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Abstract The use of federated learning to achieve blockchain interoperability has become a hot topic in research, because it enables data exchange without revealing any private information. However, the previous work, such as ScaleSFL (Asia‐CCS, 2022), that has implemented federated learning for blockchain interoperability, the throughput of the framework still cannot support the practical applications. Therefore, a federated learning framework based on Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) is proposed which utilizes sharding mechanism to enhance the blockchain interoperability. By constructing a weighted context graph based on data correlation, reasonable sharding of the dataset is achieved, thereby improving the efficiency of blockchain interoperability. The experimental results show that the federated framework reduces global computation in federated learning by 30% compared with other schemes, while increasing blockchain throughput by nearly 40%.

Abstract Objectives Large hepatocellular carcinoma (LHCC) is prone to short‐term recurrence and poor long‐term survival after hepatectomy, and there is still a lack of effective neoadjuvant treatments to improve recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). We retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in solitary LHCC (≥5 cm). Materials and Methods A multicenter medical database was used to analyze preoperative TACE's effects on RFS, OS, and perioperative complications in patients with solitary LHCC who received surgical treatment from January 2005 to December 2015. The patients were divided into Group A (5.0–9.9 cm) and Group B (≥10 cm), with 10 cm as the critical value, and the effect of preoperative TACE on RFS, OS and perioperative complications was assessed in each subgroup. Results In the overall population, patients with preoperative TACE had better RFS and OS than those without preoperative TACE. However, after stratifying the patients into the two HCC groups, preoperative TACE only improved the survival outcomes of patients with Group B (≥10 cm). Multivariate Cox‐regression analysis showed that lack of preoperative TACE was an independent risk factor for RFS and OS in the overall population and in Group B but not in Group A. Conclusions Preoperative TACE is beneficial for patients with solitary HCC (≥10 cm).

Abstract Objective To evaluate the long‐term efficacy of no‐touch radiofrequency ablation (NT‐RFA) for treating single hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) less than 3 cm. Methods A total of 331 patients with HCC less than 3 cm undergoing RFA in Southwest Hospital from 2015 to 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were divided into NT‐RFA group (n = 113) and conventional RFA (C‐RFA) group (n = 218). The survival rate, local tumor progression (LTP) and intrahepatic distant recurrence (IDR) of the two groups were calculated and compared. Results A significant difference was observed in ablation range (p = 0.000) and safety margin (p = 0.000) between the two groups. The 1‐, 2‐, 3‐, 4‐and 5‐year overall survival (OS) rates in NT‐RFA and C‐RFA group were 99.12%, 93.73%, 76.18%, 57.00%, 45.17% and 99.08%, 89.91%, 71.26%, 54.28%, 41.77%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.281). The 1‐, 2‐, 3‐, 4‐and 5‐year recurrence‐free survival (RFS) rates in NT‐RFA and C‐RFA group were 78.51%, 52.59%, 41.02%, 34.36%, 30.92% and 68.81%, 44.95%, 30.88%, 23.73%, 22.88%, respectively. The two groups differed significantly (p = 0.044). The 1‐, 3‐and 5‐year LTP‐free survival rates in NT‐RFA and C‐RFA group were 87.12%, 74.99%, 72.32% and 75.75%, 65.52%, 65.52%, respectively. The two groups also differed significantly (p = 0.024). Furthermore, the RFS rates of D ≤ 2 cm subgroups in NT‐RFA and C‐RFA groups differed significantly (p = 0.037), while the RFS rates of 2 cm

Wearable smart glove of gesture language provides a novel strategy for the hearing‐impaired people to commutate with the world. Current commercialized solutions of gesture language are limited by the full extent of human interaction beyond operation dexterity, sensory feedback, and the huge cost of fabrication. Herein, a low‐cost, high‐efficient gesture‐language‐recognition feedback system combined with the strain‐sensor arrays and machine‐learning technology is proposed. The strain‐sensor arrays integrated with 3D‐printed glove can extract both spatial and temporal information about the finger's movement. The smart glove achieves gesture‐language recognition using machine learning with an accuracy of over 99%. Integrating with multidimensional manipulation, visual feedback and artificial intelligence (AI)‐based gesture‐language recognition, the smart system can accurately recognize complex gestures and provide real‐time feedback to users. The smart glove system can not only provide an efficient way for hearing‐impaired persons to communicate with the outside world, but also benefit industries in multiple fields such as entertainment, home healthcare, sports training, and the medical industry.

Abstract Background Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a central and acute demyelinating disease of the central nervous system with unusual clinical course. The development of novel biomarkers for NMOSD is critical for implementing effective clinical treatment. CD226 is known to be expressed on many types of peripheral lymphoid cells. However, the expression level and function of CD226 on type 1 T regulatory (Tr1) cells during NMOSD is unknown. Methods Eighteen patients with NMOSD and 10 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the test group to probe the difference of CD226 expression on Tr1 cells using flow cytometric analysis. Results The expression of CD226 on Tr1 cells exhibited significantly increased tendency in NMOSD patients. Additionally, methylprednisolone and rituximab treatment decreased the expression of CD226 on Tr1 cells. Furthermore, the expression of CD226 on Tr1 cells was correlated with disease severity. Conclusion This study provides a new basic insight into CD226 expression pattern on Tr1 cells, which have great potential to be biomarkers for monitoring the development and treatment of NMOSD.

7A04 aluminum alloy has high strength and strong corrosion resistance, and its quality is only 1/3 of steel. Using 7A04 aluminum alloy to replace ordinary steel tube to confined concrete, it can effectively reduce the member section, reduce the weight of the structure, and more in line with the material requirements of large span materials and high-rise buildings. In this paper, nine groups of 7A04 aluminum alloy tube confined high strength concrete long column were tested under axial compression and eccentric compression with aspect ratio and eccentricity as variables. And the corresponding ABAQUS finite element model was established. The results show that the failure phenomena of the nine groups are basically the same, and the specimen deflection curve shape is similar to the sine half-wave curve. The ultimate bearing capacity of the specimen decreases with the increase of aspect ratio and eccentricity. When the axial compression or eccentricity of the specimen is small, the variation of the longitudinal and transverse strain at the midspan is similar in the elastic stage. When the eccentricity is large, the longitudinal and transverse strain at the midspan of the specimen is obviously tensile at one side and compressive at one side at the beginning. Finally, based on the test and simulation results, a formula for calculating the bearing capacity of 7A04 aluminum alloy tube high strength concrete long columns is proposed. This formula can better predict the stable bearing capacity of the specimen, which has certain reference significance for the structural design of 7A04 aluminum alloy tube high strength concrete long columns.

The application of tube-filled concrete composite columns is becoming more and more popular. The traditional tube-filled column is easy to rust and expensive to maintain, which leads to the practical need of replacing high-strength aluminum alloy. 7A04 aluminum alloy has high strength and strong corrosion resistance, which is more in line with the material requirements of modern building structures. In view of this, four groups of 7A04 aluminum alloy tube concrete short columns were tested under axial compression, and the corresponding ABAQUS finite element simulation was established. The influence of tube thickness and concrete strength grade on compressive strength, ductility, transverse deformation coefficient, and improvement coefficient of strong concrete strength of composite column is considered in this paper. The results show that the failure mode of composite short columns is central uplift or shear failure. The tube thickness of high-strength aluminum tube has a great influence on the strength of specimens, and the ductility of composite columns decreases with the decrease of the collar coefficient. The finite element model can well reflect the development trend of the load-strain curve, and the formula of composite column bearing capacity proposed by regression analysis can well predict the strength of 7A04 aluminum alloy tubular concrete short column. The research results have a certain reference significance for the structural design of high strength aluminum concrete-filled columns.

During the passage of Typhoon Nida, the raindrop size distribution parameters, the raindrop spectra, the shape and slope (μ–Λ) relationship, the radar reflectivity factor, and rain rate (Z–R) relationship were investigated based on a two-dimensional (2D) video disdrometer in Guangdong, China, from August 1 to 2, 2016. Due to the underlying surface difference between the ocean and land, this process was divided into two distinct periods (before landfall and after landfall). The characteristics of raindrop size distribution between the period before landfall and the period after landfall were quite distinct. The period after landfall exhibited higher concentrations of each size bin (particularly small drops) and wider raindrop spectral width than the period before landfall. Compared with the period before landfall, the period after landfall had a higher average mass-weighted mean diameter Dm that was smaller than those of other TCs from the same ocean (the Pacific). The μ–Λ relationship and Z–R relationship in this study were also compared with other TCs from the same ocean (the Pacific). This investigation of the microphysical characteristics of Typhoon Nida before landfall and after landfall may improve radar quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) products and microphysical schemes by providing useful information.

Background. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is the most important promoter of allergic inflammation. However, there are few systematic studies on IgE in age range, genders, disease spectrum, and time regularity. Aim. To screen the common allergens, allergen spectrum, and IgE difference between type 2 inflammatory allergic diseases and other allergic diseases in Weifang, China. Methods. A retrospective study was performed by estimating patients’ clinical data suffering from allergic diseases (urticaria, pollinosis, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and bronchial asthma) between May 2019 and April 2020 using an allergen detection kit of Macro-Union Pharmaceutical. Results. 732 of the 1367 patients showed different antigen positive, and the positive rate was 53.5%. The most common allergens were dust mites, mixed fungi, Artemisia pollen, cat/dog dander, and cockroaches. There were 27.0% (369/1367) of the patients with single positive allergen-specific IgE (sIgE), 26.5% (363/1367) with multiple-positive IgE. The total immunoglobulin E (tIgE) levels varied with gender, age, and type of disease. There was a difference in the distribution of allergens between children and adults. A positive correlation between the serum-specific IgE and the corresponding local inhaled allergen density was observed. Conclusions. In this study, we found that type 2 inflammatory allergic diseases have higher serum IgE and a higher probability of inhaled sIgE positive. According to age, gender, and condition, serological IgE detection of allergens provides new insight into the early diagnosis and prevention of allergic diseases.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony (LVMD) in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients using two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI), and also to compare the usefulness of three patterns of myocardial deformation in mechanical dyssynchrony assessment. Furthermore, the relationships between left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), QRS duration (QRSd), and LVMD were explored. In total, 78 patients and 60 healthy individuals (group 3) were enrolled. The patients were classified into two subgroups: LVEF≤35% (group 1), 35%0.05). CHF patients have different extents of LVMD. Longitudinal deformation shows the best detectability of dyssynchrony motion. Left ventricular systolic function was closely related to mechanical dyssynchrony, whereas QRSd showed no significant correlation.

Socially aware networking (SAN) provides a new paradigm for intermittently connected networks which exploits social properties of mobile users to guide the design of protocols. In SAN, data forwarding performance will be degraded dramatically due to the existence of users' selfish behaviors. To address the selfishness problem, barter-based incentive scheme is a fair approach in which two encounter nodes exchange the same amount of data with one another. However, it is a challenging issue for nodes to decide when two nodes contact and how many messages they will exchange for their next contacts. We consider this problem as a resource allocation problem and propose a community-based Barter incentive scheme for SAN paradigm (Com-BIS). In this method, network nodes are grouped into communities and they allocate their forwarding services for different communities optimally using 0-1 knapsack algorithm. The simulation results show that Com-BIS stimulates selfish nodes to cooperate in data delivery for other nodes effectively which improves the forwarding performance considerably.

We study a rhodamine-based fluorescent compound (FD2) as corrosion indicator for T91 steel in 3% NaCl solution. FD2 has a desirable property of “turn-on” fluorescence emission via forming a complex with Fe3+ ions. The varying of fluorescence intensity is linked to that of weight-loss of T91 steel. Early attack on T91 steel was detected using fluorescence microscopy. This nondestructive method of initial corrosion detection can be used during maintenance before serious damage happens.