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A complete road-soft ground model is established in this paper to study the dynamic responses caused by vehicle loads and/or daily temperature variation. A dynamic thermo-elastic model is applied to capturing the behavior of the rigid pavement, the base course, and the subgrade, while the soft ground is characterized using a dynamic thermo-poroelastic model. Solutions to the road-soft ground system are derived in the Laplace-Hankel transform domain. The time domain solutions are obtained using an integration approach. The temperature, thermal stress, pore water pressure, and displacement responses caused by the vehicle load and the daily temperature variation are presented. Results show that obvious temperature change mainly exists within 0.3 m of the road when subjected to the daily temperature variation, whereas the stress responses can still be found in deeper places because of the thermal swelling/shrinkage deformation within the upper road structures. Moreover, it is important to consider the coupling effects of the vehicle load and the daily temperature variation when calculating the dynamic responses inside the road-soft ground system.

Infantile epileptic spasm syndrome (IESS) is a new concept proposed recently. IESS is a unique and age-specific refractory epilepsy syndrome. The recent advances in molecular biology, neuroimmunology and the in-depth study of anti-epileptic mechanism in antiepileptic drugs have led to the achievements in the definition and treatment of infantile epileptic spasm. At present, the use of traditional antiepileptic drugs is decreasing, while the use of new antiepileptic drugs is increasing. In this paper, based on the relevant literature in recent years, the authors discuss the pathogenesis, epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, treatment, therapeutic drugs, clinical progress, efficacy, and safety of infantile epileptic spasm, hoping to introduce the latest status in research and achievements of IESS.

Logistics is playing a significant role in supporting economic growth and material security during the epidemic period and it has been experiencing a rapid development in recent years. With the issues of personalisation and cost, the economy and society ask for higher requirements for logistics storage systems. The rational design of the functional area layout is an essential step to improve the operational efficiency of the logistics warehousing system. In reality, due to warehouse design and equipment application, there has been a gradual increase in irregular warehouses. By taking an irregular warehouse as an example, combining the operation status quo, this paper clarifies the functional area settings and constructs a 0–1 integer planning model based on the grid and systematic layout planning method with constraints, such as the unique functional attributes of the grid. We optimised the genetic algorithm based on the warehouse irregularity factor and the grids factor, and then solve it through MATLAB. Finally, by using the Flexsim software, simulation metrics were selected for evaluation, the method feasibility is verified.

Background: The role and molecular mechanisms of collagen type VII (COL7A1) in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) remain unknown. Methods: We analyzed the expression of COL7A1 in CCA and its relationship with patient prognosis using bioinformatic techniques. Expression levels of COL7A1 in CCA cells and tissues were detected using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. The effects of COL7A1 expression on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CCA cells were assessed using CCK-8, colony formation, and Transwell assays. Bioinformatics and luciferase reporter gene assays were performed to examine the binding of KLF4 to COL7A1, and cytological experiments further verified the role of KLF4 in regulating the CCA phenotype through COL7A1. Xenograft mouse models were established to investigate the effects of COL7A1 on CCA tumor growth in vivo. Results: CCA tissues exhibited higher COL7A1 expression than normal bile duct tissues. There was no significant correlation between high or low COL7A1 expression and the survival time of patients with CCA. COL7A1 knockdown inhibited CCA cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, COL7A1 knockdown suppressed the activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. KLF4 can bind to COL7A1 and regulate COL7A1 expression, which in turn regulates the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and impacts the proliferation and metastasis of CCA cells. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that KLF4 regulates CCA cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via the COL7A1/PI3K/AKT axis.

Background Targeting kinases presents a potential strategy for treating solid tumors; however, the therapeutic potential of vaccines targeting kinases remains uncertain.Methods Adenovirus (Ad) vaccines encoding Aurora kinase A (AURKA) or cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) were developed, and their therapeutic potentials were investigated by various methods including western blot, flow cytometry, cytotoxic T lymphocyte assay, and enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot), in mouse and humanized solid tumor models.Results Co-immunization with Ad-AURKA/CDK7 effectively prevented subcutaneous tumor growth in the Renca, RM-1, MC38, and Hepa1-6 tumor models. In therapeutic tumor models, Ad-AURKA/CDK7 treatment impeded tumor growth and increased immune cell infiltration. Administration of Ad-AURKA/CDK7 promoted the induction and maturation of dendritic cell subsets and augmented multifunctional CD8+ T-cell antitumor immunity. Furthermore, the vaccine induced a long-lasting antitumor effect by promoting the generation of memory CD8+ T cells. Tumor recovery on CD8+ T-cell depletion underscored the indispensable role of these cells in the observed therapeutic effects. The potent efficacy of the Ad-AURKA/CDK7 vaccine was consistently demonstrated in lung metastasis, orthotopic, and humanized tumor models by inducing multifunctional CD8+ T-cell antitumor immune responses.Conclusions Our findings illustrate that the Ad-AURKA/CDK7 vaccine targeting dual kinases AURKA and CDK7 emerges as a promising and effective therapeutic approach for the treatment of solid tumors.

With the development of the circular economy and low-carbon society, the large-scale application of construction solid waste in buildings, such as recycled concrete, is becoming imperative. Accurately predicting the carbonation depth of recycled concrete is of great significance. Quantitatively analyzing the impact of each parameter on carbonation and elucidating the relationships between these parameters present challenges in predicting the carbonation of recycled concrete. In this study, different machine learning models and prediction equation models were applied and compared to predict the carbonation depth of 576 datasets associated with recycled concrete. The machine learning models used include Automation Machine Learning (AutoML), LightGBM, CatBoost, Neural Networks, Extra Trees, Random Forest, XGBoost, KNN (K-Nearest Neighbor). The results indicate that the machine learning method shows higher accuracy than the traditional equation, the AutoML model exhibits the best prediction accuracy among the investigated machine learning models, and carbonation test results further verified the favorable carbonation depth prediction effects of AutoML model. Furthermore, SHAP (Shapley Additive Explanations) was utilized to quantitatively analyze and explain the prediction results. The results demonstrate that carbonation time and the water to cement (W/C) ratio of recycled concrete have the most significant impact on the carbonation depth of recycled concrete buildings.

Many applications, such as agriculture and water monitoring, require frequent observations, as well as high spatial resolution. In practice, it is difficult to achieve both high resolution and temporal coverage for satellite sensors. Accordingly, several fusion algorithms for spatial and temporal images have been proposed. Among them, the unmixing-based methods are widely used. However, large-scale changes between categories cannot be detected accurately, as they cannot estimate the variance within individual categories, when the variances in the inhomogeneous areas are large. To solve these problems, a fusion method based on the frequency domain is proposed. It determines the reflectance of the high-resolution (HR) image using the frequency relationship between the HR image and the coarse-resolution one. It is faster and more accurate than the conventional spatial-domain-based fusion methods, as its operations are realized in the frequency domain. Both the large-scale textures and the small-scale textures can be preserved, even in the case of discern sudden or large-scale changes. Finally, experiments over simulated images and real satellite ones, using Landsat thematic mapper image and Sentinel-2 image, are carried out to demonstrate the performance of the proposed approach.

In recent years, geosynchronous synthetic aperture radar (GEO SAR) has attracted many scientists to carry out relevant research. Its research is in-depth and gradually maturing. However, conventional GEO SAR has the problems of great influence by the Earth's rotation, complex timing design, uneven flight speed in the whole orbit, nonorthogonal range, and azimuth resolution, which limits its application. A new concept of subretrograde geosynchronous synthetic aperture radar is proposed in this article. Compared with traditional GEO SAR, the satellite has the advantages of less influence by the Earth's rotation, simple timing, uniform motion speed in the whole orbit, shorter revisit time, better resolution, and small space-variant in azimuth and range. The radar parameters of subretrograde GEO SAR are designed. Through the research, it is found that the system sensitivity and resolution no longer change with the orbit position, and its timing design does not need to consider the range migration variation. In addition, the imaging characteristics of subretrograde GEO SAR are investigated. The results show that the range model can meet the imaging requirements as long as it is expanded to the fourth order. After that, the influence of orbit perturbation error in subretrograde GEO SAR is given for the first time. Last, two ways to solve the observation blind area of subretrograde GEO SAR are proposed, one is to change the orbit inclination, and another way is to use the bistatic mode.

Abstract Background To date, carbohydrate antigen 19‐9 (CA19‐9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) have been widely used for the screening, diagnosis and prediction of biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients. However, few studies with large sample sizes of carbohydrate antigen 50 (CA50) were reported in BTC patients. Methods A total of 1121 patients from the Liver Cancer Clin‐Bio Databank of Anhui Hepatobiliary Surgery Union between January 2017 and December 2022 were included in this study (673 in the training cohort and 448 in the validation cohort): among them, 458 with BTC, 178 with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 23 with combined hepatocellular‐cholangiocarcinoma, and 462 with nontumor patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy and clinical usefulness. Results ROC curves obtained by combining CA50, CA19‐9, and AFP showed that the AUC value of the diagnostic MODEL 1 was 0.885 (95% CI 0.856–0.885, specificity 70.3%, and sensitivity 84.0%) in the training cohort and 0.879 (0.841–0.917, 76.7%, and 84.3%) in the validation cohort. In addition, comparing iCCA and HCC (235 in the training cohort, 157 in the validation cohort), the AUC values of the diagnostic MODEL 2 were 0.893 (95% CI 0.853–0.933, specificity 96%, and sensitivity 68.6%) in the training cohort and 0.872 (95% CI 0.818–0.927, 94.2%, and 64.6%) in the validation cohort. Conclusion The model combining CA50, CA19‐9, and AFP not only has good diagnostic value for BTC but also has good diagnostic value for distinguishing iCCA and HCC.

Sympathetic hyperinnervation following myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the primary causes of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) after MI. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a key molecule that induces sympathetic nerve remodeling. Previous studies have confirmed that microRNA (miR)-let-7a interacts with NGF. However, whether miR-let-7a is involved in sympathetic remodeling after MI remains unknown. We aimed to investigate whether miR-let-7a was associated with the occurrence of VA after MI.

IntroductionResearch on the mechanism of marine polysaccharide utilization by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron has drawn substantial attention in recent years. Derived from marine algae, the marine algae polysaccharides could serve as prebiotics to facilitate intestinal microecological balance and alleviate colonic diseases. Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, considered the most efficient degrader of polysaccharides, relates to its capacity to degrade an extensive spectrum of complex polysaccharides. Polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs), a specialized organization of a collection of genes-encoded enzymes engaged in the breakdown and utilization of polysaccharides, make it possible for Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron to metabolize various polysaccharides. However, there is still a paucity of comprehensive studies on the procedure of polysaccharide degradation by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.MethodsIn the current study, the degradation of four kinds of marine algae polysaccharides, including sodium alginate, fucoidan, laminarin, and Pyropia haitanensis polysaccharides, and the underlying mechanism by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron G4 were investigated. Pure culture of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron G4 in a substrate supplemented with these polysaccharides were performed. The change of OD600, total carbohydrate contents, and molecular weight during this fermentation were determined. Genomic sequencing and bioinformatic analysis were further performed to elucidate the mechanisms involved. Specifically, Gene Ontology (GO) annotation, Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG) annotation, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment were utilized to identify potential target genes and pathways.ResultsUnderlying target genes and pathways were recognized by employing bioinformatic analysis. Several PULs were found that are anticipated to participate in the breakdown of these four polysaccharides. These findings may help to understand the interactions between these marine seaweed polysaccharides and gut microorganisms.DiscussionThe elucidation of polysaccharide degradation mechanisms by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron provides valuable insights into the utilization of marine polysaccharides as prebiotics and their potential impact on gut health. Further studies are warranted to explore the specific roles of individual PULs and their contributions to polysaccharide metabolism in the gut microbiota.

Abstract Background To assess the cognitive function changes and brain network neuroplasticity in school-age children having large (diameter > 5 cm) left middle fossa arachnoid cyst (MFACs). Methods Eleven patients and 22 normal controls (NC) between 6 and 14 years of age were included. The CNS Vital Signs (CNS VS) were administered for cognitive assessment. The differences of cognitive data and functional connectivity (FC) in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) were compared between the patient group and the NC group. The correlations between the altered FC and cognitive data in the patient group were assessed. Results Patient group had significantly poorer attention (including Complex Attention, Sustained Attention, Simple Attention, Cognitive Flexibility, and Executive Function) and memory function (Visual Memory and Working Memory) than the NC group (uncorrected p-value, p-unc

Abstract This research focuses on the evolution of mechanical behavior of bimodal mixtures undergoing compaction and diametrical compression. The clusters were built and discrete element method (DEM) was used to investigate the densification process and micromechanics of bimodal mixtures. Additionally, a more comprehensive investigate of the respective breakage of the bimodal mixtures has been carried out. On this basis, qualitative and quantitative analysis of the compressive force, force chain, contact bonds and density field evolution characteristics of the clusters are investigated during the compression process. The entire loading process of the clusters is divided into three stages: rearrangement, breakage and elastic–plastic deformation. Additionally, there are differences in the evolution of micromechanics behavior of different particles in the bimodal mixture, with pregelatinized starch breakage and deformation occurring before microcrystalline cellulose. With the tablet deformation, the fragmentation process of the tablet started at the point of contact and extended toward the center, and the curvature of the force chain increased. This approach may potentially hold a valuable new information relevant to important transformation forms batch manufacturing to advanced manufacturing for the oral solid dosage form.

Herein, the performance of silicone-modified 3D printing photosensitive resin was examined. Bisphenol-A epoxy acrylate (EA) was used as the substrate and isophorone diisocyanate, hydroxy-silicone oil, and hydroxyethyl acrylate were used as the raw materials. A silicone intermediate was synthesized to modify the substrate to prepare the 3D printing photosensitive material. The as-synthesized materials were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The tensile fracture morphology was also analyzed. The effects of the addition of silicone intermediates on the mechanical properties, thermal stability, and shrinkage of the prepared 3D printing photosensitive resins were investigated. The results showed that an organosilicone group was successfully introduced into the side chain of EA. When the ratio of n(silicone):n(EA) is 0.3:1, the material has a high impact strength of 19.4 kJ·m−2, which is 32.8% higher than that of the pure resin; in addition, the elongation at break is 8.65% (compared to 6.56% of the pure resin). The maximum thermal weight loss temperature is 430.33°C, which is 6°C higher than that of the pure resin.

Abstract Despite its involvement in various cancers, the function of the deubiquitinase USP1 (ubiquitin-specific protease 1) is unexplored in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). In this study, we provide evidence that USP1 promotes CCA progression through the stabilization of Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1), consistent with the observation that both USP1 and PARP1 are upregulated in human CCA. Proteomics and ubiquitylome analysis of USP1-overexpressing CCA cells nominated PARP1 as a top USP1 substrate. Indeed, their direct interaction was validated by a series of immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation (CO-IP), and GST pull-down assays, and their interaction regions were identified using deletion mutants. Mechanistically, USP1 removes the ubiquitin chain at K197 of PARP1 to prevent its proteasomal degradation, with the consequent PARP1 stabilization being necessary and sufficient to promote the growth and metastasis of CCA in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, we identified the acetyltransferase GCN5 as acetylating USP1 at K130, enhancing the affinity between USP1 and PARP1 and further increasing PARP1 protein stabilization. Finally, both USP1 and PARP1 are significantly associated with poor survival in CCA patients. These findings describe PARP1 as a novel deubiquitination target of USP1 and a potential therapeutic target for CCA.

The “sol–gel method” was used to prepare spherical chitosan-modified bentonite (SCB) hydrogels in this study. The SCB hydrogels were characterized and used as sorbents to remove tetracycline (TC) from aqueous solutions. The adsorbents were characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR, TG, and BET techniques. Various characterization results showed that the SCB adsorbent had fewer surface pores and a specific surface area that was 96.6% lower than the powder, but the layered mesoporous structure of bentonite remained unchanged. The adsorption process fit to both the Freundlich model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model showed that it was a non-monolayer chemical adsorption process affected by intra-particle diffusion. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity determined by the Langmuir model was 39.49 mg/g. Thermodynamic parameters indicated that adsorption was a spontaneous, endothermic, and entropy-increasing process. In addition, solid–liquid separation was easy with the SCB adsorbent, providing important reference information for the synthesis of SCB as a novel and promising adsorbent for the removal of antibiotics from wastewater at the industrial level.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a multistep process involving sophisticated genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptional changes. However, studies on microRNA (miRNA)'s regulatory effects of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications on HCC progression are limited. Methods: Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), clone formation, and Transwell assays were used to investigate changes in cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. RNA m6A levels were verified using methylated RNA immunoprecipitation. Luciferase reporter assay was used to study the potential binding between miRNAs and mRNA. A mouse tumor transplant model was established to study the changes in tumor progression. Results: Follistatin-like 5 (FSTL5) was significantly downregulated in HCC and inhibited its further progression. Additionally, methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) reduced FSTL5 mRNA stability in an m6A-YTH domain family 2(YTHDF2)-dependent manner. Functional experiments revealed that METTL3 downregulation inhibited HCC progression by upregulating FSTL5 in vitro and in vivo. Luciferase reporter assay verified that miR-186-5p directly targets METTL3. Additionally, miR-186-5p inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells by downregulating METTL3 expression. Conclusions: The miR-186-5p/METTL3/YTHDF2/FSTL5 axis may offer new directions for targeted HCC therapy.

Abstract Previous studies have noticed that the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models with a stronger cooling from aerosol‐cloud interactions (ACI) also have an enhanced warming from positive cloud feedback, and these two opposing effects are counter‐balanced in simulations of the historical period. However, reasons for this anti‐correlation are less explored. In this study, we perturb the cloud ice microphysical processes to obtain cloud liquid of varying amounts in two Earth System Models (ESMs). We find that the model simulations with a larger liquid water path (LWP) tend to have a stronger cooling from ACI and a stronger positive cloud feedback. More liquid clouds in the mean‐state present more opportunities for anthropogenic aerosol perturbations and also weaken the negative cloud feedback at middle to high latitudes. This work, from a cloud state perspective, emphasizes the influence of the mean‐state LWP on effective radiative forcing due to ACI (ERFACI).

Abstract The vertical distribution of biomass burning aerosol (BBA) is important in regulating their impacts on weather and climate. The plume‐rise process affects the injection height of BBA and interacts with the air parcel lifting and cloud processes. However, these processes are not represented in most global climate models. In this study, we replaced the fixed vertical profiles of monthly BBA emissions in the Department of Energy's Energy Exascale Earth System Model version 1 (E3SMv1) with an interactive fire plume‐rise model. The vertical distribution of BBA emissions was calculated as a function of ambient thermodynamic conditions from the host E3SMv1, with distributions of fire sizes and sensible heat fluxes derived from the observations. The maximum fire radiative power (FRP) technique was used to determine the fire size. Scaling‐FRP technique is used to calculate the wildfire heat release. Daily BBA emission, superimposed with a fire diurnal cycle retrieved from the satellite observation, was included in model simulations. The model shows improved agreement with satellite retrievals and in situ measurement during the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Wildfire Experiment for Cloud chemistry, Aerosol absorption, and Nitrogen campaign. The model‐observation comparison demonstrates the importance of the plume‐rise model and fire diurnal cycle assumption in determining the BBA fields. We also find that E3SMv1 with new features produces a larger carbonaceous aerosol burden, leading to 0.13 W m−2 warming at the top of atmosphere compared to the default E3SMv1. This highlights the importance of accurately representing the BBA injection height and indicates a no‐linear nature in the BBA‐induced radiative effect.

Abstract Background Human hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-like 2 (HSDL2), which regulates cancer progression, is involved in lipid metabolism. However, the role of HSDL2 in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and the mechanism by which it regulates CCA progression by modulating ferroptosis are unclear. Methods HSDL2 expression levels in CCA cells and tissues were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. The overall survival and disease-free survival of patients with high vs. low HSDL2 expression were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves. The proliferation, migration, and invasion of CCA cells were assessed using Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine DNA synthesis, and transwell assays. The effect of p53 on tumor growth was explored using a xenograft mouse model. The expression of SLC7A11 in patients with CCA was analyzed using immunofluorescence. Ferroptosis levels were measured by flow cytometry, malondialdehyde assay, and glutathione assay. HSDL2-regulated signaling pathways were analyzed by transcriptome sequencing. The correlation between p53 and SLC7A11 was assessed using bioinformatics and luciferase reporter assays. Results HSDL2 expression was lower in primary human CCA tissues than in matched adjacent non-tumorous bile duct tissues. HSDL2 downregulation was a significant risk factor for shorter overall survival and disease-free survival in patients with CCA. In addition, HSDL2 knockdown enhanced the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CCA cells. The transcriptome analysis of HSDL2 knockdown cells showed that differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in the p53 signaling pathway, and HSDL2 downregulation increased SLC7A11 levels. These findings were consistent with the qRT-PCR and western blotting results. Other experiments showed that p53 expression modulated the effect of HSDL2 on CCA proliferation in vivo and in vitro and that p53 bound to the SLC7A11 promoter to inhibit ferroptosis. Conclusions HSDL2 knockdown promotes CCA progression by inhibiting ferroptosis through the p53/SLC7A11 axis. Thus, HSDL2 is a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target for CCA.

Abstract This paper presents a comprehensive study on the numerical and parametric study of geocell-reinforced cohesive soil beds, focusing on different infill materials. The numerical calculations were validated against model test results using FLAC3D software. Subsequently, the verified model was expanded to the geocell-reinforced cohesive soil beds. Six cases were simulated to investigate the reinforced performance, including pressure-settlement responses, bearing capacity improvement factor, settlement reduction percentage, and surface deformation. The numerical findings emphasize that the significance of superior geocell reinforcement should not overshadow the consideration of soil infill’s mechanical properties. In the case of cohesive soil as the infill material, the poor improvement in geocell-reinforced performance may be attributed to its low modulus and cohesion. Parametric studies suggest that geocells significantly impact reinforced performance when the infill material consists of foundation soil with a higher modulus and lower cohesion. Further, according to this numerical study, cohesionless soil with a modulus of 20 MPa and friction of 40° is the optimum infill soil in pockets to reinforce cohesive soil beds.

Abstract Background The main surgical procedure for Bismuth‒Corlette III–IV hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) is hemihepatectomy/extended hemihepatectomy. However, many patients have no opportunity for surgery due to having an insufficient remnant liver volume. Preservation of more liver volume on the premise of ensuring R0 resection is the goal. Mesohepatectomy with caudate lobectomy may be a new method to meet these requirements. Methods The clinical data of 41 patients with Bismuth‒Corlette III–IV HCCA, including 18 patients who underwent mesohepatectomy with caudate lobectomy (the mesohepatectomy group) and 23 patients who underwent hemihepatectomy or extended hemihepatectomy (the hemihepatectomy group), were analyzed retrospectively. The perioperative indicators and prognostic survival time between the two groups were analyzed. Results The mesohepatectomy group was compared with the hemihepatectomy group, and the operation time was 7.95 ± 1.2 vs. 7.15 ± 1.5 h (P > 0.05); the intraoperative blood loss was 600.0 ± 153.4 vs. 846.1 ± 366.8 mL (P 0.05). The postoperative complications of the two groups included bile leakage (22.2% vs. 21.7%), pleural effusion (11.1% vs. 8.7%), and fever (16.7% vs. 8.7%), with no significant differences in the incidences (P > 0.05). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of the two groups were 87.5%, 55.7%, 27.8% and 83.5%, 56.1%, 24.5%, respectively, with no significant differences (P > 0.05). Conclusions Mesohepatectomy with caudate lobectomy can preserve more functional liver volume while ensuring the bile duct margin. It can be applied as the surgical treatment of Bismuth‒Corlette III–IV HCCA.

Accurate estimation of surface evapotranspiration (ET) in the Heihe River Basin using remote sensing data is crucial for understanding water dynamics in arid regions. In this paper, by coupling physical constraints and machine learning for hybrid modeling, we develop a hybrid model based on surface conductance optimization. A hybrid modeling algorithm, two physical process-based ET algorithms (Penman–Monteith-based and Priestley–Taylor-based ET algorithms), and three pure machine learning algorithms (Random Forest, Extreme Gradient Boosting, and K Nearest Neighbors) are comparatively analyzed for estimating the ET. The results showed that, in general, the machine learning model optimized by parameters was able to better predict the surface conductance of the hybrid model. Driver analyses showed that radiation, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and air temperature had high correlations with ET. The hybrid model had a better prediction performance for ET than the other five models, and it improved the R2 of the two physical process-based algorithms to 0.9, reduced the root mean square error (RMSE) to 0.5 mm/day, reduced the BIAS to 0.2 mm/day, and improved the Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE) to 0.9. The hybrid model outperformed the others across different time scales, displaying lower BIAS, RMSE, and higher KGE. Spatially, its ET patterns aligned with regional vegetation changes, with superior accuracy in annual ET estimation compared to the other models. Comparison with other ET products shows that the estimation results based on the hybrid model have better performance. This approach not only improves the accuracy of ET estimation but also improves the understanding of the physical mechanism of ET estimation by pure machine learning models. This study can provide important support for understanding ET and hydrological processes under different climatic and biotic vegetation in other arid and semi-arid regions.

To evaluate the earthquake disaster resistance capability of highway tunnels, it is necessary to study an index system for the earthquake disaster resistance capability of highway tunnels. This paper uses a literature research method. The damage of highway tunnels in 12 earthquake disasters recorded in detail in China and abroad was investigated. According to the types of hazard-beating bodies and damage forms, 17 seismic damage scenes of highway tunnels are classified. According to different damage scenes, the fault tree analysis model is used to identify the damage-causing factors. Combined with the industry standards, norms and research results related to the earthquake resistance of highway tunnels, the evaluation indices are analyzed from three perspectives: engineering geological factors, tunnel structural factors and operation management factors. According to the principle of index system construction, a four-level index system is constructed, which takes the earthquake disaster resistance capability of highway tunnels as the target layer; engineering geological factors, tunnel structural factors and operation management factors as the criterion layer indices; 12 indicators as the index layer and 35 specific indicators. The established index system for the earthquake disaster resistance capability of highway tunnels has strong scientific, rational and application value and can provide a reference for the evaluation of the earthquake disaster resistance capability of highway tunnels and can also provide important support for the safe operation and sustainable development of highway tunnels.

Micromechanical resonators have aroused growing interest as biological and chemical sensors, and microcantilever beams are the main research focus. Recently, a resonant microcantilever with an integrated heater has been applied in on-chip thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). However, there is a strong relationship between the mass sensitivity of a resonant microcantilever and the location of adsorbed masses. Different sampling positions will cause sensitivity differences, which will result in an inaccurate calculation of mass change. Herein, an integrated H-shaped resonant beam with uniform mass sensitivity and temperature distribution is proposed and developed to improve the accuracy of bio/chemical sensing and TGA applications. Experiments verified that the presented resonant beam possesses much better uniformity of sensitivity and temperature distribution compared with resonant microcantilevers. Gas-sensing and TGA experiments utilizing the integrated resonant beam were also carried out and exhibited good measurement accuracy.

Abstract It is challenging to grow atomically thin non-van der Waals perovskite due to the strong electronic coupling between adjacent layers. Here, we present a colloid-driven low supersaturation crystallization strategy to grow atomically thin Cs3Bi2Br9. The colloid solution drives low-concentration solute in a supersaturation state, contributing to initial heterogeneous nucleation. Simultaneously, the colloids provide a stable precursor source in the low-concentration solute. The surfactant is absorbed in specific crystal nucleation facet resulting in the anisotropic growth of planar dominance. Ionic perovskite Cs3Bi2Br9 is readily grown from monolayered to six-layered Cs3Bi2Br9 corresponding to thicknesses of 0.7, 1.6, 2.7, 3.6, 4.6 and 5.7 nm. The atomically thin Cs3Bi2Br9 presents layer-dependent nonlinear optical performance and stacking-induced second harmonic generation. This work provides a concept for growing atomically thin halide perovskite with non-van der Waal structures and demonstrates potential application for atomically thin single crystals’ growth with strong electronic coupling between adjacent layers.

Abstract Apigenin (APN), a flavone found in several plant foods with various biological properties such as anti-obesity, anti-inflammation and other abilities, alleviates atherosclerosis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by a high fat diet (HFD) in mice. However, the underlying mechanisms have not been fully understood. In this study, we investigated the role of NLRP3 in anti-atherosclerosis and anti-NAFLD effect of APN in mouse models with NLRP3 deficiency. Atherosclerosis and NAFLD models were established by treatment of low density lipoprotein receptor-deficient (Ldlr −/− ) mice and NLRP3 −/− Ldlr −/− mice with a HFD diet (20% fat and 0.5% cholesterol) with or without APN. En face lipid accumulation analysis, plasma lipid levels, hepatic lipid accumulation and inflammation were analyzed and quantified. For in vitro experiments, HepG2 cells were stimulated by LPS plus oleic acid (OA) in the absence or presence of APN (50 μM). Lipid accumulation and the effect of APN on the NLRP3/NF-κB signaling pathway were investigated. APN administration partly reversed atherosclerosis and hepatic lipid accumulation, and decreased body weight and plasma lipid levels in Ldlr −/− mice when fed a HFD. Compared with Ldlr −/− mice, NLRP3 −/− Ldlr −/− mice showed more severe atherosclerosis and hepatic lipid accumulation. Treating the HepG2 cells with APN reduced lipid accumulation. APN also inhibited activation of the NLRP3/ NF-κB signaling pathway stimulated by OA together with LPS. Our results indicate that APN supplementation prevents atherosclerosis and NAFLD via NLRP3 inhibition in mice, and suggest that APN might be a potential therapeutic agent for the prevention of atherosclerosis and NAFLD.

Abstract The maximum supersaturation (Sx) in clouds is a key parameter affecting the cloud's microphysical and radiative properties. We investigate the Sx of the marine boundary layer clouds by combining airborne and surface observations in the Eastern North Atlantic. The cloud droplet number concentration (Nc) in the least diluted cloud cores agrees well with the number concentration of particles larger than the Hoppel Minimum (HM) (N>HM) below clouds, indicating that the HM represents the average size threshold above which particles are activated to form cloud droplets. The Sx values derived from surface observations vary from 0.10% to 0.50% from June 2017 to June 2018, with a clear seasonal variation exhibiting higher values during winter. Most of the Sx variance (∼60%) can be explained by the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration and updraft velocity (w), with the CCN concentration playing a more important role than w in explaining the variation of Sx. The influence of CCN concentration on Sx leads to a buffered response of Nc to aerosol perturbations. The response of Nc to low aerosol concentration during winter is further buffered by the high w. The global Community Earth System Model (CESM) simulated Sx values in the Azores have a positive bias compared to measured Sx, likely due to overestimated w and underestimated CCN concentration. The CESM simulated Sx exhibits higher values further north over the North Atlantic Ocean, which is attributed to stronger w. The suppression of Sx by aerosol is also evident in regions with high CCN concentrations.

Summary: The early life microbiome plays an important role in developmental and long-term health outcomes. However, it is unknown whether adverse pregnancy complications affect the offspring’s gut microbiome postnatally and in early years. In a longitudinal cohort with a five-year follow-up of mother-child pairs affected by preeclampsia (PE) or spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB), we evaluated offspring gut alpha and beta diversity as well as taxa abundances considering factors like breastfeeding and mode of delivery. Our study highlights a trend where microbiome diversity exhibits comparable development across adverse and normal pregnancies. However, specific taxa at genus level emerge with distinctive abundances, showing enrichment and/or depletion over time in relation to PE or sPTB. These findings underscore the potential for certain adverse pregnancy complications to induce alterations in the offspring’s microbiome over the course of early life. The implications of these findings on the immediate and long-term health of offspring should be investigated in future studies.

Abstract Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in the pathobiology of preeclampsia, a common hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. In a nested matched case‐control cohort within the Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial (VDAART), we previously identified peripheral blood mRNA signatures related to preeclampsia and vitamin D status (≤30 ng/mL) during gestation from 10 to 18 weeks, using differential expression analysis. Methods Using quantitative PCR arrays, we conducted profiling of circulating miRNAs at 10–18 weeks of gestation in the same VDAART cohort to identify differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs associated with preeclampsia and vitamin D status. For the validation of the expression of circulating miRNA signatures in the placenta, the HTR‐8/SVneo trophoblast cell line was used. Targets of circulating miRNA signatures in the preeclampsia mRNA signatures were identified by consensus ranking of miRNA‐target prediction scores from four sources. The connected component of target signatures was identified by mapping to the protein‐protein interaction (PPI) network and hub targets were determined. As experimental validation, we examined the gene and protein expression of IGF1R, one of the key hub genes, as a target of the DE miRNA, miR‐182‐5p, in response to a miR‐182‐5p mimic in HTR‐8/SVneo cells. Results Pregnant women with preeclampsia had 16 circulating DE miRNAs relative to normal pregnancy controls that were also DE under vitamin D insufficiency (9/16 = 56% upregulated, FDR

Background Avoidant paruresis is a common clinical condition in urology and psychosomatic medicine. However, it has limited treatment options that are safe and effective with few side effects.Aims Our study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of the Chinese herbal Yangxin Tongquan decoction combined with cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) for avoidant paruresis.Methods Sixty-eight patients with avoidant paruresis were divided into a treatment group (33 patients) and a control group (35 patients). The control group was assigned 10 weeks of CBT and systematic desensitisation. In addition to CBT and systematic desensitisation, the treatment group was given the Chinese herbal Yangxin Tongquan decoction during the 10-week study. The Shy Bladder Syndrome Scale (SBS) and the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were administered before and after treatment to measure any change.Results The overall efficacy in the treatment group (n=30) was 80.0% vs 62.5% in the control group (n=33). Comparing pretreatment and post-treatment measures, both groups showed improvement in SBS scores and SAS scores (treatment group: t(SBS)=8.397, p(SBS)

Abstract It is difficult to directly obtain pathological diagnosis of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA). Analysis of bile in the pCCA microenvironment, based on metabolomics and statistical methods, can help in clinical diagnosis. Clinical information, bile samples, blood liver function, blood CA199, CEA, and other indicators were collected from 33 patients with pCCA and 16 patients with gallstones. Bile samples were analyzed using untargeted metabolomics methods. A combination of multivariate and univariate analyses were used to screen for potential differential metabolites Through Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment and differential metabolite remodeling, we explored changes in the pCCA pathway and potential therapeutic targets. There were significant differences in patient blood TBIL, ALT, AST, TBA, CA19-9, and CEA indices (p

Abstract Background Invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still an important reason for poor prognosis. LincRNA ZNF529-AS1 is a recently identified tumour-associated molecule that is differentially expressed in a variety of tumours, but its role in HCC is still unclear. This study investigated the expression and function of ZNF529-AS1 in HCC and explored the prognostic significance of ZNF529-AS1 in HCC. Methods Based on HCC information in TCGA and other databases, the relationship between the expression of ZNF529-AS1 and clinicopathological characteristics of HCC was analysed by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and logistic regression. The relationship between ZNF529-AS1 and HCC prognosis was evaluated by Kaplan‒Meier and Cox regression analyses. The cellular function and signalling pathways involved in ZNF529-AS1 were analysed by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. The relationship between ZNF529-AS1 and immunological signatures in the HCC tumour microenvironment was analysed by the ssGSEA algorithm and CIBERSORT algorithm. HCC cell invasion and migration were investigated by the Transwell assay. Gene and protein expression were detected by PCR and western blot analysis, respectively. Results ZNF529-AS1 was differentially expressed in various types of tumours and was highly expressed in HCC. The expression of ZNF529-AS1 was closely correlated with the age, sex, T stage, M stage and pathological grade of HCC patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that ZNF529-AS1 was significantly associated with poor prognosis of HCC patients and could be an independent prognostic indicator of HCC. Immunological analysis showed that the expression of ZNF529-AS1 was correlated with the abundance and immune function of various immune cells. Knockdown of ZNF529-AS1 in HCC cells inhibited cell invasion and migration and inhibited the expression of FBXO31. Conclusion ZNF529-AS1 could be a new prognostic marker for HCC. FBXO31 may be the downstream target of ZNF529-AS1 in HCC.

Open domain response generation is the task of creating a response given a user query in any topics/domain. Limited by context and reference information, responses generated by current systems are often “bland” or generic. In this paper, we combine a response generation model with a retrieval system that searches for relevant utterances and responses. The generation model has two main components: a keyword extraction module and a two-stage transformer. The keyword extraction module aims to extract two types of keywords in an unsupervised fashion from the retrieved results: (1) keywords in the query not found in the retrieved utterances (DiffKey), and (2) overlapping keywords among the retrieved responses (SimKey). Given these keywords, the two-stage transformer first decides where to insert the keywords in the response, and the second generates the full response given the location of the keywords. The keyword extraction module and the two-stage transformer are connected in a single network, and so our system is trained end-to-end. Experimental results on Cornell Movie-Dialog corpus, Douban and Weibo demonstrate that our model outperforms state-of-the-art systems in terms of ROUGE, relevance scores and human evaluation.

The Doppler scatterometer is an instrument used in real aperture radar in conjunction with a circular scanning antenna and has wide swath and multiangle characteristics. Many scholars have studied sea surface current vector field based on the use of the Doppler scatterometer. However, the existing methods directly use the phase difference of the spectrometer's echo to obtain the current vector field, and the resolution can be improved. This study proposes a high-resolution inversion method for ocean surface current fields based on circular scanning synthetic aperture radar (SAR). The current field is estimated by the proposed method based on the Doppler spectrum of the single complex image to realize high-resolution current vector field inversion. The current field inversion of circular scanning SAR is very sensitive to attitude and wind field errors. Accordingly, a model is established to study the influences of the main errors on Doppler shift estimation, and a global optimization method is proposed to realize high-precision current velocity inversion and synchronous error estimation. The effectiveness of this method is verified by using airborne circular scanning SAR data.

Soil moisture (SM) is important in understanding Earth's hydrologic cycles. However, an overall performance of multisource SM products is still unclear due to a lack of comprehensive validation. Using SM simulated by hydrologic models as a reference to perform validation is a promising alternative since SM simulation is not restricted by its coverage or scale. In this study, an integrated hydrologic model (ParFlow-CLM) forced by hydrometeorological and agricultural water use reanalysis data is built in the middle reaches of the Heihe River Basin (HRB), a typical managed agricultural region in Northwestern China. Using the ParFlow-CLM simulated SM data as the validating reference, ten SM products, including four single-source RS SM, three merged SM, and three assimilated SM products are systematically assessed by a comprehensive evaluation framework composed of fifteen statistical performance indicators. For validation, the results show that ParFlow-CLM SM simulations agree with the time domain reflectometry probe and cosmic ray neutron probes observations. The merged SM and assimilated SM outperform the single-source RS SM products if compared with ParFlow-CLM simulated data. Results from the intercomparison demonstrate that hydraulic conductivity and leaf area index are the dominant factors in SM spatial variations based on the generalized additive model. The statistical linkage indicates that mean absolute deviation, uncertainty at 95% (U95), Nash–Sutcliffe's efficiency, and combined performance index serve as substitutes for quantifying the relative uncertainty of SM. This study paves a way for model-data intercomparison of SM products in the HRB as well as in other arid and semiarid basins.

Geosynchronous spaceborne–airborne (GEO-SA) ultra-high-frequency ultra-wideband bistatic synthetic aperture radar (UHF UWB BiSAR) provides high-precision images for marine and polar environments, which are pivotal in glacier monitoring and sea ice thickness measurement for polar ocean mapping and navigation. Contrasting with traditional high-frequency BiSAR, it faces unique challenges, such as the considerable spatial variability, significant range–azimuth coupling, and vast volumes of echo data, which impede high-resolution image reconstruction. This paper presents an improved bistatic nonlinear chirp scaling (NLCS) algorithm for imaging oceanic scenes with GEO-SA UHF UWB BiSAR. This methodology extends the two-dimensional (2-D) spectrum up to the sixth order via the method of series reversion (MSR) to meet accuracy demands and then employs an elliptical model to elucidate the alterations in the azimuth frequency modulation (FM) rate mismatch. Initially, the imaging geometry and signal model are introduced, and then a separation of bistatic slant ranges based on the configuration is proposed. In addition, during range processing, after eliminating linear range cell migration (RCM), the derivation process for the sixth-order 2-D spectrum is detailed and an improved filter is applied to correct the high-order RCM. Finally, during azimuth processing, the causes of the FM rate mismatch are analyzed, a cubic perturbation function derived from the elliptical model is used for FM rate equalization, and a unified sixth-order filter is applied to complete the azimuth compression. Experimental results with point targets and natural oceanic scenes validate the outstanding efficacy of the proposed NLCS algorithm, particularly in imaging quality enhancements for GEO-SA UHF UWB BiSAR.

The circular synthetic aperture radar (CSAR) has the ability of all-round continuous observation and high-resolution imaging detection, and can obtain all-round scattering information and higher-resolution images of the observation scene, so as to realize the target information extraction and three-dimensional (3D) contour reconstruction of the observation targets. However, the existing methods are not accurate enough to extract the information of vehicle targets. Through the analysis of the vehicle target scattering model and CSAR image characteristics, this paper proposes a vehicle target information extraction and 3D contour reconstruction method based on multiple different pitch-angle observation CSAR data. The proposed method creatively utilizes the projection relationship of the vehicle in 2D CSAR imaging to reconstruct the 3D contour of the vehicle, without prior information. Firstly, the CSAR data obtained from multiple different pitch-angle observations are fully utilized, and the scattering points of odd-bounce reflection and even-bounce reflection echoes are extracted from the two-dimensional (2D) coherent CSAR images of the vehicle target. Secondly, the basic contour of the vehicle body is extracted from the scattering points of the even-bounce reflected echoes. Then, the geometric projection relationship of the “top–bottom shifting” effect of odd-bounce reflection is used to calculate the height and position information of the scattering points of odd-bounce reflection, so as to extract the multi-layer 3D contour of the vehicle target. Finally, the basic contour and the multi-layer 3D contour of the vehicle are fused to realize high-precision 3D contour reconstruction of the vehicle target. The correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by using the CVDomes simulation dataset of the American Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and the experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve high-precision information extraction and realize distinct 3D contour reconstruction of the vehicle target.

BackgroundPrevious research has demonstrated the negative impact of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on mental health.AimsTo examine changes in the Chinese psychiatric emergency department (PED) visits for mental health crises that occurred during the pandemic.MethodsBefore and during the COVID-19 pandemic, PED visit counts from the largest psychiatric hospital in China between 2018 and 2020 were investigated. Electronic medical records of 2020 PED visits were extracted during the COVID-19 pandemic period and compared for the same period of 2018 and 2019.ResultsOverall, PED visits per year increased from 1,767 in 2018 to 2210 (an increase of 25.1%) in 2019 and 2,648 (an increase of 49.9%) in 2020. Compared with 2 years before the epidemic, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of PED visits among patients with stress disorders, sleep disorders, and anxiety disorders increased significantly. In terms of the distribution of demographic characteristics, age shows a younger trend, while the gender difference is not significant.ConclusionThese findings suggest that PED care-seeking increases during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need to integrate mental health services for patients with stress, sleep, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders during public health crises.

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents a complex ailment characterized by an unfavorable prognosis in advanced stages. The involvement of immune cells in HCC progression is of significant importance. Moreover, metastasis poses a substantial impediment to enhanced prognostication for HCC patients, with anoikis playing an indispensable role in facilitating the distant metastasis of tumor cells. Nevertheless, limited investigations have been conducted regarding the utilization of anoikis factors for predicting HCC prognosis and assessing immune infiltration. This present study aims to identify hepatocellular carcinoma-associated anoikis-related genes (ANRGs), establish a robust prognostic model for HCC, and delineate distinct immune characteristics based on the anoikis signature. Cell migration and cytotoxicity experiments were performed to validate the accuracy of the ANRGs model.MethodsConsensus clustering based on ANRGs was employed in this investigation to categorize HCC samples obtained from both TCGA and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) cohorts. To assess the differentially expressed genes, Cox regression analysis was conducted, and subsequently, prognostic gene signatures were constructed using LASSO-Cox methodology. External validation was performed at the International Cancer Genome Conference. The tumor microenvironment (TME) was characterized utilizing ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms, while machine learning techniques facilitated the identification of potential target drugs. The wound healing assay and CCK-8 assay were employed to evaluate the migratory capacity and drug sensitivity of HCC cell lines, respectively.ResultsUtilizing the TCGA-LIHC dataset, we devised a nomogram integrating a ten-gene signature with diverse clinicopathological features. Furthermore, the discriminative potential and clinical utility of the ten-gene signature and nomogram were substantiated through ROC analysis and DCA. Subsequently, we devised a prognostic framework leveraging gene expression data from distinct risk cohorts to predict the drug responsiveness of HCC subtypes.ConclusionIn this study, we have established a promising HCC prognostic ANRGs model, which can serve as a valuable tool for clinicians in selecting targeted therapeutic drugs, thereby improving overall patient survival rates. Additionally, this model has also revealed a strong connection between anoikis and immune cells, providing a potential avenue for elucidating the mechanisms underlying immune cell infiltration regulated by anoikis.

Abstract. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a family of non-protein-coding RNAs that span a length of over 200 nucleotides. Research reports have illustrated that lncRNAs are involved in various cellular processes and that their abnormal expression leads to the occurrence and development of various tumors. Colon cancer-associated transcript 2 (CCAT2) was first reported as an oncogene in colon cancer. LncRNA CCAT2 is abnormally expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, lung cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, glioma, and other tumors. In tumor tissues, abnormally overexpressed CCAT2 can affect cell proliferation, migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, apoptosis, and other biological behaviors through endogenous RNAs mechanisms, various signaling pathways, transcriptional regulation, and other complex mechanisms. Additionally, the overexpression of CCAT2 is also closely related to the tumor size, tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, survival time, and other prognostic factors, suggesting that it is a potential prognostic indicator. This article reviews the biological functions of CCAT2 and its mechanisms of action in tumors from previous studies. In this review, we attempt to provide a molecular basis for future clinical applications of lncRNA CCAT2.

Removal of Cu2+ ions from contaminated water is an important but challenging task. This study reports the synthesis of a composite hydrogel from two natural polysaccharides, namely, sodium alginate and chitosan, using inexpensive kaolin as a raw material and polyacrylamide as a modifier. The hydrogel had a high adsorption capacity and selectivity for Cu2+. The composite hydrogel was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was the most suitable model for the kinetic results, and the Langmuir isotherm model was the most representative of the sorption system. The results revealed that the adsorption process was mainly controlled by chemisorption. The maximum adsorption capacity of the adsorbent was 106.4 mg·g−1. Therefore, this study presents a new perspective on the application of composite hydrogels as Cu2+ adsorbents.

Abstract The development of atomically thin single crystal films is necessary to potential applications in the 2D semiconductor field, and it is significant to explore new physical properties in low-dimensional semiconductors. Since, zero-dimensional (0D) materials without natural layering are connected by strong chemical bonds, it is challengeable to break symmetry and grow 0D Cs3BiX6 (X = Br, Cl) single crystal thin films. Here, we report the successful growth of 0D Cs3BiX6 (X = Br, Cl) single crystal films using a solvent evaporation crystallization strategy. Their phases and structures are both well evaluated to confirm 0D Cs3BiX6 (X = Br, Cl) single crystal films. Remarkably, the chemical potential dependent morphology evolution phenomenon is observed. It gives rise to morphology changes of Cs3BiBr6 films from rhombus to hexagon as BiBr3 concentration increased. Additionally, the robust second harmonic generation signal is detected in the Cs3BiBr6 single crystal film, demonstrating the broken symmetry originated from decreased dimension or shape change.

Abstract Background Biliary fistula is a common but serious complication after radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. We aimed to evaluate the influencing factors of biliary fistula after radical resection, to provide insights to the clinical treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Methods Patients undergoing radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma from January 1, 2015 to March 31, 2022 were selected. Patients’ personnel characteristics and laboratory test results of patients with and without biliary fistula were collected and compared. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the associated risk factors of biliary fistula. Results 160 patients undergoing radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma were included, the incidence of postoperative biliary fistulas was 20.63%. There were significant differences in the age, preoperative cholangitis and number of biliary anastomosis between biliary fistula and no biliary fistula patients (all p

Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) is a new diagnosis introduced into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), which is expected to solve the diagnostic difficulties of patients with medically unexplained symptoms.Based on the previous work, this review aims to comprehensively synthesise updated evidence related to SSD from recent years in English publications and, more extensively, from data published in Chinese language journals.The scoping review update was based on an earlier scoping review and included Chinese language publication data from China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), WANFANG and WEIPU between January 2013 and May 2022 and data from PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library between June 2020 and May 2022.Initially, 2 984 articles were identified, of which 63 full texts were included for analysis. In China, SSD is mainly applied in scientific research, but it also shows good predictive validity and clinical application potential. The mean frequency of SSD was 4.5% in the general population, 25.2% in the primary care population and 33.5% in diverse specialised care settings. Biological factors, such as brain region changes and heart rate variability, are associated with the onset of SSD. Psychological impairment related to somatic symptoms is the best predictor of prognosis. While adolescent SSD was significantly associated with family function, SSD overall is associated with an increased dysfunction of cognition and emotion, decreased quality of life, and high comorbidity with anxiety and depressive disorders. Further research is needed on suicide risk and cultural and gender-related issues.Updating the data of Chinese language studies, our research enriches the evidence-based findings related to the topics addressed in the text sections of the SSD chapter of DSM-5. However, research gaps remain about SSD reliability, population-based prevalence, suicide risk, and cultural and gender-related issues.

Polyetheramine (PEA) is a swelling inhibitor used to address engineering challenges arising from the interaction between montmorillonite (Mt) and water. This study comprehensively investigates the adsorption characteristics of PEA on three representative expansive clay samples: Na-Mt, Ca-Mt, and engineered expansive soil. Additionally, the desorption of exchangeable ions is examined. The findings reveal that a two-stage adsorption kinetic model and a pseudo-second-order kinetic model can properly describe the adsorption kinetics of PEA on expansive clays. PEA exhibits a strong capacity for ion exchange with sodium ions, while the exchange capacity for calcium ions is limited. Both protonated and non-protonated PEA contribute to rapid adsorption processes. The adsorption isotherms are well-fitted by the Langmuir and Freundlich models, with the Langmuir model being reasonable. At lower equilibrium concentrations, a higher proportion of the adsorption amount is attributed to ion exchange compared to higher equilibrium concentrations. Ion exchange emerges as the primary factor contributing to the adsorption of PEA on Na-Mt, whereas the adsorption of PEA on Ca-Mt and expansive soil is primarily attributed to physical adsorption by non-protonated PEA. X-ray diffraction results reveal significant intercalation effects of PEA as they penetrate the interlayer space and hinder interlayer ion hydration. Fourier transform infrared spectrum results demonstrate that the adsorption of PEA minimally impacts the framework of Mt structural units but primarily reduces the adsorbed water content. Clay-PEA composites exhibit a decreased affinity for water. Zeta potential experiments indicate that the adsorption of PEA significantly diminishes the surface potential of clay-PEA composite particles, effectively inhibiting their hydration dispersion.

Ship classification using the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images has a significant role in remote sensing applications. Aiming at the problems of excessive model parameters numbers and high energy consumption in the traditional deep learning methods for the SAR ship classification, this paper provides an energy-efficient SAR ship classification paradigm that combines spiking neural networks (SNNs) with Siamese network architecture, for the first time in the field of SAR ship classification, which is called the Siam-SpikingShipCLSNet. It combines the advantage of SNNs in energy consumption and the advantage of the idea in performances that use the Siamese neuron network to fuse the features from dual-polarized SAR images. Additionally, we migrated the feature fusion strategy from CNN-based Siamese neural networks to the SNN domain and analyzed the effects of various spiking feature fusion methods on the Siamese SNN. Finally, an end-to-end error backpropagation optimization method based on the surrogate gradient has been adopted to train this model. Experimental results tested on the OpenSARShip2.0 dataset have demonstrated the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed SAR ship classification strategy, which has the advantages of the higher accuracy, fewer parameters and lower energy consumption compared with the mainstream deep learning method of the SAR ship classification.

Abstract Background Studies on cognition and brain networks after various forms of brain injury mainly involve traumatic brain injury, neurological disease, tumours, and mental disease. There are few related studies on surgical injury and even fewer pediatric studies. This study aimed to preliminarily explore the cognitive and brain network changes in children with focal, unilateral, well-bounded intracranial space-occupying lesions (ISOLs) in the short term period after surgery. Methods We enrolled 15 patients (6–14 years old) with ISOLs admitted to the Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery of the Beijing Tiantan Hospital between July 2020 and August 2021. Cognitive assessment and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) were performed. Regional homogeneity (Reho), seed-based analysis (SBA) and graph theory analysis (GTA) were performed. Paired T-test was used for statistical analysis of cognitive assessment and rs-fMRI. Gaussian random-field theory correction (voxel p-value