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The application of machine learning (ML)-based methods to the study of thermoelectric (TE) materials is promising. Although conventional ML algorithms can achieve high prediction performance, their lack of interpretability severely obstructs researchers from extracting material-oriented insights from ML models. In this work, high ML-based prediction performance was achieved with respect to TE power factors (PFs), and the results were well understood by the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), a method to identify the correlations between targets and descriptors. We designed a robust PF prediction model for diamond-like compounds via a stacking technique, and the model achieved a coefficient of determination value above 0.95 on the test set. From the SHAP analysis, the PFs were negatively correlated with electronegativity and positively correlated with the descriptor “volume per atom” based on the previously reported dataset. TE domain knowledge was adopted to understand these correlations. This work shows that ML models can achieve high accuracy while exhibiting good interpretability, making them useful for materials scientists.

BACKGROUND Capillary leak syndrome (CLS) is characterized by the leakage of large amounts of fluid and plasma proteins into the interstitial space, resulting in hypoalbuminemia, hypovolemic shock, elevated blood concentration, systemic progressive edema, and multiple serosal cavity effusion. Clinical syndromes such as cavity effusion pose a grave threat to the life and health of the patient. CASE SUMMARY A 58-year-old female patient was admitted to the hospital after being in a coma for 6 h following accidental ingestion of a pesticide. She was treated with phencyclidine hydrochloride and pralidoxime iodide for detoxification, mechanical ventilation to maintain oxygen supply, continuous renal replacement therapy to maintain the internal environment, and hemoperfusion to promote the excretion of toxins. She also received a transfusion of red blood cells and massive fluid resuscitation. However, her blood pressure was not maintained. The patient was diagnosed with CLS due to pesticide poisoning. Oxygenation was difficult to maintain under full ventilator support; therefore, veno-venous-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) treatment was given 13 h after admission. Her oxygenation level improved, but a large amount of ascites and pleural effusion soon became apparent. We continued drainage with an indwelling drainage tube, and the ECMO flow stabilized. The leakage gradually decreased, and ECMO was discontinued 3 d later. On the 6th day, the patient recovered from unconsciousness, but on gastroscopic evaluation, severe erosions were found in her entire stomach. With the family’s consent, treatment was stopped, and the patient was discharged from the hospital on the 7th day. CONCLUSION ECMO, liquid resuscitation and management, and improvement in plasma colloidal osmotic pressure, circulation, and tissue oxygen supply are crucial in treating CLS.

Suffering from the inefficient traditional trial-and-error methods and the huge searching space filled by millions of candidates, discovering new perovskite visible photocatalysts with higher hydrogen production rate ( R H 2 ) still remains a challenge in the field of photocatalytic water splitting (PWS). Herein, we established structural-property models targeted to R H 2 and the proper bandgap ( E g ) via machine learning (ML) technology to accelerate the discovery of efficient perovskite photocatalysts for PWS. The Pearson correlation coefficients (R) of leave-one-out cross validation (LOOCV) were adopted to compare the performances of different algorithms including gradient boosting regression (GBR), support vector regression (SVR), backpropagation artificial neural network (BPANN), and random forest (RF). It was found that the BPANN model showed the highest R values from LOOCV and testing data of 0.9897 and 0.9740 for R H 2 , while the GBR model had the best values of 0.9290 and 0.9207 for E g . Furtherly, 14 potential PWS perovskite candidates were screened out from 30,000 ABO3-type perovskite structures under the criteria of structural stability, E g , conduction band energy, valence band energy and R H 2 . The average R H 2 of these 14 perovskites is 6.4% higher than the highest value in the training data set. Moreover, the online web servers were developed to share our prediction models, which could be accessible in http://materials-data-mining.com/ocpmdm/material_api/ahfga3d9puqlknig ( E g prediction) and http://materials-data-mining.com/ocpmdm/material_api/i0ucuyn3wsd14940 ( R H 2 prediction).

Photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production is a promising pathway for solar energy convention into chemical fuels. Among various semiconductor-based photocatalysts, cadmium sulfide (CdS) attracted extensive attentions due to the narrow band gap nature (2.4 eV) for efficient visible light absorption, suitable band position for water splitting, and outstanding photocatalytic activity. In this review, we start with the fundamental properties of CdS, and then summarize the recent advances for the synthesis of CdS, and modification strategies including heteroatom doping, loading cocatalysts, and hetero/homo-junction fabrication are also presented. Moreover, a brief perspective and challenges on CdS-based photocatalyst are also discussed.

The use of magnetic particles and carbon materials, particularly those with compatible dielectric and magnetic loss, is crucial in managing microwave pollution. However, the mismatched impedance of currently available absorbers constrains their practical applications. Herein, we demonstrate the potential of a metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived composite whose impedance matching is optimized through spraying and immersion of MOF precursors in carbon nanotube socks followed by carbonization. The composite presents extremely strong microwave absorption with a reflection loss of -30 dB, a thin thickness of 1.5 mm, and a wide frequency bandwidth of 7.8 GHz. The excellent absorption can still be maintained even at a fairly low temperature of -40 °C. Such results are primarily attributed to the synergistic effect between the hierarchical architecture and multiple components that greatly optimizes the impedance matching. We believe that the composite is a promising microwave absorber that can help to solve the critical electromagnetic wave pollution.

Objectives To assess whether the extension of the flushing interval will increase risks of complications associated with totally implantable venous access port (TIVAP) in the off-treatment period. Methods A retrospective single-center observational study was performed. Patients with a TIVAP in the off-treatment period that underwent regular flushing in our clinic were included. Data concerning patients and their TIVAPs were recorded. Patient baseline characteristics and TIVAP-related complications were analyzed. Continuous variables were analyzed by ANOVA or the Kruskal-Wallis H test. To compare the occurrence of TIVAP-related complications, the chi-square test was used; if needed, Fisher’s exact test was used. Results Totally 607 patients were reviewed, and 563 patients were finally included. Thirteen complications were recorded, including 11 cases of catheter occlusion (1.95%), one case of port cannula rotation (0.18%), and one case of catheter tip malposition (0.18%). No device-related infection or venous thrombosis was recorded. Among these patients, the average flushing interval was 35.27 ± 13.09 days. Patients were divided into three groups according to the flushing interval: every 28 days or less (Group 1, n = 133); every 29–44 days (Group 2, n = 350); and every 45 days or more (Group 3, n = 80). No significant difference in catheter-related complications was found among the three groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions In the TIVAP off-treatment period, patients without any history of TIVAP-related complications during approximately one year can attempt to prolong the flushing interval to more than 4 weeks; we further suggest that 5–6 weeks may be an appropriate option for these patients.

Infectious keratitis is the most common entities of corneal diseases, in which pathogen grows in the cornea leading to inflammation and destruction of the corneal tissues. Infectious keratitis is a medical emergency, for which a rapid and accurate diagnosis is needed for speedy initiation of prompt and precise treatment to halt the disease progress and to limit the extent of corneal damage; otherwise it may develop sight-threatening and even eye-globe-threatening condition. In this paper, we propose a sequential-level deep learning model to effectively discriminate the distinction and subtlety of infectious corneal disease via the classification of clinical images. In this approach, we devise an appropriate mechanism to preserve the spatial structures of clinical images and disentangle the informative features for clinical image classification of infectious keratitis. In competition with 421 ophthalmologists, the performance of the proposed sequential-level deep model achieved 80.00% diagnostic accuracy, far better than the 49.27% diagnostic accuracy achieved by ophthalmologists over 120 test images., Comment: Accepted by Engineering

Growth arrest‐specific 5 (GAS5) is a kind of long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Previous studies showed that down‐regulation of LncRNA‐GAS5 was involved in the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the regulatory mechanism of down‐expressed LncRNA‐GAS5 in SLE remains obscure. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of LncRNA‐GAS5 polymorphism with SLE risk. And further explore how LncRNA‐GAS5 is involved in the occurrence of SLE. Here, we evaluated the relationship between the risk for the development of SLE and the 5‐base pair (AGGCA/‐) insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism (rs145204276) in the LncRNA‐GAS5 promoter region. A custom 36‐Plex SNPscan kit was used for genotyping the LncRNA‐GAS5 polymorphisms. The LncRNA‐GAS5 and miR‐21 target prediction was performed using bioinformatics software. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) were performed to assess GAS5 and miR‐21 mRNA expression and PTEN protein expression. The results revealed that rs145204276 resulted in a decreased risk of SLE (DD genotypes vs II genotypes: adjusted OR = 0.538, 95% CI, 0.30‐0.97, P = .039; ID genotypes vs II genotypes: adjusted OR = 0.641, 95% CI, 0.46‐0.89, P = .007; ID/DD genotypes vs II genotypes: adjusted OR = 0.621, 95% CI, 0.46‐0.84, P = .002; D alleles vs I alleles: adjusted OR = 0.680, 95% CI, 0.53‐0.87, P = .002). A reduced incidence of renal disorders in SLE was found to be related to ID/DD genotypes and D alleles (ID/DD genotypes vs II genotypes: OR = 0.57, 95% CI, 0.36‐0.92, P = .020; D alleles vs I alleles: OR = 0.63, 95% CI, 0.43‐0.93, P = .019). However, no significant association of rs2235095, rs6790, rs2067079 and rs1951625 polymorphisms with SLE risk was observed (P > .05). Additionally, haplotype analysis showed that a decreased SLE risk resulted from the A‐A‐C‐G‐D haplotype (OR = 0.67, 95% CI, 0.49‐0.91, P = .010). Also, patients in the SLE group showed a down‐regulated expression of LncRNA‐GAS5 and PTEN than the healthy volunteers; however, patients with rs145204276 ID/DD genotypes showed up‐regulated expression of LncRNA‐GAS5 and PTEN compared with patients carrying the II genotype. Furthermore, the miR‐21 levels were considerably up‐regulated in the SLE group than the healthy volunteers, and patients with rs145204276 ID/DD genotype had lower miR‐21 levels than the ones with the II genotype. Thus, we found that the LncRNA‐GAS5/miR‐21/PTEN signalling pathway was involved in the development of SLE, where LncRNA‐GAS5 acted as an miR‐21 target, and miR‐21 regulated the expression of PTEN. These findings indicated that the rs145204276 ID/DD genotypes in the LncRNA‐GAS5 gene promoter region may be protected against SLE by up‐regulating the expression of LncRNA‐GAS5, which consecutively regulated miR‐21 and PTEN levels.

Structure determines properties, and properties determine applications, which is an important ideology of natural sciences. For optical materials, it is vital to lucubrate the corresponding relationship between the local crystal structure and luminescence properties for their design, synthesis, and application. This work reports a newly designed Y2Mg2Al2Si2O12(YMAS):Eu3+ red phosphor, in which difunctional Eu3+ ion is used as a red-light activator and spectroscopic probe. The qualitative and quantitative studies on the relationship between the local crystal structure and the luminescence properties of YMAS:Eu3+ are performed experimentally and computationally, using the Y3Al5O12 (YAG):Eu3+ as contrast. Moreover, compared with YAG:Eu3+, the newly designed YMAS:Eu3+ has stronger luminescence, superior Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage chromaticity coordinates, a lower optimal doping concentration, and equally excellent thermal stability. The satisfactory color-rendering index of packaged white-light-emitting diodes demonstrates its potential performance as a red phosphor. Briefly, this work provides not only a new case for the study of the local crystal structure and luminescence properties but also a new possibility for the application of a red phosphor in solid-state lighting.

Discovery of novel high-performance materials with earth-abundant and environmentally friendly elements is a key task for civil applications based on advanced thermoelectric technology. Advancements in this area are greatly limited by the traditional trial-and-error method, which is both time-consuming and expensive. The materials genome initiative can provide a powerful strategy to screen for potential novel materials using high-throughput calculations, materials characterization, and synthesis. In this study, we developed a modified diffusion-couple high-throughput synthesis method and an automated histogram analysis technique to quickly screen high-performance copper chalcogenide thermoelectric materials, which has been well demonstrated in the ternary Cu–Sn–S compounds. A new copper chalcogenide with the composition of Cu7Sn3S10 was discovered. Studies on crystal structure, band gap, and electrical and thermal transport properties were performed to show that it is a promising thermoelectric material with ultralow lattice thermal conductivity, moderate band gap, and decent electrical conductivity. Via Cl doping, the thermoelectric dimensionless figure of merit zT reaches 0.8 at 750 K, being among the highest values reported in Cu–Sn–S ternary materials. The modified diffusion-couple high-throughput synthesis method and automated histogram analysis technique developed in this study also shed light on the development of other advanced thermoelectric and functional materials.

Warm white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) with low correlated color temperature (CCT < 5000 K) have a wide range of applications in solid-state lighting. This work reports Y2Mg2Al2Si2O12 (YMAS):Ce3+,Mn2+ phosphors for warm WLEDs, which are suitable for current mainstream blue LED chips (λ = 460 nm). The crystal structure and site occupation of the synthetic materials conforms to the design, and they are studied experimentally and computationally. The spectral red shift of YMAS:Ce3+,Mn2+ phosphors can reach up to 77 nm compared with the commercial YAG:Ce phosphor. Their comparatively excellent thermal stability and good chromaticity stability are proved. Theoretically, this series of phosphors, combined with blue chips, can achieve almost the whole area of warm white light emission. Their practical application performance in LEDs is demonstrated, and the CCT of the LEDs achieves an effective optimization (∼4000 K). The simple synthetic method, effective color point tuning and good stability make YMAS:Ce3+,Mn2+ an attractive candidate phosphor for warm white LED lighting.

The use of light and flexible electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials, particularly those that can be processed into films, is crucial in managing the radiation pollution caused by modern electronic devices. However, the limited flexibility, weight, and thickness of the currently available shields constrain their practical applications. Herein, we demonstrate the potential of single-layer copper particles integrated with a carbon nanotube (CNT) film made from compressed CNT macroscopic tube (CCT) for EMI shielding. The single-layer copper particles infiltrated into the CCT film (CCTF), thereby mitigating the delamination of the CCTF-Cu interface and resulting in lightweight and excellent flexibility. The obtained film also exhibited a significantly increased EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 84 dB within a broad frequency range of 2.6–26.5 GHz. Consequently, an extremely high unit mass SE of 151724.1 dB g−1 and unit volume SE of 17973.9 dB cm−3 were achieved. The values were approximately three times higher than that of the highest performance as previously reported. These findings were primarily attributed to their integrated architecture that causes most of the survival waves reflected and absorbed by their interior. Overall, these films can potentially solve some of the most critical problems of wearable and portable electronic devices.

BACKGROUND Complications are the most important outcome determinants for acute pancreatitis (AP). We designed this single-center retrospective study to evaluate the clinical findings (complications, disease severity, and outcomes) of 218 patients with AP and to identify variables associated with ascites. MATERIAL AND METHODS We extracted clinical data from consecutive patients with AP and divided them into 2 groups based on presence or absence of ascites. We compared disease severity, complications, and outcomes between groups. RESULTS We analyzed data from 218 patients with AP (43 with ascites and 175 without it). The patients with ascites had a more severe disease (higher incidence of pancreatic inflammation [90.70% vs 68.57%; P=0.003], higher modified computed tomography severity index score [2.00 (0.00-2.00) vs 4.00 (4.00-6.00); P

Background The microRNA-17-92 (miR-17-92) cluster is one of the most extensively studied miRNA clusters. Abnormal expression of the cluster has been found to play important role in different kinds of human diseases, including ischemic stroke (IS). The aim of our study was to investigate the association between three polymorphisms (rs1491034, rs9301654 and rs982873) in the promoter of the miR-17-92 cluster and risk of IS. Methods Three hundred and ninety-eight patients with IS and 397 control subjects were included. The genotypes of the three polymorphisms were determined by Snapshot SNP genotyping assay. Relative expression of the cluster in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of cases and controls were examined by quantitative real-time PCR. Results Significant association between rs9301654 polymorphism and risk of IS were observed basing on genotype, model and allele analyses (GA vs. AA: adjusted OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.41~0.97, P = 0.037; GG vs. AA: adjusted OR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.07~0.78, P = 0.018; GA + GG vs. AA: adjusted OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.38~0.87, P = 0.009; GA + AA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.08~0.89, P = 0.032; G vs. A: adjusted OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.40~0.83). Haplotype analysis showed that TGC and TGT haplotypes were associated with decreased risk of IS (OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.40~0.87, P = 0.007 for TGC haplotype; OR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.06~0.75, P = 0.009 for TGT haplotype). Importantly, we found the expression of miR-17-5p was significant higher while miR-19a-3p was significant lower in patient with IS compared with the control group (P P Conclusions Our findings indicated that rs9301654 polymorphism in the promoter of miR-17-92 cluster may be associated with susceptibility of IS in the Chinese population. However, we found that rs9301654 polymorphism and its respective gene expression did not demonstrate consistent association with IS in the Chinese population. Further studies such as gene-gene interaction are warranted to reveal the role of miR-19a and its regulatory genes in the etiology of IS.

BACKGROUND The diagnostic efficacy of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CEMRI) in diagnosing residual or recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is currently not completely clear. PURPOSE To investigate the diagnostic efficacy of CEMRI in detecting residual or recurrent HCCs after TACE by meta-analysis. STUDY TYPE Systematic review and meta-analysis. POPULATION A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Ovid, and the Cochrane Library database up to June 2019 to find original studies on diagnosing patients suspected of residual or recurrent HCCs after TACE with CEMRI. Thirteen studies comprising 721 nodules were finally included. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 1.5T or 3.0T, CEMRI. ASSESSMENT Quality assessment of the included studies was performed by applying the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) tool. STATISTICAL TESTS Sensitivity and specificity were pooled with a bivariate random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed by the chi-square test. The potential sources of heterogeneity were explored by subgroup and publication bias analyses. RESULTS The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio, and area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of CEMRI in diagnosing residual or recurrent HCCs after TACE were 91% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 87%-96%), 93% (95% CI: 85%-97%), 12.22 (95% CI: 5.62-26.57), 0.09 (95% CI: 0.05-0.18), 126.99 (95% CI: 34.76-436.99) and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95-0.98), respectively. Subgroup analysis revealed that CEMRI performed significantly better in prospective studies than in retrospective studies: 0.99 (95% CI: 0.96-1.00) vs. 0.95 (95% CI: 0.92-0.96) with P < 0.05. DATA CONCLUSION Our meta-analysis suggested that CEMRI had high diagnostic efficacy in detecting residual or recurrent HCCs after TACE and may serve as an alternative method for further evaluation after TACE. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 5 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;52:1019-1028.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of eyelid margin cleaning using Deep Cleaning Device for the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction-associated dry eye. Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, open-label, investigator-masked, and self-controlled study. We randomly assigned one eye of patients with meibomian gland dysfunction-associated dry eye to the treatment group, and the other eye to the control group. Both groups received artificial tears and lid warming; the treatment group received an additional one-time in-office eyelid margin cleaning using Deep Cleaning Device. Non-invasive tear break-up time (NITBUT) and tear meniscus height (TMH) of each eye, and Standard Patient Evaluation for Eye Dryness II (SPEED II) score of each patient were evaluated before and at one week after treatment. Results: Thirty eyes of 15 patients were enrolled. No adverse effects occurred during the treatment. Compared with the baseline values, the SPEED score decreased significantly at one week after treatment (mean±95% confidence interval, 11.00±0.99 vs. 5.67±1.67, P

Background No comprehensive analysis is available on the viral etiology and clinical characterization among children with severe acute lower respiratory tract infection (SALRTI) in Southern China. Methods Cohort of 659 hospitalized children (2 months to 14 years) with SALRTI admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in the Guangzhou from May 2015 to April 2018 was enrolled in this study. Nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens or induced sputum were tested for eight categories respiratory viral targets. The viral distribution and its clinical characters were statistically analyzed. Results Viral pathogen was detected in 326 (49.5%) of children with SALRTI and there were 36 (5.5%) viral coinfections. Overall, the groups of viruses identified were, in descending order of prevalence: Influenza virus (IFV) (n = 94, 14.3%), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (n = 75, 11.4%), human rhinovirus (HRV) (n = 56, 8.5%), adenovirus (ADV) (n = 55, 8.3%), parainfluenza (PIV) (n = 47, 7.1%), human coronavirus (HCoV) (n = 15, 2.3%), human metapneumovirus (HMPV) (n = 14, 2.1%) and human bocavirus (HBoV) (n = 11, 1.7%). The positive rate in younger children ( 5 years) (52.5% vs 35.1%, P = 0.001). There were clear seasonal peaks for IFV, RSV, HRV, ADV, PIV, and HMPV. And the individuals with different viral infection varied significantly in terms of clinical profiles. Conclusions Viral infections are present in a consistent proportion of patients admitted to the PICU. IFV, RSV, HRV, and ADV accounted for more than two‐thirds of all viral SALRTI. Our findings could help the prediction, prevention and potential therapeutic approaches of SALRTI in children., Highlight Viral infections are present in a consistent proportion of patients admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.Influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, human rhinovirus and adenovirus accounted for more than two‐thirds of all viral SALRTI.

The color point tuning is significant for expanding the application of optical materials (phosphors). In this work, one type of single Eu2+-activated high bright phosphor was prepared, and the colo...

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in China from 2004 to 2016 and to assess whether regional and age differences exist with HIV/AIDS infection. Methods: We searched the Chinese Public Health Science Data Center by the keywords of “HIV” or “AIDS”, and collected the data referred to HIV/AIDS morbidity, mortality, and new HIV infection rate, 2004 to 2016. Results: The HIV/AIDS morbidity, mortality, and new HIV infection rate continually increased per year in China from 2004 to 2016 (0.235, 0.057 and 1.020 in 2004; 3.990, 1.034 and 6.442 in 2016 respectively) (all p

Background Laparoscopic distal pancreatosplenectomy is an effective and safe surgical modality for treating benign and borderline distal pancreatic tumors, but rarely for pancreatic cancer. This study aimed to compare the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic and open radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy for pancreatic cancer. Methods Fifty-one patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy at Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital between January 2014 and July 2018 were enrolled. 20 patients underwent laparoscopic radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy and 31 patients received open radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy. Postoperative and short-term outcomes of the two groups of patients were analyzed. Results The mean operation time, length of postoperative hospital stay, and overall postoperative morbidity were similar in the two groups (P>0.05). The laparoscopic radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy group lost less blood (252.5±198.3 vs. 472.6±428.0 mL, P=0.037) and had lower transfusion rates (10.0% vs. 35.4%, P=0.041) than the open radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy group. The laparoscopic group also had statistically significantly earlier passing of first flatus (2.5±0.8 vs. 3.2±1.2 days, P=0.028) and first oral intake (2.9±1.0 vs. 3.7±1.6 days, P=0.042). Furthermore, the rates of postoperative pancreatic fistula (45.0% vs. 32.3%) and overall complications (70.0% vs. 74.2%) were not statistically difference between the two groups. The survival rates at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after surgery were not statistically difference between the laparoscopic and open groups (94.4% vs. 93.5, 67.0% vs. 78.0%, and 50.2% vs. 38.3%, respectively). Conclusions The results of this study show that laparoscopic radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy is feasible and safe for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND Renal dysfunction is a leading cause of death in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) and often occurs later than respiratory complications. Whether respiratory complications can predict renal impairment remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between pleural effusion and renal dysfunction in AP. MATERIAL AND METHODS Medical records were reviewed from individuals who were hospitalized with AP from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019. The patients were divided into 2 groups, based on the presence or absence of pleural effusion on admission. Disease severity, renal function parameters, and outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS A total of 222 patients were enrolled, 25 of whom had pleural effusion on admission and 197 who did not. Patients with AP who had pleural effusion had more serious illness (higher incidences of pancreatic inflammation, pancreatic fluid collection, and moderate-to-severe AP; worse Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis score; and a higher modified computed tomography severity index [all P

In recent years, the construction scale of urban rail transit project is still in a high growth stage. In addition, the geology and surrounding environment of crossing lines are complex, and all kinds of safety accidents are still in a high incidence stage. Based on the investigation and summary of safety risk events and their causes in urban rail transit engineering construction at home and abroad, this paper fully combines the current national security management policies, introduces the “dual control” concept of safety risk classification and hidden danger investigation, and develops the intelligent monitoring system platform for urban rail transit engineering construction based on advanced technologies such as intelligent Internet of Things, 3D visualization, and artificial intelligence. It realizes the intelligent collection and analysis of engineering field monitoring data, the dynamic early warning management of engineering risk sources, the process embedding “dual control” mechanism of safety risk and hidden danger investigation, the real-time supervision of large equipment operations such as shield and hoisting, and the real-time control of high-risk operation sections such as contact channels. At the same time, the traceability and assessment management of the safety supervision process are strengthened. The parties involved in the project can realize the synchronous sharing of information through the platform and improve the efficiency of on-site safety and quality control.

The conveyor system is critical for the production sector and needs to be maintained well to avoid downtime. Predictive maintenance (PdM) has improved the uptime of equipment by 10 to 20% while reducing the total cost of maintenance by 5 to 10% and 20 to 50% of maintenance planning time. However, current PdM is not effective for conveyor system. The previous researches do not provide a clear indication of key performance metrics to measure the performance and predict potential fault of the conveyor system. This project aims to investigate the highest contributing factors to measure the load condition of the conveyor and to design a predictive maintenance system for conveyor using the model-based machine learning. The findings show process parameters of power, temperature, current, line voltage and velocity (root mean square) can be used to predict the load state of the conveyor and hence determine the efficiency of the conveyor.

Excellent luminous performance and high color rendering are the keys to white light-emitting diode (WLED) illumination. This work reports a single-phase full-visible-spectrum Y2Mg2Al2Si2O12(YMAS):Eu2+,Mn2+ phosphor for WLEDs with ultra-high color rendering. The luminescence of a single Mn2+ doped YMAS phosphor is very weak due to the spin-forbidden transition of Mn2+, while it can be dramatically enhanced in the YMAS:Eu2+,Mn2+ system through efficient energy transfer from the sensitizer Eu2+. Meanwhile, the luminescent color of this phosphor can be tuned from cyan to cold white, to warm white, and finally close to the yellow region by controlling the activator concentration and energy transfer process. Its good thermal and chromaticity stability meet the requirements of application in WLEDs. Its stable photochromic performance at different excitation wavelengths (365-395 nm) indicates that it can be used in different ultraviolet chips. The YMAS:0.03Eu2+,0.30Mn2+ phosphor-converted WLED achieves an ultra-high color rendering index (Ra = 93.3), near-standard chromaticity coordinates (CIE = (0.3343, 0.3388)) and a suitable correlated color temperature (CCT = 5417 K).

Phosphors with excellent color adjustable properties have always been the research focus of scientific researchers. This work uses two strategies to control the luminescence behavior of Eu2+ ions in the Lu2Mg2Al2Si2O12 (LMAS) matrix. Firstly, by adjusting the Eu2+ ion concentration, the emission spectra of Lu2Mg2Al2Si2O12:Eu2+ (LMAS:Eu2+) could achieve a 39 nm red shift from 451 to 490 nm, which provides a good blue to cyan emission. Secondly, the Lu2Mg2Al2Si2O12:Eu2+,Mn2+ (LMAS:Eu2+,Mn2+) realized the tuning from the cyan to the white region by introducing Mn2+ ions, which is owing to the sensitization process of Eu2+ to Mn2+ enhancing the red-light emission. The energy transfer process was explored in detail, and the energy transfer efficiency was calculated to be more than 60%. Meanwhile, the thermal stability of the material was also studied. The thermal stability illustrates its potential application in white light-emitting diode (WLED). Under 30 mA drive current, the device obtained by using 365 nm ultraviolet (UV) chip with LMAS:0.01Eu2+,0.35Mn2+ phosphor has a color rendering index (Ra) as high as 93.1, R9 = 85, LE = 1.81 lm/W, the color coordinate is (0.3076, 0.3119) and the correlated color temperature (CCT) is 6984 K, which is obviously in the white light area. The above results indicate that LMAS:Eu2+,Mn2+ phosphors with full-visible-spectrum have potential applications in solid-state lighting.

With the rapid development of online social networks, marketing through online social platforms attracts a lot of attention. Recently, a special social marketing method is prevailing, i.e., e-commerce celebrities(ECs). ECs run their social network accounts to attract followers and then sell products to them directly. While the sales of ECs have dominated the e-commerce marketing in China, there is, however, a lack of accurate measurement and model about it. In this paper, we first conduct a large-scale cross-platform measurement on two of the biggest online social network platforms and e-commerce platforms in China, i.e., Sina Weibo and Taobao. We then characterize the typical behavioral patterns of ECs and build a machine learning model to quantitatively represent the relationship between the social network behavior and their product sale volumes. Experimental results show that we can accurately predict an EC's sale volume based on the 41 social network behavior features (F1 score can reach 0.83). Furthermore, we obtain the top-10 most important features that affect the sales. Our measurement and modeling results provide beneficial insights in understanding and optimizing social marketing for ECs.

To investigate the value of gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in diagnosing residual hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE).Sixty-two patients (50 men, 12 women; mean age, 56.8 ± 1.4 years) with 74 HCCs who underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and DWI in 1-2-month intervals after DEB-TACE were retrospectively studied. Imaging features derived from Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and DWI were analyzed and compared between residual HCCs and necrotic tumors. The sensitivity and specificity of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and DWI with quantitative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in diagnosing residual HCCs were calculated and compared, based on the reference standard of pathology and/or angiography.Thirty-three residual HCCs and 41 necrotic tumors were diagnosed. Residual HCCs presented characteristics of arterial hypervascularity (90.91%) and DWI hyperintensity (78.78%), which were of importance in differentiating necrotic tumors (p0.05). DWI showed lower sensitivity (78.79% vs. 96.97%, p0.001) and specificity (78.05% vs. 100%, p0.001) than Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI in diagnosing residual HCCs after DEB-TACE. Residual HCCs had a significantly higher mean ADC value than necrotic tumors (1.30 ± 0.32 × 10Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI is superior to DWI in diagnosing residual HCCs after DEB-TACE, and arterial hypervascularity and DWI hyperintensity are important imaging features in distinguishing residual HCCs from necrotic tumors.

Background Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript-1 (MALAT1) was aberrantly expressed in diverse diseases. Particularly in ischemic stroke (IS), the abnormal expression of MALAT1 played important roles including promotion of angiogenesis, inhibition of apoptosis and inflammation and regulation of autophagy. However, the effects of genetic variation (single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) of MALAT1 on IS have rarely been explored. This study aimed to investigate whether SNPs in promoter of MALAT1 were associated with the susceptibility to IS. Methods A total of 316 IS patients and 320 age-, gender-, and ethnicity-matched controls were enrolled in this study. Four polymorphisms in the promoter of MALAT1 (i.e., rs600231, rs1194338, rs4102217, and rs591291) were genotyped by using a custom-by-design 48-Plex SNPscan kit. Results The rs1194338 C > A variant in the promoter of MALAT1 was associated with the risk of IS (AC vs. CC: adjusted OR = 0.623, 95% CI, 0.417–0.932, P = 0.021; AA vs. CC: adjusted OR = 0.474, 95% CI, 0.226–0.991, P = 0.047; Dominant model: adjusted OR = 0.596, 95% CI, 0.406–0.874, P = 0.008; A vs. C adjusted OR = 0.658, 95% CI, 0.487–0.890, P = 0.007). The haplotype analysis showed that rs600231-rs1194338-rs4102217-rs591291 (A-C-G-C) had a 1.3-fold increased risk of IS (95% CI, 1.029–1.644, P = 0.027). Logistic regression analysis identified some independent impact factors for IS including rs1194338 AC/AA, TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, Apo-A1, Apo-B and NEFA (P Conclusions These results suggest that the rs1194338 AC/AA genotypes may be a protective factor for IS.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of genetic polymorphisms in the promoter region of miR‐17‐92 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The gene polymorphism was analysed using SNaPshot in 312 SLE patients and 396 controls. Relative expression of miR‐17‐92 was measured by quantitative real‐time PCR. Association was found between rs9515692 and a decreased risk of SLE (CT vs CC: OR = 0.65, 95%CI, 0.46‐0.92, P = .014; CT+TT vs CC: OR = 0.64, 95%CI, 0.46‐0.90, P = .009; T vs C: OR = 0.69, 95%CI, 0.52‐0.92, P = .010, respectively). Haplotype analysis showed that C‐G‐G, C‐A‐A haplotypes were associated with an increased SLE risk (OR=4.46, 95%CI, 2.17‐9.17, P < 0.001; OR=2.33, 95%CI, 1.44‐3.76, P < 0.001, respectively). T allele and CT+TT genotypes in rs9515692 were associated with decreased risk of anti‐dsDNA in SLE (CT+TT vs CC: OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.24‐0.72, P = .002; T vs A: OR = 0.49, 95%CI = 0.31‐0.79, P = .003). Moreover, rs9515692 CT+TT genotypes had a higher level of miR‐17 as compared to CC genotype (P = .017). These findings suggest that the rs9515692 CT+TT genotypes were a protective factor for the susceptibility of SLE, probably by increasing the expression of miR‐17.

We investigated whether three common microRNA polymorphisms (miR-21T>C [rs1292037], miR-126G>A [rs4636297] and miR-605T>C [rs2043556]) were associated with ischemic stroke (IS) risk in a Chinese population. The study population comprised 592 ischemic stroke patients and 456 normal controls. The polymorphisms were measured using Snapshot SNP genotyping assays and confirmed by sequencing. Relative expressions of miR-21, miR-126 and miR-605 were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. We found that miR-126 gene rs4636297 polymorphism was associated with decreased ischemic stroke risk (GA vs. GG: AOR=0.64, adjust P=0.025; AA vs. GG: AOR=0.32, adjust P=0.007; dominant model: AOR=0.58, adjust P=0.004). MiR-21 gene rs1292037 and miR-605 gene rs2043556 polymorphisms were not associated with ischemic stroke risk. In addition, compared with normal controls, serum miR-126 level was significantly decreased in ischemic stroke patients, while the miR-21 level was significantly increased. Importantly, patients carrying rs4636297 GA/AA genotypes had higher serum miR-126 level (P

Objective The first aim was to integrate commonly used tinnitus measures into a comprehensive questionnaire. Second, the effectiveness of a masking therapy based on multiple-frequency matching was verified in a clinical study. This study investigated the feasibility of a new treatment strategy for tinnitus, with two main foci. Materials and methods Compare multiple-frequency matching with traditional masking therapy (Single-frequency matching) through clinical trials. The analysis indicated that the reliability and construct validity of the comprehensive questionnaire need to be improved, and the feasibility of the integration attempt remains uncertain. Results The clinical results showed that the multiple-frequency matching method was more effective than single-frequency matching for tinnitus treatment. Conclusion The multiple-frequency approach should be used more often with tinnitus masking to promote the patients' recovery.

// You-Fan Peng 1 and Ye-Sheng Wei 1 1 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise City, China Correspondence to: Ye-Sheng Wei, email: yeshengwei_100@sina.com Keywords: serum bilirubin, serum iron, serum copper, serum zinc Received: October 07, 2016 Accepted: May 22, 2017 Published: June 02, 2017 ABSTRACT Objective: This paper aims to evaluate the relations between serum bilirubin and essential trace elements in an adult population. Results: Demographic and clinical data were stratified according to the median of serum bilirubin concentrations (50th percentiles). There were statistical differences in regarding with age, body mass index, white blood count, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, iron, zinc and copper. Studying the correlation of serum bilirubin levels with iron, zinc, copper and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, we found positive correlations for iron and zinc, and negative correlations for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and copper in whole participants. Similar results of correlation analysis were repeated when the further analyses were performed separately for subjects with high and low serum bilirubin concentrations. Similar results were also observed in gender-based stratified analysis. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that serum bilirubin levels were independently correlated with serum iron, zinc and copper. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study involved 264 healthy subjects. Conclusions: The current study demonstrated that serum bilirubin within the reference range is correlated with iron, zinc and copper in an adult population, regardless of potential confounders.

Alpha-thalassemia occurs with high frenquency in China. Four common α-globin gene deletion mutations (–SEA, -α3.7, and -α4.2, Haemoglobin Constant Spring (CS) mutation) were identified in Chinese patients. Individuals with alpha-thalassemia syndrome are more often of children. However report on endocrinal complications in children with alpha thalassemia in China are still absent. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of genotype on endocrinal complications in Chinese children. Association analysis between genotype and endocrinal compliaction development was conducted on 200 patients with 200 healthy controls. Hypogonadism was found to be the most prominent endocrinal complications (84.0%) leading to the growth retardation, hypogonadism, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism and hypoparathyroidism whose incidence were significantly higher in pateints. (αCSα/–SEA) was the main genotype of Alpha thalassemia identified in the patients (37.5%), and patients with the (-α4.2/–SEA) genotype had a higher prevalence of hypogonadism, diabetes mellitus and hypoparathyroidism (P = 0.001, P = 0.001, P

Objective: To report surgical management and favorable outcome in a case with delayed repair of traumatic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) flap dislocation with shrinkage and folds. Methods: A 30-year-old man with a five-year history of bilateral LASIK experienced blunt trauma to his right eye followed by decreased vision for 5 weeks. The surgical management included initially softening the flap by irrigation with balanced salt solution (BSS). The shrinkage folds were carefully and gently stretched by scraping with a 26-gauge cannula accompanied by BSS irrigation. All of the epithelial ingrowth on the flap inner surface and on the bed was thoroughly debrided by scraping and irrigation. After the flap was repositioned to match its original margin, a soft bandage contact lens was placed. Results: At his initial visit, slit-lamp microscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed shrinkage of the LASIK flap with an elevated margin approximately 3 mm above the original position. The flap covered half of the pupil and had multiple horizontal folds. Two months after surgery, the flap remained well positioned with only faint streaks in the anterior stroma. The uncorrected visual acuity of the right eye was 20/20 with a manifest refraction of Plano. Conclusions: For delayed repair of traumatically dislocated LASIK flaps, sufficient softening by BSS, stretching the shrinkage folds, and thorough debridement of ingrowth epithelium enable resetting the flap and provide satisfactory results.

This paper presents the first study of its kind on the torsional moment behavior of a new dumbbell-shape concrete-filled steel tube (DCFST) system. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of the dimensions of the web connecting the two circular CFSTs, in terms of its width-to-diameter (b/D) and its minimum depth-to-diameter (h/D) ratios, on torsional strength (Tu). Torsion tests were also conducted on circular CFSTs (CCFSTs), on hollow tubes and on plain concrete, as control specimens. It was shown that Tu of DCFSTs ranged from 1.3 to 2.2 that of the CCFST, depending on (b/D) and (h/D) ratios. Increasing (b/D) from 0.31 to 0.54 resulted in only 7% increase in Tu. However, a further increase from 0.54 to 1.0 resulted in an additional 31% increase in Tu. The effect of (h/D) on Tu was more pronounced at higher (b/D) ratios. In general, increasing the web width appears to be more effective than web height. A rigorous nonlinear finite element model was developed and a simple mechanics-based design equation have been proposed to predict Tu of CCFSTs and DCFSTs and resulted in an average predicted-to-experimental Tu of 0.98.

A series of novel color tunable dandelion-like SiO2:Ln3+ (Ln = Eu, Tb) nanophosphors of approximately 70 nm diameter were prepared using a simple hydrothermal route. The phase, time-dependent shape evolution, morphology, sizes, and luminescence properties of the as-prepared products were well characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, and photoluminescence spectra as well as kinetic decay curves. Under ultraviolet excitation, the Eu3+ and Tb3+ singly doped SiO2 samples showed strong red and green emission, respectively. Furthermore, the luminescence colors of the as-prepared Tb3+, Eu3+ co-doped dandelion-like SiO2 nanophosphors could be altered from green to red, including green-yellow, yellow, orange yellow and reddish orange, by simply adjusting the doping concentrations of Eu3+.

This paper presents a fully synthesizable low power interconnect bus for millimeter-scale wireless sensor nodes. A segmented ring bus topology minimizes the required chip real estate with low input/output pad count for ultra-small form factors. By avoiding the conventional open drain-based solution, the bus can be fully synthesizable. Low power is achieved by obviating a need for local oscillators in member nodes. Also, aggressive power gating allows low-power standby mode with only 53 gates powered on. An integrated wakeup scheme is compatible with a power management unit that has nW standby mode. A 3-module system including the bus is fabricated in a 180 nm process. The entire system consumes 8 nW in standby mode, and the bus achieves 17.5 pJ/bit/chip.

The microRNA-17-92 (miR-17-92) cluster is one of the most extensively studied miRNA clusters. Abnormal expression of the cluster has been found to play important role in different kinds of human diseases, including ischemic stroke (IS). The aim of our study was to investigate the association between three polymorphisms (rs1491034, rs9301654 and rs982873) in the promoter of the miR-17-92 cluster and risk of IS.Three hundred and ninety-eight patients with IS and 397 control subjects were included. The genotypes of the three polymorphisms were determined by Snapshot SNP genotyping assay. Relative expression of the cluster in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of cases and controls were examined by quantitative real-time PCR.Significant association between rs9301654 polymorphism and risk of IS were observed basing on genotype, model and allele analyses (GA vs. AA: adjusted OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.41~0.97, P = 0.037; GG vs. AA: adjusted OR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.07~0.78, P = 0.018; GA + GG vs. AA: adjusted OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.38~0.87, P = 0.009; GA + AA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.08~0.89, P = 0.032; G vs. A: adjusted OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.40~0.83). Haplotype analysis showed that TGC and TGT haplotypes were associated with decreased risk of IS (OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.40~0.87, P = 0.007 for TGC haplotype; OR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.06~0.75, P = 0.009 for TGT haplotype). Importantly, we found the expression of miR-17-5p was significant higher while miR-19a-3p was significant lower in patient with IS compared with the control group (P 0.01), and patients with rs9301654GG or GA genotype displayed lower level of miR-19a-3p compared with the AA genotype (P 0.01).Our findings indicated that rs9301654 polymorphism in the promoter of miR-17-92 cluster may be associated with susceptibility of IS in the Chinese population. However, we found that rs9301654 polymorphism and its respective gene expression did not demonstrate consistent association with IS in the Chinese population. Further studies such as gene-gene interaction are warranted to reveal the role of miR-19a and its regulatory genes in the etiology of IS.

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified chromosome 12p13 rs12425791 and rs11833579 as susceptibility loci of ischemic stroke (IS) in a European population. However, conflicting results were obtained in subsequent replication analysis. miR-200c, located on chromosome 12p13, was found to have a neuroprotective effect on ischemia. Our aim of this study was to investigate the association of the rs12425791, rs11833579 and rs12904 in the binding site of miR-200c with the risk of IS. The rs12425791, rs11833579, and rs12904 were genotyped using a TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. The results were verified by Sanger sequencing. We found that the rs12904 AG/GG genotypes and G allele were associated with a decreased risk of IS (AG/GG vs. AA: adjusted OR = 0.64; 95% CI, 0.44–0.95; G vs. A: adjusted OR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.46–0.93). The combined genotypes of the rs11833579AG/AA and rs12904AG/GG were also associated with a reduced risk of IS (OR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.46–0.93). These findings suggest that the rs12904 may have a jointly protective effect against the risk of IS.

miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs modulating gene expression, and variants in miRNA genes are involved in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke (IS). However, the effect of miR-34a polymorphisms on IS susceptibility has rarely been reported. In the present study, we investigated the association between rs12128240, rs2666433, and rs6577555 of the miR-34a gene and IS susceptibility. Snapshot assay was used to detect miR-34a polymorphisms in 548 IS patients and 560 controls. Relative expression of miR-34a was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. We found that rs2666433 was associated with a significantly increased risk of IS (AA vs. GG: OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.05–2.52, P = 0.031; AA vs. GG+GA: OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.05–2.45, P = 0.026). For the IS subtypes, rs2666433 was associated with large artery atherosclerosis (AA vs. GG: OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.16–3.51, P = 0.007; AA vs. GG+GA: OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.15–3.33, P = 0.007; A vs. G: OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.07–1.81, P = 0.021). Additionally, the level of miR-34a was significantly up-regulated in IS patients compared to the controls (P < 0.001), and patients with rs2666433 AA genotype had a higher level of miR-34a than those with GG+GA genotypes (P < 0.001). Furthermore, increased level of homocysteine was observed in IS patients compared to the controls (P < 0.001), especially in patients carrying the rs2666433AA genotype compared to those carrying the rs2666433 GG+GA genotypes (P < 0.001). However, no significant association between rs12128240 or rs6577555 and IS was found. Collectively, our study found the association between miR-34a polymorphisms and the risk of IS among the Chinese population. The results may provide an explanation for etiology of IS and a potential biomarker or therapeutic target for IS. HIGHLIGHTS simple - MiR-34a rs2666433 polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke. simple - The level of miR-34a was significantly up-regulated in ischemic stroke patients compared with controls, and patients with rs2666433 AA genotype had a higher level miR-34a than those with GG+GA genotypes. simple - Furthermore, increased level of homocysteine was showed in IS patients compared to controls, and in patients carrying the rs2666433AA compared to those carrying the rs2666433 GG+GA.

Objective. To compare outcomes between laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy (LSPDP) and open spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy (OSPDP) for treatment of benign and low-grade malignant tumors of the pancreas and evaluate feasibility and safety of LSPDP. Methods. The clinical data of 53 cases of LSPDP and 44 cases of OSPDP performed between January 2008 and August 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical outcomes between the two groups were compared. Results. There was no significant difference in preoperative data between the two groups. However, the LSPDP group had statistically significant shorter operative time (145.3±55.9 versus 184.7±33.5, P=0.03) and lesser intraoperative blood loss (150.6±180.8 versus 253.5±76.2, P=0.03) than that of the OSPDP group. Moreover, the LSPDP group also had statistically significant earlier passing of first flatus (2.2±1.4 versus 3.1±1.9, P=0.01), earlier diet intake (2.3±1.8 versus 3.4±2.0, P=0.01), and shorter hospital stay (6.2±7.2 versus 8.8±9.3, 0.04) than that of the OSPDP group. However, postoperative pancreatic fistula (P=0.64) and total postoperative complications (P=0.59) were not significantly different between the groups. The rate of pancreatic fistula and total postoperative complications occurred in 62.5% and 64.5%, respectively, in LSPDP group and, similarly, 70% and 70.0%, respectively, in OSPDP group. Conclusion. This study confirms that LSPDP is safe, feasible, and superior to OSPDP in terms of operative time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, and postoperative recovery. Hence, it is worth popularizing LSPDP for benign and low-grade malignant tumors of the pancreas.

Background Syncope is a perplexing challenge that often receives thorough evaluation, yet the diagnosis remains unclear. Usually, the emergency department is the first point at which patients present with syncope. However, diverse medical factors, including low diagnostic rates and inconsistent management by doctors, add to healthcare costs and delay diagnosis for syncope patients. Methods Patients who had been to the emergency department at least once but were not given a clear diagnosis of syncope were recruited into our study at the time they visited syncope clinic staffed by a multidisciplinary team. Complete medical histories and clinical examinations were conducted by both experienced cardiologists and neurologists. If patients were not given a conclusive diagnosis at the syncope clinic on the basis of outpatient examinations, they were admitted for further evaluation. Results A total of 209 consecutive patients claiming "syncope" visited the syncope clinic, yet only 167 patients were formally diagnosed with syncope. For these 167 patients, the mean age was 55.93 ± 17.40 years old, and 41.3% were male. The proportions of cardiac syncope, reflex syncope, orthostatic hypotension (OH), and syncope of uncertain etiology were 19.8%, 64.1%, 7.8%, and 8.4%, respectively. The diagnostic rate was 91.6%, and the hospitalization rate was 23.4%. Patients with reflex syncope and OH were younger than patients with cardiac syncope. Cardiac syncope tends to occur more frequently in males, while reflex syncope is more likely in females. Conclusions The cooperation of professional cardiologists and neurologists will play an important role in improving diagnostic rates, lowering admission rates, and reducing medical costs.

A series of Dy3+ - Eu3+ co-doped BaAl2Si2O8 phosphors were prepared via the conventional solid-state reaction method. Their crystal structure, luminescent characteristic and lifetime were investigated. The optimum doping concentrations of Dy3+and Eu3+ are both 0.05 for Dy3+ or Eu3+ singly doped BaAl2Si2O8. Furthermore, BaAl2Si2O8: 0.05Dy3+ and BaAl2Si2O8: 0.05Eu3+ emits yellow and red light. The emission color of BaAl2Si2O8: Dy3+, Eu3+ could be tuned from yellow to white due to the energy transfer. This energy transfer from Dy3+ to Eu3+ was confirmed and investigated by photoluminescence spectra and the decay time of energy donor Dy3+ ions. With constantly increasing Eu3+ concentration, the energy transfer efficiency from Dy3+ to Eu3+ in BaAl2Si2O8 host increased gradually and reached as high as 81%, the quantum yield was about 47.43%. BaAl2Si2O8: Dy3+, Eu3+ phosphors can be effectively excited by UV (about 348 nm) light and emit visible light from yellow to white by altering the concentration ratio of Dy3+ and Eu3+, indicating that the phosphors have potential applications as a white light-emitting phosphor for display and lighting.

An energy harvesting sensor system architecture emerges through multiple generations of sensor development and deployment for smart building applications. Energy-harvesting sensors for monitoring plug-loads and circuit panels, light fixtures, air flow, hot water flow, and door openings are presented. This article is part of a special issue on energy harvesting.

The serum level of IL-33 was upregulated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which may be used as biomarkers and/or therapeutic targets for SLE. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of four novel polymorphisms of IL-33 with risk of SLE. The study population comprised 540 Chinese individuals, including 257subjects with SLE and 283 healthy controls. The gene polymorphism was measured using Snapshot SNP genotyping assays and confirmed by sequencing. Serum IL-33 (sIL-33) levels were measured by ELISA. The serum SLE levels were significantly higher in the group of patients with SLE than those in the control group (P

I/O has become the limiting factor in scaling down size and power toward the goal of invisible computing. Achieving this goal will require composing optimized and specialized--yet reusable--components with an interconnect that permits tiny, ultra-low-power systems. In contrast to today's interconnects, which are limited by power-hungry pull-ups or high-overhead chip select lines, the authors' approach operates at lower power, with a fixed pin count, using fully synthesizable logic, and with surprisingly low-protocol overhead. The authors present MBus, a new four-pin, 22.6 pJ/bit/chip chip-to-chip interconnect made of two "shoot-through" rings. MBus facilitates ultra-low-power system operation by automatically power gating each chip in the system, easing the integration of active and inactive circuits. In addition, they introduce power-oblivious communication, which guarantees message reception even if the recipient is inactive. This disentangles power management from communication, greatly simplifying the creation of viable, modular, and heterogeneous systems that draw nanowatts.

Interleukin-31 (IL-31) is the most recently discovered member of the gp130/IL-6 cytokine family which is produced mainly by activated Th2 cells. IL-31 was proved to play a crucial role in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as atopic dermatitis, asthma, cutaneous T cell lymphomas, Kawasaki disease and allergic rhinitis. Previous studies have identified that IL-31 could significantly induce the release of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6. Moreover, a large number of studies have shown that IL-6 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, up to date, no study to data was reported on the relationship between IL-31 and SLE. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the association between IL-31 polymorphisms and its serum levels with the risk of SLE in a Chinese population. We analyzed two single nucleotide polymorphisms of IL-31 gene rs7977932 C/G and rs4758680 G/T in 190 patients with SLE and 250 age- and sex-matched controls, using polymerase chain reaction-single base extension and DNA sequencing methods. Soluble IL-31 (sIL-31) levels were measured by ELISA. From this study, we found that there were significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of IL-31 gene rs7977932 C/G polymorphism between the group of patients with SLE and the control group (P

A series of Tb3+ and Eu3+ singly-doped and co-doped rod-like Lu2O2S phosphors have been synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method followed by a subsequent calcination process. The phosphors, with excellent dispersion and uniform rods, exhibit the characteristic Tb3+ or/and Eu3+ emissions with the strongest peaks located at 544 nm (green) and 626 nm (red), respectively. Moreover, the emission intensities of both Tb3+ and Eu3+ remarkably vary with increasing Eu3+ incorporation, and as a result, bright and tunable color emission can be realized in the single-phase Lu2O2S host by varying the ratio of Eu3+ to Tb3+ ions. In addition, the multicolor luminescence of Tb3+ and Eu3+ co-doped rod-like Lu2O2S phosphors can be readily achieved by changing the excitation wavelengths. The energy transfer from Tb3+ to Eu3+ ions in Lu2O2S was systematically investigated in detail. These results prove that the as-synthesized Lu2O2S nanorods are an excellent host for rare earth luminescence, and the Lu2O2S:Tb3+, Eu3+ nanorods with tunable multicolor luminescence properties may have potential applications in the fields of full-color displays, solid-state light and field emission displays.