MLgrating: a program for simulating multilayer gratings for tender X-ray applications.

Multilayer gratings are increasingly popular optical elements at X-ray beamlines, as they can provide much higher photon flux in the tender X-ray range compared with traditional single-layer coated gratings. While there are several proprietary software tools that provide the functionality to simulate the efficiencies of such gratings, until now the X-ray community has lacked an open-source alternative. Here MLgrating is presented, a program for simulating the efficiencies of both multilayer gratings and single-layer coated gratings for X-ray applications. MLgrating is benchmarked by comparing its output with that of other software tools and plans are discussed for how the program could be extended in the future.

Development of an advanced in-line multilayer deposition system at Diamond Light Source.

A state-of-the-art multilayer deposition system with a 4200 mm-long linear substrate translator housed within an ultra-high vacuum chamber has been developed. This instrument is engineered to produce single and multilayer coatings, accommodating mirrors up to 2000 mm in length through the utilization of eight rectangular cathodes. To ensure the quality and reliability of the coatings, the system incorporates various diagnostic tools for in situ thickness uniformity and stress measurement. Furthermore, the system features an annealing process capable of heating up to 700°C within the load-lock chamber. The entire operation, including pump down, deposition and venting processes, is automated through user-friendly software. In addition, all essential log data, power of sputtering source, working pressure and motion positions are automatically stored for comprehensive data analysis. Preliminary commissioning results demonstrate excellent lateral film thickness uniformity, achieving 0.26% along the translation direction over 1500 mm in dynamic mode. The multilayer deposition system is poised for use in fabricating periodic, lateral-graded and depth-graded multilayers, specifically catering to the beamlines for diverse scientific applications at Diamond Light Source.

Spexwavepy: an open-source Python package for X-ray wavefront sensing using speckle-based techniques.

In situ wavefront sensing plays a critical role in the delivery of high-quality beams for X-ray experiments. X-ray speckle-based techniques stand out among other in situ techniques for their easy experimental setup and various data acquisition modes. Although X-ray speckle-based techniques have been under development for more than a decade, there are still no user-friendly software packages for new researchers to begin with. Here, we present an open-source Python package, spexwavepy, for X-ray wavefront sensing using speckle-based techniques. This Python package covers a variety of X-ray speckle-based techniques, provides plenty of examples with real experimental data and offers detailed online documentation for users. We hope it can help new researchers learn and apply the speckle-based techniques for X-ray wavefront sensing to synchrotron radiation and X-ray free-electron laser beamlines.

Sub-nanometre quality X-ray mirrors created using ion beam figuring.

Ion beam figuring (IBF) is a powerful technique for figure correction of X-ray mirrors to a high accuracy. Here, recent technical advancements in the IBF instrument developed at Diamond Light Source are presented and experimental results for figuring of X-ray mirrors are given. The IBF system is equipped with a stable DC gridded ion source (120 mm diameter), a four-axis motion stage to manipulate the optic, a Faraday cup to monitor the ion-beam current, and a camera for alignment. A novel laser speckle angular measurement instrument also provides on-board metrology. To demonstrate the IBF system's capabilities, two silicon X-ray mirrors were processed. For 1D correction, a height error of 0.08 nm r.m.s. and a slope error of 44 nrad r.m.s. were achieved. For 2D correction over a 67 mm × 17 mm clear aperture, a height error of 0.8 nm r.m.s. and a slope error of 230 nrad r.m.s. were obtained. For the 1D case, this optical quality is comparable with the highest-grade, commercially available, X-ray optics.

Preoperative Blood Transfusion Requirements for Hemorrhoidal Severe Anemia: A Retrospective Study of 128 Patients.

BACKGROUND Severe anemia caused by hemorrhoidal hematochezia is typically treated preoperatively with reference to severe anemia treatment strategies from other etiologies. This retrospective cohort study included 128 patients with hemorrhoidal severe anemia admitted to 3 hospitals from September 1, 2018, to August 1, 2023, and aimed to evaluate preoperative blood transfusion requirements. MATERIAL AND METHODS Of 5120 patients with hemorrhoids, 128 (2.25%; male/female: 72/56) experienced hemorrhoidal severe anemia, transfusion, and Milligan-Morgan surgery. Patients were categorized into 2 groups based on their preoperative hemoglobin (PHB) levels after transfusion: PHB ≥70 g/L as the liberal-transfusion group (LG), and PHB <70 as the restrictive-threshold group (RG). The general condition, bleeding duration, hemoglobin level on admission, transfusion volume, length of stay, immune transfusion reaction, surgical duration, and hospitalization cost were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS Patients with severe anemia (age: 41.07±14.76) tended to be younger than those with common hemorrhoids (age: 49.431±15.59 years). The LG had a significantly higher transfusion volume (4.77±2.22 units), frequency of immune transfusion reactions (1.22±0.58), and hospitalization costs (16.69±3.31 thousand yuan) than the RG, which had a transfusion volume of 3.77±2.09 units, frequency of immune transfusion reactions of 0.44±0.51, and hospitalization costs of 15.00±3.06 thousand yuan. Surgical duration in the LG (25.69±14.71 min) was significantly lower than that of the RG (35.24±18.72 min). CONCLUSIONS Patients with hemorrhoids with severe anemia might require a lower preoperative transfusion threshold than the currently recognized threshold, with an undifferentiated treatment effect and additional benefits.

Ion beam figuring for X-ray mirrors: history, state-of-the-art and future prospects.

Synchrotron light sources require X-ray optics with extremely demanding accuracy for the surface profile, with less than 100 nrad slope errors and sub-nanometre height errors. Such errors are challenging to achieve for aspheres using traditional polishing methods. However, post-polishing error correction can be performed using techniques such as ion beam figuring (IBF) to improve optics to the desired quality. This work presents a brief overview of the history of IBF, introduces some of the challenges for obtaining such demanding figure errors, and highlights the work done at several in-house IBF facilities at synchrotron light sources worldwide to obtain state-of-the-art optical quality.

Inflammation-based lung adenocarcinoma molecular subtype identification and construction of an inflammation-related signature with bulk and single-cell RNA-seq data.

The role of inflammation is increasingly understood to have a central influence on therapeutic outcomes and prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the detailed molecular divisions involved in inflammatory responses are yet to be fully elucidated. Our study identified two main inflammation-oriented LUAD grades: the inflammation-low (INF-low) and the inflammation-high (INF-high) subtypes. Both presented with unique clinicopathological features, implications for prognosis, and distinctive tumor microenvironment profiles. Broadly, the INF-low grade, marked by its dominant immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, was accompanied by less favorable prognostic outcomes and a heightened prevalence of oncogenic mutations. In contrast, the INF-high grade exhibited more optimistic clinical trajectories, underscored by its immune-active environment. In addition, our efforts led to the conceptualization and empirical validation of an inflammation-centric predictive model with considerable predictive potency. Our study paves the way for a refined inflammation-centric LUAD classification and fosters a deeper understanding of tumor microenvironment intricacies.

At-wavelength metrology of an X-ray mirror using a downstream wavefront modulator.

At-wavelength metrology of X-ray optics plays a crucial role in evaluating the performance of optics under actual beamline operating conditions, enabling in situ diagnostics and optimization. Techniques utilizing a wavefront random modulator have gained increasing attention in recent years. However, accurately mapping the measured wavefront slope to a curved X-ray mirror surface when the modulator is downstream of the mirror has posed a challenge. To address this problem, an iterative method has been developed in this study. The results demonstrate a significant improvement compared with conventional approaches and agree with offline measurements obtained from optical metrology. We believe that the proposed method enhances the accuracy of at-wavelength metrology techniques, and empowers them to play a greater role in beamline operation and optics fabrication.

Research on the beam structures observed from X-ray optics in the far field.

For advanced X-ray sources such as synchrotron radiation facilities and X-ray free electron lasers, a smooth, structure-free beam on the far-field plane is usually strongly desired. The formation of the fine structures in far-field images downstream from imperfect optics must be understood. Although numerous studies have discussed the impacts on focused beams, there are still few quantitative theories for the impacts on beams in the far field. This article is an advance on our previous work, which discussed the uniformity of the intensity distribution in the far field. Here, a new theoretical approach is presented. It not only eases the assumptions needed to relate the fine structures to the wavefront curvature, but it also provides a quantitative estimation of the impacts of optical errors. The theoretical result is also verified by X-ray experiments.

A Gated-Recurrent-Unit-Based Interacting Multiple Model Method for Small Bird Tracking on Lidar System.

Lidar presents a promising solution for bird surveillance in airport environments. However, the low observation refresh rate of Lidar poses challenges for tracking bird targets. To address this problem, we propose a gated recurrent unit (GRU)-based interacting multiple model (IMM) approach for tracking bird targets at low sampling frequencies. The proposed method constructs various GRU-based motion models to extract different motion patterns and to give different predictions of target trajectory in place of traditional target moving models and uses an interacting multiple model mechanism to dynamically select the most suitable GRU-based motion model for trajectory prediction and tracking. In order to fuse the GRU-based motion model and IMM, the approximation state transfer matrix method is proposed to transform the prediction of GRU-based network into an explicit state transfer model, which enables the calculation of the models' probability. The simulation carried out on an open bird trajectory dataset proves that our method outperforms classical tracking methods at low refresh rates with at least 26% improvement in tracking error. The results show that the proposed method is effective for tracking small bird targets based on Lidar systems, as well as for other low-refresh-rate tracking systems.

Lymph node metastasis and its risk factors in T1 lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: In this study, the focus was primarily on examining the occurrence of lymph node metastasis in T1 lung adenocarcinoma, while also analyzing the relationship between clinical variables such as imaging characteristics, pathological classifications, and lymph node metastasis. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients with T1 lung adenocarcinoma who underwent lobectomy and lymph node dissection between January 2016 and December 2019. Utilizing univariate and multivariate analyses, we assessed the associations between lymph node metastasis and various clinical factors, including imaging characteristics, lesion location and depth, and pathological subtypes. RESULTS: Of the 433 patients with T1 lung adenocarcinoma, 139 had lymph node metastasis. Moreover, the incidence of node 1 (N1) lymph node, sequential, and node 2 (N2) skip metastases were 12.2%, 12.7%, and 7.2%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that tumor diameter, depth ratio, sex, invasive imaging features, and pathological subtype were significantly associated with lymph node metastasis. Multivariate analysis revealed that the tumor depth ratio, tumor diameter, pleural indentation or traction sign, nonvascular penetration sign, solid component, nonadherence, and micropapillary pathological subtype were risk factors for lymph node metastasis. In the multivariate analysis, the micropapillary pathological subtype was an independent risk factor for N2 skip metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with clinical stage T1 lung adenocarcinoma, the risk of lymph node metastasis is higher for tumors located deep within the lung tissue with solid components, invasive preoperative imaging features, and larger diameters. For N2 skip lymph node metastasis, the micropapillary pathological subtype represents a significant high-risk factor.

Evaluation of teaching method for fluid mechanics course in engineering education.

The professional technology training of student is the important objective of engineering education, which could present the specialized ability in the future. This task is conducted to evaluation of teaching methods for fluid mechanics course in the mechanical engineering. With the teaching practice, the advantage of teaching method is found, and the teaching quality can be revealed by the scores of integrated test. The improvement of teaching quality is contribute the development of social. According to the self-assessment, the effects of teaching method on the professional course is revealed.•The diversified teaching method is advantage to the understanding of theory and knowledge of application.•The practical training is suitable to develop the inner potential and innovation of different students.•The method allows the investigation of teaching method evaluation for the other courses with practicality.

Extracellular RNA profiles in non-small cell lung cancer plasma.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a high mortality rate and poor prognosis. The early detection of high-risk patients is essential to improve patient prognosis. Thus, the identification of a non-invasive, non-radiative, convenient, and fast diagnostic approach should be a top priority in NSCLC research. Circulating extracellular RNAs (exRNAs) in the plasma are potential biomarkers for NSCLC. Methods: We used RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) technology to explore the NSCLC-related RNAs, especially the circular RNAs (circRNAs). The circRNA-targeted micro RNAs (miRNAs) were predicted using 3 circRNA databases [i.e., the Cancer-Specific CircRNA Database (CSCD), circBank, and Circular RNA Interactome]. The circRNA-miRNA-messenger RNA (mRNA) network was constructed using Cytoscape V3.8.0 (Cytoscape Consortium, San Diego, CA, USA). The expression levels of some differentially expressed genes were validated by a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. Results: The results showed that the RNA biotypes of the mitochondrial ribosomal RNAs (mt-rRNAs) and mitochondrial transfer RNAs (mt-tRNAs) were upregulated in the NSCLC plasma. The Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) terms of the differentially expressed transcripts of NSCLC included oxidative phosphorylation, proton transmembrane transport, and the response to oxidative stress. Additionally, the qRT-PCR validation indicated that hsa_circ_0000722 had significantly higher expression in the NSCLC plasma than the control plasma, but hsa_circ_0006156 did not differ between the NSCLC plasma and the control plasma. The expression levels of miR-324-5p and miR-326 were higher in the NSCLC plasma than the control plasma. Conclusions: In this study, an exRNA-sequencing strategy was used to identify the expression of NSCLC-specific transcription factors in clinical plasma samples, and hsa_circ_0000722 and hsa-miR-324-5p were identified as potential biomarkers in NSCLC.

Discrepancies of video head impulse test results in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss with vertigo and vestibular neuritis.

Objective: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss with vertigo (SHLV) and vestibular neuritis (VN) remain frequent causes of acute vestibular syndrome (AVS). The aim of study was to compare the results of video head impulse test (vHIT) in patients with SHLV and VN. The characteristics of high-frequency vestibule-ocular reflex (VOR) and the differences of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these two AVS were explored. Methods: Fifty-seven SHLV patients and 31 VN patients were enrolled. vHIT was conducted at the initial presentation. The VOR gains and occurrence of corrective saccades (CSs) of anterior, horizontal, and posterior semicircular canals (SCCs) in two groups were analyzed. Pathological vHIT results refer to impaired VOR gains and presence of CSs. Results: In SHLV group, pathological vHIT results was most prevalent in the posterior SCC on the affected side (30/57, 52.63%), followed by horizontal (12/57, 21.05%) and anterior SCC (3/57, 5.26%). In VN group, pathological vHIT preferentially affected horizontal SCC (24/31, 77.42%), followed by anterior (10/31, 32.26%) and posterior SCC (9/31, 29.03%) on the affected side. As for anterior and horizontal SCC on the affected side, the incidences of pathological vHIT results in VN group were significantly higher than those in SHLV group (ß = 2.905, p < 0.01; ß = 2.183, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the incidence of pathological vHIT result in posterior SCC between two groups. Conclusion: Comparison of vHIT results in patients with SHLV and VN revealed discrepancies in the pattern of SCCs impairments, which may be explained by different pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these two vestibular disorders presenting as AVS.

Comparison between audio-vestibular findings and contrast-enhanced MRI of inner ear in patients with unilateral Ménière's disease.

Objective: The diagnosis of Ménière's disease (MD), characterized by idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops (ELH), remains a clinical priority. Many ancillary methods, including the auditory and vestibular assessments, have been developed to identify ELH. The newly emerging delayed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the inner ear after intratympanic gadolinium (Gd) has been used for identifying ELH in vivo. We aimed to investigate the concordance of audio-vestibular and radiological findings in patients with unilateral MD. Methods: In this retrospective study, 70 patients with unilateral definite MD underwent three-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (3D-FLAIR) sequences following intratympanic application of Gd. Audio-vestibular evaluations were performed, including pure tone audiometry, electrocochleogram (ECochG), glycerol test, caloric test, cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs), and video head impulse test (vHIT). The relationship between imaging signs of ELH and audio-vestibular results was investigated. Results: The incidence of radiological ELH was higher than that of neurotological results, including the glycerol test, caloric test, VEMPs, and vHIT. Poor or slight agreement was observed between audio-vestibular findings and radiological ELH in cochlear and/or vestibular (kappa values <0.4). However, the pure tone average (PTA) in the affected side significantly correlated with the extent of both cochlear (r = 0.26795, p = 0.0249) and vestibular (r = 0.2728, p = 0.0223) hydrops. Furthermore, the degree of vestibular hydrops was also positively correlated with course duration (r = 0.2592, p = 0.0303) and glycerol test results (r = 0.3944, p = 0.0061) in the affected side. Conclusion: In the diagnosis of MD, contrast-enhanced MRI of the inner ear is advantageous in detecting ELH over the conventional audio-vestibular evaluations, which estimates more than hydropic dilation of endolymphatic space.

Radiological presence of vascular loops in the cerebellopontine angle region in patients with unilateral Ménière's disease.

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between vascular compression of the vestibulocochlear nerve and audio-vestibular symptoms remains controversial. We aimed to examine the radiological features of vascular loops signs in cerebellopontine angle (CPA) and internal auditory canal (IAC) in patients with unilateral Ménière's disease (MD). METHODS: One hundred and thirty-seven patients with unilateral definite MD and 69 control subjects (138 ears) were enrolled. All subjects received magnetic resonance imaging of CPA-IAC. The configuration of vascular loops in CPA-IAC, based on the Kazawa classification system, from MD-affected, non-affected and control ears were compared. The associations between imaging findings and Ménière's stage, electrocochleogram (EcochG) and caloric test were analyzed. RESULTS: (1) Among the MD-affected ears, 6 cases (4.4%) were classified as Kazawa type IA, 27 cases (19.7%) as IB, 60 cases (43.8%) as IIA, and 44 cases (32.1%) as IIB. No significant interaural difference in the distribution of Kazawa's types was found ([Formula: see text] = 4.737, p = 0.578) in unilateral MD patients. (2) The distribution of Kazawa's types were not significantly different between the MD-affected ears and the control subjects ([Formula: see text] = 2.876, p = 0.411). (3) No relationship was found between Kazawa staging of the MD-affected ear and Ménière's stage (H = 2.679, p = 0.444), EcochG ([Formula: see text] = 0.827, p = 0.867) and caloric test ([Formula: see text] = 4.116, p = 0.248). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with unilateral MD, the configuration of vascular loops in CPA-IAC region, measured by Kazawa criteria, did not correlate with the laterality, clinical stage, the results of EcochG and caloric test, suggesting that vascular loops may be natural anatomical variations for patients with MD.

Optimized electromagnetic wave absorption ofα-Fe2O3@MoS2nanocomposites with core-shell structure.

Core-shell structures and interfacial polarization are of great significance to meet the diversified requirements of microwave attenuation. Herein,α-Fe2O3@MoS2nanocomposites are fabricated via a simple two-step hydrothermal process, in which MoS2nanosheets as the shell are self-assembled andα-Fe2O3microdrums are used as the core to constitute a special flower-like morphology with core-shell structure. This structure can provide more interface contact to achieve strong interfacial polarization and possibly offer more multiple reflection and scattering of electromagnetic waves. Furthermore, the microwave dissipation performances ofα-Fe2O3@MoS2nanocomposites can be significantly improved through construction of core-shell structure and flower-like morphology, controlling the content ofα-Fe2O3microdrums and adjusting the filler loading ratios. This work proves that the as-synthesized nanocomposites achieve excellent effective absorption bandwidth and outstanding electromagnetic wave absorption capabilities due to their special interfaces, core-shell structures and good impedance matching conditions. Therefore,α-Fe2O3@MoS2nanocomposites are expected to be a novel and desirable candidate for high-performance electromagnetic wave absorbers.

First Observation of New Flat Line Fano Profile via an X-Ray Planar Cavity.

A new Fano profile of a flat line is achieved experimentally by manipulating the relative amplitude of the continuum path, when q takes the pure imaginary number of -i in the x-ray regime. The underlying mechanism is that the interference term in the scattering will cancel the discrete term exactly. This new Fano profile renders only an observable continuum along with an invisible response to the discrete state of atomic resonance. The results suggest not only a different strategy to invisibility studies which provides a possible tool to identify weaker structures hidden by the strong white line, but also a new scenario to enrich the manipulations of two-path interference and nonlinear Fano resonance.

[Carbon Dioxide Mitigation Co-effect Analysis of Structural Adjustment Measures in the "2+26" Cities in the Jing-Jin-Ji Region and Its Surroundings].

The Three-Year Action Plan for Winning the Blue Sky Defense Battle states that structural adjustments of industrial, energy, transportation, and land use are important to significantly reduce CO2 and air pollutant emissions. This co-effect is evident but has not been quantified at the city-cluster level. This study developed an emission inventory for the "2+26" cities of the Jing-Jin-Ji region and its surroundings and quantitatively analyzed the impacts of measures in the Three-Year Action Plan for Winning the Blue Sky Defense Battle on the emissions of CO2 and major air pollutants using Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies in the "2+26" cities model (GAINS-JJJ). The results showed that in the "2+26" cities, the emission reductions in CO2, primary PM2.5, SO2, NOx, and NH3 under policy scenario 2020 were 29.1 Mt (equivalent to 2% of the emissions in 2017), 203.8 (21%), 281.8 (27%), 485.5 (17%), and 34.3 kt (3%), respectively, relative to 2017. In terms of the cities or sectors, the higher the pollutant emissions, the higher the reduction achieved. The CO2 mitigation co-effect results showed that industrial adjustment measures, such as eliminating backward production capacity, upgrades on industrial boilers, and phasing out small and polluting factories, contributed the most to the co-effect of CO2 emission reduction, whereas NOx presented the highest co-effects, with CO2 among the different air pollutants.

Two-dimensional speckle technique for slope error measurements of weakly focusing reflective X-ray optics.

Speckle-based at-wavelength metrology techniques now play an important role in X-ray wavefront measurements. However, for reflective X-ray optics, the majority of existing speckle-based methods fail to provide reliable 2D information about the optical surface being characterized. Compared with the 1D information typically output from speckled-based methods, a 2D map is more informative for understanding the overall quality of the optic being tested. In this paper, we propose a method for in situ 2D absolute metrology of weakly focusing X-ray mirrors. Importantly, the angular misalignment of the mirror can be easily corrected with the proposed 2D processing procedure. We hope the speckle pattern data processing method presented here will help to extend this technique to wider applications in the synchrotron radiation and X-ray free-electron laser communities.