Effects of Digital Picture Books on Young Children Undergoing Cardiac Catheterisation and Their Family Caregivers: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

AIM: To assess the impact of digital picture books on preoperative anxiety, pain and sleep quality in young children undergoing cardiac catheterisation and the anxiety of their family caregivers. DESIGN: A randomised, single-blinded, two-arm, parallel-group controlled trial. METHODS: Participants are young children aged 2-7 years with congenital heart disease scheduled for cardiac catheterisation and their family caregivers. They were enrolled at Fujian Medical University Union Hospital between September 2022 and July 2023. They were randomised to either a control group receiving usual care or an intervention group receiving digital picture book sessions. Anxiety and pain levels were assessed using standardised scales, and sleep quality was measured using actigraphy. RESULTS: The study included 64 pairs of young children and family caregivers. Digital picture books significantly reduced preoperative anxiety and bandage removal pain in children and anxiety in family caregivers. However, there was no statistical difference in sleep quality between the intervention group and the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Digital picture books prove to be an effective intervention for reducing anxiety and pain in paediatric cardiac catheterisation patients and anxiety of their family caregivers. The intervention did not affect sleep quality, suggesting the need for additional strategies to address this aspect of the hospital experience. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: This study demonstrated the effectiveness of digitally illustrated books in reducing preoperative anxiety and pain in young children and anxiety in family caregivers. Digital picture books offer a creative and engaging way to help children and their families cope with the stress and anxiety associated with medical procedures. Further research in this area may lead to the development of more innovative and effective interventions for paediatric patients and their family caregivers. IMPACT: The study's impact lies in its innovative approach to addressing the psychological and emotional challenges faced by young children and their family caregivers during the stressful experience of cardiac catheterisation. By demonstrating the efficacy of digital picture books in significantly reducing preoperative anxiety and postoperative pain, the research presents a non-pharmacological, accessible and engaging intervention that can be seamlessly integrated into existing healthcare practices. The findings have the potential to transform paediatric care by offering a safe, developmentally appropriate and cost-effective method to support the emotional well-being of children and their families, thereby enhancing the overall patient experience and clinical outcomes. Moreover, the study's emphasis on family caregiver involvement underscores the importance of a holistic approach to care that considers the needs of both the patient and their support system. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Children and their family caregivers were invited to provide valuable input which has been critical to the development of the intervention. The participant information sheet and consent form, as well as the consent/recruitment process, were reviewed by a consumer advisor advocate from the pilot study. REPORTING METHOD: CONSORT. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese clinical trial registry: ChiCTR2200063973. Registered on 22 September 2022, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=132833.

Sweetpotato sucrose transporter IbSUT1 alters storage roots formation by regulating sucrose transport and lignin biosynthesis.

The formation and development of storage roots is the most important physiological process in sweetpotato production. Sucrose transporters (SUTs) regulate sucrose transport from source to sink organs and play important roles in growth and development of plants. However, whether SUTs involved in sweetpotato storage roots formation is so far unknown. In this study, we show that IbSUT1, a SUT, is localized to the plasma membrane. Overexpression of IbSUT1 in sweetpotato promotes the sucrose efflux rate from leaves, leading to increased sucrose levels in roots, thus induces lignin deposition in the stele, which inhibits the storage roots formation and compromises the yield. Heterologous expression of IbSUT1 in Arabidopsis significantly increases the sucrose accumulation and promotes lignification in the inflorescence stems. RNA-seq and biochemical analysis further demonstrated that IbMYB1 negatively regulates the expression of IbSUT1. Overexpression of IbMYB1 in Arabidopsis reduces the sucrose accumulation and lignification degree in the inflorescence stems. Moreover, co-overexpression of IbMYB1 and IbSUT1 restores the phenotype of lignin over-deposition in Arabidopsis. Collectively, our results reveal that IbSUT1 regulates source-sink sucrose transport and participates in the formation of sweetpotato storage roots and highlight the potential application of IbSUT1 in improving sweetpotato yield in the future.

Assays to Study Mitophagy in Plants.

Like most eukaryotic cells, mitophagy is essential in plant development and stress response. Several recent studies have revealed proteins that regulate this process, such as Friendly (FMT) and TraB family proteins (TRB), which are plant-unique mitophagy regulators so far. Here, we describe methods for studying mitophagy activity in plants through conventional microscopy and the use of loss-of-function mutants, such as using transgenic mitochondrial marker lines followed by image analysis, chemical inhibitor treatment, and plant phenotype studies. These methods can be used in combination to identify the putative mitophagy regulators and understand their functions in mitochondrial-related activities in plants.

Telemedicine in Improving Glycemic Control Among Children and Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is the most common chronic autoimmune disease among children and adolescents. Telemedicine has been widely used in the field of chronic disease management and can benefit patients with T1DM. However, existing studies lack high-level evidence related to the effectiveness of telemedicine for glycemic control in children and adolescents with T1DM. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to systematically review the evidence on the effectiveness of telemedicine interventions compared with usual care on glycemic control among children and adolescents with T1DM. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science (all databases), and CINAHL Complete from database inception to May 2023. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effectiveness of a telemedicine intervention on glycemic control in children and adolescents with T1DM. In total, 2 independent reviewers performed the study selection and data extraction. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool. Our primary outcome was glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Secondary outcomes were quality of life, self-monitoring of blood glucose, the incidence of hypoglycemia, and cost-effectiveness. A random-effects model was used for this meta-analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 20 RCTs (1704 participants from 12 countries) were included in the meta-analysis. Only 5% (1/20) of the studies were at high risk of bias. Compared to usual care, telemedicine was found to reduce HbA1c levels by 0.22 (95% CI -0.33 to -0.10; P<.001; I2=35%). There was an improvement in self-monitoring of blood glucose (mean difference [MD] 0.54, 95% CI -0.72 to 1.80; P=.40; I2=67.8%) and the incidence of hypoglycemia (MD -0.15, 95% CI -0.57 to 0.27; P=.49; I2=70.7%), although this was not statistically significant. Moreover, telemedicine had no convincing effect on the Diabetes Quality of Life for Youth score (impact of diabetes: P=.59; worries about diabetes: P=.71; satisfaction with diabetes: P=.68), but there was a statistically significant improvement in non-youth-specific quality of life (MD -0.24, 95% CI -0.45 to -0.02; P=.04; I2=0%). Subgroup analyses revealed that the effect of telemedicine on HbA1c levels appeared to be greater in studies involving children (MD -0.41, 95% CI -0.62 to -0.20; P<.001), studies that lasted <6 months (MD -0.32, 95% CI -0.48 to -0.17; P<.001), studies where providers used smartphone apps to communicate with patients (MD -0.37, 95% CI -0.53 to -0.21; P<.001), and studies with medication dose adjustment (MD -0.25, 95% CI -0.37 to -0.12; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine can reduce HbA1c levels and improve quality of life in children and adolescents with T1DM. Telemedicine should be regarded as a useful supplement to usual care to control HbA1c levels and a potentially cost-effective mode. Meanwhile, researchers should develop higher-quality RCTs using large samples that focus on hard clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and quality of life.

Analysis of heavy metal and arsenic sources in mangrove surface sediments at Wulishan Port on Leizhou Peninsula, China, using the APCS-MLR model.

Mangrove forests are sources and sinks for various pollutants. This study analyzed the current status of heavy metal and arsenic (As) pollution in mangrove surface sediments in rapidly industrializing and urbanizing port cities. Surface sediments of mangroves at Wulishan Port on the Leizhou Peninsula, China, were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the presence of Cr, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cd, Cu, As, and Hg. The Pollution load index, Nemerow pollution index, and Potential ecological risk index were employed to evaluate the pollutant. Multivariate statistical methods were applied for the qualitative analysis of pollutant sources, and the APCS-MLR receptor model was used for quantification. This study indicated the following results: (1) The average content of eight pollutants surpassed the local background level but did not exceed the Marine Sediment Quality standard. The pollution levels across the four sampling areas were ranked as Ⅲ > Ⅳ > Ⅰ > Ⅱ. The area Ⅱ exhibited relatively lower pollution levels with the grain size of the sediments dominated by sand, which was not conducive to pollutant adsorption and enrichment. (2) The factor analysis and cluster analyses identified three primary sources of contamination. As, Cr, Ni, and Pb originated from nearby industrial activities and their associated wastewater, suggesting that the primary source was the industrial source. Cd, Cu, and Zn stem from the cement columns utilized in oyster farming, alongside discharges from mariculture and pig farming, establishing a secondary agricultural source. Hg originated from ship exhaust burning oil and vehicle emissions in the vicinity, representing the third traffic source. (3) The APCS-MLR receptor model results demonstrated industrial, agricultural, and traffic sources contributing 47.19 %, 33.13 %, and 13.03 %, respectively, with 6.65 % attributed to unidentified sources.

Ni/Photoredox-Catalyzed Enantioselective Acylation of α-Bromobenzoates with Aldehydes: A Formal Approach to Aldehyde-Aldehyde Cross-Coupling.

The catalytic cross-coupling of identical or similar functional groups is a cornerstone strategy for carbon-carbon bond formation, as exemplified by renowned methods, such as olefin cross-metathesis, Kolbe electrolysis, and various cross-electrophile couplings. However, similar methodologies for coupling aldehydes─fundamental building blocks in organic synthesis─remain underdeveloped. While the benzoin-type condensation, first reported in 1832, offers a reliable route for aldehyde dimerization, the chemo- and enantioselective cross-coupling of nonidentical yet similar aldehydes remains an unsolved challenge. Herein, we report a unified platform enabling highly chemo- and enantioselective cross-coupling of aldehydes. By leveraging nickel photoredox catalysis in tandem with discrete activation strategies for each aldehyde, this mechanistically distinct approach facilitates the enantioselective union of an aldehyde-derived α-oxy radical with an acyl radical, photocatalytically generated from a distinct aldehyde. This novel strategy enables modular access to enantioenriched α-oxygenated ketones with two minimally differentiated aliphatic substituents, a feat not achievable with existing chemocatalytic or biocatalytic techniques. The synthetic utility of this method is demonstrated by its application in the streamlined asymmetric synthesis of various medicinally relevant molecules. Additionally, mechanistic investigations rationalize the versatility of nickel photoredox catalysis to exploit new pathways for addressing long-standing synthetic challenges.

Functional Divergence in Orthologous Transcription Factors: Insights from AtCBF2/3/1 and OsDREB1C.

Despite traditional beliefs of orthologous genes maintaining similar functions across species, growing evidence points to their potential for functional divergence. C-repeat binding factors/dehydration-responsive element binding protein 1s (CBFs/DREB1s) are critical in cold acclimation, with their overexpression enhancing stress tolerance but often constraining plant growth. In contrast, a recent study unveiled a distinctive role of rice OsDREB1C in elevating nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), photosynthesis, and grain yield, implying functional divergence within the CBF/DREB1 orthologs across species. Here, we delve into divergent molecular mechanisms of OsDREB1C and AtCBF2/3/1 by exploring their evolutionary trajectories across rice and Arabidopsis genomes, regulatomes, and transcriptomes. Evolutionary scrutiny shows discrete clades for OsDREB1C and AtCBF2/3/1, with the Poaceae-specific DREB1C clade mediated by a transposon event. Genome-wide binding profiles highlight OsDREB1C's preference for GCCGAC compared to AtCBF2/3/1's preference for A/GCCGAC, a distinction determined by R12 in the OsDREB1C AP2/ERF domain. Cross-species multiomic analyses reveal shared gene orthogroups (OGs) and underscore numerous specific OGs uniquely bound and regulated by OsDREB1C, implicated in NUE, photosynthesis, and early flowering, or by AtCBF2/3/1, engaged in hormone and stress responses. This divergence arises from gene gains/losses (∼16.7% to 25.6%) and expression reprogramming (∼62.3% to 66.2%) of OsDREB1C- and AtCBF2/3/1-regulated OGs during the extensive evolution following the rice-Arabidopsis split. Our findings illustrate the regulatory evolution of OsDREB1C and AtCBF2/3/1 at a genomic scale, providing insights on the functional divergence of orthologous transcription factors following gene duplications across species.

Design, Modeling, and Experimental Validation of an Active Microcatheter Driven by Shape Memory Effects.

Microcatheters capable of active guidance have been proven to be effective and efficient solutions to interventional surgeries for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Herein, a novel microcatheter made of two biocompatible materials, shape memory alloy (SMA) and polyethylene (PE), is proposed. It consists of a reconfigurable distal actuator and a separate polyethylene catheter. The distal actuator is created via embedding U-shape SMA wires into the PE base, and its reconfigurability is mainly dominated by the shape memory effect (SME) of SMA wires, as well as the effect of thermal mismatch between the SMA and PE base. A mathematical model was established to predict the distal actuator's deformation, and the analytical solutions show great agreement with the finite element results. Structural optimization of such microcatheters was carried out using the verified analytical model, followed by fabrication of some typical prototypes. Experimental testing of their mechanical behaviors demonstrates the feasibility of the structural designs, and the reliability and accuracy of the mathematical model. The active microcatheter, together with the prediction model, will lay a solid foundation for rapid development and optimization of active navigation strategies for vascular interventions.

The effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions on reducing pain in patients undergoing bone marrow aspiration and biopsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Patients often consider bone marrow aspiration and biopsy to be one of the most painful medical procedures. The effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions to reduce pain during bone marrow aspiration and biopsy remains unclear. AIM: To synthesize existing evidence regarding the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions in mitigating procedural pain among patients undergoing bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. METHODS: Six electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched from inception to July 15, 2023. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool Version 2.0. Meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 16. The certainty of the evidence was assessed by the GRADE approach. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included 18 studies derived from 17 articles involving a total of 1017 participants. The pooled results revealed statistically significant pain reduction effects using distraction (SMD: -.845, 95% CI: -1.344 to -.346, p < .001), powered bone marrow biopsy system (SMD: -.266, 95% CI: -.529 to -.003, p = .048), and acupoint stimulation (SMD: -1.016, 95% CI: -1.995 to -.037, p = .042) among patients undergoing bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. However, the pooled results on hypnosis (SMD: -1.228, 95% CI: -4.091 to 1.515, p = .368) showed no significant impact on pain reduction. Additionally, the pooled results for distraction did not demonstrate a significant effect on operative anxiety (MD: -2.942, 95% CI: -7.650 to 1.767, p = .221). CONCLUSIONS: Distraction, powered bone marrow biopsy system and acupoint stimulation are effective in reducing pain among patients undergoing bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Not applicable. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This meta-analysis highlights the effectiveness of distraction, powered bone marrow biopsy system and acupoint stimulation for reducing pain in patients undergoing bone marrow biopsy. Healthcare professionals should consider integrating these interventions into pain management practices for these patients. REGISTRATION: (PROSPERO): CRD42023422854.

Differentiation of testicular seminomas from nonseminomas based on multiphase CT radiomics combined with machine learning: A multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Differentiating seminomas from nonseminomas is crucial for formulating optimal treatment strategies for testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs). Therefore, our study aimed to develop and validate a clinical-radiomics model for this purpose. METHODS: In this study, 221 patients with TGCTs confirmed by pathology from four hospitals were enrolled and classified into training (n = 126), internal validation (n = 55) and external test (n = 40) cohorts. Radiomics features were extracted from the CT images. After feature selection, we constructed a clinical model, radiomics models and clinical-radiomics model with different machine learning algorithms. The top-performing model was chosen utilizing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was also conducted to assess its practical utility. RESULTS: Compared with those of the clinical and radiomics models, the clinical-radiomics model demonstrated the highest discriminatory ability, with AUCs of 0.918 (95 % CI: 0.870 - 0.966), 0.909 (95 % CI: 0.829 - 0.988) and 0.839 (95 % CI: 0.709 - 0.968) in the training, validation and test cohorts, respectively. Moreover, DCA confirmed that the combined model had a greater net benefit in predicting seminomas and nonseminomas. CONCLUSION: The clinical-radiomics model serves as a potential tool for noninvasive differentiation between testicular seminomas and nonseminomas, offering valuable guidance for clinical treatment.

Different regions and environments have critical roles on yield, main quality and industrialization of an industrial purple-fleshed sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam.)) "Xuzishu8".

Purple-fleshed sweetpotato (PFSP) (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam), whose flesh is purple to dark purple, is a special variety type of sweetpotato, which has the characteristics of food crop, industrial crop and medicinal crop. The storage root (SR) of PFSP is rich in anthocyanins, starch, protein, soluble sugar, mineral elements, polyphenol, dietary fiber and so on, which has balanced and comprehensive nutritional value. And in recent years, its unique nutritional elements are increasingly known for their health functions. At present, there is no article on the characteristics and quality analysis of industrial xz8 variety. To explore the influence of different environments on the processing quality of xz8, we selected nine regions (Xuzhou, Jiawang, Pizhou, Xinyi, Peixian, Sihong, Yanchen, Xiangyang and Tianshui) to measure its yield and quality changes. The data demonstrated that xz8 has a very consistent high yield performance. In Tianshui, the anthocyanins, protein and minerals contents were significantly higher and yield also above average. Moreover, the variety with the lowest starch content exhibited the best taste. On the basis of the above results, it suggested that quite practicable to promote xz8 cultivation and suitable for processing in these areas. Thus, our present findings improve our understanding of xz8 variety and provide the basis for the industrial production of PFSP with strong prospects for success.

Construction of Synergistic Co/CoO Interface to Enhance Hydrogenation Activity of Ethyl Lactate to 1,2-Propanediol.

The development of effective and stable non-precious catalysts for hydrogenation of ester to diols remains a challenge. Herein, the catalytic hydrogenation of ethyl lactate (EL) to 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO) with supported Co catalysts derived from layered double hydroxides (LDHs) is investigated. Catalytic tests reveal that LDH-derived Co catalysts exhibit the best catalytic performance with 98 % of EL conversion and >99 % of 1,2-PDO selectivity at mild conditions, compared with other Co catalysts (supported on Al2O3, and TiO2) and LDH-derived Cu catalysts. Due to the strong interaction among Co and Al matrix, the main composition is metallic Co0 and CoO after reduction at 600 °C. Besides, the catalyst shows good recyclability in the liquid phase hydrogenation. The superior catalytic performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect between Co0 and CoO, in which H2 molecule is activated on Co0 and EL is strongly adsorbed on CoO via hydroxyl groups.

Ultrasound-based deep learning radiomics nomogram for risk stratification of testicular masses: a two-center study.

OBJECTIVE: To develop an ultrasound-driven clinical deep learning radiomics (CDLR) model for stratifying the risk of testicular masses, aiming to guide individualized treatment and minimize unnecessary procedures. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 275 patients with confirmed testicular lesions (January 2018 to April 2023) from two hospitals, split into training (158 cases), validation (68 cases), and external test cohorts (49 cases). Radiomics and deep learning (DL) features were extracted from preoperative ultrasound images. Following feature selection, we utilized logistic regression (LR) to establish a deep learning radiomics (DLR) model and subsequently derived its signature. Clinical data underwent univariate and multivariate LR analyses, forming the "clinic signature." By integrating the DLR and clinic signatures using multivariable LR, we formulated the CDLR nomogram for testicular mass risk stratification. The model's efficacy was gauged using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), while its clinical utility was appraised with decision curve analysis(DCA). Additionally, we compared these models with two radiologists' assessments (5-8 years of practice). RESULTS: The CDLR nomogram showcased exceptional precision in distinguishing testicular tumors from non-tumorous lesions, registering AUCs of 0.909 (internal validation) and 0.835 (external validation). It also excelled in discerning malignant from benign testicular masses, posting AUCs of 0.851 (internal validation) and 0.834 (external validation). Notably, CDLR surpassed the clinical model, standalone DLR, and the evaluations of the two radiologists. CONCLUSION: The CDLR nomogram offers a reliable tool for differentiating risks associated with testicular masses. It augments radiological diagnoses, facilitates personalized treatment approaches, and curtails unwarranted medical procedures.

An Arabidopsis Rab18 GTPase promotes autophagy by tethering ATG18a to the ER in response to nutrient starvation.

The expansion of autophagosomes requires a controlled association with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, the mechanisms governing this process are not well defined. In plants, ATG18a plays a key role in autophagosome formation in response to stress, yet the factors regulating the process are unknown. This study finds that ATG18a acts as a downstream effector of RABC1, a member of the poorly characterized Rab18/RabC GTPase subclass in plants. Active RABC1 interacts with ATG18a on the ER, particularly under nutrient starvation. In rabc1 mutants, autophagy is compromised, especially under nutrient deprivation, affecting the ER association and expansion of ATG18a-positive autophagosomes. Furthermore, both dominant-negative and constitutively active RABC1 forms inhibit autophagy. The dominant inactive RABC1 impedes the ER association of ATG18a, whereas the constitutively active RABC1 delays ATG18a detachment from the ER. Collectively, RABC1 regulates the ER association and the subsequent detachment of ATG18a-positive autophagosomes during nutrient starvation.

Exo84c interacts with VAP27 to regulate exocytotic compartment degradation and stigma senescence.

In plants, exocyst subunit isoforms exhibit significant functional diversity in that they are involved in either protein secretion or autophagy, both of which are essential for plant development and survival. Although the molecular basis of autophagy is widely reported, its contribution to plant reproduction is not very clear. Here, we have identified Exo84c, a higher plant-specific Exo84 isoform, as having a unique function in modulating exocytotic compartment degradation during stigmatic tissue senescence. This process is achieved through its interaction with the ER localised VAP27 proteins, which regulate the turnover of Exo84c through the autophagy pathway. VAP27 recruits Exo84c onto the ER membrane as well as numerous ER-derived autophagosomes that are labelled with ATG8. These Exo84c/exocyst and VAP27 positive structures are accumulated in the vacuole for degradation, and this process is partially perturbed in the exo84c knock-out mutants. Interestingly, the exo84c mutant showed a prolonged effective pollination period with higher seed sets, possibly because of the delayed stigmatic senescence when Exo84c regulated autophagy is blocked. In conclusion, our studies reveal a link between the exocyst complex and the ER network in regulating the degradation of exocytosis vesicles, a process that is essential for normal papilla cell senescence and flower receptivity.

Electrothermally Driven Reconfiguration of Microrobotic Beam Structures for the ChipSail System.

Solar sailing enables efficient propellant-free attitude adjustment and orbital maneuvers of solar sail spacecraft with high area-to-mass ratios. However, the heavy supporting mass for large solar sails inevitably leads to low area-to-mass ratios. Inspired by chip-scale satellites, a chip-scale solar sail system named ChipSail, consisting of microrobotic solar sails and a chip-scale satellite, was proposed in this work. The structural design and reconfigurable mechanisms of an electrothermally driven microrobotic solar sail made of Al\Ni50Ti50 bilayer beams were introduced, and the theoretical model of its electro-thermo-mechanical behaviors was established. The analytical solutions to the out-of-plane deformation of the solar sail structure appeared to be in good agreement with the finite element analysis (FEA) results. A representative prototype of such solar sail structures was fabricated on silicon wafers using surface and bulk microfabrication, followed by an in-situ experiment of its reconfigurable property under controlled electrothermal actuation. The experimental results demonstrated significant electro-thermo-mechanical deformation of such microrobotic bilayer solar sails, showing great potential in the development of the ChipSail system. Analytical solutions to the electro-thermo-mechanical model, as well as the fabrication process and characterization techniques, provided a rapid performance evaluation and optimization of such microrobotic bilayer solar sails for the ChipSail.

Position-Aware Relation Learning for RGB-Thermal Salient Object Detection.

Salient object detection (SOD) is an important task in computer vision that aims to identify visually conspicuous regions in images. RGB-Thermal SOD combines two spectra to achieve better segmentation results. However, most existing methods for RGB-T SOD use boundary maps to learn sharp boundaries, which lead to sub-optimal performance as they ignore the interactions between isolated boundary pixels and other confident pixels. To address this issue, we propose a novel position-aware relation learning network (PRLNet) for RGB-T SOD. PRLNet explores the distance and direction relationships between pixels by designing an auxiliary task and optimizing the feature structure to strengthen intra-class compactness and inter-class separation. Our method consists of two main components: A signed distance map auxiliary module (SDMAM), and a feature refinement approach with direction field (FRDF). SDMAM improves the encoder feature representation by considering the distance relationship between foreground-background pixels and boundaries, which increases the inter-class separation between foreground and background features. FRDF rectifies the features of boundary neighborhoods by exploiting the features inside salient objects. It utilizes the direction relationship of object pixels to enhance the intra-class compactness of salient features. In addition, we constitute a transformer-based decoder to decode multispectral feature representation. Experimental results on three public RGB-T SOD datasets demonstrate that our proposed method not only outperforms the state-of-the-art methods, but also can be integrated with different backbone networks in a plug-and-play manner. Ablation study and visualizations further prove the validity and interpretability of our method.

Detection-Friendly Dehazing: Object Detection in Real-World Hazy Scenes.

Adverse weather conditions in real-world scenarios lead to performance degradation of deep learning-based detection models. A well-known method is to use image restoration methods to enhance degraded images before object detection. However, how to build a positive correlation between these two tasks is still technically challenging. The restoration labels are also unavailable in practice. To this end, taking the hazy scene as an example, we propose a union architecture BAD-Net that connects the dehazing module and detection module in an end-to-end manner. Specifically, we design a two-branch structure with an attention fusion module for fully combining hazy and dehazing features. This reduces bad impacts on the detection module when the dehazing module performs poorly. Besides, we introduce a self-supervised haze robust loss that enables the detection module to deal with different degrees of haze. Most importantly, an interval iterative data refinement training strategy is proposed to guide the dehazing module learning with weak supervision. BAD-Net improves further detection performance through detection-friendly dehazing. Extensive experiments on RTTS and VOChaze datasets show that BAD-Net achieves higher accuracy compared to the recent state-of-the-art methods. It is a robust detection framework for bridging the gap between low-level dehazing and high-level detection.

A study comparing dusting to basketing for renal stones ≤ 2 cm during flexible ureteroscopy

ABSTRACT Objectives To compare the dusting efficiency and safety with basketing for treating renal stones ≤ 2 cm during flexible ureteroscopy (fURS). Materials and methods This study included 218 patients with renal stones ≤ 2 cm treated with fURS. Among them, 106 patients underwent dusting, and 112 patients underwent fragmentation with basket extraction. All patients were followed up for 3 months postoperatively. The operating time, lasing time, stone-free rate (SFR) and complication rate were compared. Results The mean stone size in the dusting group was 1.3 cm, whereas 1.4 cm in the basketing group. The mean operative time was significantly lower in the dusting group than in the basketing group (43.1±11.7 minutes VS 60.5±13.4 minutes, P <0.05), but the lasing time was significantly longer for the dusting group than for the basketing group (17.7±3.9 minutes VS 14.1±3.6 minutes, P <0.05). SFR was significantly higher in the basketing group immediately after the operation and follow-up after 1 month (76.8% vs 55.7%, P= 0.001 and 88.4% vs 78.3%, P = 0.045). However, the SFR was similar for both groups (88.8% in the dusting group vs. 90.2% in the basketing group) after 3 months postoperatively. There was no statistical difference in the complication rates between the two groups. Conclusions Dusting has advantages in shortening the operation time and reducing the operation cost, but the lasing time was longer compared with the basketing. Although there is no difference in long-term effect, basketing is superior to dusting in terms of short-term SFR. Moreover, dusting should be avoided in some special cases and basketing a better choice. Both techniques are effective for the treatment of renal stones ≤ 2 cm and choice depends on patient demographic and stone characteristics.

Discovery of novel tranylcypromine-based derivatives as LSD1 inhibitors for gastric cancer treatment.

As an important epigenetic regulator, histone lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) has become an attractive target for the discovery of anticancer agents. In this work, a series of tranylcypromine-based derivatives were designed and synthesized. Among them, compound 12u exhibited the most potent inhibitory potency on LSD1 (IC50 = 25.3 nM), and also displayed good antiproliferative effects on MGC-803, KYSE450 and HCT-116 cells with IC50 values of 14.3, 22.8 and 16.3 µM, respectively. Further studies revealed that compound 12u could directly act on LSD1 and inhibit LSD1 in MGC-803 cells, thereby significantly increasing the expression levels of mono-/bi-methylation of H3K4 and H3K9. In addition, compound 12u could induce apoptosis and differentiation, inhibit migration and cell stemness in MGC-803 cells. All these findings suggested that compound 12u was an active tranylcypromine-based derivative as a LSD1 inhibitor that inhibited gastric cancer.