Cs2LiLaBr6:Ce (CLLB) crystal has broad applications due to its excellent scintillation properties. So far, there is no consensus on preferred Ce doping concentration of CLLB crystals for optimal ...scintillation performance. And the segregation behavior of Ce in CLLB is still open for research. Herein, the Ce concentrations along the CLLB ingot was measured. The effects of actual Ce concentration on scintillation properties and neutron/gamma discrimination ability were discussed. The effective segregation coefficient of Ce in CLLB crystals was calculated to be 1.59. The scintillation performance varied with the actual concentration of Ce. The energy resolutions (@662 keV) remained at 3.5% as the actual concentration of Ce exceed 2%. The neutron/gamma discrimination capability increased until the Ce concentration reached 3%. This work contributes to precise the growth and performance optimization of CLLB crystals.
Display omitted
•MRI-based tumor burden features accurately reflected the tumor burden of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).•The proposed machine learning (ML) survival system demonstrated superior ...performance in predicting metastasis.•SHAP made the results of non-linearly ML model transparent and relationships between predictors and survival outcome interpretable.
We aimed to build a survival system by combining a highly-accurate machine learning (ML) model with explainable artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to predict distant metastasis in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based tumor burden features.
1643 patients from three hospitals were enrolled according to set criteria. We employed ML to develop a survival model based on tumor burden signatures and all clinical factors. Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) was utilized to explain prediction results and interpret the complex non-linear relationship among features and distant metastasis. We also constructed other models based on routinely used cancer stages, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA, or other clinical features for comparison. Concordance index (C-index), receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis and decision curve analysis (DCA) were executed to assess the effectiveness of the models.
Our proposed system consistently demonstrated promising performance across independent cohorts. The concordance indexes were 0.773, 0.766 and 0.760 in the training, internal validation and external validation sets. SHAP provided personalized protective and risk factors for each NPC patient and uncovered some novel non-linear relationships between features and distant metastasis. Furthermore, high-risk patients who received induction chemotherapy (ICT) and concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) had better 5-year distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) than those who only received CCRT, whereas ICT + CCRT and CCRT had similar DMFS in low-risk patients.
The interpretable machine learning system demonstrated superior performance in predicting metastasis in locoregionally advanced NPC. High-risk patients might benefit from ICT.
Abstract Ce‐doped Cs 2 LiLaBr 6 (CLLB) scintillator crystals, known for their superior neutron/gamma dual‐mode detection capability and exceptional scintillation properties, have garnered significant ...attention for both fundamental science and practical applications. The role of Ce 3+ cations as luminescent centers is pivotal, influencing the scintillation properties as their concentration varies. While the effects of Ce 3+ concentration on scintillation performance are well‐documented, the ramifications for crystalline structure remain less explored. In this study, high‐quality CLLB:Ce single crystals are fabricated(atomic packing factor of maximum doped Ce is 0.04%) using the vertical Bridgman (VB) method and subsequently characterized their crystalline structure by neutron diffraction, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and elemental analysis. The findings reveal a correlation between Ce 3+ concentration and the crystal cell parameters, presenting intriguing deviations from Vegard's law. Such observations suggest the potential presence of alternative defects, potentially Li + interstitials, in CLLB:Ce. This work offers critical insights for advancing the understanding and optimization of CLLB:Ce scintillators.
Ce‐doped Cs2LiLaBr6 (CLLB) scintillator crystals, known for their superior neutron/gamma dual‐mode detection capability and exceptional scintillation properties, have garnered significant attention ...for both fundamental science and practical applications. The role of Ce3+ cations as luminescent centers is pivotal, influencing the scintillation properties as their concentration varies. While the effects of Ce3+ concentration on scintillation performance are well‐documented, the ramifications for crystalline structure remain less explored. In this study, high‐quality CLLB:Ce single crystals are fabricated(atomic packing factor of maximum doped Ce is 0.04%) using the vertical Bridgman (VB) method and subsequently characterized their crystalline structure by neutron diffraction, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and elemental analysis. The findings reveal a correlation between Ce3+ concentration and the crystal cell parameters, presenting intriguing deviations from Vegard's law. Such observations suggest the potential presence of alternative defects, potentially Li+ interstitials, in CLLB:Ce. This work offers critical insights for advancing the understanding and optimization of CLLB:Ce scintillators.
High‐quality CLLB:Ce Crystals are grown through Vertical Bridgman method. Neutron and X‐ray diffraction reveal the crystal structure of CLLB:Ce. The impact of Ce3+ doping on cell parameters of CLLB: Ce are demonstrated, and the potential presence of other defects are discussed.
Sufu, a Chinese traditional fermented soybean product, has a characteristic foul smell but a pleasant taste. We determined the core functional microbiota and their metabolic mechanisms during sufu ...fermentation by examining relationships among bacteria, characteristic flavor compounds, and physicochemical factors. Flavor compounds in sufu were detected through headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and the microbial community structure was determined through high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that the fermentation process of sufu could be divided into early and late stages. The early stage was critical for flavor development. Seven microbiota were screened based on their abundance, microbial relevance, and flavor production capacity. Five microbes were screened in the early stage: Pseudomonas, Tetragenococcus, Lysinibacillus, Pantoea, and Burkholderia–Caballeronia–Paraburkholderia. Three microbes were screened in the late stage: Exiguobacterium, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas. Their metabolic profiles were predicted. The results provided a reference for the selection of enriched bacterial genera in the fermentation process and controlling applicable process conditions to improve the flavor of sufu.
Imaging cancer specific biomarkers with near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes can help inaccurate diagnosis. Hydrogen sulfide (H
S) has been reported to be involved in many physiological and ...pathological processes and is considered as one of the key gasotransmitters during the development of cancer. To achieve specific H
S detection in cancer cells, we reported a biotin-guided NIR fluorescent sensor P1 targeting a cancer cell surface biomarker, based on the H
S-specific thiolysis of the NBD-amine-hemicyanine conjugate. The probe showed a fast turn-on signal at 754 nm upon H
S activation and good selectivity towards H
S over millimolar levels of other biothiols. We successfully employed P1 to image endogenous H
S and demonstrated its tumor-targeting ability in live cells. P1 could differentiate multiple cancer cells with various levels of H
S from normal cells, indicating its potential for cancer imaging.
In this paper, we propose a generic sketch algorithm capable of achieving more accuracy in the following five tasks: finding top-<inline-formula><tex-math ...notation="LaTeX">k</tex-math></inline-formula> frequent items, finding heavy hitters, per-item frequency estimation, and heavy changes in the time and spatial dimension. The state-of-the-art (SOTA) sketch solution for multiple measurement tasks is ElasticSketch (ES). However, the accuracy of its frequency estimation has room for improvement. The reason for this is that ES suffers from overestimation errors in the light part, which introduces errors when querying both frequent and infrequent items. To address these problems, we propose a generic sketch, OneSketch, designed to minimize overestimation errors. To achieve the design goal, we propose four key techniques, which embrace hash collisions and minimize possible errors by handling highly recurrent item replacements well. Experimental results show that OneSketch clearly outperforms 12 SOTA schemes. For example, compared with ES, OneSketch achieves more than 10× lower Average Absolute Error on finding top-<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">k</tex-math></inline-formula> frequent items and heavy hitters, as well as 48.3% and 38.4% higher F1 Scores on two heavy changes under 200KB memory, respectively.
Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) play complex but important roles in the progression of various tumors. This study aimed to elucidate the functional mechanisms of the HLA complex group 11 (HCG11) in ...nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
HCG11 levels in NPC specimens were determined by fluorescence
hybridization (FISH) and qPCR. Proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis of NPC cells were determined using CCK8, colony formation, annexin V-PI, and transwell assays. A murine tumor xenograft model was used to investigate the regulatory function of HCG11 in NPC
, and immunohistochemical staining was used to determine the Ki-67 level in tumors. The target relationships between HCG11, microRNA miR-490-3p, and MAPK kinase kinase 9 (MAP3K9) were detected using bioinformatics, qPCR, western blotting, and luciferase reporter assays.
HCG11 was highly expressed in NPC tissues and was positively associated with tumor stage, lymphatic metastasis, and poor prognosis. Functionally, HCG11 knockdown inhibited proliferation and migration and induced apoptosis of NPC cells. Mechanistically, miR-490-3p is a direct target of HCG11, oncogenic functions of HCG11 in NPC cell proliferation and migration can be partially reversed by the miR-490-3p inhibitor. HCG11 significantly increased mitogen-activated protein kinase MAPK kinase 9 (MAP3K9) levels by inhibiting miR-490-3p.
HCG11 facilitates NPC progression
MAP3K9 signaling by sponging miRNA-490-3p, which may contribute to new prognostic markers and promising therapeutic targets.
Rapid progress has been made to identify and study the causative agent leading to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) but many questions including who is most susceptible and what determines severity ...remain unanswered. Angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a key factor in the infection process of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). In this study, molecularly specific positron emission tomography imaging agents for targeting ACE2 are first developed, and these novel agents are evaluated in vitro, in preclinical model systems, and in a first‐in‐human translational ACE2 imaging of healthy volunteers and a SARS‐CoV‐2 recovered patient (NCT04422457). ACE2 expression levels in different organs in live subjects are quantitatively delineated and observable differences are measured in the patient recovered from COVID‐19. Surprising sites of uptake in the breast, reproductive system and very low uptake in pulmonary tissues are reported. This novel method can add a unique tool to facilitate SARS‐CoV‐2 related research and improve understanding of this enigmatic disease. Molecular imaging provides quantitative annotation of ACE2, the SARS‐CoV‐2 entry receptor, to noninvasively monitor organs impacted by the COVID‐19.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 gains infect cells through binding to the angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. Using a high affinity radiolabeled peptide to the receptor, the whole body and quantitative determination of ACE2 expression can be imaged. This molecular imaging approach enables animal model and clinical evaluation of this critical receptor, noninvasively.
PDF