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BACKGROUND: Due to low friction, passive mechanical prostheses move compliantly followed by the stump and are used widely. Advanced semi-active prostheses can both move passively like passive prostheses and provide active torque under specific conditions. However, the current mechanical-hydraulic coupling driven semi-active prostheses, in order to meet the low passive friction requirements with a low active transmission ratio, lead to a significant problem of insufficient active torque. OBJECTIVE: A hybrid active and passive prosthesis was developed to solve the incompatibility problem of low passive friction and high active driving torque of semi-active prostheses. METHODS: The mechanical structure and control strategy of the prosthesis were demonstrated. The performance of the prosthesis was tested by bench and human tests. RESULTS: Passive subsystem damping adjustment ranges from 0.4 N⋅(mm/s)-1 to 300 N⋅(mm/s)-1. The switching time between the damping and the active subsystem is 32 ± 2 ms. The continuous active torque output is more than 24 Nm. In level walking, the peak torque is about 28 Nm. CONCLUSION: The proposed active-passive hybrid hydraulic prosthesis could satisfy both low passive friction and high active actuation.

Building microrenovation refers to the building renewal method implemented through partial demolition, repair, preservation, function replacement, renovation, improvement, protection, decoration, and activation under the premise of maintaining the current construction pattern basically unchanged. City information modeling (CIM) technology provides a three-dimensional space floor with all elements for refined city governance and smart city construction; the data layers of smart sensor network (SSN) technology can aggregate multisource data by docking with facility layers and can classify integrated data resources. On the basis of summarizing and analyzing the previous research results, this study expounded the research status and significance of data analysis of building microrenovation, elaborated the development background, current status, and future outlooks of CIM and SSN, introduced the methods and principles of the aggregation and segmentation of information resources and the aggregation and interconnection of multisource data, performed the feature extraction and data storage of the original buildings, conducted the scheme design and information classification of microrenovation, implemented the data extraction and model construction of building microrenovation based on CIM and SSN, performed the data analysis of building appearance improvement, conducted the data analysis of building function replacement, implemented the database establishment and data analysis of building microrenovation based on CIM and SSN, and finally carried out a case application and its result analysis by taking a middle school two-story teaching building as an example. The study results show that the CIM technology can provide buildings’ actual data information such as geometry, physics, structure, and rules for building microrenovation; the SSN technology greatly reduces a lot of work caused by the rewiring of control system in the construction of building microrenovation. The combination of CIM and SSN can effectively connect various entity elements in building microrenovation to form a theme library through various data spatial relationships and spatial coding, realizing the connection of spatial data and nonspatial data in multiple dimensions. The data analysis of building microrenovation based on CIM and SSN includes multiple dimensions of achievements, processes, resources, characteristics, and applications, which is more in line with CIM integration applications and is easier for realistic information exchange and sharing applications.

To assess the factors associated with outcomes of arthroscopic surgical repair of rotator cuff tears (RCTs).This prospective study recruited patients, at least 18 years old, who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair for full-thickness RCTs at the First People's Hospital of Hangzhou Xiaoshan between July 2019 and October 2020. Patient demographics, lifestyle habits, and medical histories were collected preoperatively; RCT sizes and affected tendons were determined intraoperatively. Outcomes were assessed by shoulder range of motion (ROM) determinations 1.5 and 3 months postoperatively. The factors associated with ROM were determined using a binary logistic regression analysis, and the results were expressed as adjusted relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).A total of 132 patients with RCTs underwent arthroscopic surgery. Five were lost to follow-up, leaving 127 patients (mean age, 59 years; 58.3% women) who were included in the study analysis. The majority of the patients (54.5%) had RCTs that were classified as large or massive, and approximately 20% had tears involving multiple tendons; 80.3% of the patients had tears involving only a single tendon. Moreover, 29.9% of the patients had hypertension and 11.0% had diabetes. Among the patients, 23.0% were smokers and 34.6% drank alcohol. According to the multivariate analysis, none of the assessed factors were associated with shoulder ROM at the 1.5-month follow-up. At the 3-month follow-up, RCTs involving a single tendon demonstrated 3-fold better abduction (RR = 4.00; 95% CI, 1.30-12.33; P = 0.016) and 3.15-fold better internal rotation (RR = 3.15; 95% CI, 1.19-8.36; P = 0.021) than did RCTs involving multiple tendons. Patients who did not drink alcohol demonstrated 6.08-fold better anteflexion (RR = 7.08; 95% CI, 2.11-23.73; P = 0.002) and nearly 4-fold better abduction (RR = 4.97; 95% CI, 1.62-15.23; P = 0.005) than patients who drank alcohol.To improve outcomes, the results indicate that more targeted measures should be directed toward patients with multiple-tendon RCTs and that preoperative alcohol abstinence education is needed for patients with RCTs.

Aim: We thoroughly discuss the interaction between the stemness index and DNA methylation in pancreatic cancer (PC). Materials & methods: First, the stemness indices of PC (denoted mRNAsi and mDNAsi) were calculated using a one-class logistic regression machine-learning algorithm. Second, we screened the central methylation sites associated with stemness and screened out the key genes. We investigated the DNA methylation regulators associated with the key genes. Finally, using CIBERSORT and TIMER, we assessed the influence of stemness indexes and key genes on PC microenvironment formation. Results: In this study we quantified the stemness indices for PC and screened 20 related central DNA methylation sites. Further analysis of the methylation site cg22687244, located in the 3′ UTR, revealed that it promoted the expression of the key gene FAM81A. We show that FAM81A may be regulated by DNA methylation regulators. Furthermore, immune cells were found to be more abundant in PC microenvironments with high expression of FAM81A. Conclusion: We report for the first time that the 3′ UTR methylation of FAM81A is closely related to PC stemness and contributes to tumor immune infiltration. Therefore FAM81A may serve as a potential marker to guide the treatment of PC.

The champion PCE of the PTB7:PC71BM:SMPV1 ternary organic solar cells with the best SMPV1 doping ratio is predicted by random forest algorithm and verified in experiment.

The effects of the materials' energy levels on the Voc in binary OSCs are analyzed and the energy level matching strategy of materials for high Voc is delivered by machine learning. Experimental results verify the reliability of this machine learning approach.

Both tantalum (Ta) and silicon nitride (SN) exhibit osteogenic bioactivity and antibacterial property. In addition, as a biomaterial for bone repair, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has outstanding biocompatibility and mechanical performances while it is biologically inert. In this study, by blending PEEK with Ta and SN nanoparticles, respectively, Ta/PEEK composite (TPC) and SN/PEEK composite (SPC) were fabricated for load-bearing bone repair. The surface roughness, hydrophilicity and surface energy of TPC containing Ta nanoparticles were higher than SPC containing SN nanoparticles and PEEK. In addition, TPC with Ta nanoparticles exhibited low antibacterial property while SPC with SN nanoparticles showed high bacterial property. Moreover, the MC3T3-E1 cells responses (e.g. proliferation and differentiation) to TPC was the highest while PEEK was the lowest

Background: Despite the emphasis on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission for people living with HIV/AIDS. Issues of fertility desire have a paucity of data among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess fertility attitudes and associated factors, as well as the reproductive knowledge among HIV-positive MSM. Analysis was mainly based on the multivariate regression model. Results: About 35% (46/129) expressed a fertility desire. MSM without siblings tended to have fertility desire. And there was a higher proportion of having fertility intention with a master's degree or above. Surrogacy was the most desired method among the 86 respondents who had the desire or did not make a decision. While the accuracy of the reproductive knowledge was only 69.6%. Conclusion: We recommend that providers offer much more professional information and developing assisted reproductive technology to meet the reproductive aspirations of HIV-positive MSM.

Glucuronidation catalyzed by UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) is one of the most important phase II mechanisms, facilitating drug clearance via conjugation of glucuronic acid with polar groups of xenobiotics. Accumulating evidence suggests that IBDs impact drug disposition, but whether and how IBDs regulate UGTs and drug glucuronidation remains undefined. In this study, we aim to investigate the expression of UGTs and drug glucuronidation in experimental colitis. Given that glucuronidation occurs primarily in the liver, we analyzed the mRNA changes in hepatic UGTs with a DSS-induced mouse colitis model. Twelve UGTs were downregulated in the liver of colitis mice including UGT1A1 and UGT1A9 (two representative UGTs). Colitis in mice downregulated UGT1A1 and UGT1A9 in the liver but not in small intestine, colon, and kidney. We also established that the downregulation of UGTs was attributed to the disease itself rather than the DSS compound. Moreover, colitis-reduced UGT1A1 and UGT1A9 lead to dampened baicalein and puerarin glucuronidation. PXR was the only UGT regulator significantly downregulated in colitis mice, suggesting dysregulation of PXR is associated with the downregulation of UGT1A1 and UGT1A9, thereby potentially resulting in dysfunction of baicalein and puerarin glucuronidation. Collectively, we establish that UGTs and glucuronidation are dysregulated in colitis, and this effect may cause variation in drug responsiveness in IBDs.

Machine learning (ML) provides an efficient tool for predicting the photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs). In this paper, random forest (RF), K-nearest neighbors, and support vector machine are used to predict the PCE for ternary OSCs with PC

Background Several metabolic disorders and malignancies are directly related to abnormal mitochondrial solute carrier family 25 (SLC25A) members activity. However, its biological role in pancreatic cancer (PC) is not entirely understood. Methods The lasso method was used to create a novel prognostic risk model for PC based on SLC25A members, and its roles in tumor immunology and energy metabolism were explored. Furthermore, co-expression networks were constructed for SLC25A11, SLC25A29, and SLC25A44. Single-cell RNA sequencing (ScRNA-seq) revealed the distribution of gene expression in PC. Tumor immune infiltration was examined with the TIMER database. Lastly, drug sensitivity was investigated, and co-transcriptional factors were predicted. Results In the present study, a novel prognostic risk model was established and validated for PC based on SLC25A members. The high-risk group had a lower activation of oxidative phosphorylation and a more abundant immune infiltration phenotype than the low-risk group. According to co-expression network studies, SLC25A11, SLC25A29, and SLC25A44 were involved in the energy metabolism of PC and prevented tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. ScRNA-seq research also pointed to their contribution to the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, the recruitment of numerous immune cells was positively correlated with SLC25A11 and SLC25A44 but negatively correlated with SLC25A29. Additionally, the sensitivity to 20 Food and Drug Administration-approved antineoplastic medicines was strongly linked to the aforementioned genes, where cisplatin sensitivity increased with the up-regulation of SLC25A29. Finally, the Scleraxis BHLH Transcription Factor (SCX) and other proteins were hypothesized to co-regulate the mRNA transcription of the genes. Conclusion SLC25A members are crucial for tumor immune and energy metabolism in PC, and SLC25A11, SLC25A29, and SLC25A44 can be used as favorable prognostic markers. The use of these markers will provide new directions to unravel their action mechanisms in PC.

The navigation by the stellar refraction is important for a LEO (Low-Earth-Orbit) satellite, especially in a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)-denied environment, since it is totally autonomous. However, the biggest barrier to the accurate navigation by the stellar refraction lies in the accurate stratospheric density. Therefore, the retrieval of the stratospheric density by the star occultation is proposed in this paper to acquire the stratospheric density globally with the high accuracy. Compared with the retrieval of the stratospheric density by the GPS (Global Positioning System) radio occultation, the retrieval by the star occultation can achieve a high vertical resolution. The retrieval of the stratospheric density by the star occultation is first derived in principle. Then, the performance of the retrieval, including the spatial resolution, the atmospheric attenuation, and the accuracy, was investigated in detail. The performance of the retrieval was also comprehensively verified by simulations. The simulation results prove that the retrieval of the stratospheric density by the star occultation can achieve a similar accuracy to that by the GPS radio occultation, but it has a higher vertical resolution than that by the GPS radio occultation, which is good for improving the accuracy of the navigation by the stellar refraction.

COL17A1 (collagen type XVII alpha 1 chain) is known to be upregulated and has a prognostic role in many malignancies, as well as contributing to cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion. However, little knowledge is available on the expression and prognostic value of COL17A1 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In our study, we searched the public database and found that mRNA and protein levels of COL17A1 are commonly upregulated in PDAC tissues. The immunohistochemical analysis conducted by us revealed enhanced expression of COL17A1 protein in 169 PDAC samples compared with that in 67 adjacent normal tissues. We also observed a significantly positive correlation between COL17A1 expression and lymph node metastasis ( p < 0.0001 ), TNM clinical stage ( p < 0.0001 ), and pathology differentiation ( p < 0.01 ). The KM-plot results indicated that PDAC patients with a high COL17A1 expression have a poorer overall survival ( p < 0.001 ) than those with a low COL17A1 expression. The result of the Cox regression analysis of multivariate data suggested COL17A1 is an independent prognostic indicator of PDAC patients’ overall survival. CCK-8, wound healing, and transwell assays suggested that COL17A1 knockdown markedly inhibited tumor proliferation and invasion in PDAC cells, and cells with COL17A1 overexpression had a prominently higher proliferative and invasive capacity. Knockdown of COL17A1 significantly upregulated the apoptosis rate. We deduce that upregulated COL17A1 activated the NF-κB pathway in PDAC cells. In summary, our studies showed the prognostic value of COL17A1 in PDAC and that COL17A1 may act as a molecular therapeutic target for PDAC treatment.

Cholelithiasis with chronic cholecystitis is prevalent and threatens human health. Most cholecystitis caused by bacterial infection or biofilms is accompanied by gallstones in the clinic, making gallbladder removal the only effective solution. Here, we provide a strategy to eliminate gallstone biofilms and dissolve gallstones by oral administration of a supernatant derived from nanoscale iron sulfide (nFeS supernatant). First, by using gallstones obtained from the clinic, we simulated biofilm formation on gallstones and tested the antibacterial activity of a nFeS supernatant

Hematophagous invertebrates such as mosquitoes, leeches, mites, ticks, lice and bugs cause various problems for humans. Considering reports on insecticide resistance and requirements for improved environmental and toxicological profiles, there is a continuing need to discover and develop new insecticides and repellents. Ethnobotanical surveys of traditional plant-based repellents provide a direct method of identifying plants for potential use. During five field surveys in Bulang, Jinuo and Lahu villages between August 2018 and July 2019, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 237 informants (151 male, 86 female; mean age 63). Frequency of citation, use value, informant consensus factor and Jaccard index were employed to statistically analyze the collected data. A total of 709 use reports relating to 32 plant species and 71 remedies were collected. Similarities and differences between the three groups, as well as the Dai and Hani of Xishuangbanna, who were studied earlier, were shown through network analysis. These five ethnic groups living in the same area have a common understanding of traditional botanical knowledge against hematophagous invertebrates, but each group also possesses unique knowledge. Recording and protecting this traditional knowledge is potentially useful for protecting this cultural diversity and related biodiversity and can also have important practical applications. In this study, traditional knowledge provided us with many new potential plants for follow-up research for the development of new insecticides and repellents, among which Artemisia indica, Nicotiana tabacum and Clausena excavata are the most promising.

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play central roles in diverse oncogenic contexts. Database-based bioinformatics analyses indicated that pancreatic cancer (PC) samples exhibit the upregulation of the lncRNA EGOT. The present study was therefore designed to explore the role of this lncRNA in PC, focusing on its ability to regulate the EGOT/miR-214/PLS3 axis.Methods: A qPCR approach was used to quantify EGOT, miR-214, and PLS3 mRNA levels in PC cells, while PLS3 protein levels were examined via Western blotting. Tumor cell invasivity and proliferation were measured through CCK-8, EdU, and wound healing assays. The impact of EGOR knockdown on in vivo PC tumor growth was additionally assessed. Results: EGOT upregulation was observed in PC cells, and the knockdown of this lncRNA significantly impaired their migration, proliferation, and invasion. Direct binding interactions between miR-214 and both EGOT and PSL3 were detected, and miR-214 inhibition was sufficient to partially reverse the impact of EGOT knockdown on PLS3 expression and PC cell proliferative and migratory activity. Knocking down EGOT also suppressed the in vivo growth of PC tumors, and relationships between EGOT, miR-214, and PLS3 were confirmed in this animal model system. Conclusion:We confirmed that EGOT serves as an important regulator of PC development, suggesting that it may be a valuable diagnostic biomarker and/or therapeutic target in this oncogenic context.

This article describes a wideband low-noise frequency synthesizer implemented in 0.13- $\mu \text{m}$ SiGe BiCMOS process for 5G millimeter-wave applications. To extend the frequency range while reducing the phase noise, a fundamental voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) array including four Colpitts VCO cores with switchable bias circuits is adopted in the proposed frequency synthesizer. A ring-oscillator-based injection locked frequency divider is utilized as the wideband divide-by-2 prescaler, and its bandwidth is optimized based on a new injection-locked behavior model. This fabricated frequency synthesizer can be locked in a range from 23 to 36.8 GHz (46.2%) by a 100-MHz step. It achieves a phase noise of −94.7 dBc/Hz at the 1-MHz offset and an output power of −3.5 dBm measured at 36.8 GHz. The chip consumes 360.6 mW from 3.3 and 1.8 V supplies and has an area of $2.7\times3.1$ mm2.

Fly ash and its composites are used as the reactive media of permeable reactive barrier to solve the pollution problem of acid mine drainage. Four simulation models (reaction column) of permeable r...

Coal is the main energy source in China, which can produce a large amount of coal gangue in the process of mining. In the process of accumulation, coal gangue can release a variety of harmful ions ...

In the process of urban building design, a new integrated system for monitoring the environment is developed and designed by using embedded development technology and sensor technology. The system uses a wireless sensor network environment monitoring system IoT platform with embedded internal processors. Analyze and design the system as a whole, including the construction of the basic platform of the system, the design of the internal plates and circuits of the system, the monitoring design of the input node, and the monthly design of the output interface calculation. Finally, a physical model is built, and data measurement and analysis are carried out under different conditions, and the evaluation and advantage analysis of the system's operating status are given. The system can carry out all-round, multilevel, and three-dimensional real-time monitoring of the construction site environment, including dust, PM2.5, temperature, humidity, wind speed, carbon dioxide, and other indicators in the construction site environment. In addition, the system can upload various monitoring data to the detection system through the internal network. The system has the functions of monitoring, alarming, recording, querying, and counting of the target monitoring station and can also be linked with the environmental control device. The construction site staff can conduct real-time supervision through the mobile terminal and computer terminal management platform. In addition, it can also meet the role of real-time remote monitoring and online guidance and regulation. It has reference value for the safety and management of the actual operation process of the project.

Background Insufficient thermal ablation can accelerate malignant behaviors and metastases in some solid tumors, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and autophagy are involved in tumor metastasis. It has been found that TGF-β2 which belongs to the family of transforming growth factors often associated with cancer cell invasiveness and EMT. However, whether the interactions between autophagy and TGF-β2 induce EMT in breast cancer (BC) cells following insufficient microwave ablation (MWA) remains unclear. Methods BC cells were treated with sublethal heat treatment to simulate insufficient MWA, and the effects of heat treatment on the BC cell phenotypes were explored. CCK-8, colony formation, flow cytometry, Transwell, and wound healing assays were performed to evaluate the influence of sublethal heat treatment on the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration of BC cells. Western blotting, real-time quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence, and transmission electron microscopy were carried out to determine the changes in markers associated with autophagy and EMT following sublethal heat treatment. Results Results showed that heat treatment promoted the proliferation of surviving BC cells, which was accompanied by autophagy induction. Heat treatment-induced autophagy up-regulated TGF-β2/Smad2 signaling and promoted EMT phenotype, thereby enhancing BC cells’ migration and invasion abilities. An increase or decrease of TGF-β2 expression resulted in the potentiation and suppression of autophagy, as well as the enhancement and abatement of EMT. Autophagy inhibitors facilitated apoptosis and repressed proliferation of BC cells in vitro, and thwarted BC cell tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis in vivo. Conclusion Heat treatment-induced autophagy promoted invasion and metastasis via TGF-β2/Smad2-mediated EMTs. Suppressing autophagy may be a suitable strategy for overcoming the progression and metastasis of residual BC cells following insufficient MWA.

We sought to compare the prevalence and volume of lipid plaque, fibrous plaque, and calcified plaque in patients with smokers versus nonsmokers.We studied consecutive patients suspected of coronary artery disease and who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography. A structured interview and review of existing clinical data was conducted before computed tomography angiography to collect information on demographic characteristics, the presence of cardiovascular risk factors. The volume of lipid, fibrous, and calcified plaque were automatically calculated and marked in different colors according to predefined Hounsfield unit thresholds. The prevalence and volume of plaques were compared between smokers and nonsmokers.Overall 6380 patients (3351 men and 3029 women, mean age 55.35 years) were finally analyzed, of whom 2075 (32.5%) were smokers, and 4305 (67.5%) were never smokers. The prevalence of any plaque in smokers was significantly higher compared to never smokers (47.7% vs. 32.3%, p0.001). Smoking was an independent risk factor of the presence of any plaque after correcting for age, gender, body mass index, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and family history in a multivariate model (odds ratio = 1.250 (1.088-1.437), p = 0.002). The volume of lipid plaque, fibrous plaque, calcified plaque, and total plaque in smokers was significantly greater than nonsmokers (p0.001).The prevalence and volume of lipid plaque, fibrous plaque, and calcified plaque were significantly higher in smokers versus never smokers.

In this paper, we have evaluated the clinical efficacy of rotator cuff surgery combined with Chinese medicine Buyang Huanwu Decoction (adding medicine) in the treatment of patients with rotator cuff injury. For this purpose, sixty patients with rotator cuff injury and shoulder arthroscopic surgery were selected in this hospital (where 57 cases were finally screened). The patients were divided into a control group (28 cases) and a study group (29 cases) by the envelope method. The control group received conventional treatment after the operation, whereas the study group was combined with Buyang Huanwu Decoction after the operation. The clinical efficacy of the two groups, particularly after treatment, was compared in terms of self-care ability and Constant–Murley scores before and after treatment, that is, 4 w, 8 w, and 12 w. The total effective rate of treatment in the study group was significantly higher than that of the control group after 4 weeks of treatment ( P < 0.05 ). There was no significant difference in the FIM self-care scores of the two groups before treatment ( P > 0.05 ). In the study group patients, after treatment for 4 w and 8 w, the FIM self-care score was significantly improved ( P < 0.05 ). The FIM self-care score of the patients in the study group, after 12 w of treatment, had no significant difference compared with the control group ( P > 0.05 ). The Constant–Murley scores of the two groups were compared before treatment where no significant difference is observed ( P > 0.05 ) and the Constant–Murley score of the study group patients was significantly higher than that of the control group, after 4 w and 8 w treatment ( P < 0.05 ). Additionally, Constant–Murley score of the study group was not significantly higher than that of the control group after 12 w of treatment difference ( P > 0.05 ). The proposed combined treatment program has value of promotion and implementation in the clinical treatment of patients with rotator cuff injury.

Identifying disease activity in Takayasu arteritis (TAK) is challenging. This study aimed to investigate the value of quantitative characterization with computed tomography angiography in the assessment of disease activity in patients with TAK.We retrospectively analysed the data on 162 aortic CT angiography from 140 TAK patients. Patients were categorized based on disease activity according to the National Institutes of Health criteria into two groups: active disease group (n = 65) and inactive disease group (n = 97).Patients with active TAK had a thicker wall compared with patients with inactive TAK (5.2 ± 2.4 mm vs. 2.5 ± 0.8 mm, p 0.001). The relative post-contrast enhancement ratio of the thickened wall was higher in active TAK than in inactive TAK (1.5 ± 0.3 vs. 1.1 ± 0.2, p 0.001). Given a thickness cutoff of 3.3 mm, sensitivity for active-phase TAK was 83.1%, specificity 89.7%, positive predictive value 84.4%, and negative predictive value 88.8%. With a relative post-contrast enhancement ratio cutoff of 1.2, sensitivity for active-phase TAK was 89.2%, specificity 76.3%, positive predictive value 71.6%, and negative predictive value 91.3%. In receiver-operating characteristic curves comparison, maximal wall thickness and relative post-contrast enhancement ratio were superior to C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate for determining active phase disease (p 0.05).Quantitative characterization with CT angiography was a useful tool to assess disease activity in TAK patients. Maximal wall thickness and relative post-contrast enhancement ratio have a high sensitivity and specificity for detecting TAK activity.

This paper describes a 22-to-36.8 GHz low phase noise Colpitts voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) array using 0.13-μm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The VCO array consists of four Colpitts VCO cores and three millimeter-wave (MMW) selectors. In the VCO core, in order to achieve the best phase noise and power consumption trade-off, an optimization method based on symbolic expressions is presented. In a further research, a switchable bias current technique is proposed to achieve lower phase noise. The MMW selectors are designed to select the desired VCO core and cover the whole frequency band with sufficient output power. The fabricated VCO array features a wide tuning range of 50.3%, low phase noise between −100.7 dBc/Hz and −95.3 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset and high output power of 4.5 dBm, which results in the FOMT between −183.2 dBc/Hz and −177.8 dBc/Hz.

To investigate prognostic significance of follow-up CT findings for initially medically treated type B aortic intramural hematoma (IMH). We performed a retrospective pooled analysis of individual patient data, including baseline and follow-up CT characteristics. All enrolled patients were followed up for adverse aorta-related events, defined as a composite of aortic disease–related death and surgical or endovascular aortic repair. A total of 238 patients (73.9% men) were included, with a mean age of 58.1 ± 9.8 years. During follow-up, 83 patients (34.9%) experienced adverse aorta-related events, most of the events (83.1%) occurred within 1 month after follow-up CT imaging (n = 69). In the Cox regression model for predicting adverse aorta-related events, baseline maximal aortic diameter (MAD) (HR = 1.05, p = 0.008), ulcer-like projection (ULP) (HR = 2.47, p

In this paper, a new analytic approach is proposed for injection-locked ring oscillators (ILROs) design at millimeter waves (mm-waves). Using time and transfer constants (TTC) analysis, a two-pole model of the delay stage is applied into the injection-locking behavior model for an N-stage ring oscillator, and analytic expressions of the self-resonance frequency (SOF) and the locking range are derived. These expressions are concise and based solely on device-level circuit parameters, enabling fast and exact ILRO design through DC and AC simulations. In addition, a dual-input injection technique is investigated and a layout optimization technique is presented. Using a 0.13-μm SiGe BiCMOS process, a two-stage ring oscillator with dual-input injection is implemented for verification. The fabricated divider achieves a wide locking range from 16 to 67 GHz at −10-dBm input power. The divider core consumes a current of 3.9 mA from 3.3 V supply with an area of 45 × 60 μm2. The measured results agree well with theoretical analyses and simulated results.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide and its incidence continues to increase year by year. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) caused by protein misfolding within the secretory pathway in cells and has an extensive and deep impact on cancer cell progression and survival. Growing evidence suggests that the genes related to ERS are closely associated with the occurrence and progression of HCC. This study aimed to identify an ERS-related signature for the prospective evaluation of prognosis in HCC patients. RNA sequencing data and clinical data of patients from HCC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and The International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC). Using data from TCGA as a training cohort (n=424) and data from ICGC as an independent external testing cohort (n=243), ERS-related genes were extracted to identify three common pathways IRE1, PEKR, and ATF6 using the GSEA database. Through univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, 5 gene signals in the training cohort were found to be related to ERS and closely correlated with the prognosis in patients of HCC. A novel 5-gene signature (including HDGF, EIF2S1, SRPRB, PPP2R5B and DDX11) was created and had power as a prognostic biomarker. The prognosis of patients with high-risk HCC was worse than that of patients with low-risk HCC. Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed that the signature was an independent prognostic biomarker for HCC. The results were further validated in an independent external testing cohort (ICGC). Also, GSEA indicated a series of significantly enriched oncological signatures and different metabolic processes that may enable a better understanding of the potential molecular mechanism mediating the progression of HCC. The 5-gene biomarker has a high potential for clinical applications in the risk stratification and overall survival prediction of HCC patients. In addition, the abnormal expression of these genes may be affected by copy number variation, methylation variation, and post-transcriptional regulation. Together, this study indicated that the genes may have potential as prognostic biomarkers in HCC and may provide new evidence supporting targeted therapies in HCC.

An integrated fast hopping frequency synthesizer for ultra-wideband (UWB) cognitive radio (CR) is presented in this paper. Based on phase-locked loop (PLL) and single-side-band (SSB) mixing architecture, the frequency synthesizer covers 3.1~10.6 GHz band with a step of 528 MHz and a hopping time less than 9.8 ns. Distortion-cancelled I/Q calibration modules and multiplexers with poly-phase filters (PPF) are adopted to calibrate the I/Q imbalance of the SSB mixers and suppress the image spurs. To increase the bandwidth of the PLL and improve its in-band phase noise by reducing the loop division ratio, a quadrupler is introduced to multiply the crystal-oscillator frequency of 66 MHz to the reference frequency of 264 MHz. The proposed frequency synthesizer is designed in Global Foundry 0.13 µm 8HP SiGe BiCMOS process and its die area is 5.65 mm2. The simulation results have shown that the designed fast hopping frequency synthesizer exhibits hopping time < 8 ns, spurs < −40 dBc, phase noise < −103 dBc in band and < −116 dBc/Hz @ 1 MHz offset. Including the output buffers, the total power consume is 525 mW. The proposed fast hopping frequency synthesizer demonstrates a good performance and is suitable to implement in the UWB-based CR system.

BACKGROUND Ambulatory cancer patients carry a high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, the optimal prophylaxis strategy remains controversial. This meta-analysis compared the effectiveness and safety of apixaban, rivaroxaban, low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), semuloparin, aspirin, and warfarin for the prevention of VTE in ambulatory cancer patients. METHODS A systematic review and network meta-analysis was performed. PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trails (CENTRAL) and EMBASE electronic databases were searched from inception to 26 April 2019. In the meta-analysis, 19 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in ambulatory cancer patients administrated venous thromboprophylaxis agents were included. The primary outcome was the risk of VTE. Safety outcomes included the occurrence of major-bleeding. Two investigators identified the studies and performed data extraction. A network meta-analysis was performed and agents were ranked using cumulative ranking (SUCRA) probabilities. RESULTS We identified 19 studies, including 11,430 patients comparing 10 interventions. Compared to placebo controls, apixaban (5 mg) showed the highest efficacy for the prevention of VTE [odds ratio (OR) 0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.18-0.71, SUCRA=69.5] and was more effective than LMWH (OR 0.5, 0.39-0.63; SUCRA=52.1) or warfarin (OR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.35-1.59; SUCRA=25.6). Moreover, the safety of apixaban (5 mg) (OR 1.41, 95% CI: 0.33-5.93; SUCRA=58.5) was higher than LMWH (OR 1.96, 95% CI: 0.99-3.86; SUCRA=44.1) or warfarin (OR 3.06, 95% CI: 1.03-9.08; SUCRA=29.1). There were no significant differences between placebo and experimental groups in terms of patient deaths. CONCLUSIONS Anticoagulation therapies in ambulatory cancer patients can significantly reduce the risk of VTE. However, this protective effect was associated with a significantly increased risk of major bleeding. Apixaban at the appropriate dose can decrease the risk of VTE without increasing the bleeding risk. These findings require validation in larger study cohorts.

Artificial fish-like robots developed to date often focus on the external morphology of fish and have rarely addressed the contribution of the structure and morphology of biological muscle. However, biological studies have proven that fish utilize the contraction of muscle fibers to drive the protective flexible connective tissue to swim. This paper introduces a pneumatic silicone structure prototype inspired by the red muscle system of fish and applies it to the fish-like robot named Flexi-Tuna. The key innovation is to make the fluid-driven units simulate the red muscle fiber bundles of fish and embed them into a flexible tuna-like matrix. The driving units act as muscle fibers to generate active contraction force, and the flexible matrix as connective tissue to generate passive deformation. Applying alternant pressure to the driving units can produce a bending moment, causing the tail to swing. As a result, the structural design of Flexi-Tuna has excellent bearing capacity compared with the traditional cavity-type and keeps the body smooth. On this basis, a general method is proposed for modeling the fish-like robot based on the independent analysis of the active and passive body, providing a foundation for Flexi-Tuna’s size design. Followed by the robot’s static and underwater dynamic tests, we used finite element static analysis and fluid numerical simulation to compare the results. The experimental results showed that the maximum swing angle of the tuna-like robot reached 20°, and the maximum thrust reached 0.185 N at the optimum frequency of 3.5 Hz. In this study, we designed a unique system that matches the functional level of biological muscles. As a result, we realized the application of fluid-driven artificial muscle to bionic fish and expanded new ideas for the structural design of flexible bionic fish.