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Background Systemic inflammation and cachexia are associated with adverse clinical outcomes in elderly patients with cancer. The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) is a simple and useful tool to assess these conditions, but its predictive ability for elderly patients with cancer cachexia (EPCC) is unknown. Methods This multicentre cohort study included 746 EPCC with an average age of 72.00 ± 5.24 years, of whom 489 (65.5%) were male. The patients were divided into two groups (high GNRI group ≥91.959 vs. low GNRI group

Background: Changes in platelet count (PLT) are strongly associated with patient survival and may be clinically indicative of certain underlying diseases. However, there were few studies on the prognosis of patients with cancer cachexia. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between PLT and 1-year survival in patients with cancer cachexia. Methods: We performed a nested case-control study of data from a multicenter clinical study of cancer. There were 252 patients with cancer cachexia whose survival time was less than or equal to 1 year and 252 patients with cancer cachexia whose survival time was more than 1 year meeting the inclusion criteria. The mortality risk and the adjusted risk were estimated by logistic regression and displayed as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Results: PLT was negatively correlated with 1-year overall survival (OS) of patients with cancer cachexia (increased per standard deviation (SD): OR = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.05-1.60; P = 0.018). The higher the PLT, the lower the OS of patients. When classified by dichotomy (D1 < 296×109/L, D2 ≥ 296×109/L), OS of patients in the D2 group was worse (OR = 2.18; 95% CI: 1.38-3.47; P = 0.001). When classified by quartile (Q1- Q3 < 305×109/L, Q4 ≥ 305×109/L), OS of patients in the Q4 group was poorer (OR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.14-2.94; P = 0.013). In addition, patients with a low PLT (< 296×109/L) and either a high total bilirubin (TBIL) (≥ 17.1 µmol/L) or a smoking history had poor 1-year survival. Based on our primary cohort study, we conducted a survival analysis of 3130 patients with cancer cachexia and found that OS was better in patients with low PLT (< 296×109/L). Conclusion: PLT was negatively correlated with 1-year overall survival of patients with cancer cachexia.

Summary Objective To determine the prevalence of neuropathic-like pain (NP) and pain sensitization (PS) defined by self-report questionnaires in knee and hip osteoarthritis, and whether prevalence is potentially explained by disease-severity or affected joint. Design MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL were systematically searched (1990–April 2020) for studies describing the prevalence of NP and PS in knee and hip osteoarthritis using self-report questionnaires. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed. Statistical heterogeneity between studies and sub-groups (affected joint and population source as a proxy for disease severity) was assessed (I2 statistic and the Chi-squared test). Results From 2,706 non-duplicated references, 39 studies were included (2011–2020). Thirty-six studies reported on knee pain and six on hip pain. For knee osteoarthritis, the pooled prevalence of NP was: using PainDETECT, possible NP(score ≥13) 40% (95%CI 32–48%); probable NP(score >18) 20% (95%CI 15–24%); using Self-Report Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs, 32% (95%CI 26–38%); using Douleur Neuropathique (DN4) 41% (95% CI 24–59%). The prevalence of PS using Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) was 36% (95% CI 12–59%). For hip osteoarthritis, the pooled prevalence of NP was: using PainDETECT, possible NP 29% (95%CI 22–37%%); probable NP 9% (95%CI 6–13%); using DN4 22% (95%CI 12–31%) in one study. The prevalence of possible NP pain was higher at the knee (40%) than the hip (29%) (difference 11% (95% CI 0–22%), P = 0.05). Conclusions Using self-report questionnaire tools, NP was more prevalent in knee than hip osteoarthritis. The prevalence of NP in knee and hip osteoarthritis were similar for each joint regardless of study population source or tool used. Whether defining NP using self-report questionnaires enables more effective targeted therapy in osteoarthritis requires investigation.

GeSn complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices have attracted much attention for future VLSI technology nodes due to high carrier mobility. However, Fermi-level pinning in metal/n-GeSn...

In this paper, we investigate the effects of multiple project team membership on individual and team learning. Data from 435 members of 85 project teams shows that, at the individual level, membership variety has a positive impact on individual learning. Moreover, this positive relationship is stronger for individuals with an average need for cognition, in comparison to individuals with a high or a low need for cognition. At the project team level, the simultaneous inter-organizational memberships of a project team have a positive impact on the team's external learning. However, the simultaneous intra-organizational project team memberships negatively moderate this positive relationship. Furthermore, cross-level analyses show that individual learning has a positive impact on both internal and external team learning. Our findings are relevant for project management practice as they suggest ways in which work design can be configured to increase individual and team learning.

Guo-Tian Ruan,1– 3,&ast; Ming Yang,1– 3,&ast; Xiao-Wei Zhang,1– 3,&ast; Meng-Meng Song,1– 3 Chun-Lei Hu,1– 3 Yi-Zhong Ge,1– 3 Hai-Lun Xie,1– 3 Tong Liu,1– 3 Meng Tang,1– 3 Qi Zhang,1– 3 Xi Zhang,1– 3 Kang-Ping Zhang,1– 3 Xiang-Rui Li,1– 3 Qin-Qin Li,1– 3 Yong-Bing Chen,1– 3 Kai-Ying Yu,1– 3 Ming-Hua Cong,4 Kun-Hua Wang,5 Han-Ping Shi1– 3 1Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100038, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Clinical Nutrition, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100038, People’s Republic of China; 3Beijing International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Cancer Metabolism and Nutrition, Beijing, 100038, People’s Republic of China; 4Comprehensive Oncology Department, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100038, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650000, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Han-Ping ShiDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, 10 Tie Yi Road, Beijing, 100038, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-10- 6392 6985Fax +86-10 -6392 6325Email shihp@ccmu.edu.cnBackground: Systemic inflammation and cachexia are associated with adverse clinical outcomes in elderly patients with cancer. The survival outcomes of elderly patients with cancer cachexia (EPCC) with high inflammation and a high risk of mortality are unknown. This study aimed to investigate the impact of high inflammation on the prognosis of EPCC patients with high mortality.Patients and Methods: This multicenter cohort study included 746 EPCC (age > 65 years) with a mean age of 72.00 ± 5.24 years, of whom 489 (65.5%) were male. The cut-off value for the inflammation index was obtained using the optimal survival curve. The different inflammatory indicators were assessed using the concordance index (C-index), decision curve analysis (DCA), and prognostic receiver operating characteristic (ROC). The high mortality risk group of EPCC was defined by the 2011 Fearon Cancer Diagnostic Consensus. EPCC were divided into the high-risk group, which satisfies three diagnostic criteria, and a low-risk group, which satisfies only one or two diagnostic criteria.Results: The C-index, DCA, and prognostic ROC indicated the superiority of advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) compared with other indicators, including neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR). Whether ALI was used as a continuous or a categorical variable, ALI had a better prognostic value in EPCC compared with other inflammatory indicators. In particular, patients with low ALI (< 25.03) had a worse overall survival (OS) than patients with high ALI (≥ 25.03) (P < 0.001, HR [95% CI] = 2.092 [1.590– 2.751]). The combination effect analysis showed that the risk of mortality of the patients in the low-ALI and high-risk groups was 3.095-fold higher than that of patients in the high-ALI and low-risk groups.Conclusion: The prognostic and discriminative value of the inflammatory indicator ALI was better than that of NLR, PNI, SII, and PLR in EPCC. The high-risk group of EPCC with a low ALI would increase the death risk of OS.Keywords: ALI, systemic inflammation, cancer cachexia, elderly, overall survival

The study collected papers on radio frequency identification (RFID) applications from an academic database to explore the topic’s development trajectory and predict future development trends. Overall, 3820 papers were collected, and citation networks were established on the basis of the literature references. Main path analysis was performed on the networks to determine the development trajectory of RFID applications. After clustering into groups, the results are twenty clusters, and six clusters with citation counts of more than 200 were obtained. Cluster and word cloud analyses were conducted, and the main research themes were identified: RFID applications in supply chain management, antenna design, collision prevention protocols, privacy and safety, tag sensors, and localization systems. Text mining was performed on the titles and abstracts of the papers to identify frequent keywords and topics of interest to researchers. Finally, statistical analysis of papers published in the previous 4 years revealed RFID applications in construction, aquaculture, and experimentation are less frequently discussed themes. This study provides planning directions for industry, and the findings serve as a reference for business domain. The integrated analysis successfully determined the trajectory of RFID-based technological development and applications as well as forecast the direction of future research.

// Wusheng Yan 1 , 2 , * , Muhammad Jamal 1 , 2 , * , Shyh-Han Tan 1 , 2 , * , Yingjie Song 1 , 2 , Denise Young 1 , 2 , Yongmei Chen 1 , 2 , Shilpa Katta 1 , 2 , Kai Ying 1 , 2 , Lakshmi Ravindranath 1 , 2 , Tarah Woodle 2 , Indu Kohaar 1 , 2 , Jennifer Cullen 1 , 2 , 3 , Jacob Kagan 4 , Sudhir Srivastava 4 , Albert Dobi 1 , 2 , 3 , David G. McLeod 1 , 2 , 3 , Inger L. Rosner 1 , 2 , 3 , Isabell A. Sesterhenn 5 , Alagarsamy Srinivasan 1 , 2 , Shiv Srivastava 1 , 2 , 3 and Gyorgy Petrovics 1 , 2 , 3 1 Henry Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF), Bethesda, MD, USA 2 Center for Prostate Disease Research, Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA 3 John P. Murtha Cancer Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA 4 Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA 5 Joint Pathology Center, Silver Spring, MD, USA * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Gyorgy Petrovics, email: gpetrovics@cpdr.org Shiv Srivastava, email: shsr629@gmail.com Keywords: prostate cancer; NanoString; prognostic biomarker; biochemical recurrence; ERG Received: July 04, 2019 Accepted: October 19, 2019 Published: November 05, 2019 ABSTRACT Background: As a major cause of morbidity and mortality among men, prostate cancer is a heterogenous disease, with a vast heterogeneity in the biology of the disease and in clinical outcome. While it often runs an indolent course, local progression or metastasis may eventually develop, even among patients considered “low risk” at diagnosis. Therefore, biomarkers that can discriminate aggressive from indolent disease at an early stage would greatly benefit patients. We hypothesized that tissue specimens from early stage prostate cancers may harbor predictive signatures for disease progression. Methods: We used a cohort of radical prostatectomy patients with longitudinal follow-up, who had tumors with low grade and stage that revealed no signs of future disease progression at surgery. During the follow-up period, some patients either remained indolent (non-BCR) or progressed to biochemical recurrence (BCR). Total RNA was extracted from tumor, and adjacent normal epithelium of formalin-fixed-paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens. Differential gene expression in tumors, and in tumor versus normal tissues between BCR and non-BCR patients were analyzed by NanoString using a customized CodeSet of 151 probes. Results: After controlling for false discovery rates, we identified a panel of eight genes ( ERG, GGT1, HDAC1, KLK2, MYO6, PLA2G7, BICD1 and CACNAID ) that distinguished BCR from non-BCR patients. We found a clear association of ERG expression with non-BCR, which was further corroborated by quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry assays. Conclusions: Our results identified ERG as the strongest predictor for BCR and showed that potential prognostic prostate cancer biomarkers can be identified from FFPE tumor specimens.

Ultrareliable low-latency communications (URLLC) is one of three emerging application scenarios in 5G new radio (NR) for which physical layer design aspects have been specified. With 5G NR, we can guarantee reliability and latency in radio access networks. However, for communication scenarios where the transmission involves both radio access and wide-area core networks, the delay in radio access networks contributes to only a portion of the end-toend (E2E) delay. In this article, we outline the delay components and packet loss probabilities in typical URLLC scenarios and formulate the constraints on E2E delay and overall packet loss probability. Then, we summarize possible solutions in the physical, link, and network layers as well as the cross-layer design. Finally, we discuss open issues in prediction and communication codesign for URLLC in wide-area, largescale networks.

GeSn is a promising material for high-performance electronic and photonic devices. In this work, we present our recent achievements on high electron mobility in GeSn n-MOSFETs, an extremely low contact resistivity in metal/n-GeSn junctions, and a high tunneling current density in GeSn Esaki diodes with large peak-to-valley current ratios. Last, we present the first two-dimensional hole gas in the undoped GeSn/Ge heterostructures with strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) effects, which is tunable by top gating.

Objective. To explore the perceptions of preceptors about the performance of undergraduate pharmacy students during experiential placements in Australia, before and after curricular transformation. Methods. Twenty-six preceptors who had recently supervised students from the transformed curriculum and the previous curriculum were interviewed, using a semi-structured approach. A directed content analysis approach was used to analyze the transcripts. Results. Preceptors described students from the transformed curriculum as having improved professional skills, behaviors, and attitudes, and an increased ability to perform clinical activities, compared to students of the previous curriculum. Perceptions of the knowledge levels of the two cohorts varied. Preceptors perceived that students in the transformed curriculum had improved clinical knowledge and knowledge application. They expressed less frequently that students in the transformed curriculum had knowledge levels that were below their expectations. Conclusion. The results of this study suggest that curricular transformation with a focus on skill-based and active learning can improve the performance of pharmacy students in terms of their professional behaviors and attitudes, skills, knowledge, and clinical abilities, as perceived by preceptors.

In the upcoming 5G and beyond systems, ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC) has been considered as the key enabler to support diverse mission-critical services, such as industrial automation, remote healthcare, and intelligent transportation. However, the two stringent requirements of URLLC: extremely low latency and ultra-strict reliability have posed great challenges in system designing. In this article, the basic concepts and the potential applications of URLLC are first introduced. Then, the state-of-the-art research of URLLC in the physical layer, link layer and the network layer are overviewed. In addition, some potential research topics and challenges are also identified.

The growth, productivity and competitiveness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are dependent on their innovation capabilities and performance. It is in recognition of this truism that governments have adopted different policy instruments to promote innovation in SMEs. This chapter provides a critical review of policy instruments for promoting innovation in manufacturing SMEs in South Africa. There is scant evidence-based analysis of how various national policy instruments influence innovation performance of manufacturing SMEs in the country. National policy instruments that impact on innovation by manufacturing SMEs are identified based on a review of literature, a firm-level survey, two stakeholders’ workshops, as well as interviews with policy-makers and representatives of SMEs, we identify. The study shows that the instruments have not been effective in promoting innovation in SMES because of weak policy mix and inconsistency, weak capacity of government to adjust policy instruments to target systemic innovation deficits, and institutional disarticulation within government departments. The suggestion is a reconfiguration of policy instruments and related institutional arrangements to focus on the challenge of enhancing the innovation performance of the enterprises.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women and notwithstanding important therapeutic advances, remains the second leading cause of cancer-related death. Despite extensive research relating to the hormone ghrelin, responsible for the stimulation of growth hormone release and appetite, little is known of the effects of its unacylated form, especially in cancer. The present study aimed to characterize effects of unacylated ghrelin on breast cancer cells, define its mechanism of action, and explore the therapeutic potential of unacylated ghrelin or analog AZP-531. We report potent anti-tumor effects of unacylated ghrelin, dependent on cells being cultured in 3D in a biologically-relevant extracellular matrix. The mechanism of unacylated ghrelin-mediated growth inhibition involves activation of Gαi and suppression of MAPK signaling. AZP-531 also suppresses the growth of breast cancer cells in vitro and in xenografts, and may be a novel approach for the safe and effective treatment of breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE To clarify the mechanism of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) as a diagnostic biomarker in coronary heart disease (CHD) and atherosclerosis (AS). METHOD Expressions of HSP27 in patients with CHD and healthy controls were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the expressions of HSP27 in aortas of patients with CHD and healthy controls were measured by immunohistochemistry. Receiver operating characteristic curve was applied to assess the diagnostic performance of HSP27 in CHD. ApoE-/- mice were included and accordingly grouped. The expressions of HSP27 in AS plaque were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot analysis. AS plaque was observed using hematoxylin and eosin staining. DHE was used to detect reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in aortas. The expressions of mitochondrial apoptosis-related proteins were measured by Western blot analysis. Cell apoptosis was determined by TUNEL staining. RESULTS HSP27 was highly expressed in patients with CHD than in healthy controls ( P

This study aims to understand factors influencing the intention to adopt smart meters (SM) to save energy in the face of expected increases in electricity costs, stemming from the impact of Taiwan’s plans to increase the proportion of renewable energy in the post-Fukushima era demand. As far as we know, compared to previous relevant studies based on constructs of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitudes, this study is the first one based on the application of protection motivation theory (PMT), which uses threat appraisal, coping appraisal, Social Influence, Secondary Data Influence constructs, and control variables to explain the correlation and impact of residential communities’ intention to adopt SM. With 292 valid questionnaires, this study applies SmartPLS 3 software in model analysis, and finds that the impact of coping appraisal variables is more significant than that of threat appraisal variables, while Secondary Data Influence, Age, and Electricity Cost variables have a ...

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women and notwithstanding important therapeutic advances, it remains the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the US. Despite extensive research relating to the hormone ghrelin, responsible for the stimulation of growth hormone release and appetite, little is known of the effects of its unacylated form, especially in cancer. One major area of research relates to its reported effects to increase insulin sensitivity in diabetics, this being the basis for the development of unacylated ghrelin analog, AZP531 or livoletide, now in clinical trials for the treatment of Prader-Willi Syndrome. The mechanism of action of unacylated ghrelin is largely uncharacterized, in any system, because it does not bind to or activate the cognate ghrelin receptor, GHSR1a. The present study aimed to characterize effects of unacylated ghrelin on breast cancer cells, define its mechanism of action, and explore the therapeutic potential of unacylated ghrelin or analog AZP531. We report potent effects of unacylated ghrelin, at picomolar doses, on the growth of breast cancer cells, dependent on 3D culture and activation of Gαi. Suppression of MAPK signaling by unacylated ghrelin leads to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. AZP531 also suppresses the growth of breast cancer cells in vitro and in xenografts, and may be a novel approach for the safe and effective treatment of breast cancer.

Summary Background Almost a third of those undergoing knee replacement for osteoarthritis have poor outcomes despite technically successful surgery. Preoperative neuropathic-like pain and/or pain sensitisation may increase the risk of pain following joint replacement. Objective To examine whether preoperative neuropathic-like pain and pain sensitisation predicts pain, function and satisfaction following joint replacement for knee osteoarthritis. Design Systematic review with meta-analysis. Methods Medline, EMBASE and CINAHL were systematically searched until March 2020. Studies detecting neuropathic-like pain and/or sensitisation using self-report questionnaires prior to knee replacement for osteoarthritis, and relating this to post-operative outcomes were identified. Data extraction, risk of bias assessment and meta-analysis were performed, where appropriate. Results Five manuscripts, including one preprint, examining six cohorts were included: four used painDETECT or modified painDETECT, one the Self-Report Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs, and another the Central Sensitisation Inventory to identify preoperative characteristics. Three studies showed preoperative neuropathic-like pain or sensitisation was associated with more intense post-operative pain. All four studies examining the risk of significant pain after knee replacement suggested it was increased after > 3 months. The only study examining patient satisfaction and function found reduced satisfaction, but no difference in function in those with preoperative sensitisation. Meta-analysis found the relative risk of increased pain following knee replacement in those with neuropathic-like pain(painDETECT > 13) to be 2.05(95% confidence intervals 1.51, 2.79). Conclusion These results provide consistent but limited evidence that self-report tools detecting neuropathic-like pain and/or pain sensitisation, predict patients at higher risk of pain following knee replacement.

An equipment status management and maintenance platform of an intelligent substation monitoring and control system is built in the Tai-Tam substation of the Taipower company. The real-time operating status of the equipment, such as the server, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) human&ndash, machine interface (HMI) software, switches, intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), merging units (MUs), as well as the entire SCADA system, are evaluated comprehensively. First, the status information of all equipment is collected, and the theory of relative deterioration degree (RDD) and fuzzy theory (FT) are applied to calculate the fuzzy evaluation matrix of the equipment influencing factors. Then, the subjective analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the objective entropy method for weighting are combined to calculate the comprehensive weights of the equipment influencing factors. Finally, the result of the equipment status evaluation is obtained using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) method and is presented at the equipment status management and maintenance platform. Such equipment status evaluation results can be used by the inspection and maintenance personnel to determine the priority for equipment maintenance and repair. The result of this study may serve as a valuable reference to utility companies when making maintenance plans.

The desire to gain knowledge about the quality and timing of construction projects delivered to clients has become an increased focus point in the field of construction management. Clients have expectations that are often based on their assumptions about the validity of making the learning curve theory applicable to construction projects. This research aims to determine what criteria need to be met for the learning curve theory to have some validity for construction projects. The results from the questionnaire survey, completed by professionals from the construction industry, show that several concepts were found to be of importance: project specifications, design, scope, budget, site management, planning, monitoring and controlling, and quality. If these concepts correspond between two projects, the chance of successfully applying the learning curve theory increases. Practical recommendations are made that highlight the concepts identified as critical for the successful application of the learning curve theory to construction projects, and that can be used by clients and contractors as a basis for negotiating project schedules.

Recently, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) has been proposed in visible light communications (VLC) systems to boost the data rate by utilizing spatial multiplexing. Unlike RF systems in VLC, lighting requirements, such as dimming control, should be taken into consideration for the design of a VLC transceiver. Moreover, VLC systems are inherently nonlinear and dynamic-range-limited. To drive an LED transmitter, the signal is bounded by a turn-on value and a saturation value. In this letter, we show how the dynamic-range constraint and dimming control impact the design of MIMO transceiver. Three different MIMO schemes are proposed and studied by theoretical analysis and simulation.

Synovial cyst of knee cruciate ligament (SCKCL) is a rare condition but can cause severe knee pain. The understanding of its etiology is relatively poor. This current study aimed to elucidate the pathogenesis of SCKCL based on a series of histo- and cytopathological examination. Ten SCKCL patients who underwent arthroscopy were enrolled, among five patients claimed past knee injury. Hematoxylin & eosin staining was conducted to the cyst wall tissue sections and Papanicolaou staining to the cyst fluid smear. Prussian blue staining was employed to both the wall section and fluid smear. Immumohistochemical staining for mesothelial cells (MC), epithelial cells (CK), vascular endothelial cells (CD31), monocytes (CD68), and hematogenous stem cells (CD117) were taken to elucidate the possible involvement of various cell types in the development of SCKCL. No erythrocyte was discovered in the fluid; however, Prussian blue stained hemosiderin particles were found in the cyst wall and fluid, suggesting past hemorrhage in all patients. Abundant lymphocytes and plasmocytes were observed in the cyst wall and fluid. In addition, the cyst lining was infiltrated with abundant CD68(+) monocytes while only few MC(+) mesothelial cells were sporadically observed in four samples. The cyst submucosa was also diffused with abundant CD68(+) monocytes and proliferated capillaries stained with CD31. CD117-positve hematogenous stem cells were sporadically observed in eight specimens. Our findings provided evidence that SCKCL is not a mature synovial cyst but rather an inflammatory pseudo-cyst. It may have resulted from past minor hemorrhage and intra-ligament chronic inflammation.

The aim of this study is to explore whether risk perception or anticipated regret is responsible for intensifying the participants’ intention to adopt a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) to prevent a tire-related accident, and whether the optimism bias has a moderator effect between risk perception/anticipated regret and intention. With 274 valid questionnaires and PLS-SEM (partial least squares structural equation modeling) analysis, the results indicate a significant positive relationship between risk perception and intention to adopt TPMS, but not between anticipated regret and intention. The moderator effect of optimism bias on risk perception and anticipated regret is not found in the model. The findings will prove useful for public service advertising campaigns by providing a basis for an understanding of the role of cognitive and emotional factors in tire-blowout accident prevention, thereby increasing the motivation for drivers in Taiwan to take advantage of the protection afforded them by using TPMS.

Mobile photography not only allows people to take and share photos of everyday life, but also demonstrates the capability of emergency and crisis reporting at a critical moment. These images of everyday medical situations help the public understand the first-hand situation of those dramatic events, and facilitate the medical professionals to allocate medical resources and effectively diagnose. However, as the world is becoming more globalized and the communication between physician and patients is becoming more difficult as the healthcare practice becomes more complex, to be able to more effectively retrieval these user-generated images scattered throughout the Internet is of great importance. Social tagging is one such approach of managing and discovering photos for specific use. In response to the research gap and practical challenges, this study employs between-subject quasi-experiment method to investigate the tagging behavior of users of images of everyday medical situations. It aims to identify the differences of image tagging behaviors between two socially distinct groups, medical professionals and non-medical professionals. Results of the study may contribute to the increase of awareness and understanding of social media in healthcare, and the development of tag-based medical image retrieval service that is socio-cultural sensitive.

Recently, visible light communication (VLC) has attracted much attention as a possible candidate technology to meet the ever growing demand in wireless data. However, current low-cost white LED has limited modulation bandwidth, which limits the throughput of the VLC. Optical MIMO can provide spatial diversity and thus achieve high data rate. Traditional multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques used in wireless communications cannot be directly applied to VLC. This paper studies the precoder and equalizer design of optical wireless MIMO system for VLC. First, we propose a MIMO VLC system, which can effectively support the flickering/dimming control and other VLC-specific requirements. Second, besides the transceiver design with perfect channel state information, we also take into account channel uncertainties for joint optimization in the MIMO VLC system. Numerical results show that the proposed MIMO solution for VLC is robust to combat the influence caused by the channel estimation imperfection. By taking into account the channel estimation errors, the proposed joint optimization method demonstrates the bit error rate (BER) improvements in the scenario of imperfect channel estimation.

5G systems are supposed to support coexistence of multiple services such as ultra reliable low latency communications (URLLC) and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) communications. The target of eMBB communications is to meet the high-throughput requirement while URLLC are used for some high priority services. Due to the sporadic nature and low latency requirement, URLLC transmission may pre-empt the resource of eMBB transmission. Our work is to analyze the URLLC impact on eMBB transmission in mobile front-haul. Then, some solutions are proposed to guarantee the reliability/latency requirements for URLLC services and minimize the impact to eMBB services at the same time.

Aim The potential diagnostic utility of circulating microRNAs in heart failure (HF) or in distinguishing HF with reduced vs. preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HFREF and HFPEF, respectively) is unclear. We sought to identify microRNAs suitable for diagnosis of HF and for distinguishing both HFREF and HFPEF from non-HF controls and HFREF from HFPEF. Methods and results MicroRNA profiling performed on whole blood and corresponding plasma samples of 28 controls, 39 HFREF and 19 HFPEF identified 344 microRNAs to be dysregulated among the three groups. Further analysis using an independent cohort of 30 controls, 30 HFREF and 30 HFPEF, presented 12 microRNAs with diagnostic potential for one or both HF phenotypes. Of these, miR-1233, -183-3p, -190a, -193b-3p, -193b-5p, -211-5p, -494, and -671-5p distinguished HF from controls. Altered levels of miR-125a-5p, -183-3p, -193b-3p, -211-5p, -494, -638, and -671-5p were found in HFREF while levels of miR-1233, -183-3p, -190a, -193b-3p, -193b-5p, and -545-5p distinguished HFPEF from controls. Four microRNAs (miR-125a-5p, -190a, -550a-5p, and -638) distinguished HFREF from HFPEF. Selective microRNA panels showed stronger discriminative power than N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). In addition, individual or multiple microRNAs used in combination with NT-proBNP increased NT-proBNP's discriminative performance, achieving perfect intergroup distinction. Pathway analysis revealed that the altered microRNAs expression was associated with several mechanisms of potential significance in HF. Conclusions We report specific microRNAs as potential biomarkers in distinguishing HF from non-HF controls and in differentiating between HFREF and HFPEF.

Knowledge dissemination, as part of the knowledge exchange process, is particularly challenging in any project environment due to the temporary nature of projects. Although several studies in the earlier literature studied the factors that influence knowledge exchange, very few examined them from the ‘knowledge push’ perspective. This study aims, therefore, to highlight the critical factors that impact knowledge dissemination in a project environment. This empirical research found ten critical factors, such as individual experience, trust, source credibility, shared understanding, motivation, and articulability. These individual factors seem to have a dominant influence on knowledge dissemination from the view point of the knowledge source.

A Case study company that was set up as a project where the technical focus, activities and behaviour set the initial culture is considered in this research. Over a period of 11 years the Case study engineering organisation was exposed to many influences in the electrical utility industry that now give lead to questions such as: How did events influence the engineering culture and how did the culture change over time? Engineering organisations are subjected to external and internal events which are not always within their control. These include technological changes, economical changes or new competition, change in ownership, business focus or technical leadership. The ability to absorb such events is not only a function of the organisation's technology infrastructure, availability of funding or skills, but also of the organisational culture prevailing at the time. The objective of the research is to determine how eight events impacted the culture of an engineering organisation over a period of six years. The results show that the culture is indeed influenced by events, with an indication that the different work areas within the organisation experienced the cultural changes differently. The employees that worked for the organisation six years or longer also experienced the changes differently from those that were only employed for the last five years of the organisation's life. These results may assist the understanding of the impact that events may have on an organisation and allow early risk mitigation to counter undesirable culture forming.

In this letter, we derive the analytical expressions of the degree distributions for a kind of networks model random initializing attractiveness and preferential linking, which analyzed degree evolution by using the master equation approach. We also discuss the theoretical justification of the scale-free behavior about the proposed model. The influencing range of initialization to the degree distribution only related to initialization’s expectation under the global meaning. Finally, a series of theoretical analysis and numerical simulations to the scale-free network model are conducted in this letter. The results of computer simulation is presented to the theoretical analysis.

There is a great deal of history involving the research of Tibetan network public opinion dissemination behavior. In order to monitor Tibetan web information and real-time construction and supplementary of Tibetan sensitive information, we investigate the random walk dissemination model to analyze the overall information of Tibetan Web. According to Monte Carlo’s random walk models, we simulate the Brownian motion in the different dimensional space and discuss some basic ideas and applications.

Past studies of performance management systems (PMS) have focused more on designing the framework and less on the effect it has on employees. Moreover, employees in developing countries may not be knowledgeable or familiar with PMS. This paper proposes two competing statistical models to examine the roles that supervisor support (SS) has in engineering organisations. It was found that SS is a mediator, but not a moderator, in the relationship between PMS and employee job satisfaction. In other words, SS partially explains why employees have positive perceptions of their jobs based on their evaluation of the current PMS; SS thus enhances the PMS in engineering organisations.

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a risk assessment method that effectively diagnoses a product&rsquo, s potential failure modes. It is based on expert experience and investigation to determine the potential failure modes of the system or product to develop improvement strategies to reduce the risk of failures. However, the traditional FMEA has many shortcomings that were proposed by many studies. This study proposes a hybrid FMEA and multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) model to establish an evaluation framework, combining the rough best worst method (R-BWM) and rough technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution technique (R-TOPSIS) to determine the improvement order of failure modes. In addition, this study adds the concept of aspiration level to R-TOPSIS technology (called R-TOPSIS-AL), which not only optimizes the reliability of the TOPSIS calculation program, but also obtains more potential information. This study then demonstrates the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed model through a multinational audio equipment manufacturing company. The results show that the proposed model can overcome many shortcomings of traditional FMEA, and effectively assist decision-makers and research and development (R&amp, D) departments in improving the reliability of products.

The success of after-sales services fundamentally depends on the possibility of symmetry balancing needs, supply and customer satisfaction. Spare parts planning (SPP) software selection is an investment in balancing the symmetry of inventory control, which directly affects the success of after-sales services. This paper presents the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and grey relational analysis (GRA) as potential multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods for software selection. The application of these methods can be decreased by decision-makers&rsquo, subjectivity, which leads to consistency and symmetry in the weight values of the criteria. The criteria were evaluated solely based on system functions by business consultants with respect to the modularity of the software to meet various business requirements, distinguishing this paper from other papers that focus on the financial aspects of selecting software. The results suggest that the AHP and GRA are feasible methods for software selection that effectively integrate consultants&rsquo, experience to identify the suitable software and the most important function for adoption in real businesses. The findings of our data suggest that inventory optimization is the most important function of SPP software, as the demand forecasting function may be subjective. In conclusion, this paper represents a bridge between practitioners and researchers.

MicroRNAs have been identified as key regulators of gene expression and thus their potential in disease diagnostics, prognosis and therapy is being actively pursued. Deregulation of microRNAs in cerebral pathogenesis has been reported to a limited extent in both animal models and human. Due to the complexity of the pathology, identifying stroke specific microRNAs has been a challenge. This study shows that microRNA profiles reflect not only the temporal progression of stroke but also the specific etiologies. A panel of 32 microRNAs, which could differentiate stroke etiologies during acute phase was identified and verified using a customized TaqMan Low Density Array (TLDA). Furthermore we also found 5 microRNAs, miR-125b-2*, -27a*, -422a, -488 and -627 to be consistently altered in acute stroke irrespective of age or severity or confounding metabolic complications. Differential expression of these 5 microRNAs was also observed in rat stroke models. Hence, their specificity to the stroke pathology emphasizes the possibility of developing these microRNAs into accurate and useful tools for diagnosis of stroke.

The rapid development of Internet has given rise to many new applications. Natural language processing, cloud computing, personalized recommendation technologies and so on are improving the experience of using information resources for people greatly. This paper puts forward the idea of a kind of intelligent learning website, it includes a variety of functions such as goal setting, skills assessment, making study plan, recommending learning content, answering questions, recommending partners and projects, etc. Just like as if user has his own personal trainer. Related implementation techniques are discussed in this paper, and put forwards the algorithm of network user identification based on digitalized persona, it provides a new train of thought of identify users characteristic and demand for precisely personalized recommendation.

Internet has become an important tool to gain information; how to effectively detect hot topics from a lot of network information sources, e.g., Tibetan network, seems to be an urgent issue. Traditional hot topic is mainly based on the number of comments to get and the topic contents are usually not considered. In this letter, we study the approach of content-based relevance, i.e., based on user browsing behavior and the topic attention degree to discover the hot topic. And use the complex network theory to analyze the tracking model.

Green communication receives a growing number of concerns due to the consideration for energy and environment issues. On the other hand, the evolution of mobile and wireless communication also results in heterogeneous Radio Access Technologies (RATs), such as Wi-Fi, UMTS, LTE, CDMA2000 and so on. As a result, energy saving by inter-RAT cooperation has raised significant discussions in both industrial and academical worlds. In this paper, we concentrate on inter-RAT energy saving for multicast services. Moreover, we use Integer Linear Programming to model the problem and propose a distributed algorithm which can efficiently save the energy consumption.

All-chemical vapor deposited silicon nitride / monolayer graphene TFTs have been fabricated. Polychromatic Raman spectroscopy shows high quality monolayer graphene channels with uniform coverage and significant interfacial doping at the source-drain contacts. Nominal mobilities of approximately 1900 cm 2V-1s-1 have been measured opening up a potentially useful platform for analogue and RFR-based applications fabricated through allchemical vapor deposition processes. © The Electrochemical Society.

The role of innovation within an organization is undeniably important. An organizational culture that embraces innovation is one that will encourage employees to behave innovatively. This investigation is set out to explore the determinants of innovation within an organization that will prompt employees to behave innovatively. The investigation suggests that when employees perceive a positive innovative culture, they are likely to show innovative behavior in specific stages of innovative work behavior. These stages are: opportunity exploration, idea generation, idea championing and idea realization. The investigation identified ten determinants, namely: autonomy, external contacts, communication, collaboration, risk taking, decentralized structure, reward, resource, participative leadership and strategy. We proposed ten hypotheses to test the impact of these ten determinants on employee innovative behavior. Based on the findings, some of the determinants are found to have a high support to innovative behavior and these vary according to the specific innovation behavior stages.

This case study focuses on the antecedents that are linked to individual innovative behaviour as well as the innovative activities mentioned in the innovation surveys that lead to innovation. A literature review was performed in order to determine the most recognised antecedents to innovative behaviour as well as to understand innovative activities of companies, based on innovation surveys, performed by individuals within the company. A survey was developed to collect data from a population of 263 employees, from which hierarchical multiple regression was used to analyse the relationships between the variables. It was determined that the significant antecedents to innovative behaviour of individuals' were: self-efficacy; challenging the status quo and having external work contacts. Similarly, the activities that were determined to lead to innovative behaviour of individuals were: intramural (in-house) RD acquisition of external knowledge and other preparations for product and process innovations. Although the results of this study are only representative of the company that was studied, and hence not generalizable, the results put forward in this case study provide a framework that is useful to other companies that are interested in nurturing innovation.