Effectiveness of biologics for endoscopic healing in patients with isolated proximal small bowel Crohn’s disease

BACKGROUND Endoscopic healing(EH)is a key therapeutic target in Crohn’s disease(CD).Proximal small bowel(SB)lesions in patients with CD are associated with a significant risk of strictures and bowel resection.Assessing SB in patients with CD is necessary because of its significant therapeutic implications.The advent of biologic therapies,including infliximab,ustekinumab,and vedolizumab,has significantly altered CD treatment.However,data on the efficacy of biologics in achieving EH,specifically in the proximal SB of patients with CD,remain limited.AIM To assess the effectiveness of biologics for EH in patients with jejunal and/or proximal ileal CD.METHODS Between 2017 and 2023,we retrospectively included 110 consecutive patients with isolated proximal SB CD,identified through baseline balloon-assisted enteroscopy.These patients completed 1-year of treatment with infliximab,ustekinumab,or vedolizumab,and underwent a second balloon-assisted enteroscopy at 1 year.Complete EH was defined as a modified Simple Endoscopic Score for CD(SES-CD)of<3,while EH of the jejunum and proximal ileum was defined as a segmental modified SES-CD of 0.RESULTS In total,64 patients were treated with infliximab,28 with ustekinumab,and 18 with vedolizumab.The complete EH rate at 1 year was 20.9%(23/110),with 29.6%(19/64)for infliximab,10.7%(3/28)for ustekinumab,and 5.5%(1/18)for vedolizumab.The median modified SES-CD significantly decreased compared to baseline[5(2-8)vs 8(6-9),P<0.001].The jejunal and proximal ileal EH rates at 1 year were 30.8%(12/39)and 15.5%(16/103),respectively.Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that stricturing or penetrating disease[odds ratio(OR)=0.261,95%CI:0.087-0.778,P=0.016],prior exposure to biologics(OR=0.080,95%CI:0.010-0.674,P=0.020),and moderate-tosevere endoscopic disease(OR=0.277,95%CI:0.093-0.829,P=0.022)were associated with a lower likelihood of achieving EH at 1 year.CONCLUSION Only 20.9%of patients with isolated proximal SB CD achieved complete EH after 1 year of biologic therapy.

Corrections of shipboard GPS radiosonde soundings and applications on historical records in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean and South China Sea

Shipboard radiosonde soundings are important for detecting and quantifying the multiscale variability of atmosphere-ocean interactions associated with mass exchanges.This study evaluated the accuracies of shipboard Global Positioning System(GPS)soundings in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean and South China Sea through a simultaneous balloon-borne inter-comparison of different radiosonde types.Our results indicate that the temperature and relative humidity(RH)measurements of GPS-TanKong(GPS-TK)radiosonde(used at most stations before 2012)have larger biases than those of ChangFeng-06-A(CF-06-A)radiosonde(widely used in current observation)when compared to reference data from Vaisala RS92-SGP radiosonde,with a warm bias of 5℃and dry bias of 10%during daytimes,and a cooling bias of-0.8℃and a moist bias of 6%during nighttime.These systematic biases are primarily attributed to the radiation effects and altitude deviation.An empirical correction algorithm was developed to retrieve the atmospheric temperature and RH profiles.The corrected profiles agree well with that of RS92-SGP,except for uncertainties of CF-06-A in the stratosphere.These correction algorithms were applied to the GPS-TK historical sounding records,reducing biases in the corrected temperature and RH profiles when compared to radio occultation data.The correction of GPS-TK historical records illustrated an improvement in capturing the marine atmospheric structure,with more accurate atmospheric boundary layer height,convective available potential energy,and convective inhibition in the tropical ocean.This study contributes significantly to improving the quality of GPS radiosonde soundings and promotes the sharing of observation in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

A Method for Detection of Main Metabolites in Aromatic Rice Seeds

[ Objective] A method was developed for the analysis of main metabolites in aromatic rice seeds by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. [ Method] The main metabolites in seeds of 9 different aromatic rice varieties were compared and analyzed with two methods. Method 1 ： the compound was extracted by the mixture of anhydrous ethanol and methylene chloride （ WV = 1：1 ） at 60 ℃ for 3 h in water bath; the extract was isolated and detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using HP-5 capillary column with scan monitoring mode. Method 2： the main metabolites in aromatic rice seeds were detected using headspaee solid phase micro-extraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. [ Result ] Fifteen types of common metabolites were found in 9 different aromatic rice varieties. Method 1 was more effective than method 2 in detecting the main metabolites in aromatic rice seeds. [ Conclusion] This study provides an important reference for clarifying the metabolic pathway of main metabolites in aromatic rice and lays the foundation for further rice breeding.

A Novel Competition-Based Coordination Model With Dynamic Feedback for Multi-Robot Systems

Dear Editor, Task allocation strategies are important in multi-robot systems and have been intensely investigated by researchers because they are critical in determining the performance of the system. In this letter, a novel competition-based coordination model is proposed to solve the multi-robot task allocation problem and applied to a multi-robot object tracking scenario.

铋基光催化剂的金属或非金属改性研究进展

随着经济的快速增长,环境和能源问题日益突出。太阳能作为一种可再生、环保的能源,受到了许多研究人员的关注,最大限度地利用太阳能资源成为未来的研究热点。众所周知,光催化技术可以将太阳能转化为化学能或电能,为环境污染提供解决方案。因此,半导体光催化技术被认为是解决能源危机和环境问题的最环保的技术之一。铋基半导体材料由于合适的能带结构、丰富的种类、无毒性和低成本,在光催化领域受到欢迎。然而,纯Bi基光催化剂存在光激发电子-空穴对复合效率高、量子产率低和光吸收能力有限的问题,导致光催化性能低。为了克服这些限制,人们设计了各种策略,比如金属或非金属掺杂、金属沉积、异质结构建和诱导缺陷生成来提高它们的光催化活性。在这些策略中,元素掺杂或金属沉积被认为是调整铋基材料能带结构和物化性质的有效方法。这个方法拓宽了光响应范围和提高了光催化性能。这篇综述总结了金属掺杂、非金属掺杂、金属和非金属共掺杂以及金属沉积改性铋基材料的最新研究进展。它也探索了它们在光催化降解污染物和重金属离子、氮气还原、二氧化碳还原、光催化抗菌等各个领域的应用。关于金属掺杂,我们将其分为三类:碱金属或碱土金属掺杂、过渡金属掺杂和稀土金属掺杂,并详细介绍了每种掺杂的优缺点。非金属掺杂则被分为卤素掺杂和非卤素掺杂,并重点研究非金属掺杂对铋基材料的影响。此外,我们还纵向比较了每个元素的优点。结合最近的研究进展,简要介绍了结合金属和非金属元素优点的共掺杂。对于金属沉积,我们主要从肖特基势垒和局域表面等离子体共振(LSPR)效应两个方面介绍了对Bi基材料的影响。最后,我们也呈现了金属或非金属改性Bi基光催化剂目前面临的挑战和前景。

Influence of layer thickness on formation quality,microstructure,mechanical properties,and corrosion resistance of WE43 magnesium alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

Laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)of Mg alloys has provided tremendous opportunities for customized production of aeronautical and medical parts.Layer thickness(LT)is of great significance to the L-PBF process but has not been studied for Mg alloys.In this study,WE43 Mg alloy bulk cubes,porous scaffolds,and thin walls with layer thicknesses of 10,20,30,and 40μm were fabricated.The required laser energy input increased with increasing layer thickness and was different for the bulk cubes and porous scaffolds.Porosity tended to occur at the connection joints in porous scaffolds for LT40 and could be eliminated by reducing the laser energy input.For thin wall parts,a large overhang angle or a small wall thickness resulted in porosity when a large layer thicknesses was used,and the porosity disappeared by reducing the layer thickness or laser energy input.A deeper keyhole penetration was found in all occasions with porosity,explaining the influence of layer thickness,geometrical structure,and laser energy input on the porosity.All the samples achieved a high fusion quality with a relative density of over 99.5%using the optimized laser energy input.The increased layer thickness resulted to more precipitation phases,finer grain sizes and decreased grain texture.With the similar high fusion quality,the tensile strength and elongation of bulk samples were significantly improved from 257 MPa and 1.41%with the 10μm layer to 287 MPa and 15.12%with the 40μm layer,in accordance with the microstructural change.The effect of layer thickness on the compressive properties of porous scaffolds was limited.However,the corrosion rate of bulk samples accelerated with increasing the layer thickness,mainly attributed to the increased number of precipitation phases.

Development and characterization of a regional lunar soil simulant for emirates lunar missions

Lunar soil simulants(LSS)have been pivotal in the success of past and current lunar missions.They have enhanced the design of lander and rover wheels through interaction studies on the lunar testbed under simulated environmental conditions.They have also been used to evaluate the geotechnical,geomechanical,and dynamic characteristics of the lunar soil(LS),which is vital for future lunar outposts.While most simulants have focused on either the chemical and mineralogical or geotechnical properties,developing a comprehensive LSS that mimics the lunar soil is of paramount importance for lander and rover soft-landing and future lunar habitation.This article presents the significant development and characterization of the new LSS NYUAD-1,the first regional soil simulant tailored for the planned Emirates lunar missions.The material and geotechnical properties of NYUAD-1,including chemical composition,mineralogy,particle size,morphology,specific gravity,density,shear strength,and compressibility behaviors,were assessed through laboratory tests conducted per ASTM standards.Comparative analysis with authentic lunar regolith and various regolith simulants confirms the significance and applicability of NYUAD-1 for lunar-based research,offering a promising step toward future lunar habitation.

Improving corrosion resistance of additively manufactured WE43 magnesium alloy by high temperature oxidation for biodegradable applications

Laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)has been employed to additively manufacture WE43 magnesium(Mg)alloy biodegradable implants,but WE43 L-PBF samples exhibit excessively rapid corrosion.In this work,dense WE43 L-PBF samples were built with the relativity density reaching 99.9%.High temperature oxidation was performed on the L-PBF samples in circulating air via various heating temperatures and holding durations.The oxidation and diffusion at the elevated temperature generated a gradient structure composed of an oxide layer at the surface,a transition layer in the middle and the matrix.The oxide layer consisted of rare earth(RE)oxides,and became dense and thick with increasing the holding duration.The matrix was composed ofα-Mg,RE oxides and Mg_(24)RE_(5) precipitates.The precipitates almost disappeared in the transition layer.Enhanced passivation effect was observed in the samples treated by a suitable high temperature oxidation.The original L-PBF samples lost 40%weight after 3-day immersion in Hank’s solution,and broke into fragments after 7-day immersion.The casted and solution treated samples lost roughly half of the weight after 28-day immersion.The high temperature oxidation samples,which were heated at 525℃ for 8 h,kept the structural integrity,and lost only 6.88%weight after 28-day immersion.The substantially improved corrosion resistance was contributed to the gradient structure at the surface.On one hand,the outmost dense layer of RE oxides isolated the corrosive medium;on the other hand,the transition layer considerably inhibited the corrosion owing to the lack of precipitates.Overall,high temperature oxidation provides an efficient,economic and safe approach to inhibit the corrosion of WE43 L-PBF samples,and has promising prospects for future clinical applications.

Ganoderma lucidum:a comprehensive review of phytochemistry,efficacy,safety and clinical study

Ganoderma lucidum,one of the most well-known edible fungi,is believed to be very beneficial for longevity and vitality.A long usage history suggests that G.lucidum has various clinical therapeutic effects.And experimental studies have confirmed that G.lucidum has multiple pharmacological effects,including antitumor,anti-microbial,anti-HIV protease,and antidiabetic activity and so on.With the deepening of research,more than 300 compounds have been isolated from G.lucidum.There is an increasing population of G.lucidum-based products,and its international development is expanding.Currently,G.lucidum has drawn much attention to its chemical composition,therapeutic effect,clinical value,and safety.This paper provides a comprehensive review of these aspects to enhance the global promotion of G.lucidum.

动态外载荷工况下风力机法兰螺栓相对刚度研究

螺栓相对刚度决定了工作中螺栓拉力大小。为探究风力机法兰盘螺栓拉力与外载荷关系,基于法兰单元等效圆柱模型与等效压缩变形体模型,结合有限元仿真,研究了不同工况下螺栓相对刚度的变化情况。研究结果表明,螺栓相对刚度与外载荷的性质和施加位置有关;与上下法兰单元间接触面积和螺栓初始预紧力呈负相关;动态外载荷工况下表现出明显的非线性特性。研究结论可为风力机法兰盘螺栓组设计与装配以及螺栓组松动故障预警诊断提供参考。

Physical mechanism of oxygen diffusion in the formation of Ga_(2)O_(3) Ohmic contacts

The formation of low-resistance Ohmic contacts in Ga_(2)O_(3) is crucial for high-performance electronic devices. Conventionally, a titanium/gold(Ti/Au) electrode is rapidly annealed to achieve Ohmic contacts, resulting in mutual diffusion of atoms at the interface. However, the specific role of diffusing elements in Ohmic contact formation remains unclear.In this work, we investigate the contribution of oxygen atom diffusion to the formation of Ohmic contacts in Ga_(2)O_(3). We prepare a Ti/Au electrode on a single crystal substrate and conduct a series of electrical and structural characterizations.Using density functional theory, we construct a model of the interface and calculate the charge density, partial density of states, planar electrostatic potential energy, and I–V characteristics. Our results demonstrate that the oxygen atom diffusion effectively reduces the interface barrier, leading to low-resistance Ohmic contacts in Ga_(2)O_(3). These findings provide valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms of Ohmic contact formation and highlight the importance of considering the oxygen atom diffusion in the design of Ga_(2)O_(3)-based electronic devices.

晚期肾上腺皮质癌靶向治疗和免疫治疗的研究进展

肾上腺皮质癌(adrenocoritical carcinoma,ACC)是肾上腺最常见的恶性肿瘤,晚期ACC预后较差,手术切除肿瘤仅限于临床Ⅰ、Ⅱ期的患者,且术后复发率高。对于晚期ACC,米托坦(mitotane,M)联合依托泊苷(etoposide,E)、阿霉素(doxorubicin,D)、顺铂(cisplatin,P)(EDP-M)是目前唯一批准可行的一线治疗方案,但化疗和放疗等治疗效果有限,EDP-M方案失败后尚无标准或一致的二线全身治疗选择。近年来随着对ACC发病分子机制的深入研究与认识,针对表皮生长因子受体(epidermal growth factor receptor,EGFR)、内皮细胞上血管内皮生长因子受体(vascular endothelial growth factor receptor,VEGFR)、哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白(mammalian target of rapamycin,mTOR)等靶点的酪氨酸激酶抑制剂(tyrosine kinase inhibitors,TKIs)、mTOR抑制剂和免疫检查点抑制剂(immune checkpoint inhibitors,ICIs)正在研究中。此外,多项针对ACC的研究发现CTNBB1、TP53、KDM5A、CENP-H等突变,有望成为潜在的治疗靶点或生物标志物,为ACC治疗提供更多可能的选择。ICIs已经被证实对非小细胞肺癌、肝癌、肾细胞癌、尿路上皮细胞癌等多种肿瘤有效,积极探索靶向、免疫治疗、特别是联合疗法对延长患者生存期和改善患者生活质量展现出良好的发展潜力。

Gas microchannel plate-pixel detector for X-ray polarimetry

POLAR-2 is a gamma-ray burst(GRB)polarimeter that is designed to study the polarization in GRB radiation emissions,aiming to improve our knowledge of related mechanisms.POLAR-2 is expected to utilize an on-board polarimeter that is sensitive to soft X-rays(2-10 keV),called low-energy polarization detector.We have developed a new soft X-ray polari-zation detector prototype based on gas microchannel plates(GMCPs)and pixel chips(Topmetal).The GMCPs have bulk resistance,which prevents charging-up effects and ensures gain stability during operation.The detector is composed of low outgassing materials and is gas-sealed using a laser welding technique,ensuring long-term stability.A modulation factor of 41.28%±0.64% is obtained for a 4.5 keV polarized X-ray beam.A residual modulation of 1.96%±0.58% at 5.9 keV is observed for the entire sensitive area.

A Unified Model Fusing Region of Interest Detection and Super Resolution for Video Compression

High-resolution video transmission requires a substantial amount of bandwidth.In this paper,we present a novel video processing methodology that innovatively integrates region of interest(ROI)identification and super-resolution enhancement.Our method commences with the accurate detection of ROIs within video sequences,followed by the application of advanced super-resolution techniques to these areas,thereby preserving visual quality while economizing on data transmission.To validate and benchmark our approach,we have curated a new gaming dataset tailored to evaluate the effectiveness of ROI-based super-resolution in practical applications.The proposed model architecture leverages the transformer network framework,guided by a carefully designed multi-task loss function,which facilitates concurrent learning and execution of both ROI identification and resolution enhancement tasks.This unified deep learning model exhibits remarkable performance in achieving super-resolution on our custom dataset.The implications of this research extend to optimizing low-bitrate video streaming scenarios.By selectively enhancing the resolution of critical regions in videos,our solution enables high-quality video delivery under constrained bandwidth conditions.Empirical results demonstrate a 15%reduction in transmission bandwidth compared to traditional super-resolution based compression methods,without any perceivable decline in visual quality.This work thus contributes to the advancement of video compression and enhancement technologies,offering an effective strategy for improving digital media delivery efficiency and user experience,especially in bandwidth-limited environments.The innovative integration of ROI identification and super-resolution presents promising avenues for future research and development in adaptive and intelligent video communication systems.

Endoscopic ultrasound features of rectal melanoma:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Rectal mucosal melanoma is a rare and highly aggressive disease.Common symptoms include anal pain,an anal mass,or bleeding.As such,the disease is usually detected on rectal examination of patients with other suspected anorectal diseases.However,due to its rarity and nonspecific symptoms,melanoma of the rectal mucosa is easily misdiagnosed.CASE SUMMARY This report describes the case of a 58-year-old female patient who presented with a history of blood in her stool for the prior one or two months,without any identifiable cause.During colonoscopy,a bulge of approximately 2.2 cm×2.0 cm was identified.Subsequently,the patient underwent endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)to characterize the depth of invasion of the lesions.EUS suggested a hypoechoic mucosal mass with involvement of the submucosal layer and heterogeneity of the internal echoes.Following surgical intervention,the excised tissue samples were examined and confirmed to be rectal malignant melanoma.The patient recovered well with no evidence of recurrence during follow-up.CONCLUSION This case shows that colonoscopy with EUS and pathological examination can accurately diagnose rare cases of rectal mucosal melanoma.

The microstructural evolution and relaxation strengthening for nano-grained Ni upon low-temperature annealing

The microstructural evolution and relaxation strengthening of nano-grained Ni annealed at a temperature range of 493–553 K were studied by in situ X-ray diffraction technique,transmission electron microscopy,and microhardness evaluation.Upon low-temperature annealing,the rather limited variations of anisotropic grain size and root-mean-square strain,conforming to an exponential relaxation model,yield a consistent activation energy of approximately 0.5 eV,which corresponds to the localized,rapid diffusion of excess vacancies on nonequilibrium surfaces/interfaces and/or defective lattice configurations.Microstructure examinations confirm the grain boundary ordering and excess defect reduction.The relaxation-induced strength enhancement can be attributed to the linear strengthening in the regime of small elastic lattice strains.This study provides an in-depth understanding of low-temperature nanostructural relaxation and its relation to strengthening.

A time-space network-based model for transportation service optimization of China Railway Express

This paper describes the development and optimization plans for the China Railway Express(CR Express).As a new type of international land transport organization,CR Express has emerged with the continuous expansion of China toward European investment and trade,and in particular,has expanded with the continuous progress of the One Belt and One Road(OBOR)initiative.In addition to improving the service quality of CR Express,the operating costs must be reduced for developing“smart railways”that serve“smart cities”.We propose a dualobjective-based function mathematical optimization model;the satisfaction of the cargo owner is considered,and the timeliness,transportation capacity,and goods category constraints of CR Express transportation are designed.Moreover,we present the normalized equivalent method of the two-objective function of the model.Finally,a case study is conducted against the background of certain trains in the western corridor of CR Express to validate the effectiveness of the model and research methods proposed in this study.

A PRESTO-based parallel pulsar search pipeline used for FAST drift scan data

We developed a pulsar search pipeline based on PulsaR Exploration and Search TOolkit(PRESTO).This pipeline simply runs dedispersion,Fast Fourier Transform(FFT)and acceleration search in process-level parallel to shorten the processing time.With two parallel strategies,the pipeline can highly shorten the processing time in both normal searches and acceleration searches.This pipeline was first tested with Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survery(PMPS)data and discovered two new faint pulsars.Then,it was successfully applied in processing the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST)drift scan data with tens of new pulsar discoveries up to now.The pipeline is only CPU-based and can be easily and quickly deployed in computing nodes for testing purposes or data processing.

Characteristics of Geothermal Reservoir and Evaluation of Geothermal Resources in Shahejie Formation of Damintun Depression

Damintun Depression is a key experimental area for promoting geothermal energy construction in Liaohe Oilfield during the dual-carbon period,and has a good potential for geothermal resources.Ascertaining the geological conditions in this area and accurately evaluating the geothermal resources in this area can provide theoretical support for the exploitation and utilization of geothermal resources in mining areas and the transformation of energy structure.In this paper,the geological structure,distribution of geothermal reservoir,earth temperature field and water chemical characteristics of Damintun Depression were analyzed comprehensively.The occurrence characteristics of geothermal resources in this block were revealed,and the amount of the resources was estimated.The results show that the main geothermal reservoir layers in this area are the first and third members of the Paleogene Shahejie Formation,which are the main target layers for geothermal development.The gradient of earth temperature in this ares is 2.8-3.5℃/100 m,and it is high in the west and north and low in the east and south.The total amount of geothermal reservoir resources in the favorable area of the research block is 783.28×10^(6) GJ,equivalent to 2672.69×10^(4) tons of standard coal.The amount of recoverable geothermal reservoir resources is 195.827×10^(6) GJ,equivalent to 668.17×10^(4) tons of standard coal.

Investigating the Thermal Stress of Millisecond Pulsed Laser Irradiation on Charge-Coupled Devices

In this study, a two-dimensional model describing thermal stress on a charge-coupled device (CCD) induced by ms laser pulses was examined. Considering the nonlinearity of the CCD’s material parameters and the melting phase transition process of aluminum electrode materials was considered by using equivalent specific heat capacity method, the physical process where a laser pulse irradiating a CCD pixel array was simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The temperature field and thermal stress field were calculated and analyzed. In order to clarify the mechanism producing damage on the CCD detector, Raman spectra from silicon were measured with a micro-Raman spectrometer to determine stress change in the CCD chip. The procedure presented herein illustrates a method for evaluating strain in a CCD after laser irradiation.