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Texture feature of the froth image is widely used in the working condition recognition of froth flotation. However, due to the complexity of the froth image, the current texture features vary greatly and are difficult to identify the work condition accurately. Therefore, we propose a dynamic texture feature named LBP on the TOP and GLCM Histograms (LTGH) which integrates the local binary patterns (LBPs) and gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) histograms on the three orthogonal planes (TOP). First, we use the rotation invariant LBPs to enhance rotation invariance and illumination robustness. Then, we implement the TOP on the enhanced texture feature map to generate the multiple dimensional enhanced feature maps. After that, we calculate the GLCM and supplementary features (SFs) on the multiple dimensional enhanced feature map. Finally, we integrate the histogram of the GLCM and SFs to discriminate the texture feature. The LTGH feature considers the froth structures both in the macrolevel and microlevel and captures the temporal information between the froth images. Experiments have demonstrated the effectiveness and stability of the proposed texture feature for work condition recognition in froth flotation. Compared with other traditional texture features, the accuracy of the LTGH feature has been increased by at least 7.76%.

This study was to evaluate the effect of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) on urinary incontinence (UI) in prenatal and postnatal women. The relevant literatures were searched from Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science until January 20, 2020. Meta-analysis was performed with STATA 15.1 and the Begg’s test was used for the publication bias. Results of the meta-analysis demonstrated that the rate of UI in the intervention group was lower than that in the control group [relative risk (RR): 0.712, 95%confidence intervals (CI): 0.622–0.816, P

Conventional feature description methods have large errors in froth features due to the fact that the image during the zinc flotation process of froth flotation is dynamic, and the existing image features rarely have time series information. Based on the conventional froth size distribution characteristics, this paper proposes a size trend core feature (STCF) considering the froth size distribution, i.e., a feature centered on the time series of the froth size distribution. The core features of the trend are extracted, the inter-frame change factor and the inter-frame stability factor are given and two calculation methods of the feature factors are proposed. Meanwhile, the STCF feature algorithm was established based on the core features by adding the inter-frame change factor and the inter-frame stability factor. Finally, a flotation condition recognition model based on BP neural network was established. The experiments show that the recognition model has achieved excellent results, proving that the method proposed effectively overcomes the limitation of the lack of dynamic information in the existing traditional size distribution features and the introduction of the two factors can improve the classification accuracy to varying degrees.

To compare the risk angle and safety angle of needling Yamen (GV 15) between the atlanto-axial dislocation (AAD) patients and healthy subjects. A total of 177 AAD patients diagnosed and treated at the Center of Upper Cervical Vertebra of Beijing China-Japan Friendship Hospital between January 2010 and January 2018 were included in the AAD group. Another 207 healthy subjects were included in the normal group. There were totally 191 males and 193 females. The MRI scan was performed for the cervical vertebrae to measure the risk angle and safety angle of acupuncture at Yamen (GV 15) on the sagittal image. In the AAD group, the risk angle was (13.14±3.99)° and the relative safety angle was (10.31±3.23)° for the perpendicular needling, while the oblique needling risk angle was (9.09±3.09)° for the male; the risk angle was (12.12±2.74)° and the relative safety angle was (10.56±2.09)° for the perpendicular needling, while the oblique needling risk angle was (9.70±2.95)° for the female. In the normal group, the risk angle was (7.89±1.59)° and the relative safety angle was (10.21±3.55)° for the perpendicular needling, while the oblique needling risk angle was (16.07±1.77)° for the male; the risk angle was (6.93±1.45)° and the relative safety angle was (10.70±2.94)° for the perpendicular needling, while the oblique needling risk angle was (14.89±2.18)° for the female. The perpendicular needling risk angles for the males and females in the AAD group were larger than those in the normal group, and the differences were statistically significant (both P 0.05); however, the perpendicular needling risk angle for the male was larger than the female, and the difference was statistically significant in the normal group (P 0.05). For the inner-group comparison, there was no significant difference in the relative safety angle between the male and the female (P>0.05). The oblique needling risk angles for both the males and females were smaller in the AAD group than those in the normal group, and the differences were statistically significant (both P 0.05); in the normal group, the oblique needling risk angle for the male was larger than that for the female, and the difference was statistically significant (P

With the large-scale penetration of distributed combined cooling, heating and power system, many problems like the poor flexibility and single energy source occur, which poses a big obstacle to its future development. To overcome these issues, the multi-energy complementary distributed energy system is proposed for improving the flexibility and increasing the ratio of renewable energy resources. For such a complex system, how to integrate and operate various equipment in an efficient and environmentally friendly way is of vital importance. Thus, rational system design and optimization is necessary. In this study, on the basis of stochastic programming theory, the optimal equipment configuration of the multi-energy complementary distributed energy system considering uncertain loads is studied. All possible load conditions are simulated by Monte Carlo simulation, then the stochastic optimization is transformed into the deterministic optimization. The results show that when considering the uncertain load, the system configuration is affected obviously and the overall advantage of the multi-energy complementary distributed energy system is declined.

After reaching the preset orbit, the spacecraft needs to deploy sun wings to provide continuous power supply for the spacecraft. Using spring force of folding hinges to provide driving moment for solar wing is a kind of common deployment method. After processing and assembling, the driving moment and frictional resistance moment of the folded hinge need to be tested to verify whether the driving capacity of the hinge meets the design requirements. In order to realize the automatic measurement of the moment characteristics of folding hinges, a testing system for the moment characteristics of folding hinges with a measuring range of 0-5 Nm and a measuring accuracy better than 1% F.S. was developed by using high precision torque sensor and angle sensor. In the speed mode, the servo motor slowly drives the hinge to expand or close, and the torque sensor and the angle sensor measure the corresponding torque and angle in real time respectively. After the prototype of the testing system is built, the testing functions of angle, moment measurement accuracy and hinge moment characteristics are tested and verified. The results show that the developed testing system can realize automatic and high-precision measurement of moment characteristics of folding hinges.

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common type of cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Sarcomatoid HCC, which contains poorly differentiated carcinomatous and sarcomatous components, is a rare histological subtype of HCC that differs from conventional HCC. It is highly aggressive and has a poor prognosis. Its clinicopathological characteristics, surgical outcomes and underlying mechanisms of its highly aggressive nature have not been fully elucidated. AIM To examine the clinicopathological characteristics and surgical outcomes of sarcomatoid HCC and explore the histogenesis of sarcomatoid HCC. METHODS In total, 196 patients [41 sarcomatoid HCC and 155 high-grade (Edmondson-Steiner grade III or IV) HCC] who underwent surgical resection between 2007 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. The characteristics and surgical outcomes of sarcomatoid HCC were compared with those of patients with high-grade HCC. The histological composition of invasive and metastatic sarcomatoid HCCs was evaluated. RESULTS Sarcomatoid HCC was more frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage with a larger tumor and higher rates of nonspecific symptom, adjacent organ invasion and lymph node metastasis than high-grade HCC (all P < 0.05). Compared with high-grade HCC patients, sarcomatoid HCC patients are less likely to have typical dynamic imaging features of HCC (44.4% vs 72.7%, P = 0.001) and elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein levels (> 20 ng/mL; 36.6% vs 78.7%, P < 0.001). The sarcomatoid group had a significantly shorter median recurrence-free survival (5.6 mo vs 16.4 mo, log-rank P < 0.0001) and overall survival (10.5 mo vs 48.1 mo, log-rank P < 0.0001) than the high-grade group. After controlling for confounding factors, the sarcomatoid subtype was identified as an independent predictor of poor prognosis. Pathological analyses indicated that invasive and metastatic lesions were mainly composed of carcinomatous components. CONCLUSION Sarcomatoid HCC was associated with a more advanced stage, atypical dynamic imaging, lower serum alpha-fetoprotein levels and a worse prognosis. The highly aggressive nature of sarcomatoid HCC is perhaps mediated by carcinomatous components.

Aiming at the problem that the anomaly detection process of the flotation process is repeated and the abnormal trend can be captured and the number of abnormal samples is inferior, an anomaly detection method based on the similarity measure between the time series features of the foam image is proposed. The time-series bubble image is collected by the real- time acquisition system in the industrial field, and the size feature of the bubble image is extracted. The log-norm function is used to fit the bubble size distribution method to eliminate the left tilt and large peak difference of the bubble histogram shape, the method of time series piecewise linear representation is then used to generate the trend characteristics of the bubble time series. The probability of abnormal conditions is evaluated by the degree of difference from the trend characteristics of the typical anomalous process foam image, and the Markov distance method is used to measure the similarity to eliminate the influence between different dimensions. Anomaly detection is implemented by using similarity matching with features of time series anomaly feature library. The results of industrial operation data test show that the method can effectively perform online anomaly detection, and successfully divide the abnormal trend data mixed in the experimental process. The effectiveness of the method is verified by the foam image test data set in the industrial field.

In flotation production, the surface texture of the flotation froth is an important visual information reflecting the ore grade, which is closely related to the flotation conditions and directly reflects the mineralization degree (grade level) of the froth layer. Aiming at the problem that the texture feature extraction of the existing flotation froth image does not consider the froth surface particle, a new local texture feature extraction method based on PCA (Principle Component Analysis) algorithm is proposed and a new texture feature granularity is defined. Firstly, the froth image is segmented, the region of interest is extracted and the particle factor is defined. Then the texture feature is extracted by PCA algorithm and the correlation between particle size and zinc concentrate taste is analyzed. The experimental results verify the algorithm effectiveness and indicating that it can more accurately regulate the position of minerals and guide flotation production.

Machine-vision-based defect detection, instead of manual visual inspection, is becoming increasingly popular. In practice, images of the upper surface of cableway load sealing steel wire ropes are seriously affected by complex environments, including factors such as lubricants, adhering dust, natural light, reflections from metal or oil stains, and lack of defect samples. This makes it difficult to directly use traditional threshold-segmentation-based or supervised machine-learning-based defect detection methods for wire rope strand segmentation and fracture defect detection. In this study, we proposed a segmentation-template-based rope strand segmentation method with high detection accuracy, insensitivity to light, and insensitivity to oil stain interference. The method used the structural characteristics of steel wire rope to create a steel wire rope segmentation template, the best coincidence position of the steel wire rope segmentation template on the real-time edge image was obtained through multiple translations, and the steel wire rope strands were segmented. Aiming at the problem of steel wire rope fracture defect detection, inspired by the idea of dynamic background modeling, a steel wire rope surface defect detection method based on a steel wire rope segmentation template and a timely spatial gray sample set was proposed. The spatiotemporal gray sample set of each pixel in the image was designed by using the gray similarity of the same position in the time domain and the gray similarity of pixel neighborhood in the space domain, the dynamic gray background of wire rope surface image was constructed to realize the detection of wire rope surface defects. The method proposed in this paper was tested on the image set of Z-type double-layer load sealing steel wire rope of mine ropeway, and compared with the classic dynamic background modeling methods such as VIBE, KNN, and MOG2. The results show that the purposed method is more accurate, more effective, and has strong adaptability to complex environments.

Ischemic heart disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Repressor activator protein 1 (Rap1), an established telomere-associated protein, is a novel modulator of hypoxia-induced apoptosis. This study aimed to explore the potential direct role of Rap1 in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/RI) and to determine the underlying molecular mechanism. In a mouse model of myocardial I/RI (30-min of left descending coronary artery ligation followed by 2-h reperfusion), Rap1 deficiency significantly reduced myocardial infarct size (IS) and improved cardiac systolic/diastolic function. This was associated with a reduction in apoptosis in the post-ischemic myocardium. In H9C2 and primary cardiomyocytes, Rap1 knockdown or knockout significantly suppressed hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced cell injury and apoptosis through increasing the phosphorylation/activation of STAT3 at site Ser727 and translocation of STAT3 to the nucleus. We surmise this since Stattic (selective STAT3 inhibitor) pretreatment canceled the abovementioned protective effect. Furthermore, co-immunoprecipitation assay revealed a direct interaction between Rap1 and STAT3, but not JAK2, suggesting that the association of Rap1 with STAT3 may contribute to the reduced activity of STAT3 (Ser727 ) upon H/R stimulation. In conclusion, Rap1 deficiency protects the heart from ischemic damage through STAT3-dependent reduction of cardiomyocyte apoptosis, which may yield viable target for pharmacological intervention in ischemic heart disease.

Large sealed high temperature equipment usually refers to heat treatment equipment with a volume of more than 0.15m3, sealed structure and internal heating and constant temperature function. It is widely used in the fields of biochemistry, chemical pharmacy, medical and health, agricultural research, automobile and military industry. It`s a very important processing equipment. The accuracy of temperature field and vacuum sealing directly affect the quality of products. Taking the hot-pressing tank as an example, the furnace temperature tracker and wireless pressure module are used to calibrate it on the spot. According to the calibration results of temperature field distribution and temperature field performance, whether it meets the process requirements is analyzed.

Predicting face attributes is of great value in business user management and video surveillance as well as other fields. The face attributes mentioned in the topic include the factors such as gender, age, glasses, ethnic and expression. This paper proposes a kind of ‘end-to-end’ machine learning method to predict these five attributes. The convolution neural network MobileNet is adopted, and different loss functions are designed according to the characteristics of each attribute as well. At the same time, during the process of training, the five attributes are trained by sharing parameters. At last, in terms of the tests of 10,000 samples, the attribute prediction has achieved high performance which means that the accuracy rate of gender reached 97.8 % the average age error was 3.2, the accuracy rate of glasses was 99.3 % and the accuracy rate of nationality was 96.3 % as well as the accuracy rate of expression was 68.9 %.

Cross polarization is the inherent property of waveguide slot antenna. The usual suppression measures decrease its influence, but these don’t consider how to utilize this intrinsic property, for example cross polarization of mono-pulse antenna can be used for producing interference, so it is necessary to research the cross polarization property. Based on the polarization property of sidewall slot, the cross polarization principle is analyzed, and the property is simulated in different conditions. Good agreement of the theory with results, and these have great benefit to the utilization of waveguide slot antenna. This study provides an important theoretical basis for ECM and ECCM technology studies in mono-pulse tracking area.

Objective.To identify the optimum treatment protocol for insomnia among auricular, body, and abdominal needling methods.Methods.A three-factor (3 needling protocols) and three-level experimental scheme was designed based on orthogonal method. 54 patients of insomnia differentiated as internal harassment of phlegm-heat syndrome were given two courses of acupuncture treatment (each with 20 times of acupuncture). The therapeutic effects were evaluated by comparing the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) scores, and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) scores of patients before treatment, after one course of treatment, and after two courses of treatment as well as one month after treatment.Results.Body, auricular, and abdominal acupuncture treatments all alleviated symptoms of insomnia, depression, and anxiety, but body and auricular acupuncture had stronger therapeutic effects.Conclusions.Body acupuncture at basic points shall be given priority in protocol selection for insomnia. The second-best choice is auricular acupuncture with basic points combined with points based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theories. Abdominal needling with very quick effect can be an alternative protocol with basic points combined with syndrome differentiation points.

To achieve automatic generation control (AGC), the constant active power control is required for wind turbine generators (WTG). The accurate estimation of available wind power (AWP) is a prerequisite for WTGs to effectively participate in AGC and enhance the performance of AGC. In such a case, the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control is not adopted and accordingly the MPPT principle cannot be utilized to estimate the AWP. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the factors influencing the AWP of WTGs undertaking AGC and investigate their influence mechanism so that the AWP can be accurately estimated. Since the output electric power of WTG is originated from wind energy, wind speed and its fluctuation are the factors that exert a significant influence on AWP. Therefore, in this paper, the impact of turbulence condition (including mean wind speed, turbulence intensity and turbulence frequency) on AWP and the influence mechanism are investigated by numerical simulation based on MATLAB/Simulink This study will provide the foundation for the accurate estimation of AWP.

This research paper reviews the development of China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) to the European Union since the global fnancial crisis, summarizes the apparent characteristics and causes behind that development, provides an in-depth analysis of the problems and deep rooted risks in such investment, and predicts that with China's economy being stronger the scale of China's OFDI will be greater in the coming period. However, since Chinese enterprises are really newcomers of OFDI, they are far from being mature and successful players, which requires not only capital, but also an organic combination of intangible elements regarding economy, society, and culture etc.

Liver transplantation for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is usually successful with excellent long-term outcomes, but primary disease may recur. The recurrence of AIH is a significant cause of graft loss. This study was to analyze the effect of splenectomy in preventing AIH relapse. The clinical courses of 12 patients who had transplantation for AIH were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were subjected to transplantation for end-stage liver disease caused by chronic AIH. Based on the duration of immunosuppressive treatment before liver transplantation, simultaneous splenectomy was performed in ten patients. Two patients underwent liver transplantation without splenectomy, one of them developed recurrent AIH and died from graft failure caused by AIH relapse. However, no episode of AIH recurrence was observed in patients who had undergone simultaneous splenectomy. Splenectomy might be an option to prevent AIH relapse in some patients with high risk factors.

Brain-specific metastasis is one of the primary causes of recurrence following complete resection of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The present study was designed to investigate the correlation between C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) expression and brain-specific metastasis of NSCLC. Lung cancer tissues from 105 patients who underwent complete tumor resection between January 1998 and June 2008 (sample group, 34 with brain metastasis during the follow-up period; control group 1, 34 without metastasis during the follow-up period; and control group 2, 37 with other organ metastasis, excluding brain metastasis, during the follow-up period) were examined by immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of CXCR4 protein. The differences in CXCR4 expression were compared using McNemar’s χ2 test. Estimation of survival was calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method and the statistical differences were analyzed with the log-rank test. Overexpression of CXCR4 protein was observed in 31 (91.2%) NSCLC patients with brain metastasis, which was greater than that observed in the NSCLC patients with other organ metastases (73.0%; P=0.048) and without metastases (14.7%; P

Increasing evidence has been accumulated for the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy in relieving pain. However, there are limited data on regulation of protein expression after electroacupuncture (EA) intervention. Thus, the present study is designed to determine changes in protein expression following EA stimulation in rats with sciatic nerve chronic constrictive injury (CCI) induced neuropathic pain. Sixty Wistar rats were equally randomized into normal control group, CCI group, and CCI with EA stimulation (EA) group. The CCI model was established by ligature of the left sciatic nerve. EA stimulation was applied at Zusanli (ST36) and Yanglingquan (GB34) in the EA group. Differentially expressed hypothalamic proteins in the three groups were identified by 2-D gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. The functional clustering and pathway of the identified proteins were analyzed by Mascot software. Results showed that, after CCI, the thermal pain threshold of the affected hind footpad was decreased and was reversed gradually by 12 sessions of EA treatment. Following EA intervention, there were 17 hypothalamic proteins identified with significant changes in the expression (>twofold). Three gene-ontologies (oxidoreductase activity, oxidation reduction, and protein binding) were enriched, while there was a significant regulation of glycolysis/gluconeogenesis/hexose metabolism pathway. These data demonstrate that EA intervention can attenuate pain via regulation of expression of multiple proteins in the hypothalamus. Further, hypothalamic glucose metabolism may be important in supporting energy and neurotransmitter homeostasis in the effects of EA intervention.

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk, also known as Garland-Bland-White syndrome, is an extremely rare but potentially fatal congenital cardiovascular anomaly, and it often exists as an isolated condition. We hereby report an adult female who was admitted for mild chest discomfort and was accidentally diagnosed to have anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk. This anomaly was simply repaired by using a bovine pericardial patch to obliterate the anomalous opening in the pulmonary trunk and a single coronary artery bypass graft. This report highlights the characteristic events of the anomaly in an adult with only mild symptoms.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), provided with high performance, security and reliability, are widely used in military and civilian fields. Aiming at UAVs' increasingly complex functionality and actuality, the flight control software based on software bus is designed and developed in this paper. The flight control software architecture consists of module manager, task manager and resource manager, whose cooperative work realizes uniform management and scheduling. Furthermore, the software bus architecture encapsulates the functions to some functional modules with uniform standard interface, which is convenient for later upgrade and maintenance. Besides, the mechanism of synchronization and data communication among nodes is designed, implementing the tasks distribution and coordinated operation of the functional modules among different nodes. The simulation result shows that the developed flight control system can work cooperatively to share heavy load of a complex system.

In the process of designing a hard real-time and multitask requirements of UAV Simulation System, a design method based on RTW and VxWorks real-time operating system is proposed in this paper. First, in mathematic simulation period, the simulation model of UAV system can be designed with MATLAB/Simulink tool, and then the Simulink model is transformed into C code files directly, which avoids the difficult development process of hand-written code. Then the simulation system is divided into system management task, model calculation task, scheduling management task and interface task. After detailed design, a unified real-time code is compiled by RTW, and the construction of UAV Simulation system is accomplished. Semi-physical simulation results show that the UAV simulation system can meet the accuracy and real-time requirements. Compared with the traditional hand-written code development mode, the simulation system developed with RTW and C code jointly has reduced the development difficulty and accelerated the development of the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation system platform.

To observe the effects of repeated electroacupuncture (EA) of Zusanli (ST36)- Yanglingquan (GB34) on hypothalamic acetylcholinesterase (AchE) and vesicular acetylcholine (ACh) transporter (VAChT) activities and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) mRNA and muscarinic M1 receptor (M1R) mRNA expression in chronic constrictive injury (CCI) and/or ovariectomy (OVX) rats so as to reveal its underlying mechanism in cumulative analgesia.A total of 103 female Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control (n =15), CCI (n =15), CCI+EA2d (n =15), CCI+EA2W (n =15), OVX+CCI =13), OVX+CCI+EA2d (n =15), and OVX+CCI+EA2W groups (n =15). CCI model was established by ligature of the unilateral sciatic nerve with surgical suture. Memory impairment model was established by removal of the bilateral ovaries. Morris water test was conducted to evaluate the OVX rats' memory learning ability, and the thermal pain threshold (PT) of the bilateral paws was detected the next morning after EA. EA (2/15 Hz, 1 mA) was applied to bilateral ST36-GB34 for 30 min, once daily for 2 days or 2 weeks, respectively. Hypothalamic AChE activity was detected by histochemistry, VAChT immunoactivity was determined by immunohistochemistry, and ChAT mRNA and M1R mRNA expressions were assayed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).In comparison with the normal control group, the AChE activity in hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) and supraoptic nucleus (SON) regions of CCI group, AChE activity in paraventricular nucleus (PVN), ARC, and SON regions of OVX+CCI group, and hypothalamic muscarinic M1R mRNA expression levels in both CCI and OVX+CCI groups were down-regulated significantly (P0.05). Compared with the CCI group, the AChE activities in hypothalamic ARC and SON regions of CCI+EA2d and CCI+EA2W groups and PVN region of CCI+EA2W group and hypothalamic ChAT mRNA and M1R mRNA expression levels in CCI+EA2W group were up-regulated considerably (P0.05). In comparison with the OVX+CCI group, the AChE activities in PVN, ARC, and SON regions and the expressions of hypothalamic ChAT mRNA and VAChT in ARC region of OVX+CCI+EA2W group were up-regulated remarkably (P0.05). The effects in rats of CCI+EA2W group were evidently superior to those of OVX+CCI+EA2d group in up-regulating AChE activities in PVN, ARC, and SON regions, VAChT immunoactivity in ARC region, and expression levels of hypothalamic ChAT mRNA and M1R mRNA (P0.05). Similar situations were found in OVX+CCI rats after EA2W. It suggested a cumulative effect after repeated EA of ST36-GB34. Comparison between CCI+EA2W and OVX+CCI+EA2W groups showed that the effects in rats of the former group were evidently better than those of the latter group in up-regulating AChE activity in ARC and SON regions and the expressions of hypothalamic ChAT mRNA and M1 mRNA (P0.05), suggesting a reduction of EA2W effects after OVX.Repeated EA can significantly up-regulate AChE and VAChT activities and ChAT mRNA and M1R mRNA expressions in the hypothalamus of CCI and OVX+CCI rats, which may contribute to the cumulative analgesic effects of repeated EA and be closely related to the animals' neuromemory ability.

To achieve sustainable development, the focus on power system efficiency should move from analysis of just economic benefits to environmental efficiency studies that assess both economic benefits and carbon emissions. Therefore, balancing the development of different generation forms is a critical field in improving environmental efficiency. Here we classify the 30 provincial administrative regions (PARs) in China into three categories according to the proportion of thermal power ratio. We then use a two-stage environmental network DEA model to compare their efficiency performance. Analysis of the evaluation results leads to the following conclusions. Generation forms have a significant influence on the environmental efficiency performance of power systems, but the differences vary greatly according to the power supply and demand situation. The policy to incentivize clean energy development has achieved its objective in the generation division and further policy reforms should be extended to the grid division. A more flexible power development plan should be implemented according to regional resources endowment for better planning of power system development on a nationwide basis.

Objective. Single-incision laparoscopy surgery (SILS) has rapidly developed as both a cosmetic advantage of natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery and a standard surgical procedure. In this article, the authors report on the new technique of SILS splenectomy plus pericaudial devascularization with conventional laparoscopic instruments. Methods. The technique of SILS splenectomy plus pericaudial devascularization in one patient with portal hypertension was introduced. Results. The procedure was feasible with conventional laparoscopic instruments. Operative time was 240 minutes, and blood loss was 350 mL. No intraoperative or postoperative complications, such as secondary hemorrhage or pancreatic leakage, were recorded. The patient was fully recovered, and the single umbilical scar was well healed. Conclusion. SILS splenectomy plus pericaudial devascularization is feasible when performed by experienced laparoscopic surgeons. It may have the same cosmetic advantage as natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery and may offer the safety of conventional laparoscopic operation. As far as the authors are aware, this is the first report.

Brain-specific metastasis occurs frequently in lung cancer, and the mechanism is still unclear. The present study was designed to investigate the correlation between CXCR4 expression and brain-specific metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer. The brain metastatic tumors and lung cancer tissues from 32 patients with solitary brain metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer (M1 group), who underwent combined surgical treatment from January 1998 to June 2008, and 32 paired patients without distant metastasis (M0 group) and 30 patients with primary brain tumor, were examined by immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of CXCR4 protein. The difference of CXCR4 expression was compared by the McNemar χ2 test or Fisher’s exact test. Estimation of survival was calculated with the Kaplan–Meier method, and the statistical differences were analyzed with the log-rank test. Overexpression of CXCR4 protein was observed in 29 (90.6%) M1 non-small cell lung cancers and in all (100%) brain metastatic tumors, which was significantly higher than that in the paired M0 non-small cell lung cancer and the primary brain tumors, respectively (p = 0.000). The 3- and 5-year cumulative survival rates of patients with solitary brain metastasis of lung cancer were 21.9 and 12.5%, significantly lower than the corresponding survival rates of M0 group patients (p = 0.005). CXCR4 protein was highly overexpressed in M1 non-small cell lung cancer and brain metastatic tumors, which indicated that high-level CXCR4 expression correlates with brain-specific metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer.

This 8-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical study investigated the short-term effectiveness and safety of the traditional Chinese medicine, Ningdong (ND) granule in paediatric subjects (aged 7-18 years) with Tourette's disorder (TD). Subjects received either 1 g/kg per day ND granule ( n = 33) or placebo ( n = 31) and tics were measured at baseline and after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. Body mass index, electrocardiogram and laboratory measures were recorded at baseline and at week 8. After 8 weeks of treatment with ND granule, subjects exhibited a 41.39% reduction in the total tic score while the placebo group showed a 10.79% decrease. Regarding side-effects, two subjects reported loss of appetite and one experienced constipation in the ND granule group. There were no significant changes in laboratory and physical examinations. These results suggest that ND granule is both effective and safe, and may be a good candidate for the treatment of patients with TD.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the complications, long-term survival, and management lessons learned after surgical resection for patients with primary tumors of the trachea and carina and locally advanced lung cancer directly infiltrating the carina.A retrospective study was performed by our department on 32 patients undergoing surgical resection for primary tumors of the trachea and carina and locally advanced lung cancer directly infiltrating the carina between June 1986 and June 2003.Various surgical modalities were performed according to the tumor location and extent: tracheal resection in 10 cases, carinal resection and reconstruction in 4 cases, carinal right upper lobectomy in 8 cases, carinal pneumonectomy in 4 cases, and partial tangential resection of the tracheal wall in 6 cases. Cardiopulmonary bypass was required in two patients for nearly complete obstruction of the trachea. Resected tumors included six distinct histologic types. Perioperative mortality was 9.4% (3/32). Major complications occurred in 31.3% (10/32) of the patients. The overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 87.5%, 56.3%, and 40.6%, respectively. Patients with primary tracheal and carinal tumors experienced a 5-year survival of 55.0% compared to 16.7% for those with locally advanced lung cancer directly infiltrating the carina (P0.05).Surgical resection is the most effective treatment of choice for primary tumors of the trachea and carina. With careful patient selection and meticulous surgical and anesthesia techniques, the operative mortality and complications are acceptable, and long-term survival can be achieved.

There are few reports about abdominal lymph node metastasis of mid thoracic esophageal carcinoma. This study was designed to explore the pattern of abdominal lymph node metastasis in patients with mid thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and to evaluate the prognostic factors.The complete data of 368 patients with mid thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, who underwent modified Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy with two-field lymphadenectomy from January 1998 to January 2003, were reviewed. Survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify risk prognostic factors.Abdominal lymph node metastasis occurred in 58 (15.8%) patients: 34.5% (20/58) of them were stage T1 and T2. Skipping abdominal node metastasis was recognized in 13.8% (8/58) patients: all were stage T1 and T2. The overall 5-year survival rate of patients with abdominal lymph node metastasis (10.3%) was lower than that of those with thoracic node metastasis (18.3%). The prognosis of patients with distant abdominal lymph node metastasis was poor, and no one could survive more than 5 years. Cox regression analysis showed that five or more positive nodes and distant abdominal node metastasis were independent risk factors of patients with abdominal lymph node metastasis.Abdominal lymph node metastasis in patients with mid thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma occurred frequently, and the surgery favorable for extensive abdominal lymph node dissection should be selected. The prognosis of patients with abdominal lymph node metastasis was poor, especially those with more positive nodes and distant abdominal node metastasis.

To investigate the prevalence of lymph node micrometastasis (LNMM) on the basis of the detection of MUC1 mRNA, and assess the impact of these micrometastases on disease-free interval after resection of pathologic N0 (pN0) esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC).The subjects were 93 patients who underwent complete resection of pN0 ESCC at our department between January 1999 and January 2001. All lymph nodes (426 stations) obtained from these patients were reevaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to detect MUC1 mRNA. The diagnosis of LNMM was based on the detection of MUC1 mRNA. A log-rank test was performed to compare the disease-free interval, and Cox regression multivariate analysis was performed to determine the independent prognostic factors.Micrometastasis was detected in 40 lymph node stations (9.4%) from 32 patients (34.4%). Disease-free interval was significantly associated with LNMM (P = 0.0138). The 5-year survival rate of patients with LNMM was significantly lower than that of those without LNMM (P = 0.004). The results of multivariate analysis confirmed that T status and LNMM were independent prognostic factors.The prevalence of LNMM in patients with pN0 ESCC was 34.4% (32/93). Thus, LNMM was significantly associated with the disease-free interval. T status and LNMM were both independent prognostic factors.

To investigate the healing mechanism of the rabbit's sclerotomy sites undergoing the Transconjunctival Sutureless Vitrectomy (TSV).Thirty-two rabbits (Thirty-two eyes) were divided into four groups: The rabbits performed with the core vitrectomy and air tamponade were Group A, performed with the core vitrectomy as Group B, performed with the non-core vitrectomy and air tamponade as Group C, and the non-core vitrectomy as Group D. The sclerotomy sites were observed by the Ultrasound Biomicroscope (UBM model 840, Humphrey Instruments, San Leandro, CA, USA) on days 1, 3, 5, and 9 postoperatively, and the diameter of the internal and the external aperture was estimated on postoperative day 1. The pathological study of the sclerotomy sites on days 3, 5, and 9 postoperatively were investigated under the light microscope.The Ultrasound Biomicroscope and the pathological sections showed that the healing course of the sclerotomy sites lasted nine days. On postoperative day 1, the vitreous incarceration (19/32, 59.4%), the fluid cavity (18/32, 56.3%), and the air cavity under the conjunctiva (7/16, 43.8%) existed in some cases. The diameter of the internal aperture in Group A and Group B was less than Group C and Group D on day 1 postoperatively, P0.001. The diameter of the external aperture did not show significant difference in any of the groups. The pathological study verified the healing course was the granulation reaction.The healing mechanism of the rabbit's sclerotomy sites undergoing the (TSV) is the granulation reaction accompanied with the elastic recovery of the sclera.

This paper mainly studies the approach of detecting and reconstructing curve butt welding seam based on a line structured light stereovision sensor. The approach consists of three steps: firstly, extracting the laser stripe center line from welding seam image, and determining the position of welding seam point; then, calculating its three-dimensional coordinates according to the calibration of vision sensor and hand eye matrix; and finally, reconstructing the complete curve welding seam in three-dimensional space by a group of welding seam points. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, which has great application value in robot automatic welding area.

The widely known classifier chains method for multi-label classification, which is based on the binary relevance (BR) method, overcomes the disadvantages of BR and achieves higher predictive performance, but still retains important advantages of BR, most importantly low time complexity. Nevertheless, despite its advantages, it is clear that a randomly arranged chain can be poorly ordered. We overcome this issue with a different strategy: Several times K-means algorithms are employed to get the correlations between labels and to confirm the order of binary classifiers. The algorithm ensure the right correlations be transmitted persistently as great as possible by improve the earlier predictions accuracy. The experimental results on the Reuters-21578 text chat data set and image data set show that the approach is efficient and appealing in most cases.

To recognize the type of welding joint is an essential precondition for extracting features of weld seam and guiding robot tracking seam automatically. A method based on a line laser structured-light vision for recognizing the type of welding joint is studied in this paper. Images of welding joint captured by camera are preprocessed firstly for noise reduction and enhancement with wavelet transform, and the reconstructed images are converted to binary ones using appropriate thresholds. Then some features of binary images are further extracted and formed feature vectors which are input into a PNN classifier for classification. Combined with the position relationship of laser and camera, four types of welding joint are eventually recognized. Experimental results show that, this method has a high recognition rate.

Recognition of evolutionarily conserved ligands by Toll-like receptors (TLRs) triggers signaling cascades in innate immune cells to amplify adaptive immune responses. Nearly all TLRs require MyD88 to transduce downstream signaling. MyD88 deficiency has been shown to promote the allograft acceptance in mice. However, direct evidence for therapeutic potential of MyD88 inhibitors remains lacking. Herein, we used a MyD88 inhibitor, namely ST2825, to explore its therapeutic potential and mechanisms in fully allogeneic skin and heart transplant models. Phenotypic maturation of dendritic cells stimulated by TLR ligands was alleviated by ST2825 in parallel with reduced T-cell proliferation in vitro. A short-course treatment with ST2825 significantly prolonged cardiac graft survival (mean survival time = 18.5 ± 0.92 days vs. 7.25 ± 0.46 days). ST2825-treated group had significantly reduced proinflammatory cytokines in allografts compared with control group. ST2825 combined with anti-CD154 induced long-term skin allograft acceptance in about one-third of recipients (>100 days). 'Skin-tolerant' recipients showed attenuated donor-specific IFN-γ responses, intact IL-4 responses, and compromised alloantibody responses. We conclude that MyD88 inhibitor ST2825 attenuates acute cardiac rejection and promotes donor-specific hyporesponsiveness in stringent skin transplant models. The direct evidence suggests that pharmacological inhibition of MyD88 hold promising potential for transplant rejection.

A large infarct-related artery (IRA), which mostly contains high-burden thrombus formation (HBTF) and lipid pool-like plaque contents, has been suggested to play a pivotal role in the no-reflow phenomenon during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI). To reduce the thrombus burden of the IRA using the PercuSurge GuardWire device before intervention may be of crucial importance to preventing no-reflow. The purposes of this study were to test the transradial application (TRA) of this new mechanical device and to determine its impact on prevention of no-reflow during p-PCI. From May to September 2002, the PercuSurge GuardWire device was utilized in 42 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction and large IRA (vessel sizeor= 3.5 mm with HBTF; group 1). From January to December 2000, p-PCI was performed in large IRA (vessel sizeor= 3.5 mm) with HBTF using tranfemoral arterial approach in 101 consecutive patients (group 2). The angiographic and clinical outcomes of the two groups were compared in a chronologically consecutive manner. Successful reperfusion (final TIMI-3 flow) was significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 patients (95.2% vs. 79.1%; P = 0.005). Moreover, the combined incidence of vascular complications, post-PCI thromboembolisms (defined as a distal embolism and a post-PCI residual thrombus score ofor= 3), and combined 30-day major adverse cardiac events were significantly lower in group 1 than in group 2 patients (all P values0.05). In group 1 patients, post-p-PCI myocardial blush (MB) ofor= 2 grades was found to be more than 88.0%. Furthermore, when compared with preintervention, thrombus scores were significantly reduced after aspiration (P = 0.0001), whereas the minimal lumen diameter (P = 0.0001), TIMI flow grade (P = 0.0001), and MB grade (P = 0.0001) had all significantly increased after aspiration using Export Aspiration Catheter. There were no significant differences in corrected TIMI frame count (P = 0.42), TIMI flow grade (P0.5), or MB grade (all P values0.5) between postaspiration and post-PCI. The TRA of the PercuSurge GuardWire device during primary intervention of large IRA with HBTF was safe and feasible and provided benefits to patients. The initial successful reduction of the thrombus burden with this mechanical device before intervention can be translated into increased final TIMI-3 flow, a combined MB ofor= 2 grades, and fewer final thromboembolic events.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the PARK16 locus that can modulate the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD), including rs16856139, rs823128, rs823122, rs947211, rs823156, rs708730 and rs11240572. The strength of these associations has been investigated in people from several ethnic origins, including Europe, Chile, Japan, Taiwan and western China. The results have shown that an ethnicity-specific effect is an important consideration in such an analysis. Therefore, we genotyped the above seven SNPs using a case-control methodology to explore their association with the risk of PD in eastern China. A total of 456 study subjects comprising 226 patients with PD and 230 unrelated healthy controls were recruited. The minor allele frequencies at the rs16856139 and rs11240572 SNPs were found to be significantly higher in controls than in PD cases, which suggested that they conferred a protective effect against PD. Further analyses from more diverse ethnic origins are required to confirm the significance of rs16856139 and rs11240572.

Emergency department(ED) nurses work in a rapidly changing environment with patients that have wide variety of conditions. Occupational stress in emergency department nurses is a common problem. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between coping strategies and occupational stress among ED nurses in China. A correlational, cross-sectional design was adopted. Two questionnaires were given to a random sample of 127 ED nurses registered at the Heilongjiang Nurses' Association. Data were collected from the nurses that worked in the ED of five general hospitals in Harbin China. Occupational stress and coping strategies were measured by two questionnaires. A multiple regression model was applied to analyze the relationship between stress and coping strategies. The stressors of ED nurses mainly come from the ED specialty of nursing (2.97±0.55), workload and time distribution (2.97±0.58). The mean score of positive coping strategies was 2.19±0.35, higher than the norm (1.78±0.52). The mean score of negative coping strategies was 1.20±0.61, lower than the norm (1.59±0.66), both had significant statistical difference (P

Pattern recognition receptors are attractive targets for vaccine adjuvants, and polymorphisms of the innate receptor NOD1 have been associated with allergic asthma.To elucidate whether NOD1 agonist may favor allergic asthma in humans through activation of dendritic cells, and to evaluate the mechanisms involved using an in vivo model.NOD1-primed dendritic cells from allergic and nonallergic donors were characterized in vitro on their phenotype, cytokine secretion, and Th2 polarizing ability. The in vivo relevance was examined in experimental allergic asthma, and the mechanisms were assessed using transfer of NOD1-conditioned dendritic cells from wild-type or CCL17-deficient mice.NOD1 priming of human dendritic cells promoted a Th2 polarization profile that involved the production of CCL17 and CCL22 in nonallergic subjects but only CCL17 in allergic patients, without requiring allergen costimulation. Moreover, NOD1-primed dendritic cells from allergic donors exhibited enhanced maturation that led to abnormal CCL22 and IL-10 secretion compared with nonallergic donors. In mice, systemic NOD1 ligation exacerbated allergen-induced experimental asthma by amplifying CCL17-mediated Th2 responses in the lung. NOD1-mediated sensitization of purified murine dendritic cells enhanced production of CCL17 and CCL22, but not of thymic stromal lymphopoietin and IL-33, in vitro. Consistently, adoptive transfer of NOD1-conditioned dendritic cells exacerbated the Th2 pulmonary response in a CCL17-dependent manner in vivo.Data from this study unveil a deleterious role of NOD1 in allergic asthma through direct induction of CCL17 by dendritic cells, arguing for a need to address vaccine formulation safety issues related to allergy.

Thymic carcinoma is reputed to carry a poor prognosis. Although few scholars have studied the prognosis of thymic carcinoma, the prognostic factors of patients after surgery are not well established. We analyze the prognostic significance of undetermined factors to predict the survival of patients after surgery. We reviewed 351 cases of thymic epithelial tumor treated with surgery at a single institution in China from 1992 to 2011. A total of 58 patients were histopathologically reconfirmed as having thymic carcinoma. Clinicopathological characteristics and treatment modalities were reviewed. During the follow-up, with a median of 65.8 months, survival time was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to identify prognostic factors. The overall 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rate was 69.0, 43.1, and 12.1 %, respectively. The Log-rank test revealed that Masaoka stage (p = 0.000), histology group (p = 0.000), completeness of the resection (p = 0.000), great vessel invasion (p = 0.000), and presence of symptoms (p = 0.003) were significant prognostic factors in all patients. However, tumor size (p = 0.086), age (p = 0.677), sex (p = 0.706), smoking (p = 0.065), and alcohol (p = 0.875) were not prognostic factors. A Cox proportional hazards regression model showed that Masaoka stage (hazard ratio = 15.640, p = 0.000) and completeness of the resection (hazard ratio = 18.303, p = 0.000) were the only independent prognostic factors. The Masaoka stage and completeness of the resection were independent prognostic factors that predicted long-term survival of patients with thymic carcinoma treated with surgery.

We systematically searched Medline and Cochrane Library and the related references occurred in the citations until February 2013 and included all the cases who suffered from gastric benign and malignant diseases where single incision laparoscopic surgery was performed. A total of 69 cases with gastric diseases undergoing SILS surgery were reviewed to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and potential benefits of SILS for the gastric diseases. Demographic data, morphologic characterisation of the lesion, and perioperative parameters were analyzed retrospectively. The initial experience with SILS for benign gastric diseases and early gastric cancer showed that it is feasible and safe when performed by experienced laparoscopic surgeons. Despite the limited number and technical difficulties it can be proposed in selected patients.

Objective To investigate the association between v-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homologue ( KRAS) gene mutations and levels of human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class I antigen in primary lung tumours and metastatic lymph nodes of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Patients with NSCLC undergoing tumour resection were enrolled. KRAS codon 12 mutations were analysed in normal lung and lymph node tissue, primary lung tumours and metastatic lymph nodes using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. HLA class I antigen immunostaining was examined using flow cytometry. Results A total of 65 patients participated in the study. All normal lung tissues had positive HLA class I antigen immunostaining. The majority of primary lung tumours (56/65) and all of the metastatic lymph nodes (31/31) had downregulated HLA class I antigen immunostaining. There was a positive correlation between downregulated HLA class I antigen in primary tumours and metastatic lymph nodes. There was a negative correlation between KRAS codon 12 mutations and the level of HLA class I antigen in primary and metastatic tumours. Conclusions KRAS codon 12 mutations appear to be important in the downregulation of HLA class I antigen in NSCLC. Abnormal activation of the oncogenic KRAS pathway might provide a new treatment target for NSCLC.

Detection platform for grid-connected photovoltaic inverters (PVI) is researched and developed； the testing method and procedures of PVI are analyzed and the development course of this detection platform is described in detail. The detection platform consists of PC machine, interface card and a data bus, AC / DC programmable power supply, power meter, RLC adjustable load, simulation of the impedance network and the measured equipment.

Previous published studies on international joint ventures (JVs) in China are reviewed and assessed by summarizing important research patterns. A model of management of international JVs in China is developed which emphasizes the central theme of cross-cultural management. Dimensions in research on international JVs China and directions for future research are also discussed.