CTCNet: a fine-grained classification network for fluorescence images of circulating tumor cells.

The identification and categorization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood are imperative for advancing cancer diagnostics and prognostics. The intricacy of various CTCs subtypes, coupled with the difficulty in developing exhaustive datasets, has impeded progress in this specialized domain. To date, no methods have been dedicated exclusively to overcoming the classification challenges of CTCs.

A new sexual selection pattern in a frog () with ultrasonic communication.

The current study has revealed a unique sexual selection pattern in , a species renowned for its ultrasonic communication, which differs from the patterns observed in other anuran taxa. Typically, females listen to male vocalizations and exhibit phonotaxis towards preferred traits for mate selection. In contrast, female do not actively approach displaying males for mate selection; instead, they use courtship calls to attract potential mates and incite male competition for access to them.

Basis of single-seed formation in chestnut: cytomorphological observations reveal ovule developmental patterns of .

Background: Many plants, including those commonly found in the Fagaceae family, produce more flowers and ovules than mature fruits and seeds. In , an ovary contains 16-24 ovules, but only one develops into a seed. The other ovules abort or otherwise fail to fully develop, but the reason for this is unknown.

Stimuli-Responsive Delivery Systems for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.

As a major cause of low back pain, intervertebral disc degeneration is an increasingly prevalent chronic disease worldwide that leads to huge annual financial losses. The intervertebral disc consists of the inner nucleus pulposus, outer annulus fibrosus, and sandwiched cartilage endplates. All these factors collectively participate in maintaining the structure and physiological functions of the disc.

Improving the Catalytic Properties of Xylanase from Alteromones Macleadii H35 Through Sequence Analysis.

Endo-1,4-β-xylanase is a key xylanolytic enzyme, and our study aimed to enhance the catalytic properties of Alteromones Macleadii xylanase (Xyn ZT-2) through sequence-guided design approach. Analysis of the amino acid sequence revealed highly conserved residues near the active site, with few differences. Introducing various mutations allowed us to modify the enzyme's catalytic performance.

A Hybrid Convolutional and Recurrent Neural Network for Multi-Sensor Pile Damage Detection with Time Series.

Machine learning (ML) algorithms are increasingly applied to structure health monitoring (SHM) problems. However, their application to pile damage detection (PDD) is hindered by the complexity of the problem. A novel multi-sensor pile damage detection (MSPDD) method is proposed in this paper to extend the application of ML algorithms in the automatic identification of PDD.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Rhinosinusitis: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study.

Introduction: Comorbidities, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), are common in patients with rhinosinusitis (RS). However, the link between RS and GERD has not been fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the causal relationship between GERD and acute (ARS) or chronic RS (CRS), providing references for the pathogenesis and management of RS.

Pile Damage Detection Using Machine Learning with the Multipoint Traveling Wave Decomposition Method.

The in-hole multipoint traveling wave decomposition (MPTWD) method is developed for detecting and characterizing the damage of cast in situ reinforced concrete (RC) piles. Compared with the results of MPTWD, the results of the in-hole MPTWD reconstruction technique are found ideal for evaluating the lower-part pile integrity and are further utilized to establish a data-driven machine-learning framework to detect and quantify the degree of damage. Considering the relatively small number of field test samples of the in-hole MPTWD method at this stage, an analytical solution is employed to generate sufficient samples to verify the feasibility and optimize the performance of the machine learning modeling framework.

Waterborne exposure to microcystin-leucine arginine induces endocrine disruption and gonadal dysplasia of Pelophylax nigromaculatus tadpoles via the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal-liver axis.

The impact of microcystins on the gonad development and reproduction endocrine in the tadpole stage on amphibians remains unclear. In this study, the tadpoles (Pelophylax nigromaculatus) were exposed to 0, 1, and 10 μg/L of microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) for 60 days to explore the impacts of environmental realistic concentration MC-LR on gonad development and reproduction endocrine, respectively. After MC-LR exposure, the germ cell structure has changed, especially in oocytes.

Integrated transcriptome and proteome analysis reveals molecular responses of soybean anther under high-temperature stress.

It is well documented that high temperature (HT) severely affects the development of soybean male reproductive organs. However, the molecular mechanism of thermo-tolerance in soybean remains unclear. To explore the candidate genes and regulatory mechanism of soybean response to HT stress and flower development, here, the anthers of two previously identified HT-tolerant (JD21) and HT-sensitive (HD14) varieties were analyzed by RNA-seq.

Comparative analysis of the transcriptome during single-seed formation of Castanea henryi: regulation of starch metabolism and endogenous hormones.

Background: In seed plants, the ovule is the precursor to the seed. The process of ovule development and differentiation is regulated by multiple factors, including starch metabolism and endogenous hormones. Castanea henryi produces nuts with high nutritional value.

Mussel-Based Biomimetic Strategies in Musculoskeletal Disorder Treatment: From Synthesis Principles to Diverse Applications.

Musculoskeletal disorders are the second leading cause of disability worldwide, posing a huge global burden to the public sanitation system. Currently, tissue engineering-based approaches act as effective strategies, which are, however, challenging in limited application scenarios. Mussel-based biomimetic materials, exhibit numerous unique properties such as intense adhesion, biocompatibility, moisture resistance, and injectability, to name only a few, and have attracted extensive research interest.

Mechanically Robust and Flexible GO/PI Hybrid Aerogels as Highly Efficient Oil Absorbents.

Herein, mechanically robust and flexible graphene oxide/polyimide (GO/PI) hybrid aerogels (GIAs) were fabricated by a facile method, in which the mixed suspensions of the water-soluble polyimide precursor and graphene oxide (GO) sheets were freeze-dried, which was followed by a routine thermal imidation process. The porous GIAs obtained not only exhibit excellent elasticity and extremely low density values (from 33.3 to 38.

Functionalized multidimensional biomaterials for bone microenvironment engineering applications: Focus on osteoimmunomodulation.

As bone biology develops, it is gradually recognized that bone regeneration is a pathophysiological process that requires the simultaneous participation of multiple systems. With the introduction of osteoimmunology, the interplay between the immune system and the musculoskeletal diseases has been the conceptual framework for a thorough understanding of both systems and the advancement of osteoimmunomodulaty biomaterials. Various therapeutic strategies which include intervention of the surface characteristics or the local delivery systems with the incorporation of bioactive molecules have been applied to create an ideal bone microenvironment for bone tissue regeneration.

Current Insights Into the Maintenance of Structure and Function of Intervertebral Disc: A Review of the Regulatory Role of Growth and Differentiation Factor-5.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD), characterized by conversion of genotypic and phenotypic, is a major etiology of low back pain and disability. In general, this process starts with alteration of metabolic homeostasis leading to ongoing inflammatory process, extracellular matrix degradation and fibrosis, diminished tissue hydration, and impaired structural and mechanical functionality. During the past decades, extensive studies have focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of degeneration and shed light on the protective roles of various factors that may have the ability to halt and even reverse the IDD.

Potential influencing factors of aortic diameter at specific segments in population with cardiovascular risk.

Background: Aortic diameter is a critical parameter for the diagnosis of aortic dilated diseases. Aortic dilation has some common risk factors with cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to investigate potential influence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and the measures of subclinical atherosclerosis on aortic diameter of specific segments among adults.

Association of Circulating and Aortic Zinc and Copper Levels with Clinical Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: a Meta-analysis.

It remains obscure whether circulating aortic zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) levels are associated with the progress of human abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore this relationship. A literature search on circulating and aortic zinc and copper levels and AAA patients was conducted using online databases including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane up to March 20, 2019.

Optical properties of chain inverted pyramids on silicon.

Pyramidal structures, including upright pyramids and inverted pyramids (IPs), are commonly used as light-trapping structures for silicon solar cells and silicon photodetectors. In this paper, the possible ray propagation paths in a pyramidal structure are analyzed by establishing a mathematical model in which up to seven ray paths may exist either in a regular or random pyramidal structure. To reduce the reflectivity, the proportion of the quadruple bounce should be increased because of its lower reflectivity.

Bioinspired poly(vinyl alcohol)/zeolite composite coating with multifunctional integration.

Underwater superoleophobic coatings have attracted significant research attention for their excellent oil-repellent properties. However, the major challenge for current coatings is poor performance under harsh conditions, leading to limitations in terms of practical application. In this paper, we present a novel bioinspired poly(vinyl alcohol)/zeolite composite coating that can be fabricated through a facile approach.

Electrospun Polyimide/Metal-Organic Framework Nanofibrous Membrane with Superior Thermal Stability for Efficient PM Capture.

Particulate matter (PM) pollution is a serious threat to human health. Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) is a kind of metal-organic framework, and ZIF-8 not only can capture PM efficiently but also possesses excellent chemical and thermal stability. In this study, ZIF-8-modified soluble polyimide (PI) nanofibrous membranes were prepared via an electrospinning process.

High-Efficient Solar Cells Textured by Cu/Ag-Cocatalyzed Chemical Etching on Diamond Wire Sawing Multicrystalline Silicon.

We reported a novel texture method through one-step Cu/Ag-cocatalyzed chemical etching which can be widely used in the photovoltaic industry because of its simple and low-cost process. The etching mechanism of an inverted rectangular pyramid is the cooperation of Ag-catalyzed vertical etching and Cu-catalyzed lateral etching. In our texture method, neither saw damage removal nor post-treatment is needed.

Difference in anisotropic etching characteristics of alkaline and copper based acid solutions for single-crystalline Si.

The so called inverted pyramid arrays, outperforming conventional upright pyramid textures, have been successfully achieved by one-step Cu assisted chemical etching (CACE) for light reflection minimization in silicon solar cells. Due to the lower reduction potential of Cu/Cu and different electronic properties of different Si planes, the etching of Si substrate shows orientation-dependent. Different from the upright pyramid obtained by alkaline solutions, the formation of inverted pyramid results from the coexistence of anisotropic etching and localized etching process.

Triptolide inhibits the function of TNF-α in osteoblast differentiation by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Chronic inflammation often delays fracture healing or leads to bone nonunion. Effectively suppressing pathological inflammation is crucial for fracture healing or bone remodeling. Triptolide, which is a diterpenoid epoxide, is the major active component of the Thunder God Vine, .

Cloning Nacre's 3D Interlocking Skeleton in Engineering Composites to Achieve Exceptional Mechanical Properties.

Ceramic/polymer composite equipped with 3D interlocking skeleton (3D IL) is developed through a simple freeze-casting method, exhibiting exceptionally light weight, high strength, toughness, and shock resistance. Long-range crack energy dissipation enabled by 3D interlocking structure is considered as the primary reinforcing mechanism for such superior properties. The smart composite design strategy should hold a place in developing future structural engineering materials.