Grid Shadow Research Articles

Use of artificial intelligence algorithms to analyse systemic sclerosis-interstitial lung disease imaging features

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) for diagnosing systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) is relatively limited. This study aimed to analyse lung HRCT images of patients with systemic sclerosis with interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) using artificial intelligence (AI), conduct correlation analysis with clinical manifestations and prognosis, and explore the features and prognosis of SSc-ILD. Overall, 72 lung HRCT images and clinical data of 58 patients with SSC-ILD were collected. ILD lesion type, location, and volume on HRCT images were identified and evaluated using AI. The imaging characteristics of diffuse SSC (dSSc)-ILD and limited SSc-ILD (lSSc-ILD) were statistically analysed. Furthermore, the correlations between lesion type, clinical indicators, and prognosis were investigated. dSSc and lSSc were more prevalent in patients with a disease duration of < 1 and ≥ 5 years, respectively. SSc-ILD mainly comprises non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP), and unclassifiable idiopathic interstitial pneumonia. HRCT reveals various lesion types in the early stages of the disease, with an increase in the number of lesion types as the disease progresses. Lesions appearing as grid, ground-glass, and nodular shadows were dispersed throughout both lungs, while those appearing as consolidation shadows and honeycomb were distributed across the lungs. Ground-glass opacity lesion type was absent on HRCT images of patients with SSc-ILD and pulmonary hypertension. This study showed that AI can efficiently analyse imaging characteristics of SSc-ILD, demonstrating its potential to learn from complex images with high generalisation ability.

Association between lymphatic abnormalities in the neck and thorax in primary chylopericardium and surgical outcomes evaluated by non-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) lymphangiography.

Chylopericardium refers to the accumulation of chylous fluid in the pericardial cavity. Non-enhanced magnetic resonance lymphangiography (MRL) can show neck and thoracic lymphatic abnormalities in the primary chylopericardium. It is not clear whether there is a relationship between neck and thoracic lymphatic abnormalities in primary chylopericardium and thoracic duct terminal release surgery. This study aimed to explore the correlation between the severity of neck and thoracic lymphatic abnormalities observed in non-enhanced MRL and the surgical outcomes in primary chylopericardium. This is a retrospective cohort study. A retrospective analysis was conducted on fifty-six patients diagnosed with primary chylopericardium between January 2016 and December 2021, all of whom underwent thoracic duct terminal release surgery. Ultrasonography, chest computed tomography (CT) and non-enhanced MRL were performed prior to the surgical intervention. Patients were categorized into four types based on the severity of neck and thoracic lymphatic abnormalities observed in the non-enhanced MRL. Clinical and laboratory examinations and surgical outcomes were compared across different types using χ 2-test or Fisher's exact test, t-test, and Kruskal-Wallis H-test. Additionally, independent factors influencing surgical outcomes were analyzed. Among primary chylopericardium cases (n=56), 22 (39.2%) were classified as type I or II, 17 (30.4%) as type III, and 17 (30.4%) as type IV. Surgical outcomes were more favorable for type I or II patients than those with type III or IV, accompanied by a reduction in postoperative primary chylopericardium volume (P=0.002). Postoperative chest CT scans indicated that type I or II patients had fewer instances of large grid shadows, small grid shadows, and bronchovascular bundle thickening compared to preoperative scans (P=0.001, P=0.02, P=0.03). Age and bronchomediastinal trunk dilation emerged as independent factors influencing surgical outcomes [odds ratio (OR) 0.03, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.003-0.220, P=0.001; OR 11.10, 95% CI: 1.70-72.39, P=0.01, respectively]. A more severe degree of neck and thoracic lymphatic abnormalities is associated with worse surgical outcomes. Moreover, age and bronchomediastinal trunk dilatation are independent predictors of surgical outcomes. Preoperative utilization of non-enhanced MRL for severity of lymphatic abnormalities classification in primary chylopericardium patients offers a noninvasive means of assessing surgical risk.

Performance and usefulness evaluation of a software-based scatter correction technique for mammographic images

Although physical grids improve contrast in radiographic images by reducing scattered radiation, various artifacts such as grid shadow, moire, and cutoff result in increased patient doses. To overcome these problems, this study evaluates the applicability and usefulness of a material thickness-based scatter-correction technique for mammography. Specifically, this study aims to compare and evaluate the performance of mammography using the proposed software-based scatter correction framework and a physical grid. The proposed technique enables scatter correction based on pre-calculated parameters of a thickness-based scatter kernel at a water slab phantom and an empirical quantity of scatter components in a mammographic system. In the Monte Carlo simulation and experiment, the proposed framework displayed an intensity profile and full width at half maximum that closely approximated those seen in the physical grid. In addition, by applying the proposed framework to the ACR phantom, it was verified that all structures, including specks, were distinctly distinguished. The results demonstrate that the X-ray scatter-correction method with a software-based framework for mammography is applicable to the field of diagnostic imaging, as this approach yields image quality equivalent to that achieved with physical grids while also enabling a reduction in radiation doses for patients.

An Automated Method for Container Counting in Satellite Images Based on Grid Analysis and Shadow Recognition

An Automated Method for Container Counting in Satellite Images Based on Grid Analysis and Shadow Recognition

Analysis of chest imaging features of novel coronavirus pneumonia, bacterial pneumonia and viral pneumonia

To investigate and summarize the chest CT imaging features of patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), bacterial pneumonia and other viral pneumonia. Chest CT data of 102 patients with pulmonary infection due to different etiologies were retrospectively analyzed, including 36 patients with COVID-19 admitted to Hainan Provincial People's Hospital and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University from December 2019 to March 2020, 16 patients with other viral pneumonia admitted to Hainan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2018 to February 2020, and 50 patients with bacterial pneumonia admitted to Haikou Affiliated Hospital of Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine from April 2018 to May 2020. Two senior radiologists and two senior intensive care physicians were participated to evaluated the extent of lesions involvement and imaging features of the first chest CT after the onset of the disease. Bilateral pulmonary lesions were more common in patients with COVID-19 and other viral pneumonia, and the incidence was significantly higher than that of bacterial pneumonia (91.6%, 75.0% vs. 26.0%, P < 0.05). Compared with other viral pneumonia and COVID-19, bacterial pneumonia was mainly characterized by single-lung and multi-lobed lesion (62.0% vs. 18.8%, 5.6%, P < 0.05), accompanied by pleural effusion and lymph node enlargement. The proportion of ground-glass opacity in the lung tissues of patients with COVID-19 was 97.2%, that of patients with other viral pneumonia was 56.2%, and that of patients with bacterial pneumonia was only 2.0% (P < 0.05). The incidence rate of lung tissue consolidation (25.0%, 12.5%), air bronchial sign (13.9%, 6.2%) and pleural effusion (16.7%, 37.5%) in patients with COVID-19 and other viral pneumonia were significantly lower than those in patients with bacterial pneumonia (62.0%, 32.0%, 60.0%, all P < 0.05), paving stone sign (22.2%, 37.5%), fine mesh sign (38.9%, 31.2%), halo sign (11.1%, 25.0%), ground-glass opacity with interlobular septal thickening (30.6%, 37.5%), bilateral patchy pattern/rope shadow (80.6%, 50.0%) etc. were significantly higher than those of bacterial pneumonia (2.0%, 4.0%, 2.0%, 0%, 22.0%, all P < 0.05). The incidence of local patchy shadow in patients with COVID-19 was only 8.3%, significantly lower than that in patients with other viral pneumonia and bacterial pneumonia (8.3% vs. 68.8%, 50.0%, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of peripheral vascular shadow thickening in patients with COVID-19, other viral pneumonia and bacterial pneumonia (27.8%, 12.5%, 30.0%, P > 0.05). The probability of ground-glass opacity, paving stone and grid shadow in chest CT of patients with COVID-19 was significantly higher than those of bacterial pneumonia, and it was more common in the lower lungs and lateral dorsal segment. In other patients with viral pneumonia, ground-glass opacity was distributed in both upper and lower lungs. Bacterial pneumonia is usually characterized by single lung consolidation, distributed in lobules or large lobes and accompanied by pleural effusion.

Detection of microcracks in silicon solar cells using Otsu-Canny edge detection algorithm

The necessity for photovoltaic (PV) arrays has expanded due to the rising demand for solar electrical energy. The demand for solar cells has grown as they are a key component of the PV array. Recent years have seen a rise in solar cell production as a result of this demand. The quality of a silicon panel affects its lifespan and effectiveness in the production of solar power. The picture edge-detection method is regularly employed to identify silicon solar panel flaws. On the other hand, defect identification is impacted by the panel's grid shadow. The most modern defect detection technique uses artificial neural networks, and pre-training the model requires a large number of potential samples from picture data sets. This paper offers the innovative Otsu-Canny operator method as a fault discovery strategy to address this problem. Rapid and accurate identification of microcracks enhances the effectiveness of fault detection. The Otsu algorithm is used in this method to improve edge detection performance for microcracks by modifying the canny operator with a double threshold and eliminating the impact of grids on detection. The process was finished by performing noise removal with morphological operation, picture segmentation, and image binarization. The experimental findings demonstrate a significant improvement in purity and integrity of the image processing algorithm used in this research. The Otsu-Canny edge detection technique is more accurate than other conventional edge detection algorithms for detecting microcracks, with a 92.83 % detection rate.

Assessment of Long-Term Effects on Pulmonary Functions Between Severe and Non-Severe Convalescent COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Study in China.

ObjectiveTo explore the long-term effects of SARS-Cov-2 infection on the pulmonary function in the severe convalescent COVID-19 patients for 6 to 9 months follow-up in Beijing, China.MethodsA total of 64 cases of COVID-19 patients were recruited for the study and discharged from the Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, for 6 to 9 months. COVID-19 patients were divided into non-severe (mild and moderate) and severe groups. The follow-up investigated the lung function tests, the novel coronavirus antibody (IgM and IgG), chest CT and blood tests.ResultsAbout 25.00% (16/64) patients had pulmonary ventilation dysfunction and 35.9% (23/64) had diffusion dysfunction. In the severe group, 56.50% (13/23) individuals showed decreased diffusion function. The diffusion dysfunction of the severe group was significantly decreased than the non-severe group (P = 0.01). Among 56 cases, the positive rate of IgG titers was 73.2% (41/56). The result of chest CT showed 55.36% (31/56) cases in nodules, 44.64% (25/56) in strip-like changes, 37.5% (21/56) in-ground glass shadow, and 5.36% (3/56) in grid shadow, which was significantly different between the severe group and the non-severe group. Patients tended to have ground glass changes in the severe group while nodules in the non-severe group.ConclusionFor the 6 to 9 months in convalescent COVID-19 patients, 56.50% (13/23) of severe patients had pulmonary diffusion dysfunction. Convalescent COVID-19 patients should have their pulmonary function regularly tested, especially those with severe illness.

Comment on “Introduction of a Novel Figure of Merit for the Assessment of Transparent Conductive Electrodes in Photovoltaics: Exact and Approximate Form”

AbstractAnand et al. introduce an implicit equation for transparent conductive electrode (TCE) merit in photovoltaics (PV) by lumping series resistance in with the diode. However, an explicit equation has been previously derived by lumping series resistance external to the diode. For TCEs of practical interest for PV, the choice of where to lump series resistance does not affect merit, so external lumping is preferred. On the other hand, monolith deadspace, metal grid shadowing, and grid resistance shift TCE merit away from the figure of merit behavior published by Anand et al.

Quantifying the x-ray dark-field signal in single-grid imaging.

X-ray dark-field imaging reveals the sample microstructure that is unresolved when using conventional methods of x-ray imaging. In this paper, we derive a new method to extract and quantify the x-ray dark-field signal collected using a single-grid imaging set-up, and relate the signal strength to the number of sample microstructures, N. This was achieved by modelling sample-induced changes to the shadow of the upstream grid, and fitting experimental data to this model. Our results suggested that the dark-field scattering angle from our spherical microstructures deviates slightly from the theoretical model of N, which was consistent with results from other experimental methods. We believe the approach outlined here can equip quantitative dark-field imaging of small samples, particularly in cases where only one sample exposure is possible, either due to sample movement or radiation dose limitations. Future directions include an extension into directional dark-field imaging.

A software-based method for eliminating grid artifacts of a crisscrossed grid by mixed-norm and group-sparsity regularization in digital radiography

X-ray grids are typically used in clinical practice to improve image quality by decreasing the effects of scatter radiation reaching the image detector. Recently, we developed a prototype crisscrossed grid with a strip density of 3.448 lines/mm (nominal) by adopting a micro-controlled sawing process and carbon interspace material to further improve its scatter radiation removal ability. However, the most critical obstacle remaining for the successful use of X-ray grids in digital radiography is the observation of grid artifacts, such as grid shadows and moiré, which can result in a misdiagnosis by physicians. Accordingly, in this study we propose a new software-based method using an alternative minimization iteration via mixed-norm and group-sparsity regularization to efficiently eliminate grid artifacts of a crisscrossed grid in digital radiography. We performed a numerical simulation with synthetic images degraded by grid shadows of 0.2, 0.9, and 1.4 lines/mm and an experiment with two real X-ray images degraded by a moiré of 1.196 lines/mm to verify the efficacy of the proposed method. We compared the image restoration performance of the proposed method to those of other existing approaches to demonstrate its competitive efficacy. Our results indicate that the proposed method can preserve grid-artifact-free object information in the image restoration process.

Touch-modulated van der Waals heterostructure with self-writing power switch for synaptic simulation

Neuromorphic electronics with two-dimensional van der Waals materials meet the ever-increasing demands of both the semiconductor industry and biological engineering, such as miniaturization, structure flexibility, multifunctionality, and low power consumption. However, the majority of reported electronic devices achieve multifarious memory storage states or synaptic plasticity through regulation of an electrical or an optical signal. Herein, we propose an innovative touch-modulated device based on an indium selenide/hexagonal boron nitride/graphene van der Waals heterostructure coupled with a triboelectric nanogenerator. The device is prepared utilizing a simple copper grid shadow mask instead of the expensive and cumbersome electron beam lithography process, exhibits high mobility of 829 cm2 V−1 s−1, low voltage, and low power consumption. Nonvolatile memory with self-writing power, durability and multibit data storage is achieved through mechanical modulation without an additional gate-voltage supply. Moreover, by adjusting the distance between the two friction layers, essential synaptic plasticity, including short-term and long-term potentiation/depression and paired-pulse facilitation/depression, are successfully imitated in the device. Most importantly, we achieve ultralow power consumption of 165 aJ in tribotronic synapses owing to the ultra-high mobility of InSe. Our tribotronic synapse with self-writing power has great potential to simulate the low-power-consuming neuromorphic bioelectronic devices with multiple functions and lays the foundation for future advanced neuromorphic systems and artificial intelligence.

Fabrication of Flexible In-Plane Gate Nanowire Transistor on a Paper Substrate.

Flexible in-plane gate SnO₂ nanowire (NW) transistor gated by SiO₂ acting as a solid electrolyte was fabricated on a paper substrate by using a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) Ni grid shadow mask. The operating voltage of in-plane gate SnO₂ NW transistor was down to 1 V because of the large electric-double-layer (EDL) capacitance of the SiO₂ electrolyte layer. Current on/off ratio (Ion/Ioff) and field-effect electron mobility (µEF) as well as subthreshold slope of this device were ~106, 74.7cm²·V-1s-1 and 80 mV·dec-1, respectively. The proposed flexible and low-voltage SnO₂ NW transistors on paper substrate exhibit immense potential for applications in portable and flexible electronic devices.

Research on Image Defect Detection of Silicon Panel Based on Prewitt and Canny Operator

The silicon panel is the core component of photovoltaic power generation, whose surface quality is related to its service life and power generation efficiency. However, microcracks, fragments, incomplete welding, broken grids, and other defects often occur in industrial production. The edge detection algorithm is usually used to detect defects in silicon panels, but the common edge detection algorithm has an impact on defect detection because of the grid shadow of the panel. The current mainstream defect detection algorithm based on convolutional neural network requires a large number of positive and negative samples of image data sets for pretraining the model, which consumes a lot of time and GPU computing power, and the steps are cumbersome. To solve the problem, a defect detection method based on Prewitt and Canny operators is proposed in this article. In this method, Prewitt and Canny operators are combined to eliminate the effect of grids on the detection. The microcrack defects and their specific positions can be detected efficiently and intuitively, therefore improving the detection accuracy. The experimental results indicate that the purity and integrity of the defect profile of the image processed by the algorithm are greatly improved. The foreground edge is clear, and the defect recognition accuracy is higher, which effectively prevent the impact of grid shadow on weld testing.

Analysis of the results of follow-up COVID-19 patients half a year after discharge in Chengdu

Objective To summarize the follow-up results of COVID-19 patients half a year after discharge in Chengdu. Methods To collect the data of 48 COVID-19 patients who were cured and discharged from the hospital, we used SPSS 26.0 statistical software to analyze the results of laboratory examinations, cardiac color Doppler ultrasound, chest CT, and cardiac MRI half a year after discharge. Results Among the revisited patients, 4 cases (8.3%) were accompanied by dry cough, and 7 cases (14.6%) had decreased activity tolerance, the incidence of decreased activity tolerance in the severe group was higher than that in the non-severe group ( P 0.05). The positive rate of SARS-CoV-2 IgG was 68.8% (33/48), 3 patients had positive results of SARS-CoV-2 IgM, and all patients' SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid were negative. 37.0% (17/46) of follow-up patients had heart valve regurgitation, 35.4% (17 /48) of follow-up patients had pulmonary ground-glass shadow lesions, and 10.4% (5 /48) had pulmonary interstitial grid shadow. The incidence of obvious ground-glass shadow lesions in lungs in the severe group was greater than that in the non-severe group ( P =0.001). Cardiac MRI results showed that 8 patients had myocardial edema, and 4 patients had myocardial microcirculation disorder. Conclusion Some COVID-19 patients have symptoms half a year after discharge, which are mainly manifested by dry cough and decreased activity tolerance. Infection with the SARS-CoV-2 may cause long-term myocardial damage to the patient. The liver function and T lymphocyte function have basically returned to normal half a year after discharge. Some patients have obvious ground-glass shadows in the lungs and lung function damage half a year after discharge. 摘要：目的 总结成都市新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19)患者出院后半年的复诊结果。 方法 收集成都市48例复 诊的COVID-19患者资料 , 分为重症组和非重症组, 同时以医院45位健康医务人员为对照组, 使用SPSS 26.0统计学软 件整理分析复诊者出院后半年症状、实验室检査、心脏彩超、胸CT、心脏核磁共振结果, 以及复诊者CD4+T、CD8+T计数 与健康对照组的差异。 结果 复诊患者中伴干咳4例(8.3%), 活动耐量较患病前下降7例 (14.6%), 重症组活动耐量下 降的发生率髙于非重症组( P 0.05)。SARS-CoV-2 IgG的阳性率为68.8%, 例患者SARS-CoV-2 IgM阳性, 所有复诊患者咽拭子SARS-CoV-2核酸阴性； 37.0%复诊患者伴有心脏瓣膜反流;35.4%伴有肺部磨玻璃影病灶;10.4%伴有肺间质网格影。重症组肺部伴有明显磨 玻璃影病灶的发生率大于非重症组( P =0.001)。心脏核磁共振结果显示8例患者存在心肌水肿, 4例存在心肌微循环障 碍。 结论 部分COVID-19患者在出院后半年有症状, 主要表现为干咳及活动耐量较患病前下降, 感染新冠病毒可对 患者造成长时间的心肌损伤。出院后半年的肝功、T淋巴细胞功能已基本恢复正常。个别患者在出院后半年仍有明显 肺部磨玻璃影并伴有肺功能损伤。

Clinical profiles of SS-ILD compared with SS-NILD in a Chinese population: a retrospective analysis of 735 patients

Background Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a serious complication in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). Most studies on primary SS (pSS) with ILD are limited in sample size, and studies on secondary SS (sSS) with ILD are rare. This study aimed to elucidate both primary and secondary SS-associated ILD (SS-ILD) based on a large cohort. Methods The medical records of hospitalized patients diagnosed with SS at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2010 to May 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical manifestations, medical history, biological results and imaging data were collected. Results Of the 735 SS patients enrolled in this study, 563 (76.6%) were diagnosed with pSS, 172 (23.4%) were diagnosed with sSS. Additionally, 316 (43.0%) were diagnosed with SS-ILD. No significant difference was found between the pSS and sSS groups concerning the incidence of ILD (p = .718). Factors associated with SS-ILD were older age (p < .001), male sex (p = .032), female sex at menopause (p = .002), Raynaud’s phenomenon (p < .001), low levels of albumin (p = .010) and respiratory symptoms (p < .001). The SS-ILD group showed higher counts of platelets (p < .001). The three most frequent high-resolution CT (HRCT) findings of SS-ILD were irregular linear opacities (42.7%), grid shadows (30.7%) and pleural thickening (28.5%). NSIP (56.3%) was the most frequent HRCT pattern. Compared with pSS patients with ILD (pSS-ILD) patients, sSS patients with ILD (sSS-ILD) patients had a higher incidence of proteinuria (p < .001) and hypercreatinaemia (p = .013), a higher level of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (p = .003), low levels of complement 3 (C3) (p = .013), lymphocytes (p = .009) and leukocytes (p = .024), and worse DLCO (%Pred) (p = .035). Conclusions ILD is a common pulmonary involvement in both pSS patients and sSS patients. Older age, male sex, female sex at menopause, Raynaud’s phenomenon, low albumin levels and respiratory symptoms are risk factors associated with SS-ILD. NSIP is important HRCT feature of SS-ILD. sSS-ILD patients showed worse laboratory results and pulmonary function. KEY MESSAGE Older age, male sex, female sex at menopause, Raynaud’s phenomenon, low albumin levels and respiratory symptoms are risk factors associated with SS-ILD. SS-ILD patients show higher counts of platelets and less purpura. sSS-ILD patients have worse laboratory results and pulmonary function.

Patterning Graphene Films by H2O-Based Magnetic-Assisted UV Photolysis.

Properly cutting graphene into certain high-quality micro-/nanoscale structures in a cost-effective way has a critical role. Here, we report a novel approach to pattern graphene films by H2O-based magnetic-assisted ultraviolet (UV) photolysis under irradiation at 184.9 nm. By virtue of the paramagnetic characteristic, the photo-dissociated hydroxyl [OH(X2Π)] radicals are magnetized and have their oxidation capability highly enhanced through converting into an accelerated directional motion. Meanwhile, the precursor of H2O(X̃1A1) molecules distributes uniformly thanks to its weak diamagnetic characteristic, and there exists no instable diamagnetic intermediate to cause lateral oxidation. Possessing these unique traits, the H2O-based magnetic-assisted UV photolysis has the capability of making graphene microscale patterns with the linewidth down to 8.5 μm under a copper grid shadow mask. Furthermore, it is feasible to pattern graphene films into 40 nm-wide ribbons under ZnO nanowires and realize hybrid graphene/ZnO nanoribbon field-effect transistors with a hole mobility up to 7200 cm2·V-1·s-1. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry analyses reveal that OH(X2Π) radicals act as a strong oxidant and that another product of H(12S) adsorbs weakly on graphene.

Characteristics of primary Sjögren's syndrome related lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia.

ObjectiveThis paper is aimed at investigating the clinical characteristics of primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS) with lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia (LIP).MethodsThe demographic data, clinical manifestations, laboratory and radiological findings, treatment, and prognosis from 15 cases of pSS-LIP patients were retrospectively analyzed. The data were compared with t test, χ 2 test, and Pearson/Spearman correlation analysis.Results(1) Fifteen cases of patients with pSS-LIP are all females (100%). Compared with pSS with interstitial lung disease(pSS-ILD) patients, the incidence of dry cough, dental caries is higher in pSS-LIP patients. The incidence of shortness of breath, weight loss, and crackles is lower in pSS-LIP patients than that of pSS-ILD patients. (2) Compared with pSS-ILD patients, pSS-LIP patients had higher percentage of patients with ANA, anti-SSA52KD antibody, anti-SSA60KD antibody, and anti-SSB antibody, and the higher concentration of serum globulin. (3) Compared with pSS-ILD patients, the frequency of obstructive ventilation dysfunction is significantly higher and the frequency of diffusion dysfunction is significantly lower in pSS-LIP patients. (4) The most frequent HRCT findings in patients with pSS-LIP is cysts (100%), followed by ground-glass opacities (73.3%), nodular shadow (73.3%) among the pSS-LIP patients. Compared with PSS-ILD patients, the incidence of pulmonary nodule shadow is significantly higher in PSS-LIP patients, while that of grid shadow was significantly lower. (5) Compared with the baseline, the sum of the number, maximum diameter, and diameter of cysts in three levels of pSS-LIP patients showed an increasing trend after treatment. (6) Correlation analysis: The changes of ground-glass opacities were positively correlated with using GC or not, and those were negatively correlated with the dose of GC treatment. Besides, there is a positive correlation between the annual change rate of the maximum diameter of cysts (△Ømax1/t) and the use of CTX; there is a positive correlation between the annual change rate of the total diameter of cysts (△Øsum1/t) and the use of CTX.ConclusionTo the patients of pSS-LIP, female were more common than male, and the onset of LIP was usually more insidious. Hyperglobulinemia and anti-SSA antibody were more prominent in patients with pSS-LIP. Pulmonary function showed the higher rate of obstructive ventilation dysfunction and the lower rate of diffusion dysfunction. The appearance of ground-glass opacities in pSS-LIP patients suggests that the infiltration of inflammatory cells increases, which may cause airway compression, the expansion of terminal bronchioles, and the formation of cysts. The more ground-glass opacities appear earlier, and the more appearance of new cysts later. Therapy with glucocorticoid may be effective on the ground-glass opacity during acute stage, and therapy with cyclophosphamide may be effective on the cysts during chronic stage. The heavier ground-glass opacity is at baseline, the more likely it will recur during maintenance treatment. So follow-up closely is needed.Key Points• It is the first clinical study with more cases of patients with pSS-LIP.• Female and hyperglobulinemia and anti-SSA antibody were more prominent in patients with pSS-LIP.• Pulmonary function showed the higher rate of obstructive ventilation dysfunction and the lower rate of diffusion dysfunction.• Therapy with glucocorticoid may be effective on the ground-glass opacity during acute stage, and therapy with cyclophosphamide may be effective on the cysts during chronic stage.

CT imaging features and image evolution characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019.

To analyze the imaging features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in different periods, and summarize the characteristics with itsdevelopment. We retrospectively analyzed the CT image data of COVID-19 patients diagnosed by nucleic acid test and CT examination in 57 patients in Zhuzhou Central Hospital and Zhuzhou First People's Hospital, and summarized the characteristics of CT imaging and the development of lesions. Most of the cases were characterized by peripheral distribution of lesions. A total of 37 cases (64.91%) were purely peripherally distributed, 16 cases (28.07%) coexisted with peripheral and mid-internal distribution, and 4 cases (7.02%) had simple mid-inner band distribution. In peripherally distributed cases, the long axis of the lesion was mostly parallel to the pleura in 36 cases (63.16%). In the case of inner-middle zone distribution, the long axis of the lesion was mostly parallel and surrounded the bronchial vascular bundle, or distributed along the lung lobules (31.58%). All cases had ground-glass-density foci, 31 cases (54.38%) had fine grid shadows in the lesions, 46 cases (80.70%) had thick vascular shadows in the lesions, and 23 cases (40.35%) showed signs of bronchial inflation. Among the 10 cases of "wrinkling shape" lesions in the first CT examination, except for 1 case without reexamination, the remaining 9 cases had different degrees of absorption in the second CT examination. Among the 26 cases of "wrinkling shape" lesions in the second CT examination, except for 11 cases without reexamination, the other 15 patients had different degrees of absorption in the third CT examination. The early CT manifestations of COVID-19 are mostly ground-glass-density foci distributed in the subpleural region, some of which are distributed near the bronchial blood vessel bundle and in the central area of the lobule. As the course of the disease progresses, there may be varying degrees of solid components in the lesion. When the lesions show a "wrinkling shape", it is often suggested that the lesions will evolve towards the direction of absorption. These characteristics are of great value in assisting clinical diagnosis and dynamically observing changes undersuch condition.

Eliminating artifacts in single-grid phase-contrast x-ray imaging for improving image quality

In this study, we propose a modification to a single-grid phase-contrast x-ray imaging (PCXI) system using a Fourier domain analysis technique to extract absorption, scattering, and differential phase-contrast images. The proposed modification is to rotate the x-ray grid in the image plane to achieve spectral separation between the desired information and the moiré artifact, which is introduced by the superposition of the periodic image of the grid shadow and the periodic sampling by the detector. In addition, we performed some system optimization by adjusting distances between source, object, grid, and detector to further improve image quality. This optimization aimed to increase the spectral spacing between the primary spectrum (lower frequency) and the harmonics of the spectrum (higher frequency) used to extract the various image contrasts. The table-top setup used in the experiment consisted of a focused-linear grid with a 200-lines/inch strip density, a microfocus x-ray tube with a 55-μm focal spot size, and a CMOS flat-panel detector with a 49.5-μm pixel size. The x-ray grid was rotated at 27.8° with respect to the detector and the sample was placed as close as possible to the x-ray tube. Our results indicated that the proposed method effectively eliminated the PCXI artifacts, thus improving image quality.

Subsurface to substrate: dual-scale micro/nanofluidic networks for investigating transport anomalies in tight porous media.

Micro/nanofluidic experiments in synthetic representations of tight porous media, often referred to as "reservoir-on-a-chip" devices, are an emerging approach to researching anomalous fluid transport trends in energy-bearing and fluid-sequestering geologic porous media. We detail, for the first time, the construction of dual-scale micro/nanofluidic devices that are relatively large-scale, two-dimensional network representations of granular and fractured nanoporous media. The fabrication scheme used in the development of the networks on quartz substrates (master patterns) is facile and replicable: transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grids with lacey carbon support film were used as shadow masks in thermal evaporation/deposition and reactive ion etch (RIE) was used for hardmask pattern transfer. The reported nanoscale network geometries are heterogeneous and composed of hydraulically resistive paths (throats) meeting at junctures (pores) to mimic the low topological connectivity of nanoporous sedimentary rocks such as shale. The geometry also includes homogenous microscale grid patterns that border the nanoscale networks and represent microfracture pathways. Master patterns were successfully replicated with a sequence of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and Norland Optical Adhesive (NOA) 63 polymers. The functionality of the fabricated quartz and polymer nanofluidic devices was validated with aqueous imbibition experiments and differential interference contrast microscopy. These dual-scale fluidic devices are promising predictive tools for hypothesis testing and calibration against bulk fluid measurements in tight geologic, biologic, and synthetic porous material of similar dual-scale pore structure. Applications to shale/mudrock transport studies in particular are focused on herein.