Exploring the relationship between vitamin D and hepatic carcinoma in individuals diagnosed with hepatitis B virus infection.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study is to examine the distribution and prognostic implications of serum vitamin D levels among individuals diagnosed with primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC) attributable to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. METHODS: A total of 345 patients diagnosed with HBV infection were enrolled in our hospital between August 2014 and October 2020. Among these, 144 individuals were diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 66 individuals were diagnosed with HBV-related hepatic cirrhosis (HBV cirrhosis), and 135 individuals were diagnosed with HBV-related PHC (HBV-PHC). Peripheral serum levels of vitamin D were measured. Patients with cirrhosis underwent examination using the Child-Pugh grading system, and the mortality rates at 1-year and 3-year intervals for patients with HBV-PHC were analyzed. RESULTS: Vitamin D levels in peripheral serum in the CHB group, HBV cirrhosis group, and HBV-PHC group exhibited varying degrees of reduction compared to healthy individuals. Significant differences were observed between the three groups (F = 4.02, P = 0.019). No significant difference was observed in vitamin D levels between different Child-Pugh grades within the HBV cirrhosis group (F = 0.89, P = 0.417). However, significant differences were observed in vitamin D levels between different Child-Pugh grades within the HBV-PHC group (F = 4.84, P = 0.009). There was no significant difference in 1-year and 3-year mortality rates between patients diagnosed with HBV-PHC and with varying vitamin D levels (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D levels decreased to varying degrees in patients diagnosed with CHB, HBV cirrhosis, and PHC. This decrease was well correlated with disease progression (HBV-PHC group < HBV cirrhosis group < CHB group). In cases where hepatic function was comparable, there was no discernible correlation between serum vitamin D level and mortality rates from PHC.

Preparation of Functionalized Ethylene-Vinyl-Alcohol Nanofibrous Membrane Filter for Rapid and Cyclic Removing of Organic Dye from Aqueous Solution.

A functionalized ethylene-vinyl-alcohol (EVOH) nanofibrous membrane (NFM) was fabricated via co-electrospinning H4SiW12O40 (SiW12) and EVOH first, and then grafting citric acid (CCA) on the electrospun SiW12@EVOH NFM. Characterization with FT-IR, EDX, and XPS confirmed that CCA was introduced to the surface of SiW12@EVOH NFM and the Keggin structure of SiW12 was maintained well in the composite fibers. Due to a number of carboxyl groups introduced by CCA, the as-prepared SiW12@EVOH-CCA NFM can form a high number of hydrogen bonds with CR, and thus can be used to selectively absorb congo red (CR) in aqueous solutions. More importantly, the CR enriched in the NFM can be rapidly degraded via photocatalysis. SiW12 in the NFM acted as a photocatalyst, and the hydroxyl groups in the NFM acted as an electron donor to accelerate the photodegradation rate of CR. Meanwhile, the SiW12@EVOH-CCA NFM was regenerated and then exhibited a relatively stable adsorption capacity in five cycles of filtration-regeneration. The bifunctional nanofibrous membrane filter showed potential for use in the thorough purification of dye wastewater.

Lorenz-Mie theory-type solution for light scattering by spheroids with small-to-large size parameters and aspect ratios.

There has been a long-term endeavor in the light-scattering research community to develop a Lorenz-Mie theory-type method for simulating light scattering by spheroidal particles with small-to-large sizes. A spheroid is a very important nonspherical shape in modeling the optical properties of many natural particles. For the first time, we develop a computationally feasible separation of variables method (SVM) in spheroidal coordinates to compute optical properties of spheroids with small-to-large sizes compared to the wavelength of the incident light (λ). The method is applicable to spheroids with size parameters (2π/λ times the major semiaxis) up to at least 600, and is not restricted by particle aspect ratios. Therefore, the work reported here represents a breakthrough in solving the optical properties of a nonspherical particle in an analytical form.

On the relation between ice-crystal scattering phase function at 180° and particle size: implication to lidar-based remote sensing of cirrus clouds.

The lack of knowledge of the relation between a lidar backscatter signal and particle size makes it challenging to retrieve ice-cloud particle size from spaceborne lidar observations. This study employs a synergistic combination of the state-of-the-art invariant imbedding T-matrix method and the physical geometric-optics method (PGOM) to investigate the relation between the ice-crystal scattering phase function at 180° (P11(180°)) and particle size (L) for typical ice-crystal shapes. In particular, the P11(180°) -L relation is quantitatively analyzed. The dependence of the P11(180°) -L relation on particle shape can be used with spaceborne lidar observations to detect ice-cloud particle shapes.

Vector spherical wave function truncation in the invariant imbedding T-matrix method.

Both the computational costs and the accuracy of the invariant-imbedding T-matrix method escalate with increasing the truncation number N at which the expansions of the electromagnetic fields in terms of vector spherical harmonics are truncated. Thus, it becomes important in calculation of the single-scattering optical properties to choose N just large enough to satisfy an appropriate convergence criterion; this N we call the optimal truncation number. We present a new convergence criterion that is based on the scattering phase function rather than on the scattering cross section. For a selection of homogeneous particles that have been used in previous single-scattering studies, we consider how the optimal N may be related to the size parameter, the index of refraction, and particle shape. We investigate a functional form for this relation that generalizes previous formulae involving only size parameter, a form that shows some success in summarizing our computational results. Our results indicate clearly the sensitivity of optimal truncation number to the index of refraction, as well as the difficulty of cleanly separating this dependence from the dependence on particle shape.

Cluster of Differentiation 24 Polymorphism Has No Significant Association with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection in the Chinese Han Population: A Family-Based Association Study.

Objective: Studies have shown that cluster of differentiation (CD) 24 gene polymorphism is associated with several diseases. Among these, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection has not been investigated. This study aimed to assess the function of CD24 in CHB. Methods: The study included 478 cases of CHB and 318 cases without CHB from 230 families that underwent genotyping. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was performed to assess the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) P170 of the CD24 gene. The detected genotypes were TT, CT, and CC. Then, family based-association analysis was carried out to investigate the association between CD24 gene polymorphism and susceptibility to CHB. Results: In the 478 patients with CHB, the frequencies of CD24 P170 T and C alleles were 35.5% and 64.5%, respectively, and the frequencies of CD24 P170 CC, CT, and TT genotypes were 39.3%, 50.4% and 10.3%, respectively. In a CD24 single-locus analysis by a family-based association test of P170 polymorphisms, T and C were not significantly associated with CHB in the additive (Z = 0.169, P = 0.866; Z = -0.169, P = 0.866, respectively), dominant (Z = 0.522, P = 0.602; Z = 0.428, P = 0.669, respectively), or recessive (Z = -0.428, P = 0.669; Z = -0.522, P = 0.602, respectively) models. Transmission-disequilibrium (TD) and sib-transmission disequilibrium (STD) tests revealed no excess of T or C alleles from heterozygous parents to their children with the disease or higher frequencies of these alleles in patients compared with their normal siblings (χ 2 = 0.06, P = 0.897). Conclusion: The study findings suggest that the SNP P170 of CD24 has no significant association with susceptibility to the HB virus and related phenotypes in Chinese patients.

Edge effect correction formula for superspheroids using the Debye series.

Accurate quantification of the effects of nonspherical particles (e.g., ice crystals in cirrus clouds and dust aerosol particles) on the radiation budget in the atmosphere-earth coupled system requires a robust characterization of their light scattering and absorption properties. Recent studies have shown that it is feasible to compute the single-scattering properties of all sizes of arbitrary nonspherical atmospheric particles by combining the numerically exact invariant imbedding T-matrix (IITM) method and the approximate physical geometric optics method (PGOM). IITM cannot be implemented for very large-sized particles due to its tremendous demand on computational resources. While either method is usable for moderate sized particles, PGOM does not include the edge effect contributions to the extinction and absorption efficiencies. Unfortunately, we can only rigorously calculate the edge effect contributions to the extinction and absorption efficiencies for spheres and spheroids. This study develops empirical formulas for the edge effect contributions to the extinction and absorption efficiencies in the case of a special superspheroid called a superegg by modifying the formulas for the extinction and absorption efficiencies of a spheroid to account for the changes in roundness. We use the superegg edge effect correction formulas to compare the optical properties of supereggs and simple, convex particles, as an initial approximation to more complex atmospheric aerosols. This study is the first step towards quantifying the edge effect contributions to the extinction and absorption efficiencies of a wide range of natural nonspherical particles.

Identify the limits of geometric optics ray tracing by numerically solving the vector Kirchhoff integral.

The properties of a pencil of light as defined approximately in the geometric optics ray tracing method are investigated. The vector Kirchhoff integral is utilized to accurately compute the electromagnetic near field in and around the pencil of light with various beam base sizes, shapes, propagation directions and medium refractive indices. If a pencil of light has geometric mean cross section size of the order p times the wavelength, it can propagate independently to a distance p2 times the wavelength, where most of the beam energy diffuses out of the beam region. This is consistent with a statement that van de Hulst made in a classical text on light scattering. The electromagnetic near fields in the pencil of light are not uniform, have complicated patterns within short distances from the beam base, and the fields tend to converge to Fraunhofer diffraction fields far away from the base.

On the Convergence of Numerical Computations for Both Exact and Approximate Solutions for Electromagnetic Scattering by Nonspherical Dielectric Particles.

We summarize the size parameter range of the applicability of four light-scattering computational methods for nonspherical dielectric particles. These methods include two exact methods - the extended boundary condition method (EBCM) and the invariant imbedding T-matrix method (II-TM) and two approximate approaches - the physical-geometric optics method (PGOM) and the improved geometric optics method (IGOM). For spheroids, the single-scattering properties computed by EBCM and II-TM agree for size parameters up to 150, and the comparison gives us confidence in using IITM as a benchmark for size parameters up to 150 for other geometries (e.g., hexagonal columns) because the applicability of II-TM with respect to particle shape is generic, as demonstrated in our previous studies involving a complex aggregate. This study demonstrates the convergence of the exact II-TM and approximate PGOM solutions for the complete set of single-scattering properties of a nonspherical shape other than spheroids and circular cylinders with particle sizes of ~ 48λ(size parameter ~150), specifically a hexagonal column with a length size parameter of kL = 300 where k = 2π/λ and L is the column length. IGOM is also quite accurate except near the exact 180°backscattering direction. This study demonstrates that a synergetic combination of the numerically-exact II-TM and the approximate PGOM can seamlessly cover the entire size parameter range of practical interest. To demonstrate the applicability of the approach, we compute the optical properties of dust particles and demonstrate a downstream application to the retrieval of dust aerosol optical thickness and effective particle size from satellite polarimetric observations.

Validation of quasi-invariant ice cloud radiative quantities with MODIS satellite-based cloud property retrievals.

Similarity relations applied to ice cloud radiance calculations are theoretically analyzed and numerically validated. If τ(1-ϖ) and τ(1-ϖg) are conserved where τ is optical thickness, ϖ the single-scattering albedo, and g the asymmetry factor, it is possible that substantially different phase functions may give rise to similar radiances in both conservative and non-conservative scattering cases, particularly in the case of large optical thicknesses. In addition to theoretical analysis, this study uses operational ice cloud optical thickness retrievals from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Level 2 Collection 5 (C5) and Collection 6 (C6) cloud property products to verify radiative similarity relations. It is found that, if the MODIS C5 and C6 ice cloud optical thickness values are multiplied by their respective (1-ϖg) factors, the resultant products referred to as the effective optical thicknesses become similar with their ratio values around unity. Furthermore, the ratios of the C5 and C6 ice cloud effective optical thicknesses display an angular variation pattern similar to that of the corresponding ice cloud phase function ratios. The MODIS C5 and C6 values of ice cloud similarity parameter, defined as [(1-ϖ)/(1-ϖg)]1/2, also tend to be similar.

Ice cloud backscatter study and comparison with CALIPSO and MODIS satellite data.

An invariant imbedding T-matrix (II-TM) method is used to calculate the single-scattering properties of 8-column aggregate ice crystals. The II-TM based backscatter values are compared with those calculated by the improved geometric-optics method (IGOM) to refine the backscattering properties of the ice cloud radiative model used in the MODIS Collection 6 cloud optical property product. The integrated attenuated backscatter-to-cloud optical depth (IAB-ICOD) relation is derived from simulations using a CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite) lidar simulator based on a Monte Carlo radiative transfer model. By comparing the simulation results and co-located CALIPSO and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) observations, the non-uniform zonal distribution of ice clouds over ocean is characterized in terms of a mixture of smooth and rough ice particles. The percentage of the smooth particles is approximately 6% and 9% for tropical and midlatitude ice clouds, respectively.

BER performance of MSK in ground-to-satellite uplink optical communication under the influence of atmospheric turbulence and detector noise.

Minimum shift keying (MSK) has been widely used in fiber optical communication and free-space optical communication. In order to introduce MSK into satellite laser communication, the bit-error rate (BER) performance of the MSK scheme is investigated in uplink communications under the influence of atmospheric turbulence consisting of weak fluctuation and beam wander. Numerical results indicate that the BER performance of MSK is much better than the performance of on-off keying (OOK). With the laser power being 4 W, the improvement is 5 dB in coherent demodulation and 15 dB in delay coherent demodulation. Furthermore, compared with OOK, optimal values of the divergence angle, receiver diameter, and transmitter beam radius are easier and more practical to achieve in the MSK scheme. The work can benefit ground-to-satellite laser uplink communication system design.