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Objective: To investigate the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic resection of focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) in the hepatic caudate lobe. Methods: The clinical data of eight patients who underwent laparoscopic hepatic caudate lobe FNH resection at the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Southwest Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University, were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The laparoscopic procedures were successful in all eight patients, and no patients required conversion to open surgery. Five patients underwent partial caudate lobe resection, one patient underwent caudate lobe resection, and two patients underwent combined left hemihepatectomy with caudate lobe resection. Tumor resection was performed using the left approach in five cases, the right approach in one case, the middle hepatic fissure approach in one case, and the left and right combined approach in one case. The operation time ranged from 120 to 360 min, with a mean of 225 min. The intraoperative blood loss ranged from 50 to 600 ml, with a mean of 235 ml. No postoperative bleeding, bile leakage or abdominal infection occurred. Conclusions: Laparoscopic resection of hepatic caudate lobe FNH was safe and feasible in appropriate patients. Skilled laparoscopic hepatectomy techniques, adequate preoperative evaluation, appropriate choice of surgical approach and the control of intraoperative bleeding are critical to perform this surgery.

Abstract Diagnostic imaging is an essential and indispensable part of medical diagnosis and treatment, and diagnostic errors or biases are also common in the department of radiology, sometimes even having a severe impact on the diagnosis and treatment of patients. There are various reasons for diagnostic errors or biases in imaging. In this review, we analyze and summarize the causes of diagnostic imaging errors and biases based on practical cases. We propose solutions for dealing with diagnostic imaging errors and reducing their probability, thereby helping radiologists in their clinical practice. Critical relevance statement Diagnostic errors or bias contribute to most medical errors in the radiology department. Solutions for dealing with diagnostic imaging errors are pivotal for patients. Key points • Diagnostic errors or bias contribute to most medical errors in radiology department. • Solutions for dealing with diagnostic imaging errors are pivotal for patients. • This review summarizes the causes of diagnostic errors and offers solutions to them. Graphical Abstract

Objectives: Patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) can benefit from individualized targeted therapy. This study aims to develop, compare, analyse prediction models based on dual-energy spectral computed tomography (DESCT) and CT-based radiomic features to non-invasively predict EGFR mutation status in LUAD. Materials and methods: Patients with LUAD (n = 175), including 111 patients with and 64 patients without EGFR mutations, were enrolled in the current study. All patients were randomly divided into a training dataset (122 cases) and validation dataset (53 cases) at a ratio of 7:3. After extracting CT-based radiomic, DESCT and clinical features, we built seven prediction models and a nomogram of the best prediction. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the mean area under the curve (AUC) values were used for comparisons among the models to obtain the best prediction model for predicting EGFR mutations. Results: The best distinguishing ability is the combined model incorporating radiomic, DESCT and clinical features for predicting the EGFR mutation status with an AUC of 0.86 (95 % CI: 0.79–0.92) in the training group and an AUC value of 0.83 (95 % CI: 0.73, 0.96) in the validation group. Conclusions: Our study provides a predictive nomogram non-invasively with a combination of CT-based radiomic, DESCT and clinical features, which can provide image-based biological information for targeted therapy of LUAD with EGFR mutations.

Cryptocurrency has emerged as a decentralized transaction to overcome the problems of the centralized transaction system. Although it has become a popular trend in online cryptocurrency transactions and mobile wallets, this method has increased the number of fraudulent transactions instead of physically transferring money. Because the shared data and the history of online transactions may lead to fraudulent transactions. The preprocess identification of fraudulent cryptocurrency transactions is becoming an urgent research question. With the exponential blossoming of Artificial Intelligence, the employing of deep learning in predicting social issues has been achieved in many disciplines. From this perspective, this paper proposes an ensemble learning approach for fraudulent cryptocurrency transactions by integrating two deep learning methods: Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). The off-the-shelf CNN and LSTM, ensemble CNN, and ensemble LSTM with the bagged and boosted approach are compared in terms of accuracy and losses from training and test datasets. Moreover, the 10-fold cross-validation approach is employed for the evaluation of the proposed approach. The evaluation results indicate that the bagged LSTM ensembled approach is significant with 96.4% accuracy and outperforms the other approaches.

The emerging advances in deep learning and computer vision have enabled traditional cloud-based decision-making through edge computing with artificial intelligent internet of things (AIoT) image sensors (AIoT-IS). As a result, the timeliness and security of image recognition can be obtained. This study aims to develop an AIoT-IS-based smart safety control device for construction sites (“SmartCon” hereafter) for the operations of mobile cranes. The research is carried out to include the definition of hazardous control areas and the identification of unsafe scenarios for crane operations, the development of an intelligent prototype system for the safety control of lifting operations, system application demonstrations, and the evaluation of effectiveness. It is intended to assist labor inspection agencies and industry practitioners with a tool for monitoring lifting operations. The results of two empirical field tests show that the proposed SmartCon improves the safety monitoring of the operation of the machine through the real-time response to the identified potential risks on construction sites.

Abstract Background Converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into value-added chemicals using engineered cyanobacteria is a promising strategy to tackle the global warming and energy shortage issues. However, most cyanobacteria are autotrophic and use CO2 as a sole carbon source, which makes it hard to compete with heterotrophic hosts in either growth or productivity. One strategy to overcome this bottleneck is to introduce sugar utilization pathways to enable photomixotrophic growth with CO2 and sugar (e.g., glucose and xylose). Advances in engineering mixotrophic cyanobacteria have been obtained, while a systematic interrogation of these engineered strains is missing. This work aimed to fill the gap at omics level. Results We first constructed two engineered Synechococcus elongatus YQ2-gal and YQ3-xyl capable of utilizing glucose and xylose, respectively. To investigate the metabolic mechanism, transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis were then performed in the engineered photomixotrophic strains YQ2-gal and YQ3-xyl. Transcriptome and metabolome of wild-type S. elongatus were set as baselines. Increased abundance of metabolites in glycolysis or pentose phosphate pathway indicated that efficient sugar utilization significantly enhanced carbon flux in S. elongatus as expected. However, carbon flux was redirected in strain YQ2-gal as more flowed into fatty acids biosynthesis but less into amino acids. In strain YQ3-xyl, more carbon flux was directed into synthesis of sucrose, glucosamine and acetaldehyde, while less into fatty acids and amino acids. Moreover, photosynthesis and bicarbonate transport could be affected by upregulated genes, while nitrogen transport and assimilation were regulated by less transcript abundance of related genes in strain YQ3-xyl with utilization of xylose. Conclusions Our work identified metabolic mechanism in engineered S. elongatus during photomixotrophic growth, where regulations of fatty acids metabolism, photosynthesis, bicarbonate transport, nitrogen assimilation and transport are dependent on different sugar utilization. Since photomixotrophic cyanobacteria is regarded as a promising cell factory for bioproduction, this comprehensive understanding of metabolic mechanism of engineered S. elongatus during photomixotrophic growth would shed light on the engineering of more efficient and controllable bioproduction systems based on this potential chassis.

With the widespread application of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) technology, pulmonary nodules have aroused more attention. Significant alteration in plasma metabolite levels, mainly amino acid and lipid, have been observed in patients of PNs. However, evidence on the association between central carbon metabolism and PNs are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying association of PNs and plasma central carbon metabolites. We measured the levels of 16 plasma central carbon metabolites in 1954 participants who gained LDCT screening in MALSC cohort. The inverse probability weighting (IPW) technique was used to control for bias due to self-selection for LDCT in the assessed high-risk population. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalized regression was used to deal with the problem of multicollinearity among metabolites and the combined association of central carbon metabolites with PNs was estimated by using quantile g-computation (QgC) models. A quartile increase in 3-hydroxybutyric acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid and hippuric acid was positively associated with the PNs risk, whereas a quartile increase in 2-oxadipic acid and fumaric acid was negatively associated with the risk of PNs in multiple-metabolite models. A positive but insignificant joint associations of the mixture of 16 metabolites with PNs was observed by using QgC models analyses. Further studies are warranted to clarify the association between circulating metabolites and PNs and the biological mechanisms.

Abstract backgroundOsteofibrous dysplasia-like adamantinoma (OFD-like adamantinoma), classical adamantinoma and dedifferentiated adamantinoma were previously considered to be three subtypes of adamantinoma of long bones. In the 5th edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of bone tumors in 2020, OFD-like adamantinoma was newly proposed and classified as an intermediate-locally aggressive tumor in other mesenchymal tumors of bone. OFD-like adamantinoma is rare, accounting for only 0.4% of all primary bone tumors. OFD-like adamantinoma is often misdiagnosed due to the insufficient understanding of it. Here we report a case of OFD-like adamantinoma treated in our hospital with a literature review.Case presentationThe patient, a 14-year-old male, had swelling in his right leg with intermittent pain for one year. Plain radiography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed. Based on the radiological and histological examinations, a diagnosis of OFD-like adamantinoma was suspected. After admission, the patient underwent tumor resection of the right tibia, free transplantation of the left fibula and internal fixation. After resection of the tumor, the wound recovered well, the vital signs were stable, and activity was normal. The patient has been followed up for more than a year with no recurrence or distant metastasis.ConclusionOFD-like adamantinoma is a rare primary bone tumor with nonspecific clinical features. Imaging examination can demonstrate the lesion and help diagnosis. The pathological discovery of epithelioid tissue is the key evidence for diagnosis.

Summary: Despite intense research in understanding Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) pathogenesis, the mechanisms by which it is cleared from the host are largely unclarified. In C. perfringens gas gangrene and enterocolitis model, Mlkl−/− mice, lacking mixed lineage kinase-like protein (MLKL), are more susceptible to C. perfringens infection. Mlkl deficiency results in a defect in inflammasome activation, and IL-18 and IL-1β releases. Exogenous administration of recombinant IL-18 is able to rescue the susceptibility of Mlkl−/− mice. Notably, K+ efflux-dependent NLRP3 inflammasome signaling downstream of active MLKL promotes bacterial killing and clearance. Interestingly, the defect of bactericidal activity is also mediated by decreased classical extracellular trap formation in the absence of Mlkl. Our results demonstrate that MLKL mediates extracellular trap formation in a NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent manner. These findings highlight the requirement of MLKL for host defense against C. perfringens infection through enhancing NLRP3 inflammasome-extracellular traps axis.

Abstract Background Isobutanol is an attractive biofuel with many advantages. Third-generation biorefineries that convert CO2 into bio-based fuels have drawn considerable attention due to their lower feedstock cost and more ecofriendly refining process. Although autotrophic cyanobacteria have been genetically modified for isobutanol biosynthesis, there is a lack of stable and convenient strategies to improve their production. Results In this study, we first engineered Synechococcus elongatus for isobutanol biosynthesis by introducing five exogenous enzymes, reaching a production titer of 0.126 g/L at day 20. It was then discovered that high salinity stress could result in a whopping fivefold increase in isobutanol production, with a maximal in-flask titer of 0.637 g/L at day 20. Metabolomics analysis revealed that high salinity stress substantially altered the metabolic profiles of the engineered S. elongatus. A major reason for the enhanced isobutanol production is the acceleration of lipid degradation under high salinity stress, which increases NADH. The NADH then participates in the engineered isobutanol-producing pathway. In addition, increased membrane permeability also contributed to the isobutanol production titer. A cultivation system was subsequently developed by mixing synthetic wastewater with seawater to grow the engineered cyanobacteria, reaching a similar isobutanol production titer as cultivation in the medium. Conclusions High salinity stress on engineered cyanobacteria is a practical and feasible biotechnology to optimize isobutanol production. This biotechnology provides a cost-effective approach to biofuel production, and simultaneously recycles chemical nutrients from wastewater and seawater.

PurposeTo develop nomograms for predicting breast malignancy in BI-RADS ultrasound (US) category 4 or 5 lesions based on radiomics features.MethodsBetween January 2020 and January 2022, we prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 496 patients pathologically proven breast lesions in our hospital. The data set was divided into model training group and validation testing group with a 75/25 split. Radiomics features were obtained using the PyRadiomics package, and the radiomics score was established by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression. A nomogram was developed for BI-RADS US category 4 or 5 lesions according to the results of multivariate regression analysis from the training group.ResultThe AUCs of radiomics score consisting of 31 US features was 0.886. The AUC of the model constructed with radiomics score, patient age, lesion diameter identified by US and BI-RADS category involved was 0.956 (95% CI, 0.910–0.972) for the training group and 0.937 (95% CI, 0.893–0.965) for the validation cohort. The calibration curves showed good agreement between the predictions and observations.ConclusionsBoth nomogram and radiomics score can be used as methods to assist radiologists and clinicians in predicting breast malignancy in BI-RADS US category 4 or 5 lesions.

Abstract A detailed knowledge on the spatial distribution of pests is crucial for predicting population outbreaks or developing control strategies and sustainable management plans. The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, is one of the most destructive pests of cruciferous crops worldwide. Despite the abundant research on the species’s ecology, little is known about the spatio-temporal pattern of P. xylostella in an agricultural landscape. Therefore, in this study, the spatial distribution of P. xylostella was characterized to assess the effect of landscape elements in a fine-scale agricultural landscape by geostatistical analysis. The P. xylostella adults captured by pheromone-baited traps showed a seasonal pattern of population fluctuation from October 2015 to September 2017, with a marked peak in spring, suggesting that mild temperatures, 15–25 °C, are favorable for P. xylostella. Geostatistics (GS) correlograms fitted with spherical and Gaussian models showed an aggregated distribution in 21 of the 47 cases interpolation contour maps. This result highlighted that spatial distribution of P. xylostella was not limited to the Brassica vegetable field, but presence was the highest there. Nevertheless, population aggregations also showed a seasonal variation associated with the growing stage of host plants. GS model analysis showed higher abundances in cruciferous fields than in any other patches of the landscape, indicating a strong host plant dependency. We demonstrate that Brassica vegetables distribution and growth stage, have dominant impacts on the spatial distribution of P. xylostella in a fine-scale landscape. This work clarified the spatio-temporal dynamic and distribution patterns of P. xylostella in an agricultural landscape, and the distribution model developed by geostatistical analysis can provide a scientific basis for precise targeting and localized control of P. xylostella.

Abstract Background China is facing challenges of the shifting presentation of tuberculosis (TB) from younger to elderly due to an ageing population, longer life expectancy and reactivation disease. However, the burden of elderly TB and influence factors are not yet clear. To fill the gap, we generated a cohort study to measure the magnitude of TB incidence and associated factors among the elderly population aged 65 years and above in China. Methods In this cohort established in 2013 through a prevalence survey conducted in selected sites, a total of 34 076 elderlies without TB were enrolled into two-year follow-up. We used both active and passive case findings to find out all TB patients among them. The person-year (PY) incidence rates for both bacteriologically positive TB and active TB were calculated. Cox proportional regression model was performed to test effect of risk factors, and the population attributable fraction (PAF) of each risk factor contributing to incident TB among elderlies was calculated. Results Over the two-year follow-up period, a total of 215 incident active TB were identified, 62 of which were bacteriologically positive. The incidence rates for active TB and bacteriologically positive TB were 481.8 per 100 000 PY (95% CI: 417.4–546.2 per 100 000 PY) and 138.9 per 100 000 PY (95% CI: 104.4–173.5 per 100 000 PY), respectively. Incident cases detected by active case finding were significantly higher (P

IntroductionLocoregional recurrent breast cancer indicates poor prognosis. No solid prediction model is available to predict prognosis and guide clinical management. Prior local treatment or systemic treatment remains controversial.MethodsLocoregional recurrent breast cancer patients operated in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center were enrolled as a training cohort. An external validation cohort included breast cancer patients after locoregional recurrence from Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University. A nomogram predicting overall survival after locoregional recurrence was established using multivariable Cox regression analysis while internal and external validation were performed to evaluate its calibration and discrimination.ResultsOverall, 346 and 96 breast cancer patients were included in the training cohort and the validation cohort separately. A nomogram was developed, including age, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, breast surgery, pathology type, tumor size, lymph node status, hormonal receptor and Her-2 status, disease-free interval, and sites of locoregional recurrence. It had modest calibration and discrimination in the training cohort, internal validation and external validation (concordance index: 0.751, 0.734 and 0.722, respectively). The nomogram classified 266 and 80 patients into low and high-risk subgroups with distinctive prognosis. Local treatment after locoregional recurrence was associated with improved overall survival in low-risk group (P = 0.011), while systemic therapies correlated with better outcomes only in high-risk group (P < 0.001).ConclusionA nomogram based on clinicopathological factors can predict prognosis and identify low and high-risk patients. Local treatment is a prior choice for low-risk patients whereas systemic treatment needs to be considered for high-risk patients, warranting further validation and exploration.

Abstract Background The problem of population aging is a critical public health concern in modern China, and more tuberculosis (TB) control efforts are needed to reach elderly people at high priority. In this study, we aim to determine the prevalence and identify the risk factors of TB among elderly people in China. Methods A multistage cluster-sampled cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2013, and 27 clusters were selected from 10 counties of 10 provinces in China. All consenting participants greater than or equal to 65 years of age were screened for pulmonary TB with a chest X-ray (CXR) and a symptom questionnaire. Three sputum specimens for bacteriological examination by microscopy and culture were collected from those whose screening was positive. Prevalence was calculated, a multiple logistic regression model was performed to confirm the risk factors, and population attributable fraction (PAF) of each risk factor was calculated to indicate the public health significance. Results Of 38 888 eligible people from 27 clusters, 34 269 participants finished both questionnaire and physical examination. There were 193 active pulmonary TB cases, 62 of which were bacteriologically confirmed. The estimated prevalence of active pulmonary TB and bacteriologically confirmed TB in those 65 years of age and older was 563.19 per 100 000 (95% CI: 483.73–642.65) and 180.92 per 100 000 (95% CI: 135.89–225.96), respectively. Male sex, older age, living in rural areas, underweight, diabetes, close contact of pulmonary TB (PTB) and previous TB history are all risk factors for TB. The risk of TB increased with increasing age and decreasing body mass index (BMI) after adjusting for other factors, and there is a positive dose–response relationship. Conclusions In China, active case finding (ACF) could be implemented among elderly people aged 65 and above with underweight, diabetes, close contact history and previous TB history as a priority, which will get significant yields and be cost-effective.

Background: Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy has developed rapidly in recent years. Postoperative pancreatic fistula is still the most dangerous complication of laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy. Baumgart pancreaticojejunostomy is considered one of the safest anastomosis procedures, with low rates of pancreatic fistula. We modified Blumgart pancreaticojejunostomy and applied the modified procedure during laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy. The modified procedure entailed a longitudinal U-shaped suture through the pancreas for anastomosis of the pancreatic duct and the jejunal mucosa.Methods: We prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed the data of 120 patients who underwent laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy from January 2016. The total operative time, time for complete pancreaticojejunostomy, postoperative pancreatic fistula rate, postoperative delayed gastric emptying, postoperative bleeding, postoperative length of hospital stays, and mortality within 90 days after surgery were analyzed. An analysis of laparoscopic pancreaticojejunostomy compared with open pancreaticojejunostomy is also reported.Results: In the laparoscopic pancreaticojejunostomy group, the average total operative time, the average time for complete pancreaticojejunostomy, and the average intraoperative blood loss were 271 min, 35.3 min, and 184 ml, respectively. The total postoperative clinically relevant pancreatic fistula rate was 9.2% (Grade B and C fistulas). The incidence rates of postoperative delayed gastric emptying and postoperative biliary fistula were ~2.5 and 1.7%, respectively. The postoperative bleeding rate was 0.83%, and the average postoperative indwelling time of the abdominal drainage tube was 7.3 days. The postoperative length of hospital stay was 10.8 days, and the mortality rate within 90 days after surgery was 0.83%. The rates of clinically relevant postoperative clinically relevant pancreatic fistula are comparable between laparoscopic and open surgery, there were no other severe postoperative complications in either group. The mean postoperative length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the laparoscopic pancreaticojejunostomy group.Conclusion: The modified laparoscopic-adapted Blumgart anastomosis simplifies and facilitates the creation of the pancreaticojejunostomy in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy. The rates of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula are comparable with those obtained by open surgery, and length of stay are shoter.

Introduction Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most common organ dysfunction in sepsis, and increases the risk of unfavourable outcomes. Renal replacement therapy (RRT) is the predominant treatment for sepsis-associated AKI (SAKI). However, to date, no prospective randomised study has adequately addressed whether initiating RRT earlier will attenuate renal injury and improve the outcome of sepsis. The objective of the trial is to compare the early strategy with delayed strategy on the outcomes in patients with SAKI in the intensive care unit (ICU).Methods and analysis This is a large-scale, multicentre, randomised controlled trial about SAKI. In total, 460 patients with sepsis and evidence of AKI stage 2 of Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) will be recruited and equally randomised into the early group and the delay group in a ratio of 1:1. In the early group, continuous RRT (CRRT) will be started immediately after randomisation. In the delay group, CRRT will initiated if at least one of the following criteria was met: stage 3 of KDIGO, severe hyperkalaemia, pulmonary oedema, blood urea nitrogen level higher than 112 mg/dL after randomisation. The primary outcome is overall survival in a 90-day follow-up period (90-day all-cause mortality). Other end points include 28-day, 60-day and 1-year mortality, recovery rate of renal function by day 28 and day 90, ICU and hospital length of stay, the numbers of CRRT-free days, mechanical ventilation-free days and vasopressor-free days, the rate of complications potentially related to CRRT, CRRT-related cost, and concentrations of inflammatory mediators in serum.Ethics and dissemination The trial has been approved by the Clinical Research and Application Institutional Review Board of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (2017–31-ks-01). Participants will be screened and enrolled from patients in the ICU with SAKI by clinicians, with no public advertisement for recruitment. Results will be disseminated in research journals and through conference presentations.Trial registration NCT03175328.

Release of individuals is an effective conservation approach to protect endangered species. To save this small isolated giant panda population in Liziping Nature Reserve, a few giant pandas have been released to this population. Here we assess genetic diversity and future changes in the population using noninvasive genetic sampling after releasing giant pandas. In this study, a total of 28 giant pandas (including 4 released individuals) were identified in the Liziping, China. Compared with other giant panda populations, this population has medium-level genetic diversity; however, a Bayesian-coalescent method clearly detected, quantified, and dated a recent decrease in population size. The predictions for genetic diversity and survival of the population in the next 100 years indicate that this population has a high risk of extinction. We show that released giant pandas can preserve genetic diversity and improve the probability of survival in this small isolated giant panda population. To promote the recovery of this population, we suggest that panda release should be continued and this population will need to release 10 males and 20 females in the future.

Among the numerous learning management platforms, Moodle is free, open-source software supporting expanding and modularized system functions and services to facilitate online courses or online resources and interactive activities. This study enhanced a personalized learning service for the Moodle e-learning management system, which synchronizes the user’s identity according to the user information database of the third-party user management platform system. According to the user’s demand to provide a personalized e-course, including personalized learning process, e-materials, and learning path to improve learning efficiency. This study adopted the pre-test and post-test achievement to compare the benefit of the personalized e-learning platform. Research samples were students in the “programming” course at the Technology University in central Taiwan. The experiment results indicate: (i) The average post-test result after using the proposed platform was higher than the average pre-test result (before using the proposed platform). (ii) The learning effect gap in the post-test between students was less than in the pre-test result. Hence, the proposed personalized e-learning platform was beneficial.

The data presented in this article are related to the research paper entitled “Pyrometamorphic aureoles of Cretaceous sandstones and shales by Cenozoic basic intrusions, NE Brazil: Petrographic, textural, chemical and experimental approaches” Souza et al., 2018. Here, we report the complete data set for natural minerals and rocks as well as for experimental runs. These data include detailed oxide composition of minerals and glassy groundmass of the samples studied from electron microprobe and scanning electron microscopy analyzes. Rock samples and minerals are separated according to the protolith (sandstone, shale), pyrometamorphic rock (dark and light buchites, and silica-rich types), intrusion (basalt, diabase) that induced the pyrometamorphic events, and experimental results (microphenocrysts, glass).

Upland red soils have been identified as major CO2 and N2O sources induced by human activities such as fertilization. To monitor characteristics of soil surface CO2 and N2O fluxes in cropland ecosystems after continuous fertilizer applications over decades and to separate the respective contributions of root and heterotrophic respiration to the total soil CO2 and N2O fluxes, the measurements of soil surface CO2 and N2O fluxes throughout the maize growing season in 2009 were carried out based on a fertilization experiment (from 1990) through of the maize (Zea mays L.) growing season in red soil in southern China. Five fertilization treatments were chosen from the experiment for study: zero-fertilizer application (CK), nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) fertilizer application only, pig manure (M), NPK plus pig manure (NPKM) and NPK with straw (NPKS). Six chambers were installed in each plot. Three of them are in the inter-row soil (NR) and the others are in the soil within the row (R). Each fertilizer treatment received the same amount of N (300 kg ha−1 yr−1). Results showed that cumulative soil CO2 fluxes in NR or R were both following the order: NPKS>M, NPKM>NPK>CK. The contributions of root respiration to soil CO2 fluxes was 40, 44, 50, 47 and 35% in CK, NPK, NPKM, M and NPKS treatments, respectively, with the mean value of 43%. Cumulative soil N2O fluxes in NR or R were both following the order: NPKS, NPKM>M>NPK>CK, and soil N2O fluxes in R were 18, 20 and 30% higher than that in NR in NPKM, M and NPKS treatments, respectively, but with no difference between NR and R in NPK treatment. Furthermore, combine with soil temperature at −5 cm depth and soil moisture (0–20 cm) together could explain 55–70% and 42–59% of soil CO2 and N2O emissions with root interference and 62–78% and 44–63% of that without root interference, respectively. In addition, soil CO2 and N2O fluxes per unit yield in NPKM (0.55 and 0.10 kg C t−1) and M (0.65 and 0.13 g N t−1) treatments were lower than those in other treatments. Therefore, manure application could be a preferred fertilization strategy in red soils in South China.

Long-term fertilization experiment provides the platform for understanding the proton budgets in nitrogen transformations of agricultural ecosystems. We analyzed the historical (1990–2005) observations on four agricultural long-term experiments in China (Changping, Chongqing, Gongzhuling and Qiyang) under four different fertilizations, i.e., no-fertilizer (control), sole chemical nitrogen fertilizer (FN), sole chemical phosphorous and potassium fertilizers (FPK) and chemical nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium fertilizers (FNPK). The significant decline in topsoil pH was caused not only by chemical N fertilization (0.29 and 0.89 ΔpH at Gongzhuling and Qiyang, respectively) but also by chemical PK fertilization (0.59 ΔpH at Gongzhuling). The enhancement of available nutrients in the topsoil due to long-term direct nutrients supply with chemical fertilizers was in the descending order of available P (168–599%)>available K (16–189%)>available N (9–33%). The relative rate of soil pH decline was lower under long-term judicious chemical fertilization (−0.036–0.034 ΔpH yr−1) than that under long-term sole N or PK fertilization (0.016–0.086 ΔpH yr−1). Long-term judicious chemical fertilization with N, P and K elements decreases the nutritional limitation to normal crop growth, under which more N output was distributed in biomass removal rather than the loss via nitrate leaching. We concluded that the N distribution percentage of nitrate leaching to biomass removal might be a suitable indicator to the sensitivity of agricultural ecosystems to acid inputs.

An alginate lyase-producing bacterial strain, Pseudoalteromonas sp. SM0524, was screened from marine rotten kelp. In an optimized condition, the production of alginate lyase from Pseudoalteromonas sp. SM0524 reached 62.6 U/mL, suggesting that strain SM0524 is a good producer of alginate lyases. The bifunctional alginate lyasealy-SJ02 secreted by strain SM0524 was purified. Aly-SJ02 had an apparent molecular mass of 32 kDa. The optimal temperature and pH of aly-SJ02 toward sodium alginate was 50 °C and 8.5, respectively. The half life period of aly-SJ02 was 41 min at 40 °C and 20 min at 50 °C. Aly-SJ02 was most stable at pH 8.0. N-terminal sequence analysis suggested that aly-SJ02 may be an alginate lyase of polysaccharide lyase family 18. Aly-SJ02 showed activities toward both polyG (α-L-guluronic acid) and polyM (β-D-mannuronic acid), indicating that it is a bifunctional alginate lyase. Aly-SJ02 had lower Km toward polyG than toward polyM and sodium alginate. Thin layer chromatography and ESI-MS analyses showed that aly-SJ02 mainly released dimers and trimers from polyM and alginate, and trimers and tetramers from polyG, which suggests that aly-SJ02 may be a good tool to produce dimers and trimers from alginate.

By virtue of the rapid development of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT), people have owned various devices connected to the Internet to enjoy various emerging application services, such as multimedia related services. IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is the integration platform for multimedia application services and provides a rich feature set of converged services in the Next Generation Network (NGN). IMS services are accessed by a user anytime and anywhere through his/her personal self IMS device, e.g., mobile device, equipped with a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) card. People have owned various devices connected to the Internet at homes or offices. However, some devices can not access IMS services without USIM cards embedded, which is called non-IMS devices. People wish that more devices without USIM cards embedded should be connected to the Internet on which IMS services are accessed in addition to the mobile devices equipped with USIM cards. Accordingly, we propose an Open Service Gateway Initiative (OSGi)-based IMS service gateway, in which OSGi technology is the dynamic module system for JAVA. The proposed gateway is authorized by a personal self IMS device such that IMS services are accessed by non-IMS devices, in this paper. Moreover, these non-IMS devices rely on different networks to access technologies and network protocols and the IMS service gateway proposed here adopts the OSGi framework for no problem of integration.

Low-frequency noise and magnetoresistance in sputtered-deposited Ta(5 nm)/MgO (3 nm)/NiFe(10 nm)/MgO(3 nm)/Ta(3 nm) films have been measured as a function of different annealing times at 400°C. These measurements did not change synchronously with annealing time. A significant increase in magnetoresistance is observed for short annealing times (of the order of minutes) and is correlated with a relatively small reduction in 1/f noise. In contrast, a significant reduction in 1/f noise is observed for long annealing times (of the order of hours) accompanied by a small change in magnetoresistance. After annealing for 2 hours, the 1/f noise decreases by three orders of magnitude. Transmission electron microscopy and slow positron annihilation results implicate the cause being micro-structural changes in the MgO layers and interfaces following different annealing times. The internal vacancies in the MgO layers gather into vacancy clusters to reduce the defect density after short annealing times, whereas the MgO/NiFe and the NiFe/MgO interfaces improve significantly after long annealing times with the amorphous MgO layers gradually crystallizing following the release of interfacial stress.

The study was to estimate the likelihood of axillary downstaging and to identify the factors predicting a pathologically node negative status after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) with or without trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer.Patients with HER2-positive, stage IIa-IIIc breast cancer were enrolled. Axillary status was evaluated by palpation and fine needle aspiration (FNA) before NAC. All patients received 4-6 cycles of PCrb (paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 and carboplatin AUC = 2 d1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle, or paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 and carboplatin AUC = 6 every-3-week) and were non-randomly administered trastuzumab (2 mg/kg weekly or 6 mg/kg every-3-week) or not. After NAC, each patient underwent standard axillary lymph node dissection and breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy. And some patients received sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) before axillary dissection.Between November-2007 and June-2013, 255 patients were enrolled. Of them, 157 were confirmed as axillary node positive by FNA (group-A) and 98 as axillary node negative either by FNA or impalpable (group-B). After axillary dissection, the overall pathologically node negative rates (pNNR) were 52.9% in group-A and 69.4% in group-B. The ER-poor/HER2-positive subtype acquired the highest pNNR (79.6% in group-A and 87.9% in group-B, respectively) and the lowest rate of residual with ≥4 nodes involvement (1.9% and 3%, respectively) after PCrb plus trastuzumab. In multivariate analysis, trastuzumab added and ER-poor status were independent factors in predicting a higher pNNR in HER2-positive breast cancer. Forty-six tested patients showed that the ER-poor/HER2-positive subtype acquired a considerable high pNNR and axillary status with SLNB was well macthed with the axillary dissection.ER-poor/HER2-positive subtype of breast cancer is a potential candidate for undergoing sentinel lymph node biopsy instead of regional node dissection for accurate axillary evaluation after effective downstaging by neoadjuvant chemo-trastuzumab therapy.

BACKGROUND: Although laparoscopic liver resection has developed rapidly and gained widespread acceptance for the treatment of benign liver diseases and hepatocellular carcinoma with a small tumor size, its usefulness for the treatment of large tumors is less clear, due to concerns about compromising oncological principles and patient safety. The purpose of this study was to explore the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic liver resection for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with a tumor size of 5-10 cm. METHODS: From March 2007 to December 2011, we performed liver resection in 275 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with a tumor size of 5-10 cm. Laparoscopic liver resection was performed in 97 patients (Lap-Hx group) and open liver resection was performed in 178 patients (Open-Hx group). Operative time, estimated intraoperative blood loss, blood transfusion rate, and length of postoperative hospital stay were compared between the two groups. Early and intermediate-term postoperative outcomes were also compared. RESULTS: Only one liver resection was performed for every patient with HCC in the present study.No operative deaths occurred in either group. Nine of the laparoscopic procedures were converted to open resection (conversion rate 9.28%). There were no significant differences in mean operative time (245±105 min vs 225±112 min; P = .469), mean estimated intraoperative blood loss (460±426 mL vs 454±365 mL; P = .913), or blood transfusion rate (4.6%, 4/88) vs (2.8%, 5/178)(P = .480) between the Lap-Hx and Open-Hx groups. However, postoperative hospital stay was shorter in the Lap-Hx group than the Open-Hx group (8.2±3.6 days vs 13.5±3.8 days; P = .028). There was a lower rate of postoperative complications in the Lap-Hx group than the Open-Hx group (9% vs 30%; P = .001), but there were no severe complications in either group. The median overall follow-up time was 21 months (range 2-50 months) and the median follow-up of time of survivors was 23 months. The median follow-up time was 25 months in the Lap-Hx group and 20 months in the Open-Hx group. The follow-up rate was 95% (84 patients) in the Lap-Hx group and 95% (169 patients) in the Open-Hx group, which was not a significant difference between the two groups (P = .20). Tumor recurrence occurred in 17 patients (20%) in the Lap-Hx group and 35 patients (21%) in the Open-Hx group, which was not a significant difference between the two groups (P = .876). A total of 33 patients (13%) died during the study period, including 12 patients (14%) in the Lap-Hx group and 21 patients (12%) in the Open-Hx group, which was not a significant difference between the two groups (P = .695). There were also no significant differences in the 1-year rates of overall survival (94% vs 95%; P = .942) or disease-free survival (93% vs 92%; P = .941), or the 3-year rates of overall survival (86% vs 88%; P = .879) or disease-free survival (66% vs 67%; P = .931), between the Lap-Hx and Open-Hx groups. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic liver resection is safe and feasible in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with a tumor size of 5-10 cm. Laparoscopic liver resection can avoid some of the disadvantages of open resection, and is beneficial in selected patients based on preoperative liver function, tumor size and location.

Constraints on the source, nature, and evolution of ore-forming fluids are crucial for better understanding the ore genesis and mechanisms that lead to metal precipitation. Here, we present results of in situ analysis for quartz oxygen isotopes and sulfide sulfur isotopes, combined with apatite U-Pb age and fluid inclusion data, to provide insights into the source and evolution of ore fluids of the Poshan AgPb-Zn vein deposit in the Qinling orogen, central China. Quartz-carbonate-sulfide veins at Poshan are hosted in lower Paleozoic metavolcanic-sedimentary rocks and structurally controlled by fracture zones associated with the Heqianzhuang anticline. The Ag-Pb-Zn mineralization consists of three stages, which are represented by quartz-pyrite-arsenopyrite (stage I), quartz-carbonate-sulfide-silver minerals (stage II), and quartz-calcite ± native silver (stage III). Apatite texturally associated with galena from stage II has a U-Pb age of 125 ± 14 Ma (2σ; mean square of weighted deviates [MSWD] = 0.9), which suggests that the Poshan deposit formed in the Early Cretaceous and thus significantly postdated the Paleozoic and early Mesozoic orogenic deformation of the Qinling orogen. Aqueous-carbonic fluid inclusions from stages I and II have similar total homogenization temperatures of 263–347 °C and calculated salinities of 1.2– 5.1 wt% NaCl equivalent, whereas the values for liquid-dominated aqueous inclusions from stage III are 211–245 °C and 0.5–3.0 wt% NaCl equivalent. Five quartz generations are recognized from the three paragenetic stages, including Qz-1 and Qz-2 from stage I, Qz-3 and Qz-4 from stage II, and Qz-5 from stage III. Based on in situ secondary ion mass spectrometry oxygen isotopic analysis of the five quartz generations (Qz-1 to Qz-5), the calculated δ18Ofluid values for the ore fluids are 7.8‰ to 9.2‰ (mean 8.3‰), −3.2‰ to 8.7‰ (mean 5.6‰), −3.5‰ to 7.4‰ (mean 4.6‰), −4.5‰ to 7.6‰ (mean −0.2‰), and −6.4‰ to 1.4‰ (mean −3.8‰). The oxygen isotopic data and trend among the five quartz generations are best interpreted to represent magmatically derived ore fluid being diluted by modified meteoric water to cause mineralization. Fluid mixing is considered to be the principal mechanism that led to Ag-Pb-Zn precipitation at Poshan. Sulfides coexisting with the quartz generations have δ34SV-CDT values of −1.7‰ to 4.4‰, with no systematic variations among different paragenetic stages. These data, combined with apatite U-Pb age and geologic relations, provide additional evidence for a magmatic origin of the Poshan Ag-Pb-Zn deposit, as inferred from the oxygen isotopes. This study highlights the role of fluid dilution in triggering Ag-Pb-Zn deposition, and sheds light on the origin of silver-polymetallic deposits in orogenic belts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gold deposits in Precambrian cratons were mostly generated during the formation and stabilization of the cratons, but the North China craton is unusual in that its gold deposits were mainly formed ~1.7 b.y. after its stabilization. A magmatic-hydrothermal origin or mantle-derived fluid source has been proposed for the giant gold deposits of the Jiaodong District in the eastern North China craton, but direct evidence is sparse, and the mineralization processes remain controversial. Here, we present the results of a comprehensive geological, geochronological, and geochemical study of the gold mineralized Xiejia diorite beneath the Linglong ore field at Jiaodong to link the gold mineralization to underlying magmatism. Magmatic zircon and titanite grains from the Xiejia diorite have laser ablation--inductively coupled plasma--mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb ages of 121.3 ± 0.9 Ma to 120.8 ± 1.1 Ma and 121.7 ± 3.9 Ma, respectively, which are indistinguishable from the time of gold deposition throughout the Jiaodong District as constrained by previous studies. The diorite has a shoshonitic composition and is characterized by strong enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and light rare earth elements (LREEs) along with significant depletion in high field strength elements (HFSEs) and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs). Samples of the diorite have high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios, but low εNd(t) and εHf(t) values and low Pb isotope ratios. These geochemical characteristics are akin to those of contemporaneous mafic dikes in most gold mines at Jiaodong, indicating that the Xiejia diorite was most likely derived from an enriched lithospheric mantle source. The upper part of the diorite intrusion is pervasively altered and mineralized, containing an average of 0.32 g/t Au, but locally up to 7.59 g/t. Hydrothermal titanite from the mineralized diorite has a LA-ICPMS U-Pb age of 122.3 ± 4.3 Ma, which is consistent with the gold-bearing pyrite Re- Os isochron age of 122.5 ± 6.7 Ma. Ore-related sericite aggregates from the Dongfeng gold deposit above the Xiejia diorite have a 40Ar/39Ar plateau age of 122.6 ± 1.3 Ma. Pyrite from the mineralized diorite yielded δ34SCDT values of 2.1‰-9.7‰, which are comparable with those of pyrite (δ34SCDT = 5.8‰-8.1‰, where CDT indicates the Canyon Diablo troilite standard) from gold ores of Dongfeng. Pyrite grains from both groups also have similar Pb isotope compositions. The S and Pb isotope data are consistent with values of mafic dikes that are spatially and temporally associated with gold veins in the Linglong ore field. The results presented here thus indicate a possible genetic link between gold mineralization in the Xiejia diorite and underlying magma presumably represented by the Xiejia diorite. The auriferous fluids exsolved from that magma and migrated upward along the Potouqing fault to form the Dongfeng gold deposit above the Xiejia diorite. The mineralized diorite thus links shallow gold mineralization to deep-seated mantle-derived magmatism generated during the extensive destruction of the North China craton induced by the rollback of the subducted paleo-Pacific plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]