Search

To investigate a highly active catalyst for CER and explore low concentrations of Cl− electrocatalytic product Cl2, Co3O4/GF catalysts were constructed by a methanesulfonic acid system plating and calcination process. SEM shows Co3O4/GF-0.1 has a uniform distribution of nanoparticles. TEM, XRD, and XPS results confirmed the formation of Co3O4. The catalytic activity in high concentrations of Cl− and low concentrations of Cl− are discussed. LSV suggests Co3O4/GF-0.1 with an initial potential of 1.06 V, The overpotential at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 is 232 m V, Tafel slope 109.26 mV dec−1, the CER reaction order is 0.54 at 1, 2 and 3 M NaCl, and 0.18 at 4, 5 and 6 M NaCl, too high concentration of Cl− slow down control of speed. In low concentration solution, the CER reaction order is 0.99, which can achieve the degradation rate of 90.8% in 50 ppm ammonia nitrogen. The apparent constant and the concentration of Cl− conform to the equation K = 1.44 × 10–3 C00.95. From low concentration to high concentration, energy consumption decreased, and Faraday efficiency increased. Electrode with jECSA = 0.52 mA cm−2, 3D structure GF has a large specific active area that promotes the diffusion of Cl−. This work provides analysis methods and ideas for the preparation of the high activity and stability CER catalyst at low Cl− concentrations in the actual water body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pooling layer in convolutional neural networks plays a crucial role in reducing spatial dimensions, and improving computational efficiency. However, standard pooling operations such as max pooling or average pooling are not suitable for all applications and data types. Therefore, developing custom pooling layers that can adaptively learn and extract relevant features from specific datasets is of great significance. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to design and implement customizable pooling layers to enhance feature extraction capabilities in CNNs. The proposed T-Max-Avg pooling layer incorporates a threshold parameter T, which selects the K highest interacting pixels as specified, allowing it to control whether the output features of the input data are based on the maximum values or weighted averages. By learning the optimal pooling strategy during training, our custom pooling layer can effectively capture and represent discriminative information in the input data, thereby improving classification performance. Experimental results show that the proposed T-Max-Avg pooling layer achieves good performance on three different datasets. When compared to LeNet-5 model with average pooling, max pooling, and Avg-TopK methods, the T-Max-Avg pooling method achieves the highest accuracy on CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100, and MNIST datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Near-infrared fluorescent cholangiography (NIRFC) with indocyanine green (ICG) as the developer yields clear visualization of the extrahepatic bile ducts and is effective in identifying key structures. Here, we analyzed and compared the surgical outcomes of fluorescent and conventional laparoscopy in cholecystectomy of various difficulties and then assessed the value of NIRFC. Materials and methods: This retrospective study collected clinical data from partial patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) at the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University between 2020 and 2021. The study subjects were classified into ICG-assisted and white-light laparoscopy. Two cohorts with homogeneous baseline status were selected based on 1:1 ratio propensity score matching (PSM). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to predict independent risk factors for LC difficulty. Thereafter, the matched cases were classified into difficult and easy subgroups by combining difficulty score and gallbladder disease type, and then the surgical outcomes of the two groups were compared. Results: This study included a total of 624 patients. The patients were classified into the ICG group (n = 218) and the non-ICG group (n = 218) after a 1:1 ratio PSM. Our data showed significant differences between the groups in operative time (P = 0.020), blood loss (P = 0.016), length of stay (P = 0.036), and adverse reaction (P = 0.023). Stratified analysis demonstrated that ICG did not significantly improve the surgical outcomes in simple cases (n = 208). On the other hand, in difficult cases (n = 228), NIRFC shortened operative time (P = 0.003) and length of stay (P = 0.015), reduced blood loss (P = 0.028) and drain placement rate (P = 0.015), and had fewer adverse reactions (P = 0.023). The data showed that five cases were converted to laparotomy while two cases had minor bile leaks in the non-ICG group. There was no bile duct injury (BDI) in all the cases. Furthermore, high BMI, history of urgent admission and abdominal surgery, palpable gallbladder, thickened wall, and pericholecystic collection were risk factors for surgical difficulty. Conclusion: ICG-assisted NIRFC provides real-time biliary visualization. In complicated conditions such as acute severe inflammation, dense adhesions, and biliary variants, the navigating ability of fluorescence can enhance the operation progress, reduce the possibility of conversion or serious complications, and improve the efficiency and safety of difficult LC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vertical stable walking problem of the rock hole inspection robot is a difficult and key point in design and control, which solves the important problem of the robot being able to walk vertically. In this paper, a rock hole inspection robot is designed, which can inspect the pore morphology and rock cracks in rock holes by carrying cameras, test sensors and other monitors. It can adapt to the inspection function of rock holes at an angle of 0–90 ° with a diameter of 95 mm–105 mm. ADAMS software is used to carry out dynamic simulation analysis of the robot, and the reasonable design of the pre-tightening reducing mechanism is obtained. At the same time, the important influence of the pre-tightening pressure between the walking wheel and the hole wall and the spring pre-tightening force on the robot's traction force is obtained. On this basis, the problem of vertical walking is emphatically solved, so that the robot can walk at any angle within the 90 ° range rock hole, thus expanding the application scope of the robot. Based on the theoretical analysis, a robot experimental platform is built to verify the key technologies of the robot and test the performance of the robot, including visual acoustic signal acquisition, moving speed test and traction force test, which proved the correctness of theoretical analysis and design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging technology is increasingly widely used in laparoscopic hepatectomy. However, whether it can provide long-term survival benefits to patients with liver malignancies remains unclear. This study investigated the clinical effect of laparoscopic hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using ICG imaging technology. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed HCC patients who underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from January 2016 to December 2020. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to match patients undergoing ICG fluorescence navigation laparoscopic hepatectomy (ICG-FNLH) with those undergoing conventional laparoscopic hepatectomy (CLH) in a 1:1 ratio to minimize the influence of confounding factors. We compared perioperative status and long-term prognosis between the two groups and performed multivariate analysis to identify risk factors associated with overall survival and recurrence-free survival. Results: The original cohort consisted of 141 patients, with 50 patients in each group (100 patients in total) after PSM. The anatomical liver resection rate, R0 resection rate, and resection margin distance in the ICG-FNLH group were higher than those in the CLH group. The intraoperative blood loss was lower than that in the CLH group. The recurrence-free survival and overall survival of the ICG-FNLH group were better than those of the CLH group. ICG-FNLH improved the recurrence-free survival of HCC patients (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.165, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.136-4.127, P = 0.024). Conclusions: Compared with CLH, ICG-FNLH can improve the recurrence-free survival rate of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and may help to improve the long-term prognosis of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Dysregulated cell cycle targeting is a well-established therapeutic strategy against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Dissecting the underlying mechanism may improve the efficacy of HCC therapy. Methods: HCC data from TCGA and new clinical samples were used for DNASE1L3 expression analysis and for assessing its correlation with HCC development. The in vitro function of DNASE1L3 in HCC cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion was assessed using RTCA, CCK-8 and transwell assays and the in vivo function in subcutaneous tumor formation in a xenograft nude mouse model. The role of DNASE1L3 in HCC tumorigenesis was further verified in AKT/NRASV12-induced and DEN/CCl4-induced primary liver cancers in wildtype and Dnase1l3−/− mice. Finally, RNA-Seq analysis followed by biochemical methods including cell cycle, immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation and Western blotting assays were employed to reveal the underlying mechanism. Results: We found that DNASE1L3 was significantly downregulated and served as a favorable prognostic factor in HCC. DNASE1L3 dramatically attenuated HCC cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion in vitro and reduced subcutaneous tumor formation in nude mice in vivo. Furthermore, DNASE1L3 overexpression dampened AKT/NRASV12-induced mouse liver cancer in wildtype mice and DNASE1L3 deficiency worsened DEN/CCl4-induced liver cancer in Dnase1l3−/− mice. Systemic analysis revealed that DNASE1L3 impaired HCC cell cycle progression by interacting with CDK2 and inhibiting CDK2-stimulated E2F1 activity. C-terminal deletion (DNASE1L3ΔCT) diminished the interaction with CDK2 and abrogated the inhibitory function against HCC. Conclusion: Our study unveils DNASE1L3 as a novel HCC cell cycle regulator and tumor suppressor. DNASE1L3 impairs HCC tumorigenesis by delaying cell cycle progression possibly through disrupting the positive E2F1-CDK2 regulatory loop. DNASE1L3 may serve as a target for the development of novel therapeutic strategies against HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Laparoscopic right posterior hepatectomy is considered difficult on the basis of the surgery difficulty scoring system. In this study, we evaluated the safety and effectiveness of the technical application of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging-guided laparoscopic right posterior hepatectomy. Methods: Twenty-six patients who underwent ICG fluorescence imaging-guided laparoscopic right posterior hepatectomy at Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery Department of Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, from June 2018 to December 2019, were included. The influence of patient position, trocar placement, hepatic inflow occlusion, central venous pressure (CVP), and the ICG fluorescence imaging-guided method were analyzed. Results: In 17 patients, the left lateral position was maintained when the main tumor was in the S7, and in the remaining nine patients, the supine position was maintained with the right side of the body raised when the main tumor was in the S6. Ten patients who underwent preoperative injection of ICG were successfully developed for nonanatomical hepatectomy. Sixteen patients received intraoperative ICG injection for anatomical hepatectomy (2 cases had positive imaging findings, 14 cases had negative imaging findings, and 2 cases had failed imaging findings). All patients underwent the Pringle maneuver during the procedure. Four patients were preset with subhepatic vena cava blocking and one patient with suprahepatic inferior vena cava blocking. CVP was controlled at 3.00 ± 0.63 (mean ± SD) cmH2O. The operative time was 216.14 ± 52.05 min, and the bleeding volume was 128.57 ± 75.55 ml. Four patients had Clavien–Dindo level I complications, and one had level III complications. Postoperative hospitalization duration was 6.19 ± 1.40 days. There were 14 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, 9 with metastatic liver malignancies, 2 with hepatic hemangioma, 1 with focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver, and 10 with hepatitis B liver cirrhosis. Conclusions: ICG fluorescence imaging guidance could be helpful for the safe implementation of laparoscopic right posterior hepatectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile observation platforms are widely used in oceanographic and marine resource exploration and other applications. Wave Glider is a mobile platform that can transform wave energy into locomotion power and overcome the bottleneck of low energy supply. Wave Glider has recently been applied to tow underwater sensors fulfilling observation tasks. In this paper, the dynamic system of Wave Glider with a towed body is studied by applying multibody mechanics, and the relevant motion conditions of the system are investigated. Dynamic models of Wave Glider with a towed body and tether are first developed individually and then integrated into a whole model. The numerical method is used to obtain the dynamic responses and assess performance of the towed body pulled by the submerged glider of Wave Glider. The effects of sea state, mass of the towed body, and length of the towed cable are investigated on the basis of simulation results. This work can be used for the design and analysis of Wave Glider-towed body systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yulong Snow Mountain (YSM) is a region of temperate glaciers in the southeast Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The present study systematically assessed the glacier changes during the past several decades using ground-based and remotely sensed observations and referencing topographic maps. The images and maps revealed that the glaciers area in the YSM retreated by 64.02% from 1957 to 2017. The length of Baishui River Glacier No. 1 decreased by 12.5 m/year during this period, whereas the front elevation of this glacier increased by 10.83 m/year. The mean annual mass balance of this glacier was at − 0.42 metre water equivalent from 1957 to 2017, and its accumulative mass balance was − 27.45 metre water equivalent. The glacier retreats of glacier area, glacier front, and mass balance in the YSM primarily resulted from the increasing air temperature. These glacier retreats not only will have a negative impact on glacier tourism in the future, e.g., the retreat or disappearance of glaciers will reduce the attractiveness of mountainous scenic spots, but also will create new opportunities for the development of local tourism, e.g., “last chance” will simulate tourists’ curiosity. Hence, the findings of our present study help to understand the mechanism between accelerated ablation of temperate glaciers and climate change in southeast regions of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and provide references for local tourism administrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the dependences of morphology and electrochemical performance of polyaniline/nickel hexacyanoferrate (PANI/NiHCF) nanogranules on pH value of the reaction system, electrodeposition of PANI/NiHCF nanogranules was performed across a pH range from 0 to 7 on carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-modified platinum substrate by cyclic voltammetry in a mixture of 0.002 mol L NiSO, 0.25 mol L NaSO, 0.002 mol L KFe(CN), and 0.01 mol L aniline solutions. The morphology and structure of PANI/NiHCF nanogranules were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, respectively. The supercapacitive performances of the nanogranules were investigated with cyclic voltammetry (CV), charge/discharge tests, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that the nanogranules with different morphology and sizes were obtained with the change of pH values from 0 to 7, which could control the mechanism of homogeneous or heterogeneous nucleation directly. The nanogranules were dispersed in matrix uniformly at pH 0 and pH 1, while the size of which decreased with the increase of pH values. The smooth cross-linking network structure was found from pH 2 to 7. The structure of PANI/NiHCF nanogranules had slightly changed from pH 0 to 7. PANI/NiHCF nanogranules had good electrochemical performance from pH 0 to 7 in a mixture of 0.5 mol L HSO and 0.5 mol L KNO solutions, and the highest specific capacitance value of 274 F g was obtained at current densities of 2 mA cm in neutral medium. PANI/NiHCF nanogranules had high stability in neutral medium after 2,000 cycles by CV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological studies on the association between SULT1A1 codon 213 polymorphism and breast cancer risk are inconclusive. In order to derive a more precise estimation of the association, a meta-analysis was conducted in this article. Sixteen studies including 9,881 cases and 13,564 controls were collected for SULT1A1 codon 213 polymorphism by searching the databases of Medline, PubMed, Embase, and ISI Web of Knowledge. The strength of association between SULT1A1 codon 213 polymorphism and breast cancer susceptibility was assessed by calculating crude ORs with 95% CIs. When all the 21 studies were pooled into the meta-analysis, there was no evidence for significant association between SULT1A1 codon 213 polymorphism and breast cancer susceptibility (for Arg/Arg versus Arg/His: OR = 0.999, 95% CI = 0.941-1.061; for Arg/Arg versus His/His: OR = 1.121, 95% CI = 1.013-1.242; for dominant model: OR = 1.128, 95% CI = 1.01-1.26; for recessive model: OR = 1.151, 95% CI = 0.950-1.394). In the subgroup analysis by the source of controls, significant increased risk was found for hospital-based studies (for Arg/Arg versus Arg/His: OR = 1.173, 95% CI = 1.000-1.376; for Arg/Arg versus His/His: OR = 1.600, 95% CI = 1.134-2.256; for dominant model: OR = 1.269, 95% CI = 1.134-2.256; for recessive model: OR = 1.664, 95% CI = 1.070-2.588). In summary, the meta-analysis suggests that SULT1A1 codon 213 polymorphism may be associated with the hospital-based studies. However, large number of samples and representative hospital-based studies with homogeneous breast cancer patients and well-matched controls are warranted to confirm this finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A negative correlation between δ18O in monsoon precipitation and ƒ, the ratio of precipitable water in monsoon region to that in water source area, is hypothesized. Using the Rayleigh model, a new method for identifying origin of summer monsoon rainfall is developed based on the hypothesis. In order to validate the method, the isotopic data at New Delhi, a typical station in the southwest monsoon region, and Hong Kong, a typical station in the southeast monsoon region, were collected and analyzed for case studies. The case studies indicate that the water source areas of the monsoon rainfall at the two stations identified by the method are accordant with the general atmosphere circulation patterns. The method developed in this paper is significantly important for tracing the origin of summer monsoon precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzed results of the atmospheric wind speed and stable isotopic data (δ18O) in summer precipitation at Bangkok, Bombay, New Delhi, Kunming and Lhasa, the IAEA/WMO stations, indicate that δ18O in monsoon precipitation correlate positively to wind speed and that there exists a monsoonal vapor layer over these monsooncontrolled areas during monsoon seasons. The isotopic exchange happens between monsoon vapors and falling raindrops in the layer, resulting in this correlation between δ18O and wind speed. This suggests that wind speed is probably one of key factors affecting the δ18O variation besides air temperature and rainfall in the southwest monsoon domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses research with chloroplast integration and expression vector in tobacco. Construction of expression cassettes for phbB, phbA, phbC and aadA genes, which were bombarded into the tobacco u chloroplast genome; Analysis of tTransplastomic plants with PCR and Southern blot; Examination of their homoplastomy; Investigation of transgene expression and transcriptional level with northern dot and RT-PCR analysis; Compatibility of the chloroplast transformation system for poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) production.

Two-color persistent spectral hole-burning was achieved for the first time for a new system Zn-tetrabenzoporphin-crotonic acid/phenoxy resin at 20 K. The time dependence experiments show that the spectral holes are persistent at the temperature of 20 K. These holes can be erased by laser irradiation and reversible holeburning is performed. The hole width remains almost constant during the erasing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]