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Background The present study aimed to evaluate the elimination of three common pollutants (dimethoate, benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and bisphenol A (BPA) by different physical exercises and to assess the possible factors which could affect the pollutants elimination. Methods A total of 200 individuals who chose different kinds of exercises in accordance to their own wish were recruited. The levels of urinary pollutants were measured using β-glucuronidase hydrolysis followed by a high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry-based method. Results Totally, the levels of dimethoate, BaP and BPA were reduced after physical exercises. However, the elimination of BaP in male was higher than that in female but the elimination of BPA in female was higher than that in male. Multivariate logistic regression showed that the degree of heart rate (HR) change was a protective factor affecting the improvement effect of dimethoate, BaP and BPA while BMI (body mass index) was a risk factor. Nevertheless, sex was a risk factor affecting the improvement of dimethoate and BaP but had a lower efficacy on BPA improvement. Conclusion The present findings indicate that physical exercises can be considered as a novel approach to eliminate pollutants level in human body and can also give suggestions for choosing specific physical exercises to male and female individuals. Moreover, those who are with higher BMI need to lose weight before eliminating pollutant level through physical exercises.

Switches are omnipresent in all electronic devices. Miniaturization reduced the size of switches down to atomic dimensions. While on-surface tip-tuned molecular switches have recently been widely s...

The Dujiangyan Project, located at the junction of the upstream of the Minjiang River and Chengdu Plain, Sichuan Province, China, is an irrigation system project as important as the Great Wall in the history of China. Without dam structures, this project has been continuously playing its crucial role in diverting water for irrigation, separating sediments, and controlling flood for 2275 years. In this study, the predicaments of the Dujiangyan Project under the background of rapid urbanization and social economic development were summarized by conducting the field research and using the Indicators of Hydrological alteration (IHA) method: excessive diversion of water, disruption of hydrological pulses, erosion and deposition imbalance and conflicts between power generation and water supply. These contradictions have led to the weakening of the function of automatic water diversion and sand removal in the Dujiangyan Project. Considering the influence of climate change and strong human activities, we pointed out the challenges faced by the millennium ancient weir in balancing human and environmental water usage and project operation and management based on the simulation results of the hydrological model. The corresponding suggestions about strengthening agricultural water saving, generating artificial flood peak were provided to protect and continue to maintain the function of the Dujiangyan Project.

Objective To perform a meta-analysis that investigates the prevalence and seroprevalence of celiac disease (CD) in Chinese general population and high-risk populations, and to summarize data from a serological survey of high-risk populations in Guangdong, China. Methods We collected data from the serological survey of high-risk populations in Guangdong, China (n = 1390) by testing serum tissue transglutaminase immunoglobulin A (tTG-IgA), deamidated gliadin peptides immunoglobulin A (DGP-IgA) and deamidated gliadin peptides immunoglobulin G (DGP-IgG), and also searched Medline, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and 3 Chinese databases up to December 20, 2020 to estimate the pooled prevalence and seroprevalence of CD in China. Results In the serological survey, 0.94% (13/1390) individuals were positive for CD antibodies. In a meta-analysis of 18 studies, the seroprevalence of CD in Chinese general population was 0.27% (95% CI, 0.02-0.71). The seroprevalence of CD in Chinese high-risk populations was 8.34% (95% CI, 4.90-12.54), significantly higher than that in general population (OR 7.27, 95% CI, 4.06-13.04). The prevalence of biopsied-proven CD in high-risk Chinese populations was 4.44% (95% CI, 1.53-8.58). The seroprevalence of CD was varying with geographic origin, higher in Northern China than that in Southern China. Conclusions The basis for diagnosis of CD in Chinese patients should be through early case-finding by serological screening in high-risk groups; generous serological testing in patients with vague symptoms, especially in Northern Chinese.

Introduction Postoperative analgesia in elderly patients is still a thorny problem. Ultrasound-guided oblique subcostal transverse abdominis plane block (TAPB) has been demonstrated to provide postoperative analgesia after abdominal surgeries. However, recent studies have suggested that an alternative method, erector spinae plane block (ESPB), might also be effective. In this study, we compared the postoperative analgesic effects of ESPB and TAPB in elderly patients who had undergone laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Methods Sixty-two elderly patients (≥ 65 years old) scheduled for elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery with general anesthesia were randomly allocated to two equally sized groups: ESPB group and TAPB group. The ESPB group had a bilateral erector spinae plane block, and the TAPB group had a bilateral oblique subcostal transverse abdominis plane block. The primary outcome was visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score during the first 24 postoperative hours at resting and active states. The secondary outcomes were postoperative consumption of sufentanil, satisfaction score, the number of patients who required antiemetics, incidence of block-related complications, and other side events. Results There were no demographic differences between two groups. Compared to the TAPB group, the ESPB group had lower VAS pain scores and sufentanil consumption during the first 24 postoperative hours. Additionally, ESPB reduced the occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Furthermore, the satisfaction score was higher in the ESPB group. No other complications were reported between the two groups. Conclusions Compared with oblique subcostal TAPB, ESPB more effectively reduced postoperative pain and opioid consumption. Thus, ESPB is suitable for postoperative analgesia in elderly patients who have undergone laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Trial Registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2000033236. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40122-021-00329-x.

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers have potential applications in medical imaging and distributed sensing, for which the integrated NV magnetometer array is needed. However, the microwave (MW) drive module limits the development of the compact NV magnetometer system and array. In this paper, wireless MW is applied to two NV magnetometer systems (Sensor I and Sensor II) innovatively. We verified that the magnetic-field sensitivity was approximately equal to 77.1 nT•Hz−1/2 and 44.6 nT•Hz−1/2 for Sensor I and Sensor II, respectively, when the distance between the transmitting and receiving antennas was 1 m. This method can be extended to the NV magnetometer array. The receiving antenna and power amplifier are integrated into the NV magnetometer array system for miniaturization. This expands the utility of NV magnetometers in sensing and medical imaging. Furthermore, we achieved remote heart sound records with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 5.93 dB and 4.68 dB for Sensor I and Sensor II, respectively, by applying the principle of NV-based demodulator to the system. This would further extend the advantages of the wireless MW in the NV magnetometer. The NV magnetometer could receive the frequency point carrying heart sound signal to reach up to 16, which can avoid the interference of the 2.4 GHz frequency band of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in complex environments.

Background Enhanced recovery after surgery has been attempted in neurosurgery at a greater rate. However, concern exists regarding the feasibility of using enhanced recovery after neurosurgery (ERANS). How to manage available resources to safely perform ERANS and improve clinical outcomes has been the subject of much debate and discussion. Methods Owing to the paucity of data available on the use of ERANS protocols, we performed the present feasibility study. We studied the outcomes of the protocols used within a tertiary referral neurosurgery center. Data from patients who had undergone awake craniotomy within an ERANS protocol were prospectively recorded in our institution from September 2017 to December 2018. We also evaluated the safety and effectiveness of the novel ERANS protocol. Results A total of 20 patients (mean age, 49.5 ± 17.8 years) were included in the present study. Intraoperative hypertension, hypotension, and bradycardia were present in 4 (20%), 1 (5%), and 1 (5%) patient, respectively. The postoperative morbidities included epilepsy in 1 (5%), pain in 3 (15%), and nausea or vomiting in 2 (10%). No significant changes had occurred in the mean arterial pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, or lactic acid level throughout the procedure. The median length of intensive care unit stay and postoperative hospital stay were 1 and 9.5 days, respectively. No 30-day readmissions or reoperations occurred during the present study. Conclusions Applying an ERANS protocol was feasible, associated with a low incidence of complications, and acceptable intensive care unit and postoperative hospital lengths of stay. The findings from the present study might provide a new approach for the further research of ERANS.

The conventional machine learning algorithm for analyzing ultrasonic signals to detect structural defects necessarily identifies and extracts either time- or frequency-domain features manually, which has problems in reliability and effectiveness. This work proposes a novel approach by combining convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and wavelet transform to analyze the laser-generated ultrasonic signals for detecting the width of subsurface defects accurately. The novelty of this work is to convert the laser ultrasonic signals into the scalograms (images) via wavelet transform, which are subsequently utilized as the image input for the pretrained CNN to extract the defect features automatically to quantify the width of defects, avoiding the necessity and inaccuracy induced by artificial feature selection. The experimentally validated numerical model that simulates the interaction of laser-generated ultrasonic waves with subsurface defects is first established, which is further utilized to generate adequate laser ultrasonic signals for training the CNN model. A total number of 3104 data are obtained from simulation and experiments, with 2480 simulated signals for training the CNN model and the remaining 620 simulated data together with 4 experimental signals for verifying the performance of the proposed algorithm. This approach achieves the prediction accuracy of 98.5% on validation set, particularly with the prediction accuracy of 100% for the four experimental data. This work proves the feasibility and reliability of the proposed method for quantifying the width of subsurface defects and can be further expanded as a universal approach to various other defects detection, such as defect locations and shapes.

Background: The elderly with a limited body or bedridden are prone to pressure injury, and the Braden scale is often used as a risk assessment tool. However, few studies have explained the relationship between risk factors and risk levels using machine learning methods from Braden clinical observation data. Additionally, nearly half of the elderly over 75 years old in China are men. Purpose: This study aimed to establish a pressure injury risk prediction model for elderly male patients using a machine learning method based on hospital clinical data. It further analyses the importance of risk factors and risk levels. Methods: This study’s Braden observation data were obtained from the electronic medical records of elderly male patients from 27 October 2019 to 1 November 2020 in the case hospital. Rough set theory was used to identify the perception patterns between risk factors and risk levels based on the data. Results: The importance of rough set theory showed that sensory perception and nutrition are key risk factors for identifying elderly male inpatients. Therefore, nurses should pay special attention to the measurement scores of these two risk factors. Moreover, this method also revealed conditions/decision rules for different risk levels. Among elderly male inpatients at risk of severe pressure injury, 42% of the observation data showed that their physical condition is completely limited in sensory perception, possibly insufficient nutrition, friction and shearing problems, and bedridden activities. Conclusion: This model can effectively identify the critical risk factors and decision rules for different risk levels for pressure injury in elderly male inpatients. This allows nurses to focus on patients at a high risk of possible pressure injury in the future without increasing their workload. This study also provides a way to solve the problem that the Braden scale shows insufficient predictive validity and poor accuracy in identifying patients with different pressure injury risk levels, so it cannot fully reflect patients’ characteristics.

The present article focuses on an input-to-state stability (ISS) problem of nonlinear strict-feedback system with time-varying full-state constraints. The adaptive neural controllers are designed by using backstepping, barrier Lyapunov function (BLF), and ISS small-gain approach. BLF is proved to satisfy the small-gain condition; thus, the conception of input-to-state stable time-varying BLF (ISSTVBLF) is produced. Also, the ISSTVBLF is novel embedded into the back-stepping design for a subsystem, which can prevent the full-state constraints from being violated all the time and avoid the designed difficulties resulting from the requirement of the entire BLF for the time-varying constrained system. The neural network approximate technique is utilized to estimate the unknown nonlinear functions. Then, a systematic procedure is developed to derive new adaptive tracking controllers based on the small-gain theorem. It is proved that all the closed-loop signals are semiglobal, uniform, and ultimate boundedness and the tracking error is driven to a small domain around zero. Finally, simulation study results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control schemes. Impact Statement —There are constraints in various systems. In this paper a strict feedback system with time-varying full-state constraints is studied. Handling the time-varying unknown nonlinearities and high-order coupling terms is a difficult question. It tends to be conservative to choose transformation functions to transform the constrained system to an unconstrained one. The controllers introduced in this paper, which are constructed by applying back-stepping, BLF and ISS small-gain approach, can overcome the difficulty of designing an overall Lyapunov function. Checking ISS small-gain condition is another difficulty, we construct a novel class K function for BLF in the design process, then the subsystem of the imbedded BLF is proved to be ISS. Simulation study results illustrate the effectiveness of proposed control schemes.

The hydrogenation and co-hydrogenation behaviors of Hami coal and Tahe residue were investigated in an autoclave, and the feasible technical route for co-hydrogenation was explored. The experimental results showed that Hami coal had good hydroliquefaction performance and the suitable reaction temperature was 445°C. At 445°C and 9 MPa, the coal conversion rate reached 98.74%, and the oil yield reached 68.54%. The hydrogenation tests of Tahe residue showed obvious coking tendency at the lower temperature, and it was difficult to achieve lightening. At 430°C, the conversion rate of Tahe residue was only 66.38%, the light oil yield was only 50.01%, and its coking rate was as high as 9.45%. The coking rate increased with the reaction temperature. When the mixtures of Hami coal and Tahe residue were co-hydrogenated directly, the conversion rate of the raw materials was lower, and the coke phenomenon was obvious. At the coal/oil ratio was 40/60, the conversion rate was 97.79%, and oil yield was 73.36%. Adding hydrogen solvents into the co-hydrogenation system could effectively inhibit coke formation, increase the conversion rate, and lighten co-hydrogenation products. When the amount of coal was 45% and Tahe residue was 20%, the conversion rate of raw materials was 98.38% and the oil yield was 74.82%.

BACKGROUND Since the initial recognition of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, this infectious disease has spread to most areas of the world. The pathogenesis of COVID-19 is yet unclear. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation occurring in COVID-19 patients has not yet been reported. CASE SUMMARY A 45-year-old hepatitis B man with long-term use of adefovir dipivoxil and entecavir for antiviral therapy had HBV reactivation after being treated with methylprednisolone for COVID-19 for 6 d. CONCLUSION COVID-19 or treatment associated immunosuppression may trigger HBV reactivation.

Three-dimensional (3D) information of the optical response in the nanometre scale is important in the field of nanophotonics science. Using photoinduced force microscopy (PiFM), we can visualize the nano-scale optical field using the optical gradient force between the tip and sample. Here, we demonstrate 3D photoinduced force field visualization around a quantum dot in the single-nanometre spatial resolution with heterodyne frequency modulation technique, using which, the effect of the photothermal expansion of the tip and sample in the ultra-high vacuum condition can be avoided. The obtained 3D mapping shows the spatially localized photoinduced interaction potential and force field vectors in the single nano-scale for composite quantum dots with photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, the spatial resolution of PiFM imaging achieved is ~0.7 nm. The single-nanometer scale photoinduced field visualization is crucial for applications such as photo catalysts, optical functional devices, and optical manipulation., Direct visualisation of 3D vector distributions of photoinduced fields can shed light on the optical and mechanical behaviour of different materials. Here, the authors demonstrate such visualisation using photoinduced force microscopy by observing the optical gradient force at the nanometer scale.

Objective To analyze the intellectual structure, hotspots and trends of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in immune regulation research. Methods The data were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and verified by two experienced TCM researchers. The time of literature retrieval is up to 2020. CiteSpace 5.7.R1 and Microsoft Excel 2016 were used for the statistical analysis and bibliometric diagrams, including the co-occurrence network of authors, institutions, countries, keywords, references, dual-map overlays of journals and citation bursts, etc. Results A total of 12 270 publications related to TCM in immune regulation were included. The annual number of publications has increased in this field. There was close cooperation of countries and institutions, while the distribution of scholars was scattered. China was the core of the cooperation network. The dual-map overlays analysis of journals showed that core and marginal fields had increased. The keywords and references analysis showed that network pharmacology, metabolism and cancer were the most high-frequency keywords with high-intensity bursts. Conclusion TCM in immune regulation has attracted wider attention, with multi-country, multi-field, multi-disciplinary and multi-level research developing toward informatization. Network pharmacology, metabolism and cancer may be the focus of future research in this field.

BACKGROUND Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a malignancy that usually affects the skin of the lower extremities, and may involve internal organs. It originates from the vascular endothelium. It is well known that the development of KS is associated with human herpes virus 8 (i.e. HHV8) infections. Sporadic KS cases have mainly been found in Africa. Isolated splenic KS in Asia has rarely been reported. We present here a case of KS primarily involving the spleen in a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative Chinese patient. CASE SUMMARY A 50-year-old male patient was admitted to hospital due to abdominal distension and discomfort, reduced food intake and weight loss. Medical examination revealed that the patient had moderate anemia, a low platelet count, slight fatty liver and a huge mass in the spleen. Spleen lymphoma was considered. An anti-HIV test was negative. The whole spleen was surgically excised. The final pathological diagnosis was nodular stage spleen KS, and the patient underwent total splenectomy. He recovered well and was discharged from hospital 12 d after surgery. Two weeks later, the patient developed liver metastasis and died within 1 mo after surgery. CONCLUSION KS is difficult to diagnose and pathological examination is necessary. KS has a poor prognosis and should be diagnosed and treated early to improve survival.

The pathogenesis of the osteoarthritis (OA) is complex. Abnormal subchondral bone metabolism is an important cause of this disease. Further understanding on the pathology of the subchondral bone in OA may provide a new therapy. This research is about to investigate the role of SDF-1 in the subchondral bone during the pathological process of OA. In vitro, Transwell was used to test the migratory ability of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Western blot presented the protein level after SDF-1 treatment in BMSCs and HUVESs. Alizarin red was used to assess the ability of osteogenic differentiation. To inhibit SDF-1 signaling pathway in vivo, AMD3100 (SDF-1 receptor blocker) was continuously delivered via miniosmotic pump for 4 weeks in mice after performing anterior cruciate ligament transaction surgery. Micro-CT, histology staining, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and TRAP staining were used to assess the role of SDF-1 on osteogenesis and angiogenesis in the subchondral bone. Our results showed that SDF-1 could recruit BMSCs, activate the p-ERK pathway, and enhance osteogenic differentiation. SDF-1 promoted the ability of proliferation, migration and tube formation of HUVECs by activating the ERK and AKT signaling pathways. In an animal study, inhibition of SDF-1/CXCR4 axis could significantly reduce subchondral osteogenesis differentiation and H-type vessel formation. Furthermore, the AMD3100-treated group showed less cartilage destruction and bone resorption. Our research shows that SDF-1 alters the microenvironment of the subchondral bone by promoting osteoid islet formation and abnormal H-type angiogenesis in the subchondral bone, resulting in articular cartilage degeneration.

Heavy metals, such as lead ions, are regarded as the main environmental contaminants and have a negative impact on human bodies, making detection technologies of lead ions critical. However, most existing detection methods suffer from time consumption, complicated sample pretreatment, and expensive equipment, which hinder their broad use in real-time detection. Herein, we show a new fluorescence sensor for detecting lead ions derived from liquid crystals doped with an aggregation-induced emission luminogen. The mechanism is based on the variation of fluorescence intensity caused by the disturbance of an ordered liquid crystal configuration in the presence of Pb2+, induced by DNAzyme and its catalytic cleavage. The proposed fluorescence sensor exhibits a low detection limit of 0.65 nM, which is 2 orders of magnitude lower than that previously reported in an optical sensor based on liquid crystals. The detection range of the Pb2+ fluorescence sensor is broad, from 20 nM to 100 μM, and it also selects lead ions from numerous metal ions exactly, resulting in a highly sensitive, highly selective, simple, and low-cost detection strategy of Pb2+ with potential applications in chemical and biological fields. This approach to designing a liquid crystal fluorescence sensor offers an inspiring stage for detecting biomacromolecules or other heavy metal ions by varying decorated molecules.

To evaluate the prevention and treatment effects of acupuncture-moxibustion for Alzheimer disease (AD) based on various AD mouse models. Several representative types of mouse models were selected according to the pathophysiological causes of AD, including senescence accelerated mouse/prone (SAMP) mice, soluble amyloid-β protein (Aβ) injection mice/rats, amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice, and APP/PS1 double transgenic mice. Through the observation of behavioral changes and analysis of core items, the possible mechanisms of acupuncture-moxibustion in preventing and treating AD were explored. Acupuncture-moxibusiton therapy can improve AD mice’s cognitive dysfunction; the major action mechanisms including increasing cerebral blood flow, improving the expressions of vital proteins in the hippocampus, preventing neuron cell apoptosis, promoting the clearance of Aβ deposition, activating autophagy pathway to reduce memory deficits and regulating the metabolisms of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tyrosine kinase receptor B, N-acetylaspartate and glutamic acid. Although the optimal mouse model is not determined, it is sure that acupuncture-moxibustion therapy can improve cognitive function. A more suitable AD animal model should be duplicated in order to better explore the inherent action mechanism of acupuncture-moxibustion in preventing and treating AD.

Objective To investigate the clinical features, treatment and prognosis of critical illness polyneuromyopathy (CIPNM) in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) who had positive anti-ganglioside GM1 (anti-GM1) antibody IgG. Methods a case of CIPNM with positive anti-GM1 antibody IgG was retrospectively analyzed and followed-up for 30 months. Results After one week of treatment with large dose of short-term glucocorticoid and human immunoglobulin, the muscle strength of both lower extremities was restored to grade 1. Three months later, the muscle strength and muscle tension of the patient's limbs returned to normal except for grade 3 of bilateral dorsal extensor muscle strength. In addition, the patient can walk alone with a waddling gait. After 30 months, there was no recurrence. Conclusion The application of large dose of short-term glucocorticoid and human immunoglobulin to CIPNM that are positive for anti-GM1 antibodies may be an effective treatment.

According to the actual needs, this paper designs and implements a power inspection system based on the Internet of things GIS, including server and mobile terminal. It mainly includes basic information management, patrol task management, statistical query management, and other functions, and describes its design method in detail. Finally, this paper summarizes the key technologies of the power inspection system based on the Internet of things GIS and describes the realization of each functional module of the power inspection system, and through a more detailed description of the implementation process of each functional module of the system, and an example of operation to show the system.

Eight liquid effluent samples from nuclear power plants (NPP) were analyzed for 63Ni, 131I, and gamma radionuclides using methods with low detection limits. The sum of the radionuclides activity concentrations of the effluent samples from NPPs A and B were closely lower than the operator’s results with a maximum of decreasing to 29%, while from NPP C were much lower with a maximum of decreasing to 5%. The unlisted radionuclides account for 5.0–889%. It was indicated that the statistics method of the discharge amount could be established based on a regular investigation of the radionuclide characteristics based on analytical methods with low limits of detection.

Background Isocenter deviation, often induced by small displacements of both the device and the patient, is a common error seen in radiotherapy. In this study, we investigated the impact of isocenter deviation on the results of the volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plan and dosimetric verification gamma passing rate in the treatment of cervical cancer. Methods The clinical data of 15 patients with cervical cancer who were treated with VMAT were retrospectively collected and analyzed. In this study, the isocenter site modification method was adopted. The VMAT plan with isocenter deviation adjustment was set as the experimental group, while the original plan was set as the control group. The impact of isocenter deviation on the results of the VMAT plan and dosimetric verification gamma passing rate was analyzed. Applying gamma analysis with different test criterions, the impact of isocenter deviation on the gamma passing rates was evaluated, and the sensitivity of different test criterions in identifying isocenter deviation was also analyzed. Results There was a significant difference in the average dose in the target area between experimental group and control group (P90%) could also be obtained under the condition of the 3 mm/3% test criterions. It is recommended that the 2 mm/2% test standard should be utilized in clinical practice.

Low-tension traction is more effective than high-tension traction in restoring the height and rehydration of a degenerated disc and to some extent the bony endplate. This might better reshape the microenvironment for disc regeneration and repair. However, the repair of the combination of endplate sclerosis, osteophyte formation, and even collapse leading to partial or nearly complete occlusion of the nutrient channel is greatly limited.To evaluate the effectiveness of low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) combined with low tension traction for regeneration and repair of moderately and severely degenerated discs; to explore the possible mechanism of action.Animal study of a rat model of degenerated discs.A total of thirty-five 6-month old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to one of five groups (n=7, each group). In Group A (model group), caudal vertebrae were immobilized using a custom-made external device to fix four caudal vertebrae (Co7-Co10) whereas Co8-Co9 underwent 4 weeks of compression to induce moderate disc degeneration. In Group B (experimental control group), as in Group A, disc degeneration was successfully induced after which the fixed device was removed for 8 weeks of self-recovery. The remaining three groups of rats represented the intervention Groups (C-E): after successful generation of disc degeneration in Group C (com - 4w/tra - 4w) and Group D (com - 4w/ESWT), as described for group A, low-tension traction (in-situ traction) or low-energy ESWT was administered for 4 weeks (ESWT parameters: intensity: 0.15 Mpa; frequency: 1 Hz; impact: 1,000 each time; once/week, 4 times in total); Group E (com - 4w/tra - 4w/ESWT): disc degeneration as described for group A, low-tension traction combined with low-energy ESWT was conducted (ESWT parameters as Group D). After experimentation, caudal vertebrae were harvested and disc height, T2 signal intensity, disc morphology, total glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content, gene expression, structure of the Co8-Co9 bony endplates and elastic moduli of the discs were measured.After continuous low-tension traction, low energy ESWT intervention or combined intervention, the degenerated discs effectively recovered their height and became rehydrated. However, the response in Group D was weaker than in the other intervention groups in terms of restoration of intervertebral disc (IVD) height, whereas Group E was superior in disc rehydration. Tissue regeneration was evident in Groups C to E using different interventions. No apparent tissue regeneration was observed in the experimental control group (Group B). The histological scores of the three intervention groups (Groups C-E) were lower than those of Groups A or B (p.0001), and the scores of Groups C and E were significantly lower than those of Group D (p.05), but not Group C versus Group E (p.05). Compared with the intervention groups (Groups C-E), total GAG content of the nucleus pulposus (NP) in Group B did not increase significantly (p.05). There was also no significant difference in the total GAG content between Groups A and B (p.05). Of the three intervention groups, the recovery of NP GAG content was greatest in Group E. The expression of collagen I and II, and aggrecan in the annulus fibrosus (AF) was up-regulated (p.05), whereas the expression of MMP-3, MMP-13, and ADAMTS-4 was down-regulated (p.05). Of the groups, Group E displayed the greatest degree of regulation. The trend in regulation of gene expression in the NP was essentially consistent with that of the AF, of which Group E was the greatest. In the intervention groups (Groups C-E), compared with Group A, the pore structure of the bony endplate displayed clear changes. The number of pores in the endplate in Groups C to E was significantly higher than in Group A (p.0001), among which Group C versus Group D (p=.9724), and Group C versus Group E (p=.0116). There was no significant difference between Groups A and B (p=.5261). In addition, the pore diameter also increased, the trend essentially the same as that of pore density. There was no significant difference between the three intervention groups (p=.7213). It is worth noting that, compared with Groups A and B, peripheral pore density and size in Groups D and E of the three intervention groups recovered significantly. The elastic modulus and diameter of collagen fibers in the AF and NP varied with the type of intervention. Low tension traction combined with ESWT resulted in the greatest impact on the diameter and modulus of collagen fibers.Low energy ESWT combined with low tension traction provided a more stable intervertebral environment for the regeneration and repair of moderate and severe degenerative discs. Low energy ESWT promoted the regeneration of disc matrix by reducing MMP-3, MMP-13, and ADAMTS-4 resulting in inhibition of collagen degradation. Although axial traction promoted the recovery of height and rehydration of the IVD, combined with low energy ESWT, the micro-nano structure of the bony endplate underwent positive reconstruction, tension in the annulus of the AF and nuclear stress of the NP declined, and the biomechanical microenvironment required for IVD regeneration and repair was reshaped.

Acupuncture can reduce cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease. However, whether electroacupuncture can prevent or alleviate the cognitive deficits in animal models of aging remains poorly understood. Studies have shown that disordered epigenetic modifications play a critical role in age-related cognitive decline. Therefore, we hypothesized that preventive electroacupuncture might improve cognitive functions during aging by regulating epigenetic modifications. A rat model of aging was produced by intraperitoneal injection of 120 mg/kg D-galactose for 8 weeks. Baihui and Shenshu acupoints were stimulated by electroacupuncture for 8 weeks from the first day of D-galactose administration. Preventive electroacupuncture alleviated memory impairment, decreased tau hyperphosphorylation, and reduced glycogen synthase kinase-3β protein and mRNA expression levels in the brainstem dorsal raphe nucleus, where intracellular neurofibrillary tangle lesions first occur. In addition, the DNA methylation level in the promoter region of the glycogen synthase kinase-3β gene was increased. The effects of preventive electroacupuncture were stronger than those of preventive acupuncture. Intraperitoneal injection of 0.4 mg/kg 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, an inhibitor of DNA methyltransferase that blocks epigenetic modifications, antagonized the effects of preventive electroacupuncture. Our results suggest that preventive electroacupuncture treatment alleviates cognitive impairment in aging rats probably by affecting the epigenetic modification of the glycogen synthase kinase-3β gene in the dorsal raphe nucleus. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, China (approval No. HUCMS201712001) on November 28, 2017.

The remote sensing (RS) images are widely used in various industries, among which semantic segmentation of RS images is a common research direction. At the same time, because of the complexity of target information and the high similarity of features between the classes, this task is very challenging. In recent years, semantic segmentation algorithms of RS images have emerged in an endless stream, but most of them are improved around the scale features of the target, and the accuracy has great room for improvement. In this case, we propose a semantic segmentation framework for RS images with dynamic perceptual loss. The framework is improved based on the InceptionV-4 network to form a network that includes contextual semantic fusion and dual-channel atrous spatial pyramid pooling (ASPP). The semantic segmentation network is an encoder-decoder structure. In addition, we design a dynamic perceptual loss module and a dynamic loss fusion strategy by further observing the loss changes of the network, so as to better improve the classified details. Finally, experiment on the ISPRS 2D Semantic Labeling Contest Vaihingen Dataset and Massachusetts Building Dataset. Compared with some segmentation networks, our model has excellent performance.

An all-solid organic semiconducting conjugated polymer poly(2-methoxy-5-(2ʹ-ethyl-hexyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV) activated polarisation grating (PG) laser was demonstrated for the first t...

Objective To observe the anti-hypertensive effect of time acupuncture on primary hypertension so as to provide the therapeutic regimen for the treatment of primary hypertension. Methods A total of 120 patients with primary hypertension were randomized into a western medication group and an acupuncture-medication group, 60 cases in each one. In the western medication group, levoamlodipine maleate tablets were prescribed for oral administration. In the acupuncture-medication group, on the base of the treatment as the western medication group, time acupuncture was combined in the period of a day from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. The duration of treatment was 4 weeks in the two groups. Before and after treatment, blood pressure, serum endothelin (ET) and nitrious oxide (NO) were measured successively and the clinical therapeutic effect was evaluated. Results (1) Blood pressure: the systolic and diastolic pressure after treatment were all lower than that before treatment in the two groups, indicating statistical differences (all P Conclusion The combined treatment of western medication and time acupuncture (7:00 am to 9:00 am) achieves better effect on primary hypertension as compared with simple western medication and its anti-hypertensive effect is probably related to the decrease of ET and the increase of NO.

Objective To observe the effect of the early intervention with moxibustion at “Shenshū (肾俞 BL23) ” on learning and memory of Alzheimer's disease (AD) rats modeled by ovariectomy and D-Galactose (D-Gal) injection and the effect on Ca2+/CaMKII/CREB signaling pathway so as to provide the evidence for the acupoint selection in the early intervention with acupuncture and moxibustion for AD. Methods Sixty female SD rats at the age of 3 months were selected and randomly divided into a normal group, a sham-operation group, a model group, a “BL23” group, a “Weishū” (胃俞BL21) group, and a non-acupoint group, 10 rats in each group. Except in the normal group and the sham-operation group, bilateral ovaries were removed in the other 4 groups. 3 days after the operation, D-Gal was injected intraperitoneally at a dose of 150 mg/kg/d for 90 days to establish AD rat model. In the sham-operation group, only the peripheral fat of ovarian was removed and 0.9% normal saline was injected intraperitoneally of the same dose for 90 days. In the “BL23” group, the “BL21” group and the non-acupoints group, since the 2nd day after ovariectomy, moxibustion was applied at 9:00 a.m. every day in the rats. The rats were fixed on a fixed table, the mild moxibustion with self-prepared moxa stick was applied to bilateral “BL23” “BL21” and the non-acupoint of each rat, the ignited end of moxa stick was 2 cm to 3 cm far from skin surface. The infrared thermometer was adopted to measure the temperature of the epidermis of each acupoint from time to time so as to maintain the local temperature to be (41 ± 0.5) °C. Mild moxibustion lasted for 10 min each time, consecutively for 5 days a week and at an interval of 2 days. The total consecutive intervention duration was 12 weeks. In the normal group and the sham-operation group, no moxibustion intervention was performed, but the rats were restricted in a same way during the experiment. At the end of modeling and intervention, water maze test was adopted to detect the learning and memory abilities of rats in each group. The western blotting was used to detect the expressions of p-CREB, p-CaMKII, CaMKII and CREB in hippocampus of rats in each group. Results (1)Navigation test: since Day 72, compared with the sham-operation group, the escape latencies in all of the consecutive 5 days were longer in the model group (all P Conclusion Moxibustion at “BL23” achieves a better effect in improving the learning and memory of AD rats modeled by ovariectomy and D-Gal injection as compared with moxibustion at “BL21” and the non-acupoint. The effect mechanism is potentially related to the effective activation of Ca2+/CaMKII/CREB signaling pathway.

Installation time of ground support in many caverns excavation is mainly based on analytical and empirical method, instead of the robust numerical simulations. A novel graph method is proposed to determine the installation time of the support upon finite difference method (FDM) simulation. A three dimensional numerical model for the diversion tunnel of Guandi hydropower station is developed. The curve d-r between the convergence d and the excavation unloading rate r is built up upon one-step excavation simulation. Meanwhile, the curve d-l between d and the distance from the tunnel face l, is established via the step-by-step simulation. Using the dimensionless convergence λ instead of d in both curve d-r and curve d-l, curve λ-r and curve λ-l can be yielded to achieve the composite graph r-λ-l. When r = r0, l can be chose as l0 along the identical λ in the comprehensive graph r-λ-l, where r is the excavation unloading rate at the critical plastic state and l0 is the distance from the tunnel face to the support installation location. The proposed graph method is demonstrated to meet well with common sense upon the diversion tunnel of Guandi hydropower station and can be conveniently realized in other engineering practice.

Due to changes in lifestyle, diet structure, and aging worldwide, the incidence of metabolic syndromes such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity is increasing. Metabolic syndrome is considered to be closely related to cardiovascular disease and severely affects human health. In recent years, researchers have revealed that the gut microbiota, through its own or interacting metabolites, has a positive role in regulating metabolic syndrome. Therefore, the gut microbiota has been a new “organ” for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. The role has not been clarified, and more research is necessary to prove the specific role of specific strains. Probiotics are also believed to regulate metabolic syndromes by regulating the gut microbiota and are expected to become a new preparation for treating metabolic syndromes. This review focuses on the regulation of lipid metabolism disorders by the gut microbiota through the effects of bile acids (BA), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bile salt hydrolase (BSH), and genes such as ABCG5 and ABCG8, FXR, NPC1L, and LDL-R.

Background In recent years, disasters occurred frequently all over the world, and the role of nurses in public health emergencies and disaster emergencies was highlighted under the background of the covid19 epidemic. However, there was a lack of education and evaluation. Our study aims to cross-cultural adapt the Nurses' Perceptions of Disaster Core Competencies Scale (NPDCC) and evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version. Methods We translated the scale following the translation-integration-back translation-expert review procedure, adapted according to Chinese culture. We evaluated the reliability and validity of the scale, and a total sample of 911 nurse data from the Yangtze River Delta Regional Nursing Alliance Hospital was gathered. Results The Chinese version of NPDCC included 45 items, 5 factors (critical thinking skills, special diagnostic skills, general diagnostic skills, technical skills, and communication skills) were extracted from the analysis, which could explain the 68.289% of the total variance. The content validity index was 0.925. The Cronbach's α of the total NPDCC score was 0.978, and 0.884-0.945 for every factor. The split-half for the scale was 0.930, and every factor was 0.861-0.894. Conclusions The Chinese version of NPDCC has excellent reliability and validity, and it is suitable to measure nurses' perceptions of disaster core competencies in China. The next step is to promote the application in a large scale.

Objective. The study aimed to explore the effect of total flavonoids of Oxytropis falcata Bunge (FOFB) on the expression of p-JAK1/p-STAT1 and SOCS3 proteins in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Methods. Rats model with IPF was established by one-off intratracheal injection of bleomycin (BLM, 5 mg/kg). After 14 days, the same volume of low dose (100 mg/kg), medium dose (200 mg/kg), and high dose (400 mg/kg) of FOFB and prednisolone acetate (20 mg/kg) as positive control drugs, as well as normal saline, were orally administered to rats once a day for 28 consecutive days. Subsequently, the degree of fibrosis and alveolitis in rat lung tissue was observed, respectively, by HE and Masson staining. Further more, observing the ultrastructure of lung tissue by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the detection of JAK/STAT pathway related indicators including p-JAK1, p-STAT1, and SOCS3 with immunohistochemistry and SOCS3 with real-time PCR (RT-PCR) was performed. Results. Compared with the BLM group, the degree of alveolitis and fibrosis improved significantly, and the expression of p-JAK1 and p-STAT1 decreased; conversely, the expression of SOCS3 increased in the treatment group. Conclusion. IPF causes high expression of p-JAK1 and p-STAT1 and low expression of SOCS3. FOFB can play a role in the treatment of IPF via upregulating SOCS3 and downregulating p-JAK1 and p-STAT1.

Objective. To explore the effect of tuina on the gene expression at the point of nerve injury in rats with sciatic nerve injury (SNI) and to elucidate the repair mechanism of tuina promoting the functional recovery of peripheral nerve injury. Methods. In the Sham group, the right sciatic nerve was exposed without clamping. The SNI model was established using the sciatic nerve clamp method on the right leg and then randomly divided into the SNI group and the Tuina group. Seven days after modeling, the Tuina group was treated daily with a “massage and tuina manipulation simulator” (Patent No. ZL 2007 0187403.1), which was used daily to stimulate Yinmen (BL37), Yanglingquan (GB34), and Chengshan (BL57) with point-pressing method, plucking method, and kneading method. The stimulating force was 4N, and the stimulating frequency was 60 times per minute; each method and each point were used for 1 minute, totaling 9 minutes (1 min/acupoint/method × 3 methods × 3 acupoints). Treatment was administered for 21 days, followed by a 1-day rest after the 10th treatment, for a total of 20 times of intervention. The sciatic function index (SFI) was used to evaluate the fine movements of the hind limbs of rats in each group. The ultrastructural changes at the point of nerve injury were observed by transmission electron microscopy, and the gene changes at the point of nerve injury were detected using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) technology. Results. Compared with the baseline, the SFI of the SNI group and the Tuina group decreased significantly at the 0th intervention (7 days after molding); compared with the SNI group, the SFI of the Tuina group increased at the 10th intervention (P<0.05) and increased significantly at the 15th and 20th intervention (P<0.01). Compared with the Sham group, the myelin sheath integrity of the sciatic nerve in the SNI group was destroyed and the myelin sheath collapsed seriously, even forming myelin sheath ball, accompanied with severe axonal atrophy and mitochondrial degeneration. The tuina intervention could significantly improve the ultrastructure of the nerve injury point, and the nerve fiber myelin sheath in the Tuina group remained intact, without obvious axonal swelling or atrophy. Atrophic thread granules could be seen in the axon, but there were no vacuolated mitochondria. RNA-seq results showed that there were differences at 221 genes at the point of nerve injury between the Tuina group and the SNI group and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are enriched in the biological processes related to the regulation of myocyte. Regulations include the regulation of striated muscle cell differentiation, myoblast differentiation, and myotube differentiation. Conclusion. Tuina can improve the fine motor recovery and protect the myelin integrity in rats with peripheral nerve injury, and this is achieved by changing the gene sequence at the injured point.

This paper presents a review of recent research on direct upgrading of coal/biomass volatiles into aromatics by catalytic pyrolysis and syngas by gasification with catalytic steam reforming. Coal/b...

International audience; Homeotropic alignment of liquid crystals (LCs) is one of the key modes used in commercial liquid crystal displays (LCDs) due to its advantages, such as high contrast ratios and fast response speed. Here, we report stable homeotropic LC alignment with a small pretilt angle in a nematic, negative LC host doped with additives including self-aligning agents, photoresponsive azo dyes, and reactive mesogen via an in situ self-assembled, dual-wavelength photoalignment approach. The underlying mechanism of stable, pretilted homeotropic LC alignment was further analyzed in detail. The achieved pretilted homeotropic LC cells are very stable against heat and UV light exposure and demonstrate excellent electro-optical characteristics. The experimental results show that such a noncontact, simple homeotropic alignment technique has big potential in many applications, such as high-quality LCDs, spatial light modulators, and other optoelectronic devices.

Lanthanide-doped particles exhibit unique polarization-dependent luminescence due to the anisotropic crystalline local symmetry surrounding the emitter. Precise control of the orientation of particles shows great significance for exploiting the luminescent polarization and their potential applications. Here, we demonstrated a facile polypropylene-aided shear-driven method to obtain large-scale orientationally ordered upconversion nanorods, showing a liquid-crystalline nematic phase. Upconversion nanorods with low aspect ratios were well-aligned with the crystalline c-axis along the shearing direction using monodispersed colloid nanorods as the nanoink. The order parameter of aligned upconversion nanorods can reach up to 0.95. The nematic upconversion nanorods demonstrated strong polarization-dependent luminescence with the high degrees of polarization of the 4F9/2 sublevels at 657 and 661 nm being 0.47 and 0.59, respectively. Taking advantage of these mesoscopic well-aligned upconversion nanorods, their peculiar polarized emissions are potentially useful for some interdisciplinary applications such as polarization-sensitive bioprobes and anticounterfeiting.

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) films were epitaxially grown on (100)-Oriented silicon and c-plane sapphire (α-Al2O3) substrates via a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) method with boron trichloride (BCl3) and ammonia (NH3) as the boron source and nitrogen source. Crystalline quality differences between hBN films grown on different substrates are studied and discussed by XPS, Raman spectroscopy, XRD and SEM characterizations. All the characterization results indicate that the sapphire substrate is more suitable for epitaxial growth of hBN films than silicon substrates.

As an emerging technology to promote the combination of medicine and industry, the three-dimensional (3D) printing has developed rapidly in the fields of orthopedics, while its unique advantages in improving precise treatment still need to be further popularized. In this report, our team have exhibited several classic cases of integrating 3D printing into orthopedic clinical application, thereby further elaborating thoughts and opinions on the significance of 3D printing in the orthopedic clinical application, technical advantages, existing main problems and coping strategies.

BACKGROUND: Apatinib is a small-molecule multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Apatinib has demonstrated encouraging antitumor activities. This study aimed to observe the efficacy and safety of apatinib for the treatment of multiple brain micrometastases. CASE SUMMARY: We report two patients with multiple brain micrometastases after failure of second-line treatment. Both patients had extracerebral metastases. When the patients took 250 mg/d apatinib orally, the intracerebral lesions disappeared. The extracerebral lesions were partially alleviated. Both patients had a progression-free survival of more than 12 mo and were still stable. The safety was good. The main adverse events (AEs) were mild hypertension and proteinuria, which could be controlled. CONCLUSION: Apatinib has clear efficacy and good tolerance in patients with multiple brain micrometastases after failure of second-line treatment.

Background and aims Free and bioavailable 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) are emerging measurements of vitamin D status. It remains unclear whether circulating free or bioavailable 25OHD are relevant to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that bioavailable 25OHD may be a better serum biomarker of vitamin D status than total 25OHD on the association with HCC survival. Approach and results We included 1,031 newly diagnosed, previously untreated patients with HCC from the Guangdong Liver Cancer Cohort enrolled between September 2013 and April 2017. Serum total 25OHD levels were measured using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Serum-free 25OHD levels were measured using a two-step enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Bioavailable 25OHD levels were calculated from measured free 25OHD and albumin using a previously validated equation. Primary outcomes were liver cancer-specific (LCSS) and overall survival (OS). Cox proportional hazards models were performed to calculate the multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). During a median follow-up of 726 days, 430 patients had deceased, including 393 deaths from HCC. In multivariable analyses, higher bioavailable 25OHD levels were significantly associated with better survival, independent of nonclinical and clinical prognostic factors including serum C-reactive protein, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage, and cancer treatment. The multivariable-adjusted HRs in the highest versus lowest quartile of bioavailable 25OHD levels were 0.69 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.93; P for trend = 0.014) for LCSS and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.94; P for trend = 0.013) for OS. In contrast, neither total nor free 25OHD levels were associated with LCSS or OS. Conclusions Higher bioavailable, rather than total, 25OHD levels were independently associated with improved survival in a population-based HCC cohort, suggesting a potential utility of bioavailable 25OHD in HCC prognosis.

To test if magnitudes of the beneficial actions of CO2 water bath therapy on blood flow and vascular density are dependent upon temperature, ischemia in the hind limb of rats was induced by occluding the left femoral artery for 2 weeks and the animals were exposed to water bath therapy with or without CO2 at 34 or 41 °C for 4 weeks (20 min treatment each day for 5 days/week). CO2 water bath therapy at 34 °C increased peak, minimal, and mean blood flow by 190%–600% in the ischemic limb. On the other hand, CO2 water bath treatment at 41 °C increased these parameters of blood flow by 37%, 55%, and 41%, respectively, in the ischemic limb. The small blood vessel count, an index of vascular density, in the ischemic limb was increased by CO2 water bath therapy at 34 and 41 °C by 32% and 122%, respectively. No changes in the ischemic animals by CO2 water bath therapy at 34 or 41 °C were observed in the heart rate, R–R interval, and plasma lipid or glucose levels. These data indicate that the beneficial effect of CO2 water bath therapy at 34 °C on blood flow in the ischemic muscle is greater whereas that on vascular density is smaller than changes in these parameters at 41 °C.

Introduction This systematic scoping review aims to assess the frequency and severity of clinical manifestations of pregnant women with brucellosis. Methods Three literature databases, PubMed, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and two search engines (Google and Yahoo) were adopted to identify the relevant articles that published until 31 December 2019. Two investigators independently screened the publications and extracted the data; the case reports and case series which described at least two symptoms or clinical manifestations of pregnant women with brucellosis were included. Results A total of 27 articles describing the information of 521 pregnant women with brucellosis were included. Serum agglutination test was the most common laboratory test in the diagnosis of brucellosis. A total of 36 clinical manifestations were extracted from the included articles, and the most common clinical manifestations were fever (400, 76.8%), joint pain/swelling/arthralgia (389, 74.7%), sweats (382, 73.3%), fatigue/asthenia/weakness (262, 50.3%) and back pain (189, 36.3%). Among the 32 included individual cases that with available obstetric outcome information, 10 (31.3%) suffered preterm delivery, 12 (37.5%) had an abortion and 3 (9.8%) had intrauterine fetal death. Conclusion Brucellosis is popular and threatening for pregnant women. Regarding the localized body system complications, osteoarticular system was mostly involved, the obstetrics outcomes were severe among pregnant women with brucellosis. The detailed clinical and epidemiological characteristics in this scoping review may add a better and more complete understanding of the disease for both physicians and policy-makers, and provide evidence for timely diagnosis, adequate therapy and better prevention.

Spin polarisation is investigated for electrons in a spin–orbit coupled, magnetically and electrically modulated semiconductor heterostructure, which can be fabricated by patterning a ferromagnetic...

Despite the fact that thyroid surgery has evolved towards minimal incisions and endoscopic approaches, the role of total endoscopic thyroidectomy (TET) in thyroid cancer has been highly disputed. We performed a systematic review and meta-analyses of peer reviewed studies in order to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of TET compared with conventional open thyroidectomy (COT) in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Medical literature databases such as PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of science were systematically searched for articles that compared TET and COT in PTC treatment from database inception until March 2019. The quality of the studies included in the review was evaluated using the Downs and Black scale using Review Manager software Stata V.13.0 for the meta-analysis. The systematic review and meta-analysis were based on 5664 cases selected from twenty publications. Criteria used to determine surgical completeness included postoperative thyroglobulin (TG) levels, recurrence of the tumor after long-term follow-up. Adverse event and complication rate scores included transient recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) palsy, permanent RLN palsy, transient hypocalcaemia, permanent hypocalcaemia, operative time, number of removed lymph nodes, length of hospital stay and patient cosmetic satisfaction. TET was found to be generally equivalent to COT in terms of surgical completeness and adverse event rate, although TET resulted in lower levels of transient hypocalcemia (OR 1.66; p

The resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices based on polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and PVP:PVP:zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO NP) active layers have bistable electrical switching behavior. Herein, via a series of storage performance tests, it was proved that the ITO/PVP:ZnO/Al device has a higher ON/OFF current ratio and better memory performance than the ITO/PVP/Al device. Moreover, at 13 wt% concentration of ZnO NPs, optimal storage performance was obtained, the switch state current ratio significantly increased, and the threshold voltage obviously decreased. The conduction mechanism of the devices was further discussed. The device having inorganic nanoparticles embedded in the polymer has excellent storage performance, which has potential application value in data storage.

Fluorescent semiconductor quantum nanocrystals have received much attention due to their high brightness and color purity. Fabrication of semiconductor quantum nanocrystals with optical activity is of particular interest recently due to the potential applications in the fields of chemistry, pharmacology, biology and physics. Several approaches have been developed to induce circular dichroism and circularly polarized luminescence of semiconductor quantum nanocrystals, but only resulted in very weak signals. Herein, we demonstrate a circularly polarized luminescent solid film by doping CdSe/CdS quantum rods into the self-assembled left-handed helical structure of the earth-abundant and renewable cellulose nanocrystals. The degree of circularly polarized luminescence can be tuned by adjusting the photonic band gap of the helical structure relative to the photoluminescent band. A significant right-handed circularly polarized luminescence has been demonstrated, offering an easy and powerful platform to produce circularly polarized luminescence of semiconductor quantum materials.

A mechanistic understanding of perovskite degradation is one of the most urgent issues to push perovskite devices toward commercial applications. Surface coverings will lower the electrical injection and light extraction efficiency of perovskites. Therefore, structural modification of Zn doped perovskites has been proposed herein. The Zn doping will induce local lattice strain due to smaller ionic radius. It is interesting that the lattice structure at atomic resolution has been observed directly through cryo-TEM. Under light illumination, the photostriction will compensate for the local lattice strain, which leads to structural stability as evidence suggests no phase transition in temperature ranges of the temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectra. In addition, MPZB also shows less than 3% decrease in PL intensity after 60 days. This is because the Zn doping induced the lowest defect density in the MPZB SC (density of trap-states ntrp = 6.33 × 108 cm−3), which has been confirmed by the high performance of the photodetector. Such strain compensation is expected to fundamentally improve the stability of photoelectric devices.

License plate detection and recognition are still important and challenging tasks in natural scenes. At present, most methods have favorable effect on license plate recognition under restrictive conditions, and most of such license plates are shot under good angle and light conditions. However, for license plates under non-restrictive conditions, such as dark, bright, rotated conditions etc. from the Chinese City Parking Dataset (CCPD), the performance of some methods of license plate recognition will be significantly reduced. In order to improve the accuracy of license plate recognition under unrestricted conditions, a robust license plate recognition model is proposed in this paper, which mainly includes license plate feature extraction, license plate character localization, and feature extraction of characters. First of all, the model can activate the regional features of characters and fully extract the character features of license plates. Then locate each license plate character through Bi-LSTM combined with the context location information of license plates. Finally, 1D-Attention is adopted to enhance useful character features after Bi-LSTM positioning, and reduce useless character features to realize effective acquisition of character features of license plates. A large number of experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has good performance under unrestricted conditions, which proves the effectiveness and robustness of the model. In CCPD-Base, CCPD-DB, CCPD-FN, CCPD-Tilt, CCPD-Weather, CCPD-Challenge and other sub-datasets, the recognition rates reach 99.3%, 98.5%, 98.6%, 96.4%, 99.3% and 86.6% respectively.

The dynamic of human body with three-dimensional (3D) anatomical structure is not considered in the vehicle system dynamics. Moreover, the dynamic of the lumbar spine is not studied in the finite element (FE) model of the seated human, and the influence of external conditions on it is not considered. The aim of the study is to propose a comprehensive dynamic model and an analysis method to study the dynamic of the lumbar spine in a complex system. It is investigated by extracting the first six modals of different lumbar spine FE models (eight models), and the dynamic responses of the lumbar spine under white noise excitation are analyzed by random response method. It is found that the mode deformation and the resonant frequencies of the lumbar spine in vivo and vitro model are significantly different, and the peak response value of the lumbar spine is at the resonant frequency. It is concluded that the influence of vibration on the lumbar spine could be more comprehensively and visually studied by analyzing the displacement response power spectrum of FE model of the seated human body. This study provides a new method and reference for the subsequent study of the vibration behavior of the lumbar spine in complex system (especially in vehicle system dynamics), and the finding is helpful for us to find more and better protection methods of human body.