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PURPOSE This randomized controlled phase II study investigated the efficacy, safety and underlying mechanism of maxillofacial and oral massage (MOM) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients receiving intensity-modulated radiotherapy. METHODS A total of 158 NPC patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to routine oral care and medication (the control group) or that with additional MOM (the treatment group). The primary endpoint was the incidence of severe radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis (SRTOM). In addition, the time of initiation and duration of RTOM and SRTOM, adverse events, dynamic changes of lipid metabolites in peripheral blood were analyzed. RESULTS Seventy-six patients in the treatment group and seventy-nine in the control group completed the trial. The incidence of SRTOM in the treatment group was lower than the control (26.3% vs. 46.8%, P = 0.008). The median initiation time to RTOM and SRTOM was significantly longer in the treatment group than the control (RTOM:12 vs 10 days, hazard ratio [HR] 0.52, P

In order to solve the problem of difficult gas extraction in coal mine, a method of gas extraction from coal seam by interval hydraulic flushing is put forward. Based on the coal seam gas occurrence conditions of 7609 working face in Wuyang Coal Mine, the numerical simulation research on gas drainage by ordinary drilling and hydraulic flushing drilling was carried out by using COMSOL numerical simulation software. The results show that with the increase of hydraulic flushing coal quantity, the effective gas drainage radius also increases. The effective extraction radius of ordinary drilling is 0.5 m, and the effective extraction radius is 1.0 m, 1.2 m and 1.3 m respectively when the coal flushing quantity is 0.5t/m, 1.0t/m and 1.5t/m. As multiple boreholes are drained at the same time, the boreholes will affect each other, which will reduce the gas pressure and increase the effective drainage radius, the spacing between boreholes can be greater than twice the effective drainage radius of a single borehole when arranging boreholes. And the smaller the flushing interval, the more uniform the gas pressure reduction area. According to the numerical simulation results, the ordinary drilling and 1.0t/m interval hydraulic flushing test were carried out in the field. Through observation and analysis, the gas concentration of the interval hydraulic flushing drilling module was increased by 31.2% and the drainage purity was increased by 5.77 times compared with the ordinary drilling module. It shows that the interval hydraulic flushing drilling can effectively improve the gas drainage effect.

Daqu, a Chinese liquor fermentation starter, contains all kinds of microorganisms and enzymes for Chinese liquor fermentation. The moisture content of Daqu significantly influence on the reproduction of microorganisms in Daqu. This work presents for the first time that determination of moisture content of Daqu with hyperspectral imaging. The characteristic spectrum of water is extracted based on comparative experiments with varying moisture content. The molds based on the full bands and feature bands were established by the support vector regression (SVR) method, which is used to predict moisture content of Daqu during fermentation process. The performance of the model based on the feature bands (R 2 = 0.9870, root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.0091) is comparable to the full bands and the dimensions of the spectral information were significantly reduced. This work presents a novel, rapid and nondestructive approach for detecting the moisture content in Daqu and lays a foundation for the application of hyperspectral imaging.

Purpose The direction and orientation of the osteotomized upper segments in dental implant distractor (DID) can be compromised due to an unpredicted vector of distraction. The present study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) surgical templates to precisely guide the distraction process in lengthening of the alveolar height for functional mandibular reconstruction. Patients and methods This retrospective study included all consecutive patients who underwent digitally designed mandibular reconstruction using the fibular flap and DID with the help of CAD/CAM designed surgical templates in a single-stage procedure from 2011 to 2014. First, the preoperative digital planning was performed on 3-dimensional models. Afterward, simulation of the distraction process was made on the virtual model and the resulting new height of the fibula was evaluated. The preoperative simulation was applied to accurately define the exact location and path of the DID device to achieve the suitable vertical height. The preoperative digital planning was used to help the design of the CAD/CAM surgical template, which was then fabricated by means of the 3-dimensional printing technology. The manufactured surgical template-assisted both horizontal and vertical osteotomies of the fibular segments and defining the DID path to lead the distractor into the accurate position. The outcome evaluation was achieved through comparing both preoperative virtual planning with postoperative actual outcomes. Results This study included 14 subjects, 8 were males and 6 were females. The mean age at time of surgery was 31.07 years (range 18-47). All fibular flaps showed 100% success rate. The mean vertical bone height attained with the DID device was 11.35 mm. The vertical and horizontal osteotomies of the fibular segments were completed, then the DID devices were successfully positioned guided by the template. The mean values of the linear and angular deviations for the distractor position and upper segments were calculated and recorded. The maximum linear deviation between the virtual and the postoperative actual distractors was 0.93 mm in the anteroposterior direction, and the greatest in the horizontal plane was 4.64°. Conclusions CAD/CAM surgical templates can accurately guide the direction and orientation of the DID device for functional mandibular reconstruction; therefore, helping to improve the outcomes by accurately transferring the preoperative virtual plan to real surgical procedure.

Objective This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between the interleukin (IL)-17A rs2275913 polymorphism and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility. Methods Eligible studies were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. The fixed- or random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) on the basis of heterogeneity. Results Overall, 11 studies containing 4019 RA patients and 4137 controls were included in this meta-analysis. The results suggested a significant association between the IL-17A rs2275913 polymorphism and RA susceptibility in the overall population (allelic model A vs. G: OR = 0.89, 95%CI: 0.83–0.95; heterozygote model GA vs. GG: OR = 0.87, 95%CI: 0.78–0.96; homozygote model AA vs. GG: OR = 0.82, 95%CI: 0.71–0.96; dominant model GA + AA vs. GG: OR = 0.86, 95%CI: 0.78–0.94). In the subgroup analyses, the IL-17A rs2275913 polymorphism was significantly associated with RA risk in Europeans (allelic model A vs. G: OR = 0.87, 95%CI: 0.78–0.97; heterozygote model GA vs. GG: OR = 0.79, 95%CI: 0.68–0.93; dominant model GA + AA vs. GG: OR = 0.79, 95%CI: 0.68–0.92), but not in Africans or Americans. Conclusion This study suggests that the IL-17A rs2275913 polymorphism is significantly associated with RA susceptibility in Europeans. INPLASY registration number: INPLASY202170056.

In actual application scenarios of the real-time video confidential communication, encrypted videos must meet three performance indicators: security, real-time, and format compatibility. To satisfy these requirements, an improved bitstream-oriented encryption (BOE) method based chaotic encryption for H.264/AVC video is proposed. Meanwhile, an ARM-embedded remote real-time video confidential communication system is built for experimental verification in this paper. Firstly, a 4-D self-synchronous chaotic stream cipher algorithm with cosine anti-controllers (4-D SCSCA-CAC) is designed to enhance the security. The algorithm solves the security loopholes of existing self-synchronous chaotic stream cipher algorithms applied to the actual video confidential communication, which can effectively resist the combinational effect of the chosen-ciphertext attack and the divide-and-conquer attack. Secondly, syntax elements of the H.264 bitstream are analyzed in real-time. Motion vector difference (MVD) coefficients and direct-current (DC) components in Residual syntax element are extracted through the Exponential-Golomb decoding operation and entropy decoding operation based on the context-based adaptive variable length coding (CAVLC) mode, respectively. Thirdly, the DC components and MVD coefficients are encrypted by the 4-D SCSCA-CAC, and the encrypted syntax elements are re-encoded to replace the syntax elements of the original H.264 bitstream, keeping the format compatibility. Besides, hardware codecs and multi-core multi-threading technology are employed to improve the real-time performance of the hardware system. Finally, experimental results show that the proposed scheme, with the advantage of high efficiency and flexibility, can fulfill the requirement of security, real-time, and format compatibility simultaneously.

With the rapid development of new energy vehicle industry, the recycling of automotive traction battery has become the focus of resource sustainable development. In order to build the whole life cycle digital management system, this paper innovatively designs data management system of the traceability of the traction battery, achieving the efficient management of traction battery life cycle data and providing data support for industrial policy research.

Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) have limited memory capacity. Training popular deep neural networks (DNNs) often requires a larger amount of memory than that a GPU may have. Consequently, training data needs to be swapped between CPUs and GPUs. Data swapping may become a bottleneck when its latency is longer than the latency of DNN computations. Tensor compression in GPUs can reduce the data swapping time. However, existing works on compressing tensors in the virtual memory of GPUs have two major issues: sub-optimal compression performance for varying tensor sparsity and sizes and lack of portability because its implementation requires additional (de)compression units in memory controllers. We propose a self-tuning tensor compression framework, named CSWAP, for improving the virtual memory management of GPUs. It has high portability and is minimally dependent on GPU architecture features. Furthermore, its runtime only applies compression on tensors that are deemed to be cost-effective considering their sparsity and size and the characteristics of compression algorithms. Finally, our framework is fully automated and can customize the compression policy for different neural network architectures and GPU architectures. Our experimental results using six representative memory-intensive DNN models show that CSWAP reduces tensor swapping latency by up to 50.9% and reduces the DNN training time by 20.7% on average with NVIDIA V100 GPUs compared to vDNN.

Globally, the accelerating use of renewable energy sources, enabled by increased efficiencies and reduced costs, and driven by the need to mitigate the effects of climate change, has significantly increased research in the areas of renewable energy production, storage, distribution and end-use. Central to this discussion is the use of hydrogen, as a clean, efficient energy vector for energy storage. This review, by experts of Task 32, “Hydrogen-based Energy Storage” of the International Energy Agency, Hydrogen TCP, reports on the development over the last 6 years of hydrogen storage materials, methods and techniques, including electrochemical and thermal storage systems. An overview is given on the background to the various methods, the current state of development and the future prospects. The following areas are covered; porous materials, liquid hydrogen carriers, complex hydrides, intermetallic hydrides, electrochemical storage of energy, thermal energy storage, hydrogen energy systems and an outlook is presented for future prospects and research on hydrogen-based energy storage. © 2020 The Authors

A new method for image-defect recognition is proposed that is based on a convolution network with repeated stacking of small convolution kernels and a maximum pooling layer. By improving the speed and accuracy of image-defect recognition, this new method can be applied to image recognition such as heavy-rail images with high noise and many types of defects. The experimental results showed that the new algorithm effectively improved the accuracy of heavy-rail image-defect recognition. As evidenced by the simulation study, the proposed method has a lower error rate in heavy-rail image recognition than traditional algorithms, and the method may also be applied to defect recognition of nonlinear images under strong noise conditions. Its robustness and nonlinear processing ability are impressive, and the method is featured with high theoretical depth and important application value.

In this work, we propose a novel coarse-to-fine method for object pose estimation coupled with admittance control to promote robotic shaft-in-hole assembly. Considering that traditional approaches to locate the hole by force sensing are time-consuming, we employ 3D vision to estimate the axis pose of the hole. Thus, robots can locate the target hole in both position and orientation and enable the shaft to move into the hole along the axis orientation. In our method, first, the raw point cloud of a hole is processed to acquire the keypoints. Then, a coarse axis is extracted according to the geometric constraints between the surface normals and axis. Lastly, axis refinement is performed on the coarse axis to achieve higher precision. Practical experiments verified the effectiveness of the axis pose estimation. The assembly strategy composed of axis pose estimation and admittance control was effectively applied to the robotic shaft-in-hole assembly.

Pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) is one of the most common but stranded complications for salvage laryngectomy. As for localized fistula, there is no convincing standard and method to cure. This paper described a patient who was submitted to extensive resection of mass in right lingual root, total laryngectomy, and pharyngoesophageal reconstruction with an anterolateral thigh flap (ALTF), because of recurred carcinoma of right lingual root which invaded bilateral epiglottis. 2 weeks after surgery, subsequent pharyngocutaneous fistula developed at the junction of the tracheostomy, and maintained over 2 months under conservative treatment. With the assistance of laryngoscope, inner and outer orificiums of fistula were found and sealed by bundled iodoform strip. 9 days after sealing, fistula had been already filled with fresh granulation tissue. During 2 years after surgery, the fistula area dose not recur. This technique provides a safe and effective way for sealing the inner and outer orificiums of fistula.

Background We aimed to explore whether the anatomic extent of lymph node metastases (AE-LNM) could independently predict prognosis of node-positive major salivary gland carcinoma (MaSGC). Methods A total of 376 pathologically node-positive MaSGC patients were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database and constituted the training cohort. Using the X-Tile program, these patients were divided into three groups based on AE-LNM degrees. Discrimination of overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) was evaluated and compared with the 8th American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) pN classification. The results were externally validated by 220 patients in a Chinese multicenter cohort (Validation cohort). Results Using the training cohort, AE-LNM was divided into Extent 1 (spread to parotid LNs or level I), Extent 2 (spread to level II-IV) and Extent 3 (spread to level V or bilateral LNs or rare LNs). Regarding both OS and DSS, the AE-LNM model revealed clear separation of survival curves, while the pN classification failed to discriminate the prognosis of pN1 and pN2 patients. When we incorporated both the AE-LNM model and AJCC pN classification into the same multivariate Cox analyses, AE-LNM was still an independent prognostic factor, while the AJCC pN classification lost its significance. These results were externally validated by the validation cohort. Conclusion AE-LNM is an independent nodal prognosticator for node-positive MaSGC and may have improved discriminative ability over the current AJCC pN classification. Integration of anatomic extent of LNM into the current AJCC N classification could be considered.

We recently proposed that attention control uses object-category representations consisting of category-consistent features (CCFs), those features occurring frequently and consistently across a cat...

Objective: To explore the pharmacodynamic mechanism of Fu Zi Li Zhong Decoction (FZLZD) in treating gastric ulcer and its effect on gastrointestinal microecology. Methods: Rat gastric ulcer model was established by continuous vinegar gavage. The experiment included normal group, model group, ranitidine group and FZLZD group. The animals were handled after intragastricing administration of corresponding clinical isodose drugs for 7 d. The rats’ gastrointestinal histopathology was observed by HE staining. The expression of ZO-1 and Occludin mRNA in rat gastric tissue was detected by RT-PCR. The diversity of intestinal flora was analyzed by 16SrDNA sequencing. Results: FZLZD can effectively improve gastric mucosal destruction, epithelial exfoliation, inflammatory cell infiltration, inflammatory substance exudation and edema in rats with gastric ulcer. FZLZD can effectively up-regulate the expression levels of ZO-1 and Occludin mRNA in gastric tissue of rats with gastric ulcer. The results of intestinal flora diversity showed that the diversity of intestinal flora in FZLZD group was significantly higher than that of model group. Conclusions: FZLZD can regulate gastric ulcer by promoting the expression of ZO-1 and Occludin and improving the diversity of intestinal flora. Keywords: Fu Zi Li Zhong Decoction (FZLZD) Gastric ulcer, ZO-1, Occludin, Intestinal flora diversity, 16SrDNA

Immediate mandibular reconstruction is always necessary for the patients receiving segmental mandibulectomy to recover the facial contour and function of occlusion. When 3D modeling is unavailable, temporary external fixator is necessary to maintain the occlusion relationship and facial contour. In this study, we introduce the clinical application of temporary external fixator for immediate mandibular reconstruction in patients receiving segmental mandibulectomy, which consists of 2 anchor claws, 2 all-round retentive arms, and 1 central locking structure. From August 2016 to September 2017, temporary external fixator was applied in 13 patients. Clinical data of gender, age, surgical procedure, duration of operation, and clinical outcomes were recorded and analyzed. Among the 13 patients, there were 4 men and nine women whose ages ranged from 21 to 64 (mean 47.7) years old. There were 9 benign and 4 malignant lesions. All lesions expended at the buccal side of mandible. 12 fibular flaps and 1 vascularized iliac bone graft were used. The mandibular defect ranged from 6 to 14 (mean 10) cm. The operation duration of surgery ranged from 5 to 10 (mean 7) hours. All flaps survived with primary healing. The occlusion and facial contour were good, without significant changes of the length of mandibular body and width of mandible before and after surgery. No functional sequelae were noted at the donor sites. From these results, the temporary external fixator is easy to operate; the surgical procedure is simple and time-saving for surgeon when 3D modeling is unavailable. The indication for temporary external fixator usage is the mandibular lesion growing outward to cheek soft tissue.

Background and aims Observational studies have associated resting heart rate with incident diabetes. Whether the associations are causal remains unclear. We aimed to examine the shape and strength of the associations and assessed the causal relevance of such associations in Chinese adults. Methods and results The China Kadoorie Biobank enrolled 512,891 adults in China. Cox proportional hazard regression models was conducted to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for the associations of resting heart rate with type 2 diabetes and total diabetes. Among 92,724 participants, 36 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to resting heart rate were used to construct genetic risk score. We used Mendelian randomization analyses to make the causal inferences. During a median follow-up of 9 years, 7872 incident type 2 diabetes and 13,349 incident total diabetes were documented. After regression dilution bias adjustment, each 10 bpm higher heart rate was associated with about a 26% higher risk of type 2 diabetes (HR, 1.26 [95% CI, 1.23, 1.29]) and 23% higher risk of total diabetes (HR, 1.23 [95% CI, 1.20, 1.26]). Instrumental variable analyses showed participants at top quintile compared with those at bottom quintile had 30% higher risk for type 2 diabetes (HR, 1.30 [95% CI, 1.17, 1.43]), and 10% higher risk for total diabetes (HR, 1.10 [95% CI, 1.02, 1.20]). Conclusions This study provides evidence that resting heart rate is an important risk factor for diabetes risk. The results suggest that novel treatment approaches targeting reduction of high heart rate for incidence of diabetes may be worth further investigation.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent cardioversion compared with those who did not have cardioverson in a large dataset of patients with recent onset non-valvular atrial fibrillation. DESIGN Observational study using prospectively collected registry data (Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-AF-GARFIELD-AF). SETTING 1317 participating sites in 35 countries. PARTICIPANTS 52 057 patients aged 18 years and older with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (up to six weeks' duration) and at least one investigator determined stroke risk factor. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Comparisons were made between patients who received cardioversion and those who had no cardioversion at baseline, and between patients who received direct current cardioversion and those who had pharmacological cardioversion. Overlap propensity weighting with Cox proportional hazards models was used to evaluate the effect of cardioversion on clinical endpoints (all cause mortality, non-haemorrhagic stroke or systemic embolism, and major bleeding), adjusting for baseline risk and patient selection. RESULTS 44 201 patients were included in the analysis comparing cardioversion and no cardioversion, and of these, 6595 (14.9%) underwent cardioversion at baseline. The propensity score weighted hazard ratio for all cause mortality in the cardioversion group was 0.74 (95% confidence interval 0.63 to 0.86) from baseline to one year follow-up and 0.77 (0.64 to 0.93) from one year to two year follow-up. Of the 6595 patients who had cardioversion at baseline, 299 had a follow-up cardioversion more than 48 days after enrolment. 7175 patients were assessed in the analysis comparing type of cardioversion: 2427 (33.8%) received pharmacological cardioversion and 4748 (66.2%) had direct current cardioversion. During one year follow-up, event rates (per 100 patient years) for all cause mortality in patients who received direct current and pharmacological cardioversion were 1.36 (1.13 to 1.64) and 1.70 (1.35 to 2.14), respectively. OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent cardioversion compared with those who did not have cardioverson in a large dataset of patients with recent onset non-valvular atrial fibrillation. DESIGN Observational study using prospectively collected registry data (Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-AF-GARFIELD-AF). SETTING 1317 participating sites in 35 countries. PARTICIPANTS 52 057 patients aged 18 years and older with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (up to six weeks' duration) and at least one investigator determined stroke risk factor. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Comparisons were made between patients who received cardioversion and those who had no cardioversion at baseline, and between patients who received direct current cardioversion and those who had pharmacological cardioversion. Overlap propensity weighting with Cox proportional hazards models was used to evaluate the effect of cardioversion on clinical endpoints (all cause mortality, non-haemorrhagic stroke or systemic embolism, and major bleeding), adjusting for baseline risk and patient selection. RESULTS 44 201 patients were included in the analysis comparing cardioversion and no cardioversion, and of these, 6595 (14.9%) underwent cardioversion at baseline. The propensity score weighted hazard ratio for all cause mortality in the cardioversion group was 0.74 (95% confidence interval 0.63 to 0.86) from baseline to one year follow-up and 0.77 (0.64 to 0.93) from one year to two year follow-up. Of the 6595 patients who had cardioversion at baseline, 299 had a follow-up cardioversion more than 48 days after enrolment. 7175 patients were assessed in the analysis comparing type of cardioversion: 2427 (33.8%) received pharmacological cardioversion and 4748 (66.2%) had direct current cardioversion. During one year follow-up, event rates (per 100 patient years) for all cause mortality in patients who received direct current and pharmacological cardioversion were 1.36 (1.13 to 1.64) and 1.70 (1.35 to 2.14), respectively. CONCLUSION In this large dataset of patients with recent onset non-valvular atrial fibrillation, a small proportion were treated with cardioversion. Direct current cardioversion was performed twice as often as pharmacological cardioversion, and there appeared to be no major difference in outcome events for these two cardioversion modalities. For the overall cardioversion group, after adjustments for confounders, a significantly lower risk of mortality was found in patients who received early cardioversion compared with those who did not receive early cardioversion. STUDY REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01090362.

With the implementation of market mechanism to include load aggregators or agents and the promotion of electric vehicles (EVs), EVs have become another major source of demand response (DR). Previous studies tended to analyze the electricity consumption behavior of cluster EV users, ignoring the differences in individual EV user driving habits, so it was difficult to provide a specific DR solution for a single user. In this paper, we propose an analysis method for EV users’ charging and driving habits, and design user behavior characteristic tags; quantify the capabilities that users can participate in demand response without interference in their daily driving; propose a DR program customization method based on the DR capabilities of EV users. This analysis function can be embedded into the intelligent charging pile on the user side to analyze the historical data of each EV user. It only provides the analysis results to the agent, without providing the user’s power consumption data, which can protect the user’s data security. Finally, the analysis is based on the historical electricity consumption data of EV users published on the Internet, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method.

With the rapid development of Internet technology, the era of big data is coming. SQL injection attack is the most common and the most dangerous threat to database. This paper studies the working mode and workflow of the GreenSQL database firewall. Based on the analysis of the characteristics and patterns of SQL injection attack command, the input model of GreenSQL learning is optimized by constructing the patterned input and optimized whitelist. The research method can improve the learning efficiency of GreenSQL and intercept samples in IPS mode, so as to effectively maintain the security of background database.

With the explosive growth of mobile Internet, Internet of things and intelligent terminal technology and application, wireless network has become an indispensable infrastructure for teaching, scientific research and life of teachers and students in Colleges and universities. At present, colleges and universities have completed the deployment of wireless network in teaching, scientific research, office and dormitory scenes, and the deployment of wireless network in stadium and other high-density scenes has become an urgent problem to be solved. Based on the design, deployment and management of the wireless network in the gymnasium of Beijing Normal University, this paper expounds how to build a safe, reliable, high-speed and stable high-speed wireless network in high-density venues. The stadium high-density wireless network adopts high-density three radio frequency AP. Through directional antenna, it can accurately locate the coverage, avoid the interference of the same channel wireless signal, and realize high-speed Internet access for high-density scene users. In terms of deployment mode, wireless AP and antenna are deployed along the raceway of the stadium for later operation and management.

SQL injection attack is one of the most common methods of hacker attack, which is very harmful. In the course of information system security in our school, SQL injection attack and prevention is one of the most important and difficult contents in teaching. SQLi-labs is a teaching assistant software with various SQL injection vulnerabilities. With the help of this software, teacher can carry out SQL injection attacks in class, which help students better master the principle of SQL injection attack and prevention. This paper takes Union SQL injection as an example to introduce the teaching implementation process based on SQLi-labs. Teaching practice shows that this teaching mode increases the interest of students' learning and achieves good learning effect.

The dramatic changes of railway surrounding environment seriously affect the railway operation safety, however the change detection mostly depends on human visual interpretation. For facilitating the change detection and reducing the human involvement, this paper proposed an automatic segmentation method for modeling railway surrounding environment using point cloud data and mainly focusing on simplifying the processing process and segmentation accuracy. Firstly, a process-based processing method is used, and only a few parameters need to be set to convert the original data to a specific model. Secondly, by analyzing the geometric and spatial features of various objects, a series of algorithms are selected to achieve the accurate segmentation of the target model. Finally, actual data along a section in Beijing-Langfang high-speed railway is used to verify the proposed method, and the results show that the method achieve a high-accuracy of segmentation.

Bandwidth spread of microwave absorber attracts much attention nowadays. In this paper, we proposed and demonstrated a broadband microwave absorber which combines resistive metasurface and spoof plasmonic structure. Our hybrid absorber consists of a resistive metasurface on the top of a gradual corrugated metal strips based plasmonic structures. By adjusting the unit cell parameters, the different absorption mechanisms of the resistive metasurface and spoof plasmonic structures can be combined together to achieve a broad absorption bandwidth. Compared with the simple SSPP absorbers, this hybrid absorber has a spread absorption bandwidth. The absorber sample was fabricated based on optimized results and experimental results indicate that the presented absorber can absorb the incident microwave over 90% in the band of 5.6-14.4 GHz with the thickness of 7 mm.

Rail fastener seriously affects the safety of railway system. The main approaches for detection of rail fastener defect are human inspection and rail vehicle inspection, which have many drawbacks such as low efficiency, high cost and so on. The paper presents a novel UAV-based visual inspection mean for fastener defect and focuses on two kinds of approaches based on UAV rail images: methods using traditional visual and using deep learning. With regards to the first aspect, a new traditional detection method using SVM and HOG features is proposed, which acquires a low mAP, due to heterogeneous background, various illumination, small target and so on. With regards to the second, some approaches based on deep learning including Fastener RCNN, YOLOv3, improved YOLOv3 and FPN are compared and applied for fastener defect detection, which can achieve a satisfied result. Finally, a quantitative comparison experiment shows FPN acquires a mAP of 95.78%, which achieves favorable performance against state-of-the-art methods. Therefore, it is possible to carry out fastener defect inspection with UAV images.

In the Internet age, data distribution is an important means of information dissemination. However, there are many problems that are difficult to solve in data distribution. Current data distribution needs to rely on third-party distribution platforms, but it is easy to generate centralized rights, which causes data creators to lose their legitimate rights and interests. Moreover, data leakage is easy to occur during data storage and transmission, and data integrity and authenticity cannot be guaranteed. In view of the above problems, a blockchain-based data distribution system is designed. We use the decentralization feature of the blockchain to remove the centralized platform, allowing peers in the blockchain network to directly trade as data creators and data consumers. And the data is tracked using the integrity of the data in the blockchain network. At the same time, the ciphertext-based attribute encryption algorithm and smart contract are used to control the user’s access rights. Use cryptography to protect the privacy, security, and verifiability of your data.

Databases store the important information of a company, and once it is leaked, it will bring immeasurable losses. Determining how to find vulnerabilities and effectively repair them were the main objectives, we design and implement a modular Oracle Vulnerability scanning and security enhanced system, which can effectively scan and repair known vulnerabilities of Oracle database. Users can customize and extend related functions for specific vulnerabilities. The experimental results showed that the system can effectively detect a variety of vulnerabilities and supplied easy to use automatic repair functions, which provided solution to the serious security problems of the Oracle database for SMEs (small to medium-sized enterprises).

Blockchain technology can be used to solve the problem of the management of the digital copyright. Though some related ideas have been proposed, few papers propose a complete digital copyright management system based on public chain and simulation. A system based on public chain enables copyright owners and users to trade directly without resorting to a centralized organization. In this paper, a secure digital copyright management system based on Ethereum is proposed. Firstly, a model is established based on smart contracts and InterPlanetary File System. Secondly, use the improved ELGamal encryption algorithm to encrypt session data and protect privacy and evaluate the efficiency of the improved algorithm. Lastly, a transaction watermark that is consistent with the transaction information on the chain is added to the image data, providing proof for the piracy.

BACKGROUND Platelet-derived growth factor alpha (PDGFRA) is a gene encoding tyrosine kinase receptor and both EGFR and PDGFRA activate tyrosine kinases. The implication of PGFRA in many cancers and its prognostic significance irrespective to EGFR status in spinal chordoma, gliomas, and uterine cancers have shown a need for its investigation in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We investigated the prognostic value of PDGFRA mRNA expression in OSCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study was conducted in the department of oral maxillofacial surgery-head and neck oncology, at a tertiary hospital. The data on PDGFRA mRNA expression and immunohistochemical staining status in primary OSCC patients treated for curative surgery from 2010 to 2012 were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed with other cofactors for survival. RESULTS A total of 114 consecutive patients with primary OSCC who received treatment were studied. Thirty-one patients died of the disease. Strong PDGFRA immunohistochemical staining and high expression of PDGFRA mRNA were associated with positive pN status (P

To observe the clinical effect of lower-reinforcing and upper-reducing acupuncture method for hyperplasia of mammary gland (HMG) and its influence on estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P). A randomized, single-blinded and controlled trial was conducted. A total of 124 cases conforming to the inclusion criteria were randomized by random number table into a treatment group and a control group, with 62 cases in each group. Patients in both groups received acupuncture therapy at the same acupoints, while patients in the treatment group received lower-reinforcing and upper-reducing method, and patients in the control group received even reinforcing-reducing manipulation. The treatment started around 10 d before menstruation and was conducted every other day. Patients received 5 treatments in each menstruation cycle for consecutive 3 cycles. The levels of E2, P and E2/P and clinical efficacy were measured before and after treatment. After treatment, the breast lump size, pain intensity and concomitant symptoms score in both groups were substantially lower than those before treatment, showing statistical significances (all P 0.05). Lower-reinforcing and upper-reducing acupuncture method can effectively alleviate clinical symptoms and signs in HMG patients, and produce a better effect than even reinforcing-reducing manipulation. The majority of HMG patients’ E2, P level and E2/P value were not beyond the normal ranges; therefore, acupuncture showed no substantial influence on E2 and P levels and E2/P value.

Purpose The aim of the study is to comprehensively analyze the clinical epidemiology of the mandibular fracture including several factors which could affect the incidence, treatments, and outcomes of the mandibular fracture. Materials and methods A retrospective study was conducted to include the patients with mandibular fractures in the department of maxillofacial surgery of the Lanzhou University second hospital from 2011 to 2015. The predictor variables were age, gender, ethnicity, medical health, habits, etiology, and treatment methods for mandibular fracture. The outcome variables were postoperative complications of MFs and corrective revision surgeries. T, Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and Spearmen statistical tests were used to analyze the data. Results There were 342 patients with 571 fractures. Male/female ratio was 4.1:1 with the third decade accounted for (30.1%). Traffic accidents (43.6%) were the most common etiology followed by falls (31.6%). Symphysis/parasymphysis (26.4%) and condyle (24%) were the most common fracture sites. The complication rate was 18.4% with the infection (8.8%), and malocclusion (5.8%) were the most frequent complications. The rate of secondary operation was (5%). A high time interval to repairing was detected (mean = 11.04) without statistical significance between the rate of the overall complications and time interval to repairing (P = 0.957). Compromising factors significantly increase the rate of infection. There was no significant difference between the administration of antibiotics and the incidence of infection (P = 0.289). Conclusion A well understanding of the epidemiology of mandibular fracture and variables’ correlations is clinically important in advancing the prediction, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mandibular fractures in a particular population. Potential risk factors such as trauma severity, compromised medical health, and patient’s behaviors were significantly affecting the resultant outcome. Open reduction and internal fixation of condyle fracture resulted in constant occlusal result than closed one. An antibiotic therapeutic effect against infection in mandibular fractures remains suspected. Time elapsing from injury to treatment had no influence on the overall complications.

We tested the hypothesis that genetic variation in ATM and BMI‐1 genes can alter the risk of breast cancer through genotyping 6 variants among 524 breast cancer cases and 518 cancer‐free controls of Han nationality. This was an observational, hospital‐based, case–control association study. Analyses of single variant, linkage, haplotype, interaction and nomogram were performed. Risk was expressed as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). All studied variants were in the Hardy‐Weinberg equilibrium and were not linked. The mutant allele frequencies of rs1890637, rs3092856 and rs1801516 in ATM gene were significantly higher in cases than in controls (P = .005

Basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag is a main byproduct produced during the converter steelmaking process. The poor grindability of BOF slag limits its added-value application. In this paper, the grinding characteristics of unmodified and reconstructed BOF slag were compared. Additionally, the grinding property of reconstructed steel slag was also studied after SiC foaming. The results show that the solid solution of divalent metal oxides’ RO phase, considered as the hardly grinding phase, discomposes after lime-bauxite reconstruction. The characteristics of BOF slag were tested through particle size analysis, XRD, SEM and MIP. The SSA (specific suface area) and the particle diameter of unmodified BOF slag could reach 303.1 m2/kg and 51.75 µm after 10 min of grinding, but that of reconstructed BOF slag could reach 354.5 m2/kg and 18.16 µm after the same grinding time, respectively. The grinding efficiency of steel slag was obviously increased and the particle characteristics were improved after foaming modification. BOF formed as a porous structure after SiC foaming, its porosity, SSA, and particle diameter can reach 31.79%, 424.4 m2/kg, and 24.36 μm and increased by 10.31%, 19.72%, and 39.04%, compared with the reconstructed steel slag of undoped foaming agent, respectively, and the grindability was further improved. A theoretical basis for large-scale BOF slag utilization is provided.

The technology of atomic layer deposition has been used to improve the lifetime of the microchannel plate-photomultiplier tube (MCP-PMT) effectively and makes MCP possible to choose to coat different potential emissive materials on the internal surface of the MCP channels in the future. However, it is still an open question to what extent the secondary electron emission (SEE) yield properties of the emissive materials influence the behavior of the ALD-coated MCP. In this work, the dependences of the gain and timing performance on the SEE yield properties were assessed by using the Monte Carlo and particle-in-cell methods. We established the three-dimensional MCP single channel model in Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Particle Studio. Three important secondary electron emissions, the backscattered, rediffused and true SEEs, were discussed numerically based on the probabilistic model. The secondary electron cascade processes in the MCP single channel were simulated. The simulation results indicate that the opportunities for improving the gain of the ALD-coated MCP by improving the SEE yields corresponding to the incident energies of 0 eV–100 eV. The backscattered and rediffused electrons are found to have strong effects on the gain and timing performance of the MCP. Although the higher the SEE yield the higher the MCP gain, the drawback is the extremely high SEE yield will make the MCP saturated prematurely and degrade the time resolution. The simulation results will be used to guide the design and selection of emissive material for ALD-coated MCP development.

Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a preventable complication in which early ambulation is expected after head and neck surgery. Thus, the role of VTE prophylaxis is questionable and needs further assessment. The purpose of this study was to specify the relative contributing risk factors for patients who underwent head and neck cancer ablation with immediate reconstruction. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted of consecutive head and neck cancer ablations with immediate reconstructions between 2008 and 2013. Dextran and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were routinely given as flap thromboprophylaxis. Logistic regression was applied to analyze the potentially significant risk factors. Results Of 1953 subjects, the incidence of symptomatic VTE was 2.2% with 0.1% mortality rate. Prolonged surgery (>592.5 minutes; P = .048), immobilization (>4 days; P = .019), and subjects without postoperative flap thromboprophylaxis (P = .002) are significant risk factors for VTE development. Conclusion Our flap thromboprophylaxis regime might have played a crucial role in keeping the incidence of VTE low. Despite prolonged immobilization in fibula flap reconstruction, the incidence of VTE remained low when flap thromboprophylaxis was given.

Hyperoside (quercetin-3-O-β-d-galactoside) is an active compound isolated from herbs. Neuroinflammation is a key mechanism involved in neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potentiality of hyperoside in inhibiting microglia-mediated neuroinflammation. BV2 microglial cells were pretreated with hyperoside and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The results showed that hyperoside significantly inhibited LPS-induced production of nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β and TNF-α, as well as the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase. Similar results were observed in primary microglial cells isolated from neonatal mice. Analyses in MAPK and NFκB signaling combined with specific inhibitors suggested that hyperoside attenuated the LPS-induced inflammatory responses via p38 and NFκB pathways. Furthermore, hyperoside suppressed reactive microglia-mediated neurotoxicity as evidenced by conditioned media culture, but had no direct impact on MPP+-induced toxicity in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Collectively, our data suggest that hyperoside may serve as a protective agent by alleviating microglia activation in disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

The white blood cell (WBC) indices have been reported to have a prognostic impact in cancer of multiple organs including head and neck cancer; however; site and stage stratification was not attempted, and compelling evidence has shown that early cancers have a different distribution and prognostic ability than late-stage cancers. We studied the prognostic importance of WBC indices in early oral tongue cancers.The retrospective data of primary pT1N0 to pT2N0 oral tongue cancers treated between 2009 and 2013 were charted. WBC indices such as the neutrophil count, lymphocyte count (LC), platelet count (PC), and monocyte count, along with derived indices such as the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR), were analyzed by multivariate analysis with other clinicopathologic prognostic factors.A total of 133 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria; the minimum follow-up period for living patients was 36 months. A total of 22 patients reported disease relapse, and 11 patients died of disease. Multivariate analysis showed LC (hazard ratio [HR], 0.206; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.092 to 0.46; P.001), PC (HR, 1.011; 95% CI, 1.001 to 1.021; P = .026), PLR (HR, 1.012; 95% CI, 1.008 to 1.016; P.001), and LMR (HR, 0.721; 95% CI, 0.596 to 0.872; P = .001) are significant independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival. Distant metastasis (HR, 9.014; 95% CI, 2.303 to 38.914; P = .004), LC (HR, 0.091; 95% CI, 0.015 to 0.558; P = .01), PC (HR, 1.023; 95% CI, 1.006 to 1.041; P = .009), PLR (HR, 1.016; 95% CI, 1.004 to 1.027; P = .002), and LMR (HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.387 to 0.868; P = .008) are significant independent prognostic factors for overall survival.Low pretreatment LMR and high PLR indicate poor survival in patients with early tongue cancer. We suggest close follow-up for this subgroup despite radical resection with clear margins.

BACKGROUND Platelet-derived growth factors alpha (PDGFA) is a tyrosine kinase receptor activator which is known to be amplified in the malignancies, and their expression levels are correlated to tumor progression and reduced overall survival. The expression of PDGFRA is different among the tumors and normal tissues; furthermore, their expression level is site specific. Under a physiological condition, PDGFRA and its ligand are expressed in distinct cell populations and activated in a paracrine manner. Nevertheless, heterodimer characteristic of PDGFRA allows it to be trans-activated by non-specific ligands or via autocrine manner. The future of cancer therapy can be based on PDGFRA receptor blockade and therefore warrants further investigation to determine the differing expression of PDGFRA between controls and patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS We performed a case-control study of 111 patients with newly diagnosed tongue squamous cell carcinoma and 111 control subjects without a cancer diagnosis, matched for age and gender, to evaluate the association between PDGFRA expression levels in oral mucosa. We then performed smoking stratification in each cohort. Independent t test analysis was applied for case-control comparisons. RESULTS Mean value of PDGFRA mRNA level (-ΔCt) for normal cohort is -30.242, whereas mean value of PDGFRA mRNA level for patients with OSCC is -11.516. PDGFRA mRNA level (-ΔCt) was significantly higher in oral cancer cohort, P

Networks of silver nanowires (AgNW) have been shown to facilitate high transparency, high conductivity, and good mechanical stability. However，the loose characteristic and local insulation problems due to gaps between the nanowires limit their application as electrodes. This study investigates an inkjet-printed Ag grid combined with AgNW to form a transparent hybrid electrode. The printed Ag grid on AgNW film connects the gaps between the Ag nanowires to increase the overall electric conductivity. The printed Ag-grid/AgNW hybrid electrodes have low resistivity (22.5 Ω/□) while maintaining a high transmittance (87.5%). These values are similar to standard indium tin oxide (ITO) on glass which has resistivity of 20Ω/□ and transmittance of 89% at 550 nm. In addition, these hybrid electrodes are also very flexible when fabricated on a photopolymer substrate. A spin-coating process combined with a peel-off process enable the fabrication of flexible ultra-smooth Ag-grid/AgNW electrodes. We tested the transparent and flexible electrode as the anode of a flexible organic light emitting diode (F-OLED). The light emitting layer of the F-OLED is 35 nm thick tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum doped with 0.5% 10-(2-benzothiazolyl)-2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1,1,7,7-tetramethyl-1H,5H,11H-(1)-benzopyropyrano(6,7-8-I,j)quinolizin-11-one. The maximum brightness and current efficiency of the F-OLED are 10000 cd/m2 and 12 cd/A, respectively, even when bent around a radius of 2 mm. The good performance of the device with Ag-grid/AgNW hybrid electrodes show that enhanced conductive inkjet-printed Ag nanoparticles combined with Ag nanowires can produce high quality electrodes for flexible organic optoelectronic devices.

The forms of mercury in the wet flue gas desulfurization outlet flue gases from two generating units of coal-fired power plants in Xinjiang, using the standard Ontario Hydro Method Calculations of the mercury Ef and the estimation of mercury emissions were performed based on the monitoring results, flue gas flow rates, coal consumption, and lower heating values (LHVs). The concentrations of HgP, Hg2+, Hg°, total gaseous mercury, and total mercury in the flue gases were 0.07–0.20, 0.13–0.65, 1.16–1.19, 1.29–1.84, and 1.49–1.91 μg/Nm3, respectively, all of which were far below the emission limit of 30 μg/Nm3 specified in the national standard. The emission factors for HgP, Hg2+, Hg°, the total gaseous mercury, and the total mercury were 0.03–0.12, 0.08–0.23, 0.42–0.69, 0.65–0.76, and 0.68–0.89 mg/GJ, respectively. Mercury emissions were estimated by using the aforesaid data, and the results showed that the total mercury emissions from flue gases of power plants No. 1 and 2 were 14.5 and 19.4 kg/a, r...

Distribution network planning is the basis to guarantee reliable operation of ‘Coal to Electricity’ (‘C2E’) distribution network. While, as a kind of incremental load, there is no standard about transformer capacity for each ‘C2E’ consumer. As a result, ‘C2E’ distribution network planning and design lacks basic rules. Aimed at this problem, a method named ‘Heat load to Electricity load’ for calculating ‘C2E’ incremental load and average transformer capacity per consumer is proposed in this paper, which provides basis to ‘C2E’ distribution network and electrical equipment selection. With this method, ‘C2E’ electrical load and average transformer capacity is determined by heating load of building in demand side. An example with typical residential building in Beijing is taken in this paper. Heating load of building is calculated using DeST (Designer’s Simulation Toolkits) firstly. Then, with the kind of electrical heating equipment, average transformer capacity for each ‘C2E’ consumer in Beijing rural area is given.

This paper proposes a sorghum adulteration detection model using hyperspectral imaging technology (HSI), image processing technology, and multivariate analysis technology. The model used a watershed algorithm to extract hyperspectral data from sorghum grains. Principal component analysis (PCA) and clustering analysis (CA) were used to remove abnormal samples of sorghum. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to identify the variety of sample, and a sorghum distribution map and adulteration ratios were obtained by marking varieties with different colors. This paper presents, for the first time, HSI use for identification of adulteration in sorghum using PCA and CA. Accuracy of the model identification for the validation set reached 96%, and for the adulterated samples reached 91%, and comprehensive accuracy of the model could reach more than 90%. These results show that the model can rapidly and nondestructively detect sorghum adulteration.