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In recent years, studies on the user experience have emerged as an indispensable part of any gamification research. The study of user experience enables gamification designers and practitioners to design or adapt their gamification schemes in a more knowledgeable and efficacious manner. However, one popular gamification scheme that has largely remained under-researched in terms of user experience is promotional gamification, which refers to an optional and time-limited gamification program that usually mounts an already gamified platform to increase user incentive and engagement for a short span of time (e.g., during the holiday season). The current study undertakes the first steps necessary to explore users' experiences of working with a promotional gamification scheme in a large-scale online community. To this end, we conduct an extensive qualitative case study of users' experiences with a promotional gamification scheme on the Community Question Answering Website (CQA) of Stack Exchange, called Winter Bash (WB). Notably, the purpose of WB is to operate as a makeshift solution that prevents the decline in user contributions during the holiday season. However, like many other gamification schemes, WB is not devoid of issues, and our research helps identify those issues without overlooking the WB's strengths. Our study denotes not only the first (empirical) typology of users' affective responses to promotional gamification schemes but also the first classification of (de)motivational factors involved in user engagement. At its core, this study comprises two salient parts: (1) a content analysis of user-generated data regarding WB (from the past eight years), and (2) a series of semi-structured interviews with 17 international users who are familiar with WB. We triangulate our findings from (1) and (2) by performing a similar content analysis for two other promotional gamification schemes, namely "Answerathon" (from Travel Meta) and "Discussion Tournament" (from Reddit). Based on the findings of this study, we present certain guidelines for gamification designers and practitioners, enabling them to deploy or adapt their promotional gamification schemes in a more knowledgeable and effective manner. Finally, our work is concluded by highlighting a few novel research opportunities for researchers invested in the fields of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW).

Fibrosis is the main cause of limited range of motion (ROM) of shoulder in patients with frozen shoulder (FS). Overexpression of Interleukin 6 (IL-6) has been correlated with pathogenesis of FS. However, the underlying mechanism remains largely unexplored. In the current study, we focused on isolating synovial fibroblasts of FS and determining the influence of IL-6 as well as PI3K-Akt signaling pathway on the fibrotic process of synovial fibroblasts in FS by using RNA Sequencing (RNA-seq) and other molecular biology techniques. Synovial fibroblasts of FS express more extra cellular matrix (ECM) than that of control. RNA-seq results and bioinformatic analysis indicate that PI3K-Akt signaling pathway play an important role in the fibrotic process of FS, and IL-6 is the most related gene among those related to this process. The expression levels of IL-6 / IL-6R in FS synovial fibroblasts and IL-6 in culture supernatant were both significantly increased. siRNA interference with the expression of IL-6 attenuates the fibrosis level of FS as well as phosphorylation level of Akt. The findings suggest that synovial fibroblasts are key effector cells of fibrosis of FS. Activation of PI3K-Akt pathway can promote fibrosis of synovial fibroblasts in FS. IL-6 is up-regulated in synovial fibroblasts of FS and promoted the FS fibrosis through PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.

Purpose This paper aims to study the effect of isosceles triangle micro concave texture with different parameters on the performance of oil seal to obtain a reasonable combination of parameters. Design/methodology/approach Based on the theory of elastohydrodynamic lubrication, a numerical model is established by coupling the texture parameters of isosceles triangle with concave lip with the two-dimensional average Reynolds equation considering surface roughness. Findings The results show that there is an optimal combination of parameters to improve the performance of the oil seal. When hp = 5µm-6.5 µm, a = 110°−130°, O = 1.4, C = 1.6 mm-2.2 mm, the oil seal with isosceles triangle micro concave texture can show good lubrication characteristics, friction characteristics and sealing ability. Originality/value The model provides a new idea for the design of new oil seal products and provides a theoretical support for the application of surface texture technology in the sealing field in the future.

Background Evidence from previous studies has suggested that ginger extract exhibits the potential as an alternative treatment for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we want to investigate whether ginger supplement improves the clinical manifestation of hospitalized COVID-19 individuals. Methods A total of 227 hospitalized individuals with COVID-19 were randomized to either the control (n = 132) or intervention group (n = 95). The intervention group took ginger supplement orally at the dosage of 1.5 g twice daily, until they were discharged from the hospital. Both groups received the same standard of general medical care during hospitalization, and the length of stay was recorded and compared between groups. Results Among all participants, a significant reduction in hospitalization time (the difference between the treatment and control groups was 2.4 d, 95% CI 1.6–3.2) was detected in response to the ginger supplement. This effect was more pronounced in men, participants aged 60 years or older, and participants with pre-existing medical conditions, relative to their counterparts (P-interactions Conclusion Ginger supplement significantly shortened the length of stay of hospitalized individuals with COVID-19. Trial registration: The trial was registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200059824).

Although BERT has achieved excellent results in various natural language processing tasks, it does not exhibit the same high performance in cross-lingual tasks, especially machine translation tasks. We propose a BERT enhanced neural machine translation (BE-NMT) model to improve the use of the information that is contained in BERT by NMT. The model consists of three aspects: (1) A MASKING strategy is applied to alleviate the knowledge forgetting that is caused by the fine-tuning of BERT on the NMT task.(2) Serial and parallel processing are combined for the multi-attention models when incorporating BERT into the NMT model. (3) The multiple hidden layer outputs of BERT are fused to supplement the missing linguistic information of its final hidden layer output. Experiments demonstrate that our method achieves good improvements in various NMT tasks compared with the baseline model.

Although BERT has achieved excellent results in various natural language processing tasks, it does not exhibit the same high performance in cross-lingual tasks, especially machine translation tasks. We propose a BERT enhanced neural machine translation (BE-NMT) model to improve the use of the information that is contained in BERT by NMT. The model consists of three aspects: (1) A MASKING strategy is applied to alleviate the knowledge forgetting that is caused by the fine-tuning of BERT on the NMT task.(2) Serial and parallel processing are combined for the multi-attention models when incorporating BERT into the NMT model. (3) The multiple hidden layer outputs of BERT are fused to supplement the missing linguistic information of its final hidden layer output. Experiments demonstrate that our method achieves good improvements in various NMT tasks compared with the baseline model.

The absence of patellar ligament will bring about a severe negative impact on daily life. Many reconstruction techniques have been described in adults. However, there is a lack of technical introduction regarding the reconstruction of the patellar ligament in children. The purpose of this study was to report a surgical technique for reconstructing the patellar ligament in children.A retrospective analysis of the clinical data on a patellar ligament (tendon sheath fibroma) patient with allogeneic tendon reconstruction. An 8-year-old child with postoperative recurrence of left patellar ligament tumor was enrolled in our study. Anterior tibialis tendon allograft was used to reconstruct the patellar ligament after complete resection of the patellar ligament for the tumor. The tunnels were constructed on the deep surface of the tibial tubercle and the root of the quadriceps tendon (to decrease the harmful impact on patella development), respectively. The allogeneic tendon was passed through the tunnels above in the shape of "8," and the two ends of the tendon were attached to the bleeding bone bed at the inferior edge of the patella with suture anchors to achieve better bone-tendon healing. During the follow-up, the knee's range of motion and imaging manifestations were recorded.Postoperative pathology suggests chondromesenchymal hamartoma, a rare benign soft tissue tumor different from the previous operation (tendon sheath fibroma). During the 4-year follow-up, the patient's active range of motion of the knee achieved 0° to 120°; and the patient could walk normally without any external help. Physical examinations (the apprehension sign and J sign) showed no ligamentous instability or patellar ligament tenderness. Imaging analysis showed that the ratio length of the patellar ligament to the patella was almost normal. The integrity, continuity, and shape of the allogeneic ligament showed excellent results in MRI. Combined with clinical and imaging findings, allogeneic tendon patellar ligament reconstruction was deemed successful.Allogeneic ligament reconstruction technique can provide a treatment option by reconstructing the extensor mechanism, minimizing the impact on patellar development, and augmenting biological healing for children with the absence of the patellar ligament.

Antibacterial hydrogels have received intensive interest in soft tissue repair, especially for preventing infections associated with impaired wound healing. However, developing an inherent antibacterial hydrogel dressing with antifouling ability without causing secondary damage to repaired tissues has proven to be promising and challenging. In this work, a mussel-inspired zwitterionic sulfobetaine acrylamide hydrogel incorporated with laponite (LAP) nanoplatelets and methacrylamide dopamine (DMA) has been developed for effective wound dressings, where LAP nanoplatelets and DMA endow the hydrogel with enhanced mechanical strength and substance adhesiveness, respectively. Moreover, LAP nanoplatelets could immobilize hydrophobic curcumin to form complexes, realizing the controlled release of curcumin to provide antimicrobial activities. In vitro results showed that hydrogels did not cause obvious cytotoxicity and hemolysis, but they still can well resist bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption. Wound closure and histopathological experiments have been performed in vivo to evaluate the therapeutic effects of the hydrogel by a full-thickness skin defect mouse model, and the results demonstrated that infected wounds could be well closed after being treated with the hydrogel for 15 days. Meanwhile, the full re-epithelialization and total formation of new connective tissues can be clearly observed by histological analysis. Moreover, the hydrogel could be easily removed from recovered tissues without causing secondary damage. Therefore, this antifouling and antimicrobial hydrogel dressing with suitable adhesiveness would provide a new strategy for wound healing without causing secondary damage.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the pumping efficiency of oil seals with different surface textures at different speeds, and the influence of the rotation direction of triangular texture on the sealing performance was further analyzed. Design/methodology/approach Based on the theory of elastohydrodynamic lubrication and the pumping mechanism of rotary shaft seals, establishing a numerical model of mixed lubrication in oil seal sealing area. The model is coupled with the lip surface texture parameters and the two-dimensional average Reynolds equation considering the surface roughness. Findings The results show that the application of lip surface texture technology has obvious influence on the oil film thickness, friction torque and pumping rate of oil seal. The triangular texture has the most significant effect on the increase of pump suction rate. When the rotation direction of triangular texture is 315 degrees, the pumping rate of oil seal is the largest compared with the other seven directions. Originality/value The model has a comprehensive theoretical guidance for the design of new oil seal products, which provides a certain basis for the application of surface texture technology in the field of sealing in the future. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-06-2020-0198/

We demonstrate a novel three-section DFB lasers with high output power and good single-mode yield. The fabricated laser exhibited a stable single-mode operation with the output power ~90mW, SMSR over 55dB, and RIN ~-155 dB/Hz.

The environmental pollution caused by silkworm (Bombyx mori) excrement is prominent, and rich in refractory cellulose is the bottleneck restricting the efficient recycling of silkworm excrement. This study was performed to investigate the effects of housefly larvae vermicomposting on the biodegradation of cellulose in silkworm excrement. After six days, a 58.90% reduction of cellulose content in treatment groups was observed, which was significantly higher than 11.5% of the control groups without housefly larvae. Three cellulose-degrading bacterial strains were isolated from silkworm excrement, which were identified as Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Bacillus subtilis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. These three bacterial stains had a high cellulose degradation index (HC value ranged to between 1.86 and 5.97 and FPase ranged from 5.07 U/mL to 7.31 U/mL). It was found that housefly larvae increased the abundance of cellulose-degrading bacterial genus (Bacillus and Pseudomonas) by regulating the external environmental conditions (temperature and pH). Carbohydrate metabolism was the bacterial communities' primary function during vermicomposting based on the PICRUSt. The results of Tax4Fun indicated that the abundance of endo-β-1,4-glucanase and exo-β-1,4-glucanase increased rapidly and maintained at a higher level in silkworm excrement due to the addition of housefly larvae, which contributed to the accelerated degradation of cellulose in silkworm excrement. The finding of this investigation showed that housefly larvae can significantly accelerate the degradation of cellulose in silkworm excrement by increasing the abundance of cellulose-degrading bacterial genera and cellulase.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate (1) the association of blood pressure (BP) profiles and glucose profiles with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and (2) the interaction between BP profiles and glucose profiles in DR in a Chinese sample. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 984 DR patients. Demographic data, BP profiles, glucose profiles, renal function parameters, and medical histories were recorded. All the participants underwent testing for DR with digital nonmydriatic fundus photography and image analysis, using a standardized protocol. A multiple variable logistic regression (MLR) was employed to detect the associations and interactions of BP profiles and glucose profiles with DR. Results: Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were significantly correlated with DR ([Formula: see text] for SBP, [Formula: see text]; [Formula: see text] for HbA1c, [Formula: see text]). An interaction between SBP and HbA1c was detected in a multiple logistic regression (MLR) model after adjustment for relevant potential confounders ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]). Conclusion: The present study suggested that SBP and HbA1c were independently and significantly associated with DR and that SBP interacted with HbA1c to impact on DR.

Affected by soil moisture and groundwater table, Mongolian pine roots displayed an hourglass-type distribution characteristic, the high roots density distributed in the shallow and deep layers on sand soil. Mongolian pine (Pinussylvestris var.mongolica) is widely planted in arid and semiarid sandy land and serves as an important wind control and sand fixation species. In order to understand the effects of soil moisture and groundwater table on root distribution characteristics of Mongolian pine, we examined root distribution characteristics and determined the soil moisture and groundwater table under Mongolian pine plantations. The results indicated that the vertical distribution of Mongolian pine roots displayed an hourglass-type characteristic that indicated high density in the shallow (5–35 cm) and deep (85–145 cm) layers, but a low density in the middle layer (35–85 cm). Fine roots, which have a strong relationship with water utilization, displayed typical hourglass-type distribution characteristics. The proportion of fine roots in shallow soil layers (5–35 cm), middle layers (35–85 cm) and deep layers (85–145 cm) was 44.67%, 11.8% and 43.53%, respectively. Corresponding to root distribution characteristic, the shallow (0–40 cm) layer and the deep (90–150 cm) layer have a high soil water content than the middle layer. From May to October, the depth of groundwater table in the Mongolian pine plantation showed an increasing trend, from 185 to 291 cm, and the average groundwater table depth was 251 cm. The average height of capillary fringe above the groundwater table was 75.27 cm. Rainfall and groundwater have effects on the soil water content in a Mongolian pine plantation, and that determines the root distribution characteristics of Mongolian pine. The deep root system of Mongolian pine was effectively supplemented by groundwater, which is a necessary condition to maintain Mongolian pine survival and growth in the western Horqin Sandy Land.

The additive manufacturing technique of micro-stereolithography (µSL) is applied to fabricate alkaline niobate (K0.48Na0.52NbO3, KNN) based lead-free piezoceramics. Complex KNN-based piezoceramic green parts with fine dimensional characteristics, such as a piezoceramic transducer array and a hollow hemisphere, have been printed. The two-step debinding and sintering processes are employed to obtain crack-free dense KNN ceramics with complex shapes. These printed KNN ceramics exhibit superior piezoelectric and ferroelectric performance (er = 2150, d33 = 170 pC/N, Pr = 12.1 μC/cm2, EC = 6.1 kV/cm, and TC = 230 °C), which are comparable to those of KNN piezoceramics made by traditional methods. These results suggest that the µSL technique may serve as an alternative method to manufacture KNN lead-free piezoceramic components, especially for the application with complex architectures.

Objective: We report on the association between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution and diabetes mellitus (DM) and provide epidemiological evidence for the theory of correlation between constitution and disease.Methods: A total of 3748 participants were used for data analysis, and all study subjects underwent a complete clinical baseline characteristics evaluation to collect related information. DM was determined by an oral glucose tolerance test. Multiple logistic regression (MLR) models were employed to detect the associations.Results: In total, 16.84% of the participants had DM in the total sample. Significant differences were found in age, height, weight, and heart rate, between the DM and non-DM groups. Univariate linear regression analyses indicated that the variables Qi_Deficient and Yang_Deficient were significantly associated with the outcome, and a negative correlation between TCM constitution and DM was found. After adjustment for relevant potential confounding factors, the MLR detected significant associations between both the Qi_Deficient and Yang_Deficient variables and DM ([Formula: see text]-value [Formula: see text] 0.015 for Qi_Deficient and [Formula: see text]-value [Formula: see text] for Yang_Deficient). In Qi_Deficient and Yin_Deficient participants, the odds ratios (ORs) for DM were 0.778 and 0.646, respectively.Conclusion: Qi_Deficient and Yang_Deficient were significantly associated with DM. These findings may provide insights for clinical practice for the prevention and diagnosis of DM.

In recent years, connected automated vehicles (CAVs) have attracted much attention, and the coordination strategy of CAVs in isolated intersections has been widely discussed. However, these algorithms for isolated intersections cannot be directly applied in a multi-intersection road network (MiRN). The coordination strategy in the MiRN requires further investigation. This paper proposes a two-tier strategy for CAV coordination in the MiRN. First, we analyze the coordination problem in isolated intersections and formulate it as a mixed-integer programming problem. Then, for the MiRN, we propose a consensus prediction method to estimate the travel time for CAVs with different paths. Finally, a novel coordination approach is given, showing how to determine the optimal path for CAVs. The experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed strategy under various traffic flow rates. Compared with the fixed signal time assignment method and the actuated signal time assignment method, our method reduces the average travel time by about 74–83% under different flow rates. We also evaluate the impact of parameters on the strategy’s performance and provide some suggestions for setting these parameters.

Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) is a severe adverse drug reaction, and the main reason for CIT is the destruction of megakaryocytes (MKs, precursor cells of platelet) in bone marrow by chemotherapy. Peanut skin, the seed coat of Arachis hypogaea L., is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used to treat thrombocytopenia. However, its active compounds and the mechanisms remain unclear.This study aims to clarify the active compounds of peanut skin to exhibit thrombogenic effects against CIT and their underlying mechanisms in vitro and in vivo.The bioassay-guided isolation based on the proliferation of MKs was used to explore the possible platelet-enhancing ingredients in peanut skin. HSCCC technique coupled with preparative HPLC was used to separate the active compounds. Dami cells and carboplatin-treated mice model were used to evaluate the thrombogenic effects of PS-1. Network pharmacology, molecular docking, dynamics simulation studies, kinase activity, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), isothermal dose-response fingerprint (ITDRFProanthocyanidin A1 (PS-1) and its stereoisomers (PS-2-4) were demonstrated to promote the proliferation of MKs (Dami cells), especially PS-1 (ECProanthocyanins (PS-1-4) derived from peanut skin were first clarified as platelet-enhancing ingredients to improve CIT. The underlying mechanism of PS-1 was proved to promote the proliferation and differentiation of MKs via JAK2/STAT3 pathway both in vitro and in vivo.

It has been reported that glutamate metabotropic receptor 8 (GRM8) is closely implicated in the progression of human neuroblastoma, lung cancer, and glioma, but its role in breast cancer remains unknown. Thus, the present study was performed to uncover it. Immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR (RT-PCR), and western blotting experiments were performed to test GRM8 expression levels in tissues and cells. Cell functions were assessed by Cell Count Kit 8 (CCK-8), flow cytometry, wound healing, transwell chambers, and in vivo xenotransplantation experiments. The relationship between miR-33a-5p and GRM8 was evaluated by luciferase gene reporter and western blotting assay. The results showed that GRM8 expression was increased in breast cancer tissues and cells, which was closely associated with lower overall survival rate. Ectopic expression of GRM8 significantly enhanced cell growth, migration, and invasion and tumorigenesis and repressed cell apoptosis. In addition, GRM8 was under the negative regulation of miR-33a-5p, which was downregulated in breast cancer tissues and served as a tumor suppressor. Moreover, overexpression of GRM8 abrogated the inhibitive role of miR-33a-5p played in breast cancer. Collectively, this study reveals that GRM8 functions as an oncogene in breast cancer and is regulated by miR-33a-5p.

Objective To investigate the Young's modulus value of infraspinatus tendons using shear wave elastography (SWE) technique in normal adults, and to analyze the influence of gender, postures, exercise, and dominant side on Young's modulus of infraspinatus tendons. Methods This is a prospective cross‐sectional study. From January 2019 to July 2020, 14 healthy subjects were identified, including seven males and seven females aged between 24 to 34, with a mean age of 27.67 ± 3.08 years. The Young's modulus of their infraspinatus tendons was measured by two operators using SWE in neutral and maximum external rotation positions of both sides before exercise and the dominant side after exercise. The Young's modulus values in different sexes, different postures, before vs after exercise, and dominant vs non‐dominant side were statistically analyzed. Results All 14 subjects completed the data collection process. The mean Young's modulus values of infraspinatus tendon for dominant sides in neutral position were 33.04 ± 3.01 kPa for males and 28.76 ± 3.09 kPa for females. And for non‐dominant sides in the neutral position, the values were 33.02 ± 2.38 kPa for males and 28.86 ± 2.47 kPa for females. In the maximum external rotation position, the values for dominant sides were 50.19 ± 4.86 kPa for males and 42.79 ± 4.44 kPa for females, and for non‐dominant sides were 50.95 ± 3.24 kPa for males and 42.42 ± 3.66 kPa for females. After exercise, the mean Young's modulus values of infraspinatus tendon for dominant sides in neutral position were 54.56 ± 3.76 kPa for males and 46.66 ± 5.99 kPa for females. And for the maximum external rotation position, the values were 59.13 ± 3.78 kPa for males and 54.49 ± 5.67 kPa for females. The Young's modulus of infraspinatus tendon in the neutral and maximum external rotation positions showed statistically significant differences in males and females, as well as before and after exercise (P 0.05). Intergroup reliability between both operators was excellent (ICC > 0.85). Conclusion There are gender‐related differences and post‐exercise increase in Young's modulus, yet such a difference cannot be witnessed between the dominant and non‐dominant sides., The Young's modulus value of normal adults' infraspinatus tendons can be obtained with SWE. Our study showed no significant difference in hardness of infraspinatus tendons between the dominant side and the non‐dominant side. The hardness increases significantly after exercise, and there is a hardness difference between men and women.

The development of artificial bone substitutes mimicking the extracellular matrix is a promising strategy for bone repair and regeneration. However, the preparation of materials tailored to feature sufficient mechanical properties, appropriate degradation rates, and favorable osteoinductivity continues to be a great challenge. Hydrogels from biopolymers have emerged as viable substitutes in bone regeneration, but they often suffer from insufficient mechanical strength and rapid degradation rate, critically limiting their clinical applicability. Here, we demonstrate that inorganic/biopolymer hybrid hydrogels formed through photo-cross-linking of methacrylated gelatin (Gel) and octamethacrylated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OMAPOSS) nanocages can be tailored to possess high mechanical strength, more appropriate degradation rate, and provide biological activity to meet tissue growth demands outperforming simple Gel hydrogels without POSS. Moreover, Gel-POSS hybrid hydrogels effectively promote mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) attachment, spreading, and proliferation, and, critically enhance the osteogenesis of MSCs as evidenced by improved bone repair in a rat calvarial defect model. Hence, such POSS-enhanced synthetically tailored hybrid hydrogels represent a promising concept for long-term bone tissue regeneration.

We experimentally demonstrated two-section high power 1.27-μm single-mode DFB lasers with high single-mode yield for photonic-integration. The fabricated laser exhibited a stable single-mode operation with the output power above 70-mW and slope efficiency over 0.42-mW/mA.

Directly modulated active-distributed-reflector distributed feedback (ADR-DFB) laser integrated with an easy-to-fabricate spot size converter (SSC) is demonstrated, which realizes 3-dB modulation bandwidth ~19 GHz and nearly spherical mode spot.

Recently, relaxor ferroelectric thin-film capacitors have attracted considerable attention for energy storage applications since their slim-type polarization–electric field hysteresis loops can yield large recoverable energy density ( Wrec) and high efficiency ( η). In this work, we study the effects of buffer layers on energy storage properties of 0.93Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.07PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) thin-film capacitors with a 5 nm-thick SrTiO3 (STO) and LaAlO3 (LAO) films. The energy storage properties of Pt/PMN-PT/SrRuO3 (SRO) capacitors are found to be significantly changed by incorporating the STO or LAO buffer layer at the top Pt/PMN-PT interface, while inserting the buffer layer at bottom PMN-PT/SRO interface shows negligible effects on the electrical properties. Specifically, with the STO buffering, the breakdown field is dramatically increased in the Pt/STO/PMN-PT/SRO capacitor due to the existence of an internal field in the STO, which prevents the growth of electrical trees from the bottom SRO to the top Pt electrode, and a large Wrec of ∼48.91 J/cm3, more than three times of that of the PMN-PT capacitor, is achieved. However, buffered by the LAO, the Pt/LAO/PMN-PT/SRO capacitor exhibits a reduced relaxor character, which may be ascribed to a pinning effect of nanodomains associated with the charged LAO/PMN-PT interface. As a result, both Wrec and η are significantly lowered, compared to the non-buffered PMN-PT capacitor. These results provide physical insights into the modulation of relaxor and dielectric behaviors by designing the characteristics of buffer layers, demonstrating a way for enhancing energy storage properties in thin-film capacitors.

Ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) are promising candidates for the next-generation memory technologies. The electroresistance mechanism, however, has been reported not only from the polarization-modulation of barrier profiles. Electrical migration of charged defects has also been observed as a possible origin for the resistive switching. Here, we achieve two kinds of electroresistance behaviors in Pt/Pb(Zr,Ti)O3/(La,Sr)MnO3 tunnel junctions by introducing oxygen vacancies in the Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 barrier. The oxygen vacancies are observed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and their effects on the widely adopted piezoresponse force microscopy characterizations of ultrathin ferroelectric films have been analyzed by AC voltage-dependent hysteresis loops. For the Pt/Pb(Zr,Ti)O3/(La,Sr)MnO3 device that is modulated by the polarization reversal, a counterclockwise resistance–voltage ( R– V) relationship is observed due to the tunneling between high and low barriers, whereas the R– V hysteresis loop is changed to clockwise with the existence of oxygen vacancies, in which conductive filaments are formed in the Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 barrier. However, such an ionic electroresistance is not stable during repetitive switching. Further investigation on memristive behaviors is, thus, performed on the ferroelectric-controlled Pt/Pb(Zr,Ti)O3/(La,Sr)MnO3 tunnel junctions. An excellent linearity is achieved in continuous resistance change owing to the nucleation-limited-switching mode of domain switching in the Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 barrier, giving rise to spike-timing-dependent plasticity behaviors for the Hebbian rule of learning and memory. These results provide insight into the distinguishing of ferroelectric and ionic contributions in electroresistance of FTJ devices, facilitating deep understanding of nonvolatile resistive memories.

The interface states and reliability of 4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) with thermal gate oxides have been researched widely. Several reports have researched the gate oxide process itself, but the effects of subsequent processes should not be ignored. In this paper, the reliability of thermal gate oxide films followed by polysilicon gate (poly-gate) process, which are widely used in MOSFET manufacture, and Al gates were compared. The poly-gate samples markedly affected the performance measured by time-zero dielectric breakdown and time-dependent dielectric breakdown methods because the phosphorus content diffused during poly-gate formatting; this was especially advantageous in reducing leakage current and improving the charge-to-breakdown (Q BD). After electronic characteristics measurements, scanning electron microscopy cross-sections were also used to analyze the breakdown mechanism. We observed an intermediate layer between the Al gate and the oxide that may cause the barrier height to be smaller than that of the poly-gate. The Al work function and polysilicon Fermi level determine the gate leakage currents and the resultant gate oxide reliability, whereas the Al2O3 gate sample has a smaller work function offset (0.7 eV) than ideal Al gate and poly-gate samples. The results imply that the reliability of the Al gate samples may be an intrinsic problem.

Background: Rotator cuff tear is one of the most common diseases in orthopedics, which seriously affects the quality of patients’ lives. And the arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff has recently become more and more popular. Systematic rehabilitation makes great significance for improving the prognosis of postoperative patients. Yet, the traditional outpatient rehabilitation is hard to popularize in developing countries like China due to the limitation of traffic and geography. Given this, we plan to develop a telerehabilitation system to facilitate doctors' remote guidance on patients' rehabilitation.Methods/design: Our study is a single-center, prospective randomized controlled trial. 124 patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair will be recruited for the study. They will be randomly divided into 2 groups (62 cases in each group) based on the stratification factors of the operator, operation and preoperative diagnosis. The patients in the control group will get clinic and booklet based rehabilitation treatment after operation. However, patients in the experimental group will receive mobile phone and motion-capture device based programs for telerehabilitation after surgery. The primary outcome will be measured by the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES). Secondary outcomes include the Range of motion (ROM), Visual Analogue Scales (VAS), EuroQol-5 Dimension health questionnaire (EQ-5D), University of California at Los Angeles（UCLA）and the retear rate.Discussion: We hypothesize that patients who utilized mobile phone and motion-capture device based telerehabilitation will benefit more in the range of motion and shoulder function than those who received outpatient and manual based rehabilitation. If the hypothesize was confirmed, we could facilitate telerehabilitation for doctors and overcome the geographical and traffic limitations of traditional clinical based rehabilitation.Trial registration: ChiCTR.org.cn, ChiCTR2000030150, Registered on 24 February 2020

Supramolecular hydrogels based on host-guest interactions have drawn considerable attention due to their unique properties and promising applications. However, it is still a great challenge to construct supramolecular hydrogels that simultaneously achieve mechanical strength, processability, and biocompatibility. Herein, we present a rational design of a "supramolecular crosslinker" approach to fabricate a new host-guest hydrogel with super-stretchability, self-healing, and injectable properties and excellent biocompatibility. The star-shaped supramolecular crosslinker is formed by the host-guest interactions between octa-cyclodextrin polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OCDPOSS) and acrylamide-modified adamantane (Ad-AAm). Supramolecular hydrogels can be briefly prepared by UV-initiated copolymerization of acrylamide and supramolecular crosslinkers. Supramolecular hydrogels present impressive mechanical properties due to rigid POSS as the core of the supramolecular crosslinker. Moreover, multivalent host-guest interactions improve the ductility, rapid self-healing and injectable ability of these hydrogels. Simultaneously, these supramolecular hydrogels possess good biocompatibility and can be utilized as carriers for the sustained release of hydrophobic drugs. Thus, such supramolecular hydrogels will have potential applications for tissue engineering and drug delivery systems.

Many approaches have been made toward the development of scaffolds with good biocompatibility and appreciable physicochemical properties to facilitate stem cell adhesion, osteogenic differentiation, and vascularization in tissue engineering. Nowadays, vascularization is a main bottleneck in tissue engineering strategies that is needed to be overcome and developed. Herein, we construct a series of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-modified porous gelatin hydrogels with different POSS concentrations from 0 to 5 wt %, defined as X% POSS hydrogels (X = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) to support vascularized bone repair. The introduction of POSS into gelatin effectively promoted adhesive protein adsorption and integrin α5β1 expression, subsequently leading to enhanced adhesion of both rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In vitro experiments further demonstrated that POSS-containing hybrid hydrogels more effectively support the angiogenic tube and network formation in HUVECs than the 0% POSS hydrogel. Besides, POSS-containing hybrid hydrogels showed desirable performance as a sustained release system of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), and they further accelerated vascular network establishment and the formation of a new bone in defect regions. When the hydrogels were implanted into critical-sized rat calvarial defects in vivo, the VEGF/BMP-2-coupled 3% POSS group gained a higher blood vessel volume in the bone defect regions (5.49 ± 0.35 mm3) than the 3% POSS group (3.12 ± 0.20 mm3) and the 0% POSS group (1.57 ± 0.25 mm3), suggesting that the 3% POSS hydrogel with VEGF/BMP-2 would expedite vascularization. Based on these evaluations, our results indicated that the POSS-incorporated gelatin hydrogel would provide a promising bone graft scheme in potential clinical application of large bone defect repair.

To investigate (1) whether measurement of the critical shoulder angle (CSA) is still reliable in some nonstandard anteroposterior radiographs; and (2) whether the ratio of the transverse to longitudinal diameter of the glenoid projection (RTL) could be used to determine the reliability of the CSA in nonstandard anteroposterior radiographs.The authors analyzed radiology records from 2017 to 2019 for patients with computed tomography (CT) scans of the shoulder. According to the Suter-Henninger classification system, each CT scan underwent 3-dimensional (3D) reconstructions to obtain 8 digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs), including 1 type A1 film and 7 type D1 films with different rotation angles. CSA and RTL were measured on all films, and 2 blinded reviewers evaluated DRRs. The relationship between RTL and CSA was determined by Pearson correlation test. The threshold value was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses using RTL as predictors and defined reliable CSA as criterion in the logistic regression. Intra- and inter-rater reliability were assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Discriminative capacity was calculated with ROC analyses and area under the curve (AUC). An optimal measurement cutoff with resultant sensitivity and specificity was calculated.A total of 86 patients were included, mean age 40.70 ± 18.25 years, 19 of whom had rotator cuff tears (RCTs) and 67 without RCTs. Spearman's correlation test revealed that the deviation of CSA was positively correlated with RTL, correlation coefficient 0.544 (P.001) in all patients and 0.686 (P .001) only in patients with RCTs. ROC analysis of all patients showed that the AUC of the RTL was 0.90, and the optimal cutoff point was 0.25 (sensitivity 88%, specificity 87%). ROC analysis only of patients with RCTs showed that the AUC of the RTL was 0.95, and the optimal cutoff point was 0.22 (sensitivity 95%, specificity 92%).The ratio of the transverse to longitudinal diameter of the glenoid projection (RTL) is of good predictive value in defining the reliability of the CSA in malposition films. Based on the results, the CSA can be considered reliable if its RTL is0.25.III, retrospective cohort study investigating a diagnostic test.

Insufficient oxygen availability in tissue engineering is one of the major factors for the failure of clinical transplantation. One potential strategy to conquer this limitation is the fabrication of spontaneous and continuous oxygen supplying scaffolds for in situ tissue regeneration. In this work, a versatile fluorine-incorporating hydrogel is designed which can not only timely and continuously supply oxygen for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to overcome deficient oxygen before vascularization in scaffolds, but can present a higher antibacterial capability to avoid bacterial infections. The HAp@PDA-F nanoparticles are first prepared and then incorporated with the quaternized and methacrylated chitosan forming CS/HAp@PDA-F by photo-crosslinking. In vitro results indicate that CS/HAp@PDA-F hydrogel has outstanding mechanical performance, moreover, it also has the oxygen-carrying ability to prolong survival ability, enhance proliferation activity, and preserve osteogenic differentiation potency and promote osteogenic-related genes expression of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) under hypoxic environment. Furthermore, the CS/HAp@PDA-F hydrogel can inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, providing a good antibacterial activity. Additionally, in vivo experiments demonstrate higher bone volume and bone mineral density, and more new bone tissue generation in CS/HAp@PDA-F group than in CS/HAp@PDA group. These results indicate that the rational design of fluorinated hydrogel possesses a good clinical application prospect for bone regeneration.

“Traditional Chinese Medicine” (TCM; Zhong Yi) is a concept that keeps evolving with the change of times and clinical practice. From the aspect of the category of modern science, there were not appropriate boundaries set for the literature, history and philosophy in the realm of Chinese traditional academics. Thanks to the eastward spread of Western culture and science, the category of disciplines in modern times then came into being. In order to be listed in the system of modern disciplines, traditional disciplines have always been trying to redefine themselves, and “TCM,” of course, is involved. Considering the fact that “TCM” is now an academic discipline in the field of medicine, here we reviewed not only the transition of the concept of “TCM” from a primitive and then a hierarchical medical term to a relatively full-fledged one that is, to some extent, opposite to the concept of Western Medicine or modern medicine, from a narrow medical term that is peculiar to Han Medicine to a broad one that pertains to Han Medicine along with ethnic traditional medicines in China, but also the transition of the development from merely highlighting TCM and then equally emphasizing TCM together with modern medicine to comprehensively converging TCM, modern medicine and Integrative Medicine, which contributes to the evolution from the dominance of TCM, the coexistence of TCM and modern medicine, the confluence of TCM and modern medicine, and finally to the integration of TCM and modern medicine. In addition, we introduced pioneering medical concepts, epistemology and methodology such as Chinese Traditional Medicine (CTM; Da Zhong Yi), Trichotomy (San Fen Fa), Five Key Elements (Wu Yao Su) and Three-dimensional Integration (San Rong He), proposed the potential future direction of medicine, stressed the importance of taking the essence and discarding the dregs in TCM, and appreciated those who are able to perceive similarities in differences. We looked forward to reconstructing the system of TCM by the integration of the part that is unconsciously ahead of modern medicine and that has already reached consensus with modern medicine from all the traditional medicines in China, which would promise a brand new system of medicine harmoniously integrating traditional medicine and modern medicine.

The work confirms the flat-band voltage (VFB) and SiC/SiO2 interface state density (Dit) characteristics 4H-of the SiC MOS capacitors, the oxide was obtained by performing a conventional thermal dry oxidation process on a 4H-SiC Si-face (0001) epi-wafer followed by Ar post-oxidation-annealing (POA). Poly gate and Al gate capacitors are formed on the same wafer and phosphorus is implanted into polysilicon to form the poly gate electrode. We found that the positive VFB shift is remarkable in the Al gate sample, the △VFB is about 1.4 V, but the shift is well suppressed in the Poly gate sample(△VFB ≈ −0.05 V), which suggests that the poly gate process reduce the instability of VFB. To some extent P diffusion from the Poly gate process plays an important role in compensating the charge trapping sites. The Dit of the Poly gate sample is also shown to be lower than the Al gate sample, particularly in the area of Ec-E > 0.4 eV. In addition, we confirmed that the Dit has a temperature dependence and thus is electrically active at elevated temperatures. Finally, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) measurements were carried out to investigate the differences between the Poly gate and Al gate samples. The results imply that there is a correlation between the increase in the phosphorus density at the interface and the observed reduction in Dit.

HA/GO hydrogels were prepared by methacrylated GO (MeGO) and methacrylated HA (MeHA) via an in-situ free radical polymerization, and then a series of HA/GO hydrogels with highly porous structure were obtained. All hydrogels exhibited excellent water absorption ability. Additionally, the elastic moduli of hydrogels were clearly enhanced by GO. CD34 + cells cultured on HA/GO-0.05 hydrogel showed higher expansion of CD34 + cells and CD34 + CD38 − cells compared to the other three hydrogels. Therefore, HA/GO-0.05 hydrogels have a potential for clinical-applied ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells.

Introduction Humans have individual characteristics, and the TCM constitution reflects their inherent nature. Little is known in the general population about the relationship between TCM constitutions and metabolic syndrome (MetS). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the associations between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) body constitutions and MetS. Methods This was a large-scale, community-based, cross-sectional study of 3748 participants. TCM constitution and the diagnosis of MetS were based on a body constitution questionnaire (BCQ) and a self-reported medical history, respectively. Univariate and multivariable logistic regressions (MLR) were applied to assess the strength of the associations. Results Univariate analysis showed that Yang-deficiency was significantly associated with MetS (P Conclusion Our observations suggest that Yang-deficiency constitution is closely associated with MetS and provides evidence for the hypothesis that an unbalanced constitution is closely related to MetS in terms of occurrence, development, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

For studying the strata behavior due to multi-slicing top coal caving longwall mining along-the-strike direction in steeply dipping extra thick coal seams, the shield support pressures of the upper and lower slices of panel 37220 in Dongxia Coal Mine were monitored using the KJ513 dynamic monitoring system. The set up rooms adopted the “horizontal line-arc segment-inclined line” form and used different types of shield supports. The results show that the strata pressure of upper slice panel 37220-1 changed slightly along the strike direction, while along the dip direction it exhibited strong to weak pressure from bottom to top. The first weighting interval of lower slice panel 37220-2 was about 60.8 m, and the average periodic weighting interval were about 22.6 m. The strata behavior of panel 37220-2 exhibited a spatio-temporal characteristic in that periodic weighting occurred first in the middle-upper part, followed by the middle and upper parts, arc segment, and finally the lower part. During the periodic weighting, the weighting interval and intensity also exhibited strong space characteristics. The average dynamic load coefficient was 1.48 and the maximum lateral load of the side shield was 20–25 MPa. Keywords: Monitoring, Steeply dipping seam, Slicing, Longwall along the strike, Fully mechanized top-caving face, Strata behavior

Bone tissue engineering based on stem cells, growth factors and bioactive scaffolds presents an appealing but challenging approach for rehabilitation of patients with bone defects. A versatile system with the capability for easy operation and precise protein delivery in specific locations is attractive for enhancing bone regeneration. Here, we develop a non-invasive delivery system based on injectable and self-healing nanocomposite hydrogels for sustained protein release, which has the potential to improve the current orthopedic strategy. Specifically, LAPONITE® (LAP) nanoplatelets are able to accelerate the gelation process through hydrogen bonds with polysaccharide matrices, endowing hydrogels with superior mechanical and rheological behaviors, along with better injectability and self-healing ability. Attractively, the strong static binding between LAP nanoplatelets and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) can form stable LAP@BMP-2 complexes. The results indicate that the complexes effectively preserve the intrinsic bioactivity of BMP-2 and prolong the release period for more than four weeks. Moreover, hydrogels incorporating with the LAP@BMP-2 complexes synergistically boost cell spreading, proliferation activity and osteogenesis, both in vitro and in vivo, compared with LAP or BMP-2 alone. Overall, this study proposes a valid platform for protein therapeutics and non-invasive bone repair.

BACKGROUND The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES) questionnaire is an effective tool for evaluating shoulder joint function. The development and usage of a mobile version of the ASES questionnaire has the potential to save time, money, and effort. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to assess the equivalence between the paper and mobile versions of the ASES questionnaire and their acceptability among patients. METHODS The paper and mobile versions of the ASES questionnaire were used to evaluate the shoulder joint function of 50 patients with shoulder pain. This study included patients from the shoulder clinic of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman method were used to evaluate the agreement (reliability) of the scores obtained by the two methods (paper versus mobile). RESULTS Of the 50 patients recruited from March 2018 to May 2019, 46 (92%) completed the study. There was a high agreement between the paper and mobile versions of the ASES questionnaire (ICC=0.979, 95% CI 0.943-0.987; P CONCLUSIONS Our study shows that the mobile version of the ASES questionnaire is comparable to the paper version, and has a higher patient preference. This could prove to be a useful tool for epidemiological studies and patient follow-up over longer periods of time.