Soaring cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are pummeling the global health system. Overwhelmed health facilities have endeavored to mitigate the pandemic, but mortality of COVID-19 continues to ...increase. Here, we present a mortality risk prediction model for COVID-19 (MRPMC) that uses patients' clinical data on admission to stratify patients by mortality risk, which enables prediction of physiological deterioration and death up to 20 days in advance. This ensemble model is built using four machine learning methods including Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machine, Gradient Boosted Decision Tree, and Neural Network. We validate MRPMC in an internal validation cohort and two external validation cohorts, where it achieves an AUC of 0.9621 (95% CI: 0.9464-0.9778), 0.9760 (0.9613-0.9906), and 0.9246 (0.8763-0.9729), respectively. This model enables expeditious and accurate mortality risk stratification of patients with COVID-19, and potentially facilitates more responsive health systems that are conducive to high risk COVID-19 patients.
•ES supply and demand under different scales were assessed.•There was a distinct spatial mismatch between ES supply and demand.•ES trade-offs/synergies were enhanced as the scale increased.•The ...impacts of social-ecological drivers on ESs varied with scale.•Some management suggestions were proposed to improve ES management.
Understanding the scale effects of ecosystem service (ES) supply–demand balances and drivers is critical to hierarchical ecosystem management. However, it remains unclear how the relationships of ES supply–demand and driving factors change with the scale. In this study, we first quantified food production (FP), water yield (WY), soil conservation (SC), carbon storage (CS), and habitat quality (HQ) at pixel and county scales in 2000 and 2020 in Zhejiang Province. Then, we analyzed the ES supply–demand balances and trade-offs/synergies at different scales. Finally, we performed correlation analysis and applied a random forest model to explore the socioecological drivers of these ESs. Our work showed that the supplies of FP, WY, and SC increased, while those of CS and HQ decreased from 2000 to 2020. ESs at the pixel scale were more spatially heterogeneous than those at the county scale. FP and CS were in short supply, and the gaps between their supply and demand grew over time. Some ES supply–demand mismatches at the pixel scale disappeared at the county scale. From the pixel scale to the county scale, the correlation directions of the ES trade-offs/synergies changed slightly, but their intensities changed significantly. The temperature, altitude, percentage of forestland and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) had positive effects on HQ, CS and SC, while the population density (POP), gross domestic product and percentage of artificial land (PA) had negative effects. The degree of influence of most socioecological drivers on the ESs increased with increasing scale. NDVI was the most important factor for CS, while precipitation was the most important for WY. The importance of POP and PA increased with both time and scale. Ultimately, overall ES supply–demand balances should be considered at the county scale, while more accurate management measures should be implemented at the pixel scale to promote effective hierarchical ES management. This study emphasizes the necessity of considering the scale effects for ES supply–demand balances in sustainable ecosystem management.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The role of sphere-forming culture in enriching subpopulations with stem-cell properties in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. The present study investigates its value in enriching cancer ...stem cells (CSCs) subpopulations and the mechanism by which HCC CSCs are maintained.
HCC cell lines and fresh primary tumor cells were cultured in serum-free and ultra-low attachment conditions to allow formation of HCC spheres. In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to evaluate CSC characteristics. Expression levels of CSC-related genes were assessed by qRT-PCR and the correlation between sphere formation and clinical characteristics was investigated. Finally, gene expression profiling was performed to explore the molecular mechanism underlying HCC CSC maintenance.
We found that both cell lines and primary tumor cells formed spheres. HCC spheres possessed the capacity for self-renewal, proliferation, drug resistance, and contained different subpopulations of CSCs. Of interest, 500 sphere-forming Huh7 cells or 200 primary tumor cells could generate tumors in immunodeficient animals. Sphere formation correlated with size, multiple tumors, satellite lesions, and advanced stage. Further investigation identified that the PPARα-SCD1 axis plays an important role in maintenance of the CSC properties of HCC sphere cells by promoting nuclear accumulation of β-Catenin. Inhibition of SCD1 interfered with sphere formation, down-regulated expression of CSC-related markers, and reduced β-Catenin nuclear accumulation.
Sphere-forming culture can effectively enrich subpopulations with stem-cell properties, which are maintained through activation of the PPARα-SCD1 axis. Therefore, we suggest that targeting the SCD1-related CSC machinery might provide a novel insight into HCC treatment.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
A crucial problem that involves feature-based image registration algorithms is how to reliably establish the correspondence between the features detected in the sensed image and those detected in the ...reference image. Generally, most existing methods only use spatial relations or feature similarity, or a simple combination of them, to solve this problem, and all have some limitations. In this paper, a new feature-matching strategy is developed. It is realized by introducing a function whose independent variable is the match matrix, which describes the correspondence of the features, to combine spatial relations and organically feature similarity, and its global maximum is assumed to be reached if the sensed image is completely aligned with the reference image. Thus, the feature correspondence can be estimated by finding the maximum of the function. Two approaches are devised to solve the optimization problem. One is based on the branch-and-bound strategy to yield a global optimal solution, and the other uses an iterative algorithm that combines graduated assignment and variable metric methods to search for a local optimal solution with low computational complexity. The proposed method can work without the limitations of feature type, similarity criterion, and transform model, and its performance is evaluated using a variety of real images. Compared with some existing methods, it is fast and robust, and has the highest accuracy.
During anther development the male gametophyte develops inside the locule and the tapetal cells provide all nutrients for its development. Magnesium Transporter 5 (MGT5) is a member of the MGT family ...and has dual functions of Mg export and import. Here, we show that male gametophyte mitosis and intine formation are defective in a mgt5 mutant. The transient expression of GFP‐MGT5 revealed that MGT5 is localized in the plasma membrane. These findings suggest that in the male gametophyte MGT5 plays a role in importing Mg from the locule and that Mg is essential for male gametophyte development. The expression of MGT5 in the knockout ABORTED MICROSPORES (AMS) mutant (AMS being an essential regulator of tapetum) is tremendously reduced. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and mobility shift assay experiments demonstrated that AMS can directly bind the promoter of MGT5. An immunoelectron microscopy assay revealed that MGT5‐His is localized to the plasma membrane of the tapetum. These findings suggest that AMS directly regulates MGT5 in the tapetum and thus induces export of Mg into the locule. The mgt5 plant exhibits severe male sterility while the expression of MGT5 under the tapetum‐specific promoter A9 partly rescued mgt5 fertility. mgt5 fertility was restored under high‐Mg conditions. These findings suggest that the mgt5 tapetum still has the ability to export Mg and that a sufficient supply of Mg from the tapetum can improve the importation of Mg in the mgt5 male gametophyte. Therefore, MGT5 plays an important role in Mg transport from the tapetum to the microspore.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
•Gives an overview of cold seep systems in the South China Sea.•Outlines seafloor feature, fluid source, biogeochemical process and macroecology.•Evolution of seepage through time and its link to ...hydrate reservoirs is essential.•Integrating in situ observations, remote sensing and modeling at seeps is critical.•Genetic exchange and community similarity between seeps of the SCS is necessary.
Three decades after the discovery of cold seep systems, various sites of hydrocarbon seepage have been found in the South China Sea (SCS). Over the past decade, these sites have become model systems for understanding the variability of hydrocarbon seepage and associated biogeochemical processes. In this review, we describe the cold seep systems of the SCS with an emphasis on seafloor manifestations, fluid sources, biogeochemical processes, and macroecology. Seafloor features associated with seeps include mud volcanoes, pockmarks, and carbonate deposits. A common characteristic of cold seeps is the occurrence of authigenic (i.e., in situ precipitated) carbonate minerals. These carbonates commonly exhibit low δ13C and high δ18O values, suggesting the incorporation of methane-derived carbon and oxygen derived from gas hydrate water. Biogeochemical processes such as sulfate-driven anaerobic oxidation of methane (SD-AOM), the key process at seeps, have been studied in detail with the aim of establishing geochemical proxies to trace these processes into the geological past. We also detail the features characterizing seep ecosystems. Understanding the impact of decomposing methane hydrate on the marine carbon budget remains challenging and requires additional seafloor observations as well as models predicting how gas hydrate responds to changing conditions such as temperature increase, sea level rise, and episodic mass wasting.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Standard quantum theory was formulated with complex-valued Schrödinger equations, wave functions, operators, and Hilbert spaces. Previous work attempted to simulate quantum systems using only real ...numbers by exploiting an enlarged Hilbert space. A fundamental question arises: are the complex numbers really necessary in the standard formalism of quantum theory? To answer this question, a quantum game has been developed to distinguish standard quantum theory from its real-number analog, by revealing a contradiction between a high-fidelity multiqubit quantum experiment and players using only real-number quantum theory. Here, using superconducting qubits, we faithfully realize the quantum game based on deterministic entanglement swapping with a state-of-the-art fidelity of 0.952. Our experimental results violate the real-number bound of 7.66 by 43 standard deviations. Our results disprove the real-number formulation and establish the indispensable role of complex numbers in the standard quantum theory.
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CMK, CTK, FMFMET, IJS, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Background
Postoperative extrahepatic metastases (EHM) contribute to a grim outcome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are undergoing curative surgical resection. The current study ...investigated the clinical value of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in predicting EHM after curative surgery.
Methods
A total of 197 patients with HCC who were undergoing curative surgical resection were assigned to a retrospective training cohort (144 patients) or a prospective validation cohort (53 patients). The CELLSEARCH system was used for the detection of CTCs prior to surgical resection and 1 month thereafter. The cutoff value of CTCs was estimated using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Bonferroni correction was applied for multiple testing in a Cox proportional hazards regression model.
Results
In the training cohort, EHM was found to be associated with a higher postoperative CTC burden compared with no EHM (mean: 4.33 vs 0.52; P < .001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated a postoperative CTC count ≥3 as the optimal cutoff value for the prediction of EHM. Patients with a postoperative CTC count ≥3 experienced a higher EHM risk (56.3% vs 5.5%) and a shorter median overall survival (31.25 months vs not reached) (all P < .001). The prognostic significance of a postoperative CTC count ≥3 also applied to patient subgroups with a low EHM risk, such as those with an α‐fetoprotein level ≤400 ng/mL, absence of vascular invasion, well differentiation, and early tumor stage, and its predictive value was retained in patients with a continuous normal α‐fetoprotein level during postoperative follow‐up (all P < .05). The results were confirmed in the validation cohort.
Conclusions
A postoperative CTC count ≥3 appears to be a surrogate marker for the prediction of EHM after curative surgical resection of HCC. More careful surveillance should be recommended to patients with a high CTC load to ensure the greater possibility of early interventions for postoperative EHM.
A postoperative circulating tumor cell (CTC) count ≥3 is a surrogate marker for the prediction of extrahepatic metastases after curative surgical resection of hepatocellular carcinoma. A more careful surveillance of metastatic spread should be recommended to patients with a high CTC load after hepatectomy.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
A new noncentrosymmetric mixed-alkaline borate, Li2CsB7O10(OH)4 (1), was made under solvothermal conditions. This layered boron oxide framework consists of unique bird-shaped B7O12(OH)47– clusters ...with large 14-ring pores. Its second-harmonic-generation (SHG) signal is 2.5KDP (KH2PO4), with its short ultraviolet (UV) cutoff edge indicating that this crystal is a potential deep-UV transparent nonlinear-optical material.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
•The ERP has caused significant changes in the landscape pattern.•The impact of landscape patterns on WESs in different periods was assessed from a geospatial perspective.•Landscape composition has a ...greater impact on WESs than configuration.•PD and CONTAG are the main factors affecting WESs.
Understanding the changes and drivers of water ecosystem services (WESs) can provide guidance for the management of ecological restoration programs (ERPs). This study analyzed the changes in WESs (water yield and water purification) and landscape patterns in the Jianghuai Ecological Economic Zone (JHEEZ) from 2000 to 2020 and revealed the effect of landscape patterns on WESs in different periods (development priority and ecological priority) through a geographic detector (GD) and geographic weighted regression (GWR). During the development priority period, there was an increase in landscape diversity and aggregation, as well as a decrease in landscape fragmentation and complexity. Additionally, the area of water bodies landscape decreased while the aggregation of cropland and built-up land increased. In contrast, during the ecological priority period, landscape diversity, fragmentation, and complexity increased, while landscape aggregation decreased. The water body area also increased, and cropland fragmentation increased. Water yield experienced an initial decrease and subsequent increase, while water purification continued to improve. Patch density and the contagion index are the main factors affecting WESs, and the improvement of water connectivity and the reduction of fragmented Landscape are of great significance to WESs. This study analyzed the impact of landscape pattern changes on WESs from a geospatial perspective and provided a reference for the sustainable development of ERPs in the JHEEZ.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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