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Purpose: To develop a deep learning model (DLM) to improve readers' interpretation and speed in the differentiation of pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) on dual-phase enhanced CT, and a low contrast media dose, external testing set validated the model. Materials and methods: Dual-phase enhanced CT images of 363 patients with 368 PCLs obtained from two centers were retrospectively assessed. Based on the examination date, a training and validation set of 266 PCLs, an internal testing set of 52 PCLs were designated from center 1. An external testing set included 50 PCLs from center 2. Clinical and radiological characteristics were compared. The DLM was developed using 3D specially designed densely connected convolutional networks for PCL differentiation. Radiomic features were extracted to build a traditional radiomics model (RM). Performance of the DLM, traditional RM, and three readers was compared. Results: The accuracy for differential diagnosis was 0.904 with DLM, which was the highest in the internal testing set. Accuracy differences between the DLM and senior radiologist were not significant both in the internal and external testing set (both p > 0.05). With the help of the DLM, the accuracy and specificity of the junior radiologist were significantly improved (all p < 0.05), and all readers' diagnostic time was shortened (all p < 0.05). Conclusion: The DLM achieved senior radiologist-level performance in differentiating benign and malignant PCLs which could improve the junior radiologist's interpretation and speed of PCLs on CT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the dominant information carrier in water, the acoustic wave is widely used for underwater detection, communication and imaging. Even though underwater acoustic communication has been greatly improved in the past decades, it still suffers from slow transmission speeds and low information capacity. The recently developed acoustic orbital angular momentum (OAM) multiplexing communication promises a high efficiency, large capacity and fast transmission speed for acoustic communication. However, the current works on OAM multiplexing communication mainly appear in airborne acoustics. The application of acoustic OAM for underwater communication remains to be further explored and studied. In this paper, an impedance matching pentamode demultiplexing metasurface is designed to realize multiplexing and demultiplexing in underwater acoustic communication. The impedance matching of the metasurface ensures high transmission of the transmitted information. The information encoded into two different OAM beams as two independent channels is numerically demonstrated by realizing real-time picture transfer. The simulation shows the effectiveness of the system for underwater acoustic multiplexing communication. This work paves the way for experimental demonstration and practical application of OAM multiplexing for underwater acoustic communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a practical design of an underwater acoustic carpet cloak with 2-dimensional version of the pentamode lattice. The quasi-conformal transformation, which is achieved by inverse Laplace's equations with Neumann and Dirichlet boundaries, is used to obtain the required parameters of the impedance matching carpet cloak. The theoretical carpet cloak is pre-divided into 300 cells and then filled with the corresponding pentamode material unit cells to achieve the latticed pentamode carpet cloak. The simulation results indicate that the proposed carpet cloak has a good and broadband cloaking effect. Moreover, the technique in this work can also be used to design arbitrary shaped devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an acoustic beam splitter based on acoustic Luneburg lens. A two-dimensional acoustic Luneburg lens with gradient refractive index is achieved to provide a practical realization for the acoustic beam splitter. The acoustic wave propagation through the beam splitter was explored theoretically, numerically and experimentally. Results show that three output channels can be achieved using a point source on the edge of the beam splitter in a broadband frequency range. Furthermore, the output channel directions can be tuned via changing the design parameter. • A novel acoustic Luneburg lens based on acoustic metamaterial is proposed to achieve beam splitting. • The refractive index profile was derived and realized by using 3D truss unit cells. • The developed acoustic Luneburg lens can achieve beam splitting with broadband and omni-directional properties. • The directivities of the beams can be tuned via changing the design parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an impedance matching underwater acoustic bend with pentamode microstructure is designed. The proposed bend is assembled by pentamode lattice. The effective density and compressive modulus of each unit cell can be tuned simultaneously, which are modulated to guarantee both the bending effect and high transmission. The standard deviations (SDs) of transmitted phase are calculated to quantitatively evaluate the degree of the distortion of the transmitted wavefront, while the transmission is calculated to appraise the degree of acoustic impedance matching. The low SDs and high transmission indicate that the designed bend has a nice broadband bending effect and is impedance-matched to water. This design has potential applications in underwater communication and underwater detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium‐metal anodes with excellent theoretical specific capacities (3680 mAh g−1) have attracted considerable attention for overcoming the capacity bottleneck of conventional graphite anodes. However, they often suffer from uncontrolled dendrite growth and undesirable side reactions, considerably limiting their practical application in lithium‐metal batteries. In this study, urchin‐like silver@copper oxide (Ag@CuO) heterostructures with gradient electrical conductivity and lithiophilicity are prepared using a facile liquid‐phase reduction method. The unique amphiphilic lithium mechanism of the alloying and conversion reactions effectively reduces the nucleation overpotential of the lithium metal anode and promotes a uniform lithium deposition process. Meanwhile, the in situ‐generated Li2O‐rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film can further induce uniform and reversible lithium plating/stripping. All these characteristics endow the Ag@CuO anode with a high Coulombic efficiency of 98.89%, even after 1200 cycles, and long cycle life of 2800 h at a current density of 0.2 mA cm−2, thus demonstrating that such modified Li metal anodes exhibit superior compatibility with major commercial cathode materials, such as LiCoO2 (LCO) and LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM‐811). Hence, this study provides an effective strategy for developing practical lithium metal anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the possibility of preparation of Pt3M (M = Fe, Ni and Co) nanocubes using carbon monoxide as an alternative protocol under different experimental conditions. The results suggest that the sole carbon monoxide flow at ambient pressure can enable the formation of binary Pt–M nanocrystals, but it is inadequate to facilitate the formation of Pt3M nanocubes in the given system under specified conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports an acoustic Luneburg lens (ALL) design with graded refractive index for passive directivity detection of acoustic sources. The refractive index profile of the lens is realized based on square pillars with graded variation of their dimensions. Numerical and experimental studies are conducted to investigate the performance of directivity detection. The results demonstrate that the lens designed and developed in this study is capable of precisely detecting the directivity of one acoustic source. Furthermore, the directivities of two acoustic sources can also be detected with a resolution of 15°. In addition, different methods are investigated, including introducing phase difference by tuning input signals or moving ALL, and increasing the aperture size of ALL, to improve the resolution of dual sources directivity detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, we integrate a three-dimensional micro-/nano-lattice structure metamaterial with conventional helical gears using a composite method to reduce the vibration. A comprehensive six-degree-of-freedom nonlinear dynamics model is constructed to analyze the vibration characteristics of the resulting mechanical metamaterial gear pair. The model incorporates crucial factors such as meshing damping, error excitation, bearing support stiffness, and time-varying meshing stiffness using the dynamic–static method. The results demonstrate the good damping effect of the designed mechanical metamaterial on gear pair vibrations. This research provides theoretical insights for reducing vibrations in gear transmission systems by using mechanical metamaterial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Native pancreatic T1 value and ECV were both positively correlated with preoperative HbA1c value. • ECV > 30.7% was an independent predictor for newly-onset diabetes mellitus after surgery. • ECV > 30.7% was an independent predictor for worsened glucose tolerance after surgery. Pancreatic T1 value and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) are potential imaging biomarkers for pancreatic exocrine and endocrine function. This study aims to evaluate the ability of native T1 value and ECV of the pancreas in predicting postoperative new-onset diabetes (NODM) and worsened glucose tolerance in patients undergoing major pancreatic surgeries. This retrospective study involved 73 patients who underwent 3 T pancreatic MRI with pre- and postcontrast T1 mapping before major pancreatic surgeries. Patients were divided into non-diabetic, pre-diabetic and diabetic groups based on their glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) value. Preoperative native T1 value and ECV of the pancreas were compared among the three groups. The correlation of pancreatic T1 value and ECV with HbA1c was assessed by linear regression analysis, and the ability of pancreatic T1 value and ECV for predicting postoperative NODM and worsened glucose tolerance was assessed using Cox Proportional hazards regression analysis. Native pancreatic T1 value and ECV were both significantly higher in diabetic patients compared to pre-diabetic/non-diabetic patients, and ECV was also significantly higher in pre-diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic patients (all p < 0.05). Both native pancreatic T1 value and ECV showed positive correlation with preoperative HbA1c value (r = 0.50 and 0.55, respectively, both p < 0.001). ECV > 30.7% was the only independent predictor for NODM (HR = 5.687, 95% CI: 1.557, 13.468, p = 0.012) and worsened glucose tolerance (HR = 6.783, 95% CI:, 1.753, 15.842, p = 0.010) after surgery. Pancreatic ECV predicts the risk of postoperative NODM and worsened glucose tolerance in patients undergoing major pancreatic surgeries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the design, architecture, and detailed performance of a three-dimensional (3D) underwater acoustic carpet cloak (UACC). The proposed system of the 3D UACC is an octahedral pyramid, which is composed of periodical steel strips. This underwater acoustic device, placed over the target to hide, is able to manipulate the scattered wavefront to mimic a reflecting plane. The effectiveness of the prototype is experimentally demonstrated in an anechoic tank. The measured acoustic pressure distributions show that the 3D UACC can work in all directions in a wide frequency range. This experimental verification of 3D device paves the way for guidelines on future practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We aimed to systematically evaluate the prognostic prediction accuracy of radiomics features extracted from pre-treatment imaging in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).Methods: Radiomics literature on overall survival (OS) prediction of PDAC were all included in this systematic review. A further meta-analysis was performed on the effect size of first-order entropy. Methodological quality and risk of bias of the included studies were assessed by the radiomics quality score (RQS) and prediction model risk of bias assessment tool (PROBAST).Results: Twenty-three studies were finally identified in this review. Two (8.7%) studies compared prognosis prediction ability between radiomics model and TNM staging model by C-index, and both showed a better performance of the radiomics. Twenty-one (91.3%) studies reported significant predictive values of radiomics features. Nine (39.1%) studies were included in the meta-analysis, and it showed a significant correlation between first-order entropy and OS (HR 1.66, 95%CI 1.18-2.34). RQS assessment revealed validation was only performed in 5 (21.7%) studies on internal datasets and 2 (8.7%) studies on external datasets. PROBAST showed that 22 (95.7%) studies have a high risk of bias in participants because of the retrospective study design.Conclusion: First-order entropy was significantly associated with OS and might improve the accuracy of PDAC prognosis prediction. Existing studies were poorly validated, and it should be noted in future studies. Modification of PROBAST for radiomics studies is necessary since the strict requirements of prospective study design may not be applicable to the demand for a large sample size in the model construction stage.Key Points: • Radiomics based on the primary lesion holds great potential for prognosis prediction. First-order entropy was significantly associated with the overall survival of PDAC and might improve the accuracy of current PDAC prognosis prediction. • We strongly recommend that at least an internal validation should be conducted in any radiomics study. Attention should be paid to the complex relationships between radiomics features. • Due to the close relationship between radiomics and big data, the strict requirement of prospective study design in PROABST may not be appropriate for radiomics studies. A balance between study types and sample sizes for radiomics studies needs to be found in the model construction stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haloarchaea with the capacity to degrade alkanes is promising to deal with petroleum pollution in hypersaline environments. However, only a limited number of haloarchaeal species are investigated, and their pathway and mechanism for alkane degradation remain unclear. In this study, Halogranum rubrum RO2-11, a haloarchaeal strain, verified the ability to degrade kerosene and hexadecane in 184 g/L NaCl, with 53% and 52% degradation rates after 9 and 4 days, respectively. Genome sequencing and gene annotation indicated that strain RO2-11 possesses a complete potential alkane-degrading pathway, of which alkane hydroxylases may include CYP450, AlmA, and LadA. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses revealed that the upregulation of related genes in TCA cycle, lysine biosynthesis, and acetylation may help improve hexadecane degradation. Additionally, an alternative degrading pathway of hexadecane based on dual-terminal β -oxidation may occur in strain RO2-11. It is likely to be the first report of alkane degradation by the genus Halogranum , which may be helpful for applications of oil-pollution bioremediation under high-salt conditions. [Display omitted] • Halogranum rubrum RO2-11 possesses a complete potential alkane-degrading pathway. • Hexadecane-degrading enzymes keep high activities even in the absence of alkane. • The degradation pathway involves alkane oxygenation and dual-terminal β -oxidation. • Upregulation of TCA cycle, lysine synthesis & acetylation may help for degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The early detection and eradication of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play an important role in cancer metastasis management. This paper describes a new nanoparticle-enabled technique for integrated enrichment, detection and killing of CTCs by using magnetic nanoparticles and bismuth nanoparticles, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and X-ray radiation. The nanoparticles are modified with tumor targeting agents and conjugated with tumor cells through folate receptors over-expressed on cancer cells. A permanent micro-magnet is used to collect CTCs suspended inside a flowing medium that contains phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or whole blood. The characteristic X-ray emissions from collected bismuth nanoparticles, upon excitation with collimated X-rays, are used to detect CTCs. Results show that the method is capable of selectively detecting CTCs at concentrations ranging from 100–100,000cells/mL in the buffer solution, with a detection limit of ∼100CTCs/mL. Moreover, the dose of primary X-rays can be enhanced to kill the localized CTCs by radiation induced DNA damage, with minimal invasiveness, thus making in vivo personalized CTC management possible. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

By using a method of two-photon absorption, it has been observed that monodisperse In2O3 nanocrystals (NCs) with sizes equal to ∼14−24 nm show significant increase of two-photon absorption at low temperatures. When T = 40 K, the two-photon absorption coefficients for low-sized samples drastically increase, whereas such enhancement for the samples with averaged sizes above ∼24 nm is not significant. The nondiagonal tensor components give one-order-less two-photon absorption values. A principal role in the observed dependences is played by interface nanolayers, demonstrating substantial contribution of nanoconfined effects. This phenomenon could only be observed in highly monodisperse NCs. Increase of the size distribution substantially suppresses the two-photon absorption observed. For the relatively large nanocrystals, the effects are comparable with those of the bulklike crystals. At the same time, the drastic increase at low temperatures may indicate a substantial role of the phonon subsystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nanometric explosive containing 50–200 nm diameter Al particles and a nitrocellulose (NC) oxidizer is studied by high repetition rate picosecond laser ignition combined with time-resolved emission spectroscopy and coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) of ONO2 stretching of the oxidizer. When the Al aggregates are flash-heated to the boiling point, 2740 K, nitro groups of the oxidizer near each hot aggregate are consumed within 500 ps. A burst of emission that indicates energy release occurs in ∼5 ns. The ignition delay is in the range of 500 ps to 3 ns. The rate-limiting step for energy release at Al-NC hot spots is vibrational relaxation of hot oxidized Al species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines the telomeric DNA base sequence repeat. Structure and function of telomeres; Non-radiative or innerconvertible capability of DNA; Calculation of their relative fluorescence quantum yields.

Objectives: To prospectively investigate the stiffness and fluidity of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) with tomoelastography, and to evaluate its diagnostic performance in distinguishing the two entities.Methods: Tomoelastography provided high-resolution maps of shear wave speed (c in m/s) and phase angle (φ in rad), allowing mechanical characterization of the stiffness and fluidity properties of the pancreas. Forty patients with untreated PDAC and 33 patients with untreated AIP who underwent diagnostic pancreatic MRI at 3-T together with multifrequency MR elastography and tomoelastography data processing were prospectively enrolled. Ten healthy volunteers served as controls. Two radiologists and a technician measured pancreatic stiffness and fluidity independently. The two radiologists also independently evaluated the patients' conventional MR sequences using the following diagnostic score: 1, definitely PDAC; 2, probably PDAC; 3, indeterminate; 4, probably AIP; and 5, definitely AIP. Interobserver agreement was assessed. Stiffness and fluidity of PDAC, AIP, and healthy pancreas, as well as diagnostic performance of tomoelastography and conventional MRI, were compared.Results: AIP showed significantly lower stiffness and fluidity than PDAC and significantly higher stiffness and fluidity than healthy pancreas. Pancreatic fluidity was not influenced by secondary obstructive changes. The intraclass correlation coefficient for pancreatic stiffness and fluidity by the 3 readers was near-perfect (0.951-0.979, all p < 0.001). Both stiffness and fluidity allowed distinguishing PDAC from AIP. AUCs were 0.906 for stiffness, 0.872 for fluidity, and 0.842 for conventional MRI.Conclusions: Pancreatic stiffness and fluidity both allow differentiation of PDAC and AIP with high accuracy.Key Points: • AIP showed significantly lower stiffness and fluidity than PDAC and significantly higher stiffness and fluidity than healthy pancreas. • Both stiffness and fluidity allowed distinguishing PDAC from AIP. • Pancreatic fluidity could distinguish malignancy from non-malignant secondary obstructive changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To illuminate the prognostic value of ADC (apparent diffusion coefficient), an important quantitative parameter of diffusion-weighted MRI, for multiple myeloma (MM). Methods: A prospective single-center study which enrolled 114 consecutive newly diagnosed MM patients with baseline whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI (WB DW-MRI) results was conducted. Baseline clinical and MRI parameters were analyzed with univariate and multivariate approaches to identify independent risk factors for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: Five different DW-MRI patterns were seen, and the mean ADC value of the representative background bone marrow was 0.4662 ± 0.1939 × 10−3 mm2/s. After a mean follow-up of 50.2 months (range, 15.7–75.8 months), twenty-four patients died and seven were lost to follow-up. The mean ADC value of the representative background bone marrow was showed to be an independent risk factor for both PFS (HR 4.664; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.138–19.121; p = 0.032) and OS (HR 14.130; 95% CI 1.544–129.299; p = 0.019). Normal/salt-and-pepper pattern on DW-MRI was associated with PFS using univariate analysis (p = 0.035) but lost the significance with multivariate Cox regression. Conclusions: Mean ADC value of the representative background bone marrow predicts both PFS and OS which suggests the role of baseline DW-MRI for risk stratification in newly diagnosed MM patients. Key Points: • Whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI (WB DW-MRI) might be helpful to improve the current risk stratification systems for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). • Morphological parameters as MRI pattern and focal lesion–associated parameters have been reported to be related to survival. However, important functional parameters such as apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were not incorporated into the current risk stratification model. • This study is one of the first endeavors to delineate the correlation of baseline ADC values and survival in MM patients. It is revealed that the mean ADC value of the representative background bone marrow (L3-S1 and iliac bone) was an independent risk factor for both PFS and OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional approaches to sound localization and separation are based on microphone arrays in artificial systems. Inspired by the selective perception of the human auditory system, a multisource listening system which can separate simultaneous overlapping sounds and localize the sound sources in 3D space, using only a single microphone with a metamaterial enclosure is designed. The enclosure modifies the frequency response of the microphone in a direction‐dependent manner by giving each direction a characteristic signature. Thus, the information about the location and the audio content of sound sources can be experimentally reconstructed from the modulated mixed signals using a compressive sensing algorithm. Due to the low computational complexity of the proposed reconstruction algorithm, the designed system can also be applied in source identification and tracking. The effectiveness of the system in multiple real‐life scenarios is evaluated through multiple random listening tests. The proposed metamaterial‐based single‐sensor listening system opens a new way of sound localization and separation, which can be applied to intelligent scene monitoring and robot audition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the ability of T1 mapping to visualize and quantify the short-term and mid-term response of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) to corticosteroid treatment (CST) and to correlate T1 relaxation time of the pancreas with clinical status and serum IgG4 level. Methods: The institutional review board approved this prospective study, and all patients provided written informed consent. Pancreatic MRI including native T1 mapping was performed in 39 AIP patients before and during CST, and 40 patients without pancreatic diseases served as control. T1 relaxation time of the pancreatic head, body, and tail was measured in each patient. Clinical symptoms and serum IgG4 level of the patients were recorded. Results: The native T1 relaxation time of AIP was significantly elongated compared to normal pancreatic tissue (1124.5 ms ± 95.7 ms vs 784.3 ms ± 41.8 ms, p < 0.001). After short-term CST (4 weeks), T1 relaxation time of AIP already shortened significantly (957.2 ms ± 97.3 ms, p < 0.001). After mid-term CST (12 weeks), the T1 relaxation time further shortened towards normalization (844.2 ms ± 71.6 ms, p < 0.001). In 33 AIP patients with elevated serum IgG4 at baseline, T1 relaxation time demonstrated a significant positive correlation with serum IgG4 level (r = 0.329, p = 0.011). In six AIP patients with normal serum IgG4 level at baseline, T1 relaxation time shortening preceded or was in accordance with symptom relief. Conclusions: Native T1 mapping can be used to assess parenchymal inflammation of AIP and to quantify response to treatment. It provides a quantitative outcome surrogate for AIP. Key Points: • Parenchymal inflammation in autoimmune pancreatitis results in T1 relaxation time elongation, which shortens after effective treatment. • T1 relaxation time of the pancreas correlates with serum IgG4 level, and in serum IgG4-negative AIP patients, T1 relaxation time shortening predicts clinical improvement. • T1 mapping provides a quantitative outcome surrogate for AIP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Rapid electroless in-situ Sn modification strategy for Cu-based current collectors. • Large-area (>1200 cm2) structurally and functionally integrated RSN05 collector. • High lithium plating/stripping performance and adaptability to commercial cathodes. • Enhancement mechanism based on the formation of highly lithiophilic Li 7 Sn 2 layer. Lithium metal anode has excellent theoretical capacity which promises to break the energy density bottleneck caused by the low capacity of the conventional graphite anode. However, multi-challenges associated with pure lithium anodes are slowing down the practical application of lithium metal batteries. The development of high-performance current collector (CC) is one of the effective ways to respond. Here, a rapid electroless in-situ Sn modification process is utilized to produce high-performance, large-area (>1200 cm2), ultra-thin (<12 μm), structurally and functionally integrated anode CCs for lithium metal batteries. The lithium affinity of the bare Cu CC is significantly enhanced by a simple soaking treatment for only 3–10 min. The enhancement mechanism based on Li 7 Sn 2 is clarified by the first-principles calculations combined with electrochemical analysis. The best RSN05 CC exhibits impressive Li plating/stripping performance and good adaptability to the major commercialized cathodes (LFP, NCM(811), LCO). Moreover, the enhancement in pouch batteries is preliminarily validated, illustrating the prospects of the RSN05 CC for further applications. The electroless Sn modification process and the RSN05 CC in this work promise to facilitate the continuous production of high-performance anode CCs and accelerate the practical application of lithium metal batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We evaluate the reliability and feasibility of weight-adapted ultra-low-dose pancreatic perfusion CT. Methods: A total of 100 (47 men, 53 women) patients were enrolled prospectively and were assigned to five groups (A, B, C, D, and E) with different combination of tube voltage and tube current according to their body weight. Radiation dose parameters including volume CT dose index (CTDI) and dose-length product (DLP) were recorded. Image quality was evaluated both subjectively and objectively (noise, signal-to-noise ratio, contrast-to-noise ratio). Perfusion parameters including blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV), and permeability (PMB) were measured. The dose, image quality measurements, and perfusion parameters were compared between the five groups using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Radiation dose reached 8.7 mSv in patients under 50 kg and was 18.9 mSv in patients above 80 kg. The mean subjective image quality score was above 4.45 on a 5-point scale with good agreement between two radiologists. Groups A–D had equivalent performance on objective image quality (P > 0.05), while Group E performed even better (P < 0.05). No significant differences emerged in comparison with perfusion parameters (BF, BV, PMB) of normal pancreas parenchyma between the five groups. Conclusion: Weight-adapted ultra-low-dose pancreatic perfusion CT can effectively reduce radiation dose without prejudice to image quality, and the perfusion parameters of normal parenchyma are accurate and reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that an intense blue-violet band has been observed besides the red-orange band of the photoluminescence from the chemically modified porous silicon (PS) samples. Formation of the PS samples on silicon wafers by anodic etching.

Chinese liquor fermentation is a typical solid-state fermentation process driven by various natural microflora, which is susceptible to ambient influence. A new-type sealing method using stainless steel as the pit cover was adopted as an alternative solution to mitigate the influence. In this study, we investigated the microbial consortia and the flavor metabolites in both the new-type sealing pit (NSP) and the traditional sealing pit (TSP). The study found the concentrations of most flavor metabolites (39 out of 58) in NSP were higher than TSP, and most of them concentrated at the bottom of both pits. The comparison revealed the diversities of microbes in different layers of pits were different (p < 0.05). The compositions of microbiota in different pits were different, albeit Lactobacillus was the absolute dominant genus in both pits. There were 13 dominant genera in NSP and seven in TSP. Therefore, more correlations between microbes were found in NSP, in which the microbial community was more stable. The interplay between different microbes and metabolites consequently resulted in different association patterns in different pits. These findings elaborate on the reasons behind the preference of the new-type sealing method and are instrumental to the optimization of the fermentation process. • The new-type sealing method could promote the production of flavor metabolites. • The new-type sealing method could improve the diversity of microbial community. • The microbial community in the new-type sealing pit has higher stability. • The association between microbes and metabolites are different between pits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To find the variations of middle ear structures including the spatial pattern of mastoid segment of facial nerve and the shapes of the sinus tympani in patients with congenital aural atresia (CAA) by using the high-resolution (HR) CT and 3D volume rendered (VR) CT images. Methods HRCT was performed in 25 patients with congenital aural atresia including six bilateral atresia patients ( n = 25, 21 males, 4 females, mean age 13.8 years, range 6–19). Along the long axis of the posterior semicircular canal ampulla, the oblique axial multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) was set to view the depiction of the round window and the mastoid segment of facial nerve. Volumetric rending technique was used to demonstrate the morphologic features. HRCT and 3D VR findings in atresia ears were compared with those in 19 normal ears of the unilateral ears of atresia patients. Results On the basic plane, the horizontal line distances between the mastoid segment of the facial nerve and the round window (h-RF) in atresia ears significantly decreased compared to the control ears ( P < 0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between the sinus tympani area (a-ST) and the distance between the horizontal lines of FN and RW midpoint (h-RF) ( P < 0.05). The mean area of sinus tympani in atresia group is larger ( P < 0.05). The shapes of the sinus tympani were classified into three categories: the cup-shaped, the pear-shaped and the boot-shaped. Area measurement indicated that the boot-shaped sinus tympani was a special variation with a large area, which only appears in CAA group. There were a significant difference between the area of the boot-shaped group and the other two groups ( P < 0.05). The morphologic differences of ST and other middle ear structures can also be observed visually in 3D VR CT images. Conclusion HRCT and 3D VR CT could help a better understanding of different kinds of variations in mastoid segment of facial nerve and sinus tympani in CAA ears. And it may further help surgeons to make the correct decision for hearing rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To retrospectively explore the value of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram in assessing local aggressiveness of cervical cancer. Methods: 53 patients with cervical cancer, including 7 cases at stage IB1, 17 cases at stage IB2 and 29 cases at stage IIA, were subjected to preoperative MRI including diffusion-weighted imaging with b values of 0 and 800 s/mm. The average of mean ADC values (ADC), minimum ADC values (ADC) and the 5th to 85th percentile ADC values every 10 % (ADC, ADC, ADC) were measured. ADC values were compared between subgroups according to pathologic subtype, histological differentiation, depth of cervical infiltration, and lymph node metastases. Results: ADC and ADC for adenocarcinoma were 1,170.3 ± 97.8 × 10 and 748.7 ± 157.5 × 10 mm s, respectively, significantly higher than that of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (1,053.8 ± 134.3 × 10 and 615.6 ± 170.2 × 10 mm s, respectively). ADC and ADC-ADC of well or moderately tumor were significantly higher than poorly differentiated tumor, but ADC was not significantly different among different differentiated cervical cancer. Only ADC-ADC could discriminate well or moderately differentiated SCC from poorly differentiated SCC. ADC for distinguishing well/moderately from poorly differentiated cervical cancer had a largest AUC (0.83). There was no statistical difference in ADC value for different depth of cervical infiltration or lymph node metastases. Conclusions: ADC values are helpful in assessing pathologic subtype and the differentiation of cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the ability of T1 mapping to visualize and quantify the short-term and mid-term response of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) to corticosteroid treatment (CST) and to correlate T1 relaxation time of the pancreas with clinical status and serum IgG4 level.Methods: The institutional review board approved this prospective study, and all patients provided written informed consent. Pancreatic MRI including native T1 mapping was performed in 39 AIP patients before and during CST, and 40 patients without pancreatic diseases served as control. T1 relaxation time of the pancreatic head, body, and tail was measured in each patient. Clinical symptoms and serum IgG4 level of the patients were recorded.Results: The native T1 relaxation time of AIP was significantly elongated compared to normal pancreatic tissue (1124.5 ms ± 95.7 ms vs 784.3 ms ± 41.8 ms, p < 0.001). After short-term CST (4 weeks), T1 relaxation time of AIP already shortened significantly (957.2 ms ± 97.3 ms, p < 0.001). After mid-term CST (12 weeks), the T1 relaxation time further shortened towards normalization (844.2 ms ± 71.6 ms, p < 0.001). In 33 AIP patients with elevated serum IgG4 at baseline, T1 relaxation time demonstrated a significant positive correlation with serum IgG4 level (r = 0.329, p = 0.011). In six AIP patients with normal serum IgG4 level at baseline, T1 relaxation time shortening preceded or was in accordance with symptom relief.Conclusions: Native T1 mapping can be used to assess parenchymal inflammation of AIP and to quantify response to treatment. It provides a quantitative outcome surrogate for AIP.Key Points: • Parenchymal inflammation in autoimmune pancreatitis results in T1 relaxation time elongation, which shortens after effective treatment. • T1 relaxation time of the pancreas correlates with serum IgG4 level, and in serum IgG4-negative AIP patients, T1 relaxation time shortening predicts clinical improvement. • T1 mapping provides a quantitative outcome surrogate for AIP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]