Pretreatment red blood cell distribution width as a predictive marker for postoperative complications after laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy

BACKGROUND Red blood cell distribution width(RDW)is associated with the development and progression of various diseases.AIM To explore the association between pretreatment RDW and short-term outcomes after laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy(LPD).METHODS A total of 804 consecutive patients who underwent LPD at our hospital between March 2017 and November 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.Correlations between pretreatment RDW and clinicopathological characteristics and short-term outcomes were investigated.RESULTS Patients with higher pretreatment RDW were older,had higher Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scores and were associated with poorer short-term outcomes than those with normal RDW.High pretreatment RDW was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications(POCs)(hazard ratio=2.973,95%confidence interval:2.032-4.350,P<0.001)and severe POCs of grade IIIa or higher(hazard ratio=3.138,95%confidence interval:2.042-4.824,P<0.001)based on the Clavien-Dino classification system.Subgroup analysis showed that high pretreatment RDW was an independent risk factor for Clavien-Dino classi-fication grade IIIb or higher POCs,a comprehensive complication index score≥26.2,severe postoperative pancreatic fistula,severe bile leakage and severe hemorrhage.High pretreatment RDW was positively associated with the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and was negatively associated with albumin and the prognostic nutritional index.CONCLUSION Pretreatment RDW was a special parameter for patients who underwent LPD.It was associated with malnutrition,severe inflammatory status and poorer short-term outcomes.RDW could be a surrogate marker for nutritional and inflammatory status in identifying patients who were at high risk of developing POCs after LPD.

Crack elongation and its width of large depth reinforced concrete beams

In order to meet the requirement of structural inspection,the crack spacing and crack width at various heights in the tensile zone of six large depth reinforced concrete beams were measured under several loading levels of serviceability state.The effects of the depth of normal section beams on the crack spacing and crack width were analyzed,and the modified model is proposed for calculating the average crack spacing by thinking about the depth of normal section,the reinforcement arrangement and the effective reinforcement ratio.The relationships of crack widths at any position in the tensile zone and at the reinforcement level on the side surface of beam were studied.By theoretical and statistical analysis,a method is proposed to calculate the ratios of crack widths between any position and the reinforcement level on the side surface of large depth reinforced concrete beams.

The 266-nm ultraviolet-beam generation of all-fiberized super-large-mode-area narrow-linewidth nanosecond amplifier with tunable pulse width and repetition rate

We report on a compact, stable, all-fiberized narrow-linewidth(0.045 nm) pulsed laser source emitting laser beam with a wavelength of 266 nm, and tunable pulse width and repetition rate. The system is based on all-fiberized nanosecond amplifier architecture, which consists of Yb-doped fiber preamplifiers and a super-large-mode-area Yb-doped fiber power amplifier. The fiber amplifier with a core of 50 μm is used to raise the threshold of the stimulated Brillouin scattering(SBS) effect and to obtain high output power and single pulse energy. Using lithium triborate(LBO) crystal and betabarium borate(BBO) crystal for realizing the second-harmonic generation(SHG) and fourth-harmonic generation(FHG),we achieve 17 μJ(1.73 W) and 0.66 μJ(66 mW), respectively, at wavelengths of 532 nm and 266 nm and a repetition rate of 100 kHz with pulse width of 4 ns. This source has great potential applications in fluorescence research and solar-blind ultraviolet optical communication.

High efficiency and broad bandwidth terahertz vortex beam generation based on ultra-thin transmission Pancharatnam-Berry metasurfaces

The terahertz(THz)vortex beam generators are designed and theoretically investigated based on single-layer ultra-thin transmission metasurfaces.Noncontinuous phase changes of metasurfaces are obtained by utilizing Pancharatnam-Berry phase elements,which possess different rotation angles and are arranged on two concentric rings centered on the origin.The circularly polarized incident THz beam could be turned into a cross-polarization transmission wave,and the orbital angular momentum(OAM)varies in value by lh.The l values change from±1 to±5,and the maximal cross-polarization conversion efficiency that could be achieved is 23%,which nearly reaches the theoretical limit of a single-layer structure.The frequency range of the designed vortex generator is from 1.2 THz to 1.9 THz,and the generated THz vortex beam could keep a high fidelity in the operating bandwidth.The propagation behavior of the emerged THz vortex beam is analyzed in detail.Our work offers a novel way of designing ultra-thin and single-layer vortex beam generators,which have low process complexity,high conversion efficiency and broad bandwidth.

Periodic Measurements of Passive Proton Beam Width Using Radiochromic Film in Fixed Gantry System

Background and Aim: Irradiation methods such as double scattering method and spot scanning method have been used in proton beam treatment devices. In the scattering method, a ridge filter or a range modulation wheel is used to create a spread-out Bragg peak, but the distribution at the patient position may change due to positional deviation of the incident beam. Therefore, assessment of the incident position of the beam is very important even in the scattering method. To investigate the width and distribution of the proton beam before entering the RMW, a radiochromic film was installed at the outlet of the transport pipe and the entrance of the profile-monitoring detector. Methods: In this study, the distributions of the beam at the exit of the transport pipe and the entrance of the monitor detector were measured using films. The beam width was measured from the full width at half maximum of the profile obtained from the distribution. Measurements were conducted every month for 10 months. Results: Beams of widths ranging from 1.82 to 2.30 mm in the horizontal direction and 4.25 to 5.33 mm in the vertical direction were outputted from the exit of the transport pipe. Beams of widths ranging from 2.16 to 2.67 mm in the horizontal direction and 4.06 to 5.31 mm in the vertical direction were outputted from the entrance of the monitor detector. The maximum width fluctuation for 10 months was 0.55 mm in the horizontal direction and 1.26 mm in the vertical direction at the entrance of the monitor detector. Conclusions: The distribution was obtained before the proton beam was scattered by the scatterer, and then we propose a method to periodically measure and monitor the changes in the beam distributions every month.

Compact and broadband circularly polarized ring antenna with wide beam-width for multiple global navigation satellite systems

A compact and broadband circularly polarized （CP） annular ring antenna with wide beam-width is proposed for multiple global navigation satellite systems （GNSS） in the L1 band. The annular ring is excited by two modified L-probes with quadrature phase difference. It has a 36.3% 10-dB return loss bandwidth and a 13% 3-dB axial ratio bandwidth, because of the orthogonal L-probes with 90° phase difference. The measured peak gain of the antenna is 3.9 dBic. It can detect the satellites at lower elevation as its half power beam-width （HPBW） is 113° in both the x-z and y-z planes, achieving a cross-polarization level of larger than 25 dB. Noticeably, the antenna achieves 89% size reduction compared with the conventional half wavelength patch antennas. It can be used in hand-held navigation devices of multiple GNSS such as COMPASS, Galileo, GPS and GLONASS.

Rectangular Microstrip Antenna for Symmetrical 3-D Beam Widths for an Efficient Feed of Reflector Antenna and its Quantitative Analysis

A simple rectangular microstrip antenna on low dielectric constant substrate such as air for improved radiation beam performance is theoretically investigated. The conventional patch antenna fabricated on common substrates always produces quite broader E plane pattern compared to its H plane. In the present investigation, the same microstrip antenna is designed on air substrate with a view to develop an efficient feed for parabolic reflector antenna, which shows an excellent radiation pattern with symmetrical 3 dB beam widths at its both E and H plane. The present antenna compared to conventional structure to show its excellence in the beam performance is presented. The complete quantitative analysis to explore such radiation beam characteristics for both the structures (conventional and the present one) is also presented in this paper. An easy and handful relationship between the length of patch antenna and its fringing length for different types of substrate is established in the background of 3 dB beam widths. The proposed idea has been verified through a commercial software package for a patch operating in X band and a concrete physical insight into the phenomenon is developed.

Effect of Overlap Stress as Well as Tie Beam Length and Width on Settlement of Isolated Footings Using Finite Element

Effects of tie beam length, width and overlap stress on settlement of foundations have been investigated. In this investigation square concrete footings have been used with dimensions (B × B × d) where (d) is footing depth and (B) is footing width (1, 1.5,2 m). Width of tie beam (b) has been taken equal to 0.25, 0.30, 0.40, 0.50 and 0.75 (m). Tie beam length (L) has been taken varying from B till 3B with same footing depth = 0.50 m. Effect of overlap stress on settlement as well as effect of tie beam width and length on settlement has been determined. Also, the efficiency of tie beam length and width has been obtained. An equation is presented to compute the overlap stress zone in case of existing tie beam. It is found that the settlement increases with increasing the length of tie beam which is clear after the effect of the overlap stresses zone. The width of overlap stress zone case of existing tie beam has been found to be equal to (1.6 -1.75) B. The settlement of footings decreases with increasing tie beam width. It is found that the settlement after the effect of the overlap stress zone increases with increasing the length of tie beam.

Miniature tunable Airy beam optical meta-device

Tunable Airy beams with controllable propagation trajectories have sparked interest in various fields,such as optical manipulation and laser fabrication.Existing research approaches encounter challenges related to insufficient compactness and integration feasibility,or they require enhanced tunability to enable real-time dynamic manipulation of the propagation trajectory.In this work,we present a novel method that utilizes a dual metasurface system to surpass these limitations,significantly enhancing the practical potential of the Airy beam.Our approach involves encoding a cubic phase profile and two off-axis Fresnel lens phase profiles across the two metasurfaces.The validity of the proposed strategy has been confirmed through simulation and experimental results.The proposed meta-device addresses the existing limitations and lays the foundation for broadening the applicability of Airy beams across diverse domains,encompassing light-sheet microscopy,laser fabrication,optical tweezers,etc.

Fully automatic AI segmentation of oral surgery-related tissues based on cone beam computed tomography images

Accurate segmentation of oral surgery-related tissues from cone beam computed tomography(CBCT)images can significantly accelerate treatment planning and improve surgical accuracy.In this paper,we propose a fully automated tissue segmentation system for dental implant surgery.Specifically,we propose an image preprocessing method based on data distribution histograms,which can adaptively process CBCT images with different parameters.Based on this,we use the bone segmentation network to obtain the segmentation results of alveolar bone,teeth,and maxillary sinus.We use the tooth and mandibular regions as the ROI regions of tooth segmentation and mandibular nerve tube segmentation to achieve the corresponding tasks.The tooth segmentation results can obtain the order information of the dentition.The corresponding experimental results show that our method can achieve higher segmentation accuracy and efficiency compared to existing methods.Its average Dice scores on the tooth,alveolar bone,maxillary sinus,and mandibular canal segmentation tasks were 96.5%,95.4%,93.6%,and 94.8%,respectively.These results demonstrate that it can accelerate the development of digital dentistry.

Direct Measurement of Medical Linear Accelerator Electron Beam Width at Scattering Foil Position

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a method for the direct measurement of electron beam width and distribution at the scattering foil on the carrousel in a medical linear accelerator gantry head, which differs from an existing indirect method for measuring the focal spot size using a camera or metallic slit located outside the gantry head. Methods: The electron beam emitted by the linear accelerator was used to irradiate radiochromic film mounted on the scattering foil on the carrousel, which was not used for clinical treatment. The electron beam width at the scattering foil position was then evaluated using the full width at half maximum of the Gaussian distribution approximated from each one dimensional distribution of the irradiated radiochromic film. Results: The electron beam width at the scattering foil position was found to be 3.1 to 6.4 mm in the crossline direction and 2.8 to 5.5 mm in the inline direction with electron energy of 4 to 16 MeV. The two-dimensional distribution of the electron beam was therefore elliptical or distorted in shape, not circular. Conclusions: Direct measurement of the electron beam width at the scattering foil in the carrousel of a medical linear accelerator is possible, though the use of lower sensitivity film in addition to indirect methods is expected to bring about better results. However, as this method does not allow for direct measurement of the incident angle of the accelerated electron beam, further improvements and refinements are still needed.

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.

Diffraction Properties of Blazed Gratings Illuminated with Broad-bandwidth and Divergent Beam

Far-field intensity and diffraction efficiency of the blazed reflection gratings illuminated with broad-bandwidth and divergent beam are investigated.When the spectral width and divergence of the incident beam with a constant energy increase,the maximum intensity decreases,and the half width at e-2 of the maximum intensity becomes wider.Diffraction efficiency has no deterioration for the blazed grating with a proper groove shape even when the incident light contains a broad range of wavelengths and comes from a wide range of angles.

Properties of focused Laguerre–Gaussian beam propagating in anisotropic ocean turbulence

We analyze the properties of a focused Laguerre–Gaussian(LG)beam propagating through anisotropic ocean turbulence based on the Huygens–Fresnel principle.Under the Rytov approximation theory,we derive the analytical formula of the channel capacity of the focused LG beam in the anisotropic ocean turbulence,and analyze the relationship between the capacity and the light source parameters as well as the turbulent ocean parameters.It is found that the focusing mirror can greatly enhance the channel capacity of the system at the geometric focal plane in oceanic turbulence.The results also demonstrate that the communication link can obtain high channel capacity by adopting longer beam wavelength,greater initial beam waist radius,and larger number of transmission channels.Further,the capacity of the system increases with the decrease of the mean squared temperature dissipation rate,temperature-salinity contribution ratio and turbulence outer scale factor,and with the increase of the kinetic energy dissipation rate per unit mass of fluid,turbulence inner scale factor and anisotropy factor.Compared to a Hankel–Bessel beam with diffraction-free characteristics and unfocused LG beam,the focused LG beam shows superior anti-turbulence interference properties,which provide a theoretical reference for research and development of underwater optical communication links using focused LG beams.

Generation of structured light beams with polarization variation along arbitrary spatial trajectories using tri-layer metasurfaces

Conventionally,the spatially structured light beams produced by metasurfaces primarily highlight the polarization modulation of the beams propagating along the optical axis or the beams'spatial transmission trajectory.In particular,along the optical axis,the polarization state is either constant or varies continuously in each output plane.Here,we develop innovative spatially structured light beams with continually changing polarization along any arbitrary spatial transmission trajectories.With tri-layer metallic metasurfaces,the geometric characteristics of each layer structure can be adjusted to modulate the phase and polarization state of the incident terahertz(THz)wave.The beam will converge to the predefined trajectory along several paths to generate a Bessel-like beam with longitudinal polarization changes.We demonstrate the versatility of the approach by designing two THz-band structured light beams with varying polarization states along the spatial helical transmission trajectory.Continuous linear polarization changes and linear polarization to right circular polarization(RCP)and back to linear polarization changes are realized respectively.The experimental results are basically consistent with the simulated results.Our proposal for arbitrary trajectory structured light beams with longitudinally varying polarization offers a practical method for continuously regulating the characteristics of spatial structured light beams with non-axial transmission.This technique has potential uses in optical encryption,particle manipulation,and biomedical imaging.

Development of a high-repetition-rate lumped-inductance kicker magnet prototype for the beam switchyard of SHINE

The Shanghai high-repetition-rate X-ray free-electron laser and extreme light facility(SHINE)operates at a maximum repetition rate of 1 MHz.Kicker magnets are key components that distribute electron bunches into three different undulator lines in a bunch-by-bunch mode.The kicker field width must be less than the time interval between bunches.A lumpedinductance kicker prototype was developed using a vacuum chamber with a single-turn coil.The full magnetic field strength was 0.005 T.This paper presents the requirements,design considerations,design parameters,magnetic field calculations,and measurements of the kicker magnets.The relevant experimental results are also presented.The pulse width of the magnetic field was approximately 600 ns,and the maximum operation repetition rate was 1 MHz.The developed kicker satisfies the requirements for the SHINE project.Finally,numerous recommendations for the future optimization of kicker magnets are provided.

Development of in situ characterization techniques in molecular beam epitaxy

Ex situ characterization techniques in molecular beam epitaxy(MBE)have inherent limitations,such as being prone to sample contamination and unstable surfaces during sample transfer from the MBE chamber.In recent years,the need for improved accuracy and reliability in measurement has driven the increasing adoption of in situ characterization techniques.These techniques,such as reflection high-energy electron diffraction,scanning tunneling microscopy,and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,allow direct observation of film growth processes in real time without exposing the sample to air,hence offering insights into the growth mechanisms of epitaxial films with controlled properties.By combining multiple in situ characterization techniques with MBE,researchers can better understand film growth processes,realizing novel materials with customized properties and extensive applications.This review aims to overview the benefits and achievements of in situ characterization techniques in MBE and their applications for material science research.In addition,through further analysis of these techniques regarding their challenges and potential solutions,particularly highlighting the assistance of machine learning to correlate in situ characterization with other material information,we hope to provide a guideline for future efforts in the development of novel monitoring and control schemes for MBE growth processes with improved material properties.

Design of a photonic crystal fiber polarization beam splitter with simple structure and ultra-wide bandwidth

A novel polarization beam splitter(PBS)based on dual-core photonic crystal fiber(DC-PCF)is proposed in this work.The proposed DC-PCF PBS contains two kinds of lattices and three kinds of air holes to form the asymmetrical elliptic dual-core structure.By using the full-vector finite element method,the propagation characteristics of the proposed DC-PCF PBS are investigated.The simulation results show that the bandwidth of the proposed DC-PCF PBS can reach to 340 nm,which covers the S+C+L+U communication bands,the shortest splitting length is 1.97 mm,and the maximum extinction ratio appears near wavelength 1550 nm.Moreover,the insertion loss of the proposed DC-PCF PBS is very low.It is believed that the proposed DC-PCF PBS has important applications in the field of all-optical communication and network.

Co-doped BaFe_(2)As_(2) Josephson junction fabricated with a focused helium ion beam

Josephson junction plays a key role not only in studying the basic physics of unconventional iron-based superconductors but also in realizing practical application of thin-film based devices,therefore the preparation of high-quality iron pnictide Josephson junctions is of great importance.In this work,we have successfully fabricated Josephson junctions from Co-doped BaFe_(2)As_(2)thin films using a direct junction fabrication technique which utilizes high energy focused helium ion beam(FHIB).The electrical transport properties were investigated for junctions fabricated with various He^(+)irradiation doses.The junctions show sharp superconducting transition around 24 K with a narrow transition width of 2.5 K,and a dose correlated foot-structure resistance which corresponds to the effective tuning of junction properties by He^(+)irradiation.Significant J_c suppression by more than two orders of magnitude can be achieved by increasing the He^(+)irradiation dose,which is advantageous for the realization of low noise ion pnictide thin film devices.Clear Shapiro steps are observed under 10 GHz microwave irradiation.The above results demonstrate the successful fabrication of high quality and controllable Co-doped BaFe_(2)As_(2)Josephson junction with high reproducibility using the FHIB technique,laying the foundation for future investigating the mechanism of iron-based superconductors,and also the further implementation in various superconducting electronic devices.

Unraveling the efficacy network: A network meta-analysis of adjuvant external beam radiation therapy methods after hepatectomy

BACKGROUND Primary liver cancer is a malignant tumor with a high recurrence rate that significantly affects patient prognosis.Postoperative adjuvant external radiation therapy(RT)has been shown to effectively prevent recurrence after liver cancer resection.However,there are multiple RT techniques available,and the differ-ential effects of these techniques in preventing postoperative liver cancer re-currence require further investigation.AIM To assess the advantages and disadvantages of various adjuvant external RT methods after liver resection based on overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS)and to determine the optimal strategy.METHODS This study involved network meta-analyses and followed the PRISMA guidelines.The data of qualified studies published before July 10,2023,were collected from PubMed,Embase,the Web of Science,and the Cochrane Library.We included relevant studies on postoperative external beam RT after liver resection that had OS and DFS as the primary endpoints.The magnitudes of the effects were determined using risk ratios with 95%confidential intervals.The results were analyzed using R software and STATA software.RESULTS A total of 12 studies,including 1265 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)after liver resection,were included in this study.There was no significant heterogeneity in the direct paired comparisons,and there were no significant differences in the inclusion or exclusion criteria,intervention measures,or outcome indicators,meeting the assumptions of heterogeneity and transitivity.OS analysis revealed that patients who underwent stereotactic body radiotherapy(SBRT)after resection had longer OS than those who underwent intensity modulated radiotherapy(IMRT)or 3-dimensional conformal RT(3D-CRT).DFS analysis revealed that patients who underwent 3D-CRT after resection had the longest DFS.Patients who underwent IMRT after resection had longer OS than those who underwent 3D-CRT and longer DFS than those who underwent SBRT.CONCLUSION HCC patients who undergo liver cancer resection must consider distinct advantages and disadvantages when choosing between SBRT and 3D-CRT.IMRT,a RT technique that is associated with longer OS than 3D-CRT and longer DFS than SBRT,may be a preferred option.