Real-World Continuous Glucose Monitoring Data from a Population with Type 1 Diabetes in South Korea: Nationwide Single-System Analysis.

Background: We used continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data to investigate glycemic outcomes in a real-world population with type 1 diabetes (T1D) from South Korea, where the widespread use of CGM and the nationwide education program began almost simultaneously. Methods: Data from Dexcom G6 users with T1D in South Korea were collected between January 2019 and January 2023. Users were included if they provided at least 90 days of glucose data and used CGM at least 70% of the days in the investigational period. The relationship between CGM utilization and glycemic metrics, including the percentage of time in range (TIR), time below range (TBR), and time above range (TAR), was assessed. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Samsung Medical Center (SMC 2023-05-030). Results: A total of 2288 users were included. Mean age was 41.5 years (57% female), with average uploads of 428 days. Mean TIR was 62.4% ± 18.5%, mean TBR <70 mg/dL was 2.6% ± 2.8%, mean TAR >180 mg/dL was 35.0% ± 19.3%, mean glucose was 168.1 ± 35.8 mg/dL, mean glucose management indicator was 7.2% ± 0.9%, and mean coefficient of variation was 36.7% ± 6.0%. Users with higher CGM utilization had higher TIR (67.8% vs. 52.7%), and lower TBR <70 mg/dL (2.3% vs. 4.7%) and TAR >180 mg/dL (30.0% vs. 42.6%) than those with low CGM utilization (P < 0.001 for all). Users whose data were shared with others had higher TIR than those who did not (63.3% vs. 60.8%, P = 0.001). Conclusions: In this South Korean population, higher CGM utilization was associated with a favorably higher mean TIR, which was close to the internationally recommended target. Using its remote data-sharing feature showed beneficial impact on TIR.

Cascaded-TOARNet: A cascaded framework based on mixed attention and multiscale information for thoracic OARs segmentation.

BACKGROUND: Accurate and automated segmentation of thoracic organs-at-risk (OARs) is critical for radiotherapy treatment planning of thoracic cancers. However, this has remained a challenging task for four major reasons: (1) thoracic OARs have diverse morphologies; (2) thoracic OARs have low contrast with the background; (3) boundaries of thoracic OARs are blurry; (4) class imbalance issue caused by small organs. PURPOSE: To overcome the above challenges and achieve accurate and automated segmentation of thoracic OARs on thoracic CT. METHODS: A novel cascaded framework based on mixed attention and multiscale information for thoracic OARs segmentation, called Cascaded-TOARNet. This cascaded framework comprises two stages: localization and segmentation. During the localization stage, TOARNet locates each organ to crop the regions of interest (ROIs). During the segmentation stage, TOARNet accurately segments the ROIs, and the segmentation results are merged into a complete result. RESULTS: We evaluated our proposed method and other common segmentation methods on two public datasets: the AAPM Thoracic Auto-Segmentation Challenge dataset and the Segmentation of Thoracic Organs at Risk (SegTHOR) dataset. Our method demonstrated superior performance, achieving a mean Dice score of 92.6% on the SegTHOR dataset and 90.8% on the AAPM dataset. CONCLUSIONS: This segmentation method holds great promise as an essential tool for enhancing the efficiency of thoracic radiotherapy planning.

Outcomes of early fiberoptic bronchoscopic sputum aspiration and lavage after thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophageal cancer surgery: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the outcomes of patients who received early fiberoptic bronchoscopic sputum aspiration and lavage after thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy due to esophageal cancer. METHODS: A prospective randomized clinical trial was performed between March 2020 and June 2022. Patients who were scheduled for thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy due to esophageal cancer were enrolled. Then, these patients were assigned to the control group (traditional postoperative care) and study group (traditional postoperative care with early bronchoscopic sputum aspiration and lavage). The outcomes, which included the length of hospital stay and medical expenses, and postoperative complications, which included pulmonary infection, atelectasis, respiratory dysfunction and anastomotic leakage, were compared between these two groups. RESULTS: A total of 106 patients were enrolled for the present study, and 53 patients were assigned for the control and study groups. There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, and location of the esophageal cancer between the two groups. Furthermore, the length of hospital stay was statistically significantly shorter and the medical expenses were lower during hospitalization in the study group, when compared to the control group (12.3 ± 1.2 vs. 18.8 ± 1.3 days, 5.5 ± 0.9 vs. 7.2 ± 1.2 Chinese Yuan, respectively; all, P < 0.05). Moreover, there were statistically significantly fewer incidences of overall complications in study group, when compared to the control group (20.7% vs.45.2%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with esophageal cancer, early fiberoptic bronchoscopic sputum aspiration and lavage after thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy can shorten the length of hospital stay, and lower the medical expense and incidence of postoperative complications.

A non-faradaic impedimetric biosensor for monitoring of caspase 9 in mammalian cell culture.

Lower yields and poorer quality of biopharmaceutical products result from cell death in bioreactors. Such cell death is commonly associated with programmed cell death or apoptosis. During apoptosis, caspases are activated and cause a cascade of events that eventually lead to cell destruction. We report on an impedance spectroscopy measurement technique for the detection of total caspase-9 in buffer and complex fluids, such as cell culture media. Enhanced sensitivity is achieved by leveraging the physiochemical properties of zinc oxide and copper oxide at the electrode-solution interface. Characterisation of the biosensor surface was performed using scanning electron microscopy and indirectly using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The characteristic biomolecular interactions between the target analyte and specific capture probe of the biosensor are quantified using non-faradaic electrical impedance spectroscopy (nfEIS). The proof-of-concept biosensor demonstrated a detection limit of 0.07 U/mL (0.032 µM) in buffer. The sensor requires a low sample volume of 50 µL without the need for sample dilution facilitating rapid analysis. Using a luminescence-based assay, the presence of active caspase-9 was detected in the culture media following exposure to a pro-apoptotic agent. We envision that the caspase-9 biosensor will be useful as a cell stress screening device for apoptosis monitoring.

Symmetrical Efficient Gait Planning Based on Constrained Direct Collocation.

Biped locomotion provides more mobility and effectiveness compared with other methods. Animals have evolved efficient walking patterns that are pursued by biped robot researchers. Current researchers have observed that symmetry is a critical criterion to achieve efficient natural walking and usually realize symmetrical gait patterns through morphological characteristics using simplified dynamic models or artificial priors of the center of mass (CoM). However, few considerations of symmetry and energy consumption are introduced at the joint level, resulting in inefficient leg motion. In this paper, we propose a full-order biped gait planner in which the symmetry requirement, energy efficiency, and trajectory smoothness can all be involved at the joint level, and CoM motion is automatically determined without any morphological prior. In order to achieve a symmetrical and efficient walking pattern, we first investigated the characteristic of a completely symmetrical gait, and a group of nearly linear slacked constraints was designed for three phases of planning. Then a Constrained Direct Collocation (DIRCON)-based full-order biped gait planner with a weighted cost function for energy consumption and trajectory smoothness is proposed. A dynamic simulation with our newly designed robot model was performed in CoppliaSim to test the planner. Physical comparison experiments on a real robot device finally validated the symmetry characteristic and energy efficiency of the generated gait. In addition, a detailed presentation of the real biped robot is also provided.

Application of Intraoperative Neuromonitoring (IONM) of the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve during Esophagectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy (RLNP) is a common and severe complication of esophagectomy in esophageal cancer (EC). Several studies explored the application of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) in esophagectomy to prevent RLNP. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the value of IONM in esophagectomy for EC. METHODS: an electronic of the literature using Google Scholar, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science (data up to October 2022) was conducted and screened to compare IONM-assisted and conventional non-IONM-assisted esophagectomy. RLNP, the number of mediastinal lymph nodes (LN) dissected, aspiration, pneumonia, chylothorax, anastomotic leakage, the number of total LN dissected, postoperative hospital stay and total operation time were evaluated using Review Manager 5.4.1. RESULT: ten studies were ultimately included, with a total of 949 patients from one randomized controlled trial and nine retrospective case-control studies in the meta-analysis. The present study demonstrated that IONM reduced the incidence of RLNP(Odds Ratio (OR) 0.37, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.26-0.52) and pneumonia (OR 0.58, 95%CI 0.41-0.82) and was associated with more mediastinal LN dissected (Weighted Mean Difference (WMD) 4.75, 95%CI 3.02-6.48) and total mediastinal LN dissected (WMD 5.47, 95%CI 0.39-10.56). In addition, IONM does not increase the incidence of aspiration (OR 0.4, 95%CI 0.07-2.51), chylothorax (OR 0.55, 95%CI 0.17-1.76), and anastomotic leakage (OR 0.78, 95%CI 0.48-1.27) and does not increase the total operative time (WMD -12.33, 95%CI -33.94-9.28) or postoperative hospital stay (WMD -2.07 95%CI -6.61-2.46) after esophagectomy. CONCLUSION: IONM showed advantages for preventing RLNP and pneumonia and was associated with more mediastinal and total LN dissected in esophagectomy. IONM should be recommended for esophagectomy.

Which Anastomotic Techniques Is the Best Choice for Cervical Esophagogastric Anastomosis in Esophagectomy? A Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The optimal choice of anastomotic techniques for cervical esophagogastric anastomosis in esophagectomy remains unclear. METHODS: An electronic literature search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science (data up to April 2022) was conducted and screened to compare hand sewn (HS), circular stapling (CS), side-to-side linear stapling (LS), and triangulating stapling (TS) for cervical esophagogastric anastomosis. Anastomotic leak, pulmonary complications, anastomotic stricture, and reflux esophagitis of the 4 anastomotic techniques were evaluated using a Bayesian network meta-analysis by R. RESULT: Twenty-nine studies were ultimately included, with a total of 5,020 patients from 9 randomized controlled trials, 7 prospect cohort studies, and 13 retrospective case-control studies in the meta-analysis. The present study demonstrates that the incidence of anastomotic leakage is lower in TS than HS and CS (TS vs. HS: odds ratio (OR) = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.1 to 0.9; TS vs. CS: OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.13 to 1.0), and the incidence of anastomotic stricture is lower in TS than in HS and CS (TS vs. HS: OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.86; TS vs. CS: OR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.58). TS ranks best in terms of anastomotic leakage, pulmonary complication, anastomotic stricture, and reflux esophagitis. CONCLUSION: TS for cervical esophagogastric anastomosis of esophagectomy had a lower incidence of anastomotic leakage and stricture. TS should be preferentially recommended. Large-scale RCTs will be needed to provide more evidence in future studies.

Environmental governance effects of local environmental protection expenditure in China.

China's economy is experiencing a rapid revival in the post Covid-19 era, while energy consumption is surging and environmental pressure is prominent. Environmental protection expenditure is an important means for local governments to improve environmental quality; it plays a crucial role in guiding market investment, providing environmental treatment funds and energy conservation and utilization. Based on a sample of 286 prefecture-level cities in China from 2007 to 2017, this study analyzes environmental governance effects of local environmental protection expenditure while considering the time duration, regional differences, and spatial spillover characteristics of industrial pollution emissions. The results reveal that local environmental protection expenditure could help reduce industrial pollution emissions in Chinese cities; however, the governance effects were heterogeneous in different clustering city groups. In addition, the effects of environmental protection expenditure at the neighborhood level varied greatly; the results showed that the stronger the spillover of pollutants, the more significant was the trans-regional governance effect of local environmental protection expenditure. Therefore, local governments should promote a cooperative mode of "joint prevention and control and cross-regional governance" when treating pollutants with strong spillover potential.

Association between PPARγ, PPARGC1A, and PPARGC1B genetic variants and susceptibility of gastric cancer in an Eastern Chinese population.

PURPOSE: Previous studies showed that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and PPARγ coactivator1 family (PPARGC1A and PPARGC1B) gene single nucleotide variants (SNVs)were strongly associated with cancer susceptibility. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of PPARγ, PPARGC1A, and PPARGC1B variants with the risk of gastric cancer (GC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a case-control study of 490 GC cases and 1,476 healthy controls from eastern China. PPARγ rs1801282 C > G, rs3856806 C > T, PPARGC1A rs2970847 C > T, rs8192678 C > T and PPARGC1B rs7732671 G > C, rs17572019 G > A SNVs were selected to investigate the association between these SNVs and GC susceptibility. Genotypes of the SNVs were assessed by multiplex fluorescent PCR using a custom-by-design 48-Plex SNPscantm Kit. RESULTS: The PPARγ rs1801282 SNV was associated with a decreased risk for GC (GC vs. CC: odds ratio (OR) = 0.62, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 0.42-0.93, adjusted P = 0.019; GC + GG vs. GG: OR = 0.63 95%CI = 0.42-0.93, adjusted P = 0.019; respectively). In addition, stratified analysis revealed that the PPARγ rs1801282 SNV was correlated with the risk of GC in subgroups of age ≥ 61, no smoking, and no alcohol consuming. We also confirmed that the PPARγ rs3856806 C > T SNV promoted the risk of GC in women. The PPARGC1A rs8192678 TT genotype decreased the susceptibility of GC in men. The PPARGC1A rs2970847 C > T SNV decreased the susceptibility of GC in the subgroup of BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2. The PPARGC1B rs7732671 G > C and rs17572019 G > A SNVs promoted the risk of GC in the subgroup of BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the PPARγ, PPARGC1A, and PPARGC1B SNVs may be associated with the susceptibility of GC in eastern Chinese population. Future studies with larger populations, detailed H. pylori infection status for subgroup analysis, and functional study are needed to further clarify the relationship between these SNVs and GC risk.

A Non-Flat Terrain Biped Gait Planner Based on DIRCON.

Various constraints exist in bipedal movement. Due to the natural ability of effectively handling constraints, trajectory optimization has become one of the mainstream methods in biped gait planning, especially when constraints become much more complex on non-flat terrain. In this paper, we propose a multi-modal biped gait planner based on DIRCON, which can generate different gaits for multiple, non-flat terrains. Firstly, a virtual knot is designed to model the state transitions when the swing foot contacts terrain and is inserted as the first knot of the target trajectory of the current support phase. Thus, a complete gait or multi-modal gaits sequence can be generated at one time. Then, slacked complementary constraints, which can avoid undesired trajectories, are elaborated to describe the coupling relationships between terrain information and bipedal motion for trajectory optimization based gait planning. The concrete form of the gait planner is also delivered. Finally, we verify the performance of the planner, as well as the structural design of our newly designed biped robot in CoppeliaSim through flat terrain walking, stairs terrain walking and quincuncial piles walking. The three experiments show that the gaits planned by the proposed planner can enable the robot to walk stably over non-flat terrains, even through simple PD control.

A modified survival model for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma based on lymph nodes: A study based on SEER database and external validation.

Background: The counts of examined lymph nodes (ELNs) in predicting the prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a controversial issue. We conducted a retrospective study to develop an ELNs-based model to individualize ESCC prognosis. Methods: Patients with ESCC from the SEER database and our center were strictly screened. The optimal threshold value was determine by the X-tile software. A prognostic model for ESCC patients was developed and validated with R. The model's efficacy was evaluated by C-index, ROC curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: 3,629 cases and 286 cases were screened from the SEER database and our center, respectively. The optimal cut-off value of ELNs was 10. Based on this, we constructed a model with a favorable C-index (training group: 0.708; external group 1: 0.687; external group 2: 0.652). The model performance evaluated with ROC curve is still reliable among the groups. 1-year AUC for nomogram in three groups (i.e., 0.753, 0.761, and 0.686) were superior to that of the TNM stage (P < 0.05). Similarly, the 3-year AUC and the 5-year AUC results for the model were also higher than that of the 8th TNM stage. By contrast, DCA showed the benefit of this model was better in the same follow-up period. Conclusion: More than 10 ELNs are helpful to evaluate the survival of ESCC patients. Based on this, an improved model for predicting the prognosis of ESCC patients was proposed.

Dynamic change of COVID-19 lung infection evaluated using co-registration of serial chest CT images.

Purpose: To evaluate the volumetric change of COVID-19 lesions in the lung of patients receiving serial CT imaging for monitoring the evolution of the disease and the response to treatment. Materials and methods: A total of 48 patients, 28 males and 20 females, who were confirmed to have COVID-19 infection and received chest CT examination, were identified. The age range was 21-93 years old, with a mean of 54 ± 18 years. Of them, 33 patients received the first follow-up (F/U) scan, 29 patients received the second F/U scan, and 11 patients received the third F/U scan. The lesion region of interest (ROI) was manually outlined. A two-step registration method, first using the Affine alignment, followed by the non-rigid Demons algorithm, was developed to match the lung areas on the baseline and F/U images. The baseline lesion ROI was mapped to the F/U images using the obtained geometric transformation matrix, and the radiologist outlined the lesion ROI on F/U CT again. Results: The median (interquartile range) lesion volume (cm3) was 30.9 (83.1) at baseline CT exam, 18.3 (43.9) at first F/U, 7.6 (18.9) at second F/U, and 0.6 (19.1) at third F/U, which showed a significant trend of decrease with time. The two-step registration could significantly decrease the mean squared error (MSE) between baseline and F/U images with p < 0.001. The method could match the lung areas and the large vessels inside the lung. When using the mapped baseline ROIs as references, the second-look ROI drawing showed a significantly increased volume, p < 0.05, presumably due to the consideration of all the infected areas at baseline. Conclusion: The results suggest that the registration method can be applied to assist in the evaluation of longitudinal changes of COVID-19 lesions on chest CT.

Syntheses and Properties of Metalated Tetradehydrocorrins.

The monoanionic tetrapyrrolic macrocycle B,C-tetradehydrocorrin (TDC) resides chemically between corroles and corrins. This chemical space remains largely unexplored due to a lack of reliable synthetic strategies. We now report the preparation and characterization of Co(II)- and Ni(II)-metalated TDC derivatives ([Co-TDC]+ and [Ni-TDC]+, respectively) with a combination of crystallographic, electrochemical, computational, and spectroscopic techniques. [Ni-TDC]+ was found to undergo primarily ligand-centered electrochemical reduction, leading to hydrogenation of the macrocycle under cathodic electrolysis in the presence of acid. Transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy reveals that [Ni-TDC]+ and the two-electron-reduced [Ni-TDC]- possess long-lived excited states, whereas the excited state of singly reduced [Ni-TDC] exhibits picosecond dynamics. The Co(I) compound [Co-TDC] is air stable, highlighting the notable property of the TDC ligand to stabilize low-valent metal centers in contradistinction to other tetrapyrroles such as corroles, which typically stabilize metals in higher oxidation states.

A redox-based strategy to enhance propionic and butyric acid production during anaerobic fermentation.

This study investigated the selective production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) during anaerobic mixed-culture fermentation. The experiment used chicken manure (CM) as a potential substrate to produce high added-value propionic acid and butyric acid under an alkaline environment. The conversion of CM into selective VFAs depends highly on operational conditions such as pH and redox balance. Therefore, the current experiment is designed to employ amino acid addition and develop a redox balance control method to control the final VFA profile. This study showed that 0.2-5.0 % valine and threonine addition successfully enhanced propionic acid and butyric acid production during alkaline fermentation and hence decreased the proportion of acetic acid from 83 % to approximately 47 %. The oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and redox cofactor ratio (NADH/NAD+) were measured to support the selective VFA production mechanism. The results obtained in this study bring extra value to the valorization of CM within the circular economy concept for selective value-added VFA production.

Collecting and deactivating TGF-ß1 hydrogel for anti-scarring therapy in post-glaucoma filtration surgery.

Scar formation can lead to glaucoma filtration surgery (GFS) failure, wherein transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß is the core regulator. To reducing scar formation, this paper presents our study on the design of hydrogels to deactivate TGF-ß1. We hypothesized that excess TGF-ß1 can be removed from aqueous humor through the addition of oxidized hyaluronic acid (O-HA) hydrogels that are seeded with decorin (O-HA â€‹+ â€‹D). Immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed to demonstrate the adsorption properties of O-HA â€‹+ â€‹D hydrogel, thus reducing the TGF-ß1 concentration in aqueous humor. In the light that collagen contraction in human Tenon's capsule fibroblasts (HTFs) and the angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) can be activated by TGF-ß1 and ß2, we performed the quantitative analysis of polymerase chain reaction to determine the effect of O-HA â€‹+ â€‹D on the type I collagen, fibronectin, and angiogenesis. Our results illustrate that O-HA â€‹+ â€‹D can inhibit the increase of α-SMA expression in HTF induced by TGF-ß1 and that O-HA â€‹+ â€‹D can inhibit the production of collagen I and fibronectin in HTF treated with TGF-ß1. Furthermore, we performed in vivo studies by employing a rabbit model, where rabbits were treated with hydrogels post GFS. Our results demonstrate that, as compared with other groups, the rabbits treated with O-HA â€‹+ â€‹D had the greatest reduction in inflammatory cells with reduced level of collagen in wounds. Taken together, the present study paves the way toward the treatment of post-glaucoma fibrosis following surgery.

Electro-spray deposited TiO2 bilayer films and their recyclable photocatalytic self-cleaning strategy.

Recyclable titanium dioxide (TiO2)-based photocatalytic self-cleaning films (SCFs) having a bilayer structure were prepared and assessed. These SCFs comprised two layers of fibers fabricated using an electrospinning process. The self-cleaning layer was made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) fibers with embedded TiO2 while the substrate layer was composed of fibers made by simultaneously electrospinning poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and ABS. This substrate improved the mechanical strength of the SCF and provided greater adhesion due to the presence of the PVA. The experimental results showed that the hydrophobicity (as assessed by the water contact angle), photocatalytic properties and self-cleaning efficiency of the SCF were all enhanced with increasing TiO2 content in the ABS/TiO2 fibers. In addition, the introduction of the substrate layer allowed the SCFs to be applied to various surfaces and then peeled off when desired. The ABS fibers effectively improved the strength of the overall film, while deterioration of the ABS upon exposure to UV light was alleviated by the addition of TiO2. These SCFs can potentially be recycled after use in various environments, and therefore have applications in the fields of environmental protection and medical science.

Spatiotemporal carbon emissions across the spectrum of Chinese cities: Insights from socioeconomic characteristics and ecological capacity.

In-depth investigation of the spatiotemporal driver patterns of city carbon emissions is vital toward establishing carbon neutrality, as such knowledge would aid policymakers in formulating differentiated emission reduction policies. Through developing a unique carbon emission dataset and applying a spatiotemporal logarithmic mean Divisia index decomposition approach, we explored the spatiotemporal drivers of CO2 emission for diverse cities in China categorized by economic structure and population size during 2002-2018. The results highlighted GDP per capita and industrial structure as the most positive and negative drivers, respectively, with the former overweighing the latter before 2016. Furthermore, the between-group differences of cities categorized using population size were higher than differences within groups, implying evident heterogeneity of carbon emissions. Emission related to within-differences in net primary productivity (NPP) constitutes the largest contributing factor promoting carbon emission in megacities and highly industrialized cities, whereas NPP between-differences in agricultural carbon intensity are predominantly associated with inhibiting emissions in large and highly commercialized cities. We therefore suggest that policymakers should optimize the industrial structure in highly industrialized cities and develop carbon sequestration in cities with high vegetation coverage through fiscal transfer for achieving carbon neutrality.

Paste Aging Spontaneously Tunes TiO2 Nanoparticles into Reproducible Electrosprayed Photoelectrodes.

In this study, the spontaneous microstructure tuning of TiO2 was observed by aging the ethanol/water TiO2 paste for up to 20 days at ambient conditions. A dynamic light scattering study reveals that it formed the outstanding reproducible TiO2 microstructure with a ∼200 nm average particle size and stabilizes in 6 to 20 days under an ambient atmosphere. Interestingly, the as-deposited day 15 sample spontaneously changed its crystallinity upon keeping the paste at ambient conditions; meanwhile the day 0 sample showed an amorphous structure. A dense, uniform, and stable TiO2 electrode was cast on a fluorine doped-tin oxide substrate using the electrospray technique. We exploit the spontaneous evolution of the TiO2 nanopowder to revisit the fabrication procedure of the TiO2 photoelectrode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The controlled microstructure TiO2 film was used in DSSCs, which, to the best of our knowledge, achieved the highest power conversion efficiency of 9.65% using N719 dye in sensitizing the TiO2 photoanode.

High-accuracy source-independent radiometric calibration with low complexity for infrared photonic sensors.

Radiometric calibration (RC) is an essential solution to guarantee measurements from infrared photonic sensors with certain accuracy, the main task of which is to determine the radiometric responsivity of sensor and usually be solved by comparing with some radiation source (i.e., blackbody), called source-based RC (SBRC). In addition to the complexity in manufacture, the nonideal characteristics of an available source will inevitably introduce unexpected uncertainties to reduce the final calibration accuracy by around 0.2-0.5 K in SBRC. Therefore, we propose an original source-independent RC (SIRC) principle based on modeling instead of comparing for SBRC, where the incident background radiation to detector, as a dominated factor influencing the responsivity characteristics of a photonic sensor, is modeled to implement RC for both two fundamental types (photoconductive and photovoltaic) of HgCdTe photonic detectors. The SIRC merely requires the temperature information of main components of a sensor other than some complex source and its assembly, and provides a traceable way at lower uncertainty costs relative to the traditional SBRC. The SIRC is being implemented in Fengyun-2 satellites since 2019, which ensures a long-term stable service of Chinese geostationary meteorological satellites for the global observation system under the framework of World Meteorological Organization. Moreover, a 20-year-period traceable Fengyun-2 dataset to be recalibrated with SIRC will benefit the further climate applications.

Thoracoscopic radical esophagectomy combined with left inferior pulmonary ligament lymphadenectomy for esophageal carcinoma via the right thoracic approach: A single-center retrospective study of 30 cases.

ABSTRACT: To evaluate the necessity, safety, and feasibility of left inferior pulmonary ligament lymphadenectomy during video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) radical esophagectomy via the right thoracic approach.Thirty patients (20 men, 10 women) with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) were recruited for this study. The patients' age ranged from 50 to 80 years, with an average age of 66.17 ±â€Š7.47 years. After the patients underwent VATS radical esophagectomy and left inferior pulmonary ligament lymph node dissection (LIPLND) via the right thoracic approach, the operative outcomes included operative time, length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, number of lymph nodes removed, and postoperative pathologic results were evaluated.There were no massive hemorrhages of the left inferior pulmonary vein during the operation. The operative time of LIPLND was 8.67 ±â€Š2.04 minutes, and the length of postoperative hospital stay was 12.23 ±â€Š2.36 days. The postoperative complications included 2 cases of left pneumothorax, 4 pulmonary infection cases, and no chylothorax. Moreover, 68 LIPLNs were dissected, 5 of which were positive, and the degree of metastasis was 7.4%. The postoperative pathologic results showed that 3 cases of LIPLNs were positive, with a metastasis rate of 10.0%. Among them, 2 cases were SCC of the lower thoracic esophagus, and 1 case was SCC of the middle thoracic esophagus, which involved the lower segment.Thoracoscopic esophagectomy combined with left inferior pulmonary ligament lymphadenectomy for esophageal carcinoma via the right thoracic approach will not increase the difficulty of operation, increase the incidence of postoperative complications or prolong the postoperative hospital stay, and can theoretically reduce tumor recurrence. Therefore, we believe that LIPLND is necessary, safe, and feasible and is worthy of clinical popularization and application.