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Recently, a popular query-based end-to-end framework has been used for instance segmentation. However, queries update based on individual layers or scales of feature maps at each stage of Transformer decoding, which makes queries unable to gather sufficient multi-scale feature information. Therefore, querying these features may result in inconsistent information due to disparities among feature maps and leading to erroneous updates. This study proposes a new network called GateInst, which employs a dual-path auto-select mechanism based on gate structures to overcome these issues. Firstly, we design a block-wise multi-scale feature fusion module that combines features of different scales while maintaining low computational cost. Secondly, we introduce the gated-enhanced queries Transformer decoder that utilizes a gating mechanism to filter and merge the queries generated at different stages to compensate for the inaccuracies in updating queries. GateInst addresses the issue of insufficient feature information and compensates for the problem of cumulative errors in queries. Experiments have shown that GateInst achieves significant gains of 8.4 AP, 5.5 A P 50 over Mask2Former on the self-collected Tree Species Instance Dataset and performs well compared to non-Mask2Former-like and Mask2Former-like networks on self-collected and public COCO datasets, with only a tiny amount of additional computational cost and fast convergence. Code and models are available at . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore the clinical application of shear wave elastography (SWE) in evaluating the degree of liver fibrosis in children. Methods: To explore the value of SWE in assessing liver fibrosis in children, the correlation between elastography values and the METAVIR grade of liver fibrosis in children with biliary system or liver diseases was studied. Children with significant liver enlargement were enrolled, and the fibrosis grade was analyzed to explore the value of SWE in assessing the degree of liver fibrosis in the presence of significant liver enlargement. Results: A total of 160 children with bile system or liver diseases were recruited. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCs) for liver biopsy from stage F1 to F4 were 0.990, 0.923, 0.819, and 0.884. According to the degree of liver fibrosis at liver biopsy, there was a high correlation between the SWE value and the degree of liver fibrosis (correlation coefficient 0.74). There was no significant correlation between the Young's modulus value of the liver and the degree of liver fibrosis (correlation coefficient 0.16). Conclusions: Supersonic SWE can generally accurately evaluate the degree of liver fibrosis in children with liver disease. However, When the liver is significantly enlarged, SWE can only evaluate liver stiffness based on Young's modulus values, and the degree of liver fibrosis must still be determined by pathologic biopsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NUFER (Nutrient Flow in food chains, Environment and Resources) model has been used to reliably quantify nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) emissions from agriculture land to water bodies. However, factors impacting agricultural N and P emissions at the island scale have rarely been studied due to the lack of high-resolution spatialization tools, which are critical for exploring mitigation options. Here, a high-resolution NUFER model was constructed based on geology, meteorology, land-use data, statistical data, and field investigation. The spatial characteristics of N and P emissions in Hainan Island, China, were quantified, and the driving forces were analyzed. We also explored effective measures to reduce emissions by 2035 using scenario analysis. Overall, 98 Gg N from agriculture entered water bodies in 2018, of which crop system contributed 70%; 15 Gg P entered water bodies, of which, animal system contributed 78%. Nitrate (NO3−) leaching (65%) and direct discharge of animal manure (69%) accounted for most of the N and P emissions, respectively. Plains contributed 89% of N and 92% of P emissions. Spatial overlay analysis showed that high N and P emissions were mainly concentrated in the western and northeastern plain areas. At the sub-basin scale, the Nandu River basin had the largest agricultural N and P emissions, accounting for more than 20% of all emissions. Scenario analysis showed that N and P emissions were significantly correlated with natural (e.g., elevation, slope, and soil texture) and anthropogenic (e.g., rural income, population density, planting structure, and livestock density) factors. We further analyzed the emissions of N and P can be reduced by 71 Gg and 14 Gg by 2035, respectively, via reducing food chain waste and consumption, importing more food, and improving production efficiency, but especially prohibiting the direct discharge of livestock manure. This high-resolution quantification of agricultural N and P emissions to the water bodies provides an exploration of the most effective options for reducing agricultural non-point source (ANPS) pollution at the island scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies of temporal and spatial distribution characteristics for droughts and floods analysis were conducted only from the perspective of a single factor (precipitation), while ignoring the impact of the underlying surface on the formation of droughts and floods. Based on the daily precipitation data of 88 meteorological stations in Hainan Island from 1970 to 2019, 30 m resolution DEM data and land use dataset, etc., the precipitation Z index was used to evaluate the level of drought and flood in Hainan Island. The analysis results were revised by underlying surface data to evaluate the spatiotemporal characteristics of the drought and flood areas. The drought- and flood-prone areas in Hainan Island were divided. The results show that the overall drought areas show an obvious downward trend, while the flood areas present an increasing trend. The drought-prone areas throughout the year are more concentrated in the northeast of Hainan Island, while the flood-prone areas are mainly distributed in the eastern coastal areas. The drought- and flood-prone areas before and after the revision by the underlying surface were compared. It can be seen that the overall trend is relatively similar and obvious before and after the revision. The drought- and flood-prone areas before revision are 7.97 and 2.91 times larger than that after revision, respectively. Finally, combining climate and underlying surface factors, suggestions for drought and flood prevention are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have been shown that voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) plays an important role in carcinogenesis. However, its molecular biological function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been entirely clarified. This study investigated the expression of VDAC1 in HCC and its prognostic value for HCC patients. Furthermore, we also identify the relevant VDAC1 direct target. Western blot, real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR), and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining were performed to detect the expression of VDAC1 in HCC. Furthermore, the relationship between the VDAC1 level and clinicopathological features and prognostic values was explored. The effects of VDAC1 on HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were also investigated in vitro. Predicted target gene of VDAC1 was determined by dual-luciferase reporter assay, qRT-PCR, and Western blot analyses. Our results revealed elevated VDAC1 messenger RNA (mRNA) ( P = 0.0020) and protein ( P = 0.0035) expression in tumor tissue samples compared with paired adjacent non-tumorous tissue samples. High VDAC1 expression was correlated with distant metastasis ( P = 0.025), differentiation ( P = 0.002), and advanced tumor stage ( P = 0.004) in HCC patients. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that high expression of VDAC1 was significantly correlated with a poor prognosis for HCC patients ( P < 0.001). The multivariate analysis revealed that VDAC1 expression was an independent prognostic factor of the overall survival rate of HCC patients. Furthermore, knockdown of VDAC1 inhibits HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Moreover, further study revealed that miR-7 was a putative target of VDAC1. Our study suggested that miR-7 suppressed the expression of VDAC1. VDAC1 plays an important role in tumor progression and may be used as a potential role in the prognosis of HCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response and recovery mechanisms of forests to damage from freezing rain and snow events are a key topic in forest research and management. However, the relationship between the degree of damage and tree age, i.e., whether seedlings, young trees, or adult trees are most vulnerable, remains unclear and is rarely reported. We investigated the effect of tree age on the degrees of vegetation damage and subsequent recovery in three subtropical forest types-coniferous, mixed, and broad-leaved-in the Tianjing Mountains, South China, after a series of rare icy rain and freezing snow events in 2008. The results showed that damage and recovery rates were both dependent on tree age, with the proportion of damaged vegetation increasing with age (estimated by diameter at breast height, DBH) in all three forest types and gradually plateauing. Significant variation occurred among forest types. Young trees in the coniferous forest were more vulnerable than those in the broad-leaved forest. The type of damage also varied with tree age in different ways in the three forest types. The proportion of young seedlings that were uprooted (the most severe type of damage) was highest in the coniferous forest. In the mixed forest, young trees were significantly more likely to be uprooted than seedlings and adult trees, while in the broad-leaved forest, the proportion of uprooted adult trees was significantly higher than that of seedlings and young trees. There were also differences among forest types in how tree age affected damage recovery. In the coniferous forest, the recovery rate of trees with broken trunks or crowns (DBH > 2.5 cm) increased with tree age. However, in the mixed and broad-leaved forests, no obvious correlation between the recovery rate of trees with broken trunks or crowns and tree age was observed. Trees with severe root damage did not recover; they were uprooted and died. In these forests, vegetation damage and recovery showed tree age dependencies, which varied with tree shape, forest type, and damage type. Understanding this dependency will guide restoration after freezing rain and snow disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]