Dislocation loop and irradiation-induced synergistic-competitive mechanism in Cu-rich precipitates: a phase-field study.

Both irradiation and dislocations have been proposed as routes to rationally manipulate spatial distribution and micromorphology of precipitate. An interesting effect emerges in Fe-10at.%Cu-3at.%Mn-1.5at.%Ni-1.5at.%Al alloy due to the synergistic-competitive roles of dislocation loop and irradiation. Base on cascade mixing, vacancy-interstitial atoms and dislocation stress field model, we examine nucleation and growth dynamics of Cu-rich precipitates, where both dislocation loop and irradiation act in conjunction. Analytical treatments identify regimes, where the distribution of elements and point defects due to irradiation and dislocations are specific to the Cu-rich precipitates. Simulation results reveal that density, size and distribution of Cu-rich precipitates are a manifestation of the competing effects of the dislocation loop and the irradiation rate. More specifically, the dislocation loop preferentially assists the formation of precipitates and new dislocations at lower irradiation rates. Only the irradiation induces the formation of Cu-rich precipitates with the irradiation rate continues to increase. Equipped with molecular dynamics, where reproduces major interaction features of the solutes with point defects under displacement cascade, can verify multi-component morphologies of Cu-rich precipitates. This modeling framework provides an avenue to explore the role of dislocation loop and irradiation on the microstructural evolution of Cu-rich precipitates.

Theoretical and experimental studies on channel impulse response of short-range non-line-of-sight ultraviolet communications.

A theoretical channel impulse response (CIR) model of short-range non-line-of-sight (NLOS) ultraviolet communications (UVC) in noncoplanar geometry under the single-scatter condition is proposed. Simulation results obtained from the widely accepted Monte-Carlo (MC)-based channel model of NLOS UVC are provided to verify corresponding theoretical results obtained from the proposed theoretical single-scatter CIR model. Additionally, an outdoor experiment with a light-emitting diode (LED) as the light source is first designed to measure the channel step response of NLOS UVC and to further validate the proposed theoretical single-scatter CIR model. By varying the different parameters of the transmitter and the receiver, such as the baseline range, the inclination angle, the azimuth angle, the beam divergence angle, and the field-of-view angle, the results of the proposed theoretical single-scatter CIR model and the MC-based channel model are exhibited and further analyzed in detail. Results indicate that the computational time cost by the proposed theoretical single-scatter CIR model is decreased to less than 0.6% of the MC-based one with comparable accuracy in assessing the temporal characteristics of NLOS UVC channels. Additionally, theoretical results obtained from the proposed theoretical single-scatter CIR model manifest satisfactory agreement with corresponding experimental measurements.

Diagnostic Accuracy of MRI in Knee Meniscus Tear and ACL Injury.

Objective: Knee injuries are very common and may lead to other secondary injuries if effective treatment is lacking. In addition to standardized physical examination, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is sometimes considered an aid in the diagnosis of knee trauma. In order to have a more accurate diagnosis of knee injuries, we compared MRI with arthroscopic findings in this study to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of MRI for meniscal tears and anterior cruciate ligament injuries of the knee. Methods: One hundred and ten patients with suspected meniscal tears and anterior cruciate ligament injuries of the knee who were admitted to our hospital from June 2020 to June 2022 were selected as study subjects, and the clinical data of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent MRI for preoperative diagnosis, and the sensitivity, specificity, MRI findings, and confirmation of diagnosis were compared and analyzed, and the accuracy of MRI in diagnosing meniscal tears and ACL injuries of the knee was analyzed. Results: The mean ACL angle was (98.0 ± 5.4) in the MRI group and (118.0 ± 6.8) in the arthroscopic group, the difference between the two groups was statistically significant P < .05. The mean L/H value of the ACL was (2.12 ± 0.38) in the MRI group and (1.81 ± 0.19) in the arthroscopic group, which was statistically different between the two groups (P < .05). Among the patients, 68 meniscal injuries were found in the MRI examination, including 45 cases of knee meniscal tears and 23 cases of anterior cruciate ligament injuries. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, agreement rate, kappa value, and Youden index of MRI in diagnosing meniscal tears and ACL injuries were all high. Conclusions: In terms of sensitivity and accuracy, MRI is an excellent imaging technique for the diagnosis of meniscal tears and anterior cruciate ligament injuries of the knee.

Differences in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients with Early-Stage Hepatocellular Liver Cancer by Multi-Row Spiral CTMDCT and Gd-EOB-DTPA-Enhanced MRI.

Objective: The assessment of liver cancer lesion characteristics mainly relies on multi-row spiral computed tomography (MDCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MDCT suffers from a series of problems, such as low soft tissue contrast and large tumor boundary errors, which lead to its limited practical application value in liver cancer. In contrast, Gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced MRI has better soft-tissue contrast than MDCT and increases the clarity of liver cancer lesions. To investigate the differences between MDCT and Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI in managing patients with hepatocellular liver cancer. Methods: A total of 80 patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma of the liver, who received treatment at our hospital between September 2020 and September 2022, were included in this study. These patients were evenly divided into two groups: the observation group and the control group, with 40 cases in each. The aim of this study was to compare the differences in signal indices of hepatobiliary stage between the two groups in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Results: A total of 89 cancer nodules were detected in patients by MDCT, and 109 cancer nodules were detected in patients by Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI. When the number of nodules detected by both imaging modalities was statistically analyzed, the differences in the number of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nodules detected by MDCT and Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI were statistically significant (P < .05). Further analysis of the data by single cancer nodule, multiple cancer nodules, and cancer nodule size showed that the difference between the two imaging modalities was statistically significant (P < .05) in the diagnosis of patients with a single liver cancer nodule or multiple liver cancer nodules (94.8% vs.81.3%). The difference in the comparison was statistically significant (P < .05). Conclusion: Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI demonstrates superior diagnostic efficacy in detecting small hepatocellular carcinoma, offers improved staging capabilities for hepatocellular carcinoma, and provides more precise guidance for treatment planning.Consequently, Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI exhibits exceptional diagnostic value and serves as a valuable tool for guiding treatment decisions in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Notoginsenoside R1 ameliorates the inflammation induced by amyloid­ß by suppressing SphK1­mediated NF­κB activation in PC12 cells.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of age­related dementia, and causes progressive memory degradation, neuronal loss and brain atrophy. The pathological hallmarks of AD consist of amyloid­ß (Aß) plaque accumulation and abnormal neurofibrillary tangles. Amyloid fibrils are constructed from Aß peptides, which are recognized to assemble into toxic oligomers and exert cytotoxicity. The fibrillar Aß­protein fragment 25­35 (Aß25­35) induces local inflammation, thereby exacerbating neuronal apoptosis. Notoginsenoside R1 (NGR1), one of the primary bioactive ingredients isolated from Panax notoginseng, exhibits effective anti­inflammatory and anti­oxidative activities. However, NGR1 pharmacotherapies targeting Aß­induced inflammation and cell injury cascade remain to be elucidated. The present study investigated the effect and mechanism of NGR1 in Aß25­35­treated PC12 cells. NGR1 doses between 250 and 1,000 µg/ml significantly increased cell viability suppressed by 20 µM Aß25­35 peptide treatment. Notably, the present study demonstrated that Aß25­35 peptide­induced sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) signaling activation was reduced after NGR1 treatment, further inhibiting the downstream NF­κB inflammatory signaling pathway. In addition, administration of SphK1 inhibitor II (SKI­II), a SphK1 inhibitor, also significantly reduced Aß25­35 peptide­induced apoptosis and the ratio of NF­κB p­p65/p65. Furthermore, SphK1 knockdown in PC12 cells using small interfering RNA alleviated Aß­induced cell apoptosis and inflammation, suggesting a pivotal role of SphK1 signaling in the anti­inflammatory effect of NGR1. In summary, NGR1 alleviated inflammation and apoptosis stimulated by Aß25­35 by inhibiting the SphK1/NF­κB signaling pathway and may be a promising agent for future AD treatment.

Archival single-cell genomics reveals persistent subclones during DCIS progression.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a common precursor of invasive breast cancer. Our understanding of its genomic progression to recurrent disease remains poor, partly due to challenges associated with the genomic profiling of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) materials. Here, we developed Arc-well, a high-throughput single-cell DNA-sequencing method that is compatible with FFPE materials. We validated our method by profiling 40,330 single cells from cell lines, a frozen tissue, and 27 FFPE samples from breast, lung, and prostate tumors stored for 3-31 years. Analysis of 10 patients with matched DCIS and cancers that recurred 2-16 years later show that many primary DCIS had already undergone whole-genome doubling and clonal diversification and that they shared genomic lineages with persistent subclones in the recurrences. Evolutionary analysis suggests that most DCIS cases in our cohort underwent an evolutionary bottleneck, and further identified chromosome aberrations in the persistent subclones that were associated with recurrence.

Surfactants Improving the Wetting Behavior and Adhesion Mechanism of Pesticide Dilution Droplets on Jujube Leaf Surfaces.

Fruit tree leaves have different chemical compositions and diverse wax layer structures that result in different patterns of wetting and pesticide solution spreading on their surface. Fruit development is a time when pests and diseases occur, during which a large number of pesticides are needed. The wetting and diffusion properties of pesticide droplets on fruit tree leaves were relatively poor. To solve this problem, the wetting characteristics of leaf surfaces with different surfactants were studied. The contact angle, surface tension, adhesive tension, adhesion work, and solid-liquid interfacial tension of five surfactant solution droplets on jujube leaf surfaces during fruit growth were studied by the sessile drop method. C12E5 and Triton X-100 have the best wetting effects. Two surfactants were added to a 3% beta-cyfluthrin emulsion in water, and field efficacy tests were carried out on peach fruit moths in a jujube orchard at different dilutions. The control effect is as high as 90%. During the initial stage when the concentration is low, due to the surface roughness of the leaves, the surfactant molecules adsorbed at the gas-liquid and solid-liquid interfaces reach an equilibrium, and the contact angle on the leaf surface changes slightly. With increasing surfactant concentration, the pinning effect in the spatial structure on the leaf surface is overcome by liquid droplets, thereby significantly decreasing the contact angle. When the concentration is further increased, the surfactant molecules form a saturated adsorption layer on the leaf surface. Due to the existence of a precursor water film in the droplets, surfactant molecules on the interface continuously move to the water film on the surface of jujube tree leaves, thus causing interactions between the droplets and the leaves. The conclusion of this study provides theoretical guidance for the wettability and adhesion of pesticides on jujube leaves, so as to achieve the purpose of reducing pesticide use and improving pesticide efficacy.

Risk factors and survival analysis of haemodialysis complicated with infective endocarditis.

The clinical features and risk factors for survival time were analysed in haemodialysis patients complicated with infective endocarditis. A total of 101 infective endocarditis (IE) patients treated at Hangzhou First People's Hospital, from January 1, 2012, to April 1, 2022, were included in the present study. Baseline demographic data and laboratory data were collected for statistical analysis of risk factors and survival time in the IE with haemodialysis group (HD-IE group, n=15) and the IE without haemodialysis group (NHD-IE group, n=86). Haemoglobin, red blood cells, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, serum albumin, diabetes, invasive procedures, positive blood bacteria culture, heart valve calcification ratio, and left ventricular ejection fraction level were risk factors for infective endocarditis complicated with haemodialysis (P<0.05). Compared with the NHD-IE group, the HD-IE group had an obviously increased risk of mortality (χ2=6.323, P=0.012). The univariate Cox regression analysis showed that age, haemoglobin, red blood cells, serum albumin, left ventricular ejection score, longest vegetation diameter, combined hypotension and diabetes were risk factors for death; furthermore, multivariate Cox regression showed that age (HR=1.187, P=0.015), combined hypotension (HR=0.921, P=0.025) and the longest vegetation diameter (HR=9.191, P=0.004) were independent risk factors affecting the survival of patients. Collectively, the present study revealed that the mortality rate of HD-IE patients was higher than that of NHD-IE patients. Older age, hypotension, and the longest vegetation diameter were independent risk factors affecting the survival of patients. For HD-IE patients, active and effective antibiotic treatment or surgical treatment should be strongly recommended.

Intracavity ranging enabled by a single-frequency self-sweeping fiber laser with a few-longitudinal-mode range.

Self-sweeping fiber lasers have carved out numerous applications such as spectral detection, fiber sensor, etc. In this work, we propose a single-frequency self-sweeping fiber laser with a few-longitudinal-mode range by employing a length of space path to achieve the function of intracavity ranging. Different from the previous design, a fiber collimator and mirror are utilized to act as the reflector, and the distance between them can be adjusted flexibly. Based on this design, we achieve a few-longitudinal-mode self-sweeping operation containing seven longitudinal modes. When the distance is set as a fixed value, the behaviors of fiber laser containing central wavelength, quasi-continuous wave pulse, as well as radio frequency spectrum at different pump power are measured. The intracavity ranging systems are also demonstrated at different distances between collimator and mirror, showing a promising accuracy. This work provides a new laser ranging tool and opens up the applied scenario of self-sweeping fiber laser.

Non-Hermitian mode-locking synthesized by parity-time and anti-parity-time symmetric modulations.

We study the pulse characteristics in a laser mode-locked by active modulators with non-Hermitian driven signals. The signal assembles a parity-time (P T) symmetric and an anti-parity-time (A P T) symmetric function with fundamental and harmonic frequencies, respectively, inducing the complex coupling between modes in the frequency domain. A one-dimensional synthetic lattice is used to analyze the spectral mode coupling. By enlarging the weight and harmonic order of the A P T part of the signal, the optical spectrum can be adjusted from redshift to blueshift. Simultaneously, the pulse duration and spectral width are shortened and broadened, respectively. The work explores the role of non-Hermitian modulation in the mode-locked laser area.

Simple oligonucleotide-based multiplexing of single-cell chromatin accessibility.

Microdroplet single-cell ATAC-seq is widely used to measure chromatin accessibility, however, highly scalable and simple sample multiplexing procedures are not available. Here, we present a transposome-assisted single nucleus barcoding approach for ATAC-seq (SNuBar-ATAC) that utilizes a single oligonucleotide adaptor for multiplexing samples during the existing tagmentation step and does not require a pre-labeling procedure. The accuracy and scalability of SNuBar-ATAC was evaluated using cell line mixture experiments. We applied SNuBar-ATAC to investigate treatment-induced chromatin accessibility dynamics by multiplexing 28 mice with lung tumors that received different combinations of chemo, radiation, and targeted immunotherapy. We also applied SNuBar-ATAC to study spatial epigenetic heterogeneity by multiplexing 32 regions from a human breast tissue. Additionally, we show that SNuBar can multiplex single cell ATAC and RNA multiomic assays in cell lines and human breast tissue samples. Our data show that SNuBar is a highly accurate, easy-to-use, and scalable system for multiplexing scATAC-seq and scATAC and RNA co-assay experiments.

A Training Simulator for Fractional Dilation and Curettage With Visualized Force-Position Feedback and Quantitative Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Dilation and curettage (D&C) is a basic, but important procedure with many applications in obstetrics and gynecology. Fractional D&C provides comprehensive sampling of the endocervix and subsequently the uterus. This study designs and validates a novel fractional D&C training simulator visualizing the intrauterine operation in real time and quantitatively assessing technical skills. METHOD: The fractional D&C training simulator, consisting of measurement hardware and visual software, can display the curette tip's trajectory and force in the uterus in real time. The simulator also presents assessment indices (the cervical coverage index, cervical overlap index, uterine coverage index, uterine overlap index) to indicate the completion degree and quality of surgical performance. EXPERIENCE: Seventy-five participants with three levels of D&C experience, including 26 novices, 24 intermediates, and 25 experts, were recruited to perform fractional D&C using the training simulator and asked to fill in a postprocedure questionnaire. All assessment indices of the novices were significantly lower than those of experienced surgeons (experts and intermediates) (P<.05). The simulator was highly regarded as a teaching tool and identified frequent areas of incomplete curettage even by experienced surgeons. CONCLUSION: The fractional D&C training simulator provides valuable visualized force-position feedback and quantitative evaluation and may be beneficial for surgical training.

Breast tumours maintain a reservoir of subclonal diversity during expansion.

Our knowledge of copy number evolution during the expansion of primary breast tumours is limited1,2. Here, to investigate this process, we developed a single-cell, single-molecule DNA-sequencing method and performed copy number analysis of 16,178 single cells from 8 human triple-negative breast cancers and 4 cell lines. The results show that breast tumours and cell lines comprise a large milieu of subclones (7-22) that are organized into a few (3-5) major superclones. Evolutionary analysis suggests that after clonal TP53 mutations, multiple loss-of-heterozygosity events and genome doubling, there was a period of transient genomic instability followed by ongoing copy number evolution during the primary tumour expansion. By subcloning single daughter cells in culture, we show that tumour cells rediversify their genomes and do not retain isogenic properties. These data show that triple-negative breast cancers continue to evolve chromosome aberrations and maintain a reservoir of subclonal diversity during primary tumour growth.

Generating narrow bandwidth pulses in a hybrid mode-locked fiber laser.

We demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, an all-fiber erbium-doped mode-locked laser in which mode-locking (ML) is realized by the combination of nonlinear polarization rotation and a saturable dynamic filtering effect, thereby generating nearly transform-limited ultrashort pulses with a pulse duration and spectral width of 45.2 ps and 0.0775 nm, respectively. The laser achieves both ML and harmonic ML by increasing the pump power. Simultaneously, the filtering function is maintained by the saturable dynamic induced grating (SDIG) throughout the power-modulation process. Furthermore, numerical simulations are used to analyze the pulse energy evolution in the cavity, revealing the advantages of hybrid ML in decreasing the pulse duration and time-bandwidth product under narrow filtering status. This work proposes a practical method to achieve ultrafast laser pulses with a narrow bandwidth, solving the problem that the SDIG has a hard time realizing a stable ML sequence.

Single-frequency all-polarization-maintaining ytterbium-doped bidirectional fiber laser.

We reported an all-polarization-maintaining single-frequency ytterbium-doped bidirectional fiber laser for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. Single-frequency operation was achieved by a stable dynamic grating in the active fiber of a proper length owing to the bidirectional operation of the laser. The fiber laser possesses a linewidth of 7.43 kHz, a slope efficiency of 47.9%, and a great long-term stability.

Stable-, period-N- and multiple-soliton regimes in a mode-locked fiber laser with inconsistently filtered central wavelengths.

We systematically study the stable-, period-N- and multiple-soliton regimes in an Erbium-doped fiber laser effectively mode-locked by nonlinear polarization rotation technique. In the stable mode-locked regime, an invariant soliton with 497 fs pulse duration and 6.9 nm optical spectrum are obtained. With a larger pump power of 180 mW, the period-N state (in which the pulse intensity returns to its original value after N cavity-roundtrips) emerges, accompanied by sub-sideband generation on the first Kelly sideband and spectrum shift. Considering the inconsistent central wavelengths between gain and polarization-dependent isolator (PD-ISO) firstly, to our knowledge, the numerical results are in good agreement with the experiment and reveal the composite filtering of gain and PD-ISO takes major responsibility for spectrum shift, which causes group velocity offset simultaneously. Further study shows the continued increase of pump power can lead to the laser operating in the unstable multi-pulse state and the narrow spectral width contributes to stabilizing the multi-pulse state. Our work can promote the understanding of soliton dynamics and filtering in ultrafast fiber lasers.

Observation of reverse self-sweeping effect in an all-polarization-maintaining bidirectional ytterbium-doped fiber laser.

In this article, we report, to the best of our knowledge, the first observation of the reverse self-sweeping phenomenon in an all-polarization-maintaining bidirectional ytterbium-doped fiber laser. Conventional behaviors, including the dependence of sweeping range, sweeping rate and average pulse repetition rate on the pump power, can be observed in our fiber laser. Two couplers with ratio of 50/50 and 10/90 are respectively employed as the output coupler in fiber laser, which generates the reverse self-sweeping phenomenon for comparison.

Disseminated mucormycosis with cerebellum involvement due to Rhizomucor pusillus in a patient with multiple myeloma and secondary myelodysplastic syndrome: A case report.

Mucormycosis is an angioinvasive fungal infection with a high mortality rate. Patients with hematological malignancies following voriconazole therapy are at high risk from mucormycosis. Here, the present study reports on a 68-year-old man diagnosed with multiple myeloma and secondary myelodysplastic syndrome, who was infected with disseminated mucormycosis with cerebellum involvement confirmed by mycological culture and histopathological examination. For patients with hematological malignancies who are receiving antifungal therapy, an opportunistic infection of mucormycosis should be considered if a 'breakthrough' infection occurs in the predilection sites (such as the sinuses, lungs, skin, brain and gastrointestinal tract). It is difficult to diagnose mucormycosis because of the limited reliable detection methods, and because mucormycosis often presents with an acute onset and progresses rapidly, particularly in immunocompromised patients. Antifungal therapy with amphotericin B or posaconazole should be started as soon as possible considering the empirical diagnosis.

A Novel Antifungal Plasma-Activated Hydrogel.

Antifungal hydrogels with added antifungal drugs have received extensive attention from researchers due to their potential use in various applications, such as wound dressings and ultrasound gel pads. In this study, we proposed and designed an alternative antifungal hydrogel preparation strategy to obtain hydrogels with high antifungal abilities. We employed plasma-activated water (PAW) instead of water in the hydrogel polymerization process to prepare plasma-activated hydrogels (PAHs). Disc diffusion assay results revealed that PAH exhibits satisfactory antifungal activity. Interestingly, the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of the PAH was significantly lower than that of conventional polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels, and we provided a possible reaction equation to explain the lower value of ORP in the PAH. Furthermore, using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, the hydroxyl radical was detected in PAHs. Although the active ingredients in the hydrogel cannot be quantitatively measured, the hydroxyl radical and NO3- are speculated to be the main components of PAH with antifungal activity according to ESR spectroscopy and optical emission spectroscopy. Further experiments also showed that PAH has a longer antifungal lifetime than PAW. In summary, the proposed plasma-activated hydrogels can provide valuable preparation strategies for delivering antifungal capabilities and have many potential applications in biomedical fields.