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Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a quantitative index system for evaluating the data quality of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) in disease risk prediction using Machine Learning (ML). Materials and methods: The index system was developed in four steps: (1) a preliminary index system was outlined based on literature review; (2) we utilized the Delphi method to structure the indicators at all levels; (3) the weights of these indicators were determined using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method; and (4) the developed index system was empirically validated using real-world EMR data in a ML-based disease risk prediction task. Results: The synthesis of review findings and the expert consultations led to the formulation of a three-level index system with four first-level, 11 second-level, and 33 third-level indicators. The weights of these indicators were obtained through the AHP method. Results from the empirical analysis illustrated a positive relationship between the scores assigned by the proposed index system and the predictive performances of the datasets. Discussion: The proposed index system for evaluating EMR data quality is grounded in extensive literature analysis and expert consultation. Moreover, the system's high reliability and suitability has been affirmed through empirical validation. Conclusion: The novel index system offers a robust framework for assessing the quality and suitability of EMR data in ML-based disease risk predictions. It can serve as a guide in building EMR databases, improving EMR data quality control, and generating reliable real-world evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defensive capability is one of the essential attributes of traditional military settlements. In the Ming dynasty, coastal Wei fort was the one of the most functionally complex and wide-ranging fortifications in the military defense system of China. Because many factors affect their defensive capacities, including three dimensions: individual construction, synergistic links, and regional jurisdiction, it is not easy to compare different settlements' defensive capacities or to judge the degrees of different factors' influences. Through principal component analysis, this study determines the weights of each minor factor. It constructs a model for evaluating traditional Chinese military settlements' defensive capabilities, to quantify the defensive capability. The results show that the synergistic relationship between the settlements, especially settlement accessibility, has the most significant impact on defensive capability, much higher than a single castle's defensive construction. The defensive capability index of the Wei forts in Guangdong is the highest, consistent with the highest rate of victory in the wars fought on the coast during the Ming dynasty. The defensive capacity is directly proportional to the rate of victory, which validates this evaluation model's soundness. This study not only comprehensively evaluates the coastal Wei forts' defensive capacity in the Ming Dynasty, but also provides new methods for the quantitative or comparative analysis of military settlements at other temporal and spatial scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-throughput profiling of microbial functional traits involved in various biogeochemical cycling pathways using shotgun metagenomic sequencing has been routinely applied in microbial ecology and environmental science. Multiple bioinformatics data processing approaches are available, including assembly-based (single-sample assembly and multi-sample assembly) and read-based (merged reads and raw data). However, it remains not clear how these different approaches may differ in data analyses and affect result interpretation. In this study, using two typical shotgun metagenome datasets recovered from geographically distant coastal sediments, the performance of different data processing approaches was comparatively investigated from both technical and biological/ecological perspectives. Microbially mediated biogeochemical cycling pathways, including nitrogen cycling, sulfur cycling and B12 biosynthesis, were analyzed. As a result, multi-sample assembly provided the most amount of usable information for targeted functional traits, at a high cost of computational resources and running time. Single-sample assembly and read-based analysis were comparable in obtaining usable information, but the former was much more time- and resource-consuming. Critically, different approaches introduced much stronger variations in microbial profiles than biological differences. However, community-level differences between the two sampling sites could be consistently observed despite the approaches being used. In choosing an appropriate approach, researchers shall balance the trade-offs between multiple factors, including the scientific question, the amount of usable information, computational resources and time cost. This study is expected to provide valuable technical insights and guidelines for the various approaches used for metagenomic data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas turbine power generation has the advantages of flexibility, efficiency, and lower carbon emissions compared with coal-fired power generation. Under the situation of energy structure transformation and upgrading, gas turbine power generation will have bright prospects. In this paper, the modeling and thermodynamic analysis of various gas-supercritical carbon dioxide(sCO2) combined cycle systems are carried out based on the calculation method of total physical properties, and six typical combined cycle layouts are selected for detailed research. In order to obtain the optimal state of the combined cycle system, the parameters of the sCO2 bottom cycle are optimized within a certain range of the gas turbine pressure ratio. It is found that the combined cycle system has high thermal efficiency when the top cycle adopts the air preheating cycle, and a higher top cycle regenerative degree does not represent a better performance. In fact, the optimal regenerative degree is related to the bottom cycle performance. The study also found that the air preheating-dual heated cascade combined cycle system has the highest thermal efficiency of the layouts studied, reaching 65.3%, but it comes at the cost of a complex operating system. The heat recovery performance of the sCO2 partial heating bottom cycle is relatively poor, and its mass flow rate is the highest, so it is not suitable for the bottom cycle of the combined cycle. The sCO2 dual heated cascade cycle has the highest output work and the smallest CO2 flow, so this paper considers this bottom cycle as the most suitable bottom cycle for the combined cycle system. This research can provide a certain basis for the design of gas turbine combined cycle system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To facilitate the integration of greater amounts of renewable energy into the power grid, it is crucial to enhance the peak shaving capabilities of conventional thermal power units. This paper proposes a novel system that combines compressed steam energy storage with the Rankine cycle of a thermal power plant (referred to as the coupling system), and focuses on modeling a 200 MW thermal power unit. The performance evaluation and parameter selection of the coupling system are conducted through comprehensive energy analysis, exergy analysis, and economic analysis. The results indicate that the energy storage cycle in the coupled system can prevent boilers and turbines in the Rankine cycle from operating at extremely low loads during deep peak shaving. Specifically, when the boiler and steam turbine operate at 66.45 % of their design load, the external power of the coupling system can be reduced to 30 % of the rated power. This results in a reduction of coal consumption by 63.42 g/W * h compared to direct peak shaving of the original thermal power unit, and an improvement in exergy efficiency by 2.99 %. In this study, a 1300 m3 energy storage circulating water storage tank capacity is used as an example, and it is found that the 200 MW unit can achieve continuous deep peak regulation operation for 8.58 h. The study also reveals that a 1 % increase in the isentropic efficiency of energy storage cycle compressors can lead to a reduction in coal consumption by 2.4 g/kW*h. Moreover, economic analysis suggests that maintaining a compressor efficiency of 86 %, utilizing 7 compression stages, and prioritizing the effectiveness of the heat exchanger are optimal for maximizing the system's revenue. These factors collectively result in a shorter payback period for the coupling system and an overall increase in total income. • A new thermal power plant compressed steam energy storage and Rankine cycle coupling system is proposed. • Compared with other energy storage systems, this system occupies a small area. • The economic analysis of the system was carried out to determine the most suitable component performance and quantity for the system. • Compared the advantages and disadvantages of different energy storage systems in thermal power peak regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microorganisms play important roles in the biogeochemical cycling of sulphur (S), an essential element in the Earth's biosphere. Shotgun metagenome sequencing has opened a new avenue to advance our understanding of S cycling microbial communities. However, accurate metagenomic profiling of S cycling microbial communities remains technically challenging, mainly due to low coverage and inaccurate definition of S cycling gene families in public orthology databases. Here we developed a manually curated S cycling database (SCycDB) to profile S cycling functional genes and taxonomic groups for shotgun metagenomes. The developed SCycDB contains 207 gene families and 585,055 representative sequences affiliated with 52 phyla and 2684 genera of bacteria/archaea, and 20,761 homologous orthology groups were also included to reduce false positive sequence assignments. SCycDB was applied for functional and taxonomic analysis of S cycling microbial communities from four habitats (freshwater, hot spring, marine sediment and soil). Gene families and microorganisms involved in S reduction were abundant in the marine sediment, while those of S oxidation and dimethylsulphoniopropionate transformation were abundant in the soil. SCycDB is expected to be a useful tool for fast and accurate metagenomic analysis of S cycling microbial communities in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• First numerical simulation on the electronic property for Armchair-shaped δ-graphyne nanoribbons with doping; • The Ni1-doped AδGYNR transforms into semiconductor with a narrow band and the band gap decreases from 0.55 to 0.17 eV; • When a transverse electric field is applied to the doped AδGYNR, the width of band gap vary linearly with the intensity of the electric field. Graphyne holds a potential spintronic application for its unusual elastic and rich electrical properties. We investigate the electronic band structure of armchair-shaped δ-graphyne nanoribbon (AδGYNR) with an applied electric field. Based on the computational data, the results of AδGYNRs with nonmetallic and metallic doping and the intrinsic mechanism of electrical properties have been analyzed. It is discovered that the nonmetallic (B, P) and metallic (Co, Ni, Cu) atoms doping of AδGYNRs can reduce the band gap of system to almost zero, resulting in an obvious spin-splitting behavior. Besides, the electric conductivity of the AδGYNRs with atomic doping at the sp -site is better than the one at the sp2 -site. Above all, after applying a transverse electric field to doped AδGYNR, our results reveal that the width of band gap may vary linearly with the intensity of the electric field, in which case the Ni1-doped AδGYNR transforms into semiconductor with a narrow band and the band gap decreases from 0.55 to 0.17 eV, thus our research could be conducive to effectively modulating the width of band gap of AδGYNRs. Our findings will help to the future development of micro- and nano-electronic devices based on AδGYNR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tan, L.; Zhou, J.; Zhang, Y.; Liu, J., and Liu, H., 2020. Correlation between the construction of Zhejiang coastal military settlements in the Ming Dynasty and the natural terrain. In: Gong, D.; Zhang, M., and Liu, R. (eds.), Advances in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 106, pp. 381–387. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The military settlement for the coastal defense of Zhejiang Province in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) is representative of military settlements throughout ancient China. The distribution of military power was closely related to the natural terrain, and its military hierarchical structure conformed to fractal systems. Based on fractal theory, the box dimension method, which has been widely used in geography, was selected to calculate the geomorphic fractal dimension of coastal-defense settlements within a certain range. The traditional box-counting method was optimized by ArcGIS to obtain the geomorphic-complexity index. By analyzing the correlation between this index and the military-force scale data extracted from historical books, this article breaks through the qualitative conclusions of general studies and obtains the quantitative influence of the complexity of the natural terrain on military construction, especially on the distribution of the size of garrison troops. This method quantifies complex concepts through fractal dimensions and provides a new idea for research on the influence of the natural environment on the formation of traditional settlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Icariside II attenuates LPS-induced acute neuroinflammation. • Icariside II inhibits TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway in rats. • Icariside II may be a new therapeutic agent to treat neuroinflammation-related diseases. Abstract Inflammation in central nervous system (CNS) plays a vital role in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Lewy body dementia (DLB), HIV-related dementia and traumatic brain injury. Icariside II (ICS II), an active flavonoid compound derived from a Chinese herbal medicine Epimedium brevicornum Maxim, has been shown to possess a neuroprotective effect on AD model. However, whether ICS II has a directly protective effect on acute neuroinflammation remains still unclear. Therefore, the current study was designed to investigate the possible protective effect of ICS II on acute neuroinflammation induced by intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and further to explore its possible mechanism. After ICS II was prophylactically administered for 7 days before LPS injection, the rats were randomly divided into five groups as follows: sham group (n = 9), sham + ICS II-H (10 mg/kg) (n = 9), LPS (n = 14), LPS + ICS II-L (3 mg/kg) (n = 14), LPS + ICS II-H (10 mg/kg) (n = 14) groups, respectively. As expected, LPS injection exhibited neuronal morphological damage, and ionized calcium binding adapter molecule 1 (IBA-1) of microglia and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) of astrocyte were activated. However, pre-treatment with ICS II not only inhibited the activation of microglia and astrocyte, but also significantly reversed the expressions of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), as well as the expressions of Toll-Like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) and TNF receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6). Furthermore, ICS II inhibited the degradation of IκB and the following activation of NF-κB. Hence it is concluded that ICS II attenuates LPS-induced neuroinflammation through inhibiting TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway in rats, and it has potential value as a new therapeutic agent to treat neuroinflammation-related diseases, such as AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A large pH gradient is generated in a neutral water electrolysis cell. • The pH gradient allows concurrent LiCoO 2 leaching and Co(OH) 2 precipitation. • The use of external acid and base is avoided. • The Co(OH) 2 and Li 2 CO 3 recovered were calcined to resynthesize new LiCoO 2. • The treatment of LiMn 2 O 4 and NCM with this process was also investigated. The recycling of Li-ion batteries is becoming increasingly urgent due to the rapid accumulation of spent Li-ion batteries from aging portable electronics and electric vehicles. The lack of environmentally and economically feasible recycling technologies will not only cause material losses and environmental contamination, but also poses a serious limit for the penetration of more Li-ion batteries in electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage applications. Here, we present a proof-of-concept demonstration of an innovative process for recycling cathode materials of Li-ion batteries in a neutral water electrolysis cell. During electrolysis, an electrochemical pH gradient was generated, which enables the leaching of waste LiCoO 2 at low pH in the anode chamber and the precipitation of solid Co(OH) 2 at high pH in the cathode chamber. The Co(OH) 2 precipitates can be readily filtered and separated from the electrolysis cell. In addition, the Li+ is recovered in the form of Li 2 CO 3. Unlike conventional hydrometallurgical processes and other aqueous electrochemical processes, this work harnesses the in-situ electrochemical pH gradient generated by neutral water electrolysis. This allows concurrent LiCoO 2 leaching and Co(OH) 2 precipitation at separate chambers and avoids the use of external acid and base, extractant or ion-selective polymer electrolyte membrane. This method is also extended to recycling waste LiMn 2 O 4 and LiNi 0.5 Co 0.2 Mn 0.3 O 2. Therefore, this new process represents a green advance for recycling the waste cathode materials of the Li-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a semi-automatic system was developed for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tumor segmentation, volume measurement and visualization using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Some novel algorithms for tumor segmentation from MRI and inter-slice interpolation were integrated in this medical diagnosis system. This system was applied to 10 MR image data sets of NPC patients and satisfactory results were achieved. This system can be used as a clinical image analysis tool for doctors or radiologists to obtain tumor location from MRI, tumor volume estimation, and 3D information. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Lignin, as an abundant organic carbon, plays a vital role in the global carbon cycle. However, our understanding of the global lignin‐degrading microbiome remains elusive. The greatest barrier has been absence of a comprehensive and accurate functional gene database. Here, we first developed a curated functional gene database (LCdb) for metagenomic profiling of lignin degrading microbial consortia. Via the LCdb, we draw a clear picture describing the global biogeography of communities with lignin‐degrading potential. They exhibit clear niche differentiation at the levels of taxonomy and functional traits. The terrestrial microbiomes showed the highest diversity, yet the lowest correlations. In particular, there were few correlations between genes involved in aerobic and anaerobic degradation pathways, showing a clear functional redundancy property. In contrast, enhanced correlations, especially closer inter‐connections between anaerobic and aerobic groups, were observed in aquatic consortia in response to the lower diversity. Specifically, dypB and dypA, are widespread on Earth, indicating their essential roles in lignin depolymerization. Estuarine and marine consortia featured the laccase and mnsod genes, respectively. Notably, the roles of archaea in lignin degradation were revealed in marine ecosystems. Environmental factors strongly influenced functional traits, but weakly shaped taxonomic groups. Null mode analysis further verified that composition of functional traits was deterministic, while taxonomic composition was highly stochastic, demonstrating that the environment selects functional genes rather than taxonomic groups. Our study not only develops a useful tool to study lignin degrading microbial communities via metagenome sequencing but also advances our understanding of ecological traits of these global microbiomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane is a critical greenhouse gas with significant impacts on environmental and global change. However, CH4 cycling processes and coupling mechanisms with the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and metals in the environment remain elusive. To fill such knowledge gaps, we constructed a manually curated methane cycling database (MCycDB) for comprehensive and accurate analysis of methane cycling microbial communities. MCycDB contains 298 methane cycling gene families covering 10 methane metabolism pathways with 610,208 representative sequences, and associated reference sequences from the NCBI RefSeq database with 48 phyla and 2,197 genera, and five phyla and 100 genera for bacteria and archaea, respectively. Also, homologous groups from public orthology databases were identified and included in MCycDB to reduce false positive assignments. We applied MCycDB to profile methane cycling gene families and associated taxonomic groups from various environments. Gene families involved in methanogenesis were abundant in hot spring sediment and less abundant in freshwater, whereas the ones involved in aerobic oxidation of methane were abundant in permafrost and peatland. This study demonstrates that MCycDB is a useful tool for studying microbially‐driven methane cycling processes with high specificity, coverage and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence suggests that changes in the tumor microenvironment caused by radiotherapy are closely related to the recurrence of glioma. However, the mechanisms by which such radiation‐induced changes are involved in tumor regrowth have not yet been fully investigated. In the present study, how cranial irradiation‐induced senescence in non‐neoplastic brain cells contributes to glioma progression is explored. It is observed that senescent brain cells facilitated tumor regrowth by enhancing the peripheral recruitment of myeloid inflammatory cells in glioblastoma. Further, it is identified that astrocytes are one of the most susceptible senescent populations and that they promoted chemokine secretion in glioma cells via the senescence‐associated secretory phenotype. By using senolytic agents after radiotherapy to eliminate these senescent cells substantially prolonged survival time in preclinical models. The findings suggest the tumor‐promoting role of senescent astrocytes in the irradiated glioma microenvironment and emphasize the translational relevance of senolytic agents for enhancing the efficacy of radiotherapy in gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current approaches to the treatment of schizophrenia have mainly focused on the protein-coding part of the genome; in this context, the roles of microRNAs have received less attention. In the present study, we analyze the microRNAome in the blood and postmortem brains of schizophrenia patients, showing that the expression of miR-99b-5p is downregulated in both the prefrontal cortex and blood of patients. Lowering the amount of miR-99b-5p in mice leads to both schizophrenia-like phenotypes and inflammatory processes that are linked to synaptic pruning in microglia. The microglial miR-99b-5p-supressed inflammatory response requires Z-DNA binding protein 1 (Zbp1), which we identify as a novel miR-99b-5p target. Antisense oligonucleotides against Zbp1 ameliorate the pathological effects of miR-99b-5p inhibition. Our findings indicate that a novel miR-99b-5p-Zbp1 pathway in microglia might contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Synopsis: The involvement of microRNAs in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia is not well-understood. This study shows that miR-99b-5p regulates Z-DNA binding protein 1 (Zbp1) to control inflammatory responses in microglia and the development of schizophrenia-like symptoms in mice. miR-99b-5p is downregulated in the blood and brains of schizophrenia patients. miR-99b-5p inhibition induces schizophrenia-like phenotypes in mice and microglial inflammation. Zbp1 is a novel miR-99b-5p target in microglia. Zbp1 antisense oligos ameliorate the pathological outcomes of decreased miR-99b-5p levels. Dysregulation of a novel miR-99b-5p-Zbp1 (Z-DNA binding protein 1) pathway in microglia induces inflammatory responses and schizophrenia-like phenotypes in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information leakage and counterfeiting are serious worldwide issues that tremendously impact legitimate businesses and human life. Inspired by the Noctiluca scintillans, a new fluorescence‐afterglow dual‐modal information encryption enabled by precisely coordination‐modulated ultralong organic phosphorescence (UOP) is presented. Strikingly, the optical properties including fluorescence, lifetime and intensity of UOP can be precisely modulated on‐demand through energy transfer by lanthanide (LnIII) coordination, which enables information camouflage by similar LnIII luminescence to provide misleading information along with data decryption in the form of mutual afterglow. Moreover, the important data can be encrypted in a spatial‐time‐resolved way by programmatically coding information with afterglow gradients, yielding greatly improved security for verifying the authenticity. This study provides a new avenue to precisely modulate the optical properties of UOP materials and broadens the scope of optical materials for innovative information encryption and anticounterfeiting applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancient Chinese military castles were equipped with rapid transportation routes for mutual aid, and this was an essential indicator of regional defense capability. However, since the sites of these transportation routes have mostly disappeared, it is not easy to examine the actual distribution of these routes. It is necessary to speculate the trend and position of military routes on the basis of the castle locations. In this study, the geographic features of each castle location were extracted as factors affecting the efficiency of the intercastle transportation system using the ArcGIS cost path function. By analyzing the fit of each factor for screening and weight assignment, a time cost path was established, and a model was generated for calculating the efficiency of this transportation system. The Weihai area, a typical representation of sea defense during the Chinese Ming Dynasty, was taken as an example for simulation. Overall, five ancient military transportation routes were restored. The establishment of the Ming Dynasty Wendengying transformed the linear defense layout of the Weihai region into a longitudinal network layout, and its site selection was of great benefit to the overall defense of the coastal citadel of Weihai. This model breaks the traditional limitations of relying on subjective speculation for ancient road restoration and dramatically improves its accuracy and credibility. Moreover, it makes a significant contribution to judging the road systems of ancient cities in different regions and provides a new idea to quantify the efficiency of ancient castle defenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: The spatial distribution and interactions of cells in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) might be related to the different responses of triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) to immunomodulators. The potential of multiplex IHC (m‐IHC) in evaluating the TIME has been reported, but the efficacy is insufficient. We aimed to research whether m‐IHC results could be used to reflect the TIME, and thus to predict prognosis and complement the TNBC subtyping system. Methods: The clinical, imaging, and prognosis data for 86 TNBC patients were retrospectively reviewed. CD3, CD4, CD8, Foxp3, PD‐L1, and Pan‐CK markers were stained by m‐IHC. Particular cell spatial distributions and interactions in the TIME were evaluated with the HALO multispectral analysis platform. Then, we calculated the prognostic value of components of the TIME and their correlations with TNBC transcriptomic subtypes and MRI radiomic features reflecting TNBC subtypes. Results: The components of the TIME score were established by m‐IHC and demonstrated positive prognostic value for TNBC (p = 0.0047, 0.039, <0.0001 for DMFS, RFS, and OS). The score was calculated from several indicators, including Treg% in the tumor core (TC) or stromal area (SA), PD‐L1+ cell% in the SA, CD3 + cell% in the TC, and PD‐L1+/CD8+ cells in the invasive margin and SA. According to the TNBC subtyping system, a few TIME indicators were significantly different in different subtypes and significantly correlated with MRI radiomic features reflecting TNBC subtypes. Conclusion: We demonstrated that the m‐IHC‐based quantitative score and indicators related to the spatial distribution and interactions of cells in the TIME can aid in the accurate diagnosis of TNBC in terms of prognosis and classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Characterization of focal liver lesions with various imaging modalities can be very challenging in the clinical practice and is experience-dependent. The authors' aim is to develop an automatic method to facilitate the characterization of focal liver lesions (FLLs) using multiphase computed tomography (CT) images by radiologists. Methods: A multiphase-image retrieval system is proposed to retrieve a preconstructed database of FLLs with confirmed diagnoses, which can assist radiologists' decision-making in FLL characterization. It first localizes the FLL on multiphase CT scans using a hybrid generative-discriminative FLL detection method and a nonrigid B-spline registration method. Then, it extracts the multiphase density and texture features to numerically represent the FLL. Next, it compares the query FLL with the model FLLs in the database in terms of the feature and measures their similarities using the L1-norm based similarity scores. The model FLLs are ranked by similarities and the top results are finally provided to the users for their evidence studies. Results: The system was tested on a database of 69 four-phase contrast-enhanced CT scans, consisting of six classes of liver lesions, and evaluated in terms of the precision-recall curve and the Bull's Eye Percentage Score (BEP). It obtained a BEP score of 78%. Compared with any single-phase based representation, the multiphase-based representation increased the BEP scores of the system, from 63%-65% to 78%. In a pilot study, two radiologists performed characterization of FLLs without and with the knowledge of the top five retrieved results. The results were evaluated in terms of the diagnostic accuracy, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the mean diagnostic confidence. One radiologist's accuracy improved from 75% to 92%, the area under ROC curves (AUC) from 0.85 to 0.95 (p = 0.081), and the mean diagnostic confidence from 4.6 to 7.3 (p = 0.039). The second radiologist's accuracy did not change, at 75%, with AUC increasing from 0.72 to 0.75 (p = 0.709), and the mean confidence from 4.5 to 4.9 (p = 0.607). Conclusions: Multiphase CT images can be used in content-based image retrieval for FLL's categorization and result in good performance in comparison with single-phase CT images. The proposed method has the potential to improve the radiologists' diagnostic accuracy and confidence by providing visually similar lesions with confirmed diagnoses for their interpretation of clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial layout of the coastal forts defense system of the Ming Dynasty of China has been studied in a relatively comprehensive way. Nonetheless, ancient defense mechanisms have not been fully revealed. Previous studies have focused more on the macro and meso levels. Studies into its microscopic construction mechanism need to be enhanced. This research attempts to quantify and validate the rationality of the ancient microscopic defense mechanism, using the ancient defense mechanism of Pu Zhuang Suo-Fort in Zhejiang Province as an instance. This study concentrates on the distribution of firepower strength beyond the walls of coastal defense forts, as well as the effect of wall height on firepower defense capabilities. There is a specific firepower attenuation area near the walls due to the firing blind area in the coastal forts defense system. And the construction of the moat plays an additive role in its defensive capability. Meanwhile, the height of the fort wall will also affect the range of the firing blind zone under Yangmacheng. In theory, there is a reasonable height range of the wall and a proper position of the moat. This height range can meet both good economy and defensive capabilities. In turn, the position of the moats and the height of the walls can verify the rationality of the construction mechanism of the coastal forts' defense system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) is plagued by a trade-off between strength and ductility. In this study, we investigated the effects of different cold rolling ratios and subsequent heat treatments on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the Al 0 · 25 FeCoNiV HEA. An efficient and economical thermal-mechanical processing route was successfully explored to prepare multiscale, multiphase heterogeneous structures consisting of heterogeneous grain structures and duplex structures. Yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and fracture elongation of 1277.3 MPa, 1633.6 MPa, and 26.4 %, respectively, could be achieved. The strength-ductility trade-off was avoided. Detailed information on the evolution of grain boundary distribution, grain orientation changes, and grain rotation under stress and strain fields were obtained with in-situ electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) tensile tests. The mechanism of coordinated plastic deformation and the intrinsic mechanism of excellent strength and ductility were investigated by quantitatively calculating the activation of the slip system, slip transfer at the phase boundaries, and grain rotation paths. It was found that the excellent mechanical properties can be attributed to multistage hetero-deformation-induced (HDI) strengthening and strain-hardening coupling mechanisms. In this study, an effective method for designing novel HEAs with excellent strength-ductility combinations and an analytical method based on in-situ tests are proposed. [Display omitted] • Multiphase heterogeneous structures were obtained in Al0·25FeCoNiV HEA. • Poor geometric compatibility at phase boundaries of biphasic HEAs. • The B2 second phase can induce additional local lattice rotation paths. • Multistage HDI strengthening coupling mechanisms were discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mammals, histone 3 lysine 4 methylation (H3K4me) is mediated by six different lysine methyltransferases. Among these enzymes, SETD1B (SET domain containing 1b) has been linked to syndromic intellectual disability in human subjects, but its role in the mammalian postnatal brain has not been studied yet. Here, we employ mice deficient for Setd1b in excitatory neurons of the postnatal forebrain, and combine neuron‐specific ChIP‐seq and RNA‐seq approaches to elucidate its role in neuronal gene expression. We observe that Setd1b controls the expression of a set of genes with a broad H3K4me3 peak at their promoters, enriched for neuron‐specific genes linked to learning and memory function. Comparative analyses in mice with conditional deletion of Kmt2a and Kmt2b histone methyltransferases show that SETD1B plays a more pronounced and potent role in regulating such genes. Moreover, postnatal loss of Setd1b leads to severe learning impairment, suggesting that SETD1B‐dependent regulation of H3K4me levels in postnatal neurons is critical for cognitive function. Synopsis: Mammalian histone H3K4 methyltransferases are linked to neurodevelopmental intellectual disability disorders. Conditional postnatal deletion studies reveal a specific role of Setd1b‐controlled gene expression programs, suggesting a potential target for treating cognitive impairment in patients. Postnatal deletion of the H3K4 methyltransferase Setd1b from neurons of the mouse forebrain leads to severe learning impairment.SETD1B in postnatal neurons controls the expression of neuron‐specific genes with a broad H3K4me3 peak, and with roles in learning and memory.Neuronal gene‐expression programs controlled by SETD1B differ substantially from those controlled by the H3K4 methyltransferases KMT2A and KMT2B.Postnatal loss of Setd1b leads to severe learning impairment in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Lots of studies on myocardial infarction (MI) computer assisted diagnosis are based on certain important ECG components which only account for local information. 12-Lead ECG signals which were regarded as hyper-dimensional time-series data were utilized to extract features from global information in this study. Existing feature extraction techniques for classification attempt to classify all the classes included. However sometimes it is more important to better recognize certain specific classes rather than to discriminate all the classes. A feature extraction method based on subjective-classification was proposed to discriminate the specific classes, which the classification priority was given subjectively, and each of the other classes was separated at the same time. The method includes data reduction by principal component analysis (PCA), data normalization by whitening transformation and derivation of projecting vectors for subjective-classification, etc. The data in the analysis were collected from PTB diagnostic ECG database. The results show that the proposed method can obtain a small number of effective features from 12-lead ECGs to better classify classes with priority, and the other classes can be classified at the same time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) image analysis enables plaque characterization and non-invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR) calculation. We analyzed various parameters derived from CTCA images and evaluated their associations with ischemia. Methods 49 (61 lesions) patients underwent CTCA and invasive FFR. Lesions with diameter stenosis (DS) ≥ 50% were considered obstructive. CTCA image processing incorporating analytical and numerical methods were used to quantify anatomical parameters of lesion length (LL) and minimum lumen area (MLA); plaque characteristic parameters of plaque volume, low attenuation plaque (LAP) volume, dense calcium volume (DCV), normalized plaque volume (NP Vol), plaque burden, eccentricity index and napkin-ring (NR) sign; and hemodynamic parameters of resistance index, stenosis flow reserve (SFR) and FFR B . Ischemia was defined as FFR ≤ 0.8. Results Plaque burden and plaque volume were inversely related to FFR. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified the best anatomical, plaque and hemodynamic predictors, respectively, as DS (≥50% vs <50%; OR: 8.0; 95% CI: 1.6–39.4), normalized plaque volume (NP Vol) (≥4.3 vs <4.3; OR: 3.9; 95% CI: 1.1–14.0) and NR Sign (0 vs 1; OR: 13.6; 95% CI: 1.3–146.1), and FFR B (≤0.8 vs >0.8; OR: 44.4; 95% CI: 8.8–224.8). AUC increased from 0.70 with DS as the sole predictor to 0.81 after adding NP Vol and NR Sign; further addition of FFR B increased AUC to 0.93. Conclusion Normalized plaque volume, napkin-ring derived from plaque analysis, and FFR B from numerical simulations on CTCA images substantially improved discrimination of ischemic lesions, compared to assessment by DS alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Reversible and non-volatile modulation of the resistivity of SmNiO 3 was realized by electrochemical (de)intercalation of Zn2+. • Phase transition of SmNiO 3 modulated by Al3+ was reversible and volatile. • The electronic phase transition of SmNiO 3 was characterized with various techniques. • The structural distortion of SmNiO 3 was identified to be the decisive factor for the resistivity change. Perovskite rare earth nickelates possess the electronic phase transition property that can be harnessed for a multitude of exciting applications. Herein, we report the use of high-valence cations (Zn2+ and Al3+) to reconstruct the electronic band structure of samarium nickelate (SmNiO 3) and realize reversible resistivity modulation. Under positive gate voltage, the resistivity of SmNiO 3 exhibits a colossal increase upon the Zn2+ intercalation and the concurrent electron doping. Under negative gate voltage, the Zn2+ ions are extracted and the resistivity decreases significantly. The resistivity modulation using Zn2+ is non-volatile. Electrochromic behavior is also observed during the Zn2+ insertion and extraction. The electronic phase transition is characterized using various techniques. Moreover, the trivalent Al3+ ions are also investigated as charge carriers to modulate the resistivity of SmNiO 3 in a volatile manner. First-principles density functional theory calculations reveal the effect of electron doping on the electronic band structure. The resistivity change of SmNiO 3 is mainly attributed to the structural distortion induced by electron doping, rather than the Mott-like insulation. This work demonstrates the feasibility of reversible resistivity modulation of SmNiO 3 with the use of high-valence cations under applied voltage, underscoring the potential for applications in novel emerging electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel vessel context-based voting is proposed for automatic liver vasculature segmentation in CT images. It is able to conduct full vessel segmentation and recognition of multiple vasculatures effectively. The vessel context describes context information of a voxel related to vessel properties, such as intensity, saliency, direction, and connectivity. Voxels are grouped to liver vasculatures hierarchically based on vessel context. They are first grouped locally into vessel branches with the advantage of a vessel junction measurement and then grouped globally into vasculatures, which is implemented using a multiple feature point voting mechanism. The proposed method has been evaluated on ten clinical CT datasets. Segmentation of third-order vessel trees from CT images (0.76 × 0.76 × 2.0 mm) of the portal venous phase takes less than 3 min on a PC with 2.0 GHz dual core processor and the average segmentation accuracy is up to 98%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]