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BackgroundPneumonia and tuberculosis are prevalent pulmonary diseases globally, each demanding specific care measures. However, distinguishing between these two conditions imposes challenges due to the high skill requirements for doctors, the impact of imaging positions and respiratory intensity of patients, and the associated high healthcare costs, emphasizing the imperative need for intelligent and efficient diagnostic methods.MethodThis study aims to develop a highly accurate automatic diagnosis and classification method for various lung diseases (Normal, Pneumonia, and Tuberculosis). We propose a hybrid model, which is based on the InceptionV3 architecture, enhanced by introducing Deepwise Separable Convolution after the Inception modules and incorporating the Squeeze-and-Excitation mechanism. This architecture successfully enables the model to extract richer features without significantly increasing the parameter count and computational workload, thereby markedly improving the performance in predicting and classifying lung diseases. To objectively assess the proposed model, external testing and five-fold cross-validation were conducted. Additionally, widely used baseline models in the scholarly community were constructed for comparison.ResultIn the external testing phase, the our model achieved an average accuracy (ACC) of 90.48% and an F1-score (F1) of 91.44%, which is an approximate 4% improvement over the best-performing baseline model, ResNet. In the five-fold cross-validation, our model’s average ACC and F1 reached 88.27% ± 2.76% and 89.29% ± 2.69%, respectively, demonstrating exceptional predictive performance and stability. The results indicate that our model holds promise for deployment in clinical settings to assist in the diagnosis of lung diseases, potentially reducing misdiagnosis rates and patient losses.ConclusionUtilizing deep learning for automatic assistance in the diagnosis of pneumonia and tuberculosis holds clinical significance by enhancing diagnostic accuracy, reducing healthcare costs, enabling rapid screening and large-scale detection, and facilitating personalized treatment approaches, thereby contributing to widespread accessibility and improved healthcare services in the future.

Abstract Background Whether perceived stress is associated with loneliness and depressive symptoms in general adults, and to what extent sleep quality mediates the associations, remains unknown. The aim of this study was to estimate the associations of perceived stress with loneliness and depressive symptoms, and the mediating role of sleep quality in these associations. Methods Cross-sectional data on 734 participants (aged 18–87 years) were analyzed. Perceived stress was assessed using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10; range 0–40). Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI; range 0–21). Loneliness was assessed using the three-item short form of the Revised University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness scale (range 3–9). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD-10) Scale (range 0–30). General linear regression models, multivariable logistic regression models, and formal mediation analysis were performed. Results After adjustment for age and sex, we found that with each 1-point increment in the perceived stress score, both the loneliness score (β = 0.07; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.06, 0.08) and depression score (β = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.40, 0.49) increased significantly. Robust results were observed when adjusting for more confounders. Furthermore, sleep quality mediated 5.3% (95% CI: 1.3%, 10.0%; P = 0.014) and 9.7% (95% CI: 6.2%, 14.0%; P

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers change the morphological structure and effectiveness of P in the soil, which in turn affects crop growth, yield, and quality. However, the effects and mechanism of combined N and P application on the content of P fractions and the transformation of effective forms in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) production is unclear. This experiment was conducted with four levels of N: 0 (N0), 60 (N1), 120 (N2) and 180 kg·ha-1 (N3); and two levels of P (P2O5): 0 (P0) and 100 kg·ha-1 (P1). The results indicated that, under the same N level, P application significantly increased soil total N, and total P, available P, and content of various forms of inorganic P when compared to no P application, while decreasing the content of various forms of organic P and pH value. In general, under P0 conditions, soil total N content tended to increase with increasing N application, while total P, available P content, pH, inorganic P content in all forms, and organic P content in all forms showed a decreasing trend. When compared to no N application, insoluble P (Fe-P, O-P, Ca10-P) of the N application treatments was reduced 2.80 - 22.72, 2.96 - 20.42, and 5.54 - 20.11%, respectively. Under P1 conditions, soil total N and O-P tended to increase with increasing N application, while, pH, Ca2-P, Al-P, Fe-P, Ca10-P, and organic P content of each form tended to decrease. Total P, available P, and labile organic P (LOP) of N application reduced 0.34 - 8.58, 4.76 - 19.38, and 6.27 - 14.93%, respectively, when compared to no application. Nitrogen fertilization reduced the soil Ca2-P ratio, while P fertilization reduced soil Fe-P, moderately resistant organic P (MROP), and highly resistant P (HROP) ratios, and combined N and P elevated the Ca8-P to LOP ratio. The results of redundancy analysis showed that soil total N content, available P content, and pH were the key factors affecting the conversion of P fractions in the soil. Nitrogen and P reduced the proportion of soil insoluble P, promoted the activation of soil organic P, resulting in accumulation of slow-acting P in the soil, thereby improving the efficiency of soil P in alfalfa production.

Solid state amplifier (SSA) has been increasingly applicated in accelerators facilities in recent years. However, with the improvement of the power level, equipment failure caused by reflected power becomes the main risk in long-term operation of SSA. A high-power SSA is usually composed of multiple power amplifier modules through power combiner nets. When the power amplifier modules with unequal amplitudes and SSA operate under a full reflection caused by arcing of the cavity, the modules may be easily damaged due to excessive reflected power. The optimization of the power combiners is an effective means for improving the stability of SSAs under high power reflection. In this paper, the mechanisms and conditions under which reflection power arises were analyzed by using the scattering parameter of the combiner, and the optimization scheme of the combiner to reduce the maximum reflected power was proposed. In addition, a set of 500 MHz 8-way power combiner experimental facility was designed to verify the result of theoretical calculation under various working conditions. Simulation and experimental results show that the reflected power of the power amplifier module not only is related to the matching state of SSA, but also is related to the output state of the power amplifier module itself and parameters of combiner. The total reflected power of the power amplifier module is the sum of the reflected power from the mismatched load and the combined power from the other modules. When all the power amplifier modules of the SSA working perfectly, the reflected power of its own signal of a module is exactly compensated by the sum of the power with opposite phase from all other modules. In this case, the reflected power of the module is only related to the matching state of the SSA, and its maximum value is equivalent to the rated output power of the module. In another case, when one of the SSA’s power amplifier modules is switched off, the reflected power received by some of the modules may be as high as nearly 4 times the rated power of a single module, which will lead to severe overloading of the circulator loads and risk of damage to the modules. Eventually, by optimizing the parameters of the combiner, the maximum reflection power is effectively reduced due to suppress in-phase superposition of the reflected power coupled form other modules. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical calculations, which proves the effectiveness of the optimization scheme. Therefore, this research can provide some valuable references for the subsequent development of higher power SSA for CSNS, SAPS and other accelerator facilities.

ABSTRACT: The Wingless-types/beta-catenin (Wnt/β-catenin) signaling pathway plays an important role in embryonic development and affects the physiological development processes of feather follicles. To investigate the role of Wnt/β-catenin pathway in regulating feather follicles morphogenesis, in ovo injection of CHIR-99021, an activator of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, was conducted in chick embryo model. Initially, a total of 40 embryos were used to assess feather follicles morphogenesis and the expression of β-catenin (E9–E17). The histological results showed that feather follicle morphogenesis was mainly completed from E9 to E17. β-catenin was involved in the processing of the appearance of dermal cell condensation (E9) and the completion of the feather follicles morphogenesis (E17). Next, a total of 160 fertilized eggs were randomly divided into 8 groups for in ovo injection at E9, including a Normal Saline injected group (CON) and the 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 50,000, and 100,000 ng CHIR-99021 groups. Dorsal skin tissue samples were collected at E17 for investigating feather follicles morphology and expressions of β-catenin and lymphoid enhancerbinding factor-1 (LEF1) at gene and protein levels. The results showed that feather follicle diameter in the injected groups were significantly (P < 0.05) increased with limit dose-independence compared to the CON group. CHIR-99021 significantly (P < 0.05) influenced the mRNA expressions of catenin beta-1 (CTNNB1) and downstream target LEF1. In ovo injection of CHIR-99021 caused that β-catenin and LEF1 were significantly (P < 0.05) increased followed the increased doses as determined by western blotting. The immunochemical results showed that β-catenin was detected in the dermal papilla of feather follicles. Given these results, this study suggests to developmental biology that in ovo injection of CHIR-99021 promoted feather follicles morphogenesis and development via activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and upregulating downstream target LEF1 during embryonic period in chick embryo model. Moreover, CHIR-99021 may be a strong candidate to promote the animal feather/hair industry, especially as a reference for bird feather production.

Abstract Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is an important forage legume in farming and animal husbandry systems. This study assessed the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) on alfalfa growth under different phosphorus application levels. In this experiment, a complete randomized block design was used. The following four bacterial applications were used: inoculation of Funneliformis mosseae (Fm), inoculation of Bacillus megaterium (Bm), inoculation of mixed species (Fm × Bm) and noninoculation treatment (CK). Phosphorus (P) treatment was applied at the following four levels: 0 mg kg−1 (P0), 50 mg kg−1 (P1), 100 mg kg−1 (P2) and 150 mg P kg−1 (P3). The results showed that with the increase in phosphorus application, each index increased first and then decreased. The J2 treatment was significantly greater than the J0 treatment (P J1P2 > J3P1 treatment. Therefore, when phosphorus was applied at 100 mg kg−1, the mixed inoculation of Fm × Bm was optimal, benefitting mycorrhiza growth and the production performance of alfalfa.

In order to enrich the Anser cygnoides genome and identify the gene expression profiles of primary and secondary feather follicles development, de novo transcriptome assembly of skin tissues was established by analyzing three developmental stages at embryonic day 14, 18, and 28 (E14, E18, E28). Sequencing output generated 436,730,608 clean reads from nine libraries and de novo assembled into 56,301 unigenes. There were 2,298, 9,423 and 12,559 unigenes showing differential expression in three stages respectively. Furthermore, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were functionally classified according to genes ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and series-cluster analysis. Relevant specific GO terms such as epithelium development, regulation of keratinocyte proliferation, morphogenesis of an epithelium were identified. In all, 15,144 DEGs were clustered into eight profiles with distinct expression patterns and 2,424 DEGs were assigned to 198 KEGG pathways. Skin development related pathways (mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, extra-cellular matrix -receptor interaction, Wingless-type signaling pathway) and genes (delta like canonical Notch ligand 1, fibroblast growth factor 2, Snail family transcriptional repressor 2, bone morphogenetic protein 6, polo like kinase 1) were identified, and eight DEGs were selected to verify the reliability of transcriptome results by real-time quantitative PCR. The findings of this study will provide the key insights into the complicated molecular mechanism and breeding techniques underlying the developmental characteristics of skin and feather follicles in Anser cygnoides.

Previous study has shown that Ti-3Cu alloy shows good antibacterial properties (>90% antibacterial rate), but the mechanical properties still need to be improved. In this paper, a series of heat-treatment processes were selected to adjust the microstructure in order to optimize the properties of Ti-3Cu alloy. Microstructure, mechanical properties, biocorrosion properties and antibacterial properties of wrought Ti-3Cu alloy at different conditions was systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction, optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, electrochemical measurements, tensile test, fatigue test and antibacterial test. Heat treatment could significantly improve the mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and antibacterial rate due to the redistribution of copper elements and precipitation of Ti2Cu phase. Solid solution treatment increased the yield strength from 400 to 740 MPa and improved the antibacterial rate from 33% to 65.2% while aging treatment enhanced the yield strength to 800–850 MPa and antibacterial rate (>91.32%). It was demonstrated that homogeneous distribution and fine Ti2Cu phase plays a very important role in mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and antibacterial properties.

In this study, to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the polymer solar cells (PSCs), Gold (Au) and Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) are incorporated into the PEDOT:PSS and P3HT/PCBM active layers respectively. PSCs with a constant CuO-NP content were fabricated with varying amounts of Au NPs. Addition of Au NPs increased the power conversion efficiency by up to 18% compared to a reference cell without Au-NPs. The short circuit current(Jsc) of the cells containing 0.06 mg of Au NPs was measured at 7.491 mA/cm2 compared to 6.484 mA/cm2 in the reference cells with 0.6 mg of CuO nanoparticles; meanwhile, the external quantum efficiency(EQE) increased from 53% to 61%, showing an enhancement of 15.1%. Au-NPs improved the charge collection at the anode, which results in higher short circuit current and fill factor. However, the strong near field surrounding Au-NPs due to localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) effect is not distributed into the active layer. Instead, it is spread horizontally through the PEDOT:PSS layer, thus minimizing the light absorption in the active layer.

A rocking mass gyroscope (RMG) is a kind of vibrating mass gyroscope with high sensitivity, whose driving mode and sensing mode are completely uniform. MEMS RMG devices are a research hotspot now because they have the potential to be used in space applications. Support loss is the dominant energy loss mechanism influencing their high sensitivity. An accurate analytical model of support loss for RMGs is presented to enhance their Q factors. The anchor type and support loss mechanism of an RMG are analyzed. Firstly, the support loads, powers flowing into support structure, and vibration energy of an RMG are all developed. Then the analytical model of support loss for the RMG is developed, and its sensitivities to the main structural parameters are also analyzed. High-Q design guidelines for rocking mass microgyroscopes are deduced. Finally, the analytical model is validated by the experimental data and the data from the existing literature. The thicknesses of the prototypes are reduced from 240 µm to 60 µm, while Q factors increase from less than 150 to more than 800. The derived model is general and applicable to various beam resonators, providing significant insight to the design of high-Q MEMS devices.

Here we propose a novel quartz micromachined gyroscope. The sensor has a simple cross-fork structure in the x-y plane of quartz crystal. Shear stress rather than normal stress is utilized to sense Coriolis’ force generated by the input angular rate signal. Compared to traditional quartz gyroscopes, which have two separate sense electrodes on each sidewall, there is only one electrode on each sidewall of the sense beam. As a result, the fabrication of the electrodes is simplified and the structure can be easily miniaturized. In order to increase sensitivity, a pair of proof masses is attached to the ends of the drive beam, and the sense beam has a tapered design. The structure is etched from a z-cut quartz wafer and the electrodes are realized by direct evaporation using the aperture mask method. The drive mode frequency of the prototype is 13.38 kHz, and the quality factor is approximately 1,000 in air. Therefore, the gyroscope can work properly without a vacuum package. The measurement ability of the shear stress detection design scheme is validated by the Coriolis’ force test. The performance of the sensor is characterized on a precision rate table using a specially designed readout circuit. The experimentally obtained scale factor is 1.45 mV/°/s and the nonlinearity is 3.6% in range of ±200 °/s.

The influence of design parameters on the static performance of a newly designed self-compensating hydrostatic rotary bearing was investigated. The bearing was designed by incorporating the main attributes of angled-surface self-compensating bearing and opposed-pad self-compensating bearing. A governing model based on flow conservation was built to theoretically study the static performance, and the methodology was validated by experiments. It is pointed out that the influence factors on the bearing static performance are the designed resistance ratio of the restricting land to the bearing land, the inner resistance ratio of the land between pockets to that between the pocket and the drain groove, the initial clearance ratio of the restricting gap to the bearing gap, and the semiconical angle. Their effects on the load carrying capacity and stiffness were investigated by simulation. Results show that the optimum designed resistance ratio is 1; the initial clearance ratio should be small, and the inner resistance ratio should be large.

Phase retrieval is a wavefront sensing method that uses a series of intensity images to reconstruct the wavefront. The resolution of phase retrieval testing is limited mainly by the resolution of intensity images captured by CCD cameras. A subpixel phase retrieval method is presented to retrieve the wave field at subpixel resolution by using the information of a sequence of low-resolution images captured along the propagation direction. In this method, the sampling interval lhr the wave field under test is smaller than the CCD pixel size in phase reconstruction. The wave field is recovered at subpixel resolution by utilizing the energy conservation relationship between CCD pixels and their subpixels by the subpixel phase retrieval (SPR) algorithm. Numerical experiments have shown that more than a fourfold resolution enhancement can be achieved. The method has also been studied in some experiments under noisy and off-axis conditions. A mirror surface testing experiment was conducted to demonstrate the performance of SPR in the real world. The results of' these experiments have shown the effectiveness and robustness of this method. SPR allows low-resolution images to be used to retrieve high-resolution wave fields and will be useful in testing wave fields from large objects. OCIS codes: 120.0120, 120.5050.

Based on our previously proposed subaperture stitching and localization (SASL) algorithm, we present strategies and a prototype for testing of large optical surfaces with subaperture stitching. First, several strategies are introduced to deal with new problems when applying the SASL algorithm to large surfaces. The uncertainty of the lateral scale of the interferometer is compensated in the same manner as that of the radii of best-fit spheres in the algorithm. Then the coarse-fine stitching strategy is proposed to stitch tens of subapertures efficiently. Second, a prototype for testing of large surfaces with subaperture stitching is developed with a welded structural base. The model of kinematics is built to determine the initial configuration of each subaperture, according to the records of nulling motion. The uncertainty of linear motion is required to be no more than 1 mm, taking advantage of the large range of convergence of the SASL algorithm. Finally we present an experiment to verify the validity of the method and the prototype. A spherical surface is tested and successfully stitched with 37 subapertures. OCIS codes: 120.3180, 120.4630, 220.4840.