Heat-Assisted Magnetization Switching in Flexible Spin-Orbit Torque Devices.

Heat-assisted magnetic anisotropy engineering has been successfully used in selective magnetic writing and microwave amplification due to a large interfacial thermal resistance between the MgO barrier and the adjacent ferromagnetic layers. However, in spin-orbit torque devices, the writing current does not flow through the tunnel barrier, resulting in a negligible heating effect due to efficient heat dissipation. Here, we report a dramatically reduced switching current density of ∼2.59 MA/cm2 in flexible spin-orbit torque heterostructures, indicating a 98% decrease in writing energy consumption compared with that on a silicon substrate. The reduced driving current density is enabled by the dramatically decreased magnetic anisotropy due to Joule dissipation and the lower thermal conductivity of the flexible substrate. The large magnetic anisotropy could be fully recovered after the impulse, indicating retained high stability. These results pave the way for flexible spintronics with the otherwise incompatible advantages of low power consumption and high stability.

U-fiber diffusion kurtosis and susceptibility characteristics in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis may be related to cognitive deficits and neurodegeneration.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diffusion kurtosis and susceptibility change in the U-fiber region of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (pwRRMS) and their correlations with cognitive status and degeneration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mean kurtosis (MK), axial kurtosis (AK), radial kurtosis (RK), kurtosis fractional anisotropy (KFA), and the mean relative quantitative susceptibility mapping (mrQSM) values in the U-fiber region were compared between 49 pwRRMS and 48 healthy controls (HCs). The U-fiber were divided into upper and deeper groups based on the location. The whole brain volume, gray and white matter volume, and cortical thickness were obtained. The correlations between the mrQSM values, DKI-derived metrics in the U-fiber region and clinical scale scores, brain morphologic parameters were further investigated. RESULTS: The decreased MK, AK, RK, KFA, and increased mrQSM values in U-fiber lesions (p < 0.001, FDR corrected), decreased RK, KFA, and increased mrQSM values in U-fiber non-lesions (p = 0.034, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, FDR corrected) were found in pwRRMS. There were differences in DKI-derived metrics and susceptibility values between the upper U-fiber region and the deeper one for U-fiber non-lesion areas of pwRRMS and HCs (p < 0.05), but not for U-fiber lesions in DKI-derived metrics. The DKI-derived metrics and susceptibility values were widely related with cognitive tests and brain atrophy. CONCLUSION: RRMS patients show abnormal diffusion kurtosis and susceptibility characteristics in the U-fiber region, and these underlying tissue abnormalities are correlated with cognitive deficits and degeneration. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: The macroscopic and microscopic tissue damages of U-fiber help to identify cognitive impairment and brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis and provide underlying pathophysiological mechanism. KEY POINTS: • Diffusion kurtosis and susceptibility changes are present in the U-fiber region of multiple sclerosis. • There are gradients in diffusion kurtosis and susceptibility characteristics in the U-fiber region. • Tissue damages in the U-fiber region are correlated with cognitive impairment and brain atrophy.

Comparison of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tissue characterization parameters in white matter tracts of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the microstructural properties of T2 lesion and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) in 20 white matter tracts between multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and correlations between the tissue damage and clinical variables. METHODS: The white matter (WM) compartment of the brain was segmented for 56 healthy controls (HC), 48 patients with MS, and 38 patients with NMOSD, and for the patients further subdivided into T2 lesion and NAWM. Subsequently, the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tissue characterization parameters of fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) were compared for 20 principal white matter tracts. The correlation between tissue damage and clinical variables was also investigated. RESULTS: The higher T2 lesion volumes of 14 fibers were shown in MS compared to NMOSD. MS showed more microstructure damage in 13 fibers of T2 lesion, but similar microstructure in seven fibers compared to NMOSD. MS and NMOSD had microstructure damage of NAWM in 20 fibers compared to WM in HC, with more damage in 20 fibers in MS compared to NMOSD. MS patients showed higher correlation between the microstructure of T2 lesion areas and NAWM. The T2 lesion microstructure damage was correlated with duration and impaired cognition in MS. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with MS and NMOSD show different patterns of microstructural damage in T2 lesion and NAWM areas. The prolonged disease course of MS may aggravate the microstructural damage, and the degree of microstructural damage is further related to cognitive impairment. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Microstructure differences between T2 lesion areas and normal-appearing white matter help distinguish multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. In multiple sclerosis, lesions rather than normal-appearing white matter should be a concern, because the degree of lesion severity correlated both with normal-appearing white matter damage and cognitive impairment. KEY POINTS: • Multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder have different damage patterns in T2 lesion and normal-appearing white matter areas. • The microstructure damage of normal-appearing white matter is correlated with the microstructure of T2 lesion in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. • The microstructure damage of T2 lesion in multiple sclerosis is correlated with duration and cognitive impairment.

Enlarged choroid plexus related to cortical atrophy in multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the correlation between choroid plexus volume and whole brain morphology in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). METHODS: Fifty-one patients with MS, 42 patients with NMOSD, and 56 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. The morphological changes in choroid plexus and whole brain tissue were compared between three groups and the correlations between choroid plexus volume and brain atrophy were further investigated. The longitudinal alterations of brain morphology in 25 MS and 20 NMOSD patients were compared. RESULTS: Compared to the HC group, the choroid plexus volumes were increased in the MS group (p < 0.001) but not in the NMOSD group (p > 0.05). Compared to the HC group, the MS group showed reduced cortex thickness, deep gray matter volume, and increased ventricle system volume, and the NMOSD group showed increased third ventricle volume (all p < 0.05, false discovery rate corrected). In the MS group, there were widespread correlations between enlarged choroid plexus volume and reduced cerebral cortex thickness (p < 0.05, r = -0.292~-0.538, false discovery rate corrected). The interval time was not significantly different between the MS (median: 1.37 years) and NMOSD group (median: 1.25 years) (p > 0.05). In MS, compared with the baseline, the right hippocampus and nucleus accumbens volumes were decreased in long follow-up, and bilateral lateral ventricle volumes were increased both in short and long follow-up (all p < 0.05, false discovery rate corrected). CONCLUSIONS: The enlarged choroid plexus related to reduced cortical thickness and progressive local brain atrophy are shown in MS patients, but not obvious in NMOSD patients. KEY POINTS: • MS and NMOSD have different altered patterns in choroid plexus volume and brain atrophy. • The enlarged choroid plexus related to brain atrophy is shown in MS patients, but not obvious in NMOSD patients. • Progressive local brain atrophy is shown in MS patients, but not obvious in NMOSD patients.

Deep Learning-Enabled Identification of Autoimmune Encephalitis on 3D Multi-Sequence MRI.

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is a noninfectious emergency with severe clinical attacks. It is difficult for the earlier diagnosis of acute AE due to the lack of antibody detection resources. PURPOSE: To construct a deep learning (DL) algorithm using multi-sequence magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the identification of acute AE. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. POPULATION: One hundred and sixty AE patients (90 women; median age 36), 177 herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE) (89 women; median age 39), and 184 healthy controls (HC) (95 women; median age 39) were included. Fifty-two patients from another site were enrolled for external validation. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3.0 T; fast spin-echo (T1 WI, T2 WI, fluid attenuated inversion recovery imaging) and spin-echo echo-planar diffusion weighted imaging. ASSESSMENT: Five DL models based on individual or combined four MRI sequences to classify the datasets as AE, HSVE, or HC. Reader experiment was further carried out by radiologists. STATISTICAL TESTS: The discriminative performance of different models was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The optimal threshold cut-off was identified when sensitivity and specificity were maximized (sensitivity + specificity - 1) in the validation set. Classification performance using confusion matrices was reported to evaluate the diagnostic value of the models and the radiologists' assessments before being assessed by the paired t-test (P < 0.05 was considered significant). RESULTS: In the internal test set, the fusion model achieved the significantly greatest diagnostic performance than single-sequence DL models with AUCs of 0.828, 0.884, and 0.899 for AE, HSVE, and HC, respectively. The model demonstrated a consistently high performance in the external validation set with AUCs of 0.831 (AE), 0.882 (HSVE), and 0.892 (HC). The fusion model also demonstrated significantly higher performance than all radiologists in identifying AE (accuracy between the fuse model vs. average radiologist: 83% vs. 72%). DATA CONCLUSION: The proposed DL algorithm derived from multi-sequence MRI provided desirable identification and classification of acute AE. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Reduction in nitrogen fertilizer applications by the use of polymer-coated urea: effect on maize yields and environmental impacts of nitrogen losses.

BACKGROUND: Urea is commonly over-applied as a nitrogen (N) fertilizer to crops in southern China and has a low utilization efficiency as a result of the high precipitation and high temperatures in this region. This has led to a need to optimize the management of N fertilizer use in maize crops on the subtropical hilly uplands of southern China. RESULTS: We investigated the effects of applying different amounts of N in the form of polymer-coated urea (PCU) on the yield of maize and gaseous losses of N from soils in the form of NH3 and N2 O. The field plots used in this trial had zero-added N (0 kg N ha-1 ), the addition of urea (240 kg N ha-1 ) and four levels of fertilization with PCU (1 PCU, 0.9 PCU, 0.8 PCU and 0.7 PCU), which represented a 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% reduction, respectively, in the application of PCU-N relative to the urea plot. Compared to the urea plot, there was little variation in the yield of maize for all the PCU-N treatments, with a significant improvement in the utilization efficiency of N (up to 46.0-51.2%) with a 0-30% reduction in the application of PCU-N. Significant effects in the mitigation of the N2 O emission flux and the accumulation of N2 O-N were observed in the 0.8 PCU and 0.7 PCU plots. The application of PCU-N significantly reduced the flux and total amount of NH3 -N lost to the environment: as the application rate for N decreased by 0-30%, the NH3 loss was significantly reduced by 12.7-36.1%. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study suggest that the use of PCU could allow a reduction in the application of N of 20-30% compared to traditional agricultural practices in this area with the same yield of maize, although with significantly decreased NH3 and N2 O losses and the increased utilization of N. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Optic radiations are thinner and show signs of iron deposition in patients with long-standing remitting-relapsing multiple sclerosis: an enhanced T2*-weighted angiography imaging study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate iron deposition and thickness and signal changes in optic radiation (OR) by enhanced T2*-weighted angiography imaging (ESWAN) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) with unilateral and bilateral lesions or no lesions. METHODS: Fifty-one RRMS patients (42 patients with a disease duration [DD] ≥ 2 years [group Mor], nine patients with a DD < 2 years [group Les]) and 51 healthy controls (group Con) underwent conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ESWAN at 3.0 T. The mean phase value (MPV) of the OR was measured on the phase image, and thickness and signal changes of the OR were observed on the magnitude image. RESULTS: The average MPVs for the OR were 1,981.55 ± 7.75 in group Mor, 1,998.45 ± 2.01 in group Les, and 2,000.48 ± 5.53 in group Con. In group Mor, 28 patients with bilateral OR lesions showed bilateral OR thinning with a heterogeneous signal, and 14 patients with unilateral OR lesions showed ipsilateral OR thinning with a heterogeneous signal. In the remaining nine patients without OR lesions and in group Con, the bilateral OR had a normal appearance. In the patients, a negative correlation was found between DD and OR thickness and a positive correlation was found between MPV and OR thickness. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed iron deposition in the OR in the RRMS patients, and the OR thickness was lower in the patients than in the controls. KEY POINTS: • Enhanced T 2* -weighted magnetic resonance angiography (ESWAN) provides new insights into multiple sclerosis (MS). • Focal destruction of the optic radiation (OR) is detectable by ESWAN. • Iron deposition in OR can be measured on ESWAN phase image in MS patients. • OR thickness was lower in the patients than in the controls. • Iron deposition and thickness changes of the OR are associated with disease duration.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for differentiating osteomyelitis from acute neuropathic arthropathy in the complicated diabetic foot.

OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating osteomyelitis from acute neuropathic arthropathy in the diabetic foot. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study was carried out on 30 diabetic foot patients, with a mean age of 51 years. The patients all underwent clinical examinations, laboratory examinations and DCE-MRI. The DCE-MRI parameters (Ktrans, Kep and Ve) of the regions of acute neuropathic arthropathy and osteomyelitis were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROCs) were used to identify the DCE-MRI parameters that showed the highest accuracy in differentiating the acute neuropathic arthropathy from the osteomyelitic regions. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to assess the correlations among the DCE-MRI parameters, the level of C-reactive protein (CRP) and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). RESULTS: The Ktrans, Kep and Ve values of the osteomyelitic regions were higher than those of the acute neuropathic arthropathy regions, and significant differences were found between the two groups (P = 0.000, P = 0.000, P = 0.000). The ROC analysis showed that Ktrans and Ve performed best in differentiating osteomyelitis from acute neuropathic arthropathy, both with an area under the curve of 0.938. The Pearson correlation coefficients showed that the DCE-MRI parameters correlated significantly with the level of CRP and ESR (P = 0.000, P = 0.014, P = 0.000; P = 0.000, P = 0.000, P = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that DCE-MRI may provide reproducible parameters that can reliably differentiate osteomyelitis from acute neuropathic arthropathy.

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.

Primary pulmonary angiosarcoma was misdiagnosed as IgG4-related disease by needle biopsy: A challenging case report.

ABSTRACT: Angiosarcoma is a rare soft tissue sarcoma. Primary angiosarcoma of the lung is even rarer. This case presents a patient with hemoptysis for 3 months. A chest computed tomography (CT) showed multiple patches of nodules with peripheral exudates distributed along the vascular bundles in both lungs, and the biopsy suggested IgG4 disease. However, the hemoptysis worsened for 3 days, and the patient underwent partial resection of the left upper lung, revealing eight masses of 0.5-2 cm in diameter. The tumor was composed of spindle, round, or polygonal cells arranged in bundles or sheets, and tumor cells were positive for vascular tumor markers. The patient was treated with six cycles of paclitaxel combined with gemcitabine chemotherapy, reducing the volume of the masses and improving hemoptysis.

Clinicopathological analysis of sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation in the spleen.

Background: Splenic sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation (SANT) is a rare benign nodular lesion in the red medulla of the spleen. In the past, SANT has not been consistently recognized as the name for this condition and was often misdiagnosed for other conditions. In recent years, SANT has been acknowledged by most scholars as multiple reports have been published. Aim: To assess the clinicopathological features of SANT to identify the histological characteristics of SANT to improve diagnosis and clinical treatment. Materials and Methods: We assessed 25 cases of SANT diagnosed at Zhongshan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University from September 2014 to October 2021, including 14 men and 11 women, aged 24-62 years old. Results: Fourteen cases were complicated with benign tumors of the liver, pancreas, kidney, uterus, and prostate. One case was complicated with renal clear cell carcinoma, and one was complicated with hepatocellular carcinoma. The gross neoplasm is multinodular and well defined. Histologically, angiomatoid nodules are composed of fattened, round, or irregular blood vessels, with or without red blood cells in the lumen, with unequal red blood cell extravasation, and fibrocytes around the nodules. The hemangiomatous nodules were positive for CD31 and CD34, while the vascular wall smooth muscle cells and fibrocytes around the nodules were positive for SMA. Conclusion: The diagnosis of SANT requires a combination of immunohistochemical and histological features, and early splenectomy is crucial for treatment.

Extranodal nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma with CD20 positive: A case report and review of literature.

ABSTRACT: Extranodal nasal-type natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Neoplastic lymphocytes are positive for CD4, CD56, and CD20, a specific B-cell marker. CD20 positive NK/T-cell lymphoma is rare, with only nine reported cases. This paper reports a case of nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma with CD20 positivity in a 47-year-old woman. The patient presented with bilateral nasal congestion and bloody nasal cavity secretions for 2 months. Computed tomography revealed thickening of the nasal mucosa and posterior wall of the nasopharyngeal crest, and the left and right cervical lymph nodes were enlarged. On histopathology, the lesion was composed of medium-sized atypical lymphoid cells and vascular infringement. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the tumor cells were positive for CD20, CD3, CD56, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded RNA in situ hybridization. The patient was treated with radiotherapy for 2 months and is currently well.

[Diagnostic implications of atypical squamous cells of unknown significance with abnormal DNA ploidy for early cervical lesions].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance of atypical squamous cells of unknown significance (ASCUS) with abnormal DNA ploidy in the early diagnosis of cervical lesions. METHODS: Eight thousand four hundred and forty-eight patients were included in this study and all had DNA quantitative analysis and cervical liquid-based cytology. Among 1041 cases with DNA aneuploidy and/or abnormal cervical liquid-based cytology and additional cervical biopsy, histological review was performed in 247 ASCUS cases with abnormal DNA ploidy. RESULTS: (1) Among 8448 cases, 7877 were normal or benign, 426 were ASCUS, 45 were ASC-H, 55 were LSIL and 22 were HSIL by TBS diagnosis. The presence of 1-2 abnormal DNA ploidy cells was detected in 15.3% (65/426) of ASCUS, 11.1% (5/45) of ASC-H, 9.1% (5/55) of LSIL, and 0 (0/22) of HSIL. The presence of ≥ 3 abnormal DNA ploidy cells was detected in 39.0% (166/426) of ASCUS, 75.6% (34/45) of ASC-H, 76.4% (42/55) of LSIL, and 95.5% (21/22) of HSIL. (2) A total of 67 cases of CIN 2, CIN 3 or cancers were found in 247 patients with ASCUS by colposcopy biopsies, of which 13.9% (5/36) had 1-2 abnormal DNA ploidy cells, 45.5% (56/123) had ≥ 3 abnormal DNA ploidy cells and 6.8% (6/88) had normal DNA polidy. ASCUS with 1-2 abnormal DNA ploidy cells and with ≥ 3 abnormal DNA ploidy cells were compared. The difference was statistically significant (χ(2) = 11.79, P < 0.01). But the difference between ASCUS with 1-2 abnormal DNA ploidy cells and normal DNA ploidy had no statistical significance (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ASCUS with ≥ 3 abnormal DNA ploidy cells has higher risk for developing CIN 2, CIN 3 or invasive carcinoma. The application of DNA quantitative analysis and cervical liquid-based cytology test can help in guiding clinical follow-up and treatment options in patients with ASCUS.

Primary liposarcoma of the uterus with MDM2 negative.

ABSTRACT: Liposarcoma is one of the most common soft-tissue sarcomas that originates from adipose tissue. Primary uterine liposarcoma is extremely rare. With the MDM2, negative is even rarer. We report a 37-year-old woman presented with lower abdominal discomfort and increase in vaginal secretions for more than 2 months. The ultrasonography revealed a hypoechoic mass sized 81 × 73 × 67 mm in the right adnexal area. Histopathologically, the neoplasm was mainly composed of mature adipose tissue, a small number of scattered lipoblasts, and the spindle cell which with mild atypia. Immunohistochemistry showed that the tumor cells were positive for CDK4 but negative for MDM2, and FISH analysis showed no MDM2 amplification. The patient only underwent tumor excision and is currently doing well.

Heavy metal content and health risk assessment of atmospheric particles in China: A meta-analysis.

In recent decades, China has devoted significant attention to the heavy metals pollution in particulate matter. However, the majority of studies have only focused on the field monitoring in relatively remote areas, which may not be representative of air quality across the country. This study reevaluated the characteristics, temporal and spatial changes, and health concerns associated with heavy metal pollution in atmospheric particulates on a national scale by coupling Meta-analysis and Monte Carlo simulation analysis. In terms of spatial distribution, the heavy metals pollution levels in the northern coast and northeastern regions are relatively high, whereas it is low along the middle Yellow River, middle Yangtze River, as well as Southwest. With the exception of Cu, the distribution of all elements in PM2.5 steadily decreased over time Moreover, PM10 and PM2.5 performed similar where Cd and Ni both first increased followed by a decline while, Cr displayed a decrease before it showed an increment. And since the implementation of prevention and control policies about the atmospheric release, the focus of industrial emission has gradually shifted from energy production and processing to living products manufacturing. Moreover, the carcinogenic risk was shown to be Cr > As, Pb > Ni, Cd, while the non-carcinogenic risk was as follows: As, Ni > Cr, Cd. Among all contaminants, Cd, As, and Cr in PM2.5 and PM10 exceeded the WHO standard in the cities with worst air quality. It was observed that As posed the largest non-carcinogenic risk to adults while, Cr caused the most carcinogenic risk to adults and children, where the carcinogenic risk of children remains higher than that of adults. Therefore, the findings of this study may offer data support to the China's heavy metal pollution standards in airborne particles and offer theoretical data support for pollution management.

Study the effect of drying on the oxidation thermogravimetric and functional group composition characteristics of immersed lignite.

The drying process of immersed lignite has a significant influence on the characteristics and progress of spontaneous combustion. To reveal the influence mechanism of the drying process of immersed coal on the spontaneous combustion characteristics and the change rule of the spontaneous combustion process, in this research, we measured the mass change during coal oxidation with thermogravimetry, and the change of the functional groups with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The influence of the drying process on the coal was analyzed by comparing activation energy, functional group of immersed coal with different drying degrees and raw coal. The results showed that, compared with raw coal, the content of Ar-C-O- and antisymmetric stretching vibration of the carboxylate group (-COO-) as well as the stretching vibration in the quinone group (C=O) and the -OH group increased. For the content of [Formula: see text],[Formula: see text][Formula: see text], the value of Asym.CH2/Asym.CH3 decreased. The content of various functional groups changed to be favorable for oxidation and heat release. At different reaction stages, the activation energy was differently affected by the degree of drying. Average values of activation energies at different reaction stages are shown raw coal had the lowest activation energy. After soaking in water and drying, the activation energy of coal is increased to varying degrees, the reactivity is reduced, and the risk of spontaneous combustion is reduced. After soaking in water and drying, the activation energy of coal is increased to varying degrees, the reactivity is reduced, and the risk of spontaneous combustion is reduced. The activation energy of the coal samples dried for 24 h after soaking in water is the lowest among the coal samples dried for different times after soaking in water, and the moisture content is 10.5%.

Calcium peroxide alleviates the waterlogging stress of rapeseed by improving root growth status in a rice-rape rotation field.

Waterlogging stress has a negative influence on agricultural production, particularly for rapeseed yield in a rice-rape rotation field. To alleviate the profound impacts of waterlogging stress on rapeseed production, a new fertilization with calcium peroxide (CaO2) was proposed. In this field experiment, with the conventional rape (Brassica napus L.) variety fengyou958 (FY958) and early maturing rape variety xiangyou420 (XY420) as materials, waterlogging was imposed from the bud to flowering stage, and three supplies of CaO2 (0, C1 for the 594 kg hm-2 and C2 for the 864 kg hm-2) were added as basal fertilizer. The results showed that CaO2 significantly reduced the accumulation of fermentation products in roots and alleviated the peroxidation of leaves. The reduced waterlogging stress promoted the root vigor and agronomic characters, such as branches, plant height and stem diameter, accelerated dry matter and nutrients accumulation, and resulting in 22.7% (C1) to 232.8% (C2) higher grain yields in XY420, and 112.4% (C1) to 291.8% (C2) higher grain yields in FY958, respectively. In conclusion, 594 kg hm-2 to 864 kg hm-2 CaO2 application restored the growth of waterlogged rapeseed leaves, and reduced the anaerobic intensity of root, which enhanced the resistance of plants to waterlogging, and improved crop productivity. In a certain range, the higher CaO2 application, the more the yield. This study provides a valid method to prevent damage from flooding in crop fields.

Foliar uptake, accumulation, and distribution of cadmium in rice (Oryza sativa L.) at different stages in wet deposition conditions.

Atmospheric deposition of cadmium (Cd) in rice (Oryza sativa L.) has become a major global concern. Foliar uptake allows vegetables to accumulate heavy metals from the atmosphere, but this has rarely been studied in rice. Therefore, this study investigated the Cd accumulation in rice growing at different exposure periods (the tillering, booting, heading, and maturity stages) under a wet deposition of CdCl2·2.5H2O solution through pot experiments. The Cd concentrations in leaves, roots, husk, brown rice, and leaf structures were analyzed to explore foliar uptake, accumulation, and distribution of Cd in rice tissues at different growth stages. The results showed that wet deposited Cd can be absorbed on the rice leaf surface and remains on the leaves for a long time. The sequence of Cd accumulation in rice tissues was: leaves > brown rice > husk > roots, with leaves accounting for greater than 71.78% of the total accumulation. The accumulation of wet deposited Cd in leaves, husk, and brown rice had large temporal variations between the four typical stages. There was no significant variations in Cd content in roots between different growth stages. Correspondingly, the foliar uptake of Cd was rarely transported from the leaves via the phloem to roots. Conversely, the foliar uptake of Cd was transported upwards to grains. The accumulation of Cd fluctuated with each growth stage, initially increasing and then decreasing at the heading stage and finally reaching a peak at the maturity stage. The highest total accumulation of Cd in both the high and low wet deposition conditions occurred at maturity, resulting in 15.53 and 11.23 µg plant-1, respectively. These results provide theoretical support for further research into identifying efficient foliar control measures to reduce Cd accumulation and maintain food safety.

The different damage patterns of short-, middle- and long-range connections between patients with relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

Objective: To investigate the differences in short-, middle- and long-range connections between patients with relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and their correlation with brain tissue volume, structural and functional network parameters. Methods: A total of 51 RRMS, 42 NMOSD and 56 health controls (HC) were recruited. Of these 25 RRMS (median: 1.37 years) and 20 NMOSD (median: 1.25 years) patients were also studied at follow-up. The whole-brain fiber connection was divided into three groups according to the trisected lengths of the tract in HC group, including short-, middle- and long-range connections. The brain tissue features (including total brain tissue and deep grey matter volumes) and parameters of DTI and functional networks (including the shortest path, clustering coefficient, local efficiency and global efficiency) were calculated. The differences in fiber number (FN) and average fractional anisotropy (FA) were compared between RRMS and NMOSD by the One-way ANOVA and post hoc tests. The correlation between the FN or FA and the brain tissue volume, DTI and functional network parameters were further analyzed by Pearson analysis. Results: Compared to HC and NMOSD, the total number of fibers in RRMS was decreased, including the reduced FN of middle- and long-range connections, but increased FN of short-range connections. Compared to HC, the FA of three fibers in RRMS and NMOSD were reduced significantly, and the decrease of FA in RRMS was greater than in NMOSD. There were correlations between the FN of short-, and long-range connections and the atrophy of whole brain tissue in two diseases and structural network topological parameters in RRMS. Additionally, there was no significant difference of FN and FA in short-, middle- and long-range connections between the baseline and follow-up in two diseases. Conclusions: RRMS and NMOSD patients have different patterns of fiber connection damage. The FN of different lengths in RRMS and NMOSD patients may be associated with brain atrophy. The FN and FA of different lengths may explain the decreased efficiency of the structural network in RRMS patients. In the short-term follow-up, neither has worsened damage of different fibers in two diseases.

Deciphering the diversity and functions of plastisphere bacterial communities in plastic-mulching croplands of subtropical China.

Considering the inhomogeneity of plastisphere and surrounding soil, it is plausible that the microbial community colonizing it also varies, affecting soil services and sustainability. Herein, we analyzed the soil and film residue from fifty-five plastic-mulching croplands in the subtropical areas of China. Based on the outcomes of this analysis, we explored the diversity and functions of the associated bacterial communities. Alpha-diversity and phylogenetic diversity of the plastisphere bacterial community was significantly lower than the surrounding soil. The average net relatedness and net nearest taxa indices of samples were less than zero. Four phyla and twenty genera were enriched in the plastisphere compared to the surrounding soil. Ecological networks of the plastisphere community showed multiple nodes, but fewer interactions, and the members of Bradyrhizobium, Rhodospirillaceae, and Bacillus were indicated as the hub species. Predicted pathways related to human disease, as well as the metabolisms of cofactors, vitamins, amino acids, and xenobiotic biodegradation, were reinforced in the plastisphere, and meanwhile, accompanied by an increase in abundance of genes related to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles. These results demonstrated the diversity and functions of the plastisphere microbiome and highlighted the necessity for exploring the ecological and health risks of plastic residue in croplands.