To construct a prediction model based on peritumoral radiomics signatures from CT images and investigate its efficiency in predicting early recurrence (ER) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after ...curative treatment.
In total, 156 patients with primary HCC were randomly divided into the training cohort (109 patients) and the validation cohort (47 patients). From the pretreatment CT images, we extracted 3-phase two-dimensional images from the largest cross-sectional area of the tumor. A region of interest (ROI) was manually delineated around the lesion for tumoral radiomics (T-RO) feature extraction, and another ROI was outlined with an additional 2 cm peritumoral area for peritumoral radiomics (PT-RO) feature extraction. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression model was applied for feature selection and model construction. The T-RO and PT-RO models were constructed. In the validation cohort, the prediction efficiencies of the two models and peritumoral enhancement (PT-E) were evaluated qualitatively by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves and decision curves and quantitatively by area under the curve (AUC), the category-free net reclassification index (cfNRI) and integrated discrimination improvement values (IDI).
By comparing AUC values, the prediction accuracy in the validation cohort was good for the PT-RO model (0.80 vs. 0.79, P = 0.47) but poor for the T-RO model (0.82 vs. 0.62, P < 0.01), which was significantly overfitted. In the validation cohort, the ROC curves, calibration curves and decision curves indicated that the PT-RO model had better calibration efficiency and provided greater clinical benefits. CfNRI indicated that the PT-RO model correctly reclassified 47% of ER patients and 32% of non-ER patients compared to the T-RO model (P < 0.01); additionally, the PT-RO model correctly reclassified 24% of ER patients and 41% of non-ER patients compared to PT-E (P = 0.02). IDI indicated that the PT-RO model could improve prediction accuracy by 0.22 (P < 0.01) compared to the T-RO model and by 0.20 (P = 0.01) compared to PT-E.
The CT-based PT-RO model can effectively predict the ER of HCC and is more efficient than the T-RO model and the conventional imaging feature PT-E.
We present a new multitrace boundary integral equation (BIE) formulation for the solutions of the time-harmonic electromagnetic (EM) scattering from large and deep cavities. Comparing to previously ...integral equation formulations, the new formulation has two major benefits: 1) it leads to a well-conditioned system equation after multiplicative Schwarz preconditioning and 2) the localized impedance matrices arising from decomposed boundary value problems are immune from cavity resonance effects. We outline the key technical aspects of the new multitrace formulation, give the details of the numerical analysis and report numerical experiments verifying the analysis, and display the capabilities of the proposed methods.
Quantum networks are promising tools for the implementation of long-range quantum communication. The characterization of quantum correlations in networks and their usefulness for information ...processing is therefore central for the progress of the field, but so far only results for small basic network structures or pure quantum states are known. Here we show that symmetries provide a versatile tool for the analysis of correlations in quantum networks. We provide an analytical approach to characterize correlations in large network structures with arbitrary topologies. As examples, we show that entangled quantum states with a bosonic or fermionic symmetry can not be generated in networks; moreover, cluster and graph states are not accessible. Our methods can be used to design certification methods for the functionality of specific links in a network and have implications for the design of future network structures.
Collagen stabilization through irreversible cross‐linking is thought to promote hepatic fibrosis progression and limit its reversibility. However, the mechanism of this process remains poorly ...defined. We studied the functional contribution of lysyl oxidase (LOX) to collagen stabilization and hepatic fibrosis progression/reversal in vivo using chronic administration of irreversible LOX inhibitor β‐aminopropionitrile (BAPN, or vehicle as control) in C57Bl/6J mice with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)‐induced fibrosis. Fibrotic matrix stability was directly assessed using a stepwise collagen extraction assay and fibrotic septae morphometry. Liver cells and fibrosis were studied by histologic, biochemical methods and quantitative real‐time reverse‐transcription PCR. During fibrosis progression, BAPN administration suppressed accumulation of cross‐linked collagens, and fibrotic septae showed widening and collagen fibrils splitting, reminiscent of remodeling signs observed during fibrosis reversal. LOX inhibition attenuated hepatic stellate cell activation markers and promoted F4/80‐positive scar‐associated macrophage infiltration without an increase in liver injury. In reversal experiments, BAPN‐treated fibrotic mice demonstrated accelerated fibrosis reversal after CCl4 withdrawal. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that LOX contributes significantly to collagen stabilization in liver fibrosis, promotes fibrogenic activation of attenuated hepatic stellate cells, and limits fibrosis reversal. Our data support the concept of pharmacologic targeting of LOX pathway to inhibit liver fibrosis and promote its resolution.—Liu, S. B., Ikenaga, N., Peng, Z.‐W., Sverdlov, D. Y., Greenstein, A., Smith, V., Schuppan, D., Popov, Y. Lysyl oxidase activity contributes to collagen stabilization during liver fibrosis progression and limits spontaneous fibrosis reversal in mice. FASEB J. 30, 1599–1609 (2016). www.fasebj.org
Temporary hemiepiphysiodesis (TH) using an eight-Plate implant is one of the most common surgeries used for the correction of coronal angular deformities around the knee in adolescents. However, few ...studies have focused on children aged less than 10 years treated with TH using an eight-Plate implant. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy, correction velocity, and complications of TH with an eight-Plate implant as well as the occurrence of rebound and risk factors in this population.
This retrospective study included a total of 135 physes (101 knees) from 66 children (mean age of 4.69 years old, range from 1 to 10 years old) who underwent TH with an eight-Plate implant to correct coronal genu angular deformities in our hospital. Related clinical factors were recorded and analysed by multivariable linear and logistic regression models.
The mean deformity correction period was 13.26 months, and the mean follow-up after eight-Plate removal was 12.71 months. In all, 94.06% (95/101 knees) of the genu angular deformities were completely corrected. Non-idiopathic genu angular deformity was found to be an independent risk factor for deformity correction failure (odds ratio (OR) = 2.47). The femoral correction velocity was significantly higher than the tibial correction velocity (1.28° vs. 0.83° per month, p < 0.001). After adjustment for other factors, younger children had higher correction velocities in the distal femur; however, genu valgum and idiopathic deformities were associated with higher correction velocities in the proximal tibia. In addition, we found three (3/101, 2.97%) knees with genu valgum that experienced rebound after removal of the eight-Plate, while five (5/101, 4.95%) knees with non-idiopathic genu angular deformity experienced screw loosening. No other complications were found, and non-idiopathic deformity was the only risk factor for complications (OR = 3.96). No risk factor was found for rebound in our study.
TH using an eight-Plate implant is an effective procedure for coronal genu angular deformities with a low incidence of complications and rebound in patients younger than 10 years old. For this population, TH using an eight-Plate should be considered as soon as the deformity stops responding to conservative treatments. The parents of children younger than 10 years of age with non-idiopathic deformities should be informed preoperatively that the deformity may be prone to correction failure or screw loosening after eight-Plate implantation.
SUMMARY
Chloroplasts play a crucial role in plant growth and fruit quality. However, the molecular mechanisms of chloroplast development are still poorly understood in fruits. In this study, we ...investigated the role of the transcription factor SlBEL2 (BEL1‐LIKE HOMEODOMAIN 2) in fruit of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato). Phenotypic analysis of SlBEL2 overexpression (OE‐SlBEL2) and SlBEL2 knockout (KO‐SlBEL2) plants revealed that SlBEL2 has the function of inhibiting green shoulder formation in tomato fruits by affecting the development of fruit chloroplasts. Transcriptome profiling revealed that the expression of chloroplast‐related genes such as SlGLK2 and SlLHCB1 changed significantly in the fruit of OE‐SlBEL2 and KO‐SlBEL2 plants. Further analysis showed that SlBEL2 could not only bind to the promoter of SlGLK2 to inhibit its transcription, but also interacted with the SlGLK2 protein to inhibit the transcriptional activity of SlGLK2 and its downstream target genes. SlGLK2 knockout (KO‐SlGLK2) plants exhibited a complete absence of the green shoulder, which was consistent with the fruit phenotype of OE‐SlBEL2 plants. SlBEL2 showed an expression gradient in fruits, in contrast with that reported for SlGLK2. In conclusion, our study reveals that SlBEL2 affects the formation of green shoulder in tomato fruits by negatively regulating the gradient expression of SlGLK2, thus providing new insights into the molecular mechanism of fruit green shoulder formation.
Significance Statement
Chloroplasts play a crucial role in plant growth and fruit quality, but the molecular mechanisms underlying chloroplast development in fruits remain poorly understood. Here, our study reveals that SlBEL2 is expressed in a gradient in tomato fruits and affects the formation of the green shoulder in fruits by regulating chloroplast development, which provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of green shoulder formation in fruits.
The elderly population is increasing rapidly all over the world. One major risk for elderly people is fall accidents, especially for those living alone. In this paper, we propose a robust fall ...detection approach by analyzing the tracked key joints of the human body using a single depth camera. Compared to the rivals that rely on the RGB inputs, the proposed scheme is independent of illumination of the lights and can work even in a dark room. In our scheme, a pose-invariant randomized decision tree algorithm is proposed for the key joint extraction, which requires low computational cost during the training and test. Then, the support vector machine classifier is employed to determine whether a fall motion occurs, whose input is the 3-D trajectory of the head joint. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed fall detection method is more accurate and robust compared with the state-of-the-art methods.
Cognitive radio has been regarded as a promising technology to improve spectrum utilization significantly. In this letter, spectrum allocation model is presented firstly, and then spectrum allocation ...methods based on genetic algorithm (GA), quantum genetic algorithm (QGA), and particle swarm optimization (PSO), are proposed. To decrease the search space we propose a mapping process between the channel assignment matrix and the chromosome of GA, QGA, and the position of the particle of PSO, respectively, based on the characteristics of the channel availability matrix and the interference constraints. Results show that our proposed methods greatly outperform the commonly used color sensitive graph coloring algorithm.
Armed with quantum correlations, quantum sensors in a network have shown the potential to outclass their classical counterparts in distributed sensing tasks such as clock synchronization and ...reference frame alignment. On the other hand, this analysis was done for simple and idealized networks, whereas the correlation shared within a practical quantum network, captured by the notion of network states, is much more complex. Here, we prove a general bound that limits the performance of using quantum network states to estimate a global parameter, establishing the necessity of genuine multipartite entanglement for achieving a quantum advantage. The bound can also serve as an entanglement witness in networks and can be generalized to states generated by shallow circuits. Moreover, while our bound prohibits local network states from achieving the Heisenberg limit, we design a probabilistic protocol that, once successful, attains this ultimate limit of quantum metrology and preserves the privacy of involved parties. Our work establishes both the limitation and the possibility of quantum metrology within quantum networks.
A 2D zinc(
ii
) metal-organic framework (Zn-MOF-
1
) formulated as Zn
2
(L)
2
(TPA)·2H
2
O, (L = 4-(tetrazol-5-yl)phenyl-4,2′:6′,4′′-terpyridine, TPA = terephthalic acid) was successfully obtained ...under solvothermal conditions. Zn-MOF-
1
shows a new 2D double-layered honeycomb structure containing Zn
2+
ions, ligand L and TPA, with uncoordinated nitrogen atoms (from pyridine rings and tetrazol rings) of L and uncoordinated carboxylate oxygen atoms of TPA, which easily form hydrogen bonds with analytes. Fluorescence analysis reveals that Zn-MOF-
1
generates strong blue luminescence, which can be assigned to ligand-centered emission. More importantly, it is the first reported recyclable multi-responsive Zn-MOF fluorescence sensor for pesticide 2,6-dichloro-4-nitroaniline, Fe(
iii
) and Cr(
vi
) (CrO
4
2−
/Cr
2
O
7
2−
ions) detection with high sensitivity, selectivity and low detection limit in methanol or water
via
fluorescence quenching. Furthermore, selective sensing by Zn-MOF-
1
of 2,6-dichloro-4-nitroaniline, Fe
3+
ions, and CrO
4
2−
or Cr
2
O
7
2−
ions can mainly be attributed to the absorption by the analytes of the excitation and/or emission light of Zn-MOF-
1
and the electronic interactions between Zn-MOF-
1
and the analytes.
A stable Zn-MOF acts as a multi-responsive luminescent sensor for efficient and recyclable detection of organochlorine pesticide 2,6-dichloro-4-nitroaniline, Fe(
iii
) and Cr(
vi
) with high selectivity and sensitivity.
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