ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To investigate associations between tissue diffusion, stiffness, and different tumor microenvironment features in resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Seventy-two patients were prospectively included for preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion-weighted imaging and MR elastography examination. The mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and stiffness value were measured on the central three slices of the tumor and peri-tumor area. Cell density, tumor-stroma ratio (TSR), lymphocyte-rich HCC (LR-HCC), and CD8 + T cell infiltration were estimated in resected tumors. The interobserver agreement of MRI measurements and subjective pathological evaluation was assessed. Variables influencing ADC and stiffness were screened with univariate analyses, and then identified with multivariable linear regression. The potential relationship between explored imaging biomarkers and histopathological features was assessed with linear regression after adjustment for other influencing factors. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients (male/female: 59/13, mean age: 56 ± 10.2 years) were included for analysis. Inter-reader agreement was good or excellent regarding MRI measurements and histopathological evaluation. No correlation between tumor ADC and tumor stiffness was found. Multivariable linear regression confirmed that cell density was the only factor associated with tumor ADC (Estimate = -0.03, p = 0.006), and tumor-stroma ratio was the only factor associated with tumor stiffness (Estimate = -0.18, p = 0.03). After adjustment for fibrosis stage (Estimate = 0.43, p < 0.001) and age (Estimate = 0.04, p < 0.001) in the multivariate linear regression, intra-tumoral CD8 + T cell infiltration remained a significant factor associated with peri-tumor stiffness (Estimate = 0.63, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Tumor ADC surpasses tumor stiffness as a biomarker of cellularity. Tumor stiffness is associated with tumor-stroma ratio and peri-tumor stiffness might be an imaging biomarker of intra-tumoral immune microenvironment. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Tissue stiffness could potentially serve as an imaging biomarker of the intra-tumoral immune microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma and aid in patient selection for immunotherapy. KEY POINTS: Apparent diffusion coefficient reflects cellularity of hepatocellular carcinoma. Tumor stiffness reflects tumor-stroma ratio of hepatocellular carcinoma and is associated with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Tumor and peri-tumor stiffness might serve as imaging biomarkers of intra-tumoral immune microenvironment.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To explore the feasibility of pretreatment nonenhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting insufficient biochemical response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). METHODS: From January 2009 to April 2022, consecutive PBC patients who were treated with UDCA and underwent nonenhanced MRI within 30 days before treatment were retrospectively enrolled. All MR images were independently evaluated by two blinded radiologists. Uni- and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to develop a predictive model for 12-month insufficient biochemical response. Model performances were evaluated by computing the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS: A total of 74 patients (50.6 ± 11.9 years; 62 females) were included. Three pretreatment MRI features, including hepatomegaly (odds ratio [OR]: 4.580; p = 0.011), periportal hyperintensity on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) (OR: 4.795, p = 0.008), and narrowing of the bile ducts (OR: 3.491; p = 0.027) were associated with 12-month insufficient biochemical response in the multivariable analysis. A predictive model based on the above indicators had an AUC of 0.781, sensitivity of 85.4%, and specificity of 61.5% for predicting insufficient biochemical response. CONCLUSIONS: A noninvasive model based on three pretreatment MRI features could accurately predict 12-month insufficient biochemical response to UDCA in patients with PBC. Early identification of PBC patients at increased risk for insufficient response can facilitate the timely initiation of additional treatment. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: A noninvasive predictive model constructed by incorporating three pretreatment MRI features may help identify patients with primary biliary cholangitis at high risk of insufficient biochemical response to ursodeoxycholic acid and facilitate the timely initiation of additional treatment. KEY POINTS: ⢠Noninvasive imaging features based on nonenhanced pretreatment MRI may predict an insufficient biochemical response to UDCA in PBC patients. ⢠A combined model based on three MRI features (hepatomegaly, periportal hyperintensity on T2-weighted imaging, and narrowing of the bile ducts) further improved the predictive efficacy for an insufficient biochemical response to UDCA in PBC patients, with high sensitivity and specificity. ⢠The nomogram of the combined model showed good calibration and predictive efficacy for an insufficient biochemical response to UDCA in PBC patients. In particular, the calibration curve visualised the clinical applicability of the prediction model.
Subject(s)
Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary , Ursodeoxycholic Acid , Humans , Female , Ursodeoxycholic Acid/therapeutic use , Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary/diagnostic imaging , Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary/drug therapy , Cholagogues and Choleretics/pharmacology , Cholagogues and Choleretics/therapeutic use , Retrospective Studies , Hepatomegaly/chemically induced , Hepatomegaly/complications , Hepatomegaly/drug therapyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the potential of deep learning (DL)-assisted automated three-dimensional quantitative tumor burden at MRI to predict postoperative early recurrence (ER) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective study enrolling patients who underwent resection for BCLC A and B HCC and preoperative contrast-enhanced MRI. Quantitative total tumor volume (cm3) and total tumor burden (TTB, %) were obtained using a DL automated segmentation tool. Radiologists' visual assessment was used to ensure the quality control of automated segmentation. The prognostic value of clinicopathological variables and tumor burden-related parameters for ER was determined by Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: A total of 592 patients were included, with 525 and 67 patients assigned to BCLC A and B, respectively (2-year ER rate: 30.0% vs. 45.3%; hazard ratio (HR) = 1.8; p = 0.007). TTB was the most important predictor of ER (HR = 2.2; p < 0.001). Using 6.84% as the threshold of TTB, two ER risk strata were obtained in overall (p < 0.001), BCLC A (p < 0.001), and BCLC B (p = 0.027) patients, respectively. The BCLC B low-TTB patients had a similar risk for ER to BCLC A patients and thus were reassigned to a BCLC An stage; whilst the BCLC B high-TTB patients remained in a BCLC Bn stage. The 2-year ER rate was 30.5% for BCLC An patients vs. 58.1% for BCLC Bn patients (HR = 2.8; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: TTB determined by DL-based automated segmentation at MRI was a predictive biomarker for postoperative ER and facilitated refined subcategorization of patients within BCLC stages A and B. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Total tumor burden derived by deep learning-based automated segmentation at MRI may serve as an imaging biomarker for predicting early recurrence, thereby improving subclassification of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer A and B hepatocellular carcinoma patients after hepatectomy. KEY POINTS: Total tumor burden (TTB) is important for Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging, but is heterogenous. TTB derived by deep learning-based automated segmentation was predictive of postoperative early recurrence. Incorporating TTB into the BCLC algorithm resulted in successful subcategorization of BCLC A and B patients.
ABSTRACT
This perspective presents the latest advancements in selective polymerization pathways in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for removal of featured organic pollutants in wastewater. In radical-based homogeneous reactions, SO4â¢â¯--based systems exhibit superior oxidative activity toward aromatics with electron-donating substituents via single electron transfer and radical adduct formation (RAF). The produced organic radical cations subsequently undergo coupling and polymerization reactions to produce polymers. For â¢OH-based oxidation, metal ions facilitate the production of monomer radicals via RAF. Additionally, heterogeneous catalysts can mediate both coupling and polymerization reactions via persulfate activation without generating inorganic radicals. Metal-based catalysts will mediate a direct oxidation pathway toward polymerization. In contrast, carbon-based catalysts will induce coupling reactions to produce low-molecular-weight oligomers (≤4 units) via an electron transfer process. In comparison to mineralization, polymerization pathways remarkably reduce peroxide usage, quickly separate pollutants from the aqueous phase, and generate polymeric byproducts. Thus, AOP-driven polymerization systems hold significant promise in reducing carbon emission and realizing carbon recycling in water treatment processes.
Subject(s)
Water Pollutants, Chemical , Oxidation-Reduction , Carbon , Wastewater , Metals , PolymersABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: We aimed to characterize the clinical and multiphase computed tomography (CT) features, which can distinguish renal urothelial carcinoma (RUC) mimicking renal cell carcinoma (RCC) from clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) with collecting system invasion (CSI). METHODS: Data from 56 patients with RUC (46 men and 10 women) and 366 patients with ccRCC (262 men and 104 women) were collected and assessed retrospectively. The median age was 65.50 (IQR: 56.25-69.75) and 53.50 (IQR: 42.25-62.5) years, respectively. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed on clinical and CT characteristics to determine independent factors for distinguishing RUC and ccRCC, and an integrated predictive model was constructed. Differential diagnostic performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: The independent predictors for differentiating RUC from ccRCC were infiltrative growth pattern, hydronephrosis, heterogeneous enhancement, preserving reniform contour, and hematuria. The differential diagnostic performance of the integrated predictive model-1 (AUC: 0.947, sensitivity: 89.07%, specificity: 89.29%) and model-2 (AUC: 0.960, sensitivity: 92.1%, specificity: 89.3%) were both better than that of the infiltrative growth pattern (AUC: 0.830, sensitivity: 71.9%, specificity: 92.9%), heterogeneous enhancement (AUC: 0.771, sensitivity: 86.3%, specificity: 67.9%), preserving reniform contour (AUC = 0.758, sensitivity: 85.5%, specificity: 66.1%), hydronephrosis (AUC: 0.733, sensitivity: 87.7%, specificity: 58.9%), or hematuria (AUC: 0.706, sensitivity: 79.5%, specificity: 51.8%). CONCLUSION: The CT and clinical characteristics showed extraordinary discriminative abilities in the differential diagnosis of RUC and ccRCC, which might provide helpful information for clinical decision-making.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Renal Cell , Carcinoma, Transitional Cell , Hydronephrosis , Kidney Neoplasms , Urinary Bladder Neoplasms , Male , Humans , Female , Aged , Carcinoma, Renal Cell/diagnostic imaging , Carcinoma, Renal Cell/pathology , Hematuria , Retrospective Studies , Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/diagnostic imaging , Kidney Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Kidney Neoplasms/pathology , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods , Diagnosis, DifferentialABSTRACT
Background Identifying patients at high risk for advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after liver resection may improve patient survival. Purpose To develop a model including MRI features for predicting postoperative advanced-stage HCC recurrence. Materials and Methods This single-center, retrospective study includes consecutive adult patients who underwent preoperative contrast-enhanced MRI and curative-intent resection for early- to intermediate-stage HCC (from December 2011 to April 2021). Three radiologists evaluated 52 qualitative features on MRI scans. In the training set, Fine-Gray proportional subdistribution hazard analysis was performed to identify clinical, laboratory, imaging, pathologic, and surgical variables to include in the predictive model. In the test set, the concordance index (C-index) was computed to compare the developed model with current staging systems. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. Results The study included 532 patients (median age, 54 years; IQR, 46-62 years; 465 male patients), 302 patients from the training set (median age, 54 years; IQR, 46-63 years; 265 male patients), and 128 patients from the test set (median age, 53 years; IQR, 46-63 years; 108 male patients). Advanced-stage recurrence was observed in 38 of 302 (12.6%) and 15 of 128 (11.7%) of patients from the training and test sets, respectively. Serum neutrophil count (109/L), tumor size (in centimeters), and arterial phase hyperenhancement proportion on MRI scans were associated with advanced-stage recurrence (subdistribution hazard ratio range, 1.16-3.83; 95% CI: 1.02, 7.52; P value range, <.001 to .02) and included in the predictive model. The model showed better test set prediction for advanced-stage recurrence than four staging systems (2-year C-indexes, 0.82 [95% CI: 0.74, 0.91] vs 0.63-0.68 [95% CI: 0.52, 0.82]; P value range, .001-.03). Patients at high risk for HCC recurrence (model score, ≥15 points) showed increased advanced-stage recurrence and worse all-stage recurrence-free survival (RFS), advanced-stage RFS, and overall survival than patients at low risk for HCC recurrence (P value range, <.001 to .02). Conclusion A model combining serum neutrophil count, tumor size, and arterial phase hyperenhancement proportion predicted advanced-stage HCC recurrence better than current staging systems and may identify patients at high risk. Published under a CC BY 4.0 license. Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Tsai and Mellnick in this issue.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular , Liver Neoplasms , Adult , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Magnetic Resonance ImagingABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Stressful events and meaning-making toward them play an important role in adolescents' life and growth. However, ignoring positive stressful events leads to negativity bias; further, the neural mechanisms of meaning-making are unclear. We aimed to verify the mediating role of meaning-making in stressful events and stress-related growth and the function of the default mode network (DMN) during meaning-making in this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study. METHODS: Participants comprised 59 university students. Stressful life events, meaning-making, and stress-related growth were assessed at baseline, followed by fMRI scanning during a meaning-making task aroused by mental simulation. General linear modeling and psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses were used to explore the activation and functional connectivity of DMN during meaning-making. RESULTS: Mental simulation triggered meaning-making, and DMN activity decreased during meaning-making. Activation of the DMN was negatively correlated with coping flexibility, an indicator of stress-related growth. PPI analysis showed that meaning-making was accompanied by diminished connectivity in the DMN. DMN activation during meaning-making can mediate the relationship between positive stressful events and coping flexibility. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased DMN activity and diminished functional connectivity in the DMN occurred during meaning-making. Activation of the DMN during meaning-making could mediate the relationship between positive stressful events and stress-related growth, which provides a cognitive neural basis for the mediating role of meaning-making in the relationship between stressful events and indicators of stress-related growth. IMPLICATIONS: This study supports the idea that prosperity makes heroes, expands the meaning-making model, and suggests the inclusion of enhancing personal resources and meaning-making in education. This study was the first to validate the activation pattern and functional connectivity of the DMN during meaning-making aroused by mental simulation using an fMRI task-state examination, which can enhance our sense of meaning and provide knowledge that can be used in clinical psychology interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study protocol was pre-registered in Open Science Framework (see osf.io/ahm6e for details).
Subject(s)
Brain Mapping , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Adolescent , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Brain Mapping/methods , Default Mode Network , Nerve Net/diagnostic imaging , Nerve Net/physiology , Brain/diagnostic imaging , Brain/physiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Three-dimensional (3D) multi-echo-Dixon (ME-Dixon) and breath-hold T2-corrected multi-echo single-voxel MR spectroscopy (HISTO) can simultaneously quantify liver fat and liver iron. However, their diagnostic efficacy and application scope for quantitative iron in co-existing fatty liver have not been adequately evaluated. PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of ME-Dixon and HISTO for quantitative analysis of hepatic iron in rabbits with iron deposition and fatty liver using liver-iron concentration (LIC) as a reference standard. MATERIAL AND METHODS: ME-Dixon, HISTO, and conventional two-dimensional multi-echo gradient echo (GRE) sequences were performed on 42 rabbits. The following parameters were calculated: R2* from ME-Dixon and GRE; proton density fat fraction (PDFF) from the ME-Dixon, HISTO (normal TE range), and HISTO-H (extended TE range); and R2_water from HISTO and HISTO-H. The LIC and liver-fat concentration (LFC) were measured through chemical analysis, and their relationship with the MRI parameters were assessed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency. RESULTS: LIC was significantly correlated with R2_HISTO-H, R2*_Dixon, and R2*_GRE (r = 0.858, 0.910, 0.931, respectively; P < 0.001) and weakly with R2_HISTO (r = 0.424; P = 0.008). A strong correlation was also observed between the LFC and PDFF obtained from HISTO, HISTO-H, and ME-Dixon (r = 0.776, 0.811, 0.888, respectively; P < 0.001). ME-Dixon showed the best performance with moderate iron overload (AUC = 0.983). CONCLUSION: 3D ME-Dixon is useful for quantifying the LIC, especially with co-existing fatty liver. Its diagnostic performance is also superior to that of the HISTO sequence.
Subject(s)
Fatty Liver , Iron Overload , Animals , Rabbits , Liver/diagnostic imaging , Liver/chemistry , Fatty Liver/diagnostic imaging , Iron Overload/diagnostic imaging , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , IronABSTRACT
Tension between doctors and patients as a social problem has existed for a long time; thus far, there is no good solution. From the perspective of trust between doctors and patients, this research studies the relieving effect of perspective-taking interventions on the tension between doctors and patients. This study used a randomized, single-blind online experiment. 133 participants were randomly divided into an intervention group (n = 67) and control group (n = 66). Participants were asked to complete writing tasks from the doctor's perspective. Patients' trust in doctors was measured at 3 time points: before intervention, immediately after intervention, and 10 days after the intervention. Findings showed a significant interaction effect between time measurement and group. In the intervention group, a pairwise comparison of time measurements showed a significant difference between T1 and T2. Perspective-taking interventions can improve patients' trust in doctors, but this effect diminishes over time.
Subject(s)
Physician-Patient Relations , Physicians , Humans , Trust , Single-Blind Method , PatientsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected public health and wellbeing. In response to the pandemic threat of the coronavirus epidemic, several countries, including China, adopted lockdown and quarantine policies, which may cause psychological distress. This study aimed to explore the psychological impact of province-wide lockdown and personal quarantine during the COVID-19 outbreak in China as well as the corresponding risk factors and protective factors. METHODS: We examined the immediate (2-week) and delayed (2-month) impact of province-wide lockdown and personal quarantine on psychological distress in a national sample of 1390 Chinese residents. RESULTS: No immediate impact of province-wide lockdown on psychological distress was observed, whereas personal quarantine increased individuals' anxiety, fear, and anger. Despite the lack of initial association, psychological distress increased among those in province-wide lockdown. Self-stigma and personal control both significantly moderated the association between lockdown and psychological distress, but in different directions. Those with higher self-stigma and lower personal control were more impacted by the lockdown. Government support moderated the impact of quarantine on psychological distress, but not that of lockdown. CONCLUSIONS: The delayed effects of lockdown and quarantine on psychological distress were observed, and self-stigma, social support, and perceived control moderate the relationships. This study is the first to demonstrate the psychological costs of province-wide lockdowns on individuals' mental health, providing evidence of the need for mitigation strategies and timely public mental health preparedness in countries with recent outbreaks of COVID-19.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Quarantine , COVID-19/prevention & control , China/epidemiology , Communicable Disease Control , Disease Outbreaks/prevention & control , Humans , Pandemics/prevention & control , Quarantine/psychologyABSTRACT
Diabetic cognitive impairment (DCI) is a common diabetic complication characterized by learning and memory deficits. In diabetic patients, hyperactivated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis leads to abnormal increase of glucocorticoids (GCs), which causes the damage of hippocampal neurons and cognitive impairment. In this study we investigated the cognition-improving effects of a non-steroidal glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist 5-chloro-N-[4-chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl]thiophene-2-sulfonamide (FX5) in diabetic mice. Four weeks after T1DM or T2DM was induced, the mice were administered FX5 (20, 40 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.g.) for 8 weeks. Cognitive impairment was assessed in open field test, novel object recognition test, Y-maze test, and Morris water maze test. We showed that FX5 administration significantly ameliorated the cognitive impairments in both type 1 and 2 diabetic mice. Similar cognitive improvement was observed in diabetic mice following brain GR-specific knockdown by injecting AAV-si-GR. Moreover, AAV-si-GR injection occluded the cognition-improving effects of FX5, suggesting that FX5 functioning as a non-steroidal GR antagonist. In PA-treated primary neurons (as DCI model in vitro), we demonstrated that FX5 (2, 5, 10 µM) dose-dependently ameliorated synaptic impairment via upregulating GR/BDNF/TrkB/CREB pathway, protected against neuronal apoptosis through repressing GR/PI3K/AKT/GSK3ß-mediated tauopathy and subsequent endoplasmic reticulum stress. In LPS-treated primary microglia, FX5 dose-dependently inhibited inflammation through GR/NF-κB/NLRP3/ASC/Caspase-1 pathway. These beneficial effects were also observed in the hippocampus of diabetic mice following FX5 administration. Collectively, we have elucidated the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of non-steroidal GR antagonist FX5 on DCI and highlighted the potential of FX5 in the treatment of the disease.
Subject(s)
Cognitive Dysfunction , Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental , Animals , Mice , Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/metabolism , Caspases/metabolism , Cognitive Dysfunction/drug therapy , Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/complications , Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/drug therapy , Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/metabolism , Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta/metabolism , Hippocampus/metabolism , Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology , Maze Learning , NF-kappa B/metabolism , NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism , Receptors, Glucocorticoid/metabolism , Sulfonamides/pharmacology , Thiophenes/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Mass production of microalgal biodiesel is hindered by microalgae harvesting efficiency and costs. In this study, Daphnia domesticated by amino acids were used to harvest microalgae via ingesting. The main factors (density of Daphnia, salinity, pH, light-environment, temperature and algal concentration) that were conducive to Daphnia feeding were optimized. Under the optimal condition, Microalgae-feeding Daphnia were domesticated by adding D-glutamic acid and L-cysteine as stimulating factors. After that, the ingestion rate of domesticated Daphnia increased by 24.93%. The presence of Daphnia as a predator can induce microalgae to mass into clusters. Combining Daphnia feeding and the inductive defense flocculation of microalgae, the harvesting rate of mixed algae (Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Scenedesmus obliquus) reached over 95% after 9 h. Overall, this work suggested that Daphnia feeding process is a green and economical approach for microalgae harvesting.
Subject(s)
Chlorella , Microalgae , Amino Acids/metabolism , Animals , Biofuels , Biomass , Daphnia , Flocculation , Microalgae/metabolismABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Environmental worry, a response to environmental pollution, is a well-established predictor of pro-environmental behaviors. However, its relationship with health-promoting behaviors, such as fruit and vegetable intake (FVI), is unclear. In three studies, we explored the associations between environmental worry, behavioral intention, and FVI. METHOD: Study 1, enrolling 358 company trainees who provided their data at Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2; a 2-month follow-up), examined the relationship between environmental worry and FVI. Study 2, enrolling 226 employees providing their data at T1 and T2 (a 2-month follow-up), examined the mediating effects of intention in the relationship between environmental worry and FVI using a cross-lagged design. In study 3, data from 217 participants were collected three times over a period of 4 months. We re-examined the mediating effect of intention and further explored the moderating effect of future focus. RESULTS: Environmental worry predicted beneficial changes in FVI (studies 1, 2, and 3). Environmental worry predicted FVI through intention (studies 2 and 3). The mediating effect of intention on the relationship between environmental worry and FVI was moderated by future focus: individuals with high environmental worry formed stronger intention when they also reported a strong future focus (study 3). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide novel evidence for the direct and indirect links between environmental worry and health-promoting behavior (i.e., FVI).
Subject(s)
Fruit , Vegetables , Diet , Eating , Feeding Behavior , Humans , IntentionABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Cultural orientation and interdependent self-construal can moderate the relationship between perceived pro-generation investment and future orientation of young adults. To test how interdependent self-construal moderate the relationship between pro-generation investment and future orientation of young adults from two different cultural ecologies was the aim of the current study. METHODS: A cross-cultural comparison was conducted among study participants from China, Germany, and the United States. Interdependent self-construal, perceived pro-generation investment by parents (parental investment), and future orientation were measured. Cross-cultural data were collected from 205 college students in China, a collectivist culture, and 169 college students in Germany (n = 50) and the United States (n = 119), which are individualist cultures. We examined a three-way interaction with cultural orientation and interdependent self-construal as moderators in the relationship between perceived parental investment and future orientation. RESULTS: In the collectivist cultural context, there appeared no moderating effect of interdependent self-construal on the relationship between perceived parental investment and future orientation, although interdependent self-construal and perceived parental investment predicted future orientation. In the individualistic cultural context, there was a moderating effect. For individuals high in interdependent self-construal, future orientation remained stable as perceived parental investment increased. For individuals low in interdependent self-construal, future orientation decreased as perceived parental investment increased. CONCLUSIONS: The findings have practical implications in that parents should follow the cultural orientation of their background and provide their children with individualized investment and education to shape the future orientation of their offspring.
Subject(s)
Cross-Cultural Comparison , Self Concept , Child , China , Germany , Humans , Students , United States , Young AdultABSTRACT
Some passive sensors can measure only directions of arrival of signals, but the real positions of signal sources are often desirable, which can be estimated by combining distributed passive sensors as a network. However, passive observations should be correctly associated first. This paper studies the multi-target data association and signal localization problem in distributed passive sensor networks. With angle-only measurements from distributed passive sensors, multiple lines in a 3-dimensional (3D) scenario can be built and then those that will intersect in a small volume in 3D are classified into the same source. The center of the small volume is taken as an estimate of the signal source position, whose statistical distributions are formulated. If the minimum distance is less than an association threshold, then two lines are considered to be from the same signal source. In numerical results, the impacts of angle measurement accuracy and platform self-positioning accuracy are analyzed, indicating that this method can achieve a prescribed data association rate and a high positioning performance with a low computation cost.
ABSTRACT
Based on the analysis of the airborne bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging geometric mode, an extended nonlinear chirp scaling algorithm is employed to simulate and verify the imaging effect of the bistatic SARs. A gradient theory-based two-dimensional resolution bistatic SAR model is proposed, and the constraints of the multi-platform flight trajectory parameters meeting the imaging accuracy of the bistatic SAR are analyzed. Finally, through the bistatic SAR imaging simulation of cooperative flight trajectories under various situations, the spatial configuration constraint envelope between the flight vehicles to achieve the optimal resolution is revealed. The results of this paper will provide a theoretical reference for the SAR application in formation flight control.
Subject(s)
Image Enhancement , Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted , Algorithms , Image Enhancement/methods , Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods , Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods , RadarABSTRACT
Angle-only sensors cannot provide range information of targets and in order to determine accurate position of a signal source, one can connect distributed passive sensors with communication links and implement a fusion algorithm to estimate target position. To measure moving targets with sensors on moving platforms, most of existing algorithms resort to the filtering method. In this paper, we present two fusion algorithms to estimate both the position and velocity of moving target with distributed angle-only sensors in motion. The first algorithm is termed as the gross least square (LS) algorithm, which takes all observations from distributed sensors together to form an estimate of the position and velocity and thus needs a huge communication cost and a huge computation cost. The second algorithm is termed as the linear LS algorithm, which approximates locations of sensors, locations of targets, and angle-only measures for each sensor by linear models and thus does not need each local sensors to transmit raw data of angle-only observations, resulting in a lower communication cost between sensors and then a lower computation cost at the fusion center. Based on the second algorithm, a truncated LS algorithm, which estimates the target velocity through an average operation, is also presented. Numerical results indicate that the gross LS algorithm, without linear approximation operation, often benefits from more observations, whereas the linear LS algorithm and the truncated LS algorithm, both bear lower communication and computation costs, may endure performance loss if the observations are collected in a long period such that the linear approximation model becomes mismatch.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE. This study aimed to determine the best model for predicting microvascular invasion (MVI) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using conventional gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (gadoxetate disodium)-enhanced MRI features and radiomics signatures with machine learning. MATERIALS AND METHODS. This retrospective study included 269 patients with a postoperative pathologic diagnosis of HCC. Gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI features were assessed, including T1 relaxation time, tumor margin, tumor size, peritumoral enhancement, peritumoral hypointensity, and ADC. Radiomics models were constructed and validated by machine learning. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was used for feature selection, and radiomics-based LASSO models were constructed with six classifiers. Predictive capability was assessed using the ROC AUC. RESULTS. Histologic examination confirmed MVI in 111 (41.3%) of the 269 patients. ADC value, nonsmooth tumor margin, and 20-minute T1 relaxation time showed diagnostic accuracy with AUC values of 0.850, 0.847, and 0.846, respectively (p < .05 for all). A total of 1395 quantitative imaging features were extracted. In the hepatobiliary phase (HBP) model, the support vector machine (SVM), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and logistic regression (LR) classifiers showed greater diagnostic efficiency for predicting MVI, with AUCs of 0.942, 0.938, and 0.936, respectively (p < .05 for all). CONCLUSION. ADC value, nonsmooth tumor margin, and 20-minute T1 relaxation time show high diagnostic accuracy for predicting MVI. Radiomics signatures with machine learning can further improve the ability to predict MVI and are best modeled during HBP. The SVM, XGBoost, and LR classifiers may serve as potential biomarkers to evaluate MVI.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology , Contrast Media , Gadolinium DTPA , Image Enhancement/methods , Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods , Liver Neoplasms/pathology , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Microvessels/diagnostic imaging , Microvessels/pathology , Adult , Aged , Cohort Studies , Cross-Sectional Studies , Humans , Liver/diagnostic imaging , Liver/pathology , Machine Learning , Male , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Invasiveness , Retrospective Studies , Young AdultABSTRACT
CONTRACT GRANT SPONSOR: National Natural Science Foundation of China; Contract grant number: 81260214. BACKGROUND: Recent studies have highlighted the diagnostic value of Gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced MRI in small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Ki67 and CD34 are histologic markers that reflect the proliferation of tumor cells and the microvascular density (MVD). PURPOSE: To explore the diagnostic value of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI for Ki67 expression and MVD in HCC. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. SUBJECTS: In all, 180 patients with HCC. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3.0T, Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced T1 WI volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) axial fat suppression plain, and enhanced scanning. ASSESSMENT: The T1 relaxation time (T1 rt) and signal intensity (SI) of the lesion were measured. The Ki67 expressions and MVD were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. STATISTICAL TEST: Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of T1 rt for high Ki67 expression (≥50%) and high MVD (≥100). RESULTS: The T1 rt-20min, rrT1 rt-20min, and SI-hepatobiliary phase (SI-HBP) were strongly correlated with Ki67, the r values were 0.846, -0.765, and -0.760 (P < 0.05), respectively. There were moderate correlations with CD34, with r values -0.444, 0.336, and -0.463 (P < 0.05), respectively. The T1 rt-Pre, T1 rt-20min, SI-Pre, and SI-HBP were significantly different both between the high and low ki67 expression groups (P < 0.05) and between the high MVD and low MVD groups (P < 0.05). In the two groups the T1 rt-20min and SI-HBP was 800.06 ± 128.91 vs. 530.06 ± 139.29 (P < 0.05) and 122.29 ± 39.39 vs. 173.49 ± 46.15 (P < 0.05); T1 rt-20min was found to have high diagnostic efficiency for high ki67 expression (area under the curve [AUC], 0.937; P < 0.05) T1 rt-20min had moderate diagnostic value for high MVD (AUC, 0.716; P < 0.05). DATA CONCLUSION: The T1 rt and SI of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI were correlated with Ki67 expression and MVD. T1 rt-20min has a high diagnostic value for high ki67 expression and high MVD in HCC tissues. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Technical Efficacy Stage: 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;51:1755-1763.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular , Liver Neoplasms , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/diagnostic imaging , China , Contrast Media , Gadolinium DTPA , Humans , Ki-67 Antigen , Liver Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Microvascular Density , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
A large amount of tea is produced every year. Tea is often harmed by pests during the cultivation process, causing great economic damage. In this paper, we simulated a kind of light source for comfortable lighting and trapping pests based on solar-like lighting. We investigated three combinations of white LEDs and monochromatic LEDs for solar-like trapping light. The optimal combination of white LEDs and monochromatic LEDs was determined by the production cost and the spectral phototaxis ratio. We used TracePro for the trapping light mixing design. The results show that the combination of the cold white LED and six kinds of monochromatic LEDs is the best for trapping pests. A light source for comfortable lighting and trapping pests based on solar-like lighting with the color temperature of 7285 k, color coordinates of (0.3052, 0.3031), and color rendering index of 70 is obtained. The trapping light can not only be used as functional lighting but can also be applied to reduce the use of pesticides and improve the quality of tea.