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This study aims to evaluate the variations in image quality of CCTA conducted at different time intervals and their clinical implications. A retrospective analysis of 641 patients who underwent CCTA between July 2023 and June 2024 was performed. The examination times were divided into morning group(8:00–12:00, 316 cases), and afternoon group༈14:00–18:00, 325 cases) for comparison. For patients with a heart rate ≥ 60 bpm, 25 mg of metoprolol was given orally to control heart rate, along with 0.5 mg of sublingual nitroglycerin before the CCTA examination. Image quality, initial heart rate, post-medication heart rate, heart rate differences (pre- and post-medication), percentage heart rate changes, radiation dose, age, and sex were compared between the two groups. Statistical analyses, including the Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman correlation coefficients, and logistic multivariate regression, were used to assess factors influencing image quality. Finally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyse the predictive value of examination timing on image quality. The image quality excellence rates for the morning group and the afternoon group were 87.9% and 74.1%, respectively, with no undiagnosable cases in either group. Significant differences ( P  < 0.05) were observed between the two groups in subjective image scores, post-medication heart rates, heart rate differences (pre- and post-medication), percentage heart rate changes, and age. However, no significant differences were found in initial heart rate, radiation dose, or sex ( P  > 0.05). Logistic multivariate regression analysis indicated a statistically significant association between image quality and both examination timing and age ( P  < 0.05). However, no significant associations were found with initial heart rate, heart rate differences (pre- and post-medication), percentage heart rate changes, radiation dose, or sex ( P  > 0.05). The regression equation was determined as Y = 11.386 + 0.873 × 1 + 0.023 × 2, where Y represents image quality, X1 represents the examination timing, and X2 represents age. For the morning group, the ROC curve area under the curve (AUC) for initial heart rate and post-medication heart rate were 0.598 and 0.890, with optimal thresholds of 79 bpm and 71 bpm, respectively. For the afternoon group, the AUC values were 0.596 and 0.812, with optimal thresholds of 75 bpm and 68 bpm, respectively. CCTA performed in the morning (8:00–12:00) yields superior image quality compared to the afternoon (14:00–18:00). Moreover, morning CCTA scans tolerated higher initial heart rates (up to 79 bpm) without affecting image quality, in contrast to the lower threshold of 75 bpm in the afternoon. These findings offer robust data to guide the timing of clinical CCTA procedures and heart rate management, indicating that morning CCTA scans may facilitate higher-quality imaging, especially for patients with elevated heart rates.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) image object detection has become an increasingly important research area in computer vision. However, the variable target shapes and complex environments make it difficult for the model to fully exploit its features. In order to solve this problem, we propose a UAV image object detection method based on a backbone feature reuse detection network, named BFRDNet. First, we design a backbone feature reuse pyramid network (BFRPN), which takes the model characteristics as the starting point and more fully utilizes the multi-scale features of backbone network to improve the model’s performance in complex environments. Second, we propose a feature extraction module based on multiple kernels convolution (MKConv), to deeply mine features under different receptive fields, helping the model accurately recognize targets of different sizes and shapes. Finally, we design a detection head preprocessing module (PDetect) to enhance the feature representation fed to the detection head and effectively suppress the interference of background information. In this study, we validate the performance of BFRDNet primarily on the VisDrone dataset. The experimental results demonstrate that BFRDNet achieves a significant improvement in detection performance, with the mAP increasing by 7.5%. To additionally evaluate the model’s generalization capacity, we extend the experiments to the UAVDT and COCO datasets.

Reconstruction of irregular oral-maxillofacial bone defects with an inflammatory microenvironment remains a challenge, as chronic local inflammation can largely impair bone healing. Here, we used magnesium silicate nanospheres (MSNs) to load microRNA-146a-5p (miR-146a) to fabricate a nanobiomaterial, MSN+miR-146a, which showed synergistic promoting effects on the osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). In addition, miR-146a exhibited an anti-inflammatory effect on mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) under lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway via targeting tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6), and MSNs could simultaneously promote M2 polarization of BMMs. MiR-146a was also found to inhibit osteoclast formation. Finally, the dual osteogenic-promoting and immunoregulatory effects of MSN+miR-146a were further validated in a stimulated infected mouse mandibular bone defect model via delivery by a photocuring hydrogel. Collectively, the MSN+miR-146a complex revealed good potential in treating inflammatory irregular oral-maxillofacial bone defects.

Objective This study was performed to establish an optimized beagle model for maxillary sinus floor augmentation via a mini-lateral window with simultaneous implant placement. Methods Twelve beagles underwent maxillary sinus floor augmentation via a mini-lateral window with simultaneous implant placement through sites selected by analyzing preoperative cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. During the experiment, no maxillary teeth were extracted and the infraorbital nerve was not severed. The osteotomy was only 5 mm in diameter. The implant stability quotient was measured, and postoperative CBCT was used to detect the condition of the sinus membrane and bone augmentation. Results The site corresponding to the tip of the highest dental cusp of the maxillary fourth premolar was suitable for the procedure, and the implant site was on the palatal bone plate. All implants achieved good primary stability. Postoperative CBCT showed no sinus membrane perforation, and the implants penetrated into the sinus cavity surrounded by bone substitute. Conclusion The herein-described optimized model with mini-lateral osteotomy and without extraction or severing of the infraorbital nerve was minimally invasive, retained more lateral bone of the sinus, and achieved good sinus floor-lifting results. This model is highly reproducible and merits wider application.

(1) Objectives: This study evaluated the clinical outcomes of dental implants placed in previously failed sites and discussed the risk factors that mattered in reimplantation. (2) Methods: All the cases by one specific implantologist during his first five years of clinical practice were screened, with a focus on those who received reimplantation. The clinical outcomes were assessed, including the implant survival, peri-implant health, and patients’ satisfaction. (3) Results: 28 patients (31 implants) were recorded as failures from 847 patients (1269 implants), with a 2.4% overall failure rate at the implant level, of whom 19 patients (21 implants) received reimplantation treatment. After a mean follow-up of 33.7 ± 10.1 months (95% CI 29.1–38.3 months), 20 implants remained functional, but 1 implant revealed a secondary early failure, indicating a 95.2% overall survival rate. The mean probing depth (PD), modified sulcus bleeding index (mSBI), and marginal bone loss (MBL) of the surviving reinserted implants were 2.7 ± 0.6 mm (95% CI 2.5–3.0 mm), 0.7 ± 0.5 (95% CI 0.5–1.0), and 0.5 ± 0.6 mm (95% CI 0.3–0.8 mm), respectively. Embedded healing occurred more frequently in the reinserted implants than in the primary implants (p = 0.052). The patients’ satisfaction suffered from implant failure, but a successful reimplantation could reverse it with close doctor–patient communication. (4) Conclusions: Reimplantation treatment was recommended, based on a thorough evaluation and consideration of the risk factors combined with effective communication with the patients.

● Waste refrigerator polyurethane (WRPU) was ingested and biodegraded by mealworms. ● The carbon in WRPU-based frass was lower than that in WRPU. ● Urethane groups in WRPU were broken down after ingestion by mealworms. ● Thermal stability of WRPU-based frass were deteriorated compared to that of WRPU. ● Gut microbiomes of mealworms fed using WRPU were distinct from that fed using bran. Refrigerator insulation replacement results in discarding a large amount of waste refrigerator polyurethane (WRPU). Insect larvae like mealworms have been used to biodegrade pristine plastics. However, knowledge about mealworms degrading WRPU is scarce. This study presents an in-depth investigation of the degradation of WRPU by mealworms using the micro-morphology, composition, and functional groups of WRPU and the egested frass characteristics. It was found that the WRPU debris in frass was scoured, implying that WRPU was ingested and degraded by mealworms. The carbon content of WRPU-based frass was lower than that of WRPU, indicating that mealworms utilized WRPU as a carbon source. The urethane groups in WRPU were broken, and benzene rings’ C=C and C–H bonds in the isocyanate disappeared after being ingested by mealworms. Thermal gravimetric-differential thermal gravimetry analysis showed that the weight loss temperature of WRPU-based frass was 300 °C lower than that of WRPU, indicating that the thermal stability of WRPU deteriorated after being ingested. The carbon balance analysis confirmed that carbon in the ingested WRPU released as CO 2 increased from 18.84 % to 29.80 %, suggesting that WRPU was partially mineralized. The carbon in the mealworm biomass ingesting WRPU decreased. The possible reason is that WRPU does not supply sufficient nutrients for mealworm growth, and the impurities and odor present in WRPU affect the appetite of the mealworms. The microbial community analysis indicated that WRPU exerts a considerable effect on the gut microorganism of mealworms. These findings confirm that mealworms degrade WRPU.

A bstract Reflexive polygons have been extensively studied in a variety of contexts in mathematics and physics. We generalize this programme by looking at the 45 different lattice polygons with two interior points up to SL(2,ℤ) equivalence. Each corresponds to some affine toric 3-fold as a cone over a Sasaki-Einstein 5-fold. We study the quiver gauge theories of D3-branes probing these cones, which coincide with the mesonic moduli space. The minimum of the volume function of the Sasaki-Einstein base manifold plays an important role in computing the R-charges. We analyze these minimized volumes with respect to the topological quantities of the compact surfaces constructed from the polygons. Unlike reflexive polytopes, one can have two fans from the two interior points, and hence give rise to two smooth varieties after complete resolutions, leading to an interesting pair of closely related geometries and gauge theories.

A bstract We study the refined and unrefined crystal/BPS partition functions of D6-D2-D0 brane bound states for all toric Calabi-Yau threefolds without compact 4-cycles and some non-toric examples. They can be written as products of (generalized) MacMahon functions. We check our expressions and use them as vacuum characters to study the gluings. We then consider the wall crossings and discuss possible crystal descriptions for different chambers. We also express the partition functions in terms of plethystic exponentials. For ℂ 3 and tripled affine quivers, we find their connections to nilpotent Kac polynomials. Similarly, the partition functions of D4-D2-D0 brane bound states can be obtained by replacing the (generalized) MacMahon functions with the inverse of (generalized) Euler functions.

A bstract We show how to map Grothendieck’s dessins d’enfants to algebraic curves as Seiberg-Witten curves, then use the mirror map and the AGT map to obtain the corresponding 4d N = 2 supersymmetric instanton partition functions and 2d Virasoro conformal blocks. We explicitly demonstrate the 6 trivalent dessins with 4 punctures on the sphere. We find that the parametrizations obtained from a dessin should be related by certain duality for gauge theories. Then we will discuss that some dessins could correspond to conformal blocks satisfying certain rules in different minimal models.

A bstract We study chiral rings of 4d N = 1 supersymmetric gauge theories via the notion of K-stability. We show that when using Hilbert series to perform the computations of Futaki invariants, it is not enough to only include the test symmetry information in the former’s denominator. We discuss a way to modify the numerator so that K-stability can be correctly determined, and a rescaling method is also applied to simplify the calculations involving test configurations. All of these are illustrated with a host of examples, by considering vacuum moduli spaces of various theories. Using Gröbner basis and plethystic techniques, many non-complete intersections can also be addressed, thus expanding the list of known theories in the literature.