Tumor-liver interface in MRI of liver metastasis enables prediction of EGFR mutation in patients with lung cancer: A proof-of-concept study.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative prediction of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with liver metastasis (LM) may have potential clinical values for assisting in treatment decision-making. PURPOSE: To explore the value of tumor-liver interface (TLI)-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics for detecting the EGFR mutation in NSCLC patients with LM. METHODS: This retrospective study included 123 and 44 patients from hospital 1 (between Feb. 2018 and Dec. 2021) and hospital 2 (between Nov. 2015 and Aug. 2022), respectively. The patients received contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (CET1) and T2-weighted (T2W) liver MRI scans before treatment. Radiomics features were extracted from MRI images of TLI and the whole tumor region, separately. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to screen the features and establish radiomics signatures (RSs) based on TLI (RS-TLI) and the whole tumor (RS-W). The RSs were evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 5 and 6 features were identified highly correlated with the EGFR mutation status from TLI and the whole tumor, respectively. The RS-TLI showed better prediction performance than RS-W in the training (AUCs, RS-TLI vs. RS-W, 0.842 vs. 0.797), internal validation (AUCs, RS-TLI vs. RS-W, 0.771 vs. 0.676) and external validation (AUCs, RS-TLI vs. RS-W, 0.733 vs. 0.679) cohort. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that TLI-based radiomics can improve prediction performance of the EGFR mutation in lung cancer patients with LM. The established multi-parametric MRI radiomics models may be used as new markers that can potentially assist in personalized treatment planning.

Rapid Analysis of Trace Amounts of Amino Acid Derivatives by a Formyl Group-Installed Crystalline Sponge.

The Industries need techniques for the rapid structure analysis of amino acid derivatives. The amino acid derivatives are sometimes produced as impurities in the industrial production processes, and cause toxicity problems. Herein, we report the crystalline sponge (CS) method analysis of variety of amino acids using a formyl group installed CS crystal. Most amino acids possess a primary amino group, which can form Schiff-base with the formyl group under mild conditions. Thus, the formyl group installed CS crystal can efficiently capture the amino acids via Schiff-base formation. We successfully analyzed derivatives of 18 proteogenic amino acids, 6 non-proteogenic amino acids, and 4 dipeptides using the formyl group installed CS. We thus believe that the protocols shown in this study would serve the need of the industries.

Effect of a Permanganate-Bearing Reactive Oxidant on Flocs in Electrocoagulation: Transformations and Interfacial Interactions.

The electrocoagulation/ultrafiltration (ECUF) process is expected to address the issues of current wastewater increments and complex water reuse. However, the underlying mechanism associated with flocs remains unclear in the ECUF system, especially in the upgraded permanganate-bearing ECUF (PECUF) system. Herein, flocs and their formation, response to organic matter (OM), and interfacial features in the PECUF process were systematically explored. Results demonstrated that permanganate contributed to the rapid start-up of the coagulation process by forming MnO2 and blocking the ligand-metal charge transfer process between adsorbed Fe(II) and solid-phase Fe(III). The response of flocs to natural OM (NOM) exhibited obvious time- and particle size-dependent characteristics. Based on this, the optimal NOM adsorption window was found to be in the interval of 5-20 min, whereas the optimal NOM removal window was located at the 20-30 min interval. Furthermore, the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory revealed the underlying principle of the PECUF module for optimizing UF performance. On the one hand, it reduced the inherent resistance of the cake layer by modifying the colloidal solution, which guaranteed a small drop (15%) in initial flux. On the other hand, it enhanced the repulsive force among suspended particles to achieve a long-term antifouling effect. This study may provide insights into the selection and performance control of on-demand assembly modules in decentralized water treatment systems.

Long-Term Physical and Mechanical Properties and Microstructures of Fly-Ash-Based Geopolymer Composite Incorporating Carbide Slag.

The long-term property development of fly ash (FA)-based geopolymer (FA-GEO) incorporating industrial solid waste carbide slag (CS) for up to 360 d is still unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the fresh, physical, and mechanical properties and microstructures of FA-GEO composites with CS and to evaluate the effects of CS when the composites were cured for 360 d. FA-GEO composites with CS were manufactured using FA (as an aluminosilicate precursor), CS (as a calcium additive), NaOH solution (as an alkali activator), and standard sand (as a fine aggregate). The fresh property and long-term physical properties were measured, including fluidity, bulk density, porosity, and drying shrinkage. The flexural and compressive strengths at 60 d and 360 d were tested. Furthermore, the microstructures and gel products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results show that the additional 20.0% CS reduces the fluidity and increases the conductivity of FA-GEO composites. Bulk densities were decreased, porosities were increased, and drying shrinkages were decreased as the CS content was increased from 0.0% to 20.0% at 360 d. Room temperature is a better curing condition to obtain a higher long-term mechanical strength. The addition of 20.0% CS is more beneficial to the improvement of long-term flexural strength and toughness at room temperature. The gel products in CS-FA-GEO with 20.0% CS are mainly determined as the mixtures of sodium aluminosilicate (N-A-S-H) gel and calcium silicate hydration (C-S-H) gel, besides the surficial pan-alkali. The research results provide an experimental basis for the reuse of CS in various scenarios.

Resistance of Soda Residue-Fly Ash Based Geopolymer Mortar to Acid and Sulfate Environments.

The early mechanical performances of low-calcium fly ash (FFA)-based geopolymer (FFA-GEO) mortar can be enhanced by soda residue (SR). However, the resistance of SR-FFA-GEO mortar to acid or sulfate environments is unclear, owing to the various inorganic calcium salts in SR. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term mechanical strengths of up to 360 d and evaluate the resistance of SR-FFA-GEO mortar to 5% HCl and 5% Na2SO4 environments through the losses in compressive strength and mass. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) experiments were conducted for the SR-FFA-GEO mortars, both before and after chemical attack, to clarify the attack mechanism. The results show that the resistances of the SR-FFA-GEO mortar with 20% SR (namely M10) to 5% HCl and 5% Na2SO4 environments are superior to those of cement mortar. The environmental HCl reacts with the calcites in SR to produce CaCl2, CO2 and H2O to form more pores under HCl attack, and the environmental Na+ cations from Na2SO4 go into Si-O-Al network structure, to further enhance the strength of mortar under Na2SO4 attack. These results provide the experimental basis for the durability optimization of SR-FFA-GEO mortars.

Performance Optimization and Characterization of Soda Residue-Fly Ash Geopolymer Paste for Goaf Backfill: Beta-Hemihydrate Gypsum Alternative to Sodium Silicate.

Solid waste soda residue (SR), as an industrial pollutant of water, air and soil environment, can be utilized to prepare the low-calcium fly ash (FFA)-based geopolymer paste activated by sodium silicate (NS) solution for goaf backfill. However, the high addition of NS produces the high cost and high strength of synthesized backfill material in the previous study. The objective of this research is to investigate the cost optimization method and performance evaluation of SR-FFA-based geopolymer backfill paste. The alkaline beta-hemihydrate gypsum (BHG) alternative to partial NS was proposed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) as well as Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) tests were performed to clarify the role of BHG and evaluate the microstructures and products of backfill pastes. The results show that 10% BHG alternative ratios effectively improve fluidity, setting time and compressive strength to satisfy the performance requirement of goaf backfill material. The gel products in the optimal backfill paste C4 with 10% BHG alternative ratios are determined as the coexistence of C-S-H gel, (N,C)-A-S-H gel and CaSO4·2H2O at 28 d. The research results can make extensive utilization of SR and FFA in cemented paste backfill to synthesize cleaner material at a larger scale.

[Source profile of volatile carbonyl compounds in wastewater treatment plant of an oil refinery].

An observation was conducted at the wastewater treatment plant in a refinery in Guangdong province, using the PFPH-GC/MS method to analyze the composition and the concentration of volatile carbonyl compounds. The emission characteristics and the atmospheric chemical reactivity of these compounds were also studied. The results showed that 20 kinds of carbonyl compounds were detected with a concentration range of 0 to 68.80 microg x m(-3). The mean value of total concentration in all processing unit was (253.02 +/- 124.5) microg x m(-3). Background corrected concentrations showed that for each of the 6 treatment units of the plant, over 90% of the volatile carbonyl emissions were contributed by 14 of the 20 volatile carbonyl compounds, among which aldehyde was the most abundant with an average concentration of (44.74 +/- 20.89) microg x m(-3), followed by 2-butanone and acetaldehyde with average concentrations of (30.47 +/- 12.94) microg x m(-3) and (23.51 +/- 14.57) microg x m(-3), respectively. Several molecular markers were identified based on the analysis of the chemical activities and atmospheric lifetimes of the 20 carbonyl compounds. Finally, a source profile was established for the plant.