Search

Objective: To compare thyroid cancer incidence rates and trends between Korean, non‐Korean Asian, and non‐Hispanic White populations in the United States, and between the US Korean population and the South Korean population. Method: Population‐based analysis of cancer incidence data. Cases of thyroid cancer diagnosed during 1999–2014 from the Korean Central Cancer Registry (KCCR) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 9 detailed Asian/Pacific Islander subgroup incidence and population dataset were included. Incidence rates were obtained from the datasets, and annual percent change (APC) of the incidence rates was calculated using Joinpoint regression analysis. Results: Thyroid cancer incidence rate for 1999–2014 was significantly higher for South Korea (48.05 [95% CI 47.89–48.22] per 100,000 person‐years) than for the US Korean population (11.12 [95% CI 10.49–11.78] per 100,000 person‐years), which was slightly higher than the Non‐Korean Asian population (10.23 [95% CI 10.02–10.43] per 100,000 person‐years), and slightly lower than the Non‐Hispanic White population (12.78 [95% CI 12.69–12.87] per 100,000 person‐years). Incidence rates in South Korea increased dramatically (average APC 17.9, 95% CI 16.0–19.9), significantly higher than the US Korean population (average APC 5.0, 95% CI 3.1–6.8), which was similar to the non‐Korean Asian (average APC 2.5, 95% CI 0.9–4.2) and the non‐Hispanic White (average APC 5.1, 95% CI 4.7–5.6) populations. Conclusions: South Korea's high thyroid cancer incidence rates cannot be attributed to genetic factors, but are likely due to health care system factors. Level of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 134:4156–4160, 2024 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal carbides (TMCs) are a class of materialswith excellent dielectric properties and thermal stability, which exhibit enormous potential in high temperature electromagnetic wave absorption (EWA). However, the high dielectric constant and electrical conductivity of TMCs usually cause impedance mismatch, and their high density also prevents further practical applications. To solve these problems, the lightweight and impedance matching NbC nanowires (NbCnws) were prepared by using bamboo powder as a carbon source and subsequent carbothermal reduction reaction process. The as-synthesized NbCnws all exhibit a low density of 0.23 g/cm³ and superior EMA performance. It is worth noting that the minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of the sample is -43.03 dB at 5.92 GHz and the corresponding matching thickness is only 3.7 mm when sintering temperature is 1500°C. The excellent electromagnetic wave absorption (EWA) performance is attributed to good impedance matching and strong dielectric loss. This research work provides a prospect for the development and utilization of one-dimensional TMC materials in the field of microwave absorption materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A holographic tensor metasurface (HTM) is proposed from the energy perspective to achieve flexible regulations of polarization and energy distributions for simultaneous transmissions of power and information. A dual‐polarization receiving metasurface with high isolation is also proposed to enable simultaneous receptions of power and information. Based on the two metasurfaces, a novel system for simultaneous wireless information and power transmissions (SWIPT) is established, which can transmit microwave powers and information signals by flexibly regulating the electromagnetic waves in different polarizations. The proposed HTM can generate non‐diffraction Bessel beams of two polarizations to keep high‐power transfer efficiency in an environment with obstacles. A rectifier circuit is designed with a wide dynamic range to integrate with the receiving metasurface to capture the strong powers and weak signals simultaneously. The effect of different modulations on the rectification efficiency of microwave‐to‐DC and the performance of the SWIPT system are analyzed. The SWIPT system is verified by experiments to realize simultaneous transmissions of information and powers by only using the metasurfaces, which is beneficial to integrate the wireless sensor networks, communication modules, and artificial intelligence algorithms to build up smart cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite undergoing an index ablation, some patients progress from paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) to persistent AF (PersAF), and the mechanism behind this is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of progression to PersAF after catheter ablation in patients with PAF. Methods: This study included 400 PAF patients who underwent an index ablation between 2015 and 2019. The patients were classified into three groups based on their outcomes: Group 1 (PAF to sinus rhythm, n = 226), Group 2 (PAF to PAF, n = 146), and Group 3 (PAF to PersAF, n = 28). Baseline and procedural characteristics were collected, and predictors for AF recurrence and progression were evaluated. Results: The mean age of the patients was 58.4 ± 11.1 years, with 272 males. After 3 years of follow‐up, 7% of the PAF cases recurred and progressed to PersAF despite undergoing an index catheter ablation. In the multivariable analysis, a larger left atrial (LA) diameter and the presence of non‐pulmonary vein (PV) triggers during the index procedure independently predicted recurrence. Moreover, a larger LA diameter, the presence of non‐PV triggers, and a history of thyroid disease independently predicted AF progression. Conclusion: The progression from PAF to PersAF after catheter ablation is associated with a larger LA diameter, history of thyroid disease, and the presence of non‐PV triggers. Meticulous preprocedural evaluation, patient selection, and comprehensive provocation tests during catheter ablation are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Heparanase is the only confirmed endoglycosidase that cleaves heparan sulfate (HS), a ubiquitous glycosaminoglycan with various essential roles in multiple pathological processes. Thus, the development of heparanase inhibitors has become an attractive strategy for drug discovery, especially in tumour therapy, in which HS mimetics are the most promising compounds. The various biological effects of heparanase also suggest a role for HS mimetics in many non‐cancer indications, such as type 1 diabetes. However, the potential benefits of HS mimetics in obesity‐related type 2 diabetes have not been elucidated. Experimental Approach: In this study, we investigated muparfostat (PI‐88), a developed HS mimetic currently enrolled in Phase III clinical trials, in obese mouse models and in vitro cultured murine hepatocytes. Key Results: Daily administration of muparfostat for 4 weeks caused hyperlipidaemia and aggravated hepatic steatosis in obese mice models, but not in lean animals. In cultured hepatocytes, muparfostat did not alter lipid accumulation. Acute tests suggested that muparfostat binds to lipoprotein lipase in competition with HS on vascular endothelial cell surfaces, thereby reducing the degradation of circulating triglycerides by lipoprotein lipase and subsequent uptake of fatty acids into vascular endothelial cells and causing hyperlipidaemia. This hyperlipidaemia aggravates hepatic steatosis and causes liver injury in muparfostat‐treated obese mice. Conclusions and Implications: The binding activity of HS mimetics to lipoprotein lipase should be investigated as an additional pharmacological effect during heparanase inhibitor drug discovery. This study also provides novel evidence for an increased risk of drug‐induced liver injury in obese individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stretchable organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) are important components for flexible/wearable electronics. However, the efficiency of the existing stretchable OLEDs is still much lower as compared with their rigid counterparts, one of the main reasons being the lack of ideal flexible transparent electrodes. Herein, we propose and develop a printed embedded metal composite electrode (PEMCE) strategy that enables the fabrication of ultra‐thin, highly flexible transparent electrodes with robust mechanical properties. With the flexible transparent electrodes serves as the anodes, flexible/stretchable white OLEDs have been successfully constructed, achieving a current efficiency of up to 77.4 cd A−1 and a maximum luminance of 34 787 cd m−2. The current efficiency of the resulting stretchable OLEDs is the highest ever reported for flexible/stretchable white OLEDs, which is about 1.2 times higher than that of the reference rigid devices based on ITO/glass electrodes. The excellent optoelectronic properties of the printed embedded transparent electrodes and the light extraction effect of the Ag‐mesh account for the significant increase in current efficiency. Remarkably, the electroluminescence performance still retains ~83% of the original luminance even after bending the device 2000 cycles at a radii of ~0.5 mm. More importantly, the device can withstand tensile strains of up to ~100%, and even mechanical deformation of 90% tensile strain does not result in a significant loss of electroluminescence performance with current efficiency and luminance maintained at over 85%. The results confirm that the PEMCE strategy is effective for constructing ultra‐flexible transparent electrodes, showing great promise for use in a variety of flexible/stretchable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Gut microbiota dysbiosis induced by acute pancreatitis (AP) exacerbates pancreatic injury and systemic inflammatory responses. The alleviation of gut microbiota dysbiosis through faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is considered a potential strategy to reduce tissue damage and inflammation in many clinical disorders. Here, we aim to investigate the effect of gut microbiota and microbiota‐derived metabolites on AP and further clarify the mechanisms associated with pancreatic damage and inflammation. Experimental Approach: AP rat and mouse models were established by administration of caerulein or sodium taurocholate in vivo. Pancreatic acinar cells were exposed to caerulein and lipopolysaccharide in vitro to simulate AP. Key Results: Normobiotic FMT alleviated AP‐induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and ameliorated the severity of AP, including mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damage and inflammation. Normobiotic FMT induced higher levels of NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)‐associated metabolites, particularly nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). NMN administration mitigated AP‐mediated mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damage and inflammation by increasing pancreatic NAD+ levels. Similarly, overexpression of the NAD+‐dependent mitochondrial deacetylase sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) alleviated the severity of AP. Furthermore, SIRT3 deacetylated peroxiredoxin 5 (PRDX5) and enhanced PRDX5 protein expression, thereby promoting its antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities in AP. Importantly, normobiotic FMT‐mediated NMN metabolism induced SIRT3–PRDX5 pathway activation during AP. Conclusion and Implications: Gut microbiota‐derived NMN alleviates the severity of AP by activating the SIRT3–PRDX5 pathway. Normobiotic FMT could be served as a potential strategy for AP treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superenhancers drive abnormal gene expression in tumors and promote malignancy. However, the relationship between superenhancer‐associated long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and abnormal metabolism is unknown. This study identifies a novel lncRNA, fatty acid synthesis‐related lncRNA (FASRL), whose expression is driven by upstream stimulatory factor 1 (USF1) through its superenhancer. FASRL promotes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, FASRL binds to acetyl‐CoA carboxylase 1 (ACACA), a fatty acid synthesis rate‐limiting enzyme, increasing fatty acid synthesis via the fatty acid metabolism pathway. Moreover, the expression of FASRL, USF1, and ACACA is increased, and their high expression indicates a worse prognosis in HCC patients. In summary, USF1 drives FASRL transcription via a superenhancer. FASRL binding to ACACA increases fatty acid synthesis and lipid accumulation to mechanistically exacerbate HCC. FASRL may serve as a novel prognostic marker and treatment target in HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A visible‐light‐induced acylation aromatization of para‐quinone methides to access α,α′‐diarylated ketones was realized with cheap and readily available carboxylic acids as acylating reagents via deoxygenation. The synthetic method avoids the tedious preparation of reactants or catalysts and shows a broad substrate scope (34 examples) under mild conditions. Notably, the late‐stage functionalization of some drug molecules could also be achieved via this protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lightweight metal‐polymer composited foam has drawn considerable attention in fields of wearable electronics, acoustic and electromagnetic shielding, automotive and aerospace manufacturing, owing to its unique advantages like electrical conductivity and mechanical properties. Herein, a facile strategy is studied for one‐step fabrication of multifunctional liquid metal (LM) permeated expancel microspheres foam (EMLM foam) with controllable shape and size. Specifically, the formation process and mechanism of bicontinuous structure with polymer and liquid metal are explored by real‐time monitoring and finite element simulation. Both experimental and simulating results confirmed a stable 3D metal interconnected network that can be constructed with lower limit of LM (3 vol.%). In addition, based on the unique features of reversible rigidity control, lightweight, electrical conductivity, and mechanical stability, the EMLM foam can exhibit intelligent performance in tunable acoustic, energy absorption, and thermal driving repair. Combined with EMLM foam's facile preparation process and versatility, it can provide the remarkable opportunity to develop the lightweight intelligent devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing demands in flexible electronics, the development of plastic and organic materials has gained increased interest. In this focus review, the design concepts and recent advances of organic liquid crystalline materials in optoelectronic devices were introduced. Thermotropic liquid crystalline materials are categorized into three types: calamitic, discotic, and cholesteric types according to the structures of rod‐like, disk‐like, and chiral rod‐like molecules, respectively. Numerous liquid crystalline materials have been successfully incorporated in organic electronic devices. Notably, smectic liquid crystals hold great promise as semiconducting channel, floating gate electret, and charge transporting interlayer in field‐effect transistors, nonvolatile memory, and photovoltaics, respectively. This review sheds light on the great potential and importance of the organic liquid crystalline material for optoelectronic device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building blocks with multiple components are promising for the synthesis of complex molecular assemblies, but are rarely available. Herein, we report a modification procedure for a multi‐component building block [Ln3Ti(HSA)6(SA)4(H2O)]− ({Ln3Ti‐SA}, H2SA=salicylic acid, Ln=Eu/Gd) to form new building blocks {Ln3Tix‐MSA} (H2MSA=5‐methoxysalicylic acid, x=1, 2, 3) by constructing [Ti(MSA)3]2− units. The obtained {Ln3Tix‐MSA} can further assemble into a chiral Ln22Ti14 ring with the formulae [Eu22Ti14(MSA)48(HMSA)22(CH3COO)4(H2O)10(iPrOH)] and [Gd22Ti14(MSA)46(HMSA)26(CH3COO)4(H2O)8]. Parallel experiments without Ti4+ result in linear Ln chains. Detailed analysis shows that the [Ti(MSA)4]4− unit makes the originally variable Ln chains become available building blocks and the modified [Ti(MSA)3]2− further triggers interesting chiral‐sorting behavior. Finally, the electronic adsorption and magneto‐optic responses of these molecular rings are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rod‐like molecules with liquid crystalline phase transitions show highly ordered stacking and orientation, which is promising as the floating gate electret in high‐performance photonic field‐effect transistor (FET) memory. In this work, a series of rod‐like molecules, alkyl‐dinaphtho[2,3‐b:2′,3′‐f]thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene (Cn‐DNTT), are investigated with a smectic liquid crystalline phase transition. The photonic FET memory featuring these rod‐like molecules is correlated with their morphology and crystallographic properties. A volatility transition from short−term to long−term memory behavior is found by utilizing the smectic liquid crystalline phase transitions (SmX, X = H, K, E) to orient the stacking in the floating gate. Accordingly, the annealed 2,9‐didecyldinaphtho[2,3‐b:2′,3′‐f]thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene (C10‐DNTT) polycrystalline film with the optimized alkyl chain length achieved preferential end‐on orientation associated with the herringbone‐type stacking to store charges during photowriting, along with effective charge tunneling for the trapped charges during electrical erasing. Therefore, the resultant photonic FET memory provided a superior ON/OFF current ratio of up to 105 with retention of 104 after 104 s. The results demonstrate that rod‐like molecules with smectic liquid crystalline phase and highly ordered orientation have great potentials for developing high‐performance photonic FET memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an important legume crop that is widely grown worldwide for human consumption and livestock feed. Despite extensive studies, the population genetic structure and classification of cultivated and wild pea (Pisum sp.) remain controversial. To characterize patterns of genetic and morphological variation and investigate the classification of Pisum, we conducted comprehensive population genetic analyses for 323 accessions from cultivated and wild pea, representing three species of Pisum and utilizing 34 morphological traits and 87 polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers. First, we identified three distinct genetic groups among all samples. Group I was primarily composed of Pisum fulvum, Pisum abyssinicum, and some wild P. sativum accessions, whereas Groups II and III consisted of the two genetic groups under P. sativum that represented different geographic distributions of cultivated pea. Analyses of morphological variation revealed significant differences among the three species. Second, among pea germplasms representing eight taxa of Pisum, P. fulvum and P. abyssinicum possessed unique genetic backgrounds and morphological characteristics, corroborating their independent species status. The intraspecific subdivisions of P. sativum described by some authors were not supported in this study, with the exception of several genotypes of P. sativum subsp. elatius that clustered with P. fulvum and P. abyssinicum. Finally, we confirmed that the Chinese pea germplasm was genetically distinct and could be divided into two genetic groups, each of which included both spring‐sowing and autumn‐sowing ecotypes. These results provide a robust foundation for understanding pea domestication and the utilization of wild genetic resources of pea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing demands of light fidelity technology, photonic transistor memory has gained considerable attention for next‐generation optoelectronic devices. In this work, alkylated rylenediimides of 2,9‐diphenethylanthra[2,1,9‐def:6,5,10‐d"e"f]diisoquinoline‐1,3,8,10(2H,9H)‐tetraone (C8‐PDI) and 2,7‐dioctylbenzo[lmn][3,8]phenanthroline‐1,3,6,8(2H,7H)‐tetraone (C8‐NDI), and pyromellitic diimide of 2,6‐dioctylpyrrolo[3,4‐f]isoindole‐1,3,5,7(2H,6H)‐tetraone (C8‐PMDI) have been used as floating gate electrets in the photonic field‐effect transistor‐type memory. The structure‐optics‐performance relationship of these rod‐like molecules has been systematically studied, and the memory device exhibited a decent response to photowriting and electrical erasing processes, owing to the 3D ordered smectic layer structure and brickwork stacking. Therefore, an evenly distributed photogating moiety, efficient exciton dissociation associated with decent carrier tunneling and charge trapping can be obtained. Among them, the sought‐after C8‐NDI presents favorable energy level alignment, multiband photoresponding, and an optimal block ratio. The fabricated photonic memory with C8‐NDI electret presented a remarkable memory switchability with a memory ratio of 104 and a stable memory ratio of 105 over 10,000 s. To the best of knowledge, this is the first work to utilize rylenediimides based liquid crystals as an efficient charge blocking electret, and these findings open an avenue for designing rod‐like molecules with highly ordered liquid crystalline properties in the ultrafast photomemory devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Donor–acceptor type polymers and supramolecules are promising electrets in photonic field‐effect transistor (FET)‐type memory because of their diversified polymer‐structure design and favorable mechanical tolerance. Using intermolecular association, supramolecule electrets can surpass donor–acceptor type polymers with versatile facile combining processes. Currently, there has been no application of charge‐transfer (CT) supramolecules in electrets of photonic FET memory devices. Herein, a novel series of CT‐based supramolecular electrets comprising poly(1‐pyrenemethyl methacrylate) (PPyMA) and 7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) is used to elucidate the effect of CT on photonic FET memory. Accordingly, memory devices based on the supramolecular electret with an equimolar content of pyrene and TCNQ exhibit superior bistable memory switchability using electrical/photoprograming with UV (365 nm) and green light (525 nm). This shows a broad memory window of 34 V and favorable memory ratio of over 106 after 104 s. The memory performance can be attributed to the favorable molecular association and dispersion between pyrene and TCNQ in the solid state. The results provide evidence that CT‐based supramolecular electrets warrant applications in optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Metformin is an oral anti‐hyperglycemic recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) as a preferred initial pharmacologic agent for type 2 diabetes. Metabolic acidosis is a rare yet severe side effect of it. We examined the association of metformin use and dosage on the risk of metabolic acidosis in diabetic patients with different degrees of chronic hepatitis B (CHB)‐related cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: Metabolic acidosis was defined by blood pH ≤7.35, together with lactate >5 mmol/L or arterial bicarbonate ≤18 mmol/L or venous bicarbonate ≤21 mmol/L, and/or diagnosis codes. Child‐Pugh class and CKD stage were included in the model as time‐dependent covariates. Age, gender, comorbidities, and use of relevant medications were adjusted as covariates. Maximum daily dose of metformin was classified into ≤1000 mg and >1000 mg. Results: We identified 4431 diabetic patients with CHB‐related cirrhosis between 2000 and 2017 from a territory‐wide database in Hong Kong. The risk of metabolic acidosis increased with Child‐Pugh class B and C cirrhosis regardless of CKD stage (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio [aSHR] ranged from 3.50 to 86.16). Metformin use was associated with a higher risk in patients with Child‐Pugh class B or C cirrhosis and stage 3A CKD or above (aSHR ranged from 1.55 to 2.46). In stage 4/5 CKD, a daily dose of metformin ≤1000 mg was still associated with a higher risk of metabolic acidosis regardless of the severity of cirrhosis (aSHR ranged from 2.45 to 3.92). Conclusion: In conclusion, patients with Child‐Pugh class B cirrhosis or above were at a higher risk of metabolic acidosis. Metformin further increased the risk in patients with Child‐Pugh class B cirrhosis or above and stage 3A CKD or above. Dose adjustment in stage 4/5 CKD did not reduce the risk of metabolic acidosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of 3D printing of kidney and perinephric fat based on low‐dose CT technology. Patients and Methods: A total of 184 patients with stage T1 complex renal tumors who underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy were prospectively enrolled and divided into three groups: group A (conventional dose kidney and perinephric fat 3D printing group, n = 62), group B (low‐dose kidney and perinephric fat 3D printing, n = 64), and group C (conventional dose merely kidney 3D printing group, n = 58). The effective dose (ED), signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), and contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) were determined. The 3D printing quality was evaluated using a 4‐point scale, and interobserver agreement was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: The ED of group B was lower than that of group A, with a decrease of 55.1%. The subjective scores of 3D printing quality in all groups were 3 or 4 points. The interobserver agreement among the three observers in 3D printing quality was good (ICC = 0.84–0.92). The perioperative indexes showed that operation time (OT), warm ischemia time (WIT), estimated blood loss (EBL), and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) conversion to laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN) in groups A or B were significantly less than those in group C. LPN was more frequent in group A and group B than in group C (all p < 0.017). There were no significant differences in perioperative indexes between group A and group B (all p > 0.017). Conclusion: Low‐dose CT technology can be effectively applied to 3D printing of kidney and perinephric fat and reduce the patient's radiation dose without compromising 3D printing quality. 3D printing of kidney and perinephric fat can significantly increase the success rate of LPN and decrease OT, WIT, and EBL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: It is unknown whether patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who achieved hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance spontaneously or following anti‐viral therapy have similar clinical outcomes. Aim: To compare the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with CHB who either cleared HBsAg spontaneously or following anti‐viral therapy Methods: Adult CHB‐monoinfected patients who cleared HBsAg between January 2000 and March 2019 were identified from a territory‐wide database in Hong Kong. Patients with liver transplantation and/or HCC before HBsAg loss were excluded. Patients' demographics, comorbidities, anti‐viral treatment, laboratory parameters and HCC development were analysed. Results: Of 7,124 identified patients with CHB who cleared HBsAg, mean age was 58.1 ± 13.8 years; 4,340 (60.9%) were male; 451 (6.3%) had cirrhosis; 5,917 (83.1%) and 1,207 (16.9%) had spontaneous and nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA)‐induced HBsAg seroclearance, respectively. Most patients had normal liver function at HBsAg loss. Patients with NA‐induced HBsAg seroclearance were younger, and more likely to be male and cirrhotic than patients with spontaneous HBsAg loss. At a median (interquartile range) follow‐up of 4.3 (2.2‐7.6) years, 97 (1.6%) and 16 (1.3%) patients with spontaneous and NA‐induced HBsAg loss developed HCC, respectively. Patients who achieved NA‐induced HBsAg loss had comparable HCC risk as those with spontaneous HBsAg loss (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio 0.75, 95% CI 0.43‐1.32, P = 0.323). The results remained robust in propensity score weighting and matching analyses. Conclusion: The HCC risk was similarly low after either spontaneous or NA‐induced HBsAg seroclearance in a territory‐wide cohort of patients with CHB who had cleared HBsAg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative splicing (AS) is assumed to play important roles in the progression and prognosis of cancer. Currently, the comprehensive analysis and clinical relevance of AS in lower‐grade diffuse gliomas have not been systematically addressed. Here, we gathered alternative splicing data of lower‐grade diffuse gliomas from SpliceSeq. Based on the Percent Spliced In (PSI) values of 515 lower‐grade diffuse glioma patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we performed subtype‐differential AS analysis and consensus clustering to determine robust clusters of patients. A total of 48 050 AS events in 10 787 genes in lower‐grade diffuse gliomas were profiled. Subtype‐differential splicing analysis and functional annotation revealed that spliced genes were significantly enriched in numerous cancer‐related biological phenotypes and signalling pathways. Consensus clustering using AS events identified three robust clusters of patients with distinguished pathological and prognostic features. Moreover, each cluster was also associated with distinct genomic alterations. Finally, we developed and validated an AS‐related signature with Cox proportional hazards model. The signature, significantly associated with clinical and molecular features, could serve as an independent prognostic factor for lower‐grade diffuse gliomas. Thus, our results indicated that AS events could discriminate molecular subtypes and have prognostic impact in lower‐grade diffuse gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcriptomic data derived from bulk sequencing have been applied to delineate the tumor microenvironment (TME) and define immune subtypes in various cancers, which may facilitate the design of immunotherapy treatment strategies. We herein gathered published gene expression data from diffuse lower‐grade glioma (LGG) patients to identify immune subtypes. Based on the immune gene profiles of 402 LGG patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we performed consensus clustering to determine robust clusters of patients, and evaluated their reproducibility in three Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas cohorts. We further integrated immunogenomics methods to characterize the immune environment of each subtype. Our analysis identified and validated three immune subtypes—Im1, Im2, and Im3—characterized by differences in lymphocyte signatures, somatic DNA alterations, and clinical outcomes. Im1 had a higher infiltration of CD8+ T cells, Th17, and mast cells. Im2 was defined by elevated cytolytic activity, exhausted CD8+ T cells, macrophages, higher levels of aneuploidy, and tumor mutation burden, and these patients had worst outcome. Im3 displayed more prominent T helper cell and APC coinhibition signatures, with elevated pDCs and macrophages. Each subtype was associated with distinct somatic alterations. Moreover, we applied graph structure learning‐based dimensionality reduction to the immune landscape and revealed significant intracluster heterogeneity with Im2 subtype. Finally, we developed and validated an immune signature with better performance of prognosis prediction. Our results demonstrated the immunological heterogeneity within diffuse LGG and provided valuable stratification for the design of future immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainfall is not only related to current and previous meteorological conditions but also to meteorological conditions of the current location and surrounding regions. Existing short-term rainfall prediction methods mainly focus on radar echo extrapolation to predict the future radar echo maps, and then retrieve rainfall based on the predicted radar echo maps. These methods obtain rainfall through two separate steps usually leading to large accumulated errors. However, Tiny-RainNet is proposed by combining convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with bi-directional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) to directly predict future rainfall based on sequential radar echo maps. The structure of Tiny-RainNet is simpler than existing rainfall prediction models combining CNNs with LSTM. In order to further reduce computational complexity of the Tiny-RainNet and obtain good rainfall prediction results, 10 × 10, not the original 101 × 101, sequential radar maps are used as inputs of the Tiny-RainNet after making many tests considering temporal-spatial meteorological conditions. The proposed model takes into account the influence of temporal-spatial meteorological conditions on rainfall prediction. This avoids the accumulated error caused by multi-step prediction methods. The overall performance of the Tiny-RainNet model performs better than fully connected LSTM, LSTM and convolutional LSTM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Laparoscopic nephrectomy (LN) has become the preferred method for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Adequate preoperative assessment or intraoperative navigation is key to the successful implementation of LN. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical application value of mixed‐reality–assisted surgical navigation (MRASN) in LN. Patients and Methods: A total of 100 patients with stage T1N0M0 renal tumors who underwent laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) or laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN) were prospectively enrolled and divided into a mixed‐reality‐assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy (MRALN) group (n = 50) and a non–mixed‐reality‐assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy (non‐MRALN) group (n = 50). All patients underwent renal contrast‐enhanced CT scans. The CT DICOM data of all patients in the MRALN group were imported into the mixed‐reality (MR) postprocessing workstation and underwent holographic three‐dimensional visualization (V3D) modeling and MR displayed, respectively. We adopted the Likert scale to evaluate the clinical application value of MRASN. The consistency of evaluators was assessed using the Cohen kappa coefficient (k). Results: No significant differences in patient demographic indicators between the MRALN group and the non‐MRALN group (P >.05). The subjective score of MRASN clinical application value in operative plan formulation, intraoperative navigation, remote consultation, teaching guidance, and doctor‐patient communication were higher in the MRASN group than in the non‐MRASN group (all P <.001). There were significantly more patients for whom LPN was successfully implemented in the MRALN group than in the non‐MRALN group (82% vs 46%, P <.001). The MRALN group had a shorter operative time (OT) and warm ischemia time (WIT) and less estimated blood loss (EBL) than the non‐MRALN group (all P <.001). Conclusion: MRASN is helpful for operative plan formulation, intraoperative navigation, remote consultation, teaching guidance, and doctor‐patient communication. MRALN may effectively improve the successful implementation rate of LPN and reduce the OT, WIT, and EBL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wild‐type diffuse lower‐grade glioma (LGG) is usually associated with poor outcome, but there have been disputes over its clinical outcome and classification. We present here a robust gene expression‐based molecular classification of IDH wild‐type diffuse LGG into two subtypes with distinct biological and clinical features. A discovery cohort of 49 IDH wild‐type diffuse LGGs from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) was subjected to clustering and function analysis. Seventy‐three tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used to validate our findings. Consensus clustering of transcriptional data uncovered concordant classification of two robust and prognostically significant subtypes of IDH wild‐type LGG. Subtype 1, associated with poorer outcomes, was characterized by significantly higher immune and cytolytic scores, M2 macrophages, and up‐regulation of immune exhaustion markers, while Subtype 2, which had elevated lymphocytes and plasma cells, showed relatively favorable survival. Somatic alteration analysis revealed that Subtype 1 showed more frequently deleted regions, such as the locus of CDKN2A/CDKN2B, DMRTA1, C9orf53, and MTAP. Furthermore, we developed and validated a five‐gene signature for better application of this acquired stratification. Our data demonstrate the biological and prognostic heterogeneity within IDH wild‐type diffuse LGGs and deepen our molecular understandi‐g of this tumor entity. © 2020 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the effect of solvent‐induced synthetic routes of aluminium pendant oxazoline‐amido‐phenolate complexes. Treatment of ligand precursor L with AlMe3 in a 1:1 ratio in diethyl ether yielded the four‐coordinated complex (LAlMe)2. Reaction of ligand precursor L with AlMe3 in a 1:2 ratio in hexane generated the four‐coordinated complex L(AlMe2)2. A novel transformation mode occurred from L(AlMe2)2 to (LAlMe)2 when using diethyl ether or tetrahydrofuran as solvent. A density functional theory computational study also supports a plausible mechanism. All results were supported by spectroscopic data and in agreement with single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction structural analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid metabolism reprogramming plays important role in cell growth, proliferation, angiogenesis and invasion in cancers. However, the diverse lipid metabolism programmes and prognostic value during glioma progression remain unclear. Here, the lipid metabolism‐related genes were profiled using RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) database. Gene ontology (GO) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) found that glioblastoma (GBM) mainly exhibited enrichment of glycosphingolipid metabolic progress, whereas lower grade gliomas (LGGs) showed enrichment of phosphatidylinositol metabolic progress. According to the differential genes of lipid metabolism between LGG and GBM, we developed a nine‐gene set using Cox proportional hazards model with elastic net penalty, and the CGGA cohort was used for validation data set. Survival analysis revealed that the obtained gene set could differentiate the outcome of low‐ and high‐risk patients in both cohorts. Meanwhile, multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that this signature was a significantly independent prognostic factor in diffuse gliomas. Gene ontology and GSEA showed that high‐risk cases were associated with phenotypes of cell division and immune response. Collectively, our findings provided a new sight on lipid metabolism in diffuse gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in diagnosing orofacial clefts and proposes specific signs for determining the type of cleft.Methods: Pregnant women in whom fetal facial malformations are suspected by ultrasonography (US) underwent 1.5 T MRI. The accuracy of the prenatal US and MRI diagnosis was compared with the postnatal findings.Results: A total of 71 fetuses were included in the final analysis, which comprised of 35 cases of isolated cleft lip, six cases of cleft lip and alveolus, 21 cases of cleft lip and palate, four cases of isolated cleft palate, and five normal fetuses. MRI was more sensitive than US (MRI 100%, US 77.5%; Fisher's exact test: MRI vs US P=0.000). The accuracy of MRI for all types was 100%. Specific signs (Inverted T, L/anti-L, U, and "Notch" signs) were proposed, indicating the normal hard, unilateral cleft, bilateral cleft, and cleft soft palates, respectively, which can facilitate the identification of different types of cleft palates.Conclusion: MRI can accurately diagnose the type of cleft based on typical signs, which can serve as a definite diagnostic modality and an effective supplement of US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary palm oil inclusion levels on growth performance, serum antioxidative status and cytokines in Sanhuang broiler chickens. A total of 208 one‐day‐old female Sanhuang chickens were randomly allocated to four treatment groups with four replicates per group and of 13 birds each for a 42‐day feeding trial. Dietary treatments were basal diet without palm oil (control) and diets containing 2%, 4% or 6% palm oil. During days 22 to 42 and the overall experimental period, chickens fed diets supplemented with 4% and 6% palm oil had a lower average daily feed intake (ADFI) (p = 0.019) and feed to gain ratio (F/G) (p = 0.031). Average daily gain (ADG) tended to be higher (p = 0.089) for palm oil inclusion treatments compared with the control treatment from days 1 to 42. Dietary 2% and 4% palm oil treatments significantly lowed serum malondialdehyde concentration on day 21 when compared to the control and 6% palm oil treatments (p = 0.027). Dietary 6% palm oil treatment significantly reduced the catalase (CAT) activity (p = 0.018) and total antioxidant capacity (T‐AOC) (p = 0.027) in serum in comparison with the control treatment on day 21. No significant differences were observed in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) activities in serum among dietary treatments on day 21. There were no significant differences in T‐AOC, CAT, SOD and GSH‐Px activities among dietary treatments on day 42. Dietary inclusion of 4% and 6% palm oil significantly increased (p = 0.01) serum interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) content, but improved transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) content in serum on both days 21 and 42 (p = 0.032 and 0.022 respectively) as well as IL‐10 content on day 42 (p = 0.022) when compared with the control treatment. Furthermore, dietary inclusion of 6% palm oil significantly reduced tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) content on days 21 and 42 (p = 0.021 and 0.001 respectively) compared with the control treatment. These results suggest that dietary inclusion of 4% and 6% palm oil could improve the growth performance, modulate the balance between pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokines, and show limited effect on antioxidative status in Sanhuang broiler chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article designs a low‐phase noise 8.22 GHz GaN high electron‐mobility transistor (HEMT) oscillator in the WIN 0.25 μm GaN HEMT process. The oscillator uses a HEMT amplifier with a transformer as the feedback network. The transformer uses a 3‐path secondary inductor and a single‐path primary inductor. The GaN oscillator consumes the power 4.328 mW and generates a signal at 8.22 GHz with an output power −11.35 dBm. At 1 MHz frequency offset from the carrier at 8.22 GHz the phase noise is −120.82 dBc/Hz, the figure of merit of the proposed oscillator is −192.76 dBc/Hz. The oscillator chip occupies an area of 2 × 1 mm2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Drawing upon recent advances in machine learning and natural language processing, we introduce new tools that automatically ingest, parse, disambiguate, and build an updated database using U.S. patent data. The tools identify unique inventor, assignee, and location entities mentioned on each granted U.S. patent from 1976 to 2016. We describe data flow, algorithms, user interfaces, descriptive statistics, and a novelty measure based on the first appearance of a word in the patent corpus. We illustrate an automated coinventor network mapping tool and visualize trends in patenting over the last 40 years. Data and documentation can be found at https://console.cloud.google.com/launcher/partners/patents-public-data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica) is a mammal that feeds primarily on ants and termites, which contain the energy‐rich carbohydrate chitin. Chitin is digestible by endogenous enzymes of the typical mammalian gastrointestinal tract, especially the acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase). The objective of this research was to determine whether AMCase activity is expressed in the stomach of M. javanica. The stomach tissues were divided into three parts: the gastric sack, the oxyntic glands, and the pyloric musculature, which were assayed by conventional RT‐PCR, quantitative reverse transcriptase‐coupled PCR (qPCR) and western blot. Information regarding 3D structural models of AMCase was also obtained. In conclusion, acidic mammalian chitinase is highly expressed in the oxyntic glands of the M. javanica species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Iatrogenic radial nerve injury is a great challenge for orthopaedic surgeons who deal with distal‐third diaphyseal humerus fractures. Conventional open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) remains the gold standard, but complications such as nonunion and iatrogenic radial nerve injury still occur. We fixed the fractures with a lateral locking compression plate (LCP) subcutaneously after small incision reduction to protect the radial nerve. This study reports the clinical and radiographic outcomes of our modified method. Methods: Thirty‐eight patients with distal‐third diaphyseal humerus fractures were treated with lateral subcutaneous LCP and small incision reduction at our department between September 2013 and August 2016. There were 33 males and 5 females, with an average age of 30.3 years (range, 17 to 49 years). All the cases were types A or B (AO/OTA classification, type A, 24 cases; type B, 14 cases). Among them, 6 cases were combined with preoperative radial nerve palsy. All patients were diagnosed with closed humeral fractures after X‐ray examination, and had typical upper limb pain, swelling, and movement disorders. The operations were performed by a single surgeons’ team. Union time, range of motion (ROM), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder rating scale, and Mayo Elbow Performance Index (MEPI) scores were assessed to evaluate the postoperative results. Results: All patients were followed up for an average of 11.4 months (range, 3 to 36 months). The average operation time was 75.5 min (range, 60 to 150 min) and average intraoperative radiation exposure was 10.5 s (range, 8 to 18 s). Bony union was achieved in all cases after an average of 16.2 weeks (range, 12 to 25 weeks). No complications such as infection or screw and plate fracture occurred, and no iatrogenic radial nerve injury was observed. According to the UCLA shoulder rating scale, the average score was 33.7 (range, 31 to 35), with 33 excellent (86.8%) and 5 good cases (13.2%). They were all excellent according to their MEPI scores (ranging, 94 to 100, with an average of 97.4). The average operation time for secondary removal of the plate was 15.2 min (range, 10 to 20 min), and no complications such as infection or secondary radial nerve injury occurred. Conclusions: Lateral subcutaneous LCP and small incision reduction may reduce the risk of iatrogenic radial nerve injury significantly in the treatment of distal‐third diaphyseal humerus fractures. It also leads to solid fixation, good postoperative function, and convenient removal of the plate without injuring the radial nerve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, ubiquitous-based telemedicine has become increasingly popular in many countries; this is a new discipline that can break distance barriers in order to improve access to various medical services. Due to recent progress in telecare services, scientists provided those pregnant women with advanced medical care via medical cyber-physical systems (MCPS) to achieve eugenics. The MCPS presents a new level of integrated intelligence that is characterized by interaction and coordination of computing processes with physical processes. In an environment of MCPS, security is one of the key objectives for ubiquitous telemonitoring. In this paper, we take advantage of the cloud characteristics and the high efficiency of MCPS to achieve the desired medical monitoring and also to effectively protect pregnancy-related privacy. We establish a cloud computing platform for all users to access the cloud information at any time in accordance with their own demands. We also used cryptography to design the medical system. Identity-based combined encryption and signature cryptosystem were proposed as the best ways to ensure the security and privacy of healthcare data in the cloud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We identified an autophagy-inducing areca nut (AN) ingredient (AIAI) in the 30-100 kDa fraction of AN extract (ANE 30-100K). This study was to analyze the role of endocytosis in ANE 30-100K-induced autophagy.Methods: We used benzyl alcohol, dynasore, and shRNA of clathrin and dynamin to assess whether ANE 30-100K-induced cytotoxicity and accumulation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)-II were affected in oral (OECM-1) and esophageal (CE81T/VGH) carcinoma cells.Results: Both benzyl alcohol and dynasore effectively reduced ANE 30-100K-induced cytotoxicity and LC3-II accumulation in OECM-1 and CE81T/VGH cells. Downregulated protein expression of both clathrin and dynamin by their shRNA also significantly attenuated ANE 30-100K-induced elevation of LC3-II levels in CE81T/VGH cells.Conclusions: These results indicate that AIAI may be engulfed by cells through clathrin-mediated endocytosis, which promotes the execution of the following autophagy program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem Human chorionic gonadotropin ( hCG) and regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been suggested to play important roles during the initial stage of pregnancy. However, the clinical relevance and mechanism of the effects of hCG on Treg functions in women with recurrent implantation failure ( RIF) remain to be elucidated. Method of study Thirty-four RIF and twenty-three control women were included in the study. Endometrial and peripheral Tregs were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry, respectively. Tregs were generated from naïve CD4+ T cells by stimulation with anti- CD3/ CD28 in the presence or absence of hCG, and the subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry, Western blotting, and qPCR. Results The percentages of endometrial FOXP3+ Tregs and peripheral CCR4+ FOXP3+ Tregs were significantly lower in the women with RIF than in the healthy controls. In addition, the percentages of CCR4+ FOXP3+ Tregs and TGF-β-expressing FOXP3+ Tregs were increased following the stimulation of naïve CD4+ T cells with anti- CD3/ CD28, and these increases were concomitant with AKT and ERK dephosphorylation. Conclusions The results of this study provide novel evidence supporting a role of hCG in regulating the differentiation of peripheral FOXP3+ Tregs. The alterations of circulating Tregs may positively affect the pregnancy outcomes of patients with a history of RIF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer-derived carbon aerogels can be obtained by direct polymerization of monomers under hypersaline conditions using inorganic salts. This allows for significantly increased mechanical robustness and avoiding special drying processes. This concept was realized by conducting the polymerization of phenol-formaldehyde (PF) in the presence of ZnCl2 salt. Afterwards, the simultaneous carbonization and foaming process conveniently converts the PF monolith into a foam-like carbon aerogel. ZnCl2 plays a key role, serving as dehydration agent, foaming agent, and porogen. The carbon aerogels thus obtained are of very low density (25 mg cm−3), high specific surface area (1340 m2 g−1), and have a large micro- and mesopore volume (0.75 cm3 g−1). The carbon aerogels show very promising potential in the separation/extraction of organic pollutants and for energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: Oral cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer death for males and the top cancer in young adult males in Taiwan. Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is a common oral cancer and generally associated with poor prognosis. Global DNA hypomethylation at the 5 position of cytosine (5mC) is a well-known epigenetic feature of cancer. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of the global 5mC content with the tumorigenesis and prognosis of patients with TSCC.Methods: The levels of global 5mC were evaluated by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarray slides of 248 surgically resected TSCC and 202 corresponding tumor adjacent normal (TAN) tissues.Results: We found that the level of 5mC in TSCC (P < 0.001) was significantly decreased as compared to TAN. Among TSCC tissues, decreased levels of 5mC were associated with female gender (P = 0.036). In addition, the global hypomethylation was associated with the poor disease-specific survival in TSCC patients (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.55, P = 0.043), especially for patients in older age group (> 50 years, P = 0.013), with moderate or poor cell differentiation (P = 0.044), early stage of disease (I-II, P = 0.046), small tumor size (T1-T2, P = 0.005), without lymph node involvement (P = 0.041), and ever received postoperative radiotherapy (P = 0.009).Conclusions: Global hypomethylation was an independent biomarker for the development and poor prognosis of TSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel compensation pixel circuit for active-matrix organic light-emitting diode displays, in which the coupling effect mask technology is developed to compensate the threshold voltage of driving thin-film transistor whether it is positive or negative. Twenty discrete compensation pixel circuits have been fabricated by In-Zn-O thin-film transistors process. It is measured that the non-uniformity of the proposed pixel circuit is significantly reduced with an average value of 8.6%. Furthermore, the organic light-emitting diode emission current remains constant during 6 h continuous operation, which also confirms the validity of the proposed pixel circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem To investigate alterations of circulating lymphocyte subsets in women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation ( COS) and survey their relations with pregnancy outcome. Method of Study Fifty-one women were included in this study, of which 24 women were successfully pregnant in the index IVF cycle (the successful pregnancy group, sPG) and 27 women failed to get pregnant (the non-pregnancy group, nPG). Peripheral blood was collected at three time points during COS: on the day before the first GnRHa administration (GnRHa day), on the day before the first Gn administration (Gn day), and on the day before HCG administration (HCG day). The intracellular Th1(IFN-γ and TNF-α)/Th2(IL-10) ratios in circulating Th cells after in vitro phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate stimulation, the NK cytotoxicity, and the percentage of T, B and NK cell subsets were assessed by flow cytometer. A third group consisting of patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF group, n = 18) was also enrolled, and the intracellular Th1/Th2 ratios were assessed at HCG day. Results Intergroup comparison: The ratios of IFN-γ/IL-10 and TNF-α/IL-10 at HCG day were significantly higher ( P < 0.05) in nPG than those in sPG, while no change at GnRHa day or Gn day. Higher ( P < 0.05) ratios of IFN-γ/IL-10 and TNF-α/IL-10 at HCG day were also observed in RIF group compared to those in sPG. No significant change ( P > 0.05) was found in other assessed lymphocyte subsets or in the concentrations of progesterone, estradiol, luteinizing hormone, or follicle-stimulating hormone between the sPG and nPG at the three time points. Intragroup comparison: The ratios of IFN-γ/IL-10 and TNF-α/IL-10 at HCG day were significantly ( P < 0.05) lower than those at GnRHa day in sPG, but not in nPG. No significant ( P > 0.05) difference was found in other assessed parameters or at other time points. Conclusions The ratios of Th1/Th2 were fluctuated during COS, and they might affect the pregnancy outcome of IVF. The circulating NK cytotoxicity and percentage of lymphocyte subsets were relatively stable during the COS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY In this paper, the source-precoder, multiple-relay amplifying matrices, and destination-equalizer joint optimization is investigated in distributed MIMO amplify-and-forward multiple-relay networks with direct source-destination transmission in correlated fading channels. With the use of taking both the direct link and spatial correlation between antenna elements into account, the cooperative transceiver joint design is developed based on the minimum mean-squared error criterion under individual power constraints at the source and multiple-relay nodes. Simulation results demonstrate that the cooperative transceiver joint design architecture for an amplify-and-forward MIMO multiple-relay system outperforms substantially the noncooperative transceiver design techniques on the BER performance under the spatial-correlation channels.Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underglaze copper-red decoration, i.e. the copper colourant used to paint diversified patterns on the surface of a body and then covered by transparent glaze and fired at high temperature in a reductive firing environment, is famous all over the world. However, the red colouration mechanism generated by underglaze copper remains unclear. In particular, the fact that the edges of the red patterns are orange has been ignored in previous research. Here, nondestructive analysis has been carried out on a precious fragment of early underglaze red porcelain using synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence, X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) and reflection spectrometry techniques. The results suggest that the copper content in the red region is higher than that in the orange region, and other colour generation elements do not have obvious content difference, indicating that the colour generation effect of the underglaze red product is related to the copper content. XANES analysis shows that the valence states of copper in the red and orange regions are similar and metal copper contributes to their hues. The results of reflection spectrometry demonstrate that tiny orange hues could be attributed to the Mie scatting effect. Therefore, light-scattering effects should be considered when researching the colouration mechanism of underglaze red. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preclinical and clinical studies demonstrated that the inhibition of cholinergic supersensitivity through nicotinic antagonists and partial agonists can be used successfully to treat depressed patients, especially those who are poor responders to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). In our effort to develop novel antidepressant drugs, LF-3-88 was identified as a potent nicotinic acetylcholine receptor ( nAChR) partial agonist with subnanomolar to nanomolar affinities for β2-containing nAChRs ( α2 β2, α3 β2, α4 β2, and α4 β2*) and superior selectivity away from α3 β4 − ( Ki > 104 nmol/L) and α7- nAChRs ( Ki > 104 nmol/L) as well as 51 other central nervous system (CNS)-related neurotransmitter receptors and transporters. Functional activities at different nAChR subtypes were characterized utilizing 86Rb+ ion efflux assays, two-electrode voltage-clamp (TEVC) recording in oocytes, and whole-cell current recording measurements. In mouse models, administration of LF-3-88 resulted in antidepressive-like behavioral signatures 15 min post injection in the SmartCube® test (5 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.; about 45-min session), decreased immobility in the forced swim test (1-3 mg/kg, i.p.; 1-10 mg/kg, p.o.; 30 min pretreatment, 6-min trial), and decreased latency to approach food in the novelty-suppressed feeding test after 29 days chronic administration once daily (5 mg/kg but not 10 mg/kg, p.o.; 15-min trial). In addition, LF-3-88 exhibited a favorable profile in pharmacokinetic/ADME-Tox (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) assays. This compound was also shown to cause no mortality in wild-type Balb/CJ mice when tested at 300 mg/kg. These results further support the potential of potent and selective nicotinic partial agonists for use in the treatment of depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sparse machine learning has recently emerged as powerful tool to obtain models of high-dimensional data with high degree of interpretability, at low computational cost. The approach has been successfully used in many areas, such as signal and image processing. This article posits that these methods can be extremely useful in the analysis of large collections of text documents, without requiring user expertise in machine learning. Our approach relies on three main ingredients: (i) multidocument text summarization; (ii) comparative summarization of two corpora, both using sparse regression or classification; (iii) sparse principal components and sparse graphical models for unsupervised analysis and visualization of large text corpora. We validate our methods using a corpus of Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) reports and demonstrate that the methods can reveal causal and contributing factors in runway incursions. Furthermore, we show that the methods automatically discover four main tasks that pilots perform during flight, which can aid in further understanding the causal and contributing factors to runway incursions and other drivers for aviation safety incidents. We also provide a comparative study involving other commonly used datasets, and report on the competitiveness of sparse machine learning compared to state-of-the-art methods such as latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA). © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 6: 221-242, 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To produce biodegradable poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) foam by compression molding, high viscosity PBS was prepared with dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as a crosslinking agent and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TMPTMA) as a curing coagent by crosslink method. The influences of various factors on the foaming process and the properties of PBS foams were investigated. The results show that the use of DCP and TMPTMA simultaneously can effectively increase the melt viscosity of PBS. Zinc oxide/zinc stearate was used to reduce the thermal decomposition temperature of the blowing agent azodicarbonamide, which can balance well the vulcanization of PBS and the decomposition of blowing agent. Finally, closed-cell PBS foams with degradable property have been successfully prepared by a traditional chemical compression molding foaming way. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem The efficacy of lymphocyte immunotherapy ( LIT) for unexplained recurrent miscarriage ( uRM) remains indefinite. The objective of the present study is to comprehensively evaluate the alterations in the proportions and functions of peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with uRM before and after LIT. Method of study Seventy-six women with uRM were included in the present study. Immunophenotype of peripheral blood lymphocytes (76 patients), NK cytotoxicity (62 patients) and Th1 ( IFN-γ and TNF-α)/ Th2 ( IL-10) ratios (73 patients) were assessed during the luteal phase before LIT and after the third LIT by the flow cytometer. Results To date, 29 patients had already delivered or been pregnant more than 20 weeks (successful pregnancy group) and 5 patients experienced subsequent abortion (abortion group). The percentages of CD3+ T cell, CD3+ CD4+ T cell and IL-10-producing Th1 cell were significantly increased, whereas the percentages of CD3+ HLA- DR+ T cell, CD56+ CD3− NK cell and CD56dim CD16+ NK cell, the NK cytotoxicity and the ratios of Th1/Th2 were significantly decreased after LIT in the total patients and in the successful pregnant group. The percentages of CD56+ CD3− NK cell and IFN-γ-producing cell, and the ratio of IFN-γ/ IL-10 were significantly lower after LIT in the successful pregnant group compared to those in the abortion group. Conclusions LIT alters the proportions and functions of most peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets. Some of these alterations may be beneficial for pregnancy maintenance, whereas some may be potential markers for predicting subsequent abortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To extend the potential applications of polylactide (PLA) in film blowing, foaming, thermal molding, and so on, the high-viscosity PLA composites with various compositions of carboxyl-ended polyester (CP) and solid epoxy (SE) have been successfully prepared by an in situ reaction blending process. Their rheological properties, crystallization behaviors, tensile properties, and morphologies have been investigated in detail. The results show that the complex viscosity η*, G′, and G″ at low-frequency region and the tensile strength of PLA composites are obviously improved with the addition of CP/SE, but the nonisothermal crystallization of PLA component is hindered. SEM reveals that some microphase separations existed in the as-prepared composites. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]