Lung cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related deaths in many countries around the world, and its histopathological diagnosis is crucial for deciding on optimum treatment strategies. ...Recently, Artificial Intelligence (AI) deep learning models have been widely shown to be useful in various medical fields, particularly image and pathological diagnoses; however, AI models for the pathological diagnosis of pulmonary lesions that have been validated on large-scale test sets are yet to be seen. We trained a Convolution Neural Network (CNN) based on the EfficientNet-B3 architecture, using transfer learning and weakly-supervised learning, to predict carcinoma in Whole Slide Images (WSIs) using a training dataset of 3,554 WSIs. We obtained highly promising results for differentiating between lung carcinoma and non-neoplastic with high Receiver Operator Curve (ROC) area under the curves (AUCs) on four independent test sets (ROC AUCs of 0.975, 0.974, 0.988, and 0.981, respectively). Development and validation of algorithms such as ours are important initial steps in the development of software suites that could be adopted in routine pathological practices and potentially help reduce the burden on pathologists.
This paper examines the possible linkage between the recent reduction in Arctic sea‐ice extent and the wintertime Arctic Oscillation (AO)/North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Observational analyses ...using the ERA interim reanalysis and merged Hadley/Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature data reveal that a reduced (increased) sea‐ice area in November leads to more negative (positive) phases of the AO and NAO in early and late winter, respectively. We simulate the atmospheric response to observed sea‐ice anomalies using a high‐top atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM for Earth Simulator, AFES version 4.1). The results from the simulation reveal that the recent Arctic sea‐ice reduction results in cold winters in mid‐latitude continental regions, which are linked to an anomalous circulation pattern similar to the negative phase of AO/NAO with an increased frequency of large negative AO events by a factor of over two. Associated with this negative AO/NAO phase, cold air advection from the Arctic to the mid‐latitudes increases. We found that the stationary Rossby wave response to the sea‐ice reduction in the Barents Sea region induces this anomalous circulation. We also found a positive feedback mechanism resulting from the anomalous meridional circulation that cools the mid‐latitudes and warms the Arctic, which adds an extra heating to the Arctic air column equivalent to about 60% of the direct surface heat release from the sea‐ice reduction. The results from this high‐top model experiment also suggested a critical role of the stratosphere in deepening the tropospheric annular mode and modulation of the NAO in mid to late winter through stratosphere‐troposphere coupling.
Key Points
Recent Arctic sea‐ice reduction shifts the AO to be more negative phase
Associated negative AO pattern brings continental cooling in the NH mid‐latitude
Positive feedback process to ice reduction cools mid-latitudes and warms Arctic
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica are important pathogens worldwide. Bacteriophages can be effectively used to reduce the incidence of foodborne pathogens. The host ...recognition systems of phages are highly specific, with the host range of a common phage being limited to the species or strain level. Here, we characterized a novel broad-host-range phage, EscoHU1, that infects several bacterial species, including E. coli and S. enterica, and evaluated its antimicrobial potential to inhibit E. coli O157:H7 and S. Typhimurium growth in food systems. The adsorption of EscoHU1 on E. coli was faster than that on S. Typhimurium; however, the one-step growth curves of EscoHU1 in both species were similar. Genomic analysis of EscoHU1 revealed that this phage has long direct terminal repeats at both ends of the genome, and phylogenetic analysis of the terminase large subunit confirmed that EscoHU1 belongs to the genus Epseptimavirus. Comparative analysis of structural proteins indicated a diversity of proteins related to the host range (receptor-binding proteins and L-shaped tail fibers). Challenge tests using beef and milk demonstrated the antimicrobial effects of EscoHU1 in inhibiting the growth of E. coli O157:H7 and S. Typhimurium in the food system. However, the antimicrobial effect of EscoHU1 on S. Typhimurium was lower than that on E. coli O157:H7. These results suggest that the novel broad-host-range phage EscoHU1 may serve as an effective antimicrobial agent to reduce food poisoning caused by E. coli O157:H7 and S. Typhimurium.
•The broad host range phage EscoHU1 was characterized.•Phage EscoHU1 belongs to the genus Epseptimavirus.•Receptor-binding protein and L-shaped tail fiber show high diversity.•Phage EscoHU1 can inhibit E. coli and S. Typhimurium growth in food.
A comparative analysis of animal behavior (e.g., male vs. female groups) has been widely used to elucidate behavior specific to one group since pre-Darwinian times. However, big data generated by new ...sensing technologies, e.g., GPS, makes it difficult for them to contrast group differences manually. This study introduces DeepHL, a deep learning-assisted platform for the comparative analysis of animal movement data, i.e., trajectories. This software uses a deep neural network based on an attention mechanism to automatically detect segments in trajectories that are characteristic of one group. It then highlights these segments in visualized trajectories, enabling biologists to focus on these segments, and helps them reveal the underlying meaning of the highlighted segments to facilitate formulating new hypotheses. We tested the platform on a variety of trajectories of worms, insects, mice, bears, and seabirds across a scale from millimeters to hundreds of kilometers, revealing new movement features of these animals.
Amplified Arctic warming and its relevance to mid-latitude cooling in winter have been intensively studied. Observational evidence has shown strong connections between decreasing sea ice and cooling ...over the Siberian/East Asian regions. However, the robustness of such connections remains a matter of discussion because modeling studies have shown divergent and controversial results. Here, we report a set of general circulation model experiments specifically designed to extract memory effects of land processes that can amplify sea ice-climate impacts. The results show that sea ice-induced cooling anomalies over the Eurasian continent are memorized in the snow amount and soil temperature fields, and they reemerge in the following winters to enhance negative Arctic Oscillation-like anomalies. The contribution from this memory effect is similar in magnitude to the direct effect of sea ice loss. The results emphasize the essential role of land processes in understanding and evaluating the Arctic-mid-latitude climate linkage.
The differentiation between major histological types of lung cancer, such as adenocarcinoma (ADC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is of crucial importance for ...determining optimum cancer treatment. Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E)-stained slides of small transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) are one of the primary sources for making a diagnosis; however, a subset of cases present a challenge for pathologists to diagnose from H&E-stained slides alone, and these either require further immunohistochemistry or are deferred to surgical resection for definitive diagnosis. We trained a deep learning model to classify H&E-stained Whole Slide Images of TBLB specimens into ADC, SCC, SCLC, and non-neoplastic using a training set of 579 WSIs. The trained model was capable of classifying an independent test set of 83 challenging indeterminate cases with a receiver operator curve area under the curve (AUC) of 0.99. We further evaluated the model on four independent test sets-one TBLB and three surgical, with combined total of 2407 WSIs-demonstrating highly promising results with AUCs ranging from 0.94 to 0.99.
The future stratosphere is globally dominated by a strong radiative cooling due to the increase in greenhouse gases. However, we find that over North America, the Arctic stratospheric cooling is ...suppressed or rather warming occurs, whereas over Eurasia stratospheric cooling is most pronounced, leading to an asymmetric polar vortex, based on 21st century climate model simulations. There are many causes that drive polar vortex variability, which make future projections highly uncertain. Our model simulations demonstrate that tropical warming induces the asymmetric polar vortex. The eastern equatorial Pacific warming causes eastward‐shifted teleconnection with a deepened Aleutian low, which strengthens the polar vortex over Eurasia and weakens over North America by enhancing the vertical wave propagation into the stratosphere. The asymmetric polar vortex is projected to markedly develop in the 2030s, and so could affect winter surface climate over mid‐ to high‐latitudes of Eurasia in the near future.
Plain Language Summary
Recent cold extremes in northern mid‐latitudes have seriously damaged economic and societal activities. It has been suggested that during the past three decades the Arctic stratospheric polar vortex has slightly shifted away from North America toward Eurasia associated with Arctic sea ice loss, favoring the cold extremes. Our study shows that in a few decades, such extreme weather events might further increase or intensify due to the enhancement of the polar vortex asymmetry between North America and Eurasia. We found that the asymmetric polar vortex significantly develops in the 2030s and is robust throughout the late 21st century. The asymmetric polar vortex is caused by tropical ocean warming. These findings provide a new insight into Arctic climate changes and would help advance our understanding of ongoing mid‐latitude climate change.
Key Points
The Arctic stratospheric cooling in the future is most pronounced over Eurasia, whereas over North America stratospheric warming occurs
Tropical Pacific warming takes the place of Arctic sea ice loss as the dominating forcing of the polar vortex
The asymmetric polar vortex could act to increase the cold extreme events over mid‐ to high‐latitudes of Eurasia in the near future
Summertime temperatures in marginal seas are, in general, colder than on the surrounding continent because of the large contrast in heat capacity between the land and the ocean. The Okhotsk Sea, ...which is covered by sea ice until early summer, is much colder than the surrounding continent in summer. The Okhotsk Sea is thus located in an area with one of the largest temperature contrasts of all the marginal seas in summertime midlatitudes. Cooled air over the Okhotsk Sea may have an impact on remote summer climates, such as by serving as the source of cold-air advection that results in a poor crop harvest in Japan. Here, we examine the role of the Okhotsk Sea on the early summer climate of the western part of the North Pacific through an ideal numerical experiment by artificially changing the model’s default oceanic condition in the Okhotsk Sea to a condition of land cover. Simulation results reveal that the presence of the Okhotsk Sea increases precipitation of the baiu/mei-yu front through strengthening of the northward moisture flux at the western edge of an intensified North Pacific subtropical high. The Okhotsk influence farther extends toward western North America to which the strengthened jet stream with a storm track extends. This remote influence is achievable through feedback from a transient eddy anomaly that is activated by the surface temperature gradient between the cold Okhotsk Sea and the warm Pacific Ocean. The findings imply that the existence of the Okhotsk Sea strengthens the East Asian summer monsoons.
In this study, we aimed to investigate the sanitizing effects of peracetic acid (PAA), and the underlying mechanism of its antimicrobial action against Morganella psychrotolerans. The exposure of M. ...psychrotolerans to 20 ppm PAA for 5 min led to its decrease below the detection level, indicating that PAA has a significant antibacterial effect against M. psychrotolerans in vitro. Moreover, the viable counts of M. psychrotolerans on saury (Cololabis saira) surface were showed a reduction of 1.40 and 2.23 log CFU/cm2 upon treatment with 80 ppm PAA for 1 and 5 min, respectively. Further, PAA treatment delayed the growth of M. psychrotolerans on saury surface during storage at 4 °C. Next, the antimicrobial mechanism of PAA against M. psychrotolerans cells was investigated, and the damage to the cell membrane and cell surface upon PAA treatment was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and epifluorescence microscopy. The chromosomal DNA and the protein profiles after PAA treatment were also analyzed. Form our results, we hypothesized that the bactericidal effect of PAA treatment was mainly attributed to damage the bacterial cell membrane. These results indicate that PAA may be an efficient disinfectant against M. psychrotolerans and has applications in seafood processing and storage.
•PAA had good sanitizing efficacy for against M. psychrotolerans in vitro.•Washing with PAA was able to reduce M. psychrotolerans populations on saury surfaces.•PAA caused bacterial death by disrupting the cell membrane.
The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is quasi-periodic
oscillation of the tropical zonal wind in the stratosphere. When the
tropical lower stratospheric wind is easterly (westerly), the winter
...Northern Hemisphere (NH) stratospheric polar vortex tends to be weak
(strong). This relation is known as the Holton–Tan relationship. Several
mechanisms for this relationship have been proposed, especially linking the
tropics with high latitudes through stratospheric pathway. Although QBO
impacts on the troposphere have been extensively discussed, a tropospheric
pathway of the Holton–Tan relationship has not been explored previously. Here,
we propose a tropospheric pathway of the QBO impact, which may partly
account for the Holton–Tan relationship in early winter, especially in the
November–December period. The study is based on analyses of observational
data and results from a simple linear model and atmospheric general
circulation model (AGCM) simulations. The mechanism is summarized as
follows: the easterly phase of the QBO is accompanied with colder
temperature in the tropical tropopause layer, which enhances convective
activity over the tropical western Pacific and suppresses it over the Indian
Ocean, thus enhancing the Walker circulation. This convection anomaly
generates a Rossby wave train, propagating into the midlatitude troposphere,
which constructively interferences with the climatological stationary waves,
especially in wavenumber 1, resulting in enhanced upward propagation of the
planetary wave and a weakened polar vortex.
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