Tuojiang River Basin is a first-class tributary of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River—which is the longest river in China.As phytoplankton are sensitive indicators of trophic changes inwater bodies,characterizing...Tuojiang River Basin is a first-class tributary of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River—which is the longest river in China.As phytoplankton are sensitive indicators of trophic changes inwater bodies,characterizing phytoplankton communities and their growth influencing factors in polluted urban rivers can provide new ideas for pollution control.Here,we used direct microscopic count and environmental DNA(eDNA)metabarcoding methods to investigate phytoplankton community structure in Tuojiang River Basin(Chengdu,Sichuan Province,China).The association between phytoplankton community structure and water environmental factors was evaluated by Mantel analysis.Additional environmental monitoring data were used to pinpoint major factors that influenced phytoplankton growth based on structural equation modeling.At the phylum level,the dominant phytoplankton taxa identified by the conventional microscopic method mainly belonged to Bacillariophyta,Chlorophyta,and Cyanophyta,in contrast with Chlorophyta,Dinophyceae,and Bacillariophyta identified by eDNA metabarcoding.Inα-diversity analysis,eDNA metabarcoding detected greater species diversity and achieved higher precision than the microscopic method.Phytoplankton growth was largely limited by phosphorus based on the nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratios>16:1 in all water samples.Redundancy analysis and structural equation modeling also confirmed that the nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio was the principal factor influencing phytoplankton growth.The results could be useful for implementing comprehensive management of the river basin environment.It is recommended to control the discharge of point-and surface-source pollutants and the concentration of dissolved oxygen in areas with excessive nutrients(e.g.,Jianyang-Ziyang).Algae monitoring techniques and removal strategies should be improved in 201 Hospital,Hongrihe Bridge and Colmar Town areas.展开更多
The effects of disinfectants and plasmid-based antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs)on the growth of microorganisms and the plasmid-mediated transfer of ARGs in the water and biofilm of the drinkingwater distribution syst...The effects of disinfectants and plasmid-based antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs)on the growth of microorganisms and the plasmid-mediated transfer of ARGs in the water and biofilm of the drinkingwater distribution system under simulated conditionswere explored.The heterotrophic plate count of the water in reactors with 0.1 mg/L NaClO and NH_(2)Cl was higher than in the control groups.Therewas no similar phenomenon in biofilm.In thewater of reactors containing NaClO,the aphA and bla geneswere lower than in the antibiotic resistant bacteria group,while both genes were higher in the water of reactors with NH_(2)Cl than in the control group.Chloramine may promote the transfer of ARGs in the water phase.Both genes in the biofilm of the reactors containing chlorine were lower than the control group.Correlation analysis between ARGs and water quality parameters revealed that the copy numbers of the aphA gene were significantly positively correlated with the copy numbers of the bla gene in water and significantly negatively correlated in biofilm(p<0.05).The results of the sequencing assay showed that bacteria in the biofilm,in the presence of disinfectant,were primarily Gram-negative.1.0 mg/L chlorine decreased the diversity of the community in the biofilm.The relative abundance of some bacteria that may undergo transfer increased in the biofilm of the reactor containing 0.1 mg/L chlorine.展开更多
Conventional superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors(SNSPDs)have been typically limited in their applications due to their size,weight,and power consumption,which confine their use to laboratory settings.Howe...Conventional superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors(SNSPDs)have been typically limited in their applications due to their size,weight,and power consumption,which confine their use to laboratory settings.However,with the rapid development of remote imaging,sensing technologies,and long-range quantum communication with fewer topographical constraints,the demand for high-efficiency single-photon detectors integrated with avionic platforms is rapidly growing.We herein designed and manufactured the first drone-based SNSPD system with a system detection efficiency(SDE)as high as 91.8%.This drone-based system incorporates high-performance NbTiN SNSPDs,a self-developed miniature liquid helium dewar,and custom-built integrated electrical setups,making it capable of being launched in complex topographical conditions.Such a drone-based SNSPD system may open the use of SNSPDs for applications that demand high SDE in complex environments.展开更多
This letter critically evaluates Jiang et al's article on the differentiation of benign and malignant liver lesions using Emax and platelet count.Despite notable findings,significant methodological and interpretat...This letter critically evaluates Jiang et al's article on the differentiation of benign and malignant liver lesions using Emax and platelet count.Despite notable findings,significant methodological and interpretative limitations are identified.The study lacks detailed assay conditions for Emax measurement,employs inadequate statistical methods without robust multivariate analysis,and does not provide clinically relevant threshold values.The nomogram's reliance on Emax as a major diagnostic contributor is questionable due to attenuation in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with cirrhosis.Moreover,the study's limitations,such as selection bias and confounding factors,are not adequately addressed.Future research should adopt more rigorous methodologies,including prospective studies with larger cohorts and standardized protocols for biomarker measurement,to enhance validity and clinical applicability.展开更多
[Objectives]To evaluate the performance of two rapid chromogenic media for the detection of Bacillus cereus in milk powder,and verify the media's inclusivity,exclusivity,and accuracy,and to assess their applicabil...[Objectives]To evaluate the performance of two rapid chromogenic media for the detection of Bacillus cereus in milk powder,and verify the media's inclusivity,exclusivity,and accuracy,and to assess their applicability for the quantitative detection of B.cereus.[Methods]B.cereus in milk powder samples was quantified using two rapid chromogenic media in combination with the national standard method.Agreement between the quantitative results from the three methods was subsequently assessed for agreement via a paired t-test.[Results]No significant differences were observed between the bacterial counts yielded by the two rapid chromogenic media and the national standard method(P>0.05),with excellent agreement between them.[Conclusions]The method of rapid chromogenic culture medium is rapid and simple.展开更多
This study presents a low-noise,high-rate front-end readout application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC)designed for the electromagnetic calorimeter(ECAL)of the Super Tau-Charm Facility(STCF).To address the high back...This study presents a low-noise,high-rate front-end readout application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC)designed for the electromagnetic calorimeter(ECAL)of the Super Tau-Charm Facility(STCF).To address the high background-count rate in the STCF ECAL,the temporal features of signals are analyzed node-by-node along the chain of the analog front-end circuit.Then,the system is optimized to mitigate the pile-up effects and elevate the count rate to megahertz levels.First,a charge-sensitive amplifier(CSA)with a fast reset path is developed,enabling quick resetting when the output reaches the maximum amplitude.This prevents the CSA from entering a pulse-dead zone owing to amplifier saturation caused by the pile-up.Second,a high-order shaper with baseline holder circuits is improved to enhance the anti-pile-up capability while maintaining an effective noise-filtering performance.Third,a high-speed peak-detection and hold circuit with an asynchronous first-input-first-output buffer function is proposed to hold and read the piled-up signals of the shaper.The ASIC is designed and manufactured using a standard commercial 1P6M 0.18μm mixed-signal CMOS process with a chip area of 2.4 mm×1.6 mm.The measurement results demonstrate a dynamic range of 4–500 fC with a nonlinearity error below 1.5%.For periodically distributed input signals,a count rate of 1.5 MHz/Ch is achieved with a peak time of 360 ns,resulting in an equivalent noise charge(ENC)of 2500 e^(-)-.The maximum count rate is 4 MHz/Ch at a peak time of 120 ns.At a peak time of 1.68μs with a 270 pF external capacitance,the minimum ENC is 1966 e^(-)-,and the noise slope is 3.08 e^(-)-∕pF.The timing resolution is better than 125 ps at an input charge of 200 fC.The power consumption is 35 mW/Ch.展开更多
Environmental DNA(e DNA)methods have emerged as a promising tool for studying a broad spectrum of biological taxa.However,metabarcoding studies of avian biodiversity using e DNA have received little attention.In this ...Environmental DNA(e DNA)methods have emerged as a promising tool for studying a broad spectrum of biological taxa.However,metabarcoding studies of avian biodiversity using e DNA have received little attention.In this study,we compared waterbird biodiversity derived from e DNA metabarcoding with that obtained from traditional point counting surveys at 23 sites in Tai Lake of eastern China and evaluated the accuracy of e DNA metabarcoding for waterbird community studies.The point counting method recorded a higher total number of waterbird species(22)compared to the e DNA technique(16).While e DNA achieved a 74.5%detection rate for waterbird species and was able to identify a significantly greater number of species(12.48±1.97)at each sampling site than point counting method(6.13±2.69),particularly highlighting several rare and elusive species,it failed to detect some species commonly observed by the point counting method.The alpha diversity analysis revealed no significant differences in waterbird diversity between the e DNA method and the point counting method,except that the e DNA method exhibited lower Pielou evenness.Waterbird e DNA sequencing abundance correlated significantly with species occurrence,whereas Spearman's analysis indicated no significant difference between e DNA sequence abundance and species abundance from the point counting method.e DNA method detected no significant difference in waterbird composition between sampling sites,while the point counting method revealed significant differences.Consequently,e DNA is an effective complementary tool for assessing the diversity of wintering waterbirds in lakes,though it is unable to capture the full diversity of waterbird communities.It is crucial to develop sampling strategies that comprehensively monitor species composition and integrate e DNA with traditional survey methods for accurate evaluation of community structure.展开更多
Title Page The title page(page 1,do not number)should contain these elements:(a)full title;(b)Each authors'names,academic degrees,and affiliations(if Chinese,give standard English version);(c)the designated corres...Title Page The title page(page 1,do not number)should contain these elements:(a)full title;(b)Each authors'names,academic degrees,and affiliations(if Chinese,give standard English version);(c)the designated corresponding author's name,mailing address,telephone and fax numbers,and e-mail address;(d)source(s)of financial support of the study;(e)the total word count of the manuscript,including the title page,abstract,text,references,tables,and figures legends.展开更多
Varicocele is a prevalent condition in the infertile male population.However,to date,which patients may benefit most from varicocele repair is still a matter of debate.The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether...Varicocele is a prevalent condition in the infertile male population.However,to date,which patients may benefit most from varicocele repair is still a matter of debate.The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether certain preintervention sperm parameters are predictive of successful varicocele repair,defined as an improvement in total motile sperm count(TMSC).We performed a retrospective study on 111 patients with varicocele who had undergone varicocele repair,collected from the Department of Endocrinology,Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition,University of Catania(Catania,Italy),and the Unit of Urology at the Selcuk University School of Medicine(Konya,Türkiye).The predictive analysis was conducted through the use of the Brain Project,an innovative tool that allows a complete and totally unbiased search of mathematical expressions that relate the object of study to the various parameters available.Varicocele repair was considered successful when TMSC increased by at least 50% of the preintervention value.For patients with preintervention TMSC below 5×10^(6),improvement was considered clinically relevant when the increase exceeded 50% and the absolute TMSC value was>5×10^(6).From the preintervention TMSC alone,we found a model that predicts patients who appear to benefit little from varicocele repair with a sensitivity of 50.0% and a specificity of 81.8%.Varicocele grade and serum follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH)levels did not play a predictive role,but it should be noted that all patients enrolled in this study were selected with intermediate-or high-grade varicocele and normal FSH levels.In conclusion,preintervention TMSC is predictive of the success of varicocele repair in terms of TMSC improvement in patients with intermediate-or high-grade varicoceles and normal FSH levels.展开更多
Rice spike detection and counting play a crucial role in rice yield research.Automatic detection technology based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)imagery has the advantages of flexibility,efficiency,low cost,safety,and...Rice spike detection and counting play a crucial role in rice yield research.Automatic detection technology based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)imagery has the advantages of flexibility,efficiency,low cost,safety,and reliability.However,due to the complex field environment and the small target morphology of some rice spikes,the accuracy of detection and counting is relatively low,and the differences in phenotypic characteristics of rice spikes at different growth stages have a significant impact on detection results.To solve the above problems,this paper improves the You Only Look Once v8(YOLOv8)model,proposes a new method for detecting and counting rice spikes,and designs a comparison experiment using rice spike detection in different periods.Themethod improves the model’s ability to detect rice ears with special morphologies by introducing a Dynamic Snake Convolution(DSConv)module into the Bottleneck of the C2f structure of YOLOv8,which enhances themodule’s ability to extract elongated structural features;In addition,the Weighted Interpolation of Sequential Evidence for Intersection over Union(Wise-IoU)loss function is improved to reduce the harmful gradient of lowquality target frames and enhance themodel’s ability to locate small spikelet targets,thus improving the overall detection performance of the model.The experimental results show that the enhanced rice spike detection model has an average accuracy of 91.4%and a precision of 93.3%,respectively,which are 2.3 percentage points and 2.5 percentage points higher than those of the baseline model.Furthermore,it effectively reduces the occurrence of missed and false detections of rice spikes.In addition,six rice spike detection models were developed by training the proposed models with images of rice spikes at themilk and waxmaturity stages.The experimental findings demonstrated that the models trained on milk maturity data attained the highest detection accuracy for the same data,with an average accuracy of 96.2%,an R squared(R^(2))value of 0.71,and a Rootmean squared error(RMSE)of 20.980.This study provides technical support for early and non-destructive yield estimation in rice in the future.展开更多
Recent advances in computer vision and artificial intelligence(AI)have made real-time people counting systems extremely reliable,with experts in crowd control,occupancy supervision,and security.To improve the accuracy...Recent advances in computer vision and artificial intelligence(AI)have made real-time people counting systems extremely reliable,with experts in crowd control,occupancy supervision,and security.To improve the accuracy of people counting at entry and exit points,the current study proposes a deep learning model that combines You Only Look Once(YOLOv8)for object detection,ByteTrack formulti-object tracking,and a unique method for vector-based movement analysis.The system determines if a person has entered or exited by analyzing their movement concerning a predetermined boundary line.Two different logical strategies are used to record entry and exit points.By leveraging object tracking,cross-product analysis,and current frame state updates,the system effectively tracks human flow in and out of a roomand maintains an accurate count of the occupants.The present approach is supervised on Alzheimer’s patients or residents in the hospital or nursing home environment where the highest level of monitoring is essential.A comparison of the two strategy frameworks reveals that robust tracking combined with deep learning detection yields 97.2%and 98.5%accuracy in both controlled and dynamic settings,respectively.The model’s effectiveness and applicability for real-time occupancy and human management tasks are demonstrated by performance measures in terms of accuracy,computing time,and robustness in various scenarios.This integrated technique has a wide range of applications in public safety systems and smart buildings,and it shows considerable gains in counting reliability.展开更多
According to the World Health Organization(WHO)manual,sperm concentration should be measured using an improved Neubauer hemocytometer,while sperm motility should be measured by manual assessment.However,in China,thous...According to the World Health Organization(WHO)manual,sperm concentration should be measured using an improved Neubauer hemocytometer,while sperm motility should be measured by manual assessment.However,in China,thousands of laboratories do not use the improved Neubauer hemocytometer or method;instead,the Makler counting chamber is one of the most widely used chambers.To study sources of error that could impact the measurement of the apparent concentration and motility of sperm using the Makler counting chamber and to verify its accuracy for clinical application,67 semen samples from patients attending the Department of Andrology,West China Second University Hospital,Sichuan University(Chengdu,China)between 13 September 2023 and 27 September 2023,were included.Compared with applying the cover glass immediately,delaying the application of the cover glass for 5 s,10 s,and 30 s resulted in average increases in the sperm concentration of 30.3%,74.1%,and 107.5%,respectively(all P<0.0001)and in the progressive motility(PR)of 17.7%,30.8%,and 39.6%,respectively(all P<0.0001).However,when the semen specimens were fixed with formaldehyde,a delay in the application of the cover glass for 5 s,10 s,and 30 s resulted in an average increase in the sperm concentration of 6.7%,10.8%,and 14.6%,respectively,compared with immediate application of the cover glass.The accumulation of motile sperm due to delays in the application of the cover glass is a significant source of error with the Makler counting chamber and should be avoided.展开更多
Purpose–To address the encapsulation challenge of fiber Bragg grating(FBG)sensors in complex railway environments,this paper designs a clip-on composite sensor enabling installation-friendly deployment and long-term ...Purpose–To address the encapsulation challenge of fiber Bragg grating(FBG)sensors in complex railway environments,this paper designs a clip-on composite sensor enabling installation-friendly deployment and long-term axle counting system monitoring.Design/methodology/approach–Wheel–rail mechanical behavior was simulated via finite element analysis(FEA)to determine optimal sensor placement.A clip-on composite sensor was subsequently engineered.Stress transduction efficacy was validated through FEA quantification of stress responses at the axle counter location.Findings–The proposed FBG axle counter integrates temperature compensation and anti-detachment monitoring as well as advantages such as simplified installation with minimal maintenance and sustained operational reliability.It effectively transmits stress,yielding a measured strain of 39μe under static loading conditions without sensitivity-enhancing elements.Originality/value–This study performs FEA of wheel-rail stress distribution and engineers the dual-slot composite sensor,FEAwas conducted to quantify the stress magnitude at the axle sensor position of the dual-slot composite sensor.Additionally,FEA was performed on sensors with different structural configurations,including adjustments to the axle sensor position,number of slots and axle position.The results confirmed that the designed composite sensor exhibits superior stress transfer characteristics.展开更多
High-precision refractive index measurement has become a research hotspot in recent years.However,traditional refractive index measurement often adopts intensity detection,whose performance is restricted by the classi...High-precision refractive index measurement has become a research hotspot in recent years.However,traditional refractive index measurement often adopts intensity detection,whose performance is restricted by the classical detection limit and is thus hard to improve further.In order to break through this limitation,we propose a quantum-enhanced refractive index sensing scheme utilizing even-coherent-state sources in combination with parity detection.In this paper,we analyze the detection performance of the proposed system.Due to the inevitable photon loss in practical applications,the effects of photon loss on resolution and sensitivity are also investigated.Numerical results show that the resolution of the proposed strategy breaks through the Rayleigh limit and achieves super-resolving refractive index measurement.Relative to existing coherent-state schemes,our strategy leads to a twofold resolution improvement.Furthermore,the physical origins of the super-resolution are analyzed.展开更多
Layered rare earth magnets make a prolific source of unconventional quantum phases and functional properties.Recently,a class of Zintl materials EuA2X2has emerged as holding promise for ideal Weyl and axion physics.Th...Layered rare earth magnets make a prolific source of unconventional quantum phases and functional properties.Recently,a class of Zintl materials EuA2X2has emerged as holding promise for ideal Weyl and axion physics.The question is whether the magnetic structure,strongly coupled to the topology,can be controlled in such mate rials via a minimal yet selective modification of their chemical composition.Here,we report qualitative changes in the magnetic structure due to charge imbalance.Such imbalance is probed by replacement of Eu with Gd.The two elements form isoelectronic 4f7cations but contribute to different numbers of electrons.A synthetic route to epitaxial films of GdAl_(2)Ge_(2)on Ge,employing a selfsacrificial template,is proposed.The ato mic and magnetic structures of the films,as well as their electron transport properties were studied by a combination of techniques.It is established that the change in the magnetic structure caused by the cationic replacement influences the magnetotransport properties of the films.The results suggest that the charge imbalance in Zintl compounds may provide an instrument to open new routes to functional layered materials with potential applications in spintronics.展开更多
For fast in-situ assessment of tiller phenotypes in rice breeding,we introduce the TillerPET model,an improved transformer-based deep learning solution that permits phenotyping the number and compactness of rice tille...For fast in-situ assessment of tiller phenotypes in rice breeding,we introduce the TillerPET model,an improved transformer-based deep learning solution that permits phenotyping the number and compactness of rice tillers in images of post-harvest rice stubble.A rice tiller phenotype dataset covering three years of field data and four experimental sites across China was constructed to train and validate the model.TillerPET reports an R2 of 0.941 for counting tiller number,demonstrating state-of-the-art performance on the proposed RTP dataset.Beyond its minimal errors in estimating tiller number,TillerPET also achieves an R2 of 0.978 for characterizing tiller compactness.The two phenotypic parameters exhibit a high degree of consistency with expert breeders,offering reliable phenotypic indicators to guide further breeding.展开更多
Dear Editor,Sleep plays a vital role in physical health,influencing chronic diseases,memory,and overall quality of life[1,2].In recent years,the relationship between sleep health and physical activity has gained atten...Dear Editor,Sleep plays a vital role in physical health,influencing chronic diseases,memory,and overall quality of life[1,2].In recent years,the relationship between sleep health and physical activity has gained attention,with a particular focus on how daily step count affects various sleep metrics.展开更多
This study investigates the air–water interaction dynamics in jet streams,with particular emphasis on the transition from the cavity to the far-field regions.A dual-tip conductivity phase-detection probe was employed...This study investigates the air–water interaction dynamics in jet streams,with particular emphasis on the transition from the cavity to the far-field regions.A dual-tip conductivity phase-detection probe was employed to analyze four distinct downstream water levels.Based on the development of the cross-sectional mean air concentration,the jet flow was divided into four distinct regions:the jet length region,impact region,splash region,and far-field region.The results demonstrate varying trends in the evolution of the mean air concentration and maximum bubble frequency.Downstream water levels exerted a significant influence on these parameters in the splash and far-field regions,whereas minimal variation was observed in the impact region.Additionally,notable differences were identified in the probability density function of water droplets between the cavity and downstream regions.Furthermore,downstream water depth was found to have a negligible effect on the proportion of small-sized droplets in both the impact and splash regions.展开更多
BACKGROUND Although limited clinical evidence exists,such as case reports of azoospermia treatment in humans using bone marrow aspirate concentrate(BMAC)injection,these findings provide a compelling foundation for exp...BACKGROUND Although limited clinical evidence exists,such as case reports of azoospermia treatment in humans using bone marrow aspirate concentrate(BMAC)injection,these findings provide a compelling foundation for exploring mesenchymal stem cell therapy in male infertility.AIM To evaluate the safety and efficacy of autologous BMAC injection into human testis for men with severe oligospermia or azoospermia over the existing standard of care pharmacotherapy and lifestyle modifications.METHODS We included patients diagnosed with male infertility of the age group between 35–45 years in this trial comparing BMAC injection therapy with pharmacotherapy and lifestyle modifications over a 6-month follow-up period.Semen analysis was used to evaluate the efficacy of the interventions analyzed.RESULTS We enrolled 30 patients in the trial with 10 patients in each arm of the trial.Compared to the baseline,neither the BMAC group(P=0.139)or pharmacotherapy group(P=0.056)nor the lifestyle modification group(P=0.112)demonstrated a statistically significant increase in sperm count at 6 months.However,the BMAC group demonstrated a significant increase in sperm count(mean 19.2 million;P=0.001)compared to the pharmacotherapy group(mean 3.5 million)and lifestyle modification group(mean 2.2 million)at 6 months.Significant improvement was noted in the motility grade(P<0.001)only in the BMAC group while no changes were noted in the other groups.CONCLUSION This trial highlights the potential of autologous BMAC as a promising therapeutic option for male infertility.Despite the absence of significant changes within individual treatment arms,BMAC therapy demonstrated superior efficacy in improving both sperm count and motility compared to standard pharmacotherapy and lifestyle modifications.These findings underscore the potential role of regenerative medicine in addressing severe oligospermia and azoospermia,warranting further research to solidify its clinical applicability.展开更多
Background:Lipemia,characterized by elevated triglyceride levels in blood samples,is a prevalent preanalytical interferent in clinical hematology.It leads to erroneous measurements of key complete blood count(CBC)para...Background:Lipemia,characterized by elevated triglyceride levels in blood samples,is a prevalent preanalytical interferent in clinical hematology.It leads to erroneous measurements of key complete blood count(CBC)parameters,including falsely elevated hemoglobin(Hgb)and platelet(PLT)counts.These inaccuracies can compromise diagnostic reliability and patient management.Objective:This review systematically evaluates existing correction methods for lipemic interference in CBC analysis,comparing their efficacy,limitations,and applicability in clinical settings.Methods:We analyze saline replacement,formula-based correction,instrument-specific algorithms,and emerging technologies,supported by experimental and clinical validation data.Conclusion:An optimized,context-dependent strategy is proposed,integrating multiple correction approaches based on lipemia severity.Future research directions,including artificial intelligence(AI)-enhanced corrections and standardized protocols,are discussed to advance hematology testing accuracy.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.72091511)the Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of Hebei Province (No.E2022402064).
文摘Tuojiang River Basin is a first-class tributary of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River—which is the longest river in China.As phytoplankton are sensitive indicators of trophic changes inwater bodies,characterizing phytoplankton communities and their growth influencing factors in polluted urban rivers can provide new ideas for pollution control.Here,we used direct microscopic count and environmental DNA(eDNA)metabarcoding methods to investigate phytoplankton community structure in Tuojiang River Basin(Chengdu,Sichuan Province,China).The association between phytoplankton community structure and water environmental factors was evaluated by Mantel analysis.Additional environmental monitoring data were used to pinpoint major factors that influenced phytoplankton growth based on structural equation modeling.At the phylum level,the dominant phytoplankton taxa identified by the conventional microscopic method mainly belonged to Bacillariophyta,Chlorophyta,and Cyanophyta,in contrast with Chlorophyta,Dinophyceae,and Bacillariophyta identified by eDNA metabarcoding.Inα-diversity analysis,eDNA metabarcoding detected greater species diversity and achieved higher precision than the microscopic method.Phytoplankton growth was largely limited by phosphorus based on the nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratios>16:1 in all water samples.Redundancy analysis and structural equation modeling also confirmed that the nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio was the principal factor influencing phytoplankton growth.The results could be useful for implementing comprehensive management of the river basin environment.It is recommended to control the discharge of point-and surface-source pollutants and the concentration of dissolved oxygen in areas with excessive nutrients(e.g.,Jianyang-Ziyang).Algae monitoring techniques and removal strategies should be improved in 201 Hospital,Hongrihe Bridge and Colmar Town areas.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52070145,51778453).
文摘The effects of disinfectants and plasmid-based antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs)on the growth of microorganisms and the plasmid-mediated transfer of ARGs in the water and biofilm of the drinkingwater distribution system under simulated conditionswere explored.The heterotrophic plate count of the water in reactors with 0.1 mg/L NaClO and NH_(2)Cl was higher than in the control groups.Therewas no similar phenomenon in biofilm.In thewater of reactors containing NaClO,the aphA and bla geneswere lower than in the antibiotic resistant bacteria group,while both genes were higher in the water of reactors with NH_(2)Cl than in the control group.Chloramine may promote the transfer of ARGs in the water phase.Both genes in the biofilm of the reactors containing chlorine were lower than the control group.Correlation analysis between ARGs and water quality parameters revealed that the copy numbers of the aphA gene were significantly positively correlated with the copy numbers of the bla gene in water and significantly negatively correlated in biofilm(p<0.05).The results of the sequencing assay showed that bacteria in the biofilm,in the presence of disinfectant,were primarily Gram-negative.1.0 mg/L chlorine decreased the diversity of the community in the biofilm.The relative abundance of some bacteria that may undergo transfer increased in the biofilm of the reactor containing 0.1 mg/L chlorine.
基金the Innovation Program for Quantum Science and Technology(Grant No.2023ZD0300100)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant Nos.2023YFB3809600 and 2023YFC3007801)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.62301543 and U24A20320)the Shanghai Sailing Program(Grant No.21YF1455700).
文摘Conventional superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors(SNSPDs)have been typically limited in their applications due to their size,weight,and power consumption,which confine their use to laboratory settings.However,with the rapid development of remote imaging,sensing technologies,and long-range quantum communication with fewer topographical constraints,the demand for high-efficiency single-photon detectors integrated with avionic platforms is rapidly growing.We herein designed and manufactured the first drone-based SNSPD system with a system detection efficiency(SDE)as high as 91.8%.This drone-based system incorporates high-performance NbTiN SNSPDs,a self-developed miniature liquid helium dewar,and custom-built integrated electrical setups,making it capable of being launched in complex topographical conditions.Such a drone-based SNSPD system may open the use of SNSPDs for applications that demand high SDE in complex environments.
文摘This letter critically evaluates Jiang et al's article on the differentiation of benign and malignant liver lesions using Emax and platelet count.Despite notable findings,significant methodological and interpretative limitations are identified.The study lacks detailed assay conditions for Emax measurement,employs inadequate statistical methods without robust multivariate analysis,and does not provide clinically relevant threshold values.The nomogram's reliance on Emax as a major diagnostic contributor is questionable due to attenuation in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with cirrhosis.Moreover,the study's limitations,such as selection bias and confounding factors,are not adequately addressed.Future research should adopt more rigorous methodologies,including prospective studies with larger cohorts and standardized protocols for biomarker measurement,to enhance validity and clinical applicability.
基金Supported by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's Key Research and Achievement Transformation Plan(2025YFSH0029).
文摘[Objectives]To evaluate the performance of two rapid chromogenic media for the detection of Bacillus cereus in milk powder,and verify the media's inclusivity,exclusivity,and accuracy,and to assess their applicability for the quantitative detection of B.cereus.[Methods]B.cereus in milk powder samples was quantified using two rapid chromogenic media in combination with the national standard method.Agreement between the quantitative results from the three methods was subsequently assessed for agreement via a paired t-test.[Results]No significant differences were observed between the bacterial counts yielded by the two rapid chromogenic media and the national standard method(P>0.05),with excellent agreement between them.[Conclusions]The method of rapid chromogenic culture medium is rapid and simple.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.12375191,12275218,12341502,12105224,12205307)National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2023YFE0206300,2023YFF0719600)+2 种基金Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(No.2024A1515012141)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2023M742850)Innovation Foundation for Doctor Dissertation of Northwestern Polytechnical University(No.CX2021025)。
文摘This study presents a low-noise,high-rate front-end readout application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC)designed for the electromagnetic calorimeter(ECAL)of the Super Tau-Charm Facility(STCF).To address the high background-count rate in the STCF ECAL,the temporal features of signals are analyzed node-by-node along the chain of the analog front-end circuit.Then,the system is optimized to mitigate the pile-up effects and elevate the count rate to megahertz levels.First,a charge-sensitive amplifier(CSA)with a fast reset path is developed,enabling quick resetting when the output reaches the maximum amplitude.This prevents the CSA from entering a pulse-dead zone owing to amplifier saturation caused by the pile-up.Second,a high-order shaper with baseline holder circuits is improved to enhance the anti-pile-up capability while maintaining an effective noise-filtering performance.Third,a high-speed peak-detection and hold circuit with an asynchronous first-input-first-output buffer function is proposed to hold and read the piled-up signals of the shaper.The ASIC is designed and manufactured using a standard commercial 1P6M 0.18μm mixed-signal CMOS process with a chip area of 2.4 mm×1.6 mm.The measurement results demonstrate a dynamic range of 4–500 fC with a nonlinearity error below 1.5%.For periodically distributed input signals,a count rate of 1.5 MHz/Ch is achieved with a peak time of 360 ns,resulting in an equivalent noise charge(ENC)of 2500 e^(-)-.The maximum count rate is 4 MHz/Ch at a peak time of 120 ns.At a peak time of 1.68μs with a 270 pF external capacitance,the minimum ENC is 1966 e^(-)-,and the noise slope is 3.08 e^(-)-∕pF.The timing resolution is better than 125 ps at an input charge of 200 fC.The power consumption is 35 mW/Ch.
基金funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Award Number:2022YFC3202104)。
文摘Environmental DNA(e DNA)methods have emerged as a promising tool for studying a broad spectrum of biological taxa.However,metabarcoding studies of avian biodiversity using e DNA have received little attention.In this study,we compared waterbird biodiversity derived from e DNA metabarcoding with that obtained from traditional point counting surveys at 23 sites in Tai Lake of eastern China and evaluated the accuracy of e DNA metabarcoding for waterbird community studies.The point counting method recorded a higher total number of waterbird species(22)compared to the e DNA technique(16).While e DNA achieved a 74.5%detection rate for waterbird species and was able to identify a significantly greater number of species(12.48±1.97)at each sampling site than point counting method(6.13±2.69),particularly highlighting several rare and elusive species,it failed to detect some species commonly observed by the point counting method.The alpha diversity analysis revealed no significant differences in waterbird diversity between the e DNA method and the point counting method,except that the e DNA method exhibited lower Pielou evenness.Waterbird e DNA sequencing abundance correlated significantly with species occurrence,whereas Spearman's analysis indicated no significant difference between e DNA sequence abundance and species abundance from the point counting method.e DNA method detected no significant difference in waterbird composition between sampling sites,while the point counting method revealed significant differences.Consequently,e DNA is an effective complementary tool for assessing the diversity of wintering waterbirds in lakes,though it is unable to capture the full diversity of waterbird communities.It is crucial to develop sampling strategies that comprehensively monitor species composition and integrate e DNA with traditional survey methods for accurate evaluation of community structure.
文摘Title Page The title page(page 1,do not number)should contain these elements:(a)full title;(b)Each authors'names,academic degrees,and affiliations(if Chinese,give standard English version);(c)the designated corresponding author's name,mailing address,telephone and fax numbers,and e-mail address;(d)source(s)of financial support of the study;(e)the total word count of the manuscript,including the title page,abstract,text,references,tables,and figures legends.
文摘Varicocele is a prevalent condition in the infertile male population.However,to date,which patients may benefit most from varicocele repair is still a matter of debate.The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether certain preintervention sperm parameters are predictive of successful varicocele repair,defined as an improvement in total motile sperm count(TMSC).We performed a retrospective study on 111 patients with varicocele who had undergone varicocele repair,collected from the Department of Endocrinology,Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition,University of Catania(Catania,Italy),and the Unit of Urology at the Selcuk University School of Medicine(Konya,Türkiye).The predictive analysis was conducted through the use of the Brain Project,an innovative tool that allows a complete and totally unbiased search of mathematical expressions that relate the object of study to the various parameters available.Varicocele repair was considered successful when TMSC increased by at least 50% of the preintervention value.For patients with preintervention TMSC below 5×10^(6),improvement was considered clinically relevant when the increase exceeded 50% and the absolute TMSC value was>5×10^(6).From the preintervention TMSC alone,we found a model that predicts patients who appear to benefit little from varicocele repair with a sensitivity of 50.0% and a specificity of 81.8%.Varicocele grade and serum follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH)levels did not play a predictive role,but it should be noted that all patients enrolled in this study were selected with intermediate-or high-grade varicocele and normal FSH levels.In conclusion,preintervention TMSC is predictive of the success of varicocele repair in terms of TMSC improvement in patients with intermediate-or high-grade varicoceles and normal FSH levels.
基金funded by Jilin Province Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talent Project,grant number 2023QN15funded by Science and Technology Development Plan Project of Jilin Province,grant number 20220202035NC.
文摘Rice spike detection and counting play a crucial role in rice yield research.Automatic detection technology based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)imagery has the advantages of flexibility,efficiency,low cost,safety,and reliability.However,due to the complex field environment and the small target morphology of some rice spikes,the accuracy of detection and counting is relatively low,and the differences in phenotypic characteristics of rice spikes at different growth stages have a significant impact on detection results.To solve the above problems,this paper improves the You Only Look Once v8(YOLOv8)model,proposes a new method for detecting and counting rice spikes,and designs a comparison experiment using rice spike detection in different periods.Themethod improves the model’s ability to detect rice ears with special morphologies by introducing a Dynamic Snake Convolution(DSConv)module into the Bottleneck of the C2f structure of YOLOv8,which enhances themodule’s ability to extract elongated structural features;In addition,the Weighted Interpolation of Sequential Evidence for Intersection over Union(Wise-IoU)loss function is improved to reduce the harmful gradient of lowquality target frames and enhance themodel’s ability to locate small spikelet targets,thus improving the overall detection performance of the model.The experimental results show that the enhanced rice spike detection model has an average accuracy of 91.4%and a precision of 93.3%,respectively,which are 2.3 percentage points and 2.5 percentage points higher than those of the baseline model.Furthermore,it effectively reduces the occurrence of missed and false detections of rice spikes.In addition,six rice spike detection models were developed by training the proposed models with images of rice spikes at themilk and waxmaturity stages.The experimental findings demonstrated that the models trained on milk maturity data attained the highest detection accuracy for the same data,with an average accuracy of 96.2%,an R squared(R^(2))value of 0.71,and a Rootmean squared error(RMSE)of 20.980.This study provides technical support for early and non-destructive yield estimation in rice in the future.
文摘Recent advances in computer vision and artificial intelligence(AI)have made real-time people counting systems extremely reliable,with experts in crowd control,occupancy supervision,and security.To improve the accuracy of people counting at entry and exit points,the current study proposes a deep learning model that combines You Only Look Once(YOLOv8)for object detection,ByteTrack formulti-object tracking,and a unique method for vector-based movement analysis.The system determines if a person has entered or exited by analyzing their movement concerning a predetermined boundary line.Two different logical strategies are used to record entry and exit points.By leveraging object tracking,cross-product analysis,and current frame state updates,the system effectively tracks human flow in and out of a roomand maintains an accurate count of the occupants.The present approach is supervised on Alzheimer’s patients or residents in the hospital or nursing home environment where the highest level of monitoring is essential.A comparison of the two strategy frameworks reveals that robust tracking combined with deep learning detection yields 97.2%and 98.5%accuracy in both controlled and dynamic settings,respectively.The model’s effectiveness and applicability for real-time occupancy and human management tasks are demonstrated by performance measures in terms of accuracy,computing time,and robustness in various scenarios.This integrated technique has a wide range of applications in public safety systems and smart buildings,and it shows considerable gains in counting reliability.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China(No.32171264 and No.81974226)the Sichuan Science and Technology Program(2023NSFSC1609)。
文摘According to the World Health Organization(WHO)manual,sperm concentration should be measured using an improved Neubauer hemocytometer,while sperm motility should be measured by manual assessment.However,in China,thousands of laboratories do not use the improved Neubauer hemocytometer or method;instead,the Makler counting chamber is one of the most widely used chambers.To study sources of error that could impact the measurement of the apparent concentration and motility of sperm using the Makler counting chamber and to verify its accuracy for clinical application,67 semen samples from patients attending the Department of Andrology,West China Second University Hospital,Sichuan University(Chengdu,China)between 13 September 2023 and 27 September 2023,were included.Compared with applying the cover glass immediately,delaying the application of the cover glass for 5 s,10 s,and 30 s resulted in average increases in the sperm concentration of 30.3%,74.1%,and 107.5%,respectively(all P<0.0001)and in the progressive motility(PR)of 17.7%,30.8%,and 39.6%,respectively(all P<0.0001).However,when the semen specimens were fixed with formaldehyde,a delay in the application of the cover glass for 5 s,10 s,and 30 s resulted in an average increase in the sperm concentration of 6.7%,10.8%,and 14.6%,respectively,compared with immediate application of the cover glass.The accumulation of motile sperm due to delays in the application of the cover glass is a significant source of error with the Makler counting chamber and should be avoided.
文摘Purpose–To address the encapsulation challenge of fiber Bragg grating(FBG)sensors in complex railway environments,this paper designs a clip-on composite sensor enabling installation-friendly deployment and long-term axle counting system monitoring.Design/methodology/approach–Wheel–rail mechanical behavior was simulated via finite element analysis(FEA)to determine optimal sensor placement.A clip-on composite sensor was subsequently engineered.Stress transduction efficacy was validated through FEA quantification of stress responses at the axle counter location.Findings–The proposed FBG axle counter integrates temperature compensation and anti-detachment monitoring as well as advantages such as simplified installation with minimal maintenance and sustained operational reliability.It effectively transmits stress,yielding a measured strain of 39μe under static loading conditions without sensitivity-enhancing elements.Originality/value–This study performs FEA of wheel-rail stress distribution and engineers the dual-slot composite sensor,FEAwas conducted to quantify the stress magnitude at the axle sensor position of the dual-slot composite sensor.Additionally,FEA was performed on sensors with different structural configurations,including adjustments to the axle sensor position,number of slots and axle position.The results confirmed that the designed composite sensor exhibits superior stress transfer characteristics.
文摘High-precision refractive index measurement has become a research hotspot in recent years.However,traditional refractive index measurement often adopts intensity detection,whose performance is restricted by the classical detection limit and is thus hard to improve further.In order to break through this limitation,we propose a quantum-enhanced refractive index sensing scheme utilizing even-coherent-state sources in combination with parity detection.In this paper,we analyze the detection performance of the proposed system.Due to the inevitable photon loss in practical applications,the effects of photon loss on resolution and sensitivity are also investigated.Numerical results show that the resolution of the proposed strategy breaks through the Rayleigh limit and achieves super-resolving refractive index measurement.Relative to existing coherent-state schemes,our strategy leads to a twofold resolution improvement.Furthermore,the physical origins of the super-resolution are analyzed.
基金Project supported by NRC "Kurchatov Institute"the Russian Science Foundation (22-13-00004 (synthesis)),24-19-00038 (magnetism studies)and 20-79-10028 (electron transport studies)the President's scholarship for D.V.A.(SP 3111.2022.5)。
文摘Layered rare earth magnets make a prolific source of unconventional quantum phases and functional properties.Recently,a class of Zintl materials EuA2X2has emerged as holding promise for ideal Weyl and axion physics.The question is whether the magnetic structure,strongly coupled to the topology,can be controlled in such mate rials via a minimal yet selective modification of their chemical composition.Here,we report qualitative changes in the magnetic structure due to charge imbalance.Such imbalance is probed by replacement of Eu with Gd.The two elements form isoelectronic 4f7cations but contribute to different numbers of electrons.A synthetic route to epitaxial films of GdAl_(2)Ge_(2)on Ge,employing a selfsacrificial template,is proposed.The ato mic and magnetic structures of the films,as well as their electron transport properties were studied by a combination of techniques.It is established that the change in the magnetic structure caused by the cationic replacement influences the magnetotransport properties of the films.The results suggest that the charge imbalance in Zintl compounds may provide an instrument to open new routes to functional layered materials with potential applications in spintronics.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32370435,62106080)the Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(2024AFB566).
文摘For fast in-situ assessment of tiller phenotypes in rice breeding,we introduce the TillerPET model,an improved transformer-based deep learning solution that permits phenotyping the number and compactness of rice tillers in images of post-harvest rice stubble.A rice tiller phenotype dataset covering three years of field data and four experimental sites across China was constructed to train and validate the model.TillerPET reports an R2 of 0.941 for counting tiller number,demonstrating state-of-the-art performance on the proposed RTP dataset.Beyond its minimal errors in estimating tiller number,TillerPET also achieves an R2 of 0.978 for characterizing tiller compactness.The two phenotypic parameters exhibit a high degree of consistency with expert breeders,offering reliable phenotypic indicators to guide further breeding.
文摘Dear Editor,Sleep plays a vital role in physical health,influencing chronic diseases,memory,and overall quality of life[1,2].In recent years,the relationship between sleep health and physical activity has gained attention,with a particular focus on how daily step count affects various sleep metrics.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52479068)Open Fund Research from the State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering(SKHL2323).
文摘This study investigates the air–water interaction dynamics in jet streams,with particular emphasis on the transition from the cavity to the far-field regions.A dual-tip conductivity phase-detection probe was employed to analyze four distinct downstream water levels.Based on the development of the cross-sectional mean air concentration,the jet flow was divided into four distinct regions:the jet length region,impact region,splash region,and far-field region.The results demonstrate varying trends in the evolution of the mean air concentration and maximum bubble frequency.Downstream water levels exerted a significant influence on these parameters in the splash and far-field regions,whereas minimal variation was observed in the impact region.Additionally,notable differences were identified in the probability density function of water droplets between the cavity and downstream regions.Furthermore,downstream water depth was found to have a negligible effect on the proportion of small-sized droplets in both the impact and splash regions.
文摘BACKGROUND Although limited clinical evidence exists,such as case reports of azoospermia treatment in humans using bone marrow aspirate concentrate(BMAC)injection,these findings provide a compelling foundation for exploring mesenchymal stem cell therapy in male infertility.AIM To evaluate the safety and efficacy of autologous BMAC injection into human testis for men with severe oligospermia or azoospermia over the existing standard of care pharmacotherapy and lifestyle modifications.METHODS We included patients diagnosed with male infertility of the age group between 35–45 years in this trial comparing BMAC injection therapy with pharmacotherapy and lifestyle modifications over a 6-month follow-up period.Semen analysis was used to evaluate the efficacy of the interventions analyzed.RESULTS We enrolled 30 patients in the trial with 10 patients in each arm of the trial.Compared to the baseline,neither the BMAC group(P=0.139)or pharmacotherapy group(P=0.056)nor the lifestyle modification group(P=0.112)demonstrated a statistically significant increase in sperm count at 6 months.However,the BMAC group demonstrated a significant increase in sperm count(mean 19.2 million;P=0.001)compared to the pharmacotherapy group(mean 3.5 million)and lifestyle modification group(mean 2.2 million)at 6 months.Significant improvement was noted in the motility grade(P<0.001)only in the BMAC group while no changes were noted in the other groups.CONCLUSION This trial highlights the potential of autologous BMAC as a promising therapeutic option for male infertility.Despite the absence of significant changes within individual treatment arms,BMAC therapy demonstrated superior efficacy in improving both sperm count and motility compared to standard pharmacotherapy and lifestyle modifications.These findings underscore the potential role of regenerative medicine in addressing severe oligospermia and azoospermia,warranting further research to solidify its clinical applicability.
文摘Background:Lipemia,characterized by elevated triglyceride levels in blood samples,is a prevalent preanalytical interferent in clinical hematology.It leads to erroneous measurements of key complete blood count(CBC)parameters,including falsely elevated hemoglobin(Hgb)and platelet(PLT)counts.These inaccuracies can compromise diagnostic reliability and patient management.Objective:This review systematically evaluates existing correction methods for lipemic interference in CBC analysis,comparing their efficacy,limitations,and applicability in clinical settings.Methods:We analyze saline replacement,formula-based correction,instrument-specific algorithms,and emerging technologies,supported by experimental and clinical validation data.Conclusion:An optimized,context-dependent strategy is proposed,integrating multiple correction approaches based on lipemia severity.Future research directions,including artificial intelligence(AI)-enhanced corrections and standardized protocols,are discussed to advance hematology testing accuracy.
