Nondestructive measurement of terahertz optical thin films by machine learning based on physical consistency.

Optical scattering measurement is one of the most commonly used methods for non-contact online measurement of film properties in industrial film manufacturing. Terahertz photons have low energy and are non-ionizing when measuring objects, so combining these two methods can enable online nondestructive testing of thin films. In the visible light band, some materials are transparent, and their thickness and material properties cannot be measured. Therefore, a method based on physical consistency modeling and machine learning is proposed in this paper, which realizes the method of obtaining high-precision thin film parameters through single-frequency terahertz wave measurement, and shows good performance. Through the experimental measurement of organic material thin films, it is proved that the proposed method is an effective terahertz online detection technology with high precision and high throughput.

Electrospun Nanofiber-Based Biosensors for Foodborne Bacteria Detection.

Food contamination has emerged as a significant global health concern, posing substantial challenges to the food industry. Bacteria are the primary cause of foodborne diseases. Consequently, it is crucial to develop accurate and efficient sensing platforms to detect foodborne bacteria in food products. Among various detection methods, biosensors have emerged as a promising solution due to their portability, affordability, simplicity, selectivity, sensitivity, and rapidity. Electrospun nanofibers have gained increasing popularity in enhancing biosensor performance. These nanofibers possess a distinctive three-dimensional structure, providing a large surface area and ease of preparation. This review provides an overview of the electrospinning technique, nanofibers and nanofiber-based biosensors. It also explores their mechanisms and applications in the detection of foodborne bacteria such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Pseudomonas putida (P. putida).

Reduction of antibiotic use and multi-drug resistance bacteria infection in neonates after improvement of antibiotics use strategy in a level 4 neonatal intensive care unit in southern China.

The investigation on antibiotic stewardship in neonatal intensive care unit in China is scarce. This study aimed to analyze the effect of a comprehensive 2-year antibiotic stewardship in a level 4 NICU. During this baseline period from October 1st 2017 to October 1st 2019, continuation of empirical antibiotic therapy for ruled-out sepsis courses was beyond 72 h and for pneumonia was more than 7 days. Meropenem or vancomycin was used even if they were not the only bacterial sensitive antibiotics. The intervention period was from October 2nd 2019 to August 23rd 2021. Three areas for quality improvement were targeted in our center: discontinuation of antibiotic use in ruled-out sepsis within 72 h, treatment duration for culture-negative pneumonia less than 7 days, and vancomycin or meropenem was not used unless the cultured bacteria was only susceptible to them. The total antibiotic consumption decreased from 791.1 to 466.3 days of therapy per 1000 patient days from baseline to intervention period. Antibiotics were stopped within 72 h for 47.48% patients with rule-out sepsis and within 7 days for 75.70% patients with pneumonia compared with 11.56% and 37.69% during the baseline period respectively. The prevalence of multi-drug resistance bacteria decreased from 67.20 to 48.90%. The total use rate of meropenem or vancomycin decreased from 7.6 to 1.8%. Our quality improvement approach on antibiotic strategy significantly reduced antibiotic use and prevalence of multi-drug resistance bacteria in our NICU.

Open-Framework Iron Fluoride Phosphates Based on Chain, Trinuclear, and Tetranuclear Chain FeIII Building Units: Crystal Structures and Magnetic Properties.

We report the synthesis and characterization of a series of new open-framework iron fluoride-fluorophosphates based on linear, trinuclear, and tetranuclear chain FeIII building units. KFe2(PO3F)2F3 (I) consists of {Fe2(O3F)2F2}10- zigzag chains interconnected by P(O/F)4 tetrahedra forming a three-dimensional (3D) open framework. K2Fe(PO2.5F1.5)2F2 (II) is built up by {Fe(PO2.5F1.5)2F2}2- chains separated by K+ cation layers. The framework for K3Fe3(PO4)(PO3F)2F5 (III) contains two-dimensional {Fe3O4F4(PO3F)2}2- sheets, which are built from trimeric Fe-octahedra insulated by PO3F tetrahedra. The macroanionic framework of K3Fe4(PO4)2F9 (IV) comprises linear {Fe4O8F9}10- chains consisting of tetranuclear magnetic clusters of [Fe4O8F9]10- formed via corner-sharing fluorine atoms decorated with PO4 groups. The magnetic characterization of three iron fluorophosphates reveals diversified magnetism: S = 5/2 spin chains for I, antiferromagnetically coupled triangular Fe units for III, and coupled tetrahedral S = 5/2 spin chains for IV. IV shows strong geometric frustration thanks to its spin motifs of corner-shared tetrahedral clusters.

Cycloidal Magnetic Order Promoted by Labile Mixed Anionic Paths in M2(SeO3)F2 (M = Mn2+, Ni2+).

Two M2(SeO3)F2 fluoro-selenites (M = Mn2+, Ni2+) have been synthesized using optimized hydrothermal reactions. Their 3D framework consists of 1D-[MO2F2]4-chains of edge-sharing octahedra with a rare topology of alternating O-O and F-F µ2 bridges. The interchain corner-sharing connections are assisted by the mixed O vs F anionic nature and develop a complex set of M-X-M superexchanges as calculated by LDA+U. Their interplay induces prominent in-chain antiferromagnetic frustration, while the interchain exchanges are responsible for the cycloidal magnetic structure observed below TN ≈ 21.5 K in the Ni2+ case. For comparison the Mn2+ compound develops a nearly collinear spin (canted) ordering below TN ≈ 26 K with ferromagnetic chain units.

Variable Structures and One-Dimensional-Canting Antiferromagetism Found in Fluoride Selenates, A2Mn(SeO4)F3 (A = K, Rb, Cs).

Three new alkali-metal manganese fluoride selenates, A2Mn(SeO4)F3 (A = K, Rb, Cs), were prepared through hydrothermal redox reactions. The products consisted of one-dimensional polymeric anionic ∞[Mn(SeO4)F3]2- chains, where the A+ cations are connected by O and/or F atoms to form blocks with two-dimensional layers. A2Mn(SeO4)F3 (A= Rb, Cs) is isostructural with the monoclinic space group P21/c, while K2Mn(SeO4)F3 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pbcn. A2Mn(SeO4)F3 (A = K, Rb, Cs) forms spin chains of Mn3+ with different Mn-F-Mn bridges, which showed canting antiferromagnetic behaviors. Single-crystal magnetic measurements revealed that the magnetic moments of the Mn ions were more canted for larger alkali-metal compounds in an antiferromagnetically ordered state.

Transition-Metal Monofluorophosphate Ba2M2(PO3F)F6 (M = Mn, Co, and Ni): Varied One-Dimensional Transition-Metal Chains and Antiferromagnetism.

Four transition-metal monofluorophosphates, with a chemical formula of Ba2M2(PO3F)F6 (M = Mn, Co, Ni, and Cu), have been synthesized hydrothermally using phosphoric and fluorophosphoric acids. The structures of Ba2M2(PO3F)F6 were intensively investigated by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. Their networks exhibited three-dimensional frameworks formed by cis-MO2F4 octahedra and PO3F tetrahedra. Ba2M2(PO3F)F6 (M = Mn, Co, and Cu) are isostructural, crystallizing in the monoclinic space group P21/c, while Ba2Ni2(PO3F)F6 adopted an unpredetermined structure, crystallizing in the monoclinic space group P21/n. The different arrangements of the same cis-MO2F4 moieties and PO3F groups within one-dimensional chains lead to different frameworks in this late-first-row transition-metal series. By a comparison of normalized bond lengths with their normal counterparts, the more elongated octahedral cis-MO2F4 units in Ba2Cu2(PO3F)F6 reveal the presence of static Jahn-Teller distortion, uncovering the puzzling reason for the exceptional structure of Ba2Ni2(PO3F)F6 in the series. Ba2M2(PO3F)F6 (M = Mn, Co, and Ni) forms spin chains of M2+ made of coupled dimers or tetramers, showing dominant antiferromagnetic behavior.

River water intrusion as a source of inflow into the sanitary sewer system.

Previous studies on the extraneous water problem (or infiltration/inflow) in sanitary sewer systems assumed that the wastewater flow is mainly composed of foul sewage (FS), groundwater infiltration (GWI) and rainfall-derived inflow and infiltration (RDII). Most existing assessment methods are based on this assumption. In 2018, China initiated the 'Protection of the Yangtze River Program', and the two-year research data showed that it was neither the GWI nor the RDII but the direct surface water intrusion (DSWI), which has rarely been reported in literatures, that serves as the main source of the extraneous water in many local sewer systems. The discovery has enriched the understanding of the extraneous water in sewer systems. Meanwhile, it brings new challenges for the assessment of extraneous water. In this study, starting from the analysis of the low influent concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the wastewater treatment plant in a southeastern city in China, a river water intrusion point was successfully localized and the volume of river water intrusion was quantified by a series of field experiments. The methodology used in this study can also be applied in other areas with DSWI.

Numerical investigation on bottom shear stress induced by flushing gate for sewer cleaning.

One of the most common strategies for sewer cleaning is to generate flushing flows using flushing gates to store water in the upstream sewer pipe. Therefore it is important to obtain the flow information on the flushing waves and their eroding effects. In this study, the flow characteristics of the flushing wave and the flushing effect were investigated by a transient flow calculation using a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. The values of bottom shear stress were obtained and the effect of several factors are discussed. The water depth and the slope were related to the release rate of the storage volume, while the flushing volume determined the flushing distance at long sewer distances. The initial downstream water level was found to dramatically reduce the flushing effect. Equations based on the storage depth were developed to estimate the flushing effect, and suggestions for the installation and operation of flushing gates are provided.

Effect of Doppler flow meter position on discharge measurement in surcharged manholes.

Determining the proper installation location of flow meters is important for accurate measurement of discharge in sewer systems. In this study, flow field and flow regimes in two types of manholes under surcharged flow were investigated using a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. The error in measuring the flow discharge using a Doppler flow meter (based on the velocity in a Doppler beam) was then estimated. The values of the corrective coefficient were obtained for the Doppler flow meter at different locations under various conditions. Suggestions for selecting installation positions are provided.

Numerical modeling on sediment capture in catch basins.

Catch basins are designed to convey surface runoff into sewer systems. They are also found to be effective in retaining sediments. A number of factors can influence catch basin sediment capture efficiency, such as sediment size distribution, flow hydraulics and catch basin design. To better understand the influence of these factors, numerical simulations using the Eulerian-Lagrangian method were conducted to provide insights into flow fields and to predict sediment capture rates. The numerical model was validated using previous experimental measurements of flow field and sediment capture rates for sediment sizes larger than 0.25 mm. The influence of catch basin designs, including the bottom sump and inflow arrangements, was also studied, and an equation was developed for predicting the capture rate.

DRD4 VNTR 4/4 homozygosity as a genetic biomarker for treatment selection in patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: There seems to be an association between the DRD4 48-bp VNTR polymorphisms and antipsychotic treatment response, but there is a rare reference to confirm this finding. Hence, the present study tried to investigate the association between DRD4 48-bp VNTR polymorphisms and the treatment response of antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia in Taiwan, using a propensity score matching (PSM) method. METHODS: A total of 882 participants were enrolled in this study and completed informed consent, research questionnaires, including demographic information and the revised Chinese version Beliefs about Voices Questionnaire, and blood sampling. For descreasing of the selection bias and confounding variables, the PSM nearest neighbor matching method was used to select 765 paitents with schizophrenia (ratio of 1:8 between 85 persistent auditory hallucination and 680 controls) with matched and controlled the age and gender. RESULTS: Schizophrenia patients with DRD4 4 R homozygosity had a lower rate of good antipsychotic treatment response than the other DRD4 genotype carriers (DRD4 non-4/4). Among those 4 R homozygosity carriers, 60 cases of 503 (11.9%) retain persistent auditory hallucinations. Furthermore, this subgroup of patients is accounted for up to 70.6% of cases with poor neuroleptic treatment response. CONCLUSIONS: A poor treatment outcome for patients with the 4 R homozygosity had presented,that comparing with those DRD non-4/4 genotype carriers. DRD4 VNTR 4 R homozygosity could be a genetic biomarker to predict poor antipsychotic treatment response in schizophrenia. Patients with DRD 4/4 probably receive novel antipsychotic medications preferentially or in combination with alternative therapy, such as psychotherapy or milieu therapy.

Analysis of vascular thrombus and clinicopathological factors in prognosis of gastric cancer: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world, and its prognosis is closely related to many factors. In recent years, the incidence of vascular thrombosis in patients with GC has gradually attracted increasing attention, and studies have shown that it may have a significant impact on the survival rate and prognosis of patients. However, the specific mechanism underlying the association between vascular thrombosis and the prognosis of patients with GC remains unclear. AIM: To analyze the relationships between vascular cancer support and other clinicopathological factors and their influence on the prognosis of patients with GC. METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological data of 621 patients with GC and divided them into a positive group and a negative group according to the presence or absence of a vascular thrombus. The difference in the 5-year cumulative survival rate between the two groups was compared, and the relationships between vascular cancer thrombus and other clinicopathological factors and their influence on the prognosis of patients with GC were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 621 patients with GC, the incidence of vascular thrombi was 31.7% (197 patients). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the degree of tumor differentiation, depth of invasion, and extent of lymph node metastasis were independent influencing factors for the occurrence of vascular thrombi in GC patients (P < 0.01). The trend of the χ 2 test showed that the degree of differentiation, depth of invasion, and extent of lymph node metastasis were linearly correlated with the percentage of vascular thrombi in GC patients (P < 0.01), and the correlation between lymph node metastasis and vascular thrombi was more significant (r = 0.387). Univariate analysis revealed that the 5-year cumulative survival rate of the positive group was significantly lower than that of the negative group (46.7% vs 73.3%, P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed that age, tumor diameter, TNM stage, and vascular thrombus were independent risk factors for the prognosis of GC patients (all P < 0.05). Further stratified analysis revealed that the 5-year cumulative survival rate of stage III GC patients in the thrombolase-positive group was significantly lower than that in the thrombolase-negative group (36.1% vs 51.4%; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Vascular cancer status is an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of patients with GC. The combination of vascular cancer suppositories and TNM staging can better judge the prognosis of patients with GC and guide more reasonable treatment.

Cost-Effective and Wireless Portable Device for Rapid and Sensitive Quantification of Micro/Nanoplastics.

The accumulation of micro/nanoplastics (MNPs) in ecosystems poses tremendous environmental risks for terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Designing rapid, field-deployable, and sensitive devices for assessing the potential risks of MNPs pollution is critical. However, current techniques for MNPs detection have limited effectiveness. Here, we design a wireless portable device that allows rapid, sensitive, and on-site detection of MNPs, followed by remote data processing via machine learning algorithms for quantitative fluorescence imaging. We utilized a supramolecular labeling strategy, employing luminescent metal-phenolic networks composed of zirconium ions, tannic acid, and rhodamine B, to efficiently label various sizes of MNPs (e.g., 50 nm-10 µm). Results showed that our device can quantify MNPs as low as 330 microplastics and 3.08 × 106 nanoplastics in less than 20 min. We demonstrated the applicability of the device to real-world samples through determination of MNPs released from plastic cups after hot water and flow induction and nanoplastics in tap water. Moreover, the device is user-friendly and operative by untrained personnel to conduct data processing on the APP remotely. The analytical platform integrating quantitative imaging, customized data processing, decision tree model, and low-cost analysis ($0.015 per assay) has great potential for high-throughput screening of MNPs in agrifood and environmental systems.

Phosphorus deficiency alleviates iron limitation in Synechocystis cyanobacteria through direct PhoB-mediated gene regulation.

Iron and phosphorus are essential nutrients that exist at low concentrations in surface waters and may be co-limiting resources for phytoplankton growth. Here, we show that phosphorus deficiency increases the growth of iron-limited cyanobacteria (Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803) through a PhoB-mediated regulatory network. We find that PhoB, in addition to its well-recognized role in controlling phosphate homeostasis, also regulates key metabolic processes crucial for iron-limited cyanobacteria, including ROS detoxification and iron uptake. Transcript abundances of PhoB-targeted genes are enriched in samples from phosphorus-depleted seawater, and a conserved PhoB-binding site is widely present in the promoters of the target genes, suggesting that the PhoB-mediated regulation may be highly conserved. Our findings provide molecular insights into the responses of cyanobacteria to simultaneous iron/phosphorus nutrient limitation.

Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor in the Nasal Cavity of a Neonate: A Case Report.

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is a rare tumor that can develop on the lining of nerves and within the network of nerve fibers in different organs, and it is commonly found in the head and neck, limbs, and trunk. These tumors can occur in patients of any age. They most commonly occur in adults aged 20 to 50 years; however, fewer cases of this tumor in children have been reported. To date, no neonatal case of MPNST in the nasal cavity has been reported. Here, we report the case of a 4-day-old female newborn who presented with a nasal mass that re-enlarged after surgery and was diagnosed as MPNST of the nasal cavity on the basis of pathological results. This is the first report of MPNST in the nasal cavity of a neonate. Differential diagnosis and treatment of nasal masses have been proposed in the related literature.

Hydrogen Production Technology Promotes the Analysis and Prospect of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Development under the Background of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality in China.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have always been regarded as the main direction for developing new energy vehicles in the future due to their advantages of zero emission, high cruising range, and strong environmental adaptability. Currently, although the related technologies have gradually matured, there are still many factors hindering its development. One of the main reasons is that the price of hydrogen fuel increases the cost of using vehicles, which puts it at a competitive disadvantage compared with traditional fuel vehicles and pure electric vehicles. Herein, we summarize the recent development status of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles at home and abroad, and analyze the cost and sustainability brought by the latest scientific research progress to the hydrogen production industry, which is derived from basic research on electrocatalysts used in industrial electrocatalytic water splitting with an alkaline electrolyte. Finally, the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles was analyzed and prospected, which is one of the main application fields of hydrogen in the future.

Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells Prevent Bacterial Biofilm Formation.

Biofilm formation is easily found in patients suffered from ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and makes the VAP infections not only harder to be treated but easier to relapse. In order to find some novel ways to inhibit biofilm formation, this study describe a previously unrecognized role for the human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs). In addition to multiple differentiation, hUCMSCs have the ability to prevent the biofilms formation in vitro by secreting antibacterial peptides (LL-37 and hBD-2). This occurred while P. aeruginosa PA27853 and hUCMSCs were cocultured, and the filtrated medium, which was the supernatant containing antibacterial peptides (5.9 ng/ml of LL-37, 1.77 ng/ml of hBD-2), and inhibited the growth of the bacterial biofilm on the surface of tracheal tube (2.5#, for preterm infant). Using microarrays, we were able to demonstrate that the antibacterial peptides from hUCMSC affected biofilm formation by downregulating the gene-encoded polysaccharide biosynthesis protein. In addition, in order to find out the most suitable concentration of hUCMSCs, P. aeruginosa was cocultured with eight-level concentrations of hUCMSCs, and we found that the concentration of LL-37 was positively correlated with the concentration of hUCMSCs. Meanwhile, the concentration of LL-37 became stable while the hUCMSC concentration reaches higher than 5 × 106 cells/ml. But the concentration of hBD-2 had no significant correlation with hUCMSCs. The collection of these stem cells is not only limited by ethics but also reduces host rejection. This makes it possible to use autologous hUCMSCs to treat neonatal VAP.

Association of NO2 with daily hospital admissions for mental disorders: Investigation of the modification effects of green spaces and long-term NO2 exposure.

Air pollution is a risk factor for increased hospital admissions due to mental disorders, while green spaces have been linked with better mental health. We linked daily hospital admission records from Wuhan's 74 municipal hospitals from 2017 to 2019 with modeled annual average NO2 concentrations and added data on the residential surrounding green spaces with 250 m and 500 m buffers based on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) using a land use regression model (LUR). The conditional logistic regression model was used to estimate the acute effect of short-term NO2 exposure, and stratification analyses were applied to explore the modification effect of long-term NO2 exposure and green spaces by estimating the odds ratios in the single- and dual-environmental factor groups. A total of 42,705 hospital admissions for mental disorders were identified. Short-term exposure to NO2 was associated with an increased risk of hospital admission for mental disorders. A 10 µg/m3 increase in NO2 (lag01 day) was associated with an increase in hospital admissions of 2.86% (95% CI, 2.05-3.68) for the total mental disorders. Compared with patients in the "low-NDVI/low-NO2" group (ER = 2.27%, 95% CI, 0.27-4.31), patients in the "high-NDVI/low-NO2" group (ER = 1.93%, -0.10-3.99) showed a lower and insignificant increase in hospitalizations for the total mental disorders, while greenness had a slight moderating effect in the high-level long-term NO2 exposure areas. This study suggested that green spaces may moderate the acute effect of NO2 exposure for mental disorder hospitalizations, especially in low-level long-term NO2 exposure areas.

[Characteristics and Mechanisms of Bacteriophage MS2 Inactivation in Water by UV Activated Sodium Persulfate].

Viruses in the aquatic environment have strong resistance to common disinfection techniques. To contribute to the development of efficient virus inactivation technologies, the characteristics and mechanisms of virus inactivation in a UV activated sodium persulfate(UV/PS) system were studied. The inactivation rate and kinetic characteristics of bacteriophage MS2 in water samples by the UV/PS were studied. The effects of PS dosage, pH, and the initial concentration of bacteriophages on the inactivation effect were also investigated. Furthermore, the morphologies of phages before and after UV/PS treatment were observed by transmission scanning electron microscope, and the free radicals in the reaction system were identified by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. By means of a free radical quenching experiment, the contribution rate of various factors in the UV/PS system to phage inactivation was also analyzed and calculated. The results showed that when the UV irradiation intensity was 160 µW·cm-2, the phage MS2 of 4.39 lg could be removed after UV/PS treatment for 4 min, which was 1.44 lg higher than that of the same UV dose alone. The inactivation of phage MS2 by the UV/PS system was in accordance with the first-order kinetic model. Increasing the initial concentration of PS in the system significantly improved the inactivation rate of phages, while pH and the initial concentration of phages had little effect on the inactivation rate. UV/PS treatment damages the capsid of phages and promotes the aggregation of phage particles. The presence of SO4-· and·OH in the UV/PS system was an important factor for the inactivation of MS2 phages. Finally, ·OH contributed more to MS2 phage inactivation than SO4-·.