T2-weighted imaging and dynamic contrast­enhanced imaging in predicting the prognosis in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure.

BACKGROUND: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a syndrome with high 28- and 90-day mortality rates. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been widely used to diagnose and evaluate liver disease. Our purpose is to determine the value of the imaging features derived from Gd-DTPA-enhanced MRI for predicting the poor outcome of patients with ACLF and develop a clinically practical radiological score. METHODS: This retrospective study comprised 175 ACLF patients who underwent Gd-DTPA-enhanced abdominal MRI from January 2017 to December 2021. The primary end-point was 90-day mortality. Imaging parameters, such as diffuse hyperintense of the liver on T2WI, patchy enhancement of the liver at the arterial phase, uneven enhancement of the liver at the portal vein phase, gallbladder wall edema, periportal edema, ascites, esophageal and gastric varix, umbilical vein patefac, portal vein thrombosis, and splenomegaly were screened. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to evaluate prognostic factors and develop a prediction model. The accuracy of the model was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 31 of the 175 ACLF patients died within 90 days. In the multivariate analysis, three imaging parameters were independently associated with survival: diffuse hyperintense on T2WI (p = 0.007; HR = 3.53 [1.40-8.89]), patchy enhancement at the arterial phase (p = 0.037; HR = 2.45 [1.06-5.69]), moderate ascites (vs. mild) (p = 0.006; HR = 4.12 [1.49-11.36]), and severe ascites (vs. mild) (p = 0.005; HR = 4.29 [1.57-11.71]). A practical radiological score was proposed, based on the presence of diffuse hyperintense (7 points), patchy enhancement (5 points), and ascites (6, 8, and 8 points for mild, moderate, and severe, respectively). Further analysis showed that a cut-off at 14 points was optimum to distinguish high-risk (score > 14) from the low-risk group (score ≤ 14) for 90-day survival and demonstrated a mean area under the ROC curve of 0.774 in ACLF patients. CONCLUSIONS: Gd-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging features can predict poor outcomes in patients with ACLF, based on which we proposed a clinically practical radiological score allowing stratification of the 90-day survival.

Reviving the Dynamics of Attacked Reservoir Computers.

Physically implemented neural networks are subject to external perturbations and internal variations. Existing works focus on the adversarial attacks but seldom consider attack on the network structure and the corresponding recovery method. Inspired by the biological neural compensation mechanism and the neuromodulation technique in clinical practice, we propose a novel framework of reviving attacked reservoir computers, consisting of several strategies direct at different types of attacks on structure by adjusting only a minor fraction of edges in the reservoir. Numerical experiments demonstrate the efficacy and broad applicability of the framework and reveal inspiring insights into the mechanisms. This work provides a vehicle to improve the robustness of reservoir computers and can be generalized to broader types of neural networks.

Establishment and evaluation of a CT-based radiomic model for AIDS-associated pulmonary cryptococcosis.

BACKGROUND: Establish a CT-based diagnostic radiomic model for AIDS complicated with pulmonary cryptococcosis and evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of this model. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled 98 AIDS patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis and 103 AIDS patients with other infections or neoplastic lesions, comprising a total of 699 lesions. Patients were randomly divided into a training group and test group at a ratio of 2.75:1. Features from all lesions, cavity lesions and solid nodule lesions were extracted, and two kinds of radiomic models (6 types) were established. ROC curves were drawn, and the sensitivity and specificity were calculated to compare the SVM model and LR model, radiologists' empirical diagnoses and the combination of these empirical diagnoses with the radiomic model. RESULTS: The AUCs of senior radiologist for all lesions and cavity lesions were lower than those of the SVM and LR models. The diagnostic efficacy of primary radiologist was lower than that of both of the other model types. The diagnostic efficacy of the LR model was relatively stable, with the highest diagnostic efficiency of the 3 model/radiologist groups. The AUCs of intermediate radiologist in combination with the LR radiomic model for all lesions, nodular lesions and cavity lesions were 0.88, 0.84, and 0.9, respectively, which were the highest among all models and radiologists. CONCLUSIONS: The CT-based radiomic LR model of AIDS-associated pulmonary cryptococcosis exhibits good diagnostic performance, which was similar to that of senior radiologists and higher than that of the primary radiologist. With the help of a radiomic model, radiologists can achieve improved diagnostic accuracy compared to that when only an empirical diagnosis is used.

Terahertz metamaterial with broadband and low-dispersion high refractive index.

A broadband and low-dispersion high refractive index (HRI) metamaterial formed by symmetrically etching two identical metasurfaces on both sides of a dielectric slab has been numerically and experimentally demonstrated in the terahertz region. The unit cell of the metasurface is a Jerusalem cross surrounded by a square metal ring, in which there are two magnetic resonances and one electric resonance. The proposed metamaterial simultaneously possesses high effective permittivity and permeability in broadband frequencies, since the multiple resonances result in a significant bandwidth expansion of a HRI. The simulation results reveal that the refractive index of the proposed metamaterial reaches up to 27 in the frequency range of 0.39-0.65 THz, and the relative bandwidth is about 44%. Furthermore, the fluctuation of the refractive index in this frequency band is less than 6%, showing a good low-dispersion characteristic. We also fabricated a sample to verify this HRI property. Experimental results are in good agreement with numerical simulations. This broadband HRI metamaterial is desirable in many fields, such as in high-resolution imaging and optical communications.

Delayed bowel obstruction after seat belt injury: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Delayed bowel obstruction due to seat belt injury is extremely rare. The delayed onset of nonspecific symptoms makes a timely diagnosis difficult. A deep understanding of the characteristics of this condition is helpful for early diagnosis and treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: A 39-year-old male was transferred to our hospital from another hospital complaints of progressive abdominal distension and severe weakness. In the previous hospital, he was diagnosed with "adult megacolon" and was recommended for surgical treatment. In our hospital, he was diagnosed with delayed bowel obstruction due to seat belt injury and underwent surgical intervention. Following laparoscopic adhesiolysis and resection of the narrow small intestine, his symptoms improved rapidly, and he was discharged. CONCLUSION: Delayed bowel obstruction due to seat belt injury may present clinical symptoms any time after the injury. Imaging examination, ileus tube and small colonoscopy may provide us with valuable cues for the diagnosis and treatment of delayed bowel obstruction, and laparoscopy may be an alternative approach in surgical intervention.

Genome-Wide Differential DNA Methylation and miRNA Expression Profiling Reveals Epigenetic Regulatory Mechanisms Underlying Nitrogen-Limitation-Triggered Adaptation and Use Efficiency Enhancement in Allotetraploid Rapeseed.

Improving crop nitrogen (N) limitation adaptation (NLA) is a core approach to enhance N use efficiency (NUE) and reduce N fertilizer application. Rapeseed has a high demand for N nutrients for optimal plant growth and seed production, but it exhibits low NUE. Epigenetic modification, such as DNA methylation and modification from small RNAs, is key to plant adaptive responses to various stresses. However, epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying NLA and NUE remain elusive in allotetraploid B. napus. In this study, we identified overaccumulated carbohydrate, and improved primary and lateral roots in rapeseed plants under N limitation, which resulted in decreased plant nitrate concentrations, enhanced root-to-shoot N translocation, and increased NUE. Transcriptomics and RT-qPCR assays revealed that N limitation induced the expression of NRT1.1, NRT1.5, NRT1.7, NRT2.1/NAR2.1, and Gln1;1, and repressed the transcriptional levels of CLCa, NRT1.8, and NIA1. High-resolution whole genome bisulfite sequencing characterized 5094 differentially methylated genes involving ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, N recycling, and phytohormone metabolism under N limitation. Hypermethylation/hypomethylation in promoter regions or gene bodies of some key N-metabolism genes might be involved in their transcriptional regulation by N limitation. Genome-wide miRNA sequencing identified 224 N limitation-responsive differentially expressed miRNAs regulating leaf development, amino acid metabolism, and plant hormone signal transduction. Furthermore, degradome sequencing and RT-qPCR assays revealed the miR827-NLA pathway regulating limited N-induced leaf senescence as well as the miR171-SCL6 and miR160-ARF17 pathways regulating root growth under N deficiency. Our study provides a comprehensive insight into the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying rapeseed NLA, and it will be helpful for genetic engineering of NUE in crop species through epigenetic modification of some N metabolism-associated genes.

A multiomics approach reveals the pivotal role of subcellular reallocation in determining rapeseed resistance to cadmium toxicity.

Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) has great potential for phytoremediation of cadmium (Cd)-polluted soils due to its large plant biomass production and strong metal accumulation. Enhanced plant Cd resistance (PCR) is a crucial prerequisite for phytoremediation through hyper-accumulation of excess Cd. However, the complexity of the allotetraploid genome of rapeseed hinders our understanding of PCR. To explore rapeseed Cd-resistance mechanisms, we examined two genotypes, 'ZS11' (Cd-resistant) and 'W10' (Cd-sensitive), that exhibit contrasting PCR while having similar tissue Cd concentrations, and characterized their different fingerprints in terms of plant morphophysiology (electron microscopy), ion abundance (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry), DNA variation (whole-genome resequencing), transcriptomics (high-throughput mRNA sequencing), and metabolomics (ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry). Fine isolation of cell components combined with ionomics revealed that more Cd accumulated in the shoot vacuoles and root pectins of the resistant genotype than in the sensitive one. Genome and transcriptome sequencing identified numerous DNA variants and differentially expressed genes involved in pectin modification, ion binding, and compartmentalization. Transcriptomics-assisted gene co-expression networks characterized BnaCn.ABCC3 and BnaA8.PME3 as the central members involved in the determination of rapeseed PCR. High-resolution metabolic profiles revealed greater accumulation of shoot Cd chelates, and stronger biosynthesis and higher demethylation of root pectins in the resistant genotype than in the sensitive one. Our comprehensive examination using a multiomics approach has greatly improved our understanding of the role of subcellular reallocation of Cd in the determination of PCR.

Bioactive monoterpene indole alkaloids from Nauclea officinalis.

Two new monoterpene indole alkaloids, naucleaoffines A (1) and B (2), together with six known alkaloids (3-8), were isolated from the stems and leaves of Nauclea officinalis. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods and the known compounds were identified by comparisons with the data reported in literature. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities and anti-HIV-1 activities. Compounds 1-8 exhibited significant inhibitory activities on nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharide in mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells in vitro with IC50 values comparable to that of hydrocortisone. In addition, compounds 1-8 showed significant anti-HIV-1 activities with EC50 ranged from 0.06 to 2.08 µM. These findings suggest that the discoveries of these indole alkaloids with significant anti-inflammatory activities and anti-HIV-1 activities isolated from N. officinalis could be of great importance to the development of new anti-inflammatory and anti-HIV agents.

Integrated physiologic, genomic and transcriptomic strategies involving the adaptation of allotetraploid rapeseed to nitrogen limitation.

BACKGROUND: Nitrogen (N) is a macronutrient that is essential for optimal plant growth and seed yield. Allotetraploid rapeseed (AnAnCnCn, 2n = 4x = 38) has a higher requirement for N fertilizers whereas exhibiting a lower N use efficiency (NUE) than cereal crops. N limitation adaptation (NLA) is pivotal for enhancing crop NUE and reducing N fertilizer use in yield production. Therefore, revealing the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying NLA is urgent for the genetic improvement of NUE in rapeseed and other crop species with complex genomes. RESULTS: In this study, we integrated physiologic, genomic and transcriptomic analyses to comprehensively characterize the adaptive strategies of oilseed rape to N limitation stresses. Under N limitations, we detected accumulated anthocyanin, reduced nitrate (NO3-) and total N concentrations, and enhanced glutamine synthetase activity in the N-starved rapeseed plants. High-throughput transcriptomics revealed that the pathways associated with N metabolism and carbon fixation were highly over-represented. The expression of the genes that were involved in efficient N uptake, translocation, remobilization and assimilation was significantly altered. Genome-wide identification and molecular characterization of the microR827-NLA1-NRT1.7 regulatory circuit indicated the crucial role of the ubiquitin-mediated post-translational pathway in the regulation of rapeseed NLA. Transcriptional analysis of the module genes revealed their significant functional divergence in response to N limitations between allotetraploid rapeseed and the model Arabidopsis. Association analysis in a rapeseed panel comprising 102 genotypes revealed that BnaC5.NLA1 expression was closely correlated with the rapeseed low-N tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: We identified the physiologic and genome-wide transcriptional responses of oilseed rape to N limitation stresses, and characterized the global members of the BnamiR827-BnaNLA1s-BnaNRT1.7s regulatory circuit. The transcriptomics-assisted gene co-expression network analysis accelerates the rapid identification of central members within large gene families of plant species with complex genomes. These findings would enhance our comprehensive understanding of the physiologic responses, genomic adaptation and transcriptomic alterations of oilseed rape to N limitations and provide central gene resources for the genetic improvement of crop NLA and NUE.

[Chemical constituents from stems and leaves of Psychotria serpens].

The chemical consituents from the stems and leaves of Psychotria serpens were separated and purified by column chromatographies with silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20 and PR-HPLC. The structures of the isolated compounds were identified on the basis of physicochemical properties and spectroscopic analyses, as well as comparisons with the data reported in literature. 18 compounds were isolated from the 90% ethanol extract of the stems and leaves of P. serpens, which were identified as chrysin(1), acacetin(2), genkwanin(3), chrysoeriol(4), rhamnocitrin(5), isorhamnetin(6), tricin(7), jaceosidin(8), dillenetin(9), kumatakenin(10), ayanin(11), isosakuranetin(12), eriodictyol(13), homoeriodictyol(14), taxifolin(15), pomonic acid(16), fupenzic acid(17) and euscaphic acid(18). All compounds were isolated from the genus Psychotria for the first time.

Nitrogen Use Efficiency Is Mediated by Vacuolar Nitrate Sequestration Capacity in Roots of Brassica napus.

Enhancing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in crop plants is an important breeding target to reduce excessive use of chemical fertilizers, with substantial benefits to farmers and the environment. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), allocation of more NO3 (-) to shoots was associated with higher NUE; however, the commonality of this process across plant species have not been sufficiently studied. Two Brassica napus genotypes were identified with high and low NUE. We found that activities of V-ATPase and V-PPase, the two tonoplast proton-pumps, were significantly lower in roots of the high-NUE genotype (Xiangyou15) than in the low-NUE genotype (814); and consequently, less vacuolar NO3 (-) was retained in roots of Xiangyou15. Moreover, NO3 (-) concentration in xylem sap, [(15)N] shoot:root (S:R) and [NO3 (-)] S:R ratios were significantly higher in Xiangyou15. BnNRT1.5 expression was higher in roots of Xiangyou15 compared with 814, while BnNRT1.8 expression was lower. In both B. napus treated with proton pump inhibitors or Arabidopsis mutants impaired in proton pump activity, vacuolar sequestration capacity (VSC) of NO3 (-) in roots substantially decreased. Expression of NRT1.5 was up-regulated, but NRT1.8 was down-regulated, driving greater NO3 (-) long-distance transport from roots to shoots. NUE in Arabidopsis mutants impaired in proton pumps was also significantly higher than in the wild type col-0. Taken together, these data suggest that decrease in VSC of NO3 (-) in roots will enhance transport to shoot and essentially contribute to higher NUE by promoting NO3 (-) allocation to aerial parts, likely through coordinated regulation of NRT1.5 and NRT1.8.

Identification of Nitration Products during Heterogeneous Reaction of NO2 on Soot in the Dark and under Simulated Sunlight.

Author: The present work, involving the formation of NO and nitrous acid (HONO) and the nitration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) to nitro-PAHs as well as the uptake coefficients of NO2, has been performed on a normal-pressure flow reactor to identify the nitration products during the heterogeneous reaction of soot toward NO2 in the dark and under simulated sunlight. Two types of soot particles, namely the commercial black carbon (BC) and the diesel engine soot (ES), were selected as the studied soot to compare the impacts of soot properties on heterogeneous nitration. During the whole reaction on either of the two studied soots in the dark, a fast reversible physical adsorption is observed at the very beginning, followed by a slow irreversible chemical conversion from NO2 to HONO and NO, in good agreement with the "reduction-oxidation" mechanism. HONO is the most abundant product during the nitration reaction on the two studied soots, contributing to 70-90% of consumed NO2 after 50 min exposure. Reaction orders of NO2 for HONO are determined as 1.20 ± 0.07 and 1.31 ± 0.04 for BC and ES, respectively, which are both close to first-order. Moreover, four sorts of PAHs compounds and their five nitro-derivatives have been identified and quantified during the reaction. About 40% and 20% of the total four measured PAHs are consumed on BC and ES, respectively, resulting in an increase in the total five measured nitro-PAHs by 21-fold on BC and 2.8-fold on ES. Finally, the impacts of light on gaseous and organics products have been investigated and the results confirm that simulated sunlight can enhance the reactivity of PAHs toward NO2 and cause the photolysis of newly formed nitro-compounds with more HONO formation, strongly suggesting that photochemistry of soot in the presence of NO2 is of great importance to be a photochemical source of HONO and would also influence the fates of PAHs and nitro-PAHs on soot.

Biotransformation of Rutin Using Crude Enzyme from Rhodopseudomonas palustris.

Rhodopseudomonas palustris was selected for the ability to grow in diglycosylated flavonoids-based media, exhibited deglycosylation activity. The present study aimed to investigate the ability of a crude enzyme from Rhodopseudomonas palustris to transform rutin. Our results showed the crude enzyme was found to transform rutin to quercetin via isoquercitrin. The maximum enzyme activities were observed at pH 7.0, 25 °C, and rutin concentration of 1.0 mg mL- 1. Under optimal conditions, 13.11 µM rutin was biotransformed into 6.86 µM isoquercitrin and 11.64 µM quercetin after 11 and 21 h, respectively. The study demonstrates an eco-friendly and potential economically viable 'green' conversion route to convert rutin to isoquercitrin and quercetin, which is of great interest, considering the therapeutic applications of isoquercitrin and quercetin. The specific biotransformation of rutin to isoquercitrin and quercetin, using the crude enzyme from Rhodopseudomonas palustris, may potentially serve as a new method for industrial production of isoquercitrin and quercetin.

Short linear shadows connecting pulmonary segmental arteries to oblique fissures in volumetric thin-section CT images: comparing CT, micro-CT and histopathology.

OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively evaluate short linear shadows connecting pulmonary segmental arteries to oblique fissures in thin-section CT images and determine their anatomical basis. METHODS: CT scanning was performed on 108 patients and 11 lung specimens with no lung diseases around the oblique fissures or hila. Two radiologists evaluated the imaging. The parameters included length, thickness of short linear shadows, pulmonary segmental artery variations, and traction interlobar fissures, etc. RESULTS: The short linear shadows were not related to sex, age, or smoking history. The lengths of the short linear shadows were generally within 10 mm. The thicknesses of the short linear shadows ranged from 1 to 2 mm. Of the patients, 26.9 % showed pulmonary segmental artery variations; 66.7 % of short linear shadows pulled oblique fissures. In three-dimensional images, the short linear shadows appeared as arc planes, with one side edge connected to the oblique fissure, one side edge connected to a pulmonary segmental artery. On the tissue slices, the short linear shadow exhibited a band structure composed of connective tissues, small blood vessels, and small lymphatic vessels. CONCLUSIONS: Short linear shadows are a type of normal intrapulmonary membranes and can maintain the integrity of the oblique fissures and hilar structure. KEY POINTS: • Volumetric thin-section CT scanning is commonly used to study lung anatomy. • Short linear shadows are a common intrapulmonary structure in thin-section CT. • Short linear shadows correlate with band structures on the correlative tissue slices.

[Multifractal Analysis of Rapeseed Spectrum for Chlorophyll Diagnosis Modeling].

One of the most important topics in crop information science is how to make use of the crop's information for non-destructive nutrient diagnosis which can be solved with spectrum analysis. The canopy's spectrum feature is a key indicator to describe the nutritional status for the rapeseeds. The original spectrum is to be disturbed with external factors such as environment and climate; however, it is difficult to be directly used for rapeseed biomass diagnosis due to its huge fluctuation. However, the multifractal feature of the spectra remains stable relatively. In order to study the relationship between the canopy's spectrum of the rapeseed and its chlorophyll, based on the multifractal theory, a quantitative model of chlorophyll prediction and a qualitative model of planting pattern identification were proposed in this paper to study the high oleic acid rapeseed samples in 24 transplanting regions and 24 direct planting regions. At first, the generalized Hurst exponent and mass exponents together with other relevant multifractal parameters of the spectra were extracted with popular multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) in different six considered wavelength ranges. It shows that all of them possess representative multifractal nature. However, there are some differences of the multifractal characteristics between the two kinds of regions with different planting pattern in some bands. In addition, by correlation analysis and detection between the multifractal parameters of the spectra and the SPAD values in six considered ranges of bands, it demonstrates that there is some difference of the effective information content in the different ranges of bands. In the quantitative model of chlorophyll prediction, for each groups of samples in transplanting regions and direct planting regions and mixed together in each significant bands, a selected multifractal parameter was used to establish the univariate model for predicting the rapeseed leaf's SPAD values, respectively. The results of all the relative root mean square errors are small than 5%. Finally, the qualitative model was proposed to distinguish the samples by the two planting pattern. Youden index, as the identification accuracy was calculated for the six considered ranges of bands by the Fisher's linear discriminant analysis. The best Youden index is 0.902 5 and the corresponding band range is 350~1 350 nm. The significant work provides a theoretical and practical method for predicting rapeseed leaf's SPAD and also provides effective way to find the sensitive bands of the spectra for identification diagnosis.

Detection of Vibrio cholerae by isothermal cross-priming amplification combined with nucleic acid detection strip analysis.

Vibrio cholerae is a water- and food-borne human pathogen, and V. cholerae serotypes O1 and O139 have attracted attention because of their severe pathogenesis. However, non-O1, non-O139 cholera vibrios (NCVs) were also recently recognized as having virulence properties. In this study, we developed a cross-priming amplification (CPA) method for the detection of all serotypes of V. cholerae. The specificity of the CPA method was tested using a panel of 60 different bacterial strains. All of the V. cholerae strains showed positive results, and 41 other types of bacteria gave negative results. The limit of detection of the CPA method was 79.28 fg of genomic DNA, 4.2 × 10(2) CFU/ml for bacteria in pure culture, and 5.6 CFU per 25 g of sample with pre-enrichment. This method showed a higher sensitivity than the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method did and was more convenient to perform. These results indicate that the CPA method can be used for the rapid preliminary screening of V. cholerae.

Virtual-Reality Simulator System for Double Interventional Cardiac Catheterization Using Fractional-Order Vascular Access Tracker and Haptic Force Producer.

This study proposes virtual-reality (VR) simulator system for double interventional cardiac catheterization (ICC) using fractional-order vascular access tracker and haptic force producer. An endoscope or a catheter for diagnosis and surgery of cardiovascular disease has been commonly used in minimally invasive surgery. It needs specific skills and experiences for young surgeons or postgraduate year (PGY) students to operate a Berman catheter and a pigtail catheter in the inside of the human body and requires avoiding damaging vessels. To improve the training in inserting catheters, a double-catheter mechanism is designed for the ICC procedures. A fractional-order vascular access tracker is used to trace the senior surgeons' consoled trajectories and transmit the frictional feedback and visual feedback during the insertion of catheters. Based on the clinical feeling through the aortic arch, vein into the ventricle, or tortuous blood vessels, haptic force producer is used to mock the elasticity of the vessel wall using voice coil motors (VCMs). The VR establishment with surgeons' consoled vessel trajectories and hand feeling is achieved, and the experimental results show the effectiveness for the double ICC procedures.

Heterogeneous reaction of NO2 on α-Al2O3 in the dark and simulated sunlight.

Although there have been a number of publications focused on heterogeneous of NO2 on mineral particles, most of these studies were focused on ß-Al2O3 and performed in the dark. Less was known about the reaction process of NO2 on α-Al2O3, especially the effect of sunlight factor. The heterogeneous reaction between NO2 and α-Al2O3 was investigated by using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectrometry. The effects of NO2 and O2 concentrations as well as simulated sunlight were examined, and the reaction mechanism including the consumption of surface OH groups, oxidation process of nitrites, and the formation of water was also discussed in detail. It was observed that the formation rates of nitrates and nitrites were sensitive to NO2 concentrations and O2 concentrations. Nitrite was identified to be an intermediate production and disappeared very soon as [NO2] was up to 4.035 × 10(15) molecules/cm(3). Light played an important role in the changes of the electronic configuration of mineral dust, such as electronic donating ability, surface OH groups orientation, as well as the conversion efficiency between proton acid and nonproton acid, all of which could significantly enhance the heterogeneous reaction process. The reaction order for NO2 and O2 was determined to be 0.960 ± 0.111 and 0.620 ± 0.028, respectively. The uptake coefficient of NO2, which dominated the first step of the heterogeneous reaction, was calculated by the infrared absorbance with the use of ion chromatography and determined to be 9.9 × 10(-10) in the dark and varied from 2.54 to 3.33 × 10(-9) under simulated sunlight from 0.45 to 1.35 mW/cm(2). It was also found that γNO2 was independent of [NO2] and sunlight increased the uptake coefficient by three times, indicating that the heterogeneous reaction between NO2 and α-Al2O3 was enhanced under sunlight.

Reinforcement learning-based pinning control for synchronization suppression in complex networks.

Synchronization in complex networks is a ubiquitous and important phenomenon with implications in various fields. Excessive synchronization may lead to undesired consequences, making desynchronization techniques essential. Exploiting the Proximal Policy Optimization algorithm, this work studies reinforcement learning-based pinning control strategies for synchronization suppression in global coupling networks and two types of irregular coupling networks: the Watts-Strogatz small-world networks and the Barabási-Albert scale-free networks. We investigate the impact of the ratio of controlled nodes and the role of key nodes selected by the LeaderRank algorithm on the performance of synchronization suppression. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the reinforcement learning-based pinning control strategy in different coupling schemes of the complex networks, revealing a critical ratio of the pinned nodes and the superior performance of a newly proposed hybrid pinning strategy. The results provide valuable insights for suppressing and optimizing network synchronization behavior efficiently.

[Effect of early pulmonary rehabilitation training on the prognosis of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome after weaning of invasive mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of early pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) training on the improvement of respiratory function in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after weaning of invasive mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: The retrospective cohort research method was used. The clinical information of adult patients with ARDS receiving invasive mechanical ventilation admitted to the ICU of Qingdao Municipal Hospital from January 2019 to March 2023 was collected. The patients were divided into a control group and an observation group according to off-line training program. The control group received traditional training after weaning, and the observation group received the early PR training after weaning. Other treatments and nursing were implemented according to the routine of the ICU. The scores of the short physical performance battery (SPPB) on day 3-day 6 of the weaning training, respiratory muscle strength, level of interleukin-6 (IL-6), number of aspirations of sputum after weaning, length of stay after weaning, rehospitalization rate within 6 months after discharge, and pulmonary function indicators at discharge and 3 months after discharge [peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity ratio (FEV1/FVC), and vital capacity (VC)] of the two groups of patients were compared. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was drawn to analyze the cumulative survival rate of patients 6 months after discharge. RESULTS: A total of 50 of which 25 cases received the traditional training after weaning, 25 cases received the early PR training after weaning. There was no significant difference in gender, age, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II), oxygenation index upon admission, etiological diagnosis of ARDS upon admission, time of invasive ventilation, mode of invasive mechanical ventilation, pulmonary function indicators at discharge, and other baseline data of the two groups. The SPPB questionnaire scores and respiratory muscle strength in both groups were increased gradually with the extended offline training time, the serum level of IL-6 in both groups were descend gradually with the extended offline training time, especially in the observation group [SPPB questionnaire score in the observation group were 7.81±0.33, 8.72±0.53, 9.44±0.31, 10.57±0.50, while in the control group were 7.74±0.68, 8.73±0.37, 8.72±0.40, 9.33±0.26, effect of time: F = 192.532, P = 0.000, effect of intervention: F = 88.561, P = 0.000, interaction effect between intervention and time: F = 24.724, P = 0.000; respiratory muscle strength (mmHg, 1 mmHg≈0.133 kPa) in the observation group were 123.20±24.84, 137.00±26.47, 149.00±24.70, 155.40±29.37, while in the control group were 129.00±20.34, 126.00±24.01, 132.20±25.15, 138.60±36.67, effect of time: F = 5.926, P = 0.001, effect of intervention: F = 5.248, P = 0.031, interaction effect between intervention and time: F = 3.033, P = 0.043; serum level of IL-6 in the observation group were 80.05±6.81, 74.76±9.33, 63.66±10.19, 56.95±4.72, while in the control group were 80.18±7.21, 77.23±9.78, 71.79±10.40, 66.51±6.49, effect of time: F = 53.485, P = 0.000, effect of intervention: F = 22.942, P = 0.000, interaction effect between intervention and time: F = 3.266, P = 0.026]. Compared with the control group, the number of aspirations of sputum after weaning of patients in the observation group significantly decreased (number: 22.46±1.76 vs. 27.31±0.90), the length of ICU stay after weaning significantly became shorter (days: 6.93±0.95 vs. 8.52±2.21), and the rehospitalization rate within 6 months after discharge significantly decreased [20.00% (5/25) vs. 48.00% (12/25)]. There were significant differences. The pulmonary function indicators 3 months after discharge of two groups of patients significantly increased compared with those at discharge and those of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group [PEF (L/min): 430.20±95.18 vs. 370.00±108.44, FEV1/FVC ratio: 0.88±0.04 vs. 0.82±0.05, VC (L): 3.22±0.72 vs. 2.74±0.37, all P < 0.05]. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the cumulative survival rate of patients 6 months after discharge of patients in the observation group was significantly higher than that of patients in the control group [76.9% vs. 45.5%, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.344, P = 0.017]. CONCLUSIONS: Early PR training can significantly improve the respiratory function of patients with ARDS after weaning of invasive mechanical ventilation. Continuous active respiratory training after discharge can improve the respiratory function of patients and effectively decrease mortality.