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Road Tunnels are an important part of the current road transportation infrastructure. As the main form of tunnel lining diseases, cracks are easy to interact with other areas, which seriously affects the safe operation of the tunnel. Due to the similarity of brightness and linearity between surface cracks and lining cracks, the existing crack detection algorithms can not extract cracks accurately and quickly. An algorithm of lining seam crack elimination with rectangular mark is proposed here. First, the line segments in the image are detected by the Line Segment Detector algorithm based on the coarse percolation detection of the crack. Second, the distribution directions are calculated, and cracks from the lining seams are distinguished by the adaptive threshold judgment method. Third, by using the distribution characteristics of pixels, the line segments are extended to form rectangular marks perpendicular to the direction of lining seams. Finally, the marking information is used to remove the lining joints and obtain the real surface cracks of tunnel lining. Experimental results show that the algorithm can quickly and effectively remove any shape distribution of lining seam. The algorithm fills in the blank of concrete tunnel lining surface crack detection technology.

Summary The clinical significance of the specific anti-John Milton Hagen (JMH) alloantibody in inherited JMH-negative patients remains unclear. During clinical blood transfusion, it is often classified as an anti-JMH autoantibody in acquired JMH-negative patients, which might further lead to the occurrence of haemolysis events. In this study, we found that the proportion of inherited JMH-negative people in the Guangzhou population was 0.41%, based on the study of 243 blood samples by flow cytometry. Gene sequencing analysis revealed two novel variants located in exon 11 (c.1348G>A, p.Ala449Thr) and exon 14 (c.1989G>T, p.Leu663Phe). Specific antigen presentation showed that JMH-positive RBCs (red blood cells) could be internalized by SEMA7A−/− dendritic cells (DCs) and that SEMA7A−/− DCs activated by the semaphorin 7a (Sema7a) protein or JMH-positive erythrocytes further induced activation of CD4+ T cells to secrete interferon (IFN)-γ. Transfusion of JMH-positive RBCs could lead to the production of the specific anti-JMH alloantibody in Sema7a knock-out (KO) C57 mice. After erythrocyte sensitization, complement C3 was specifically fixed, causing the destruction of JMH-positive erythrocytes. The anti-JMH alloantibody caused immunological destruction of JMH-positive erythrocytes and promoted the clearance of JMH-positive RBCs. We should be cautious when making conclusions about the clinical significance of the anti-JMH alloantibody.

Dietary habits have been implicated in the development and severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Several epidemiological studies attempted to assess the relationship between food groups and the likelihood of NAFLD, but these results were conflicting. The present meta-analysis was conducted to assess the association between food groups and the likelihood of NAFLD. Published literature was retrieved and screened from MEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science. Out of 7892 retrieved articles, twenty-four observational studies (fifteen cross-sectional studies and nine case-control studies) met our eligibility criteria and were finally included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Consumption of both red meat and soft drinks contributed to a positive association with NAFLD. Inversely, nut consumption was negatively associated with NAFLD. There were no significant influences on the likelihood of NAFLD about consuming whole grains, refined grains, fish, fruits, vegetables, eggs, dairy products and legumes. This meta-analysis suggests that individuals who consumed more red meat and soft drinks may have a significantly increased likelihood of NAFLD, whereas higher nut intake may be negatively associated with NAFLD. Further prospective studies are required to assess the association between food patterns and NAFLD.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is an infectious disease caused by Leishmania protozoa. Since sporadic cases of this disease are noted in non-endemic areas and are associated with a limited outbreak, the disease is easily overlooked. In addition, other illnesses exhibit similar symptoms. It is difficult for clinicians to establish an accurate diagnosis and develop effective treatments for this disease. The present study reported a case of a 25-year-old young man admitted to the hospital due to oblique hernia. The case was diagnosed as VL. The patient presented with persistent night sweats and fatigue as described in his admission history. However, the body temperature was normal. Routine examination revealed that the patient exhibited chronic hepatitis B infection, pancytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, significant plasma cell infiltration in bone marrow aspirate and hypergammaglobulinemia. The retrospective analysis of the present case can improve the diagnostic accuracy and treatment rate of VL in non-epidemic areas.

Background: The predictors and airway morphological changes during the development of postintubation tracheal stenosis (PITS) have not been well elucidated. Objectives: To elucidate the validation of endobronchial optical coherence tomography (EB-OCT) in assessing the airway morphological changes in PITS. Methods: We performed oral endotracheal intubation in 12 beagles to establish the PITS model. EB-OCT was performed respectively before modeling and on the 1st, 7th, and 12th day after extubation in 9 canines, and was conducted consecutively in 3 canines during the development of PITS. Histological findings and the thickness and gray-scale value of the tracheal wall assessed by EB-OCT measurements were analyzed and compared. Results: The tracheal wall edema, granulation tissue proliferation, cartilage destruction in PITS, and airway wall thickening detected by EB-OCT were in concordance with the histopathological measurements. The consecutive EB-OCT observation of the airway structure demonstrated the tracheal wall thickness significantly increased from 344.41 ± 44.19 μm before modeling to 796.67 ± 49.75 μm on the 9th day after modeling (p < 0.05). The airway wall gray-scale values assessed by EB-OCT decreased from 111.19 ± 14.71 before modeling to 74.96 ± 4.08 on the 9th day after modeling (p < 0.05). The gray-scale value was negatively correlated with the airway wall thickness (r = –0.945, p = 0.001). Conclusion: The EB-OCT imaging, in concordance with the histopathological finding, was validated for assessing the airway morphological changes during the development of PITS. The EB-OCT evaluation of cartilage damage and gray-scale value measurement might help predict the development and prognosis of PITS.

This study evaluated the relationship between grain consumption and the risk of gastric cancer. A total of 19 studies met the inclusion criteria. For whole grain consumption, there was a 13% reduction in the risk of gastric cancer (

To estimate whether adjuvant radiotherapy is necessary for patients with stage IA1-IIA1 cervical cancer after laparoscopic hysterectomy, 221 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Sixty-two of them were treated with laparoscopic hysterectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy (group A), 115 underwent open surgery (group B) and 44 received laparoscopic hysterectomy alone (group C). Results showed that the 3-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) rates of group A, B and C were 98.4%, 97.4% and 86.4%, respectively. The LRFS rates of group A and B surpassed C (A vs. B, p=0.634; A vs. C, p=0.011; B vs. C, p=0.006). The inter-group differences of 3-year overall survival (OS) and distant metastasis free survival (DMFS) were not statistically significant. In subgroup analysis of stage IB disease, the 3-year LRFS rates of group A, B and C were 100%, 98.8% and 83.1%, the 3-year OS rates of group A, B and C were 100%, 98.9% and 91.5%, respectively. The 3-year LRFS and OS rates of group A and B were significantly superior to group C (p

A metasurface broadband circularly polarized antenna is proposed based on the theory of characteristic mode. The antenna is composed of a feeder layer, an air layer, and a metasurface. The theory of characteristic mode is used to analyze and predict the mode features of the metasurface. Besides, mode 1 and mode 2 working at 7GHz and 8.7GHz as the expected modes, a metasurface broadband circularly polarized antenna is designed. It is indicated by the simulation result that $\vert\mathrm{S}11\vert dB bandwidth of 5.32GHz–9.18GHz, with the relative bandwidth reaching 53.25%; 3 dB Axial Ratio bandwidth of 6.87GHz–8.93GHz, with the relative bandwidth of up to 26.07%. It can be confirmed that the antenna possesses performance of broadband circular polarization.

With the advent of the paperless era, electronic working devices have become the norm, and people are increasingly relying on software in mobile phones and computers to process their work. Long hours of reading and searching, as well as the use of different character sizes, line spacing, color values, and the chroma of the software interface, can have an impact on visual fatigue. Long-term visual fatigue can lead to myopia, red eye, and glaucoma, which can cause health problems and reduce productivity. Therefore, interface design is of paramount importance to the software workforce. At present, most of the experimental literature focuses on the relationship between the physical properties of computers or mobile phones and visual fatigue. The study, which collected research literature from 2010–2020, examined the impact of software interface design elements on visual fatigue. We divide the interface design elements into text, color and graphics, and classify the literature according to the categories of interface elements to explore the changing patterns and trends of research themes and methods over time. This study provides a methodological basis for the future study of visual fatigue-related interface design and puts forward some suggestions for future research directions.

With the development of the tourism industry, the cultural and creative products of tourism have shifted to diversified products, and its development plays a vital role in the prosperity of regional economy, the promotion of local cultural characteristics, and the building of local tourism brands. The traditional firing technique of Chinese Longquan celadon is the first and only ceramic product to be included in the world-class intangible cultural heritage list whose products are also prominent in Longquan tourism cultural and creative products. This study takes the design of Longquan celadon cultural and creative products as an example to explore the shape design of celadon products. Firstly, we use the questionnaire method to integrate the Kansei words and establish the product sample library and Kansei word library of Longquan celadon. Then, we combine the user needs and design elements, and use Likert scale to quantify users’ perceptual cognition. Thirdly, we achieve dimensionality reduction of the Kansei words by factor analysis. Finally, we obtain the strategies of the cultural and creative products design of Longquan celadon. This study bridges the differences in cultural perceptions of multiple stakeholders, provides a new method for cultural innovation design aided by Kansei engineering, and provides a reference basis for the future design of Longquan celadon cultural and creative products.

With improvement of people’s consumption level and the comprehensive promotion of the concept of low-carbon globalization, people’s demand for balanced vehicle has been upgraded from a single transportation function to personalization and service, and meeting people’s demand through service innovation is a hot research topic nowadays. Through the collection and analysis of a large number of related literatures, we find that domestic and foreign experts and scholars have done extensive research on the combination of Kansei Engineering and service design, but relatively few studies have been made on balanced vehicle service innovation. Based on this, this research plans to study and optimize the service of the balanced vehicle by combining Kansei Engineering and service design. Firstly, the user’s key perceptual images of the balanced vehicle are extracted by Kansei Engineering theory and principal component analysis. Second, according to the user’s perceptual demand for the product, sort out the corresponding service blueprint and user journey map. Finally, according to the different service stages of the product, the service design strategy of the product is summarized, and the service system of the product is optimized. Integrating users’ emotional demands into the optimization of product service design, it improves the service quality of different service stages of the product while effectively meeting users’ emotional demands, thus improving the user experience.

The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected more than 37 million people worldwide. The control responses varied across countries with different outcomes in terms of epidemic size and social disruption. In this study, we presented an age-specific susceptible-exposed-infected-recovery-death model that considers the unique characteristics of COVID-19 to examine the effectiveness of various non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in New York City (NYC). Numerical experiments from our model show that the control policies implemented in NYC reduced the number of infections by 72% (IQR 53-95), and the number of deceased cases by 76% (IQR 58-96) by the end of 2020, respectively. Among all the NPIs, social distancing for the entire population and the protection for the elderly in the public facilities is the most effective control measure in reducing severe infections and deceased cases. School closure policy may not work as effectively as one might expect in terms of reducing the number of deceased cases. Our simulation results provide novel insights into the city-specific implementation of NPIs with minimal social disruption considering the locations and population characteristics.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is an infectious disease caused by Leishmania protozoa. Since sporadic cases of this disease are noted in non-endemic areas and are associated with a limited outbreak, the disease is easily overlooked. In addition, other illnesses exhibit similar symptoms. It is difficult for clinicians to establish an accurate diagnosis and develop effective treatments for this disease. The present study reported a case of a 25-year-old young man admitted to the hospital due to oblique hernia. The case was diagnosed as VL. The patient presented with persistent night sweats and fatigue as described in his admission history. However, the body temperature was normal. Routine examination revealed that the patient exhibited chronic hepatitis B infection, pancytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, significant plasma cell infiltration in bone marrow aspirate and hypergammaglobulinemia. The retrospective analysis of the present case can improve the diagnostic accuracy and treatment rate of VL in non-epidemic areas.

Background: Ershiwuwei Lvxue Pill (ELP, མགྲིན་མཚལ་ཉེར་ལྔ།), a traditional Tibetan medicine preparation, has been used hundreds of years for the clinical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Tibet, China. Nevertheless, its chemical compositions and therapeutic mechanism are unclear. Methods: In this work, a system pharmacological approach based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS), network pharmacology and molecular docking simulation was proposed for exploring the promising bioactive compounds and mechanisms for the treatment of RA.Results: For the first time, the compounds database of ELP was successfully established and 96 compounds were identified based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS analysis. Among them, 22 bioactive compounds were screened according to ADME, oral bioavailability and drug likeness. Screening based on relevant databases and topological analysis revealed that 22 bioactive ingredients participated in 46 potential target proteins and 12 signaling pathways in RA. The functional enrichment analysis indicated that ELP exerted the anti-RA effects via synergistically regulating multiple biological nodes of the disease network. In that, 10 targets with high degree value including IL6, TNF, TP53, AKT1, JUN, VEGFA, MAPK3, STAT3, IL1β and PTGS2. The pathways with greater p-value contribution are PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, JAK-STAT signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. In addition, good molecular docking scores were highlighted between five promising bioactive compounds (ellagic acid, quercetin, kaempferol, galangin, coptisine) and five core targets (PTGS2, STAT3, VEGFA, MAPK3, TNF). Conclusion: Overall, the present work revealed the material basis and potential mechanism of ELP treatment on RA and provides insight for further research. However, further studies are needed to validate the biological processes and effect pathways of ELP.

There are multiple modes for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmissions, each of which is usually associated with a certain key population (e.g., needle sharing among people who inject drugs). Recent field studies revealed the merging trend of multiple key populations, making HIV intervention difficult because of the existence of multiple transmission modes in such complex multiplex social networks. In this paper, we aim to address this challenge by developing a multiplex social network framework to capture the multimode transmission across two key populations. Based on the multiplex social network framework, we propose a new random search method, named partition-based random search with network and memory prioritization (PRS-NMP), to identify the optimal subset of high-value individuals in the social network for interventions. Numerical experiments demonstrated that the proposed PRS-NMP-based interventions could effectively reduce the scale of HIV transmissions. The performance of PRS-NMP-based interventions is consistently better than the benchmark nested partitions method and network-based metrics.

Background: Patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) have a high risk of concomitant tracheobronchial tuberculosis (TBTB), which commonly causes severe complications such as tracheobronchial stenosis. The prevalence and predictors of TBTB in China remain unclear due to the lack of prospective and large-scale studies. Objectives: To investigate the incidence of TBTB in PTB patients in southern China, and elucidate the predictors of TBTB and related tracheobronchial stenosis. Methods: We prospectively performed bronchoscopy in PTB patients to diagnose TBTB at four medical centres in southern China from September 2015 to August 2016. Clinical and epidemiological data were recorded and analysed to determine predictors of TBTB and related tracheobronchial stenosis. Results: A total of 345 (23.9%) of the 1,442 PTB patients undergoing bronchoscopy were diagnosed with TBTB. Female sex (OR 2.53), age < 50 years (OR 1.88), living in urban (OR 2.19), diabetes (OR 1.84), coughing (OR 2.61), and symptoms ≥4 weeks (OR 1.66) were predictors of PTB concomitant with TBTB. About 59.7% TBTB patients developed tracheobronchial stenosis, of which 23.3% cases presented severe airway narrowing. Female sex (OR 2.27), age < 50 years (OR 2.11), shortness of breath (OR 1.97), and symptoms ≥4 weeks (OR 1.71) were predictors of TBTB-related tracheobronchial stenosis. Conclusions: About 23.9% of PTB patients undergoing bronchoscopy present with TBTB in Guangdong province, southern China. Young and middle-aged females with symptoms persisting for ≥4 weeks (the main predictors of TBTB and related tracheobronchial stenosis) should receive bronchoscopy immediately when diagnosed with PTB.

Social networks have involved more and more users who search for and share information extensively and frequently. Tremendous evidence in Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Google+ alike shows that such social networks are the major information sources as well as the most effective platforms for information transmission and exchange. The dynamic propagation of various information may gradually disseminate, drastically increase, strongly compete with each other, or slowly decrease. These observations had led to the present study of the spreading process of true and fake information over social networks, particularly the Facebook. Specifically, in this paper the topological structure of two huge-scale Facebook network datasets are investigated regarding their statistical properties. Based on that, an information model for simulating the true and fake information spreading over the Facebook is established. Through controlling the spreading parameters in extensive large-scale simulations, it is found that the final density of stiflers increases with the growth of the spreading rate, while it would decline with the increase of the removal rate. Moreover, it is found that the spreading process of the true–fake information is closely related to the node degrees on the network. Hub-individuals with high degrees have large probabilities to learn hidden information and then spread it. Interestingly, it is found that the spreading rate of the true information but not of the fake information has a great effect on the information spreading process, reflecting the human nature in believing and spreading truths in social activities. The new findings validate the proposed model to be capable of characterizing the dynamic evolution of true and fake information over the Facebook, useful and informative for future social science studies.

It is evident that social networks have become major information sources as well as the most effective platform for information exchange. In social networks, the dynamical propagation of different information often exhibits different dynamical behaviors. And different information may even compete with each other that can determine the dynamical process of information dissemination. These phenomena have led to the present study on the spreading process of competitive information over social networks. In this study, we proposed a competitive information model over the multiplex networks. The simulations of this model are verified by two types of the multiplex networks, such as the real composite network and the artificial composite network. Through controlling the spreading parameters in extensive large-scale simulations, it is found that the final density of stiflers increases with the growth of the spreading rate, while it declines with the increasing of the removal rate. It is also found that the spreading process of the competitive information is closely related to the node degrees on multiplex networks. Through controlling the exchanging rate of competitive information, we are able to determine information dominance accurately. Our new findings validate that the proposed model is capable of characterizing the dynamic evolution of competitive information over multiplex social networks. The results of this study are significant to the study of social science and social platform behavior.

In the era of big data, the traditional capacity of computing and storage has been unable to meet the growing demand. In this case, Cloud Computing technology is emerging. Researching on task scheduling is a way from the perspective of resource allocation and management to improve performance of Hadoop system. In this paper, a speculative task scheduling strategy that based on SDN technology is improved. For LATE mechanism, some slow tasks are slower than speculative tasks. This is not only unable to reduce task turnaround time and a waste of system resources. In this paper, we join the slow task compared with the speculative task for the speculative task scheduling strategy of LATE. Wherein, the run time of speculative tasks contains the input data transfer time, real-time bandwidth corresponding to a bandwidth of the link. Based on this model, we propose a bandwidth-aware speculative task run time estimation model (BWRE) based on SDN, using this model to accurately speculative the backup task run time. And we use SDN to provide bandwidth guarantees for the speculative task. Finally, BWRE is verified by simulation experiments. Evaluation results show that BWRE outperforms the shortening job turnaround time by an average of 9.85%.

In this work, bio-based poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF) films were prepared by drop-casting method and used as substrates for depositing Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) transparent conductive thin films. Results showed that the 300-nm GZO thin films deposited on PEF substrates exhibited haze values above 65% at 550 nm without post-treatment. The high haze value was because of the large surface roughness of PEF films. The total optical transmittance and electrical properties of GZO thin films on PEF were comparable to those of GZO thin films on PET. The present study provides a simple way for the sputtering deposition of high-haze transparent conductive thin films on flexible substrates.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) To explore the impact of dose distribution on the parameter and predictive ability of equivalent uniform dose (EUD) model. MATERIALS/METHODS The brains of 103 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving IMRT were divided into left and right half-brains to create small-size virtual brains with similar dose distribution to brains. Difference of relative VD between brain and half-brain was analyzed by independent sample t-test. EUDs for different dose distributions were calculated in different VD (EUDVD). Predictive ability of EUDVD for radiation-induced brain injury was assessed by receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC). The optimal volume-effect parameter a of EUD was selected when AUC was maximal (mAUC). The correlations between mAUC, a and D (specific dose of VD) were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis and linear regression analysis to evaluate the impact of dose distribution. Paired samples t-test was used for comparisons of both mAUCs and parameters between brain and half-brain to evaluate the role of size. The optimal DV and VD points were calculated for a simple comparison. RESULTS Average-DVH curves of left half-brains, right half-brains and brains overlapped almost exactly, and the differences of relative VD were less than 0.01% (P > 0.5). The mAUC of EUDVD increased with D, and reached maximum when D was around 55 Gy. When D≤55 Gy, mAUC was linearly dependent on D. The optimal a was correlated with D strongly, and it decreased from 22 to 1 as D increased. The difference of mAUC/a between brain and half-brain was not significant. In the a range of 1 to 22, AUCs of EUDV55 Gy in brain/half-brain (0.830-0.857/0.830-0.845) were always larger than those of whole-volume EUD (0.681-0.819/0.691-0.821). AUCs of EUDV55 Gy (a = 1, equal to mean dose) and DV55 Gy/2 (dose delivered to V55 Gy/2, equal to median dose,) were larger than those of DV and VD (0.845/0.844 vs. 0.818/0.827 in half-brain). CONCLUSION Volume-effect parameter of EUD is variable and depends on dose distribution rather than volume size. Before using an empirical parameter, dose distributions (especially the gradients) should be similar. Critical-dose-volume EUD could improve the predictive ability (no matter what the a is) and has a stable volume-effect parameter. Mean dose may be the case in which critical-dose-volume EUD has the best predictive ability, while median dose, as a simple dose/volume point, is a convenient alternative.

Recent studies have shown that some inflammatory markers are associated with the prognosis of solid tumors. This study aims to evaluate the prognosis of glioma patients with or without adjuvant treatment using the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR). All patients who were diagnosed with gliomas at the first and second affiliated hospital of Guangxi Medical University between 2011 and 2020 were included in this study. The optimal cutoff value of SII, NLR, and PLR was determined by X-tile software program. We stratified patients into several groups and evaluated the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of SII, NLR, and PLR during the period of pre-surgical, con-chemoradiotherapy, and post-treatments. Multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to detect the relationships between OS, PFS, and prognostic variables. A total of 67 gliomas patients were enrolled in the study. The cutoff values of SII, NLR, and PLR were 781.5 × 109/L, 2.9 × 109/L, and 123.2 × 109/L, respectively. Patients who are pre-SII

Ethnopharmacological relevance Ershiwuwei Lvxue Pill (ELP, མགན་མཚལ་ཉར་ལ།), a traditional Tibetan medicine preparation, has been used hundreds of years for the clinical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the highland region of Tibet, China. However, the underlying mechanism of its therapeutic effect remains unclear. Aim of the study The present study aimed to investigate the potential pharmacological mechanisms of anti-arthritic effect of ELP. Materials and methods The main chemical constituents of ELP were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Forty-eight male Wistar rats (220 ± 20 g) were randomly divided into six groups: normal group, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) group, methotrexate group (1.05 mg/kg), ELP groups (115, 230 and 460 mg/kg). CIA rat models were assigned to evaluate the anti-RA activity of ELP by determining the paws swelling, arthritis score, organ coefficients of spleen and thymus, and histopathological analysis of knee joints of synovial tissues. The levels of TNF-α, IL-10, IL-6 and IL-17 in serum were measured by ELISA. In addition, mRNA and protein expression levels associated with JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in synovial tissues of CIA rats were detected by qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses. Results Fourteen main chemical constituents of ELP were quantitatively determined by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis. Treatment with ELP reduced the paw swelling, arthritis score and organ coefficients of spleen and thymus. Histopathological examination revealed the protective effects of ELP on CIA rats with knee joint injury. The levels of serum pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-17) were markedly reduced while the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was significantly increased with the treatment of ELP. Further investigations showed ELP down-regulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of Bcl-2, whereas up-regulated Bax, SOCS1 and SOCS3. Meanwhile, the ratios of p-JAK2/JAK2 and p-STAT3/STAT3 proteins from synovial tissues were dramatically decreased with the treatment of ELP, whereas no changes of the mRNA and protein expression levels of JAK2 and STAT3 were observed. Conclusion These results indicated that ELP reduced the severity of arthritis and joint swelling, suggesting an antirheumatic effect on CIA rats. The possible mechanism is related to inhibiting inflammatory response and inducing apoptosis in synovial tissues by regulating JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. However, further in vivo and in vitro investigations are still needed to clarify the underlying mechanism of ELP in treating RA.

The anatomic location of small airways, the distribution of airway cartilage, and their correlation with ageing have not been well elucidated. The objective of this article was to explore the morphologic characteristics of small airways in vivo, and how airway structural changes correlate with age using endobronchial optical coherence tomography (EB-OCT).We recruited 112 subjects with peripheral pulmonary nodules. Participants underwent CT scan, spirometry, and EB-OCT measurements. We measured the airway internal diameter, the inner area (Ai), the airway wall area percentage (Aw%), and the thickness of airway cartilage. EB-OCT airway structural characteristics at different age intervals were analyzed, and the association between airway morphology and age was evaluated.Of the small airways, 47.3% originated from the seventh generation of bronchi. Cartilage was uniformly present in the third to sixth generation of bronchi, despite a decreasing proportion of cartilage from the seventh to ninth generation of bronchi (92.4%, 54.5%, and 26.8%, respectively). The thickness of airway cartilage progressively decreased with older age. In subjects 40 to 54 years of age, Ai from the third to sixth generation correlated positively with age (r = 0.577, P .001). Both Ai from the third to sixth generation and Ai from the seventh to ninth generation correlated negatively with age in subjects 55 to 69 years of age (r = -0.374, P = .021 and r = -0.410, P = .011). Aw% from the third to sixth generation and Aw% from the seventh to ninth generation did not correlate significantly with age.Small airways are mainly located at the seventh generation, where cartilaginous structures are present despite reduced distribution in more distal airways, and the thickness decreased in older age. Reduction in luminal area of medium-to-small airways might be the morphologic changes associated with ageing (ie,55 years of age).

The unstable mechanical properties of flexible transparent conductive films (TCFs) make it difficult for them to meet the requirements for displays or wearable devices. Here, the relationship between the mechanism behind the bending behavior and the electrical properties, which is important for improving the mechanical stability of flexible TCFs, is explored. Flexible TCFs are reported based on silver nanowires (AgNWs) and bio-based poly(ethylene-co-1,4-cyclohexanedimethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate)s (PECFs), with a low sheet resistance (23.8 Ω sq-1 at 84.6% transmittance) and superior mechanical properties. The electrical properties of the AgNW/PECFs composite film show almost no change after bending for 2000 times.

The HIV transmissions between multiple key populations make interventions difficult, particularly with multiple transmission behaviors. It remains unclear how significant the role of bridge individuals (who connect multiple communities) is in HIV transmission, and how to develop more effective intervention strategies targeting different transmission modes across key populations. In this research, we proposed a 2-layer social network framework to simulate the HIV transmissions across female sex workers (FSWs) and persons who inject drugs (PWID) through two behaviors: unprotected sex and needle-sharing. We proposed a set of intervention strategies based on the topological properties of individuals in the social network and estimated the efficacy of these strategies. Simulation studies demonstrated that bridge individuals played a significant role in HIV transmissions across the two networks. Prevention on such bridge individuals could help reduce both the scale and speed of HIV transmissions.

Traditional probabilistic safety analysis methods are not suitable for modern flight control system with multi-state probability. In this papera Bayesian Network based probabilistic safety model is built according to the state relationship between flight control system and its constituting components. A safety probability algorithm is proposed by using Universal Generating Function (UGF) combined with Clique Tree Propagation. The probability of system top failure condition and the importance of each constituting component are acquired efficiently, the safety level of the flight control system can be assed and the role of each component in the system safety can be determined. The probabilistic safety analysis approach based on Bayesian Network provide a simple and intuitive measure to deal with the safety analysis of flight control system with multi-state property, which overcome the deficiencies of traditional approach.

Tendon injuries are a common injury of musculocutaneous system. Due to the lack of sufficient cellularity and low growth factor activity, healing of disrupted digital flexor tendon is troublesome and the process is lengthy and ineffective. bFGF and VEGFA gene were proved to be responsible and critical for promoting tendon healing. How to continuously enhance expression of these genes is a challenge. In this study, we developed a combination therapeutic approach that corrects the fundamental problem underlying intrasynovial tendon healing with introduction of growth factor genes via non-viral vector nanoparticle. PLGA nanoparticles as vehicle were used to delivery bFGF+VEGFA genes into injured tendon tissues. The expression of bFGF and VEGFA was upregulated in the tenocytes after transfection. We injected nanoparticle/bFGF+VEGFA gene complexes into injured tendons producing sufficient amounts of these factors required during early tendon healing period. After treatment, the ultimate strength of repaired tendons treated with nanoparticle/bFGF+VEGFA plasmid complexes was significantly increased, and combination therapy could also enhance flexor tendon gliding function. Therefore, combination gene therapy via nanoparticles may be an effective biological strategy for tendon repair.

Postintubation tracheal stenosis is a complication of endotracheal intubation. The pathological mechanism and risk factors for endotracheal intubation-induced tracheal stenosis remain not fully understood. We aimed to establish an animal model and to investigate risk factors for postintubation tracheal stenosis. Beagles were intubated with 4 sized tubes (internal diameter 6.5 to 8.0 mm) and cuff pressures of 100 to 200 mmHg for 24 hr. The status of tracheal wall was evaluated by bronchoscopic and histological examinations. The model was successfully established by cuffed endotracheal intubation using an 8.0 mm tube and an intra-cuff pressure of 200 mmHg for 24 hr. When the intra-cuff pressures were kept constant, a larger sized tube would induce a larger tracheal wall pressure and more severe injury to the tracheal wall. The degree of tracheal stenosis ranged from 78% to 91% at 2 weeks postextubation. Histological examination demonstrated submucosal infiltration of inflammatory cells, hyperplasia of granulation tissue and collapse of tracheal cartilage. In summary, a novel animal model of tracheal stenosis was established by cuffed endotracheal intubation, whose histopathological feathers are similar to those of clinical cases of postintubation tracheal stenosis. Excessive cuff pressure and over-sized tube are the risk factors for postintubation tracheal stenosis.

In this paper, the conversion process and the existing forms of mercury in the course of coal firing are first analyzed, and different methods to measure mercury are introduced; To assess the mercury emission levels of boilers in large power plants, through testing the mercury content in combustion products of the boiler in 700 MW unit under different loads in one power plant of Jiangxi Province, we analyzed the formation distribution of mercury emissions and the effect of low temperature economizer on the mercury concentration before and after the ESP, and acquired the mercury emission characteristics of 700 MW boiler. In study, we found that mercury in the coal burnt in 700 MW boiler was mainly discharged in the form of gas, with a small amount existing in burnt solids. The change of gaseous mercury before and after the ESP is not obvious, but the concentration of bivalent mercury is higher than that of zero-valent mercury; and more than 90% of the particulate mercury is removed. The low temperature economizer in operation can obviously reduce the concentration of mercury in flue gas at the ESP outlet by 30.8%.

Our previous study has shown co-administration of guggulsterone resulted in significant increase in chemosensitivity of multidrug-resistant human breast cancer MCF-7/DOX cells to doxorubicin (DOX) in vitro. The present study was designed to investigate whether guggulsterone had the similar modulatory activities in vivo. MCF-7/DOX and MCF-7 xenograft mice models were established. At the end of the experiment (day 28), doxorubicin treatment alone did not significantly inhibit tumor growth in MCF-7/DOX xenograft, indicating that it retained doxorubicin resistance. Whereas, doxorubicin treatment alone significantly inhibited tumor growth in MCF-7 xenograft, suggesting that it maintained doxorubicin sensitivity. When doxorubicin and guggulsterone were co-administrated, their antitumor activities were augmented in MCF-7/DOX xenograft. However, combination therapy did not enhance the antitumor effects of doxorubicin in MCF-7 xenograft. The expression of proliferative cell nuclear antigens PCNA and Ki67 after doxorubicin treatment alone was not significantly different from that of vehicle group in MCF-7/DOX xenograft. On the contrary, doxorubicin treatment alone significantly reduced PCNA and Ki67 expression in MCF-7 xenograft. Combination therapy also significantly reduced PCNA and Ki67 expression in MCF-7/DOX xenograft, compared to doxorubicin treatment alone. However, combination therapy did not enhance the inhibitory effects of doxorubicin on PCNA and Ki67 expression in MCF-7 xenograft. Examining the apoptotic index by TUNEL assay showed similar results. Further studies demonstrated the inhibitory effects of guggulsterone on Bcl-2 and P-glycoprotein expression were the possible reason to increase chemosensitivity of MCF-7/DOX cells to doxorubicin in vivo. Examining body weight, hematological parameters, hepatic, cardiac and gastrointestinal tracts histopathology revealed that no significant signs of toxicity were related to guggulsterone. Guggulsterone might reverse doxorubicin resistance in vivo, with no severe side effects.

The double-circular-arc gear bearing capacity is the key problems for realizing the low speed and high torque work demands of small-diameter deep-well turbodrill reducer. Double double-arc gear shaft structure is adopted for improving the gear bearing capacity Based on the 2K-H-NGW type planetary gear transmission. Increase modulus and decrease teeth number properly can improve the double-circular-arc gear capacity on the premise of limited radial size. This article analyze the gear bending stress based on ANSYS and simulation results show that stress mainly concentrated on tooth root and tooth waist area and maximum loading is at tooth waist area. The simulation maximum bending stress is 289N/mm2 and the theoretical bending stress is 277.50N/mm2.The two results are basically identical. It is consistent with the actual work situation.

In inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging, time-frequency analysis is the basic method for processing echo signals, which are reflected by the results of time-frequency analysis as each component changes over time. In the time-frequency map, a target&rsquo, s rigid body components will appear as a series of single-frequency signals in the low-frequency region, and the micro-Doppler components generated by the target&rsquo, s moving parts will be distributed in the high-frequency region with obvious frequency modulation. Among various time-frequency analysis methods, S-transform is especially suitable for analyzing these radar echo signals with micro-Doppler (m-D) components because of its multiresolution characteristics. In this paper, S-transform and the corresponding synchrosqueezing method are used to analyze the ISAR echo signal and perform imaging. Synchrosqueezing is a post-processing method for the time-frequency analysis result, which could retain most merits of S-transform while significantly improving the readability of the S-transformation result. The results of various simulations and actual data will show that S-transform is highly matched with the echo signal for ISAR imaging: the better frequency-domain resolution at low frequencies can concentrate the energy of the rigid body components in the low-frequency region, and better time resolution at high frequencies can better describe the transformation of the m-D component over time. The combination with synchrosqueezing also significantly improves the effect of time-frequency analysis and final imaging, and alleviates the shortcomings of the original S-transform. These results will be able to play a role in subsequent work like feature extraction and parameter estimation.

Under the same principle, laser radar could be more sensitive to the micro-Doppler (m-D) effect due to its wave length, as the characteristic of multi-resolution, S transform could reduce the influence of the micro-Doppler component and enhance the imaging effect. This paper presents a method for micro-Doppler feature extraction in Inverse Synthetic Aperture Imaging Laser Radar (ISAIL) imaging. It is accessible and comprehensive, applying Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) for the separation and reconstruction of micro-Doppler and rigid body signals. Experiments show that the method can effectively remove the micro-Doppler information and obtain a clear target distance-instantaneous Doppler image.

Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a noninvasive technique for evaluating cutaneous lesions with cellular level resolution close to conventional histopathology. The aim of this study is to observe the vascular changes in Port-wine (PWS) lesions and assess the clinical efficacy of Pulsed Dye Laser (PDL) treatment by examining vessel diameter and density with RCM.Eleven adult patients with PWS, each had four test patches carried out with different pulse durations (1.5, 3, 6, and 10 ms), respectively; fluences of 9-12 J/cm²; and a spot size of 7 mm. The PDL treatment was repeated 3-5 times at a 2-month interval. Photographs and measurements with RCM were taken before each treatment and 2 months after the last treatment.The PDL treatment exhibited increasing clearance with reducing pulse durations. Vessel diameters and densities were significantly decreased in the same pulse-duration groups after treatment. There was significant difference between 1.5 ms pulse-duration group and other pulse-duration groups in reducing blood vessel diameter at the depth of 150 μm.RCM can be used to assess the clinical efficacy of PDL treatment.

Background: Multidrug resistance (MDR) presents a problem in cancer chemotherapy, and developing new agents to overcome MDR is important. This study intends to investigate the reversal effect of β-elemene on MDR in human breast carcinoma MCF-7 and doxorubicin-resistant MCF-7 cells. Methods: MTT cytotoxicity assays, flow cytometry, and Western blot analysis were performed to investigate the antiproliferative effects of the combination of anticancer drugs with β-elemene, to study the reversal of drug resistance, and to examine the inhibitory effects on protein expression. Results: The results showed that β-elemene (30 µmol/l) had a strong potency to increase the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin to MCF-7/DOX cells, with a reversal fold of 6.38. In addition, the mechanisms of β-elemene in reversing P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated MDR demonstrated that β-elemene significantly increases the intracellular accumulations of doxorubicin and Rh123 via inhibition of the P-gp transport function in MCF-7/DOX cells. Flow cytometry and Western blot analyses revealed that β-elemene could inhibit the expression of P-gp, while it had little effect on the expression of MRP1 protein. In addition, β-elemene had little inhibitory effect on the intracellular GSH levels and GST activities in MCF-7/DOX cells. Conclusions: β-Elemene might represent a promising agent for overcoming MDR in cancer therapy.

An Aluminized explosive formulation design (AFED) model based on Gene Expression Programming and thedescription of the problem were proposed in this research. This model took different compositions and productions as important factors into consideration. The chromosome was coded by multi-gene family including both proportionment and explosion heat. Meanwhile, according to the theory of formulation design, a special doublehomology-gene was proposed, and two fitness functions were designed respectively for common gene and doublehomology-gene combined with the VLW equation. The simulation experimental result validated the feasibility of theproposed model and algorithm.

PurposeMaintenance disassembly that involves separating failed components from an assembly or system plays a vital role in line maintenance of civil aircraft, and it is necessary to have an effective and optimal sequence planning in order to reduce time and cost in maintenance. The purpose of the paper is to develop a more effective disassembly sequence planning method for maintenance of large equipment including civil aircraft systems.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology involves the following steps: a component‐fastener graph is built to describe the equipment in terms of classifying components into two categories that are functional components and fasteners; interference matrix is developed to determine the removable component, and a disassembly sequence planning of functional components is proposed based on Dijkstra's algorithm; the disassembly sequence planning including fasteners is presented based on particle swarm optimization.FindingsAn application case, which takes the nose landing gear system of a regional jet as a study object, shows that the disassembly sequence planning method proposed in the paper can reduce the calculation complexity greatly, and its effectiveness is greater than that of a genetic algorithm‐based method, in most situations.Practical implicationsThe method proposed herein can acquire the optimal maintenance disassembly sequence, which can reduce the cost and time for maintenance of large equipment.Originality/valueA novel and effective disassembly sequence planning solution for maintenance of large equipment is presented, which can be applied to the line maintenance of civil aircraft.

Direct X-ray imaging by a Fresnel zone plate (FZP) has achieved a spatial resolution of 10 nm on a synchrotron beamline. It may be used to obtain submicron-resolution X-ray images of laser-plasma sources or fusion targets. However, none of previous imaging experiments with laser-plasma kilo-elelctron-volt X-ray sources shows such a high resolution. In comparison with the FZP imaging on a synchrotron, we consider a case of imaging an extended object with a laser-plasma X-ray source that the illumination monochromaticity is lower and the field of view larger. Our simulations show that the spatial resolution is affected by both the object size and the spectral bandwidth of the source, which can explain the previous experiments. We conclude that by using a 100-zone FZP to image an object with up to 700 μm in size, a spatial resolution better than 1 μm can be realized by using X-rays of several kilo-electron volts and a spectral bandwidth just less than 3%. In this paper, we report a proof-of-principle study in simulation and experiment in an optical range centered at 632.8 nm. The simulation is performed with the same method as that previously used for X-ray imaging but with a 100-zone FZP working in the optical range. Simulations show that with the increase of the object size, the field-of-view contrast is degraded, but the spatial resolution is nearly unchanged. With the increase of the spectral bandwidth for the illumination, both the contrast and the resolution are degraded. In the experiments, different spectral bandwidths are realized by band-pass filters and different object sizes by an adjustable aperture. The experimental results are confirmed to be in agreement with the simulations. These results reveal that given a satisfied spectral bandwidth of laser-plasma X rays, the FZP imaging will be a promising approach to 1 μm or higher resolution X-ray imaging of a 1-mm-size object.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES 1. To explore whether there is any explanation for children with amblyopia who fail to achieve normal visual acuity. 2. To discuss the optical coherence tomography application in observing the macular abnormality in children with amblyopia. 3. To diagnose and evaluate the potential curable effect on treatment of amblyopia using optical coherence tomography examination. Purpose: To investigate why some children with amblyopia fail to achieve normal visual acuity. Methods: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed to observe the morphology of the macular tissue of children with various types of amblyopia who failed to achieve normal visual acuity (⩽ 20/25). Average thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) of the foveola and fovea (1-mm diameter range) was then assessed by macular retinal tomography map measurement. The data obtained were compared with those considered normal to detect any abnormality. Results: Fifteen patients (24 eyes) were examined. Images showed abnormality with thickened RNFL in the macular area in which either the fovea was not observed or the wave lines were flattened or unformed. The average RNFL thickness measured 201.5 ± 17.9 µm for the foveola and 226.9 ± 11.4 µm for the fovea (1-mm diameter range). The differences were highly statistically significant compared with normal values. Five cases were ametropic amblyopia, 5 were anisometropic amblyopia, and 5 were idiopathic amblyopia. Eleven cases showed improvement and 4 cases showed no response to the treatment. Twelve cases were myopic, 1 was mixed astigmatism, and 2 were normal. Nine cases were binocular amblyopia and 6 cases were uniocular amblyopia. Conclusion: Some children with various types of amblyopia who failed to achieve normal visual acuity after treatment showed macular abnormality on OCT examination. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus 2010;47:17–23.]

BACKGROUND Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is characterized by gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps and visible mucocutaneous lentigines distributed in the oral and anal mucosa, hands, face, and nails. Although there are many reports regarding successful treatment of intestinal polyps of PJS, there is little information regarding treatment of lentigines. Q-switched lasers are the preferred method of treatment for benign melanocytic lesions. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of the Q-switched alexandrite laser (QSAL) in treating oral labial lentigines of PJS. METHODS AND MATERIALS Fourteen cases of laser treatment of oral labial lentigines in patients diagnosed with PJS were studied between 2005 and 2008. All were treated using a single treatment with a QSAL with a 3-mm handpiece and a fluence of 4.0 to 9.0 J/cm2. Retrospective analysis of the effect of QSAL was conducted. RESULTS All 14 cases exhibited successful elimination of treated lentigines after one laser treatment. There were significant acute side effects. After a median 2-year follow-up, there were no recurrences or scars in treated sites. CONCLUSIONS The QSAL provides effective treatment for removal of labial lentigines associated with PJS.

A novel digital image synthesis and multiple-image encryption technique based on parameter multiplexing and phase-shifting interferometry by discrete Fresnel transform is proposed. Both the image synthesis and the multiple-image encryption can be realized with the same system arrangement and similar principles, while the former is achieved by using different sets of parameters (wavelength and distance) and the same set of random phase masks, and the latter with different sets of random phase masks. The feasibility of this method and its robustness against occlusion and additional noise attacks are verified by computer simulations. The encryption capacity of the system is analyzed in term of the correlation coefficient. This technique is simple with a lensless setup, highly secure, and particularly suitable for the image transmission via Internet.

A wavefront reconstruction method by two-step generalized phase-shifting interferometry (GPSI) with blind phase shift extraction algorithm is verified by both the computer simulations and optical experiments. This method can retrieve complex object wave field by using two interferograms, the recorded object and reference wave intensities, and an unknown phase shift without additional processing. The simulations with irregular wavefronts have shown the effectiveness and high accuracy of this method for blind phase-shift extraction and wavefront reconstruction over a wide range of phase-shifts, while the optical experiments for both the direct and indirect objects have yielded satisfactory results with a higher resolution of reconstructed image than those reported recently.

We have proposed a full-phase image encryption method based on double random-phase encoding in Fresnel domain and pixel random permutation (PRP) technique with the use of two-step phase-shifting interferometry (PSI) we reported recently, and verified the effectiveness of this method and its robustness against occlusion and noise attacks by a series of numerical simulations. Comparing with other similar methods, this approach can decrease the number of the interferograms to be delivered from at least three needed in ordinary PSI to only two, give much better performance of image reconstruction than amplitude-based encryption, and provide much higher security level. This method is usable for both the gray-level images and binary images, and usually the latter will lead to better results.