LIVIVO - The Search Portal for Life Sciences

zur deutschen Oberfläche wechseln
Advanced search

Search results

Result 1 - 10 of total 215

Search options

  1. Article ; Online: Histogram analysis based on unenhanced CT for identifying thymoma and lymphoma among prevascular mediastinal incidentalomas

    Ming Liu / Yang Zhang / Li-Heng Liu

    Cancer Imaging, Vol 24, Iss 1, Pp 1-

    2024  Volume 7

    Abstract: Abstract Objective To determine whether histogram analysis based on unenhanced CT can play a role in the differential diagnosis of thymoma and lymphoma from thymic hyperplasia and cyst (mean CT attenuation > 10 HU). Materials and methods This ... ...

    Abstract Abstract Objective To determine whether histogram analysis based on unenhanced CT can play a role in the differential diagnosis of thymoma and lymphoma from thymic hyperplasia and cyst (mean CT attenuation > 10 HU). Materials and methods This retrospective study included consecutive asymptomatic participants who have prevascular mediastinal lesions incidentally detected by unenhanced CT between December 2013 and August 2020, and with definitive diagnosis by pathology or additional radiologic work-ups. A total of thirteen histogram parameters on enhanced CT were calculated for each lesion, then were compared between tumor (thymoma + lymphoma) and non-tumor (hyperplasia + cyst). Receiver operating characteristic analysis was conducted to investigate the performance of histogram parameter for identifying tumor. Results The study population included 192 patients (106 men and 86 women) with a mean age of 50.5 years at the time of CT examination. Of them, 94 patients have tumor (87 thymomas and 7 lymphoma) and 98 have non-tumor (48 thymic hyperplasia and 50 cysts). Nine of the thirteen histogram parameters revealed significant difference between the two groups, including median, minimum, range, 10th percentile, 90th percentile, kurtosis, skewness, uniformity and entropy. No significant difference was observed in the mean CT attenuation between groups. Higher median was found to be independent predictors for distinguishing tumor from non-tumor, and can achieve an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.785 (95% confidence interval [95% IC], 0.720–0.841). Conclusions Histogram analysis based on unenhanced CT may be able to provide some help in the differential diagnosis of incidental lesions in prevascular mediastinal. Grand support This study was sponsored by Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (No. 21ZR1459700).
    Keywords Thymic epithelial tumors ; Histogram analysis ; Tomography ; X-ray computed ; Differential diagnosis ; Medical physics. Medical radiology. Nuclear medicine ; R895-920 ; Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens ; RC254-282
    Subject code 610
    Language English
    Publishing date 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher BMC
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

    More links

    Kategorien

  2. Article ; Online: Identification of autophagy-related long non-coding RNAs in endometrial cancer via comprehensive bioinformatics analysis

    Heng Liu / Yanxiang Cheng

    BMC Women's Health, Vol 22, Iss 1, Pp 1-

    2022  Volume 10

    Abstract: Abstract Background Endometrial cancer is a common gynaecological malignancy with an increasing incidence. It is of great importance and value to uncover its effective and accurate prognostic indicators of disease outcomes. Methods The sequencing data ... ...

    Abstract Abstract Background Endometrial cancer is a common gynaecological malignancy with an increasing incidence. It is of great importance and value to uncover its effective and accurate prognostic indicators of disease outcomes. Methods The sequencing data and clinical information of endometrial cancer patients in the TCGA database were downloaded, and autophagy-related genes in the human autophagy database were downloaded. R software was used to perform a Pearson correlation analysis on autophagy-related genes and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to screen autophagy-related lncRNAs. Next, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to select autophagy-related lncRNAs and construct the prognostic model. Finally, the accuracy of the prognostic prediction of the model was evaluated, the lncRNA–mRNA network was constructed and visualized by Cytoscape, and the gene expression profile of endometrial cancer patients was analysed by GSEA. Results A total of 10 autophagy-related lncRNAs were screened to construct the prognostic model. The risk factors were AC084117.1, SOS1-IT1, AC019080.5, FIRRE and MCCC1-AS, and the protective factors were AC034236.2, POC1B-AS1, AC137630.1, AC083799.1 and AL133243.2. This prognostic model could independently predict the prognosis of endometrial cancer patients and had better predictive performance than that of using age and tumour grade. In addition, after classifying patients as high-risk or low-risk based on the prognostic model, we found that the enrichment of the JAK-STAT and MAPK pathways was significantly higher in the high-risk group than that in the low-risk group. Conclusions The 10 autophagy-related lncRNAs are potential prognostic biomarkers. Compared with using age and tumour grade, this prognostic model is more predictive for the prognosis of endometrial cancer patients.
    Keywords Endometrial cancer ; Autophagy ; Long non-coding RNAs ; Bioinformatics analysis ; Prognostic model ; TCGA ; Gynecology and obstetrics ; RG1-991 ; Public aspects of medicine ; RA1-1270
    Subject code 610
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-03-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher BMC
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

    More links

    Kategorien

  3. Article ; Online: Environmental, Social, Governance Activities and Firm Performance

    Lei Ruan / Heng Liu

    Sustainability, Vol 13, Iss 2, p

    Evidence from China

    2021  Volume 767

    Abstract: Increasingly noticeable environmental and risk problems have made more and more companies and regulatory agencies realize the importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities. However, on the question that whether ESG activities have ... ...

    Abstract Increasingly noticeable environmental and risk problems have made more and more companies and regulatory agencies realize the importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities. However, on the question that whether ESG activities have promoted or reduced firm performance, there is still no consensus. Especially for China, a representative country in emerging markets whose corporate ESG activities are still in their infancy and related systems and regulatory measures not complete, its theoretical and practical circles more urgently need to know an accurate answer to this question. Therefore, this article takes China’s Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed companies that have ESG rating data from 2015 to 2019 as samples and finds that corporate ESG activities have a significantly negative impact on firm performance. Further research finds that compared with state-owned enterprises and environmentally sensitive enterprises, non-state-owned enterprises and non-environmentally sensitive enterprises provide stronger evidence to support the above conclusions.
    Keywords ESG rating ; tobin Q ; information disclosure ; enterprise nature ; industry characteristics ; Environmental effects of industries and plants ; TD194-195 ; Renewable energy sources ; TJ807-830 ; Environmental sciences ; GE1-350
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

    More links

    Kategorien

  4. Article ; Online: Analyzing the Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Violent Crime

    Lin Liu / Jiayu Chang / Dongping Long / Heng Liu

    International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 19, Iss 15525, p

    2022  Volume 15525

    Abstract: Existing research suggests that COVID-19 lockdowns tend to contribute to a decrease in overall urban crime rates. Most studies have compared pre-lockdown and post-lockdown periods to lockdown periods in Western cities. Few have touched on the fine ... ...

    Abstract Existing research suggests that COVID-19 lockdowns tend to contribute to a decrease in overall urban crime rates. Most studies have compared pre-lockdown and post-lockdown periods to lockdown periods in Western cities. Few have touched on the fine variations during lockdowns. Equally rare are intracity studies conducted in China. This study tested the relationship between violent crime and COVID-19 lockdown policies in ZG City in southern China. The distance from the isolation location to the nearest violent crime site, called “the nearest crime distance”, is a key variable in this study. Kernel density mapping and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test are used to compare the pre-lockdown and post-lockdown periods to the lockdown period. Panel logistic regression is used to test the fine variations among different stages during the lockdown. The result found an overall decline in violent crime during the lockdown and a bounce-back post-lockdown. Violent crime moved away from the isolation location during the lockdown. This outward spread continued for the first two months after the lifting of the lockdown, suggesting a lasting effect of the lockdown policy. During the lockdown, weekly changes in COVID-19 risk ratings at the district level in ZG City also affected changes in the nearest crime distance. In particular, an increase in the risk rating increased that distance, and a drop in the risk rating decreased that distance. These findings add new results to the literature and could have policy implications for joint crime and pandemic prevention and control.
    Keywords COVID-19 ; pandemic risk rating ; COVID-19 outbreak prevention and control policy ; crime change ; violent crime ; Medicine ; R
    Subject code 360
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-11-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

    More links

    Kategorien

  5. Article ; Online: NDSRGAN

    Mingqiang Guo / Zeyuan Zhang / Heng Liu / Ying Huang

    Remote Sensing, Vol 14, Iss 1574, p

    A Novel Dense Generative Adversarial Network for Real Aerial Imagery Super-Resolution Reconstruction

    2022  Volume 1574

    Abstract: In recent years, more and more researchers have used deep learning methods for super-resolution reconstruction and have made good progress. However, most of the existing super-resolution reconstruction models generate low-resolution images for training ... ...

    Abstract In recent years, more and more researchers have used deep learning methods for super-resolution reconstruction and have made good progress. However, most of the existing super-resolution reconstruction models generate low-resolution images for training by downsampling high-resolution images through bicubic interpolation, and the models trained from these data have poor reconstruction results on real-world low-resolution images. In the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aerial photography, the use of existing super-resolution reconstruction models in reconstructing real-world low-resolution aerial images captured by UAVs is prone to producing some artifacts, texture detail distortion and other problems, due to compression and fusion processing of the aerial images, thereby resulting in serious loss of texture detail in the obtained low-resolution aerial images. To address this problem, this paper proposes a novel dense generative adversarial network for real aerial imagery super-resolution reconstruction (NDSRGAN), and we produce image datasets with paired high- and low-resolution real aerial remote sensing images. In the generative network, we use a multilevel dense network to connect the dense connections in a residual dense block. In the discriminative network, we use a matrix mean discriminator that can discriminate the generated images locally, no longer discriminating the whole input image using a single value but instead in chunks of regions. We also use <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>s</mi><mi>m</mi><mi>o</mi><mi>o</mi><mi>t</mi><msub><mi>h</mi><mrow><msub><mi>L</mi><mn>1</mn></msub></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math> loss instead of the <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mi>L</mi><mn>1</mn></msub></mrow></semantics></math> loss used in most existing super-resolution models, to accelerate the model convergence and reach the global optimum faster. Compared with traditional models, our model can better utilise the feature information in the original image and discriminate the image in patches. A series of experiments is conducted with real aerial imagery datasets, and the results show that our model achieves good performance on quantitative metrics and visual perception.
    Keywords remote sensing ; aerial imagery ; super-resolution reconstruction ; deep learning ; generative adversarial network ; Science ; Q
    Subject code 006
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-03-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

    More links

    Kategorien

  6. Article ; Online: Axial Bearing Mechanism of Post-Grouted Piles in Calcareous Sand

    Zhihui Wan / Heng Liu / Feng Zhou / Guoliang Dai

    Applied Sciences, Vol 12, Iss 2731, p

    2022  Volume 2731

    Abstract: Post-grouted piles, as a foundation form for large-span and large-scale structures on calcareous sand, are expected to provide a high bearing capacity, but research on the response of post-grouted piles subjected to axial load in calcareous sand is still ...

    Abstract Post-grouted piles, as a foundation form for large-span and large-scale structures on calcareous sand, are expected to provide a high bearing capacity, but research on the response of post-grouted piles subjected to axial load in calcareous sand is still in the exploratory stage. In this paper, a model test is constructed for static pressure piles in calcareous sand under axial loading. The response of axial compressive piles, with and without post-grouting, in calcareous sand were investigated, and the test results were compared with those of axial compressive piles, with and without post-grouting, in siliceous sand. The influence of post-side-grouting on the response of a single pile subjected to axial compressive load in calcareous sand and its bearing mechanism were further analyzed. The results show that the change in shaft resistance, caused by the lateral extrusion of calcareous sand, is less than the negative effect caused by particle breakage during pile driving, so single piles without post-grouting in calcareous sand exhibit weaker axial bearing behavior than that in siliceous sand. A single pile with post-side-grouting in calcareous sand can provide a higher bearing capacity by increasing the shaft resistance and tip resistance compared with a single pile without post-side-grouting, and the increased ratio of the bearing capacity of piles, after grouting in calcareous sand, is better than that of piles in siliceous sand. Post-side-grouting can not only strengthen the surrounding soil by the solidification effect of injected cement grout, but it can also have a strengthening effect on the tip resistance. In addition, ideal-geometry grouting has more obvious advantages in improving the bearing behavior of pile foundations than annular point grouting, and higher stability in improving the bearing properties of pile foundations is evident for ideal-geometry grouting. Therefore, it is suggested that a directional grouting device should be adopted in actual projects in the future to form a more stable pile-soil interaction system and to expand the application prospect of pile foundations in calcareous sand.
    Keywords calcareous sand ; post-grouted pile ; load-settlement response ; axial bearing mechanism ; shaft resistance ; tip resistance ; Technology ; T ; Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) ; TA1-2040 ; Biology (General) ; QH301-705.5 ; Physics ; QC1-999 ; Chemistry ; QD1-999
    Subject code 690
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-03-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

    More links

    Kategorien

  7. Article: Prophylactic effects of Periplaneta americana L. extract on anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors in rats exposed to chronic stress.

    Heng Liu, - / Xixing Lu, - / Qian Lu, - / Tingmei Lv, - / Minzhe Sun, - / Qiyan Li, - / Pengfei Gao, - / Miao He, - / Hairong Zhao, - / Chenggui Zhang, -

    Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences

    2023  Volume 36, Issue 4, Page(s) 1147–1158

    Abstract: The effect of P. americana L. on anxiety and depression-behavior after chronic stress (CS) is still unknown. Here, CS were induced by a combined stimulation of chronic restraint stress, excess failure and improper diet in SD rats. At 15 days after CS, ... ...

    Abstract The effect of P. americana L. on anxiety and depression-behavior after chronic stress (CS) is still unknown. Here, CS were induced by a combined stimulation of chronic restraint stress, excess failure and improper diet in SD rats. At 15 days after CS, except for normal group and model group, all the groups were continuously administrated P. americana L. (i.g., 400, 200, 100 mg/kg) treatment for 14 days. Anxiety and depression-behavior was determined by sucrose preference test, forced swimming and open field. The contents of cortisol (CORT), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), adrenocorticotropic hormone-releasing hormone (CRH), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-17 and interferon (IFN) -γ were detected by ELISA. 16S rRNA analysis was performed to examine the composition of gut microbiota. Our results indicated that P. americana L. improved the anxiety and depression-behavior. P. americana L. reduced the release of IL-6, IL-17 and IFN-γ and increased the release of IL-4. Comparably, remarkably decreased CRH, ACTH and CORT were observed by the treatment of P. americana L. 16S rRNA analysis suggested that Bifidobacterium and sulfate-reducing bacteria may be responsible for improving CS in P. americana L. -treated rats. Collectively, P. americana L. could relieve CS are associated with regulation of intestinal flora.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Interleukin-17 ; Periplaneta ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Depression/drug therapy ; Depression/prevention & control ; Interleukin-6 ; Anxiety/drug therapy ; Anxiety/prevention & control ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Hydrocortisone
    Chemical Substances Interleukin-17 ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Interleukin-6 ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (9002-60-2) ; Hydrocortisone (WI4X0X7BPJ)
    Language English
    Publishing date 2023-08-21
    Publishing country Pakistan
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 885131-1
    ISSN 1011-601X
    ISSN 1011-601X
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

    More links

    Kategorien

  8. Article ; Online: Neodymium-Mediated Coordinative Chain Transfer Polymerization of Isoprene in the Presence of External Donors

    Aiwu Ding / Liang Fang / Chunyu Zhang / Heng Liu / Xuequan Zhang / Jianhe Liao

    Molecules, Vol 28, Iss 21, p

    2023  Volume 7364

    Abstract: Nd-based polydiene elastomers, including NdIR and NdBR, are regarded as indispensable key raw materials in preparing green tires with excellent performance capabilities, but their wide application is still limited by the relative higher cost of Nd ... ...

    Abstract Nd-based polydiene elastomers, including NdIR and NdBR, are regarded as indispensable key raw materials in preparing green tires with excellent performance capabilities, but their wide application is still limited by the relative higher cost of Nd precatalysts. Nd-mediated coordinative chain transfer polymerization (CCTP) of diene provides an effective strategy to reduce the precatalyst cost, because this method involves very high atom economy, i.e., each Nd molecule can generate multiple polymer chains. Nevertheless, all possible factors that could influence such CCTP behaviors are still mostly unexplored to date. In this report, the basic chemistry on the influence of external donors on the overall CCTP behaviors of isoprene was established for the first time. It was found that increasing the amount of external donors had a negative influence on the chain transfer efficiencies, resulting in gradually decreasing atom economies. Catalyst addition order studies revealed that the coordination of donors with cationic Nd active species, rather than alkylaluminium CTAs, contributed mostly to such decreased efficiencies. Moreover, it was found that when the ratio of donors and Nd compounds was higher than 1.0, the CCTP behaviors were corrupted, resulting in polymers with broad distributions, as well as resulting in low atom economies; nevertheless, when the ratio was lower than 0.5, the system still displayed CCTP characteristics, implying that the critical ratio for maintaining the CCTP was 0.5. Additionally, when such a ratio was 0.01, the high atom economy was almost the same as donor-free CCTP systems. Detailed kinetic studies at such a ratio demonstrated that the donor-contained system proceeded in a well-controlled manner, as concluded from the good linear relationship between the M n of the PIps against the polymer yields, as well as the good linearity between the M n against the (IP)/(Nd) ratios. Such maintained CCTP properties also allowed for seeding two-step polymerizations to prepare diblock copolymers ...
    Keywords coordinative chain transfer polymerizations ; neodymium ; polyisoprene ; synthetic rubber ; external donor ; Organic chemistry ; QD241-441
    Subject code 540
    Language English
    Publishing date 2023-10-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

    More links

    Kategorien

  9. Article ; Online: Selective recovery of platinum from spent autocatalyst solution by thiourea modified magnetic biocarbons

    Shao-Yi Lo / Wahid Dianbudiyanto / Shou-Heng Liu

    Scientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-

    2021  Volume 14

    Abstract: Abstract The precious platinum group metals distributed in urban industrial products should be recycled because of their rapid decline in the contents through excessive mining. In this work, thiourea modified magnetic biocarbons are prepared via an ... ...

    Abstract Abstract The precious platinum group metals distributed in urban industrial products should be recycled because of their rapid decline in the contents through excessive mining. In this work, thiourea modified magnetic biocarbons are prepared via an energy-efficient microwave-assisted activation and assessed as potential adsorbents to recover platinum ions (i.e., Pt(IV)) from dilute waste solution. The physicochemical properties of prepared biocarbons are characterized by a series of spectroscopic and analytic instruments. The adsorption performance of biocarbons is carried out by using batch tests. Consequently, the maximum adsorption capacity of Pt(IV) observed for adsorbents is ca. 42.8 mg g−1 at pH = 2 and 328 K. Both adsorption kinetics and isotherm data of Pt(IV) on the adsorbents are fitted better with non-linear pseudo second-order model and Freundlich isotherm, respectively. Moreover, the thermodynamic parameters suggest that the Pt(IV) adsorption is endothermic and spontaneous. Most importantly, the adsorbents exhibit high selectivity toward Pt(IV) adsorption and preserve ca. 96.9% of adsorption capacity after six cyclic runs. After adsorption, the regeneration of the prepared adsorbents can be effectively attained by using 1 M thiourea/2% HCl mixed solution as an eluent. Combined the data from Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, the mechanisms for Pt(IV) adsorption are governed by Pt–S bond between Pt(IV) and thiourea as well as the electrostatic attraction between anionic PtCl6 2− and cationic functional groups of adsorbents. The superior Pt(IV) recovery and sustainable features allow the thiourea modified magnetic biocarbon as a potential adsorbent to recycle noble metals from spent autocatalyst solution.
    Keywords Medicine ; R ; Science ; Q
    Subject code 541
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-09-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Nature Portfolio
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

    More links

    Kategorien

  10. Article ; Online: Development of a Combined Orchard Harvesting Robot Navigation System

    Wenju Mao / Heng Liu / Wei Hao / Fuzeng Yang / Zhijie Liu

    Remote Sensing, Vol 14, Iss 675, p

    2022  Volume 675

    Abstract: Our research concerned the development of an autonomous robotic navigation system for orchard harvesting with a dual master-slave mode, the autonomous navigation tractor orchard transport robot being the master followed by a navigation orchard picking ... ...

    Abstract Our research concerned the development of an autonomous robotic navigation system for orchard harvesting with a dual master-slave mode, the autonomous navigation tractor orchard transport robot being the master followed by a navigation orchard picking robot as the slave. This addresses the problem that in single master-slave navigation mode, agricultural combined harvesting equipment cannot stop repeatedly between rows of apple trees and drive continuously when turning. According to distances obtained from a global positioning system (GNSS), ground points were used to switch the navigation mode of the transport and picking robot. A cloth simulation filter (CSF) and random sample consensus (RANSAC) algorithm was used to obtain inter-row waypoints. The GNSS point was manually selected as the turn waypoint of the master and a kinematic model was used to compute the turn waypoints of the slave. Finally, we used a pure pursuit algorithm to track these waypoints sequentially to achieve master-slave navigation and ground head master-slave command navigation. The experimental results show that the data packet loss rate was less than 1.2% when the robot communicated in the orchard row within 50 m which meets the robot orchard communication requirements. The master-slave robot can achieve repeated stops in the row using follow navigation, which meets the demands of joint orchard harvesting. The maximum, minimum, mean and standard deviation of position deviation of the master robot were 5.3 cm, 0.8 cm, 2.4 cm, and 0.9 cm, respectively. The position deviations of the slave robot were larger than those of the master robot, with maximum, minimum, mean and standard deviation of 39.7 cm, 1.1 cm, 4.1 cm, and 5.6 cm, respectively. The maximum, minimum, mean and standard deviation of the following error between the master-slave robot were 4.4 cm, 0 cm, 1.3 cm, and 1 cm respectively. Concerning the ground head turn, the command navigation method allowed continuous turning, but the lateral deviation between robots was more than 0.3 m and less than 1 m, and the heading deviation was more than 10° and less than 90°.
    Keywords go to navigation ; following navigation ; autonomous combined harvesting ; pure pursuit control ; Science ; Q
    Subject code 629
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

    More links

    Kategorien

To top