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BackgroundThe research of low temperature detergent is of great significance for the operating and decommissioning of nuclear facilities at low temperature environment.PurposeThis study aims to explore the fluid characteristics and decontamination characteristics of polyvinyl butyral detergent at low temperature.MethodsThe low temperature detergent was prepared by using polyvinyl butyral as solute, ethanol and ethyl acetate as solvent and citric acid as decontamination additives. The viscosity, fluidity, sprayability and wettability of the detergent on the surface of different materials were measured in experiment. Four simulated U(VI) contaminated plate samples were prepared by the dyeing of the uranyl nitrate solution on the base of glass, stainless steel, ceramic tile and alkyd paint, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to characterize the decontamination films on the surface of these four samples, and study the decontamination mechanism. Finally, the decontamination characteristics of the detergent for the simulated U(VI) pollution on surface of different materials were studied at low temperature, and the effects of temperature, detergent dosage and surface roughness on decontamination rate were discussed.ResultsExperimental results show that the decontamination rates of the detergent for the simulated U(VI) pollution on the surface of glass, stainless steel, ceramic tile and alkyd paint board are above 97.3%, 93.6%, 95.5% and 88.9%, respectively, in the temperature range of -15~10 ℃, that the temperature and the detergent dosage have little effect on the decontamination rate and that the decontamination film formed by the detergent have good strippability.ConclusionsThe detergent has a good application potential at the decontamination of radioactive pollution in low temperature environment.

A fluorinated quasi-solid electrolyte (QSE) with a high conductivity of 2.3 mS cm−1 is meticulously designed for Li metal batteries. It facilitates the formation of a LiF-rich solid electrolyte interface that effectively enhances the reversibility of Li anodes. The assembled Li‖QSE‖LiFePO4 batteries exhibit 92.3% capacity retention after 1500 cycles and an impressive capacity of up to 45 mA h g−1 at 20C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumor necrosis (TN) is a common feature in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), which could provide useful predictive and prognostic information. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of pretreatment pulmonary TN (PTN) on the prognosis of first-line anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/PD ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor in advanced LSCC. Design: We conducted a retrospective study to analyze the association between the presence of PTN and clinical outcomes in advanced LSCC patients treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. Methods: Data from 240 eligible patients were collected from 27 hospitals across China between 2016 and 2020. The presence of PTN was assessed using contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) imaging at baseline. We utilized the Cox proportional-hazards regression model to analyze the association between PTN and clinical outcomes. In addition, to account for potential confounding factors and ensure comparability between groups, we employed propensity score-matching (PSM) analysis. Results: In the overall patient cohort, the presence of PTN was 39.6%. The median follow-up duration was 20.3 months. The positive PTN group exhibited a notably inferior median progression-free survival (PFS; 6.5 months vs 8.6 months, p = 0.012) compared to the negative PTN group. Within the Cox proportional-hazards regression model, PTN emerged as an independent predictor of unfavorable PFS (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.354, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.002–1.830, p = 0.049). After PSM, the median PFS for the positive PTN group (6.5 months vs 8.0 months, p = 0.027) remained worse than that of the negative PTN group. Multivariate analyses also further underscored that the presence of PTN independently posed a risk for shorter PFS (HR = 1.494, 95% CI: 1.056–2.112, p = 0.023). However, no statistically significant difference in overall survival was observed between the two groups. Conclusion: Our study suggests that the presence of PTN on baseline contrast-enhanced chest CT is a potential negative prognostic imaging biomarker for the outcome of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapy in advanced LSCC. Further studies are warranted to validate these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms. Plain language summary: Predicting anti-PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor treatment outcomes: pulmonary tumor necrosis in lung squamous cell carcinoma Our study focused on lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) patients receiving first-line anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. We explored the impact of a feature called pretreatment pulmonary tumor necrosis (PTN) on their prognosis. PTN was identified in 39.6% of patients using baseline chest CT scans. Results revealed that patients with PTN had a shorter time without disease progression (median PFS of 6.5 months compared to 8.6 months) and a higher risk of unfavorable outcomes. This suggests that PTN may serve as a negative prognostic imaging marker for anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy in advanced LSCC. Further research is needed to confirm and understand these findings better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungal contamination in rice and mycotoxins present significant challenges to both rice quality and food safety. However, there is a dearth of comprehensive research on the compositional and structural changes within fungal colonies in rice, particularly in typical rice-producing regions, as well as their underlying influencing factors. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of fungal taxa in rice grains was conducted using amplicon sequencing and bioinformatics methods on 99 rice samples collected in three major rice-producing regions in China: Northeast Plain (NP), Yangtze River Basin (YR), and Southeast Coastal Area (SC). A total of 6,019,722 fungal ITS sequences were obtained with an average sequence length of 235 base pairs, and effective ASVs (2014) accounted for approximately 97.58% of the total ASVs (2064). The fungal community diversity in rice grains exhibited significant variations across the three regions, with deterministic processes playing a predominant role in shaping the ecological dynamics of fungal taxa. Among the core microbiota (92 shared ASVs), the first five species (Alternaria, Fusarium, Curvularia, Epicoccum, and Ustilaginoidea) accounting for a proportion greater than 5% had been reported as potential pathogens for plants. Geographical variations in fungal community composition were evident, with a significantly higher number of shared populations observed between YR and CS regions compared to those in the NP region. Nutrient elements and climatic conditions were the internal and external driving factors of rice fungal community composition. Additionally, notable regional variations in fungal functionality were observed. The findings have significant implications for gaining a comprehensive understanding of the distribution patterns of fungal communities in the major rice-producing regions in China. Additionally, it provides valuable insights into controlling key influencing factors to effectively reduce the occurrence of toxin-producing fungi and mitigate the associated risks related to mycotoxin contamination, thereby contributing to improved risk management and assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Author(s): Zixuan Zhu [1]; Xiaoyan Lin [1]; Hao Yang (corresponding author) [1] In the article titled “Booming with Speed: High-Speed Rail and Regional Green Innovation” [1], the authors included incorrect [...]