STVR) or surgical tricuspid valve repair (STVr), using real-world data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Methods and results: Our study analyzed data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2016 to 2018 and identified 92, 86, and 84 patients with tricuspid insufficiency who underwent STVr, STVR, and TTVr, respectively. The mean ages of patients who received STVr, STVR, and TTVr were 65.03 years, 66.3 years, and 71.09 years, respectively, with TTVr patients significantly older than those who received STVr (P < 0.05). Patients who received STVr or STVR had higher mortality rates (8.7% and 3.5%, respectively) compared to those who received TTVr (1.2%). Patients who underwent STVr or STVR were also more likely to experience perioperative complications, including third-degree atrioventricular block (8.7% STVr vs. 1.2% TTVr, P = 0.329; 38.4% STVR vs. 1.2% TTVr, P < 0.05), respiratory failure (5.4% STVr vs. 1.2% TTVr, P = 0.369; 15.1% STVR vs. 1.2% TTVr, P < 0.05), respiratory complications (6.5% STVr vs. 1.2% TTVr, P = 0.372; 19.8% STVR vs. 1.2% TTVr, P < 0.05), acute kidney injury (40.2% STVr vs. 27.4% TTVr, P = 0.367; 34.9% STVR vs. 27.4% TTVr, P = 0.617), and fluid and electrolyte disorders (44.6% STVr vs. 22.6% TTVr, P = 0.1332; 50% STVR vs. 22.6% TTVr, P < 0.05). In addition, the average cost of care and the average length of hospital stay were higher for patients who underwent STVr or STVR than for those who received TTVr (USD$37995 ± 356008.523 STVr vs. USD$198397 ± 188943.082 TTVr, P < 0.05; USD$470948 ± 614177.568 STVR vs. USD$198397 ± 188943.082 TTVr, P < 0.05; 15.4 ± 15.19 STVr vs. 9.6 ± 10.21 days TTVr, P = 0.267; 24.7 ± 28.81 STVR vs. 9.6 ± 10.21 days TTVr, P < 0.05). Conclusion: TTVr has shown to have favorable outcomes compared to STVr or STVR, but more research and clinical trials are required to help formulate evidence-based guidelines for the role of catheter-based management in tricuspid valve disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical and cultural blocks not only carry numerous cultural heritages but always undertake urban functions. As a major driver of urban context construction, historical and cultural blocks have never been abandoned by the times. Regardless of the purposes for which they were built in the first place, all historical and cultural blocks should be extended functionally to rejuvenate them in current and future developments. In particular, in single-functional residential-type historical and cultural blocks, the large numbers of traditional architectures left vacant by out-migrating residents can be redeveloped for other functions. The effectiveness of block conservation and development affects the cultural construction of a city. More importantly, it is closely related to all kinds of users in blocks, as users engage in in-depth interactions with environments and are best able to discover the merits of block conservation and development. Moreover, the conservation and optimal design of historical and cultural blocks must, ultimately, be based on the users' needs. By collecting users' subjective evaluation opinions about two typical residential-type historical and cultural blocks based on the existing evaluation index and putting them through quantitative analysis, this paper analyzes block status in many aspects. It identifies focuses on optimization, offering references and suggestions for future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simin Liu,1,* Jianhao Xie,2,* Fei Yu,1 Haidong Cai,1 Fengyu Wu,3 Hui Zheng,1 Chao Ma,1 Zhongwei Lv,1 Hui Wang4 1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tenth People’s Hospital of Tongji University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Medical School of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Nuclear Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Nuclear Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chao Ma; Zhongwei LvDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Tenth People’s Hospital of Tongji University, Yanchangzhong Road 301, Shanghai 200072, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +8621-66302075Email mc_7419@hotmail.com; shtjnmd@163.comObjective: To analyze the difference in 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (MDP) uptake on bone scintigraphy in extraosseous soft tissue tumors between children and adults and the correlation between tracer uptake and tumor differentiation and histopathology.Methods: Patients with neoplasms with MDP uptake were retrospectively identified. Based on histopathology, tumors were categorized as epithelial malignant tumors, mesenchymal tumors, blastomas and germ cell tumors. The degree of radioactivity accumulation in lesions relative to the uptake in ribs and sternum or spine was classified as “+”, “++” and “+++”. The results were compared between children and adults. The correlations between MDP uptake in soft tumors and tumor differentiation and pathology were investigated.Results: Extraosseous soft tissue tumors that accumulated MDP were found in 33 children and 31 adults. In children, neuroblastoma was the most common extraosseous soft tissue tumor that accumulated MDP; in adults, MDP uptake was mostly found in lung cancer. MDP uptake in pediatric soft tissue tumors was higher than that in adults. MDP uptake in extraosseous soft tissue tumors with different histopathologic classifications was significantly different among 64 patients. In 41 patients with available tumor differentiation data from histopathology, MDP uptake in low or poorly differentiated soft tumors was higher than that in the moderately or well-differentiated lesions. Necrosis and/or calcifications were showed in most of pediatric and adult neoplasms.Conclusion: Significant elevations in MDP uptake in extraosseous soft tissue tumors are associated with poorly differentiated tumors in both children and adults. The mechanism of bone tracer uptake in pediatric and adult neoplasms was mostly related to necrosis and/or necrosis and calcification. The extraosseous soft tissue tumors with MDP uptake in pediatric patients were different from those in adults. In addition, consistent with the inherent degree of tumor malignancy, MDP uptake in children was higher than that in adults.Keywords: pediatric, adult, extraosseous soft tissue tumor, differentiation, bone scintigraphy, MDP

Continued drought during the late growth stage of super hybrid rice (SHR) markedly reduces yield, and management practices that use water more efficiently can contribute greatly to high and stable yields from SHR. The absolute temperature differences (ATDs) between the rice plant and the atmosphere and between the soil and the atmosphere are believed to be important determinants of grain yield. However, it has not previously been determined whether these ATDs have any effect on SHR yields under water-saving cultivation. A two-year field experiment involving two SHR varieties, Liangyoupeijiu (LYPJ) and Y-Liangyou 9000 (YLY900), evaluated the effects of reducing water supply from mid-booting to maturity on grain yield, canopy relative humidity (CRH), leaf area index (LAI), and ATDs between the ambient temperature and the leaf surface, panicles, canopy, and soil. Grain yield increased significantly under shallow water irrigation (SW), by 8.84% (YLY900) and 12.26% (LYPJ), but decreased significantly under mild water stress (MS, −20 to −30 kPa), by 14.36% (YLY900) and 9.47% (LYPJ), as well as severe water stress (SS, −40 to −50 kPa), by 35.06% (YLY900) and 28.74% (LYPJ). As water supply decreased, so did the CRH and the ATDs, with significant decreases under MS and SS. The temperature differences were significantly and positively correlated with grain yield (P < 0.01) in both cultivars. LAI was increased under SW conditions, but was significantly decreased under MS and SS. Our study suggests that the dual goal of saving water while maintaining high yield can be achieved by applying SW irrigation from mid-booting to maturity and by adopting cultivation measures that maintain high CRH and high plant–atmosphere and soil–atmosphere ATDs in order to alleviate water stress. YLY900 has a higher yield potential than LYPJ under SW conditions, suggesting that its wide cultivation may help achieve this dual goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the design optimisation of a switched reluctance machine (SRM) with the layered method has been studied. Firstly, a multi‐physical analytical model for the SRM is established. The proposed model consists of an electromagnetic model, an electrical model, a loss model, and a thermal model. Then a layered optimisation design method suitable for the SRM is proposed in combination with the multi‐physical field simulation model. Taguchi method is used to analyse the influence degree of the main geometric dimensions on the dynamic performance, and the parameters are divided into high‐sensitivity parameters (HSPs) and low‐sensitivity parameters. The non‐dominated sorting genetic algorithm‐II algorithm is used to optimise the HSP by the proposed model. The iron loss, average torque, average torque per unit mass, torque ripple and efficiency are taken as the objective functions. Finally, the prototype is manufactured and a testing platform is built. The flux linkage of several special positions of the machine is verified experimentally, and the accuracy of the electromagnetic model in the multi‐physical field model is verified. The temperature experiments are carried out on the machine, and the accuracy of the equivalent heat circuit model in the multi‐physical field model is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of timely detecting the engine faults that make engine operating parameters exceed their control limits has been well-solved. However, in practice, a fault of a diesel engine can be present with weak signatures, with the parameters fluctuating within their control limits when the fault occurs. The weak signatures of engine faults bring considerable difficulties to the effective condition monitoring of diesel engines. In this paper, a multivariate statistics-based fault detection approach is proposed to monitor engine faults with weak signatures by taking the correlation of various parameters into consideration. This approach firstly uses principal component analysis (PCA) to project the engine observations into a principal component subspace (PCS) and a residual subspace (RS). Two statistics, i.e., Hotelling's T 2 and Q statistics, are then introduced to detect deviations in the PCS and the RS, respectively. The Hotelling's T 2 and Q statistics are constructed by taking the correlation of various parameters into consideration, so that faults with weak signatures can be effectively detected via these two statistics. In order to reasonably determine the control limits of the statistics, adaptive kernel density estimation (KDE) is utilized to estimate the probability density functions (PDFs) of Hotelling's T 2 and Q statistics. The control limits are accordingly derived from the PDFs by giving a desired confidence level. The proposed approach is demonstrated by using a marine diesel engine. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can effectively detect engine faults with weak signatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]