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Precision diagnosis of burn injuries using imaging and predictive modeling for clinical applications
Abstract Burns represents a serious clinical problem because the diagnosis and assessment are very complex. This paper proposes a methodology that combines the use of advanced medical imaging with predictive modeling for the improvement of burn injury assessment. The proposed framework makes use of the Adaptive Complex Independent Components Analysis (ACICA) and Reference Region (TBSA) methods in conjunction with deep learning techniques for the precise estimation of burn depth and Total Body Surface Area analysis. It also allows for the estimation of the depth of burns with high accuracy, calculation of TBSA, and non-invasive analysis with 96.7% accuracy using an RNN model. Extensive experimentation on DCE-LUV samples validates enhanced diagnostic precision and detailed texture analysis. These technologies provide nuanced insights into burn severity, improving diagnostic accuracy and treatment planning. Our results demonstrate the potential of these methods to revolutionize burn care and optimize patient outcomes.
Reply to Smith and Siegel: Most lithium hops in paddlewheel-claimed conductors occur without spatially and temporally correlated anion-group rotations
Interpretable adaptive fault detection method for smart grid based on belief rule base
Revisiting lipid nanoparticle composition and structure: A critical take on simulation approaches
Author Correction: Microbial safety and chemical characteristics of sausage coated by chitosan and postbiotics obtained from Lactobacillus bulgaricus during cold storage
Boosted recovery of rare earth elements from mining wastes and discarded NdFeB magnets by tributyl phosphate–grafted ZIF-8
The escalating demand for rare earth elements (REEs) highlights the necessity for their sustainable recovery from waste streams and secondary resources. However, this process requires materials with exceptional selectivity and capacity for REEs due to their low concentration and high presence of interfering ions. Herein, we synthesized zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) and subsequently modified it with tributyl phosphate (TBP) to enhance its affinity and selectivity for the recovery of REEs. The distribution coefficients ( K d ) of ZIF-8-TBP for REEs (neodymium, Nd, and dysprosium, Dy) were orders of magnitude higher than the K d of main interfering ions (e.g., Mg, Ni Al, and Fe). Particularly, the maximum sorption capacities ( q m ) for Nd and Dy were 475 and 529 mg g −1 , respectively. In addition, the separation factor between Dy (a representative of heavy REE) and Nd (a representative of light REE) reached 24, greatly exceeding the figures reported previously. Importantly, the outstanding ability of ZIF-8-TBP for selective separation and recovery of REEs was demonstrated via its application to real samples including mining wastewater, and leaching solutions from REE filter cakes and discarded NdFeB magnets. Multiscale simulations reveal that ZIF-8-TBP possessed a stronger binding strength and greater sorption energy for REE ions. These results indicate that ZIF-8-TBP could effectively harvest REEs from wastes and offers an efficient alternative for industrial applications in REE recovery.
Identification and molecular marker analysis of PHS resistance of high generation wheat materials
Ancient ocean coastal deposits imaged on Mars
The northern lowlands of early Mars could have contained a significant quantity of liquid water. However, the ocean hypothesis remains controversial due to the lack of conclusive evidence from the Martian subsurface. We use data from the Zhurong Rover Penetrating Radar on the southern Utopia Planitia to identify subsurface dipping reflectors indicative of an ancient prograding shoreline. The reflectors dip unidirectionally with inclinations in the range 6° to 20° and are imaged to a thickness of 10 to 35 m along an uninterrupted 1.3 km northward shoreline-perpendicular traverse. The consistent dip inclinations, absence of dissection by fluvial channels along the extended traverse, and low permittivity of the sediments are consistent with terrestrial coastal deposits—and discount fluvial, aeolian, or magmatic origins favored elsewhere on Mars. The structure, thickness, and length of the section support voluminous supply of onshore sediments into a large body of water, rather than a merely localized and short-lived melt event. Our findings not only provide support for the existence of an ancient Martian ocean in the northern plains but also offer crucial insights into the evolution of the ancient Martian environment.
Study on the influence of tooth surface wear on the lubrication performance of double involute gear transmission
Climate change is leading to an ecological trap in a migratory insect
Many insect migrants rely on favorable seasonal winds to carry out long-range latitudinal migrations. In East China, the annual advance and retreat of the East Asian summer monsoon produces ideal conditions for seasonal range expansion and contraction of many migratory crop pests. However, climate-induced changes in the strength, timing, and location of the monsoon are impacting wind systems which may, in turn, affect migration patterns. We investigated these questions in the rice leafroller (RLR) moth, a severe pest of rice that annually invades the Lower Yangtze River Valley (LYRV) of China from winter-breeding areas further south. Using a 24-y dataset of RLR population dynamics from 31 monitoring stations across Southeast China, we investigated the impact of changes in monsoon wind regimes on fall migration patterns of the pest. Historically, RLR emigrated from the LYRV to South China on the favorably directed winds produced by the retreat of the monsoon at the end of the outbreak season (from mid-August onward). We show that in the recent 12-y period, prevailing late-season winds remain northward for longer than previously, preventing locally produced moths from emigrating southward. Additionally, winds now facilitate mass late-season immigrations into the LYRV, creating an ecological trap, as immigrants do not have time to produce another generation. As a consequence of the changing wind patterns, pest pressure is declining, and climate-induced changes to the East Asian summer monsoon result in seasonal migration becoming a riskier strategy. Such changes in insect migration patterns have severe implications for the population dynamics of windborne migrants, ecosystem functioning, and pest management strategies.
Structural and dielectric properties of electrospun P(VDF-TrFE) and P3HT filled with copper oxide nanofillers
Abstract Nanofibers based on polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene/poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P(VDF-TrFE)/P3HT) containing copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) were fabricated using the electrospinning technique. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images revealed smooth, bead-free solid nanofibers of 34–100 nm diameters. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows the ferroelectric β phase of P(VDF-TrFE) with a wide diffraction pattern. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum of the P(VDF-TrFE) fiber film revealed distinct peaks for the polar β phase, aromatic C–H groups, and alkyl groups. Semiconducting P3HT/CuO increases the dielectric constant of P(VDF-TrFE), inducing polarization at the semiconductor-insulator interface. Two types of dielectric response are observed: β-phase rotation and α to β phase transition. The bulk resistance values show a reduction from 224.5 to 23.8 Ω, suggesting more conductive pathways. Furthermore, incorporating P3HT/CuO into P(VDF-TrFE) enhanced its electrical conductivity from 3.75 × 103 to 3.40 × 104 S m−1. This investigation showed that P3HT/CuO-enhanced P(VDF–TrFE) is a viable option for energy harvesting.
Structural variant and nucleosome occupancy dynamics postchemotherapy in a HER2+ breast cancer organoid model
The most common chemotherapeutics induce DNA damage to eradicate cancer cells, yet defective DNA repair can propagate mutations, instigating therapy resistance and secondary malignancies. Structural variants (SVs), arising from copy-number-imbalanced and -balanced DNA rearrangements, are a major driver of tumor evolution, yet understudied posttherapy. Here, we adapted single-cell template-strand sequencing (Strand-seq) to a HER2+ breast cancer model to investigate the formation of doxorubicin-induced de novo SVs. We coupled this approach with nucleosome occupancy (NO) measurements obtained from the same single cell to enable simultaneous SV detection and cell-type classification. Using organoids from TetO-CMYC/TetO-Neu/MMTV-rtTA mice modeling HER2+ breast cancer, we generated 459 Strand-seq libraries spanning various tumorigenesis stages, identifying a 7.4-fold increase in large chromosomal alterations post-doxorubicin. Complex DNA rearrangements, deletions, and duplications were prevalent across basal, luminal progenitor (LP), and mature luminal (ML) cells, indicating uniform susceptibility of these cell types to SV formation. Doxorubicin further elevated sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs), indicative of genomic stress persisting posttreatment. Altered nucleosome occupancy levels on distinct cancer-related genes further underscore the broad genomic impact of doxorubicin. The organoid-based system for single-cell multiomics established in this study paves the way for unraveling the most important therapy-associated SV mutational signatures, enabling systematic studies of the effect of therapy on cancer evolution.
Opportunistic access control scheme for enhancing IoT-enabled healthcare security using blockchain and machine learning
A proper definition of the paddlewheel effect affirms its existence
Enhancing radiation-induced reactive oxygen species generation through mitochondrial transplantation in human glioblastoma
CTCF regulates global chromatin accessibility and transcription during rod photoreceptor development
Chromatin architecture facilitates accurate transcription at a number of loci, but it remains unclear how much chromatin architecture is involved in global transcriptional regulation. Previous work has shown that rapid depletion of the architectural protein CTCF in cell culture alters global chromatin organization but results in surprisingly limited gene expression changes. This discrepancy has also been observed when other architectural proteins are depleted, and one possible explanation is that full transcriptional changes are masked by cellular heterogeneity. We tested this idea by performing multiomics analyses with sorted juvenile postmitotic mouse rods, which undergo synchronized development, and we identified CTCF-dependent regulation of global chromatin accessibility and gene expression. CTCF depletion leads to dysregulation of ~20% of the entire transcriptome (>3,000 genes) and ~41% of genome accessibility (>27,000 sites) before any prominent cellular or physiological phenotypes arise. Importantly, these changes are highly enriched for CTCF occupancy at euchromatin, suggesting direct CTCF binding and transcriptional regulation at these active loci. CTCF mainly promotes chromatin accessibility and frequently inhibits expression of these direct binding targets, which are enriched for binding motifs of transcription repressors. These findings provide different and sometimes opposite conclusions from previous studies, emphasizing the need to consider cellular heterogeneity and cell-type specificity when performing multiomics analyses. CTCF knockout rods undergo complete degeneration by adulthood, indicating an essential role for their viability. We conclude that the architectural protein CTCF binds chromatin and regulates global chromatin accessibility and transcription during rod development.
Effects of pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in Poland
Chemical genetic interactions elucidate pathways controlling tuberculosis antibiotic efficacy during infection
Successful tuberculosis therapy requires treatment with an unwieldy multidrug combination for several months. Thus, there is a growing need to identify novel genetic vulnerabilities that can be leveraged to develop new, more effective antitubercular drugs. Consequently, recent efforts to optimize tuberculosis (TB) therapy have exploited Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) chemical genetics to identify pathways influencing antibiotic efficacy, novel mechanisms of antibiotic action, and new targets for TB drug discovery. However, the influence of the complex host environment on these interactions remains largely unknown, leaving the therapeutic potential of the identified targets unclear. In this study, we leveraged a library of conditional mutants targeting 467 essential Mtb genes to characterize the chemical–genetic interactions (CGIs) with TB drugs directly in the mouse infection model. We found that these in vivo CGIs differ significantly from those identified in vitro. Both drug-specific and drug-agnostic effects were identified, and many were preserved during treatment with a multidrug combination, suggesting numerous strategies for enhancing therapy. This work also elucidated the complex effects of pyrazinamide (PZA), a drug that relies on aspects of the infection environment for efficacy. Specifically, our work supports the importance of coenzyme A synthesis- inhibition during infection, as well as the antagonistic effect of iron limitation on PZA activity. In addition, we found that inhibition of thiamine and purine synthesis increases PZA efficacy, suggesting additional therapeutically exploitable metabolic dependencies. Our findings present a map of the unique in vivo CGIs, characterizing the mechanism of PZA activity in vivo and identifying potential targets for TB drug development.