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The conventional direct torque control (DTC) has high torque and stator flux fluctuation that causes the stator current distortion. This paper presents an efficient control method based on the feedback-linearization direct torque control (FL-DTC) method for an interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) drive by using an improved firefly algorithm. The proposed approach can greatly restrain the poor performance of torque and stator flux. Thus, it is suitable for IPMSM drives in electric vehicles. First, a decoupled linear model is derived to implement the proposed efficient feedback linearization control for the IPMSM. Two phase voltages in d-q axes and two additional control inputs take shape into an isomorphism mapping with the concept of orthogonal transformation. The torque generation is related to the additional control. Second, the Hamiltonian efficient control theory combined with an improved firefly algorithm is applied to obtain an analytical solution. An efficient linearization controller is designed with a cost function considering the maximum voltage of the inverter. Finally, simulation and experiment are carried out to compare the performance of the proposed efficient FL-DTC with the improved firefly algorithm and the conventional direct torque control. The results show that the proposed control method can reduce the torque and flux ripples at a steady state and maintains a good dynamic response with the variations of speed and torque.

The use of biologic agents has become the cornerstone of therapy for moderate to severe IBD. Few studies have investigated the efficacy of vedolizumab (VDZ) induction for ulcerative colitis (UC) in Asian patients in a real practice setting.To evaluate the efficacy and safety of VDZ induction therapy for moderate to severe UC in Taiwan.This was a retrospective and observational study. Selected moderate to severe UC patients received VZD 300 mg i.v. at weeks 0, 2, and 6 as induction therapy. Mayo scores were calculated to evaluate the efficacy.A total of 37 patients with UC who received VDZ and completed the induction therapy at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (2017/10-2021/5) were included. The mean age was 46.5 year-old and the male to female ratio was 1:1 (19/18). 81.8% of the patients were biologic-naive. At weeks 8-10, a clinical response, clinical remission and endoscopic remission with VDZ induction therapy were achieved in 56.8% (21/37), 32.4% (12/37) and 58.3% (7/12) of the patients, respectively. 54.1% (20/37) were able to taper off at week 8. Overall, only 10.8% (4/37) of the patients were primary non-responders during induction therapy. No obvious VDZ-related severe adverse events were noted. Overall, 58.9% (11/19) of the patients relapsed after stopping VDZ, and the relapse rate after VDZ discontinuation was 42.1% (8/19) within first 6 months and 52.6% (10/19) within the first year.In real-world experience, induction therapy with VDZ showed promising clinical benefits and safety profile for patients with UC.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Decorin is a small leucine-rich proteoglycan rich in extracellular matrix with potential antitumor activity. However, the role of decorin in hematological malignancies remains unclear, especially in the case of multiple myeloma (MM), a bone marrow (BM) stroma-dependent plasma cell neoplasm. METHODS We measured decorin levels in BM plasma samples from 270 patients with newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS Patients were divided into high decorin (H-DCN, > 18.99 ng/mL) and low decorin (L-DCN

Deformation mechanisms and magnetic properties of medium and high entropy alloys (MEA/HEAs) closely relate to lattice distortion and are strongly temperature-dependent, in particular, at low temperature ranges. However, little attention has been paid to the evolution of lattice distortion with temperature decreasing and its effects on deformation behavior and magnetic state transition. In this work, we carry out in situ synchrotron radiation based X-ray powder diffraction (SR-XRD) experiments from 293 to 123 K aiming for determining lattice distortion evolutions of CrCoNi MEA, CrFeCoNi and CrMnFeCoNi HEAs. Magnetic measurements at corresponding low temperatures and cryogenic ranges are further conducted. The in situ SR-XRD results demonstrate a general reduction of lattice distortion magnitude with temperature decreasing, which shows a similar tendency with that of reported stacking fault energy (SFE) values. It is thus suggested that lattice distortion reduction possibly makes a critical contribution to deformation mechanism transition. The magnetic measurement results show a clear ferromagnetic transition of CrFeCoNi HEA when temperature is below 173 K. While, no obvious magnetic state transition is observed for CrCoNi MEA and CrMnFeCoNi HEA. The present findings on lattice distortion evolutions will pave the way for designing targeted HEAs with particular properties.

Background/purpose Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) remains the curative therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), but advanced age with multiple comorbidities limits the eligibility for allo-HSCT. We conducted a retrospective study to investigate the comorbidities assessments and prognostic factors that predict outcomes for these patients. Methods Clinical data of patients older than 50 years who had received diagnoses of AML or MDS and underwent allo-HSCT were obtained. Information on patient characteristics, including age, gender, allogeneic transplant type, conditioning regimens, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), and presence of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) or chronic GVHD, were collected and analyzed. Results Two hundred fifty-five elderly patients with a median age at allo-HSCT of 57 years were included. The significant prognostic factors associated with worse overall survival (OS) were CCI ≥3 (hazard ratio: 1.88) and grade III–IV acute GVHD (3.18). Similar findings were noted in the non-relapse mortality analysis. To investigate the effects of chronic GVHD on patient outcomes, OS analysis was performed for those with survival >100 days after transplantation. The results revealed CCI ≥3 (1.88) and grade III–IV acute GVHD (2.73) remained poor prognostic factors for OS, whereas mild chronic GVHD (0.43) was associated with better OS. Conclusion This cohort study suggests that CCI ≥3 predicts poor outcomes, primarily due to a higher NRM risk. Careful management of GVHD after transplantation could improve outcomes in elderly patients with AML or MDS after allo-HSCT.

Increasing temperature is proposed to improve the performance of Rotational Supercavitating Evaporator (RSCE, a novel supercavitation-based desalination device). In order to investigate the temperature effect on the hydrodynamic characteristics of RSCE, visualization experiments are conducted on cavitating flows at different water temperatures (25–50 °C) in RSCE under different rotational speeds (up to 4000 r/min). Then the thermodynamic effect of cavitation in the water at different temperatures is evaluated to obtain the temperature range suitable for the operation of RSCE. Results show that the spatiotemporal evolutions of cavitation at different water temperatures are similar and the cavitation intensity increases with increasing temperature. Combining the present experimental results with revisits to the published results, four criteria are put forward to evaluate the thermodynamic effect of cavitation, including the variation of dimensionless supercavity length with cavitation number, the variation of incipient cavitation number with temperature, the appearance of cavitation, and the threshold value of thermodynamic parameter Σ of order hundred. It can be deduced by these criteria that the thermodynamic effect of cavitation in the water is insignificant within the temperature range considered in the present work. Hence, the desalination performance of RSCE can be improved by increasing temperature within above temperature range.

This study was performed to investigate the relationship between the aspartate transaminase and/or alanine transaminase ratio (DRR) and long-term mortality of patients diagnosed with sepsis or septic shock.We conducted a retrospective study among adult septic patients who were admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital from January 2014 to December 2018. Baseline characteristics were compared between survivors and non survivors. We performed univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to evaluate the relation of DRR with 180-day mortality. The potential prognostic value of DRR in predicting mortality rate was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. In addition, we conducted subgroup analysis by the optimal DRR cutoff value.We included a total of 183 patients in the current study, and 44 (24%) patients died within 180 days of hospitalization. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses revealed that DRR was an independent predictor of 180-day mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.421, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.073-1.883, P = 0.014). The predictive accuracy of DRR for 180-day mortality was presented as an ROC curve, which had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.708 (95% CI 0.629-0.786, P0.001). After we stratified all enrolled patients into two groups by using the optimal cutoff value of 1.29, we observed a significantly higher mortality in patients with a relatively high DRR.An elevated DRR was associated with higher 180-day mortality among septic patients, and DRR might be an optimal marker for predicting the long-term mortality of sepsis. More prospective and randomized trials are needed to confirm the prognostic value of DRR.

Gas transport in coal induces effective stress variation, matrix swelling/shrinkage, and significantly affects matrix and fracture deformation, resulting in porosity and permeability evolution. However, the heterogeneity and anisotropy of coal are neglected in dual porosity models, which can lead to the deviation from the real physical mechanisms. To uncover the permeability evolution, especially the influence of dynamic matrix-fracture interaction for real fracture distribution, advanced virtual simulation is proposed. In this study, real fracture geometry is taken into account in the physical model based on the CT-scan image, while the mathematical models for coal deformation and gas flow are established. Our calculations are verified against a long-term experimental data under the same boundary condition. Accordingly, the real matrix-fracture interaction caused by adsorption-induced matrix deformation has been visually exhibited, and some new insight into the behavior of fracture permeability in real materials is offered. The results indicate the non-uniform distribution of fracture geometry is responsible for the nonmonotonic change of permeability. It also found that injection pressure, Langmuir strain constant and initial matrix permeability have important influences on the fracture permeability evolution. This research provides valuable insight into the understanding of the permeability change for the real fracture spatial distribution in coal.

Although accumulating evidence indicates participation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway or the unfolded protein response (UPR) in immunity, there still exists little information linking ER stress to regulatory T cells (Tregs). To evaluate the potential contribution of the UPR, we tested the effects of thapsigargin (TG), an ER stress inducer, on the function of Tregs. Here we reported that TG stimulation induced the up-regulation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress chaperon Glucose-Regulated Protein 78 (GRP78), which is a master regulator of the UPR, the phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha (elF2α) and the induction of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), which are both protein kinase R (PKR)-like ER kinase (PERK) downstream targets in Tregs. Simultaneously, we demonstrated that, under ER stress conditions, Tregs presented enhanced functional activity upon TCR stimulation, as illustrated with forkhead box transcription factor (Foxp3) expression, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) production and suppressive functional analysis. Notably, pretreatment with GSK2656157, a potent and selective PERK inhibitor, markedly diminished the TG-induced hyperresponsiveness of Tregs upon T cell antigen receptor (TCR) stimulation. Therefore, our findings illustrated the inter-connection and coordination of the evolutionarily conserved ER stress response and TCR signaling in Tregs and uncover a critical new role of the PERK branch of UPR in the regulation of Tregs function.

A recent analysis based on the STAR measurement in relativistic heavy-ion collision experiments provides evidence of octupole correlation in the ground state of $^{96}$Zr, the description of which presents a challenge to nuclear structure models. In this work, we perform projection-after-variation calculations for $^{96}$Zr based on a multidimensionally-constrained relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov model. Our results show that an octupole deformed shape is favored in energy after symmetry restoration, and this phenomenon cannot be reproduced in the pure mean-field calculations. These complex structures originate from the competition among various shell structures in this mass region. Our results suggest that the allowance of symmetry breaking at the mean-field level and the restoration of broken symmetries are essential elements for understanding the structure of $^{96}$Zr in density functional theories., 10 pages, 4 figures

Experiencing everyday discrimination can have a significant negative impact on an individual’s wellbeing. While much attention has been paid to the physical and mental health consequences of discrimination, less is known about how discrimination can affect cognitive health, and most existing work has been conducted in laboratory settings where participants recall discrimination retrospectively. Given the artificial environment and susceptibility to recall bias in such procedures, the current study utilised two daily diary studies, consisting of young adults in Singapore (Study 1; N=484) and midlife adults from the US (Study 2; N=3577), to examine the association between discrimination and cognitive failures in daily life. Multilevel modelling revealed consistent evidence that experiencing discrimination was associated with poorer cognitive health at both the within- and between-person levels. These associations between discrimination and cognitive health remained robust even after controlling for demographic covariates previously found to affect cognitive health, as well as daily stressor exposure. These findings suggest that the experiences of everyday discrimination may lead to poorer daily cognitive functioning regardless of whether discrimination was experienced in a daily context or across the lifespan, and indicate importance of raising awareness on the harmful cognitive consequences of discrimination.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is characterized with high morbidity and mortality, mainly due to frequent recurrence and metastasis. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of NSCLC tumorigenesis are largely unclear. Through data mining in the ONCOMINE and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases, the expression of CSE1L (chromosome segregation like 1 protein/CAS), an exportin, was identified to be significantly upregulated in NSCLC and positively associated with poor prognosis of patients. By use of in vitro and in vivo gain- and loss-of-function experiments, we found that CSE1L can promote NSCLC cell proliferation while inhibiting cell apoptosis. Through immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry experiments, we demonstrated that CSE1L interacted with RELA (named as P65) and affected its location in the nucleus. Moreover, we found that one of the mechanisms by which CSE1L promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis is through activating the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. In summary, our findings indicated an oncogenic role of CSE1L in NSCLC tumorigenesis., Graphical abstract, Lin et al. introduce an exportin protein CSE1L that is generally upregulated in NSCLC and is negatively correlated with patients’ prognosis, along with the mechanism of activating the NF-κB/MAPK signaling pathway, which is expected to become a prognostic indicator and effective therapeutic target for NSCLC.

Effects of cooling rate and 0.25 at.% TiB2 addition on solidification microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb alloys fabricated by the investment casting with different thicknesses were studied. The results show that with the cooling rate increasing from 37 to 2×102 K/s, the solidification path of the studied alloys is unchanged. The grain size of the matrix alloy is refined from 650 to 300 μm, while the grain size of Ti–48Al– 2Cr–2Nb–TiB2 is reduced from 550 to 80 μm. The lamellar spacing of matrix alloy is reduced from 360 to 30 nm with increasing the cooling rate from 37 to 2×102 K/s, while TiB2 addition shows little refinement effect on the lamellar spacing. Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb–TiB2 sample under medium cooling rate (69 K/s) exhibits superior microhardness (HV 550) and ultimate tensile strength (570 MPa) among the studied alloys. The refined grain size, lamellar spacing and fine TiB2 particles could account for the favorable mechanical properties of the studied TiB2-containing alloy. The microstructure evolution was discussed in light of cooling rate, constitutional supercooling and borides addition.

Until recently, sorafenib has been the only treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Some patients, however, exhibit resistance to this treatment and subsequently experience cancer progression, recurrence, or death. Therefore, identifying a new alternative treatment for patients with little or no response to sorafenib treatment is vital. In this study, we explored the therapeutic potential and underlying molecular mechanism of antrocinol ((3aS,4R,6aS,10aR)-4-(hydroxymethyl)-7,7-dimethyldecahydro-1H-naphtho[1,8a-c]furan-1-one) in patients with HCC. The results indicated that antrocinol was more therapeutically effective than antrocin, Stivarga, and sorafenib against HCC cell lines. Antrocinol also substantially suppressed the expression of KRAS-GTP, p-MEK1/2, p-ERK1/2, and p-AKT in the Huh7 cell line. Additionally, antrocinol-induced apoptosis in the Huh7 cell line, inhibited the formation of tumorspheres, and suppressed the expression of cancer stem cell markers CD133, KLF4, CD44, OCT4, SOX2, and c-Myc. Animal studies revealed that antrocinol alone considerably suppressed tumor growth in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice inoculated with Huh7 tumorspheres. It also synergistically enhanced the anticancer effect of sorafenib, resulting in enhanced suppression of tumor growth (p 0.001) and tumorsphere formation (p 0.001). In tumor samples resected from mice treated with antrocinol alone or in combination with sorafenib, immunohistochemical analysis revealed an increase in BAX expression and a decrease in ERK and AKT protein expression. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the anti-HCC activity of antrocinol. With its higher therapeutic efficacy than that of sorafenib, antrocinol is a candidate drug for patients with HCC who demonstrate little or no response to sorafenib treatment.

Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and PI3K signaling confers resistance against sorafenib, a mainstay treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Antrocin and ovatodiolide constitute as the most potent secondary metabolites isolated from Antrodia camphorata and Anisomeles indica, respectively. Both natural compounds have recently gained a lot of attention due to their putative inhibition of MAPK and PI3K signaling in various solid cancers. However, whether their combination is effective in HCC remains unknown. Here, we investigated their effect, alone or in various combinations, on MAPK and PI3K signaling pathways in HCC cells. An array of in vitro study were used to investigate anticancer and stemness effects to treat HCC, such as cytotoxicity, drug combination index, migration, invasion, colony formation, and tumor sphere formation. Drug effect in vivo was evaluated using mouse xenograft models. In this study, antrocin and ovatodiolide synergistically inhibited the SNU387, Hep3B, Mahlavu, and Huh7 cell lines. Sequential combination treatment of Huh7 and Mahlavu with ovatodiolide followed by antrocin resulted stronger cytotoxic effect than did treatment with antrocin followed by ovatodiolide, their simultaneous administration, antrocin alone, or ovatodiolide alone. In the Huh7 and Mahlavu cell lines, ovatodiolide→antrocin significantly suppressed colony formation and proliferation as well as markedly downregulated ERK1/2, Akt, and mTOR expression. Inhibition of ERK1/2 and Akt/mTOR signaling by ovatodiolide→antrocin suppressed ribosomal biogenesis, autophagy, and cancer stem cell-like phenotypes and promoted apoptosis in Huh7 and Mahlavu cells. The sorafenib-resistant clone of Huh7 was effectively inhibited by synergistic combination of both compound in vitro. Eventually, the ovatodiolide→antrocin combination synergistically suppressed the growth of HCC xenografts. Taken together, our findings suggested that ovatodiolide→antrocin combination may represent potential therapeutic approach for patients with advanced HCC.

Purpose The study was performed to estimate the diagnostic blood loss (DBL) volume during hospitalization and investigate its relationship with the development of moderate to severe hospital acquired anemia (HAA) and increased number of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion following extensive burns. Materials and methods This was a retrospective study of adult burned patients with total body surface area (TBSA) burn larger than 40%, who were admitted to burn center of Changhai hospital between January 2005 and December 2017. Results We included a final number of 157 patients in the present study. Moderate to severe HAA within the fourth week postburn was developed in 46 of 121 patients who stayed over 28-day hospitalization. Patients with moderate to severe HAA had both significantly higher total DBL volume [245 (IQR: 183.75, 325.25) mL vs 168 (119, 163) mL ; P = 0.001] and DBL volume per day [10.22 (IQR: 8.57, 12.38) mL vs 6.63 (5.22, 10.42) mL/day; P = 0.005]. Logistic regression analysis revealed that both DBL volume per day and TBSA burn were independent risk factors for the development of moderate to severe HAA. Conclusions Severely burned patients appear to be prone to develop HAA during hospitalization. The DBL volume contribute to the occurrence of moderate to severe HAA, which might be a modifiable target for preventing HAA.

We here report 2 young cases of ruptured symptomatic tuberculous aortic pseudoaneurysm via endovascular repair with stent graft. Follow-up at 16 months post operation, these patients are in good condition. This case report shows that endovascular repair is effective and safe, and it has emerged as an accepted alternative to surgery for the treatment of tuberculous aortic pseudoaneurysm. But more cases will be needed to prove if it would leave behind the focus of infection.