DeepSVDNet:A Deep Learning-Based Approach for Detecting and Classifying Vision-Threatening Diabetic Retinopathy in Retinal Fundus Images

Artificial Intelligence(AI)is being increasingly used for diagnosing Vision-Threatening Diabetic Retinopathy(VTDR),which is a leading cause of visual impairment and blindness worldwide.However,previous automated VTDR detection methods have mainly relied on manual feature extraction and classification,leading to errors.This paper proposes a novel VTDR detection and classification model that combines different models through majority voting.Our proposed methodology involves preprocessing,data augmentation,feature extraction,and classification stages.We use a hybrid convolutional neural network-singular value decomposition(CNN-SVD)model for feature extraction and selection and an improved SVM-RBF with a Decision Tree(DT)and K-Nearest Neighbor(KNN)for classification.We tested our model on the IDRiD dataset and achieved an accuracy of 98.06%,a sensitivity of 83.67%,and a specificity of 100%for DR detection and evaluation tests,respectively.Our proposed approach outperforms baseline techniques and provides a more robust and accurate method for VTDR detection.

Increasing Crop Quality and Yield with a Machine Learning-Based Crop Monitoring System

Farming is cultivating the soil,producing crops,and keeping livestock.The agricultural sector plays a crucial role in a country’s economic growth.This research proposes a two-stage machine learning framework for agriculture to improve efficiency and increase crop yield.In the first stage,machine learning algorithms generate data for extensive and far-flung agricultural areas and forecast crops.The recommended crops are based on various factors such as weather conditions,soil analysis,and the amount of fertilizers and pesticides required.In the second stage,a transfer learningbased model for plant seedlings,pests,and plant leaf disease datasets is used to detect weeds,pesticides,and diseases in the crop.The proposed model achieved an average accuracy of 95%,97%,and 98% in plant seedlings,pests,and plant leaf disease detection,respectively.The system can help farmers pinpoint the precise measures required at the right time to increase yields.

Mining Fine-Grain Face Forgery Cues with Fusion Modality

Face forgery detection is drawing ever-increasing attention in the academic community owing to security concerns.Despite the considerable progress in existing methods,we note that:Previous works overlooked finegrain forgery cues with high transferability.Such cues positively impact the model’s accuracy and generalizability.Moreover,single-modality often causes overfitting of the model,and Red-Green-Blue(RGB)modal-only is not conducive to extracting the more detailed forgery traces.We propose a novel framework for fine-grain forgery cues mining with fusion modality to cope with these issues.First,we propose two functional modules to reveal and locate the deeper forged features.Our method locates deeper forgery cues through a dual-modality progressive fusion module and a noise adaptive enhancement module,which can excavate the association between dualmodal space and channels and enhance the learning of subtle noise features.A sensitive patch branch is introduced on this foundation to enhance the mining of subtle forgery traces under fusion modality.The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed framework can desirably explore the differences between authentic and forged images with supervised learning.Comprehensive evaluations of several mainstream datasets show that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art detection methods with remarkable detection ability and generalizability.

Microwave ablation of colorectal liver metastases adjacent to the cardiophrenic angle:Parallel versus non-parallel placement of the antenna relative to the diaphragm

Purpose:Microwave ablation(MWA)is difficult to perform in colorectal liver metastases(CRLMs)adjacent to the cardiophrenic angle.Therefore,a modified approach involving antenna array placement parallel to the diaphragm was initially attempted.Its safety and efficacy were compared with those involving non-parallel placement.Methods:Sixty-three patients with CRLMs adjacent to the cardiophrenic angle(lesions within 10 mm of the diaphragm)who underwent MWA were included in the study.All patients were further classified into parallel and non-parallel groups according to the method of antenna placement.The distance between the lesion and diaphragmatic surface before MWA,complications,and local tumor progression(LTP)at the last imaging follow-up were recorded.LTPs in the two groups were compared using the log-rank test.Prognostic factors for LTP were assessed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model.Results:Thirty and 33 lesions were ablated using parallel and non-parallel antenna placement,respectively.During the mean follow-up duration of 19.7±8.2 months,the LTP rate in the parallel and non-parallel placement groups were 3.3%(1/30)and 24.2%(8/33),respectively.The log-rank test showed that parallel antenna placement was associated with delayed LTP(p=0.018).Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that parallel antenna placement was an independent predictor of delayed LTP after adjusting for possible risk factors,including age,sex,tumor size,and KRAS mutation(hazard ratio,0.1;95%confidence interval,0.00,0.80;p=0.034).Conclusion:The placement of the antenna parallel to the diaphragm is an alternative and effective method for MWA of CRLMs near the cardiophrenic angle and can contribute to the reduction of the LTP rate.

A study on periodic boundary condition in direct numerical simulation for gas–solid flow

Direct numerical simulation(DNS) of gas–solid flow at high resolution has been carried out by coupling the lattice Boltzmann method(LBM) for gas flow and the discrete element method(DEM) for solid particles. However,the body force periodic boundary condition(FPBC) commonly used to cut down the huge computational cost of such simulation has faced accuracy concerns. In this study, a novel two-region periodic boundary condition(TPBC) is presented to remedy this problem, with the flow driven in the region with body force and freely evolving in the other region. With simulation cases for simple circulating fluidized bed risers, the validity and advantages of TPBC are demonstrated with more reasonable heterogeneity of the particle distribution as compared to the corresponding case with FPBC.

Analysis of factors affecting individual participation in carbon market

China will set up a national carbon emissions trading market by the end of 2017, which is initially open to individual investors from the initial market for business and institutional investors. In this article, the main influencing factors and mechanism of individual participation in carbon trading market are studied by establishing multiple linear regression model. The study found that age,education level, length of account opening time, and risk attitude are the main factors influencing the participation of individual investors. Environmental awareness and environmental impact are less affected; information transparency and transaction risk also have an impact on the degree of individual investor participation; investment experience does not affect the participation of individual investors in the carbon trading market.

Establishment of a Real-time Fluorescent Quantitative RTPCR Method for Detecting NP Gene of Class Ⅰ Newcastle Disease Virus(NDV)

Newcastle disease( ND) is one of the most serious infectious diseases that infect the poultry industry.There is only one serotype of Newcastle disease virus( NDV),but NDVs can be divided into two distinct classes( class Ⅰ,and class Ⅱ) according to their genetic relationship.To develop a method for rapid quantitative detection of class Ⅰ NDV,a pair of primers and a TaqM an probe were designed and synthesized according to the conservative sequence of NP gene of class Ⅰ NDV.The positive recombinant plasmid harboring NP gene of JS-18-05 isolate was used as a positive template to establish the standard curve.A real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR method was established for rapid detection of class Ⅰ NDV with strong specificity,high sensitivity and good repeatability.The established method exhibited a good linear relationship within the concentration of 102 to 108 copies of NDV,by which 1 μl of 10 copy of NDV nucleic acid could be detected in the initial template.Compared with conventional virus isolation methods,the established method had similar sensitivity and led to the same results in detecting33 class Ⅰ,class Ⅱ NDV isolates.The study provided the basis for rapid quantitative detection of class Ⅰ NDVs and further clarification of their pathogenicity and pathogenic mechanism in poultry.

Phosphorylation of PB2 at serine 181 restricts viral replication and virulence of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus in mice

Influenza A virus(IAV)continues to pose a pandemic threat to public health,resulting a high mortality rate annually and during pandemic years.Posttranslational modification of viral protein plays a substantial role in regulating IAV infection.Here,based on immunoprecipitation(IP)-based mass spectrometry(MS)and purified virus-coupled MS,a total of 89 phosphorylation sites distributed among 10 encoded viral proteins of IAV were identified,including 60 novel phosphorylation sites.Additionally,for the first time,we provide evidence that PB2 can also be acetylated at site K187.Notably,the PB2 S181 phosphorylation site was consistently identified in both IP-based MS and purified virus-based MS.Both S181 and K187 are exposed on the surface of the PB2 protein and are highly conserved in various IAV strains,suggesting their fundamental importance in the IAV life cycle.Bioinformatic analysis results demonstrated that S181E/A and K187Q/R mimic mutations do not significantly alter the PB2 protein structure.While continuous phosphorylation mimicked by the PB2 S181E mutation substantially decreases viral fitness in mice,PB2 K187Q mimetic acetylation slightly enhances viral virulence in mice.Mechanistically,PB2 S181E substantially impairs viral polymerase activity and viral replication,remarkably dampens protein stability and nuclear accumulation of PB2,and significantly weakens IAV-induced inflammatory responses.Therefore,our study further enriches the database of phosphorylation and acetylation sites of influenza viral proteins,laying a foundation for subsequent mechanistic studies.Meanwhile,the unraveled antiviral effect of PB2 S181E mimetic phosphorylation may provide a new target for the subsequent study of antiviral drugs.

LncRNA-CCAT5-mediated crosstalk between Wnt/β-Catenin and STAT3 signaling suggests novel therapeutic approaches for metastatic gastric cancer with high Wnt activity

Background:Although the constitutively activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays vital roles in gastric cancer(GC)progression,few Wnt inhibitors are approved for clinical use.Additionally,the clinical significance of long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)in GC intraperitoneal dissemination(IPD)remains elusive.Here,we investigated the function and therapeutic potential of Wnt-transactivated lncRNA,colon cancer-associated transcript 5(CCAT5),in GC metastasis.Methods:LncRNA-sequencing assay was performed to document abun-dance changes of lncRNAs induced by Wnt family member 3A(Wnt3a)and degradation-resistantβ-catenin(S33Y mutated)in ascites-derived GC cells with low Wnt activity.Luciferase reporter,Chromatin immunoprecipitation(ChIP)-re-ChIP assays were performed to determine how CCAT5 was tran-scribed.The clinical significance of CCAT5 was examined in 2 cohorts of GC patients.The biological function of CCAT5 was investigated through gain-and loss-of-function studies.The molecular mechanism was explored through RNA-sequencing,mass spectrometry,and CRISPR/Cas9-knocknout system.The therapeutic potential of CCAT5 was examined through RNAi-based cell xenograft model and patient-derived xenograft(PDX)model of IPD.Results:WeidentifiedanovelWnt-regulatedlncRNA,CCAT5,whichwastrans-activated by theβ-catenin/transcription factor 3(TCF3)complex.CCAT5 was significantly upregulated in GC and predicted poor prognosis.Functional studies confirmed the promotive role of CCAT5 in GC growth and metastasis.Mechanis-tically,CCAT5 bound to the C-end domain of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)and blocks Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 1(SHP-1)-mediated STAT3 Y705 dephosphorylation,leading to STAT3 nuclear entry and transactivation,thus accelerating GC progression.Furthermore,we demonstrated that both Wnt3a andβ-catenin acted as activa-tor of STAT3 signaling pathway,and the interplay between CCAT5 and STAT3 was functionally essential for Wnt-drived STAT3 signaling and tumor evolu-tion.Finally,we revealed in vivo si-CCAT5 selectively attenuated growth and metastasis of Wnt high GC,but not Wnt low GC.The combination of si-CCAT5 and oxaliplatin displayed obvious synergistictherapeuticeffectson Wnt high PDX mice.Conclusions:We identified a novel Wnt-transactivated lncRNA,CCAT5.Our study revealed a mechanism of STAT3 signaling regulation via canonical Wnt signaling and the functional significance of CCAT5 as critical mediator.We pro-vided conceptual advance that lncRNAs serve as therapeutic targets reversing GC progression.

Electroacupuncture-induced activation of GABAergic system alleviates airway inflammation in asthma model by suppressing TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway

Background: Electroacupuncture (EA) has been shown to attenuate airway inflammation in asthmatic mice;however, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Studies have shown that EA can significantly increase the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content in mice, and can also increase the expression level of GABA type A receptor (GABAAR). Furthermore, activating GABAAR may relieve inflammation in asthma by suppressing toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of GABAergic system and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway in asthmatic mice treated with EA. Methods: A mouse model of asthma was established, and a series of methods including Western blot and histological staining assessment were employed to detect the level of GABA, and expressions of GABAAR and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB in lung tissue. In addition, GABAAR antagonist was used to further validate the role and mechanism of GABAergic system in mediating the therapeutic effect of EA in asthma. Results: The mouse model of asthma was established successfully, and EA was verified to alleviate airway inflammation in asthmatic mice. The release of GABA and the expression of GABAAR were significantly increased in asthmatic mice treated with EA compared with untreated asthmatic mice ( P < 0.01), and the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway was down-regulated. Moreover, inhibition of GABAAR attenuated the beneficial effects of EA in asthma, including the regulation of airway resistance and inflammation, as well as the inhibitory effects on TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that GABAergic system may be involved in mediating the therapeutic effect of EA in asthma, possibly by suppressing the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Enhanced pathogenicity and transmissibility of H9N2 avian influenza virus in mammals by hemagglutinin mutations combined with PB2-627K

H9N2 avian influenza viruses(AIVs)circulate globally in poultry and have become the dominant AIV subtype in China in recent years.Previously,we demonstrated that the H9N2 virus(A/chicken/Eastern China/SDKD1/2015)naturally harbors a mammalian-adaptive molecular factor(627K)in the PB2 protein and is weakly pathogenic in mice.Here,we focused on new markers for virulence in mammals.A mouse-adapted H9N2 virus was serially passaged in mice by infecting their lungs.As expected,infected mice showed clinical symptoms and died at passage six.A comparison between the wild-type and mouse-adapted virus sequences identified amino acid substitutions in the hemagglutinin(HA)protein.H9N2 viruses with the T187P t M227L double mutation exhibited an increased affinity to human-type(SAα2,6Gal)receptors and significantly enhanced viral attachment to mouse lung tissues,which contributed to enhancing viral replication and virulence in mice.Additionally,HA with the T187P t M227L mutation enabled H9N2 viral transmission in guinea pigs via direct contact.AIV pathogenicity in mice is a polygenic trait.Our results demonstrated that these HA mutations might be combined with PB2-627K to significantly increase H9N2 virulence in mice,and this enhanced virulence was achieved in other H9N2 AIVs by generating the same combination of mutations.In summary,our study identified novel key elements in the HA protein that are required for H9N2 pathogenicity in mice and provided valuable insights into pandemic preparedness against emerging H_(9)N_(2)strains.

The role of TGF-β in the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer(PC)is an aggressive malignant tumor with low rate of surgical resection and poor prognosis.Transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β)is a cytokine that has both protumor and antitumor activities,depending on tumor microenvironment.The interaction be-tween TGF-β signaling and the tumor microenvironment in PC is complex.Here,we reviewed the role of TGF-β in the tumor microenvironment of PC,highlighting producers of TGF-β and TGF-β responders in the tumor microenvironment of PC.

Coupled effects of pH and kaolinite colloids on antibiotic transport in porous media

Antibiotics can interact with natural colloids and the surrounding media upon entry into soil and groundwater systems,which significantly alters their dynamic behavior and complicates our understanding of antibiotic fate and transport in porous media.In this study,co-transport of antibiotics and kaolinite colloids was systematically investigated using combined column experiments and numerical simulation under different pH conditions.Sulfadiazine(SDZ)transport was enhanced by kaolinite colloids under neutral and alkaline conditions,which was attributed to the higher mobility of colloids as SDZ carriers,as well as competitive sorption.However,most injected SDZ was transported in a dissolved form owing to the low sorption capacity of SDZ to kaolinite colloids and quartz sand.The colloid-facilitated transport model provided a good description of total SDZ transport,but underestimated colloidal SDZ transport using parameters from kinetic sorption experiments.Kaolinite colloids significantly promoted ciprofloxacin(CIP)transport at pH 4.0,but inhibited it at pH 7.0 and9.0.Interestingly,enhanced CIP transport was due to the decreased number of effective sorption sites on quartz sand and the increased desorption of CIP from kaolinite colloids.Under neutral and alkaline conditions,deposited colloids provided additional sorption sites for CIP,which contributed to CIP retention.Moreover,CIP significantly inhibited the transport of kaolinite colloids owing to the increases in colloidal aggregate size and zeta potential.Overall,our results highlighted the different effects of mobile and immobile colloids on antibiotic transport,in addition to the implications of antibiotic speciation and clay colloids when predicting the transport behavior of these compounds.

Emergence of a novel reassortant avian influenza virus(H10N3) in Eastern China with high pathogenicity and respiratory droplet transmissibility to mammals

Decades have passed since the first discovery of H10-subtype avian influenza virus(AIV) in chickens in 1949,and it has been detected in many species including mammals such as minks,pigs,seals and humans.Cases of human infections with H10N8viruses identified in China in 2013 have raised widespread attention.Two novel reassortant H10N3 viruses were isolated from chickens in December 2019 in eastern China during routine surveillance for AIVs.The internal genes of these viruses were derived from genotype S(G57) H9N2 and were consistent with H5N6,H7N9 and H10N8,which cause fatal infections in humans.Their viral pathogenicity and transmissibility were further studied in different animal models.The two H10N3 isolates had low pathogenicity in chickens and were transmitted between chickens via direct contact.These viruses were highly pathogenic in mice and could be transmitted between guinea pigs via direct contact and respiratory droplets.More importantly,these viruses can bind to both human-type SAα-2,6-Gal receptors and avian-type SAα-2,3-Gal receptors.Asymptomatic shedding in chickens and good adaptability to mammals of these H10N3 isolates would make it easier to transmit to humans and pose a threat to public health.

成长记录袋评价法提升细胞工程课堂教学质量

首次将成长记录袋评价法引入到高等院校生物类专业课程《细胞工程》的课堂教学改革中,构建了较为完备的课堂评价体系,将成长记录袋课堂评价体系的建立分为4个阶段,即准备阶段、演练阶段、实施阶段和作品展示阶段。并从实施成长记录袋评价法的可行性与必要性、评价体系的构建、执行过程中应注意的要点及事项分别展开论述。结果表明:通过该评价法的施行,不仅活跃了课堂气氛,增强了学生学习的主动性和自主性,还提高了学生分析、解决与细胞工程技术相关的专业问题的能力,执行效果良好。本课程课堂教学改革的实施,可为高校同类性质的其他专业课程提供借鉴与参考。

Organophosphate esters in water,suspended particulate matter(SPM)and sediments of the Minjiang River,China

As organic pollutants of emerging concern,organophosphate esters(OPEs)have shown toxicity to organisms after entering the water environment.However,research on OPEs in freshwater in Southwest China is very limited.The levels,distribution and partitioning behavior of OPEs in the Minjiang River and their influencing factors is still unknown.In this study,six OPEs,tri-n-butyl phosphate(Tn BP),tri(2-chloroethyl)-phosphate(TCEP),trichloropropyl phosphate(TCPP),triphenyl phosphate(TPh P),tributoxyethyl phosphate(TBEP),and tris(2-ethylhexyl)-phosphate(TEHP),were determined in surface water,suspended particle matter(SPM)and sediments of the Minjiang River.The results showed that the average concentrations of∑_(6)OPEs in surface water,SPM and sediments of the Minjiang River were 199.32±124.95 ng/L,38463.79±45641.89 ng/g dry weight(dw)and 76.45±28.00 ng/g dw,respectively.High concentrations of OPEs were detected in SPM samples,indicating that more attention should be paid to pollution in SPM.It is worth noting that the variation trend of OPEs in SPM was almost opposite to that in water but basically similar to that in sediment.The proportions of alkyl OPEs in∑_(6)OPEs increased from surface water to SPM and sediments.Alkyl OPEs were the main pollutants in SPM(10.44%–80.88%of∑_(6)OPEs,mean of 54.52%)and sediments(59.08%–81.30%of∑_(6)OPEs,mean of 68.91%),whereas chlorinated OPEs were the most abundant components in surface water(43.16%–75.99%ofδ∑_(6)OPEs,mean of 55.50%).The water-sediment partition coefficient(logKOC)of OPEs was 4.97–7.58,while the water-SPM partition coefficient was 6.71–10.00.No significant correlations were found between log KOW and logKOC.KOW was not the main factor affecting the distribution of OPEs in the Minjiang River,China.

Enhanced penetration strategies for transdermal delivery

Transdermal delivery offers several advantages in drug distribution,including convenience,painless administration,avoidance of first-pass metabolism,and ease of termination.However,the natural protective barriers of the skin,such as the stratum cormeum,the topmost layer of skin,limit the systemic absorption of extermal therapeutics via transdermal delivery.Therefore,extensive application of transdermal delivery in medical treatment has been limited.Over the past few years,many formulation strategies and physical technologies,therefore,have been developed to enhance transdermal delivery.This review summarizes various formulation strategies pro-posed for transdermal delivery and their application in medical treatment.

Occupational Mercury Exposure at a Thermometer Facility-Jiangsu Province, 2019

Summary What is already known about this topic?Mercury is still used in the manufacture of some thermometers in China.This may pose health risks if exposure is not properly prevented and controlled.What is added by this report?An onsite investigation of a workplace at a thermometer facility in Jiangsu Province in 2019 found heavily elevated airborne and urinary mercury levels among a massive number of workers exposed to mercury.

Surveillance of ClassⅠNewcastle Disease Virus at Live Bird Markets and Commercial Poultry Farms in Eastern China Reveals the Epidemic Characteristics

Dear Editor,Newcastle disease(ND),caused by virulent Newcastle disease virus(NDV),is a highly contagious and economically devastating viral disease of birds(Habib et al.2018).NDV,also termed as avian paramyxovirus type 1(APMV-1),belongs to the genus Orthoavulavirus in the family Paramyxoviridae according to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses(ICTV)(Amarasinghe et al.2019).According to the latest phylogenetic classification system.