Search

Abstract Objectives To investigate the diagnostic value of CT lymphangiography (CTL) and non-contrast MR lymphangiography (MRL) in lymphatic plastic bronchitis. Materials and methods The clinical and imaging data of 31 patients with lymphatic plastic bronchitis diagnosed by clinical, imaging and pathological results were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent CTL and MRL. The imaging findings of patients include: (i) abnormal lymphatic reflux of the bronchial mediastinal trunk, the subclavian trunk, the cervical trunk, the thoracic duct and the right lymphatic duct; Abnormal CTL reflux refers to abnormal iodide deposition outside the normal lymphatic reflux pathway; If the MRL can observe abnormal lymphatic dilatation, hyperplasia, or morphological abnormalities, it is assumed that abnormal lymphatic reflux may be present.; (ii) abnormal morphological changes of lymphatic vessels at the extremity of the thoracic duct, the extremity of the right lymphatic duct and the mediastinum, such as spot-like or tubular, cystic changes; (iii) abnormal CTL and MRL signs in the lungs. The Mcnemar test was used to compare the parameters between CTL and MRL. P 0.05), and the diagnostic consistency was good (Kappa > 0.60). MRL was superior to CTL in detecting lymphatic abnormalities such as cystic changes at the extremity of the thoracic duct, spot-like or tubular changes at the extremity of the right lymphatic duct, cystic changes at the extremity of the right lymphatic duct, and cystic changes in the mediastinum (P 0.05), and the diagnostic consistency was very good, very good, good, good (Kappa > 0.60). There was no significant difference between CTL and MRL in ground glass opacity, airway wall thickening and intralobular interstitial thickening (P> 0.05), and the diagnostic consistency was average, fair and poor (Kappa

Abstract Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of combined 99Tcm-DX lymphoscintigraphy and CT lymphangiography (CTL) in primary chylopericardium. Methods Fifty-five patients diagnosed with primary chylopericardium clinically were retrospectively analyzed. 99Tcm-DX lymphoscintigraphy and CTL were performed in all patients. Primary chylopericardium was classified into three types, according to the 99Tcm-DX lymphoscintigraphy results. The evaluation indexes of CTL include: (1) abnormal contrast distribution in the neck, (2) abnormal contrast distribution in the chest, (3) dilated thoracic duct was defined as when the widest diameter of thoracic duct was > 3 mm, (4) abnormal contrast distribution in abdominal. CTL characteristics were analyzed between different groups, and P

As an energy carrier characterized by its high energy density and eco-friendliness, hydrogen holds a pivotal position in energy transition. This paper elaborates on the scientific foundations and recent progress of photo- and electro-catalytic water splitting, including the corresponding mechanism, material design and optimization, and the economy of hydrogen production. It systematically reviews the research progress in photo(electro)catalytic materials, including oxides, sulfides, nitrides, noble metals, non-noble metal, and some novel photocatalysts and provides an in-depth analysis of strategies for optimizing these materials through material design, component adjustment, and surface modification. In particular, it is pointed out that nanostructure regulation, dimensional engineering, defect introduction, doping, alloying, and surface functionalization can remarkably improve the catalyst performance. The importance of adjusting reaction conditions, such as pH and the addition of sacrificial agents, to boost catalytic efficiency is also discussed, along with a comparison of the cost-effectiveness of different hydrogen production technologies. Despite the significant scientific advancements made in photo(electro)catalytic water splitting technology, this paper also highlights the challenges faced by this field, including the development of more efficient and stable photo(electro)catalysts, the improvement of system energy conversion efficiency, cost reduction, the promotion of technology industrialization, and addressing environmental issues.

Abstract Background Lower extremity lymphedema (LEL) staging is mainly assessed by systems that solely depend on physical examinations and lack quantitative assessment based on modern imaging. Objective To explore the value of MRI-based asymmetric volume measurements in the clinical staging of primary LEL. Methods 92 patients with unilateral primary LEL underwent MRI examinations to determine the volume of the mid-calf (Vcl) calculated using the clinical dermatome method as well as the total volume (Vmri), musculoskeletal volume (VM), and subcutaneous volume (VS) volume of the middle calves. The difference between Vmri (DVmri) and VS (DVS) of the affected and unaffected calves was obtained and defined as the asymmetric volume difference. Meanwhile, the volume of the mid-calf (Vcl) and the difference in volume (DVcl) were calculated using the clinical circumferential method. The relationship between the asymmetric volume difference and clinical staging was then evaluated. Interobserver consistency was assessed through the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Volume comparisons between the three groups were performed using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) or the Kruskal-Wallis test. Spearman’s correlation was used to assess volume and clinical stage correlation. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the value of asymmetric volume difference for clinical staging. Results The asymmetric volume difference was statistically significant in stage I compared to stages II and III (p

Objective: To investigate the clinical value of thin-section chest computed tomography (CT) in the typing of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 134 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in our hospital’s Department of Infectious Diseases from December 20, 2022, to December 31, 2022. All patients underwent thin-section chest CT scan with complete clinical data. According to clinical classification, patients were divided into the non-severe and severe groups. Clinical data and imaging features of the two groups were compared and analyzed, and statistical analysis was conducted. Results: There was a statistically significant difference with respect to diabetes mellitus between the two groups, and the incidence of diabetes mellitus in the severe group (45.8%) was higher than that in the non-severe group (25.5%); There were no significant differences in sex, age, average course of disease, and clinical symptoms between the two groups; There were significant differences in the number of lesions, symmetrical distribution, predominant peripheral distribution, diffuse distribution, blurred edge, morphology of large flake and band, vascular bundle thickening, paving stone sign, arcade sign, and fried egg sign between the two groups, the number of lesions >10, diffuse distribution, morphology of large flake and band, vascular bundle thickening, paving stone sign, and arcade sign were more common in the severe group than in the non-severe group, while predominant peripheral distribution, blurred edge, and fried egg sign were more common in the non-severe group than in the severe group. Conclusions: Thin-section chest CT scan can identify the abnormal imaging manifestations of the lung in patients with COVID-19 and evaluate the number, distribution range, and morphological characteristics of the lesions. Combined background diseases, number, distribution characteristics, blurred edge, large flake and band morphology, vascular bundle thickening, paving stone sign, arcade sign, and fried egg sign can effectively indicate the classification of patients with COVID-19. This can provide imaging evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the clinical value of thin slice computed tomography (CT) plain scan in the analysis of CT features of vascular abnormalities associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Materials and methods: A total of 73 patients with COVID-19 confirmed by the Department of Infection of Beijing Shijitan Hospital from December 5, 2022 to December 17, 2022, were included in the study. Chest thin CT plain scan images showed that the lesions involved blood vessels were retrospectively collected. All patients had complete chest thin CT plain scan and relatively complete clinical data. According to age (>60 and ≤60 years), the patients were divided into the young and elderly groups. The chest imaging manifestations of all patients were observed and statistically analyzed between different age groups. Results: Among the 73 patients with COVID-19, the imaging indexes with statistical significance between the young and elderly groups were as follows: the distribution of the lesion around the central blood vessel, size of the lesion (10~30 mm), size of the lesion (>30 mm), percentage of the lesion to the volume of the lung lobe (≤30), percentage of the lesion to the volume of the lung lobe (>50) (white lung), shape of the lesion was large, the dominant type of the lesion was acinar, vascular distortion, vascular margin fuzzy, and tree-bud sign thick fiber rope. Conclusion: (1) Chest thin-slice CT plain scan can identify the number, location, involved location, scope, vascular abnormality, and pathological type of COVID-19-related vascular abnormality, which has certain significance for the qualitative and differential diagnosis of COVID-19 vascular abnormality. (2) The chest thin CT plain scan is of great significance for finding elderly patients with COVID-19 involving blood vessels. (3) COVID-19-related "blood vessel thickening" can be caused by either the diameter of the blood vessel itself or the inflammatory edema of the perivascular interstitium.

Objective: To explore the imaging characteristics of patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) combined with different underlying diseases. Materials and methods: COVID-19 was diagnosed in 153 patients at Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, from November 16, 2022 to December 16, 2022, and data were retrospectively collected. All patients underwent chest CT scan from 1 to 14 days after onset and were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of underlying diseases. Forty-three patients had underlying diseases, and 110 patients had none. We compared the differences between the two groups. Result: The comparison between the two groups showed statistically significant differences in age, cough, bilateral lung distribution, diffuse distribution, honeycomb-like changes in the lungs, patchy distribution, large patchy distribution, band distribution, crazy-paving sign, air bronchogram sign, traction bronchiectasis, and pleural effusion. Conclusion: Fever and cough are the most common clinical symptoms in patients with COVID-19. Chest CT showed multiple lesions in both lungs. The most common types of lesions were thickening of bronchovascular bundle and GGO. Patients with underlying diseases had more honeycomb-like changes, crazy-paving sign, air bronchogram sign, traction bronchiectasis, and pleural effusion than those without underlying diseases. Chest thin-slice CT scan provides a key reference for the early detection and diagnosis of the disease.

Objective: To retrospectively analyze the clinical value of chest plain computed tomography (CT) for the initial diagnosis and dynamic changes of early novel coronavirus pneumonia (2019 novel Coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, referred to as new coronavirus pneumonia). Materials and methods: Fifty-two patients with confirmed new coronavirus pneumonia diagnoses and positive chest CT manifestations from November 12, 2022, to January 6, 2023, in the infection department of our hospital were collected. All patients had two chest thin-section CT examinations within 1 month from the onset of the disease and had complete clinical data. Patients were divided into two groups according to their age (≤60 years and >60 years), and the differences in CT performance characteristics between the two groups were compared. The CT review of all patients was also observed. Results: Among the 52 patients, 52 involved the lungs (100%), 24 involved the airways (46.2%), and 21 involved the bloodways (40.4%). Comparison between age groups showed statistically significant differences in lesion location (single/both lungs, airways), tree-in-bud pattern, large morphology, fibrous striae, interstitial changes, and pleural thickening. Among the 52 patients, review CT showed lesion progression in 18 cases (34.6%), which showed an increase in extent in 18 cases (100%), aggravation of solid changes in 7 (38.9), aggravation of GGO in 14 (77.8%), and increase in pleural effusion in 6 (33.3%); review CT showed lesion remission in 18 cases (34.6%), which showed a decrease in extent in 31 (91.2%), 6 (17.6%) with reduced density, 12 (35.3%) with fibrosis, 2 (5.9%) with complete resorption, and 4 (11.8) with reduced pleural effusion. Conclusion: The CT scan of the chest in neocoronary pneumonia has certain characteristics, and for the first time, it mostly showed multiple patchy signs or large patchy ground glass opacity (GGO) with mainly subpleural distribution in the periphery of both lungs, mostly accompanied by "halo sign," "anti-halo sign," and "paving stone sign." The lung is more susceptible to change following treatment. After treatment, the lung lesions change rapidly, with most patients showing absorption and shrinkage, density fading, or fibrosis and a few patients showing increased extent, solidity or aggravation of GGO, and pleural effusion. Chest plain CT helps clinicians in the early diagnosis and dynamic evaluation of neocoronary pneumonia.

Objective: To retrospectively investigate the clinical manifestations and imaging features of heavy novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP). Materials and methods: Fifty-two patients with positive chest computed tomography (CT) manifestations and a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 in the Infection Unit from November 2022 to January 2023 were included in our study. All patients underwent chest thin-section CT examination and had more complete clinical data from 1 to 14 days after onset. Patients were divided into two groups based on the time interval between onset and CT examination (

Insects’ growth and development are highly dependent on energy supply, with sugar metabolism playing a pivotal role in maintaining homeostasis and regulating physiological processes. The present study investigated the effects of exendin-4, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist, on the growth, development, glycolysis, and energy metabolism of fourth-instar larvae of the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea. We determined the impact of exendin-4 on larval growth and nutritional indices, analyzed the responses of glycolytic and metabolic pathways, and revealed the underlying regulatory mechanisms. Exendin-4 treatment significantly decreased growth and nutritional indices, influenced the activity of digestive enzymes, and induced changes in metabolite profiles, particularly affecting energy substance metabolism. We observed an increase in the glycogen content and a decrease in glucose and trehalose levels in the hemolymph, suggesting a regulatory effect on blood sugar homeostasis. Furthermore, exendin-4 promoted glycolysis by enhancing the activities and expressions of key glycolytic enzymes, leading to an increase in pyruvate production. This was accompanied by a reduction in ATP levels and the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which may underlie the growth arrest in larvae. Our findings provide novel insights into the effects of exendin-4 on insect responses from an energy metabolism perspective and may contribute to the development of GLP-1R agonists for pest management.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Materials and Methods: NLR and chest HRCT findings of 132 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in the department of infectious diseases of Beijing Shijitan Hospital Capital Medical University from December 1, 2022 to February 1, 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups with NLR cut-off value of 3.0, and their HRCT characteristics and imaging manifestation patterns were analyzed. For the measurement data of normal distribution, the t-test of continuous variables was used between the groups. The data of non-normal distribution are expressed as median and quartile and compared using Mann-Whitney U test. The counting data are expressed as frequency, and the chi-squared or Fisher's exact test was used for comparison between the groups. P10 and the proportion of lesions >50% were higher in the high NLR group than that in the low NLR group. The high NLR group was prone to mixed density shadow, crazy-paving pattern, mosaic sign, anti-halo sign, subpleural black belt, arcade-like sign than that in the low NLR group. The high NLR group was most likely to have nonspecific interstitial pneumonia-like, organizing pneumonia-like, and diffuse alveolar damage-like patterns than that in the low NLR group. Conclusion: Different NLRs have different manifestations of COVID-19 chest HRCT. The high NLR group is more prone to mixed density shadow, crazy-paving pattern, mosaic sign, anti-halo sign, subpleural black belt, and arcade-like sign, as well as most likely to have radiologic patterns of nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, organizing pneumonia, diffuse alveolar damage.

Objective: To compare and analyze the clinical and chest computed tomography (CT) imaging features of COVID-19 patients with different disease courses. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for 161 cases with confirmed COVID-19 and positive chest CT lung infections from December 2022 to January 2023 at the fever clinic of Beijing Shijitan Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University. The patients were divided into two groups based on the time of CT examination:

Objective: To explore the characteristics findings of early COVID-19 on chest thin-slice non-enhanced CT. Materials and methods: From November to December 2022, data from 153 patients with COVID-19 with positive chest CT findings confirmed by the Department of Infectious Diseases of our hospital were collected. All patients had relatively complete clinical data and underwent chest CT 1-14 days after the onset. The patients were divided into two groups according to their age (≤60 years old and >60 years old) and the time interval between the onset and CT examination (≤7 days old and >7 days old), and the differences in CT features between the two groups were compared. Result: Among 153 patients with COVID-19, the lung (100%), blood vessels (93.5%), airways (73.4%), and pleura (70.1%) were involved. The comparison between the age groups showed statistically significant differences in the number, location, size, volume, and band shadow of the lesions. There were statistically significant differences in the shape, density, organization, fibrosis, and pleural involvement of the lesions between the patients in the time interval between the onset and CT examination. Conclusion: Chest thin-slice CT can clarify the location and scope of early COVID-19. Some characteristics findings can help for accurate diagnosis and differentiation, such as the diversity of morphology, intrapleural and perivascular distribution, interstitial lesions with alveoli as a unit, early mixed ground-glass shadow often accompanied by obvious organization and fibrosis, localized thickening of the pleura, and few pleural effusions.

Objective: To investigate the application value of CT lymphangiography in diagnosis and grading in patients with primary chyluria. Methods: Clinical and CTL imaging data of 79 patients diagnosed with primary chyluria were collected retrospectively. For CTL, the indexs were (1) Involved kidney and distribution of abnormal lymphatic vessels in the kidney: unilateral or bilateral kidney,renal sinus, renal parenchymal, suprahilar area and subhilar area; (2) Distribution of perirenal and retroperitoneal abnormal lymphatic vessels: retroperitoneal area,lumbar trunk area, renal perivascular area, fatty capsule area, adrenal area, etc; (3) Distribution of dilated lymphatic vessels and lymphatic reflux in chest, abdomen and pelvis; (4) Other abnormal manifestations: lymphatic-related abnormal changes in the chest, abdomen, pelvic cavity and bone; (5) Imaging grading: the imaging grading was carried out according to the range of retroperitoneal involvement, and the retroperitoneal area was divided into 10 areas, including left and right suprahilar area, subhilar area, perirenal area, renal perivascular area and lumbar trunk area, involvement of five or fewer areas were graded as mild, while involvement of six or more were graded as severe. In addition, clinical grading was carried out according to clinical manifestations. The clinical characteristics and CTL signs of patients with primary chyluria were statistically described by the composition ratio of classification variables, and the consistency of imaging grade and clinical grade of patients with primary chyluria was evaluated by Kappa test. Results: CTL showed abnormal lipiodol deposition in kidney in 74 cases (93.7%), unilateral kidney in 55 cases (69.6%), bilateral kidneys in 19 cases (24.1%), renal sinus in 74 cases (93.7%), renal parenchyma in 37 cases (46.8%); suprahilar area in 61 cases (77.2%), 52 cases (65.8%) were unilateral and 9 cases (11.4%) were bilateral; subhilar area in 61 cases (77.2%), 47 cases (59.5%) were unilateral and 14 cases (17.7%) were bilateral; retroperitoneal area in 78 cases (98.7%); lumbar trunk area in 76 cases (96.2%), 20 cases (25.3%) were unilateral and 56 cases (70.9%) were bilateral; perivascular area in 72 cases (91.1%), 45 cases (57.0%) were unilateral and 27 cases (34.2%) were bilateral; fatty capsule in 14 cases (17.7%), 13 cases (16.5%) were unilateral and 1 case (1.3%) was bilateral; adrenal area in 12 cases (15.2%); bladder in 31 cases (39.2%), perivesical area in 12 cases (15.2%), iliac perivascular area in 73 cases (92.4%), abdominal and pelvic wall in 14 cases (17.7%), perineal area in 12 cases (15.2%), perirectal area in 14 cases (17.7%), mesentery in 26 cases (32.9%), intestinal wall in 11 cases (13.9%), intestinal canal in 5 cases (6.3%), peripancreatic area in 15 cases (18.9%), perisplenic area in 2 cases (2.5%), perihepatic area in 7 cases (8.8%), hilus of the lung in 1 case (1.3%), mediastinum in 14 cases (17.7%), pericardium in 1 case (1.3%), extrapleural area in 25 cases (31.6%), chest wall in 2 cases (2.5%), skeleton in 2 cases (2.5%), end of thoracic duct in 70 cases (88.6%). Among the 79 patients with primary chyluria, according to clinical classification, 27 cases were mild and 52 cases were severe; according to imaging classification, 40 cases were mild and 39 cases were severe. The consistency of the two grades was moderate. Conclusion: CTL can evaluate the distribution and range of intrarenal, perirenal and retroperitoneal dilated lymphatic vessels accurately, and evaluate the abnormal lymphatic vessels in the chest, abdomen and pelvis and thoracic duct in patients with primary chyluria.It can provide image basis for the diagnosis, grading and treatment of primary chyluria.

Objective: To explore the clinical value of CT lymphangiography in diagnosing primary pulmonary lymphedema. Methods: 52 patients who were diagnosed by clinical, imaging and pathology as primary pulmonary lymphedema were analyzed retrospectively. All patients underwent CT lymphangiography. Two experienced radiologists carried out double-blind film reading of the CT lymphangiography manifestations, and observed the abnormal perfomance of lymphatic vessels in the chest as well as CT signs of other chest diseases.Results: CT lymphangiography showed contrast agent abnormity deposited in all 52 patients: the end of thoracic duct was found in 38 cases (73.1%), mediastinum in 34 cases (65.4%), hilar in 22 cases (42.3%), pleura in 18 cases (34.6%), pericardium in 15 cases (28.8%), diaphragm in 5 cases (9.6%), hepatic hilum in 9 cases (17.3%), pancreas in 5 cases (9.6%), retroperitoneum in 12 cases (23.1%). Abnormal CT changes including: (1) alveolar nodule-like ground glass opacity in 19 cases (36.5%), patchy ground glass opacity in 23 cases (44.2%), atelectasis in 11 cases (21.2%), pulmonary nodules in 3 cases (5.8%). (2) the thickening of bronchovascular bundle in 43 cases (82.7%), the thickening of interlobular septum in 43 cases (82.7%), the thickening of intralobular interstitium in 4 cases (7.7%), frog-spawn sign in 7 cases (13.5%). (3) abnormal mediastinum changes in 34 cases (65.4%). (4) other chest CT abnormalities including: the crazy-paving sign in 2 cases (3.8%), pleural effusion in 18 cases (34.6%), pericardial effusion in 18 case (34.6%). Conclusion: CT lymphangiography can indirectly predict the abnormality of lymphatics and the presence or absence of lymphatic reflux by showing the abnormal deposition and distribution of contrast agents, and thus can provide valuable imaging basis for the diagnosis and treatment of primary pulmonary lymphedema.

Objective: To explore the clinical and imaging characteristics and application value CT lymphangiography (CTL) in patients with different types of primary intestinal lymphangiectasia (PIL). Methods: Patients diagnosed as PIL in our center were recruited in this retrospective study from January 2016 to December 2019, All CTL data were blindly reviewed by two radiologists separately, and the evaluation indicators included: sex, onset age, symptoms and signs, serum albumin, wall thickening, serous cavity effusion, abnormal distribution of lymphatics, lymph reflux, lymph nodes, fistula and abnormal lymphatics around neck area. Based on the abnormal lymphatics in intestinal wall and/or mesentery, PIL was classified into type Ⅰ (positive type) and type Ⅱ (negative type). The clinical and imaging features were compared between the two groups. Results: 34 PIL patients were recruited in this study, including 15 cases of Ⅰ and 19 cases of Ⅱ. Type I showed older age of first onset (15.3±9.4 vs. 8.3±3.8), higher rate of diarrhea, and lower rate of limb and/or facial edema than type Ⅱ, with no statistical difference in sex and serum albumin. For imaging features comparisons, type Ⅰ demonstrated higher rate of abnormal dilated lymphatics and fistula, lower rate of increased attenuation of mesentery and lymph nodes, while no statistical difference was found between wall thickening, serous cavity effusion, lymph reflux and abnormal dilated lymphatics around neck area. Conclusion: CTL demonstrated capability of evaluation in detection of location, distribution and range of abnormal lymphatics in PIL. Based on CTL, the imaging classification of PIL was proposed. Different types of PIL showed different clinical and imaging features, which was useful for therapeutic adoptions.

Objective: To investigate the value of MRI-based measurement of calf soft-tissue thickness in assessing the clinical staging of primary lower extremity lymphedema (PLEL). Methods: The clinical and MR imaging data of 90 patients diagnosed with PLEL in our hospital were retrospectively collected, and all patients underwent bilateral lower limb MR examinations. Short Time Inversion Recovery (STIR) sequence was used to measure the total soft tissue thickness (T), musculoskeletal thickness (M) and subcutaneous soft tissue thickness (S) of bilateral lower legs, and the difference between T and S of bilateral lower legs (DT, DS) was calculated respectively. Patients were classified into stages Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ with reference to the clinical staging criteria of the International Lymphatic Association 2020 and our lymphatic surgery department for lower limb lymphedema, excluding stage 0. One-way ANOVA was used to compare calf soft tissue thickness among different clinical stages, Spearman correlation was used to analyze the correlation between calf soft tissue thickness and clinical stage, and ROC curves were used to evaluate the efficacy of calf soft tissue thickness in discriminating clinical stage. Results: The differences among T, S, DT and DS of the three stages were statistically significant, while there was no statistical difference among M; when comparing two by two in each subperiod, T, S, DT and DS were statistically different between stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ and stage Ⅰ and Ⅲ, while there was no statistical difference between stage II and III. The correlation between DT (r=0.750) and DS (r=0.772) and clinical stage was significantly greater than that between T (r=0.669) and S (r=0.734), with DS showing the highest correlation with clinical stage; there was no significant correlation between M and clinical stage. ROC curves showed that the AUC values for each parameter to identify stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ were greater than those to identify stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ. The AUC value of DS (AUC=0.945) demonstrated the highest area under the curve (AUC) among all parameters to identify stage Ⅰ and stage Ⅱ. Conclusion: MRI soft-tissue thickness measurement of calf can be used as a quantitative adjunct in the clinical staging of unilateral PLEL, and for patients with unilateral PLEL, we recommend DS as the best thickness index to differentiate stage Ⅰ from Ⅱ lymphedema.

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic value of chest CT and CT lymphangiography (CTL) in congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasia (CPL). Materials and methods: The clinical and imaging datas of 41 patients with CPL diagnosed by clinical and imaging from August 2012 to July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent chest CT examination before direct lymphangiography (DLG) and CTL after DLG. The CT and CTL imaging manifestations were analyzed and statistically described using the composition ratio in the categorical variable data. Results: Among the 41 patients, CT showed thickening of bronchovascular bundles in 33 cases, interlobular septal thickening in 32 cases, intralobular interstitial thickening in 4 cases, and ground-glass opacity in 26 cases, 5 cases of lung consolidation, 14 cases of atelectasis, 24 cases of pleural effusion. CTL lipiodol was abnormally deposited at the end of the thoracic duct in 35 cases, bronchovascular bundles in 31 cases, hilum in 32 cases, pleura in 17 cases, mediastinum in 36 cases, pericardium in 17 cases, diaphragm in 3 cases, intraperitoneal in 10 cases, and retroperitoneal in 10 cases , 20 cases of pelvis and perineum. Conclusion: CT and CTL can show the extent and distribution of Lymphangiectasia, and provide imaging basis for the diagnosis and treatment of CPL.

Carbon impurities are common defects in monocrystalline silicon and have negative effects on the electrical performance of electronic devices. In the present work, the effects of carbon impurities in monocrystalline silicon on the electrical properties of PIN rectifier diodes with different carbon concentrations were investigated by electrical performance tests, anisotropic preferential etching, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). It was found that with the increasing carbon concentration, the reverse leakage current (IR) increased rapidly, the time of reverse recovery (TRR) and the ratio of the average reverse withstand voltage to the theoretical value decreased rapidly, and the forward voltage drop ( $V_{f}$ ) increased significantly. Further, with the rising carbon concentration, bulk oxidation-induced defects (B-OSF) changed from dislocation-dominated to stacking fault-dominated and the stacking fault length increased gradually. [ $C_{i}-{O}_{i}$ ] carbon centers of interstitial carbon and interstitial oxygen with a wide absorption band were detected by FTIR. The existence of stacking dislocation defects and carbon-oxygen complexes [ $C_{i}-{O}_{i}$ ] was confirmed by TEM and EDS. It was pointed out that substitutional carbon ( $C_{s}$ ) captured interstitial silicon atoms, changed into interstitial carbon ( $C_{i})_{\mathrm {}}$ in the silicon substrate, and formed [ $C_{i}-{O}_{i}$ ] complexes of interstitial carbon and interstitial oxygen after high-temperature diffusion, and these complexes acted as heterogeneous nucleation centers to promote the formation and growth of oxygen precipitation. Due to the volume strain energy, interstitial silicon atoms and dislocations were continuously released to promote oxygen atoms during the growth process of carbon-oxygen complexes. The formation and growth of B-OSF defects caused the “impurity piercing pipe” effect. These defects acted as defect recombination centers and deteriorated the electrical performance of the PIN rectifier diodes.

Electricity price forecasts have become a fundamental factor affecting the decision-making of all market participants. Extreme price volatility has forced market participants to hedge against volume risks and price movements. Hence, getting an accurate price forecast from a few hours to a few days ahead is very important and very challenging due to various factors. This paper proposes an integrated long-term recurrent convolutional network (ILRCN) model to predict electricity prices considering the majority of contributing attributes to the market price as input. The proposed ILRCN model combines the functionalities of a convolutional neural network and long short-term memory (LSTM) algorithm along with the proposed novel conditional error correction term. The combined ILRCN model can identify the linear and nonlinear behavior within the input data. ERCOT wholesale market price data along with load profile, temperature, and other factors for the Houston region have been used to illustrate the proposed model. The performance of the proposed ILRCN electricity price forecasting model is verified using performance/evaluation metrics like mean absolute error and accuracy. Case studies reveal that the proposed ILRCN model shows the highest accuracy and efficiency in electricity price forecasting as compared to the support vector machine (SVM) model, fully connected neural network model, LSTM model, and the traditional LRCN model without the conditional error correction stage.

The adulteration in Chinese chestnuts affects the quality, taste, and brand value. The objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of the hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technique to determine the geographical origin of Chinese chestnuts. An HSI system in spectral range of 400–1000 nm was applied to identify a total of 417 Chinese chestnuts from three different geographical origins. Principal component analysis (PCA) was preliminarily used to investigate the differences of average spectra of the samples from different geographical origins. A deep-learning-based model (1D-CNN, one-dimensional convolutional neural network) was developed first, and then the model based on full spectra and optimal wavelengths were established for various machine learning methods, including partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and particle swarm optimization-support vector machine (PSO-SVM). The optimal results based on full spectra for 1D-CNN, PLS-DA, and PSO-SVM models were 97.12%, 97.12%, and 95.68%, respectively. Competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) and a successive projections algorithm (SPA) were individually utilized for wavelengths selection, and the results of simplified models generally improved. The contrasting results demonstrated that the prediction accuracies of SPA-PLS-DA and 1D-CNN both reached 97.12%, but 1D-CNN presented a higher Kappa coefficient value than SPA-PLS-DA. Meanwhile, the sensitivities and specificities of SPA-PLS-DA and 1D-CNN models were both above 90% for the samples from each geographical origin. These results indicated that both SPA-PLS-DA and 1D-CNN models combined with HSI have great potential for the geographical origin identification of Chinese chestnuts.

Chinese walnuts have extraordinary nutritional and organoleptic qualities, and counterfeit Chinese walnut products are pervasive in the market. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technique to accurately identify and visualize Chinese walnut varieties. Hyperspectral images of 400 Chinese walnuts including 200 samples of Ningguo variety and 200 samples of Lin’an variety were acquired in range of 400–1000 nm. Spectra were extracted from representative regions of interest (ROIs), and principal component analysis (PCA) of spectra showed that the characteristic second principal component (PC2) was potentially effective in variety identification. The PC transformation was also conducted to hyperspectral images to make an exploratory visualization according to pixel-wise PC scores. Three different modeling methods including partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and support vector machine (SVM) were individually employed to develop classification models. Results indicated that raw full spectra constructed PLS-DA model performed best with correct classification rates (CCRs) of 97.33%, 95.33%, and 92.00% in calibration, cross-validation, and prediction sets, respectively. Successful projects algorithm (SPA), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), and PC loadings were individually used for effective wavelengths selection. Subsequently, simplified PLS-DA model based on wavelengths selected by CARS yielded the best 96.33%, 95.67% and 91.00% CCRs in the three sets. This optimal CARS-PLS-DA model acquired a sensitivity of 93.62%, a specificity of 88.68%, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) value of 0.91, and Kappa coefficient of 0.82 in prediction set. Classification maps were finally generated by classifying the varieties of each pixel in multispectral images at CARS-selected wavelengths, and the general variety was then readily discernible. These results demonstrated that features extracted from HSI had outstanding ability, and could be applied as a reliable tool for the further development of an on-line identification system for Chinese walnut variety.

Adaptation of fine root plasticity to soil nutrients heterogeneity in natural forest ecosystems has not been well explored. The study aimed to determine seasonal variations of fine root traits in Pinus koraiensis natural forests and explore the relationship between fine root traits and soil properties. Root and soil samples were collected from the coniferous broad-leaved mixed forest (BP), monospecific P. koraiensis forest (MP), and coniferous mixed forest (CP). Soil available phosphorus (P) content for MP was 31.7% and 39.8% lower than for BP and CP. Soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) for MP was lower by 23.5% and 27.2% than for BP and CP, respectively. In July, specific root lengths and root surface areas for BP and CP (mixed forests) were significantly higher than for MP (monospecific forest). A structural equation model showed that CEC had a significant effect on fine root traits. Root diameter, root volume density, and root surface area density were negatively correlated with CEC. Fine root traits plasticity of P. koraiensis are closely related to soil available nutrient contents, CEC, and species composition at the ecosystem level.

Though the full AC power flow model can accurately represent the physical power system, the use of this model is limited in practice due to the computational complexity associated with its non-linear and non-convexity characteristics. For instance, the AC power flow model is not incorporated in the unit commitment model for practical power systems. Instead, an alternative linearized DC power flow model is widely used in today’s power system operational and planning tools. However, DC power flow model will be useless when reactive power and voltage magnitude are of concern. Therefore, a linearized AC (LAC) power flow model is needed to address this issue. This paper first introduces a traditional LAC model and then proposes an enhanced data-driven linearized AC (DLAC) model using the regression analysis technique. Numerical simulations conducted on the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) system demonstrate the performance and effectiveness of the proposed DLAC model.