Prognosis of radiotherapy for esophageal cancer in elderly patients exceeding seventy-five years old

BACKGROUND Esophageal cancer(EC)often occurs in the elderly,with approximately 33%of patients aged≥75 years at the time of diagnosis.AIM To evaluate the prognostic factors for radiotherapy(RT)in elderly patients with unresectable EC.METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics,toxic reactions,and survival information of EC patients aged≥75 years who underwent intensity-modulated RT at Lu’an Hospital of Anhui Medical University between January 2016 and September 2023.Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to draw the overall survival(OS)curves,and Cox regression analysis was employed to evaluate the influence of various clinical factors on the prognosis.RESULTS A total of 139 patients were enrolled.The median follow-up time was 52.0 months.The median OS was 20.0 months.The 1-year,2-year,3-year,and 5-year OS rates were 69.8%,38.7%,28.2%,and 17.5%,respectively.Univariate analysis showed that age,radiation dose,and chemotherapy had no significant impact on prognosis.Multivariate analysis indicated that clinical stage[Ⅲ-Ⅳa vsⅠ-Ⅱ,hazard ratio(HR)=2.421,95%confidence interval(CI):1.242-4.718,P=0.009;IVb vsⅠ-Ⅱ,HR=4.222,95%CI:1.888-9.438,P<0.001),Charlson comorbidity index(CCI)(0 vs≥1,HR=1.539,95%CI:1.015-2.332,P=0.042),and nutritional risk screening 2002(NRS2002)(<3 vs≥3,HR=2.491,95%CI:1.601-3.875,P<0.001)were independent prognostic factors for OS.CONCLUSION Our results suggest that CCI and NRS2002 were independent prognostic factors of OS for unresectable elderly EC patients undergoing RT.For elderly patients with EC,full attention should be given to biological age-related indicators,such as comorbidities and nutrition,when formulating treatment protocols.These factors should be considered in future clinical practice.

Capability of TMPA products to simulate streamflow in upper Yellow and Yangtze River basins on Tibetan Plateau

Due to the high elevation, complex terrain, severe weather, and inaccessibility, direct meteorological observations do not exist over large portions of the Tibetan Plateau, especially the western part of it. Satellite rainfall estimates have been very important sources for precipitation information, particularly in rain gauge-sparse regions. In this study, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission （TRMM） Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis （TMPA） products 3B42, RTV5V6, and RTV7 were evaluated for their applicability to the upper Yellow and Yangtze River basins on the Tibetan Plateau. Moreover, the capability of the TMPA products to simulate streamflow was also investigated using the Variable Infiltration Capacity （VIC） semi-distributed hydrological model. Results show that 3B42 performs better than RTVSV6 and RTV7, based on verification of the China Meteorological Administration （CMA） observational precipitation data. RTVSV6 can roughly capture the spatial precipitation pattern but overestimation exists throughout the entire study region. The anticipated improvements of RTV7 relative to RTVSV6 have not been realized in this study. Our results suggest that RTV7 significantly overestimates the precipitation over the two river basins, though it can capture the seasonal cycle features of precipitation. 3B42 shows the best performance in streamflow simulation of the abovementioned satellite products. Although involved in gauge adjustment at a monthly scale, 3B42 is capable of daily streamflow simulation. RTV5V6 and RTV7 have no capability to simulate streamflow in the upper Yellow and Yangtze River basins.

Compression behavior and phase transition of β-Si_3N_4 under high pressure

The compressibility and pressure-induced phase transition of β-Si3N4 were investigated by using an angle dispersive x-ray diffraction technique in a diamond anvil cell at room temperature. Rietveld refinements of the x-ray powder diffraction data verified that the hexagonal structure（with space group P63/m, Z = 2 formulas per unit cell） β-Si3N4 remained stable under high pressure up to 37 GPa. Upon increasing pressure, β-Si3 N4 transformed to δ-Si3N4 at about 41 GPa. The initial β-Si3N4 was recovered as the pressure was released to ambient pressure, implying that the observed pressureinduced phase transformation was reversible. The pressure–volume data of β-Si3N4 was fitted by the third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state, which yielded a bulk modulus K0= 273（2） GPa with its pressure derivative K0= 4（fixed）and K0= 278（2） GPa with K 0= 5. Furthermore, the compressibility of the unit cell axes（a and c-axes） for the β-Si3N4 demonstrated an anisotropic property with increasing pressure.

Application of discrete wavelet operations in the detection of acoustic emission of coal and rock rupture

Through the 5-channel SWAES digital full waveform AE detector, the paper dealt with the fracture process of coal and rock samples under uniaxial compression. Using wavelet operations of multi-scale discrete analysis the pulses of a particular time period （points） and the space domain signal by numerical method were gotten, and the paper concluded that the signal singularity in load rupture had closely relations with fracture and uniaxial compression. The detected position and the actual breaking point only differed at one sample point, the relative error was 6.82%, and there was no accumulative error. Thus it provided an effective method to solve the problem of instability analysis of the signal singularity detection and coal-rock compression failure in the whole process.

High-performance solar-blind photodetector arrays constructed from Sn-doped Ga_(2)O_(3)microwires via patterned electrodes

Ga_(2)O_(3)has been regarded as a promising material for solar-blind detection due to its ultrawide bandgap and low growth cost.Although semiconductor microwires(MWs)possess unique optical and electronic characteristics,the performances of photodetectors developed from Ga_(2)O_(3)MWs are still less than satisfactory.Herein,we demonstrate high-performance solar-blind photodetectors based on Sn-doped Ga_(2)O_(3)MWs,possessing a light/dark current ratio of 107 and a responsivity of 2,409 A/W at 40 V.Moreover,a 1×10 solar-blind photodetector linear array is developed based on the Sn-doped Ga_(2)O_(3)MWs via a patternedelectrodes method.And clear solar-blind images are obtained by using the photodetector array as the imaging unit of a solarblind imaging system.The results provide a convenient way to construct high-performance solar-blind photodetector arrays based on Ga_(2)O_(3)MWs,and thus may push forward their future applications.

In Vitro Biocompatibility of MC3T3-E1 Osteoblast-like Cells on Arg-Gly-Asp Acid Peptides Immobilized Graphite-like Carbon Coating on Carbon/Carbon Composites

Carbon/carbon （C/C） composites were deposited with graphite-like carbon （GLC） coating, and then, Arg-Gly- Asp acid （RGD） peptides were successfully immobilized onto the functionalized GLC coating. GLC coating was utilized to prevent carbon particles releasing and create a uniform surface condition for C/C composites. RGD peptides were utilized to improve biocompatibility of GLC coating. Surface chemical characterizations of functionalized GLC coating were detected by contact angle measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectra. Optical morphology of GLC coatings was observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. In vitro biological performance was determined using samples seeded with MC3T3-E1 osteoblast-like cells and cultured for 1 week. Surface characterizations and morphological analysis indicated that C/C composites were covered by a dense and uniform GLC coating. Contact angle of GLC coating was reduced to 27.2° when it was functionalized by H202 oxidation at 40 ℃ for 1 h. In vitro cytological test showed that the RGD peptides immobilized GLC coating had a significant improvement in biocompatibility. It was suggested that RGD peptides provided GLC coating with a bioactive surface to improve cell adhesion and proliferation on C/C composites.

The development and challenges of rechargeable non-aqueous lithium-air batteries

Lithium-air(Li-air)batteries have recently received much attention due to their extremely high theoretical energy densities.The significantly larger theoretical energy density of Li-air batteries is due to the use of a pure lithium metal anode and the fact that the cathode oxidant,oxygen,is stored externally since it can be readily obtained from the surrounding air.However,before Li-air batteries can be realized as high-performance,commercially viable products there are still numerous scientific and technical challenges that must be overcome,from designing the cathode structure,to optimizing the electrolyte compositions and elucidating the complex chemical reactions that occur during charge and discharge.The scientific obstacles that are related to the performance of Li-air batteries open up an exciting opportunity for researchers from many different backgrounds to utilize their unique knowledge and skills to bridge the knowledge gaps that exist in current research projects.This review article is a summary of the most significant developments and challenges of practical Li-air batteries and the current understanding of their chemistry.