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Summary Background Findings of retrospective studies suggest that sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation might reduce relapse in patients with FLT3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD) acute myeloid leukaemia undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. We investigated the efficacy and tolerability of sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation in this population. Methods We did an open-label, randomised phase 3 trial at seven hospitals in China. Eligible patients (aged 18–60 years) had FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukaemia, were undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation, had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–2, had composite complete remission before and after transplantation, and had haematopoietic recovery within 60 days post-transplantation. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to sorafenib maintenance (400 mg orally twice daily) or non-maintenance (control) at 30–60 days post-transplantation. Randomisation was done with permuted blocks (block size four) and implemented through an interactive web-based randomisation system. The primary endpoint was the 1-year cumulative incidence of relapse in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT02474290 ; the trial is complete. Findings Between June 20, 2015, and July 21, 2018, 202 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to sorafenib maintenance (n=100) or control (n=102). Median follow-up post-transplantation was 21·3 months (IQR 15·0–37·0). The 1-year cumulative incidence of relapse was 7·0% (95% CI 3·1–13·1) in the sorafenib group and 24·5% (16·6–33·2) in the control group (hazard ratio 0·25, 95% CI 0·11–0·57; p=0·0010). Within 210 days post-transplantation, the most common grade 3 and 4 adverse events were infections (25 [25%] of 100 patients in the sorafenib group vs 24 [24%] of 102 in the control group), acute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD; 23 [23%] of 100 vs 21 [21%] of 102), chronic GVHD (18 [18%] of 99 vs 17 [17%] of 99), and haematological toxicity (15 [15%] of 100 vs seven [7%] of 102). There were no treatment-related deaths. Interpretation Sorafenib maintenance post-transplantation can reduce relapse and is well tolerated in patients with FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukaemia undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. This strategy could be a suitable therapeutic option for patients with FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukaemia. Funding None.

The Oligocene Zhuhai Formation has been proven to be one of the main reservoirs in the Pearl River Mouth Basin in the northern South China Sea but its sedimentary provenance remains uncertain and controversial. Here we conducted a systematic study by U-Pb analysis of detrital zircon of the Zhuhai Formation in order to identify the source terrane, investigate the sedimentary source, and establish the framework for the provenance variation during the Oligocene. The study suggests that the detrital zircon in the different structural units reveal marked spatial differences in their age compositions that correlate with the changing sources. The western and eastern parts of the basin have a significantly different provenance manifested by the age compositions of the detrital sediments. The western basin generally has a relatively complex age spectrum and is characterized by a multi-peak distribution, suggesting that the main source was derived from the southern margin of the South China Block. In contrast, the eastern basin displays a dominant population ranging from 131 to 142 Ma, which implies that the sediments were mainly eroded from a nearby source. Our data demonstrate that the Cathaysia Block hinterland and the intrabasinal sources provided dominant provenance contributions to the Pearl River Mouth Basin during the Oligocene. Additionally, Hainan Island and Central Vietnam (eastern Indochina Block) do not appear to have been important sources, whereas Luzon Island and northern Palawan probably provided negligible contributions to the basin during the same time period.

Traditional rigid robotic arms have been widely used in various industries. They own the merits of high force output, precise control, and high efficiency. However, a rigid robotic arm is seldom used by people in daily life, as the cost is usually high and, most importantly, its rigidity, large weight, and noncompliance can cause safety concerns when it comes to human–robot interaction. Therefore, we want to build a robotic arm that is cheap, lightweight, and provides safe interaction with humans. This soft inflatable robotic arm, which is made from low-cost fabrics and flexible plastics, is a promising solution for a domestic robotic arm. The softness and natural compliance can guarantee safe interaction with people. In this letter, we present our soft robotic arm (SRA) made from nylon fabric. The SRA contains two joints that can bend the arm vertically and horizontally, and a gripper as an end-effector that can pick up objects of different shapes and sizes. The SRA has the advantages of low cost, good portability, and adequate force output. We characterized the bending modality and force output and demonstrated the functionality of the SRA in object manipulation. This fabric-based soft robotic arm is promising for use in assisting people's daily activities, for example, mounting on a wheelchair to enable a wheelchair bound person to reach objects from a distance.

Background: Intestinal herpesvirus disease remains one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). There is lack of useful methods for etiological diagnosis of intestinal herpesvirus diseases. Here, we evaluated the efficiency of detecting herpesvirus in feces samples via real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) for diagnosis of intestinal herpesvirus diseases after allo-HSCT. Methods: This was a multicenter, prospective study. Patients with refractory diarrhea after intestinal graft-versus-host diseases (GVHD) were enrolled in this study. Laboratory tests which consisted of morphologic examination, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and RQ-PCR of tissue homogenate were used to detect viral pathogens including cytomegalovirus (CMV), epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpes simplex virus (HSV)-I, HSV-II, varicella zoster virus (VZV), adenovirus (ADV) and human herpes virus (HHV)-6, HHV-7. These viruses aforementioned were also detected in feces and blood samples. Results: One hundred and seven patients with refractory diarrhea after intestinal GVHD were enrolled between January 2016 and December 2020. Based on the detection of viruses in biopsy specimens, 75 patients were diagnosed as intestinal infectious diseases including 64 accompanying with intestinal GVHD. CMV was the most frequent pathogen of intestinal infectious diseases (53.8%), followed by EBV (36.5%), bacteria (3.4%) and others (6.3%). For diagnosis of intestinal CMV diseases, the sensitivity and specificity of RQ-PCR in feces samples were better than those of blood (sensitivity: 96.9% v.s. 72.5%, p=0.004; specificity: 93.6% v.s. 75.8%, p=0.035). Similarly, the sensitivity of RQ-PCR in feces and blood samples were 88.2% and 21.9% (p Conclusion: Intestinal infectious diseases were one of the main causes of refractory diarrhea after intestinal GVHD. Herpesviruses, especially CMV and EBV, were the most common pathogens. Herpesvirus-DNA detection by RQ-PCR in feces samples was a useful diagnostic method for intestinal herpesviruses diseases. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

South China is located in a key area of East Gondwana. The volcanic rocks in the unambiguous tectonic setting of Hainan Island were systematically studied based on detailed field, petrological, geochemical, and U Pb zircon geochronological data. The petrology and geochemistry reveal three types of volcanic rocks, i.e., andesites, N-MORB-type metabasalts, and E-MORB-type metabasalts. Their eruption ages are well defined between 446 and 430 Ma. The andesite is characterized by negative Nb, Ta, and Eu anomalies and positive Th and U anomalies. The E-MORB-type metabasalt is characterized by Rb, Ba and Sr depletions, slight Nb and Ta enrichments, and negative Eu anomalies. The N-MORB-type metabasalt has more depleted trace element compositions and is generally enriched in Rb, Ba, and Sr; depleted in Nb and Ta; and it does not exhibit significant Eu anomalies. The whole rock Sr Nd isotopic analyses show that the andesites, N-MORB-type metabasalts, and E-MORB-type metabasalts have eNd(t) values of −0.2 to −3.6, +3.7 to +6.8, and + 5.5 to +6.7, respectively. These results suggest that their formation is closely related to the subduction of Proto-Tethyan oceanic crust. These detailed descriptions of the Early Paleozoic volcanic rocks on Hainan Island indicate that South China was likely the eastern extension of the Proto-Tethyan margin and was located on the easternmost periphery of East Gondwana.

Herein, ten types of lactic acid-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with differently structured hydrogen bond acceptors (HBAs) were used for corn stover pretreatment. Among the tested DESs, those composed of HBAs with short alkyl chain were more effective to remove lignin and xylan, resulting in higher enzymatic digestion of the pretreated solids than their counterparts with long alky chain. Also, functional groups of HBAs demonstrated significant effects on biomass deconstruction. In order to interpret the different pretreatment performance of the tested DESs, Kamlet-Taft solvent polarity parameters of the tested DESs were correlated to their lignocellulose pretreatment performance. It was found that hydrogen bond acidity (Kamlet-Taft α parameter) had strong positive relationships with pretreatment efficacy of the studied DESs. These findings not only clarified the structure–property-performance relationships of the DESs, but also provided novel insights into design and selection of DESs for lignocellulose pretreatment.

This letter presents a fully fabric-based bidirectional soft robotic glove designed to assist hand impaired patients in rehabilitation exercises and performing activities of daily living. The glove provides both active finger flexion and extension for hand assistance and rehabilitative training, through its embedded fabric-based actuators that are fabricated by heat press and ultrasonic welding of flexible thermoplastic polyurethane-coated fabrics. Compared to previous developed elastomeric-based actuators, the actuators are able to achieve smaller bend radius and generate sufficient force and torque to assist in both finger flexion and extension at lower air pressure. In this letter, experiments were conducted to characterize the performances of the glove in terms of its kinematic and grip strength assistances on five healthy participants. Additionally, we present a graphical-user interface that allows user to choose the desired rehabilitation exercises and control modes, which include button-controlled-assistive mode, cyclic movement training, intention-driven task-specific training, and bilateral rehabilitation training.

Silicone-based bending soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) have been very popular, since they provide solutions to many applications that require comfort and safety. However, their further utilization seems to be thwarted due to their limited force output. Force output can be the most important property for various SPAs, especially in assistive devices. Focusing on the SPA force application, this letter elaborates the yielding and buckling issues of the bending SPAs and introduces a novel perspective toward the understanding of these issues. Furthermore, we proposed a revised force measurement method and tested the force outputs of the newly designed bending SPAs of different materials and lengths. The results showed that the material and length are among the key factors that influence the instability occurrence. This letter, as our initial step toward the development of instability theory of different SPAs, can help the soft robot engineers to design force-robust soft actuators for different applications.

Background: Relapse is a major cause of treatment-failure in patients with Philadelphia-chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ALL) undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Whether tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) used post-transplantation could reduce relapse remains controversial. In this study, a new pre-emptive strategy post-transplantation based on BCR/ABL monitoring was compared with prophylactic strategy for preventing relapse. Methods: One hundred and sixty-seven patients were enrolled in this study, including 103 in pre-emptive and 64 in prophylactic groups. The pre-emptive strategy was based on molecular monitoring of BCR/ABL levels and BCR/ABL mutations, and donor lymphocyte infusion was recommended in those who were not responsive to TKIs. The prophylactic TKIs strategy was based on TKI treatment pre-transplantation. The primary endpoint was relapse. Findings: The 3-year cumulative incidence of relapse post-transplantation was 11% and 34% in pre-emptive and prophylactic groups, respectively (P=0.000). The 3-year cumulative overall survival (OS) were 87% and 64% (P=0.000), and LFS were 83% and 58% (P=0.000), respectively, in pre-emptive and prophylactic groups. Multivariate analysis showed that pre-emptive strategy was the predictive factor for relapse, OS and LFS (all P=0.000). Interpretation: Our data suggests that this new pre-emptive strategy based on BCR/ABL monitoring could reduce relapse and improve overall survival for Ph+ALL patients undergoing allo-HCT compared with prophylactic TKIs. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.Gov Identifier (NCT01883219). Funding Statement: This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Programme of China (Grant No.2017YFA105500, 2017YFA105504), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81770190, 81700176, 81500149, 81401315), Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province (2019B020236004), Project of the Zhujiang Science and Technology Star of Guangzhou City (No.201806010029), the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou City (201707010213), and the Clinical Research Project of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University (LC2016ZD009). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The protocol was reviewed and approved by the institutional review board of each of the participating centers and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Patients provided written consent before entering the study.

In this paper, a fabric-based wearable soft robotic limb (SRL) is presented. It can be worn on the user’s body to potentially assist with activities of daily living. This SRL can perform a bidirectional bending motion by inflating the pneumatic bending actuators. The end effector, which is a fabric-based soft gripper, can pick up small objects in daily life. The SRL is pneumatically actuated, and its bending motion and payload capability were characterized. All the actuation and control systems are integrated in a portable control box. The SRL can be voice-controlled using an Android-based voice recognition mobile application. We expect the SRL to be a promising wearable tool that can assist the user in managing simple activities in daily living, while allowing the user’s natural human hands to work on more complex tasks.

Severe aplastic anemia (SAA) is a serious bone marrow failure disorder that is often cured with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The absence of a matched related donor is common, however, and thus novel approaches are needed to safely expand the donor pool to include alternative donors, especially haploidentical related donors, for patients with SAA. This study aimed to explore a novel approach to HSCT for patients with SAA without an available HLA-identical sibling or a matched unrelated donor, termed haploidentical peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (haplo-PBSCT), using a conditioning regimen comprising cyclophosphamide, busulfan, and fludarabine (CBF) and a graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis regimen with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy), low-dose methotrexate (LD-MTX), and calcineurin inhibitors. This prospectively designed nonrandomized study included 29 patients with SAA who underwent haplo-PBSCT between November 2017 and May 2020. The median patient age was 17 years (range, 14 to 30 years), and the median time to neutrophil recovery was 13 days (range, 13 to 15 days). There was 1 primary graft failure (GF) in the group receiving PTCy at a dose of 50 mg/kg and no GFs in the group receiving PTCy at a dose of 100 mg/kg. The median duration of follow-up was 736 days (95% confidence interval, 512 to 879 days). The estimated 1-year overall survival and disease-free survival were 91.7 ± 5.7% and 89.7 ± 5.7%, respectively. Only 1 of the 27 patients developed grade II acute GVHD. Four patients developed limited and mild chronic GVHD, involving only the skin or/and oral mucosa. Haplo-PBSCT following CBF and followed by PTCy and LD-MTX represents a novel approach for safely expanding the donor pool to include alternative donors for young patients with SAA.

The recent developments of soft robots have inspired a variety of applications that require compliance for safety and softness for biomimetics. With such prevalence and advantages of soft robots, researchers are diverting their interests toward applications like micromanipulation of biological tissue. However, the progress has been thwarted by the difficulty in producing soft robots in miniature scale. In this paper, we present a new kind of microscale soft pneumatic actuators (SPA) made from streamlined and standardized fabrication procedure with customizable bending modalities inspired by shape engineering. Preliminary mathematical models are given to interpret width-based shape engineering for customization and to compare the bending angle and radius of curvature measured from the characterization experiments. The fabricated SPA was tested on the sciatic nerve of a rat in order to show its future potentials in biomedical field. Ultimately, this paper will contribute to the diversification of SPA fabrication and customization, as well as biomedical applications that demand smaller dimensions and higher precision.

The Xitieshan deposit (~ 64 Mt at 4.86% Zn, 4.16% Pb, 58 g/t Ag, and 0.68 g/t Au) is hosted by the Middle to Late Ordovician Tanjianshan Group of the North Qaidam tectonic metallogenic belt, NW China. This belt is characterized by island arc volcanic, ultra-high pressure (UHP) metamorphic and ophiolitic rocks. The Tanjianshan Group constitutes a succession of metamorphosed bimodal volcanic and sedimentary rocks, which are interpreted to have formed on the margin of a back-arc ocean basin between the Qaidam block and the Qilian block. Four stratigraphic units are identified within the Ordovician Tanjianshan Group. From northeast to southwest they are: 1) unit a, or the lower volcanic-sedimentary rocks, comprising bimodal volcanic rocks (unit a-1) and sedimentary rocks (unit a-2) ranging from carbonates to black carbonaceous schist; 2) unit b, or intermediate-mafic volcaniclastic rocks, characterized by intermediate to mafic volcaniclastic rocks intercalated with lamellar carbonaceous schist and minor marble lenses; 3) unit c, a purplish red sandy conglomerate that unconformably overlies unit b, representing the product of the foreland basin sedimentation during the Early Silurian; 4) unit d, or mafic volcanic rocks, from base to up, comprising the lower mafic volcaniclastic rocks (unit d-1), middle clastic sedimentary rocks (unit d-2), upper mafic volcaniclastic rocks (unit d-3), and uppermost mafic volcanic rocks (unit d-4). Unit a-2 hosts most of the massive sulfides whereas unit b contains subordinate amounts. The massive stratiform lenses constitute most of the Xitieshan deposit with significant amount of semi-massive and irregularly-shaped sulfides and minor amounts in stringer veins. Pyrite, galena and sphalerite are the dominant sulfide minerals, with subordinate pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite. Quartz is a dominant gangue mineral. Sericite, quartz, chlorite, and carbonate alteration of host rocks accompanies the mineralization. U-Pb zircon geochronology yields three ages of 454 Ma, 452 Ma and 451 Ma for the footwall felsic volcanic rocks in unit a-1, sedimentary host rocks in unit a-2 and hanging-wall unit b, respectively. The Xitieshan deposit is considered to be coeval with the sedimentation of unit a-2 and unit b of the Tanjianshan Group. The Xitieshan deposit has been intensely deformed during two phases (main ductile shear and minor ductile-brittle deformation). The main ductile shear deformation controls the general strike of the ore zones, whereas minor deformation controls the internal geometry of the ore bodies. 40 Ar- 39 Ar age of muscovite from mylonitized granitic gneisses in the ductile shear zone is ~ 399 Ma, which is interpreted to date the Xitieshan ductile shear zone, suggesting that Early Devonian metamorphism and deformation post-dated the Tanjianshan Group. The Xitieshan deposit has many features similar to that of the Bathurst district of Canada, the Iberian Pyrite Belt of Spain, the Wolverine volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit in Canada. Based on its tectonic setting, host-rock types, local geologic setting, metal grades, geochronology, temperatures and salinities of mineralizing fluid and source of sulfur, the Xitieshan deposit has features similar to sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) and VMS deposits and is similar to volcanic and sediment-hosted massive sulfide (VSHMS) deposits.

Flexible robotic manipulators have been widely used in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and many other applications requiring closer inspection and operation. Although a variety of manipulators enabled by different mechanism have been developed, few of them can preserve softness, thinness, and decent bending capability simultaneously. In this letter, we present a miniature soft robotic manipulator made of hyper-elastic silicone rubber. Along with the manipulator design, two novel fabrication methods are proposed and elaborated. Detailed characterizations are specified to show the bending capability of the manipulator given different air pressure. Specifically, our manipulator, as thin as 6 mm, is able to achieve 360° directional bending, and, when given pressure over 70 kPa, it can reach 180° bending angle and around 5 mm bending radius easily. Due to its innate compliance and small dimension, this type of robotic manipulator can deliver safe and comfortable interactions with the subjects. More significantly, the novel fabrications in this letter diversify the fabrication methods for soft pneumatic robots and actuators (SPRA) and further scale down their sizes.

In situ U–Pb geochronology, Lu–Hf isotopes and REE geochemical analyses of detrital zircons from Cambrian–Devonian sandstones in the Truong Son Belt, central Vietnam, are used to provide the information of provenance and tectonic evolution of the Indochina Block. The combined detrital zircon age spectra of all of the samples ranges from 3699 Ma to 443 Ma and shows with dominant age peaks at ca. 445 Ma and 964 Ma, along with a number of age populations at 618–532 Ma, 1160–1076 Ma, 1454 Ma, 1728 Ma and 2516 Ma. The zircon age populations are similar to those from time equivalent sedimentary sequences in continental blocks disintegrated from the East Gondwana during the Phanerozoic. The younger zircon grains with age peaks at ca. 445 Ma were apparently derived from middle Ordovician–Silurian igneous and metamorphic rocks in Indochina. Zircons with ages older than about 600 Ma were derived from other Gondwana terrains or recycled from the Precambrian basement of the Indochina Block. Similarities in the detrital zircon U–Pb ages suggest that Paleozoic strata in the Indochina, Yangtze, Cathaysia and Tethyan Himalayas has similar provenance. This is consistent with other geological constrains indicating that the Indochina Block was located close to Tethyan Himalaya, northern margin of the India, and northwestern Australia in Gondwana.

The affinity and tectonic setting of the Qinfang basin have long been an enigma. Here we conduct detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotope analysis of Lower-Middle Devonian to Middle Jurassic samples from the basin. Along with published age data and paleontology from the basin and its east and west sides, this study constrains the sediment provenance and tectonic setting of the basin. Sandstones of Devonian-Jurassic exhibit an age distribution with major age groups at 2700–2300 Ma (absence for Jurassic), 1200–800 Ma, 600–400 Ma, and 334–246 Ma (for Jurassic alone). Zircons (peak ~2500 Ma) were sourced from the Yangtze block, while ~1200–800 Ma grains may originate from the Yunkai massif and Jiangnan orogen. ~600–400 Ma zircons came from Yunkai massif and/or Cambrian to Silurian sediments in the basin. Carboniferous-Early Triassic (334–246 Ma) zircons were probably supplied by an older sequence in the Great Youjiang basin and the Darongshan-Shiwandashan igneous rocks. The Qinfang basin and its two sides are considered to share a common East Gondwana source in Silurian. The similarity in age spectra between Silurian-Devonian samples in the basin and Ailaoshan belt suggests that the basin is a remnant of the Paleo-Tethyan (Ailaoshan) Ocean. However, the distinct age distribution between the basin and Indochina block shows that the basin is not a part of the Indochina block. By Middle Jurassic following the final closure of the Ailaoshan Ocean in the Late Triassic, the adjacent western area may be still tectonically active, thereby feeding the basin with detritus of Early Permian.

Sediment provenance studies have become a major theme for source-to-sink systems and provide an important tool for assessing paleogeographic reconstruction, characterizing the depositional system, and predicting reservoir quality. The lower Miocene is an important stratigraphic unit for deciphering sediment evolution in the continental shelf of the northwestern South China Sea, but the provenance characteristics of this strata remain unclear. In this study, detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and Lu-Hf isotopes from the lower Miocene Sanya Formation in the Yinggehai-Song Hong Basin were examined to study the provenance and its variation in the early Miocene. U-Pb dating of detrital zircons yielded ages ranging from Archean to Cenozoic (3313 to 39 Ma) and displayed age distributions with multiple peaks and a wide range of &epsilon, Hf(t) values (from &minus, 27.2 to +8.5). Multi-proxy sediment provenance analysis indicates that the Red River system was the major source for the sediments in the northern basin, with additional contribution from central Vietnam, and the Hainan played the most important role in contributing detritus to the eastern margin of the basin in the middle Miocene. This paper highlights the provenance of early Miocene sediments and contributes to paleogeographic reconstruction and reservoir evaluation.

The phenolic substances in sugar cane juice affect the color value of white sugar. A magnetic chitosan-modified-diatomite (MCMD), as a new type of clarifying agent for sugar, prepared via a co-precipitation method combined with cross-linking treatment was firstly used to adsorb two primary phenolic acids of sugarcane juice: gallic acid (GA) and caffeic acid (CA). The maximum adsorption capacities for GA and CA by MCMD were 31.949 mg g–1 and 27.640 mg g–1, respectively. Additionally, our results showed that adsorption of GA and CA on MCMD fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir equation, respectively. The adsorption, a physical spontaneous endothermic process, might have involved electrostatic attraction and micropore filling. Importantly, MCMD has good regenerability and achieves better sulfur-free clarification of sugar cane juice and improves more significantly the food safety of white sugar than the traditional decolorization method.

The effects of microencapsulation of Enterococcus faecalis on the growth performance, antioxidant activity, immune function, and cecal microbiota in broilers were investigated. Broilers (1-day-old) were assigned randomly as follows: 5 treatments, 5 replicate pens per treatment, and 20 broilers per pen. Treatments included (1) a basal diet (CON), (2) CON + Aureomycin (1 g/kg of diet) (ANT), (3) CON + free non-encapsulated probiotics (1 × 10(9) cfu/kg of diet) (FREE), (4) CON + pro-encapsulated probiotics (1 × 10(9) cfu/kg of diet) (PRO), and (5) CON + pre-encapsulated probiotics (1 × 10(9) cfu/kg of diet) (PRE). Feedings included starter (1 to 21 d) and grower (21 to 42 d) phases. In the starter phase, the ANT and the PRE groups had greater (P < 0.05) ADG than the CON groups, and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) for these 2 groups was decreased (P < 0.05). In the finisher phase, the PRE and PRO groups had greater (P < 0.05) ADG than the CON group and their FCR was decreased significantly (P < 0.05). During the entire feeding period, only the PRE group showed greater (P < 0.05) ADG and lower (P < 0.05) FCR. On day 21, only birds in the PRE group had greater (P < 0.05) total antioxidant capacity and number of Lactobacillus than the CON group. On day 42, The PRE group showed greater (P < 0.05) superoxide dismutase than the CON group. Serum IgA and IgM concentrations were increased (P < 0.05) in the PRE group. Serum IL-6 in the PRE group was greater (P < 0.05) than in the other groups with the exception of ANT. At the phylum level, Firmicutes was enriched (P < 0.05) and Proteobacteria was depleted (P < 0.05) only in the PRE group. At the genus level, only the PRE diets increased (P < 0.05) the number of both Lactobacillus and Enterococcus. The results indicate that pre-encapsulation assists the efficient functioning of probiotics in broilers.

The NE Jiangxi ophiolite in the eastern Jiangnan Orogen is a tectonic melange that mainly consists of individual tectonic blocks comprising pyroxenite, gabbro, basalt, diorite, granite and chert in a matrix of serpentinite or tuffaceous greywacke. A combined geochemical and geochronological study of the NE Jiangxi ophiolite was undertaken to constrain the timing and tectonic setting of its formation. The basalts were geochemically subdivided into three groups with different FeOt and TiO2 contents. Group 1 basalts have the lowest FeOt (12.17–13.07 wt.%) and TiO2 (1.48–1.62 wt.%) contents and the lowest Nb/Yb (0.80–0.88) and Th/Nb (0.02–0.03) ratios. Furthermore, they have normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (N-MORB)-like trace element patterns, suggesting derivation from an N-MORB-type mantle source without subduction input. Group 2 Fe–Ti basalts have the highest FeOt (15.52–16.30 wt.%) and TiO2 (3.06–3.23 wt.%) contents, Nb/Yb and Th/Nb ratios from 1.75 to 1.89 and from 0.11 to 0.15, respectively, and trace element patterns similar to those of back-arc basin basalts. The geochemical characteristics suggest that Group 2 basalts were derived from a slightly enriched MORB-type mantle source with a minor subduction contribution. In contrast, Group 3 Fe–Ti basalts have moderate FeOt (12.98–13.40 wt.%) and TiO2 (2.37–2.71 wt.%) contents, and Nb/Yb and Th/Nb ratios from 1.28 to 1.45 and from 0.27 to 0.30, respectively. These basalts further display markedly negative Nb–Ta anomalies and show a geochemical affinity to island-arc basalts (IAB), indicating a slightly enriched MORB-type mantle source that was significantly influenced by subduction-derived fluids and/or melts. SIMS zircon U–Pb dating on gabbros gave ages of 995 ± 22 Ma and 993 ± 12 Ma, which are interpreted as the formation age of the NE Jiangxi ophiolite. Positive zircon eHf(t) (+ 8.8 to + 13.8) values for the gabbros and whole-rock eNd(t) (+ 5.5 to + 6.6) values for the basalts indicate that the NE Jiangxi ophiolite originated from an isotopically homogeneous depleted mantle source. The diversity of MORB- to IAB-like basalts and the presence of Fe–Ti basalts favor a formation of the NE Jiangxi ophiolite during the initial rifting phase of an intra-oceanic back-arc basin between an oceanic arc (Huaiyu Terrane) and the continental margin of the Yangtze Block (Jiuling Terrane) at ca. 990 Ma. Both the present and previous studies imply that multiple arc–back-arc systems formed during long-lasting subduction–accretion processes between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks during the early Neoproterozoic.

Petrological, geochemical and in-situ zircon U–Pb dating and Hf-isotope analyses have been carried out on a suite of basalt–andesite–rhyolite volcanic rocks exposed in the Liuluocun area, Hainan Island, SE China. Zircon analyses show that these volcanic rocks crystallized in the Early Cretaceous (ca. 102 Ma). The basalts are characterized by low MgO contents and mg-numbers but high rare earth element, high field strength element and large ion lithophile element contents and Nb–Ta negative anomalies. They have relatively uniform Sr–Nd isotope compositions with e Nd (t) values of − 4.09 to − 3.63. The andesites show enrichment of high field strength element and rare earth element with negligible Eu anomalies. They have e Nd (t) values of − 2.35 to − 3.88 and e Hf (t) values of − 9.73 to − 1.13. The rhyolites have high K 2 O and SiO 2 contents. They are characterized by prominent Eu, P and Ti negative anomalies and enrichment in large ion lithophile element, and show e Hf (t) values of − 7.51 to + 0.47 and e Nd (t) values of − 2.49 to − 2.69. Petrogenetic analysis indicates that the Liuluocun volcanic rocks were produced by incomplete reaction of the mantle wedge peridotite with felsic melts derived from partial melting of subducted sediment. All these characteristics, combined with geological observations, suggest that their formation was related to regional lithospheric extension in the South China Craton during the Early Cretaceous, which may have been caused by subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate beneath the continental plate of China.

Although a minimum of four independent, single-phase fault data are required to solve for a unique reduced stress tensor, we prove in this paper that a smaller number of fault data are sufficient in some instances to solve for part of the reduced stress tensor. One of the principal stress directions is determinable from either two faults with a common null shear direction on the fault planes or three faults with a common intersection in a principal stress plane of the fault planes. This direction is combined with the fault data to determine the possible ranges of other principal stress directions. Determining whether the direction is for the maximum, intermediate or minimum principal stress depends upon constraints provided by slip tendency or more fault data. This approach can also be applied to a set of four or more fault data with low orientation diversity. This new method is finally applied to two different sets of fault data from along the active Chelungpu fault, western Taiwan. The stress orientations determined from the method lie in acceptable ranges for the maximum/minimum principal stresses using other existing and comparable methods, such as the right dihedra/trihedra methods. They differ moderately in the maximum/minimum principal stress directions when compared to the moment tensor method for fault kinematic analysis. The new method has advantages over the right dihedra/trihedra methods in the accuracy of stress estimate and the independence of stress estimate upon the small number of faults that are not parallel to the dominant fault set(s).

Neoproterozoic granitic rocks in the Dakendaban Group are widely distributed throughout the Xitieshan area as the old basement in North Qaidam, NW China. The granitic rocks are composed predominantly of K-feldspar, plagioclase, quartz, muscovite and biotite, with subordinate zircon, garnet, titanite and sillimanite. Two granitic rock samples yielded ages of 930 ± 6 Ma and 918 ± 6 Ma using LA-ICPMS zircon U–Pb dating, which are interpreted as the protolith formation age of the granitic rocks, and reflecting an important Neoproterozoic magmatic event in the Xitieshan area. Geochemical data suggest that the granitic rocks are characterized by high SiO2, K2O, and CaO/Na2O ratios (0.48–1.04), with LREE enrichment and strong Eu negative anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.44–0.51), and negative anomalies of Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr, and Hf. These rocks have consistent Nd isotope compositions with ɛNd(t) values ranging from −4.83 to −4.27, while the sample 2011ZJ18-3 yielded the negative ɛHf(t) values ranging from −6.7 to −1.3, and tDM2(Hf) model ages ranging from 1.9 to 2.2 Ga. These geochemical and zircon Lu–Hf isotopic features suggest that the granitic rocks in the Xitieshan area belong to the S-type granite, which were mainly derived from the partial melting of the Paleoproterozoic continental crust material (1.9–2.2 Ga) that were predominantly composed of metagreywackes and subordinate metapelitic sources. Based on the regional tectonic reconstruction, we propose that the studied rocks occurred as syn-orogeny on an active continental margin in a compressional environment, which resulted from the Neoproterozoic arc-continent collision and subsequently continent–continent collision, leading to the significant continental growth. The Early Neoproterozoic tectonothermal event in North Qaidam shares many affinities with that of the Tarim block and South China block (Yangtze block) that were associated with the final consolidation of block at the Jinning orogeny, showing an agreement with the formation of Rodinia. The Early Neoproterozoic S-type granitic magmatism in NW China, including the Qaidam and adjacent blocks, is an important episode of continental crust reworking.

Integrated in situ U–Pb dating and Hf-isotope analysis on detrital zircons from six sandstone samples from Hainan Island have been used to identify clastic sedimentary provenances, regional magmatic activity and crustal evolution processes. Four samples (2011XL-1, 2011JB-1, 09HN54 and 2011GB-1) are from previous mapped Silurian strata and the other two samples (2011TD-1 and 09HN39) belong to Ordovician and Cambrian strata, respectively. A total of 463 concordant U–Pb zircon analyses of the six samples define five major age populations: 2598–2320 Ma (a peak of 2480 Ma), 1944–1606 Ma (peak-1750 Ma), 1600–1406 Ma (peak-1502 Ma), 1288–902 Ma (peak-957 Ma), 470–427 Ma (peak-442 Ma) and two subordinate populations at 898–710 Ma (peak-730 Ma) and 618–513 Ma (peak-578 Ma). The combination of age peaks within the samples provide a record of igneous activity in the source region: the 2480 Ma peak is consistent with those ages reported for Neoarchean global continental growth; the 1944–1606 Ma population correlates with the time of assembly of the supercontinent Nuna (Columbia); the 1502 Ma peak with documented magmatic activity on Hainan Island; and the 1288–902 Ma and 898–710 Ma populations with global tectonothermal activity associated with assembly and breakup of Rodinia. Our data also reveal a 618–513 Ma population that may relate with the assembly of Gondwana. The distinctive age peak at 442 Ma indicates input from a region affected by the Kwangsian orogeny. The combined ages and Hf-isotope data for each population suggest that generation of juvenile crust occurred at 1900–1400 Ma, 940–740 Ma and 470–430 Ma. Most of the other age populations that display negative e Hf (t) values suggest reworking of older crust.

Zircon U–Pb geochronological, geochemical and petrological analyses have been carried out on the Xitian granite emplaced in the middle part of Shi-Hang zone, which is closely related to the economically important Xitian tungsten–tin deposit in Hunan Province, Southeast China. LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating of two representative samples yielded weighted means 206 Pb/ 238 U age of 151.7 ± 1.2 Ma and 151.8 ± 1.4 Ma. These granites are comprised mainly of K-feldspar, quartz, plagioclase, Fe-rich biotite and minor fluorite, and are characterized by enrichments in Rb, Th, REEs (total REE = 159–351 ppm), and HFSEs (e.g., Zr and Y) but depletions in Ba, Sr, P, Eu and Ti. They are metaluminous to weakly peraluminous and show a clear A-type granite geochemical signature with high SiO 2 (73.44–78.45 wt.%), total alkalis (Na 2 O + K 2 O = 2.89–8.98 wt.%), Fe 2 O 3 ∗ /MgO ratios and low P 2 O 5 , CaO, MgO and TiO 2 contents. In-situ zircon Hf isotope analysis suggests their e Hf ( t ) values ranging from –7.43 to –14.69. Sr–Nd isotope data show their e Nd ( t ) values in the range of –9.2 to –7.3, with corresponding T DM2 ages of 1.72–1.56 Ga. These characteristics indicate that the Xitian granite originated from partial melting of metamorphic basement rocks with a certain amount of mantle-derived materials. Combined with previous geochemical and isotopic data, it is derived that mantle–crust interaction was gradually enhanced from the early to late stages of magmatism. The ore-forming materials and fluids of the Xitian W–Sn deposit are mainly produced by the Early Yanshanian granitic magmatism, which is also responsible for the Late Jurassic (ca. 152 Ma) A-type granitic rocks that host the W–Sn polymetallic deposits distributed along the Shi-Hang zone, implying a significant Mesozoic extensional event in Southeast China likely caused by the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate.

Understanding the provenance of the reservoir in a sedimentary basin is of great importance in hydrocarbon exploration and production. The Yinggehai-Song Hong Basin is one of the most important Cenozoic petroliferous basins in the South China Sea. To better understand the provenance characteristics of the Upper Miocene Huangliu Formation (Tortonian-Messinian) on the eastern margin of the basin and test the influence of uplift of the Tibetan Plateau in the South China Sea, 172 single zircons from two sandstone samples in the Lingtou gas field were dated by U–Pb chronometer, and 54 of these grains were spot analyzed for Hf isotopes. The results indicate that the upper member of the Huangliu Formation in this gas field shows two major peaks of U–Pb ages at ca. 250 Ma and ca. 432 Ma, along with four subordinate peaks at ca. 757 Ma, ca. 1926 Ma, ca. 2529 Ma and ca. 2775 Ma. The initial Hf isotope ratios [eHf (t)] of these zircons are negative to positive for each age group, suggesting that existing crustal materials were mixing with new mantle melts in some magmatic episodes. In contrast, the lower member of the Huangliu Formation show two major age peaks at ca. 98 Ma and 248 Ma, with a subordinate peak at ca. 1453 Ma. The eHf(t) values are concentrated between −11.6 and −3.4, revealing that they were derived from older crust. Comparing with the source characteristics of tectonic units surrounding the basin, the source of the upper member in the gas field was mainly from the southern Yangtze Block, whereas the lower member was derived from the Hainan Uplift. Together with the change of climate and sedimentation rate after 10 Ma on the northern margin of the South China Sea, we attribute the provenance change to the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau at the same time.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of sorafenib on the outcomes of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3)-internal tandem duplication (ITD) undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).A total of 144 patients with FLT3-ITD AML undergoing allo-HSCT between January 2012 and December 2015 were enrolled in this study. Depending on whether they were receiving sorafenib before transplantation or sorafenib maintenance after transplantation, patients were divided into 4 groups: patients receiving sorafenib before transplantation (group A; n = 36), patients receiving sorafenib after transplantation (group B; n = 32), patients receiving sorafenib both before and after transplantation (group C; n = 26), and patients receiving sorafenib neither before nor after transplantation (group D; n = 50). Outcomes were compared among these groups.The 3-year relapse rates were 22.2%, 18.8%, 15.8%, and 46.1% for groups A, B, C, and D, respectively (P = .006). The 3-year overall survival (OS) rates were 74.9%, 78.1%, 84.6%, and 50.9%, respectively (P = .023), and the 3-year leukemia-free survival (LFS) rates were 69.4%, 78.1%, 80.4%, and 34.8%, respectively (P.001). The relapse rate was higher and the LFS was shorter in group D versus groups A, B, and C. The OS in group D was shorter than the OS in group C but was similar to the OS in groups A and B. A multivariate analysis revealed that sorafenib before transplantation, sorafenib maintenance after transplantation, and their combined application were protective factors for a lower relapse rate (hazard ratios [HRs], 0.436 [P = .048], 0.431 [P = .046], and 0.173 [P = .002], respectively) and longer LFS (HRs, 0.322 [P = .010], 0.343 [P = .014], and 0.187 [P = .001], respectively).Sorafenib before transplantation, sorafenib maintenance after transplantation, and their combined application all could improve the outcomes for patients with FLT3-ITD AML. Further study is needed to determine whether the use of sorafenib both before and after transplantation might be ideal. Cancer 2018;124:1954-63. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Wearable robots are playing a more and more important role in our daily lives with their direct physical support to human body. However, there are limitation and risks of using conventional robotic technology in wearable robot. Alternatively, soft robot technology has been applied to make wearable devices for various purposes. In this paper, we propose a novel soft inflatable robotic arm made entirely from TPU-coated fabric. A new bending mechanism, arm design and fabrication method are elaborated in detail. The preliminary characterization experiments were implemented and the results show that the arm can achieve 150° bidirectional bending, and the gripper can lift object as heavy as 1.6kg. The current prototype with its decent motion performance, force output, and remarkable portability can be integrated into wearable robotics in the future to provide supports to human in many tasks.

Soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs), as novel types of motion drivers for robotic devices, excel in many applications, such as rehabilitation and biomimicry, which demand compliance and softness. To further expand their scope of utilization, the SPAs should be customizable to meet the distinctive requirements of different applications. This article proposes a novel perspective on the SPA working mechanism based on stiffness distribution and then presents a versatile method called stiffness customization and patterning (SCP) for SPA body stiffness layout as a novel attempt to customize SPAs with distinctive properties. We fabricated a hybrid type of material combining unstretchable material and silicone with customizable aggregated elasticity. The tensile results showed that embedding unstretchable material directly increases the stiffness of the hybrid material sample, and our stress-strain model for SCP is able to adequately predict the elasticity of hybrid samples with specific material ratios. By applying this approach to bending-type SPAs, we are able to mitigate SPA buckling, a main failure mode of SPAs, and improve the SPA tip force by using hybrid material with globally increased stiffness. We also diversify bending modalities with different stiffness configurations in the hybrid material. SCP offers numerous ways to engineer SPAs for more applications.

Soft compliant gripping is a promising way to protect soft tissues from the grip damage caused by the high stress points in delicate surgical manipulation. In this paper, a new soft robotic gripper is designed to minimize the risk of soft tissues damage due to the over-gripping force generated by the conventional forceps. This new soft robotic gripper consists of a 3D-printed hook retractor shell, a soft inflatable actuator and two small rods. The ability of compliant grip is achieved by the inflated soft pneumatic actuator. Two small rods are used to separate the inflatable actuator into three-fingers-like bloats which can firmly grip the soft tissues by multi-contacts between the tissues and the gripper when the air pressure is applied to the pneumatic channel. In addition, it can protect the tissues against the harmful contacts with the rigid shell. The hook structure allows scooping-up motion during delicate surgical manipulation. The gripping tests and pulling force sensing experiments are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed soft robotic gripper.

The Yinggehai-Song Hong (Y-SH) Basin, located on the northwestern shelf of the South China Sea, is one of the world's largest pull-apart basins. In order to identify the provenance of the Upper Miocene to Quaternary sediments of the basin, ten sediment samples were collected from drill cores in the Dongfang gas field. U–Pb dating of detrital zircon grains extracted from the ten samples using a laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) yields ages ranging from the Archean to Cenozoic (2898 ± 46 Ma to 26 ± 1 Ma). The zircon U–Pb age spectra of the Upper Miocene to Quaternary show a similar pattern with major peaks clustered at ca. 32 Ma, ca. 99 Ma, ca. 160 Ma, ca. 247 Ma, ca. 422 Ma and three “broad” age groups, 600–1000 Ma, 1700–2100 Ma and 2200–2800 Ma, suggestive of a wide range of igneous rock ages in the source areas. The detrital zircon ages provide diagnostic criteria for identification of the various source areas and reveal that the detritus was derived from multiple sources. Comparison of the results with the rock types and their ages surrounding the potential source areas indicates that the clastic material was derived from three dominant age sources: (1) Yangtze Craton, (2) Hainan Island and (3) Indochina Block. The Yangtze Craton was a major and continuous source area contribution to the basin. Comparing the age characteristics and its source areas since 10 Ma, the largely stable provenance also suggests that if the Red River capture ever existed it should have happened before the Late Miocene.

GPS field and seismic data show that the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is tectonically and seismically active. This activity is due to the southeastward extrusion of the Chuandian fragment, a large crustal block rotating clockwise around the northeastern syntaxis of the Himalayas. The eastern boundary fault of this fragment is defined by the left-lateral Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault, which abruptly truncates the Sichuan basin of the Yangtze block. Our paper presents evidence indicating that the Sichuan basin experienced right-lateral shear along its margin, including the Longmen Shan fault belt, as shown by the presence of a large number of interference deformation features, including S-shaped and Z-shaped folds and faults, aligned in an en echelon pattern. This study hypothesizes that the Sichuan basin experienced counterclockwise rotation, dragged by the left-lateral movement along the Xianshuihe fault, and it is this rotation that was the underlying cause of the 12 May 2008 Wenchuan Ms 7.9 earthquake. During the rotation, the Sichuan basin decoupled along a subhorizontal decollement fault zone that developed along Triassic gypsum- and coal-bearing rocks, at a mean depth of ~5000 m, below which the Paleozoic rocks experienced much more intense deformation than the overlying Mesozoic rocks, suggesting that the lower part of the basin experienced a larger-scale rotation relative to the uppermost part of the basin. Based on thermal data from the western margin of the Sichuan basin and from along the Xianshuihe fault, the counterclockwise bending/rotation of the Sichuan basin initiated in late Cenozoic time (~13 Ma).

The Tanjianshan Group, which was previously divided into a, b, c and d formations, has been controversial for a long time. It mainly distributes in the northern margin of Qaidam Basin and is an important early Paleozoic greenschist facies metamorphic volcanic sedimentary rock formation. Detailed field investigation and zircon LA-ICPMS U-Pb dating of the key strata suggest that the original lower part of a Formation (a-1) versus the original middle upper of d Formation (d-3 and d-4), the original upper part of a Formation (a-2) and b Formation versus the original lower part of d Formation (d-1 and d-2) of Tanjianshan Group are contemporaneous heterotopic facies volcanicclasolite deposit, respectively. The former formations formed during the middle-late Ordovician (463–458 Ma), while the latter ones formed in the late Ordovician (about 445 Ma). The original c formation of Tanjianshan Group, which formed after 430 Ma, is similar to the Maoniushan Formation of Kunlun Mountains and north Qaidam Basin. According to the rules of stratigraphic division and naming, new stratum formations of Tanjianshan Group are re-built and divided into Duancenggou (O1–2td), Zhongjiangou (O2–3tz) and Xitieshan (O3tx) formations. The original c Formation is separated from Tanjianshan Group and is renamed as the Wuminggou Formation (S3-D1w), which shows a discordant contact with underlying Tanjianshan Group and overlying Amunike Formation (D3a). The zircon U-Pb age frequency spectrogram of Tanjianshan Group indicates three prominent peaks of 430 Ma, 460 Ma and 908 Ma, which is consistent with the metamorphic and magmatic crystallization ages obtained from para- and orthogneisses in north Qaidam HP-UHP metamorphic belt, implying that strong Caledonian and Jinningian tectonic and magmatic events have ever happened in North Qaidam.

Relapse is a major cause of treatment-failure in persons with Philadelphia-chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ALL) receiving an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant. There is controversy whether post-transplant tyrosine kinase-inhibitors (TKIs) reduces relapse risk. We evaluated a pre-emptive strategy in 103 subjects in a prospective study with prophylactic group as historical control. Subjects were tested for measurable residual disease (MRD) by assaying levels of BCRABL1 transcript. MRD was considered positive if the levels of BCRABL1 transcript were >=10-5. Subjects with positive MRD post-transplant received TKI-therapy. The chosen of TKIs was based on BCRABL1 mutation, and donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) was recommended in those who were not responsive to TKIs. The primary endpoint was relapse (including hematological relapse and central nervous system relapse). Twenty-three of 103 subjects were MRD-positive post-transplant. Seven of whom had BCRABL1 mutations including T315I (N=5). Pre-emptive therapy resulted in 21 subjects being MRD-test negative. The overall 3-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) post-transplantation was 11% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4, 17%) and 34% (22,1, 46.5%) in the pre-emptive and prophylactic maintain group (P=0.030). The 3-year cumulative survival and LFS post-transplants in the pre-emptive and prophylactic group were 87% (80, 94%) and 63% (51, 75%), and 83% (76, 91%) and 58% (46, 70%) (P=0.000 and P=0.000, respectively). The multivariate analysis showed that positive MRD pre-transplantation was the risk factor for relapse, LFS and survival [HRs=8.977(3.344, 24.096; P=0.000), HRs=4.763 (2.153, 10.538; P=0.000) and HRs=7.535 (2.977,19.071; P=0.000], while pre-emptive therapy was the protective factor for relapse, LFS and survival [HRs=0.176 (0.077, 0.339; P=0.000), HRs=0.222 (0.107, 0.462; P=0.000) and HRs=0.188 (0.082,0.43; P=0.000)]. Our data suggest a pre-emptive strategy based on MRD-test monitoring and mutation analyses might reduce CIR and improve survival after allotransplants for Ph+ALL (NCT 01883219). Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

A new inversion method is developed in this paper to estimate deviatoric stress tensors from a certain population of polyphase calcite twins. It is both to minimize the number of the common incompatible (twinned and untwinned) e-planes and to maximize the sum of the resolved shear stresses along the compatible twinned e-planes under each reduced stress. The genetic algorithm is employed to resolve this optimization problem. A series of two-phase, equally-mixed artificial datasets, generated under the prescribed stresses, were taken to demonstrate the feasibility of this method. Results indicate a strong tendency to have an increasing accuracy of reduced stress with the ascent of the prescribed maximum differential stress, the difference between the prescribed stresses, and the number of twinned calcite crystals, respectively. What is more, the maximum differential stress becomes sufficiently large to permit an accurate estimate of reduced stress, even though the prescribed stresses are intermediately similar to each other. However, the method assumes a constant critical resolved shear stress value to rescale the stress tensors, and does not consider the influence on the critical resolved shear stress value of strain hardening, grain size, and temperature. It takes an enormous amount of time in calculation.

In the above-named work, published in the July 2018 issue of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, there is a missing citation in Sec. II-C. The citation should appear after the sentence "Since it is difficult to precisely model the inflation of the fabrics, we have the following assumptions" in the first paragraph of Sec. II-C on p. 2704 and is provided herein.

Traditional rigid robotic hand manipulator has been used in many field nowadays due to its advantages of large gripping force and stable performance. However, this kind of rigid manipulator is not suitable for gripping fragile objects since it is motorized and force control can be a problem. It is also not suitable to grip object with different shapes since the manipulator is rigid and not compliant. In this study, a novel manipulator with gripping capability is designed and fabricated. The manipulator combines electrostatic adhesion actuation with soft manipulators. The manipulator has high flexibility and can be compliant to different shapes due to the property of the materials. It is very promising to do delicate manipulations in industry field and biomedical field.

The Xitian tungsten–tin (W–Sn) polymetallic deposit, located in eastern Hunan Province, South China, is a recently explored region containing one of the largest W–Sn deposits in the Nanling W–Sn metallogenic province. The mineral zones in this deposit comprise skarn, greisen, structurally altered rock and quartz-vein types. The deposit is mainly hosted by Devonian dolomitic limestone at the contact with the Xitian granite complex. The Xitian granite complex consists of Indosinian (Late Triassic, 230–215 Ma) and Yanshanian (Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous, 165–141 Ma) granites. Zircons from two samples of the Xitian granite dated using laser ablation-inductively coupled mass spectrometer (LA-ICPMS) U–Pb analysis yielded two ages of 225.6 ± 1.3 Ma and 151.8 ± 1.4 Ma, representing the emplacement ages of two episodic intrusions of the Xitian granite complex. Molybdenites separated from ore-bearing quartz-veins yielded a Re–Os isochron age of 149.7 ± 0.9 Ma, in excellent agreement with a weighted mean age of 150.3 ± 0.5 Ma. Two samples of muscovites from ore-bearing greisens yielded 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of 149.5 ± 1.5 Ma and 149.4 ± 1.5 Ma, respectively. These isotopic ages obtained from hydrothermal minerals are slightly younger than the zircon U–Pb age of 151.8 ± 1.4 Ma of the Yanshanian granite in the Xitian area, indicating that the W–Sn mineralization is genetically related to the Late Jurassic magmatism. The Xitian deposit is a good example of the Early Yanshanian regional W–Sn ore-forming event (160–150 Ma) in the Nanling region. The relatively high Re contents (8.7 to 44.0 ppm, average of 30.5 ppm) in molybdenites suggest a mixture of mantle and crustal sources in the genesis of the ore-forming fluids and melts. Based upon previous geochemical studies of Early Yanshanian granite and regional geology, we argue that the Xitian W–Sn polymetallic deposit can be attributed to back-arc lithosphere extension in the region, which was probably triggered by the break-off of the flat-slab of the Palae-Pacific plate beneath the lithosphere.

Background Internal tandem duplication of FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3-ITD) mutation has been reported in about 25% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In contrast to patients with FLT3-ITD wild-type, AML with FLT3-ITD mutations have an inferior survival, primarily due to shorter remission duration and higher relapse rate. Although allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) improves the survival for FLT3-ITD AML, the rate of leukemia relapse remains high. Patients experiencing leukemia relapse post-transplants have a dismal prognosis. Recent studies have demonstrated that sorafenib monotherapy or in combination with other therapeutic strategies could induce sustained responses for patients with FLT3-ITD relapsed post-transplants. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of sorafenib combined with other therapeutic strategies for AML with FLT3-ITD relapsed after allo-HSCT. MethodsA total of 76 AML with FLT3-ITD relapsed after allo-HSCT from January 2012 to May 2017 were enrolled in this study. Depending on whether receiving salvage therapy containing sorafenib, patients were divided into 2 groups: sorafenib group (n=49) and non-sorafenib group (n=27). On the basis of the differences of therapeutic regimens, patients were divided into 4 subgroups, including sorafenib+ chemotherapy+donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) (Group A, n=39), sorafenib+ chemotherapy (Group B, n=10), chemotherapy +DLI (Group C, n=15), and monochemotherapy (Group D, n=12). Outcomes of different therapeutic regimens were compared. Results Forty patients obtained complete remission (CR) and 12 partial remission after salvage therapies, with the CR and overall response (OR) rates of 52.6% and 68.4%. The CR and OR rates were 65.3% and 81.6% in the sorafenib group, compared with 29.6% and 44.4% in the non-sorafenib group (P=0.003, P=0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that the CR and OR rates in Group A were higher than that in Group D (P=0.006, P=0.001), and they were similar to that in Groups B and C (all P values >0.008). There were also no significant differences in the CR and OR rates among Groups B, C, and D (all P values >0.008). With a median follow-up of 245 (range 30-1992) days after relapse, 26 patients remained alive and 50 died. The 3-year overall survival (OS) was 33.8% (95% CI, 23.3%-44.5%). The 3-year OS in the sorafenib group was superior to that in the non-sorafenib group (42.0% vs 18.5%, P=0.002). Subgroup analysis revealed that sorafenib combined with chemotherapy followed by DLI was superior to other regimens, with 3-year OS of 47.8%, 20.0%, 20.0%, and 16.7% in Groups A, B, C, and D, respectively (P=0.007). The incidences of acute and chronic GVHD as well as the mortality of GVHD after salvage therapies were similar among the four groups (P=0.304, P=0.429, P=0.601, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that salvage therapy containing sorafenib was the only protective factor for OS (P=0.022, hazard ratios= 0.479). ConclusionsSalvage therapy containing sorafenib was superior to that not containing sorafenib, and sorafenib combined with chemotherapy followed by DLI revealed optimal efficacy for relapse of AML with FLT3-ITD after allo-HSCT. Disclosures Fan: National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81600141, No. 81770190) and Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (No. 2016A030310390): Research Funding.

Intravenous busulfan (IV-Bu) or total body irradiation (TBI) based regimens are currently the most widely used myeloablative conditioning regimens for patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing allogeneic stem-cell transplantation(allo-SCT). Numerous trials have been undertaken on the clinical outcomes between IV Bu and TBI, but there are no comparative data for cord blood transplantation(CBT). We conducted a prospective registry-based study to analysis the outcomes of IV Bu and TBI in CBT patients with hematologic malignancies. From May 1, 2008 to Mar 31, 2016, a total of 331 consecutive patients with hematologic malignancies recieved singe unrelated CBT were involved in the study. Eligibility criteria for this analysis included:(1)Weigh ≧35 kilograms and age ≦ 60 years; (2)All patients recieved a single unit CBT but not a double units CBT; (3)Consensus criteria preparative regimens were based on full dose IV Bu(total 12.8 mg/kg, 0.8mg/kg every 6 h for 4 days) or TBI(total 12 Gy, 4 fractions) combined with Cy(60mg/kg × 2d); (4)GVHD prophylaxis regimens include cyclosporine(CSA) and mycophenolate mofetil(MMF) without Antithymocyte Globulin(ATG). Patients who has recieved a previous autologous or allogeneic transplantation was excluded in the study. The cumulative incidence of neutrophil engraftment were 91.6% in IV Bu/Cy cohort and 98.0% in Cy/TBI cohort(P < .001), respectively. The median follow-up time in IV Bu/Cy and Cy/TBI cohorts was 28.7(range, 12.2 to 91.3) months and 55.5(range, 13.1 to 117.1) months, respectively(P Our resluts demonstrates that, compared with TBI, IV Bu regimen was associated with a higher incidence of graft rejection in CBT. But there was no difference in survival with no increased risk for NRM or relapse between two regimens. For those centers lack of radiation facilities, IV Bu may be a valid and efficient alternative to TBI. With the restriction of a retrospective registry analysis and limited patient munbers, rigorously designed prospective randomized controlled trials are needed to further investigated the availability of IV Bu and TBI for CBT. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Composite Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) U–Pb zircon and40Ar–39Ar step-heating biotite-hornblende ages are used to provide constraints on the timing and origin of the felsic gneissic rocks in the Baiyunshan Mountains region and to elucidate their tectonothermal history. SHRIMP dating and CL imaging of zircons give magmatic zircon crystallization ages between Late Ordovician and Early Silurian (c.453.5 Ma, 446 Ma, and 439 Ma) for three representative felsic gneisses, suggesting that most of the Baiyunshan gneiss cannot represent basement rocks of the Cathaysia Block as previously thought. Including the present age information, a synthesis of available age data for regional Wuyun (Wuyi-Yunkai) events reflects the emergence of orogen-wide magmatism that could be syn-orogenic and have occurred mainly between 460 and 420 Ma in the South China Block. Inherited zircons are abundant, with ages clustering at late Mesoproterozoic (1189–1017 Ma) and middle Mesoproterozoic (772 Ma), which reveals that the Baiyunshan orthogneiss samples a crustal basement containing significant igneous or recycled components related to the Rodinia amalgamation and break-up. A SHRIMP date of 212 ± 12 Ma from a white rim of zircon provides evidence for metamorphic overprinting of an Indosinian tectonothermal event on the Baiyunshan gneiss. Incremental heating experiments with six biotite samples and one hornblende sample from a variety of metamorphic rocks yielded two distinct40Ar–39Ar age groups: 150–155 and 94–98 Ma. The older ages are similar to zircon U–Pb dates for widespread granitic intrusions in central Guangdong. We attribute them to Late Jurassic magmatism-induced thermal resetting of the biotite K–Ar system. On the other hand, the younger age group is interpreted to record either cooling through the biotite closure temperature of ~300–350 °C or a second resetting of biotite Ar isotopes atc.94–98 Ma due to contemporaneous magmatic activity. Our present age data suggest that the Maofengshan orthogneiss was exhumed to 8 to 10 km crustal levels atc.150 Ma, whereas the eastward components of gneissic rock masses appear to have passed upward through the same crustal depth synchronously or later (byc.94 Ma). Exhumation of middle crustal-level rocks in the study area sincec.155 Ma is roughly coeval with exhumation of gneissic rocks from elsewhere in the Wuyun Orogen, suggesting a large-scale mechanism for the exhumation pulse related to the Yanshanian extensional tectonic regime.

The Upper Cretaceous dinosaur egg-bearing deposits in Henan Province, central China are divided into three formations in ascending order: Gaogou, Majiacun and Sigou. The Gaogou Formation belongs to alluvial fan deposits containing the fossil dinosaur egg assemblage of Faveoloolithus, Dendroolithus, Dictyoolithus, Paraspheroolithus and Longiteresoolithus. The Majiacun Formation is interpreted as braided stream to meandering stream deposits with assemblage of Ovaloolithus, Paraspheroolithus, Placoolithus, Dendroolithus, Prismatoolithus, rare Youngoolithus and Nanhiungoolithus. The Sigou Formation is shallow lacustrine/palustrine to low-sinuosity river sedimentary rocks with assemblage of Macroolithus, Elongatoolithus, Ovaloolithus and Paraspheroolithus. To date, 37 oospecies, 13 oogenera and 8 oofamilies of dinosaur eggs have been distinguished. Autochthonous dinosaur eggs are preserved in the floodplain deposits, whereas allochthonous and parautochthonous dinosaur eggs are preserved in the alluvial fans. This suggests that river floodplains are the best environments for the preservation of numerous autochthonous dinosaur eggs. The preservation of most dinosaur eggs in brown to red calcic palaeosoils, muddy siltstones or mudstones suggests that the paleoclimate of the nesting area was semiarid. The presence of gray and green mudstone and coal layers, however, indicates that there existed an ephemeral subhumid climate during the middle and Late Cretaceous. It is suggested that such a climate was favorable for the development of meandering streams in a vegetated environment.

The Indosinian granites in the South China Block (SCB) have important tectonic significance for the evolution of East Asia. Samples collected from Hunan Province can be geochemically classified into two groups. Group 1 is strongly peraluminous (A/CNK > 1.1), similar to S-type granites, and Group 2 has A/CNK = 1.0–1.1, with an affinity to I-type granites. Group 1 has lower FeOt, Al2O3, MgO, CaO, TiO2 and eNd(t) values but higher K2O + Na2O, Rb/Sr, Rb/Ba and 87Sr/86Sr(t) than those of Group 2. Samples of both groups have similar LREE enriched pattern, with (Eu/Eu⁎) = 0.19–0.69, and strongly negative Ba, Sr, Nb, P and Ti anomalies. Geothermobarometry study indicates that the precursor magmas were emplaced at high-level depth with relatively low temperature (734–827 °C). Geochemical data suggest that Group 1 was originated from a source dominated by pelitic composition and Group 2 was from a mixing source of pelitic and basaltic rocks with insignificant addition of newly mantle-derived magma. Eight granitic samples in Hunan Province are dated at the cluster of 243–235 and 218–210 Ma by zircon U–Pb geochronology. Together with recent zircon U–Pb ages for other areas in the SCB, two age-clusters, including 243–228 Ma just after peak-metamorphism (∼ 246–252 Ma) and 220–206 Ma shortly after magma underplating event (∼224 Ma), are observed. It is proposed that in-situ radiogenic heating from the over-thickened crust induced dehydrated reaction of muscovite and epidote/zoisite to form the early Indosinian granites in response to the isostatic readjustments of tectonically thickened crust. Conductive heating from the underplating magma in the postcollisional setting triggered the formation of late Indosinian granites. Such a consideration is supported by the results from FLAC numerical simulation.

To improve prognosis of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD), a sequential therapeutic strategy that rituximab-based treatments followed by donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) or autologous EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (EBV-CTL) for biopsy-proven EBV-associated PTLD in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was designed. 84 patients with EBV-PTLD were enrolled in this prospective study. After two cycles of the rituximab-based treatments, 68 of 84 patients (81% [95% CI 71-88]) responded and 52 (62% [51-72]) had CRs. This increased to 73 of 77 patients (95% [87-98]) with completion of sequential cell infusions, and 70 of 77 (91% [82-96]) achieved CRs after DLI or autologous EBV-CTL infusion. 22 patients experienced acute GVHD (aGVHD) (grade I in 5 and grade II in 13, grade III in 4) and 13 chronic GVHD (limited cGVHD in 7 and extensive cGVHD in 6) in 62 patients undergoing a median of three doses of DLI. The incidences of GVHD were similar between DLI and EBV-CTL group (aGVHD 35% vs. 33%, p = 0.876; cGVHD 21% vs. 13%; p = 0.503). EBV-CTL activity after the rituximab-based treatments did not change, while increased after cell infusions and reached its maximum in the 3rd or 6th month after EBV-CTL or DLI treatment, respectively. The 5-y cumulative incidence of PTLD relapse was 4.5% ± 3.3%. The 5-y overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) after PTLD were 70.7% ± 5.2% and 68.9% ± 5.3%, respectively. Rituximab-based treatments combined with adoptive cellular immunotherapy might elevate CR rates and reduce relapse of PTLD after allo-HSCT.

The Anhua-Xupu shoshonitic lamprophyres, emplaced along the western margin of the South China orogen (Cathaysian block), formed about 207 Ma. They are characterized by high K2O/Na2O ratios (0.84-1.72), high K2O + Na2O contents (>4.33-6.41%), low TiO2 contents (0.54-1.21%), variable but high Al2O3 contents (13.32-16.28%), strong enrichments in LILE and LREE, and distinct depletions in HFSE (such as Nb, Ta, and Ti) with no Eu anomalies. The rocks possess highly initial radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.721565-0.722292) and nonradiogenic 143Nd/144Nd ratios (0.511836-0.511869), corresponding to eNd(t) = -9.81 to -10.45. Such geochemical characteristics are comparable to the Ava lamprophyres in southern Finland and Russian Karelia, the melilitebearing rocks from the Montefiascone Volcanic Complex (Roman Magmatic Province), and the Damavand shoshonitic volcanics (Central Alborz, northern Iran). Geochemical and isotopic signatures shown by the Anhua-Xupu primary magmas require a clinopyroxene- and phlogopite-rich m...