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Background Lymph node enlargement is a common clinical finding in clinical practice with different treatment strategies. Purpose To investigate the application of Virtual Touch Image Quantification (VTIQ) to diagnose benign and malignant superficial enlarged lymph nodes. Material and Methods Between December 2015 and August 2016, 116 superficial enlarged lymph nodes were examined by VTIQ. Maximum (Vmax), minimum (Vmin), and average (Vmean) shear wave velocities (SWV) were obtained from the lymph nodes and from normal muscular tissues (Vn) located at the same level and within 5 mm from the target lymph node. The pathological results were used as the gold standard to evaluate VTIQ. Results All 116 patients underwent fine-needle aspiration biopsy for pathological examination. Forty patients had malignant lymph nodes and 76 patients had benign lymph nodes. Lymph node characteristics on B-mode ultrasound showed no differences between malignant and benign lymph nodes, but there were differences in VTIQ parameters (all P < 0.001). Compared with pathological diagnosis as the gold standard, the area under the ROC curves of Vmax, Vmin, and Vmean were 0.815, 0.746, and 0.795. The Vmax cutoff value to diagnose benign from malignant lymph nodes was 3.045 m/s. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 70%, 78.9%, 63.6%, and 83.3%. Conclusion VTIQ has a clinical application in the differential diagnosis of superficial enlarged lymph nodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LNG vehicles have bright prospects in replacing fuel vehicles with many advantages such as safety, economy, and high-efficiency et al. Developing and popularizing application of LNG vehicles in China is an optimal path for improving energy structure, solving energy crisis, and reducing vehicle emissions pollution. This paper summarizes technology development status of LNG vehicle industry in domestic and overseas, prospects development, popularization and application of LNG vehicle in China. On the basis of the above review, some development proposals re put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fertilization significantly influences soil quality and its sustainable use in urban garden maintenance. The widespread application of inorganic fertilizers has raised ecological concerns due to their potential environmental impacts. Organic fertilizers, while beneficial, often have slow effects and are costly. Biofertilizers, with their eco-friendly nature and low carbon footprint, are gaining attention for their multifaceted role in supporting plant growth. Despite the focus on fruit trees, vegetables, and medicinal plants, ornamental plants have been understudied. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a novel microbial fertilizer, 'natural soil biotin', on Rhododendron plants, specifically the Azalea hybrid 'Carnation'. The study employed a comparative approach to assess the impact of different fertilization strategies on soil properties, microbial diversity, enzyme activity, plant morphology, and physiological parameters. The application of 'natural soil biotin' was compared with the use of inorganic and organic fertilizers. The combined application of 'natural soil biotin' was found to effectively enhance soil properties and mitigate the impact of other fertilizers on soil pH. It also improved the relative abundance of beneficial microbial groups such as Proteobacteria, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota. Furthermore, the mixed application significantly increased the activities of urease and sucrase in Rhododendron plants, which promoted their growth, development, and stress resistance. The results indicate that the mixed application of 'natural soil biotin' with inorganic and organic fertilizers not only improved the soil quality but also enhanced the efficiency of fertilizer utilization. This approach led to increased economic and environmental benefits in Rhododendron cultivation. The findings contribute to the foundation for soil improvement and ecological restoration, suggesting that 'natural soil biotin' could be a promising alternative or supplement to traditional fertilization methods in sustainable landscape architecture., Competing Interests: YW and ZG were employed by Aupro (Hangzhou) Ecological Industry Operation Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Teng, Chen, Li, Pan, Liu, Gu, Wang, Huang and Chen.)

Knowledge distillation (KD), as an effective compression technology, is used to reduce the resource consumption of graph neural networks (GNNs) and facilitate their deployment on resource-constrained devices. Numerous studies exist on GNN distillation, and however, the impacts of knowledge complexity and differences in learning behavior between teachers and students on distillation efficiency remain underexplored. We propose a KD method for fine-grained learning behavior (FLB), comprising two main components: feature knowledge decoupling (FKD) and teacher learning behavior guidance (TLBG). Specifically, FKD decouples the intermediate-layer features of the student network into two types: teacher-related features (TRFs) and downstream features (DFs), enhancing knowledge comprehension and learning efficiency by guiding the student to simultaneously focus on these features. TLBG maps the teacher model's learning behaviors to provide reliable guidance for correcting deviations in student learning. Extensive experiments across eight datasets and 12 baseline frameworks demonstrate that FLB significantly enhances the performance and robustness of student GNNs within the original framework.

Chinese cabbage ( Brassica campestris L. syn. B. rapa ), a widely cultivated leafy vegetable, faces significant challenges in annual production due to high-temperature stress, which adversely affects plant weight and quality. The need for an effective solution to mitigate these impacts is imperative for sustainable horticulture. This study explored the effects of a novel biofertilizer, natural soil biotin (NSB), on Chinese cabbage under high-temperature conditions. NSB, rich in organic matter-degrading enzymes, was applied to assess its impact on crop yield, growth, nutrient use efficiency, product quality, and safety. The study also examined the soil microbial community response to NSB application, particularly the changes in the rhizosphere soil's fungal population. The application of NSB led to an increase in the abundance of Oleomycetes , which was associated with a decrease in the diversity and abundance of harmful fungi in the rhizosphere soil. This microbial shift promoted the growth of Chinese cabbage, enhancing both plant weight and quality by fostering a more favorable growth environment. Furthermore, NSB was found to reduce lipid peroxidation in Chinese cabbage leaves under high-temperature stress (40°C/30°C, 16 h/8 h, 24 h) by boosting antioxidant enzyme activity and osmoregulatory substance content. The findings suggest that the NSB application offers a promising approach to environmentally friendly cultivation of Chinese cabbage during high-temperature seasons. It contributes to improving the crop's adaptation to climate change and soil degradation, supporting the development of sustainable agricultural practices. The integration of NSB into agricultural practices presents a viable strategy for enhancing the resilience of Chinese cabbage to high-temperature stress, thereby potentially increasing yield and improving the quality of the produce, which is crucial for the advancement of sustainable horticulture., Competing Interests: Authors SB, JN, and YS are employed by Hangzhou Manshanhong Vegetable and Fruit Professional Cooperative. ZG is employed by Aupro (Hangzhou) Ecological Industry Operation Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Teng, Chen, Pan, Liu, Yao, Bai, Ni, Shao, Gu, Huang and Chen.)

Background: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common liver injury which will develop into advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis. This study was designed to identify the different serum metabolites of NASH hamsters and predict the diagnosis biomarkers for NASH., Methods: Golden hamsters were randomly divided into a control group that received a normal diet and a NASH group that received a high-fat diet (HFD). After 12 weeks of feeding, the body and liver weight of the hamsters were monitored. Serum biochemical parameters and liver histopathological changes were analyzed. Moreover, an untargeted metabolomics analysis based on a GCTOF/ MS system was performed to identify the serum differential metabolites between the NASH and control groups., Results: The liver weight was increased in the NASH group, accompanied by significantly higher levels of serum TC, TG, ALT, AST, LDL-C, and lower HDL-C. HE, Masson, and oil red O staining showed the hepatocyte structure destroyed, lipid droplets accumulated, and fibers proliferated in the NASH group. Furthermore, 63 differential metabolites were identified by metabolomic analysis. Lipids and fatty acids were significantly up-regulated in the NASH group. The top 9 differential metabolites included cholesterol, methyl phosphate, taurine, alpha-tocopherol, aspartic acid, etc. Metabolites were mainly involved in amino acid metabolism (glycine, cysteine, taurine), spermine, fatty acid biosynthesis, urea cycle, bile acid metabolism pathways, etc. Conclusion: Metabonomics analysis identified 63 differential metabolites in the serum of NASH hamsters; among them, lipids and fatty acids had a key role and may be used as biomarkers for the early diagnosis of NASH., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)