Biocompatible hydrogel encapsulation of model organisms, such as Caenorhabditis elegans, is highly desirable over chemical or mechanical immobilization methods that can harm health and hinder long term imaging studies. This study introduces an automated, gentle method for continuous immobilization within hydrogel blocks, achieved through flow lithography and machine learning-assisted vision detection. To optimize this automated worm immobilization, we investigated operating parameters, such as flow rate, solution composition, and worm loading concentration. With 90% precision in AI worm detection, we achieved 86% encapsulation efficiency at low to moderate worm-loading concentrations (1-7 worms per μL). Higher loading concentrations of 10-15 worms per μL reduced the encapsulation efficiency to 71%. Worm loading concentration, composition, and flow-rate ratios of the two input solutions-the worm-suspended aqueous solution (WSAS) and the polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) solution (PEGS)-significantly affected worm throughput, worm dehydration during encapsulation, and the viability of encapsulated worms. The WSAS-to-PEGS flow-rate ratio was set at 0.5, with a minimum WSAS flow rate of 1 μL min[-1] required to avoid backflow. The PEGDA concentration in PEGS was kept below 50% to avoid worm dehydration. By varying the concentrations of hydrogel precursor, PEGDA, we enabled both partial and complete immobilization suitable for short term and long-term studies, respectively. Results show the encapsulated worm's viability over 3 days, highlighting this method's potential for long-term studies without compromising worm health or movement.

A 50-year-old multiparous woman presented with a giant, deforming, and symptomatic 11 × 7 × 4 cm vulvar varicoid mass progressing since 2015, completely involving the left labium majus, left labium minus, clitoris, and extending into the left mid-vagina (Fig. 1A). Despite a prior vaginal hysterectomy in December 2023 and a subsequent left ovarian vein coil embolization in May 2024 to address pelvic venous congestion, the mass expanded. Preoperative MRI venogram and laparoscopic exploration confirmed persistent, tortuous pelvic venous collateral pathways and irregular coil configurations from the prior failed embolization. To manage this refractory mass, the patient underwent pelvic exploration with the placement of a laparoscopic titanium metal clip on the left internal iliac artery, immediately distal to its posterior branches and just proximal to the origin of the uterine branch (Fig. 1B). Within five minutes of clip application, a dramatic 70% reduction in the total volume and turgor of the giant mass was observed (Fig. 1C). Exploiting this immediate decompression, a complete surgical excision of the collapsed varicoid tissue was successfully performed with minimal intraoperative blood loss, and the vulvar defect was closed via primary repair (Fig. 2A, 2B). While vulvar varicosities are typically managed via conventional venous-directed modalities [1,2], refractory giant lesions [3] present a significant surgical challenge due to severe intraoperative bleeding risks. Although internal iliac artery ligation or clipping is a well-established strategy for hemorrhage control in obstetrics and pelvic trauma [4], its application to reduce arterial inflow and venous backflow in the management of vulvar varicosities has not been previously described. This case introduces a technical innovation by demonstrating that targeted pelvic arterial inflow reduction can acutely decompress refractory venous networks, facilitating safe surgical excision and minimizing hemorrhage.

Wireless in vivo neuropharmacology and optogenetics offer a powerful way to link molecular signaling, defined neural populations, and behavior in freely moving animals. However, existing implantable wireless systems developed for this purpose often suffer from imprecise dosing, backflow contamination, and nonrefillable reservoirs, and their reliance on experimenter presence can itself alter neural activity and behavior. Here, we introduce a remotely actuated and programmable implant for drug delivery and optical stimulation (RAPIDO), which integrates a refillable, replaceable, and backflow-free fluidic module with a microscale inorganic light-emitting diode probe in a single miniaturized implant. A replaceable cartridge with an integrated unidirectional valve enables rapid refilling with contamination-free dosing, while a programmable electrochemical pump provides multilevel flow-rate control and linear dose modulation. Dual wireless modes combine smartphone control for on-site interactive experiments with internet connectivity for remotely scheduled, observer-free operation. In freely behaving rodents, RAPIDO enabled repeated wireless pharmacological modulation of locomotor behavior and independent optogenetic manipulation of intracellular signaling during cocaine conditioning. This platform establishes a foundation for chronic multimodal neuromodulation, supporting long-term circuit studies across distributed laboratories.

Artificial insemination (AI) is a key biotechnology applied to disseminate superior genetics; however, its success depends on skilled labor to ensure accurate and consistent execution. A semi-automated insemination system (SAIS), capable of controlling semen deposition and reproducing the pressure of natural mating, can align AI procedures more closely with the sow's physiological responses. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the use of SAIS in post-cervical AI can improve reproductive efficiency in sows. A total of 449 females were inseminated, with 228 sows assigned to SAIS and 221 to the conventional method (CONV). Groups were balanced for parity, body condition, inseminator, and boar distribution. Sperm quality during storage did not differ between treatments. However, significant differences emerged during AI procedures: the SAIS group required less time to perform AI (18.60 ± 5.65 vs. 22.52 ± 12.38 seconds; P < 0.0001) and presented a lower incidence of semen backflow after AI (43.28% vs. 66.15%; P < 0.0001). The backflow negatively affected conception rate (P = 0.0342), although it did not influence total or live-born piglet numbers. Regarding reproductive performance, conception and farrowing rates were similar between groups. Nevertheless, females inseminated with SAIS have a higher total number of piglets born (16.97 ± 3.38 vs. 15.70 ± 3.91; P = 0.0027) and more live-born piglets (15.79 ± 3.3 vs. 14.46 ± 3.6; P = 0.0016) compared with CONV. Since backflow was not associated with litter size, this improvement cannot be attributed solely to reduced reflux. Instead, factors such as more standardized semen deposition and lower variability between inseminations may have contributed to this improvement. In conclusion, SAIS proved to be a practical and advantageous tool for AI in sows. Its use reduced time, decreased backflow, and increased litter size, representing a promising strategy to enhance efficiency in commercial herds.

As ureteroscopy (URS) is increasingly utilized, preventing and managing severe postoperative infections-such as urosepsis-has become a clinical priority. Elevated intrarenal pressure (IRP) and irrigation fluid absorption (IFA) represent two core pathophysiological steps in the translocation of bacteria and endotoxins into the bloodstream. This review compares the clinical utility and technological maturity of IRP and IFA monitoring during URS. The analysis indicates that IRP is the instantaneous physical driving force for pyelovenous backflow, whereas IFA is the integrated outcome of multidimensional variables, including the pressure gradient, operative time and tissue permeability. Consequently, monitoring a single dimension may be insufficient to comprehensively assess infection risk. IRP monitoring (e.g., using a ureteral access sheath with a pressure-sensing channel or a flexible URS with an integrated pressure sensor) offers the advantage of real-time feedback, potentially playing a key role in maintaining low IRP and proactively preventing intrarenal backflow. However, it cannot account for the cumulative effect of time or changes in tissue permeability. IFA monitoring, despite its inherent lag, may provide a more comprehensive quantitative measure of the pathogenic load absorbed by the patient, suggesting potential predictive and warning value for the occurrence of infection; however, clinically validated thresholds and prospective evidence are currently lacking. In the future, with advancements in monitoring technology, the development of automated closed-loop systems integrating high-precision IRP monitoring, real-time IFA monitoring, intelligent irrigation and negative pressure suction holds promise for maximizing the balance between surgical efficacy and patient safety, provided that future studies can establish evidence-based intervention triggers.

The small magnitude and long-range character of noncovalent interactions pose a significant challenge for computational quantum chemical and electronic structure methods alike. State-of-the-art coupled cluster (CC) theory and benchmark-grade diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) are ideally positioned to tackle these problems, but concerning differences between both methods have been reported in numerous studies of the interaction energy of noncovalently bound dimers. Given that the basic theoretical frameworks underpinning both methods are exact in principle, the error must arise from one or several of the approximations required to make the calculations computationally tractable. Here, we carry out a rigorous and systematic examination of the effect of each of these approximations using the acetic acid dimer and water-peptide systems as convenient testing grounds. Thanks to the use of stringently optimized backflow wave functions, we are able to find that the significant discrepancies are dominated by the fixed-node error incurred by the Slater-Jastrow DMC result, while errors in the CC calculations do not significantly alter the result. This finding, likely applicable to other hydrogen-bonded systems, helps establish that CC should be regarded as the benchmark for these systems and can potentially guide the search for pragmatic solutions to the fixed-node problem in the future.

The demand for metallic nickel has been growing steadily. Laterite nickel ore, as an oxide mineral, contains a higher nickel content than sulfide ores, enabling more economical smelting in the nickel extraction process. However, an extremely thick slag layer generated during side-blown smelting of laterite nickel ore alters the bath circulation characteristic of conventional smelting processes. To address this, this study employs a validated Multi-Fluid VOF model to analyze the flow field characteristics of the side-blown furnace bath under varying slag layer thicknesses. Within the slag thickness range of 1.5-2.5 m, the ascending air plume shifts horizontally along the furnace wall with increasing slag thickness, entraining matte into the slag and promoting its diffusion toward the settling zone. Matte diffusion is governed by bath circulation: backflow from the settling zone dominates at lower slag thickness, while vertical kinetic energy from splashed melt reflux dominates at higher thickness. This reflux-induced circulation is blocked by the dense matte layer, causing no disturbance to the bottom matte and thus favoring slag-matte separation. Increasing slag thickness raises the near-wall circulation zone and plume entry point, reducing gas holdup near the tuyere and weakening oxygen-matte contact.

The supercritical CO2 (Sc-CO2) fracturing technology has attracted extensive attention in the field application, especially reservoir stimulation for unconventional oil and gas reservoirs due to its low reservoir damage rate and unique physical property advantages. Our article uses the computational fluid dynamics and discrete element method (CFD-DEM) numerical simulation method to establish a Y-shaped main-branch fracture model that reflects the actual oilfield conditions, and analyzing the influence of injection temperature, the angle of the main and branch fractures, proppant particle size, and the fracturing fluid flowback process on parameters such as the proppant morphology is carried out. The results show that ① During the injection stage, Sc-CO2 has a weaker sand-carrying performance due to its low viscosity, and it is more likely to accumulate in the near-well section of the wide main fracture to form a high sand bank. ② Fractures with a small included angle (e.g., 30°) are conducive to the inflow of proppants into the branch fractures but are more prone to reverse scouring during the flowback stage, with the sand production rate reaching up to 34.15%. ③ During the flowback stage, the smaller the proppant particle size, the lower the critical flowback velocity. For example, when the proppant particle size is 0.05 mm, a flowback fluid velocity exceeding 0.15 m/s will trigger a large-scale backflow of proppant. Our article can provide an important theoretical basis for the optimization of Sc-CO2 fracturing.

Valve size selection for transcatheter aortic valve replacement using a balloon-expandable valve in a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) involves a trade-off among the risks of aortic rupture, residual paravalvular leak, and inadequate valve expansion. We report 2 cases of type 1 BAVs with a tapered configuration that created challenges regarding valve size selection. Two consecutive valve sizes were considered based on multidetector computed tomography measurements. Therefore, predilatation with contrast injection was performed using a balloon that was slightly smaller than the smaller of the 2 valve sizes. These cases suggest that a smaller valve should be selected when balloon indentation is observed without contrast backflow into the left ventricle because selecting the larger valve may result in insufficient expansion. Balloon predilatation with contrast injection may be a useful strategy for determining the appropriate valve size for transcatheter aortic valve replacement using a balloon-expandable valve in type 1 BAVs with a tapered configuration.

Central venous catheters (CVCs) are essential in modern healthcare. Insertion of a CVC promotes a hypercoagulable environment, in part through activation of the intrinsic coagulation pathway. We have previously shown that blood obtained from newly inserted CVCs demonstrates immediate coagulation activation, with differences between samples collected directly after insertion and after flushing of the catheter. The aim of this randomised trial is to compare early coagulation activation between four commonly used CVCs and to assess whether the different CVCs demonstrate different degrees of coagulation activation.