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The presence of a static tilt between the inner core and mantle is an ongoing discussion encompassing the geodynamic state of the inner core. Here, we confirm an approximate 8.5 yr signal in polar motion is the inner core wobble (ICW), and find that the ICW is also contained in the length-of-day variations of the Earth’s rotation. Based on the determined amplitudes of the ICW and its good phase consistency in both polar motion and the length-of-day variations, we infer that there must be a static tilt angle θ between the inner core and the mantle of about 0.17 ± 0.03°, most likely towards ~90°W relative to the mantle, which is two orders of magnitude lower than the 10° assumed in certain geodynamic research. This tilt is consistent with the assumption that the average density in the northwestern hemisphere of the inner core should be greater than that in the other regions. Further, the observed ICW period (8.5 ± 0.2 yr) suggests a 0.52 ± 0.05 g/cm 3 density jump at the inner core boundary. A static tilt of some 0.17° between the rotation axes of the solid inner core and the mantle is inferred from the observed approximate 8.5 year periodic inner core wobble in both polar motion and length-of-day variations of the Earth’s rotation.

Lymphedema is a chronic condition that can follow cancer treatment, and liposuction has been shown to be an effective approach for reducing limb volume in advanced cases. However, recurrence rates vary widely, with prior erysipelas identified as a potentially significant factor influencing prognosis. This study aimed to identify key risk factors for recurrence following liposuction in patients with cancer-associated secondary lymphedema, develop a predictive nomogram model, and investigate the molecular mechanisms by which previous erysipelas may affect recurrence. In a retrospective analysis of 1,016 patients, multivariate logistic regression and propensity score matching identified four independent risk factors, namely, prior erysipelas, hyperlipidemia, severe distal limb edema, and older age, with erysipelas showing the strongest association with poor outcomes (OR 3.98; 95% CI: 2.81–5.69). A validated nomogram demonstrated high predictive accuracy (C-index 0.757, Brier score 0.176) and net clinical benefit in estimating recurrence risk. The nomogram supports personalized treatment strategies, potentially improving patient outcomes. Transcriptome sequencing further revealed that previous erysipelas exacerbates lymphedema through inflammation, tissue remodeling, and metabolic dysregulation, suggesting potential therapeutic targets.

Objective This study aims to develop a machine learning model for prediction of malignancy in T2 hyperintense mesenchymal uterine tumors based on T2-weighted image (T2WI) features and clinical information. Methods This retrospective study included 134 patients with T2 hyperintense uterine mesenchymal tumors (104 patients in training cohort and 30 in testing cohort). A total of 960 radiomics features were initially computed and extracted from each 3D segmented tumor depicting on T2WI. The support vector machine (SVM) classifier was applied to build computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) models by using selected clinical and radiomics features, respectively. Finally, an observer study was conducted by comparing with two radiologists to evaluate the diagnostic performance. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was computed to assess the performance of each model. Results Comparing with the T2WI-based radiomics model (AUC: 0.76 ± 0.09) and the clinical model (AUC: 0.79 ± 0.09), the combined model significantly improved the AUC value to 0.91 ± 0.05 ( p < 0.05). The clinical-radiomics combined model yielded equivalent or higher performance than two radiologists (AUC: 0.78 vs. 0.91, p = 0.03; 0.90 vs.0.91, p = 0.13). There was a significant difference between the AUC values of two radiologists ( p < 0.05). Conclusions It is feasible to predict malignancy risk of T2 hyperintense uterine mesenchymal tumors by combining clinical variables and T2WI-based radiomics features. Machine learning–based classification model may be useful to assist radiologists in decision-making. Key Points • Radiomics approach has the potential to distinguish between benign and malignant mesenchymal uterine tumors . • T2WI-based radiomics analysis combined with clinical variables performed well in predicting malignancy risk of T2 hyperintense uterine mesenchymal tumors . • Machine learning–based classification model may be useful to assist radiologists in characterization of a T2 hyperintense uterine mesenchymal tumor .

Lymphatic system is identified the second vascular system after the blood circulation in mammalian species, however the research on lymphatic system has long been hampered by the lack of comprehensive imaging modality. Nanomaterials have shown the potential to enhance the quality of lymphatic imaging due to the unparalleled advantages such as the specific passive targeting and efficient co-delivery of cocktail to peripheral lymphatic system, ease molecular engineering for precise active targeting and prolonged retention in the lymphatic system of interest. Multimodal lymphatic imaging based on nanotechnology provides a complementary means to understand the kinetics of lymphoid tissues and quantify its function. In this review, we introduce the established approaches of lymphatic imaging used in clinic and summarize their strengths and weaknesses, and list the critical influence factors on lymphatic imaging. Meanwhile, the recent developments in the field of pre-clinical lymphatic imaging are discussed to shed new lights on the design of new imaging agents, the improvement of delivery methods and imaging-guided surgery strategies. Graphical Abstract

The mass balance of water storage on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a complex dynamic system that has responded to recent global warming due to the special regional characteristics and geographical environment on the TP. In this study, we present global positioning system (GPS), gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE) and follow-on (FO) observations obtained during the 2002–2020 period to identify hydrological changes on the TP. The spatial long-term trends in the GRACE/GRACE-FO data show continuous glacier mass losses around the Himalayas and accumulated mass on the inner TP due to the increased water mass in lakes. The singular spectrum analysis (SSA) was applied for interpolation of the data gap with GRACE/GRACE-FO. We evaluated the correlation between the vertical displacements obtained from 214 continuous GPS stations and GRACE/GRACE-FO-modeled water mass loads and found a high correlation, with spatial variabilities associated with the seasonal terrestrial water storage (TWS) pattern. The common-mode component obtained from continuous GPS coordinates was decomposed using principal component analysis (PCA) and presented different periodic signals related to interannual fluctuations in hydrology and the dynamics of the inner Earth. Moreover, the various characteristics of precipitation and temperature revealed similar interannual fluctuations to those of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation. We conclude that the GPS-inferred interannual fluctuations and the corresponding GRACE/GRACE-FO-modeled hydrological loads reflect climate responses. These findings shed light on the complex role of the spatiotemporal climate and water mass balance on the TP since the beginning of the 21st century.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the role of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy with or without radiotherapy [NIC(R)T] compared to traditional neoadjuvant therapies, without immunotherapy [NC(R)T]. NCRT followed by surgical resection is recommended for patients with early-stage esophageal cancer. However, it is uncertain whether adding immunotherapy to preoperative neoadjuvant therapy would improve patient outcomes when radical surgery is performed following neoadjuvant therapy. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Central databases, as well as international conference abstracts. Outcomes included R0, pathological complete response (pCR), major pathological response (mPR), overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates. We included data from 5,034 patients from 86 studies published between 2019 and 2022. We found no significant differences between NICRT and NCRT in pCR or mPR rates. Both were better than NICT, with NCT showing the lowest response rate. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy has a significant advantage over traditional neoadjuvant therapy in terms of 1-year OS and DFS, with NICT having better outcomes than any of the other three treatments. There were no significant differences among the four neoadjuvant treatments in terms of R0 rates. Among the four neoadjuvant treatment modalities, NICRT and NCRT had the highest pCR and mPR rates. There were no significant differences in the R0 rates among the four treatments. Adding immunotherapy to neoadjuvant therapy improved 1-year OS and DFS, with NICT having the highest rates compared to the other three modalities. https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-12-0060/, identifier INPLASY2022120060.

A time transfer model with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) carrier phase using precise point positioning (PPP), integer PPP (IPPP), single-difference (SD) and integer SD (ISD) modes between two stations is studied. To overcome the difficulty of being unable to fix the SD ambiguity due to the influence of the uncalibrated phase delay (UPD) at the receivers, the SD ambiguity is resolved with the constraint of the fixed double-difference (DD) ambiguity among several stations and satellites. Here the SD and ISD time transfer algorithms are extended to Global Positioning System (GPS), BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), Galileo Navigation Satellite System (Galileo), and Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS). As an example, taking four long-baseline links between pairs of ground stations, BRUX–OPMT, BRUX–PTBB, BRUX–WTZR and BRUX–CEBR, the performances of the carrier-phase ISD, IPPP, SD, and the PPP time transfer of the GPS, BDS, Galileo, and GLONASS systems are compared and analyzed. The results show that the SD and PPP time transfer precisions are equivalent, and the performances of GPS and Galileo are better than those of BDS and GLONASS. With an ambiguity resolution, the frequency instability in time transfer can reach sub 10–16 level after 5 days. The positioning accuracies of fixed solutions are improved compared with float solutions, and the positioning accuracies of ISD are slightly better than that of IPPP. Although the short-term frequency stabilities of IPPP and ISD did not improve over PPP and SD, the long-term frequency stabilities of IPPP and ISD all improved roughly 15% on average. The ISD is suitable for short and middle-long baselines time transfer, while IPPP is suitable for ultra-long baseline time transfer. The time transfer model provided in this study could be applied to gravity potential determination.

Over the past two decades, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission and its successor, GRACE-follow on (GRACE-FO), have played a vital role in climate research. However, the absence of certain observations during and between these missions has presented a persistent challenge. Despite numerous studies attempting to address this issue with mathematical and statistical methods, no definitive optimal approach has been established. This study introduces a practical solution using Linear Regression Analysis (LRA) to overcome data gaps in both GRACE data types—mascon and spherical harmonic coefficients (SHCs). The proposed methodology is tailored to monsoon patterns and demonstrates efficacy in filling data gaps. To validate the approach, a global analysis was conducted across eight basins, monitoring changes in total water storage (TWS) using the technique. The results were compared with various geodetic products, including data from the Swarm mission, Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation (IGG), Quantum Frontiers (QF), and Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) coefficients. Artificial data gaps were introduced within GRACE observations for further validation. This research highlights the effectiveness of the monsoon method in comparison to other gap-filling approaches, showing a strong similarity between gap-filling results and GRACE’s SHCs, with an absolute relative error approaching zero. In the mascon approach, the coefficient of determination (R2) exceeded 91% for all months. This study offers a readily usable gap-filling product—SHCs and smoothed gridded observations—with accurate error estimates. These resources are now accessible for a wide range of applications, providing a valuable tool for the scientific community.

This study aimed to investigate the role of immunotrophic inflammatory markers in assessing the prognosis and treatment-related toxicity in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) undergoing first-line radiotherapy and chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy. We retrospectively enrolled 67 patients with ESCC and determined the optimal cutoff values for prognostic nutrition index (PNI), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 25.0. The one-, two-, and three-year overall survival (OS) rates were 88.1%, 62.3%, and 57.6%, respectively. The overall effective rate was 82.1% (55/67). ROC curve analysis revealed optimal cutoff values for PNI, NLR, and PLR as 48.35, 3.84, and 150.49, respectively. Patients in the high PNI group, low NLR group and PLR group exhibited significantly higher mOS and mPFS time compared to the control group. Notably, the incidence of grade 2 toxicity and side effects in the PNI ≥ 48.35 group was significantly lower than that in the PNI < 48.35 group. Our findings suggest that pretreatment values of PNI, NLR, and PLR can serve as valuable biomarkers for evaluating the prognosis of ESCC patients undergoing first-line radiotherapy and chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy. Further studies with larger cohorts are warranted to validate these results.

The Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) mission, currently operating aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is designed to provide high-precision time and frequency measurements and to test fundamental aspects of relativistic physics. Gravitational redshift (GRS), a fundamental prediction of General Relativity (GR), implies that clocks positioned at different gravitational potentials experience relative time dilation. Previous GRS experiments have focused primarily on microwave technologies, with negligible experimental coverage in the optical domain, particularly for ground-to-space links. Motivated by the European Laser Timing (ELT) experiment and the high-precision laser-cooled cesium clock aboard ACES, we introduce and evaluate an optical time-transfer method designed to achieve high-accuracy measurements of GRS. In the absence of actual ELT/ACES optical data, a high-fidelity numerical simulation framework was developed to assess the performance of this method. The framework incorporates representative ELT/ACES mission parameters, including the space-based cesium clock and the H-MASER clock located at the reference ground station, both providing frequency stability at the level of 10−15 for 1000 s averaging time. Applying a ±1σ filtering criterion, we obtain a simulated dataset comprising 33 ELT/ACES passes, representing a total observation time of 4.38 h over a single week. Analysis of this high-fidelity dataset reveals a GRS deviation from GR of (−7.19±0.63)×10−5, achieving a 3.4 orders of magnitude improvement over the best previous laser-ranging experiment conducted at the University of Maryland (UMD), USA, 51 years ago. These simulation results demonstrate that the optical time-transfer link constitutes a powerful tool for testing fundamental physics and, when combined with next-generation optical atomic clocks, enables unprecedented capabilities in space-based timekeeping and geoscience applications.