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Objectives: To investigate the value of extracellular volume (ECV) derived from portal-venous phase (PVP) in predicting prognosis in locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) patients receiving intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) with initial stable disease (SD) and to construct a risk-scoring system based on ECV and clinical-radiological features. Materials and methods: One hundred and three patients with LAPC who received IORT demonstrating SD were enrolled and underwent multiphasic contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) before and after IORT. ECV maps were generated from unenhanced and PVP CT images. Clinical and CT imaging features were analyzed. The independent predictors of progression-free survival (PFS) determined by multivariate Cox regression model were used to construct the risk-scoring system. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and the Kaplan–Meier method were used to evaluate the predictive performance of the scoring system. Results: Multivariable analysis revealed that ECV, rim-enhancement, peripancreatic fat infiltration, and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) response were significant predictors of PFS (all p < 0.05). Time-dependent ROC of the risk-scoring system showed a satisfactory predictive performance for disease progression with area under the curve (AUC) all above 0.70. High-risk patients (risk score ≥ 2) progress significantly faster than low-risk patients (risk score < 2) (p < 0.001). Conclusion: ECV derived from PVP of conventional CECT was an independent predictor for progression in LAPC patients assessed as SD after IORT. The scoring system integrating ECV, radiological features, and CA19-9 response can be used as a practical tool for stratifying prognosis in these patients, assisting clinicians in developing an appropriate treatment approach. Critical relevance statement: The scoring system integrating ECV fraction, radiological features, and CA19-9 response can track tumor progression in patients with LAPC receiving IORT, aiding clinicians in choosing individual treatment strategies and improving their prognosis. Key Points: Predicting the progression of LAPC in patients receiving IORT is important. Our ECV-based scoring system can risk stratifying patients with initial SD. Appropriate prognostication can assist clinicians in developing appropriate treatment approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochromic (EC) smart window can dynamically alter optical property under the electric field, showing great potential in building energy conservation. Nickel oxide (NiO) acts as one of the most promising EC candidates while suffering insufficient reaction sites and low electrical conductivity. Herein, we introduced Mn2+ ions into NiO for the heteroatom doping towards improved EC performance. As expected, NiO–Mn–3 film exhibited optimal transmittance modulation (81.8 %) and fast coloring/bleaching time (3.5/5.1 s), which were considerably related to the improved specific surface area and increased electronic conductivity. Electrochemical characterization confirmed that the enhanced ions diffusion coefficient and lowered resistance delivered a positive impact on boosting the EC property. Mott–Schottky study also confirmed that the heteroatom doping effectively increased the carrier concentration. Our results not only provided important insight into a promising electrode material for EC energy–saving application, but also offered an economic and effective synthetic strategy for other doped metal oxide films. [Display omitted] • Mn2+ was introduced into NiO for the heteroatom doping by a CBD method. • The doped sample with reserved porous structure exhibited enhanced conductivity. • The heteroatom doping delivered a positive impact on boosting the EC property. • Mott–Schottky study confirmed that doping increased the carrier concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastric adenocarcinoma is a highly heterogeneous malignancy with varying prognoses. In clinicopathological practice, we noticed a special tubular adenocarcinoma with diffuse neutrophils infiltrating (TADNI). However, the proportion and characteristics of TADNI remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the features of TADNI and explore probable treatments. Methods: We divided 289 tubular adenocarcinoma cases into the TADNI and non-TADNI (nTADNI) groups by histological neutrophil quantity and performed immunohistochemistry of treatment-associated markers (CXCR1, CXCR2, PD-L1, CD8, HER2 and VEGFR2). Then we evaluated the clinical and morphological features in these cases. We also compared the value of histological features and peripheral blood neutrophil test. In addition, multiomics bioinformatic analyses were performed using the public datasets. Results: In our cohort, TADNI accounted for 10.4% of all tubular adenocarcinoma cases. These cases had worse prognoses (especially the neutrophils mainly outside the tubes) than nTADNI cases. The histological identification of TADNI had more prognostic value than peripheral blood neutrophils. CXCR1/CXCR2 expression was significantly high in TADNI group which indicated that CXCR1/CXCR2 inhibitors might be beneficial for TADNI patients. There were no significant differences in the expression of PD-L1, CD8, HER2 and VEGFR2. The analyses of TCGA data confirmed that TADNI cases had poorer prognoses and higher CXCR1/CXCR2 expression. Bioinformatic results also revealed molecular features (more hsa-mir-223 expression, fewer CD8-positive T cells and regulatory T cells, tighter communication between tumor cells' CXCR1/CXCR2 and neutrophils' CXCL5/CXCL8) of this type. Conclusions: TADNI is a special morphological subtype with poorer prognoses and unique molecular characteristics, which might benefit from CXCR1/CXCR2 inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To determine the global and regional burden of stroke due to high temperature and the spatiotemporal trends in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Methods: Based on Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR) for stroke attributable to high temperature (i.e. a daily mean temperature warmer than the theoretical minimum-risk exposure level (TMREL)) were calculated in global, geographical location, and country and analyzed by age, sex, subtypes, and socio-demographic index (SDI) from 1990 to 2019. The trends in ASMR and ASDR from 1990 to 2019 were estimated by linear regression model. The regression coefficients (β) referred to a mean change of per year for ASMR or ASDR attributable to high temperature. Results: The global burden of stroke attributable to high temperature had an increase trend from 1990 to 2019 (β = 0.005, 95% uncertainty interval (UI) = 0.003–0.007 for ASMR and β = 0.104, 95% UI = 0.066–0.142 for ASDR, respectively). Globally, in 2019, an estimated 0.048 million deaths and 1.01 million DALYs of stroke were attributable to high temperature, and the global ASMR and ASDR of stroke attributable to high temperature were 0.60 (95% UI = 0.07–1.30) and 13.31 (1.40–28.97) per 100,000 population, respectively. The largest burden occurred in Western Sub-Saharan Africa, followed by South Asia, Southeast Asia, and North Africa and the Middle East. ASMR and ASDR increased with age and were higher in males and for intracerebral hemorrhage, and were the highest in the low SDI regions. In 2019, the region with the largest percentage increase in ASMR and ASDR attributable to high temperature was Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa from 1990 to 2019. Conclusions: Stroke burden due to high temperature has been increasing, and a higher burden was observed in people aged 65–75 years, males, and countries with a low SDI. Stroke burden attributable to high temperature constitutes a major global public health concern in the context of global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To construct and validate a prediction model based on dual-layer detector spectral CT (DLCT) and clinico-radiologic features to predict the microsatellite instability (MSI) status of gastric cancer (GC) and to explore the relationship between the prediction results and patient prognosis. Methods: A total of 264 GC patients who underwent preoperative DLCT examination were randomly allocated into the training set (n = 187) and validation set (n = 80). Clinico-radiologic features and DLCT parameters were used to build the clinical and DLCT model through multivariate logistic regression analysis. A combined DLCT parameter (CDLCT) was constructed to predict MSI. A combined prediction model was constructed using multivariate logistic regression analysis by integrating the significant clinico-radiologic features and CDLCT. The Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used to explore the prognostic significant of the prediction results of the combined model. Results: In this study, there were 70 (26.52%) MSI-high (MSI-H) GC patients. Tumor location and CT_N staging were independent risk factors for MSI-H. In the validation set, the area under the curve (AUC) of the clinical model and DLCT model for predicting MSI status was 0.721 and 0.837, respectively. The combined model achieved a high prediction efficacy in the validation set, with AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.879, 78.95%, and 75.4%, respectively. Survival analysis demonstrated that the combined model could stratify GC patients according to recurrence-free survival (p = 0.010). Conclusion: The combined model provides an efficient tool for predicting the MSI status of GC noninvasively and tumor recurrence risk stratification after surgery. Critical relevance statement: MSI is an important molecular subtype in gastric cancer (GC). But MSI can only be evaluated using biopsy or postoperative tumor tissues. Our study developed a combined model based on DLCT which could effectively predict MSI preoperatively. Our result also showed that the combined model could stratify patients according to recurrence-free survival. It may be valuable for clinicians in choosing appropriate treatment strategies to avoid tumor recurrence and predicting clinical prognosis in GC. Key points: • Tumor location and CT_N staging were independent predictors for MSI-H in GC. • Quantitative DLCT parameters showed potential in predicting MSI status in GC. • The combined model integrating clinico-radiologic features and CDLCT could improve the predictive performance. • The prediction results could stratify the risk of tumor recurrence after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of coalbed methane flow are jointly determined by the fracture and stress environment. Previous studies conducted under conventional triaxial or uniaxial stress conditions cannot truly reflect the in situ stress environment and neglected the influence of intermediate principal stress on the nonlinear seepage characteristics of coal. For this study, coal seepage tests were performed under true triaxial stress, allowing the nonlinear seepage characteristics of coal to be analyzed under different principal stresses. This enables the applicability of nonlinear seepage characterization equations and the change laws of relevant parameters to be clarified. The results show that the nonlinear seepage characteristics of coal under true triaxial stress increase as the principal stresses and gas pressure gradient increase. Using the Forchheimer equation for characterization, the nonlinear effect factor, viscous permeability, and inertial permeability gradually decrease with increasing principal stress in all directions. Intermediate principal stress σ2 has the most significant effect on nonlinear effects and inertial permeability, whereas principal stress σ3 has the greatest effect on viscous permeability. Using the Izbash equation for characterization, the fitting coefficients λ, m increase with increasing principal stress. Principal stress σ2 has the most significant effect on m, whereas principal stress σ3 has the greatest influence on λ. Comparative analysis shows that both Forchheimer and Izbash equations accurately characterize the nonlinear seepage characteristics of coal under real triaxial stress. The Forchheimer equation requires more theoretical parameters to measure the degree of nonlinear seepage and thus better describes the evolution process of linear to nonlinear seepage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The outbreak and rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) not only caused an adverse impact on physical health, but also brought about mental health problems among the public. Methods: To assess the causal impact of COVID-19 on psychological changes in China, we constructed a city-level panel data set based on the expressed sentiment in the contents of 13 million geotagged tweets on Sina Weibo, the Chinese largest microblog platform. Results: Applying a difference-in-differences approach, we found a significant deterioration in mental health status after the occurrence of COVID-19. We also observed that this psychological effect faded out over time during our study period and was more pronounced among women, teenagers and older adults. The mental health impact was more likely to be observed in cities with low levels of initial mental health status, economic development, medical resources and social security. Conclusions: Our findings may assist in the understanding of mental health impact of COVID-19 and yield useful insights into how to make effective psychological interventions in this kind of sudden public health event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) reportedly believe that their symptoms worsen on extreme weather days due to variations in environmental conditions. However, few studies have assessed the acute effects of environmental exposure on the onset of pSS. This study aimed to evaluate the exposure–response relationship between extreme environmental conditions and pSS outpatient visits. Method: We obtained data on pSS outpatient visits from two provincial general hospitals in Hefei, China, during 2014–2019. A distributed lag non-linear model was used to estimate the exposure-lag-response relationship between environmental variables and pSS. Results: We detected significant and non-linear associations between extreme environments and pSS. The estimated relative risk (RR) for a lag of 3 days was 1.11 (95% CI: 1.03 to 1.19) for extreme cold and for a lag of 21 days was 1.07 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.12) for extreme dampness. Long sunshine duration was positively correlated with pSS (lag 11, 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.08). Moreover, female patients were more susceptible to these effects. Patients older than 65 years old were more vulnerable to frigid environments (lag 3, RR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.54), while younger patients were more vulnerable to extreme dampness (lag 21, RR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.16). Extreme cold and high humidity were negatively correlated with the same-day outpatient visits. Conclusions: Our findings suggest a potential relationship between exposure to extreme environmental conditions and increased risk of pSS outpatient visits. We therefore suggest that policymakers and doctors aim to further our understanding of environmental effects on pSS and adopt adequate measures to alleviate pSS symptoms. Key Points • Extreme cold, extreme dampness, and long sunshine duration increased the risk of pSS outpatient visits, especially for females. • Young pSS patients are more susceptible to a rise in humidity. • Elderly pSS patients are more sensitive to extreme cold weather. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A composite of nitrogen-doped carbon dots and Mn 3 O 4 (CMO) was synthesized using a facile hydrothermal and precipitation method for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. Surprisingly, high concentrations of H 2 PO 4 − (DP, above 20 mM) significantly enhanced the degradation efficiency of bisphenol A (BPA). The improvement was not attributed to the accelerated cleavage of PMS or pH variation. Instead, DP could directly form a complex with CMO, generating Mn(III)-DP with a high potential (0.64 V vs. SCE, 100 mM of DP). Simultaneously, it decreased the oxidative potential of BPA from 0.69 to 0.38 V vs. SCE. The degradation pathways of BPA differed in the CMO/PMS and CMO/DP systems. These findings inspire further exploration of carbon dots-based catalysts in persulfate activation and unveil the origin of enhanced performances by phosphate. [Display omitted] • Construction of CDs and Mn 3 O 4 composite for efficient degradation of BPA. • Degradation in CMO/PMS system is improved by high concentrations of H 2 PO 4 −. • Mn(III)-DP complex is formed in the CMO/DP. • Different degradation pathways are found in the CMO/DP and CMO/PMS systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to explore the characterization of Amomum longiligulare T.L. Wu fruits polysaccharide (ALP) and their immune enhancement effects. Two homogeneous polysaccharides (ALP1 and ALP2) were isolated from the fruits. The structural characterization results showed that ALP1 (26.10 kDa) and ALP2 (64.10 kDa) were both mainly composed of glucose. Furthermore, ALP1 was consisted of (1,2)-α-D-Glcp, (1,2,3)-α-D-Glcp and T-α-D-Glcp, while ALP2 was consisted of T-α-D-Glcp, (1,3)-α-D-Glcp and (1,3,6)-α-D-Glcp. Afterwards, the immune enhancement effects of two polysaccharides were evaluated by determining their effects on immunogenicities of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) VP2 protein. Chickens were immunized with IBDV VP2 protein accompanied with ALP1/ALP2. And the results indicated both ALP1 and ALP2 promoted the weights and bursa of fabricius indexes of chickens. In addition, both two polysaccharides increased specific IBDV antibody levels, while ALP1 possessed higher immune enhancement ability and was expected to be an adjuvant for IBDV VP2 protein. • Polysaccharides from Amomum longiligulare T.L. Wu dry fruits were first reported. • Two polysaccharides (ALP1 and ALP2) were obtained from the dry fruits. • The structural characterizations of ALP1 and ALP2 were first reported. • Immune enhancement abilities of ALP1 and ALP2 were first reported. • Both of ALP1 and ALP2 showed adjuvant effects on IBDV VP2 protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been reported that local weather is associated with the symptoms of joint pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and many people believe their pain becomes worse when facing rainy days. However, limited studies explored the effects of weather on RA patients' healthcare-seeking behavior. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between rainfall and readmission behavior of patients with RA in Hefei, China, based on hospitalization data from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from May 2012 to June 2016 and weather data from National Meteorological Information Center during the same study period. Using a time-stratified case-crossover study design and conditional logistic regression, we found a negative association between current day rainfall and readmission (unadjusted: OR = 0.82, p < 0.05; adjusted: OR = 0.83, p < 0.1), which is contrary to our common belief. In lagged models, we observed that rainfall was significantly and positively associated with readmissions at lag 6 days (unadjusted: OR = 1.12, p < 0.1; adjusted: OR = 1.17, p < 0.05) and lag 7 days (unadjusted: OR = 1.13, p < 0.05; adjusted: OR = 1.21, p < 0.01). Additionally, stratified analyses showed the unanticipated finding was only statistically significant for younger patients (< 65 years) and females. Our study adds new evidence that the association between the healthcare-seeking behavior of patients with RA and local rainfall may be different, compared with the positive relationship between symptoms of joint pain and rainfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point cloud object detection is gradually playing a key role in autonomous driving tasks. To address the issue of insensitivity to sparse objects in point cloud object detection, we have made improvements to the voxel encoding and 3D backbone network of the PVRCNN++. We have introduced adaptive pooling operations during voxel feature encoding to expand the point cloud information within each voxel, followed by the utilization of multi-layer perceptrons to extract richer point cloud features. On the 3D backbone network, we have employed adaptive sparse convolution operations to make the backbone network's channel count more flexible, allowing it to accommodate a wider range of input data types. Furthermore, we have integrated Focal Loss to tackle the issue of class imbalance in detection tasks. Experimental results on the public KITTI dataset demonstrate significant improvements over the PVRCNN++, particularly in pedestrian and bicycle detection tasks. Specifically, we have observed 1% increase in detection accuracy for pedestrians and 2.1% improvement for bicycles. Our detection performance also surpasses that of other comparative detection algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Water vertical infiltration occurs along an extremum path with linear deviation. • The water content and wetting front evolution characteristics are easily shown. • A direct method for measuring hydraulic conductivity is presented. According to the principle of stationary action, water vertically infiltrates unsaturated soils along an infiltration-duration extremum path with linear deviation. The solution of the Euler–Lagrange equation with appropriate boundary conditions yields a linear relationship between the moisture diffusion function and the ratio of the spatial location to the wetting front distance. By integrating the law of mass conservation at the boundary, the temporal evolution of the wetting front is implicitly derived. A linear term is introduced to compensate for the deviation in calculating the position of the wetting front owing to the Taylor series approximation. Based on the representation of the diffusion function in relation to the boundary diffusivity, the spatial location and the position of the wetting front, a direct way to determine hydraulic conductivity is presented. Unlike existing methods, the proposed approach involves fewer hypotheses and is more theoretically robust. Moreover, the material parameters in the proposed approach have a clear physical meaning and can be explicitly determined. Using the Brooks–Corey hydraulic function, the evolution and distribution characteristics of the water content are explicitly determined, while the advancing wetting front is implicitly represented. The results of the proposed solution for different types of soil are in agreement with these numerical and analytical solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the high difficulty of smartphone glass detection and the variety of defect morphologies, the detection results are easily affected by the environment, making it difficult to meet the accuracy requirements of industrial inspection. Based on the existing YOLO v5s network, this study proposes a new network Dy-YOLO v5s. In particular, an attention module is introduced into the residual structure, and the cross-scale and cross-layer connections of feature maps are added to the Neck to improve the feature extraction and information exchange capabilities of the detection network. This algorithm introduces the dynamic detection framework called dynamic head (DyHead), which improves the detection head's capacity for perception. Additionally, the redundant anchor boxes and the balance of positive and negative samples are deduplicated using the confidence propagation cluster (cp-cluster) and varifocal loss functions. The experimental results demonstrate that when the intersection over union (IOU) threshold is set to 50%, the mean average precision (mAP) of Dy-YOLO v5s, precision rate (P), and recall rate (R) reach values of 96.2%, 92.6%, and 93.1%, respectively. Compared with YOLO v5s, mAP@0.5 and mAP@0.5 - 0.95 increased by 4.5% and 4.6%, respectively. The approach also has significant advantages over other deep-learning algorithms in terms of overall accuracy and real-time performance. Therefore, it can fully satisfy the detection requirements of smartphone glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to organophosphate esters (OPEs) may be associated with impaired glucose homeostasis and increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in adolescent. However, the evidence in general population is scarce, especially for glucose homeostasis. We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2008 and 2011–2012 to investigate the relationship of urinary OPEs with glucose homeostasis and T2D in adults. A total of 5347 participants aged ≥20 years were included. The exposures were the concentrations of urinary OPEs metabolites [dimethyl phosphate (DMP), dimethyl thiophosphate (DMTP), dimethyl dithiophosphate (DMDTP), diethyl phosphate (DEP), diethyl thiophosphate (DETP), and diethyl dithiophosphate (DEDTP)]. The health outcomes were prevalence of T2D and glucose homeostasis [i.e., fasting glucose, 2-h plasma glucose during a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (2 h-OGTT), serum insulin, HemoglobinA1c (HbA1c), HOMA-IR, and HOMA-β]. The multivariable linear regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between OPEs and glucose homeostasis. The multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between OPEs and prevalence of T2D. The OPEs compound DMTP was significantly associated with higher levels of serum insulin [β (95%confidence interval, CI) = 0.21 (0.06,0.36), for one unit increase in log 2 -transformed exposure] and HOMA IR [β (95%CI) = 0.08 (0.02,0.14)], and increased odds of T2D [odds ratio (95% CI) = 1.05 (1.01–1.08)]. Other OPEs were not statistically associated with the serum markers for glucose homeostasis or T2D prevalence. Our study found that the OPEs compound DMTP might be associated with impaired glucose homeostasis and may increase the prevalence of T2D in U.S. adults. Further longitudinal or experimental studies are warranted to verify our findings in different populations and different OPEs concentrations. [Display omitted] • Evidence on OPEs with glucose homeostasis/type 2 diabetes is scarce. • DMTP was associated with impaired glucose homeostasis/higher prevalent T2D. • Further longitudinal and experimental studies are warranted to verify the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the effects of radiofrequency-electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) from mobile phones on depression and anxiety after titanium mesh cranioplasty among patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: Two hundred and twenty patients with TBI and titanium mesh cranioplasty who were hospitalized from 2008–2012 were recruited in this study. From November–December 2012, the relevant information was surveyed including socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle variables, injury-related information, RF-EMF exposure of mobile phone, Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). Associations of RF-EMFs exposure after titanium mesh cranioplasty with SAS and SDS were respectively estimated by multivariable linear regression models. Results: The patients with long durations of mobile phone use (β = −6.6,p = 0.002), long individual call duration (β= −5.3,p = 0.012), more daily calls (β = −3.6,p = 0.027), invariably answer call immediately (β = −3.9,p = 0.022) and high comprehensive exposure level (β = −4.8,p = 0.003) had a lower score of depression compared with those without a mobile phone. Moreover, an ipsilateral and contralateral answering phone enhanced the protective effect on depression. Individuals with a long duration of mobile phone use had a lower score of anxiety (β = −4.2,p = 0.008), while those with a bilateral answering phone had higher anxiety (β = 3.9,p = 0.012) in comparison to those without a mobile phone. Conclusion: RF-EMFs after cranioplasty were significantly associated with the lower risk of depression and anxiety status among patients with TBI. Chronic and frequent RF-EMFs exposure may improve psychiatric disorders among patients with TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The common camera lens usually includes the spherical glass/plastic lens and aspheric glass/plastic lens. However, spherical/aspheric shape measurement is still a key problem in the process of optical lens fabrication. At present, the in-process measurement of spherical/aspheric shape is conducted mainly by the probe-contacting method. But after a long time, its probe could be scratched severely and cause some big errors. Laser shearing interferometry is a good substitute to some degree. Nevertheless, it is not convenient for general shearing interferometer to carry out the in-process measurement because it is only suitable for certain kind of spherical/aspheric with respect to aperture or asperity. Here a new lateral shearing interferometer is proposed to solve the described problems. It is based on two Jamin plates and rotatable prism pairs which are used not only for shearing displacement and direction, but also for fringe period and tilt degree, in order to meet requirements of various spherical/aspheric shapes or asperities. The new interferometer features a simple optical structure and two symmetric light paths, which makes its system with minimal error. The relation between shearing displacement, fringe period and prism angle of rotation is given in this paper. And the error source is primarily from the manufacture errors of prisms and plates. The final experiments show that one can achieve good-quality fringe patterns according to the requirement of measurement, concerning the shearing direction, shearing displacement, fringe period, tilt degree, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: At present, regarding to the machining of aspheric lens mold, there are two major methods to carry out the on-machine measurement (OMM) — contacting method (CM) and non-contacting method (NCM). Here such two methods are reviewed in detail. CM is mainly based on the contacting probe which is scratching aspheric surface of lens mold to achieve profile data. To be efficient, an idea with 45° tilt of probe is proposed for OMM of lens mold by Suzuki. But generally speaking, the contacting OMM is not so efficient and can only deal with axisymmetric aspheric lens mold. On the contrary, NCM mostly uses laser to achieve aspheric profile without any contact. On ultra-precision lathe, laser scanning system or laser interferometer is mounted on the frame of lathe and transfers measurement data to machining system efficiently. However, most NCMs need stable environment and low working noise except instantaneous phase-shifting shearing interferometry (IPSSI). Therefore, a new idea about IPSSI is proposed in this paper to realize OMM of lens molds. Unfortunately, it's also difficult to test the high numerical aperture aspheric or free-form lens molds. By comparison, the newly-developed fringe reflection (FR) method is becoming the promising method because it features the high efficiency and high accuracy. However, this method has not been used for OMM system yet. Much research should be conducted for FR OMM technology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A fast and high-resolution reconstruction algorithm with variable resolution increasing ratio and down-sampling ratio is proposed. Since the digital holography requires that the space-bandwidth product of the recording system should be greater than that of the object so as to ensure no loss of information, usually much redundant information and pixels exist in the recorded digital hologram. According to that, we propose utilizing a flexible down-sampling process with variable ratio to eliminate the redundancy. The technical characteristics are analyzed. The validity of this method is shown by both calculations based on theory analysis and experimental results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As for the new type of 3D fringe-based profilometry we proposed, a compact projection lens is designed to meet the requirements of interferometric fringes magnification. Fringe projection profilometry requires that the projection lens has super short focus length and wide field of view (FOV) as well as large projection area as possible. In this case, the measurement system is able to capture a frame of fringe map with enough information of object and achieve a high accuracy. Thus the projection lens was designed with focus length of 9.45mm, F-number of 2.8 and FOV of 72.45°. The total track of lens was 76.355mm, less than 80mm. The projection resolutions were 800×600 pixels. The lens design showed that the modulation transfer function (MTF) is higher than 80% at 32lp/mm for all field angles. The maximum distortion was about −3.0% at field angle of 72.45°. According to the size requirement of measured object, the projection area was 40″ at the distance of 1m. Therefore, the compact lens design with super short focus length and wide FOV as well as large projection area is absolutely adaptable for the 3D fringe-based profilometry which is shown in this paper. Meanwhile, the proposed lens design could also be used for the mini LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) projector. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: For the 3D digitizing structure-light profilometry, five kinds of phase reconstructing (PR) algorithms, including Schofield''s S-FFT (with 4 pairs of FFT & Inverse FFT operators) algorithm, Volkov''s deterministic V-FFT PR algorithm (with only one pair of FFT operators and one Inverse FFT operator), quality-guided (QG) method, weighted least-square (WLS) method and a proposed Discrete-Cosine-Transform-Based (DCT-B) algorithm have been implemented and discussed in detail. The computer-simulated data show that the WLS and V-FFT enjoy the least phase error, but the QG algorithm achieves the trade-off between reliability and computational time. The S-FFT together with V-FFT method almost fails to deal with the experimental data with abrupt phase variance. Among the other three algorithms, the DCT-B algorithm shows its advantage over QG and WLS algorithms in settling these problems. Considering phase error and computational time, it could win the priority in PR. The experimental results also demonstrate that the proposed DCT-B algorithm could be firstly considered in the application of structure-light profilometry, especially to process the abrupt-phase maps. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: After discussing Schofield''s fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm, a (weighted) discrete-cosine-transform-based (DCT-based) phase-unwrapping (PU) algorithm is described. The algorithm could unwrap some high-phase-variation map which the FFT algorithm could not solve. Although the DCT algorithm is derived from Schofield''s FFT PU algorithm, unlike FFT, it avoids the mirroring operation in implementing the boundary conditions so that it has higher efficiency in PU. Furthermore, in order to improve the reliability and noise robustness, we introduce the phase derivative variance (PDV) quality weight extracted from quality map into the DCT algorithm. The unwrapped results of both the computer-simulated and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IFSAR) data demonstrate that the (weighted) DCT PU algorithm is generally effective, especially in dealing with the high-phase-variation and/or irregular-phase-distribution maps. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: By expanding the hard aperture function into a finite sum of complex Gaussian functions, approximate analytical expressions of Wigner distribution function for fundamental mode Gaussian beam through an apertured and misaligned ABCD optical system are derived. Compared with the aligned case, results show that the misaligned optical system will introduce in the output Wigner distribution function a coordinate shift in space-frequency plane. To examine the analytical results, some numerical simulations are carried out and the absolute errors between analytical results and numerical integral ones are presented. It is shown that the approximate analytical results are proper and ascendant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We design a fringe-variable Jamin interferometer to detect the reversed domain of a ferroelectric crystal in real time. In contrast to the Mach-Zehnder interferometer, this setup is compact and tunable in fringe frequency. In experiments, we use it to detect the partly reversed domains of Stoichiometric LiTaO3 (SLT). Selecting the proper fringe cycle, we can estimate the average phase shift between the original and reversed domains through eyeballing. Furthermore, in the interferogram processing, we use the FFT methods to reconstruct the phase according to the original fringe and deformed fringe, and obtain the phase variance at the domain wall. The results show that the average phase variance at the domain wall is in good agreement with the theoretical value. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: By expanding the aperture into complex Gaussian functions, the approximate analytical impulse response function of apertured and misaligned ABCD optical system in phase-space is determined, which allows us to formulate the input–output relation completely in terms of Wigner distribution functions. Its shown that the hard-aperture placed before the optical system will change the shape of output signal Wigner distribution and the misalignment of optical system will introduce the output Wigner distribution function a coordinate shift in phase-space. For examining the analytical results some numerical simulation are done and the graphical results as well as the absolute errors between analytical results and numerical integral ones are presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An FFT-based two-step phase-shifting (TPS) algorithm is described in detail and implemented by use of experimental interferograms. This algorithm has been proposed to solve the TPS problem with random phase shift except π. By comparison with the visibility-function-based TPS algorithm, it proves that the FFT-based algorithm has obvious advantages in phase extracting. Meanwhile, we present a π-phase-shift supplement to the TPS algorithm, which combines the two interferograms and demodulates the phase map by locating the extrema of the combined fringes after removing the respective backgrounds. So combining this method and FFT-based one, one could really implement the TPS with random phase shift. Whereafter, we systematically compare the TPS with single-interferogram analysis algorithm and conventional three-step phase-shifting one. The results demonstrate that the FFT-based TPS algorithm has a satisfactory accuracy. At last, based on the polarizing interferometry, a schematic setup of two-channel TPS interferometer with random phase shift is suggested to implement the simultaneous collection of interferograms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Mask Cut unwrapping algorithm, a cross between Goldstein''s Branch Cut and quality-guided path following algorithm, is generally successful at unwrapping phase; but if no good quality map, wrong placement of branch cuts or bad phase-unwrapping path, it will fail to confine the errors to the low-quality regions and lead to the failure of phase unwrapping. To overcome these drawbacks, we propose a new reliability function (i.e. quality map) based on the fringe modulation (the visibility of the fringes) and second-order phase difference, and improve the reliability-guided phase-unwrapping algorithm. Considering the residues, we use the reliability information to guide the placement of branch cuts and to optimize the phase-unwrapping path. The simulated and experimental data both demonstrate the validity of the new reliability-guided phase-unwrapping method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Use of three-step phase-shifting for single color fringe. • A new quality weight is proposed for quality-guiding the phase unwrapping. • An experimental method with lower reconstruction error is proposed. The fringe -reflection technology has been widely applied in the fields of industrial inspection and measurements. In the present study, three-step phase-shifting is developed using the color fringe-reflection approach to inspect a work-piece surface with rotational symmetry characteristics, and an improved experiment is proposed. In addition, by combining Robert gradient with fringe modulation, a new quality weight, referred to as 'Modulation-Robert gradient variance' (MRGV), is proposed for quality-guiding the phase-unwrapping (PU) algorithm. In comparison to the traditional quality weights, MRGV presented higher noise immunity and lower PU error in the root mean square (RMS). In addition, in terms of defect detection, MRGV performed better than the other weights. Finally, after MRGV-guided PU conduction, the proposed experiment method is used in combination with an improved Southwell integration algorithm to realize the 3D reconstruction. The reconstruction error is approximately 3.09% lower than that presented by certain other methods. Furthermore, the results indicated that the combination of the proposed method and the new quality weight could effectively detect the defects and offer an accurate measurement of a rotationally symmetrical surface to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Surface tunning of perovskites by acid etching to improve the catalytic activity. • The lattice oxygen is activated by acid treatment. • Nonradical pathways dominate the degradation. Increasing attention has been paid to the perovskite oxides activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for wastewater treatment. In this article, the La 0.65 Sr 0.35 MnO 3 (LSMO) treated with dilute HNO 3 was explored for PMS activation. The La 0.65 Sr 0.35 MnO 3 /Mn 3 O 4 composite is obtained after acid etching. The valence state of B-site Mn and surface oxygen vacancies are populated by etching different time. The LSMO-3 h (etching for 3 h) exhibits the best catalytic performance due to the activation of lattice oxygen, which induces improved redox ability. Minimal reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as OH, SO 4 −, 1O 2, and O 2 − are generated, contributing little to bisphenol A (BPA) degradation. The Mn(III)-PMS complex and highly oxidative Mn(IV) under the acidic environment are responsible for the excellent degradation. The findings demonstrate an effective strategy of surface etching in enhancing the catalytic performance of perovskite oxides for advanced oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We present a new method for numerically reconstructing holography image on tilted planes within the Fresnel domain. The method is based on the Fresnel diffraction algorithm and object wave rotation transform. By suitable rotation the object wave on recording plane and once fast Fourier transformation this method can be implemented. The proposed method can render the real image of the hologram not only on parallel plane but also on the tilted. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the method for a single axis rotation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Previous studies have found that human mobility restrictions could not only prevent the spread of COVID-19, but also improve the air quality because of the reduction of industrial production, transportation and traffic. It is noteworthy that air quality is also closely related to the risk of COVID-19 infection. Therefore, we aimed to assess the mediating role of air quality on the association between human mobility and the infection caused by this novel coronavirus. We collected daily confirmed cases, human mobility data, air quality data and meteorological variables in 120 cities from China between January 23, 2020 and February 29, 2020. We applied the generalized additive model to examine the association of human mobility index with COVID-19 confirmed cases, and to assess the mediating effects of air quality index and each pollutant. We observed a significant positive relationship between human mobility index and the daily counts of COVID-19 confirmed cases. A unit increase in human mobility index (lag0–14) was associated with a 6.45% increase in daily COVID-19 confirmed cases, and air quality index significantly mediated 19.47% of this association. We also observed a positive relationship between human mobility index and air quality index. In the pollutant level analyses, we found significant mediating effects of PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and NO 2. Our study suggests that limiting human movements could reduce COVID-19 cases by improving air quality besides decreasing social contact. Image 1 • There was a positive relationship between human mobility and COVID-19 infection. • Human mobility was positively associated with the air quality index. • Air quality index partially mediated the association of human mobility with COVID-19 infection. • We also observed the significant mediating effects of PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and NO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Transition-metal-atom anchored graphdiynes (TM@GDY, TM = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu) have already been synthesized and found applications in hydrogen evolution, nitrogen fixation and etc. By means of first-principle predictions and test experiments, we propose here that Fe@GDY and Co@GDY are efficient catalysts for the sustainable conversion of O 3 to O 2. These two catalysts can spontaneously chemisorb O 3 with zero reaction barrier and have low O 3 conversion barriers (0.31 eV and 0.19 eV, respectively). The O 3 decomposition experiment in a continuous flow membrane reactor and electron paramagnetic resonance results verify that Fe@GDY and Co@GDY are efficient catalysts under humid conditions. Raman spectra prove the formation of the key Fe-O/Co-O and Fe O O and Co O O intermediates. The hydrophobic nature of graphdiyne and the strongest chemisorption of O 3 among tested ambient gases, make Fe@GDY and Co@GDY ideal catalysts under both dry and humid conditions. These findings would stimulate future explorations on metal anchored GDY-based catalysts for applications of toxic gas decomposition or fixation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus pneumonia, namely COVID-19, has become a global public health problem. Previous studies have found that air pollution is a risk factor for respiratory infection by carrying microorganisms and affecting body's immunity. This study aimed to explore the relationship between ambient air pollutants and the infection caused by the novel coronavirus. Daily confirmed cases, air pollution concentration and meteorological variables in 120 cities were obtained from January 23, 2020 to February 29, 2020 in China. We applied a generalized additive model to investigate the associations of six air pollutants (PM 2.5 , PM 10 , SO 2 , CO, NO 2 and O 3) with COVID-19 confirmed cases. We observed significantly positive associations of PM 2.5 , PM 10 , NO 2 and O 3 in the last two weeks with newly COVID-19 confirmed cases. A 10-μg/m3 increase (lag0–14) in PM 2.5 , PM 10 , NO 2 , and O 3 was associated with a 2.24% (95% CI: 1.02 to 3.46), 1.76% (95% CI: 0.89 to 2.63), 6.94% (95% CI: 2.38 to 11.51), and 4.76% (95% CI: 1.99 to 7.52) increase in the daily counts of confirmed cases, respectively. However, a 10-μg/m3 increase (lag0–14) in SO 2 was associated with a 7.79% decrease (95% CI: −14.57 to −1.01) in COVID-19 confirmed cases. Our results indicate that there is a significant relationship between air pollution and COVID-19 infection, which could partially explain the effect of national lockdown and provide implications for the control and prevention of this novel disease. Unlabelled Image • There was a significant relationship between air pollution and COVID-19 infection after controlling for confounding factors. • Positive associations of PM 2.5 , PM 10 , CO, NO 2 and O 3 with COVID-19 confirmed cases were observed. • However, SO 2 was negatively associated with the number of daily COVID-19 confirmed cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a severe public health problem globally. Both epidemiological and laboratory studies have shown that ambient temperature could affect the transmission and survival of coronaviruses. This study aimed to determine whether the temperature is an essential factor in the infection caused by this novel coronavirus. Daily confirmed cases and meteorological factors in 122 cities were collected between January 23, 2020, to February 29, 2020. A generalized additive model (GAM) was applied to explore the nonlinear relationship between mean temperature and COVID-19 confirmed cases. We also used a piecewise linear regression to determine the relationship in detail. The exposure-response curves suggested that the relationship between mean temperature and COVID-19 confirmed cases was approximately linear in the range of <3 °C and became flat above 3 °C. When mean temperature (lag0–14) was below 3 °C, each 1 °C rise was associated with a 4.861% (95% CI: 3.209–6.513) increase in the daily number of COVID-19 confirmed cases. These findings were robust in our sensitivity analyses. Our results indicate that mean temperature has a positive linear relationship with the number of COVID-19 cases with a threshold of 3 °C. There is no evidence supporting that case counts of COVID-19 could decline when the weather becomes warmer, which provides useful implications for policymakers and the public. Unlabelled Image • Mean temperature of last two weeks (when < 3 °C) was positively associated with newly confirmed COVID-19 cases. • 1 °C rise in the mean temperature of last weeks (when < 3 °C) was associated with a 4.861% increase in the daily confirmed cases. • There is no evidence supporting that case counts of COVID-19 could decline when the weather becomes warmer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is indicated that lipids profiles are associated with carotid plaque and Atherosclerosis. However, studies about the relationship between serum lipid profiles and carotid plaque composition in Chinese Population is limited. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 3,214 participants between January 2015 and December 2017 in China, to investigate the association between various lipid profiles and the prevalence of carotid plaque. Logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between plasma lipid profiles and odds of carotid plaque. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare the mean plasma lipid profiles among different number and composition of carotid artery plaques. HDL-C, Non-HDL-C levels, TC/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C were significantly associated with the presence of carotid plaque; HDL-C, LDL-C, Non-HDL-C levels, TC/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C were significantly associated with the presence of common carotid artery (CCA) plaque. Compare with participants without carotid plaque, increased level of LDL-C/HDL-C was found in those with echolucent/polytype plaque. Similarly, compared with participants without CCA plaque, increased level of LDL-C/HDL-C was found in those with echolucent plaque. In conclusion, we found that serum HDL-C, Non-HDLc level, TC/HDLc, and LDLc/HDLc were all associated with the prevalence of carotid plaque, and LDL-C/HDL-C differed among different group of carotid plaque composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Preoperative diagnosis of filum terminale ependymomas (FTEs) versus schwannomas is difficult but essential for surgical planning and prognostic assessment. With the advancement of deep-learning approaches based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs), the aim of this study was to determine whether CNN-based interpretation of magnetic resonance (MR) images of these two tumours could be achieved. Methods: Contrast-enhanced MRI data from 50 patients with primary FTE and 50 schwannomas in the lumbosacral spinal canal were retrospectively collected and used as training and internal validation datasets. The diagnostic accuracy of MRI was determined by consistency with postoperative histopathological examination. T1-weighted (T1-WI), T2-weighted (T2-WI) and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (CE-T1) MR images of the sagittal plane containing the tumour mass were selected for analysis. For each sequence, patient MRI data were randomly allocated to 5 groups that further underwent fivefold cross-validation to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the CNN models. An additional 34 pairs of cases were used as an external test dataset to validate the CNN classifiers. Results: After comparing multiple backbone CNN models, we developed a diagnostic system using Inception-v3. In the external test dataset, the per-examination combined sensitivities were 0.78 (0.71–0.84, 95% CI) based on T1-weighted images, 0.79 (0.72–0.84, 95% CI) for T2-weighted images, 0.88 (0.83–0.92, 95% CI) for CE-T1 images, and 0.88 (0.83–0.92, 95% CI) for all weighted images. The combined specificities were 0.72 based on T1-WI (0.66–0.78, 95% CI), 0.84 (0.78–0.89, 95% CI) based on T2-WI, 0.74 (0.67–0.80, 95% CI) for CE-T1, and 0.81 (0.76–0.86, 95% CI) for all weighted images. After all three MRI modalities were merged, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was calculated, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.93, with an accuracy of 0.87. Conclusions: CNN based MRI analysis has the potential to accurately differentiate ependymomas from schwannomas in the lumbar segment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have reported that their pain becomes worse when the local weather changes. However, there is limited evidence verifying the short-term associations between meteorological factors and outpatient visits for patients with AS. Therefore, this study evaluates this possible association.Methods: Meteorological data and data on daily AS outpatient visits to a general hospital in Hefei, China, from 2014 to 2019 were collected and analysed. Distributed lag nonlinear models and Poisson regression models were employed to determine the association between weather conditions and outpatient visits; the results were also stratified by gender and age.Results: High relative humidity is significantly associated with all patient visits in lag 1 (RR = 1.113, 95% CI 1.021 to 1.213) and lag 7 days (RR = 1.115, 95% CI 1.014 to 1.227). A low relative risk to the nadir is observed in lag 4 days (RR = 0.920, 95% CI 0.862 to 0.983). Male and young patients (< 65 years) are more vulnerable to damp weather, and elderly people (≥ 65 years) are significantly affected by high temperatures in lag 7 days (RR = 3.004, 95% CI 1.201 to 7.510).Conclusions: Our findings suggest a potential relationship between exposure to weather conditions and increased risk of AS outpatient visits. These results can aid hospitals in preparing for and managing hospital visits by AS patients when the local weather conditions change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several epidemiological studies have investigated the association between dietary fat intake and cardiovascular disease. However, dietary recommendations based on systematic review and meta-analysis might be more credible. Methods and results: Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane library were searched up to July 1st 2018 for cohort studies reporting associations of dietary fat intake and risk of CVDs. By comparing the highest vs. the lowest categories of fat or fatty acids intake, we found that higher dietary trans fatty acids (TFA) intake was associated with increased risk of CVDs [RR:1.14(1.08–1.21)]. However, no association was observed between total fat, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), saturated fatty acids (SFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and risk of CVDs. Subgroup analysis found a cardio-protective effect of PUFA in the studies that has been followed up more than 10 years [0.95(0.91–0.99), I2 = 62.4%]. Dose-response analysis suggested that the risk of CVDs increased 16% [1.16 (1.07–1.25), Plinearity = 0.033] for an increment of 2% energy/day of TFA intake. Conclusions: This current meta-analysis of cohort studies suggested that total fat, SFA, MUFA, and PUFA intake were not associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, we found that higher TFA intake is associated with greater risk of CVDs in a dose-response fashion. Furthermore, the subgroup analysis found a cardio-protective effect of PUFA in studies followed up for more than 10 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing studies on the degradation mechanism of composite adhesive joints mostly focus on the aging of adhesives, but the aging effect of composites is often ignored. In this paper, the degradation mechanism of adhesive, CFRP, as well as shear joints (SJ) and butt joints (BJ) in thermal-humidity-cycles (T-H-C) for automobiles were investigated by chemical detection and mechanical testing. The aging effects of adhesives and composites are compared and analyzed by the variation in chemical and mechanical properties to reveal the degradation mechanism of composite adhesive joints. Experimental testing show that the adhesive and CFRP underwent hydrolysis and oxidative decomposition respectively, and there was a reduction in Tg (glass transition temperature) and thermal stability. The joint strength of composite adhesive joints fell by around 40% after 30d (days), and interfacial failure appeared. The variation in the composition of adhesive and CFRP, interfacial failure and thermal stress contributed to the degradation of composite adhesive joints. Degradation mechanism analysis shows that SJ under shear stress state were less affected by CFRP aging, while BJ under normal stress state were more affected by CFRP aging and the effect became more obvious with time growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timely detection and management of daylily diseases are crucial to prevent yield reduction. However, detection models often struggle with handling the interference of complex backgrounds, leading to low accuracy, especially in detecting small targets. To address this problem, we propose DaylilyNet, an object detection algorithm that uses multi-task learning to optimize the detection process. By incorporating a semantic segmentation loss function, the model focuses its attention on diseased leaf regions, while a spatial global feature extractor enhances interactions between leaf and background areas. Additionally, a feature alignment module improves localization accuracy by mitigating feature misalignment. To investigate the impact of information loss on model detection performance, we created two datasets. One dataset, referred to as the 'sliding window dataset', was obtained by splitting the original-resolution images using a sliding window. The other dataset, known as the 'non-sliding window dataset', was obtained by downsampling the images. Experimental results in the 'sliding window dataset' and the 'non-sliding window dataset' demonstrate that DaylilyNet outperforms YOLOv5-L in mAP@0.5 by 5.2% and 4.0%, while reducing parameters and time cost. Compared to other models, our model maintains an advantage even in scenarios where there is missing information in the training dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Multiferroic YMn 0.5 Cr 0.5 O 3 possesses a multicaloric effect. • YMn 0.5 Cr 0.5 O 3 displays a second-order magnetic phase transition. • The nearest neighboring exchange integral J 12 of 10−4 eV has been derived from the spin wave picture. Abstract We have studied magneto- and electro-caloric effects in multiferroic YMn 0.5 Cr 0.5 O 3 compound, which has a ferrimagnetic transition at T N ∼73 K. Two peaks in the temperature dependence of isothermal magnetic entropy change Δ S M can be observed at T N and lower T 0 , respectively. While the first maximum of Δ S M corresponds to the ferrimagnetic transition as expected, the second one might be related to a metamagnetic transition. Using the Maxwell's relation, an electric field driven entropy change (−Δ S E) has also been obtained at temperatures around T N , revealing the multicaloric effect in the YMCO sample. Temperature dependence of the specific-heat confirms the second-order feature for the ferrimagnetic transition in YMCO. By fitting the specific-heat and magnetization data at low temperatures according to the spin-wave excitation model, the nearest neighboring exchange integral J 12 has been estimated to be around 10−4 eV, which is in agreement with the value gained from the molecular field theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background There are currently no high-quality studies on the optimal therapeutic approach for juxtafacet cyst, as treatment guidelines have not been developed. Herein, a novel technique in which we used an endoscopic transfacet approach to treat a patient with symptomatic lumbar synovial cyst is presented. Case Description An 87-year-old man presented with severe dull pain in the right anterior thigh. Lumbar magnetic resonance imaging revealed disc extrusion over the central canal zone at the L2–L3 and L4–L5 levels and an ovoid lesion with a hyperintense center plus a hypointense rim on the T2-weighted image. The lesion was located over the medial side of the right juxtafacet region at the L2–L3 level, causing thecal sac compression. After the operation, the visual analog pain scale improved with a value of 0–1/10, and straight leg raise test was negative. Microscopically, cystic fibrous tissue with focal myxoid degeneration, fibrin exudate, and scant synovial-like lining was observed. These findings were consistent with clinical synovial cyst. Three months later, lumbar magnetic resonance imaging was performed, and no evidence of cyst was disclosed. Lumbar computed tomography revealed the upper part of left L2–L3 facet joint was removed. The patient did not report any radicular pain during the 6-month follow-up period. Conclusions Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar surgery could be a new option for the management of lumbar synovial cysts, especially when general anesthesia is not appropriate for the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To systematically and comprehensively analyze the effects of different aging environments on the aging failure of aluminum alloy/CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics) composite bonded shear and butt joints, seven typical aging environments of room temperature (23°C/20%RH, RT), high-temperature (80°C/20%RH, HT), low temperature (−40°C, LT), temperature cycles (−40 ~ 80°C/20%RH, TC), immersed in water at room temperature (IRT), high temperature and high humidity (80°C /95%RH, HTHH), and hygrothermal cycles (−40°C ~ 80°C /95%RH, HC) were selected to perform aging tests. The composition analysis revealed that the adhesive underwent the most significant post-curing in HT, followed by TC, while LT had almost no effect on the adhesive. It was also found that the degree of moisture absorption and hydrolysis of the adhesive in IRT, HTHH and HC decreased sequentially. A single temperature or humidity environment had small effect on the failure strength of bonded joints less than 20%, increasing temperature or humidity could further reduce the failure strength by about 30%, and periodically changing the temperature or humidity had the greatest effect on the failure strength by more than 40%. ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) shows that all the single factors of aging time, load type, or aging environment had significant effects on the failure strength, but the aging environment had the greatest effect. Multifactor coupling effects on the failure strength was not significant, except for the coupling effects of aging environment and aging time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present work, optical and thermal performances of a PCM-glazed unit were experimentally investigated compared with that filled with air, and the influences of solar irradiance, melting temperature and PCM layer thickness on three parameters were analyzed including the transmittance, the temperature difference between upper and bottom surfaces, and the interior surface temperature of the glazed unit. The results show that the thermal performance of glazed unit filled with PCM is improved compared with that of air, and transmittance of glazed unit is 50% when the PCM is liquid. Solar irradiance and PCM layer thickness both have effects on the optical and thermal performance of glazed unit, but the effect of melting temperature on thermal performance can be neglected. Increasing the PCM thickness can effectively decrease the heat loss of glazed unit filled with PCM, but the PCM thickness in the glazed unit is not beyond 16 mm considering the optical performance of glazed unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design: Retrospective study.Objective: To present a morphological map of cervical sagittal alignment in basilar invagination (BI), a congenital anomaly of the craniovertebral junction, and contribute to a comprehensive understanding of cervical sagittal alignment in congenital cervical deformities.Summary Of Background Data: Ideal cervical sagittal alignment and surgical targets are debated by scholars. However, most of the literature focuses on the description of cervical sagittal alignment in acquired cervical diseases and normal subjects and few on congenital cervical spine deformities.Materials and Methods: This study analyzed cervical spine lateral radiographs of 87 BI patients and 98 asymptomatic subjects. They were analyzed for cranial, cervical spine, and thoracic inlet parameters.Results: Patients with BI manifested significantly larger values for the following parameters than asymptomatic subjects: cranial tilt, cranial incidence angle, sagittal vertical axis (SVA) CGH-C7, C2-C7 angle, cervical tilt, and significantly smaller values for the following parameters: cranial slope, C0-C2 angle, C0-C7 angle, SVA C2-C7, spine tilt, thoracic inlet angle, and neck tilt. In the BI group, SVA C2-C7 was the cervical parameter most strongly correlated with the cranial, cervical spine, and thoracic inlet parameters, and was smaller in BI patients with fusion (atlanto-occipital assimilation) than in those without.Conclusion: A significant difference was observed between BI patients and asymptomatic subjects. BI patients have craniums tilted forward and downward, smaller upper cervical lordosis, larger lower cervical lordosis, and smaller thoracic inlet angle. In BI patients, the SVA C2-C7 is an important parameter in cervical sagittal alignment. In both individuals with congenital anomalies of the craniovertebral junction and the asymptomatic population, cervical spine alignment is significantly associated with cranial alignment, particularly thoracic inlet alignment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate and describe the morphologic features of the C2 pedicle in patients with basilar invagination (BI) for informing the placement of pedicle screws. C2 pedicle screw placement is an important surgical technique for the treatment of atlantoaxial instability in patients with BI. However, no systematic and comprehensive anatomical study of the C2 pedicle in patients with BI has been reported. Methods: The data from 100 patients diagnosed with BI (BI group) and 100 patients without head or cervical disease (control group) were included in the study. Radiographic parameters, including the pedicle width, length, height, transverse angle, lamina angle, and superior angle, were measured and analyzed on CT images. After summary analysis, the effect of C2–3 congenital fusion on C2 pedicle deformity in patients with BI was also investigated. Results: The width, length, and height of the C2 pedicle of the BI patients were smaller than those of the control group. The pedicle cancellous bone was smaller in the BI group, while no significant difference in cortical bone was observed. In total, 44% of the pedicles were smaller than 4.5 mm in the BI group. Patients with C2–3 congenital fusion presented with smaller pedicle transverse angles and larger pedicle superior angles than those without fusion. Wide variations in the left and right angles of the pedicle were observed in the BI group with atlantoaxial dislocation or atlantooccipital fusion. Conclusion: The C2 pedicle in the BI group was thinner than that in the control group due to a smaller cortical bone. Cases of C2–3 congenital fusion, atlantoaxial dislocation, and atlantooccipital fusion displayed variation in the angle of the C2 pedicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskite oxides are promising catalysts in peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation for wastewater treatment, attributed to their flexible structures. In this study, halogen anion (F− or Cl−) was doped in La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.8 Fe 0.2 O 3-δ (LSCF) for PMS activation, showing that appropriate anion doping enhances the catalytic performances. La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.8 Fe 0.2 O 2.75-δ Cl 0.25 (LSCFCl 0.25) exhibits a superior catalytic activity to pristine LSCF and La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.8 Fe 0.2 O 2.75-δ F 0.25 (LSCFF 0.25), attributed to the strong surface acidity, sufficient oxygen vacancies, and improved B-site metal−oxygen bonding. The rich acidic sites favor PMS adsorption on the catalyst surface. The sufficient hydrated electrons (e aq −) in the oxygen vacancies participated in the generation of free radicals (SO 4 •− and O 2 •−) and singlet oxygen (1O 2). The enlarged B-site metal−oxygen covalency could boost the electron transfer between PMS and Co(III)/Fe(III), and thus accelerate the redox reaction. SO 4 •− and 1O 2 are the dominating species for the degradation. This study deepens the catalytic mechanism and uncovers the active sites of perovskite catalysts for PMS activation, providing an inspiring modification strategy to improve the catalytic performances. [Display omitted] • Anion doping improves the catalytic activity of La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.8 Fe 0.2 O 3-δ. • Electrons in the oxygen vacancy favor the generation of ROS. • Enlarged B-site metal-oxygen covalency improves the redox capability of catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound imaging as a user-friendly and radiation-free navigation scheme has been gradually applied to minimally invasive spinal surgeries. However, acquiring an interpretable ultrasound image always requires experienced sonographers, which dramatically restricts its applications. To this end, in this article, a self-adaptive ultrasound scanning system (SAUSS) is proposed to image the human spine. This system automatically scans human back and real-time displays the spine structure. During scanning, our self-adaptive attitude-adjusting mechanism ensures the scan posture of the ultrasound probe, and guarantees human comfort and ultrasound coupling at the same time. According to the phantom experiments, our proposed system can maintain the resultant force in an appropriate region from 14 to 16 N on different segments of the spine and under different respiratory rates. Meanwhile, the automatically scanned image achieves higher quality and better repeatability than freehand one. In human trials, the image provided from SAUSS keeps clear image textures that are almost on par with computed tomography (CT) images, and its stability is also demonstrated from the comparisons of force fluctuations. In all, it has a great potential on navigation of spine surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]