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Abstract Esophageal cancer (EC) mainly includes two histological subtypes, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is of high morbidity and mortality. With the continuous development of medical technology, the treatment of EC has been greatly improved, but its prognosis is still unfavorable. Recent single‐cell RNA‐sequencing (scRNA‐seq) is expected to bring breakthroughs in the treatment of EC. First, we identified T cell marker genes and generated signature by analyzing scRNA‐seq data from Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and TCGA database. Then, an immune prognostic model was constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator. We found that the survival rate of ESCC varied significantly among the low‐ and high‐risk groups. Two genes from T cell signature, DCPS and CYB5R3, were expressed in ESCC cells. Collectively, our study proposed a novel prognostic signature for ESCC patients based on T cell marker genes.

The snowmelt process plays a crucial role in hydrological forecasting, climate change, disaster management, and other related fields. Accurate detection of wet snow distribution and its changes is essential for understanding and modeling the snow melting process. To address the limitations of conventional fixed-threshold methods, which suffer from poor adaptability and significant interference from scattering noise, we propose a weakly supervised deep learning change detection algorithm with Sentinel-1 multi-temporal data. This algorithm incorporates the Multi-Region Convolution Module (MRC) to enhance the central region while effectively suppressing edge noise. Furthermore, it integrates the ResNet residual network to capture deeper image features, facilitating wet snow identification through feature fusion. Various combinations of differential images, polarization data, elevation, and slope information during and after snowmelt were input into the model and tested. The results suggest that the combination of differential images, VV polarization data, and slope information has greater advantages in wet snow extraction. Comparisons between our method, the fixed-threshold method, OTSU algorithm, and FCM algorithm against the results of Landsat images indicates that the overall accuracy of our method improves significantly when the proportion of wet snow cover is large, and the average overall accuracy of wet snow extraction is 85.2%. This study provides clues for the accurate identification of wet snow during the mid-snowmelt phase.

Snow cover distribution is of great significance for climate change and water resource management. Current deep learning-based methods for extracting snow cover from remote sensing images face challenges such as insufficient local detail awareness and inadequate utilization of global semantic information. In this study, a snow cover extraction algorithm integrating cross-scale edge perception and an attention mechanism on the U-net model architecture is proposed. The cross-scale edge perception module replaces the original jump connection of U-net, enhances the low-level image features by introducing edge detection on the shallow feature scale, and enhances the detail perception via branch separation and fusion features on the deep feature scale. Meanwhile, parallel channel and spatial attention mechanisms are introduced in the model encoding stage to adaptively enhance the model’s attention to key features and improve the efficiency of utilizing global semantic information. The method was evaluated on the publicly available CSWV_S6 optical remote sensing dataset, and the accuracy of 98.14% indicates that the method has significant advantages over existing methods. Snow extraction from Landsat 8 OLI images of the upper reaches of the Irtysh River was achieved with satisfactory accuracy rates of 95.57% (using two, three, and four bands) and 96.65% (using two, three, four, and six bands), indicating its strong potential for automated snow cover extraction over larger areas.

Anthocyanins are important secondary metabolites in plants, which contribute to fruit color and nutritional value. Anthocyanins can be regulated by environmental factors such as light, low temperature, water conditions, and nutrition limitations. Nitrogen (N) is an essential macroelement for plant development, its deficiency as a kind of nutrition limitation often induces anthocyanin accumulation in many plants. However, there is a lack of reports regarding the effect of nitrogen deficiency on anthocyanin biosynthesis in pears. In this study, we found that N deficiency resulted in anthocyanin accumulation in pear callus and upregulated the expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway structural genes (PyPAL, PyCHS, PyCHI, PyF3H, PyDFR, PyANS, and PyUFGT) and key regulatory factors (PyMYB10, PyMYB114, and PybHLH3). Through analysis of transcriptome data of treated pear callus and RT-qPCR assay, a differentially expressed gene PyNAC42 was identified as significantly induced by the N deficiency condition. Overexpression of PyNAC42 promoted anthocyanin accumulation in “Zaosu” pear peels. Additionally, dual luciferase assay and yeast one-hybrid assay demonstrated that PyNAC42 could not directly activate the expression of PyDFR, PyANS, and PyUFGT. Furthermore, yeast two-hybrid and pull-down assays confirmed that PyNAC42 interacted with PyMYB10 both in vivo and in vitro. Co-expression of PyNAC42 and PyMYB10 significantly enhanced anthocyanin accumulation in “Zaosu” pear peels. Dual luciferase assay showed that PyNAC42 significantly enhanced the activation of PyDFR, PyANS, and PyUFGT promoters by interacting with PyMYB10, which suggests that PyNAC42 can form the PyNAC42-PyMYB10 complex to regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis in pear. Thus, the molecular mechanism underlying anthocyanin biosynthesis induced by N deficiency is preliminarily elucidated. Our finding has expanded the regulatory network of anthocyanin biosynthesis and enhanced our understanding of the mechanisms underlying nutrient deficiency modulates anthocyanin biosynthesis in pear.

This is an essay in the field of metallurgical engineering. In the hydro-zinc smelting system, the large amount of chloride ions seriously restricts the normal production. In this essay, a new type of X agent is used for the dechlorination test. Neutral leaching solution was used as the research object to explore the influence of X agent addition, neutral leaching solution temperature, pH value, reaction time, and impurities F− and Mg2+ on the chlorine removal rate. The test results show that when the dosage of X agent is 8 times, the reaction time is 60 min, the reaction temperature is 60 ℃, and the pH value is less than 5.5, X agent has the relatively highest rate of chlorine removal, about 85%; among them, F− no obvious effect on the chlorine removal rate; when the Mg2+ concentration exceeds 16 g/L, the chlorine removal rate of the X agent drops slightly.

Abstract Clinical hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is regarded as a potential treatment that can prolong survival of patients with peritoneal metastases after cytoreductive surgery. However, treated tumor cells are prone to becoming heat resistant to HIPEC therapy through high expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs). Here, a carrier-free bifunctional nanoinhibitor was developed for HIPEC therapy in the management of peritoneal metastases. Self-assembly of the nanoinhibitor was formed by mixing Mn ion and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in a controllable manner. Such nanoinhibitor directly inhibited HSP90 and impaired the HSP90 chaperone cycle by reduced intracellular ATP level. Additionally, heat and Mn ion synergistically induced oxidative stress and expression of caspase 1, which activated GSDMD by proteolysis and caused pyroptosis in tumor cells, triggering immunogenic inflammatory cell death and induced maturation of dendritic cells through the release of tumor antigens. This strategy to inhibit heat resistance in HIPEC presented an unprecedented paradigm for converting “cold” tumors into “hot” ones, thus significantly eradicating disseminated tumors located deep in the abdominal cavity and stimulating immune response in peritoneal metastases of a mouse model. Collectively, the nanoinhibitor effectively induced pyroptosis of colon tumor cells under heat conditions by inhibiting heat stress resistance and increasing oxidative stress, which may provide a new strategy for treatment of colorectal peritoneal metastases.

Abstract Background Association of cigarette smoking habits with the risk of prostate cancer is still a matter of debate. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the association between cigarette smoking and prostate cancer risk. Methods We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science without language or time restrictions on June 11, 2022. Literature search and study screening were performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. Prospective cohort studies that assessed the association between cigarette smoking habits and the risk of prostate cancer were included. Quality assessment was conducted using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. We used random-effects models to obtain pooled estimates and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Results A total of 7296 publications were screened, of which 44 cohort studies were identified for qualitative analysis; 39 articles comprising 3 296 398 participants and 130 924 cases were selected for further meta-analysis. Current smoking had a significantly reduced risk of prostate cancer (RR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.68–0.80; P

Abstract Small lakes (areas between 0.01 km2 and 1 km2) on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) are prone to fluctuations in number and area, with serious implications for the surface water storage and water and carbon cycles of this fragile environment. However, there are no detailed long-term datasets of the small lakes of the QTP. Therefore, the intra-annual changes of small lakes in the Qilian Mountains region (QMR) in the northeastern part of the QTP were investigated. The small lake water bodies (SLWB) in the QMR were extracted by improving existing commonly used waterbody extraction algorithms. Using the Google Earth Engine platform and 13,297 Landsat TM/ETM + /OLI images, the SLWB of the QMR were extracted from 1987 to 2020 applying the improved algorithm, cross-validation and manual corrections. The reliability, uncertainty and limitations of the improved algorithm were discussed. An intra-annual small lake dataset for QMR (QMR-SLD) from 1987 to 2020 was released, containing eight attributes: code, perimeter (km), area (km2), latitude and longitude, elevation (m), area error, relative error (%), and subregion.

Objectives: This review aimed to harmoniously summarize and compare outlier rates for various cardiac troponin (cTn) assays, including high-sensitivity-cTn (hs-cTn) assays and contemporary cTn (generation of assays prior to hs-cTn ones) assays, from the published studies. Methods: The PRISMA guidelines were utilized to perform this systematic review. Five databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, were searched using specific keywords up to June 30th, 2023. Studies reporting specifically calculated outlier rates for cTn assays when conducting in-vitro diagnosis in human samples were included. Selected studies were then further assessed using the GRADE tool. Results: Thirteen studies were included. The data from the studies were summarized statistically in this review. The results showed substantial evidence of improved analytical robustness or reduced respective mean rates of outliers, critical outliers, and analytical outliers for hs-cTn assays (0.14 %, 0.18 %, and 0.18 %) compared to contemporary cTn assays (0.63 %, 0.71 %, and 0.50 %). Conclusion: The findings offer promisingly provide a comprehensive reference for laboratory scientists and clinical staff in choosing the most suitable cTn assay for patient care regrading outlier rates. Besides, this review reveals the advancements of hs-cTn assays with lower outlier rates than contemporary cTn assays. The emerging challenges for continuously improving analytical robustness of cTn assays are also elaborated.

Abstract Background Bladder cancer is the tenth most common cancer worldwide. For patients with T1 high-grade or T2 bladder cancer, radical cystectomy is recommended. However, radical cystectomy is associated with various complications and has a detrimental impact on the quality of life. Bladder-sparing therapy has been widely explored in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, and whether a combination of transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) with chemotherapy and immunotherapy shows definite superiority over TURBT plus chemotherapy is still a matter of debate. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of TURBT combined with chemotherapy and immunotherapy in bladder-sparing therapy in patients with T1 high-grade or T2 bladder cancer who are unwilling or unsuitable to undergo radical cystectomy. Methods An open-label, multi-institutional, two-armed randomized controlled study will be performed with 86 patients with T1 high-grade or T2 bladder cancer meeting the eligibility criteria. Participants in the experimental group (n = 43) will receive TURBT combined with chemotherapy (GC: gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on the 1st day and the 8th day, cisplatin 70 mg/m2 on the 2nd day, repeated every 21 days) and immunotherapy (toripalimab 240 mg on the 5th day, repeated every 21 days), and those in the control group (n = 43) will receive TURBT plus chemotherapy (GC). The primary outcome is pathological response, and the secondary outcomes include progression-free survival, overall survival, toxicities, and quality of life. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TURBT combined with GC regimen and toripalimab in bladder-sparing therapy in patients with T1 high-grade or T2 bladder cancer. The expected benefit is that the combination of TURBT with chemotherapy and immunotherapy would be more effective than TURBT plus chemotherapy without compromising the quality of life and increasing the toxicity. Trial registration ChiCTR2200060546, chictr.org.cn, registered on June 14, 2022.

Abstract. Increasing evidence indicates that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation modification serves important functions in biological metabolism. Dysregulation of m6A regulators is related to the progression of different malignancies, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Recent studies have reported preliminary findings on the influence of m6A regulator dysregulation on RCC tumorigenesis and development. However, no comprehensive review that integrates and analyzes the roles of m6A modification in RCC has been published to date. In this review, we focus on the dysregulation of m6A regulators as it relates to RCC tumorigenesis and development, as well as possible applications of m6A modification in RCC diagnosis and therapeutics.

The loss of midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons is the fundamental pathological feature of Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD causes chronic pain in two-thirds of patients. Recent studies showed that the activation of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) can effectively relieve inflammatory pain and neuropathic pain. The PPTg is located in the pontomesencephalic tegmentum, a target of deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment in PD, and is involved in motor control and sensory integration. To test whether the lesion of midbrain DA neurons induced pain hypersensitivity, and whether the chemogenetic activation of the PPTg could modulate the pain, the AAV-hM3Dq receptor was transfected and expressed into the PPTg neurons of 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned mice. In this study, von Frey, open field, and adhesive tape removal tests were used to assess animals’ pain sensitivity, locomotor activity, and sensorimotor function and somatosensory perception, respectively. Here, we found that the lesion of midbrain DA neurons induced a minor deficit in voluntary movement but did not affect sensorimotor function and somatosensory perception in the tape removal test. The results showed that lesion led to pain hypersensitivity, which could be alleviated both by levodopa and by the chemogenetic activation of the PPTg. Activating the PPTg may be a potential therapeutic strategy to relieve pain phenotypes in PD.

Anthocyanins play a crucial role in imparting red coloration to pear fruits. However, the specific number and expression patterns of each member within the anthocyanin biosynthesis-related gene families in pears require systematic exploration. In this study, based on the pear genome we identified 15 gene families involved in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway using the BLASTP and Hidden Markov Model search methods, comprising a total of 94 enzyme genes. Through phylogenetic analysis, conserved domains, motif, and gene structure analysis, these gene families were further categorized into eight distinct lineages. Subsequent collinearity analysis revealed that the expansion of anthocyanin synthesis-related gene families primarily originated from segmental duplications. Analysis of cis-element in the promoter regions of genes related to anthocyanin synthesis unveiled the presence of light-responsive elements and various hormone-responsive elements. This suggests that changes in light stimulation and hormone levels may influence anthocyanin synthesis. RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR analyses indicated differential expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis-related genes between the peel and flesh tissues. During the accumulation of anthocyanins in red-fleshed pears, upstream genes in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway such as PbrPAL2, PbrC4H2, PbrC4H3, Pbr4CL2, Pbr4CL17, PbrF3H5, and PbrF3H6 exhibited high expression levels, likely contributing significantly to the red coloration of pear flesh. In summary, we have identified the number of gene family members involved in pear anthocyanin biosynthesis and analyzed the expression patterns of the genes related to pear anthocyanin biosynthesis. These findings provide a solid foundation for further research on the regulatory mechanisms underlying pear anthocyanin biosynthesis and the breeding of red pear varieties.

Study region: The Tibetan Plateau Study focus: Evapotranspiration (ET) plays a critical role in the water balance, energy budget, and carbon cycle. However, the variations, trends, and controls of ET on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are poorly understood because of uncertainties in ET estimates and sparse observations. In this study, the variations in ET and its components and their drivers and controls in the TP were analyzed at seasonal and annual scales during 1982–2015. New hydrological insights for the region: Spatially, the multiyear mean annual ET decreased from the southeastern to northwestern TP. Canopy transpiration (Ec) was the main component of ET (52.7%), followed by soil evaporation (Es) (34.4%) and interception (Ei) (10.7%). Regionally, the averaged ET and its components increased significantly at the seasonal and annual scales. Spatially, the controlling factor for ET changed from water to energy as the climatic zones transferred from aridity to humidity. The annual ET was controlled by soil moisture (SM) in arid and semi-arid zones, whereas Ta was the dominant factor in the other regions. The increased annual Es and Ei were primarily caused by SM, while the annual Ec was determined by Ta. In addition, NDVI played a certain role in regulating the annual Ec and Ei variations. This study improves our understanding of hydrological processes and water resource management under global climate change.

Pressure measurement is of great importance due to its wide range of applications in many fields. AT-cut quartz, with its exceptional precision and durability, stands out as an excellent pressure transducer due to its superior accuracy and stable performance over time. However, its intrinsic temperature dependence significantly hinders its potential application in varying temperature environments. Herein, three different learning algorithms (i.e., multivariate polynomial regression, multilayer perceptron networks, and support vector regression) are elaborated in detail and applied to establish the prediction models for compensating the temperature effect of the resonant pressure sensor, respectively. The AC-cut quartz, which is sensitive to temperature variations, is paired with the AT-cut quartz, providing the essential temperature information. The output frequencies derived from the AT-cut and AC-cut quartzes are selected as input data for these learning algorithms. Through experimental validation, all three methods are effective, and a remarkable improvement in accuracy can be achieved. Among the three methods, the MPR model has exceptionally high accuracy in predicting pressure. The calculated residual error over the temperature range of −10–40 °C is less than 0.008% of 40 MPa full scale (FS). An intelligent automatic compensation and real-time processing system for the resonant pressure sensor is developed as well, which may contribute to improving the efficiency in online calibration and large-scale industrialization. This paper paves a promising way for the temperature compensation of resonant pressure sensors.

Abstract Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a complex disease and can be generally divided into prerenal, intrarenal, and postrenal AKI (PR-AKI). Previous studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived extracellular vesicles have protective function on prerenal and intrarenal AKI treatment, but whether they have therapeutic efficacy on PR-AKI remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy of allogeneic adipose mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (ADMSCEVs) on cat models of PR-AKI. Methods The cat models of PR-AKI were established by using artificial urinary occlusion and then treated with ADMSCEVs. Histopathological section analysis, blood routine analysis, plasma biochemical test, imaging analysis, and plasma ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-MS/MS (UHPLC-MS/MS) were performed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of ADMSCEVs. Results Physiological and biochemical test showed that the ADMSCEVs could recover creatinine, urea nitrogen and plasma phosphorus to homeostasis efficiently. Blood routine analysis showed that leukocytes in PR-AKI cats with ADMSCEVs treatment returned to normal physiological range more quickly than that of control. UHPLC-MS/MS analysis revealed that the plasma metabolome profile of PR-AKI cats treated with ADMSCEVs was highly similar to that of normal cats. Furthermore, UHPLC-MS/MS analysis also revealed six metabolites (carnitine, melibiose, d-Glucosamine, cytidine, dihydroorotic acid, stachyose) in plasma were highly correlated with the dynamic process of PR-AKI on cats. Conclusions We demonstrate the efficacy of ADMSCEVs in the treatment of PR-AKI on cats. Our study also suggests six metabolites to be novel PR-AKI markers and to be potential targets for ADMSCEVs therapy. Our findings will be useful to improve clinical treatment of both animal and human PR-AKI patients with ADMSCEVs in the future.

To analyze genome-wide super-enhancers (SEs) methylation signature of breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA) and its clinical value. Differential methylation sites (DMS) between BRCA and adjacent tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were identified by using ChAMP package in R software. Super-enhancers were identified sing ROSE software. Overlap analysis was used to assess the potential DMS in SEs region. Feature selection was performed by Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm based on TCGA training cohort. Prognosis model validation was performed in TCGA training cohort, TCGA validation cohort, and gene expression omnibus (GEO) test cohort. The gene ontology and KEGG analysis revealed that SEs target genes were significantly enriched in cell-migration-associated processes and pathways. A total of 83 654 DMS were identified between BRCA and adjacent tissues. Around 2397 DMS in SEs region were identified by overlap study and used to feature selection. By using Cox regression and LASSO algorithm, 42 features were selected to develop a clinical prediction model (CPM). Both training (TCGA) and validation cohorts (TCGA and GEO) show that the CPM has ideal discrimination and calibration. The CPM based on DMS at SE regions has ideal discrimination and calibration, which combined with tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage could improve prognostication, and thus contribute to individualized medicine.

Abstract Background Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological cancer which is characterized by extensive peritoneal implantation metastasis and malignant ascites. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment in recent years, the five-year survival rate is only 25–30%. Therefore, developing multifunctional nanomedicine with abilities of promoting apoptosis and inhibiting migration on tumor cells would be a promising strategy to improve the antitumor effect. Methods and results In this study, we developed a novel ACaT nanomedicine composed of alendronate, calcium ions and cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) inhibitor THZ1. With the average size of 164 nm and zeta potential of 12.4 mV, the spherical ACaT nanoparticles were selectively internalized by tumor cells and effectively accumulated in the tumor site. Results of RNA-sequencing and in vitro experiments showed that ACaT promoted tumor cell apoptosis and inhibited tumor cell migration by arresting the cell cycle, increasing ROS and affecting calcium homeostasis. Weekly intraperitoneally administered of ACaT for 8 cycles significantly inhibited the growth of tumor and prolonged the survival of intraperitoneal xenograft mice. Conclusion In summary, this study presents a new self-assembly nanomedicine with favorable tumor targeting, antitumor activity and good biocompatibility, providing a novel therapeutic strategy for advanced ovarian cancer. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Background Cancer cells prefer utilizing aerobic glycolysis in order to exacerbate tumor mass and maintain un-regulated proliferative rates. As a key glycolytic activator, phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3) has been implicated in multiple tumor type progression. However, the specific function and clinical significance of PFKFB3 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are yet not clarified. This investigation assessed PFKFB3 roles in RCC. Methods PFKFB3 expression levels were analyzed in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) tissues, together with its relationship with clinical characteristics of ccRCC. Real-time PCR and Western blot assays were employed for determining PFKFB3 expression in different RCC cell lines. Furthermore, we determined the glycolytic activity by glucose uptake, lactate secretion assay and ECAR analysis. CCK-8 assay, clone formation, flow cytometry and EdU assessments were performed for monitoring tumor proliferative capacity and cell-cycle distribution. Furthermore, a murine xenograft model was employed for investigating the effect of PFKFB3 on tumor growth in vivo. Results PFKFB3 was significantly up-regulated in RCC specimens and cell lines in comparison to normal control. Overexpression of PFKFB3 was directly correlated to later TNM stages, thus becoming a robust prognostic biomarker for ccRCC cases. Furthermore, PFKFB3 knockdown suppressed cell glycolysis, proliferative rate and cell-cycle G1/S conversion in RCC cells. Importantly, in vivo experiments confirmed that PFKFB3 knockdown delayed tumor growth derived from the ACHN cell line. Conclusions Such results suggest that PFKFB3 is a key molecular player in RCC progression via mediating glycolysis / proliferation and provides a potential therapeutic target against RCC.

Global glacial chemical denudation is one of the largest contributors to global elemental cycles and, amplified by climate warming, will significantly impact nutrient loads in downstream ecosystems.

Gametogenesis, including spermatogenesis and oogenesis, are unique differentiation processes involving extraordinarily complex and precise regulatory mechanisms that require the interactions of multiple cell types, hormones, paracrine factors, genes and epigenetic regulators, and extensive chromatin 3D structure re-organization. In recent years, the development of 3D genome technology represented by Hi-C, enabled mapping of the 3D re-organization of chromosomes during zygogenesis at an unprecedented resolution. The 3D remodeling is achieved by folding chromatin into loops, topologically associating domains (TADs), and compartments (A and B), which ultimately affect transcriptional activity. In this review, we summarize the research progresses and findings on chromatin 3D structure changes during spermatogenesis and oogenesis.

Abstract Tumors are one of the leading causes to death in pet dogs among diseases. The tumor incidence of pet dogs has been increasing, raising widespread concern.The tumor incidence of pet dogs has been increasing, raising widespread concern. In this study, retrospective analysis was performed with 246 tumor cases registered in Xi’an Animal Hospital, Northwest A&F University from 2009 to 2018. Correlations of sex, age and breed with tumor incidences were evaluated. The results showed that reproductive system tumors occupied the highest proportion (39.84%), followed by cutaneous tumors (28.05%), digestive tumors (18.70%) and ocular tumor (4.47%). Among the reproductive system tumors, breast tumors are the most common tumor in female pet dogs, especially for Pekingese (11.43%). Female dogs with high susceptibility to breast tumors were at the ages of 6–18 years old. As far as cutaneous tumors were concerned, the male pet dogs at all ages, particularly Golden Retrievers (17.39%), showed a high incidence. By contrast, male Samoyed aged from 4 to 13 years had the highest incidence (15.22%) of digestive tumors. In addition, pet dogs with ocular tumors mainly happened at the ages of 0–1 years and 6–13 years. Collectively, our findings are significant to develop effective measures of medical surveillance for pet dogs’ health and will provide insights for comparative oncology.

The Tibetan Plateau contains a large number of mountain glaciers with clean surfaces, where englacial debris is generally entrained by the ice flow and exposed at the glacier margins. The long-term observation on one of the typical clean surface glaciers (the Qiyi Glacier, northern Tibetan Plateau) suggests an early emergence of englacial debris on its transport pathway, with accelerated surface melting from the mid-2000s onwards. Given that the englacial debris layers of the tongue part of Qiyi Glacier are approximately parallel to the glacier surface, the continuing melting might be expected to result in the rapid expansion of exposed debris. Compared with the clean surface ice, debris cover at the same elevation reduced glacier mass loss by ~25.4% during a hydrological year (2020–2021), indicating that the early emergence of englacial debris can protect the glacier from climate warming with prolonged life expectance. As such, future glacial runoff will then reach its peak earlier and be followed by a gentler decreasing trend than model projections with constant clean surface ice. These findings imply that the emerging debris on clean surface glacier may mitigate the glacial-runoff risk, which has so far been neglected in projections of future water supplies.

Small lakes (areas ranging from 0.01 km2 to 1 km2) are highly sensitive to climate change and human activities. However, few studies have investigated the long-term intra-annual trends in the number and area of small lakes and their driving mechanisms in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP). As a significant water tower in northwest China, the Qilian Mountains region (QMR) in the QTP is essential for sustaining regional industrial and agricultural production, biodiversity, and human well-being. We conducted an analysis of the dynamics of small lakes in the QMR region. In this study, we employed Geodetector and examined nine factors to investigate the driving mechanisms behind the long-term variations in the small lake water bodies (SLWBs). We specifically focused on understanding the effects of single-factor and two-factor interactions. The results indicate that the number and area of small lakes had a fluctuating trend from 1987 to 2020. Initially, there was a decrease followed by an increase, which was generally consistent with trends in the large lakes on the QTP. All basins had far more expanding than shrinking lakes. The area of seasonal SLWBs in each basin was increasing more rapidly than permanent SLWBs. The distribution and trends in the area and number of small lakes varied widely across elevation zones. Runoff, snow depth, and temperature contributed the most to SLWB changes. Human activities and wind speed contributed the least. However, the main drivers varied across basins. The impact of two-factor interactions on SLWB changes in basins was greater than that of single factors. Our results provide useful information for planning and managing water resources and studies of small lakes.

In this work, a capacitive pH sensor consisting of Ta2O5 functional film is designed and fabricated by employing MEMS-based procedures. The Ta2O5 thin film has an amorphous microstructure, and its surface roughness is less than 3.17 nm. A signal processing circuit and a software filtering algorithm are also designed to measure the pH value, thus improving the detection accuracy and anti-interference ability. Good linearity (R2 = 0.99904) and sensitivity (63.12 mV/pH) are recorded for the proposed sensing element in the range of pH 2~12. In addition, the sensor’s drift and hysteresis are equal to 5.1 mV and 5.8 mV, respectively. The enhanced sensing performance in combination with the facile miniaturization process, low fabrication cost, and suitability for mass production render the fabricated sensor attractive for applications where pH change measurements in a water environment are required.

A novel solution combustion synthesis of nanoscale spinel-structured Co3O4 powder was proposed in this work. The obtained material was composed of loosely arranged nanoparticles whose average diameter was about 36 nm. The as-prepared cobalt oxide powder was also tested as the anode material for Li-ion batteries and revealed specific capacities of 1060 and 533 mAh·g−1 after 100 cycles at charge–discharge current densities of 100 and 500 mA·g−1, respectively. Moreover, electrochemical measurements indicate that even though the synthesized nanomaterial possesses a low active surface area, it exhibits a relatively high specific capacity measured at 100 mA·g−1 after 100 cycles and a quite good rate capability at current densities between 50 and 5000 mA·g−1.

Abstract Background Tumor angiogenesis, an essential process for cancer proliferation and metastasis, has a critical role in prognostic of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), as well as a target in guiding treatment with antiangiogenic agents. However, tumor angiogenesis subtypes and potential epigenetic regulation mechanisms in KIRC patient remains poorly characterized. System evaluation of angiogenesis subtypes in KIRC patient might help to reveal the mechanisms of KIRC and develop more target treatments for patients. Method Ten independent tumor angiogenesis signatures were obtained from molecular signatures database (MSigDB) and gene set variation analysis was performed to calculate the angiogenesis score in silico using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) KIRC dataset. Tumor angiogenesis subtypes in 539 TCGA-KIRC patients were identified using consensus clustering analysis. The potential regulation mechanisms was studied using gene mutation, copy number variation, and differential methylation analysis (DMA). The master transcription factors (MTF) that cause the difference in tumor angiogenesis signals were completed by transcription factor enrichment analysis. Results The angiogenesis score of a prognosis related angiogenesis signature including 189 genes was significantly correlated with immune score, stroma score, hypoxia score, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signal score in 539 TCGA KIRC patients. MMRN2, CLEC14A, ACVRL1, EFNB2, and TEK in candidate gene set showed highest correlation coefficient with angiogenesis score in TCGA-KIRC patients. In addition, all of them were associated with overall survival in both TCGA-KIRC and E-MTAB-1980 KIRC data. Clustering analysis based on 183 genes in angiogenesis signature identified two prognosis related angiogenesis subtypes in TCGA KIRC patients. Two clusters also showed different angiogenesis score, immune score, stroma score, hypoxia score, VEGF signal score, and microenvironment score. DMA identified 59,654 differential methylation sites between two clusters and part of these sites were correlated with tumor angiogenesis genes including CDH13, COL4A3, and RHOB. In addition, RFX2, SOX13, and THRA were identified as top three MTF in regulating angiogenesis signature in KIRC patients. Conclusion Our study indicate that evaluation the angiogenesis subtypes of KIRC based on angiogenesis signature with 183 genes and potential epigenetic mechanisms may help to develop more target treatments for KIRC patients. Video Abstract

The existing treatment modalities for skin injuries mainly include dressings, negative-pressure wound treatment, autologous skin grafting, and high-pressure wound treatment. All of these therapies have limitations such as high time cost, the inability to remove inactivated tissue in a timely manner, surgical debridement, and oxygen toxicity. Mesenchymal stem cells have a unique self-renewal ability and wide differentiation potential, and they are one of the most promising stem cell types in cell therapy and have great application prospects in the field of regenerative medicine. Collagen exerts structural roles by promoting the molecular structure, shape, and mechanical properties of cells, and adding it to cell cultures can also promote cell proliferation and shorten the cell doubling time. The effects of collagen on MSCs were examined using Giemsa staining, EdU staining, and growth curves. Mice were subjected to allogeneic experiments and autologous experiments to reduce individual differences; all animals were separated into four groups. Neonatal skin sections were detected by HE staining, Masson staining, immunohistochemical staining, and immunofluorescence staining. We found that the MSCs pretreated with collagen accelerated the healing of skin wounds in mice and canines by promoting epidermal layer repair, collagen deposition, hair follicle angiogenesis, and an inflammatory response. Collagen promotes the secretion of the chemokines and growth factors associated with skin healing by MSCs, which positively influences skin healing. This study supports the treatment of skin injuries with MSCs cultured in medium with collagen added.

The retreat of glaciers has altered hydrological processes in cryospheric regions and affects water resources at the basin scale. It is necessary to elucidate the contributions of environmental changes to evapotranspiration (ET) variation in cryospheric-dominated regions. Considering the upper reach of the Shule River Basin as a typical cryospheric-dominated watershed, an extended Budyko framework addressing glacier change was constructed and applied to investigate the sensitivity and contribution of changes in environmental variables to ET variation. The annual ET showed a significant upward trend of 1.158 mm yr−1 during 1982–2015 in the study area. ET was found to be the most sensitive to precipitation (P), followed by the controlling parameter (w), which reflects the integrated effects of landscape alterations, potential evapotranspiration (ET0), and glacier change (∆W). The increase in P was the dominant factor influencing the increase in ET, with a contribution of 112.64%, while the decrease in w largely offset its effect. The contributions of P and ET0 to ET change decreased, whereas that of w increased when considering glaciers using the extended Budyko framework. The change in glaciers played a clear role in ET change and hydrological processes, which cannot be ignored in cryospheric watersheds. These findings are helpful for better understanding changes in water resources in cryospheric regions.

Platelets are essential components in the tumor microenvironment. For decades, clinical data have demonstrated that cancer patients have a high risk of thrombosis that is associated with adverse prognosis and decreased survival, indicating the involvement of platelets in cancer progression. Increasing evidence confirms that cancer cells are able to induce production and activation of platelets. Once activated, platelets serve as allies of cancer cells in tumor growth and metastasis. They can protect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) against the immune system and detachment-induced apoptosis while facilitating angiogenesis and tumor cell adhesion and invasion. Therefore, antiplatelet agents and platelet-based therapies should be developed for cancer treatment. Here, we discuss the mechanisms underlying the bidirectional cancer-platelet crosstalk and platelet-based therapeutic approaches.

Evaluation of the long-term effect of ecosystem recovery projects is critical for future ecological management and sustainable development. The Three-North Shelterbelt (TNS) is a large-scale afforestation project in a crucial region of China. Numerous researchers have evaluated the vegetation ecological quality (VEQ) of the TNS using a single vegetation indicator. However, vegetation ecosystems are complex and need to be evaluated through various indicators. We constructed the vegetation ecological quality index (VEQI) by downscaling net primary productivity, leaf area index, fractional vegetation cover, land surface temperature, vegetation moisture, and water use efficiency of vegetation. The spatiotemporal characteristics and main contributing factors of VEQ in the TNS from 2000 to 2020 were investigated using SEN+Mann−Kendall, Hurst exponent, geographical detector, and residual trend analysis testing. The results suggest that VEQ in the TNS showed an improving trend over the 21-year study period. The areas with significant improvements were concentrated in the central and eastern parts of the TNS. Significant deterioration occurred only sporadically in various urban areas. Characteristics of future unsustainable VEQ trends could be detected across the TNS. Precipitation, vegetation type, soil type, elevation, and solar radiation exhibited the greatest impact on VEQ throughout the TNS. Human activities (e.g., afforestation and government investments) were the dominant factors and had a relative contribution of 65.24% to vegetation area change. Our results provide clues for assessing environmental recovery and sustainable development in other regions.

Studies on ESRRB-regulating porcine-induced pluripotent stem cells (piPSCs) converted to trophoblast-like stem cells (TLSCs) contribute to the understanding of early embryo development. However, the epigenetic modification regulation network during the conversion is poorly understood. Here, the global change in histone H3 Lysine 4, 9, 27, 36 methylation and Lysine 27 acetylation was investigated in piPSCs and TLSCs. We found a high modification profile of H3K36me2 in TLSCs compared to that of piPSCs, whereas the profiles of other modifications remained constant. KDM4C, a H3K36me3/2 demethylase, whose gene body region was combined with ESRRB, was upregulated in TLSCs. Moreover, KDM4 inhibitor supplementation rescued the AP-negative phenotype observed in TLSCs, confirming that KDM4C could regulate the pluripotency of TLSCs. Subsequently, KDM4C replenishment results show the significantly repressed proliferation and AP-positive staining of TLSCs. The expressions of CDX2 and KRT8 were also upregulated after KDM4C overexpression. In summary, these results show that KDM4C replaced the function of ESRRB. These findings reveal the unique and crucial role of KDM4C-mediated epigenetic chromatin modifications in determination of piPSCs’ fate and expand the understanding of the connection between piPSCs and TSCs.

BackgroundRecent research of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is focused on the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Chromatin accessibility is critical for regulation of gene expression. However, its role in different immunological subtypes of ccRCC based on immune cell infiltration has not been systematically studied.MethodsFive hundred thirty patient data from The Cancer Genome Atlas Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma (TCGA-KIRC) were adopted to estimate immune cell infiltration. Twenty-four types of immune cells were evaluated with single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA). Patients were divided into two clusters based on immune cell infiltration. Systematic chromatin accessibility analysis was conducted based on the two clusters.ResultsWe compared the relative expression of the immune gene signatures among 530 patients of TCGA-KIRC using ssGSEA. Overall survival (OS) analysis revealed 10 types of immune cells were significantly associated with prognosis. Patients were divided into two clusters based on 24 types of immune cell infiltration. Immune cell signals as well as PD-1/PD-L1 signal were higher in cluster 1. Among the two clusters, 2,400 differential peaks were found in TCGA-KIRC Transposase Accessible Chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) data. The distribution of differential peaks and prognosis-related immune cells in 23 chromosomes are essentially the same. There is no peak distribution downstream. The proportion of peaks upstream of the 5’ transcription start site decreases, and both sides of binding regions of the TSS 0.1-1 kb becomes smaller. Enrichment analysis of GO and KEGG of these differential peaks showed that they are remarkably related to the immune regulation in tumor microenvironment. Known motifs and de novo motifs were found by linking motif annotations to different peaks. Survival analysis of related motif transcription factors were prognostic. The GSEA enrichment analysis showed that high SP1 expression positively correlates with TGF-beta signaling and inflammatory response, while negatively correlates with TNF-alpha signaling via NFKB. High KLF12 expression negatively correlates with interferon gamma response, IL2-STAT5 signaling, TNF-alpha signaling via NFKB, IL6-JAK-STAT3 signaling.ConclusionThe abnormality of chromatin accessibility may play an important regulatory role in ccRCC immunity.

Background: Abnormal DNA methylation (DNAm) age has been assumed to be an indicator for canceration and all-cause mortality. However, associations between DNAm age and molecular features of stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD), and its prognosis have not been systematically studied.Method: We calculated the DNAm age of 591 STAD samples and 115 normal stomach samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and gene expression omnibus (GEO) database using the Horvath’s clock model. Meanwhile, we utilized survival analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of DNAm age and epigenetic age acceleration shift. In addition, we performed weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify DNAm age-associated gene modules and pathways. Finally, the association between DNAm age and molecular features was performed by correlation analysis.Results: DNA methylation age was significantly correlated with chronological age in normal gastric tissues (r = 0.85, p < 0.0001), but it was not associated with chronological age in STAD samples (r = 0.060, p = 0.2369). Compared with tumor adjacent normal tissue, the DNAm age of STAD tissues was significantly decreased. Meanwhile, chronological age in STAD samples was higher than its DNAm age. Both DNAm age and epigenetic acceleration shift were associated with the prognosis of STAD patients. By using correlation analysis, we also found that DNAm age was associated with immunoactivation and stemness in STAD samples.Conclusion: In summary, epigenetic age acceleration of STAD was associated with tumor stemness, immunoactivation, and favorable prognosis.

Chronic inflammation of the male genital tract is thought to be a primary etiological factor of male infertility. The abundance and activation of macrophages and dendritic cells in patients with chronic inflammation of genital tract were closely associated with oligozoospermia and asthenospermia. Chronic epididymitis appears to be more important than seminal vesiculitis or prostatitis due to the direct interaction between spermatozoa and epididymal inflammatory cells. In this study, we present a case report of a 41-year-old male with oligoasthenospermia and chronic epididymitis. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunofluorescence analyses showed that antigen presenting cells including macrophages and dendritic cells were found capturing spermatozoa in the lumen of cauda epididymis. To our knowledge, this is the first case report that directly observed dendritic cells capturing spermatozoa in the lumen of an inflamed epididymis. This finding directly explains chronic epididymitis as the possible cause of oligospermia in patients.

The future fertility of males with cancer may be irreversibly compromised by chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Spermatogonial stem cell transplantation is believed to be a way to restore fertility in men. However, the survival efficiency of transplanted cells is still low. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 subunit 3 and structural gene Y-linked (Eif2s3y) located on the Y chromosome of male animals is a coding gene of eIF2γ which mainly functions in translation initiation. Recently, the emerging role of Eif2s3y in spermatogenesis has been emphasized in several studies. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. In addition, how Eif2s3y functions in large animals remains largely unknown. In this study, we obtained the CDS sequence of the Eif2s3y gene from the testis of dairy goats and found that this gene was highly expressed in the testis and was evolutionarily conserved among different species. Interestingly, overexpression of Eif2s3y promoted the proliferation of spermatogonial stem cells of dairy goats by activating the ERK signaling pathway. In animal experiments, overexpressing Eif2s3y promoted transplanted goat spermatogonial stem cells and produced more colonies after microinjection into the seminiferous tubules of infertile mice. In conclusion, our study highlights an undiscovered role of Eif2s3y in dairy goat reproduction. This finding may provide an important basis for future works regarding male spermatogenic cell restoration and represent a major advance toward surrogate sires becoming a tool for disseminating and regenerating germplasm in all mammals.

Initially, cryohydrology was referred to as hydrology involving low temperatures, for example, the hydrological study of snow, ice, frozen ground, and cold water. This discipline broadened with the development of cryospheric science and now involves hydrological processes of various cryosphere elements systematically coupled with river basin hydrological processes. However, limited studies have introduced the characteristics and discipline connotations of cryohydrology from a perspective of cryospheric science. Here, we reviewed the evolution of the connotations of cryohydrology and analyzed its hydrological basis and discipline system. Three major conclusions were drawn. (1) Cryohydrology was developed based on traditional hydrology for a single element of the cryosphere and focuses on the hydrological functions of the cryosphere and its impact on the water cycle and water supply to other spheres. (2) The hydrological basis of cryohydrology can be summarized as water conservation, runoff recharge, and hydrological regulation. In detail, the water conservation function is primarily expressed as “source of freshwater” and “cold and wet islands,” the runoff recharge function is concerned with water supply, and the regulation function is effective at intra- and inter-annual scales. (3) The core research issues of cryohydrology are research methods, hydrological processes, watershed functions, and regional impact. The important characteristics of cryohydrology are frequent water phase transitions and high variability across spatial and temporal scales. Cryohydrology aims to deepen the understanding of the theoretical and cognitive levels of its mechanisms and processes, accurately quantify the hydrological functions of the basin, and promote understanding of the ecological and environmental impacts of the cryosphere.

The exhaust tailpipe of a certain type of tractor was improved from the perspective of bionics, and bionic triangular convex texture was added to the inner surface of the exhaust tailpipe. The bionic tailpipe was proposed to improve noise reduction performance without changing the overall size parameters of the prototype tailpipe. Acoustics simulation software was used to predict the aeroacoustics noise and transmission loss of the exhaust tailpipe. Bionic exhaust tailpipes with triangular textures of different numbers of circumferential columns, height, and top angles were analyzed to study the noise reduction performance. The results showed that the proposed bionic exhaust tailpipes with triangular convex textures reduced the total sound pressure level and improved the transmission loss of the prototype exhaust tailpipe. To increase the transmission loss, a genetic algorithms (GA) optimized back-propagation neural network (BP) was used to optimize the bionic triangular convex texture parameters. By studying the aerodynamic noise reduction mechanism of bionic tailpipes, the research suggested that a secondary vortex appeared near the bionic texture and reduced aerodynamic drag and aeroacoustics noise. In addition, the sound pressure level amplitude nephogram, velocity vector nephogram, and velocity amplitude nephogram of the exhaust tailpipes were analyzed to study the vibration noise reduction mechanism of the bionic tailpipes. Then, the noise reduction performance was experimentally evaluated. The experimental results of the bionics exhaust tailpipes with triangular convex textures were analyzed and compared to that of the prototype tailpipe. The results demonstrated that the bionic exhaust tailpipes were able to attenuate noise.

The observed precipitation was suggestive of abundant precipitation in upstream Qilian mountains and low precipitation in the downstream oasis and desert in an endorheic basin. However, precipitation in mountains generated from the recycled moisture over oasis and desert areas has rarely been studied. The climatological patterns of water vapor from 1980 to 2017 in the Qilian Mountain Region (QMR) and Hexi Corridor Region (HCR) were investigated by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim reanalysis dataset and the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Application, Version 2 reanalysis dataset. The results suggest that the precipitable water content decreases from the adjacent to the mountain areas. There are two channels that transport water vapor from the HCR to the QMR in the low troposphere (surface—600 hPa), suggesting that parts of recycled moisture generated from evapotranspiration over the oasis and desert of the HCR is transported to the QMR, contributing to the abundant precipitation in the QMR. This indicates that the transport mechanism is probably because of the “cold and wet island effect” of the cryosphere in QMR. This is likely one of the essential mechanisms of the water cycle in endorheic river basins, which has rarely been reported.

Combustion-related characteristic parameters, such as the start of combustion (SoC) and the timing of the peak pressure increase rate (PIR), can be used as the feedback signals for the closed-loop control of combustion. A dynamic Finite Element Method (FEM) model was firstly developed to confirm the closely related time period between combustion pressure and vibration. On this basis, a fast processing method was developed to estimate the timings of SoC and the peak PIR in the closely related time period. This method was verified on a twelve-cylinder heavy-duty diesel engine at various engine speed and load. Results showed that the maximum deviation of the two parameters were within 2 °CA and 1.5 °CA, respectively, which suggested that the proposed method had an adequate accuracy.

Landscape patterns are a result of the combined action of natural and social factors. Quantifying the relationships between landscape pattern changes, soil erosion, and sediment yield in river basins can provide regulators with a foundation for decision-making. Many studies have investigated how land-use changes and the resulting landscape patterns affect soil erosion in river basins. However, studies examining the effects of terrain, rainfall, soil erodibility, and vegetation cover factors on soil erosion and sediment yield from a landscape pattern perspective remain limited. In this paper, the upper Ganjiang Basin was used as the study area, and the amount of soil erosion and the amount of sediment yield in this basin were first simulated using a hydrological model. The simulated values were then validated. On this basis, new landscape metrics were established through the addition of factors from the revised universal soil loss equation to the land-use pattern. Five combinations of landscape metrics were chosen, and the interactions between the landscape metrics in each combination and their effects on soil erosion and sediment yield in the river basin were examined. The results showed that there were highly similar correlations between the area metrics, between the fragmentation metrics, between the spatial structure metrics, and between the evenness metrics across all the combinations, while the correlations between the shape metrics in Combination 1 (only land use in each year) differed notably from those in the other combinations. The new landscape indicator established based on Combination 4, which integrated the land-use pattern and the terrain, soil erodibility, and rainfall erosivity factors, were the most significantly correlated with the soil erosion and sediment yield of the river basin. Finally, partial least-squares regression models for the soil erosion and sediment yield of the river basin were established based on the five landscape metrics with the highest variable importance in projection scores selected from Combination 4. The results of this study provide a simple approach for quantitatively assessing soil erosion in other river basins for which detailed observation data are lacking.

The Wasserstein distance, especially among symmetric positive-definite matrices, has broad and deep influences on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and other branches of computer science. In this paper, by involving the Wasserstein metric on SPD(n), we obtain computationally feasible expressions for some geometric quantities, including geodesics, exponential maps, the Riemannian connection, Jacobi fields and curvatures, particularly the scalar curvature. Furthermore, we discuss the behavior of geodesics and prove that the manifold is globally geodesic convex. Finally, we design algorithms for point cloud denoising and edge detecting of a polluted image based on the Wasserstein curvature on SPD(n). The experimental results show the efficiency and robustness of our curvature-based methods.

Evaluation of different reanalysis precipitation datasets is of great importance to understanding the hydrological processes and water resource management practice in the Qinling-Daba Mountains (QDM), located at the eastern fringe of the Tibetan Plateau. Although the evaluation of satellite precipitation data in this region has been performed, another kind of popular precipitation product-reanalysis dataset has not been assessed in depth. Three popular reanalysis precipitation datasets, including ERA-Interim Reanalysis of European Centre for Medium Forecasts (ERA-Interim), Japanese 55-year Reanalysis (JRA-55), and National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research Reanalysis-1 (NCEP/NCAR-1) were evaluated against rain gauge data over the Qinling-Daba Mountains from 2000 to 2014 on monthly, seasonal, and annual scales. Different statistical measures based on the Correlation Coefficient (CC), relative BIAS (BIAS), Root-Mean-Square Error (RMSE), and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) were adopted to determine the performance of the above reanalysis datasets. Results show that ERA-Interim and JRA-55 have good performance on a monthly scale and annual scale. However, the NCEP/NCAR-1 has the least BIAS with the observed precipitation in annual scale in QDM. All reanalysis datasets performed better in spring, summer, and autumn than in winter. The advantages of involving more precipitation observation stations was probably the main reason of the different performance of three precipitation reanalysis products, and the benefit of a four-dimensional variational analysis model over a three-dimensional variational analysis model may be another reason. The evaluation suggested that ERA-Interim is more suitable for study the precipitation and water cycles in the QDM.

Bayesian methods have been rapidly developed due to the important role of explicable causality in practical problems. We develope geometric approaches to Bayesian inference of Pareto models, and give an application to the analysis of sea clutter. For Pareto two-parameter model, we show the non-existence of α-parallel prior in general, hence we adopt Jeffreys prior to deal with the Bayesian inference. Considering geodesic distance as the loss function, an estimation in the sense of minimal mean geodesic distance is obtained. Meanwhile, by involving Al-Bayyati’s loss function we gain a new class of Bayesian estimations. In the simulation, for sea clutter, we adopt Pareto model to acquire various types of parameter estimations and the posterior prediction results. Simulation results show the advantages of the Bayesian estimations proposed and the posterior prediction.

Quantitatively figuring out the effects of climate and land-use change on water resources and their components is essential for water resource management. This study investigates the effects of climate and land-use change on blue and green water and their components in the upper Ganjiang River basin from the 1980s to the 2010s by comparing the simulated changes in blue and green water resources by using a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model forced by five climate and land-use scenarios. The results suggest that the blue water flow (BWF) decreased by 86.03 mm year−1, while green water flow (GWF) and green water storage (GWS) increased by 8.61 mm year−1 and 12.51 mm year−1, respectively. The spatial distribution of blue and green water was impacted by climate, wind direction, topography, and elevation. Climate change was the main factor affecting blue and green water resources in the basin; land-use change had strong effects only locally. Precipitation changes significantly amplified the BWF changes. The proportion of surface runoff in BWF was positively correlated with precipitation changes; lateral flow showed the opposite tendency. Higher temperatures resulted in increased GWF and decreased BWF, both of which were most sensitive to temperature increases up to 1 °C. All agricultural land and forestland conversion scenarios resulted in decreased BWF and increased GWF in the watershed. GWS was less affected by climate and land-use change than GWF and BWF, and the trends in GWS were not significant. The study provides a reference for blue and green water resource management in humid areas.

Biodegradable devices for medical applications should be with an appropriate degradation rate for satisfying the various requirements of bone healing. In this study, composite materials of polylactic acid (PLA)/stearic acid-modified magnesium oxide (MgO) with a 1 wt% were prepared through blending extrusion, and the effects of the MgO shapes on the composites’ properties in in vitro and in vivo degradation were investigated. The results showed that the long-term degradation behaviors of the composite samples depended significantly on the filler shape. The degradation of the composites is accelerated by the increase in the water uptake rate of the PLA matrix and the composite containing the MgO nanoparticles was influenced more severely by the enhanced hydrophilicity. Furthermore, the pH value of the phosphate buffer solution (PBS) was obviously regulated by the dissolution of MgO through the neutralization of the acidic product of the PLA degradation. In addition, the improvement of the in vivo degrading process of the composite illustrated that the PLA/MgO materials can effectively regulate the degradation of the PLA matrix as well as raise its bioactivity, indicating the composites for utilization as a biomedical material matching the different requirements for bone-related repair.

Shape registration, finding the correct alignment of two sets of data, plays a significant role in computer vision such as objection recognition and image analysis. The iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm is one of well known and widely used algorithms in this area. The main purpose of this paper is to incorporate ICP with the fast convergent extended Hamiltonian learning (EHL), so called EHL-ICP algorithm, to perform planar and spatial rigid shape registration. By treating the registration error as the potential for the extended Hamiltonian system, the rigid shape registration is modelled as an optimization problem on the special Euclidean group S E ( n ) ( n = 2 , 3 ) . Our method is robust to initial values and parameters. Compared with some state-of-art methods, our approach shows better efficiency and accuracy by simulation experiments.

River water extent is essential for river hydrological surveys. Traditional methods for river water mapping often result in significant uncertainties. This paper proposes a support vector machine (SVM)-based river water mapping method that can quantify the extraction uncertainties simultaneously. Five specific bands of Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) data were selected to construct the feature set. Considering the effect of terrain, a widely used terrain index called height above nearest drainage, calculated from the 1 arc-second Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) digital elevation model (DEM), was also added into the feature set. With this feature set, a posterior probability SVM model was established to extract river water bodies and quantify the uncertainty with posterior probabilities. Three river sections in Northwestern China were selected as the case study areas, considering their different river characteristics and geographical environment. Then, the reliability and stability of the proposed method were evaluated through comparisons with the traditional Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and modified NDWI (mNDWI) methods and validated with higher-resolution Sentinel-2 images. It was found that resultant probability maps obtained by the proposed SVM method achieved generally high accuracy with a weighted root mean square difference of less than 0.1. Other accuracy indices including the Kappa coefficient and critical success index also suggest that the proposed method outperformed the traditional water index methods in terms of river mapping accuracy and thresholding stability. Finally, the proposed method resulted in the ability to separate water bodies from hill shades more easily, ensuring more reliable river water mapping in mountainous regions.

This paper extends the former approaches to describe the stability of n-dimensional linear time-invariant systems via the torsion τ ( t ) of the state trajectory. For a system r ˙ ( t ) = A r ( t ) where A is invertible, we show that (1) if there exists a measurable set E 1 with positive Lebesgue measure, such that r ( 0 ) ∈ E 1 implies that lim t → + ∞ τ ( t ) ≠ 0 or lim t → + ∞ τ ( t ) does not exist, then the zero solution of the system is stable; (2) if there exists a measurable set E 2 with positive Lebesgue measure, such that r ( 0 ) ∈ E 2 implies that lim t → + ∞ τ ( t ) = + ∞ , then the zero solution of the system is asymptotically stable. Furthermore, we establish a relationship between the ith curvature ( i = 1 , 2 , ⋯ ) of the trajectory and the stability of the zero solution when A is similar to a real diagonal matrix.