The chromosome-level genome assembly of the giant dobsonfly Acanthacorydalis orientalis (McLachlan, 1899).

Acanthacorydalis orientalis (McLachlan, 1899) (Megaloptera: Corydalidae) is an important freshwater-benthic invertebrate species that serves as an indicator for water-quality biomonitoring and is valuable for conservation from East Asia. Here, a high-quality reference genome for A. orientalis was constructed using Oxford Nanopore sequencing and High throughput Chromosome Conformation Capture (Hi-C) technology. The final genome size is 547.98 Mb, with the N50 values of contig and scaffold being 7.77 Mb and 50.53 Mb, respectively. The longest contig and scaffold are 20.57 Mb and 62.26 Mb in length, respectively. There are 99.75% contigs anchored onto 13 pseudo-chromosomes. Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO) analysis showed that the completeness of the genome assembly is 99.01%. There are 10,977 protein-coding genes identified, of which 84.00% are functionally annotated. The genome contains 44.86% repeat sequences. This high-quality genome provides substantial data for future studies on population genetics, aquatic adaptation, and evolution of Megaloptera and other related insect groups.

Comparative Analysis of the Mitochondrial Genomes of Chloropidae and Their Implications for the Phylogeny of the Family.

Chloropidae, commonly known as grass flies, represent the most taxonomically diverse family of Diptera Carnoidea, comprising over 3000 described species worldwide. Previous phylogenetic studies of this family have predominantly relied on morphological characters, with mitochondrial genomes being reported in a few species. This study presents 11 newly sequenced mitochondrial genomes (10 Chloropidae and 1 Milichiidae) and provides the first comprehensive comparative analysis of mitochondrial genomes for Chloropidae. Apart from 37 standard genes and the control region, three conserved intergenic sequences across Diptera Cyclorrhapha were identified in all available chloropid mitochondrial genomes. Evolutionary rates within Chloropidae exhibit significant variation across subfamilies, with Chloropinae displaying higher rates than the other three subfamilies. Phylogenetic relationships based on mitochondrial genomes were inferred using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. The monophyly of Chloropidae and all four subfamilies is consistently strongly supported, while subfamily relationships within Chloropidae remain poorly resolved, possibly due to rapid evolution.

Taxonomic review of the Strongylophthalmyia ustulata group (Diptera: Brachycera: Strongylophthalmyiidae) from China, with the descriptions of three new species.

The Strongylophthalmyia ustulata group (Diptera: Brachycera: Strongylophthalmyiidae) from China is revised. Five species are recognized, including three new species (S. elongata sp. nov., S. flavimarginata sp. nov., and S. sivelli sp. nov.) and one new record species [S. ustulata (Zetterstedt, 1847)]. Strongylophthalmyia yaoshana Yang & Wang, 1998, previously placed in the S. ustulata group, is herein transferred to the S. fascipennis group based on its bare antennal arista and patterned wing. A key to the Chinese species of the S. ustulata group is provided.

Fully semantic segmentation for rectal cancer based on post-nCRT MRl modality and deep learning framework.

PURPOSE: Rectal tumor segmentation on post neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has great significance for tumor measurement, radiomics analysis, treatment planning, and operative strategy. In this study, we developed and evaluated segmentation potential exclusively on post-chemoradiation T2-weighted MRI using convolutional neural networks, with the aim of reducing the detection workload for radiologists and clinicians. METHODS: A total of 372 consecutive patients with LARC were retrospectively enrolled from October 2015 to December 2017. The standard-of-care neoadjuvant process included 22-fraction intensity-modulated radiation therapy and oral capecitabine. Further, 243 patients (3061 slices) were grouped into training and validation datasets with a random 80:20 split, and 41 patients (408 slices) were used as the test dataset. A symmetric eight-layer deep network was developed using the nnU-Net Framework, which outputs the segmentation result with the same size. The trained deep learning (DL) network was examined using fivefold cross-validation and tumor lesions with different TRGs. RESULTS: At the stage of testing, the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), 95% Hausdorff distance (HD95), and mean surface distance (MSD) were applied to quantitatively evaluate the performance of generalization. Considering the test dataset (41 patients, 408 slices), the average DSC, HD95, and MSD were 0.700 (95% CI: 0.680-0.720), 17.73 mm (95% CI: 16.08-19.39), and 3.11 mm (95% CI: 2.67-3.56), respectively. Eighty-two percent of the MSD values were less than 5 mm, and fifty-five percent were less than 2 mm (median 1.62 mm, minimum 0.07 mm). CONCLUSIONS: The experimental results indicated that the constructed pipeline could achieve relatively high accuracy. Future work will focus on assessing the performances with multicentre external validation.

Extranodal Extension at Pretreatment MRI and the Prognostic Value for Patients with Rectal Cancer.

Background Detection of extranodal extension (ENE) at pathology is a poor prognostic indicator for rectal cancer, but whether ENE can be identified at pretreatment MRI is, to the knowledge of the authors, unknown. Purpose To evaluate the performance of pretreatment MRI in detecting ENE using a matched pathologic reference standard and to assess its prognostic value in patients with rectal cancer. Materials and Methods This single-center study included a prospective development data set consisting of participants with rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent pretreatment MRI and radical surgery (December 2021 to January 2023). MRI characteristics were identified by their association with ENE-positive nodes (χ2 test and multivariable logistic regression) and the performance of these MRI features was assessed (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]). Interobserver agreement was assessed by Cohen κ coefficient. The prognostic value of ENE detected with MRI for predicting 3-year disease-free survival was assessed by Cox regression analysis in a retrospective independent validation cohort of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (December 2019 to July 2020). Results The development data set included 147 participants (mean age, 62 years ± 11 [SD]; 87 male participants). The retrospective cohort included 110 patients (mean age, 60 years ± 9; 79 male participants). Presence of vessel interruption and fusion (both P < .001), heterogeneous internal structure, and the broken-ring and tail signs (odds ratio range, 4.10-23.20; P value range, <.001 to .002) were predictors of ENE at MRI, and together achieved an AUC of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.88, 0.93) in detecting ENE. Interobserver agreement was moderate for the presence of vessel interruption and fusion (κ = 0.46 for both) and substantial for others (κ = 0.61-0.67). The presence of ENE at pretreatment MRI was independently associated with worse 3-year disease-free survival (hazard ratio, 3.00; P = .02). Conclusion ENE can be detected at pretreatment MRI, and its presence was associated with worse prognosis for patients with rectal cancer. © RSNA, 2024 Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Eberhardt in this issue.

Consequences of plateau pika disturbance on plant-soil carbon and nitrogen in alpine meadows.

The presence of burrowing mammals can have extensive effects on plants and soils, creating bare soil patches in alpine meadows and potentially altering plant-soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). This study focuses on the plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) to examine the responses of plant-soil C and N to a small burrowing mammal from quadrat scale to plot scale. The density of active burrow entrances in disturbed plots was used as an indicator of the disturbance intensity of plateau pikas. The study found that the below-ground biomass (BGB) and its C and N, as well as soil C and N concentrations were significantly lower in bare soil areas than in vegetated areas and undisturbed plots. This shows that the quadrat scale limited the estimation of the C and N sequestration potential. Therefore, further research on the plot scale found that the disturbance by plateau pika significantly reduced plant biomass and BGB carbon stock. However, plateau pika did not affect soil C and N stocks or ecosystem C and N stocks. These findings suggest the bare soil patches formed by plateau pika caused plant and soil heterogeneity but had a trade-off effect on plant-soil C and N stocks at the plot scale. Nevertheless, moderate disturbance intensity increased the C and N sequestration potential in grassland ecosystems. These results provide a possible way to estimate how disturbance by small burrowing mammals affects C and N cycling in grassland ecosystems while accurately assessing the effects of small burrowing mammal densities on C and N in grassland ecosystems.

Cross-examination of photoinitiated carrier and structural dynamics of black phosphorus at elevated fluences.

Revived attention in black phosphorus (bP) has been tremendous in the past decade. While many photoinitiated experiments have been conducted, a cross-examination of bP's photocarrier and structural dynamics is still lacking. In this article, we provide such analysis by examining time-resolved data acquired using optical transient reflectivity and reflection ultrafast electron diffraction, two complementary methods under the same experimental conditions. At elevated excitation fluences, we find that more than 90% of the photoinjected carriers are annihilated within the first picosecond (ps) and transfer their energy to phonons in a nonthermal, anisotropic fashion. Electronically, the remaining carrier density around the band edges induces a significant interaction that leads to an interlayer lattice contraction in a few ps but soon diminishes as a result of the continuing loss of carriers. Structurally, phonon-phonon scattering redistributes the energy in the lattice and results in the generation of out-of-plane coherent acoustic phonons and thermal lattice expansion. Their onset times at ∼6 ps are found to be in good agreement. Later, a thermalized quasi-equilibrium state is reached following a period of about 40-50 ps. Hence, we propose a picture with five temporal regimes for bP's photodynamics.

Comparative Morphology of the Wing Base Structure Illuminates Higher-Level Phylogeny of Holometabola.

Phylogenetic relationships among Holometabola have been the subject of controversy. The value of the wing base structure in phylogenetic analysis has been demonstrated but remains largely underexplored and scarce in studies of Holometabola. We studied the phylogenetic relationships among Holometabola (excluding Siphonaptera), focusing exclusively on wing base structure. Cladistic assessments were conducted using 53 morphological data points derived from the bases of both the forewing and hindwing. The results of wing base data revealed a sister relationship between Hymenoptera and remaining orders. The sister-group relationships between Strepsiptera and Coleoptera, Mecoptera and Diptera, Trichoptera and Lepidoptera, and Neuropterida and Coleopterida were corroborated. In Neuropterida, our results recovered the sister relationship between Megaloptera and Neuroptera, as well as the monophyly of Megaloptera.

Mechanism of Qili Qiangxin Capsule for Heart Failure Based on miR133a-Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pharmacological mechanism of Qili Qiangxin Capsule (QLQX) improvement of heart failure (HF) based on miR133a-endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) pathway. METHODS: A left coronary artery ligation-induced HF after myocardial infarction model was used in this study. Rats were randomly assigned to the sham group, the model group, the QLQX group [0.32 g/(kg·d)], and the captopril group [2.25 mg/(kg·d)], 15 rats per group, followed by 4 weeks of medication. Cardiac function such as left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), fractional shortening (FS), left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP), the maximal rate of increase of left ventricular pressure (+dp/dt max), and the maximal rate of decrease of left ventricular pressure (-dp/dt max) were monitored by echocardiography and hemodynamics. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Masson stainings were used to visualize pathological changes in myocardial tissue. The mRNA expression of miR133a, glucose-regulated protein78 (GRP78), inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1), activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), X-box binding protein1 (XBP1), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and Caspase 12 were detected by RT-PCR. The protein expression of GRP78, p-IRE1/IRE1 ratio, cleaved-ATF6, XBP1-s (the spliced form of XBP1), CHOP and Caspase 12 were detected by Western blot. TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining was used to detect the rate of apoptosis. RESULTS: QLQX significantly improved cardiac function as evidenced by increased EF, FS, LVSP, +dp/dt max, -dp/dt max, and decreased LVEDP (P<0.05, P<0.01). HE staining showed that QLQX ameliorated cardiac pathologic damage to some extent. Masson staining indicated that QLQX significantly reduced collagen volume fraction in myocardial tissue (P<0.01). Results from RT-PCR and Western blot showed that QLQX significantly increased the expression of miR133a and inhibited the mRNA expressions of GRP78, IRE1, ATF6 and XBP1, as well as decreased the protein expressions of GRP78, cleaved-ATF6 and XBP1-s and decreased p-IRE1/IRE1 ratio (P<0.05, P<0.01). Further studies showed that QLQX significantly reduced the expression of CHOP and Caspase12, resulting in a significant reduction in apoptosis rate (P<0.05, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The pharmacological mechanism of QLQX in improving HF is partly attributed to its regulatory effect on the miR133a-IRE1/XBP1 pathway.

The genus Neurigona Rondani, 1856 (Diptera, Dolichopodidae) from Yunnan, China, with descriptions of seven new species and a key to the species of China.

Previously, only three species of the genus Neurigona Rondani of the subfamily Neurigoninae were known from Yunnan Province. Here, we reviewed the species of Neurigona from Yunnan and added the following seven new species: N.apicilatasp. nov., N.basicurvasp. nov., N.brevidigitatasp. nov., N.convexasp. nov., N.huanglianshanasp. nov., N.quadrimaculatasp. nov., and N.ventriprocessasp. nov. All seven new species are sympatric and were collected from below a reservoir in the Huanglianshan Nature Reserve in Yunnan using three Malaise traps in 2019. This suggests a very high species richness in the Yunnan fauna. A key to the species of Neurigona from Chinese mainland is provided.

Visual and auditory attention defects in children with intermittent exotropia.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that children with intermittent exotropia (IXT) have a higher rate of psychiatric abnormalities as they grow up, such as attention deficit. This study explored visual and hearing attention among children with IXT, and evaluated its association with clinical characteristics and cognitive development. METHODS: Forty-nine children with a diagnosis of IXT and 29 children with traditional development were recruited. The Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA-CPT) was used to measure the subjects' full-scale response control quotient (FSRCQ), full-scale attention quotient (FSAQ), auditory response control quotient (ARCQ), auditory attention quotient (AAQ), visual response control quotient (VRCQ), and visual attention quotient (VAQ). The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) was used to assess their cognitive function. The differences between the scores of children with IXT and normal controls were analyzed. RESULTS: The results showed that the FSRCQ, FSAQ, ARCQ, AAQ, VRCQ, and VAQ of children with IXT were all lower than those of normal controls with the same age (P < 0.05). The level of attention was significantly correlated with the age of strabismus onset (P < 0.05), but not with the degree of strabismus, stereopsis, or fusion control score. In addition, audiovisual attention was correlated significantly with their cognitive development level. The random forest classifier prediction model showed that age of strabismus onset was an important predictor of attention. CONCLUSION: Children with IXT have lower visual and auditory attention and control than their peers, and the age of onset of strabismus may be a major factor.

Small arteriole sign: an imaging feature for staging T4a colon cancer.

OBJECTIVES: By analyzing the distribution of existing and newly proposed staging imaging features in pT1-3 and pT4a tumors, we searched for a salient feature and validated its diagnostic performance. METHODS: Preoperative multiphase contrast-enhanced CT images of the training cohort were retrospectively collected at three centers from January 2016 to December 2017. We used the chi-square test to analyze the distribution of several stage-related imaging features in pT1-3 and pT4a tumors, including small arteriole sign (SAS), outer edge of the intestine, tumor invasion range, and peritumoral adipose tissue. Preoperative multiphase contrast-enhanced CT images of the validation cohort were retrospectively collected at Beijing Cancer Hospital from January 2018 to December 2018. The diagnostic performance of the selected imaging feature, including accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, was validated and compared with the conventional clinical tumor stage (cT) by the McNemar test. RESULTS: In the training cohort, a total of 268 patients were enrolled, and only SAS was significantly different between pT1-3 and pT4a tumors. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the SAS and conventional cT in differentiating T1-3 and T4a tumors were 94.4%, 81.6%, and 97.3% and 53.7%, 32.7%, and 58.4%, respectively (all p < 0.001). In the validation cohort, a total of 135 patients were collected. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the SAS and the conventional cT were 93.3%, 76.2%, and 96.5% and 62.2%, 38.1%, and 66.7%, respectively (p < 0.001, p = 0.021, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Small arteriole sign positivity, an indirect imaging feature of serosa invasion, may improve the accuracy of identifying T4a colon cancer. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Small arteriole sign helps to distinguish T1-3 and T4a colon cancer and further improves the accuracy of preoperative CT staging of colon cancer. KEY POINTS: • The accuracy of preoperative CT staging of colon cancer is not ideal, especially for T4a tumors. • Small arteriole sign (SAS) is a newly defined imaging feature that shows the appearance of tumor-supplying arterioles at the site where they penetrate the intestine wall. • SAS is an indirect imaging marker of tumor invasion into the serosa with a great value in distinguishing between T1-3 and T4a colon cancer.

Nanoscale Energy Transport Dynamics across Nonbonded Solid-Molecule Interfaces and in Molecular Thin Films.

Thermal conductance across a solid-solid interface requires an atomic- or molecular-level understanding, especially when a system is in a non-equilibrium state and/or consists of nanosized materials with prominent differences in structures, properties, and vibrational behaviors. Here, we report the lattice dynamics of graphite-supported molecular thin films of ethanol, whose layers exhibit in-plane hydrogen-bonded chains and out-of-plane van der Waals stacking with clear structural anisotropy. The direct structure-probing method of ultrafast electron diffraction reveals a surprising temperature difference of more than 400 K at pico- to sub-nanosecond times across the graphite-ethanol interface, yet the temporal behavior signifies a reasonably large thermal boundary conductance. This apparent conflict in a non-equilibrium condition can be resolved by considering the coupling of out-of-plane motions, instead of the commonly used temperature-based model, at transient times for energy transport across the interface separated by van der Waals interactions with mismatched unit sizes and no strong bonds. The importance of spatiotemporally resolved structural dynamics at the atomic or molecular level is emphasized.

Morphological Description and Potential Geographic Distribution of the Genus Dolichopus Latreille (Diptera, Dolichopodidae, Dolichopodinae) in Inner Mongolia, China.

Eight species of Dolichopus Latreille were previously recorded in Inner Mongolia. However, there have been only a few studies on their potential distribution. Here, three newly discovered species from Inner Mongolia are described, namely Dolichopus (Dolichopus) apicimaculatus sp. nov., Dolichopus (Dolichopus) jiufengensis sp. nov., and Dolichopus (Dolichopus) luae sp. nov. There were also twelve known Dolichopus species that were newly recorded in Inner Mongolia, including the newly recorded subgenus Hygroceleuthus. A key to the Dolichopus species from Inner Mongolia and the potential geographic distribution of Dolichopus in Inner Mongolia were provided. Potential geographic distribution of the genus in Inner Mongolia were determined as well.

A review of the subgenus Loxocera Meigen, 1803 (Diptera, Brachycera, Psilidae) in China.

The subgenus Loxocera (Loxocera Meigen, 1803) (Diptera, Brachycera, Psilidae) in China is reviewed. Six species are recognized, including four new species: L. (L.) chikunisp. nov., L. (L.) lonsdaleisp. nov., L. (L.) maculithoraxsp. nov., and L. (L.) obscurasp. nov. Two species originally placed in the subgenus Loxocera, L.anulata Wang & Yang, 1998 and L.tianmuensis Wang & Yang, 1998, are transferred to the subgenus Loxocera (Imantimyia Frey, 1925). A key to the species of the subgenus Loxocera occurring in China is provided.

The Morphological Transformation of the Thorax during the Eclosion of Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae).

The model organism Drosophila melanogaster, as a species of Holometabola, undergoes a series of transformations during metamorphosis. To deeply understand its development, it is crucial to study its anatomy during the key developmental stages. We describe the anatomical systems of the thorax, including the endoskeleton, musculature, nervous ganglion, and digestive system, from the late pupal stage to the adult stage, based on micro-CT and 3D visualizations. The development of the endoskeleton causes original and insertional changes in muscles. Several muscles change their shape during development in a non-uniform manner with respect to both absolute and relative size; some become longer and broader, while others shorten and become narrower. Muscular shape may vary during development. The number of muscular bundles also increases or decreases. Growing muscles are probably anchored by the tissues in the stroma. Some muscles and tendons are absent in the adult stage, possibly due to the hardened sclerites. Nearly all flight muscles are present by the third day of the pupal stage, which may be due to the presence of more myofibers with enough mitochondria to support flight power. There are sexual differences in the same developmental period. In contrast to the endodermal digestive system, the functions of most thoracic muscles change in the development from the larva to the adult in order to support more complex locomotion under the control of a more structured ventral nerve cord based on the serial homology proposed herein.

Structural tuning of ß-enamino diketones: exploration of solution and crystalline state photochromism.

A library of ß-enamino diketones was prepared via base-mediated, three-component reaction of 4-hydroxycoumarins with various aromatic/aliphatic amines and ß-nitrostyrenes under microwave irradiation conditions to investigate their photochemical properties. Among the prepared compounds, a thiophene derived ß-enamino diketone was found to be light-sensitive and to exhibit unique photochromic behavior, that is, positive photochromism in solution and negative photochromism in crystalline phase. In addition, this prepared photochromic compound was further covalently linked to a structure-related, piezochromic ß-enamino diketone moiety to explore its potential multi-stimuli responsive properties.

New and little-known stonefly species of the Rhopalopsolevietnamica 'western assemblage' group (Plecoptera, Leuctridae) from China.

We examined Chinese stonefly specimens of the Rhopalopsolevietnamica 'western assemblage' group. A new species from Hainan Province, R.bawanglinga Li, Li & Yang, sp. nov. is described and illustrated from male and female adults, and it is compared to closely related taxa. The hitherto unknown female of R.hainana Li & Yang, 2010 is described. Morphological evidence is presented for the identity of R.dentiloba Wu, 1973, on the basis of topotypes from Yunnan Province, southwestern China.

Heterogeneous influence of neighborhood features on community satisfaction: a comparative study in Beijing's urban and suburban communities.

Introduction: Community satisfaction contributes to urban planning, community development, and policy formulation. Yet, we lack comprehensive knowledge about how different neighborhood features impact satisfaction, especially across diverse community types. Methods: Relied on a sample of 4,009 respondents in Beijing, this study examines the influence of neighborhood features on community satisfaction through neighborly interactions, focusing on the heterogeneity between urban and suburban communities, using structural equation models. Results: The results reveal that community service and community management exert significant influences on community satisfaction, primarily mediated by the role of neighborly interactions. Then, transportation convenience positively influences community satisfaction in urban areas, while no housing property has a negative effect in suburban communities. Discussion: These results highlight varied neighborhood effects on community satisfaction, informing tailored urban planning and policies that address unique traits and requirements of different communities.

[Correlation between preoperative MRI measurement of cross-sectional area of hamstring tendon and graft in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction].

OBJECTIVE: To study the corretation between the cross-sectional area of hamstring tenden measured by MRI and gragt in anterior cruciate ligament rexonstruction. METHODS: MRI data of 50 patients who planned to undergo anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction from November 2021 to March 2022 were collected, including 32 males and 18 females, aged from 19 to 48 years old with an average of(31.1±8.7) years. Before the operation, the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons were measured and recorded by MRI, and then the anterior cruciate ligament was reconstructed under arthroscope. During the operation, gracilis and semitendinosus tendons were taken to prepare the final tendon to be transplanted, and the diameter of the prepared final graft was measured during the operation. Finally, the data were analyzed by statistical software. RESULTS: The cross sectional areas of semitendinosus tendon, gracilis tendon, semitendinosus tendon and gracilis tendon measured by MRI were significantly and positively correlated with the diameter of grafts required in anterior cruciate ligament surgery, the r values were 0.858, 0.728, 0.842(P<0.001), respectively. The area under curre (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of the sum of the cross sectional areas of semitendinosus tendon and gracilis tendon were 0.925, 90.48%, and 85.71%, respectively. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, preoperative MRI measurement has a strong statistical correlation with the diameter of hamstring muscle transplantation during operation. The sum of the cross sectional areas of semitendinosus tendon and gracilis tendon has a high predictive value for the diameter of grafts during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, and can predict the size of grafts during operation.