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Bedding slope is a typical heterogeneous slope consisting of different soil/rock layers and is likely to slide along the weakest interface. Conventional slope protection methods for bedding slopes, such as retaining walls, stabilizing piles, and anchors, are time-consuming and labor- and energy-intensive. This study proposes an innovative polymer grout method to improve the bearing capacity and reduce the displacement of bedding slopes. A series of large-scale model tests were carried out to verify the effectiveness of polymer grout in protecting bedding slopes. Specifically, load-displacement relationships and failure patterns were analyzed for different testing slopes with various dosages of polymer. Results show the great potential of polymer grout in improving bearing capacity, reducing settlement, and protecting slopes from being crushed under shearing. The polymer-treated slopes remained structurally intact, while the untreated slope exhibited considerable damage when subjected to loads surpassing the bearing capacity. It is also found that polymer-cemented soils concentrate around the injection pipe, forming a fan-shaped sheet-like structure. This study proves the improvement of polymer grouting for bedding slope treatment and will contribute to the development of a fast method to protect bedding slopes from landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature retrieval helps scientists find previous work that is relative to their own research or even get new research ideas. However, the discrepancy between retrieval results and the ultimate intention of citation is neglected by most literature retrieval models. Citation intent refers to the researcher's motivation for citing a paper. A citation intent graph with homogeneous nodes and heterogeneous hyperedges can represent different types of citation intents. By leveraging the citation intent information included in a hypergraph, a retrieval model can guide researchers on where to cite its retrieval result by understanding the citation behaviour in the graph. We present a ranking model called CitenGL (Citation Intent Graph Learning) that aims to extract citation intent information and textual matching signals. The proposed model consists of a heterogeneous hypergraph encoder and a lightweight deep fusion unit for efficiency trade-offs. Compared to traditional literature retrieval, our model fills the gap between retrieval results and citation intention and yields an understandable graph-structured output. We evaluated our model on publicly available full-text paper datasets. Experimental results show that CitenGL outperforms most existing neural ranking models that only consider textual information, which illustrates the effectiveness of integrating citation intent information with textual information. Further ablation analyses show how citation intent information complements text-matching signals and citation networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the value of preoperative intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) and conventional MRI indicators in identifying sarcomatoid dedifferentiation in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and tumor thrombus. Methods: From September 2016 to April 2023, consecutive patients with RCC and tumor thrombus who received routine MRI examination and IVIM-DWI before radical resection were enrolled prospectively. Kaplan–Meier method with log-rank test was used to calculate and compare the survival probability. The preoperative imaging features were analyzed. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify independent predictors of sarcomatoid dedifferentiation. The predictive ability was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: Twenty-two patients (15.3%) of the 144 patients in the training set (median age, 58.0 years [IQR, 52.0–65.0 years]; 108 men) and 11 patients (22.4%) of the 49 patients in the test set (median age, 58.0 years [IQR, 53.0–63.0 years]; 38 men) had sarcomatoid dedifferentiated tumors. Patients with sarcomatoid-differentiated tumors had poor progress-free survival in the training set and test set (P < 0.001 and P = 0.007). f value (P = 0.011), mN stage (P = 0.007), and necrosis (P = 0.041) were independent predictors for predicting sarcomatoid dedifferentiation in the training set. The model combining conventional MRI features and f value had AUCs of 0.832 (95% CI 0.755–0.909) and 0.825 (95% CI 0.702–0.948) in predicting sarcomatoid dedifferentiation in the training set and test set. Conclusion: It is feasible to preoperatively identify sarcomatoid dedifferentiation based on IVIM-DWI and conventional MR imaging indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the vibration of automobile powertrain, this paper designs electro–hydraulic composite engine mounts. Subsequently, the dynamic characteristics of the hydraulic mount and the electromagnetic actuator were analyzed and experimentally studied separately. Due to the strong nonlinearity of the hybrid electromechanical engine mount, a Fractional-Order Least-Mean-Square (FGO-LMS) algorithm was proposed to model its secondary path identification. To validate the vibration reduction effect, a rapid control prototype test platform was established, and vibration active control experiments were conducted based on the Multiple–Input Multiple–Output Filter-x Least-Mean-Square (MIMO-FxLMS) algorithm. The results indicate that, under various operating conditions, the vibration transmitted to the chassis from the powertrain was significantly suppressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short text streams, such as social media comments, are continuously generated, making effective clustering methods essential for extracting valuable information. However, existing research fails to address the problem of topic concentration in clustering, which leads to multiple topics being confused in one cluster, making it challenging to summarize the center of clustering. To tackle this issue, this paper proposes a novel topic-enhanced clustering method called TEDM, based on the Dirichlet model. The method uses dynamic clustering, leveraging topic information to improve the sampling of documents and better cluster documents on the same topic. TEDM constructs a dynamic word relation graph to extract topic terms, which is updated with the stream of documents to cope with the dynamic changes in topics. Extensive experimental studies demonstrate that TEDM outperforms state-of-the-art works on multiple real datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aerodynamic performance of the flow around a cylinder with two free ends, which is also referred to as a finite-length cylinder, continues to be a subject of rigorous academic inquiry. However, limited research has been conducted on finite-length cylinders with rough surfaces. To evaluate the impact of relative roughness on the aerodynamic performance of a finite-length cylinder, we performed numerical simulations on a cylinder model with an aspect ratio of 1.5 with various relative roughness values. These simulations covered a range of Reynolds numbers from 3.9 × 103 to 4.8 × 105. The results indicated that both the relative roughness and Reynolds number could affect the aerodynamic characteristics of the cylinder by altering the flow pattern around the cylinder. As the Reynolds number increased, the four spiral eddies behind the finite-length cylinder gradually lost their symmetry in the axial direction and eventually transformed into a pair of recirculating eddies. Moreover, when the Reynolds number was constant at 2.0 × 104, an increase in the surface roughness of the cylinder triggered the same phenomenon. Additionally, the mechanism by which the surface roughness affected the aerodynamic coefficient of a finite-length cylinder in the current Reynolds number range was revealed. This influence was mainly attributed to the impact of pressure on the backside of the cylinder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensor faults are one of the most common faults that cause performance degradation or functional loss in permanent magnet traction drive systems (PMTDSs). To quickly diagnose faulty sensors, this paper proposes a real-time joint diagnosis method for multi-sensor faults based on structural analysis. Firstly, based on limited monitoring signals on board, a structured model of the system was established using the structural analysis method. The isolation and detectability of faulty sensors were analyzed using the Dulmage–Mendelsohn decomposition method. Secondly, the minimum collision set method was used to calculate the minimum overdetermined equation set, transforming the higher-order system model into multiple related subsystem models, thereby reducing modeling complexity and facilitating system implementation. Next, residual vectors were constructed based on multiple subsystem models, and fault detection and isolation strategies were designed using the correlation between each subsystem model and the relevant sensors. The validation results of the physical testing platform based on online fault data recordings showed that the proposed method could achieve rapid fault detection and the localization of multi-sensor faults in PMTDS and had a good application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wheel–rail adhesion is one of the key factors limiting the traction performance of railway vehicles. To meet the adhesion optimization needs and rapidly obtain wheel–rail creep characteristics under specific operating conditions, an engineering identification method for wheel–rail adhesion characteristics based on a nonlinear model is proposed. The proposed method, built upon the traditional Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO) algorithm, has been adapted to the specific nature of nonlinear wheel–rail adhesion model parameters identification, enhancing both the search speed in the early stages and the search accuracy in the later stages of the algorithm. The proposed identification algorithm is validated using experimental data from the South African 22E dual-flow locomotive. The validation results demonstrate that the proposed identification algorithm can obtain a nonlinear wheel–rail adhesion characteristics model with an average adhesion coefficient error of around 0.01 within 50 iteration steps. These validation results indicate promising prospects for the engineering practice of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Bridges play a crucial role in ensuring regional connectivity and traffic safety. However, their vulnerability to environmental factors and material degradation can lead to varying degrees of damage. The bridge structural health monitoring system (SHMS) has emerged as an efficient and intelligent alternative to traditional detection methods to tackle these challenges. Methods: This paper presents an improved approach for reconstructing the response of measuring points based on proper orthogonal decomposition. First, the novel sensor layout scheme based on orthogonal decomposition is introduced to reconstruct stress responses at measuring points. Subsequently, the proposed response reconstruction theory is developed by decomposing stress responses from known points into random time functions and modes. These components are then combined with verification point modes and random time functions using the interpolation method, enabling the determination of stress responses at verification points. Lastly, the proposed response reconstruction theory is validated through numerical simulations and laboratory experiments. Results: The results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves an error rate of less than 5% when comparing the maximum stress response identified by the proposed method to the actual value. Moreover, it has minimal impact on vehicle weight, speed, and complex load factors. Conclusion: Therefore, the response reconstruction method and sensor layout scheme proposed in this study provide an accurate and efficient solution for bridge SHMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous heavy rainfall occurred in Shunchang County, Fujian Province, China, from June 14 to 18, 2010, causing many landslide hazards. Among Shunchang County districts, Baozhuang Village is one of the hardest-hit areas and suffered severe losses. A detailed analysis of the relationship between the catchment area and the area of landslides was carried out to explore the relationship between debris flow occurring and the provenance provided by landslides. This paper presents an empirical model to analyze gully-type debris flows caused by hillslope debris flow everywhere. Forty-three catchments in the Baozhuang Village area were selected and investigated using Google Earth Pro satellite images to estimate the area of landslides in the catchment area. The thresholds for gully-type debris flow caused by shallow landslides were defined in terms of the area of the landslides (A0) and the catchment (A). A0–A threshold models were constructed for debris flow catchment in Baozhuang Village using the empirical data set of debris flow by shallow landslides. The validation suggests that the proposed models are suitable for analyzing the initiation mechanism of debris flow caused by shallow landslides (or hill slope debris flows) in Fujian Province. The empirical models are simple, and the data necessary for the input are easily measurable catchment and landslide scar areas in a catchment. Owing to its simplicity and low cost-benefit rate, the approach may be applied to analyzing gully-type debris flow caused by shallow landslides in other areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a powerful cytogenetic method used to precisely detect and localize nucleic acid sequences. This technique is proving to be an invaluable tool in medical diagnostics and has made significant contributions to biology and the life sciences. However, the number of cells is large and the nucleic acid sequences are disorganized in the FISH images taken using the microscope. Processing and analyzing images is a time-consuming and laborious task for researchers, as it can easily tire the human eyes and lead to errors in judgment. In recent years, deep learning has made significant progress in the field of medical imaging, especially the successful application of introducing the attention mechanism. The attention mechanism, as a key component of deep learning, improves the understanding and interpretation of medical images by giving different weights to different regions of the image, enabling the model to focus more on important features. To address the challenges in FISH image analysis, we combined medical imaging with deep learning to develop the SEAM-Unet++ automated cell contour segmentation algorithm with integrated attention mechanism. The significant advantage of this algorithm is that it improves the accuracy of cell contours in FISH images. Experiments have demonstrated that by introducing the attention mechanism, our method is able to segment cells that are adherent to each other more efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the potential mechanism of Yougui Wan on deformed lumbar intervertebral disk structure in rats. Methods: Thirty male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, with 10 rats in each group. The animals in the blank control group were healthy rats without specific treatment, and those in the model group and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) group were used to establish the intervertebral disk degeneration (IDD) model by puncturing the annulus. Four weeks after modeling, rats in the TCM group were administered Yougui Wan by gavage for 2 consecutive weeks. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-10), macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels were measured by ELISA, and the protein expression levels of collagen II and Notch1 in intervertebral disk tissues were examined by Western blotting. Apoptosis was detected by the TUNEL method. Results: Compared with those in the blank group, IL-10, MIF and TNF-α levels in the model group and TCM group were increased (P < 0.05), the protein expression levels of collagen II were decreased, and the protein expression levels of Notch1 were increased. Compared with those in the model group, the levels of IL-10 in the TCM group were increased (P < 0.05), the levels of MIF and TNF-α were decreased (P < 0.05), the protein expression levels of collagen II were increased, and the protein expression levels of Notch1 were decreased. Conclusion: Yougui Wan can inhibit the inflammatory response in IDD rats, reduce the degradation of extracellular matrix, reduce apoptosis in nucleus pulposus cells, and alleviate intervertebral disk degeneration. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of the Notch signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Venous tumor thrombus (VTT) consistency of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is an important consideration in nephrectomy plus thrombectomy. However, evaluation of VTT consistency through preoperative MR imaging is lacking. Purpose: To evaluate VTT consistency of RCC through intravoxel incoherent motion‐diffusion weighted imaging (IVIM‐DWI) derived parameters (Dt, Dp, f, and ADC) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value. Study Type: Retrospective. Population: One hundred and nineteen patients (aged 55.8 ± 11.5 years, 85 male) with histologically‐proven RCC and VTT who underwent radical resection. Field Strength/Sequences: 3.0‐T; two‐dimensional single‐shot diffusion‐weighted echo planar imaging sequence at 9 b‐values (0–800 s/mm2). Assessment: IVIM parameters and ADC values of the primary tumor and the VTT were calculated. The VTT consistency (friable vs. solid) was determined through intraoperative findings of two urologists. The accuracy of VTT consistency classification based on the individual IVIM parameters of primary tumors and of VTT, and based on models combining parameters, was assessed. Type of operation, intra‐operative blood loss, and operation length were recorded. Statistical Tests: Shapiro–Wilk test; Mann–Whitney U test; Student's t‐test; Chi‐square test; Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Statistical significance level was P < 0.05. Results: Of the enrolled 119 patients, 33 patients (27.7%) had friable VTT. Patients with friable VTT were significantly more likely to experience open surgery, have significantly more intraoperative blood loss, and significantly longer operative duration. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) values of Dt of the primary tumor and VTT in classifying VTT consistency were 0.758 (95% CI 0.671–0.832) and 0.712 (95% CI 0.622–0.792), respectively. The AUC value of the model combining Dp and Dt of VTT was 0.800 (95% CI 0.717–0.868). Furthermore, the AUC of the model combining Dp and Dt of VTT and Dt of the primary tumor was 0.886 (95% CI 0.814–0.937). Conclusion: IVIM‐derived parameters had the potential to predict VTT consistency of RCC. Evidence Level: 3 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cisplatin (CDDP)-based chemotherapy is a standard first-line treatment for metastatic bladder cancer (BCa) patients, and chemoresistance remains a major challenge in clinical practice. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as essential regulators in carcinogenesis and cancer progression. However, the role of circRNAs in mediating CDDP chemosensitivity has yet to be well elucidated in BCa. Methods: CircSTX6 (hsa_circ_0007905) was identified by mining the public circRNA datasets and verified by Sanger sequencing, agarose gel electrophoresis, RNase R treatment and qRT-PCR assays. Then, function experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of circSTX6 on BCa metastasis. Luciferase reporter assay, RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA stability assay, Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and Immunofluorescence (IF) were conducted to evaluate the interaction among circSTX6, miR-515-3p, PABPC1 and SUZ12. Animal experiments were performed to explore the function of circSTX6 in tumor metastasis and CDDP sensitivity. Results: We identified that circSTX6 was significantly upregulated in clinical samples and cells of BCa. Functionally, circSTX6 promoted cell migration and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circSTX6 could act as a miR-515-3p sponge and abolish its effect on SUZ12. Moreover, circSTX6 was confirmed to increase the stability of SUZ12 mRNA by interacting with a mRNA stabilizer PABPC1 and subsequently promote the expression of SUZ12. Importantly, silencing of circSTX6 improved the chemosensitivity of CDDP-resistant bladder cancer cells to CDDP. Furthermore, in vivo analysis supported that knockdown of circSTX6 attenuated CDDP resistance in BCa tumors. Conclusion: These studies demonstrate that circSTX6 plays a pivotal role in BCa metastasis and chemoresistance, and has potential to serve as a therapeutic target for treatment of BCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (Ce-CMR) and Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) are frequently utilized in clinical practice to assess myocardial viability. However, studies evaluating direct comparison between Ce-CMR and FDG-PET have a smaller sample size, and no clear distinction between the two imaging modalities has been defined. To address this gap, we conducted a meta-analysis of studies comparing Ce-CMR and FDG-PET for the assessment of myocardial viability. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases from their inception to 4/20/2022 with search terms "viability" AND "heart diseases" AND "cardiac magnetic resonance imaging" AND "positron-emission tomography." We extracted patient characteristics, segment level viability assessment according to Ce-CMR and FDG-PET, and change in regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMA) at follow-up. Results: We included four studies in the meta-analysis which provided viability assessment with Ce-CMR and FDG-PET in all patients and change in RWMA at follow-up. There were 82 patients among the four included studies, and 585 segments were compared for viability assessment. There were 59 (72%) males, and mean age was 65 years. The sensitivity (95% confidence interval-CI) and specificity (CI) of Ce-CMR for predicting myocardial recovery were 0.88 (0.66-0.96) and 0.64 (0.49-0.77), respectively. The sensitivity (CI) and specificity (CI) of FDG-PET for predicting myocardial recovery were 0.91 (0.63-0.99) and 0.67 (0.49-0.81), respectively. Conclusion: FDG-PET and Ce-CMR have comparable diagnostic parameters in myocardial viability assessment and are consistent with prior research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate whether venous tumor thrombus (VTT) consistency is a risk factor for the patient's prognosis with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Materials and methods: A total of 190 RCC patients with VTT, who were treated at Department of Urology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, were retrospectively analyzed in this study. The baseline clinical characteristics, postoperative outcomes, and pathological findings were analyzed. Tumor thrombus was classified as solid and friable based on their respective characteristics. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier survival curve analysis, and univariable and multivariable cox proportional hazard regression models were used. Results: Among the total 190 patients included in this study, 145 (76.3%) patients had solid VTT, and 45 (23.7%) patients had friable VTT in their renal veins and inferior vena cava (IVC). There were no significant differences in the age, gender, BMI, symptoms, complex diseases, tumor side, tumor size, TNM stage, Mayo stage, tumor grade, sarcomatous differentiation, pelvic invasion, and sinus fat invasion of patients. Solid VTT consistency was more likely to have a capsule as compared to those with friable VTT (P = 0.007). Kaplan–Meier survival curve analysis demonstrated no statistically significant differences in the overall survival (OS) (P = 0.973) and progression-free survival (PFS) (P = 0.667) of patients. Moreover, VTT consistency was not associated with OS (P = 0.706) of PFS (P = 0.504) in multivariate cox regression analysis. Conclusions: RCC VTT consistency was not a prognostic risk factor for predicting the OS and PFS of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of lenvatinib plus PD-1 inhibitors (LP) and regorafenib (R) in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after sorafenib failure.Methods: From June 2018 to September 2021, 68 patients from a single center who received lenvatinib combined with PD-1 inhibitors or regorafenib after sorafenib treatment failure were analyzed. The tumor response and survival outcomes were compared between the LP group and R group. Prognostic factors for OS and PFS were determined using Cox proportional hazard regression models.Results: The ORR increased in the LP group (19.5% vs 7.4%, p =0.294), and the DCR was better in the R group (73.2% vs 44.4%, p =0.017). Additionally, median PFS and OS were not significantly different between the LP group and R two groups in survival analysis (PFS: 5.3 months vs 3.0 months, p =0.633; OS: 11.8 months vs 8.0 months, p =0.699). The common adverse events (≥grade 3) were hand-foot skin reactions (13.1%). In multivariate analyses, AFP≥ 400 ng/mL and ECOG PS 2 were independent risk factors for poor prognosis.Conclusion: The LP group appeared to have a trend of greater tumor response and a higher disease control rate than the R group among patients with sorafenib-resistant HCC, although PFS and OS did not differ significantly between the two groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loading of homogeneous catalysts with support can dramatically improve their performance in olefin polymerization. However, the challenge lies in the development of supported catalysts with well‐defined pore structures and good compatibility to achieve high catalytic activity and product performance. Herein, we report the use of an emergent class of porous material—covalent organic framework material (COF) as a carrier to support metallocene catalyst—Cp2ZrCl2 for ethylene polymerization. The COF‐supported catalyst demonstrates a higher catalytic activity of 31.1×106 g mol−1 h−1 at 140 °C, compared with 11.2×106 g mol−1 h−1 for the homogenous one. The resulting polyethylene (PE) products possess higher weight‐average molecular weight (Mw) and narrower molecular weight distribution (Ð) after COF supporting, that is, Mw increases from 160 to 308 kDa and Ð drops from 3.3 to 2.2. The melting point (Tm) is also increased by up to 5.2 °C. Moreover, the PE product possesses a characteristic filamentous microstructure and demonstrates an increased tensile strength from 19.0 to 30.7 MPa and elongation at break from 350 to 1400 % after catalyst loading. We believe that the use of COF carriers will facilitate the future development of supported catalysts for highly efficient olefin polymerization and high‐performance polyolefins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two heavy rainfall events occurred in Sanming City in Fujian Province, China, on May 16 and June 10, 2019. Many small-scale, shallow earthen landslides were triggered by these two rainfall events. Aerial photographic interpretation and field investigations were conducted to identify the shallow landslides characteristics. A total of 150 shallow landslides were investigated during the field survey, and a total of 28 shallow landslides were studied using aerial photographic interpretation. The total number of shallow landslides was 178. We analyzed the characteristics of these shallow landslides, such as the thickness, area, volume, plan curvature, profile curvature, slope angle, lithology, elevation, and vegetation. The survey results showed that more than half of the shallow landslides (103 out of 178, 57.9%) were along the roads and the urban greenway, showing the characteristics of development along the engineering activities. We also tested a model of the probability thresholds for the occurrence of shallow landslides. Four classes regarding the probability and frequency of shallow landslides were identified by the model. The warming levels were defined as "Null" (below 5%), "Watch" (5–20%), "Attention" (20–50%), and "Alarm" (above 50%). The probability and frequency of shallow landslides increase as the thresholds increase, which is expressed through a percentage. The rainfall thresholds of the model describing the probability of the occurrence of shallow earthen landslides may decrease when the triggering event is fairly closely preceded by another heavy rainfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyolefin thermoplastic elastomers (TPE‐Os) are high‐performance polyolefins consisting of both plastic and rubber phases. Compared with other thermoplastic elastomers, the TPE‐Os possess better chemical stability, transparency, re‐processability, and electrical insulation, which renders their broad applications possible. By manipulating chain structures and topologies of the TPE‐Os, differently structured polyolefins with improved thermal and mechanical properties have been developed, including ethylene and α‐olefin random copolymers (POEs), olefin block copolymers (OBCs), comb‐shaped polyolefin elastomers (CPOEs), and dynamically cross‐linked polyolefin elastomers. Herein, we review the synthesis of the POE, OBC, CPOE, and dynamical cross‐linked polyolefin elastomer, including the catalyst systems, polymerization techniques, processes, and kinetic modelling. The characterization of the TPE‐Os and the relationships between the TPE‐O chain structure, aggregated state, and product performance are discussed. The future development of higher‐performance TPE‐Os is envisaged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) are frequently used advanced cardiac imaging to diagnose cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). We conducted a meta-analysis and systematic review to compare diagnostic parameters of FDG-PET and CMR in the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus databases from their inception to 9/30/2021 with search terms "cardiac sarcoidosis" AND "cardiac magnetic resonance imaging" AND "positronemission tomography". We extracted patient characteristics, results of the FDG-PET and CMR, and adverse outcomes from the included studies. Adverse outcomes served as a reference standard for the evaluation of FDG-PET and CMR. Results: We included 4 studies in the meta-analysis which provided adverse outcomes and all patients underwent FDG-PET and CMR. There were 237 patients, 60.3% male, and ages ranged from 50-53 years. There were 45 events in 237 patients from four studies included in the meta-analyses. The pooled sensitivity (95% confidence interval-CI) and specificity (CI) of CMR in predicting an adverse event were 0.94 (0.79-0.98) and 0.49 (0.40-0.59), respectively. The pooled sensitivity (CI) and specificity (CI) of FDG-PET in predicting an adverse event were 0.51 (0.26-0.75) and 0.60 (0.35-0.81), respectively. Conclusion: CMR was more sensitive but less specific than FDG-PET in predicting adverse events; however, the study population and definition of a positive test need to be considered while interpreting the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma, despite the undoubted benefits from immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based therapies over monotherapies of angiogenic/mTOR inhibitors in the intention-to-treat population, approximately a quarter of the patients can scarcely gain advantage from ICIs, prompting the search for predictive biomarkers for patient selection. Methods: Clinical and multi-omic data of 2428 ccRCC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA, n = 537), JAVELIN Renal 101 (avelumab plus axitinib vs. sunitinib, n = 885), and CheckMate-009/010/025 (nivolumab vs. everolimus, n = 1006). Results: BAP1 mutations were associated with large progression-free survival (PFS) benefits from ICI-based immunotherapies over sunitinib/everolimus (pooled estimate of interaction HR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.51–0.99, P = 0.045). Using the top 20 BAP1 mutation-associated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) generated from the TCGA cohort, we developed the BAP1-score, negatively correlated with angiogenesis and positively correlated with multiple immune-related signatures concerning immune cell infiltration, antigen presentation, B/T cell receptor, interleukin, programmed death-1, and interferon. A high BAP1-score indicated remarkable PFS benefits from ICI-based immunotherapies over angiogenic/mTOR inhibitors (avelumab plus axitinib vs. sunitinib: HR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.43–0.70, P < 0.001; nivolumab vs. everolimus: HR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.52–1.00, P = 0.045), while these benefits were negligible in the low BAP1-score subgroup (HR = 1.16 and 1.02, respectively). Conclusion: In advanced ccRCCs, the BAP1-score is a biologically and clinically significant predictor of immune microenvironment and the clinical benefits from ICI-based immunotherapies over angiogenic/mTOR inhibitors, demonstrating its potential utility in optimizing the personalized therapeutic strategies in patients with advanced ccRCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To explore the therapeutic efficacy of percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) combined with zoledronic acid (ZOL) in postmenopausal women and adult men with osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF). Materials and methods: A total of 238 patients with OVCF were randomly assigned to the control or ZOL group: 119 patients were treated with only PKP (control group), and 119 were treated with ZOL infusion after PKP (ZOL group). Clinical, radiological and laboratory indices were evaluated at follow-up. Results: The visual analog scale (VAS) score and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were significantly higher in both groups post-treatment than at baseline (all p < 0.01). The bone mineral density (BMD) of the proximal femoral neck and height of the injured vertebra were significantly increased after treatment compared with before treatment, and the Cobb angle of the injured vertebra was significantly decreased in both groups (all p < 0.01). However, the bone metabolism indices (type I procollagen amino-terminal peptide (PINP), beta type I collagen carboxy-terminal peptide (β-CTX), and osteocalcin in the N-terminal molecular fragment (NMID)) were significantly lower post-treatment than at baseline in only the ZOL group (all p < 0.01). The VAS score, ODI, BMD, PINP level, β-CTX level, NMID level, vertebral height and Cobb angle of the injured vertebra were significantly higher in the ZOL group than in the control group (all p < 0.01). There were no significant differences in the postoperative bone cement leakage rate between the two groups. At follow-up, new OVCFs were experienced by 16 patients in the control group and 2 patients in the ZOL group (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The therapeutic efficacy of PKP combined with ZOL for primary OVCF is clinically beneficial and warrants further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the topics of COVID-19 news articles for better obtaining the relationship among and the evolution of news topics, helping to manage the infodemic from a quantified perspective. Design/methodology/approach: To analyze COVID-19 news articles explicitly, this paper proposes a prism architecture. Based on epidemic-related news on China Daily and CNN, this paper identifies the topics of the two news agencies, elucidates the relationship between and amongst these topics, tracks topic changes as the epidemic progresses and presents the results visually and compellingly. Findings: The analysis results show that CNN has a more concentrated distribution of topics than China Daily, with the former focusing on government-related information, and the latter on medical. Besides, the pandemic has had a big impact on CNN and China Daily's reporting preference. The evolution analysis of news topics indicates that the dynamic changes of topics have a strong relationship with the pandemic process. Originality/value: This paper offers novel perspectives to review the topics of COVID-19 news articles and provide new understandings of news articles during the initial outbreak. The analysis results expand the scope of infodemic-related studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phase-shifted full-bridge (PSFB) converter has been widely used in power supply modules due to its simple control and high output power. However, with the market's increasing demand for higher power sources, the PSFB converter needs to face challenges in increasing its output power level. Compared to redesigning a larger power module or a larger single converter, it will be more cost-effective to achieve a higher power output by paralleling the existing converters. However, due to the manufacturing differences in circuit components, the output imbalance in parallel PSFB converter systems may damage the power modules. Thus, the influence of differences in circuit components is analyzed in this paper, and it is found that the leakage inductance and transformer ratio are the main factors resulting in errors in current sharing control. Consequently, a dynamic hybrid compensator (DHC) is proposed in this paper, that can significantly reduce the error in current sharing control via the compensation of the duty cycle of a slave module. Furthermore, the DHC is verified on an 800 W two-phase PSFB converter, which shows that even when the difference in components is as large as 20%, the proposed method can still reduce the error in current sharing control to less than 2% under both half and full load conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal when imaging bioprocesses with optical microscopy is to acquire the most spatiotemporal information with the least invasiveness. Deep neural networks have substantially improved optical microscopy, including image super-resolution and restoration, but still have substantial potential for artifacts. In this study, we developed rationalized deep learning (rDL) for structured illumination microscopy and lattice light sheet microscopy (LLSM) by incorporating prior knowledge of illumination patterns and, thereby, rationally guiding the network to denoise raw images. Here we demonstrate that rDL structured illumination microscopy eliminates spectral bias-induced resolution degradation and reduces model uncertainty by five-fold, improving the super-resolution information by more than ten-fold over other computational approaches. Moreover, rDL applied to LLSM enables self-supervised training by using the spatial or temporal continuity of noisy data itself, yielding results similar to those of supervised methods. We demonstrate the utility of rDL by imaging the rapid kinetics of motile cilia, nucleolar protein condensation during light-sensitive mitosis and long-term interactions between membranous and membrane-less organelles. Rationalized deep learning improves image reconstruction by incorporating prior knowledge of illumination patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inter-turn short circuit (ITSC) is a common fault in electrical machines, which may result in further devastation to the whole winding and magnets. In this article, a method for real-time residual insulation capacity monitoring of ITSC fault in permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) is proposed, which is robust to speed/torque variation and independent of machine parameters and extra sensors. It is based on the theory that the ITSC fault initiates as an insulation deterioration among adjacent turns and the fault severity can be described by the residual insulation capacity being relevant to the 2nd harmonic component in the dq-axis currents. Thus, a short-time Adaline-based harmonic extraction method is proposed for the separation of the needed 2nd harmonic component from time-varying current signals, being used as the fault indicator afterward. Finally, the performance of the proposed method is experimentally evaluated on a PMSM and shows quite good performance in fast-tracking and detection of faults in various stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chemokine-like factor (CKLF)-like MARVEL transmembrane domain-containing (CMTM) family, comprising nine members, is involved in the tumorigenesis and progression of various cancers. However, the expression profiles and clinical significance of CMTM family members in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are not fully clarified. In this study, the RNA-sequencing and clinical data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. The Kaplan–Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards regression analysis were used to evaluate the prognostic significance of CMTM family members. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and ESTIMATE algorithms were employed to explore the relationship between CMTM family genes and the tumor microenvironment in HCC. Finally, the prognostic CMTM family gene expression was further validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining in clinical HCC tissue specimens. The results indicated that, compared with normal tissues, the expression of CKLF, CMTM1, CMTM3, CMTM4, CMTM7, and CMTM8 were significantly upregulated in HCC, while the expression of CMTM2, CMTM5, and CMTM6 were significantly downregulated in HCC. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that CKLF was an independent prognostic biomarker for the overall survival (OS) of HCC patients. In HCC, the expression of CKLF was found to be correlated with immune cell infiltration, immune-related functions, and immune checkpoint genes. The qRT-PCR and IHC confirmed that CKLF was highly expressed in HCC. Overall, this research suggested that CKLF is involved in immune cell infiltration and may serve as a critical prognostic biomarker, which provides new light on the therapeutics for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fujian Province is one of the most frequent areas of landslide disasters in China, so the study of landslide susceptibility in this region is of great significance. Based on the mass landslides that occurred in Sanming, Fujian in 2019, the study used DEM data and aerial imagery to sort out the area, elevation, lithology, and road or building proximity of 131 landslides, and calculated the slope, profile curvature, and plan curvature of the landslides after improving the elevation matrix according to the geometry of landslides. Normalized landslide frequency was used to calculate the contribution of each causative factor to landslide disasters, so as to establish logistic regression models of landslide susceptibility on different scales. It was found that the model based on the 500 m * 500 m grid was the most suitable for evaluating landslide susceptibility. However, the logical regression model is deficient, not only the number of samples should reach more than 50, but also the incidence rate should be at least 30–70%, in order to avoid the model being not significant caused of the small number of samples and the sample imbalance, resulting in too many underestimated or overestimated samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the pharmacokinetic effects of SHR3680 on repaglinide and bupropion and its metabolite hydroxybupropion. Methods: A single‐centre, open‐label, single‐arm, fixed‐sequence clinical trial in 18 patients with prostate cancer. Results: After a single oral dose of 0.5 mg repaglinide and SHR3680, geometric mean peak plasma concentration (Cmax) of plasma repaglinide was 14.240 and 5.887 ng/mL, geometric mean area under the concentration–time curve (AUC0–t)was 20.577 and 7.320 h ng/mL, geometric mean AUC0–∞ was 20.949 and 7.451 h ng/mL, mean half‐life (t1/2) was 1.629 and 1.195 hours, and geometric mean oral clearance (CL/F) was 23.867 and 67.107 L/h, respectively. After a single oral administration of 150 mg bupropion and SHR3680, geometric mean Cmax of plasma bupropion was 85.430 and 33.747 ng/mL, geometric mean AUC0–t was 1003.896 and 380.158 h ng/mL, geometric mean AUC0–∞ was 1038.054 and 401.387 h ng/mL, mean t1/2 was 22.533 and 17.733 hours, and geometric mean CL/F was 144.501 and 373.705 L/h, respectively. The plasma geometric mean Cmax of its main active metabolic hydroxybupropion was 268.113 and 177.318 ng/mL, geometric mean AUC0–t was 14 283.087 and 5420.219 h ng/mL, geometric mean AUC0–∞ was 15 218.158 and 5364.625 h ng/mL, mean t1/2 were 36.069 and 16.688 hours, and geometric mean CL/F was 8.623 L/h and 27.961 L/h, respectively. Conclusion: Coadministration of SHR3680 with repaglinide or bupropion significantly shortened the elimination half‐lives, significantly increased the apparent clearance rate, and significantly decreased the in vivo exposure of repaglinide, bupropion and hydroxybupropion compared with single administration of repaglinide or bupropion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to investigate early oncologic outcomes in patients with adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) with venous invasion (VI) treated using both open and mini-invasive approaches. Patients and materials: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 4 international referral center databases, including all the patients undergoing adrenalectomy for ACC with VI from January 2007 to March 2020. According to CT scan or MRI, the tumor thrombus was classified into four levels: (1) adrenal vein invasion; (2) renal vein invasion; (3) infra-hepatic Inferior vena cava (IVC); and (4) retro-hepatic IVC. In addition, we divided our patients into patients who had undergone open surgery and mini-invasive surgery. Results: We identified 20 patients with a median follow-up of 12 months. The median tumor size was 110mm. ENSAT stage was II in 4 patients, III in 13 patients, and IV in 3 patients. Tumor thrombus extended in the adrenal vein (n=5), renal vein (n=1), infra-hepatic IVC (n=9), or into the retro-hepatic IVC (n=5). Ten patients were treated with a mini-invasive approach. The patient treated with an open approach reported a more aggressive disease. The two groups did not differ in surgical margins, surgical time, blood losses, complications, and length of stay. The prognosis resulted worse in the patient undergoing open. Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated a difference in OS for the patients stratified by ENSAT stage (Log-rank p=0.011); we also reported a difference in DFS for patients stratified for thrombus extension (p=0.004) and ENSAT stage (p<0.001). Conclusion: The DFS of patients with VI from ACC is influenced by the staging and the extension of the venous invasion; the staging influences the OS. The mini-invasive approach seems feasible in selected patients; however, further studies investigating the oncological outcomes are needed. Patient summary: A mini-invasive approach for adrenal tumors with venous invasion is an explorable option in very selected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tridiagonal solver is an important kernel and is widely supported in mainstream numerical libraries. While parallel algorithms have been studied for many-core architectures, the performance of current algorithms and implementations is still hindered by input size sensitivity and cross-platform portability. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm WM-pGE for the batched solution of diagonally dominant tridiagonal systems. The algorithm balances the key design objectives, including computation complexity, memory complexity, parallelism, and input size sensitivity, better than existing algorithms. Moreover, an elegant formulation is presented to show the implementation and cross-platform optimization without loss of efficiency and generality, by extracting the platform-dependent works into only four vector operators. The results from our batched tridiagonal experiments show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the prior work PCR-pThomas by 25% and 12% on NVIDIA Tesla V100 in single and double precision, respectively. On Intel KNL, our method achieves a 10% improvement in performance over PCR-pThomas in double precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As one of the major diagnostic criteria in Musculoskeletal Infection Society, the microbiological diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) performed by analyzing periprosthetic tissue culture is recommended. The goal of this study was to determine if methylene blue (MB) has antibacterial effects that might interfere with microbial culture in vitro. Methods: Eight isolates of reference strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Candida albicans were incubated appropriately on blood agar, China blue agar, or Sabouraud’s agar plates at 35 ℃. (Streptococci were cultured in a CO2-rich atmosphere.) Each bacterial suspension was formed by 50-fold dilution before the test MB was added. For each strain, bacterial suspension was divided into 3 groups (5 samples each) exposed either MB 0.1%, MB 0.05% or sterile non-bacteriostatic 0.45% saline. The antimicrobial property of MB was determined by measuring the bacterial density on agar plates incubated for 24 h and comparing it with controls unexposed to MB. Results: Exposure to MB 0.1% or MB 0.05% negatively affected microbial viability in vitro. Of the diluted form of MB exposure, reference strains of S. hominis and A. baumannii resulted in fewer colony-forming units compared with the sterile saline control. MB concentration was significantly negatively correlated with CFU counts of S. hominis and A. baumannii strains. The antibacterial property of MB 0.1% or MB 0.05% appears to affect the ability to culture the organism in in vitro assays. Conclusion: MB 0.1% or MB 0.05% has strong antimicrobial activities against some commonly encountered bacterial strains in PJI in vitro. To further evaluate its potential antibacterial usefulness in clinical applications, the next studies are needed to assess the ability of MB to affect the ability to culture the pathogens in vivo, especially in periprosthetic tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Regorafenib is the first oral targeted drug as a second-line agent in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who progressed on sorafenib treatment. Recently, several studies demonstrated that the combination of regorafenib and PD-1 inhibitors showed a synergistic effect. Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of regorafenib with PD-1 inhibitors (RP) and regorafenib alone (R) as second-line treatment for advanced HCC. Methods: From October 2018 to January 2022, our retrospective study evaluated advanced HCC patients who received regorafenib with PD-1 inhibitors or regorafenib alone as a second-line treatment at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, China. The efficacy and safety were compared between RP and R groups. Results: In total, 78 patients were enrolled in our study and were separated into two groups – RP group (48) and R group (30) – according to the criteria. The ORR of RP group and R group was 18.8% and 10%, respectively, and the DCR was 66.7% and 43.3%, respectively. The RP group had a longer mPFS (5.9 months vs 3.0 months, P< 0.001) and mOS (12.9 months vs 10.3 months, P=0.010) than the R group. Regorafenib monotherapy is an independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS. In OS, subgroup analysis showed that patients with AFP ≥ 400ng/mL, BCLC C stage and extrahepatic metastasis may benefit from RP, while in PFS, subgroup analysis showed that patients with BCLC C stage, AFP ≥ 400ng/mL, extrahepatic metastasis, ALBI ≥-2.60 and first-line treatment of sorafenib may benefit from RP. The incidence of grade 3/4 adverse reaction in the two groups was 22.9% and 23.3%, respectively, with no significant statistically difference (P=0.966). Conclusion: In the second-line therapy of advanced HCC, compared to regorafenib alone, the combination of regorafenib and PD-1 inhibitors showed promising efficacy and tolerable drug toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rainfall can contribute significantly to landslide events, especially in hilly areas. The landslide susceptibility map (LSM) usually helps to mitigate disasters. However, how to accurately predict the susceptibility of landslides is still a difficult point in the field of disaster research. In this study, five advanced machine learning technologies (MLTs), including the Light Gradient Boosting Machine, extreme gradient boost, categorical boosting (CatBoost), support vector machine, and random forest, are utilized to landslide susceptibility modeling and their capabilities are compared through evaluation indicators. The northern part of Yanping, Fujian Province, China, is selected as the research object, because this area experienced mass landslide events due to extremely heavy rainfall in June 2010, resulting in many casualties and a large number of public facilities destroyed. The influencing factors for landslides, namely topographic, hydrological, geologic and human activities, are prepared from various data sources based on the availability. Through the analysis of the actual situation in the study area, 13 suitable landslide condition factors are considered and the availability of relevant factors is checked according to the multicollinearity test. The landslide inventory including 631 samples in this study area is obtained from historical information, satellite data in Google earth and performed field surveys. The landslide inventory is randomly divided into two datasets for model training and testing with a 7:3 ratio. The area under the curve of ROC, accuracy rate, Kappa index and F1 score are applied to compare the MLTs capabilities. In this paper, the results of factor importance analysis show that the first three important condition factors are the distance to faults, the distance to drainages and the slope. According to the LSMs, in the study area, the central and western regions are at high and very high landslide susceptibility levels, while almost all the eastern and northeastern regions are at medium and low landslide susceptibility levels. The CatBoost model is a very promising technology in landslide research according to the evaluation results, which means that for landslide susceptibility research, gradient boosting algorithms may get more accurate results and show better prospects in the future. Finally, the results of this paper will contribute to environmental protection to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibration signals and infrared images have different advantages and characteristics. Although a few recent researches have explored their information fusion in rotating machinery fault diagnosis, they show limited performance when facing strong interference and imbalanced cases. Therefore, a fusion framework based on confidence weight support matrix machine (CWSMM) is proposed. In this framework, CWSMM can not only fully leverage the structure information of infrared thermography images and vibration time–frequency images, but also has the following novelties. First, CWSMM uses dynamic penalty factors for different class samples to address the class imbalance problem. Second, by using the prior knowledge of matrix samples, a confidence weight assignment strategy is designed for CWSMM to improve the robustness. Last, the Dempster–Shafer (D-S) evidence theory is applied to fuse the posterior probability outputs of CWSMMs using different measurements. Experiment results demonstrate that the proposed method has promising fault diagnosis performance, specifically under strong interference and imbalanced datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognizing early cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) imaging phenotypes can help identify opportunities for effective treatment before irreversible myocardial pathology occurs. We aimed to characterize regional CS myocardial remodeling features correlating with future adverse cardiac events by coupling automated image processing and data analysis on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging datasets. A deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) was used to process a CMR database of a 10-year cohort of 117 consecutive biopsy-proven sarcoidosis patients. The maximum relevance − minimum redundancy method was used to select the best subset of all the features—24 (from manual processing) and 232 (from automated processing) left ventricular (LV) structural/functional features. Three machine learning (ML) algorithms, logistic regression (LogR), support vector machine (SVM) and multi-layer neural networks (MLP), were used to build classifiers to categorize endpoints. Over a median follow-up of 41.8 (inter-quartile range 20.4–60.5) months, 35 sarcoidosis patients experienced a total of 43 cardiac events. After manual processing, LV ejection fraction (LVEF), late gadolinium enhancement, abnormal segmental wall motion, LV mass (LVM), LVMI index (LVMI), septal wall thickness, lateral wall thickness, relative wall thickness, and wall thickness of 9 (out of 17) individual LV segments were significantly different between patients with and without endpoints. After automated processing, LVEF, end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, LV mass and wall thickness of 92 (out of 216) individual LV segments were significantly different between patients with and without endpoints. To achieve the best predictive performance, ML algorithms selected lateral wall thickness, abnormal segmental wall motion, septal wall thickness, and increased wall thickness of 3 individual segments after manual image processing, and selected end-diastolic volume and 7 individual segments after automated image processing. LogR, SVM and MLP based on automated image processing consistently showed better predictive accuracies than those based on manual image processing. Automated image processing with a DCNN improves data resolution and regional CS myocardial remodeling pattern recognition, suggesting that a framework coupling automated image processing with data analysis can help clinical risk stratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Our previous studies have suggested that the first trimester fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level is associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and is a predictor of GDM. The aim of the present study was to provide valuable insights into the accuracy of the first trimester FPG level in the screening and diagnosis of GDM in southern China.Methods: This retrospective study included pregnant women who had their first trimester FPG level recorded at 9-13+6 weeks and underwent screening for GDM using the 2-h 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) between the 24th and 28th gestational weeks. Differences between the GDM and non-GDM groups were assessed by Student's t test and the chi-squared test according to the nature of the variables. A restricted cubic spine was used to explore the relationship between the first trimester FPG level and the odds ratio (OR) of GDM in pregnant women. Cut-off values of first trimester FPG were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the curve (AUC), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), the positive predictive value (PPV) and the negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated.Results: The medical records of 28,030 pregnant women were analysed, and 4,669 (16.66%) of them were diagnosed with GDM. The average first trimester FPG level was 4.62 ± 0.37 mmol/L. The OR of GDM increased with increasing first trimester FPG levels and with a value of first trimester FPG of approximately 4.6 mmol/L, which was equal to 1 (Chi-Square = 665.79, P < 0.001), and then started to increase rapidly afterwards. The ROC curve for fasting plasma glucose in the first trimester (4.735 mmol/L) for predicting gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women was 0.608 (95% CI: 0.598-0.617), with a sensitivity of 0.490 and a specificity of 0.676.Conclusion: Based on the research, we recommend that all pregnant women undergo FPG testing in the first trimester, particularly at the first antenatal visit. Furthermore, we suggest that the risks of GDM should be given increased attention and management as soon as the first trimester FPG value is more than 4.7 mmol/L. First trimester FPG levels should be considered a screening marker when diagnosing GDM in pregnant women but this needs to be confirmed by more prospective studies. These factors may have a significant impact on the clinical treatment of pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between maternal obesity and preterm birth remains controversial and inconclusive, and the effects of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and preeclampsia (PE) on the relationship between obesity and preterm birth have not been studied. We aimed to clarify the relationship between prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and the phenotypes of preterm birth and evaluate the mediation effects of GDM and PE on the relationship between prepregnancy BMI and preterm birth.Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 43,056 women with live singleton births from 2017 through 2019. According to the WHO International Classification, BMI was classified as underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (BMI 18.5-25 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 25-30 kg/m2) and obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). Preterm birth was defined as gestational age less than 37 weeks (extremely, < 28 weeks; very, 28-31 weeks; and moderately, 32-36 weeks). The clinical phenotypes of preterm birth included spontaneous preterm birth (spontaneous preterm labor and premature rupture of the membranes) and medically indicated preterm birth. We further analyzed preterm births with GDM or PE. Multivariable logistic regression analysis and causal mediation analysis were performed.Results: Risks of extremely, very, and moderately preterm birth increased with BMI, and the highest risk was observed for obese women with extremely preterm birth (OR 3.43, 95% CI 1.07-10.97). Maternal obesity was significantly associated with spontaneous preterm labor (OR 1.98; 95% CI 1.13-3.47), premature rupture of the membranes (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.08-3.86) and medically indicated preterm birth (OR 2.05; 95% CI 1.25-3.37). GDM and PE mediated 13.41 and 36.66% of the effect of obesity on preterm birth, respectively. GDM mediated 32.80% of the effect of obesity on spontaneous preterm labor and PE mediated 64.31% of the effect of obesity on medically indicated preterm birth.Conclusions: Maternal prepregnancy obesity was associated with all phenotypes of preterm birth, and the highest risks were extremely preterm birth and medically indicated preterm birth. GDM and PE partially mediated the association between obesity and preterm birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an acceleration-type mechanical element, inerter element has been widely used in the dynamic suppressing field. In this paper, a tuned mass damper with inerter (TMDI) is presented for vibration control and energy dissipation. To evaluate the effectiveness of the TMDI, the simplified model of TMDI coupled with a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) structure has been established. Numerical optimization has been conducted with the goal of minimizing the maximum transfer function amplitude of displacement for the damped primary structure. The control performance and robustness for TMDI has been evaluated with the SDOF system in the frequency and time domain, compared with the classical TMD device. Lately, multiple active TMDI (MATMDI) has been proposed as a vibration suppression strategy for a multi-story steel structure. The performances of passive and active control methods have been evaluated in the time domain via real earthquake excitations, and it has proven that the MATMDI is more effective at reducing the response of the structure and the stroke of devices. The results show that the proposed optimal TMDI system can sufficiently harvest vibrational energy and enhance the robustness of structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a global delay compensation method to improve the sensorless control performance of square-wave voltage injection (SWVI) over low switching frequency applications. The cost function with delay information is preliminarily constructed by simple calculation of high-frequency (HF) αβ-axes current and estimated position; second, the cost function is minimized by the gradient descent method, so as to estimate the delay time and corresponding compensation angle. The compensation angle that estimated delay time multiplies rotor speed is used for reducing the lag angle in the estimated position, thus improves the current control performance. At the same time, the inverse of the cosine signal is proposed to substitute the conventional differential current demodulation of SWVI. In addition, the compensation angle is used to offset the phase shift in the cosine signal, thus suppressing the amplitude error of HF response current caused by time delay. Hence, the SWVI method with the proposed delay compensation has good position estimation performance. Finally, a 1.5 kW interior permanent magnet synchronous motor test bench is adopted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal cell carcinoma is abbreviated as renal carcinoma, and its clinical symptoms are basically hematuria, lumbago, and abdomen bump. As people's lifestyles change, the incidence of renal carcinoma continues to rise due to factors such as smoking and obesity. At present, surgical treatment is mostly used in clinical practice. Traditional open radical nephrectomy (ORN) is one of the main methods for clinical treatment of renal carcinoma. However, due to its large wound and large amount of intraoperative blood loss, the renal function of patients after surgery is poor, which is not conducive to the postoperative recovery of patients. Retroperitoneal laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (RLRN) has been widely used in the surgical treatment of renal cancer due to its advantages of small wound, less bleeding, and rapid recovery. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of RLRN in the treatment of renal cancer patients and its effect on renal function and to analyze the related factors affecting postoperative recurrence of patients. We adopt ORN and RLRN, two kinds of treatment, in patients with renal cancer surgery way, contrast analysis of the two groups of operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative intestinal function recovery time, drainage tube indwelling time, length of hospital stay, and other clinical indicators and renal function indexes and use the single factor analysis and multifactor analysis, the relevant factors that affect kidney cancer patients with postoperative recurrence. The results showed that, compared with ORN treatment, RLRN treatment of renal cancer patients has a short operation time, less trauma, quick recovery after surgery, and fewer complications and can effectively alleviate the renal function injury and the body's inflammatory response, which is worthy of promotion. Postoperative recurrence was related to age, tumor diameter, TNM stage, surgical method, and postoperative immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for real-time estimation of rotor flux linkage of permanent-magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) under both steady state and free-running conditions is proposed in this paper. At steady state, a method for the estimation of rotor flux linkage is proposed based on the injection of variable-period zero-voltage perturbation, of which the accuracy is irrespective of the influence of voltage-source inverter (VSI) nonlinearity. Moreover, for the estimation of rotor flux linkage under free-running condition, due to system inertia after shutdown or fault in the motor driver, an effective approach using history data recorded at different transients of rotor speeds is developed, which has eliminated the influence of VSI nonlinearity during the modeling process. The proposed two methods are experimentally validated on a down-sized PMSM prototyped for electric vehicle application, which shows good performance for the estimation of rotor flux linkage under both steady state and free-running conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The low incidence of primary mediastinal seminomas has precluded the development of clinical trials on mediastinal seminomas. We investigated the clinicopathologic characteristics, prognosis of patients with primary mediastinal seminomas as well as the efficiency of nonsurgical treatments compared with treatments containing surgery.Methods: We retrospectively collected data on the clinicopathologic characteristics, treatments, toxicities, and survival of 27 patients from a single center between 2000 and 2018. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether they received operation. Survivals were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate analysis was performed using the log-rank test.Results: The median age was 28 (13-63) years. The most common symptoms were chest pain (29.6%), cough (25.9%), and dyspnea (22.2%). There were 13 and 14 patients in surgery and non-surgery group. Patients in the non-surgical group were more likely to be with poor performance scores (100% vs. 76.9%) and disease invaded to adjacent structures (100% vs. 76.9%) especially great vessels (100% vs. 46.2%).The median follow-up period was 32.23 (2.7-198.2) months. There was no significant difference of overall survival (5-year 100% vs. 100%), cancer-specific survival (5-year 100% vs. 100%), local regional survival (5-year 91.7% vs. 90.0%, p = 0.948), distant metastasis survival (5-year 90.9% vs. 100.0%, p = 0.340) and progression-free survival (82.5% vs. 90.0%, p = 0.245) between patients with and without surgery.Conclusions: Primary mediastinal seminoma was with favorable prognosis, even though frequently invasion into adjacent structures brings difficulties to surgery administration. Chemoradiotherapy is an alternative treatment with both efficacy and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study determined the predictive value of CRMP4 promoter methylation in prostate tissues collected by core needle biopsies for a postoperative upgrade of Gleason Score (GS) to ≥8 in patients with low-risk PCa. Method: A retrospective analysis of the clinical data was conducted from 631 patients diagnosed with low-risk PCa by core needle biopsy at multiple centers and then underwent Radical Prostatectomy (RP) from 2014-2019. Specimens were collected by core needle biopsy to detect CRMP4 promoter methylation. The pathologic factors correlated with the postoperative GS upgrade to ≥8 were analyzed by logistic regression. The cut-off value for CRMP4 promoter methylation in the prostate tissues collected by core needle biopsy was estimated from the ROC curve in patients with a postoperative GS upgrade to ≥8. Result: Multivariate logistic regression showed that prostate volume, number of positive cores, and CRMP4 promoter methylation were predictive factors for a GS upgrade to ≥8 (OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.91-0.98, P =0.003; OR: 3.16, 95% CI: 1.81-5.53, P <0.001; and OR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.32-1.55, P <0.001, respectively). The positive predictive rate was 85.2%, the negative predictive rate was 99.3%, and the overall predictive rate was 97.9%. When the CRMP4 promoter methylation rate was >18.00%, the low-risk PCa patients were more likely to escalate to high-risk patients. The predictive sensitivity and specificity were 86.9% and 98.8%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.929 (95% CI: 0.883-0.976; P <0.001). The biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival, progression-free survival (PFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were worse in patients with CRMP4 methylation >18.0% and postoperative GS upgrade to ≥8 than in patients without an upgrade (P ≤ 0.002). Conclusion: A CRMP4 promoter methylation rate >18.00% in prostate cancer tissues indicated that patients were more likely to escalate from low-to-high risk after undergoing an RP. We recommend determining CRMP4 promoter methylation before RP for low-risk PCa patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulse rectifier of a traction system in locomotives and electric multiple unit (EMUs) is usually vulnerable to performance degradation and faults due to uncertain factors, such as vibrations, aging, electromagnetic interferences. In order to ensure adequate redundancy and isolation measures in time to avoid fault propagation in traction systems, a real-time fault diagnosis method for sensors and IGBTs of the impulse rectifier is proposed, which lays a foundation for the redundant design of traction systems. Once a fault is detected in this paper, which can immediately act to the detected faults and take effective remedial measures to avoid the failure of the whole system. It is based on the structural analysis of the traction system whose structural model of interest will be established. Meanwhile, the structural model is evaluated and optimized according to the analytical relation model under various fault conditions, and the minimum structural overdetermined sets (MSOs) are obtained based on the optimized model, which can be used to isolate all faults. Using the MSOs, the redundancy relationship is deduced and the sequence residuals are generated. Afterward, the cumulative sum (CUSUM) algorithm is used for diagnosis decision making. The effectiveness of the proposed method is finally verified on a hardware-in-loop test platform, which can accurately simulate a traction system. It shows that the proposed method can achieve both good feasibility and high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]