MUNet: a novel framework for accurate brain tumor segmentation combining UNet and mamba networks.

Brain tumors are one of the major health threats to humans, and their complex pathological features and anatomical structures make accurate segmentation and detection crucial. However, existing models based on Transformers and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) still have limitations in medical image processing. While Transformers are proficient in capturing global features, they suffer from high computational complexity and require large amounts of data for training.

Machine learning-based prognostic model for patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.

Objective: Despite the identification of various prognostic factors for anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) patients over the years, a precise prognostic tool for these patients is still lacking. This study aimed to develop and validate a prognostic model for predicting survival outcomes for ATC patients using random survival forests (RSF), a machine learning algorithm.

Methods: A total of 1222 ATC patients were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and randomly divided into a training set of 855 patients and a validation set of 367 patients.

Fluorinated-Quinoxaline Based Non-Fused Electron Acceptors Enables Efficient As-Cast Organic Solar Cells.

Non-fused electron acceptors have obtained increasing curiosity in organic solar cells (OSCs) thanks to simple synthetic route and versatile chemical modification capabilities. However, non-fused acceptors with varying quinoxaline core and as-cast device have rarely been explored, and the molecular structure-photovoltaic performance relationship of such acceptors remains unclear. Herein, two non-fused acceptors L19 and L21 with thienyl substituted non-fluorinated/fluorinated quinoxaline core were developed via five-step synthesis.

Increasing pesticide diversity impairs soil microbial functions.

Pesticide application is essential for stabilizing agricultural production. However, the effects of increasing pesticide diversity on soil microbial functions remain unclear, particularly under varying nitrogen (N) fertilizer management practices. In this study, we investigated the stochasticity of soil microbes and multitrophic networks through amplicon sequencing, assessed soil community functions related to carbon (C), N, phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S) cycling, and characterized the dominant bacterial life history strategies via metagenomics along a gradient of increasing pesticide diversity under two N addition levels.

Biopolymeric Ionotronics Based on Biodegradable Wool Keratin.

The advent of ionotronics has revealed significant potential in flexible transistors, energy harvesting, and unconventional circuits. However, most ionotronic devices, often centered around synthetic polymers, involve complex grafting or synthesis that raise legitimate concerns about their environmental sustainability. Herein, a simple yet versatile approach for developing single-composition ionotronic devices using wool keratin (WK), a biodegradable and pH-responsive natural polymer is presented.

Soil Plastisphere Reinforces the Adverse Effect of Combined Pollutant Exposure on the Microfood Web.

Microbial interactions form microfood webs, crucial for ecological functions. The steady state of these webs, shaped by cooperation and competition among trophic levels, prevents pathogen proliferation and invasion, maintaining soil health. Combined pollutants pose a widespread environmental issue, exerting significant pressure on microfood webs.

Soil viral-host interactions regulate microplastic-dependent carbon storage.

Microplastic is globally regarded as an important factor impacting biogeochemical cycles, yet our understanding of such influences is limited by the uncertainties of intricate microbial processes. By multiomics analysis, coupled with soil chemodiversity characterization and microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE), we investigated how microbial responses to microplastics impacted soil carbon cycling in a long-term field experiment. We showed that biodegradable microplastics promoted soil organic carbon accrual by an average of 2.

Broadband Light Harvesting from Scalable Two-Dimensional Semiconductor Multi-Heterostructures.

Broadband absorption in the visible spectrum is essential in optoelectronic applications that involve power conversion such as photovoltaics and photocatalysis. Most ultrathin broadband absorbers use parasitic plasmonic structures that maximize absorption using surface plasmons and/or Fabry-Perot cavities, which limits the weight efficiency of the device. Here, we show the theoretical and experimental realization of an unpatterned/planar semiconductor thin-film absorber based on monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides.

Source elimination of antibiotic resistance risk in aquaculture water by VUV/sulfite pretreatment.

Antibiotic resistance risk in the aquaculture industry is increasing with the excessive consumption of antibiotics. Although various efficient technologies for the degradation of antibiotics are available, the potential risk from antibiotic resistance in treated waters is often overlooked. This study compared the risks of antibiotic resistance in anaerobic sludge fed with pretreated florfenicol (FLO) containing wastewater after four UV or vacuum UV (VUV)-driven ((V)UV-driven) pretreatments, and established the VUV/sulfite recirculating water system to validate the effect of controlling the antibiotic resistance risk in the actual aquaculture water.

Enhancing brain tumor detection in MRI images using YOLO-NeuroBoost model.

Brain tumors are diseases characterized by abnormal cell growth within or around brain tissues, including various types such as benign and malignant tumors. However, there is currently a lack of early detection and precise localization of brain tumors in MRI images, posing challenges to diagnosis and treatment. In this context, achieving accurate target detection of brain tumors in MRI images becomes particularly important as it can improve the timeliness of diagnosis and the effectiveness of treatment.

Comparative analysis of size-fractional eukaryotic microbes in subtropical riverine systems inferred from 18S rRNA gene V4 and V9 regions.

Eukaryotic microbes play key ecological roles in riverine ecosystems. Amplicon sequencing has greatly facilitated the identification and characterization of eukaryotic microbial communities. Currently, 18S rRNA gene V4 and V9 hypervariable regions are widely used for sequencing eukaryotic microbes.

Single-cell RNA Sequencing Identifies Natural Kill Cell-Related Transcription Factors Associated With Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Background: Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) poses a growing global health concern as the leading cause of central vision loss in elderly people.

Objection: This study focuses on unraveling the intricate involvement of Natural Killer (NK) cells in AMD, shedding light on their immune responses and cytokine regulatory roles.

Methods: Transcriptomic data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database were utilized, employing single-cell RNA-seq analysis.

Viral Communities Suppress the Earthworm Gut Antibiotic Resistome by Lysing Bacteria on a National Scale.

Earthworms are critical in regulating soil processes and act as filters for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Yet, the geographic patterns and main drivers of earthworm gut ARGs remain largely unknown. We collected 52 earthworm and soil samples from arable and forest ecosystems along a 3000 km transect across China, analyzing the diversity and abundance of ARGs using shotgun metagenomics.

Arachidonic Acid Mobilization and Peroxidation Promote Microglial Dysfunction in Aβ Pathology.

Aberrant increase of arachidonic acid (ARA) has long been implicated in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), while the underlying causal mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we revealed a link between ARA mobilization and microglial dysfunction in Aβ pathology. Lipidomic analysis of primary microglia from App mice showed a marked increase in free ARA and lysophospholipids (LPLs) along with a decrease in ARA-containing phospholipids, suggesting increased ARA release from phospholipids (PLs).

Spatial multi-omics at subcellular resolution via high-throughput in situ pairwise sequencing.

Technology for spatial multi-omics aids the discovery of new insights into cellular functions and disease mechanisms. Here we report the development and applicability of multi-omics in situ pairwise sequencing (MiP-seq), a method for the simultaneous detection of DNAs, RNAs, proteins and biomolecules at subcellular resolution. Compared with other in situ sequencing methods, MiP-seq enhances decoding capacity and reduces sequencing and imaging costs while maintaining the efficacy of detection of gene mutations, allele-specific expression and RNA modifications.

DNA methylases for site-selective inhibition of type IIS restriction enzyme activity.

DNA methylases of the restriction-modifications (R-M) systems are promising enzymes for the development of novel molecular and synthetic biology tools. Their use in vitro enables the deployment of independent and controlled catalytic reactions. This work aimed to produce recombinant DNA methylases belonging to the R-M systems, capable of in vitro inhibition of the type IIS restriction enzymes BsaI, BpiI, or LguI.

Inhibition of quorum sensing serves as an effective strategy to mitigate the risks of human bacterial pathogens in soil.

The coexistence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and virulence factor genes (VFGs) in human bacterial pathogens (HBPs) increases their risks to ecological security and human health and no effective strategy is available. Herein, we demonstrated two typical quorum sensing (QS) interfering agents, 4-nitropyridine-N-oxide (4-NPO, a QS inhibitor) and Acylase Ⅰ (a quorum quenching (QQ) enzyme), effectively decreased the abundance of HBPs by 48.30% and 72.