Largest Area Research Articles

Value of Multimodal Diffusion-weighted Imaging in Preoperative Evaluation of Ki-67 Expression in Endometrial Carcinoma.

To investigate the value of multimodal diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in preoperative evaluation of Ki-67 expression of endometrial carcinoma (EC). Patients who had undergone pelvic DWI, intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM), and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) sequence MRI scan before surgery were retrospectively enrolled. Single index model, double index model, and DKI were used for post-processing of the DWI data, and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), real diffusion coefficient (D), pseudo diffusion coefficient (D*), perfusion fraction (f), non-Gaussian mean diffusion kurtosis (MK), mean diffusion coefficient (MD) and anisotropy fraction (FA) were calculated and compared between the Ki-67 high (≥50%) and low (<50%) expression groups. Forty-two patients with a median age of 56 (range 37 - 75) years were enrolled, including 15 patients with a high Ki-67 (≥50%) expression and 27 with a low Ki-67 (<50%) expression. The MK (0.91 ± 0.12 vs. 0.76 ± 0.12) was significantly (P<0.05) higher while MD (0.99 ± 0.17 vs. 1.16 ± 0.22), D (0.55 ± 0.06 vs. 0.62 ± 0.08), and f (0.21 vs. 0.28) were significantly (P<0.05) lower in the high than in the low expression group. The combined model of MK, MD, D, and f-values had the largest area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.869 (95% CI: 0.764-0.974), sensitivity 0.733 and specificity 0.852, followed by the MK value with an AUC value 0.827 (95% CI: 0.700-0.954), sensitivity 0.733 and specificity 0.815. IVIM and DKI have certain diagnostic values for preoperative evaluation of the EC Ki-67 expression, and the combined model has the highest diagnostic efficiency.

Assessing landscape ecological vulnerability to riverbank erosion in the Middle Brahmaputra floodplains of Assam, India using machine learning algorithms

Riverbank erosion is one of the most catastrophic hazards that renders floodplains vulnerable across the world vulnerable. It creates a significant negative impact on the environment and socio-economic life. This paper attempts to assess the landscape ecological vulnerability (LEV) to riverbank erosion in the Middle Brahmaputra floodplains of Assam, India by employing two machine learning models, namely artificial neural network-multilayer perceptron (ANN-MLP) and random forest (RF). Bagging ensembles were created for both ANN-MLP and RF (B-MLP and B-RF) to generate LEV zones. A total of eleven site-specific parameters were considered for the study. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) based area under curve (AUC), accuracy, precision, recall and F1-score were used to validate the models and judge the models’ performance. A sensitivity analysis was performed to deduce the most influential LEV parameters. The results revealed that B-MLP was the better-performing model compared to B-RF based on all five validation metrics. The largest area was found under very high vulnerability zone followed by very low, low, high and moderate vulnerability zones, based on both ensemble models. The western part of the floodplains was found to be more vulnerable than the eastern part. Moreover, the southern bank faced more vulnerability in comparison to the northern bank. The factors namely rainfall, soil type, vegetation and land /use land cover (LULC) influenced bank erosion vulnerability. This research provides evidence that the study area is under severe threat to riverbank erosion and urgently requires the implementation of effective mitigation measures. The study might benefit policymakers and local stakeholders to protect the floodplains from bank erosion and reduce vulnerability.

The Indian oilseeds scenario : Challenges and opportunities

Vegetable oils are critical for the nutrition security of our people in India. Through technological means such as refining, bleaching and deodorisation, newer oils like cotton seed, sunflower, palm oil, soybean and rice bran have become popular in recent times. India occupies a prominent place in global oilseeds scenario with 12-15% of area, 6-7% of vegetable oil production, and 9-10% of the total edible oil consumption and 13.6% of vegetable oil imports. The oilseeds sector has remained vibrant globally with 4.1% growth per annumin the last three decades. In India, oilseeds account for nearly 3% of the gross domestic product and 5.98% of the value of all agricultural products. India hasrich diversity of annual oilseed crops on account of diverseagro-ecological conditions. Nine annual oilseeds, which include seven edible oilseeds, viz., groundnut, rapeseedmustard, soybean, sunflower, sesame, safflower and niger and two non-edible crops, viz., castor and linseed are grown in the country. Despite having the largest area under oilseeds in the world (26.77 mha), India currently imports about 50% of total oil requirement at a huge cost of ` 56,000 crores (2011-12). The proportion of import has increased from a meagre 3% in 1970-71 to almost 56% in 2012-13.

FRI173 Investigation Of Cut Off Values For Identifying Cortisol Excess In Adrenal Venous Blood Sampling

Abstract Disclosure: K. Watanabe: None. K. Nakai: None. Y. Tsurutani: None. R. Hirose: None. J. Saito: None. T. Nishikawa: None. Objective: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is sometimes accompanied by subclinical Cushing’s syndrome (SCS). However, there is no defined cutoff value for excess cortisol (Cort) in adrenal venous blood sampling (AVS). Meanwhile, some reports have shown AVS usefulness in overt Cushing’s syndrome. This study analyzed AVS parameters to determine the cutoff value of excess Cort in AVS. Methods: The Cort-producing adenoma (CPA) group included patients with adrenal tumors who had a Cort level of ≥ 5 mg/dL after a 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) and underwent segmental AVS (sAVS) at our hospital from 2009-2020 (n = 75). Patients who underwent AVS on only one side had an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level of &amp;gt; 10 pg/mL after 1 mg DST, a midnight Cort level of &amp;lt; 5.0 mg/dL, bilateral cortisol-producing tumors, and/or adrenal cancer, were excluded (n = 26). The control group with normal Cort secretion included patients with Cort level of &amp;lt; 1.8 mg/dL after 1 mg DST who underwent sAVS and whose resected adrenal tumor was negative or weakly positive in 11β-hydroxylase cytochrome P450 staining (n = 45). We compared the various sAVS values between the CPA and control groups. Results: Forty-nine patients in the CPA and 45 in the control groups were analyzed. Compared with the control, the CPA group had a significantly higher maximum Cort level in the tributary veins flowing from the tumor (1220 [860.1-1584.4] vs. 928 [695.5-1350.0], p = 0.016). Meanwhile, Cort levels in the central vein on the tumor side were not significantly different between the two groups (895 [614.7-1312.7] vs. 820 [590.5-1065.0], p = 0.202). The CPA group had a significantly lower minimum Cort level in all tributary veins (117 [73.1-241.5] vs 559 [386.0-794.0], p &amp;lt; 0.001), and Cort level in the central vein on the non-tumor side (176 [93.9-394.0] vs 766 [499.5-1090.0], p &amp;lt; 0.001). The ratio of each value showed that the maximum Cort level in tributary veins flowing from the tumor/minimum Cort level in all tributary veins (9.59 [3.75-21.23] vs 1.65 [1.45-2.06], p &amp;lt; 0.001) and Cort level in the central vein on the tumor side/Cort level in the central vein on the non-tumor side (4.44 [1.95-11.35] vs 1.04 [0.73-1.34], p &amp;lt; 0.001) were significantly higher in the CPA group. The former had the largest area under the curve for the receiver operating characteristic curve in various indices (AUC = 0.948, 81.6% sensitivity and 97.8% specificity when 3.28 was set as the cut-off value). Conclusion: Novel cutoff values were proposed to identify excess cortisol in AVS. Presentation: Friday, June 16, 2023

Acute kidney injury in hospitalized adults with chronic kidney disease: comparing cROCK, KDIGO, and combined criteria.

Acute-on-chronic kidney disease (ACKD) increases the risk of progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study aimed to evaluate the ability of a novel criteria of reference change value of the serum creatinine optimized criteria for acute kidney injury in CKD (cROCK) to detect ACKD patients. This was a retrospective observational study with a 3-year follow-up. All included patients with CKD stage 3 were evaluated using cROCK, Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO), and their combined criteria. The renal composite endpoints, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), and all-cause mortality were recorded as clinical outcomes. A total of 812 patients was enrolled. The cROCK criteria detected more ACKD events than did the KDIGO (68.0% vs. 59.5%, p &lt; 0.001). Compared to KDIGO (-) &amp; cROCK (-) group, ACKD patients diagnosed by cROCK had significantly higher hazard ratio [HR] for renal composite endpoints (HR, 3.591; p &lt; 0.001), MACEs (HR, 1.748; p &lt; 0.001), and all-cause mortality (HR, 2.985; p &lt; 0.001). The patients in KDIGO (+) &amp; cROCK (+) group had the lowest survival probability when considering renal composite endpoints, MACEs, and all-cause mortality (all p &lt; 0.001). Furthermore, cROCK resulted in the largest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for predicting renal composite endpoints, and the combined criteria led to the largest AUC for predicting MACEs and allcause mortality. Compared to the KDIGO, the cROCK detected more ACKD events. Combining both cROCK and KDIGO criteria might improve the predictive ability for long-term outcomes in ACKD patients.

Morphometric Analysis and Incidence of Accessory Foramen Transversarium in a Population in Eastern Turkey

The aim of this study is to reveal the incidence and morphometric features of the accessory foramen transversarium in the population in eastern Turkey. In the study, a total of 125 cervical vertebrae of unknown gender and age, located in the Anatomy Department of Ataturk, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım and Kafkas University Medical Faculties, were used and accessory foramen transversarium was detected in 22 (17.6 %) of these cervical vertebrae. In this study, the area, vertical and horizontal diameters of the accessory foramen transversarium were measured for the first time. It was determined that the accessory foramen transversarium with the largest area was in C3-C6 (6.8 mm2) and the smallest area was in C7 (1.06 mm2). It was determined that the largest vertical diameter was C7 (2.38 mm), the smallest one was C3-C6 (0.91 mm), the largest horizontal diameter (3.66 mm), and the smallest (1.6 mm) were C3-C6. In addition, accessory foramen transversariums were typified. One foramen arcuate was also detected during the examinations. As a result, osteometric measurements of the accessory foramen transversarium were revealed. We think that these data will be an important reference in head and neck surgery, in the clinical approach of a. vertebralis, and in the evaluations of radiologists in the neck region.

New insight into mid-Byzantine burial practices: bioarchaeological implications from the North Cemetery infant remains of the Lower City Church of Amorium (Afyonkarahisar, Turkey) (10th-11th centuries AD).

Amorium is a Byzantine city located in the province of Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. Excavations in the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons yielded many tombs containing non-adults, mostly infant burials, located to the north of the Lower City Church while the south of the Church was reserved for family and adult tombs. Among the excavated trenches A20 is the largest area and located immediately to the east of the baptistery, other trenches in the Lower City Church (A17, A19, A22, A35, A36, and A38) are located further away from the baptistery and consist of smaller rooms. Skeletal remains of 280 individuals from these trenches dating to 10th to 11th centuries AD were analysed in order to find out if there are any indications for differences in their social status, preferential choices for the burial places, or age-related distribution of the burials of the non-adults in the North Cemetery. This study, together with the baptism traditions and social hierarchy of the Mid-Byzantine era, tentatively suggests that the A20 area might have been reserved for children of families of higher rank in society as it was the closest area to the baptistery (presumably some of the infants had not lived long enough to be baptised), whereas infants and some older children of lower rank in the society were buried in outlying areas. Hence, this study attempts to offer a new insight into burial practices in mid-Byzantine Amorium.

Pola Distribusi Perdagangan dan MPP (Margin Pengangkutan dan Perdagangan) Bawang Merah di Jawa Barat

The trade distribution pattern describes the distribution chain of a commodity from the producer to the final consumer in an area where trading activities occur. The distribution of shallot commodities from final consumers involves one to seven trading business actors. The seven business actors can be broken down into six distribution patterns. Every business actor gets a transportation and trade margin (MPP) in his trading business, the longer the distribution chain, the potential for price increases for consumers. Farmers know the sources of price information from large farmers, collectors, and wholesalers. The distribution pattern in West Java Province consists of six patterns carried out by seven subjects, namely collectors, distributors, sub-distributors, agents, wholesalers, retailers, and supermarkets/supermarkets. This study took samples from shallot production centers in West Java, which is one sub-district which has the largest area and largest production. The number of farmers who became respondents was 10 percent, with the category of having been trying to cultivate shallots for at least three years which was analyzed descriptively. Based on the survey results, the MPP of shallots in West Java Province is 31.37 percent where the increase in the price of shallots from farmers to final consumers in West Java Province is 31.37 percent.

Mineral Prospectivity Mapping of Tungsten Polymetallic Deposits Using Machine Learning Algorithms and Comparison of Their Performance in the Gannan Region, China

AbstractThe current study aims at assessing the capabilities of five machine learning models in terms of mapping tungsten polymetallic prospectivity in the Gannan region, China. The five models include logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), random forest, convolutional neural network (CNN), and light gradient boosting machine (LGBM) models. Three types of data sets including geochemical data, lithostratigraphic contacts, and faults were employed to generate 16 evidential maps that were used to build the machine learning models. Tungsten polymetallic deposits were randomly separated into two parts: 80% for training and 20% for validating. Performance of the models was evaluated through receiver operating characteristic and K‐fold cross validation, with an emphasis on the variable influence within different machine learning methods. The results show that the models are especially sensitive to the chemical elements: Be, Bi, Pb, and Cd, implying that they are closely related to tungsten polymetallic mineralization. Compared to other models, the LGBM and CNN models performed best, while the LR model was the most stable. The results also indicated that the CNN model can predict the maximum number of tungsten polymetallic deposits within the minimum area based on the prediction‐area plot analysis, while the SVM model can capture the least amount of tungsten polymetallic deposits within the largest area. Finally, 18 prospective areas were delineated according to the prediction results of the machine learning models, which provided important guidance for tungsten polymetallic exploration in the study area.

Hydrocarbons on Mars

AbstractProviding evidence for possible oil-type occurrences on Mars means providing an indication for the past life on Mars. We do this via analysis of the combed (aligned) gravity strike angles, one of the gravity (gravitational) aspects (descriptors) derived from one of the recent gravitational field models of Mars, currently having the highest accessible precision and resolution. After intensive testing for features on the Earth and the Moon, the gravity aspects are applied for Mars. We detect candidates for the groundwater/hydrocarbon/mud/petroleum-bearing sites in the largest areas with as many as possible combed gravity strike angles, uniformly ordered into ‘plates’. They appear mainly but not only in the hypothetical northern Martian palaeo-ocean (the northern lowlands). It turns out that the combed strike angles are sensitive not only to uniformly ordered sediments of the basins, but also to supposed lahars.

Prognostic impact of muscle invasion in buccal mucosa squamous cell carcinoma.

The objective of the study was to assess the prognostic value of muscle invasion (MI), a key histopathological feature of tumor aggressiveness, and construct a superior prognostic prediction model combining the current TNM staging system. MI was analyzed in the whole-slide images from a total of 301 patients with primary buccal mucosa squamous cell carcinoma (BMSCC). Survival times of patients with/without MI were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. MI was further combined with the TNM staging system to explore its predictive value for prognosis. Moreover, 204 cases of head and neck carcinoma from the TCGA database were included. MI positive rate reached to 76% (229/301) in patients with BMSCC. MI was associated with poor overall survival (p = 0.012) and disease-free survival (p = 0.022). The novel system (TNM staging combined with MI) revealed strong predictive performance, with the largest area under the curve (OS: p < 0.001, DFS: p < 0.004). MI and the established classification system were also had good predictive ability in the TCGA cohort. MI is an independent predictor of poor prognosis of BMSCC. The inclusion of MI in prediction system can augment the risk stratification of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma and may assist in the clinical decision-making process.

ANTHROPOGENIC TRANSFORMATION OF TERRAIN IN THE NORILSK INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT

The scale of anthropogenic terrain transformation within the Norilsk industrial region was quantified and a classification of its consequences has been elaborated. The work is based on the results of 2021 expeditionary geomorphologic studies, interpretation and analysis of remote sensing materials and digital elevation models. It has been established that the total area of direct terrain transformation during the territory development was about 122,4 km2, and that of indirect transformation - 23,6 km2. The volume of anthropogenic landforms is at least 1,8 billion m3; accumulative forms account for 93% of the area and 72,6% of the volume of direct landform transformations. The types of anthropogenic landforms were identified, it was found that the largest area is occupied by embankments for industrial development and tailings, and the largest volume is characteristic of slope dumps. Indirect terrain transformation is mainly activation of gravitational processes, linear erosion, suffusion, thermokarst, heaving and deflation. The mass displacement of slope dumps by landslides or stone glaciers are the most dangerous for infrastructure facilities. Separate areas of indirect transformations are mainly limited to the lacustrine-alluvial lowlands and the bottoms of river valleys. Among them, the largest area (up to 20 km2) is occupied by segments of river valleys affected by spills of oil products and tailings. It has been established that the accumulation of pollutants in river valleys of the Norilsk industrial region occurs within the internal deltas and ice glades where the longitudinal slope decreases. Three stages of anthropogenic development of the territory are distinguished (I - 1920-1953; II - 1953-1986; III - 1986-2021); the most significant increment in the area of anthropogenic terrain occurred from 1953 to 1986. The average rate of anthropogenic terrain area increment over the past 36 years amounted to 0,81 km2/year. The highest rates of area growth are characteristic of the Kayerkan and Talnakh regions, which is associated with ongoing mining.

Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase in Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Prospective case-control study. To explore the role of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). AS substantially affects patients, impairing the range of motion in the whole spine and peripheral joints, as well as overall quality of life. However, surveillance for this condition is limited, and biomarkers that can predict disease activity are not well documented. The expression of the BTK gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was measured using flow cytometry and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 36 patients with AS and 30 healthy controls. Demographic features, Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score-C-reactive protein (CRP) based, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, HLA-B27, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and CRP were evaluated to identify factors associated with BTK expression. Analyses were performed using the Spearman rank correlation test for continuous data, the χ 2 test for categorical data, and that between continuous and dichotomous variables was measured using a point-biserial correlation test. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to assess the performance of each candidate biomarker. BTK gene expression was significantly higher in patients with AS than in controls ( P = 0.026) according to quantitative polymerase chain reaction results. BTK Y223 was also high in CD19 + PBMCs from patients with AS, with CD 19+ BTK Y223+high cells being significantly positively correlated to ESR, CRP, and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score. A negative association was observed between BTK expression and the chest expansion distance. The area under the curve for CD 19+ BTK Y223+ was larger than that for ESR, but CRP still had the largest area. BTK expression was higher in PBMCs from patients with AS when compared with controls, and was associated with a higher disease activity index, inflammatory reactants, and arthritis and extra-articular manifestations. These findings suggest that BTK expression may play a crucial role in the inflammatory process in individuals with AS.

Optimizing the spatial distribution of Southeast Asia mangrove restoration based on zonation, species and carbon projection schemes

Mangroves contain large amounts of carbon that can reduce the effects of global climate change, which is termed as blue carbon and noted as an important ecosystem service. However, mangrove ecosystems have experienced a huge decline due to human activities and any rehabilitation and restoration efforts should be undertaken with careful planning to optimise their ecosystem service provision and to improve the success of these programs. The main objective of this study was to model a scenario specific to Southeast Asian mangrove distribution based on zonation, species, and coastal morphology, as well as the estimation of future aboveground biomass carbon content resulting from multiple scenarios of successful mangrove growth. This study provides the first assessment of the differences in the distribution of carbon content in a range of native mangrove species, as well as the relationship between the number of propagules, carbon content, mangrove species, and the percentage of living mangroves. The potential location for mangrove planting was dominated by zone 4 inundated by spring high tides, with a suitable area of 4,081,325 ha the next largest area was zone 2, inundated by medium high tides, with a potential area of 2,080,475 ha, followed by zone 3, inundated by normal high tides, with an area of 1,685,800 ha. This study is expected to serve as a reference for mangrove ecosystem conservation and optimisation of carbon storage, especially in Southeast Asia.

C‐reactive protein as an early predictor of anastomotic dehiscence in various types of reconstruction in elective abdominal surgery

AbstractObjectiveThe most important factor in abdominal surgery is the successful healing of the intestinal anastomosis performed. This study aims to evaluate the role of C‐reactive protein (CRP) in predicting anastomotic dehiscence in the first week following surgery.MethodsThe study included 100 patients surgically treated over a period of 1 year. Postoperative (p/o) values of CRP, leukocyte (white blood cells [WBCs]) and body temperature (BT) were measured in relation to the development of p/o complications.ResultsCRP p/o values were significantly higher in patients with complications and proved helpful in predicting p/o complications, while WBC and BT were not. For the development of anastomotic leakage, receiver operating characteristic curve shows the earliest diagnostic accuracy on the third p/o day with the cut‐off value of 115.1 mg/L; however, the largest area under the curve was on the fifth p/o day with a cut‐off value of 59.2 mg/L, a sensitivity of 89%, a specificity of 61%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 21.9 and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 100.ConclusionsMeasurement of p/o CRP values may indicate problematic healing of digestive tract anastomosis before the appearance of clinical signs. High sensitivity and high NPV allow us to rule out p/o complications and anastomotic dehiscence with great certainty and safely discharge these patients from the hospital.

Predictive value of transesophageal echocardiography combined with contrast transthoracic echocardiography for embolic stroke of undetermined source.

In this study, we aimed to assess the predictive value of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) combined with contrast transthoracic echocardiography (cTTE) for embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). A total of 52 patients with ESUS were examined by TEE and cTTE. The detection rate of patent foramen ovale (PFO) and right-to-left shunt (RLS) grade were compared in patients with ESUS between cTTE alone and cTTE combined with TEE. The Risk of Paradoxical Embolism (RoPE) score, PFO diameter, and PFO length of patients with PFO-associated ESUS and non-PFO-associated ESUS were compared by cTTE alone and cTTE combined with TEE. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized to determine the effect of RoPE score and PFO diameter on patients with PFO-associated ESUS. The positive rate of PFO detected by cTTE alone (46.15%) was lower than that detected by cTTE combined with TEE (69.23%). The proportion of patients with RLS grade I + II + III detected by cTTE combined with TEE (69.23%) was higher than that detected by cTTE alone (46.15%). Both the RoPE score and PFO diameter were significantly greater in the patients with PFO-associated ESUS than in the patients with non-PFO-associated ESUS (p < .05). The combination of RoPE score and PFO diameter had the largest area under the ROC curve (AUC = 0.875), which was larger than the AUC alone of RoPE score (AUC = 0.819) and PFO diameter (AUC = 0.783) (p < .05). The combination of cTTE and TEE is helpful to the diagnosis of ESUS patients caused by PFO and to judge the degree of RLS.

Historical overview of the Deliblato sands afforestation

Deliblato Sands is one of the largest sandy areas in Europe. Given that developing of vegetation on the sand is a slow process, followed by human activities that devastate the plant cover (grazing, deforestation), the free-moving sand on Deliblato Sands exited until the 18th century. Unbound sand hindered the development of agriculture in the entire southern Banat region, so it was necessary to start a more intensive process of restraining sand masses. The afforestation of this area began in 1818 and is still ongoing. In the process of afforestation, nine periods can be recognized that differ in relation to afforestation/reforestation techniques, the choice of species or the organizational structure of the forestry units (and countries) of the area of Deliblato Sands belonged throughout history.The most significant results in the binding of free moving sand were achieved by the application of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) seedlings with juniper scrub (Juniperus communis L.) laid down on open sandy areas and sowing different species of grass between the rows of seedlings. This technique has been applied since the IV afforestation period (1878-1898). The largest areas were afforested in the V period (1898-1918), when parts of Deliblato Sands were formally protected for the first time in history as areas of importance for the preservation of biodiversity. The species most used in afforestation are black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), Scots pine and black pine (Pinus sylvestris L., Pinus nigra J. F. Arnold), poplars (Populus sp.), and some shrubby (e.g. Juniperus virginiana L.) and herbaceous species (e. g. Ammophilla arenaria (L.) Link, Festuca vaginata Willd., Leymus arenarius (L.) Hochst., Carex arenaria L.). Today, Robinia pseudoacacia L. is most common tree species on Deliblato Sands and it occupies almost a third of the entire area.

Application of O-RADS US combined with MV-Flow to diagnose ovarian-adnexal tumors.

This study aimed to explore the application of Ovarian-Adnexal Reporting and Data System Ultrasound (O-RADS US) combined with MV-Flow (Samsung Medison Co., Ltd.) to diagnose ovarian-adnexal masses. A total of 112 ovarian-adnexal masses (81 benign and 31 malignant) from 105 consecutive patients were analyzed. The O-RADS US and vascular index from MV-Flow (VIMV) were measured and compared with the reference standard. O-RADS US and MV-Flow were tested for consistency. Receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn for O-RADS US, MV-Flow, and their combination. The combined methods had the largest area under the curve (0.955), followed by O-RADS US (0.929) and MV-Flow (0.923). A mass was considered malignant when the O-RADS US classification was 5 and VIMV was ≥7.15. With this definition, MV-Flow had the highest sensitivity (87.10%), with consistent findings for the combined diagnostic methods and O-RADS US (83.87%). The specificity of the combined diagnostic methods (93.83%) was higher than that of MV-Flow (91.36%). O-RADS US had the lowest specificity (90.12%). The combined diagnostic methods had the highest coincidence rate (91.07%), and MV-Flow (90.18%) had a significantly higher coincidence rate than O-RADS US (88.39%). Both O-RADS US and MV-Flow showed good consistency among different physicians (former kappa, 0.974; latter intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC], 0.986). MV-Flow had a high consistency for the same physician (ICC, 1). O-RADS US and MV-Flow exhibited good diagnostic efficacy, and their combined diagnostic efficacy was higher than that of each individually. O-RADS US and MV-Flow can improve the diagnosis of benign and malignant ovarian-adnexal masses.

A Comparative Analysis of Trends in Area, Production and Productivity of Rapeseed Mustard in India and Uttar Pradesh

This paper analyses the trends in area, production and productivity of Rapeseed Mustard in India as well as Uttar Pradesh. India has the largest area and the highest production of mustard in the world. By using secondary data, a fifty-year time series has been used to apply orthogonal polynomial technique to get trends in area production and productivity. In order to know relative strength of area or productivity in production, Area and Productivity effect has been calculated with the help of simple regression analysis. To break the productivity, plateau the investment in technology up gradation and mechanization in the oilseed production, opening of better market avenues and improving the efficiency in the processing sector shall go a long way in augmenting the overall production and productivity. Key Words: Orthogonal Polynomial, Mechanization, Efficiency, Regression, productivity

Does Bi-Exponential Fitting Perform Better than Mono-Exponential Fitting in IVIM-DWI? An Assessment of Renal Pathological Injury of IgA Nephropathy.

Chronic kidney disease has become one of the world's major public health problems, immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy is a common pathological type of CKD. Delaying the progression of IgA nephropathy has currently become the main clinical treatment strategy, precise evaluation of renal pathological injury during follow-up of patients with IgA nephropathy is important. Therefore, it is imperative to develop an accurate and non-invasive imaging technique for effective follow-up of renal pathological injury in patients with IgA nephropathy. To investigate the clinical value of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) in assessing renal pathological injury in patients with immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy compared with a mono-exponential model. Altogether, 80 patients with IgA nephropathy were divided into the mild (41 cases) andmoderate-severe (m-s) renal injury groups (39 cases) according to pathology scores, and 20 healthy volunteers were recruited as controls. All participants underwent IVIM-DWI of the kidneys, and renal parenchymal apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), pure molecular diffusion coefficient (D), pseudo-diffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) values were measured. One-way analysis of variance, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and Pearson correlation analysis were performed for all the DWI-derived parameters. The DWI-derived parameters of the m-s renal injury group were significantly lower than those of the mild renal injury and control groups (P < 0.01). The ROC analysis revealed that f had the largest area under the ROC curve for differentiation between the m-s and mild renal injury groups and between the m-s renal injury and control groups. The f had the largest correlation coefficient with renal pathology scores (r=-0.81), followed by the D* (-0.69), ADC (-0.54), and D values (-0.53), respectively (all P<0.01). IVIM-DWI demonstrated better diagnostic performance than the mono-exponential model in assessing renal pathological injury in patients with IgA nephropathy.