Isolation of Fluorescent 2π-Aromatic 1,3-Disiladiboretenes.

Herein, we reported the isolation of 2π-aromatic disiladiboretenes (L2Si2B2Ph2) [L = ArC(NtBu)2, Ar = Ph (1), Mes (2)], which have been synthesized from the straightforward reduction of silylene-borane adducts (LSiX → BX2Ph) [X = Cl, Br] with potassium graphite (KC8). X-ray diffraction analysis of 1 and 2 revealed that the Si2B2 units are completely planar, and DFT calculations suggested delocalization of 2π-electrons over the Si2B2 rings. Moreover, their photophysical properties and reactivity toward sulfur were also investigated in detail.

Comparison of the treatment strategies for symptomatic chronic internal carotid artery occlusion.

OBJECTIVE: The best management of symptomatic chronic internal carotid artery occlusion (CICAO) has been controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis were to compare the outcomes of different treatment strategies for symptomatic CICAO. METHODS: Two independent researchers conducted a search of articles on the treatment of CICAO published between January 2000 and October 2023 in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and The Cochrane Library. Twenty-two articles were eligible for meta-analysis using a random effects model to combine and analyze the data for the pooled rates of stroke and death, and the rates of procedural success and significant restenosis/occlusion. RESULTS: A total of 1193 patients from 22 publications were included in this study. Six of them had bilateral internal carotid artery occlusion. The 30-day stroke and death rates were 1.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0%-4.4%) in the best medical treatment (BMT) group, 4.1% (95% CI, 0.7%-9.3%; I2 = 71.4%) in the extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass group, 4.4% (95% CI, 2.4%-6.8%; I2 = 0%) in the carotid artery stenting (CAS) group, and 1.2% (95% CI, 0%-3.4%; I2 = 0%) in the combined carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and stenting (CEA + CAS) group. During follow-up of 16.5 (±16.3) months, the stroke and death rates were 19.5%, 1.2%, 6.6%, and 2.4% in the BMT, EC-IC, CAS, and CEA + CAS groups respectively. The surgical success rate was 99.7% (95% CI, 98.5%-100%; I2 = 0%) in the EC-IC group, 70.1% (95% CI, 62.3%-77.5%; I2 = 64%) in the CAS group, and 86.4% (95% CI, 78.8%-92.7%; I2 = 60%) in the CEA + CAS group. The rate of post-procedural significant restenosis or occlusion was 3.6% in the EC-IC group, 18.7% in the CAS group, and 5.7% in the CEA + CSA group. The surgical success rate was negatively associated by the length of internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion. Surgical success rate was significantly higher in the patients with occlusive lesion within C1 to C4 segments, compared with those with occlusion distal to C4 segment (odds ratio, 11.3; 95% CI, 5.0-25.53; P < .001). A proximal stump of ICA is a favorable sign for CAS. The success rate of CAS was significantly higher in the patients with an ICA stump than that in the patients without (odds ratio, 11.36; 95% CI, 4.84-26.64; P < .01). However, the success rate of CEA + CAS was not affected by the proximal ICA stump. CONCLUSIONS: For the management of symptomatic CICAO, BMT alone is associated with the highest risk of mid- and long-term stroke and death. EC-IC bypass surgery and CEA + CAS should be considered as the choice of treatment based on operator's expertise and patient's anatomy. CAS may be employed as an alternative option in high surgical risk patients, especially when proximal ICA stump exists.

Isolation and Diverse Reactivity of an Unsymmetrical 1,2-Bis(silylene)-Stabilized Pentacarbonyl Chromium(0) Species.

The construction of the unsymmetrical 1,2-bis(silylene) pentacarbonyl chromium(0) complex 1 was achieved through the reaction of chlorosilylene with half an equivalent of K2Cr(CO)5. X-ray diffraction analysis of 1 confirms the formation of the Si-Si bond and the coordination of one of the silicon atoms to the Cr center. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations disclose that highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) mainly corresponds to the lone pair of electrons on the silicon atom and the σ-bonding interaction between two Si atoms. Based on its unique electronic structure, its diverse reactivity toward the transition metal compounds and small molecules was investigated in detail. The reactions of 1 with Fe2(CO)9 or CuCl yielded the 1,2-bis(silylene)-stabilized heterobimetallic complex 2 or oxidized product 3, respectively. Additionally, treatments of 1 with selenium, CO2, or Me3SiN3 led to the formation of the corresponding selenium-, oxo-, and nitrogen-bridged complexes 4-7. All compounds were characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography.

Deciphering the role of micro/nano-hydroxyapatite in aerobic granular sludge system: Effects on treatment performance and enhancement mechanism.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP), a mineral nucleus identified within aerobic granular sludge (AGS), plays a vital role in enhancing the AGS systems. However, the microscopic mechanism underlying their roles remains largely unexplored. Herein, a systematic investigation was carried out to elucidate the impact and enhanced mechanisms associated with HAP of different sizes, i.e. micro-HAP (mHAP) and nano-HAP (nHAP), on the aerobic granulation, nutrient removal and microbial diversity of AGS. Results showed that the presence of nHAP and mHAP significantly shortened the granulation process to 15 and 20 days, respectively. This might be ascribed to the fact that the large specific surface area of nHAP aggregates was conducive to microbial adhesion, biomass accumulation and sludge granulation. Compared with mHAP, the granules with nHAP showed better settlement performance, mechanical strength and larger diameter. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectrometer analysis confirmed the presence of HAP within the granules, which was found to stimulate the secretion of extracellular polymeric substance, improve the compactness of granule structure and suppress the growth of filamentous bacteria, thereby contributing to a stable AGS system. The presence of HAP, especially nHAP, effectively enriched the functional microorganisms, such as nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria (e.g. Candidatus_Competibacter) and phosphorus accumulating organisms (e.g. Flavobacterium), leading to the improved nutrient removal efficiencies (COD > 96%, TN > 76%, and TP > 74%). Further analysis revealed the up-regulation of functional enzymes (e.g. nitrite oxidoreductase and polyphosphate kinase) involved in nutrient metabolism, underlying the inherent mechanisms for the excellent nutrient removal. This study deepens the understanding of granulation mechanisms from the perspective of mineral cores, and proposes an economically feasible strategy for rapid initiation and stabilization of AGS reactors.

Physician-Modified Endovascular Graft for Left Subclavian Artery Fenestration during Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of physician-modified endovascular graft for preservation of left subclavian artery during thoracic endovascular aortic repair. METHODS: From June 2019 to October 2022, 66 patients with a variety of thoracic aortic pathologies were treated with thoracic endovascular aortic repair using physician-modified endovascular graft left subclavian artery fenestration to achieve adequate proximal landing zone. The details of surgical techniques were described. The perioperative morbidity, mortality, and the outcomes of mid-term follow-up were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 66 patients (men: women, 53:13; age, 55.18 [55.18 ± 10.62] years), 53 (80.30%) presented with type B aortic dissection, 10 (15.15%) with thoracic penetrating aortic ulcer, 2 (3.03%) with thoracic aortic aneurysm, and 1 (1.52%) with left subclavian artery aneurysm. All of them underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair using physician-modified endovascular graft left subclavian artery fenestration on the sterile back table. The technique success rate was 96.97% (n = 64). Total operation time was 92 min (interquartile range, 86-118), graft modification time was 19 min (interquartile range, 17-21), fluoroscopy time was 49 min (interquartile range, 41-62), and contrast agent dosage was 165 mL (interquartile range, 155-185). 30-day perioperative morbidities were 3 (4.55%) strokes, 1 (1.52%) retrograde type A aortic dissection, 1 (1.52%) aortic intimal intussusception, 1 (1.52%) left arm ischemia, and 3 (4.55%) type Ia endoleaks. Postoperative 30-day mortality and reintervention rates were 1.52% and 4.55%, respectively. Among the 63 patients included in the follow-up of 17 months (interquartile range, 7.75-18.25), the primary patency of left subclavian artery fenestration stents was 100%. Late complications were 1 (1.59%) distal stent graft-induced new entry and 1 (1.59%) death due to retrograde type A aortic dissection during the follow-up. The stent graft-induced new entry patient was observed with stable false lumen. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair with physician-modified endovascular graft for left subclavian artery revascularization is a safe, feasible, and efficacious technique associated with high success rate. Further study is needed for long-term outcome investigation.

Development of a Wideband Precision Electric Field Measuring Sensor.

High-voltage electric field measurement technology has certain applications in electric field measurement of power systems, but due to the limitation of its measurement accuracy and bandwidth, it cannot be used for the measurement of lightning-impulse voltage. In order to calibrate the nonlinearity of the MV-level lightning-impulse voltage measurement system, this paper proposes the design and implementation of a high-precision inductive wideband electric field measuring sensor (EFMS). The influence of the metal shell on the electric field distribution was simulated, and the influence of the electric field non-uniformity coefficient was studied. The characteristics of the EFMS were tested, and the results showed that the EFMS can accurately reproduce the waveform of lightning-impulse voltage and power-frequency voltage, with a proportionality coefficient of 0.05664 V/(kV/m). In mostly uniform and extremely non-uniform fields, the nonlinearity of the EFMS for impulse voltage is less than ±0.25%, and the nonlinearity of the EFMS for power-frequency voltage is less than 0.1%. It is shown that the EFMS can be used for the nonlinearity calibration of ultra-high voltage impulse measurement devices.

Transcriptomic analysis reveals the formation mechanism of anemone-type flower in chrysanthemum.

BACKGROUND: The ray and disc florets on the chrysanthemum capitulum are morphologically diverse and have remarkably abundant variant types, resulting in a rich variety of flower types. An anemone shape with pigmented and elongated disk florets is an important trait in flower shape breeding of chrysanthemums. The regulatory mechanism of their anemone-type disc floret formation was not clear, thus limiting the directional breeding of chrysanthemum flower types. In this study, we used morphological observation, transcriptomic analysis, and gene expression to investigate the morphogenetic processes and regulatory mechanisms of anemone-type chrysanthemum. RESULT: Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation showed that morphological differences between non-anemone-type disc florets and anemone-type disc florets occurred mainly during the petal elongation period. The anemone-type disc florets elongated rapidly in the later stages of development. Longitudinal paraffin section analysis revealed that the anemone-type disc florets were formed by a great number of cells in the middle layer of the petals with vigorous division. We investigated the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using ray and disc florets of two chrysanthemum cultivars, 082 and 068, for RNA-Seq and their expression patterns of non-anemone-type and anemone-type disc florets. The result suggested that the CYCLOIDEA2 (CYC2s), MADS-box genes, and phytohormone signal-related genes appeared significantly different in both types of disc florets and might have important effects on the formation of anemone-type disc florets. In addition, it is noteworthy that the auxin and jasmonate signaling pathways might play a vital role in developing anemone-type disc florets. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings, we propose a regulatory network for forming non-anemone-type and anemone-type disc florets. The results of this study lead the way to further clarify the mechanism of the anemone-type chrysanthemum formation and lay the foundation for the directive breeding of chrysanthemum petal types.

Multimodal image translation via deep learning inference model trained in video domain.

BACKGROUND: Current medical image translation is implemented in the image domain. Considering the medical image acquisition is essentially a temporally continuous process, we attempt to develop a novel image translation framework via deep learning trained in video domain for generating synthesized computed tomography (CT) images from cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. METHODS: For a proof-of-concept demonstration, CBCT and CT images from 100 patients were collected to demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of the proposed framework. The CBCT and CT images were further registered as paired samples and used as the input data for the supervised model training. A vid2vid framework based on the conditional GAN network, with carefully-designed generators, discriminators and a new spatio-temporal learning objective, was applied to realize the CBCT-CT image translation in the video domain. Four evaluation metrics, including mean absolute error (MAE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), normalized cross-correlation (NCC), and structural similarity (SSIM), were calculated on all the real and synthetic CT images from 10 new testing patients to illustrate the model performance. RESULTS: The average values for four evaluation metrics, including MAE, PSNR, NCC, and SSIM, are 23.27 ± 5.53, 32.67 ± 1.98, 0.99 ± 0.0059, and 0.97 ± 0.028, respectively. Most of the pixel-wise hounsfield units value differences between real and synthetic CT images are within 50. The synthetic CT images have great agreement with the real CT images and the image quality is improved with lower noise and artifacts compared with CBCT images. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a deep-learning-based approach to perform the medical image translation problem in the video domain. Although the feasibility and reliability of the proposed framework were demonstrated by CBCT-CT image translation, it can be easily extended to other types of medical images. The current results illustrate that it is a very promising method that may pave a new path for medical image translation research.

Procyanidin B2 improves endothelial progenitor cell function and promotes wound healing in diabetic mice via activating Nrf2.

One of the major reasons for the delayed wound healing in diabetes is the dysfunction of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) induced by hyperglycaemia. Improvement of EPC function may be a potential strategy for accelerating wound healing in diabetes. Procyanidin B2 (PCB2) is one of the major components of procyanidins, which exhibits a variety of potent pharmacological activities. However, the effects of PCB2 on EPC function and diabetic wound repair remain elusive. We evaluated the protective effects of PCB2 in EPCs with high glucose (HG) treatment and in a diabetic wound healing model. EPCs derived from human umbilical cord blood were treated with HG. The results showed that PCB2 significantly preserved the angiogenic function, survival and migration abilities of EPCs with HG treatment, and attenuated HG-induced oxidative stress of EPCs by scavenging excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). A mechanistic study found the protective role of PCB2 is dependent on activating nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). PCB2 increased the expression of Nrf2 and its downstream antioxidant genes to attenuate the oxidative stress induced by HG in EPCs, which were abolished by knockdown of Nrf2 expression. An in vivo study showed that intraperitoneal administration of PCB2 promoted wound healing and angiogenesis in diabetic mice, which was accompanied by a significant reduction in ROS level and an increase in circulating EPC number. Taken together, our results indicate that PCB2 treatment accelerates wound healing and increases angiogenesis in diabetic mice, which may be mediated by improving the mobilization and function of EPCs.

Comparison of Venous Thromboembolism Risks Between COVID-19 Pneumonia and Community-Acquired Pneumonia Patients.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives were to investigate and compare the risks and incidences of venous thromboembolism (VTE) between the 2 groups of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Approach and Results: Medical records of 616 pneumonia patients who were admitted to the Yichang Central People's Hospital in Hubei, China, from January 1 to March 23, 2020, were retrospectively reviewed. The patients with COVID-19 pneumonia were treated in the dedicated COVID-19 units, and the patients with CAP were admitted to regular hospital campus. Risks of VTE were assessed using the Padua prediction score. All the patients received pharmaceutical or mechanical VTE prophylaxis. VTE was diagnosed using Duplex ultrasound or computed tomography pulmonary angiogram. Differences between COVID-19 and CAP groups were compared statistically. All statistical tests were 2 sided, and P<0.05 was considered as statistically significant. All data managements and analyses were performed by IBM SPSS, version 24, software (SPSS, Inc, Chicago, IL). Of the 616 patients, 256 had COVID-19 pneumonia and 360 patients had CAP. The overall rate of VTE was 2% in COVID-19 pneumonia group and 3.6% in CAP group, respectively (P=0.229). In these two groups, 15.6% of the COVID-19 pneumonia patients and 10% of the CAP patients were categorized as high risk for VTE (Padua score, >4), which were significantly different (P=0.036). In those high-risk patients, the incidence of VTE was 12.5% in COVID-19 pneumonia group and 16.7% in CAP group (P=0.606). Subgroup analysis of the critically ill patients showed that VTE rate was 6.7% in COVID-19 group versus 13% in CAP group (P=0.484). In-hospital mortality of COVID-19 and CAP was 6.3% and 3.9%, respectively (P=0.180). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that COVID-19 pneumonia was associated with hypercoagulable state. However, the rate of VTE in COVID-19 pneumonia patients was not significantly higher than that in CAP patients.

Physician-modified Endograft with Left Subclavian Artery Fenestration for Ruptured Type B Aortic Dissection.

A 56-year-old male patient was transferred to our institution with acute chest and back pain and deteriorating vital signs for 3 days. Emergent computed tomography angiography (CTA) revealed ruptured type B aortic dissection with large left hemothorax. The dissection extended into the left subclavian artery (LSA). Immediate endovascular aortic repair with LSA coverage to extend the proximal landing zone was planned. Fenestrated thoracic endovascular repair (fTEVAR) was performed using a physician-modified endograft (PMEG) to maintain LSA perfusion. The thoracic endograft was modified on a back table while anesthesia was given, and arterial accesses were acquired. FTEVAR was performed smoothly without any complication. Completion angiogram showed no evidence of endoleak or active bleeding. Chest tube was then placed, and the left lung gradually expanded. Postoperative hospital courses were uneventful. Follow-up CTA showed the thoracic endograft and the LSA stent were in good position, and the rupture thoracic aorta was completely sealed. Chest tube was removed on postoperative day (POD) 7. He was discharged home on POD 20 without any complications. Detailed techniques of PMEG for LSA fenestration are described.

Removal of ammonia nitrogen and phenol by pulsed discharge plasma combined with modified zeolite catalyst.

In this work, the removal of ammonia nitrogen and phenol by pulsed discharge plasma (PDP) and modified zeolite was investigated. The Fe-zeolite and Mn-zeolite catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method. Catalysts' morphology, specific surface area, and chemical bond structure were characterized. Based on the pollutants removal experiments, Fe-zeolite (0.01) in the PDP system had better catalytic oxidation of phenol and adsorption effect of ammonia nitrogen. The removal efficiency of the pollutants increased with the increase of discharge voltage and solution conductivity, but decreased with the increase of discharge distance. During the plasma discharge process, the pH value in the solution decreased, and the solution conductivity gradually increased. After PDP/Fe-zeolite system treatment, the toxicity of the wastewater was significantly reduced. This study provided a new treatment method for inorganic and organic pollutants treated by PDP.

Atractylenolide II reverses the influence of lncRNA XIST/miR-30a-5p/ROR1 axis on chemo-resistance of colorectal cancer cells.

This investigation was conducted to elucidate whether atractylenolide II could reverse the role of lncRNA XIST/miR-30a-5p/ROR1 axis in modulating chemosensitivity of colorectal cancer cells. We totally collected 294 pairs of colorectal cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues and also purchased colorectal cancer cell lines and human embryonic kidney cell line. 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, mitomycin and adriamycin were designated as the chemotherapies for colorectal cell lines, and atractylenolides were arranged as the Chinese drug. The expressions of XIST, miR-30a-5p and ROR1 were quantified with aid of qRT-PCR or Western blot, and luciferase reporter gene assay was implemented to determine the relationships among XIST, miR-30a-5p and ROR1. Our results demonstrated that XIST and ROR1 expressions were dramatically up-regulated, yet miR-30a-5p expression was down-regulated within colorectal cancer tissues (P < 0.05). The overexpressed XIST and ROR1, as well as under-expressed miR-30a-5p, were inclined to promote viability and proliferation of colorectal cells under the influence of chemo drugs (P < 0.05). In addition, XIST could directly target miR-30a-5p, and ROR1 acted as the targeted molecule of miR-30a-5p. Interestingly, atractylenolides not only switched the expressions of XIST, miR-30a-5p and ROR1 within colorectal cancer cells but also significantly intensified the chemosensitivity of colorectal cancer cells (P < 0.05). Finally, atractylenolide II was discovered to slow down the viability and proliferation of colorectal cancer cells (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the XIST/miR-30a-5p/ROR1 axis could be deemed as pivotal markers underlying colorectal cancer, and administration of atractylenolide II might improve the chemotherapeutic efficacy for colorectal cancer.

Implement a knowledge-based automated dose volume histogram prediction module in Pinnacle3 treatment planning system for plan quality assurance and guidance.

PURPOSE: This work aims to develop a knowledge-based automated dose volume histogram (DVH) prediction module that serves as a plan quality evaluation tool and treatment planning guidance in commercial Pinnacle3 treatment planning system (Philips Radiation Oncology Systems, Fitchburg, WI, USA). METHODS: The knowledge-based automated DVH prediction module was developed with kernel density estimation (KDE) method and applied for Pinnacle3 treatment planning system. Treatment plan data from 20 esophageal cancer cases were used for creating a module to predict DVHs. Twenty additional esophageal clinical plans were evaluated on the developed module. Predicted DVHs were compared with manual ones. Differences between the predicted and achieved DVHs were analyzed. RESULTS: The plan evaluation module was successfully implemented in Pinnacle3 treatment planning system. Strong linear correlations were found between predicted and achieved DVH for organs at risk. Suboptimal treatment plan quality could be improved according to the predicted DVHs by the module. CONCLUSION: The knowledge-based automated DVH prediction module implemented in Pinnacle3 could be used to efficiently evaluate the treatment plan quality and as guidance for further plan optimization.

Strategies of Helicobacter pylori in evading host innate and adaptive immunity: insights and prospects for therapeutic targeting.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the predominant pathogen causing chronic gastric mucosal infections globally. During the period from 2011 to 2022, the global prevalence of H. pylori infection was estimated at 43.1%, while in China, it was slightly higher at approximately 44.2%. Persistent colonization by H. pylori can lead to gastritis, peptic ulcers, and malignancies such as mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas and gastric adenocarcinomas. Despite eliciting robust immune responses from the host, H. pylori thrives in the gastric mucosa by modulating host immunity, particularly by altering the functions of innate and adaptive immune cells, and dampening inflammatory responses adverse to its survival, posing challenges to clinical management. The interaction between H. pylori and host immune defenses is intricate, involving evasion of host recognition by modifying surface molecules, manipulating macrophage functionality, and modulating T cell responses to evade immune surveillance. This review analyzes the immunopathogenic and immune evasion mechanisms of H. pylori, underscoring the importance of identifying new therapeutic targets and developing effective treatment strategies, and discusses how the development of vaccines against H. pylori offers new hope for eradicating such infections.

Potential therapeutic targets in myeloid cell therapy for overcoming chemoresistance and immune suppression in gastrointestinal tumors.

In the tumor microenvironment (TME), myeloid cells play a pivotal role. Myeloid-derived immunosuppressive cells, including tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), are central components in shaping the immunosuppressive milieu of the tumor. Within the TME, a majority of TAMs assume an M2 phenotype, characterized by their pro-tumoral activity. These cells promote tumor cell growth, angiogenesis, invasion, and migration. In contrast, M1 macrophages, under appropriate activation conditions, exhibit cytotoxic capabilities against cancer cells. However, an excessive M1 response may lead to pro-tumoral inflammation. As a result, myeloid cells have emerged as crucial targets in cancer therapy. This review concentrates on gastrointestinal tumors, detailing methods for targeting macrophages to enhance tumor radiotherapy and immunotherapy sensitivity. We specifically delve into monocytes and tumor-associated macrophages' various functions, establishing an immunosuppressive microenvironment, promoting tumorigenic inflammation, and fostering neovascularization and stromal remodeling. Additionally, we examine combination therapeutic strategies.

Earthquake supercycles and fault interaction over the past 32 ka in the Lake Ebinur area, Xinjiang, China.

Earthquake prediction and disaster assessment in tectonically active regions require a continuous and complete regional seismic archive, which is commonly difficult to obtain, especially for prehistoric records. Here, high-resolution analysis of the sedimentary sequence from Lake Ebinur in Xinjiang revealed a detailed history of environment evolution since 32 ka ago. Both the Cl content and ultrafine proportion revealed the changing climate: the climate was relatively dry with low lake-water volumes from 32 to 12 ka, while the climate became warmer and wetter since 12 ka. In addition, eight earthquakes were identified by comprehensive analysis of grain size and geochemical element proxies, showing more than two seismic supercycles, with gaps of ∼10.4 ka; these gaps are much larger than those inferred previously (∼4-7 ka). Notably, these seismic events exhibited a pattern of mutual transmittance between the BoA and Jinghenan faults. Such fault interaction can occur in the Lake Ebinur area because it is dominated by weak lithosphere in which strain is easily accumulated and released; the interaction can also be attributed to the unique spatial distribution and immature nature of both faults. Combined with trenching investigations, our high-resolution analysis of lacustrine sediments can reveal a complete history of tectonic activity, which can efficiently serve regional earthquake prediction and disaster assessment.

Clinical implementation and evaluation of deep learning-assisted automatic radiotherapy treatment planning for lung cancer.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to investigate the clinical application of deep learning (DL)-assisted automatic radiotherapy planning for lung cancer. METHODS: A DL model was developed for predicting patient-specific doses, trained and validated on a dataset of 235 patients with diverse target volumes and prescriptions. The model was integrated into clinical workflow with DL-predicted objective functions. The automatic plans were retrospectively designed for additional 50 treated manual volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans. A comparison was made between automatic and manual plans in terms of dosimetric indexes, monitor units (MUs) and planning time. Plan quality metric (PQM) encompassing these indexes was evaluated, with higher PQM values indicating superior plan quality. Qualitative evaluations of two plans were conducted by four reviewers. RESULTS: The PQM score was 40.7 ± 13.1 for manual plans and 40.8 ± 13.5 for automatic plans (P = 0.75). Compared to manual plans, the targets coverage and homogeneity of automatic plans demonstrated no significant difference. Manual plans exhibited better sparing for lung in V5 (difference: 1.8 ± 4.2 %, P = 0.02), whereas automatic plans showed enhanced sparing for heart in V30 (difference: 1.4 ± 4.7 %, P = 0.02) and for spinal cord in Dmax (difference: 0.7 ± 4.7 Gy, P = 0.04). The planning time and MUs of automatic plans were significantly reduced by 70.5 ± 20.0 min and 97.4 ± 82.1. Automatic plans were deemed acceptable in 88 % of the reviews (176/200). CONCLUSIONS: The DL-assisted approach for lung cancer notably decreased planning time and MUs, while demonstrating comparable or superior quality relative to manual plans. It has the potential to provide benefit to lung cancer patients.

Ostracods from the Kunming area of SW China, with description of two new species and male records of Cypridopsis vidua (O.F. Mller, 1776).

Previous studies of the Recent non-marine ostracods of Yunnan Province in southwestern China yielded 42 species, among which only 18 species were reported based on living material. Such a low number is likely to underestimate the species diversity of ostracods in Yunnan, considering the geographical disparity among its different parts. In this study, we report 11 nominal species and one species left in open nomenclature from 22 samples collected from the Kunming area in eastern-central part of Yunnan. Among these species, seven are new to the province, including Notodromas semiovata n. sp., Chrissia acuminata n. sp., and the first records of the male of Cypridopsis vidua (O.F. Mller, 1776) outside the USA. A review of previous literature indicates that, with the exception of the two new species, all the other 23 species have Palaearctic (PA) distributions, while only 14 have Oriental (OL) distributions. Such a composition contradicts previous vertebrate-based zoogeographical subdivisions of China in which Yunnan was included in the OL region, and adds to the argument that the geographical distributions of various invertebrate groups need to be investigated to map the PAOL boundary in China more appropriately.

Combined effect of konjac glucomannan addition and ultrasound treatment on the physical and physicochemical properties of frozen dough.

The effects of dual sequential modification using konjac glucomannan and ultrasound treatments at power densities of 15-37.5 W/L on the hydration, rheology and structural characteristics of frozen dough were investigated in this study. The results revealed that the konjac glucomannan and ultrasound treatments improved the textural properties of frozen dough, but had a negative impact on its viscoelasticity. Furthermore, konjac glucomannan and ultrasound treatments increased the content of free sulfhydryl group and disulfide bond, as well as improved the freeze tolerance of dough. The results exhibited that the enthalpy of frozen dough decreased by 20.42 % compared with the frozen blank control dough under ultrasonic power density of 22.5 W/L. The network structure of frozen dough treated by konjac glucomannan and ultrasound was more ordered and integral than that of frozen blank control dough. These results provide valuable knowledge on the application of konjac glucomannan and ultrasound to frozen wheat-based foods.