Method to measure tree-ring width,density,elemental composition,and stable carbon and oxygen isotopes using one sample

Tree-ring width(RW),density,elemental com-position,and stable carbon and oxygen isotope(δ^(13)C,δ^(18)O)are widely used as proxies to assess climate change,ecology,and environmental pollution;however,a specific pretreat-ment has been needed for each proxy.Here,we developed a method by which each proxy can be measured in the same sample.First,the sample is polished for ring width meas-urement.After obtaining the ring width data,the sample is cut to form a 1-mm-thick wood plate.The sample is then mounted in a vertical sample holder,and gradually scanned by an X-ray beam.Simultaneously,the count rates of the fluorescent photons of elements(for chemical characteriza-tion)and a radiographic grayscale image(for wood density)are obtained,i.e.the density and the element content are obtained.Then,cellulose is isolated from the 1-mm wood plate by removal of lignin,and hemicellulose.After producing this cellulose plate,cellulose subsamples are separated by knife under the microscope for inter-annual and intra-annual stable carbon and oxygen isotope(δ^(13)C,δ^(18)O)analysis.Based on this method,RW,density,elemental composition,δ^(13)C,and δ^(18)O can be measured from the same sample,which reduces sample amount and treatment time,and is helpful for multi-proxy comparison and combination research.

Pathogenic contribution of cholesteryl ester accumulation in the brain to neurodegenerative disorders

Cholesteryl esters(CEs) have been increasingly implicated in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease(AD).Alois Alzheimer noted three prominent neuropathologic features in his original analysis of the AD brain:senile plaques,neurofibrillary tangles,and lipid granule accumulation.Senile plaques,which are aggregates of amyloid-beta(Aβ),and neurofibrillary tangles,which are aggregates of phosphorylated tau,have been regarded as more consistent characteristics of the AD brain compared with lipid granule accumulation and thus have been studied more intensively(Foley,2010).

预测典型变形高温合金均匀化动力学的新模型

提出一种基于扩散距离概念的变形高温合金均匀化动力学新预测模型。通过定量电子探针(EPMA)分析,系统研究典型镍基变形高温合金(GH4141)的微观偏析和均匀化动力学。研究发现,基于残余偏析指数模型预测的均匀化动力学与实际测量结果之间存在一定差异。实验和理论分析均表明,考虑了过去通常被忽略的扩散方向因子的一维扩散距离模型可以合理地预测均化动力学。新模型在只需知道原始枝晶臂间距和扩散系数前提下即可完成预测计算,这为变形高温合金均匀化动力学预测提供了一种新的选择。

Nationwide questionnaire survey on pediatric pancreatic tumors in Japan

BACKGROUND Pediatric pancreatic tumors are rare and account for<0.1%of all childhood cancers.The primary treatment for pancreatic tumors is surgical resection.However,because of the lack of knowledge regarding pediatric pancreatic tumors,no comprehensive treatment plans for pediatric pancreatic tumors have been developed.AIM To compared the clinical features,treatment methods,and prognosis of pediatric pancreatic tumors in Japan with those in other countries.METHODS Questionnaires were sent to 213 pediatric surgical units in Japan.Pancreatic tumors that were not surgically treated were excluded from the survey.The primary survey investigated the number of patients aged 0-18 years who underwent pancreatic tumor surgery and the type of tumors managed during the 22-year study period(from January 1,2000 to December 31,2021)by post card.The secondary survey assessed the clinical images,treatment methods,and tumor outcomes via email.RESULTS The primary survey enrolled 228 patients.In the secondary survey,213 patients were eventually enrolled.The most common type of pancreatic tumor was solid pseudopapillary neoplasm(SPN)[n=164(77.0%)],followed by pancreatoblastoma[n=16(7.5%)],pancreatic endocrine tumor[n=14(6.6%)],non-epithelial tumor[n=9(4.2%)],pancreatic tumor[n=7(3.3%)],and metastatic pancreatic tumor[n=3(1.4%)].Overall,123(57.7%)patients underwent distal pancreatectomy,of whom 49 underwent laparoscopic surgery.Forty-four(20.7%)patients underwent enucleation,of whom eight underwent laparoscopic surgery.Thirty-two(15.0%)patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy,of whom one underwent laparoscopic surgery.All patients with SPN,including those with distant metastases and recurrent disease,survived.CONCLUSION SPN was more common in Japan than in other countries.Regardless of the histological type,resection is the most effective treatment for pediatric pancreatic tumors.

Superconducting joints using reacted multifilament MgB_(2)wires:A technology toward cryogen-free MRI magnets

The development of superconducting joining technology for reacted magnesium diboride(MgB_(2))conductors remains a critical challenge for the advancement of cryogen-free MgB_(2)-based magnets for magnetic resonance imaging(MRI).Herein,the fabrication of superconducting joints using reacted carbon-doped multifilament MgB_(2)wires for MRI magnets is reported.To achieve successful superconducting joints,the powder-in-mold method was employed,which involved tuning the filament protection mechanism,the powder compaction pressure,and the heat treatment condition.The fabricated joints demonstrated clear superconducting-to-normal transitions in self-field,with effective magnetic field screening up to 0.5 T at 20 K.To evaluate the interface between one of the MgB_(2)filaments and the MgB_(2)bulk within the joint,serial sectioning was conducted for the first time in this type of superconducting joint.The serial sectioning revealed space formation at the interface,potentially caused by the volume shrinkage associated with the MgB_(2)formation or the combined effect of the volume shrinkage and the different thermal expansion coefficients of the MgB_(2)bulk,the filament,the mold,and the sealing material.These findings are expected to be pivotal in developing MgB_(2)superconducting joining technology for MRI magnet applications through interface engineering.

Changes in the Supply of Public Intermediate Goods,Fixed Wage,and the Relative Price in the Harris-Todaro Model

Since the Harris-Todaro model was proposed in 1970,it has played a crucial role in analyzing various environmental and trade issues in developing countries.This paper analyzes the effects of the amount of public intermediate goods provided by the government,the increase in the fixed wage rate in the urban sector,and the changes in the relative international prices of agricultural and manufacturing goods on labor employment,unemployment,and the economic welfare in the context of a small open economy.It also proposes relevant policies to reduce the unemployment rate while improving national welfare.

Selection of Fe as a barrier for manufacturing low-cost MgB2 multifilament wires-Advanced microscopy study between Fe and B reaction

The high cost of using the niobium(Nb)barrier for manufacturing magnesium diboride(MgB2)mono-and multi-filamentary wires for large-scale applications has become one of the barriers to replacing current commercial niobium-titanium superconductors.The potential of replacing the Nb barrier with a low-cost iron(Fe)barrier for multifilament MgB2 superconducting wires is investigated in this manuscript.Therefore,MgB2 wires with Fe barrier sintered with different temperatures are studied(from 650°C to 900°C for 1 h)to investigate the non-superconducting reaction phase of Fe-B.Their superconducting performance including engineering critical current density(Je)and n-value are tested at 4.2 K in various external magnetic fields.The best sample sintered at 650°C for 1 h has achieved a Je value of 3.64×10^(4) A cm^(−2) and an n-value of 61 in 2 T magnetic field due to the reduced formation of Fe2B,better grain connectivity and homogenous microstructure.For microstructural analysis,the focused ion beam(FIB)is utilised for the first time to acquire three-dimensional microstructures and elemental mappings of the interface between the Fe barrier and MgB2 core of different wires.The results have shown that if the sintering temperature can be controlled properly,the Je and n-value of the wire are still acceptable for magnet applications.The formation of Fe2B is identified along the edge of MgB2,as the temperature increases,the content of Fe2B also increases which causes the degradation in the performance of wires.

Relationship between Nonexercise Activity Thermogenesis and Calf Circumference in Older Women

Purpose: Frailty is a state of declined vitality of the body and mind with age in which life functions are impaired. In addition, there is a difference in the susceptibility of older women to frailty compared with that of older men. Therefore, assessing and encouraging physical activity in older adults before they become frail is essential. We aimed to clarify the relationship between calf circumference and body composition and assess the potential association between calf circumference and physical activity indices in older women. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 18 healthy older adults (age 69.0 ± 5.7 years). The physical characteristics, calf circumference, body composition, calf muscle thickness, and physical activity questionnaire that included items on exercise-related activity thermogenesis (EAT) and nonexercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) were assessed. The association between calf circumference and these additional measures was examined. Results: Positive and significant correlations were found between the calf circumference and body weight, body mass index (BMI), skeletal muscle mass, skeletal muscle mass index, calf muscle thickness, total questionnaire score, and NEAT score (r = 0.66 - 0.87). However, no significant correlations were observed between the calf circumference and EAT scores. Conclusion: Calf circumference in older women may reflect NEAT activity. Improving NEAT activity is an important health-promoting factor in older women.

Ground-based and additional science support for SMILE

The joint European Space Agency and Chinese Academy of Sciences Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)mission will explore global dynamics of the magnetosphere under varying solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field conditions,and simultaneously monitor the auroral response of the Northern Hemisphere ionosphere.Combining these large-scale responses with medium and fine-scale measurements at a variety of cadences by additional ground-based and space-based instruments will enable a much greater scientific impact beyond the original goals of the SMILE mission.Here,we describe current community efforts to prepare for SMILE,and the benefits and context various experiments that have explicitly expressed support for SMILE can offer.A dedicated group of international scientists representing many different experiment types and geographical locations,the Ground-based and Additional Science Working Group,is facilitating these efforts.Preparations include constructing an online SMILE Data Fusion Facility,the discussion of particular or special modes for experiments such as coherent and incoherent scatter radar,and the consideration of particular observing strategies and spacecraft conjunctions.We anticipate growing interest and community engagement with the SMILE mission,and we welcome novel ideas and insights from the solar-terrestrial community.

Impact of Electric Vehicles on Travel and Electricity Demand in Metropolitan Area： A Case Study in Nagoya

In this study, we examine the impacts that EVs （electric vehicles） have on vehicle usage patterns and environmental improvements, using our integrated travel demand forecasting model, which can simulate an individual activity-travel behavior in each time period, as well as consider an induced demand by decreasing travel cost. In order to examine the effects that charging/discharging have on the demand in electricity, we analyze scenarios based on the simulation results of the EVs＇ parking location, parking duration and the battery state of charge. From the simulation, result under the ownership rate of EVs in the Nagoya metropolitan area in 2020 is about 6%, which turns out that the total CO2 emissions have decreased by 4% although the situation of urban transport is not changed. After calculating the electricity demand in each zone using architectural area and basic units of hourly power consumption, we evaluate the effect to decrease the peak load by V2G （vehicle-to-grid）. According to the results, if EV drivers charge at home during the night and discharge at work during the day, the electricity demand in Nagoya city increases by approximately 1%, although changes in each individual zone range from -7% to ＋8%, depending on its characteristics.

Comparative Study of Urosepsis-Associated Escherichia coli in Tertiary Care University Hospital in the Central Region of Japan from 2008 to 2011

Escherichia coli infection is important cause of morbidity and mortality. Urosepsis is most commonly caused by Escherichia coli. It is generally reported to have low mortality rates and favorable outcomes compared with sepsis induced in other organ/ system or tissues. This study was conducted to find out the clinical characteristics of urosepsis-associated Escherichia coli isolates at tertiary care university hospital in the central region of Japan from 2008 to 2011. Escherichia coli was identified by standard laboratory procedure. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by micro dilution assay according to CLSI recommendation. We analyzed the relationship between medical records appended to clinical species and bacterial data by using a statistical method. Of one hundred five Escherichia coli, fifty-three were from urosepsis and fifty-two were from other disease. The ratio of male to female from urosepsis tended to be lower than that from others. Forty-two isolates were from outpatient and sixty-three were from inpatient. The ratio of inpatient to outpatient from urosepsis was significant lower than that from others. With respect to age, the numbers of elder patients were higher than those of others. Most of the Escherichia coli isolates were from the emergency room followed by urology, and general medicine. The ratio of urosepsis to no urosepsis at urology department was significant higher than that at other departments. With respect to antimicrobial susceptible pattern, the ratio of urosepsis to no urosepsis about only aztreonam resistant was significant higher than that about other antibiotics. We need enough attention to be paid to urosepsis, especially female and elder patients.

Bilateral U-Net semantic segmentation with spatial attention mechanism

Aiming at the problem that the existing models have a poor segmentation effect on imbalanced data sets with small-scale samples,a bilateral U-Net network model with a spatial attention mechanism is designed.The model uses the lightweight MobileNetV2 as the backbone network for feature hierarchical extraction and proposes an Attentive Pyramid Spatial Attention(APSA)module compared to the Attenuated Spatial Pyramid module,which can increase the receptive field and enhance the information,and finally adds the context fusion prediction branch that fuses high-semantic and low-semantic prediction results,and the model effectively improves the segmentation accuracy of small data sets.The experimental results on the CamVid data set show that compared with some existing semantic segmentation networks,the algorithm has a better segmentation effect and segmentation accuracy,and its mIOU reaches 75.85%.Moreover,to verify the generality of the model and the effectiveness of the APSA module,experiments were conducted on the VOC 2012 data set,and the APSA module improved mIOU by about 12.2%.

A Defect Detection Method for the Primary Stage of Software Development

In the early stage of software development,a software requirements specification(SRS)is essential,and whether the requirements are clear and explicit is the key.However,due to various reasons,there may be a large number of misunderstandings.To generate high-quality software requirements specifications,numerous researchers have developed a variety of ways to improve the quality of SRS.In this paper,we propose a questions extraction method based on SRS elements decomposition,which evaluates the quality of SRS in the form of numerical indicators.The proposed method not only evaluates the quality of SRSs but also helps in the detection of defects,especially the description problem and omission defects in SRSs.To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method,we conducted a controlled experiment to compare the ability of checklist-based review(CBR)and the proposed method in the SRS review.The CBR is a classicmethod of reviewing SRS defects.After a lot of practice and improvement for a long time,CBR has excellent review ability in improving the quality of software requirements specifications.The experimental results with 40 graduate studentsmajoring in software engineering confirmed the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed method.However,the shortcomings and deficiencies of the proposed method are also observed through the experiment.Furthermore,the proposed method has been tried out by engineers with practical work experience in software development industry and received good feedback.

Tracking Pedestrians Under Occlusion in Parking Space

Many traffic accidents occur in parking lots.One of the serious safety risks is vehicle-pedestrian conflict.Moreover,with the increasing development of automatic driving and parking technology,parking safety has received significant attention from vehicle safety analysts.However,pedestrian protection in parking lots still faces many challenges.For example,the physical structure of a parking lot may be complex,and dead corners would occur when the vehicle density is high.These lead to pedestrians’sudden appearance in the vehicle’s path from an unexpected position,resulting in collision accidents in the parking lot.We advocate that besides vehicular sensing data,high-precision digital map of the parking lot,pedestrians’smart device’s sensing data,and attribute information of pedestrians can be used to detect the position of pedestrians in the parking lot.However,this subject has not been studied and explored in existing studies.Tofill this void,this paper proposes a pedestrian tracking framework integrating multiple information sources to provide pedestrian position and status information for vehicles and protect pedestrians in parking spaces.We also evaluate the proposed method through real-world experiments.The experimental results show that the proposed framework has its advantage in pedestrian attribute information extraction and positioning accuracy.It can also be used for pedestrian tracking in parking spaces.

Recent progress in MgB_(2)superconducting joint technology

Magnesium diboride(MgB_(2))magnets have the potential to be the next-generation liquid-helium-free magnet for magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)application due to their relatively high superconducting transition temperature,high current density and low raw material cost compared with current commercial niobium-titanium(Nb-Ti)magnets.A typical superconducting magnet includes several coils.To produce an ultra-stable magnetic field for imaging in MRI,a superconducting electromagnet operating in a persistent mode is crucial.Superconducting coils of the electromagnet in MRI are short-circuited to operate in the persistent mode by connecting coils with superconducting joints.Per-sistent joints have been demonstrated for in-situ and ex-situ wires of both mono-and multi-filamentary structures,made predominantly by PIT techniques similar to those used in wire production.To realise further engagement of MgB_(2)in MRI applications,enhancing the performance of MgB_(2)superconducting joints is essential.This literature review summarises research and development on MgB_(2)superconducting joining technology.

Direct imaging of shock wave splitting in diamond at Mbar pressure

Understanding the behavior of matter at extreme pressures of the order of a megabar(Mbar)is essential to gain insight into various physical phenomena at macroscales—the formation of planets,young stars,and the cores of super-Earths,and at microscales—damage to ceramic materials and high-pressure plastic transformation and phase transitions in solids.Under dynamic compression of solids up to Mbar pressures,even a solid with high strength exhibits plastic properties,causing the induced shock wave to split in two:an elastic precursor and a plastic shock wave.This phenomenon is described by theoretical models based on indirect measurements of material response.The advent of x-ray free-electron lasers(XFELs)has made it possible to use their ultrashort pulses for direct observations of the propagation of shock waves in solid materials by the method of phase-contrast radiography.However,there is still a lack of comprehensive data for verification of theoretical models of different solids.Here,we present the results of an experiment in which the evolution of the coupled elastic-plastic wave structure in diamond was directly observed and studied with submicrometer spatial resolution,using the unique capabilities of the x-ray free-electron laser(XFEL).The direct measurements allowed,for the first time,the fitting and validation of the 2D failure model for diamond in the range of several Mbar.Our experimental approach opens new possibilities for the direct verification and construction of equations of state of matter in the ultra-high-stress range,which are relevant to solving a variety of problems in high-energy-density physics.

Developing Reliable Digital Healthcare Service Using Semi-Quantitative Functional Resonance Analysis

Since entering the era of Industry 4.0,the concept of Healthcare 4.0 has also been put forward and explored by researchers.How to use Information Technology(IT)to better serve people’s healthcare is one of the most featured emerging directions in the academic circle.An important field of Healthcare 4.0 research is the reliability engineering of healthcare service.Because healthcare systems often affect the health and even life of their users,developers must be very cautious in the design,development,and operation of these healthcare systems and services.The problems to be solved include the reliability of business process,system functions,and personal healthcare data.The Functional Resonance Analysis Method(FRAM)has been applied in reliability engineering for safety-critical systems in available studies,using both qualitative and quantitative approaches.However,the method has not been applied in the field of digital healthcare services development.Therefore,to narrow the gap,we present in this paper a semi-quantitative functional resonance analysis method to develop reliable healthcare services for diabetics.Moreover,this paper has tried to improve the reliability design of the service-oriented architecture(SOA)of traditional insulin pump therapy by system thinking.

Targeting the mechano-microenvironment and liver cancer stem cells:a promising therapeutic strategy for liver cancer

Over the past 2 decades,cancer stem cells(CSCs)have been identified as the root cause of cancer occurrence,progression,chemoradioresistance,recurrence,and metastasis.Targeting CSCs is a novel therapeutic strategy for cancer management and treatment.Liver cancer(LC)is a malignant disease that can endanger human health.Studies are increasingly suggesting that changes in the liver mechanical microenvironment are a primary driver triggering the occurrence and development of liver cancer.In this review,we summarize current understanding of the roles of the liver mechano-microenvironment and liver cancer stem cells(LCSCs)in liver cancer progression.We also discuss the relationship between the mechanical heterogeneity of liver cancer tissues and LCSC recruitment and metastasis.Finally,we highlight potential mechanosensitive molecules in LCSCs and mechanotherapy in liver cancer.Understanding the roles and regulatory mechanisms of the mechano-microenvironment and LCSCs may provide fundamental insights into liver cancer progression and aid in further development of novel therapeutic strategies.

基于集成液体交换的微流控芯片的完整单细胞动态变形测量

本文报道了一种利用集成力传感和液体交换功能的微流控芯片测量单个细胞力学性能的方法。使用光学镊子操纵和定位在推力探针和力传感器探针之间的单个细胞。这两个芯片探针被设计用来捕获和变形细胞。通过移动由外力驱动的推动探针,使单个细胞变形。层流在探针之间形成液-液界面,改变细胞外环境。通过控制注入压力来改变界面的位置。调节两个正压和一个负压以平衡流动的扩散和扰动。在微流控芯片中测试了单胞藻菌株PCC 6803在不同渗透浓度环境下的力学性能。液体交换在0.3~0.7 s内完成,同时显示了单个电池的动态变形。可在30 s内测量不同渗透浓度下的两个杨氏模量值和单个细胞在渗透冲击下的动态响应。研究了野生型(WT)和突变型聚囊藻细胞的动态变形,以揭示机械敏感(MS)通道的功能机制。该系统提供了一种监测单个完整细胞响应快速外部渗透变化的实时力学动力学的新方法,为表征细胞中质谱通道的准确生理功能开辟了新的机会。

Nicotiana benthamiana XYLEM CYSTEINE PROTEASE genes facilitate tracheary element formation in interfamily grafting

Grafting is a plant propagation technique widely used in agriculture.A recent discovery of the capability of interfamily grafting in Nicotiana has expanded the potential combinations of grafting.In this study,we showed that xylem connection is essential for the achievement of interfamily grafting and investigated the molecular basis of xylem formation at the graft junction.Transcriptome and gene network analyses revealed gene modules for tracheary element(TE)formation during grafting that include genes associated with xylem cell differentiation and immune response.The reliability of the drawn network was validated by examining the role of the Nicotiana benthamiana XYLEM CYSTEINE PROTEASE(NbXCP)genes in TE formation during interfamily grafting.Promoter activities of NbXCP1 and NbXCP2 genes were found in differentiating TE cells in the stem and callus tissues at the graft junction.Analysis of a Nbxcp1;Nbxcp2 loss-of-function mutant indicated that NbXCPs control the timing of de novo TE formation at the graft junction.Moreover,grafts of the NbXCP1 overexpressor increased the scion growth rate as well as the fruit size.Thus,we identified gene modules for TE formation at the graft boundary and demonstrated potential ways to enhance Nicotiana interfamily grafting.