Plant water source effects on plant-soil feedback for primary succession of terrestrial ecosystems in a glacier region in China

Despite the extensive research conducted on plant-soil-water interactions, the understanding of the role of plant water sources in different plant successional stages remains limited. In this study, we employed a combination of water isotopes (δ2H and δ18O) and leaf δ13C to investigate water use patterns and leaf water use efficiency (WUE) during the growing season (May to September 2021) in Hailuogou glacier forefronts in China. Our findings revealed that surface soil water and soil nutrient gradually increased during primary succession. Dominant plant species exhibited a preference for upper soil water uptake during the peak leaf out period (June to August), while they relied more on lower soil water sources during the post-leaf out period (May) or senescence (September to October). Furthermore, plants in late successional stages showed higher rates of water uptake from uppermost soil layers. Notably, there was a significant positive correlation between the percentage of water uptake by plants and available soil water content in middle and late stages. Additionally, our results indicated a gradual decrease in WUE with progression through succession, with shallow soil moisture utilization negatively impacting overall WUE across all succession stages. Path analysis further highlighted that surface soil moisture (0- 20 cm) and middle layer nutrient availability (20- 50 cm) played crucial roles in determining WUE. Overall, this research emphasizes the critical influence of water source selection on plant succession dynamics while elucidating underlying mechanisms linking succession with plant water consumption.

The seasonal variability of future evapotranspiration over China during the 21st century

The evapotranspiration (ET) plays a crucial role in shaping regional climate patterns and serves as a vital indicator of ecosystem function. However, there remains a limited understanding of the seasonal variability of future ET over China and its correlation with environmental drivers. This study evaluated the skills of 27 models from the Six Phase of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project in modeling ET and the Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) method was employed to merge monthly simulated ET based on the top five best-performing models. The seasonal changes in ET under three climate scenarios from 2030 to 2099 were analyzed based on the BMA-merged ET, which was well validated with observed ET collected from fourteen flux sites across China. Significant increasing ET over China are projected under all seasons during 2030-2099, with 0.05-0.13 mm yr-1, 0.11-0.23 mm yr-1, and 0.20-0.41 mm yr-1 under SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios, respectively. Relative to the historical period (1980-2014), the relative increase in ET over China is highest in winter and lowest in summer. Seasonal ET increases significantly in all seven climate sub-regions under high forcing scenario. Higher ET increase is generally found in southeastern humid regions, while lowest ET increase occurs in northwest China. At the country level, the primary factor driving ET increase during spring, summer, and autumn seasons is the increasing net radiation and warming. In contrast, ET increase during winter is influenced not only by energy factors but also by vegetation-related factors. Future seasonal ET increase is predominantly driven by increasing energy factors in the southeastern humid region and Tibetan Plateau, while seasonal ET changes in the northwest region prevailingly depend on soil moisture. Results indicate that China will experience a "wet season will get wetter, and dry season will become drier" in the 21st century with high radiation forcing scenario.

Effects of 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP, Bovaer®10) and whole cottonseed on milk production and enteric methane emissions from dairy cows under Swiss management conditions

The objective of this study was to determine the potential effect and interaction of 3- nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP; Bovaer®) and whole cottonseed (WCS) on lactational performance, and enteric methane (CH4) emission of dairy cows. A total of 16 multiparous cows, including 8 Holstein Friesian (HF) and 8 Brown Swiss (BS) [224 ± 36 d in milk, 26 ± 3.7 kg milk yield], were used in a split-plot design, where the main plot was the breed of cows. Within each subplot, cows were randomly assigned to a treatment sequence in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin Square design with 2 × 2 factorial arrangements of treatments with 4, 24-d periods. The experimental treatments were: 1) Control (basal TMR), 2) 3-NOP (60 mg/kg TMR DM), 3) WCS (5% TMR DM), and 4) 3-NOP + WCS. The treatment diets were balanced for ether extract, crude protein, and NDF contents (4%, 16%, and 43% of TMR DM, respectively). The basal diets were fed twice daily at 0800 and 1800 h. Dry matter intake (DMI) and milk yield were measured daily, and enteric gas emissions were measured (using the GreenFeed system) during the last 3 d of each 24-d experimental period when animals were housed in tie stalls. There was no difference in DMI on treatment level, whereas the WCS treatment increased ECM yield and milk fat yield. There was no interaction of 3-NOP and WCS for any of the enteric gas emission parameters, but 3-NOP decreased CH4 production (g/d), CH4 yield (g/kg DMI), and CH4 intensity (g/kg ECM) by 13, 14 and 13%, respectively. Further, an unexpected interaction of breed by 3-NOP was observed for different enteric CH4 emission metrics: HF cows had a greater CH4 mitigation effect compared with BS cows for CH4 production (g/d; 18 vs. 8%), CH4 intensity (g/kg MY; 19% vs. 3%) and CH4 intensity (g/kg ECM; 19 vs. 4%). Hydrogen production was increased by 2.85 folds in HF and 1.53 folds in BS cows receiving 3-NOP. Further, there was a 3-NOP ' Time interaction for both breeds. In BS cows, 3-NOP tended to reduce CH4 production by 18% at around 4 h after morning feeding but no effect was observed at other time points. In HF cows, the greatest mitigation effect of 3-NOP (29.6%) was observed immediately after morning feeding and it persisted at around 23% to 26% for 10 h until the second feed provision, and 3 h thereafter, in the evening. In conclusion, supplementing 3-NOP at 60 mg/kg DM to a high fiber diet resulted in 18 to 19% reduction in enteric CH4 emission in Swiss Holstein Friesian cows. The lower response to 3-NOP by BS cows was unexpected and has not been observed in other studies. These results should be interpreted with caution due to low number of cows per breed. Lastly, supplementing WCS at 5% of DM improved ECM and milk fat yield but did not enhance CH4 inhibition effect of 3-NOP of dairy cows.

Search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson to a pair of pseudoscalars in the μμbb and ττbb final states

A search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson (H ) with a mass of 125Ge V to a pair of light pseudoscalars a 1 is performed in final states where one pseudoscalar decays to two b quarks and the other to a pair of muons or τ leptons. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at s = 13 Te V corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138fb - 1 recorded with the CMS detector is analyzed. No statistically significant excess is observed over the standard model backgrounds. Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level (CL ) on the Higgs boson branching fraction to μ μ b b and to τ τ b b , via a pair of a 1 s. The limits depend on the pseudoscalar mass m a 1 and are observed to be in the range (0.17-3.3) × 10 - 4 and (1.7-7.7) × 10 - 2 in the μ μ b b and τ τ b b final states, respectively. In the framework of models with two Higgs doublets and a complex scalar singlet (2HDM+S), the results of the two final states are combined to determine upper limits on the branching fraction B ( H → a 1 a 1 → ℓ ℓ b b ) at 95% CL , with ℓ being a muon or a τ lepton. For different types of 2HDM+S, upper bounds on the branching fraction B ( H → a 1 a 1 ) are extracted from the combination of the two channels. In most of the Type II 2HDM+S parameter space, B ( H → a 1 a 1 ) values above 0.23 are excluded at 95% CL for m a 1 values between 15 and 60Ge V .

[Silent pulmonary shadows]

An elderly woman with a 1-year history of pulmonary shadows was admitted because of intermittent cough and sputum production for 2 months. Chest computed tomography (CT) scans showed bilateral consolidations and ground-glass opacities, with areas of low attenuation inside consolidative opacities on the mediastinal window. Previous history of radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma and long-term use of a compound menthol nasal drops provided were important clues to the diagnosis. CT scan-guided needle lung biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage were performed, and lipid-laden macrophages were confirmed in both bronchoalveolar lavage and lung tissue. Final diagnosis of exogenous lipoid pneumonia was made on the basis of her risk factors for aspiration, history of oil exposure, and classic radiological and histopathological features. Symptoms improved after discontinuation of causative exposure. It is important for clinicians to raise awareness of exogenous lipoid pneumonia and other aspiration lung diseases.

CT quantification of pulmonary vessels in lung aging

AIM

To evaluate the effect of aging on pulmonary vessels based on computed tomography (CT) quantification and analyse the correlation between quantitative pulmonary vascular volume and pulmonary function during aging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 330 healthy adult volunteers, including 161 men (53 aged 20-39 years, 61 aged 40-59 years, and 47 aged ≥60 years) and 169 women (53 aged 20-39 years, 63 aged 40-59 years, and 53 aged ≥60 years) were recruited in this study. AVIEW software was used to quantitatively measure pulmonary vascular volume, including pulmonary total blood vessel volume (TBV) and small blood vessel volume with a cross-sectional area of <5 mm2 (BV5). Pulmonary vascular volume parameters were standardised using the ratio of vascular volume to the body surface area (BSA; TBV/BSA and BV5/BSA). Subsequently, the effect of aging on the pulmonary vessels was analysed.

RESULTS

The pulmonary vascular volume parameters TBV/BSA and BV5/BSA of the whole lung, right lung, and left lung decreased significantly with increasing age (p<0.05). Additionally, TBV/BSA and BV5/BSA of the whole lung were higher in men than in women. The declining trend of pulmonary vascular volume was consistent in men and women and increased with age.

CONCLUSIONS

The pulmonary vascular volume parameters, TBV/BSA and BV5/BSA, decreased with age and were weakly positively correlated with pulmonary function.

Prognostic value of serial coronary computed tomography angiography-derived perivascular fat-attenuation index and plaque volume in patients with suspected coronary artery disease

AIMS

To investigate the prognostic value of serial coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) derived plaque information, fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR), and perivascular fat-attenuation index (FAI) on major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with suspected coronary artery disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 252 patients who underwent serial CCTA between January 2018 and December 2021 and were followed until June 2022. MACE were recorded. The analysis indexes included percent diameter stenosis (%DS), lesion length, plaque volume, CT-FFR, and FAI, with an emphasis on their changes between the baseline and follow-up CCTAs. Multivariate regression analysis were employed to identify independent risk factors for MACE.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 48-month, MACE occurred in 32 patients (12.7%). Patients with MACE displayed more severe stenosis, longer lesions, and larger plaque volumes in both baseline and follow-up CCTAs compared with no-MACE patients (all P<0.05). Patients with MACE displayed more severe stenosis, longer lesion, and larger plaque volume in both baseline and follow-up CCTAs compared with no-MACE patients. In addition, MACE patients also showed lower CT-FFR and higher △CT-FFR. Although FAI was significantly higher in MACE patients at baseline CCTA, FAI was notably increased in MACE patients, and decreased in the no-MACE patients (all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that ΔFAI, %DS, and plaque volume were independent predictors of MACE, with ΔFAI being the most significant (OR: 16.725, P<0.000). A multivariable model showed a significantly improved C-index of 0.903 (95% confidence interval: 0.836-0.970) for MACE prediction, when compared with single index alone.

CONCLUSIONS

Serial CCTA-derived ΔFAI, %DS, and plaque volume are crucial independent predictors of MACE in patients with suspected coronary artery disease, highlighting the importance of CCTA in patient risk stratification and prognostic assessment.

Characterization of placentome vascular perfusion in relation to pregnancy associated glycoproteins throughout gestation in pregnant beef heifers

During pregnancy, blood flow to the uterus changes to support fetal demand. Placentomes serve as vascular attachment sites on the placenta for exchange of gases, nutrients, and metabolic products. Non-invasive methods of ultrasonography and biomarkers have been described to assess placental health and fetal viability. Pregnancy associated glycoproteins (PAGs) are produced by the ruminant placenta and are detected in maternal circulation. In cattle, changes in circulating PAG concentrations are associated with embryonic and fetal outcomes. The objective of this study was to determine the association between placentome blood perfusion and circulating PAG concentrations as they relate to the health of the developing fetus. We hypothesized that placentome perfusion and PAG concentration will be positively correlated and associated with neonatal outcome. A prospective, observational study was designed using 26 pregnant, nulliparous, Angus heifers in which PAG concentration and placentome blood perfusion were assessed throughout gestation, with assessment of calving characteristics following parturition. Placentome blood perfusion was visualized at 30-day intervals via transrectal Doppler ultrasonography with power flow function. Ultrasound images were analyzed using ImageJ software to determine the percent area of perfusion and integrated pixel densities. Venous blood was collected and PAG concentrations were determined via serum PAG enzyme-linked immunoassay. Mean placentome blood perfusion increased as gestation advanced. PAG concentrations demonstrated the expected temporal trend, increasing with gestation length, and were positively linearly correlated with placentome perfusion (P < 0.0001). The relationship identified between circulating PAG concentration and placentome blood perfusion suggests the use of transrectal power flow Doppler ultrasonography as a noninvasive technique to determine placental blood flow morphometrics to assess conceptus wellbeing throughout pregnancy.

Predictive effect of net water uptake on futile recanalisation in patients with acute large-vessel occlusion stroke

AIM

To determine whether net water uptake (NWU) based on automated software evaluation could predict futile recanalisation in patients with acute anterior circulation large-vessel occlusion (LVO).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with acute anterior circulation LVO undergoing mechanical thrombectomy in Jinling Hospital were evaluated retrospectively. NWU and other baseline data were evaluated by performing univariate and multivariate analyses. The primary endpoint was 90-day modified Rankin scale score ≥3. A nomogram to predict poor clinical outcomes was developed based on multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Overall, 135 patients who underwent thrombectomy with a TICI grade ≥2b were enrolled. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the following factors were identified as independent predictors of futile recanalisation: age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.055, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.004-1.110, p=0.035), female (OR: 0.289, 95 % CI: 0.098-0.850, p=0.024), hypertension (OR: 3.182, 95 % CI: 1.160-8.728, p=0.025), high blood glucose level (OR: 1.36, 95 % CI: 1.087-1.701, p=0.007), admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (OR: 1.082, 95 % CI: 1.003-1.168, p=0.043), and NWU (OR: 1.312, 95 % CI: 1.038-1.659, p=0.023).

CONCLUSIONS

NWU based on Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography (CT) Score (ASPECTS) could be used to predict the occurrence of futile recanalisation in patients with acute anterior circulation LVO ischaemic stroke.

The Influence of Drug-Eluting Beads Transarterial Chemoembolization on Serum Levels of Soluble Programmed Cell Death Protein-1 in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients

Aim

This study aims to explore the role of soluble programmed cell death protein 1 (sPD-1) in individuals with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing treatment with drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization (D-TACE). Additionally, we aim to assess the potential utility of sPD-1 for determining the optimal timing for combining D-TACE with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Materials and Methods

A total of 44 HCC patients eligible for D-TACE and 55 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. Three milliliters of peripheral venous blood from the patients were collected on the day before D-TACE and 3, 7, and 30 days after D-TACE, respectively, for the assay of sPD-1. The relationships between sPD-1 levels, clinical features, outcomes, and the fluctuation of sPD-1 during treatment were analyzed.

Results

The initial sPD-1 levels in patients were found to be significantly higher than those in the control group. Although the initial sPD-1 levels displayed a decreasing trend with an increase in BCLC stage, no significant differences were observed among patients at different BCLC stages. The sPD-1 level on day 3 after D-TACE was similar to that on day 7 after D-TACE and significantly lower than the initial level. The sPD-1 level on day 30 after D-TACE was significantly higher than that on day 3 and day 7 after D-TACE and nearly returned to the initial level before D-TACE.

Conclusion

The level of sPD-1 was found to be significantly elevated in patients with HCC. However, further research is deemed necessary to fully understand the role of sPD-1 as a potential biomarker in the initiation, progression, and prognosis of HCC. The decrease in sPD-1 following D-TACE suggests that immune effector cells might potentially be reduced, as well as immune function weakened, highlighting the need to avoid the prompt administration of ICIs after D-TACE.

Observation of WWγ Production and Search for Hγ Production in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

The observation of WWγ production in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1} is presented. The observed (expected) significance is 5.6 (5.1) standard deviations. Events are selected by requiring exactly two leptons (one electron and one muon) of opposite charge, moderate missing transverse momentum, and a photon. The measured fiducial cross section for WWγ is 5.9±0.8(stat)±0.8(syst)±0.7(modeling)  fb, in agreement with the next-to-leading order quantum chromodynamics prediction. The analysis is extended with a search for the associated production of the Higgs boson and a photon, which is generated by a coupling of the Higgs boson to light quarks. The result is used to constrain the Higgs boson couplings to light quarks.

MRI radiomics predicts the efficacy of EGFR-TKI in EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer with brain metastasis

AIM

To develop and validate models based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics for predicting the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) in EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with brain metastases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

117 EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients with brain metastases who received EGFR-TKI treatment were included in this study from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2021. Patients were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts in a ratio of 2:1. Radiomics features extracted from brain MRI were screened by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm. Logistic regression analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were used to screen clinical risk factors. Clinical (C), radiomics (R), and combined (C + R) nomograms were constructed in models predicting short-term efficacy and intracranial progression-free survival (iPFS), respectively. Calibration curves, Harrell's concordance index (C-index), and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the performance of models.

RESULTS

Overall response rate (ORR) was 57.3% and median iPFS was 12.67 months. The C + R nomograms were more effective. In the short-term efficacy model, the C-indexes of C + R nomograms in training cohort and validation cohort were 0.860 (0.820-0.901, 95%CI) and 0.843 (0.783-0.904, 95%CI). In iPFS model, the C-indexes of C + R nomograms in training cohort and validation cohort were 0.837 (0.751-0.923, 95%CI) and 0.850 (0.763-0.937, 95%CI).

CONCLUSION

The C + R nomograms were more effective in predicting EGFR-TKI efficacy of EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients with brain metastases than single clinical or radiomics nomograms.

New Structures in the J/ψJ/ψ Mass Spectrum in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

A search is reported for near-threshold structures in the J/ψJ/ψ invariant mass spectrum produced in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV from data collected by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 135  fb^{-1}. Three structures are found, and a model with quantum interference among these structures provides a good description of the data. A new structure is observed with a local significance above 5 standard deviations at a mass of 6638_{-38}^{+43}(stat)_{-31}^{+16}(syst)  MeV. Another structure with even higher significance is found at a mass of 6847_{-28}^{+44}(stat)_{-20}^{+48}(syst)  MeV, which is consistent with the X(6900) resonance reported by the LHCb experiment and confirmed by the ATLAS experiment. Evidence for another new structure, with a local significance of 4.7 standard deviations, is found at a mass of 7134_{-25}^{+48}(stat)_{-15}^{+41}(syst)  MeV. Results are also reported for a model without interference, which does not fit the data as well and shows mass shifts up to 150 MeV relative to the model with interference.

Prognostic implications of CT-defined ground glass opacity in clinical stage I-IIA grade 3 invasive non-mucinous pulmonary adenocarcinoma

AIM

To investigate the prognostic impact of computed tomography (CT)-defined ground glass opacity (GGO) in patients with clinical stage I-IIA grade 3 invasive non-mucinous pulmonary adenocarcinoma (INPA).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present study retrospectively enrolled 187 patients diagnosed with stage I-IIA grade 3 INPA. Their clinicopathological, radiological, and genetic information was evaluated systematically, and a 5-year follow-up was conducted to monitor disease recurrence and mortality. Patients were stratified based on the presence of a GGO component, and the Cox proportional hazard model was employed to assess the influence of clinicopathological factors and genetic variables on tumour outcomes. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test.

RESULTS

Significant differences were observed in both OS and RFS based on the presence of a GGO component. The group with GGO exhibited superior OS (p=0.002) and RFS (p=0.029). Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of a GGO component (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.412, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.177-0.959, p=0.040), clinical T2 stage (HR=2.473, 95% CI: 1.498-4.083, p<0.001), pathological N2 stage (HR=3.049, 95% CI: 1.800-5.167, p<0.001), and mixed high-grade patterns (HR=2.392, 95% CI: 1.418-4.036, p=0.001) were predictors of RFS.

CONCLUSION

The presence of a GGO component is strongly associated with a favourable prognosis in grade 3 INPA.

Light Quality Effect on Internal N Retranslocation in Podocarpus macrophyllus Precultured with Exponential Nutrient Loading

Streetlamp light is inevitable in the night landscape of a city and may affect the phenology of newly planted ornamental plants, but it has rarely been fully examined. Newly transplanted ornamental plants probably suffer periodic shocks, which mainly result from the inefficient reuse of internal nutrients for new growth. Exponential nutrient loading (ENL) is well known for its ability to overcome transplant shocks by promoting retranslocation for the reuse of strengthened nutrients from internal reserves in precultured seedlings. Transplantation to urbanized lands is distinct from that of montane areas; this is mainly due to a high frequency of exposure to the artificial illumination of night lighting. It is suspected that this lighting modifies vegetative phenology and generates potential risks by increasing reliance on internal nutrient retranslocation. In this study, Podocarpus macrophyllus seedlings were cultured with ENL at low and high rates of nitrogen (N) deliveries (40 and 120 mg N seedling-1, respectively), and the high-rate treatment was identified as being able to trap seedlings within toxic states. A labeled 15N isotope was pulsed to transplanted seedlings exposed to simulated light qualities in red, green, and blue light spectra. The seedlings harvested at one month showed rare responses to the interactive spectra and preculture treatments, but most of them responded to the low-rate N preculture treatment with stronger abilities in terms of the reuse of internal N and the synthesizing of photosynthetic pigments. In conclusion, it was verified that night light enforces the effect on newly transplanted plants; the red light invoked internal N for reuse, and the blue light promoted the uptake of the current N. The internal N reserve established through preculture ENL rarely made a contribution to the night light effect, except for the enhancement of height growth in the red light. The red light spectrum was recommended for the exposure of newly transplanted seedlings due to its effect on the enhancement of the retranslocation of internal N and the induction of a steady state of uptake from the current N input.

Depth effects on bacterial community altitudinal patterns and assembly processes in the warm-temperate montane forests of China

Soil bacterial communities are essential for ecosystem function, yet their response along altitudinal gradients in different soil strata remains unclear. Understanding bacterial community co-occurrence networks and assembly patterns in mountain ecosystems is crucial for comprehending microbial ecosystem functions. We utilized Illumina MiSeq sequencing to study bacterial diversity and assembly patterns of surface and subsurface soils across a range of elevations (700 to 2100 m) on Dongling Mountain. Our results showed significant altitudinal distribution patterns concerning bacterial diversity and structure in the surface soil. The bacterial diversity exhibited a consistent decrease, while specific taxa demonstrated unique patterns along the altitudinal gradient. However, no altitudinal dependence was observed for bacterial diversity and community structure in the subsurface soil. Additionally, a shift in bacterial ecological groups is evident with changing soil depth. Copiotrophic taxa thrive in surface soils characterized by higher carbon and nutrient content, while oligotrophic taxa dominate in subsurface soils with more limited resources. Bacterial community characteristics exhibited strong correlations with soil organic carbon in both soil layers, followed by pH in the surface soil and soil moisture in the subsurface soil. With increasing depth, there is an observable increase in taxa-taxa interaction complexity and network structure within bacterial communities. The surface soil exhibits greater sensitivity to environmental perturbations, leading to increased modularity and an abundance of positive relationships in its community networks compared to the subsurface soil. Furthermore, the bacterial community at different depths was influenced by combining deterministic and stochastic processes, with stochasticity (homogenizing dispersal and undominated) decreasing and determinism (heterogeneous selection) increasing with soil depth.

Abnormal cell wall structure caused by boron nutrient imbalance in orchards could affect psyllid feeding behaviour, resulting in epidemic variation of Asian citrus psyllid

The control of Huanglongbing (HLB), one of the most destructive pests of citrus, relies heavily on the reduction of Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama. An in-depth understanding of ACP feeding behaviours among citrus plants is urgent for comprehensive management of orchards. An investigation was conducted in 37 citrus orchards in HLB epidemic areas, sampling shoots in the area with aggregation feeding of ACP (ACPf) and shoots in a neighbouring area without ACP feeding (CK), to study the interaction between leaf chemical composition and ACP psyllid feeding behaviours. Results of FTIR showed a strong absorption peak intensity, mainly representing functional groups originating from cell wall components in the leaf with ACP feeding. As compared with the control, cell wall components, such as alkali-soluble pectin, water-soluble pectin, total soluble pectin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, of the cell wall of ACPf increased by 134.0%, 14.0%, 18.0%, 12.5%, and 20.35%, respectively. These results suggest that cell wall mechanical properties significantly decreased in the term of decreases in pectin performance and cellulose mechanical properties. In addition, there was a remarkably lower boron (B) content in leaves and cell wall components with ACP feeding. Further analysis indicated that leaf B content significantly affected leaf cell wall components. Taken together, we provide evidence to demonstrate that the regional distribution of nutrient imbalance in orchards could affect psyllid feeding behaviour by weakening the cell wall structure, resulting in epidemic variation in ACP. This could help us to understand the management of psyllid infections in orchards with unbalanced nutrition.

[Infection status and Molecular types of Rhinovirus among Cases of Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Luohe City, Henan Province, from 2017 to 2022]

Objective: To understand the infection status and molecular types of rhinovirus (RV) among cases of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs) in Luohe City, Henan Province, from 2017 to 2022. Methods: From October 2017 to June 2022, clinical and epidemiological data were collected from 2 270 cases of ARIs at Luohe Central Hospital in Henan Province. Throat swab specimens were obtained from these cases. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to screen for RV-positive specimens. Subsequently, the positive samples were subjected to nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (nested RT-PCR) to amplify the full-length VP1 region. Using the MEGA software, along with 169 RV reference strains recommended by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, a phylogenetic tree was constructed to determine RV types. Results: Among the 2 270 cases of ARIs, there were 1 283 male cases (56.52%). The median age (Q1, Q3) was 3 (1, 6) years, with the population under 5 years old accounting for 68.59% (1 557/2 270). RV was detected in 137 cases (6.04%), of which 68 cases (49.64%) showed co-detection with other viruses, with the most common being co-detection with enterovirus, accounting for 14.60% (20/137). The RV detection rates in the age groups of 0~4 years, 5~14 years, 15~59 years, and≥60 years were 6.42% (100/1 557), 4.69% (21/448), 3.80% (6/158), and 9.35% (10/107), respectively, with no statistically significant differences (χ2=5.310, P=0.150). The overall detection rates of RV before (2017-2019) and during (2020-2022) the COVID-19 pandemic showed no statistically significant difference (χ2=1.823, P=0.177). A total of 109 VP1 sequences were obtained, including 62 types. Among them, RV-A, RV-B, and RV-C had 42, 3, and 17 types respectively. Conclusion: RV is one of the predominant pathogens in ARIs cases in Luohe City, Henan Province, from 2017 to 2022. Multiple types of RV co-circulate without any apparent dominant type.

Effects of litter and root inputs on soil CH4 uptake rates and associated microbial abundances in natural temperature subalpine forests

Climate change altered the quantities of aboveground plant litter and root inputs, but the effects on soil CH4 uptake rates and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate these factors, a three-year detritus input and removal treatment (DIRT) study including six treatments (namely, CK, control; NL, litter removal; DL, double litter; NR, root exclusion; NRNL, root exclusion plus litter removal; and NRDL, root exclusion plus double litter) was conducted in broadleaf and coniferous forest subalpine forest ecosystems. The results showed that both the subalpine forest soils acted as sink for atmospheric CH4 across all treatments, while the broadleaf forest had consistently higher CH4 uptake rates than the coniferous forest. Based on the annual mean values, root exclusion (NR, NRNL and NRDL) significantly decreased soil CH4 uptake rates by 35.9 %, 31.0 % and 43.4 % in the broadleaf forest and 36.7 %, 31.9 % and 40.6 % in the coniferous forest compared with CK treatments, respectively. Meanwhile, the mean soil CH4 uptake rates were significantly reduced by 23.6 % and 17.3 % in the broadleaf forest and the coniferous forest under the DL treatments, respectively; nevertheless, the NL treatment significantly increased soil CH4 uptake rates by 19.68 % and 14.4 %, respectively. The results clearly demonstrated that root exclusion exerted a greater influence on soil CH4 uptake rates than plant litter manipulations. Correlation and redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that the separation of root exclusion treatments from aboveground plant litter manipulations was based on higher soil water content, NH4+-N and NO3--N concentrations, and lower DOC (dissolved organic carbon) concentrations and methanotroph pmoA gene abundance. The results suggest that future alterations in aboveground plant litter and root input, particularly a reduction in root input, can exert a stronger influence on regulating soil CH4 uptake than aboveground litter manipulations in subalpine forests with cold and humid climatic conditions in response to future climate scenarios.

Search for Scalar Leptoquarks Produced via τ-Lepton-Quark Scattering in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

The first search for scalar leptoquarks produced in τ-lepton-quark collisions is presented. It is based on a set of proton-proton collision data recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1}. The reconstructed final state consists of a jet, significant missing transverse momentum, and a τ lepton reconstructed through its hadronic or leptonic decays. Limits are set on the product of the leptoquark production cross section and branching fraction and interpreted as exclusions in the plane of the leptoquark mass and the leptoquark-τ-quark coupling strength.

Search for Inelastic Dark Matter in Events with Two Displaced Muons and Missing Transverse Momentum in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

A search for dark matter in events with a displaced nonresonant muon pair and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is performed using an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1} of proton-proton (pp) collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV produced by the LHC in 2016-2018. No significant excess over the predicted backgrounds is observed. Upper limits are set on the product of the inelastic dark matter production cross section σ(pp→A^{'}→χ_{1}χ_{2}) and the decay branching fraction B(χ_{2}→χ_{1}μ^{+}μ^{-}), where A^{'} is a dark photon and χ_{1} and χ_{2} are states in the dark sector with near mass degeneracy. This is the first dedicated collider search for inelastic dark matter.

Luminosity determination using Z boson production at the CMS experiment

The measurement of Z boson production is presented as a method to determine the integrated luminosity of CMS data sets. The analysis uses proton-proton collision data, recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2017 at a center-of-mass energy of 13Te V . Events with Z bosons decaying into a pair of muons are selected. The total number of Z bosons produced in a fiducial volume is determined, together with the identification efficiencies and correlations from the same data set, in small intervals of 20pb - 1 of integrated luminosity, thus facilitating the efficiency and rate measurement as a function of time and instantaneous luminosity. Using the ratio of the efficiency-corrected numbers of Z bosons, the precisely measured integrated luminosity of one data set is used to determine the luminosity of another. For the first time, a full quantitative uncertainty analysis of the use of Z  bosons for the integrated luminosity measurement is performed. The uncertainty in the extrapolation between two data sets, recorded in 2017 at low and high instantaneous luminosity, is less than 0.5%. We show that the Z boson rate measurement constitutes a precise method, complementary to traditional methods, with the potential to improve the measurement of the integrated luminosity.

Measurement of the production cross section for a W boson in association with a charm quark in proton-proton collisions at s=13TeV

The strange quark content of the proton is probed through the measurement of the production cross section for a W boson and a charm (c) quark in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13Te V . The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 138fb - 1 collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The W bosons are identified through their leptonic decays to an electron or a muon, and a neutrino. Charm jets are tagged using the presence of a muon or a secondary vertex inside the jet. The W + c production cross section and the cross section ratio R c ± = σ ( W + + c ¯ ) / σ ( W - + c ) are measured inclusively and differentially as functions of the transverse momentum and the pseudorapidity of the lepton originating from the W boson decay. The precision of the measurements is improved with respect to previous studies, reaching 1% in R c ± = 0.950 ± 0.005 (stat) ± 0.010 (syst) . The measurements are compared with theoretical predictions up to next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics.

Spatiotemporal variability of organic carbon in streams and rivers of the Northern Hemisphere cryosphere

The earth's cryosphere is the outpost of climatic warming, which leads to rapid changes of organic carbon (OC) transport from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems. OC in the cryosphere rivers plays vital roles in the carbon cycle and river ecosystem health. Yet, we still lack a comprehensive assessment of the spatiotemporal patterns of riverine OC across the Northern Hemisphere cryosphere. Here, we compiled OC concentration, radiocarbon (14C), and the specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) of dissolved OC (DOC) at 254 nm data from 1007 unique sites, extracted from 138 published literature between 1972 and 2022. Overall, the average DOC and particulate OC (POC) concentrations are 6.34 and 2.61 mg C L-1, respectively, with the average age of DOC and POC being ~1100 and ~4300 years BP, respectively, indicating the release of aged carbon pools. Seasonal variations in DOC and POC concentrations, Δ14C-DOC and SUVA254 were observed, with distinct spatial variations closely linked to specific watershed characteristics. We found permafrost-impacted watersheds displayed significantly higher DOC concentrations, younger OC ages but lower POC concentrations compared to glacier-impacted watersheds. Meanwhile, in boreal forest watersheds, DOC is the most concentrated and youngest in varied ecoregions. Additionally, in permafrost regions characterized by higher permafrost extent, ground ice content, or lowlands with thick overburden cover, riverine DOC is more concentrated and aromatic. We estimated that specific OC fluxes in glacier rivers are higher than that in permafrost rivers (4.77 and 1.86 g C m-2 yr-1, respectively). Our results highlight the complex and variable spatiotemporal patterns of riverine OC in the northern cryosphere, which are essential for assessing the impact of OC on the global carbon cycle and climate warming.

Global, regional, and national trends in osteoarthritis disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from 1990 to 2019: a comprehensive analysis of the global burden of disease study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate global, regional, and national trends in osteoarthritis disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from 1990 to 2019, identify the burden of osteoarthritis in different age groups, and assess age, period, and cohort effects on osteoarthritis DALYs.

STUDY DESIGN

A comprehensive analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 data, covering 204 countries and territories.

METHODS

We conducted a comprehensive analysis using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, encompassing 204 countries and territories. Age-standardized DALY rates were calculated, and the age-period-cohort model was employed to examine the age, period, and cohort effects on osteoarthritis DALYs. The annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC) were estimated to evaluate trends in DALYs.

RESULTS

Globally, osteoarthritis DALYs increased by 114.48 % between 1990 and 2019, with an age-standardized DALY rate growth of 3.3 %. The largest relative growth in DALYs occurred in Middle and Low-middle Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) regions. DALYs increased significantly in almost all age-specific groups, particularly among 45-74 years old age groups. Age, period, and cohort effects analysis revealed a general increase in osteoarthritis DALYs risk over time, with some variations by SDI quintiles and sex. The steepest increase in DALYs occurred in the 30-34 years age group, and the trend attenuated with increasing age. Males showed significantly slower DALYs growth than females in age groups with non-overlapping 95 % confidence intervals. Age effects were consistently higher in females, especially in high-SDI countries. Period and cohort effects generally demonstrated a climbing risk of osteoarthritis DALYs across different SDI quintiles, with more pronounced increases in lower-SDI regions.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the substantial and increasing burden of osteoarthritis at global, regional, and national levels from 1990 to 2019, with significant variations by age, period, and cohort. These results underscore the importance of developing targeted public health strategies and interventions to address the growing impact of osteoarthritis, particularly in lower-SDI regions and among older populations.

Preoperative diagnostic value of coronary CT angiography in acute Stanford type A aortic dissection involving the coronary arteries

AIM

To assess the diagnostic value of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) with coronary artery involvement and to evaluate whether CCTA could provide potentially useful information for selecting the surgical method.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with ATAAD treated from January 2019 to December 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. Involvement of the coronary arteries based on CCTA findings were grouped into three major types and five subtypes. Interobserver and intraobserver diagnostic agreement for five subtypes were determined. The patients were divided into the coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and non-CABG groups, and the proportions of the five subtypes between the two groups were compared.

RESULTS

A total of 95 patients were enrolled in this study. Interobserver and intraobserver diagnostic agreement were both substantial in the left and right coronary arteries. Overall, the proportions of the five subtypes of coronary artery involvement were significantly different between the two groups (p<0.001). The proportion of Type A was elevated in the non-CABG group compared with the CABG group (22.6% versus 71.9%); by contrast, the proportions of Type B1 (35.5% versus 14.1%), Type B2 (19.4% versus 10.9%), Type C1 (6.5% versus 0%), and Type C2 (16.1% versus 3.1%) were elevated in the CABG group.

CONCLUSION

CCTA is reliable in evaluating coronary artery involvement by ATAAD. The present retrospective study indicated that CABG may be considered if the intimal flap disrupts the coronary orifice and causes luminal stenosis >50%, particularly Type B, or if an intimal tear occurs in the coronary orifice (Type C), which deserve further validation through prospective studies.

Comparison of the efficacy of combining left bundle branch pacing with either sacubitril/valsartan or enalapril in the treatment of chronic heart failure: A retrospective observational analysis

Objective

To assess the efficacy of left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) combined with either sacubitril/valsartan or enalapril in the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF).

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 138 patients with CHF admitted to Dazhou Central Hospital between June 2020 and June 2022 to extract clinical data. We divided the data into two treatment groups for the analysis: 71 patients received LBBP combined with sacubitril/valsartan treatment (sacubitril/valsartan group), and 67 received LBBP combined with enalapril treatment (enalapril group). The levels of cardiac and cardiopulmonary function indicators, levels of myocardial injury markers, and the scores of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) before and after the treatment were compared between the two groups.

Results

After six months of treatment, patients in the sacubitril/valsartan group had lower myocardial injury markers, higher cardiopulmonary function indicators, and lower MLHFQ scores (P<0.05).

Conclusions

In CHF patients, the combination of LBBP with sacubitril/valsartan had a better therapeutic effect compared to LBBP with enalapril, with more effective improvement of the cardiopulmonary function, reduction of myocardial injury, and improvement in quality of life.

Probing Small Bjorken-x Nuclear Gluonic Structure via Coherent J/ψ Photoproduction in Ultraperipheral Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

Quasireal photons exchanged in relativistic heavy ion interactions are powerful probes of the gluonic structure of nuclei. The coherent J/ψ photoproduction cross section in ultraperipheral lead-lead collisions is measured as a function of photon-nucleus center-of-mass energies per nucleon (W_{γN}^{Pb}) over a wide range of 40 Collapse

Key Words Collapse

MESH Headings Collapse

Grants Collapse

The Impact and Determinants of Mountainous Topographical Factors on Soil Microbial Community Characteristics

Soil bacterial and fungal community communities play significant ecological functions in mountain ecosystems. However, it is not clear how topographic factors and soil physicochemical properties influence changes in microbial community structure and diversity. This study aims to investigate how altitude and slope orientation affect soil physicochemical properties, soil microbial communities, and their contributing factors. The assessment was conducted using Illumina MiSeq sequencing in various altitude gradients and on slopes with different aspects (shady slopes and sunny slopes) in the subalpine meadow of Dongling Mountain, Beijing. Topographical factors had a significant effect on soil physicochemical properties: the primary factors determining the structure of microbial communities are total potassium (TK), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), and soil organic carbon (SOC). There was no significant change in the diversity of the bacterial community, whereas the diversity of the fungal community displayed a single-peaked trend. The effect of slope orientation on microbial communities was not as significant as the effect of elevation on them. The number of bacterial communities with significant differences showed a unimodal trend, while the number of fungal communities showed a decreasing trend. The co-occurrence network of fungal communities exhibits greater intricacy than that of bacterial communities, and bacterial communities are more complex in soils with sunny slopes compared to soils with shady slopes, and the opposite is true for fungal communities. The identification of the main factors that control soil microbial diversity and composition in this study, provided the groundwork for investigating the soil microbial response and adaptation to environmental changes in subalpine meadows.

[Analysis of adverse neonatal outcomes in pregnant women with positive anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies]

Objective: To investigate the relationship between positive anti-Ro/Sjögren syndrome antigen type A (SSA) antibody and anti-La/Sjögren syndrome antigen type B (SSB) antibody in pregnant women and neonatal adverse outcomes. Methods: This study was a retrospective study, and 145 deliveries of 136 anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibody positive pregnant women were selected who had prenatal examination and delivered in Peking University First Hospital from January 2017 to June 2022. According to whether adverse neonatal outcomes occurred, 145 deliveries were divided into adverse outcome group (26 cases) and no adverse outcome group (119 cases). According to the time when anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies were found positive, 145 deliveries were divided into the antibody positive during pregnancy group (69 cases) and the pre-pregnancy antibody positive group (76 cases). The pregnancy outcomes, treatment and maternal and infant antibody levels of pregnant women between the adverse outcome group and no adverse outcome group, between antibody positive during pregnancy group and the pre-pregnancy antibody positive group were compared. Results: (1) Most of the pregnant women with positive anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies were diagnosed as undifferentiated connective tissue disease, accounting for 40.4% (55/136), followed by Sjogren's syndrome (25.0%, 34/136), systemic lupus erythematosus (23.5%, 32/136), antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (6.6%, 9/136), idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (1.5%, 2/136), and 4 cases were not diagnosed. (2) The titers of anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies in the first trimester and the second trimester were compared, and there were no statistical significances (all P>0.05). (3) The proportion of high level anti-Ro/SSA antibody (>100 kU/L), positive level of anti-La/SSB antibody and positive rate of anti-La/SSB antibody in the adverse outcome group were higher than those in the no adverse outcome group, and the birth weight of newborns and live birth rate in the adverse outcome group were lower than that in the no adverse outcome group, all with statistical significances (all P<0.05). The anti-Ro/SSA antibody level, the proportion of drug treatment (hydroxychloroquine, glucocorticoid, gamma globulin), the incidence of fetal growth restriction (FGR), the rate of preterm birth, and the positive level of anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies in newborns were compared between the two groups, and there were no statistically significant differences (all P>0.05). (4) The anti-Ro/SSA antibody level of pregnant women in the pre-pregnancy antibody positive group, the proportion of hydroxychloroquine and glucocorticoid treatment, and the anti-Ro/SSA antibody positive rate of newborns were higher, while the incidence of FGR and gamma globulin treatment rate of newborns in the antibody positive during pregnancy group were higher, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The levels of anti-La/SSB antibodies in pregnant women, anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies in newborns, the positive rate of anti-La/SSB antibodies in newborns and the incidence of adverse outcomes were compared between the antibody positive during pregnancy group and the pre-pregnancy antibody positive group, and there were no statistical significances (all P>0.05). Conclusions: High concentrations of anti-Ro/SSA antibodies and co-positive anti-La/SSB antibodies during pregnancy may increase the incidence of adverse neonatal outcomes. There is no significant difference in the incidence of adverse neonatal outcomes between antibody positive pregnant women and antibody positive pregnant women who were first found during pregnancy after comprehensive treatment in the rheumatology and immunology department.

Hyperon Polarization along the Beam Direction Relative to the Second and Third Harmonic Event Planes in Isobar Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

The polarization of Λ and Λ[over ¯] hyperons along the beam direction has been measured relative to the second and third harmonic event planes in isobar Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. This is the first experimental evidence of the hyperon polarization by the triangular flow originating from the initial density fluctuations. The amplitudes of the sine modulation for the second and third harmonic results are comparable in magnitude, increase from central to peripheral collisions, and show a mild p_{T} dependence. The azimuthal angle dependence of the polarization follows the vorticity pattern expected due to elliptic and triangular anisotropic flow, and qualitatively disagrees with most hydrodynamic model calculations based on thermal vorticity and shear induced contributions. The model results based on one of existing implementations of the shear contribution lead to a correct azimuthal angle dependence, but predict centrality and p_{T} dependence that still disagree with experimental measurements. Thus, our results provide stringent constraints on the thermal vorticity and shear-induced contributions to hyperon polarization. Comparison to previous measurements at RHIC and the LHC for the second-order harmonic results shows little dependence on the collision system size and collision energy.

The new small-angle X-ray scattering beamline for materials research at PETRA III: SAXSMAT beamline P62

The SAXSMAT beamline P62 (Small-Angle X-ray Scattering beamline for Materials Research) is a new beamline at the high-energy storage ring PETRA III at DESY. This beamline is dedicated to combined small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) techniques for both soft and hard condensed matter systems. It works mainly in transmission geometry. The beamline covers an energy range from 3.5 keV to 35.0 keV, which fulfills the requirements of the user community to perform anomalous scattering experiments. Mirrors are used to reduce the intensity of higher harmonics. Furthermore, the mirrors and 2D compound refracting lenses can focus the beam down to a few micrometres at the sample position. This option with the high photon flux enables also SAXS/WAXS tensor tomography experiments to be performed at this new beamline in a relatively short time. The first SAXS/WAXS pattern was collected in August 2021, while the first user experiment was carried out two months later. Since January 2022 the beamline has been in regular user operation mode. In this paper the beamline optics and the SAXS/WAXS instrument are described and two examples are briefly shown.

Clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of solitary and multiple adult gliomas: a retrospective study based on propensity score matching

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to compare the survival and prognostic factors in patients with solitary gliomas to those with multiple to improve the understanding of multiple gliomas and investigate their heterogeneous dissemination pathways.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data on 358 patients diagnosed with adult gliomas confirmed by postoperative pathology were retrospectively collected and analyzed. The clinical characteristics, survival rates and prognosis of patients were analyzed by propensity score matching (PSM).

RESULTS

Between the two groups, statistically significant differences were identified in multiple general clinical characteristics, including age, pathological grade, lesion location, 1p19q co-deletion, IDH1 mutation, MGMT promoter methylation expression rate, p53 mutation and NF1 mutation (p<0.05). Before PSM, the mOS for patients with multiple gliomas was shorter than that for those with solitary (p=0.0045). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that age, pathological grade IV, and absence of concurrent chemotherapy were significant risk factors affecting OS. Pathological grade IV, ki-67 expression range of 25-50%, and absence of concurrent chemotherapy were identified as risk factors for PFS. After PSM, the prognostic factors associated with OS were age and concurrent chemotherapy, while those associated with PFS were ki-67 expression range of 50-75% and lesion located in the right frontal lobe (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The prognosis for multiple gliomas is extremely poor, which is related to the fact that the most common pathological types are glioblastomas and the surgical procedure is challenging. Concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the strongest protective prognostic factors, and the differences in their molecular pathology expression compared to solitary gliomas remain for further investigation.

Measurement of the top quark mass using a profile likelihood approach with the lepton + jets final states in proton-proton collisions at s=13TeV

The mass of the top quark is measured in 36.3fb - 1 of LHC proton-proton collision data collected with the CMS detector at s = 13 Te V . The measurement uses a sample of top quark pair candidate events containing one isolated electron or muon and at least four jets in the final state. For each event, the mass is reconstructed from a kinematic fit of the decay products to a top quark pair hypothesis. A profile likelihood method is applied using up to four observables per event to extract the top quark mass. The top quark mass is measured to be 171.77 ± 0.37 Ge V . This approach significantly improves the precision over previous measurements.

A search for decays of the Higgs boson to invisible particles in events with a top-antitop quark pair or a vector boson in proton-proton collisions at s=13TeV

A search for decays to invisible particles of Higgs bosons produced in association with a top-antitop quark pair or a vector boson, which both decay to a fully hadronic final state, has been performed using proton-proton collision data collected at s = 13 Te V by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138fb - 1 . The 95% confidence level upper limit set on the branching fraction of the 125Ge V Higgs boson to invisible particles, B ( H → inv ) , is 0.54 (0.39 expected), assuming standard model production cross sections. The results of this analysis are combined with previous B ( H → inv ) searches carried out at s = 7 , 8, and 13Te V in complementary production modes. The combined upper limit at 95% confidence level on B ( H → inv ) is 0.15 (0.08 expected).

Observation of τ Lepton Pair Production in Ultraperipheral Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

We present an observation of photon-photon production of τ lepton pairs in ultraperipheral lead-lead collisions. The measurement is based on a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 404  μb^{-1} collected by the CMS experiment at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV. The γγ→τ^{+}τ^{-} process is observed for τ^{+}τ^{-} events with a muon and three charged hadrons in the final state. The measured fiducial cross section is σ(γγ→τ^{+}τ^{-})=4.8±0.6(stat)±0.5(syst)  μb, where the second (third) term corresponds to the statistical (systematic) uncertainty in σ(γγ→τ^{+}τ^{-}) in agreement with leading-order QED predictions. Using σ(γγ→τ^{+}τ^{-}), we estimate a model-dependent value of the anomalous magnetic moment of the τ lepton of a_{τ}=0.001_{-0.089}^{+0.055}.

Adaptive Radiotherapy Guided by PET/CT in Patients with Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Phase II Randomized Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The aim of this study was to determine whether adaptive radiotherapy guided by functional imaging with flourine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) can improve local tumor control in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC).

MATERIALS/METHODS

This was a phase II randomized study comparing the efficacy and safety between PET-guided adaptive radiotherapy and conventional radiotherapy. The primary end point was 2-year local-regional tumor control (LRTC) rate. Secondary end points included local-regional progression-free survival (LR-PFS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and radiation-related toxicities.

RESULTS

Between November 2012 and June 2017, 72 patients were 1:1 randomized to adaptive and conventional arms. The 2- and 5-year LRTC rates were 63.2% and 58.0% versus 43.0% and 37.6% (P = 0.035) in the adaptive and conventional arms, respectively. The median LR-PFS (14.3 versus 12.0 months; P = 0.010) and PFS (12.8 versus 8.9 months; P = 0.034) were significantly longer in the adaptive arm than in the conventional arm. The median OS was 36.3 months in the adaptive arm and 28.8 months in the conventional arm (P = 0.266). The esophageal volume of receiving ≥60 Gy (V60) in the adaptive arm was lower than that in the conventional arm (P = 0.011), while the V30 for the heart in the adaptive arm was lower than that in the conventional arm (P = 0.077). Other radiological metrological parameters of tumor, organs at risk, and the incidence of ≥grade 2 radiation-related toxicities were not significantly different between the 2 arms.

CONCLUSION

Compared with conventional radiotherapy, PET-guided adaptive radiotherapy significantly improved the 2-year LRTC rate, LR-PFS, and PFS without increased risks of radiation-related toxicities in patients with LA-NSCLC.

Prediction of composting maturity and identification of critical parameters for green waste compost using machine learning

Ensuring the maturity of green waste compost is crucial to composting processes and quality control of compost products. However, accurate prediction of green waste compost maturity remains a challenge, as there are limited computational methods available. This study aimed to address this issue by employing four machine learning models to predict two indicators of green waste compost maturity: seed germination index (GI) and T value. The four models were compared, and the Extra Trees algorithm exhibited the highest prediction accuracy with R2 values of 0.928 for GI and 0.957 for T value. To identify the interactions between critical parameters and compost maturity, The Pearson correlation matrix and Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis were conducted. Furthermore, the accuracy of the models was validated through compost validation experiments. These findings highlight the potential of applying machine learning algorithms to predict green waste compost maturity and optimise process regulation.

Homeostatic Balance of Gut Microbiota in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients during Radiotherapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Radiotherapy is the major treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Oral microbiota changes have been described before. However, gut microbiota changes in HNSCC patients who received local radiotherapy remain unclear. We aim to investigate the dynamic change of gut microbiota composition in HNSCC patients undergoing radiotherapy and to construct the radiotherapy related gut microbiota database in HNSCC patients.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We enrolled 47 HNSCC patients who scheduled with radiotherapy solely. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) was the standard radiotherapy technique for all the enrolled patients. The field was irradiated with a total dose of 60-66Gy in 30-33 fractions. Fecal pellets were collected at three time points. Bacterial genomic DNA was isolated using magnetic beads and then analyzed by the Illumina MiSeq Sequencing System based on the V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene.

RESULTS

A total of 194 genera which belonged to 27 phyla were found in 141 samples. Increased abundance of microbiota in diversity and richness was observed in mid-radiotherapy group. Moreover, Bacteroides, Blautia, and Phascolarctobacterium were three main genera in all three groups and the mid-radiotherapy group had the highest relative abundance of Phascolarctobacterium. What's more, most significantly altered bacteria shared the same variation pattern which was increased in mid-radiotherapy while decreased to the almost same level of as pre-radiotherapy in post-radiotherapy group.

CONCLUSION

Local radiotherapy can affect the composition of the gut microbiota in HNSCC patients during the mid-term of radiotherapy. However, self-stabilized ability maintained the gut microbiota homeostasis in the end.

Clinical prior Knowledge-Based One-Shot Learning for Automatic Delineation of Clinical Target Volumes in Adaptation Radiotherapy of Cervical Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Rapid and accurate delineation of clinical target volumes (CTV) of cervical cancer is the crux to ensure the efficiency and benefits of adaptation radiotherapy (ART). However, contour propagation using deformation image registration (DIR) is difficult to ensure the accuracy of CTV contours due to the significant tumor recession in next fraction, and the tumor progress in each fraction is not considered by conventional automatic delineation methods based on deep learning (DL). Currently, one-shot learning (OSL) is feasible to learn the tumor progress from former fractions to improve the accuracy of automatically delineating CTV.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We retrospectively collected 45 patients with cervical cancer from January 2021 to May 2022 in our department. All patients consist of a pair of planning CT and daily CT in ART. A personalized automatic delineation method based on one-shot learning was developed to delineate CTV in daily CT by learning the clinical prior knowledge from the CTV contours and images of planning CT. The performance of our proposed method was evaluated by dice similarity coefficient (DSC), 95% Harsdorff distance (95HD) and average surface distance (ASD) with human experts, and its automatic delineation performance were compared with DIR and DL in daily CT.

RESULTS

Our automatic delineation method OSL performed the best results in all evaluation metrics (denoted by mean ± standard deviation) as shown in Table 1, it is superior to method DL: 0.92 & 0.90 of DSC, 2.33 mm & 2.68 mm of HD95, 0.68 mm & 0.82 mm of ASD, P < 0.05 for DSC and ASD. Specifically, our method is significantly superior to the automatic delineation results by method DIR: 0.92 & 0.84 of DSC, 2.33 mm & 4.11 mm of HD95, 0.68 mm & 1.52 mm of ASD, P < 0.05 for all. In addition, OSL can significantly overcome the delineation problems in fuzzy boundary and delineation missing and perform better generalization for some unusual images, compared with DIR and DL.

CONCLUSION

We proposed an automatic delineation method based on one-shot learning for CTV of cervical cancer in ART, the results demonstrated that the proposed method could improve the precision and generalization of automatically delineating CTV compared against current popular methods. Therefore, it is potential to improve the quality and efficiency of ART for personalized patients and have a positive impact on tumor control and patient survival.

Measurement of the Dependence of the Hadron Production Fraction Ratios f_{s}/f_{u} and f_{d}/f_{u} on B Meson Kinematic Variables in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

The dependence of the ratio between the B_{s}^{0} and B^{+} hadron production fractions, f_{s}/f_{u}, on the transverse momentum (p_{T}) and rapidity of the B mesons is studied using the decay channels B_{s}^{0}→J/ψϕ and B^{+}→J/ψK^{+}. The analysis uses a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment in 2018 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 61.6  fb^{-1}. The f_{s}/f_{u} ratio is observed to depend on the B p_{T} and to be consistent with becoming asymptotically constant at large p_{T}. No rapidity dependence is observed. The ratio of the B^{0} to B^{+} meson production fractions, f_{d}/f_{u}, is also measured, for the first time in proton-proton collisions, using the B^{0}→J/ψK^{*0} decay channel. The result is found to be within 1 standard deviation of unity and independent of p_{T} and rapidity, as expected from isospin invariance.

[Update points for the 2022 edition of the European Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Hepatic Encephalopathy and comparison with China's 2018 edition guidelines]

The European Association for the Study of Liver Diseases issued the "Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Hepatic Encephalopathy" in 2022, which included recommendations for clinical diagnosis, assessment, treatment, management, and prevention. The Society's "Hepatic Encephalopathy Clinical Practice Guidelines in Chronic Liver Disease," which was last published in 2014, and the "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hepatic Encephalopathy in Cirrhosis," which the Chinese Society of Hepatology, Chinese Medical Association, released in 2018, have certain differences and updates in terms of comparison to terminology, grading and classification, diagnosis, clinical evaluation and treatment, management, and prevention. Herein, the updated points of this guideline and the differences between it and our nation's guidelines are summarized in order to refine and understand the guiding role of the new version of the guideline for the clinical treatment of hepatic encephalopathy and provide aid for standardizing clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Search for Exotic Higgs Boson Decays H→AA→4γ with Events Containing Two Merged Diphotons in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

We present the first direct search for exotic Higgs boson decays H→AA, A→γγ in events with two photonlike objects. The hypothetical particle A is a low-mass spin-0 particle decaying promptly to a merged diphoton reconstructed as a single photonlike object. We analyze the data collected by the CMS experiment at sqrt[s]=13  TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 136  fb^{-1}. No excess above the estimated background is found. We set upper limits on the branching fraction B(H→AA→4γ) of (0.9-3.3)×10^{-3} at 95% confidence level for masses of A in the range 0.1-1.2 GeV.

Observation of Same-Sign WW Production from Double Parton Scattering in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

The first observation of the production of W^{±}W^{±} bosons from double parton scattering processes using same-sign electron-muon and dimuon events in proton-proton collisions is reported. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1} recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV using the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. Multivariate discriminants are used to distinguish the signal process from the main backgrounds. A binned maximum likelihood fit is performed to extract the signal cross section. The measured cross section for production of same-sign W bosons decaying leptonically is 80.7±11.2(stat) _{-8.6}^{+9.5}(syst)±12.1(model)  fb, whereas the measured fiducial cross section is 6.28±0.81(stat)±0.69(syst)±0.37(model)  fb. The observed significance of the signal is 6.2 standard deviations above the background-only hypothesis.

Observation of the Rare Decay of the η Meson to Four Muons

A search for the rare η→μ^{+}μ^{-}μ^{+}μ^{-} double-Dalitz decay is performed using a sample of proton-proton collisions, collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC with high-rate muon triggers during 2017 and 2018 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101  fb^{-1}. A signal having a statistical significance well in excess of 5 standard deviations is observed. Using the η→μ^{+}μ^{-} decay as normalization, the branching fraction B(η→μ^{+}μ^{-}μ^{+}μ^{-})=[5.0±0.8(stat)±0.7(syst)±0.7(B_{2μ})]×10^{-9} is measured, where the last term is the uncertainty in the normalization channel branching fraction. This work achieves an improved precision of over 5 orders of magnitude compared to previous results, leading to the first measurement of this branching fraction, which is found to agree with theoretical predictions.

Erratum: Global Polarization of Ξ and Ω Hyperons in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 162301 (2021)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.162301.

[Evaluation of spinopelvic alignment according to Roussouly classification can predict the occurrence of adjacent segment disease after lumbar fusion]

Objective: To investigate the correlation of spinopelvic alignment according to Roussouly classification on the occurrence of adjacent segment disease (ASD) in the patients undergoing fusion surgery for lumbar degenerative diseases. Methods: A cross-sectional study. Clinical data of 166 consecutive patients who had undergone lumbar fusion between January 2009 and January 2019 in the Affiliated Changzhou Second People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Medical School of Nanjing University were retrospectively reviewed. There were 59 males and 107 females, with an average age of (58.6±9.5) years (ranged 41-78 years). Fusion length averagely spanned (1.7±0.7) levels (ranged 1-3 levels). The patients were classified by both "theoretical" (based on pelvic incidence (PI)) and "current"(based on sacral slope (SS)) Roussouly types. The patients were classified as "matched" if their "current" shape matched the "theoretical" type and otherwise as "unmatched". Multivariate logistic regression analysis of the variables recruited from univariate analyses was performed to identify the factors independently associated with the development of ASD after lumbar fusion. Results: The average follow-up duration after initial surgery was (49.2±20.7) months (ranged 25 to 134 months). Thirty (18.1%, 30/166) patients were diagnosed as ASD. Postoperatively, two thirds of the patients who suffered ASD after surgery were unmatched, while 36.8% (50/136) of the patients without ASD had unmatched type. Univariate analyses showed that older age, more fusion levels, float fusion, pre-and postoperative worse spinopelvic alignment, and postoperative unmatched Roussouly type were identified as risk factors of ASD. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified postoperative Roussouly type mismatch (OR=3.310, 95%CI: 1.282-8.545, P=0.013), old age (OR=1.074, 95%CI: 1.019-1.131, P=0.008) and postoperative SS (OR=0.928, 95%CI: 0.865-0.995, P=0.036) as the independent risk factors of development of ASD after lumbar fusion. Conclusion: A significant association between postoperative sagittal malalignment and occurrence of ASD is detected, the evaluation of sagittal alignment by Roussouly classification could help predict the occurrence of ASD.

Design and Testing of a Simulator for Micro-Vibration Testing of Star Sensor

(1) Background: To simulate the micro-vibration environment of the star sensor mounting surface, a multi-dimensional micro-vibration simulator based on the Gough-Stewart platform was designed, which could effectively reproduce space six-dimensional acceleration; (2) Methods: Firstly, the integrated design of a gravity unloading system and micro-vibration simulation platform was adopted, and the first six natural frequencies and mode diagrams of the simulator were obtained by modal analysis. Then, the complete dynamic equation of the simulator was established, and the relationship between the acceleration of the upper platform and the driving force of the legs was deduced, which was verified by co-simulation. Finally, the whole machine test was carried out using the frequency response function based on the actual simulator without multiple iterations; (3) Results: The test results show that the micro-vibration simulator can reproduce space six-dimensional acceleration, with an output bandwidth of 5-300 Hz, and maximum error of 9.19%; (4) Conclusions: The micro-vibration simulator platform has the characteristics of a highly precise, large analog bandwidth and takes up less space, is conducive to transportation, and can accurately reproduce the six-degree-of-freedom space micro-vibrations for the star sensor.

Search for Higgs Boson Decay to a Charm Quark-Antiquark Pair in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

A search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying to a charm quark-antiquark pair, H→cc[over ¯], produced in association with a leptonically decaying V (W or Z) boson is presented. The search is performed with proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV collected by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1}. Novel charm jet identification and analysis methods using machine learning techniques are employed. The analysis is validated by searching for Z→cc[over ¯] in VZ events, leading to its first observation at a hadron collider with a significance of 5.7 standard deviations. The observed (expected) upper limit on σ(VH)B(H→cc[over ¯]) is 0.94 (0.50_{-0.15}^{+0.22})pb at 95% confidence level (C.L.), corresponding to 14 (7.6_{-2.3}^{+3.4}) times the standard model prediction. For the Higgs-charm Yukawa coupling modifier, κ_{c}, the observed (expected) 95% C.L. interval is 1.1<|κ_{c}|<5.5 (|κ_{c}|<3.4), the most stringent constraint to date.